intelligent design schools

EVOLUTION

Fearing Darwin the administrators hunker down clinging to their faith, but their god is good and will not abandon them. No one, after all, wants to leave a child behind with the rapture fast approaching - the second coming (Hilary?) This impending NCLB Armageddon will separate the sheep from the goats and the administrators are taking some heat, being the scape goats. Natural selection would dictate that parents could choose where to send their kids to school - and schools that couldn't attract any schoolmates would die off and the species would be more fit. This genetic algorithm's form of artificial intelligence - recombination, crossover, mutation and evaluation of fitness - is clearly blasphemous to the keepers of the faith. Only the school administration et al has a direct relationship to their god. Sex/reproduction has to be kept out of the schools - the species can survive with a little more prayer for insight from the intelligent designer (storks delivering wisdom). The proles need guidance from their shepherds, and shackled down, not to wonder to the school of their benighted choosing. These school children are needed nutrients (state funding) for the maggot infestion that is failing unfit schools.

algore tripple threat

AL GORE

We've always know Algore to be an eloquent rapper - the presidential debates featured some hard core dubs with the whole lockbox loop. He won the popular vote for American President by a half million (1/2%) in 2000 loosing Florida by a mere 500 votes (also 1/2%). So we know his rap sheet: 5-4 in the supreme court - just one vote short. We know Algore can act as evidenced by his Oscar win for Best Fictional Documentary. He really took it to the house and raised his game to the next level, inconveniently out truthing even ideological friend Micheal Moore. So how does a green hipster follow up that act? Its called the Algore dance aka Nobel Peace Prize. The legitimate triple threat is in a zone now turning out new hits and heating up the global beat-up-America agenda. He joins other luminary Peace Prize winners such as terrorist Yasser Arafat, club of dictators secretary Kofi Anaan, poverty enthusiast Jimmy Carter, and rogue state appeaser Mohamed El Baradei. We should all band together now and help the doomsday prophet (profit) win the civilian space flight X-prize, by sending him in a capsule to the source of solar energy. As Algore would say: "It's not a political imperative, but rather a moral imperative."

keep the amt

TAXATION

The fair tax has been getting a fair hearing as of late, at least within the GOP. Like most things, in theory it is all pristine - on the surface the premise appears good, but beyond the facade lies hidden dangers. The proposal: Repeal the 16th amendment, abolish the IRS, add a VAT or national sales tax of 30% on all goods and services. Simple enough, taxing consumption rather than income would be more benign to economic prosperity, but such a procedure would have to go through the U.S. Congress where the chances of passage unmolested are nil. Does any one really believe that 30% would be levied on all things? How would the tax code not become more complex with near certain additional exemptions and allowances. The outcry would be too great for most politicians to ignore, of the supposed negative effects on the poor - and before you knew it, it would mirror our present day progressive system. A better remedy would be to not abolish the alternative minimum tax in our present day income tax code - but rather use it as a backdoor way to achieve a defacto flat income tax. However the debate shapes out, one thing is certain that NYT propagandist Paul Krugman will so distort the issue that reason and logic will go on permanent sabbatical.

mccarthy cures autism

DISABILITY

Good news folks. Former playmate and MTV Singled Out host Jenny McCarthy has discovered the cure for Autism. All it takes is a detoxifying diet and some magic crystals and wammo: the magical cure. Of course the immunization/mercury link has long ben dispelled by serious researchers - but with autism rates multiplying ad infinitum the weekly newsines are getting restless. (My own hypothesis would be the silicon implants breast feeding angle - the silicon that is, being an indicator of a mother believing in whatever wiccan methodology is emanating from the popular occult of the era). Well the autism explosion has a lot to do with Rainman - no one wants an ordinary "retarded" child, when you can, with a little affluence and money, get a premium diagnosis as Autistic. Everyone assumes that means the savant variety - high math, memory and or music skills. Why is there a popular rejection of the continuum of human life? Some people are born with God given talents and others are lacking but that does not make anyone less human. Doctors often advise mothers of prenatal detected down syndrome that most mothers choose to abort - that to add comfort to a borderline defined genocidal action. The real traits that humans should judge others on are sincerity, integrity, and love, not physical nor cognitive disability. Rather than frantically searching for cures, it would be better to work on acceptance and reasonable accommodations.

belt drive

FASHION

Rosanne apparently free from having any type of career going at the time (singing the national anthem was definitely not an option), decided to donate time at the local charity. They were in the middle of a canned food drive and asked her to head the committee assigned for the winter clothing drive. This was prep work - right up her alley. She called the first committee meeting to order with the banging gavel struck three times. The last time was really loud and every one stood at a standstill. She blurted out "Everyone take your seats now c'mon!" Everyone discontinued their meaningless banter with their peers about the weather and who was doing what and they all promptly sat down. Rosanne announced that if anyone wanted to hear the minutes of the last meeting to speak up - but she kept rambling on about the business of the committee and no-one was given a chance to hear the minutes. She moved and seconded her own motion to scrap the winter clothing drive - seems how Santa Monica was not all that cold in the winter - she deemed the poor folk would have to make do with their summer clothes. She then proceeded onto the next topic of business: that being the drooping pants, boxers/thong showing issue. "Well," she declared, "I slapped DJ across the living room when he tried to leave the house looking like that." So she moved and seconded her own motion, that for fall, that they - the prestigious committee that is - would round up belts in a massive belt drive - to be dispersed to inner city poor kids and young adults who had a hard time keeping their pants up. Someone mentioned suspenders - but it was not heard among the ensuing ruckus.

third party foul

COERCION

Evidence points to inequality of decision making. Some people routinely make good choices as judged by society while others routinely shoot themselves in the foot. The scientific management model of modern liberals assumes rough genetic equality with observed differences explained mostly by environment. Using a diminishing marginal utility model, they can explain lazy unmotivated peoples behavior. How some people actually accomplish things like having transportation to and from this thing called a job to pay for their food and shelter is explained away as benefiting from past wealth/opportunistic chance. Problems of society are posited as though a solution exists rather than an eternal plague of humanity. Wealth redistribution (theft) is a favored solution of the modern liberal progressives. With a little articulate moral gymnastics they don't see this as stealing nor coercive. Classical liberals on the other hand assume genetic inequality (some are dumb) but have the hubris to know that third parties (even the elite minds) make even stupider decisions than stupid people would have made for their own lives. This is because third parties are often isolated from any negative feedback loops that the individual more directly experiences and use to adjust their behaviour. Human evolution since the dawn of civilization has only been 10 thousand years - only a blink of the eye in evolutionary time. Humans ultimately only have hunter/gatherer brain power. Classical liberals often appear looking foolish by acknowledging societal problems often have no government solution, but modern liberals throw out answers and remove all doubt.

crucify u.s.

PACIFISM

With their freudian religious undertones slipping out while trying to sound secular the pacifists wish for the nations crucifixion. You see the nation has been a sinner of late, actually for most of its existence. The numerous taints on the nations soul include stealing Indian land, slavery, industrialization, segregation, nuclear weapons, Vietnam, cold-war realpolitik, Iraq 1, post cold-war idealism, Iraq 2, global warming, ect, ect.... and all the other problems of the world. Now we need to be put back in our place - to be humbled. We need our hubris checked - our resolve weakened. We need our superior beliefs made inferior. Only when the nation has been crucified - only when barabbas or his modern dictator equivalent is released - only then can we begin the dialog amongst ourselves and other nations - only then can the human planet all join hands in a giant friendship circle - only then can pacifist candle light vigils commence in all time zones across the newborn earth. Our nation state must die to purify our progressive soul.

sports fanatics saved souls

SPORTS LIBERALISM

Troy Smith could not have won the Heisman trophy without Maurice Clarett. They never played on the field in the same year - but came in on the same recruiting class of 2002 at The Ohio State University. Clarett played as a true freshman Autumn of '02 winning the national championship. Then he filed a fraudulent insurance claim summer '03, and was suspended from the team. After only one year in college, he sued the NFL to let him in the draft early, was denied, then drafted a year later but released after pre-season. He committed armed robbery Winter '06 in Columbus (where a few people might recognize him) in the midst of signing to play in Europe. Then, Summer '06, he refused to pull over to police who found he was driving with a bullet proof vest and had three concealed handguns. He then struck a deal to go to prison for 3-1/2 years and a consolidation of charges against him. Somehow college athletics could not save Clarett from the streets, much to the dismay of sports-fanatics. But they were able to capitalize on Smith who also had a tough childhood. Smith was involved in a few campus disturbances and received money from boosters - resulting in missing a bowl game and not starting a critical home game against Texas. But Smith repented and grew up with the help of his head coach - sports writers and Heisman voters went ecstatic. After loosing Clarett to the dark side, the sports-fanatics found redemption in Smith. That is what they believe in after all - the power of sports to change peoples lives for the better. Sports healed the Nation after Sept 11th. Football healed New Orleans, and football is now healing Virginia Tech. Aren't we all happier now?

aclu where are you

HYPOCRISY

Tapping on the floor a secret code is a crime in the Minneapolis Airport bathroom. In an unjust undercover operation an Evil Conservative is swept up - by expressing his constitutionally protected right to speech and sexual privacy. But don't worry, the ACLU will be filing a complaint soon and will be joined by Rossie O'Donnell, Jessie Jackson et al - in a massive march against the multiple recent outing of gay Republicans and Religious Conservatives by frothy mouthed media activists. (Unless the ACLU is a hypocritical organization that is...) 1973 Roe v. Wade is an explicit mandate for sexual/reproductive privacy written plain as day (Sandra Day? in Casey) into the U.S. Constitution - its a universal human right, right? (What, the Supremes making it up as they go along is a bad idea?) Well most people fall somewhere into the contradiction column sometimes but that does not negate truth. Someone advocating for monogamous marriage who has an affair - obviously a hypocrite - that act does not negate the belief that monogamy is better for society than promiscuity. Algore living in a big house with huge electric bills and John Edwards hedge fund advisory don't discount their commitments to global warming and poverty respectively. The difference between modern liberals and conservatives when it comes to hypocrisy is that conservatives bring ruin to their life when they don't practice what they preach. Modern liberals actually enrich their lives and make the world a better place when they deviate from their anti-consumerist / egalitarian Marxist dogmatism.

UPDATE: I heard the ACLU is taking up the case. Their take: Solicitation in public is OK as long as act takes place in private.

disregard higher standards of living

WALMART

Well, you all know what Walmart represents? The absolute conquest of America to make this nation a factory town. First it was a department store destroying the mom and pop shops that are so vital to society. Then they branched out into groceries in Super Walmart incarnation, adding fuel and car service centers along the way. Look at the front of the store now (for you good spirited boycotters, I'll fill you in from my latest spy mission). They have little shops to get your hair done, eyeglasses, a place to get your prescription drugs, usually a McDonalds, sometimes a second party bank. They are planning on expanding into banking and opening their own health clinics. And then look around at who they prey on (for those of you who have never been outside the organic/boutique high end market, I'll fill you in) Their stores are teaming with poor people and people of color! And their employees too. Good thing minimum wage is going up, that way all the small shops that already have high wages and excellent benefits will be able to compete with non-union Walmart. Remember after Katrina when they rushed in to set up little makeshift supply depots trying to out-do FEMA. This was Sam Waltons plan: to offer low prices and reasonable service to lure the dimwitted (sorry, I meant people of less opportunity and systemic discrimination) in and have them go there for everything. Now its up to the intellectual elites of the nation to come together and suppress this Walmartation of the U.S. With their reputation for keeping costs down in higher education and government regulation of health care, who would not trust them?

non blood nation

MULTI-CULTURALISM

Given that we are more pluralistic than Europe, what attributes distinguish us from Europe and need to be emphasized for one cultural National identity? Of course the multi-culturalists with their segregated - hyphenated - vision for the American Nation will resent any effort by immigrants to assimilate. Best to keep them segregated to their foreign ways and pigeon-holed into minority voting blocks. African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, and Native-Americans are seen as victims in need of reparations and redistribution of wealth. By keeping the multi-culturalist apartheid, their full integration will be diverted - always being in need of a powerful coercive taxing government to stick-it-to the 'man'. Privileged white non-Hispanics should feel an endless hapless guilt for their success - economic growth in general needs to be stunted to help the less fortunate catch up. Never mind the fact that in Europe, Nation is defined by blood, immigrant integration is a failure. Never mind that the U.S. is the most ethnically diverse/pluralistic industrialized Nation on earth because we define the American Nation, not by blood but by the ideals of individual liberty, free enterprise and limited government. Never mind that U.S. culture is the dominant culture of the world precisely because we accept all cultures into the melting pot and re-export the slag - human prosperity - the very thing multi-culturalists despise the most. All liberty minded inhabitants of the earth are eligible to join the American Nation and should refuse to be hyphenated.

progressives fight progress

OWNERSHIP SOCIETY

Liberal progressives can be downright bulwarks against change. They favor mostly the unstabilitating kind of change - social change. This change in effect leads to humanities long natural history of self-efficacy to diminish into state oppression, with all the promises of government to help the broken family actually removing all incentives for nuclear family formation. Once upon a time the 'downtrodden' aspired to improve their lot - or were at least too proud to take handouts - now these transfer payments are seen as an entitlement by both giver and receiver. Other than the initial civil rights movement most of this has been disastrous. The so called 'conservatives' are a force for change by preserving the historical institutions that allow rapid material progress without upheaval. When it comes to free-trade, retirement/pensions, school-choice, lawsuit restraint, and other market driven ideas, progressives fight to protect the status quo and thwart change. Somehow the progressive Democrats are labeled liberals (FDR stole this term) even as they fight for union-jobs by preventing the de-institutionalization of individuals with disabilities. They also fight sprawl which only results in home prices going up, and alas, we need government solutions to affordable housing. The so called 'conservatives' ownership-society is a revolutionary vision that is a much too frightening change for the progressives. If the populace is on-its-own (in Hillaryspeak) then what need have they for governing elites? This liberal policy most be stopped.

the great roundup begins

IMMIGRATION

The elites brave debate has been silenced by the benighted masses. Even with the ad hoc endorsement of amnesty by the old media and polls confirming their stewardship of the issue, immigration reform has been stopped. Kennedy's shouting to opponents about the evil of their plan to roundup and send 20 million illegals home summed up the debate: since option one (the roundup) is inoperable then only option two is reasonable (amnesty). Now all the illegals will have to go back into the shadows - receiving free handouts to survive (the darkness that surrounds their existence) - court mandated taxpayer provided k-12 education, eligibility for welfare, non-discrimination (of the citizenshiply challenged) in housing and drivers licenses. Not to mention that most are uninsured and can't get preventive care before they end up in the insurance-payer/tax-payer subsidised free emergency room. Its almost enough to make some of them want to pack it up and head for home, withdrawing money from their no-proof-of-citizenship-required bank accounts. With families being exploited like this we will need to increase tuition assistance for illegals because all they get now is the in-state tuition rate. America is an uncompassionate place (why does everyone want to come here?) The way things are going, illegals will loose the right to vote too, if the courts let citizens demands for proof of eligibility requirements to stand.

last of the great society

HIPPIES

This is the last gasp for the summer of love - their present positions in the media, government bureaucracy and academia are at a pinnacle and will only recede in the coming decades. This is their Tet offensive - apparitionaly winning, but they may end up on the wrong side of history. Back in the late sixties/ early seventies communism was still expanding, the west was beginning a decline, and the future was murky. Flower people set out to form a society without rules or even money, and the so called great society balloon was launched amid anti-war, anti-capitalist, anti-west delusions. US economic opulence in the 50's and early 60's allowed a generation of listlessness and ignorant protest. Of coarse the whole thing went up in smoke when reality set in (obviously a Nixon/Kissinger dirty trick). True historians never look at events of the past quarter century because they are still too biased, like uncured cement. It is very easy to write a book beating up on the current administrations faults. They are not unprecedented nor unique in the history of our nation nor humankind. Only time will tell if Bush is judged as a Wilson/Johnson or a Lincoln/Trueman, except to those with the superior vision, the present flower children's fantasy, which says he is the worst ever.

dont ask your doctor

HEALTH CARE

Spiraling health costs can easily be reduced by curtailing all the new medicine and procedures that cost so much. Big Pharma is our enemy driving up costs - we should take the European model and not let them advertise the benefits of their drugs. That way consumers are kept in the dark over what potential ailments they have and do not see their doctor to learn more. This is the fault of the ownership society - the poor benighted do not have the volition to direct their own heath care. That is best managed by Hillarycare - an all-knowing benevolent concept of shared responsibility. The rich are responsible for sharing their wealth (giving back) through taxes to subsidise everyone else's unlimited health care wants. To control costs waiting lists can be introduced and drug prices will be fixed to discourage Big Pharma from developing new expensive drugs. Life is inherently unfair - so say the naysayers - but through coercive government action, everyone can be made equally ill - the egalitarians wish. This is societies choice: single payer statism or individualistic opportunity.

law and order

FRED THOMPSON

What's not to like about Fred Thompson? Well he supports campaign finance reform (incumbent protection reform), but that is about it for now. He actually sounds like a politician who believes in the Constitutions provisions for federalism/states rights. Economics and national defense - so far so good. Entitlement reform will hopefully be a major focus in the GOP primaries. Giuliani is weak on saying that the Constitution supports taxpayer funding of abortions. McCain is a progressive Republican in the mold of Teddy Roosevelt (mold being that undesirable stuff on bread i.e. your wallet). Romney is a lifetime hunter (twice) and can easily shoot himself in the foot. What is it about Tennessee which has more political talent per capita than any other state - political talent as defined by politicians making an impact on the national scene, not true talent, so yes Algore counts.

gwb america

MODERN LIBERAL LAMENT

This is George W. Bushes America. We live in tyranny with detention camps, torture and wiretaps. 40 million Americans are uninsured and the genocide in Darfur continues. The US ignored Hiv/aids too long in Africa. Big oil has jacked up gas to over $3 a gallon and global warming is spreading rapidly. The assault weapons ban has lapsed and look at the Virginia Tech massacre. 'Islamic insurgents' need access to our courts with our rights to press their cases against us. We need to sit down with Bushes enemies and find out why they are mad, to stop what we are doing to provoke them, starting with ending the apartheid in the occupied Palestinian territories. We were promised weapons of mass destruction in Iraq - how where we fooled into fighting a war for democracy, universal suffrage, women's rights and justice? Eighteen years ago in Tienanmen Square students were put down for aspiring to become like us. (What fools they are.)

select news fit to print

NEWS MEDIA

The news is a report of what is new so they don't report much on what has remained the same. Advertising is their customer so they report mainly to get viewers/readers that advertisers want to reach. The fact that some things are getting better all the time is not news in the sense that no political action is needed. They only report the expose and love to report acute rather than diffuse effects. The 5th generation milk farmer going into default makes better news than the millions of consumers jipped 5cents a gallon because of farm subsidies. Journalists fancy themselves affecting change in a positive fashion rather than just reporting the facts and putting perspective on events. With almost every story, change is needed and implicitly government is the choice change agent (with fiat power). The stratification of America has never been more polarized - a drastic charge. But when one considers the changes since the '50's of a re-castization of America - along intellectual fault lines -it seems to make sense. People can be divided in roughly half - left and right brain people. You see journalists are (left brain - creative/expressive) writers of fiction - they use facts to adjust their template and tell the story along familiar plot lines. The rich get richer the poor get poorer. The latest outrage that needs immediate government action as though it where some unusual event unprecedented in history is what sells. They are sell-outs to truth and reason.

jimmy leaving for caracas

SOCIALISM

Why is everyone leaving? The Democratic Republic of Germany (communist newspeak for socialism) had to build a wall around West Berlin to keep all of east Germany leaving for West Germany. More people left Vietnam after the fall of Saigon then immigrated there. North Koreans are trapped deep inside an isolated totalitarianism. Rafters are leaving Cuba in droves - don't they know about the free health care? In a free society - even the most capitalistic - a group is free to go off by themselves and form a commune, but in a socialist regime the same is not true of a group of market liberals. Now Venezuela is looking to join the club of elite humanitarian disasters by removing the most basic of human rights - property. Jimmy Carter should move there permanently seems how his organization found no fault with the elections of Chavez. One problem Venezuela will not have is millions of people teaming to get in! A lot will be leaving.

research mercantilism

STEM CELLS

How is the nation responsible for a new research discovery assigned? Much research is done and credited as being discovered in the US, but often by foreign born persons - some US citizens, some with student visas. Half of all grad students are from over seas - largess of the US taxpayer to the university system. The brain drain from the rest of the world seems to benefit us well but should not be an end-all be-all. High threats are made that if stem cells are not funded (as though there were a federal ban) that research will go to other countries. These research mercantilists ignore the fact that invitro fertilization was developed without federal funding and that many countries do not allow profits on medical breakthroughs. The US will still benefit from any discoveries in the globalised system. If South Korea wants to take the lead in experiments with human stem cells - let them. Would it not be better to fall behind in humankinds destruction?

the sky is falling again

RECYCLING

Just because one time one trash barge could not get rid of its garbage from NYC does not mean that there is a lack of landfill space. Just because an area you remember as farmland as a kid now has houses does not mean that sprawl is overwhelming farmland. Whoever believes these things has never been on an airplane across the U.S. When you look down there is barely anything there - cities are quite rare - tons of room for landfills, plenty of farmland left. Ok now a primer for those who don't understand information: Prices are information (except to the centralized planning types). They say what/when/how to produce, what/when/how to buy, how much something is valued present and future. If farmland was scarce then food prices would increase and farmland would become more valuable and subdivisions would be bought up by farmers to make the way for new crops - problem solved. If landfills were scarce then it would cost a lot to have your garbage picked up. Just because recycling reduces the amount of solid waste a city outputs does not mean that it is resource or energy efficient. What if the cost and environmental harm were greater to pick up and sort all the recyclables from regular trash - both diesel truck emissions and human carbon dioxide emissions (and bureaucratic red tape)? When they pay me to pick up my glass/plastic/aluminum/paper then I'll sell it to them - until then its going in the trash.

college for everyone

IMMIGRATION

Marxists talk as though people where living an idyllic country life and then rounded up - almost against their will - forced to move to the cities and work in factories. They mention the squalor and suffering of the cities, but most likely this was occurring in the country side - just concentration in the city made the problems more acute, less diffuse. Then Henry Ford came along, cash on hand, not trusting the Jewish banking community, and offered workers a $5 dollar day. So factory work - even if mundane - become harder to leave with the pay so lavish. So if, as the Marxists fantasize, of workers dreaming to return to the country, (there may be some truth behind this) they certainly could not easily accept such a lower standard of living to do so. So to insure a stable workforce, most large companies have paid above market wages to reliable employees. These employee wages can be easily undercut by mass illegal and legal immigration of unskilled workers. One can live quite cheap on rice and beans, bunking with coworkers - yet a more lavish lifestyle than possible south of the border. Advocates of open borders and amnesty must yield on these points. The unskilled American worker will be undercut by mass immigration. Markets always clear - there is no such thing as a job Americans are not willing to do. Mass immigration will largely benefit middle and upper class skilled wage and professional salary earners because prices will go down. Modern progressive liberals insert talking points here: (worker re-training programs, college tuition assistance, universal heath care, living wage) Just never mention the standard distribution of intelligence - if you ignore it, it will go away!

soup lines for everyone

UNIVERSAL RIGHTS

There are only two certainties in life - death and taxes. Despite this, a lot of people believe in universal positive rights. Everyone has a right to health care, a home, a decent paying job, a good education (material rights) the socialists say. Not just the right to pursue these things but rather they must be given to everyone on earth even if they are capable but unwilling to get things on their own (due to systemic dicrimination of course). And to achieve this 'material security' they propose taking away other's negative rights (liberty of action, the right to own property, freedom of thought). Progressives dictate that it is everyones legal responsibility to make sure everyone else has these material rights through paying taxes to the state which then provides all these benefits - and if you refuse to subsidise the materially challenged, you will be imprisoned. And that sums up the problem with positive rights in the first place. How can they exist across time? Did they apply when humans lived as hunter-gatherers? Will they apply when the earth goes out of balance due to global warming in ten years? If positive rights don't have this continuity of existence, then when were they created and by whom? If one willingly chooses to do nothing, is the rest of society still obligated to provide them with positive rights though government? Does one have the right to willingly harm themselves? If one expects "from all: what one is capable" then who judges what ones capabilities are? (or is the assumption that human nature is altruistic when removed from the capitalist rat race?) The same problem arises in determining "to all: what one needs." Legitimate governments are created to protect individuals' negative rights not to bestow positive rights on select groups. The only thing universal in socialist mantra is suffering.

corporate welfare as we know it

WEALTH

Not all robber barons are the same. The so-called gilded age of the late 1800's and supposedly re-emerging today is full of popular populist myths. The original robber barons extracted tolls along the Rhine river by force in the middle ages - but Rockefeller and Gates competed in a competitive marketplace to gain their commanding advantage and did not rely on the fiat power of government. If anything they wanted government to leave them alone. The same is not true of Sun Microsystems and Netscape that tried to use government power to un-enrich Microsoft. John Edwards thinks there is two Americas - and he is correct - but not along lines of class defined by wealth as he fantasizes. The two Americas are those that make it on their own and pay taxes and those who rely on transfer payments from government politicians for their very own survival (and vise versa). The investment banker making many millions a year is in the same class as the specialty bakery owner making a more modest income. The millionaire sports team owner who blackmails his city for a new taxpayer funded stadium is in the same class as the welfare queen with half a dozen illegitimate children. Now standard oil (ExonMobil) is truly becoming a robber baron with their acceptance of human CO2 caused global warming and their eventual demand for tax writeoffs and subsidies to reduce greenhouse gasses. This is an important distinction.

removed from accountability

FEDERALISM

Sitting at the bar, hat with sunglasses on the bill - cell phone plopped down on the table (to be spun occasionally), Joey contemplated all the injustices in the nation. You see, the states are cash strapped - their peoples don't tolerate large tax increases, and state government is often limited in open ended borrowing. Inbetween cell phone calls at the top of his lungs to Friends, Joey decided that the true culprit was the U.S. concept of federalism. He agreed that the federal government already ran roughshod over the states, but he thought the whole concept should be thrown out completely. The federal government should just open up its pocket book and shovel cash to the states - that way local politicians could talk about all the new programs they have proposed and enacted without having to show the price tag. Headstart, medicaid, cops-on-the-street, homeland (pork) security, job training, and college tuition should all be lavished with more federal funding, Joey thought. With the direct election of senators the pork flows pretty good, but certain concepts of federalism still stood in the way. For instance, schools are funded mostly at the state level, and even though education dollar per pupil is tops in the world, no child left behind remains an unfunded mandate. He also lamented the Gingrich revolution taking away the federally mandated speed limit of 55. After stating his whole agenda for the day to the waitress - and describing his car and official job title in exacting detail, Joey left determined to undermine limited government and peoples natural rights - he despised the tenth amendment. He totally disagreed with the statement that "a government powerful enough to promise everything to everybody is powerful enough to take it away", because he knew that with a little slight-of-hand, the only thing being taken away was wealth from the rich.

religious fools

RELIGION

The chief characteristics of religion throughout history are (1)belief in a deity, (2)a doctrine of salvation, (3)a code of conduct (4)the use of sacred texts and (5)religious rituals. Also religion requires a leap of faith to explain some things that are not explained by science or are in contradiction to science. The Global Warming Religion fits this bill, a branch of the commi-enviro religions. Practitioners believe in the earth, pre-civilization, unmolested by humans as the supreme deity. Their doctrine of salvation is to take humanity back to the time before industrialisation. To do this, all sins against the earth must be recanted such as - so called -polluting CO2 greenhouse gasses (water vapor is also a greenhouse gas, btw). Recycling and energy reduction also weigh heavily in their code of conduct, as well as keeping developing nations undeveloped. Their sacred texts are many but the most authoritative would be the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports. Their rituals include advocating policies of human sacrifice of technological progress, by abandoning hydro-carbons, and all human activities that change the earth. Followers of this religion may be know as Greens or EcoFreinds, and follow their prophet Al Gore. They label as heretics any Global Warming Religion deniers, and excommunicate scientist from the climate change community if they worship false idols or are skeptical of the computer models (enlightenment advances such as the scientific method have not caught on yet with the Debate is Over Crowd). The leap of faith they take is that man-made CO2 causes global warming and that global warming will make life on earth less habitable. With the great prophet predicting only ten years to act, it should not be too long before a giant pitcher of Kool-Aid is mixed up at Davos.

western imposition

HISTORY OF VALUES

Ok, slavery has existed across all cultures and all times until the present. It is not a fundamental characteristic unique to the west. The same with colonialism and conquering so called native peoples and taking their land. In antiquity, when new successful civilizations expanded, they displaced or absorbed less successful ones. The original native Americans were displaced many times by new groups of asian/pacific peoples from the pacific islands or across the Bering strait long before Columbus showed up. And the borders among the various tribes of native Americans were always in flux, with the stronger conquering the weaker before the Spanish, British and French warred over the new world. Europeans gave the west "indians" small pox, they gave Europe tobacco (organic and not grown by multi-nationals though) and maybe syphilis. The only thing unique about western culture is that it ended slavery world-wide, even against the protestation of African tribal kings who greatly profited from capturing rival African tribes and selling them into slavery. The Barbary pirates may have enslaved more Europeans into Africa than the number of Africans taken to the new world, yet this was ended by western society (with their evil western tradition and moral vanity). It is also the present western culture that dominates the international system with rules regarding the static freezing of national borders. Colonialism brought many advances into the third world that would not have been achieved otherwise (including the excuse of colonialism to explain ones present backwardness). The concept of a nation state with fixed borders was more advanced than many primitive people had yet discovered and this is why most of the worlds national borders were drawn by the west. The concept of the individual with natural rights and equality under the rule of law are western in origin. These concepts have been forced on the benighted mostly against their will. This is not an argument that colonialism or slavery are justified by the results. But it reminds me of that scene in Life of Brian, where the Palestinians are making a decree against Roman tyranny but have to exempt all the good things the Romans brought such as: law and order, the aqueduct, roads ect., ect. We should pay reparations to the real victims here: Neanderthals.

aren't they dreamy

INTERNATIONS

It would appear that there are a lot of lonely politicians in the world - that they would love to talk and have more summits if only they were not so shy. Many dictators and tyrants are isolated and marginalized on the international scene, not getting the high level meetings they crave and need for their own good health and legitimacy. Also many in the media and ant-west faction of politics absolutely adore these types of totalitarian rulers - either admiring their economic (disasters) or anti-Bush rhetoric. Still others of a more compassionate bent believe with the proper dialogue they can be changed - like the hopeless (fatherfigureless) girl trying to save her bad-boy boyfriend. Well a good remedy would be an international pen pal / conversation partner program that could be administered by the U.N. It would match international thugs with bleeding heart modern liberals based on skills and needs. Imagine in addition to Nancy Pelosi/Bashar al-Assad there could be Barbra Boxer/Fidel Castro, Dianne Feinstein/Kim Jong Il, Hillary Clinton/Robert Mugabe, Katie Couric/Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, John Edwards/Hugo Chavez, all in the Madlin Albright/Yessir Arafat tradition. It could be chicken soup soul therapy for all involved.

the cure at last

PUBLIC HEALTH

After millions of dollars were raised by walking millions of miles and passing out millions of ribbons and wrist bands, the cure was finally found. What a triumph of medical science, and proof positive that if a goal is set, no matter how lofty, if one follows their dreams, their dreams may just come true. Of course the government played a big role so the accolades were spread around plenty. Especially the employees at the official statistics of health were celebrating with much celebratory vigor. But after all the gala's and parties and self congratulation, something bazaar was discovered and quite counterintuitive. Micheal Knight, the supervisor of the programme that monitors death statistics noticed that after the cure was found less people died of that disease, but all other disease rates increased. He knew it probably had to do with global warming or McDonalds yet he was having trouble formulating a proper theory. Before testifying before the government legislative committee for health he rehearsed his talking points. "Yes we have found the cure but so much more needs to be done, other diseases are increasing. Government needs to raise taxes to provide more funding to find other cures. The overall death rate for humans still seems to be 100%!" Micheal Knight, with the help of a talking wrist watch, took great pride in his official duties insuring that government programs had a beginning a middle but never an end.

nevermind

POP CULTURE

Grunge only comes around during an economic downturn. Large teams of unemployed young people start wearing torn up clothes, sloppy hair, and an anti-consumerism attitude. Curt Cobain was the anti-Guns and Roses just as The Clash were the anti-Pink Floyd. Although grunge is always present, it cannot be sustained on a large scale once economic prosperity takes hold. Stagflation punks were defeated by the Regan/Volcker boom. Seattle's band battalion was defeated in silicon valley by the tech boom. Luckily the post 911 slump lasted only two quarters and spawned only a short lived Ozborns rebirth and Ashley Simpson (In her original punk incarnation pushing Kelly out of the picture). Watching Linklater's Slackers is downright painful. I'll take Paris Hilton to London Calling any day - the economic prosperity that is.

correlation causality casualty

CLIMATE CHANGE

Jethro awoke one morning to the crowing of a rooster, before the sun was up, but yet it was mildly light out. He popped out of bed and over to the window. The rooster crowed again, and just then the sun first crested over the horizon in Beverly Hills. He recollecting observing a similar phenomenon back in the hills where he grew up, so he knew it could not be a coincidence. He went running downstairs where Granny was wrestling up some breakfast. "Granny, Granny! That old rooster is what makes the sun come up!" Granny only glanced up for a second and said, "Boy I thought you had a sixth grade education?" Jethro retorted "I do Granny, I do!" So that evening Jethro decided since he was so smart he would go to the library to read some scientific books. He came across one book on climate change and found a graph with carbon dioxide and earths temperature plotted over the years. He noticed that when CO2 was high so was temperature. He shouted out in the middle of the library "Hot diggity dog! I got here a correlation!" He wrote it down so he would not forget: increasing CO2 concentration increases global temperature. He was so proud of himself and the correlation not realising that a correlation is not the same as causality - that concept was way beyond his sixth grade education, as it is today for many, even highly educated people. But so it is for a religious devotion sometimes

an inconvenient dogma

GLOBAL WARMING

What if it doesn't happen - what if the globe stays the same temperature? It seems pretty high and mighty of the new comi-enviros to assume that humans are powerful enough to alter climate on a permanent basis. Yes over a millenia but unlikely over a century. What, first the decree that we are no more than advanced chimpanzees then we are extra special earth wreckers. Can't they make up their mind? Are we or are we not part of earths natural system. Is or is not what we do natural or are we supra natural. The earth is always changing, sulfuric volcanoes atmosphere was replaced by bacteria, fungi, plant and later animal atmosphere. Are we Gods who have to maintain the present (statist) balance or can we rely on natures designer, who probably built in mechanisms that would counteract rapid climate change. Of all the greenhouse gasses CO2 is but one. Of all the systems that regulate earths climate, the greenhouse effect is but one. Yet Al Gore has determined that the debate is over and that earthlings have but ten years to act or else kaput.

dc corrected

JUDICIAL ACTIVISM

See one can apply rhetoric to imply a perceived wrongdoing, and it always helps ones cause if it is pointed out the fallacy in ones opponents previous position. But a close reexamination of the supposed fallacy usually determines a misdefinition in an attempt at logic. Such is the case in the DC gun ban being overturned by the courts. Traditionally conservatives decry judicial activism which may mean different things to different conservatives depending on the sophistication of their understanding of the term. Modern liberals are decrying the ruling saying its a case of judicial activism overturned a local elected bodies laws. Well judicial activism properly defined is overstepping the courts delegated powers to decide the intent of the lawmakers who passed a law - and staying within constitutional bounds. In this case the court properly struck down a legislative bodies laws regarding gun ownership properly citing the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution which prevents government from banning guns. Judicial activism is not defending the Constitution as it was written and properly amended - justices take an oath to do that.

jelly rubiks

PEOPLE

An interesting thought is to image people as the aura that surrounds them and how that interacts with the world. Some people would have a very soft spherical essence, with many feelers floating out to guide them through the obstacle course, like a jelly fish turned inside out. They could float onto mass transit with their feelers gripping the grab poles, wind their way through second hand book stores, and on to the protest rally - the main orgy - a big cesspool of jelly. Everyone would be oozing out of their feelers, all entangled, many aura's then becoming one entity. The new entity would send out pulsing waves and just sort of chill their (there?) vibrating but not quite shivering. When the deed was complete, the one entity would mist back into several jelly creatures upon leaving - slimming their way back home leaving trails of excrement like slugs or snails. Other peoples aura would resemble a Rubiks Cube with legs. They would hop into their sports cars down to the country club - to exchange the banal networking talk. Some of the cubes would be completed - each of the six sides a solid color. The more immature ones would be in different stages of completion with the baby rubiks being all random, each of the nine squares out of sequence. With each new connection the sequence becomes more in order. With their hard exterior they would rely on brute strength to power through brick walls like the Kool-Aid pitcher "OH YEAH!!"

gerrymand government

POLARIZATION

Why is bitter partisanship viewed as a bad thing? Is not grid lock the best case scenario? (Good government George Will and David Broder be damned). Congress in a bind means a lack of over governance - well one can wish anyway. Congress could easily take a decade off and life would go on pretty much unfettered (most spending is defacto automatically renewed anyway - big issues that need to be addressed are not touched). Dick Armey called bipartisanship date-rape when he was in the minority. A consensus is something that offends no one and nobody believes in fully. Convictions are a true sign of character - not watered down "can't we all get along". Better to wait for a title wave like '80 or '94 to get a mandate than crafting one out of twigs, pebbles and twine. A big deal is made of the polarization of the country into the mislabeled red and blue states (I thought commies were red - and blue is the Torrie colour). Well really, politicians are not more partisan but the parties are. The parties were more a social class vehicle than an ideological soul mate fraternity. Goldwater, bless his soul, changed that with a truly ideological campaign, not a coalition crazy glue contraption, and presently the parties are aligned along political lines which is more proper. The fact that most house districts are uncompetitive is not a sin in and of its self. It makes sense that the districts are created to reflect our segregated living arrangements - progressives in the inner core and conservatives in the exurbs - they are more accurately represented by one party leaning districts so long as the overall composition is not overly distorted. Good government types abhor this arrangement but they are missing the true travesty - a lack of term limits - true limited government. And now with incumbent protection reform (McCain Finegold) the chance to unseat a big porker is very remote. The constitution reads "We the people.." but that has become "We the few lifetime office holders..."

indian alliance

INDIA

The most important alliance of the 21st century is the fledgling Indo-American. India has recently shed its Fabian cocoon and is now developing, ready to join the anglosphere as the first non West member (Anglosphere as defined by having English language and common law traditions). Fused together by technology and islamic militants, this alliance will be the force of the foreseeable future. Witness the nuclear fuel deal, and f-16's to Pakistan can be rectified with f-15's or f35's to India. China may be a manufacturing mule force but India has greater high technology potential as long as they don't slip back into Fabianism. With their English tradition intellectual property rights will be enforced unlike copy fanatic China. There are no name brands in China - they will have to purchase western re-treads. With over a billion people India should give up on any egalitarian pipe dreams - because no matter what there will always be human suffering - its a precondition of human life. The cycle is stopped by achievement of Moksha.

invasion of brown people

IMMIGRATION

A popular theme in fictional storytelling, is of the poor benighted but happy tribal village, isolated from civilization. This village of brown people suddenly becomes exploited by some evil white people and unable to free themselves, have to be saved by a different group of benevolent white people. After many overly cliche remarks, the brown people continue in idyllic bliss about their brown ways with their white saviors becoming honorary tribe members. The white people evidently love this but not enough to stay there permanently - they go back to their sophisticated less pure and unhappy lives but always remember the lessons from the tribe. The tribe people never get tired of living in squalor nor leave for better opportunities. That's why its fiction. The non-fiction reality is people living in lowered states of living standardly immigrate to more sophisticated societal beacons. The U.S. is being invaded by brown people from the world over. Presumably they came into this society to benefit from a systemic wealth generating nation devised by dead white males. They should be welcomed into our pluralistic state of white enlightenment - but progressives and multiculturalist try to hold them back to their brown ways. They wish to recreate the fiction even when denied by truth.

embassy rooftop reservations

IRAQ WAR

All the talk is how the Democrat party has a cakewalk for 08. Well traditionally war rips the Democrats in half, and the caucus members elected in 06 swing districts - to give them majority - were quite conservative by modern liberal standards. Vietnam is being re-fought today with Democrats trying to mirror their past victory strategy (what most in the U.S. call defeat). What they have not accounted for is market efficiency. WW1, WW2, Korea, and Vietnam were all fought with the draft. Government did not have as great an incentive to prevent battle deaths as they do now - without a limitless supply of conscripts. The military is now all volunteer and must compete in the U.S. job market (or at least good enough for all those poor dumb school dropouts according to Kerry/Moore) In one way all the prostration over every soldiers death is good - current wars are fought with very few casualties by the U.S. But on the other hand, death is a part of war and life and must be kept in perspective. Over 3000 Americans have died in Iraq - in another 55 years Iraq will reach Vietnam's 58,000 death status. The soldiers volunteered for a knowingly dangerous career - and did so for the benefit of their lives and others. Everyone alive today owes an unpayable debt to the many who have believed and fought for: live free or die - give me liberty or give me death.

football is better than futbol

AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM

Yes America is exceptional. An outlier in any plot of industrialized nations. The origins of this are no secret mystery shrouded behind demonic fumes of cultish smoke - but rather self evident. Here people have rights - power is ceded from the people to government by consent - not the other way around. The U.S. has more freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, gun rights, freedom from search and seizure, due process rights than any other nation. And yet many would allege that we are living in police state. Europe can easily apprehend terrorists because domestic intelligence is much less constrained. Libel is much easier to prove in most other democracies than ours. Guns and self defense are state monopolies in other advanced nations. People are tried and convicted in absentia in other places. These governments are illegitimate according to natural law theory. Unfortunately, here, the commerce and general welfare clauses have been used by activist judges and progressive politicians in an attempt to right all the wrongs in life and have created quite a bastardised enforcement of enumerated powers - and yet the U.S. is still the leading nation, among the world, in limited government. Economically individual states have 1st world sized output, and individual cities have more production than entire 2nd world countries. So a glass half full outlook should inspire us to maintain our political competitive advantage, bestow this knowledge to the next generation, and hope for a future when "in the course of human events...

internal combustion engine gore

AUTOMOBILES

There is no such thing as a zero emission vehicle. Electric cars get labeled that way by the government but its just propaganda. See electricity does not come out of the ether from outer space, and it doesn't come from magical rays of sun. Electricity has to be generated. Yes solar panels and wind/water turbines don't give off emissions. But they had to be made somehow so it would be interesting to know if they were made using fossil fuel power. Nuclear plants are clean but nuclear fuel materials are created with many emissions. Natural gas is a fossil fuel but also clean burning so it doesn't get lynched on as much as the others (dirty coal and big oil!) Better to fight liquefied natural gas port terminals in the U.S. and offshore exploration, and at the same time mandate its use - that is the progressive way! So these cars that get plugged in are actually remote emission vehicles because the electricity most likely was generated with emissions. And every time energy is transferred from one state to another, energy is lost - its inefficient. Hybrid cars are the best bet - but only cost effective at high oil prices. Flex fuel is a good innovation but ethanol needs to be subsidized to be cost effective and methanol will be black balled because it can be derived from coal (oh! the humanity!! - insert Hindenburg crash here:) Hydrogen cars are sci-fi or fantasy at this point - depending on your perspective. Most science fiction eventually comes true - whereas fantasy remains in the realm of ones imagination. Will the price of electricity go down when the incandescent light bulb is banned?

drunk on grain alcohol

RENEWABLE ENERGY

A lump of coal in ones stocking is a great gift and even more valuable lesson. It reminds us of how rotten we have been using non-renewable fossil fuels which will run out in ten years. Renewable energy such as wind, sun, hydro, and bio-fuels will provide progressive society with a sustainable clean energy source. Never-mind the naysayers who point out that it takes more energy to make ethanol, than the end product has, or that if all the corn in the U.S. were converted to fuel, the dent in fossil fuel use would be negligible. Critics mention increased demand for bio-energy will have negative consequences across many economic sectors. If feed for livestock goes up then the cost will rise and people will buy less - less consumption is good! People should be eating free-range meat if they have not yet converted to veganism. Also a fossil fuel tax could be assessed to help subsidize the poor of the world to purchase corn tortillas - and the tax could be ratcheted up until by law non-renewables were made illegal. A special committee of experts should be appointed to regulate energy and all human activities that involve energy. We need a Manhattan project for bio-fuels, and an Apollo program to reduce energy consumption by 1% a year - over the next 100 years - it could reach zero! Absolute poverty is very sustainable.

wehmeyer doctrine of self determination

SELF DETERMINATION

Michael Wehmeyer defines Self-Determination as “acting as the primary causal agent in one’s life and making choices and decisions regarding one’s quality of life free from undue external influence or interference.” This is an extension from natural law theory, and a repudiation of the nanny welfare state. Although Wehmeyer developed this more for individuals with disabilities and with implicit positive rights, I believe it to be a valid statement for all people more inline with the negative rights that Lock and Hume believed in. As Hayek points out, that once the state gets involved in governing peoples lives, ultimately self efficacy is removed from the individual to be replaced by the state, no matter how sincere the original intentions were. The state ultimately, as an entity is removed from negative consequences of ill conceived social policy, and often makes matters worse by increasing program X even after it has been proven ineffective. The mis-logic of program X failing and proposals of "we need more of program X to meet our progressive goals" should be self evident. It is illegitimate to just take (steal) the funding from the rest of society as if it is a fundamental positive right. As a matter of practice, it would be legitimate for advocates to inform the public to vote to give stipends to individuals with disabilities, to use or misuse as they see fit, to meet basic needs and recreation, with support staff of their choosing. Persuasion is always better than coercion - unless one wants to travel down the road to serfdom.

clash of history

LIBERALISM

Fukuyama was wrong in the End of history after the Berlin wall fell. It is not accurate to critique him on the Huntington Clash of Civilizations front - each could be true independent of the other - but rather an overreach, just as Hegel did in interpreting Waterloo. The end of history, on earth, will be when human life flickers out. Fukuyama proclaimed "an unabashed victory of economic and political liberalism" in 1989. Well some of us are still waiting on the spoils of this win. Are smoking bans, trans-fat bans, fuel efficiency standards, suburban sprawl restraints, and mandatory HPV vaccinations a victory of liberalism? What about nationalized health care, seatbelt/helmet laws, minimum wage laws, living wage laws, and toilet tank size restrictions? Is banning an outside group from mentioning a candidate for office within 60 days of an election a victory for political liberalism? What about taking property from one private individual, and giving it to another private individual via Kelo, or transfer payments? If he was referring to an end to large scale conflict over ideology, then he would be wrong on that count as well. Clinton bombed Kosovo without UN security council approval. Iran, Syria, and Jack Murtha are actively undermining a liberal movement. Europe blocks GM crop imports, many countries limit U.S. cultural imports. An effort is underway to create a global carbon regime. The EU and UN are always looking for the next illegitimate, undemocratic, totalitarian power grab. All theses things could lead to the next round of global conflict and chaos. Could not a loose coalition of anti-liberalism (anti-U.S./ anti nation state) be formed among decaying European societies, third world dictators, islamic militants, environmentalists, political economic populists and American progressives? This has already happened and history never stopped.

nuclear days are over

MILITARY DEFENSE

Nuclear deterrence is not an effective defense any more. Because of the current state of western progressive thought, it would not be acceptable to them, to retaliate against a third world nation with nuclear weapons. Even if a state actor hit the U.S. or Europe with an atomic weapon either by missile or smuggled in, Nato would have to respond with conventional forces. The outcry among the pacifists would be too great, and make even strong willed leaders shudder at the thought of vaporizing innocents. Obviously nuclear deterrence is no deterrence against non-state actors. One can threaten to annihilate the entire holey land if terrorists struck, but could not carry out that revenge. Advanced nations may only strike military targets - that's barley even justified in this day and age. Terrorists may strike anyone - even civilian women and children - its our fault after all. What is a worse stain on humanity? Forcing prisoners to form naked pyramids or luring in a journalist, trying to get a story, and beheading him on video? Detaining suspected islamofascists in a tropical prison or flying passenger airplanes into skyscrapers? The world court of opinion has spoken.

war of the parties

POLITICAL PARTIES

The Democrat party base stands on three legs: (1)Organized labor consists of government workers and unionized low-skilled labor, these are the Marxists. (2)Ethnic minorities consists of individuals who want transfer payments via state fiat power discriminatorily by race. (3)Liberal arts elites is a broad category to encompass well educated progressives' issues (white non manual laborers who own apple computers, listen to U2, believe in magical stem cells, and worry about recycling). Each of the Democrat legs is the antithesis of one Republican leg while sharing common ground with another Republican leg - the so called swing voters. The Republican party base stands on three legs: (1)Social conservatives are white evangelicals and orthodox Catholics. They are the antithesis of liberal arts elites and accepted by ethnic minorities on life and gay issues. (2)Nationalists are pro gun, pro defense, pro Anglo Saxon tradition. Their antithesis are ethnic minorities but syphon off organized labor voters. (3)Economic libertarians are the pro business, limited government types (in theory if not practice). They are the antithesis of organized labor but share some common ground with liberal arts elites based on their common education (at least at one point the DLC was free trade). Overall there is more overlap among the Republican base legs than the Democrat base legs. Most of the Republican base support at least two of the legs which make the legs coordinated. Where as the Democrat base legs can all walk in different directions. Minor party supporters are idealistically irrelevant - if anything effecting results to the opposite of their objectives. Then there are undecided voters - not very ideological - they go wherever the wind might be blowing on a particular day.

why not rudolph giuliani

POLITICS

Whats not to like about Rudy? Well guns for one - but that is about it for now. We'll have to wait and see how he comes out on the other issues. In some respects he is a Churchillian figure -somewhat seedy personal life but great leadership and governing principles. So who would you trust more on Judicial appointments, McCain or Giuliani ? (something Bush has even gotten right with a little help of course.) McCain is a progressive Republican in the style of T.R. He appears headed down the global warming bonanza, wobbly on tax cuts, and has already gutted the constitutions 1st amendment to prevent an "appearance of corruption" in Sandra Day O'Connor speak. He has an appetite for grandstanding and seeks out media approval. His maverickness is manifesting itself more as the progressive media general consensus as of late. He is a big government conservative, and worth mentioning that most foreign policy neo-cons backed him in 2000. Romney is a non starter. Who knows what his true convictions are if he even knows. The preferred ticket as of now: Giuliani / Gingrich.

government our doctor

PUBLIC HEALTH

Mandatory vaccinations of children for public school is a governmental overreach. The rational most cited being a public health issue and getting vaccinations will protect students from contracting potentially serious diseases. But there is a missing logical step in this supposition. If one kid is not vaccinated and contracts measles, the other kids with the vaccination would not be affected. It should be the parents choice over all vaccinations, the family unit should be the decider of the risk reward/factor not government. A private school would be justified in requiring vaccinations because people would be free to attend somewhere else, but this is not the case with the government monopoly on public schools. This is yet another petty issue that could easily be resolved with school choice vouchers. The latest progressive feel good phenomenon, coming out of Rick Perry's office of all places, is the HPV vaccination requirement, which is no doubt supported by scientific rationally minded women's groups (an oxymoron?). If 400 people died of cervical cancer in the state of Texas last year, then with the new requirement, 500 lives will be saved in 2030. The fiat power of government that can perpetrate mandatory vaccinations, is the same fiat power that perpetrated Tuskegee. Yes one can sign a waiver to get out of the requirement on philosophical or religious grounds in some cases, but is this the real reason for existence of the state?

being sorry for ones self

KARMA

What goes around comes around. The fates know this spinning the thread, tying the knots, and cutting it to length. Karma always catches up with you, its a kite tied to you - a shadow in your conscience. The bearer of bad karma should accept their actions and blame themselves, not others. Life is what happens to you and how you react to it. Except Bill Clinton who was attacked by a vast right wing conspiracy looking for a new enemy after the cold war had been won. But for the rest of society after a regretful event - what a disaster...

dehumanization of foes

DEBATE

If one can't win a debate or make a rational statement of logic to persuade opinion to their view, they can always attempt to discredit their opponent by claiming unhumanity. So if a president has an ideology which is coarse to ones good sensibilities, it would be worth mentioning that he looks like a monkey. That way when a policy proposal is advanced to reform social security or introduce more market forces to healthcare, one does not have to argue over actuary statistics, but rather just point out the non human features. The same applies to those who are of the laissez-faire persuasion. It is far easier to denounce the obvious benefits of capitalism if the characeture of pig is assigned to its practitioners. In rare circumstances when ones human opponent is clearly human, one can question the legitimacy of their birth, as in the case of the wealthy (rich bastards). One can also question their policy adversary's psychological sanity, feelings and emotions about caring, or intelligence due to religious beliefs, to avoid a debate over the facts. Do not leave it to chance, while arguing the finner points of the perpetual fight over inequality, but rather make certain that your opponent is seen as a less equal member of humanity.