May 09, 2008
Damsel and distress
Peggy Noonan stands amazed at just how far the Clintons will go to further Hillary's quest for the presidency. Or at least as amazed as one can be to see the Clinton psychdrama play out yet again.
To play the race card as Mrs. Clinton has, to highlight and encourage a sense that we are crudely divided as a nation, to make your argument a brute and cynical "the black guy can't win but the white girl can" is -- well, so vulgar, so cynical, so cold, that once again a Clinton is making us turn off the television in case the children walk by.
May 07, 2008
The real John McCain?
If only...
McCain Vows To Replace Secret Service With His Own Bare Fists
... but there's still more truth here than anything heard from the Democratic side all year.
April 20, 2008
Expelled: thumbs down
We went yesterday to see Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, Ben Stein's self-described "satirical documentary" about the often bitter conflict between Intelligent Design ("ID") advocates and the academic/science establishment.
I was underwhelmed. The movie is more manipulative than persuasive or informative.
Expelled mimics the documentary style promulgated by porcine leftist Michael Moore. Given the inherent dishonesty of that approach, the result leaves its audience terribly underserved, particularly in its repeated, simplistic linking of evolutionary biology and Darwinism with Nazism.
An exhaustive account at Wikipedia points out many of the ways Expelled doesn't present anything like a complete picture of the various incidents where ID advocates were supposedly driven from their posts in academia solely for the offense of discussing ID. It also documents the use of selective, out-of-context quotations and other distortions.
Not only does Expelled fail to even really explain either evolutionary biology or ID, but it consciously buries the inarguable fact that ID is almost wholly a repackaging of religiously-driven Creationism. This is disengenuous at best.
I expected more from Ben Stein.
Additional note: our experience in the theater was somewhat painful due to the very poor sound mix of the film, wherein speakers were frequently muffled by a pounding soundtrack.
Finally, a few simple thoughts about Intelligent Design in general:
It's certainly true that evolutionary biology cannot explain the origin of life in the universe, and theories about Earth's interactions between primordial mud and lightning or the impact of comets aren't very complete to say the least.
However, to then make a leap to a supernatural explanation is nothing more than a deus ex machina solution that just isn't verifiable, scientifically or otherwise. The argument is inherently pointless.
To introduce ID into real science is not sustainable, and to introduce it into science education in K-12 schools is unhelpful in the extreme.
None of which means that God didn't create life as an "intelligent designer." For "Darwinists" to insist otherwise often drifts into anti-religious bigotry.
Maybe Ben Stein's movie will at least spark additional discussion, which would be a good thing, but it's more likely to generate more heat that light. And here's a corroborating report.
April 18, 2008
Supporting role
Peggy Noonan has more thoughtful insights today into the Obama-Clinton danse macabre. But she also slips in this sly observation about the job requirements for "first spouses":
All first ladies, first spouses, should be like Denis Thatcher, slightly dazed, mildly inscrutable, utterly supportive. It is the only job in the world where "seems slightly drugged" is a positive job qualification. The key is to know you are not the drama, you do not draw the lightning, you are a background player who yet has deep, unseen power. (The "deep, unseen power" part keeps you serene and energized. The constant possibility of quiet revenge keeps one peppy.)
Zing.
March 09, 2008
Silver Star winner
Here's a Houston-area girl who's shown herself to be a hero. Hooray for Monica Lin Brown!
Dodging insurgent gunfire and mortars, a 19-year-old Lake Jackson soldier used her body as a shield to save the lives of five injured comrades following a roadside bomb that struck her convoy last spring in Afghanistan.Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown's act of bravery has earned her the Silver Star, making her only the second woman since World War II to receive the medal. The Silver Star is the nation's third-highest military award given for gallantry in combat.
''She just did what she was trained to do," her grandmother, Katy Brown, said from her Lake Jackson home on Sunday.
The Army medic was part of a four-vehicle convoy patrolling near Jani Kheil in the eastern province of Paktia when a bomb struck one of the Humvees on April 25, military officials said.
After the explosion, Brown went through insurgent gunfire and mortars to reach five wounded soldiers. She used her body to shield the injured soldiers as she administered aid and helped drag them to safety, the military said.
Read the whole thing.
Free pass for Cuba's book burners
Robert Kent writes to update us about the ongoing disgrace of the American Library Association's studied and stunning silence on repression in Cuba.
Critics charge that comments by Anthony Lewis, a distinguished guest speaker at the American Library Association's January conference in Philadelphia, are being censored by the ALA. At a sold-out ALA conference event held at the National Constitution Center on Jan. 14, Lewis spoke about his long career defending civil liberties and his new book, "Freedom for the Thought That We Hate."A notable feature of Anthony Lewis's speech was his call for the ALA to defend members of an independent library movement who are imprisoned in Cuba. In a challenge to government control of information, since 1998 volunteers in Cuba have opened more than 200 libraries offering public access to uncensored books. Following secret police raids and one-day trials, several of the librarians are serving 20-year jail terms. Cuban courts have ordered the burning of book collections seized from the independent librarians, including classics such as Orwell's "Animal Farm."
"I just urge you not to take that lightly," Anthony Lewis told his ALA audience. "I think there can't be anything worse than putting librarians in prison because of their being librarians and giving people books to read. So please don't ignore the issue. That's from my point of view, even if you don't like the librarians or you don't like Cuba or whatever it is you don't like, its 'freedom for the thought that we hate.'" In a question-and-answer period following his speech, Lewis added: "Cuban librarians who have been in prison are entitled to the utmost support from this organization."
Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and International PEN are demanding the release of the jailed library workers.
In contrast, the ALA has refused to condemn the repression of the Cuban librarians or the court-ordered burning of their books. Critics say the ALA, which often takes a stand on international issues concerning intellectual freedom, is guilty of hypocrisy on the Cuba issue. The critics assert that the ALA's "refusal to take meaningful action" on Cuba is due to the seizure of key ALA offices by a pro-Castro faction which refuses to condemn or even acknowledge the existence of censorship, library raids, book burning and a ban on Internet access in Cuba.
In post-conference coverage of the Philadelphia event, no ALA publication has mentioned Anthony Lewis's criticism of the library group's Cuba policy. Two ALA journalists were present at Anthony Lewis's Jan. 14 speech, and according to a witness they promised to report on Lewis's Cuba-related comments. But the only mention of Cuba in ALA publications since the conference has been a link in "AL Direct," the ALA's online magazine, to a reprint of a 2-year old article attacking Cuba's independent librarians and their defenders abroad. Critics question the accuracy of the article's author, John Pateman, who was awarded a medal by the Cuban government for his past denials of human rights violations on the island; Pateman also denies that the Khmer Rouge were responsible for mass killings in Cambodia.
In addition to Anthony Lewis at the January conference, other speakers at past ALA conferences have spoken out on the ALA's Cuba controversy. Andrei Codrescu, Ray Bradbury ( the author of "Fahrenheit 451") and Madeleine Albright have also used ALA conferences as a venue to call for an end to library repression in Cuba. But critics complain that "entrenched pro-Castro zealots" in the ALA have steadfastly ignored appeals on behalf of Cuba's embattled independent library movement.
"It is sadly ironic," said Robert Kent, a spokesperson for the Friends of Cuban Libraries, a support group for the jailed Cubans, "that zealots within the ALA, an organization which upholds opposition to censorship as its highest ideal, are suppressing comments made by Anthony Lewis at, of all places, an ALA conference. Sadder still, many rank-and-file ALA members are completely oblivious to this travesty of justice and the need to restore the ALA's damaged honor and integrity."
This harsh repression, one of many, in Cuba has been going on for years now. ALA, supposed champion of an inalienable Freedom to Read, has denied its responsibilities during the whole period and continues to stonewall the issue.
Hear a podcast of Lewis's comments here.
Review just some of the sorry history here, here, here, here, and here.
March 07, 2008
Iron Horse
Peggy Noonan today:
What do I think is the biggest reason Mrs. Clinton came back? She kept her own spirits up to the point of denial and worked it, hard, every day. She is hardy, resilient, tough. She is a train on a track, an Iron Horse. But we must not become carried away with generosity. The very qualities that impress us are the qualities that will make her a painful president. She does not care what you think, she will have what she wants, she will not do the feints, pivots and backoffs that presidents must. She is neither nimble nor agile, and she knows best. She will wear a great nation down.
March 04, 2008
McCain wins
Here are some of John McCain's remarks after winning all the GOP primaries today and clinching the nomination.
[D]uring this campaign I'll travel across the country in cities and rural areas, in communities of all ethnic backgrounds and income levels, offering my ideas and listening to the concerns and advice of Americans.Americans aren't interested in an election where they are just talked to and not listened to; an election that offers platitudes instead of principles and insults instead of ideas; an election that results -- no matter who wins -- in four years of unkept promises and a government that is just a battleground for the next election. Their patience is at an end for politicians who value ambition over principle, and for partisanship that is less a contest of ideas than an uncivil brawl over the spoils of power.
Nothing is inevitable in America. We are the captains of our fate. We're not a country that prefers nostalgia to optimism; a country that would rather go back than forward. We're the world's leader, and leaders don't pine for the past and dread the future. We make the future better than the past. We don't hide from history. We make history. That, my friends, is the essence of hope in America, hope built on courage, and faith in the values and principles that have made us great.
I intend to make my stand on those principles and chart a course for our future greatness, and trust in the judgment of the people I have served all my life. So stand up with me, my friends, stand up and fight for America -- for her strength, her ideals, and her future. The contest begins tonight. It will have its ups and downs. But we will fight every minute of every day to make certain we have a government that is as capable, wise, brave and decent as the great people we serve. That is our responsibility and I will not let you down.
Primary day in Texas
Today is primary day here in Texas. I'll be going momentarily to vote in the GOP contest. As noted earlier, I'm actively supporting John McCain, as well as opposing Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul. There are also many local races where good folks deserve our votes and a few weasels deserve the opposite.
Perplexed about where and how? Local voting information for Harris County can be found at HarrisVotes.org.
February 25, 2008
Snoopers
In case you weren't worried enough about electronic privacy: Worker Snooping on Customer Data Common.
Vast computer databases give curious employees the ability to look up sensitive information on people with the click of a mouse. [...]Experts say some companies do little to stop such abuses even though they could lead to identity theft, stalking and other privacy invasions. And companies that uncover violations can keep them quiet because in many cases it is not illegal to snoop, only to use the data for crimes.
February 24, 2008
Book report
Here are some interesting observations about the spectacular library of rare books at Biltmore House in Asheville. We got to tour this room long ago and have had a bad case of bibliographic envy ever since.
Cynical is more like it
Media maven Jeff Jarvis takes The New York Times to task for its shoddy, innuendo-driven story on John McCain and his supposedly questionable ties to a blonde, female lobbyist in 1999.
The only thing more shocking that the New York Times printing salacious innuendo about a presidential candidate is its editor not understanding why this caused controversy. I’m not sure whether he’s isolated or clueless or issuing cynical spin.
February 20, 2008
Consolation prize?
On Hillary's prospects if her campaign does indeed go belly up, from The Corner:
She could serve as the U.S. Senator from New York for the next 20 years if she plays it right -- even if she just preserves the merest of fig leaves. Whatever her shortcomings, the NY State GOP has no candidate likely to displace her anytime soon.And in 20 years, or even 12, you can accomplish a lot of your underlying liberal agenda -- especially if you give up your presidential aspirations, and have no need to "triangulate" your votes to appeal to moderates later on. Teddy Kennedy is a reasonable model for this approach.It's not the big, glittering prize that the oval office is. And it requires the kind of hard, daily legislative work Hillary hasn't done so much of. But, for better or worse, it would be a real legacy. Not, of course, that I want to see this happen. But it is the dark alternative to the wishful scenario where she melts as the bucket of water hits her.
What's to come
GOP front-runner John McCain spoke Tuesday night after the Wisconsin primary and gave us a preview of the final round to come.
My friends, we have traveled a great distance together already in this campaign, and overcome more than a few obstacles. But as I said last week, now comes the hard part and, for America, the bigger decision. Will we make the right changes to restore the people's trust in their government and meet the great challenges of our time with wisdom, and with faith in the values and ability of Americans for whom no challenge is greater than their resolve, courage and patriotism? Or will we heed appeals for change that ignore the lessons of history, and lack confidence in the intelligence and ideals of free people?I will fight every moment of every day in this campaign to make sure Americans are not deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change that promises no more than a holiday from history and a return to the false promises and failed policies of a tired philosophy that trusts in government more than people. Our purpose is to keep this blessed country free, safe, prosperous and proud. And the changes we offer to the institutions and policies of government will reflect and rely upon the strength, industry, aspirations and decency of the people we serve. [...]
Will the next President have the experience, the judgment experience informs, and the strength of purpose to respond to each of these developments in ways that strengthen our security and advance the global progress of our ideals? Or will we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested invading our ally, Pakistan, and sitting down without pre-conditions or clear purpose with enemies who support terrorists and are intent on destabilizing the world by acquiring nuclear weapons?
February 19, 2008
For McCain
Today is the start of early and absentee voting for the Texas primaries. Most early voting is a bad idea, since we can't know what important new developments might emerge in our tumultuous world that would change hearts and minds in an instant. But many will trade that risk for the added convenience, and others need to vote absentee, so it's time to take a stand.
Watching the various candidates speak tonight after the Wisconsin primaries has only solidified my decision.
I intend to vote for John McCain in the Republican primary on March 4. Here are a few thoughts on why.
The decision on a nominee for the GOP is a done deal, and strictly speaking McCain doesn't "need" my vote. He's not a perfect candidate and won't be a perfect President. But the alternatives are impossible.
Ron Paul has now suspended his campaign to fight for his political career back in a neglected congressional district. But he could never have earned my vote anyway, at least not since I was a naive 20-year old. For years, Ron Paul has been riding along with the luxury to adopt and promote a utopian political philosophy as an ideal without ever confronting the responsibility of implementing those ideas and making real changes. He is a marginal, at most symbolic, figure whose profound misunderstanding of the world is a distraction in an age that demands focus.
Mike Huckabee has revealed himself as a duplicitous schemer. In terms of policy, his record and rhetoric are far more liberal than those of John McCain. Worse than that, however, Huckabee has looked America in the eye and, with a cynical smile, simultaneously leveraged his religiosity with evangelical voters (and the gullible in general) AND denied all the while that he is doing anything of the sort. Honesty is important, and Huckabee apparently has none. This is intolerable.
Therefore, at this point those who fear the consequences of a Leftist victory in the fall should be coalescing behind McCain, comfortably or not. No one said it would be easy.
The temptation to vote in the Democratic primary has presented itself, and if there was a way to tilt their outcome in a better direction, such an act might be alluring. However, that is also impossible.
On that side, the choice is between a cunning Barack Obama, with his high-minded speeches, increasingly messianic fervor and catastrophic ideas, and the sociopathic and equally socialistic Hillary Clinton. If this must be a Democratic year, then so be it; the voters will decide. And perhaps better a straightforward leftist like Obama than more tormented Clintonian psychodrama. But I cannot aid or abet such a scenario in any way.
Some believe that a Democratic interregnum is required before a conservative GOP rebirth. Maybe. I would just remind such dreamers that national nightmares can last a long time. And that during the most recent such epochs under both Carter and Clinton, thousands died during these "holidays from history."
We're at war with an implacable enemy, and holidays are the last thing we should be considering.
So, despite lingering concerns about some of John McCain's past positions, it's clear that he is the best choice for America in 2008. McCain has the guts and the experience to lead us in the most important conflict of our generation.
He'll get my vote on March 4 and in November.
Let's roll.
