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Saturday, March 31, 2007
If you missed last Saturday's interview with Dennis Avery, co-author of Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years
 , you can now listen to it here.Labels: NARN (06-07) Friday, March 30, 2007
As we see another round of British hostages being humiliated in front of the world, I harken back to a not too dissimilar situation that happened a little closer to home:
Outright war with England nearly took place in the fall of 1861, when a hot-headed US. naval officer, Captain Charles Wilkes, undertook to twist the lion's tail and got more of a reaction than anyone was prepared for. Jefferson Davis had named two distinguished Southerners, James M. Mason of Virginia and John Slidell of Louisiana, as commissioners to represent Confederate interests abroad, Mason in England and Slidell in France. They got out of Charleston, South Carolina, on a blockade-runner at the beginning of October and went via Nassau to Havana, where they took passage for England on the British mail steamer Trent. Precisely at this time U.S.S. San Jacinto was returning to the United States from a long tour of duty along the African coast.. She put in at a Cuban port, looking for news of Confederate commerce raiders which were reported to be active in that vicinity, and there her commander, Captain Wilkes, heard about Mason and Slidell. He now worked out a novel interpretation of international law. A nation at war (it was generally agreed) had a right to stop and search a neutral merchant ship if it suspected that ship of carrying the enemy's dispatches. Mason and Slidell, Wilkes reasoned, were in effect Confederate dispatches, and he had a right to remove them. So on November 8, 1861, he steamed out into the Bahama Channel, fired twice across Trent's bows, sent a boat's crew aboard, collared the Confederate commissioners, and bore them off in triumph to the United States, where they were lodged in Fort Warren, in Boston Harbor. Wilkes was hailed as a national hero. Congress voted him its thanks, and Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, ordinarily a most cautious mortal, warmly commended him. But in England there was an uproar which almost brought on a war. The mere notion that Americans could halt a British ship on the high seas and remove lawful passengers was intolerable. Eleven thousand regular troops were sent to Canada, the British fleet was put on a war footing, and a sharp note was dispatched to the United States, demanding surrender of the prisoners and a prompt apology. It was touch and go for a while, because a good many brash Yankees were quite willing to fight the British, and the seizure of the Confederate commissioners had somehow seemed like a great victory. But Lincoln stuck to the policy of one war at a time, and after due deliberation the apology was made and the prisoners were released. The Trent incident was forgotten, and the final note was strangely anticlimactic. The transports bearing the British troops to Canada arrived off the American coast just after the release and apology. Secretary of State Seward offered, a little too graciously, to let the soldiers disembark on American soil for rapid transportation across Maine, but the British coldly rejected this unnecessary courtesy. This was the so-called Trent incident, which was the source of Abraham Lincoln's famous quote about fighting only "one war at a time." Britain threatened and prepared for war over some sketchy foreigners getting abducted from a British ship. Imagine how they would have reacted back then to their own sailors getting lifted off of a ship of war and humiliated in front of the world. We have to imagine that, because there wasn't a government in the world that would have attempted such a thing in the nineteenth century. And the Union believed the Brits would travel across the ocean and invade over this relatively minor offense, so they capitulated to British demands, careful never to repeat the offense. That's what a plausible deterrent can do for you. The means and will to make your tormentors suffer lessens the incidence of being tormented. Said in other words, about a different context, by VDH today: With the demise of fascism, Nazism, and Soviet Communism, and in the new luxury of peace, the West found itself a collective desire to save money that could be better spent on entitlements, to create some distance from the United States, and to enhance international talking clubs in which mellifluent Europeans might outpoint less sophisticated others. And so three post-Cold War myths arose justify these. First, that the past carnage had been due to misunderstanding rather than the failure of military preparedness to deter evil. We all know that Europe, even the UK, has basically disarmed itself over the past few decades. Not as evident to me was the effect this had on (or was it the original cause of?) the will, even the survival instincts, of their people. The British Marines gave themselves up without firing a shot! I suspect their rules of engagement were in essence, no firing at anything, ever. Which is fine, as long as your enemy doesn't know that. Now that the cat's out of the bag, how can they even do the job they were assigned by the UN (stop and board ships, looking for smuggling operations)? If the suspect ships don't stop, what are they going to do them, if they won't even fight to save themselves? If this mindset is the new paradigm, this could be last time you ever see the British Navy conducting operations outside of British waters. An historic, tragic moment for the world. Labels: Britain
Americans have been accused of having short memories and being ignorant of history (especially among the young--a point emphasized by Dennis Prager last night at the University of Minnesota). At the same time, there is an undercurrent of American thought that believes that many other countries don't properly recognize and appreciate the sacrifices that we've made for them in the past.
I've recently spent a fair amount of time working with some guys from the Philippines. Through this contact, I've learned that April 9th is a national holiday in their country called, "Araw ng Kagitingan." In English, that's "Day of Valor" also known as "Bataan Day." The holiday honors the American and Filipino soldiers who were captured on April 9th, 1942 after valiantly fighting the Japanese on the Bataan Peninsula and then forced on the infamous Bataan Death March. How many Americans know about the Bataan Death March? Or about the Filipinos who fought alongside us against the Japanese? Or that April 9th is a national holiday in the Philippines (I did not until a few days ago)? It's also local interest to note that Minnesota is one of the places in the United States that also commemorates the event (from the Wikipedia article): The 194th's Company A was deployed to the Philippines in the fall of 1941. To commemorate the military and civilian prisoners that were forced to march from Bataan to Camp O'Donnell, an annual Bataan Memorial March, organized by the 194th Armor Regiment of the Minnesota Army National Guard and is held in Brainerd, MN. The march is open to anyone who wishes to participate with ten and twenty mile distances. The march has different categories consisting of teams, individuals, light pack, or a heavy pack. A closing ceremony is held at the end to award the finishers and pay tribute to the survivors and their comrades who did not survive the death march. It's important to know and honor our past. And to know that other countries do as well.
On the doorstep from FedEx today:
The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to Capitalism by Robert P. Murphy Thursday, March 29, 2007
Is it just me or are people getting a little too comfortable at the workplace these days? Earlier today, a guy was flossing his teeth in the bathroom mirror. A few weeks back, some dude was clipping his toe-nails whilst on the can. I can understand the desire to brush your teeth after lunch, but do we really want to start bringing all of our little hygeine tasks to work? I for one say do it on your own time pal.
Atomizer Sez: I have a co-worker who routinely clips his fingernails at his desk. Yeah, you read that right. AT...HIS...DESK. The sound is enough to drive one batty. He does, however, have the decency to hover over a wastebasket while he grooms himself in public. Very considerate of him, don't you think?
Neil Duncan Benefit:
Army Sgt. Neil Duncan, from Maple Grove, MN, was severely injured in Afghanistan on December 5, 2005 when an improvised explosive device (IED) ripped through his Humvee. Neil was seriously wounded as a result of the explosion. He lost both of his legs, shattered his jaw, broke his elbow and hand, and sustained multiple shrapnel wounds. Within a week of the attack, Neil was transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC where he began the long road of recovery. Neil went through more than 20 surgeries, rigorous physical and occupational therapy along with dental reconstruction over the last 14 months at Walter Reed. However, through his mental/physical strength and determination, Neil has overcome this huge hurdle as he is now able to do things he was once able to enjoy. As Neil will be coming home to Minnesota, his friends and family want to give him a proper welcome home and help him financially as he starts his new life as an independent person. A homecoming benefit to honor Neil and to express our sincere appreciation for his sacrifice and commitment to our country will be hld. This benefit will include a silent auction, raffle, and cash donations as well as a chance for people to meet our hero. All proceeds will be used to help Neil build an independent life adapted to his specific needs - a handicap accessible house, a vehicle with adaptive equipment, etc. The benefit is scheduled for Saturday, April 21, 2007 from 2-6 p.m. at the American Legion in Osseo, Minnesota. American Legion Post #172 260 4th Avenue SE (Hwy. 169 & Cty. Rd. 81) Osseo, Minnesota 55369 It will be open to the public and seeks to raise money to help Neil make the difficult adjustments that lie ahead, such as buying a house and adapting it to his specific needs. The event is being organized primarily by Neil's parents, sister, and brother-in-law who are actively seeking contributions from the public as well as from private organizations who want to be a part of this noble cause. All donations are welcomed. Both cash donations as well as donations for the silent auction are being requested. All contributions--big or small--will be gratefully appreciated. "We know that people live very busy and active lives. Anything ranging from a gift card to a coffee shop, to a round of golf at a golf course, even tickets to a special event will be a hit!" Minnesotans are saddened that Neil's life has taken such a dramatic turn as a result of the explosion, yet Neil's family is confident that Minnesotans' heartfelt compassion will be reflected in their generosity. Thank you for your attention and support in honor of Sgt Neil Duncan--a real hero! If you can't attend the benefit, but would like to help out, you can make a donation through PayPal. Labels: Military
As noted by both Vox Day and Power Line (you don't get to write that everyday), it appears that the New York Times was smack dab in the middle of a good ol' fashioned cat fight last Friday:
A catfight at The New York Times Friday still has staffers in shock. Cat fight? The dustup between two female editors in the Styles department disrupted work on the Thursday and Sunday Styles sections as co-workers froze at the fracas. Fashion editor Anita LeClerc was the aggressor and her superior, deputy editor Mary Ann Giordano, the victim, sources say. The two had exchanged words just moments before, allegedly over turf, and LeClerc began stomping around the office, muttering loudly to herself. But when Giordano, a talented import from the Metro section, came over in a conciliatory way and tried to smooth things over, LeClerc made it physical. Yeye cat fight! "She shoved Mary Ann and pushed her, and Mary Ann said, 'Don't you touch me! Don't you touch me!'" says a source. "Mary Ann grabbed her wrists to try to stop her, and [LeClerc] just started flailing." T-t-t-t... One aspect of the story that wasn't noted by either Vox or Power Line caught my eye: The scrap at the newspaper could inspire jokes ("Pulitzers for Pugilism at the Black-and-Blue Lady?") but it's not funny, sources say. "Mary Ann is afraid now," says one. "She's a really nice woman, too. She keeps candy on her desk!" This is all it takes to be considered "nice" in corporate America? Keeping candy on one's desk? God help us.
Scott Johnson, the straw that stirs the Power Line cocktail, has posted an e-mail from a reader raising some interesting questions about an NPR story on the families of Minnesota National Guard soldiers who have had their tours in Iraq extended. One part in particular caught my attention:
How can it be that a reporter of the stature of John McChesney drove 700 miles, interviewed members of seven families, and came back with less than two minutes of content, and less than half of which is an interview with just two of the presumably seven wives he spoke to? Of course, I know that Mr. McChesney was unlikely to have control over editing the raw material, or even what would go to air, and what would not. But if I were a reporter who had just returned from a trip that no doubt cost NPR tens of thousands of dollars, and less than one minute of material directly from the ostensible subjects of said expedition was aired, I would be worried about my job! I've actually had the same thought a number of times regarding other stories that I've heard on NPR. How can they justify sending a reporter to Timbuk-frickin'-tu to do a story on some arcane subject that ends up airing for two or three minutes? The same goes for the Wall Street Journal. A guy does a piece about the best hamburgers in the country and then get deluged with e-mails saying he needs to try this burger, that burger, etc. So as a follow-up he flies to Couer D'Alene, Idaho to sample a particularly well-regarded burger himself and scribble an eight-hundred and twenty-two word article on it. From a strictly financial standpoint, how can that possibly be worth it? I realize that news organizations aren't going to do a cost-benefit analysis on each and every story they cover, but there has to be some criteria about who travels where and for what, doesn't there?
While perusing an article in this week's City Pages on Wild tough guy Derek Boogaard (which I'm sure I'll have more about later), I came across this all-too-common and incredibly annoying conflation of fighting and stick-related stupidity in the NHL:
Apologists argue that fighting is a safer release for aggression than the alternative: high stick work that can crack a rib or slice up a guy's face. Plus, fans like fights. A good scrap is as likely to make the highlight reel as a goal. "Sometimes it's to light a spark, other times it's to defend a teammate," says David Singer, whose website, Hockeyfights.com, has gone from a labor of love to something players name-check in post-game interviews. "It's usually pretty fast, usually nobody's hurt, and the game is brought up to a different level afterwards." In recent weeks, though, several ugly incidents have cast a harsh spotlight on hockey fighting. Earlier this month, the NHL levied the third-longest suspension in its history--25 games--against New York Islanders winger Chris Simon for his two-handed stick swing at New York Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg. And on March 21, Todd Fedoruk got cold-cocked by the Rangers' Colton Orr and had to leave the ice on a stretcher. "I'm not afraid to talk about the fact that we should look at fighting in hockey," NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell told the news agency Canadian Press last week. "I think you have to ask the question because of what's happening out there. It's incumbent on me, because of my position, to ask the question. "I think if you had discussed this even three or four years ago, you would have got pooh-poohed out of the game. But now I think because of the size of our players, where we're at in sports and in life, I think we have to look at it." Let's be clear about something here: what Simon did was idiotic and he should be punished severely for it (I believe JB recommended that he be drawn and quartered at dawn), but IT WAS NOT FIGHTING and should in now way be used as an excuse to crack down on fighting in the NHL. Here's a little taste of Boogaard as a youth to whet your appetite: The Boogeyman speaks about his first big scrap in the awed tones of a man discussing his epiphany: "I just got pissed off, really mad about something. And I just fought and fought--fought one kid, fought another kid. I don't know how it happened, but I was in their bench asking the whole team to fight." That was the day the Boogeyman was discovered. Todd Ripplinger, the director of scouting for the Western Hockey League's Regina Pats, was in the stands. The Pats were in the market for an enforcer, and Ripplinger was impressed with the enthusiasm Boogaard brought to his work. "It took both linesmen to drag him off the ice!" Ripplinger recalls, some eight years later. UPDATE: Despite the flawed comparison that I pointed out earlier, you HAVE TO read this entire piece (and all the related content--nice work CP). Another juicy tidbit: Another kid cut short the Boogeyman's rookie season by breaking his jaw. "That sucked," the Boogeyman says, stroking his mandible. "I don't think you'd wish that on anybody." But the Boogeyman didn't let it discourage him from his profession. After his jaw healed, he skated up to the kid and asked, "You wanna go?" And: The challenge was keeping his cool. On April 9, 2001, after the buzzer sounded in the Cougars' losing effort to the Portland Winter Hawks, the Boogeyman ran over the opposing goalie--a cardinal sin in hockey. Making matters worse, the net minder had bent down to pick up the puck as a souvenir of his first playoff victory. The WHL brought swift punishment, suspending the Boogeyman for seven games to be served the following season. But the time off did little to quell the Boogeyman's fury. His second game back, he again lost control, manhandling a linesman and flipping off a referee. How can you not love this man? Wednesday, March 28, 2007
I discovered a fail safe method of cutting the cancer sticks out of your life. Once I realized the absolute fool proof nature of this cure and how effective it has been for me for well over a week now, I was inspired.
I thought about putting it all down in a self help book like this one, this one, this one or even this one. I thought about partnering with a health care group out there to develop a counseling program based on my revolutionary techniques like this one and these. I even thought about going on the road with my plan and making wads of cash off of other peoples' shortcomings like this guy and these guys. I could have done all of that...but as a public service to you, the loyal readers of Fraters Libertas, I have decided instead to lay out the entire program here...completely free of charge. So here it is: Stop buying cigarettes.It simply cannot fail. You're welcome.
There's a fascinating discussion underway at FIRST THINGS on whether relativism is indeed a philosophy seriously espoused anymore. Robert Miller lead off with a post on March 20th titled Right Reason in the Public Square, which he followed up with Right Reason in the Public Square, Part II the next day.
He finished the trilogy today with It's Not All Relative: So, in practice, there are no virtually no relativists. What we do find are people who disagree--even radically disagree--with Catholic moral doctrine in various different ways because such people are consequentialists, deontologists, social contractarians, Rawlsians, divine-command theorists, or advocates of various other moral systems, all of which differ radically from the virtue-theoretic, natural-law reasoning of the Catholic moral tradition. Few of these people, however, can plausibly be called relativists, and almost none of them reject rational argumentation wholesale. When Catholic thinkers encounter bad arguments or arguments from premises radically different from their own and then say that the people making such arguments are relativists who reject the use of reason, they therefore make a very serious mistake. It's quite possible to disagree, even radically disagree, with the Catholic position on the foundations of ethics and continue to believe that some moral judgments are objectively true and others objectively false. The Catholic view is not the only objective one in ethics. Labeling everyone who disagrees radically with the Catholic position a relativist is thus unfair to most such people and makes the Catholic thinker who does it appear uninformed. It also tends to cut off rational argument that could be pursued if the Catholic thinker engaged the real position of his interlocutor. This is a mistake we need to avoid if we want to participate in the discussion in the public square. But just when you thought it was safe to remove the word "relativism" from your rhetorical quiver, Stephen Barr weighs in with An Opinion About Opinions: Often, I suspect, when people assert that they or others have "rights" they are not making claims about an objective moral order that grounds those rights. What they have in mind is the idea that, in many areas of behavior, it is impossible really to know what is right and wrong (since their is no scientific way to settle the matter), and indeed there may not be an objective right and wrong, and consequently no one is in position to make rules for everyone else on those questions. They say "I have a right" but really mean "It's none of your business," "It is my private concern," "Keep your rosaries off my ovaries." Rawls? Never heard of him; just mind your own damn business and stop trying to impose your rules on me. That's what they mean by rights. Of course, implicit in these "arguments" may be the premise that people ought to mind their own business. But that simply shows that it is impossible to be an absolute relativist. Admittedly, everyone sees murder and embezzlement as wrong, because they do observable and even quantifiable damage. But, where the damage is not measurable, as in supposedly "victimless crimes" or behavior "between consenting adults," people are very apt nowadays to write off the possibility of really saying anything objectively true about the morality of the deeds in question. It may well be that in their heart of hearts such people still think there are objective moral norms. But they are not as confident about it, and certainly not confident enough to argue in the public square. In other words, even if not relativist in their hearts, they are intimidated by relativism to keep their mouths shut. And this, as Pope Benedict said, is a kind of dictatorship of relativism. A dictatorship can be enforced by a small number of people on a much larger, but cowed, population. Consistent and convinced relativists may be few, but the moral outlook of the many has been considerably softened up by the assaults of relativism. Of course, this is just my opinion.
Captain Ed makes a course correction on smoking bans:
However, I am no longer so sanguine about these laws. It seems to me that a business owner should be able to set his own rules about the custom he wants, and if he or she doesn't mind smokers in the establishment, the state should not tell them any different. If the state has a great untapped consumer pool of people like me who would hang out in bars every night if it weren't for those darned smokers, bars that banned smoking would pull in good business. That has not been the case, and even it if was, those owners who don't mind smokers would still have the right to serve them. No one doubts that the proponents of these bans have their hearts in the right place, but it opens a troubling precedent. Once we establish that the state has an interest which overrides two key rights -- the right to assemble and the right to private property -- just to modify personal behavior that the state considers unhealthy, where will they stop? Will Minnesota, like New York City, attempt to ban trans-fats from restaurants? Will we have two-drink limits at bars as well? Smoking cigarettes is unhealthy and foolish. I was fortunate enough to give them up without too much trouble, and I only smoke a cigar about once or twice a year these days. However, unless the state wants to criminalize tobacco, then it really has no business dictating to bar owners and restauranteurs that they cannot serve smokers, even outside in a patio area. Why the turn to the starboard position? I should credit Chad the Elder and Brian Ward from Fraters Libertas for helping me change my mind on this issue. We have had several debates on this over the past few years, and they have been very convincing. Labels: Nanny State
It was only a matter of time before we saw a story like this, Woman ill after eating recalled dog food:
OTTAWA -- An Ottawa, Canada woman has become violently ill after eating some of her dog's food. It's a case that could be related to the tainted pet food that has killed several dogs and cat's and sickened dozens more across in Canada and the United States. Elaine Larabie tells the Ottawa Citizen that for three days she suffered symptoms that included loss of appetite, vomiting, foaming at the mouth and trouble urinating. She went to an emergency room on Tuesday and is now awaiting test results from blood work. After noticing her dog, Missy, wasn't eating, Larabie said she took bites of Iams pet food in order to trick the terrier into thinking it was people food. The ploy worked and the mealtime routine continued for about two weeks until both dog and master became sick on March 17. The only surprise (other than learning that someone would eat dog food for TWO WEEKS to appease a finicky pup) is that the story came out of Canada and not the heartless America of George W. Bush where starving senior citizens have no doubt been reduced to eating dog food as they did in the days of Reagan. Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Bill from Virginia e-mails:
Hi, I saw that you posted some info about Fisher House the other day. I was hoping that you could help spread the word about my Fisher House fundraising. I am attempting my first Ironman race this year. An Ironman is a triathlon that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run. I am not an athlete, but rather a 40 year old father of three that got off of the sofa a year ago and started to enjoy the thrill of racing and living a healthier lifestyle. The race takes place in Louisville, KY on August 26th. As part of my journey to becoming an Ironman, I am raising money and awareness for the Fisher House Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps the families of injured American military men and women. Fisher House builds homes on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. The use of these homes is available free of charge to the families of injured service members. It allows them to be close to their loved ones during hospitalization for a combat injury or other unexpected illness. There are 37 Fisher Houses across the country and more raising money to be built. All of the money that I raise will go directly to the Fisher House Foundation. I am paying for all of my race expenses (entry fee, travel, equipment, etc.) out of my own pocket. I decided to raise money for Fisher House because I believe that providing comfort to these injured service members and their families is the least that we can do for them. I also want to show our troops that there is support for them back home. You can visit my website for more information about me, the Ironman race and Fisher House. The Fisher House website is here. I appreciate your consideration. Can you help him?
This morning on the Laura Ingraham Radio Show, Laura was discussing the news that Tony Snow has had a reappearance of cancer with her guest, Senator John McCain. Taken with last week's story about Elizabeth Edwards and a number of other reports of high profile people battling cancer (both Ingraham and McCain have dealt with cancer as well), it would be easy to conclude that cancer is more prevalent than ever before. In fact, Senator McCain did just that on the air this morning by speculating that "It seems like something is going on" and "Maybe we need to look into why there are all these people with cancer" (I'm very roughly paraphrasing his comments).
But, as Robert Brinner reminds us, "the plural of anecdotes is not data" (at least that pithy remark is usually attributed to him). If you look at the American Cancer Society Statistics for 2007, you'll find that the both the death rate from cancer and the cancer incidence rates have been declining in recent years (at least through 2003-2004, the latest years for which trend data is available). I pulled three pertinent slides from the ACS statistics presentation, which you can see here. Obviously, the death and incidence rates are still far too high and there is no doubt about the terrible toll that cancer continues to take despite the many medical advances of recent years. But before we leap to conclusions and start talking about the need to act now, it's important to step back and take a dispassionate look at the numbers that tell the real story. Labels: Health care
...is not necessarily good for the rest of us, especially when it comes to Assembly Bill 32, the "California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006." Mitt Kibbe explains how Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Boxer are trying to impose the Golden State's draconian reductions in CO2 on the rest of us in a piece in the Wall Street Journal (sub req):
So what is California to do? Handicapped by a deeply flawed legislative mandate, some Golden State pols are hoping that their newly empowered congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., can force the rest of the nation to drink the same carbon-free Kool-Aid. One of San Francisco Democrat Nancy Pelosi's first acts as House Speaker was a tactical end-run around Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D., Mich.), no friend of extreme environmentalists. Promising House consideration of national global warming legislation by July 4th, Rep. Pelosi created a new Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, and put Rep. Henry Waxman, who represents Beverly Hills, in charge of it. In the Senate, California's Barbara Boxer is perhaps the most extreme congressional voice on this issue. As the new chairman of the Senate environment and public works committee, she wields an influential gavel. Her well-orchestrated March 21st committee hearing on the dangers of climate change turned into a public relations circus -- the de facto East Coast coronation of former Vice President Al "The Goracle" Gore. Sen. Boxer claims that unless Congress enacts new taxes and other limits on energy consumption, "we could risk global climatic disasters on an unprecedented scale, ranging from dangerous sea level rise, to increasingly damaging hurricanes [such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita], increased deaths from air pollution and disease, to widespread geopolitical instability." Scripts this scary used to be produced in Hollywood, but ever since the Oscars, it is getting harder and harder to sort fact from fiction. The first real casualty of all the hype surrounding global warming seems to be simple economic common sense. Just a few years ago, in 1997, a Senate resolution sharply criticized proposed CO2 limits under the Kyoto Protocol, calling on then-President Clinton not to sign it or any other international climate change agreement that ". . . would result in serious harm to the economy of the United States." The Kyoto Protocol would have compelled the U.S. to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 7% below 1990 levels by the years 2008 to 2012. Adopting Kyoto-style restrictions would have cost the economy 4.9 million jobs, something Sen. Boxer and 96 of her Senate colleagues apparently found morally, or at least politically, unacceptable. Unfortunately, with AB 32, California has adopted its own mini Kyoto, so Sen. Boxer, Rep. Pelosi and Rep. Waxman are "all in" at a high-stakes game of tax, cap and trade. This push from the California delegation stands American federalism on its head. Competition and innovation among the states are the driving force behind federalism, but Sen. Boxer and Speaker Pelosi hope to take an extravagantly expensive idea from their state and force it on the rest of us, even as similarly draconian carbon restrictions are failing miserably in Europe. In reality, continued economic prosperity is essential to addressing real environmental challenges. Congress should be considering a positive environmental agenda that strips away agriculture subsidies, drops tariffs on cleaner and cheaper fuels, and eliminates other barriers to technological innovation like excessive taxes on new capital and investment. Unfortunately, environmental stewardship informed by the laws of supply and demand will do nothing to bail out California. Gee, thanks California. Why don't you just go ahead and secede already? Monday, March 26, 2007
Interesting article in Saturday's Wall Street Journal on how the military is recruiting lesser known acts to entertain the troops overseas (sub req):
As the war in Iraq enters its fifth year, the USO is having some trouble recruiting A-list stars. Increasingly, the military's old, Bob Hope-style approach to entertainment is being partly supplanted by a different model. The new approach relies on sending little-known bands to the Middle East in an effort to provide more concerts at more remote bases in combat zones. This reflects the way troops are now being deployed. Many soldiers are posted in remote bases in active battle zones of Iraq and Afghanistan, accessible mainly by helicopter. Troops are facing the longest armed conflict since Vietnam and, in many cases, multiple tours of duty. This is providing new opportunities for acts looking to break through as well as reminders on why musicians should stick to music: For the four members of Edison, a hard-rock group, the question of whether to go to Iraq prompted some heated discussions. The group had mainly been playing bars in Connecticut and New York City when AFE contacted singer Ethan Isaac to ask if he and his group would consider a tour to the Middle East. Mr. Isaac had done an AFE tour of Europe with a previous band. Mr. Isaac and two other band members were enthusiastic, but lead guitarist Jonathan Svec refused. A staunch opponent of the war, he worried about the symbolism of working with the military. "Are we the entertainment cog that gets thrown in to help keep the war machine turning?" he remembers thinking. Yeah dude, that's it. For bands willing to be a cog in said machine, the payoff can be increased visibility and new fans: Touring with the military can translate to a boost in album sales for some bands. Pop-punk group Ballentine played for an audience of 3,000 soldiers at Guantanamo Bay -- compared to the crowds of a few hundred it usually gets at home in L.A. Singer Niki Barr, who is about to leave for her fifth AFE stint, says she sees about a 40% bump in merchandise sales after every tour. Rock group Cinder Road landed a record deal with EMI and an opening slot on tour with "American Idol" star Chris Daughtry after building a big fan following on AFE tours. Bands aren't paid for the tours, but receive free lodging and a stipend of $75 per person for each day they're away. In remote areas, performers usually eat alongside soldiers in chow halls and stay in the same cramped quarters. Bands are banned from selling their CDs and other merchandise on the bases to prevent competition with the military exchange stores. Instead, AFE gives bands up to $1,500 to pay for promotional items such as T-shirts, CDs and fliers, which they give away to the troops. Some acts bring laptops and burn their music onto blank CDs. Some in the music industry say AFE is emerging as a force in helping bands get noticed. "It's filling a void. They're actually helping to break artists," says Tamara Conniff, executive editor and associate publisher of Billboard, which plans to sponsor an AFE tour of R&B bands. AFE receives a surprisingly larger number of applications from bands wishing to tour, but not everyone makes the grade: The next applicant -- a folk singer who played guitar on stage accompanied by instrumental tracks he'd prerecorded in a studio -- didn't fare as well. "Someone doing this in front of a crowd of soldiers would get booed off the stage," said Capt. Davidson as he aimed the remote control at the stereo. "Let's just stop the pain." I gave my love a cherry / That had no stone / I gave my love a chicken / That had no bones / I gave my love a story / That had no end / I ga...
The four teams going to St. Louis in the NCAA Frozen Four bracket and...
...my Frozen Four bracket picks posted on Friday? In fact, I went ten for twelve in this weekend's regional games. Which helps take a little sting out of the Gophers OT loss to the Sioux Sunday night (the fact that I wasn't able to watch the third period and OT also helps ease the pain). A little. It's just a shame that the two best teams in college hockey had to play in a regional final instead of the Frozen Four championship game in St. Louis. Labels: Separated At Birth Sunday, March 25, 2007
Nice old North Stars/Canucks brawl here. I believe that is Bob Rouse in the last heavyweight bout: http://youtube.com/watch?v=zS4b5qlH2tQ
The Best Evar! Bruins/Stars brawl 1981. Glen Sonmour apparently told the boys to go out and start as many fights as they could. And they did. Craig Hartsburg, Greg Smith, Bobby Smith, Steve Payne and even Gordie Freaking Roberts get in on the action. One for the ages: http://youtube.com/watch?v=bh16CdzU_Vo&mode=related&search= Nice Al MacAdam scrap from 1983 at Met Center aqui: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvwU0M3GT-o The Elder Jabs: Nice work JB. I'd really be impressed if you can find video of Dino leaving the box to fight Tim Trimper of the Winnipeg Jets. Pretty sure we both were at that game at Met Center.
In yesterday's Wall Street Journal, Eric Felten notes that calling a drink a Martini does not make it one (sub req):
The most common complaint I hear about the offerings on the current cocktail scene concerns the epidemic of "Martinis" that aren't Martinis. For the purists, it's bad enough that a drink of vodka and vermouth is referred to as a Martini. But one doesn't have to be a stickler to bemoan the candy-colored cocktails with labels like "Raspberry Martini" or "Apple-tini" that fill out the "Martini List" at innumerable bars and restaurants. A drink of vodka, sweet liqueur and fruit juice is not a Martini. Most definitely not. And what a shame that would be. Though hardly the purest of the purists, I am firmly of the belief that a Martini is a drink of dry gin and dry vermouth. No other drink has what songwriter Frank Loesser called the "slam, bang, tang" of the original. But beyond my unshakeable fidelity to the basic ingredients of the Martini, I must admit a tendency to apostasy. For example, I like to have an olive or three in the glass (two olives is bad form), which is anathema to the most orthodox, who insist a twist of lemon peel is the only acceptable Martini garnish. And even more heretically, every now and then I like to doctor Martinis with a smidgen of liqueur. He had me up to the "smidgen of liquer." However, Felten does offer up an acceptable solution: The point is well taken, which is why I think we should make it clear that any cocktail that varies from the strict Martini paradigm is no Martini, but rather a drink of some other name altogether. Thus we can enjoy the occasional permutation on the Martini theme without contributing to the linguistic erosion of the Martini. David Embury, in his opinionated 1948 classic "The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks," decrees as acceptable "occasional interesting variations in your Martinis," but each variation he suggests comes with a name attached. Add a couple of dashes of orange curaçao to a Martini and you have a Flying Dutchman. If instead you add a touch of the herbal French liqueur Chartreuse, the drink is called a Nome. A dash of crème de cassis and you get an International. Embury is so serious about correct Martini nomenclature that he insists a Martini is not worthy of the name if it has not been stirred: "If you shake the Martini, it becomes a Bradford." Now that's some hardcore orthodoxy. I'm open to shaken or stirred myself. It is only natural that a popular cocktail will breed variations on the theme -- witness the proliferation of Pomegranate Margaritas and Mango Mojitos. When the dry gin Martini was at its peak, there were dozens of "special" cocktails anchored with gin and vermouth. One of my favorites is a house cocktail that was served at London's Savoy Hotel: Dry gin, dry vermouth and a little mellowing Dubonnet. The Savoy Hotel Special is a fine, sophisticated drink, and one that might appeal to those who like the idea of a Martini but who find gin and vermouth alone to be a bit demanding. Just please don't call it a Martini. Labels: Cocktails
...your hockey game on the other side of town starts right in the middle of the Gopher-Sioux showdown to determine who goes to the Frozen Four? I got no timing.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
The Gophers rally for three straight late in the third to escape plucky Air Force 4-3. That certainly felt like deja vu all over again for a while. My highlight of the first two periods was cleaning out our litter boxes in the intermission before the third period. Yes, it was that putrid for the Maroon and Gold.
But a win's a win no matter how ugly it was. And with all the upsets and near upsets so far in the tourney (two #1 seeds gone already), no one is going to look a gift goal in the mouth. I notice that Sisyphus didn't live blog this one. Another first round upset might have just sent him over the edge. I recall he went to ground for a quite a while after last year's Holy Cross disaster. Let's hope that this one serves as a wake-up and the Gophers come ready to play tomorrow. Friday, March 23, 2007
In anticipation of Dennis Avery's appearance on the NARN broadcast this Saturday I'd like to toss out another brief excerpt from the book he co-wrote with S. Fred Singer entitled "Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years", this one dealing with the scary prediction that cities around the world are in imminent danger of becoming submerged:
Judging from measurements made on corals, sea levels have been rising steadily since the peak of the last Ice Age about 18,000 years ago. The total rise since then has been four hundred feet. The sea levels rose fastest during the Holocene Climate Optimum, when the major ice sheets covering Eurasia and North America melted away. For the last 5,000 years or so, the rate of rise has been about seven inches per century. Tide gauge data from the past century show a rise of about six inches- even after the strong warming period between 1920 and 1940.Buy the book to read more and be sure to catch Dennis this Saturday at noon on AM1280 The Patriot. Labels: Global warming
Flat Earth Brewing Company in St. Paul sounds very promising:
Beer & Fun. That's what we are all about. Let's be honest, making beer is actually work but it is a lot of fun, too. As our beers begin to roll out of the brewery, you may start to see a theme develop around them. Every beer name was designed to spark conversation at your favorite watering hole, and when we mean brewing on the edge we plan to create and deliver styles that are not frequently found in the upper Midwest. These things take time, so be patient with us as we develop and expand. Is it Easter yet?
I've already filled out enough NCAA hockey brackets and can barely recall who I picked to win what anymore. Since the first puck drops in about two minutes, I'll skip the analysis and scores and get down to my nitty gritty upset-laden predictions:
Northeast Regional New Hampshire over Miami BC over St. Lawrence BC over New Hampshire East Regional Clarkson over U. Mass Maine over SCSU Maine over Clarkson Midwest Regional Notre Dame over Alabama-Huntsville Michigan State over BU Michigan State over Notre Dame West Regional Minnesota over Air Force North Dakota over Michigan North Dakota over Minnesota FINAL FOUR IN ST LOUIS North Dakota over BC Maine over Michigan State North Dakota over Maine Game on. Labels: Hockey (06-07)
New Bill Would Require Textbooks to be Listed Alongside Course Schedule:
Senator Richard Durbin (D, IL)--with Norm Coleman (R, MN) as original cosponsor--has introduced a bill entitled the "College Textbook Affordability Act of 2007." The bill seeks to identify ways of decreasing the cost of college textbooks and supplemental materials by mandating certain disclosures, some of which will directly involve institutional registrars. If you hear a loud bang up Stearns County way, it just might be King's head exploding.
The great thing about reading Brian Lambert is that you don't have to wait months, weeks, or even days for him to contradict himself and expose his utter foolishness. No, the former-MSMer (now writing for the free monthly "The Rake," which is sort of an assisted-living home for former "City Pages" writers), who wishes that everyone who disagrees with him on global climate change would just shut the hell up, makes it easy for us by displaying his incongruous thinking within the space of a single paragraph:
To Sherno's credit he inserts a clip of the crackpot, "Global Warming is a Fraud", (not exact title), movie the wingnut wants St. Louis Park to show ... as balance. He also points out that ... no surprise here ... the winger hasn't bothered to see, "An Inconvenient Truth", (yet flatly asserts it is partisan, politically motivated, yadda yadda, insert the usual talking points). Let me get this straight: In one breath, Lambert is criticizing me for daring to form an opinion about "An Inconvenient Truth" without having seen it (although I did sit through an hour-long PowerPoint presentation on C-SPAN questioning much of it) and in the next he labels the "The Great Global Warming Swindle" as "crackpot" without even bothering to get the name right (it's called "Google" dude), to say nothing of actually watching it? One could write: ...the moonbat hasn't bothered to see, "The Great Global Warming Swindle," (yet flatly asserts it is crackpot, yadda yadda, insert the usual talking points). If you read Lambert's entire post, you'll also note that he uses the term "wingnut" or "winger" five times (bringing back fond memories of his days as a sidekick on the Nick Coleman Show). As a former newspaper writer and ex-talk radio host, one would think that Lambert would have developed a more extensive vocabulary. Perhaps after he figures out how to use this new fangled "Google" thing, he can get some help in that area as well. After all, people do judge you by the words you use. Labels: Media-Local (05-07) Thursday, March 22, 2007
In anticipation of Dennis Avery's appearance on the NARN broadcast this Saturday I'd like to toss out yet another brief excerpt from the book he co-wrote with S. Fred Singer entitled "Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years":
...none of the scary scenarios posited by today's global warming advocates took place during the Earth's past warm periods.Buy the book to read more and be sure to catch Dennis this Saturday at noon on AM1280 The Patriot. Labels: Global warming
...they will come. After hockey this morning, I headed to a nearby Panera Bread to participate in a conference call. While downing eighteen, nineteen cups of coffee (free refills!), I noticed that about 60% of the crowd was on their laptops taking advantage of the free WiFi that Panera offers. The other 40% were senior citizen coffee klatches gabbing about their health problems.
I spent most of the morning there catching up on e-mail, before grabbing a sandwich to go and heading to the office. Free WiFi definitely appears to be helping Panera get customers in the door and encourages them to stay a while. And the longer you hang out in a Panera, the more likely you are to give in to temptation and sample their tasty menu. I'm far from the first to make note of this very savvy business move, but it's something that others would do well to emulate. Labels: Business
[Warning: gratuitous, self-important, navel-gazing lies ahead. After all I am a blogger, whaddya expect?]
The early reviews are in on last night's media appearance. Dan from Minnetonka: Well done on the news tonight. You looked and sounded good! The Jim Jones like leader of The Kool Aid Report chimes in: Nice haircut. Loved the parting shot Scherno took at you "...though he admits he never saw the movie." Dude, next time, lie. It's not like they have any gatekeepers or anything. A point echoed by JB: Nice selective labeling there "Republican party activist"? Are lefties given similar appellations? And I like the shot about not seeing the flick. You shoulda just said you saw it. Yeah, Sherno really thought that "he admits he never saw the movie" was a zinger, didn't he? Actually I did spend some time explaining to him why I didn't need to see the movie to be able to form an opinion of it. After all, I haven't watched "Norbit" either, but I'm pretty sure it SUCKS ARSE! Unfortunately, like most of my best material, that bit ended up on the cutting room floor. Dave from Ohligarchy adds: I just saw your segment on the KSTP news site and you sounded good, as always. Something seemed a little odd, so I went back and viewed it again with the sound off. The first time your face appears on screen, you look very concerned. The video then switches over to what appears to be a flying sperm that fertilizes an egg labeled "2005". It then switches back to you, looking as concerned as you did before. It looks like it's either the start of a really funky Viagra commercial, or you are denying charges that you are the father of Anna Nicole's baby (who would have been conceived in 2005). Who the heck edits this stuff? Good question Dave. I noticed that they used one side angle shot that shows my neck muscles straining as if I'm about to explode in a rage over the issue. In reality, I was getting a little frustrated because the video trailer for "The Great Global Warming Swindle" was taking a while to load on my PC. The whole experience was a little surreal, especially considering how quickly it all came off. Just as I was about to leave work yesterday, I received an e-mail from Sherno asking me to call him ASAP. I did so on the way home. After arriving at my abode, I barely had time to choke down a pastrami (which I find to be the most sensual of all the salted cured meats) sandwich before the crew arrived. My wife and child hid in the basement the entire time (get to the cellar, the mainstream media's a comin'!). Her main concern was not whether her husband would be able to articulate his case, rather that the house would look messy and that I would appear a hick with my missing toof. At least the house looked well-kept. I'm a novice at the whole television interview game and one thing I found unsettling was that I never knew when they were shooting and when they weren't. Tim Sherno and I were basically talking the entire time he was there. Some of it was captured on tape, some wasn't. It was also interesting to see how he tried to "sex up" the story by hyping my outrage. He asked me how I felt when I first learned that SLP was sponsoring a showing of the film. I said I was surprised. He asked if I was upset about it. Yeah, I suppose I was upset, I replied. That translated to, "Doughty is upset..." in the story. But my favorite line had to be "Chad Doughty is hot about..." because it both reaches for the easy pun and dramatically overstates the case. Which I suppose is perfectly appropriate for a local news story on global warming. Labels: Global warming
...actually they didn't. Kstp.com-Al Gore's movie fuels debate in St. Louis Park:
Al Gore's documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth' may have won an Oscar, but plans to show the global warming movie has pushed some hot buttons in St. Louis Park. Gore's movie was scheduled to be shown as part of a discussion on climate change, but one local Republican Party activist and blogger says, the plan is one-sided at the tax payer's expense. "I sent an email to my city council person, two at large city council members, and the mayor of St. Louis Park expressing my displeasure, saying, if you want to show the 'Inconvenient Truth,' you should also show the other side of the story," Chad Dought said. The mayor of St. Louis Park says, discussion is the goal of the screening and he welcomes films from all sides of the topic. You can also watch a video clip of last night's story at the above link. The good news? The way I understand his remarks in the story last night, the mayor of St. Louis Park is now willing to have the city also show a movie presenting an alternative view on global climate change. The bad news? We received a letter this morning from the City of St. Louis Park informing us that our house is blocking construction of the new Matlock Expressway. We have 72 hours to vacate. At that time they will blow up our house and any remaining Doughtys. You win some, you lose some.
Democratic Representative Betty McCollum bids a fond adieu to some old friends:
Last week, we received news that the Minneapolis Star Tribune's two Washington correspondents will be taking other assignments as a result of the paper's change in ownership. I want to thank Rob Hotakainen and Kevin Diaz for more than 20 years of service each with the Star Tribune and wish them well in their new assignments. Seems like an awfully cozy relationship between the government and the press there . When the people who are supposed to be afflicted by the press are going out of their way to thank them for their fine performance, you have to get a little suspicious. Let's just say I don't expect to hear reports of Michele Bachmann and John Kline sending cookie bouquets to them any time soon. But the departure of the current batch of Star Tribune reporters doesn't mean the good times will end for Rep. McCollum and the rest our DFL Congressional contingent: I and the rest of the Minnesota congressional delegation look forward to working with the Star Tribune's intern, Brady Averill, who will now be responsible for covering the news from our nation's capitol. I'm sure they do. I must say that's an interesting choice for the Star Tribune in terms of covering our nation's capitol. At the very least, it should make for an interesting business card: Brady Averill, Star Tribune Intern and Washington Bureau Chief. It seems like only a year and four months ago, Chad and I were perched on barstools at Keegan's getting interviewed by a pleasant, fresh-faced, young journalism student and intern from the Pioneer Press named Brady Averill. No doubt some grizzled yet savvy editor heard a rumor that "blogging" was the next big thing and he dispatched his ablest, most promising underpaid employee (not including Craig Westover), to get the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I don't want to rehash all the gory details (which were freshly hashed for you back in December of '05). Suffice it to say, the process and end product were less than confidence-building for the fifth estate. An unfocused, superficial interview yielding an article with errors of commission, omission, and a documented partisan bias. Granted, she was just a student, learning the ropes. And that effort was probably good enough for an A- at the local journalism schools. She does get bonus points for finding a way to jam in a quote from Media Golden Rolodex Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Professor Larry Jacobs, on why blogs can't compete with newspapers:. Along with partisanship, credibility is another problem for blogs. There's nothing in the First Amendment about the need for an editor. Bloggers can write anything they want; they can spout fact or fiction. [U of MN Professor Larry Jacobs] advises readers to beware: "There's no gatekeeping here." That quote of course was the genesis of the NARN sensation "This Week In Gatekeeping" so perhaps we owe her a little bit of gratitude (and probably thousands in royalties once our Showtime special debuts later this year). My summation of that article written by the future Star Tribune Washington Bureau Chief: I suppose it's hard to work in any depth or understanding or balance into an 831 word article, which is all Brady Averill is allowed to provide. But it's this kind of easy, cheap lunch the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press have served up for years. This town deserves better from its newspapers. But that's just my opinion. I'm sure the likes of Betty McCollum will continue to be thrilled. Labels: Media-Local (05-07) Wednesday, March 21, 2007
In anticipation of Dennis Avery's appearance on the NARN broadcast this Saturday I'd like to toss out another brief excerpt from the book he co-wrote with S. Fred Singer entitled "Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years", this one dealing with the tired old canard that the quantity and severity of storms will increase dramatically due to global warming:
There has been no increase in the frequency or severity of hurricanes, blizzards, cyclones, tornadoes, or any other kind of storms during the warming of the past 150 years. That makes sense, because storms are driven by the temperature differential between the equator and the polar regions. Since greenhouse warming should boost the temperatures at the poles much more than at the equator, warming will reduce the differential and moderate the storms. History and paleontology tell us the warmings have experienced better, more stable weather than the coolings.Buy the book to read more and be sure to catch Dennis this Saturday at noon on AM1280 The Patriot. Labels: Global warming
If you want to catch a glimpse of me in "action", tune in to the Channel 5 KSTP news at 10pm tonight. I was just interviewed by Tim Sherno about my opposition to the City of St. Louis Park showing "An Inconvenient Truth." (Interestingly enough not for anything that I posted here, rather for a couple of posts on the subject at the Minnesota GOP Senate District 44 blog, which I also contribute to).
Chances that I come across as a complete idiot? About 99.99%. I half expect the scrawl running underneath will identify me as "Global Warming Crank." More later. SP ADDS: Once Chad is done making his city safe from Al Gore, maybe he can take up the cause of making it safe for ol' Huck Finn. When daughter Nia was assigned to read it in her 10th-grade honors class, his memories of a racially volatile childhood came surging back. Now Gilbert and his wife, Sylvia, are reviving a century-old debate by asking St. Louis Park High School to remove the novel from the required-reading list. What's wrong with St. Louis Park? Sounds like a case of poor leadership. Draft the Elder in '08! Slogan: Less Gore, More Finn. UPDATE: I love the label "Republican Party activist," although "operative" has a more sinister ring. Labels: Global warming
If you missed our March 10th interview with Father Richard John Neuhaus, founder and editor First Things and the author of Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy, And the Splendor of Truth
 , you can now listen to it here.
Wild tough guy Derek Boogaard has some great quotes on the silliness of the NHL's Fighting-in-last-5-minutes rule:
On March 8, Derek Boogaard, wearing stylish eyeglasses and a debonair suit, watched in fear as Wild trainer Don Fuller attended to a dazed Marian Gaborik, who had just been given a rough ride into the boards by Boston defenseman Andrew Ference. A sore back kept Boogaard, the Wild's enforcer, off the ice that night. At that moment, Boogaard wished he could turn in his suit for a Wild sweater so he could mop the ice with a couple of Bruins. But in reality, Boogaard's intimidating presence in the lineup would have meant nothing. Ference boarded Gaborik with 2 minutes, 10 seconds left, meaning there was no way Boogaard would have gotten another shift from coach Jacques Lemaire. Players who instigate a fight in the last five minutes earn a one-game suspension and $10,000 fine for their coach. Welcome to today's kindler and gentler NHL. Now, let's hear from Boogaard: "The players should decide the game, not other people," Boogaard said. "Some guys say that rule's not in the back of their heads, but it is. It's probably never good to cost your coach 10,000 bucks." Not if you want to see the ice again. "I still won't play the last five minutes," Boogaard said. "Back in the day, guys came into the league not-so tough and when they left they were tough. Now I don't respect a lot of these guys. They come into the league soft and they leave soft. Now that's old-time hockey talk. Boogaard's remarks recall the spirit of Eddie Shore. "No matter how much [the NHL] says, 'Oh, we like fighting,' if they liked it so much, why are they putting all these rules in? It's a joke." Unfortunately, no one (especially the TRUE hockey fan) is laughing.
An e-mail request from Soldiers Angels:
We are currently having a Spring Fling for the Fisher Houses. A Fisher House serves as a home away from home for the families of military personnel and veterans seeking medical care at major military and VA medical centers. They are designed to accommodate 16 to 42 family members at any time and feature common kitchens, large communal dining rooms and living areas stocked with books and toys for the children. Families can stay free of charge. The average stay in hospital for a combat-wounded serviceman or woman is 45-60 days, and in many cases can go well into a year or more. Providing the means for families to be with their loved ones is critical in their recovery process. All of the houses are built by the Fisher House Foundation, and Soldiers Angels works with the House staff to meet their ongoing needs. As the number of combat casualties continues to climb, these facilities will be called upon to serve more and more families. We at Soldiers Angels are proud of our support to the Fisher Houses across the country. Cards should be to common stores: Sears, JC Penney, Wal-Mart etc., or prepaid Visa or Mastercards. The cards should be sent directly to the Fisher House of your choice--be sure to note that you are with Soldiers Angels. Here is a link to the Fisher Houses if you would like to choose one for your donation. The address and contact info for the nearest Fisher House in Minnesota is: Zachary & Elizabeth M. Fisher House Minneapolis VA Medical Center 1 Veterans Drive Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417 Manager: Maggie Swenson Phone: (612) 467-2157 Fax: (612) 970-5864 EMail: margaret.swenson@med.va.gov You can follow the link above to find the Fisher House closest to you.
If you're not too busy at work today, you might want to check in on the testimony before Congress on global climate change, which is being shown live on C-SPAN:
Fmr. V.P. Al Gore appears before the House Energy and Commerce Subcmte. & the House Science and Technology Submcte. He's joined by Professor Bjorn Lomborg, author of a book titled, "The Skeptical Environmentalist." Gore will also appear later today before the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee. UPDATE: Just for fun, I've been watching Gore with the sound turned down. Judging by his constant hand gesturing, his knowingingly smug nods, and oh so serious facial expressions, I imagine the very future of the planet must be at stake. I am finding the visual-only Gore much easier to take. If only Mike Nelson was available to provide commentary... UPDATE II: Well, it's not Mike Nelson, but this Power Line forum on Al Gore's testimony sure beats actually watching (and listening) to Gore.  Senator Patrick Leahy expresses dismay upon learning he's tied for 98th in the US Senate NCAA Basketball Pool and calls for an investigation about receiving faulty, possibly manipulated, intelligence from the Bush Administration. Looking at his choices, I'm not surprised he's so irate. Only a fool would pick Arkansas Eastern over Arizona.
An editorial in yesterday's WSJ (sub req) looks at the budget plan put forward by Kent Conrad, a very blue Senator from a very red state:
Mr. Conrad, the Senate Budget Chairman, pulled off the neat magic trick of claiming his budget includes "no tax increase," even as it anticipates repeal of the Bush tax cuts after 2010. How does he pull that rabbit out of his hat? By positing what amounts to a giant asterisk where the tax increase is supposed to go and hoping no one will notice. Mr. Conrad has no intention of extending the Bush tax cuts, which he voted against and whose repeal would slap the economy in 2011 with the largest tax increase in U.S. history. But Senate Democrats don't want anyone to know this, at least not before the 2008 election. So Mr. Conrad says his budget revenue estimates "assume that Congress will take steps to counter the effects of the expiration of tax cuts in 2010 in a manner that does not add to the nation's debt burden." How so? Well, "this additional revenue can be achieved without raising taxes by closing the tax gap, shutting down illegal tax shelters, addressing tax havens, and simplifying the tax code," he avers. What the Senator should have said is "Abracadabra." The 10-year revenue increase from repealing the Bush tax cuts is something like $2 trillion, according to Congress's static-revenue models. Mr. Conrad is claiming that Congress will make up for all of that lost revenue by chasing down such illusions as the "tax gap," which the IRS claims is the difference between the taxes people owe and what they pay. But if this magical $345 billion a year (as of 2001) were easily found, don't you think the army of IRS auditors and tax collectors would have found it by now? The only way to close this "tax gap" is by harassing taxpayers or closing loopholes in ways that are sure to meet political resistance and perhaps result in a backlash. Congress will never do it. The editorial also provides an update on who's really paying the piper:  By the way, the latest IRS data also show that the wealthiest Americans continue to carry a record share of the income tax load. As the nearby chart shows, the richest 1% paid 35.6% of all income taxes in 2004, the most recent year in which data are available. The top 10% pay a remarkable two-thirds of all income taxes. The irony is that the Bush tax cuts have made the U.S. income tax code more progressive. But according to John Edwards and other class warriors, that's not enough. It's never enough. Tuesday, March 20, 2007
In anticipation of Dennis Avery's appearance on the NARN broadcast this Saturday I'd like to toss out a brief excerpt from the book he co-wrote with S. Fred Singer entitled "Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years":
The Antarctic Peninsula, the thin finger of land pointing north toward Argentina (and the equator) has been getting warmer. We've heard an inordinate amount of hoopla about the warming on the peninsula, which makes up less than 3 percent of the Antarctic's land area. That's because (1) that is where most of the scientists and thermometers are; and (2) it is the only part showing any agreement with the Greenhouse Theory. The other 97 percent of Antarctica has been cooling since the mid-1960s.Buy the book to read more and be sure to catch Dennis this Saturday at noon on AM1280 The Patriot. Labels: Global warming
Jared Sandberg looks at the real impact that "March Madness" has on business in today's Wall Street Journal (sub req):
But the real madness of March is excessive fear mongering in the workplace, where legions of employees don't know Blue Devils from Buckeyes. To them, March Madness has more to do with that unspeakable Spring Break in Cancún. For actual fans, the tournament is simply this month's distraction. "People who are wasting time always find a golden opportunity to waste more," observes Steve Bosking, a marketing director. In reality, March is pretty mild. Researchers Birinyi Associates found that Big Board trading volume during the busiest days of the tournament have been higher than average for the past 10 years. For plenty of people, the NCAA games aren't distracting. In a recent survey, WorkPlace Media found that 69% of American workers won't be wagering in the office pool. Nearly half say they "have no interest in the tournament at all." Don't believe the hype.
Last Saturday on the Northern Alliance Radio Network, I mentioned that my city, St. Louis Park, was putting on showings of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" using city resources on city property. I've fired off e-mails to my city council reps and the mayor of St. Louis Park expressing my displeasure with this action (you can find their contact info here). So far the response has been less than encouraging and it appears that the city is likely to go ahead with the
However, all is not lost. After the film has been shown, the city is planning on having discussions on climate change. One of our callers from last week's radio show has already e-mailed me to say that he has signed up to attend the April 21st showing to represent an alternative viewpoint. It would be great if we could get people to turn out to both events to demonstrate that the climate change debate is far from over and the "scientific consensus" on the matter far from universal. Here are the relevant details: Movie: An Inconvenient Truth--Ages 12 and up Join us to view the movie "An Inconvenient Truth." This documentary is directed by Davis Guggenheim who elo-quently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore's personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change. "An Inconvenient Truth" is not a story of despair but rather a rallying cry to protect the one earth we all share. "It is now clear that we face a deepen-ing global climate crisis that requires us to act boldly, quickly, and wisely," said Gore. The movie is one hour and 40 minutes, with a discussion to follow the movie. It is rated PG but is recommended for ages 12 and up. Westwood Hills Nature Center, 8300 W. Franklin Ave. Saturday, April 14, 2:45 to 4:45 p.m. Activity # 3467 OR Saturday, April 21, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Activity # 3468 Free Registration deadline: when program is filled If you plan on attending, drop me an e-mail at rightwinger23@hotmail.com and let me know. Remember, politics (and especially local politics) is all about who shows up. Speaking of climate change, we are happy to announce that we've rescheduled Dennis Avery, co-author with Fred Singer of Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years , to appear on the NARN this Saturday, March 24th at noon. Dennis had some car troubles last week, but assures us that his carbon offsets are now up to date and he shouldn't have any difficulty reaching us this time around.Labels: Global warming
Someone might want to check the drinking water in Stearns County for traces of lysergic acid diethylamide. In his NCAA hockey breakdown, Sisyphus at Nihilist In Golf Pants notes that the St. Cloud Times has a posted an interactive NCAA hockey pool. And it looks like a number of delusional Husky fans are actually picking SCSU to win the national championship.
SCSU? The team that's never won a SINGLE NCAA playoff game and was thumped by North Dakota and beaten by the Badgers last weekend? C'mon, it's one thing to support the local squad, but you gotta be somewhat realistic, don't ya? UPDATE: I don't know what's worse: the delusional Husky fans believing that SCSU will win the title or Mark Yost (the guy who had SCSU and Wisconsin in the WCHA Final Five championship game) picking BU? Both teams are dogs. Me thinks that Mr. Yost should stick to subjects that he's a bit more versed in. Labels: Hockey (06-07)
License number spotted on a car with North Dakota plates this morning:
LFT2RT I didn't get close enough to see if Mitch Berg was the political convert behind the wheel.
Matt e-mails with a great, albeit short, hockey fight video:
A nice little scrap for a Savage (Burnsville HS) kid playing for the Lancers in Omaha. YouTube - Junior Hockey Fight This is a classic. Watch the way it begins (clearly premeditated), the flurry of punches, the way that the bench reacts, and the fact that the white player has to be helped from the ice by teammates. Monday, March 19, 2007
[Our scene opens with Saint Paul, JB Doubtless, and Chad The Elder gathered around the water cooler at Fraters Libertas world headquarters.]
Saint Paul: The C-SPAN coverage of the Ways and Means committee hearing was absolutely spell-binding. I spent most of my weekend... [Atomizer suddenly appears and interrupts the conversation.] Atomizer: Hey guys, how are you doing in your brackets? I still have three of my Final Four left, but that Wisconsin game was a tough one. And can you believe what USC did to Texas? Didn't see that... [Saint Paul, JB Doubtless, and Chad The Elder stare at Atomizer in disgust for a few seconds before turning their backs and walking away.] Atomizer: Guys wait! Don't you want to hear about my fantasy baseball draft? Guys? ------------------------ Atomizer (the real one, not the one that haunts The Elder's brain) Sez: While it is true that I have three of my Final Four teams still alive on each of my two brackets, I most certainly did not pick Wisconsin to advance past the second round on either one of them. I may be a brain addled drunkard, but I ain't stupid. Chad's right about one thing, though. That Texas loss was definitely a nut cruncher. As for my fantasy baseball draft report, you'll all have to wait until next Monday for that. Try not to think about it and it'll be here before you know it.
Ann e-mails:
Re the quote at the top of the Fraters Libertas page, if you're talking about the Irish doctor and inspiration for Joyce's Buck Mulligan, it's Oliver St. John Gogarty, not Gregory. Minor issue, of course, and I don't mean to sound like Mr. Peabody, but when you have an MA in Modern Irish Literature, you have to jump on those exceedingly rare chances to use it. Glad to give you a chance to put your college edumahcation to use Ann. A correction has been made. We regret the error.
We would like to extend our wishes for a full and complete recovery to Kathy from Cake Eater Chronicles, who has just gone through an experience that would try the hardiest of souls. If you get a chance, please drop by and wish her well.
Posted on our company's intranet today:
6 Seats, Section ***, for 3 games Saturday and Sunday 24th/25th, face value ($100 for all 3 games) to any Gopher fan interested in travelling to Denver. Hmmm...there must be some legitimate business reason that I have to make a last minute trip to Denver this week. Let's see...
John Fund notes the gaping holes being poked in Al Gore's "moral imperative" zone by the mainstream media in a piece at OpinionJournal (free for all!):
The media are finally catching up with Al Gore. Criticism of his anti-global-warming franchise and his personal environmental record has gone beyond ankle-biting bloggers. It's now coming from the New York Times and the Nashville Tennessean, his hometown paper that put his birth, as a senator's son, on its front page back in 1948, and where a young Al Gore Jr. worked for five years as a journalist. Last Tuesday, the Times reported that several eminent scientists "argue that some of Mr. Gore's central points [on global warming] are exaggerated and erroneous." The Tenessean reported yesterday that Mr. Gore received $570,000 in royalties from the owners of zinc mines who held mineral leases on his farm. The mines, which closed in 2003 but are scheduled to reopen under a new operator later this year, "emitted thousands of pounds of toxic substances and several times, the water discharged from the mines into nearby rivers had levels of toxins above what was legal." All of this comes in the wake of the enormous publicity Mr. Gore received after his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" won an Oscar. The film features Mr. Gore reprising his famous sighing and lamenting how the average American's energy use is greedily off the charts. At the film's end viewers are asked, "Are you ready to change the way you live?" The Nashville-based Tennessee Center for Policy Research was skeptical that Mr. Gore had been "walking the walk" on the environment. It obtained public records showing that for years Mr. Gore has burned through more electricity at his Nashville home each month than the average American family uses in a year--and his consumption was increasing. The heated Gore pool house alone ran up more than $500 in natural-gas bills every month. Al Gore part of "Big Zinc"? This just keeps getting better and better. Labels: Global warming Sunday, March 18, 2007
If Blake Wheeler dives at the puck one-hundred times, he might be able to knock it over the goalie's shoulder once or twice. Thankfully for Gopher fans, last night was one of those times.
 (Photo courtesy of Gopher Puck Live)Now, we wait for the NCAA brackets to be announced. Rumor has it that the Gophers and Sioux could be headed for a rematch in the Denver regional. UPDATE: The brackets have been announced and, as expected, the Gophers and Sioux are in Denver. The Gophers will face Air Force in their first game (hometown advantage to the Falcons?) while the Sioux get Michigan. Not exactly a cake regional for the top seeded team. Atomizer Sez: Here is a link to the You Tube video of the goal. Now, compare that gem to this eerily similar game winning goal by Neal Broten in the 1979 NCAA championship game against...yeah, you got it, the Fighting Sioux. The Elder Adds: Atomizer, Sisyphus, and Sid Hartman: great minds thinks alike? Saturday, March 17, 2007
Joe Carter gets some much deserved recognition from the Washington Post:
Three decades later, the chasm between evangelical Protestants and Catholics has narrowed as conservatives from both denominations have teamed up on issues from religious school vouchers (pro) to gay marriage (con). And perhaps nowhere has that relationship change been more apparent than in the realm of bioethics. Carter, now 37, is a good example of the shift, having become something of a name in the blogosphere as author of http://evangelicaloutpost.com. On the blog, which is about one-third bioethics issues, Carter rails against embryonic stem cell research, human cloning and in vitro fertilization -- causes commonly taken up by Catholic bioethicists and the Vatican. Kudos to Joe, truly one of the good guys of the 'sphere.
Even though he's a North Dakota fan, Bill T. has a good eye for SABs. Here's his college hockey special:
Old-school Michigan coach Red Berenson and... ...Ed Harris as old-school NASA engineer Gene Kranz? Unfortunately for the Wolverines tonight against Notre Dame, failure was an option. Labels: Separated At Birth
We apologize to those of you who tuned in to today's NARN Volume One show hoping to hear Dennis Avery discuss global warming. He had some car trouble and was unable to reach a phone. Apparently his Prius was swept into the ocean by a tidal wave and he was then attacked by a polar bear who floated by on a chunk of melting Arctic ice. We hope to reschedule him soon.
Labels: NARN (06-07)
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through the belief in the threeness, Through confession of the oneness Of the Creator of Creation. I arise today Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism, Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial, Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension, Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom. I arise today Through the strength of the love of Cherubim, In obedience of angels, In the service of archangels, In hope of resurrection to meet with reward, In prayers of patriarchs, In predictions of prophets, In preaching of apostles, In faith of confessors, In innocence of holy virgins, In deeds of righteous men. I arise today Through the strength of heaven: Light of sun, Radiance of moon, Splendor of fire, Speed of lightning, Swiftness of wind, Depth of sea, Stability of earth, Firmness of rock. I arise today Through God's strength to pilot me: God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's host to save me From snares of devils, From temptations of vices, From everyone who shall wish me ill, Afar and anear, Alone and in multitude. I summon today all these powers between me and those evils, Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul, Against incantations of false prophets, Against black laws of pagandom Against false laws of heretics, Against craft of idolatry, Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards, Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul. Christ to shield me today Against poison, against burning, Against drowning, against wounding, So that there may come to me abundance of reward. Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through belief in the threeness, Through confession of the oneness, Of the Creator of Creation. Labels: Religion Friday, March 16, 2007
Whilst watching the Gopher hockey squad down the Badgers tonight (A Minnesota-North Dakota WCHA tourney final? Who'd have thunk it?), I was also able to catch some of Marlo Lewis' presentation on C-Span that debunks much of what Al Gore espouses in "A Inconvenient Truth":
Marlo Lewis, Senior Fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute talks about global climate change and critiques former Vice President Al Gore's Academy Award-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." Mr. Lewis finds the film's claims about climate science and climate policy to be unconvincing. Mr. Lewis spoke to congressional staff and the media in the Rayburn Office Building. You can find a link to the video here. Tomorrow at noon on the Northern Alliance Radio Network, we'll continue the discussion on global climate change with Dennis Avery, co-author of Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years . He brings some inconvenient truths about the history of natural climate variation to the table and dismisses most of the fears of global warming as overwrought scaremongering. Tune in at 11am on AM1280 The Patriot here in the Twin Cities or listen live on the internet stream anywhere in the world. Feel free to join the fun by calling us at 651-289-4488, especially in you're a true believer in Al Gore's climate change camp. Don't you dare miss it! Labels: Global warming
It's too early to feel joy yet, but according to the latest NCAA Basketball Scores & Schedule from Yahoo!, Notre Dame is trailing hated Winthrop (named after Louis Winthorpe III) by twelve with seven minutes left in the game and Wisconsin is also down ten to Texas A&M Corpus Christi late in the first half.
UPDATE: The Irish have closed to four with about four minutes left. Go Eagles! UPDATE II: Turn out the lights, the party's over. Winthrop beats Notre Dame by ten! Texas A&M C.C. is up by nine in the second half. Go Islanders! Now, if Lake Superior State (I was wearing my Lakers jersey as recently as last Saturday) can take care of business in the CCHA tourney, it will indeed be a capital day of Irish bashing. Speaking of college puck, North Dakota has rolled up the newspaper and is beating the misbehaving Huskies about the head by a 5-2 score after two. UPDATE III: Goooaaalllll!!! It's now 6-2 Sioux. Meanwhile on the hardcourt, the Badgers have come back and now lead Texas A&M C.C. by seven late in the contest. UPDATE IV: In hockey, the Sioux win. In roundball, the Badgers prevail. Labels: Basketball
Scott from Faribault e-mails on global warming and a lukewarm hockey team:
Say it isn't so! Paul Douglas as an expert on global warming? Meteorologists using the computer models to predict the weather in much the same manner as climatologists use them to predict the rising sea levels and the extinction of polar bears? If he can't get this weekend's forecast right, why would I believe his predictions for 2050? Dave Dahl once said on the radio that they had an 80% chance of getting tomorrow's forecast right. The day after that, a 50/50 chance. Beyond that, they basically have no idea. Scott from Faribault BTW, I might have to take back my prediction that the Gophers can beat Holy Cross this year. SP ADDS: My former least favorite sports writer, Dan Barreiro, redeems himself with this brilliant analysis of the wisdom of Paul Douglas and the snowstorm we had a couple of weeks ago. Excerpt: Yes, after that first wave didn't materialize here, Daddy choked up, obviously worried that he was going to be left with sleet all over his face. Instead of hanging in there with his original forecast, like the National Weather Service did, he panicked. And he must have thought the imbeciles among us would simply forget what he wrote for the Saturday newspaper, the day after he predicted the Storm of the Century: "A cool six-to-eight inches may accumulate by Monday morning, with more than 10 inches for part of southeastern Minnesota. It won't be as much as previously thought, but it should be plowable, possibly the biggest of the winter." Got that? A cool six-to-eight MAY accumulate. SHOULD BE be plowable. POSSIBLY the biggest of the winter, which wouldn't take much given we had not had bigger than a four-inch snowfall. And now, on Monday he wants us only to remember that he nailed it in the original forecast? It's an old sports writer's trick. On Tuesday, you pick the Vikings to lose. On Thursday you pick 'em to win. On Sunday, they lose, and you say you knew it and predicted it all along.
Score one for the brights. News that the Nihilist In Golf Pants won last night's drawing at Keegan's Irish Pub for a trip to Boston will lead even the most hardcore believers to question the existence of God. What kind of loving God would allow such an injustice against humanity to occur? God is dead.
Deep thoughts from would-be Senator Al Franken on his school days in St. Louis Park:
While he would go on to become a celebrity, he recalls feeling much like any other kid. "I remember anything anyone remembers--having crushes on girls, feeling nerdy," he said. "That's anytime, any place, any century, any civilization, I have a feeling." Labels: Politics-Local (06-07) Thursday, March 15, 2007
The WCHA Final Five kicks off tonight, so it's time for my annual college hockey prognosticating. Sometimes the crystal ball is quite clear, as it was a few years ago when I picked nearly every game of the WCHA Final Five and NCAA tournament correctly. Sometimes things are a bit foggier, like last year when I picked the Gophers to hoist the Crusaders on their own Holy Cross. Ouch, that one still hurts.
Let's get down to business: * Fans attending tonight's game between Wisconsin and Michigan Tech should be sure to down several cups of coffee before the contest. I see a real snoozefest a comin'. A tight game that could go either will go to the Huskies 2-1. * The WCHA team that I think is playing the best hockey right now is the extremely politically incorrect University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux. They shouldn't have too much trouble putting SCSU down 5-3 in the Friday semi. * I have no confidence in this Gopher squad and their silly hair-dyeing ways. Shaky goaltending and a young team does not usually get you far in the playoffs. I wouldn't be shocked in the Gophers fell on Friday, but I gotta think that they should have enough to get past Tech 4-3 in the other semi. * That sets up a UND-Minnesota final. The Sioux dominated the Gophers in a late-season sweep at Mariucci and I think they will do the same on Saturday, something along the lines of 4-2. My NCCA tourney picks will come out after the seedings are announced. I do want to note that Mark Yost, "pride" of Brooklyn, is picking a St. Cloud State--Wisconsin final. We'll see who has the true hockey cred after this weekend. UPDATE: Round one to Mr. Yost. Labels: Hockey (06-07)
Packers Dismiss Report on Moss Trade:
The Green Bay Packers are dismissing a published report claiming the team is close to a deal to bring Randy Moss to Green Bay. The Boston Herald cites a source in Wisconsin saying the Packers will get Moss and tight end Courtney Anderson in a trade for backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers and a seventh-round draft pick in 2008. The newspaper reports the Packers would also get a conditional draft pick in 2009 based on Rodgers's performance in Oakland during the next two seasons. The Boston Herald did cite a source close to Rodgers adamantly denying the rumors and saying the two teams haven't had substantial talks. The Green Bay Packers typically don't comment on trade talks, but a public relations representative dismissed the Herald's report. The best thing about this trade coming off would be watching Packer fans shamelessly fawn over Moss wearing the green and gold after cursing his name for years. One pre-season touchdown would be all it would take for the Green Bay faithful to embrace him with open arms. Welcome back to Lambeau Randy.  Labels: Football
For the record, unlike Chad, Capt. Ed, and a host of others I'm sure, I did not receive in the mail Hugh Hewitt's new book "A Mormon in the White House".
Which is a pity, since yesterday, for the first time, I was thinking, you know a Mormon in the White House sounds like a pretty good idea. Any Mormon would do. Donny Osmond, Marie Osmond, Jimmy Osmond, Steve Young, Merill Osmond, Alan Osmond, Tito Osmond. Then I thought, imagine how great it would be if the Mormon in the White House actually had some relevant experience and proven leadership abilities. It would be like four to eight straight years of Christmas, or Mormon Pioneer Day, every day! Rock and roll! Then I remembered no such person exists, it will never happen, it is all a wild fantasy. This reality depressed and embittered me. So I dedicated myself to the cause of Barak Obama. And to the utter defeat and humiliation of any pretender Mormons who may emerge to mock my dreams over this election cycle. Ah, what might have been.
The Star Tribune editorial board expresses some relief about the Flying Imams situation:
The lawsuit that six Muslim clerics filed against US Airways on Monday is likely to prove as divisive as the incident which prompted it -- welcomed by those who see the episode as a case of religious discrimination, derided by those who believe US Airways responded prudently to suspicious passenger behavior. But the trial could prove useful to the larger public if it finally clears up what actually happened at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Nov. 20 -- the facts are still much disputed -- and if the judge sets out some guidance on what's appropriate behavior when cultures clash. Yes, thank goodness the court system will be there figure out this "divisive' situation for us. Lord knows we don't have any other institutions in town with the resources and expertise to investigate facts and report them. Now back to the monopoly newspaper, featuring these vital stories on the front page of its web site. To be fair, the Star Tribune does break some news on the story, Metro columnist Katherine Kersten once again exceeds her job description and fills the breach with some actual reporting.
Last Saturday, I made note of the fact that St. Louis Park, the city where I reside and pay taxes, was sponsoring a showing (actually two) of "An Inconvenient Truth" at the local nature center. Rather than just sitting back and taking it, I decided the time had come to act.
I fired off e-mails to my city council person, the two at-large city council members, and the mayor of St. Louis Park expressing my disgust with the city's decision to support such a blatantly partisan project. If they insisted on showing Gore's film, I asked that they at least give equal time for a presentation offering a dissenting view on climate change. So far, I have received one response. Thanks for the note. I have not seen the movie (although I think it won an Oscar) so it makes it hard for me to comment on it. The recent vision process the city just engaged in did find environmental concerns and initiaitives to be top of mind. And, while not knowing the movie, it is always good to have healthy, respectful debates on issues that affect us. I will forward your concerns onto the city manager and the program staff at the nature center. For obvious reasons, I am not going to disclose the identity of the official who responded. Needless to say, I am less than satisfied with this mealy-mouthed, weasely ducking of the issue. This is by no means over.
In the mail yesterday,
Hugh's been writing a book about Mitt Romney? Who knew? Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Nomination for the Lefty Blogger Hall of Fame, in the category of commentary on religion and/or politics, goes to . . . Jill Pike of the AOL Newsbloggers, for this one for the ages:
The Pope Is Stupid Yes, it's got everything that title implies and more. In a mere three paragraphs of prose, we have teen-age impudence, name-calling, gratuitously insulting a figure millions consider sacred, using conclusions based on a fundamental misunderstanding of not one, but two, primary texts (the Sacramentum Caritatis and the US Constitution) to illustrate why her target is "stupid," and of course, the mandatory claim that her Constitutional rights are being threatened. Excerpt: Pope-ster, you know what this means? We're not allowed to make laws and weigh issues by religious merit. I really appreciate your interest in our country but our crazy quota has been met. Maybe when Senator Coburn or Senator Brownback or even Jerry Falwell finally go away you can step back in and work on threatening our Constitutional rights. In the meantime, go spread your hate somewhere else. It's so perfect, if it weren't for the lack of explicit obscenities, I would suspect it's the product of some lefty blog automatic generating system. But it appears to be the real thing. Jill Pike is a member of something called the "Young Turks" - yet another charming product of Air America Radio. For a company primarily noteworthy for dismal ratings and going bankrupt, they sure generate their share of mainstream Democratic leaders. Al Franken, Wendy Wilde, and now these people, chosen to pontificate from AOL, a platform rumored to have daily visitation in the millions. As a former subscriber to AOL, I remember them as pioneering the per minute Internet charge and 45 minute wait to access it. With the Young Turks blogging for them, looks like their business instincts remain as sharp as ever. UPDATE: Some other bunch of obscure AOL Newsbloggers with ties to radio takes the She-Turk to task. Labels: Media-National (07-09)
Words that you don't want to hear when you're sitting in the chair at the oral surgeon's office, mouth agape under the searing glare of the klieg light:
"Hmmm...Looks like we'll need to drill some of that bone out." Followed by the ridiculously improbable request: "Now, just relax." Tuesday, March 13, 2007
If you are in need of a good larf today, you might want to check out the message board at Bancroft Arnesen Explore. Bancroft and Arnesen of course are the intrepid female explorers whose trip to the Arctic Ocean to educate children about the dangers of global warming had to be called off because of extreme cold. Some of the messages are from real kids, but I think a few wise-acres are taking advantage of the opportunity to have a little fun:
Blake from West Virginia: Hey, we need to be saved, yeah im ona labtop typing this so i might mispell a few things, by the way, save us get more effeciant stuff! i mean like ethanol won't do it, watch the discovery channel save us from global warming or make a really big wall at a beach so we wont drown, pretty please? pretty pretty pretty please? save us! pretty please! pppppllllleeeeeaaassssssseeee! save us!!! i mean like we're going to have to live under ground if you don't! to muc co2 is being released and mo2 and so2 from car exausts, ciggeretes and more! save us. Of course, there are also about 153 messages from weenies in Minnesota expressing unqualified support for the gals and shock that anyone would dare to make fun of them. UPDATE: More schadenfreude here.
Former MSMer Brian Lambert, a man willing to embrace the false mantel of brave dissenter often in the past, becomes the latest jack-booted thug to join the chorus demanding that voices that dare question the supposedly accepted orthodoxy on climate change should now be silenced:
Where I think enough is now enough is on TV weather forecasts, and the op-ed pages of mainstream dailies. With the notable exception of WCCO Television meteorologist Paul Douglas, who has been outspoken on the dangers of global warming for more than a decade, a reluctance to present the science of climate change seems pervasive among local weathermen. "I think local television meteorologists, as station scientists, do have an obligation to report on this, to report the state of the science, free of politics or other influence. We're all accountable, and I think we ignore or trivialize this topic at our own peril," Douglas said. I couldn't agree more. It's time to stop pandering to intentionally ill-informed partisans and steadily advance the public understanding of climate change. Catch that? You're not merely ignorant, you're "intentionally ill-informed." Newspapers also must stop playing the balanced-debate game and start ignoring the propaganda of partisan political columnists. Case in point: a syndicated column by Debra Saunders in the Star Tribune several weeks back. Capsule summary: Global warming = liberal BS. Why did they run it? What greater good was served? Good Lord. Can you imagine if the "greater good" standard was applied to all the columns and editorials that appear in the opinion pages of the Strib? You'd be looking at a lot of white space. You can encourage a productive debate over the troop surge in Iraq or how best to suppress Iran's nuclear ambitions. But another round of ridiculing concern over global warming? At what point does an issue acquire both sufficient moral imperative and scientific foundation to make responsible journalists start rejecting counterfeit logic? I'm not sure what the answer to Lambert's question is. But I sure as hell know that I don't want people like him making the call. The words "sufficient moral imperative" should frighten anyone with a genuine interest in free and open debate. I could probably list a dozen issues that I believe have a much higher "moral imperative" than climate change, but I have a hunch that if I was to suggest that debate should be stifled on any of them, Lambert would be among the first to howl in outrage. Free speech for me, not for thee. Eric Ringham decides what syndicated copy runs on the Star Tribune's op-ed pages. "We have a little stable of conservatives to draw from," Ringham explained. "We are committed to running one of them every day. If they say something that is factually dishonest, I won't run the column. But mostly what we're talking about here is distortion. I won't run dishonesty. But I will run distortion. [Otherwise you wouldn't have any editorials] Because if I start drawing a line at distortion, pretty soon there is no opinion page." Hmmm...Imagine there's no Strib opinion page. It's easy if you try. You may say I'm a dreamer... I asked if he'd run a Holocaust-denial piece. "No, I would not," he responded. "We've passed that line." Ringham said the climate-change skeptics' arguments hold no appeal for him, but that the paper hasn't yet passed the line on global warming. The climate, however, has passed the line. And news leaders, you should too. The recent emergence of the comparison between those who question whether climate change is caused by humans and deniers of The Holocaust is despicable. The bottom line is that: The Holocaust = History Man-made climate change = Theory For all the talk of "crushing of dissent," "questioning of patriotism," "building a theocracy," "trashing the Constitution," and "creating a climate of fear" in George Bush's Amerika, it's notable that at the end of the day, the only actual efforts to limit debate and free expression are coming from the Left. Imagine that. UPDATE-- Thankfully, the New York Times did not get Lambert's message: From a Rapt Audience, a Call to Cool the Hype Labels: Global warming
We've been bannging the drum for the Star Tribune to take its self-appointed status as a "public trust" seriously and cover the big stories in its own back yard. The most prominent example of their neglect being the mysterious Flying Imam situation last fall. A story which drew national attention, had all sorts of loose ends and intriguing leads (including one lead provided by one if its own employees, miscast in a role not allowing him to pursue it), and which drew a disinterested shrug from the editors. To quote the Brokeback Mountain co-star's uncle who was then running the show:
I don't think the paper dropped this story, but I do think it had run its course. I would like to have seen a story delving into who these folks were, a good suggestion, but I don't think it's timely at this point. I think this is one of those stories that runs for a couple of days, then subsides. I gather you disagree, which is fine. Flying Imams, I wish I could quit you! And Anders Gyllenhaal did. The unmistakable news instincts of a guy who thinks he's in charge of a virtual monopoly. You don't like the stories we chose to highlight, buy your own printing press pal. (Cue smug chortling). This attitude appears to extend beyond our hometown public trust. The guy running the public trust in Tennessee had his own Flying Imam moment last week. Turns out the Nashville Tennessean had the story about Al Gore's mansion having the carbon footprint of Koch Refinery months ago, but they chose to do nothing with the story: Tennessean editor Mark Silverman says the paper did indeed make the public information request back in January, after Gore's global warming film was nominated for an Academy Award on Jan. 23. He says the explanation for why the paper didn't use the information until after the Oscars has nothing to do with a pro-Gore agenda. "It's very simple. We had other stuff. We got occupied by other stories," he says. "We requested the information right after he was nominated for the Oscars . . . It got put on the back burner simply because people were working on other stories." Follow this link to see the kinds of vital stories they were forced to occupy themselves with instead. What kinds of stories did the Star Tribune cover that were more timely and had more staying power than the Flying Imams? Well, how about this special reporting series, which seemed to have periodically occupied a front page position for about 6 months. As described by the Society of Professional Journalists: Reporter Sharon Schmickle, photographer Jerry Holt and online producer Regina McCombs led a team of more than a dozen Minneapolis Star Tribune journalists who created an amazing package about the hundreds and perhaps thousands of Liberians refugees living in Minnesota. "A People Torn" describes how these men, women and children face deportation from the U.S. after escaping their country's brutal civil war. Anyone at all in the Twin Cities actually read this series? Anyone? Anyone? Moral of the story, if those Imams could have been framed as politically correct victims of the overly zealous US immigration authorities (?!?!), we'd have known more about them than their immediate families do. Torn from today's headlines, I see the Flying Imams are back, by popular demand (at least demand from their legal advisors). Six Muslim imams ordered off a US Airways flight at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport last November have filed a discrimination lawsuit against the airline and the Metropolitan Airports Commission, claiming they were removed from the plane because of their race and religion. Get ready Star Tribune readers, now that the story is starting to fit the template, wall-to-wall coverage of their harrowing plight may be coming soon. Monday, March 12, 2007
Intrepid explorers Ann Bancroft and Liv Arneson left to much press pomp and circumstance a few weeks ago for their latest attempt at a North Pole expedition:
They are scheduled to leave the Twin Cities on Wednesday and start their 530-plus-mile trip from Canada's Ward Hunt Island on March 4. While their previous treks have focused on inspiring students to live their dreams, the two women are making the journey this time to draw attention to global warming. This time, the two explorers decided they had an opportunity to show kids the effects of climate change in real time in an area "that's in real crisis," as Bancroft put it. They'll call in regular updates on satellite phone and will try to send photos to be posted on the Web, she said. Sadly, their global warming odyssey was cut short today because of this inconvenient truth: World-renowned polar explorers and educators, Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen, today suspended their historic expedition to the North Pole seven days in, citing severe safety concerns due to a combination of damaged gear, frostbite and extreme cold. No photos of this up on the web site yet. Probably not the crisis they were hoping to document for the kids. We of course hope no one is seriously injured, and that appears to be the case. I guess we'll have to thank Global Warming that the frostbite wasn't even worse. You may recall, the last time we saw Ann Bancroft in the news was when she was involved with another hoped-for climate change, endorsing a DFL candidate for State Auditor. Indeed, Rebecca Otto did warm hearts across the state and swept to victory last November, ousting the Republican incumbent Pat Anderson. In the world of weather and political prognostication, that's the way it goes; you win some, you lose some.
After Saturday night's 5-1 loss to Roseau in the Class AA state high school hockey championship, I was feeling a mite sorry for the boys from Grand Rapids. For the second year in a row they had reached the championship game only to run into an overpowering opponent (last year it was Cretin). I was pulling for them for no other reasons than that they had the sweetest uni's in the tournament (unchanged for many a year) and that losing the big game two years in a row would be a bitter pill to swallow.
 However, this story reminds us once again that it's just a game: Saturday proved to be an emotional day for Roseau High School hockey coach Scott Oliver, and not only over the action on the ice. That morning, Oliver said his final goodbye to his nephew, Marine Sgt. Chad Allen, 25, of Maple Lake, Minn. The marine was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb on Feb. 28. His funeral was held Sunday morning at Maple Lake High School. U.S. and Minnesota flags flew at half-staff in his honor at state buildings while, across town, Roseau became Class 2A boys' hockey champions. "It's been a long day, and it's a day that I knew was going to be coming" said Oliver. "Here you are, you're at the state high school hockey tournament, one of the greatest events you can be a part of. And we've got servicemen and servicewomen over there, and they're at risk." A fact that we don't do enough to remember here on the home front. Chad Allen R.I.P. UPDATE-- J.D. e-mails to ask: Speaking of unchanged uni's for the Grand Rapids hockey team, seeing them in this year's tournament reminded me of when I first saw them in a state tournament, decades ago. They were the Grand Rapids Indians then, and they had cheerleaders who took to the ice wearing Indian headdresses. Whatever happened to skating cheerleaders, anyway? Good question. The State High School League would probably make 'em wear helmets these days, thus destroying much of the appeal. Labels: Hockey (06-07)
The announcement that The Official Massachusetts Republicans For Truth Web Site! is going live today is probably not good news for Mitt Romney:
We believe that the future of our Country and Party are best served by educating Republican voters across the Nation about a candidate's true background on issues such as: Abortion, Gay Rights, Management, Republican Party Building, Second Amendment, Taxes & More... It will be interesting to see how much traction this group gets with conservatives nationwide and whether they're upfront and center about where their funding is coming from.
Michal Novak looks at the "Big Three" of popular atheism in an article in the current issue of National Review (sub req) and isn't much impressed :
Alas, it is extremely difficult to engage on the same level with Harris, Dennett, and Dawkins. All of them think that religion is so great a menace that they do not have much disposition for dialogue. The battle flags they put into the wind are Voltaire's Ecrasez l'infame! Meanwhile, all three pretend that atheists "question everything" and "submit to relentless, almost tedious, self-criticism." Yet in these books there is not a shred of evidence that their authors have ever had any doubts whatever about the rightness of their own atheism. Self-questioning about their own scholarly indifference to their subject; about the horrific brutalities committed in the name of "scientific atheism" during the 20th century; about the restless and mercurial dissatisfactions in atheist and secular movements during the past hundred years; and about the demographic weaknesses thereof--all such questions are notable by their absence. Moreover, although an atheist zeitgeist dominates university campuses in America, it has not proved persuasive to huge numbers of students, who hold their noses and put up with it. Why does atheism persuade so few? Our authors never ask. And: Finally, our three authors fail to think carefully about what Jews and Christians actually have to say about God. Their own atheistic concept of God is a caricature, an ugly godhead which anybody might feel duty-bound to reject. Dawkins makes fun of an omniscient God who would also be free. If an omniscient God knows now what future actions He will take, how will that leave room for Him to change His mind--and how does that leave Him omnipotent? Isn't He caught in a kind of vise? But, of course, this is to imagine God living in time as Dawkins lives in time. It is to fail to grasp the difference between a viewpoint from eternity, outside time, and a viewpoint from within time. It is also to fail to grasp the freedom that the Primary Cause, outside of time (simultaneous to every moment of it), may allow within time crucial roles to secondary causes, to contingencies, and to particulars. God's will is not before human decisions are made. Rather, it is simultaneous with them, and thus empowers their being made. When Catholics celebrate the sacrifice of the Mass, for example, we imagine that our moment of participation in that Mass--as it is on every other day of our lives--is in God's eyes simultaneous with the bloody death of His Son on Calvary. In our eyes, it looks like a "re-enactment," but in God's eyes both moments are as one. No doubt, for some minds this is all too mystical, and its underlying philosophy a bit too sophisticated, especially to those of literal and purely empirical tastes. Our three authors, in any case, present a quite primitive idea of God. If the rest of us had such a view, we, too, would almost certainly be atheists. Novak's last statement is very similiar to what Father Richard John Neuhaus said when asked about Harris, Dennett, and Dawkins on the Northern Alliance Radio Network last Saturday. It would be refreshing if proponents of atheism argued against actual religious belief instead of basking in the pride of knocking down strawmen. Labels: Religion Saturday, March 10, 2007
Memo to the Gopher hockey team:
Here's an idea for ya, instead of spending your time coming up with cutesy ideas like dyeing you hair blonde, how about thinking about playing sixty minutes of hockey for a change?
Today, while checking out the local nature center community event offering, I find this:
Movie: An Inconvenient Truth Ages 12 and up Join us to view the movie "An Inconvenient Truth." This documentary is directed by Davis Guggenheim who elo-quently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore's personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change. "An Inconvenient Truth" is not a story of despair but rather a rallying cry to protect the one earth we all share. "It is now clear that we face a deepen-ing global climate crisis that requires us to act boldly, quickly, and wisely," said Gore. The movie is one hour and 40 minutes, with a discussion to follow the movie. It is rated PG but is recommended for ages 12 and up. Westwood Hills Nature Center, 8300 W. Franklin Ave. Saturday, April 14, 2:45 to 4:45 p.m. Activity # 3467 OR Saturday, April 21, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Activity # 3468 Free Registration deadline: when program is filled MY tax dollars at work. Sigh.
A little birdie e-mails with a quote from Al Franken on his good buddy John McCain:
"So I like John McCain. Anyway, I'm doing the White House Photographers Dinner and I go into my little McCain riff. 'Hey I like John McCain. And I think he's really courageous. I mean, his stance on campaign finance reform and tobacco. Wow. That takes guts. But this whole 'war hero' thing ? I don't get it. I mean, as far as I'm concerned, he sat out the war. I mean, anyone can get captured! Am I wrong, but isn't the idea to capture the other guy?'" (Al Franken, Lies And The Lying Liars Who Tell Them, Plume, p. 176, 2004) I'm sure that all the Vietnam POWs (you can learn more about their experience by watching the excellent documentary Return With Honor), some who spent seven years of their lives in captivity, will be have a good laugh hearing Franken's knee-slapper that they "sat out the war." More on "sitting out the war": Here, I tried to depict the "Vietnamese rope trick." The arms are repeatedly cinched up until the elbows are forced together. Sometimes at this point the "hell cuffs" are applied. The "hell cuffs" are handcuffs which are put on the upper arms and pinched as tightly as possible onto the arms, cutting off the circulation. The resulting pain is extreme. If the prisoner has not broken down by this time, his arms are rotated until shoulders dislocate. Words could never adequately describe the pain, or the thoughts that go through a man's mind at a time like this. Labels: 2008 Election Friday, March 09, 2007
When I was in Mexico a few weeks ago, I couldn't wait to hit Mass on Ash Wednesday. I was looking forward to an ol' school Catholic church that, unlike many of its U.S. counterparts, still reveled in the mystery and ritual of the Church.
So what did I get? A bland, round, modern church with a puny altar on an elevated stage and a guitar playing duet providing the music. If you didn't notice the kneelers or the very modestly-sized cross hanging on the wall, you could have thought yourself in an Episcopalian or even (gasp!) Presbyterian house of worship. My disappointment was palpable. To be fair, the place was packed (SRO in fact), the altar boys were all boys, and they did ring the bells during the Institution Narrative, something that I still miss from my days of youth. Under the category of "it's the little differences," the ashes were applied to the top of the head rather than the forehead. All in all, it was an interesting experience even if it didn't quite meet my original expectations. This Saturday at noon, the incomparable Father Richard John Neuhaus will be our guest on the Northern Alliance Radio Network to talk about all things Catholic and religion in the public square. Father Neuhaus is the founder and editor of First Things and the author of Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy, And the Splendor of Truth , a wonderful look at the state of Catholicism today. Another sample from the book to further whet your appetite for tomorrow's interview: When the Second Vatican Council permitted the liturgy in the vernacular--contra many linguists, it did not mandate the vernacular--slap-dash translations of the Latin were rushed into use. Numerous scholars, and authorities in Rome, have complained about the inaccuracy of the translations; but, if it is possible, their inaccuracy is outdone by their spectacular banality. Many of the appointed prayers can be fairly summarized in the petition, "O Lord, help us to be even nicer people than we already are." Awe, majesty, mystery, unworthiness--anything associated with wonder in the face of the numinous--is out. Familiarity , good feelings, and self-congratulation are in. If you want to join the discussion with Father Neuhaus tomorrow, feel free to give us a call at 651-289-4488. As always, the Northern Alliance Radio Network Volume One can be heard from 11am-1pm on Saturdays on AM1280 WWTC or live on the internet stream. Don't you dare miss it! (Rumor has it that Saint Paul has finally settled on the flatware pattern for his gift registry and will be rejoining us in the studio this week.) Labels: Religion
Jim, our long-time Pulitzer Prize correspondent, is on the beat again this year and, according to this preview, it looks like the Star Tribune is once again conspicuously absent from the list of nominees:
Editor and Publisher has come up with a list of this year's Pulitzer Prize finalists in 8 of 14 categories.[Now updated to ten of fourteen] Yep, no nominees from the Strib. As your Strib/Pulitzer correspondent I felt I should report on this, even though the official post taunting the Strib won't come out until the Pulitzers are officially announced in April. For a few years now, Fraters Libertas has been following the Star Tribune's futile effort to add another Pulitzer Prize to their trophy case to go with their very lonely 1990 award. It has got to be just grating on the Strib editors (those still remaining, anyway) to watch much smaller papers like the Rutland (VT) Herald, Grand Forks (ND) Herald, Great Falls (MT) Tribune, Santa Rosa (CA) Democrat, and the Albuquerque Journal equal or surpass their Pulitzer count. Especially when you consider that the primary prerequisites for a Pulitzer seem to be extreme leftism and reasonable competence (and we all know that the Strib isn't deficient in the extreme leftism department). Thus, every spring the Strib must hope against hope that this will be the year the Pulitzer jury throws them a bone. Well, better luck next year. Editor and Publisher has compiled a list (leaked from sources on the judging panel) of this year's Pulitzer finalists in eight of the fourteen journalism categories. Veteran Strib/Pulitzer watchers will not be shocked to learn that none of the finalists are from the Star Tribune. The good news for the Strib is that most of this year's nominees are from papers that are well ahead of them on the Pulitzer tote board. The Birmingham News does have a shot at winning their second Pulitzer and surging past the Strib, but they are a long shot to beat out the Wall Street Journal in the Public Service category (the Journal is a finalist for their work on exposing the backdated stock options scandal, which occurred largely in the Strib's own backyard). But, all hope is not lost. There are still six categories that have not been leaked. Unfortunately, "Best Editorial Plagiarized From The New Yorker" is not one of them. Labels: Media-Local (05-07)
Todd e-mails to wax nostalgically on loving the Broad Street Bullies and hating commies:
What a great memory...I was at that game, all of 13 years old. My father's company held season tickets, great seats, red line, second level roughly 10 rows back, in the old Spectrum. For some reason my father was almost always able to get the tickets, guess the salesmen were gay or something, just leaving '75 and '76 Flyers tickets laying on the table. That crowd was the most electric I have ever experienced, and it still sticks with me, the hooting, jeering, nasty anti-commie comments, just fantastic. I have the program somewhere, and once a year or so, after a couple of beers, find it and show it to my boy, a 14-year-old Flyers fan. Hockey, a family tradition of commie-hating. Priceless. Thursday, March 08, 2007
Two conflicting stories from the Franken front. The first, from the Forest Lake Times proclaims "Serious Franken won't be muzzled" and includes an interesting tidbit on one of Al's pals:
And no, Franken the comedian is not muzzling himself as he travels the state, suppressing jokes, watching his words. At least that's what the candidate said. Ultimately, if Franken is elected to the U.S. Senate, he'll have to deal with the same political class that he has been lampooning for years. Can he work with Republicans? Does he even want to attempt bipartisanship? State Republicans argue the answer is "No." "Franken offers Minnesotans nothing but polarization and vitriolic personal attacks," said Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Ron Carey recently. Franken insists he can work with the people he's been skewering. He considers Arizona Republican U.S. Senator John McCain a friend, Franken said. Ouch. Probably not something that McCain needs right now as his support from conservatives continues to disappear faster than cocaine on the SNL set. Meanwhile, counter to the sober-minded, serious Franken portrayed by the Forest Lake Times, the Star Tribune reports that Franken shows flashes of the comedy career he left behind: But Al Franken still can't campaign without making a joke about it. After a campaign speech before a starstruck, autograph-seeking crowd of about 1,000, the comedian/talk show host/politician retired to a classroom for a quieter session with reporters--and stood before a blackboard on which was written a "plan for today" that included health care, the environment, Iraq and "recess." Stop, you're killing me. Franken told the crowd he has been "married for 31 years, many of them happy." Later, reporters asked how big he thought the crowd was. Franken's deadpan reply: "20,000." Hilarious. How does he do it? I gotta go with the Forest Lake Times on this one: the humor is definitely being suppressed. Labels: Politics-Local (06-07)
Paul from Colorado thinks there is a more apt team to compare us to:
If you guys aren't the '76 Flyers I give up.  The Broad Street Bullies? Gotta love that. More on the Bullies:"I swear I have never told a player to attack another player. In fact, I have told my players if they ever hear me saying something like this, they can break a stick over my skull. I ask only that they play aggressively." - coach Fred Shero And: The Flyers took on the Soviet Red Army team on January 11, 1976. Angry that penalties were not called on Philadelphia's rough tactics, Red Army headed back to their dressing-room at 11:21 of the first period. They returned 17 minutes later after Flyers' President Ed Snyder stated they wouldn't get paid unless they finished the game. Philadelphia scored 17 seconds after the game resumed and proceeded to earn a convincing 4-1 victory. Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Mohammed and Omar Fadhil, from Iraq The Model, report in today's OpinionJournal that while it's still early, there are already many signs of success following the surge:
The brightest image of the past two weeks was the scene of displaced families returning home; more than a thousand families are back to their homes under the protection of the Army and police. This figure invites hope that Baghdad will restore its social, ethnic and religious mosaic. Marketplaces are seeing more activity and stores that were long shuttered are reopening--including even some liquor stores that came under vicious attacks in the past. This is a sign that extremists no longer can intimidate people and hold the city hostage. All of this gives the sense that law is being imposed. Let's hope that this time the momentum can be maintained. Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Amateur James Lileks cracks back on the new dean of Design and brings some clarity to the city/suburb feud:
But what do we mean by the suburbs, anyway? My neighborhood was considered a suburb when it was originally laid out; it was where people went to get away from other people. Now it's the city, and that's fine with me. To the south is a large classic first-ring post-war suburb that provided cheap starter housing to new families--you know, people who somehow, by complete accident, managed to marry and bring up children together. Why did they move? Why did they leave the city? The suburb predated the big freeways, so it wasn't the inexorable mind-shifting presence of the great concrete ribbon that made people move. Freeways, after all, force people to do things against their will. Screaming, weeping, holding on to the door frame until the wood splintered, people were ripped from their city apartments to tidy bungalows in the flat arid hell of suburbia. I'd suggest that people moved because the new place better suited their needs and desires, and this would seem to suggest good design. But I'm an amateur at this sort of thing. I will note that the suburb is now indistuinguishable from the larger city to which it's attached; the very distinction between city and surburb has been lost. You need to get way the hell out there in the exurbs for the usual japes and preconceptions about "the suburbs" to apply, and even then they're tired, banal, and condescending. From one perspective, the surburbs are homogenous, sure: it takes a certain amount of money to live there. If you accept that as an important distinction, though, it means that every neighborhood is homogeneous. My old funky tumble-down Southwest neighborhood was homogenous, inasmuch as it was populated mostly by students renting hollowed-out houses. But it seemed rather diverse, because it was full of different people who believed different things and pursued different interests. Are we to believe the suburbs are different? I've been listening to the spoiled children of Levittown all my life, yammering about their ticky-tacky houses their fathers busted his butt to buy so they could live in a potato field instead of a crumble-down cold-water walk-up, and I'm tired of it. Boring people live everywhere. Interesting people live everywhere. People have reasons for wanting to live in certain places, and if someone wants to live in the city, it's his business. If he wants to live in the burbs, it's his business. I could argue that people who confine themselves to the city are removing themselves from the experience of suburbia, which is actually more germaine to understanding America's future than experiencing some of the lousy blocks I drive through daily. But I won't; as I said, I'm the amateur here.
Intruder falls asleep in Mary Tyler Moore house:
On an alcohol-fueled dare over the weekend, a Minneapolis man apparently broke into a multimillion-dollar house featured in the popular TV sitcom "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." Minneapolis police, responding to a report of a break-in Saturday morning, found the 24-year-old man asleep in a second-floor bedroom with the television on and a remote control for a ceiling fan in his back pocket. His shoes were found on the third floor of the eight-bedroom, nine-bath Queen Anne Victorian in the Kenwood neighborhood. "This guy's not using a lot of brains," said police Sgt. Gerald Moore. That may be the understatement of the year. I like the fact that the headline says that he fell asleep too. Back in the day, we would call that passing out. "Intoxication played a big role in this," said Fifth Precinct Inspector Kris Arneson, who oversees policing in the area. "It's some kind of middle-of- the-night prank," Gerlach said. The suspect has not been charged and doesn't have a record with Minneapolis police. He was in the Hennepin County jail Monday on suspicion of burglary and is not linked to any other break-ins. "It doesn't sound like him at all," said Paul Yager, a friend of the suspect's who declined to say more. A cleaning crew arrived at the house about 10 a.m. Saturday, saw the smashed doors and called police, who arrested the man without incident. He spoke briefly with Gerlach. "He seemed stunned," Gerlach said. "He says, 'I'm sorry. I was drunk in the middle of the night and friends put me up to it.' I don't know if I can believe him, but that's what he said." Hmmm...a young man waking up in jail after getting drunk and in trouble because of his friends? No, that doesn't seem plausible at all. Upon further reflection, this story (and the lame headline accompanying it) demonstrates much of what's wrong with the Star Tribune and newspaper writing in general these days. The bottom line is that this is a FUNNY story. Guy gets loaded, succumbs to peer pressure, breaks into the Mary Tyler Moore house, and passes out. That's gold baby. Speaking from personal experience, I can say with some certainty that after this young fellow puts his legal problems (which will likely amount to fines and restitution) behind him, this is a tale that he will be recounting and laughing about for years. But in the hands of the Strib reporter, it's an achingly dull, by the numbers regurgitation of the facts and nothing but the facts. No humor, no wit, no whimsy, no flair. Bottom line: no fun. And that's not interesting writing. Monday, March 05, 2007
 On February 22nd, I visited the Casa Hogar Misercorida Orphanage just outside of Chihuahua, Mexico along with four of my co-workers. This was my fourth visit to the orphanage in the last four years and I am happy to report that I notice incremental improvements on every visit. The children appeared to be wearing better clothing and seemed healthier than in years past. Items continue to get checked off the list of improvement projects too. Since my first visit, a new septic system was installed, the bathrooms were improved, roofs in two of the buildings were replaced, a small clinical building was put up for health care, and now the orphanage was in the process of having an industrial strength washer and dryer installed. The washer and dryer were donated by a local group (there were some obvious signs that they are receiving support from other groups as well) and will come in very handy. You can imagine that the laundry piles up pretty quickly when you have ninety-two children on hand (forty-eight of whom are Tarahumara Indians) ranging in age from five to seventeen. This time around, we elected to use most of the money that we raised to help pay the orphanage's utility bills. We donated around 13,000 pesos for this purpose, which will keep the lights on, the water hot, and the floors warm for two months. Electricity and natural gas are two of the largest expenses that the orphanage must face. Of course, we couldn't show up entirely empty handed. Paying for utilities is vitally important, but from a kid's perspective, it's a little like getting underwear for Christmas. So we picked up some basketballs, soccer balls, books, socks, candy, and toothpaste as well. Not surprisingly, the candy and basketballs were very well-received by the kids. The founder of the orphanage, Fidel Rubio, and his wife Marianna were not there during our visit this time. We were escorted around the grounds by Noe Lechuga, who has been working there for about three months. He helped put together a list of some of their on-going needs: -Encyclopedias -Backpacks -Dictionaries (English/Spanish) -Coloring books -Colored pencils -Pencil sharpeners -Calculators -Glue -Old PCs, printers, and monitors -Tables and chairs for the library -Three sets of bunk beds -Socks for the older kids -Pants, shirts, shoes, and socks for the older kids (they get a lot of stuff for younger kids already) They also can use volunteers to help watch the kids and cook. When we were there they were having cereal for dinner, so you don't exactly have to be an Emeril to fill that bill. We're going to work with some people at our manufacturing facility in Chihuahua to see if we can help out with volunteers. The most impressive aspect of this visit (and the previous ones for that matter) was how well-behaved the children are and how clean and organized everything is considering the circumstances. While we were there, only three adults were on hand to watch over all the kids. The older ones do a lot to maintain order and help keep the youngsters in line. Thanks again to all of those who generously donated to this cause. I receive a lot of e-mail asking for more information about the orphanage and while I do my best to answer each and every one, I often don't know all the details. If you are curious about anything or wish to know what you could do to help out, they now have an e-mail address: casahogarmisercorida63@hotmail.com The only caveat is that you should use Spanish if you want to drop them a note. If possible, get a human translation too, since the internet services often lead to oft amusing and very confusing miscommunication.  Labels: Chihuahua Orphanage Sunday, March 04, 2007
Since this Lenten season is a bit drier for me than normal, reading stories like the one in the Wall Street Journal on the rise of cask-conditioned beer in the U.S. (sub req) is not easy:
Microbrewers have tried everything from chili-pepper beer to raisin-flavored beer to lure drinkers from mass-market brews like Bud and Coors. Now they're trying their hand at a British staple, cask beer, that is only lightly carbonated and served via a retro hand pump. U.S. bars, in addition to serving American cask, are increasingly stocking English brands. This comes as more Brits are shunning these traditional ales in favor of U.S.-style beers. For some beer geeks, casks are considered a more honest drink. They are served at between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, compared with near freezing for keg beer. Because cold numbs your taste buds, cask beer has a fuller flavor. If you're drinking a cask pale ale, for example -- cask comes in the same range of styles as regular beer -- the bitter hops flavor is even more intense than with a normal pale ale. But for those accustomed to U.S. beers like Coors or even heartier microbrews, cask ale can be too harsh. Wah, wah. What I wouldn't give for a hearty cask-conditioned ale. How many days until Easter? UPDATE: Or Eic Felten writing about the history of the Bloody Mary also in the WSJ: The Tehran meeting of F.D.R., Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin in 1943 was at times a bloody-minded affair -- in the strategy discussed and the cocktails consumed. Stalin suggested executing 50,000 to 100,000 German officers once the war was won. President Roosevelt, assuming old Joe had to be kidding, joked that 49,000 would do. But the Soviet dictator was in dead earnest. Churchill argued that war criminals should be tried and get their due, but political mass executions were right out. The rest of the conference, Stalin needled Churchill repeatedly, insinuating that he harbored a secret love of Germans. There was tension in the rooms, and Roosevelt and Churchill tried to ease it with an abundant supply of drinks. On the first day they met, F.D.R. mixed Stalin a batch of his Dirty Martinis, but it was in the evenings that the liquor really flowed, and none so much as the night of Nov. 30, Churchill's 69th birthday. There was much champagne and, according to the Chicago Tribune's reporter, cocktails that "looked like tomato juice were served. Probably these were the famous middle east 'bloody Marys,' made by mixing vodka and tomato juice." I have never been particularly fond of Bloodies, because the drink, as practiced today, is rarely in balance. Sometimes you get a veritable salad of crudités stuffed into the glass. And almost always the drink is ruined by a heavy hand with the spice jars. The standard Bloody Mary seems to be a glass of Tabasco sauce tempered with horseradish. If that's how you like your Bloody, fair enough. But every now and then it's worth getting back to the basics of any recipe as a touchstone to ward off excess. For the record, I enjoy a dollup of horseradish in my Bloody. Labels: Beer
Based on the NHL's TV ratings, I'm sure the whole world wasn't watching today's Avs-Wings game on NBC. But for those hearty few of us who were, NBC cutting to a commercial as the Avs game winning OT goal was literally crossing the goal-line was absolutley inexcusable. The conclusion of a pretty dang good hockey game was clouded by lousy coverage. Maybe the league should just stick to Versus after all.
Michael e-mails to submit a SAB:
Long-haired good-time British politician Tony Blair and... ...long-haired good-time British rocker David St. Hubbins? (Personally, I think he may be closer to Nigel Tufnel.) Labels: Separated At Birth
Slushy rinks might get the big chill:
To extend the shrinking skating season, some metro communities who say they can no longer count on the Minnesota winters of old are now considering a step that once would have seemed odd in a land of so many frozen patches of water: building artificial outdoor rinks. The idea, which in some cases would reduce the number of traditional neighborhood rinks, is being floated from Minneapolis to Edina and Elk River. And St. Paul, which already has the artificially frozen Wells Fargo WinterSkate rink at the Landmark Center downtown, is planning to develop three more full-sized rinks. One could open next winter. If you build them, we will come. UPDATE:It should be noted that Herb Brooks was pushing this very idea years ago. Saturday, March 03, 2007
The Star Tribune, which has found Michele Bachmann's brand of Lutheranism radical and outside the mainstream and rarely misses an opportunity to take a swipe at the Catholic Church, today features a glowing article on the virtues of Minnesota Wiccans and neopagans:
Long before Elysia Gallo identified herself as a neopagan, she felt drawn to mystical, magical things. "From the time I was about 8, I loved crystals and charms," she said. Gallo, 32, of St. Paul, eventually channeled her passion into a vocation as acquisitions editor at Llewellyn Worldwide, a Woodbury company that publishes Wiccan "spell-a-day" almanacs, tarot cards, love-potion recipe books and New Age spirituality guides. The elegantly coiffed Gallo, who said she practices some Wiccan rites without embracing the Wicca religion, was part of a colorful group of about 150 who came together last Saturday in St. Paul to decry the absence of the pentacle on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) list of approved emblems for military gravestones. Young and old women with flowing hair and bright capes; old men in graying ponytails, animal skins or faded military duds; young men in outfits that looked like something out of "The Lord of the Rings"; families in flannel, jeans and feed caps carting kids in snowsuits, and an occasional teenager with purple hair or a funky-smelling cigarette: The group defied definition except, perhaps, as a feisty, friendly, decidedly countercultural crowd. Oh, I think I could come up with a couple of apt adjectives. Friday, March 02, 2007
Very few talk radio hosts would even dare attempt to describe airing a "best of" show as a "service to our listeners." Hats off to Hugh Hewitt for having the stones to do just that tonight. Please remember that the next time we roll out one of our "best of NARN" shows. We're doing it for you.
Labels: NARN (06-07)
Big-eyed CNN reporterette Deborah Feyerick and...
...big-eyed human turned llama Emperor Kuzco? Labels: Separated At Birth Thursday, March 01, 2007
Last Saturday, Scott Johnson--the man who puts the "power" in Power Line--noted the rather curious case of the Wazwaz brothers, who had been charged with fraud for evading sales tax on tobacco according to a story in the Star Tribune:
Most of the defendants belong to four groups of brothers identified by their names: Othman, Mohamed, Yassin and Mahmoud. They own tobacco stores in the Twin Cities and concealed the revenue and expenses of those stores or the identities of the people deriving economic benefit from their operation, according to the indictment. At least two of the defendants already have pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with cigarette sales. Zuhair Wazwaz, also known as Anthony Stallone, pleaded guilty in 2004 to mail and wire fraud. Adel Salem pleaded guilty that same year to mail fraud. They pleaded guilty to ordering nearly $1 million in cigarettes with no intention of paying for them. The other defendants are Houd Othman Wazwaz, Fares Othman Wazwaz, Taleb Mohamed Wazwaz, Kennedy Mohamed Wazwaz, Sabry Mohamed Wazwaz and Ziad Mahmoud Wazwaz. Othman Majed Wazwaz and Kamil Madfoun Al-Esawi are charged only with conspiracy. (Upon reading the name Wazwaz, I'm sure more than a few Viking fans relived the painful repressed memory of that sickening January afternoon in New Jersey and a defensive back who couldn't cover Rasputia.) Scott found it interesting, but not surprising, that the reporters didn't look deeper into where the money may have been going and what it might have been used for: When I had a glimpse into the case, it was part of a joint investigation that included the ATF, the IRS, and the FBI. Why might it attract the attention of three federal law enforcement agencies? The need to dig beneath the surface of apparently routine tax evasion charges is suggested by the reporters' description of the indictment: The 58-page indictment alleges that the dozens of transactions date from 1996 through the present and details numerous transactions involving thousands of dollars. The reporters don't suggest that the money might have been put to nefarious uses in Jordan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, but I suspect the authorities have reason to believe that it has. A bunch of guys with Arabic names committing fraud in the U.S. and sending the proceeds to places like Lebanon and the Palestinian territories? No, nothing suspicious about that. Move along, nothing to see here. The story caught my attention because a good friend had an encounter with the Wazwaz gang a few years back. Without getting into too much detail, let's just say that he's the proprietor of a business that Atomizer is wont to frequent (no, it's not "T-squares 'R Us"). He had some property that the Wazwazs were leasing and interested in buying for one of their cigarette stores. Once they started negotiating, my friend quickly realized that something funky was afoot with the financing. Something about a bank that wasn't really a bank, but more of a front company with dubious ownership and overseas connections that were highly suspicious (at least to my friend and his lawyer if not to Star Tribune reporters). Long story short, he backed out of the deal like Lileks backing out of his garage (put the pedal to metal and don't look back) and, at his lawyer's insistence, reported the matter to the FBI. After learning about my friend's experience, I did a little research to see if anything had ever been reported in the local media on the unusual goings on with the owners of the tobacco stores. Surprise, surprise, there was nothing. Now that the case has apparently been cracked wide open, the Star Tribune has dutifully covered the story with the level of intellectual curiosity that they typically bring to such matters. They've done their due diligence and can now turn the page and move on to more pressing matters. like where are we going to put all this snow? (answer: the same place we've put it EVERY OTHER FRICKIN' YEAR!). Of late, there have been some very interesting stories (the Wazwaz brothers and the flying imams come immediately to mind) cropping up in this town. It's a shame that we don't have any reporters with the inclination to give them the coverage they deserve.  Continuing visual updates on what awaits your favorite Twin Cities bloggers on their commutes home here.
Thanks to The Elder's generosity, I am free to actually post twice in two days...an unprecedented milestone in Fraters Libertas history.
An article in today at NewsMax.com illustrates the difference between eco-posturing and a sincere commitment to sensible energy use: Bush's House More Eco-Friendly Than Gore'sGore's posturing earns him accolades and awards from like-minded blowhards and Dubya's actual deeds are ignored while he's constantly derided as nothing short of an eco-terrorist. I challenge all you leftist environmentalists out there to read the whole thing and then justify the hypocrisy to me. Labels: Global warming
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