"Today's lull in the presidential campaign affords us an opportunity to look at the latest developments in the weird postwar debate over Iraq, in which certain American and British politicians and journalists, for reasons of partisanship, ideology or self-aggrandizement, have for months been trying to transform victory over Saddam Hussein into defeat for America and its allies." Go to OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today for a good, comprehensive wrap-up.

Paul Berman is accused of being a traitor to the liberal cause for supporting the President on Iraq and rebuts the attack while having 'A Friendly Drink in a Time of War' in the pages of Dissent Magazine.

I've been busy, hence the lack of posts, but I did catch this one. Apparently, according to some Iraqi newspapers, Saddam bribed Chirac with oil money. Wow! What a surprise! And Chirac wasn't alone either. This guy has some more information on the Russian links. Also, Hammorabi is an Iraqi blogger who delves a little deeper into who took what, but MEMRI has the best breakdown of all. Here are a few that I pulled from MEMRI about some of our "friends":

Canada: Arthur Millholland, president and CEO of the Calgary-based Oilexco company, received 1 million barrels of oil.

United States: Samir Vincent received 10.5 million barrels. In 2000, Vincent, an Iraqi-born American citizen who has lived in the U.S. since 1958, organized a delegation of Iraqi religious leaders to visit the U.S. and meet with former president Jimmy Carter. Shaker Al-Khafaji, the pro-Saddam chairman of the 17th conference of Iraqi expatriates, received 1 million barrels.

Great Britain: George Galloway received 1 million barrels.

France: The French-Arab Friendship Association received 15.1 million barrels. Former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua received 12 million barrels. Patrick Maugein of the Trafigura company received 25 million barrels. Michel Grimard, founder of the French-Iraqi Export Club, received 17.1 million barrels.

Brazil: The 8th of October Movement, a Brazilian Communist group, received 4.5 million barrels. Fuwad Sirhan received 10 million barrels.

The Indian Congress Party received 1 million barrels.

Russia: The Russian state itself received 1,366,000,000 barrels. The list also included the following:

Companies belonging to the Liberal Democratic Party received 79.8 million barrels - the list notes the name of party president Vladimir Zhirinovsky. The Russian Communist Party received 1 million barrels. The Lukoil company received 63 million barrels. The Russneft company received 35.5 million barrels. Vladimir Putin's Peace and Unity Party received 34 million barrels - the list notes the name of party chairwoman Saji Umalatova. The Gazprom company received 26 million barrels. The Soyuzneftgaz company received 25.5 million barrels - the list notes the name Shafrannik. The Moscow Oil Company received 25.1 million barrels. The Onako company received 22.2 million barrels. The Sidanco company received 21.2 million barrels. The Russian Association for Solidarity with Iraq received 12.5 million barrels. The Ural Invest company received 8.5 million barrels. Russneft Gazexport received 12.5 million barrels. The Transneft company received 9 million barrels. The Sibneft company received 8.1 million barrels. The Stroyneftgaz company received 6 million barrels. The Russian Committee for Solidarity with the People of Iraq received 6.5 million barrels - the list notes the name of committee chairman Rudasev. The Russian Orthodox Church received 5 million barrels. The Moscow Science Academy received 3.5 million barrels. The Chechnya Administration received 2 million barrels. The National Democratic Party received 2 million barrels. The Nordwest group received 2 million barrels. The Yukos company received 2 million barrels. One Russian company which phonetically reads as Zarabsneft received 174.5 million barrels. Vouchers were also granted to the Russian foreign ministry, one under the name of Al-Fayko for 1 million barrels, and one to Yetumin for 30.1 million barrels. The Mashinoimport Company received 1 million barrels. The Slavneft Company received 1 million barrels. The Caspian Invest Company (Kalika) received 1 million barrels. The Tatneft Tatarstan company received 1 million barrels. The Surgutneft company received 1 million barrels. Siberia's oil and gas company received 1 million barrels.

In addition, the son of the former Russian Ambassador to Iraq received 19.7 million barrels. Nikolay Ryjkov, a former prime minister of the USSR, received 13 million barrels. The Russian President's office director received 5 million barrels.


These are just a few. MEMRI has many more with sources cited.

It seems like many of the defenders and go-slow champions seem to have had less than entirely pure motives. Like I said before, imagine that!

I neglected to blog about the death of Captain Kangaroo, but it was felt, as much as the passing of Mr. Rogers. Streetcarmike.com does a good page on all things Captain. I started many a day with the Captain. He'll be missed. I only wish he could have lasted longer, both on the air and off. I'm sure my kids would have loved him.

One question, given that David Kay has said that he found no evidence, much less stockpiles, of WMD, does this mean Bush lied? I don't think so, but it does skewer the logic of the Bush haters who say he "conspired" and "lied" about the threat. How so? Well, if Bush is so evil, so conspiratorial with all of his "Imperial" power, don't you think he would have been sure that we would have found WMD ? Also, it wasn't only the US intelligence agencies that missed this one, apparently a whole bunch of others, including many in the UN missed also missed it. It's also important to restate, even if he didn't have WMD, why didn't Saddam say so? Spare me the "saving face" argument or the theory that he was hoodwinked by his own scientists. It was up to him to come clean, not up to the UN to prove he had none. This doesn't mean I excuse the obvious problems that appear to exist within the CIA. They need to be fixed. The President and his Administration should come forward and say so. On the other had, there can be no doubt that without pressure from the US and the UN "inspection regime," Saddam would have restared his WMD programs in a heartbeat. The war was justified. Iraq is and will be a better place for the average Iraqi now. Patience and persistance will prevail.

Bush to propose spending freeze says the Washington Times. Let's hope he sticks to this. The only problem I have with the President is his proclivity to spend. Now, this is still far outweighed by his leadership in the War on Terror and his other foreign policies, but it does cause some concern. I'm not sure about Keynsian economics (Boilerplate: in times of economic downturn, deficit spending is ok to spur the economy) as I'm not really an economist and I'm interested in looking closer at the economic theories of Hayek...but that will have to wait while I research the American Enlightenment, The Imperial Wars during the Colonial Era in the U.S., the French and Indian War and even a little bit of Medieval Women's literature. Phew. Meanwhile, only a little more than a week until 38. <-- (You should know what that means.)

Terrence O. Moore of the Claremont Institute has an interesting essay about "The Sons of Murphy Brown" and how they are either "Wimps" or "Barbarians." He begins:

"More than a decade ago the nation was in a stir over the birth of a fictional boy. The boy was Avery, son of Murphy Brown. Television's Murphy Brown, played by Candice Bergen, was a successful news commentator who, after an unsuccessful relationship with a man that left her alone and pregnant, bore a son out of wedlock. The event, popular enough in its own right, became the center of political controversy when then Vice President Dan Quayle in a speech to the Commonwealth Club of California lamented that the show was "mocking the importance of a father." Suddenly the nation polarized over this question of 'family values.' But the controversy over Murphy Brown's childbearing soon died down. The characters on the show became more interested in Murphy's hairstyle than her baby, as did perhaps Murphy, who eventually found a suitable nanny in her painter so she could pursue her career without abatement. The show was off the air before Murphy's son would have been seven. Vice President Quayle was not reelected. Eleven years later, it is worth pondering what might have happened to Avery had this story not been just a television show. More to the point, what is happening today to our boys and young men who come from 'families' not unlike Murphy's and who find the nation as divided now as it was then over the 'values' by which we ought to raise them?"

What does Moore think happened? Two things, some became "Barbarians" and some became "Wimps." The essay describes the differences, here is a sample of how they differ in relating to the opposite sex:

"... the wimp may take an interest in the opposite sex. But his approach to dating and relationships is different from the barbarian. The barbarian has simple appetites. His ideal is the Playboy playmate or the winner of a hot legs contest at Daytona Beach, and his ultimate aim in any relationship or encounter, whatever he may say, is sex. As an athlete, the barbarian is a hero of sorts. He walks with an unmistakable air of confidence. The wimp, on the other hand, has more complex reasons for wanting women. Although sex is certainly one of his desires, more than sex he needs affirmation. He desperately needs a girlfriend to boost his self-confidence. Having someone else notice him will somehow show the world that he is not a total loser. The wimp also needs someone to hear his laments, to commiserate with him when he is feeling down, to discover his secret self. Since he has few qualities or achievements to recommend him, he seeks to appear 'interesting' or mysterious. Initially, the wimp might seem amusing to an unsuspecting young lady and very different from the insensitive jocks and rowdies she has known. Ultimately, however, the wimp seeks to draw her into his web of melancholy and self-pity. The story always ends unhappily since romance cannot be based upon pity or the thin facade of personality. He might mope and whine his way into a woman's bed but will find excuses to avoid 'commitment.' The wimp will begin the relationship by saying, 'You're the only one who understands me' and end it by saying, 'You don't understand me at all.' The truth is that there is not much to understand."

He explains how we came to this, mostly from changing the way we raise our boys at home, in school and in society as a whole. He closes with this about what Murphy Brown's son may be going through now:

"So how is Murphy Brown's little Avery doing? He is 11 now. He has grown up under an overbearing mother who has occasionally brought men home, though none has stayed. While Murphy has pursued her successful career, Avery has been showered with material possessions to give him something to do during the long stretches of the day when he finds himself at home alone or left to an indifferent nanny, finished with his half hour of easy homework, which his mother will check over and often redo for him after they have eaten the pizza or take-out Chinese she picked up on the way home from work. Every time Avery has a problem at school or in the neighborhood, Murphy solves it for him with the same decisiveness she demonstrates at the network, thus proving to her son and to herself that she is a good mother.

Avery has posters on his wall of Eminem, Kobe Bryant, and Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit. He is becoming interested in girls but is still too shy to say much to them. Still, he has learned a lot about women on the internet, and his favorite rap songs tell him precisely how to relate to women and what women want. His mother, for her part, has told him a lot about the value of "respecting people." Avery has never been hunting or fishing. True, Avery and his mother used to have fun times at the park and on trips when she could get away from work, but now he is beginning to pull away from her when she rubs his head in an affectionate way. They are not as close as they used to be.

The next few, crucial years of Avery's life will determine what kind of man he will be. Will he rest in wretched contentment with the ease and luxury provided by his oft-absent, deep-voiced mother, or will he rebel with other boys his own age, raised much like him, by finding his own rites of passage in drugs and sex and acts of petty delinquency, or worse? Will he become a wimp or a barbarian?"

Victor Davis Hanson notes that "the president realizes that his singular leadership in this deadly struggle is such that unease elsewhere with his budget and immigration initiatives must remain for most of us just that — unease. Where the president is great the opposition is pathetic; and where he is on weak ground, they are still weaker — as evidenced by the collective ankle biting of Dean, Clark, and Kerry and the responses of Nancy Pelosi and Tom Daschle." My sentiments exactly.

Australian Caroline Overington lets her readers know this about Americans: they like Bush, and they are not stupid . She points out something many non-Americans either fail to see or ignore:

"Because I live in New York, I rarely get to hear the voice of this majority. Instead, I get magazines such as Vanity Fair, which last month had a column by the editor angrily listing statistics from the war in Iraq. Such as: number of American soldiers killed: 500. Number of weapons of mass destruction found: 0.

But, as some readers pointed out, there were statistics missing from the list. These include: number of mass graves uncovered in Iraq: around 260, containing as many as 20,000 bodies. Number of people liberated from brutal, murderous leadership: 12 million. And number of times Bush lied about receiving oral sex from a White House intern: 0."

Europeans and the world at large receive much of their information from these very same people in publications in cities like New York, LA, or Washington. Hence the view that not even we like or support our President. The belief is not tha America is a force for good in the world, but rather a pseudo-Imperial Hegemon led by a dumb, cowboy who is supported by culturally crass, ugly Americans. Caricatures such as that are tired and old and only expose those who hold them as ignorant. To those of you who think you know all about America from what you hear from New York media outlets or the BBC, I encourage you to shake-up your sources for information on America. Read some newspapers from the heartland online. Blogs are also a good source, BUT, to be honest, they are often written by those espousing one or other extreme who too often have turned a deaf ear to arguments opposed to their own. There are good ones, but when reading blogs, one should approach them with a critical eye, as they should all other media sources.

But that isn't really what Overington's column is about. She goes on to detail an encounter on an airplane:

"I remember sitting on a small plane, travelling from North Carolina to New York, when the war was a few weeks old. I was reading USA Today and, as I opened it to study a map of Iraq, one half of the newspaper fell into the lap of my fellow passenger. I turned to apologise, but he said: 'No problem. Actually, do you mind if I have a look?' Together we studied the picture, trying to work out how far the Americans were from seizing power. It was clear from the diagrams that troops were near Saddam's airport, and close to the centre of Baghdad. I turned to my seat mate and said: 'I don't think this is going to be a long battle, after all.' It was only then that I noticed, with horror, that he had started to cry. And then I noticed something else: a photograph, wrapped in plastic, pinned to his lapel. It was a picture of his 20-year-old son, a young marine who died in the first days of the war. The man's wife was sitting across the aisle from us. She had a round bowl on her lap, filled with water and some drooping tulips. The movement of the aircraft was making the water slop around. She was trying to wipe her hands, and her tears.

The couple told me they had just been to a private meeting with Bush to discuss the loss of their son. At the time, it was already clear that Saddam didn't have any weapons of mass destruction. 'But I never thought it was about the weapons,' my seat mate said. And, although I can't remember his exact words, he also said something like: 'We have always stood up for freedom, in our own country, and for other people.'"

Touching and it really gets to the heart of the matter, as Overington further explains:

"Any student of history knows that this is true. America saved the Western world from communism. America saved Australia and, for that matter, France from a system that would stop you from reading this newspaper. Americans support the war in Iraq and, by extension, Bush because they see it as part of a bigger picture. Like everybody, they now know that Saddam was not the threat they thought he was (at least, not to them) but they still think it was a good idea to deal with him, before he became one. The price of freedom is high. You might think you would not sacrifice your life for it, but maybe you don't have to. After all, 20-year-old Americans are doing it for you, every day."

How true. This is not meant as an attack on our European Allies, but maybe it is a reminder that, yes, the United States may be the biggest kid on the block, but all in all, it's not a bully...more like the brother who watches out for his siblings and doesn't necessarily ask for anything in return. (By the way, I can hear the sarcastic saying, "Yea, Big Brother, hahahah," but I believe they are only looking to obfuscate the truth of what I say with pithy remarks.) Sure, a lot of the benefits gained by other countries for the United States' committment to its own agenda can be considered accidental, but they are still tangible. In working towards a safer and more democratic world, the U.S. is not only securing its own interests, it is doing the same for the world.

Victor Davis Hanson has a take on the Immigration policy proposed by President Bush. He is against it and explains why in his usual, logical style.

Next stop: Super Bowl

Charles Krauthammer explains the President's Modest Proposal for space exploration. I am an advocate, and Krauthammer puts it better then me:

"Establishing the first human habitation on a celestial body would not just allow for extraordinarily interesting science (from geology to astronomy) and be the locus for extraterrestrial manufacture. It would be -- those without an ounce of romance in their souls are advised to skip the rest of this sentence -- the most glorious human adventure since the Age of Exploration five centuries ago. "

I'm a Sci-Fi kinda guy, always have been. I'm also a "dreamer" (even Conservatives can dream) and have hopes for humanity greater than what can be attained on this world. Man has, is and always will be an explorer. It's time we rediscovered that core human characteristic.

This Russian girl may be the first real Mutant! Quick, contact Professor X!

Robert Roy Britt, Senior Science Writer for Spac.com writes today at MSNBC about the cost of humans on the moon and Mars. His tagline is that "Bush must quickly reorganize plans, fund one focus," and the best pull is this:

"The money is there
The 2004 federal budget is $2.2 trillion. NASA's is $15.5 billion. Reasonable estimates suggest the space agency's share of the pie would need to rise gradually to $20 billion within a few years if footprints are to be made in Martian dust within a generation.

First, Bush aides say, the plan will call for a return to the Moon, in part so new technology critical to a Mars mission can be tested.

In 1995, NASA scientists and engineers developed a plan to put astronauts back on the Moon by 2001 for $3 billion or less. Other estimates nowadays put the cost at around $15 billion over five years.

That's $3 billion a year. NASA has the money.

About half of the agency's budget is already spent directly on human spaceflight. Nearly $4 billion is earmarked annually for the shuttle program. The cost of the space station is elusive, but it exceeds $1 billion each year. Another $2 billion or more goes to supporting research and maintaining the infrastructure needed for all human spaceflight activity."

Finally, here is a Glance at Bush Immigration Changes Plan as well as a summary of the President's speech on the matter. More fodder for thought.

In October of 2002, Dan Griswold published an apparently comprehensive study that addresses many of the issues mentioned below. You can find the pdf file here. I'm digesting it myself and will remark more later.

I am initially inclined to tepidly support the President's new immigration policy, as I believe that there are just some jobs that the average American worker won't do, like picking apples or lettuce, or doing menial labor, etc. It sounds kind of elitist, but it seems true. Lo and behold, Mark Krikorian at National Review Online has an illuminating column titled, er...Jobs Americans Won't Do. Very interesting stuff.

I'm a dreamer, ok, so I dig this Mars stuff. Here's the first picture taken by the Mars rover Spirit.

The American Thinker is a new website I just found. It revisits the "stolen" election of 2000 to remind us all of what really happened. It's a long article, but this is the important part:

"The US Supreme Court decision over-ruling the Florida Supreme Court had two parts: the first a 7 to 2 vote over-ruling the vote counting system established by the Florida Supreme Court ; the second a 5 to 4 vote, requiring the vote count to be concluded almost immediately so that Florida could participate in the Electoral College process.

Had the second decision been 5 to 4 the other way, it is likely that the Florida count would not have been concluded in time for the state to determine a winner and select a slate of electors to the Electoral College. In that case, one of two scenarios would have played out. One is that the Florida legislature, Republican dominated, would have selected the Bush electors to vote in the Electoral College. Alternatively, no Florida electors would have been selected, and neither Bush nor Gore would have won a majority of the Electoral College vote. In that case, the US House of Representatives, voting by states (as in 1824), would have picked Bush since the GOP controlled more state delegations than the Democrats. So even if the 5-4 portion of the U.S. Supreme Court decision had gone the other way, Bush would still have become our President. "

Somehow I missed this one before...VDH strikes again! Victor Davis Hanson on War & Europe on National Review Online

Ah yes, the end of the year. To do something a bit different, and for pure mindless posterity, here are my 30 favorite albums of all time, updated to include 2003. Two rules: NO Greatest Hits and only one instance per artist. First, we start with the 20 Indispensibles and then the 10 "Desert Island Disks." Read on...

30. Aldo Nova - Aldo Nova: Highlights include "Fantasy" and "Ball and Chain." Pure Jr. High memories for me.

29. The Offspring - Smash: Punk meets sardonic wittiness. Hard, fast and funny songs highlighted by the ode-to-the-whipped, "Self Esteem."

28. REO Speedwagon - High Infidelity: Ahhh, Jr. High dances wouldn't have been the same without this piece of vinyl and it's anchoring hit "Keep On Loving You."

27. Journey - Escape: Or, for that matter, this piece of vinyl and it's anchoring hit "Open Arms."

26. Def Leppard - Hysteria: It was either this or "Pyromania," but the guy drummed with one arm on this one and the title track was a great power ballad.

25. Soul Asylum - Grave Dancers Union: Much more than just "Runaway Train" with "Black Gold" also standing out. It was also the peak of their career.

24. Tears For Fears - Songs From the Big Chair: My first real experience with "Alternative" music before it really became known as such. Just "Shout."

23. Fast Times at Ridgemont High - Soundtrack: A double album with a who's who of early 80's from Hagar to Oingo Boingo to Marshall Tucker.

22. Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell: We all need a little "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" don't we?

21. R.E.M. - Eponymous: OK, it is technically a greatest hits, but the songs are from a bunch of indie label offerings, so it counts to me.

20. Foreigner - 4: I always wanted to be a "Jukebox Hero" and "Urgent" has that classic saxophone solo, but "Break it Up" always stuck out for me.

19. J. Geils Band - Freeze Frame: "Centerfold" was the anchor, but "Freeze Frames" synth riff and the weird "River Blindness" sticks with you.

18. The Black Crowes - Shake Your Money Maker: "Twice as Hard" was the best track, but "She Talks to Angels" garnered the acclaim.

17. The Outfield - Bangin': Not the album with "Your Love," but the follow up. Mindless pop with catchy riffs highlighted by "Since You've Been Gone."

16. Bob Seger - Nine Tonight: Great Live album, and until recently the only place to hear "Trying to Live My Life Without You" and a lot of his other hits.

15. Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind: Debut with a slew of pop hits, best being the overplayed-but-catchy "Semi-Charmed Life" and "Jumper."

14. The Cars - The Cars: "Just What I Needed" and "My Best Friends Girl" just remind me of carefree summers as a youth.

13. Corey Hart - Young Man Running: The artistic zenith of this singer/songwriter who is perpetually overshadowed by his early MTV image.

12. Goo Goo Dolls - A Boy Named Goo: It hung around long enough for "Name" to finally break this bands career open. Many more good rock songs.

11. U2 - Joshua Tree: It's slipped over the years, but it turned me on to this great band and "With or Without" you is so full of delicious angst.

Now for the TOP TEN

10. Boston - Boston: Look, it may seem tired now, but at the time it was THE seminal work. Signature Guitar sound conjures "More Than a Feeling."

9. Big Head Todd & The Monsters - Sister Sweetly: Powerful "Circle" and "Bittersweet" stand out, but Todd Park Mohr's guitar playing is the real highlight.

8. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells: "Dead Leaves & The Dirty Ground" is still their best song ever and "I Can't Wait" is neo-classic rock at its best.

7. Led Zeppelin - IV: (Or whatever you want to call it) Yeah, "Stairway to Heaven" and all that. It just set the standard.

6. Guns-n-Roses - Appetite for Destruction: "Sweet Child O' Mine" is fine, but "Rocket Queen" is supreme.

5. Goober & The Peas - The Jet Age Genius...: Who? Dark, ironic cow-punk. Jack White's former band and the seeds of Blanche. First song is about cannabalism.

4. Kiss - ALIVE!: Yup. My first obsession (at 7!). Music is simple but effective. I guess you could call it archetype rock.

3. Counting Crows - August and Everything After: Unique sound at the time full of intricate music and heartfelt lyrics with "Murder of One" and "Raining in Baltimore" shining.

2. Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories - Tails: Much more than just "Stay." Her guitar playing is underappreciated and her lyrics are often abstract but interesting. More than glasses.

1. Pearl Jam - Ten: One of the pioneer works of the "Grunge" movement. I've always thought these guys were much better than Nirvana. They went from hard tunes like "Once" and "Evenflow" to tragic "Black" and the final track is an oft-overlooked masterpiece.

There, I've made my list and checked it THRICE. Maybe I'll do a book one next...

Victor Davis Hanson on National Review Online has an excellent piece on "The Western Disease: The strange syndrome of our guilt and their shame." It's about how "intellegentsia" of both the First and Third World have teamed up to espouse anti-Western rhetoric. As Hanson succinctly puts it:

"The so-called Arab street and its phony intellectuals sense that influential progressive Westerners will never censure Middle Eastern felonies if there is a chance to rage about Western misdemeanors."

An example would be:

"Both Western pontificators and the mob in the Middle East feed off each other. Paul Krugman would rarely write a column about how abjectly immoral it was that thousands mourned the death of a mass murderer when one can say worse things about an American president who chose not to use American dollars to hire French companies to rebuild Iraq. Bob Herbert can falsely rant about a Florida election 'rigged,' but seldom about an election never occurring in the Arab world."

Finally:

"It is precisely this parasitic relationship between the foreign and domestic critics of the West that explains much of the strange confidence of those who planned September 11. It was the genius of bin Laden, after all, that he suspected after he had incinerated 3,000 Westerners an elite would be more likely to blame itself for the calamity — searching for 'root causes' than marshalling its legions to defeat a tribe that embraced theocracy, autocracy, gender apartheid, polygamy, anti-Semitism, and religious intolerance. And why not after Lebanon, the first World Trade Center bombing, the embassies in Africa, murder in Saudi Arabia, and the USS Cole? It was the folly of bin Laden only that he assumed the United States was as far gone as Europe and that a minority of its ashamed elites had completely assumed control of American political, cultural, and spiritual life."

There is much more in this piece well worth reading.

Peggy Noonan asks: "Why are rich people afraid of the Virgin Mary?"

A U.S. District Judge ruled on the Narragansett Smoke Shop showdown of earlier this year and ruled that the raid was LEGAL. The most important line in the whole story, in my opinion, is:

"The Narragansetts may have some sovereign and self-government rights on their tribal land, but the tribe cannot decide on its own which state laws it will obey, Smith [the judge]said."

You can't pick and choose when you want to abide by state laws and when you don't, Chief Sachem Thomas.

After reading Jeffrey Overstreet's interview with John Rhys-Davies, I realized that, while I identify with dwarves physically (you know, kinda short, bit of a belly, like to eat, drink beer, etc.), maybe I have more in common with Gimli (er...John Rhys-Davies) than I thought. Here's what I'm talking about:

"How much of Tolkien’s Catholic beliefs and perspective resonate with you?

I’m burying my career so substantially in these interviews that it’s painful. But I think that there are some questions that demand honest answers.

I think that Tolkien says that some generations will be challenged. And if they do not rise to meet that challenge, they will lose their civilization. That does have a real resonance with me.

I have had the ideal background for being an actor. I have always been an outsider. I grew up in colonial Africa. And I remember in 1955, it would have to be somewhere between July the 25th when the school holiday started and September the 18th when the holidays ended. My father took me down to the quayside in Dar-Es-Salaam harbor. And he pointed out a dhow in the harbor and he said, “You see that dhow there? Twice a year it comes down from Aden. It stops here and goes down [South]. On the way down it's got boxes of machinery and goods. On the way back up it’s got two or three little black boys on it. Now, those boys are slaves. And the United Nations will not let me do anything about it.”

The conversation went on. “Look, boy. There is not going to be a World War between Russia and the United. The next World War will be between Islam and the West.”

This is 1955! I said to him, “Dad, you’re nuts! The Crusades have been over for hundreds of years!”

And he said, “Well, I know, but militant Islam is on the rise again. And you will see it in your lifetime.”

He’s been dead some years now. But there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him and think, “God, I wish you were here, just so I could tell you that you were right.”

What is unconscionable is that too many of your fellow journalists do not understand how precarious Western civilization is and what a jewel it is.

How did we get the sort of real democracy, how did we get the level of tolerance that allows me to propound something that may be completely alien to you around this table, and yet you will take it and you will think about it and you’ll say no you’re wrong because of this and this and this. And I’ll listen and I’ll say, “Well, actually, maybe I am wrong because of this and this.”

[He points at a female reporter and adopts an authoritarian voice, to play a militant-Islam character:] ‘You should not be in this room. Because your husband or your father is not hear to guide you. You could only be here in this room with these strange men for immoral purposes.’

I mean… the abolition of slavery comes from Western democracy. True Democracy comes form our Greco-Judeo-Christian-Western experience. If we lose these things, then this is a catastrophe for the world."

He also clarifies it a bit with:

"By 2020, 50% of the children in Holland under the age of 18 will be of Muslim descent. You look and see what your founding fathers thought of the Dutch. They are constantly looking at the rise of democracy and Dutch values as being the very foundation of American Democracy. If by the mid-century the bulk of Holland is Muslim—and don’t forget, coupled with this there is this collapse of numbers ... Western Europeans are not having any babies. The population of Germany at the end of the century is going to be 56% of what it is now. The populations of France, 52% of what it is now. The population of Italy is going to be down 7 million people. There is a change happening in the very complexion of Western civilization in Europe that we should think about at least and argue about. If it just means the replacement of one genetic stock with another genetic stock, that doesn’t matter too much. But if it involves the replacement of Western civilization with a different civilization with different cultural values, then it is something we really ought to discuss[my (OSBs) emphasis]—because, g**dammit, I am for dead white male culture.

You do realize in this town what I’ve been saying [is like] blasphemy…

…but we’ve got to get a bit serious. By and large our cultures and our society are resilient enough to put up with any sort of nonsense. But if Tolkien’s got a message, it’s that 'Sometimes you’ve got to stand up and fight for what you believe in.' He knew what he was fighting for in WW1."

The great thing about blogging is you can point to the written opinion of others and let their words speak for you. This is such a case. According to Edwar Achorn, the Supreme Courts recent ruling on campaign finance reform has left us a First Amendment full of holes. I agree.

Boy, the New York Post has this on HOWARD'S HATEFEST, a comedian "riddled," profanity laced fund raiser for Howard Dean that somehow got missed by "Big Media." Essential point:

"Republicans are fuming. They say that if anything like this had happened at an event where a top Republican was present and did nothing to stop it, the media would rage about it for weeks."

Read it and judge for yourself if a Republican would have gotten away with it.

Michael Crichton made a speech at the
Commonwealth Club on environmentalism. Very interesting.

Nader eyeing another White House run...GO RALPHIE GO!

We all remember the Red and Blue map of the election of 2000. Well, the folks at the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth have come up with a 10-colored map. I found it extremely interesting. Take a peek.

Prehistoric man began global warming. Hmm. We've been a scourge to this planet since we came into being. That settles it, the kool-aid will be served at noon on January 1, 2004. Do your duty to Gaia and drink some, OK? ;)

STATION FIRE INDICTMENTS HANDED DOWN

Grand Jury hands down indictments in the Station Fire tragedy.

The charges

Manslaughter charges based on 2 theories

Not enough, families say

Station employees say others share blame

Lawyer: Band leader 'relieved' but not celebrating

State officials praise work, decision of grand jury

Multimedia look at the Station Fire

Three Indicted in R.I. Nightclub Fire

By BROOKE DONALD, Associated Press Writer

WARWICK, R.I. - The owners of the nightclub where 100 people were killed in a fire last February were indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges Tuesday along with the tour manager for the heavy metal band whose pyrotechnics ignited the blaze.


Club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian and Great White tour manager Dan Biechele were each charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter — two for each death.


Jeffrey Derderian and Biechele pleaded innocent to the charges Tuesday during an arraignment. Michael Derderian was in court awaiting arraignment.


Attorney General Patrick Lynch planned to meet with reporters later Tuesday to comment on the indictments. He was not available for immediate comment.

OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today has the following observations on some of the media coverage of the snowstorm over the weekend:

"Is there such a thing as mental frostbite? Something about cold weather seems to make reporters stupid, even more so than they usually are. Consider a few items we noticed over the weekend.

This is from an Associated Press roundup on the big snowstorm that hit the Northeast:

Some high school students got a lucky break when several schools canceled Saturday's scheduled Scholastic Aptitude Tests.
Yeah, we suppose that's a 'lucky break'--unless they want to go to college!

Then there's this photo caption from the Jefferson City (Mo.) News Tribune:

Evening traffic passes by as Anita Walker waits for the city bus to take her home to Dulle Tower. She made a trip out to purchase cigarettes. Walker, who has emphyzema [sic], says the cold air makes it hard for her to breathe.

Yeah, it must be the cold air. And how about this Boston Globe photo caption:

Cherie Williams lifts the midsection of a snow person she and her daughter Olivia, 9, built while waiting for a bus in Asheville, N.C., yesterday.

'Snow person'? We haven't heard such a ridiculous case of politically correct overkill since the early episode of 'The Simpsons' in which Lisa insists on calling the mail lady the 'female carrier.'"

Blanche is getting ready to release a new CD (really their first), called If We Can't Trust the Doctors... on Cass Records

Orson Scott Card, Sci-fi novelist and Democrat on the state of his party:

"In one of Patrick O'Brian's novels about the British Navy during the Napoleonic wars, he dismisses a particularly foolish politician by saying that his political platform was "death to the Whigs."

Watching the primary campaigns among this year's pathetic crop of Democratic candidates, I can't help but think that their campaigns would be vastly improved if they would only rise to the level of "Death to the Republicans."

Instead, their platforms range from Howard Dean's "Bush is the devil" to everybody else's "I'll make you rich and Bush is quite similar to the devil."

Since Bush is quite plainly not the devil, one wonders why anyone in the Democratic Party thinks this ploy will play with the general public.

There are Democrats, like me, who think it will not play, and should not play, and who are waiting in the wings until after the coming electoral debacle in order to try to remake the party into something more resembling America.

But then I watch the steady campaign of the national news media to try to win this for the Democrats, and I wonder. Could this insane, self-destructive, extremist-dominated party actually win the presidency?

They might -- because the national news media are trying as hard as they can to pound home the message that the Bush presidency is a failure.

Even though by every rational measure it is not.

And the most vile part of this campaign against Bush is that the Terrorist War is being used as a tool to try to defeat him -- which means that if Bush does not win, we will certainly lose the war."

There's more, follow the link to read the rest.

Are we headed back to the Moon?

Another site update today. Removed some links even I don't use much (so why would you?) and consolidated on 3 major themes: Academia, Music, News/Opinion. Should be good enough. Also updated my Other Projects sections with links to my History and the Internet site and my Merchant Marine History site (which is pretty sparse). Later.

From InstaPundit.Com: "WHAT CAN PRESIDENT BUSH DO IN BAGHDAD THAT SADDAM HUSSEIN CAN'T? Appear in public. If that doesn't send a message to the Ba'athists and their would-be allies, I don't know what does."

The Habitant's Home Page looks interesting for those of a French Canadian genealogical bent.

An AP photographer seems to have caught on film the attitude that many in the military have towards the objective members of the press. Here it is before the AP, which is trying to pull the photo, gets it off of the Yahoo site from which I obtained it:

Sullivan on Bush in a column written to those in Britain working themselves into a mass hysteria in preparation for the President's visit with PM Blair.

Innocents Abroad plans to run a series of commentaries on how French "thinkers" of the day view their society. Should be interesting.

FOXNews.com - Top Stories - Weekly Standard: Intel Report Links Saddam, Usama. As if there were really any doubts. Anyway, this may just be the tip of the iceberg. It's a lengthy one, but, in this case, quantity does = quality.

Yahoo! News - Nader Blasts Democrats As 'Whiners':

"A media-sponsored review of more than 175,000 disputed ballots found that Gore would have won by a small margin if there had been a complete statewide recount. President Bush (news - web sites) won Florida, and thus the White House, by 537 votes out of more than 6 million cast. "

I don't remember that being the finding, anyone else?

Victor Davis Hanson on War on National Review Online has a good piece commenting on each of the now familiar arguments. With all of this mind, I wonder if the other shoe will drop, as Hansen seems to desire (as do I), when Bush gets reelected.

Found this in OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today:

"'It's not difficult to understand why somebody might pick up an AK-47 against us. Maybe we killed his father in the first Gulf War, maybe in this Gulf War, maybe he's just a dick.'--Sgt. Reginald Abram, with the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment in western Iraq, quoted in the Asia Times, Oct. 24"

Bush on Democracy in the Middle East from Washingtonpost.com:

"The establishment of a free Iraq at the heart of the Middle East will be a watershed event in the global democratic revolution.

Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe, because in the long run stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty.
As long as the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it will remain a place of stagnation, resentment and violence ready for export.
And with the spread of weapons that can bring catastrophic harm to our country and to our friends, it would be reckless to accept the status quo.

Therefore the United States has adopted a new policy: a forward strategy of freedom in the Middle East. This strategy requires the same persistence and energy and idealism we have shown before and it will yield the same results.
As in Europe, as in Asia, as in every region of the world, the advance of freedom leads to peace. "

This could be a seminal speech in history...

Theory and History by Ludwig von Mises, just another thing to pass the time.

Got some time? Want to do some heavy reading? Are you sure? Try reading Bertrand Russell's Theory of Knowledge. Have fun!

Tom Curran's latest Patriots column has the following:

"The Patriots are closers. They're 21-0 since 2001 when leading after three quarters. They are 3-13 when trailing, which shows they come back once in a while. They are an astounding 6-0 when tied after four quarters, including the Snow Bowl win. They are 11-6 when the final margin is seven points or less. And they're 6-1 when the margin in three points or less. Lastly, they're 18-1 since '01 when leading at halftime, 5-10 when trailing, 3-3 when tied."

The above stats could dramatically alter the way I watch Pats games now. Knowing all of this, if they are leading a game at the half, I have to feel REALLY good, right?

David Frum's Diary on National Review Online has more on Virginia Postrel's book as well as a bit on Charles (The Bell Curve)Murray's new book Human Accomplishment.

George F. Will does a book review of Virginia Postrel's "The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness." There is something in here that may help in doing History, perhaps even Psychohistory. When I get time, I may have to check it out.

Amazon.com: Books / Search Inside the Book. Sounds cool.

OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today: "Cheers to blogger 'Frank J.' for this delightful bon mot (ellipsis in original):
There is now a Centrist Coalition blog. I hate moderates . . . much more than even liberals. I bet Satan is a moderate; the best way to get evil accepted is to package it with some good. That's what moderates do; they're always like, 'Oh! I'm so special because I don't take a firm stance on issues, and I see value in everyone's viewpoints.' I bet right now a moderate is reading this and partially agreeing with it. Damn you!"

www.AndrewSullivan.com - Daily Dish: "THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: 'For some reason or another, a series of enormously important issues — the future of the Middle East, the credibility of the United States as both a strong and a moral power, the war against the Islamic fundamentalists, the future of the U.N. and NATO, our own politics here at home — now hinge on America's efforts at creating a democracy out of chaos in Iraq. That is why so many politicians — in the U.N., the EU, Germany, France, the corrupt Middle East governments, and a host of others — are so strident in their criticism, so terrified that in a postmodern world the United States can still recognize evil, express moral outrage, and then sacrifice money and lives to eliminate something like Saddam Hussein and leave things far better after the fire and smoke clear. People, much less states, are not supposed to do that anymore in a world where good is a relative construct, force is a thing of the past, and the easy life is too precious to be even momentarily interrupted. We may expect that, a year from now, the last desperate card in the hands of the anti-Americanists will be not that Iraq is democratic, but that it is democratic solely through the agency of the United States — a fate worse than remaining indigenously murderous and totalitarian.' - Victor Davis Hanson, on a roll."

Just some random thoughts....

I've listened to most of the latest KISS with Symphony thing and I have to say, as a lifelong KISS fan, ahhhh, not gettin' it done guys. Some music just doesn't lend itself to full orchestral treatment. Yours is an example. Hope this means you haven't hit ROCK BOTTOM.

The Grady Little debate has officially exceeded its time allotment. Move on everyone. He's gone. Let's....*sigh*....wait 'til next year.

PC is going to have a good basketball team. Wonder if any of the players will be in my Grad. History classes ;)

I saw that TV execs are in distress and confounded because their ratings are down. They tried to blame Nielsen, the ratings service. One of the Nielsen people stated what seemed to me to be the obvious. Maybe it's the quality of the shows.

A guy in my office is worried that too many people are jumping on the Patriots bandwagon. He's apparently afraid that this means doom. We'll see. Ain't it great being a superstitious sports fan. Too bad there aren't that many here in New England...

I pay attention to politics, but even I'm not really paying too much attention to the Democrat Primaries. Political junkies beware, you are talking to yourselves, no one else cares right now.

In an odd irony, I'm enjoying my course in Historical Methodology more than the one covering the Civil War. I think I'm a geek, or at least a scientific method nerd. Must be my engineering background showing through. Though I have to admit I do enjoy research and Methodology is about good research techniques. I'm also just plain intrinsically interested in the Philosophy of History, (regular Philosophy too) which is something I never studied before, except on my own.

I am doing a research paper on the impact of the Civil War on French Canadian immigration (or would it be emigration) to New England. I have lots of sources, and am 1/3 of the way through the rough draft. A long way to go. And when I'm done, I'll be tackling a comparative book review on two works about Joshua L. Chamberlain. Fun.

That's it for now. Hope I didn't bore.

I can dream, can't I?

Variety.com - Gibson takes 'Passion' play to Newmarket(subscription required). This means the film will be distributed across the country. Good. Despite the hysterics of some paranoid people, this is a must see for me.

Gee, it looks like we were "losing the peace"....in 1946!

Yanks Beat Sox, Again: "Every year you know they'll probably lose, but every year they suck you back in, and every year they crush you like a tiny bug," said 25-year-old Aric Egmont, summing up the angst of being a Red Sox fan.

Paradise lost, again. Enough said...for now.

Again.

Being a "historian", with a minor in Medieval History, I felt obligated to at least give Masterpiece Theatre's Warrior Queen a chance. I lasted 20 minutes. When you have the Roman consulate telling the Celtic king (without a translator!) that the king better "play ball" or else, you have to just stop. I wasn't aware that baseball/basketball/football/soccer were around circa 100 A.D. This is called anachronism and is evidence of poor scholarliness on the part of the writers or whomever. I couldn't take it seriously after that. Yet, it was when the obligatory "Druid" showed one of the warriors a vision in the water (a la Merlin) that I finally turned it off. Bad history. I thought Masterpiece Theatre was supposed to be quality entertainment?

Rush Limbaugh Statement on Prescription Pain Medication Stories: "Press ReleaseSource: Premiere Radio

Rush Limbaugh Statement on Prescription Pain Medication Stories
Friday October 10, 2:55 pm ET
NEW YORK, Oct. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Rush Limbaugh today issued the following statement on his radio program:
'You know I have always tried to be honest with you and open about my life. So I need to tell you today that part of what you have heard and read is correct. I am addicted to prescription pain medication.
'I first started taking prescription painkillers some years ago when my doctor prescribed them to treat post surgical pain following spinal surgery. Unfortunately, the surgery was unsuccessful and I continued to have severe pain in my lower back and also in my neck due to herniated discs. I am still experiencing that pain. Rather than opt for additional surgery for these conditions, I chose to treat the pain with prescribed medication. This medication turned out to be highly addictive.
'Over the past several years I have tried to break my dependence on pain pills and, in fact, twice checked myself into medical facilities in an attempt to do so. I have recently agreed with my physician about the next steps.
'Immediately following this broadcast, I am checking myself into a treatment center for the next 30 days to once and for all break the hold this highly addictive medication has on me. The show will continue during this time, of course, with an array of guest hosts you have come to know and respect.
'I am not making any excuses. You know, over the years athletes and celebrities have emerged from treatment centers to great fanfare and praise for conquering great demons. They are said to be great role models and examples for others. Well, I am no role model. I refuse to let anyone think I am doing something great here, when"

Sgt. N.J. Todd has seen the results of genocide first hand. (Golf clap to Andrew Sullivan).

Another fine analysis of what is going on with regards to the reports coming out of Iraq, by Jon Rauch.

Ralph Peters on how the media not reporting everything going on in Iraq is shaping public opinion negatively. An excerpt (thanks to instapundit.com):

"Recently, I visited Germany to speak with our soldiers, many just back from Iraq. The situation depicted in the media was unrecognizable to them. They'd just left a country where every indicator of success was turning positive. Yet the media insist we are incompetent and failing.

The Kurds are prospering. The Shi'ites no longer live in fear. Even most Sunni Arabs feel relieved that Saddam's gone. The mullahs are behaving. Local markets are busy and full of goods. The electricity's back on - more reliably than before the war. Schools are open. Oil's flowing. The Iraqi media is booming, boisterous and free. The Governing Council has convinced previously hostile factions to cooperate. Iraqis provide more and more of their own local security. And the torture chambers are closed.

What do we hear from Iraq? Another soldier killed. The rest is silence. "

Gallup Poll Analyses - Are the News Media Too Liberal?. Yup, according to this poll. My only problem with it is that, according to the poll, 54% of the respondents have a "Great Deal/Fair Amount" of confidence in the media when it comes to reporting the news fully, accurately, and fairly. Shouldn't they have separated those two? In my opinion, there is a significant difference between a "Great Deal" of confidence and a "Fair Amount", isn't there?

The anti-American Obsession by Jean-Francois Revel is a well thought out condensation of a book by the same name and author, a Frenchman. It refutes many of the arguments of the anti-globalization, anti-free market, -anti-America crowd, but deals primarily with French attitudes towards the United States. The problem in a nut-shell:

"Giancarlo Pajetta, an important Italian Communist leader, once said: 'I have finally understood what pluralism is; it’s when lots of people share my point of view.' In that spirit, governments and elites almost everywhere have signed on to cultural globalism provided that their own countries are its source and model. In 1984, presenting a Projet culturel extérieur de la France, the French government said, with signal modesty, that this manifesto had 'no parallel in other countries.' All cultures are of equal value, conceded the authors of this official document (a statement erring on the side of simplistic political correctness), but our culture is predestined to be a universal mediator, for it is 'shared by people of every continent.' Touching optimism indeed, which naturally led up to the conclusion that 'the future of the French language in the world can only be as a promoter of cultural progress and is closely linked to the future of people everywhere.' Global homogenization of culture, in the illusions of these authors, is fine—provided that it emanates from France."

He concludes with:

"The real danger—conceivably a mortal one—for European culture is that anti-American and antiglobalist phobias might derail progress. Guy Sorman has shown the scientific and technological retreats this obscurantism has led to in his book Le Progrès et ses ennemis. And this isn’t some 'right-wing' or 'left-wing' thesis; it is a rational one. It is defended alike by the liberal-democrat Sorman and by the socialist Claude Allègre. The latter wages war against the idea that Europe should abandon nuclear energy, genetic engineering and research using embryonic cells. Should the pressure groups that agitate against progress win the day, in twenty years the European states will regress, he writes, 'to the level of the underdeveloped countries, in a world that will be dominated by the United States and China' (L’Express, February 7, 2002.) The anti-American fanatics will then have succeeded in making Europe even more dependant on the United States than it is today."

I guess some of the French get it.

As usual, Bill Simmons nails it. This is what I went through last night.

Rhode Island Government Unions (local and state) are banding together for a million dollar PR campaign. Edward Achorn of the ProJo tells us why.

Bring on The Evil Empire!

Rich Lowry on Democrats on National Review Online is a succint summary of what the Democrats believe.

Statement on the Interim Progress Report on the Activiteis of the Iraq Survey Group. Read it for yourself and see if you think that there is nothing to the charge of Saddam wanting WMD.

Rush Limbaugh Was Right - Donovan McNabb isn't a great quarterback, and the media do overrate him because he is black, By Allen Barra. All that needs to be said on this issue.

Space Station Stay Shows Humans Could Go to Mars

COOL!

Andrew Sullivan has a review of the just released Reagan letters book. I have to get this.

U.S. News: Michael Barone: Which reversals will prove to be historically significant?(10/6/03) A good column about how last weeks news was reported and what it might actually mean, from an historical perspective.

I'm In. The Red Sox have me, finally. I've tried to maintain my distance, to not get too close, to protect my heart, but that's over now. Todd Walker and David Ortiz blasted the lock on my heart last night in a stirring victory. The Sox, though not in officially, are rocketing into the playoffs. And I'm on board.

According to William Safire, it's simply that the Clintons Anointed Clark as their guy. Good read.

Simply put, if you want to know what Iraqi's are really thinking, go to IRAQ TODAY.

John Burns: 'There Is Corruption in Our Business', an engaging story about the observations about the media during the war in Iraq.

Country Music Legend Johnny Cash Dies at 71. The Man in Black has found his eternal home and is reunited with his wife once more. A legend.

John Ritter died of a heart ailment on the set of his show. He will always be remembered by my generation as Jack Tripper. He helped bring humor and T&A to a generation and he was a good physical comedian and actor.

Vatican approves of 'Passion' according to Drudge. Let's see what the Anti-Defamation League has to say...

Wow! You mean that the Lincoln Park dog track owners were trying to bribe a Rhode Island law firm run by the former Speaker of the House, John Harwood. No Way!

Well, the toesucker has weighed on on Bush's re-election vulnerability, specifically analyzing the likelihood of Hillary or Gore entering the race. Most interesting to me, however, is the reason Morris gives for Bush's falling poll numbers:

"Why is Bush falling so badly? The superficial reasons are the Iraq casualties, the failure to find WMDs and the continuing inability to round up Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. But the real reason is that terror is receding as an issue, largely due to Bush's success."

The price of victory? Ironic. The solution?

"The solution for Bush is to put terrorism back on the front burner by high profile and aggressive action against Iran and/or North Korea. It's not necessary to wag the dog, but Bush should wag his tongue and raise the profile of these two remaining threats to our security."

What game on Sunday? The Pats didn't play the Bills. It's all in your imagination.

But the Red Sox did take 2 out of 3 in New York and are now 2 1/2 back from the Division and 1 1/2 ahead in the Wild Card.

Meanwhile, the President made a speech to the nation in an attempt to clarify and re-state our postion on the war on terror. A long, hazy summer has served as a platform for many to obfuscate what has really been going on. Overall, he did a good job. Though I did hear a local newsreader say the President didn't answer all of the questions, such as those asked by the families of our soldiers in Iraq. Specifically, "When are they coming home?" My first question is whether the newsreader, Lori Johnson on WPRO, actually had evidence to support her statement or whether she was editiorializing. She played no clips of such hand wringing comments by military family members. If some did say this, then they need a reality check. This is what your son or daughter signed up for, folks. They serve at the whim of the Commander and Chief. It's their job. Yeah, it sucks and you miss them and it's dangerous, I understand, but it's what your sons and daughter's volunteered to do. There is no draft, this IS still a VOLUNTEER armed forces, after all. So buck up and support your kids and their commander.

Finally, as Rush Limbaugh has pointed out, Watch Hillary to Gauge Bush’s Strength. Despite all of the wailing and gnashing of teeth by conservatives over Bush spending and by liberals over the War in Iraq, Bush is still strong. All of the hot air about a possible Hillary run masks the true import. If she doesn't run, then she doesn't think she can win. Which means, no Democrat can win. Keep an eye on HRC.

John Podhoretz has a more reasoned take on the Bush spending "problem." Best part of his statement:

"Now, Bush has not fought to control the size of government. His concern has been to do what he can to help the economy grow even as he tries to fight a War on Terror.

That's why he has staked his presidency on a tax-cutting program that has genuinely convinced liberals and leftists that he wants to use tax cuts to force the destruction of big government.

The most important task facing Bush is the War on Terror, and he doesn't want to fight on all fronts at all times.

In any case, politicians only take up the war on big government when it's politically expedient. Neither Ronald Reagan nor the Gingrich Republicans actually cut the size of government. At times, they spent like sailors on shore leave. At the end of the day, they were politicians, not ideological warriors.

The philosophical problem of big government is not really a politician's fundamental issue. Rather, it's a matter for op-ed pages and in magazines, in books and on radio programs like Limbaugh's."

A report by the CATO Institute reveals the scary amount of spending that the Bush Administration is overseeing. Not exactly a great example of fiscal conservativism! He better start reigning it in or some will abandon ship. It's already started with some, such as Limbaugh and Andrew Sullivan, getting nearly hysterical in their dismay. I agree it's a problem, but the alternative would be worse. Howard Dean prosecuting the war on terror? Yikes.

Back to school for me today. First class is the Civil War, another on Mondays in Historical Methodology. My path as a historian continues. I expect blogging to be relatively hit or miss, but I'll be around and will chime in on the Pats, Sox, school, current events as long as I am sufficiently inspired to take the time to do so.

Welp, pretty surprised to here that the Patriots released Lawyer Milloy and (surprise), the Bills are interested. Strange timing, regardless of whether it's for salary cap or performance reasons.

ESPN.com: NFL - New run-stuffers will make difference for Bills, Pats: "'The guy is a human eclipse, he's so wide, and he just camps in there like a squatter and dares people to try to move him,' New England inside linebacker Ted Johnson said. 'Getting him in here was huge, man, in every sense of the word.'" I just loved that quote..."Human Eclipse"....Ha!

Projo.com has a couple cool links to some sports "How To" articles. First is one on How to throw 5 baseball pitches and the second is how to calculate such things as ERA and QB Rating. For those who always wanted to know these age old mysteries, there you are. By the way, they require the Macromedia Flash Player.

Don't miss this excellent Op-Ed by Rush in yesterday's Wall Street Journal.

Zogby News! has a new poll on Pres. Bush out. This guy used to be pretty accurate, but right after 9/11, he seemed to take the War on Terrorism as declared by Bush as some sort of clandestine attack on all Arab Americans. Ever since, he's been whining all over the talk shows. Now, his latest polls show that, supposedly, a plurality would rather have someone else as President. Right. Although, I guess if I took a random poll of "likely voters" over a weekend in the middle of August, I'd get all sorts of average Americans who weren't out with the family or friends, right? Read the numbers for yourself and check them against your own experience. Just doesn't ring true, does it?

Ok, I'm back, the Sox are shaky but the Pats are on the Horizon, and this news that they just acquired the mammoth Ted Washington (365 pounds) to play nose tackle in their defense could mean big things. The pass rush and defense looks excellent while the run D still looks suspect. Washington will help. Meanwhile, earlier in the day, they signed Corbin Lacina to provide some much needed O-Line depth. It's all about the Lines in football, folks. The better you are at the lines, both Defensive and Offensive, the better the whole team is. Regardless of how successful both of these pickups are, it continues to show the proactive nature of Pioli in Belichick.

The light posting summer continues here at The Ocean State Blogger as I will be away for another week. Not that anyone cares...See ya!

Bill Reynolds says all I want or probably will say about the Kobe Bryant case, except for one point. The fact that Kobe is at the very least an adulterer is another example of one "evil" being eclipsed by the heinousness of another "evil", albeit an unproven one up to this point. Kobe backers are lining up and most seem to be dismissing his adultery as no big thing. A shame.