Cleanse the Inner Vessel

I've long been a proponent of term limits. Career politicians lead to entrenched bureaucracy, increased love of power, and overly complicated legislation.

But we don't have term limits. Voters can impose their own term limits at the ballot box, but the difficulty of defeating an incumbent is well-known, and the instances of a challenge coming from an incumbent's own party are few and far between. There are instances where voters would be well-served to demand that an incumbent not run again. They would also be well-served if other legislators abandoned these bad actors.

For an example of what I mean, John Fund talks about the misdeeds of Alaska's Congressional contingent.

Awesomely Bad Videos (cont'd)

This just happened last night, or I would have included it in yesterday's post. It appears this sportscaster, Mike Patrick. is trying out for a job with the E! network, or perhaps Access Hollywood. His partner's reaction is great.



Stay classy Mike Patrick.

Awesomely Bad Videos (AweVidSat XVIII)

I hate this commercial. For me the commercials for erectile dysfunction drugs are as bad as the ones for tampons. I just don't want to see them. I don't want to see 6 middle-aged guys extol their love for women, and then chant "Long live Viagra!"



This video is not for the faint of heart. I mean it. If you can't handle rodents, don't watch. It details the invasion and rampage of MILLIONS of mice in Australia in 1993. MILLIONS!



This video is nothing new, but it never fails to make me laugh. I don't think any amount of explaining could make this answer seem any less embarrassing. If anything, her overuse of prepositions is troubling.

Priorities

In an e-mail dialogue with a close friend this week, I explained that my position on Global Warming does not mean that I don't care about the planet. It means that I don't know that climate change is man-induced and that I seriously doubt that we can do very much to affect it. That assumes that recent changes are not a part of normal climate patterns, which they may well be.

Pete DuPont writes in today's Opinion Journal about where we should focus our time and resources. He begins by looking at climate change during human history:

The National Center for Policy Analysis's new Global Warming Primer (www.ncpa.org/globalwarming/) shows that over the past 400,000 years, "the Earth's temperature has consistently risen and fallen hundreds of years prior to increases and declines in CO2 levels" (emphasis added). For example, about half of the global warming increases since the mid-1800s occurred before greenhouse gas emissions began their significant increases after the 1950s, and then temperatures declined well into the 1970s when CO2 levels were increasing.
During the 20th Century the earth warmed by one degree Fahrenheit, and today the world is about 0.05 degree warmer than it was in 2001. These small increases have led the global-warming establishment to demand that we adopt the international Kyoto policy of stopping the growth of CO2 emissions so that global warming does not destroy us all. Or in Al Gore's words, "At stake is nothing less than the survival of human civilization and the habitability of the earth for our species."

Gore's statement is emblematic of all that is wrong with the environmental movement. His singleminded hyperbole is also an example of misplaced priorities. DuPont cites Bjorn Lomborg, noted critic of Gore and his followers:

Mr. Lomborg believes that while we must develop low-carbon technologies, "many other issues are much more important than global warming." Malaria kills more than one million people each year, and some four million die from malnutrition, three million from HIV/AIDS, 2.5 million from various air pollutants, and nearly two million from lack of clean drinking water. Solving these problems would save more lives and do more to improve the human condition than spending money on global CO2 reduction.
The final table in the book dramatically makes the case. Fully implementing Kyoto would cost $180 billion per year, but for $52 billion per year we could do much better by tackling the challenges Mr. Lomborg mentions. The world would avoid 28 billion malaria infections (and 85 million deaths) over a century, instead of Kyoto's avoidance of 70 million infections (and 140,000 deaths). There would be one billion fewer people in poverty instead of Kyoto's one million fewer, and 229 million fewer people would suffer from starvation rather than Kyoto's two million.

Hmmmm. I know where I want to put my time AND money. You may want to give Al Gore $25,000 so that he can exaggerate to you in person. Not me.

Delightful

I've been watching the Miami Hurricanes play the Texas A&M Aggies. Miami is 2-1, after being thrashed by Oklahoma two weeks ago. A&M is 3-0, ranked #20. For Miami fans there hasn't been much to cheer about this season.

Until tonight.

For three full quarters Miami's defense has absolutely dominated A&M. The offense has shown spark and swagger, the likes of which I haven't seen since 2005. I am smiling brightly because this team's future looks very good. The announcers just mentioned that this is only the third time that Miami has reached 30 points in the last 20 games!

For more on the new direction of this Miami team you have to learn about their coach Randy Shannon. He is as Miami as it gets, in all the right ways.

Go Canes!

Cheney the Sphynx

There is a lot that I like about Dick Cheney. He is very intelligent, a strong speaker, and doesn't mince words. In this op-ed from today's Wall Street Journal, the Vice-President shows his diplomatic side in his answer to some of the criticisms made in Alan Greenspan's new book. An excerpt:

Alan tells of his first meeting with then President-elect Bush on Dec. 18, 2000, at the Madison Hotel in Washington. I recall this breakfast meeting very well, especially Alan's comments on the state of the economy. The Fed chairman told the president-elect and our team that America faced the real possibility of a recession in the wake of the collapse of the late 1990s technology sector bubble. Alan's prediction proved correct: In the final months of the Clinton administration, the nation began an economic slowdown that turned into a recession...

The combined effects of recession and national emergency could have been devastating for America's economy. Yet President Bush's tax cuts--following through on a promise he had made to the voters--resulted in a shallower recession, a faster recovery, and a platform for growth that remains sturdy to this day. The fact is that in a time of unprecedented challenge, the United States has experienced nearly six years of uninterrupted economic growth and added more than eight million new jobs since August 2003--more than all other major industrialized nations combined.

The economic growth encouraged by the president's tax cuts is now producing sharply increased federal tax receipts--up by nearly 15% in fiscal year 2005 alone, nearly 12% in fiscal year 2006, and projected to rise nearly 7% in the fiscal year that will end this month. That is the highest growth in tax receipts in consecutive years since 1981. As a result, tax revenue as a percentage of our economy is now above the 40-year historical average. Under the circumstances, it's pretty hard for anyone to argue that the American people are under-taxed. Even at a lower rate of taxation, the hard work and productivity of Americans is generating more tax dollars than ever before.

He addresses Greenspan's criticism of the Bush Administration's spending. To me this is a very valid contention. I'm never comfortable with deficit spending. The poor fiscal discipline of the past 6 !/2 years is tempered by 9/11 and increased international commitments, but I do think the government could have done more to limit spending.

I should note that many media outlets have taken some of Greenpan's statements out of contextm particularly regarding the Iraq War. That may be a topic for another day.

Don't Taze me Bro!

This happened right here in my hometown, Gainesville, FL. I think it is pretty darn funny.

During a town hall meeting with John Kerry an idiot student was tazed by police. I'm not sure that he deserved to be tazed. I am sure that he is an idiot, and that if he had calmly walked away he would have been fine. Here is some video of the incident:



For additional information here is more from The Gainesville Sun. I thought that John Kerry's statement on the incident was quite appropriate.

Some people have reacted to the incident by saying that this is evidence that we live in a police state. Those people fail to understand that the reaction of the UPD, the University, and the State Attorney's office are just what I would hope for under the circumstances.

Asking "Why?"

Mark Steyn is a favorite writer of mine. This column came out yesterday. It examines explanations for why 9/11 occurred. Although I don't think that his characterization of the Massachusetts Governor is entirely accurate, his general point is spot-on. An excerpt:

Fritz Gelowicz. Richard Reid. The Australian factory worker Jack Roche. The Toronto jihadists plotting to behead the Canadian prime minister. The son of the British Conservative Party official with the splendidly Wodehousian double-barreled name. All over the world there are young men raised in the "Multi-Kultur Haus" of the West who decide their highest ambition is to convert to Islam, become a jihadist and self-detonate.
Why do radical imams seek to convert young Canadian, British and even American men and women in their late teens and twenties? Because they understand that when you raise a generation in the great wobbling blancmange of Deval Patrick-style cultural relativism – nothing is any better or any worse than anything else; if people are "mean and nasty" to us, it's only because we didn't sing enough Barney the Dinosaur songs at them – in such a world a certain percentage of its youth will have a great gaping hole where their sense of identity should be. And into that hole you can pour something fierce and primal and implacable.

Awesome Video Saturday XVII

This is an ad for the Montgomery, AL flea market. It's awesome.



This kid is loving life. I've always liked kids like this.

SPOTD #130

I have allowed quite a long time to pass since the last SPOTD (over a month) and I have also been less active (though still posting) on the blog. My family is doing great and watching these kids grow is such a treat. I hope everyone else is doing well.

Today's phrase:
Today's quote is from Gaius (or Publius) Cornelius Tacitus. I'm in one of those moods.

Actual:
Una mala paz es todavía peor que la guerra.

Phonetic with emphasis on bold syllable:
Oo-nah mah-lah pahs ess toe-dah-vee-ah pay-ore kay lah gay-rrah

Translation:
A bad peace is even worse than war.

Blog Recap
Scroll down to see what I've been up to for the last month.

Spaceport Reality
This is a pretty cool report on the planned U.S. Spaceport. It will be used by private firms in space travel.

Movies
Ever want to know how accurate the science is in some well-known films? Look no farther.
It was British movie time in our house, so we watched the following two films and enjoyed them quite a bit:
Miss Potter: A biopic about Beatrix Potter. Very enjoyable, family friendly. It was released earlier this year.
Remains of the Day: An older film, released in 1992 or 1993. The acting is really top-notch and the story is excruciatingly real.

iTunes future?
The time could come when music is delivered to the listener in a very different way than it is now, This will be critical for the slow-to-adapt music industry.

Lost
This one is for my sister. She and I were both fans of the shortlived series, The Marshall. Adding Jeff Fahey to a great cast is a good move.

Kind of Cold
When efforts to highlight global warming end like this, you can't help but smile:
British yachtsman Adrian Flanagan is trying to prove global warming by sailing along the Northern Sea route, which sailors have pursued for centuries.He’s run into the same problem that sailors have run into for centuries: Ice...It gets better. While he is waiting for the ice to melt, old Adrian is running into polar bears, who apparently 1.) are not nearing extinction and 2.) can swim. This may come as a shock to devout followers of the New York Times.

Colbert
Some good commentary on the unseemly melding of politics and entertainment.

King
This article is great for the intro, where a player from the NFL writes about the end of his career.

Link of the Day
This is one listing of the best surprise endings of all times.

How little we've learned

9/11 was a seminal event in my life. I remember watching the Challenger explode. I remember watching Tienanmen Square protests and subsequent crackdown. I remember watching the Berlin Wall be torn down. And I remember watching the second plan hit the Tower and the resulting horrific catastrophe. 9/11 will always be a tragic day to me.

I was so inspired by much of what happened in the days and weeks following the attack. I was optimistic about the future. I still am, but not in the way that I thought I would be. Now my optimism comes in spite of what I see in the news every day. It comes despite the idiocy of people like Russ Feingold and Dick Durbin and Nancy Pelosi.

Norman Podhoretz has a great article in today's WSJ. You can read it for free at Opinion Journal. He explains how the Left is using the lessons of Vietnam (the lessons they learned) today.

I wish I had time for more. Instapundit has a good roundup.

Food for Thought

It is almost universally accepted that the decision to disband the Iraqi Army following the 2003 invasion was a mistake. Paul Bremer says it was not, and he makes some compelling arguments:
By the time Baghdad fell on April 9, 2003, the Iraqi Army had simply dissolved. On April 17 Gen. John Abizaid, the deputy commander of the Army’s Central Command, reported in a video briefing to officials in Washington that “there are no organized Iraqi military units left.” The disappearance of Saddam Hussein’s old army rendered irrelevant any prewar plans to use that army. So the question was whether the Coalition Provisional Authority should try to recall it or to build a new one open to both vetted members of the old army and new recruits. General Abizaid favored the second approach.

In the weeks after General Abizaid’s recommendation, the coalition’s national security adviser, Walter Slocombe, discussed options with top officials in the Pentagon, including Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz. They recognized that to recall the former army was a practical impossibility because postwar looting had destroyed all the bases.

Moreover, the largely Shiite draftees of the army were not going to respond to a recall plea from their former commanders, who were primarily Sunnis. It was also agreed that recalling the army would be a political disaster because to the vast majority of Iraqis it was a symbol of the old Baathist-led Sunni ascendancy.

His points are worth reading. We have to understand that sometimes there are no easy options, no fool-proof plans.

Awesome Video Saturday XVI

The summer movie season has ended, and I thought I'd put up this video spoofing one of the most successful (and for some, disappointing) movies of the summer, Spider-man 3. I enjoyed it, but understand the very valid criticisms of those that did not. This parody covers them well (From Eric Snider's blog).



Next summer includes a film that I am VERY excited about, The Dark Knight, the sequel to the excellent Batman Begins. Here is the brief teaser trailer:

Quick Hits

There are a lot of things I want to bring to your attention today:

• A major terrorist plot was disrupted in Germany. The individuals in question were in possession of large amounts of explosive ingredients and military-grade detonators. The NYT has more. I'm sure more information will come out regarding this successful intervention.
• The surge in Iraq is bearing fruit. I maintain that entering Iraq was the right thing to do and that persisting in that effort is essential. Some Democratic congressmen, such as Washington's Brian Baird, have witnessed the surge-borne improvements and expressed that to the public. These honest assessments are not without cost, as leftist groups like MoveOn.org have moved against Baird and others.
  The anti-war element makes a grave misjudgement by criticizing Baird. Baird was opposed to the war and the surge, yet he sees the progress being made, as well as the concern in other states at what a US withdrawl would mean. He said the following:
  I believe I must speak and act based on what I believe is in the best interest of our nation regardless of political advertisements or partisan interests. Based on personal visits to the region, I believe the dynamics on the ground in Iraq are changing for the better and, while there are still multiple and serious challenges, and while the course is uncertain and dangerous, the changes I have seen warrant continued support of current actions through next spring.
• President Bush went to Australia in support of embattled ally John Howard. Howard's support for our country has earned my admiration. I hope he is able to retain his position in the next election.
• There was a Republican Presidential Debate last night. Meh.
• Democratic Presidential hopeful Bill Richardson thinks it is God's will that Iowa have the first say in the presidential primaries. Seems a little weird to me. I think there are more important things on the Divine Agenda. All this business of the various states jockeying for preferred order in the primaries is tiresome. I don't think their movement forward is a big issue, as it may allow more time to vet the real candidate. Some disagree.
• Ted Kennedy is catching flack for his opposition to an offshore wind farm near his Nantucket sailing grounds. He and some of his pals in the Senate have made a serious miscalculation in opposing this initiative. Follow the link for more.

Finally, Luciano Pavarotti has died. The linked article has some good information about the tenor. It is a sad day, as Pavarotti found acceptance among opera lovers and those indifferent to the discipline. Enjoy a performance of Nessun Dorma, appropriately subtitled in Spanish.

Why I love college football

Appalachian State beat Michigan on Saturday in a huge upset. It is the first time a Division I-AA team has ever beaten a team ranked in the D-1 top 25. Michigan was #5. Any time the Big Ten gets put in its place is fine with me. Watch the last moments of the game below:



You can hear the truly ecstatic Appalachian State announcing team by following this link. It's guaranteed to make you smile.

Awesome Video Saturday XV

I am looking forward to the beginning of the fall TV season, in particular the return of shows like The Office. See the extended promo below:



These are a few clips from another great show, 30 Rock

The Peace Racket

City Journal has an interesting article by Bruce Bawer entitled "The Peace Racket." Truth be told, I saw it last week and didn't have time to read it then and don't have time now. From what I gather in my perusal, Bowen's contention is that many "peace" programs are doomed to fail. His introduction:

If you want peace, prepare for war.” Thus counseled Roman general Flavius Vegetius Renatus over 1,600 years ago. Nine centuries before that, Sun Tzu offered essentially the same advice, and it’s to him that Vegetius’s line is attributed at the beginning of a film that I saw recently at Oslo’s Nobel Peace Center. Yet the film cites this ancient wisdom only to reject it. After serving up a perverse potted history of the cold war, the thrust of which is that the peace movement brought down the Berlin Wall, the movie ends with words that turn Vegetius’s insight on its head: “If you want peace, prepare for peace.”
This purports to be wise counsel, a motto for the millennium. In reality, it’s wishful thinking that doesn’t follow logically from the history of the cold war, or of any war. For the cold war’s real lesson is the same one that Sun Tzu and Vegetius taught: conflict happens; power matters. It’s better to be strong than to be weak; you’re safer if others know that you’re ready to stand up for yourself than if you’re proudly outspoken about your defenselessness or your unwillingness to fight. There’s nothing mysterious about this truth. Yet it’s denied not only by the Peace Center film but also by the fast-growing, troubling movement that the center symbolizes and promotes.
Call it the Peace Racket.

I should mention that I am a proud Rotarian. Rotary International has programs that are focused on peaceful conflict resolution. Rotary is funded primarily by the efforts of business people. I don't think that there has to be a conflict between strength and peace. The problem is that some entities have crossed the line into an unrealistic and dangerous territory, espousing the idea that peace at all costs is a virtue. As Bawer mentions, history tells us that it is not.

Tagged

I generally don't like to do these, but Maret asked, so here goes (not a comprehensive list)-

Jobs I’ve had: (in chronological order)
1. Financial Advisor
2. Administrative Do-boy
3. Missionary

Movies I can watch over and over:
1. Braveheart
2. Indiana Jones
3. Star Wars films

Places I’ve lived:
1. Miami, FL
2. Gainesville, FL
3. Provo, UT
4. San Diego, CA
5. El Cajon, CA
6. El Centro, CA

Favorite T.V. Shows:
1. Lost
2. 24
3. The Office
4. The Unit
5. Battlestar Galactica
6. 30 Rock

Places I’ve been on Holiday:
1. Europe (various)
2. Hawaii
3. Marco Island/Sanibel Island
4. St. Thomas
5. Canadian Rockies
6. Alaska

Favorite Dishes:
1. Filet Mignon (well-seasoned)
2. Meatball Ricotta White Pizza
3. Lasagna
4. Caesar Salad
5. Fettucine Alfredo
6. Orange Chicken
7. Mozzarella Sticks (the good kind)

Websites I visit:
1. Wall Street Journal
2. Drudge
3. Various Blogs
4. Michael Yon
5. Hollywood Stock Exchange
6. Instapundit
7. YouTube

Places I’d rather be:
1. Kauai, Hawaii
2. Marco Island
3. On a cruise

People I’m tagging:
1. Palmer's
2. Gladys
3. Nielson's

Awesome Trailer Saturday (AweVidSat XIV)

Christian Bale and Russell Crowe are two of my favorite actors. This is the trailer for the remake of 3:10 to Yuma.



This is American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. You can also spot the actor Chewetel Ejiofor, who has become a regular and welcome presence in movies like Inside Man and Serenity.

This is a clever fake trailer for a Titanic sequel.

A Reagan Aide Dies.

Michael Deaver passed away last week. He was an aide to Ronald Reagan and was credited with fashioning many of that President's most iconic moments. These include the Evil Empire and Normandy speeches. He also wrote a great book about his time with the Reagans called A Different Drummer: My Thirty Years with Ronald Reagan. I heartily recommend it.

For more read John Fund's retrospective.

Awesome Video Saturday XIII

Merv Griffin died last week. Most of us were influenced by his major game show successes, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. This is a clip from one of his 1970's tv shows. This would be an appropriate performance during the Festivus Feats of Strength. The action starts around 3:10.

Lo Político

This item is about the imperiled Free Trade Agreement with Colombia. I've blogged about it before and it remains a sore spot for those that would like to encourage democracy and economic stability in Latin America. This is actually about an article in last week's Wall Street Journal by Mary Anastasia O'Grady. Her emphasis is on The Americas, and in the the article cited above she talks about how Democrats are using Colombia's problems against it while ignoring Cuba's more glaring flaws. An excerpt:

...homicides of unionists are down by two-thirds since Mr. Uribe took office and the government is bending over backward to protect union members. A special protection program for vulnerable individuals, which allows anyone who feels threatened to appeal for special help, now covers more than 5,000 individuals. According to the government, 1,500 of them are unionists. Last year it spent $24 million protecting union leaders and their families, it says. The attorney general's office has established a special program to investigate human-rights violations against union members. As to unsolved murders, the AG sat down with union leaders and agreed on a list of 200 cases that now have high priority for investigation and prosecution.

Mr. Uribe's government has demobilized 43,000 illegal armed combatants. Some 33,000 were paramilitary members and 10,000 were guerrillas. But the president notes that the country started with some 60,000 "terrorists," so there is still work to be done.

Even if none of this progress had occurred, it would make little sense to reject the FTA. Colombia needs the free trade agreement, Mr. Uribe said in New York, because it's how "we can generate more employment of a higher quality, send more of our products to the U.S. market and in this way we will have less illicit drugs, less terrorism, more peace, more security, more well-being for the Colombian people." If only the government in Havana cared as much about the Cuban population.

Abandoning Colombia as an ally in trade and security would be a huge mistake. It sends all the wrong signals to an area that is essentially in political flux.

Awesome Video Saturday XII

This first video is from the same forum as last Saturday's AweVidSat. It is a talk by Will Wright, the man who created The Sims and Sim City. He has a very new and interesting concept that should be worth exploring once it becomes available.



This second video is of a talk by a man named Bjorn Lomborg. He is an economist who has gained notoreity for his ideas on how governments and other groups should prioritize dealing with the world's problems. His concern is allocating resources to where the need is greatest AND the potential for success is significant. Not surprisingly, Global Warming doesn't make the top cut. This talk is a few years old, but the debate remains pertinent.

SPOTD #129

I wanted to cover some things quickly in today's SPOTD. Fantasy Football is due to start soon. We may have a slot or two open and I will send an e-mail if that is the case.

Today's phrase:
From Aristotle.

Actual:
En las adversidades sale a la luz la virtud.

Phonetic with emphasis on bold syllable:
Enn lahs add-ver-see-dah-days sah-lay ah lah loose lah veer-tude.

Translation:
In adversity virtue comes to life.

From the Blog
It's been a slow few weeks.
-It was my birthday and Lacy made me a very nice video. I'm a lucky guy.
-We can win the war.

Close Call
My friend and old roommate Dave Carlson didn't realize that a quick trip to his neighborhood Supercuts would lead to him being forced to the floor and locked in a room in the course of a burglary. Read the article for more.

Petraeus
Peggy Noonan has a nice feature on General David Petraeus, the very effective U.S. Commander in the Middle East.

Hold the Cheese
If you don't, I'll sue you for $10 million! So says a man who supposedly had a severe allegic reaction to the cheese on his burgers. This story is ridiculous.

Iran & Terror
Only the terror they are inflicting this time is on their own citizens.

17...and counting!
There is a couple in Arkansas that just had their 17th (17TH!) child. And they may have more.

'Look, you didn't kill me. You'll never win.'
This is a great story about a young man from Gainesville who was badly injured while deployed in Afghanistan. What he has done since then is an example of determination trumping adversity.
Link of the Day
Shane Lewis is an artist with a video game developer. He shares some of his art on his blog along with various thoughts. I like the art.

Happy Birthday Joe! (from Lacy)

This is Joe's wife Lacy. I broke into his blog to be a little conspicuous and praise him "publicly". Today is Joe's 28th birthday and I wanted to share that he is such a wonderful husband and father. Most of you know he is very bright. I have always been amazed at his ability to read about politics or current events and put it in context of our lives. You all know he is very funny and eloquent and good with his words. You all know he has a very high standard for what is loyal and he lives up to this standard. He makes very good friends with people and maintains his friendships very well. A few things you might not know...

You probably don't know that he gets up every night with our 2 year old son so that I can get my rest to take care of our three month old baby. He is tender and caring despite his natural ability to be the disciplinarian in the family. His tenderness, interest and involvement with the kids increases daily. When he is home he splits the tasks of parenting evenly with me. I am embarrassed to admit that he cooks more than I do lately and his meals are just as tasty as mine! He deals with my natural ability for correcting him(!) very well and continues to love and support me despite my weaknesses, which are not few. He treats me like I am the neatest person he has ever known. He works so hard to keep our little family happy and humming along. He makes it a priority to take me to California to visit my family at least twice a year and never makes me feel like it is a burden. He loves my family almost as much as I do. I love him so much!

With the help of my sister Lillie I have created a little slideshow of our lives together. If you are in the mood, have a look. I apologize to those of you who prefer a post that is less personal. I'm not really good at impersonal.

As usual, click play twice.

Awesome Video Saturday XI

I linked to this in the last SPOTD, but this video is worthy of its very own AweVidSat.

Winning the War

The New York Times has an editorial by Michael E. O’Hanlon and Kenneth M. Pollack on the state of the Iraq War. The opening paragraph:

VIEWED from Iraq, where we just spent eight days meeting with American and Iraqi military and civilian personnel, the political debate in Washington is surreal. The Bush administration has over four years lost essentially all credibility. Yet now the administration’s critics, in part as a result, seem unaware of the significant changes taking place.
Here is the most important thing Americans need to understand: We are finally getting somewhere in Iraq, at least in military terms. As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration’s miserable handling of Iraq, we were surprised by the gains we saw and the potential to produce not necessarily “victory” but a sustainable stability that both we and the Iraqis could live with.

As we enter a period where political heavyweights (and moral lightweights) view opinion polls for their direction on the War, it is important to listen to voices like these. The commander in Iraq, General Petraeus, has asked for time to allow his methods to bear fruit. Beneath the din of partisan posturing lies the truth about the war (or maybe it lies above it). Let the troops fight. Let the Iraqis know that we support them. We can win. Read the whole piece.

SPOTD #128

The big news is the arrival of Evan Brian Joseph Palmer. He was adopted by Justin and Kira Palmer last Sunday, after being born in Gainesville on the 15th of July. He weighed 7lbs 2oz and was 21 inches in length. The little family is doing great, happy to be together.

Today's phrase:
From José Martí, patron saint of the SPOTD

Actual:
Los niños son la esperanza del mundo.

Phonetic with emphasis on bold syllable:
Lows neen-yoes sown lah ace-pay-rahn-sah dale moon-doe.

Translation:
The children are the hope of the world.

Incredible
Watch this video. It is an incredible display of technological innovation.

Innerspace
This is a review of a book that looks pretty cool. It is about the weird creatures that live deep in the sea.

Indy
Another video from the set of the new Indiana Jones movie. Not much there, but still fun to see. This movie should have a huge open.

Potter
I finished the seventh Harry Potter book the other day. I thought it was fantastic and a fitting end to the series. Stephen King wrote about it here. I posted some funny Simpsons videos on the series here.

Submarines
I've mentioned personal submarines in a previous SPOTD. This is an article that talks about their implications for security, especially the danger posed by terrorism and the drug trade. I'd still like to own one.

Edwards
John Edwards is an insincere and pompous blowhard. This article from The Onion (a satirical website) is an excellent send-up of Edwards-style campaign promises.

Link of the Day
This is a weird one. I remember seeing this when I was a kid, although I don't remember this portion. This is today's Awesome Video Saturday entry. It's about Mark Twain and some of his characters and a freaky devil.

The Big 2

Joseph turned 2 years old today. It is hard to believe that so much time has passed since he was born. His start was a tricky one, but as you can see he is doing great

Here he is with his namesake and Grandpa.

Looking handsome on his birthday.

The whole family on the beach.

We had a nice birthday party last Saturday with my parents and Ross, Lillie, & Sophia who were visiting us from California. They have some pictures of their visit on Lillie's blog.

Awesomiosa Videoarmus X!

I didn't have the chance to post AweVidSat on Saturday, so here it is one Tuesday, with some videos in honor of the release of the 7th and final Harry Potter book. I just finished the book and thought it was outstanding.

These are all Simpsons clips, and the first is a little long and will be gross for some:



Author J.K. Rowling makes an appearance.



A pretty funny bit on some that see Harry Potter as a sinister influence.

Beards & Shoes

I'm back in Gainesville for the week. There are a few things I want to blog about but may not have much time. Thus, I blog about two fun but trivial things.

While at the beach I grew a beard. I still have it right now.


I bought these Nike Shox through Nike ID.



Nothing like running with the Lowdogg.

Awesome Video Saturday IX: Alternative Music

This week's installment showcases some of the excellent, more unique musical styles in the world. First is Gnarls Barkley's Crazy, interpreted on the Theremin.



This is an exceptional video, showcasing the talents of World Air Guitar Champion C-Diddy.

Generations

Michael Barone has an interesting post about the "Millenial" generation, a generation that started in 1982 (my brother's birthyear). He refers to some prescient writing on the subject. It's worth a look.

Reasons I'm Glad to be American

China has executed a former official whose responsibility was to approve medicines. He was convicted of accepting bribes in exchange for approving certain drugs. What he did was clearly wrong and may have resulted in someone's death, but still- execution?

I'm a Traitor

At least according to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr:

"Get rid of all these rotten politicians that we have in Washington, who are nothing more than corporate toadies," said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the environmentalist author, president of Waterkeeper Alliance and Robert F. Kennedy's son, who grew hoarse from shouting. "This is treason. And we need to start treating them as traitors."

I'm not a politician, nor am I a corporate toadie, but I dispute the beliefs and methods of Global Warming alarmists. If that makes me a traitor, so be it.

Live Earth DOA?

According to the UK Daily Mail, Live Earth has been "branded a foul-mouthed flop."

Reuters reports "Earth underwhelmed by environment pop extravaganza."

Blogger Murdoc looks at the real environmental impact of Live Earth, and it ain't pretty.

Follow the links for more. Apparently the "crisis" will continue.

Awesome Video Saturday VIII: World Travels

This first video is something a guy made as he traveled around the world. It's one of the best videos I've seen (via IRF).



You can check out his outtakes here.

Gotta love those Germans and Swedes! Next, mein friends in Deutschland.



Unt now da Svedes

Vacation

I thought I'd post some pics from our vacation There's nothing like a sunset on the Gulf of Mexico.

Here is a photo of the family on a balmy 4th of July.

I don't remember having much interest in sand castles as a child, but I sure enjoy building them now. This is one I worked on the other day. I went for one with a gatehouse like Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine.

Millie is getting bigger and stronger all the time. She's a little beauty.

Here is Joseph with his uncle Chris, having a great time.

An image of the 4th of July fireworks from the view of our building.

All in all, not a bad place to be.

Transformers- Aww Yeah!

Lacy and I went to see Transformers today. It was fan-tas-tic. This was as much about the experience and the nostalgia as the film. It was loud (no problem) and corny at points (par for a Michael Bay film), but just the right kind of summer blockbuster. In the end I had very little to complain about and really look forward to the sequel (which seems very likely). I really can't fully explain just how much fun this movie was. Even Lacy liked it, and she is notoriously difficult to please.

The following video is an excerpt from the 1986 Transformers animated film. There are some lines that are replayed almost exactly in this new film. Enjoy:

Happy 4th of July!

This is a great Independence Day. I am blogging from Marco Island, FL with my family. I wanted to point out an excellent article about the Founding Fathers.

It is written by Joyce Lee Mason, a professor of legal history at George Mason University School of Law. Some excerpts:

It's easy now, in a nation awash with complaints about what our Founders did not do, what imperfect humans they seem to 21st century eyes, to overlook how startlingly bold their views and actions were in their own day and are, in fact, even today. Who else in 1776 declared, let alone thought it a self-evident truth, that all men were created equal, entitled to inalienable rights, or to any rights at all? How few declare these views today or, glibly declaring them, really intend to treat their countrymen or others as equal, entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
Certainly not America's 20th century enemies, the Nazis and communists; certainly not today's Islamic radicals, who consider infidels unworthy to live and the faithful bound by an ancient and brutal code of law. We are fortunate that the Founders of our nation were enlightened, generous, jealous of their rights and those of their countrymen, and prepared to risk everything to create a free republic.

More tragically, some seem to enjoy vilifying America, everything it has been and stands for, seeking and finding fatal shortcomings. Adams and Jefferson were not blind to those shortcomings. "We think ourselves possessed or at least we boast that we are so of Liberty of conscience on all subjects and of the right of free inquiry and private judgment, in all cases and yet," Adams admitted, "how far are we from these exalted privileges in fact." Recent moments of real unity after 9/11, when members of Congress stood together on the steps of the Capitol and sang "God Bless America," have been fleeting.

I hope that we remember the sacrifices of those that preceded us, in order to honor them appropriately.

SPOTD #127

Happy Independence Day! We've got some new videos of the kids below.

Today's phrase:
From Mark Twain:

Actual:
Un hombre con una nueva idea es un loco hasta que la idea triunfa.

Phonetic with emphasis on bold syllable:
Oon ohm-bray cone oo-nah nway-vah ee-day-ah ess oon low-coe ahs-tah kay lah ee-day-ah tree-un-fa.

Translation:
A man with a new idea is a crank until he succeeds.

For a long time the United States was considered a crank in the international community. Sometimes that is the case today. I don't think that's a bad thing.

Blog Recap
Some highlights since SPOTD #126:
-Al Gore is a windbag.
-Michael Moore has a new propraganda film. Surprise, surprise! He isn't exactly truthful.
-Indiana Jones IV is in production.
-Journalists tend to favor Democratic candidates by a wide margin.
More on the blog.

Dragon
It seems like this movie is on every time I am in Marco Island, but I just watched Dragon, the Bruce Lee biopic. I am no Bruce Lee expert, but I love this movie. Just thought I'd mention that.

Which is next?
Entertainment Weekly pitches some ideas for the next big '80's toy revival a la Transformers.

Rat
An interview with Ratatouille director Brad Bird. I watched a 9 minute video on the Disney website and found it very enjoyable. It's gotten good reviews and good box office.

Fountain
Lacy and I watched The Fountain. It is visually stunning and well-executed, if difficult to understand. Eric Snider's review is a good one. This Wired article talks about some of the technology involved in making the film. That aspect of the film made it worth watching to me.

Bridges
An interesting celebrity website, actually done by the celebrity, Jeff Bridges.

Storing Food
We like to cook, and this is a very helpful listing of how long food stays fresh.

Link of the Day
Have you ever watched the Discovery Channel show The Deadliest Catch? If not you should. It is a fascinating and enthralling show, where the men involved work in extraordinarily difficult conditions for a prized catch. This is an interview with one of the ships' skippers.

Speaking Truth to Hot Air

Among Global Warming proponents there is a pushy sort of belief that if you question the theory you are in the pocket of big oil or some kind of knuckle-dragging science-doubter. In an editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times, James M. Taylor presents many reasons why Gore and his ilk should take some of their own medicine:

We must stop tolerating the rejection and distortion of science. We must insist on an end to the cynical use of pseudo-studies known to be false for the purpose of intentionally clouding the public's ability to discern the truth.

There are numerous studies that put a dent in Gore's idea of warming. Taylor enumerates them and I will summarize:

• The glaciers in the Himalayas, Antarctica, and Greenland are actually experiencing net gains in size.
• There are other highly probably explanations for the shrinking of glaciers in places like Mt. Fuji.
• Severe weather events such as hurricanes and tornadoes are either no more common than in the past, or there is no established scientific pattern linking them to "Global Warming."

The idea that we can reverse global climate trends seems ridiculous. It presumes that we know far more than we actually do about how climate operates. I'm not holding my breath for Gore to acknowledge that some of the psuedo-science of his film be reconsidered. We have to do it for him.

Awesome Video Saturday VII: Twisted Humor

There is a show on Comedy Central called Robot Chicken. They did some pretty good Star Wars parodies a few weeks ago (which can be found on YouTube). This is their reimagining of one of my favorite comic strips, Calvin & Hobbes:



From the Family Guy comes this bit of Jeopardy trivia:

The Real "Sicko"

Michael Moore is an effective filmmaker and propagandist. His work is often as engaging as it is misleading, and his most recent film is no exception. Sicko claims to show the serious deficiencies in the U.S. health care system by looking at how we compare to nations like Canada, the U.K., and Cuba.

David Gratzer, a practicing physician licensed in the U.S. and Canada, debunks many of Moore's assertions about the superiority of state-provided healthcare:

Consider, for instance, Mr. Moore's claim that ERs don't overcrowd in Canada. A Canadian government study recently found that only about half of patients are treated in a timely manner, as defined by local medical and hospital associations. "The research merely confirms anecdotal reports of interminable waits," reported a national newspaper. While people in rural areas seem to fare better, Toronto patients receive care in four hours on average; one in 10 patients waits more than a dozen hours.
This problem hit close to home last year: A relative, living in Winnipeg, nearly died of a strangulated bowel while lying on a stretcher for five hours, writhing in pain. To get the needed ultrasound, he was sent by ambulance to another hospital.
In Britain, the Department of Health recently acknowledged that one in eight patients wait more than a year for surgery. Around the time Mr. Moore was putting the finishing touches on his documentary, a hospital in Sutton Coldfield announced its new money-saving linen policy: Housekeeping will no longer change the bed sheets between patients, just turn them over. France's system failed so spectacularly in the summer heat of 2003 that 13,000 people died, largely of dehydration. Hospitals stopped answering the phones and ambulance attendants told people to fend for themselves.
With such problems, it's not surprising that people are looking for alternatives. Private clinics--some operating in a "gray zone" of the law--are now opening in Canada at a rate of about one per week.

His use of Castro's Cuba to demonstrate a better system is the icing on the cake. Many people are not aware that for certain procedures Cuban citizens are required to provide many of their own materials. The system works very well for medical tourists but is atrocious for the average Cuban:

Dr. Julio Cesar Alfonso, 39, who practiced medicine in Cuba for four years before coming to Miami in 1999, describes the Cuban healthcare system as ''a disaster,'' from doctors reusing needles to draw blood from patients (and keeping a sharpening stone for the needles ) to the X-ray machine at Cardenas Regional Hospital, which hasn't been replaced since 1959.
''The treatment Moore and the rescue workers receive in the film was done specifically for them, because they knew it would make great propaganda,'' says Alfonso, a general practitioner in Little Havana. ``The medical centers in Cuba that treat tourists and government officials and VIPs are very different than the ones that treat the general population. If you're a Cuban citizen and need a prescription drug, most doctors either tell you to ask your relatives in the U.S. to ship it to you or recommend alternative herbal remedies. That's the degree of scarcity on the island.''

Michael Moore lives in a dream world. His ambition is to make it a reality. He has admitted that he would like to see the government handle all health care. Forget his dream- for us it would be a nightmare.

The Man in the Hat

Indiana Jones IV is currently in production. If you want to see a photograph of the older Doctor Jones, go here. There is also a very brief video of the first day's action. It's cool to see Steven Spielberg and George Lucas working together again.

It's due in theatres next May!

Adorable Children

I love these kids. This first video is of Millie making some really sweet noises last night. She had her 2 month (!) appointment and she is 13.5 lbs and 25 inches, growing very well.



Joseph still loves jumping, and always on the count of 3.

Quick Hits

These are some great links that are worth your time. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to write so my part will be brief:

• Michael Yon continues to provide outstanding reporting from Iraq. He is completely reader-supported, and his insights are far better than what the mainstream media is providing. His most recent dispatch deals with the Arrowhead Ripper offensive, specifically in the city of Baqubah. Read and donate if you can.
• Corn-based ethanol is not the answer to an energy crunch. Beyond the questionable economic considerations lies the unintended consequence of higher food prices for the world's poor. I was especially concerned about the projected rise in the price of cassava, sometimes called yucca. Fry it for some fantastic eating!
• Michael Barone talks immigration with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. He makes some interesting points. I favor the National ID card plan and can see where Chertoff is coming from on the other issues. I just don't see the need for this massive and "comprehensive" reform. That is usually a recipe for confusing and ineffective law.
• My preferred presidential aspirant is Mitt Romney. I think that is work as governor of Massachusetts was very impressive. I do have to admit being intrigued by Fred Thompson. This was an interesting article about how he has managed to keep most of his bridges "fire-free."
• READ THIS: Joshua Muravchik has an article in today's Wall Street Journal that examines the danger of Iranian & Syrian aggression in the Middle East. Very thought-provoking, and very possible.

Nostalgia II

Entertainment Weekly does an occasional feature where they look at the record charts from this week in (insert year). This one caught my eye as they are looking at 1989. I was amazed to realize that it was 18 YEARS AGO, and thrilled to see that the top 10 included:

• Bobby Brown
• The Fine Young Cannibals (a personal fave)
• Milli Vanilli
• New Kids on the Block
• Richard Marx

That is a pretty strong showing from a single top ten. Even better, they have YouTube videos of each song. If you were conscious in 1989 you might want to check it out.

Awesome Video Saturday VI

I enjoyed this parody, a merger of The Office and 300. If you are interested in a fascinating historical novel based on the battle of Thermopylae, read Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield.



A pretty funny Star Wars video. Darth Vader being a jerk.

Journalism and Bias

Newsflash: JOURNALISTS TEND TO FAVOR DEMOCRATS AND/OR LIBERALS

This is an assertion long held by conservatives. Bravo to MSNBC.com's Bill Dedman for demonstrating it quantifiably:

MSNBC.com identified 144 journalists who made political contributions from 2004 through the start of the 2008 campaign, according to the public records of the Federal Election Commission. Most of the newsroom checkbooks leaned to the left: 125 journalists gave to Democrats and liberal causes. Only 17 gave to Republicans. Two gave to both parties.

The list of journalists is found here, and if you go to the detail page some of their justifications are very interesting.

I don't have a problem with journalists making contributions to campaigns or voting in elections. I do think that such behavior should remain private and out of their reporting. This does not happen in many cases (I actually think it near-impossible) so I wish that members of the media would be direct about it. Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.

--------------------------------------------

By the way... According to Gallup Americans are pretty disappointed with President Bush. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you feel) they are even less satisfied with the Congress. Only 14% of Americans have a great deal or a lot of confidence in Congress. That's on par with HMO's.

I can't claim to be surprised by this. Instapundit has more.

SPOTD E-mail #126

Life is good. We have received abundant and welcome rain today, which means my sprinkler bill will decline that much more. Always good news. I have been busy on the blog and will recap below. More additions to the website have and will come, focusing on photos of the kids and their happenings.

Today's phrase:
From Jose Martí, patron saint of the SPOTD.

Actual:
La confianza en uno mismo y la rápida decisión son el preludio del éxito.

Phonetic with emphasis on bold syllable:
Lah cone-fee-ahn-sah enn oo-no mees-moe ee lah rah-pee-dah day-see-syown sown ell pray-loo-dee-oh dell ex-ee-toe.

Translation:
Confidence in one self and in quick decision are the preludes to success.

Blog Recap
Some highlights since SPOTD #125:
-Embryonic Stem Cell Research may not be necessary.
-I still believe in the war in Iraq.
-Americans love immigrants while disliking illegal immigration.
-The car for Speed Racer (the movie) is looking just right.
-Hugo Chavez continues to clamp down, and "liberals" help him.
-Some great friends visited, I recommended a book, and Mr. Wizard died.
-Awesome Video Saturday remains Awesome.

Legend
This is the trailer for a new film starring Will Smith. The basic premise is that Will Smith is the only human being left (in the world?). The catch? Vampires or zombies or something like that. Sign me up!

5 Second Rule
It now appears that this rule can be liberalized substantially. I don't know if my mom is ready for this.

Wheelchair
This is a fantastic story that would not have been so awesome had it ended differently. This guy was pushed by a semi at 50 mph, while in his wheelchair!

Cool Roof
This is a pretty cool, but seemingly obvious idea for reducing energy consumption. Despite my skepticism about Global Warming hysteria, I am in favor of reducing energy consumption when reasonable. This fits.

Link of the Day
Jet Packs. It does bring to mind a funny episode of Arrested Development.

All the benefits, none of the problems

It is a sad fact that many who preach tolerance in our society are some of its poorest examples. This is true in the debate over embryonic stem cells. I count myself among the Americans that are uncomfortable with the creation and/or destruction of human embryos for the purposes of research. I have been supportive of the Bush Administration's decision to restrict Federal spending of embryonic stem cells research. Despite the protests of some, the Federal Government has not outlawed such research.

Stem Cell Research is a relatively new science. I am not a scientist, but I know that embryonic research has not yet yielded miracle cures, and may not be any more fruitful than research done on adult stem cells.

The bitter debate over this issue is not a constructive one, so I was very happy to see this article on a new kind of therapy that bypasses the ethical dilemmas posed by embryonic stem cell research (via Instapundit):

Only a few days ago an article in the leading journal Nature brought amazing news. A Japanese team at Kyoto University has discovered how to reprogram skin cells so that they "dedifferentiate" into the equivalent of an embryonic stem cell. From this they can be morphed, theoretically, into any cell in the body, a property called pluripotency. It could be the Holy Grail of stem cell science: a technique that is both feasible and unambiguously ethical.
"Neither eggs nor embryos are necessary. I've never worked with either," says Shinya Yamanaka. The first instalment of his research appeared a year ago -- and was greeted with polite scepticism by his colleagues. At the time they were mesmerised by dreams of cloning embryos and dissecting them for their stem cells.

So far naysayers have nothing to back up their concerns except for vague possibilities. The poltical element makes this a hot issue. That's a shame.

Don't expect supporters of embryonic stem cell research to respond rationally, not in the short term, at least. The other day, Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel told the US House of Representatives as he voted to overturn the Bush policy: "It is ironic that every time we vote on this legislation, all of a sudden there is a major scientific discovery that basically says, 'You don't have to do [embryonic] stem cell research.' "
Connect the dots, Mr Emanuel. Maybe you don't have to.

Too bad Mr. Emanual and his ilk can't greet this development with cheer. It doesn't fit their paradigm. Fortunately it fits mine just right.

In Defense of the War

I remain convinced that military intervention was the appropriate course in Iraq. It has become fashionable to back away from that belief, claiming deception (Clinton, Kerry, etc) or simply incompetence (Tenet). It is too easy to take that course and assume that we would have acted differently if we had "all the facts," nevermind that no one can tell us how we would have acquired them with our pre-Invasion modus operandi.

Mario Loyola provides some insight into Tenet's tell-all and the run-up to the war:

But intel is not evidence. Intel is by its nature fragmentary and inferential. The evidence we needed in Iraq was on the ground in Iraq, and Saddam controlled all of it. When Tenet said the case for war was a “slam dunk” he was jumping the barrier that should separate intel and policy. The intel was ambiguous. Intel is always ambiguous, especially when the question is as vast as that posed by Iraq. Because the presumption was already against Saddam — and rightly so — the intel community’s ambiguous answer left Cheney and many other people with no doubt that Saddam had WMDs — as a policy judgment based on history and the totality of the circumstances, of which intel was only a part. Policymakers do not have the luxury of coming to no firm conclusion simply because the intel comes to no firm conclusion. What has been consistently missing from this whole debate is an appreciation of the fact that, given Saddam’s history, we had to presume the worst. By 2002, the only thing that could assuage our fears about Saddam was transparency in his regime. Without transparency, we were facing a potential threat of unknown scope that — should it ever materialize — could cause much more damage than a punitive action would be able to remediate.

Yes, a mistake was made, but clarification as to the weakness of our intel may have only raised the stakes. He continues:

And that meant that it was Saddam — not the United States — who had the burden of proof as to the WMDs. It was the administration’s failure to understand this and make this clear which has led to the widespread — and absolutely false — perception that because the pre-war intelligence was mistaken, it was a mistake to invade Iraq. If policy should never “cook” the intel, neither should intel “cook” the policy. Even if the administration had known how unreliable the CIA’s intel really was, the problem facing it would have been exactly the same.

It's a good article, worth reading in its entirety. Now that we've provided some clarity to the decision facing the country before the war, we can look at what to do now. Dan Senor looks at the likely outcome of following the Withdrawl/Timeline strategy:

Consider Brent Scowcroft, dean of the Realist School, who openly opposed the war from the outset and was a lead skeptic of the president's democracy-building agenda. In a recent Financial Times interview, he succinctly summed up the implication of withdrawal: "The costs of staying are visible; the costs of getting out are almost never discussed. If we get out before Iraq is stable, the entire Middle East region might start to resemble Iraq today. Getting out is not a solution."
And here is retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, former Centcom Commander and a vociferous critic of the what he sees as the administration's naive and one-sided policy in Iraq and the broader Middle East: "When we are in Iraq we are in many ways containing the violence. If we back off we give it more room to breathe, and it may metastasize in some way and become a regional problem. We don't have to be there at the same force level, but it is a five- to seven-year process to get any reasonable stability in Iraq."
...It would be one thing if only the architects of the Bush policy and their die-hard supporters opposed withdrawal. But four separate groups of knowledgeable critics--three of whom opposed going into Iraq--now describe the possible costs of withdrawal as very high.
If the Realists, neighboring Arab regimes, our intelligence community and some of the most knowledgeable reporters all say such a course could be disastrous, on what basis are the withdrawal advocates taking their position?

They are pursuing a political strategy that will lead to real-world trouble. Tony Blair addressed both the decision to invade and the need for our continued presence there.

It is so comforting to people to say there was an error made in the planning. Someone didn't spot what was going to go on. That is not what has created the problem. What has created the problem is that the people we are fighting have decided to give us a problem.
What they have decided is that if they can hang on long enough in Iraq, or in Afghanistan, or anywhere else, then we will lose the will.
If we end up saying that because these people are committing these acts of terrorism in Iraq or Afghanistan, that we shouldn't have done the removal of Saddam or the removal of the Taliban, then we are making a fundamental mistake about our own future, about security, about the values we should be defending in the world.

I always have to cut these posts short. There's just not enough time to deal with everything. Just read the articles if you are interested and know that I stand by the decision to invade and the need for us to stay. The reasons that the media and the left provide for each of those do not give the whole story. This video was created by a 15 year-old girl (story here). It is a sentimental tribute, but worth a look as I think it resonates with the real feeling here.

A Happy Father's Day

Being a father is as rewarding as it gets. Today I held my little boy as he got ready for his nap. I tell him I love him and he puckers his lips to give me a kiss. I look at him and hope to see some of me there. I hope that he likes to hang out with me and wants to be like me.

Millie is so small that it is hard to have those kinds of thoughts. Mostly I'm just glad that she is healthy and I feel grateful that she is so beautiful and sweet. I am also glad that she has a big brother who will know that his duty is to watch out for his little sister.

I'm also grateful to have a wonderful wife who helps me to be a better dad. The kids at Church sang about their fathers today. About four words in I lost it. I have just what I want, and for now I get to hold them in my arms. Not a bad life.

Awesome Video Saturday V

The Japanese are quite inventive with their game shows.



This last one has a gross ending, but still pretty funny. It's a parody of those McDonald's ads.

Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin

Peggy Noonan is on form with today's column. She correctly focuses on American's inherent love for immigrants and concurrent deep distaste for illegal immigration. One of her key points is to focus on the need to assimilate immigrants.

Thomas Sowell has an interesting column dealing with one of the key components of the proposed major immigration legislation- a guest worker program. He looks at how similar programs have functioned in Europe, especially their failure to assimilate:

Another classic book — Our Culture: What’s Left of It by Theodore Dalrymple — found a similar pattern in France.
Long before the Muslim riots in Paris which shocked France and the world, Dalrymple pointed out how immigrants in France had become a major source of crime and violence, not only in Paris but in other parts of the country.
The housing projects immediately surrounding Paris have become concentrations of “several million” third-world immigrants — a population filled with “the hatred it bears for the other, ‘official’ society of France.”
They are not appeased by “the people who carelessly toss them the crumbs of Western prosperity.” What they want is what most people want — respect — and this cannot be given to them, least of all by the French welfare state.In order to feel self-respect, the young especially “needed to see themselves as warriors in a civil war, not mere ne’er-do-wells and criminals.” This anti-social vision has been supported and even celebrated by many intellectuals, much as both black and white intellectuals have celebrated the senseless brutality and cheap vulgarity of rap music in America.
What may be especially relevant to the situation in the United States is that the immigrant parents and grandparents of the violent youths came to France with a very different view.
They were glad to be in France, which for most was a big improvement over where they came from. “They were better Frenchmen than either their children or grandchildren,” Dalrymple noted.They would never have booed the French national anthem at a public event, as the later generations did — and as the American national anthem has been booed in Los Angeles.

We need people who believe that this is the best nation on the face of the Earth. More on this to come.

Good Summer Reading

I just finished the novel Old Man's War by John Scalzi. It's Sci-Fi and I thought it was an excellent book. He's written some other books, so I thought I'd link to his site. Even the most casual fans of the genre will enjoy it.

In Memoriam

Don Herbet, also known as "Mr. Wizard," has passed away. Here is a reminder of a part of my youth:



You'll be pleased to know that his show is now available on Nickelodeon DVD. This was a good TV show that might not have made it today. That's too bad.