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Wednesday, January 31, 2007FIRST THINGS:The Hrant Dink Murder and Its MeaningGreat article to read during your lunch hour regarding an Armenian journalist in Turkey having been shot and killed in cold blood. It's amazing we don't read about these items in the news more often. Rays of hope such as these let you believe violence doesn't trump rationality after all, especially when those acts have national implications. VERBOTEN!novatownhall gets banned by Vivian Paige. The offense? Using the term "Democrat Party"... I have never understood why this is such an issue amongst Democrats. Possible conventions of grammar aside (a Democrat Party isn't bad grammar, just mislabeling the party), it's an easy mistake to make. Certainly no one makes the distinction between Republicans and the Republican Party, Libertarians and the Libertarian Party, Greens and the Green Party... ...Communists and the Communist Party, Socialists and the Socialist Party, Labor to the Labor Party, Conservatives to the Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats to the Liberal Democrat Party. Ad infinitum. Naturally, if someone can enlighten me, I'd be more than happy to hear them out. But in the era of "George Felix Allen" and "Barak Hussein Obama", the namecalling explanation is wearing itself thin. Especially when there are better things to discuss. Monday, January 29, 2007Ante StudiumToday is the Feast Day of St. Thomas Aquinas. At Catholic University, they used to cancel noon classes so the student body could attend Mass. Below is a copy of one of my favorite prayers, authored by St. Thomas Aquinas himself and entitled Before Study. I found myself praying this often before writing a paper, speaking in public, or doing research. Ineffable Creator, Who, from the treasures of Your wisdom, has established three hierarchies of angels, has arrayed them in marvelous order above the fiery heavens, and has marshaled the regions of the universe with such artful skill, You are proclaimed the true font of light and wisdom, and the primal origin raised high beyond all things. Pour forth a ray of Your brightness into the darkened places of my mind; disperse from my soul the twofold darkness into which I was born: sin and ignorance. You make eloquent the tongues of infants. Refine my speech and pour forth upon my lips the goodness of Your blessing. Grant to me keenness of mind, capacity to remember, skill in learning, subtlety to interpret, and eloquence in speech. May You guide the beginning of my work, direct its progress, and bring it to completion. You Who are true God and true Man, Who live and reign, world without end. Amen Southwest by Southeast: Virginia Blog CarnivalThe longest and most comprehensive Virginia Blog Carnival in the history of the VBC. Excellent job, SWxSE! Sunday, January 28, 2007Why U.S. automakers like GM and Ford are losing moneyThe answer? Big labor: A big reason is the cost of labor. As analyzed by Harbour-Felax, labor costs the Detroit Three substantially more per vehicle than it does the Japanese.For all of the recent talk about increasing the minimum wage (a hike that benefits not working families, but labor contracts indexed to the minimum wage), is it any small wonder why U.S. industry is in such deep trouble? SkepticalObservor: Your Hypocrisy Is ShowingJames Young runs down the latest WaPo editorial criticizing the use of Barak Hussein Obama: Courtesy of Charles at TwoConservatives, I was reminded today's WaPo editorial, denouncing those who take note of Senator Barack Obama's middle name ('Hussein').Click on the link to get to SkepticalObservor... James' post is far better than my snippet. Saturday, January 27, 2007UK Guardian: Socialism is dead. There now remain only socialistsYes, I read the Guardian... but because there are times you get great articles such as this: If leftwing Britons of 2007 saw themselves more clearly than they do, they would notice two big things. First, they would see what the leftwing Britons of 1907 would have grasped - that much of what the left of a century ago yearned for has actually been achieved, imperfectly and incompletely to be sure, but unmistakably achieved all the same. As Cohen points out, the 20th century may have been largely governed by the party of the right, but it is the worldview of the party of the left that triumphed.Ironically, I would submit that socialism is on the rise in America, a land largely untouched by the 20th century socialist movements that ran amok in Europe. And while individualism emerges from the socialist shells in Europe (and certainly has a long ways to go), individualism is under attack in the United States from many areas. Some of this can be blamed on terrorism, some blamed on the laxity of our leadership. A great deal can be placed upon the temptation to believe good laws create good culture, when the exact opposite is true. Some of it has to do with complete arrogance amongst an elite few who believe the free market is better controlled and subjugated rather than allowed to prosper. Most of these problems are inherently American, while our cousins in Europe are slowly realizing that socialism's emphasis on the lowest common denominator destroys innovation and individualism -- and ultimately culture itself by creating something grossly homogenized. Worse still, when socialism encounters a subsection refusing to be absorbed, it fails. Thus the failure of the socialist experience with Islam in Europe, and why Christian Europe continues to demand dialouge rather than the "clash of civilizations" seen as a near inevitability amongst a ever-growing minority. Burning ThingsIn the never-ending battle against the yard, Matthew and Jonathan helped me destroy much debris on the palatial Kenney estate on a beautiful Saturday. For those of you who have visited us out here at Kent's Store, you know the drill. For those of you who haven't been subjected to my lengthy harangue of what needs to be done to my house and yard, allow me to begin: It's a mess. Every day I go outside, I find something new to fix or clean up. For my personality, this is a good thing (I love fixing things), but for my sensibilities I am constantly asking myself what was possibly going through the minds of those responsible for creating the mess in the first place. I'll give you some good examples: Old roofing tile. Chicken wire where chicken wire should not be. Baseball sized rocks in the yard. Gravel where gravel does not belong. Weeds allowed to grow in patches (!) in the middle of the yard. Piles of brush. Old tires, of which I've found eleven and continue to discover more. Plastic containers. Beer bottles. Unopened beer bottles. Burn piles consisting of material that does not burn. Burn piles consisting of material that could burn, but was never touched. Massive, overgrown bushes. Odd flowers poking through where flowers beds should not be (irises in particular). Old tools laying about. Tree stumps everywhere in places good trees were, but were timbered for cash. A poorly built swing. Massive freakin' boulders used as decoration (clearly to protect the baseball-sized rocks scattered randomly on the property). Etcetera. I'm not bitter, just bewildered. Friday, January 26, 2007Gratuitously Stolen from Vivian PaigeI give you this poll concerning who reads blogs. Surprising findings: * Most readers are 31-60. * College educated or better. * Make $60K to $90K a year. * Overwhelmingly Democrat. * Are just as likely to buy music and books as they are to donate online. * Won't read a newspaper, but will pick up a magazine. * Do not own a blog themselves. * Do not use RSS to read blogs (!) * Read blogs for speed, depth, and unique content. * Don't listen to podcasts. Now I've been crticized in the past for demanding ethics (the whole "transparency, authenticity, containment" mantra), but truth is readers are imposing that ethic on independent of whether or not blogs adhere to ethical norms. Unique content wins, authentic bloggers win over pseudonyms, and your readers really are a discerning and educated audience. The blogosphere really is a Neitzschean wonderland: Only strong personalities survive, the weak are completely extinguished by it. (h/t to Vivian Paige) Thursday, January 25, 2007Optimus iPrimeThat's right folks... for $145 you too can own the iTransformer. L.A. Blog?The Los Angeles Times is adopting a new strategy to news, namely by turning into a blog with a print-edition. Wednesday, January 24, 2007QandO: Want to be trusted? Act in a trustworthy mannerIn yet another item to be added in the litany of ethical blogging, when you receive an embargoed release, don't release it before the embargo expires: There is a tradition that has embargoed releases like this going to media outlets as a courtesy, understanding that they have deadlines and would like the opportunity to prepare an in-depth analysis or report of what is covered or said at the event for release as quickly as possible afterward. The point is to respect that tradition and courtesy by returning the trust of the person or institution giving you that information. You do that by simply respecting the embargo time.Think Progress and Drudge Report were the two violators in question for releasing the SOTU address early. You can guess as to whether or not this courtesy will be granted so liberally in the future. Would it hurt for philosophy and ethics to be taught in high school classrooms? This just seems so boilerplate to me... a matter of courtesy even. Natural Law and Modern Economic TheoryI read stuff like this for fun. It's only 27 printed pages long, so a good nighttime read (along with everything else I'm reading). FIRST THINGS: The State of Social ConservatismJoseph Bottum over at First Things asks a pretty good question: Where was all the talk of social conservativism in the State of the Union speech? And Last night’s State of the Union address didn’t mention faith-based initatives, which President Bush once claimed would be his great legacy. Of course, it didn’t mention abortion or stem cells, either—in part because such speeches are designed to avoid controversy, and in part because the social-conservative domestic agenda seems dead in the last years of this administration. The White House may hold the line on whatever gains it feels it has already made, but it also signaled last night that it won’t be pushing hard for anything. School choice and judges each got a sentence, the only elements of social conservatism to surface in the speech.The rest of the post outlines why lame-duck presidents lack power, and this one most of all. Lack of an heir, no clear legacy, a Democratic Congress opposing him... Social conservatives certainly didn't find much to cheer about last night. But truth be told, this isn't the first time Bush has had to share power with Democrats. In fact, it was this feature of his gubernatorial leadership in Texas that propelled him into the presidency in 2000 -- working with Democrats. Perhaps Bush is finally in his element? Tuesday, January 23, 2007Deep Thoughts (by Senator Robert Byrd)"I very much admire the able senator from New Hampshire. I like him. As Shakespeare said, he's a man after my own kidney. That about says it all I guess. That's the way I feel about the senator from New Hampshire." -- Senate Appropriations Chairman Byrd, speaking on the floor Monday about Budget ranking member Judd Gregg, R-N.H. Byrd opposes Gregg's amendment to the minimum wage bill seeking to grant the president line-item "enhanced rescission" authority to strike earmarks from tax and spending bills. Monday, January 22, 2007Hillary's Kerryoake on IraqHeh! One has to wonder whether or not the progressives are willing to forgive Hillary for voting for the liberation of Iraq, and whether Obama will soften his anti-war stance to seal the deal. Top Dissident Cleric Slams AhmadinejadFolks are getting nervous in Iran: 'One has to deal with the enemy with wisdom, not provoke it,' he said, according to a copy of his comments made available to The Associated Press. 'This (provocation) only creates problems for the country,' he told a group of reformists and opponents of Ahmadinejad on Friday in the holy city of Qom, 80 miles south of the capital Tehran.When the ayatollah's speak, Shi'ites in Iran take notice. Sunday, January 21, 2007Linux vs. Vista"SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is the compelling alternative to Windows Vista," so sayeth Novell. As the price tag of Microsoft products continue to increase, the open-source solutions are becoming more and more attractive. When Civilization 4 comes out for Linux, I'll take the plunge. Gaming is about the only reason why most folks hold on to PC products anyway. The Rubiks Cube SolutionYEEESSS! These things have been the bane of my existence for years! Now I have the tools to... um, complicate my life more. Democrats Seek to Avert Abortion ClashesNice to see that even Democratic leadership is willing to recognize abortion on demand as a loser: Eager to avoid a resumption of the culture wars, the new Democratic leaders are trying to tiptoe around the abortion issue by promoting legislation to encourage birth control and assist women who decide to proceed with unwanted pregnancies.There have been a smattering of articles this year discussing the Catholic voter and his former relationship with the Democratic Party -- a relationship burst asunder by the rise of militant feminism and abortion "rights". Efforts to bridge the gap, Cardinal Bernadin's "seamless garment" theology among them, have failed miserably while the Democratic Party has been quick to vilify and shun pro-life Democrats. The good news is that some liberals are coming around on an issue where there should be no division. It would seem that politics gets left to discuss issues of policy, not first principles. Saturday, January 20, 2007Shrieks From the Booby Hatch: Behold the futureCory Chandler laments over the lack of attention paid to the basic conventions of English in blog writing. Eye fur 1 agri. Friday, January 19, 2007FIRST THINGS: Ambivalence and Resolve About RoeFr. Richard John Neuhaus on the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade: This Monday marks the thirty-fourth anniversary of Roe v. Wade. On January 23, 1973, the New York Times reported that the Court had “settled” the dispute over abortion. Thirty-four years later, there is no more intensely contested issue in our public life. This is in itself a powerful tribute to pro-life conviction and determination. When Roe v. Wade came down, it was cheered by every major opinion-making institution in the country—the mainstream media, the prestige academy, the legal establishment, the medical establishment, the philanthropic world, and all the major religious institutions, except one.Good article. Read it all when you get a free moment. First Things is an incredible publication. If you have never picked up a copy, think about picking up one at your local bookstore the next time you are there. Good stuff for conservative Catholics and Evangelicals who prize intelligence over bombast. Pluto mission to reveal Jupiter's secretsThis bad boy - named New Horizons - is going to travel at 52,000 mph on it's way to Pluto on a five month mission. When will it get there? 2015. Still, scientists are already discovering neat things about Jupiter, who's gravity is going to sling New Horizons out towards its final destination and beyond: New Horizons' trajectory will take it along about a quarter of Jupiter's magnetotail--a part of its magnetosphere that stretches out away from the sun. It's a place where no spacecraft has traveled before, said James L. Green, acting director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA.What a great mission. I'm looking forward to this. Scientists unravel superbug that kills in 24 hoursNow this is positive news, and scary enough seeing as I actually managed to get MRSA over the summer. Thursday, January 18, 2007Robert Bluey: How bloggers took on Harry Reid and won on earmark reformVirginia's Jon Henke goes to Washington: It all started last Thursday when conservative Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., sought to strengthen the Senate’s ethics reform bill by amending it to include the same earmark reform language in the House-passed version. Reid’s deputy, Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., tried to kill the amendment, but nine Democrats broke ranks and backed DeMint. Instead of accepting defeat, Reid tried to twist arms and reverse the vote.That's a kill. Read the whole thing if you want a peek into the future. Wednesday, January 17, 2007Advance Copy of Senator Webb' Response!I don't know how they did it, but the folks at Bearing Drift have an advanced audio of Senator James Webb's response to the State of the Union speech. Amazing, this thing called technology... Tuesday, January 16, 2007Scottish Separatists On the Move...January 16th, 1707: The day the Act of Union was signed that brought Scotland into the United Kingdom. January 16th, 2007: The announcement that Scotland's nationalist party wants to declare Scotland's independence once and for all: Having disappeared 300 years ago during the January 16, 1707 Act of Union, a limited Scottish parliament was restored in 1999 as part of a bid to blunt separatism by Blair's Labour government.I'm sure there'll be Braveheart quotes aplenty... and naturally it leaves the question of Wales and Northern Ireland on the table as well, should the SNP be successful. Closer to home, one has to wonder whether the Bloc Quebecois will be paying close attention. Castro Reportedly in Grave ConditionOnce again, rumors that Cuban dictator Fidel Castro is not doing well. Whether this means democracy for Cuba is another matter altogether, especially with the rise of Bolivarian Socialism in Chavez's Venezuela. Still, hope springs eternal. Golan Heights Peace Settlement?There's a peace plan floating about, this one between Israel and Syria in a completely unofficial compromise that retains Israeli water rights, removes Syria's support for Hezbollah and HAMAS, and distances Syria from Iran: The document is described as a 'non-paper,' a document of understandings that is not signed and lacks legal standing - its nature is political. It was prepared in August 2005 and has been updated during a number of meetings in Europe.A map of the agreement can be viewed here. It's certainly a starting point, if not an outright solution to the standoff between Syria and Israel. Monday, January 15, 2007Martin Luther King Jr., Defender of the Natural LawAn excerpt from Letter from Birmingham Jail: How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distort the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. Segregation, to use the terminology of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, substitutes an "I-it" relationship for an "I-thou" relationship and ends up relegating persons to the status of things. Hence segregation is not only politically, economically and sociologically unsound, it is morally wrong and awful. Paul Tillich said that sin is separation. Is not segregation an existential expression 'of man's tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? Thus it is that I can urge men to obey the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court, for it is morally right; and I can urge them to disobey segregation ordinances, for they are morally wrong. (emphasis mine)Now I know there are some who reject the idea of natural law, but Aquinas puts forward a convincing argument with regard to the relationship between human and natural law, and to which we ultimately owe our obedience. Thomas Aquinas' treatment of the human law in his Summa Theologicae can be found here at the New Advent website. In fact, the entire treatment of law is an excellent read, especially when Aquinas talk about custom obtaining the force of law. Good stuff. Virginia Blog Carnival | 14 January 2007Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! I was born in 1978, called today Lee-Jackson-King Day as a kid, and had no idea what segregation was until I attended Caroline County Middle School (the old black high school) after having attended Ladysmith Elementary School (one of the two old white high schools). They were separate schools, but by no means equal facilities. In the old rotting Auditorium, I remember reading scratched-in marks from students of previous years on the wooden backs. On one: "James Crow was a friend of mine." Only years later did I realize what that meant, and how terrible that sentiment was. On brighter subjects, I have accepted a position as Communications Director for the Republican Party of Virginia. What will change at ShaunKenney.com is there will be less political content due to obvious ethical considerations, and much more of what used to be here -- philosophy, religion, ethics, and the public square. I will still have a keen interest in promoting decorum and civility in public life, especially among Virginia's blogosphere. It's a good natured and sophisticated culture we've created in Virginia, and I hope that for all the strings tugging at us we remain loyal to the medium and remember we are Virginians first, and the "Virginia Way" is still alive and well. On to the best of Virginia last week, our VBC! I Have a Dream by Ward Smythe (Ward Smythe) On the topic of Martin Luther King Jr. and race, Ward Smythe talks about his experiences, one of which was in the Gentlemen of the Gospel Mass Choir. Great post this MLK Jr. Day. Few Words About HPV by Roci (Rocicante's Burden) Roci asks the question as to whether or not the HPV vaccine should be made mandatory in D.C. schools. She answers yes. RIP, Mr. Ramen Noodles Guy by Matt Caro (Icarus Fallen) "Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. Feed a man Ramen noodles, and you don't have to teach him anything." Heh. I love philosophy blogs. Jim Webb's Foot-In-Mouth Disease by D.J. McGuire (Right Wing Liberal) D.J. McGuire hits hard on Senator Webb's idea on reaching out to Syria and Iran, and uses not one but two barrels. Even if you disagree, McGuire's RWL is a formidable and well-thought out blog. Who knows football? by Vivian Paige I know the answer to that one... or more accurately, who doesn't have a clue about football... (HINT: last name rhymes with Kenney) Confederates in the Attic by Richmond Democrat (Richmond Democrat) Lee-Jackson Day and MLK Day have always brought up this conversation in the Commonwealth. Richmond Democrat asks the question of Virginia Republican bloggers: Is there a neo-Confederate problem? The Duality of the South by Chris Beer (Mason Conservative) On a more philosophical note, Mason Conservative dwells on how the juxtaposition helps teach the intricacies of history... good point. Lee-Jackson Day Honors Traitors by Jim Hoeft (Bearing Drift) On the con side, Jim Hoeft over at Bearing Drift takes issue with Lee-Jackson Day, pointing out what kind of place we'd be living in if Lee and Jackson were successful. A Little Political Courage About Lee-Jackson Heroes by Jim Bowden (Deo Vindice) Whilst on the pro side, Jim Bowden notes both the character of both Lee and Jackson while commending the patriotism of Southerners today. Live Blog with Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling by Sophrosyne (NOVA Town Hall) Tuesday was Lt. Gov. Bolling's foray into the blogosphere for a live-blog over at NOVA Town Hall, one of my favorite Northern Virginia blogs. Go check it (and them) out! Trapped In A War Zone: Christian Lebanese Tell All by Langley (Save the GOP) Yet another favorite, and one that hits close to home. This one is a story concerning Hezbollah's use of Christian towns to fire missiles on Israel... so the IDF could fire back. Introducing Richmond Sunlight by Waldo Jaquith (Waldo Jaquith) LIS is a great tool for its time, but Richmond Sunlight is a political junkie's dream come true. If you haven't played around, now is the time. Cool Legislation You'll Never Read About by Jim Bacon (Bacon's Rebellion) Yet another SK favorite, Jim Bacon gives us two transportation bills he believes passes the cool test. Bacon's Rebellion is an absolute must for policy wonks on either side of the aisle. The Pulpit Speaks: January 19th, 1957 by Vivian Paige (Vivian Paige) Will I get in trouble if I say that Vivian Paige is my favorite Democrat? Every Sunday she posts one of the published sermons of her father on her blog. Non-partisan, and tremendously insightful. VCU atop the CAA by F.T. Rea (SLANTblog) My brother Jason goes to VCU, and I know quite a few VCU basketball fans upset that George Mason made it to the NCAA Tournament last year while VCU did not. GMU proved why, but it looks as if the Rams aren't going to leave any question who belongs this year. Minimum Wage, Major Worries by Leslie Carbone (Leslie Carbone) If there's a new ODBA blog that has to be a favorite, it's Leslie's blog. Leslie goes through with an excellent story about the impact of the minimum wage hike, and not from a perspective you would think... Minimum Wage? Just a Start by Ben Kyber (Virginia Progressive) On the flip side of the argument, VAPRO hits hard on the minimum wage by positing not just a hike but indexing it to inflation. A little give and take in the comments section. Bucky's Transportation 8-Ball by Not Buck Turgidson (Richmond War Room) *shakes post furiously* Answer not clear?! What a ripoff... George Mason: Forgotten Founder by The Friar (Reason and Revelation) Excellent reviews are the type written so that a reader is inclined to buy the book and read it for themselves. This is an excellent review by the folks at R&R. Standing Your Ground by Bart Hinkle (Barticles) A man's home is his castle? Delegate Janis has introduced a bill where not only is a home your castle, but invaders can be repulsed by all necessary force. Great article. Romney Using YouTube to Combat YouTube by Jim Riley (Virginia Virtucon) The omnipresent eye of Jim Riley pushes back on the 1994 Romney debate footage leaked online, where Romney's own words described himself as less-than-conservative. Was Romney's jujitsu effective? Don't know, but this is a first for national politics. Well... by Charlie Fugate (Good Sense) Charlie opines on the 41-14 hammering Florida delivered to an outmached Ohio State earlier last week. Mobile Bible Blogging! by Romeokat (Cathouse Chat) Last but never least. This is red meat for those who believe, especially if you are feeling particularly down about sticking to your guns and doing what's right, even though it's uncomfortable. Thanks to all who participated, many thanks more to those who were drafted! Next week will be hosted by... somebody... I'll let you know. If you'd like to volunteer, just send me an e-mail and I'd be more than happy to pass your name to a much more competent authority. Have a great week! Saturday, January 13, 2007SUBMIT!...to the Virginia Blog Carnival! Yes folks, I will be hosting the best-o'-the-best in Virginia on Monday. So if you have a new blog, a great post, or something you'd like to share with the good people of the Commonwealth, shoot me an e-mail with the following criteria: Each Monday, a Virginia blogger will host a Virginia Blog Carnival, offering just a sample of the topics Virginia bloggers have been writing about during the week. We hope everyone’s curiosity will be piqued to read more of the selected posts, thereby giving more exposure to each participating blogger’s site.The VBC is, as always, a non-partisan Carnival. Submissions from the right, left, libertarian, Green, socialist, anarchist, communist, distributist, or whatever perspective you have are welcome. Non-political submissions are acceptable, so long as they focus on some part of Virginiana. Friday, January 12, 2007BOXER'S LOW BLOWThe hypocrisy of this should just make your head explode: Rice appeared before the Senate in defense of President Bush's tactical change in Iraq, and quickly encountered Boxer.Senator Barbara Boxer is a known feminist, that much needs little repeating here. But seeing as Secretay Rice is beyond accomplishment, not only is Boxer proving herself to be a hypocrite but classless as well. I could start with a litany of obvious questions, but Boxer's embarassment probably doesn't need much more exploring. Thursday, January 11, 2007Beckham to LAThis should be huge for soccer in the United States, but I'm sure footballers from Europe are going to love the culture shock when they discover soccer here is about as popular as NFL Europe is back in the Old World. The sport I'd love to see become cool in the States? Rugby. Comet McNaughtRemember the Hale-Bopp Comet back in 1997? Well, there's another more recently discovered comet that is coming close to Earth, supposedly three times as bright and the best opportunity to see one like it in 32 years: The newly discovered comet, first observed in Australia last August, is three times more dazzling than Hale-Bopp in 1997.I saw this last night and thought to myself "Wow, Venus is pretty bright... or is that a plane?" Nope, it's a comet, and it's pretty darned cool. You'll need a very flat horizon (or a hill) to see the comet, but it should be the brightest object in the evening sky. UPDATE: For easy evening viewing instructions, click here. For morning instructions, click here. Wednesday, January 10, 2007Jim Webb's Foot-in-Mouth Disease: Exhibit OneD.J. McGuire opens up with both barrels on Jim Webb's idea of bringing in Syria and Iraq into negotiations for "peace": I'll address each "outcome" in turn.Of course, it's always better to remind folks in images... Acton: Minimum Wage and Common SenseRev. Gerald Zandstra from the Acton Institute makes the argument against the minimum wage hike, and it's a compelling one: People making $5.15 will soon be paid $7.15. Everything else will remain the same. But this simply isn’t the case. For those who want to understand the effects of implementing a higher minimum wage, it is important to have a grasp of this truth: When the government puts in place a certain public policy, there is always some response that comes from the marketplace.Helping the working poor is a laudable end, but employing means that only make things worse is senseless policy. Worse still for larger companies that can afford to do so, outsourcing becomes a very real and viable option where labor costs are far cheaper than state-enforced price controls on labor in America allow our workforce to be. Small businesses either fold or inflate the price of goods, passing costs to the consumer, negating any real impact a minimum wage increase held. Then the cycle begins anew... Zoinks!Scooby Doo creator Iwao Takamoto has passed away: Takamoto, who was born in Los Angeles in 1925, spent part of the war in an internment camp, where he received some informal illustration training from fellow Japanese-Americans.While in Colorado, I picked up a book on Camp Amache (formally known as Granada) at the Greeley Museum. Amache was one of several Japanese internment camps established after Pearl Harbor. Amazing book, and while I never got the chance to go to Granada, I certainly wanted to. It's not a chapter in American history that's easy to look at (and hopefully will never be repeated). One could only imagine the impact it must have held on a young cartoonist. Pretty amazing background if you ask me. Tuesday, January 09, 2007Give the Senate Democrats Enough Rope......and they'll build themselves a hammock: In a concession to the Senate's new Democratic majority, four of President Bush's appeals court appointees have asked to have their nominations withdrawn, Republican officials said Tuesday.Senate Republicans will be keen to remember that Democrats mainstreamed "obstruction" as legitimate policy, and keen to return the favor if ever a Democratic president sits in the Oval Office. Consensus nominees. Pfft. Richmond SunlightRed meat! This is an excellent improvement on the LIS we've currently been muddling through (an improvement in itself, and for it's time). Muchos thanks, Waldo. I'm sure I'll be using up all sorts of bandwidth searching through this! Virginia Virtucon: Gilmore Files for PresidentBig news from Team Gilmore, as Virginia offers yet another of her sons for the Presidency of the United States. From Jim Riley: Former VA Gov. Jim Gilmore has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission establishing the “Jim Gilmore for President Exploratory Committee.”No word on former Governor Mark Warner, but I'll be interested to see Riley's perspective on this one. America Was Meant to Be Free, Not SecularGreat article from Dennis Prager of Orthodoxy Today: As the greatest foreign observer of America, the Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville, noted in his Democracy in America, 'Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.' Or, as the great British historian Paul Johnson has just written: 'In [George] Washington's eyes, at least, America was in no sense a secular state,' and 'the American Revolution was in essence the political and military expression of a religious movement.'The best quote of the article (which is a snip of a much larger article) is here: If you are undecided which side to fight for, perhaps this will help: Western Europe has already become a secular society with secular values. If you think Western Europe is a better place than America and that it has a robust future, you should be working to remove Judeo-Christian influence from American life. On the other hand, if you look at Europe and see a continent adrift, with no identity and no strong values beyond economic equality and possessing little capacity to identify evil, let alone a will to fight it, then you need to start fighting against the secularization of America.This gets back to a larger theme I have held for some time. Given the challenge of competing civilizations, it isn't so much that the Christian West has the better answer. Rather, the Secular West is incapable of answering at all. The juxtaposition of Western Europe and is open struggle with Islam, versus the United States and it's willingness to resist such secularism is notable. Secularism for all it's high-mindedness and heavy-handedness in approaching the question of Islam has all but folded, while the tradition of the free market, a free society, and a free and open public square has been championed by notably Christian thinkers. One might almost argue that it an increasing fusion between a Protestant work-ethic and population and Catholic leadership. The Battle of Vienna revisited, only this time struggle is to get Islam to come to terms with itself before others bring Islam into a collision with the West. Why Saddam Is No Martyr
(H/T to The Ward View) Monday, January 08, 2007Idiocy Abounds (On Chickenhawks)Once more into the breach with the chickenhawk argument. Once again anti-war liberals, and take notes: If we are concerned about a shortage of manual labor in America, does that mean one should quit their current line of employment and pick tomatoes? We need good roads, should one quit and join VDOT if you really believed that? Good schools, so go be a teacher? Streets free of crime, so go be a deputy? If you do none of these things? Well... that's clear evidence you're not really in favor of agriculture, transportation, education, and law enforcement? There are a variety of items society desires. But that doesn't mean we all jump like lemmings to the calls of the left, nor do we sell-out for the verbal morass some anti-war pacifists short on sound logic use as argumentation. ...and this one is just so clear, it really has to make you wonder. The right-wing liberal: Where did the $10 billion go?D.J. McGuire is beating the drum on Governor Kaine: Where did the $10 billion go? True, finding methods to ensure transportation spending need not spiral out of control is worthy, which is why I myself love the subdivision subsidy sunset. However, we on the right would be remiss in not noticing the current biennial budget (for the uninitiated, now in its second year) was over $9 billion higher than the last one, and that's before the $1 billion surplus is included in the Great Richmond Giveaway.Good question. What's the answer? CatHouse Chat: The First Virginia Blog Carnival of 2007!Romeokat has the First Virginia Blog Carnival of 2007 up and running! OTB: 15-month enlistment?James Joyner over at Outside The Beltway talks about the merits and pitfalls of a 15-month enlistment, specifically targeted towards those either in college or the recently graduated. Another segment of society that would profit from (or detractors might argue, become a target for) a 15-month enlistment: the unemployed. This is all still in the ether, so don't go running to your nearest Army recruiter just yet. Still, a 15-month option for military service is something I think many 18-35 year olds would consider. The only real question lies in whether or not civilians can rapidly adapt to a military environment. UK Independent: Scientists Map Dark MatterThis is an incredible achievement: One of the most important discoveries to emerge from the study is that dark matter appears to form an invisible scaffold or skeleton around which the visible universe has formed.So now we've determined where it is, the next step will be to determine what it is. Interesting comment in the article: Various experiments on Earth are under way to try to find out what dark matter is made of. One theory is that it is composed of mysterious sub-atomic particles that are difficult to detect because they do not interact with ordinary matter and so cannot be picked up and identified by conventional scientific instruments. Comparing the maps of visible matter and dark matter have already pointed to anomalies that could prove critical to the understanding of what constitutes dark matter.It's like trying to see infrared light with a pair of sunglasses. Should be the great effort of physics for the next 20 years. The Ward View: Four Webblings and an INFERNO!Heh.
What makes this interesting is the NLS post is the still noted split between progressives (supporting Webb) and liberals (supporting Miller). It seems as if the progressive wing of the party is having a somewhat difficult time fielding candidates, and when they do the vitriol of 2006 still shines through. The question is: Will Democrats field extremists to punish outsiders as in the case of Lambert and Barker, or will the Democratic faithful send a message to the progressives that their tactics are so deplorable that "rallying 'round the standard" will not be another option? I've opined on this topic before, that liberals need to take back their party from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. The open warfare you saw against Harris Miller is but a taste of what's to come... especially as future candidates are labeled as Webb-supporting drones lining up to the trough. UPDATE: Miller-clone George Barker is already desperate to prove his Webb credentials. Ouch... is it that bad in the Democratic Party? Sunday, January 07, 2007"I wish I had invented a lawnmower"Kalashnikov on his invention of the AK-47. Excellent article here detailing the history of the world's deadliest weapon. Coming soon...the NEW RepublitarianMyron Rhodes and Dave Briggman are plotting... VJP: The Pulpit Speaks, November 21, 1959Every Sunday, Ms. Paige republishes one of her father's sermons. I love this series: All about us we see people who are constantly doing wrong and apparently getting away with it. But are they actually getting away with it? Are those people who resort to cheating, lying and other various means of deception getting away with it? These things may seem as gains to many people while they are going on, but later years will reveal things altogether different. Far removed from these actions will be a conscience that must be reckoned with.It's like after the homily at Mass, I get to read the sermon from a Protestant service. Good stuff! Saturday, January 06, 2007Israel plans nuclear strike on IranSo sayeth the UK Sunday Times, the Israeli Air Force is making ready preparations to use tactical nuclear weapons on Iran: Under the plans, conventional laser-guided bombs would open "tunnels" into the targets. "Mini-nukes" would then immediately be fired into a plant at Natanz, exploding deep underground to reduce the risk of radioactive fallout.And it does appear as if senior Democrats - Majority Leader Stenny Hoyer among them - are indeed prepared to use force to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Of course, this is all purely hypothetical. But it does send a pretty clear message that there's plenty of neighborhood kids on the block who don't want to see a nuclear Iran anymore than we wanted to see a nuclear Iraq. The Virginia Progressive: A little Disappointed with the Democratic LeadershipA bit of angst over at Virginia Progressive from Carlos, who wishes Democrats practiced in 2007 what they preached in 2006: This is a Democracy, the minority gets to express themselves. The Democrats would not stop complaining when they were in the minority and the Republicans bullied us around, changing rules to favor themselves. They marginalized us and weakened our Voice in the law making process.Some good-intentioned folks in the Democratic Party agree with Carlos (as do some Republicans). But power corrupts, and absolute power... Flies!Perhaps not, but something is hatching. In the little courtyard we have, there are all of these small "flies" going around. I know their something that hatched over the last week or so given all the warm weather, but there's tons of 'em! I am assuming this is a Central Virginia phenomenon, much like the ladybugs that decided to camp out in my bedroom over the winter. "Don't worry about them," said a friend of mine, "that's a Central Virginia thing." Of course, we never had ladybugs in Caroline County. Just tons of crickets, frogs, ticks and mosquitos. I do remember one unseasonably warm year on the farm where the mosquitos came out, then a terrible cold snap. That summer, there were notably fewer mosquitos outside. Hopefully, everything that is a nuisance is hatching... and we'll get a foot of snow to finish them off! Friday, January 05, 2007Bacon's Rebellion: More Bad Reviews for Kaine's Transportation/Land Use PackageJim Bacon takes razes Kaine from different fronts, this time from the Home Builders Association of Virginia and Americans for Prosperity. Is there anyone who likes Kaine's plan? novatownhall blog: Live-Blog with Lt. Governor Bill Bollingnovatownhall is getting ready to hold a live blog with Lt. Governor Bill Bolling on 09 January at 3.00pm. Lots of questions to ask with the session getting ready to roll out! Guardsmen overrun at the BorderI don't know about you, but this gets my blood up. American soldiers beaten on our own soil??? Thank God no one seems to have been hurt, but drug traffickers don't get a free pass. The next time, annihilate them. Thursday, January 04, 2007The Desert Blooms
After 30 years of Saddam’s stalinist rule and nearly four years since he was deposed, a democratic Iraq is making great strides on the environment in its own right, and with the help of the international environmental community.No word as to whether or not the Democrats approve of this aspect of the evil Bush Administration's plans for Iraq. Read the rest here. Bolling to Kaine: The Train is Leaving the Station...... and the Governor isn't even remotely on it. From Bolling's press release: Earlier today, Governor Tim Kaine announced that he would introduce a new transportation package for consideration by the General Assembly during the 2007 legislative session. In response to the Governor’s announcement, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling issued the following statement:Higher taxes aren't going to solve the VDOT crisis. Solutions that re-approach how we tackle transportation in Virginia are what we need. Regional solutions are a critical first step in reforming VDOT, among other things. Most importantly, Bolling lays Kaine out on higher taxes being the panacea for big, ineffective government. Kudos to Lt. Gov. Bolling for keeping government spending in the spotlight. Bearing Drift: What would they call a guy who said this today?A hero. Go, read, and get fired up. Tuesday, January 02, 2007OMT: Over and OutAnother one of the graybeards has hung up the keyboard. Norm Leahy takes a break. Just think what the blogosphere consisted of a mere two years ago. To consider that One Man's Trash lasted four years (as long as this creaky ol' blog has) is a notable achievement considering 95% of all blogs fold up in the first year. I'm certain this isn't the final curtain for Norm Leahy. Just moving to a different stage (I hope). 300One of my favorite movies of all time is The 300 Spartans, a 1962 movie depicting the Battle of Thermoplyae. Thermoplyae is a narrow pass where 300 Spartan (and 700 less-mentioned Thespians) held off the slave-army of the Persian Empire of Xerxes, numbering somewhere between 2.5 and 5 million men. In yet another battle like Watling Street, the 300 Spartans held off the massive waves of men the Persian commanders threw at them. Unlike Watling Street, the defenders broke when a Greek farmer showed the Persians an unused mountain pass in which to flank the defenders. Leonidas and his men held just long enough for the Athenian navy and her allies to crush the Persians at the Battle of Salamis. In 1962, the movie was form of propoganda showing what the valor of free men united in the cause of liberty could do in the face of tyrrany - even when that tyrrany had overwhelming strength and numbers. There are plenty of great quotes from antiquity, and folks will just have to read to be reminded of them - or possibly discover them for the first time. In 2007... it is art. Reminds me of the manner of which Gladiator attempted to be at times. Still, you always wonder what the political theme is going to be for movies such as these. Hopefully, more historical than modern-day. Vista Bloggers (at a price....)Question: If someone offered you something because of your blog - say a Ferrari Acer laptop valued at $2,500 - would you keep it, turn it back, donate it to charity? That's the current controversy over 90 top of the line laptops gifted by Microsoft to a select few bloggers: The controversy surrounding Microsoft's $200,000 plus gift of snazzy Acer Ferrari notebooks loaded with Vista Ultimate to 90 bloggers refuses to go away. What's more the messages coming out of Microsoft appear to be mixed - keep it, don't keep it, auction it for charity - what are the bloggers to do? They should do whatever they want - as long as they keep their independence.Blogs of all stripes tend to be very porkupine-ish about their independence. Still, many blogs accept advertisements without a second thought, while others blog on certain products favorably while taking money on the side to review said products. Then we get into the idea of "paid bloggers", a concept so foreign six months ago that now is absolutely critical to the success of any major campaign. What would you do with a Ferarri Acer? Is it wrong to accept the gift? Monday, January 01, 2007Frumination: 15K people per hour, by transport modeDid you know: One double tracked train moves as many people as a seven-lane highway: The remarkable thing is that the 7 lanes of freeway in each direction have zero extra capacity at that bandwidth, while the single track of rail rapid transit has, theoretically, at least another 66% to spareVRE just became a whole new creature. (h/t to Kottke) The Ward View: Don't Cry For Saddam, Howling Latina
Don’t cry for Saddam, Howling LatinaApologies in advance to Andrew Lloyd Webber fans everywhere. Heh! Broncos' Darrent Williams Is Shot DeadAbsolutely crazy.
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JEFFERSONIAD POLL: Whom do you support for Virginia Attorney General?1) John Brownlee2) Ken Cuccinelli AboutShaunKenney.com is one of Virginia's oldest political blogs, focusing on the role of religion and politics in public life. Shaun Kenney, 30, lives in Fluvanna County, Virginia.ContactThe Jeffersoniad
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