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--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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Betrayed for Bucks And Deep Throat is... Measuring McCain I Hate Che Now this is a Mash Up Chavez and Vague War Rhetoric Another GW France's "Non" Vote Lutheran in Name Only Removing Chinese Tariffs Iraqis Fight for Themselves Wheldon Win Indy 500 Bad Timing A Little Sex Never Hurts
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May 31, 2005How ObnoxiousThe FEC regulating webloggers seems to be in order. Draft rules from the Federal Election Commission, which enforces campaign finance laws, would require that paid political advertisements on the Internet declare who funded the ad, as television spots do. So if TAM is fortuate enough in the future to get political ads I'll be drowned in FEC compliance. Thanks guys. Way to uphold the free speech rights of passionate, concerned citizens. Here's how I'd get around these rules:
My plan doesn't stop legal costs from incurring. I'm not a lucky weblogging power broker like Kos who can get lawyer to file a comment for him. But it would be a big middle finger to the FEC, Sens. McCain and Feingold, and President Bush who signed the damn campaign finance bill. "FEC Treads into Sticky Web of Political Blogs" [via Scared Monkeys] Betrayed for BucksGitmo detainees say Pakistanis sold them to U.S. forces. Ok. And the problem is...? This isn't so much that the Pakistanis were taking advantage of a smart U.S. government plan to offer rewards for al-Qaida and Taliban forces as the judgement of the U.S. officers on the ground as to whether the captives were worth the reward. It's interesting how ABC News wrote the head line. They make it seem like Muslims were sold to the Americans (i.e. Christians). "Gitmo Detainees Say Muslims Were Sold" And Deep Throat is...Mark Felt, one time #2 in the FBI. Reporting icons Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein confirmed it today after Felt's family told Vanity Fair for their July issue. Pat Buchanan, Bill Safire, and Alexander Haig are all off the hook. But in a city like Washinton, D.C. where secrets are valuable currency Ben Bradlee put it well, "The thing that stuns me is that the goddamn secret has lasted this long." The Political Teen has video and plenty of links and La Shawn Barber helped me find this University of Illinois journalism project on Watergate. "Washington Post Confirms Felt Is 'Deep Throat'" UPDATE: Skeletor! Measuring McCainSen. John McCain may be the de facto leader of the Senate but there will have to be some big, unexpected political shifts for him to win the GOP nomination in 2008--still way too soon to talk about. His minuses for winning the Presidency include:
On the plus side:
The way candidates are lining up the Senate curse may mean little. I can't think of a non-Senator from either party who is preparing to run and has a legitimate shot. But we aren't even up to the 2006 Congressional races. So lots can and will happen. One thing is for sure. Sen. McCain will not be getting TAM's endorsement--for whatever that's worth. "The Worst That Could Happen" UPDATE: Chris Muir sums up McCain (and his ego) in two Day by Day strips. UPDATE II: Mickey Kaus (why can't the man use some real weblog software?) thinks McCain should run as an independent. He thinks he'd immediately have a based of frustrated Perot voters (whose wack jobs who ran the Reform Party?). But McCain isn't wealthy. Who would fund his campaign? Maybe he'd hire the Howard Dean, M.D. net fundraising team. Just don't hire the loons that blew through his $40 million. [via Instapundit] May 30, 2005I Hate CheAnd unless you're an Audioslave/Rage Against the Machine fan with a poster of the ruthless Communist hanging in your dorm room you should too. Now this is a Mash UpJewish reggae hip-hop sounds like a one-hit wonder/fad but Matisyahu has a strong voice and some serious skills. Check him out on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. [via karmagrrl] Chavez and Vague War RhetoricVenezuelan president Hugo Chavez was missing for day or so prompting rumors that he was either dead or on the wrong end of a coup. He did appear on television, but Mora at Babalu Blog thinks "this dictator's tottering." In other Chavez news he ridiculed President Bush by calling him "Mr. Danger" for not arresting and extraditing Luis Posada Carriles. Chavez accused President Bush of "sheltering a terrorist." As I've written before such vague talk about the "global war on terror" lets anti-war opponents and left-wing dictators score political points. Bush continued his rhetorical ambiguity today when he told an audience at Arlington National Cemetery: As we look across these acres, we begin to tally the cost of our freedom, and we count it a privilege to be citizens of the country served by so many brave men and women. And we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives, by defeating the terrorists, advancing the cause of liberty, and building a safer world. "Is Hugo Chavez Dead?" [via Instapundit] Another GWEd Moltzen shows us how a good book can put our present world into perspective. "When Another George Fought For Freedom" France's "Non" VoteIf you've been really living it up this Memorial Day weekend you may not know France rejected the EU constitution (448 articles!). Further European integration grinds to a halt, and who knows how long the political economics behind the euro can last. Those who fear the rise of a global superstate shouldn't worry. With examples like the splintering of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia this historic trend is not to unify in a formally politically way. The glaring counter-example is the U.S. It's amazing how 13 different former colonies with different cultures, economies, and interests could end up agreeing to unite. The U.S. is the exception to the rule. "French Voters Soundly Reject European Union Constitution" "Viva la France!!!" "Will 'Non' Mean 'Oui'?" Lutheran in Name OnlyLast year, Rev. Thorkild Grosboell was removed as Danish Lutheran pastor for declaring "there is no heavenly God." He has now revewed his vows and is back in his church. I'm confused. The AP writes, On May 20, Grosboell renewed his clerical vows before Lindhardt, but said his views about God remain unchanged. But the Washington Times writes, Pastor Thorkild Grosboell repeated his oath and said he did actually believe in God and even signed two documents to that effect, Bishop Jan Lindhardt said. Then we have the Chicago Tribune reporting, Rev. Thorkild Grosboell promised he would be faithful to the "apostolic belief" but did not retract comments he made in a 2003 interview in which he said "there is no heavenly God." It sounds like Rev. Grosboell will just go through the motions to support his flocks' "apostolic belief." What kind of a leader will he be since he doesn't believe what he's preaching? In a post-modern way this makes total sense. Belief is removed from the its occupation. Being a minister is no longer a vocation. It's just a job like any other. By this thinking a Catholic could just as easily be a Danish Lutheran pastor. Heck, even a Muslim could do the job. We wouldn't want to discriminate. Danish Lutheranism is more screwed up than anyone thought. [via preach for food] Removing Chinese TariffsIn reaction to the Bush administration slapping quotas some Chinese textiles the ChiComs will removes tariffs on "export duties it has charged on 78 types of textile products." "China to Abolish Textile Export Tariffs" May 29, 2005Iraqis Fight for ThemselvesFrom what little I know about counter-insurgency getting the locals to fight for themselves is a very good thing. That's what happened in Husaybah this month. "Another Sign Of Insurgency's Failure" Wheldon Win Indy 500Danica Patrick isn't a joke or a gimmick. Even though she didn't win the Indy 500 today she showed she has the skills and the team to get her a sip of milk. Patrick compensated for two mistakes and almost won. She just didn't have enough fuel to hold off winner Dan Wheldon. But that had more to do with guessing fuel mileage rather than driving skill. With Patrick's star rising we are seeing a winner of the IndyCar/Champ Car war. IndyCar seems to have some marketing savy and not just with promoting Patrick. With NASCAR's dominance it's tough to name any open-wheel driver but Patrick's further success (she'll have to win a race or become the Anna Kournikova of racing) could do for her sport what Tiger Woods did for golf. "Wheldon Holds Off Patrick, Wins Indy 500" Bad TimingRoger Simon is asking some good questions regarding weblogging as an original news source. They're good questions but why ask them during an American holiday that's about being outside and away from stuff like computers? Odd. "Pajamas Media Question #1 - What Is 'Fair and Balanced'?" "Pajamas Media Question #2 - 'How Can We be an Online Joe Friday?'" May 28, 2005A Little Sex Never HurtsIt's Memorial Day Weekend for Pete's sake. It's the unofficial start of summer. Heavy reading, thinking, and talking are not the order of these few days. So let's go to that Memorial Day tradition the Indiapolis 500. Sure, the fissure in open-wheel racing (along with the NASCAR marketing machine) has destroyed that sport, but this year Danica Patrick is the star of the show. It's not that she's starting the race at the fourth position or is a driver for the powerful Rahal Letterman team. It's the fact that Danica is cute and knows it. "It's All Danica, All the Time at Indy 500" No NINWhat do politically opinionated celebrities do they don't get their way? They quit. Trent Reznor pulled his band Nine Inch Nails out of the MTV Movie Awards because the music channel wouldn't let them perform in front of a picture of President Bush. Reznor, in language fit for an arrogant psudo-intellectual, said, "Apparently, the image of our president is as offensive to MTV as it is to me." Please. More likely MTV was worried the Bush-hating Reznor would do something with the image causing negative publicity to drop on the network. Michele isn't boycotting NIN. Good. "Nine Inch Nails Drops MTV Show over Bush Backdrop" May 27, 2005Hillary's Finance Man AcquittedIt's unfair to call David Rosen, Sen. Hillary Clinton's former national finance director a "bagman" when he got acquited for lying to the feds. Charges of lying to the government can be very dicey. Look at Martha Stewart. I like Michelle Malkin as much as the next conservative, but she succoms to excessive Clinton hating. "Former Aide to Sen. Clinton Acquitted" Thune's Opposition Means Another Frist TestThe Pentagon's latest list of military base closings has pushed one GOP Senator to oppose John Bolton's nomination. Could someone tell Sen. Frist to tell Sen. Thune that there's no way Ellsworth Air Force Base will survive if Bolton loses by one vote? That's how a tough, no hold barred majority leader would behave. "Thune Says He Will Oppose Bolton Nomination" QuestionHow much would a Quran-flushing toilet cost the military? Somebody call the GAO. "Pentagon Recalls Koran-Flushing Toilet" Six InchesSix inches was all it took for a man to win his appeal of a speeding ticket. Paul Mertz claims he went 59 mph in a 35-mph zone because a speed limit sign was six inches too small. No, sir. You missed the sign because you were going so damn fast. And a state appeals court tossed common sense out the window. "Man Fights Speeding Ticket On Basis Of Sign Size" May 26, 2005Bring Out Your DeadHow about this MSM humdinger to add to Newsweek's troubles. Do we even know anyone was killed in the riots following the retracted Quran story? Did people really die or is the MSM engaged in lazy groupthink? "Lies Beget More Lies?" Taylor on the Filibuster DealProfessor Taylor, who supports the "nuclear option," put together a fine analysis of the filibuster compromise. My only addition is to say again that this deal only postponed the final battle. When a conservative Supreme Court nominee has a chance at replacing a liberal on the court then we'll see even more fire and passion. Read it all and "welcome to democracy" messy as it is. "On the Senate Compromise" May 25, 2005I'm not Saying Any MoreBummed because you're 30 and single transcends race. 'Nuff said. I'm off to watch the Lost season finale. "Over 30 & Single: A Black Man's Perspective" [via La Shawn Barber] Just Chillin'
Oh, Professor, I'm not buying a t-shirt. [via Glenn Reynolds] ABC Joins the PodosphereFor those of you who want to be surrounded by news 24-7 (you sickos) ABC is podcasting Nightline, This Week, and other shows. They've even started an afternoon addition to The Note, The AfterNote. "ABC, NBC News Launch News Podcasts" Mangling McCainThat's what Red does in this post. I tried to watch Sean Hannity interview McCain tonight, but after 10 seconds of them gushing over the film Faith of My Fathers I got ill. "Media Love Fest with John McCain" UPDATE: Farrah has more on the egomaniacal Sen. McCain. If he wants the 2008 nomination he'll have to soon strongly back a GOP challenger to Gov. Janet Napolitano and hope that person wins. Or else McCain will inflame GOP activists when Napolitano names a Democrat to sit in his Senate seat. [UGH! I can't believe I just mentioned the 2008 race. I'm still exhausted from last fall.] "McCain 2008 Fantasy" A Tax Increase is UnacceptableJudging from Oliver Willis' and Kos' reaction to this BusinessWeek story on what Social Security legislation might pass both right- and left-wing activists will be ticked. Any compromise would fall far short of Bush's goal of fundamentally overhauling Social Security. It would make big changes to the program yet retain a basic government-provided benefit for all Americans. It would secure the system's financial solvency for many years by cutting promised benefits and raising payroll taxes on high-income workers. But it would not ensure permanent financial stability, as the President has demanded. An agreement would also include some form of personal accounts, just not the White House version. And new savings incentives -- sometimes called add-on accounts -- would be created outside the current Social Security system. "I can see an agreement along those lines," says Heritage Foundation research fellow David C. John, "assuming both sides come off their absolute positions." Bush's private accounts fall by the wayside. They have lost any traction they might have had after his re-election. Either the President did a lousy job selling them, or a cynical public is too afraid of having more responsiblity over their own retirement. The best idea in decades to free Americans from Big Government is dying. With the death of private accounts you defintely won't see any politician call for allowing people to opt-out of S.S. so they can fund their retirement on their own. A dirty little secret about S.S. is no one can leave because retirees get their money out of the pockets of current workers. The way the system is structured old people need to pay for them (and I never ever get a "thank you"). What is absolute for this conservative is there can be to tax increases. The problems with government isn't that they don't have enough money. Government takes more money out of our pockets than at anytime in American history. And when they get their (our) money all they do is ask for more. Benefit cuts I could stomach. Increasing the retirement age is also acceptable but doesn't go far enough. It should be pushed to 70. People are living longer, therefore they can work longer. Making cost-of-living adjustments that would slow the increase in S.S. benefits is also acceptable. These changes would better illustrate the fact that S.S. is a welfare state redistribution program cloaked in social insurance garb. I can't believe President Bush would sign a tax increase after seeing close up what it cost his father. I also can't believe the same man who fought so hard for his tax cuts would make a 180 turn. That would be like him telling war critics they were right about Afghanistan and Iraq and order an immediate pull out. But if Bush should sign a tax increase that would only delay Social Security's insolvency then he would cause a tremendous tumble in Republican support. Tax hawks and other economic conservatives would throw up their hands and withhold support. They'd say, "What's the point of electing Republicans if they end up raising taxes?" Raising S.S. taxes would surely usher in a Democratic President because the GOP base would be so discouraged. "What A Social Security Deal Could Look Like" States in the World EconomyPortugal has over 10 million people. Wisconsin has a little over 5 million. Yet the Badger State's economy is almost 10% bigger. The Club for Growth's Andrew Roth is right, "It’s exactly what the free market is all about, baby…" Let's make sure it stays that way. "Georgia Is Bigger Than Georgia?" [via Alarming News] Slow MediaThe MSM is a little slow in realizing Monday night's filibuster compromise only delayed, not stopped, the final battle. TAM readers already knew that Monday night. "Justice Choice Could Rekindle Filibuster Fight in the Senate" Winner's CurseMilwaukee "bucked" the odds and nabbed themselves the #1 pick in the NBA lottery. While general manager Larry Harris is grinning from ear to ear I dread what they will do with the pick. The consensus #1 choice is Utah center Andrew Bogut. Let me be blunt: he's a big, slow, white guy. The Bucks have experience with drafting big, slow, white guys. Remember Randy Breuer? I've seen Bogut play a few games in post-season this year. He didn't impress me as a #1 pick. He could pass the ball a little and get rebounds, but he he blended in too much. I'm already declaring Bogut another Luc Longley (also from Australia) and Bryant "Big Country" Reeves. The Bucks should be very willing to trade down and take Arizona's Channing Frey and a veteran. Let someone else be the first pick sucker. "Lucky Bucks: Team Goes First in Draft" May 24, 2005Two BitsThis is the first instance of a man impersonating a quarter. Even Mad-City Mad About TaxesThe state GOP should be using their brains now that even Lefty-haven Madison is getting tired of endless tax increases. "Madison School Referendum Fails" The Dust Settles on the CompromiseA day has pasted since the filibuster deal, and I'm still not ticked. All the deal did was end the fight temporarily. Democrats could start up another filibuster as soon as they felt "extraordinary circumstances" existed. Then Republicans could call the deal off. Sen. Graham said, One of the major elements of the deal makes clear that if one of my seven Democratic colleagues decides to filibuster in the future because of an ‘extraordinary circumstance,’ I retain the right to vote for a rules change. It’s my hope we never get to that point. The result is three nominees get a vote, and Senate tradition still stands. That's better than getting no nominees a vote and possibly seeing a political disaster with the "nuclear option" losing because of Republicans. What we do know is both parties' Senate leadership are quite weak. Neither Sens. Frist nor Reid have a firm grasp on their caucuses. I wonder if this show of strength by the "Filibuster 14" will move beyond the judicial battle. "About that Filibuster Compromise..." UPDATE: As this Cox & Forkum cartoon demonstrates Senate Democrats may turn trivial things into "extrodinary circumstances." It will require some intestinal fortitude by all Republican Senators. But that was needed anyway before the compromise. This will really come to a head when President Bush makes his first Supreme Court nomination that replaces a liberal justice. Win With RedWearing red equals more wins. That's what some anthropologists concluded from analyzing the 2004 Olympics. If red is a winner expect Democrats and Leftys to complain about media bias for getting stuck with a "losing" blue color. "Want to Win? Wear THIS Color!" [via PoliBlog] Now "That's Hot"A Paris Hilton hamburger commercial has ticked off the Parents Television Coucil for being too racey. Hot it is, and I don't think Paris is very sexy. "Parental Group Says Hilton Ad Too Hot for TV" [via Broken Masterpieces] Other Nickname VotingMark Belling is hosting a better poll for Marquette's new nickname. Better because voting for Warriors is an acceptable choice. Times' Reaction to Filibuster DealThe Washington Times echos the anger in the conservative blogosphere with a few quotes from angry conservatives who consider the deal a "sellout." I liked the jab at Sen. McCain's vanity at the end of the story (emphasis mine): Moments earlier as the deal was about to be announced, several Republicans offered the lectern to Mr. Byrd, who demurred, waiting instead for "his turn." "7 Republicans Abandon GOP on Filibuster" Polls Have OpenedMarquette students, staff, and alumni can now start voting for the new school nickname--as long as it isn't Warriors. If I could vote I'd pick Golden Avalanche. One-third of GOP3.com is backing Hilltoppers, and Professor McAdams confirmed that people can pick one of the listed names, write in Warriors and not have their ballot spoiled. "MU Begins Process to End Identity Crisis" Accountability RequiredI think part of the concern many in the rightwing blogosphere have with last night's filibuster deal is they don't think the "moderate" Senate Republicans will hold Democrats accountable. Should the Dems employ their "extraordinary circumstances" phrase for something not extraordinary McCain and his gang will have to call the deal null and void. That's not a sure thing since the whole premise of the deal was to avoid the "nuclear option." But as Pejman Yousefzadeh writes, Again, this deal could go sour if Republicans do not follow up on any breach. But that is and could be the case for any deal. In the meantime, Republicans have gained three new judicial appointments, a Supreme Court appointment that is free from a filibuster, boxed the Democrats in on what would be considered a reasonable filibuster and still kept the option to eliminate the filibuster on the table. Like I've said before this issue isn't done. It's only been postponed. "No Nukes" May 23, 2005Lott Couldn't Have Done WorseStephen Bainbridge points out that rightwing webloggers aren't sounding very conservative when it comes to the judicial filibuster. And he uses Russel Kirk (a man I'm guessing most conservatives have never read) to back him up. I haven't gone on record on the "nuclear option." What I have said is this mess shows what a mistake it was to make Sen. Bill Frist majority leader. I wonder if Sen. Trent Lott, warts and all, could have not gotten us to this moment. "More on The Filibuster Deal" Deal Brings in Cooling Off PeriodYou go see a movie and big political news breaks out. There's a deal on President Bush's judicial nominations. Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor will all get their confirmation votes. William Meyers and Henry Saad remain in limbo. Democratic signatories promise to only filibuster in "extrordinary circumstances" while their GOP counterparts promise not to change the rules. All that goes out the window as soon as an "extreme" nominee to the Supreme Court is named. There's already a lot of GOP bashing coming from the right side of the blogosphere. I'm with Ed Whelan that "this MOU marks only a very temporary cooling off." I also agree with Whelan that these "moderates" (Sen. Byrd was one of the signatories) have misconstrued the initially vague "advice and consent" clause. In no way are those GOP signatories conservative. Their reading of the constitution ignores the two hundred years of tradition where the President nominates and the Senate either votes up or down as their form of advice and consent. Instead they choose to conserve the filibuster, an object with a lesser hold (via The Commissar) in American political tradition. (John Dean takes a different viewpoint by advocating more involvement by the Senate. But no one has ever claimed he was a conservative.) "Senators Avert Showdown Over Filibusters" UPDATE: Viking Pundit calls it "a minor, if temporary, win for the Republicans." To say Patrick is upset is an understatement. Owen isn't happy either. Kevin calls it a "very bad deal." Jib thinks the GOP base will lash out in 2006, presumbably by not showing up at the polls. Lucas Sucked More Cash Out of MeI just saw Revenge of the Sith for a second time. I still liked it even with Natalie Portman's awful performance, the stilted dialogue, and the too busy battle scenes. The moment when Anakin and Obi-Wan clash before the lava fountain is so gorgeous. It's one of the best visuals in Star Wars' history. Carnival of the CapitalistsOodles of econ posts are collected at the Carnival of the Capitalists hosted this week by Ideologic. Why Words MatterWho is Luis Posada? If his Wikipedia entry is any indication he's a terrorist who has launched attacked on Communist Cuba. His most well-known attack was on "a Cuban airliner over Barbados in 1976, in which all seventy-three people onboard were killed." The plane started out in Caracus, which means Hugo Chavez' country is involved. Both the CIA and FBI suspected Posada days after the attack. Posada is now in U.S. custody for illegally entering the U.S. The question becomes "What to do with him?" The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board understands that both Venezuala and Cuba have corrupt legal systems and suggests Pasada stand trial in Italy. The newspaper wants Pasada "before a court of law, where the facts can be brought forth and punishment, if necessary, meted out." Now, a reader should ask himself, "Why is the Journal Sentinel editoral board so concerned about a little-known Latin American terrorist?" Because with Pasada's case they can try to punch some holes in the Bush administration's "War on Terror." Here's where they begin: If Posada had been trying to bring down the government of, say, Brazil, he would have been promptly and accurately accused of terrorism. But because Posada has been trying to overthrow Cuba's Fidel Castro for much of his life, he is supported by some members of the politically powerful Cuban expatriate community in Miami. The JS imply democratic Brazil is the moral equivalent of communist Cuba. In their eyes toppling Cuba would be just as bad as toppling Brazil. While Brazil is considered "Mostly Unfree" by the Heritage Foundation-Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom it is better than Cuba's listing as "Unfree" (along with Venezula). Freedom House considers Brazil "Free"with free elections and a privately owned media. "Not Free" Cuba possesses neither of these. Brazil has plenty of room from improvement, but it certainly doesn't need to be liberated like Castro's prison island. The editorial board then gets to the crux of their Bush attack: Granting political asylum to Posada would make this country look - or reveal it to be - two-faced and duplicitous in its war on terrorism. Intentionally killing or injuring non-combatants for political reasons is a defining feature of terrorism, and it doesn't matter whether the civilians are working at the World Trade Center in New York or riding a Cuban airliner. Part of this stems from the JS' moral relativism. But a good portion of the fault lays at the Bush administration for calling our present war the "War on Global Terrorism." "Global Terrorism" isn't what attacked New York City and Washington, D.C. on Sep. 11, 2001. Terrorism can't attack. It only describes an action. On that fateful fall day in 2001, a group of radical Islamic terrorists--Islamists--shed innocent blood on the U.S. Ever since the attacks this administration has bent over backwards not to call this conflict a war on Islam. Their intentions may be good--creating anti-Islam fear in the U.S. would only hurt too many innocents. Move beyond the Bush administration's descriptions to what they've done. For being a "War on Global Terrorism" the U.S. has done little to eliminate the IRA or Basque separatists in Spain. What has been done are invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. There has also been military assistance in the Philipines and tough talk toward Iran. What all these areas have in common are they are dealing with Islamists, those followers of Islam who want their religion to rise from the blood and ash of the West. But by being too sensitive and refraining from naming the war correctly as the "Islamist War" this administration has confused many as to what we are fighting against. The JS editorial board is one confused group. This isn't to day those men and women in their downtown Milwaukee offices shouldn't have used their faculties more to figure out some terrorists are more a threat to the U.S. than others. "Send Posada to Courtroom" [Added to OTB's Beltway Traffic Jam.] May 22, 2005MOB reportWell, yes, I did stop by my favorite St. Cloud Watering Hole, Granite City Food & Brewery to participate in the first outstate Minnesota Organization of Blogs get together. I did talk to Our Gracious Organizer a bit, as well as Kevin Ecker (with whom I share a mutal friend, small world, eh?) and had the opportunity to at least meet Mr. & Mrs. Westover, I spent most of my time talking with Mitch Berg and Gary Gross. The conversation with Mitch and Gary started off with me stating to Mitch that I don't get my politics or religion from the movies I see (i.e., "Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith"), the books I read (i.e., "The DaVinci Code") or the pop I drink (i.e., Pepsi). From there, the conversation evolved (or, devolved) to any number of topics. A great night had by all, and Annie got my mug club membership renewed. Thanks, Annie! I eagerly await the next gathering. Kids Really Like ToysA kid snaked his way into a vending machine. Southeast Wisconsinites should remember a similar incident last year. When will some politician announce their mission to ban such machines? "Houdini Babe Takes Toy Initiative" [via Althouse] Don't "Egg" Me OnKarl Rove wins people over through their stomachs? When does the guy have time to cook when he's Black Berrying half the administration? This puffery is about as light as his highly-whisked "eggies." "Karl Rove's Secret To Success: Eggies" [via Scared Monkeys] Okrent's Last ColumnToo bad Daniel Okrent is leaving his position at the NY Times. He's a pioneer ombudsman (titled a "public editor") did what he could to make the Times a better, more accountable media institution. But with the upcoming TimesSelect the paper is shirking its future: the online audience. In his final column Okrent ties a few loose ends. He rips the hell out of op-ed columnists Paul Krugman, Maureen Dowd, and Bill Safire; wonders why liberals are pointed out as such in news stories; and questions the constant lauding in the travel section. Bye, Daniel. We'll miss you. "13 Things I Meant to Write About but Never Did" No SurpriseThe Corner's resident curmudgeon hated Revenge of the Sith. Publically Embarassing Oneself...AgainSurprise, surprise. Dave Winer is having another fit. This time he's attacking podcasting evangelist and ex-MTV VJ Adam Curry. He claim's Curry has been saying "really nasty shit about me personally." What that "shit" is I don't know because Dave doesn't link to anything. I've been listening to Curry's Daily Source Code for a few weeks and don't know what is really going on. It's probably nothing since Winer has a history of going goofy for no apparent reason. Adam's response to Dave's initial attack is his 05.16 podcast. "More Adam" With the MOBSome day I will do my duty as Wisconsin weblogging ambassador and make it to a MOB event. We Badger State webloggers are still trying to get our social act together. I hope Shawn (the other one) posts a report. May 21, 2005Fans' Problems with PrequelsLike many Star Wars fans Jonathan Last doesn't like Episodes I-III. He's gone so far as to dub them a "failure." I can't go into it right now, but if you've read all the books of Issac Asimov's Foundation series you can understand the weakness inherent with going backwards in any popular story. "The Last Star Wars" Oodles of RotS ReviewsMichele liked it, Jay didn't, and Timothy Goddard is keeping a running tally. If you don't know I liked it too. The Next Radio SuperstarWISN will be holding open auditions for a new local talk show host. Give the judges your best three minutes of talk and you might land a two year contract. I've always considered TAM my written version of talk radio. Let's see if I can parlay this to a radio audience. "Here's Your Shot at a Talk Radio Slot" May 20, 2005Revenge of the Sith I LikeStar Wars is now complete. Revenge of the Sith the greatest Star Wars movie it is not. But it did tie up plenty of loose ends. Visually it has gorgeous backgrounds and amazing computer animation. But Lucas went overboard in the big battle scenes. Too much was happening. Ships and battle droid zipping all over so fast made it hard to focus on anything. There was just too much stimulation. The acting was uneven. Typical of Star Wars, but it doesn't hold the movies back. Hayden Christensen surprised me with the emotion and conflict he radiated from his Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader character. It wasn't a stunning performance in any sense of the word--he seems to jump too quickly into full-bore hate of Obi-Wan after having his legs sliced off. A final moment of last-chance redemption would have been perfect in that scene. While I was pleased with Christensen's performance Natalie Portman pumped out a cardboard cutout role as Padme. Lucas could have just made the character completely CGI and it would have had more emotional depth than Portman demonstrated. In her hands Padme regressed from the selfless, brave, creative Queen of Naboo into a secret, pregnant wife in desparate need of a hug and some Prozac. One of George Lucas' themes of the Star Wars movies is how a democracy devolves into authoritarianism. In Lucas' world here's what you need to transform a democracy into a dictatorship:
If this is what worries George Lucas then he hasn't much to fear from President Bush. Sith is deserving of a few more theater visits. Mainly because the the battle scenes are so busy you can see more and more with each viewing. Also you can find more little details that tie up Episode III with the second half of the series. Saddam ExposedEver improving personal technology has bit the U.S. military on the ass again. First, the world found out about the crimes at Abu Ghraib because abusive U.S. troops were dumb enough to take a bunch of digital photos. Today, The Sun and the NY Post published photos of Saddam in his underware--not a pretty sight. U.S. military officials think the photos are over one year old. That surprises me that they stayed hidden this long. This is a pretty clear violation of the Geneva Convention. Someone will have to be punished for this. It's just like people will have to be punished for the crimes committed on Afghan prisoners in this NY Times' story. Now, the punishment for the Saddam photos shouldn't be that harsh. Snapping some slightly embarassing pictures is no where as bad as beating a prisoner's legs into pulp or letting them hang from their wrists for days. Expect out-of-proportion anxiety from Leftists in the media. And don't be surprised if Iraqi insurgents demonstrate their barbarism by launching vicious attacks on military and civilian targets all in the name of defending Saddam's "honor." "US Investigating Source of Unauthorized Saddam Photos" "Saddam to Sue Over Prison Photos" May 19, 2005Worse than GannonEric Pfeiffer points out some of The New York Times’ Elisabeth Bumiller loaded questions and biased stories. Questions like "Who made you the editor of Newsweek?", "Are you asking them to write a story about how great the American military is; is that what you're saying here?", and declaring the Paul Wolfowitz, "a chief architect of one of the most unpopular wars in history" is as loaded as Jeff Gannon's infamous "lost touch with reality" question. Yet Gannon got smeared and Bumiller still files stories. I hope hers will be the ones tucked behind the Times' new electronic walls. Replaced by WebloggersAdding insult to Newsweek's injury the magazine's radio show has been replaced in Boston by two webloggers. "Bloggers Replace Newsweek" "Ward" SpeaksHuffington's Toast is still going strong. How they can keep it up, I don't know. Hey, even "Ward Churchill" is getting into this weblogging thing. Pardon me while I pick myself up off the floor. "Am I an Indian? Ute be Surprised" May 18, 2005Cuba NostalgiaVal Prieto will be at Cuba Nostalgia covering the festivities and also letting people in on the wild world of the blogosphere. Val is taking weblog beyond news and politics and merging it with ethnic culture. The medium is extremely flexible so I expect good things from Val's efforts. "From the Mailbag: Cuban Convention" Celebrity Economic IlliteracyChris Martin of Coldplay is unsettled his band could affect a company's profits. Martin told reporters at Manhattan's Beacon Theatre that the band was uncomfortable that they sell so many albums they can affect a major corporation's stock price. Martin also told reporters, "I think shareholders are the great evil of this modern world." That means each and every one of you holding stock in your 401(k) or your child's college fund are evil. Every one of you who believes saving is good personally and nationally or globally are evil. It's because of you that Martin and his bandmates feel like they're slaves to The Man. This while they continue to collect royalty checks from their two previous hit albums. Notice that Coldplay hasn't decided to cancel their new album X&Y or make music for free. No one forced them to sign with EMI. They could say, "screw it," and walk away from their fame. They could give away new music as long as their large (and also probably evil) bank accounts allow. They won't because they're immature whiners who don't grasp the magnificant results of a global economy filled with joint-stock corporations. Without that institution there would be more suffering, more disease, more poverty, more death on this planet. I feel safe to claim that we wouldn't be hearing Martin's banal economic diatribe if it weren't for the corporation. That's because there wouldn't be a music industry, telecommunications, and Martin would be toiling away as a serf in some field. Get Mr. Gwyneth Paltrow some reading material so he doesn't sound like a complete fool the next time he complains about being a famous slave. "Coldplay Attack 'Evil' of Profits" [via Drudge] Sticker ShockThe PS3 might sell for over $400. I might have to rethink my console choice. "PS3 Price Rumours" Revenge ReviewJason at Libertas reviews Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and puts the film in context with George Lucas' Bush bashing. Here's a key quote: My sense is that in 30 years or so, when we’re looking back on this film the same way we now look back at the original Star Wars , the film’s minor ‘political’ touches will no longer even be noticed. No one will be talking about what the film ’says’ about the Iraq War or President Bush. The film will be recognized largely for what it is - a piece in the very large ‘Star Wars’ puzzle, and a piece that fits rather well. In his more sober moments, Lucas himself has said as much. No midnight showing for me this time around. But I will be catching it tomorrow night. If you're watching it late tonight send me an e-mail or leave a comment on what you thought of it. But Jason's review hasn't convinced Dirty Harry to see it. "Star Wars Episode III: Review + Extended Commentary" [via Erick Erickson] A TAM Mea CulpaWhen doing media criticism or criticism of the critics one should always start with original documents. I gave Michael Isikoff and Newsweek a bit of a pass on the Quran toilet story when I wrote: Given the current state of sloppy journalism I sympathize. How many stories have we accepted as fact from just one annoynmous source? Too many to count, I'd say. Are MSM critics like Michelle Malkin and Captain Ed blovating simply to score more points? I'm sure both those fine writers have gone off on a story with just one source. Heck, Captain Ed became quite popular in Canada from a source giving him banned court testmony. I failed to read what Isikoff actually wrote: Investigators probing interrogation abuses at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay have confirmed some infractions alleged in internal FBI e-mails that surfaced late last year. Among the previously unreported cases, sources tell NEWSWEEK: interrogators, in an attempt to rattle suspects, flushed a Qur'an down a toilet and led a detainee around with a collar and dog leash. The Quran toilet incident was never confirmed and Newsweek admits it. The closest the news magazine got was a "senior person at the Pentagon" didn't object to that part of the story. That's not a confirmation. That's not even a "no comment." Newsweek didn't follow up. Instead they ran with the story and deadly riots broke out. I'd like to know if interrogators did flush a Quran down a toilet. It wouldn't be the first time the U.S. has been accused of the deed. Then we could have a serious discussion about whether such an act should be considered torture (I wouldn't) and whether the U.S. military has done too much or not enough in holding terrorists. Bryan Preston points out there was an unconfirmed report that a Islamist prisoner stuffed pages of a Quran down a toilet in protest. So, I stand by my criticism that webloggers shouldn't be seeking another trophy for their MSM wall. They should be seeking the truth at Gitmo. Newsweek has shot itself in the foot and discredited itself. Let them bandage their own wounds. "News Weak and the Restless Natives" [Added to OTB's Beltway Traffic Jam.] The Dark Lord of the GOPStar Wars as a modern parable? Please. It's entertaining escapism. Too bad George Lucas is taking his franchise too seriously. It's too late for me to be inspired and I have no photoshop talent, but help out Patrick Ruffini. "Photoshop Contest: Darth W. Vader?" May 17, 2005Console Buyer's RemorseWhen the current generation of console video games came out I bet on Nintendo's GameCube. I figured all the cool sports games would come out for that machine plus Nintendo has the Zelda franchise. I've played plenty of sports games on my GameCube (NCAA Football 2005 rocks!) but I never got around to playing The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the whole point of getting the GC. Going with the GameCube meant I missed out on a lot of games. Even though I'm only an occasional gamer I'd like to have the biggest selection available. So, when the next generation of consoles arrives I'll lean toward the PS3 but see if the XBox 360 is backward compatible--I'd love to try Halo or Halo 2. "Console Wars! Perfect Game WatchWes Obermueller has tossed six perfect innings of baseball. Let's see if history will be made in D.C. tonight. UPDATE: David Pinto is covering the game. UPDATE II: Wes just suffered a TAM jinx. Jamey Carroll singled into right. Bummer. Flaming KittyConservative Cat hosts this week's Bonfire of the Vanities. Sadly for you all there is no TAM entry. Phone-less and FinePeter Panos, restaurant operator, gave up his mobile phone and lived to tell about it. Sure, suppliers sometimes have said he can be hard to get ahold of. Ditching the phone was a bit drastic. He could have just turned it off when he didn't want to be called, but people expected him to answer if he had a mobile phone. Not only did Panos let his phone control him, but people he worked with rudely assumed he could be contacted at all times. Technology like mobile phones and instant messaging are nice things to have, but always remember we control the tech; it doesn't control us. There's a time and a place for everything but that doesn't mean we're at everyone's beck and call just because technology allows us to. "Hanging up the Cell Phone" More Criticizing the CriticsIt's been a long time coming but Andrew Sullivan has made an point important enough to pass on to you. It's about the botched Newsweek story and webloggers' reaction (emphasis mine): Three factors interacted here: media error/bias, Islamist paranoia, and a past and possibly current policy of religiously-intolerant torture. No one comes out looking good. But it seems to me unquestionable that the documented abuse of religion in interrogation practices is by far the biggest scandal. Too bad the blogosphere is too media-obsessed and self-congratulatory to notice. But it's not surprising since webloggers get attention when they take down a member of the MSM. Such attention and power is intoxicating. Hell, I've come under its spell earlier this year when I was helping point out the fraud in Milwaukee's elections. All of us writers, online or dead tree, have to occasionally question our motives. No, this isn't a call for some kind of webloggers' code of ethics. It's simply a call for self-examination. Are we seeking truth or are we trying to claim more trophies for our wall? Pro-war webloggers don't realize how much those morons at Abu Ghraib damaged U.S. credibility. Anti-U.S. passions have been building in some Islamic nations, and if it wasn't the Newsweek story that set off the violence it would have been something else. "The Hysteria Mounts" [Added to OTB's Beltway Traffic Jam.] May 16, 2005Criticizing the CritcsAny news junkie knows about Newsweek's Quran desecration story and retraction. For those that don't here's the gist: Newsweek reported that interrogators at Guantanamo Bay put a Quran in a toilet. The report ignited violent demonstrations in some Muslim nations. Even with the retraction the damage has been done. Many Muslims have had their beliefs reinforced that the U.S. is on an anti-Islam crusade. Pro-American president Gen. Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan will have even more difficulty tapping down the anti-American fever in his nation. I'm somewhat sympathetic to Newsweek. On Don Imus' show Howard Fineman tried to explain what happened: But I'm just trying to meet what the popular understanding of this is. If you run it pass SOUTHCOM and they say no comment, and you run the entire item past a senior person at the Pentagon, and he critiques some other part of the short item, but doesn't critique that, a reasonable reporter like Mike and John Barry, and reasonable editors like the ones at Newsweek, would think that they had it pretty solid. That's what we thought at the time. Now it turns out that our main source now isn't sure whether what he read about investigations at Guantanamo is going to be in that report and it's for that, that we're apologizing. It would have been better if Michael Isikoff would have been speaking first hand instead of listening to the third hand report from Fineman. Given the current state of sloppy journalism I sympathize. How many stories have we accepted as fact from just one annoynmous source? Too many to count, I'd say. Are MSM critics like Michelle Malkin and Captain Ed blovating simply to score more points? I'm sure both those fine writers have gone off on a story with just one source. Heck, Captain Ed became quite popular in Canada from a source giving him banned court testmony. What I'm getting at is I wonder if MSM critics are craving another scalp to go along with Dan Rather's and Eason Jordan's. Some tried it with the Wall Street Journal's Brett Stephens earlier this year. Let me point out a disagreement I have with Captain Ed. Even if the Quran toilet story were true he doesn't think it's news: This story was just as pointless; what possible news value did a flushed Qu'ran have for the American reader? First, no one bothered to even ask themselves if the story sounded plausible. How would a flushed Qu'ran promote cooperation from a Muslim terrorist? Perhaps threatening to do so would get some positive reaction, but as we've seen in reaction to the story, actually flushing one in front of an Islamist is much more likely to steel themselves against any kind of cooperation. Second, even it did happen, all toilet physics to the contrary, what of it? Does that constitute some sort of Geneva Convention violation? In view of the hand-chopping and rape rooms of Saddam Hussein, maintaining that argument borders on the macabre. If the story is true then is should be reported. More information is good, not bad. I'd think a weblogger would appreciate that. A free press has a duty to tell the public what is going in the Islamist War. They reported on the abuses at Abu Ghraib, and I hope Captain Ed didn't think that was a bad thing. Such reporting allows the public to examine what it is the government is doing in their name. Such news puts world events and opinion into better, more informed context. That's called self-examination. It must be done or our democratic republic ceases to be either. Does Captain Ed have so little faith in the American public that he fears it can't handle the messy, mean things our troops have to do to win this war? "More of Newsweek's Blame-the-Pentagon Spin" Warrior UpdateProf. McAdams is doing a great job covering all the angles of the Marquette University Warriors fiasco. Some highlights include:
Not Much for TrafficHere's more evidence that Big Media (or in this case "bigger" media) does little to push weblogs. The weblog for AlGore's Current noticed my criticism. The traffic from that weblog hasn't been racing over to read TAM. May 15, 2005Not So Terrible TwoEric Scheie's Classical Values is a weblog I'm sad to admit I don't read enough. It's bad enough that it took me meeting him last weekend at BlogNashville to get him on my blogroll. His mind goes in unexpected directions which makes a wonderful antidote to conventional wisdom from all ideologies. Give Eric some love for reaching the two-year mark as a weblogger. "Me Two?" Senate ShowdownSen. Bill Frist has said he will bring up Priscilla Owen and Janice Rogers Brown to a vote this week. With that we may see the end of the Democrats' historic judicial filibuster. Amy Ridenour posted a history of the filibuster provided to her by the Senate This is Frist's big moment. Should Senate Democrats force his hand and he fails to change Senate rules, he should immediately step down as majority leader--and he can forget about his Presidential aspirations. "Judicial Face-Off Hinges on Seven" RetentionJoseph DePalma talks about how valuable retaining customers are to enhancing the bottom line. He writes, Even if we want to play the devils advocate and say super-conservatively that a 15 - 25% increase in profits occurs for a 5% increase in customer retention, that's proof enough that businesses must direct their efforts on RETAINING CUSTOMERS. When shopping have you been asked to join some kind of membership? That's another way of making sure you make a return visit. The important thing with a membership program is to offer something of real value. For $25 a year, my company Barnes & Noble gives members an additional 10% off all purchases. That additional discount gets B&N's best customers into the stores a few more times a year. When a lot of people join that really helps boost the bottom line. For more good business and economics posts check out the latest Carnival of the Capitalists hosted by AnyLetter. "Tie Up Your Customers" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||