I'm reading Jonaha Goldberg's book "Liberal Fascism" so was checking around, googling his name. I wouldn't have bought the book but lately I've been resolved to kick my reeely reeely noxious book-buying habit so am going to the library. I picked up the book and thumbed through it -- it doesn't seem to me to match its cover, to its benefit. I'm enjoying it.
So this article was on The Corner, Jonah Goldberg.
Too Good To Check I get a lot of email lately saying the Corner is too dour. Well, lighten up:
I am auntie to little Smarty, my friend Carolyn's amazing dog. He appeared today in the Skagit Valley Herald, showing only part of what he does for a job -- he is a dog of many talents. Here's the whole article, plus photo:
Second-graders Olin Benson, left, and Connor Jacobsen enjoy some lap time with Smarty recently. Teams with Dogs on Call, a local all-volunteer organization, visit the Mount Erie Elementary School classroom every week to help with lessons. The organization takes certified person-dog pairs and matches them to volunteer opportunities in the area, including visiting nursing homes and being reading partners at schools.
Kimberly Jacobson
Ananda Small shakes Houdini’s paw as she hands him a treat.
The Mount Erie Elementary School second-grader got to pet the large, black poodle as a reward for finishing her writing assignment.
Every week Small looks forward to visits from her four-legged friends.
“I like them because we get to do fun things with them like math with them and projects,” she said.
Two weeks ago, students in Tracy Catlin’s classroom were comparing and contrasting Houdini with the much smaller Smarty.
“Smarty is about the size of a Chihuahua. Houdini is bigger than a coyote, almost as big as a wolf,” said Tommy Peak, pointing to his list of similar and different characteristics.
Wal-Mart in Arizona has eliminated the use of plastic bags. I don't know if it's going to be policy in all locations.But the concern is based on bad science:
Scientists and environmentalists have attacked a global campaign to ban plastic bags which they say is based on flawed science and exaggerated claims.
The widely stated accusation that the bags kill 100,000 animals and a million seabirds every year are false, experts have told The Times. They pose only a minimal threat to most marine species, including seals, whales, dolphins and seabirds…
Clenched fist hits President Obama upside the head, signaling perception of weak horse. Positive actions on the part of the U.S. would include that we STFU about Iran's nuclear ambitions.
...Obama doesn't believe in threats. He believes that we should speak nicely to our enemies, and carry no stick.
Shortly after the release of the videocast, Iran's energy minister, Parviz Fattah, said that his country would "finish and operate" the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant by the end of this year. He, along with a leading adviser to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, stressed that this nice talk from the American president had to be followed by positive actions. Obama would like mutual respect--but the Iranians smell weakness.
...and I know that everybody has pretty much seen this already, and I know I can go to hell for thinking it's funny -- but I watched it again and snorfled and spat my coffee.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
No laughing matter [Mark Steyn] In turbulent times, it's good to know some things never change. After a week in which President Obama thanked himself for inviting him to the White House, compared AIG executives to suicide bombers, and did the first Presidential retard joke on national TV, I was impressed to find that Slate is bravely keeping up its Bushism Of The Dayfeature.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Will we chart our own course, or will Washington engineer it for us?”-- Sarah Palin, explaining why she is turning down part of stimulus funding.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
On March 20, 1854, fifty-eight civil rights activists called for all opponents of slavery to unite in a new organization, to be called "the Republican Party." This name had a past as well as a future, since Thomas Jefferson and many other Founders had called themselves "Republicans."
Someone may want to remind the Republican National Committee, whose website makes no mention of this.and many other Founders had called themselves "Republicans."
AIG and "shariah-compliant finance" lawsuit from the Thomas More organization -- "[T]he federal government is now the owner of a corporation engaged in the business of collecting religious taxes to fund interests adverse to the United States, Christians, Jews, and all other 'infidels' under Islamic law". AIG's advisor:
Dr. Usmani is the son, student, and dedicated disciple of Mufti Taqi Usmani, who is the leading Shariah authority for Shariah-compliant finance in the world and the author of a book translated into English in 1999 that includes an entire chapter dedicated to explaining why a Western Muslim must engage in violent jihad against his own country or government.
Today is the feast of St. Joseph, and it is the day the swallows return to Mission San Juan Capistrano. The mission site has a lovely account of the legend of the swallows. Here's a little bit:
The very next morning, the padre discovered the swallows busy building their nests outside the newly restored sacristy of Father Serra's Church.Another favorite spot was the ruins of the Great Stone Church, which was once lined with hundreds of swallows' nests.
Fr. O'Sullivan noticed that the small birds migrated south in the autumn and returned to the Mission in spring on St. Joseph's Day, March 19th.Upon their arrival, the swallows immediately went to work patching up their old nests, building new ones, and disputing possession of others with 'vagrant sparrow families' as they may have taken up illegal quarter there during the swallows' absence.
With a great flutter of wings, the swallows would peck at the soil, fly with a bit of it from the old Mission lagoon to the northeast of the buildings.Using the water they made a paste of the earth in their beaks, amid more fluttering of wings at the pond's edge.They then flew to the eaves of the Mission to deliver their loads of mud plaster for the walls of their inverted houses, and, as O'Sullivan observed, "receive the noisy congratulations of their mates".
"Bills of attainder, ex post facto laws, and laws impairing the obligations of contracts, are contrary to the first principles of the social compact, and to every principle of sound legislation. ... The sober people of America are weary of the fluctuating policy which has directed the public councils. They have seen with regret and indignation that sudden changes and legislative interferences, in cases affecting personal rights, become jobs in the hands of enterprising and influential speculators, and snares to the more-industrious and less-informed part of the community."
The wild women of my family got together on Friday the 13th to get in touch with our bad selves. Casting all caution to the wind, we went to a place where you paint ceramics. Pictures below.
We gathered to remember Auntie Ev -- it was good to see the cousins. We talked about putting together a Voda Family Cookbook, and I'd really like to do that. So I'll email people and get us started.
Evelyn Marie Voda was my godmother. She was born in 1917 and she died this month. She was always a beautiful woman. I remember when we'd get together, the family with cousins and aunts and uncles -- we'd arrive and some cousins would come up to greet us and we'd always know Aunt Ev had been there because each child would have on his head a bright lipstick kiss. She was always, always beautifully put together, and she was always gracious and affectionate.
My mom would tell of the good times they had during the War, when Mom lived with her older brother Lee who was recently married to Ev. If you look at the picture below right you can see Ev with her white gloves. Mom said Ev was so fastidious that she would wash her one pair of gloves each night and put them out to dry so she would be immaculate when she left for work in the morning. Mom said she never, ever missed a night.
For years she worked at Disneyland, in the lost child center. We'd stop by to see her and she'd be all dressed in her uniform, and she would often give us a little something from her pocket. She always remembered that I liked a special licorice from Main Street. There are more pictures below the break.
It was. He was repeating the speech President Barack Obama had just read from the same teleprompter.
Mr Cowen stopped, turned to the president and said: "That's your speech."
A laughing Mr Obama returned to the podium to take over but it seems the script had finally been switched and the US president ended up thanking himself for inviting everyone to the party.
Mr Obama is an accomplished orator but is becoming known in America as the "teleprompt president" over his reliance on the machine when he gives a speech.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Director of Homeland Security.
Janet Napolitano: "I presume there is always a threat from terrorism. In my speech, although I did not use the word "terrorism," I referred to "man-caused" disasters."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
UPDATE: The White House has backed off from this. You have to wonder what the thinking was that led them to propose this in the first place. Was it a trial balloon to see what the reaction would be? Could they really think the people wouldn't go ballistic and think this administration should go to Oz to seek a brain and a heart? Seriously, what were they thinking?
Commander-in-Chief.
WASHINGTON, March 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The leader of the nation’s largest veterans organization says he is “deeply disappointed and concerned” after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.
“It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan,” said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. “He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it.” (Yahoo News.)
