Saturday, February 26, 2005

In Germany -"Could Bush Be Right?"

Tom at Libertarian Leanings posted this. I found it quite interesting and worth checking out.
Europe warms to Bush
Opinion Journal carries an article that describes
an evolving
European attitude
toward George Bush.
Visits by U.S. Presidents to Europe
tend to have a template-making quality: Wilson, the peace maker, in Paris, 1919;
Truman, the victor, at Potsdam, 1945; Kennedy, the stalwart, in Berlin, 1963;
Reagan, the visionary, in Berlin, 1987. If President Bush's trip this week has
some kind of new theme, the word for it is probably conciliation. But our sense
is that Mr. Bush is really following in Reagan's footsteps.
Admittedly, this
thought is not original: Der Spiegel beat us to it. Still, it says something
that the leftish German newsweekly, which two years ago devoted an entire cover
story to advancing the "Blood for Oil" thesis about U.S. ambitions in the Middle
East, has gingerly raised the question, "Could Bush Be Right?"
"The Germany
Reagan was traveling in, much like today's Germany, was very skeptical of the
American president and his foreign policy," Der Spiegel writes. "When Reagan
stood before the Brandenburg Gate--and the Berlin Wall--and demanded that
Gorbachev 'tear down this Wall,' he was lampooned the next day on the editorial
pages. He is a dreamer, wrote commentators. . . . But history has shown that it
wasn't Reagan who was the dreamer as he voiced his demand. Rather, it was German
politicans who were lacking in imagination--a group who in 1987 couldn't imagine
that there might be an alternative to a divided Germany."

I haven't seen much talk of this in the MSM.

Just an observation.

Friday, February 25, 2005

Roadkill Update - Kraft Caves In

Earlier, I commented briefly on the Roadkill gummi candy. Kraft, the manufacturer of the offbeat gummi roadkills, caved in to possible political correctness and ceased the production.
In the MSNBC live poll only 27% had answered that they were offended and 73% thought it was all in good fun. They 27% probably doesn't eat candy anyway. Part of that 27% may have been the ones who had a problem with Lawrence Summers, but that's another issue.

Anyway, you can read the whole article here .

Summers vs Churchill - MSM Comparison

There has been much ado about Lawrence Summers and Ward Churchill in the news recently. Ol' BC even blogged briefly about each. Summers vs Churchill. Bad rap vs. bad man. Scholar vs. liar. On and on you can go. Jonah Goldberg sees the comparison very insightfully.
In the Summers affair, free speech and academic freedom barely came up, except
among a few conservative commentators and one or two academics who were already
known for their political incorrectness. Instead, Summers was a pinata to be
bashed for material rewards and to send the message that some subjects — no
matter what the evidence — are simply taboo even for serious scholars to discuss
in closed-door, off-the-record meetings.
Meanwhile, Ward Churchill, whose
scholarship is a joke, whose evidence is tendentious at best, and who called the
victims of 9/11 the moral equivalent of a man who sent babies to the gas
chambers, is a hero of free speech. He has refused to apologize. Many
conservatives are forced to defend free speech and "diversity" in academia while
liberals let the NOWers feed on Summers's flesh.

You can read the entire column here. It is very interesting and amazingly accurate.

Just an observation.

Road Kill Humor

Check this out.


TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Animal rights activists are disgusted by a new candy
from Kraft Foods Inc. that's shaped like critters run over by cars -
complete
with tire treads. The fruity-flavored Trolli Road Kill Gummi Candy
- in shapes
of partly flattened snakes, chickens and squirrels - fosters
cruelty toward
animals, according to the New Jersey Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals.

I wonder how many activists are truly disgusted and how many just don't like gummi candy.
On the other hand, maybe children are eating gummi candy then stealing their parents' cars and going out to run over snakes, chickens and squirrels.

Just a thought.

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Nepal's King Fighting Communists

King Gyanendra of Nepal is getting heat since taking over the country February 1 and firing the government, an article in the Las Vegas Sun reports.

"When we have chosen to uphold democracy and fight against terrorism, why are they shying away from helping us?" the king was quoted as saying. "I can see one thing clearly emerging out of it. Our objectives are the same. We are going to meet somewhere. But we have chosen maybe different paths in attaining that objective."
The king said he wanted support from India, Britain and the United States in the fight against Maoist rebels.

Read the whole article at here. Time will tell, but the King truly seems to have good intentions.

Stay tuned.

University of Hawaii hosts Ward Churchill

What in the world is going on at the University of Hawaii? As I remember my history, Hawaii is in fact the 50th of the United States. The O'Reilly Factor last night reported they gave this nut an all expense paid trip to Oahu to continue to spew his venom. The university paid this guy to come in and denounce their very own country. What's up with that? They must be really seeking attention, but to do so in this manner is inexcusable.

Michelle Malkin has more on Churchill.

Just a thought.

Bush and Putin Can Agree

Russia's Vladimir Putin and President Bush found some common ground at their meeting yesterday. According to an AP report they both agree that Iran should not have nuclear weapons.

"Seeking common ground amid sensitive differences on democracy, President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Thursday on new efforts to keep nuclear arms away from terrorists as well as sovereign nations like Iran and North Korea. "We agreed that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. I appreciate Vladimir's understanding on that," Bush said. "We agreed that North Korea should not have a nuclear weapon," the article said.

This is encouraging as all the naysayers in the MSM thought this meeting could range from a fiasco to a crisis.

Just an observation.

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Charlie Rangel, how do we describe Ahmed Omar Abu Ali?

While reading through various blogs and articles today, I came across a couple of pieces that struck a chord. Ahmed Omar Abu Ali has been charged with conspiring with Al Qaeda to assassinate President Bush. All indications are that the case is pretty solid. It seems this guy spent time in Saudi Arabia and the conspiracy was put together.

Now, along comes Charlie Rangel. He is now saying it's "bigoted" to call Islamic terrorists Islamic terrorists. Al Qaeda and others plan and carry out terrorist attacks in the name of Islam. Charlie, what are we to call these guys?

Of course, Charlie Rangel is Charlie Rangel and I don't think much more needs to be said.

Monday, February 21, 2005

Israel-Palestinian Peace...Wishful Thinking?

As President Bush is pushing for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, he is getting some positive moves, but will it be enough. "Israel freed 500 Palestinian prisoners in a goodwill gesture Monday and President Bush pledged to support efforts to resolve the conflict, saying peace based on a two-state solution was within reach," the Associated Press reported.

The article also reported the following which is cause for concern:

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri called the planned Israeli pullout "a result of the heroic resistance of our people."
The revised separation fence leaves 6 percent to 7 percent of the territory in Israeli hands, said Vice Premier Shimon Peres.
Some 15,000 to 17,000 Palestinians will also end up on the Israeli side of the barrier, officials said. Also, tens of thousands of Israeli settlers would continue to live on the Palestinian side of the barrier, as there is no decision to remove those enclaves.

For years we have read and heard that the Palestinians sole goal is the elimination of Israel. It appears al-Masri's comments lend some credibility to that opinion. With 15,000 to 17,000 Palestinians on the Israli side of the barrier, does anyone really think there will be long term peace between the two?

Just an observation.

Saturday, February 19, 2005

Harvard President Getting Heat

Harvard president, Lawrence Summers, has upset some of the faculty at the Ivy League institution according to several reports. Apparently, at a panel discussion or seminar or some such gathering of enlightened folks, Ol' Larry inserted is foot firmly in his mouth. When discussing why fewer women than men reach top level science jobs, Larry suggested biological differences may be part of the reason. OOPS, that doesn't qualify for political correctness and some of the faculty have taken exception. As one can imagine, the MSM is on the case.

Now let's slow down for a minute. It seems Larry had prefaced his remarks so as not to appear like a bigot to the enlightened in attendance. My understanding is they were encouraged to think outside the proverbial box. Obviously, they didn't mean quite that far outside. They should have instructed them to think outside the box, but within certain parameters.

Harvard is very well known for its collection of wild eyed liberals. Now they have another cause to bash Ol' Larry. Nothing I can find has indicated how many faculty members are actually upset the the president. One report said a letter circulated was signed by 80 of the faculty. My guess is that 80 would be a reasonable percentage of the total, but that more than 80 really don't care. Former Harvard Magazine editor, John Bethell, said, "Harvard faculty people are not used to a leader who is aggressive."

Here's a thought. I wonder how many of the distressed faculty members were spanked as children versus how many were given "time out." How many played little league games where no score was kept, versus how many played and learned to accept defeat and deal with it in a sportsmanlike manner when their team lost.

Just a thought.

NASCAR And Liquor Companies team up

With the Daytona 500 running Sunday, some may notice a new sight as the cars take the track.
Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and Crown Royal are sponsoring entities. NASCAR had long had a ban
on liquor sponsorships, but that has now apparently been revoked.

Now for the big question. When will the liquor advertising police start demonstrating and calling for boycotts? Answer - Probably never. You see, NASCAR, stepped ever so gently onto the slippery slope. The contacted the National Commission Against Drunk Driving, MADD, etc., prior to negotiating with liquor companies. The result is a series of public service announcements paid for by the sponsoring companies. Obviously, not all organizations will feel that MADD and others negotiated enough. But it appears the most rabid have been somewhat pacified. My understanding is that the Jack Daniels sponsored car even has the message "Pace Yourself, Drink Responsibility" on it.

In the interest of full disclosure, which has become really popular lately, I am not a big NASCAR fan. I did have breakfast with Jeff Gordon once and it is very easy to understand why NASCAR has become one of the most watched sports after spending a few minutes with him. Now it appears "the good ol' boys circuit" has management with foresight as well as marketing wizards.

Just an observation.

Friday, February 18, 2005

Bush to try diplomacy

It is being reported that even though a bipartisan collection of senators is urging Bush to
"take strong action" against Syria, the president is opting for diplomacy. The president also noted that Iran is not in danger of a US attack and "There's more diplomacy, in my judgment, to be done."

This is a stark contrast to the war monger image so effectively created by the Bush bashers and MSM. "Now is the time for us to work with friends and allies who have agreed to be part of the process to determine what we're jointly going to do about it," Bush said. Now that sounds a little like thoughtful diplomat, not a gunslinger from Texas.

The $64,000 question - Will this get any MSM coverage and how can the Democrats spin it?

Just a thought

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Dean said what?

I've seen this on more than one occasion now so I'm beginning to think it actually happened.
Howard Dean, the new DNC chairman, said during a meeting with the Democratic black caucus,
"You think the Republican National Committee could get this many people of color in a single room? Only if they had the hotel staff in here."

Can you believe that? Can you believe the black community continues to endorse a party with this attitude?

Would one possibly think that maybe, just maybe, this kind of perspective is why the Democrats
so vehemently oppose privatizing part of social security. They just seem to continually reinforce the idea that Democrats want to keep the poor down and dependent on the government. For some reason, unknown to me, it seems to have worked. BUT, if privatization occurs and the poorer folks begin acquiring some wealth, the floodgates could open and the mass exodus from the Democratic party could begin.

Just a thought.

Monday, February 14, 2005

Stewart on Canseco - "I've never known him to be a liar."

With Jose's new book naming names at a time when baseball is dealing with rampant steroid controversy and people trying to discredit his allegations, former A's pitcher Dave Stewart
said today on the Jim Rome show,"he said a lot of off the wall things, but I've never known him to be a liar."

Stewart was indeed refreshing as he answered some very pointed questions from Mr. Van Smack directly and what appeared to be honestly. Rome also asked him if it was true that in the world series he told manager Tony LaRussa, "if he plays, I'm not pitching" referring to Canseco.
Stewart said straight up that it was true. He also shed some insight into Jose himself.

If Stewart's comments are picked up by the MSM, the heat may get turned up a bit on baseball.

Just an observation.

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Radio on iPods. Liberals Leading The Way?

It was with a great deal of interest that I read a Knight Ridder article today. Seems as though
Apple's portable jukebox can "TiVo" through your computer. Plug your iPod into your computer and you can download the radio broadcast to listen to at your convenience. To listen to a podcast, you need software obviously. Some is free. Sounds like a fabulous idea and I'm sure it will be a hit with the iPod generation. Some campus shows already have tens of thousands regular listeners.

HERE'S THE PROBLEM. Most of the broadcasts are amateur. "But podcasts do include a handful of professionally produced shows, such as Boston public radio station WGBH's 'Morning Stories,' 'The Al Franken Show' on Air America and programming from the BBC."

Does anyone notice a common theme here? Public radio, Al Franken and the BBC. The voice of the average American is not mentioned. I can almost hear the anti-American jibberish now.

This technology is the future of radio in its infancy. The middle of the roaders and the conservatives better recognize this for what it is or the left will move to the head of the class in a generation or so. The iPod almost single handedly accounted for Apple's stock price quadrupling in the last year or so. All the young people want them. They'll become more affordable and more sophisticated and radio as we know it will be squeezed out. Did anyone two or three years ago think bloggers would ever have any impact or audience of significance?

Just a thought.

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Hello

hello