Posting Slow-Down

13 10 2009

I just wanted to give out a heads-up that I won’t be posting much for the next couple of weeks.

Last week word came out that my high school has some serious financial issues and the parish (I went to a parochial high school) may be closing it at the end of this year.

For quite obvious reasons a lot of people, myself among them, are not happy about this and are doing what we can to keep the school open. As part of that effort I’m working with Alexis Morrell, another alumni, on the Save SSPP blog and related activism efforts.

For the time being we’re just focusing on writing letters to the bishop of the diocese and getting people to attend a meeting on the 22nd. If you have an interest in the situation and it’s possible, anything you can do to help will be most appreciated.

I’ll be posting updates on the situation here every so often, but until it gets resolved one way or another, expect my regular posting to be at least a bit less frequent.


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Categories : Maryland, Save SSPP, Sts. Peter & Paul

Don’t Blame Obama, Blame the Nobel Committee

9 10 2009

Back when Gore and the IPCC were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize I argued in The Liberty Bell that he didn’t deserve it since the policies he advocated would likely increase international tensions/resentment by pitting the developed world against the developing.

With President Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, it is clearly unquestionable that the committee deciding the winners has forgotten the stated purpose of the prize.

and one part to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses

Now, admittedly Obama has done some things a bit better than Bush has on the foreign scene. But as Doug Bandow notes, we’re still in Afghanistan and Iraq, the threat of war with Iran still looms, the situation with North Korea isn’t all that different, and we may well be sending even MORE troops to Afghanistan and have been talking about levying sanctions against Iran.

And then there’s the disastrous trade policy I haven’t really seen anyone point out with regards to the decision. First there was the Buy American debacle with the stimulus, and now there’s the tire tariff against China. Anyone care to explain to me how a trade war is good for “fraternity between nations?”

I don’t think there are many reasonable people convinced Obama totally deserved the award. In fact, as James Joyner is pointing out, the skepticism cuts across the aisle. But that being said, it’s not Obama’s fault he was given the award.

Which is of course why I really like Radley Balko’s suggestion that he refuse the award. It would be classy on his part and it might serve as a wake-up call to the Nobel Committee to get its act together and make the prize mean something once again.


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Categories : Barack Obama, Nobel Prize

A Thought on Fox’s Red Eye

6 10 2009

Mediaite has noted that Fox’s late-nite show Red Eye is beating CNN’s entire primetime line-up.

Red Eye averaged 432,000 total viewers and 202,000 in the demo. Let’s deal with the demo first – CNN’s 8pmET show, hosted by Campbell Brown, averaged 191,000 in the demo. Let’s just let that one sink in – Fox News had more people in the all important A25-54 demographic watching their channel at three in the morning (east coast time) than CNN had for the show that leads off their prime time. This says as much about Fox News as it does about CNN. Wow.

In total viewers (and demo), Red Eye beat the cable news competition three hours later. All three other morning shows, MSNBC’s Morning Joe, CNN’s American Morning and HLN’s Morning Express had less viewers in September.

Megan McArdle, commenting on this notes that part of this is likely a result of the fact the entirety of its competition is infomercials.

With all do respect Megan, I must disagree. There is only one explanation for Red Eye’s success. And that is that it is the only news program that has featured GWAR frontman Oderus Urungus. And not just once. Many times.

When you have GWAR, how can you possibly lose? (Of course, a host as fun and awesome as Greg Gutfeld doesn’t hurt either)


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Categories : GWAR, News, Political News

Cash4Gold and Capitalism

4 10 2009

Michael Arrington is reminding readers at TechCrunch that there is nothing evil about a business that works by aggressively negotiating low buying prices for gold while providing a premium of convenience in the business transaction.

Considering how frequently you hear people assaulting the fundamental principles of capitalism these days, it’s nice to hear someone coming out in its defense.

Here’s my favorite part of his piece:

Making obscene profits may make you jealous, but it isn’t evil. There’s a reason so many people are using the Cash4Gold service – it’s easy and convenient. They don’t make promises on their website that they don’t keep, and they aren’t tricking or scamming people. They are simply buying low and selling high, and that’s capitalism at its finest.

Now go to TechCrunch and read the whole thing.


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Categories : Uncategorized

Question on Cars, Guns, and Healthcare

30 09 2009

As anyone who follows the healthcare debate knows, if you account for the higher rate of homicide and auto fatalities, the U.S. life expectancy suddenly looks an awful lot like European life expectancy rates (in fact, it’s a little bit better than most European nations’).

Sen. Ensign brought this point up during the Finance Committee hearings and is now being attacked for it by the left-wing blogosphere. For example, there’s this bit from ThinkProgress:

Basically, Ensign is proud of U.S. “cultural factors” that, as he admits, kill thousands of Americans each year. Instead of trying to improve the health care system to better address injuries from cars and guns, Ensign would like to just wipe them off the books and ignore them because they’re so unique to America.

Now, this is just speculation on my part, but I suspect the better portion of deaths from gunshot wounds and auto accidents result in fatalities before an individual would have any chance of getting to a hospital so they could receive their universal healthcare.

Anyone know if I’m right on that one?


Comments : 1 Comment »

Categories : Questions, Universal Healthcare

Or Maybe You Know, Change the Law?

30 09 2009

If you are among the hordes of people worried about the incredibly dangerous threat of people buying cigarettes in Virginia as a response to draconian vice taxes, don’t you worry – Comptroller Franchot is on the case!

Take this case for instance. Zaur Rakhamimov was arrested in Worcester County for possessing and transporting contraband cigarettes that he had bought in Virginia. Nevermind the fact that his car has New York plates and he was probably only driving back through Maryland. As a result of this obviously degenerate crime, Mr. Rakhamimov could get as much as $150,000 fine and/or 3 or more years in prison.

He isn’t the only one either.

Since the start of fiscal year 2010 on July 1, 2009, Comptroller agents have already arrested 39 individuals for tobacco violations and seized 17,097 packs of contraband cigarettes valued at nearly $100,000. During fiscal year 2009, 114 individuals were arrested and 172,793 packs of cigarettes valued at more than $850,000 were seized.

Now then, correct me if I’m wrong, but with Maryland facing a gigantic budget deficit, does it really make much sense to waste funds pursuing and prosecuting these crimes. Why not try making it so people don’t feel the need to go across the state border to get their nicotine fix. Of course, I don’t know what could possibly do that, except for maybe, oh how about…CUTTING THE TOBACCO TAX?

But hey, when you live in the People’s Republic of Maryland, why worry about that sort of thing when you can just keep hiking taxes and punishing people for responding logically, while billing it all to the taxpayers?

HT: Inside Charm City


Comments : 1 Comment »

Categories : Big Government, Maryland, Nanny State, Stupidity, Taxes, Tobacco

Vile, Offensive, and Unquestionably Criminal

28 09 2009

One of the big items in the new is that Roman Polanski has finally been arrested for drugging and raping a 13 year old girl 32 years ago.

I would never have thought this was an issue worthy of debate. The girl was 13, he pumped her full of champagne and quaaludes, and she testified she repeatedly said no. How anyone can possibly defend Polanski and his decade long evasion of justice is unimaginable to me.

But it’s happening.

Reason’s Nick Gillespie has highlighted a few examples.

From The Los Angeles Times:

With the state Legislature forced to make dramatic cuts in the prison budget and a three-judge federal panel having recently ordered California lawmakers to release as many as 40,000 inmates in response to the scandalous overcrowding of the California state prison system, it seems like an especially inauspicious time for the L.A. County district attorney’s office to be spending some of our few remaining tax dollars seeing if it can finally, after all these years, put Roman Polanski behind bars.

As Gillespie rightly notes, this is completely absurd, and were the offender a Catholic priest rather than a celebrated filmmaker the paper would likely be singing a different tune.

But that pales in comparison to this nauseating sentiment from The Huffington Post:

Arresting Roman Polanski the other day in Zurich, where he was to receive an honorary award at a film festival, was disgraceful and unjustifiable….

The 13-year old model “seduced” by Polanski had been thrust onto him by her mother, who wanted her in the movies. The girl was just a few weeks short of her 14th birthday, which was the age of consent in California. (It’s probably 13 by now!) Polanski was demonized by the press, convicted, and managed to flee, fearing a heavy sentence.

I met Polanski shortly after he fled America and was filming Tess in Normandy. I was working in the CBS News bureau in Paris, and I accompanied Mike Wallace for a Sixty Minutes interview with Polanski on the set. Mike thought he would be meeting the devil incarnate, but was utterly charmed by Roman’s sobriety and intelligence.

Joan Z. Shore, Women Overseas for Equality

I don’t care if how good his movies are. There is nothing that excuses his actions – and that includes his surviving the Holocaust!  And if you don’t believe me, read this bit of testimony from Polanski’s victim. Megan McArdle linked to it earlier (warning it is most definitely not for the squeamish).

A. Then he lifted up my legs and went in through my anus.

Q. What do you mean by that?

A. He put his penis in my butt.

. . . .

Q. Do you know whether he had a climax?

A. Yes.

Q. And how do you know that?

A. Because I could kind of feel it and it was in my underwear. It was in my underwear. It was on my butt and stuff.

Q. When you say that, you believe that he climaxed in your anus?

A. Yes.

Q. What does climax mean?

A. That his semen came out.

Q. Do you know what semen is?

A. Yes.

Q. Did you see some semen or feel some semen?

A. I felt it.

Q. Where did you feel it?

A. I felt it on the back of my behind and in my underwear when I put them on.

Yeah. And why exactly is anyone trying to make us feel sorry for Polanski?

EDIT: I just saw this post at League of Ordinary Gentlemen and it makes me feel like I ought to clarify slightly. My disgust is with Polanski and those defending him/condemning his being extradited, etc. I have no disagreement with Freddie on the importance of protecting his rights (but that being said, and as the post notes, he entered the guilty plea, so it shouldn’t really be an issue).


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Categories : Morality, Political News, Rule of Law

Hypocrisy Fun

28 09 2009

I was listening to the radio earlier today and heard that our president is heading to Copenhagen to lobby for Chicago as the next Olympic statement.

Setting aside the question of how ridiculous it is that a president is personally lobbying for Olympic site selection (something apparently no other U.S. president has done), the gross hypocrisy is stunning.

What are two of Obama’s big priorities right now? The deficit and the environment.

Now admittedly, planes are among the most cost effective and environmentally friendly means of travel – but only if they’re completely filled. And something tells me that the president and the first lady aren’t flying coach to Copenhagen.

But of course I’m sure that won’t stop the administration from lecturing us about carbon emissions and trumpeting its measures that supposedly save money.
UPDATE: I just noticed that Matt Dernoga, MD enviro-blogger, has something up about Obama’s little trip. However he has nothing to say on the blatant hypocrisy of Obama’s Danish Adventure (which surprises me a bit, considering Dernoga pretty exclusively blogs on environmental issues), just a hope that he’ll do it again to lobby for a climate treaty at the Copenhagen conference later this year. Personally, I’d rather he not waste the taxpayers money jetting around the world and participate electronically if he really, absolutely feels the need to be a direct part of it.


Comments : 3 Comments »

Categories : Barack Obama, Political News, Politics

Anyone Else Think This Is Stupid?

21 09 2009

Maryland is among 22 other states that have a ban on texting while driving. While I personally disagree with this, one can at least understand the logic behind it.

In most cases, these laws, while designed to ban texting, cover a broad range of phone usage while driving, with the operative focus being on reading from a mobile device while driving (I’m pretty sure that means I can’t drive and read my Kindle at the same time either).

So, with Maryland having that ban in place, can anyone explain to me why it also persists in maintaining a program that sends out Twitter updates on traffic situations?

It’s no secret that a lot of people get Twitter updates in the form of text messages. Couple that with the facts you can set up your account to only get SMS updates from certain users and that the info from these tweets are clearly most useful while you’re driving, it seems pretty obvious the state intends for people to get and read these tweets while they are on the road. Ain’t state hypocrisy beautiful?

On a related note, anyone think a strong argument could be made that the state subsidizing an activity that is illegal is at least quasi-entrapment? True entrapment? Inducement to criminal activity? Something else the government could be taken to court over.


Comments : 1 Comment »

Categories : Maryland, Political News, Politics, Stupidity

Sacrificing Children Upon the Altar of Safety

20 09 2009

Sometimes you read a blog post and there’s nothing you can say that would add to it. This is one of them. Go and read it. Then think about it the next time you hear about a kid who got arrested for a picture on a phone, or for something they did at a party, or any of the other innocent things kids and teens have been doing for as long as humans have existed.

There is a fury and sadness inside that I cannot express


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Categories : Morality, Politics

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