Dufour

Moved

2010-05-03T20:46:00.000-04:00

This blog has moved to http://www.davedufour.com

Foi gras is legal in Chicago again

2008-05-14T23:23:00.001-04:00

Since this bit of silliness has been repealed, can smoking bans and other politically correct restrictions be far behind? One can only hope.

Surgery Over

2008-05-10T00:42:00.003-04:00

Here I am after my surgery this morning. Two rather annoying hernias. It's almost 1:00 am and I'm hurting somewhat, but that's all tempered with Percocet and Advil. All in all, a pretty easy procedure. Good doc -- Dr. Schiebel, all done at the Elkhart Clinic's Endoscopy and Surgery Center. Kind of a mini-hospital.

Luncheon reunion

2008-05-05T16:53:00.002-04:00

Got together with some old friends at Elkhart's Lakeshore Grill -- great lunch, really nice seeing these folks again. From left - -Me, Inga and Jim Bowyer, Dave Miller

Tentacles of an Onion

2008-05-04T12:32:00.001-04:00

Tentacles of an Onion, originally uploaded by BerndDaub.

Happened upon this in Flickr. Beautiful.

2008-05-01T22:07:00.001-04:00

Just a few bedtime comments.

Mobile post sent by davedufour using Utterz. Replies.

End of semester and some other comments (VIDEO)

2008-04-30T01:25:00.001-04:00

Experimenting with video, talking about end of this, my fifth or sixth semester as an adjunct college teacher, plus miscellaneous other stuff.

Mobile post sent by davedufour using Utterz. Replies.

The case for euthanasia and assisted suicide.

2008-04-25T19:17:00.000-04:00

Wednesday AM at the Clinic

2008-04-16T11:18:00.002-04:00

Looks exciting, doesn't it?
(Cell phone pic)

Leaning Towers of South Bend

2008-04-12T00:12:00.003-04:00

Here's an interesting effect I just discovered. Apparently, cell phone cameras scan (relatively) slowly from the top down, which accounts for the strange perspective in this picture, which I took in downtown South Bend from a moving car (moving from left to right relative to the image.)

Flock me!?

2008-04-11T22:45:00.002-04:00

Just installed the new Flock browser. Benefits: Everything bloggy, twittery, flickry etc., is at one's fingertips.

Drawbacks: Everything bloggy, twittery, flickry etc., is at one's fingertips.

Bizzy bizzy bizzy.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

The bad guys won, unfortunately

2008-03-28T17:38:00.003-04:00

Liveleak.com has taken Geert Wilders' anti-Islamist film Fitna off of its website with the following notice:

Following threats to our staff of a very serious nature, and some ill informed reports from certain corners of the British media that could directly lead to the harm of some of our staff, Liveleak.com has been left with no other choice but to remove Fitna from our servers.
This is a sad day for freedom of speech on the net but we have to place the safety and well being of our staff above all else. We would like to thank the thousands of people, from all backgrounds and religions, who gave us their support. They realised LiveLeak.com is a vehicle for many opinions and not just for the support of one.
Perhaps there is still hope that this situation may produce a discussion that could benefit and educate all of us as to how we can accept one anothers culture.
We stood for what we believe in, the ability to be heard, but in the end the price was too high.

Unfortunate as this is, I guess I understand. But it underscores the issue and proves Wilders' point -- that radical Islam is not interested in any such thing as a reasonable exchange of ideas, and certainly can't stand up to the kind of criticism that is presented in Wilders' film and earlier in Theo Van Gogh's Submission.

Both filmmakers are Dutch (Van Gogh was publicly murdered for the "crime" of making his film), and the problem of Islamic intolerance is especially bad in the Netherlands. But it's the fate that faces much of the rest of the world if we aren't ultimately honest about how primitive and evil these radicals are. There is no moral equivalence between radical Islam and Western culture. Whatever Christians may have done 500 years ago is of no importance today. We know better today. Virtually all terrorist acts committed today are done in the name of Allah. It's time we stopped making allowances for this kind of thinking.

Wilder's (and Van Gogh's) films are still available on YouTube -- albeit Wilder's seems to be showing up in a couple slightly different versions, making me wonder if some posters are making "embellishments." In any case, take a look. There are also several good interviews with Wilder, who is also a member of the Dutch Parliament.

In the Fox News interview, the (unseen) interviewer keeps trying to get Wilder to admit that maybe he shouldn't "insult" Islam and its millions of followers. Rightly, Wilder basically says we can't be cowed by savages who have no respect for us. I hope he stays alive to see some good come of his efforts -- as can be expected, the death threats arrive daily.

Plenty of people left to lie to

2008-03-10T11:43:00.002-04:00

In Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish today, a reader points out the obvious that I can't HELP but point out, and the MSM refuse to. The Clinton Lie Factory.

Boogah-boogah!

2008-03-05T19:27:00.000-05:00

Dave gets new glasses.

A Valentine Treat

2008-02-07T21:48:00.000-05:00

Don't send a lame Valentine's Day eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Set taking shape at Bristol

2007-12-29T15:03:00.001-05:00

This is the PostMortem Set under construction.

Hitchens Rules

2007-10-05T13:54:00.002-04:00

A day at Wrigley

2007-09-04T00:20:00.000-04:00

The day (today) was beautiful, the opening run by Soriano held such promise, and the Cubbies floundered around like Little Leaguers. But Wrigley Field still has its charms and even with Zambrano's current slump, the Cubs are in first place in the ALC. Paige became a Cubs Convert, and a good time was had by all.

Paige is graduated

2007-05-07T11:31:00.000-04:00

My beautiful daughter Paige graduated from Indiana University Saturday. Despite a raging case of mononucleosis, she managed to get through the ceremony plus the fawning of family and friends. Great job, honey. We're proud of you.

Amber Crossing??

2007-04-18T22:26:00.001-04:00

Another completely irrelevant name for a strip mall (click to magnify). This is a plain vanilla ticky-tacky building that's out in the middle of what used to be a cornfield. Where's the amber? Hell, where's the crossing? There ought to be a law.

Great comic.

2007-04-18T08:54:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Paige

2007-04-14T17:38:00.001-04:00

This is my lovely wife Michele. I haven't posted a picture of her here lately, so here it is, even it if it is a camera phone shot. Love you, Michele.

China cracks down on online IDs

2007-04-10T12:07:00.000-04:00

Once again, China proves Microsoft and Google shouldn't have cooperated with its constrictive internet rules. In FT.com. Why US businesses continue to condone China's human rights record is beyond me.

When the going gets tough ...

2007-04-09T14:24:00.000-04:00

... the tough (obviously) go shopping. Pelosi at work, while troop funding waits. The WH not-so-subtly requested Ms. Pelosi to call the house back so they can get to work on a clean troop funding bill. Unlike the Senate did, Ms. Pelosi neglected to appoint conferees on the bill prior to her Middle-East trip, so any possible progress was completely stalled on reconciling the current bill, which is destined for veto anyway. Pelosi ought to be an embarrassment for the Dems. Thanks to Drudge.

Kids as Art

2007-04-09T11:04:00.001-04:00

kids, originally uploaded by dufourda.

Done with at free tool at dumpr.net.

Happy Easter

2007-04-09T09:25:00.000-04:00

Why did Google and Microsoft bow to the East?

2007-03-13T22:10:00.000-04:00

Given this development -- China to expand "Great Internet Firewall" -- why did anyone ever believe the Chinese government would loosen up its citizens' contact with the outside world via the internet? Microsoft and Google are both complicit, if obliquely, in this kind of crackdown because they gave it approval when they agreed to limit certain kinds of content reaching the Chinese mainland from their online services. These companies had nothing to be ashamed of, and no good reasons to bow to the Chinese government's wishes. And now the tyrants in chanrge in China are making things even tighter. America, and American companies, should stop helping them oppress their people and imprison their minds.

The Fathomless Fakeness of Clinton

2007-03-05T14:56:00.000-05:00

What a phony jackass this woman is. Hillary's Selma speech with the Southern accent (which she doesn't even do well) demonstrates how fake and, ultimately, how disdainful of her audience she is.

No comment needed

2007-03-01T15:24:00.000-05:00

Hillary's doomed taboo

2007-02-27T09:47:00.000-05:00

Kaus points out the futility of Hillary's attempts to make her critics shut up about Bill's sexual history and, I think her own crooked path.) Hillary's doomed taboo - By Mickey Kaus - Slate Magazine

James Cameron to announce Jesus tomb discovery

2007-02-24T23:19:00.003-05:00

Brace yourself. James Cameron, the man who brought you 'The Titanic' is back with another blockbuster. This time, the ship he's sinking is Christianity. In a new documentary, Producer Cameron makes the starting claim that Jesus wasn't resurrected --the cornerstone of Christian faith-- in his new documentary.Found via the Drudgereport. Man, I hope this is true. The church needs a shakeup. I can hear the squealing and protestations now!

read more | digg story

But seriously folks...

2007-02-14T18:39:00.000-05:00

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2007®:

HOUSE HEARING ON 'WARMING OF THE PLANET' CANCELED AFTER ICE STORM
HEARING NOTICE

Tue Feb 13 2007 19:31:25 ET
The Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality hearing scheduled for Wednesday, February 14, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building has been postponed due to inclement weather. The hearing is entitled “Climate Change: Are Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Human Activities Contributing to a Warming of the Planet?”

The case against socialized medicine

2007-02-14T12:28:00.000-05:00

Universal Health Care/National Health Insurance/HillaryCare are all euphemisms for a socialized system of health care. Despite the cries about how the US is one of the only countries in the world that doesn't have it, the truth is, we should be grateful we don't. Walter Williams presents the case for the US system with fewer government restrictions and interference. Read Do We Want Socialized Medicine? on Atlasphere.

Another voice against global warming hysteria

2007-02-05T14:25:00.000-05:00

Just when it appeared cooler heads (pun intended) were beginning to prevail on the subject of global warming, an announcement from the International Panel on Climate Change states with near-certainty that global warming is the fault of humans. Just as more scientists are stating that the conventional wisdom on the issue is wrong, we hear breathless news announcers saying that the debate is over. Well, it's not over. See this from the Canada Free Press.

Ayn Rand Revisited

2007-01-16T20:41:00.000-05:00

Ayn Rand is one of my favorite authors, even though I know her style is somewhat stiff. For me, it's the philosophy that matters. I've read Atlas Shrugged three times, and will probably do so again sometime. It is as important a book to me as the Bible is to so many others. No, Atlas Shrugged is not a "religious" book in the way the Bible is. It is not significant for any mystical content, for it has none. It is a work that celebrates rational man, and romanticizes (proudly) the potential man has to do ever greater things. It celebrates man as profoundly self-reliant, not dependent upon a gracious (or vengeful) god in the heavens, nor fearful of demons below.

Ayn Rand's philosophy is often thought of as grim, for the very reason that it does not invoke the idea of a God/Santa Claus/Easter Bunny/benevolent politician. But it's not grim -- it's liberating. Neither was Rand herself grim. YouTube currently has online a series of clips from an hour-long interview on the Phil Donahue show in the 70s. In it, we see a happy, humorous Ayn Rand, who doesn't suffer fools, but at the same time, is able to laugh at herself. The links are below. To my children, maybe this will give you a better idea of where your old man is coming from. To others, just enjoy it, and think.

Also, there is an interview from 1959 with Mike Wallace (looking almost like a kid.)

Podcasting?

2007-01-14T21:42:00.000-05:00

This is a test to see if I can set up a podcast on Blogger.com, using Feedburner.

The podcast is here.

Berger's crimes

2007-01-13T13:41:00.000-05:00

OpinionJournal discusses them here. Someone would be in jail or headed for it if Berger's crimes had been committed by any ordinary citizen and/or a Republican. Why is Berger running free? The answer is covered in the last paragraph of this piece.

Thanks to Justice's and the Archives' leniency, or laxity, or both, Mr. Berger's plea deal expires in 2008--just in time, perhaps, for the next Clinton Administration.

Just as I thought.

2006-12-27T22:22:00.000-05:00

The Onion explains the deviousness of Al Gore.

Cleaning up the act

2006-12-15T08:17:00.000-05:00

I think it's about time, as OpinionJournal's Daniel Heninger notes today.

When Al Qaeda gloats over our election ...

2006-11-10T17:53:00.000-05:00

... one has to wonder who they fear the most. Reuters has this article today. My opinion is the terrorists figure the US is weaker now. They may be right, and that is really sad.
Reuters' bias really shows, by the way in these scare quotes:

Bush said he was open to any idea for a new approach and publicly reaffirmed a belief that "victory" was possible.

Obviously "victory" is a foreign word to Reuters. With "stories" like this, I'm not sure Reuters is a real "news organization."

Reminder to self:

2006-10-29T21:32:00.000-05:00

Slap the next person who uses the phrase "back in the day."

New pix

2006-10-22T21:32:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of me in character as Reverend Gideon, doing my "sermon" and pseudo-gospel singing at the pre-finals pep rally for Concord Band. The choir is Band Moms and Dads. In case you didn't know, Indiana is a little crazy when it comes to marching band competitions. My son Dylan is a senior in the band and so it's MY last year as a Band Dad too. Anyway, this was fun.

Concord Band Pep Rally

Double-secret no-tolerance watch

2006-10-02T11:44:00.000-04:00

This is so stupid, I wonder if there's more to the story we're not being told. The New York Times reports that an art teacher with 28 years in the classroom has been suspended for taking her fifth-graders to an art museum where they saw (gasp) nude art. A parent complained and the teacher's out on her fully-clothed rear end.

If it been an exhibit of erotic art the kids saw, I could possibly understand, but nudity is classic. Nudity (involving the right people) is beautiful. And it IS art. I grew up with an appreciation of this because my father is an amateur artist (quite good, actually) who painted nudes and hung them in the house from the time I was five or six years old. I did have friends who thought it was weird, but to me it was only natural. We didn't run around naked in our house, we just appreciated ART.

I hope this woman gets her job back, with a big-time apology, but she probably won't. And that's sad.

Why we should be very afraid of Ahmadinejad

2006-09-21T17:55:00.000-04:00

Andrew Sullivan posted this today. I had heard it discussed in the broadcast media, but Andrew brings it home. The President of Iran is a fanatic, in thrall to a death-obsessed fanaticism. Very dangerous.

Aha! Dept.

2006-09-20T09:57:00.000-04:00

ReporterHerald- Colorado State professor disputes global warming is human-caused

Muslim Rage -- SSDD

2006-09-15T14:02:00.001-04:00

Muslims are enraged (again) over some things the Pope said. See Muslim fury grows at Pope's speech | the Daily Mail

Is it me, or do these people pretty much LIVE to be enraged? Reminds me of the armies of the "offended" here in the US, only more violent, and with weapons. Oh, yeah, and suicide bombers.

Japanese time warp?

2006-09-12T21:04:00.000-04:00

This song is so infectious -- like the GoGos best stuff. Reminds me of the French "Yeh yeh" girls like Sylvie, too. Corny, but it's FUN, dammit.

Ground Zero Blues

2006-09-08T09:03:00.000-04:00

Daniel Heninger laments how 9/11 patriotism and unity have devolved into a disgusting political morass. In OpinionJournal today.

You Can't Handle The Truth Dept.

2006-09-08T08:01:00.000-04:00

Democrats are fighting hard to get ABC to drop its 9/11 miniseries, even threatening ABC's right to broadcast. This is Stalin-esque, and proves what bullies the Democrats really are. Agree or we'll shut you up. No wonder they want us to lose the war to the Islamo-fascists. They have so much in common with them.

To the specific point, as Andrew says, Clinton shouldn't get a pass on being clueless and inept in the run-up to 9/11, nor should Bushes I & II. Of course the miniseries is a dramatization. But if the essential facts are correct (and I understand that they are), then they should be presented. The Dems are trying to censor anything that makes them look bad, even if it's the truth.

Summer pix

2006-09-07T22:35:00.000-04:00

Summer 2006

Aug 20, 2006 - 4 Photos

I will probably ad pictures to this album later on, but there are a few in there now. Click on the picture above to view it.

This is exceedingly cool,

2006-09-07T22:19:00.000-04:00

I am already thinking of ways to use this idea.

Andrew on Iran

2006-09-06T23:24:00.000-04:00

Andrew Sullivan | The Daily Dish: The Iran Debate. Whatever you think of the Iraq war or George Bush, we can't go soft on Iran. Which means, in my opinion, we can't trust the left to defend us and keep us safe.

2006-08-25T13:39:00.000-04:00

Miscellaneous photos

34 Photos

Take a look if you wanna.

OpinionJournal on the mass murder plot

2006-08-11T09:29:00.000-04:00

A terror plot is exposed by the policies many American liberals oppose.

Sullivan on Kurtz

2006-08-10T13:00:00.000-04:00

It's a pessimistic view, but it's also the reason we can't turn chicken in the war on terror. Andrew Sullivan | The Daily Dish: The Gloom of the Hawks.

A turn to the left in the upcoming congressional elections could be disastrous for our defense, because the left inevitably promots negotiation and appeasement with terror maniacs. Whatever we disagree about in our war in Iraq, we can't afford to leave or lose. And we can't afford to let our guards down. The recent foiled terror plot proves it.

Why tax cuts work

2006-07-25T09:14:00.000-04:00

Pete DuPont in OpinionJournal. I used to wonder why Democrats can't understand how tax cuts help everyone. Actually, I believe they DO understand, but they don't really care. The "tax cuts for the rich" chant has become monotonous, predictable (and wrong), but it goes on because it sells to those whose understanding of economics is minimal (thanks to a liberal-dominated public school system.)

Net neutrality not so simple

2006-06-24T18:36:00.000-04:00

As the WSJ says, when Moveon.org wants something, it's a good idea to think twice. Here's the latest from OpinionJournal.com. Why Google wants to invite the government to regulate the internet further is beyond me.

Demarée the Graduate

2006-06-18T21:03:00.000-04:00

Yes, well, this is old news (a month old), but Demarée has finally finished up at Ball State and has taken up residence in Wheaton, Illinois, where she is still looking for gainful employment. I'm proud of you, Bumbum.

The Photographed History of Technology

2006-06-04T09:16:00.000-04:00

Digg.com had a posting about the OAC's huge historical database of technolgoy related photos, but there is a lot more there. The images section alone is bigger than just the tech section, and has some pretty fascinating stuff. Check it out.

read more | digg story

Algore Abroad

2006-05-31T15:38:00.000-04:00

Is it really appropriate for the former holder of the second-highest office in the USA to be talking like this in another country? Tell me a Republican who did this kind of stuff during the Clinton Administration's years. I don't there's an example of it. Gore should be an embarrassment to the Democratic Party. The fact that he's not speaks volumes.

Click It or Ticket -- the downside

2006-05-24T13:48:00.000-04:00

Although I find him kind of hard to listen to when he fills in for Rush, Walter Williams is a brilliant man and a guy I wish we could clone and put in every college economics program, or, better yet, in every high school civics class.

I recently got nailed by the local gendarmerie for not having my seatbelt fastened. In addition to ticking me off, it also seemed ridiculous that four (count 'em) FOUR county cop cars were required to man a seatbelt check station. Professor Williams makes a great case for why (besides the $25.00 fine) this sort of thing SHOULD tick me off. Read on.

As the professor says, fastening my seatbelt is a good idea, and I should be doing it. But should I be compelled to do it? We've reached the stage in this country where the justification for a law -- essentially the threat of the use of force to guarantee compliance -- is that "it's a good idea."

Here are some other good ideas:

Wash your hands before eating.

Change your oil regularly.

Get exercise three times a week, at least.

Call your mom once in a while.

Floss

Are all of these worthy of a law to make sure we do the right thing? Should four county mounties come to my door and arrest me for waxy yellow buildup on my floors? Surely clean floors are a "good idea" too.

We've actually reached this level of intrusion on the smoking issue. Second-hand smoke, although not nearly the health threat the zealots imagine, is being attacked on all fronts. In neighboring St. Joseph County, even BARS cannot allow smoking. Private bars. Where people LIKE to smoke. Where the owners WANT people to be able to smoke and enjoy themselves without having to go outside (and leave the bar). Not smoking is a good idea. We've now got a gun to the head of people who want to smoke, and in most cases aren't really bothering anyone who doesn't.

As Professor Williams suggests, it is time we stop forcing people to do EVERYthing we think is a good idea. For one thing, sometimes the laws involved are dead wrong and/or based on bad evidence, second-hand smoke being a case in point. For another, and this will sound cliché, this is America. We aren't supposed to be rounding people up for personal habits, preferences, perversions or even just plain idiocy. We don't do it here. Unless you smoke and won't fasten your seatbelt.

That's all from me. I'll be driving off in my old Honda, smoking a ciggie, seatbelt off, dirty hands and unflossed teeth. Try to stop me, coppers.

Peter Wehner on the left's Iraq mythology

2006-05-23T07:04:00.000-04:00

Tired of the "Bush lied" lie? Read at OpinionJournal

Galileo all over again

2006-04-12T06:53:00.000-04:00

In OpinionJournal today is an article by Richard Lindzen that brings Michael Crichton's novel "State of Fear" into the world of reality. How much of our so-called science is truly reliable? An excerpt:

So how is it that we don't have more scientists speaking up about this junk science? It's my belief that many scientists have been cowed not merely by money but by fear. An example: Earlier this year, Texas Rep. Joe Barton issued letters to paleoclimatologist Michael Mann and some of his co-authors seeking the details behind a taxpayer-funded analysis that claimed the 1990s were likely the warmest decade and 1998 the warmest year in the last millennium. Mr. Barton's concern was based on the fact that the IPCC had singled out Mr. Mann's work as a means to encourage policy makers to take action. And they did so before his work could be replicated and tested--a task made difficult because Mr. Mann, a key IPCC author, had refused to release the details for analysis. The scientific community's defense of Mr. Mann was, nonetheless, immediate and harsh. The president of the National Academy of Sciences--as well as the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union--formally protested, saying that Rep. Barton's singling out of a scientist's work smacked of intimidation.

All of which starkly contrasts to the silence of the scientific community when anti-alarmists were in the crosshairs of then-Sen. Al Gore. In 1992, he ran two congressional hearings during which he tried to bully dissenting scientists, including myself, into changing our views and supporting his climate alarmism. Nor did the scientific community complain when Mr. Gore, as vice president, tried to enlist Ted Koppel in a witch hunt to discredit anti-alarmist scientists--a request that Mr. Koppel deemed publicly inappropriate. And they were mum when subsequent articles and books by Ross Gelbspan libelously labeled scientists who differed with Mr. Gore as stooges of the fossil-fuel industry.

Is this the atmosphere in which other areas of scientific inquiry, such as AIDS and cancer research, operate? Apparently it is. And that's what we truly should be alarmed about. The likes of Al Gore should not be controlling scientific inquiry. Neither should George Bush, for that matter.

Ann, I think this may be a step too far.

2006-04-10T12:40:00.000-04:00

Ann Coulter is a very sharp witted pundit. She does go over the top at times, and I think I can appreciate when she's doing so simply for the drama. Her new book title is over the edge, not just over the top. It's not that I'm liberal or religious (neither). It's that this is the stoooopidest argument that should be made against liberalism I've seen. I haven't read the book, so maybe there's more to it than this, but I don't like the fact that somehow the conservative wing has become perceived as the self-annointed "God" wing of politics. This doesn't help.

Editorial Judgement 101

2006-02-19T12:23:00.000-05:00

Drudge report: "This just in... Both TIME and NEWSWEEK are planning high impact covers of Cheney for newsstands starting tomorrow, with each magazine rolling out top staff bylines and thousands of words on the (Cheney) hunting incident."

Either the news cycles are just too quick, as Drudge suggests, for print media to react and drop what should be a dead story, or there's an agenda at work here.

Or maybe there's a kind of third answer, which is that the media are purposely making the unimportant seem important, while ignoring issues such as the revelations of the recent Saddam tapes, the treasonous speeches of Al Gore in the Middle East, and others. Are we being distracted from something bigger? I wonder.

The new appeasement culture needs to look at history

2006-02-11T19:43:00.000-05:00

Andrew Sullivan | The Daily Dish: "I'm tired of these excuses for self and actual censorship, saying free speech is only legit if it doesn't offend someone's religion. Free speech is at its most legitimate when it is offending people. That's how societies change. And the absence of it is one reason so much of the Arab-Muslim world is an economic, cultural and political basket-case. These cultures need confronting, not enabling."

First Grader Suspended for Harassment

2006-02-08T21:45:00.000-05:00

Reported in Breitbart.com. I certainly hope Diane Gosselin, the principal of Downey Elementary School in Brockton, Mass, is proud of herself for mishandling this. Now a little boy is potentially scarred for life and has to worry about something that only exists in the minds of the adult perverts in the Brockton school system. Playtime and little girls are now something to be feared by this child. Little boys tease little girls sometimes. Little girls tease little boys, too. Kids touch each other. Someone should grow up in Brockton, and it's not any of the kids in question. Things like this can be handled in a much more mature way. The problem is the adult in this case, along with an institutionalized bias against boys, and a perverse sense of political correctness. Congratulations, Ms. Gosselin.

It's not just "Bush's war."

2006-02-06T00:50:00.000-05:00

As if it ever was. The "Islamic Rage," which now appears to have been orchestrated (the infamous cartoons appeared in September), is threatening everyone. More proof here. These bastards want to reserve the right to say anything they want to about us and our culture, but deny the same right in reverse to the rest of the world. Freedom of speech means people can say bad things about you right along with the good things. Europe and the rest of the world should not be apologetic to this perverse philosophy. A number of years ago, Ayn Rand made the case for the importance of philosophy, at a time when the fashion was to think it was strictly an academic exercise. The deaths of Theo Van Gogh and numerous journalists, not to mention the 9/11 tragedy, prove it is anything but that.

What the...? Dept.

2006-02-04T23:04:00.000-05:00

USATODAY.com reports that the Federal government is going to now help us have better marriages.

Feds turn eye to healthy marriages: "Congress approved a $750 million, five-year plan aimed at building healthier marriages Wednesday as part of its deficit reduction bill.

The measure now goes to President Bush. It includes $100 million a year for marriage-related programs and $50 million a year for fatherhood programs. This is the first time Congress has earmarked money for marriage programs, says Ron Haskins of the Brookings Institution's Center on Children and Families."

Do we actually need a government program for this? I mean, aren't there enough counselors, churches and bartenders out there to give us advice on this subject? Why does government know what a "better" marriage is?

I'm ashamed of Republicans for coming up with it. Just because I don't want my government subsidizing welfare moms (a family-destroying policy, by the way) doesn't mean I want them "helping" me or anyone else with our marriags. This goes for busybody Republicans as well as nanny-state Liberals: leave us the hell alone.

If this smells like a shake-down, it's because it is.

2006-01-27T15:55:00.000-05:00

The legal system that spawns the creeps who engage in this kind of lawsuit culture needs a major overhaul. Unfortunately, the public really believes this to be a noble cause. Check it out. John Stossel, get a camera crew together. These jerks are serious.

2006-01-27T12:26:00.000-05:00

Why is this guy still getting a podium?

2006-01-26T23:16:00.000-05:00

Spouting off about Canada: Gore accuses big oil of bankrolling Tories.

I guess this means Gore would like the left/socialist government that's made Canada's economy a loser for years to stay in power. Gore shouldn't get a fifth of the ink he still gets.

On Guy-ness

2006-01-25T10:26:00.000-05:00

My friends at WhizzO AdverT. Co. give us 45 or so reasons why It's Good to be a Guy.

2006-01-23T22:05:00.000-05:00

2006-01-23T20:58:00.000-05:00

2006-01-23T19:26:00.000-05:00

2006-01-23T18:41:00.000-05:00

2006-01-23T15:18:00.000-05:00

The power of the blogosphere (and other new media)

2006-01-20T09:19:00.000-05:00

And why the left doesn't control the dialogue anymore.

Peggy Noonan in OpinionJournal makes some great points. Here's an excerpt:

Eleven years ago the Democrats lost control of Congress. Then they lost the presidency. But just as important, maybe more enduringly important, they lost their monopoly on the means of information in America. They lost control of the pipeline. Or rather there are now many pipelines, and many ways to use the information they carry. The other day, Dana Milbank, an important reporter for the Washington Post, the most important newspaper in the capital, wrote a piece deriding Judge Alito. Once such a piece would have been important. Men in the White House would have fretted over its implications. But within hours of filing, Mr. Milbank found his thinking analyzed and dismissed on the Internet; National Review Online called him a 'policy bimbo.

Could Democratic senators today torture Clarence Thomas with tales of Coke cans and porn films? Not likely. Could Ted Kennedy have gotten away with his 'Robert Bork's America' speech unanswered? No.

Osama's Niece a relative? How I wish.

2005-12-24T09:36:00.000-05:00

Meet Osama Bin Laden's wayward niece, Wafah Dufour, no appearing in GQ magazine, accourting to Reuters.

Mercury Myths, for example...

2005-12-23T13:04:00.000-05:00

One team of researchers compared 21 specimens of Atlantic Ocean blue hake preserved during the 1880s with 66 similar fish caught in the 1970s. They found no change at all in the concentration of mercury.In another study, Princeton scientists compared samples of yellowfin tuna from 1971 with samples caught in 1998. They expected to find a mercury increase of between 9 and 26 percent, but they found a small decline instead.And in a unique experiment, curators of the Smithsonian Institution tested tuna samples that were archived between 1878 and 1909, and compared them with similar fish tissue from 1971 and 1993. They found significantly less mercury in the more recently caught fish. In some cases, the difference was more than 50 percent.

Granted, I don't know who the first "team of researchers" is, but the others are credible. The site's good, check it out at at www.fishscam.com/mercur...

Fish Scam

2005-12-23T12:57:00.000-05:00

More evidence of pseudo-science alarmism in the environmental/animal rights/ State of Fear movement. Most telling is the mis/disinformation about mercury levels in seafood.

I'm sensing a move back to common sense, along with a healthy skepticism of social fearmongering. Hope it lasts.

Best Political Blog (Conservative)

2005-12-23T12:14:00.000-05:00

Even on vacation, Andrew is the best.

Rummy's in, Tookie's out.

2005-12-12T20:18:00.000-05:00

I guess the rumor about Rumsfeld getting dumped for Lieberman was just that: a rumor. But Arnold decided Tookie should pay the consequences. I am against the death penalty, but it is the law of the land in California, and Gov. S. can't flip the penalties EVERY time, and especially when Williams is definitely guilty. His Nobel nominations almost make me dislike him more, but setting that aside, I think it's too bad he didn't discover ways to help kids before he decided to commit murder.

Re: Capital Punishment

Here's why I'm against it.

Innocent people can't come back from the dead. By this I mean, if some poor schlep is wrongfully convicted and executed, then it's discovered he's innocent, there's no going back to square one. At least with a life sentence you can let the guy go with a BIG apology.
I honestly believe that life in a box is a worse punishment than a quiet good-night. I don't think it's a deterrent to crime, either. MAYBE it would be if we really tried people quickly and bumped them off without the long-drawn-out appeals process, but I dunno. If you're going to kill someone, they deserve a few appeals, so I'm back to the main point. Bad boy in a box is the worse punishment.

Shot-in-the-foot Dept. II

2005-12-09T22:34:00.000-05:00

Dean's words are being played on Al Jazeera. Whaddya know? John Batchelor (WABC Radio) is in the Middle East right now and is hearing Dean being played repeatedly as the voice of the people in the United States. The only person dumber than Dean in the Democratic party at this point is Nancy Pelosi. The party is getting a dose of what happens when politics is encouraged over common sense, the safety of our soldiers and our security at home. Some bozo takes it too far. Dean will probably end up out of a job over this stupid remark, but I'd LOVE for him to stay in and say even more stupid stuff. His spin today was that it was "a little out of context." Nah. It's anti-American and oblivious to right and wrong no matter how you cut it. This guy nearly had the Democratic nomination. The party picked Kerry instead to avoid him. Send up a flare, I think the ship went down. More proof this party cannot be trusted with national security.

"White Flag" ad takes the offensive against Dems defeatism

2005-12-09T15:02:00.000-05:00

See the ad here.

Twist of Fate Dept.

2005-12-09T10:40:00.000-05:00

According to Andrew, Rumsfeld may be on the way out. Maybe this is a good thing. Replacing him with Lieberman, as his story suggests, is perhaps even better. I have always had mixed feelings about Joe -- mostly because of his flip to the left as Gore's running mate, (oh yeah, and the Alf's-human-dad voice.) But his recent WSJ piece was cogent and rightly nailed the left for playing politics with national security. Maybe his presence will help. I hope he gets the job in any case, if Rumsfeld's out.

The bad part is, there's a lot we don't know. Has this been in the works for a while? Is Rumsfeld really on the way out and exactly why? I think he's become a political liability, but why? What does the Bush White House really think of this guy? Is he becoming a fall guy for the torture story? Or is any of this happening at all? Stay tuned.

Shot-in-the-foot Dept.

2005-12-06T13:53:00.000-05:00

Seen on Drudge, I think this, Dean: US Won't Win in Iraq, could very well be a great strategy for the Democrats. Win elections by touting failure. Victory by Defeat. War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Perfect for the party that has been wrong about almost every aspect of the war.

Why we went to Iraq

2005-11-18T09:53:00.000-05:00

-- and why the left is so damaging to the cause of freedom there. In today's OpinionJournal.

Would Senators Sam Nunn, Pat Moynihan, Bob Kerrey, Chuck Robb, David Boren or Henry M. Jackson have conducted their opposition to President Bush's war policies in Iraq as have Senators Harry Reid, Richard Durbin, Ted Kennedy and Barbara Boxer? The former group stood for the idea of a loyal opposition; the latter stand simply in opposition.

Here is one man's view of why we are in Iraq: We are trying to democratize this country so they don't try to kill us. That Iraqis should "get their freedom" is genuinely good and desirable. But I wish President Bush would say more often that Iraqi democratization is in our raw self-interest. It doesn't much matter to me whether the country we democratize is Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia or Syria. The theory that democracies don't attack other democracies is as strong as such notions get, and what the world most needs now is a new, large Islamic democracy. A democracy, however "imperfect," is less likely than an authoritarian state to detonate a nuclear device in someone else's territory.

Let's see what happens Dept.

2005-11-17T11:24:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how earth-shattering this is, but the fact is, an NAACP leader switching to the GOP, as reported in the Orlando Sentinel,is darned unusual. Does it foreshadow a realization among African-Americans that the Democratic Party, in decades of social welfare and PC posturing, has not helped, and in fact has hurt minorities? It will be interesting to see what the MSM do with this, if anything. Thanks to Drudge.

Costume Malfunction Department

2005-11-14T15:09:00.000-05:00

Woman bomber's device wouldn't detonate. Despite the fact that this woman tried to kill people, it appears she was used by her husband, whose bomb DID go off. From some of the comments she's made, she appears to be an obedient wife forced to do something she didn't really want to do -- or else she's just addled. How many people involved in terrorist acts are simply being used? We know children are, now this pathetic woman. The plus side is that she may provide useful information about terrorist operations. I feel sorry for her, in a way, and for anyone else who is used by Islamist monsters.

Political Grandstanding Dept.

2005-11-09T18:15:00.000-05:00

If Senator Domenici, Senator Pelosi and others skilled in the art of indignation (and nothing else) REALLY want to help Americans pay for gasoline, they should look to the gas taxes piled on by federal and state governments that far exceed the profit margins of the oil companies themselves. This is nonsense, political theatre designed to make stupid, jealous people feel better while not doing one thing to improve the supply situation. Lower taxes and a better energy policy that frees the experts (OIL COMPANIES) to increase supply are what is needed. I don't care HOW much oil companies make, because they'll keep investing in more ways to get more oil. Scapegoating is for dummies.

Wartime atrocities should be condemned .. unless, of course, they're fabrications.

2005-11-08T22:23:00.000-05:00

Jimmy Massey, a former Marine who has been telling the world about atrocities he committed, has been found to be a liar. Read on..

The problem is, of course, that his lies have been published and repeated ad nauseum by the press, both mainstream and in the blogosphere, so now this crap is part of the public record. Like internet hoaxes, they'll never go away. The left can't win with the truth, so they back up liars and goofballs like Massey and Cindy Sheehan (Hey, what happened to her? I thought she was the left's best buddy.)

Intelligent Design Exam

2005-11-08T16:21:00.000-05:00

Here's a little exam for the proponents of the intelligent design "theory."

1. Can you define the difference between an full-fledged scientific theory, a hypothesis based on observable facts, and a philosophical point of view based on faith? Hint: "Intelligent Design" is in the third category. You see, while I.D. folk denigrate evolution as "just another theory," intelligent design doesn't even QUALIFY as a theory. See the Smithsonian or National Geo web sites and do a search on "intelligent design" for further information.

2. What other areas of science besides evolution would you dismiss in favor of accounts you find in the Bible? If none, why is evolution the only area of science with which you take issue?

3. Essay Question: Compare and contrast Darwin's theory with the Intelligent Design idea in terms of:
a) the observable facts they explain;
b) the archeological record;
c) any experimental results that can be duplicated following specific procedures.

4. Darwin observed not just Galapagos turtles, but hundeds of other species to formulate his ideas. What have you observed?

5. Story problem: Billy Graham, Osama bin Laden, and Tom Cruise walk into a coffee shop. After about three espressos they begin a heated argument about their respective faith-based views of how man came to be. They begin slugging it out. Who wins the fight, and why?

6. Are ALL unexplainable phenomena so complex that intelligent design is the only logical explanation? If so, in what ways does this point of view differ from, say, the idea that the sun is really a god in a golden chariot or that monsters are waiting at the edge of the earth?

EXTRA CREDIT: Explain why we should believe that Philip Johnson, father of the I.D. movement, who has no background in the biological sciences (see Wikipedia.org), should have more credibility than others in the established scientific community.

Start writing now, and most important, no cheating.

The lie about lying

2005-11-03T10:11:00.000-05:00

In OpinionJournal today.

Oops, I'm a Dumb-Ass Department

2005-10-26T22:08:00.000-04:00

Loogie Found In Trooper's Turkey Wrap.

George Will on Miers

2005-10-24T10:37:00.000-04:00

Excellent as usual:

. . . Democrats, with their zest for gender politics, need this reminder: To give a woman a seat on a crowded bus because she is a woman is gallantry. To give a woman a seat on the Supreme Court because she is a woman is a dereliction of senatorial duty. It also is an affront to mature feminism, which may bridle at gallantry but should recoil from condescension.

As for Republicans, any who vote for Miers will thereafter be ineligible to argue that it is important to elect Republicans because they are conscientious conservers of the judicial branch's invaluable dignity. Finally, any Republican senator who supinely acquiesces in President Bush's reckless abuse of presidential discretion -- or who does not recognize the Miers nomination as such -- can never be considered presidential material.

Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for pointing this one out.

It ain't flat, but it's squished down a lot

2005-10-24T10:22:00.000-04:00

Hot damn, someone gets it. Bush's simpler tax forms are a great step forward. Next step, tear down the IRS edifice.

Congratulations to Concord Band

2005-10-24T09:40:00.000-04:00

State Class B Champions. The kids worked really hard and pulled it off. Makes a Band Dad proud.

More on the Miers nomination

2005-10-21T09:41:00.000-04:00

OpinionJournal makes it clear why the Miers nomination is a big mistake, both politically and morally. Money quotes:

After three weeks of spin and reporting, we still don't know much more about what Ms. Miers thinks of the Constitution. What we have learned is that the White House has presented her to the country, and thrown her into the buzz saw that is the U.S. Senate, without either proper preparation or vetting. The result has been a political melee that is hurting not just Ms. Miers, who deserves better. It is also damaging the White House and its prospects for a successful second term.

Instead of a fight over judicial philosophy, we're having a fight over one woman's credentials and background. Instead of debating the Kelo decision's evisceration of private property rights, we are destined to learn everything we never wanted to know about the Texas Lottery Commission.

Instead of dividing Red State Democrats from Senate liberals, the nomination is dividing Republicans. Pat Robertson is threatening retribution not against moderate Democrats but against GOP conservatives who dare to oppose Ms. Miers. Chuck Schumer couldn't have written a better script.

Why Bush did this is beyond me, and unless he knows WAY more about this woman than he's telling, I have to believe he didn't give a damn about what direction the Supreme Court is going, or should go. He talkd a good game about "originalists," and there may be some validity to having non-judges ascend to the bench. But this still seems incomprehensible, and after three weeks of discussion, it shouldn't.

My suggestion is to pull the nomination, and come back with something supportable. It will be damaging to the President, but I think the damage has already been done. And to some degree, this is good. Conservatives are finally questioning Bush's own conservative credentials, especially in light of his support for overspending and stupid laws like the campaign finance reform measures. The debate is good, but this nominee isn't.