A fascinating story. Will we ever know how much is true? It's difficult to eradicate the notion that Saudis knew about Bin Laden's activities and were complicit in them by fending off Bin Laden form attacking Saudi Arabia. It's high time we get Bin Laden, preferable alive, but dead would be fine, too.
August 31, 2003
Policy Lobotomy Needed
Friedman is close to having this right. Bush's team must decide how to move forward to win the peace. The war was one magnificently. With many of the 55 in the notoriouss deck now in American custody, we must get Saddam and simultaneously establish security and forward motion.
"I don't know what Mr. Bush has been doing on his vacation, but I know what the country has been doing: starting to worry. People are connecting the dots — the exploding deficit, the absence of allies in Iraq, the soaring costs of the war and the mounting casualties. People want to stop hearing about why winning in Iraq is so important and start seeing a strategy for making it happen at a cost the country can sustain. "
"I don't know what Mr. Bush has been doing on his vacation, but I know what the country has been doing: starting to worry. People are connecting the dots — the exploding deficit, the absence of allies in Iraq, the soaring costs of the war and the mounting casualties. People want to stop hearing about why winning in Iraq is so important and start seeing a strategy for making it happen at a cost the country can sustain. "
August 30, 2003
Worried Democrats See Daunting '04 Hurdles
This kind of talk will not help Mr. Dean. While people may fear John Ashcroft's sincerity in doing his job, vilifying him in the manner reported in the Times will not serve Dean in the long run.
+++++++
"'John Ashcroft is not a patriot,' he said, referring to the attorney general's advocacy of the Patriot Act. 'John Ashcroft is a descendant of Joseph McCarthy.'"
+++++++
"'John Ashcroft is not a patriot,' he said, referring to the attorney general's advocacy of the Patriot Act. 'John Ashcroft is a descendant of Joseph McCarthy.'"
August 29, 2003
Minn. Teen Faces Internet Attack Charges
Good work, Feds in nabbing this guy. Maybe he'll spill the beans leading to other arrests. Prosecute aggressively.
Yahoo! News - Scores of Freed Mink Feed on Farm Animals
These people are dangerous and if caught and convicted should serve serious jail time
"The Animal Liberation Front, considered a domestic terrorist group by the FBI, has claimed responsibility."
"The Animal Liberation Front, considered a domestic terrorist group by the FBI, has claimed responsibility."
Missy Elliot Wins MTV's Best Video Award (washingtonpost.com)
And we wonder why our youngsters believe anything goes. This trash drags the culture down while lining the pockets of the 'stars' and the industry that creates and sponsors them.
Now, I wonder if these folks, if polled, would vote for Howard Dean or George Bush. I assume they can all read beyond the numbers on their paychecks.
+++++++++++++++
Dressed in the same kind of white bustier wedding dress that Madonna wore while performing "Like a Virgin" during 1984's inaugural show, Spears and Aguilera gyrated on stage while singing a cover of the not-so-innocent tune. Then, while Madonna sang her new song "Hollywood" in an all-black outfit, she shared an open-mouthed kiss with both Aguilera and Spears - proving the former teen stars have come a long way since their Mouseketeer days."
Now, I wonder if these folks, if polled, would vote for Howard Dean or George Bush. I assume they can all read beyond the numbers on their paychecks.
+++++++++++++++
Dressed in the same kind of white bustier wedding dress that Madonna wore while performing "Like a Virgin" during 1984's inaugural show, Spears and Aguilera gyrated on stage while singing a cover of the not-so-innocent tune. Then, while Madonna sang her new song "Hollywood" in an all-black outfit, she shared an open-mouthed kiss with both Aguilera and Spears - proving the former teen stars have come a long way since their Mouseketeer days."
Soviets Bar Communist Party Activities; Republics Press Search for a New Order
On this day in history, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union died. This was a momentous event in the history of the world.
Bells sue FCC over new telecom rules | CNET News.com
The lawyers' fun begins! The FCC is in a no-win position in attempting to set the rules or pass the task to the states for managing contrived competition. Given the history of moving from monopoly to competition in 'the last mile,' another deade or two may pass before this happens and for the lawyers' kids to finish college
+++++++++++++++++
"As part of its nearly 600-page Triennial Review order, which also laid down new rules for broadband Internet services, the FCC said states could set rules that force the big local phone companies to share portions of their networks with rivals such as AT&T.
'This approach thumbs its nose at the court, which has consistently told the FCC to do its job and set national policy with clear directions and reasonable limitations on the states,' USTA Chief Executive Officer Walter McCormick said in a statement. 'This ruling really starts to call into question the FCC's ability to be timely, relevant and constructive in today's communications marketplace.'"
+++++++++++++++++
"As part of its nearly 600-page Triennial Review order, which also laid down new rules for broadband Internet services, the FCC said states could set rules that force the big local phone companies to share portions of their networks with rivals such as AT&T.
'This approach thumbs its nose at the court, which has consistently told the FCC to do its job and set national policy with clear directions and reasonable limitations on the states,' USTA Chief Executive Officer Walter McCormick said in a statement. 'This ruling really starts to call into question the FCC's ability to be timely, relevant and constructive in today's communications marketplace.'"
Linux Set to Break Through in Consumer Electronics
Adoption of Linux by the large consumer electronics guys will put a dent in Microsoft's expectations for Windows. In this area of the market, Bill ought to be worried. Open Source Linux is cheap and good.
August 28, 2003
RIAA Discloses Some Methods of Tracking
The RIAA and the owners of music copyrights are doing exactly the right thing. Argue strenuously that the recording industry is a nasty 800 pound gorilla if you will, but if they own the copyrights they are entitled to collect money from them. File sharing on the scale alleged in this lawsuit is thievery.
August 27, 2003
U.S. Weighs U.N. Command in Iraq, but With a Condition
An interesting turn of events. The cost to rebuild Iraq is staggering, but where's the analysis of how much of it can be paid for with Iraqi oil. Media needs to do this analysis, rather than focus just on cost.
Green Beret's View of Iraq
A cogent view of the Iraq terrorist situation. While rational, it's not pretty because Americans and innocent Iraqis are dying.
In a Long Presidential Race, Dean Sprints
This Times reporter is captivated by Dr. Dean. Adjectives in use: rabid (audiences); staggering (crowds);audacious (steps). Nevertheless there is a dose of reality at the end of the article:
+++++
Regardless of the record crowds, it is still August — of 2003.
For each of the 800 people who skipped the Green Bay Packers game on Saturday night to chant "We want Dean" in a Milwaukee airplane hangar, there must be many like the young woman in the pink taffeta strapless bridesmaid's dress who went to the hotel bar where reporters and supporters were mingling over martinis and wondered, "What's going on here?"
Told it was the Dean campaign, she looked blank. Howard Dean, someone said. Running for president.
"President?" she asked. "President of what?"
+++++
Regardless of the record crowds, it is still August — of 2003.
For each of the 800 people who skipped the Green Bay Packers game on Saturday night to chant "We want Dean" in a Milwaukee airplane hangar, there must be many like the young woman in the pink taffeta strapless bridesmaid's dress who went to the hotel bar where reporters and supporters were mingling over martinis and wondered, "What's going on here?"
Told it was the Dean campaign, she looked blank. Howard Dean, someone said. Running for president.
"President?" she asked. "President of what?"
Starting From Scratch
Friedman's right about Iraq. This is a gargantuan task and won't be cheap or without setbacks. Bush is right to stay the course, but the cost may be staggering. Yet, this is the one opportunity to break the stranglehold of failed Islamic dictatorship in this region with a new societal model.
August 26, 2003
JS Online: Boy's death ruled homicide
Religion runs awry. What a tragic end for a child. Adults involved in this sort of foolish exorcism ritual should know better. Alas, they don't.
The Salt Lake Tribune -- Siding with the powerless: Ideas from 60 years in journalism
Walter Cronkite, certainly one of the most respected names in recent journalism, defines himself and others in his profession as liberal. Based on his definition of the term. I think he's right. However his piece suggests that the inequalities of our society which most journalists in our society encounter when they are young in their careers results in their beliefs and biases which seems to be OK with him.
His take on TV journalism is interesting, but more time for the news reporters to present both sides seems unlikely in our sound bite society, which he neglects to note is an outcome of the TV media.
++++++
"I believe that most of us reporters are liberal, but not because we consciously have chosen that particular color in the political spectrum. More likely it is because most of us served our journalistic apprenticeships as reporters covering the seamier side of our cities -- the crimes, the tenement fires, the homeless and the hungry, the underclothed and undereducated.
We reached our intellectual adulthood with daily close-ups of the inequality in a nation that was founded on the commitment to equality for all. So we are inclined to side with the powerless rather than the powerful. If that is what makes us liberals so be it, just as long as in reporting the news we adhere to the first ideals of good journalism -- that news reports must be fair, accurate and unbiased. That clearly doesn't apply when one deserts the front page for the editorial page and the columns to which opinion should be isolated.
The perceived liberalism of television reporters, I am convinced, is a product of the limited time given for any particular item. The reporter desperately tries to get all the important facts and essential viewpoints into his or her piece but, against a fast-approaching deadline, he or she must summarize in a sentence the complicated story. That is where the slippage occurs, and the summary too frequently, without intention, seems to emphasize one side or the other."
His take on TV journalism is interesting, but more time for the news reporters to present both sides seems unlikely in our sound bite society, which he neglects to note is an outcome of the TV media.
++++++
"I believe that most of us reporters are liberal, but not because we consciously have chosen that particular color in the political spectrum. More likely it is because most of us served our journalistic apprenticeships as reporters covering the seamier side of our cities -- the crimes, the tenement fires, the homeless and the hungry, the underclothed and undereducated.
We reached our intellectual adulthood with daily close-ups of the inequality in a nation that was founded on the commitment to equality for all. So we are inclined to side with the powerless rather than the powerful. If that is what makes us liberals so be it, just as long as in reporting the news we adhere to the first ideals of good journalism -- that news reports must be fair, accurate and unbiased. That clearly doesn't apply when one deserts the front page for the editorial page and the columns to which opinion should be isolated.
The perceived liberalism of television reporters, I am convinced, is a product of the limited time given for any particular item. The reporter desperately tries to get all the important facts and essential viewpoints into his or her piece but, against a fast-approaching deadline, he or she must summarize in a sentence the complicated story. That is where the slippage occurs, and the summary too frequently, without intention, seems to emphasize one side or the other."
August 25, 2003
Unclaimed Bodies Await Burial in France (washingtonpost.com)
A travesty of the first order...but what would one expect from the French? Other European countries saw 100 degree plus temperatures, but no news of extraordinary numbers of dead.
World Tribune.com--Front Page
If true that Iraq's WMD are in Lebanon or Syria, lots of questions will be answered. I'd think Special Ops forces can find out if the WMDs are, indeed there. Or is this a Special Ops ploy to stimulate the terrorist to move them?? Hmm...
ajc.com | News | Chemical in red wine may contribute to longer life
Red wine made from grapes grown under stressful conditions may produce a chemical that will allow us to partake of the 'French Connection.' Drinking red wine or in the future taking a drug found in the wine that will extend life has all the attributes of an economic boon for the wine business and, later, the drug business. Let's hope this pans out. After all, no one wants to die, do they?
August 24, 2003
Burlington Free Press - Editorial - Early Childhood Education
The Burlington Free Press continue to rightly espouse a higher level of education for Vermont's children. This editorial focuses of early childhood education and perceptively suggests that the Senate's version of Headstart improvements lacks the substance that recent research points to. The need for preschoolers, particularly form disavantaged and single parents, to mingle and learn from peers led by cognitive teachers, is a way to help these kids learn.
We are facing a future where Americans may be uneducated and ignorant absent substantial change in our education system. If we fall behind as a nation in educating our kids, we will surely fall behind other nations who do better in this regard.
We cannot afford to increase a welfare class because we will not be able to support them. We need as many Americans as possible supporting our country and its tax base. Otherwise we will lose our 'most favored nation' status in the world
We are facing a future where Americans may be uneducated and ignorant absent substantial change in our education system. If we fall behind as a nation in educating our kids, we will surely fall behind other nations who do better in this regard.
We cannot afford to increase a welfare class because we will not be able to support them. We need as many Americans as possible supporting our country and its tax base. Otherwise we will lose our 'most favored nation' status in the world
August 22, 2003
F.C.C. Discloses New Rules for Telecom Industry
A lawyer's glee is unrestrained! More later when I've had a chance to understand this order. It is a lawyer's dream because a policy of 'managed competition is not sustainable. Technology out races even the fastest attorneys.
++++++++++++++
"The final order, a result of a Congressionally mandated review, has pleased almost no one and will certainly lead to a wave of litigation. 'Every word will be challenged,' said Dana Frix, a telecommunications lawyer with Chadbourne & Parke who often represents the rivals to the Baby Bells. 'My children will go to college on this stuff. This is a lawyer's dream.'"
Mr. Powell is correct. The staes have a politicalincentive to keep rates low...'affordable' is the word that regulators love to interpret.
"Mr. Powell said the guidelines leave too much discretion to the states, which, he said, have great leeway in defining markets. "Every antitrust lawyer knows that the outcome of any case is generally won or lost over how the market is defined," he said in a statement, adding that the discretion will cause "gerrymandering" as states strive to maintain the regulation framework to keep prices artificially low."
++++++++++++++
"The final order, a result of a Congressionally mandated review, has pleased almost no one and will certainly lead to a wave of litigation. 'Every word will be challenged,' said Dana Frix, a telecommunications lawyer with Chadbourne & Parke who often represents the rivals to the Baby Bells. 'My children will go to college on this stuff. This is a lawyer's dream.'"
Mr. Powell is correct. The staes have a politicalincentive to keep rates low...'affordable' is the word that regulators love to interpret.
"Mr. Powell said the guidelines leave too much discretion to the states, which, he said, have great leeway in defining markets. "Every antitrust lawyer knows that the outcome of any case is generally won or lost over how the market is defined," he said in a statement, adding that the discretion will cause "gerrymandering" as states strive to maintain the regulation framework to keep prices artificially low."
August 21, 2003
Hamas and Islamic Jihad say Truce Over
These terrorists say the truce is over after one of them was responsible for the deaths of 20 Israelis in the bus bombing this week. Israel retaliated by surgically exterminating a Hamas leader and his bodyguards in Gaza.
Will it ever be clear that no peace is possible with extremists whose goal is the eradication of Israel? The terrorists must be eliminated.
People fail to accept reality, Bush included, that Jews and 'Palestinians' can never live in peace. Thousands of years of history show these spiritual enemies will not/cannot compromise. Break out your Bibles, people, and understand the reality that we may wish were not true.
Will it ever be clear that no peace is possible with extremists whose goal is the eradication of Israel? The terrorists must be eliminated.
People fail to accept reality, Bush included, that Jews and 'Palestinians' can never live in peace. Thousands of years of history show these spiritual enemies will not/cannot compromise. Break out your Bibles, people, and understand the reality that we may wish were not true.
In Frayed Networks, Common Threads
An interesting piece about large networks and grids. Power grids cry out for tight management and fail-safe load control but Internet gurus cry out for no controls... an interesting psychological difference between the power guys and Internet geeks.
August 20, 2003
Heat Death Toll Forces a Shocked France to Question Itself
C'est la vie! Can't interrupt that famous August vacation, can we?
If these French are typical, what is there about modern day France to be admired? I will continue to avoid French products and wine. Far be it from me to support these misfits. What a horrendous shame!
"Mr. Mazeyrie said many elderly people were left behind by vacationing families. Some, he said, informed of the death of relatives, postponed funerals, not to interrupt the Aug. 15 holiday weekend, and left the bodies in the refrigerated hall."
The French surgeon general, Dr. Lucien Abenhaim, resigned on Monday, the sole political victim of the crisis so far.
Today it was the turn of President Jacques Chirac, who was on vacation in Quebec for most of August, to take the heat. Mr. Chirac and the cabinet will review the crisis on Thursday.
But the popular daily Le Parisien asked today why Mr. Chirac, who expressed consternation at the bombing on Tuesday of the United Nations compound in Baghdad, in which at least 16 died, was silent about the heat wave, which killed thousands.
"To begin with, he will have to justify himself," the paper wrote. "What happened?"
Chirac is not fit to be a leader in the Western world.
If these French are typical, what is there about modern day France to be admired? I will continue to avoid French products and wine. Far be it from me to support these misfits. What a horrendous shame!
"Mr. Mazeyrie said many elderly people were left behind by vacationing families. Some, he said, informed of the death of relatives, postponed funerals, not to interrupt the Aug. 15 holiday weekend, and left the bodies in the refrigerated hall."
The French surgeon general, Dr. Lucien Abenhaim, resigned on Monday, the sole political victim of the crisis so far.
Today it was the turn of President Jacques Chirac, who was on vacation in Quebec for most of August, to take the heat. Mr. Chirac and the cabinet will review the crisis on Thursday.
But the popular daily Le Parisien asked today why Mr. Chirac, who expressed consternation at the bombing on Tuesday of the United Nations compound in Baghdad, in which at least 16 died, was silent about the heat wave, which killed thousands.
"To begin with, he will have to justify himself," the paper wrote. "What happened?"
Chirac is not fit to be a leader in the Western world.
Daniel Pipes Targeted for Speaking Truth
Dan Pipes is absolutely right in targeting radical Islam as the source of terror. Those arrayed against him including Ted Kennedy and our own Jim Jeffords fail to hear the truth and apparently believe these radical rascals can be reasoned with. Not a chance, they require eradication. Bush is absolutely right in listening to Pipes, no 'Johnny come lately' to Islamic terrorism.
Are Jeffords, Harkin and Kennedy blind?
"Several Senate Democrats, including Sens. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, have slammed Pipes, suggesting he is anti-Muslim, and that his nomination sends the wrong message to moderate Muslims working with the United States at home and abroad."
Zogby is an even bigger fool.
"Pipes “crosses the line, reaching over to vilification [of Muslims],” said James Zogby (search), director of the Arab American Institute (search). “It is an obsession with him. He doesn’t believe in rational dialogue and discourse.”"
You don't/can't have rational discourse with terrorists bent on destroying the US.
Are Jeffords, Harkin and Kennedy blind?
"Several Senate Democrats, including Sens. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, have slammed Pipes, suggesting he is anti-Muslim, and that his nomination sends the wrong message to moderate Muslims working with the United States at home and abroad."
Zogby is an even bigger fool.
"Pipes “crosses the line, reaching over to vilification [of Muslims],” said James Zogby (search), director of the Arab American Institute (search). “It is an obsession with him. He doesn’t believe in rational dialogue and discourse.”"
You don't/can't have rational discourse with terrorists bent on destroying the US.
Crowds Flock to Back Alabama Judge on Biblical Monument
Hang in there, Roy! Our system of law is based on the Judeo-Christian precepts of which the Ten Commandments stands as the cornerstone. This is not a religious issue. It is a recognition of the origins of our laws.
The Times article is written in a way that looks down on those who stand with your position. What would one expect from the Times?
The Times article is written in a way that looks down on those who stand with your position. What would one expect from the Times?
A conservative Vermpnter's View of Howard Dean
TURN LEFT AT VERMONT
By JOSEPH STERNBERG
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
People say the darnedest things on 'Larry King Live.' Remember Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos telling Larry, 'The president has kept the promises he meant to keep'? Well, last week it was Howard Dean's turn. Seems the liberal firebrand and presidential wannabe isn't a liberal after all; he's really a misunderstood moderate. 'Larry,' he said between commercial breaks, 'I am in the center. There's nothing that's not centrist about me.' Somebody better get Barbra Streisand some smelling salts. Apparently we had Dr. Dean all wrong. We
thought he was gaining momentum on the Democratic campaign trail by rallying the party's liberal base. Now he says he's a moderate? What explains the yawning gap between America's view of the man and the man's view of himself?
In a word, Vermont. The state Dr. Dean governed for more than 11 years is a quirky little patch, with politics to match. Vermont, after all, has given us the House's only self-described socialist, a Republican senator who eventually admitted he was about as comfortable in today's GOP as Ted Kennedy would be, and, of course, Ben &Jerry, the creators of the world's first PC ice cream. The state also boasts a small but potent Progressive Party (whose candidate for
lieutenant governor took 25% of the vote in 2002). No wonder Vermont produces a far-left candidate who says he's really a centrist. Back in the Green Mountains, he is one.
While governor, Dr. Dean had Progressives to his left and an eclectic bunch of conservatives to his right. His conservative constituents, already incensed by Vermont's insane environmental laws, were livid when Gov. Dean and the legislature (under orders from the state supreme court) enacted a radically redistributive property tax to finance education. But they were positively furious when Vermont became the testing ground for civil unions, and launched a massive "Take Back Vermont [from the hippies]" campaign. This was decried as homophobic by the left, which promptly printed bumper stickers proclaiming "Take Vermont Forward."
Throughout this skirmish, Gov. Dean remained aloof from the debate. The good doctor never did say what he thought about gay marriage. (In fact, he still hasn't -- he told Larry that he had "never thought about that very much," which would make him the only adult in Vermont not to have wrestled with the issue.) In any event, he eventually signed the civil-unions-which-is-still-not-gay-marriage law in a private non-ceremony in spring 2000.
That election cycle, liberals took to describing Ruth Dwyer, the socially conservative GOP candidate for governor, in terms which would have been reserved for a witch in an earlier age: She was an anti-abortion, anti-gay crusader who would destroy all that was good about Vermont; such is what passes for political discourse there. Gov. Dean's campaign rhetoric seemed tame by comparison: He merely reminded constituents that civil union wasn't marriage, and called for citizens to put divisive politics behind them. Which is how he turned favoring civil unions into a "moderate" stance.
So, too, with Dr. Dean's views on the war in Iraq. His statements on
President Bush's foreign policy are among the most liberal positions he has taken. Yet back home, they're truisms. In a state teeming with anti-Vietnam vets of the '60s, decrying any military intervention anywhere wins at least as much praise as protest. A multilateral approach involving the U.N. seems downright middle-of-the-road.
Not that the state's politics were always so. The past presidents who were born in Vermont, Chester Arthur and Calvin Coolidge, were Republicans. (Dr. Dean is a "flatlander," born in New York.) His predecessor as governor was a Republican, as was the incumbent that the state's Congressman, Bernie Sanders, unseated in 1990.
Vermonters once lived by an almost libertarian ethic; many old-timers still do. Mr. Sanders first won with support from the pro-gun crowd after Peter Smith, the sitting congressman, was too supportive of gun control. But as disaffected leftists have poured into Vermont in the last 30 years, the state's political "train" has chugged ever leftward. Dr. Dean just happens to have jumped off somewhere between far-left-of-center and even-farther-left. Moderate, in Vermont, is a state of mind.
-- Mr. Sternberg, an editorial page intern at the Journal, lives in Vermont.
By JOSEPH STERNBERG
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
People say the darnedest things on 'Larry King Live.' Remember Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos telling Larry, 'The president has kept the promises he meant to keep'? Well, last week it was Howard Dean's turn. Seems the liberal firebrand and presidential wannabe isn't a liberal after all; he's really a misunderstood moderate. 'Larry,' he said between commercial breaks, 'I am in the center. There's nothing that's not centrist about me.' Somebody better get Barbra Streisand some smelling salts. Apparently we had Dr. Dean all wrong. We
thought he was gaining momentum on the Democratic campaign trail by rallying the party's liberal base. Now he says he's a moderate? What explains the yawning gap between America's view of the man and the man's view of himself?
In a word, Vermont. The state Dr. Dean governed for more than 11 years is a quirky little patch, with politics to match. Vermont, after all, has given us the House's only self-described socialist, a Republican senator who eventually admitted he was about as comfortable in today's GOP as Ted Kennedy would be, and, of course, Ben &Jerry, the creators of the world's first PC ice cream. The state also boasts a small but potent Progressive Party (whose candidate for
lieutenant governor took 25% of the vote in 2002). No wonder Vermont produces a far-left candidate who says he's really a centrist. Back in the Green Mountains, he is one.
While governor, Dr. Dean had Progressives to his left and an eclectic bunch of conservatives to his right. His conservative constituents, already incensed by Vermont's insane environmental laws, were livid when Gov. Dean and the legislature (under orders from the state supreme court) enacted a radically redistributive property tax to finance education. But they were positively furious when Vermont became the testing ground for civil unions, and launched a massive "Take Back Vermont [from the hippies]" campaign. This was decried as homophobic by the left, which promptly printed bumper stickers proclaiming "Take Vermont Forward."
Throughout this skirmish, Gov. Dean remained aloof from the debate. The good doctor never did say what he thought about gay marriage. (In fact, he still hasn't -- he told Larry that he had "never thought about that very much," which would make him the only adult in Vermont not to have wrestled with the issue.) In any event, he eventually signed the civil-unions-which-is-still-not-gay-marriage law in a private non-ceremony in spring 2000.
That election cycle, liberals took to describing Ruth Dwyer, the socially conservative GOP candidate for governor, in terms which would have been reserved for a witch in an earlier age: She was an anti-abortion, anti-gay crusader who would destroy all that was good about Vermont; such is what passes for political discourse there. Gov. Dean's campaign rhetoric seemed tame by comparison: He merely reminded constituents that civil union wasn't marriage, and called for citizens to put divisive politics behind them. Which is how he turned favoring civil unions into a "moderate" stance.
So, too, with Dr. Dean's views on the war in Iraq. His statements on
President Bush's foreign policy are among the most liberal positions he has taken. Yet back home, they're truisms. In a state teeming with anti-Vietnam vets of the '60s, decrying any military intervention anywhere wins at least as much praise as protest. A multilateral approach involving the U.N. seems downright middle-of-the-road.
Not that the state's politics were always so. The past presidents who were born in Vermont, Chester Arthur and Calvin Coolidge, were Republicans. (Dr. Dean is a "flatlander," born in New York.) His predecessor as governor was a Republican, as was the incumbent that the state's Congressman, Bernie Sanders, unseated in 1990.
Vermonters once lived by an almost libertarian ethic; many old-timers still do. Mr. Sanders first won with support from the pro-gun crowd after Peter Smith, the sitting congressman, was too supportive of gun control. But as disaffected leftists have poured into Vermont in the last 30 years, the state's political "train" has chugged ever leftward. Dr. Dean just happens to have jumped off somewhere between far-left-of-center and even-farther-left. Moderate, in Vermont, is a state of mind.
-- Mr. Sternberg, an editorial page intern at the Journal, lives in Vermont.
August 19, 2003
sacbee.com -- AP State Wire News -- Text of Arnold Schwarzenegger's first television ad
The ultimate image ad by Arnold. More BS in the California circus. This is better than Saturday Night Live
Davis Accuses Republicans of Power Grab in Recall (washingtonpost.com)
"'This recall is bigger than California. What's happening here is part of an ongoing national effort by Republicans to steal elections they cannot win,' Davis said in a major speech that aides said he spent over a week shaping to kick off a campaign to keep the job he was reelected to only last November."
Pure, unadulterated BS from California's governor. Not much in the media about the legislature in California which carries as much or more blame for the CA financial fiasco as does Davis.
This nonsense about Republicans stealing elections is a gasping cry from Democrats who have no policy that resonates with thinking people. Davis is done for.
My question is who in this California circus will replace him?
Pure, unadulterated BS from California's governor. Not much in the media about the legislature in California which carries as much or more blame for the CA financial fiasco as does Davis.
This nonsense about Republicans stealing elections is a gasping cry from Democrats who have no policy that resonates with thinking people. Davis is done for.
My question is who in this California circus will replace him?
I.B.M. to Cut 600 at Chip Unit and Give 3,000 Unpaid Leave
A tragedy for those about to lose their jobs here in Vermont. Terrible and tough decision, but IMHO, IBM made a decision long ago to phase down the Burlington plant. They are choosing to do it in what they believe are tolerable bites to the local economy
Several Children Among the Dead in Bus Bombing in Jerusalem
Two stories today, this tragic act of terrorism in Jerusalem coupled with the terrorists who blew up the UN Hq in Iraq reinforce the terrible dilemma the free world finds itself in. These brutal acts of terrorism must be condemned and responded to. We must always be mindful that the radical Islamic extremists would love to suck us into a protracted war and occupation. We must be very cautious to avoid jihad. These killers must be found and exterminated.
My prayers are with the families of these innocent victims.
Never forget September11, 2001.
My prayers are with the families of these innocent victims.
Never forget September11, 2001.
August 18, 2003
Start-Up Plans to Introduce Alternate Wi-Fi Technology
Another new technology for wireless using smart antennas and MIMO (Multiple In Multiple Out) which is incompatible with the present WI-FI standard. Given the present deployment plans for WiFi, will Airgo derail present plans or will they target a different market? Wonder what that market is, business LANs and HDTV in the home?
August 15, 2003
Scientists Had Warned of Weak Power Grid (washingtonpost.com)
The NIMBYs and the environmentalists have thwarted the modernization of the transmission grid while laying a guilt trip on the the nation for not conserving enough to forestall these new lines and power plants. The jig's up. It's time to pay the piper.
Vermont's PSB has a proposal before it for a major upgrade to the grid with all the usual suspects arrayed against it. Let's see how long before this project is built.
++++++++++++++++++
"Experts said long-awaited upgrades have been flummoxed by property holders, environment lobbyists and politicians who require a crisis to push them to act.
The hurdles run from Wall Street's reluctance to invest in transmission capacity due to a lack of clear ground rules to the headaches involved in building new high-wire power lines across the most crowded parts of the region.
'Nobody wants it in their backyard,' said David K. Owens, executive vice president for the Edison Electric Institute in Washington, D.C., a lobby group for private power companies. 'There are parts of our nation where it's very difficult to build transmission because there's no place to put it.'"
Vermont's PSB has a proposal before it for a major upgrade to the grid with all the usual suspects arrayed against it. Let's see how long before this project is built.
++++++++++++++++++
"Experts said long-awaited upgrades have been flummoxed by property holders, environment lobbyists and politicians who require a crisis to push them to act.
The hurdles run from Wall Street's reluctance to invest in transmission capacity due to a lack of clear ground rules to the headaches involved in building new high-wire power lines across the most crowded parts of the region.
'Nobody wants it in their backyard,' said David K. Owens, executive vice president for the Edison Electric Institute in Washington, D.C., a lobby group for private power companies. 'There are parts of our nation where it's very difficult to build transmission because there's no place to put it.'"
Burlington Free Press - Editorial
Pulished...uncut. I wonder if the Freep archives opinion pieces for later retrieval?
This From Canada
Politicians are fearful of taking on this debate. Yet it must happen. Marriage is between one man and one woman. In the US, this issue needs to be put to a constitutional amendment vote sooner rather than later. Or pehaps our genetic tampering will make the problem moot?
++++++++++++
'Everybody I've talked to is getting just hundreds of letters and calls about it,' admits Liberal MP Roger Gallaway, who said that his riding office has been overwhelmed by constituents upset that the courts seem to be in charge of the country's definition of marriage, not federal politicians.
'People are frustrated. It's fine to say that this is about churches.
But it's not about churches; it's about an attack on the system of law making and public policy making in this country. We might as well fold up Parliament and let the judges run things.'
The Hill Times, Ottawa, Canada, Aug. 4, 2003
YOU'VE GOT MAIL
By Paco Francoli
++++++++++++
'Everybody I've talked to is getting just hundreds of letters and calls about it,' admits Liberal MP Roger Gallaway, who said that his riding office has been overwhelmed by constituents upset that the courts seem to be in charge of the country's definition of marriage, not federal politicians.
'People are frustrated. It's fine to say that this is about churches.
But it's not about churches; it's about an attack on the system of law making and public policy making in this country. We might as well fold up Parliament and let the judges run things.'
The Hill Times, Ottawa, Canada, Aug. 4, 2003
YOU'VE GOT MAIL
By Paco Francoli
Power Failure Reveals a Creaky System, Energy Experts Believe
We take so much for granted in our affluent society, yet when cold, hard realities confront us, we often fail to bite the bullet and build what's needed to support our need for electricity.
All the arguments for renewable energy and conservation as a replacement for the increasing need for power and the associated transmission capacity ring hollow in the face of a blackout with millions of people negatively affected.
Vermont regulators have a major proposal before them for additional transmission capacity to modernize of Vermont's grid. Also present are the usual voices of opposition and their mostly hollow arguments for conservation. I can't agree that we can save our way out of this infrastructure shortage.
One argument that I find particularly disturbing is the bogey man of health hazards from electromagnetic radiation. This fallacious 'scare' tactic based on junk science is tossed into the mix by opponents of cell/radio towers and transmission lines. Hopefully, regulators, intelligent media and an informed public will reject that nonsense.
Let's hope we have our minds rather than our emotions engaged to improve Vermont's transmission grid.
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"The North American Electric Reliability Council, which was set up by the utility industry after the blackout of 1965 to reduce the likelihood of cascading failures, said power problems were felt today throughout the eastern interconnection, which is most of the North American electric grid east of the Mississippi River. The South was unaffected by the event; the areas chiefly affected were around the Great Lakes, New York City, northern New Jersey and parts of New England, the council said.
Earlier this year, the council issued its annual summer reliability assessment of the supply of electricity, and concluded that the nation should have adequate resources. It warned of possible problems, particularly around New York City, if power generation should fall or if extreme weather produced unusual demand."
All the arguments for renewable energy and conservation as a replacement for the increasing need for power and the associated transmission capacity ring hollow in the face of a blackout with millions of people negatively affected.
Vermont regulators have a major proposal before them for additional transmission capacity to modernize of Vermont's grid. Also present are the usual voices of opposition and their mostly hollow arguments for conservation. I can't agree that we can save our way out of this infrastructure shortage.
One argument that I find particularly disturbing is the bogey man of health hazards from electromagnetic radiation. This fallacious 'scare' tactic based on junk science is tossed into the mix by opponents of cell/radio towers and transmission lines. Hopefully, regulators, intelligent media and an informed public will reject that nonsense.
Let's hope we have our minds rather than our emotions engaged to improve Vermont's transmission grid.
+++++++++++++++++++++
"The North American Electric Reliability Council, which was set up by the utility industry after the blackout of 1965 to reduce the likelihood of cascading failures, said power problems were felt today throughout the eastern interconnection, which is most of the North American electric grid east of the Mississippi River. The South was unaffected by the event; the areas chiefly affected were around the Great Lakes, New York City, northern New Jersey and parts of New England, the council said.
Earlier this year, the council issued its annual summer reliability assessment of the supply of electricity, and concluded that the nation should have adequate resources. It warned of possible problems, particularly around New York City, if power generation should fall or if extreme weather produced unusual demand."
August 13, 2003
Bloggers won't match Limbaugh =The Hill.com=
An interesting comparison of the influence Rush Limbaugh exerts on today's culture and political sphere and that of webloggers.
Some liberals will take this analysis to task, but it will be a long time before a blogger exerts the same influence on his audience as Limbaugh has demonstrated.
The Dems and liberals are beside themselves because they have no effective response. In truth, is it the lack of a liberal equivalent to Limbaugh or a dearth of ideas that burdens the liberal cause?
Some liberals will take this analysis to task, but it will be a long time before a blogger exerts the same influence on his audience as Limbaugh has demonstrated.
The Dems and liberals are beside themselves because they have no effective response. In truth, is it the lack of a liberal equivalent to Limbaugh or a dearth of ideas that burdens the liberal cause?
Arab Countries Have contributed Nothing to World progress in the 20th Century
This piece proclaims, accurately, I think, the lack of progress in the Muslim/Arab regions of the world, with some exceptions. This reality has created a cauldron of hate and resentment against the West and the USA in particular, mostly from envy and grinding poverty.
While much of Western culture is best not absorbed or emulated by Muslims or others in the regressed world, the scientific and technological advances of the secular Western societies stand in stark contrast to the failed Muslim/Arab example. Were it not for oil riches that the West needs, those countries the have become more affluent would likely be mired in the same poverty and destitution as the rest of the Muslim world.
If our experiment in Iraq is meant to show a different model for the Muslim world, we, and eventually the West, will expend enormous energy and treasure to deliver the success.
Generations of Muslim teachings and repression must be reversed. If we succeed, the Muslim world will become a direct threat to America and the West, along with China, owing to the sheer numbers of people who have the potential to thrive with a society and culture based on freedom and individual liberty.
I predict that in 50-100 years, absent devastating nuclear war, America will not be the dominant nation-state in the world
While much of Western culture is best not absorbed or emulated by Muslims or others in the regressed world, the scientific and technological advances of the secular Western societies stand in stark contrast to the failed Muslim/Arab example. Were it not for oil riches that the West needs, those countries the have become more affluent would likely be mired in the same poverty and destitution as the rest of the Muslim world.
If our experiment in Iraq is meant to show a different model for the Muslim world, we, and eventually the West, will expend enormous energy and treasure to deliver the success.
Generations of Muslim teachings and repression must be reversed. If we succeed, the Muslim world will become a direct threat to America and the West, along with China, owing to the sheer numbers of people who have the potential to thrive with a society and culture based on freedom and individual liberty.
I predict that in 50-100 years, absent devastating nuclear war, America will not be the dominant nation-state in the world
August 12, 2003
Tolerance and Values
Today I heard a bit of talk show where the host was bemoaning our society's pushing tolerance without a corresponding emphasis on moral and spiritual values. He contends this is a recipe for degradation of the culture. His basic point, which I share, is we are on a path to nowhere good unless people individually carry a sense of morality, i.e.' what's right and wrong.' Only on that basis can tolerance be taught and practiced.
Political correctness is a form of 'tolerance' that stifles original thinking and attacks morality and truth in the guise of not hurting anyone. This is nonsense and leads to intimidation, not critical thinking and creative discourse.
Political correctness is a form of 'tolerance' that stifles original thinking and attacks morality and truth in the guise of not hurting anyone. This is nonsense and leads to intimidation, not critical thinking and creative discourse.
Ice Age or Global Warming
A clever piece on the recent record temperatures in Britain and the great climatology debates. It has been 10,000 years since the last ice age and they seem to have been about 10,000 years apart historically.
August 11, 2003
California Secretary of State - Elections & Voter Information - Statewide Potential Candidates
Quantification of the parties and number of candidates in the CA recall. This frenzy will please the media no end!
Davis: Recall Bid an 'Insult' to Voters (washingtonpost.com)
Only in California!
From The Washington Post"
"With close to 200 candidates signed up to run, the ballot itself could be a real page-turner. On Monday, the secretary of state was scheduled to hold a random drawing to determine the order in which candidates' names will appear.
A lottery-style drawing of canisters will determine an initial random alphabetical order. If "U" is drawn first then Ueberroth may be listed near the top in District 1. If "C" is drawn second, then all the candidates whose name begins with "C" rank high. And so on through the alphabet.
"The big unknown is who will turn out to vote in this election," said John Pitney, government professor at Claremont McKenna College. "How many will vote on the recall question and then freeze when they see this list of over 100 names?"
For additional fairness, the listing of names on the ballot will be rotated across the state's 80 Assembly districts. The candidate at the top of the ballot in District 1 would go to the end of the ballot in District 2 so that every letter of the alphabet gets the top position somewhere in the state."
From The Washington Post"
"With close to 200 candidates signed up to run, the ballot itself could be a real page-turner. On Monday, the secretary of state was scheduled to hold a random drawing to determine the order in which candidates' names will appear.
A lottery-style drawing of canisters will determine an initial random alphabetical order. If "U" is drawn first then Ueberroth may be listed near the top in District 1. If "C" is drawn second, then all the candidates whose name begins with "C" rank high. And so on through the alphabet.
"The big unknown is who will turn out to vote in this election," said John Pitney, government professor at Claremont McKenna College. "How many will vote on the recall question and then freeze when they see this list of over 100 names?"
For additional fairness, the listing of names on the ballot will be rotated across the state's 80 Assembly districts. The candidate at the top of the ballot in District 1 would go to the end of the ballot in District 2 so that every letter of the alphabet gets the top position somewhere in the state."
TIME.com: Jesse Has Advice for Arnie -- Aug. 18, 2003
Seems solid advice to me. Let's see if Arnold can follow it. Of course this is all moot should Gray Davis choose to resign before the recall election. In that case, I think the Lt. Governor takes over automatically, at lease for a while.
August 8, 2003
August 6, 2003
Pastor Joe Wright Prayer in Kansas
When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Amen!"
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa, and Korea. Commentator Paul Harvey aired this on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to than any other.
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Amen!"
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa, and Korea. Commentator Paul Harvey aired this on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to than any other.
August 5, 2003
The New Yorker: The Talk of the Town
Fascinating rant about conservative talk radio and the attempt to create an alternative liberal network
August 2, 2003
BW Online | August 4, 2003 | Verizon's Gutsy Bet
BW Online | August 4, 2003 | Verizon's Gutsy Bet
Having known and worked for Ivan, he has the capacity to do this. He is smart, resourceful and steady under pressure. He's making a big bet on technology and the marketplace. The timing has never been right before, but the technology price points are now attractive.
Surprisingly, not mentioned in this piece is whether the strategy includes VOIP in this same interval. If so, I don't see how the capital requirement can cover that cost, too. VOIP MUST be part of this strategy for it to work because the cable guys will migrate to to it.
Having known and worked for Ivan, he has the capacity to do this. He is smart, resourceful and steady under pressure. He's making a big bet on technology and the marketplace. The timing has never been right before, but the technology price points are now attractive.
Surprisingly, not mentioned in this piece is whether the strategy includes VOIP in this same interval. If so, I don't see how the capital requirement can cover that cost, too. VOIP MUST be part of this strategy for it to work because the cable guys will migrate to to it.
August 1, 2003
All Four Stanzas of Our National Anthem
Never have seen all four stanzas of the National Anthem written and have never heard them sung.
Close Burlington's City Market?
When will Burlington leadership and the backers of this profitless venture admit failure and get out of the grocery business? This is a terrible testimony for an otherwise vibrant city.
+++++++++++++++
From a letter to The Dwinell Political Report 7/31/03:
"R. Spreeman, formerly of Colchester, now of Indiana:
On Sunday, July 27, the Free Press carried an interesting article on the Burlington Co-op, otherwise known as the City Market. I find this whole subject fascinating. To me, the City Market is a good example of something that was done the wrong way, and for the wrong reasons - an example of 'Progressive' government.
Despite the specifically-expressed choice of Burlington voters for a conventional supermarket to be opened downtown, the Progressives determined that they wanted the co-op to open a grocery store, rather than an evil (my term, not theirs) capitalist-run store. Voters be damned, the Progressive knew better!
That's the part I find scariest about the 'Progressives' (and other liberal types); they are sure they know best and the public should just let them make the decisions for us, be it in health care, schooling... even what kind of grocery store people shop at. Oh, they had their excuses, the proposal from Shaw's was too large or something, but you can't tell me a regular store could not have been built within the necessary constraints.
City Market has lost over $1,200 each and every day, on average, since it opened. Soon they will have to start repaying the principal on the government loans which helped build the store - an expense of an additional $425 per day. I wonder, are the Burlington Progressives as keen to play 'grocery store' now that the thing is a financial disaster? Doesn't 'Progressive' imply progress of some sort? Some progress - from no grocery store to one that is losing a fortune and which has not met the needs of the local shoppers. One person told me the place felt like a yuppie 'food boutique' to her; she immediately resumed shopping for her groceries at a conventional grocery store though it was further away."
++++++++
+++++++++++++++
From a letter to The Dwinell Political Report 7/31/03:
"R. Spreeman, formerly of Colchester, now of Indiana:
On Sunday, July 27, the Free Press carried an interesting article on the Burlington Co-op, otherwise known as the City Market. I find this whole subject fascinating. To me, the City Market is a good example of something that was done the wrong way, and for the wrong reasons - an example of 'Progressive' government.
Despite the specifically-expressed choice of Burlington voters for a conventional supermarket to be opened downtown, the Progressives determined that they wanted the co-op to open a grocery store, rather than an evil (my term, not theirs) capitalist-run store. Voters be damned, the Progressive knew better!
That's the part I find scariest about the 'Progressives' (and other liberal types); they are sure they know best and the public should just let them make the decisions for us, be it in health care, schooling... even what kind of grocery store people shop at. Oh, they had their excuses, the proposal from Shaw's was too large or something, but you can't tell me a regular store could not have been built within the necessary constraints.
City Market has lost over $1,200 each and every day, on average, since it opened. Soon they will have to start repaying the principal on the government loans which helped build the store - an expense of an additional $425 per day. I wonder, are the Burlington Progressives as keen to play 'grocery store' now that the thing is a financial disaster? Doesn't 'Progressive' imply progress of some sort? Some progress - from no grocery store to one that is losing a fortune and which has not met the needs of the local shoppers. One person told me the place felt like a yuppie 'food boutique' to her; she immediately resumed shopping for her groceries at a conventional grocery store though it was further away."
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