A Tale Of Two Developments

Victoria Taft, a talk show host in Portland, Oregon, recounts the tale of two retail developments; one by capitalists, one by Central planners.

An interesting read.

Coward, Mother Of The Hero

Cindy Sheehan is a coward, her son is a hero. This just goes to show there are some things genetics can’t buy.

Cindy was in Charlotte NC recently protesting the defense of our families and children against the unspeakable hatred (thanks Barb) which threatens us all. Veteran pro-defense organization Gathering of Eagles was there to protest her and support the war against terror. Cindy is a coward. I wonder what would happen were we to put her face-to-face with real protest, real hatred? Fortunately for her, and unfortunately for our pleasant little thought experiment there, we cannot, in the foreseeable future expect that to occur (I’m really getting an itch to Photoshop her into a burka and put her facing one of those rabid mobs).

When faced with people, veterans and their supporters, she hides in her car, does not speak to her adoring sycophantic com-idiots and leave for greener pastures at the earliest opportunity. Then she logs on to her buddy Michael Moore’s site and blogs about how mean and nasty everybody was, including the police. If she gets this upset over that little confrontation, how come she can’t understand people REALLY willing to hurt her.

Anyways, here’s the story, as documented in the Charlotte Observer:

1. July 18th: Sheehan Stays On Sidelines At Rally
2. July 19th: Sheehan Criticizes Charlotte Police
3. July 20th: Sheehan Criticizes Charlotte Police (updated)

Her post on Michael Moore’s blog, where this peaceful loving lady labels the Veterans

neo-Nazi, pro-war fascist(s)

and claims that

the Eagles’ freedom of speech has included physical threats against me and actual physical force against kids and women.

If you don’t believe in the truth, you’ll believe anything you tell yourself.

Also, here’s the letters to the Editor of the Charlotte Observer, note the difference in tenor between those who just read the article and the father who actually at the park playing ball with his son.

Other Interesting Stuff Today:

• Michelle Malkin calls roll on the failure of the vote to add the  John Doe amendment which would have prevented suing people who report suspicious activity.
• 4Simpsons completes the series on the Bible and homosexuality.
• Jet contrails help mitigate temperature swing, the three days of grounded air traffic following September 11th allowed for some interesting studies.
• The Pentagon puts Hillary in her place. And is it just me or does she look not just old, but petrified? Every time I see a new picture of her face I think two things: “There goes one very bitter woman” and “It’s no wonder Bill did…”

Dem’s Cut Funding To Agency That Holds Unions Accountable

While Democrats want to increase the Department of Labor’s budget by nearly $1 billion, they are leaving the little agency that oversees union transparency out. The agency currently receives $47.7 million and President Bush wanted to increase the budget to $56 million. Instead, Democrats have set funding at $45.7 million.

Clearly, union bosses are calling the shots on Capital Hill.

• Example One: Only the agencies unions can use to bully employers, such as those tasked with employer accountability and worker safety, are getting the increased funds. The singular subject on which Dem’s are exercising fiscal restraint is the agency that, from 2001 to 2006, “investigated more than 2,000 criminal cases that secured some 650 indictments of union officials who had engaged in everything from embezzlement to extortionate picketing. The [agency] has also implemented a 2004 rule requiring unions to file expanded disclosure reports, obliging them for the first time to disclose how much dues money they spend on politics and union salaries.”
• Example Two: The Hill wrote yesterday, “In an op-ed e-mailed to reporters, Chao criticized Congress for being ‘all for boosting the Securities and Exchange Commission’s [SEC] budget so it can ride herd on businesses.’ In contrast, she said, Congress had singled out the one federal entity charged with protecting union members from corruption for budget cuts.”
• Example Three: Democrats are succumbing to pressure to renege on promises to keep the free trade agreements with Panama and Peru alive. Charlie Rangel has been persuaded to visit the two countries and tell them that if they want the agreements to pass (i.e., Democratic support of the agreements.) to make their labor laws more union-friendly.

Predictably, unions take a “Who? Me?” approach, raised eyebrows and all. “The statistics are cooked,” associate general counsel to the AFL-CIO, Deborah Greenfield, said to The Hill.She said DoL double-counts convictions (If one union boss is convicted of 5 different crimes, the agency counts five convictions, not one.). She told The Hill that an AFI-CIO study on union bosses says that less than four-one hundredths (4/100 or .04) of 1 percent of union officials are guilty of crimes against their unions.”

Also note: Democrats who voted for the Kline amendment were Reps. Dan Boren (Okla.), Bud Cramer (Ala.), Lincoln Davis (Tenn.), Brad Ellsworth (Ind.), Tim Mahoney (Fla.), Mike McIntyre (N.C.), Harry Mitchell (Ariz.) and Heath Shuler (N.C.). Sixteen Republicans voted against the Kline amendment, including Reps. Mark Kirk (Ill.), Ray LaHood (Ill.) and Christopher Shays (Conn.).

Read the Wall Street Journal editorial here: Congress’s Union Dues
Read The Hill’s news report here: Sec. Chao criticizes House for cutting union oversight funds

This Is Evil

I’ve been on an evil kick lately, and here’s the latest installment. Over at LittleGreenFootballs a post from yesterday has a YouTube video of a news report with clips of Muslim demonstrators showing their signs while protesting incarcerated Muslim leaders. Read the signs, that’s all I ask. I did not hear the audio, I just read the signs.

Comment Spam Makes You Think

First they went after the Communists, and I did not stand up, because I was not a Communist. Then they went after the homosexuals and infirm, and I did not stand up, because I was neither. Then they went after the Jews, and I did not stand up, because I was not a Jew. Then they went after the Catholics, and I did not stand up, because I was Protestant. Finally, they went after me, and there was no one left to stand up for me.

Funny thing about spam, some of it makes you think. This is the content of a splog (Spam Blog) spam comment Akismet caught for me this morning. It really is spam, unlike the comments by our friend Random who I initially labeled as spam due to their off-topic nature. The blog the links pointed to exists to make money, not to serve content. But the content of this comment is intriguing.

Many of you may find this quote vaguely familiar. It is, in fact, a misquoting of Pastor Martin Niemueller, a Lutheran Minister during the Nazi rule of Germany. Initially, observing the evil taking over his country, he kept his head down, protecting himself, but then he realized his responsibility before God and began speaking out. He was arrested and tried and sent to prison. His actual quote, while he was in prison, is a haunting reminder of out responsibility before God to stand up for the oppressed:

They came for the Jews and I said nothing, because I was not a Jew. They came for the Catholics and I said nothing, because I was not a catholic. When they came for the workers, I said nothing because I was not a worker. When they came for me there was no one left to stand up for me.

This contrasts sharply with the quote in the spam comment above. A person today with an education derived exclusively from today’s American culture would say that the two quotes are substantively the same: they all reference groups that have been or are currently abused at the hands of the culture in general. But there are significant differences between the two. Deeper than the obvious additions of Communists, Homosexuals, and the infirm, is the idea that all choices are equally valid and that there is no compelling moral argument against certain choices.

This argument, on it’s face, is false. It is simple a retelling of the common and equally false supposition: universal relativism:

“There is no objective truth!” the claim rings across the hills and valleys.

“Oh? Is that true?” the echo returns.

“Yes, it is!” is the reply, ignorant of it’s own disproving irony.

Communism is a demonstrable evil, those who say otherwise are willfully ignorant or evil themselves. There is no comparison between communism and the workers or a religious perspective as similarly misunderstood ideologies or lifestyles. This is not the place and there is not the time to get into a full discussion of the evils of communism.

Homosexuality is a different beast altogether, and there are very emotional arguments and very reasoned arguments on all sides of this beast, (read my previous thoughts on the matter). But at the root is the inherent destructiveness of the lifestyle defined by homosexuality. It is not a matter of two equally valid choices: hetero or homo. It is a choice between life and death.

The infirm are a group that must be stood up for, as the nature of their infirmity may make it difficult for them to protect themselves if not prevent it altogether. It is no surprise that as we devalue the human, turning ourselves into little more than ascended monkeys, capital to be used, abused, and neglected, that the silent members of our species, the unborn and the sick, are being discarded like so much baggage at the whim of our fancy.

The Terri Schiavo incident revealed the culture of death in our society, where people argued that it was in the best interest of humanity to take this humans’ life. With the wonders of modern medicine we see a number of cases where people in what is popularly called “Persistent Vegetative State” are actually quite lucid, and simply unable to respond. In as many as 43% of cases diagnosed as PVS, the patient later recovers and in some cases tells of being able to perceive everything that went on around them and that was done to them.

I rather like reading my comment spam now and again. It is mostly trash filled with links, but every once in a while, a gem comes along, such as this, and thoughts ensue.

He Saved A Billion Lives, And Other Interesting Stuff

Dr. Borlaugh disproved global paranoids such as Dr. Ehrlich and saved a billion lives, by most estimates. He has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal, ushering him into the noble company of only five who have been given all three. Arguably, he ought to be better known than Paris Hilton, but such is not the case in this fickle culture we live in. But what did he do?

He was an optimist. While Dr. Ehrlich spent his years arguing that, due to overcrowding and population explosion, starvation would increase proportionate to population growth, Dr. Borlaugh worked to develop new methods of agriculture and new strains of wheat which were heartier, more disease and drought resistant, with greater yield. Because of his work, scientists estimate that a billion people in India, Pakistan, and other third world nations have not starved to death. You can read more about this man who decided that instead of throwing up his hands, defeated as he surveyed the dismal future of fewer fields and far more mouths, he would make those fields grow more.

Global Warming Most Boring Topic

It’s official, the topic of global warming is more boring than Al Gore himself:

The issue of global warming far out-performed other contenders for the title, such as the production of goat cheese, the musical genius of the artist formerly known as P Diddy and media speculation over the likely outcome of the upcoming federal election.

Read all about it.

Edwards’ Wife Says He’s A Girl Where It Counts

We all knew it was true, but Presidential Power Puff Contender Edwards’ wife says Hillary is not woman enough to be President, implying, of course, that her husband is.

In Case You’ve Forgotten What Is At Stake

The Democrat Presidential aspirants are tripping over themselves trying to hand out a bigger slice of pie to more people. In this case, the pie is a bloody gruesome mess of severed limbs and contorted faces of children who will never see the light of this the sun or the beauty of this earth.

From The Pachyderms Archives, One For The Ages

Over at the Helvidius Pachyderm blog Theo pulled this jewel out of the depths of memory, a priceless, if slightly linguistically risque, rebuttal to every argument by every liberal everywhere. (apparently the Firefox dictionary does not contain “risque” by default):

That is so f’in hilarious. Who these pantywaists? Lemme shrink their heads real quick: they identify with the deer. Like the deer, they have been allowed to overpopulate because their natural predators have been hunted into extinction by the big, bad, unenlightened conservatives who fight and win wars. But here’s where they show their lack of fitness for survival: in their panicked fear of the “hunters” with guns (equivalent to the big, bad conservatives who are actually their protectors), they would rather see the return of their “natural” predators (Nazis, Communists, Fascists, crazy African warlords, and poor, misunderstood Islamofascists).

Stepping outside the metaphor for a second—does anyone know what has happened where the natural predators of deer (i.e., mountain lions and wolves) have been allowed to breed unmolested? Anyone? Anyone? Thaaaaat’s right! They’ve started attacking and mauling/killing humans in those areas, correctly identifying them as easy prey. That’s the problem with “solutions” offered by liberals—they get everyone else killed along with their dumb asses.
How’d ya like that?

You have to read where it came from.

Update: UFCW Recycles Baby-Formula “Scandal”

To follow-up on my post from Sunday, the Arizona Republic editorialized on the event today.

“The tactics of the United Food and Commercial Workers against Bashas’ food stores must have Jimmy Hoffa turning in his grave . . . no small feat, considering Hoffa’s grave may have several tons of concrete over it.”

The editorial goes on to share that UFCW bosses pulled the baby-formula scandal out of their “Business Bullying Tactics” files, dusted it off, and got to work.

This Arizona baby-formula “scandal” is almost a mirror image of a 1995 event in Virginia, also staged by the UFCW. Then, the union claimed to have found rampant evidence of out-of-date baby formula at Food Lion supermarkets, while government inspectors had found almost none. And, not coincidentally, the union accusations about Food Lion’s abuse of the public trust immediately followed its failed efforts to unionize Food Lion employees.”

Is the movement so worn down as to have run out of creativity? If workers want to join up, more power to them, but the 14,000 Basha employees rejected the union. What makes union bosses think they know better than employees?

You can check out UFCWexposed.com for some more info.

Today’s Interesting Stuff: July 17th 2007

There’s soooo much good stuff out there, I couldn’t focus on anything specific to serve up to y’all. So here goes another thrilling episode of Todays Interesting Stuff:

First, a three articles on the War and President Bush:

• Rasmussen Reports: Bush’s job approval is up, particularly regarding the war.
• Washington Post: William Kristol on Why Bush Will Be A Winner, it really does boil down to the war.
• Bullwinkle Blog: What Democrats Said Before The Iraq War. They recognized then the need for intervention in that hellhole. They also recognized (and this is where they maintain their mental consistency) that people wanted them to fight this war. Now that they see powerful people against the war, the Soros’ and the jobless unwashed masses who spend their days protesting anything which speaks against their carefully nurtured bubble or a world, they have kept true to their aims for power and have unleashed their vitriol against those who stand between us and the abomination of (radical Islamic) desolation.

Next, a culture shock moment in Gary, Indiana

A good friend came to visit me a few weeks ago, we traveled down to Lousiville KY to visit some other friends and then on the way back we stopped in Gary, Indiana. This town is a sad testament to Union protectionism gone awry, government social programs working the way they usually do, and the indomitable human spirit being crushed under the weight of it’s own self-worth. We had to stop by this town because Professor Harold Hill, the Music Man, attended Conservatory here, graduating in the class of ‘05 (though it was revealed the conservatory did not open until ‘06). There is definite history here, but most of it has been forgotten. The culture shock came as my friend and I were looking for trinkets of baubles, touristy sorts of things she could get for her boyfriend. Initially we looked downtown, but in that depressed town the populace does not have either the money or the inclination to support anything touristy or sell anything touristy. My friend and I walked into a grocery store, and immediately the eyes of the entire store were upon us. We smiled affably at all, put on our clueless tourist faces and began to scour the aisles for trinkets and baubles. There were none to be found. We were the only two white people within 10 blocks at least. It wasn’t just one neighborhood either, but nearly the entire city. And it’s not inherently wrong or bad that there is a city so different from most other American cities, do not misread me. What struck me was the distrust I felt directed towards myself and my friend, the obviously depressed situation of a significant majority of these people. The friendly clerk at the gas station expressed her own commentary on this sad corner of America, “it sucks” she said, and she lives there.

Feeling Way Too White, from Emily Hauser and the Christian Science Monitor, talks of another Chicago suburb even closer to home for me. It really is the way she says it is.

And finally, the presidential race, particularly among the Republicans, introduces a classic American religion to the political big-shot race

Mormon, Governor, Republican Mitt Romney is running, and running well so far, for the Republican nod to head this greatest nation on God’s green earth. The Mormon bit has not been brought up very often, but I’d assume mostly that is a result of the media hoping against hope that there are big glaring billboard-sized issues they can attack in the as-yet-unnamed Republican nominee for President. A Mormon will have a target the size of a blimp over their heads, and better yet if they’re Republican.

But politics aside, the Mormon faith is an intriguing study, and from my perspective as a born-again Christian, entirely false. The worst bit being the differences between what their holy books teach and what the average Mormon is taught.

Two particularly salient discussions on the topic of Mormonism, one specifically from the political perspective and one specifically from the theological perspective, bring together great minds in a worthwhile discussion.

Mormonism and Democratic Politics: Are They Compatible, is a transcript of a discussion hosted by the Pew Forum.

Are Mormons Christian? Is a debate hosted by BeliefNet between Dr Al Mohler, Dean of Southern Seminary and outspoken commentator on the Christian role in current affairs, and Orson Scott Card, Mormon, Democrat, Science fiction author (one of my favorite), and all around intelligent guy. I highly respect both of these men, Card because I’ve read nearly everything he’s ever published, and Mohler because I have good friends who attend his school and I’ve heard enough about him from people I trust. Note: This debate is rather hard to read, you have to start from the END of the page and read each preceding article in turn to follow the ideas.

Must Read: Murtha Lies About Haditha “Massacre”

Jack Murtha, the Democrat war veteran and outspoken critic of the War on Terror is a liar, and a particularly evil one at that. He knowingly and deliberate lied, slandering the careers and reputations of several marines serving honorably in the War on Terror in Iraq.

Some of you will remember the Haditha Massacre. If you don’t you ought to.

Sex And Single Palestinians: A Story Of Culture

ABC News has an article on the sexual frustrations of single Palestinians, primarily from the perspective of the males. It seems that the backward economy and repressive social system are making it difficult if not impossible for many young Palestinians to marry. An intriguing look at an important part of an important culture in the world today. Read the comments on the article for a look at typical western responses ranging from “this is how they keep down abortion” to “they’ll eventually evolve to allow everybody to have sex with anyone, any time”.

Warning: Article mentions deals with some adult subjects.