Month: May 2006

Normally, when I think of historic preservation efforts, I think of architectural gems, and places where major events happened. Not “tacky motels” in Wildwood, New Jersey. Tacky ain’t tacky no more, so I guess I should get over it. The National Trust for Historic Preservation insists. They care about history, and they know more about…

Word is getting around that the Republicans might be deliberately sabotaging their chances in the 2006 elections (a possibility I speculated about earlier in strategic disgust). But seriously, might there be a strategic surrender (or, say, a strategic leaking of a strategic rumor of a strategic surrender) in the works? Or might this be a…

As if Bush wasn’t in enough trouble over the immigration mess, wait till the American Indians get hold of him. Today’s LA Times reports that Bush’s grandfather might have been the culprit who dug up Apache chief Geronimo’s skull, so that rich white kids who belonged to the elite Skull and Bones fraternity could play…

Bush is really blowing it bad. If you weren’t already uneasy, read Bill Quick’s call for impeachment: Illegal aliens engaged in the crime of crossing our border have no rights! As for the treacherous Bush administration notifiying a foreign power of the actions of homegrown patriots, that goes beyond despicable, and assures that the administration…

Egyptian blogger Alaa Abd El-Fatah, arrested with other peaceful demonstrators in Cairo on May 7th, 2006, is known around the world for his blogging (he won the international Best of the Blogs award from Reporters Without Borders in December). Like many American bloggers I believe that this was the reason he was targeted. I think…

Following up on an earlier post, Dr. Helen links to a startling article discussing the banning of french fries, sodas, and other “junk foods” from school cafeterias: We’ve already seen action at the individual school level to ban unhealthy foods from school campuses. However, a bi-partisan group is now taking it to a nation-wide level…

I hate this. But I guess I was asking for it when in a comment I facetiously referred to “line by line fisking of long passages by the likes of Paul Krugman,” because a friend has sent me his latest piece, titled “Who’s Crazy Now?” I can’t take on the whole Krugman piece, because my…

I don’t know how many people have read Ahmadinejad’s letter, but I’ve had trouble finding a transcript and happened upon one while reading Le Monde this morning. It’s an odd piece of propaganda. As you read, note how Ahmadinejad essentially equates the ‘Arab street’ with the anti-Bush left while hinting at all sorts of Chomskyan…

In my preoccupation with whether Western values are Judeo-Christian or Greco-Roman in the last post, a troublesome topic I didn’t touch on was Islamic values. How compatible are Islamic values with American values? I’d like to hope that they are compatible (especially those held by moderate Muslims), but it’s clear to me that the Islamic…

One of the shortcomings of this blog happens to be its stated theme: my tendency to analyze the “culture war” in terms of an ancient struggle between Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian values. Because both of these seemingly contradictory values systems are inextricably intertwined with the American founding, and because neither fits neatly into the libertarian (or…

Regarding the emergence of a genuine third party candidate (a serious idea), I think Hillary Clinton would love nothing more, because it would make it easier for her to paint herself as the “real centrist” that confused American voters have been waiting for. Glenn Reynolds discusses the conventional wisdom problem: The conventional wisdom, of course,…

According to this MSNBC poll study, “31 percent of conservatives want Republicans out of power.” (Via InstaPundit.) While the accuracy of the poll is questionable, the lack of conservative support for their party is something I have been expecting. Because of its minority status, the right wing of the Republican Party, in my view, would…

It’s not so much the satisfaction of a roaring belch that makes me happy, it’s the smell. No really, think about it for a moment. Why is the belch considered an offensive thing? Is it because of the attendant offensive smell? The tiny flecks of flying saliva which perchance could rain down upon guests, family,…

After much soul searching, it was decided to add another author to this blog who will be posting under the Bachannialian pseudonym “Cosmic Drunk.” If this works out (and I am quite skeptical), there may be regular posts from this author. Or maybe irregular. Or maybe not. In the event there are posts, I want…

Charles Hill lives in a state (Oklahoma) which apparently has yet to impose taxes on digital music downloads, and while he thinks that’s a good sign, he wonders how long the loophole will last. How long the state can hold out remains to be seen, what with the market for digital music now running $1…

In a fit of old age, I almost forgot that today is Cinco de Mayo. According to Laurence Simon, though, it’s Cinco de Meow Meow, not Cinco de Mayo. But for his post, I’d have forgotten completely. Actually, the holiday is a more important date in the United States than in Mexico. (More here.) Apparently,…

A Hollywood film glorifying eco-terrorism for kids? Apparently so: The movie, “Hoot,” opens Friday, May 5. It features environmentally conscious teenage characters vandalizing heavy machines by stealing parts off of them and flattening tires in order to hinder a development project. The teens, who ultimately succeed in halting the project, spray paint a police car…

There are only a few things in life as certain as death and taxes, and I’d like to offer an addition: No matter what the scandal, a Kennedy always gets a pass. The funniest aspect of the latest Kennedy smash-em-up is the media focus on what Patrick Kennedy’s drugs were prescribed for — as if…

To update my earlier post on the subject, it appears that the blogosphere’s campaign in defense of a Maine blogger (whose criticism of the government earned him a lawsuit) is working: In what can only be hailed as a major step forward in the efforts of the Media Bloggers Association to defend MBA Member Lance…

Via Pajamas Media, I see that Professor Bainbridge disagrees with the administration’s attempt to meddle in Mexico’s internal affairs. I agree, and I think that such interference only paves the way for a commie takeover in Mexico like the one in Bolivia. As I argued in a previous post, history bears this out: I think…