+47.5%

January still kind of sucks but it's better than 2007.

Why has no one thought of this before?
(hat tip: Gizmodo)

Swallowing a McCain nomination

Right track, wrong track

A new poll out today shows 75% of Americans think the country is on the wrong track.

This right track, wrong track question has been a staple of pollsters for many years and eagerly reported in the news. But I think the analysis of the results is flawed.

For several years I was a regular participant in a national poll and that question was present in nearly every questionnaire. I can't recall ever answering it with "right track." And every time I would see pundits analyse the numbers they would use the "wrong track" result to bludgeon Bush. But that was never my interpretation of the question.

I viewed the question more broadly than just Presidential approval (which has its own question) or the economy (ditto). To me it was an evaluation of where America is headed in general. I considered the direction of our moral compass and culture, the deterioration of the level of education of our population, and the loss of individual liberty. When I considered politics I thought about the future, not the people in power today. Unfortunately, for the reasons stated above, I think today's politicians are the best I will see in my lifetime. One only need look at the current Presidential primaries for evidence of deterioration. The level of race-baiting and naked pandering is stunning.

January 31st 2008 - Today's Columns:

Emmett Tyrrell : Bill's Red Neck - Turns out the Clintons are worse than Tyrrell thought after their race-baiting in South Carolina.

Victor Davis Hanson : Democrats Want to Lose... But Republicans Don't Want To Win - VDH discusses which party most wants to lose.

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann : Out Of Florida: The Front-Runner - Morris offers more advice to his political enemies. Caveat emptor.

Steve Chapman : Bush's Catalogue of Failure - A one-sided hit piece on Bush. Not helpful.

Ann Coulter: GOP to Edwards: How Much For That Concession Speech? - Beating up on McCain some more.

"One of the reasons why I won in New Hampshire is because I went there and
told them the truth." That and the fact that Democrats were allowed to vote in
the Republican primary.

Mark Levin: Rally for Romney - Levin makes a good point in noting that Romney's ethics prohibit him from personally attacking McCain, something Hillary will have no compunction about. There has been an interesting conversation about whether or not this is a good thing over at Power Line and Steyn Online. The gist of it is that Romney is an amateur at the knee-to-the-groin style of big-league politics.

Brett Winterble: Who Hijacked the Primaries? - I can feel Brett's spittle hitting me in the face as I read this. And it scares me because I agree with him wholeheartedly.

Quote of the Day

From IMAO: "So, the advantages of McCain is we'll have a Republican president and a strong stance on Iraq. Disadvantage: We're going to be repeatedly sodomized."

January 30th 2008 - Today's Columns:

Thomas Sowell : A "Stimulus Package"? - "things that are bipartisan are often twice as bad as things that are partisan"

Walter E. Williams : Stimulus Package Nonsense - "There are three ways government can get the money for a stimulus package. It can tax, borrow or inflate the currency"

Jonah Goldberg : We Were Warned - Jonah compares the Bush Presidency to Clinton's in how it destroyed the party by using the rhetoric of the right while governing from the left.

Michelle Malkin : The Politics of Foreclosure - "The borrower-as-victim and lender-as-predator storylines are etched in stone."

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann : McCain May Win, Romney Can't - Call it wishful thinking but I believe Morris' understandable antipathy for Hillary is clouding his considerable campaign judgement. He is, after all, a liberal so his belief that McCain has wide appeal must be viewed in that light. But I don't want to live in a world where that Machiavellian boot-licking (probably literally) toad is right. I say that with the highest respect for Mr. Morris.

Dennis Prager : A Response to "What You Have To Believe To Be a Republican Today" - An adequate but not inspiring response to rather silly liberal beliefs about conservatives.

Christopher Chantrill: The Liberals' Mommy Fascism - There's something inherently disturbing about challenging "mommy fascism" with "mommy conservatism." American Thinker is coming dangerously close to falling off my list of daily reads.

Mark Steyn: Nice is Easy (via National Review) - "to govern is to choose. And to govern in tough times is to make tough choices. And thus to choose is to divide"

A good night...

For P.I.A.P.S. and POWs

Not so good for those of us who care about individual liberty.

Screw Florida

It's been dangling out there into the Atlantic for far too long. It's time to cut it loose...


















Lex Luthor style.

Florida goes for ???

One of these two headlines will be accurate:

When conservatives vote Romney wins!

~or~

Elderly curmudgeons elect one of their own; take victory nap

January 29th 2008 - Today's Columns:

Thomas Sowell : "Billary" Versus Obama - On race in America, specifically in the Democratic primary campaign

David Limbaugh : The Clintons' Possible Political Demise -- a Bittersweet Pill - Limbaugh (no, the other one) argues that the Clintons will destroy themselves with their naked (snicker) strategy to capitalize on racial divides. He also recognizes that Obama will be a more difficult candidate for the Republicans to beat.

George Will : The Clintons Are Everywhere -

It's Official

There is no longer a serious political party in the United States:

Vote for me












Or I'll crush you with my giant hand!

January 28th 2008 - Today's Columns:

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann: Obama -- And Kennedy -- Raise The Stakes - Morris continues in his unpaid advisory role for the Obama campaign. He notes that Obama has turned Hillary's racial divisiveness against her.

Misheard Lyrics: CCR - Have you ever seen the rain

Thanks B to B-Lake

How delegates are chosen

I've been trying to get my head around how delegates are awarded in the primaries. I seem to find conflicting counts for the various contenders from different news organizations. I came across this from the SC Democratic Party. [Hat tip: Mary Katherine Ham]

After reading it I think I now know even less. And I feel dirty after reading this:

Our goal is to elect a delegation that is at least 50% African American, as well as at least 3 GLBT delegates and 5 who are under 30. The election of At-Large delegates may be used to reach this goal.

Left-Handed Compliment: Trader Joe's

My opinion of Trader Joe's has evolved quite a bit in the last year. I used to think it was nothing more than a store full of tofu and vegetarian sausage for dirty, stinking, hippies who remain, sadly, unpunched. But I've discovered after a few reconnaissance missions that they also sell real food. And, unlike Whole Foods, at good prices.

I've gotten hooked on a couple different wines there. The first is Il Valore Chianti. I like this wine as much as any bottle I've had, including those in Italy. It is dry, earthy, and bold. And it's only $8.99! The second is Villa Borghetti Luna Pino Grigio. It is very light, crisp, and dry. And only $8.49! At these prices I could afford to become a wino! Dare to dream.

Trader Joe's also has the best baguette in Columbus Ohio, hands down. It's not as good as the worst one I've ever had in Paris, but it's pretty darn good.

Today I found some little apple-cereal bars in the checkout lane for $1.69 for a box of 6. I haven't tried them yet but my experience so far has led me to believe they will be very tasty. And they are very low in calories and fat. When you are like me and have a body chiseled out of stone, you treat it as the temple it is.

All in all, I like Trader Joe's. It would be better without all the people (but what wouldn't be?). And I could certainly do without all the holier-than-thou emphasis on local/organic/green. So help me God, the next person who tells me organic food is "so much healthier" than chemical-pumped, genetically engineered, corporate farmed, air-freighted, pesticide-doused food that I love, is going to get stabbed in the eye. Eat what you want, I'll do the same, but don't pretend those chemicals and methods aren't used for good reasons.

And it is clearly a Communist front group. All one must do to find proof is look at the bumper stickers in the parking lot. Maybe someday I'll do a bumper sticker post...

Good News:

New Rasmussen Daily Tracking Poll has McCain & Romney tied nationally at 27%

Also, Romney leading McCain in Florida by 6%.

Possible...

Cliff Thier on a McCain - Powell ticket

Hyuck, hyuck, hyuck

January 27th 2008 - Today's Columns:

George Will: What Really Matters in the Voting Booth? - I'm not sure how this title came to be associated with this article. The article is a very good one about ballot initiatives in five states that propose to amend their state constitutions to prohibit racial preferences by government in "public employment, public education or public contracting."

Mark Steyn: First, they came for Piglet - On Orwellian Newspeak

Killing thousands of people in Manhattan skyscrapers in the name of Islam does, among a certain narrow-minded type of person, give Islam a bad name, and thus could be said to be "anti-Islamic" – in the same way that the Luftwaffe raining down death and destruction on Londoners during the Blitz was an "anti-German activity."

But I don't recall even Neville Chamberlain explaining, as if to a 5-year-old, that there is nothing German about the wish to terrorize and invade, and that this is entirely at odds with the core German values of sitting around eating huge sausages in beer gardens while wearing lederhosen. ...

As Martin Niemoller famously said, first they came for Piglet, and I did not speak out because I was not a Disney character and, if I was, I'm more of an Eeyore. So then they came for the Three Little Pigs, and Babe, and by the time I realized my country had turned into a 24/7 Looney Tunes it was too late, because there was no Porky Pig to stammer "Th-th-th-that's all, folks!" and bring the nightmare to an end.

Stephen F. Hayes: Enemies to the Right of Him - On John McCain. Hayes seems to think Mac's critics are being too harsh. I disagree.

Sidebar: Check out Hayes' book "Cheney." It is a truly interesting insight into the mind and career of Dick Cheney.

Bill Kristol: Can He Close Strong in 2008? - Kristol offers some advice to the Bush administration on how to revamp its image. I don't believe this is possible. Only the passage of time and the hindsight of history will vindicate the Bush Presidency.

Byron York: Has Rudy Blown It? - York offers a pre-mortem on the demise of the Giuliani campaign. Only 2 days 'till we know if he's a genius or an idiot.

Mmm...

I've discovered a new product that is truly enjoyable and may just catch on with the public. I really think people would enjoy it if only they were to get a chance to sample it themselves. Unfortunately the fat-cat suits in corporate America are always acting all corporationy and can't spend a dime of their precious money to help out the little guy with the great new product. But their tainted dollars derived from greedy exploitation of the working class would only tarnish the simple beauty of this wondrous new product anyway. No. What this product needs is the kind of viral marketing that only teh internets can provide. So please, try it today and spread the word. Together we can help get this product off the ground. Together we can change the world. A change you can believe in!

Goodbye Kitty

To know me is to know of my love for all things explosive. To know me well is to know of my love for Hello Kitty:


So when I saw the Hello Kitty Assault Rifle, you can imagine my glee:

Since assault weapon bans seem to focus exclusively on how creepy and dangerous a gun looks, this may be the perfect antidote.

Update: This from Skippy...

The infamous whisper

Is Mitt Romney a puppet?

After you've seen and heard the video above, read this transcript and determine for yourself if you think Mitt Romney needs to be fed information.

Burns Night 2008

I’ve come to dread this time of year
For surely Burns night will be near
I try hard to write
A verse for the night
But rhyming verse is just so queer

But I plod on with spirit of fighters
The burden to write getting no lighter
The deadline grows near
I’m consumed by fear
‘tis so much simpler for pillow-biters

I’ve tried so long my hairs’ grown shaggy
Starved to the point my pants are baggy
I stumble for prose
I just can’t compose
Why must I do something so faggy?

I can no longer stand to suffer
The pressure is making this tougher
I’ll just write something down
And recite with a frown
If only I were a dude-stuffer

I’ve tried to craft a verse for today
Found it hard as I’ve nothing to say
After much sweat and much toil
My attempt has been foiled
For I’ve found that poetry’s just gay

Great quote...

"(Bill) Maher, who used to claim to be a libertarian until it was explained that Democrats who like to smoke weed are not libertarians" - Ronald Wieck - Irony of Ironies

Immigration solution?

Originally posted May 20th 2007 at American Thinker:

Is the following a start of the solution to the illegal alien problem? Is it a way for Republicans to be proactive on the issue and win based on priciple and also win over new immigrants?

What we need are market-based incentives and disincentives. We can encourage the vast majority of border crossers to do it legally if we simply allow them to do so and issue them visas. Immigration quotas are drawn up arbitrarily based on our perceived needs. Clearly those perceptions are wrong because millions have come here illegally and found jobs while our unemployment rates are at historic lows. So simply change the quotas to allow low-skilled workers in from Latin America. This will eliminate the need to sneak across the border and allow a much more humane living to those who come here to work.

Next, employers need a disincentive from hiring illegal aliens. This can be done through the Social Security office which already has 9 million mismatched social security numbers in its database. They should notify employers that they have an employee with an inaccurate account number and force the employer to either correct a mistake, or if it is found that the number is fake, terminate the employee or face stiff fines. As an employer I know that most of us do not want to hire illegal aliens. We just want to hire people who will work hard. Those few who are looking to hire illegals to save money will face fines and eventual imprisonment.

The big question is how to deal with the 12-20 million illegals that are here now. Again, incentives and disincentives. We can’t deport them. It’s simply not feasible. But I’ve known a lot of illegal aliens from working in restaurants and owning one now. The vast majority of them go back to their home countries every year or two to visit with friends and family. If it’s easier for them to go home and then come back to the U.S. legally, they will. And if it’s harder for them to find employment as an illegal they are further incentivized to do it legally.

Then there’s the other big question, citizenship. No illegal alien should be granted citizenship, period. In order to become a citizen an immigrant must come here legally, learn to speak and write English fluently, pass a test on American civics and history, and show a pattern of gainful employment. The caveat to this is that those who are here illegally now will be forgiven their illegal crossing once they leave and come back legally. This further incentivizes them to leave and return through the proper channels.

So there you have it. Immigrants are happy. Employers are happy. And the public at large is happy that they aren’t being overrun with illegal aliens.

January 26th 2008 - Today's Columns:

Michael Barone : South Carolina Has Set the Stage for General Election - Barone argues that SC removed Thompson and Huckabee from the race but did not determine the winner. On the Dem side Obama will win easily and Hillary will be seen as having disrespected blacks, possibly leading to lower turnout in the general. Hillary is so incredibly divisive it seems her nomination and general campaign could yield numerous opportunities for the Republicans to pick up the pieces of those left in her aftermath.

WSJ Supreme Opportunity - Urging SCOTUS to take up the 9th Circuit case of AT&T v. linkline. The 9th Circuit ruled that the anti-trust case can go forward on the grounds that AT&T is squeezing linkLine out of the market. This would require AT&T to raise prices to the consumer. Is that what anti-trust legislation is supposed to do?

Robert D. Novak : Attorney General Edwards?

• Obama surrogates are floating the idea of Edwards as AG in an Obama administration
• Private polling showed McCain picking up Thompson supporters after Fred's withdrawal [RCP still shows a dead heat between Mitt & McCain]
• Senate GOP retreat - Mitch McConnell shut down negative talk about earmarks - Ted Stevens shockingly gave a lecture in support of earmarks
• Bush has given up on pushing FHA bill in favor of stimulating us
• McCain fled Florida in a desperate attempt to raise funds in NY

Alan Roebuck: How to Respond to a Supercilious Atheist - This article is far too lengthy and boring to read the whole thing. I am an atheist but I certainly do not consider myself supercilious. If anything I'm envious of those with religious faith. But arguments like these are childish and insulting when passed for intellectual discourse.

Lee Cary: Can the GOP Re-frame the Illegal Immigration Issue? - Cary argues that Hispanic voters are not a bloc and can be persuaded by appealing to their desire for a better life for their children, as opposed to the appeal to fear they will hear from the Democrats. He uses the example of blacks becoming a Democrat voting bloc after Republicans failed to fight the mischaracterization of the Civil Rights debate of the 60's. I wonder if it would be more effective to couple the appeal to hope with fear though. Offer the hopeful vision for the future but also warn of the effects of throwing support to the Democrats. Just look at what they've done for the black communities they hold so dear. (This reminds me to post my letter to the editor published on American Thinker during the immigration debate last year.)

Richard Baehr: Immigration: A Modest Proposal - Another proposed solution to the immigration problem. It's better than anything that's come out of Washington but I still think it should focus more on incentives and disincentives than laws and enforcement. It is easier to achieve your goals if you don't try to contravene human nature in the process.

Mark Steyn: It's all delicious fantasy for us. But in some places, they're actually living the apocalypse. Where else are you going to read about iconic destruction, General Butt Naked, multicultural sensitivities, and eating genitals all in one article?

If only...

A lovely lady...must've been something before electricity

John McCain's mother Roberta is 95 years young and, amazingly, less cranky than her famous son. In an ill-advised interview with C-SPAN she said the Republican base has shown no support for him. When asked if she thinks he can get the nomination she said "I think holding their nose they're going to have to take him." She then went on to say "the country will be lucky if [we] get him."

Apparently the arrogant apple doesn't fall far from the arrogant tree.

This reminds me of another time in my political life. I live in Ohio. Until 2006 we had the worst governor of all time, Bob Taft (at one point he had a 6.5% approval rating [I'm not kidding]). In 2002 Taft ran against Tim Hagan who, worse than Taft the incompetent, was a Democrat. So I went into the voting booth and literally held my nose when I pushed the button to vote for Bob Taft.

Ever since I've wondered if I did the right thing. Was it right to cast a vote for a candidate I deplore in order to avoid the election of another candidate I find even more deplorable? With the benefit of hindsight I now know that four more years of Taft assured my poor state of a Democrat victory after he eventually left office. And it wasn't even close (60% to 37%).

But would it have been better if Taft lost in 2002? Sure we would have suffered through four years of Democrat rule, but we're stuck with that now. And we could be over it by now. And I would contend that Ken Blackwell would have had a much better shot at the governorship against an incumbent Hagan than he did after Taft effectively decimated the state GOP.

It is truly unfortunate that Blackwell, a rising star in the Republican party, was forced to hitch his wagon to the sinking ship of Bob Taft (if I may be permitted to haphazardly mix metaphors). I hope he can rise again.

But back to aging John McCain...

This is a primary for Christ's sake! No one holds his nose to vote in a primary!

Bush v. Clinton

From Taranto's Best of the Web Today:

Duck Season

George W. Bush is a lame duck; he leaves office 361 days from today. Neither his vice president nor anyone who has served in his administration is seeking the presidency, so that a clean break is inevitable even if a Republican is elected in November. So how to explain this, reported by the Associated Press:

A liberal advocacy group plans to spend $8.5 million in a drive to ensure
that President Bush's public approval doesn't improve as his days in the
White House come to an end.

Americans United for Change plans to undertake a yearlong campaign, spending the bulk of the money on advertising, to keep public attention on what the group says are the Bush administration's failures, including the war in Iraq, the response to Hurricane Katrina and the current mortgage crisis.

In selling the plan to fundraisers, the group has argued that support for President Reagan was at a low of 42 percent in 1987 but climbed to 63 percent before he left office.

"All of a sudden he became a rallying cry for conservatives and their ideology," said Brad Woodhouse, the group's president. "Progressives are still living with that."

Woodhouse is worried that President Bush's approval ratings will rise, à la Reagan, causing him to "become a rallying cry for conservatives"? That seems an unbelievably far-fetched scenario. The public seems to have soured on Bush around the fall of 2005, and his approval ratings have been so low since then that he would be lucky (if he cared about such things) to match Reagan's 42% nadir.

That 42%, according to the New York Times, came in March 1987, a few months after the revelation that the president had sold weapons to Iran's mullahs and several months before Oliver North's dramatic congressional testimony helped turn public opinion back in the administration's favor.

Bush's low ratings, by contrast, have resulted from an accretion of what Americans United for Change calls his administration's "failures," and there has so far been scant evidence that even overcoming failure (as in Iraq since the surge) has a substantial effect on public opinion. Maybe Hurricane Katrina was the tipping point, or maybe it was just that Bush's flaws were more evident once he had won re-election and he was
being evaluated on his own terms rather than by comparison with John Kerry.
Whatever the case, the public seems to have made up its mind about President
Bush.

This does not necessarily mean that ex-President Bush will always be viewed harshly. A president's popularity when leaving office does not necessarily predict his historical legacy; just ask Harding and Truman. The big question will be whether Bush's bold approach to foreign policy--and especially to Iraq--will turn out to have been the right one. Public opinion says no. History requires a lot more information, including information about things that have yet to happen, before yielding its verdict. And neither public opinion nor history will be much affected by partisan arguments made on one side or the other over the next year.

So why is Americans United for Change whistling past the graveyard like this?
Robert Hahn of RedState.org has an intriguing explanation:

Maybe it's a McCain-Feingold idea. George Bush is not a candidate for any federal office. This means that "Americans United for Change" can spend infinite money trashing him, and they don't even have to report their donors to the [Federal Election Commission]. What's more, there is
inevitably going to be a certain, erm, latitude concerning what constitutes criticism of Bush and what constitutes criticism of Republican policies in general.

It's an intriguing theory: McCain-Feingold, by strictly policing political speech about the future, creates an incentive to dwell on the past.

It must be said, however, that there is a tendency toward such dwelling even apart from FEC-enforced strictures, as evidenced by the conduct of the one political player that is exempt from McCain-Feingold: the news media. Today the New York Times endorses John McCain in the Republican presidential primaries (an act of futility if ever there was one):

We have strong disagreements with all the Republicans running for president. . . . They are too wedded to discredited economic theories and unwilling even now to break with the legacy of President Bush. . . .

Still, there is a choice to be made, and it is an easy one. Senator John
McCain of Arizona is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe.

The paper's Hillary Clinton endorsement also goes on at length about
Bush:

Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton would both help restore America's global
image, to which President Bush has done so much grievous harm. . . . They promise . . . a restoration of civil liberties and an end to the politics of division of George W. Bush and Karl Rove. . . .

It is unfair, especially after seven years of Mr. Bush's inept leadership,
but any Democrat will face tougher questioning about his or her fitness to be commander in chief. . . . [Obama] shows voters that he understands how much they hunger for a break with the Bush years, for leadership and vision and true bipartisanship. We hunger for that, too. . . .

We opposed President Bush's decision to invade Iraq and we disagree with Mrs. Clinton's vote for the resolution on the use of force. That's not the issue now. . . . Mr. Obama talks more about the damage Mr. Bush has done to civil liberties, the rule of law and the balance of powers.

Ronald Reagan won the presidency in part by not being Jimmy Carter, but his leadership and vision consisted in much more than just not being the other guy. There's something awfully dispiriting about the thought that not being Bush may prove sufficient to get another Clinton into the White House.

What Taranto excludes from his quote from RedState.org is this:

Which reminds me. (And frankly, it ought to remind T. Boone Pickens as well). In
spite of the way former President Clinton is comporting himself, Bill Clinton is not a candidate for any federal office.

Indeed.

John McCain endorsed by NY Times

Yes that New York Times:

We have strong disagreements with all the Republicans running for president. The leading candidates have no plan for getting American troops out of Iraq. They are too wedded to discredited economic theories and unwilling even now to break with the legacy of President Bush. We disagree with them strongly on what makes a good Supreme Court justice.

Still, there is a choice to be made, and it is an easy one. Senator John McCain of Arizona is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe.

January 25th 2008 - Today's Columns:

Jonah Goldberg on the nanny state - I've been meaning to post on this - the state encroachments on liberty. I have a list somewhere.

Charles Krauthammer beating up on John Edwards - Is it wrong to point out that Edwards is getting his butt kicked by a guy in a wheelchair?

Jonah Goldberg again, this time on "Cloverfield." - I only read to the point where he said "spoiler alert" since I'm really looking forward to seeing this movie (months from now in the comfort of my own home of course) and don't want it to be spoiled for me.

Rich Lowry on tax rebates to non-taxpayers. Let the stimulation begin!

the top 40 percent of taxpayers paid 99.1 percent of federal income taxes in 2004, leaving the other 60 percent to pay .9 percent. The wealthiest 1 percent of taxpayers -- the focus of so much Democratic ire -- pay nearly 40 percent of federal income taxes, and about as much as the entirety of the bottom 95 percent.

Tom Sowell on aging and the fact that John McCain has done so much of it.

Tom DeLay on tactics for Republican House members in 2008. - They should take his advice. He was awfully effective at beating Democrats and it took Ronnie Earl three grand juries in four days to finally find one who believed DeLay was a ham sandwich.

Rush Quote Today:

"The Republican Party is not going to become the minor league of the Democratic Party." - Rush Limbaugh

One less tinfoil hat in the race

With all the identity politics involved in this year's Presidential race I had hoped to get my piece of the action. Since I'm not black, female, gay, batsh*t crazy, or a bible thumper I can't vote for Obama, Hillary, Edwards, Ron Paul, or Huckabee. But until today there was always plucky little Dennis Kucinich; the only fellow Ohioan in the race. But sadly he has dropped out.

Come to think of it, I have been called an a-hole once or twice. Maybe I should reconsider McCain.

Speaking of planes crashing to the ground...

Here's a lengthy but interesting perspective on why so many flights are late or delayed.

Any runway has a finite capacity. The key to understanding this is in understanding time. Only one aircraft is allowed to use the runway at any time. It takes a certain amount of time for a departing aircraft to taxi onto a runway, accelerate to flying speed and lift off. Likewise, it takes a certain amount of time for an arriving aircraft to touch down, slow down and taxi off the runway. The time it takes the typical airliner to do either one -- land or takeoff -- is roughly one minute.

The math is as simple as it is inescapable. Roughly 60 airliners can use a runway in one hour if conditions are absolutely perfect. It is physically impossible to improve that number. However, it can get a lot worse.

Our planes are falling from the sky

When I saw the subhead "Our Planes are Falling from the Sky" I thought my prediction may be coming true. That is that this whole "lift being created by lower pressure on the top of a wing than the bottom" thing is utter nonsense. I still believe one day the physics of flight will be exposed for the fraud they are and all the airplanes in the world will suddenly crash to the ground.

I believe it will be similar to how God proved he didn't exist in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy:

`I refuse to prove that I exist,' says God, `for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing.'

`But,' says Man, `The Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED.'

`Oh dear,' says God, `I hadn't thought of that,' and promptly disappears in a puff of logic.

`Oh, that was easy,' says Man, and for an encore goes on to prove that black is white and gets himself killed on the next pedestrian crossing.

Al Gore doubles down

There are now forecasts that the North Pole ice caps may disappear entirely during summer months within five years.

January 24th 2008 - Today's Columns:

Hugh Hewitt on the next President's SCOTUS appointments - Hugh doesn't seem to think McCain would be very good at it. I concur. Here's an interesting fact: assume the next President serves two terms. By the end of those two terms, 2013, Justice Souter will be 82, Breyer 83, Kennedy and Scalia 84, Ginsburg 87, and Stevens 100.

Emmitt Tyrell with advice to Obama - Everyone seems to love giving tactical advice to his enemies.

Bob Novak on the Republican appointment to the House Appropriations Committee - Almost no one thinks Rep. Jeff Flake of Arizona will win that appointment. Why do the Republicans think they can win by acting like Democrats? Given the choice between a Democrat and a Democrat-Lite, why would the voter choose the latter?

Larry Elder on liberal open-mindedness (one of my favorite topics)

Bottom line: Conservatives consider liberals well-intentioned, but
misguided. Liberals consider conservatives not only wrong, but really, really
bad people.

Kyle-Anne Shiver on Hillary and her mentor Saul Alinsky

Dean Barnnett on the influence of talk radio - He makes the point that talk radio is not terribly influential since listeners tend to be high-end news gatherers to begin with.

Mark Krikorian piling on favorite whipping boy John McCain - It seems like everyone but Michael Medved thinks McCain is a douche. Who is voting for him?

Roy Spencer on global warmism - Spencer is a climatologist and renowned global warmism denier. He argues that Republican Presidential candidates should buy into global warmism in order to get elected thereby stopping worse policies that would surely be enacted by a Democrat administration. Now there's an inspiring strategy!

Save Darfur

I just watched a program on the National Geographic channel called "Science of Evil". It was a good and thought-provoking program. A portion of it dealt with the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo and the horrifying inhumanity involved therein.

It reminded me of a bumper sticker I saw last year in an odd but predictable place, stuck to a steering wheel welded to a bike rack on a pedestrian-only road in Boulder Colorado. It read "Save Darfur".

At the time I marveled at the glaring ignorant self-righteousness of it. I never cease to be stunned by the level of vanity required to purchase and display such a token of vapid sentiment. There seems to be a never-ending supply of (mostly young) ignorant people who think the world's problems can be solved by simply caring about them. If only the world's attention were focused on African genocide we would intercede with "peacekeepers" and stop the conflict.

Unfortunately the problem is much deeper and more complex than can be expressed on a 3" x 9" sticker. If we were to truly attempt to stop the genocide in Africa it would require massive numbers of U.S. (who else in the world has any to contribute?) troops on the ground killing people and controlling territory. Warlords will not stop their quest for power and control unless they are stopped by force. That means war. Countless do-gooders have negotiated, bartered, brokered, held concerts and rallies, shipped food and medical supplies, written heart-wrenching tales, and donned blue helmets. But limbs are still being hacked off by the hundreds of thousands. Rape, murder, and starvation are still as common as the sunrise.

What is needed in Africa is what is needed across the globe by oppressed people wherever they toil. First they need law, principally property rights. Every man and woman on this planet is first owner of him or herself. This is the freedom for each of us to reap the fruits of our labor. Second they need accountability. This means equal enforcement of the law. Accountability cannot exist without law except at the whim of the dictator or strongman who is by definition, above the law, which is a contradiction in terms. Once these two principles are in place, the path to civil society is much clearer. Without them it is impossible.

So how is it possible for Africa to adopt the rule of law and hold all its people to it? Clearly it isn't going so swimmingly now. One can argue that past imperialism and exploitation, then abandonment by western powers have left Africa the basket-case that it is today. That argument is not without merit and equally applies to the middle east and south America as well. But regardless of the merits of that line of thinking, it isn't helpful. It is similar to the left's argument that the war in Iraq was waged on false pretenses due to the "flawed intelligence" that led us there. This is what in the business world is referred to as a "sunk cost". Since you cannot go back in time and undo the past, those arguments are irrelevant as to how to proceed from here.

Again, how can Africa adopt the rule of law? Will the African people rise up and demand it; put the institutions of law in place and re-create their governments in a fashion that will lead to peace and prosperity? There is scant evidence of such a movement. In a land where starvation of the population is a political tactic of control, it is highly unlikely that a Thomas Jefferson will emerge.

The only method capable of stopping a thug is force. Force is war. War is precisely what the smug granola-eater in Boulder deplores. So his argument to "Save Darfur" is one to commit U.S. troops to war there. I won't argue that it would be wrong for us to do so. But I think we should all be clear about what it is we advocate.

I hope Ron Paul never goes away

Without them, who would ever educate us on the Constitution and that "piece of trash, Lincoln"?

Here's audio of why I love talk radio generally and Ron Paul supporters specifically. (Hat tip - Hot Air)

Quote of the Day II

Heard on Brit Hume's show today:

"why, you know, keep beatin' a dead horse if it's, you know, if it's dead?"

Indeed.

John Edwards & David Letterman in tickle fight

Dear John:

Dear Mr. McCain,

You are clearly a very intelligent and compassionate man with many accomplishments. So I'm sure you're not a racist. Sooooo, will you be extending your amnesty plan to those of us who are not illegal immigrants? The reason I ask is, I would really appreciate it if the government would overlook 2 felonies and 5 misdemeanors that I commit. I haven't decided what those will be yet but I've got my $5000 fine ready to pay upfront.

Thank you,
The Mirthful Misanthrope

PS - Your affirmative reply will greatly influence my presidential endorsement

Big Foot found on Mars

(Hat tip - Michael Brazell Murray)

Update: NASA tells us not to believe our lyin' eyes. The truth is out there!

Quote of the Day

Belated quote of the day for Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina (et tu, SC?) from Monty Burns:

This anonymous clan of slack-jawed troglodytes has cost me the election, and yet if I were to have them killed, I would be the one to go to jail. That's democracy for you.

Palestinians blow up something new

Why is it that oppressed people always need TVs?

From the NY Times:

Thousands of Palestinians streamed from the Gaza Strip into Egypt on Wednesday after a fence at the Rafah border crossing was toppled, going on a buying spree of fuel, medicine, soap, cigarettes and many other supplies that have been cut off during days of blockade by Israel.
(emphasis added)

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! The Palestinians spend months using oxy-acetylene torches to strategically cut holes in a steel wall that separates the Gaza strip from Egypt, then place explosives in the holes (no word yet on whether or not those explosives were strapped to women and children), blow up the wall and stream into Egypt by the hundreds of thousands. And who does the New York Times blame? Why Israel of course! You see, Israel doesn't allow the Palestinians to trade with or enter into Israel because, well, do I need to say why?

Did it occur to anyone at the Times that Egypt is also keeping those terrorist crackpots out?

World's Greatest Dad

'World's Greatest Dad' Mug Presented as Evidence in Trial of Father Accused of Killing Girl

Just when you thought the Clintons and Barack Obama couldn't get any nastier

Bill Clinton: "I know you think it's crazy, but I kind of like to see Barack and Hillary fight"

At least you can see his hands

Blogs in space

Southwest Airlines Bringing the Internet to the Sky Via Satellite

This will certainly make air travel more enjoyable. Can't wait to see the price tag.

IMAO

IMAO Daily John Edwards Fabulous Fact: "John Edwards knows that 'sucking a golf ball through a garden hose' isn't a metaphor, it's a talent."

The future of the Republican party

I mentioned previously that Rush has said a Huckabee nomination would destroy the Republican party. I think that is both dead-on correct and dead-on incorrect.

Let me explain...

If, God forbid **drips of irony fall from his forehead**, Huckabee were to win the Republican nomination it would destroy the party. Huckabee's candidacy is a stark departure from what built the party, namely low taxes, small government, personal freedom and responsibility, strong military, resolute foreign policy, and all that didactic social policy crap. Say what you will about various Republican office-holders' tendency to stray from these principles. But Huckabee doesn't so much stray from them as disavow them. If he were to win it would be on the votes of Christian do-gooders who embrace big government in the name of Jesus.

This would destroy the party because it would separate the fiscal and foreign policy conservatives from the social conservatives. If Huck wins the primary it would necessarily mean that a majority of the party have chosen his side. The result would be a new Republican party unmoored from its foundation.

This is where I part with Rush.

Each of the two major political parties are a coalition of disparate interest groups. The Democrats have environmentalists, unions, collectivists, blacks, and gays. With the exception of gays all these groups tend to be collectivist in nature. Other than that they really share no common interests. Specifically unions and environmentalists tend to be in direct opposition to each other. On the Republican side there is the famous three-legged stool of social, fiscal, and foreign policy conservatives.

If the current make-up of the Republican party splinters into social conservatives as the largest segment and fiscal and foreign policy conservatives as the smaller segment, it could lead to the formation of a third party. Social conservatives are naturally aligned with unions on fiscal policy, and blacks and Hispanics on religion. Since the social conservatives believe in actively helping the poor, they would be more inclined to do so via the government once they are unhitched from fiscal conservatives.

It wouldn't require a majority of unions, blacks, and Hispanics to join the evangelicals in order to become a formidable political party. I bet they could even win over some greens with their WWJD? rhetoric.

This would force the left further left and the right further right. The Democrat party would be hollowed out into a gay, secularist, socialist, radical environmentalist party (difficult as that may be to imagine) and the right would likely become a pseudo-Libertarian party of war-mongering, government-hating, tax protesters (again, shocking).

But I believe that the center party described above would continue to bear the label of the Republican party. If this comes to pass we could finally achieve that European ideal the left has been longing for; ironically with the help of evangelical Christians.

Mitt for President!

It's official...

I hereby endorse Mitt Romney for President. With the news that Fred dropped out of the race, I ordered my bumper sticker yesterday and am now officially supporting Mitt Romney.

Mitt has long been my second choice and moving up with the knowledge that Fred was not going to make it. I listened to an interview last week of Mitt on the Hugh Hewitt show and I was thoroughly impressed. His (Mitt's) depth of knowledge about the complex national security issues of the day, the economy, and China was truly impressive.

Mitt's resume is equally impressive. I hope that his history of turning around companies, organizations, and even Massachusetts will continue in the White House.

Of course I would be remiss in my endorsement for Romney if I failed to mention the alternatives. While my support for Mitt is not a function of my distaste with much of the rest of the field, that displeasure is worth mentioning. Obviously all the Democrat contenders are horrible. But let's consider the Republicans remaining in the race.

I can certainly live with a Rudy Presidency. He is firmly in my second place slot now. I like him. I think he can win. I don't care about his personal position on abortion but I'm wary of his inclinations on guns. I believe he would be strong on the war, taxes, law enforcement, and judges. I think he would make a fine Vice Presidential nominee for Mitt in fact. Maybe AG.

Mike Huckabee is a big-time loser. He would get absolutely clobbered by Hillary. I'm with Rush in that I believe if Huckabee gets the nomination (which he won't) it would destroy the Republican party. (A caveat to follow in another post) I like Mike's support for the Fair Tax but I don't believe it is genuine. But for the Fair Tax to ever get passed it will require Presidential candidates endorsing it and running on it. Just not Huck.

John McCain is simply not a Republican. I heard Hugh Hewitt say of him (and I quote from memory) that he is a great hero, a lousy Senator, and a terrible Republican. So much bad legislation of the last decade bears his name. Let's not forget:

• opposing the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003


• restricting free speech, specifically political speech - McCain-Feingold


• amnesty for illegal aliens - McCain-Kennedy (yes Kennedy!)


• onerous restrictions and regulations on corporations - McCain-Lieberman


• opposing outlawing judicial filibusters - The Gang of 14

Again I am with Rush on this, if McCain is the nominee, I'm not sure I can support the Republican party.

And then there's Ron Paul.

So long Fred

(Please forgive the tardiness of this post. It would have been more timely except Fred dropped out of the race yesterday and I created this blog today.)

Sadly Fred Thompson has exited the race for the Republican nomination for President. He was the best conservative in the race even if he was the worst candidate (by contemporary standards). No one can question his conservative bona fides in the way one can with any of the remaining candidates.

Fred won me over last year with his series of articles published on Townhall in which he thoughtfully articulated his political philosophy. This matters more to me than any campaign white papers or debate performance. Once you know a candidate's political philosophy you can know what drives his decision-making and where he will fall out on issues as they come up. Where he stands today is not as important as where he will stand in the future.

It's too bad that the voters didn't appreciate Fred. He represented the opposite of the pandering identity politics we get from most of the others. He will be missed.

Friends of the poor?

A sandwich shop chain in the U.K. proudly uses global warmist propaganda to oppress the poor. As if third world farmers don't have enough problems with malaria, AIDS, and murderous thug dictators, now they have smug liberals refusing to allow their products into western markets due to the carbon footprint necessary to bring those products to market. Yet they claim to care about the poor.

More at Samizdata...

January 23rd 2008 - Today's Columns:

Michael Medved on John McCain. - I couldn't finish reading this press release from the campaign without wretching.

John Stossel on freedom. - More of the same from Stossel. Not bad but nothing earth shattering.

Walter Williams on subprime mortgage bailouts. - An excellent look at the history of subprime lending and how government is the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems.

Tom Sowell on income demagoguery. - It is stunning how willfully ignorant people can be about economic issues. Sowell, in typical fashion, makes it simple.

Tony Blankley on the current campaign.

Like most Republican regulars, I have been much put out by McCain during the past decade, but I could support him with a serviceable enthusiasm against the appalling Hillary.

Ann Coulter on my current favorite whipping boy John McCain.