Saturday, November 05, 2005

"One set of rules for us... another set for the little people"


Book Review: Do As I Say (Not As I Do)

Do As I Say (Not As I Do) : Profiles in Liberal HypocrisyThe detailed reporting in this book is truly surprising: Michael Moore owns stock in Halliburton and, while filming 'Roger and Me', drove a German automobile. Al Franken, throughout his entire career, has hired over 110 people - only one of whom was African-American. The Clintons and Ted Kennedy lambast school vouchers while sending their own precious progeny to private schools.

Babs Streisand laments the destruction of the rainforest while enjoying the luxury of a 12,000 square foot mansion made of - yes - wood. And her annual water bill of $22,000 keeps her lawn green while she rails against the American consumer culture. She is driven around in an SUV and has, in the past, made rounds in Beverly Hills in a motor home due to an aversion to public bathrooms.

Nancy Pelosi -- an avowed union supporter -- has ownership stakes in a resort, vineyard and some restaurants, all of which are strictly non-unionized. And while she advocates far-reaching environmental regulations, the country club she partially owns has failed to meet existing environmental regulations for nearly a decade (including a failure to protect an endangered species).

The eye-opening list goes on and on. Schweizer has done an astronomical amount of research into the bloviating voices of some mediacrats who, true to historical form, advocate one form of government for the little people and another for themselves. I suppose it's not so surprising that these public figures were to get away with such hypocritical behavior -- without any scrutiny -- for so long. It's probably more surprising that they've been exposed at all.

Friday, November 04, 2005

The Litany of 'Lies'


By temporarily shutting down the Senate, the mediacrats have embarked upon a "pre-war intelligence" strategy. Their hope is to expose some sort of diabolical plot within the administration that transformed a blissfully innocent Saddam Hussein into, for lack of a better character, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Obviously, such a strategy is stillborn. A better question, as posed by John at Powerline, is 'why?'.

Unless President Bush orders a carrier battle group up the Potomac and fiendishly overthrows the Constitutional form of government, he won't be running for office again. So why continue to demonize the administration?

None of the Republicans running in 2006 can be tied back to the rationale for war. And if the Democrats believe that running on a "Surrender from Iraq" platform is a winning approach, I have some New Orleans real-estate I'd like to sell them.

Here, for your reading pleasure, a 'Hall of Fame' of Hussein quotes courtesy of MSNBC's Glenn Reynolds:

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." - President Bill Clinton, February 4, 1998

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." - President Bill Clinton, February 17, 1998

"We must stop Saddam from ever again jeopardizing the stability and security of his neighbors with weapons of mass destruction." - Madeline Albright, February 1, 1998

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983." - Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, February 18, 1998

"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." Letter to President Clinton. - (D) Senators Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, others, October 9, 1998

"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." - Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), December 16, 1998

"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." - Madeline Albright, Clinton's Secretary of State, November 10, 1999

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Who's for Free Speech on the Internet?


Thomas Paine : Collected Writings : Common Sense / The Crisis / Rights of Man / The Age of Reason / Pamphlets, Articles, and LettersToday's report at Powerline regarding free speech on the Internet is disturbing. The bill was, in the words of Rep. Mark Kennedy, "designed to protect the free speech rights of Americans whose only alleged crime is wanting to use the Internet to express their opinions."

A House vote on a motion to suspend the rules and adopt the 'Online Freedom of Speech Act' required a 2/3 majority to pass. Because the 225-182 vote isn't quite two-thirds, it has yet to pass. On a party basis, here's how the voting broke down:

179- 38 Republican
 46-143 Democrat

That's right. Now you know who's for free speech on the Internet.

The only rationale I can figure is that, by limiting the effect of bloggers, the bill's opponents hope to restrict one of the few alternatives to mainstream media.

Joshua Sharf provides this link to the roll call vote. Contact your representative accordingly. There are more details on the bill at Patriot Blog.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Matthews Squeezes Dean


Howard Dean was on Hardball with Chris Matthews a couple of nights ago, attempting to defend the Democratic party's attack on Alito.

MSNBC's Chris Matthews: "[I]'m Sitting Here Holding In My Hands, A Pretty Disgusting Document, This Is Put Out Not For Attribution. But It Comes From The Democrats, They're Circulating It. I Can Say That." (MSNBC's "MSNBC Live," 10/31/05)


When you're the head of the DNC and even Chris Matthews is hammering you like a nail into plywood, you know it's time to change course. Of course, I'm not sure that's clear to someone with the vast intellect of, say, Howard Dean.

MATTHEWS: Somebody in the Democratic Party is putting out an attack sheet on this new justice nominee for the Supreme Court, and the first attack is that he was lenient on the mob back in an '88 case. He let the Lucchese family get off, said he was an embarrassment to the government. Here's a guy that's been tough on crime. Why start off on that issue, Dean?

DEAN: I didn't put it out, but somebody did so I'll be responsible for it.

MATTHEWS: It was put out by the Democrats, but go on.

DEAN: All right. The president put out a sheet this morning, Republican talking points. One of the things he said was that judge Alito was a spectacular prosecutor. Well, it turns out he wasn't quite so spectacular, and he lost some important cases, and one is which that those guys, in that particular case, those guys all got off, 20 of them without even putting up a defense witness. So at least in that particular case, that's an example...

DEAN: I think it's great. All I'm trying to say is, you know, this guy is not the best prosecutor since sliced bed. Look, here's --

MATTHEWS: You don't sense a little ethnic aspect to this? The fact he's Italian American, they nailed the #1 issue against this guy is mob, that he's weak on the mob. You don't see that?

DEAN: No.

MATTHEWS: You don't see it? I think everybody else does. I see it.


When even Chris Matthews is spitting mad, you know your strategy is going over as well as a pregnant pole-vaulter.

EIB: Matthews Squeezes Dean

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Left side of the blogosphere


Countdown to Crisis : The Coming Nuclear Showdown with IranI did a little experiment using Google's blog-search. It began with a simple thought: I wonder how the left side of the blogosphere is covering the president of Iran's psychopathic remarks concerning the demise of America and Israel. To refresh your memory:

Addressing students at the conference, [President of Iran] Ahmadinejad said, "To those who doubt, to those who ask is it possible, or those who do not believe, I say accomplishment of a world without America and Israel is both possible and feasible."


and:

Iran's new president created a sense of outrage in the west yesterday by describing Israel as a "disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped off the face of the earth".


How would the left side of the blogosphere cover these disgraceful remarks? Using Google's new blog-search, let's check how many times the following left-of-center blogs covered this explicit and de facto  declaration of war against both America and Israel:

Daily Kos

55 rove
17 fitzmas
1 chimpy
0 "israel must be wiped off the face of the earth"

Buzz Machine

27 Bush
0 "israel must be wiped off the face of the earth"

Matthew Yglesias

45 Bush
0 "israel must be wiped off the face of the earth"

PressThink

8 Miller (Judy)
0 "israel must be wiped off the face of the earth"

Austin Bay

20 Bush
0 "israel must be wiped off the face of the earth"

Well, I guess we know who's covering the important topics, don't we?

These commentators are so inwardly focused on their perceived villains -- Karl Rove, for instance, who keeps pounding them like bongo drums in election after election -- that they can't see the real face of evil. Given an opportunity to be pro-America, these blogs are MIA.

And this is exactly the reason that the left can't be allowed anywhere near the levers of power in this country.

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Hummer-owners, rejoice!


Blood and Oil : The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Dependency on Imported PetroleumEver heard of 'oil sands'? Michael Fumento describes the possibility of five centuries of cheap oil:

It was a tenet of the late great economist Julian Simon that we'll never run out of any commodity. That's because before we do the increasing scarcity of that resource will drive up the price and force us to adopt alternatives. For example, as firewood grew scarce people turned to coal, and as the whale oil supply dwindled 'twas petroleum that saved the whales.

Now we're told we're running out of petroleum. The "proof" is the high prices at the pump. In fact, oil cost about 50% more per barrel in 1979-80 than now when adjusted for inflation. Yet it's also true that industrializing nations like China and India are making serious demands on the world's ability to provide oil and are driving prices up. So is this the beginning of the end?

Nope. The Julian Simon effect is already occurring.

The evidence is in something called oil sands (also called oil shale), a tar-like substance that can be surface mined as coal often is. The oil is then separated from the dirt using energy from oil or natural gas extracted from the site itself to produce a tar-like goo called bitumen. It's then chemically split to produce crude as light as from a well head.

Oil sands in a single Venezuelan deposit contain an estimated 1.8 trillion barrels of petroleum, with 1.7 trillion in a single Canadian deposit. In all, about 70 countries (including the U.S.), have oil sand deposits although technology hasn't yet made them economical for exploitation. Of Canada's reserves alone, over 300 billion barrels (more than the entire proved oil reserves of Saudi Arabia) is currently considered recoverable. And recovering it they are...


Michael Fumento: Fill 'er up with oil sands!

"I ain't real good at number-countin' and stuff"


The invaluable Newsbusters site points to this bizarre gaffe by Tim Russert. That Russert, the 'golden child' of mainstream political commentators, could be so unaware of recent history seems -- at best -- implausible. But not out of character for his ilk.

[with great] anticipation by many in the media, a Bush Administration official, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, was today indicted by a federal grand jury. NBC's Washington bureau chief Tim Russert wanted to emphasize the event's importance, telling his MSNBC audience: "This is significant, it's the first time in 130 years a White House official has been indicted."

Not according to MSNBC's own Web site. It's "Fact File: White House Staff Indictments" provides a "brief history of indictments in recent administrations." Going back only into the mid-1970s, it identifies eight people, including a Reagan Cabinet member and two Clinton Cabinet members, who were indicted on various charges. These included conspiracy, obstruction, embezzlement, illegal stock trading, lying to the FBI and grand larceny.


I ain't real good at number-countin' and stuff, but I'm thinkin' that 130 number ain't quite right.

Iran's President and "A World without America"


Countdown to Crisis : The Coming Nuclear Showdown with IranFunny, this UPI report didn't seem to get as much press as Scooter Libby's indictment:

Addressing students at the conference, [President of Iran] Ahmadinejad said, "To those who doubt, to those who ask is it possible, or those who do not believe, I say accomplishment of a world without America and Israel is both possible and feasible."


Someday, wouldn't it be lovely if the mediacrats would bestow as much attention on nuclear-armed countries declaring de facto war on America as they do on the current administration's troubles?

We can only dare to dream.

The harsh ramifications of Hitler-esque statements on the part of Iran require all the mental gymnastics of a Mister Rogers episode. But these calculations appear well beyond the grasp of the mediacrats, who remain simple "optimists" in the face of ugly, brutal facts confronting our world. We ignore a nuclear-armed Iran at our own peril.

It would be nice if the mediacrats would actually bother to report upon and analyze the traffic coming out of Tehran. The fate of our children and grandchildren hinges, in part, upon the press doing their jobs. And, thus far, they've been found woefully lacking.

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Libby Resigns


Top aide to Vice President Cheney, Scooter Libby, was indicted yesterday on charges of perjury, false statements, and obstruction of justice.

The charges are no joke. And, though the charges don't mention the outing of Victoria Plame as an employee of the CIA, that is no joke either.

Consider those who may have cooperated with Plame in a foreign country, knowingly or not. In truth, their lives are at risk over beltway political gamesmanship.

And for someone reputed to be highly intelligent, Libby finds himself in scalding water over some relatively simple misstatements. Did Libby hear about Plame from White House officials... or from other reporters? These key issues are at the heart of the matter.

Libby should indeed be prosecuted with vigor. Political advantage pales in comparison to the importance of human lives at risk.

The Volcker Report, the Anti-War Left Bank and Saddam


Saddam's Bombmaker: The Terrifying Inside Story of the Iraqi Nuclear and Biological Weapons AgendaToday, if anyone tells you that sanctions were working in Iraq prior to the war, they are either (a) prevaricating or (b) blissfully ignorant. Certainly, that much is clear from the Volcker Report.

Consider that one of the Americans named in the report is Shakir Al-Khafaji, who received dibs on 12 million barrels of Saddam's oil. You may recall that this influential businessman orchestrated a visit to Baghdad in September of 2002, leading a delegation of anti-war Congressional Democrats.

Thus it came to pass: a Democratic congressman -- Jim McDermott of Washington -- reportedly accepted cash payments from Al-Khafaji (a suitable proxy for Saddam). Also on the trip were David Bonior (D-MI) and Mike Thompson (D-CA).

Together, this abysmal crew became Saddam's dupes. Consider their statements after returning from the Baghdad junket. George Will wrote:

Not since Jane Fonda posed for photographers at a Hanoi antiaircraft gun has there been anything like Rep. Jim McDermott, speaking to ABC's ``This Week'' from Baghdad, saying Americans should take Saddam Hussein at his word, but should not take President Bush at his. McDermott, in his seventh term representing Seattle, said Iraqi officials promised him and his traveling companion, Rep. David Bonior, a 13-term Michigan Democrat, that weapons inspectors would be ``allowed to look anywhere.''

Bonior, until recently second-ranking in the House Democratic leadership, said sources no less reliable than Saddam's minions told them that inspectors will have an ``unrestricted ability to go where they want.'' McDermott said: ``I think you have to take the Iraqis on their value--at their face value.'' And: ``I think the president would mislead the American people.''


And now the Volcker report confirms what many had long believed. These Democrats and certain other anti-war Galloway clones were, in effect, Saddam's puppets. Some were paid, some were not. All were in thrall to a mass-murdering despot, the likes of which the world hasn't seen since Pol Pot.

The motives, then, of some in the anti-war Left are crystal clear. They wanted Saddam's loot. They didn't care a whit about the war on terror, Scuds, chemical weapons, rape rooms, inspections, nuclear arms, torture chambers designed for children, or Al Qaqaa. They wanted cold, hard cash.

Now consider that today's thought-leaders of the anti-war Left Bank echo these same, morally bankrupt precepts. They claim that sanctions and inspections were destined to work. They posit that Bush -- not Saddam -- lied. They ignore the ramifications of Abu Abbas, Abu Nidal, Zarqawi, Ansar al-Islam, nuclear centrifuges, and the terrorist training camp at Salman Pak, all of which were conveniently located in or near Baghdad prior to the war.

To term this posse "useful idiots" (a la Lenin) is to severely overestimate their intellectual acumen. Someday, the pro-American Democratic party of FDR, JFK and Truman will return. But, today, that day seems very far off.

Friday, October 28, 2005

The Left: Partying over American Dead


Faux outrage over at the Dauo Report, where Peter Daou objects to Leftist events marking two thousand American deaths in Iraq as "parties".

LGF operative ZombieTime happened to attend one such party. And he took lots of pictures. Judge for yourself.

As famed milblogger BlackFive noted recently:

There are two groups that will celebrate and use George Alexander's sacrifice. The morally bankrupt anti-war movement. And Al Qaeda.


As for the watery Leftist question -- "[H]ow is it that wanting our troops NOT to die is worse than wanting them to remain in the line of fire?" -- BlackFive notes the nature of the question is...

Disengenuous. Your question assumes a fact not in evidence -- that the majority of purported "antiwar" folks are motivated by a desire to keep our troops from dying. Certainly, the statements from many such folks reveals a virulent hatred of the US. I am also curious as to why so many so-called "antiwar" folks seemed quite happy for Bill Clinton to send US troops all over the globe.

In any case, a blind desire to "bring the troops home" is not necessarily in the troops' best interest, even if we assume that this is your true motivation. Any rational person can see how such protests could embolden our enemy and actually increase the danger to our troops. For that matter, imagine what the world would be like if such an argument had prevailed in World War II or the American Civil War? In either case, "bringing the troops home" would have resulted in horrific consequences. Have the antiwar folks bothered to poll the troops on this issue?

And frankly, I am unconvinced that most of the "antiwar" folks are actually opposed to war. I think that they are just opposed to the US. Certainly, they seem unconcerned that their conduct may well encourage our enemies.

Even if they do not intend for the Islamist fanatics to be encouraged, so what? Seems to me that a grownup should be held to intend the consequences of an act, if those consequences are reasonably forseeable.

In any case, I have a question for you that I can't seem to get any antiwar folks to answer:

Do you think that a majority of Iraqis wish that Saddam was still in power?


Dauo and the rest of the anti-American gasbags simply need to declare their true allegiances. If they are truly pro-terror, they should go ahead and say so. Because their mission -- so far -- appears to align perfectly with that of the terrorists.

Condi vs. Hillary


Condi vs. Hillary : The Next Great Presidential RaceThe entire first chapter of Dick Morris' new book, entitled Condi vs. Hillary , is online. Morris is, of course, the long-time Clinton adviser who has transformed himself into an anti-Clintonian zealot. Imagine Karl Rove leaving the Bush fold and co-authoring a breathless tell-all on White House shenanigans - that's effectively what Morris has done for the Clintons.

Condoleezza Rice has never been involved in personal or professional wrongdoing; Hillary has been embroiled in scandal after scandal, ever since she entered public life. She has always teetered on the ethical edge. Her unexplainable windfall in her commodities futures speculation; the circumstances of her Whitewater investment; the disappearance of her law firm's billing records; her role in the decapitation of the White House Travel Office employees; her solicitation and acceptance of personal gifts of expensive furniture, silver, and china during her last days in the White House while she was still first lady (but not yet a senator bound by rules about gifts); her acceptance of contributions and gifts from persons seeking presidential pardons; and the hiring of her brothers by drug dealers and others seeking pardons-all of these have led to the continuous cloud of doubt that has surrounded her personal and professional integrity.

Perhaps the most shocking example of her tin ear on ethical issues was her acceptance of furniture-and $70,000 in campaign contributions from Denise Rich, who was basically trying to buy a pardon for her fugitive ex-husband, Marc Rich. After a federal indictment charged Marc Rich with fifty-one counts of tax evasion and illegal trading with the enemy-Iran-during the hostage crisis of the late 1970s, Rich had fled to Switzerland and renounced his U.S. citizenship. In the wake of his ex-wife's gifts and campaign contributions to Mrs. Clinton and $450,000 donation to the Clinton Library, Marc Rich was pardoned in the very last minutes of the Clinton presidency.


You can read the entire first chapter here.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

In search of a survival plan


I'm back from Seattle and normal blogging will resume shortly. In the mean time, read Baldilocks' In search of a survival plan. Bathe yourself in the hot tub of wisdom for a few minutes and read the whole thing.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

The Glamor of Business Travel


Sleepless in SeattleSo I had a flight out to Seattle scheduled for Sunday. There's an IT-related event hosted by one of the big software vendors (I'm sure you can guess which one in under three tries) to which I was an invitee. The flight was scheduled to leave my city -- which is in the northeastern quadrant of the Midwest -- at 4:40pm EST, arriving at SeaTac at 6:55pm PST or thereabouts. Here's a chronology of the trip... and all times are Eastern, for consistency's sake -- and because that's simply the way the world should operate.

3:30 PM - I arrive at the airport and realize I have forgotten to upgrade to first-class. My attempt is politely rebuffed: "the entire flight is booked and is oversold, in fact."

4:21 PM - Boarding begins. I am in "zone 5", which is akin to being the United Nations representative from the Isle of Man - back o' the bus.

4:53 PM - Everyone is crammed aboard. I'm in an aisle seat, parked next to a middle-aged lady who is about a hundred-or-so pounds overweight and -- as an added bonus -- has a hacking cough. I can fit about a quarter of my arm on the steel armrest, which is also straining to support the overflow of her midsection.

5:02 PM - Pushback from the gate. Taxiing begins. Air temperature inside the cabin - a balmy 82% with high humidity.

5:07 PM - Taxiing ends. Announcement from the Captain: "We have some engine warning lights on. We're going to park here for a few minutes while the maintenance crew takes a look and tries to reset them. Usually this takes just a few minutes and there's really no problem."

5:16 PM - We're hearing buzzing underneath the plane as the maintenance crew tries to reset the warning lights.

5:25 PM - Äir temperature - 83%. Announcement from the Captain: "Well, that didn't work. The maintenance crew is going to replace an engine-control circuit board to see if that fixes the problem. This really won't take too long. Update in a couple of minutes."

5:40 PM - Air temperature - 84%. Announcement from the Captain: "Okay, they've got the circuit board. But to replace it, they're going to have to turn off all power to the plane for a few minutes. Otherwise, they might have a 'shocking' experience. So in a few minutes, the lights and everything will go off, but they should come back on in just a couple of minutes."

5:43 PM - Air temperature - 86. The plane goes dark. The fan, which had been pushing around moist, hot air (isn't that the best kind?), stops. My next-door neighbor erupts in a hacking cough.

5:46 PM - Air temperature - 88. The lights come back on. Moist air circulation resumes. My next-door neighbor nearly knocks the wind out of me while searching in her pockets for a lozenge.

5:49 PM - Air temperature - 89. The Captain: "Well, that didn't quite do it. We're going to head back to the gate and see what control recommends."

6:12 PM - Temperatures are cooling as we arrive at the gate and the door opens. My neighbor commemorates the event with a vicious coughing fit. Fortunately, it's not a phlegmy cough, it's a dry cough.

6:33 PM - We deplane. Another piece of equipment (apparently, this means another "airplane") has been located and is going to pull into a nearby gate.

6:51 PM - The other plane arrives. Its passengers deplane and we're notified that, after cleaning and re-provisioning, we'll be permitted to board.

7:23 PM - Boarding begins on the replacement plane equipment.

7:44 PM - Boarding finishes. My neighbor resumes a coughing fit as I crack open my book, ironically entitled, "The Great Influenza" (subtitle: 'The epic story of the deadliest plague in history').

7:50 PM - We begin taxiing.

8:02 PM - The captain announces that we're third in line for takeoff.

8:06 PM - We're second in line for takeoff. I high-five my neighbor when the Captain announces this. Uhm, actually, my neighbor just expectorates into a handkerchief.

8:10 PM - We lift off.

9:00 PM - The feature film - Batman Begins - well, begins. And (sweet!) complimentary headphones!

9:03 PM - The screen goes to black.

9:09 PM - The feature film begins again.

9:11 PM - The screen goes black again.

9:15 PM - The flim begins again.

9:19 PM - The screen goes black.

9:21 PM - The film begins again.

9:24 PM - The screen goes black, this time with a white line in the middle of all of the screens. I pull off my headphones.

9:30 PM - The film begins again. I put my headphones back on.

9:33 PM - The screen goes dead once more. I wonder whether I should leave the headphones back on.

9:36 PM - The film begins again.

9:39 PM - The screen goes black. I can swear that the flight staff is teasing us.

9:43 PM - The film begins again. This time, it seems to take.

12:30 AM - We touch down at SeaTac.

1:00 AM - My traveling partner's checked bag is nowhere to be found. We report it to the lost baggage office.

1:20 AM - House Shiraz at the Rock Bottom Brewery in downtown Seattle, the only place in the area serving dinner after 10PM PST.

Ah, the glamor of business travel. Nothing like it.

Friday, October 21, 2005

Tom Coburn's Spine of Steel


Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into InsidersTom Coburn (R-OK) introduced an interesting amendment to a spending bill yesterday. The amendment (S.A. 2112) to H.R. 3058 proposed excising some useless pork-barrel spending. Outside the Beltway described the amendment this way:

This amendment will transfer funding from the wasteful pork project, the “Bridge to Nowhere” in Alaska, to the repair and reconstruction of the “Twin Spans” bridge in Louisiana. According to published reports, the Alaskan pork project costs $220 million for a 5.9-mile bridge connecting Gravina Island (population 50) to the Alaskan mainland. The cost of the bridge alone would be enough to buy every island resident his own personal Lear jet.


Of course, the amendment went down by a vote of 82-15. As Powerline notes:

... [it] was a clarifying moment. The Associated Press says:

[I]n the tradition-bound Senate, Coburn was taking on an unwritten rule that one senator does not attack the projects sought by another.


To tell you the truth, I'm not sure I was aware of that rule. I guess I always assumed that both the Senate and the House made some pretense of trying to spend the taxpayers' money wisely, for the benefit of the nation as a whole. So at least we now know where we stand... So now we know: there are only fifteen members of the Senate who are unwilling to waste the taxpayers' money on even the most frivolous of projects. Let's see what we can do about the other 85.


By taking on most of the Senate's "good old boys" and the FDR-era tradition of pork allocation, Coburn demonstrated some significant backbone. In an interview on the Hugh Hewitt show, Coburn explained his stand:

...we're at war, we've got hurricanes, we've got $600 billion dollars we added to our children and grandchildren's debt this last year. It's time for us to change...


Indeed. And who's with Coburn? Specifically he named Senators DeMint, Ensign, Brownback, and Sununu. Remember all five names. You'll be hearing them again.

This isn't a partisan issue. It's an American issue.

The Tale of Joe Wilson


Boy Genius: Karl Rove, the Brains Behind the Remarkable Political Triumph of George W. BushStephen Hayes, writing in the Weekly Standard, breaks down the Valerie Plame kerfuffle into digestible pieces. In fact, they're so straightforward... even Maureen Dowd should be able to understand them. Note that I said should, not will.

...ON JULY 22, 2005, the New York Times published a lengthy, front-page article detailing the work of two senior Bush administration officials, Karl Rove and Scooter Libby, on the Niger-uranium story. A seemingly exhaustive timeline ran alongside the piece. In 19 bullet points, the Times provided its readers in considerable detail with what it regarded as the highlights of the story. The timeline traces events from the initial request for more information on the alleged Iraqi inquiries in Africa to Joseph Wilson's trip to Niger; from the now-famous "16 words" in President Bush's 2003 State of the Union to the details of White House telephone logs; from Bush administration claims that Karl Rove was not involved in the leak to the naming of special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, and on from there to the dates that White House officials testified before the grand jury.

As I say, seemingly exhaustive. But there is one curious omission: July 7, 2004. On that date, the bipartisan Senate Select Intelligence Committee released a 511-page report on the intelligence that served as the foundation for the Bush administration's case for war in Iraq. The [2004] Senate report includes a 48-page section on Wilson that demonstrates, in painstaking detail, that virtually everything Joseph Wilson said publicly about his trip, from its origins to his conclusions, was false.

...It is certainly the case that the media narrative is much more sensational than the Senate report... But sometimes the boring stories have an additional virtue. They're true.


Weekly Standard: The Tale of Joe Wilson

Honda Offers Natural Gas-Powered Civic


21st Century Complete Guide to Alternative FuelsHonda is offering a natural gas-powered Civic in sourthern California. The Civic GX model -- for a limited time -- also includes the "Phill" home refueling appliance, free of charge. The MSRP is $21K and that figure, of course, doesn't include the $2K federal tax deduction.

After seven years of successfully marketing the Civic GX strictly to fleet operators who have the convenience of dedicated fueling stations, the Civic GX-Phill package is now available to southern California consumers that live within the boundaries of the SCAQMD. The Civic GX sedan provides practical transportation for up to four passengers and a driving range of between 200 and 220 miles, given the possibility to conveniently refuel as necessary from the customers own home...

Phill, the world's first low-cost, home-based refueling appliance that can be mounted to a garage wall either indoors or outdoors, to allow natural gas powered vehicles to be refueled overnight directly from a homeowner's existing natural gas supply line. Phill provides GX drivers enough fuel for approximately 100 miles of driving on an eight hour refueling cycle. Phill is designed to offer ease of operation with simple "start" and "stop" buttons and will automatically turn itself off when the tank is full. Phil also has numerous safeguards throughout its system. Like any natural gas appliance, a FuelMaker trained installer must install Phill...


AutoSpies: Honda offers Natural Gas-powered Civic

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Hillary in trouble: not far enough to the left


There's trouble brewing out on the far left bank that makes up the chief fundraising power of the current Democratic party. Think Michael Moore, George Soros, and other "evil-genius" characters ripped straight out of an Austin Powers film. The far left sees Hillary as a sellout. Do tell.

Cindy Sheehan, the so-called "peace mom" on a crusade to end U.S. involvement in the Iraq war, is publicly blasting Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for her continued support of the ongoing conflict.

"I think she is a political animal who believes she has to be a war hawk to keep up with the big boys," Sheehan writes in an open letter posted on anti-Bush filmmaker Michael Moore's website...

...She was granted a meeting with Sen. Clinton to discuss the war effort, but says the Democrat "apparently" didn't listen, as the senator told a reporter for the Village Voice, "My bottom line is that I don't want their sons to die in vain. ... I don't believe it's smart to set a date for withdrawal. ... I don't think it's the right time to withdraw."

"That sounds like Rush Limbaugh to me," Sheehan said...

"There's trouble in paradise out there on the far left extreme which has become the Democrat base," Limbaugh responded today on his national radio program.

"You don't do this, folks. You don't publicly as a Democrat disavow a Clinton and live to do it again. Well, you just don't do it again and again without something happening. So she's one gutsy lady or stupid, one of the two. But something's going to happen to this woman. Something's going to silence her."

On a political messageboard online, one writer notes, "Who would have thought that Hillary's candidacy could be in trouble because she's not far enough to the left?"


WND: Sheehan thrashes 'war hawk' Hillary

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

What is ZIP + 4?


DIRECT MAIL COPY THAT SELLSEver wondered about the ZIP + 4 codes that you're encouraged (or, if you're in the direct-mail business, required) to use? The US Postal Service began using ZIP + 4 in 1983. A typical ZIP + 4 code -- say, 01254-9012 if you're somewhere in Richmond, Massachusetts -- is used to pinpoint a highly focused geographic segment within the five-digit delivery area.

How many households does a ZIP + 4 code represent? The claim, according to Wikipedia is that the code can be resolved to, "a city block, a group of apartments, [or] an individual high-volume receiver of mail."

I did a little experiment on my street. I live in a quiet suburban neighborhood, about eighteen miles northeast of a major metropolitan downtown area. It's typical of thousands of other suburban enclaves: houses on lots ranging from 1/3 acre to a half-acre, upper-middle-class, good school system. You know: the 2005 equivalent of Ward Cleaver's crib.

Using the Post Office ZIP-code lookup tool, I set out on a mission to figure out how many households a typical "ZIP + 4" code represents -- at least in my neighborhood. Is your heart racing yet? Here are the results of all of the actual houses on my street with the "+4" extended code:

11566 MISSIONHILL DR 1805
11569 MISSIONHILL DR 1806
11570 MISSIONHILL DR 1805
11574 MISSIONHILL DR 1805
11575 MISSIONHILL DR 1806
11578 MISSIONHILL DR 1805
11581 MISSIONHILL DR 1806
11582 MISSIONHILL DR 1805
11586 MISSIONHILL DR 1805
11587 MISSIONHILL DR 1806
11593 MISSIONHILL DR 1806
11594 MISSIONHILL DR 1805
11599 MISSIONHILL DR 1806
11602 MISSIONHILL DR 1844
11605 MISSIONHILL DR 1843
11611 MISSIONHILL DR 1843
11617 MISSIONHILL DR 1843
11624 MISSIONHILL DR 1844
11629 MISSIONHILL DR 1843
11630 MISSIONHILL DR 1844
11636 MISSIONHILL DR 1844


These translate to:

1805 7
1806 6
1843 4
1844 4


So, at least in my little 'hood, a ZIP + 4 code translates to between four and seven households.

Why do I mention this? Because as marketers target us, they often use data that's aggregated at the ZIP + 4 level. And you can tell that this level is highly granular: it doesn't take very sophisticated analysis for summarized ZIP + 4 household data to be disassembled into individual households.

And your ZIP + 4 code isn't private. Anyone can look it up if they know your address. Marketers that share information about households at this level aren't seeking your permission, from what I can tell. It's an interesting little game and one that isn't well-publicized.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

A Booming Real Estate Market


The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading IraqIf you rely on news from Iraq strictly through the lenses of the AP, CNN or the Gray Lady, you'd think that the entire country is aflame and that -- in spite of the inferno -- all of the non-functional power-lines haven't quite melted yet. And while the streets run red with blood, 80% of Iraqi citizens hate Americans while the remainder simply despise them.

But back in the real world, if you happen to parse the typical dispatches from the MediaCrats, you occasionally find nuggets like this (hat tip: PoliPundit):

A five-bedroom river-view house sold three years ago for $45,000. Two years ago it sold again, this time for $80,000. It sold a third time in August. The latest price tag? $300,000. It's not in Charlotte or Kansas City or Philadelphia; it's in Baghdad. The market here is booming...

...Baghdad's economy is also surprisingly strong. Streets are jammed with traffic. Cell phones are everywhere. The bare shelves of retail stores from the Saddam Hussein era are now piled high with imported goods...


So while the MediaCrats continue to put the worst possible face on each story out of Iraq, real-estate prices are rising dramatically and the economy is booming. Hmmm.