Archive for the 'Author Pages' Category
MikeR on Aug 27 2008 | Filed under: Around the Web, MikeR's Page
Instapundit“TO SOME PEOPLE, I think betraying one’s party is worse than betraying one’s
country”Some of these folks on the left have lost touch with what is important.
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MikeR on Aug 26 2008 | Filed under: Around the Web, MikeR's Page
Chronicle of the ConspiracyFollow the link
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MikeR on Aug 26 2008 | Filed under: MikeR's Page
Belmont ClubWe could be forced to entirely revamp our strategy in Afghanistan if the situation in Pakistan continues to deteriorate and the Russians intend to be uncooperative.
There are in fact serious concerns that troops in Afghanistan can be cut off should a hostile regime emerge in Pakistan.
Historically, this area has been difficult to subdue and [...]
MichaelW on Aug 25 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Media, MichaelW's Page
Because the blogosphere and all its scions have much more prominence, and arguably more influence, with respect to this year’s election, I’ve been lazily paying more attention to how new media is tackling the subject at hand. I think the following presentation is a prime example of what new media can offer, and foreshadows [...]
MikeR on Aug 25 2008 | Filed under: Around the Web, MikeR's Page
No Left Turns“Then Cory Booker of Newark attacked teachers unions specifically–and there was
applause. In a room of 500 people at the Democratic convention! “The politics
are so vicious,” Booker complained, remembering how he’d been told his political
career would be over if he kept pushing school choice, how early on he’d gotten
help from Republicans rather than from [...]
MikeR on Aug 25 2008 | Filed under: MikeR's Page
Human EventsThe unions and municipal workers groups don’t surprise me. What does surprise me is how the left dominates these large fund raising groups. What causes this? What is different about the left and the right? Some kind of association with centralized planning an government control extrapolated to large organizations? [...]
MikeR on Aug 25 2008 | Filed under: Around the Web, MikeR's Page
Positive LibertyDA Ridgely on staged events.
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MikeR on Aug 25 2008 | Filed under: Around the Web, MikeR's Page
NeatoramaI don’t know if the details will kill this thing but I certainly applaud the effort.
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MikeR on Aug 25 2008 | Filed under: Libertarianism, MikeR's Page
Newmark’s DoorWe can’t enact or enforce enough laws to manage ethical behavior.
“Goo-goos”–good government advocates–have been fighting corruption in government through endlessly tweaking campaign financing reform laws and ethics laws for at least 40 years.
Senator Stevens is the latest case and even though he may have been up to no good, Newmark thinks it will be [...]
Lance on Aug 24 2008 | Filed under: Lance's Page, taxes
And millions of us may benefit.
The dispute arose when more than 30 mutual life insurance companies became publicly traded corporations in the late 1990s and earlier this decade, in a process known as “demutualization.”
Mutual companies are owned by their policyholders, so the companies provided stock and cash to compensate them for the loss [...]
MikeR on Aug 24 2008 | Filed under: MikeR's Page
Blogs for Victory
Another potential problem with “The Common Word” dialogue is its implication that the Christian Church must reform itself no less so than the Islamic community. There’s no doubt that reform is needed. Whether the issue is materialism, hypocrisy, or the politicization of the gospel, there are real problems in the Church. Yet the [...]
MikeR on Aug 23 2008 | Filed under: MikeR's Page, Uncategorized
American Daily
The single most important building block of any nation is her families. Destroy that and you can easily lay claim to a nation’s soul.
I agree. I think we have failed to maintain the nuclear family and lost the fundamental building block. Part of the reason so many folks are enticed by government [...]
Lee on Aug 23 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Kim Jong Il as Colonel Sanders by Jonathan Barnbrook (photo: acb | The Null Device)
North Korea is already a formal necrocracy (government by the dead), given that Kim Il-sung –who has been dead since 1994– remains the titular head of state there. But according to Waseda University professor Toshimitsu Shigemura in Japan, Kim’s son and [...]
Lance on Aug 23 2008 | Filed under: Lance's Page, Music
A treat for Velvet Underground fans, Bud Benderbe reinterprets the seminal alternative band:
More over at Airforce Amazon.
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MikeR on Aug 22 2008 | Filed under: Economics, MikeR's Page
The Economist
Interesting article about the roots of the problem. What I found fascinating was this root cause.
the historical accident of a very low loss rate during the early history of subprime mortgage foreclosures in 2001-2002.
This is the reminder that “accidents” continue to happen and that our best models are always suspect. Lesson learned [...]
ChrisB on Aug 21 2008 | Filed under: Chris' Page, Health Care, Libertarianism
Michael F. Cannon at Cato blogs about a NYTimes article on the rife fraud found and covered up at Medicare. A confidential draft of a federal inspector general’s report claimed that the behavior they found at the Medicare Administration was rife with irregularities.
Medicare reported to Congress that, for the fiscal year of 2006, AdvanceMed’s investigations [...]
MikeR on Aug 20 2008 | Filed under: MikeR's Page, science
Next Big Future
“Human blood have been grown from embryonic stem cells for the first time during research that promises to provide an almost limitless supply suitable for transfusion into any patient.”
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Joshua Foust on Aug 19 2008 | Filed under: Blogs, Foreign affairs, Josh's Page, Media
Columbia Journalism Review asked me to write an essay criticizing blogger coverage of the War in Georgia. As I’m sure you can imagine, I was scathing.
While this wasn’t necessarily surprising—after all, these blogs all talk in a big circle, and tend to reference each other—it was disappointing. As Reason’s Michael C. Moynihan trenchantly observed, much [...]
ChrisB on Aug 19 2008 | Filed under: Blogs, Chris' Page, Election 2008
McQ find some general backing up of John McCain’s Vietnam cross story. Not to be outdone by Andrew Sullivan and Daily Kos, Matt Welch at Reason thinks the cross story is the least important story McCain might have made up.
If any of these stories is a lie, I hope it’s the ol’ cross-in-the-dirt number. I [...]
ChrisB on Aug 18 2008 | Filed under: Chris' Page, Domestic Politics, Libertarianism
L.A. Police have started cracking down on hotdog carts selling grilled bacon wrapped hotdogs. Confiscating all equipment and trashing all food on site. As always, nanny knows best.
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Peg on Aug 18 2008 | Filed under: Law, Libertarianism, Media, Peg's Page, Philosophy, Society, regulation
Many of us, when we hear the phrase “risk and reward” think of Wall Street. Or business in general.
But in reality, “risk and reward” affect us throughout our lives.
Our parents take a risk when they conceive us. They hope that we will provide them with more joy and satisfaction than heartache and pain. They [...]
ChrisB on Aug 18 2008 | Filed under: Chris' Page, Foreign affairs
It’s certainly not unheard of, so was the recent Iranian rocket test really a success? The ever sourced “senior U.S. official” says the rocket wasn’t successful.
“The Iranians did not successfully launch the rocket,” a senior U.S. defense official told CNN Monday.
The two-stage rocket could have been capable of launching a satellite into space, but the [...]
Peg on Aug 18 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Election 2008, Media, Peg's Page
Every day, Professor Keith Burgess-Jackson reprints a Letter to the Editor from the New York Times. This offering left me gape-jawed.
The Professor’s first point is well-taken.
Where is the evidence that Barack Obama is more intelligent than John McCain? Have they taken intelligence tests?
One might argue that because Obama performed better in college than McCain, he [...]
Lance on Aug 17 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Election 2008, Lance's Page
That is the Obama campaigns response to McCains surprisingly (in their mind) strong performance in last nights Saddleback Civil Forum on Presidency
McQ finds the charge another in a long line of examples of misunderestimation by Democrats. I like this line from McQ:
First, you have to love the reemergence of “nuance”. Barack Obama was too [...]
Peg on Aug 17 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Election 2008, Peg's Page
My time at the Nebraska Regional was super. Our team won three of the four Knockout Events, was second in a shorter “Compact” Knockout - then struggled to 13th place in the last day’s Swiss Team, although we were in second place with only 3 rounds to go. Still, our performance was enough to [...]
Peg on Aug 17 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Election 2008, Peg's Page
My guess is that if I were a liberal, I would find Obama to be an attractive candidate. Surely the man is well spoken, charismatic - and whatever else you may believe negative about him, Obama is nobody’s fool. Even if I were liberal, I might be a bit concerned about his inexperience. But - [...]
Peg on Aug 17 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Media, Peg's Page
When you’re Speaker of the House, I guess that, in addition to all your other powers, you can make language mean whatever you wish it to mean.
PELOSI: I’m never certain of anything. Today, I would be certain. I just think that it is the opportunity for our country to move away from Washington. You know, [...]
Lee on Aug 17 2008 | Filed under: Culture, Education, Lee's Page
The movement of “ethnic studies” curricula from colleges to public schools, is something that troubles many of us who have experienced such classes in modern times. Ethnic studies programs are often called “multiculturalist,” but since they tend to be monoethnic and extremely political rather than cultural, I prefer the term “ethnostatism.”
In defense of the migration, [...]
Peg on Aug 17 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Election 2008, Media, Peg's Page
And now? The end of the mainstream media as we know it.
Edwards, 55, now admits that he had an affair with Hunter, now 44,in 2006, but denies that he is the father of the child she had in February. Andrew Young, another former Edwards aide, has said he is the baby’s father. In a statement [...]
Peg on Aug 16 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Health Care, Peg's Page
What attracted you to your spouse? Was it his devilish sense of humor? Her warmth and abilities to be a fine mother? His strength and intelligence? Her beauty and sexiness?
Today, we find couples tying the knot for another reason: excellent health insurance.
Bo and Dena McLain of Milford, Ohio, eloped in March so he could [...]
Peg on Aug 16 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Election 2008, Peg's Page
Few of us approve of marital indiscretions. Personally, however, I hesitate to toss too many stones. Knowing what occurs in the confines of a marriage is difficult, if not impossible, to know. Some marriages are marriages of convenience, be it due to sexual orientation, power, money, parenting - or an array of other issues. Sometimes [...]
Lee on Aug 16 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Ceasefire be damned,* the Russian army reportedly destroyed the Metekhi-Grakali railway bridge. The bridge was used by Georgian refugees fleeing the mayhem in the Russian occupied zones given that the highway is controlled by the Russian army, which has naturally acquired a rapacious reputation among Georgians. Thus it could expand the humanitarian crisis in Western [...]
Lee on Aug 16 2008 | Filed under: Election 2008, Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
(photo: Chris Dunn)
John Bolton argues that the future of Russian imperialism in Eurasia rides on the outcome of the US presidential election. Unsurprisingly, he pitches McCain: “First reactions, before the campaigns’ pollsters and consultants get involved are always the best indicators…McCain at once grasped the larger, geostrategic significance of Russia’s attack.”
That’s evidently a sentiment shared [...]
Lee on Aug 15 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Alex Harrowell reminds us that NATO wasn’t always so timorous about conflict risk exposure:
[I]f we assume that Georgia, and specifically Mikhail Saakashvili’s version of it, wasn’t sufficiently responsible (adult, civilised, possibly even white?) to play, how do we explain that Germany got to join in 1955, when a whole great chunk of [...]
Lee on Aug 15 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Russian Major General Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Borisov, in command of occupied Gori, has finally received orders to do something about the Russian allied irregulars who are rampaging in Georgia committing atrocities:
“Ossetians are killing poor Georgians, this is a problem and we are trying to deal with it”. He said his troops had been ordered to [...]
Lee on Aug 15 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Estonians and Latvians are apparently buying up all available Georgian wine in a demonstration of national solidarity with the beleaguered republic. Particularly popular is the consumer label Old Tbilisi (order here).
Sandra Saakashvili, First Lady of Georgia, is weathering the storm with her children in Ukraine, as the guest of Kateryna Yushchenko. Foreign Notes wonders what [...]
Lee on Aug 15 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
(photo: Vladimer Shioshvili)
Daniel Korski very prematurely calls winners and losers in the Russo-Georgian War. Too much to be decided yet for this to be a sensible exercise…and there is that small matter that Russian armor is now only thirty miles from the capital and appears to be advancing at last report. But it is always [...]
ChrisB on Aug 15 2008 | Filed under: Chris' Page, Education, Firearms
A small Texas School district approved a plan to allow teachers to carry concealed handguns on school grounds last October and will see its first school year open later this month with that plan in effect. As far as I know, and as anyone in the article knows this is the first experiment of its [...]
Lee on Aug 15 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves says the West must act fast:
“They should take Ukraine immediately into NATO, and what is left of Georgia,” he told Reuters by telephone, adding that a decision this year not to give the two countries a road map to membership had persuaded Russia it had free hand in the region.
(Reuters)
If [...]
Lee on Aug 15 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
It seems Russia is increasingly leaning toward dismembering the Republic of Georgia, something previously denied, now legitimized. The predominant characteristic of Russian policy in Georgia up to this point actually.
In the same vein, Russia is finally admitting to being in Poti and low an behold, it turns out the presence was legitimate all along, even [...]
Lee on Aug 15 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
89 amateur snapshots from the war in Georgia. Some are rather gruesome, so avoid this link if you’ve a weak stomach. It was good to see some US munitions and equipment in Georgian hands too.
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Lance on Aug 14 2008 | Filed under: Economics, Humor, Lance's Page
FROM: Dr Ben Bernanke
Central Bank of United States of America
01-658-555-1234
TO: CEO
Lagos, Nigeria
Dear Friend:
I have been requested by the regional members Federal Reserve of the USA to contact you for assistance in resolving a matter. The Federal Reserve of the USA has recently concluded a large number of contracts for credit derivative investment vehicles “CDIV” in [...]
ChrisB on Aug 14 2008 | Filed under: Blogs, Chris' Page, Health Care
Ryan Ellis, the Tax Policy Director at Americans for Tax Reform, presents 3 principles of conservative health care.
Principle 1: Conservative health care reform should neither raise taxes nor increase the size of government. You’d think this would be a no-brainer, but trust me that it isn’t.
Principle 2: Health insurance should have nothing to do [...]
Lee on Aug 14 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page, Media
Georgian television reporter Tamara Urushadze gets shot by a Russian sniper as she delivered a live report near Gori. Tough girl, she finishes the report without a tear.
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Lee on Aug 14 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says “the world can forget about” Georgia’s territorial integrity. Quite a remarkable statement from the former permanent representative to the United Nations. As a statement of purpose or justification in his country’s war, it is of course an explicit violation of Article 2 of the United Nations Charter.
Furthermore, Lavrov’s [...]
ChrisB on Aug 13 2008 | Filed under: Chris' Page, Domestic Politics
Arkansas Blog has the updates on this horrible tragedy.
Arkansas State Democratic Party Chair Bill Gwatney was shot and critically wounded at State Democratic Party Headquarters on Capitol Avenue about 11:50 a.m. today, witnesses at the scene said. Police were not releasing the victim’s identity, but it was supplied by several people on the scene.
A suspected [...]
Lee on Aug 13 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Russian units are on the move again in Georgian territory, apparently in violation of the truce agreement. One Russian soldier in a large convoy shouted an ominous flirtation to a press photographer outside Gori, hopefully in jest or lust:
“Come with us, beauty, we’re going to Tbilisi.”
(AP)
A week in a Caucasian foxhole will make any soldier [...]
Lee on Aug 12 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Last night Joshua argued that Saakashvili, having quite obviously failed to recapture his renegade territories, is certain to be finished one way or the other. Either overthrown by the Russian army, or by the Georgian people at the ballot box. This is a bit of an analyst consensus as you look around the web. Not [...]
Keith_Indy on Aug 12 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Keith's Page, Notes on the war
I’m doing this for my own benefit, as I’ve not followed the goings on in the Republic of Georgia, except to note when it’s in the news, not our Georgia.
April 18, 2008
Georgia sought the backing of NATO and the European Union on Friday after Russia stepped up pressure by announcing intensified ties with two separatist [...]
Lee on Aug 11 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
It’s looking increasingly as if the alarmists were right and Russia intends to drop all pretense. Georgian troops are pulling back to Mtskheta to defend the approach to the capital, if Russia pushes to conquer and subjugate the entire country.
To call this country an outright menace to democracy and world peace, is to speak too [...]
