Sen. Obama floored me on the way home tonight...

in a good way. I just heard a blip during a top of the hour radio news broadcast so there might be more but I suspect it came from this:

...Obama called Clinton’s proposal to freeze mortgage rates “disastrous”.

“She says we need to freeze the monthly rate on existing adjustable rate mortgages for at least five years,” Obama said.

“That will reward folks who made this problem worse [emph. mine] and it will also reward folks who are wealthy and don’t need it - but it won’t target the struggling homeowners who need help most.”

Ok, kudos for the first part but reward the "wealthy?" What wealthy "folks" are opting for these silly adjustable rates? At least arguably, those who need help most are those that made the problem worse but still, I want to give credit where it's due.

The radio blip only covered the the "disastrous" and "made this problem worse" comments. I actually exclaimed aloud (again, in a good way) on the way home.

Michelle Obama says her Husband will fix my soul...

These messianic comments are really unsettling. I heard these (takes about 10 minutes) and thought that they really seemed to represent what his supporters say he stands for. I recognize that she said "we" have to fix our souls but the message was undeniable.

Brother SSJ'rs, is it permissible for me to vote in the Democrat Primary on March 4, 2008?

I participated in the old caucus process to try to thwart Gary Hart (before the whole Monkey Business/Donna Rice thing brought him down) when it appeared he might have a real chance of taking down Reagan. I supported Jesse Jackson in the caucus.

Can I vote for Hillary on March 4? If I can, I will if the Huck stays safely behind McCain.

(Not to mention the improper use of "fix." Fix means "to prepare," not "to repair," at least as the language is spoken in the south.)

Aloha

C and I got back early this morning. Just a taste of the islands for you. More in a day or so.

OMG

I think this (also the "They're trying to kill us mantra") means I'll be voting for Hillary on March 4.

Update: forgot the link.

Obama's Economic Policies

I started to post today based upon Larry Kudlow's analysis without having actually read Obama's policy statement. Kudlow included this:

The Wall Street Journal’s Steve Moore has done the math on Obama’s tax plan. He says it will add up to a 39.6 percent personal income tax, a 52.2 percent combined income and payroll tax, a 28 percent capital-gains tax, a 39.6 percent dividends tax, and a 55 percent estate tax.

Before I posted, I went to Obama's website to read it. Heavens! It's much worse than I'd thought. I hope I have the stamina to post after having thoroughly read Obama's positions.

My longstanding political theory about to be sunk

I've believed since I started to think about these things (almost 30 years) that the first African-American and first woman POTUS would be from the right.

While I still think Powell would have won had he run as a Republican in 2000, he didn't.

I don't see any women on the right, or even just Republican women if not that much to the right, of a presidential mettle anything as strong as Clinton's. Likewise, although there are a lot more African-Americans moving right both politically--Steele, Swann, Blackwell and Watts (and to a much lesser extent Ford) and philosophically--Williams, Murdock, Connerly and Sowell (always dismissed as Toms), I don't yet see anybody with the experience needed.

My "only Nixon could go to China" theory may be shot down by half this November.

On Valentine's Day in 1928...

My mom was born. Wow. First birthday/Valentine's Day without dad since 1951.

A pretty big endorsement in Central Texas for Obama

From Sen. Kirk Watson's website:

I am proud to support Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States.

Senator Obama offers this nation a new beginning. His leadership will tap our potential and give us hope.

Watson is Austin's former mayor and current state senator. Watson carries a lot of weight here.

Posted hesitantly

As I left the office tonight many of the folks who clean the office (the folks who come in at night and mop the bathroom floors, the guy with the vacuum cleaner backpack, trash taker-outers, etc...) were coming into the garage. I counted a Suburban (maybe two years old), a smallish SUV (like a CRV, looked brand new) and a brand new mid-sized Toyota sedan. Each auto carried only one person. Two of them were talking on cell phones.

Last year, we had to complain to management because one of our attorneys logged onto his computer from home to find that someone at the office was already on his computer. Turned out it was one of the office cleaners who was updating her MySpace or Facebook site.

I was reminded that in Dinesh D'Souza's What's So Great about America, there is a quote about why another person of Indian origin wanted to immigrate to the USA....ok, I can't find the quote in the book but I did find this from a column of his that makes the same point with whom I assume is the same person:

... "They arrived at the same perception that I witnessed in an acquaintance of mine from Bombay who has been unsuccessfully trying to move to the United States. I asked him, "Why are you so eager to come to America?" He replied, "I really want to live in a country where the poor people are fat."

What a country! I know, I know, the poorer among us are overweight because of their terrible nutrition options. My point is that the guy from Bombay is amazed that they weren't starving like they do in his homeland. When those on the presumably "lower economic rungs" have these "necessities," we must be doing something right...economically. The cell phones, computers and these quality autos were not available to even the richest within my lifetime.

Mark Steyn's Speech at CPAC

Courtesy of Jonathan Garthwaite at Townhall. Worth a watch.

The European Spine

Victor Davis Hanson really depressing me today at NRO as he sounds some of the themes from Bruce Thornton’s Decline and Fall and Mark Steyn’s America Alone :

Abroad, the European public is more schizophrenic. It wants to make no sacrifices to stop the jihadists, but fears them terribly. It damns the U.S. as responsible for the tense, unpleasant global environment, but then — apparently in private — votes to ensure it has leaders favorable to us. Europeans offer moral lectures to Americans who are paying a great price in blood and treasure for constitutional alternatives in Iraq, even as their own elites in shameful timidity mortgage the Western Enlightenment to two-bit thuggish Islamists.

Afghanistan is not seen as a line in the sand to stop the spread of jihadism, but an embarrassing entanglement that can be blamed on George Bush’s inordinate anger following 9/11. The European attitude toward America seems to be “you must intervene in the Balkans to lead us in the fight against the twilight, but we won’t follow you into Afghanistan to battle against abject darkness.”

Ferrigno's Sins

First chapter of Robert Ferrigno’s Sins of the Assassin available at his website (not that I’m reading it at the office). Enjoyed the first one, Prayers for the Assassin, but readily admit it was not aspiring to be anything beyond a thriller.

Obama and Clinton come to Austin

Per the Chronicle. February 21. Motorcades everywhere. Can't wait.

No, I can't get you tickets.

Elizabeth the Golden Age

I wasn't all that crazy about the first one...probably too salty for my taste but I did like the one I watched today. Cate Blanchette in armor, well, speaks for itself. She's no Miranda Otto.

Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg

As I commence reading, I'm continually reminded of an old Star Trek episode called Patterns of Force in which some kind of Federation scholar named Gill uses Hitlerian Fascism to turn around some impoverished planet.

From Wiki:

Gill is barely coherent, but explains that he never meant for any of this to get out of control. He instituted Hitler's Natinal [sic] Socialism upon the lawless Ekosians because he believed that it is the most efficient system of government ever devised [emph. mine]. He explains he only wanted to bring order to the people of Ekos, and it worked until Melakon gained control, and took it one step further to rid the planet of Zeons as Hitler tried to annihilate the Jews. Kirk tells Gill that he must recall the invasion fleet headed to Zeon.

"Zeon," subtle. I checked the index but did not see a Star Trek reference. Given the author's (and my) proclivities, I was disappointed.

I love Wal-Mart

Ok, I'm a lawyer who makes decent money. On the other hand, I was raised by a mom who always espoused the "Scots" theory of watching one's pennies (at least she didn't say Jewish). As a result, I love Wal-Mart and buy most of my necessities there (t-shirts, DVDs, and the like...ok, maybe they're not all necessities).

I'm always intrigued by this: when I'm there, I'm shocked by the apparent "poverty" of those there. They are buying HD TVs, are significantly overweight, and almost always talking on a cell phone.

I'm always also amused by the waiting lists for potential employees whenever a new store opens. If they treat their employees so badly, why do so many line up?

VDH on a somewhat similar theme:

Likewise I try to go a Wal-Mart or mall once a week just to survey crowds. Yesterday I saw a nasty fight between two 40-something obese people over the last mechanized cart available. By rough calculus, I would wager that 40% of the shoppers were clearly overweight. Vegetables and fruit are still cheap by world standards, and the notion of widespread hunger is simply not true. The plague that is killing the lower middle-class is obesity. In the Dr.’s office two weeks ago, every single male patient (I went to the urologist for kidney stones) was 40 lbs. overweight—or more.

Fayyad in Austin at his Alma Mater

Who knew the Palestinian Prime Minister was a Longhorn?

He was in town causing major traffic jams today. I wonder if he's a Vince Young fan. I can get him going to UT, but St. Ed's, the junior Notre Dame?

From the Wiki article:

Dr Salam Fayyad (b. 1952) is a Palestinian politician, who on June 15, 2007, was appointed the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority. His appointment, justified by President Mahmoud Abbas on the basis of "national emergency", has not been confirmed by the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the parliament of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). Until that date, Fayyad had been the Finance Minister of the Palestinian National Authority in the Fatah interim government from 2002.

Fayyad is an internationally respected economist and politician. Salam Fayyad received his MBA from St. Edwards University in 1980. Dr. Fayyad has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a student of William A. Barnett and where he did early research on the American Divisia Monetary Aggregates, which he continued on the staff of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Star Trek 2008

Trailer. Minimalist, I like that.

Mr. Romney

May I have my money back please?

Reagan's Birthday

I can't take credit for this. It was from the Texas Rainmaker.

I wish I had been ten years older during the Reagan presidency. I gave it lip service but did not fully appreciate what was happening. Too wed to ABC at the time, I suppose. Sam was chatting from the left and George from the right.

What really kills me: so many of the lines he is so famous for, "My opponent's youth and inexperience..." and Peter Robinson's "...tear down this wall" were either really ill-delivered or almost flubbed.

Only Peggy Noonan's line about "touching the face of God" was truly perfectly delivered.

I know this is only personal, but I realize that I'm so affected by the video because of my Dad's recent death. Dad was handsome in the same way Reagan was...dark hair until the very end (I know, I know, Reagan cheated), tall, a crooked smile and conservative in absolute philosophy, borne of the Depression and WWII. (When I took Mom to "view" Dad, she called him "Hollywood Handsome" even in death.) Dad was a Marine in the same war that Reagan couldn't qualify for because of his eyesight (so he made movies extolling the virtues or US participation in WWII).

At least Dad lived the Reagan presidency and got to see it while he could truly appreciate it. End of the Cold War and the beginning of 25+ years of unprecedented prosperity (can we recall that the fax machine was just coming into being in the middle of his presidency?). The reason we have had so much productivity is because we taxed less and got out of the way.

It is so clear.

When I get depressed about the primary, I have to remember that...

What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:9

McCain and Romney

VDH on my holding my nose in November:

McCain’s Case rested

I’m neither a political scientist nor working for any particular candidate. Instead, as a historian I simply look at the Republican race empirically, as an observer who came to an understandable conclusion that (1) McCain is not that much more liberal than his Republican rivals or the actual record of recent Republican presidents such as Gerald Ford, the two Bushes, and Ronald Reagan. Note that if one uses conservative indices like the American Conservative Union’s, or those of the liberal counterparts like the Americans for Democratic Action, McCain scores in the 80s on the conservative side, Obama and Clinton below 10; on liberal scorecards the reverse is true. (2) Given the recent drift leftward, and the opening given by the Clinton drive-by attack on Obama, McCain has some chance to capture enough independents and moderates turned off by the Clinton roguery to squeak by.

That said, the race is not over, and Romney supporters should continue to promote his cause until the delegate count is decided. I understand that the base is angry not just because of McCain’s immigration or tax cut heresies, but mostly one of attitude and past pride in opposing conservatives. The complaint then is often that ["]McCain snubbed us once in an unnecessary condescending manner, but kisses up now since he can’t win without us”. Perhaps all that is true. But I would prefer to look to conservatives’ own self-interest—and it is not with Hillary or [Obama].

Ouch, Steyn on my man Rudy

From JWR:

Yet Sen. Edwards can't even claim the consolation prize of Most Inept Candidate of 2008. The Rudy Giuliani campaign went from national front-runner to total collapse so spectacularly that they'll be teaching it in Candidate School as a cautionary tale for decades to come. As each state's date with destiny loomed, Giuliani retreated, declining to compete in Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, Nevada, South Carolina. "America's Mayor" turned out to be Hizzoner of a phantom jurisdiction — a national front-runner but a single-digit asterisk in any state where any actual voters were actually voting.

Giants--Patriots

Ok, Giants just had what I think was their first punt after a terrible series about halfway into the second. I'm still pulling for the Giants.

Only commercial I've liked so far, Rocky Clydesdale commercial.

a fear about Romney

I know it goes against his "executive" experience but one thing I fear is that he'll be a micro-manager like President Carter. I'd prefer it if he had half a dozen key issues that he insists upon (of course, so long as most of them coincide with mine).

I'm coming to believe that this is the most we can expect of an executive. This country is just too huge to expect more from our execs. I've really only agreed with GWB on three issues: Islamic fascism, taxes and judges (though he's only two out of three on that one).

In the beginning I agreed on the "compassionate conservatism" issue, but have come to realize that is too close to the policies of the left. We have to leave that to us.

Santorum and Ingraham endorse Romney...

strongly. I dislike the harshness of the primary but have to agree with the positions.

The folks at DU

are certain there's a nefarious reason for Edwards quitting.

"I don't want to overlook the fact that the powerful mega-corporations that DO run the show were being threatened by an Edwards administration, they even said so out loud.

One mustn't discount the possibility that the powers that be are capable of drastic measures to insure their control. Horrific threats is not out of the question. Perhaps not threats to Edwards, but maybe threats of some kind that would hurt innocent people somewhere.

I mean, come on, some of these people make a living off of a gigantic war machine, and manufacture events and propaganda to keep that machine rolling."

There's much more in that vein...

The Ruins

Have read and it's good.

Rush mentioned a friend of mine today...

I'm driving back to work from my weekly lunch with a group to which I belong when he mentioned a friend of mine (ok, the husband of a co-worker/friend of mine whom I've met several times and with whom I have exchanged emails on economic issues).

That was a pleasant shock though given my co-worker's political views, I'm sure she was pleased and horrified.

Cool Video

via Ace. LJ, why didn't we ever do this on our bikes?

Re: Tibits

Ok, the money is in. We'll see how my amazing political and financial wherewithal focus the right.

Re: Tidbits

I still believe Rudy was the best qualified of the field (both sides) and thought he generally proved it in the debates but readily admit I thought the Florida strategy was a boneheaded move from the beginning. That is why I waited so long to throw my considerable political weight behind him.

Now, though my $$$ and March vote will go to Mitt, I suspect I'll be holding my nose in November for McCain for only one reason: they're trying to kill us. I'll just have to wait for judges (he could surprise here if the Gang of 14 was grandstanding and he doesn't care about having McCain-Feingold overturned...right), taxes, ANWR, free political speech and border security. He might be decent on spending and was always strong on Social Security (how did that win in Florida?).

It is Bob Dole redux.

Time to get out the checkbook.

Political Tidbits

First, I must poke some jabs at my fellow SSJ's. You guys sure can pick and endorse some winners! Fred.....Rudy. Did they even WANT to be President? They sure didn't act like. And I would like to know who the political genius was that convinced Rudy skip all the primaries before Florida. Having advisers like that should have been an indication of what a Rudy Presidency would have been like.

So it seems like it will be Hillary or Obama vs McCain or Romney. If that is the case, this might be the first time in my family history that my parents and I vote for the same candidate.

That's scary....

Re: Stimulus Package

Thomas Sowell on same:

A bipartisan intervention is virtually guaranteed to be a grab bag of inconsistent policies thrown together in order to get the votes of people with contradictory ideas of what ought to be done.
...

Before Presidents Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt came along, there was no expectation that the federal government would intervene when the stock market crashed or when there was a downturn in the economy.

The Economy is not all gloom and doom...

Kudlow today (in spite of the beating my 401k is taking):

In spite of all the recession talk, the U.S. economy continues chugging along. Just this morning, we received news that new orders for durable goods ended Q4 on a very strong note. We had a 5.2 percent gain. That comes out to 22.6 percent annualized growth over the past three months. Meanwhile, unfilled orders, the leading indicator for sector activity, also showed strength with a 2.5 percent gain for December (20.5 percent over 3 months).

Egad (again)!

Just got an invitation to my 30th high school reunion.

Update: And to make matters worse, I just heard Reflex's The Politics of Dancing on Hugh Hewitt's radio show tonight. If I hear Dexy's Midnight Runners' Come on Eileen (sorry that is the only one I could find), it may be all over.

Look at me; I'm all over YouTube...maybe all is not lost.

Bill Clinton v. Dick Morris

I know enough to take any thing Dick Morris (that little prostitute problem seems to have vanished) says about either of the Clintons with a great big grain of salt but this is astounding:

When he learned of his decline in the polls, he immediately blamed me, accusing me of spending too much time with other clients. Yelling and screaming, he escalated his charges, refusing to listen to me tell him that his latest ad had not been on television yet when the poll was completed. He kept ranting.

Finally, I had enough. I stood up and said I was leaving, quitting the campaign. I grabbed my coat and headed out of the mansion. As I crossed the foyer, I suddenly fell to the ground, tackled by Bill Clinton. I saw his large fist coming at me. Hillary was trying to get between us, yelling "Bill, Bill, stop it. Think about what you are doing. Bill, stop it!"

Begging the question....

Thankfully, Laura Ingraham says the point leads to the question rather than “begs the question” during her interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Genius? Victor Davis Hanson on Rush Limbaugh

From VDH's (my recollection is that he is a traditional California Democrat) Pajamas Media Blog at the bottom:

We also forget that Limbaugh is not just a pundit, but a gifted comedian. His impersonations and imitations are in the first rank of comedians. Note the recent writers’ strike shut down or emasculated lesser talents like Leno, Letterman, and Maher, but reminded us that Limbaugh daily, for three hours non-stop can do his own material. He had all the requisite talents—quick wit, well read, good memory, excellent delivery, and a comic sense.

The Left never saw that. They thought offering up antithetical shows would do the trick, not understanding that Rush succeeded wildly, not just because of his commentary, but because he really is a gifted entertainer, a sort of combination Jack Benny, Lenny Bruce, Don Rickles, and Rich Little all in one, with the insight of a Buckley or Novak. Really a gifted guy. If he bit his lip Clinton-style or socialized with the literati, or didn’t have to do ads, he would be considered by critics as the genius that he really is.

Holy smokes! "Lesser talents" and a combo of Benny, Bruce, Rickles, Little, Buckley [his political dad], and Novak? I've listened with relish since my days in the late 80's when I was on the road in SE Texas constantly. Listened to one program twice in one day with my ex (a liberal) in about 1991 on a long road trip and she didn't complain once. He spanked himself during the broadcast. He's an entertainer first but is at least in the top 10 for 20th century conservative (or liberal in the classical sense) influences.

Thanks, Rush, for all you've done.

"The new phone books are here, the new phone books are here!"

Ok, it is really just the most recent edition of City Journal. That means the articles will start being available online shortly.

Reagan's lethargy

"He is like lion! When lion sees antelope on the horizon, his is not interested, he go to sleep. Ten feet away, too much, leave it. Eight feet, the lion suddenly comes to life!"

A Soviet aide describing Reagan's "negotiating technique, and odd mixture of of lethargy and star power," in "admiring terms..." at Reykjavik.

John O'Sullivan's The President, the Pope and the Prime Minister (pp.268-9)

"smoking dangling gallery"

I don't want to know what this guy was looking for.

Re: House update...plus an added bonus of some political talk

You're absolutely right that no one is counting the delegates...news circus just trying to keep the viewers/readers viewing/reading.

Am very happy that, in spite of the inconvenience, the overall insurance/repair process went well.

Re: Fred

I'd have changed my allegiance from Rudy if he'd gained any traction. My Rudy endorsement is based on three things: They're trying to get us killed, taxes and judges. I want him to be border strong but I have little hope.

I believe him on the first two. If he reneges on the judges, I think he'll be lynched by the right and will make the "read my lips, no new taxes" retribution look tame.

Fred!

at Starbucks.

Fred!

Never give up, never give in, never--oh. Damn.

I think I'm left with who can reliably beat Her. I guess I can live with that, only because I can't live with the alternative.

Re: RIP

It took Lileks for me to figure out who that was.

Check your Driver's Licenses every now and then...

Made a purchase today requiring ID. The clerk reminded me that my license expires tomorrow. Came home and immediately renewed on the DPS/DMV website. Had I waited until tomorrow, I'd have had to actually go to the DPS facility. The horror.

Stimulist[?] Package

I should have known Google would do this. Someone searched stimulist instead of stimulus and came up with my post. Horrified, I ran back to my post fearing an horrendous typo. I was safe.

NFC Championship

This looks miserable but still can't compare to 1967's Ice Bowl.

13 below at game time...none of this wind chill nonsense.

House update...plus an added bonus of some political talk

Before I get to the house update, maybe someone can help me out regarding the primary process we are going through. If the Iowa / N.H. thing is SO important that the candidates start campaigning there 6 months before, why are Fred and Rudy still considered viable candidates when to date, after even more primaries, they haven't won squat? Ron Paul has THREE times the delegates that Rudy has, but he is a "loony fringe" candidate. Are Fred and Rudy just putting all their hope on Super Tuesday? If they are, and that works, doesn't that make this whole 2 year-before- the-election-start-campaigning theory worthless? And how do these Senators do the peoples business when they spend all their time in diners, homes and schools in the middle of Iowa and N.H.? I didn't care for Bob Dole, but I respected him for resigning from the Senate before starting his campaign.....

As for the house update, the contractor FINALLY finished the insurance portion on Jan 4th. So almost 4 months!. It was very frustrating near the end trying to get them out to finish. We never knew when they show up, so I had to stay at home all day. I got cabin fever BIG time. And for the most part, the insurance company has been great. The only bone of contention we've had is over cleaning the house. Our understanding from talking to them in Oct. was that they would pay for a cleaning of the house once all the repairs were done and we could use the cleaning people that we normally use. They cleaned the house over 3 days- downstairs (except the kitchen) 1/2 a day; upstairs 1/2 a day; kitchen 1/2 a day. When we submitted the bill to the insurance company, they told us that they would only pay for 1 day of cleaning, not 3 - and that was what they had told us back in Oct. We argued that (1) it wasn't 3 days of cleaning, it was cleaning over 3 days and (2) the house hadn't been cleaned since the day of the event and it unrealistic to assume the house could be cleaned in "1 day". The claims person told C and 1 days was the policy and how long should it take to "clean up a little dust". THAT statement pissed us off. How do they know how messed up the house is/was? No one from the insurance company ever came out to the house after 9/21. They still haven't been out. We could have, and probably should have, left during some of the repairs, but we didn't. For a couple of weeks, we couldn't use the kitchen. We stayed with ripped up floors, no furniture downstairs. When they were drying out the house (which took 10 days), we didn't leave, even though with all the fans/dryers going 24/7, it was so loud you had to yell to talk to someone. I understand that many people try to rip off insurance companies - but not us. That being said, the process wasn't bad and from the horror stories I've heard from others about water claims, ours was (for the most part) pretty stress-free.

RIP

Fred!

Third place and double digits. Steamroller coming down the tracks.

Stimulus Package?

Kudlow says Bush may have made the best of a bad situation, but the proper response was do nothing.

Love Johnson:

Isn't it about time for a house update? Your loyal readers are wondering.

I’m a Lumberjack and I’m OK

Mark Steyn on his native Canada's economy...

At Imprimis:

My colleague at National Review, John O’Sullivan, once observed that post-war Canadian history is summed up by the old Monty Python song that goes, “I’m a Lumberjack and I’m OK.” If you recall that song, it begins as a robust paean to the manly virtues of a rugged life in the north woods. But it ends with the lumberjack having gradually morphed into a kind of transvestite pickup who likes to wear high heels and dress in women’s clothing while hanging around in bars. Of course, John O’Sullivan isn’t saying that Canadian men are literally cross-dressers—certainly no more than 35-40 percent of us — but rather that a once manly nation has undergone a remarkable psychological makeover. If you go back to 1945, the Royal Canadian Navy had the world’s third largest surface fleet, the Royal Canadian Air Force was one of the world’s most effective air forces, and Canadian troops got the toughest beach on D-Day. But in the space of two generations, a bunch of tough hombres were transformed into a thoroughly feminized culture that prioritizes all the secondary impulses of society—welfare entitlements from cradle to grave—over all the primary ones. And in that, Canada is obviously not alone. If the O’Sullivan thesis is flawed, it’s only because the lumberjack song could stand as the post-war history of almost the entire developed world.

Hill v. Barry

David Brooks is a must-read today. Except his conclusion is wrong. This infighting will drive the WDM (White Dim Male) straight into Fred!'s open arms. Sweet!!

Founding Brothers

I've been listening to the unabridged version of Founding Brothers my last couple of trips to Athens, Coppell. Well worth the read especially for the relationships between Burr and Hamilton, Jefferson and Adams, George and everybody, and Madison and Jefferson.

Character

From Michael Medved:

Shimon Peres, Nobel Peace Prize winner... [on Bush, in spite of this foolhardy mission on Israel/Palestine]:

“And also may I say that I have the highest respect for you, Mr. President, and the highest regard, because speaking as a politician, you introduced character in politics It’s a great contribution to politics – character, courage, vision.”

Fred!

Voter ID

Forget the Supreme's decision on the ID. I think only those who’ve read (or listened to) The Looming Tower should be allowed to vote.

Ok, maybe that's a little harsh, but they are trying to kill us.

Bonnie and Clyde

On the less happy side of the Texas ledger: Clyde Chestnut Barrow and Bonnie Elizabeth Parker.

From the FBI website:

Barrow, for example, was suspected of murdering two police officers at Joplin, Missouri, and kidnaping [sic] a man and a woman in rural Louisiana. He released them near Waldo, Texas. Numerous sightings followed, linking this pair with bank robberies and automobile thefts. Clyde allegedly murdered a man at Hillsboro, Texas; committed robberies at Lufkin and Dallas, Texas; murdered one sheriff and wounded another at Stringtown, Oklahoma; kidnaped [sic] a deputy at Carlsbad, New Mexico; stole an automobile at Victoria, Texas; attempted to murder a deputy at Wharton, Texas; committed murder and robbery at Abilene and Sherman, Texas; committed murder at Dallas, Texas; abducted a sheriff and the chief of police at Wellington, Texas; and committed murder at Joplin and Columbia, Missouri.

...

On April 1, 1934, Bonnie and Clyde encountered two young highway patrolmen near Grapevine, Texas. Before the officers could draw their guns, they were shot. On April 6, 1934, a constable at Miami, Oklahoma, fell mortally wounded by Bonnie and Clyde, who also abducted a police chief, whom they wounded.

…

Before dawn on May 23, 1934, a posse composed of police officers from Louisiana and Texas, including Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, concealed themselves in bushes along the highway near Sailes, Louisiana. In the early daylight, Bonnie and Clyde appeared in an automobile and when they attempted to drive away, the officers opened fire. Bonnie and Clyde were killed instantly.

Ms. Parker is buried in Dallas in a cemetery very near the home in which I was raised. It was great fun to visit her grave as a kid. The childish legend was that if one circled her grave saying her name a number of times guaranteed her haunting of you. It didn't work.

Texans who’ve made the biggest impact on the nation

For good or ill.

I’ll start with two WWII heroes. In these cases, the impact could be said to be on the planet. One, most know is from Texas is Admiral Nimitz. The second, most associated with Kansas, was actually born in Denison, Texas—Eisenhower.

Bruce Thornton has nice words for Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism

at Victor Davis Hanson's Private Papers:

Goldberg, a syndicated columnist and editor at the National Review, modestly calls himself a journalist. But he has in fact written a well-documented, fast-paced history of modern politics and political philosophy. Along the way, he sweeps away self-serving liberal and progressive myths, and recovers the true roots of progressive/liberal politics — in the deification of the state as the instrument of utopian aspirations, the same dynamic of 20th century fascism.

I look forward to getting my copy.

Ok, it's 8:30 in Texas...

I'm making my endorsement: Rudy.

New Hampshire Predictions

Given my stellar performance last Thursday, I'm not even trying.

Carville and Begala

Although they deny it, my old colleagues may be coming to Hillary's aide.

My Dad

Mom found this note to her on the fridge this weekend that my Dad had written sometime before his death. (The fridge is covered with stuff from the grandkids so I know it was easy to miss.) In the hand of a second grader indicating his poor condition. As his speech deteriorated he communicated with notes and at the very end he could only point at letters to spell out his thoughts.

Almost five months after his death she finds it. I'm glad my brother was there with her and I'm sorry I was not. I know it caused a lot of tears but was certainly not taken down. A friend has recommended, and I've agreed, this baby is being printed and framed. I'm going to give to her this weekend.

Liberal Fascism

I've ordered my copy of Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism but have not yet received it. I only know what I know of it from various reviews I've read such as Rich Lowry's or Vox Day's. Having said that, I know already that I owe Jonah a thank you.

I've wondered since college how such centrally regulated economies and such heavily controlled lives under men the likes of Peron and Mussolini could be associated with the American right but have been too lazy to do the work.

Re: The President, the Pope and the Prime Minister

O'Sullivan seems to think the fury over Grenada may have been a bit overblown at least on a purely political basis (I'm sure that she had to personally furious):

After Reagan had given her a full briefing on the military and political progress of the intervention, they ended on the old "Ron" and "Margaret" terms with Margaret asking Ron to pass on her best wishes to Nancy and Ron encouraging Margaret to "eat 'em alive" down at the House of Commons. (p. 224)

...

Public debate in Britain following the immediate crisis hashed over these and other points. This proved slightly embarrassing for the prime minister, however, because almost all her usual supporters on foreign policy issue took Reagan's side. In the House of Lords debate on Grenada, for instance, liberals such as Max Beloff, Noel Annan, and Hugh Thomas as well as more conventional Tories were both baffled and alarmed by Britain's apparent willingness to allow Grenadians to fall into the Cuban-Soviet orbit. The Daily Telegraph and the Times were hostile to Thatcher's refusal to endorse American action. And one of her strongest intellectual supporters, Paul Johnson, confessed that he was astounded at her inability to see that Grenada was an issue as morally clear and compelling as slavery. (p. 225)

Sen. McCain

Why not just remind us that you were calling for a surge long before Bush agreed and stop slamming Rumsfeld? You can tout your "cred" all you want but why the unnecessary ugliness toward a man who has devoted so much of his life to service? Kinda like you. Yes, it may have taken Bush a LONG time to find his Grant (hopefully) but even if this isn't a new kind of war, the generals always say, "All your plans are great until the fighting starts." We knew that going in.

(I know I've slammed McCain, but I'm a pundit wannabe, not a candidate for the Republican nomination.)

VP possibilities

Obama-Oprah-Uma

Huckabee-Norris

We've got a $1,000,000,000,000 war to prosecute...

so why are our congressfolk calling Clemens and Pettitte to testify? Oh yeah, micromanagement is good "for the children."

Did I count my zeros properly?

From YahooNews:

WASHINGTON - Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte were asked Friday to testify before a congressional committee on Jan. 16, along with their former trainer, Brian McNamee.


Also invited to appear before the House Oversight Committee were former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, whose allegations were a central part of last month's Mitchell report on doping in baseball. Former All-Star second baseman Chuck Knoblauch also was asked to speak to the panel.

Fox calls Obama at 8:25

Romney concedes at 7:55

Fox/Murdoch not fair to women...

Tonight's coverage: Every guy reporter/opinion guy is old and wrinkled. Every woman reporter/opinion woman is, er, uh, hot.

Governed by a Mormon

Al Moler on whether he could vote for a Mormon, quoting Martin Luther no less on tonight’s Hugh Hewitt show, “I’d rather be ruled by a competent Turk than an incompetent Christian.” In fairness, Moler also said he has concerns about such an election popularizing what he sees as a religion not compatible with orthodox Christianity. But, elections are about choices.

Chuck Colson agrees:

And the same rule applies in politics: What we need are people who will do the best job.

Martin Luther understood this: He said he would rather be ruled by a competent Turk than an incompetent Christian. The Bible teaches objective principles about the proper tasks of government: to promote justice, restrain sin. And sometimes non-Christians are better trained in how to carry out those tasks than are Christians.

Olasky on Sam Adams...Christian (Failed) Brewmaster

From Townhall:

And yet, Adams in his political writings emphasized not Isaiah but the understanding that "security of right and property is the great end of government." He argued that "the religion and public liberty of a people are so intimately connected, that their interests are interwoven and cannot exist separately." He worked hard to convince Christians and anti-tax libertarians that they were fighting the same battle.

As Olasky argues, if Huck could dump the Edwardsian populism and nanny state c--p, he could do much better but since he won't, he must lose. If he goes on to win, I won't have been a supporter but I'll be in the tavern.

Predictions for Iowa?

R:

Romney
Huckabee
McCain

D:

Edwards
Obama
Clinton

Update: not even close.

Hugh Hewitt on the great American, bad senator and terrible Republican:

New Hampshire must vote no.

Giuliani may be tanking but I still think he's my first pick...

because they want to kill us. From the current City Journal:

There have been no fewer than 14 attempted domestic terrorist attacks and nine international plots against American citizens and interests since 9/11, according to reports in the public record. There have been plots to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge and airplanes crossing the Atlantic. Terrorists have conspired to murder American soldiers at Fort Dix and planned to ignite the fuel lines beneath John F. Kennedy International Airport. Not a single post-9/11 plot on U.S. soil has succeeded to date. That is no accident; it is a measure of our increased vigilance as a nation.
…

The next administration’s approach to homeland security should be based on three core principles: prevention, preparedness, and resilience.

Re: The DMN "Texan of the Year"

I, too, have mixed thoughts about this. A couple of big helps for me were two short books that had their origins at the Manhattan Institutes's City Journal magazine. The first was Mexifornia-a State of Becoming (2003, 150 pp) by Victor Davis Hanson and the second was The Immigration Solution-a Better Plan than Today's (2007, 183 pp) by Hanson, Heather Mac Donald and Steven Malanga.

The gist: got to stop/greatly reduce the illegal traffic and enable/gently force those here illegally to assimilate or return home the way our previous waves of immigrants did. I never knew that during the depression something like half of the earlier immigrants went home because, in great part, due to the depression. Those that stayed were skilled and contributing. Then, after a while, figure out a way to increase the numbers of legal immigrants. While I'm not opposed to certain numbers of unskilled workers, isn't it in our better interest (oh, I'm so selfish) to admit those with skills that can contribute first?

The hard part is the great reduction of illegal traffic. But figures I've seen this year show something like a 20% decrease over 2006 due in part to the slumping housing market. To me this indicates that employer enforcement is critical. If the market can inform those who would be illegal not to bother to come, enforcement can, too.

As for my mixed feelings, I share what I am sure is your concern for these honest folks who want to provide for their families but cannot do so living under a grossly corrupt oligarchy in Mexico. The oligarchs export the natural would-be revolutionaries for a free market economy as evidenced by the comic book published to ease their illegal entry into the U.S. And, let's be clear and honest, that is who we are talking about--Mexicans and Central Americans.

One of my earliest best friends was a Mexican national named Fernando, not an illegal but I only mention him anecdotally lest a reader other than LJ or Michael think me a bigot. I don't know how else to prove my non-racist bona fides but know LJ and Michael would vouch for me. Also, one of the first persons other than family to come to my mother's house after my father died was Ruben, the guy who cuts my mom's lawn. I don't know his legal status but he does not speak English...he brought his young daughter to translate his condolences. He also quickly arranged to cut the lawn and clean up the yard in preparation of receiving visitors around the funeral. I'll be forever grateful for that. When I moved back to Texas from Denver, he sent a team to help me unload my belongings into storage. I'm grateful for that, too. (I gave him a couple of recliners.)

But when one considers that in 1970-Hispanics were 12% of California's population and 16% of its new prison admits and by 1998 they were 30% of the CA population and 42% of new admits (Immigration Solution, p. 102), the cost is staggering.

I'll only cite gangs like Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS 13). Nothing else needs saying.

This doesn't even begin to factor in the costs associated with the "welfare state" and the illegal immigrant population. That is a key difference between the current immigrant and those of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Those previous waves had to sink, swim or rely on relatives or benefactors until they could succeed. Today, they can sink and rely on the American taxpayer to survive (or even thrive when compared to conditions at home).

Hispanic family values are also not what the Republicans would have you believe. Out of wedlock children are highest among Hispanics. In 2003, the number of children born to 1000 unmarried women was:

African-American 66
Asian 22
Hispanic 92
White 18

In 2005, the percentage of all births outside marriage:

African-American 68%
Asian 16%
Hispanic 48%
White 25%

While all those rates are disturbing, only the Hispanic population will triple in the next few decades (Immigration Solution, p. 118). Are we not now beyond the argument that it does not matter if a child has both parents? Nobody made the argument better than Patrick Moynihan in the 60s.

I want these folks to want to become Americans. That is why those images of the "demonstrations" in 2006 were so disturbing. Those along with many ideas of La Raza and similar groups. We bought California for about $15,000,000.00 about two weeks after gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill (word had not yet reached Washington or Mexico City, else Mexico would have insisted on much more). A bad deal for Mexico? Sure, but a hell of a lot better than the sellers of Manhattan got.

I'm all over the place but I believe if we could have a five to ten year hiatus (I haven't really thought about how long it would take), we could go a long way toward assimilating those here and get them well on the way to becoming Americans. Then, reopen the gates. We need immigrants; we need people.

Update: The Corner follows the LJ post lead.

The DMN "Texan of the Year"

They make an interesting choice - the illegal immigrant. I have to be honest and say I have been going back and forth lately on this issue. With all the work going on to our house as a result of the water event (and yes, they are STILL working on it), I have had almost daily contact with illegal immigrants. They are very nice, very hard working, very funny, do a great job. One understands the political strategy to "humanize them". One understands their motivation to be here. I just wish there was an easier, faster way for them to be here legally.

The Blizzard of '07

C and I have finally arrived back to DFW after surviving the hell that is travelling in a winter in the North. When we arrived in Milwaukee last Thurs, they had several (in some places 8 or so inches of snow on the ground). The first few days were EXTREMELY foggy then on Sat night, Sunday - the 1st storm hit. Not heavy snow, but with 35-55 mph winds, it was pretty nasty. I used the "b" word in the early afternoon and was laughed at by C - a few hours later, a couple of folks who lived there said it was "blizzard-like" outside, as did a weather guy on local TV. After that, it was just clear and cold until Fri, the day we were supposed to fly out.

As the snow began (big, wet heavy flakes), we were loading up the rental car and I had the heater/defroster going and I somehow locked the keys inside with the engine running. Couldn't get any towing services on the phone so had to call the local police. They showed up in about 20 minutes and while it took them a while, they finally got it unlocked. We made it to the airport and it was really coming down. They kept closing the airport to plow it, then reopen, the close, etc. Our flight was coming from DFW and was 15 minutes from Milwaukee when the airport closed again. Plane was diverted somewhere (we never heard where) and our flight, among many others, was cancelled. 2 and 1/2 hours later, we finally got our luggage. One would think that the Milwaukee airport would go through this several times a year, but it was utter chaos. No on knew where bags were going, which flights bags were for, etc. Ours were in a cart outside "under a snowbank").

We got out yesterday afternoon (flight delayed over an hour for unknown reasons since it wasn't snowing and the airport was open). We finally got home around 6 - surviving the 2nd snowiest Dec in Milwaukee history.

On a side note, as we were sitting at the airport Fri and it's snowing like crazy, snow plows with blinking light is all you can see outside, chaos all around, I was flashing back to the classic movie "Airport". I kept expecting to see Deano or that old lady who sneaks aboard flights at any minute.

Going for my concealed carry permit...

in the next couple of weeks. Going with a guy from the office. If I'm qualified on a pistol, I'm also qualified on a revolver. Has to be a .32 to be qualified for the bigger calibers (hope my Colt .32 will qualify). I know I sound like some of kind of nut but just want to be grandfathered if the legislation changes.

HuckaNOOOOOOOOO!!!!

It's not going to happen so let's not panic.

It can't happen.

It can't.

Huckabee

The real reason to not support the man "whose name sounds like a family restaurant chain" is the fact that almost every lefty in my firm says that they could live with a Huckabeean Presidency. Either they are sincere (as I know some are) or insincere.

If sincere, then obviously his policies are bad. If not, then they don't think him electable.

The President, the Pope and the Prime Minister

Paul Johnson at Imprimus/Hillsdale on the three:

It is worth noting that one of the greatest victories of the 20th century, the defeat of the Soviet Union in the Cold War at the end of the 1980s, was achieved by three eminently civilian heroes: Pope John Paul II, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. The popes always wear white, the symbol of peace. Mr. Reagan, quite capable of acting heroic roles on screen, never succumbed to the temptation of wearing uniform in office. Margaret Thatcher was a war leader as well as a great leader in peace. She showed considerable courage during the Falklands War, a hazardous business for Britain with its limited military resources, but she never once stepped outside her strictly civilian role, even sartorially—though, as I often noted, she could snap her handbag with a military ring.

What a great writer/orator. Wish I coulda heard this speech.

I'm just 47...

So how come I pinch a nerve or hurt my left shoulder (excruciating, btw, I have to turn at the waist to look around) brushing my teeth WITH MY RIGHT HAND.

Clinton the First Woman to run for President?

Pundits keep referring to HRC as the first woman candidate for president as Dick Morris did today in his column at JWR.

Isn’t that a bit of a slap at Carol Mosely Braun?

UT Law Tuition..egads!

From next week's Texas Lawyer:

Lawrence Sager, UT law school's dean, says the proposal that the school will present to the regents in early 2008 calls for a $4,000 increase in resident and nonresident tuition for each of the next two years. If approved by regents, the proposed increase would boost UT law school's resident tuition and fees to $24,632 for the 2008-2009 academic year and to $28,632 for the following year, according to information provided by the law school. The proposal would boost tuition and fees for nonresidents to $39,130 next year and to $43,130 in 2009-2010.

Update: I understand that my undergrad school at UT, now the McCombs School of Bidness, is even more expensive. If these tuitions had been in place in the early 80s, I'd be a plumber now and probably happier.

Grudgingly, I link this

Peter Robinson's interview with Victor Davis Hanson is too good (and somewhat encouraging) not to link. Hopefully they will combine the five roughly five minutes each interviews for one listen.

Pope a global warming-denier

From the Daily Mail:

The German-born Pontiff said that while some concerns may be valid it was vital that the international community based its policies on science rather than the dogma of the environmentalist movement.

Re: LJ in SA....

Nope, in DFW. Wish I were though. This 80 (Saturday), 50 (Sunday), 39 (Monday), 65 (this morning) temp rollercoaster is driving me crazy.

Is LJ in SA...

again? Got a hit from Chile.

Christmas Giving

Please consider Austin's City School.

Way to go Whoopi!

Lose the death tax forever. From Kudlow and The View.

Fine...

NRO starts putting the Hoover Institution Videos (HIV) up on its site. HVI obviously doesn't need SSJ any longer. I'm losing the link.

Could be time for that next electronics purchase...

CompUSA closing. I don't know how they made it this long. From USA Today:

CompUSA operates 103 stores, which plan to run store-closing sales during the holidays.

Skyline goes down to Plano...

Big. 41-20. End of dream season. Good luck Wildcats.