Friday, February 25, 2005
Civil War on Nominees
Hewitt poses the question on whether Republicans should follow the example of Grant or McClellan in confronting the Dems on judicial nominees -- grapple or dawdle. Here is my favorite paragraph from his commentary.
HughHewitt.com: "Democrats have increasingly backed themselves into a corner that elevates above all else a small set of radical positions: absolutism on all things related to abortion, a reactionary refusal to consider any innovation on social security, a demand for the judicial imposition of gay marriage, and most troubling of all, an indifference to the stakes in the GWOT mixed with the defeatism and advocacy of retreat from the Kennedy-Boxer fringe.
In this stubborn and self-destructive attachment to a distinctly anti-majoritarian set of radical views, the Dems have come to resemble nothing so much as the old Confederacy. They put their faith in various leaders --of course Bill Clinton is their Lee, and perhaps Hillary will be their Stonewall Jackson-- but their cause is doomed, and not just because of the superior political firepower of the GOP and Red State America, but because their cause is wrong, and profoundly anti-majoritarian."
Read the whole piece.
In my state, the Republican party has come to control both chambers of the legislature and the governor's office. In fact, there are only one or two state-wide elected officials who are Democrats. After examining one of our state Democratic websites, I see that even in this conservative environment, the local Dems refuse to distance themselves from the outlandish liberal positions of those who control the national party. Instead they simply squall about the oppression of one-party rule and insinuate that the religion of legislators is an evil in and of itself.
HughHewitt.com: "Democrats have increasingly backed themselves into a corner that elevates above all else a small set of radical positions: absolutism on all things related to abortion, a reactionary refusal to consider any innovation on social security, a demand for the judicial imposition of gay marriage, and most troubling of all, an indifference to the stakes in the GWOT mixed with the defeatism and advocacy of retreat from the Kennedy-Boxer fringe.
In this stubborn and self-destructive attachment to a distinctly anti-majoritarian set of radical views, the Dems have come to resemble nothing so much as the old Confederacy. They put their faith in various leaders --of course Bill Clinton is their Lee, and perhaps Hillary will be their Stonewall Jackson-- but their cause is doomed, and not just because of the superior political firepower of the GOP and Red State America, but because their cause is wrong, and profoundly anti-majoritarian."
Read the whole piece.
In my state, the Republican party has come to control both chambers of the legislature and the governor's office. In fact, there are only one or two state-wide elected officials who are Democrats. After examining one of our state Democratic websites, I see that even in this conservative environment, the local Dems refuse to distance themselves from the outlandish liberal positions of those who control the national party. Instead they simply squall about the oppression of one-party rule and insinuate that the religion of legislators is an evil in and of itself.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
No wonder prosecutors think everyone is guilty
CrimLaw: "And this guy was a prosecutor. 'Was', I think, probably being the important word in that sentence. You can't do something that silly (or at least get caught) until you join the private side."
Naked prosecutor, parking lot, backseat with terrified woman = publicity. You just can't buy that kind of advertising.
Reminds me of an attorney who was charged with accepting photographs of naked clients as payments. Never saw him in court before that. After it became public, he business seemed to take off.
Naked prosecutor, parking lot, backseat with terrified woman = publicity. You just can't buy that kind of advertising.
Reminds me of an attorney who was charged with accepting photographs of naked clients as payments. Never saw him in court before that. After it became public, he business seemed to take off.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
The Nanny State Advocated
LILEKS (James) The Bleat: "You have to take the responsibility of your children on yourselves. The day I expect 'society' to take care of my child in a meaningful way is the day I give society the right to take her away and do a better job if I don't schedule daily flash-card phonics sessions."
See Lileks for more barbed commentary on a loony article that equates tax increases with quality parenting.
See Lileks for more barbed commentary on a loony article that equates tax increases with quality parenting.
The problem with style
Arbitrary and Capricious: "A longtime Cass County public defender was arrested this weekend on suspicion of drunken driving. A Highway Patrol officer stopped Steven Mottinger about 10:30 p.m. Saturday about two miles east of Casselton, N.D. Recognizable for the black cowboy hat he often wears to the courthouse,"
See Arbitrary and Capricious for more details
See Arbitrary and Capricious for more details
Linguistic Challenges
Blonde Justice: "In other news (how's that for a segue?), I saw a photo of a girl licking her own elbow. And, I thought, hey, what's the big deal, anyone can lick their own elbow, right? And then I tried it. And it turns out that, no, I cannot lick my own elbow. And neither can you, I bet. Go ahead, try it. I'll wait."
I can't do the elbow, but I can do the tip of my nose. At least attempting this doesn't look as silly.
I can't do the elbow, but I can do the tip of my nose. At least attempting this doesn't look as silly.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Canadians
Michael Coren provides an alternate Canadian view:
"At its most innocuous, it is a mere insecurity about our southern neighbours. At its most repugnant, however, it is publicly funded mediocrities screaming abuse at a great and noble nation because their own self-esteem is so fragile. With a malodorous stew of ignorance and malice, they pump Canada at the expense of deflating the United States.
"They say that we are about peace and they are about war. Nonsense. We haven't been able to keep the peace for years even if we'd wanted to do so. We haven't the aircraft or the equipment. It's the Americans who send most of the aid and keep most of the peace."
via LexCommunis
"At its most innocuous, it is a mere insecurity about our southern neighbours. At its most repugnant, however, it is publicly funded mediocrities screaming abuse at a great and noble nation because their own self-esteem is so fragile. With a malodorous stew of ignorance and malice, they pump Canada at the expense of deflating the United States.
"They say that we are about peace and they are about war. Nonsense. We haven't been able to keep the peace for years even if we'd wanted to do so. We haven't the aircraft or the equipment. It's the Americans who send most of the aid and keep most of the peace."
via LexCommunis
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Eldorado, by Edgar Allen Poe (1849)
The words for the title of this blog come from Poe's work entitled Eldorado
Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.
But he grew old-
This knight so bold-
And o'er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow-
"Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be-
This land of Eldorado?"
"Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied-
"If you seek for Eldorado!"
Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.
But he grew old-
This knight so bold-
And o'er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow-
"Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be-
This land of Eldorado?"
"Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied-
"If you seek for Eldorado!"
