Yah, well:
The Federal Election Commission has fined one of the last cycle’s biggest liberal political action committees $775,000 for using unregulated soft money to boost John Kerry and other Democratic candidates during the 2004 elections.
America Coming Together (ACT) raised $137 million for its get-out-the-vote effort in 2004, but the FEC found most of that cash came through contributions that violated federal limits.
The group’s big donors included George Soros, Progressive Corp. chairman Peter Lewis and the Service Employees International Union.
The settlement, which the FEC approved unanimously, is the third largest enforcement penalty in the commission’s 33-year history.
And we note that PRC is active, again, in financing Dem candidates.
HT: ClayCramer, Texas Hold'Em
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Gays Mills Folks: Slow. NO Refugees: Not Slow
Sometimes, it's hard to be sympathetic.
More than 100 villagers turned out for a community meeting to gauge residents' preferences for reconstruction - whether to rebuild in place, surrounded by dikes or levees; move to higher ground; or a combination of the two.
Mike Pettit, who remembers the floods of 1978 and 1993, said a dike would have to be built around the village's business district or it would lose its tax base.
OK, so we have 1978, 1993, 2007...is that the 'three-strike' rule?
...residents at Wednesday's meeting didn't want to pack up. Albert Zegiel, a baker who has lived here since 1989, worried Gays Mills would lose its "small-town flavor" if that happened.
Added Gay St. resident Susan Jarrett: Moving Gays Mills "would kill the soul of this city."
Usually the soul has intelligence.
Regarding New Orleans, from the Confederate Yankee:
In September of 2005, I interviewed a geologist who was the former Dean of his southern university's Coastal and Marine Studies program. His closing, unsolicited recommendation was that New Orleans "should be largely abandoned as a city."
New Orleans is doomed city, a geographical mistake destined to fall to geologic and hydraulic forces beyond our control. It is sad they we are too arrogant to concede this failed city to the sea, and seem destined to waste the billions of dollars that could be spent moving the inhabitants to higher ground.
Instead we seem intent on enticing back the poor and the destitute with promises of rebuilding what should not be rebuilt, just to put their lives in danger once more.
Some ex-NO residents have caught on:
Two years after Hurricane Katrina forced hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast residents to take refuge in cities across the nation, the number of survivors still flowing into the Milwaukee area has continued, even as national disaster relief aid has ended.
There are large numbers of people from NO all around the country. They're not happy about leaving their home, either--but at least they're smart enough to occupy the high ground.
More than 100 villagers turned out for a community meeting to gauge residents' preferences for reconstruction - whether to rebuild in place, surrounded by dikes or levees; move to higher ground; or a combination of the two.
Mike Pettit, who remembers the floods of 1978 and 1993, said a dike would have to be built around the village's business district or it would lose its tax base.
OK, so we have 1978, 1993, 2007...is that the 'three-strike' rule?
...residents at Wednesday's meeting didn't want to pack up. Albert Zegiel, a baker who has lived here since 1989, worried Gays Mills would lose its "small-town flavor" if that happened.
Added Gay St. resident Susan Jarrett: Moving Gays Mills "would kill the soul of this city."
Usually the soul has intelligence.
Regarding New Orleans, from the Confederate Yankee:
In September of 2005, I interviewed a geologist who was the former Dean of his southern university's Coastal and Marine Studies program. His closing, unsolicited recommendation was that New Orleans "should be largely abandoned as a city."
New Orleans is doomed city, a geographical mistake destined to fall to geologic and hydraulic forces beyond our control. It is sad they we are too arrogant to concede this failed city to the sea, and seem destined to waste the billions of dollars that could be spent moving the inhabitants to higher ground.
Instead we seem intent on enticing back the poor and the destitute with promises of rebuilding what should not be rebuilt, just to put their lives in danger once more.
Some ex-NO residents have caught on:
Two years after Hurricane Katrina forced hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast residents to take refuge in cities across the nation, the number of survivors still flowing into the Milwaukee area has continued, even as national disaster relief aid has ended.
There are large numbers of people from NO all around the country. They're not happy about leaving their home, either--but at least they're smart enough to occupy the high ground.
DarthDoyle: Screw the Hospitals and Docs (and Granny, Too!)
DarthDoyle knows exactly how much Medicaid money is available to spend. He should--it's the same amount as he spent last year.
But he'd rather throw the 'high hard one' directly at medical providers' heads. Makes a better political show, you know.
A top official in Gov. Jim Doyle's administration Wednesday ordered state health officials to develop a strategy for reducing Medicaid spending until lawmakers end a budget stalemate and adopt a two-year spending package.
Michael Morgan said he instructed the Department of Health and Family Services to develop a plan for cutting spending in Medicaid by 20%. The state-federal health care program covers the poor, elderly and disabled
The Medicaid plan would likely mean lower reimbursements for health care providers.
Doctors, hospitals, nursing homes--all are now political footballs. Let's kick them around for the crowd in the grandstand.
What a bright idea, Darth!
Morgan suggested he could soon have to ask for similar contingency plans for other state agencies because of the lack of a state budget, but declined to provide specifics.
Won't be the Department of Revenue, nor DarthDoyle's personal cop-shop, the Capitol Police, though.
After the JS went through the PropagandaPoint presentation about the EEEEEEEEvil Republican Assembly, the article gets around to this:
If Medicaid funding is left at current levels, the state would not collect $363 million from the cigarette tax increase and the assessment on hospitals this fiscal year.
Which, of course, is the reality. It's not a question of running short of funds. It's a question of not getting his way.
So he stamps his foot and pouts.
That's a helluva way to govern, Darth.
But he'd rather throw the 'high hard one' directly at medical providers' heads. Makes a better political show, you know.
A top official in Gov. Jim Doyle's administration Wednesday ordered state health officials to develop a strategy for reducing Medicaid spending until lawmakers end a budget stalemate and adopt a two-year spending package.
Michael Morgan said he instructed the Department of Health and Family Services to develop a plan for cutting spending in Medicaid by 20%. The state-federal health care program covers the poor, elderly and disabled
The Medicaid plan would likely mean lower reimbursements for health care providers.
Doctors, hospitals, nursing homes--all are now political footballs. Let's kick them around for the crowd in the grandstand.
What a bright idea, Darth!
Morgan suggested he could soon have to ask for similar contingency plans for other state agencies because of the lack of a state budget, but declined to provide specifics.
Won't be the Department of Revenue, nor DarthDoyle's personal cop-shop, the Capitol Police, though.
After the JS went through the PropagandaPoint presentation about the EEEEEEEEvil Republican Assembly, the article gets around to this:
If Medicaid funding is left at current levels, the state would not collect $363 million from the cigarette tax increase and the assessment on hospitals this fiscal year.
Which, of course, is the reality. It's not a question of running short of funds. It's a question of not getting his way.
So he stamps his foot and pouts.
That's a helluva way to govern, Darth.
The Election of 2008--More Than Just a President
For some, November of '08 will decide the Presidency for a while. (Well, maybe January of '09, after multiple recounts of the Flori-duh returns.)
But it ain't just a President. It's also a whole new Cabinet, including an Attorney General.
Here's a reminder of the civil liberties record, courtesy Ann Coulter:
Civilians killed by Ashcroft: 0
Civilians killed by Gonzales: 0
Civilians killed by Reno: 80
Innocent people put in prison by Ashcroft: 0
Innocent people put in prison by Gonzales: 0
Innocent people put in prison by Reno: At least 1 that I know of
Number of obvious civil rights violations ignored by Ashcroft: 0
Number of obvious civil rights violations ignored by Gonzales: 0
Number of obvious civil rights violations ignored by Reno: at least 1
You get the drift.
Recall the line from Jiminy Cricket's song: "...makes no difference who you are....Anyone the Dems want gone will dis-ap-pear!!!" (Well, maybe that's not the lyric, exactly)
But it ain't just a President. It's also a whole new Cabinet, including an Attorney General.
Here's a reminder of the civil liberties record, courtesy Ann Coulter:
Civilians killed by Ashcroft: 0
Civilians killed by Gonzales: 0
Civilians killed by Reno: 80
Innocent people put in prison by Ashcroft: 0
Innocent people put in prison by Gonzales: 0
Innocent people put in prison by Reno: At least 1 that I know of
Number of obvious civil rights violations ignored by Ashcroft: 0
Number of obvious civil rights violations ignored by Gonzales: 0
Number of obvious civil rights violations ignored by Reno: at least 1
You get the drift.
Recall the line from Jiminy Cricket's song: "...makes no difference who you are....Anyone the Dems want gone will dis-ap-pear!!!" (Well, maybe that's not the lyric, exactly)
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
The "Yout' Ministry"--Helicoptering
Dreher quotes with approval the following from a Baptist minister's upcoming book:
Early in my ministry, I served as a youth pastor in a Baptist church near an Air Force base in Mississippi. Like every other Evangelical youth minister, I received all the advertisements from youth ministry curricula-hawkers, telling me how I could be "relevant" to "today's teenagers." The advertisements promised me ways I could "connect" with teenagers through Bible studies based on MTV reality shows and the songs on the top-40 charts that month.
All I knew how to do, though, was preach the gospel. Yes, I knew what was happening on MTV, and I'd often contrast biblical reality with that, but I fit nobody's definition of cool -- including my own.
A group of teenagers, mostly fatherless boys, some of them gant members, started attending my Wednesday night Bible study. Some of them arrived at the church engulfed in a cloud of marijuana smoke.
I found they were't impressed with the "cool" supplemental video clips provided by my denomination's publisher. They laughed at Christian rap stars, in the same way I laughed at my high-school history teachers' effort to "have a groovy rap session with you youngsters."
But what riveted their attention was how weird we were. "So, like, you really believe this dead guy came back from the dead?" one 15-year-old boy asked me. "I do," I replied. "For real?" he responded. I said, "For real."
They were amused at the fact that my wife and I had dinner together, and that we didn't really want tobe smoewhere else. "Dude, this is like 'Nick at Nite,'" one said, referencing the black-and-white family sitcom reruns on television each night. "The mom and dad are here, 'how was your day,' and the whole deal. They couldn't believe that in our church, elderly people and teenagers talked to one another, that Latino military officers joked around with white enlisted men around a Sunday-school coffepot.
It seemd strange. And, just as at Mars Hill, this strangeness commanded attention. Some believed; some walked away. I was heard, and I was even loved, but I was rarely cool.
And he comments
Don't know about you, but I relate to this.
...It was only when I got caught up in the radical strangeness of Christianity, and saw that men like Kierkegaard, Dostoevesky, Merton, Percy and others I respected were also captivated by the story, that things changed for me. And then when at long last I began to take instruction in the faith, there was Father Frootloop and Sister Stretchpants, reducing the liberating weirdness of the faith to therapeutic banalities that they apparently thought we could accept. God bless crusty old Father Moloney, to whose rectory parlor I flew. He was not interested in watering anything down in an attempt to be "relevant." Which is why I listened to him, and followed the path he set out for me. He wanted me to follow, but he respected me, and the gospel, enough to tell me how otherworldly and countercultural this well-trodden path was.
When you stop to think about this "yout' ministry" stuff, it's a version of "helicopter parenting" which is adopted by surrogates who, whether they know it or not, are "disrespecting" both the children and the Faith.
The children have to grow up sometime, you know. And they have to use big words, and figure out how to use a screwdriver and pliers, not to mention read and understand 'real-world' documents.
Early in my ministry, I served as a youth pastor in a Baptist church near an Air Force base in Mississippi. Like every other Evangelical youth minister, I received all the advertisements from youth ministry curricula-hawkers, telling me how I could be "relevant" to "today's teenagers." The advertisements promised me ways I could "connect" with teenagers through Bible studies based on MTV reality shows and the songs on the top-40 charts that month.
All I knew how to do, though, was preach the gospel. Yes, I knew what was happening on MTV, and I'd often contrast biblical reality with that, but I fit nobody's definition of cool -- including my own.
A group of teenagers, mostly fatherless boys, some of them gant members, started attending my Wednesday night Bible study. Some of them arrived at the church engulfed in a cloud of marijuana smoke.
I found they were't impressed with the "cool" supplemental video clips provided by my denomination's publisher. They laughed at Christian rap stars, in the same way I laughed at my high-school history teachers' effort to "have a groovy rap session with you youngsters."
But what riveted their attention was how weird we were. "So, like, you really believe this dead guy came back from the dead?" one 15-year-old boy asked me. "I do," I replied. "For real?" he responded. I said, "For real."
They were amused at the fact that my wife and I had dinner together, and that we didn't really want tobe smoewhere else. "Dude, this is like 'Nick at Nite,'" one said, referencing the black-and-white family sitcom reruns on television each night. "The mom and dad are here, 'how was your day,' and the whole deal. They couldn't believe that in our church, elderly people and teenagers talked to one another, that Latino military officers joked around with white enlisted men around a Sunday-school coffepot.
It seemd strange. And, just as at Mars Hill, this strangeness commanded attention. Some believed; some walked away. I was heard, and I was even loved, but I was rarely cool.
And he comments
Don't know about you, but I relate to this.
...It was only when I got caught up in the radical strangeness of Christianity, and saw that men like Kierkegaard, Dostoevesky, Merton, Percy and others I respected were also captivated by the story, that things changed for me. And then when at long last I began to take instruction in the faith, there was Father Frootloop and Sister Stretchpants, reducing the liberating weirdness of the faith to therapeutic banalities that they apparently thought we could accept. God bless crusty old Father Moloney, to whose rectory parlor I flew. He was not interested in watering anything down in an attempt to be "relevant." Which is why I listened to him, and followed the path he set out for me. He wanted me to follow, but he respected me, and the gospel, enough to tell me how otherworldly and countercultural this well-trodden path was.
When you stop to think about this "yout' ministry" stuff, it's a version of "helicopter parenting" which is adopted by surrogates who, whether they know it or not, are "disrespecting" both the children and the Faith.
The children have to grow up sometime, you know. And they have to use big words, and figure out how to use a screwdriver and pliers, not to mention read and understand 'real-world' documents.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Why Kindergarten Is Bad for Children
Not a bad proposition here:
"I'd encourage your youngest one to abandon kindergarten altogether. Almost everything I learned was learned outside the classroom, and school itself interrupted my education.
Moreover, school locks you in with your peers. That is a mistake. One's social circle should never include one's equals. From my earliest years I found children uninteresting and always preferred the company of adults. This was an advantage, because I got to know lots of folks who are dead now whom I never would have known if I had waited until I was an adult. - So I have a collective memory - and oral tradition - that goes back to the eighteenth century, having spoken with people who knew people who knew people who knew people who lived then.
- The only real university is the universe and a city its microcosm. That is why an expression like "New York University" is foolish. New York City is the university….Instead of school, children should spend some hours each day in hotel lobbies talking to the guests. They should spend time in restaurant kitchens and shops and garages of all kinds, learning from people who actually make the world work….
One day spent roaming through a real classical church building would be the equivalent of one academic term in any of our schools, and a little time spent inconspicuously in a police station would be more informative than all the hours wasted on bogus social sciences.
Formal lessons would only be required for accuracy in spelling and proficiency in public speaking, for which the public speakers in our culture are not models, and in exchange for performing some menial services a child could learn the violin, harp, and piano from musicians in one of the better cocktail lounges, or from performers in the public subways….
So I urge you to keep your child out of kindergarten, because kindergarten will only lead to first grade and then the grim sequence of grade after grade begins and takes its inexorable toll on the mind born fertile but gradually numbed by the pedants who impose on the captive child the flotsam of their own infecundity."
Fr. G. Rutler, quoted by Gerald.
"I'd encourage your youngest one to abandon kindergarten altogether. Almost everything I learned was learned outside the classroom, and school itself interrupted my education.
Moreover, school locks you in with your peers. That is a mistake. One's social circle should never include one's equals. From my earliest years I found children uninteresting and always preferred the company of adults. This was an advantage, because I got to know lots of folks who are dead now whom I never would have known if I had waited until I was an adult. - So I have a collective memory - and oral tradition - that goes back to the eighteenth century, having spoken with people who knew people who knew people who knew people who lived then.
- The only real university is the universe and a city its microcosm. That is why an expression like "New York University" is foolish. New York City is the university….Instead of school, children should spend some hours each day in hotel lobbies talking to the guests. They should spend time in restaurant kitchens and shops and garages of all kinds, learning from people who actually make the world work….
One day spent roaming through a real classical church building would be the equivalent of one academic term in any of our schools, and a little time spent inconspicuously in a police station would be more informative than all the hours wasted on bogus social sciences.
Formal lessons would only be required for accuracy in spelling and proficiency in public speaking, for which the public speakers in our culture are not models, and in exchange for performing some menial services a child could learn the violin, harp, and piano from musicians in one of the better cocktail lounges, or from performers in the public subways….
So I urge you to keep your child out of kindergarten, because kindergarten will only lead to first grade and then the grim sequence of grade after grade begins and takes its inexorable toll on the mind born fertile but gradually numbed by the pedants who impose on the captive child the flotsam of their own infecundity."
Fr. G. Rutler, quoted by Gerald.
Which Wording is Correct in JS Stories?
The JSOnline brief on Wisconsin's Poverty Rate has a paragraph that says this:
Meanwhile, the number of Americans without health insurance coverage rose from 44.8 million in 2005 to 47 million in 2006.
That's what reporter John Glauber wrote.
A few stories down, we find THIS:
The number of people in the United States without health insurance rose last year for the sixth straight year, to an estimated 47 million people
That's written by reporter Guy Boulton.
(Hint: both can be true; but one hints at "illegals" and the other excludes them. Boulton's is accurate.)
Meanwhile, the number of Americans without health insurance coverage rose from 44.8 million in 2005 to 47 million in 2006.
That's what reporter John Glauber wrote.
A few stories down, we find THIS:
The number of people in the United States without health insurance rose last year for the sixth straight year, to an estimated 47 million people
That's written by reporter Guy Boulton.
(Hint: both can be true; but one hints at "illegals" and the other excludes them. Boulton's is accurate.)
Equal Treatment
Charlie hit a couple of highlights today.
When Sam Smith, or his aunt Jane Smith, drop a couple pounds of fertilizer into their field and it washes into a river, DNR rips them to shreds.
When the Milwaukee Metro Sewage District drops 100 million gallons of fertilizer into Lake Michigan, the DNR says "So what?"
When Hollywood shows up to make a TV show or movie in Wisconsin, the State's Department of Revenue sends tax credits-gifts to the producers.
When longstanding Wisconsin taxpayers show up, the Wisconsin D of Revenue simply sends a large tax bill, and politely requests payment before they .....oh...take wages or something.
Equal Treatment?
Some people are more equal than others.
And yes, I know it was Ted Kanavas (R) Brookfield who pumped the MovieStarCredit.
Doesn't make it good.
When Sam Smith, or his aunt Jane Smith, drop a couple pounds of fertilizer into their field and it washes into a river, DNR rips them to shreds.
When the Milwaukee Metro Sewage District drops 100 million gallons of fertilizer into Lake Michigan, the DNR says "So what?"
When Hollywood shows up to make a TV show or movie in Wisconsin, the State's Department of Revenue sends tax credits-gifts to the producers.
When longstanding Wisconsin taxpayers show up, the Wisconsin D of Revenue simply sends a large tax bill, and politely requests payment before they .....oh...take wages or something.
Equal Treatment?
Some people are more equal than others.
And yes, I know it was Ted Kanavas (R) Brookfield who pumped the MovieStarCredit.
Doesn't make it good.
Why Is the CD 12cm Wide?
Because it has to hold the entire 9th Symphony of Beethoven, of course.
That and other nead CD stuff at The Big Picture.
That and other nead CD stuff at The Big Picture.
If Sen. Craig's a Hypocrite, What's Stallone?
The "H-bomb" will be thrown about in the upcoming pirhana-frenzy over Larry Craig. Personally, I'm not enamored with that line of argument, largely because it tends to avoid the real issues.
But since the "H-bomb" is going to be out there anyway, here's another one:
Sylvester Stallone, a Brady Campaign stalwart, who's said "until America, door to door, takes every handgun, this is what you're gonna have... It really is pathetic... We're livin' in the Dark Ages over there," turns out to have a CCW permit, issued by the celebrity-loving LA County Sheriff.
Oh, and listing four handguns that he will be packing.
One assumes that Sly likes the Dark Ages. It fits his "acting," anyway.
HT: Arms and the Man
But since the "H-bomb" is going to be out there anyway, here's another one:
Sylvester Stallone, a Brady Campaign stalwart, who's said "until America, door to door, takes every handgun, this is what you're gonna have... It really is pathetic... We're livin' in the Dark Ages over there," turns out to have a CCW permit, issued by the celebrity-loving LA County Sheriff.
Oh, and listing four handguns that he will be packing.
One assumes that Sly likes the Dark Ages. It fits his "acting," anyway.
HT: Arms and the Man
On Sen. Craig
Yah, he should simply resign.
Idaho constituent Clay Cramer thinks so, too.
Senator Craig should go ahead and resign, and let Governor Otter name a replacement who can serve out Craig's term with dignity and respect for the people of Idaho.
Cramer recalls a conversation which is significant:
A professor I had dinner with a few months back in New Jersey, in discussing the McGreevey scandal, pointed out that anyone with a normal family situation would probably not be willing to spend that much time away from home.
Remember the Great Kerfuffle when a Wisconsin Congressman kept a promise to come home and go hunting with his son?
Idaho constituent Clay Cramer thinks so, too.
Senator Craig should go ahead and resign, and let Governor Otter name a replacement who can serve out Craig's term with dignity and respect for the people of Idaho.
Cramer recalls a conversation which is significant:
A professor I had dinner with a few months back in New Jersey, in discussing the McGreevey scandal, pointed out that anyone with a normal family situation would probably not be willing to spend that much time away from home.
Remember the Great Kerfuffle when a Wisconsin Congressman kept a promise to come home and go hunting with his son?
G-Force
All you ever wanted to know about g-forces, from Disgruntled:
Sneezing - 2.9g
Shuttle Launch - 3.0g
Then there's the football hit:
An extreme football impact can reach 150g, probably why there are over 100 concussions recorded each NFL season.
Ow.
Sneezing - 2.9g
Shuttle Launch - 3.0g
Then there's the football hit:
An extreme football impact can reach 150g, probably why there are over 100 concussions recorded each NFL season.
Ow.
Wisconsin: 111 Ways to Say "You Can't Work Here"
Reason Foundation has a new study which examines State "licensing" procedures. As you might suspect, they are very skeptical of many "license requirements."
You'll be pleased to know that Wisconsin requires licenses for 111 occupations, making the "Progress" State 9th-most-restrictive in the USA. (Natch, each license is accompanied by a Fee--payable to the State or one of its subsidiary Gummints.)
Says Reason:
Today, over 1,000 occupations are regulated at the state level—and still more are regulated at the federal and municipal levels. Governments require licenses for everyone from doctors and lawyers to florists and fortune tellers...
The survey also indicates that occupational licensing laws are very arbitrary, as evidenced by the disparity in which occupations are licensed and how burdensome the licensing regulations are from one state to the next. For example, there were several cases in which neighboring states had significant differences in the number of licensed job categories: California (177) and Arizona (72), Arkansas (128) and both Missouri (41) and Mississippi (68), New Jersey (114) and Pennsylvania (62), North Carolina (107) and South Carolina (60), Tennessee (110) and Alabama (70), and Florida (104) and Alabama (70). If some places work just fine with minimal or no regulations, why must others be plagued with so many restrictive laws? Are things so drastically different just across state lines that this disparity could be justified?
Closer to home, while Wisconsin requires 111 licenses, Illinois only requires 93, and Minnesota requires 95. Obviously, Illinois and Minnesota residents are at great risk to life and limb. No WONDER we have higher taxes...we're safe!
Well, maybe.
The real motivation behind most occupational licensing regulations is one of special interests, not
the public interest. By banding together and convincing governments to impose new or stricter
licensing laws, existing practitioners (who typically are exempted from the new laws through
grandfather clauses) can raise the cost of doing business for potential competitors. These barriers to entry reduce competition, allowing the existing practitioners to keep prices and profits higher than they otherwise would be in a truly free market. Moreover, since they have less competition, licensed businesses have less incentive to innovate or invest in research and development to stay ahead of their rivals.
If not safe, we're expensive:
This imposes a great cost on the economy. By restricting competition, licensing decreases the rate of job growth by an average of 20 percent. The total cost of licensing regulations is estimated at between $34.8 billion and $41.7 billion per year.
It's inter-necine, as well. A Milwaukee charter-school uses teachers which are not "licensed" for an academic discipline, causing angst in WEA membership. I mean, would YOU let a college-grad Ed major teach 6th-grade math if they studied English? Or 8th-grade English if they studied math?
Gracious!
You'll be pleased to know that Wisconsin requires licenses for 111 occupations, making the "Progress" State 9th-most-restrictive in the USA. (Natch, each license is accompanied by a Fee--payable to the State or one of its subsidiary Gummints.)
Says Reason:
Today, over 1,000 occupations are regulated at the state level—and still more are regulated at the federal and municipal levels. Governments require licenses for everyone from doctors and lawyers to florists and fortune tellers...
The survey also indicates that occupational licensing laws are very arbitrary, as evidenced by the disparity in which occupations are licensed and how burdensome the licensing regulations are from one state to the next. For example, there were several cases in which neighboring states had significant differences in the number of licensed job categories: California (177) and Arizona (72), Arkansas (128) and both Missouri (41) and Mississippi (68), New Jersey (114) and Pennsylvania (62), North Carolina (107) and South Carolina (60), Tennessee (110) and Alabama (70), and Florida (104) and Alabama (70). If some places work just fine with minimal or no regulations, why must others be plagued with so many restrictive laws? Are things so drastically different just across state lines that this disparity could be justified?
Closer to home, while Wisconsin requires 111 licenses, Illinois only requires 93, and Minnesota requires 95. Obviously, Illinois and Minnesota residents are at great risk to life and limb. No WONDER we have higher taxes...we're safe!
Well, maybe.
The real motivation behind most occupational licensing regulations is one of special interests, not
the public interest. By banding together and convincing governments to impose new or stricter
licensing laws, existing practitioners (who typically are exempted from the new laws through
grandfather clauses) can raise the cost of doing business for potential competitors. These barriers to entry reduce competition, allowing the existing practitioners to keep prices and profits higher than they otherwise would be in a truly free market. Moreover, since they have less competition, licensed businesses have less incentive to innovate or invest in research and development to stay ahead of their rivals.
If not safe, we're expensive:
This imposes a great cost on the economy. By restricting competition, licensing decreases the rate of job growth by an average of 20 percent. The total cost of licensing regulations is estimated at between $34.8 billion and $41.7 billion per year.
It's inter-necine, as well. A Milwaukee charter-school uses teachers which are not "licensed" for an academic discipline, causing angst in WEA membership. I mean, would YOU let a college-grad Ed major teach 6th-grade math if they studied English? Or 8th-grade English if they studied math?
Gracious!
In Sheboygan, the Fun is Just Beginning
The mom who knifed her nephew because he sexually assaulted her daughter will be charged with a misdemeanor; the DA will NOT recommend jail time for her.
In a statement, Sheboygan County District Attorney Joe DeCecco says, "On the one hand, you have an obviously distraught mother reacting to the news that her daughter was sexually assaulted. On the other, you have the fact that the nephew was stabbed after the child was safe, after he had been beaten by the mother's friend who discovered the act and after the mother had called police and had taken the knife away from her friend. This appears to be retaliation or revenge and is simply unacceptable under the law."
Something tells me that the topic of Jury Nullification may be hot in the near future.
HT: Patrick
In a statement, Sheboygan County District Attorney Joe DeCecco says, "On the one hand, you have an obviously distraught mother reacting to the news that her daughter was sexually assaulted. On the other, you have the fact that the nephew was stabbed after the child was safe, after he had been beaten by the mother's friend who discovered the act and after the mother had called police and had taken the knife away from her friend. This appears to be retaliation or revenge and is simply unacceptable under the law."
Something tells me that the topic of Jury Nullification may be hot in the near future.
HT: Patrick
California to Terminate Marriage?
At one time, certain Republican operatives pushed the idea that the Constitution should be changed to allow non-native-born citizens to become President of the US. That push was built around the persona of "The Terminator."
Now Aaaaaahhhhhnold opines that 'marriage' could be terminated in California, to facilitate gay 'marriage.' On the face of it, Arnold's right. SCOCA is nuts, of course, so California could well simply terminate "marriage."
Got that?
In legal briefs submitted to the California Supreme Court, which is considering whether to license "same-sex marriages" next year, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown both stated that a future Legislature could abolish marriage and yank marriage rights from a married husband and wife.
...Schwarzenegger's brief states: ". . . except for the ability to choose and declare one's life partner in a reciprocal commitment of mutual support, any of the statutory rights and obligations that are afforded to married couples in California could be abrogated or eliminated by the Legislature or the electorate for any rational legislative purpose."
"Moonbeam" Brown's brief was similar.
The context is a lawsuit filed to allow same-sex marriage now before the California Supreme Court. The court is expected to rule in favor of 'same-sex marriage.'
Aaaaahhhhnold's declaration that the word "marriage" is not long for the world of California is important because:
Californians voted in 2000 on Proposition 22, which reads, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California," approving it by a significant margin.
However, the Democrat-controlled Legislature gradually has created "same-sex marriage by another name" by legislatively granting the rights of marriage to same-sex duos.
Then in 2005, the California courts said Proposition 22 protected only the word "marriage" but not the rights of marriage. The decision said Proposition 22 did not specifically protect marriage rights, so lawmakers could award the rights of marriage to homosexual partners.
"Because the plain, unambiguous language of Proposition 22 is concerned only with who is entitled to obtain the status of marriage, and not with the rights and obligations associated with marriage, (state law) does not add to, or take away from, Proposition 22," the court said.
(Screechin'Shirley is undoubtedly taking notes here...)
So the voters amend theConstitution Family Code* to prohibit gay "marriage," and the Courts find that the amendment only protects the WORD 'marriage.' Therefore, the 'rights and obligations of marriage' may be granted to OTHER unions......yada yada yada yada.
Alice, ask the Queen of Hearts to call home.
*Edited with knowledgeable input from No Runny Eggs
Now Aaaaaahhhhhnold opines that 'marriage' could be terminated in California, to facilitate gay 'marriage.' On the face of it, Arnold's right. SCOCA is nuts, of course, so California could well simply terminate "marriage."
Got that?
In legal briefs submitted to the California Supreme Court, which is considering whether to license "same-sex marriages" next year, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown both stated that a future Legislature could abolish marriage and yank marriage rights from a married husband and wife.
...Schwarzenegger's brief states: ". . . except for the ability to choose and declare one's life partner in a reciprocal commitment of mutual support, any of the statutory rights and obligations that are afforded to married couples in California could be abrogated or eliminated by the Legislature or the electorate for any rational legislative purpose."
"Moonbeam" Brown's brief was similar.
The context is a lawsuit filed to allow same-sex marriage now before the California Supreme Court. The court is expected to rule in favor of 'same-sex marriage.'
Aaaaahhhhnold's declaration that the word "marriage" is not long for the world of California is important because:
Californians voted in 2000 on Proposition 22, which reads, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California," approving it by a significant margin.
However, the Democrat-controlled Legislature gradually has created "same-sex marriage by another name" by legislatively granting the rights of marriage to same-sex duos.
Then in 2005, the California courts said Proposition 22 protected only the word "marriage" but not the rights of marriage. The decision said Proposition 22 did not specifically protect marriage rights, so lawmakers could award the rights of marriage to homosexual partners.
"Because the plain, unambiguous language of Proposition 22 is concerned only with who is entitled to obtain the status of marriage, and not with the rights and obligations associated with marriage, (state law) does not add to, or take away from, Proposition 22," the court said.
(Screechin'Shirley is undoubtedly taking notes here...)
So the voters amend the
Alice, ask the Queen of Hearts to call home.
*Edited with knowledgeable input from No Runny Eggs
Monday, August 27, 2007
Studying Marriage
Some interesting statistics with a twist of interest for Wisconsin.
In recent decades, demographers have documented a remarkable "retreat from marriage" in the United States. This retreat is evident in data showing that between 1970 and 1995 the percentage of Americans 15 or older who ever marry fell from 97% to 89% of women and 96% to 83% of men. [Some evidence indicates that the trend continued through 2003.] Scholars have understood for some time that "the retreat [from marriage] has been accompanied by increases in women's paid employment, declines in the male/female wage differential, greater income inequality among men, and the persistence of racial gaps in economic status."
OK. We kinda knew that. So?
The Penn State researchers base their investigation on data collected between 1989 and 1991 in Virginia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, noting that "the male and female percentages ever marrying in [these] three states are fairly similar to those in the United States as a whole." Though they see nothing in marriage data that distinguishes these three states from the rest of the country, they do see strong evidence that different social groups within these states are moving apart in their marital behavior.
The data indicate that-depending on the state examined-between 83 and 89 percent of white men and 88 and 92 percent of white women will marry during their lifetimes, compared to between 68 and 86 percent of black men and 60 and 82 percent of black women. "The percentages ever marrying for black men and black women," the researchers remark, "were substantially lower [than for white men and white women]. With mortality ignored, about 40% of black women in North Carolina and Wisconsin would never marry before age 50 under the rates observed during 1989-1991."
"Not marrying" does not mean "not having children," however.
Combining statistics for race and education, the researchers calculate that "the percentages ever marrying for blacks with fewer than 12 years of education range from 38% to 65%, whereas the comparable figures for whites with 16 or more years of education are 89%-96%"
Surveying the overall pattern, the authors of the new study plausibly conclude that "the retreat from marriage is being led by those with the least resources." Given the importance of wedlock in safeguarding social and cultural well-being, readers of this new study have good reason to worry that the social gaps dividing the haves from the have-nots are growing wider and wider in 21st-century America.
(Source: Robert Schoen and Yen-Hsin Alice Cheng, "Partner Choice and the Differential Retreat from Marriage," Journal of Marriage and Family 68 [2006]: 1-10) Family in America Newsletter 8/27/07
It's also well-known that women generally marry for security--that is, they marry someone whom they percieve as offering economic security for a (potential) family.
So the study's results are not too surprising, although they put a different spin on the usual facts.
Black women do not foresee economic stability (or security) in the men with whom they are acquainted--especially those men who have not graduated from high school, much less college. Thus, they don't marry them.
In recent decades, demographers have documented a remarkable "retreat from marriage" in the United States. This retreat is evident in data showing that between 1970 and 1995 the percentage of Americans 15 or older who ever marry fell from 97% to 89% of women and 96% to 83% of men. [Some evidence indicates that the trend continued through 2003.] Scholars have understood for some time that "the retreat [from marriage] has been accompanied by increases in women's paid employment, declines in the male/female wage differential, greater income inequality among men, and the persistence of racial gaps in economic status."
OK. We kinda knew that. So?
The Penn State researchers base their investigation on data collected between 1989 and 1991 in Virginia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, noting that "the male and female percentages ever marrying in [these] three states are fairly similar to those in the United States as a whole." Though they see nothing in marriage data that distinguishes these three states from the rest of the country, they do see strong evidence that different social groups within these states are moving apart in their marital behavior.
The data indicate that-depending on the state examined-between 83 and 89 percent of white men and 88 and 92 percent of white women will marry during their lifetimes, compared to between 68 and 86 percent of black men and 60 and 82 percent of black women. "The percentages ever marrying for black men and black women," the researchers remark, "were substantially lower [than for white men and white women]. With mortality ignored, about 40% of black women in North Carolina and Wisconsin would never marry before age 50 under the rates observed during 1989-1991."
"Not marrying" does not mean "not having children," however.
Combining statistics for race and education, the researchers calculate that "the percentages ever marrying for blacks with fewer than 12 years of education range from 38% to 65%, whereas the comparable figures for whites with 16 or more years of education are 89%-96%"
Surveying the overall pattern, the authors of the new study plausibly conclude that "the retreat from marriage is being led by those with the least resources." Given the importance of wedlock in safeguarding social and cultural well-being, readers of this new study have good reason to worry that the social gaps dividing the haves from the have-nots are growing wider and wider in 21st-century America.
(Source: Robert Schoen and Yen-Hsin Alice Cheng, "Partner Choice and the Differential Retreat from Marriage," Journal of Marriage and Family 68 [2006]: 1-10) Family in America Newsletter 8/27/07
It's also well-known that women generally marry for security--that is, they marry someone whom they percieve as offering economic security for a (potential) family.
So the study's results are not too surprising, although they put a different spin on the usual facts.
Black women do not foresee economic stability (or security) in the men with whom they are acquainted--especially those men who have not graduated from high school, much less college. Thus, they don't marry them.
U S Marine Corps Linguistic Precision Lesson
Stolen from the Catholic Caveman:
A ROK (Republic of Korea) commander, whose unit was fighting along with the Marines, called legendary Marine (at the time, Colonel) Lewis "Chesty" Puller to report a major Chinese attack in his sector. "How many Chinese are attacking you?" asked Puller. "Many, many Chinese!" replied the excited Korean officer. Puller asked for another count and got the same answer, "Many, many Chinese!"
"Damn it!" swore Puller, "Put my Marine Liaison Officer on the radio." In a minute, an American voice came over the air: "Yes sir?" "Lieutenant," growled Chesty, "exactly how many Chinese you got up there?" "Colonel, we got a whole shitload of Chinese up here!"
"Thank God," exclaimed Puller, "At least there's someone up there who knows how to count."
A little clarification always helps.
More "Chesty" Puller quotes at the link--and worth reading, by the way.
A ROK (Republic of Korea) commander, whose unit was fighting along with the Marines, called legendary Marine (at the time, Colonel) Lewis "Chesty" Puller to report a major Chinese attack in his sector. "How many Chinese are attacking you?" asked Puller. "Many, many Chinese!" replied the excited Korean officer. Puller asked for another count and got the same answer, "Many, many Chinese!"
"Damn it!" swore Puller, "Put my Marine Liaison Officer on the radio." In a minute, an American voice came over the air: "Yes sir?" "Lieutenant," growled Chesty, "exactly how many Chinese you got up there?" "Colonel, we got a whole shitload of Chinese up here!"
"Thank God," exclaimed Puller, "At least there's someone up there who knows how to count."
A little clarification always helps.
More "Chesty" Puller quotes at the link--and worth reading, by the way.
Really Dumb Business Decision
Really, REALLY dumb.
Soon after moving to Gilsum, N.H. (population 811), Rossey learned that he couldn't get broadband to support his Web programming business, TooCoolWebs. DSL wasn't available, and the local cable service provider wasn't interested in extending the cabling for its broadband service the three-tenths of a mile required to reach Rossey's house — even if he paid the full $7,000 cost.
Rossey ended up signing a two-year, $450-per-month contract for a T1 line that delivers 1.44Mbit/sec. of bandwidth. He pays 10 times more than the cable provider would have charged and receives one quarter of the bandwidth.
The story-line is that ISP's are eeeeeeeeevil capitalist pigs who will not provide broadband to East Noplace.
Somehow, using Mr. Rossey as the supporting cast doesn't help make the case.
Soon after moving to Gilsum, N.H. (population 811), Rossey learned that he couldn't get broadband to support his Web programming business, TooCoolWebs. DSL wasn't available, and the local cable service provider wasn't interested in extending the cabling for its broadband service the three-tenths of a mile required to reach Rossey's house — even if he paid the full $7,000 cost.
Rossey ended up signing a two-year, $450-per-month contract for a T1 line that delivers 1.44Mbit/sec. of bandwidth. He pays 10 times more than the cable provider would have charged and receives one quarter of the bandwidth.
The story-line is that ISP's are eeeeeeeeevil capitalist pigs who will not provide broadband to East Noplace.
Somehow, using Mr. Rossey as the supporting cast doesn't help make the case.
Brookfield Goes All Camelot
"SILENCIO!!!!", famously screamed by Harry Morgan at his MASH medical staff...
[Brookfield] Residents could soon find they have less time to get their lawns mowed, under a proposal being considered by the Common Council's Legislative and Licensing Committee.
The committee postponed action on a request from Ald. Scott Berg for an ordinance that would prohibit lawn mowing late at night because of excessive noise. Aldermen wanted more information on whether the noise from lawn mowers was a widespread problem in the city.
Ald. Lisa Mellone said that some residents work from dawn until dusk, and with children and school activities, some of them have to cut their lawns at night. Mellone also said enforcing a restriction would be difficult. The city already has ordinances that restrict noise caused by air-conditioning equipment, store loading docks, construction and garbage collection. Ordinances limiting lawn mowing hours already exist in Elm Grove and Wauwatosa, city officials said.
Perhaps Alderman Berg would define "late at night." In Camelot, of course, that's when the rain must fall, which would interfere with mowing the lawn anyway.
[Brookfield] Residents could soon find they have less time to get their lawns mowed, under a proposal being considered by the Common Council's Legislative and Licensing Committee.
The committee postponed action on a request from Ald. Scott Berg for an ordinance that would prohibit lawn mowing late at night because of excessive noise. Aldermen wanted more information on whether the noise from lawn mowers was a widespread problem in the city.
Ald. Lisa Mellone said that some residents work from dawn until dusk, and with children and school activities, some of them have to cut their lawns at night. Mellone also said enforcing a restriction would be difficult. The city already has ordinances that restrict noise caused by air-conditioning equipment, store loading docks, construction and garbage collection. Ordinances limiting lawn mowing hours already exist in Elm Grove and Wauwatosa, city officials said.
Perhaps Alderman Berg would define "late at night." In Camelot, of course, that's when the rain must fall, which would interfere with mowing the lawn anyway.
"Banishment"? Why Not?
The handwringing begins.
The city [of Franklin] has sued to evict a registered sex offender in what appears to be the first civil action arising from one of several local ordinances passed in Wisconsin over the last year that restrict where sex offenders may live.
...[The sex offender] bought a home in the 8200 block of S. 77th St. in June, five months after Franklin adopted an ordinance restricting certain sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools, day care centers and other places where children might congregate.
Yada, yada. The money quote:
"The real problem with many of these ordinances is they are often drawn so broadly that they include people who present no risk of offending the populations they purport to protect," said Jung, who heads Hastings' Center for State and Local Government Law. "They're so broad, they effectively banish people."
Wouldn't be the first time in History. Many of the people inhabiting the Old West were 'banished' from their home towns Back East.
And it's clear that a number of illegal aliens are here because they are not welcome where they came from.
We're not dealing with "thought crimes" here, nor parking tickets, nor burglars. We're dealing with sex-predators who pick on children. They're not in prison. So what's wrong with "banishment"?
The city [of Franklin] has sued to evict a registered sex offender in what appears to be the first civil action arising from one of several local ordinances passed in Wisconsin over the last year that restrict where sex offenders may live.
...[The sex offender] bought a home in the 8200 block of S. 77th St. in June, five months after Franklin adopted an ordinance restricting certain sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools, day care centers and other places where children might congregate.
Yada, yada. The money quote:
"The real problem with many of these ordinances is they are often drawn so broadly that they include people who present no risk of offending the populations they purport to protect," said Jung, who heads Hastings' Center for State and Local Government Law. "They're so broad, they effectively banish people."
Wouldn't be the first time in History. Many of the people inhabiting the Old West were 'banished' from their home towns Back East.
And it's clear that a number of illegal aliens are here because they are not welcome where they came from.
We're not dealing with "thought crimes" here, nor parking tickets, nor burglars. We're dealing with sex-predators who pick on children. They're not in prison. So what's wrong with "banishment"?
China Is THEIR Friend, Too! Part 1,257
By no means is PRC's Sun-Tzu applied only to the US of A.
China has hacked into the computers of Angela Merkel’s Chancellery and three other German ministries in an extraordinary economic espionage operation that threatens to blight the German leader’s already delicate trip to Beijing this week.
Der Spiegel, quoting senior officials from the German equivalent of Special Branch, said that the hacking operation was discovered in May. Computers in the Chancellery, the Foreign, Economics and Research ministries had been targeted. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) conducted a comprehensive search of government IT installations and prevented a further 160 giga-bytes of information being transferred to China. Commentators described it as “the biggest digital defence ever mounted by the German state”.
The information was being siphoned off almost daily by hackers in Lanzhou, northern China, in Canton province and in Beijing. The scale and the nature of the data being stolen suggest, the investigators say, that the operation must have been steered by the State and, in particular, the People’s Liberation Army.
Well, nice to know we aren't the Lone Ranger, eh?
China has hacked into the computers of Angela Merkel’s Chancellery and three other German ministries in an extraordinary economic espionage operation that threatens to blight the German leader’s already delicate trip to Beijing this week.
Der Spiegel, quoting senior officials from the German equivalent of Special Branch, said that the hacking operation was discovered in May. Computers in the Chancellery, the Foreign, Economics and Research ministries had been targeted. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) conducted a comprehensive search of government IT installations and prevented a further 160 giga-bytes of information being transferred to China. Commentators described it as “the biggest digital defence ever mounted by the German state”.
The information was being siphoned off almost daily by hackers in Lanzhou, northern China, in Canton province and in Beijing. The scale and the nature of the data being stolen suggest, the investigators say, that the operation must have been steered by the State and, in particular, the People’s Liberation Army.
Well, nice to know we aren't the Lone Ranger, eh?
Sunday, August 26, 2007
The Culture Wars: 'Capper' Sniffs the Glue
Capper, a reasonable (and maybe even likeable) Lefty, attempts to push the canard that "rock'n'roll" is "a cultural expression of dissent." (See the combox; Nuge is only the beginning.) He's joined briefly by KR of Shorewood.
Man o man o man o mano....
Rock, like most music, is the result of a generation and/or culture seeking its own identity and expressing it through music. Many find it to be anti-authoritan due to the fact that those in authoriy do not like change, for it means the beginning of the end of there relevance
Once you've lost the big picture, it's not hard to wander into Absurdo-Land.
So I'm trying to help Capper:
Music has nature which is distinct from lyrics, albeit in well-ordered compositions, the music supports (or, better, illustrates/illuminates) the lyric.
It's the nature of the music itself, not the lyrics, which I discussed; that's what Plato warned about.
"Lyrical dissent" is not confined to rock'n'roll as a genre; you can find it in bluegrass, country, and even in classical (see Mahler's 2nd, which dissents from the dogma of Hell.)
But lower-ordered physical appeal is almost exclusive to rock. There are other disordered 'musical' forms: dodecaphonic (Schoenberg), Glass' directionless wanderings, but these are not lower-order appeals; rather, they are appeals to disordered intellect (or from them...)
By the way, that "expresses a culture" stuff is correct. The question is: WHICH culture?I saw precisely that argument, mutatis mutandis from some ACLU babe last night, as she defended the 'dropped pants syndrome' in Atlanta.Her argument is not 'convoluted'. It is insanity.
If we can save Just One Liberal...
Man o man o man o mano....
Rock, like most music, is the result of a generation and/or culture seeking its own identity and expressing it through music. Many find it to be anti-authoritan due to the fact that those in authoriy do not like change, for it means the beginning of the end of there relevance
Once you've lost the big picture, it's not hard to wander into Absurdo-Land.
So I'm trying to help Capper:
Music has nature which is distinct from lyrics, albeit in well-ordered compositions, the music supports (or, better, illustrates/illuminates) the lyric.
It's the nature of the music itself, not the lyrics, which I discussed; that's what Plato warned about.
"Lyrical dissent" is not confined to rock'n'roll as a genre; you can find it in bluegrass, country, and even in classical (see Mahler's 2nd, which dissents from the dogma of Hell.)
But lower-ordered physical appeal is almost exclusive to rock. There are other disordered 'musical' forms: dodecaphonic (Schoenberg), Glass' directionless wanderings, but these are not lower-order appeals; rather, they are appeals to disordered intellect (or from them...)
By the way, that "expresses a culture" stuff is correct. The question is: WHICH culture?I saw precisely that argument, mutatis mutandis from some ACLU babe last night, as she defended the 'dropped pants syndrome' in Atlanta.Her argument is not 'convoluted'. It is insanity.
If we can save Just One Liberal...
The Liquidity Problem: Where's George Bush?
In a mid-length blog, Ambrose Owens-Pritchard of the London Telegraph sees an American plot to denude Europe of liquidity. He didn't mention George Bush...yet.
First he reviews the money situation around the Western world:
The liquidity crunch is not yet over: the insolvency crunch has hardly begun.
...And yes, speculators have renewed their leveraged bets on the yen and Swiss franc carry trades, borrowing cheap in Tokyo and Zurich to play global assets. The core belief is that nothing has really changed, that the world economy is still in rude good health.
Be very careful. Interest rates in Europe and Asia are that much higher now, with delayed effects starting to bite hard. Japan’s economy has stalled to 0.1pc growth in Q2; the euro-zone has slowed to 0.3pc; and China’s refusal to import (by currency manipulation) makes it a drain on world demand. Above all, the credit bubble that perpetuated the rally of the last eighteen months beyond its natural life has definitively burst.
...Credit spreads on the iTraxx Crossover (a good barometer of corporate bonds) have ballooned 180 basis points since February. The cost of borrowing for most firms in Europe and North America has jumped from circa 6.5pc to 8.3pc, if they can get it
Hmmmmmm.
...Ben Bernanke is looking hawkish to me, given the shock of what happened on Monday when yields on 3-month US Treasury notes plunged at the fastest pace ever recorded, a panic flight to safety that no living trader had ever seen before.
Why? Because trust had collapsed to such a degree that players with a lot of cash no longer believed it safe to leave wealth in bank accounts, or the money market funds of brokerage companies - (exposed as they are to short-term commercial paper and subprime CDOs). This did not occur after 9/11, or in the heat of the October 1987 crash. Nor did was there such a banking panic in October 1929. (it hit in August 1931). If you think this is of no importance, or that this will pass swiftly, you have a strong nerve.
Maybe that explains the Fed's Friday letter to Citigroup and Bank of America, allowing extraordinary repo terms... That news should put perspective on the Congressional rush to "fix" the problem with Freddie/Fannie funds.
...The belief that Europe would somehow be insulated has been tested over the last two weeks. Two German banks have required bail-outs on subprime bets – Sachsen LB for Eu 17.3bn, IKB for Eu 8.1bn.
Hence the continued actions of the European Central Bank, which has quietly injected 85bn euros in extra liquidity so far this week, almost as much as it did on the first day of emergency stimulus in early August.
So the question: who's to blame for this?
In a warped sense, one has to admire the cool way that Americans – who save nothing, in aggregate – tapped into the vast savings pool of thrifty Germans to finance their speculative excesses, and then left the creditors holding a chunk of the subprime losses.
Ambrose-Pritchard quotes an anonymous US hedge-fund operator:
'Real money' (U.S. insurance companies, pension funds, etc.) accounts had stopped purchasing mezzanine tranches of U.S. subprime debt in late 2003 and [Wall Street] needed a mechanism that could enable them to 'mark up' these loans, package them opaquely, and EXPORT THE NEWLY PACKAGED RISK TO UNWITTING BUYERS IN ASIA AND CENTRAL EUROPE!!!!
"These CDOs were the only way to get rid of the riskiest tranches of subprime debt.
Interestingly enough, these buyers (mainland Chinese banks, the Chinese Government, Taiwanese banks, Korean banks, German banks, French banks, U.K. banks) possess the 'excess' pools of liquidity around the globe. These pools are basically derived from two sources: 1) massive trade surpluses with the U.S. in U.S. dollars, 2) petrodollar recyclers. These two pools of excess capital are U.S. dollar-denominated and have had a virtually insatiable demand for U.S. dollar-denominated debt . . . until now.
So, you see, the US hoodwinked all them furriners into purchasing junk bonds.
Ambrose-Pritchard forgot to mention that it is "all Bush's fault." But not to worry; if things get nasty here in the US, the only question is 'Which Dem candidate gets to the microphone first'.
HT: Calculated Risk
First he reviews the money situation around the Western world:
The liquidity crunch is not yet over: the insolvency crunch has hardly begun.
...And yes, speculators have renewed their leveraged bets on the yen and Swiss franc carry trades, borrowing cheap in Tokyo and Zurich to play global assets. The core belief is that nothing has really changed, that the world economy is still in rude good health.
Be very careful. Interest rates in Europe and Asia are that much higher now, with delayed effects starting to bite hard. Japan’s economy has stalled to 0.1pc growth in Q2; the euro-zone has slowed to 0.3pc; and China’s refusal to import (by currency manipulation) makes it a drain on world demand. Above all, the credit bubble that perpetuated the rally of the last eighteen months beyond its natural life has definitively burst.
...Credit spreads on the iTraxx Crossover (a good barometer of corporate bonds) have ballooned 180 basis points since February. The cost of borrowing for most firms in Europe and North America has jumped from circa 6.5pc to 8.3pc, if they can get it
Hmmmmmm.
...Ben Bernanke is looking hawkish to me, given the shock of what happened on Monday when yields on 3-month US Treasury notes plunged at the fastest pace ever recorded, a panic flight to safety that no living trader had ever seen before.
Why? Because trust had collapsed to such a degree that players with a lot of cash no longer believed it safe to leave wealth in bank accounts, or the money market funds of brokerage companies - (exposed as they are to short-term commercial paper and subprime CDOs). This did not occur after 9/11, or in the heat of the October 1987 crash. Nor did was there such a banking panic in October 1929. (it hit in August 1931). If you think this is of no importance, or that this will pass swiftly, you have a strong nerve.
Maybe that explains the Fed's Friday letter to Citigroup and Bank of America, allowing extraordinary repo terms... That news should put perspective on the Congressional rush to "fix" the problem with Freddie/Fannie funds.
...The belief that Europe would somehow be insulated has been tested over the last two weeks. Two German banks have required bail-outs on subprime bets – Sachsen LB for Eu 17.3bn, IKB for Eu 8.1bn.
Hence the continued actions of the European Central Bank, which has quietly injected 85bn euros in extra liquidity so far this week, almost as much as it did on the first day of emergency stimulus in early August.
So the question: who's to blame for this?
In a warped sense, one has to admire the cool way that Americans – who save nothing, in aggregate – tapped into the vast savings pool of thrifty Germans to finance their speculative excesses, and then left the creditors holding a chunk of the subprime losses.
Ambrose-Pritchard quotes an anonymous US hedge-fund operator:
'Real money' (U.S. insurance companies, pension funds, etc.) accounts had stopped purchasing mezzanine tranches of U.S. subprime debt in late 2003 and [Wall Street] needed a mechanism that could enable them to 'mark up' these loans, package them opaquely, and EXPORT THE NEWLY PACKAGED RISK TO UNWITTING BUYERS IN ASIA AND CENTRAL EUROPE!!!!
"These CDOs were the only way to get rid of the riskiest tranches of subprime debt.
Interestingly enough, these buyers (mainland Chinese banks, the Chinese Government, Taiwanese banks, Korean banks, German banks, French banks, U.K. banks) possess the 'excess' pools of liquidity around the globe. These pools are basically derived from two sources: 1) massive trade surpluses with the U.S. in U.S. dollars, 2) petrodollar recyclers. These two pools of excess capital are U.S. dollar-denominated and have had a virtually insatiable demand for U.S. dollar-denominated debt . . . until now.
So, you see, the US hoodwinked all them furriners into purchasing junk bonds.
Ambrose-Pritchard forgot to mention that it is "all Bush's fault." But not to worry; if things get nasty here in the US, the only question is 'Which Dem candidate gets to the microphone first'.
HT: Calculated Risk
WallyWorld Follows Wisconsin Law; Wisconsin Sues
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue's action here is mystifying.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has avoided millions of dollars in state taxes by paying rent on 87 Wisconsin properties in a way that the state Department of Revenue calls an "abuse and distortion of income."
DoR wants about $17.5 million through 2000.
The charges are unusually aggressive for the state's tax-collection agency, and the case is being closely watched by tax professionals.
That's polite business language for "WTF is the DoR DOING??"
Wal-Mart says it has not done anything wrong but is merely taking advantage of an overlap of state and federal tax laws: To reduce its taxes and costs, it sets up one subsidiary to run its stores and another subsidiary to own its real estate. The operating subsidiary pays rent to the real estate subsidiary and takes a tax deduction for the rent, even though that money eventually ends up in the corporation's own pocket.
Other companies use a similar technique, he said, although Wal-Mart is the only company fighting the state about it before the Tax Appeals Commission. In other states, companies including AutoZone Inc. of Memphis, Tenn., have fought similar cases.
LOTS of other companies use similar techniques. Many of them are "mom and pop" companies which are all over the State.
Even DarthDoyle (at least for publication) has his doubts about this:
Wal-Mart's use of the technique also is part of a larger Capitol debate over whether Wisconsin should modify its entire corporate income tax system by instituting "combined reporting." Under that system, all related companies file one income tax return. Now, all companies doing business in Wisconsin file their own returns, even if two or more of them are owned by a single parent company.
It is only because of this separate reporting status that the technique used by Wal-Mart works.
Decker and Senate Democrats have proposed combined reporting as part of the budget talks. But Gov. Jim Doyle, also a Democrat, opposes it, as does the Republican-dominated Assembly.
However, it's very, very, very hard to believe that DarthDoyle doesn't know about this lawsuit. A cynic (not me, of course) might think that Darth approved the action but retains "plausible deniability." Doyle appointed the Secretary of Revenue in January of this year. This is a high-profile large-dollar case with significant 'repercussion' effects.
Do you REALLY think ol' DarthDoyle was out of the loop on this one?
Here's how it works:
Wal-Mart sets up two subsidiaries - a company to run its stores, and another entity, called a real estate investment trust, to own the real estate they sit on.
The operating company pays rent to the REIT, taking the rent as a deduction and thus lowering its profits taxed by Wisconsin.
The REIT in turn pays the rent as part of a dividend to the parent company. The dividend is tax-free under state and federal law.
Another variation, more common, is for Mom and Pop to own the building and have the operating company, "Mom and Pop's Widget Factory" pay rent to Mom and Pop. If it's structured correctly, Mom and Pop's building depreciation, interest, and property-tax liabilities more than offset the rental income, minimizing Mom and Pop's income (thus, tax liability.)
Here's the payoff sentence:
States have usually lost their attacks on the REIT strategy elsewhere, said Michael Martens, a lawyer and certified public accountant. He is managing director of the UHY accounting firm in Boston and an expert in the cases.
Richard Pomp, a professor at the University of Connecticut Law School and an expert in state tax law, said he is surprised by Wisconsin's challenge of Wal-Mart over the REIT deduction. The solution, he said, is not a petition to the Tax Appeals Commission but rather legislation to require combined reporting.
"For a state to not have combined reporting, and then to complain about strategies that are facilitated by a lack of combined reporting, is somewhat disingenuous," he said.
(Another example of 'polite-speak.')
In other words, DoR is seeking judicial-activist review--a common Lefty technique. What you cannot get from the duly-elected legislative body you seek from a Court. How do you know that? Look at the way it's framed by a LeftyLeggie, Joe Decker:
"It's just a fairness issue," he said. "Go down on Main Street - these businesses are being economically disadvantaged to these big corporations."
Well, Joe, if you pull back the blankets, I think you'll find otherwise. Should this succeed, a lot of Moms and Pops will look harder at doing business here.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has avoided millions of dollars in state taxes by paying rent on 87 Wisconsin properties in a way that the state Department of Revenue calls an "abuse and distortion of income."
DoR wants about $17.5 million through 2000.
The charges are unusually aggressive for the state's tax-collection agency, and the case is being closely watched by tax professionals.
That's polite business language for "WTF is the DoR DOING??"
Wal-Mart says it has not done anything wrong but is merely taking advantage of an overlap of state and federal tax laws: To reduce its taxes and costs, it sets up one subsidiary to run its stores and another subsidiary to own its real estate. The operating subsidiary pays rent to the real estate subsidiary and takes a tax deduction for the rent, even though that money eventually ends up in the corporation's own pocket.
Other companies use a similar technique, he said, although Wal-Mart is the only company fighting the state about it before the Tax Appeals Commission. In other states, companies including AutoZone Inc. of Memphis, Tenn., have fought similar cases.
LOTS of other companies use similar techniques. Many of them are "mom and pop" companies which are all over the State.
Even DarthDoyle (at least for publication) has his doubts about this:
Wal-Mart's use of the technique also is part of a larger Capitol debate over whether Wisconsin should modify its entire corporate income tax system by instituting "combined reporting." Under that system, all related companies file one income tax return. Now, all companies doing business in Wisconsin file their own returns, even if two or more of them are owned by a single parent company.
It is only because of this separate reporting status that the technique used by Wal-Mart works.
Decker and Senate Democrats have proposed combined reporting as part of the budget talks. But Gov. Jim Doyle, also a Democrat, opposes it, as does the Republican-dominated Assembly.
However, it's very, very, very hard to believe that DarthDoyle doesn't know about this lawsuit. A cynic (not me, of course) might think that Darth approved the action but retains "plausible deniability." Doyle appointed the Secretary of Revenue in January of this year. This is a high-profile large-dollar case with significant 'repercussion' effects.
Do you REALLY think ol' DarthDoyle was out of the loop on this one?
Here's how it works:
Wal-Mart sets up two subsidiaries - a company to run its stores, and another entity, called a real estate investment trust, to own the real estate they sit on.
The operating company pays rent to the REIT, taking the rent as a deduction and thus lowering its profits taxed by Wisconsin.
The REIT in turn pays the rent as part of a dividend to the parent company. The dividend is tax-free under state and federal law.
Another variation, more common, is for Mom and Pop to own the building and have the operating company, "Mom and Pop's Widget Factory" pay rent to Mom and Pop. If it's structured correctly, Mom and Pop's building depreciation, interest, and property-tax liabilities more than offset the rental income, minimizing Mom and Pop's income (thus, tax liability.)
Here's the payoff sentence:
States have usually lost their attacks on the REIT strategy elsewhere, said Michael Martens, a lawyer and certified public accountant. He is managing director of the UHY accounting firm in Boston and an expert in the cases.
Richard Pomp, a professor at the University of Connecticut Law School and an expert in state tax law, said he is surprised by Wisconsin's challenge of Wal-Mart over the REIT deduction. The solution, he said, is not a petition to the Tax Appeals Commission but rather legislation to require combined reporting.
"For a state to not have combined reporting, and then to complain about strategies that are facilitated by a lack of combined reporting, is somewhat disingenuous," he said.
(Another example of 'polite-speak.')
In other words, DoR is seeking judicial-activist review--a common Lefty technique. What you cannot get from the duly-elected legislative body you seek from a Court. How do you know that? Look at the way it's framed by a LeftyLeggie, Joe Decker:
"It's just a fairness issue," he said. "Go down on Main Street - these businesses are being economically disadvantaged to these big corporations."
Well, Joe, if you pull back the blankets, I think you'll find otherwise. Should this succeed, a lot of Moms and Pops will look harder at doing business here.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Dismal Data, Church Stuff
Way down there in the report discovered by the intrepid research of The Province-Master, we find some very unpleasant stuff.
For District 14, (near South Side of Milwaukee,) here are some numbers from 2002:
In 1988 there were 21 priests in the district. Now [2002] there are 14 a decline of 34%.
In 1988 there were 9 deacons. Now there are 8 – a decline of 12%.
In 1988 total parish membership was 16,440; in 2003 it was 24,801 – an increase of 51%.
In 1988 Mass attendance was 11,509 (70%); in 2002 it was 10,916 (44%) – a decline of 26
percentage points [or over 1/3rd, measured another way].
In District 4 (eastern Waukesha county),
In 1988 there were 30 priests in the district. Now there are 24, a decline of 20%.
In 1988 there were 9 deacons. Now there are 17, an increase of 89%.
In 1988 total parish membership was 67,065; in 2003 it is 73,918 – an increase of
10.2%.
In 1988 Mass attendance was 36,703 (54.7%); in 2002 it was 27,888 (37.7%) – a
decline of 17 percentage points. [Again, another way to put it is a ~23% decline.]
One interesting possibility is that "membership" numbers are inflated because parishes do not 'clean and jerk' their database too often.
Another possibility, somewhat grim, is that the numbers are dead-on accurate.
For District 14, (near South Side of Milwaukee,) here are some numbers from 2002:
In 1988 there were 21 priests in the district. Now [2002] there are 14 a decline of 34%.
In 1988 there were 9 deacons. Now there are 8 – a decline of 12%.
In 1988 total parish membership was 16,440; in 2003 it was 24,801 – an increase of 51%.
In 1988 Mass attendance was 11,509 (70%); in 2002 it was 10,916 (44%) – a decline of 26
percentage points [or over 1/3rd, measured another way].
In District 4 (eastern Waukesha county),
In 1988 there were 30 priests in the district. Now there are 24, a decline of 20%.
In 1988 there were 9 deacons. Now there are 17, an increase of 89%.
In 1988 total parish membership was 67,065; in 2003 it is 73,918 – an increase of
10.2%.
In 1988 Mass attendance was 36,703 (54.7%); in 2002 it was 27,888 (37.7%) – a
decline of 17 percentage points. [Again, another way to put it is a ~23% decline.]
One interesting possibility is that "membership" numbers are inflated because parishes do not 'clean and jerk' their database too often.
Another possibility, somewhat grim, is that the numbers are dead-on accurate.
American Common Sense
Heh.
...a poll conducted in the days after the Virginia Tech massacre found that the majority of Americans don't fully align themselves with either the pro- or anti-gun arguments.
The MSN-Zogby poll found that 59 percent of Americans do not believe stricter gun control policies would have prevented Cho Seung-Hui from killing 32 people and then himself in the worst shooting mass murder in America's history. The poll found that only 36 percent of those polled believe stronger gun control could have prevented the shootings.
This next graf has curious wording, to say the least:
Slightly more than half of those polled—54 percent—say that more guns would not stop killing sprees
....and it was used by the reporter to make the point that 'self-defense' gun purchases are not good, or something.
But the poll-evidence is overwhelming: DarthDoyle's head-in-sand (I'm polite today) anti-gun position is extreme, not mainstream.
August 2002: A new Zogby International poll showing that 75 percent of the American public believes the Second Amendment protects their individual right to keep and bear arms proves that gun ownership is a “mainstream value.”
April 2005: Asked whether they agreed or disagreed that banning guns would reduce the threat from terrorists, [they] disagreed by a margin of 75%.
Extreme Jim Doyle and his sidekick, Tommy Barrett, are simply out of mainstream thought patterns on the issue.
...a poll conducted in the days after the Virginia Tech massacre found that the majority of Americans don't fully align themselves with either the pro- or anti-gun arguments.
The MSN-Zogby poll found that 59 percent of Americans do not believe stricter gun control policies would have prevented Cho Seung-Hui from killing 32 people and then himself in the worst shooting mass murder in America's history. The poll found that only 36 percent of those polled believe stronger gun control could have prevented the shootings.
This next graf has curious wording, to say the least:
Slightly more than half of those polled—54 percent—say that more guns would not stop killing sprees
....and it was used by the reporter to make the point that 'self-defense' gun purchases are not good, or something.
But the poll-evidence is overwhelming: DarthDoyle's head-in-sand (I'm polite today) anti-gun position is extreme, not mainstream.
August 2002: A new Zogby International poll showing that 75 percent of the American public believes the Second Amendment protects their individual right to keep and bear arms proves that gun ownership is a “mainstream value.”
April 2005: Asked whether they agreed or disagreed that banning guns would reduce the threat from terrorists, [they] disagreed by a margin of 75%.
Extreme Jim Doyle and his sidekick, Tommy Barrett, are simply out of mainstream thought patterns on the issue.
Jury Duty Calls? Maybe Not
HT the "Proof and Hearsay" blog of JS.
Wisconsin residents are being warned not to give out personal information to people who may be posing as court officials.
In recent weeks, residents in three Wisconsin counties reported being asked for personal information by telephone callers accusing them of missing jury duty, said A. John Voelker, director of state courts.
The scam sometimes works because callers are fearful they may be in legal trouble, said Glen Loyd, a consumer affairs specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).
The best way to protect yourself from this scam is to remember that a legitimate request for jury-duty service will arrive by mail as a summons from the clerk of circuit court in the county in which you live, Voelker said.
Many counties allow jurors to respond to juror questionnaires online, and a legitimate questionnaire will include instructions on how to do so through the clerk of circuit court’s Web site. Clerks may also follow up with phone calls, but initial contact regarding jury duty will not be made by e-mail or telephone, Voelker said
You've been warned. End of PSA.
Wisconsin residents are being warned not to give out personal information to people who may be posing as court officials.
In recent weeks, residents in three Wisconsin counties reported being asked for personal information by telephone callers accusing them of missing jury duty, said A. John Voelker, director of state courts.
The scam sometimes works because callers are fearful they may be in legal trouble, said Glen Loyd, a consumer affairs specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).
The best way to protect yourself from this scam is to remember that a legitimate request for jury-duty service will arrive by mail as a summons from the clerk of circuit court in the county in which you live, Voelker said.
Many counties allow jurors to respond to juror questionnaires online, and a legitimate questionnaire will include instructions on how to do so through the clerk of circuit court’s Web site. Clerks may also follow up with phone calls, but initial contact regarding jury duty will not be made by e-mail or telephone, Voelker said
You've been warned. End of PSA.
McIlheran Says "Flee." Williams Says "Vigilante Them!"
There's a kerfuffle going between Mike Mathias, Rick Esenberg, and P-Mac.
All because P-Mac suggested that "fleeing" the City of Milwaukee is an option for those who don't like the level of violence accompanied by the level of taxation. (Two highs make--what--a low?)
P-Mac is a gentle soul compared to Walter Williams.
The high victimization rate experienced by the overwhelmingly law-abiding black community is mostly the result of predators not having to pay a heavy enough price for their behavior. They benefit from all kinds of asinine excuses, such as poverty, racial discrimination and few employment opportunities.
...So here's the question: Should black people accept government's dereliction of its first basic function, that of providing protection? My answer is no. One of our basic rights is the right to defend oneself against predators. If the government can't or won't protect people, people have a right to protect themselves.
You say, "Hey, Williams, you're not talking about vigilantism, are you?" Yes, I am. Webster's Dictionary defines vigilantism as: a volunteer committee organized to suppress and punish crime summarily as when the processes of law are viewed as inadequate.
Example: A number of years ago, Black Muslims began to patrol Mayfair, a drug-infested, gang-ridden Washington, D.C., housing project. The gangs and drug lords left, probably because the Black Muslims didn't feel obliged to issue Miranda warnings. Black men should set up neighborhood patrols, armed if necessary, and if politicians and police don't like it, they should do their jobs. No one should have to live in daily fear for their lives and safety.
All because P-Mac suggested that "fleeing" the City of Milwaukee is an option for those who don't like the level of violence accompanied by the level of taxation. (Two highs make--what--a low?)
P-Mac is a gentle soul compared to Walter Williams.
The high victimization rate experienced by the overwhelmingly law-abiding black community is mostly the result of predators not having to pay a heavy enough price for their behavior. They benefit from all kinds of asinine excuses, such as poverty, racial discrimination and few employment opportunities.
...So here's the question: Should black people accept government's dereliction of its first basic function, that of providing protection? My answer is no. One of our basic rights is the right to defend oneself against predators. If the government can't or won't protect people, people have a right to protect themselves.
You say, "Hey, Williams, you're not talking about vigilantism, are you?" Yes, I am. Webster's Dictionary defines vigilantism as: a volunteer committee organized to suppress and punish crime summarily as when the processes of law are viewed as inadequate.
Example: A number of years ago, Black Muslims began to patrol Mayfair, a drug-infested, gang-ridden Washington, D.C., housing project. The gangs and drug lords left, probably because the Black Muslims didn't feel obliged to issue Miranda warnings. Black men should set up neighborhood patrols, armed if necessary, and if politicians and police don't like it, they should do their jobs. No one should have to live in daily fear for their lives and safety.
P-Mac's "flee" is not without a few caveats:
If you don't buy the premises - the taxes are well spent, proximity yields harmony, the do-gooders know what they're doing - then another course would make sense: Flee
This is why reducing crime comes first. All the other disputes hinge on it. It is the first public good, necessarily done in common
People do not leave an area merely for tax reasons, otherwise Wisconsin's population would have decreased significantly over the last 10+ years. But people WILL leave an area which offers both high personal or family risk of violence AND high taxes.
When both less crime AND less taxes are packaged neatly into one offering, it's not difficult to make the move.
Malkin Misses Half of the Elephant in the Room
Michelle Malkin sees the calls for "housing bailouts" as consumer-directed.
Well, yah, maybe.
But in fact, stuffing Fannie and Freddie with "jumbo" (>$417K mortgages) is not just "bailing out the consumers." Forcing Fannie and Freddie to take on more than $700Bn in paper is not "bailing out the consumers."
In fact, migrating lousy paper into taxpayer-backed quasi-Gummint agencies is also ....
....ta da.....
BAILING OUT BEAR STEARNS, LEHMANN BROTHERS, BANK of AMERICA, and all sorts of "investors" who purchased high-yield CDO bonds (we used to call high-yield bonds "junk," remember?).
Folks, this doesn't take a lot of intellectual firepower, and I've been saying this since the subprime mess first started ooozing out of Bear Stearns' closet. Dodd of CT. is a very well-connected major player in this. Watch what HE says and does, and for whom.
The propaganda will be ferocious--just don't forget who's going to pay. Need a hint?
T-A-X-P-A-Y-E-R-S.
Well, yah, maybe.
But in fact, stuffing Fannie and Freddie with "jumbo" (>$417K mortgages) is not just "bailing out the consumers." Forcing Fannie and Freddie to take on more than $700Bn in paper is not "bailing out the consumers."
In fact, migrating lousy paper into taxpayer-backed quasi-Gummint agencies is also ....
....ta da.....
BAILING OUT BEAR STEARNS, LEHMANN BROTHERS, BANK of AMERICA, and all sorts of "investors" who purchased high-yield CDO bonds (we used to call high-yield bonds "junk," remember?).
Folks, this doesn't take a lot of intellectual firepower, and I've been saying this since the subprime mess first started ooozing out of Bear Stearns' closet. Dodd of CT. is a very well-connected major player in this. Watch what HE says and does, and for whom.
The propaganda will be ferocious--just don't forget who's going to pay. Need a hint?
T-A-X-P-A-Y-E-R-S.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Mass Non-Attendance
The play on words was gruesome--what makes it worse is that it's true.
The indefatigable researcher at the Province found the numbers, and they are not too good.
As a percentage of registered members, average Mass attendance:
St. Dominic's 38%; St John Vianney 33%; St Mary Elm Grove 33%; St Luke's, 41%.
St. Anthony 9th/Mitchell: 144%, which is likely some kinda glitch... St Josaphat, 52%, St Maximilian Kolbe 71% (but a small parish registration...)
There are other numbers available at the link to the Province...
The indefatigable researcher at the Province found the numbers, and they are not too good.
As a percentage of registered members, average Mass attendance:
St. Dominic's 38%; St John Vianney 33%; St Mary Elm Grove 33%; St Luke's, 41%.
St. Anthony 9th/Mitchell: 144%, which is likely some kinda glitch... St Josaphat, 52%, St Maximilian Kolbe 71% (but a small parish registration...)
There are other numbers available at the link to the Province...
Abp. Dolan's Statement on the West Bend Poncho Lady
Regrettably, Abp. Dolan has not MADE a statement on the faux-ordination (technically, it's called an "attempted" ordination, IIRC) of the moonbat from West Bend.
But if he wants to, a wonderful lady from Boston has prepared one for him (and Abp. Vlazny of Oregon, too.)
Last Friday (August 17, 2007), the [newspaper] irresponsibly, stupidly, ignorantly, and—this ticked me off most of all, by the way—gushingly "reported" a story that is, was, and ever shall be a flat out lie.
Let's be clear, folks. [Wisconsin], or any other state, city, township, burg, village, country, continent, or even suburb does not have a "woman Roman Catholic priest." You got that? Good. Let's continue.
What I should've done was squelch this imbecilic idea as soon as it happened. I didn't. My lame excuse was something silly like "the respect for those involved in the ceremony" but now I realize that this is just plain old crapola. My job is to get people to Heaven...not to give a bleep about "feelings." Sheesh, I feel—and probably rightly so—like a jerk.
But so be it.
Get this, lambs o' mine, and get it straight:
No Catholic was involved in the ceremony at [wherever] on July 28. Did you get that? NO CATHOLIC WAS INVOLVED.
Why do I say this?
Because if a former Catholic went willingly into this charade, he or she willingly said "bye bye" to the Church by participating in it. Period.
Incidentally. While not opposed to "ecumenical relationships" between the True Church and our fallen away brethren (and if you think for one bleeping minute I'm going to add the word "sisthren" you can jolly well think again, sis) I'm frankly really ticked off at the... folk. You guys know what our dogma is and if you don't then you ought to.
By allowing this circus to take place on your turf, you deliberately and maliciously slapped the Roman Catholic Church in the face. Were I a less charitable man, I would pray that your next three-bean-salad-covered-dish event be assaulted by roaches. But I digress.
Folks, my spokesman (yeah, she's a woman, but I hate this bleeping PC crap) gave the [newspaper] a few rather limp reasons why we're not recognizing this heresy. One thing she forgot to mention was that it is a heresy. Couple of other points, in case you're interested and you'd damn well better be.
Christ is the bridegroom of the Church. Read your Bibles! For Heaven's sake (and I mean this literally) He must've compared the Church to a bride umpteen times. A priest acts ad persona Christi (and for those of you in my flock, that means "in the Person of Christ") and—well, duh!—guess what? A bridegroom is by definition a male and I don't give a bleep what they tell you in Massachusetts, do you get that? Good. Try to remember it, and if you can, tell your friends.
My main purpose in speaking up now is really simple: some people are trying to destroy the Church founded by Jesus Christ. They won't succeed, of course—again, check out your Bible—but they just well might prevent you folks from making it into Heaven. And I cannot stand still for that.
I'm sorry the lady and her lady supporters and her guy supporters have decided to leave the Church, and I pray they come back. Hell, I'll do anything to get them back...anything short compromising the Church.
Sorry, by the way, but I can't be John-nice-guy and prattle all about the mutual respect of all "Christian" communities, yada-yada-yada. I love ya, guys, but at this moment you folks at Zion United "Church" of Christ and you folks at the Episcopal "church" who are letting this lamb of mine "celebrate" her "Mass" are deserving of nothing less than my active contempt. Like I say, I love ya, but sometimes tough love is called for.And now hear this:You guys who aided and abetted this lady into leaving the Church of Jesus? And you, lady, you who think you've got so much support? Listen good. I'm after you all. I pledge to do my utmost to bring ALL of you back into the Roman Catholic Church, God willing.And I ask for the prayers of the people of the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, to join me in praying for this to come about.
Thank you, and may God bless you.
Wanna bet a $100 million fund-drive that you won't hear this in Milwaukee?
But if he wants to, a wonderful lady from Boston has prepared one for him (and Abp. Vlazny of Oregon, too.)
Last Friday (August 17, 2007), the [newspaper] irresponsibly, stupidly, ignorantly, and—this ticked me off most of all, by the way—gushingly "reported" a story that is, was, and ever shall be a flat out lie.
Let's be clear, folks. [Wisconsin], or any other state, city, township, burg, village, country, continent, or even suburb does not have a "woman Roman Catholic priest." You got that? Good. Let's continue.
What I should've done was squelch this imbecilic idea as soon as it happened. I didn't. My lame excuse was something silly like "the respect for those involved in the ceremony" but now I realize that this is just plain old crapola. My job is to get people to Heaven...not to give a bleep about "feelings." Sheesh, I feel—and probably rightly so—like a jerk.
But so be it.
Get this, lambs o' mine, and get it straight:
No Catholic was involved in the ceremony at [wherever] on July 28. Did you get that? NO CATHOLIC WAS INVOLVED.
Why do I say this?
Because if a former Catholic went willingly into this charade, he or she willingly said "bye bye" to the Church by participating in it. Period.
Incidentally. While not opposed to "ecumenical relationships" between the True Church and our fallen away brethren (and if you think for one bleeping minute I'm going to add the word "sisthren" you can jolly well think again, sis) I'm frankly really ticked off at the... folk. You guys know what our dogma is and if you don't then you ought to.
By allowing this circus to take place on your turf, you deliberately and maliciously slapped the Roman Catholic Church in the face. Were I a less charitable man, I would pray that your next three-bean-salad-covered-dish event be assaulted by roaches. But I digress.
Folks, my spokesman (yeah, she's a woman, but I hate this bleeping PC crap) gave the [newspaper] a few rather limp reasons why we're not recognizing this heresy. One thing she forgot to mention was that it is a heresy. Couple of other points, in case you're interested and you'd damn well better be.
Christ is the bridegroom of the Church. Read your Bibles! For Heaven's sake (and I mean this literally) He must've compared the Church to a bride umpteen times. A priest acts ad persona Christi (and for those of you in my flock, that means "in the Person of Christ") and—well, duh!—guess what? A bridegroom is by definition a male and I don't give a bleep what they tell you in Massachusetts, do you get that? Good. Try to remember it, and if you can, tell your friends.
My main purpose in speaking up now is really simple: some people are trying to destroy the Church founded by Jesus Christ. They won't succeed, of course—again, check out your Bible—but they just well might prevent you folks from making it into Heaven. And I cannot stand still for that.
I'm sorry the lady and her lady supporters and her guy supporters have decided to leave the Church, and I pray they come back. Hell, I'll do anything to get them back...anything short compromising the Church.
Sorry, by the way, but I can't be John-nice-guy and prattle all about the mutual respect of all "Christian" communities, yada-yada-yada. I love ya, guys, but at this moment you folks at Zion United "Church" of Christ and you folks at the Episcopal "church" who are letting this lamb of mine "celebrate" her "Mass" are deserving of nothing less than my active contempt. Like I say, I love ya, but sometimes tough love is called for.And now hear this:You guys who aided and abetted this lady into leaving the Church of Jesus? And you, lady, you who think you've got so much support? Listen good. I'm after you all. I pledge to do my utmost to bring ALL of you back into the Roman Catholic Church, God willing.And I ask for the prayers of the people of the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, to join me in praying for this to come about.
Thank you, and may God bless you.
Wanna bet a $100 million fund-drive that you won't hear this in Milwaukee?
40 Days, 40 Nights of Prayer
Got this announcement:
Starting on September 26th and for 40 days afterwards until November 4th, pro-lifers will be holding prayer vigils outside of abortion centers in over 80 communities throughout the country. Here in Wisconsin, we will be praying outside of all 5 abortion centers, 24 hours a day during these same 40 days. (Madison, Grand Chute, Green Bay, and both Milwaukee abortion centers).
Worth the time and effort. Here's the Wisconsin link.
Starting on September 26th and for 40 days afterwards until November 4th, pro-lifers will be holding prayer vigils outside of abortion centers in over 80 communities throughout the country. Here in Wisconsin, we will be praying outside of all 5 abortion centers, 24 hours a day during these same 40 days. (Madison, Grand Chute, Green Bay, and both Milwaukee abortion centers).
Worth the time and effort. Here's the Wisconsin link.
Kafka Redux
Wolfesblog reviews the best foreign film of the year.
Representative dialog:
Prisoner: Why am I here? I haven't done anything wrong!
Interrogator: Prisoner 226, surely you don't believe the German Democratic Republic would arrest anyone arbitrarily, without cause? ... Why, merely believing such a ridiculous thing would be grounds for your imprisonment.
Now let's talk about traffic-blockades for the purpose of, perhaps, finding one drunken driver.
Representative dialog:
Prisoner: Why am I here? I haven't done anything wrong!
Interrogator: Prisoner 226, surely you don't believe the German Democratic Republic would arrest anyone arbitrarily, without cause? ... Why, merely believing such a ridiculous thing would be grounds for your imprisonment.
Now let's talk about traffic-blockades for the purpose of, perhaps, finding one drunken driver.
Who's Your Daddy?
Texas Hold'Em quotes Rowen with approval (!!!)
There is no shortage of major state road projects on the horizon.
Among the largest scheduled is the expansion of U.S. Highway 41 in northeastern Wisconsin, where the Winnebago County section alone carries an estimated cost of $337.5 million. Further expansion of the road in Brown County will run an additional $379 million, while expanding the northern leg from Oconto to Peshtigo with two bypasses was last estimated at $132.6 million.
All combined, the Highway 41 expansion has a higher price tag than the $810 million Marquette Interchange project.
Anyone who's driven 41 north knows that the road is crawling with unmanageable traffic jams, falling apart at the seams. And we all know about the imminent 6,000% population increase for Northern Wisconsin, right?
Rowen correctly points a finger at former Assembly Speaker John Gard (a fellow whose ambition is truly Shakespearean), seconded by Tex--and Tex mentions the RoadBuilder Whore of the (20th) Century, Tommy Thompson.
Then Tex mentions a couple of Honorable Mention RoadBuilder Whores:
The driving force were two big-spending RINO’s in the pockets of the Road Builders, Rep. Mark Gottlieb and Sen. Dan Kapanke.
Where's that $800 million coming from?
That's for the Legislature to know and for you to find out.
There is no shortage of major state road projects on the horizon.
Among the largest scheduled is the expansion of U.S. Highway 41 in northeastern Wisconsin, where the Winnebago County section alone carries an estimated cost of $337.5 million. Further expansion of the road in Brown County will run an additional $379 million, while expanding the northern leg from Oconto to Peshtigo with two bypasses was last estimated at $132.6 million.
All combined, the Highway 41 expansion has a higher price tag than the $810 million Marquette Interchange project.
Anyone who's driven 41 north knows that the road is crawling with unmanageable traffic jams, falling apart at the seams. And we all know about the imminent 6,000% population increase for Northern Wisconsin, right?
Rowen correctly points a finger at former Assembly Speaker John Gard (a fellow whose ambition is truly Shakespearean), seconded by Tex--and Tex mentions the RoadBuilder Whore of the (20th) Century, Tommy Thompson.
Then Tex mentions a couple of Honorable Mention RoadBuilder Whores:
The driving force were two big-spending RINO’s in the pockets of the Road Builders, Rep. Mark Gottlieb and Sen. Dan Kapanke.
Where's that $800 million coming from?
That's for the Legislature to know and for you to find out.
Rumors: Sensenbrenner to Retire
Published in the recent Human Events was the rumor that Jim Sensenbrenner will retire from the House.
Expect a lot more "visibility" events for a number of folks, like Kanavas.
Expect a lot more "visibility" events for a number of folks, like Kanavas.
The Exempt Pollution Dumper
While BP backs away from putting more ammonia into Lake Michigan, the City of Chicago continues to hold its Midwest Championship Crap-Flusher record.
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that the Chicago area is permitted to discharge 243,000 pounds a day; because that city reversed the flow of its namesake river more than 100 years ago, though, the stuff typically doesn't flow into Lake Michigan. The Chicago River ultimately flows into the Mississippi River, also a drinking water source for millions of people.
Draining Lake Michigan while pushing 120 tons/day of crap over to Missouri.
The City that Works!
Count up Illinois delegates to Congress and guess whether that will ever change. You get zero credit if you use any word OTHER than "never."
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that the Chicago area is permitted to discharge 243,000 pounds a day; because that city reversed the flow of its namesake river more than 100 years ago, though, the stuff typically doesn't flow into Lake Michigan. The Chicago River ultimately flows into the Mississippi River, also a drinking water source for millions of people.
Draining Lake Michigan while pushing 120 tons/day of crap over to Missouri.
The City that Works!
Count up Illinois delegates to Congress and guess whether that will ever change. You get zero credit if you use any word OTHER than "never."
Groundwork's Laid: More Taxes Coming
You'll read about the City of Milwaukee's horrendous street-replacement numbers at the top of the story.
But you only get the "Tax Increase Coming" part way at the bottom.
The street and alley replacement figures are a new feature of Morics' fourth annual report comparing spending and taxes in Milwaukee to nine similar U.S. cities. But unlike the other sections of the report, the comptroller doesn't offer a comparison of how well the other cities are keeping up with their infrastructure demands. That's partly because the other cities don't have solid data on that score, and partly because differences in climate have a major impact on how long streets and alleys last, Morics said.
As in the past, the comparison report found that total city taxes, user fees and city spending are all lower per capita in Milwaukee than in most similar cities.
Although Milwaukee ranks fourth in property taxes, at $377 a person, it comes in last in total taxes, because every other city studied also levies sales, income, vehicle or utility taxes, the report notes. For example, Cincinnati ranks sixth in property taxes, at $205 a person, but first in total taxes, at $1,327 a person.
Somehow or other, the report doesn't mention State income taxes or State sales taxes.
In addition, the report doesn't mention the level of State taxpayer support given to the other cities in Morics' study. Perhaps Morics noted that--and perhaps not.
Can you spell "groundwork"?
But you only get the "Tax Increase Coming" part way at the bottom.
The street and alley replacement figures are a new feature of Morics' fourth annual report comparing spending and taxes in Milwaukee to nine similar U.S. cities. But unlike the other sections of the report, the comptroller doesn't offer a comparison of how well the other cities are keeping up with their infrastructure demands. That's partly because the other cities don't have solid data on that score, and partly because differences in climate have a major impact on how long streets and alleys last, Morics said.
As in the past, the comparison report found that total city taxes, user fees and city spending are all lower per capita in Milwaukee than in most similar cities.
Although Milwaukee ranks fourth in property taxes, at $377 a person, it comes in last in total taxes, because every other city studied also levies sales, income, vehicle or utility taxes, the report notes. For example, Cincinnati ranks sixth in property taxes, at $205 a person, but first in total taxes, at $1,327 a person.
Somehow or other, the report doesn't mention State income taxes or State sales taxes.
In addition, the report doesn't mention the level of State taxpayer support given to the other cities in Morics' study. Perhaps Morics noted that--and perhaps not.
Can you spell "groundwork"?
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Fr. Reesman, The Tavern, and GKChesterton
Belling has formally promoted Fr. Nathan Reesman to "pastor" of St. Mary's/Elm Grove during his afternoon talk show. Nice of him, and one hopes that Fr. Pakenham doesn't notice.
Fr. Reesman is running an informal catechetics session in a local tavern, which met the approval of most callers and of Belling. Nice of him.
None of the callers, nor Belling, got to the core of the issue, but Chesterton did.
Comradeship and serious joy are not interludes in our travel; but . . .rather our travels are interludes in comradeship and joy, which through God shall endure for ever. The inn does not point to the road; the road points to the inn. And all roads point at last to an ultimate inn, where we shall meet Dickens and all his characters; and when we drink again it shall be from the great flagons in the tavern at the end of the world.
GKC understood catechetics; more, he understood life.
Fr. Reesman is running an informal catechetics session in a local tavern, which met the approval of most callers and of Belling. Nice of him.
None of the callers, nor Belling, got to the core of the issue, but Chesterton did.
Comradeship and serious joy are not interludes in our travel; but . . .rather our travels are interludes in comradeship and joy, which through God shall endure for ever. The inn does not point to the road; the road points to the inn. And all roads point at last to an ultimate inn, where we shall meet Dickens and all his characters; and when we drink again it shall be from the great flagons in the tavern at the end of the world.
GKC understood catechetics; more, he understood life.
Pro-Life Wisconsin Seeks Retraction of Defamation by Planned Parenthood
This could become very interesting.
Pro-Life Wisconsin is asking NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin (NARAL) and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (PPAW) to retract and correct false and defamatory statements published and aired about the organization and its executive director, Peggy Hamill. The statements expressly name Pro-Life Wisconsin and Peggy Hamill as attendees and celebrants of a July 28 event in Milwaukee organized to commemorate Paul Hill’s 1994 murder of a Florida abortionist including a reenactment of the day of the murder and a memorial honoring Hill.
...“The statements that I was present or participated in the event as well as their interpretation that I or Pro-Life Wisconsin approve of or condone murder are totally false and defamatory,” said Hamill.
...Mrs. Hamill and her husband were near the abortion mill earlier in the day, their personal van parked around on a side street, praying the rosary on behalf of the babies, as is their custom every Saturday. They intentionally left the area well in advance, to avoid the re-enactment event, and by the time it was scheduled, 11:00 a.m. , they were miles away.
“PPAW even went so far as to shoot a video of me praying the rosary well before the reenactment event began and then splice it into their video of the event to make it appear as if I were a participant,” said Hamill. “Such action cannot be passed off as a mistake, but rather a calculated effort to smear my name and that of my organization. This shameful deceit deserves an apology.
Proving again that 'what you see ain't necessarily what actually happened.'
PP should "man up" and apologize for their action.
Pro-Life Wisconsin is asking NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin (NARAL) and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (PPAW) to retract and correct false and defamatory statements published and aired about the organization and its executive director, Peggy Hamill. The statements expressly name Pro-Life Wisconsin and Peggy Hamill as attendees and celebrants of a July 28 event in Milwaukee organized to commemorate Paul Hill’s 1994 murder of a Florida abortionist including a reenactment of the day of the murder and a memorial honoring Hill.
...“The statements that I was present or participated in the event as well as their interpretation that I or Pro-Life Wisconsin approve of or condone murder are totally false and defamatory,” said Hamill.
...Mrs. Hamill and her husband were near the abortion mill earlier in the day, their personal van parked around on a side street, praying the rosary on behalf of the babies, as is their custom every Saturday. They intentionally left the area well in advance, to avoid the re-enactment event, and by the time it was scheduled, 11:00 a.m. , they were miles away.
“PPAW even went so far as to shoot a video of me praying the rosary well before the reenactment event began and then splice it into their video of the event to make it appear as if I were a participant,” said Hamill. “Such action cannot be passed off as a mistake, but rather a calculated effort to smear my name and that of my organization. This shameful deceit deserves an apology.
Proving again that 'what you see ain't necessarily what actually happened.'
PP should "man up" and apologize for their action.
Cambodia and Truth
Folkbum has a guest opinion up this morning which maintains that the US pulled the rug out from under the licit government of Sihonouk, (thus) allowing Pol Pot to do his thing--which was killing around 2 million Cambodians.
Really?
Here's what William Shawcross has to say (see asterisk, P. 57) quoted by Schoenfield:
"[T]hose of us who opposed the American
war in Indochina should be extremely humble
in the face of the appalling aftermath: a
form of genocide in Cambodia and horrific
tyranny in both Vietnam and Laos. Looking
back on my own coverage for the [London]
Sunday Times of the South Vietnamese war
effort of 1970-75, I think I concentrated too
easily on the corruption and incompetence
of the South Vietnamese and their American
allies, was too ignorant of the inhuman
Hanoi regime, and far too willing to believe
that a victory by the Communists would provide
a better future."
And in Schoenfield's analysis:
it
cannot be emphasized enough that,
as Kissinger acknowledges only in
passing in this volume, any chance
the United States had to ensure the
survival of Cambodia and South
Vietnam was destroyed by the Watergate
burglary and the subsequent
efforts to cover it up. Nixon's petty
decisions in the Watergate affair not
only lost him his own tenure in office
and divided our own country
but ended up costing the lives of
millions in faraway lands, men and
women like Sirik Matak whose only
mistake had been to take America at
its word.
Which is to say, it was Dick Nixon and/or the Congressional and popular reaction to his vain and petty actions.
Contrast Folkbum:
To claim that the murderous regime of Pol Pot from 1975 to 1979 happened because the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam does not stand up to any scrutiny.
So I suppose that one can take the word of "Bert" or the opinion of Kissinger and Schoenfield.
Doh.
Really?
Here's what William Shawcross has to say (see asterisk, P. 57) quoted by Schoenfield:
"[T]hose of us who opposed the American
war in Indochina should be extremely humble
in the face of the appalling aftermath: a
form of genocide in Cambodia and horrific
tyranny in both Vietnam and Laos. Looking
back on my own coverage for the [London]
Sunday Times of the South Vietnamese war
effort of 1970-75, I think I concentrated too
easily on the corruption and incompetence
of the South Vietnamese and their American
allies, was too ignorant of the inhuman
Hanoi regime, and far too willing to believe
that a victory by the Communists would provide
a better future."
And in Schoenfield's analysis:
it
cannot be emphasized enough that,
as Kissinger acknowledges only in
passing in this volume, any chance
the United States had to ensure the
survival of Cambodia and South
Vietnam was destroyed by the Watergate
burglary and the subsequent
efforts to cover it up. Nixon's petty
decisions in the Watergate affair not
only lost him his own tenure in office
and divided our own country
but ended up costing the lives of
millions in faraway lands, men and
women like Sirik Matak whose only
mistake had been to take America at
its word.
Which is to say, it was Dick Nixon and/or the Congressional and popular reaction to his vain and petty actions.
Contrast Folkbum:
To claim that the murderous regime of Pol Pot from 1975 to 1979 happened because the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam does not stand up to any scrutiny.
So I suppose that one can take the word of "Bert" or the opinion of Kissinger and Schoenfield.
Doh.
Doyle and Rudee, Sittin' in a Tree
Which one, DarthDoyle, or Rudy Giuliani, said this about gun restrictions?
So if you're talking about a city..., a densely populated area..., I think it's appropriate. You might have different laws other places, and maybe a lot of this gets resolved based on different states, different communities making decisions.
Yup. That was Rudy. Later, he used the only legitimate justification:
After all, we do have a federal system of government in which you have the ability to accomplish that.
Federalism, of course, is another way to phrase 'the Principle of subsidiarity.'
At some point in time, the limits of that principle have to be discussed in practical terms. As others have mentioned, a complete ban on "having a handgun" in the City of Milwaukee will have practical consequences; someone traveling from (say) Mequon to (say) Racine with an unloaded handgun in the trunk would be in violation of a "complete ban."
Hmmmmm.
At some point, the right to self-defense must trump "local preferences."
Hmmmmm.
HT: Lott
So if you're talking about a city..., a densely populated area..., I think it's appropriate. You might have different laws other places, and maybe a lot of this gets resolved based on different states, different communities making decisions.
Yup. That was Rudy. Later, he used the only legitimate justification:
After all, we do have a federal system of government in which you have the ability to accomplish that.
Federalism, of course, is another way to phrase 'the Principle of subsidiarity.'
At some point in time, the limits of that principle have to be discussed in practical terms. As others have mentioned, a complete ban on "having a handgun" in the City of Milwaukee will have practical consequences; someone traveling from (say) Mequon to (say) Racine with an unloaded handgun in the trunk would be in violation of a "complete ban."
Hmmmmm.
At some point, the right to self-defense must trump "local preferences."
Hmmmmm.
HT: Lott
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Louisiana Dems Go For the Know-Nothing Vote
The Democrat Party of Louisiana has lifted its skirts (so to speak), and attacked the (R) candidate, Bobby Jindal, with an appeal to anti-Catholicism.
But wouldn't you know it, the Louisiana Democratic Party is trying to stir up the Know-Nothings in north Louisiana, where a lot of fundamentalist Protestants live, against Jindal. A Baton Rouge reader even sent me a link to this website, where some of Jindal's writings a decade ago as a newish Catholic convert can be read -- with an eye toward freaking out conservative Protestants.
Jindal left his birth-faith of Hinduism for the Catholic faith in his 20's.
It is astounding that the Democrat Party itself is supporting and propagating this revolting tactic. But I'm not terribly surprised.
Also see the Catholic League's response here.
HT: Dreher
But wouldn't you know it, the Louisiana Democratic Party is trying to stir up the Know-Nothings in north Louisiana, where a lot of fundamentalist Protestants live, against Jindal. A Baton Rouge reader even sent me a link to this website, where some of Jindal's writings a decade ago as a newish Catholic convert can be read -- with an eye toward freaking out conservative Protestants.
Jindal left his birth-faith of Hinduism for the Catholic faith in his 20's.
It is astounding that the Democrat Party itself is supporting and propagating this revolting tactic. But I'm not terribly surprised.
Also see the Catholic League's response here.
HT: Dreher
Cash Gridlock?
Kasriel of Northern Trust has an interesting series of charts and numbers in a commentary which portends the possibility that Cash Will Be King in the very near future.
As prelude, recall that mortgage financing is becoming difficult to obtain, and that Kasriel's analysis indicates that households have been net sellers of equities over the past few years. Further, he postulates that corporations have been the buyers of those equities, by "retiring stock." (There are some "if" and "however" clauses in the newsletter which deserve attention.)
...the entities to which households have been primarily selling corporate equities – the corporations themselves and private-equity syndicates – have been relying on relatively cheap credit to finance these buybacks and buyouts. But as Chart 12 shows, corporate credit is getting more expensive as bond investors become more risk averse. If this bond-market risk aversion persists and/or increases, it could sharply curtail stock buybacks and corporation buyouts. This, in turn, would reduce a source of funding of household deficit spending – household net sales of corporate equities.
So we have the possibility that: 1) Mortgage-equity loans will be hard to get; and 2) selling equities will become difficult.
Where's the cash coming from?
Source: Econtrarian (click on August 13 issue.)
As prelude, recall that mortgage financing is becoming difficult to obtain, and that Kasriel's analysis indicates that households have been net sellers of equities over the past few years. Further, he postulates that corporations have been the buyers of those equities, by "retiring stock." (There are some "if" and "however" clauses in the newsletter which deserve attention.)
...the entities to which households have been primarily selling corporate equities – the corporations themselves and private-equity syndicates – have been relying on relatively cheap credit to finance these buybacks and buyouts. But as Chart 12 shows, corporate credit is getting more expensive as bond investors become more risk averse. If this bond-market risk aversion persists and/or increases, it could sharply curtail stock buybacks and corporation buyouts. This, in turn, would reduce a source of funding of household deficit spending – household net sales of corporate equities.
So we have the possibility that: 1) Mortgage-equity loans will be hard to get; and 2) selling equities will become difficult.
Where's the cash coming from?
Source: Econtrarian (click on August 13 issue.)
Health and Safety Standards? Not for Planned Parenthood!
Well, lemmeeseeheah, folks.
Planned Parenthood, your friendly local abortuary business, is SUING the State of Missouri so that their clinics will be exempt from a law requiring that they observe "basic health and safety standards" in operating their clinics.
Uh huh.
So there's irony, of course. PP has never been concerned about the health and safety of unborn babies...
But what about the Moms?
Georgette Forney, co-founder of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, a national network of women and men harmed by abortion, says Planned Parenthood should be more concerned about the health of women.
"Planned Parenthood claims that if it had to meet basic safety requirements for outpatient clinics, two of its abortion centers would go out of business," she told LifeNews.com.
"That speaks volumes not only about the conditions of those clinics, but also Planned Parenthood's concern for the well being of the women it claims to serve," Forney added.
I happen to know that a couple of Leggies read this blogsite. Out of curiosity, does the State of Wisconsin require "basic health and safety" standards for Planned Parenthood clinics in this State?
HT: RedState
Planned Parenthood, your friendly local abortuary business, is SUING the State of Missouri so that their clinics will be exempt from a law requiring that they observe "basic health and safety standards" in operating their clinics.
Uh huh.
So there's irony, of course. PP has never been concerned about the health and safety of unborn babies...
But what about the Moms?
Georgette Forney, co-founder of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, a national network of women and men harmed by abortion, says Planned Parenthood should be more concerned about the health of women.
"Planned Parenthood claims that if it had to meet basic safety requirements for outpatient clinics, two of its abortion centers would go out of business," she told LifeNews.com.
"That speaks volumes not only about the conditions of those clinics, but also Planned Parenthood's concern for the well being of the women it claims to serve," Forney added.
I happen to know that a couple of Leggies read this blogsite. Out of curiosity, does the State of Wisconsin require "basic health and safety" standards for Planned Parenthood clinics in this State?
HT: RedState
Will Socialized Medicine Cure Iatrogenesis?
Hah.
Got ya there, eh?
[Iatrogenesis, with] 225,000 deaths per year constitutes the third leading cause of death in the United States, after deaths from heart disease and cancer. Also, there is a wide margin between these numbers of deaths and the next leading cause of death (cerebrovascular disease).
The answer to the question: Socialized medicine WILL reduce iatrogenesis.
See the link to Wiki to figure out why, and a big HT to Arms and the Law.
Got ya there, eh?
[Iatrogenesis, with] 225,000 deaths per year constitutes the third leading cause of death in the United States, after deaths from heart disease and cancer. Also, there is a wide margin between these numbers of deaths and the next leading cause of death (cerebrovascular disease).
The answer to the question: Socialized medicine WILL reduce iatrogenesis.
See the link to Wiki to figure out why, and a big HT to Arms and the Law.
The Mortgage Mess
A quick note:
As mortgage lenders tighten underwriting standards and home prices fall, Bank of America analysts estimated that 40% of home buyers who got a mortgage in 2006 probably wouldn't qualify for a home loan now.
That's a lot of houses, hey.
Lack of mortgage availability will mean demand for new homes could fall 35% in 2007, the analysts said. That's bigger than the 20% drop they were predicting earlier this year when subprime problems emerged. New-home sales could fall as low as 700,000 a year, down from 1.283 million in 2005, they said, noting that traffic at real estate agents is down sharply in August. ...
The dwindling supply of home loans will also crimp remodeling activity, Oppenheim and colleagues said. Remodeling could drop by 20%
So if you're heavy on Loew's and Home Depot, it's time to review the portfolio.
More at the link; Calculated Risk did the HT homework.
As mortgage lenders tighten underwriting standards and home prices fall, Bank of America analysts estimated that 40% of home buyers who got a mortgage in 2006 probably wouldn't qualify for a home loan now.
That's a lot of houses, hey.
Lack of mortgage availability will mean demand for new homes could fall 35% in 2007, the analysts said. That's bigger than the 20% drop they were predicting earlier this year when subprime problems emerged. New-home sales could fall as low as 700,000 a year, down from 1.283 million in 2005, they said, noting that traffic at real estate agents is down sharply in August. ...
The dwindling supply of home loans will also crimp remodeling activity, Oppenheim and colleagues said. Remodeling could drop by 20%
So if you're heavy on Loew's and Home Depot, it's time to review the portfolio.
More at the link; Calculated Risk did the HT homework.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
DarthDoyle Strikes at Gun Rights, Updated!
When announcing this package of "progressive legislation," Doyle was accompanied by Tommy the Mayor, who nodded, nodded, and nodded.
Credit where it's due: this part makes all the sense in the world:
Doyle wants to increase monitoring of individuals who have been civilly committed or prohibited by a court of law from using [a] firearm. The state currently coordinates with the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) to track individuals who are civilly committed and prohibited from obtaining or using a firearm in Wisconsin. Governor Doyle is taking the next step, proposing legislation to share that information with the federal government, contributing to a national database. This step prevents these individuals from traveling to a state where their background is not available to purchase a firearm, and then bringing it back to Wisconsin to commit a crime.
Bearing in mind that the devil is in the details, that proposal is a good one. In some States, there's a 5-year waiting time imposed after release from the commitment before purchasing a weapon is allowed again.
However, there are some problems with this proposal:
...the Governor is proposing a rollback of the preemption law to give cities like Milwaukee the flexibility they need maintain order and keep their citizens out of harms way.
I, too, have difficulties with State pre-emption. It can be called a violation of the Principle of Subsidiarity. In other words, let locals govern themselves...
Since at this time there is no "concealed carry" in the State, and since there are no licensed gun-dealers in the City of Milwaukee, there are few imaginable immediate effects, unless Milwaukee's Common Council & Mayor decide to prohibit all Milwaukee residents from owning any guns at all--not a likely occurence. Of course, if "concealed carry" DOES become law, and Milwaukee prohibits same, then there will be problems.
However, since ownership of weapons for "all lawful purposes" is protected by the State Constitution, and "all lawful purposes" includes self-defense (doh...) and since even Screechin'Shirley's Supremes cannot get around that Amendment, it will be very interesting to see what the City of Milwaukee decides to do without violating the Constitution, which DOES pre-empt all local ordinances.
Now here's one which will be a real problem:
Under current law, individuals who are not federally licensed firearm dealers can sell firearms without background checks at places like gun shows that are unregulated by state law – providing a loophole for guns to end up in the hands of criminals. To close that loophole, Governor Doyle is proposing prohibiting any individual in the state from selling or buying a firearm, transferring or obtaining ownership of a handgun unless two provisions are met: One person involved in the transaction must be a federally licensed firearms dealer; and the seller or transferor of the firearm must make the transaction through a licensed firearm dealer.
That means that your Uncle Joe cannot give you (or sell you) his S&W without running the transaction through an FFL-dealer. Nor can you buy a gun from Sam, nor Chris, nor Wendy without that dealer's assistance (which they will render for a fee, of course.) This is something that Badger Guns backs 100%, by the way.
(The text is not clear; that proposal COULD include rifles and shotguns, too.)
Here is a case of "Show, not Go" inanity:
To track guns being used in multiple crimes, Governor Doyle is proposing required ballistic fingerprinting, a technique that matches marks made by a bullet when fired from a gun with marks on the inside of the barrel of the gun, creating a trail for law enforcement to track down both guns and criminals. Under this legislation, the state would require all firearms sold in Wisconsin to provide fired cases for DOJ to keep a record of the firearm’s fingerprints, to access during criminal investigations. This step would allow the state to build up a comprehensive database of ballistic fingerprints, and more resources to track violent criminals.
We know that criminals, by and large, are idiots. But some are not complete idiots--meaning that they can apply a rat-tail file to the chamber and/or barrel of a gun to change the "fingerprint" at will--several times in one day, if they want to. (They can also purchase replacement barrels/receivers from any one of several dozen vendors.)
And, of course, that law will add a cost, whether to the manufacturer or dealer, which will be passed on to the buyers--not to mention the cost to the State for warehousing all those records.
A lot of silliness because it's easily and totally defeat-able with a lousy $6.00 file.
This next one may make sense (again bearing in mind that details count:)
Governor Doyle is proposing legislation that would prohibit the possession and purchase of a firearm for an individual who has been convicted of a misdemeanor that involved a firearm. Additionally, Governor Doyle is proposing to prohibit sales of handguns to individuals under the age of 21, to help keep guns out of the hands of the state’s young people.
Can't purchase a pistol, but you CAN use one to kill the enemy in a war...Can't purchase a pistol but you CAN vote...Hmmmmm. UPDATE: Currently, no one under 21 years of age may legally purchase a HANDGUN in Wisconsin. Doyle will prohibit sale of ALL GUNS to people under 21, including .22LR rifles, shotguns, etc. So forget about recreational or target-shooting (or varmint control) until you're over 21.
That provision is pure crap. There are far too many good target-shooter contestants (Olympics, anyone?) who begin their avocation's training regime at the age of 12 or so; and far too many rural youth who shoot trap, or control critters. This should not fly, and I doubt that it will.
As to the 'gun-involved' misdemeanors: who was in possession of the gun during the act? Seems to me that if there are differing indictments leveled against various parties who were part of a 'gang,' then this will be a nightmare for enforcement.
UPDATE:
DarthDoyle's "fingerprint" scheme was used by the State of Maryland.
It was so effective that the Maryland State Police requested that the State abandon the program after only 5 years.
An Associated Press story from 2005 reported, "...a state police report says such 'fingerprinting' has not helped a single criminal investigation. The superintendent of Maryland State Police says, 'The system really is not doing anything."
But hey! Darth's going to raise taxes, so wasting several million dollars won't be a big deal.
Credit where it's due: this part makes all the sense in the world:
Doyle wants to increase monitoring of individuals who have been civilly committed or prohibited by a court of law from using [a] firearm. The state currently coordinates with the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) to track individuals who are civilly committed and prohibited from obtaining or using a firearm in Wisconsin. Governor Doyle is taking the next step, proposing legislation to share that information with the federal government, contributing to a national database. This step prevents these individuals from traveling to a state where their background is not available to purchase a firearm, and then bringing it back to Wisconsin to commit a crime.
Bearing in mind that the devil is in the details, that proposal is a good one. In some States, there's a 5-year waiting time imposed after release from the commitment before purchasing a weapon is allowed again.
However, there are some problems with this proposal:
...the Governor is proposing a rollback of the preemption law to give cities like Milwaukee the flexibility they need maintain order and keep their citizens out of harms way.
I, too, have difficulties with State pre-emption. It can be called a violation of the Principle of Subsidiarity. In other words, let locals govern themselves...
Since at this time there is no "concealed carry" in the State, and since there are no licensed gun-dealers in the City of Milwaukee, there are few imaginable immediate effects, unless Milwaukee's Common Council & Mayor decide to prohibit all Milwaukee residents from owning any guns at all--not a likely occurence. Of course, if "concealed carry" DOES become law, and Milwaukee prohibits same, then there will be problems.
However, since ownership of weapons for "all lawful purposes" is protected by the State Constitution, and "all lawful purposes" includes self-defense (doh...) and since even Screechin'Shirley's Supremes cannot get around that Amendment, it will be very interesting to see what the City of Milwaukee decides to do without violating the Constitution, which DOES pre-empt all local ordinances.
Now here's one which will be a real problem:
Under current law, individuals who are not federally licensed firearm dealers can sell firearms without background checks at places like gun shows that are unregulated by state law – providing a loophole for guns to end up in the hands of criminals. To close that loophole, Governor Doyle is proposing prohibiting any individual in the state from selling or buying a firearm, transferring or obtaining ownership of a handgun unless two provisions are met: One person involved in the transaction must be a federally licensed firearms dealer; and the seller or transferor of the firearm must make the transaction through a licensed firearm dealer.
That means that your Uncle Joe cannot give you (or sell you) his S&W without running the transaction through an FFL-dealer. Nor can you buy a gun from Sam, nor Chris, nor Wendy without that dealer's assistance (which they will render for a fee, of course.) This is something that Badger Guns backs 100%, by the way.
(The text is not clear; that proposal COULD include rifles and shotguns, too.)
Here is a case of "Show, not Go" inanity:
To track guns being used in multiple crimes, Governor Doyle is proposing required ballistic fingerprinting, a technique that matches marks made by a bullet when fired from a gun with marks on the inside of the barrel of the gun, creating a trail for law enforcement to track down both guns and criminals. Under this legislation, the state would require all firearms sold in Wisconsin to provide fired cases for DOJ to keep a record of the firearm’s fingerprints, to access during criminal investigations. This step would allow the state to build up a comprehensive database of ballistic fingerprints, and more resources to track violent criminals.
We know that criminals, by and large, are idiots. But some are not complete idiots--meaning that they can apply a rat-tail file to the chamber and/or barrel of a gun to change the "fingerprint" at will--several times in one day, if they want to. (They can also purchase replacement barrels/receivers from any one of several dozen vendors.)
And, of course, that law will add a cost, whether to the manufacturer or dealer, which will be passed on to the buyers--not to mention the cost to the State for warehousing all those records.
A lot of silliness because it's easily and totally defeat-able with a lousy $6.00 file.
This next one may make sense (again bearing in mind that details count:)
Governor Doyle is proposing legislation that would prohibit the possession and purchase of a firearm for an individual who has been convicted of a misdemeanor that involved a firearm. Additionally, Governor Doyle is proposing to prohibit sales of handguns to individuals under the age of 21, to help keep guns out of the hands of the state’s young people.
Can't purchase a pistol, but you CAN use one to kill the enemy in a war...Can't purchase a pistol but you CAN vote...Hmmmmm. UPDATE: Currently, no one under 21 years of age may legally purchase a HANDGUN in Wisconsin. Doyle will prohibit sale of ALL GUNS to people under 21, including .22LR rifles, shotguns, etc. So forget about recreational or target-shooting (or varmint control) until you're over 21.
That provision is pure crap. There are far too many good target-shooter contestants (Olympics, anyone?) who begin their avocation's training regime at the age of 12 or so; and far too many rural youth who shoot trap, or control critters. This should not fly, and I doubt that it will.
As to the 'gun-involved' misdemeanors: who was in possession of the gun during the act? Seems to me that if there are differing indictments leveled against various parties who were part of a 'gang,' then this will be a nightmare for enforcement.
UPDATE:
DarthDoyle's "fingerprint" scheme was used by the State of Maryland.
It was so effective that the Maryland State Police requested that the State abandon the program after only 5 years.
An Associated Press story from 2005 reported, "...a state police report says such 'fingerprinting' has not helped a single criminal investigation. The superintendent of Maryland State Police says, 'The system really is not doing anything."
But hey! Darth's going to raise taxes, so wasting several million dollars won't be a big deal.
The Newly-Literalist Liturgeists
Only the Curt Jester could come up with this--all of it true.
Here are the top five surprising results to Summorum Pontificum:
1) Progressive liturgists and others are now finally concerned that priests properly know and use the rubrics. At least for the extraordinary form of Mass in the Latin Rite.
2) A new concern for the number of people attending Mass. Declining numbers at experimental liturgy did not invoke a similar concern.
3) That priests more than adequately know Latin. At least if they want to be allowed to celebrate the 1962 missal.
4) The word "extraordinary" is finally coming to a proper understanding of what it means. Now if only they can learn to take the same view towards Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
5) Some bishops are now much more concerned about how liturgy is celebrated in their diocese and even want to test their priests capability in this regard. Maybe even one day the same concern will be applied to the ordinary form of the Mass.
Yah, it's a different world today.
Here are the top five surprising results to Summorum Pontificum:
1) Progressive liturgists and others are now finally concerned that priests properly know and use the rubrics. At least for the extraordinary form of Mass in the Latin Rite.
2) A new concern for the number of people attending Mass. Declining numbers at experimental liturgy did not invoke a similar concern.
3) That priests more than adequately know Latin. At least if they want to be allowed to celebrate the 1962 missal.
4) The word "extraordinary" is finally coming to a proper understanding of what it means. Now if only they can learn to take the same view towards Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
5) Some bishops are now much more concerned about how liturgy is celebrated in their diocese and even want to test their priests capability in this regard. Maybe even one day the same concern will be applied to the ordinary form of the Mass.
Yah, it's a different world today.
Does Club for Growth Understand Econ 101?
William Hawkins doesn't think the Club for Growth 'gets it.'
Beijing’s state-run Xinhua news service was quick to herald the latest lobbying effort on China’s behalf launched by the Club for Growth, a libertarian organization dedicated to electing public officials who agree with its free trade ideology. “More than 1,000 top American economists have signed a petition to urge Congress not to impose protectionist measures against China,” read the story filed by Xinhua from Washington on August 3.
"Free trade" for the US, but not for PRC:
What the Club for Growth is protesting are two bills passed by the Senate Finance and Banking Committees seeking to pressure Beijing to cease its currency manipulation, a practice that gives producers in China an unfair competitive advantage both in export markets and at home. China sets the value of the yuan by fiat, not by the market. It is thus rather odd, and intellectually dishonest, for the Club to defend Chinese government policy on the grounds that it is somehow an example of free trade or free markets. China’s largest banks are state-owned, as is nearly two-thirds of its industry. The country is run by a throughly protectionist elite.
Shall we review "Free Trade" History 101?
In the early 1990s, globalization cheerleaders argued that “free trade” would open “big emerging markets” to American-made goods, thus bolstering domestic growth and income. A decade of unprecedented trade deficits has turned that argument into hash. So now defenders of this academic sophistry have fallen back on the notion that “affordable goods” are the most important aspect of trade. Yet, no argument could be more logically twisted. Consumption is a use for wealth and income, it is not the source of wealth or income. It is the production and sale of goods and services that generate income. And income that is saved (i.e., not used for consumption) and invested in expanded production is what generates long-term wealth. This is what China is doing, using the American market to transfer money across the Pacific into their economy. Americans are being deceived into believing consumption financed by debt is the path to a higher standard of living. [Does "Alt-A" or "Sub-Prime" ring a bell?] That kind of profligate behavior is unsustainable as any real economist knows. Thus, when the petition claims, “China currently supplies American consumers with inexpensive goods and low-interest rate loans,” it is marketing distorted thinking that is dangerous to America’s economic health.
"Making stuff" is what builds economies. "Buying stuff" is done only because "making stuff" occurred first. America ceased being a colony when we started building our own machinery, making our own steel, and investing in industry and agriculture.
PRChina gets it:
Beijing understands what is at stake. Thus, the regime there reinforces the advantages they have in a nearly inexhaustible pool of cheap labor with subsidies, a misaligned currency, massive intellectual property theft, the complete neglect of environmental costs, and a diplomatic campaign aimed at securing resources and markets overseas. They are playing to win.
And if your tires explode, or your doggie croaks, or your toothpaste is poison, or your kids' pajamas are formaldehyde-heavy, or your fish was grown in a pool of chickenshit, who cares?
They're cheap, no?
Beijing’s state-run Xinhua news service was quick to herald the latest lobbying effort on China’s behalf launched by the Club for Growth, a libertarian organization dedicated to electing public officials who agree with its free trade ideology. “More than 1,000 top American economists have signed a petition to urge Congress not to impose protectionist measures against China,” read the story filed by Xinhua from Washington on August 3.
"Free trade" for the US, but not for PRC:
What the Club for Growth is protesting are two bills passed by the Senate Finance and Banking Committees seeking to pressure Beijing to cease its currency manipulation, a practice that gives producers in China an unfair competitive advantage both in export markets and at home. China sets the value of the yuan by fiat, not by the market. It is thus rather odd, and intellectually dishonest, for the Club to defend Chinese government policy on the grounds that it is somehow an example of free trade or free markets. China’s largest banks are state-owned, as is nearly two-thirds of its industry. The country is run by a throughly protectionist elite.
Shall we review "Free Trade" History 101?
In the early 1990s, globalization cheerleaders argued that “free trade” would open “big emerging markets” to American-made goods, thus bolstering domestic growth and income. A decade of unprecedented trade deficits has turned that argument into hash. So now defenders of this academic sophistry have fallen back on the notion that “affordable goods” are the most important aspect of trade. Yet, no argument could be more logically twisted. Consumption is a use for wealth and income, it is not the source of wealth or income. It is the production and sale of goods and services that generate income. And income that is saved (i.e., not used for consumption) and invested in expanded production is what generates long-term wealth. This is what China is doing, using the American market to transfer money across the Pacific into their economy. Americans are being deceived into believing consumption financed by debt is the path to a higher standard of living. [Does "Alt-A" or "Sub-Prime" ring a bell?] That kind of profligate behavior is unsustainable as any real economist knows. Thus, when the petition claims, “China currently supplies American consumers with inexpensive goods and low-interest rate loans,” it is marketing distorted thinking that is dangerous to America’s economic health.
"Making stuff" is what builds economies. "Buying stuff" is done only because "making stuff" occurred first. America ceased being a colony when we started building our own machinery, making our own steel, and investing in industry and agriculture.
PRChina gets it:
Beijing understands what is at stake. Thus, the regime there reinforces the advantages they have in a nearly inexhaustible pool of cheap labor with subsidies, a misaligned currency, massive intellectual property theft, the complete neglect of environmental costs, and a diplomatic campaign aimed at securing resources and markets overseas. They are playing to win.
And if your tires explode, or your doggie croaks, or your toothpaste is poison, or your kids' pajamas are formaldehyde-heavy, or your fish was grown in a pool of chickenshit, who cares?
They're cheap, no?
Shooting the Messenger, 'Net Style, UPDATED
Nobody ever thought that fiber-optic cables would be targets.
Internet service providers in the U.S. experienced a service slowdown yesterday after fiber-optic cables near Cleveland were apparently sabotaged by gunfire.
TeliaSonera AB, which lost the northern leg of its U.S. network to the cut, said that the outage began around 4 p.m. EDT Sunday night. When technicians pulled up the affected cable, it appeared to have been shot. "Somebody had been shooting with a gun or a shotgun into the cable," said Anders Olausson, a TeliaSonera spokesman.
The damage affected a large span of cable, more than two-thirds of a mile long, near Cleveland, TeliaSonera said.
And it was a 'big player' who was affected:
The company declined to name the service provider whose lines had been cut, but a source familiar with the situation said the lines are owned by Level 3 Communications Inc. Level 3 could not be reached immediately for comment.
Somebody will be making Class III jackets for cables soon.
UPDATE:
Cogent Communications Inc. said yesterday that a cable cut that occurred near Cleveland on Sunday night was caused by a saw, not by gunshot as first thought, but technicians struggling to replace the cut cable used a replacement cable that had been shot.
Crews rushed in to fix the problem only to discover that their replacement cable had been damaged by gunshots. "The original cable was not shot; it was the replacement cable," Cogent said. "The original cable was cut with a saw of some sort. Police are speculating that the thieves thought the cable was made of copper."
So these guys carry pre-shot cable as replacement goods?
Internet service providers in the U.S. experienced a service slowdown yesterday after fiber-optic cables near Cleveland were apparently sabotaged by gunfire.
TeliaSonera AB, which lost the northern leg of its U.S. network to the cut, said that the outage began around 4 p.m. EDT Sunday night. When technicians pulled up the affected cable, it appeared to have been shot. "Somebody had been shooting with a gun or a shotgun into the cable," said Anders Olausson, a TeliaSonera spokesman.
The damage affected a large span of cable, more than two-thirds of a mile long, near Cleveland, TeliaSonera said.
And it was a 'big player' who was affected:
The company declined to name the service provider whose lines had been cut, but a source familiar with the situation said the lines are owned by Level 3 Communications Inc. Level 3 could not be reached immediately for comment.
Somebody will be making Class III jackets for cables soon.
UPDATE:
Cogent Communications Inc. said yesterday that a cable cut that occurred near Cleveland on Sunday night was caused by a saw, not by gunshot as first thought, but technicians struggling to replace the cut cable used a replacement cable that had been shot.
Crews rushed in to fix the problem only to discover that their replacement cable had been damaged by gunshots. "The original cable was not shot; it was the replacement cable," Cogent said. "The original cable was cut with a saw of some sort. Police are speculating that the thieves thought the cable was made of copper."
So these guys carry pre-shot cable as replacement goods?
"Ammo Shortage" Due to War? Not Likely
AP reported that there is an "ammo shortage" which is affecting police departments nationally.
Naturally, it's Bush's fault:
Troops training for and fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are firing more than 1 billion bullets a year, contributing to ammunition shortages hitting police departments nationwide and preventing some officers from training with the weapons they carry on patrol.
Of course, that's not really true; the Confederat Yankee did some digging and his comments are re-posted here (quotations from others are in italics.)
There are a couple of factors here which (shock!) AP did not consider.
In the aftermath of the [February 1997] shootout, the LAPD, followed by police departments large and small nationwide, began to feel that rank-and-file patrol officers should be armed with semi-automatic or fully-automatic assault rifles or submachine guns in addition to their traditional sidearms, anticipating an up-tick of heavily armed and armored subjects. The trend has failed to materialize more than a decade later.
So the various locals have "up-armed" heavily, anticipating what has not happened. Naturally, the locals have to purchase .223 rounds for practice, however.
ATK operates ammo plants for civilian and military rounds. They are completely separate entities (the military plant manufactures 1.5Bn rounds/year, about .5Bn more than the US military absorbs.)
The civilian plants? Says an ATK spokesman:
Since 9/11 we've seen a huge jump in demand from law enforcement. In the last fiscal year alone we saw demand from law enforcement jump 40%. By running our civil plants 24/7, hiring hundreds of new employees and streamlining our manufacturing processes we were able to increase our deliveries to law enforcement by 30% in that same period. In addition, we've just announced we'll be investing another $5 million in new production lines at our civil ammunition facilities.
So the locals are buying ammo like it's going out of style--which creates an 'ammo shortage' for the locals. It is NOT the Iraq War. It is NOT Afghanistan. It is NOT military training.
According to two spokesmen for the world's largest ammunition manufacturer, which runs the military's ammunition manufacturing plant and separately, is a major supplier of law enforcement ammunition, it is a massive and unexpected increase in law enforcement ammunition demand that is causing delays in law enforcement ammunition delays, not the war.
And, of course, the locals are USING those AR's. A few years ago, while driving on a major E-W road in the western 'burbs, I was startled to see 6 locals with AR's at the ready--they had pulled over a vehicle after reports of an armed burglary attempt in the area.
And 'startled' is a mild term for my reaction. ARs are extremely powerful weapons.
HT: Confederate Yankee
More on this story, including the bleating from the Milwaukee PD, at Random10
Naturally, it's Bush's fault:
Troops training for and fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are firing more than 1 billion bullets a year, contributing to ammunition shortages hitting police departments nationwide and preventing some officers from training with the weapons they carry on patrol.
Of course, that's not really true; the Confederat Yankee did some digging and his comments are re-posted here (quotations from others are in italics.)
There are a couple of factors here which (shock!) AP did not consider.
In the aftermath of the [February 1997] shootout, the LAPD, followed by police departments large and small nationwide, began to feel that rank-and-file patrol officers should be armed with semi-automatic or fully-automatic assault rifles or submachine guns in addition to their traditional sidearms, anticipating an up-tick of heavily armed and armored subjects. The trend has failed to materialize more than a decade later.
So the various locals have "up-armed" heavily, anticipating what has not happened. Naturally, the locals have to purchase .223 rounds for practice, however.
ATK operates ammo plants for civilian and military rounds. They are completely separate entities (the military plant manufactures 1.5Bn rounds/year, about .5Bn more than the US military absorbs.)
The civilian plants? Says an ATK spokesman:
Since 9/11 we've seen a huge jump in demand from law enforcement. In the last fiscal year alone we saw demand from law enforcement jump 40%. By running our civil plants 24/7, hiring hundreds of new employees and streamlining our manufacturing processes we were able to increase our deliveries to law enforcement by 30% in that same period. In addition, we've just announced we'll be investing another $5 million in new production lines at our civil ammunition facilities.
So the locals are buying ammo like it's going out of style--which creates an 'ammo shortage' for the locals. It is NOT the Iraq War. It is NOT Afghanistan. It is NOT military training.
According to two spokesmen for the world's largest ammunition manufacturer, which runs the military's ammunition manufacturing plant and separately, is a major supplier of law enforcement ammunition, it is a massive and unexpected increase in law enforcement ammunition demand that is causing delays in law enforcement ammunition delays, not the war.
And, of course, the locals are USING those AR's. A few years ago, while driving on a major E-W road in the western 'burbs, I was startled to see 6 locals with AR's at the ready--they had pulled over a vehicle after reports of an armed burglary attempt in the area.
And 'startled' is a mild term for my reaction. ARs are extremely powerful weapons.
HT: Confederate Yankee
More on this story, including the bleating from the Milwaukee PD, at Random10
Monday, August 20, 2007
Rather Than Refute Bp. Sklba
Here, a local blogger tells us that Bp. Sklba seems to advocate breaking the liturgical laws.
Yah, well.
Rather than get into the semantic stuff, I thought I'd steal and re-post this parody, which pretty much sums up the situation:
Here in this nice liturgical setting
We circumambulate round the divine
Comfor’ble yes, tho’ we’re not forgetting
We gather here for the crackers and wine
Gather us in, self-righteous but corny
Gather us in, and force us to stay
Aged queer priests, perpetually horny
Tho’ chasing the altar boys don’t call them gay
Don’t you just love a pair of maracas
Shaken beside an electric guitar
Associate pastor straight from Caracas
Lib’ration theology preached from afar
Gather us in, the Catholic Thinkers
Gather us in, Perpetual Reform
Adore above all liturgical tinkers
Everything’s normal except for the norm
Our ambo’s adorned with rainbow felt banners
Hanging there since Johnny Kennedy’s reign
Teddy his brother once showed us his manners
In the front pew, you can still see the stain
Gather us in, the sad faithless Yankees
Gather us in, the Catholic elite
Sing Halelujah, here take my hanky
It’s Holy Thursday you must wash my feet
It’s Holy Thursday you must wash my feet
It’s Holy Thursday
You must
Wash
My
Feeeeeeet
Hint to the Liturgeists: See the text in RED.
Yah, well.
Rather than get into the semantic stuff, I thought I'd steal and re-post this parody, which pretty much sums up the situation:
Here in this nice liturgical setting
We circumambulate round the divine
Comfor’ble yes, tho’ we’re not forgetting
We gather here for the crackers and wine
Gather us in, self-righteous but corny
Gather us in, and force us to stay
Aged queer priests, perpetually horny
Tho’ chasing the altar boys don’t call them gay
Don’t you just love a pair of maracas
Shaken beside an electric guitar
Associate pastor straight from Caracas
Lib’ration theology preached from afar
Gather us in, the Catholic Thinkers
Gather us in, Perpetual Reform
Adore above all liturgical tinkers
Everything’s normal except for the norm
Our ambo’s adorned with rainbow felt banners
Hanging there since Johnny Kennedy’s reign
Teddy his brother once showed us his manners
In the front pew, you can still see the stain
Gather us in, the sad faithless Yankees
Gather us in, the Catholic elite
Sing Halelujah, here take my hanky
It’s Holy Thursday you must wash my feet
It’s Holy Thursday you must wash my feet
It’s Holy Thursday
You must
Wash
My
Feeeeeeet
Hint to the Liturgeists: See the text in RED.
Euthanasia Advocate at Medical College of Wisconsin?
While Rick Esenberg's filing resulted in a quick end to a "test case" in LaCrosse, (thank God), it did leave a question.
Why does Medical College of Wisconsin employ a "euthanasia advocate" as a Professor of Bioethics?
Ursula Von der Ruhr Professor of BioethicsDirector, Center for the Study of Bioethics
Robyn Shapiro, the Center's director and co-founder, oversees the Center's multifaceted activities of education, consultation, research, and community outreach and directs the Medical Ethics Committee Network, an umbrella organization of hospital and long-term care institution members from throughout the world.
From the news story:
Robyn Shapiro, an attorney for Marilyn's guardian, told the LaCrosse Tribune newspaper during a Tuesday court hearing that she is “functionally equivalent” to a persistent vegetative state and her medical history supports the position.
An August 22 hearing in the case will be held in the LaCrosse County Circuit Court before Judge Scott Horne.
In the Tuesday hearing, Judge Horne said he was skeptical of Shapiro's position in the case but also accepted his arguments that Marilyn at one time indicated she didn't want to live like Terri Schiavo.
Should that be accepted as her medical directive, it could change the outcome of the case.
Davis responded to that argument saying that Shapiro is simply setting up a case for an appeal and that he is a well known euthanasia advocate who is trying to expand the number of cases when lifesaving medical treatment can be withdrawn.
(NB: It appears that the reported mis-classified Ms. Shapiro as a man in the story.)
It just strikes me as oxymoronic that MD's-in-training are being taught 'ethics' by a "well-known euthanasia advocate."
But it IS a way to reduce healthcare costs.
Why does Medical College of Wisconsin employ a "euthanasia advocate" as a Professor of Bioethics?
Ursula Von der Ruhr Professor of BioethicsDirector, Center for the Study of Bioethics
Robyn Shapiro, the Center's director and co-founder, oversees the Center's multifaceted activities of education, consultation, research, and community outreach and directs the Medical Ethics Committee Network, an umbrella organization of hospital and long-term care institution members from throughout the world.
From the news story:
Robyn Shapiro, an attorney for Marilyn's guardian, told the LaCrosse Tribune newspaper during a Tuesday court hearing that she is “functionally equivalent” to a persistent vegetative state and her medical history supports the position.
An August 22 hearing in the case will be held in the LaCrosse County Circuit Court before Judge Scott Horne.
In the Tuesday hearing, Judge Horne said he was skeptical of Shapiro's position in the case but also accepted his arguments that Marilyn at one time indicated she didn't want to live like Terri Schiavo.
Should that be accepted as her medical directive, it could change the outcome of the case.
Davis responded to that argument saying that Shapiro is simply setting up a case for an appeal and that he is a well known euthanasia advocate who is trying to expand the number of cases when lifesaving medical treatment can be withdrawn.
(NB: It appears that the reported mis-classified Ms. Shapiro as a man in the story.)
It just strikes me as oxymoronic that MD's-in-training are being taught 'ethics' by a "well-known euthanasia advocate."
But it IS a way to reduce healthcare costs.
MSM "Hall of Shame" Website
Here's a useful list of reminders that the MSM is often wrong, wrong, wrong.
A few quick items:
1. ABC, Food Lion story (1992). Fraudulent techniques and probable fabrication. Two ABC producers lied on their resumes to get jobs at Food Lion. They each wore a wig hiding a tiny lipstick-sized camera, and each carried a concealed microphone. It's possible they shot footage of mishandled food by doing the mishandling themselves. Food Lion sued ABC and a jury awarded it $5.5 million
7. CBS, Dan Rather, The Wall Within (1988). Fell for hoax, liars. This documentary had Dan Rather interviewing six Viet Nam veterans who told stories of slaughter, cruelty and the horrors of war. "You're telling me that you went into the village, killed people, burned part of the village, then made it appear that the other side had done this?" Rather asked. "Yeah. It was kill VC, and I was good at what I did." It turned out that five of the six were never in the service at all, and the sixth, who claimed to be a Navy SEAL, was an equipment repairman and never near combat.
14. New Orleans Times-Picayune (among others), Pulitzer Prize winning coverage of Katrina (2005). Reporting rumors, hoaxes and lies. "... described inflated body counts, unverified ‘rapes', and unconfirmed sniper attacks as among examples of ‘scores of myths about the dome and Convention Center treated as fact by evacuees, the media and even some of New Orleans' top officials'." Also see Popular Mechanics for a refutation of Katrina myths.
Naturally, the list doesn't mention "What the MSM Missed," which includes the rape and pillage of Milwaukee County by Ament & Co. Yes, Murphy eventually found it--after it had been going on for a number of years.
HT: Betsy's Page
A few quick items:
1. ABC, Food Lion story (1992). Fraudulent techniques and probable fabrication. Two ABC producers lied on their resumes to get jobs at Food Lion. They each wore a wig hiding a tiny lipstick-sized camera, and each carried a concealed microphone. It's possible they shot footage of mishandled food by doing the mishandling themselves. Food Lion sued ABC and a jury awarded it $5.5 million
7. CBS, Dan Rather, The Wall Within (1988). Fell for hoax, liars. This documentary had Dan Rather interviewing six Viet Nam veterans who told stories of slaughter, cruelty and the horrors of war. "You're telling me that you went into the village, killed people, burned part of the village, then made it appear that the other side had done this?" Rather asked. "Yeah. It was kill VC, and I was good at what I did." It turned out that five of the six were never in the service at all, and the sixth, who claimed to be a Navy SEAL, was an equipment repairman and never near combat.
14. New Orleans Times-Picayune (among others), Pulitzer Prize winning coverage of Katrina (2005). Reporting rumors, hoaxes and lies. "... described inflated body counts, unverified ‘rapes', and unconfirmed sniper attacks as among examples of ‘scores of myths about the dome and Convention Center treated as fact by evacuees, the media and even some of New Orleans' top officials'." Also see Popular Mechanics for a refutation of Katrina myths.
Naturally, the list doesn't mention "What the MSM Missed," which includes the rape and pillage of Milwaukee County by Ament & Co. Yes, Murphy eventually found it--after it had been going on for a number of years.
HT: Betsy's Page
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Elvis
This will not be a Kevin Fisher Elvis post--that is, it will be less than 5,000 words...
Watched TVLand's special on Elvis tonight. Observations:
1) My longsuffering and lovely wife DELAYED SHOPPING to watch Elvis (!!)
2) He was in a movie called King Creole; other (minor) players included Walter Matthau, Betty Davis, and Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong playing backup to Elvis.
3) The early Elvis was a lot more vibrant and charged up than the late Elvis. Yah, the voice was more mature later on, as was the persona; but for pure heat, look before 1965 or so.
4) You could tell he hit it big by 1960: the backup band got bigger. A LOT bigger.
Whoa! He had talent!
Watched TVLand's special on Elvis tonight. Observations:
1) My longsuffering and lovely wife DELAYED SHOPPING to watch Elvis (!!)
2) He was in a movie called King Creole; other (minor) players included Walter Matthau, Betty Davis, and Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong playing backup to Elvis.
3) The early Elvis was a lot more vibrant and charged up than the late Elvis. Yah, the voice was more mature later on, as was the persona; but for pure heat, look before 1965 or so.
4) You could tell he hit it big by 1960: the backup band got bigger. A LOT bigger.
Whoa! He had talent!
"Out of the Mouths of Babes..."
A local parish re-did its church.
Iesha Frazier-Christie, 16, doesn't like the changes and says a number of other teens agree. They liked the old look.
"It felt more homey," said Frazier-Christie, an usher, Eucharistic minister and youth group member. "This feels like the Chris Brown concert I went to at the Bradley Center."
That's "inculturation," Ms. Frazier-Christie. You are right. You go, girl!!
Iesha Frazier-Christie, 16, doesn't like the changes and says a number of other teens agree. They liked the old look.
"It felt more homey," said Frazier-Christie, an usher, Eucharistic minister and youth group member. "This feels like the Chris Brown concert I went to at the Bradley Center."
That's "inculturation," Ms. Frazier-Christie. You are right. You go, girl!!
New Hedge Fund Announcement
Taken from an Yahoo report on 'gallows humor' on Wall Street:
Another dealer announced in a cheeky e-mail the creation of a new structured product: a Constant Obligation Leveraged Originated Structured Oscillating Money Bridged Asset Guarantee, or COLOStOMyBAG.
One trader noted on the product - a parody of the increasingly bizarre acronyms that have become commonplace in the world of structured finance - "It's basically full of shit."
No one at Bear Stearns or Goldman Sachs could be reached for comment.
Another dealer announced in a cheeky e-mail the creation of a new structured product: a Constant Obligation Leveraged Originated Structured Oscillating Money Bridged Asset Guarantee, or COLOStOMyBAG.
One trader noted on the product - a parody of the increasingly bizarre acronyms that have become commonplace in the world of structured finance - "It's basically full of shit."
No one at Bear Stearns or Goldman Sachs could be reached for comment.
Revolution Works! (Kinda)
Continental Airlines abused its passengers in the time-honored fashion: it imprisoned 120 of them on a runway in Baltimore for several hours.
Not entirely the airline's fault--it was bad-weather related.
Passengers were not happy, and eventually forced the airline to let them debark.
...passengers organized and protested by clapping in rhythm and drumming on overhead bins. Finally, the pilot, worried about mayhem, called the police.
“People were clapping, but nobody got out of hand,” said Israel Niezen, a developer of interactive media who was returning to his home near Los Angeles through Newark when Flight 1669 was diverted to Baltimore Washington International Airport.
“We wanted answers, rather than mixed signals,” Mr. Niezen said. “Some people were getting sick. The flight attendants were understanding, except for one older one who got on the public-address system when the drumming started and told us we were destroying airline property and we were all going to be arrested.”
Bitch-of-the-Year nominee.
Naturally, since it was an international flight, the airport cops were courteous:
As passengers described it, once the police ordered the plane emptied, they filed out into the secure area, where some said they felt as if they were being treated like suspects.
“As we walked down the hallway, we were yelled at like we were scary criminals by this female cop who had a dog. She kept yelling: ‘Stay against the wall!’ ” Mr. Niezen said.
Yo' Mama Can't Dance is the name of that tune...
HT: Balko
Not entirely the airline's fault--it was bad-weather related.
Passengers were not happy, and eventually forced the airline to let them debark.
...passengers organized and protested by clapping in rhythm and drumming on overhead bins. Finally, the pilot, worried about mayhem, called the police.
“People were clapping, but nobody got out of hand,” said Israel Niezen, a developer of interactive media who was returning to his home near Los Angeles through Newark when Flight 1669 was diverted to Baltimore Washington International Airport.
“We wanted answers, rather than mixed signals,” Mr. Niezen said. “Some people were getting sick. The flight attendants were understanding, except for one older one who got on the public-address system when the drumming started and told us we were destroying airline property and we were all going to be arrested.”
Bitch-of-the-Year nominee.
Naturally, since it was an international flight, the airport cops were courteous:
As passengers described it, once the police ordered the plane emptied, they filed out into the secure area, where some said they felt as if they were being treated like suspects.
“As we walked down the hallway, we were yelled at like we were scary criminals by this female cop who had a dog. She kept yelling: ‘Stay against the wall!’ ” Mr. Niezen said.
Yo' Mama Can't Dance is the name of that tune...
HT: Balko
Ten Romantic Hopes; Ten Realistic Suggestions
MICAH, a group which claims the 'high ground' of theology, publishes its wish-list here.
James T Harris publishes the "get real" counter-version here.
I suspect that if one uses Harris' code first, the MICAH blather will be irrelevant and immaterial.
James T Harris publishes the "get real" counter-version here.
I suspect that if one uses Harris' code first, the MICAH blather will be irrelevant and immaterial.
"Of the People...For the People" and a Dead Girl
So a Kenyan enrolls at UW-Platteville in the Civil Engineering school. He drops out to take up a more lucrative vocation: drug-running gang-banger.
As soon as he left college, he became an illegal alien. But hey! No problem-o, mon. Right?
Prosecutors allege that Mwenda Murithi was a leader in the Imperial Gangsters and on the evening of June 25 he gave the order to shoot at a rival gang, killing 13-year-old Schanna Gayden, an innocent bystander.
Murithi, 26, was charged with first-degree murder along with the alleged gunman, Tony Serrano, 19
But that's not news; nor is it all that unusual. IA's who kill are all over the place.
What we have here is worse than that. What we have here is Government For Itself, By Itself, and Of Itself--and screw all those "people" who actually pay for it.
The perp could have been deported a LONG time ago, after another felony conviction, right?
Wrong.
"If he was charged and did time, how come ICE wasn't notified so they could detain him?" asked Brian Perryman, former head of the Chicago office of what is now ICE. "Why wasn't he taken into custody after he served his sentence? And if ICE wasn't notified, why not? That's a big mistake.
"Not us! said the Chicago Police Department. "We don't ever ask about immigration status," said spokeswoman Monique Bond. "We leave that up to the courts.
"Not us! said the Cook County state's attorney's office. "We don't check," said spokesman John Gorman. "That's for [ICE] to do. We're not involved.
"Not us! said ICE. "Law enforcement agencies can contact our Law Enforcement Support Center for timely and accurate information" 24 hours a day, Rusnok said. If "the person who is being inquired about is subject to removal, [ICE] can place a detainer with the Police Department ordering the department to hold the person ... to allow ICE officials to take the person into custody and begin removal proceedings."
By the way, this set of responses could easily be cut/pasted into a number of Wisconsin settings.
And we'll have the opportunity to see it happen.
HT: Jessica
As soon as he left college, he became an illegal alien. But hey! No problem-o, mon. Right?
Prosecutors allege that Mwenda Murithi was a leader in the Imperial Gangsters and on the evening of June 25 he gave the order to shoot at a rival gang, killing 13-year-old Schanna Gayden, an innocent bystander.
Murithi, 26, was charged with first-degree murder along with the alleged gunman, Tony Serrano, 19
But that's not news; nor is it all that unusual. IA's who kill are all over the place.
What we have here is worse than that. What we have here is Government For Itself, By Itself, and Of Itself--and screw all those "people" who actually pay for it.
The perp could have been deported a LONG time ago, after another felony conviction, right?
Wrong.
"If he was charged and did time, how come ICE wasn't notified so they could detain him?" asked Brian Perryman, former head of the Chicago office of what is now ICE. "Why wasn't he taken into custody after he served his sentence? And if ICE wasn't notified, why not? That's a big mistake.
"Not us! said the Chicago Police Department. "We don't ever ask about immigration status," said spokeswoman Monique Bond. "We leave that up to the courts.
"Not us! said the Cook County state's attorney's office. "We don't check," said spokesman John Gorman. "That's for [ICE] to do. We're not involved.
"Not us! said ICE. "Law enforcement agencies can contact our Law Enforcement Support Center for timely and accurate information" 24 hours a day, Rusnok said. If "the person who is being inquired about is subject to removal, [ICE] can place a detainer with the Police Department ordering the department to hold the person ... to allow ICE officials to take the person into custody and begin removal proceedings."
By the way, this set of responses could easily be cut/pasted into a number of Wisconsin settings.
And we'll have the opportunity to see it happen.
HT: Jessica
All You Need to Know About the "Liquidity Crisis"
By the way, contra Avi Lank's story in the JS of today's date (8/18), the Fed popped $38BN into the markets (that we know of), not $17BN.
HT: The Big Picture, who comments "It's so simple! How can this not work?"
CBS Abuses Children for New Show
It's only a matter of several Federal and local laws, but hey!
The ads promoting “Kid Nation,” a new reality show coming to CBS next month, extol the incredible experience of a group of 40 children, ages 8 to 15, who built a sort of idealistic society in a New Mexico ghost town, free of adults. For 40 days the children cooked their own meals, cleaned their own outhouses, formed a government and ran their own businesses, all without adult intervention or participation.
To at least one parent of a participant, who wrote a letter of complaint to New Mexico state officials after the show had completed production, the experience bordered on abuse and neglect. Several children required medical attention after drinking bleach that had been left in an unmarked soda bottle, according to both the parent and CBS. One 11-year-old girl burned her face with splattered grease while cooking.
Laws? Authorities? Regulators? WHAT?
New Mexico's child protection services are not amused. They have indicated that had they known CBS had set up a residential facility for the children, they would have taken steps to ensure that CBS followed the law. In fact, the network never bothered to contact the Children, Youth and Families Department. The state sent a labor inspector to the set, but the producers didn't allow an inspection to occur, according to New Mexico.
This takes child exploitation back to 1930s Hollywood. Regardless of whether CBS thinks this was some grand sociological experiment, the bottom line is that they had these kids working in harsh and apparently somewhat unsafe conditions for fifteen or more hours a day. They provided little adult supervision -- in fact, that was the point of the production -- and no educational support, even though this took place during a school year.
And New Mexico happens to be....accomodating....if you're into child-labor abuse:
New Mexico doesn't have all of those restrictive laws regarding child labor in the entertainment industry. CBS scouted for a location where those restrictions would not interfere with their pursuit of a unique concept that would draw viewers and advertisers. Never mind that those laws in California, New York, and other entertainment centers protect children from exploitative conditions and physical harm.
CBS didn't give a damn about the kids. They wanted the bucks. And they insist that even New Mexico's regular child labor laws didn't apply -- because the children were not employed by the production. They didn't get paid a dime for this blockbuster reality series on network television. Talk about exploitation!
Yah, but but but, it was For the Children, or something like that.
Right, Katie?
HT: The Captain
The ads promoting “Kid Nation,” a new reality show coming to CBS next month, extol the incredible experience of a group of 40 children, ages 8 to 15, who built a sort of idealistic society in a New Mexico ghost town, free of adults. For 40 days the children cooked their own meals, cleaned their own outhouses, formed a government and ran their own businesses, all without adult intervention or participation.
To at least one parent of a participant, who wrote a letter of complaint to New Mexico state officials after the show had completed production, the experience bordered on abuse and neglect. Several children required medical attention after drinking bleach that had been left in an unmarked soda bottle, according to both the parent and CBS. One 11-year-old girl burned her face with splattered grease while cooking.
Laws? Authorities? Regulators? WHAT?
New Mexico's child protection services are not amused. They have indicated that had they known CBS had set up a residential facility for the children, they would have taken steps to ensure that CBS followed the law. In fact, the network never bothered to contact the Children, Youth and Families Department. The state sent a labor inspector to the set, but the producers didn't allow an inspection to occur, according to New Mexico.
This takes child exploitation back to 1930s Hollywood. Regardless of whether CBS thinks this was some grand sociological experiment, the bottom line is that they had these kids working in harsh and apparently somewhat unsafe conditions for fifteen or more hours a day. They provided little adult supervision -- in fact, that was the point of the production -- and no educational support, even though this took place during a school year.
And New Mexico happens to be....accomodating....if you're into child-labor abuse:
New Mexico doesn't have all of those restrictive laws regarding child labor in the entertainment industry. CBS scouted for a location where those restrictions would not interfere with their pursuit of a unique concept that would draw viewers and advertisers. Never mind that those laws in California, New York, and other entertainment centers protect children from exploitative conditions and physical harm.
CBS didn't give a damn about the kids. They wanted the bucks. And they insist that even New Mexico's regular child labor laws didn't apply -- because the children were not employed by the production. They didn't get paid a dime for this blockbuster reality series on network television. Talk about exploitation!
Yah, but but but, it was For the Children, or something like that.
Right, Katie?
HT: The Captain
Rudy Begins Assault on Fred Thompson
A Rudy-Backer at the American Spectator Blog attempts to derail Fred's campaign. The first line sets the tone:
It was a cringe inducing day for Thompson in the MSM and blogosphere coverage.
Hooboy.
After some ditherwiddle about shoes and a golf-cart, the poster then quotes Thompson's response to a couple of questions.
"I think with regard to gay marriage you have a [ inaudible ] issue. I don't think one state ought to be able to pass a law requiring gay marriage or allowing gay marriage and have another state be required to follow along under full faith and credit. There’s some exceptions, exemptions for that. Hasn’t happened yet, but I think a federal court very well likely will go in that direction. And the constitutional amendment would cure that. I think Roe versus Wade was a bad decision. There were things that are bad law and bad medicine. You don't just get up one day and overturn the entire history of the country with regard major social policies without any action by Congress, without any action by the American people or a constitutional amendment. And that's what happened. Shouldn’t have happened. It ought to be reversed."
Here's what the RudyBlogger said about that response:
He then gave a remarkably muddled interview with John King, leading to guffaws at Campaign Spot and confusion about what he meant with this response to a question on abortion and gay marriage...
And her solution for this?
He needs to have crisp, understandable answers to standard press questions
In other words, "dumbed down" stuff--like what Rudy hands out.
The bloglodyte from the AmSpec has caught the Intellectualoid Fever. It's a common disease. People with this malady simply know that Americans cannot understand clear but lengthy responses to vexing questions.
Or maybe it's the pundits who cannot understand them.
It was a cringe inducing day for Thompson in the MSM and blogosphere coverage.
Hooboy.
After some ditherwiddle about shoes and a golf-cart, the poster then quotes Thompson's response to a couple of questions.
"I think with regard to gay marriage you have a [ inaudible ] issue. I don't think one state ought to be able to pass a law requiring gay marriage or allowing gay marriage and have another state be required to follow along under full faith and credit. There’s some exceptions, exemptions for that. Hasn’t happened yet, but I think a federal court very well likely will go in that direction. And the constitutional amendment would cure that. I think Roe versus Wade was a bad decision. There were things that are bad law and bad medicine. You don't just get up one day and overturn the entire history of the country with regard major social policies without any action by Congress, without any action by the American people or a constitutional amendment. And that's what happened. Shouldn’t have happened. It ought to be reversed."
Here's what the RudyBlogger said about that response:
He then gave a remarkably muddled interview with John King, leading to guffaws at Campaign Spot and confusion about what he meant with this response to a question on abortion and gay marriage...
And her solution for this?
He needs to have crisp, understandable answers to standard press questions
In other words, "dumbed down" stuff--like what Rudy hands out.
The bloglodyte from the AmSpec has caught the Intellectualoid Fever. It's a common disease. People with this malady simply know that Americans cannot understand clear but lengthy responses to vexing questions.
Or maybe it's the pundits who cannot understand them.
Licensed to Teach: What Does It Mean?
Doesn't take too much in the way of "critical reading skills" to determine the source of the story in this article.
The "no Chinese spoken here" theme is interesting, but only as a part of the agenda, which is "qualifications and licensing,"--that is to say, Union control.
Meanwhile, Falk and some leaders at the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association, the teachers union, said they worry that too many teachers at new small high schools scheduled to open in the fall are not licensed to teach at the high school level or are to teach subjects for which they are not licensed.
Charter schools - which in Milwaukee are chartered by MPS, the city or the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee - have more flexibility when it comes to scheduling and teacher licensing than traditional schools. Teachers can get charter school licenses that allow them to teach outside their subject area and grade level.
The author doesn't bother to tell us about Falk's background--which is all-MTEA, all the way.
In fact, one gets the idea that the article was written at MTEA headquarters.
Donald Ernest, assistant executive director of the teachers union, said the union supports charter schools and believes that some students do better in small high schools. He worries, though, that licensure requirements have become too loose.
Well, now. Is a license the end-all and be-all?
Others note that the Professional Learning Institute, a small high school where students direct and design learning projects themselves, has no high school-certified math teacher but math scores are going up.
"Let's focus on our students rather than our licenses," said Danny Goldberg, a School Board member who strongly supports small high schools. "I respect the need to have content experts working in the schools, but I think we should actually trust the teachers to solve those problems."
What you see here is the Union taking a shot at an environment that they do not control. That is perfectly clear from the content of the article, which uses the Chinese problem as a foil.
It's results that count, not "licenses."
Looking for the Union Label is not a guarantee.
The "no Chinese spoken here" theme is interesting, but only as a part of the agenda, which is "qualifications and licensing,"--that is to say, Union control.
Meanwhile, Falk and some leaders at the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association, the teachers union, said they worry that too many teachers at new small high schools scheduled to open in the fall are not licensed to teach at the high school level or are to teach subjects for which they are not licensed.
Charter schools - which in Milwaukee are chartered by MPS, the city or the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee - have more flexibility when it comes to scheduling and teacher licensing than traditional schools. Teachers can get charter school licenses that allow them to teach outside their subject area and grade level.
The author doesn't bother to tell us about Falk's background--which is all-MTEA, all the way.
In fact, one gets the idea that the article was written at MTEA headquarters.
Donald Ernest, assistant executive director of the teachers union, said the union supports charter schools and believes that some students do better in small high schools. He worries, though, that licensure requirements have become too loose.
Well, now. Is a license the end-all and be-all?
Others note that the Professional Learning Institute, a small high school where students direct and design learning projects themselves, has no high school-certified math teacher but math scores are going up.
"Let's focus on our students rather than our licenses," said Danny Goldberg, a School Board member who strongly supports small high schools. "I respect the need to have content experts working in the schools, but I think we should actually trust the teachers to solve those problems."
What you see here is the Union taking a shot at an environment that they do not control. That is perfectly clear from the content of the article, which uses the Chinese problem as a foil.
It's results that count, not "licenses."
Looking for the Union Label is not a guarantee.
Friday, August 17, 2007
The "Rational" Gun Control Handbook
Following are all the "rational" arguments for gun control.
1. Banning guns works, which is why New York, DC, Detroit & Chicago cops need guns.
2. Washington DC's low murder rate of 69 per 100,000 is due to strict gun control, and Indianapolis' high murder rate of 9 per 100,000 is due to the lack of gun control.
3. Statistics showing high murder rates justify gun control but statistics showing increasing murder rates after gun control are "just statistics."
4. The Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, both of which went into effect in 1994 are responsible for the decrease in violent crime rates, which have been declining since 1991.
5. We must get rid of guns because a deranged lunatic may go on a shooting spree at any time and anyone who would own a gun out of fear of such a lunatic is paranoid.
6. The more helpless you are the safer you are from criminals.
7. An intruder will be incapacitated by tear gas or oven spray, but if shot with a .357 Magnum will get angry and kill you.
8. A woman raped and strangled is morally superior to a woman with a smoking gun and a dead rapist at her feet.
9. When confronted by violent criminals, you should "put up no defense - give them what they want, or run" (Handgun Control Inc. Chairman Pete Shields, Guns Don't Die - People Do, 1981, p. 125).
10. The New England Journal of Medicine is filled with expert advice about guns; just like Guns & Ammo has some excellent treatises on heart surgery.
11. One should consult an automotive engineer for safer seat belts, a civil engineer for a better bridge, a surgeon for internal medicine, a computer programmer for hard drive problems, and Sarah Brady for firearms expertise.
12. The 2nd Amendment, ratified in 1787, refers to the National Guard, which was created 130 years later, in 1917.
13. The National Guard, federally funded, with bases on federal land, using federally-owned weapons, vehicles, buildings and uniforms, punishing trespassers under federal law, is a "state" militia.
14. These phrases: "right of the people peaceably to assemble," "right of the people to be secure in their homes," "enumerations herein of certain rights shall not be construed to disparage others retained by the people," and "The powers not delegated herein are reserved to the states respectively, and to the people" all refer to individuals, but "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" refers to the state.
15. "The Constitution is strong and will never change." But we should ban and seize all guns thereby violating the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Amendments to that Constitution.
16. Rifles and handguns aren't necessary to national defense! Of course, the army has hundreds of thousands of them.
17. Private citizens shouldn't have handguns, because they aren't "military weapons', but private citizens shouldn't have "assault rifles', because they are military weapons.
18. In spite of waiting periods, background checks, fingerprinting, government forms, etc., guns today are too readily available, which is responsible for recent school shootings. In the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's, anyone could buy guns at hardware stores, army surplus stores, gas stations, variety stores, Sears mail order, no waiting, no background check, no fingerprints, no government forms and there were no school shootings.
19. The NRA's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign about kids handling guns is propaganda, but the anti-gun lobby's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign is responsible social activity.
20. Guns are so complex that special training is necessary to use them properly, and so simple to use that they make murder easy.
21. A handgun, with up to 4 controls, is far too complex for the typical adult to learn to use, as opposed to an automobile that only has 20.
22. Women are just as intelligent and capable as men but a woman with a gun is "an accident waiting to happen" and gun makers' advertisements aimed at women are "preying on their fears."
23. Ordinary people in the presence of guns turn into slaughtering butchers but revert to normal when the weapon is removed.
24. Guns cause violence, which is why there are so many mass killings at gun shows.
25. A majority of the population supports gun control, just like a majority of the population supported owning slaves.
26. Any self-loading small arm can legitimately be considered to be a "weapon of mass destruction" or an "assault weapon."
27. Most people can't be trusted, so we should have laws against guns, which most people will abide by because they can be trusted.
28. The right of Internet pornographers to exist cannot be questioned because it is constitutionally protected by the Bill of Rights, but the use of handguns for self defense is not really protected by the Bill of Rights.
29. Free speech entitles one to own newspapers, transmitters, computers, and typewriters, but self- defense only justifies bare hands.
30. The ACLU is good because it uncompromisingly defends certain parts of the Constitution, and the NRA is bad, because it defends other parts of the Constitution.
31. Charlton Heston, a movie actor as president of the NRA is a cheap lunatic who should be ignored, but Michael Douglas, a movie actor as a representative of Handgun Control, Inc. is an ambassador for peace who is entitled to an audience at the UN arms control summit.
32. Police operate with backup within groups, which is why they need larger capacity pistol magazines than do "civilians" who must face criminals alone and therefore need less ammunition.
33. We should ban "Saturday Night Specials" and other inexpensive guns because it's not fair that poor people have access to guns too.
34. Police officers have some special Jedi-like mastery over handguns that private citizens can never hope to obtain.
35. Private citizens don't need a gun for self- protection because the police are there to protect them even though the Supreme Court says the police are not responsible for their protection.
36. Citizens don't need to carry a gun for personal protection but police chiefs, who are desk-bound administrators who work in a building filled with cops, need a gun.
37. "Assault weapons" have no purpose other than to kill large numbers of people. The police need assault weapons. You do not.
38. When Microsoft pressures its distributors to give Microsoft preferential promotion, that's bad; but when the Federal government pressures cities to buy guns only from Smith & Wesson, that's good.
39. Trigger locks do not interfere with the ability to use a gun for defensive purposes, which is why you see police officers with one on their duty weapon.
40. Handgun Control, Inc., says they want to "keep guns out of the wrong hands." Guess what? You have the wrong hands.
And if you want to see the originals of these arguments, check Tommy Barrett's speechification.
1. Banning guns works, which is why New York, DC, Detroit & Chicago cops need guns.
2. Washington DC's low murder rate of 69 per 100,000 is due to strict gun control, and Indianapolis' high murder rate of 9 per 100,000 is due to the lack of gun control.
3. Statistics showing high murder rates justify gun control but statistics showing increasing murder rates after gun control are "just statistics."
4. The Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, both of which went into effect in 1994 are responsible for the decrease in violent crime rates, which have been declining since 1991.
5. We must get rid of guns because a deranged lunatic may go on a shooting spree at any time and anyone who would own a gun out of fear of such a lunatic is paranoid.
6. The more helpless you are the safer you are from criminals.
7. An intruder will be incapacitated by tear gas or oven spray, but if shot with a .357 Magnum will get angry and kill you.
8. A woman raped and strangled is morally superior to a woman with a smoking gun and a dead rapist at her feet.
9. When confronted by violent criminals, you should "put up no defense - give them what they want, or run" (Handgun Control Inc. Chairman Pete Shields, Guns Don't Die - People Do, 1981, p. 125).
10. The New England Journal of Medicine is filled with expert advice about guns; just like Guns & Ammo has some excellent treatises on heart surgery.
11. One should consult an automotive engineer for safer seat belts, a civil engineer for a better bridge, a surgeon for internal medicine, a computer programmer for hard drive problems, and Sarah Brady for firearms expertise.
12. The 2nd Amendment, ratified in 1787, refers to the National Guard, which was created 130 years later, in 1917.
13. The National Guard, federally funded, with bases on federal land, using federally-owned weapons, vehicles, buildings and uniforms, punishing trespassers under federal law, is a "state" militia.
14. These phrases: "right of the people peaceably to assemble," "right of the people to be secure in their homes," "enumerations herein of certain rights shall not be construed to disparage others retained by the people," and "The powers not delegated herein are reserved to the states respectively, and to the people" all refer to individuals, but "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" refers to the state.
15. "The Constitution is strong and will never change." But we should ban and seize all guns thereby violating the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Amendments to that Constitution.
16. Rifles and handguns aren't necessary to national defense! Of course, the army has hundreds of thousands of them.
17. Private citizens shouldn't have handguns, because they aren't "military weapons', but private citizens shouldn't have "assault rifles', because they are military weapons.
18. In spite of waiting periods, background checks, fingerprinting, government forms, etc., guns today are too readily available, which is responsible for recent school shootings. In the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's, anyone could buy guns at hardware stores, army surplus stores, gas stations, variety stores, Sears mail order, no waiting, no background check, no fingerprints, no government forms and there were no school shootings.
19. The NRA's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign about kids handling guns is propaganda, but the anti-gun lobby's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign is responsible social activity.
20. Guns are so complex that special training is necessary to use them properly, and so simple to use that they make murder easy.
21. A handgun, with up to 4 controls, is far too complex for the typical adult to learn to use, as opposed to an automobile that only has 20.
22. Women are just as intelligent and capable as men but a woman with a gun is "an accident waiting to happen" and gun makers' advertisements aimed at women are "preying on their fears."
23. Ordinary people in the presence of guns turn into slaughtering butchers but revert to normal when the weapon is removed.
24. Guns cause violence, which is why there are so many mass killings at gun shows.
25. A majority of the population supports gun control, just like a majority of the population supported owning slaves.
26. Any self-loading small arm can legitimately be considered to be a "weapon of mass destruction" or an "assault weapon."
27. Most people can't be trusted, so we should have laws against guns, which most people will abide by because they can be trusted.
28. The right of Internet pornographers to exist cannot be questioned because it is constitutionally protected by the Bill of Rights, but the use of handguns for self defense is not really protected by the Bill of Rights.
29. Free speech entitles one to own newspapers, transmitters, computers, and typewriters, but self- defense only justifies bare hands.
30. The ACLU is good because it uncompromisingly defends certain parts of the Constitution, and the NRA is bad, because it defends other parts of the Constitution.
31. Charlton Heston, a movie actor as president of the NRA is a cheap lunatic who should be ignored, but Michael Douglas, a movie actor as a representative of Handgun Control, Inc. is an ambassador for peace who is entitled to an audience at the UN arms control summit.
32. Police operate with backup within groups, which is why they need larger capacity pistol magazines than do "civilians" who must face criminals alone and therefore need less ammunition.
33. We should ban "Saturday Night Specials" and other inexpensive guns because it's not fair that poor people have access to guns too.
34. Police officers have some special Jedi-like mastery over handguns that private citizens can never hope to obtain.
35. Private citizens don't need a gun for self- protection because the police are there to protect them even though the Supreme Court says the police are not responsible for their protection.
36. Citizens don't need to carry a gun for personal protection but police chiefs, who are desk-bound administrators who work in a building filled with cops, need a gun.
37. "Assault weapons" have no purpose other than to kill large numbers of people. The police need assault weapons. You do not.
38. When Microsoft pressures its distributors to give Microsoft preferential promotion, that's bad; but when the Federal government pressures cities to buy guns only from Smith & Wesson, that's good.
39. Trigger locks do not interfere with the ability to use a gun for defensive purposes, which is why you see police officers with one on their duty weapon.
40. Handgun Control, Inc., says they want to "keep guns out of the wrong hands." Guess what? You have the wrong hands.
And if you want to see the originals of these arguments, check Tommy Barrett's speechification.
The Shark Goes Back to Court
Found on Free Republic:
Wisconsin Right to Life has filed a legal motion to attempt to intervene on the behalf of a disabled woman there who has become the target of euthanasia. The guardian of the LaCrosse women has requested the withdrawal of nutrition and hydration that could lead to a painful death similar to Terri Schiavo.
The woman is named Marilyn and in her 50s and she has had several strokes and has dementia. However, she is believed not to be terminally ill and is not dying, the pro-life group told LifeNews.com.
She is currently a patient at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center where she is being kept under sedation and is fed through the use of a feeding tube.
Marilyn has left no advance directive or instructions or otherwise indicated her wishes with respect to the withdrawal of life-preserving nutrition and hydration. That's what led to the legal dispute between Terri's family and her formal husband, who eventually won the right to have her killed.
Wisconsin Right to Life attorneys Rick Esenberg and Terry Allen Davis submitted the motion to intervene in the case for the organization.
"This should be the end of the matter," they told the court. "Under controlling law, it is not possible for Marilyn's guardian or this court to order the withdrawal of nutrition and hydration."
Go, Rick, Go!!
Wisconsin Right to Life has filed a legal motion to attempt to intervene on the behalf of a disabled woman there who has become the target of euthanasia. The guardian of the LaCrosse women has requested the withdrawal of nutrition and hydration that could lead to a painful death similar to Terri Schiavo.
The woman is named Marilyn and in her 50s and she has had several strokes and has dementia. However, she is believed not to be terminally ill and is not dying, the pro-life group told LifeNews.com.
She is currently a patient at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center where she is being kept under sedation and is fed through the use of a feeding tube.
Marilyn has left no advance directive or instructions or otherwise indicated her wishes with respect to the withdrawal of life-preserving nutrition and hydration. That's what led to the legal dispute between Terri's family and her formal husband, who eventually won the right to have her killed.
Wisconsin Right to Life attorneys Rick Esenberg and Terry Allen Davis submitted the motion to intervene in the case for the organization.
"This should be the end of the matter," they told the court. "Under controlling law, it is not possible for Marilyn's guardian or this court to order the withdrawal of nutrition and hydration."
Go, Rick, Go!!
NCR's Webster Young Is Mostly Right
The National Catholic Register puts forth an essay by a credentialed composer of music, a fellow named Webster Young.
He makes a number of solid observations, e.g.:
Today in America, up to 90 million people have muzak forced upon them daily — and it ranges from trivial pop music to the most debased forms of rap music. Musical ignorance is on the rise among the populace, and musical taste is in decline.
...Popular music is debased from a musical point of view. It is weak and unaccomplished when compared to finer music. Moreover, there are many forms of folk music in the world that are superior musically to pop and rock music.
In spite of this fact, every country in the world today has come under the dominance of rock and pop music and is arranging its ancestral folk music to the rock beat.
Today it is possible to hear a mild rock beat (such as might have been found in the Everly Brothers, for example) in almost every kind of music in the world — even in new church songs. Folk guitar players, too often, don’t know what to do but strum their guitars in mild rock rhythm.
Many new songs have the typical three- and four-chord harmonies of pop songs and melodies that do not reach the level of the mediocre when compared to disciplined music, the great hymns, Gregorian chant or classical melody.
In the following graf, Mr. Young says something which we will remark on shortly:
I am not an authority on Vatican II, but I do know — with the professional musician’s authority — that today music in the Church is mostly disordered. As a student in music school and conservatory, I found that the music of the current Catholic Church was considered laughable by my professors and fellow music students. And still today, most serious musicians consider it so.
Young's comments are unexceptionable; the "amateur hour" noises made during Masses these days are not only technically awful (the 'musicians' can't really play or sing very well)--but in addition, the music is generally dreck.
However, Young leads off his essay with a non-fact:
In the documents of the Second Vatican Council is a mandate for an encouragement of the popular in music — the “music of the people” at Mass.
Sorry, Mr. Webster, but that is simply untrue.
Read SC's "Music" section. (Paras. 112-121 of SC) Nowhere is "popular" music mentioned. And, in fact, when you read SC, note the following:
...Therefore sacred music is to be considered the more holy in proportion as it is more closely connected with the liturgical action, whether it adds delight to prayer, fosters unity of minds, or confers greater solemnity upon the sacred rites. But the Church approves of all forms of true art having the needed qualities, and admits them into Divine Worship.
Accordingly, the Sacred Council, keeping to the norms and precepts of ecclesiastical tradition and discipline, and having regard to the purpose of sacred music, which is the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful, ...
It's possible that Mr. Young saw this and mis-under-interpreted it:
In certain parts of the world, especially mission lands, there are peoples who have their own musical traditions, and these play a great part in their religious and social life. For this reason due importance is to be attached to their music, and a suitable place is to be given to it, not only in forming their attitude toward religion, but also in adapting worship to their native genius, as indicated in Art. 39 and 40
Arts. 39 & 40 are excruciatingly clear about "mission land exceptions." While we suspect that NaPaLM and the Liturgeist Direktorat of USCC think that the USA is a "mission land," they should know better.
Even then, "fundamental norms" are referenced. And the term "adaptation" is not the same as "wholesale replacement." But never mind...
The point is this: SC did not change, NOT ONE BIT, the letter nor the intent of Pius X's Motu Proprio on Sacred Music. SC did not specifically mention Pius' writings on Form but it DID use the classical formulations in its language such as 'glorification of God and sanctification of the people.' What's missing is the term "edification" [of the people] which reinforces the art/form requirement.
But I don't see "popular music" in the document.
Right conclusions, shaky premise, Mr. Young. But thanks for an otherwise incisive and useful essay!
HT: City of Steeples
He makes a number of solid observations, e.g.:
Today in America, up to 90 million people have muzak forced upon them daily — and it ranges from trivial pop music to the most debased forms of rap music. Musical ignorance is on the rise among the populace, and musical taste is in decline.
...Popular music is debased from a musical point of view. It is weak and unaccomplished when compared to finer music. Moreover, there are many forms of folk music in the world that are superior musically to pop and rock music.
In spite of this fact, every country in the world today has come under the dominance of rock and pop music and is arranging its ancestral folk music to the rock beat.
Today it is possible to hear a mild rock beat (such as might have been found in the Everly Brothers, for example) in almost every kind of music in the world — even in new church songs. Folk guitar players, too often, don’t know what to do but strum their guitars in mild rock rhythm.
Many new songs have the typical three- and four-chord harmonies of pop songs and melodies that do not reach the level of the mediocre when compared to disciplined music, the great hymns, Gregorian chant or classical melody.
In the following graf, Mr. Young says something which we will remark on shortly:
I am not an authority on Vatican II, but I do know — with the professional musician’s authority — that today music in the Church is mostly disordered. As a student in music school and conservatory, I found that the music of the current Catholic Church was considered laughable by my professors and fellow music students. And still today, most serious musicians consider it so.
Young's comments are unexceptionable; the "amateur hour" noises made during Masses these days are not only technically awful (the 'musicians' can't really play or sing very well)--but in addition, the music is generally dreck.
However, Young leads off his essay with a non-fact:
In the documents of the Second Vatican Council is a mandate for an encouragement of the popular in music — the “music of the people” at Mass.
Sorry, Mr. Webster, but that is simply untrue.
Read SC's "Music" section. (Paras. 112-121 of SC) Nowhere is "popular" music mentioned. And, in fact, when you read SC, note the following:
...Therefore sacred music is to be considered the more holy in proportion as it is more closely connected with the liturgical action, whether it adds delight to prayer, fosters unity of minds, or confers greater solemnity upon the sacred rites. But the Church approves of all forms of true art having the needed qualities, and admits them into Divine Worship.
Accordingly, the Sacred Council, keeping to the norms and precepts of ecclesiastical tradition and discipline, and having regard to the purpose of sacred music, which is the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful, ...
It's possible that Mr. Young saw this and mis-under-interpreted it:
In certain parts of the world, especially mission lands, there are peoples who have their own musical traditions, and these play a great part in their religious and social life. For this reason due importance is to be attached to their music, and a suitable place is to be given to it, not only in forming their attitude toward religion, but also in adapting worship to their native genius, as indicated in Art. 39 and 40
Arts. 39 & 40 are excruciatingly clear about "mission land exceptions." While we suspect that NaPaLM and the Liturgeist Direktorat of USCC think that the USA is a "mission land," they should know better.
Even then, "fundamental norms" are referenced. And the term "adaptation" is not the same as "wholesale replacement." But never mind...
The point is this: SC did not change, NOT ONE BIT, the letter nor the intent of Pius X's Motu Proprio on Sacred Music. SC did not specifically mention Pius' writings on Form but it DID use the classical formulations in its language such as 'glorification of God and sanctification of the people.' What's missing is the term "edification" [of the people] which reinforces the art/form requirement.
But I don't see "popular music" in the document.
Right conclusions, shaky premise, Mr. Young. But thanks for an otherwise incisive and useful essay!
HT: City of Steeples
Fred Thompson Voices Familiar Theme: Try the National Interest for a Change!
David Broder interviewed Fred Thompson. Here's an interesting portion, referring to "the fiscal crisis of an aging society with runaway heath care."
"Nobody in Congress or on either side in the presidential race wants to deal with it," Thompson said. "So we just rock along and try to maintain the status quo. Republicans say keep the tax cuts; Democrats say keep the entitlements. And we become a less unified country in the process, with a tax code that has become an unholy mess, and all we do is tinker around the edges." Thompson readily concedes that he does not know "where all those chips are going to fall" when he starts challenging members of various interest groups to look beyond their individual agendas and weigh the sacrifices that could assure a better future for their children.
As you may have already inferred, Thompson has a different take on 'what a President should do:'
...he thinks that the public is looking for a different kind of leadership. "I think a president could go to the American people and say, 'Here's what we need to be doing. and I'm willing to go half-way.' Now you have to make them (the opposition) go half-way." The approach Thompson says he's contemplating is one that will step on many sensitive political toes.
A Presidency with the National Interest in mind? Heaven forfend!!
At any rate, P-Mac seems to have read the same material as did Fred.
So did we.
"Nobody in Congress or on either side in the presidential race wants to deal with it," Thompson said. "So we just rock along and try to maintain the status quo. Republicans say keep the tax cuts; Democrats say keep the entitlements. And we become a less unified country in the process, with a tax code that has become an unholy mess, and all we do is tinker around the edges." Thompson readily concedes that he does not know "where all those chips are going to fall" when he starts challenging members of various interest groups to look beyond their individual agendas and weigh the sacrifices that could assure a better future for their children.
As you may have already inferred, Thompson has a different take on 'what a President should do:'
...he thinks that the public is looking for a different kind of leadership. "I think a president could go to the American people and say, 'Here's what we need to be doing. and I'm willing to go half-way.' Now you have to make them (the opposition) go half-way." The approach Thompson says he's contemplating is one that will step on many sensitive political toes.
A Presidency with the National Interest in mind? Heaven forfend!!
At any rate, P-Mac seems to have read the same material as did Fred.
So did we.
Did GWB FooFooDust Us? "No-Match" a Sham
FooFooDust: (n), neuter: 1) Artful deceptive phrases or sentences; 2) Misleading or inaccurate information. See: "B.S.", "Partial Truth", "Clintonism"
GWB's announcement that DHS will start actions against employers which retain "no-match" workers has a couple of major flaws.
A "no-match" arises when a worker submits a Social Security number for tax records and the number does not exist, or does not match the worker's name. Simple, no?
No.
...when the Social Security Administration warns employers about bogus identification numbers, it remains barred from also alerting the Department of Homeland Security, the agency that's supposed to hand out penalties.
In addition, federal promises to hold companies responsible for hiring illegal immigrants could potentially be stymied by several other issues: Employers are still not required to check a new employee's Social Security number against a free federal database, there could be long gaps between when an employee is hired to when the warnings are issued each year, and there is no way to follow up on employees who have been fired. In many cases, illegal workers could still hop from job to job without being caught.
So while it sounded good, it doesn't really mean all that much. The Administration continues to disappoint.
HT: JunkYardBlog
GWB's announcement that DHS will start actions against employers which retain "no-match" workers has a couple of major flaws.
A "no-match" arises when a worker submits a Social Security number for tax records and the number does not exist, or does not match the worker's name. Simple, no?
No.
...when the Social Security Administration warns employers about bogus identification numbers, it remains barred from also alerting the Department of Homeland Security, the agency that's supposed to hand out penalties.
In addition, federal promises to hold companies responsible for hiring illegal immigrants could potentially be stymied by several other issues: Employers are still not required to check a new employee's Social Security number against a free federal database, there could be long gaps between when an employee is hired to when the warnings are issued each year, and there is no way to follow up on employees who have been fired. In many cases, illegal workers could still hop from job to job without being caught.
So while it sounded good, it doesn't really mean all that much. The Administration continues to disappoint.
HT: JunkYardBlog
Wisconsin Gummint Spending, Part 3
Just to re-inforce the item below:
Gummint spending dominates Wisconsin "job growth" according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and as noted by Americans for Prosperity.
The “Wisconsin Prosperity Report” analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that from June 2006 to June 2007 Wisconsin experienced an anemic 0.28 percent job growth and 58 percent of jobs created were government jobs.
The analysis also showed that government payrolls are growing more than eight times faster than private-sector payrolls.
What was the Assembly (Republican) budget offering? SPEND SPEND SPEND, and leave an $800++million hole in the wall at the end of the biennium.
HT Fred via Owen
Gummint spending dominates Wisconsin "job growth" according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and as noted by Americans for Prosperity.
The “Wisconsin Prosperity Report” analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that from June 2006 to June 2007 Wisconsin experienced an anemic 0.28 percent job growth and 58 percent of jobs created were government jobs.
The analysis also showed that government payrolls are growing more than eight times faster than private-sector payrolls.
What was the Assembly (Republican) budget offering? SPEND SPEND SPEND, and leave an $800++million hole in the wall at the end of the biennium.
HT Fred via Owen
Thursday, August 16, 2007
WI Ass'y Pubs: $877 Million In the Hole
Seems that the Radio Guys don't want to mention this, so we'll repeat.
The state 's non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau found the 2007-2009 budget proposal by Doyle, a Democrat, would leave a potential shortfall of $669 million that officials will have to deal with in the following two-year budget by raising taxes or cutting spending.
The budget passed by Senate Democrats will leave a shortfall of $728 million
Assembly Republicans would leave the largest such shortfall -- $877 million.
Yah, that's "fiscal responsibility."
The key word is "SPENDING."
The state 's non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau found the 2007-2009 budget proposal by Doyle, a Democrat, would leave a potential shortfall of $669 million that officials will have to deal with in the following two-year budget by raising taxes or cutting spending.
The budget passed by Senate Democrats will leave a shortfall of $728 million
Assembly Republicans would leave the largest such shortfall -- $877 million.
Yah, that's "fiscal responsibility."
The key word is "SPENDING."
If You Liked Chinese Lead, How About Chinese Chicken*&^%?
You can't make this stuff up.
The United States imports 80 percent of the seafood consumed by Americans, and China is the largest foreign source. The FDA says that a quarter of the shrimp coming from China contains antibiotics that are not allowed in U.S. food production and cannot be eliminated by cooking.
The FDA rejected 51 shipments of catfish, eel, shrimp, and tilapia because of contaminants such as salmonella, veterinary drugs, and a cancer-causing chemical called nitrofuran.
China raises most of its fish in water contaminated with raw sewage, and China compensates by using dangerous drugs and chemicals, many of which are banned in the United States. The Chinese try to control the spread of bacterial infections, disease and parasites by pumping the food with antibiotics and the waters with pesticides.
Chicken pens are often suspended over ponds where seafood is farmed, recycling chicken feces as fish food.
Some food retailer is going to make a FORTUNE by having a "US Grown" product-section in their store.
It was fun listening to FreeTradeFreddie (one of Fox's 'Beltway Farts') brush off all this "poisoned-products" news last night.
Maybe Freddie should demonstrate the right way to eat Chinese ChickenShit.
The United States imports 80 percent of the seafood consumed by Americans, and China is the largest foreign source. The FDA says that a quarter of the shrimp coming from China contains antibiotics that are not allowed in U.S. food production and cannot be eliminated by cooking.
The FDA rejected 51 shipments of catfish, eel, shrimp, and tilapia because of contaminants such as salmonella, veterinary drugs, and a cancer-causing chemical called nitrofuran.
China raises most of its fish in water contaminated with raw sewage, and China compensates by using dangerous drugs and chemicals, many of which are banned in the United States. The Chinese try to control the spread of bacterial infections, disease and parasites by pumping the food with antibiotics and the waters with pesticides.
Chicken pens are often suspended over ponds where seafood is farmed, recycling chicken feces as fish food.
Some food retailer is going to make a FORTUNE by having a "US Grown" product-section in their store.
It was fun listening to FreeTradeFreddie (one of Fox's 'Beltway Farts') brush off all this "poisoned-products" news last night.
Maybe Freddie should demonstrate the right way to eat Chinese ChickenShit.
One More Thing on the Old Rite
The inestimable Fr. Schall, SJ, makes a salient point.
The replacement of the sermon for the homily on scripture has yet to prove its superiority. The faithful are in dire need of systematic teaching on doctrine. The neglect of doctrine has left generations bereft of familiarity with orthodox teaching in the Church, this all in the name of Scripture. It is not that one cannot find "doctrine" in Scripture--that is its origin--but the discipline of clear teaching is not merely or fully satisfied by scriptural commentary or reading. Catholicism includes the direct addressing of reason.
Homiletics is nice, but its implied constraints hobble.
The replacement of the sermon for the homily on scripture has yet to prove its superiority. The faithful are in dire need of systematic teaching on doctrine. The neglect of doctrine has left generations bereft of familiarity with orthodox teaching in the Church, this all in the name of Scripture. It is not that one cannot find "doctrine" in Scripture--that is its origin--but the discipline of clear teaching is not merely or fully satisfied by scriptural commentary or reading. Catholicism includes the direct addressing of reason.
Homiletics is nice, but its implied constraints hobble.
Cdl. Newman on Rudy (and Some Other Catholics)
That 'some other Catholics' group is large, by the way.
Here's a clip from Newman's Grammar of Assent:
We cannot without absurdity call ourselves at once believers and inquirers also. Thus it is sometimes spoken of as a hardship that a Catholic is not allowed to inquire into the truth of his Creed;—of course he cannot, if he would retain the name of believer. He cannot be both inside and outside of the Church at once. It is merely common sense to tell him that, if he is seeking, he has not found. If seeking includes doubting, and doubting excludes believing, then the Catholic who sets about inquiring, thereby declares that he is not a Catholic. He has already lost faith. And this is his best defence to himself for inquiring, viz. that he is no longer a Catholic…
Some, like this guy, are honest about it.
Others are not.
HT: Cosmos, Liturgy
Here's a clip from Newman's Grammar of Assent:
We cannot without absurdity call ourselves at once believers and inquirers also. Thus it is sometimes spoken of as a hardship that a Catholic is not allowed to inquire into the truth of his Creed;—of course he cannot, if he would retain the name of believer. He cannot be both inside and outside of the Church at once. It is merely common sense to tell him that, if he is seeking, he has not found. If seeking includes doubting, and doubting excludes believing, then the Catholic who sets about inquiring, thereby declares that he is not a Catholic. He has already lost faith. And this is his best defence to himself for inquiring, viz. that he is no longer a Catholic…
Some, like this guy, are honest about it.
Others are not.
HT: Cosmos, Liturgy
S-CHIP Loser: Wisconsin
Yah.
The Washington Dimowits have decided to increase tobacco taxes through their S-CHIP legislation. Naturally, that means that less tobacco will be consumed.
And naturally, that will have an impact on State tobacco-tax revenues.
And naturally, that will blow a hole in the Wisconsin budget--either $13 million or $18 million, depending on which version passes.
AND, under the re-allocation plans, Wisconsin will lose an ADDITIONAL $330 million or so over the first 5 years of the plan.
One possible solution: have Spencer Black play Joe Camel at county fairs--recruiting new smokers will help. Maybe NurseRobson Rached can be Josette Camel, too!
Another solution: veto the damn thing.
HT: Human Events
The Washington Dimowits have decided to increase tobacco taxes through their S-CHIP legislation. Naturally, that means that less tobacco will be consumed.
And naturally, that will have an impact on State tobacco-tax revenues.
And naturally, that will blow a hole in the Wisconsin budget--either $13 million or $18 million, depending on which version passes.
AND, under the re-allocation plans, Wisconsin will lose an ADDITIONAL $330 million or so over the first 5 years of the plan.
One possible solution: have Spencer Black play Joe Camel at county fairs--recruiting new smokers will help. Maybe Nurse
Another solution: veto the damn thing.
HT: Human Events
More Health Care Propaganda
You've heard about the horrible, slipshod, uncaring, and greed-driven US healthcare system and its awful, terrible, horrific impact on the mortality tables here, right? (Quoted by Balko:)
For decades, the United States has been slipping in international rankings of life expectancy, as other countries improve health care, nutrition and lifestyles.
Countries that surpass the U.S. include Japan and most of Europe, as well as Jordan, Guam and the Cayman Islands.
"Something's wrong here when one of the richest countries in the world, the one that spends the most on health care, is not able to keep up with other countries,'' said Dr. Christopher Murray, head of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
A baby born in the United States in 2004 will live an average of 77.9 years. That life expectancy ranks 42nd, down from 11th two decades earlier, according to international numbers provided by the Census Bureau and domestic numbers from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Yah, well.
Then there's the reality check:
As the article itself notes, the U.S. has set life expectancy records in each of the last five years. And though the article quotes public health officials saying we need to do more to fight cancer and heart disease, deaths from both of those ailments have been in dramatic decline for 15 years. Whatever our ranking in comparison to other countries, the picture here is far from bleak. Deaths from cancer have actually declined overall the last two years, despite increases in population. In fact, overall deaths decreased in 2006, and by the largest margin in sixty years.
... don't know how much I'd trust the data coming from some parts of the world. Cuba, for example. Does anyone really think Cuba's putting out honest numbers about its health care system?
...infant mortality is measured pretty differently in different parts of the world. And in the U.S., we're more likely than most places to count a premature, sickly, or low-weight birth as a life lost if it doesn't survive:
The United States counts all births as live if they show any sign of life, regardless of prematurity or size. This includes what many other countries report as stillbirths. In Austria and Germany, fetal weight must be at least 500 grams (1 pound) to count as a live birth; in other parts of Europe, such as Switzerland, the fetus must be at least 30 centimeters (12 inches) long. In Belgium and France, births at less than 26 weeks of pregnancy are registered as lifeless. And some countries don't reliably register babies who die within the first 24 hours of birth. Thus, the United States is sure to report higher infant mortality rates.
Nationalized health care? Well in the U.S. the mortality rate for prostate cancer is less than 20 percent. In Canada it's 25 percent. In the UK, it's more than 50 percent. Breast cancer? A 20 percent mortality rate in the U.S., 33 percent in France in Germany, and nearly half in the U.K. I find it difficult to believe that the lack of socialized medicine is what's behind our lagging in life expectancy figures.
And as Esenberg discovered:
In The Business of Health, Robert Ohsfeldt and John Schneider factor out intentional and unintentional injuries from life-expectancy statistics and find that Americans who don’t die in car crashes or homicides outlive people in any other Western country
It's one thing to opine that the US healthcare system needs a few improvements. It's another thing entirely to present misleading (or inaccurate) stats to support one's thesis.
Next thing you know, some of us will be called "Health Crisis DENIERS."
For decades, the United States has been slipping in international rankings of life expectancy, as other countries improve health care, nutrition and lifestyles.
Countries that surpass the U.S. include Japan and most of Europe, as well as Jordan, Guam and the Cayman Islands.
"Something's wrong here when one of the richest countries in the world, the one that spends the most on health care, is not able to keep up with other countries,'' said Dr. Christopher Murray, head of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
A baby born in the United States in 2004 will live an average of 77.9 years. That life expectancy ranks 42nd, down from 11th two decades earlier, according to international numbers provided by the Census Bureau and domestic numbers from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Yah, well.
Then there's the reality check:
As the article itself notes, the U.S. has set life expectancy records in each of the last five years. And though the article quotes public health officials saying we need to do more to fight cancer and heart disease, deaths from both of those ailments have been in dramatic decline for 15 years. Whatever our ranking in comparison to other countries, the picture here is far from bleak. Deaths from cancer have actually declined overall the last two years, despite increases in population. In fact, overall deaths decreased in 2006, and by the largest margin in sixty years.
... don't know how much I'd trust the data coming from some parts of the world. Cuba, for example. Does anyone really think Cuba's putting out honest numbers about its health care system?
...infant mortality is measured pretty differently in different parts of the world. And in the U.S., we're more likely than most places to count a premature, sickly, or low-weight birth as a life lost if it doesn't survive:
The United States counts all births as live if they show any sign of life, regardless of prematurity or size. This includes what many other countries report as stillbirths. In Austria and Germany, fetal weight must be at least 500 grams (1 pound) to count as a live birth; in other parts of Europe, such as Switzerland, the fetus must be at least 30 centimeters (12 inches) long. In Belgium and France, births at less than 26 weeks of pregnancy are registered as lifeless. And some countries don't reliably register babies who die within the first 24 hours of birth. Thus, the United States is sure to report higher infant mortality rates.
Nationalized health care? Well in the U.S. the mortality rate for prostate cancer is less than 20 percent. In Canada it's 25 percent. In the UK, it's more than 50 percent. Breast cancer? A 20 percent mortality rate in the U.S., 33 percent in France in Germany, and nearly half in the U.K. I find it difficult to believe that the lack of socialized medicine is what's behind our lagging in life expectancy figures.
And as Esenberg discovered:
In The Business of Health, Robert Ohsfeldt and John Schneider factor out intentional and unintentional injuries from life-expectancy statistics and find that Americans who don’t die in car crashes or homicides outlive people in any other Western country
It's one thing to opine that the US healthcare system needs a few improvements. It's another thing entirely to present misleading (or inaccurate) stats to support one's thesis.
Next thing you know, some of us will be called "Health Crisis DENIERS."
Back to the Beginning
Coalition forces have launched a large offensive in Tora Bora--arguably the place where it all began after 9/11.
US-led troops in eastern Afghanistan kicked off a major offensive Sunday designed to root out Taliban, al Qaeda, and Hizb-i-Islami-Gulbadin fighters hiding in southeastern Nangahar province. So far, the fighting has killed at least three American GIs, two of whom were Green Berets. Local government officials say up to 50 militants are dead with another 40 "under siege." The fighting has forced as many as 100 families in the area to flee. Early reports say at least seven civilians have been killed. The US troops, augmented by the Afghan National Army and close air support, are targeting "hundreds of foreign fighters" who are well-entrenched
It's an extemely difficult terrain and the last known home of BinLaden.
US-led troops in eastern Afghanistan kicked off a major offensive Sunday designed to root out Taliban, al Qaeda, and Hizb-i-Islami-Gulbadin fighters hiding in southeastern Nangahar province. So far, the fighting has killed at least three American GIs, two of whom were Green Berets. Local government officials say up to 50 militants are dead with another 40 "under siege." The fighting has forced as many as 100 families in the area to flee. Early reports say at least seven civilians have been killed. The US troops, augmented by the Afghan National Army and close air support, are targeting "hundreds of foreign fighters" who are well-entrenched
It's an extemely difficult terrain and the last known home of BinLaden.
Elmbrook Committee Finds the Brass Tacks and Carts for Teachers
A committee reviewing the renovation/expansion proposals for the Elmbrook high school buildings is finding all sorts of ways to reduce the costs.
Superintendent Matt Gibson argued in favor of keeping the district's plan to increase classroom sizes from about 750 square feet to 825 square feet. But he said the district may have planned for too many teacher and student support spaces - rooms for individualized instruction or planning - which could be reduced to save money.
Are there no unused classrooms available at any time during the day? Zero?
Brookfield Central would have had a 202,415-square-foot addition, and Brookfield East a 133,316-square-foot addition. Central's addition was larger because officials said it had less space suitable for remodeling and more area to be demolished.
Co-chairman Jerry Theder questioned the decision to demolish. The district's architect said that the razed area would have required keeping the existing inefficient, noisy mechanical systems and having inadequate natural lighting, among other problems.
Well, maybe not exactly 'replacement' of utterly awful ante-Deluvian systems:
The district wanted the remodeled areas to resemble the newly built areas as much as possible.
Uh huh. Sure wouldn't want to handicap the students by putting them in an OLD classroom.
A fellow with some common sense speaks up:
Resident Richard Boemer challenged that assumption, saying, "As a taxpayer, I'm satisfied with the Cadillac and the Chevy in the same garage."
Then there's this square-feet-per-student thing:
Team member Roger Johnson repeated his concern that the Elmbrook plan was over-sized, given existing enrollment of about 1,400 per high school.
He compared it to Fond du Lac High School, which the team toured. Fond du Lac is about 400,000 square feet for 2,400 students, compared to the approximately 360,000 square feet proposed by Elmbrook for 1,450 students.
Meaning that the Elmbrook proposal would be 50% more space/student than Fond du Lac. That's a lot of space to heat, cool, and light up, considering that energy ain't getting cheaper.
Finally, there's this peculiar item:
The team talked about whether Elmbrook needed to keep a plan to build the schools so that every teacher would have his or her own classroom rather than traveling between rooms on carts.
Why do the teachers 'travel on carts'? Can't they use their feet? Are these carts electric- or gas-fired? Why just the teachers? What about administrators? Students? Visiting parents?
Superintendent Matt Gibson argued in favor of keeping the district's plan to increase classroom sizes from about 750 square feet to 825 square feet. But he said the district may have planned for too many teacher and student support spaces - rooms for individualized instruction or planning - which could be reduced to save money.
Are there no unused classrooms available at any time during the day? Zero?
Brookfield Central would have had a 202,415-square-foot addition, and Brookfield East a 133,316-square-foot addition. Central's addition was larger because officials said it had less space suitable for remodeling and more area to be demolished.
Co-chairman Jerry Theder questioned the decision to demolish. The district's architect said that the razed area would have required keeping the existing inefficient, noisy mechanical systems and having inadequate natural lighting, among other problems.
Well, maybe not exactly 'replacement' of utterly awful ante-Deluvian systems:
The district wanted the remodeled areas to resemble the newly built areas as much as possible.
Uh huh. Sure wouldn't want to handicap the students by putting them in an OLD classroom.
A fellow with some common sense speaks up:
Resident Richard Boemer challenged that assumption, saying, "As a taxpayer, I'm satisfied with the Cadillac and the Chevy in the same garage."
Then there's this square-feet-per-student thing:
Team member Roger Johnson repeated his concern that the Elmbrook plan was over-sized, given existing enrollment of about 1,400 per high school.
He compared it to Fond du Lac High School, which the team toured. Fond du Lac is about 400,000 square feet for 2,400 students, compared to the approximately 360,000 square feet proposed by Elmbrook for 1,450 students.
Meaning that the Elmbrook proposal would be 50% more space/student than Fond du Lac. That's a lot of space to heat, cool, and light up, considering that energy ain't getting cheaper.
Finally, there's this peculiar item:
The team talked about whether Elmbrook needed to keep a plan to build the schools so that every teacher would have his or her own classroom rather than traveling between rooms on carts.
Why do the teachers 'travel on carts'? Can't they use their feet? Are these carts electric- or gas-fired? Why just the teachers? What about administrators? Students? Visiting parents?
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
DarthDoyle's "Business Climate"
Oh, yah.
Just jump right in here, folks, the water's fine.
Kathy Stepp points to a revoltin' development, however:
A couple of years ago- Abbott Labs bought some prime real estate on I-94. Since then, democrat politicians have been patting themselves on the back, talking about this wonderful deal with Abbott that will bring lots of jobs and tax revenue to Kenosha County. Even Governor Doyle was down here in early 2006 touting the 2500+ jobs he created in Kenosha County.
That was then. This is now:
...the deal is on paper and is ready to be presented to the Village of Pleasant Prairie board. It was placed on the agenda for 4 straight meetings starting in May. Now, the whole thing is currently on hold.
No one, not the village administration or Abbott Labs can give an answer as to what the hold up is on this project. The village administrators are hoping the deal gets presented sometime soon, Abbott Labs is hoping by the end of the year.
Kathy fingers a likely culprit:
Governor Doyle released his budget several months ago that included massive tax increases on Wisconsin businesses. To make matters worse, the state senate democrats followed up the governor’s tax increases by not only passing the massive tax increases proposed by the governor, but they added an additional $90 million in taxes on businesses.
Frankly, Kathy, I think that the health-care deal is the holdup. Somebody would have to be NUTS to commit to a $100MM+ project without any idea of the variable costs.
Just jump right in here, folks, the water's fine.
Kathy Stepp points to a revoltin' development, however:
A couple of years ago- Abbott Labs bought some prime real estate on I-94. Since then, democrat politicians have been patting themselves on the back, talking about this wonderful deal with Abbott that will bring lots of jobs and tax revenue to Kenosha County. Even Governor Doyle was down here in early 2006 touting the 2500+ jobs he created in Kenosha County.
That was then. This is now:
...the deal is on paper and is ready to be presented to the Village of Pleasant Prairie board. It was placed on the agenda for 4 straight meetings starting in May. Now, the whole thing is currently on hold.
No one, not the village administration or Abbott Labs can give an answer as to what the hold up is on this project. The village administrators are hoping the deal gets presented sometime soon, Abbott Labs is hoping by the end of the year.
Kathy fingers a likely culprit:
Governor Doyle released his budget several months ago that included massive tax increases on Wisconsin businesses. To make matters worse, the state senate democrats followed up the governor’s tax increases by not only passing the massive tax increases proposed by the governor, but they added an additional $90 million in taxes on businesses.
Frankly, Kathy, I think that the health-care deal is the holdup. Somebody would have to be NUTS to commit to a $100MM+ project without any idea of the variable costs.
Countrywide's Paper is in Trouble; KKR Takes Hit
From CNBC:
dealers in the commercial paper market are currently quoting Countrywide Financial's
30-day commercial paper at a yield of 12.54%--this for a company that was borrowing in that same market at 15 basis points over the London interbank rate, currently around 6%.
From AP:
KKR Financial said it sold about $5.1 billion in residential mortgage loans in a move that will result in a $40 million loss for the specialty finance firm.
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts taking a haircut? My, my.
dealers in the commercial paper market are currently quoting Countrywide Financial's
30-day commercial paper at a yield of 12.54%--this for a company that was borrowing in that same market at 15 basis points over the London interbank rate, currently around 6%.
From AP:
KKR Financial said it sold about $5.1 billion in residential mortgage loans in a move that will result in a $40 million loss for the specialty finance firm.
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts taking a haircut? My, my.
Like Children? Tax Them Less
Another item that won't make it into the MSM:
...after two decades of neglect, the U.S. Congress in 1986 nearly doubled the value of the personal income tax exemption for children to $2,000 per child, and indexed its value to inflation. Repeated studies have found that European child allowances-where the state pays mothers a monthly stipend for each of their children-have little positive effect on fertility. However, in the U.S., there is strong evidence of a "robust" positive relationship between the real, after inflation value of the tax exemption for children and family size....
Why this difference? It appears that allowing families to keep more of what they earn while raising children-that is, turning children into little tax shelters-has a positive, even life-affirming psychological effect on parents that money coming from the state cannot replicate. In any case, the significant increase in overall American fertility coincides with the sharp increase in the exemption's value in 1986. More recently, the rise in marital fertility, starting in 1996, correlates precisely with the introduction of a new, additional Child Tax Credit that year. It seems that pro-family tax cuts work!"
Don't like children? Then don't ask them to pay your Social Security later on, jackass!
...after two decades of neglect, the U.S. Congress in 1986 nearly doubled the value of the personal income tax exemption for children to $2,000 per child, and indexed its value to inflation. Repeated studies have found that European child allowances-where the state pays mothers a monthly stipend for each of their children-have little positive effect on fertility. However, in the U.S., there is strong evidence of a "robust" positive relationship between the real, after inflation value of the tax exemption for children and family size....
Why this difference? It appears that allowing families to keep more of what they earn while raising children-that is, turning children into little tax shelters-has a positive, even life-affirming psychological effect on parents that money coming from the state cannot replicate. In any case, the significant increase in overall American fertility coincides with the sharp increase in the exemption's value in 1986. More recently, the rise in marital fertility, starting in 1996, correlates precisely with the introduction of a new, additional Child Tax Credit that year. It seems that pro-family tax cuts work!"
Don't like children? Then don't ask them to pay your Social Security later on, jackass!
Feast of the Assumption
Yup--today Catholics go to Mass.
Here's GKC's take on the Feast, with a surprise at the end:
THE ASSUMPTION
ONE instant in a still light
He saw Our Lady, then
Her dress was soft as western sky,
And she was a queen most womanly,
But she was a queen of men.
And over the iron forest
He saw Our Lady stand,
Her eyes were sad withouten art
And seven swords were in her heart,
But one was in her hand.
'Ballad of Alfred.'
HT: Chesterton Day by Day
Here's GKC's take on the Feast, with a surprise at the end:
THE ASSUMPTION
ONE instant in a still light
He saw Our Lady, then
Her dress was soft as western sky,
And she was a queen most womanly,
But she was a queen of men.
And over the iron forest
He saw Our Lady stand,
Her eyes were sad withouten art
And seven swords were in her heart,
But one was in her hand.
'Ballad of Alfred.'
HT: Chesterton Day by Day
Motu Proprio Celebration in Milwaukee
To commemorate the effective date of the Motu Proprio, a Pontifical Solemn High Mass will be offered on Friday, September 14th, 2007 at St. Stanislaus Church, NW corner of 5th and Mitchell Streets in Milwaukee.
Presiding celebrant will be H.E. Bp. Jos. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago (and Milwaukee native.) The sermon will be given by Fr. Anthony Cirignani, OFM, Pastor of St. Anthony's Parish, Milwaukee.
The Mass will begin at 7:00 PM. There will be candle-bearers, at least one incense-pot-bearer, a Cross-bearer, and the usual complement of Deacon and Sub-Deacon, plus an M.C. and a fleet of altarboys.
Presiding celebrant will be H.E. Bp. Jos. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago (and Milwaukee native.) The sermon will be given by Fr. Anthony Cirignani, OFM, Pastor of St. Anthony's Parish, Milwaukee.
The Mass will begin at 7:00 PM. There will be candle-bearers, at least one incense-pot-bearer, a Cross-bearer, and the usual complement of Deacon and Sub-Deacon, plus an M.C. and a fleet of altarboys.
Tom McMahon Hits Xoff Out of the Park
Worth every second of the 5 minutes it will take you.
Lame Lefty Bromides Refuted in 50 Easy Lessons.
Thanks, Tom!! (who is arguably the brightest bulb in the whole Blogosphere)
Lame Lefty Bromides Refuted in 50 Easy Lessons.
Thanks, Tom!! (who is arguably the brightest bulb in the whole Blogosphere)
Gun Control Works: Kids Now Have KNIFE-Proof Clothes
Ah, the civilization of Britain!
Parents are sending children to school in stab-proof uniforms to guard against knife crime, it has emerged.
They are paying a firm which makes body armour to line blazers and jumpers with a stab-resistant material called Kevlar.
The precautions are aimed at protecting pupils from knife attacks as street crime spills over into schools.
Apparently the teachers also want the outfits.
BTW, light Kevlar will also resist most handgun ammo, such as .22LR, .380, and 9mm.
Parents are sending children to school in stab-proof uniforms to guard against knife crime, it has emerged.
They are paying a firm which makes body armour to line blazers and jumpers with a stab-resistant material called Kevlar.
The precautions are aimed at protecting pupils from knife attacks as street crime spills over into schools.
Apparently the teachers also want the outfits.
BTW, light Kevlar will also resist most handgun ammo, such as .22LR, .380, and 9mm.
The Warrior and Frankovis Reflect on DarthDoyle's "Shammission"
The Warrior, vacationing but functioning, reflects a bit on his experience with DarthDoyle's "Crime Commission" testimony, and raises a question:
Why has this struck a chord, especially among conservatives? It really is hard to see how the Commission is important. It was created by the Governor as a sop to some black legislators, and what it says is unlikely to have any real effect on criminal justice in Wisconsin.
The Warrior also has an answer:
...people have simply become fed up with the dishonesty surrounding the issue. The naked contrast between the harsh reality of life in the black inner city and the cosy situation of race hustling black politicians is hard to stomach. While children are being shot the politicians are wringing their hands over the fact that a greater proportion of blacks than whites is being thrown in prison.
Cpt. (Ret'd) Glenn Frankovis also testified at the hearing, and relates his experience (and testimony) at his new blog-home. Glenn's later reflections contain some observations which present 'variations' on The Warrior's theme. (See comments section of the post)
...I looked around and didn’t see or hear any of those who I met with at the many Neighborhood Meetings I attended while C.O. of Districts #5 and #3. It would have been nice to hear elected officials such as Leon Young and others speak to the Commission on behalf of their constituents as they did at the meetings I attended ...
So even the RESIDENTS of the affected area(s) don't think too much of DarthDoyle's Shammission...
But there's more:
You know, for Milwaukee’s politicians - especially those politicians in whose Districts violent crime has escalated over the last 4 years - for those politicians not to show up and speak to this Commission on behalf of their many constituents and talk about the effects violent criminals have had on the neighborhoods they represent is absolutely an embarrassment to the City of Milwaukee.
And Glenn names names: Terrance Herron, Leon Young...
We should mention that the JS' reporter-ette failed to note Frankovis' testimony, too.
How much of a sham is it when residents and their "elected" officials fail to show?
Curious, is it not, that only Conservatives give a damn about the victims.
Why has this struck a chord, especially among conservatives? It really is hard to see how the Commission is important. It was created by the Governor as a sop to some black legislators, and what it says is unlikely to have any real effect on criminal justice in Wisconsin.
The Warrior also has an answer:
...people have simply become fed up with the dishonesty surrounding the issue. The naked contrast between the harsh reality of life in the black inner city and the cosy situation of race hustling black politicians is hard to stomach. While children are being shot the politicians are wringing their hands over the fact that a greater proportion of blacks than whites is being thrown in prison.
Cpt. (Ret'd) Glenn Frankovis also testified at the hearing, and relates his experience (and testimony) at his new blog-home. Glenn's later reflections contain some observations which present 'variations' on The Warrior's theme. (See comments section of the post)
...I looked around and didn’t see or hear any of those who I met with at the many Neighborhood Meetings I attended while C.O. of Districts #5 and #3. It would have been nice to hear elected officials such as Leon Young and others speak to the Commission on behalf of their constituents as they did at the meetings I attended ...
So even the RESIDENTS of the affected area(s) don't think too much of DarthDoyle's Shammission...
But there's more:
You know, for Milwaukee’s politicians - especially those politicians in whose Districts violent crime has escalated over the last 4 years - for those politicians not to show up and speak to this Commission on behalf of their many constituents and talk about the effects violent criminals have had on the neighborhoods they represent is absolutely an embarrassment to the City of Milwaukee.
And Glenn names names: Terrance Herron, Leon Young...
We should mention that the JS' reporter-ette failed to note Frankovis' testimony, too.
How much of a sham is it when residents and their "elected" officials fail to show?
Curious, is it not, that only Conservatives give a damn about the victims.
More MSM Moron-icity
OK, class. Here's the picture:
Now here's the caption accompanying that Agence France-Press (AFP) photo:
An elderly Iraqi woman shows two bullets which she says hit her house following an early coalition forces raid in the predominantly Shiite Baghdad suburb of Sadr City. At least 175 people were slaughtered on Tuesday and more than 200 wounded when four suicide truck bombs targeted people from an ancient religious sect in northern Iraq, officials said.(AFP/Wissam al-Okaili)
What's wrong with the pic/cap?
Hint for you Lefties: they appear to be .308s.
HT: Grim
Red's Trading Post
We've mentioned Red's before.
BATF/E is doing its damndest to put this guy out of business; apparently the country has far too many gun dealers, in the 'mind' of BATF/E.
So they find minor clerical errors and attempt to make the case that these are 'deliberate subversions of the US which will lead to Nuclear Armageddon and Mortgage Defaults,' or some such thing.
Screw BATF/E, anyway.
Red's has a blogsite, which is now going on my blogroll.
BATF/E is doing its damndest to put this guy out of business; apparently the country has far too many gun dealers, in the 'mind' of BATF/E.
So they find minor clerical errors and attempt to make the case that these are 'deliberate subversions of the US which will lead to Nuclear Armageddon and Mortgage Defaults,' or some such thing.
Screw BATF/E, anyway.
Red's has a blogsite, which is now going on my blogroll.
Hastert to Quit
As Tom Roeser predicted, Hastert's outta there. We mentioned it based on Roeser's smarts.
Roeser, however, predicted that Hastert would resign earlier, to take advantage of an enhanced pension.
Former House Speaker Denney Hastert is expected to announce on Friday that he will not seek reelection.
Nobody will notice a difference.
Roeser, however, predicted that Hastert would resign earlier, to take advantage of an enhanced pension.
Former House Speaker Denney Hastert is expected to announce on Friday that he will not seek reelection.
Nobody will notice a difference.
The Hildebeeste: "I've Got a Secret (or Two, or Two Thousand)"
Hillary! has her own concept of "open records."
They are NOT open.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton cites her experience as a compelling reason voters should make her president, but nearly 2 million pages of documents covering her White House years are locked up in a building here, obscuring a large swath of her record as first lady.
Clinton's calendars, appointment logs and memos are stored at her husband's presidential library, in the custody of federal archivists who do not expect them to be released until after the 2008 presidential election.
National security, or Executive Privilege, or something like that.
They are NOT open.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton cites her experience as a compelling reason voters should make her president, but nearly 2 million pages of documents covering her White House years are locked up in a building here, obscuring a large swath of her record as first lady.
Clinton's calendars, appointment logs and memos are stored at her husband's presidential library, in the custody of federal archivists who do not expect them to be released until after the 2008 presidential election.
National security, or Executive Privilege, or something like that.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Where's Milwaukee in This List?
In the past, Milwaukee's Archdiocese was a center of liturgical music. Abp. Henni imported John Singenberger to serve as the Director of Music at the Seminary--Singenberger was trained in Regensburg, the home of the Liturgical Music reform movement, and that movement was the major force behind the reforms instituted by Pius X and Pius XII. Singenberger was a very influential guy across the USA through his writings, and by establishing the Caecelian Society of church musicians.
Of course, things went a bit wonzo since (say, for fun) 1976.
But now, with a Regensburg-area native as Pope, and with his 'reform of the reform' underway, Milwaukee (and Wisconsin) does not appear on this list:
Take a look at these upcoming events:
Introduction to Parish Chant, Salinas, California, September 14-15, 2007, led by Kathy Reinheimer, at Madonna del Sasso Parish, 320 E Laurel Dr, Salinas, CA 93906.
Missa in Cantu: Priest Training in the Sung Mass, October 17-19, 2007, sponsored by the Church Music Association and St. John Cantius, Chicago, Illinois, held at the parish in Chicago.
Sacred Music: A Workshop in Gregorian Chant, November 9-10, 2007, St. John Beloved Parish, McLean, Virginia, led by Scott Turkington
Sacred Music Workshop, November 9-10, 2007, St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Woodstock, Georgia, led by Arlene Oost-Zinner and Jeffrey Tucker
Sacred Music Shreveport, November 30-December 1, 2007, Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Shreveport, Louisiana, led by Kurt Poterack.
Rocky Mountain Region Sacred Music Workshop, St. Mary’s Cathedral, January 18-19, 2008, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Sacred Music Workshop, Sponsored by the St. Cecilia Schola and led by Wilko Brouwers, February 1-2, 2008, St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Auburn, Alabama.
Sacred Music Colloquium, Sponsored by the Church Music Association of America, June 15-21, 2008, Loyola University, Chicago.
Alabama? Georgia? Louisiana? Are you KIDDING?
The closest we get is that a Diocesan priest/scholar, now retired, leads a tour AWAY from Milwaukee:
Chant Study Tour, Sponsored by Fr. Robert Skeris, July 21-August 1, 2008, Switzerland, Italy, Germany
Is the Direktoriat of Liturgy/Milwaukee so impoverished? Or is it a case of "lousy tree, no fruit"?
The "FAQ" page of the Direktoriat is an omen, I guess.
Of course, things went a bit wonzo since (say, for fun) 1976.
But now, with a Regensburg-area native as Pope, and with his 'reform of the reform' underway, Milwaukee (and Wisconsin) does not appear on this list:
Take a look at these upcoming events:
Introduction to Parish Chant, Salinas, California, September 14-15, 2007, led by Kathy Reinheimer, at Madonna del Sasso Parish, 320 E Laurel Dr, Salinas, CA 93906.
Missa in Cantu: Priest Training in the Sung Mass, October 17-19, 2007, sponsored by the Church Music Association and St. John Cantius, Chicago, Illinois, held at the parish in Chicago.
Sacred Music: A Workshop in Gregorian Chant, November 9-10, 2007, St. John Beloved Parish, McLean, Virginia, led by Scott Turkington
Sacred Music Workshop, November 9-10, 2007, St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Woodstock, Georgia, led by Arlene Oost-Zinner and Jeffrey Tucker
Sacred Music Shreveport, November 30-December 1, 2007, Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Shreveport, Louisiana, led by Kurt Poterack.
Rocky Mountain Region Sacred Music Workshop, St. Mary’s Cathedral, January 18-19, 2008, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Sacred Music Workshop, Sponsored by the St. Cecilia Schola and led by Wilko Brouwers, February 1-2, 2008, St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Auburn, Alabama.
Sacred Music Colloquium, Sponsored by the Church Music Association of America, June 15-21, 2008, Loyola University, Chicago.
Alabama? Georgia? Louisiana? Are you KIDDING?
The closest we get is that a Diocesan priest/scholar, now retired, leads a tour AWAY from Milwaukee:
Chant Study Tour, Sponsored by Fr. Robert Skeris, July 21-August 1, 2008, Switzerland, Italy, Germany
Is the Direktoriat of Liturgy/Milwaukee so impoverished? Or is it a case of "lousy tree, no fruit"?
The "FAQ" page of the Direktoriat is an omen, I guess.
Architectural Relativism
That particular form shows up in churches.
Ordinary Catholics must already be aware of the changes that have taken place in church architecture over recent decades. The architecture of Relativist space, like the universal model it embodies, is homogenous, directionless and value-free. A Relativist church building downplays or even denies the concept of sacred space, rejects linear forms, and is designed so that every part of it appears to be of equal importance. Outside it will resemble the local library or sports stadium, thereby proclaiming 'nothing special here'. Inside the people 'gather round' the plain and unadorned altar, having hardly noticed as they passed the Tabernacle, and the message is the same.
Once gathered, there is apparently nowhere 'beyond' to aim for because the circular or semi-circular liturgical space cannot suggest this possibility. The subjectivism of the Modern Age favours circular forms because in a Relativist universe there is no truth 'out there'. The denial of the transcendent vision is inherent in the form of the contemporary church building and the space it creates. This same blocking of the route to the transcendent is also the result of sanctuary re-orderings in traditional churches.
Can't quite envision that? Then visit Good Shepherd parish in Menomonee Falls, WI.
You don't even have to worry about seeing a tabernacle, or passing one!
HT: Rich Leonardi
Ordinary Catholics must already be aware of the changes that have taken place in church architecture over recent decades. The architecture of Relativist space, like the universal model it embodies, is homogenous, directionless and value-free. A Relativist church building downplays or even denies the concept of sacred space, rejects linear forms, and is designed so that every part of it appears to be of equal importance. Outside it will resemble the local library or sports stadium, thereby proclaiming 'nothing special here'. Inside the people 'gather round' the plain and unadorned altar, having hardly noticed as they passed the Tabernacle, and the message is the same.
Once gathered, there is apparently nowhere 'beyond' to aim for because the circular or semi-circular liturgical space cannot suggest this possibility. The subjectivism of the Modern Age favours circular forms because in a Relativist universe there is no truth 'out there'. The denial of the transcendent vision is inherent in the form of the contemporary church building and the space it creates. This same blocking of the route to the transcendent is also the result of sanctuary re-orderings in traditional churches.
Can't quite envision that? Then visit Good Shepherd parish in Menomonee Falls, WI.
You don't even have to worry about seeing a tabernacle, or passing one!
HT: Rich Leonardi
Don't Know Much About....Latin Translations?
Well, the Spirit of Vatican 2 church has a Latin translation machine. I think it's already in use in the offices of NaPalM.
See what you think.
I never knew that Art. 30 of SC included this text, for example:
A proper and reverent approach to liturgical music requires that churches hire music ministers who sound like Steve Perry with his nuts in a vise.
See what you think.
I never knew that Art. 30 of SC included this text, for example:
A proper and reverent approach to liturgical music requires that churches hire music ministers who sound like Steve Perry with his nuts in a vise.
Otranto, and Why You Should Know of It
We look today at an invasion of a different sort, but with the same actors: the Mohammedans are the aggressors today, too.
In 1453, at the head of an army of 260,000 Turks, Mohammed II had conquered Byzantium, the “second Rome,” and from that moment he developed the plan of wiping out the “first Rome,” Rome true and proper, and of turning Saint Peter’s basilica into a stall for his horses. In June of 1480, he judged the time was right to go into action: he lifted the siege from Rhodes, which was defended courageously by its knights, and directed his fleet toward the Adriatic Sea. His intention was to land at Brindisi, which had an excellent, spacious harbor: from Brindisi, he planned to move northward up Italy until he reached the see of the papacy. But a strong contrary wind forced the ships to touch ground fifty miles to the south, and to disembark in a place called Roca, a few kilometers from Otranto.
Otranto's citizens resisted. It took two weeks to breach the walls and sack the town.
Ahmed condemned all the eight hundred [all civilians] prisoners to death. The following morning, they were led with ropes tied around their necks and their hands bound behind their backs to the Hill of Minerva, a few hundred meters outside of the city. De Marco writes: “All of them repeated their profession of the faith and the generous response they had given at first, so the tyrant commanded that the decapitation should proceed, and, before the others, the head of the elderly Primaldo should be cut off. Primaldo was hateful to him, because he never stopped acting as an apostle toward his fellows. And before placing his head upon the stone, he told his companions that he saw heaven opened and the comforting angels; that they should be strong in the faith and look to heaven, already open to receive them. He bowed his head and it was cut off, but his corpse stood back up on its feet, and despite the efforts of the butchers, it remained erect and unmoving, until all were decapitated. The marvelous and astonishing event would have been a lesson of salvation for those infidels, if they had not been rebels against the light that enlightens every man who lives in the world.
Because of the two-week delay, reinforcements from Calabria arrived and staved off the Turkish Mohammedans. Eventually, in 1481, they returned to Turkey, having been expelled from Otranto by the Calabrese.
In 1453, at the head of an army of 260,000 Turks, Mohammed II had conquered Byzantium, the “second Rome,” and from that moment he developed the plan of wiping out the “first Rome,” Rome true and proper, and of turning Saint Peter’s basilica into a stall for his horses. In June of 1480, he judged the time was right to go into action: he lifted the siege from Rhodes, which was defended courageously by its knights, and directed his fleet toward the Adriatic Sea. His intention was to land at Brindisi, which had an excellent, spacious harbor: from Brindisi, he planned to move northward up Italy until he reached the see of the papacy. But a strong contrary wind forced the ships to touch ground fifty miles to the south, and to disembark in a place called Roca, a few kilometers from Otranto.
Otranto's citizens resisted. It took two weeks to breach the walls and sack the town.
Ahmed condemned all the eight hundred [all civilians] prisoners to death. The following morning, they were led with ropes tied around their necks and their hands bound behind their backs to the Hill of Minerva, a few hundred meters outside of the city. De Marco writes: “All of them repeated their profession of the faith and the generous response they had given at first, so the tyrant commanded that the decapitation should proceed, and, before the others, the head of the elderly Primaldo should be cut off. Primaldo was hateful to him, because he never stopped acting as an apostle toward his fellows. And before placing his head upon the stone, he told his companions that he saw heaven opened and the comforting angels; that they should be strong in the faith and look to heaven, already open to receive them. He bowed his head and it was cut off, but his corpse stood back up on its feet, and despite the efforts of the butchers, it remained erect and unmoving, until all were decapitated. The marvelous and astonishing event would have been a lesson of salvation for those infidels, if they had not been rebels against the light that enlightens every man who lives in the world.
Because of the two-week delay, reinforcements from Calabria arrived and staved off the Turkish Mohammedans. Eventually, in 1481, they returned to Turkey, having been expelled from Otranto by the Calabrese.
Another Look at Rove: Policy? or GOTV? Croc and GOP3 Rants, Too!
Dreher points to an (subscriber firewall) article in Atlantic Monthly which, while written before Rove's departure, almost foretells it.
But Dreher's quick-take of the contents is most interesting:
Short version: because he was given massive power by President Bush to run policy, but had no idea how to do it, relying instead on tactics that worked well in campaigns, but not in governing.
Dreher goes from there to some yappaflappa about Rove's ego--which was not helpful to GWB (nor to Rove) during his time in the White House. But that's not the point.
There has been some blogchatter which concentrates on the policy/tactics thing. Rove was an excellent tactician; the Dems have to hate Rove, not because he was a policy wonk, but because, while handicapped with a dearth of imaginative and captivating campaign policies, he STILL managed to win two Presidential elections and a by-election in '02. In other words, he out-Clintoned the Democrats; he took a 'nothing' campaign (just like what Clinton used in both his runs) and managed it to victory--but Rove got better numbers than Clinton ever got. Of course the Dems hate him; he out-machined them.
Heh.
The problem, however, is precisely that: he ran campaigns focusing on process, rather than on content.
Neither Rove nor GWB captured the imagination of voters with policy master-strokes. They did not attract the "Reagan Democrats," and barely managed to grind out victories, after flogging (and flogging, and flogging) Republicans and "lean-toward" Republican voters. It was called GOTV, (get out the vote) and it was excruciating for the volunteers and for the Party as a whole.
If Republicans wish to win going forward, however, they should not count on GOTV as the end-all/be-all of campaigns. It's about time that Republicans come up with real policy that 'gets out the vote' on its merits. That policy does not have to be "anti-the-Dems," nor should it focus on tax-tax-tax-tax-tax-tax-tax. You can hear that on the radio any day.
Maybe "Don't Spend Don't Spend Don't Spend Don't Spend" would be a sensible alternative.
UPDATE: If you think I'm not kind to Karl, then see this rant from Brian at GOP3. Not to mention the State angle from The Crocodile.
But Dreher's quick-take of the contents is most interesting:
Short version: because he was given massive power by President Bush to run policy, but had no idea how to do it, relying instead on tactics that worked well in campaigns, but not in governing.
Dreher goes from there to some yappaflappa about Rove's ego--which was not helpful to GWB (nor to Rove) during his time in the White House. But that's not the point.
There has been some blogchatter which concentrates on the policy/tactics thing. Rove was an excellent tactician; the Dems have to hate Rove, not because he was a policy wonk, but because, while handicapped with a dearth of imaginative and captivating campaign policies, he STILL managed to win two Presidential elections and a by-election in '02. In other words, he out-Clintoned the Democrats; he took a 'nothing' campaign (just like what Clinton used in both his runs) and managed it to victory--but Rove got better numbers than Clinton ever got. Of course the Dems hate him; he out-machined them.
Heh.
The problem, however, is precisely that: he ran campaigns focusing on process, rather than on content.
Neither Rove nor GWB captured the imagination of voters with policy master-strokes. They did not attract the "Reagan Democrats," and barely managed to grind out victories, after flogging (and flogging, and flogging) Republicans and "lean-toward" Republican voters. It was called GOTV, (get out the vote) and it was excruciating for the volunteers and for the Party as a whole.
If Republicans wish to win going forward, however, they should not count on GOTV as the end-all/be-all of campaigns. It's about time that Republicans come up with real policy that 'gets out the vote' on its merits. That policy does not have to be "anti-the-Dems," nor should it focus on tax-tax-tax-tax-tax-tax-tax. You can hear that on the radio any day.
Maybe "Don't Spend Don't Spend Don't Spend Don't Spend" would be a sensible alternative.
UPDATE: If you think I'm not kind to Karl, then see this rant from Brian at GOP3. Not to mention the State angle from The Crocodile.
China Is Our Friend, Part 57,258--More Poisoned Toys
Yah, more poison shipped to the USA by that wonderful "trading partner" favored by GWBush and the Adam Smith-ites.
Of course, poisoning US children is a minor annoyance, except to Mattel.
Less than two weeks after Mattel Inc. recalled 1.5 million Chinese-made toys because of lead paint, the toy industry is bracing for another blow that could give parents more reason to rethink their purchases just before the critical holiday shopping season.
Mattel is set to announce the recall of another toy involving a different Chinese supplier as early as Tuesday, according to three people close to the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Details of the latest recall were not immediately available, but one of the three people confirmed early Tuesday that Mattel plans to recall several hundred thousand die cast cars because their paint may contain excessive amounts of lead.
"Oh--waiter!! Another round of Adam Smith!! Yes--I'll take the lead-lined bottle."
Of course, poisoning US children is a minor annoyance, except to Mattel.
Less than two weeks after Mattel Inc. recalled 1.5 million Chinese-made toys because of lead paint, the toy industry is bracing for another blow that could give parents more reason to rethink their purchases just before the critical holiday shopping season.
Mattel is set to announce the recall of another toy involving a different Chinese supplier as early as Tuesday, according to three people close to the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Details of the latest recall were not immediately available, but one of the three people confirmed early Tuesday that Mattel plans to recall several hundred thousand die cast cars because their paint may contain excessive amounts of lead.
"Oh--waiter!! Another round of Adam Smith!! Yes--I'll take the lead-lined bottle."
State Budget Proposals: Bad, Worse, and Worst
Yah, there's a lot of yappaflappa goin' on out there about how 'the Democrats do this' and 'the Republicans do that.'
But what they ALL do is overspend. Big time. There are three different proposals: Doyle's, the Dems', and the Pubbies'.
And there's a resulting problem: the State's balance sheet continues to deteriorate. And by "deteriorate" we mean that Wisconsin's 'structural deficit' places it at 48th in the country for prudence.
48th!! in a contest where 50th is the Grand Booby Prize Winner.
The state 's non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau found the 2007-2009 budget proposal by Doyle, a Democrat, would leave a potential shortfall of $669 million that officials will have to deal with in the following two-year budget by raising taxes or cutting spending. The budget passed by Senate Democrats will leave a shortfall of $728 million while Assembly Republicans would leave the largest such shortfall -- $877 million.
Sounds vaguely familiar? McIlheran pointed to an article which (in effect) says the same thing; we summarized it here.
"Here's a "DOH" for you: in general terms, the "Supply-Side/Republican" people don't care about deficits--they reduce taxes because it's politically popular. This is called "starve the beast" rhetoric. Conversely, the Democrats care about deficits--and figure that the "right thing to do" is to increase taxes. But when they increase taxes, they ALSO increase program expenditures, continuing the deficits. Sometimes (Clinton is an example) they actually reduce the deficits, but leave massive downstream minefields."
The current State budget proposals, thus, fit the model quite well. The only difference is the level of financial drunkenness.
Sadly, the Pubbies manage to be the worst of all.
And that's saying a lot.
But what they ALL do is overspend. Big time. There are three different proposals: Doyle's, the Dems', and the Pubbies'.
And there's a resulting problem: the State's balance sheet continues to deteriorate. And by "deteriorate" we mean that Wisconsin's 'structural deficit' places it at 48th in the country for prudence.
48th!! in a contest where 50th is the Grand Booby Prize Winner.
The state 's non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau found the 2007-2009 budget proposal by Doyle, a Democrat, would leave a potential shortfall of $669 million that officials will have to deal with in the following two-year budget by raising taxes or cutting spending. The budget passed by Senate Democrats will leave a shortfall of $728 million while Assembly Republicans would leave the largest such shortfall -- $877 million.
Sounds vaguely familiar? McIlheran pointed to an article which (in effect) says the same thing; we summarized it here.
"Here's a "DOH" for you: in general terms, the "Supply-Side/Republican" people don't care about deficits--they reduce taxes because it's politically popular. This is called "starve the beast" rhetoric. Conversely, the Democrats care about deficits--and figure that the "right thing to do" is to increase taxes. But when they increase taxes, they ALSO increase program expenditures, continuing the deficits. Sometimes (Clinton is an example) they actually reduce the deficits, but leave massive downstream minefields."
The current State budget proposals, thus, fit the model quite well. The only difference is the level of financial drunkenness.
Sadly, the Pubbies manage to be the worst of all.
And that's saying a lot.
McAdams Promises More; JS Doesn't Bother with Prof
The Perfessor and I share the cynicism, but he actually DID something about it.
Public hearings are usually a sham. So when the Governor’s Commission on Reducing Racial Disparities in the Wisconsin Justice System held a hearing in Milwaukee this afternoon, we weren’t expecting anything great.
The Commission, it seems, has an odd charge. They have been told by Governor Doyle to “(a.) Determine whether discrimination is built into the criminal justice system at each stage of the criminal justice continuum of arrest through parole; and (b.) Recommend strategies and solutions to reduce the racial disparity in the Wisconsin criminal justice system. . . .”
But the second task assumes a particular outcome of the first.
Doh. Yah.
Nonetheless, the Prof presented his stuff:
We rattled off various analyses we have done, all of which show that the “disproportionate” incarceration of blacks in Wisconsin is the result of the fact that blacks disproportionately commit crimes.
And, of course, the response from the Elected Ignoramus was predictable.
Spencer Coggs asked us “are you saying that blacks commit crimes at a greater rate than whites, as opposed to being stopped more often by police?”
We responded “yes, that’s exactly what I’m are saying.”
Coggs then responded that “that’s not what the studies show.”
The Prof says that Coggs' response was "stupefying." There may be better words for it, but you get the general idea.
1) The Prof cites a dozen studies saying that 'Gravity Exerts Force.'
2) The Elected Ignoramus says that 'the studies' do NOT say that 'Gravity Exerts Force.'
Well, here's the good news:
...since we have just finished an article on the subject which will appear in the Fall issue of The Wisconsin Interest,
So we have something worth reading, which will appear soon.
Speaking of "worth reading," why doesn't the JSOnline report mention McAdams' presentation?
From what the JS DOES say, McAdams' remarks would at least serve as "the other guys said..." kinda material. Looks as though the JS' mind is made up.
No facts need interfere here, folks. Move along now...
Public hearings are usually a sham. So when the Governor’s Commission on Reducing Racial Disparities in the Wisconsin Justice System held a hearing in Milwaukee this afternoon, we weren’t expecting anything great.
The Commission, it seems, has an odd charge. They have been told by Governor Doyle to “(a.) Determine whether discrimination is built into the criminal justice system at each stage of the criminal justice continuum of arrest through parole; and (b.) Recommend strategies and solutions to reduce the racial disparity in the Wisconsin criminal justice system. . . .”
But the second task assumes a particular outcome of the first.
Doh. Yah.
Nonetheless, the Prof presented his stuff:
We rattled off various analyses we have done, all of which show that the “disproportionate” incarceration of blacks in Wisconsin is the result of the fact that blacks disproportionately commit crimes.
And, of course, the response from the Elected Ignoramus was predictable.
Spencer Coggs asked us “are you saying that blacks commit crimes at a greater rate than whites, as opposed to being stopped more often by police?”
We responded “yes, that’s exactly what I’m are saying.”
Coggs then responded that “that’s not what the studies show.”
The Prof says that Coggs' response was "stupefying." There may be better words for it, but you get the general idea.
1) The Prof cites a dozen studies saying that 'Gravity Exerts Force.'
2) The Elected Ignoramus says that 'the studies' do NOT say that 'Gravity Exerts Force.'
Well, here's the good news:
...since we have just finished an article on the subject which will appear in the Fall issue of The Wisconsin Interest,
So we have something worth reading, which will appear soon.
Speaking of "worth reading," why doesn't the JSOnline report mention McAdams' presentation?
From what the JS DOES say, McAdams' remarks would at least serve as "the other guys said..." kinda material. Looks as though the JS' mind is made up.
No facts need interfere here, folks. Move along now...
Data Arcana on Election Donations: "Big Education"
Here's an interesting bunch of factoids:
Nearly four years after academia donated almost $30 million to unseat George W. Bush and Republicans, college professors and others in the education field have contributed more money to federal politics than the oil industry and drugmakers, with a nearly unanimous goal of putting a Democrat in the White House.
So far in the '08 election cycle, people who work for institutions of higher education have given more than $7 million to federal candidates, parties and committees, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Nearly 60 percent of that money has gone to presidential candidates. The industry's favorite, Barack Obama, has raked in nearly $1.5 million in the campaign's first six months, followed by Hillary Clinton with almost $940,000.
Seventy-six percent of the education industry's total federal contributions for '08 has gone to Democrats, on par with the industry's partisanship in the last two election cycles. Perhaps more surprising than the industry’s party split is its sheer size: Education was the eighth-largest industry in terms of all federal campaign contributions in 2004 and the 13th largest in 2006, meaning that in the last two election cycles, college employees contributed more to politicians than the oil and gas industry, which ranked 16th in both cycles. For 2008, CRP ranks the education industry as No. 14, still ahead of big-givers such as oil and gas, general contractors, the computer and Internet industry, electric utilities and the pharmaceutical industry.
So much for "Big Pharma" and "Big Oil." They're just wimpy, wimpy, wimpy, compared to the Leftoid Juggernaut in education.
Now, class, start thinking about the policy implications here. Think that perhaps the Democrat Party's position(s) on "higher education" has something to do with their source-of-funding?
HT: John Lott
Nearly four years after academia donated almost $30 million to unseat George W. Bush and Republicans, college professors and others in the education field have contributed more money to federal politics than the oil industry and drugmakers, with a nearly unanimous goal of putting a Democrat in the White House.
So far in the '08 election cycle, people who work for institutions of higher education have given more than $7 million to federal candidates, parties and committees, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Nearly 60 percent of that money has gone to presidential candidates. The industry's favorite, Barack Obama, has raked in nearly $1.5 million in the campaign's first six months, followed by Hillary Clinton with almost $940,000.
Seventy-six percent of the education industry's total federal contributions for '08 has gone to Democrats, on par with the industry's partisanship in the last two election cycles. Perhaps more surprising than the industry’s party split is its sheer size: Education was the eighth-largest industry in terms of all federal campaign contributions in 2004 and the 13th largest in 2006, meaning that in the last two election cycles, college employees contributed more to politicians than the oil and gas industry, which ranked 16th in both cycles. For 2008, CRP ranks the education industry as No. 14, still ahead of big-givers such as oil and gas, general contractors, the computer and Internet industry, electric utilities and the pharmaceutical industry.
So much for "Big Pharma" and "Big Oil." They're just wimpy, wimpy, wimpy, compared to the Leftoid Juggernaut in education.
Now, class, start thinking about the policy implications here. Think that perhaps the Democrat Party's position(s) on "higher education" has something to do with their source-of-funding?
HT: John Lott
Monday, August 13, 2007
Let's Analyze the Texts!
Chironomo does a very nice job of shredding Fr. R. ("Roc" to his pals) O'Connor's "argumentation" in a recent edition of the NAPM/NAPalM mag-a-rag.
O'Connor first obfuscates, then creates straw-men and red herrings.
Then, of course, he comes to the wrong conclusion, defending the indefensible.
The tactic being taken by Fr. O’Connor is more than slightly transparent but much less than even slightly effective. First, group the clearly horizontal lyrics in with other non-horizontal lyrics in first person, and reclassify them all as self-referential. Then create an argument comparing all of these self-referential lyrics to liturgical texts in the first person, and claim that if first person liturgical texts are acceptable, then all first-person song lyrics must also be acceptable, including those that are also specifically horizontal.
In the old days, Jesuitical arguments were worth some time and analysis; they were decent arguments. Things have changed; it takes about 5 minutes to realize O'Connor's error and demonstrate how utterly devoid of substance his thesis really is.
...few would claim to have any problem with many of the hymns cited in the article as being “self-referential”: We gather Together, Ubi Caritas, The Magnificat, I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say, Lift High The Cross… the list goes on. These are among the hymns that he groups into the “Self-referential” category. Also placed in this category though, are the actual few texts deserving of being criticized as horizontal: Gather Us In, Here We Are, Anthem and Sing A New Church.
Lotsa good stuff at the link.
O'Connor first obfuscates, then creates straw-men and red herrings.
Then, of course, he comes to the wrong conclusion, defending the indefensible.
The tactic being taken by Fr. O’Connor is more than slightly transparent but much less than even slightly effective. First, group the clearly horizontal lyrics in with other non-horizontal lyrics in first person, and reclassify them all as self-referential. Then create an argument comparing all of these self-referential lyrics to liturgical texts in the first person, and claim that if first person liturgical texts are acceptable, then all first-person song lyrics must also be acceptable, including those that are also specifically horizontal.
In the old days, Jesuitical arguments were worth some time and analysis; they were decent arguments. Things have changed; it takes about 5 minutes to realize O'Connor's error and demonstrate how utterly devoid of substance his thesis really is.
...few would claim to have any problem with many of the hymns cited in the article as being “self-referential”: We gather Together, Ubi Caritas, The Magnificat, I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say, Lift High The Cross… the list goes on. These are among the hymns that he groups into the “Self-referential” category. Also placed in this category though, are the actual few texts deserving of being criticized as horizontal: Gather Us In, Here We Are, Anthem and Sing A New Church.
Lotsa good stuff at the link.
Things You Thought You'd NEVER See
Here's one that you woulda never, EVER, dreamed of.
The Red Army Choir singing backup on Sweet Home Alabama.
Not too bad, either...
HT: A Little Light from the East.
The Red Army Choir singing backup on Sweet Home Alabama.
Not too bad, either...
HT: A Little Light from the East.
Liturgeists In All Stripes
A large percentage of the Liturgeist Establishment are priests. Despite the pre-eminence achieved by laity-with-fancy-sounding-degrees in the field of Liturgical Asinine Tricks, the majority of Asinine Tricks are invented by priests.
And it's not just the "LeftoWacky" priests.
A West Suburban parish now is subject to a new Pastor who casually eliminates recitation of the "Glory to God" whenever he feels like it, and other, less noticeable wordplays during the Mass, topped off with endless 'homilies' which he decorates with singing (!!)
It's good preparation for concentration camp residency.
But the "Right-o-Wackies" are just as, ah, comical.
A Diocese in Illinois has an established (and Bishop-approved) Tridentine group; the pastor is a member of an Order which celebrates the Old Rite. That Order is approved by the Bishop, and is headquartered in Wisconsin.
The pastor recently pronounced that a Christmas-eve "Festival of Lessons and Carols" will be verboten because it is "too Anglican." I don't think that the Pastor is Irish enough to get away with that on purely ethnic grounds--which might be forgiveable.
So much for that damnfool 'ecumenism' stuff! No "Anglican art" shall pass these portals!!
Dunno what the Hell he thinks about the "Hallelujah" Chorus, written by an Anglican (or maybe Lut'ran) guy for an Anglican King, using the Anglican King James Bible's text.
For that matter, what about all those Anglican and Methodist Christmas carols? Shall we dump O Little Town of Bethlehem and Hark, the Herald Angels Sing into the "Heretic-Hole"?
You laugh, because crying is too.....humanist.
And it's not just the "LeftoWacky" priests.
A West Suburban parish now is subject to a new Pastor who casually eliminates recitation of the "Glory to God" whenever he feels like it, and other, less noticeable wordplays during the Mass, topped off with endless 'homilies' which he decorates with singing (!!)
It's good preparation for concentration camp residency.
But the "Right-o-Wackies" are just as, ah, comical.
A Diocese in Illinois has an established (and Bishop-approved) Tridentine group; the pastor is a member of an Order which celebrates the Old Rite. That Order is approved by the Bishop, and is headquartered in Wisconsin.
The pastor recently pronounced that a Christmas-eve "Festival of Lessons and Carols" will be verboten because it is "too Anglican." I don't think that the Pastor is Irish enough to get away with that on purely ethnic grounds--which might be forgiveable.
So much for that damnfool 'ecumenism' stuff! No "Anglican art" shall pass these portals!!
Dunno what the Hell he thinks about the "Hallelujah" Chorus, written by an Anglican (or maybe Lut'ran) guy for an Anglican King, using the Anglican King James Bible's text.
For that matter, what about all those Anglican and Methodist Christmas carols? Shall we dump O Little Town of Bethlehem and Hark, the Herald Angels Sing into the "Heretic-Hole"?
You laugh, because crying is too.....humanist.
The WSJ Shows Its Colors--Again
Not that there was ever a doubt...
In this opinion piece, the "no borders" (that's cheap-labor) crowd reveals its fear:
The new no-match program may not catch everybody, but it has the potential to impact the employment of three to four million undocumented workers. With such workers concentrated in just a few big states -- California, Texas, Florida, New York, Arizona and Illinois -- the regional impact of the program could be substantial.
Border enforcement keeps some immigrants out, but since it does nothing to remove the jobs magnet pulling workers here, it actually raises the rewards for those who make it in, encouraging more illegal immigration. Fears of no-match letters reflect a simple reality -- this could work. --Federal Reserve economist Pia Orennius
After all, the price of lettuce will have a substantial debilitating effect on COLA, right?
The justification for the WSJ's horror?
The main effects will be to drive undocumented workers underground where they will work off the books for lower wages, under worse conditions and subject to more abuses.
Yup. Of course, such arrangements are ALSO illegal. And the 'employers' who use such practices vaguely resemble the Cotton Kings. But that's not very polite, is it?
JunkYardBlog observes:
Illegals are already nearly in indentured servitude, subject to extortion by the threat of informing La Migra about them. But this unsavory status quo doesn't seem to be a big concern to the amnesty advocates. Given that, they need to explain why these lower wages (which would increase overall efficiency, fight inflation, and lower the price of those all-important heads of lettuce we keep hearing about) would be such a bad thing. If cheap labor is OK, why isn't even cheaper labor better?
In other words, if going "off-books" is cheaper, then what's the WSJ's complaint?
She's also concerned that as they get fired, illegals will default on their mortgages. I can only conclude that any bank that lends money to an illegal alien to buy a house was either abysmally incompetent in its due diligence background check, or just plain knew it was loaning money to an illegal. And I say, that sucks to be that bank.
And you thought that the Sub-Prime problem was a big deal?
In this opinion piece, the "no borders" (that's cheap-labor) crowd reveals its fear:
The new no-match program may not catch everybody, but it has the potential to impact the employment of three to four million undocumented workers. With such workers concentrated in just a few big states -- California, Texas, Florida, New York, Arizona and Illinois -- the regional impact of the program could be substantial.
Border enforcement keeps some immigrants out, but since it does nothing to remove the jobs magnet pulling workers here, it actually raises the rewards for those who make it in, encouraging more illegal immigration. Fears of no-match letters reflect a simple reality -- this could work. --Federal Reserve economist Pia Orennius
After all, the price of lettuce will have a substantial debilitating effect on COLA, right?
The justification for the WSJ's horror?
The main effects will be to drive undocumented workers underground where they will work off the books for lower wages, under worse conditions and subject to more abuses.
Yup. Of course, such arrangements are ALSO illegal. And the 'employers' who use such practices vaguely resemble the Cotton Kings. But that's not very polite, is it?
JunkYardBlog observes:
Illegals are already nearly in indentured servitude, subject to extortion by the threat of informing La Migra about them. But this unsavory status quo doesn't seem to be a big concern to the amnesty advocates. Given that, they need to explain why these lower wages (which would increase overall efficiency, fight inflation, and lower the price of those all-important heads of lettuce we keep hearing about) would be such a bad thing. If cheap labor is OK, why isn't even cheaper labor better?
In other words, if going "off-books" is cheaper, then what's the WSJ's complaint?
She's also concerned that as they get fired, illegals will default on their mortgages. I can only conclude that any bank that lends money to an illegal alien to buy a house was either abysmally incompetent in its due diligence background check, or just plain knew it was loaning money to an illegal. And I say, that sucks to be that bank.
And you thought that the Sub-Prime problem was a big deal?
Vacancy in the "Target" Department
Here's the news:
Karl Rove, the controversial adviser credited with guiding George W. Bush’s political rise from Texas to the White House, has told the Wall Street Journal that he will resign his post as a presidential adviser at the end of the month.
Caramba! Now the WackoLefties have to agree on the Alternative Target.
HT: Ankle-Biting Pundits
Karl Rove, the controversial adviser credited with guiding George W. Bush’s political rise from Texas to the White House, has told the Wall Street Journal that he will resign his post as a presidential adviser at the end of the month.
Caramba! Now the WackoLefties have to agree on the Alternative Target.
HT: Ankle-Biting Pundits
The Giant Sucking Sound, CMCCL and "Cooperation"
That sucking sound you hear is faint, for the present.
But Milwaukee, currently the recipient of 30% of State taxpayers' largesse while having only 10% of the State's residents, is now angling for more.
Of course, we use "largesse" advisedly. The State's method of spending begins with taking money at the point of a gun, then spending it where State politicians get votes. Both the City and the County of Milwaukee have been very big players in voting Democrats into office.
You can figure this out, no?
At any rate, Milwaukee County's bus system is in deep doodoo. Scott Walker, no fool, would like to dump the bus system.
And the target for that "dump" will include Washington, Ozaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Kenosha, and Milwaukee Counties.
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker has asked other top officials to meet to discuss whether the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority should be restructured to oversee public buses as well as commuter trains. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said he will join the talks, to which Walker already had invited Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas, Waukesha Mayor Larry Nelson, Racine Mayor Gary Becker and Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian.
Barrett invited himself. He could smell the money and he's not stupid, either.
Setting up a regional transit system involves politically sensitive decisions on how to run it and how to pay for it. Also looming over the debate are the future of the financially troubled Milwaukee County Transit System; rival plans to spend $91.5 million in long-idle federal transit aid on express buses or streetcars; and efforts to start the KRM Commuter Link, a rail line connecting Milwaukee, the southern suburbs, Racine and Kenosha.
KRM should really be called the CMCCL--"Chicago to Milwaukee Club Car Line." It's put together for the benefit of members of the Milwaukee and Chicago Athletic Clubs who desperately need taxpayer subsidization of their travels.
Of course, the Old Plan will be discussed:
In the early 1990s, the state set up a temporary regional transit authority to plan for a permanent body. The group recommended a seven-county agency to take over not only public transit but also highways and carpooling, funded by a 0.4% local sales tax and a 5-cent-a-gallon local gas tax.
See anything in that 'graf which mentions "elected body"? I didn't think so.
All of the rhetoric will be keyed off the term "cooperative."
All of the money will be taken from "cooperative" Wisconsin taxpayers.
Most people "cooperate" with Armed Thieves, right?
But Milwaukee, currently the recipient of 30% of State taxpayers' largesse while having only 10% of the State's residents, is now angling for more.
Of course, we use "largesse" advisedly. The State's method of spending begins with taking money at the point of a gun, then spending it where State politicians get votes. Both the City and the County of Milwaukee have been very big players in voting Democrats into office.
You can figure this out, no?
At any rate, Milwaukee County's bus system is in deep doodoo. Scott Walker, no fool, would like to dump the bus system.
And the target for that "dump" will include Washington, Ozaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Kenosha, and Milwaukee Counties.
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker has asked other top officials to meet to discuss whether the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority should be restructured to oversee public buses as well as commuter trains. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said he will join the talks, to which Walker already had invited Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas, Waukesha Mayor Larry Nelson, Racine Mayor Gary Becker and Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian.
Barrett invited himself. He could smell the money and he's not stupid, either.
Setting up a regional transit system involves politically sensitive decisions on how to run it and how to pay for it. Also looming over the debate are the future of the financially troubled Milwaukee County Transit System; rival plans to spend $91.5 million in long-idle federal transit aid on express buses or streetcars; and efforts to start the KRM Commuter Link, a rail line connecting Milwaukee, the southern suburbs, Racine and Kenosha.
KRM should really be called the CMCCL--"Chicago to Milwaukee Club Car Line." It's put together for the benefit of members of the Milwaukee and Chicago Athletic Clubs who desperately need taxpayer subsidization of their travels.
Of course, the Old Plan will be discussed:
In the early 1990s, the state set up a temporary regional transit authority to plan for a permanent body. The group recommended a seven-county agency to take over not only public transit but also highways and carpooling, funded by a 0.4% local sales tax and a 5-cent-a-gallon local gas tax.
See anything in that 'graf which mentions "elected body"? I didn't think so.
All of the rhetoric will be keyed off the term "cooperative."
All of the money will be taken from "cooperative" Wisconsin taxpayers.
Most people "cooperate" with Armed Thieves, right?
DNR: Big Budget, Low Output, Breaks Law
The Milwaukee JS has helped Wisconsin taxpayers understand that DNR has a propensity to do only what DNR wants to do with the money they're given--State law be damned.
This will not come as a surprise to people subject to DNR wardens' home-invasions and entrapment techniques--but might surprise those who thought that DNR consisted of "good guys" taking care of Wisconsin's environment.
Wisconsin officials have fallen behind in their oversight of the state's dams, failing over the past decade to inspect dozens that would pose the greatest risk to life and property in the event of a dam break
In all, the state Department of Natural Resources has not inspected at least 230 state-regulated dams - including 67 that are considered a "high or significant hazard" - since August 1997, despite a state law that requires inspections at least once every 10 years.
Oh, it gets worse.
Nearly 80% of all state-regulated dams have no emergency action plans in case the dams fail, as required by law, a Journal Sentinel analysis of state data shows. About half of the 205 high-hazard dams and 84% of the 135 significant-hazard dams have no emergency plans, according to the records.
Obviously, DNR folks have more important things to do, like making certain that no one uses an ATV on roads, or feeds deer in their own yards.
This will not come as a surprise to people subject to DNR wardens' home-invasions and entrapment techniques--but might surprise those who thought that DNR consisted of "good guys" taking care of Wisconsin's environment.
Wisconsin officials have fallen behind in their oversight of the state's dams, failing over the past decade to inspect dozens that would pose the greatest risk to life and property in the event of a dam break
In all, the state Department of Natural Resources has not inspected at least 230 state-regulated dams - including 67 that are considered a "high or significant hazard" - since August 1997, despite a state law that requires inspections at least once every 10 years.
Oh, it gets worse.
Nearly 80% of all state-regulated dams have no emergency action plans in case the dams fail, as required by law, a Journal Sentinel analysis of state data shows. About half of the 205 high-hazard dams and 84% of the 135 significant-hazard dams have no emergency plans, according to the records.
Obviously, DNR folks have more important things to do, like making certain that no one uses an ATV on roads, or feeds deer in their own yards.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
P-Mac Goes Big Time
Pat McIlheran gets nominated for the Bastiat Prize for Journalism.
A few of you may be familiar with Bastiat's "The Law," which is short and rather sour. It's the kind of thing you read and recall, but not the sort of pamphlet which Big Gummint sorts want laying about.
Anyhoo, McIlheran gets nominated for a prize which:
...celebrates writers whose work cleverly and wittily promotes the institutions of the free society.
(It's that cleverness which drives the Moonbat Lefties bonkers. They don't bother with stomp/screech people like ....Dad29.)
But get a load of the competitors!
Clive Crook
Jonah Goldberg
A. Barton Hinkle
Classy. Like being nominated for a composition prize when the 'other guys' are Rachmaninoff, Mahler, and Debussy.
Maybe Pat will still talk to normal people.
HT: Boots and Sabers
A few of you may be familiar with Bastiat's "The Law," which is short and rather sour. It's the kind of thing you read and recall, but not the sort of pamphlet which Big Gummint sorts want laying about.
Anyhoo, McIlheran gets nominated for a prize which:
...celebrates writers whose work cleverly and wittily promotes the institutions of the free society.
(It's that cleverness which drives the Moonbat Lefties bonkers. They don't bother with stomp/screech people like ....Dad29.)
But get a load of the competitors!
Clive Crook
Jonah Goldberg
A. Barton Hinkle
Classy. Like being nominated for a composition prize when the 'other guys' are Rachmaninoff, Mahler, and Debussy.
Maybe Pat will still talk to normal people.
HT: Boots and Sabers
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Poncho Lady Alert in West Bend, WI Updated w/Hymn!
(Picture of OTHER Poncho Ladies courtesy of Christus Vincit Blog.)
The 'tell' in this article is in the last graf. (Scroll down a bit.)
Alice M. Iaquinta of West Bend is one of two women who will seek the Catholic priesthood through unsanctioned ordinations Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis, Minn., according to Roman Catholic Womenpriests, a group that has organized similar ordinations in Europe, Canada and Pittsburgh. Three women will seek ordination as deacons at the same service.
All of the ordinations will be performed by Patricia Fresen of Germany, one of the women the group says were secretly ordained as bishops by anonymous male bishops in apostolic succession and good standing with the Roman Catholic Church. Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan has termed such ordinations "simulated and invalid."
Iaquinta issued a statement saying she discerned a call to the priesthood after serving as a pastoral associate and graduating with honors from St. Francis Seminary in St. Francis with a master of divinity degree in May 2006.
Poncho Ladies can be identified because they wear ponchos (pretending that they are chasubles, which are worn by priests.)
There is also a typo in the article. Ms. Iaquinta did not "discern a call." In reality, she suffers from "delusions of a call."
Clearly, her M. Div. coursework did not prepare her for service to the Roman Catholic Church, which brings up the question 'exactly what course-requirements exist?' in the M.Div. program at St. Francis Major Seminary...
As a child, she was a member of Trinity Lutheran Evangelical Church in Kenosha, where she was baptized and confirmed. She converted to Catholicism in 1964.
...Iaquinta is single and has three children and four grandchildren. She holds a masters degree in education, and will return this fall to the Wisconsin Technical College system, where she has taught for 35 years. Graduating with honors from St. Francis Seminary in St. Francis, Wis., with a master of divinity degree in 2006, Iaquinta is pursuing her doctorate of divinity degree. She was ordained a deacon through Roman Catholic Womenpriests on May 27 in Toronto.
It is fair to state that Ms. Iaquinta is another example of one who is 'educated beyond her intelligence', an honorific bestowed on Abp. Rembert Weakland by Mike Schwartz of the Catholic League.
Christus Vincit offers a hymn for this poor woman:
Faith of the grannies, priest-wannabes,
Faux ordinations on the high seas,
In the procession, three gifts are seen:
Bread and wine, and, thank God!... Dramamine.
Their day's long gone, they grasp at straws
Strive to make sense of menopause.
Faith of the Dinosaurs, double-knit clad,
Dreaming of whate'er "edge" they once had,
And of their glory days, now long gone.
Would they let go, the Church could move on.
Lumb'ring and desp'rate, it is plain
Soon naught but fossils will remain.
Professional Policemen's Union Acts...Like A UNION!
Shock!
The state's largest law enforcement association will air its first-ever TV ad this weekend, blasting Rep. Eugene Hahn, R-Cambria, for voting for a state budget it claims would hurt cops on the beat.
...Republicans "want to make significant cuts to law enforcement, but they'll filter their cuts through local governments so they can say, 'We didn't do it.' They think they can play games with police officers and no one will hold them accountable."
We'll give you all time to recover. Count on this: the WPPA's solution will NOT include concealed-carry for law-abiding citizens.
That just might put them out of business entirely.
The state's largest law enforcement association will air its first-ever TV ad this weekend, blasting Rep. Eugene Hahn, R-Cambria, for voting for a state budget it claims would hurt cops on the beat.
...Republicans "want to make significant cuts to law enforcement, but they'll filter their cuts through local governments so they can say, 'We didn't do it.' They think they can play games with police officers and no one will hold them accountable."
We'll give you all time to recover. Count on this: the WPPA's solution will NOT include concealed-carry for law-abiding citizens.
That just might put them out of business entirely.
The Donkey Gets His Tail
Big Picture quotes Al Abelson, who names the name.
...we couldn't help but think of the acute discomfort being felt by that outstanding public servant Alan Greenspan, who, during his celebrated tenure as head of the Federal Reserve, more than anyone deserves credit for nurturing the ownership society. Mr. Greenspan, lest we forget, went far beyond the call to entice people, no matter what their circumstances, into buying a home by whacking the cost of credit to as near zero as you can get and still lay claim to being somewhat rational, and urging them to go for those new-fangled adjustable mortgages with deceptively low initial interest rates.
Beyond even his cleverness at blowing successive "smart bubbles," so that the newest one (for example, housing) was nicely calculated to offset the fallout from its burst predecessor (the stock market), and his adroit ability to please his political masters (his overriding passion has always been to be liked), nothing more distinguished Mr. Greenspan's long stint at the Fed than his timing in departing from that august body.
As his successor, gentle Ben Bernanke, is no doubt becoming ruefully aware, creating a mess is easy. The trick is in knowing when to slip out, leaving someone else with the job of cleaning it up. And here Mr. G has proved himself an undisputed master.
Financial mischief on such a grand scale is not a one-man job, and Mr. Greenspan, needless to say, had a lot of help from Wall Street, Washington and points north, south and west. But there's no diminishing the singular part he played.
And just as the contempt for risk that made possible the gross extravagances in housing and the financial markets was sustained by confidence that Mr. G would always bail out the participants -- the so-called Greenspan put -- so the current collapse in housing and the financial markets merits a special designation, one that similarly recognizes his critical role. How about the Greenspan Kaput?"
It remains to be seen just how much trouble "Easy Al" has actually caused. But the indicators are there to be read--look, e.g., at the relative value of the USD to other currencies (Euro, Yen) or the relative value of the USD to "real" stuff like petroleum, steel, and copper.
Oscar Wilde's aphorism defines the cynics. They reside on Wall Street and at the Fed.
...we couldn't help but think of the acute discomfort being felt by that outstanding public servant Alan Greenspan, who, during his celebrated tenure as head of the Federal Reserve, more than anyone deserves credit for nurturing the ownership society. Mr. Greenspan, lest we forget, went far beyond the call to entice people, no matter what their circumstances, into buying a home by whacking the cost of credit to as near zero as you can get and still lay claim to being somewhat rational, and urging them to go for those new-fangled adjustable mortgages with deceptively low initial interest rates.
Beyond even his cleverness at blowing successive "smart bubbles," so that the newest one (for example, housing) was nicely calculated to offset the fallout from its burst predecessor (the stock market), and his adroit ability to please his political masters (his overriding passion has always been to be liked), nothing more distinguished Mr. Greenspan's long stint at the Fed than his timing in departing from that august body.
As his successor, gentle Ben Bernanke, is no doubt becoming ruefully aware, creating a mess is easy. The trick is in knowing when to slip out, leaving someone else with the job of cleaning it up. And here Mr. G has proved himself an undisputed master.
Financial mischief on such a grand scale is not a one-man job, and Mr. Greenspan, needless to say, had a lot of help from Wall Street, Washington and points north, south and west. But there's no diminishing the singular part he played.
And just as the contempt for risk that made possible the gross extravagances in housing and the financial markets was sustained by confidence that Mr. G would always bail out the participants -- the so-called Greenspan put -- so the current collapse in housing and the financial markets merits a special designation, one that similarly recognizes his critical role. How about the Greenspan Kaput?"
It remains to be seen just how much trouble "Easy Al" has actually caused. But the indicators are there to be read--look, e.g., at the relative value of the USD to other currencies (Euro, Yen) or the relative value of the USD to "real" stuff like petroleum, steel, and copper.
Oscar Wilde's aphorism defines the cynics. They reside on Wall Street and at the Fed.
It's the SPENDING, Stupid!
Only yesterday (or so it seems) the Republican-dominated Wisconsin Legislature utterly failed to pass TABOR.
As it happens, I am not comfortable with the State's arrogance in making spend/tax decisions on behalf of local Gummints. It's a clear violation of the Principle of Subsidiarity, and that Principle is implicitly endorsed in the text of the 9th/10th Amendments to the Constitution.
That doesn't make the supporters of TABOR (or like legislation) evil; but it does emphatically undermine their position.
Another part of the problem for the Leggies was the question: exactly what do we restrain? Taxes? or Spending?
My answer (when asked by a legislator) was Spending!! By all means, Spending!!
Always nice to know that I'm right, even though it was the Clinton Administration which proved it.
Federal spending declined as a share of national income during President Clinton's two terms in the 1990s. Fiscal responsibility -- the need to curb the budget deficit -- was a consistent theme. The deficits that Clinton inherited, which put the squeeze on spending, were bequeathed by the earlier large tax cuts (and increases in defense spending) of the Reagan administration.
There is NO argument that the Reagan tax cuts were "bad." In fact, we all know that Fed revenues hockey-sticked UP following the tax cuts. The problem was that Fed spending (not only on defense, by the way) ALSO hockey-sticked up--at a rate greater than revenue increases.
A new study [PDF] by Richard Vedder and Jonathan Leirer for the congressional Joint Economic Committee, for instance, found that over the past 60 years every dollar raised in extra taxes has given rise to more than a dollar in extra spending.
Here's a "DOH" for you: in general terms, the "Supply-Side/Republican" people don't care about deficits--they reduce taxes because it's politically popular. This is called "starve the beast" rhetoric. Conversely, the Democrats care about deficits--and figure that the "right thing to do" is to increase taxes. But when they increase taxes, they ALSO increase program expenditures, continuing the deficits. Sometimes (Clinton is an example) they actually reduce the deficits, but leave massive downstream minefields.
"Starve the beast" exponents are not demanding packages of lower taxes and lower spending. They are saying that lower taxes will sooner or later wear spending down anyway. When you look at those cases -- instances where taxes have been cut independently, with no connection to new spending plans -- spending does not fall, say the Romers. In fact, it rises a bit. "Starve the beast" does not work.
The commonality between the "starve/supply-side" gang and the Democrats is easy to spot: they BOTH spend money as though it were going out of style.
And therein, my friends, lies the answer.
No PIG (Party-In-Government) member in his right mind will act on that, of course.
HT: McIlheran
As it happens, I am not comfortable with the State's arrogance in making spend/tax decisions on behalf of local Gummints. It's a clear violation of the Principle of Subsidiarity, and that Principle is implicitly endorsed in the text of the 9th/10th Amendments to the Constitution.
That doesn't make the supporters of TABOR (or like legislation) evil; but it does emphatically undermine their position.
Another part of the problem for the Leggies was the question: exactly what do we restrain? Taxes? or Spending?
My answer (when asked by a legislator) was Spending!! By all means, Spending!!
Always nice to know that I'm right, even though it was the Clinton Administration which proved it.
Federal spending declined as a share of national income during President Clinton's two terms in the 1990s. Fiscal responsibility -- the need to curb the budget deficit -- was a consistent theme. The deficits that Clinton inherited, which put the squeeze on spending, were bequeathed by the earlier large tax cuts (and increases in defense spending) of the Reagan administration.
There is NO argument that the Reagan tax cuts were "bad." In fact, we all know that Fed revenues hockey-sticked UP following the tax cuts. The problem was that Fed spending (not only on defense, by the way) ALSO hockey-sticked up--at a rate greater than revenue increases.
A new study [PDF] by Richard Vedder and Jonathan Leirer for the congressional Joint Economic Committee, for instance, found that over the past 60 years every dollar raised in extra taxes has given rise to more than a dollar in extra spending.
Here's a "DOH" for you: in general terms, the "Supply-Side/Republican" people don't care about deficits--they reduce taxes because it's politically popular. This is called "starve the beast" rhetoric. Conversely, the Democrats care about deficits--and figure that the "right thing to do" is to increase taxes. But when they increase taxes, they ALSO increase program expenditures, continuing the deficits. Sometimes (Clinton is an example) they actually reduce the deficits, but leave massive downstream minefields.
"Starve the beast" exponents are not demanding packages of lower taxes and lower spending. They are saying that lower taxes will sooner or later wear spending down anyway. When you look at those cases -- instances where taxes have been cut independently, with no connection to new spending plans -- spending does not fall, say the Romers. In fact, it rises a bit. "Starve the beast" does not work.
The commonality between the "starve/supply-side" gang and the Democrats is easy to spot: they BOTH spend money as though it were going out of style.
And therein, my friends, lies the answer.
No PIG (Party-In-Government) member in his right mind will act on that, of course.
HT: McIlheran
Y2K's Last Gift and FUD Fertilizer
Many of us recall the "Y2K Crisis" and the enormous computer-programming expenditures made at that time. Cynics knew that a good deal of that money was wasted--Big Consulting did a fine job of spreading FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) Fertilizer (TM) throughout boardrooms, making calendar-year 2000 bonuses the last good thing to happen to the economy before the 2001 recession took hold.
Anyhoo.
Seems as though NASA also had a Y2K crisis and reprogrammed its weather-recording stations.
Inaccurately.
Thus, the AlGore "hockey stick" of temp spikes, and the Industry of Global Warming blossomed.
Naturally, it is also fed by FUD Fertilizer.
Steve McIntyre, of Toronto operates www.climateaudit.org and began to investigate the data and the methods used to arrive at the results that were graphed by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS).
What he discovered was truly amazing. Since NASA does not fully publish the computer source code and formulae used to calculate the trends in the graph, nor the correction used to arrive at the "corrected" data. He had to reverse engineer the process by comparing the raw data and the processed data..
Here is one of his first posts where he begins to understand what is happening. "This imparts an upward discontinuity of a deg C in wintertime and 0.8 deg C annually. I checked the monthly data and determined that the discontinuity occurred on January 2000 - and, to that extent, appears to be a Y2K problem. I presume that this is a programming error."
He further refines his argument showing the distribution of the error, and the problems with the USHCN temperature data. He also sends an email to NASA GISS advising of the problem.
He finally publishes it here, stating that NASA made a correction not only on their own web page, attributing the discovery to McIntyre, but NASA also issued a corrected set of temperature anomaly data which you can see here:
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs/Fig.D.txt
Steve McIntyre posted this data from NASA's newly published data set from Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) These numbers represent deviation from the mean temperature calculated from temperature measurement stations throughout the USA.
According to the new data published by NASA, 1998 is no longer the hottest year ever. 1934 is.
The presence of FUD Fertilizer has always resulted in abandonment of Common Sense, going back to the first recorded instance (see Genesis, the Garden Story.)
HT: Clayton Cramer
Anyhoo.
Seems as though NASA also had a Y2K crisis and reprogrammed its weather-recording stations.
Inaccurately.
Thus, the AlGore "hockey stick" of temp spikes, and the Industry of Global Warming blossomed.
Naturally, it is also fed by FUD Fertilizer.
Steve McIntyre, of Toronto operates www.climateaudit.org and began to investigate the data and the methods used to arrive at the results that were graphed by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS).
What he discovered was truly amazing. Since NASA does not fully publish the computer source code and formulae used to calculate the trends in the graph, nor the correction used to arrive at the "corrected" data. He had to reverse engineer the process by comparing the raw data and the processed data..
Here is one of his first posts where he begins to understand what is happening. "This imparts an upward discontinuity of a deg C in wintertime and 0.8 deg C annually. I checked the monthly data and determined that the discontinuity occurred on January 2000 - and, to that extent, appears to be a Y2K problem. I presume that this is a programming error."
He further refines his argument showing the distribution of the error, and the problems with the USHCN temperature data. He also sends an email to NASA GISS advising of the problem.
He finally publishes it here, stating that NASA made a correction not only on their own web page, attributing the discovery to McIntyre, but NASA also issued a corrected set of temperature anomaly data which you can see here:
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs/Fig.D.txt
Steve McIntyre posted this data from NASA's newly published data set from Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) These numbers represent deviation from the mean temperature calculated from temperature measurement stations throughout the USA.
According to the new data published by NASA, 1998 is no longer the hottest year ever. 1934 is.
The presence of FUD Fertilizer has always resulted in abandonment of Common Sense, going back to the first recorded instance (see Genesis, the Garden Story.)
HT: Clayton Cramer
Friday, August 10, 2007
GWB Reluctantly Gets It
It appears that the BushBoyzzz have decided to reflect the will of the People in the future.
The Bush administration announced plans Friday to enlist state and local law enforcement in cracking down on illegal immigrants, which previously was largely a federal function.
The administration unveiled a series of tough border control and employer enforcement measures designed to make up for security provisions that failed when Congress rejected a broad rewrite of the nation’s immigration laws in June.
...In one of the most interesting revelations, the plans call for the administration to “train growing numbers of state and local law enforcement officers to identify and detain immigration offenders whom they encounter in the course of daily law enforcement.”
“By this fall, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will have quintupled the number of enforcement teams devoted to removing fugitive aliens (from 15 to 75 in less than three years),” a summary of the plan states.
This "late conversion" did not go un-noticed by cynics in the Senate.
“The biggest message that emerged from this failed immigration bill is that if immigration reform is to happen in the future, they must first restore the American people's confidence that the federal government is serious about securing our borders and enforcing our immigration laws,” said a Senate Republican leadership official. “Frankly, this should have been addressed several years ago.”
Under "Things That WILL Make a Difference" we find
Employers will face tough new scrutiny and requirements. “There are now 29 categories of documents that employers must accept to establish identity and work eligibility among their workers,” the summary says. “The Department of Homeland Security will reduce that number and weed out the most insecure.”
“The Department of Homeland Security will raise the civil fines imposed on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants by approximately 25 percent,” the summary continues. “The administration will continue its aggressive expansion of criminal investigations against employers who knowingly hire large numbers of illegal aliens.”
There will also be some revisions to H2A and H2B (ag worker) permits which will make them much more flexible and "ag-industry" friendly.
We'll see how long this actually lasts. As mentioned before in this blog (and as reported in Human Events,) there are a few major employers who accumulate hundreds of thousands of false Social Security number reports every year.
Nailing THEM would be a very good start.
HT: The Cafeteria Is Closed
The Bush administration announced plans Friday to enlist state and local law enforcement in cracking down on illegal immigrants, which previously was largely a federal function.
The administration unveiled a series of tough border control and employer enforcement measures designed to make up for security provisions that failed when Congress rejected a broad rewrite of the nation’s immigration laws in June.
...In one of the most interesting revelations, the plans call for the administration to “train growing numbers of state and local law enforcement officers to identify and detain immigration offenders whom they encounter in the course of daily law enforcement.”
“By this fall, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will have quintupled the number of enforcement teams devoted to removing fugitive aliens (from 15 to 75 in less than three years),” a summary of the plan states.
This "late conversion" did not go un-noticed by cynics in the Senate.
“The biggest message that emerged from this failed immigration bill is that if immigration reform is to happen in the future, they must first restore the American people's confidence that the federal government is serious about securing our borders and enforcing our immigration laws,” said a Senate Republican leadership official. “Frankly, this should have been addressed several years ago.”
Under "Things That WILL Make a Difference" we find
Employers will face tough new scrutiny and requirements. “There are now 29 categories of documents that employers must accept to establish identity and work eligibility among their workers,” the summary says. “The Department of Homeland Security will reduce that number and weed out the most insecure.”
“The Department of Homeland Security will raise the civil fines imposed on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants by approximately 25 percent,” the summary continues. “The administration will continue its aggressive expansion of criminal investigations against employers who knowingly hire large numbers of illegal aliens.”
There will also be some revisions to H2A and H2B (ag worker) permits which will make them much more flexible and "ag-industry" friendly.
We'll see how long this actually lasts. As mentioned before in this blog (and as reported in Human Events,) there are a few major employers who accumulate hundreds of thousands of false Social Security number reports every year.
Nailing THEM would be a very good start.
HT: The Cafeteria Is Closed
Silence at Mass
In the middle of a very nice essay on the Joannine Rite, we find this:
And this is, perhaps, the crux of the issue about the problem of silence at Mass. It is difficult
for modern man to endure silence because we are surrounded by noise that is ever louder and louder. We fear silence because it may force us in unguarded moments to introspection and self–
examination. The noise with which we have surrounded ourselves hides us from ourselves. Silence in the Mass is perhaps the greatest need of modern man because we so desperately need to peer into our souls, to enter into our own hearts, and to see there what God himself sees. In the silence of the Traditional Latin Mass we can listen to God’s voice within us.
The silence of the Traditional Latin Mass reveals so clearly that the Mass is NOT the work of the congregation, a performance which we manufacture in order to make God happy with us. Rather, the Mass is the work of God—it is Christ’s Own work of redemption carried out in our midst, on our altar. The Mass is not fabricated by man, it must be received in faith, and silence enables us to do just that: just as we do not “take” Holy Communion, but rather “receive” the Lord in the Sacrament, so do we receive Christ’s redemption in the Mass.
Fr. Meyers' analogy/juxtaposition of "take" and "receive" is very significant. It has become more common to use the phrase "to take Communion," which happens to be a Protestant formulation. It is not a co-incidence; it fits in quite well with the 'de-priesting' of Catholic liturgeists over the last 20+ years in their false interpretation of SC, the Liturgy document of the Second Vatican Council.
HT: L A Catholic
And this is, perhaps, the crux of the issue about the problem of silence at Mass. It is difficult
for modern man to endure silence because we are surrounded by noise that is ever louder and louder. We fear silence because it may force us in unguarded moments to introspection and self–
examination. The noise with which we have surrounded ourselves hides us from ourselves. Silence in the Mass is perhaps the greatest need of modern man because we so desperately need to peer into our souls, to enter into our own hearts, and to see there what God himself sees. In the silence of the Traditional Latin Mass we can listen to God’s voice within us.
The silence of the Traditional Latin Mass reveals so clearly that the Mass is NOT the work of the congregation, a performance which we manufacture in order to make God happy with us. Rather, the Mass is the work of God—it is Christ’s Own work of redemption carried out in our midst, on our altar. The Mass is not fabricated by man, it must be received in faith, and silence enables us to do just that: just as we do not “take” Holy Communion, but rather “receive” the Lord in the Sacrament, so do we receive Christ’s redemption in the Mass.
Fr. Meyers' analogy/juxtaposition of "take" and "receive" is very significant. It has become more common to use the phrase "to take Communion," which happens to be a Protestant formulation. It is not a co-incidence; it fits in quite well with the 'de-priesting' of Catholic liturgeists over the last 20+ years in their false interpretation of SC, the Liturgy document of the Second Vatican Council.
HT: L A Catholic
Gummint, Health Care, and Bordellos
From the LawDog, who keeps track of such things (professionally, of course):
The Mustang Ranch is back in private hands and open for business once again.
For those Gentle Readers who may be less-worldly than others, the Mustang Ranch was, at one time, the largest brothel in Nevada as well as being the first licensed bordello in that State.
However, while interesting, this is not the part of it's history that is really fascinating. What we're interested in is this little tid-bit buried way down in the article: after several years of tax shenanigans by the owner, the Mustang Ranch became the first (Official. Licensed.) brothel run by the United States Federal Government.
They lost money.
Let us allow that simple, yet profound, truth sink into our synapses, shall we?
The Federal Government of the United States can not run a bordello and make money.
Let's not have any smart-cracks about the cost of keeping Congress, please.
And let's think again about the capacity of "16 Wise-Men Gummint Appointees" to run healthcare.
The Mustang Ranch is back in private hands and open for business once again.
For those Gentle Readers who may be less-worldly than others, the Mustang Ranch was, at one time, the largest brothel in Nevada as well as being the first licensed bordello in that State.
However, while interesting, this is not the part of it's history that is really fascinating. What we're interested in is this little tid-bit buried way down in the article: after several years of tax shenanigans by the owner, the Mustang Ranch became the first (Official. Licensed.) brothel run by the United States Federal Government.
They lost money.
Let us allow that simple, yet profound, truth sink into our synapses, shall we?
The Federal Government of the United States can not run a bordello and make money.
Let's not have any smart-cracks about the cost of keeping Congress, please.
And let's think again about the capacity of "16 Wise-Men Gummint Appointees" to run healthcare.
Wesbury, Kasriel, and P-Mac
P-Mac was kind enough to link to yesterday's post which pointed out the statistical sleight-of-hand utilized by Brian Wesbury.
Today, Paul Kasriel of Northern Trust weighs in. And he's not enamored of Wesbury's 'sunshine' either.
To argue that the economy is not in danger of slipping into a recession, as the lay public believes, because the consensus forecast of economists does not call for one is to ignore history. How many times has the consensus forecast of economists called for a recession? Although the lay public might have predicted eight out of the past four recessions, to paraphrase Samuelson, at least it has predicted some recessions. I am not aware of the consensus of economists’ forecasts ever predicting a recession. To Wesbury’s credit, he was one of only a handful of economists who predicted the last recession. (See, I’m fair and balanced.) The consensus did not.
...
Let me suggest another model that has a better track record in forecasting recessions than either the gaggle of professional economists, including Wesbury, or the lay public. It is the combination of the behavior of a yield spread and the CPI-adjusted monetary base. The yield-spread variable is the difference between the yield on the Treasury 10-year security and the federal funds rate. The monetary base consists of the reserves created by the Federal Reserve for the banking system and the currency held by the public. As the chart below shows, since 1970, whenever the four-quarter moving average of the yield spread has turned negative and, at the same time, the year-over-year change in the quarterly average of the CPI-adjusted monetary base has turned negative, a recession has occurred. Guess what? In each of the first two quarters of 2007, this combination of a negative yield spread and contracting real monetary base has obtained.
Less exotic, but portentious: housing and Mortgage-Equity-Withdrawal numbers........
Today, Paul Kasriel of Northern Trust weighs in. And he's not enamored of Wesbury's 'sunshine' either.
To argue that the economy is not in danger of slipping into a recession, as the lay public believes, because the consensus forecast of economists does not call for one is to ignore history. How many times has the consensus forecast of economists called for a recession? Although the lay public might have predicted eight out of the past four recessions, to paraphrase Samuelson, at least it has predicted some recessions. I am not aware of the consensus of economists’ forecasts ever predicting a recession. To Wesbury’s credit, he was one of only a handful of economists who predicted the last recession. (See, I’m fair and balanced.) The consensus did not.
...
Let me suggest another model that has a better track record in forecasting recessions than either the gaggle of professional economists, including Wesbury, or the lay public. It is the combination of the behavior of a yield spread and the CPI-adjusted monetary base. The yield-spread variable is the difference between the yield on the Treasury 10-year security and the federal funds rate. The monetary base consists of the reserves created by the Federal Reserve for the banking system and the currency held by the public. As the chart below shows, since 1970, whenever the four-quarter moving average of the yield spread has turned negative and, at the same time, the year-over-year change in the quarterly average of the CPI-adjusted monetary base has turned negative, a recession has occurred. Guess what? In each of the first two quarters of 2007, this combination of a negative yield spread and contracting real monetary base has obtained.
Less exotic, but portentious: housing and Mortgage-Equity-Withdrawal numbers........
"But It's Cheap!! You MUST Like It!!!" PRC Strikes Again
Over the years, we've become accustomed to hearing the "choice is good" line. But it's not only from Planned Parenthood; it's also preached by the Globaloney Crowd, the ones who insist that PRC's Sun-Tzu economic war on the USA is 'good for everyone.'
After all, PRC makes the same stuff, but a lot cheaper, so what's the problem?
We've argued that "cheap" labor and "cheap" engineering has a cost. The slave-labor which PRC utilizes, the total absence of worker-safety & health regulations in PRC's manufacturing environment, and PRC's offhanded disregard of such minor infrastructure items as air and water quality, are portentous. PRC also has developed a culture of theft in intellectual property which is deleterious to both US patent-holders and to purchasers of knockoff products. In addition, PRC has overtly subsidized exports through cash-grants AND currency manipulation.
It's easy to be the low-cost producer, given those conditions.
But since human rights are subordinate to Economic Grasping (and the profits of certain well-entrenched people both in PRC and the US), the Globaloney Crowd has held sway.
(It is NOT a coincidence that Planned Parenthood and PRC are leading Worldwide Merchants of Death, by the way.)
Now PRC's notorious lack of respect for human life is becoming obvious, and it is not only PRC citizen/slaves who are at risk. Pet food, tires, cellphone batteries, seafood, and pharmaceuticals coming from PRC are dangerous, or lethal.
Next: the Chery, which shocked Jim Sensenbrenner. He noticed that the car was a very close copy of a GM/Chevrolet Division auto.
Recently, AvtoRevu, a Russian "Car and Driver" if you will, funded independent crash test research on Chery's top selling sedan in Russia, the Amulet (pictured below). The crash test was a 64km (approximately 40mph) off-set front crash test. On a scale of 0 to 16, the car earned a 1.7. Only one vehicle in the lab's 39 year existence fared poorer, a Russian built model that earned a 0 in 2001. According to the reveiw in AvtoRevu, the Amulet's front door sills "crumpled like newspaper" and "We have never seen such terrible deformation of a car's body." WSJ reports that AvtoRevu stated "...the test dummy became so entwined with the wreckage of the car that it had to be removed piece by piece."
Makes the Corvair look like an Abrams in comparison....
Chery didn't like the results, and said that the Russkis manipulated them.
So Chery hired the commercial arm of the U.K. government's Vehicle Certification Agency to test the car at Chery's headquarters in Shanghai. The test was full frontal, not partial, ran at 56km, not 64km, the vehicle was equipped with an airbag and the crash barrier was less rigid. It passed. Shock!
It was a "reverse-NBC-saddle-tank-test."
This is a piece of baloney which turned green long ago. Wonder how WallyWorld will merchandise it...
HT: Disgruntled Car Salesman
After all, PRC makes the same stuff, but a lot cheaper, so what's the problem?
We've argued that "cheap" labor and "cheap" engineering has a cost. The slave-labor which PRC utilizes, the total absence of worker-safety & health regulations in PRC's manufacturing environment, and PRC's offhanded disregard of such minor infrastructure items as air and water quality, are portentous. PRC also has developed a culture of theft in intellectual property which is deleterious to both US patent-holders and to purchasers of knockoff products. In addition, PRC has overtly subsidized exports through cash-grants AND currency manipulation.
It's easy to be the low-cost producer, given those conditions.
But since human rights are subordinate to Economic Grasping (and the profits of certain well-entrenched people both in PRC and the US), the Globaloney Crowd has held sway.
(It is NOT a coincidence that Planned Parenthood and PRC are leading Worldwide Merchants of Death, by the way.)
Now PRC's notorious lack of respect for human life is becoming obvious, and it is not only PRC citizen/slaves who are at risk. Pet food, tires, cellphone batteries, seafood, and pharmaceuticals coming from PRC are dangerous, or lethal.
Next: the Chery, which shocked Jim Sensenbrenner. He noticed that the car was a very close copy of a GM/Chevrolet Division auto.
Recently, AvtoRevu, a Russian "Car and Driver" if you will, funded independent crash test research on Chery's top selling sedan in Russia, the Amulet (pictured below). The crash test was a 64km (approximately 40mph) off-set front crash test. On a scale of 0 to 16, the car earned a 1.7. Only one vehicle in the lab's 39 year existence fared poorer, a Russian built model that earned a 0 in 2001. According to the reveiw in AvtoRevu, the Amulet's front door sills "crumpled like newspaper" and "We have never seen such terrible deformation of a car's body." WSJ reports that AvtoRevu stated "...the test dummy became so entwined with the wreckage of the car that it had to be removed piece by piece."
Makes the Corvair look like an Abrams in comparison....
Chery didn't like the results, and said that the Russkis manipulated them.
So Chery hired the commercial arm of the U.K. government's Vehicle Certification Agency to test the car at Chery's headquarters in Shanghai. The test was full frontal, not partial, ran at 56km, not 64km, the vehicle was equipped with an airbag and the crash barrier was less rigid. It passed. Shock!
It was a "reverse-NBC-saddle-tank-test."
This is a piece of baloney which turned green long ago. Wonder how WallyWorld will merchandise it...
HT: Disgruntled Car Salesman
Christmas List: Books
Recognizing that some of us don't buy everything 'just because it's worth buying,' but instead, assemble a strategic Christmas list (thus spreading the cost of maintaining our lifestyle among our children/husbands/wives, etc.), here's an excellent place to start.
Charlie's book will be a lot of fun to read!
Charlie's book will be a lot of fun to read!
No Greater Love: Pete Hausmann
You'll hear about this guy and wonder whether you could emulate him:
Peter Hausmann, a father of four from Rosemount, survived the collapse and escaped from his van into the murky, turbulent waters, according to a source involved with the investigation. In the resulting chaos, he apparently swam toward victims in another vehicle in an attempt to render assistance, the source said. ...
Hausmann died while attempting to save some others in the water.
Hausmann spent about three years doing missionary work in Kenya and maintained ties to Africa, working on AIDS projects and building a church. If he was trying to rescue someone, it would be typical of Hausmann's selflessness, his friends and co-workers said. "Pete is the type of guy who would do anything to help someone," said Jeff Olejnik, Hausmann's boss at Assurity River Group in St. Paul.
Another friend echoed that sentiment. "That would be Pete," said Gerry Fisher, a friend and former co-worker of Hausmann. "If there was a last act of Pete on this Earth, that certainly would be consistent [with who he was]."
"No greater love than this...that you lay down your life for your friends...."
HT: Captain's Quarters
Peter Hausmann, a father of four from Rosemount, survived the collapse and escaped from his van into the murky, turbulent waters, according to a source involved with the investigation. In the resulting chaos, he apparently swam toward victims in another vehicle in an attempt to render assistance, the source said. ...
Hausmann died while attempting to save some others in the water.
Hausmann spent about three years doing missionary work in Kenya and maintained ties to Africa, working on AIDS projects and building a church. If he was trying to rescue someone, it would be typical of Hausmann's selflessness, his friends and co-workers said. "Pete is the type of guy who would do anything to help someone," said Jeff Olejnik, Hausmann's boss at Assurity River Group in St. Paul.
Another friend echoed that sentiment. "That would be Pete," said Gerry Fisher, a friend and former co-worker of Hausmann. "If there was a last act of Pete on this Earth, that certainly would be consistent [with who he was]."
"No greater love than this...that you lay down your life for your friends...."
HT: Captain's Quarters
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Think YOU'VE Got It Tough? See What Europe's Facing
Yah, well, it should be interesting in about 40 years or so. Dreher finds a nugget:
Current social attitudes and demographic trends in the West suggest that there will be a continuation of low reproduction rates among Western peoples and therefore a severe decline in their populations. Conversely, there will be a continuation of high immigration of non-Western peoples into the Western nations and of higher reproduction rates among the non-Western communities in the West than among the Western people themselves. This will have major consequences not only for the military strategies of the Western nations but for their national security -- and even identity.
The most dramatic consequences are likely to occur in Europe, where most of the non-Western populations will be Muslim. These communities already perform functions essential to the economic system, and within the next decade, they are poised to become an important part of the political system. Many European countries will become two nations, and Europe as a whole will become two civilizations. The first will be a Western civilization or, more accurately, given Europeans' rejection of many Western traditions, a post-Western civilization comprised of people of European descent. It will be secular, even pagan, rich, old, and feeble. The second will be the non-Western civilization, descended from non-European peoples. It will be religious, even Islamic, poor, young, and vigorous. ...The two civilizations will regard each other with mutual contempt. In the new civilization, there will be a growing rage, and in the old civilization, there will be a growing fear. These will be the perfect conditions for endemic Islamic terrorism, urban riots, and mob violence: an Islamist insurgency within Europe itself.
So how's THAT going to work?
All Hail!!! Planned Parenthood and their philosophical forebear, A. Hitler. The only problem was that they never noticed that the gun was pointed in the wrong direction...
Current social attitudes and demographic trends in the West suggest that there will be a continuation of low reproduction rates among Western peoples and therefore a severe decline in their populations. Conversely, there will be a continuation of high immigration of non-Western peoples into the Western nations and of higher reproduction rates among the non-Western communities in the West than among the Western people themselves. This will have major consequences not only for the military strategies of the Western nations but for their national security -- and even identity.
The most dramatic consequences are likely to occur in Europe, where most of the non-Western populations will be Muslim. These communities already perform functions essential to the economic system, and within the next decade, they are poised to become an important part of the political system. Many European countries will become two nations, and Europe as a whole will become two civilizations. The first will be a Western civilization or, more accurately, given Europeans' rejection of many Western traditions, a post-Western civilization comprised of people of European descent. It will be secular, even pagan, rich, old, and feeble. The second will be the non-Western civilization, descended from non-European peoples. It will be religious, even Islamic, poor, young, and vigorous. ...The two civilizations will regard each other with mutual contempt. In the new civilization, there will be a growing rage, and in the old civilization, there will be a growing fear. These will be the perfect conditions for endemic Islamic terrorism, urban riots, and mob violence: an Islamist insurgency within Europe itself.
So how's THAT going to work?
All Hail!!! Planned Parenthood and their philosophical forebear, A. Hitler. The only problem was that they never noticed that the gun was pointed in the wrong direction...