COMMON GROUND

2004-04-12T22:30:00.000-04:00

STERN II

Just a quick update on Stern- or a qualification if you like. I support Stern in fighting what I feel is a wrong headed attempt to dictate what you and I can watch and listen to.......and it is starting to get scary. I don't want the government telling me what me or my children can watch or listen to- I'll decide that for myself. Having said that, Stern is way over the line in his constant tin-hat-brigade diatribes against the Bush administration and I think he risks actually undermining his cause with it. Today he and Robin both said that anyone that actaully thinks about voting for Bush is stupid. How does that get people to see his side ? I think you can support Bush and Stern and not be intellectually dishonest.

2004-04-12T11:41:00.000-04:00

I might as well weigh in on Howard Stern. I've been listening to him almost every day since my Stay at Home Dad duties started. I've also been trying to follow what's been going on with the FCC, Clear Channel , et al.

I take a somwhat narrower view of all of this than Stern does. I do think that what is happening here is ludicrous and extra-legal. the thing to remember is that the FCC is a federal bureacracy just like the DMV or the Post Office. These people need to justify theri existance and their budget every year. While the commisioners come and go, the staffers are lifers. Some of these people have had a bug up their ass for Howard for over ten years. The other irony is that the guy leading the charge on this is Michael Copps, a Democrat appointed by Clinton.
I think it's a concern that the FCC can fine someone for violating rules that aren't spelled out and that there does appear to be a double standard targeting Stern. But this has nothing to with President Bush and to suggest that it does is laughable. Stern has every incentive to play this to the hilt and drive up ratings while looking like a martyr but this is not a free speech issue. Let's get this straight- Howard Stern does not have the right to say whatever he wants on the radio. No one does. If he thinks he should have that right, fine. He should be able to litigate that ( he doesn't now and that's also a concern). But he acts like this is out of the blue and that he hans't been complicit in making himself a target.

2004-04-12T11:30:00.000-04:00

PRESS TO PLAY

Good Morning !

You know, I have to hand it to Bill Press. He's amazingly consistent. He never undermines my faith in him. He always comes through in the clutch. He's the biggest IGNORANT ASS working as a syndicated columinst today.

His most recent syndie is entitled: " Don't let preacher decide your vote" ( ed. - actually I don't even know if that's what it's entitled or what the Snooze-Urinal called it ) Fair enough- not much to argue with yet. Just wait.

Press starts his diatribe with this sentence " Kerry has to overcome the intolerance of Catholic bishops toward a candidate who doesn't follow every teaching of the church" . Not ony is that not true but he clearly means the big A- abortion.
He comes right out and says it in the next sentence" We're ( the bishops) afraid you won't take orders from the pope once you get to the White House, on one single isses- abortion". Hey, Bill , it isn't about taking orders - the church has deemed abortion a sin and said that you cannot be a good practicing Catholic and support abortion. What is so hard to understand about that ?
And the idiocy continues " The Catholic Church also opposes the death penalty and the pope opposed the war in Iraq. Yet there are no threats against politicians who endorse capital punishment or supported the invasion of Iraq." This is like talking to my four year old. Yes, Bill , that's because the Church has issued an official doctrine regarding abortion while it has not regarding capital punishment; the pope's opinion regarding Iraq is clearly not official Church policy. A reasearch assistant would really help a lot in getting your facts straight. Or maybe that's not on your agenda just now. Here's the money quote: The truth is good Catholics disagree on choice.........Vatican II, in fact, recognized what it called "" Freedom of Conscience"" among Catholics." There isn't one true sentence in there. The Church has offically stated that you cant' be a " good " Catholic and support abortion and " freedom of conscience" applies only to specific circumstances - in this case, not abortion. There's more- " John Kerry can be pro-choice and still be a practicing Catholic". It's nice to know Bill Press has elected himself to the College of Cardinals. Yes, John Kerry can be pro-abortion and go to church but according to Catholic doctrine he will not be in good standing. Maybe Bill can fix that when he gets to Vatican City. He then goes on to say that bishops, or any clergy , have no right to tell their flocks how to vote and that's it's an " outrageous " violation of church and state.
The point of all of this isn't about John Kerry. I'm not a church official and I don't deign to decide whether he should attend Mass or not. In fact, I don't care if he attends Mass or not. That's between him and God. This about Bill Press and his continual assault on common sense and the intellect of the people who read his columns. He's been a working journalist for over twent years so I refuse to believe that he is incapable of writing a factual column on this issue. This is inside the Beltway laziness, pure and simple , with the added curse of a vitrrolic opposition to anything that doesn't conform to his liberal viewpoint. All it would have taken was a phone call to a priest or the press office at his local Catholic diocese to understand the differances between Church doctrine and the pope's opinion and the concept of " freedomg of conscience " as layed out by Vatican II. But that's too much to expect to expect from Bill Press. He has demonstrated time and time again that he is lazy, incompetant, and an ignorant ass.

2004-04-01T10:59:00.000-05:00

Day By Day by Chris Muir, cartoon for: 4/1/2004

This is a pretty neat e-strip. A antidote to that bitter lefty Garry Trudeau who ran out of original ideas around 1982. The artist is actively seeking exposure so check it out.

2004-03-09T12:15:00.000-05:00

UPDATE:

I'll be expanding on my NAACp posting in an article for USELESSKNOWLEDGE.COM very very soon

2004-03-09T12:14:00.000-05:00

HERE'S PART OF MY MOST RECENT ARTICLE FOR USELESSKNOWLEDGE.COM

> Boy, just when you thought is was safe to come out of your spider hole and dig out of the rhetorical rubble known as the Democratic primaries, along come the Culture Wars to liven things up again. And what a week it’s been already: Howard Stern getting bitch slapped, the President coming out in support of offending (I mean amending) the Constitution, and Mel’s Masterpiece hitting the popcorn circuit. Geez, with the Oscars on Sunday this week could turn out to rival the halcyon days of the mid Eighties when Jim and Tammy Faye were playing King of the Moral High Ground with Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. There’s a lot to be said for each of these stellar events and that’s going to happen. They also won’t be going anywhere for a while. The mainstream media’s (predictable) reaction to each of these debacles is also fodder for a lot of hilarity as well.

2004-03-09T12:09:00.000-05:00

I received the NAACP's 2004 National Survey on Race, Gender, And Equality in America last week and haven't had time to post about it until now. How in the world I got on their mailing list is beyond me. I'm on a lot of mailing lists but.......

The survey is ridiculous. If the NAACP's goal is to try to attract more people to its side, it failed miserably. Now, I'm not stupid enough to think that the NAACP is merely interested in my opinion. They want my money too. This is clearly a fund rasing letter. That's cool and I respect that. But they sure have an odd way of appealing to people. I'm either on some weird lists or this is another example of how elite organizations engage in group think and just assume that everyone generally agrees with them and that no "right " thinking person could possibly find the leftist bias inherant in this "survey"

2004-02-02T11:14:00.000-05:00

THERE'S NOTHING QUITE LIKE THE QUIET SOLITUDE OF A MONDAY MORNING, LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW AT THE SNOWY FRONT YARD OF CAMP PREAKNESS WHILE THE BABY NAPS. GREAT BIG BANK NOW KNOWS WHERE IT STANDS IN THE GRAND PANTHEON OF THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT IN MY LIFE.

WATCHED THE SUPER BOWL LAST NIGHT -EVERY JOT AND TITTLE. THE GAME WAS GREAT BUT THE COMMERCIALS WERE PRETTY FORGETTABLE. HOW FORGETTABLE ? I REMEMBER LIKING ONE AND CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS ABOUT OR WHAT IT WAS FOR. SHE'S SLEEPING NOW- AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF OF BREAKFAST AND PLAY AND THAT AFTER TEN HOURS OF SLEEP. IT MUST BE EXHAUSTING TO BE A CHILD. SLEEP , LIKE YOUTH, IS ALSO WASTED ON THE YOUNG. THE IN-LAWS WERE HERE THIS WEEKEND AND GAVE THE WIFE AND I THE NIGHT OFF. SO, OFF TO THE MOVIES. SMARTLY BOUGHT THE TICKETS EARLY AND THEN PARADED THROUGH THE COLD PARKING LOT WITH HALF OF THE TEENAGERS IN DE INTO THE BEHEMOTH THEATER. " COLD MOUNTAIN" .............. I READ THE BOOK AWHILE AGO AND REMEMBER LIKING IT BUT NOT MUCH ELSE. THE MOVIE WAS GOOD- LUSH CINEMATOGRAPHY, LUSH NICKY KIDMAN ( A LITTLE TOO LUSH, IN FACT). THAT, TOO ME , WAS THE ONLY PART OF THE FLICK THAT RAN FALSE. EVERY ONE ELSE WAS DUTIFULLY GRUBBY, ESPECIALLY RENEE ZELLWIGGER, BUT NICOLE KIDMAN,M IN SPITE OF HARSH CONDITIONS, A PISS POOR DIET, AND THE NORMAL TRAVAILS OF LIVING IN BACK WOODS, RURAL NC IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, WAS GORGEOUS. DIDN'T QUITE WORK FOR ME BUT OVERALL I LIKED THE MOVIE- GOOD STORY AND NEAT CAMEO APPEARANCES. PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN CONTINUES TO PROVE WHY HE'S SO GOOD.

ONE OTHER SUPER BOWL NOTE- I WAS PUTTING NUMBER 1 SON TO BED AND MISSED THE JANET- BOOB FALDEROL BUT I HAVE ONE QUESTION- IF IT WAS AN ACCIDENT , WHY DID SHE HAVE A HUGE DECORATIVE STAR MEDALLION ON HER NIPPLE? THE APOLOGIES ARE LAUGHABLE AND I HOPE THEY'RE INTENDED AS SUCH. MY INTELLIGENCE DOESN'T NEED TO BE INSULTED BY MTV THESE DAYS, I'M NOT 15 ANYMORE !@

2004-01-25T11:17:00.000-05:00

Watchng John Kerry on the the talk shows this morning - a few observations:

1. He seems to be making a conscious effort to smile- and I mean conscious. Smiling doesn't appear to be at or near the top of the list of emotional reactions that Kerry has to any single event.
2. He's adopted a Dean-without-the- baggage persona in NH that I'm sure will help him pick up some of the undecided votes before Tuesday. He's careful not to say that Bush misled the country into war but doesn't hold his tongue much beyond that. His premise on the war seems to be that Bush promised three things: a exhaustion of all diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation, a "strong viable " coalition ( presumably one that includes France and Germany), and - oh well I cant remember the third one but it was equally fatuous. I dont' remember Bush promising anybody those conditions and even if he did, I think you can make a strong argument that he more than fulfilled those expectations. John Kerry disagrees.

Game on

2004-01-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

I think ! agree w/ Jonah Goldberg's take on the whole immigration " reform " issue presented by President Bush this week. I say " think" because I also believe it's way too early in this process to pass a final judgement on how this will play out. The bottom line is too often conservatives become beholden to the theory that the good is the enemy of the perfect. Practical reality seems to be this President's forte and I applaud him for even daring to go down this road. Like the recent Medicare " reform " that he rolled out, the hue and cry from both ends of the political spectrum indicate to me that he has gotten this one just about right where he needs it to be. That's Centrism, folks .........

2004-01-01T10:51:00.000-05:00

THE LAST GOOD DAY OF THE YEAR

The countdown is on and I'm officially on the clock at Great Big Bank. I've cheerfully given my notice - last day is the 9th.

I'm going to be changing the name of this blog ( or creating a new one ) due primarily to the fact that I've lost faith in the whole concept of Common Ground thanks in no small part to Dr. Dave. Lileks has summed up my feeling perfectly this week about liberalism's move to the outer reaches of looneydoom. I concur

I'm also embarking on a new challenge here at Camp Preakness so it's seems entirely appropriate to rename and recast this space as Stay at Home Dad blog.

More on the way- Happy New Year

Ya'll ain't seen nothin' yet

2003-10-09T09:14:00.000-04:00

HORN TOOTING

This is in response to an e-mail sent by the good Dr. We were discussing the CA recall and I thought it cogent enough to post:

……..I’ve been back and forth on this since it started and now that’s it over I’ve come to the inescapable conclusion that this wasn’t a good thing. George Will has more on this today in the WP. I think the underlying premises that Issa rooted the recall in are flawed and inherently dishonest- mostly for the reasons we talked about this morning. I also believe that there is an increasingly smaller constituency for smaller government ( not as defined by Babs, BTW ) than ever before. I haven’t figured out if Bush reflects that or is the cause of it ( I suspect, as usual, that the truth lies somewhere in the middle)

2003-10-09T09:12:00.000-04:00

LILEKS (James) The Bleat

GREAT BLEAT TODAY !

More on my lack of posting and a new system coming soon .....

2003-09-11T09:49:00.000-04:00

I haven't been posting recently ........not enough hours in the day ( actually, I haven't taken the effort to create the hours)

I'm trying to change that

today - GOD BLESS AMERICA !

2003-08-29T09:53:00.000-04:00

LILEKS (James) The Bleat

I've been quiet this week.........so much to talk about- so little time with a newborn on hand.

A great " BLEAT" today.............

2003-08-26T22:04:00.000-04:00

A HUNTING WE WILL GO

That 300lb gorilla sitting in the middle of Al Hunt's column from last Thursday was the BIG A - abortion ! In an otherwise interesting piece about Hawaii's governor fighting efforts to implement a popular adoption plan, Hunt completely misses the point. Yes, in a perfect world where abortion doesn't exist you can have a nuanced debate about different types of adoption and what works and what doesn't. But in out world of ROE v. WADE, partial birth abortions, and babies being dumped in trash cans, any effort by a scared mother that doesn't include KILLING A BABY should be welcome. It's as if it's 1968 and we can talk all we want about what "nice people do" and what expextant young women will and won't do. The fact of the matter is in most cases abortion is the first and only option that most of these women here about. A policy debate about adoption differences is sadly misplaced in this day and age.

2003-08-26T21:57:00.000-04:00

HERE'S MY LATEST COLUMN FOR USELESS-KNOWLEDGE.COM IN RESPONSE TO HOWARD DEAN'S OP/ED PIECE IN FRIDAY'S WSJ:

“ Honey, it’s Howard Dean on the phone. He says we can do better and he wants our money back…” So ends the liberal myth of Howard Dean: Moderate. This urban legend brought to you by the friendly folks at the Dean campaign and fostered by their willing accomplices in the mainstream media was blown up last Friday in the Wall Street Journal by none other than Mr. Dean himself. Mr. Dean’s idea of you doing better is giving back the tax cuts that you got in 2001 and 2002 so he can get everyone universal heath coverage. Not exactly a sterling prescription for an ailing economy. His plan to redistribute the tax revenue of the middle class and “invest” it in an as-yet-unspecified large government experiment in health care would create catastrophic consequences for the U.S., and the world, economy. The irony is Mr. Dean hasn’t been reading the very newspaper he’s writing to. Revenue forecasts are up in most major sectors, the dollar just hit a four-month high and fourth quarter projections are pretty optimistic. The tax cuts proposed by President Bush and enacted by Congress are working and have proven to work every time they’ve been tried. Instead, Mr. Dean proposes squandering a nascent recovery on the liberal pipedream of having the government provide health care for everyone.
Mr. Dean spends the first part of his piece laying out the evidence that he’s a thoughtful economics analyst by citing a lot of facts and sources that add up to, what exactly? That Americans are stretched thin and job security no longer exists? He does mention one thing of interest- “ One out of four U.S. workers is free-lancing, employed in a temporary job, self-employed, or working part time.” What is wrong with any of that? Mr. Dean also complains about “ tax cuts that don’t address our needs and saddled our children with debt for generations” I would say keeping more of our money is a great way to address anybody’s needs and secondly, the current projected deficits are small compared to GDP and smaller than the deficits we incurred in the 1980’s. Also, in the next paragraph, Mr. Dean belies his touching concern for our grandchildren with his centerpiece proposal to repeal the tax cuts and create nationalized health care. Now, if the tax cuts created the current deficits (which they didn’t), how will repealing them and spending that and much more on a health care plan eliminate the deficits? Oh, and Mr. Dean will also “invest in the nation’s infrastructure”. He also spells out a lengthy laundry list of things he’s spend our money on, like “ extending a helping hand to states and communities”, “ increase federal aid for special education”, and “ increase the availability of capital for small businesses.”
Tacked on at the end is a neat statement, almost a throwaway line: “ maintaining fiscal discipline is essential to long term growth; discretionary growth must be sustainable, and the federal budget must be balanced over the business cycle”. That would be exceedingly difficult to achieve given Mr. Dean’s obvious proclivity for profligate federal spending.
Howard Dean came out of the liberal closet last week. It’s refreshing to have a clear-eyed view of his plans for America should he become President. Now we know that his wrong-headed views on how to protect America’s interests abroad match his wrong-headed views on how to revitalize America’s economy. We are dong better, Mr. Dean, with no help from you.

2003-08-25T13:13:00.000-04:00

Dr. Dave is back after a sucsessful Canadian trip !

Here he is re: Alabama's religious wars( of which there will be more to come ):

You are Now going to read something about it.

The convergence proves that you can still get over on silly, superstitious, self righteous idiots by invoking the almighty.
The shameless expoitation of a great religion by self serving *******
is an insult to true Christians.

2003-08-20T08:21:00.000-04:00

CNN.com - Texas Democrats threaten legal action - Aug. 19, 2003

MORE SHENANIGANS FROM THE TX DEMS:

I've been following this story for a few weeks, what with the Texas connection and all.
Here's the money quote: Democrats say more than 1.4 million minority group members in Texas would lose effective congressional representation if the redistricting occurs as Republicans wish.
The idea that " minorities" (can Hispanics really be considered a minority in TX)would " lose effective representation" by being represented by Republicans is ludicrous. I'm sure that's what Dems think but to use the race card in this case is abhorrent but sadly typical of today's Democratic Party. If the Dems want to make the case that all of their constituents would " lose effective representation" , that's perfectly appropriate. But to inject a racial motivation into this is beyond the pale. Besides, it's not really Hispanics were talking about here, is it? The mainstream view of black Democratic leaders recently has been that only black representatives can effeectively represent black citizens. This is patently condescending to those being represented but a hallmark of Democratic policy.

2003-08-19T15:00:00.000-04:00

Is it just me or is it still too early to definitively rule out some terrorist connection to the blackout. I hate to be a rumor-monger but it's not beyond the realm of possibility. Even if it was a domestic hacker I would still consider that terrorism.

2003-08-19T08:50:00.000-04:00

Sen. John Edwards is calling for revamping the nation's college-loan program, eliminating the role of banks and making loans directly to students from the federal government.
The North Carolinian, seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, said such a move would save "billions of dollars" each year and allow financial assistance to be provided to an additional 3 million youngsters every year, the Associated Press reports.
"We should give the money to the people who need it the most, our kids," Mr. Edwards said in remarks prepared for delivery in Des Moines, Iowa, yesterday.

Is this really the biggest problem we have? I find it hard to believe that there are a significant number of people out there unable to get some type of a college education. The bigger problem, in my mind, is that we're sending to many kids to college without the necessary skills to succeed there. That does a much greater disservice to them then what Mr. Edwards identifies as a problem. We have a grade school crisis of epidemic proportions in this country that Demcrats and thier wholly owned subsidiary, the NEA, have swept under the rug. Sending kids to college is not the problem- educating them before they get there is.
And do we really want the federal government underwriting student loans ?

Under Mr. Edwards' plan, the loans would come from the federal government, which would also have to assume the liability for loans that aren't repaid.

Guess who picks up the tab under a federal system when those loans default.......that's right - YOU !

2003-08-18T21:04:00.000-04:00

PRESS TO PLAY:

A Google search will tell you that Bill Press is a " respected" liberal journalist. It's hard to fathom why considering the extent of his journalistic skills is to speew back the same tired old liberal nonsense that Terry McAuliffe and the DNC fax out to every other lefty reporter in Washington. If an original investigative subject ever crossed Press's desk, he must have discarded it faster than Kobe threw away the evidence that fateful night. In his lastest screed Press lamely attempts to interwine the 2000 election, the California recall, and the Texas Republican gerrymander imbroglio into, you guessed it, a right wing conspiracy to usurp democracy.

Until the Republican-dominated U.S. Supreme Court stepped in, shut down the recount, and stole the election for George W. Bush: parachuting an unelected president into the White House. That was public election theft No. 1.

uhhhhhhhh.....it wasn't quite that simple, Bill. Legal scholars continue to debate the merits of Bush v.Gore even today ( see the Volokh Conspiracy)but to dumb down the legal wranglings that took place into that statement is patently false. I also doubt that he would have the same take on it had Al Gore won. That's a common theme of all of these arguments- if Democrats had prevailed or weren't the victims in these political contests, Press and his ilk would be crowing from the rooftops. Instead, the bitterness at no longer being in power has reduced the Democrats and their willing accomplices in the mainstream media to sniveling crybabies still bitching about an election over two years ago.

Once Republicans took control of the legislature in 2002, they immediately – under orders from House Majority Leader Tom DeLay – tried to force through a new election remap giving Texas 22 Republicans in Congress and only 10 Democrats.

That blatant grand larceny was only prevented by the dramatic flight of Democratic representatives to Oklahoma and the current escape of Democratic senators to New Mexico, where they remain in exile today, weeping for Babylon.

Oh, Brother- where art thou medication? I'm no fan of gerrymandering,especially of the blatant racial variety, but the Democrats basically perfected that to an art form over the last 25 years. Furthermore, to portray the gutless flight of a handful of Democratic state legislators as a flight to " Babylon" , " in exile" is ridiculous. Again, if the tables were turned, as they have been many times, this would not be a story.

Enter the California Recall: Public election theft No. 3. I'm often asked: How could something like this ever happen to a great state like California? Here's how. Last November, California had an election. Like every other state, California has a lot of budget problems – thanks to a sinking Bush economy – but voters still decided to re-elect Democrat Gray Davis
Result: this colossal embarrassment called the California recall. One hundred thirty-five candidates on the ballot. A totally unnecessary election, costing taxpayers $67 million. A totally unfair election, where the incumbent governor could get 49.9 percent of the vote and lose, while a challenger could get only 10 percent of the vote and win. The chance for a porn star or smut peddler to become leader of the largest state in the union, with no more credentials than the ability to collect the signatures of 65 friends and fork over $3,500.
And they call this democracy? No, this isn't democracy. This is pure anarchy. But make no mistake about it. It didn't just suddenly happen, like a tremor of the San Andreas fault. This is part of an organized, continuing, nationwide Republican plot to undermine and reverse legitimate elections. This is nothing but pure contempt for democracy. Starting in Florida, this is the legacy of George W. Bush

I'm sure that it will come as welcome news to the voters of California that Bill Press has such confidence in their voting capabilities. The utter ruthless condesension that he treats this with is appalling. The last time I checked, the California allows for a recall vote, provided the criteria and thresholds are met, which they have been ( for the first time ever)

I'm also no fan of this recall effort. If I was a resident of California I would vote against recalling Davis. But to portray this as some sort of illegiimate or extra-legal proceeding is preposterous and insulting to the vast majority of Californians who support the recall and the chance the right a wrong.
On Bill Press's little planet this all adds up inexorably to a Republican attempt overturn democracy. If the Republicans were on the receiving end of these initiatives, he would be lauding these efforts every day with every breath. But the fact that Republicans are no longer content to play by the same old rules that ensure Democratic hegemony should serve as a wake up call to all liberals that there times have changed and they had better adapt to it and stop fighting yesterday's battles.

2003-08-18T11:39:00.000-04:00

HAPPY MONDAY !

My rebuttal to Bill Press's Saturday column will be up later today. Dr. Dave is on vacation this week so while the relative peace is welcome, I will need to stay sharp without his constant reminders that there is more to this world.

One final word about Al Hunt's diatribe from last week- Can we dispense with the myth of a not-so-secret cabal of " neoconservatives" pulling the strings in the White House and the Pentagon? That theory, if you can call it that, has been debunked so many times in the last few months that you would think even Al would have heard about it. It's second only to " vast right-wing conspiracy" in it's mythic ordinariness. Continuing to repeat the phrase doesn't make it any more true.

2003-08-16T11:50:00.000-04:00

Due to circumstances beyond my control A HUNTING WE WILL GO will not debut this week. I will take the opportunity to rip Bill Press, however. Most of the time he makes Al Hunt look like a paragon of journalistic virtue and this week is no exception. More to follow...............

2003-08-15T07:54:00.000-04:00

BTW
Due to the power outage last night, I couldn't get on line and couldnt post the inaugural edition of A HUNTING WE WILL GO

Allow me to clarify a few things: Al Hunt is a travesty. His partisanship is not the issue- his lack of journalisitic integrity and utter incompetence are. He has to be the most unoriginal Washington insider writing today. I would have the same issues with him if he were on the right. So each week I'll devote space to debunking the garbage he subjects WSJ readers to.

Having said all that - I did read his column this week and found it to be one of his better ones ( how's that for even-handedednes?!?!). Let me point out that I will be quick to acknowledge when Hunt actually produces a lucid examination of the facts. Unfortunately, those instances are few and far between. More to follow...................

2003-08-15T07:45:00.000-04:00

Pentagon seeks cut in danger pay in Iraq - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics

This will be a big problem, if it's not already. The facts are being distorted but the overall issue is a disgrace and the Pentagon should correct it.

2003-08-14T15:31:00.000-04:00

A HUNTING WE WILL GO

Starting today and continuing every Thurdsday, this space ( at least the part I control) will be dedicated to bashing AL HUNT, ultra liberal hack dopey calumnist for the WSJ. Nothing will give me more pleasure........................

2003-08-14T09:47:00.000-04:00

I'm currently reading The Middle East by Bernard Lewis. Very good and very enlightening. It's shaping up to be the Tom Clancy of literary history books. Should be required reading in this post 9-11 world. The book is billed as " a brief history of the last 2000 years" ! I also have What Went Wrong by Lewis on deck. That just might complete my summer reading list.

2003-08-13T12:29:00.000-04:00

CA RECALL:

Here's a question -where the hell is Darryl Issa in all of this? Is he running ? Is it possible that he miscalculated or was given assurances that Arnie wouldn't run ? Just wondering ..........

2003-08-13T10:06:00.000-04:00

Is it just an unwritten rule of life that work place refrigerators have to be skanky ?

2003-08-13T09:03:00.000-04:00

Another e-mail from Dr. Gunusual - one for the archives come 2004:

Everytime I see Karl Rove the music for Darth Vader gets in my head.

I think they are overestimating Bush. I predict he'll be the first Republican since Reagan to lose the military vote.

20 ounces of water a day? Not paying them combat pay? Cutting Veterans benefits. That's just too easy

2003-08-13T09:02:00.000-04:00

CA RECALL

Seems like it's time for CA Dems to jump of the sinking S.S.Davis. Most of the statewide polls indicate he is through. The sooner they rally around and Bustamante and start an organized " Stop Arnie " strategy, the sooner they'll WIN ! I'm not saying that's necessarily a good thing but do the math. Bustamante is the Hispanic, Democratic Lieutenent Gov.in a state that is majority Hispanic and Democrat. He's also an elected official running against an actor. Despite the name recognition, it will be interesting to see how Arnie handles the firestorm that is sure to befall him once the Dems wake up and realize Davis is toast. It's already starting to happen- Simon and McClintock are weighing in against Arnie today. Dumb, dumb, dumb! Better jump on the Terminator Bandwagon, boys, and ride it hard. That's the only chance the GOP has of winning this thing.

2003-08-12T15:57:00.000-04:00

TALK ABOUT NOT GETTING IT:

Today the Anti-Defamation League officially denounced the forthcoming Mel Gibson film.

The film unambiguously portrays Jewish authorities and the Jewish mob as the ones responsible for the decision to crucify Jesus," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "We are deeply concerned that the film, if released in its present form, will fuel the hatred, bigotry and anti-Semitism that many responsible churches have worked hard to repudiate."

read the whole thing here

This on the same day Hezbollah was shelling Northern Israel and two suicide bombs hit Jerusalem. Couple that with the vitriol spewed by most schools
in Lebanon and the areas controlled by the PA and I think that's plenty of anti-semitism to go around, thank you very much

2003-08-12T15:34:00.000-04:00

and my response:

While I agree the whole idea is problematic it certainly is not “ subverting democracy”. People will have a chance to vote to recall or not – what could be more democratic than that?…..if CA voters want to repeal the recall law then they should do that.

2003-08-12T15:33:00.000-04:00

A RECENT E-MAIL FROM DAVE- I told you this would be fun. If I didn't, it soon will be:

Recent news reports say Arnie planned all along to run for Governor and knew the California Republican Party kept it their big secret. I know the recall is legal but so was Jim Crow and Segregation. Just because something is legal doesn’t make it right as we used to hear with Monica in reference to adultery being legal.

This is a deliberate attempt by the Republicans to subvert democracy. It turns out they not only aren’t Democrats capital D but they are also not democrats
small d.

2003-08-12T14:49:00.000-04:00

Don't count out Bustamante in CA. In a state that posts Dem voter rolls exceeding 60% and highly Hispanic, it's only a matter of time before he starts to pick up some endorsements. Arnie has great name recognition but not much else going for him........should be awesome to watch

2003-08-12T08:12:00.000-04:00

*** NEWSFLASH ****

Ben Affleck says " Gigli" wasn't good

2003-08-12T08:10:00.000-04:00

It seems old Uncle Joe (Biden)isn't running for President. Was it a trial balloon to gauge possible interest? His running would always have been quixotic at best. He would have been way behind on fund raising and who exactly is his constituency? Biden has a tendency to trot himself out every election cycle to pontificate on subjects that he is very well versed in, namely, foreign policy. He's good ! But an early primary victory would have been darn near impossible.........

2003-08-12T07:53:00.000-04:00

There's a lot to be said about the recent tragedy at MBNA. That dull roar you now hear is silence. It's deafening.

2003-08-12T07:24:00.000-04:00

I'm still trying to make heads or tails of this CA recall effort. It actually seems that some of Gray Davis' fears, while politically motivated, are valid. It is a circus atmosphere and the short duration, if the election isn't moved back, will only exacerbate that. I'm not convinced any real issues will be addressed. California is really in a big mess in a lot of different ways. None of that is being talked about or is likely to be. More to come.

2003-08-12T07:19:00.000-04:00

I will soon be adding access for the Rev. Dr. Dave Gunusual(Prog-DE). It would be a bit difficult to find commoin ground without the resident Lib in the mix.

2003-08-11T20:08:00.000-04:00

I see I already screwed up the grammaw on the 1st post ! Oh, well. There will certianly be more where that came from.

2003-08-11T20:07:00.000-04:00

A hearty hello ! and welcome the the Common Ground blog at Ranchos X. I hope you enjoy your stay here and I also hope this blog is enertaining and makes people think.