the Australian Broadcasting Company has finally gotten up to speed with me.
They're carrying a story about the suspicious nature of three different internet cables being cut in the same region in the same week.
Twist? They think it was ISRAEL and AMERICA trying to wage information warfare on the Middle East.
Heh.
I still think my theory is better; it was al Qaeda, trying to separate Muslims from their online porn.
(read the whole story linked here, but scroll down to just past the picture of the smiling Iraqi schoolboys to find out what I'm talking about-- and remember, after English speaking countries, the second largest ethnic and linguistic group on earth in terms of porn downloads is the Arabs.)
Monday, February 4, 2008
Tim Worstall strikes...
I read this earlier this evening, and now can't find the link.
But I know that one of my favorite writer/bloggers, England's Tim Worstall, has said that America already has universal health care, at LEAST as good as they have in the UK.
What Hillary is selling is universal health INSURANCE, which is quite a different matter.
And she's willing, apparently, to do whatever it takes to get everybody paying into the system, including garnishing the wages of the unwilling.
But I know that one of my favorite writer/bloggers, England's Tim Worstall, has said that America already has universal health care, at LEAST as good as they have in the UK.
What Hillary is selling is universal health INSURANCE, which is quite a different matter.
And she's willing, apparently, to do whatever it takes to get everybody paying into the system, including garnishing the wages of the unwilling.
The old guard speaks up for its own
Well, Bob Dole has heard enough.
The old boy has roused himself and done a campaign PR gig for McCain, writing Rush Limbaugh a public "letter" in support of the little maverick.
In it he lists eight bullet points which are intended to prove McCain's conservative credentials, although tellingly Dole does NOT describe it as 'conservatism' but as 'support for his party'.
In a bill of particulars numbered 1 through 8, Dole wrote that McCain has a “Consistent pro-life record,” was a “Strong advocate for strict constructionist judges,” “Supported voluntary school prayer,” supported a balanced-budget amendment, was a strong advocate for cutting spending, consistently defended Second Amendment (gun-owner) rights, “opposed ‘Hillary Care,’ ” and was “Probably the Senate's strongest advocate for strong national defense.”
Let's take a look, shall we?
Consistent pro life record -- I'll give him that, for lack of evidence to the contrary. But does he believe a fetus is a human being and that abortion is murder? And if not, why is he against abortion? Or is he? Is a 'consistent pro life record' evidence of a belief, or of a simple desire to support fellow party members? Who knows? He never talks about it in these terms.
Strong advocate for strict constructionist judges -- uh, no. Gang of 14. Didn't like Alito because he wore his conservatism on his sleeve. McCain might say he likes constructionists, but they tend to write opinions of a conservative nature, and he has clearly said he does NOT like that. McCain is a George H. W. Bush type, and HIS picks for bench spots were plain dreadful.
Supported voluntary school prayer -- well, why not institutional school prayer, like it used to be? That's a cop out and is NOT conservative.
Strong advocate for cutting spending-- maybe, but he used this as an excuse to vote AGAINST Bush's tax cuts, TWICE. Real conservatives know that cutting taxes means increasing government revenue, and that spending cuts do not NEED to be tied to tax cuts. McCain is talking about CARBON taxes, about GLOBAL WARMING, right off the pages of the NYT's OPED section. He's not planning on CUTTING spending.
Besides, he's also said he opposed those Bush tax cuts because they were 'only for the wealthiest of Americans', just like every liberal says. So which is it? Was the problem a lack of spending cuts or that the recipients of the tax cuts were the EVIL RICH?
McCain is no conservative. Conservatives know you can't give a tax cut to somebody who didn't PAY any taxes. This is what's happening NOW, with the stupid 'stimulus' bill. They're going to send checks to people who didn't pay, and means-test the ones who DID in order to EXCLUDE them from the bonanza. It's the OPPOSITE of tax relief. It's simple redistribution of wealth.
Defended gun rights? Okay, at least he supports ONE of the amendments to the Constitution. But that freedom of speech thing? Forget it. McCain Feingold. The Incumbent Protection Act. A clear violation of our right to speak about politics in the public square during election season, supposedly to get money out of politics but really all it did was to remove accountability from that money.
the Senate's strongest advocate for national defense -- okay, but, Senator, what is your actual stance on Islamism and our long term foreign policy? I mean, we all demand to be protected from attack by our military, and that's fine; even Hillary would be responsible for the most part in that area.
But what's your plan? What's your opinion? What's your vision? Funny how he never talks in those terms. Bush says freedom and peace go hand in hand, and that unfree nations are the only ones that make offensive war these days. Free citizens tend to not want to do that. So Bush's vision is a free and democratic Middle East, with no dictators amassing weapons and dreaming of conquest.
It's a vision thing, whether you like Bush's vision or not. What is McCain's vision? Nobody knows.
We DO know that he believes totally in the leftist pap about global warming, including a need to tax the hell out of anyone with an extra dollar to pay for the mess he's going to get us into. We know he believes border fences are stupid, and anyone quick or smart enough to get here illegally ought to stay. He says he's strong on defense, but what about the defense of our own borders?
Match Point to Rush.
Dole has given the game away; he's responded to Limbaugh in such a way as to prove Limbaugh right AND to demonstrate that conservatism is NOT fading away as an American philosophy.
After all, if conservatism was a dying movement, why would Dole feel the need to defend McCain's conservative credentials? Why not just blow those crazies off, forget about them, reach out to regular mainstream America and win THEM over? Who needs a dying movement, a minority of cranks, a failed philosophy?
Apparently McCain does. The polls have been shifting mightily of late, showing lots of creep from McCain to Romney, showing Rush's assertions are having their effect. If we had anything like a Reagan in this game, even if Fred had caught on and been in Romney's shoes this week, McCain would be fading fast. Romney is the default candidate for conservatives now, and he's not really the best at articulating this. but so many are concerned at McCain's legendary non-conservatism that they're moving to Romney furiously. too little, too late, perhaps; still, it's happening. Huckabee is staying in ONLY because he takes votes from Romney; watch the McCain cabinet picks to see his smiling weasel face again in our future.
After all, if McCain was a real conservative, why would he have to EXPLAIN it to us? Wouldn't the conservative movement know it already?
Isn't this movement founded on principles and populated by attentive and politically astute citizens who are capable of determining through news and current events whether their politicians are adhering to their principles? After all, that was Rudy's problem in the end; he was not really a conservative, just a strong-on-defense moderate lib. The people voted on it, and he didn't get any real traction amongst conservatives.
Well, the people know McCain too. He gets lots of waffle votes, lots of moderate votes, independents, crossover Dem nutcases who illegally vote in our primaries-- but not the majority of the conservative vote.
If McCain was a real conservative, he wouldn't be enlisting a fake conservative like Dole to trumpet the conservative angle.
This is why Dole lost the presidency, folks; he was a blue blood country club establishment Republican who was embarrassed at all the conservative noise and ignored those crazy red-state rednecks.
And he lost to a man who did NOT get a majority of the vote.
I think that once the media has assured itself of getting McCain as the Republican nominee, they will rapidly fall out of love with him, and McCain will find it impossible to win in November.
The media are liberal, folks. They don't change overnight. If they've got a choice between Hillary (or Obama) and McCain, they'll go with the left leg every time.
Oh, and does anyone now believe the Dem ticket will NOT be some combination of Hillary and Obama?
This business of getting McCain nominated is just the media's effort to nullify conservatism as a topic of discussion. They're sending us out into the woods to be forgotten, to be hermitized.
But we're not gone just yet. :-)
The old boy has roused himself and done a campaign PR gig for McCain, writing Rush Limbaugh a public "letter" in support of the little maverick.
In it he lists eight bullet points which are intended to prove McCain's conservative credentials, although tellingly Dole does NOT describe it as 'conservatism' but as 'support for his party'.
In a bill of particulars numbered 1 through 8, Dole wrote that McCain has a “Consistent pro-life record,” was a “Strong advocate for strict constructionist judges,” “Supported voluntary school prayer,” supported a balanced-budget amendment, was a strong advocate for cutting spending, consistently defended Second Amendment (gun-owner) rights, “opposed ‘Hillary Care,’ ” and was “Probably the Senate's strongest advocate for strong national defense.”
Let's take a look, shall we?
Consistent pro life record -- I'll give him that, for lack of evidence to the contrary. But does he believe a fetus is a human being and that abortion is murder? And if not, why is he against abortion? Or is he? Is a 'consistent pro life record' evidence of a belief, or of a simple desire to support fellow party members? Who knows? He never talks about it in these terms.
Strong advocate for strict constructionist judges -- uh, no. Gang of 14. Didn't like Alito because he wore his conservatism on his sleeve. McCain might say he likes constructionists, but they tend to write opinions of a conservative nature, and he has clearly said he does NOT like that. McCain is a George H. W. Bush type, and HIS picks for bench spots were plain dreadful.
Supported voluntary school prayer -- well, why not institutional school prayer, like it used to be? That's a cop out and is NOT conservative.
Strong advocate for cutting spending-- maybe, but he used this as an excuse to vote AGAINST Bush's tax cuts, TWICE. Real conservatives know that cutting taxes means increasing government revenue, and that spending cuts do not NEED to be tied to tax cuts. McCain is talking about CARBON taxes, about GLOBAL WARMING, right off the pages of the NYT's OPED section. He's not planning on CUTTING spending.
Besides, he's also said he opposed those Bush tax cuts because they were 'only for the wealthiest of Americans', just like every liberal says. So which is it? Was the problem a lack of spending cuts or that the recipients of the tax cuts were the EVIL RICH?
McCain is no conservative. Conservatives know you can't give a tax cut to somebody who didn't PAY any taxes. This is what's happening NOW, with the stupid 'stimulus' bill. They're going to send checks to people who didn't pay, and means-test the ones who DID in order to EXCLUDE them from the bonanza. It's the OPPOSITE of tax relief. It's simple redistribution of wealth.
Defended gun rights? Okay, at least he supports ONE of the amendments to the Constitution. But that freedom of speech thing? Forget it. McCain Feingold. The Incumbent Protection Act. A clear violation of our right to speak about politics in the public square during election season, supposedly to get money out of politics but really all it did was to remove accountability from that money.
the Senate's strongest advocate for national defense -- okay, but, Senator, what is your actual stance on Islamism and our long term foreign policy? I mean, we all demand to be protected from attack by our military, and that's fine; even Hillary would be responsible for the most part in that area.
But what's your plan? What's your opinion? What's your vision? Funny how he never talks in those terms. Bush says freedom and peace go hand in hand, and that unfree nations are the only ones that make offensive war these days. Free citizens tend to not want to do that. So Bush's vision is a free and democratic Middle East, with no dictators amassing weapons and dreaming of conquest.
It's a vision thing, whether you like Bush's vision or not. What is McCain's vision? Nobody knows.
We DO know that he believes totally in the leftist pap about global warming, including a need to tax the hell out of anyone with an extra dollar to pay for the mess he's going to get us into. We know he believes border fences are stupid, and anyone quick or smart enough to get here illegally ought to stay. He says he's strong on defense, but what about the defense of our own borders?
Match Point to Rush.
Dole has given the game away; he's responded to Limbaugh in such a way as to prove Limbaugh right AND to demonstrate that conservatism is NOT fading away as an American philosophy.
After all, if conservatism was a dying movement, why would Dole feel the need to defend McCain's conservative credentials? Why not just blow those crazies off, forget about them, reach out to regular mainstream America and win THEM over? Who needs a dying movement, a minority of cranks, a failed philosophy?
Apparently McCain does. The polls have been shifting mightily of late, showing lots of creep from McCain to Romney, showing Rush's assertions are having their effect. If we had anything like a Reagan in this game, even if Fred had caught on and been in Romney's shoes this week, McCain would be fading fast. Romney is the default candidate for conservatives now, and he's not really the best at articulating this. but so many are concerned at McCain's legendary non-conservatism that they're moving to Romney furiously. too little, too late, perhaps; still, it's happening. Huckabee is staying in ONLY because he takes votes from Romney; watch the McCain cabinet picks to see his smiling weasel face again in our future.
After all, if McCain was a real conservative, why would he have to EXPLAIN it to us? Wouldn't the conservative movement know it already?
Isn't this movement founded on principles and populated by attentive and politically astute citizens who are capable of determining through news and current events whether their politicians are adhering to their principles? After all, that was Rudy's problem in the end; he was not really a conservative, just a strong-on-defense moderate lib. The people voted on it, and he didn't get any real traction amongst conservatives.
Well, the people know McCain too. He gets lots of waffle votes, lots of moderate votes, independents, crossover Dem nutcases who illegally vote in our primaries-- but not the majority of the conservative vote.
If McCain was a real conservative, he wouldn't be enlisting a fake conservative like Dole to trumpet the conservative angle.
This is why Dole lost the presidency, folks; he was a blue blood country club establishment Republican who was embarrassed at all the conservative noise and ignored those crazy red-state rednecks.
And he lost to a man who did NOT get a majority of the vote.
I think that once the media has assured itself of getting McCain as the Republican nominee, they will rapidly fall out of love with him, and McCain will find it impossible to win in November.
The media are liberal, folks. They don't change overnight. If they've got a choice between Hillary (or Obama) and McCain, they'll go with the left leg every time.
Oh, and does anyone now believe the Dem ticket will NOT be some combination of Hillary and Obama?
This business of getting McCain nominated is just the media's effort to nullify conservatism as a topic of discussion. They're sending us out into the woods to be forgotten, to be hermitized.
But we're not gone just yet. :-)
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Clinton-care
For what seems like decades now, Clinton-speak has been all about the millions of people who are uninsured, who can't afford it, who are left behind by our system....
But if Hillary herself is to be believed, there are actually a large number of people who can afford it but simply choose not to buy it.
And in her administration, you better believe those people will be forced to pony up and get in the system, up to and including garnishing of wages to pay the premiums.
If this is your vision of America, vote Clintons.
But if Hillary herself is to be believed, there are actually a large number of people who can afford it but simply choose not to buy it.
And in her administration, you better believe those people will be forced to pony up and get in the system, up to and including garnishing of wages to pay the premiums.
If this is your vision of America, vote Clintons.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Islamists go for the easy target
For a few days, I grudgingly accepted the story about a ship's anchor accidentally cutting a transoceanic cable that provided internet service to Egypt and throughout the Middle East.
Seemed reasonable.
The web speed around the M.E. decreased significantly and the story was it would take a few weeks to fix it.
But now I'm pretty much convinced my first instincts were right.
Because now they're up to THREE cables cut, all within the past couple of weeks.
Islamists always go for the easiest target. Nothing like bottlenecking that dastardly Western sensuality in the cable, far at sea with nobody there to shoot at you.
Seemed reasonable.
The web speed around the M.E. decreased significantly and the story was it would take a few weeks to fix it.
But now I'm pretty much convinced my first instincts were right.
Because now they're up to THREE cables cut, all within the past couple of weeks.
Islamists always go for the easiest target. Nothing like bottlenecking that dastardly Western sensuality in the cable, far at sea with nobody there to shoot at you.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Let's get real
For those who artfully wave their hands in the air and assume expressions of panicked outrage that we're not doing enough to combat global warming, read this.
The ice may well be reduced in the Arctic, but down there in Antarctica there's now more than ever. And the average winter temp in the Antarctic region is down one degree in the past fifty years.
Some parts of this darned old globe just aren't warmening enough for those guys.....
The ice may well be reduced in the Arctic, but down there in Antarctica there's now more than ever. And the average winter temp in the Antarctic region is down one degree in the past fifty years.
Some parts of this darned old globe just aren't warmening enough for those guys.....
Darn Global Warming is gonna kill us all, I tell ya
I wonder whether Al Gore has made an unpublicized trip to China.
By now the "Gore Effect" is well known by global warming skeptics; wherever he goes, it gets ridiculously cold.
China is now on the verge of a food crisis. Thousands of square miles of crops have been destroyed by snow, and food prices are rocketing skywards. Homes are collapsing from the weight, infrastructures are failing, electricity is out in widespread areas because of downed power lines, roads are blocked and there are no snow removal vehicles to clear them... it's dreadful, just awful, what snow is doing in China, and over a hundred million people are in real crisis. There are almost a million people sheltering in TRAIN STATIONS. With no food. Because of snow.
Record snow. Record cold.
Gore just HAS to be there, on some sort of unannounced business trip. There's no other explanation.
By now the "Gore Effect" is well known by global warming skeptics; wherever he goes, it gets ridiculously cold.
China is now on the verge of a food crisis. Thousands of square miles of crops have been destroyed by snow, and food prices are rocketing skywards. Homes are collapsing from the weight, infrastructures are failing, electricity is out in widespread areas because of downed power lines, roads are blocked and there are no snow removal vehicles to clear them... it's dreadful, just awful, what snow is doing in China, and over a hundred million people are in real crisis. There are almost a million people sheltering in TRAIN STATIONS. With no food. Because of snow.
Record snow. Record cold.
Gore just HAS to be there, on some sort of unannounced business trip. There's no other explanation.
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