Katrina Mayhem Myths

It's been three weeks since the levees broke, and New Orleans was turned into a lake. One of the more dramatic stories was of the literal raping, killing, and pillaging that happened at the Superdome and convention center. It's interesting that no witnessness or alleged victims have come forward to personify the horrors that supposedly happened in those places. That's because much of the violence was false. The idea that the Superdome during the Hurricane Katrina flooding turned into a little Baghdad is a myth propagated by a MSM intent on advancing conventional wisdom instead of seeking truth.

After five days managing near riots, medical horrors and unspeakable living conditions inside the Superdome, Louisiana National Guard Col. Thomas Beron prepared to hand over the dead to representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Following days of internationally reported murders, rapes and gang violence inside the stadium, the doctor from FEMA — Beron doesn't remember his name — came prepared for a grisly scene: He brought a refrigerated 18-wheeler and three doctors to process bodies.

"I've got a report of 200 bodies in the Dome," Beron recalled the doctor saying.

The real total?

Six, Beron said.

Of those, four died of natural causes, one overdosed and another jumped to his death in an apparent suicide, said Beron, who personally oversaw the handoff of bodies from a Dome freezer, where they lay atop melting bags of ice.

State health department officials in charge of body recovery put the official death count at the Dome at 10, but Beron said the other four bodies were found in the street near the Dome, not inside it. Both sources said no one had been murdered inside the stadium.

When will we hear CNN's Anderson Cooper decry the performance of himself and the MSM? Will he use the same passion and anger that he saved for his criticism of FEMA and the Bush administration?

Two MSM explanations for the bad coverage: broken telephones and racism:

Times-Picayune Editor Jim Amoss cited telephone breakdowns as a primary cause of reporting errors, but said the fact that most evacuees were poor African Americans also played a part.

"If the dome and Convention Center had harbored large numbers of middle class white people," Amoss said, "it would not have been a fertile ground for this kind of rumor-mongering."

The truth changes how to proceed with New Orleans' rebuilding. Conventional wisdom was that it might not be wise to pour a few hundred billion in federal funds into fixing the Big Easy if all that was going to be repaired were the areas of black underclass that turned into barbarians at the first leak from Lake Pontchartrain. Noemie Emery wrote on 09.06.05:

The reason New Orleans slid so quickly from civilization into Third World conditions was that it was pretty much a Third World city already, and didn't have too far to go. In its violence, in its corruption, in its reliance on ambience and tourism as its critical industry, in its one-party rule, in its model of graftocracy built on a depressed and crime-ridden underclass that was largely kept out of the sight and the mind of vacationing revelers, it was much more like a Caribbean resort than a normal American city. Its crime and murder rates were way above national averages, its corruption level astounding. The latter was written off as being picturesque and perversely adorable, until it suddenly wasn't, as it paid off in hundreds of buses--that could have borne thousands of stranded people to safety--sitting submerged in water, and police either looting or AWOL.

Conservative criticisms of New Orleans blacks being the result of Great Society welfare programs also need to be rethought.

A better reason to not dole out billions to New Orleans and Louisiana is because the state and local governments don't have a good history of wisely spending previous funds.

The moral of the story: a lot of people didn't heed John Cole's advice.

"Reports of Anarchy at Superdome Overstated"

"Katrina Takes a Toll on Truth, News Accuracy"

[via Charlie Sykes]

September 26, 2005

Better Late Than Never

AnyLetter hosts this week's late Carnival of the Capitalists. The tardiness shouldn't take away for its always high quality content.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Economics at 11:27 PM | Comments (0)

September 25, 2005

Victory

Wisconsin 23, Michigan 20

"Luck of the Draw"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Sports at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)

September 24, 2005

Protest Freaks

I watched C-SPAN's coverage of CindyFest 2005. These goofs couldn't help themselves. The protest was suppose to be against the Iraq War, but Palestine had to be mentioned along with globalization, Cuba, and gay marriage. Surprisingly in the time I watched no one wanted to "Free Mumia!" He must be passe. The Cuban 5 is where it's at. Here are some highlights lowlights:

• Virginia Setshedi, South African Community Activist (C-SPAN's description) chanted, "Free, free Palestine!" Then she complained about policies coming out of Washington, D.C. causing poverty across the globe. Half of what she chanted was impossible to understand.
  
  

• My sister's response to Gloria La Riva head of the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five: "Free the Jackson 5!" This is the same Gloria La Riva who was the target of Tim Blair in 2004. The same woman who complained of the lack of social justice in the U.S. ignored the oppression in Cuba. But at least "You will never see a Jerry Springer or Cristina show on Cuban television."
  
  

• My sister was then "offended" by Mahdi Bray's awful impersonation of Martin Luther King, Jr. The executive director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation tried his best to emulate MLK's verbal starts and stops.
  

The best part was the ANSWER organizers making the crowds endure all the speakers with their Leftist pet causes that had little to do with the Iraq War. A new speaker would come up and the crowd would moan loudly. They wanted to march, but the ANSWER gang hushed them. Getting "valuable" C-SPAN TV time before an audience of over 50 people was too tempting to pass up.

I now just watched Cindy Sheehan's talk. She sounded like a kindergarden teacher. "You're a part of history!" "Pat yourselves on the back." "Thank you. I love you." Such eloquence hasn't rung in my ears since...since this loon said the Yakuza sent Hurricane Katrina to New Orleans.

Sunday, you have a chance to support the President, our troops, and the Iraqis fighting for peace, security, and freedom. Unlike the Left, you will speak one message with one voice. Say it loud. Say it proud.

"Count the Causes: The 'Whatever' Protest"

"Crowds Opposed to Iraq War March on D.C."

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Cindy Sheehan at 11:26 PM | Comments (1)

TimesReject

The NY Times' experiment of selling access to their op-ed writers will fail. That I agree with Tom Maguire. However, Maguire compares the failure to New Coke. Just one problem: only us internet news junkies know about TimesReject. How much of a debacle is it if hardly anyone notices?

"Tierney Gets Results! (Never Again...)"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Media at 08:36 PM | Comments (0)

Signs of the Times

The anti-war, anti-American Bush bashers tried really, really hard to focus only on the Iraq War. Dr. Rusty Shackleford sharp eyes shows not everyone could pull it off. And notice the grin on Cindy Sheehan. It isn't so much a job well done as the high from being the center of attention once again.

"Conspiracy Theories Abound at Sheehan Antiwar Rally"

UPDATE: Kris at Reflections of a Libertarian Republican was at the protest and documents the anti-police and anti-capitalism on display. [via Michelle Malkin]

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Cindy Sheehan at 06:31 PM | Comments (1)

Rita Survivor

Someone stayed in Houston and survived Hurricane Rita.

"Thankfully, Not Much to See Up Here"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Miscellaneous at 06:11 PM | Comments (0)

Hall of Shame

When watching Cindy Sheehan prance around our nation's capital this weekend protesting the Iraq War remember these "proud" moments in her recent past:

• Cindy blaming Hurricane Katrina on President Bush's environmental policies. I didn't know she was an environmental scientist.
  
  

• Cindy confusing Hollywood make belief with reality when Martin Sheen visited Camp Casey:
  

  We ended the day reciting a rosary, led by Martin Sheen. Martin said Camp Casey was "holy ground" and he met with the Iraqi veterans and with me. I called him my "dream President." I am so happy that at least I was able to meet with a President, if a TV one, who turns out to be a very nice guy on top of everything.

• Once upon a time Cindy liked the President. My how times have changed.

• Cindy didn't even want to invade Afghanistan.

• Cindy denounced her country:
  

  I was raised in a country by a public school system that taught us that America was good, that America was just. America has been killing people, like my sister over here says, since we first stepped on this continent, we have been responsible for death and destruction. I passed on that bullshit to my son and my son enlisted.

  
  In the same speech she defended Lynne Stewart, convicted Leftist lawyer who helped 1993 World Trade Center terrorist Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman.
  

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Cindy Sheehan at 06:14 AM | Comments (12)

Cindy's Radical, Anti-War Friends

On this weekend's anti-war protests, James Joyner writes,

The organizers are mostly from the radical, America-hating fringe while the overwhelming majority of the crowd are surely either hippie wannabes or honorable citizens simply gathering in peaceful protest against a very controversial war. One wonders, though, how the Post would cover a pro-war event sponsored by similarly radical groups?

Indeed, as best as I can tell, the Post hasn't even bothered to cover the Support the Troops counter-protest, which has none of that taint.

Stop the Bleating! and Chris Hall both dig into the background of one "novice" anti-war protester.

Go support the troops and oppose Cindy Sheehan and her radicalism.

"Antiwar Rally Sponsored by Radical Groups"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Cindy Sheehan at 12:13 AM | Comments (0)

September 23, 2005

Stop Giving Clothes

Tee Bee wants people to donate to a Hurricane Katrina clothing drive. Unfortunately clothes are one catagory of relief charities have plenty of:

So many truckloads of clothes have poured into Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina that volunteers from the St. Vincent de Paul Society gave away 100,000 pieces of clothing in 10 days, says Mike Acaldo, director of the Baton Rouge chapter. The group's 20,000-square-foot warehouse is still "packed," he says.

In Gulfport, Miss., the county emergency management director has begged kind-hearted donors to stop. Without enough volunteers to distribute them, clothes ended up piled by the roadside and strewn across parking lots.

...

Relief agencies dread the influx of clothes that inevitably follows a disaster. It takes time and volunteers to sort the items and dispose of things that are unwearable. The Red Cross doesn't accept donated clothes; it wants cash so those in need can buy new.

"It's empowerment, it's their own recovery, and it's a boost to the local economy," spokeswoman Sarah O'Brien says.

In New Iberia, La., agencies are looking for a second warehouse to hold unneeded clothes. "The people who are giving used clothes are wanting to help," says Joe Watts of Adventist Community Services. "We appreciate it, but ... it can be the second disaster."

Tee Bee's heart is in the right place, but cold, hard cash is what's needed. The Red Cross is asking for more donations. The $853 million already donated is only half of what they need, and more funds will be required for Hurricane Rita relief. It's time for you to make another donation. Every little bit helps.

"Cities Bursting at Seams with Excess Used Clothes"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Katrina at 10:43 PM | Comments (0)

A Contrast

What a way to ruin the National Book Festival. Bring in a bunch of America bashers with the Stallinist ANSWER as chief organizers. It's impressive that President Bush did take seriously the concerns of the thousands of protesters coming to Washington, D.C. He said they have "good intentions, but their position is wrong."

Contrast that with some of the performers at tomorrow's concert. They will include Steve Earle and the Coup. Earle is the country-rock singer who told Rolling Stone,

No one could have predicted the amount of damage Bush would do to this country in four years. I wouldn't have believed it. I thought, "Oh, God, another idiot. We survived his father, though. We can survive this." But this is a totally different beast.

Then there's the Coup. Their claim to fame was almost coming out with an album with the World Trade Center twin towers on fire. Founder Boots Riley argued with his record label to keep the cover saying, it was "supposed to be a metaphor for the capitalist state being destroyed through the music."

If you're anywhere near Washington this weekend head over there to support the war and our brave troops.

"Capital Girds For Weekend Of War Protests"

UPDATE: Gateway Pundit monitors some of the MSM coverage of the protest moms.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Cindy Sheehan at 10:07 PM | Comments (2)

Moving Millions

With highways outside Houston turned into parking lots I'm surprised no one has blamed President Bush. But in all seriousness about the only thing Texas officials could have done was to implement contraflow sooner, and that might not have done much good.

With Hurricane Rita losing steam a lot of evacuees will regret leaving town. Many of us have short-term memories. We best remember events that happened most recently. Millions fled from Rita because of the recent memory of Katrina's destruction (the most visible due to New Orleans' failed levees and not the storm itself). When the next hurricane heads toward the Texas coast many will wait longer to see if she loses power.

That's the price of giving people free choice. Even in a devestated New Orleans officals didn't go so far as to force people to leave, and that was only a few thousand stubborn people. There's no way to force evacuations of hundreds of thousands of people. Even with martial law and thousands of armed troops Americans would resist. Such blatant totalitarianism isn't in our cultural DNA.

"Best-Laid Plans Weren't Enough in Texas"

[As an aside, why did so many people take the same roads? From a brief look at a map I see lots of ways out of Houston. Not all of them are straight shots to San Antonio or Dallas, but I'm sure a 100-mile detour would be faster than sitting in miles and miles of traffic.]

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Miscellaneous at 06:19 PM | Comments (0)

Illness Update

I slept so long today that I got tired of sleeping. Yes, it is possible to be in a nice, comfy bed for so long that you just want to get up and move around just for the sake of doing so. Thanks for all your concern about my sickness. Yesterday, the doctor told me I have a sinus infection. Now, I have drugs just no good drugs. Just some antibiotics and something for my nose. The antibiotics are a huge pills, but they're working even if it's just a placebo effect.

Finger-sized big.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Miscellaneous at 05:39 PM | Comments (0)

September 22, 2005

Hollywood's Retribution

At least in one instance political diversity isn't encouraged in Hollywood:

Actor Ron Silver says he has had fewer movie offers and dinner invitations since he parted political company with his Hollywood colleagues and spoke at the Republican National Convention last year.

But he is sinking his teeth into his new role: conservative activist. Silver released a documentary on DVD this week called "Broken Promises," a scathing criticism of what Silver considers the failures of the United Nations on its 60th anniversary. It follows on the heels of a DVD retort last year by Silver to Michael Moore called "Fahren-hype 911," carefully named so it would be placed on video store shelves right next to Moore's anti-Bush documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11."

"Silver Pays for His Politics"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Culture at 09:49 AM | Comments (12)

What is Rummy Thinking?

The Pentagon has confirmed Able Danger members did indeed discover Mohammad Atta was a terrorist, but Rumsfeld refuses to let them testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. What's Rumsfeld hiding? At a time like this sucking it up and accepting embarassment is doing what's best for the country. No more games. We need to know.

"Able Danger: Hide In Plain Sight?"

This purely derivative post (good work Captain Ed) is because I'm still sick. It's off to the doctor to see if this is just a cold (hopefully). You'll know I'm feeling better as the number of posts increase along with their intensity.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Terrorism at 09:33 AM | Comments (1)

September 21, 2005

A Bug Got Me

Yesterday morning I woke up with a sore throat. I only worked half a day. Sleeping 13+ hours and Advil helped my throat but I have a splitting headache and am very, very tired. Thus TAM is quiet today. Here's hoping some oatmeal and lots more sleep will make things better.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Miscellaneous at 05:16 PM | Comments (4)

September 20, 2005

Music Social Site

For a few weeks I've been playing with Audioscrobbler and Last.fm. The latter is a music social website that tracks what songs you've listen to and connects you to people with similar music tastes as well as discussion groups. The personal charts is a nice feature simply because it's taking your most-played list out of iTunes and showing it off to the world. Musical tastes says a lot about one's personality. Two problems with Last.fm:

1. The site loads too slowly. I'm not expecting Google speed, but 10-30 seconds is too long for someone using broadband.
   
2. Recommendations should be more than what other Last.fm users suggest. An Amazon-like algorithm should suggest similar bands and songs to what you've recently played.
   

It's a nice start for Last.fm. It's intrigued me enough to wait and see how they'll improve.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Tech at 11:05 PM | Comments (1)

Reid's "Petty Partisanship"

The LA Times urged Senators to confirm Judge John Roberts and launched a pre-emptive strike on Democrats who will oppose him:

It will be a damning indictment of petty partisanship in Washington if an overwhelming majority of the Senate does not vote to confirm John G. Roberts Jr. to be the next chief justice of the United States. As last week's confirmation hearings made clear, Roberts is an exceptionally qualified nominee, well within the mainstream of American legal thought, who deserves broad bipartisan support. If a majority of Democrats in the Senate vote against Roberts, they will reveal themselves as nothing more than self-defeating obstructionists.

Then we have Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) going to the Senate floor to oppose Roberts' confirmation.

Here's hoping the Times editorial board lays it on thick for Reid's "petty partisanship."

"Confirm Roberts"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Law at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)

Cindy's Ad Campaign

Cindy Sheehan will be showing up in Washington, D.C. Thursday to promote an anti-war ad campaign:

The print ads, with the tag line, "They Lied, They Died" will run in 14 major newspapers covering several congressional districts across the United States. The TV ad will begin airing on Washington, DC cable and nationwide on CNN this Thursday with a combined buy of over $1 million.

One of the groups behind the campaign is Win Without War. On their web site they state:

We share the commitment to countering terrorism and weapons proliferation, but oppose the doctrine of unilateral military preemption. We believe that international cooperation and enforceable international law provide the greatest security for the United States and the world, and the greatest opportunity for people to live in free, healthy, and just societies.

Be wary of anyone using the unilateral canard. Just because the U.N. (i.e. Germany, France, and Russia) didn't give the U.S. (and Great Britain, and Spain, and the Netherlands, etc.) permission to liberate Iraq doesn't mean it was "unilateral." In the next sentence WWW mentions "enforceable international law," but fails to admit one of the reasons stated for going to war was to enforce U.N. resolutions:

Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 678 (1990) authorizes the use of all necessary means to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 660 (1990) and subsequent relevant resolutions and to compel Iraq to cease certain activities that threaten international peace and security, including the development of weapons of mass destruction and refusal or obstruction of United Nations weapons inspections in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 (1991), repression of its civilian population in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 688 (1991), and threatening its neighbors or United Nations operations in Iraq in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 949 (1994);

Whereas in the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution (Public Law 102-1), Congress has authorized the President `to use United States Armed Forces pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 678 (1990) in order to achieve implementation of Security Council Resolution 660, 661, 662, 664, 665, 666, 667, 669, 670, 674, and 677';

Whereas in December 1991, Congress expressed its sense that it `supports the use of all necessary means to achieve the goals of United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 as being consistent with the Authorization of Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution (Public Law 102-1),' that Iraq's repression of its civilian population violates United Nations Security Council Resolution 688 and `constitutes a continuing threat to the peace, security, and stability of the Persian Gulf region,' and that Congress, `supports the use of all necessary means to achieve the goals of United Nations Security Council Resolution 688'

The groups behind WWW are your typical Leftists: Greenpeace, MoveOn, NAACP, Rainbow/Push Coalition. It includes TrueMajority, the Ben Cohen organization that funded Sheehan's publicity stunt in Crawford, TX.

"Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Mothers, Win Without War Launch TV, Newspaper Ads"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Cindy Sheehan at 09:16 PM | Comments (7)

Cash It All In

WILLisms.com hosts this week's Carnival of the Capitalists.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Economics at 02:30 AM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2005

Cindy Said What?

Last week in Columbia, SC before a rollicking crowd of 50 said,

My son should be here right now. When he got back from Iraq he was supposed to come back to Fort Jackson to do some more training. He was changing his specialty, so it's really hard for me to be here. My son was an honorable man, and I know the troops are honorable and they're doing the best they can do and we honor them, but we figure the best way we can support them now is to bring them home so nobody has to die.

In Cindy's mind U.S. troops cause all the death and suffering in Iraq. Never once does she blame the Islamists for bombing civilians and coalition troops.

If Sheehan had her way U.S. troops would have never liberated Iraq. But that wouldn't have stopped people dying. In fact, without Iraq's liberation Saddam would have continued his reign of terror. Ironically, outsiders pro- and anti-war alike didn't know about Saddam's mass graves until the U.S. invasion. Here's what was found in one grave:

The victims are believed to be Kurds killed in 1987-88, their bodies bulldozed into the graves after being summarily shot dead.

One trench contains only women and children while another contains only men.

The body of one woman was found still clutching a baby. The infant had been shot in the back of the head and the woman in the face.

"The youngest foetus we have was 18 to 20 foetal weeks," said US investigating anthropologist P Willey.

"Tiny bones, femurs - thighbones the size of a matchstick."

Mr Kehoe investigated mass graves in the Balkans for five years but those burials mainly involved men of fighting age and the Iraqi finds were quite different, he said.

"I've been doing grave sites for a long time, but I've never seen anything like this, women and children executed for no apparent reason," he said.

And how about this information about a large grave near Hillah:

"About 20 percent of them were buried alive, because they had no bullet wounds, but their hands were tied and they were blindfolded," said Amer Shumri, an official from the governor's office in Hillah.

The myopic Mother Sheehan ignores these facts. That's because these facts would put hte Iraq War and President Bush in a better light. Her friends and bankroll wouldn't like that.

"Sheehan Leads "Bring them Home" Tour to South Carolina"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Cindy Sheehan at 11:25 AM | Comments (12)

September 18, 2005

Rally in D.C.

People who support U.S. troops and honor the mission they're bravely conducting have an opportunity to counter communist-inspired Cindyfest next weekend. Redstate.org has the details. What's really great is if you can get a group to go to Washington, D.C. transportation can be arranged. So stand your ground and oppose the America-hating Left.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Cindy Sheehan at 11:21 PM | Comments (0)

Bankrolling Cindy

Redstate.org has a new area set up to document the wackiness of anti-American Cindy Sheehan. Nick Danger has a good post puncturing the idea that Sheehan is some grassroots phenomenon. She's a useful idiot in the hands of well-funded Leftists.

"The Blonde Ditch Project"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Cindy Sheehan at 09:36 PM | Comments (1)

Sheehan's Red and Black Friend

Cindy Sheehan could easily silence critics about her communist connections if she would stop associating with them or call them her friends. Power Line reports on Sheehan's praise of Malik Rahim, admitted communist and Black Panther. Here's a man with no love for a nation that protect his right to speak anti-Americanism.

"The Friends of Cindy Sheehan"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Cindy Sheehan at 08:11 PM | Comments (0)

Nintendo's Lost Me

For the Revolution Nintendo is coming out with a controller with a split personality. It looks stupid. I don't like it. I'm not coordinated enough to use both my thumb on the analog stick and my fingers on the buttons simultaneously. If I wanted some split controller I'd stick with PC gaming.

"The Nintendo Revolution Controller — No, Really!"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Tech at 06:22 PM | Comments (1)

Aniversary Congrats

On the BorderLine is one-year old. Congrats.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Weblogging at 05:50 PM | Comments (0)

Cindy Sheehan: Useful Idiot

Cindy Sheehan was an August story. In a slow news time her protest outside President Bush's Crawford ranch garnered significant media attention. When you combine little news in late summer and a MSM inclined to attack Bush any chance they get you get the "Mother" Sheehan freak show.

I've been ignoring Sheehan. I figured she would just fade away when here 15 minutes of fame ran out. Too bad for us the Bush-bashing, anti-war Left sees a good thing in her. When President Bush left Crawford a few weeks back, Sheehan started following him like a stalker.

There is something about the company you keep. Sheehan has become an arrow in the quivver of the Stalinist International ANSWER when she is the star of next weekend's anti-war protests in Washington, D.C. These ANSWER people have to always mention the "plight" of cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal. What's really disturbing is ANSWER's support for totalitarian regimes like North Korea and Cuba.

Let me make it clear: I'm not opposed to anti-war protests. Not all protesters and Bush-bashers are Communists or support totalitarian regimes. Sheehan's problem is she's said plainly anti-American statements. The most recent was her ridiculous notion that U.S. troops are occupying New Orleans.

I've had it with the America bashing led by a mother who can't accept the free choice of a dead son. The gloves are off. America needs to know more about the Left's latest useful idiot.

"Saddam's Useful Idiots: Stalin Would Be Proud"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Cindy Sheehan at 05:33 PM | Comments (8)

September 17, 2005

No Big Loss

Starting Monday you'll have to pay to read NY Times' columnists.

*Crickets chirping*

Yeah, there will be a big hole in my daily reading. I can feel the middlebrow intellectual hole already forming. What will I do without Paul Krugman's and Frank Rich's screeds on my computer screen? How will I cope with not having Thomas Friedman's occasionally insightful essays filled with his too-cute-by-half pop culture references? (This is the man who thinks Google "is a little bit like God.") We will lose David Brooks and John Tierney. Bummer. And I'm serious about that.

When the Times' columnists go behind the pay firewall it's influence diminishes. The blogosphere won't care what Krugman is yapping about because, in essence, he will no longer exist. Friedman, Krugman, and the rest might not care. They may only want the powerful and influential reading their words. If I were them I'd be ticked at the Times. As a writer readers mean influence. Limiting one's audience limits the ability of one's ideas to spread. It limits the conversation. Both readers and writers suffer because of that.

Andrew Sullivan informs us that the Washington Post is taking a different route and linking up with independent webloggers. They see the future while the Times rebels. Guess who will win?

"Times to Charge for Access to Columnists" [via Instapundit]

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Media at 06:19 AM | Comments (0)

September 16, 2005

Boring Hearings

The Roberts' hearings have not earned a post on TAM this week. I didn't expect any drama since Roberts was replacing Rehnquist instead of swing-vote O'Connor. The end result was assured before the hearings began. Other than Sens. Kennedy and Biden looking like jerks there wasn't much to watch.

"Roberts' Confirmation Virtually Assured"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Law at 03:44 PM | Comments (0)

Carnival of the Badger #5

Letters in Bottles hosts this week's tiny Carnival of the Badger. Come one guys, the thing is supposed to get bigger.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Wisconsin at 03:17 PM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2005

Aristotle and Mistakes

When thinking about responsiblity in the Katrina rescue efforts consider the words of the dead, white man Aristotle:

Thus there are three kinds of injury in transactions between man and man; those done in ignorance are mistakes when the person acted on, the act, the instrument, or the end that will be attained is other than the agent supposed; the agent thought either that he was not hitting any one or that he was not hitting with this missile or not hitting this person or to this end, but a result followed other than that which he thought likely (e.g. he threw not with intent to wound but only to prick), or the person hit or the missile was other than he supposed. Now when (I) the injury takes place contrary to reasonable expectation, it is a misadventure.

--Aristotle The Nicomachean Ethics Oxford University Press. 126-7

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Katrina at 02:48 AM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2005

The Wal-Mart Bugaboo

Sen. Glenn Grothman was swept into office because his opponent State Senate Majority Leader Mary Panzer was ineffective in advancing the government-limiting Taxpayers' Bill of Rights (TABOR). We've found nothing has been done with TABOR. It's dead thanks to the new GOP Senate Leader Dale Schultz, a TABOR opponent. Now, Grothman is explaining why in a committee he voted to keep the minimum markup law. On WTMJ radio he put out two reasons: 1) he didn't get his compromise amendment voted on; and 2) he fears Wal-Mart swooping into the gas market, killing off competition, then raising prices. Grothman's first reason is just petty legislator-speak. The second reason has little empirical evidence. I've studied economics for years and know the theory of predatory pricing. The problem is there are few examples of it actually happening. For instance, Wal-Mart has cut prices on food and consumer disposable goods that have driven out mom-and-pop stores selling the same items. It doesn't matter if the state has a minimum markup law or not. There's been no example of Wal-Mart then raising prices after killing competition. That's because there's free entry into the market. A big competitor can come in like Target. Smaller stores adjust to the new competition and offer better service, a better environment, or lower prices on some items. New business models like the dollar stores pop up. Minimum markup backers have not offered any reason why something similar wouldn't happen in the gas market.

Grothman was a breath of fresh air when he came into office. He's now become a big disappointment in a very disappointing Wisconsin Republican Party.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Economics at 01:28 PM | Comments (2)

September 13, 2005

Cryin' Coburn

Yesterday at the first day of John Roberts' confirmation hearing, when Sen. Coburn wasn't working on a crossword puzzle (guess he hasn't been bitten by the sudoku bug) he was crying:

A television camera behind Coburn caught the senator working a crossword puzzle. But Coburn went from detachment to emotional overdrive when it was his turn to talk; seconds after asserting that "a super-legislator body is not what the court was intended to be," he paused and wept.

Colleagues looked alarmed. One GOP committee aide put his hand to his mouth. It was the biggest Senate choke-up since Sen. George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio) cried while opposing the nomination of the ambassador to the United Nations -- and Coburn has to get through three more days of hearings.

The future of the Supreme Court is important, but the man needs to relax.

"A Day of Firsts, Overshadowed"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Law at 10:19 AM | Comments (0)

Hannity and Gingrich Can't Count

Just because something went wrong in New Orleans and a lot of useable buses became waterlogged doesn't mean critics of Mayor Ray Nagin can be so very incorrect about the number of buses available. I'm talking to you Sean Hannity and Newt Gingrich. Get your facts straight before you shoot off your mouths. I saw the same pictures as you. When the number 2000 came up you're common sense flag should have popped up. But why let accuracy get in the way of an exaggerated jaw-dropper?

"ABC's Stephanopoulos Repeated School Bus Falsehood Spread by Pruden, Hannity, and Gingrich"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Katrina at 12:11 AM | Comments (8)

September 12, 2005

eBay Buys Skype

Ebay buying Skype makes little sense unless Meg Whitman is trying to turn her company into the GE of the internet. Sure, Skype technology will allow some eBay buyers and sellers to better communicate. But she could have just as easily (and more cheaply) partnered with Skype. She didn't have to pay $4.1 billion. This is the first purchase for the company that goes outside the e-commerce zone eBay has dominated. If we see more unusual purchases we'll know if Whitman is trying to become the next Jack Welch.

Engadget interviewed Michael Robinson, CEO of SIPhone, a VoIP competitor. Interesting view of the whole market.

"EBay Set to Acquire Skype Technologies"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Economics at 11:42 PM | Comments (0)

A Perfect Storm

By the post title I don't mean Hurricane Katrina. I mean the circumstances lining up for significant GOP losses in November 2006. Whether it's true or not there is a perception reinforced by a MSM not inclined toward President Bush that the federal government failed Gulf Coast residents by not acting fast enough (compared to what no one says). Even though most people aren't thinking about the political ramifications of Katrina the constant chorus of "Bush failed!" could become tar on GOP Congressional candidates. An effect of Katrina's path of destruction is the new federal spending already passed or soon to be to help rebuild. Fiscal conservatives don't want rebuilding costs added to a large federal deficit. The response from other Republicans is less than encouraging:

In closed-door meetings, fiscal conservatives have begged their colleagues not to put the cost of disaster relief on the government credit card for future generations to carry.

Among those who have protested in these private sessions is Rep. Jeff Flake (news, bio, voting record) (R-Ariz.), a fiscal conservative who said his colleagues greeted his suggestion that disaster relief be offset by other cuts with "stone cold silence." He added, "You would have thought I was a Martian."

The Bush coalition has always been tenuous. What's bound the Right wing together has been the Islamist War and tax cuts. Budget hawks and constitutionalists have been upset with No Child Left Behind, the Medicare drug entitlement, and the bloated highway bill. Free traders have gotten ticked at Bush's steel tariffs. Libertarians found fault with stem cell research policy and Bush's gay marriage stance. Yet the Islamist attacks on Sep. 11, 2001 forced all parts of the coalition to put their smaller concerns aside in the name of national security.

In a way, President Bush is a "victim" of winning a second term. Thomas Barnett sees a flaw in Bush's CEO-as-commander-in-chief approach:

But also because his CEO-like faith in delegated authority wore out its welcome. Notice how the CEO presidencies do well for the first term, with the A Team hot off the election, and then they start sucking as the B Team starts rising to the top posts? In some places, like Defense, the talent pool is deep enough (especially for the Republicans), but elsewhere . . . and FEMA is just so elsewhere.

So when Katrina hits, five of the top 8 officials had virtually no prior relevant experience before assuming their posts. Meanwhile, the real talent had left, as so often happens as the second term unfolds.

Working in D.C. with any significant authority takes so much out of people. Workaholics love it, but dealing with agencies, Congress, and the press becomes a marathon. It's not surprise there is change over from one term to the next. (It's even more amazing that Donald Rumsfeld decided to stay on at DoD.)

Upsetting a part of the base combined with second-string bureaucrats means Karl Rove has his work cut out for him in maintaining the GOP majority.

Election Day 2006 is way too far away. So much could happen between now and then. In another post Barnett notes that the mid-term elections won't take place in a vacuum.

The discounting on this presidency has begun internationally.
...
We are a bit over a year from the midterm elections. After that, the discounting will skyrocket. We're talking months here to move some big piles overseas, and how much of that coming year will be lost to Katrina?

Democratic victory would cause further discounting of the Bush Presidency. Foreign leaders would figure the Democrats had the momentum in claiming the White House in 2008--something I think they'll do anyway. Get ready for divided government in a few years. If GOP defeat (look at the Senate; the gerrymandered House is safe) does happen next year many pundits will look back to Katrina's aftermath. I'll be looking even further to that awful Medicare drug entitlement.

"Fiscal Conservatives Riled"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Politics at 08:26 PM | Comments (6)

The Sports Gods are Smiling

Both LSU Tigers and the New Orleans Saints won fourth quarter nailbiters. Fitting.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Sports at 06:14 AM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2005

Follow-Up Questions

Gleening public opinion can be an interesting task. Most of the time the results should be nothing more than the stuff of party conversation. Elected officials should most definitely not govern by them. An AP-Ipsos has President Bush's approval rating at 39%. Dismal. In the AP story Barry Allen a Michigan independent his thoughts.

Allen said he liked some of Bush's economic steps during his first term but has been dissatisfied with the president's economic moves in his second term, his Iraq policy and his handling of gasoline prices.

Allen worries Hurricane Katrina has taken the wind out of an economy that was moving in the right direction.

The reporter should have asked Allen what the President should have done about gas prices. Should the President have issued and unconstitutional order preventing gas stations from raising gas prices? If that would have happened you would have seen gas shortages across the country. Then Mr. Allen would be complaining that Bush should have done something about the lack of gas. Or maybe Bush should have magically created oil refineries bypassing environmentalists and NIMBYs.

Complaining is easy. Heck, being a weblogger I know just how easy. Polls and sound bites don't mean much in political discourse. It's bad enough the AP keeps a running poll. What's worse is psuedo-news story that doesn't add to the discussion.

"Poll: Bush Approval at 39 Percent" [via In Search of Utopia]

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Media at 09:58 PM | Comments (0)

Pack Loses Walker

The Packers lose to the not-so-lowly Lions. They did it with a defense that performed ok except for all the defensive holding penalties (I'm talking to you Ahmad Carroll). It's the vaunted offense that failed today. Mike Sherman and Brett Favre will have to think of something now that #1 wide receiver Javon Walker injured his ACL and might be done for the season. There's some bad karma with wide receivers and Detroit. Just ask Charles Rogers.

"Knee Injury May Sideline Walker for Season"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Sports at 09:23 PM | Comments (0)

60 Minutes Showed Dead Body

We deserve an explanation for why some media are showing dead bodies floating in New Orleans while not showing World Trade Center jumpers. CBS News did so in a 60 Minutes story on the ordeals of New Orleans' police. CNN sued to tape dead bodies. Ed Driscoll writes,

It's even more astonishing, coming from a network which for over a decade whitewashed images of Saddam Hussein's atrocities, just to maintain a "LIVE FROM BAGHDAD" line chromakeyed on the screen while their reporter spoke in front of Saddam's Ministry of Information. Broadcasting the same lies from Saddam Hussein's propaganda ministers they could have just as easily have picked up on any news wire and reported from CNN's facilities in Atlanta--along with some thoughts on what the true story might be.

I think it would be unseemly if media showed both the jumpers and the bloated hurricane corpses. Such visuals aren't needed to appreciate the awfulness.

"Media Plans to Show New Orleans Bodies"

UPDATE: For example, Michelle Malkin didn't need to post pictures of Sep. 11 jumpers. It's her being needlessly provocative.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Media at 07:21 PM | Comments (1)

This Beats the Packers Game

Watching the anemic Pack losing to the Lions is frustrating. So I stumbled upon this sports story:

In Sport, it is usually a case of you like what you’re good at. In that case the playing fields of Scotland will soon be rumbling with the heavy footfalls of pachyderms.

The nation’s dismal sporting record has been lifted with the news that we have won a World Cup - in elephant polo.

The national team, captained by the Duke of Argyll, won the Elephant Polo World Championship in Nepal.

They fought off stiff competition to triumph in the final against the local hot favourites.

Who knew? I bet many Scots didn't. Where does the team practice? Do they go to the Glasgow Zoo and ask them if they can work out in the elephant pen for a few hours?

"Scots are Heavyweight World Champs"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Sports at 06:18 PM | Comments (3)

2005 Packers Prediction

It's time for my annual Green Bay Packers/NFL predictions. My beloved Packers deal with a split personality. They have an offense as potent as any in the league. Amman Green, Javon Walker, and Donald Driver are threats to score anytime; and future hall-of-famer Brett Favre can get them the ball. A big question is if they found replacements for guards Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera.

An even bigger question is the defense. Have they improved from last year's dismal showing? Then they couldn't get into the right position, couldn't tackle if they got there, and committed so many penalties. The defensive line hasn't improved. Cledius Hunt got cut for being a lazy bum who didn't fulfill his rich contract. Grady Jackson is a great run-stuffer, but his girth makes him prone to injury. Somehow the defensive coaches have to find a rotation of linemen to stop the run and derive enough of a pass rush to take opponents' focus off of Kabeer Baja Biamila.

I'll ask the same questions I did last year:

Did the Packers Get Better?

General manager Ted Thompson brought in no big-name defensive free agents. He did bring in ex-Patriot Adrian Klemm but who knows if he'll be a starter to replace either Wahle or Rivera? In the draft the focus was on the future by drafting Aaron Rodgers. (Thompson's best pick may end up being guard William Whitticker who could start even for being a seventh-round pick.) The team lacks depth at wide receiver and tight end. On defense it will be a line-by-committee. Nick Barnett, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamilla, and Al Harris are the only real stars on defense. Saying the Packers are the same as last season is being generous.

What About the Opposition?

It will be hard for the Packers to win a fourth-straight NFC North Division title. Minnesota has loss Randy Moss, but they've worked hard to improve the defense by signing ex-Packer Darren Sharper and Fred Smoot. The Detroit Lions have plenty of young talent. This might be the year when it finally comes together. The Chicago Bears, well they're the Bears, but they do have a solid defense. If Cedric Benson gets in gear after holding out so long rookie Kyle Orton could surprise teams.

What About Intangibles?

Brett Favre has made no indication this will be his last season. He couldn't have been too confident with Thompson's off-season moves--including drafting his presumed heir in Rodgers. But throughout his career Favre has never given up. His offensive line will need to gell pass and run blocking. On defense we'll see if new defensive coordinator Jim Bates can get his players to play above their talent level. What will help is if they can cause turnovers.

Predictions

The Packers play some good teams this season. They play critics' fave Carolina in Week 4, Pittsburgh in Week 9, Atlanta right after that in Week 10, and Philadelphia in Week 12--a month of hell. They get the Bears twice in December when wins will be very important for a playoff birth. Sorry Packers fans, I have to use my head. 9-7 and a wild card spot if they're lucky.

As for my Super Bowl picks I'll go with Pittsburgh topping Philadelphia in an all-Pennsylvania final game.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Sports at 02:42 PM | Comments (0)

The Onion Matching Donation

DJ points out that The Onion is matching Red Cross donations up to $100,000. Donate through them and you in effect double your money.

"God Outdoes Terrorists Yet Again"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Katrina at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2005

Donate Some More

It's been a few days since I last asked, but hurricane relief is still needed. If you haven't donated yet, what are you waiting for? If you have, thank you, but more help is needed. The Red Cross is the charity I'm pushing. Please donate.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Katrina at 02:12 PM | Comments (2)

September 09, 2005

Police Prevented People from Escapting New Orleans

Astonishing.

Police from surrounding jurisdictions shut down several access points to one of the only ways out of New Orleans last week, effectively trapping victims of Hurricane Katrina in the flooded and devastated city.

An eyewitness account from two San Francisco paramedics posted on an internet site for Emergency Medical Services specialists says, "Thousands of New Orleaners were prevented and prohibited from self-evacuating the city on foot."

"We shut down the bridge," Arthur Lawson, chief of the City of Gretna Police Department, confirmed to United Press International, adding that his jurisdiction had been "a closed and secure location" since before the storm hit.

"All our people had evacuated and we locked the city down," he said.

The bridge in question -- the Crescent City Connection -- is the major artery heading west out of New Orleans across the Mississippi River.

Lawson said that once the storm itself had passed Monday, police from Gretna City, Jefferson Parrish and the Louisiana State Crescent City Connection Police Department closed to foot traffic the three access points to the bridge closest to the West Bank of the river.

He added that the small town, which he called "a bedroom community" for the city of New Orleans, would have been overwhelmed by the influx.

"There was no food, water or shelter" in Gretna City, Lawson said. "We did not have the wherewithal to deal with these people.

"If we had opened the bridge, our city would have looked like New Orleans does now: looted, burned and pillaged."

Being middle class and living in a "bedroom community" means you too can turn into an unfeeling brute during crises. The veneer of civilization is very thin.

"Cops Trapped Survivors in New Orleans" [via Instapundit]

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Katrina at 02:44 PM | Comments (2)

Mr. Brown Goes Back to Washington

FEMA chief Michael Brown was removed from running disaster relief operations in Baton Rouge:

Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown, the principal target of harsh criticism of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, was relieved of his onsite relief command Friday.

He will be replaced by Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad W. Allen, who was overseeing New Orleans relief, recovery and rescue efforts, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced.

Earlier, Brown confirmed the switch. Asked if he was being made a scapegoat for a federal relief effort that has drawn widespread and sharp criticism, Brown told The Associated Press after a long pause: "By the press, yes. By the president, no."

No surprise. Look when it happened: on Friday afternoon. That's news-burying time. (Fewer people read Saturday newspapers.) The Sunday talking heads won't hammer Brown much. It's now old news. That dead horse won't be beaten anymore.

"FEMA Chief Relieved of Katrina Command"

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Katrina at 02:33 PM | Comments (2)

Official Confirms Red Cross Denied Access to New Orleans

Col. Jay Mayeaux, deputy director of the state’s Office Of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness confirms the Red Cross wasn't wanted inside New Orleans on 09.01 and 09.02:

“He asked us not to go in and we abided by that request,” said Howell, who added that the Red Cross was supplying food and water throughout the metropolitan area, just not in the city itself.

Mayeaux, who is the deputy director of the state’s Office Of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said that the state began shipping its
own stores of food and water from the Pineville staging area down to New Orleans two days after the storm, on August 31st.

The supplies were sent to the Superdome and Zephyr Field and then spread throughout the city, said Mayeaux. Although the state did not start moving food
to the Superdome until the Wednesday after the storm, Mayeaux said there was adequate food at the facility, noting that people had been instructed to bring their own supplies. There was also some food that had been put there before the hurricane, he said.

But when officials realized that people would be staying at the storm for a longer period of time, they started to move food down, he said.

"Red Cross Was Told to Wait"