Month: April 2009

Speaking of principles, I loved Jacob Sullum’s vintage 1992 Reason piece in opposition to all — and I stress all — hate crimes. What bothers me about the current debate is that it is being spun — by various people on the left and the right — as a debate over homosexuality. Naturally (and doubtless…

While I’m not especially comfortable with the topic, I thought I should amplify the discussion of the litmus test for Republican principles in my previous post about Arlen Specter. Glenn Reynolds linked this discussion of whether the NRSC is about to abandon Toomey, and within that, I found the following statement from Senator Jim DeMint:…

Los Alamos National Laboratory gave the Polywell Fusion Experimenters some critical help when they needed it. It all started out with this program. Northern New Mexico businesses are getting financial help from Los Alamos National Laboratory, and there are plenty of ways LANL can help boost local economies, according to LANL Director Michael Anastasio. “There…

Every time I think I’m getting too cynical, some asshole or another will come along and remind me that I’m not cynical enough. A recent example is the horrific car warranty “telemarketing” which has plagued my cell phone in the past few weeks. My cell phone, get it? I’ve had it for years, and like…

A friend’s email directed my attention to this movie poster design, which I think is hilarious: Via Michelle Malkin. For those who missed the movie, Ace posted the YouTube version: Can anyone imagine the outcry had Bush’s Air Force One done the same thing?

Jennifer Rubin looks at Arlen Specter’s decision to switch parties, and sees an opportunity for Republicans, as well as a challenge: …the challenge for Republicans: to find a message and candidates who sound broadly conservative themes but appeal to an audience beyond the base. Frankly, that shouldn’t be hard these days. With market capitalism under…

Don’t miss B. Daniel Blatt’s “How Perez Hilton and Gang Hurt Gay Marriage Supporters.” Not only does he show how these shrill and idiotic activists have hurt their own cause, but the piece is yet another reminder of the shocking intolerance so many gay activists have for any form of disagreement. * (As I’ve pointed…

Dr. Helen’s discussion of suicide (especially the role of cognition in suicide prevention) reminded me of a vintage film I had the pleasure to watch recently. Charles Chaplin wrote and directed Limelight in 1952 (when his career was in tatters and he was about to be unceremoniously kicked out of the United States), and he…

It looks like GE is going to make a fortune when energy restrictions hit America. And they are working very hard with their government (they paid for it) to get what they want. One last point, MSNBC is owned by General Electric. GE is already making money off the issue with their Carbon Credit Master…

Via Glenn Reynolds, Ryan Sager contrasts the New York Times’ “responsible” non-reporting of the Swine Flu epidemic with Drudge’s “sensationalist” approach. Sager wonders which one was actually doing the most social good, and makes a good case for panic: The argument for the Times’ approach, of course, is that it’s best not to sow panic.…

One of the reasons I was so disturbed by news reports about the “pit bull” (apparently a pit bull mix) that fatally mauled an 11-month old child is that the incident will most likely fuel another push for a pit bull ban (Breed Specific Legislation) in this area. That’s because human beings have only a…

Ed Florack has a brilliant essay at PJM, which goes a long way towards explaining what’s wrong with the Republican Party: While conservatives and libertarians make up the majority of the GOP, they don’t make up even half of the leadership. The rank and file are interested in principles of conservatism and libertarianism. They want…

“Another savage attack involving a pitbull, resulting in a close call with death! Story at 11:00!” Considering the bias in the news lately, that’s about how I’d expect to hear the plug for this report — Rattlesnake Attacks Pitbull Near Bronx Zoo: “Stone” is a 3-year-old Pit Bull with a swollen jowl and in very…

I was noodling around the net looking for a good book on FDR and the Depression Economy and came across New Deal or Raw Deal?: How FDR’s Economic Legacy Has Damaged America. Philosophically I agree with that. So let’s see what some reviewers think. …many of FDR’s programs were struck down as unconstitutional. These include…

Barney Frank is someone I don’t respect, and not merely because of his role in deconstructing the banking system while denying any responsibility. This unaccountable man’s logic is terrible, and what he said here reminds me of the social conservatives he so loudly condemns. “I would let people gamble on the Internet,” Frank said. “I…

I just got an alert from commenter Neville at Watts Up With That about a book that is going great guns in New Zealand called Air Con: The Seriously Inconvenient Truth About Global Warming. I haven’t read it. But here is what Neville has to say: …a new book debunking global warming was released in…

During Mr. Obama’s recent trip to Mexico he was greeted by a man who may have subsequently died from the Swine Flu epidemic that is sweeping across Mexico. At least 20 deaths in Mexico from the disease are confirmed, Health Minister Jose Cordova said yesterday. The strain is a variant of H1N1 swine influenza that…

The Obama Administration thinks that Venture Capital is under regulated. President Obama and Treasury Secretary Geithner recently declared a need to regulate venture capital firms on the grounds they pose systemic risk to our economy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Venture capital is focused almost entirely on new technologies of small startup companies,…

Few things annoy me more than busybody bureaucratic attempts to interfere with people’s privacy and tell adults what to do. Especially where it comes to personal matters like human sexuality. It amazes me that a society which is supposedly concerned with getting the government out of the bedroom would countenance (much less encourage) a system…

It was with great trepidation that I saw Glenn Reynolds’ link to a report that “The Sun is the dimmest it has been for nearly a century” — especially because of Glenn’s observation that the solar dimming may be causing civil unrest (as well as his concerns about fallen angels). There’s no question that the…