WILLisms.com: August 2005 Archives

« July 2005 | WILLisms.com | September 2005 »

Trivia Tidbit Of The Day: Part 155 -- Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)-

The Bush administration announced that it would tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to alleviate some of the supply disruptions caused by Hurricane Katrina. Shortly after 9/11, President Bush ordered the SPR filled. Over the past year or two, President Bush caught plenty of flak when his administration continued to fill the SPR when oil was 50 dollars a barrel. But filling the reserve was a priority for national security, so today the reserve is as full as it has ever been and near capacity (727 million barrels).

If OPEC (and the rest of the world) shut down oil shipments to the U.S., we could tap into the SPR for roughly two months and be just fine. The idea there is that two months is plenty of time to liberate a country or two and get the oil flowing again. Two months of no petroleum shipments to the U.S. would also put the serious hurt on the economies of those implementing the embargo. Thus, the existence of the SPR forces countries to think twice before using oil as a geostragetical weapon against America.

Some quick facts on the SPR:

* Average price paid for oil in the Reserve - $27.25 per barrel
* Maximum drawdown capability - 4.4 million barrels per day

* Time for oil to enter U.S. market - 13 days from Presidential decision

* Investment to date - More than $21 billion ($4 billion for facilities; $17 billion for crude oil)

* When did it first open? - On July 21, 1977, the first oil - approximately 412,000 barrels of Saudi Arabian light crude - was delivered to the SPR. Fill of the Nation's emergency oil reserve had begun.

Interestingly, the SPR is stored not in large above-ground tanks but a series of salt formations along the Gulf Coast. We pump oil into the ground, in other words:

Stockpiling oil in artificially-created caverns deep within the rock-hard salt costs historically about $3.50 per barrel in capital costs. Storing oil in aboveground tanks, by comparison, can cost $15 to $18 per barrel - or at least five times the expense. Also, because the salt caverns are 2000-4000 feet below the surface, geologic pressures will seal any crack that develops in the salt formation, assuring that no crude oil leaks from the cavern.

This is another neat national security feature: underground salt caverns, dispersed geographically. No single terrorist attack or other incident could knock out the SPR.

-------------------------------------

Previous Trivia Tidbit: Consumer Confidence.

Posted by Will Franklin · 31 August 2005 10:48 PM · Comments (4)

Wednesday Caption Contest: Part 21.

This week's WILLisms.com Caption Contest photograph:

The actual caption:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (R) and US civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson shake hands at a press conference at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, 29 August, 2005. President Chavez said he hoped to improve rocky relations with the United States(AFP/File)

There must be a better caption out there for this photograph.

Entries will remain open until 11:59 PM, Central Standard Time, Tuesday, September 6. Submit your captions in the comments section, or email at WILLisms@gmail.com.

Last week's photo:

Winners from last week:

Hoodlumman:

Months of training had paid off as Mark led the field going into round two at the regional Nun Tossing Finals.

Mr. Michael:

A stage crew member for the acclaimed live performance of "Inflatable Nuns" works to inflate one of fifty display Nuns before the main performance begins. Shows run through Saturday. (Stringer/Reuters)

Jim Rose:

Belgian sister Johanne Vertomme proves that virgins are, indeed, very uptight.

Captioning makes you 47% classier. Enter today!

Posted by Will Franklin · 31 August 2005 09:44 AM · Comments (31)

Some Call It A Bonfire/Carnival Of Classiness...

We call it "Classiness, All Around Us."

Click to explore more WILLisms.com.

In no particular order, WILLisms.com presents classiness from the blogosphere:

1.

The 'F' Word In School.-

Red State Rant explains the utter silliness coming out of a school in its once-proud English education system, which is now allowing a certain number of F-bombs per student directed at teachers:

I do know that in the interest of "connecting with students", allowing or even condoning these words will make these young people sound like idiots who do not have the capacity nor inclination to expand their vocabularies.
Quite sad really.

WTF?

I mean, really. Come on. If I am a 15-year-old rascal and am allowed a certain number of F-bombs directed at my teacher, I am going to take full advantage, going just under the limit (5 times PER LESSON), if only to force the teacher take the time to mark them down next to my name on the chalk board.

Seriously, WTF?

Sheehan Mania-

Citizen Smash (a.k.a. "The Indepundit") offers a pro-Bush infiltrator's take on Camp Sheehan in Crawford:

But just a few minutes later, she emerged from the trailer, smiling, and performing for the cameras. Like the chicken at the local carnival that plays tic tac toe, she eagerly performs for any microphone. She is relentless, and professional, well financed and on message.
And the message is “All things bad are America’s fault”.

Once again, the left shoots and misses. Cindy Sheehan's warped anti-Americanism is so thoroughly objectionable that whatever sympathy she might have inspired has become moot. Supporters of finishing the job in Iraq dodged a bullet with Mrs. Sheehan. Had her mind not been so polluted with anti-semitic and anti-American conspiracy mumbo-jumbo, and had she not been so closely allied with disreputable groups, her story may have resonated better with average Americans.

The Summer Of Rove, The Summer Of Sheehan-

Blogs For Bush spots an interesting pattern in the news this summer:

As you can see, the popularity of the Cindy Sheehan story in the blogosphere is panning out in very much the same way as the Karl Rove story. Both have peaked with the same percentage of bloggers discussing them and then saw a drop in popularity. Karl Rove is naturally going to be a continued topic of conservation, primarily because, with or without a fake scandal, he is one President Bush's top advisors... and it seems his popularity in the blogosphere has returned to normal. Cindy Sheehan's rise from total obscurity is likely to end back into near obscurity.

And Matt (of Blogs For Bush) followed up with a few more posts on the subject [Part I, Part III, Part IV]. An interesting pattern, to be sure. And after this week, Sheehan's 15 minutes will almost certainly be up... about 16 minutes too late.

Iraq-

Right Wing News blog offers some answers to some questions people may be having on Iraq and its Constitution:

...not only does the Iraqi Constitution not create a theocracy, it has numerous clauses that guarantee the religious rights & freedoms of all Iraqis.
....

The Constitution also condemns terrorism, guarantees freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and property rights. It may not be a perfect document, but in many ways it's better than many people may have expected.

Iraq's Constitutional hang-ups have not really centered around whether Sharia law should govern Iraq or not. The overwhelming majority of Iraqis don't want that. The disagreements have centered around how to divide the natural resources and how decentralized or centralized the government ought to be.

No Dice For Aussie Sharia-

Speaking of Sharia law, Gates of Vienna blog notes that Australia is just saying no to special, separate, carved-out legal jurisdictions for fundamentalist Muslims:

It doesn’t look like there will be any Ottawa-style Sharia courts in Sydney real soon. And don’t hold your breath for the Law schools to start hiring Sharia professors.
Sounds like Australia has made a firm commitment to reality. How refreshing.

Canada could indeed learn something from this. When I investigated the Iranian elections here in Houston and spoke with a regime agent at length a couple months back now, he assured me that Islam would conquer the entire globe. He boasted particularly proudly about how Canada is moving toward a dual-judiciary, with special Sharia law jurisdiction for Muslims.

Wake up, people. That's not tolerance, it is submission.

The Bizarro Constitution-

Mr. Right offers up the dream U.S. Constitution for liberals:

Amendment I
~~Congress~~ The Courts shall ~~make~~ allow no law respecting ~~an establishment of~~ religion, or ~~prohibiting~~ the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech but only if it agrees with the progressive point of view, otherwise it is hate speech...

A truly horrific vision for America. But one that is shared by the far left.

Dr. Rangel, Medicine Man-

Angry in the Great White North blog (via Michelle Malkin) notes Charlie Rangel's weird comments on Vice-president Dick Cheney:

I wonder if Charles Rangel will introduce some kind of legislation requiring administration officials to submit to a physical in the case of excessive grunting.

Charlie Rangel is a perfect example of majority insurance for the GOP. If the Democrats were to somehow take the House, Congressman Rangel would become one of the top 5 or so important individuals in shaping American economic policy.

[Shudder]

Fox News Dominates Cable News-

The GOP Vixen blog notes that Fox News is destroying its competitors:

CNN's final gasp that they remain relevant has been the spike in ratings they've enjoyed during major news events. In other words they found shelter in the idea that, "when it matters people turn to CNN." Yeah, well, final gasp no more. For Big Events people are now turning to FOX by nearly 2 to 1. MSNBC's numbers are just laughable.

In launching Fox News nearly a decade ago, Rupert Murdoch and company understood that there was a vast and untapped market in the United States for presenting the news in a unique way. After all, far more Americans call themselves conservative than liberal, and far more Americans vote for Republicans than Democrats.

That worked for a while in terms of grabbing market share, but lately Fox News has grown a little too tabloidy for my taste. Sure, that gets the ratings, but as long as Fox News has a reputation for being "right wing," it would be nice if it worked a little harder to advance the conservative agenda.

Because Fox News spends so much time on missing persons and such, it allows the rest of the mainstream media to drive the agenda, and it's a liberal agenda they are driving (Rove, Sheehan, etc.).

2008-

Patrick Ruffini's straw poll concluded with a mild amount of controversy for being unscientific, but the results are still moderately useful:

As of 7 a.m. EDT on August 26, with a whopping 16,437 votes cast, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani wins the Big One with 30.0%. Virginia Senator George Allen places second with 20.1%, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is a strong third at 14.3%, and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney finishes fourth with 9.1%. On the fantasy ballot, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice laps the field with 37.7%, with Vice President Dick Cheney at 14.0%, Florida Governor Jeb Bush at 9.2%, and former Senator Fred Thompson at 8.1%.

I would have liked to see a poll with South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, just to name a couple who were not included. While the poll is entirely unscientific, it is interesting that conservative blog readers are far less likely to support John McCain than respondents to establishment media polls. Right-of-center blog readers also seem more willing than one might imagine to accept someone who is not a proven conservative on cultural/social issues, such as Rudy or Condi.

In terms of predicting the 2008 race, I tend to lean toward a relative unknown, and an outsider, emerging with a lot of fresh excitement and enthusiasm. Someone who has some legislative experience in Washington and/or executive experience in the real world, but is not necessarily on every short list today.

As we get closer to 2008, I will try to spotlight a few individuals who might fit those criteria.

10.

Condi For President-

Speaking of 2008, Rudy Rummel has given his endorsement to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice:

She has the knowledge, experience, will, organizational ability, values, and the spine to be president. And she is an avid supporter of the democratic peace and freedom.

I could easily get behind the Condi '08 phenomenon, but I don't see the "Draft Rice" grassroots surge happening with so many other attractive candidates crowding the field.

11.

Oozing Uzbekistan-

Gateway Pundit notes that the U.S. military leaving Uzbekistan was something entirely expected and planned for in advance:

Rumsfeld secured approval from Kyrgyzstan to continue using the Manas airbase there, and from Tajikistan to maintain overflight and refueling rights for U.S. aircraft.
Last week, U.S. Central Command chief Gen. John Abizaid another regional country, Turkmenistan, for talks with senior political and military figures.

This is actually a win for the "democratic revolution crowd." When we "depended" on the Uzbeki regime's good favor, we were-- out of necessity-- relatively muted when the regime massacred roughly 500 pro-democracy demonstrators and silenced the media. We objected anyway, with the full knowledge that it would lead to the U.S. being expelled from the country, militarily.

It's another example of putting our money where our mouth is, backing up our values over short-term stability, and it could allow us to promote democracy in Uzbekistan without tempering our words.

12.

Chinese Democracy-

In The Bullpen blog notes that China is worried that people might start getting crazy ideas in their heads from voting on a reality TV show:

I still predict China to have a revolution within the next three decades and a move towards a democratic state. Who knows. Maybe reality television will help lead the way.

It is difficult to imagine a thriving Chinese middle class participating in the global economy and observing the rights the citizens of other nations have, not demanding gradually higher level of democracy and freedom at the very least. China's concerns with reality television voting ought to indicate a sense of insecurity the regime has over its long-term survival prospects.

13.

Ultrakeloized-

Kip Esquire notes a complementing decision to the Kelo ruling:

Of course, restricting private development is nothing new -- property rights infringements such as zoning and historic preservation have a long and sordid history. But now such laws are almost extraneous. Local governments can simply invoke Kelo, or more correctly, "reverse-Kelo."
Because at the end of the day that's Kelo's true holding, which might actually be dubbed "Kelo-plus" -- "public use" now means anything and everything that the local hack politicians want it to mean.

If you are a Republican planning on seeking the 2008 nomination, get on this. Now. Especially if you are a Governor. The GOP base will reward you for your proactive efforts on protecting property rights.

14.

Black. Gay. Father. Vegetarian. Buddhist. Liberal.-

Sunny Sidhu, of Students for Saving Social Security, notes the weirdness that is Rock the Vote:

One has to wonder why an organization that claims to be so "non-partisan" is going ridiculously out of their way to show that they're as partisan as it gets. The youth of America deserve true representation, not disingenuous representation from political hacks who blindly tout one particular side's views while smearing, distorting, and misrepresenting the other side's views.
On the bright side, at least we now get to laugh at hilarious arguments from RTV bloggers like Terrence. You can't argue with a little bit of entertainment!

I had not even visited Rock the Vote's website in months now, but their new guy is seriously hilarious. And if you notice the comments on the RTV blog, they are still as pro-reform (and anti-Rock the Vote) as ever.

Liberals don't quite get that when they become caricatures of themselves, the vast majority of regular and fair-minded people will revolt in revulsion. Rock the Vote is an old and creaky organization, an aging, senile former rock star with ever-diminishing relevance to the youth vote. It is only a matter of time before Rock the Vote gets the kind of critical scrutiny and negative attention it deserves, in a larger forum.

15.

Move On, Already-

Andrew Roth, over at the Club for Growth blog, notes the eerie similarities between the rhetoric from the left 150 years ago and today:

MoveOn.org and Karl Marx — two peas in a pod

Marxism is indeed the driving intellectual force behind the modern Democratic Party. And MoveOn.org is the organizational force behind the intellectual force.

------------------------------------------------------------

Also, don't forget to check out all the old Trivia Tidbits Of the Day, the Reform Thursday series, the Quotational Therapy sessions, and the Wednesday Caption Contest (entries are due each Tuesday at 11:59 PM Central Standard Time).

Last Week's Classiness Certification from WILLisms.com:

*Aug. 23, 2005.

WILLisms.com offers a weekly classiness roundup as a weekly feature, every Tuesday, with 15 blog posts deemed classy. The criteria for submissions: incisive original analysis, quirky topics nobody else is covering, fantastic graphics, or other posts that took a lot of work. We love to spread the word on upcoming blogs, being that WILLisms.com also fits that description. If you would like to nominate a post on your blog or another blog for inclusion, email us at WILLisms@gmail.com. Write "Classy Nomination" in the subject. You can also utilize this page to make your submissions. The deadline is each Monday at 11:59 PM Central Time.

Classy.

Posted by Will Franklin · 30 August 2005 06:52 PM · Comments (3)

Angola.

Just talked to the Mrs. on the... delayed... phone.

She made it safely to Angola. And she has officially been to more countries than I have, especially if you include her refueling stop in Cape Verde.

She's there three weeks on, three weeks off.

I would say the blogging pace will pick up again, but I may primarily utilize the three weeks to work on my thesis, so I can't promise anything.

In about a month, incidentally, I will need some guest bloggers to take over for about 10 days.

Posted by Will Franklin · 30 August 2005 02:20 PM · Comments (9)

Trivia Tidbit Of The Day: Part 154 -- Consumer Confidence Index.

Consumer Confidence Resilient-

The experts believe that higher gasoline prices necessarily lead to lower consumer spending. But consumer spending has remained strong as the price of a barrel of oil has surged near/above $70. And the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index actually rose in August:

Interestingly, the August Consumer Confidence Index survey pointed to an important milestone:

The employment picture was also upbeat. Consumers saying jobs are “hard to get” decreased to 23.2 percent from 23.8 percent, while those claiming jobs are “plentiful” rose to 23.5 percent from 22.9 percent. For the first time since October 2001, consumers claiming jobs are plentiful outnumber those claiming jobs are hard to get.

Hurricane Katrina, however, could pound away at more than lives and property. It could negatively affect consumer confidence, as well, if energy supplies are disrupted by the storm.

But the Consumer Confidence Index has remained stoic thus far in the face of record after record close for the price of oil. Why?

The partial explanation is that oil prices are still far below true inflation-adjusted records. Second, energy prices were unusually low for much of the past several years. Third, even if oil prices do reach inflation-adjusted record highs, our economy is far less dependent on oil than it was in the 1970s.

Contrast that with some of the emerging economies in Asia, which are now facing rationing and long lines at the gas pump:

Asia is a land of artificially cheap energy. With few exceptions (most notably Japan and South Korea), the region's manufacturers and households aren't paying full fare for the fuels needed to cook their meals, cool their homes, power their cars or run their factories. Instead, those costs are now borne by governments or state enterprises mandated to sell power on the cheap. But the logic of this largesse could easily backfire, and magnify rather than dampen the energy shock.

Take India. Oil subsidies could backfire in a big way:

The government, which draws critical support from anti-free-market leftist parties, has raised energy prices just 20 percent since June 2004, but the cost of importing crude oil has jumped 60 percent over the same period. The result: state-run oil companies incurred losses of more than $281 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2005-06. Today India relies on imports for 70 percent of its crude, and unless the global price falls, the cost that subsidies impose on Indian oil companies is forecast to hit $9.15 billion this year. Economist D. H. Pai Panandiker calcu—lates that for every $10-a-barrel increase in global crude-oil prices, India's gross domestic product shrinks by 0.5 percent.

Then, there's Indonesia, which faces the prospect of getting kicked out of OPEC, despite its vast oil resources:

Despite huge energy reserves, the sprawling island nation is now a net importer, due to inefficient efforts to exploit its resource, and the fact that subsidized prices artificially increase demand. Jakarta buys oil at the global market price and sells it domestically at the equivalent of $30 a barrel. The cost of subsidizing oil is expected to reach $14 billion, or 2.4 percent of GDP this year, up from 1.3 percent last year—sparking fears of a broader financial impact.

Thus far, the American economy has responded well to higher energy prices, running against the conventional wisdom. It will be interesting to see how oil-dependent economies respond to persistent elevated energy prices.

-------------------------------------

Previous Trivia Tidbit: Unemployment and Government Spending.

Posted by Will Franklin · 30 August 2005 11:00 AM · Comments (2)

Trivia Tidbit Of The Day: Part 153 -- Global Unemployment.

Unemployment and Government Spending-

Source:
Centre for the New Europe (.pdf).

Incidentally, the most recent standardized unemployment rates are:

United States: 5.0%
United Kingdom: 4.7%
European Union: 8.0%
Germany: 9.5%
Italy: 7.8%
France: 9.7%

Source:

OECD (.pdf).

-------------------------------------

Previous Trivia Tidbit: Supreme Court Nominations.

Posted by Will Franklin · 29 August 2005 07:35 PM · Comments (3)

Korean Revolution.

One Free Korea blog is hosting this week's Carnival of Revolutions, and it is a good one. Go check it out.

Posted by Will Franklin · 29 August 2005 10:10 AM · Comments (0)

Quotational Therapy: Part 40 -- Karl Marx, On Free Trade.

Karl Marx, On Free Trade-

Karl Marx had quite a lot to say on the issue of free trade during his life. Free trade, in the mid-19th century, was not a new concept in the grand scheme of history, but it was frightening and new to those, such as Marx, without a grasp on reality. Take a look at what Marx said in a speech to the Democratic Association of Brussels at its public meeting of January 9, 1848:

In 1829, there were in Manchester 1,088 cotton spinners employed in 36 factories. In 1841, there were no more than 448, and they tended 53,353 more spindles than the 1,088 spinners did in 1829. In manual labor had increased in the same proportion as the productive power, the number of spinners ought to have reaches the figure of 1,848; improved machinery had, therefore, deprived 1,100 workers of employment.

Update a few of those numbers, and it is the same rhetoric we hear from a significant portion of the Democratic Party today.

It was foolish then, and it is foolish now. The economy is not a zero-sum game. Rich nations must not grow wealthier at the expense of poor nations. Today, each part of the integrated global economy grows wealthier, together.

Progress can be temporarily painful for some, but imagine if Manchester had protected the jobs of all those spinners, for the rest of their lives. All that would have done is provide disincentives for innovation, disincentives for the creation of newer and better jobs, and a lower standard of living for the society as a whole.

And, obviously, those lost jobs in 1830s Manchester eliminated inefficiencies and lowered prices, while allowing the creation of new jobs. Today, Manchester has lower unemployment, better jobs, and a higher average standard of living than Marx could have ever imagined.

But Marx was a tyrant and thus incapable of conceptualizing the power of freedom, both politically and economically. And he made his feelings on freedom perfectly clear in the same speech:

Gentlemen! Do not allow yourselves to be deluded by the abstract word freedom. Whose freedom? It is not the freedom of one individual in relation to another, but the freedom of capital to crush the worker.
Why should you desire to go on sanctioning free competition with this idea of freedom, when this freedom is only the product of a state of things based upon free competition?

We have shown what sort of brotherhood free trade begets between the different classes of one and the same nation. The brotherhood which free trade would establish between the nations of the Earth would hardly be more fraternal. To call cosmopolitan exploitation universal brotherhood is an idea that could only be engendered in the brain of the bourgeoisie. All the destructive phenomena which unlimited competition gives rise to within one country are reproduced in more gigantic proportions on the world market. We need not dwell any longer upon free trade sophisms on this subject...

The recent rise in anti-free trade sentiment among elected Democrats is troubling, to be sure, but it is fairly predictable given that Marxism is the intellectual soul force of the modern Democratic Party.

-----------------------------

Previous Quotational Therapy Session:

Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty" Speech.

The right quote can be therapeutic, so tune in to WILLisms.com for quotational therapy every Monday and Friday.

Posted by Will Franklin · 29 August 2005 09:49 AM · Comments (2)

Trivia Tidbit Of The Day: Part 152 -- Supreme Court Nominations, Burger Through Breyer.

Supreme Court Nominations, Burger Through Breyer-

With Congress returning to Washington soon to begin work on the Roberts nomination, here is a little perspective on Supreme Court nominations through the years:

Source:
AEI.

If Robert receives an up-or-down vote by September 26 of this year, the time frame from nomination to confirmation will match the average of the past three dozen years.

-------------------------------------

Previous Trivia Tidbit: Peacetime Military Deaths.

Posted by Will Franklin · 28 August 2005 03:34 PM · Comments (1)

ABC's This Week, With George Stephanopoulos.

I rarely watch the ABC program This Week, With George Stephanopoulos. Increasingly, I avoid the traditional Sunday morning talk shows I've been watching since I was a wee lad.

But at the gym this morning, it was on the television in front of me, and it got me thinking about how on earth this show remains on television. Sure, its ratings are abysmal and shrinking, especially relative to NBC's Meet The Press; sure, newsmakers rarely choose George Stephanopoulos' show to make news; and, sure, the weakness of the George Stephanopulos likely carries over into the cheapening of the overall ABC News brand name.

But it still irritates me that this show remains a driving force in politics today, due to its prominent time and prominent network location.

So here is the formula for This Week:

Host- George Stephanopoulos.

Democratic Party operative, Clinton campaign guy. Liberal, through and through.

Contributor #1- Cokie Roberts.

Feminist. NPR-nik. Establishment 1960s liberal. Washington insider, through and through.

Contributor #2- Fareed Zakaria.

Pessimistic "realist" foreign policy guy. Part of the international relations establishment. Skeptic on the march of liberty concept. In the right-of-center to middle, ideologically; frequent critic of Bush; not a fan of the GOP.

Contributor #3- George Will.

Conservative. Almost libertarian. But very insider establishment Washington. Outnumbered often, and part of the elite media, he often caves to pressure, conceding arguments when and where he shouldn't. One of the more important conservative proponents of the past couple of decades. Not a loyalty-to-GOP kind of guy.

Guest #1- Joe Biden or his equivalent.

Guest number one is typically the Democrat most willing to call for the firing of Rumsfeld or Rove or whomever else in the Bush administration the establishment is targeting that week. Closing Guantanamo is another standard topic.

Guest #2- Kinky Friedman or his equivalent.

Guest number two is usually the irrelevant outsider. It could be an author, a third party candidate running for Texas Governor, or any other number of outsider types. This guest fulfills the "thinking outside the establishment" requirement.

Guest #3- Chuck Hagel or his equivalent.

Guest number three is there to balance the first guest, thus a Republican. But not just any Republican. A Republican typically peeved with Bush or the administration for one reason or another. This week, it was John Thune, who had fought hard-- and won-- to keep South Dakota's Ellsworth Air Base open against the recommendation of the Pentagon. So he was a perfect complement to the "fire Rumsfeld" jive from Biden.

Then, near the end of the program, there are three "funnies" from talk shows.

Funnies #1- Jon Stewart doing some anti-Bush, anti-Iraq bit. Typically, he just plays a clip out of context, then opens his eyes wide, then puts his face in his hands, then sighs profusely, then shakes his head around like he's doing a quadruple-take. Never funny.

Funnies #2- Something from Bill Maher or his equivalent. Who even watches Bill Maher? I didn't even realize his show was still on the air. Typically anti-Bush or anti-GOP. Marginally funny.

Funnies #3- Something from Conan O'Brien or Craig Ferguson or Jimmy Kimmel or Jay Leno or David Letterman... Usually very funny. Typically not partisan sniping. More traditional political humor. Stuff that is funny to anyone watching, no matter the political stripe. This week, it was Donald Rumsfeld edited to seem like he was solving a Rubik's Cube with his famously active hands while he was fielding a question at a press conference.

In Memoriam-

Then there's the list of deaths from the past week. Quasi-famous people (politicians, actors, artists, musicians, athletes, and inventors) first, then soldiers second, because quasi-famous people are more important, obviously.

And based on the Trivia Tidbit yesterday, I can't help but wonder if the Stephanopoulos show would even be showing all of the deaths of soldiers that would still be happening without any Iraq war.

Who knows. Personally, I am not the kind who has gotten upset at the alleged politicization of war casualties on Nightline, for example.

Is Ted Koppel making an anti-war political statement? Likely.

Is Stephanopoulos? Almost certainly.

But it is still a legitimate way to honor the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for the cause of freedom. I tend to react the way most Americans during World War II probably reacted to casualty reports. Not "let's cut and run."

More: "Let's finish the job. Let's not let their deaths be in vain."

Miscellaneous-

During the show at some point, there is also always a discussion of polls, but only liberal-leaning establishment media polls, never the more accurate Rasmussen poll or any poll that may show support for Social Security reform or Bush or the GOP.

And that's the formula. And it is awful.

Posted by Will Franklin · 28 August 2005 12:23 PM · Comments (6)

Trivia Tidbit Of The Day: Part 151 -- Peacetime Military Casualties.

War and Peace-

From 1983 to 1996, more than 18,000 soldiers died. That averages to more than 1,300 a year, far more than have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan each year.

Read Sgt. Joe Roche's entire op-ed in The Washington Times.

And more tidbits, including the fact that the military represents roughly 1% of the American workforce, hardly evidence of some sort of fascist, jingoistic military-industrial complex overrunning our culture:

At present, there are 1.4 million active-duty military personnel in all branches, combined. That's down from 2.2 million in 1986, a one-third reduction. We had 3.5 million in 1968 during the Vietnam War, 3.6 million in 1952 during the Korean War and more than 12 million in 1945 during World War II.

Interestingly, it is typically those on the left more than the right calling for a universal military draft today.

I wonder why?

[That was a rhetorical question.]

-------------------------------------

Previous Trivia Tidbit: Unemployment Gap.

Posted by Will Franklin · 27 August 2005 10:40 AM · Comments (3)

Quotational Therapy: Part 39 -- Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty" Speech.

Patrick Henry, "Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death" Speech-

They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable--and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.
It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

Read the entire March 23, 1775 speech here.

-----------------------------

Previous Quotational Therapy Session:

McCain On Terror.

The right quote can be therapeutic, so tune in to WILLisms.com for quotational therapy every Monday and Friday.

Posted by Will Franklin · 26 August 2005 01:18 PM · Comments (3)

Trivia Tidbit Of The Day: Part 150 -- Shrinking Unemployment Rate Race Gap.

Historically Low Unemployment-

Source:

National Review Online.

An interesting and underappreciated trend, to be sure.

-------------------------------------

Previous Trivia Tidbit: Housing Bubble.

Posted by Will Franklin · 26 August 2005 10:03 AM · Comments (1)

Social Security Reform Thursday: Week Thirty -- Reform Is A Better Deal Than The Status Quo.

Thursdays are good days for reform, because they fall between Wednesdays and Fridays.

That's why WILLisms.com offers a chart or graph, every Thursday, pertinent to Social Security reform.

This week's topic:

Social Security Reform: A Better Deal Than The Broken Status Quo.

When Congress returns from recess in the coming weeks, they will take up the issue of Social Security reform. Right now, there is significant inertia behind GROW Accounts in the House of Representatives (.pdf).

GROW Accounts should not be the ultimate goal of Social Security reformers, but they are a great first step.

Here's why.

Take a look at the problems with Social Security:

For the next decade, there is a temporary surplus in the Social Security trust fund (which isn't really much of a trust fund). Suddently, after 2017, the surplus becomes a deficit. In the meantime, that surplus money is being raided by Congress to pay for highway pork-- and war-- and other projects Congress deems worthy at the moment.

So why not pass something to stop the raid on the temporary surplus, putting the funds into personal accounts, owned by individual Americans?

It is a no brainer. Stop the raid. It's also politically astute. It creates personal accounts, which will prove to the skeptics out there that "privatization" is far from a risky scheme. It will please elderly Americans who will not see a change in their benefits, paving the way for more significant reforms in the near future.

And personal accounts are just a better deal than the broken status quo.

Right down the road from me, in Galveston, Texas, the city took a "risky gamble" years ago, a gamble that paid dividends, literally.

Galveston was one of a few cities in the early 1980s that opted out of Social Security in favor of personal accounts in the market:

And it worked. Like clockwork.

And it will work for the United States.

Let's build some momentum behind more serious reform with GROW Accounts. And let's do it A.S.A.P.

The clock is ticking.

--------------------------------

Previous Reform Thursday graphics can be seen here:

-Week One (Costs Exceed Revenues).
-Week Two (Social Security Can't Pay Promised Benefits).
-Week Three (Americans Getting Older).
-Week Three, bonus (The Templeton Curve).
-Week Four (Fewer Workers, More Retirees).
-Week Five (History of Payroll Tax Base Increases).
-Week Six (Seniors Living Longer).
-Week Six, bonus (Less Workers, More Beneficiaries).
-Week Seven (History of Payroll Tax Increases).
-Week Seven, bonus (Personal Accounts Do Achieve Solvency).
-Week Eight (Forty Year Trend Of Increasing Mandatory Spending).
-Week Nine (Diminishing Benefits Sans Reform).
-Week Ten (Elderly Dependence On Social Security).
-Week Eleven (Entitlement Spending Eating The Budget).
-Week Twelve (Benefit Comparison, Bush's Plan versus No Plan).
-Week Thirteen (Younger Americans and Lifecycle Funds).
-Week Fourteen (The Thrift Savings Plan).
-Week Fifteen (Understanding Progressive Indexing).
-Week Sixteen (The Graying of America).
-Week Seventeen (Debunking Myths).
-Week Eighteen (Debunking Myths).
-Week Nineteen (Reform Needed Sooner Rather Than Later).
-Week Twenty (Global Success With Personal Accounts).
-Week Twenty-One (GROW Accounts: Stopping The Raid).
-Week Twenty-Two (Millions of Lockboxes).
-Week Twenty-Three (Support for Ryan-DeMint).
-Week Twenty-Four (KidSave Accounts).
-Week Twenty-Five (Latinos and Social Security).
-Week Twenty-Six (AmeriSave).
-Week Twenty-Seven (Cost Of Doing Nothing).
-Week Twenty-Eight (Chile).
-Week Twenty-Nine (Entitlement Spending Out Of Control).

Tune into WILLisms.com each Thursday for more important graphical data supporting Social Security reform.

Posted by Will Franklin · 25 August 2005 09:42 PM · Comments (3)

Trivia Tidbit Of The Day: Part 149 -- Housing Bubble.

Housing Bubble-

Yesterday, the Commerce Department announced that new home sales increased by 6.5% in July, and a 27.7% increase since July 2004 (.pdf). This came on the heels of news on Tuesday from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) that existing home sales dipped in the month of July by 2.6% below the record pace in June (.pdf).

The Tuesday slowdown spooked "the market/Wall Street" a bit, which is sort of silly, considering July was still the third strongest month on record for existing home sales, after June and April of this year.

All of this brings up the spectre of a housing bubble.

So is there a housing bubble in the U.S.?

The Dallas Fed notes that Texas, for one, is not at risk for a housing bubble burst:

USA TODAY, meanwhile, notes:

Fifty-three metropolitan areas representing 31% of the total U.S. housing market are considered extremely overvalued and confront a high risk of future price corrections, a study conducted by National City Corp. says. The study determines a market extremely overvalued if prices are 30% above where the study estimates they should be based on historic price data, area income, mortgage rates and population density.

The top 10 overvalued areas, according to National City Corp.:

The bottom 10 overvalued areas (or, the top ten undervalued areas), according to National City Corp.:

Economics Professor Gary Wolfram of Hillsdale College cautions against housing bubble hysteria, and explains why some areas have seen explosive housing price growth:

If you look closely at such studies, you will find that housing markets in cities that are becoming bedroom communities for larger, wealthier cities, or are becoming a substitute location for another high-priced housing market, will have prices that are higher than you would expect from current residents. But this is simply a reflection of the fact that higher-income people from nearby areas are taking advantage of the low housing prices in the target city and moving in, bidding up the price of the houses that are for sale. Since the housing prices used in these studies would be the value of the houses that are sold, but the incomes of the city will be the incomes of the current residents, it will appear that housing prices are very high relative to income.
An example should make this clear. Suppose there are 1,000 families in Suburbia. The average income of people in Suburbia is $40,000, and the average house value is $100,000. Suburbia is located 50 miles from Big City, which has 500,000 residents, an average income of $250,000, and an average house value of $500,000. Ten residents of Big City decide to take advantage of the low housing prices in Suburbia and move in. Since there are only a few houses for sale in Suburbia, they end up paying $150,000 for each of the 10 houses. It will then appear that houses in Suburbia are now worth $150,000.

The 10 new residents will only increase the average income in Suburbia by a small fraction, but it will appear that houses are now much more valuable there. Thus a study would show housing prices are rising much more rapidly in Suburbia than incomes are, and that a “housing bubble” exists.

Nearly every day, the net effect of the economic indicators (good minus bad) remains surprisingly strong. Interest rates are still historically low. Job growth has been robust. GDP growth has outpaced expectations. As long as the Fed does not suddenly jolt interest rates upward, and as long as we have a growing population and growing economy, with a limited number of places to live in the hottest housing markets, the fears of a housing crash/correction are legitimate but greatly exaggerated.

-------------------------------------

Previous Trivia Tidbit: Net Migration (Immigration/Emigration).

Posted by Will Franklin · 25 August 2005 09:42 AM · Comments (3)

Carnival of Crazy.

Some amazingly crazy stuff over at File It Under. Go check out the Carnival of Crazy.

Posted by Will Franklin · 24 August 2005 08:57 PM · Comments (5)

Wednesday Caption Contest: Part 20.

This week's WILLisms.com Caption Contest photograph:

The actual caption:

Belgian sister Johanne Vertomme (L) 29, from Loppem, Belgium is seen dancing with Mark (no surname given), a missionary, during the Catholic World Youth Day, in Cologne Germany, August 20, 2005. The Belgian nun's acrobatic and indecorous dancing with the missionary during the Catholic World Youth Day in Germany over the weekend earned her a reprimand from her mother superior, a Belgian paper said August 22, 2005. 'I wouldn't do this at home but at such occasions I get carried away by the enthusiasm of the group,' the 29-year-old told the paper later. 'My mother superior raised the issue today: she thinks I should watch out a bit and bear in mind that I represent our community,' Vertommen said. Pope Benedict attended the celebration at the Marienfeld, outside Cologne, in the presence of some 700,000 people. Picture taken August 20, 2005. QUALITY FROM SOURCE BELGIUM OUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY NO THIRD PARTY SALES (Stringer/Reuters)

There must be a better caption out there for this photograph.

Entries will remain open until 11:59 PM, Central Standard Time, Tuesday, August 30. Submit your captions in the comments section, or email at WILLisms@gmail.com.

Last week's photo:

Winners from last week:

Ben Evans:

The Say Dez School of Safe Driving proudly announces the opening of their new drive thru window.

Rodney Dill:

"As fate would have it, Mr. Joel, you have come to the right place."

Darin Hauser (via email):

From the producers who brought you TLC's "What Not to Wear" comes the new hit "How Not to Drive" Thursdays at 9

Honorable Mention #1-

Jim:

Dez regretted the wording of his "Drive In Special" sales ad.

Honorable Mention #2-

Kyle Sykes (via email):

"While he admitted responsibility for the accident which occurred at approximately 1:30am on Wednesday, Ted Kennedy didn't report it to authorities until 10:30 the following morning."

Captioning is a fashionable and worthy endeavor, and it will make you attractive to members of the opposite (or same, if that's your thing) sex. Enter today!

Posted by Will Franklin · 24 August 2005 10:05 AM · Comments (17)

Trivia Tidbit Of The Day: Part 148 -- Net Migration Rate.

Immigration/Emigration Ratios-

Notice how low France is, even with significant and well-known inflows of immigrants from North Africa and former French colonies. Sort of validates this article:

FRANCE is facing an unprecedented new-generation exodus as many of its disillusioned younger people leave in search of a better life abroad.
French organisations offering help to those seeking to emigrate have reported an increase in requests for assistance from young people.

Fed up with a country they describe as rigid, racist and old-fashioned, French youngsters are opting for a new start in Britain, Canada, America or New Zealand where they can find housing and jobs more easily than in France.

Unemployment among the under-25s in France stands at 23.3 per cent, and 40 per cent of 18-30 year-olds describe their financial state as "difficult".

So sad.

And, just for the record, I have no idea how (or if) this figure measures illegal immigration, particularly into the United States. I presume this is exclusively legal immigration.

Others of note:
Net immigration-
Russia: 1.03
Sweden: 1.67
Switzerland: 3.58
Denmark: 2.53
Belgium: 1.23
Croatia: 1.58
Singapore: 10.30
Hong Kong: 5.24
New Zealand: 3.83
Canada: 5.90

European Union: 1.50

Net emigration-
Mexico: -4.57
Cuba: -1.58
Bolivia: -1.27
Brazil: -0.03
Colombia: -0.31
Dominican Republic: -3.02
Ecuador: -6.07
El Salvador: -3.67
Guatemala: -1.63
Honduras: -1.95
Nicaragua: -1.19
Panama: -0.86
Peru: -1.03
China: -0.40
Saudi Arabia: -3.85
Pakistan: -1.67

Source:
CIA.

-------------------------------------

Previous Trivia Tidbit: The U.S. Senate, Hard At Work.

Posted by Will Franklin · 24 August 2005 10:00 AM · Comments (2)

Seriously, Go To The Buzz.

Go to The Buzz.

It's just about the only first person Cindy Sheehan coverage worth anything. Awesome.

Posted by Will Franklin · 23 August 2005 05:43 PM · Comments (4)

Some Call It A Bonfire/Carnival Of Classiness...

We call it "Classiness, All Around Us."

Click to explore more WILLisms.com.

In no particular order, WILLisms.com presents classiness from the blogosphere (100% more classy, this week only!):

1.

Vietnam Syndrome-

WunderKraut examines the Left's obsession with Vietnam:

...I really hope the Left can put aside their sickness long enough to see that they do not want one either. For common decency and respect for human life, we have to stay. Even if you feel that Bush is the biggest terrorist threat to the world and we should have never invaded Iraq, can’t you see that we have to stay? Lives of hundreds of thousands depend on Iraq being stable before we leave.

Chuck Hagel's recent parallel between Iraq and Vietnam was not helpful. At all. That kind of foolishness plays right into the "useful idiot" strategy the insurgents/foreign terrorists/former regime elements in Iraq are counting on. The bad guys don't have to win, militarily, or strategically, they just have to win over a few unprincipled, flippant individuals like Hagel.

Fisking An Overrated Right-Of-Center Blogger-

Bryan Preston, guest-blogging for Michelle Malkin, is one of the few high-traffic bloggers willing to rip the blogosphere's worst conservative blogger for his limp-wristedness on Iraq, although Preston does so far too respectfully:

This is straight out of the WhyCan'tTheyJustMoveOn.org playbook--all the left's anti-war canards are there. WMD weren't the only cause for war, as the Prof surely knows by now--human rights and the attempt to break the back of tyranny in the MidEast were part of the deal from the beginning.

I don't get this Bainbridge character, and why he occasionally gets the attention of the entire right-of-center blogosphere. Is it because he is a rare conservative in academia?

He opposed Social Security reform earlier this year, based on flawed, nonsensical reasons. He's now buckled under the pressure (maybe from drinking too much wine) on Iraq. And now he's worried that the Iraq war has distracted from the advancing of conservative movement?

Newsflash for the Professor: Social Security reform was your chance to move the conservative movement forward, this year. You missed the train. You, therefore, have no right to complain about the conservative movement's lack of progress (which is not even an accurate assessment, given the recent successes of the conservative movement).

The Jew Couple-

He's not a law professor who opposes Social Security reform, but if you want right-of-center analysis on legal issues, choose A Stitch In Haste blog instead. Try this post out on the "Jew couple" kerfuffle:

The couple was not denied service. They were not charged a different price. They were not publicly embarrassed (until they themselves chose to go public). Where exactly is the discrimination?
There is no evidence, absolutely none, that any crime was committed. The state attorney general therefore has no authority, absolutely none, to subpoena the restaurant's records....

My father always used to say that Richard Nixon should have taken the tapes, walked out into the middle of the White House lawn, poured gasoline on them and struck a match.

I feel much the same way for the restaurant and their register receipts.

Completely absurd situation.

Ugh.

People really need to get over themselves sometimes.

No Israeli-Made Items Allowed-

Speaking of Jews, Tim Blair (via GOPINION) points out a legitimate reason for outrage among Jews and Gentiles alike:

First it was deadly Jewlasers. Then came the poison Jewbananas. And now ... paper cups of vicious Jewishness:

Paper cups with Hebrew writing disturbed both employees and medical staff at King Khaled National Guard Hospital on Saturday. The catering subcontractor for the hospital coffee shops began using them on Saturday after their usual supply ran out.

“We were shocked and angry,” said an employee. “How can Israeli products be allowed and how did they enter this hospital?” he asked.

To the "Jew couple": save the drama for your mama. And think about what you can do to address real examples of anti-Semitism in the world.

Vehicular Jihad-

Speaking of actual anti-Jewish sentiment in the world, can you guess where this car was wholly designed and built?

The answer may surprise you.

Streamlining The Death Penalty-

Urban Grounds examines the efforts to streamline the death penalty:

Very few habeas corpus appeals have anything do with establishing the convicted killer’s innocence—rather it is their lawyers attempt to get them off-death row (and into a life-sentence, because they know their client is still guilty, regardless of the alleged ineffectiveness of previous counsel).

We should be exceedingly careful in assigning the death penalty, and in carrying it out. But the average number and length of death penalty appeals has become absurd.

With some death-row inmates spending decades in the appeals process, streamlining is a good step. And fortunately, the efforts to streamline the process would still protect civil liberties and allow a reasonable appeals process.

Univision-

Marginal Revolution blog points out an interesting tidbit:

In July the Spanish-language Univision was No.1 among all networks for 18 to 34 year olds, a critical demographic for advertisers. The station averaged 1.2 million nightly viewers from this age group; Fox was second.

This likely has a lot to do with the proliferation of cable networks and will likely not continue into the Fall Season, but it is an eye-opening social marker and worth some discussion.

The Fair Tax-

Dan Mitchell, writing for C-Log, explains his preference of the flat tax over the fair tax:

To be sure, we should fight for what is right, regardless of what appears more popular. But if I have a choice of two great tax reform ideas, I'd rather pursue the one that has the best opportunity of crossing the finish line.

As I mentioned before, I am going to buy the Neal Boortz book at an upcoming book signing, and my mind remains open to the idea of a national sales tax to replace the income tax.

But right now, if it comes down to flat income tax versus a national income tax, I tend to favor the flat tax.

Who Needs The White House Press Corps?-

Dean Esmay makes the case for firing the White House press corps:

We, the people, do not need any self-appointed "interlocutor" to the President. The White House can issue its statements, and the Congress can issue its statements, and the people can weigh them. When the next election comes around, we will make our choice at the ballot box.

The comments section is also lively, so check that out, as well.

An interesting idea, getting rid of the formal White House interlocutors and one I have agreed with for years now, dating back to President Clinton's tenure. What is the point of the clique-ish White House press gaggle? In today's ongoing media revolution, why do we allow the monopolization of-- and filtering of-- information?

As a blogger, I prefer to link directly to a primary source rather than a news article about a primary source. And bloggers almost always back up their assertions and characterizations with links directly to sources. You can go examine the information for yourself.

The establishment media rarely offer that courtesy (which is rapidly becoming an expected necessity in the blogosphere). They rarely link directly to the "study" or "survey" they are citing to prove their point; they almost never link to the full text of the speech from which they pulled a quote.

And that's just part of why they are losing relevance, slowly but surely.

10.

The Life/Death Of English Cities-

Ed Driscoll offers a fantastically thorough and fascinating post on architecture and centralized urban planning:

What's remarkable is how universal the negative effects of what American bureaucrats in the 1950s dubbed "urban renewal" have been....
...modern architecture designed to benefit the poor has been a disaster of hugely epic proportions. Ironically, most of the modernist architects of '20s never envisioned that they'd be best suited to be either builders of spaces for enormous corporations, or of villas for the wealthy bourgeois patrons they (somewhat ironically) relied upon to launch their early careers. Amidst the rubble of post World War I Europe, they wanted to entirely rework the landscape to match the tabla rasa that Freud, Marx and Lenin all saw the modern man to be.

Bravo, Ed.

It's a long piece, but it is well worth it.

11.

Productive Productivity-

The Econbrowser blog examines the underreported phenomenon of increased productivity:

If you focus too much on the latest statistics and speculation about what could go wrong, it's easy to lose sight of some very important long-term trends. The solid growth of U.S. productivity is one piece of very good news that's not getting sufficient attention....
So why doesn't that get more attention in the press? I guess the headline, "decade of good news continues" just doesn't sell as many papers.

Let's just hope that poor reporting on the economy does not become a self-fulfulling prophesy.

12.

Freedom For Western Sahara-

Winds of Change blog picks up on efforts by the U.S. to achieve freedom and independence for the Saharawis:

So why is America so interested in pushing for peace there now? Well, if you've read your Zinn and Chomsky, you know to look for the natural resources. Sure enough, the Western Sahara, which can boast of little else, is rich in phosphates. And there may be oil off the coast. Hear that sound? The wind in the sand dunes seem to be whispering "Halliburton."
But wait. Morocco still is one of our chief and most reliable allies in the region. And Morocco right now is firmly in charge of Western Sahara, de facto. So why don't we just do the usual imperialist thing and stick with the strong horse, in defiance of international legitimacy, and get what we want out of it?

Putting our money where our mouth is, walking the walk, it's a reason to be proud of America's current foreign policy. The Bush administration is serious about promoting liberty and democracy over the flawed status quo. A long-term vision for a free and democratic world is replacing-- bit by bit-- cynical, short-term, ad hoc alliances with dictatorships.

13.

How 9/11 Changed Everything-

Patrick Ruffini examines New Jersey's swing toward President Bush from 2000 to 2004:

Most of the map is red, although the state is blue. This map isn't about who won in what areas, but the degree of Bush gains or losses since 2000. The reddish tint is courtesy of New Jersey coming in with the third strongest pro-Bush swing in the country. The right GOP candidate could put New Jersey's 15 electoral votes in play in '08.

Giuliani, perhaps?

14.

Sheehan, Sheehan, Sheehan-

The Texican Tattler blog (via Eric Pfieffer) offers a couple of fantastic first-hand posts (part 1, part 2) on the madness that is Crawford, Texas:

As I walked back to my car, I couldn’t help but notice the sheer professionalism of the protestors. I wonder how many of them do this for a living? As I mentioned earlier, this was not a spontaneous event. This was well organized and well managed. Frankly, those of us on the right could learn quite a bit from them when it comes to organizing demonstrations. I also couldn’t help but wonder if the explanation for the smaller number of pro-Bushie’s is that we actually have jobs and a life with responsibilities while the anti’s flit from one Grateful Dead concert to another?

Fun times. Although, Jerry Garcia died long ago now.

What is the preferred hippie jam band today, Phish? Or are they back from hiatus?

15.

Class Warfare-

The Heritage Foundation blog notes that in America, the rich are getting richer, but so are the poor and middle:

...everyone is getting richer. Pundits complain about the shrinking middle, but the middle is shrinking only because so many from its ranks are getting wealthier (this graph, from an October article in Washington Post, serves as an example of both these facts). According to the Census Bureau, those making below $50,000 decreased from 75.1% of the population in 1967 to 55.9% in 2003. In some ways, the debate ends there. The economic pie is getting bigger, and though the rich’s slice is growing faster than the poor’s, there is no obvious way to equalize this rate of change without reducing the absolute size of the poor’s piece.

The post is so full of great facts on the economy that I might just have to make a Trivia Tidbit out of one or more of them.

16.

Best Hillbilly TV show-

Don Surber offers an examination of which oldschool TV show was better:

Gal: Daisy vs. Ellie. Both could kick butt. Gotta admit Elly knew her critters. But Daisy Dukes rule. I never heard of no gal wearin’ her Elly Maes. Point: Dukes.

Good point.

17.

Grieving Mothers-

The neo-neocon blog looks at grieving mothers in two posts (part 1, part 2):

Sheehan and the media have a symbiotic relationship. Each needs the other right now: the media needs Sheehan for the sensationalism and the anti-Bush rhetoric she offers, and Sheehan needs the media for publicity for the cause that is driving her so strongly. So while there is exploitation, it goes in both directions, as each uses the other for their own purposes....
And so you have deeply antiwar parents, children of the Vietnam era, frustrated and puzzled by their children's desire to join the military (I myself have a friend in exactly that position). Even for the ones whose children return unharmed, you can almost hear them asking themselves, "Where have I gone wrong?" These parents, in turn, had rebelled against the previous generation, their parents, whose formative war experience was World War II and who had a very different take on military service. This accounted for a large amount of intergenerational conflict during the Vietnam era, with protesting children causing parents to ask themselves, in turn, where they (or their children) may have gone wrong.

A great couple of takes on the situation. This is the kind of fair, well-reasoned stuff that ought to be in mainstream magazines, read by hundreds of thousands (or millions) of people.

Incidentally, please note that military recruitment is stronger than you might imagine, and re-enlistment is also robust.

18.

Pat Robertson-

Jeff Harrell, rather than offering the standard rebuke of someone from "his own side" who says something outrageous, offers a refreshing and unique perspective on Pat Robertson's injudicious comments about Venezuelan tyrant Hugo Chavez:

The United States isn’t just-another-country. We’re the world’s only superpower. We have a responsibility to lead the world not because we choose to, or because we deserve to, but because we can, and God knows the world needs leading. The Venezuelan people got themselves manipulated into installing an expansionist autocrat as their absolute dictator. Like the guy who sees that his neighbor’s house is on fire, we have a responsibility to run over there with a bucket and help him put it out.
And if the best way to put out the fire is to kill a power-mad dictator, then so be it.

So yeah, as much as I disagree with Pat Robertson on some things, I think he’s doing a valuable service today by calling national attention to a huge geopolitical time bomb ticking away on our own back steps.

1. Robertson's comment was not really helpful to the actual situation; 2. it puts Bush in a tight political spot; and 3. it may even produce a slight rally-around-Chavez effect. Ultimately, no matter how valid or not valid the concept of regime-change-through-assassination is, it's not the kind of idea that should be promoted on television by a former candidate for president.

That being said, I know it is the obligation of all right-of-center bloggers to rebuke "our own" when they go off the deep end (unlike the left-wing blogs, who glorify the craziest crazies on "their side"), but Jeff Harrell's particular rant is just really worthy of a link.

19.

Hollywood-

Charmaine Yoest offers a review of the movie Alexander:

Worst. Movie. Ever.

It's a three word post. But for whatever reason, it cracked me up.

Oliver Stone is making a 9/11 film. Yeah, that's going to work. Not.

20.

Israeli Settlement Evacuation-

Rob Port is amazingly skilled at finding subtle-but-absurd headlines and assertions in the media, and this one is no different:

The Jewish residents of Gaza put up one hell of a fight against the government as they were forced out of their homes, even crossing the line of decency with the use of violence in some cases. Hamas didn’t make things any easier by promising to keep up their terror attacks and telling their followers that Jerusalem is next.
But hey, moving these settlements was “easy.” Reuters said so.

Unfortunately, it appears as if Israel will get far too little credit for its extraordinary efforts.

------------------------------------------------------------

Last Week's Classiness Certification from WILLisms.com:

*Aug. 9, 2005.

WILLisms.com offers a weekly classiness roundup as a weekly feature, every Tuesday, with 15 blog posts deemed classy. The criteria for submissions: incisive original analysis, quirky topics nobody else is covering, fantastic graphics, or other posts that took a lot of work. We love to spread the word on upcoming blogs, being that WILLisms.com also fits that description. If you would like to nominate a post on your blog or another blog for inclusion, email us at WILLisms@gmail.com. Write "Classy Nomination" in the subject. You can also utilize this page to make your submissions. The deadline is each Monday at 11:59 PM Central Time.

Classy.

Posted by Will Franklin · 23 August 2005 04:40 PM · Comments (4)

Another 2008 GOP Straw Poll: Go Vote.

Yet another straw poll. Go vote. Seriously. Fun times.

Posted by Will Franklin · 23 August 2005 10:50 AM · Comments (0)

Trivia Tidbit Of The Day: Part 147 -- U.S. Senate Productivity.

Senate Statistics, 1984-2004-

The total number of measures passed by the U.S. Senate, year by year:

Now look at the total number of measures passed, referenced to the number of days the Senate was in session:

Now look at the total number of measures passed, referenced to the number of hours the Senate was in session:

Source:

United States Senate, Senate Daily Digest - Office of the Secretary (.pdf).

Not that more is better, but it is interesting to note that the Senate doesn't necessarily get more accomplished when its members stay in Washington for longer periods of time.

-------------------------------------

Previous Trivia Tidbit: Corporate Profits.

Posted by Will Franklin · 23 August 2005 09:41 AM · Comments (1)

College Football's AP Poll.

Some interesting facts about the Associated Press NCAA football pre-season poll.

Posted by Will Franklin · 22 August 2005 03:12 PM · Comments (1)

Got To Revolution.

Coming Anarchy is hosting the Carnival of Revolutions this week. Go check it out.

Posted by Will Franklin · 22 August 2005 11:28 AM · Comments (0)

Quotational Therapy: Part 38 -- John McCain On The War On Terror.

Arizona Senator John McCain, Speech To The 2004 Republican National Convention-

For all the criticism John McCain receives from Republicans for his misguided campaign finance reform crusade (and other things he does to irritate the GOP base), Senator McCain is one of the more effective and important members of "the team" when it comes to advocating the War On Terror. In that spirit, McCain talking about Iraq:

This week, millions of Americans, not all Republicans, weigh our claim on their support for the two men who have led our country in these challenging times with moral courage and firm resolve.
So I begin with the words of a great American from the other party, given at his party's convention in the year I was born.

My purpose is not imitation, for I can't match his eloquence, but respect for the relevance in our time of his rousing summons to greatness of an earlier generation of Americans.

In a time of deep distress at home, as tyranny strangled the aspirations to liberty of millions, and as war clouds gathered in the West and East, Franklin Delano Roosevelt accepted his party's nomination by observing:

"There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given. Of other generations much is expected. This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny."

The awful events of September