tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79667378906779983952024-02-19T00:38:11.360-05:00The Tennessee Federalist StudentThe Blog of the Tennessee Student Chapter of the Federalist Society.Romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06071030040373133477noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-23844807995392486062009-04-04T18:39:00.002-04:002009-04-04T18:44:28.448-04:00Ouch! (and Darn!)As I noted <a class="" href="http://lyssalovelyredhead.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/test-post/" mce_href="http://lyssalovelyredhead.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/test-post/">before</a>, the great and grand hope of President Obama would be that EUROPE WOULD LIKE US AGAIN! Now, I stand by my statements that it doesn't matter what Europe, or anyone else thinks, but it would have at least been nice if he could get them to, you know, stand beside us and fight a little or something. But it was<a class="" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6032342.ece" mce_href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6032342.ece"> not to be</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Barack Obama made an impassioned plea to America’s allies to send more<br />troops to Afghanistan, warning that failure to do so would leave Europe<br />vulnerable to more terrorist atrocities.<br />But though he continued to dazzle<br />Europeans on his debut international tour, the Continent’s leaders turned their<br />backs on the US President.<br /><br />Gordon Brown was the only one to offer substantial help. He offered to<br />send several hundred extra British soldiers to provide security during the<br />August election, but even that fell short of the thousands of combat troops that<br />the US was hoping to prise from the Prime Minister.<br />Just two other allies<br />made firm offers of troops. Belgium offered to send 35 military trainers and<br />Spain offered 12. Mr Obama’s host, Nicolas Sarkozy, refused his request.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />Poor Barack pulled out all the stops to convince them to do more. He tried hope: <br /><br /><blockquote>The derisory response threatened to tarnish Mr Obama’s European tour, which<br />yesterday included a spellbinding performance in Strasbourg in which he offered<br />the world a vision of a future free of nuclear weapons. </blockquote><br /><br />He tried lecturing:<br /><br /><blockquote>Mr Obama – who has pledged 21,000 more troops to combat the growing insurgency<br />and is under pressure from generals to supply up to 10,000 more – used the eve<br />of Nato’s 60th anniversary summit to declare bluntly that it was time for allies<br />to do their share. “Europe should not simply expect the United States to<br />shoulder that burden alone,” he said. “This is a joint problem it requires a<br />joint effort.”</blockquote><br /><br /> He even tried outright threats:<br /><br /><blockquote>He said that failing to support the US surge would leave Europe open to a fresh<br />terrorist offensive. “It is probably more likely that al-Qaeda would be able to<br />launch a serious terrorist attack on Europe than on the United States because of<br />proximity,” he said.</blockquote><br />But, alas, no more help from our friends abroad than when that detestible, mentally retarded, chimpy, cowboy (spits on the ground in disgust) was in office. This must be Bush's fault, somehow.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-19108599904258781732009-03-31T11:47:00.002-04:002009-03-31T11:59:33.162-04:00Amazing lack of reading comphrehensionTennessee has a bill up for hearing that would allow professors to carry guns on campus. Here's what the second paragraph of the <a class="" href="http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/mar/31/guns-tennessees-college-campuses-bill-set-hearing/" mce_href="http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/mar/31/guns-tennessees-college-campuses-bill-set-hearing/">article </a>says:<br /><br /><blockquote>State Rep. Stacey Campfield’s proposal, scheduled for a hearing Wednesday before<br />a House Judiciary subcommittee, would allow any full-time faculty and staff<br />member with a valid permit to bring a handgun onto their public college campus.</blockquote><br /><br />Got that? "full time faculty and staff member with a valid permit." Not really a difficult concept, not complicated with legalese, pretty simple use of words. <br /><br />So, for whatever self-hating masochistic reasons, I have to go and read the comments. Lets have a look-see, shall we?<br /><br /><blockquote>I am trained to take out an armed person, others are not. There will be an<br />accident of the worse magnitude if bill is passed. <strong>College students</strong> are not<br />trained in armed combat, how to space themselves, how to ensure that they only<br />shoot the intended target, how to shoot under pressure, when to shoot and not to<br />shoot.<br /><br />Every <strong>student</strong> should be issued an .44 Mag during registration. It would<br />require only a small increase in tuition fees but think of the safety aspect.<br />Wonderful idea!!!<br /><br />I just see alot more <strong>dead kids</strong> and teachers in our future because guns<br />are being made <strong>so accessible to be everywhere</strong>. There'll be shootings over<br />parking places, looking at girlfriends' wrong, or other minor petty<br />annoyances.<br /><br />Now this is one of the most stupid things I have heard in a while,<br /><strong>armed (KIDS) on our colleges campus</strong>. just what's with you people<br /><br />Look <strong>kids are going to get guns anyway</strong>. It is irresponsible not to<br />teach them how to protect themselves while using guns.<br /><br />Seriously now:Have you ever BEEN to college? Lived in a <strong>dorm</strong>? Do you<br />really think it's a good idea <strong>to arm everyone there</strong>? Do you know how many <strong>kids<br />are drinking</strong>? How much emotion? How many breakups? Fist fights? <strong>Kids living for the first time away from the authority</strong> they've had all their lives: their<br />parents? Do we really want them to have deadly weapons, too? Do you REALLY think that gun crime and injury would go DOWN if <strong>you gave all the college students guns</strong>? Are you INSANE?<br /></blockquote>That's out of 36 comments (and there are several others that seriously imply, but don't specifically state, that they understood it to apply to college students (who are not, for the record, "kids", particularly if they have carry permits, which are issued over age 21)). <br /><br />Anyhow, I support the measure, but doubt it would do a lick of good, given that maybe2 professors on campus would actually make use of it. But hey, if some nut-job comes in blazing, I'd sure hope that I was in one of those professors' classrooms. <br /><br />By the way, I had the opportunity to meet Stacey Campfield (the proponent of this bill) when he graciously came to speak at an <a class="" href="http://tnfedstudent.blogspot.com/2008/10/stacey-campfield-speaks.html" mce_href="http://tnfedstudent.blogspot.com/2008/10/stacey-campfield-speaks.html">event </a>sponsored by our Federalist Society. I was really impressed with his willingness to discuss and debate his ideas, and he was more than happy to invite tough questions from the students. He is known for being a bit on the extra-conservative side, so a few of the more liberal students discussed staging a protest. Notice that I say discussed; they didn't actually do it, nor did they even bother to show up to ask him questions or see what he had to say.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-81531375902155386712009-02-10T10:24:00.002-05:002009-02-10T10:37:55.938-05:00I think "didn't think" is the important part of that statementJohn V. Santore, former Obama campaign organizer and congressional speechwriter, writes: "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-v-santore/obama-isnt-who-i-didnt-th_b_165028.html">Obama isn't who I didn't think he was. But he might be</a>." (HT <a href="http://boortz.com/nealz_nuze/2009/02/reading-assignments-58.html">Nealz Nuze</a>)<br /><br />You can certainly read the whole thing, but don't expect to make any sense out of it. Here's my favorite part:<br /><br /><blockquote>But ultimately, my true faith was in the man himself. He is different, I<br />thought. He's had a unique upbringing. He's worldly and uncharacteristically<br />educated. And I simply could not imagine that a black man in America would ever<br />be able to fall in line with the same old group of people and policies. His<br />personal experiences would be too different to allow that to happen.<br /><br /></blockquote>Because Black People, you know, they're not like us. They're <em>different</em>, man.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-63628234839350525052009-02-06T12:54:00.004-05:002009-02-06T13:14:33.188-05:00So it turns out Bill Gates is kind of an Asshole . . .From <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1136463/Theres-reason-poor-people-malaria-The-moment-Bill-Gates-released-jar-mosquitoes-packed-conference.html">The Daily Mail</a>:<br /><br /><p></p><blockquote><p>Bill Gates, the billionaire founder of Microsoft and a renowned philanthropist, let loose a swarm of mosquitoes at a technology conference in California to highlight the dangers of malaria.<br /></p> <p>‘Malaria is spread by mosquitoes,’ the Microsoft founder yelled at a well-heeled crowd at a technology conference in California.</p> <p>’I brought some,’ he added. ‘Here, I’ll let them roam around – there is no reason only poor people should be infected.’</p><p>He let the shocked audience sweat for a minute or so before assuring them that the freed insects were malaria- free.</p> <p>But that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">didn</span>’t satisfy all the attendees.</p> <p>‘That’s it. I am not sitting up front anymore,’ eBay founder Pierre <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Omidyar</span> said</p></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p>Seriously? What a jerk. If I were there, I'm sure that I would have known, obviously, that they weren't infected <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">mosquitoes</span>, but I would have still been <span style="font-style: italic;">pissed</span>! <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Mosquitoes</span> are gross, and they bite, and it itches. Plus, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">mosquitoes</span> <a href="http://www.news.wisc.edu/15355">are attracted to some people more than others</a>, and one of those people is me- I can slather myself in OFF and only be outside for a few minutes, and I'll still come back with bite after bite, while they completely ignore my husband. <br /><br />How much pain and suffering is an intentionally inflicted mosquito bite worth? In some jurisdictions, punitive damages can be based on the defendant's net worth, you know. <br /><br />Anyway, the point that I wanted to make is that Bill could do a lot more for poor people in Africa if he just used his clout to <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6083944">get </a><a href="http://www.junkscience.com/malaria_clock.html">DDT </a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/science/earth/05tier.html?_r=1">policies </a>changed. Heck, with his cash, he could probably just go over there and start releasing it in remote locations and see what happens. But no, I'm sure scaring and guilt-tripping rich people is a lot more fun.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-71288558459424663302009-01-14T11:21:00.004-05:002009-01-14T11:44:06.052-05:00Googling Mountaintop RemovalMy friend <a href="http://lookoutdoornews.com/voices/press/">Sam </a>is riding his bike for mountaintop removal. Err, well, for stopping it, at least. He started riding last week and plans to visit a number of mining towns and gather a petition to end it, which he will deliver to someone in D.C. for the inauguration. <br /><br />No, I don’t really get it either. I think he might be getting class credit out of the deal, but I’d pretty much sooner graduate late than <a href="http://www.weather.com/newscenter/stormwatch/?from=hp_news">freeze my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">tuckus</span> off </a>on a bike from here ‘till the 20<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span>. Now, Sam’s a bit of a liberal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">moonbat</span> (he won’t mind me saying that- he thinks I’m loony, too), but when he told me about it, I had to admit that I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">didn</span>’t know enough to form an opinion about his position on mountain top removal. So I’m trying to learn something, here. <br /><br />Well, my initial Google search turned up a lot of what I'm thinking of as "Sam style" sites, of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">hippy</span> "stop it now!" variety. While these might be informative, I want to explore all of the bases here. My suspicion is that, while this might be associated with some environmental damage, it’s probably also associated with a lot of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">desperately</span> needed employment, so most the residents affected are probably all for it. Of course, those folks are probably too busy actually earning a living to go out and start a blog about it, so there’s that. <br /><br />Well, <a href="http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/site/mtr_overview/">Appalachian Voices </a>does note that this form of mining actually reduces the number of workers needed to do the mining, but I doubt that matters to much if the companies are able to produce more. Otherwise, this site’s pretty hysterical (lead quote: "It's like having a gun held on you with the hammer back and not knowing when the man's gonna pull the trigger."), so it’s probably not really the balanced set of facts I’m looking for. But I peruse their “<a href="http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/mtr/myths_and_facts/">Myths and Facts</a>” section just be sure. <br /><br />Some of these just plain don’t make sense. For example: <br /><br /><br /><blockquote><p>Myth: Mountaintop removal mining improves local economies.Fact: Tourism pumps<br />far more money into West Virginia economy each year than does the coal<br />industry.Source: <a href="http://www.citizenscoalcouncil.org/facts/mtntop/htm">Citizens Coal<br />Council</a><br />Fact: Surface mining (which includes <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">MTR</span> mining), accounts<br />for only 1.2% of jobs in WV and brings in just 2.6% of the state’s total<br />revenues. The counties where surface mining predominates are some of the still<br />poorest counties in the country.Source: <a href="http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/">2002 economic census data; </a></p></blockquote><br /> Be that as it may, those don’t refute an argument that this improves local economies in any way. I also note some questionable sourcing: <br /><br /><br /><blockquote>The Appalachian Highlands are characterized by some of the best and most diverse<br />forest habitats in the world. Current reclamation practices are unable to<br />restore native mixed hardwood forests, but rather replace these ecosystems with<br />fields of non-native grasses. These changes in habitat may significantly impact<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">neotropical</span> bird populations, native salamander populations and other sensitive<br />species.Source: <a href="http://www.tlpj.org/EPAslideshow.htm">Trial Lawyers for<br />Public Justice</a></blockquote><br /> Not exactly established scientists, there. Moving on:<br /><br /><a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2006/03/mountain-mining/mitchell-text.html">National Geographic</a> tells a story of a family that had been in the area for generations, but moved because of the dust and explosions. However, when you look closer you realize that this this was before the "mountaintop removal" started, so I’m not sure what the point is. That all coal mining is bad so we <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">shouldn</span>’t have any coal? Sorry <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">NatGeo</span>, not going to buy that one. <br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">NatGeo</span> has some <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2006/03/mountain-mining/mitchell-text/2">more details </a>about job reduction: <br /><br />Seems that what once required 125,000 workers can now be accomplished with 19,000. But <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">isn</span>’t this the case with all manufacturing/labor type jobs as technology advances? I’m not sure that keeping jobs is the goal for people like Sam. The story goes on to tell some <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">truly</span> sad tales about family dying from various lung ailments, but, again, there’s no indication that these problems have changed at all since the development of mountain top removal mining (in fact, several of the dates cited go back far before the development of it), so again, unless we’re looking to stop all coal mining, this is not making me hate mountaintop removal. <br /><br /><a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2006/03/mountain-mining/mitchell-text/6">Flooding </a>is discussed, but not in any way that would allow anybody to judge the mining company’s <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">culpability</span>: <br /><br /><blockquote><p>The issue of flooding also evokes conflicting views. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Raney</span> sees no connection<br />between mountaintop mining and floods. "Science doesn't bear that out," he told<br />me during an interview in his Charleston office. "What causes flooding is too<br />much water falling in too short a time." </p><p>Yet a study by federal regulators,<br />obtained by the Charleston Gazette through the Freedom of Information Act,<br />predicted that one valley fill at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Hobet</span> 21 mine could increase peak runoff<br />flow by as much as 42 percent. </p><p>Vivian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Stockman</span>, a project coordinator with the<br />Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition in Huntington, contends that 12 West<br />Virginians have died since 2001 because of floods related to mountaintop mining.<br />"Old-timers will tell you property that has been in their families for<br />generations never flooded severely until mining began upstream," <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Stockman</span><br />says."It's common sense. Denuded landscapes don't hold water the way forests<br />do." </p></blockquote><br />(would it have been so hard to pull some records or newspaper archives and check this out, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">NatGeo</span>?) <br /><br />The question of what is to be done with the used land is interesting:<br /><br /><blockquote><p>It was not the intent of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Smackra</span>, of course, to allow coal companies to walk<br />away from their surface mines and leave them denuded. Stripped mountainsides,<br />the law declared, must be restored to their "approximate original contour" and<br />stabilized with grasses and shrubs, and, if possible, trees. But putting the<br />entire top of a topped-off mountain back together again was an altogether<br />different—and more expensive—matter. So mountaintop mines were given a blanket<br />exemption from this requirement with the understanding that, in lieu of<br />contoured restoration, the resulting plateau would be put to some beneficial<br />public use. Coal boosters claimed the sites would create West Virginia's own<br />Field of Dreams, seeding housing, schools, recreational facilities, and jobs<br />galore. In most cases it didn't work out that way. The most common "use" turned<br />out to be pastureland (in a region ill-suited for livestock production) or what<br />the industry and its regulators like to identify as fish and wildlife<br />habitat. </p><p><br />"The coal companies have stripped off hundreds of thousands of<br />acres," says Joe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Lovett</span>, an attorney for the Appalachian Center for the Economy<br />and the Environment, "but they're putting less than one percent of it into<br />productive use." </p><p><br />Yet the industry should get some credit for what it's<br />managed to accomplish in post-mining land use over the years. It's provided a<br />number of West Virginia counties with the flat, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">buildable</span> space to accommodate<br />two high schools, two "premier" golf courses, a regional jail, a county airport,<br />a 985-acre complex for the Federal Bureau of Investigation near <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Clarksburg</span>, an<br />aquaculture facility, and a hardwood-flooring plant in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Mingo</span> County that now<br />employs 250 workers. </p><p><br />"Economically, we were dying on the vine," said Mike<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Whitt</span>, executive director of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Mingo</span> County Redevelopment Authority, as we<br />toured the 40-million-dollar flooring plant, financed by grants from federal,<br />state, and local governments and by private investors. "So we got <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">OPM</span> —other<br />people's money—to get the job done. Without the infrastructure to create jobs,<br />you're out of the game."</p></blockquote><br /><br />There’s also some discussion of reforestation of the area, but with skepticism. Sam’s main complaint when he stated the problem to me was that this was impacting people’s culture and way of life. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">NatGeo</span> article <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2006/03/mountain-mining/mitchell-text/7">hits this as well </a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Standing in the doorway of the Mountain Watch office on the main street of<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Whitesville</span>, I listened to Judy Bonds reminisce about the way it was 50 years<br />ago when she was a child. "I used to swim in the Coal River then," she said,<br />"but now it's so full of silt that the water barely comes up to your knees. It<br />breaks my heart. I look at my grandson, and I see that he's the last generation<br />that will hunt and fish in these mountains and dig for ginseng, and actually<br />know <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">mayapple</span> when he sees it. These mountains are in our soul. And you know<br />what? That's what they're stealing from us. They're stealing our soul."</blockquote><br /><br />Maybe I’m just not as sensitive to these geographic links because I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">ve</span> moved around a lot, but the thing is, things <em>do</em> change. If I said that my neighborhood <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">isn</span>’t the same as it used to be, it used to be that everyone was one religion and the children all had a mommy who was home all day and a daddy who worked, the liberals would be all over me, and rightfully so. Things change. Mountains <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">aren</span>’t</em> one’s soul. One’s soul comes from the things one accomplishes and the people one embraces, not from a place. I’m sorry that you can’t swim or hunt or fish there, but there are dozens of other places that you can. I’m still not convinced. More to come.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-72121055849677071962009-01-14T11:18:00.001-05:002009-01-14T11:20:28.899-05:00'[We] Don't Even Bother Raising Our Hands Any More...'Guy Benson, at <a href="http://media.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OTI1NjY0ODU3YjVlZTA2N2QzMDBhOTVjYjVmMTNkYjM=" mce_href="http://media.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OTI1NjY0ODU3YjVlZTA2N2QzMDBhOTVjYjVmMTNkYjM=">National Review Online</a>, has some interesting information about Obama's "press conferences":<br /><br /><blockquote>As I watched President Bush's final tango with reporters this morning, I<br />was reminded of how Chicago Sun-Times columnist Carol Marin <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/1360142,CST-EDT-carol04.article">described </a>President-elect Obama's press conferences thus far:<br /><br />"As ferociously as we march like villagers with torches against<br />Blagojevich, we have been, in the true spirit of the Bizarro universe, the polar<br />opposite with the president-elect. Deferential, eager to please, prepared to<br />keep a careful distance.<br />The Obama news conferences tell that story, making<br />one yearn for the return of the always-irritating Sam Donaldson to awaken the<br />slumbering press to the notion that decorum isn't all it's cracked up to<br />be.<br /><br />The press corps, most of us, don't even bother raising our hands any<br />more to ask questions because Obama always has before him a list of<br />correspondents who've been advised they will be called upon that day."<br /></blockquote><br />Troubling indeed. <br /><br />Also posted at <a href="http://www.unfairdoctrine.org/?p=155">Unfair Doctrine</a>.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-61868046879737012009-01-14T11:18:00.000-05:002009-01-14T11:20:27.524-05:00'[We] Don't Even Bother Raising Our Hands Any More...'Guy Benson, at <a href="http://media.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OTI1NjY0ODU3YjVlZTA2N2QzMDBhOTVjYjVmMTNkYjM=" mce_href="http://media.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OTI1NjY0ODU3YjVlZTA2N2QzMDBhOTVjYjVmMTNkYjM=">National Review Online</a>, has some interesting information about Obama's "press conferences":<br /><br /><blockquote>As I watched President Bush's final tango with reporters this morning, I<br />was reminded of how Chicago Sun-Times columnist Carol Marin <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/1360142,CST-EDT-carol04.article">described </a>President-elect Obama's press conferences thus far:<br /><br />"As ferociously as we march like villagers with torches against<br />Blagojevich, we have been, in the true spirit of the Bizarro universe, the polar<br />opposite with the president-elect. Deferential, eager to please, prepared to<br />keep a careful distance.<br />The Obama news conferences tell that story, making<br />one yearn for the return of the always-irritating Sam Donaldson to awaken the<br />slumbering press to the notion that decorum isn't all it's cracked up to<br />be.<br /><br />The press corps, most of us, don't even bother raising our hands any<br />more to ask questions because Obama always has before him a list of<br />correspondents who've been advised they will be called upon that day."<br /></blockquote><br />Troubling indeed. <br /><br />Also posted at <a href="http://www.unfairdoctrine.org/?p=155">Unfair Doctrine</a>.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-61100214978535763272009-01-14T11:09:00.003-05:002009-01-14T11:13:51.444-05:00Julius Genachowski to head FCCNews <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/mediaNews/idUSN1232931720090113" mce_href="http://www.reuters.com/article/mediaNews/idUSN1232931720090113">reports </a>say that Obama has selected his former Harvard Law School classmate Julius Genachowski to head the FCC.<br /><br />Here's his bio, according to the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123180775460975639.html" mce_href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123180775460975639.html">Wall Street Journal</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Mr. Genachowski, 46 years old, is a former Harvard Law School classmate of Mr.<br />Obama. He previously worked at the FCC during the Clinton administration. More<br />recently, he co-founded LaunchBox Digital, a Washington, D.C.-based venture<br />capital firm. He worked at Barry Diller's IAC/InterActive Corp. in various<br />executive positions for eight years after leaving the FCC.</blockquote><br />Curiously, I can't seem to find anything that indicates his position on the "Fairness Doctrine." Apparently, I'm <a href="http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OThiZTBiYTNjMjEyODczMDllODNiZTNjZWFlZDgxMWI=" mce_href="http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OThiZTBiYTNjMjEyODczMDllODNiZTNjZWFlZDgxMWI=">not the only one</a>:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><p>Interesting. According to a <a href="http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=SHp&um=1&tab=wn&nolr=1&q=Genachowski+Fairness+Doctrine&btnG=Search+News" target="_blank">Google News search</a>, none of the articles on Julius<br />Genachowski, Obama's <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/12/AR2009011203417.html?hpid=topnews" target="_blank">pick to head the Federal Communications Commission</a>, mention<br />the Fairness Doctrine. The issue has been mentioned in the online comments<br />section underneath several news stories, but no one on the FCC or Obama<br />administration beat has had Genachowski's position regarding that<br />issue on their radar. </p><p></p><p>Also posted at <a href="http://www.unfairdoctrine.org/?p=153">Unfair Doctrine</a>. </p></blockquote>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-30277205200707405612009-01-09T17:42:00.002-05:002009-01-09T18:07:18.206-05:00Blogging Atlas ShruggedOne of my goals for the winter break was to finally get around to reading <em>Atlas Shrugged</em>. The blogosphere has been increasingly full of discussions about the book, its implications, and, notably, “<a href="http://lanceburri.blogspot.com/2008/10/democrats-rising-time-to-go-john-galt.html">going John Galt</a>,” so, although I had picked up the basic premises through these discussions, I felt left out for not having read the actual book. <br /><br />My collegue Akal's <a href="http://tnfedstudent.blogspot.com/2008/10/buckle-your-seat-belts-world-of-atlas.html">recommendation </a>a few months ago sealed the deal, and I had to read it. It is certainly a compelling book. I had assumed that John Galt would be a main character and that the story would trace his development, but not only am I yet to meet Mr. Galt (other than through very vague references), I was pleasantly surprised to find a female lead, Dagny Taggert, who instantly reminds me of myself in oh so many ways. <br /><br />One of the first things that I’m noticing about the book is that it is dialogue heavy, and many of these sections are written in curious and somewhat maddeningly illogical exchanges that frequently remind me (somewhat oddly) of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch-22">Catch-22</a>. For example (I’m cutting extensively because Rand is nothing if not wordy): <br /><blockquote><p> [Eddie Willers] looked at James Taggert and said, “It’s the Rio Norte<br />Line.” He noticed Taggert’s glance moving down to a corner of the<br />desk. “We’ve had another wreck.” <br /> “Railroad accidents happen everyday. Did you have to bother me about that?” <br /> “You know what I’m saying, Jim. The Rio Norte is done for. That track is<br />shot. Down the whole line.” <br /> “We are getting a new track.” <br /> Eddie Willers continued as if there had been no answer: “That track is<br />shot. It’s no use trying to run trains down there. People are giving<br />up trying to use them.” <br /> “There is not a railroad in the country, it seems to me, that doesn’t have a few<br />branches running at a deficit. We’re not the only ones. It’s a<br />national condition – a temporary national condition.” <br /> Eddie stood looking at him silently. . . . “What do you want?” snapped Taggert. <br /> “I just came<br />to tell you something that you had to know, because somebody had to tell<br />you.” <br /> “That we’ve had another accident?” <br /> “That we can’t give up the Rio Norte Line.” . .<br />. “Who’s thinking of giving up the Rio Norte Line?” he asked. “There’s never been a question of giving it up. I resent you saying it. I resent it very<br />much.” <br /> “But we haven’t met a schedule for the last six months. We haven’t<br />completed a run without some sort of breakdown, major or minor. We’re<br />losing all our shippers, one after another. How long can we last?” <br /> “You’re a pessimist, Eddie. You lack faith. That’s what undermines the moral of an organization.” <br /> “You mean that nothing’s going to be done about the Rio Norte Line?” </p><p> “I haven’t said that at all. Just as soon as we get the new<br />track--” </p><p> “Jim, there isn’t going to be any new track. . . I’ve spoken with Orren<br />Boyle.” . . .<br /> “What did you bother him for? I believe the first order of rail wasn’t due for delivery until next month.” <br /> “And before that, it was due for delivery three months ago.” <br /> “Unforeseen circumstances. Absolutely beyond Orren’s<br />control.” <br /> “And before that, it was due six months earlier. Jim, we have been waiting for Associated Steel to deliver that rail for thirteen months.” <br /> “What do you want me to do? I can’t run Orren Boyle’s<br />business.” <br /> “I want you to understand that we can’t wait.” <br /> . . .<br /> “Well, what do you want me to do?”<br /> “That’s for you to decide.” <br /> “Well, whatever else you say, there’s one thing you’re not going to mention next – and that’s Rearden Steel.”<br /> Eddie did not answer at once, then said quietly, “All right, Jim, I won’t mention it.” <br /> “Orren is my friend. . . . I resent your attitude. Orren Boyle will deliver that rail just as soon as it’s humanly possible. So long as he can’t deliver it,<br />nobody can blame us.” </p></blockquote><br />I’m also particularly drawn to Rand’s use of the word “adequately,” which she repeats over and over. Businesses and workers do not believe that they have to be the best, or even good, only “adequate.” They do not believe that they should have to compete as long as their performance is “adequate.” It’s similar to the adage about how most workers work only hard enough to not get fired, and most businesses pay only enough to keep the workers from quitting. <br /><br />Similarly, she constantly returns to the theme of blame. “As long as . . . nobody can blame us.” Going above and beyond, doing extra, working and innovating around unforeseen circumstances are not even considered. If you’ve ever seen the Fox show House, there is one episode which calls out this attitude quite brillantly, “<a href="http://www.housemd-guide.com/season1/121stories.php">3 Stories</a>.” In this episode, the ever misanthropic Dr. House is asked to lecture a medical class. He tells them 3 stories about various patients with leg ailaments, and asks them to attempt to diagnose and suggest treatments for these patients. “Student # 1” constantly objects that they can’t be blamed, or that they didn’t know certain things about the patients, as if believing that the diseaseMelissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-36262989651262408242009-01-09T17:40:00.000-05:002009-01-09T17:42:06.549-05:00Dude . . . . Not cool.<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,477450,00.html">Protester Calls for Jews to 'Go Back to the Oven' at Anti-Israel Demonstration</a>.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-42813970892107004782009-01-06T13:26:00.000-05:002009-01-06T13:29:28.847-05:00Most Sexist Ad of the Year?<a href="http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/">Tennessee Guerrilla Women </a>has the story on TGW's pick for the number one sexist ad of the year, an ad for shoes by Dolce and Gabbana.<br /><br />I can't seem to copy it for this post, so you can look at it <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKccVpPJO7LKJh9eIxoCQaunV4IRUhDFyfbZQ0x-hMq4S960EAQVUJgfut1V6vjBeH3HHL4qyazQZdnzO8EU9wDGooV7LkdXGH0EC3zHkUo-0M_SPxlXaIpekfr2hyphenhyphenwJnu1hAOvkhVFlm/s1600-h/dolcead090808.jpg">here</a>:<br /><br />Hmm, it's a static picture, so it's pretty hard to tell what's going on there, but my first thought was a sexy dance, not rape.<br /><br />Even if it was sexual, what clues do we have that this is against her will? I mean, it's not what I would choose, but just because it's somewhat unconventional sex (with voyeurs, if that's what it is) certainly doesn't make it rape.<br /><br />Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm having a hard time believing that "rape," or even something like "dominance" was on the mind of the people shooting this scene. I wish people would understand that when you call everything "rape" like this, you really de-legitimize the real problems out there.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-13794710508633643782009-01-06T12:56:00.003-05:002009-01-06T13:04:44.064-05:00I used to live in New Jersey, and you know what, it kind of sucksAnd now there's <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/01/05/20090105barbedwire0105.html">this</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>NEWARK, N.J. - Some business owners in this crime-plagued city say recent<br />enforcement of a 1966 ordinance<strong> banning some types of </strong><a class="kLink" oncontextmenu="return false;" id="KonaLink0" onmouseover="adlinkMouseOver(event,this,0);" style="POSITION: static; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important" onclick="adlinkMouseClick(event,this,0);" onmouseout="adlinkMouseOut(event,this,0);" href="http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/01/05/20090105barbedwire0105.html#" target="_top"><strong>barbed wire</strong></a><strong> and razor wire</strong> is making Newark more attractive - to thieves.<br /><br />Burglaries are <strong>up 17 percent</strong> from 2007 through<br />November in Newark, which has a young, charismatic mayor who has vowed to help<br />the city rebound from decades of official inaction, incompetence and<br />criminality.The city is aggressively courting new investment and<br />development, but people who have been ordered to downgrade their fences say<br />officials are worried more about aesthetics than security.<br /><br />John DeSantis, owner of a lot used by an auto-repair business in Newark's West Ward, says his property has been the <strong>site of more than a dozen burglaries<br />since the summer, when the city forced him to remove razor wire</strong> on top<br />of the 7-foot-tall fence that surrounds the lot.<br /></blockquote><br />(bolding mine) But at least theives won't get hurt!<br /><br /><blockquote>DeSantis said he was surprised when a <a class="kLink" oncontextmenu="return false;" id="KonaLink1" onmouseover="adlinkMouseOver(event,this,1);" style="POSITION: static; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important" onclick="adlinkMouseClick(event,this,1);" onmouseout="adlinkMouseOut(event,this,1);" href="http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/01/05/20090105barbedwire0105.html#" target="_top">city official</a> told him that the ordinance was being enforced to prevent passers-by or anyone climbing the fence from being <strong>injured</strong> by the barbed wire.</blockquote><br /><br />Umm, last I checked, the only way that a "passer by" can get injured on barbed wire is when that person tries to climb it, say, to go somewhere that person isn't allowed. <br /><br />Quick quiz- Which political party has a deadlock hold on New Jersey?Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-41781539895100212932009-01-06T12:46:00.004-05:002009-01-06T12:54:37.221-05:00Is new DNC chair Tim Kaine really even a democrat?According to <a href="http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/2009/01/kaine-to-chair-dnc-feel-change.html">Tennessee Guerilla Women</a>,<br /><br /><blockquote>President-elect Obama has chosen <a href="http://www.ontheissues.org/Governor/Tim_Kaine_Abortion.htm">anti choice,<br />pro abstinence education</a>, <a href="http://vabio.blogspot.com/2007/04/gov-kaine-against-use-of-taxpayer-money.html">anti<br />embryonic stem cell research</a>, <a href="http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=7302">anti labor, anti<br />union</a>, <a href="http://www.pamspaulding.com/weblog/2006/01/virginias-marriage-amendment-proceeds.html">anti<br />same-sex marriage and anti civil union</a> Tim Kaine to chair the DNC</blockquote>.<br /><br />Hmm, how interesting.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-53953993556044632802009-01-04T14:09:00.006-05:002009-01-04T14:27:00.000-05:00What's Wrong With Women Today, Part IISo I was perusing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">SHAMblog</span> some more (I just found it, and it intrigues me, and classes haven't started back yet), and came across <a href="http://shambook.blogspot.com/2008/12/man-may-work-from-sun-to-sunbut.html">this </a>discussion about an article from <a href="http://www.workingmother.com/web?service=direct/1/ViewAdvancedPortalPage/PortalBlocks/dlinkArticle&sp=S1837&sp=118">Working Mother Magazine</a>, which has suggested that <a href="http://savannahnow.com/node/631474">91%</a> of working mothers may suffer from depression. Now, the first thing that strikes me is that, if 91% of people doing something as normal as working and being a mother suffer from an illness which is supposed to be debilitating, maybe, just maybe, the criteria for that illness are being set just a little bit too low. Perhaps the normal ups and downs of life are not actually depression, is what I'm saying. (The only acceptable alternate would be that, if it makes 91% of mothers sick to do so, then mothers shouldn't be working, but I'm having trouble buying that one.) (To be fair, as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">SHAMblog</span> points out, the article in question actually states one in 5 working women is depressed, a number which is still outrageously high in my opinion, but doesn't shed light on the number for working <em>mothers</em>.)<br /><br />Anyway, I click over to the <a href="http://www.workingmother.com/web?service=direct/1/ViewAdvancedPortalPage/PortalBlocks/dlinkArticle&sp=S1837&sp=118">article</a>, and the absolute first thing that I notice is the name of the feature: "Focus on You." Because, really, that's what motherhood is all about, isn't it? You? I mean, back when fathers were usually the sole breadwinners, they were always focused on themselves, weren't they? Never working overtime to be better providers, never taking care of the family? Right?Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-43944879917195463832009-01-04T13:40:00.005-05:002009-01-04T13:57:50.685-05:00What's Wrong With Women TodaySteve Salerno at <a href="http://shambook.blogspot.com/2008/12/anarchists-cookbook-with-some-curry.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">SHAMblog</span></a> discusses one of Oprah's many deranged guest's ("life coach" <a href="http://www.marcusbuckingham.com/home.php">Marcus Buckingham</a>) step by step guide to life, which he describes <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">thusly</span>:<br /><br /><blockquote><p>1. You are the best judge of your strengths. Don't focus so much on<br />feedback from others. Focus on what makes you feel good about you.<br />2. If your child comes home from school with 2 As, a B, a C, and an F, most<br />parents will concentrate on the F, because that's where we think help is needed.<br />Wrong. We should focus most of our energy on validating the As. Put the emphasis<br />where the strength is.<br />3. You have to do what you really want to do, because otherwise, though you<br />may be outwardly successful, you will feel like an inner failure.<br />4. If you're doing things because you think "no one else will do<br />them"...you should stop.<br /></p></blockquote><br />Now, SB does an excellent job at pointing out several reasons why this advice is completely moronic and would cause the breakdown of society as we know it (including some very insightful references to American Idol), so, if for some reason you can't figure that much out for yourself, read the whole thing. <br /><br />Here's my concern. For some reason that I have never understood, women like Oprah. From what I hear, quite a lot of them, and they like her quite a bit. Men, not so much (God bless 'em). <br /><br />And according to Mr. Salerno:<br /><br /><blockquote><p>And yet women in Oprah's audience are crying. Crying! They are crying at<br />the brilliance of this Brit-inflected window into their tormented souls.<br /></p></blockquote><br />Because for many women (at least, women of the Oprah worshiping variety), isn't it always about them, and their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">tortured</span> soles, and their dreams, which must be followed, and their needs and desires, and most importantly, <em>feelings</em>? <br /><br />Isn't this why women are initiating divorces at middle age, blindsiding their husbands and families, rather than making any attempt to work out their problems? Isn't this why working in a women-centered office can be so frustrating (if you've actually done that, you'll know what I'm talking about)? <br /><br />I think that if I were a man, and had to be married to one of these types of women, I'd have a new respect for homosexuality.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-88139404994067649852009-01-04T13:08:00.003-05:002009-01-04T13:18:02.708-05:00WSJ: HGTV to blame for housing bubbleWrites <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123094453377450603.html">Jim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sollisch</span></a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>So now we know what happens when too many people who have too few assets<br />buy too much house with the help of too many risky mortgage products and too<br />little oversight. And while there's plenty of blame to go around -- unethical<br />mortgage brokers, greedy bankers and irresponsible homeowners -- one culprit<br />continues to get off <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">scot</span>-free: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">HGTV</span>.<br /><br />That's right. The cable network <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">HGTV</span> is the real villain of the economic<br />meltdown. As the viewership reached a critical mass over the past decade -- <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">HGTV</span><br />is now broadcast into 91 million homes -- homeowners began experiencing deep<br />angst. Suddenly no one but the most slovenly and unambitious were satisfied with<br />their houses. It didn't matter if you lived in an apartment or a gated<br />community, one episode of "House Hunters" or "What's My House Worth?" and you<br />were convinced you needed more. More square feet. More granite. More stainless<br />steel appliances. More landscaping. More media rooms. More style. You deserved<br />it.<br /><br />If you had any doubts about your ability to afford such luxuries, all you<br />had to do was look at the 20-something couple in the latest episode choosing<br />between three houses. Should they go for the fixer-upper, priced at $425,000? Or<br />the one with the pool for $550,000? What about the one with room to grow for<br />$675,000?<br /><br />"How much money can these people possibly make?" I shout at my wife before<br />wrestling the remote from her house-hungry little hand and switching it to the<br />nearest sports program. "The guy can barely string together two<br />sentences!"<br /></blockquote><br /><br />Ironically, here in good old East Tennessee, most of these shows make me feel just great about what I have. I don't watch them with any regularity, but my favorite when I get the chance is <em><a href="http://www.aetv.com/sell-this-house/index.jsp">Sell This House</a></em> on A&E (not, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">HGTV</span>, but same diff, I'm sure). <br /><br />In this show, the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">outrageously</span> adorable Tanya and Roger fix up a tiny and ugly house into something, well, somewhat nicer, usually for around $500 and 2 days work. What gets me, however, is that these houses, particularly those on the east or west coasts, are usually about 1/2 the size of my 5 year old, cathedral ceiling-ed East Tennessee suburban, and are outdated and old, with low ceilings, tiny windows, and ugly everything. And they cost 2-3 times as much as mine! It's a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">freakin</span>' miracle, I say!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-60810951056142137622009-01-04T11:54:00.005-05:002009-01-04T12:16:03.661-05:00Huffington Post: {Man-made climate change] is the biggest whopper ever sold to the public in the history of humankind.Yes, you read that right. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harold-ambler/mr-gore-apology-accepted_b_154982.html"><em>The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Huffington</span> Post</em> </a>has published an article not only questioning, but outright denying man-made global warming. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Huffington</span> Post! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't read it with my own eyes!<br /><br /><blockquote><p>You are probably wondering whether President-elect Obama owes the world an<br />apology for his actions regarding global warming. The answer is, not yet.<br />There is one person, however, who does. You have probably guessed his name:<br />Al Gore. Mr. Gore has stated, regarding climate change, that "the science is<br />in." </p><p>Well, he is absolutely right about that, except for one tiny thing. It<br />is the biggest whopper ever sold to the public in the history of<br />humankind.</p></blockquote><br />So, kudos to you, Ariana, and the rest of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">HuffPo</span> staff. I've never thought of HP as the type of place that did much to encourage alternative points of view, so I'm glad to either 1) be proven wrong, or 2) see a change in direction. I certainly hope that other politically inclined blogs, particularly the major ones like HP, will follow suit.<br /><br />Of course, on the other hand, maybe my optimism is misplaced. <a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2009/01/03/apostasy-now-why-is-the-huffpo-finally-questioning-global-warming/">Roger Simon</a>, more cynically, but perhaps more realistically, says:<br /><br /><blockquote>Why now, you ask? Because “These late eclipses of the sun and moon portend<br />no good to us,” as My <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Pye7uOhQXwoC&pg=PA15&lpg=PA15&dq=late+eclipses+of+the+sun+and+moon+Shakespeare&source=web&ots=73hj4i8wVa&sig=1JYTGuuIcMQOH_BloNDuacvkddg&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result">Lord<br />Gloucester</a> opined?</blockquote><br /><blockquote>Well, close. Perhaps it’s because with the economy in the tank, there is<br />little My Lord Obama can do about anthropogenic global warming, so it is best<br />left off the table or hastened off the scene. If the Lord of Gore is<br />slighted in the process, so be it. He’s last year’s news. And, as we<br />all know, his movie sucked anyway.</blockquote><br />Take a closer look at the last 2 paragraphs of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">HuffPo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">piece</span> (before the P.S.):<br /><br /><blockquote>Again, Mr. Gore, I accept your apology.<br /><br />And, Mr. Obama, though I voted for you for a thousand times a thousand<br />reasons, I hope never to need one from you.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />Principled statement of one's opinion of the science, or permission to President Obama to change course without argument from the left? You be the judge.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-32519337171970842722009-01-04T11:37:00.002-05:002009-01-04T11:54:49.957-05:00"Ditch the Bible. Just Do as Barack Does"<a href="http://michellemalkin.com/2009/01/03/the-new-parenting-tool-barack-obama/">Michelle <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Malkin</span> </a>carries stories from the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/12/AR2008121204213.html?hpid=sec-health">Washington Post </a>about parents using a "what would <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Barack</span> Obama do"? approach to encourage their children to do everything from read to brush their teeth.<br /><br /><blockquote>You could call it Obama discipline or Obama etiquette, and it goes<br />something like this:<br /><br />Get up! Do you think Obama would have slept late and not made it to school<br />on time?<br /><br />Why don't you guys share? Don't you think Obama would want you to share?<br /><br />How much did you read? Obama would have finished the book by now.<br /><br />Do you think Obama would sneak cigarettes? (Oops.)<br /></blockquote><br /><br />Well, if teenagers still <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">rebel</span> like I remember them, I sense a whole slew of up and coming Republicans.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-38450747139111653972008-12-13T11:53:00.000-05:002008-12-14T19:15:00.638-05:00Hey guys, Let's use the economic problems to institute national healthcare!I'm watching Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday interview Senators Corker (R-TN) and Stabenow (D-MI).<br /><br />Stabenow just stated that the big three union employees are actually making less than their competitors, but the difference is in healthcare benefits. She then said:<br /><br />"Then we need to join with our president elect and have real healthcare reform."<br /><br />Wallace did not give Corker a chance to immediently respond, but he looked pretty mad. Volkswagon is currently building a plant in Corker's hometown (my hometown of Chattanooga, the city couldn't be happier). Do those employees get universal healthcare? I don't think so.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-60828511930495081602008-12-12T22:37:00.004-05:002008-12-12T22:42:48.551-05:00Why Ban Tasers?Eugene Volokh, at <a href="http://volokh.com/posts/1229042613.shtml">The Volokh Conspiracy </a>(why can't I come up with a cool blog name like that, I ask you?) notes that a number of jurisdictions have banned the personal possession of tasers, and asks if there is any good reason for it. <br /><br />Now, the jurisdictions that he gives are the usual suspects (Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, plus Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.), so this is probably not an issue here in freedom loving Tennessee. I've sometimes thought about getting a taser to carry around campus (about once or twice a week when I get those emails warning about <em>another </em>robbery/mugging/assault that took place on the very route that I walk every day to get from the law school to the parking lot. But, of course, I shouldn't worry, campus is a super safe gun free zone!)Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-43555370358327861482008-12-12T20:57:00.003-05:002008-12-12T21:05:40.469-05:00According to Charles Krauthammer, the Real Barack Obama cares little about foreign policy or economics, and seeks power to "transform"Krauthammer<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/11/AR2008121102951.html"> says</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>As Obama revealingly said just last week, "This painful crisis also<br />provides us with an opportunity to transform our economy to improve the lives of<br />ordinary people." Transformation is his mission. Crisis provides the<br />opportunity. The election provides him the power.<br /></blockquote><br />According to Krauthammer, the Bush administration has already laid the groundwork for a New Deal style federal interventionism, and the bailouts already in place will result in "undreamed of amounts of money at Obama's disposal." <br /><br /><blockquote>It begins with a near $1 trillion stimulus package. This is where Obama<br />will show himself ideologically. It is his one great opportunity to plant the<br />seeds for everything he cares about: a new green economy, universal health care,<br />a labor resurgence, government as benevolent private-sector "partner." The first<br />hint came yesterday, when Obama claimed, "If we want to overcome our economic<br />challenges, we must also finally address our health care challenge" -- the<br />perfect non sequitur that gives carte blanche to whatever health-care reform and<br />spending the Obama team dreams up. It is the community organizer's ultimate<br />dream.<br /><br /></blockquote>Read the whole thing. My only complaint is that it provides little guidance as to what this change will be. Obama has been nothing if not unpredicatable from the start, and right now, I have no idea what "change" means.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-89361750377356566552008-12-12T20:32:00.003-05:002008-12-12T20:37:24.141-05:00Has Atlas Shrugged All Over The Country?C. Edmund Wright, at the <a href="http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/12/blame_me_for_job_losses.html">American Thinker</a>, says yes. <br /><br /><blockquote>Like many business owners, we are no longer willing to take all of the<br />financial and legal risks and put up with all of the aggravation of owning and<br />running a business. Not with the prospects of even higher taxes, more<br />regulation, more litigation and more emboldened bureaucrats on the<br />horizon. Like others we know, we are getting out while the getting is,<br />well, tolerable. Many who aren't getting out are scaling back.<br /><br /> <br />. . .<br /><br />It is no secret that owners circulated endless emails leading up to<br />election day discussing lay off plans were Obama to win. Entrepreneurs<br />instinctively understand the danger posed by larger liberal majorities in power.<br />The risk-reward equation and fierce independence spirit of start up businesses<br />are anathema to the class warfare, equality of outcome and spread the wealth<br />mentality of the left. <br />We have very little appetite to have our lives<br />run by elected or un-elected officials like Barney Frank and Jamie Gorelick. We<br />have no appetite to be taxed even more by the likes of Charlie Rangel. These<br />clowns destroyed Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and our entire economy as a result.<br />Congress, by their own admission, cannot even run their own damned dining room<br />with a captive customer base! Some of them refuse to pay their own tax<br />burden. Why in the world would we subject ourselves to their ilk armed with the<br />unchecked powers of the Oval Office and both houses of congress and a massive<br />army of bureaucrats?<br />We got into business to be independent. We will get out<br />for the same reason.<br />The fact that Obama is not in office yet is irrelevant.<br />Businesses must see "around the corner" and plan accordingly. Rightly or<br />wrongly, business owners see a huge anti-business shift in motion and they are<br />making preparations NOW. We do not want to have business illiterates like Chris<br />Dodd dictate our decisions from the comfort of his home made possible by a quid<br />pro quo Countrywide mortgage.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />As someone who's currently job hunting, I sure hope they're getting it out of their systems now.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-35211916441588386002008-12-12T20:06:00.003-05:002008-12-12T20:29:39.492-05:00Daniel B. Klein asks "What Should Liberals Liberalize?"He <a href="http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9837">suggests</a> school choice, immigration, international trade, ag subsidies, drug prohibitions, occupational licensing, minimum wage, the FDA, and several others. <br /><br />This, of course, assumes that liberals seek, you know, freedom.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-7268222887963347542008-12-05T19:26:00.003-05:002008-12-05T19:43:42.143-05:00Michelle <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Malkin</span> is taking on the Obama Birth Certificate crowd. <a href="http://michellemalkin.com/2008/12/05/truthers-to-the-left-of-me-truthers-to-the-right/">Here,</a> she basically accuses them of being no different from the 9-11 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">truthers</span> and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">nutjobs</span> who still believe that Sarah <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Palin</span> faked her last pregnancy. <br /><br /><blockquote><p>The plain truth will never mollify a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Truther</span>. There’s always a convoluted<br />excuse – some inconsequential discrepancy to seize on, some photographic<br />“evidence” to magnify into a blur of meaningless pixels – that will rationalize<br />irrationality. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Palin</span> could produce Trig’s umbilical cord and it still <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">wouldn</span>’t<br />be enough.<br /><br />Alas, <a href="http://michellemalkin.com/2007/11/24/america-tinfoil-hat-nation/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Trutherism</span> </a>thrives on both the left and right. Which brings us to the spate of <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-obama-birth-certificatedec04,0,664988.story">lawsuits </a>challenging President-elect Barack Obama’s U.S. citizenship. On Friday, the<br />U.S. Supreme Court considers one of those suits filed by New Jersey citizen <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=donofrio+obama&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a">Leo<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Donofrio</span></a>, who maintains that Obama is not a “natural born citizen” because<br />his father held British citizenship.</p><p><br />There may be a seed of a legitimate constitutional issue to explore here (how is the citizenship requirement enforced for presidential candidates, anyway?) And at least <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Donofrio</span> concedes that Obama was born in Hawaii. But a dangerously large segment of the birth certificate hunters have lurched into rabid <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Truther</span> territory. The most<br />prominent crusader against Obama’s American citizenship claim, lawyer <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=berg+obama+ad&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a">Philip<br />Berg</a> (who, not coincidentally, is also a <a href="http://www.rinf.com/columnists/news/philip-berg-seeking-the-truth-of-911">prominent 9/11 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Truther</span></a>), disputes that Obama was born in Hawaii and claims that Obama’s paternal grandmother told him she saw Obama born in Kenya.</p><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote> </blockquote></blockquote><br />I can't help but agree. There has been nothing about this controversy that has rung true to me in the least, and the people who cling tenaciously to it do themselves, and (by association) anyone who opposes Obama a great disservice by undermining the legitimacy of any real <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">criticism</span> that may be had. <br /><br />But Michelle brings up an interesting side note. There may <em>be</em> a seed of a legitimate constitutional issue here, after all. Nobody has ever established what the constitution means by "natural born citizen," and maybe we need to know this. <br /><br />So I'm thinking that this really opens the door to legitimate debate on whether the natural born citizen, whatever it means, really ought to be there at all. Think about it. Let's say that Obama really was born in another country, but his parents moved him here shortly thereafter. Now, obviously he would have had to have committed some fraud to cover that up, which we would have a legitimate problem with, but other than that, how would the place of his birth, the place that he wouldn't even remember, have any impact on his actual abilities to serve as president? The fact that he lived in Indonesia for a time that he actually does remember, in fact, a time during which he was forming his personality and learning about the world, is not held against him. Can you think of one legitimate reason that his birthplace is actually important, other than the strict rule of law?<br /><br />A person has absolutely no choice in the question of where he or she is born. Let's do away with the restriction on where a person is born and look at how they have lived, instead.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966737890677998395.post-39679772171237847782008-11-18T12:14:00.001-05:002008-11-18T12:16:22.066-05:00$1.85Gas is $1.85 a gallon at several stations in my neighborhood. One dollar and eighty-five cents! There were <span style="font-style: italic;">tears</span>, people.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167891808607378568noreply@blogger.com0