Comic Churchill

Here's an amusing article about Ward Churchill. I like the way Labash approaches his subject. I also find the view of the fringe funny in a disturbing way. Have to give Labash credit, I don't have the time or inclination to spend arguing with this Walking Eagle. Now that's comedy.

"Why doesn't Bush do something?!?"

....exclaimed a co-worker in reference to high gasoline prices yesterday. Followed by her rant that I think included the federal crime of threatening the president, as well as petulant personal commentary regarding his "beady little eyes."
While I don't fully understand the national crude oil reserves and the presidents powers to control these reserves, why should the president be involved in manipulating oil markets? Hey, no one hates high gas prices more than I do. I'm driving one of the biggest behemoths on the road and it hurts to "filler up." I'm probably in the market for a new vehicle soon, and I'll have some real choices to make, but one of them is not to ask the president to manage gas prices.
Makes you kinda wonder about drilling in Alaska again, doesn't it? Interesting ANWR article here.
Immediately after the above exclamation, a chorus of voices said, "Yeah!!" I was struck by the need of these people to have the government fix their problems. By and large, I DON'T want the goverment fixing my problems. Certainly a minority here at work, YIKES!

How long till I'm de-sensitized?

I guess it's been a few moments since I was shocked by what passes as academia here in the good ol US of A. Check this article. Obviously I wish the European professor had identified himself and the institution where he's employed, but still provides a chilling picture. A particular comment of grave concern:

In issue after issue, the liberal college professor is very critical of America and the values that it stands for. I have heard American college professors tell me – or students – that we cannot say whether our way of government is better than what they had in, e.g., Iraq under Saddam Hussein. This goes hand-in-hand with the Euro-phoria that many campus liberals are caught up in: American government, American way of life, is liable to all sorts of criticism, while much of the rest of the world gets a free pass.

We can't say our government is better than the tyranny and despotism under Saddam Hussein? What? You cannot be serious! A college professor can make this statement with a straight face? That's ludicrous. As an aside, I'm making the assumption that the comparison is between the Federal Republic here in God's Country and pre-liberated Iraq. I don't dare to suppose that the professor is making the argument that the seedling representative democracy trying to take root in the desert is more finely crafted than the US Constitution. Ha!
In theory, I suppose the college campus is the place to debate the merits of our system and to apply the tenets of critical thinking. I assume that the reason for this educational process is to improve the objects debated and critiqued. Or at least improve ones understanding of these noble ideals. Not to mock, belittle or diminish the ideas (oh the crime against diversity!) that have served as the guiding principles of the society that allows that process to take place. Wonder if any of that was going on in old Iraq? Doubt it.
Whatever the goal of colleges and universities in America, it should not be to turn our country into a "second Europe." Heck, those luminaries kicked out most of our ancestors. The smarter of our forebears fled the European continent to pursue a dream. Are there figures available detailing the immigration to Iraq? Doubt it.
I can safely say that we definitely have a better system of government than was available in Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Or anywhere else on the globe.

Also, can you draw any correlation between the European systems of government and this?

More swearin' in public, yeehaw.

Here is an interesting article that speaks to my civilized society longings.
I've touched on this subject in this space before. Last year, I was mildly shocked by the language of college age girls in a Florida airport.
Allow myself to indict.......myself. I have been known to let loose a stream of expletives sufficient to cause a stevedore to blush. I'm not particularly proud of this ability, and I try to contain myself, but have difficulty in these three situations: 1. any sudden pain (the hit the thumb with a hammer example). 2. Ridiculously moronic displays of driving (ok, ok, I suffer from periodic road rage. But only verbally). 3. In a state of extreme intoxication, in an effort to get a laugh from others similarly situated (an occurrence that grows rare in direct proportion to age).
But what do my actions, as well as those related in the above article say about our culture? Anything?
Any recent examples out there? I have to mention that my job involves contact with the public in generally unhappy and stressful situations, so the language I hear in any given day, whether on the phone or in person, is often offensive and disturbing.

A head shakingly sad sign of the times.

Here's a great article from VDH. It's a topic I contemplated at some length when the looney left started equating the president with Hitler. If ever there is a reason to indict the state of education in America, this name-calling idiocy provides. Any person with a reasonable education immediately is offended. The real tragedy is that the intellectual climate of our society allows this linkage to be used for what has to be shock value. What faster way to get your own views, intellectually immature as they may be, out to the mainstream media? Preposterous.

This act cannot be tolerated. Justice must be done swiftly and decisively

Taking the lives of family members of a federal judge requires an immediate response from law enforcement. Article here. All possible manpower must be applied to finding those responsible for these murders and bringing them to swift justice. If ever there was an appropriate time to "send a message," this is that time. Regardless of the politics of the judge (and I don't know anything about this particular judge), our society cannot allow these types of acts to occur. These murders (I'm operating under the assumption that the judge's husband and mother were murdered) tear at the very fabric of our society. Imagine the chaos that surely will follow from the wanton murder of judges (or the intimidation of murdering their families) and similarly situated public officials in our society.
Perhaps these tactics were employed with some success in the Old West, but surely we can see the Pandora's Box that will open when murdering scum are allowed to roam the streets without remorse?
To make matters worse, some lunatic out there tried to influence her own judicial proceedings by citing the judge in Chicago. See this article.
I can't speak too severely against attacks on our system. No tolerance.

The investigation continues here with a suspect that committed suicide.

Gender differences, real and important.

An interesting article here regarding differences between men and women. The facts are that men and women are different. Treating them the same doesn't seem too smart to me.

Weekly Standard article following this topic and Harvards embattled president. Hat tip PS in Covedale.

Guest Post! Finally, some coherent thought!

You know, it occurred to me .........regarding a challenge to, inter alia, the requirement in Ohio that a minor obtain parental consent before obtaining an abortion, that these civil liberties groups have a set of perverse and often inconsistent values. Basically, they think that minors should not have to get parental consent to get abortion. Presumably, I guess, minors are fully capable of making that decision alone. But, yet, God forbid a prayer be said at high school commencement or they recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, or evolution is being taught in school, and they represent the parents who come in and say, "My child is being indoctrinated and he or she is not mature enough to withstand the coercive effect created by the state." So on one hand, minors are mature enough to decide to get an abortion but on the other are too impressionable to withstand a 25 second prayer which mentions "God". What if we had a case with an abortion-seeking minor whose parents were opposed to the Pledge of Allegiance? Think of the conundrum! The other inconsistency, which I know we've discussed, is supporting abortion but opposing capital punishment. That makes no sense to me. An old court reporter pointed out, the only consisent position is opposing abortion and the death penalty, which is what she believed.

I guess the answer is, it doesn't matter what the right is, if it's been established or we can argue for it, then by god we're going to protect it. Essentially, I guess, no standards, which kind of makes the content of the right meaningless.

Ah well, that is my philosophical moment for today.

Check the last paragraph in this article. Too young to consent to sex? But obviously mature enough to decide the fate of her child? Oh, the inconsistency.

From the "Stuff the MSM won't provide" file.

Read this link from Victor Davis Hanson. The second part is here. Pretty awesome stuff. Why don't we get more of this from MSM? Go Figure.
How many other stories like this are out there? Enough to fill up the USA Today for a few weeks, I'm sure. It's kind of refreshing to be able to get this type of information with little effort. Hail to the little guys!

This kinda stuff burns me up!

Did you see where Alanis Morisette became a citizen of the United States of America? Link. I usually don't mind that, I mean this is the greatest country on earth. Who wouldn't want to be a citizen? It's just way too hypocritical after her escapades last year at a Canadian award ceremony. Link. Ironic? Indeed!
It burns me up that people out there just love to criticize, execpt when it benefits them. You know that she did this to benefit from the tax structure here. Canadian socialism is great, until YOU have to pay for it. Are there enough record buyers in Canada to make an album "go platinum"? I guess our climate of "fear" isn't so scary after all.

Born this way? Hmmmm....

This discussion on homosexuality by John Derbyshire is insightful and thought-provoking. Much of his reasoning about this thorny issue is compelling and I think, accurate.

Naivete knows no bounds.

I've mentioned it here before, but I'm still amazed at the radicalism that passes for intellectualism at our universities. Here's an interesting article about a professor at Northwestern's Law School, easily considered a top law school in the U.S. I find that this professor's tenure is more alarming than that idiot in Colorado. If she was not admitted to the State Bar of New York due to her lack of respect for the rule of law, how can she possibly be a professor in law school?

Find an interesting article here.

A big screen version of Miami Vice? Awesome!

Universal Studios is making a movie version of Miami Vice. Link. How cool is that!?! It's gonna be tough to fill Tubbs' shoes, but I guess we'll see if Jamie Foxx is up to the task. How true to the original will Michael Mann's movie be? Same car? I have to think they'll update some of those things for the movie, although I hope they don't. I need to hear some Don Johnson/Phillip Michael Thomas quotes before and after the movie. What about celebrity appearances? Maybe Bruce Willis will be free?

Here's a newspaper blurb hyping the Mann angle.

Hat tip to other bloggers.

Here's a link to another blog that I find interesting. Seriously, how many conservative black woman are out there?
I found her post of 2.12.05 titled "President of the NAACP" provacative.

Condi versus Hillary? I'll take that bet.

Interesting article here.
Condi has impressive credentials, but difficult political background (not a governor).
I'd vote for her!

A truly historic event goes relatively unnoticed.

Much the same as the elections in Afghanistan, the elections in Iraq have gone by with very little trumpeting by mainstream media. Why am I not surprised?
Here's some insight on the importance of these elections.
(I especially am sickened by the quotes attributed to Ted Kennedy, jerk)
The significance of these elections will probably not be realized in the near future, but if this seedling of democracy can grow in the desert of the Middle East, there really will be hope for our planet.

Clinton begins her move to the middle.

In preparation for an '08 presidential run, she's trying to get towards the political middle here. It will be interesting to see all her manuvering (whatever she is, she's an expert at playing power politics). When will other Dems follow?

Hypocrisy knows no bounds...

Guns are only to protect people that deserve protecting, right Mike? Uberjerks bodyguard arrested for carrying an unlicensed firearm. Link. Jackass.

Here's an interesting take on Moore from Frontpage Magazine.

This article would seem ridiculous....

...until you consider the Commander in Chief at the time. Link.

This blog is INDEPENDENT!

Who knew there was cash in this? See the WSJ article. Man, I gotta get a new agent. Of course, they'll want me to reach a "broader" audience, but I'm no sell out! The George Costanza "Human Fund" doesn't sound like such a bad idea now.