Energy Fetish

Who is it that is blocking alternative energy? Evil Oil companies? Evil Republicans? Nope.

Environmentalists


"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false face for the urge to rule it." - H.L. Mencken

On the Con Side

Opinions and pontification from the SCOTUS ruling on the Second Amendment is still precipitating. I thought a sample of these opposing opinions wouldn't' be amiss.

This opinion has the advantage of at least being honest about true intentions.
Repeal the Second Amendment

"The 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is evidence that, while the founding fathers were brilliant men, they could have used an editor."

Agreed. They were being too poetical. Save us from lawyers and Orwellian perversion of speech by redefining words.

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

"If the founders had limited themselves to the final 14 words, the amendment would have been an unambiguous declaration of the right to possess firearms. But they didn't, and it isn't. The amendment was intended to protect the authority of the states to organize militias. The inartful wording has left the amendment open to public debate for more than 200 years."

The Second Amendment IS an unambiguous declaration of the individual right to bear arms, and it HASN'T been an open debate until about 30 years ago. The Founders knew what it meant, and everyone else did for 200 years. It wasn't debated, and it wasn't ruled upon all that much because it wasn't controversial.

ALL rights are individual rights, there is no such thing in the American system of collective or group rights, no matter how much Leftists wish to believe it is so, or how often they lie about it.

Imagine if the First Amendment were a group right. A person wouldn't have the right to free speech, but newspapers would. You as an individual wouldn't be able to speak your mind unless you worked for a newspaper or TV station or some other group that was allowed to have free speech. That doesn't make sense, and anyone can see how perverse that would be. Newspapers have First Amendment rights to free speech because its made up of individuals who do have Free Speech rights, not the other way around.

Rights belong to each individual sovereign citizen. Yet, some people advocate the notion that 9 of the 10 Amendments of the Bill of Rights are individual rights but for some reason 1 of them is a 'group' right. How strange, you'd think the Founders would have mentioned that. They didn't, in fact its clear - not arguable, not controversial, not vague or ill-defined - its CLEAR in word, fact, intent, and deed what the Founders meant. Personally, I think that most of the people who push this line know very well that its BS, they are just lying.

You might ask, what is that militia stuff about? Its pretty simple. During the Revolutionary War, Washington and the Continental Army were driven to distraction by the variable and unreliable quality of the American militias. Washington wanted universal military training. "Well regulated" does NOT mean in the modern sense regulated or controlled like for example CAFE standards for cars. "Regulated" as intended by the Founders was in the sense or a regular army - meeting a minimum standard for training, equipment and weapons.

What the Founders wanted was a very well armed citizenry equipped and trained to match a military standard and forming their own militias for mutual defence of their rights and nation.

Before I get comments from silly people, personal arms means rifles pistols and shotguns, not cannons or nukes, so spare me that argumentum ad absurdum.


Speaking of absurd:
Make firearms manufacturers figure out how to reduce the 12,000 shooting deaths each year.

"This year, about 12,000 Americans will be shot to death. It's a staggering figure, and even though lawmakers have continued to pass gun-control laws to try to bring the number down, they have not significantly reduced the murder rate. Indeed, for the last decade, guns have steadily remained the cause of about two-thirds of all homicides."

First: "staggaring figure", not really. Its actually a very small figure in comparison to population. Less staggering yet once the factors such as drugs and criminal background are considered. A man murdering his wife is a horrible crime, drug dealers shooting eachother is less surprising.

Gun manufacturers insist that these deaths are not their fault, preferring to pin the blame on criminals and irresponsible dealers. They have fiercely resisted even minimal restrictions on sales and have simultaneously washed their hands of responsibility for this "collateral damage."

I don't know anyone in the firearms industry who thinks of it as 'collateral damage' I think the author is making that up. Criminals ARE responsible for murders. Duh.

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court made the problem a little more difficult to solve, ruling in District of Columbia vs. Heller that the individual's right to bear arms is indeed protected by the 2nd Amendment -- and making it clear that some laws banning guns would have a difficult time passing constitutional muster in the future.

"Harder to solve" In what way? WAshington DC's laws were both unconstiutional and they DIDN'T WORK. Whereas states like, for example, South Dakota have very few restrictions on firearms and a very heavily armed citizenry - and few crimes. Harder to solve? Maybe DC and Chicago should adopt our laws to solve their crime peroblem.

What is to be done? The conventional regulatory approaches seem to be failing. A more recent strategy, in which victims or municipalities bring lawsuits against gun manufacturers or retailers, seems legally and politically unpromising since the 2005 passage of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which shields gun manufacturers from civil liability.

What is to be done? Glad you asked. 1) Stop trying to regulate objects. Its silly. It doesn't work. Its insulting to free people. 2) reduce the number of laws and regulations 3) concentrate law enforcement efforts on finding and arresting criminals 4) stop wasting police efforts on regulating non-criminal behavior like seat belt laws and smoking bans. 5) punish criminals 6) don't punish law abiding citizens who defend themselves.

We propose a new way to prod gun makers to reduce gun deaths, one that would be unlikely to put them out of business or to prevent law-abiding citizens from obtaining guns. By using a strategy known as "performance-based regulation," we would deputize private actors -- the gun makers -- to deal with the negative effects of their products in ways that promote the public good.

One wonders what they have in mind. Heckler and Koch squads cleaning out drug houses? Smith and Wesson hired Pinkertons sweeping bad neighborhoods for people with outstanding warrants? Somehow I think this idea is less pragmatic and has more to do with trying to suborn gun manufacturers into some kind of state program. Cap adn Trade. That's a good one.

Doesn't surprise me that these authors are professors.


"Enlightened people seldom or never possess a sense of responsibility." - George Orwell

Beware Hubris

Obama is planning to visit Europe and the Middle East before the election:

""This trip will be an important opportunity for me to assess the situation in countries that are critical to American national security, and to consult with some of our closest friends and allies about the common challenges we face," said Obama, in a statement released by his campaign.

"This will be an important opportunity to have an exchange of views with leaders in these countries about these and other issues that are to American national security — and global security — in the 21st century," he added. "

Hmmmm.... Okay. How he handles this will be interesting. If he travels overseas as a Senator on a fact finding mission, that is one thing, but I suspect that given his narcissism he will play up as a visiting head of state. Doing so Obama could put foreign governments in an awkward spot. Its one thing to complain about Bush and cheer for Obama's victory, but how do they treat him now? Senators don't generally pow-wow with heads of state. The appearance of foreign meddling won't help him.

Further, this can backfire. Adoring foreign crowds are more likely to annoy uncommitted American voters than convince them. There is a lot of room for gaffes and embarrassment. Unlike the American policial machine or American media, foreignors will have little incentive to smooth the waters for him.

This is an early test for Obama. While he is the product of the Chicago patronage system, he has little experience in running a non-political event.



"Consult your friend on all things, especially on those which respect yourself. His counsel may then be useful where your own self-love might impair your judgment." - Seneca

Poor Substitute

I'll be posting a few things to keep everyone entertained until Sparkle gets back.

Currently drinking: Mt. Dew Voltage. That shot of ginseng is supposed to be energizing, or is it the music?

Currently reading: Watch on the Rhine by John Ringo (fiction)
Moment of Truth in Iraq by Micheal Yon

Currently listening to: Stricken by Disturbed off album Ten Thousand Fists.

Disturbed's newest release Indestructible is a bit different. I like Torn, Criminal and The Curse, but I am dubious about the rest of the album. This music is a bit too adrenaline pumping to blog to, so I booted Marina V's Simple Magic.

For your amusement:

Candy Bar Identification Quiz American brands, of course. I scored 15 out of 20.

How to achieve a score of ZERO on a true/false test. I liked the professor's comments. 'B is the new C.'



"Enjoy present pleasures in such a way as not to injure future ones." - Seneca

I'm off to see Mickey and the gang!

My Dad loved Disney World. We went often. We were there the day the Epcot opened. I have been too many times to count. I was thinking last night that this might be the last time I go. After this, my youngest will travel into that strange world of the teenager where only girls and sleep matter. So I'm going to take advantage of this last window of opportunity where the magic still lives for him and I'm going to enjoy myself.

You guys behave for BigDog.

A Feminist Icon's Legacy

I used to think of myself as a feminist when I was young. But discovering that abortion was the most important thing to the women's movement made me quickly realize how destructive feminism had become. Destroying the greatest gift we are given in this life goes against everything that is a natural instinct of a woman.

Alice Walker is a feminist icon, but one person discovered that motherhood is not a punishment, but the greatest blessing. That person? Alice Walker's daughter, Rebecca:

The other day I was vacuuming when my son came
bounding into the room. 'Mummy, Mummy, let me help,'
he cried. His little hands were grabbing me around the
knees and his huge brown eyes were looking up at me. I
was overwhelmed by a huge surge of happiness.
I love the way his head nestles in the crook of my
neck. I love the way his face falls into a mask of
eager concentration when I help him learn the
alphabet. But most of all, I simply love hearing his
little voice calling: 'Mummy, Mummy.'

It reminds me of just how blessed I am. The truth is
that I very nearly missed out on becoming a mother -
thanks to being brought up by a rabid feminist who
thought motherhood was about the worst thing that
could happen to a woman. You see, my mum taught me
that children enslave women. I grew up believing that
children are millstones around your neck, and the idea
that motherhood can make you blissfully happy is a
complete fairytale.

In fact, having a child has been the most rewarding
experience of my life. Far from 'enslaving' me,
three-and-a-half-year-old Tenzin has opened my world.
My only regret is that I discovered the joys of
motherhood so late - I have been trying for a second
child for two years, but so far with no luck.

I was raised to believe that women need men like a
fish needs a bicycle. But I strongly feel children
need two parents and the thought of raising Tenzin
without my partner, Glen, 52, would be terrifying.
As the child of divorced parents, I know only too well
the painful consequences of being brought up in those
circumstances. Feminism has much to answer for
denigrating men and encouraging women to seek
independence whatever the cost to their families.

She goes on to describe how she wasn't allowed to play with dolls and was taught that motherhood is a form of slavery.

Alice Walker has not talked to her daughter since she became pregnant because Rebecca questioned her mother's ideology. Rebecca questioned Walker leaving her for months at a time, leaving her on her own at the age of 13 with money to buy food. It seems that neglect was at the heart of Alice Walker's maternal instincts.

This isn't surprising. Feminism demands selfishness. While love demands the opposite.

Rebecca began to have sex at the age of 13 with her mother's knowledge. She also obtained an abortion at the age of 14 with her mother's knowledge and help as well. An act that has haunted Rebecca her whole life.

Such is the legacy of feminists.

Rebecca states:

Feminism has betrayed an entire generation of women
into childlessness. It is devastating.

Although Rebecca's Mom has cut her out of her life and told her that her relationship had been "inconsequential, the happy part is that Rebecca has found her own voice. She has discovered what all loving Mothers know:

I am my own woman and I have discovered what really
matters - a happy family.

h/t BethD

That Was Close

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."-Thomas Jefferson

Too close for me. A victory for gun rights, but a 5-4 ruling? Imagine if we didn't have Alito and Roberts.

AP report :

The court’s 5-4 ruling strikes down the District of Columbia’s 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. The decision goes further than even the Bush administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms laws intact.

Here’s the overview at SCOTUS Blog.

Although my Dad and brothers hunted while I was growing up and my Dad kept a handgun in the house, I never had any use for guns myself. In fact, I hated the thought of them. One of the biggest fights I ever had with my husband was when the kids were little and he brought home a gun from the house he grew up in. I did not want a gun in the house. He bought a gun safe and assured me all was safe.

I use to think the NRA types were always overblowing the assault on 2nd Amendment rights. But what is clear is that when Democrats are in charge of appointing judges, we get rulings that restrict gun rights.

So, I started looking for a gun myself. I've decided to get my concealed handgun permit. I actually went into a gun shop last week. I told my best friend that I know it sounds irrational, but I really have the feeling that I should be getting a gun while the getting is good. I truly feel that if the Democrats get their way, law abiding citizens will eventually not have the right to own a gun. The Democrats are in charge of Congress now and if Obama wins he will appoint radical left judges to the Supreme Court who will continue to throw out the will of the people with judicial activism. Then we are, as they say, up a creek without a paddle.

It's not overblown and it's not irrational to believe that might happen anymore. It is reality staring us in the face.

McCain's former captor endorse him

Welcome to the world of weird:

Four decades ago, during the Vietnam war, Mr Duyet was in charge of the notorious Hoa Lo prison - the place where Mr McCain says he was brutally beaten and tortured during five-and-a-half years as an American prisoner of war.

"McCain is my friend," said 75-year-old Mr Duyet as he feeds the caged birds he now keeps in his garden in this coastal city.
"If I was American, I would vote for him."
........

"He is a very frank man - very conservative, and very loyal to his country and the American ideal.

via NRO

MCain and The Gays

via GayPatriot:

“We’ve had a series of productive meetings with the campaign since Sen. McCain won the nomination—including a recent meeting with the Senator. We expect to have more conversations with the campaign as we head toward November.” — Patrick Sammon, Log Cabin Republicans President — June 25, 2008

Is this even controversial? Why wouldn't he meet with different groups? As you all know, I'm big on meeting with everyone (in this country) to try and sway them to our side.

Not all gays are defined by their sexuality. Not all gays see just that as the only issue. As I posted from before from the Gay Patriot:

the greatest enemies of gay people are not social conservatives in the West who may question (what they call) our lifestyle and oppose legislation benefiting us, but Islamic theocrats who execute gay people in jurisdictions where they predominate and seek to destroy the nations with political systems which allow us to live freely.

The left (and certainly Obama) does not see the danger here, especially for gay people. I would think that anyone gay would look at this issue as much as any personal issue on gay rights.

Since McCain does understand this danger, it only makes sense that he could and should reach out to those who would benefit from his leadership.

Gay marriage isn't the only or even the most important issue to many gay Americans.

Their safety is.

Obama responds to Nader

Responding to Nader's comment about Obama "talking white" to get elected..:

Obama continued: "Ralph Nader’s trying to get attention. He’s become a perennial political candidate. I think it’s a shame, because if you look at his legacy in terms of consumer protections, it’s an extraordinary one but at this point he’s somebody who’s trying to get attention and whose campaign hasn’t gotten any traction and so what better way to get some traction than to make an inflammatory statement like the one that he made. It is what it is."

You can say alot of things about Nader, but he has never been one to say things just to get attention. I have never agreed with a thing that Nader said, but I have always had respect for the fact that he practiced what he preached and he never acted like a normal politician.

What's wrong with me?

I can't get worked up over all the stupid political "stories" lately.

I don't care if Scarlett Johansson is bragging about personal e-mails with Obama.

MTV is accepting political ads for the first time in it's history. No surprise. They are and will be promoting Obama anyway, why not make money off of him? But I really don't care what MTV does.

Ralph Nader says Obama is talking white , but the media will yawn because unless it's a Republican accusing Obama of anything, they ignore it.

The BET Awards were awash with Obama gushing. P. Diddy warned "Obama or Die."

Again. I really don't care what self involved narcissistic rappers think.

The only interesting thing is that the latest gallup poll shows Obama and McCain at a dead heat. Considering the media's love of all things Obama and McCain having almost no comparable press for the last 3 or more months, I take that as a good sign. In May McCain raised as much money as Obama. Another good sign considering our base is stilled ticked at McCain for many things and Obama's base have a screaming teeny bopper crush on him. I call it all good.

I'm going to DisneyWorld on Friday and I'm busy getting ready for that. I guess I'm distracted. I love love DisneyWorld. BigDog will be posting while I'm gone.

The Green Party

No, not that one. The Democrat party. They are trying to have "the greenest party on earth" for their convention.

Read about it here.

I have a feeling it's all going to turn out fun. Can't wait.

Bush Was Right

And get this. It's from The New York Times.

Remember when?

Democratic leaders like Senator Harry Reid considered the war lost. Barack Obama called for a U.S. withdrawal starting in the spring of 2007, while Senator Reid offered legislation calling for a complete U.S. pullback by March 2008.
........

In these circumstances, it’s amazing that George Bush decided on the surge. And looking back, one thing is clear: Every personal trait that led Bush to make a hash of the first years of the war led him to make a successful decision when it came to this crucial call.

Bush is a stubborn man. Well, without that stubbornness, that unwillingness to accept defeat on his watch, he never would have bucked the opposition to the surge.

Bush is an outrageously self-confident man. Well, without that self-confidence he never would have overruled his generals.
In fact, when it comes to Iraq, Bush was at his worst when he was humbly deferring to the generals and at his best when he was arrogantly overruling them. During that period in 2006 and 2007, Bush stiffed the brass and sided with a band of dissidents: military officers like David Petraeus and Raymond Odierno, senators like John McCain and Lindsey Graham, and outside strategists like Fred Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute and Jack Keane, a retired general.

**********

The cocksure war supporters learned this humbling lesson during the dark days of 2006. And now the cocksure surge opponents, drunk on their own vindication, will get to enjoy their season of humility. They have already gone through the stages of intellectual denial. First, they simply disbelieved that the surge and the Petraeus strategy was doing any good. Then they accused people who noticed progress in Iraq of duplicity and derangement. Then they acknowledged military, but not political, progress. Lately they have skipped over to the argument that Iraq is progressing so well that the U.S. forces can quickly come home.

But before long, the more honest among the surge opponents will concede that Bush, that supposed dolt, actually got one right. Some brave souls might even concede that if the U.S. had withdrawn in the depths of the chaos, the world would be in worse shape today.

h/t BigDog

Here is an idea

Listening to the campaigns every day reminds me of high school where one group says something about another group or person and the school is buzzing and wondering how the other is going to respond.

In case you missed it, the latest buzz is about how Fortune had reported McCain's chief strategist Charlie Black had basically said that another terrorist attack on U.S. soil would help McCain. Black said he didn't remember saying that, but apologized because Obama's camp, who really is starting to be the thought police, said that "McCain had "fully supported the Bush policies that have taken our eye off of al Qaeda, failed to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, and made us less safe." Uhh....did they miss that we have almost completely defeated al Qaeda in Iraq? Also, I think the "less safe" mantra isn't going to work when we all know that everyone expected us to be attacked again after 9-11 and we have not been, so I think we can clearly state that we have been kept safe. Obama's campaign also shot back with "this is the kind of politics that needs to change." Everything that is said to criticize Barack Obama is touted as "the kind of politics that needs to change."

More:

AmericaBlog, in response to the terror attack comment, says, “John McCain really is running Bush's 2004 campaign all over again. The politics of fear are front and center.”

Also, Karl Rove says Obama reminds him of “the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone who passes by."

About that, TPM's Greg Sargent writes: "It should also be noted, of course, that Rove took a man who actually is a country club denizen who makes "snide comments" about others -- that would be George W. Bush -- and turned him into a regular Joe. Meanwhile, the guy who would struggle for admittance to some of these exclusive enclaves -- Obama -- is now "the guy at the country club." Rovian up-is-downism at its finest."

Ok, here is the idea. Let's just stop the campaigning until August. I mean it. Both camps just go on vacation with their families. Most Americans are just irritated by the constant back and forth that goes on. It's beyond ridiculous. These kind of high school jabs do nothing to help us know the candidates and only turn more people off of politics.

Let this be the real year of change. Just stop. Stop campaigning until after the conventions and give the American people a rest. We will get to know you just fine in September and October. Plenty of time to bash each other right there.

Lessons We Should Learn From Argentina

WSJ:

As the presidential campaign drones on, Barack Obama and the Democrats are fleshing out the promise of "change" with some specific, big-government policy proposals. Many are familiar, perhaps because they already have been tried – in Argentina.

Read it all.

Americans reading that laundry list may note that it sounds a lot like the mindset of the left wing that will dominate the Democratic Party's convention and choose Barack Obama as its candidate in August. From nationalized health care and government-owned refineries to punishing taxes on the rich, Argentina has been there, done that. There are good reasons to find the resemblance disturbing.

Be afraid. Very afraid.

h/p Bigdog

Who is bringing up race?

So far, it's only been Obama:

“The choice is clear. Most of all we can choose between hope and fear. It is going to be very difficult for Republicans to run on their stewardship of the economy or their outstanding foreign policy. We know what kind of campaign they’re going to run. They’re going to try to make you afraid. They’re going to try to make you afraid of me. He’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. And did I mention he’s black? He’s got a feisty wife.”

Gee, we actually didn't mention you were black because it really doesn't matter to us what color you are. But, since that seems to be so important to you Obama, you might take note that we have had two black Secretaries of State, one black Supreme Court justice, one black Sec. of Education and one black presidential candidate (Alan Keyes).

Did we mention that?

Elian Gonzalez and Obama connections.

Eight years ago a mother dies trying to bring her young son to a better life. A free life.

But the United States let her down.

Now, Elian Gonzalez joins the Communist Party.

It is interesting to note that two of Obama's advisor’s were involved in returning Elián to Cuba; foreign policy advisor Greg Craig, who represented Elián's father (Castro) in the custody battle, and VP search committee member Eric Holder, who was deputy attorney general when 6-year old Elián was seized at gunpoint by federal agents. (via Babalu)

I'm beginning to wonder if there are any moderates on Obama's campaign. Are they all far left?

More here.

Obama's foreign policy

It seems it's all about Winnie the Pooh and Star Wars.

And no, I'm not kidding.

Richard Danzig, who served as Navy Secretary under President Clinton and is tipped to become National Security Adviser in an Obama White House, told a major foreign policy conference in Washington that the future of US strategy in the war on terrorism should follow a lesson from the pages of Winnie the Pooh, which can be shortened to: if it is causing you too much pain, try something else.

Mr Danzig told the Centre for New American Security: “Winnie the Pooh seems to me to be a fundamental text on national security.”

via GOC

Speaking Democrat

via Ace

Beautiful Summer

Sometimes it's difficult to blog because I am having such a great summer. All my children are home working or going to school and the house is full of kids ages 11 to 21 pretty much all the time. It's noisy, messy, and my food is always gone, but I love it. I love their energy and I love their discussions. It's also nice to finally have all my kids grown enough where I can leave the house any time I want to without a thought.

The days have been beautiful and I finally have time to do some things I want to do every day like workout or swim.

I hope all of you are having a great summer too. There are two sets of pictures I want you to see. They are spectacular and will make you say "wow," I promise.

The first is from Kathryn Jean Lopez who shared these pics from NASA someone sent to her. Just fantastic.

The next ones are from Michael Totten called "The road to Kosovo." Truly stunning pictures of a place I will probably never get to see. Keep scrolling when you get there because they just keep getting better and better.