Lefty
Long time Always Right commenter "Lefty," a/k/a, Josh Christian of Greenville, SC is the proud new papa of a baby boy, Camden Thomas Christian. Both Mom and son are doing well. Congratulations!!
Long time Always Right commenter "Lefty," a/k/a, Josh Christian of Greenville, SC is the proud new papa of a baby boy, Camden Thomas Christian. Both Mom and son are doing well. Congratulations!!
Well, it looks as though Delta will be forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Pity. But with a market capitalization this morning of $134 million and change, no wonder the creditors are circling...
It has been months since I blogged last. In the span between posts I've moved back to Atlanta, study and taken the Georgia Bar Exam, started work at my firm, etc. Now that things are settling down and I have a normal routine I'd like to get back to blogging.
Unfortunately, I simply don't have much to say about politics right now. I just don't care, really.
That's it. Today, I turned in the last final exam of my law school career. I've been in school since the age of 5. It is the only thing I've ever done. I've been relatively good at it. It's been fun.
Starting Monday, however, I enter the real world. I'll be living, working, and studying in Atlanta for July's Georgia Bar Exam. It'll certainly be a new (and hopefully exciting) chapter in my life. I'd like to keep this site up and running, but I imagine that it will be difficult to do this summer. Maybe I can post intermittently... I guess we'll see.
Another site that you absolutely must check out - Right Reason. If you'd like, you can read a bit about the site here. The site's list of contributors is a veritable Who's Who of the intellectual right.
If you have not visited the Coalition for Darfur website I encourage you to do so. The site, hosted by Eugene Oregon and Steve Dillard, has opened my eyes to the tragedy in Sudan.
Here is a bit about the site:
A Southern conservative and a Northern liberal have teamed up to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur, Sudan and money for a worthy organization doing vital work there: Save the Children.
Drawn together by their love/hate relationship with federal judicial nominee William Pryor (Feddie of Southern Appeal loves him, Eugene Oregon of Demagogue hates him) the two have found common ground on the issue of Sudan.
For nearly two years, the government of Sudan and Arab militias known as the Janjaweed have rampaged through Darfur, raping women, killing thousands, destroying hundreds of villages as well as the agricultural economy and displacing more than 2 million people. Hundreds of thousands of people are in dire need of food, shelter, and medical care, but a lack of security is making it nearly impossible for international organizations to reach those most in need.
With the UN and the rest of international community plagued by paralysis and inaction, Feddie and Eugene are seeking to do what little they can to help. As such, the have banded together in an effort to alert the blog community to the genocide taking place in Darfur and raise money for Save the Children.
As founders of the coalition, Feddie and Eugene will do the majority of the work. All we ask is that you join us in raising awareness of the crisis in Darfur by, once a week, posting a short post on the topic (one that we will provide) on your blog. (This is the inaugural Coalition for Darfur post.)
If you would like to join us, please send your blog and e-mail addresses to coalitionfordarfur@gmail.com. Furthermore, if members of the coalition write any posts related to the issue, feel free to send them to us as well so that we can post a short excerpt and link to any such posts.
An estimated 300,000 people have died from violence, disease and starvation in Western Sudan. We ask you to join us in raising awareness of this continuing genocide and raising money for Save the Children, which, despite the insecurity and deaths of several of its aid workers, continues to provide food, water, shelter, and protection to over 200,000 children and families each month.
Jonah Goldberg notes that the Children's Television Workshop and PBS have announced that the Cookie Monster's "not a Cookie Monster at all. In the interests of teaching kids not to be gluttons, CTW has transformed Cookie Monster into just another monster who happens to like cookies. His trademark song, “C is for Cookie” has been changed to “A Cookie Is a Sometimes Food.” And this is a complete and total reversal of Cookie Monster’s ontology, his telos, his raison d’etre, his essential Cookie-Monster-ness."
Phil: The Monster Who Sometimes Likes to Eat a Cookie - that is great...
The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved $81 billion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in a spending bill that would push the total cost of combat and reconstruction past $300 billion.
What a load of crap!(sub. req'd) This week's issue of TIME features an article by Madeleine Nash describing the "incontrovertible evidence that temperatures are rising" and what is in store for us all. Ms. Nash is a hack. Who does she think she is, Hemingway? The article begins: "Its prow angled high, the speedboat skims across the iridescent lagoon that shivers with wind-whipped chop." I knew as soon as I read the first sentence that this was going to be a hilarious effort to convince the reader that we're all in imminent danger of drowning in the rising seas. And, bingo!, I was correct.
I don't care what you think about global warming - its true; its a liberal lie; you don't care; whatever - I think we can all agree that between articles like Ms. Nash's and movies like The Day After Tomorrow, the global warming nuts do themselves a disservice by producing such laughable screeds.
Today's NYT included an article in the Week in Review section noting the prevailing Scandinavian wisdom that they are "incomparably affluent, with all their needs met by an efficient welfare state." The lands of Volvos, IKEA, and rampant socialism are truly delusional: "a large pizza delivered from Oslo's most popular pizza joint - will run from $34 to $48, including delivery fee and a 25 percent value added tax."
Even better -
All this was illuminated last year in a study by a Swedish research organization, Timbro, which compared the gross domestic products of the 15 European Union members (before the 2004 expansion) with those of the 50 American states and the District of Columbia. (Norway, not being a member of the union, was not included.) After adjusting the figures for the different purchasing powers of the dollar and euro, the only European country whose economic output per person was greater than the United States average was the tiny tax haven of Luxembourg, which ranked third, just behind Delaware and slightly ahead of Connecticut.
The next European country on the list was Ireland, down at 41st place out of 66; Sweden was 14th from the bottom (after Alabama), followed by Oklahoma, and then Britain, France, Finland, Germany and Italy. The bottom three spots on the list went to Spain, Portugal and Greece.
Alternatively, the study found, if the E.U. was treated as a single American state, it would rank fifth from the bottom, topping only Arkansas, Montana, West Virginia and Mississippi. In short, while Scandinavians are constantly told how much better they have it than Americans, Timbro's statistics suggest otherwise.
I don't know, this article just seemed really interesting to me. We always hear about how Europeans hate America and American culture - maybe we shouldn't put much stock in those stories. It turns out that the economic impact of the average Alabamian is better than that of the average Scandinavian or "Old Europe" resident. Sounds an awful lot like jealousy, no?
David Ignatius has written a very intriguing op/ed in today's WaPo noting the similarities between Democratic overreaching in years past and today's Republican lapses in judgment (See, e.g., Frist/DeLay & company in the Schiavo saga; DeLay and his ethics problems, etc.). Ignatius writes:
The Republicans lately have exhibited many of the unpleasant traits that got the Democrats in trouble over the past generation. With their attempts to impose political solutions to private moral issues, they come across as meddlesome busybodies who want to run other people's lives. Americans didn't like self-righteous scolding when it came from liberals, and they don't like it now from conservatives.
If Ignatius means that those in the US House and US Senate are trying to "impose political solutions to private moral issues," then yes, I agree, we have a problem. If by "private moral issues" he means abortion, gay marriage, the Schiavo situation, etc. I agree that Congressional Republicans are coming across as busybodies. These issues should be left to the states, not the DeLay's of the world.
Cherokee County, Georgia has taken $15 million from "special purpose local option sales taxes that had been earmarked for other projects, such as a new county administration building and parking deck and a proposed conference center" and diverted it to expand the Cherokee County "airport." This is a awful idea for two reasons: 1) "The county believes improving the airport will have a positive economic impact on the county and may help recruit companies..." No, it won't. And besides, if these companies need to expand the airport we should let them come up with the money. 2) The Cherokee County airport is little more than a cleared grass runway. Now, I admit, it does have pavement for the runway now, but this is the worst excuse for an "airport" I've ever seen.
It will take much more than $30 million to attract corporate jets to Cherokee County. Why not continue to land at McCullum Field in Kennesaw? At least that way you can find something to eat on your way to Canton. It sounds to me like the $15 million was burning a hole in the county commission pocket. Instead of giving it back to the taxpayers or improving the county's atrocious schools they've decided to expand the airport. Great idea, guys...
Hey, John "F." Kerry - stop whining. You lost fair and square. Here is a sample:
"Last year too many people were denied their right to vote, too many who tried to vote were intimidated. Leaflets are handed out saying Democrats vote on Wednesday, Republicans vote on Tuesday. People are told in telephone calls that if you've ever had a parking ticket, you're not allowed to vote."
Oh, c'mon. The "Republicans vote on Tuesday, Dems on Wed." charge is older than dirt. This gets trotted out after every election. Pathetic.
I thought this was an interesting article in today's NYT. The Library is set to sell 19 works of art expected to garner anywhere between $50 and $75 million. Importantly, the Library says that "all of the money will go to buying books, manuscripts and other works on paper."
I stopped by the Birmingham Museum of Art yesterday before heading up to the library to study - and enjoyed myself immensely. I must admit (shamefully) that I had not visited the BMA in at least a year. So my visit yesterday was long overdue. I'm a Hudson River School fan - huge fan actually - and the BMA has three wonderful Bierstadts and a Thomas Cole sketch that makes any visit to the museum worthwhile.
The centerpiece of the BMA's Hudson River School collection is Bierstadt's Looking Down Yosemite Valley. Wow. If you live in the B'ham area, a trip to the Birmingham Museum of Art would not be complete without enjoying this amazing painting.
Don Hewitt said in an interview with the NYT that a revamped CBS Nightly News might be successful if it were to employ Jon Stewart on Monday night and Christopher Buckley on Tuesday night, followed by other anchors on subsequent evenings.
Personally, I think Jon Stewart and Christopher Buckley are two of the funniest, wittiest guys around. I know I'd tune into CBS Nightly News if these two were in the anchor chair...
I'm very glad to learn that Rev. Al Sharpton is "upset about violence in rap music." Really, I am. But, to ask the FCC to punish the rappers and music stations connected with that violence - that is certainly not the solution. I have a feeling that even rap music (including the radio stations that play it and the music stores that sell it) is subject to the "invisible hand" of the free market.
The solution is not getting the federal government to shut down rap music, rather, the solution lies in stemming the demand for rap music. Come on, Rev. Al - if can convince people not to listen to rap music your problem is solved. Good luck.
Today's Washington Times reports that a small Cheney-for-President contingent is growing both larger and more vocal. Larry Kudlow who writes for National Review, Fred Barnes of The Weekly Standard, and Tod Lindberg of Policy Review have all written columns recently urging the VP to run for the Oval Office in 2008.
They say his foreign-policy credentials make him the most qualified heir to Mr. Bush's legacy of Middle East democratization. "He's the logical successor," Mr. Barnes said. "He has the experience at the highest levels of government that no one else can match. And he is the embodiment, along with President Bush himself, of the achievements of the Bush administration."
It seems as though the list of possible/probable Republican candidates grows larger everyday. Cheney in '08? Sitting here today, in March of '05, I find it highly unlikely that Vice-President Cheney would run for office in 2008. However, if no one in the already large group of hopefuls is able to break away from the pack by summer of '06 he might be forced to run.
One of my favorite websites, Townhall.com, is splitting from its parent company, The Heritage Foundation, so that it can now "mobilize its readers and urge them to take a distinct political stand." IRS regulations allowed Townhall.com only to "educate" its readers, not "tell them what to do." I, for one, look forward to seeing Townhall.com's new direction in action.
William Bennett and Brian Kennedy argue:
The "auxiliary precautions" of Florida government — in this case the Florida supreme court — have failed Terri Schiavo. It is time, therefore, for Governor Bush to execute the law and protect her rights, and, in turn, he should take responsibility for his actions. Using the state police powers, Governor Bush can order the feeding tube reinserted. His defense will be that he and a majority of the Florida legislature believe the Florida Constitution requires nothing less. Some will argue that Governor Bush will be violating the law. We think he will not be violating the law, but if he is judged to have done so, it will be in the tradition of Martin Luther King, Jr., who answered to a higher law than a judge's opinion. In so doing, King showed respect for the man-made law by willingly going to jail (on a Good Friday); Governor Bush may have to face impeachment because of his decision.
Governor Bush pledged to uphold the Florida constitution as he understands it, not as it is understood by some Florida judges. He is the rightful representative of the people of Florida and he is the chief executive, in whom the power is vested to execute the law and protect the rights of citizens. He should use that power to protect Terri's natural right to live, and he should do so now.
They make an interesting separation of powers argument. If Gov. Bush were to order the feeding tube reinserted he would certainly be breaking the law as decreed by the Florida courts. But, contrary to what most jurists may think, the judiciary is a co-equal branch of government with the executive and legislative branches. If two out of the three branches agree that an action is constitutional while the other branch does not why must the branch in the minority prevail - assuming that the three branches are co-equals?
Two recent articles in national publications about the SCOTUS are well worth a read. This month's The Atlantic has an article entitled "Rehnquist The Great?". Also, this week's issue of The New Yorker features a very good article about Justice Scalia written by Margaret Talbot entitled "Supreme Confidence." Both are well worth a read.
Feddie of SA and Eugene of Demagogue have teamed up to form the Coalition for Darfur. These two "have teamed up to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur, Sudan and money for a worthy organization doing vital work there: Save the Children." I think we've all seen the horrible images of suffering women and children in Darfur - here's your chance to do something about it. Please take a look at the site and if you can, make a donation to Save the Children. It would mean so much to those that are in desperate need of our help.
The man TIME magazine calls "the world's best-known economist" seems to be everywhere lately. With the publication of his latest book, The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities of Our Time, Sachs has been making the rounds on the talk show circuit. Last week, TIME excerpted a portion of Sachs' new book, and today, Claudia Rossett reviewed the book for the WSJ. Also, Sachs contributes an article to the March/April issue of Foreign Affairs entitled "The Development Challenge." He's everywhere.
Sachs has also been quoted recently as disapproving of President Bush's nomination of Paul Wolfowitz as the next head of the World Bank. With this I must disagree with Mr. Sachs. I believe Wolfowitz is a fine choice for president of the World Bank and his CV thoroughly suggests that this is so. As a former Ambassador to Indonesia and dean of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies Wolfowitz has dealt with development and aid at both the practical and theoretical levels. Also, his time at the DoD has prepared him for the burden of overseeing a large bureaucracy.
The World Bank's mission is to alleviate poverty around the world. Here's hoping that Mr. Sachs will join Mr. Wolfowitz in this endeavor instead of being a thorn in his side.
Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam, both blogging over at American Scene, argue that DeLay's gotta go. Salam's post is especially good.
At this point, DeLay can only bring House Republicans more agony as some of his past, unscrupulous actions come to light. Now, he's using the Schiavo situation to deflect attention from himself. Does this remind you of anyone? Kinda like Clinton bombing Iraq in an attempt to deflect Monicagate, huh? Let's put a muzzle on DeLay like we did Trent Lott a few years ago. That has worked out pretty well so far...
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
