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Doctor Zero PodcastsDoctor Zero Podcasts You are viewing RSS feed fromhttp://www.doczeropodcasts.org/doczero.xml
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The Remora Economy
Thomas Sowell begins his latest column with an idea that has long fascinated me: When people learn that you are an economist, they often want you to predict which way the economy is going. There seem to be more than the usual number of calls for such predictions lately. But an economist should be more aware than others are of how hazardous such predictions can be . . .
Hold The Stimulus And Pass The Tea
President Obama "unveiled" his new "stimulus" plan in Wisconsin today. It was a lot like watching an alcoholic unveil his new plan to get sober by switching to lite beer . . .
Praise With Faint Damning
In a Friday night post, Allahpundit followed up a dose of pure rotgut Alan Grayson insanity with a little milk of magnesia from the Atlantic Wire. It seems "many liberals" are "rejecting" the new book from Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas.
After The Fall
The November elections may well be the most historic reversal of political power in modern history. Sean Trende at Real Clear Politics thinks over 60 seats in the House could go Republican.
History Written By The Losers
Winston Churchill once observed that history is written by the victors. President Obama's Tuesday night speech on the end of the combat mission in Iraq was an example of history being written by the losers.
The Honor of a Great People
Three hundred thousand people gathered in the Washington Mall on August 28, at the invitation of radio and TV host Glenn Beck, to discuss restoring the honor of the American people. How did a great people come to lose their honor?
The Narrative of Hate
You hear a lot about the "hatefulness" of conservatives and Tea Party activists these days. Lefty web sites were eager to pin the recent stabbing of a Muslim cab driver in New York on right wingers, since all opposition to the Ground Zero mosque is dismissed as vicious bigotry . . .
Equality Before The Law
The Washington Post brings us news of an Obama Administration report to the United Nations, confessing our "less than perfect" human rights record . . .
The Phantom Priority
After the passage of his massive health-care plan, President Obama promised a "hard pivot" to dealing with our flagging economy. Job creation was said to be his new "top priority." Politicians make a habit of declaring lots of top priorities.
The Sanctification of Awful Men
Saturday brought the bizarre saga of Sweden announcing a rape charge against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, then withdrawing the warrant within a matter of hours, downgrading the international media hurricane to a tropical storm of "molestation" charges.
The Truth About America
Sometimes people say there's no way America can pull out of its death spiral. No matter what polls may say about the national mood turning against those pushing us into submission and bankruptcy . . . no matter what brilliant ideas for national renewal might be advanced . . . our character has become too flawed.
November In Focus
The strands of the Internet hum with confusion, anger, and message manipulation from an increasingly desperate Left. Their last-ditch strategy involves brewing up a petri dish full of viral memes about the conservative grassroots, in the hope of weakening their resolve, and perhaps frightening a few independents into staying home in November. They hope to nourish the disgust of the "pox on both their houses" types into lethargy.
Doctor Zero, Superhero. Our 100th Podcast!
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No . . . it's a plain bird. That's the best superhero joke I know. Doc Zero once wrote that it was best to begin a composition with an arresting opening paragraph. I always preferred to go for comedy over drama. Get the audience laughing and they're yours.
Atonement and Absolution
The following facts about Islam are objectively true: 1. Islam is the most violent religion in the world. Almost every point of contact between Islam and other religions, or secular government, is damp with blood . . .
The New Abnormal
Back in June, Vice President Joe Biden made one of the bizarre statements for which he has become famous, as reported by CBS News: Vice President Joe Biden gave a stark assessment of the economy today, telling an audience of supporters, "there's no possibility to restore 8 million jobs lost in the Great Recession."
The Destiny of a Free Nation
In the comments to The Dominion of Liars, itzWicks asks: The refrain that I hear over and over again at the conclusion of excellent essays such as this (as well as from the well articulated comments that follow on this blog) is sadly the same: "What are we going to do about it? What can be done now?"
The Dominion of Liars
Even some of President Obama’s supporters are beginning to grumble about what a terrible liar he is. He lies incessantly, often with a clumsy "as I have always said" introduction that seems positively delusional in the Google era.
The Bailout Singularity
Reuters columnist James Pethokoukis tells us the markets are preparing for a fantastically expensive "August Surprise" from President Obama:
Requiem For An Ideal
California's Proposition 8 added a provision to the state constitution, declaring "only marriage between a man and a woman is recognized in California." Its supporters fought a hard campaign in 2008, and passed it with seven million votes.
A Wealth Of Options
Arthur Laffer has a magnificent column in the Wall Street Journal today, concerning the reduction of income to the Treasury which accompanies rising tax rates on the evil rich. Laffer's expertise on this subject is legendary, as is his patience for explaining it over and over again, to generations of liberals who refuse to believe it.
The Value of a Volt
How much is a new Chevy Volt electric car worth? The sticker price is $41,000. However, with federal subsidies, you could pay as little as $33,500. Additional subsidies provided by the state of California could knock it down even lower, for residents of the Golden State. So what's the price?
The Shape of Things to Come
The past few days have brought a number of developments which illuminate the future our ruling party has planned for us. Consider the outlines of this rapidly approaching future when you decide how vigorously you wish to oppose it, or whether you'll allow a general sense of disgust and weariness to keep you away from the polls in the next few elections.
Argument By Graffiti
The local news in my part of Florida is humming over a peculiar act of vandalism. At some point over the weekend, someone posted a set of well-made yellow street signs reading "Illegal Alien Crossing." Identical signs were posted on either side of a pedestrian crossing, so drivers heading both ways would see them.
The Calculus of Race
Shirley Sherrod, formerly of the USDA, said some rather provocative things during the rambling March 2010 speech that would later prompt the Obama Administration to summarily dismiss her.
The Independent Question
We're getting close to a major congressional election, and the early maneuvers of the 2012 presidential race are under way. That means it's time to worry about independent voters again.
Whistling Past The JournoList Graveyard
Leftist writers and pundits have been trying to stroll past the crater left by the Daily Caller's JournoList bombshell, hands stuffed in their pockets and eyes rigidly forward. Over at the Caller, Jim Treacher provides a roundup of reaction from across the blogosphere (look for a familiar name!)
Value is Knowledge
Value is knowledge. That sounds a little backward, doesn't it? It's easy to see how knowledge is valuable. Consider the fanciful example of traveling back in time with tomorrow's stock market results. Such data would be worth fantastic sums of money.
Serious Human Beings
Even as the starting bell rings for the first round of the Republican presidential free-for-all, we've got a couple of anonymous Mitt Romney advisors coming off the top rope, aiming elbow smashes at Sarah Palin’s back.
Two Kinds of Apocalypse
Through DVD rental, I recently saw two films which took a similar premise in very different directions. The contrast between them is interesting.
Green Economics and the Void of Desire
Whatever “green jobs” are, it’s very clear America doesn’t want them.
The Business of Government
The original mission statement of NASA reads as follows: "To improve life here, to extend life to there, to find life beyond." The part about improving life here turns out to be a kind of cosmic Interstate Commerce Clause, justifying any conceivable activity… including "expanding our international relationships" and "reaching out to the Muslim world," which NASA administrator Charles Bolden sees as "perhaps foremost."
The Virtual Government
On the most urgent matters facing the United States at the moment -- including the economy, the Gulf oil spill, border security, and foreign policy -- Obama and the Democrat Party have almost completely given up on addressing the actual crises.
The American Faith
During his immigration speech last week, President Obama said: "Being an American is not a matter of blood or birth. It’s a matter of faith."
Robert Byrd and the Privileges of Aristocracy
Mike Riggs at the Daily Caller reports on a remarkable statement of support for the late Senator Robert Byrd from the NAACP: On Monday the organization released a statement from NAACP President and Chief Executive Benjamin Todd Jealous claiming that Byrd's life "reflects the transformative power of this nation."
Awakening From The Collective Dream
Thomas Sowell makes an interesting point about gun control laws, in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision concerning the Second Amendment:
A World Without Profit
The concept of profit takes a lot of abuse from the Left. Democrats usually spit the word out as though it were a curse, especially when they're working to increase government control over private industry.
Big Government, Bad Journalism
Just the other day, I was discussing the challenge of maintaining cordial relationships in a highly politicized society with a friend of mine. When politics have infused every aspect of our lives, right down to the menus at fast-food restaurants, our political opinions are often interpreted as judgments of character.
Night of the Yeoman
There are two Republican parties, and both had a candidate on the 2008 presidential ticket. John McCain was the candidate of the thin-blooded aristocracy, tired men who dislike certain elements of their nominal constituency far more intensely than their political opposition . . .
Nothing In Moderation
British papers have an odd habit of hooking up with utterly clueless American correspondents, to obtain preposterous reports on the rapidly changing American political scene. Back in February, the Guardian passed over the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have actually seen a Tea Party rally to publish the tedious fantasies of Joe Queenan.
Honor From Our Fathers
Honor is essential to the maintenance of a free society. We learn about honor from our fathers.
The Helpless Titan
The current federal government of the United States is the largest, best-funded organization in human history. Our public debt has grown to over $13 trillion. We pay hundreds of billions per year just to service this debt . . .
The Birth of Defiance
The American flag is 233 years old today. The President has proclaimed the entire week to be Flag Week, which sounds like a good idea to me. She deserves a good long birthday celebration.
The Pillars of Apathy
Every time I write something optimistic about the future of the United States, I hear from some doomsayers who assure me things will never get any better. Pessimistic conservatives say we're locked into a death spiral, at the mercy of a system running on autopilot and programmed to crash.
On The Table
Some grim humor could be found earlier this week, in the spectacle of the President’s "deficit reduction commission" going over budget and running out of money . . .
No Country For Old Hens
It's easy to see the contemptible end of Helen Thomas' career as a metaphor for the twilight of the entire dinosaur media. Her departure is the latest tremor in a rapidly shifting print and television landscape. This is no country for old hens.
Slaves of the Ethereal Machine
As reported by MoneyNews.com, investment guru Warren Buffett is worried about a "meltdown" in municipal debt:
Anti-Civilization
Look at the world through the eyes of Hamas and its apologists, and ask yourself: what's the point of sending a couple of boats full of terror "activists" to run the Gaza blockade?
Pearls on Green Velet
When I heard that President Obama would skip the Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, my initial reaction was surprise. It seemed like a foolish unforced error, the sort of mistake a wartime President with flagging popularity can hardly afford.
Versus America
One of the most striking moments in our increasingly surreal politics came when congressional Democrats leaped to their feet and applauded a foreign leader as he trashed the state of Arizona and its immigration law . . .
ObamaCare By Any Other Name
Why are liberals suddenly objecting to the name "ObamaCare," forcefully enough to compel Jake Tapper to apologize for using the term? As Allahpundit noted, it's supposed to be the crowning achievement of the Obama presidency -- and, indeed, the modern Democrat Party. He should be proud to have it named after him.
The Betrayal of Mystery
If you enjoyed the finale of Lost, I'm not writing this to challenge your taste. You have nothing to apologize for, or defend. There’s nothing "wrong" with cherishing the fine acting and emotional resonance of its reunions and farewells . . .
Broken Puzzles
Tonight, fans will bid farewell to Lost, one of the most potent obsessions to erupt from popular culture in the past decade . . .
The Feral Vanguard
In "The Necessary Enemy," one of the first posts I wrote for Hot Air over a year ago, I made this point about the violent and desperate nature of socialism:
The Tea Party Imperative
Rand Paul's decisive victory in the Kentucky GOP primary is widely viewed as a demonstration of Tea Party power. Democrat spin doctors have already wheeled Paul into surgery, laughing and high-fiving each other as radioactive chunks of extremism turn up in his biopsies. He might be sitting on a healthy lead against his Democrat opponent now, but they’re hoping he'll rot away from extremism tumors by November. Since Jack Murtha's chosen successor prevailed in Pennsylvania, the prognosis for anti-establishment, anti-incumbency fever might not be so bad after all!
An Interview With Dick Blumenthal
Following is an excerpt from an Associated Press interview with Democratic Senate candidate Dick Blumenthal, currently fighting allegations that he lied about his military service in Vietnam . . .
The Custodians of Memory
I was a high-school student when the movie Rambo came out in theaters. While waiting in line for a seat on opening weekend, I saw a group of Vietnam vets coming out of a previous showing. One of them was in a wheelchair. I asked them what they thought of the movie. They all indicated they had greatly enjoyed it.
Romancing The State
Speaking before a group opposed to gay marriage on Saturday, Florida GOP Senate candidate Marco Rubio discussed the increasing power of Big Government:
Heart and Soul of the Right
Public Policy Polling released a poll of possible Republican presidential contenders yesterday, putting Sarah Palin in fourth place behind Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, and even Newt Gingrich. All four are within a few points of each other, and the data comes from the same outfit which assured us Doug Hoffman would sweep New York's 23rd district by double digits, so the poll should be taken with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, the government says we can't have salt anymore, so I guess we'll have to take it seriously.
How To Be Poor
Extreme poverty is not a difficult condition to reach. All you have to do is remove yourself to a desolate wilderness area, and exert the minimum effort necessary to feed and shelter yourself. Any increase in activity, or human interaction, will make you less poor.
Opposing Kagan
The second round of Survivor: Supreme Court -- Obama Edition has begun, and there isn't much chance Elena Kagan will be voted off the island. The Republicans should try anyway. She isn't a very good nominee. Was there no one with a more impressive resume, and a greater volume of published work, who could be nominated? Not a single experienced judge was fit for the job? A Supreme Court justice holds a position of great power and importance, which will be occupied for decades. A nominee should appear before the public with great fanfare, not a few half-hearted toots on a rusty trumpet.
Men of Iron and Steel
The release of "Iron Man 2" this weekend kicks off the summer blockbuster season. It's an interesting cultural moment for conservatives. The movie version of Iron Man is one of the most unambiguously libertarian figures in popular culture, a billionaire industrialist playboy who spends much of the new movie telling the government to get bent when it tries to claim his amazing suit of high-tech armor. He's patriotic, loves the military, and views the bad actors of the world from a Reaganite position of moral confidence. In the original movie, he did what Hollywood has been painfully reluctant to do, ever since September 11: he flew over to the Middle East and took out the trash. This Atlas doesn’t shrug… he busts out repulsor beams and micro-missiles.
A Republic of Reason
Everyone prefers the government to conduct its affairs with reason. We live in a lawful republic, rather than suffering at the mercy of an emotionally unstable monarch. Faith in law demands the supremacy of reason, because law is discipline, the opposite of uncontrolled passion.
Invisible Truth
A while ago, InstaPunk wondered if reviewing elementary concepts, as I often do, is an effective use of conservative energy. To explore the idea further, he put together a provocative list of basic ideas that should be understood as common sense by most people, inviting his readers to suggest more. Can these concepts be conclusively "proven?" Is it possible to explain them persuasively to people who don’t already accept them? Is it worth directing heavy intellectual firepower at such obvious targets?
The Luxury of Conservation
Writing on her Facebook page about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Sarah Palin explains why she remains committed to developing domestic oil resources, even though she had a front-row seat to the Exxon Valdez disaster . . .
Law Unenforcement
The United States of America, like every other nation on earth, has laws concerning immigration and the security of its border. Some people feel these laws are too restrictive, or not restrictive enough, but no one seriously disputes they exist . . .
Scrapping the United States
The United States is on the verge of being carved into pieces and sold for scrap. She's the fastest, strongest ship ever built. She crossed the Atlantic in three days and ten hours, a record which stands to this day. Hurricane waves break into salt and mist against her hull. The electric fury of the deep sea could scarcely delay her timely entry into port. The SS United States is a monument to dedication and vision, built by a nation that revered its legacy of courage and defiance. She was commissioned halfway through the twentieth century, designed by men who had dreamed of her through two world wars. She was put to sea by people who measured time with calendars. She has been given up for dead by a world whose patience is measured by the digital clock on its smart phones . . .
Champion of the Light
By now, you've probably watched the death of Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax on video. In the early morning hours of April 18, on a sidewalk in Queens, he stepped forward to save a woman from a mugger. The mugger had a knife. Multiple stab wounds to the torso didn't stop Tale-Yax from trying to chase his killer down. His blood ran out before his spirit did . . .
The Dreadful Equation
What is money? It's a medium of exchange -- you use it to make purchases. To the average individual, money is also a means of cooperation. It transforms the value of your labor into a very efficient form of communication . . .
The Fragile Left
Conventional wisdom portrays the passage of ObamaCare as a decisive triumph for the American Left, which has finally been dealt the ace it needed for the royal flush of statism. A year of deception and backroom deals, followed by a partisan vote in defiance of a solid majority of the voters, has supposedly forged a thousand pages of paper chains we can never break. Despite the prospect of heavy losses in the next couple of elections, the Left looks forward to permanent power, as the hated middle class are transformed into clients of the State. The political contests of the future will be arguments between left of center, and slightly right of left of center, as they debate how much smaller the private sector should become each year . . .
Bordering On Fraud
There are many areas in which the American political class does not deal honestly with her citizens. Immigration is one of the worst. Deceit and disrespect flow from both parties. John McCain, who previously regarded serious enforcement of immigration law as morally equivalent to hunting Mexicans for sport, suddenly supports a bill that would allow Arizona police to arrest people on the "reasonable suspicion" they're in the country illegally. While contemplating the southern horizon last week, he realized it would be greatly improved by the addition of a massive wall, tastefully decorated with three thousand National Guard troops. None of these border security revelations would have occurred to McCain if not for a surprisingly strong challenge from J.D. Hayworth, and they would not long survive his re-election . . .
Hospice America
. . . For my part, I found these remarks more . . . melancholy than outrageous. Ed asked, "What exactly is there not to like about having the dominant military in the world?" Let me ask a slightly different question: What other nation, beyond the Western democracies, would not like it? Everyone from heavyweight contenders like China, to the comeback empire of Russia, down to nasty little street fighters like North Korea and Iran would love to be dominant military superpowers. Their dreams include detailed plans for using that power, should they ever acquire it . . .
The New Currency Is Obedience
Tax Day 2010 saw massive demonstrations beneath the still-rising star of the Tea Party, coupled with a darkly amusing sideshow: hilariously incompetent attempts by left-wing operatives to infiltrate the demonstrations, setting up fraudulent photo ops to discredit the Tea Party. The most notorious organizer of these activities, "Crash the Tea Party" founder Jason Levin, turned out to be a middle-school teacher, and is now under investigation by the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission . . .
Common Decency
Marine Lance Corporal Matthew A. Snyder was twenty years old when he died in a non-combat vehicle accident in Iraq. Four years later, his father Albert has committed to a grueling battle on the front lines of free speech, where he mans the crumbling ramparts of common decency. The odds would seem to be stacked against Albert Snyder. Marines don't pick easy battles, and neither do their fathers . . .
Representation Without Taxation
A correspondent recently raised the question of reforming the American electoral system so that only those who pay income tax are allowed to vote. It's a provocative notion, even though it Ain't Gonna Happen . . . at least, not on this side of a systemic breakdown that puts everything on the table , , ,
For the Love of Capitalism
Socialism always seems to have a marketing advantage over capitalism. This is not surprising, because socialism is a deeply romantic notion: a dangerously seductive dream of prosperity as a function of justice, where the wise redistribute the profits of the wicked to care for the needy. Socialism's promises are so alluring that questions about its poor performance are dismissed as rude. It is a childish philosophy, and like any errant child, it receives a limitless supply of forgiveness and second chances . . .
The Parable of the Referee
I often hear people on the Left accuse the defenders of capitalism of wanting completely unregulated markets, in which helpless citizens will be stripped of all legal protection, and placed at the mercy of rapacious bankers and businessmen. This is a straw man of such towering size that Nicholas Cage can be glimpsed inside its head, holding his broken legs and howling for his agent to land him a part in a better movie . . .
The Principle of Repeal
The early battle cry of "Repeal and Replace!" has become stuck in a few Republican throats. The thinking among “top Republicans" is that outright repeal of ObamaCare might be impossible, leading to frustration among an energized base that demands nothing less. There is also some apprehension that an uncompromising push for repeal will alienate moderate and independent voters in otherwise winnable states . . .
Tales of Valor
HBO's mini-series The Pacific, the encore to its sensational World War II mini Band of Brothers, is well under way. So far, The Pacific has been decent, but not the equal of its illustrious predecessor. It's taken several episodes to begin developing memorable characters, something the original series accomplished within its first hour. This might be partially due to the acting, which is serviceable, while the original cast was hitting grand slams in every scene. No one has really jumped off the screen except William Sadler's "Chesty" Puller" man history tells us was not easily forgotten . . .
A Word to the Weary
I get a lot of email from people who ask if the final degeneration from capitalism to collectivism is now inevitable. Entitlements are never repealed, after all, and we just got saddled with a back-breaking entitlement, piled atop a national debt that was already crushing us. It seems like it would take a miracle just to undo the damage Barack Obama has done in a single year… and that would just get us back to where George Bush left us. Dependency, unemployment, economic contraction, and socialist politics are a perpetual-motion engine of national decline . . .
The Parable of the Satellite Dish
Imagine a large condominium complex is meeting to consider a package deal with a cable TV company. Over eighty percent of the condo owners have their own satellite dishes, and are quite happy with the service. Some of them don't bother to watch television at all, preferring to rent movies from Blockbuster or Netflix for entertainment. However, the condominium Board of Directors says they're getting a lot of complaints from the residents who don't have satellite dishes, demanding the condo association purchase a cable TV package, and fold its cost into the monthly homeowner dues . . .
The Weapons Given To Us
A race began today, when the President signed his health-care takeover bill. The vast majority of Americans opposed to this legislation have two election cycles in which to defeat it. If 2010 does not see a Republican House of Representatives, the first victims will disappear under the leading edge of a tax and regulation avalanche. A complete GOP takeover of Congress and the White House in 2012 could begin the process of repeal, and the implementation of real "reforms" that will actually improve the quality, and reduce the cost, of medical care. Even such a transfer of power would not end the race -- the same spirit and organization necessary to put the Republicans in office will be needed to keep them focused on the task at hand -- but at least the rumble from a trillion tons of unsustainable liability would begin to fade behind us.
What Freedom Demands
Tonight, self-appointed wise men in Washington are steamrolling the objections of sixty to seventy percent of the population, and forcing a massive health-care bill down our throats "for our own good." Presumably the backroom deals, corrupt payoffs, Congressional Budget Office accounting tricks, threats of unconstitutional parliamentary maneuvers, and betrayals of principle are also for our own good. What do you know? Banana republics turn out to be the highest evolution of government -- the only form of the State equipped to take proper care of its citizens, by lying to them and trapping them in legislative cages over their howling protests . . .
The Terms of the Deal
This weekend may see the fateful vote on ObamaCare, or it may be passed with twilight's last deeming. There is not much time left for Americans to consider what is about to be done to them, and raise their voices in a protest loud enough to frighten nervous Democrats out of their parliamentary maneuvers. The ruling class wants this bill badly enough to interpret anything less than fierce protest as implied consent . . .
The End of Mondays
Another "jobs bill" is crawling through Congress. This one has a mere $15 billion price tag, making it a largely symbolic gesture -- $15 billion is roughly what taxpayers spend to ferry Nancy Pelosi and her royal family around, especially when Nancy decides the hors d'oeuvres are not to her taste, and the Air Force must divert the plane to France. If the president wants to use government power to dramatically boost employment, there's a much simpler program he should propose: Abolish Monday . . .
The Parable of the Bread Aisle
What does the bread aisle of your local grocery store look like? Chances are it's quite large, featuring shelves filled with many different types of bread. Each type of bread is also offered by different companies -- you'll have several brands of wheat or rye bread to choose from. One of these options will probably be the "house brand" of the grocery store itself, and it will likely be cheaper than any of the other brands, particularly for staples such as white and wheat bread . . .
To Keep and Bear Arms
Twenty-five years ago, a little after sunrise on a Monday morning, the front door of my house was kicked in by a man who had blown his mind with crack cocaine. He marched my family upstairs at gunpoint. When I reached the top of the stairs and turned around, he put the gun in my forehead and pulled the trigger . . .
A Prayer From The Living World
The body of actor Andrew Koenig was found in Vancouver's Stanley Park yesterday. His father, Walter Koenig, said that his son "took his own life, and was in a lot of pain." Like most of my generation, I grew up with Walter Koenig as Chekhov on Star Trek, and he played a superb villain much later, on Babylon 5. Until his press conference yesterday, I didn't realize he was a man of such incredible strength and dignity. He asked for his family to be left in peace to mourn their loss. I hope he won't mind if I take this sad occasion to address others who might be following the road that ended in Stanley Park for Andrew. No matter how far you have gone down that road, there is always a path that leads away. I could offer no greater tribute to Andrew and his family than trying to help you take it, or at least see it . . .
The Green Death
Who is the worst killer in the long, ugly history of war and extermination? Hitler? Stalin? Pol Pot? Not even close. A single book called Silent Spring killed far more people than all those fiends put together . . .
The Great Crash
During my college days in the early Nineties, I read a study that projected tax rates into the future, assuming government spending remained fixed at early Clinton levels. Due to the explosion of entitlement spending brought about by the insolvency of Social Security and Medicare, even the lower income brackets would face something like a sixty percent federal tax burden by the 2020s.
The Tiny Wings of Liberty
New weapons are constantly added to the arsenal of liberty through the energy and creativity of free men. One such weapon is Twitter, the social networking service that limits users to posts of 140 characters or less. Twitter was instrumental during the recent protests against the Iranian government. It's a town-hall meeting where everyone gets to speak, but every speech is timed with a chess clock.
Love the Warriors
"You don't have to love the war, but you have to love the warrior." -- Private Johnathon Millican.
Joy To The World
I'm not a practicing member of any congregation, but I've never entertained a single atheist thought. No aspect of creation has led me to doubt the existence of the Creator. I have never doubted that life endures beyond the final beat of a mortal heart. Faith and feeling lead me to hold these beliefs, but I hold them in concert with reason, not in defiance of it. I don't believe any part of creation was put here for us to ignore, or deny . . .
The Suicide Fantasy
I went to see Avatar on Sunday evening, and found myself generally in agreement with Ed Morrissey's review. Although many reviewers have complained the film takes too long to reach its climax, I thought the early and middle sections were the most enjoyable parts. The visual achievement is dazzling, in both design and execution, making the exploration of both the human and alien portions of Avatar's beautiful world very entertaining . . .
A Memo to the Global Warming Cult
Dear global warming fanatics, Please. Stop. You're embarrassing yourselves. Take a deep breath, and try to understand what has happened to you during the past month. You need to accept that your dreams of global domination are over. Increasingly shrill attempts to terrify the masses into ignoring Climagate are only making you look foolish. The con job you've been running for the last thirty years is busted forever . . .
Tapping the Golden Vein
Centuries ago, at the beginning of the Obama Administration, we were told that the "obscene" bonuses of AIG executives should be taxed away, with special taxes that amounted to bills of attainder. This is not the first time we've seen specific industries targeted with massive taxes because they were deemed immoral. The outstanding example is the tobacco industry, which the government uses as a trained vampire, sending it forth to suck tax revenue from the lungs of smokers. Big Oil gets soaked with a lot of taxes, too, justified in part by the merciless profiteering and environmental disdain of its chief executives. Of course, Big Tobacco and Big Oil still make money, but the government makes more from their products than they do . . .
Guns or Butter
Some 15,000 Americans died last year because they didn't have it. As many as five million more experienced a significant reduction in their quality of life, including mental and emotional trauma as well as diminished health, without it. Although large majorities of those Americans fortunate enough to have it are satisfied with what they have, many of the poor who need it most desperately simply cannot afford it. The government already exercises a great deal of control over it. Lives could be saved if we made its purchase mandatory, and subsidized those of limited means, to make ownership universal . . .
Defending the Invincible
Almost every column written in defense of Rush Limbaugh over the last few days, following the vicious campaign to slander him as a racist, has included a statement along the lines of "Rush is rich, powerful, intelligent, and articulate, so he can take care of himself, and he'll be just fine." I don't mean to disparage the authors of these sentiments, but I must disagree. I know the most popular conservative broadcaster in America doesn't need some anonymous guest-author on a blog to defend him, but I'm going to do it anyway, without the slightest reservation due to his wealth and power . . .
Crimes Against The Party
The Left is mobilizing to protect Roman Polanski from being extradited to the United States, after his arrest by Swiss authorities for the crime of raping and sodomizing a 13-year-old girl in 1977, then fleeing from justice. Polanski spent his thirty years in exile from the United States on a rocky island off the coast of Madagascar, where he subsisted on a diet of roots and grubs. His only companion was a mangled Barbie doll with a cracked face, which he named "Natasha." No, not really. He's actually lived a life of opulence in Europe, hailed as a great artist, toasted in the salons of Paris. The only thing he's been deprived of is the thrill of threatening to leave America when a Republican wins the presidency . . .
The Virtue of Humility
Viewers of MTV's Video Music Awards last night were treated to the thrilling spectacle of Kanye West leaping onto the stage and manfully wrestling the microphone away from 20-year-old Taylor Swift, to inform the world that Swift didn't deserve the award she just won. This was a remarkably courageous action on West's part, since rumor has it Taylor Swift's bones have been laced with an unbreakable metal called "adamantium," and she has six-inch metal claws hidden in her knuckles. Poor Kanye could have been killed . . .
Falling Through Fire
When someone told me a plane had just hit the World Trade Center, I thought they meant a Cessna. I would imagine a lot of people had that reaction on 9/11. The truth was difficult to comprehend. The fear we inflict upon ourselves is electric with anticipation. Real horror, dropped before our eyes without warning, is dry and hollow. It can be difficult to focus your eyes on something you never saw coming . . .
The Myth of Job Creation
Among the most unforgettable statements to come from President Obama was his repeated claim to have "saved or created" some ever-changing number of jobs. He stopped making this claim when it was greeted with roars of laughter, which in turn fell silent when unemployment numbers began threatening to set off the tilt alarm on the economic pinball machine. We were all laughing at the assumption of childlike voter stupidity in the "saved" part of this statement, but the "created" part is equally absurd . . .
The Death of the Individual
Liberalism has given itself many different names over the years. The American Left and its political vehicle, the Democrat Party, are most accurately described as collectivists. The belief that unites the various factions within the party is their determination to accumulate power in the central government, which they believe is morally and intellectually superior to individual citizens and free enterprise.
Capitalism Versus Racism
The political atmosphere crackles with charges of racism. President Obama's functionaries and allies make dark insinuations about the racial motives behind all opposition to his agenda. Tea party protests against Big Government are portrayed as thinly veiled Klan rallies. The boycott of Glenn Beck's TV show is based on the idea that calling a black liberal Democrat racist is, itself, an act of indefensible racism. The hilariously incompetent and biased MSNBC network was so desperate to portray town hall protesters as racists that it framed the image of a black man holding a rifle to obscure his face, then tried to pass him off as an armed white supremacist . . .
An Excerpt From Meghan McCain's Totally Awesome Six-Figure Book, Coming Soon!
. . . having a hard time understanding why people were so slow to follow my warnings, and steer clear of extremely extremist ppl like that extreme Michelle Malkin. I mean, like, we're right in the middle of this historic debate about giving people health care so they won't die any more, and she's pushing some stupid book that says our historic black president is actually some kind of crook. Talk about ankle-biting! I mean, President Obama is not only historic and totally cool, but he probably has even more Twitter followers than me, and here's this nasty little book by a woman that has less than half as many Twitter followers as I do, trying to cut him down! How stupid is that? Hello, Michelle? This President is a giant walking through history, and you're like a little blob of pink bubble gum on the pavement, and I would totally be honored to be the curb he uses to scrape you off his shoe after he steps on you . . .
Who We Are
There seems to be a bit of confusion among Democrats about the nature of the opposition to their plans. Maybe I can help clear things up, by telling them a few things about us. We're not paid minions of any corporate interest or lobby. Most bloggers working to stop the Obama health-care disaster are like me, writing when they can find the time, because we care about the future of our country. The same is true of the people showing up at town hall meetings, and organizing rallies. Some of us are well-dressed in tailored suits. Others wear jeans and T-shirts. Most of us are dressed in what we wore to work . . .
Zero Percent Unemployment -- Now!
There are about 15 million people unemployed in the United States at the moment, and the number is rising. Barack Obama is personally responsible for every single one of them. Why? Because he could hire them all . .
Big Government Versus Big Business
Every species of liberal hates and fears big corporations. Conservatives are often amazed that liberals could place so much faith in Big Government, when it has such a horrific record of producing waste, corruption, and bloodshed, around the world and across the decades. One of the keys to understanding the Left is appreciating their conviction that either Big Business or Big Government will inevitably control American life, and they very much prefer the latter . . .
Breaking Bad
Last night brought the season finale of one of my favorite television shows, "Breaking Bad" on AMC. It's a brilliant combination of clever writing and terrific acting, especially lead actor Bryan Cranston. His performance drives the show -- he's so good that you can see the rest of the cast stepping up their game and improving their own performances with each passing episode. Alternately tragic and darkly hilarious, "Breaking Bad" has something serious to say about the way people are all connected to each other, causing every action we take to ripple through the lives of everyone around us . . .
We Need A Quick Reference Card
According to Joe Klein, a duly credentialed member of the media elite, Charles Krauthammer can't write about any aspect of modern life with "nuance" because he's confined to a wheelchair. Of course it's an outrage, but it's also confusing. I wonder if the Left would be so kind as to prepare a Quick Reference card, to help us understand the proper meaning of experience, and the value of majority opinion . . .
Who Mines the Dilithium?
One of my favorite little moments in the very entertaining new "Star Trek" movie comes when the young James T. Kirk activates the computer system of a car he swiped for a joyride, and the Nokia logo comes up. It's nice to see Nokia's still in business in the twenty-third century. Such simple touches help to humanize the Star Trek universe, which had drifted a bit too far from recognizable human experience for audiences to fully engage with its characters. The presence of a good old-fashioned corporate logo in the new movie put me in mind of a long-ago, free-wheeling, beer-fueled rant after I saw a previous "Star Trek" movie with some friends, and we asked ourselves, "Who mines the dilithium?"
In Defense of Marriage
Recent events have made the legal recognition of gay marriage a hot topic. Social conservatives are fighting a battle to preserve the traditional definition of marriage, and this battle is entering a crucial stage. The other side of the argument has enormous influence in the popular culture, to the point where one of its most outspoken activists can be invited to judge the Miss USA contest, and use his position to score political points. Social conservatives are presumed guilty of bigotry for daring to speak in favor of traditional marriage – as the Carrie Prejean affair demonstrates, they are treated more like defendants at a trial, than participants in a debate . . .
Money Versus Wealth
One way to measure the "transformational" power of the Obama presidency is to consider the speed with which Democrats transformed from the steel-taloned deficit hawks of the Bush years, into a party very comfortable with trillion-dollar deficits, and a fifteen-trillion-plus projected national debt. Anyone old enough to remember the early Clinton years has seen this happen before, of course. As the shadow of the Obama deficits looms over the economy, we can expect to begin seeing the sort of breezy journalism we got in the Nineties, wondering exactly why deficits are so bad. The fact that liberals are willing to ask the question illustrates one of the fatal flaws in socialist economic policy: the confusion between money and wealth.
Doctor Zero -- www.doczero.org
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