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"[O]ne of my daily reads (it should be one of yours too)...."
--Erick Erickson "Bush campaign should hire The American Mind for the oppo research team." --Punchthebag Sean Hackbarth's The American Mind is a good weblog." --Glenn Reynolds "It’s good enough that I can forgive Sean’s Packers fandom. Almost." --Steve Silver About Me
Headquartered in SE Wisconsin, here you'll find comments on politics, economics, culture, books, and music. Not necessarily in that order.
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2003 TAM Weblog Awards
2003 TAM Book Awards 2003 TAM Music Awards Letter to Dean, M.D. Sore Winner Warm Up with Something Bad TAM Labels Dean "Twit" Overkill Michele the Greek I'll Stop the World and Melt for You Pluck Duck Comment Contest Those Darn Almanacs Duck's to Lose Person of the Year
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December 31, 20032003 TAM Weblog AwardsThis is a brand new award. My criteria are simple: the weblogs have to be on my blogroll and I have to consider them insightful, entertaining, or have some good quality to keep me coming back.
Congratulations to the winners. 2003 TAM Book AwardsAnd now, the TAM Book Awards:
2003 TAM Music AwardsI know you've been waiting for this all year. The TAM Music Awards are here.
Letter to Dean, M.D.
Dear Dr. Duck, Please refrain from wearing a Green Bay Packers hat on the campaign trail. They're my favorite sports team and I don't appreciate you jumping on their playoff bandwagon just so you can pad your lead in Wisconsin. Also, they have a winning tradition which you won't know much about after you're defeated next November. Please ignore Jonah Goldberg's ignorant comment implying the Packers are some kind of quasi-socialist organization. While they are own by shareholders, they are still a private entity. They are a great example of a community-supported enterprise that seldom needed government help. Currently, the team does receive tax-payer support for the remodeling of Lambeau Field so they wouldn't make too many libertarians happy. Let it be noted that the Packers aren't a good example of the socialistic tendencies inherent in your campaign platform. If by some gift from God (he does work in mysterious ways) you become the next President of the United States and the Packers win a Super Bowl during your term, feel free to wear a hat with a big "G" on it. For now, stick with one of these or, more fitting, one of these. Sincerely, Sean Hackbarth Sore WinnerIt's not enough for Duck, M.D. to be the front-runner for the Democratic nomination. He also demands to be treated with kid gloves. If not then he threatens to keep his supporters away from the polls if he doesn't get to face President Bush next year. Then there's also the hypocrisy where it's ok for Duck, M.D. to bash "conventional Washington politicians," but they can't try to clip his wings. "Dean: Dems Doomed if He Loses Nomination" [via Hoystory] Warm Up with Something BadThe latest Bonfire of the Vanities is up. Fortunately for me, Kevin didn't add the post I submitted. No, I won't tell you what it was. December 30, 2003TAM Labels Dean "Twit"Keeping quacking Dr. Duck. He has to be speaking only to his Net heads because calling the Bush White House "the most dangerous administration in my lifetime" will do nothing to win over conservative and swing voters. "Dean Labels Bush 'Reckless'" [via Drudge] OverkillMilwaukee's own Mark Belling, filling in for Rush Limbaugh talked about a story of a California high shcool being harassed for expressing conservative opinions. Glenn Reynolds wants the Justice Department to get involved. Isn't that overkill? And how does that tie into his idea of federalism? Or is Reynolds' federalism a "soft" federalism? "A Dissenting Student Hounded for his Views" Michele the GreekI hope Michele pulls out some of her voodoo to make sure her Super Bowl prediction comes true. I'll Stop the World and Melt for YouSen. Joe Lieberman said Howard the Duck would "melt in a minute once the Republicans start going after him." Was he trying to make a funny? Remember some of the best ice cream is made in Duck, M.D.'s Vermont. (My tastebuds transcend ideology.) "Lieberman: Dean Will 'Melt' Under GOP Attacks" [via Drudge] --- I know nothing about the book, but just by its title alone I'm declaring Enslaved by Ducks the official book for Deaniacs. --- And then there's this great Cox and Forkum cartoon. [via Steve Verdon]
Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Howard the Duck at 04:03 AM
Pluck DuckI've got two posts that again demonstrate that Howard the Duck is the perfect name for Gov. Dean, M.D. First, Jim writes about Duck, M.D.'s hypocracy for criticizing Vice President Cheney's secret talks with energy executives while doing the same thing when he was running Vermont's government. Second, at Jonathan Chait's Diary of a Dean-o-phobe he thinks Dr. Duck's newfound religous talk comes "across as forced and awkward, like Michael Dukakis in a tank." Chalk one up for Chait for making the first specific Dean-Dukakis link in this election. In both cases, he's all wet. Comment ContestI'm a few dozen comments away from hitting 1000. Back in September, Jim at Unix, Music, and Politics left the 500th comment and got a CD off his Amazon wish list. That's what will happen to the lucky 1000th commenter so comment away. December 29, 2003Those Darn AlmanacsPeople posessing almanacs should send up a red flag to police. At least that's what a FBI memo is saying. Will I and other booksellers be drafted into the Department of Homeland Security to monitor almanac sales? Which book is more dangerous to national security: The World Almanac or The Farmers' Almanac? This warning is on par with looking at people with binoculars with suspicion. Be wary of those bird watchers. "FBI Urges Police to Watch for People Carrying Almanacs" [via Drudge] Duck's to LoseJames Joyner links to some polls and other than New Hampshire, Arizona, and Wisconsin, Howard the Duck has no big lead anywhere. What he is doing is holding his own in Iowa (with Gephardt), crushing John Kerry in New Hampshire, and "dominating the money primary." I'd say my prediction of Duck, M.D. getting the nomination is threatened, but the ABD (Anybody But Dean) voters are all spread out among the other candidates and none of them appear willing to drop out until its too late. Then go read Stephen Green's thoughts on the primary season. "The Horse Race" Person of the YearEnter Stage Right seeks nominations for its Person of the Year. If you can think of someone better than President Bush (none of those plural persons Time does although this year's pick was good) go here, then leave a comment to this post letting us know who you chose and why.
Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Miscellaneous at 01:23 PM
Less Debt for IraqJapan has agreed to reduce a portion of its outstanding Iraqi debt. James Baker is turning out to be an economic saint for the Middle East debtor. Chalk this up as another foreign policy achievement by President Bush. This time no stick was needed. "Japan Ready to Write Off Majority of Iraq Debt" Carnival of the CapitalistsThis is the last Carnival of the Capitalists for 2003. What a toppsy-turvy year in the economics/business world it was. President Bush got more tax cuts passed and continued to allow the Congress to spend, spend, spend. Also, through much of the year, the economy looked to be a heavy weight on Bush's re-election chances. But in the second half of the year, things perked up. The economy grew at a rate not seen in 20 years. The stock market has rebounded, while everyone waits for jobs to be created. What will happen in 2004? Here's wishing all of you untold riches (both material and non-material) in the new year. I apologize in advance for any and all errors or misconceptions of posts. Next week's CotC will be hosted by Misty at A Special Kind of Stupid. Let's get this party started. Josh Cohen has given up on NASA and sees it as a waste of tax dollars. Da Goddess has found the real reason behind an Australian kangaroo culling. Dean Esmay found a union he wouldn't mind joining. J. P. Carter gets the "Most Clever Post Title Award" for his "Collecting Dead Presidents from Dead Peasants." It looks at a practice where an employer gets life insurance benefits from dead employees. Todd at A Penny For... can help you find some good business books to help pass the time during the post-holiday doldrums. Karun Philip is about to start his Knowledge Capital Project. This innovative, grass roots idea has real promise. Robert Prather points out something good in the recently passed Medicare bill: Health Saving Accounts "get the same tax treatment as a regular insurance policy -- meaning a company can expense it and the employee doesn't have to pay taxes on it." For you students of technical economics, Steve Verdon got a new book for Christmas. Firms aren't the "profit maximizers" you thought they were. This is due to the incentives of employees. Joe Kristan offers some end-of-the-year tax ideas. (As with all things legal and tax-related, check with you accountant or financial adviser.) Professor Bainbridge looks at food regulation in light of the Mad Cow situation. Barry Ritholtz sees 2004 as a test for supply-side economic theory. Aunty Goob rips apart a news story on pollutants found in people. Rob of BusinessPundit sees the business benefits of running. Micha Ghertner at Catallarchy.net points out that capitalism's critics have to do more than use platitudes. Mike Pechar, the Interested-Participant, posts on the rise of the gift card and its effect on after-Christmas sales. Tony Gill writes about Canada's new Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and how it incorporates health emergencies (unlike the U.S. Department of Homeland Security). Lesjones applies the Law of Demand to prescription drugs. And last, but not least, Kevin points out that Howard Dean, M.D. is already calling for a federal bailout of the cattle industry in light of the Mad Cow situation. December 28, 2003Still Waiting for CotC?I'm home, but due to the Packers sneaking into the playoffs (thank you, Arizona) I'm on the phone and Net trying to get tickets for next Sunday's game. Wish me luck. UPDATE: My patience paid off. After a little over 1 1/2 hours of constant redialing, I got through and got my tickets. What a way for a big Green Bay Packers fan like me to start the new year. The CotC is on its way. Another CotC ReminderYou still have plenty of time today to get in your entry to this week's Carnival of the Capitalists. I'll be at a family Christmas gathering today so the CotC won't be up until late this evening. So far the entries are of high quality. Now, I also want a high number. Any recent economic or business related posts are fair game. Just send the URL to capitalists -at- elhide.com. December 27, 2003Bad CustomerThis is from an e-mail posted on The Corner: Wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and to let you know my wife gave me a copy of Rich Lowry's book for Christmas...she says she saw me rearranging the book display at our local Waldenbooks - replacing all of the Franken tomes with Legacy. She then thought, correctly, that I should have one in my collection. I don't care if this person was a conservative who thinks Al Franken is full of it. He's still obnoxious and rude. If I saw this guy doing his own version of "Hey, I work in a bookstore too" I would have asked him if he needed any help while thinking, "It's people like you that give conservatives a bad name." This is even worse than a female customer who was upset a stack of Bill O'Reilly books were right next to Michael Moore's Dude, Where's My Country? Some people, whatever their ideology, get so upset and threatened at the mere existence of an opposing opinion. Why they even bother to turn on a tv or radio, open a newspaper, read a website, or even step out their front door is beyond me. Best of the WorstIf I pointed out all the "Best of" lists on others' weblogs I'd have no time to enjoy this Christmas weekend. There is one list I will point out for you. Right Voices AKA Boycott Hollywood had a wild year. By pointed out the stupidity of certain Hollywood celebrities the William Morris Agency tried to shut them down. Lisa S and her crew are still at it so the attempt failed. For your pleasure and for WMA's displeasure here is Right Voices' worst quotes for 2003. Hate Stops HelpHelp and aid from all over the world is headed to Iran. Unlike the 1990 earthquake that killed 36,000, the Islamic nation isn't shunning the assistance as long as none of it is Jewish. Officials have said this time help would be welcome from everywhere except Israel. The mullahs should be toppled now for putting their religious bigotry above the needs of victims. This is a matter of life and death. You'd think driving the Jews into the sea could take a back seat. Heck, the U.S. has put their problems with the Iranian government aside for a little while in order to help. My prayers are with the survivors, victims' families, and those helping. "Stench of Death in Iran Quake City, U.S. Sends Aid" UPDATE: Some Jews are transcending the mullahs' hate by collecting donations for the earthquake victims. "US Jewish Group Raising Funds for Iran Victims" [via ATS] Bush: Lord of PlaguesSome Deaniacs think President Bush is behind Mad Cow Disease arriving in the U.S. As one person wrote on Duck, M.D.'s "Forum For America, The questionable beef comes from the Pacific Northwest, typically a Democratic stronghold. Who would most benefit from the Pac NW losing so much agricultural business? How about the Midwest and Southest, i.e. Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska - hated RED states!! The supposed Dunce-in-Chief is also a diabolical political mastermind. Amazing! It's too easy to call these extreme members of Dean's raft crazy. I just think it's amazing that Duck, M.D. and his politicos give them such an open forum to embarass themselves and the campaign. All candidates have their wacked-out supporters. If you head over to Free Republic, I'm sure you'll find some "interesting" Bush-backers. But unlike Duck, M.D., President Bush doesn't give his kooks a soapbox. Sure, it's not as open, but the goal of a campaign is to win the election, not to give every tin foil-wearer a voice--especially when anyone can easily start a weblog and mumble to himself. [via Jessica's Well] --- TAM has made the Google top 20 for the term "Howard the Duck." If you want to do something to counter the "miserable failure" Googlebomb copy this link: Howard the Duck. It's lame and juvenille, but when has that ever stopped anyone on the Net? Belated Weblog AnniversaryThe wild and wooly Christmas shopping season is my excuse for missing TAM's 4-year anniversary. On 12.11.99, your humble weblogger uploaded his first post onto a bit of free space on Angelfire. I won't reminisce too much because it is only TAM's fourth birthday, and who gets all worked up about four years of anything (marriage excluded)? Oh, but those were the days. Weblogging by hardcoding HTML with plain old Notepad. Today, I have a fancy, schmancy CSS-based template (thanks Joni) and some spiffy software to make publishing so much easier (thanks MT guys). TAM's purpose was to force me to get in the daily writing habit. Ideally, it would lead to a paid writing gig or book project. That hasn't happened yet due to me having a poor ability to self-promote. A lesson I've learned from over four years of weblogging is just putting content on the Net isn't enough. There's too much other stuff out there competing for people's scarce attention. What I haven't learned is how to self-promote without looking (or feeling) like a linkwhore. Maybe I'll find my answer in 2004. I'll be sure to let all of you know. I do want to thank all those who have linked to TAM over the years. More importantly, I want to thank all of you who read my screeds. Your traffic and feedback means that I'm writing more than the merely non-trivial. Thank you. December 26, 2003An RFID With CheeseForrester Research advises the use of RFID tags in the food supply chain in recall cases (like Mad Cow disease). "New Regulations Open The Way For RFID Tags For Tracing Food" [via Smart Mobs] Graham Goes No. 2With all Sen. Bob Graham's problems with numbers this year [here and here], there's one number he understands and wants: #2 on the Democratic ticket. "Graham May Be Angling for No. 2 Spot" [via PoliBlog] Two RemindersKeep the Carnival of the Capitalists entries coming. Only a few of them are "Year in Review," "Year-End Wrap-up," or "2004 Prediction" posts. That's ok, but this week would be the most timely for them. Keep 'em coming. Since the Packers are playing a late game, you have most of Sunday afternoon to get your entries in. I haven't asked you to help build my Kings of Chaos army in quite a while, but in the past few days an opponent has had my number and sabotaged most of my offensive and defensive weapons. So click early and often to help me rebuild and exact revenge. Then click on these fellow KoC players: Laurence, GoaticusMaximus, and Dr. Schloktopus. What's Missing?Here's Howard the Duck's Christmas message: Today, for just a single day out of the year, much of the world recognizes a day of peace. It is a day when we set aside our differences and come together to celebrate an ideal of a world free from hate, free from want and free from war. To find out what's missing, read Matt's post at Hoystory where I found this bit of Duck, M.D. quacking. December 25, 2003Not Over YetJust because Christmas is over, don't think that me and other retail workers will be taking it easy. Schools are out until after New Year's Day and many workers take their last few days of vacation for the year. Add that to the large numbers of gift cards given this Christmas and the inevitable gift returns, and retailers will be quite busy for a while. I won't be taking a breather until the middle of January when the post-holiday doldrums set in. It won't come too soon. "Results Mixed, Stores Await a Final Burst of Shopping" [via Drudge] Merry Christmas
Joy to the world! the Lord is come; Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns; He rules the world with truth and grace, December 24, 2003Mad Cow EffectsIt may be a short trading day on Wall Street, but resturant stocks are getting hit because of the Mad Cow scare. But there's a possible bright side: But some analysts said there could be a long-term benefit for restaurants as beef prices slide from recent highs. Of course, that requires people to not be scared to eat beef. On the futures market cattle futures are down sharply. No surprise there. "Restaurant Stocks Drop on Mad Cow Scare" CotC ReminderThis is a reminder that I'm hosting the last Carnival of the Capitalists for 2003. Fitting posts would include "year in review" or "look ahead" posts. Do you have an analysis of the ups and downs of the stock market? Send them my way? Do you know what a major marketing trend was this year? Let me have it. Do you know of a hot company or sector we should all be watching in 2004? Send me that too. Do you know who'll win the Nobel Prize in economics next year? Gimme, gimme, gimme. Of course, I'll accept any and all economics and business-related posts. Send all entries to capitalists -at- elhide.com. Black Christmas for Beef ProducersThe first U.S. case of Mad Cow disease has been found in Washington state. Japan, Singapore, and South Korea immediately banned U.S. beef imports. It was only a matter of time before the disease reached the U.S. Let's hope the beef industry prepared for this potentially devastating blow. Mad Cow is related to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease [also here], a devestating neurological disease where 90% of its victims die within one year. Scientists believe both diseases are caused by prions, proteins folded in such a way as to disrupt the brain. There is no known treatment. As for me, I'll be enjoying some nice beef roast at my family's Christmas dinner. "First U.S. Mad Cow Case, Buyers Ban Beef Imports" "USDA Refused to Release Mad Cow Records" December 23, 2003Really Freaking OutMy latest Freaks of the Week column is up at SportsBlog.org. Joyner on the Book BizWith this being the final few days until Christmas, work has driven me away from posting. After running around tolerating people who don't understand the idea of planning ahead I come home exhausted. Sleep and a little reading is preferrable at this time. But I can still get myself to link to James Joyner's post on the book biz. He gives us his perspective as "an acquisitions editor with a publishing house at the mercy of the B&N's of the world." "Book Prices" December 22, 2003Color SchemeJames Joyner has an insightful post on the homeland security color threat scheme and government bureaucracy: Since the inception of the system, we have always been in either Elevated or High status. Because the level is set by a bureacracy, it will likely always be either Elevated or High. No bureaucrat is going to be willing to take the risk of lowering the level to merely Guarded or--Heaven forfend--Low because, if they do, and an attack happens, heads would roll. Likewise, we're unlikely to see the level raised to Severe unless we're literally in the midst of an attack and already know it. No one is going to be willing to call Red Alert and then not have an attack happen. The end result is a constant state of alert that becomes "background noise" to the public. Using public choice economics would offer a more complete analysis, but all we really have to know is that much of this is simple CYT (Cover Your Tush). Bureaucracies want to continue to exist. Setting the level too high for an attack that doesn't come is less damaging than setting the level too low and giving the public a false sense of security. However, setting the level too high puts financial stress on state and local governments. These bureaucracies pressure Congressmen who pressure the Department of Homeland Security. The equilibrium color is yellow, the color the scheme started with. "Level Orange" Barbie LobsterDon't tell PETA. "Fishermen Dress Lobster As Barbie" [via ATS] CotC Now AvailableThe Bejus Pundit hosts this week's Carnival of the Capitalists. Yours truly will be hosting next week. Get those economic and business posts in. I'm really interested in takes on the Christmas shopping season. Was it good in your neck of the woods or lackluster? Notice any trends? Another good topic is last-minute tax advice or important changes for 2004. Of course any subject-related posts are welcome. Tell your friends, family, and friends' family about the CotC. I want to be really busy on Sunday collecting all the entries. Send all entries to capitalists -at- elhide.com. Why is This News?Even the NY Times reporter admits President Bush's parties are "standard seasonal events, with many of the same guests and much the same menu year after year, no matter the president." Is this just to make Bush appear to be a man out of touch with most Americans while living it up with people who have special access to him? Will Howard the Duck be using elements of this story in his irritatingly populist rhetoric? "A White House Christmas: Crab Cakes, Handshakes" [via Drudge] WI Reporter Weblogging in IraqMilwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Meg Jones is writing a weblog reporting on her trip to Baghdad to see how the Wisconsin-based 32nd Military Police Company is faring. Favre's Dad DiesBrett Favre's father passed away last night. He was only 58. Will Favre play in tonight's game? Will this tragedy end Brett's 204 game streak of starting as Green Bay's quarterback? Will his father's death do what drug addiction and injuries couldn't do: stop him from playing? As someone who's dealt with death in the past few months, Brett's comfort zone has been totally disturbed. For him, his father was his football coach and his biggest fan. Knowing Irv won't be watching him play could be a tremendous distraction. Or it could give Brett the amazing focus needed to pull off a performance for the ages as a testimony to his father. I don't care if Brett plays or not. That's not the important thing right now. Coping with one's own loss and comforting others is what's most important. Brett's family wants him to play. Football is in their blood, and that may help all of them. Whatever he chooses to do, I support him (like that really matters). Playoffs come and go. In the end, it's just a game. It's just a way to escape from the real world for a few hours. I offer Brett and his family my deepest sympathy. Godspeed, Irvin. "Favre's Father Dies" [via SportsBlog] "Favre's Father Dies Suddenly" Devoted Duck WatchersAdd the Question Dean Blog to the list of Duck, M.D. watchers. It's filled with plenty of satire as well as tough criticism. For even more Duck hunting, Captain's Quarters has an entire category devoted to our favorite political waterfowl. I will be making an announcement soon regarding TAM and Dr. Duck. December 21, 2003Some Thoughts on the Book BizJames Joyner, a man in the book business himself, commented on my post on Barnes & Noble desiring lower prices. He writes, Interesting. As one on the other end of the book business--an acquisitions editor with a publishing house at the mercy of the B&N's of the world--I always just assumed that such efforts were a way for the book chains to keep more shelf space devoted to schlock books that are almost pure profit. I'm sure there are plenty of things B&N does that's not in the best interests of their customers or publishers (Some publishers won't sell through B&N). The company is no more virtuous than any other. To tell you the honest truth from the front lines of retail bookselling: we don't care who's books we sell. The goal of my superiors from the store level on up is to put the book the customer wants in their hand. If it's a B&N house title, fine; if it's someone else's, fine too. What B&N does by expanding its publishing business is inject some more competition in certain markets (classics, crafts, some cooking). James' mention of returns is interesting. I've read comments (don't know of any links) from Len Riggio saying how much he hates returns. At a store-level it can be a waste of time. It does give store managers and company buyers the flexiblity to take a chance with a book, but that risk then is on the shoulders of the publishers. Then there are the deep discounts. I'd like to say that if the base prices were lower to begin with then there would be no need for the discounts. However, that doesn't take into account the economics of physically making a book and the tough barganing of huge retailers like Target and Wal-Mart who get more favorable prices than B&N (but sacrifice that with a lack of selection). I think more experimentation is needed. So far, e-books are a bust, but maybe print-on-demand technology will help alleviate the need to print lots of books that may be returned and allow non-blockbuster titles with little-known authors to make a profit. Barlow Joins BlogosphereIt feels like 1994 all over again. A tech company prepares for a big IPO and John Perry Barlow has a weblog. When will Wired paste "BLOG" all over one of its issues like they did with "push" technology? Welcome, John. The more, the merrier. Promoting Big GovernmentAnother reason not to donate to my alma matter: The University of Minnesota-Duluth is planning on offering a new weekend Masters Degree in Advocacy and Political Leadership. It’s a program designed for people who want to make the world a better place…through advocacy and political activity. Why don't they just call it a "Masters Degree in Expanding Government." It's safe to assume the student body will be dominated by Lefties. [via SCSUScholars] Time Person of the YearGood choice. "Time Magazine Names U.S. Soldier 'Person of the Year'" [via Tim Blair] "Contradictions on Foreign Policy"On Thursday, the Washington Post was pretty harsh on Howard the Duck. The editorial said, The former Vermont governor has compiled a disturbing record of misstatements and contradictions on foreign policy; maybe he will shift yet again, this time toward more responsible positions. It goes on to say, His most serious departure from the Democratic mainstream is not his opposition to the war. It is his apparent readiness to shrink U.S. ambitions, in Iraq and elsewhere, at a time when the safety of Americans is very much at stake. When Duck, M.D.does get the nomination will the Post bend over backwards to offer some kind of reason to endorse him over President Bush? If the paper ends up backing Bush then a Bush-Dean race could be the landslide many Democrats fear. This does benefit Duck, M.D. in his claim that he's challenging the "Washington Democrats." "Beyond the Mainstream" [via Fredrik Norman] Bush Benefits from Improving EconomyAn AP poll finds public support increased for President Bush's handling of the economy. Right now, 55% approve and 43% disapprove. Last month, 46% approved, while 51% disapproved. The first thing to notice is how quickly public opinion moved. Second, other than dropping the steel tariffs, Bush hasn't done anything in the past month to deserve praise. In fact, the signing of the prescription drug expansion to Medicare will do long-term harm to the economy. What probably did more to boost people's spirits was the good economic news from the government and the rise in stock market indices [Dow Jones, NASDAQ, S&P 500] and a decrease in gasoline prices. This is another reason to discount a poll from a rationally uninformed sample. "AP Poll Finds Bush Getting Good Marks" [via Power Line] Bombs Over BrookingsI consider myself pretty well-versed in recent U.S. history. That's why I was shocked to hear that people in the Nixon White House considered bombing the Brookings Institution in order to steal damning documents in their possession. I don't know how in the last few days I stumbled upon this piece of information, but it's been floating around since at least 1982 where this Atlantic article very briefly mentions it. How did I miss this all these years? "Nixon Aide Tells of Talk about Bombing Brookings Think Tank" Duck's Mouth Hurts Him AgainWill Duck's, M.D. (is this the correct grammer?) raft realize their candidate and cult leader is a baffoon for shooting his mouth off. He could make a case (albeit, a weak one) that Saddam's capture doesn't make American safer, but he didn't stop there. Duck, M.D. went on to claim "We are no safer today than the day the planes struck the World Trade Center." Al Qaeda was blasted in Afghanistan, bin Laden is in hiding, Iraq's not funding terrorism, Libya has given up its WMD, and there has been no attacks on the U.S. mainland since Sep. 11. In what way are we less safe? Howard Dean's strategy may be to demonstrate that he isn't the wacked-out Lefty the Right thinks he is; but his ridiculous statements make him appear to be an ignorant fool. "Dean Stands by His 'We're No Safer' Bit" [via Matthew Stinson] December 20, 2003Nice PlugKevin Holtsberry is plugging my company's Collectors Library. Let me add that this is part of the company's efforts to make books more affordable. "Barnes and Noble Collectors Library" "Poor" Little Rich GirlsI gave up on The Simple Life after the second episode. Based on Tom Johnson's review of the most recent episode, I'm not missing much. The review re-confirms my belief that Paris and Nichole are the ones leading the "simple life" not the average Joes and Janes they're living and working with. "The Simple Life Turns Sour" December 19, 2003Libya Abandons WMDLibya's abandoning of WMD is one heck of a foreign policy victory for the President Bush. Without firing a shot, Gadhafi gave up. Bush bashers and members of Duck, M.D.'s raft may try to argue that diplomacy can be just as effective as war. And since war has all that destruction, they would argue diplomacy is the more moral option. Let's look at the timeline here. From the AP story: In London, Blair said Libya had approached Britain and the United States in March, after successful negotiations on Lockerbie, to see if it could "resolve its weapons of mass destruction issues in a similar manner." Gadhafi started talks at the time of the final military build-up and invasion. Would the dictator have even bothered if he didn't think the U.S. and U.K. were willing to go to war if necessary? I'm sure Gadhafi's reasons for abandoning WMD development are more complex than that. From my very casual following of Libyan news Gadhafi wants to bring Libya out of the international hinterlands. There may be domestic politics involved that would explain a part in his actions, but I'm very sure a possible military confrontation played a role. Also note that Bush didn't publically threaten Libya. Diplomacy was used. Non-U.N., non-French diplomacy to be exact. Combine this news with Iran agreeing to international nuclear inspectors, and one can make a pretty credible case that President Bush's muscular policy is having a positive effect. Surfing the blogosphere, James Joyner asks, "Could it be that the 'you're either with us or you're against us' line is actually having positive results?" It's hard to say it isn't. The outlier is North Korea. Hindrocket at Power Line is happy writing, "if the administration's tough line can yield results like these, its wisdom should be beyond question." HipperCritical has a wide range of links on this story. To give you an idea how knee-jerk Bush bashers are taking this news, here's an Oliver Willis quote: You mean we can stop WMDs without invading and occupying nations? Unpossible! "Libya to Give Up Weapons Programs" UPDATE: Oliver reminds me that he thinks Blair and Bush did a good job. So I'll take back calling him a "knee-jerk Bush basher" in this instance. Oliver caught me. Me bad, me sorry. I'll try not to be so knee-jerk myself. Clash of CulturesWill John Rhys-Davies ever get a job in Hollywood again for saying stuff like this: By 2020, 50% of the children in Holland under the age of 18 will be of Muslim descent. You look and see what your founding fathers thought of the Dutch. They are constantly looking at the rise of democracy and Dutch values as being the very foundation of American Democracy. If by the mid-century the bulk of Holland is Muslim—and don’t forget, coupled with this there is this collapse of numbers ... Western Europeans are not having any babies. The population of Germany at the end of the century is going to be 56% of what it is now. The populations of France, 52% of what it is now. The population of Italy is going to be down 7 million people. There is a change happening in the very complexion of Western civilization in Europe that we should think about at least and argue about. If it just means the replacement of one genetic stock with another genetic stock, that doesn’t matter too much. But if it involves the replacement of Western civilization with a different civilization with different cultural values, then it is something we really ought to discuss—because, g**dammit, I am for dead white male culture. He even realizes that "what I’ve been saying [is like] blasphemy." Anti-Duck WeblogHow Jonathon Chiat got away with running an anti-Dean weblog for almost a week and I not knowing just goes to show you how mentally draining working in retail during Christmas is. Diary of a Dean-o-Phobe will be a fun daily read for all us anti-Duckers even if Chiat's dislike for the man has little rational basis (like his Bush hatred). Now, I just have to get Chiat to call him "Howard the Duck" just once (and/or get a link). December 18, 2003Another Something New I've LearnedHopefully, this post won't need a correction. Marquette University has an extensive J.R.R. Tolkien collection including the original manuscript of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Author Wayne Hammond said Marquette's collection is "one of the two most important in the world, together with that at the Bodleian Library in Oxford." Wow. "Marquette Expanding Tolkien Collection" Really Freaking OutIt's late. Really late. Two days late. But Week 15's Freaks of the Week is posted at SportsBlog.org. December 17, 2003Learned Something NewBlaster's a pilot. I didn't know that. UPDATE: Like the New York Times, I have to make a correction. Pittspilot is a co-weblogger at Blaster's Blog who is the pilot. I may have been wrong, but I've still learned something new. Tough WordsI quote Thomas Kean head of the Sep. 11 investigation: There are people that, if I was doing the job, would certainly not be in the position they were in at that time because they failed. They simply failed. My first pick would be CIA chief George Tenet. Why he still has his job, I don't know. "9/11 Chair: Attack Was Preventable" [via Drudge] Still Wrong on SaddamFor Howard the Duck, capturing Saddam didn't make America safer, but Taegan Goddard found this quote from Duck, M.D. last year: There's no question that Saddam Hussein is a threat to the United States and to our allies. I'll even offer the context of the quote (to satisfy Unfogged): Not quite yet. There's no question that Saddam Hussein is a threat to the United States and to our allies. The question is, is he an immediate threat? The president has not yet made the case for that. Dean stuck with the idea that Saddam had to be an immediate threat to justify war. Let's go to President Bush's State of the Union speech. He shot down this argument that could make for a pretty good commerical contrasting Bush and Duck, M.D.: Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike? If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words, and all recriminations would come too late. Trusting in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy, and it is not an option. Removing and capturing Saddam eliminated a threat (even if not imminent or immediate). That, by definition, makes America safer. CAFTAThe Bush administration's great efforts to get free trade agreements makes it even more frustrating when they try to buy votes like they did with the steel tariffs. "U.S. and 5 Nations Work on Free Trade Pact" [via PoliBlog] Advantage: TAMJames Baker is doing amazing work on reducing Iraq's debt. In a little over two weeks, he's moved France and Germany from being totally recalcitrant to not requiring a new Iraqi government to be in place before debt is reduced. Russia will require its companies have access to rebuilding contracts. It's all a part of the Bush strategy I surmised last week. I did enjoy John Cole's rip on Howard the Duck: If only Howard Dean had taken the time to teach former Secretary Baker and President Bush about foreign affairs, instead of just teaching them about defense, perhaps that could have been negotiated today. Howie will soon save us all, I guess. "Two Nations to Ease Iraq Debt" [via Matthew Stinson] Union InterferenceCan anyone explain to me why the union opposes this particular restructuring of A-Rod's contract? What do they have to gain or protect? "Union Rejects Changes to A-Rod's Contract" Fox GoofedWisconsin Packers fans have an explanation why the first few minutes of the game against San Diego was missed: Fox 11 did not broadcast the start of the Packers game at San Diego Sunday. Not only was Ahman Green's touchdown run missed, but his team-record breaking run was too. He passed Jim Taylor for most yards rushing in a season for a Packer. "WLUK GM: Fox Admits it Goofed" Card Pulls No PunchesThis is amazing, hard-hitting stuff by Orson Scott Card. In essence, he calls Howard the Duck, and the anti-war Democrats "unpatriotic." He also bashes the media for their "yes-but" approach to coverage of the war and economy. Some of this criticism could also be applied to a few Left-wing weblogs. "The Campaign of Hate and Fear" [via Daypop] Austrian Econ Apparel
"What the World Needs Now" Anarchy Lew is Off His RockerPunchtheBag found a real doozy from my favorite anarchist, Lew Rockwell. It seems Saddam wasn't that bad since he ran a "non-Islamic regime, and protected the Christians." In Anarchy Lew's twisted morality human suffering by the state is not as bad as long as the Christians are protected. As long as Muslims are the subject of brutal oppression it's all right to turn a blind eye and deaf ear. Now, that's not to say oppression justifies a U.S. invasion. It doesn't. It isn't a necessary nor sufficient condition. What we have seen from Anarchy Lew a bit of ugly non-Christian bigotry along with some factual errors (see PunchtheBag's post). It's a remark like this that makes me glad his ilk doesn't join the mainstream Right in our common fight for liberty and smaller government. They can stay on the sidelines and away from us non-bigots. At least fellow weblogger, Bill Barnwell was happy Saddam was captured. "Worse than Nebuchadnezzar" "Morning-After" Pills Next to the TylenolSelling Plan B, a "morning-after" pill, over the counter might not be as bad as I first thought. The pill is a massive dose of hormones that can prevent fertilization (My views aren't as strict as those of the Catholic Church). But it can also prevent a fertilized egg from implanting itself in the uterus. When that happens it's a chemical abortion, and that's my problem with it. If a pill could be made where only fertilization was prevented, my opposition would be cease. Regardless of my moral concerns, an FDA advisory panel recommended morning-after pill be sold as easily as asprin. "Fed Panel Backs Easier Morning-After Pill" [via Cam Edwards] Pass the MarshmellowsThe latest Bonfire of the Vanities is up. Read 'em and weep. Really. They're that bad. December 16, 2003Read It and WeepYesterday, Howard Dean, M.D. gave his foreign policy speech that was suppose to fill in the holes of his most glaring weakness. Oh, what a lurch to the center. actually had the gall to call the current administration "radical." Much of it sounds like it was taken from President Bush's speeches. However, Dean's speech contains a significant falsehood. The difficulties and tragedies we have faced in Iraq show that the administration launched the war in the wrong way, at the wrong time, with inadequate planning, insufficient help, and at unbelievable cost. An administration prepared to work with others in true partnership might have been able, if it found no alternative to Saddam's ouster, to then rebuild Iraq with far less cost and risk. Dean continues the canard that the U.S. went into the Iraq War alone. If that's the case, then what are those British, Polish, Italian, and Spanish soldiers doing hanging around Iraq? Did they come for a ring-side seat at a guerilla resistance movement? Later on Dean wacks the Bush administration for choosing "unilateral action as our weapon of first resort." If that's what happened then the U.S. would have toppled Saddam much sooner instead of taking time to bend over backwards to please the French. Seriously, the blame for other nations not joining the "Coalition of the Willing" lie with France, Germany, Russia, and those that refused to join. Months and months of diplomacy both across the globe and at the U.N. were tried to convince unwilling countries that finally dealing seriously with Saddam was critical to the security of the free world. The "Coalition of the Unwilling" wasn't convinced. Some of the resistance was due to those countries not particularly liking President Bush. Much of the resistance was animosity toward the U.S. France and other coutries saw Iraq as an opportunity to knock the United States' global stature down a notch. They fear the continued American Century more than the Islamist threat. As for less cost and risk, if the coalition were bigger, Dean has made a point, but only a slight one. A larger coalition would have spread out the cost of the war and rebuilding as well as risk to soldiers across more nations. So the U.S.'s relative costs and risks would have been less, but the total costs and risks would still be the same. Dean's theme in this speech is that the U.S. shouldn't have gone into Iraq until it convinced more countries to help fight. But what about what actually happened? France, Germany, and Russia said, "No." They weren't going to help free Iraq. German President Gerhardt Schroeder used anti-American and anti-war fervor to win a narrow re-election while France claimed that oodles of U.N. resolutions should be ignored because it finally found a way to stymie American "hyperpower." In his speech, Dean said, "America should never be afraid to act alone when necessary." Fine words, but doesn't answer this question: If no other country was willing to invade Iraq, would you have sent in U.S. forces? A related question is this: How long would you have tried to build a larger coalition knowing that Saddam was in possession of WMD (at least that was the conventional wisdom that not even war opponents denied)? But wait, there's more: The Iraq war diverted critical intelligence and military resources, undermined diplomatic support for our fight against terror, and created a new rallying cry for terrorist recruits. If it wasn't Iraq, something else would have been Islamist terrorist recruiters' ralling cry. If Osama bin Laden was under siege in Pakistan, Islamists would be encouraging people to march upon the location to aid with the monster's last stand as well as calling for attacks upon the U.S. to try and break the will of the American public. Dean is critical, but he really hasn't thought this through at all. Knee-jerk Bush bashing helps pump up his followers and gets them to "hit the bat"--his nickname for donating to the campaign. Here's an example of sloppy thinking on Dean's part: We have, rightly, paid much attention to finding and eliminating the worst people, but we need just as vigorous an effort to eliminate the worst weapons. Just as important as finding bin Laden is finding and eliminating sleeper cells of nuclear, chemical, and biological terror. The problem with WMD isn't that they exist. It's that the wrong people have them or are trying to get them. Great Britain, France, and Russia all have nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons yet the U.S. isn't planning on invading them to make sure they don't fall into terrorists' hands. Let's finish this up with another example of Duck, M.D.'s loose lips. In the speech, he said, "[T]he capture of Saddam has not made America safer." An Iraq without Saddam was the whole key to the war. Saddam's Iraq in possession of WMD (at least in the past) threatened his neighbors and the U.S. Saddam' links to terrorism (housing Abu Nidal, funding Palestinian homicide bombers) only made him that more threatening. Now that he's been captured, it's assured he will never have the controls of a state to use for his evil intentions. That makes America safer. Dean can't see that and exemplifies Sen. Joe Lieberman's hard-hitting attack on him. The speech was filled with lots of what was bad about President Bush's foreign policy and vague notions of what Howard Dean would do as President. What Duck, M.D. displayed was how unsophisticated his thinking is. The ideas sound like they came out of the mouth of a undergraduate foreign relations student. Yesterday, along with this important speech, Dean announced his foreign policy advisors. Many of them have extensive foreign policy experience. Unfortunately for Duck, M.D., none of them impressed any | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||