uvAggravator2.0

It’s plain enough why the governor’s privatization plan includes disappointing elements such as these:

·      1,000 retail licenses will be auctioned off to the highest bidders

·      The licenses will be broken into three categories: 600 licenses for large establishments such as grocery stores; 150 for smaller establishments such as package stores and wine and beer shops; 250 for convenience stores/retail pharmacies

·      No one company will be allowed more than 25% of licenses within each level

·      1,000 licenses will still give Virginia 1.8 outlets per 10,000 adults, far below the private state average of 3.8 per 10,000 adults

·      Majority of new license holders will be existing stores; Virginians will primarily see new shelves in retail establishments, not new establishments.

·      332 licenses will be guaranteed for areas currently served by an existing ABC outlet

·      The additional 668 licenses will be granted based on population density

They hardly add up to a laissez-faire approach, do they? Of course, McDonnell never promised a laissez-faire approach. He promised a privatized system, and even turning the ABC stores over to a private-sector monopoly technically would qualify under those terms. Still, it would have been nice to see a plan that imposed no such caps and conditions on the licenses, and didn’t fetishize the revenue angle.

FYI, the governor will have his say on the matter in a guest column on tomorrow’s Op/Ed Page.

 

Via a press release from the Governor's office, we get the broad picture of how his ABC privatization plan would work:· Privatization is expected to provide $500 million in new funding for transportation· The money realized from privatization will be placed in a Virginia Transportation Infrastructure Bank· This Bank will loan and grant funds to localities for

Good question, if I do say so myself. And I said so at some length on Minding The Campus yesterday.

The Huffington Post asks. . .

While at the very same moment, TPM reports. . .

The signs of the coming of fall here in Virginia have been with us for over a month. Yes, even during the blistering days of August, the acorns had already begun to fall and the leaves on the hickories, the walnuts, and other trees were already turning. It doesn't quite "feel" like autumn yet, but no doubt that is also just around the corner. Though I'm still wearing one of my cotton blazers most days, I'll soon be sporting one of my Harris Tweeds. And since so many folks in my part of Virginia are of Scots-Irish descent (including me), I thought this video would be appropriately timed: From Scotland - The History of Tweed. Great video. Hat tip to A Continuous Lean.
http://oldvirginiablog.blogspot.com/

This is so embarrassing.  And sad.

The largest, most comprehensive, and finest collection of Confederate Civil War relics and memorabilia is conserved by the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond.  And because the museum's exhibits are saddled with being on the wrong side of history - it contains rebel flags, for God's sake! - administrators there decided in 2007 that the best thing to do with it was to bust it up and send its treasures to smaller museums hither and yon.

For more on that bit of cowardice, go here.

Well, the efforts of those who intend to diminish as much as possible the history that the Confederacy played in U.S. history have begun breaking ground on their 21st century version of the Museum of The Confederacy The Southern States in the Years In Which The Citizens Thereof Lost Their Way and Ultimately Regretted the Institutions and Principles They Had Regrettably Built Their Way of Life Upon.

I'll say this for them.  At least they aren't sticking it in Zimbabwe:

Confederacy Museum to start Appomattox site
Associated Press

Richmond, Va. (AP) -- The Museum of the Confederacy plans to break ground on its new main exhibit site in Appomattox, where the South's surrender to the Union ended the Civil War.

Officials at the Richmond-based museum said in a release Wednesday that the groundbreaking for the new museum will take place Sept. 23. The 5,000-square-foot space is expected to open in the spring of 2012.

The main exhibit at the Museum of the Confederacy-Appomattox intends to focus on the events that led to the war, and the reunification of the United States. [link]

I don't know whether to laugh hysterically or cry uncontrollably.

First, I'll give them credit where it's due.  Appomattox (Court House) is the perfect site for the new museum.

But 5,000 square feet? For its "main exhibit"?  Is that a joke?

This, friends, is a 5,000 square-foot building:


The Museum of the Confederacy is going to take one of the most spectacular historical collections this side of King Tut and put it - or a tiny portion of it - in a building the size of an Advance Auto Parts?  Why bother?

Perhaps the breathtaking news can be explained by this:

"The main exhibit at the Museum of the Confederacy-Appomattox intends to focus on the events that led to the war, and the reunification of the United States."

The events that led to the war and the reunification?  What 1850 to 1860 and 1866 to 1900?

What's missing in that picture?

Few of the artifacts in the Museum, for what it's worth, deal with either the war's prelude or its fallout.  They mostly have to do WITH THE CIVIL WAR.  Not its precedent.  Not its aftermath.  THE WAR.  THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES.  NORTH vs. SOUTH.  BLUE vs. GRAY.  THE SHOOT-EM-UP THAT OCCURRED BETWEEN THE YEARS 1861 AND 1865.

It's no wonder they are going to warehouse the collection in a 5,000 square-foot building.  All the non-Civil War memorabilia that the Museum controls could probably fit in a phone booth.  It's a war museum, you morons!

What, the Museum of the Confederacy is going to transform itself into the Museum of Slavery and Emancipation?

And do it in a freaking 5,000 square-foot building?

Why not just take the 15,000 artifacts currently residing in the museum that Confederate veterans created, paid for, contributed to, and maintained for decades and burn them, and hang signs of Frederick Douglas and Martin Luther King in its pole building, and be done with it?

I have a better idea.  Fire the misguided bunch that has seized control of the Museum and preserve it as it was intended to be preserved by those who built it.  If not in the White House of the Confederacy, in a location where historians and tourists can study and marvel and relive the past.  For the curators to have as a goal the closeting of a chapter in American history is appalling.  And down-right wrong.

Here's to the Museum of the Confederacy.  May it be saved from certain destruction.

This essay settles, once and for all, the question as to whether God exists.

Okay, not really. But it’s still worth the three minutes it will take you to read it.

Jeff Schapiro is neck-deep in the advance details of the Governor's ABC plan, which now includes some dollar amounts to go along with it. Take the licenses that would be put out for bid:The McDonnell package reportedly includes licenses for 600 large, or so-called big-box, stores; 150 for traditional package stores; and 250 for small retailers, such as convenience stores. The minimum bid on

I had a long, pleasant and interesting conversation late yesterday with a highly-placed friend from the opposite side of the political fence regarding the Governor's ABC privatization plan. While neither of us knows more about the plan than what's been leaked -- and what will be further sketched-out today -- it's the politics of the thing that are most fascinating, and largely because the

As you probably know, the government (that of the people, by the people, and for the people) has banned  incandescent light bulbs, beginning in 2012.  Whether we the people like it or not.

Thanks, W.

They are to be replaced by "compact fluorescents."  And for good reason, as the state of New York told us so ... glowingly in 2008:

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are energy efficient, creating benefits for both the consumer and environment. When used for general household lighting, an ENERGY STAR® CFL uses about 75 percent less energy than its incandescent counterpart. Given that the average house contains approximately 45 light bulbs, this can translate into tremendous savings. In addition, CFLs can last up to ten times longer than incandescents, saving more than $30 per bulb.

This efficiency also decreases the amount of pollution created in producing that energy. For example, when coal power plants generate electricity, they emit carbon dioxide and other pollutants that accelerate climate change, cause smog, and aggravate respiratory diseases. Since New York receives 12 percent of its power from coal, reducing our personal energy use can lessen energy production’s negative effects on the environment and human health.

Gosh, that's great.  Who wouldn't want to rush out and get some of those wonderful CFL's?

Well, Glenn Reynolds, for one:

L.E.D. LIGHTS DETHRONE COMPACT FLUORESCENTS. That shouldn’t be hard. I jumped on the CFL bandwagon early, but the CFLs have absolutely failed to live up to their promised longevity. (I haven’t noticed any visible electricity saving, either, though that may just be a function of how much electricity we use for other things).

So now we're to believe that LED lights are the way of the future.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) LED's are energy efficient, creating benefits for both the consumer and environment. When used for general household lighting ...

Can we just have our incandescent bulbs back and be done with all this nonsense?

"I'll see your 70 and raise you 100."

President Obama's top political guru said Tuesday that he believes 70 House races and 15 Senate races are in play this fall.

Kate at "Small Dead Animals" notes that

Oh, boo hoo. A simple Google search will confirm that Muslims have been burning bibles for years.


Admittedly, they're usually inside a church at the time.

It's so disappointing when one turns to an expert for expert advice and all one comes away with is whimsy.  Or malarky. 

Take for example the subject that is on all our minds these days - the economy.  Washington Post business columnist Steven Pearlstein is one of those guys you turn to for answers.  The man with the plan.

Or not.

I was perusing the paper this morning and came across his latest treatise - "The bleak truth about unemployment."  A few paragraphs in and I came upon this heart-stopper:

"At this point, there is only one clear path out of the unemployment box we have created for ourselves."

Excellent! Thank God for Steven Pearlstein!  The light at the end of a dark, dark tunnel!  We've all been looking for that one clear path out of this mess that the Democrats have created for us and he's going to guide us through it!

My heart was racing.  My breathing became labored.  The blood was coursing furiously through my veins. My brow dripped of sweat. My muscles tensed.  I sat to the edge of my captain's chair ...

What is it, oh Sage of Economics Universalis, that is going to save us from annihilation?

Right now, the United States is running a trade deficit that is likely to reach $450 billion this year. That's down considerably from the $750 billion at the height of the economic bubble, but still more than a wealthy advanced economy should have. Bringing it down - either by producing more of what we consume (fewer imports) or more of what other countries consume (more exports) - represents the path toward sustainable, long-term job creation.

The USA need to make more stuff.

The USA need to make more stuff?

That's it? That's the one clear path out of the unemployment box?

That's not even a path, dude. That's a goal. The path is one in which we create conditions allowing for more people - either here or abroad - to be able to - and want to - buy more of that stuff. Truth is, people aren't buying our stuff these days like they used to. What do we need to do to change that?  What path do we take to get there? 

I know.  How 'bout this?  A campaign slogan that goes something like this?

Buy Our Stuff.
Say what you will, at least it's a path and not something you'd read on the bathroom stall wall.

Founder of "International Burn a Koran Day"

Ten Reasons to Burn a Koran

5 More Reasons to Burn the Koran

Does a voice of dissent deserve a hearing?

1. Shock the world into focus In a day and age where ideas are confined to 140 character tweets, the violence of modern films dulls our senses, and the attention of most is on the frivolous dribble of celebrity gossip, sports and weather, we all know how much it takes to grab our attention.
So, World, got your attention? Good, please read on.
2. Get people to start asking hard questions Before World War II, nobody wanted to think that Hitler would really do what he was plotting. It was much more comfortable to think that there would never be another World War and that we had moved past that. Wouldn’t you like to go back to 1938 and issue some warnings that the man was serious?
So here are some questions I recommend you start asking:
Is Islam really peaceful? (Hint: Surah 9 is chronologically one of the last things Muhammad said) What is Islam’s goal? (Hint: Look up Sahih Muslim Book 041, Number 6981) Is burning books really the right way to get this message out? immediately followed by, what is the right way? (and if you answered “just don’t say anything”, you have unfortunately answered incorrectly.)
3. Remind the world we still have freedom of speech Amidst the capitulation of US generals, municipal fire departments, and various religious leaders, it seems appropriate to provide a reminder for those who are not too familiar with certain inalienable rights of Americans:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or Abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. — United States Constitution, 1st amendment
Islam is incompatible with the 1st amendment. You are not allowed to leave Islam once you’re in. Suppression of free speech is standard in many Islamic countries, and even if it’s not done by law, when anyone speaks out against Islam they are immediately met with death threats, which causes most to back down. Even the Gainesville Fire Department has stepped in to aid the suppression of free speech by using an unconstitutional application of a burn permit.
4. Expose the truth Pressure makes diamonds and fire purifies gold. Sometimes it takes undesirable means to get necessary results. Heat exposes things that are hidden:
"Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects." (Acts 28:3–5 NIV)
CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, likes to paint a pretty picture of Islam, hiding its evils. If you are unfamiliar with Islam, here are some suggested google search terms: “Al-taqiyyah”, “dar al-harb”, “abrogation”, “verse of the sword”. While you’re at it, you could google “Terry Jones Arrested” and find out the depths to which CAIR is willing to stoop in order to prevent our message from getting out. They published a completely false (feel free to research it) story that Dr. Jones was arrested on charges of sharing child pornography. If lying were not aloud in Islam, I would be shocked, but as it stands, it’s just another day for Islam.
We are in fact commanded by Paul in the Bible to expose the darkness, a good example of which is exposing the violence and lies of Islam.
"Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”" (Ephesians 5:11–14 NIV emphasis added)
5. Force the world into action Do you think we’re wrong about Islam? Go and study Muhammad’s life after he left Mecca.
Do you agree that Islam is dangerous but think we’re going about it the wrong way? OK, so go and find your own way, but go and do something!
Do you think Christianity is wrong? Then go and study the Bible, study History, and seek the truth.
So if you’re all worked up about us burning the Koran, then the time for action is now. We don’t make this stuff up. The truth is out there, and the truth shall set us free.
Finally Let's just make one thing clear. A small church, in a small town, down a back road, burning copies of its own books, on its own property, is not responsible for the violent actions anyone may take in retaliation to our protest. Remember, Paul did not make the snake, the fire drove it out and he was bitten. If violence happens in reaction to this, the violence was not caused by us, it has just been exposed.

Interesting.  This pastor and this event has demonstrated, once again, the fault lines in America.  Before I went to his website I thought he was a crank.  Now, I'm on the fence.  I keep remembering that all it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing; and that's what we're being asked to do by our rulers: "don't do anything to get them mad at us."  That's not good enough.

More bad news for the guv:

“Before we heard any details, the idea of privatization was appealing,” said Randy Norton, chairman of Great American Restaurants, about to open its 11th eatery in Northern Virginia. “Our minds only went to what good could come out of it. . . . But if our taxes are going to be raised at all, we’re going to fight this thing very hard.”

By trying to buy off a tax-happy legislature, McDonnell seems to have put his plan in the middle of the road. . . . where it can get creamed from both sides.

Take a close look at this Twitter post sent out by Rick Klein regarding the Delaware Republican primary battle taking place between conservative Christine O'Donnell and liberal Mike Castle (click on the image to enlarge it):
The contest has gotten nasty, with the establishment GOP there doing all it can to protect the incumbent Castle.

So who is Rick Klein?

He's ABC News's Senior Washington Editor for "World News with Diane Sawyer."  Rooting for the liberal Republican to defeat the conservative Republican.

Kinda gives a whole new meaning to media bias, doesn't it?

The New York Times:

Democrats Aren’t Running From Health Care. But What Are They Running On?
From On High:

They hope to defeat George W. Bush.

It ain't much. But it's all they've got.

Long Island Man Arrested For Defending Home With AK-47
Long Island Man Arrested For Defending Home With Civilian Version of AK-47

Fear for your grandchildren's future will have the effect.

And the reason for that fear?

My God.

Graphic courtesy of Gateway Pundit.

... and fear for its future ...

... a video that speaks truth to power:




"Mr. President, you took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Great video. Decent painting.

Thanks to Michelle Malkin for bringing it to us.

If the polls are to be believed, there is a growing possibility that longtime Congressman Rick Boucher (VA-9) is going to lose his bid for reelection in November.  If he does, it will be for one reason and one reason only - his vote on Obama's cap-and-trade bill that nearly everyone agrees will kill thousands of coal jobs in his district.

One of his best buddies in Washington - Senator Jim Webb - sees the writing on the wall.  He wants to distance himself from Boucher and that albatross as much as possible.  As quickly as possible.  Here's a video of Mr. Webb at a rally in Southside on Labor Day voicing his opposition to cap-and-trade:




(Is there a trend here? Webb came out against the War on Terror after it became unpopular and now he comes out against Obama's misguided and ruinous "energy" bill after it too becomes the bane of American politics? Just asking.)

In any case, Boucher is being abandoned by his "friends." They's gittin' while the gittin's good.

As for Webb, I don't blame him for his position. It's the right one. I just wish he wouldn't hide in the bushes and crawl out after the fireworks are over.

Daley won't run for re-election

A spokesman for the magazine told The Daily Caller that the magazine wants to
ensure students are exposed to liberal thinking, citing what he said was a
tendency for classes to exclude progressive ideas and viewpoints

.......Seriously?

Read Here: Lefty magazine promotes teachers’ guides, claims schools aren’t providing a liberal viewpoint The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

The stately White House East Room, home to many a bill signing and ceremonial gathering, becomes a stage Tuesday for pirouettes, jetes, gravity-defying leaps and maybe even some bumps and grinds as Michelle Obama inaugurates a new dance series.

Wanna bet Michelle shows her moves?

This may be the year boobs like Barney Frank get some genuine competition in "safe" districts that elect and re-elect despicable pigs him.

Harry Reid claims he's a potted plant.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, ..."I had nothing to do with the massive foreclosures here," ...adding that he also had no part in contributing to the state's dismal unemployment figures.
At 14.3 percent, Nevada's unemployment rate ranks the highest in the country. ...an Associated Press analysis found that Nevada is the most economically stressed state in the nation.
Just an innocent bystander wandering around the Senate, not responsible for a thing.

-
Roanoke Times, 9-7-10, Pg 1& 12: Obama proposes another stimulus to a union rally in Milwaukee. The focus: roads, rails and runways (planes, trains & automobiles).
-
Republicans Response: What happened to the last NOT-shovel-ready jobs and how are we going to pay for all this debt and borrowing?
The Sierra Club Response: What about the CO2 and global warming?

Yet another Obama payoff to his union friends and supporters with your future tax-dollars, without remorse or apologies for the financial disaster he has enacted and propagated.
Where are and where were the shovel-ready jobs:
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2009/10/kaine-and-vdot-not-shovel-ready.html
-
Does this wizard from Harvard have any idea what’s involved in doing a major infrastructure job? Some long-lead (multi-year) mandatory items: Architectural proposals and development of specifications, years of environmental impact processes, selection of and then acquisition of private property through the courts, building permits, bid proposals, bid selection, concentrations of men, material and equipment.
-
Obama and his economically-challenged team members have squandered a major opportunity to put the American free enterprise system back on the road to private sector growth and job creation.
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2010/09/obama-insulting-our-intelligence-again.html
-
Instead they have focused on paying back their political constituents and driving the country toward socialism and fascism.
Definition: Fascism: an authoritarian hierarchical government that historically focuses on government-run industry and minimization of profit-driven competitive systems.
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2009/06/name-new-american-system.html
-
Some prior items:
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2010/09/obama-insulting-our-intelligence-again.html
-
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2010/05/greece-obamas-new-america.html
-
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2010/02/obamas-gm-government-motors.html
-
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2010/01/obama-neck-deep-in-big-economy-muddy.html
-
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2009/10/kaine-and-vdot-not-shovel-ready.html
-

Among those who believe that Labor Day is really --- or should be --- "Organized Labor Day," I found this little gem in today's E.J. Dionne column in the WaPo:

The union movement has always been attached to a set of values -- solidarity being the most important, the sense that each should look out for the interests of all. This promoted other commitments: to mutual assistance, to a rough-and-ready sense of equality, to a disdain for elitism, to a belief that ... individual rights did not stop at the plant gate or the office reception room.

Mr. Dionne might just want to consider the treatment by labor bosses of those who don't buy into the union myth before he promotes another one: how unions have promoted "a belief that ... individual rights did not stop at the plant gate or the office reception room."

Stating that we conservatives loved everything "W" did is plan wrong and if towing the party line means saying we did than we have a problem....changing the GOP for the better means taking a look at the past...what worked and what didn't and not just relying on the opposition to fail and then instituting the Status Quo... of retread candidates and retread Ideas. We need to move America forward with real substantive conservative principles starting with the economy, spending and job creation.....From ther Telegraph:

The Young Guns book recognises "high profile ethics lapses" and "an
inability to rein in spending or even slow the growth of government" led to a
breakdown in trust in the party. ..."The fact is, we had our chance, and we blew
it," wrote co-author Eric Cantor, the party's chief whip....The Young Guns
programme run by Mr Cantor and his colleagues and co-authors Kevin McCarthy and
Paul Ryan is designed to find new, reliable conservative candidates

Read Here: http://www.addthis.com/web-button?where=website&type=bm&clickbacks=1&frm=home&bm=bn3&analytics=0

There was a tragic accident in our community involving our sister church, Cedar Crest Amish-Mennonite. All the children from Cedar Crest were on a Sunday School outing Sunday afternoon four miles from our house and four children fell out of the bucket of the tractor. One 12 year old boy (my brother Dietrich’s classmate, reading partner, and friend) was killed, two of his sisters were lifeflighted to Wichita, and one other boy was taken via ambulance. There is an excellent video by a Wichita TV station (KAKE10 ABC) with a bunch of footage from our church service (which was in part a memorial for the boy who died and prayer for those surviving) and an interview with Gary Miller, one of our pastors:

The HutchNews writes in part:

PARTRIDGE – A 12-year-old died Sunday after falling off the front-end bucket of a small tractor during a hayrack ride near northeast of Partridge.

Three other youths who also fell were taken to Via Christi on North St. Francis in Wichita. One was taken by Lifewatch air ambulance, one by EagleMed air ambulance and one by Reno County EMS, said Reno County Undersheriff Sheldon Stewart, who was on the scene of the accident.

The three injured are Hadassah Miggiani, 11, Magdalena Miggiani, 8, and Derek Sch[m]ucker, 11.

Medical crews pronounced the fourth child dead at the scene. Stewart did not identify the deceased, saying extended family needed to be notified. He said law enforcement could release the child’s name as soon as Tuesday.

My Aunt Miriam has a good blog post about the accident, writing in part:

This has been a heartbreaking day because of an accident that took the life of one child from our sister church (Cedar Crest), and left three others injured. Two of the children who were injured were the sisters of the boy who died. I also grieve for the kind young man who was the driver of the tractor that had been used for a Sunday School outing involving a hayride. He was my student in years past, and he is certainly not a careless, risk-taking person by nature. I’m so sorry this happened on his watch. He’s Shane’s age.

[...]

At this point, it appears that none of the three injured children have life-threatening injuries, but one of them has a broken pelvis, and several of them have bad bruises and scrapes–one of them on the arm near the shoulder, and the other about the face and neck.

The family with the death and two injuries has five children in one grade in school. The father is a doctor, and the family was built by birth and adoption. The child who died was born to them, as was one of the injured daughters. In the family, there were three homemade children and five who are African American or Asian.

The only other injured child was involved in another serious accident a year or two ago when he fell onto a welded wire cattle panel and was impaled on a thin rod that punctured his chest and came very close to piercing his heart. So this was his second emergency-vehicle transport to Wichita. The first time was by helicopter and this time by ambulance. He has a badly bruised upper arm/shoulder this time around. I’m thinking there’s no need to explore and experience any other options for emergency transport to Wichita. Derek has been there, done that.

Please pray for the Miggiani family that lost a son and had two daughters injured. (Derek Schmucker has been released from the hospital, praise the Lord!) Also please remember the driver of the tractor.Similar Posts:

• 16 yo girl dies in crash
• Forgiveness
• Prayer of the Children
• Elam Stoltzfoos – Beachy Youth Fellowship Meetings 2010 – Midwest District, Huntsville, AR
• Pennsylvania Christians Face 47 Years In Prison For Reading The Bible In Public

Summer comes to an end, and I am regularly amazed by the ineptitude of the Obama administration.  I am not one who thinks he is not a citizen, but I do think he moves through office with a hubris and intellectual arrogance unfounded by any real accomplishment.  I had to marvel at him on a repeat of his appearance on “The View”, where he chastised opposition to his policies as “mere politics”…apparently not thinking that appearing on most any pop talk show he can is anything less than “mere politics.”

But his recent policy initiative bothers me.  Not the initiative itself, but his timing.

The president recently announced a $50 billion infrastructure plan to shore up our aging highways and railroads while putting people to work.  It is pure FDR/New Deal, and will increase the deficit.

I am, to a point, comfortable with the late Richard Russell who said “In a Depression, I am a Liberal-in good times, I am a reactionary”.  I can handle this type of pump priming in an emergency.

 But what irks me is that this type of infrastructure initiative, with its attendant debt issues, was advanced by Candidate Obama as something he would do immediately upon election. But instead, he went in for actions that made him the head of the US Automotive industry, pushed a health care plan of questionable constitutionality, and accepting Nobel Peace Prizes he had neither earned nor deserved.

Think how much better for the country had this plan been executed two years ago? Impact on employment, fiscal impact on the supply chain, improved infrastructure now instead of sometime down the road.

It is just another misjudgment by a man who probably should have been filling in the “community activist” portion of his resume instead of running for president.

In today’s WaPo Richard Cohen blames the president’s struggles on a staff that is unequal to the job, saying that “Like a picture hung in the sun, he fades over time” because his staff has allowed others to define him.

In truth the president fades like a picture that seems vibrant while the light is on others, but fades under the light because he is unequal to the circumstances…and I have not seen anything to suggest changes in that condition.

Filed under: Politics

Today’s column is about the OED going online-only.

A while back I wrote about the usefulness of online games in providing music loops that drown out background noise without invading your thoughts.

Here’s another good one.

Following this brilliant strategy, I hereby call on voters in the Fifth District to vote against Tom Periello. . . . Come Nov., you’ll see just how powerful I am. . . .

The closer we get to the official unveiling of the Governor's plan to privatize Virginia's ABC stores, the more idiocy leaks out of the General Assembly. Consider this statement from Del. John Cosgrove:Removing the state from the liquor business makes sense as long as the state isn't shortchanged, said Del. John Cosgrove, a Chesapeake Republican, expressing a sentiment several legislators share."

The Economist says cheaper lighting could mean more lighting, not lower bills.

That’s how Democratic strategists plan to leave Tom Periello.

7 September 2010

Editor, The New York Times
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10018

To the Editor:

EPA Assistant Administrator Gina McCarthy explains that her agency is designing a new and improved fuel-economy label for (mandated) placement on all new cars sold in the U.S. (Letters, Sept. 7).

Taking Ms. McCarthy’s advice, I visited the EPA’s website and examined each of the proposed new labels.  I was disappointed to find that a vital piece of information related to fuel economy is missing from both labels - namely, the increased risk of traffic fatalities that result from higher fuel “economy.”  To raise fuel economy, automakers often reduce the weight of their cars, which typically means making cars’ bodies and structural supports out of lighter-weight, weaker metal.  So a car that is more “fuel efficient” will likely also be one that is less “health efficient.”

Because Ms. McCarthy is right that it is “imperative that consumers have more information,” I propose that the new label also explains the magnitude of the increased health risks suffered by automobile occupants as a consequence of government-mandated fuel-efficiency standards.

Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Professor of Economics
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030

I found this (from "Petraeus Condemns U.S. Church's Plan to Burn Qurans") to be rather startling:

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said the planned burning of Qurans on Sept. 11 by a small Florida church could put the lives of American troops in danger and damage the war effort.

Gen. David Petraeus said the Taliban would exploit the demonstration for propaganda purposes, drumming up anger toward the U.S. and making it harder for allied troops to carry out their mission of protecting Afghan civilians.

Right, David.  That might set the Muslims off.  We don't want that. That would send the war into a whole different realm.

Mission of mercy turns into slaughter as 10 aid workers shot and killed for 'spying' by Taliban
A thought: Maybe they hate us Christians because we are Christians, Dave.  Ever think of that?

- - -

Update 19:52 hours:   Cargosquid makes a good point in the comments that I should have touched on in my post.  He writes:

"... [I]ts stupid and rude. Burning a holy book does not advance our cause. Burning the terrorists would...."

He's right.  Burning the Muslims' Koran serves no purpose.  So don't be stupid.

- - -

An interesting perspective from James Taranto:

"America needs a president with the moral authority to denounce the Florida church's stupid, offensive, potentially dangerous stunt. This is a job for George W. Bush."

But wait.  Didn't Obama just say this a few weeks ago?

"Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country."

Doesn't that "everyone else" include the pastor of that church in Gainesville?  Or do Muslims have more of a right to practice their religion than (wrongheaded) Christian zealots, Barry?

I think this is what Taranto is getting at.  Obama, in wading into the Ground Zero Victory Mosque controversy, has sacrificed his moral authority on the subject.  Anything he says will be subject to interpretation based upon his past pronouncements.  Which are highly suspect.

I'm beginning to miss George W. Bush.

You could have bet money that this headline - "Obama Declares an End to Combat Mission in Iraq" - was inevitably going to give way to this:

Despite formal combat end, US joins Baghdad battle
So much for the triumphalism.

Obama got a nice photo op out of the deal anyway. Even if the accompanying photo to the first article - in the  New York Times - looked like something out of Madame Tussaud's:


Is it real?  Or is it a poor likeness made out of plastic? No cosmetician could make him look that weird.

Me?  I'm thinkin' it's a fake dummy.