Smorgasbord

First of all, Tieki needs to come back and start blogging, because half the time I don’t have the time or inclination to blog, and the other half, I just make a muck out of things.  All those who want Tieki back, and would especially love to hear her take on the conflict in Israel, say “aye!”.

Next on the list:

Gov. Palin calls out the media for exploiting her candidacy for personal gain, and for the classist and elitist issues brought up.  You go, girl!  (Hat tip: Simon.)

Once upon a time, academic freedom meant the ability to say, research, and defend unpopular positions.  Now, that’s a no-go, at least in Canada.  Via Scott Jacobs at Patterico’s Jury Talks Back:

The Canadian Union of Public Employees in Ontario, the largest labor union representing staff members at the province’s universities, plans to introduce a resolution at its conference next month to ban Israeli academics from teaching, speaking, or doing research at Ontario universities if they do not first condemn Israeli actions in Gaza.

Via Michelle Malkin: the top 10 pro-abortion moments of 2008.  That doesn’t stop the anti-life coalition from starting off 2009 in full swing, though.  A South Carolina bill that would require women seeking abortions to be given information on where to receive free ultrasounds (here) is apparently controversial.  According to these whack jobs, it is bad to give women the following things: 1) access to free medical care; 2) scientifically sound information; and 3) information without any obligations to do a damn thing with it.  Let’s be clear as to how freakishly extreme the “pro-choice” movement in this country has become.  Coming soon to a controversy near you: common sense.

Obviously, blogging over the past few months just hasn’t been as much fun as it used to be.  One feels a bit out of sorts when the insane asylum has been set loose upon the world.  So, ending off this week’s Smorgasbord, the beginnings of my New Year’s resolutions, and Things I learned in 2008 (below the fold):

Continue reading ‘Smorgasbord’

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“Here Comes the Jackpot Question in Advance”

What are you doing New Year’s - New Year’s Eve, dear Haemet readers? First night celebrations?  Champagne?  Chocolate cake?  Fireworks?  (Illegal fireworks that you smuggled in from a neighbouring state?)

In case you haven’t guessed, the musical selection is Johnny Mathis’s “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve,” which is my favourite version of the song.  Christmas may be over, and Boxing Day may have long passed, but we can still have some holiday-themed music at Haemet.

Enjoy an open thread to chat.  Happy New Year’s, and a very wonderful 2009 to all of you.

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This Isn’t Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York”

Move over, Massachusetts, California, and Florida-of-the-dangling chads: the Empire State has got it all over you.  The latest from the loony bin of America:

First up: the “Duchess of Carnegie” refuses to leave her palace above Carnegie Hall.  She pays $650/month for a rent-controlled apartment, in a prime location, with ridiculously gorgeous views.  Rather than viewing this as a spectucular boon whose time has come to a close, the Entitled One is refusing to leave, or, in the alternative, demanding $10 million from New York in compensation.  She’s 96 years old, so that works out to a little over $3 million per year.  So she’s either admitting that she’s getting a $3 million/year apartment for a mere $7,800 annually, or she’s defying the law for personal gain.

Moreover, this tells us a thing or two about rent control.  The apartment was first leased by the “Duchess” in 1947 for $225/month.  Adjusting just for normal inflation (rather than for that of real estate, which is much higher), that would be over $2,000/month today - proving that “rent control” is effectually “rent reduction.”

New Yorker’s entitlement is not limited to rent-controlled apartments.  Sweet Caroline declared that she thinks that she is the “best person” for the Senate seat.

The media trashed a sitting governor for saying that she “didn’t blink” when the VP offer was put on the table, but accepts at face value that a socialite can be a Senator, simply because she’s rich.  Now, as for this contention that Caroline is the best possible choice, we can compare her qualifications to all New Yorkers.  There are approximately 10 million New Yorkers who are over the age of 30 and thus eligible for office.  One and a half million of them have graduate degrees. That makes Princess Caroline one in a million - and not in the “best for the job” way.

Finally, the New York Times - the paper that exposed classified, safe, zero-body-count anti-terror activities; leaked classified military orders; lied about Sarah Palin*, and employs Maureen Dowd - is trying to sell its stake in the Boston Red Sox in order to raise revenue.  Gotta little advice for y’all over at the Grey Lady: take your cues from those who sell their bodies for a living: get paid for your sinful ways, and get it up front.  There’s no point in being a sell-out to every liberal politician if you’re not getting the dough.

*See also here, here debunked here, and, just for fun, here.

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Congratulations to the Palins…

…on the newest addition to their family.  Tripp Easton Mitchell was born to Bristol Palin on Sunday, weighing 7 lbs and 4 oz.

May Tripp bring the Palin family much joy, hope to other young mothers who wrestle with fear and doubts about their ability to start a family, and an end to this nonsense about Trig being Bristol’s son.

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2008: The Year That “Conservative Feminism” Became a Reduncancy, Not an Oxymoron

Not much new to add to the absurdity of the “Caroline Kennedy for Senate” nonsense going around.  Liberals, who loathed Palin, declared the governor of a state to be unfit for the Vice-Presidency, are fawning all over Sweet Caroline.  Ellen Goodman, Palin-basher extraordinaire, has this hypocritical tidbit:

 There is something refreshing in seeing a mother and public citizen auditioning for a second act.

Except when that mother and public citizen is the mother of five, citizen-politician Sarah Palin.  Selective endorsement of women - the “right” women, who do the “good” things and make everyone feel warm and fuzzy - is still sexist.  Like any good infomercial, if you wait, there’s more!

But I find myself unable to dredge up even a modicum of outrage at the idea of this Kennedy bumping to the top of the list of Senate candidates. Her resume shows no more chutzpah than Al Franken’s. Her celebrity is no greater than that of her cousin-in-law Arnold Schwarzenegger, “Kindergarten Cop” and governor. Is she any less entitled to this post than the business leader who decides that his acumen at widgets qualifies him to lead a country?

Yes, actually, Ms. Goodman.  The President is the CEO of the largest corporation on earth.  Being the CEO of a smaller corporation is a good start.  Likewise, being the governor of a state is a good background to be the assistant governor of a country. Unfortunately, writing a few books and getting a pretty education (based largely upon one’s family name, wealth, and connections, presumably) does not render one fit to be in the Senate, if even for two years, if even until someone else can be elected.

The Palin-bashing is not limited to the left, however; snobs on the right, like Kathleen Parker, are quick to jump to Caroline’s defence and take another stab at the country bumpkin-turned-VP-nominee:

Critics on the other side of the political aisle may have had other reasons to oppose Palin (such as her pro-life position), but the loyal opposition was firmly based on substantive concerns about competence, as well as wariness about her tone and temperament, which became increasingly divisive.

Palin’s demonstrated lack of basic knowledge, her intellectual incuriosity, her inability to articulate ideas or even simple thoughts all combined to create an impression of not-quite-there.

She is the governor of the largest state in this country, with the highest approval rating.  She’s obviously smart, capable, and a quick study.  Let’s parse this out:

  • “tone and temperment” = lacking the snobbish condescension of the ruling class; optimistic, tough, and conservative, in a way reminiscent of Ronald Reagan;
  • “intellectual incuriousity” = product of state schools, and without the good breeding to have been guaranteed a spot at Harvard at birth;
  • “demonstrated lack of basic knowledge” = Parker doesn’t read the corrections that come out in the NY Times, or believes Charlie Gibson’s lie that there is one meaning of the Bush Doctrine.

As Jonah Goldberg points out, however, the fact that Gov. Palin was able to pull herself up by her bootstraps and accomplish what she has says a tremendous amount about American and the opportunities to be had here.  He also points out that being a Senator entails more responsibility than being a VP, but Caroline’s resume is a lot shorter on relevant experience.

Some of us have long noted that the selective gushing has nothing to do with feminism (as nothing designed to take down the first female VP candidate in a generation, by calling her a man, is deserving of that label), but everything to do with elite liberalism.  Some of the elitism comes from the de facto requirement of an Ivy League degree (although that doesn’t stop the liberals from calling Ann Coulter, Cornell graduate and Michigan JD, stupid), the accessibility of which often has more to do with connections and opportunity than raw brainpower.  More of the elitism comes from the deranged notion that being born into the right family prepares one for public life.  That is the argument of the aristocracy, not of that which has made America the greatest nation on earth.

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Since I’m in Cali in Spirit…*

…some Beach Boys for today’s musical selection:

I was telling one of my blog-friends about some of the magic that runs rampant at the de Luca household.  Elves appear all through the Christmas season and leave notes for the kids.  Lollipops can be grown out of special seeds that faeries leave.  Leprechauns come every Saint Patrick’s Day and make a muck out of things.

*and not in this horrible, freezing cold, snow-covered commie land called Massachusetts.

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