Month: February 2010

Morning Whip, Feb. 18, 2010

Contributed by: filbert Thursday, February 18 2010 @ 05:46 AM CST

SECTION ONE: The Word:
A definite lack of Words lately. Words apparently fail me.

I’m sorry about that. SECTION TWO: Things That Amuse Me:
Simians and other aminals*:
Pets in Airplane Cabins: An Unnecessary Allergic Hazard? [*1]
*Yes, I know it’s “animals,” it’s just that I always found the childhood mispronunciation really, really cute . . .

Travel:
What are the world’s ’12 ugliest airports?’ [*2]
Five U.S. airlines jockeying for rights to new Tokyo flights [*3]
Union ramps up strike effort at American Airlines [*4]
Update: L.C.’s Bar-B-Q back in business [*5] — Sure, L.C.’s is a scary dive of a barbecue place. Isn’t that part of the fun? The ribs are usually pretty good, though . . .

Sports:
Royals report to Arizona with revamped roster [*6]
Miss. State fans throw ice, bottles on court [*7]
Circling the Summit [*8]
It’s all about options at Royals’ camp [*9]
Why Do I Need an Apology [*10]
Bye bye Brent and Bob? Count me in[*11] — Yeah, it’s Whitlock, which means there is a bizarre, moronic, gratuitous mid-article shot at Sarah Palin coming at you out of frickin’ nowhere. Where’s the ByebyeJasonWhitlock.com campaign?
A Myth of Olympic Proportions [*12]
NBC Would Like Everyone To Turn Off The Internet For The Duration Of The Olympics [*13]

Science Fiction and Writing:
Aliens ‘R’ Us [*14]
BOOKS FOR FANTASY AUTHORS V: MY TEN FAVORITE SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS [*15]
SciFi TV Shows That Deserve A Remake (with Videos) [*16]

Science, technology, and space:
The Carbon Cycle Before Humans: New Studies Provide Clearer Picture of How Carbon Cycle Was Dramatically Affected Long Ago [*17]
Networks desperately seek data capacity[*18]
We’re Not Running Out Of – Or Even Low On – Sources of ‘Nonrenewable’ Energy [*19]
Coming Soon: A Radiant Cooker That Can Deep-Fry Foods Without Oil [*20]
Starship pilots: speed kills, especially warp speed [*21]

Miscellany (amusing things not fitting above, or below):
Healthiest county in S.D.: Brookings [*22]
County Health Rankings [*23]
The Tasters “Weren’t Entirely Happy.” [*24] — Viva Wal*Mart!
DNA Tests Reveal Mysteries of Boy-King Tut [*25]
The Consumer Memo, 02/17: Campbell plans soup revamp [*26]
Happiness makes for a happy heart [*27]

SECTION THREE: Politics: The neverending battle against blithering idiocy:
People doing potentially good things (including sightings of politicians doing something less than totally idiotic):
Tribal tea partiers hold rally [*28]
Sarah Palin Is One Tough Mother [*29] — “In America 2010, happy and functional people like Palin are perceived as dim.”
Tea Party Movement Untamed [*30]
Barack Obama Mocked at This Year’s Mardi Gras Parade [*31] — Presidents, like all American politicians, are useful mostly for the entertainment they provide their sarcastic and mocking prospective voters. Don’t make us use our Mom Voice . . .
The secret behind the hot sales of “The Road to Serfdom” by free-market economist F. A. Hayek [*32]
Conservative leaders release “Mount Vernon statement” [*33]
Palin to tea partiers: You’re going to have to choose between the parties [*34]
Bush “Miss Me Yet?” Merchandise Selling Like Hotcakes [*35]
Palin: Stop Being a Jackass With This Third-Party Crap [*36]
Something to ponder for 2012: Sarah Palin’s ahead of where Obama was 30 months before his nomination [*37]
The Mount Vernon Statement [*38]
Angry Americans Confusingly Hate Both Bailouts and Bailouts [*39]
Tea Party leaders ask voters to help draft ‘Contract from America’ [*40]

The cure for blithering idiocy: freedom and individual liberty (yeah, I know–ooh, ick, philosophy!):
The Mises Economics Blog on the Christian Science Monitor [*41]
Education: Too Important for a Government Monopoly [*42]
Principle and Action [*43]

The reality of President Obama as a blithering idiot (and he’s the President, so he gets credit, if that’s the word, for the entire Executive Branch):
Reasonably Sane Sustainability [*44] — What is obviously unsustainable is the Obama Administration and Democrat Party control of the Federal Government . . .
Who’s an “Ideologue”? [*45]
Executive Power Only A Problem When Someone Else Has It [*46]
Hispanics Losing Hope for Obama [*47]
Obama on nuclear energy, before and after [*48] — You see, the problem with Obama is that you simply can’t believe anything the man says. . .
Pay-go: The next expiration date has arrived [*49]
Biden Blames Our System of Government For Failures of Liberal Ideology [*50]
Krauthammer: Obama’s Excuses on National Security Are Unbelievable [*51]
Oh My: College Acquaintance of Obama’s Says That, in 1980, Obama Was a “Pure Marxist Socialist” [*52]
Another Billboard… “How’s That Hope and Change Working For You?” [*53]
The Great Stimulus Hoax [*54]
Stimulus anniversary timeline: A year on the road to nowhere [*55]

The reality of Washington Democrats (and Independents, and Socialists) as blithering idiots:
Lawrence Kudlow: The Washington, D.C., disconnect [*56]
Dems’ blues: States reverting to red [*57]
Coulter: Bush Wanted To Try Richard Reid by Military Commission, But Left-Wing Wouldn’t Let Him [*58]
Dissent crushed: CO Dem Sen. candidate fires Pat Caddell for speaking truth [*59]
The Head Start Scam [*60]
The Ripple Effects of Federal Action: A Case Study [*61]

The reality of Washington Republicans as blithering idiots:
GOP sees possible upside in health care summit[*62] — Trap, it is . . .
Hayworth vs. McCain: No Contest [*63]
Report: Dems near deal on ObamaCare before health-care summit? [*64] — Of course, the fix is in. It’s A Trap!
GOP Risks Being Swept Away Unless They Adopt Tea Party Principles [*65] — In marketing, it would be called “brand differentiation.” It’s generally a good strategy, especially when what you’ve been selling becomes really, really unpopular . . .

Other blithering idiots at large making life difficult for regular folks:
Toyota and the Union-Backed, Government-Led Witch Hunt [*66] — Although I can’t tell right now if there are any “good guys” at all in this particular fight . . .
University of Texas pursues makers of iTexas app for violation of “Texas” trademark [*67] — There are times when Texas should be messed with . . .
Gulp: WaPo poll shows massive opposition to Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance [*68]

Opposition Research: because blithering idiocy can be dangerous, especially when organized into idiotic groups with idiotic ideologies:
Hushing Up Conspiracy Theories [*69] — Or, airbrushing history . . .
Soros loaded up on gold in the 4th qtr [*70] — And make no mistake, if you want to keep your money, then George Soros is very much your enemy . . .
Clinton Plotting Tea Party Counterattack [*71]
Preferring the Politics of Personal Destruction when Countering a Resurgent Right [*72]
This Is Your Country on Progressivism [*73]
They Burn the Research of Class Enemies, Don’t They? [*74]

The Keith Olbermann Memorial “Special Comment” on blithering idiots in the Media:
Keith Olbermann’s Plantation: ‘Ask Yourself – Where Are the Black Faces?’ [*75]
David Shuster’s Twitter Silent Since Breitbart/O’Keefe Battle [*76]
TV Backlash: Sponsors Rebel Against Salacious Content, Create ‘Family Friendly’ Programming [*77]
Family Guy goaded Palin into a mistake [*78]
Washington Post Still Doesn’t Understand Supreme Court Ruling[*79]
AP Airbrushes Joe Biden’s Latest Gaffe [*80]

SECTION FOUR: Case Studies in Blithering Idiocy
“Global warming” aka “Climate change” — or should that be “Climate Reform?”:
2009- Global Warming Causes Foggy Days in San Francisco… 2010- Global Warming Causes Fog-less Days in San Francisco [*81] — Here in Flyover Country, we call this “Just making shit up.”
The AGW Smoking Gun [*82]
IPCC gate Du Jour – Antarctic Sea Ice Increase Underestimated by 50% [*83]
Climategate 2.0 — The NASA Files: U.S. Climate Science as Corrupt as CRU (PJM Exclusive — Part One) [*84] — “It’s not the crime, it’s the coverup . . .”
Global Warming: What’s Credibility Got to Do with It?[*85]
Northern Hemisphere Snow Extent Second Highest on Record [*86] — It’s only “weather” though, so it’s essentially meaningless. The next summer heat wave, on the other hand . . .
Who Doesn’t Trust Science Now?: Weird weather, Climategate, and the dangers of faith-based science [*87]
Big Business Jumps Ship from the S.S. Climate Change[*88]
Climate Crackup: A breakdown in Copenhagen saves a divided world from carbon rationing. [*89]
Va. Challenges EPA on Climate policy. Media sandbags, and AGW adherents go to Eleventy!!!11! [*90]

Health care “reform” aka health insurance “reform” — or should that be health care “change?” Perhaps “Global healthing?:
Paying Cash for Health Care [*91]
The Limited Benefits of First Dollar Health Care Coverage [*92]

The Economy (Can the blithering idiots bring down the most productive economy the world has ever seen? Yes, They Can! Will they?):
The Recession’s Fat Cats: Public Employees [*93] — This is why I am unmoved by public employees who complain that they haven’t gotten a raise in the past year or two (some of which are actually among my best friends) . . .
Deadbeat Nation Watch: China Dumps More Than $30 Billion in U.S. Funny Money [*94]

Foreign affairs and National Security (Will blithering idiots get us all killed, or make us all speak Spanish–or Chinese–or Arabic–or all three?):
What’s Obama’s beef with India? [*95] — I’m not sure if the author is using ironic humor in the article title or not . . .
Different strokes [*96]
War game reveals U.S. lacks cyber-crisis skills [*97]
My Big Fat Greek Restructuring: Greece can help itself, and the West, by resisting a bailout. [*98]
Closing Time? [*99] — “George C Marshall: “The enemy always has problems of his own of which you are unaware.””

The Morning Whip is a (mostly) daily review of what’s out there that caught my attention, sometimes but not always posted before 11 am Central time in the U. S. of A., unless I just don’t feel like it that day, am out doing something more important or more fun, or I’ve been abducted, detained, arrested, or otherwise flummoxed by the agents of blithering idiotry.

I surf the Web, so you don’t have to! (which would be a trademark, but come on, who am I kidding?)

Contributed by: filbert Thursday, February 18 2010 @ 07:08 AM CST

From The Road To Serfdom, by F. A. Hayek, 1944, Fiftieth Anniversary Edition, 1994, The University of Chicago Press.

(The) two kinds of security are, first, security against severe physical privation, the certainty of a given minimum of sustenance for all; and, second, the security of a given standard of life, or of the relative position which one person or group enjoys compared with others; or, as we may put it briefly, the security of minimum income and the security of the particular income a person is thought to deserve. . . . this distinction largely coincides with the distinction between the security which can be provided for all outside of and supplementary to the market system and the security which can be provided only for some and only by controlling or abolishing the market.

Excerpted under Fair Use for purposes of non-commercial education, discussion and comment. Any transcription or typographical errors are mine.

Contributed by: filbert Wednesday, February 17 2010 @ 07:07 AM CST

From The Road To Serfdom, by F. A. Hayek, 1944, Fiftieth Anniversary Edition, 1994, The University of Chicago Press.

The old socialist leaders, who had always regarded their parties as the natural spearhead of the future general movement toward socialism, found it difficult to understand that with every extension in the use of socialist methods the resentment of large poor classes should turn against them. But while the old socialist parties, or the organized labor in particular industries, had usually not found it unduly difficult to come to an understanding for joint action with the employers in their particular industries, very large classes were left out in the cold. To them, and not without some justification, the more prosperous sections of the labor movement seemed to belong to the exploiting rather than to the exploited class.

Excerpted under Fair Use for purposes of non-commercial education, discussion and comment. Any transcription or typographical errors are mine.

Contributed by: filbert Wednesday, February 17 2010 @ 05:14 AM CST

SECTION ONE: The Word:
This might be a big ‘un, link-wise. I’m staring at 669 articles on my Google Reader screen right now.
Meanwhile, Give Michael Yon money. [*1] You will not be sorry. You will, in fact, be better for it–better informed, at the very least. He is doing the dirty, nasty, tedious, honest, tell-it-like-it-is, day-to-day reporting work in Afghanistan that the major “news” organizations just can’t seem to bring themselves to do.
SECTION TWO: Things That Amuse Me:
Simians and other aminals*:
Where Did Insects Come From? New Study Establishes Relationships Among All Arthropods [*2]
Protein Study Shows Evolutionary Link Between Plants, Humans [*3] — Humans are simians, after all . . . yeah, it’s a reach . . .
Dog ‘hitches ride’ 1,200 miles from New Mexico to reunite with owner in New Orleans [*4]
*Yes, I know it’s “animals,” it’s just that I always found the childhood mispronunciation really, really cute . . .

Travel:
First Responders Credit Slower Speeds, ‘Crush Zones’ For Fatality-Free Pile-Up [*5] — Just west of Kansas City . . .
Five-Vehicle Crash Kills One: Interstate 29 south of Missouri Valley [*6] We were southbound on I-29 and were in the 45-minute backup of this accident. It looked nasty–and nasty really understates it quite a bit. It was . . . horrifiying.
Southwest takes on US Airways monopoly route with Philly-Boston service [*7]
Cruise West Announces 335-day World Cruise [*8]

Sports:
First-half run lifts Jacks past USD [*9] — Jackrabbits 67, Coyotes 48, in women’s basketball in front of a crowd of 5,246 in Frost Arena.
Top-ranked Kansas beats A&M 59-54 [*10]
Jackrabbits picked third in Summit League [*11] — College baseball . . .
Hillman offers working model for potential lineup[*12] — KC Royals . . .
Rivalry showdown without big incident [*13]
Better late than never: Jacks recover from slow start, triumph over USD in first duel in six years [*14]
Baseball Predictions in February! [*15]
Tuesday Tidbits [*16]

Science Fiction and Writing:
nichts

Science, technology, and space:
“Love” hormone may help autism symptoms: study [*17]
FCC to propose faster broadband speeds [*18] — Why is this the FCC’s concern?
On Crete, New Evidence of Very Ancient Mariners [*19]
Cholesterol drugs up diabetes risk slightly: study [*20]
Optimal Waist-to-Hip Ratios in Women Activate Neural Reward Centers in Men [*21] — Well, YEAH . . .

Straight News–Stuff sufficiently serious to deserve a serious treatment:
Teen Arrested After Rocks Thrown At Cars: Pieces Of Concrete Thrown From Highway 71 Bridge [*22] — I think, if found guilty, the teens should be sentenced to have pieces of concrete thrown at them at sixty miles an hour–just so that they see how it feels . . . idiocy should not be coddled . . .

Miscellany (amusing things not fitting above, or below):
Website Challenges One Person to Live Off Coupons For a Year [*23]

SECTION THREE: Politics: The neverending battle against blithering idiocy:
People doing potentially good things (including sightings of politicians doing something less than totally idiotic):
Red army galvanizing in our bluest towns: Republicans coming ‘out of the closet’ in wake of Scott Brown’s win [*24] — An uprising in New England . . .
McCain and Hayworth: Tale of the Tape [*25] — I’m inclined towards Hayworth. Sorry, Sarah . . .
RNC Wants Collective Bargaining with Tea Parties [*26] — Tea Parties, on the other hand, want the Republican Party to pull their collective heads our of their collective asses . . .
As the Senate turns: the GOP keeps getting good news (with update) [*27] — There is, however, the reason they’re called the “stupid party” which keeps me from getting to terribly excited right now . . .
Throw the Bums Out: Let’s Take It On The Road [*28] — I’m not entirely sure that allowing more than one term for any politician is a good idea . . . as long as you term-limit government bureaucrats, too . . .
Tea Partiers Should Get Serious [*29]
RI Town Fires All Teachers at Failing School [*30] — Actually, they need to start with firing all the administrators . . . The entire U.S. Department of Education would be a good start . . .
Scott Brown Challenges Obama to Basketball Game, and Wants to Make it Public, with Proceeds Going to Haiti [*31] — Because we have no reason to believe that Obama has anything other than the ability to talk a good game . . .
New tea-party candidate ad: “Hands” [*32]
Tea Party truths [*33]

The cure for blithering idiocy: freedom and individual liberty (yeah, I know–ooh, ick, philosophy!):
The only statement of conservative principles we need [*34] — We, The People . . . hey, remember us? The people who really do run this country–really, really? The ones you inside-the-Beltway dolts are too refined and erudite to bother to try to understand? Yeah. Us. We have a message for you: Get the hell out of our government, you looting, lowlife scum. Don’t make us use “our Mom voice,” Senator McCaskill . . . because we have one, you know . . .
Interviewing Thomas Sowell On Intellectualism [*35]
The Republican Party Began as a Tea Party Movement [*36]
A New Idea: Don’t Bailout Greece, or Anyone Else for That Matter. [*37]

The reality of President Obama as a blithering idiot (and he’s the President, so he gets credit, if that’s the word, for the entire Executive Branch):
Obama statue removed in Indonesia — “Every day, the Kool-Aid wears off a little more.”
Is campaign all the Obami know how to do? [*38] — Well, it’s all he’s ever actually done before, so . . .
FAIL… Just 6% of Americans Believe Obama’s $787 Billion Stimulus Created Jobs [*39]
Scott Brown Schools Joey Plugs [*40] — You could write thousands of words on the idiocy of Joe Biden. And no, not the blithering idiocy, just the garden-variety, dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks idiocy . . .
Mister Cool and Detached [*41]
WH ready to go up against Cheney… says anonymous source. Wait, what? [*42]
Why Obama Will Be Clinton Without The Comeback [*43]
Is Obama Failing? (Part 3) [*44]
Dems Continue to Distance Themselves from Obama [*45]
Obama’s Nuclear Push Good but Not Enough [*46]

The reality of Washington Democrats (and Independents, and Socialists) as blithering idiots:
New poll: Now, signs of real vulnerability for California’s Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer [*47] — This seems to be a bad year to be a blithering idiot . . .
Videos: Bayh says Democrats have yet to create a single private-sector job [*48]
Brilliant: Democrats’ Big Plan for Saving the Senate is… Mr. 44%, Barack H. Obama [*49]

The reality of Washington Republicans as blithering idiots:
Health Care Summit Conflicts with Constitution [*50] — “The President has no legislative authority.”

Other blithering idiots at large making life difficult for regular folks:
There’ll be Rain on the Scarecrow, Blood on The Plow, & Even More Farm Subsidies For People Named Mellencamp [*51] — Their muzzles deep in the trough of public money, while their favorite son sings popular songs about how horrible it is that we don’t put more feed in the trough . . .
Lt. Gov’s Staff Member Placed On Leave After ‘Inadvertently’ Sending Email [*52]
<<br>Opposition Research: because blithering idiocy can be dangerous, especially when organized into idiotic groups with idiotic ideologies:
The Democrat Strategy for 2010: Bye Bye, Bayh
Video: “Family Guy” makes fun of Palin’s son, sort of [*53] — Or, “Why I don’t bother watching ‘Family Guy,’ reason 3,483” . . .
Liberal disgust over conservative disgust — cheerfully discussed by disgusted libertarian! [*54]
The Green Death [*55] — Environmentalism kills . . .
Liberals Say U.S. Is Ungovernable. Again. [*56] — Again, my observation: it’s weird how America becomes ungovernable only when progressives become the government . . .
Debt and Deficit [*57] — Featuring pretty pictures . . . people like pictures . . .
Tea Party Imposters? [*58]
Andrew Sullivan Asks PJM to Remove my Blog Post and to Apologize. He Won’t Get One. Here’s Why! [*59]
Tea Party Imposters: Truthers and Other Mutants File to Create “Tea Party” In Nevada [*60]

The Keith Olbermann Memorial “Special Comment” on blithering idiots in the Media:
Surprising No One: Liberal Media Completely Embargoes Phil Jones Admissions [*61]
Go To A Tea Party? Oppose Obama? Yeah, You’re A Racist [*62] –“So much stupid and so little time.”
CNN Buries the Lede, Again: 52% Say Obama Doesn’t Deserve Reelection [*63]
Lonewolf Diaries: Bill Maher — Politically Correct Coward [*64]

SECTION FOUR: Case Studies in Blithering Idiocy
“Global warming” aka “Climate change” — or should that be “Climate Reform?”:
Global Warming in Texas[*65] — Damn Texicans . . .
Now IPCC hurricane data is questioned [*66] — “A statistical analysis of the raw data shows that the claims that global hurricane activity has increased cannot be supported.”
Global Warming Junk Scientists Even Pushed Bogus Hurricane Data [*67] — Well, yes, that’s one very plausible interpretation of what happened . . .
‘Green Police’: Green Theft Comedy [*68]
Jones may submit a correction to his 1990 paper – Keenan responds [*69]
Lake Erie Frozen over; First Time in 14 Years [*70]
Global Warming Scam Still Melting Down [*71]

Health care “reform” aka health insurance “reform” — or should that be health care “change?” Perhaps “Global healthing?:
ObamaCare: We Get It – And We Don’t Want It [*72]
“If You Think You Will Tax my Benefits and Give the Money to Ben Nelson in Nebraska, You’re Crazy” [*73]

The Economy (Can the blithering idiots bring down the most productive economy the world has ever seen? Yes, They Can! Will they?):
http://www.conservatives4palin.com/2010/02/more-minimum-wage-follies.html[*74]

Foreign affairs and National Security (Will blithering idiots get us all killed, or make us all speak Spanish–or Chinese–or Arabic–or all three?):
Hillary: Hey, by the way, Iran’s turning into a military dictatorship[*75] — Uh, cue Captain Obvious . . .

The Morning Whip is a (mostly) daily review of what’s out there that caught my attention, sometimes but not always posted before 11 am Central time in the U. S. of A., unless I just don’t feel like it that day, am out doing something more important or more fun, or I’ve been abducted, detained, arrested, or otherwise flummoxed by the agents of blithering idiotry.

I surf the Web, so you don’t have to! (which would be a trademark, but come on, who am I kidding?)

Contributed by: filbert Tuesday, February 16 2010 @ 07:06 AM CST

From The Road To Serfdom, by F. A. Hayek, 1944, Fiftieth Anniversary Edition, 1994, The University of Chicago Press.

It was not the Fascists but the socialists who began to collect children from the tenderest age into political organizations to make sure that they grew up as good proletarians. It was not the Fascists but the socialists who first thought of organizing sports and games, football (soccer) and hiking, in party clubs where the members would not be infected by other views. It was the socialists who first insisted that the party member should distinguish himself from others by the modes of greeting and forms of address. It was they who by their organization of “cells” and devices for the permanent supervision of private life created the prototype of the totalitarian party. Balilla and Hitlerjugend, Dopolavoro and Kraft durch Freude, political uniforms and military party formations, are all little more than imitations of older socialist institutions.

Excerpted under Fair Use for purposes of non-commercial education, discussion and comment. Any transcription or typographical errors are mine.

Contributed by: filbert Tuesday, February 16 2010 @ 05:35 AM CST

SECTION ONE: The Word:
SDSU 67, USD 48, women’s basketball. Go Rabbits.
SECTION TWO: Things That Amuse Me:
Simians and other aminals*:
None today . . .
*Yes, I know it’s “animals,” it’s just that I always found the childhood mispronunciation really, really cute . . .

Travel:
American and British Airways Finally Receive Alliance Approval From the US (Tentatively) [*1]

Sports:
Previews of the Big Game–USD vs. SDSU: The Rivalry Resumes!
Rolling Jacks meet reeling Coyotes [*2]
Rivalry renewed [*3]
Jackrabbits rekindle rivalry with USD [*4]
And in other sports:
Monday Musings [*5]
Bad sports, good sports: Potholes at the Daytona 500 [*6]

Science Fiction and Writing:
Serious Tip on Writing from A Professional [*7]
getting it right vs. getting it done [*8]
Ways to Trash Your Writing Career: Guaranteed Career Suicide [*9]

Science, technology, and space:
Built-in Amps: How Subtle Head Motions, Quiet Sounds Are Reported to the Brain [*10]
The Last Shuttle and the Rise of China [*11] — My enthusiasm for NASA’s exit from manned space flight is tempered only by the sure knowledge that Obama and his “progressive” buddies will place such onerous regulations on private space flight as to make it nearly impossible . . .
Space: The Final Frontier of Profit? [*12]
Catholic journal ‘First Things’ compares Intelligent Design movement to Charge of the Light Brigade [*13]

Straight News–Stuff sufficiently serious to deserve a serious treatment:
Amy Bishop Is A Far-Left Extremist “Obsessed” with the President [*14] — And sometimes, psychpathic nutcases are just psychopathic nutcases . . .

Miscellany (amusing things not fitting above, or below):
Girl On Girl: Dating Women Makes Me Sympathize With Men [*15] — “Gals tend to hold on to things longer and they do so with an iron grip. Guys will throw their problems at your feet like a heap of dirty laundry. It’s usually pretty easy to clean up the mess because dudes actually want to move on.”
Sandra Bullock, or, what makes a movie star? [*16]
Middle America Cheers For Sandra Bullock [*17]

SECTION THREE: Politics: The neverending battle against blithering idiocy:
People doing potentially good things (including sightings of politicians doing something less than totally idiotic):
Editorial Board for the Oklahoman Comes Out in Favor of Palin and the Tea Party/Other News [*18]
Terminator vs. Squirrel [*19] — Wherein Arnold briefly re-discovers fiscal conservatism . . .
‘Tea party’ activists filter into GOP at ground level [*20]
Sarah Palin Mobbed in Daytona [*21]
GOP to mine for votes in coal states [*22]

The cure for blithering idiocy: freedom and individual liberty (yeah, I know–ooh, ick, philosophy!):
The Burden of Freedom [*23]
The Not So Wild, Wild West [*24]
A Tale of Two Libertarianisms [*25]
Our Time for Choosing [*26]
The Fable of Market Meritocracy: Markets don’t reward smart people. They reward value. [*27]
Reinhold Neibuhr Was a Subversive Pinko (and Other Conservative Insights) [*28]

The reality of President Obama as a blithering idiot (and he’s the President, so he gets credit, if that’s the word, for the entire Executive Branch):
The lassitude of John Brennan, Part Two [*29]
Ann Coulter: How Long Are We Going to Pretend That Joe Biden Is Not Just Some Drunken Irishman Embarrassing Obama? (Video) [*30]
Why Obama is Wrong about Net Neutrality and His Scheme Must Be Defeated [*31]
Brennan: Terrorists = Purse-Snatchers [*32]
The White House Has A Fever And The Only Prescription Is More Obama [*33] — Because nobody in the Obama Administration has ever heard the word “overexposed.”
Will Obama Have a Primary Challenger? [*34]
Maybe If the White House Just Repeats Its Health Care Reform Plan One More Time, Everyone Will Suddenly Like It, and It Will Pass! [*35]
Joe “Full Biden” Biden: “I Never Once Doubted” the Surge Would Do Exactly What I Promised It Could Never Do, EVer [*36]

The reality of Washington Democrats (and Independents, and Socialists) as blithering idiots:
Evan Bayh Announces Retirement [*37] — Bayh, seeing oncoming freight train, steps out of the way . . .
Dems to Obama: Please don’t stand so close to me [*38] — Actually, a lot of Democrats are seeing the oncoming freight train and are stepping out of the way, if they’re able . . .
Control of the Senate[*39]
Is this the sound of the Senate flipping? [*40]
Industry study: US will lose over $2 trillion in 20 years in drilling ban [*41] — And which party is responsible for that drilling ban? Any guesses?
Industry Study: Dems Cost US $2.36 Trillion in Oil Money [*42] — . . . Oh, yeah! The DEMOCRATS! Heckofa job, donkeys!
The Future Consequences Of Energy Stupidity [*43] — Because “Energy Policies” have consequences . . .
Cost of Banning Oil-and-Gas Drilling? Two Point Three Six Trillion Dollars Over 20 Years [*44] — Most people would allow as how that is a lot of money . . .
Mikulski Too? [*45] — Meanwhile . . . some phrase about rats and sinking ships comes to mind . . .

The reality of Washington Republicans as blithering idiots:
Let’s Make a Deal? — Guess what it is . . . go on, just guess . . .
The Purpose Of The Health Care Summit? [*46]

Other blithering idiots at large making life difficult for regular folks:
California is America’s Greece [*47] — There is not enough wealth in the world to give to every person everything they think they “need” . . .
Tea Party to field candidate in battle for Harry Reid’s Senate seat [*48] — Stupid people? Or Democrat party false-flag operation?
Tea Party of Nevada: Real Third Party, or False Flag? [*49]
Isn’t It Time to Finally Put the Interests of Kids First Rather than Catering to the National Education Association? [*50]

Opposition Research: because blithering idiocy can be dangerous, especially when organized into idiotic groups with idiotic ideologies:
A Diva’s Thoughts on Palin Derangement Syndrome [*51]
The New Conformo-radicalism [*52]
Trashing Conservatives: The Deep Thinks of Deepak Chopra [*53]
Acorn-ucopia [*54] — I’ll bet you thought ACORN got de-funded by the government–right? SUCKER!

The Keith Olbermann Memorial “Special Comment” on blithering idiots in the Media:
Katie Couric: Return of the Palin Slayer [*55]
The sun rises. Birds sing. Olbermann lies. [*56]

SECTION FOUR: Case Studies in Blithering Idiocy
“Global warming” aka “Climate change” — or should that be “Climate Reform?”:
The Snow Line is Moving South [*57]
A historical observation on Climategate [*58] — “Climate Change” and “Intelligent Design” have lots and lots of similarities, but the analogy to the Bellesiles scandal is good as well. Piltdown Man also comes to mind. As do epicycles and phlogiston.
Video: The IPCC’s Rapdily Melting Credibility [*59]
Some Crank (Who Just Happened To Be A Lead Author Of The 2001 UN Climate Report) Says Temperature Data Is Unreliable Proof Of Climate Change [*60]
Inside the Climate Bunker[*61] — Surprisingly, not one of those Hitler-in-the-bunker parody YouTube videos . . .
Dalton Minimum Repeat goes mainstream [*62]

Health care “reform” aka health insurance “reform” — or should that be health care “change?” Perhaps “Global healthing?:
coming soon . . . again . . .

The Economy (Can the blithering idiots bring down the most productive economy the world has ever seen? Yes, They Can! Will they?):
Big Government Not A Solution [*63]
The Unemployment Crisis [*64]
Krugman’s Inflation Incoherence [*65]

Foreign affairs and National Security (Will blithering idiots get us all killed, or make us all speak Spanish–or Chinese–or Arabic–or all three?):
Playing Chicken with China [*66]

The Morning Whip is a (mostly) daily review of what’s out there that caught my attention, sometimes but not always posted before 11 am Central time in the U. S. of A., unless I just don’t feel like it that day, am out doing something more important or more fun, or I’ve been abducted, detained, arrested, or otherwise flummoxed by the agents of blithering idiotry.

I surf the Web, so you don’t have to! (which would be a trademark, but come on, who am I kidding?)

Contributed by: filbert Monday, February 15 2010 @ 03:00 PM CST

SECTION ONE: The Word:
Semi-snowed in in South Dakota. Snug in the hotel last night, surfing the web and trying not to watch the Winter Olympics. It was a hot cocoa sort of night.
And oops . . . pre-scheduled this to post . . . tomorrow. That would have been awkward. Oops, again. SECTION TWO: Things That Amuse Me:
Simians and other aminals*:
Bees Caffeine And Nicotine Fiends [*1]
*Yes, I know it’s “animals,” it’s just that I always found the childhood mispronunciation really, really cute . . .

Travel:
Cruise Ship Crew Reportedly Treated for Carbon Monoxide Exposure [*2]

Sports:
Michelson sparks Jacks over NDSU [*3] — SDSU 74, NDSU 49 in women’s basketball.
No. 1 Kansas pulls away for Self’s 400th victory [*4] — Kansas 73, Iowa State 59 in men’s basketball.
Wall helps Kentucky conquer Tennessee [*5] — Kentucky 73, Tennessee 62 in men’s basketball.
Buzzer-beaters and bad luck bust Jacks [*6] — NDSU 90, SDSU 85, 2OT in http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1747213.html
UMKC falls to Oakland 83-71 [*7] — Men’s basketball.
No. 5 Tennessee beats Florida 83-44 — Women’s basketball.

Science Fiction and Writing:
Too much snow.

Science, technology, and space:
Too much wind.

Straight News–Stuff sufficiently serious to deserve a serious treatment:
Socialist Professor Amy Bishop Who Killed 3 Profs Yesterday Shot & Killed Her Brother in 1986 …UPDATE: Dem Rep. Delahunt Made Call to Release Bishop in 1986! [*8]
The shadow of the past [*9]

Miscellany (amusing things not fitting above, or below):
You’re not lazy, you just have “sluggish cognitive tempo disorder” [*10] — Oh, good. Here, I thought that there was something wrong with me.

SECTION THREE: Politics: The neverending battle against blithering idiocy:
People doing potentially good things (including sightings of politicians doing something less than totally idiotic):
Steele Meeting With 50 Tea Party Leaders On Tuesday [*11] — Which could jump to the Republican-Blithering-Idiot section at a moment’s notice . . .

The cure for blithering idiocy: freedom and individual liberty (yeah, I know–ooh, ick, philosophy!):
Abraham Lincoln: ‘A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand’ [*12]
Federalist No. 62: The Senate [*13] — “It is recommended by the double advantage of favoring a select appointment, and of giving to the State governments such an agency in the formation of the federal government as must secure the authority of the former, and may form a convenient link between the two systems.” Direct election of Senators breaks this system and essentially makes a mockery of the concept of a limited, federal government.

The reality of President Obama as a blithering idiot (and he’s the President, so he gets credit, if that’s the word, for the entire Executive Branch):
Closing The Barn Door After the Horse Has Bolted: Obama Now a Deficit Hawk? [*14]
Creating Jobs–In China! — Two quotes from the article: “The Obama administration is setting a standard of incompetence not likely to be rivaled any time soon.” And “If the Obama administration were actually trying to damage our economy, it is not clear that it could do a better job.”
U.S. Treasury: economy to keep growing in 2010 [*15] — KEEP growing? Rosie Scenario is a key adviser of Obama, it seems . . .
Biden: White House wants to hear GOP health ideas — By now, you know what’s coming, right?

AP: Debt bomb will build even under rosiest Obama scenarios [*16]
Obama’s Doubletalk [*17]
Under Obama, crony capitalism again rules the day [*18]

The reality of Washington Democrats (and Independents, and Socialists) as blithering idiots:
Dems plan to rearrange deck chairs [*19]
How Congressional Black Caucus got around McCain-Feingold [*20] — Remember: “Do as I say, Not as I do!”

The reality of Washington Republicans as blithering idiots:
The request of a small favor from Texas Republicans [*21] — You know . . . Washington Republicans, Texas Republicans, Tea Partiers, it’s all good, right? Right?

Other blithering idiots at large making life difficult for regular folks:
Davos proposal: require “licenses” for internet use [*22] — No, really . . .
Control freaks want web licences to end bloggers’ anonymity – be very afraid [*23] — This is a world where people actually take this nonsense seriously . . . if you want your freedom, you’ll have to fight for it. Nobody’s going to give it to you, and there are hordes of people who want to take it away from you and sell some of it back to you at a hefty profit. And some people just like telling other people what to do.
Fishermen say federal law kills jobs [*24]

Opposition Research: because blithering idiocy can be dangerous, especially when organized into idiotic groups with idiotic ideologies:
The Anachronism of Apostasy [*25]
“For the Children” = “Hide your Wallet” [*26]
Alinskyism before Alinsky: an ancient but uncredited legacy [*27]

The Keith Olbermann Memorial “Special Comment” on blithering idiots in the Media:
PR Gnus Of The World News Remixes NPR [*28]

SECTION FOUR: Case Studies in Blithering Idiocy
“Global warming” aka “Climate change” — or should that be “Climate Reform?”:
49 states with snow, 1180 new snowfall records set in the USA this past week – is February Headed For Record Snowfall? [*29]
Scripps: Antarctic Ice Shelf Collapse Possibly Triggered by Ocean Waves [*30]
AGW – The Phil Jones Interview: So Much For Settled Science [*31]
Tisdale on the importance of El Nino’s little sister – recharging ocean heat content [*32]
Climategate’s Phil Jones Confesses to Climate Fraud [*33]
Daily Mail: The Jones U-turn [*34]
No global warming since 1995? [*35]
Phil Jones momentous Q&A with BBC reopens the “science is settled” issues [*36]
It Was All a Lie: Climategate Scientist Admits There Is No Global Warming [*37]
The Wheels Are Coming Off [*38]
All of a sudden, it’s OK to question the conclusions of climate alarmists [*39]
Was there any actual warming to begin with? [*40]
It’s Not Apostasy [*41]
New paper on mathematical analysis of GHG [*42] — “GHG” = “greenhouse gases” for those of you playing along at home . . .
Global Warming Fraudsters Bilked EU & US for £800,000 Annually for Last 20 Years [*43]
Christy and McKittrick in the UK Times: doubts on station data[*44]

Health care “reform” aka health insurance “reform” — or should that be health care “change?” Perhaps “Global healthing?:
Still a huge mistake . . .

The Economy (Can the blithering idiots bring down the most productive economy the world has ever seen? Yes, They Can! Will they?):
Unemployment in the Great Recession [*45] — “Although job losses slowed in December, there is no evidence of recovery in employment. This will be a continuing drag on the economy and on the fiscal condition of both state and federal governments.”
US debt will keep growing even with recovery[*46]

Foreign affairs and National Security (Will blithering idiots get us all killed, or make us all speak Spanish–or Chinese–or Arabic–or all three?):
The Afghan surge begins in earnest [*47]

The Morning Whip is a (mostly) daily review of what’s out there that caught my attention, sometimes but not always posted before 11 am Central time in the U. S. of A., unless I just don’t feel like it that day, am out doing something more important or more fun, or I’ve been abducted, detained, arrested, or otherwise flummoxed by the agents of blithering idiotry.

I surf the Web, so you don’t have to! (which would be a trademark, but come on, who am I kidding?)

Contributed by: filbert Monday, February 15 2010 @ 07:06 AM CST

From The Road To Serfdom, by F. A. Hayek, 1944, Fiftieth Anniversary Edition, 1994, The University of Chicago Press.

Socialists, the cultivated parents of the barbarous offspring they have produced, traditionally hope to solve (the problem of whose set of ideals determines the distribution of the country’s resources) by education. But what does education mean in this respect? Surely we have learned that knowledge cannot create new ethical values, that no amount of learning will lead people to hold the same views on the moral issues which a conscious ordering of all social relations raises. It is not rational conviction but the acceptance of a creed which is required to justify a particular plan. And, indeed, socialists everywhere were the first to recognize that the task they had set themselves required the general acceptance of a common Weltanschauung, of a definite set of values. It was in these efforts to produce a mass movement supported by such a single world view that socialists first created most of the instruments of indoctrination of which Nazis and Fascists have made such effective use.

Excerpted under Fair Use for purposes of non-commercial education, discussion and comment. Any transcription or typographical errors are mine.