Right As Usual

I just figured out something today about the Terri Shiavo case. The fight to starve and dehydrate her was driven by zombie-phobes. Really! Think about it - what is a zombie? It's an apparently living creature, with no thinking processes intact. Zombies can move, and apparently direct their movements, but there's not a thought directing the purpose of those movements. To the uninitiated, recognizing a zombie is not easy; they move, look at you, may vocalize slightly, and respond to noise. But you can kill a zombie, because, without the capacity for rational thought, they cannot be considered human. In fact, it's your duty to kill a zombie, since their only purpose is to cannabalize the living. They survive by eating them. That's what the pro-death, Michael Shiavo supporters believe about Terri. That, essentially, she was a non-living being, i.e., a zombie. As such, it would be not only legal to kill one, it could be considered a public service. That belief in zombi...

John Fund writes about the change in Philadelphia's curriculum that will mandate a course in Black History for all city graduates. He's of the belief that such a course services only Black students, while diluting the effectiveness of basic American History. I'm prejudiced. I was a History major in college. I was fortunate enough to have professors who were passionate about the discipline, so I both learned about the broad sweep of history over time, and fundamental research methods and techniques. That last served me well, as I've never gotten a teaching job in social studies, but in my other area of science. America is different - we don't categorize residents as citizens by ancestry, but by choice: the major reason why it is important for students to study our history: America is an exceptional country in that we were born out of a shared set of ideas--human liberty and opportunity, accompanied by a common set of values. It is often said that while being a Fr...

Asymmetrical Information has a post up that I think many are going to want to read. It's an analysis piece, that examines political parties in marketing terms. Jane dissects the current Democratic crisis (and I think they have reached the crisis point, where their continued existence as a viable party is threatened), and writes about what measures may yet save their party. On the one hand, you've got the folks who think that if Democrats can just turn themselves into Republican Lite--one third less dour moralism than regular GOP!--they will storm the storied "middle" and seize the reins of power. This is unlikely--the mathematics of winning an election without a motivated base are unappealing, which is why 3rd party candidates do so poorly. Worse, it's pointless. The moderate middle, almost by definition, produces little in the way of big ideas, and its little ideas generally end up as muddy messes--if you start compromised, what you generally end up with is po...

I just took a survey on blogging, and I got this neat image.

I found this post via A Face Made 4 Radio, A Voice Made 4 the Internet , another Cleveland blog you need to bookmark. He points out the essential issue with Kelo, that: Justice Thomas understood that the Court’s action in itself is unconstitutional, a “dangerous” act because the American people now have no other recourse to regain control of their property rights except by another amendment to the Constitution. I urge you to read it. It's time we stopped electing legislators who know the law, but are ignorant of our country's history. We need legislators who are informed citizens, and have a feel for what America is. We've been putting "elite leaders" in office, who protect their contributors, but somehow don't see the "common man" (and woman) as their ultimate boss. We don't need any more Progressives, who see their public service as a means of bringing the rabble into line with what they "know" they should want. We need some new...

I found this stuff at Blogthings (click on the title link. I found the site courtesy of An American Housewife , a blog you've absolutely GOT to check out. You Know You're From Cleveland When... Your idea of fine cuisine includes keilbasa and Stroh's beer You think the Antichrist walks among us and moved to Baltimore in 1995 You refer to Pittsburgh as a Third World nation You have to look at a map before you realize Cincinnati is NOT in Kentucky You think political correctness involves using the term "certain ethnic" when telling a joke You believe plastic lawn flamingos are essential in any landscaping project Your second car is completely dissolved by salt by the time April rolls around The phrase "lake effect" strikes terror in your heart You actually remember when Dennis Kucinich was mayor You see nothing wrong with wearing white sox with black shoes, even when wearing a tux Party music involves an accordion You always knew you lived in the Rock n Ro...

UPDATE: I was checking out other blogs, and noticed that Villainous Company also quoted the same sections of Thomas's dissent that I did. Just in case I read it there first (and forgot), I want to give her credit, and a trackback. The Kelo decision on eminent domain being used for private purposes is truly the most awful decision I've seen in a long time. The good thing is that it puts the liberal Supremes on record; likewise, the conservatives came down squarely on the side of the people. I think the most valuable aspect of the decision is that it underlines the necessity of confirming conservative judges - after all, Clinton was only responsible for Ginsberg and Breyer. Republicans have to take credit (?) for all the other judges. Bush can't afford to select a "compromise" candidate - the impact is too far-reaching. It was nice to see that Thomas, in particular, used straightforward reasoning in his decision. He pinpointed the essential issues, and based ...

UPDATE: 7:54 pm - Eastern time I've been playing around with this blog WAY too long. What happened was that the text no longer displayed anywhere the sidebar appeared. That meant, as the blogroll and stuff was there, that the text of the current posts didn't show up until near the bottom of a very long page. What I did was play around with the template (after trying all other solutions). I changed it, and it should appear fine in any browser. The down side is that I really liked the original template. Be aware, I'm going to play around with it this weekend (you can tell that I really don't have a life off the web). If I can't get the original template back, I'm going to try to design my own - OMG, that sounds like a real geek talking. It appears that the text may be appearing below - WAY below. I'm going to play with it to see if I can fix it. Don't know what's going on, but when I bring up my blog, all that displays is the first line of the l...

I've been reading lately about the US, and a major drive to get us to forgive the African countries their debts. The idea behind this is that, by effectively allowing the in-over-their-heads countries to declare bankruptcy, we will be giving them a clean slate, and letting them start over again. Which, according to the theory behind the debt forgiveness, should set things right. Oh, yeah? In 1996, a campaign began to persuade the wealthier nations to cancel debts to HIPCs - Heavily Indebted Poor Countries. It's been a popular cause with many liberals. Folks, allowing the African countries to walk away from their debts does several things, all of them bad: It lets the governments that incurred the debts to continue their spending, without penalty. Many Christian groups favor debt-forgiveness. They point out that it's Biblical - regularly recurring forgiveness years are built into the ancient system of Old Testament justice. And that's true. But, the difference is tha...

Click on the above link to see a CNN Money list of TV Dad's incomes (adjusted for constant dollars). Does anyone else see some glaring mistakes? The first 20, I don't have a real problem with. I mean, I don't know anyone in those occupations, so I can't say whether the salaries are reasonable from first-hand experience. I will say that the person preparing the table doesn't seem to understand the difference between gross and net (which is scary, given that CNN Money is supposed to be money-savvy). Dr. Huxtable, the OB, is unlikely to take home anywhere near that $ 238 thousand - he would have large malpractice premiums, equipment and employee costs, etc. No. 26 is the one that fairly jumps off the page. Andy Taylor, sherrif in a small town - $ 84,019? Not bloody likely. In Ohio, the top pay for a deputy sheriff in the largest county, with many employees, is $55,889.60. Mayberry was an itty-bitty town in a rural region, with one deputy sheriff of little ability...

In response to a request for reading suggestions for a teen from Amy Welborn , Disputations describes a book he'd like to see: give me an idea for a book I think would be very helpful for teenagers: The Not-So-Great Ideas, a compendium of bum philosophies that captivate nineteen-year-olds when they first encounter them. Objectivism, solipsism, Marxism, materialism, nihilism: the dead-end sinks of human thought and sources of human misery. Collect them in a single book for high school students that, if nothing else, will teach them their parents aren't the only grown-ups who have lousy ideas. The trouble with encountering loony ideas for the first time in college is that the person who introduces you to the concept is generally a true believer. As such, they seldom give a balanced presentation, but use their influence to bring you on board, as well. As with a Comparative Religions class, or an Intro Philosophy class (one that is run on old-fashioned principles), students shoul...

You know, I must be the most credulous person on the planet. I thought the Downing Memos didn't prove what the headlines seemed to say they did, but I never questioned their authenticity - until now: Times reporter Michael Smith admitted that the memos he used are not originals, but retyped copies (via LGF and CQ reader Sapper): The eight memos — all labeled "secret" or "confidential" — were first obtained by British reporter Michael Smith, who has written about them in The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times. Smith told AP he protected the identity of the source he had obtained the documents from by typing copies of them on plain paper and destroying the originals. The AP obtained copies of six of the memos (the other two have circulated widely). A senior British official who reviewed the copies said their content appeared authentic. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secret nature of the material. Have the MSM learned NOTHING from ...

I've not been posting as regularly for the last several weeks. There are 2 main reasons: I've been working a temp job. Not terribly exciting, therefore I come home absolutely whipped. More so than if I was doing something interesting. I should be working it for another couple of weeks at most. I've interviewed for another job, and I have a lead on a 2-week physics workshop I might be co-leading. So, although I will still be busy, I have hopes that I'll be getting back to a more normal posting schedule soon. I've not been very well. My asthma has gotten worse in the last week, and I've had several major attacks. I started prednisone again (boy, do I hate it - water retention, bad insomnia, etc. But, it works), so I should start improving in a few days. My take on the main topics right now: The Michael Jackson verdict - hard as it is to take, the jury probably got it right. One of the factors a jury has to evaluate is the credibility of the witnesses agai...

I was reading a fisking of a liberal columnist, and I thought about finding out how the other side thinks. When I first started reading blogs, one I read every day was AlterNet . I decided to return to the site, and see what they were talking about. The headline "What’s Really Behind the ‘Student Bill of Rights’?" caught my eye. The latest attempt to return to the time of red-baiting is called -- ironically -- the "Student Bill of Rights." Despite its fine, democratic ring, the phrase is being used to restrict teachers from introducing controversial or provocative ideas into their classrooms. Actually, that's a strong mis-statement about the intent and meaning of the Academic Bill of Rights . If you doubt it, try reading the entire text - it's relatively short. The Bill of Rights is designed to INCREASE freedom of speech, not surpress it. In my experience, many professors have little restraint in their liberal expressions of political belief. But, many...

I found the above link from Betsy's Page. I've read her blog for some time, but, for no good reason, never added her to the Blogroll, until now. I just checked the Greatest American nominees, and it's a truly terrible list. How can you not have Jaime Escalante, who showed American teachers that, even in the most poverty-ridden minority school, you could demand, and get, excellent work from the students? How could you create a list that doesn't include the Four Chaplains of WWII, who demonstrated a committment to the greater good, and sacrificed their own lives, that other men might live? For crying out loud, HUGH HEFNER made the list!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is a VERY great distance between notorious and great. Just because someone is well-known, does not make him/her great.

I really can't believe that President Lawrence Summers of Harvard fell for that feeble blackmail effort by Nancy Hopkins, of MIT, and other women in science. For their Victorian-maiden-like swooning at the very mention of a gender-based difference in aptitude for science, women faculty members benefited to the tune of $ 50 MILLION. That's right, he ponied up the cash. And why? Because he pointed out the unthinkable - that the reason there's fewer women in science is because fewer women have the innate ability. Bestill my heart! To a certain extent, Summers did no more than speak the truth. Fewer women are willing to spend the hours necessary to excel in science, math, and engineering. That's a fact. Those of us who do like those subjects are in the minority. And, I say "US", because I am a science teacher, computer geek (let's just say I can quote Star Trek episodes, program in several languages, and, yes, have a Linux machine or two), and a woman. Bu...

As did many bloggers, I took down my 180 clock (the timer created by PoliPundit to mark the number of days since Kerry promised to sign his 180 form. After all, he did sign the form, and the rather unflattering photo and school records would seem to prove that, right? Well, not exactly. According to Power Line , The SF 180 directs the National Personnel Records Center to release records, at the request of the documented veteran, and send them to whomever he designates (usually himself) - period. What is the Navy doing in the middle of this? The Navy must have been the designated recipient, on this specific SF 180 (not the Boston Globe, as Kranish explicitly admits). As a Federal entity, the Navy is then subject to Privacy Laws and any release by them had to be additionally waived by Kerry - or not. He could then easily not waive specific documents for release that he found damaging. What the Boston Globe got was the remainder of whatever the Navy received from NPRC, less what Kerry w...

Just watched the judge's decision on video, and Gregoire's the official governor. After about 1 minute, I suspected that the judge would uphold the certification. My first thought was, "Boy, was that judge on the take". That's probably not fair; it was, in fact, an extremely conservative ruling on the law. Washington law on elections, you could drive a truck thru. It seems to accept an extremely loose standard for a legal vote. Now, what should the Republicans do? Mobilize. They need to meet with the RNC, and strategize on ways to make sure that this NEVER happens again. They need to get the legislature to pass tighter controls on local boards of election, they need to set a standard that NO vote that falls out of the chain of custody can be voted. They need to set up a system of bi-partisan observation at every step of the process, from registration to precinct outposts. It should be clear that everything has to be videotaped, other than the actual voting...

I've been following the buzz about Revenge of the Sith for the last few weeks. I haven't gone, yet, because my son and I are waiting for my eldest daughter to arrive in town this week. Going to the movies is something we do as a family. The reviews I'm reading are mixed. Generally, the special effects aren't faulted, but the ideology behind the movie is. I wasn't too thrilled with the first 2 episodes. They seemed to have that European, too-cool lack of emotion in the main characters. I yearned for some over-the-top kick-ass American attitude. Instead, I got Jar-Jar Binks. Yuck. The whole thing about wrenching Anakin away from his mother seemed contrived, and unnecessary. It seemed to treat the kid as though his prodigy-like abilities allowed the adults to ignore his need to be a kid. Just because you need him to fight for you, is not an adequate excuse for putting him in the middle of a war zone. Unless, of course, you're Palestinian. In which case, yo...

On Right Nation , I found a link to an attempt to use Christian compassion as a way to let convicted felons teach in schools: A handful of times in the last few years, the members of the Oregon commission charged with determining who will get a license to teach in the state's public schools have found themselves faced with an application from a former prostitute. Who could be against the desire to see a sinner turn their life around? After all: The bill, sponsored by Sen. Margaret Carter, D-Portland, would have allowed a school district to employ a woman convicted of prostitution if at least seven years had passed since the conviction, and if she has not been convicted of any other crime in the interim. This sounds, at first glance, to be a good thing - after all, the WOMEN were probably victims, weren't they? Or were the intended beneficiaries of the bill WOMEN? Oregon is one of those "gay-friendly" states. So, any bill that is sponsored that seems to benefit wome...

Mitchell Hadley of Our Word and Welcome to It , has tagged me with the book meme. 1. Total number of books I own: If I just limit it to the ones in our house (not counting the ones at our schools), I'm guessing around 10,000. That's not a typo. 2. The last book I bought: Blow Fly, by Patricia Cornwell. I'm finding her work to be more and more predictable. But, it's great to take on an airplane - it takes my mind off the fact that I might crash, and it doesn't cause hangovers (my other method of handling the fear is to drink copiously). 3. The last book I read: Witness, by Whittaker Chambers. I had to get it in the public library, but it was worth it. 4. Five books that mean a lot to me: Witness to Hope, by George Weigel - Still finishing it, but in spurts. I dip into it late at night. A great way to fall asleep. How the Irish Saved Civilization, by Thomas Cahill - One of those Celtic Pride things. Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier - ...

I've decided to hold the 2nd round-up of lesser-known blogs. It's not meant for the beginners, but for those blogs that have been around for a while, but are not ranked in the top 100. Pick your best 3-5 blogs, and send them (with URL) to me . Remember, we're looking for blogs that haven't had their day in the sun (as yet). We all have our favorites, blogs that post regularly, but, for some reason, haven't broken into being on everybody's blogroll. Link to the last round-up.

This is a video of the famous Farmer speech from Green Acres. Posted by Hello I grew up in the Baby Boom years. During that time, it was considered natural to have the students in school, from kindergarten to senior in high school, recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Sometime during high school, all students had a year-long course in Civics. Our society didn't take citizenship for granted; it was expected that you would need to formally teach the basis for our government and culture to the young. And the schools did teach it. We studied the great documents of our nation's founding - the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. National, state, and local government, and how they worked. Enough of law to have an appreciation of the process, without bogging down in details that were beyond our level of understanding. We also learned about the fight to preserve our freedoms - how the military, with the active support of the civilians, fought for our liberty. We learned...

Found on Conservative Revolution's headline banner: You think your life sucks? My Senators are Voinovich and DeWine. I know how he feels, I'm also from Ohio.

I'd read about PC gone wild in Canadian education. I never would have believed that it could happen here. This is from the always excellent Common Sense and Wonder Brooklyn College's School of Education has begun to base evaluations of aspiring teachers in part on their commitment to social justice, raising fears that the college is screening students for their political views. The School of Education at the CUNY campus initiated last fall a new method of judging teacher candidates based on their "dispositions," a vogue in teacher training across the country that focuses on evaluating teachers' values, apart from their classroom performance. Critics of the assessment policy warned that aspiring teachers are being judged on how closely their political views are aligned with their instructor's. Ultimately, they said, teacher candidates could be ousted from the School of Education if they are found to have the wrong dispositions. I was lucky - I was credentiale...