Quick Notes for a Fine Wednesday Morning
Was that Tuesday that just passed me by? We're a little busy here at the firm, and I apologize for the lack of blogging yesterday. You see, I'm into a very specialized field of law that involves a heavy dose of tax issues and the end of the year is particularly hectic for types like me. I'd tell you more about it, except that after that you would never, ever visit New Sisyphus again.
Instead, let's do Quick Notes:
-- The number one comment I received in my reporting and commentating on the National Security Agency wiretap issue (see numerous posts below) is that conservative bloggers like me are simply shills for the President and that we'd support anything that W does or will do. I leave it to fair-minded readers to determine for themselves if that is in fact true, but it seems to me that this charge is wildly off base. It's not very hard for me to run off a list of issues over the past year in which I differed strongly with the Administration. For example:
Hurricane Katrina: I took strong exception to the Administration's horrible response to this tragedy and its ridiculous "state's rights" response.
Nomination of Harriet Myers: I think it's fair to say that I went ballistic on this one.
Social Security Reform: While I'm in favor of reform, any plan that does not anticipate that some people will not save despite themselves will end up forcing people to pay for these n'er-do-wells at double cost later. If you doubt this, check out Chile's recent experience on point. This is one area where direct government involvement is unavoidable, as much as I'd like to see a market component.
Public Diplomacy: To say that I am underwhelmed by the Administration's handling of diplomatic affairs would be an understatement.
I could go on, but I think you get the point. If you're looking for uniform agreement and slavish devotion to a political platform, check out the liberal bloggers. Here in the conservative Blogosphere, there is a healthy debate going on. That said, when W is right (and he was right on the point in question), he is right and I will say so.
-- Watching the Canadian press after the horrific Boxing Day shooting at the popular Yonge Street shopping area in Toronto, in which seven people were wounded and a 15-year old girl killed, a few things leap out. First, is the absolutely predictable and laughably pathetic Canadian knee-jerk instinct to blame the United States, because, you know, we're so horrifically violent and our gun-worship has corrupted fine, upstanding Canadian kids. This is the beauty of being Canadian, the perfect post-modern country: you can be socially progressive and say or do whatever you want, because, hey, you're not responsible for anything, not even law enforcement in your own country!
Second, is the equally predictable and similarly pathetic attempt to shield the public from the identity of the bad guys. Check out the headlines and see if you notice anything, well, missing:
National Post: "15 Youths Sought in Shooting"
Globe and Mail: "We Will Do More," Miller Vows. Days After Shootings on Toronto Streets, Mayor Pledges Action on Programs, Jobs for Youths.
CBC: Police Search for Youths
The Province: "15 Youths Sought in Shootout"
For those six people who haven't yet decoded the MSM's terminology on issues of race, let me clear it up for you. In MSM-Speak "youths" means any young person of an ethnic minority. For example, the Middle Eastern and African Muslims who recently rioted in Paris were "youths." And the Lebanese gangs who rampaged through Sydney were also "youths."
However, the white surfers who started bashing Lebanese and Lebanese-appearing people in Sydney were "White youths," who may have been under the influence of "supremacists." (Surprisingly, just plain "youths" are never motivated by leaders or organizations that condone or urge the elimination of the inferior infidel. It's a fact. Look it up.)
In other words, Canadian police are looking for black gang members and the press is too scared of "causing hatred" to state that plain fact. Kind of like how the MSM decided on its own to withhold images of 9.11 after the attacks. You have to be careful with us plain, common folk, because we're all out-of-control racists and all it could take is a tiny provocation and we wouldn't want to be responsible for that. Let's lie and cover-up instead.
It's the socially responsible thing to do.
-- The oh-so-morally superior Germans--who have become almost as obnoxious in their pacifist socialism as their grandparents were in their militant national socialism--released a Hezbollah killer as ransom to get a German moonbat released in Iraq. Now said German moonbat is returning to Iraq, her home for many years. A report in the Times states that this decision has made "pro-American" Chancellor Merkel "furious."
And the Germans say we're dumb. Ohhh-kay, Helmut....
-- Speaking of which, is there any reason the President should not be ordering our troops into combat with Hezbollah, with the specific goal of taking the released prisoner out? Are we serious, or just playing?
-- With the resignation of Andrei Illarionov from the Russian government, it appears that the last liberal light in the Kremlin has been extinguished. The direction of the Russian Federation is highly worrisome and, frankly, depressing. Yet, at the same time, it's not too surprising. Time will tell, of course, and I think the Russian people's contacts with the wider world cannot be shut off now, but that sad people have never had a liberal government for more than a matter of months.
-- Toronto mayor David Miller has now confirmed what I suspected would be the Canadian Government's line in response to the shootings mentioned above. Says the mayor:
"The U.S. is exporting its problem of violence to the streets of Toronto."
Man, I wish I was Canadian. All that prosperity, no responsibility. The entire country is like one big university campus.
-- All kinds of kidnapping all over the Muslim world today. Britons in the Gaza, French water worker in Iraq, German ex-diplomat in Yemen.
Thanks Germany! Way to go!
-- Portland is mostly empty right now, except for the poor lawyers and other financial types working to get matters settled prior to the end of the tax year. It's all lit up at night (and early morning) with Xmas lights and other pretty things. As you well know, Portland and I have our differences, but she is still a beautiful city. Better, she is a beautiful city with good beer.
-- That said, the bookstores really tick me off. Every one of them, from the big-name independents to the bigger-name chain stores, are staffed by rosy-cheeked, earnest Portland State student types (this includes the manager in her late 30's) who stock the store accordingly. Looking for a history of the Royal Navy? Sorry. Want to buy Robert Conquest's latest? Nope. "Have you ever read a professor by the name of Noam Chomsky?"
Amazon, here I come.
-- Sometimes things are just perfect. Like when my little girl smiles at me and says "thank you" when I give her a cookie. Or when this happens:
I'm walking down a suburban street from the train station to my home. About three houses ahead, a woman is walking to the curb from an open garage to retrieve the emptied trash can. Seconds after she reaches the curb, an old bulldog runs out of the garage to the sidewalk. It stops, turns and sees me approaching. It trots towards me, its smashed bulldog face turning up to mine, its tongue hanging out slightly. Looks like a pure-bred honest-to-goodness bulldog. "John Bull," I think to myself.
The owner notices the dog has approached me, smiles at me, says "sorry" and calls the dog to her side.
"Winston!"
Winston. Perfect.
Instead, let's do Quick Notes:
-- The number one comment I received in my reporting and commentating on the National Security Agency wiretap issue (see numerous posts below) is that conservative bloggers like me are simply shills for the President and that we'd support anything that W does or will do. I leave it to fair-minded readers to determine for themselves if that is in fact true, but it seems to me that this charge is wildly off base. It's not very hard for me to run off a list of issues over the past year in which I differed strongly with the Administration. For example:
Hurricane Katrina: I took strong exception to the Administration's horrible response to this tragedy and its ridiculous "state's rights" response.
Nomination of Harriet Myers: I think it's fair to say that I went ballistic on this one.
Social Security Reform: While I'm in favor of reform, any plan that does not anticipate that some people will not save despite themselves will end up forcing people to pay for these n'er-do-wells at double cost later. If you doubt this, check out Chile's recent experience on point. This is one area where direct government involvement is unavoidable, as much as I'd like to see a market component.
Public Diplomacy: To say that I am underwhelmed by the Administration's handling of diplomatic affairs would be an understatement.
I could go on, but I think you get the point. If you're looking for uniform agreement and slavish devotion to a political platform, check out the liberal bloggers. Here in the conservative Blogosphere, there is a healthy debate going on. That said, when W is right (and he was right on the point in question), he is right and I will say so.
-- Watching the Canadian press after the horrific Boxing Day shooting at the popular Yonge Street shopping area in Toronto, in which seven people were wounded and a 15-year old girl killed, a few things leap out. First, is the absolutely predictable and laughably pathetic Canadian knee-jerk instinct to blame the United States, because, you know, we're so horrifically violent and our gun-worship has corrupted fine, upstanding Canadian kids. This is the beauty of being Canadian, the perfect post-modern country: you can be socially progressive and say or do whatever you want, because, hey, you're not responsible for anything, not even law enforcement in your own country!
Second, is the equally predictable and similarly pathetic attempt to shield the public from the identity of the bad guys. Check out the headlines and see if you notice anything, well, missing:
National Post: "15 Youths Sought in Shooting"
Globe and Mail: "We Will Do More," Miller Vows. Days After Shootings on Toronto Streets, Mayor Pledges Action on Programs, Jobs for Youths.
CBC: Police Search for Youths
The Province: "15 Youths Sought in Shootout"
For those six people who haven't yet decoded the MSM's terminology on issues of race, let me clear it up for you. In MSM-Speak "youths" means any young person of an ethnic minority. For example, the Middle Eastern and African Muslims who recently rioted in Paris were "youths." And the Lebanese gangs who rampaged through Sydney were also "youths."
However, the white surfers who started bashing Lebanese and Lebanese-appearing people in Sydney were "White youths," who may have been under the influence of "supremacists." (Surprisingly, just plain "youths" are never motivated by leaders or organizations that condone or urge the elimination of the inferior infidel. It's a fact. Look it up.)
In other words, Canadian police are looking for black gang members and the press is too scared of "causing hatred" to state that plain fact. Kind of like how the MSM decided on its own to withhold images of 9.11 after the attacks. You have to be careful with us plain, common folk, because we're all out-of-control racists and all it could take is a tiny provocation and we wouldn't want to be responsible for that. Let's lie and cover-up instead.
It's the socially responsible thing to do.
-- The oh-so-morally superior Germans--who have become almost as obnoxious in their pacifist socialism as their grandparents were in their militant national socialism--released a Hezbollah killer as ransom to get a German moonbat released in Iraq. Now said German moonbat is returning to Iraq, her home for many years. A report in the Times states that this decision has made "pro-American" Chancellor Merkel "furious."
And the Germans say we're dumb. Ohhh-kay, Helmut....
-- Speaking of which, is there any reason the President should not be ordering our troops into combat with Hezbollah, with the specific goal of taking the released prisoner out? Are we serious, or just playing?
-- With the resignation of Andrei Illarionov from the Russian government, it appears that the last liberal light in the Kremlin has been extinguished. The direction of the Russian Federation is highly worrisome and, frankly, depressing. Yet, at the same time, it's not too surprising. Time will tell, of course, and I think the Russian people's contacts with the wider world cannot be shut off now, but that sad people have never had a liberal government for more than a matter of months.
-- Toronto mayor David Miller has now confirmed what I suspected would be the Canadian Government's line in response to the shootings mentioned above. Says the mayor:
"The U.S. is exporting its problem of violence to the streets of Toronto."
Man, I wish I was Canadian. All that prosperity, no responsibility. The entire country is like one big university campus.
-- All kinds of kidnapping all over the Muslim world today. Britons in the Gaza, French water worker in Iraq, German ex-diplomat in Yemen.
Thanks Germany! Way to go!
-- Portland is mostly empty right now, except for the poor lawyers and other financial types working to get matters settled prior to the end of the tax year. It's all lit up at night (and early morning) with Xmas lights and other pretty things. As you well know, Portland and I have our differences, but she is still a beautiful city. Better, she is a beautiful city with good beer.
-- That said, the bookstores really tick me off. Every one of them, from the big-name independents to the bigger-name chain stores, are staffed by rosy-cheeked, earnest Portland State student types (this includes the manager in her late 30's) who stock the store accordingly. Looking for a history of the Royal Navy? Sorry. Want to buy Robert Conquest's latest? Nope. "Have you ever read a professor by the name of Noam Chomsky?"
Amazon, here I come.
-- Sometimes things are just perfect. Like when my little girl smiles at me and says "thank you" when I give her a cookie. Or when this happens:
I'm walking down a suburban street from the train station to my home. About three houses ahead, a woman is walking to the curb from an open garage to retrieve the emptied trash can. Seconds after she reaches the curb, an old bulldog runs out of the garage to the sidewalk. It stops, turns and sees me approaching. It trots towards me, its smashed bulldog face turning up to mine, its tongue hanging out slightly. Looks like a pure-bred honest-to-goodness bulldog. "John Bull," I think to myself.
The owner notices the dog has approached me, smiles at me, says "sorry" and calls the dog to her side.
"Winston!"
Winston. Perfect.
