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10.20.2001 12:46 AM Let's not worry about anthrax. It's not contagious and it can be treated with powerful antibiotics. What we should really worry about is smallpox because it can be spread from person to person, has no effective treatments, and there's a limited amount of vaccine. The CDC offers a scary possibility if terrorists used smallpox as a biological weapon. "'No Medications Proven Effective' to Treat Smallpox" "Smallpox: An Attack Scenario" Sean Hackbarth | 10.19.2001 11:58 PM The ground war has begun. "United States Stages Lightning Raid in Afghanistan" Sean Hackbarth | 2:00 AM Weekly Standard writer and Wisconsin native Stephen Hayes points out that many of the 9.11 terrorists weren't very good at playing the role of devout Muslims. "Strippers, Hookers, and Terrorists" Sean Hackbarth | 1:13 AM In his speech at the Al Smith dinner, Vice President Dick Cheney called for total victory in the war against terrorism:
Those are stronger words than the "unconditional surrender" the Allies required of Germany and Japan in World War II. To echo Virginia Postrel's complaints, I had to go to the Washington Post website to find Cheney's speech, because it was no where to be found at the White House's website. Cheney Attends Charity Dinner in New York Sean Hackbarth | 10.18.2001 6:13 PM Tommy Thompson won't make it past 2004 as HHS secretary. No one can says he's been a calming influence in the face of the current anthrax scare. During the years he was Wisconsin governor, Thompson was a strong, dominant political figure. He was the big fish in a little pond. He took big risks by pushing welfare reform and school choice. To realize how dominant he was in Wisconsin, his Lieutenant Governor, not current big cheese, Scott McCallum was pretty much a political unknown when he took the job. McCallum was the number 2 person in Wisconsin government and his biggest claim to fame were his public service announcements on late-night cable television. Now, in Washington, D.C. Tommy's no longer the top dog. Although he heads a cabinet department, he must defer to the White House. His job isn't to lead as much as it is to manage and to be a voice for the administration. Now, America is at war and that puts even more stress on people. Tommy never had a crisis like this as governor. The closest he came was the occasional deadly tornado or flood, but those awful events never required the reassuring touch the anthrax scare requires. Tommy's just not comfortable in D.C., and it shows as John Podhoretz points out. He loved being governor, but was loyal to Bush. So he went to Washington when the call came. Maybe he's in the wrong department. Labor Secretary might have been a better fit. Look to see Thompson leaving HHS in 2004, and don't be surprised if he makes another run for Wisconsin governor (especially if McCallum loses next year). "Thompson: Failing Before Our Eyes" [via Reductio] Sean Hackbarth | 4:12 AM Space.com holds Stephen Hawking to task for his prediction that Man won't survive the millenium (only 999 years to go) unless we head off to the stars. Echoing my thoughts, Benny Peiser says Hawking "manifest[s] a certain arbitrariness in his choice of end-time scenarios." "Stephen Hawking's Doomsday Prediction Called 'Regrettable Hype'" Sean Hackbarth | 3:36 AM Alright, I'll follow the crowd (see Harris, Jason, and jh3k). Here are my 5 songs I never get tired of listening to:
Sean Hackbarth | 3:11 AM Wow, the Packers are really tough on players who just don't cut it. This is from a 10.17 press release:
Is Mr. Bristol swimming with the fishes in the Fox River? How was he offed? Bullet, rope, anthrax? Should Ahman Green worry if he loses the ball a few more times this season? "Packers Re-sign Wide Receiver Mike Horacek, Drop Tackle Mark Bristol" Sean Hackbarth | 2:29 AM Just when it looks like some progress can be made in the Israel-Palestine situation, a member of the Israeli cabinet is assassinated. Arafat must act decisively and hand over Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi's killers or he will face the rath of Israel's military. This will only further complicate the U.S.'s war on terrorism. "Israel Gives Ultimatum to Arafat After Slaying" Sean Hackbarth | 10.17.2001 2:27 AM A Palestinian state is acceptable to Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, provided, there are conditions for Israel's security. Can Yasser Arafat stop the violence on the Palestinian side when it seems like many there don't want peace? "Sharon Says `Yes, with Conditions' to a Palestinian State" Sean Hackbarth | 1:12 AM Ideas have consequences. So it's no surprise that cultural relativism has negative effects when some confront the horrors of 9.11. John Leo writes:
"Cultural Relativism Leaves Some Blind to Evil" Sean Hackbarth | 10.16.2001 9:18 PM No matter how esoteric or obscure our reading material is, we're connecting it to the 9.11 attacks. In Walter Berns' Making Patriots, he worries that our nation isn't inculcating patriotic feeling into our citizens. But the outpouring of sorrow for victims, the love of country, the displaying of flags, and the anger towards our enemies shows us that patriotism did lie underneath the surface. The massive show of patriotism doesn't discredit the book, because Berns still tells us it's important to teach a love for America and its ideals. Sean Hackbarth | 8:09 PM At first, it may seem surprising that a libertarian like David Boaz has some ideas on what government activities should be done in the war on terrorism, but Boaz understands that one of the proper roles of government is to protect its citizens. Most of his suggestions are pretty basic: go after al Qaeda and the Taliban, improve domestic defense, and boost the economy. Boaz also suggests designing a new long-range bomber in case the U.S. comes upon a situation where it can't use airfields in neighboring countries. "Responding to the Attack on America" [via zeropolitcs] Sean Hackbarth | 5:39 PM United Airlines may not exist next year. CEO James Goodwin blames part of the financial bleeding on the 9.11 attacks, but wrote in a company memo that "Before September 11 we were not in a comfortable financial state, with costs exceeding our revenue on a daily basis." The $15 billion federal bailout may not do a lot of good in this instance. United and other weak airlines should be allowed to fail. Bankruptcy is one way assets can be reallocated to more productive uses. "United Warns Airline May Perish" Sean Hackbarth | 3:31 PM The greatest living physicist, Stephen Hawking is pumping up a little publicity for his new book The Universe in a Nutshell (and no, it's not published by O'Reilly). How else can you explain why he said, "I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space"? 999 years is long time. Anything can happen. We could be visited (and destroyed) by space aliens. Earth could get sucked up in a black hole or space anomaly and be removed from existence. I can say anything as vague as Hawking, but I don't have the prestige so no one will listen to me. He's survived ALS longer than anyone expected, but even he won't see if his prediction will pan out. "Colonies in Space May be only Hope, says Hawking" [via Drudge] Sean Hackbarth | 2:45 PM TAM is now listed in TownHall.com's RightPages. Sean Hackbarth | 10.15.2001 1:58 AM Milwaukee Art Museum spokeman, Pam Kassner put it well when she said, "People are looking for an uplifting moment; there's so much anxiety now." Yesterday, people's hearts were lifted with the wings of the Burke Brise Soleil at the grand opening of the museum's expansion. 32,000 people gave up watching a great Packers game to see a beautiful example of Milwaukee modernism. "Public Flocks for a View" Sean Hackbarth | 1:33 AM Brett Favre shreds the vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense to lead the Packers to a 31-23 victory. There's something special about a team that can score 31 points on one of the greatest defenses of ALL TIME. The Pack will really have to fall apart to meet the average standards I set for them at the beginning of the season. Sometimes I don't mind if I'm wrong. Sean Hackbarth | 1:23 AM To those who think poverty created terrorism, consider blaming someone other than the U.S. Consider looking at the corrupt, illiberal governments that keep their people from achieving economic success. "Not So Blameless" [via instapundit] Sean Hackbarth | 10.14.2001 12:06 AM Can an art museum fly? Well, the beautiful Burke Brise Soleil--part of the Milwaukee Art Museum's $100 million expansion--will certainly take off in the minds of the public as well as the architectural world. Santiago Calatrava wanted to impress the U.S. with his first project here, but the kinetic centerpiece was close to being an engineering flop. "Art Museum to Untuck its Wings for Public this Weekend" Sean Hackbarth | |
ABOUT When I'm not pondering the fate of the universe, I'm reading, writing, or selling books. Here you'll find comments on politics, culture, books, and music. Not necessarily in that order. MAILBOX sean--at--theamericanmind.com  Support democracy and human rights in Iraq! 
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