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Under the hood

I’ve upgraded the blog to WordPress 2.5.1. Let us know if you notice anything amiss.

(I upgraded all the way from 2.0.4 to 2.5.1. If you’re thinking about doing it as well, just to be safe I upgraded in steps. First to 2.1.3, then to 2.2.3, then 2.3.3 and finally to 2.5.1.)

Posted: May 11, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Under: Technical | 1 Comment »

Red and blue through the Gray Lady’s eyes

The New York Times today published a fairly credible map of the current electoral college landscape.

The tally shows John McCain with 24 states worth a total of 200 electoral votes safely in his corner while Barak Obama can sleep easy about 12 states and D.C. worth 172 electoral votes.

The map is a bit deceiving in that the “battleground” states are shaded red or blue not based on who is currently leading there, but on how each voted in 2004.  While there are roughly an equal number of red and blue states that could flip this November, the most vulnerable blue states (some of which in McCain is either tied or ahead) represent much larger electoral prizes (Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michian) than do the most vulnerable red states (Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico). 

Happily, McCain’s 200 solid electoral votes do not include Florida, where he boasts a strong lead currently or Virginia where, despite worrisome demographic trends, McCain seems to maintain a stubborn lead. 

I am in no way minimizing the enormous task Senator McCain has in front of him, but I would rather be in his position than that of his adversary.  Obama may have history, party ID, right track/wrong track and Bush fatigue working in his favor but McCain is strong in the one area that will actually decide who takes the oath of office next January.

Posted: May 11, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Under: 2008, Elections, McCain, Obama | No Comments »

Thanks, Jeff

I would love to tell you we have been ‘off the air’ for the last 2 days in observation of Mother’s Day.  But Mom told me not to lie.

Thanks to Jeff for getting us back up. 

Posted: May 11, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Under: Technical | No Comments »

Scarborough flair

My Scarborough for veep post made it to the front page of RealClearPolitics.

But I’ll take a link on Shot over RCP any day — even when Mitch rips me a new poopy hole.

Posted: May 9, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Under: MOB | No Comments »

I’ll let this res ipsa loquitur

From the New York Sun:

Lawyers for Mayor Bloomberg are asking a judge to ban any reference to the Second Amendment during the upcoming trial of a gun shop owner who was sued by the city. While trials are often tightly choreographed, with lawyers routinely instructed to not tell certain facts to a jury, a gag order on a section of the Constitution would be an oddity.

“Apparently Mayor Bloomberg has a problem with both the First and the Second amendments,” Lawrence Keane, the general counsel of a firearms industry association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, said.

The trial, set to begin May 27, involves a Georgia gun shop, Adventure Outdoors, which the city alleges is responsible for a disproportionate number of the firearms recovered from criminals in New York City. The gun store’s owner, Jay Wallace, says his store abides by Georgia and federal regulations and takes steps to avoid selling firearms to gun traffickers. Mr. Wallace’s store is one of 27 out-of-state gun shops sued by New York City, and the first to go to trial.

City lawyers, in a motion filed Tuesday, asked the judge, Jack Weinstein of U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, to preclude the store’s lawyers from arguing that the suit infringed on any Second Amendment rights belonging to the gun store or its customers. In the motion, the lawyer for the city, Eric Proshansky, is also seeking a ban on “any references” to the amendment.

“Any references by counsel to the Second Amendment or analogous state constitutional provisions are likewise irrelevant,” the brief states.

Many Americans believe that the Second Amendment provides an individual the right to own a gun. Others believe that it provides no right to private gun ownership, but gives states the power to keep militias.

In a recent court deposition, Mayor Bloomberg said he believed “the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights gives you the right to keep and bear arms.” But in a recent brief to the Supreme Court, lawyers for Mr. Bloomberg argued that the amendment “was not intended to vest armed power in citizens acting outside of any governmental military effort — either federal or state.”

Posted: May 9, 2008 at 11:33 am
Under: 2nd Amendment, The face of the Left | No Comments »

Quit worrying about Franken’s taxes

and start worrying about mine.

A friend in high places just emailed me the Club For Growth’s dispiriting 2007 scorecard.  Norm Coleman scored a dismal 43% and is the 42nd best Senator for economic growth.

Forty friggin’ second.  Cripes.

Posted: May 9, 2008 at 11:04 am
Under: Coleman, GOP, R.I.P., Taxes, US Senate, public policy | No Comments »

Ban criminals first

I’ve waited a while to comment on a recent shooting which took place in Philadelphia where a well respected law enforcement officer was killed during a bank robbery escape by a repeat offender who fired 5 shots from an SKS rifle. I’ve waited because we knew that eventually the anti-gun forces would spin the actions of a criminal into a case to ban more firearms. Here is such an example:

Yesterday’s news conference grew contentious when a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter questioned whether the SKS Carbine was technically an assault weapon, noting that the National Rifle Association disagreed with the classification and that a search on www.wikipedia.com brought up information saying it was not.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey then got into the mix.

“I don’t care about Wikipedia or any other kind of pedias,” he said. “If it’s not an assault weapon by definition, then add it to the freaking list.”

Though I wouldn’t mind doing it, I will avoid a full technical discussion on the specifics of the SKS rifle other than to say the SKS has never been classified as an “assault weapon” under any previous definition. The SKS generally has a fixed 10 round magazine but it would appear that the criminal in this case had added a detachable 30 round magazine to his SKS, which also does not make it an “assault weapon” by previous definitions. He fired 5 shots so does it really matter what magazine was attached?

Folks, the wool is off. The goal of the gun ban movement is now the banning of any semi-automatic weapon, whether it externally represents a military weapon or not. Previous attempts to say a weapon was an “assault weapon” based on features such as a bayonet lug or pistol grip don’t matter anymore. I’ve always placed “assault weapon” in quotes intentionally, because it is just a buzz word that the anti-gun forces created as a way to frighten and confuse 90% of Americans who don’t realize these aren’t machine guns and that semi-autos have been around for over 100 years now.

Both the Mayor of Philadelphia and the Governor of Pennsylvania are using the death of a law enforcement officer to try to have the SKS banned along with a whole host of firearms used by gun collectors, hunters, shooters, and anyone else who exercises their right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment.

The criminal in this shooting fired 5 shots from a semi-automatic rifle. Would the Mayor and Governor not care if the officer had been shot with 5 Double-Ought buckshot rounds from a 12 gauge “hunting shotgun” or a 5 rounds from a semi-auto pistol? The answer is that they can’t ban those yet so they’ll start with banning something that leads to their ultimate goal of banning everything.

Is it only because the criminal used a weapon that fits in with the Mayor and Governor’s political agenda to ban guns that they care about the life of this officer and are making such a big deal about his death? I hope not.

Additionally, I’m angry that it is because of the actions of some fucking low life repeat offender criminal who had escaped from a half-way house that my rights are under attack. I’m a responsible, law abiding, all around good guy who likes to shoot firearms. I’m not going to stand by and have my rights taken away because of the actions of the lowest of the low in our society.

Posted: May 9, 2008 at 10:32 am
Under: 2nd Amendment, The face of the Left, Western Civilization - it was one heck of a run | No Comments »

Krasnaya Ploshchad

It reminds me of the heady days of Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin when the world trembled at the sound of our rockets.

-Ramius, Hunt for Red October

Are we wide awake? Is the world aware?
Radiation over red square
Creeping on to cross roman roads
Fear of freezing in the soviet snow

-Shona Laing, Soviet Snow 

In a not so subtle message to the world, Russia has resumed a tradition not seen in some years,

Heavy weaponry including tanks and missiles are rolling through Red Square in the annual Victory Day parade for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Victory Day, marking the defeat of Nazi Germany, is Russia’s most important secular holiday — a time both to honor the enormous sacrifices of World War II and to assert the country’s military strength.

Russia in recent years has nearly quadrupled its defense spending, aiming to resuscitate the military forces that deteriorated severely in the post-Soviet period.

In our trips to Russia, Red Square was one of the most beautiful spaces we saw in Moscow. A wide expanse of pavement, framed on the sides by the Kremlin and the GUM shopping mall, and on the ends by the State Historical Museum and the stunning St. Basil’s Cathedral.

The square rises to a peak where Lenin’s Tomb sits, with the shorter end of the square towards the museum. (The longer slope forms a sort of amphitheater, and when Paul McCartney performed in Red Square, the stage was down towards St. Basil’s.)

In the Kremlin wall behind Lenin’s Tomb are interred many Soviet heroes. A number of Soviet leaders are also buried right there, including Stalin. These ghosts look out on this square that has seen so much history.

While walking around Red Square, though, we noted that there were lines painted on the pavement. These were traffic markings for guiding parades through the Square.

Russia is facing serious demographic and social challenges, which windfall energy profits are masking to some degree. It is unsettling that Russia would play this military intimidation card.

Posted: May 9, 2008 at 9:58 am
Under: Russia | No Comments »

Please don’t try this excuse at home

Physician, analyze thyself. From The Australian…

Posted: May 9, 2008 at 9:30 am
Under: Western Civilization - it was one heck of a run | No Comments »

Sic semper tyrannis

From an event at the Cato Institute:

Taxation was central to the evolution of government in colonial America, and complaints about taxation led directly to the Revolution in 1776. Taxation in Colonial America provides a definitive history of taxation in the colonies from Jamestown to the Revolution. In almost 1,000 pages, Rabushka’s book covers an array of fascinating subjects such as the monetary systems of the colonies, British governance and politics, tax evasion and tax revolts, the development of colonial legislatures, and differences in tax systems between the colonies. The level of interesting detail about both tax and nontax subjects in this book is astounding. This forum will be a treat for anyone interested in taxation, American history, or the development of English and American political structures.

Here is the audio.

Posted: May 9, 2008 at 9:27 am
Under: Taxes | No Comments »

It all fits together now

Headline:  Code Pink Protesters Try Witchcraft at Anti-Marine Rallies

 

And for their contribution to whirled peas, TvM presents Code Pink with a collective Beloved ‘Aunt’ Award.

Posted: May 9, 2008 at 8:05 am
Under: Fun with Headlines, arcane references to profanity-laden cable TV series, misogyny | No Comments »

An outside the box choice for vice president

I’m already on record saying I believe Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty will be John McCain’s choice to share the ticket — even if the notion doesn’t quicken the pulse of conservatives.  I base this on Senator McCain’s penchant to reward loyalty (T-Paw has been nothing if not loyal) and the fact that many beltway establishment Republican types like Vin Weber, pollster Tony Fabrizio and fmr. RNC chairman Ken Mehlman seem to be grooming the Governor for the national stage.

The problem is that the GOP has a a dearth of talent in both our gubernatorial and congressional ranks. I couldn’t help but read this Redstate roundtable on possible veep choices and feel discouraged — much like those who participated in the discussion.  The most likely choices all have significant electoral or ideological shortcomings.  Meanwhile, two of the more exciting prospects, Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin, are long on vision but short on experience.

My reptilian brain stem has been working on finding someone who meets the following seemingly impossible criteria: 1) palatable (if not exciting) to conservatives; 2) satisfactory name recognition; 3) geographic advantages; 4) able to reaffirm McCain’s maverick creds; 5) able to assume the presidency should tragedy strike; 6) not necessarily currently in politics.

Allow me to offer the name of MSNBC host and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough.

Scarborough boasts a rock-solid lifetime ACU rating of 95.  Even so, he does not shrink from criticizing Republicans when events warrant so he would help brandish the McCain maverick brand.  He does not harken from, or have any association with, the unpopular Bush Administration or current congressional GOP leadership as he left the House to spend more time with his children in early 2001.  His name recognition is not off the charts but would still probably exceed that of many of the other contenders.  He is obviously telegenic and well-spoken.  His 3 terms in Congress and his daily appearance on MSNBC have made him well-versed in all the major issues of the day.  And he served Florida’s 1st congressional district, a McCain-leaning state but one we can not win without.

Whaddya say?

Posted: May 9, 2008 at 6:35 am
Under: 2008, Elections, bucket of warm piss | 2 Comments »

No greater love

Thanks, Night Writer, for this post.

And yes, I’ll follow your admonition.

Posted: May 9, 2008 at 12:02 am
Under: Miscellany | No Comments »

Fun fact

My left hand makes an “L” with my index finger and thumb, but if I turn my right hand palm up, it does too.

Posted: May 8, 2008 at 9:37 am
Under: Miscellany | 4 Comments »

Theocratic antiquity on display in Minnesota

Tom Scheck of Polinaut pointed out that a little-known antiquity scholars call the “Declaration of Independence” will be on display in Minnesota for the next several days. 

It appears the ancients had a dangerous penchant to believe in objective truth — things that could be discerned by the “Laws of Nature” and “Nature’s God”.  Praise be to Obama that we have evolved past this belief in a timeworn Hebrew god and now understand we are all gods. 

Fortunately, teaching of this dangerous document has been excised from our public schools.  The parchment speaks of that quaint bourgeois notion of “self-evident truths”.  Today, of course, we understand that “truth” is what each one of us holds to be “true” for ourselves. 

We urge caution in showing the document to children until they are better able to discern that such appeals to “truth”, “Divine Providence” and “consent of the governed” are hateful notions we shed many epochs ago.

Posted: May 7, 2008 at 7:34 am
Under: History, Western Civilization - it was one heck of a run | No Comments »

A show with everything but Yul Brenner

The NRA’s annual meeting is coming up in Louisville, KY on the weekend of May 17. I’ve been to two annual meetings previously, but 2008 sounds like the one everyone should really attend.

The exhibit hall, where you get to handle every new firearm on the market, is worth the trip by itself, but look who will be at the Leadership Dinner on May 16:

When was the last time you had a chance to hear national opinion leaders. Confirmed speakers for the event, in the order they will speak, include Governor Steve Beshear, Karl Rove, Ollie North, Governor Mike Huckabee, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Ambassador John Bolton, Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell, Governor Mitt Romney, Congressman Dan Boren, and Senator Mitch McConnell.

I’d love to meet Ollie North. I still have a copy of Time magazine from 1987 with him on the cover that I hope to have him autograph some day.

And in a surprise announcement, USA Today tells us who else will be there:

LOUISVILLE (AP) — The National Rifle Association says Republican presidential candidate John McCain is scheduled to give a speech during a forum at the NRA’s annual meeting next week in Louisville.

Posted: May 6, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Under: 2nd Amendment | 5 Comments »

Comments

We removed the registration requirement for comments, to make it easier to leave comments.

It was there to help keep out spam, but we’ll see how this goes, and see if the internal anti-spam gnomes do their job.

Comment away.

Posted: May 6, 2008 at 11:36 am
Under: Technical | 5 Comments »

I can’t remember the last time I ate corn

Given the explosion in food prices, we were wondering if anyone would have the guts to stand up to Big Corn, and it looks like these 24 Republican senators, including Senator John McCain are doing just that.

Senate Republicans on Monday asked environmental regulators to use their power to halt the country’s ethanol output expansion plans amid rising food prices.

Twenty-four Republican senators, including presidential candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona, sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency suggesting it waive, or restructure, rules that require a five-fold increase in ethanol production over the next 15 years.

If people wanted to burn food as fuel, the market would demand it. Instead, we have to subsidize ethanol makers just to produce it.

“This subsidized (ethanol) program - paid for by taxpayer dollars - has contributed to pain at the cash register, at the dining room table, and a devastating food crisis throughout the world,” said McCain, in a statement.

Despite tough rhetoric from lawmakers, analysts say Congress is unlikely to roll back such a popular program during an election year.

Popular? Popular with whom? I don’t know anyone demanding ethanol be mixed with his gasoline.

Thanks to these senators for showing some leadership. It is a tough issue to deal with, but given the impact of using corn for fuel instead of food, I think they are on the right side of the issue both politically and ideologically.

Posted: May 6, 2008 at 9:17 am
Under: 2008, bovine flatulence & sun spots | 1 Comment »

When you know you have a bad health care plan

From The Australian,

A father says his wife had to give birth without anaesthetic in a toilet at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital.

The man, identified as Nick Patfaidif, called Fairfax Radio Network in Sydney this morning, saying staff had been “too busy” to administer an epidural.

“Basically we were told to wait, there was no staff,” he said.

“She was basically screaming down the whole place, she was screaming in agony.

“(We) requested an epidural an hour and half before the water was broken.

“(We were told) `Guess what guys, the anesthetist is too busy’ … the anesthetist never showed up.”

Medidon’tcare?

Posted: May 5, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Under: Healthcare | No Comments »

The Navy’s “Dale Jr.” Division

I was invited to participate in the DoD’s Bloggers Roundtable discussions, and today’s roundtable featured Navy Capt. Jack Hanzlik, public affairs officer for the Chief of Naval Personnel talking about the Navy’s new “Dale Jr.” Division.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., team owner of the No. 88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Monte Carlo SS, is photographed during a recent production day for the Dale Jr. Division, a national-level, first-of-its-kind Navy recruiting program. To officially launch the division May 24, Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 83 Navy Dale Jr. Division car in the Nationwide Series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Andrea Ross (Released)

A Navy announcement a couple weeks ago announced what the program is about.

The U.S. Navy and NASCAR’s five-time most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., announced April 25 the formation of the Dale Jr. Division, an 88-person boot camp division at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.

Potential Sailors will be able to start signing up for the division, May 24, at their local recruiting station.

To officially launch the division, Earnhardt Jr. will drive the JR Motorsports No. 83 Navy Dale Jr. Division Monte Carlo SS in the NASCAR Nationwide Series CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, May 24. The national recruiting effort is the first of its kind for the Navy, and will be supported by a national advertising and marketing campaign.

“This is the first time we’ve developed a national-level recruiting program, focused on the synergy of the Navy and a high performing, non-military partner,” said Capt. Jack Hanzlik, Chief of Naval Personnel, public affairs officer. “NASCAR is a high-tech sport and the type of equipment, teamwork and commitment required to be a winning organization is very similar to what it takes to succeed in the Navy - that’s why we’ve partnered with the top team in the industry.

Here is the transcript of today’s roundtable. I liked Capt. Hanzlik’s answer to how NASCAR and the Navy might be similar.

Then you step into high optempo where, you know, the car comes into the pit and you’ve got a team that’s trying to change tires, clean a windshield, fuel the car, get the driver a, you know, quick drink of whatever; ask whatever, you know, things need to be tweaked, in a matter of less than 15 seconds.

And they’re doing that with, you know, very, very — they’ve each mastered their skills. And then they master the communication aspect of doing their work that they have to do.

And again I’m going to go back to my aviation experience. But my time on the flight deck of a carrier, I watched men and women who were, you know, very, very competent in what they did. They had to master their skills to move those aircraft around the flight deck, launch them from the flight deck.

But most importantly was, or just as important was, the communications aspects and the sequencing of that. Because if you didn’t have that right, that’s when people got injured. And so the teamwork and all of that, that goes into it, it’s just — it’s the same.

And so I found great similarities there in technology, skill development, competence and the communication aspects of it. It’s really neat.

The program endeavors to hit three elements,

So the three elements that we now are trying to really capture with this is recruiting, morale for those folks that are already currently in the service, and media.

Here is audio of the roundtable. It lasts about 25 minutes.

(cross-posted at Peace Like A River)

Posted: May 5, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Under: National Security | 1 Comment »

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