Some Saturday stuff

The Dallas Mavericks looked very impressive last night in blasting the Detroit Pistons, 112-91.
The Pistons? Not so much, in any phase.

President Obama yesterday, meanwhile, confirmed the impact Rush Limbaugh has on our politics:
"President Obama warned Republicans on Capitol Hill today that they need to quit listening to radio king Rush Limbaugh if they want to get along with Democrats and the new administration. "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done," he told top GOP leaders, whom he had invited to the White House to discuss his nearly $1 trillion stimulus package. One White House official confirmed the comment but said he was simply trying to make a larger point about bipartisan efforts."
Heh. Sure. I'm sure Rush is delighted with this free publicity.
And make no mistake, Mr. Obama is wrong. Republicans listened to Rush Limbaugh in 1994, which influenced their decision to pursue the now-famous "Contract with America"--much of which subsequently passed. So listening to him DOES get things done.

First Lady Michelle Obama says she doesn't like the dolls produced in her daughters' likenesses:
"First Lady Michelle Obama, who has described herself "first and foremost...Malia and Sasha's mom," has defended her daughters' likeness, saying that it is not proper for a company that makes the plush "Beanie Babies" to produce dolls called "Sweet Sasha" and "Marvelous Malia." "We feel it is inappropriate to use young, private citizens for marketing purposes," Michelle Obama's press secretary, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, said in a statement today."
Hmmm. Well, I didn't see her object when her husband's fans labeled him a "Messiah", as "The One", or as one whose speeches sent shivers up and down their legs, etc. You didn't do much to halt the creation of this near-cult-of-personality, Mrs. Obama, so your objections now don't move me much.

Some random thoughts on MLK Day

I'm back from my trip, and so while I'm catching up, here's some random thoughts on the news of the day and maybe what it means...

Why do many on the left keep claiming that Iraq is this horrible failure? Consider this, from today's headlines:
"Candidates in this month's provincial elections are answering questions from voters and debating issues ranging from Baghdad's housing shortage to the need to attract foreign investment. This is the new style of campaigning in Iraq, where candidates feel safe enough to stump for votes and focus on grass-roots issues instead of the religious divisions and violence that overshadowed earlier elections held after Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled in 2003."

There sure is a lot of hype building for Barack Obama's inauguration.
I can't remember a time when there was this much buildup for such an event.
I really wonder whether Obama can live up to all the expectations.
Americans need to remember--your government can't save you, or make your life for you.

Don't you have to feel good for the Arizona Cardinals? They're going to the Super Bowl.
When this NFL season began, who woulda thunk it? Certainly not me. But you have to feel good for their players, their fans, everyone...who obviously suffered through a lot of losing seasons, but never gave up. Yes, we can, indeed...

Meanwhile, why on earth are there still people out there facilitating dogfighting?
It's cruel and disgusting. I'm glad the cops keep cracking down on it.

Today of course is a holiday in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King. I can certainly see why President-elect Obama would choose to honor Dr. King today by doing some volunteer work--surely King would have approved. But it's important too to remember today that Dr. King was not a god; he was a man. And he was a man who made mistakes. In criticizing America's military efforts in Vietnam, King once likened our operations there to the actions of Adolf Hitler. At the end of his life, King was proposing to use civil disobedience to literally shut down the nation's capital and the government, all because he argued that government wasn't doing enough for the poor. Such incendiary language and undemocratic means of seeking change did not do the man justice, especially when many of King's earlier actions, such as opposing legalized segregation and racism, were so justified and he showed such tremendous leadership. So it's important to remember all the nuances, both of our founding fathers (such as Washington or Lincoln), as Dr. King's supporters would have us do, and of Dr. King himself.

Saturday news flashes

Progressives in the news media continue to attack Israel for defending itself. For example, see this recent Jackson Diehl op-ed in the Washington Post.
Note that Diehl writes the following: " Though Israel must defend its citizens against rockets and suicide bombings, the only means of defeating Hamas are political."
Right. And when Israel does indeed "defend its citizens", count on persons like Jackson Diehl to condemn her for it.

The Detroit Pistons won at Denver last night, defeating their old teammate Chauncey Billups, 93-90. It was significant because it was a road win, the Pistons won despite injuries, despite Billups scoring 30 on them, and shows the team continues to play better.
Right now, though, it sure looks like the Cleveland Cavaliers have moved into becoming the team to beat in the East--they beat Boston last night and played impressive defense.

Mark Steyn today shows that anti-Semitism in on the rise worldwide:
"In Toronto, anti-Israel demonstrators yell “You are the brothers of pigs!”, and a protester complains to his interviewer that “Hitler didn’t do a good job.” In Fort Lauderdale, Palestinian supporters sneer at Jews, “You need a big oven, that’s what you need!”
Read the whole thing--there's a lot more.

Note that President-elect Obama doesn't merely claim that his "stimulus" package will "create" jobs--he claims that it will "create or save" 3-4 million jobs.
Others have asked this already, but it's important to keep asking it--just how, exactly, will we rigorously, scientifically prove that an Obama stimulus plan "saved" a job? How will we know that a job wouldn't have survived anyway, no matter what the government did? Answer: such can't be proven, and it won't. But that won't stop Obama and his people from making all kinds of claims about jobs he "saved" in the years to come, evidence be damned. Let's hope people aren't too gullible.

Sunday news items

Favorite teams--it was a tough day yesterday. The ND men's hoops team was out-rebounded and out-toughed by a St. John's squad picked to finish near the bottom of the Big East.
Not good. I'm really worried that if ND doesn't tighten it's defense and rebounding significantly, they'll make the NCAAs again, but get bounced out quickly in the first or second round--again.

Meanwhile the Indianapolis Colts lack of a running game, lack of a solid offensive line (harmed by injuries all year), and they're running into a hot San Diego team on the road all led to the Colts dropping a heartbreaker in the first round of the NFL playoffs, 23-17 in overtime.
It's definitely an opportunity missed, as the Colts had enough talent to go far. But I don't think they ever quite got it fully together this year and played consistently dominating football. I think the injuries played a big part in it. The Colts couldn't run the football and make first downs on short-yardage downs. In the playoffs, with a lot of good teams around, that can kill you. The Colts have to upgrade the O-line.

But at least the ND women's hoops team showed toughness and poise--again--in defeating a good young Seton Hall team, 66-60. The Irish get yet another road win. They'll sure be glad to get back home.

Meanwhile, internationally, Israel continues to pound away on Hamas.
By the way, the NY Times among others yesterday trumpeted that Israel hoped through this military action to get rid of Hamas. Gosh--wouldn't that be great?

NFL picks today--I was 0-2 yesterday.
Baltimore 2 over MIAMI. PICK: DOLPHINS. I like Chad Pennington and that running game.

Philadelphia 3.5 over MINNESOTA. PICK: EAGLES. Donovan McNabb will outplay Tarvaris Jackson and/or Gus Frerotte.

Weekend tidbits

So Israeli ground troops have now entered Gaza.
Clearly Israel is trying to make a major statement here, and seek to greatly weaken Hamas.
Conservatives should be praying Israel succeeds, and must push back hard against the notion that there is some kind of moral equivalence between Israeli actions and those of Hamas.
Remember--since 2001, Hamas has shot more than 6000 rockets into Israel, all designed to terrorize and kill Israeli civilians.

NBA fans--keep an eye on the Detroit Pistons' Rodney Stuckey. He's emerging as a prime-time player for the Pistons as their point guard. Last week he went for 40 against the Chicago Bulls. Last night he lit up Sacramento for 38 as the Pistons edged the Kings, 98-92.

The Blagojevich scandal continues to hurt the Democrats, as news dribbles out concerning all its effects and permutations. Today it comes out that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called Blagojevich about the appointment, several days before Blago was arrested--apparently to urge him not to appoint Jesse Jacksion, Jr.
That ought to really increase the love and camaraderie in Democratic ranks.

By the way, speaking of division in Democratic ranks, see this piece by noted progressive/liberal blogger Glenn Greenwald, which attacks Democratic Party leaders in Washington for supporting Israel's military action vs Hamas. It's not notable for its logic--that, as always with Greenwald, is poor; he seems to argue that because "world opinion" (whatever that is) and perhaps many Democratic activists oppose the war, therefore it can't be worth supporting. (If such reasoning made sense, then Abraham Lincoln would have had to end the Civil War in 1864, and concede a Confederate victory). What is notable instead is how the antiwar left is quick to criticize, sharply, the Democratic leadership. Democrats may just have a hard time getting along, despite their newfound power.

NFL playoff games today: my record for the regular season wound up 132-115-7. Now for the playoffs, starting with the two games today:
Atlanta 2 over ARIZONA. PICK: FALCONS. Simple calculation here--which team was playing better at the end of the season? It's Atlanta, no question. And they've been strong on the road, too.

Indianapolis 3 over SAN DIEGO. PICK: COLTS. This is a tough pick. The Chargers are playing well, have won 4 straight, and are at home. Plus this is the second time the two teams have played. But I think MVP Peyton Manning and the Colts' experience in winning tough road games wins out here, though the score will be close. Colts by 4.

Some Saturday stuff

Planned Parenthood in trouble in Indiana--a college student visits two PP offices, poses as a 13 year old girl, claims to have been made pregnant by a 31 year old man.
PP workers are bound by state law to report such incidents. Yet two different workers are caught on video saying they don't care about the male's age, and don't want to know it. Too eager to perform the abortion, perhaps?

Some good news--remember our discussion of Michigan's proposed smoking ban? It didn't pass for this year.

We find out today that, in a number of recent elections, Carolina Kennedy didn't even cast a vote.
Can you imagine the screaming from the left if Sarah Palin, for example, had been found not to have voted????

The not-so-bright Joe Biden babbles that the economy is now in danger of "absolutely tanking."
Does that fool not understand that such public statements will further dampen consumer confidence, further depress consumer spending, and thus harm the economy even more?

California Attorney General Jerry Brown says to heck with democracy.
He urges the California Supreme Court to overturn the legally adopted (in an election) Prop 8, claims gay marriage is a fundamental constitutional right. Hmmm--so why isn't it a fundamental right for a brother and sister to get married, too, if they want to?

Friday tidbits

A party of corruption? Note that, in the past few months, no less than 6 different Democrats have either been convicted of, or face serious charges of, corruption.

Victor Davis Hanson notes that, already, President-elect Obama has moderated his foreign policy vision for America, now that the campaign has ended:
" Obama has not assumed office yet, and already Iran has mocked the president-elect’s campaign suggestions for unconditional diplomacy. Already, old-new Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has indicated a desire to stabilize Iraq before withdrawing combat forces. Already, commanders have told the president-elect that a simple surge of more troops into Afghanistan offers no magical solution. Already, we are learning that whether we try more aid or ultimatums, Pakistan will remain Pakistan — a radical Islamic, nuclear, failed state that is deeply anti-American rather than merely anti-George Bush."

Gay rights advocates are furious that President-elect Obama chose Pastor Rick Warren, a moderately-conservative evangelical, to give an invocation at his inaugural. Jim Geraghty sums it up well, and makes a good case for not laughing at our progressive friends, but rather for feeling saddened for them--they shouldn't have put such faith in Obama in the first place.

An important figure in the advancement of conservatism in America in the 1970s and beyond has died. His name was Paul Weyrich, and he helped popularize many ideas on the Right and mobilize people behind them. You can read about him and his accomplishments here.

By the way, do you know which state has one of the highest income and sales tax rates in the nation? Answer: California. Next question--which state has one of the worst budget deficits in the nation? Answer: California.

Some weekend gleanings

Marty Turco of the Dallas Stars is a great goalie--he helped the last-place Stars upset the Detroit Red Wings last night.

Keep an eye on Republican Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee. He's been an effective critic of the auto bailout, and has been so on conservative grounds.

A liberal NY Times columnist is shocked to find out that "hooking up" is replacing dating:
"It turns out that everything is the opposite of what I remember. Under the old model, you dated a few times and, if you really liked the person, you might consider having sex. Under the new model, you hook up a few times and, if you really like the person, you might consider going on a date."
One reason for this, says a researcher, is declining "values."
Imagine that.

Memo from the left: now some liberal bloggers are claiming that Republicans in congress are blocking the auto bailout bill because they want the country to go into depression (which they can then blame on Obama).

And by the way, I'm amazed this non-story has gotten so much coverage.
Yes, the Obamas wished to use Blair House.
Well, guess what---it was already booked. They were too late.
If Obama is this man of the people his backers claim he is, then I'm
sure he must be fine with this--he wouldn't want to displace other
guests, who got their reservations in before he did, apparently.
He and his family will still be able to move in there in plenty of
time for the inauguration, and in the meantime will no doubt have very
comfy living quarters elsewhere in the 2 weeks or so before Jan. 15th.
Why on earth is this a story?
Is there anyone out there who thinks there was wrongdoing here, or
that the Obamas were being stiffed or something??? Good grief.

Some Friday tidbits

It appears Paula Abdul may be leaving "American Idol."
Too bad--despite her goofiness, if she leaves the show will lose some chemistry.

As I predicted, the pressure on Rod Blagojevich to quit continues to build--now the Illinois AG seeks to have him declared "unfit."
Yet, as I also predicted, so far there's little sign that Blago will willingly go.

Jim Geraghty at NRO makes a good point--why isn't there more coverage of the fact that the American public seems HIGHLY dubious of this auto bailout legislation?
Many in the news media say Republicans are taking a "risk" by opposing it. But I doubt it.
Many opposed the financial bailout back in October, too.

Colin Powell not only stupidly attacked Sarah Palin recently--he also attacked Rush Limbaugh:
"Powell says: "Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh? Is this really the kind of party that we want to be when these kinds of spokespersons seem to appeal to our lesser instincts rather than our better instincts?" Powell helpfully added that “There is nothing wrong with being conservative” (how gracious of him) and cautioned against just trying to appealing to African-Americans, Hispanic, and Asian voters based on “the principles and dogma.”
(Wow. Say, let's do a comparison: how many people has Rush Limbaugh attracted to conservatism and the Republican Party? Millions. Meaning--he's attracted a helluva lot more than has Colin Powell. And to just dismiss "principles" and lump them in with "dogma"--pathetic.)