Category: Uncategorized

Independence Whip, July 1, 2010

Walter Lippmann on Progressivism [*1] — The uncomfortable truth that all too many people want to ignore–and some use Beck’s histrionics as an excuse–is that on the actual, factual grounds of history, Glenn Beck is correct.

Progressivism, a variant of the 19th Century German social democracy and political philosophy that also spawned Marxism and European 20th-Century fascism, took root in the U.S. in the late 1800’s, and with the elections of Theodore Roosevelt (R) and Woodrow Wilson (D) gained a dominant foothold in American political thinking. It simply metastasized with FDR’s “New Deal” into a peculiarly American form of socialism, which is now wheezing a death rattle, even as the “progressives” seek to give it larger and larger transfusions of our money. It will collapse–sooner or later–and that collapse will be a new birth of freedom, or the beginning of a dark age from which the world will be a long time recovering.

So, the failure of “progressivism” sooner–at the hands of the regular, common Americans who lately have called themselves “Tea Partiers,” “Patriots,” and other politically incorrect names–would be better, for everyone concerned. Everyone that is except perhaps those special interests most wedded to the existing system–large mega-corporations, labor unions, and the “intelligentsia” of government bureaucrats, university professors and think tanks, and Big Media who always seem prone to big ideas that centralize power and make power easier to grab and wield. The “progressives” aren’t offering “new” ideas at all. Their ideas are old. They’re wrongheaded, they don’t work as public policy, and they’re dangerous and corrosive to human morality and the human spirit.

Throughout the world, in the name of progress, men who call themselves communists, socialists, fascists, nationalists, progressives, and even liberals, are unanimous in holding that government with its instruments of coercion must by commanding the people how they shall live, direct the course of civilization and fix the shape of things to come. They believe in what Mr. Stuart Chase accurately describes as “the overhead planning and control of economic activity.” This is the dogma which all the prevailing dogmas presuppose. This is the mold in which are cast the thought and action of the epoch. No other approach to the regulation of human affairs is seriously considered, or is even conceived as possible. The recently enfranchised masses and the leaders of thought who supply their ideas are almost completely under the spell of this dogma. Only a handful here and there, groups without influence, isolated and disregarded thinkers, continue to challenge it. For the premises of authoritarian collectivism have become the working beliefs, the self-evident assumptions, the unquestioned axioms, not only of all the revolutionary regimes, but of nearly every effort which lays claim to being enlightened, humane, and progressive.

–Walter Lippmann, former “progressive”, after seeing clearly for the first time, in 1937, what Franklin Delano Roosevelt was doing. The words ring 100% true today. But there is another way–one that in a little over one hundred years turned a wilderness into the world’s most productive, prosperous, and powerful country. One that, when noticed at all, is either given lip service by the progressives, when it’s not being derisively laughed at and belittled. That’s why Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom is as relevant now as when it was written in 1944–He grew up in Germany, and writing the book from England, saw the exact same things happening in England–and in the United States.

“History doesn’t repeat itself. But it does rhyme.” – Mark Twain

Which reminds me of another thought I’ve had: If the concept of “linear time” is so backward and unsophisticated, why is it that a key tenet of “progressivism” is a steady, inexorable march towards better life and better men, and why do the many of the very same people who look down their noses at a perception of “linear time” simultaneously believe in it so fervently in political practice? Perhaps people with the “progressive” mindset are not quite as smart as they think they are. It wouldn’t be the first time, would it? Downsizing Detroit by means of eminent domain [*2] — Coming to a politically undesirable area near you, sooner than you think . . . so therefore you might want to think about not being politically undesirable in the New Progressive Order, ne?

Could Scott Brown Kill The Frank’n’Dodd Wall Street Reform? [*3] — The Republicans should simply say “Pass a budget, and then we’ll let other things be considered. Until you Democrats can successfully complete Item #1 in the Constitution’s list of the Enumerated Powers of Congress–to whit, “pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States”– then forget about taking on any other business in Washington.

Iran Claim: Israel Positioning Equipment In Saudia Arabia As Prelude To Attack [*4] — See, the thing is, Israel can’t afford to wait for the first punch–it’s not big enough . . .

Obama: Global recovery requires level playing field [*5] — This is pretty funny, which is strange, because I’ve never been particularly impressed with Obama’s sense of humor, timing, or delivery before now . . .

Inside the Black Panther case: Anger, ignorance and lies [*6] — Politics and race trump free and fair elections, according to the Obama Justice Department . . .

Revisiting the Pinatubo Eruption as a Test of Climate Sensitivity [*7]

How Unpopular is the Obama Administration? [*8]

Russia alarmed by CIA view of Iran’s weapons [*9] — Yeah. Right. Our good and dear friends, the Russians.

Hubris and Humility: David Weigel Comes Clean on Washington Post, the D.C. Bubble, & the ‘Journolist’ [*10]

No Secret Place [*11]

Hamas says asked by US to keep silent on talks [*12]

Protecting the Second Amendment (But Just Barely) [*13]

Science Historian Cracks the ‘Plato Code’ [*14]

OPEC to Obama: Why are you halting offshore drilling? [*15]

OKAY, having quickly skimmed the McDonald opinion, a few thoughts. [*16]

Castigating Conservative Justices in the Kagan Hearing[*17]

Some Males React to Competition Like Bonobos, Others Like Chimpanzees [*18] — Ook. “Is that a bonobo or are you just happy to see me?”

Study raises questions over wider use of statins [*19]

Big 12 coaches preparing for new format[*20]

Santelli goes nuclear: “Stop spending! Stop spending! Stop spending!” [*21] — STOP SPENDING! STOP SPENDING! STOP SPENDING! STOP SPENDING! THAT’S WHAT WE WANT! STOP SPENDING!

Breitbart Explains the Journolist ‘Cabal’ [*22] — “”The story is not Dave Weigel. The story is Journolist,” conservative Internet entrepreneur Andrew Breitbart said Monday in a brief telephone interview . . .” Exactly. This isn’t about one guy who said stupid, sarcastic things via e-mail. It’s about a secret group of reporters coordinating their stories and getting their “narrative” together, to present a slanted picture of the news to the public. For reporters who weren’t part of “Journolist” this should be a huge story–every bit as big as the General McChrystal story, if not even bigger.

Who watches the watchers?

Krugman Prophesies Doom As a Result of Government Spending Cuts and Archaic Notions of Sound Fiscal Policy [*23]

Aw: Al Franken fights to stay awake during Kagan’s remarks [*24] — Why is that buffoon even in Congress? Oh, yeah, because Democrat lawyers managed to steal another election.

North America’s First Peoples More Genetically Diverse Than Thought, Mitochondrial Genome Analysis Reveals [*25]

Martinez Ruling a “Serious Setback for Freedom of Expression” [*26] — Personally, I’m to the point where I’d rather see a Supreme Court ruling that it’s unconstitutional to provide government funding to institutions of higher education. Then this wouldn’t be an issue in the first place. Higher education, like health care, is an industry that’s been sent completely out of control due to government intervention and interference.

In Kagan Hearing, Liberals Senators Downplay the Importance of Impartiality [*27]

G-20: Obama Keeps Talking, But The World Has Stopped Listening [*28] — This will soon happen here in the USA, too (assuming it hasn’t happened already–which it may very well have) . . .

Elena Kagan: “It’s Fine If the Law Bans Books” (Video) [*29] — It really doesn’t matter. Kagan could be on video saying she fancied sexually abusing puppies, and if her ideological compass was acceptable to Democrats, she would have the votes to get onto the Supreme Court. You know I’m right . . .

Supreme Court Sarbanes-Oxley Decision: You Can’t Keep An Executive Branch Board Two Layers from the President [*30] — This sort of thing is what you get when Congress passes laws they don’t bother to read or understand–which they do with remarkable frequency nowadays . . .

Hmmm: McChrystal to retire [*31]

Independence Whip, June 30, 2010

Know your Republican Heritage – QUIZ #1 [*1] — Highly amusing, especially question #1. Click on the link for the answers:

Q. How many Democrats in Congress voted to abolish slavery?
127
95
34
0

Q. Which park was established by a future Chairman of the Republican National Committee?
Central Park
Griffith Park
Franklin Park
Lincoln Park

Q. Which former Republican presidential nominee declined a nomination for Chief Justice?
James Blaine
Wendell Willkie
Thomas Dewey
Bob Dole

Q. Who was the first Vice President to attend Cabinet meetings?
Levi Morton (R-NY)
Theodore Roosevelt (R-NY)
Calvin Coolidge (R-MA)
Charles Dawes (R-IL)

Q. Which archaeological site was discovered by a future Republican U.S. Senator?
Angkor Wat
Great Zimbabwe
Machu Picchu
Stonehenge

Statement Regarding Comments Overheard On FOX40.com Stream Following Sarah Palin Speech [*2] — What did I see the other day? Something like “The e-mails will always go public. The camera is always on. The microphone is always live. That’s just how things are.” If you don’t know that, and you’re in politics or in journalism, you’re in the wrong business.

Kopp the Custard Man [*3] — Joe “Big *censored*ing Deal” Biden strikes again. (Don’t get on me about the F word. Biden said it. You can’t un-ring the bell. Of course Biden says a lot of breathtakingly stupid things pretty much all the time. He was the stupid Vice Presidential candidate in 2008–in contrast, the Governor of Alaska was a brilliant torch of intellectual wisdom and eloquent clarity compared to Uncle Joe.)

A World Without Profit [*4] — If profit is a bad thing, why do you want a raise? (Assuming, of course, you actually have a job.)

Rep. Paul Ryan Delivers 3:20 Of Lucidity [*5]

Talk about a recipe for disaster: Democrats are offering no budget, no priorities, and no restraints – yet all their taxing, borrowing, and spending continues unchecked. With this budget failure – a first in the modern era – Democrats are missing a critical opportunity to provide the fiscal discipline economists say is needed to create private-sector jobs and boost our economy. This unprecedented budget collapse also sends a clear signal to American families struggling to meet their own budgets that Washington still doesn’t recognize the severity of its spending problem.

Emphasis mine.

28 August, Lincoln Memorial? Yeah, We’re Blogging That [*6]

Expansion talk leaves college basketball’s ego bruised [*7]

“The whole thing has gotten out of whack,” said ESPN’s Dick Vitale, the voice of college basketball. “It’s all about one thing: dollars, dollars, dollars, football, football, football, greed, greed, greed.”

I don’t care for Vitale as a TV basketball analyst, but he’s right on this one. This bubble, like all bubbles, will break at some point, and it will be really, really messy.

Barack Obama, facilitator-in-chief [*8]

Is Keynesianism finally dead? [*9] — Not until the Democrats (and their squishy-Republican enablers) are expunged from mainstream American political discourse, unfortunately . . .

The Keynesian Dead End: Spending our way to prosperity is going out of style. [*10]

Obama’s promise to bankrupt coal industry to cost 1,000 jobs in upper Midwest [*11] — So, using Democrat-onomics, is this jobs “saved” or jobs “created?”

Meanwhile, back in the Gulf, chaos still reigns [*12]

The New Jim Crow [*13] — The problem isn’t the people, it’s the ideology and the society that their misguided “leaders” have imposed on them–in part intentionally, in part as “unintended consequences” of trying to do good things for them, and doing bad things instead. Central planners and social architects simply do not know enough to competently design sustainable social structures. And they never will, because they can’t out-think the collective interests of all of the people in the society they’re trying to guide.
There’s a very good reason why Justice has always traditionally been depicted as blind–or at least blindfolded. What you look like isn’t supposed to matter. What you do is supposed to be what matters.

Sen. Hatch Calls for Repeal of Obamacare Mandates [*14]

SEPP on the PNAS blacklist paper [*15] — SEPP = Science and Environmental Policy Project; PNAS = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; “blacklist” = the names of scientists who have expressed any degree of skepticism whatsoever over the fevered claims that human activity is the sole–or even the major–cause of the global warming that some measurements have observed since the 1970’s. Science is supposed to be about questioning and testing hypotheses, and incrementally better understanding the world and universe in which we live. But the anthropogenic global warming/”climate change” movement has long since departed the restrictions of science and is flying free in the less rigorous air of belief–a worldwide cargo cult, naively trying to explain things that they don’t really understand.

G20 urges phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies [*16] — A good start. Phase out all subsidies.

Independence Whip, June 29, 2010

First in a series of Irregular Whips, as Whipping will be irregular through the Independence Day holiday period:

Two faces of the tea party [*1]

if one traces the origins of progressivism, as Ronald J. Pestritto does in Woodrow Wilson and the Roots of Modern Liberalism, one discovers the deep hostility of the progressives to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The progressives’ hostility to the Declaration and the Constitution is rooted largely in nineteenth-century German thought.

It is an indisputable historical fact that “progressivism” and European 20th Century fascism are close intellectual cousins. And the American Left today are the direct heirs of the marriage of progressivism and Marxism. This is also an indisputable historical fact.

Sarah Palin may have an issue with comparing Barack Obama to Adolph Hitler. I don’t. And the comparison is immediately above. No, I don’t mean that Obama is going to round up the Jews any time soon and send them off to concentration camps and ovens, or suddenly decide to partition Canada between the US and Russia, or re-occupy and annex Cuba or the Philippines . . . he’s actually more like Mussolini than Hitler, I think.

But for the angry activist Left, a Hitler is a logical next step, after they see that they won’t get everything they want with Obama and today’s Democrats. And they won’t get everything they want, because their wants are unlimited. It’s time for people who vote Democrat to take a long, hard, sober look at what their political party is advocating, and go back and look at the political platforms of the Communist Party of the USA over the years, and yes, even elements of the platform of the German Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei[*2] of the early 1930’s.

That’s the road you’ve started heading down, folks. But there is still time to stop, reflect, and find a different road. E-books pave way for more blockbusters, serials [*3]

Reason.tv: Louisiana Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis on Streamlining Government [*4]

Gallup: Self-Identifying Conservatives At Highest Level Since 1992–Plus: Wal-Mart Moms Abandoning Democrats? [*5]

From the blackness of my dark, bleak soul! The most depressed post ever! [*6]

If You Don’t Give Us 150 Percent Pensions, We’ll Kill This Child [*7]

FTC Chairman Demands Congress Repeal Due Process [*8]

Quote of the Day [*9] — The ineffable cluelessness of Congresscritters, especially of the Democrat variety . . .

European high court: There is no right to gay marriage [*10]

Keynes vs. Hayek = Obama vs. Merkel? [*11]

Jon Kyl: Er, Obama didn’t exactly say that he won’t secure the border unless we pass amnesty [*12]

The Kagan Rush to Judgment [*13] — “Don’t crush that dwarf, hand me the pliers . . .”

Telling Washington That Taxpayers are Not the Government’s ATM [*14]

Gen. McChrystal allies, Rolling Stone disagree over article’s ground rules [*15] — “Off the record” has no meaning for our utterly fair and impartial community of “journalists” when you’re on the Right . . . or in the military, it seems . . . I could not be less surprised . . .

Pentagon official: “Rolling Stone” made McChrystal’s staff think they were speaking off the record [*16]

The overlooked story from the Weigel kerfuffle [*17] — Featuring an interesting List Of Blogging People Whose Independence Of Opinion Is Now Laughably Compromised (if it wasn’t before) . . .

Prosecutors Create ‘Restriction Zone’ to Cut Down on Armour Blvd. Crime [*18] — I have to admit a certain nervousness about stories like this . . . it’s a little too “police-state” a little too close to home for comfort . . .

That’s One Way to Stop the Blockade Runners [*19]

Big Government, Bad Journalism [*20]

What it takes to prep an e-book… [*21]

Obama calls for bank tax as next step in reform [*22]

Next Chapter Of The Progressive Marxist Revolution – G8/G20 [*23]

Iran Stands Down [*24] — After Israel says it will start confiscating ships who attempt to run the Gaza blockade.

Africa ‘witnessing birth of a new ocean’ [*25] — There is a serious rift in Africa . . .

Read my lips: no new middle-class tax … pledges [*26] — “I promise not to say that I’m raising the tax on 95% of all people in the U.S.” . . .

Wind Power is More Dangerous than Coal or Oil [*27]

Ascension Island ‘Extinct’ Parsley Fern Rediscovered [*28]

Tea Party Patriots Support Killer Sheriff [*29] — Enough people I know say enough troubling things about Sheriff Arpaio that I’m afraid I can’t personally bring myself to support the man. I don’t have a problem with making jails a bit less comfortable for those whose actions land themselves in them–but there’s a difference between spartan-but-liveable and some of the tales coming out of Arpaio’s jail. If I lived in Maricopa County, I probably would vote for a less flamboyant, more law-and-order-AND-liberty person for Sheriff.

Shocking! Bat-wielding Union Thugs Attack Non-union Workers [*30]

The Sarah Palin Legal Defense Fund – UPDATED [*31]

Sinners and scolds, feasting together in a cornucopia of collusion! [*32]

The Nook: An Excellent Learning Tool for the Classic-Loving Misesian [*33]

California Journalists Caught on Video Making Fun of Sarah Palin Speech [*34] — Generals, of course, get fired for this sort of thing.

Afternoon Whip, June 24, 2010

Night of the Yeoman [*1]

There are two Republican parties, and both had a candidate on the 2008 presidential ticket. John McCain was the candidate of the thin-blooded aristocracy, tired men who dislike certain elements of their nominal constituency far more intensely than their political opposition.
. . .
The other Republican party is young and vital. On the 2008 ticket, its banner was carried by Sarah Palin. It’s the yeoman wing of the party, composed of people with middle-class backgrounds and real-world business experience.

Repeal.

Reorganize.

Renew. Regulators Failed to Address Risks in Oil Rig Fail-Safe Device [*2]

Officially our best-ever cease and desist [*3]

Merkel Tells Obama Spending Cuts to Boost Economy, Not Put Brake on Growth [*4]

I’m Beginning to Believe This Obama Fellow Is Unequal to the Task, by T. Coddington Van Voorhees VII, Intellectual Conservative At-Large [*5]

MoveOn Scrubs “General Betray Us” Page From Website . . . Update: Flashback to 2007, Obama Skipped Senate Vote to Condemn MoveOn . . . Update 2: Rationale Page Also Flushed. . . [*6] — We have always been at war with Eastasia . . . we have never been at war with Eastasia . . .

President Obama took command [*7]

A McChrystal Endnote [*8]

Why Chicagoans Need Guns [*9] — In short: because the bad guys have them, and the bad guys don’t give a damn about gun control laws . . .

The Gulf’s “Little People” Fight Back–Against Obama [*10]

Nikki Fever [*11]

Thomas Sowell, on Ends and Means [*12] — Sowell caught in a contradiction? Or arguing how many angels are on the head of a pin?

U.S. to issue more flexible oil drilling moratorium [*13] — “flexible moratorium.” Um. OK.

Obama on Petraeus: A tale of two videos [*14]

Music of the Spheres? Stand by for the Boson Sonata [*15]

Petraeus for McChrystal [*16]

Obama administration eyeing price controls in health insurance [*17] — “Price control” exactly equals “failed, wrongheaded economic policies.” Exactly.

A few questions for President Obama [*18]

Obama’s beef with India [*19]

Obama Changes His Tune [*20] — “This video from September 2007 reminds us that before Obama became a lousy President, he was a lousy Senator.”

Police: Argument over butter in macaroni and cheese churns into violence for siblings [*21]

Summit League to consider UND for membership [*22]

Obama’s Radical Agenda Revealed [*23]

Can’t? Or won’t? [*24] — OK, this is silly. (Cue dramatic deep voice) OR IS IT??? (Cue spooky music)

NBC/WSJ poll: Americans losing faith in Obama [*25]

Last Chance Saloon [*26]

Century of No Progress [*27] — “But has Tesla had the last laugh after all?”

The Pat and Geno convo [*28]

SDSU to host Preseason WNIT [*29]

SDSU sells out tickets for Nebraska football game [*30]

The Brilliant but Confused Radicalism of George Orwell [*31]

Obama drops under 50% approval … in California [*32]

McChrystal wasn’t the problem in Afghanistan [*33] — The problem in Afghanistan is radical Islamism. But we have a President whose administration can’t even say those two words. And that’s a problem, too.

Telling Congress to Reduce the Deficit by Cutting Spending [*34]

Q: Where does the Constitution authorize the federal government to wage the war on drugs? A: The surge in Iraq worked! [*35] — This is usually how trying to discuss issues with “progressives” goes . . . you go away shaking your head, wondering what color the sky is in their world . . .

Supreme Court: Disclosure of Referendum Petitions Does Not Violate First Amendment [*36]

The End is Near [*37]

Dem Rep says “minorities, defective[s]” not “average, good American people” [*38] — Occasionally, the mask slips and we see what Democrats really think and believe, when they’re not concentrating on duping the rubes . . .

Was Venus Once a Habitable Planet?[*39]

Did Obama eliminate a 2012 challenger by sending Petraeus back to the front? [*40]

The Green Job Phantasm [*41]

Guns Save Lives: Why the right to keep and bear arms is essential in a free society [*42]

Small Amount of Common Preservative Increases Toxins from Harmful Bacteria in Food, Study Finds [*43]

Dead man walking: Hamas founder’s son insults Islam [*44]

Sharron Angle 48%, Harry Reid 41% [*45]

Invincible Apple: 10 Lessons From the Coolest Company Anywhere [*46]

Noonish Whip, June 23, 2010

About the McChrystal Affair:

The man who should resign for dereliction of duty and insubordination is Barack Hussein Obama. Don’t get me wrong–if I were President, McChrystal would already be out of a job for abject stupidity in how he and his staff dealt with the Rolling Stone reporter. The McChrystal Flap [*1]

So what if the Commander in Chief is an Idiot. [*2] — He needs to be fired–in 2012, if not before.

Did Obama reap what he sowed with McChrystal? [*3] — Obama’s objective in appointing McChrystal was NOT to win the war, but to make Obama look good. That’s a very, very bad way to try to manage . . .

Don’t blame McChrystal, blame Obama [*4] — The problem with the Afghanistan war effort is not and never has been McChrystal. It’s been Obama.

Civilian press aide resigns amid flap over McChrystal’s ‘Rolling Stone’ profile [*5]

Media Has Long Record of Supporting Military Insubordination… Under Bush, Of Course [*6]

McChrystal: “I’ve compromised the mission” [*7] — Yes, General, you have . . .

Morning Bell: Obama’s Leadership Vacuum [*8] — . . . But then, so has your boss . . .

Open thread: Obama announcement on McChrystal’s status; Update: AP says he’s gone, Petraeus back to the front; Update: Fox confirms [*9] — Still waiting for Obama’s resignation, though . . .

Downsizing The Federal Government [*10] — Repeal. Reorganize. Renew.

Repeal Obamacare and the various other nightmare legislation the Democrats have passed.

Reorganize the entire Federal Government. No office, no employee is safe from the audit and the cutting block. The Federal Government is riddled with cancer–duplicated and ineffective programs, bloated bureaucracies, and improprieties small and large. Every single Federal agency gets an anal probe from truly independent auditors–both financial and legal–and all of the cancerous lesions that are found get cut out. It will hurt, but if we don’t do it, it will hurt worse later.

Renew the Constitutional contract between the American people and their government, by returning the Federal government to its proper roles, and returning to the States those powers not explicitly delegated by the people to the Federal government. Dems won’t pass budget in 2010 [*11] — Speaking of people who richly deserve to be fired for not doing their job . . . let alone ignoring their oath of office to preserve and defend the Constitution . . .

A Feminist Flare-Up: Is the “Year of Conservative Women” bad for women? [*12]

So what if the Commander in Chief is an Idiot. [*2]

Helpless Mainstreamers Grappling with Intellectual Property [*13]

Deepwater Drilling Ban Lifted by New Orleans Federal Judge [*14]

Subway chain apologizes for Salmonella outbreak [*15] — Subway! Eat Fresh . . . salmonellla!

Presidential Size Matters [*16] — When in doubt, vote for the fat man?

Software cuts CT radiation dose in half: study [*17]

Coffee may cut risk of head and neck cancers [*18] — Coffee . . . is there anything it can’t do?

Our Government Slowed Down the Gulf Cleanup [*19] — When will people figure out that the essential purpose of government is to make things more difficult to do? Think about it . . . make crime more difficult (law enforcement) . . . make earning a living more difficult (taxes), make running a business more difficult (regulation), etc., etc. Government is most successful when it is making life better by making things harder for some people. That’s what it does. Government doesn’t do so much as it prevents or hinders from doing. Exceptions, such as the Apollo program, are notable precisely because they’re so rare.

His Allies Are Deserting Him [*20]

A New Blacklist [*21] — The climate-changeists are getting more and more desperate . . .

Federal judge blocks Obama’s six-month moratorium on offshore drilling [*22] — You don’t ban driving because of a horrendous 20-car pileup in the fog . . .

Minnesota won’t expand Medicaid coverage until 2014 [*23] — So, why go straight to the politics narrative rather than to the fiscal responsibility narrative? Oh, I think we all know why . . .

U.S. public still backs offshore drilling [*24] — Because most Americans realize what Obama apparently doesn’t: it’s not so much that we want to drive cars, it’s that we have to drive cars. We don’t have a choice–until really workable solutions are available. Which they aren’t, yet, and won’t be for a very, very long time if people like Obama are allowed to have their way.

The Bifurcated Tea Party [*25]

Common sense prevails in judge’s decision to overturn drilling moratorium [*26]

Now scientists read your mind better than you can [*27]

Maverick: Obama Told Me Border Security Was Being Held Hostage To Amnesty, Too [*28]

Methane in Gulf “astonishingly high”: U.S. scientist [*29]

How to explain liberal fascination with left-wing tyrants? [*30]

Got An Old Hard Drive? [*31]

Dutch Sub [*32] — The Dutch are really going after the Somali pirates now . . . this could be fun . . . Netherlands submarine to join Somalia anti-pirate force [*33] — I’d be OK with the USA investing in a few dozen modern diesel-electric subs . . . for coastal defense, don’t you know . . .

Bringing Leviathan to Life: Experts Look at the Implementation of Obamacare [*34]

Spencer: The Inquisition [*35] — “You dare challenge global warming with scientific debate?

Interest rates fall on surprise drop in home sales[*36]

Nikki Haley Wins GOP Runoff! [*37] — And so, the right wants to argue ideas, the left continues to want to argue skin color and identity politics . . . it’s really, really frustrating . . .

Obama doubles down: Salazar to issue new order on drilling moratorium [*38]

Today’s GOP [*39]

Nation’s Most One-Sided Senate Race [*40]

The Market for News [*41] — Which references the following:

Newspapers Are Still Dying, But the News Is Not Going Anywhere [*42]

Tariffs [*43] — My only quibble is that “engineers” and “people going into the sciences and mathematics” probably should be reversed. “Those who can’t do . . .”

Why Is It That Nothing Sounds Too Creepy For This Administration? [*44]

The University of Instapundit [*45] — A good, thorough daily reading and concerted attempt to understand the postings and linkings at Instapundit[*46] would quite likely be a better education than received from most universities–especially the “elite” universities . . . in political philosophy, at least . . .

It’s time for Royals to enter trade market [*47]

Beebe says Big 12 ADs OK with 10[*48]

MIND MELD: The Best Space Operas in Science Fiction [*49]

Pew Research Center: Governor Palin’s “Death Panel” Characterization Was One of the “More Powerful Semantic Weapons” Against Obamacare [*50] — They said, with grudging respect . . .

UND moves closer to Summit [*51]

Soros says Germany could cause euro collapse [*52] — Is it wrong of me to hope and pray for Soros’ collapse instead? That man has done more damage to the world economy–and hence more damage to the lives of regular peopple (in my humble opinion) than perhaps any other human being in history. And that doesn’t even consider his bankrolling the current socialist/totalitarian turn of the Democratic Party of the United States. If you’re a regular person, young, old, rich, poor–George Soros is Not Your Friend. I really do think he wants to control the world.

Brits Refute Obama – Dump Keynesian “Spend Your Way to Wealth” Plan [*53]

Summit … football? [*54]

Who is Barack Obama? [*55] — No, not a “birther” post or anything like that . . .

The Distinction between Theory and History [*56] — “Not all theories are moderately correct, and not all theoretical problems can be solved by asserting that each competing theory is partially valid. Some theories — even in economics — are just plain wrong; others are correct, regardless of the decade or century we are dealing with.”

A Climate of Belief: The claim that anthropogenic CO2 is responsible for the current warming of Earth climate is scientifically insupportable because climate models are unreliable [*57]

House Dems: No time for budget but plenty of time for campaign finance reform [*58]

Feds Shutting Down Sand Berms [*59] — I think this is an instance where the Gulf states should tell the Feds to go pound sand . . .

Reminder: Commies Still Suck [*60]

Obama Admin to Reissue Economy-Killing Drilling Moratorium [*61] — And again, perhaps “pound sand” is the appropriate response . . . coming from a Federal judge, the phrase might have that special little edge to it, don’t you think?

Downsize the Federal Government [*62]

Football season ticket sales set records [*63] — South Dakota State Jackrabbit football, that is . . .

Study: 26% of iPhones Die Within Two Years [*64]

Speak Out on Out-of-Control Spending [*65]

Dems in a Bad Economy: “Let’s Raise Taxes!” [*66]

New-home sales “collapse” in May [*67] — I may be wrong, but this is probably not the sign of a healthy, or even a recovering economy . . .

Newsweek Calls For All-Out Assault on Tea Party Movement [*68] — There’s a word for people who read Newsweek. It starts with “I” and ends with “diot.”

After Stealing Car, Then a Police Cruiser, Naked “Dirty, Hot, and Slippery” Woman Faces Felony Charges, Marriage Proposals [*69]

Separation Between Neanderthal and Homo Sapiens Might Have Occurred 500,000 Years Earlier, DNA from Teeth Suggests [*70]

Misinformation Fuels Leftists Attacks on Natural Gas [*71] — But then, misinformation fuels leftist attacks on almost everything . . . see above article about Newsweek . . . or, actually, many of the above articles, or the ones below, or ones in previous Whips . . .

USA Scores Solo Goal in 91st Minute To Beat Algeria, Advance to Round of 16 [*72] — Obama to speak to the nation tonight to apologize to Algeria . . .

Rules for pelicans [*73] — Peli-CANS!!!!!

U.S. and England squeeze into second round [*74]

Why Is the Democratic-Media Complex Hiding this Photo? [*75] — Oh, dear. And she’s a Democrat. And she’s a Democratic candidate for Congress. Oh, dear . . .

Morning Whip, June 22, 2010

Morals & the servile mind: On the diminishing moral life of our democratic age.

The evident problem with democracy today is that the state is pre-empting—or “crowding out,” as the economists say—our moral judgments. Nor does the state limit itself to mere principle. It instructs us on highly specific activities, ranging from health provision to sexual practices. Yet decisions about how we live are what we mean by “freedom,” and freedom is incompatible with a moralizing state. That is why I am provoked to ask the question: can the moral life survive democracy?

By “the moral life,” I simply mean that dimension of our inner experience in which we deliberate about our obligations to parents, children, employers, strangers, charities, sporting associations, and all the other elements of our world. We may not always devote much conscious thought to these matters, but thinking about them makes up the substance of our lives. It also constitutes the conditions of our happiness. In deliberating, and in acting on what we have decided, we discover who we are and we reveal ourselves to the world. This kind of self-management emerges from the inner life and is the stream of thoughts and decisions that make us human. To the extent that this element of our humanity has been appropriated by authority, we are all diminished, and our civilization loses the special character that has made it the dynamic animator of so much hope and happiness in modern times.

It is this element of dehumanization that has produced what I am calling “the servile mind.” The charge of servility or slavishness is a serious one. It emerges from the Classical view that slaves lacked the capacity for self-movement and had to be animated by the superior class of masters. They were creatures of impulse and passion rather than of reason. Aristotle thought that some people were “natural slaves.” In our democratic world, by contrast, we recognize at least some element of the “master” (which means, of course, self-managing autonomy) in everyone. Indeed, in our entirely justified hatred of slavery, we sometimes think that the passion for freedom is a constitutive drive of all human beings. Such a judgment can hardly survive the most elementary inspection of history. The experience of both traditional societies and totalitarian states in the twentieth century suggests that many people are, in most circumstances, happy to sink themselves in some collective enterprise that guides their lives and guarantees them security. It is the emergence of freedom rather than the extent of servility that needs explanation.

THIS is why government MUST be limited, restrained, and under the control of the people. The powerless, the poor, the least among us–they are the ones who MOST need to be shielded from the oppressive, suffocating embrace of an all-powerful government. They are the ones who will, as Benjamin Franklin feared, gladly trade their freedom for security.

Government power corrodes and corrupts the human spirit. The Founding Fathers understood this. Today’s politicians, for the most part, do not. Barack Obama sure doesn’t act like he does.

Why Are People Democrats? [*1] — Because they either don’t know any better, or they like the feel of having power over others . . . if you’re a Democrat, which one are you?

The Anosognosic’s Dilemma: Something’s Wrong but You’ll Never Know What It Is (Part 1) [*2]

If you knew it, you’d say, “Wait a minute. The decision I just made does not make much sense. I had better go and get some independent advice.” But when you’re incompetent, the skills you need to produce a right answer are exactly the skills you need to recognize what a right answer is. In logical reasoning, in parenting, in management, problem solving, the skills you use to produce the right answer are exactly the same skills you use to evaluate the answer. And so we went on to see if this could possibly be true in many other areas. And to our astonishment, it was very, very true.
. . .
The notion of unknown unknowns really does resonate with me, and perhaps the idea would resonate with other people if they knew that it originally came from the world of design and engineering rather than Rumsfeld.

If I were given carte blanche to write about any topic I could, it would be about how much our ignorance, in general, shapes our lives in ways we do not know about. Put simply, people tend to do what they know and fail to do that which they have no conception of. In that way, ignorance profoundly channels the course we take in life. And unknown unknowns constitute a grand swath of everybody’s field of ignorance.

Which explains why trying to seriously discuss solutions to issues with Democrats is doomed to failure–they simply don’t seem to have the cognitive tools to understand the disastrous effects of the policies they advocate. The concept that “we don’t know what we don’t know” is a very subtle philosophical thought, and I have found it actually much more common among people with right-leaning political philosophies than those on the left. The phrase “it was like talking to a brick wall” very succintly describes many of my attempts to explain reality to Democrats. Which is why I seldom bother any more, except here on this blog, where I still hold out the thinnest shred of hope . . . Is hypo-masculinity the new normal? [*3] — I like my hair, thank you very much . . .

The Scent Of Fear [*4] — Wherein four possibilities for explaining the inexplicably incompetent government response to the oil spill are presented. Like the author Jay Tea, I have no idea which of the four is more frightening and ominous for the future of this country.

Hugh Hewitt: Obama is in over his head [*5] — Wherein we discover yet again that campaigning for President requires a very different skill set than actually being President . . .

My Evening with Bill Ayers, Cindy Sheehan, and Some Creepy Communist Lady: A Chicago-area library hosts a skin-crawling night of violent, dopey, and crazy. (With video!) [*6]

Illinois: Study Finds No Benefit To Chicago Red Light Cameras: Analysis examining Chicago, Illinois red light cameras finds no clear safety benefit. [*7]

Hundreds of Possible Alien Planets Discovered By NASA Spacecraft [*8]

Enraged to engaged: Tea party backers explain why [*9]

I asked Helen Thomas about Israel. Her answer revealed more than you think. [*10]

What I Saw at the Lakers Riots: If you thought L.A.’s mayor and police brass learned from last year’s embarrassment, you are not a police officer, certainly not one with the LAPD. [*11]

Toxic Citizens?: Banks are cutting American expatriates adrift [*12] — Americans living around the world are seriously considering renouncing American citizenship because of the onerous American reporting laws. That isn’t right. It’s not the citizens that are toxic, it is, yet again, the government.

The euro’s inevitable failure will be horrendous for all of us: The single currency is a disaster, but the cost of its life support will devastate Europe’s economies, says Charles Moore. [*13]

Another Bubble? [*14] — Why has a college degree become “the new high school diploma?” Why were people in the past who dropped out of school after eighth grade able to go on to successful careers–including business and science? Is it possibly because “progressive” education initiatives have utterly ruined our primary and secondary education systems?

Dare to ask the question. Dare further to honestly consider the answers.

Overlords [*15] — “Progressives” and leftists: modern-day would-be tyrants. Read, and learn . . .

Ten dead among 54 shot aross city over weekend [*16] — Wow, bad day in Baghdad. Oh, wait . . . Chicago?

Delta adds international flights at Minneapolis-St. Paul [*17]

Morning Bell: Time to Stand Up to the National Standards Agenda [*18]

Something funny happened on the way to the South Carolina mudfight [*19]

Republicans’ Midterm Voting Enthusiasm Tops Prior Years: Relative enthusiasm advantage for GOP over Democrats largest in Gallup history dating to 1994[*20]

Rasmussen poll: the end of activist government? [*21] — We can hope . . . for change . . .

Dunning–Kruger effect [*22]

Wary of iguanas, bored Germans finally venture out [*23]

Penn Jillette Is Willing to Be a Guest on Adolf Hitler’s Talk Show [*24]

I believe very much that the most damning thing you can say about Muslims is that you’re afraid to say anything because they’ll hurt you.

Researchers see chimps waging “war” [*25]

Chimpanzee Gangs Kill for Land, New Study Shows [*26]

Obama’s Experts Cry Foul; They Didn’t Support a Drilling Moratorium [*27]

Individuals see health insurance costs jump [*28] — But . . . I thought Obamacare was going to fix all of this. Maybe it did, eh? I sure feel fixed. If you know what I mean.

A Broken Immigration Court System [*29]

Life Imitates the Onion [*30] — There are days I just want to hang my head and weep for the stupidity of my fellow man . . .

Obama’s Broken Inauguration Day Promise to Gulf Coast: ‘Never Again Such Failures’ [*31] — But then, we now know that “never again” like all Obama promises comes with an expiration date . . .

Jindal vs. Obama: Time to End the Drilling Moratorium [*32]

The ‘Bumpy Ride’ of Linguistic Change [*33]

Gallup: GOP enthusiasm highest ever [*34]

Tried to Boycott Israeli Ship, Blocked Chinese Ship Instead [*35] – They didn’t know what they didn’t know . . .

Oil spills into the debate [*36] — And more people who didn’t know what they didn’t know . . .

Kagan: Bork Hearings ‘Best Thing that Ever Happened to Constitutional Democracy’ [*37] — Teddy Kennedy’s final outrageous monument is the irreparable rending of the political discourse of the country. When you talk about “the politics of personal destruction” just remember who took it to its current shrill level. Teddy Kennedy, the Democrats, and current Supreme Court nominee Elaine Kagan.

Iran Banning IAEA Inspectors [*38] — Wow, who didn’t see this coming? OK, who–who isn’t on the left–didn’t see this coming?

3.6 Million-Year-Old Relative of ‘Lucy’ Discovered: Early Hominid Skeleton Confirms Human-Like Walking Is Ancient [*39]

The American Left’s New Game Plan: Stalinism Without All The Killing But Still Lots of Cooperation and Comradeship. And Probably Banjo Playing. [*40]

Confirmed: Obama’s No-Proof-of-Income Mortgage Program Collapses [*41]

Progressive Classiness Rears Its Lovely Head… Again [*42]

Higher Ed May Finally Be Crumbling [*43]

MSNBC, Joke Network [*44]

The Law of Supply and Demand Strikes the Law Business [*45]

Obama Voter General McChrystal Says Community Organizer was Unprepared in First Oval Office Meeting [*46] — He didn’t know what he didn’t know. And when he found out, he didn’t like what he discovered.

Harmful Bacteria Carried by Pigeons [*47]

Bacteria in the Nose and Throat: Most Comprehensive Comparative Analysis [*48] — With luck, not pigeon bacteria . . .

Lemurs Lose Weight With ‘Life-Extending’ Supplement Resveratrol [*49] — Lose weight! Drink red wine! No?

Development analyst charts a possible course for KC’s future[*50] — Lord save us all from “planners” . . .

Enemy At the Gates [*51] — One of the head rats, Peter Orzag, contemplates jumping off the sinking ship, the S.S. Obama Administration . . . he wants to reduce the deficit but has read the handwriting on the wall–Obama isn’t about reducing anything government-related . . . except perhaps the military–and the Border Patrol . . .

Nebraska town latest to fight illegal immigrants [*52]

Nothing In Moderation [*53]

Obama is hopelessly corrupt and incompetent. He’s totally useless in the face of foreign aggression, or a domestic crisis like the Gulf oil spill. His behavior has led state governors to the same conclusion as the passengers on the Underwear Bomber flight: if you want to survive, forget he exists and fend for yourself. His incompetence is partially a result of his single-minded focus on what he views as his true mission: increasing the power of the State, without reason or purpose, discussion or accountability. It will take a spectacular President, following a disciplined Republican Congress, to undo the damage Obama has done… and we need them to do more than that. We need them to address the systemic flaws that would have detonated our unsustainable entitlement state only a few years later, if Obama had never come along.

Global Average Sea Surface Temperatures Continue their Plunge [*54]

SDSU/Nebraska game ‘holds a lot of clout’ [*55]

Carter’s Energy Fascism [*56] – History does not repeat itself–but it does rhyme . . .

Money vs. Wealth [*57]

Technology “sweeping away” books, says Stoppard [*58]

Cordoba Mosque Epiphany [*59]

Is U.S. Now On Slippery Slope To Tyranny? By THOMAS SOWELL [*60] — In other words, LISTEN UP.

It’s Official – Obama Is Worst President in History on Job Creation; Worse Than Hoover on Job Losses [*61]

The thug culture [*62] — The only good thing is that the Thug In Chief is Wile E. Obama, Genius . . .

Gen. McChrystal Ordered to the White House Over Rolling Stone Remarks [*63] — I hope he delivers a good old fashioned paint-stripping dressing-down of Wile E. Obama. It’s a little dream I have . . .

Obama Can’t Fire McCrystal [*64] — Oh, sure he can. He’s Wile E. Obama, Genius!

Southwest announces fare sale [*65]

McChrystal Should Be Fired [*66] — Or, this could be a “if you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine” moment . . . we’ll see, won’t we?

Republicans to boycott Kagan hearing? [*67] — I wonder if the Republicans have the cojones to scuttle the Kagan nomination . . .

Humans Have a Mighty Bite, New Research Shows [*68]

Morning Whip, June 21, 2010

N. Korea lifts restrictions on private markets as last resort in food crisis [*1] — When all else fails, try freedom. This is how totalitarians–and “progressives” think. This is how the leaders of the USA think, too. Freedom is too dangerous for you, the little people, to be entrusted with. That’s why the Wise, your rulers, the elite, must make these decisions for you–decisions like health care, like retirement, like what Internet provider to use, like how to power your car, like even if you should have a car in the first place, etc., etc.

Public Morality – Private Corruption [*2] — More power to government means more corruption. Always. Everywhere. People in America are not inherently more moral than people anywhere else in the world (sorry to break that to you.) It’s just that . . . until lately anyway . . . corruption was not the easiest way to make a lot of money. Thanks largely to the Democratic Party, this is changing here, as they doggedly arrogate more power to themselves through the government. And more power means more corruption.

Always. Everywhere.

Obama and the vision thing [*3]

There’s a reason petroleum is such a durable fuel. It’s not, as Obama fatuously suggested, because of oil company lobbying but because it is very portable, energy-dense and easy to use.

A replacement to hydrocarbons has to be better. Not “better” in an emotional, “green,” squishy save-the-whales-and-bunnies way, but better in a clear-eyed, real, boots-on-the-ground engineering sense of a better fuel source to power our post-industrial society. None are yet, really, with the possible exception of nuclear fission (which of course we can’t possibly consider using, because Obama cancelled the one place in the U.S. that was in any way suited to store the waste material. Heckofa job, Barry.

$7-a-Gallon Gas? [*4] — Which we will pay, because we have no alternative. Which will further depress the economy. Which, in my darker moments, I think is the goal of Obama and the Democrats in the first place.

Jon Stewart on Energy Independence: “Why didn’t it work? Why didn’t we do it?” [*5] — Because it was a happy, loopy, fuzzy-bunny idea, not a cold, rational, down-to-earth idea . . . it can be done, but not the way the “environmental left” wants it to be done. Of course, you can say that about most public policy issues . . . Encrypt the Web with the HTTPS Everywhere Firefox Extension [*6]

Pelosi pulls DISCLOSE Act [*7]

Nancy Pelosi yanks campaign finance bill [*8]

Is the health care individual mandate a tax? [*9] — But I thought that 95% of us was getting a tax cut? Another Obama lie, I guess . . .

Obama approval drops to 41% in Rasmussen tracking poll [*10]

Obama Still Sinking [*11]

Pattern: Recollections of Another Etheridge Assault [*12]

Regulators take step toward broadband rules [*13] — What legitimate public policy problem does broadband Internet service regulation serve?

FCC takes first step towards making the Internet a “public utility” [*14]

Who told Obama deep-sea drilling was “absolutely safe”? [*15]

Docs Fix Their Bottom Lines [*16] — “When doctors get paid less to treat cancer patients with chemotherapy, they will treat more patients with chemotherapy and use more expensive drugs.”

Side Effects: Obamacare Discourages Docs [*17]

The market speaks: doctors increasingly turning down new Medicare patients [*18]

Repealing ObamaCare: State Solutions [*19]

“I killed, cut off heads” says repentant Mexico hitman [*20] — People once said Iraq was approaching a civil war because of the Al Qaeda terror. Mexico is approaching the same level of violence with the drug lords . . . and it’s right next door. Or, in the case of the border states, spilling over the border into the U.S. and killing American citizens, too.

Ryan: Obama is copying Euronomics that Europe now rejects [*21]

Side Effects: Obamacare Discourages Docs [*17]

Oral Bacteria May Offer Probiotic Potential Against Upper Respiratory Infections [*22]

Balance, CNN-Style: New Crossfire Show Will Feature Democrat Who Hates Republicans and Independent Who Hates Republicans [*23]

South Pacific Countries Crack Down on Free Speech [*24]

Guess What? The Dutch Want to Build a Sand Dike to Help with the Obama Oil Spill (UPDATED) [*25]

Teaching the Tea Party [*26]

Is Amphibious Warfare Obsolete? [*27] — An uncharacteristically transparent article title from Richard Fernandez . . .

Leak spills it: Government costs jobs [*28] — I can’t tell you how utterly disorienting it is to read an article with a title like this in the Kansas City Star . . . Mark Davis will obviously among the next group of reporters let go when the Star “downsizes” next . . .

Re-Engineering Science Fiction [*29]

The Return of the Ottomans: The sick man of Europe is back and causing ­trouble again. [*30]

Remember, It’s Not Socialism [*31]

Obama Needs Applause [*32]

Mort Zuckerman: World Sees Obama as Incompetent and Amateur: The president is well-intentioned but can’t walk the walk on the world stage [*33] — Of course, he always was incompetent and amateur. Some of us saw that earlier than others, is all . . .

A Feature, not a Bug [*34] — Thinking teleologically, acting . . . not at all . . .

The MoveOn/Hamas Nexus [*35]

CSIRO has counter meeting to address “denialism” [*36]

The Unacknowledged Legislators [*37] — What constitutes “art?”

The Fruits of Nationalization [*38]

As Always, Palin WAS Right (Update: John Fund Says the Same Thing in the Wall Street Journal that Palin Said on O’Reilly) [*39]

AmericaBlog Should Read the Articles It Cites Before Making an Ignorant Slam at Palin [*40]

Honor From Our Fathers [*41]

Making the grade: Despite rigors of Division I, South Dakota athletes outperform peers in the classroom [*42]

Can Conservatism Appeal to Young People? [*43]

An unexpected result for some census takers: the wrath of irate Americans [*44] — It’s only unexpected if you live inside the Beltway, I guess . . .

ACORN’s American Institute for Social Justice Remains Well Positioned to Fund Partisan Efforts [*45] — ACORN, in all its guises, IS an arm of the Democratic Party. It should be so treated by the law. Which means lots of people should be going to jail.

The End of Men

As the economy attempts to cleanse itself of the malinvestments of the decade-long bubble, jobs dominated by men have been sacrificed: construction, finance, and manufacturing. Hanna Rosin writes in the Atlantic[*46] , “The recession merely revealed—and accelerated—a profound economic shift that has been going on for at least 30 years, and in some respects even longer.”

Rosin makes clear that whatever it is that men bring to the party is not needed anymore. Job categories dominated by women are expected to thrive in the coming years and women are earning half again as many college degrees as males.

“Progressives” have been busily designing and building a society where men are simply not needed. This is not the policy of a kind and compassionate political philosophy.

Mo. man’s highway sign assailing Democrats gets torched twice, now he’s offering $5K reward [*47] — This is why you always see more Democrat bumper stickers than Republican ones. The Republicans don’t want their car keyed. Or worse. “Progressives” are not nice people, deep down, where it counts.

Put The Navy In Charge [*48]

Kyl: Obama told me he won’t secure the border until Congress agrees to amnesty [*49] — Or: “I won’t do my job until you give me a cookie!” This is the attitude of a spoiled brat, not of a President. Of course, we have in the Oval Office a spoiled brat instead of a President, so I’m not really surprised.

Can You Believe It? [*50] — This probably should have made a difference, two years ago. Today? Not so much. That horse has exited that particular barn door.

Texas democrats have a problem. Her name is Kesha Rogers [*51]

Super-Complex Organic Molecules Found in Interstellar Space [*52] — Anthracine! Anthracine!

Executive Temperament in Evidence: Chris Christie [*53]

This would probably have been the end of the story had Christie not gone all-out in raising money for the presidential campaign of George W. Bush in 2000 – which won him the attention and gratitude, some say, of Karl Rove and an appointment in December, 2001 as U. S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. It was in that office that he first distinguished himself.

When Christie received the appointment, there was grumbling in the New Jersey law establishment. He had no experience in criminal law, and he was not one of the more prominent lawyers in the state. But Christie quickly silenced his critics. In his seven years as U. S. Attorney, he and the 137 lawyers working under his direction managed to convict or elicit guilty pleas from 130 public officials, drawn from both parties at every level of government, without losing a single case. For the first time in his life, Christie had the opportunity to show what he could do, and the toughness, impatience, and intolerance for corruption that had so annoyed the Republican establishment in Morris County served him well in his new post.

In hindsight, it is probably a good thing that Christie was not elected to the New Jersey Assembly. He is not your run-of-the-mill team player. One cannot imagine him joining a church for political reasons, marrying a woman connected to a political machine, voting present in the assembly on controversial bills, and sucking up to his party’s leader in that body in the hope of having his name put on a series of bills designed to make him look good to the public statewide.

I think people should listen to the Fat Man.

It’s On… Palin Calls Rahmbo a Liar [*54] — Fat Man and the ‘Cuda, 2012? Hmm . . .

Sharron Angle Fights Back [*55]

An Ineffective Thug [*56]

Morning Whip, June 18, 2010

Republican Candidate for Congress: Hey, Maybe BP and the Federal Government Conspired To Leak the Oil [*1] — On the one hand, this is patently stupid. On the other hand, given ACORN, it has a certain conspiratorial plausibility in today’s political environment. On the third hand, maybe BP is one of those companies that’s become Too Big To Persist–and maybe the Federal Government has, too. Too Big To Fail is Too Big To Persist.

All about Sharron Angle: The background of the woman who’s taking on Harry Reid. [*2]

“I’ve seen government from many sides,” Angle says, smiling. “Legislator, school board, citizen in the initiative process. I have a multifaceted background in education. I’ve done public-school teaching, private school, homeschooling, and tutoring for juvenile justice. I’ve taught adults at community college.” So when she says that she wants to dump the entire Department of Education, she comes across as a warm grandma who’s fought the beast, knows it, and detests it, not as some anti-government demagogue.

“Look, the Department of Education is a policy machine that sends down one-size-fits-all rules that fit no one,” Angle says. “Education works best when you have all of the stakeholders involved and working toward the same commitment. That happens best at the local level. Anything bureaucratically, administratively, these layers and layers — that just diminishes the involvement of the stakeholder. They feel like their voice isn’t being heard because there is too much of a loud clamor from the top.”

See, the problem that the “progressives” have is that when they demonize people like Angle, they’re demonizing people I’ve spent my entire life sitting across kitchen tables, school lunchroom tables, and college town bar tables from. The “progressives” have a wonderful line of BS that simply doesn’t stand up to reality. And reality always wins, although sometimes it takes a while. The chickens are coming home to roost. Wild Sharks, Redfish Harbor Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria [*3]

Eating eggs doesn’t seem to up diabetes risk [*4] — Well, uh, considering diabetes is a sugar metabolism disorder . . . what kind of moron would expect a link between eggs and diabetes? Oh, yeah . . . scientist morons . . .

event transcript: “What Should the Next Communications Act Look Like?” [*5] — I don’t suppose a blank sheet of paper is an option . . .

Dick Armey to GOP candidates: Maybe it’s time to ease off the “tea party” label [*6] — Yeah. Time to go beyond tea. Root beer, perhaps? It’s time to morph, time to change, stay inside the “progressives'” OODA loop . . . “patriot” is old and busted, too, by the way. We need us some new hotness.

2012: Too soon for a Christie presidential run? [*7]

Secrets of the Times [*8]

Language mavens exchange words over Obama’s Oval Office speech [*9] — I’ll save you the trouble of reading the article: “You’re too stupid to understand what the President was saying, that’s why you didn’t like the speech.”

The Absolute Latest on the War Between Public & Private Sector Workers or, The Next Time Someone Tells You Educators Don’t Make Enough, Tell Them About This $26 Million Dollar Man [*10]

Good-Bye, Free Checking. Thanks a Lot, Consumer Protectors! [*11]

Which Party Rewards Ideological Fidelity More? [*12] — Translation: “I hate it when Republicans actually start acting like they believe their rhetoric!”

Keith Olbermann to Daily Kos: I Break With Thee [*13]

We’re All Racists Now!: Jon Stewart Mercilessly Ridicules Obama [*14]

The Narrative turns 38. But as to the facts, just shut up! [*15]

Tea? Party [*16]

Living Fast and Dangerously: Hormones Influence the ‘Pace of Life’ of Songbirds [*17]

Using Bacteria in Oil Wells to Convert Oil to Natural Gas [*18] — The phrase “What could go wrong?” comes to mind . . .

Trust Fund Ignores Rule of Law [*19] — No, no, no . . . the law is whatever our rulers decide the law is . . . you silly goose . . .

“Today’s decision gives hope to millions of American property owners” [*20]

Linguistic Gerrymandering: The FCC Moves to Regulate the Internet [*21] — Maybe the Internet should move to regulate the FCC . . .

That 30’s Mistake [*22]

Tea Party 2.0 (Part II): What is a Block Captain Team and How Does it Work? [*23]

DISCLOSing Contempt for Liberty and the Constitution [*24]

Barton: Taken To The Woodshed, Retracts Apology To BP [*25] — Man, that was some darn stupid politics going on right there between Barton’s ears . . . what the hell was he thinking?

Hope and change: Etheridge now trails in House race after assault video goes viral [*26]

Is The No-Fly List Unconstitutional? [*27]

Americans Not Inclined To Pay More To Fight Global Warming [*28]

Shock poll: Obama’s endorsement makes voters less likely to vote for someone [*29]

Making history disappear? In school? [*30] — There are, apparently, a lot of school teachers and administrators who do not have the temperament to be in that profession, substituting as they do rules for intelligence . . .

Coast Guard shuts down oil-skimming barges due to … lack of life vests onboard [*31] — Um, what part of “emergency” or “disaster” did the Coast Guard not comprehend?

Krauthammer: Barton’s apology was “the most politically stupid statement of the year” [*32] — See? It’s not just me . . .

Figures. MSNBC Mockumentary Discusses Obama’s Days as Brilliant Constitutional Law Professor But Actually Shows Him Teaching Alinsky Tactics (Video) [*33]

Newsweek Intern Attempts to Describe Hayek’s Road to Serfdom: Massive FAIL [*34]

Bart Stupak: Hey, Let’s Use That BP Escrow Account To Fund Health Care [*35] — No pile of money is safe from a sitting Congressman . . .

The Helpless Titan [*36]

It’s not necessary to ignore the misdeeds of British Petroleum to criticize the appalling performance of our massive super-State. Big Government and Big Business have become so entwined that any disaster on the scale of the Gulf oil spill, or the subprime mortgage crisis before it, will have both public and private agencies to blame. Suggesting that government cannot be criticized until every one of its private-sector “partners” has been bankrupted or nationalized is a recipe for tyranny. We should study the example of BP and understand that only one half of the government-business alliance can call press conferences at will, addressing a media prepared to extend them unlimited credit for their good intentions.

Who told Obama drilling is ‘absolutely safe’? [*37]

Obama’s spill recovery chief will be part-time[*38] — Oh, yeah. Sure. At least Barton had the good sense to apologize for his stupidity . . .

The Exploitation of Entrepreneurs [*39] — the most exploited class in America today . . .