The ACLU Knows a Terrorist When It Sees One!

Courtesy Little Green Footballs

Australian Snow Returns

Where is global warming when you need it?

Who moved my cheese?

......And why is it ringing?

Palestinian credibility test

Blundapundit has a test to identify non-violent muslims.

The simple test is to look closely at the picture of two Middle East region maps in which Palestine is shown. Which map of Palestine do you recognize as legitimate?

Check the answer.

The tears of a clown?

George Voinovich, Senator from Ohio was overwhelmed with the responsibility of approving John Bolton as Ambassador to the United Nations. The very thought of Bolton asking for some accountability from this inept and corrupt organization drove him to tears. Show him that you feel his pain.

Canada is ahead of the curve again.

Gay Marriage
Canadians find it is great for straight guys too. Courtesy Craig DeLuz

It's almost sexy.

PalosVerdesBlog documents the benefits of the Bush tax cuts on the economy. It's the curves, stupid!

Flowers for Algernon?

Or maybe the Frat House.

It's All Over Now!

Courtesy of Nickie Goomba.

55% Larger

For chocolate lovers.

PETA Promotes KFC

Catallarchy notes with amusement, customer response to a PETA demonstration.

A project of the California Nurses Association.

Stop Arnold.
Venom from your local healthcare professionals - Larry, Moe and Curly.

From the Peacemaking Committee

It had to be predestined.

Dear Militant Islamist

Have you ever felt like this?

Dear Militant Islamist:

I want to love you, but I can't. I resent you for wanting to determine my belief system and that of everybody around you. I abhor you for wanting to make my wife and daughter cover their faces and submit to whatever you or your religious leader might tell them. I detest you for wanting to kill anybody that doesn’t think like you do. I loathe you for acting upon that desire. But that doesn’t compare to the main reason why I have such negative feelings for you: you have made me change my thinking.

My Sandman has the rest.

Santa Claus Convention - Not!

This is really the Canadian Supreme Court.

Free at Last

Miss Universe
Now free to participate in events in Toronto after officials relent and apologize.

My Son Hates This!

My son the blogger tried blogspot but didn't find the community activities he needs so looking around he found Myspace.com. Everything he wanted until Rupert got into the act. Come December it will no longer be free.

New Zealand Leads, Canada Follows

Not only New Zealand finds Kyoto to be a loosing proposition, now Canada finds that the staff members of the organization responsible for implementing the provisions are bailing.

Beauty Illegal in Canada

Canada breaks new ground daily. First gay marriage as the law of the land and now, beauty as oppression. Miss Universe a Russia-born Canadian is forced to abdecate in Toronto. Kate Shaw has some further comments. Thanks to Chrenkoff.

Terrorist Spotting

Having trouble spotting terrorists as you go about your daily activities? Let Frank help.

Too Darn Hot

We have had over a week of daytime temperatures above 100 degrees with night cooling only to 80. This may be normal to Arizonans but to a 30 year Southern California beach guy this is cruel and unusual punishment. We are getting a little releaf now (under 100). Plants wilt each day - and die if I forget to water. Of course, here we have air conditioning which was never necessary near the coast- and a well-insulated new house in which our electric bills are surprisingly low but I am still ready for a return to more moderate weather - and the return of the legendary Delta breeze.

The Battle for Ground Zero

More about the attempt to dishonor America at ground zero.

New Zealand's continuing Kyoto Crisis

The hole is $1.5 billion but Greenpeace is calling for sanity. More from

Tim Blair

Urban Teachers Like Private Schools

But only for their own kids!

Willisms reports stats on private school enrollments in urban environments and finds that urban public school teachers put their own money on private education.

Bin Laden Still Doesn't Get It

William Saletan in Slate. A liberal who wants to live.

Bin Laden's whole game plan is to turn the people of the democratic world against their governments. He thinks democracies are weak because their people, who are more easily frightened than their governments, can bring those governments down. He doesn't understand that this flexibility—and this trust—are why democracies will live, while he will die. Many of us didn't vote for Bush's government or Blair's. But we're loyal to them, in part because we were given a voice in choosing them. And if we don't like our governments, we can vote them out. We can't vote out terrorists. We can only kill them.

Read the whole column.

Since 1993

The Sun created this map of Islamic Terrorism since 1993.


Terror Map 

Powerline asks why liberals think that the London attack is because of the War in Iraq.

Religion of Peace

You hear many people tell us that Islam is a religion of peace, including the muslims. In a Mark Steyn column on the London bombings is this plum.

The easiest way to understand is, again, to take them at their word. Bassam Tibi, a Muslim professor at Gšttingen University in Germany, gave an interesting speech a few months after 11 September: "Both sides should acknowledge candidly that although they might use identical terms these mean different things to each of them," he said. "The word 'peace', for example, implies to a Muslim the extension of the Dar al-Islam—or 'House of Islam'— to the entire world. This is completely different from the Enlightenment concept of eternal peace that dominates Western thought." Only when the entire world is a Dar al-Islam will it be a Dar a-Salam, or "House of Peace". The objective isn't a self-governing Palestine but the death of the West...

Mark's opinions are, as always, cutting and insightful. Read the rest.

Hamstrung by Tolerance

Victor Davis Hanson on the London bombings and the war on Islamic fascism. Our more enlightened sensitivities make us fair game for attack from within.

In WWII we didn’t care much whether in fighting Bushido some thought we were in a war against Buddhists. We weren’t, and that was enough.

We knew the enemy were Nazis, not simply Germans, and didn’t froth and whine to prove that distinction.

But not now.

To criticize Islamic fascism is supposedly to be unfair to Islam, so we allow on our own shores mullahs and madrassas to spread hatred and intolerance, as part of our illiberal acceptance of “not offending Islam.”

It is not that we don’t believe in Western values as much as we don’t even know what they are anymore. The London bombings were only a reification of what goes on daily with impunity blocks away in the mosques and Islamist schools of London.

The enemy knows that and thrives on it. That refuge in religion is why imams shout that “Islam doesn’t condone such things” — even as bin Laden has become a folk hero on the Arab Street. Jihadists sense that even here at home more Americans are more concerned about a flushed Koran at Guantanamo Bay than five Americans fighting for the Iraqi jihadists or Taliban sympathizers in Lodi, California.

As long as there is not any price to be paid for Islamism, either by governments abroad or purveyors of its hatred in the West, the propaganda works and the killing will go on. But when a renegade Saudi Prince, Pakistani general, London imam, or Lodi mosque leader screams out to the jihadist, “Stop that before those crazy Americans really do go to war,” the war, in fact, will be over and won.

Read it all.

More on Asbestos

As the asbestos scam continues, read this letter to the El Dorado Hills Telegraph from a retire health official. Why did the EPA officials not perform the same analysis when holding the community meetings? and why did they refuse to take a position on the dangers they were so eager to measure when the standards are defined.And why is there the apparent attempt to frighten the community and sow mistrust in the county government officials?
Earlier posts here,here,here and here.

From the El Dorado Hills Telegraph June 29, 2005
Chicken Little Comes to El Dorado Hills

Where asbestos is concerned it appears Chicken Little has come to El Dorado Hills. I came to this conclusion based on three factors, government regulations, conditions in El Dorado Hills and how El Dorado Hills compares to Libby, Montana.
The EPA regulates airborne asbestos in schools. These regulations are expected to keep children and adults safe. El Dorado Hills is almost 100 times safer than EPA school regulations require.
Libby, Montana, where asbestos illnesses occurred, had conditions over a million times worse than El Dorado Hills and 100,000 times worse than EPA regulations require.
OSHA and EPA both have asbestos regulations. OSHA regulates exposure in the workplace. EPA regulates exposure in schools. Neither regulates asbestos exposures in the home.
The OSHA limits for workplace exposure to asbestos are 1 fiber per 10 cubic centimeters of air. (.1f/cc) The EPA limit for school exposure iss an average of 1 fiber per 100 cubic centimeters of air. (.01f/cc)
I used the stricter school EPA limit when considering the risk in El Dorado Hills. In El Dorado Hills, the EPA collected and tested air samples in two ways. The PCME method is the acronym for the type of microscope used and AHERA is the acronym for the asbestos in schools regulation.
The EPA PCME tests found average reference exposures of less the 1 fiber per 1,000 cubic centimeters of air (.0008f/cc) , much safer (than) the EPA requirement. Activity level exposure monitoring in EL Dorado Hills showed an average exposure also much safer (than) the EPA requirement (.00938f/cc).
Only in five specific areas while engaged in dust creating activities did personal exposures exceed the OSHA limit.
The EPA AHERA tests did not follow the AHERA testing definitions in El Dorado Hills. In a mailing to the public the EPA footnoted the discrepancy without noting the results published would show a significantly higher fiber count due to this failure to follow the AHERA definition. Nonetheless the average reference exposure was still well below the EPA limit.
El Dorado Hills has been compared to Libby, Montana where there were many asbestos related illnesses. The conditions in Libby, Montana were significantly worse than in El Dorado Hills.
At one of the first public meetings I requested information about the exposures in Libby, Montana. According to the information provided, air monitoring showed the average reference asbestos exposure in Libby, Montana to be one fiber per ten cubic centimeters (.1f/cc) almost 1,000 times greater (than the) El Dorado Hills average and 10 times the EPA limit for schools.
Additionally, air monitoring also showed that dust creating activities in Libby, Montana resulted in exposures as high as 1000f/cc – 100,000 times the EPA limit and more than a million times greater than the El Dorado Hills exposures. A very significant difference. In comparison the asbestos hazard in El Dorado Hills appears minimal.
From this perspective, El Dorado Hills is almost 100 times safer than the strictest regulations and one million times safer than Libby, Montana.
No health professional will say El Dorado Hills is perfectly safe because we are dealing with a carcinogen.
Nonetheless, we deal with carcinogens on a daily basis. Sunlight, dental x-rays and benzene in gasoline are carcinogens. Yet we play in the sum, go to the dentist and put gasoline in our cars. That is because established regulations to keep the cancerous risk low.
In El Dorado Hills we are safely well with the regulations. Hopefully, it puts things in perspective.

Steve Smith, Health and Safety Inspector, retired

Flag of Great Britain 

Take the MIT Weblog Survey

The Bill Comes Due for Kyoto

New Zealand expected a $500 million windfall from aggressively supporting the Kyoto Protocol. Now the nation looks to be $1 billion worse off and pulling out is becoming a political issue. Heads up from Tim Blair.

The War - An Iraqi Perspective

Iraq the Model on what the Iraqis think about the struggle in Iraq.

The truth is that with very few exceptions, most people and politicians here have thrown this argument behind their backs long time ago; whether they're supportive of the war/liberation or against it and whether they want the coalition to stay forever or they want the troops to leave now, they are now living and discussing the present and planning for the future trying to get the best results possible out of the current situation, each party from it's own perspective.

This is war, it's not a picnic and don't think that we're enjoying it and we're not expecting you to enjoy it either.
By quitting now some might think that needless losses are going to be avoided but that's-in my opinion-is a very shortsighted way of thinking because quitting now will only expose America and the rest of the world to a much greater threat.

Read it all.

Mark Steyn on the American Left

"Two years after ''the day America changed forever,'' the culture is in thrall to the same dopey self-delusion it held on Sept. 10, 2001: There are no enemies, just friends we haven't yet apologized to."

John Hawkins interviews Mark Steyn and asks why the left can't seem to deal with foreign policy threats.

There are two malign trends of the last four decades, and in the war on terror they’ve merged. For the far left, the issue is always America. So, if America's destabilizing some Marxist-Leninist socialist utopia the left takes the side of the Marxist-Leninist socialist utopia. Likewise, if America's at odds with misogynist racist homophobic theocrats, the left takes the side of the sodomite-beheaders and the freelance clitorectomy performers. That’s entirely consistent once you realize it’s simply a choice of United States vs [Your Name Here].

Read it all.

Iranian President a Key Hostage Taker

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the new Iranian President is identified as one of the key hostage takers from the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy. From LittleGreenFootballs.

Cabrillo National Monument

Point Loma guards the entrance to San Diego Harbor. There you will find two lighthouses, a statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and a spectacular National Cemetary.
Cabrillo National Monument 
And this is in addition to the spectacular view of Coronado Island, San Diego and the harbor. Angelenos will recognize Cabrillo from the LA harbor landmarks which also have his name.

Australian Hostage Apologizes

From Powerline, Douglas Wood, the Australian hostage freed by Iraqi and American troops apologizes for his statments under duress.

Unamerican at Ground Zero

If you thought that all is well at ground zero in commemorating the dead and the heroes from 911, think again.
Powerful interests are trying to turn the memorial into an indictment of America.

Thomas Sowell on Extremist Judges

Thomas Sowell has some thoughts about 'mainstream' judges. The standard has been so eroded that mainstream is now 'touchy-feely' positions favored by liberal partisans. Those who want to restore the literal interpretation of the constitution are now regarded as extremists.

The reason it matters enormously is that, over the past half century or so, many judges have gone beyond their judicial roles to impose their own policy preferences. Since these kinds of judges have almost invariably imposed policies favored by liberals, they have been cheered on -- not only by liberal politicians, but also by most of the media, the law schools and the intelligentsia.

Any judge who might restore the Constitution by overturning some liberal precedents is now called an "extremist" or an "activist" -- even by liberals who had cheered on liberal judges when they overturned previous precedents.

Read the rest here.

When in San Diego Don't Miss the USS Midway

USS Midway a retired aircraft carrier was the high point of our recent visit to San Diego. We stumbled upon it while parking for a seafood dinner. It is huge (although small in comparison to newer carriers) and overwhelms the small park surrounding the parking lot. We had to come back for the tour before catching our flight on Sunday. It is very well handled with an audio headset to provide information as you move around the ship on your own.

USS Midway Museum 

Durban's Apology 

Jerry Ties the Knot

Jerry Brown, aka Governor Moonbeam, the one who signed my UCLA diploma, appointed Rose Bird as Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court and helped establsh the California Energy Commission - the origin of the continuing energy crisis, has moved somewhat center as Mayor of Oakland. Now, he has married and is rumored to be considering running for state office again.

Arnold's Rubicon

Pete DuPont on Arnold's reform campaign in California. If California is to have a future he needs support from rank and file Californians to restore the Golden State Dream.

Gulags of Our Time

Tim Blair find a New York Times story on real torture.

Penguins Fly!

Pete the penguin boarded our flight from Sacramento to San Diego on Wednesday with three human companions. On board we learned about Magellanic penguins and Pete toured the cabin just before we landed. Not your usual Southwest flight.

Business and Pleasure

Off to San Diego for a business conference and staying for the weekend. Politics will keep for a few days while I releave my ocean deprivation.

California Special Election

SactoDan provides a summary of the ballot initiatives for the special election this fall. These are the Governor's second phase of reform. He had hoped that the Democrats would work with him but they now believe that the Governor's appeal has been reduced from the non-stop attacks from the unions that run the state (teachers, nurses, prison guards, etc) and they are betting that they can beat them down. The California economy is recovering from total Democrat control but it can't continue unless these reforms happen.

Iran's Fake Election

Will Franklin reports from an Iranian polling place in Houston.

Is the War Worthwhile?

I hear much dithering about the war from co-workers with the recent increase in suicide killings in Iraq. Despite the incredible accomplishment of elections, the fact that all religious groups are now participating in the drafting of a constitution and the growing strength and competitance of the Iraqi military, some are calling for a firm pullout date. Now is not the time to retreat. It is time to be resolute.

PalosVerdesBlog asks the question and finds answers.

Birds vs Windmills

American Spectator reports on the conflicts for conservationists over windmills.

Weekend Diversion

Lake Tahoe 
Off to Lake Tahoe this weekend. We have been in NorCal for almost a year and only once to Tahoe so far. This weekend will be the second. We are only going for the day to take in an art sale at Ceasar's Palace. There is still plenty of snow. The waterfalls along Highway 50 are spectacular. Art and nature - what's not to like.

Nothing Cheap about the Teacher's Union

Betsy's Page reports that the teachers union in California takes about $900 per year from each teacher much of which goes to political funding.

King Tut Returns

Even bigger than last time (26 years ago), King Tut's treasures return to Los Angeles. People underrate the wealth of museums and culture in Los Angeles. You can exhaust San Francisco's offerings in a weekend. Los Angeles can keep you stimulated for weeks.

Arnold says I will finish the job.

In case you missed the Governor's speech like I did, SactoDan
provides the transcript.

The Good Old Days.

Roseville Conservative brings word that the late Governor of California has discovered that mistakes were made in the energy fiasco. He's not repentant however and observes that the present Governor beats him on fundraising so what was the big stink anyhow?

You sent my bag where?

Little green Footballs reports on an Australian jihadist's creative endeavor.

A former Qantas baggage handler who compiled a book outlining “short and wise” rules for fighting jihad on his computer in suburban Lakemba dedicated it to the “martyrs of Islam”.

The book concluded with praise for al-Qaeda’s “impressive success of the conquest of New York” on September 11, 2001.

No Smoking Gun

Powerline looks at the hysteria over the Blair memo from 2002 and finds no smoking gun. He reprints the entire memo but gives this analysis.

Is that a ringing endorsement? Of course not. But in our view, and that of most supporters of the war, a preemptive strike against a recidivist regime like Saddam's is clearly justified where there is reasonable apprehension of danger to our security. And, while it would be nice to have such a strike blessed by the U.N.'s Security Council, where members of the Security Council have been bribed and have promised to veto any resolution authorizing war, it is absurd to argue that such veto power means it is illegal to act in our own defense. Attorney General Goldsmith applied a narrower standard; but it is hardly a shock to learn that the Bush administration's view of what was necessary to legitimize the Iraq war was different from his or from Kofi Annan's.

It comes down to this. If you think the war was necessary you are going to see this memo as reasoned assessment of the options. If you do not think the war was necessary, then anything the administration says is a lie so it doesn't matter what is said.

"You'll shoot your eye out, kid!"

If you ever felt sympathy for Ralphie in the movie 'A Christmas Story', you will surely relate to these eighth graders from Amherst. Thanks to James Taranto.

Why We Need to Deal Now with Social Security

From Willisms a reminder of why we need to reform social security now.
Its the money!

Milton Friedman on Vouchers

Milton Friedman reviews the beginnings of his analysis of the government run schools in the US. He noted in 1955 that there may be justification for government schools for ensuring that all children receive schooling and that schools are funded: there is little to suggest that government should be involved in administration ....

"the actual administration of educational institutions by the government, the 'nationalization,' as it were, of the bulk of the 'education industry' is much more difficult to justify on [free market] or, so far as I can see, on any other grounds."
Now, he notes, there is increasing evidence that vouchers are beginning to catch on with the public, disatisfied with the poor performance and high cost of public education.

Felt Legacy is Complex

Now that we know the identity of Deep Throat, the simplistic analysis of the Watergate scandal begins to break down. Nixon is still a tragic figure who destoyed his Presidency but the heroic reporters and the noble betrayer begin to look tarnished as the LA Weekly tells us more about Felt's history of illegal breakins at the FBI.

Felt, in fact, was indicted and convicted in federal court in 1980 of directing nine illegal break-ins, aimed at domestic political targets, when he was boss of the COINTELPRO operation. Felt thus became the highest-ranking FBI official to be convicted of criminal charges since J. Edgar Hoover became head of the bureau in 1924.

Why is so much political art awful?

Terry Teachout in the Wall Street Journal examines the destructive impact of politics on theater and offers hope that art is winning. Too good to exerpt. Read the whole thing.
Here is an example of non-pc theater thriving in NY.

Better Than Affirmative Action!

Courtesy of Craig DeLuz, a way to increase college attendance. San Jose State students and teachers adopted seventh grade classes at three poor performing schools and increased attendance at four year colleges by 89%.

Ralph Nader Calls for Impeachment

Ralph Nader argues that lies and misrepresentation by the Bush administration have pushed the US into an illegal war which has created a recruiting bonanza for terrorists and a quagmire for our troops.
It is interesting that nothing we have learned about the oil for food scandal involving UN officials and European leaders affects this thinking which has not changed from the time the war began.
Everyon but the Iraqi prople were getting rich and looking the other way. Sadam refused to comply with UN orders which is exactly the behavior which suggests that he had or intended to make weapons.
That flow of money is now stopped. There were free elections in Iraq and there is an emerging government with ever improving power to manage its own affairs. Terrorists are engaging in Iraq and not here.
Nader is still clinging to the old saw that Bush had reason to know that there were no weapons of mass destruction and therefor lied. It never made sense except to Michael Moore and it won't wash now.

California and Energy - a volatile mix

You would think that after the 'deregulation' fiasco 10 years ago that the public would tell the politicians to keep their hands off, but this is California where it is impossible to hold anyone accountable. After a 30 year legacy of the Energy Commission stopping construction of any proposed power plants, it isn't hard to figure that maybe we ought to get some built. Unfortunately, the investor-owned utilities are out of the generation business and don't really want to get back in. They get guaranteed returns on delivering power and pass through to the customers whatever costs the California Independent System operator manages to procure. The ISO, by the way, is a completely unaccountable public entity which sets its own agenda. Notice that in this whole pack of organizations, there is not one of them with any reason to care what their customers might think.
As a result, we are now on the fast track to a real customer pleasing program called Critical Peak Pricing, the sole purpose of which is to charge prices at times when power is short that are so high that customers will stop using electricity. This solves all problems - utilities make money,nobody has to worry about building new power plants and once again politicians have solved a problem. Everybody that matters is happy. It is just the customers who are inconvenienced.

There is another approach. Which is to build - or contract- for sufficient powet to supply the requirements of your customers.

California cities to dedicate Magnolia plant
The mayors and utility officials for six Southern California cities (Anaheim, Burbank, Cerritos, Colton, Glendale and Pasadena) participating in the 310-MW Magnolia Power Project will gather in Burbank on June 2 for the dedication ceremony.



The dedication will celebrate the largest municipal power plant built since the energy crisis of 2000-2001, project organizers said. The baseload plant will be available immediately to meet the customer needs of the participating cities.



The six cities have joined together under the Southern California Public Power Authority to secure lower cost energy supplies by building and operating their own power plant, which replaces a 1941 Burbank Water & Power plant. The new combined-cycle, natural gas-fueled plant is twice as efficient and 90 percent cleaner than the older units it replaces, the cities said. Air emissions will be controlled for nitrogen oxides and other gases with the use of the best available control equipment.



Burbank is the project manager and operator for Magnolia. Each of the six cities will schedule their own power output with Burbank for each hour of every day. This effectively makes the one large plant serve as six individual smaller units, providing scheduling flexibility and control for each city, project organizers said.

Municipally-owned utilities do just that and manage to sell electricity at lower prices than the investor-owneds most of the time. If customers were given the choice, what would they pick. Right now, the Cities of Davis, Woodland and West Sacramento are seeking annexation by a neighboring public power utility. They are looking for a different customer service philosophy from a community-owned organization.

Asbestos PR War Begins

County officials begin PR campaing to keep ahead of the EPA scaremongering. Ups the regulation on construction activity and hires a PR flack. EPA cannot establish health standards but the county is now liable for any events and must scamble for cover to deal with any real or imagined health impacts. Hey, we are the EPA and our job is to scare citizens and push the blame on anybody else.

Asbestos and Politics

Politics, asbestos mix in foothills
A long-divisive debate about growth spills over into the region's asbestos controversy.

An article in the Sacramento Bee link here describes how California politicians from the region see the asbestos issue. Sacramento's Senator Ortiz is concerned about potential liability should the levels of asbestos produce health affects. Senator Cox is concerned that without a clear determination of the critical level of asbestos in the air, the issue will be seized by nogrowthers who have been unable to throw enough monkey wrenches into the political machinery to stop modest development.
Ortiz sees soccer moms and Cox sees nogrowthers.

Bill Frist, Minority Leader

Six Renegade Rinos handed majority power to Harry Reid with a promise from Democrats to use the filibuster only for extraordinary circumstances with no definition of extrordinary. The appeasers refuse to stand with the Republican Party, the President and the party base which has up to now supported them in spite of their unreliability. Now we know who is who. Now we know that we cannot support Republican fundraising where the candidates are not defined. No money for renegades!
Hall of Shame members as identified here are McCain, De Wine, Snowe, Warner and Collins with Chaffee not present. Graham too.

The Asbestos Shakedown Begins

Following up my earlier post. An article in the local newspaper (no link) says that one of the three community service district baseball fields will be closed due to asbestos contamination. The other two have not been decided yet. Imagine the message to little league parents.
And where is the process and criteria for the decision revealed?

Pepsico- The Third Finger

SactoDan posts a good set of links for the Pepsico CFO commencement speech at Columbia. She says the US is like the third finger. She can't figure out why anyone is upset. She probably idealizes Pauline Kael.

Encouraging Words

Found on Willisms this morning some encouraging words about the war on terrorism.

"The Autumn Of The Autocrats," by Fouad Ajami, in Foreign Affairs:

The entrenched systems of control in the Arab world are beginning to give way. It is a terrible storm, but the perfect antidote to a foul sky. The old Arab edifice of power, it is true, has had a way of surviving many storms. It has outwitted and outlived many predictions of its imminent demise.
But suddenly it seems like the autumn of the dictators. Something different has been injected into this fight. The United States -- a great foreign power that once upheld the Arab autocrats, fearing what mass politics would bring -- now braves the storm. It has signaled its willingness to gamble on the young, the new, and the unknown. Autocracy was once deemed tolerable, but terrorists, nurtured in the shadow of such rule, attacked the United States on September 11, 2001. Now the Arabs, grasping for a new world, and the Americans, who have helped usher in this unprecedented moment, together ride this storm wave of freedom.

Confirmation Statistics

Liam requested a source for statistics on judicial appointments.
This seems to be a very comprehensive post on that topic. It is a shame that these appointments have become so politicized recently.

And you thought we couldn't tell!

Prestopundit post about how to identify a Democrat.

Who are the victims?

Hugh Hewitt is asking for help in finding the names of the victims of the Newsweak riots. Nobody has the answer. And here comes my cynical side again starting to wonder. Who counted the bodies? Where are they? What is the source of the information? Why do we accept this report as true?
Granted Afghanistan's police and military are not up to western standards and perhaps family members take the bodies away without public help, but what are the details? Were the victims part of the crowd or were they attacked. What was the crowd doing? Is there verification from the government?

Why am I so suspicious? Afterall, it was covered by MSM.

Chrenkoff on Lucas

Chrenkoff takes time off from finding good news in Afghanistan and Iraq and looks at popular culture. George Lucas equates the US to the Evil Empire. Chrenkoff begs to differ. He lived under the real evil empire.

Restoration not destruction

Charles Krauthammer explains what Republicans are trying to do in the Senate.

Newsweak

Little Green Footballs posts about the Afghan riots on the erroneous report in Newsweak that the Koran was flushed at Guantanamo. After learning that their source was bogus, Newsweak said that they were sorry but they followed appropriate standards. Which tells us that one ananymous second hand source is all that is required to undermine our country and troops.
Consequences here.

What do I fear most? Asbestos or the EPA.

My idyllic new community (recently driving a backwoods county to #4 in income out of California’s 50-some counties) has asbestos. Naturally-occurring asbestos infests local veins of serpentine rock formation which occur all over the county (and 40 other California counties). The EPA has been blanketing us with information about the high level readings of their particle measurements in the community. When pressed for advice or interpretation of these measurements, however, their resolve falters. “We don’t really know”, they say. “Ask your county government. “

They relate the terrible fate of Libby, Montana where the whole community was engaged in the mining of vermiculite, which is contaminated with asbestos and apparently everyone, is dying.

But that isn’t very helpful. We are not, thank you very much, blue collar workers here tilling the soil and crushing the rocks. Most of us spend the day in Sacramento breathing the uncontaminated, filtered air where we struggle to keep up with the mortgage and taxes on our homestead. And our kids spend the day in lovely new schools where they are unlikely to actually encounter dirt, everything being paved with the exception of the obligatory patches of landscaping. So what are we supposed to do?

Well, the EPA is the government and so, of course, they are here to help. The question here is who is it that they want to help. They tell us that the problem here is (drum roll, please) developers Those nasty folk actually stir up the rock when they carve out homesites and that darn dust just hangs around. They tell us that the test show a level 10 times normal (whatever that is) but they don't tell us what is the level where lung damage occurrs. And, of course, the data points are selective. The high school playing fields (which had been determined to be safe after $1m in mitigation) and the community playing fields as well.

If I were a cynical sort, I would say that they are running a protection scam, but I suspect that it is no-growthers trying to scare off buyers.

The Bullshit Factor

Liam wonders how he has become so jaded that he can't muster the energy to even go after the facts anymore. Given the energy he applies to posts on his blog it is a good question. As I began thinking about Liam’s question, it became clear to me that I share his problem. We don’t agree on politics which is surprising given his obviously high intelligence but that is another issue for another day. I, too, feel jaded and overwhelmed when it comes to sorting out fact from assertion.
I blame it on the media. I can remember when you subscribed to a newspaper for information. They used to collect facts and then organize them to provide background for the reader. I remember learning the five W’s (who, what, where, why, when) in journalism class (high school no less) and organizing the most important items at the top of the article. I don’t know what they are teaching anymore but what I learned doesn’t seem to be important when you attempt to learn about issues from the news and find assertions and bald claims but few facts (and these ‘facts’ are often incorrect (or misrepresented) when you go to the sources. Call it bullshiting.

DesignObserver courtesy of 2Blowhards raises the question of bullshit as a component of design. Do people buy good design or good bullshit? Is is more productive to be a good designer or a good bullshitter? Maybe the same thing goes for journalizm. Which gets you farther, good reporting or bullshitting?
And where have out bullshit detectors gone?

Senate Rant

I keep waiting – and waiting – and waiting.. for resolution on the judicial appointments front. Perhaps all this strategery is necessary for the Senate process but I am getting pretty cynical I have some problems with Bush (principally in the way he attempts to co-opt Democrat programs by drowning them in money (Education, Medicare drugs come to mind) but the man has principle and resolve and I can, at least, manage to believe that he feels that he must move in those areas to keep his entire agenda moving.

The Senate Republicans are a completely different kettle of fish. They are unmoved by principle (other than collegiality), the Republican Party Platform, their president and unwilling to accept leadership. Daily I read about Republican senators who rationalize away from doing the deed and stopping the judicial filibusters. If I could discern any principle in their arguments, I might be able to respect them as mavericks but there isn’t any. They are wimps, plain and simple. They have always managed their political careers by going along and they don’t know anything different to do. (I exclude the egomaniacal McCain. He is in a class by himself and deserves a special place in Hell.)

It isn’t surprising that Senators make such lousy Presidential candidates. They don’t have an agenda. They don’t get critical questions. They aren’t held accountable. And they think they matter. It’s time for a day of reckoning for those that refuse to support the President here.

Social Security Reform Sense

It's reform Thursday again and Willisms has a great post on the returns for the funds available to Federal Employees. What's not to like? Find it here.

Prestopundit posts on the dishonest dialogue from the opposition.

He's Back

Prestopundit has long been a daily read for me cutting through the economic and philosophical illiteracy of MSM and many bloggers. Many a time, he has saved me from treacherous strolls down the primrose path to crazy thinking. Lately, my daily visits have been frustrated by a stagnant message. Today, however, a new post and link.
A software glitch is the reason but those are behind us and I can again anticipate daily doses of clear thinking. If you haven't been a daily reader, start immediately.

My Inner European revealed

Your Inner European is Italian!

Passionate and colorful. You show the world what culture really is.

Who's Your Inner European?

Democide

The dreaded Black Plague of the middle ages is insignificant compared to a more recent human-created menace. Democide has been ignored by historians but its damage is profound. Courtesy of Catallarachy.

Belated May Day Wishes

May Day nostalgia from Catallarchy.

Dissenting Democrat

One of my favorite Democrats has some observations on the judiciary. Courtesy of Willisms.

Judicial Activism Burnout

The passion, energy and anger from last week's fixation on ending the judicial filibusters in the Senate left me with severe blog-burnout. I had little ability to divert my attention to day-to-day issues or even enjoying the wonderful, concentrated bursts of clarity and information from my favorite blogs. Willisms was just too rich for my intellect until today and the fog is just starting to clear.

I don't seem to have the emotional control to focus on politics for long because, just like Ado Annie in Oklahoma, "With me, its all or nothing". When I do, I get crazy and feel frustrated. Then I crash-- and don't care.

Perhaps my frenzied focus last week has contributed to the appearance of resolve in the Republican Senate leadership. I hope so. But if I was not joined with many other people exerting the same pressure, my efforts would fall flat. I don't want to fall into the trap of believing that the battle is won until it is won but I really don't have the energy to spend here. I have been neglecting support for Arnold's reform petitions in California and can't even bear to think about trying to get the Senate to act on other important issues (Energy, Social Security, etc).

I guess I have for too long lived the American dream of voting every two years or so and letting the government alone in between. The result of my kind of voting is there for all to see in California where the government spends money we don't have on programs that have never worked and passes laws that would never be approved by the voters. I deserve the government I have and its up to me to take more responsibility. I have been a political slackard for so long now that I don't know if I am up to it.

Et Tu Voinovich

Scrappleface uncovers what Voinovich is up to.

Posting Open Letters to Senators

Threebadfingers is posting links to letters to Senators asking support for the Constitutional Option to permit judicial nominees an up and down vote in the Senate. Add yours and join the bandwagon to get Senate Republicans to act like the mojority. Mine is posted below.

Letter to Fencesitting Senators

Dear Senator:

I urge you to support the Republican Party and your President by voting to change the rule permitting filibusters of judicial nominees. This is a crucial vote and one where you want to be seen on the right side.
You may wonder why you should be interested in the opinion of a voter from California who will probably never have the opportunity to support you in the voting booth. I will give you two very good reasons:
1. California Republicans have been very generous to Republican support groups which provide funds to Republican candidates throughout the country. We do so because we want a strong Republican majority in Congress. Now, that we have a mjority in the Senate, we are finding that a even a majority of Republicans cannot lead. I, and many others will stop making donations to any such organizations, if the Republican position is not approved next week. I will make contributions selectively and only to candidate who fully support Republican positions.
2. If you choose not to support the Republican party on this important issue, I will conclude that you have no place in the Senate and I will support with financial contributions any Republican challenger in the Primary and should you still be a condidate in the election, your Democrat oponent.
I cannot emphasize too much how important is the issue to the Republican base. A Republican majority is of no value if it cannot be trusted to support critical issues like this.
I look forward to your support on this issue.

Sincerely,

Fear guns ? Check this.

Fat Steve reports a danger you might have missed.

How did I miss this?

Little Green Footballs via Tim Blair. Click on the post title.

LGF 

Social Security and Medicare - uncontrolled entitlements

It's reform Thursday at WILLisms and his focus today is on entitlements.

Social Security and Medicare together eat up such a large portion of the budget, it is nearly impossible to achieve true fiscal responsibility, even by lowering spending on other programs. Entitlement spending is the bulk of the budget, and if Democrats and Republicans alike are truly concerned about deficits, they will reform Social Security, one of the largest entitlements, sooner rather than later.

In the future, without reform, Social Security spending as a share of the overall budget will grow, making balanced budgets exceedingly difficult and forcing painful choices, choices that we can avoid with reform.

Check out the graph and his series of Thursday reform posts.

Was Bolton wearing this at the hearings?

Courtesy of IMAO the top ten UN slogans. And you can wear them.


IMAo 

Tropical Plant Update

For anyone wondering how my tropical plants weathered the frost here in the foothills, I provide this summary:
Plumeria - All growing tips destroyed. I cut the stems back to live wood and am waiting for new sprouts. I don't believe that it will be possible for flowers to form before the cold weather starts, but stay tuned.
Cycads - small one appears completely dead. Large one has green leaves but the leaf generating center seems dead. The jury is still out.
Brugsmania - Survived nicely and has started growing.
Ficus elastica (rubber plant) needed pruning for growth tips but it sprouting.
Cymbidiums - survived. Two plants are blooming now - 3 to 4 months later than in So Cal. Summer will be a trial for them.
Epidendrums - Holding on.
Pikake - both plants seem dead. Perhaps they will sprout.
Some of the tender succulents are succumbing. Euphorbias particularly.
I will be devising new strategies for wintering the survivors. All I did this year was put them in the central entry courtyard.

Bob Hope Airport Shuffles

Bob Hope Airport 
Bob Hope Airport (nee Burbank) has a lot going for it, especially if your LA destination is the one of the valleys (San Fernando, San Gabriel), Hollywood or even downtown LA. It is intimate; everything is very close together and has great potential for charm (a quality hardly ever associated with airports).
The Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena bureaucrats lack even the faintest glimmer of imagination, poetry and history. The airport has a 60 year history and strong ties to Lockheed and aviation but all you are aware of when you use the terminal is that it is old, old fashioned (no jetways, just roll up stairs to the planes) and awkward in its layout.
The great old building is still there, crowded by new, ugly additions. You really don't see it on arrival because of the side access to the site. With some cleanup and a fresh paint job, the exterior could pass muster however. It is the interior which really disappoints. Just like airports everywhere, you have no sense of where you are. When you realize that Bob Hope has a tradition of aerospace innovation and is now in the center of media production, it is a great loss that nothing of that is displayed or evoked in the terminal. Even the boarding outdoors and using roll-up stairs ought to be nostalgic and exciting.
It's not.
What's missing is not so much spending more money as applying some imagination. How much more delightful would be the inspired ambiance of Pasadena (or even the less inspired ones for Glendale and Burbank) if the airport gateway engaged the visitor with its history upon arrival?

Life Imitates Star Wars

Remember those lame looking walking tanks in the second (fifth) Star Wars movie? Apparently walking machines are in our future. This one in the woods. And this one in the city.

Sacramento Light Rail Bust

Sacramento seems to get more than its fair share of attention from Opionjournals Best of the Web Today but , hey, we are worth it. Joseph Taranto notices this article in the Bee. Apparently, light rail ridership dropps dramatically when customers are expected to pay.


Who knew?

Pasadena Rocks

Back in the boondocks after two days in Pasadena for a business meeting. I never got over to Pasadena much while living in LA. I should have. Pasadena has gone from a seedy town with a lot of vacant buildings and terrible air quality (30 years ago) to a dynamic urban environment with great street life. They have maintained all the great old California buildings and developed new urban assetts (like old town and the rebuilt old bunker of an urban mall). It's great to be back in a place which doesn't shut down at 9:00. Burbank airport (now Bob Hope) is a trip but full of missed potential. More on Bob Hope later.

Pasadena City Hall 

My Next Car

Professor Bainbridge has found my next car.