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Saturday, June 7, 2003 I got LSAT on my mind I'm scheduled to take the LSAT on Monday, so today's posts might be the last until Monday night (which assumes I won't be completely mentally rocked after the test). Wish me luck.
Darrell Hammond on Hillary... You know, I-Hillary Clinton-I mean, I don't know if you read the book. I've been looking at it, and Hillary Clinton has been angered so many more times than a human was designed to be angered I think that she's actually sort of evolved into another creature for whom laughter and rage are virtually the same thing. --As heard on 'Buchanan and Press' on MSNBC (June 5, 2003, 6 PM)... see transcript
And now the crap hits the fan... Direct quote from Drudge Report on June 7 @ 11 a.m. EST: INTEREST GROUPS PREPARE FOR SUPREME COURT VACANCIES IN COMING WEEKS... DEVELOPING... I would love to say, 'See I told you so' here, but I can't because I never had the guts to come out and say this would happen. I did have a certain source that told me flat-out a few months ago that there would be a vacancy, but this person was not in a direct position to know this for sure, and would not divulge how he "knew." Of course, all of this might be moot, because Drudge could simply be wrong here, or just overstating. Perhaps the interest groups are preparing, but just in case there might be a vacancy. update: Evidently, Drudge's mole in the NYTimes newsroom has been active. He has just activated the link to the Supreme Court vacancy story, and so have I (see above). Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you see it) the article doesn't really say anything important. It does not present any evidence that a justice will indeed retire, only that the interest groups are preparing in case one retires. duh! Of course they are preparing for such an eventuality; thats what they do. Anyways, my interest is still piqued, and I'll be watching these rumors closely. Oh, and one other thing. Is it just me or have many more Times articles than usual carried duel bylines? Perhaps they've gotten serious about actually crediting people who contribute to articles. Now if only many other papers would do the same...
Friday, June 6, 2003 Ann Coulter on Hillary The ever direct Ann Coulter, who tells it like it is, was on Hannity and Colmes tonight. Some lady who was on the show asked Ann what she thought of Hillary Clinton's new book. I wish I could remember the exact wording of the humorous response, but Ann basically said she didn't give a hoot about the book. Amen! Does this 1st term Senator really deserve this much attention?
Coulter did make one very astute observation about the book. In response to HRC's claim that she did not know about Bill's affair with Monica until everyone else found out, Coulter draws the following conclusion: either Hillary is extremely cold and calculating in making this lie, or she is incredibly stupid and naive and really didn't know about the affair until that point. The truth can be brutal. Thursday, June 5, 2003 Andrew Sullivan and the Blogosphere: 1, The New York Times and the Big Media: 0 New York Times Executives Resign
Two readers respond to Sosa post... They're even less forgiving than I: During home team warmups at Cubs stadium, THERE ARE NO FANS TO IMPRESS!! The home team warms up first. No fans inside. The Away team comes in, fans let in. There is no way Sammy was showing off for the crowd, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ONE THERE! --Michael Demmons (Discount Blogger) Just saw your little piece on Sosa and being a long time Sosa hater, I have a few thoughts of my own to share. I agree that Sosa is full of shit and Im not buying this little dog and pony show that MLB is putting on by testing his other bats. Even if none of his bats are not corked (which I don't believe), what difference does that make. He went up to the plate with an illegal bat. End of story. See ya in 10 games. But knowing how gutless those big wigs at MLB are, they'll probably give a slap on the wrist 3 game suspension and of course, Sammy will appeal, allowing him to play in the Yankee series. How convenient. --Chris Letkewicz
Swift Justice for Campaign Finance Reform The Supreme Court has decided today to hear challenges to the Campaign Finance Reform (CFR) law. The Court will hear arguments in September and likely will have a decision before the brunt of campaign season is underway. As quoted in the Washington Post article, Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) said, "We've written a very good law... We know it meets the constitutional test." Unfortunately for Mr. Shays, the Supreme Court does not know any such thing, and that is why they are going to hear the case. I'm not necessarily predicting the law will be stricken, but this opens the door for such a decision; such is underscored by the Court's urgency on the matter. Wednesday, June 4, 2003 I don't believe Sammy, and here's why... So, if you haven't heard, Sammy Sosa has been busted for using a corked bat during a recent game. In his own defense, he has claimed that he only used the corked bat to impress fans during batting practices, and that the bat must have accidentally been placed where his game bat usually goes. He cites the fact that the league tested 76 of his other bats and have found no other examples of corking. To be frank, I don't believe him. First of all, a batter often does several warm-up swings with his game bat when he is on deck. Wouldn't Sammy have noticed a difference in the weight, if it were not his typical game bat? Also, batting practices are not usually major events for the fans. In fact, the batting practice is seldom seen at all. Even more damning is that Sammy has been in a slump recently, and by only corking one bat, he has been able to make a very convenient excuse. Its called plausible deniability. Now, I will not go so far to say that Sammy has been corking his bats for a long time, or that his great hitting record should be diminished because of this incident. There is no evidence that this has been a long-term practice for him. The fact very well could be that he tried corking for the first time in response to his slump, and stuck with the corked bat out of superstition. Even though I don't believe his excuse, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt otherwise. See how nice I can be ;-)
Google shows us Zeitgeist! The Google Zeitgeist webpage is pretty cool. It contains many statistics related to trends in websearches, including with what languages, operating systems, and web browsers searches are being performed. Also, of particular interest, is the section that shows which search terms are gaining the most frequency, and which ones are the top decliners. The website lives up to its name by showing in what people and events web surfers are currently interested. zeitgeist - (n.) The spirit of the time; the taste and outlook characteristic of a period or generation: "It's easy to see how a student... in the 1940's could imbibe such notions. The Zeitgeist encouraged Philosopher-Kings" (James Atlas). (from the American Heritage Dictionary; termis German in origin)
Tuesday, June 3, 2003 The Truth About Taxes The issue of taxes, and how they affect the economy, is one of great contention between Democrats and Republicans. Unfotunately, many times both sides can be disingenuous. Democrats like to pretend that tax cuts will have no effect on the economy, and thus they will account for a tax cut as a direct reduction in revenue that the government will take in (ignoring any possible economic benefits). Some Republicans, on the other hand, will make the claim that tax-cuts will always raise tax revenue by stimulating the economy. As is often the case, the reality is somewhere in between. Tax cuts will raise tax revenue up to a certain point. Once this point is reached, the stiumulus to the economy is outweighed by a lack of input tax dollars, and tax revenue starts going down. The difficultly lies in finding this point. The accounting method called 'dynamic scoring' is used to attempt to find the actual economic benefit of a tax-cut and then subtract that benefit off of the balance sheet from the "cost" of a tax-cut. An excellent blogger, Joshua Clayburn, does a superb job explaining the details of taxes and revenue in this post called Taxes and Revenue 101. Sunday, June 1 (late), 2003 The Politics of the Womb The abortion issue may prove to be as divisive as slavery in the 19th Century or as the Civil Rights movement earlier in this century. If there is a civil war, however, it will not occur on the battlefield between the north and south, but in the hearts of the populace and in our highest courts. This was my closing statement in a presentation I gave before my Congress and the Public Policy course last semester. In the presentation, I discussed the legislative and judicial issues surroundiing the partial-birth abortion debate, as well as the future of that debate in America. While that closing statement certainly has a rhetorical element, it also makes a valid point: the average citizen's attitude regarding the abortion procedure will have a marked effect on the course of our nation's public policy on abortion. Furthermore, intrinsically tied to one's attitude regarding the abortion procedure, is one's attitude regarding the status of the "fetus." On this topic, Newsweek has an excellent article concerning "The War Over Fetal Rights." At the heart of the article, is whether or not a so-called fetus should be considered an unborn human-being with associated rights accorded a person. With several states enacting legislation that punishes an individual for causing the death of an unborn baby (independent of or in addition to causing the death of the mother), the issue has been raised to the forefront. The Laci Peterson case is an especially prominent example. The article also mentions new technology, such as GE's awesome 4D ultrasound, that allows us to see the unborn baby with never before seen clarity and detail. This technology, along with amazing medical procedures that have dramatically extended the time of viability, is changing people's view of the fetus. It is becoming increasingly difficult to deny a fetus 'human' status. If one accepts the fetus as a human being, then to support abortion, one must claim that it is ok for a woman to be able to choose to end the life of a human being in certain circumstances. No longer, will a supporter of abortion be able to claim that an abortion isn't really ending a life at all. Bernard Nathanson, founder of pro-abortion NARAL and a prolific abortionist, came to such a conclusion when he first used the ultrasound technology in 1973. He realized that the fetus was undeniably a human being and he became a convert to the pro-life side. He then produced a video called the Silent Scream, which documents how an 11 week-old unborn baby reacts during an abortion procedure. Saturday, May 31, 2003The Brothers Karamazov... ... is one of the greatest books I've ever read, and I'm only half-way into it! The characters are frighteningly real, and the dialog deeply though-provoking. The forward to the Signet Classic version of the novel, by John Bayley, puts it better than I ever could: The very inconclusiveness of the book and its ideas, which remain unsolved, seems to add power to the story and the reader becomes deeply involved in the emotions and philosophy. Before long, he must surrender being a simple reader, for he becomes part of the Karamazov world. The reader starts out as an innocent bystander and ends up by taking sides and becoming involved in the battle between God and the Devil. And whether he enjoys the experience or not one thing is certain: he emerges from this experience a different person from when he first opened the book. He has been tried by fire. He has been made to think and to reach decisions about many problems which are his personal problems too.
Still Working on the Blog I'm continuing to work on the blog. I've added a poll, a pass-it-on widget and a new 'About Me' section (see to right). I've been pretty busy with work (at The Mac Experience in downtown Indy) and studying for the LSAT which I take next Monday, June 9. Wish me luck on that by the way. After I get that past me, look for some major site improvements, such as automated archival and permalinks to each post I make. Thursday, May 29 (late), 2003 Why is Chocolate Better than sex? I don't know, but a certain cool sister clued me in... (quite humorous, though a bit raunchy): 1. Chocolate satisfies even when it has gone soft
2. You can safely have chocolate while driving
3. You can make chocolate last as long as you want
4. You can have chocolate in front of your mother
5. If you bite the nuts to hard it won't mind (ouch)
6. Two people of the same sex can have chocolate without being called nasty
names
7. The word "committed" doesn't scare chocolate away
8. You can have chocolate on top of your desk without upsetting your co-workers
9. You ask strangers for chocolate without getting your face slapped
10. Chocolate doesn't make you pregnant
11. You can have chocolate at any time of the month
12. Good chocolate is easy to find
13. You can have as many kinds of chocolate as you can handle
14. You are never to young or old for chocolate
15. When you have chocolate it doesn't keep the neighbors awake
16. With chocolate size doesn't matter (I disagree)
17. With chocolate there is no need to fake it
Tuesday, May 27, 2003 "The Young Hipublicans" New York Times Magazine has an excellent article, written by John Colapinto, on the college conservative movement. If colleges, as well as the media, are moving more conservative, this could signal a longer-term leaning in that direction for the nation as a whole. Sunday, May 25, 2003 And the winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 500 is... Gil de Ferran! In a great race, Gil edged out fellow teammate, Helio Castroneves, by only .299 seconds. This keeps Helio from winning three Indy500s in a row, which would have made track history, but oh well. Check out the Indy500 website for the latest news.
Saturday, May 24, 2003 Vrooom!!! This is the funniest thing I have ever seen (I'm a nerd, remember). Btw, I'm going to the Indy500 tomorrow (been going every year since 1990), so I may not post, or I may have a really cool past; you'll have to see. Friday, May 23, 2003 Christianity and Homosexuality Unlike many in the extreme gay left and extreme Christian right, the two are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, it is a shame that the most extreme elements of each side seem to be the leaders. Unfortunately, this polarized structure is politically stable, with each side supporting the other's position by legitimizing their respective concerns. In such a structure, the middle ground becomes a politically volatile vacuum. To break this paradigm, brave souls are needed to fill that vacuum, to be Christians as well as homosexuals. These individuals must be vocal, in order to be heard by the majority of each group's citizenry-- where the real power lies. Here is a an online magazine for homosexual Christians, called Whosoever. This publication dares to teach Christian ideals, while at the same time being openly gay. It does so with the understanding that Christianity and Homosexuality are compatible. This is done on two different fronts. First, the site champions the Christian ideal of inclusion, the same ideal used by the "love the sinner, hate the sin" crowd. On the second front, Whosoever refutes this crowd by arguing that the Bible does not considerd homosexuality a sin, or at least is unclear on the matter. In fact, the website has an entire section devoted to critical analysis of the Bible on this matter. It amply cites and quotes Scripture throughout, and admits freely when it gives an opinion or judgement on a matter, when the text and translation are sufficiently unclear to take a definite stance. Now, this brings up an interesting question. Would a Christian Bible study group ever honestly consider the arguments put forth by Whosoever (and many other theologians)? Sadly, I'd say the answer is 'very doubful.' I know a guy who writes for a college newspaper and is a faithful Christian. He wrote a column for that paper purporting the "love the sinner, hate the sin" philosophy. In that article he callously declared that 'homosexual behavior is a sin,' without even acknowledging that this claim is debatable. Now, I will not condemn him for this grievance, but rather condemn the system which instilled in him this tunnel-vision approach to interpreting the Bible's stance on homosexuality. This same guy regularly attends Bible study, but failed to learn an objective view on the matter. To which I must ask: are Bible study groups used as an excellent opportunity to critically examine the Bible and gain a rich understanding of Scripture, or are they simply used as a tool of indoctrination? Thursday, May 22, 2003 Gender Test Update Another friend of mine has taken the Gender Test on TheSpark.com. She was somewhat displeased with the results: they guessed that I was a man with 80% confidence. They called me one of "nature's mistakes." Why, Luke? Why? I don't know why Tiff. Its now one for three, and the one it got correct, it kindof missed, so there. Anyways, I found a much better gender test, which can be found here. It is in the form of a Molson Beer ad, so it has to be accurate ;-). It will be interesting to see how the respondants to TheSpark test do on this one. I predict the same results. Btw, I passed this one as well.
Wanna Play 20 Questions? As my friends can testify, this is a question I often ask. I love the game and always have. And now, with this website, I can play it 24/7 if I wish, although I sure hope I never let my life fall to that level. lol. I've found that the computer asks some very funny questions, some inadvertently funny. In my infinite maturity, I thought I'd test it by choosing "toilet paper" as the item to be guessed. Here is what ensued: (note: the computer is "I" and my responses are in bold; I have placed an * next to the funny ones) 1. It is classified as Other.
2. Does it bring joy to people? Doubtful. *
3. Can it be washed? Yes.
4. Do you use it in your home? Yes.
5. Is it smaller than a loaf of bread? Yes.
6. Is it made of metal? No.
7. Would you find it in an office? Yes.
8. Is it hard? No.
9. Can you buy it at a store? Yes.
10. Do you hold it when you use it? Yes.
11. Is it multicolored? No. *
12. Does it come in a pack? Yes.
13. Does it get wet? Yes. *
14. Can it fit in an envelope? Sometimes.
15. Can you put something into it? Yes. **
16. Is it usually colorful? No. *
17. Does it go inside other things? Yes. **
18. Is it pleasurable? Depends. *
19. Can you smell it? Yes. *
20. I'm guessing that is tea? No.
21. Is it flexible? Yes.
22. Can it cheer you up? Sometimes.
23. Does it contain a lot of water? No.
24. Do you open and close it? No.
25. Can it be used more than once? No. ***
26. Would you use it in the dark? Rarely.
27. Do you use it at night? Sometimes.
28. Does it come in different colors? No.
29. I guess it gingerale? No.
30. I am guessing that it is a tea bag? No.
Eventually, the computer brought up a list of items, and I told it of what I was thinking. Score one for the human! You know, you just can't buy humor like this.
Jayson Blair: a new George Costanza? James Taranto, in his excellent Best of the Web Today (Wall Street Journal, OpinionJournal), points out a funny parallel between a recent interview Jayson Blair did and a George Costanza quote from 'Seinfled.' Jayson: . . . I certainly have health problems, which probably led to me having to kill Jayson Blair, the journalist. I was either going to kill myself or I was going to kill the journalist persona. George: You have no idea of the magnitude of this thing. If she is allowed to infiltrate this world then George Costanza as you know him ceases to exist. You see, right now I have Relationship George. But there is also Independent George. That's the George you know, the George you grew up with--Movie George, Coffee Shop George, Liar George, Bawdy George... If Relationship George walks through this door, he will kill Independent George. A George divided against itself cannot stand! Lots of other cool and insightful material on this blog. Wednesday, May 21, 2003Everybody, Everybody! Check out this hysterical website, HomestarRunner.com. Admittedly, when I first saw it, I thought it was really stupid. Ok, I still think its really stupid, but the humor has really grown on me. Of course, it helps that many of my friends have really gotten into it as well. Our favorite section is Strong Bad's E-mail. From the main page, click 'Toons,' then click 'Features' from the subsequent page, then finally click 'Strong Bad Email' on the right side of the page. I recommend our personal favorites: Techno, Japanese Cartoon, Lures and Jigs, English Paper, and Dragon (the best one). Also, I have recently stumbled upon a couple of funny shorts on the site, found under the Toons' section, then 'Shorts.' Check out Teen Girl Squad #1 and Teen Girl Squad #3. Dag yo!! Tuesday, May 20, 2003 Staying the Course So far, I have yet to post on the Arab-Israeli conflict-- that is, until now. In the light of Clinton's aggressiveness towards the peace process, many critics have charged George W. Bush with not doing enough in this matter. However, I contend that he has done much, considering the circumstances he inherited. He could not have simply forced the two sides together at a negotiation table and expect it to work. The two sides were so close at Clinton's latest Camp David accords, yet still worlds apart on many issues. One would be unreasonable to expect the two sides to be any closer, with no fundamental changes on either side. This brings us to the present. With the latest string of suicide bombings against Israel, I would have expected a complete stall in the peace process. However, this has not happened. I applaud President Bush's determination to stick to the 'road map' and Israel's significant policy change to continue negotiations with Palestinian authorities while terrorist acts are taking place. This is exactly what needs to happen. Anything short of continuing the peace process would simply give the terrorists more power and give their tactics undue effictiveness. No matter how thorough Israel and the United States are in "going after" terrorists, this process alone will not rid the world of terrorism. Rather, terror, as a political mechanism, must be completely delegitimized. Now, my final point. Would the process even be this far if it wasn't for President Bush's call for new Palestinian leadership? Arafat, a corrupt dictator, was not a proper representative of the Palestinian people, and was a major blockade on the road to peace. While the ball is still out on the Palestinians' new prime minister, Mahmood Abbas, Israel does seem willing to give him a chance. On the flip side, Israeli PM Sharon had made it clear that he was finished negotiating with Arafat.
More Court Speculation This Newsday article hits the main points: Rhenquist and/or O'Connor might retire next month. Stevens, who is the oldest justice at 83, is considered less likely. By the way, Drudge was carrying this story as his headline as of 10:30 EST. If its good enough to head Drudge, its good enough to head DC. :-) Sunday, May 18, 2003 Who will be leaving our beloved Court? Thanks to Chris L. for pointing me to this Chicago Tribune article.
The Blogosphere vs. Big Media II Andrew Sullivan hits the nail on the head with his vision on the role of blogs in the media. Check his blog out to get refreshing insight on many matters. What the web has done is show how the media operates; bloggers have helped point out that, say, the increasingly left-liberal slant of the Times is a conscious decision by a single man [Howell Raines?]. We've pulled the curtain back at Oz. But we certainly didn't create the Blair scandal, which would have broken regardless of the Internet. All we did is make the reading public less shocked by what goes on inside the Times: we lowballed expectations. Which, in some ways, alleviates Howell's problem, rather than intensifies it. --Andrew Sullivan (Sunday, May 18, 2003)
Dickie V's talking about it Will somebody please think of the children.... errr, students?! Saturday, May 17, 2003 Yet Another Test These internet tests can be quite entertaining. Check out TheSpark.com to get your fill. Anyways, a friend of mine recently pointed me to the Gender Test on Spark. This test is somewhat unique compared to the others they offer. It asks numerous questions that seem tangentially related to gender, at best. In fact, many of the questions just seem silly. However, the test promises "astounding" results, by using statistics. At the end of the test, you tell it your actual gender. It then maintains a database of how each gender answers the questions. From this database, the site is able to make its prediction of your gender. The friend who pointed this test out to me was predicted to be a woman, with 80% confidence-- interesting considering his name is Dan. Now, to this, I'd say this test is amazingly accurate. The queer thing, however, is that it scored me as a man (which I am). What irony.
A reader responds... ...to the yesterday's college football post (via IM): I think what everyone is forgetting is that intercollegiate [sports] involves student athletes... note the word 'student'. I don't think it makes sense for syracuse football to fly down to the mid atlantic or florida every friday, missing classes, and then the guys have to attend class on Monday after playing football after being very very fatigued...no one's brought that up and that's really dissapointing... I don't know why they [the ACC] went all the way up to the north east. --Kristine Lamm (friend from semester in Washington, DC) Friday (late), May 16, 2003 Early Rumblings in College Football The big news on the front is a possible major realignment in college football conference power. The ACC is making a major move against the Big East by inviting Syracuse, Boston College, and Miami to join their conference. This would increase the ACC's numbers to 12 schools allowing them to hold a conference championship game in football. However, it would hang Virginia Tech out to dry with only 4 other schools left in the Big East with Div.I football programs. We'll see how the chips fall on this one. In a parallel story, USAToday is speculating that Notre Dame might rethink its independence in football. And if I may say so, this story is just that: speculation (and pointless as well). Only a few years ago, in 1999, rumors crept up that Notre Dame was going to join the Big Ten in football. These rumors were swept away when the university's board of trustees voted against such a change. And if my memory serves me correctly, the vote was unanimous. Now, as I see it, there are three major reasons ND's best interests will keep it independent. First: tradition. Football is religion at Notre Dame (ever seen Touchdown Jesus); numerous alumni are very firm on this issue, and the university would not want to displease them. Second: scheduling flexibility. The Irish consider themselves a national powerhouse and like to be able to schedule a variety of other national powerhouses from across the nation (Nebraska, Florida State, Tennessee, Miami, etc.). Third: money. The simple fact of the matter is that if Notre Dame goes to a bowl game, it receives 100% of the money awarded, rather than 1/10 or 1/12 of the cash, as would be the case in a conference. Now, I'm sure that there are some interesting arguments as to why Notre Dame football should join a conference. Could that make it easier for them to lock a BCS game? It depends on the situation, but I'd guess overall-- no. Could the Irish join the Big East to try to keep it alive in football? They could, but what would be in it for ND football? Nothing. Could continued football independence hurt ND's other sports? Perhaps. As USAToday points out: Continued football independence could leave Notre Dame's other sports in a league with St. John's, Providence, Georgetown, Villanova, Seton Hall and other schools that lack major football programs. Still, I'll give the odds at 1 in 100 that ND will change their status in football.
Boondock II : All Saints Day If you saw the first one, then you might be interested in the possibility of a second. If you haven't seen the first one, then you might ask, what is The Boondock Saints about? To which I'd reply: its about a couple of righteous Irish guys who go around killing bad mafia guys, and whether or not thats right or not. Oh yeah, and a gay detective is trying to discover who these guys are, but ends up discovering that he should be on their side. Sound intriguing? Then check out that website and rent the movie. Fun stuff.
Why I won't vote for Hillary in '08 Now she wants to create a national social-services hotline. Terrific, she wants the federal government to stick its nose into yet another area it doesn't belong in. And, as Rush Limbaugh (a consistent proponent of HRC, j/k) points out, the potential for fraud is enormous here-- in addition to the unadulterated liberalism of course. Wednesday, May 14, 2003 I am a big Mac geek... You probably do not doubt this, but nevertheless here is proof (and quite a humorous website, I might add): Windows Parody Tuesday, May 13, 2003 Lots of fun stuff to talk about today, so lets get it started... The Politics of Judicial Destruction As somebody who thinks the judicial nomination process should not be politicized (and as a Republican), I have been particularly dismayed by the Democratic obstruction this year in the Senate. The filibustering of Miguel Estrada and Priscilla Owens is a disgrace. When I argue this point with my Democratic friends, however, they say its just politics as usual and that the Republicans have done the same thing in the past. Alas, as is often the case, ignorance loses arguments, and in my ignorance, I blindly accepted their claims. Then, when surfing the net yesterday, I came across this gem of an editorial in the New York Post. The article sets the record blindingly straight: only one judicial nomination has ever been filibustered in the past, Abe Fortas, a Supreme Court nominee in the 60s who had ethical problems. The article makes the plain but powerful point: With Bush's ascension, Senate Democrats, for the first time ever, began using filibusters to block U.S. district court nominees. The maneuver means that nominees, in effect, must get 60 votes - the number required to end filibusters - instead of the simple majority required under the Constitution. So, the central question remains as to how the Republicans will overcome this partisan gridlock and start filling judicial vacancies. One option involves a parliamentary procedure to declare the filibuster of judicial nominations unconstitutional. Since I am not an expert on Senate Parliamentary rules, I cannot comment on how exactly this would work, but the end result would be that a simple majority of 51 votes would be all that is necessary to confirm a nomination. Supposedly, this would create bad precedent and is not widely being considered. A second option involves actually changing the Senate rules. Sen. Frist has proposed a measure that would decrease the votes necessary to cloture a filibuster of a nomination incrementally down to 51. The proposal has the support of at least one Democrat, Zell Miller of Georgia. What are the odds of this rule change being adopted? Hard to say really. A rules change only requires a majority to pass, but it can also be filibustered. Worse off, to cloture a filibuster of a rules change requires a 2/3 majority rather than the normal 3/5! If you don't believe me, then check out Riddick's Senate Procedures. From a Republican standpoint, the strategy should be clear: take it to the Democrats repeatedly and put their partisan blocking on the record for the next round of elections. I would force them to either vote on the proposed rule change or to filibuster it. And with a possible (probably?) Supreme Court resignation coming this summer, the stakes could get much much higher.
"Why does Mahmood Abbas have two names?" So asks David Horowitz, regarding the new Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. He then proceeds to answer his own question in the most blunt fashion: Because the other one is his terrorist name -- Abu Mazen. Actually both are his terrorist names. Mahmood Abbas is a founder of the terrorist PLO and has been for five decades Yassir Arafat's second in command, through all Arafat's crimes. The two of them invented modern terrorism. I was happy when I heard that Arafat's power would be somewhat broken up, but now I'm not so sure. I would like to know more about this Mahmood Abbas.
Now to the world of sports... ok still politics actually In the world of golf, a gender war is brewing. Its round 1 of Vijay Singh vs. Annika Sorenstam. He had some mighty strong words to say in regards to her intention to be the first female to play in the PGA in 58 years. Essentially, he wished her bad luck in her performance in the Colonial competition and said she had no business being there. This brings up the larger debate surrounding gender and sports. Some ask: If Sorenstam is good enough, than why should she not be able to compete against the men? While this is a valid question, I have another: what negative precedent does this have for the LPGA? If it begins to consistently lose its champions to the PGA, then the essence of its competition will have been mediocritized. What might be a personal success for Anika Sorenstam could very well turn out to be a black eye to a women's sport. Monday, May 12, 2003 Disaster at the New York Times The Smoking Gun has a story including a supposed memo from the publisher and two head editors from the New York Times regarding the Jayson Blair embarrassment. If true, the memo acknowledges fault on the behalf of the publisher, Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., executive editor, Howell Raines, and managing editor Gerald Boyd. Indeed, this is where the blame should be placed. A reporter should not be able to make 50 mistakes early on and still retain his job. Its as simple as that. But the real question remains: how will Sulzberger and the Times handle this management problem? Will he have the guts to make the right heads roll?
For those of you race fans out there... I went to see Indy500 qualifications yesterday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Helio Castroneves (Team Penske) , who has won the race the previous 2 years, averaged over 231 mph to get the pole for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. This year's race could be quite good; I'd estimate that upwards of 14 drivers have a legitimate shot of winning. Also, this year's race will feature many of Indycar's biggest names: Unser, Andretti, Foyt, and Luyendyk. Check out the Indy500 Website for more information. Saturday, May 10, 2003 Some Dante Inferno scores in: I received the highest level in the test, which is purgatory. Two of my friends have also received that score. In fact, I wondered if everyone got that score, because I was sure that some of my answers would have pushed me lower ;-). However, another one of my friends proved that theory wrong by receiving a score sending him to the 2nd level of Hell. Mr. B. Magee, I salute you!
Compassionate Conservatism vs. the Religious Right... In yesterday's post, a reader referred to an incident with the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Marc Racicot. Several weeks ago he visited with the homosexual group Human Rights Campaign. This caused an outcry amongst Religious Right leaders, including Pat Dobson and Pat Robertson. Now, Mr. Racicot is expected to become the head of President Bush's reelection campaign. If President Bush does indeed make this choice, then he essentially is snubbing his nose at Christian conservative groups that have criticized Racicot. However, Mr. Bush is widely viewed as a strong Christian with impeccable faith. His refusal to cowtow to the exreme Religious Right on this issue shows the proper convergence of Christianity and Conservatism, that is, Compassionate Conservatism. Well, tornado sirens have just starting sounding, so your fearless blogger needs to sign-off for the time-being. Friday, May 9, 2003 A reader responds... ...to yesterday's post about homosexuality, Santorum, and the Religious Right: I was actually wondering if you were going to talk about this soon because Chris Matthews was talking about it tonight on HARDBALL and he had this one woman who seemed to think that all homosexual groups encourage others to engage in their lifestyle which according to her is an unhealthy one. She went on to say that the Republican chairman should not be talking with gay leaders (remember that article in the Post about the Republican Committee chairman who caught a lot of flack for meeting with gay groups). She basically came off as a complete tool and its people like her that make me not want to be affiliated with the Republican party. If the Christian Right feels offended that the Republican party leaders want to meet with gay groups. I say f**k 'em. Let them form their own party. The Christian Right has only brought down the Republican Party and its people like the woman on Hardball and Pat Robertson why people vote for Bill Clinton and not George Bush or Bob Dole. Part of my personal philosophy for a government is that there should [be] few to no morality laws. It is the responsibility of the local churches, communities and parents to instill morals and its up to the individual on whether or not he accepts those moral beliefs. Very few moral beliefs should be forced upon an individual because frankly the only supreme moral being that exists is God. So unless God is in personal contact with the various government officials on what different laws should be passed, the government should keep itself out of the morality business. Because of that, government should protect homosexuals from discrimination. People do not choose to be gay and they should be protected just like a black man is protected from racism. On a related note, I think this whole Santorom controversy has been completely overblown. He was simply making a legal argument and is not anti-gay. I think his legal argument is wrong just like the Bowers decision because again the government should [not] be the moral policemen AND whatever kind of sexual activity an individual is engaging in his bedroom (with the obvious exception of sex with a minor) is that individual's business and not the government's. Well I hope this wasn't too incoherent of an e-mail. --Chris L. (friend from semester in D.C. program)
Quote of the Day There are those who think that they were dealt a losing hand, The cards were stacked against them; they weren't born in Lotusland. All preordained A prisoner in chains A victim of venomous fate. Kicked in the face, You can't pray for a place In heaven's unearthly estate.
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice. If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice. You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill; I will choose a path that's clear I will choose freewill.
--Rush, "Freewill" Thursday, May 8, 2003 Homosexuality, Marriage, the Christian Right, and the Future of America When Senator Santorum made his controversial remarks legally comparing homosexuality to bigomy, incest, and adultery, he pushed to the surface the ongoing social debate in America. The debate has been particularly fierce over homosexuality. With the opposing camps so polarized, little space has been left in the middle. Two articles highlight this rift. First is a column on The Advocate, a gay/lesbian newsmagazine website, entitled "Ayatollah Santorum." Its lead sets the pace: While the Bush administration works to prevent an Islamic theocracy in Iraq, it's also busy supporting Senator Rick Santorum, who's dead set on enshrining his antigay religious beliefs in U.S. law. Could it be the Republicans' "big tent" is nothing more than a white sheet in disguise? John Sonego, the column's author, sets forth a view comparing the Christian Right to Islamicists and Republicans' policy towards homosexuals to the racism of the KKK. On the flip side in this debate is the Christian Right with such leading voices as Ken Connor, president of the Family Research Council, and Dr. James Dobson, creator of Focus on the Family. As reported in this Newsmax article, as a guest on Dobson's national radio show, Connor said, "If Republican leaders cannot mount a vigorous defense of marriage, then pro-family voters perhaps should begin to reconsider their loyalty to the party." This is a call for social conservatives to contemplate their party loyalties and an open threat to the Republican Party to support its "base." Connor and Dobson, angry that Republicans did not mount a vigorous defense of Santorum, hail him as a defender of family values. Thus the rift is clear. note: once I better collect my thoughts, I'll post an essay on this topic. Wednesday, May 7, 2003 The Blogosphere vs. Big Media The blogosphere, a term denoting the collection of blogs currently on the web, has been steadily growing in size and influence. Some blogs focus on humor, others on politics, and still others on the media. Each blog is a voice-- a voice independent of the editors and owners typical of the Big Media publications. In fact, many bloggers post criticisms of Big Media publications. I, myself, have criticized certain stories in the Washington Post and the New York Times. And I'm not alone. Andrew Sullivan, for one, has consistently criticized the Times editor, Howell Raines, as well as certain reporters. In this post, Sullivan notes that the Times readership has dropped, while other papers' readership has remained steady or increased. As he would say, here is the money quote: But surely the downward lurch of the Times' editorial standards and its sharp turn leftward may well have something to do with the circulation decline. Glenn Reynolds, of Instapundit.com, also blasts Raines. Of note, the Times' reporting of the looting in Baghdad was incomplete and even misleading. Stephen Hayes, of the Weekly Standard, for instance, is accusing the Times of purposefully getting the story wrong. Reynolds also blames Raines for not catching Jayson Blaire's plagiarism in his reporting of the D.C. sniper affair. It looks now as if almost all of the Times reporting of the sniper affair may be compromised. The battle for information primacy will not only be waged between mediums, but also between political sides. Conservatives have long criticized the media for being controlled by the left, but more recently some are making the opposite criticism. Alas, Rush Limbaugh and Fox News have largely been responsible for giving the right a stronger media voice. Yet the push to the right is not only occuring in the larger media outlets but also in college newspapers across the country. So says this article from the LA Times. Thanks to Poynter for this link.
First came the Criminality Test, now the Dante Inferno Test! The
Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to
Purgatory!
Take the Dante's Divine Comedy Inferno Test Thanks to T.Crown for this link. In fact, lots of cool stuff can be found on T.Crown's blog. I highly recommend it. Tuesday, May 6, 2003 Why has France chosen to be our enemy? When France opposed us on the UN Security Council, regarding Res.1441, I thought it was within their right to do so. I disagreed with their rationale, but nevertheless respected the nature of the Security Council to hold independent votes. Then, when certain businesses and Congress decided to rename French Fries, French Toast, and French Vanilla Ice Cream to their Freedom equivalents, I criticized the move. It seemed like a petty action to me, which could only serve to unnecessarily exacerbate the situation. But now, if all of the claims are true, then apparently France is choosing to be an enemy of the United States of America. The latest allegation, that France issued passports to help ousted Iraqi leaders gain asylum in Europe, is but one in a string of damning claims. Other reports say that France told Saddam Hussein information from private meetings it held with the U.S. and other European nations. Still others report that new weapons found in Iraq, are French and Russian in origin. To sum, if all of the claims are true then France has aided a direct enemy of the U.S. with arms, information, and safe haven to its leaders. To be fair, France is not the only offender. Germany and Russia's actions must also be scrutinized. But one difference is that Russia has not been a long-term ally of the U.S. The question that must be asked is why these nations are so actively opposing us. Could it simply be their own selfish interests in Iraq? Could it be that the U.S. actually is completely out-of-touch with world consensus? Or, more ominously, could this situation be proof of the balance-of-power model of international relations? In this scenario, other nations might be aligning together to act as a natural counterweight to emerging United States hegemony. I don't think I'm alone in fearing such a world of us versus them. Monday, May 5, 2003 Late Monday post: Think Different This is an unusually late post for me, coming in at 11:50 PM. In fact, if I were still in D.C., this would actually be on Tuesday (remember that pesky Daylight Savings Time thing). Anyways, with all of my postings about Apple Computer, I figured that I'd share a particularly inspiring saying from Apple, which was used in one of their commercials. Think Different, its my mantra: Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? We make tools for these kinds of people. While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
More than 1 million songs sold! In Wednesday's post I mentioned Apple's new music service, the iTunes Music Store. Now, still in its first week, the service has already sold over 1 million song downloads, quite impressive considering that the service is presently only available for the Macintosh. If this early success turns into long-term success for the service, then please consider the Music biz revolutionized. A viable marketplace alternative for downloading music could take the biggest hit on music freeloaders out there and boost overall music sales. Also, this service along with increased iPod sales, could bolster Apple's bottom line big time. Imagine this scenario: the iTunes Music Store takes off, Apple releases it for Windows, Apple begins to take over the multimedia software position on Microsoft's own turf. In my humble opinion, this scenario is not that far-fetched. As I have alluded to earlier, this could be a watershed moment for the personal computer and music industries. Now, if I were Steve Jobs at the helm of Apple, I'd put considerable effort into expanding this music venture into an overall digital content delivery strategy. Imagine this... Once the technology is more mature, movies could be sold over the internet or for rent (like an online Blockbuster), music videos could be sold for download, etc. etc. Convergence is finally upon us.
Back Home Again in Indiana After a terrific semester in Washington, DC, I'm now back in good ole' Greenwood, Indiana. And to boot, I'm now officially a Senior. its a cliche, but time flies. |
As always, I encourage feedback-- comments, criticisms, arguments... you decide which
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photo
of Gil de Ferran; taken by myself
photo
courtesy TheSpark.com