Congressional Committee: Global Warming Caused Wildfires

The U.S. House of Representatives will hold hearings in the coming days to evaluate the tragic wildfires in California and it's obvious cause:

Global warming.

[Link]

This as opposed to say something much less probable. Like say, arson? The confession notwithstanding, I think this goes to prove the timeless adage- there is nothing some committee in Congress will not investigate.

The Most Aggressively Inarticulate Generation

Having spent a couple of months in law school listening to my classmates opine on everything from the living Constitution to the dormant commerce clause and other fictions, I have long noticed the trend of my betters to speak in blasé, interrogative tones- particularly at the end of a monologue leaving declarative sentences trailing. Long has it bothered me.

Finally, someone more creative has come along to mock it. Slam poet Taylor Mali is featured in the video below and takes our generation to task for the extreme effort we make to be inarticulate.

(Note: In the interest of full disclosure, the clever turn of phrase, dormant commerce clause and other fictions, is actually not a clever phrase for which I can take credit. Though it is rather apt on all counts)



Via Evangelical Outpost

Stanley Fish on Frank Sinatra, Ted Williams and the Myth of Excellence

Stanley Fish's op-ed is a bit disparate, but it offers an interesting refection on what it means to be the best at one's craft.

Taking the example of Frank Sinatra and Ted Williams, Fish somehow makes the leap to the Boston Red Sox which is not terribly clear but entertaining nonetheless. On the Red Sox, Fish concludes:

But it’s all different now.

Or is it? When the Red Sox fell behind 3-1 to the Cleveland Indians in the American League Championship series, all the old feelings came back, and I thought, there they go again. But it turned out that I was displaying too little faith and forgetting that you have to believe.

[Link]

Having grown up in Oklahoma, it is difficult to imagine the 86 years-long frustration for New Englanders before the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. We tend to get huffy if the Sooners go more than a year or two without a title.

But it's a frustration Fish captures well.

FCC to end Cable Contracts for Apartment Complexes

Rumor has it the FCC will end sole cable TV deals for apartment complexes.

The NYT reports:

Commission officials and consumer groups said the new rule could significantly lower cable prices for millions of subscribers who live in apartment buildings and have had no choice in selecting a company for paid television. Government and private studies show that when a second cable company enters a market, prices can drop as much as 30 percent.

[Link]

With cable/internet included in my monthly rent, any reduction is a welcomed departure from the norm here in Tucson.

But from a market perspective, I am unsure as to the wisdom of barring and refusing to enforce extant, exclusive service contracts. I would proffer that the refusal to enforce contracts could actually have the short-term effect of raising prices in markets where competition is down.

This personal speculation, of course, reflects the FCC's central argument. Specifically, the FCC rate reduction is premised upon the ability of competitors to come in and saturate the market with alternate services.

I suspect this may be the case in urban areas, but I remain unconvinced that the move will make much of a difference in the Midwest and Western parts of the country. In locations where competitors are scant, it could follow that cable/internet providers would actually raise prices to recoup losses from locales where competition has driven the prices down.

Admittedly, while I am an armchair pundit, I am not an armchair economist. If any economic bigwigs weigh in tomorrow, I will be sure to flag their assessments for your consideration.

Red Sox Sweep World Series

Like Jonathan Papelbon, hats off the the Boston Red Sox who swept the Colorado Rockies tonight in Game 4 of the World Series.

The Boston Globe said it best only moments ago:

Gone are those pleading, pathetic days when the Red Sox were practically begging to win a World Series. There's a new monster in baseball, and it's in Boston. Overwhelming in every way, the Red Sox swept to their second title in four years Sunday night.

[Link]

Here's raising a Sam Adams- congrats to the Sox on a hard fought season!

Photo courtesy of Getty Images / Jamie Squire and the Boston Globe.

Hillary's Million Dollar Birthday Party

Why not? Nothing says I connect with the poor and the down trodden quite like a million dollar birthday bash!

[Link]

Newsflash: Decaf Coffee Really Does Have Caffeine

So says the NYT. Of course, it must be so if the Times says as much.

[Link]

My apologies for so crassly breaking the news to my Mormon friends. But, hey, if you're going to drink coffee anyway, why not have the real thing?

I recommend a start with Hazelnut coffee (cream & sugar) from Dunkin Donuts. It's the official coffee of heaven.

Wonkette: Pelosi Throws the Shocker

The post linked to by Wonkette is admittedly juvenile. But a picture speaks a thousand words and this will doubtless be one Pelosi would like to have back.


Via Wonkette...

So What If Giuliani is Pro-Choice?

The National Review's Paul Kengor eloquently addresses the question above in today's column.

[Link]

Kengor cautions members of the pro-life movement as to the dangers of nominating a pro-life candidate, stating simply that nominating Rudy Giuliani puts pro-choice leaders at the helm of both parties- a potentially devastating prospect to the cause of life.

Meanwhile, John Piper's operation at Desiring God has this post noting recent endorsements by Evangelicals of Mike Huckabee's candidacy.

Government is Good?

This has to be the single funniest thing I've seen this week. At first I thought the NYT had pulled a fast one on readers until I clicked the link below.

[Link]

Far from farce, someone really did create a site (a fairly slick one, I might add) extolling the virtues of Government. For my religious viewers, this would be a lot like a preacher extolling the virtues of sin.

Newsweek's Jonathan Alter Makes the Case for Huckabee

I am no fan of Newsweek's Jonathan Alter. I typically consider his political analysis to be about as reliable as Mitt Romney's position on abortion. But even Alter can out do himself from time to time.

In the link below, Jonathan Alter lays out the GOP case for Mike Huckabee in clear, simple terms:

Huckabee comes across more hopeful than Giuliani, more believable than Romney, more intelligent than Thompson and fresher than McCain. He would hold the base and capture moderates drawn to his down-home style. His greatest asset is that he alone among the Republicans "speaks American." He connects to his audience with stories and metaphors and a geniality that can't be faked. "I'm conservative but I'm not angry about it," he likes to say, and it's true; his gentle mocking of the intraparty warfare that broke out during the Fox debate—likening it to a "demolition derby"—confirms the point. This was Reagan's secret, and it worked for Huckabee in Arkansas, where he won the votes of independents and Democrats.

[Link]

What I find most surprising about the GOP nomination to date is the reluctance of self-proclaimed Evangelical leaders to embrace Huckabee as one of their own.

Some might say I'm being overly critical or even mean spirited. But the matter was evident as recently as yesterday in an interview with Richard Land, President of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. His skepticism of Huckabee nearly flirts with cynicism.

Newsweek asked: Is Huckabee's success there a harbinger of things to come? Is he starting to gain some traction?

Land replied: We'll see. Everyone says he does great when he speaks; everyone says he does great in the debates. But so far that hasn't translated either into fund-raising success or into a surge in the polls. He's moved up, and I would think he's a natural inheritor of what support [Kansas Sen. Sam] Brownback had. But I just looked at a Politico.com poll that showed that Thompson was the favorite of churchgoing evangelicals, and Giuliani was second. So, you know, it's a crazy season.

[Link]

What makes the situation utterly incongruous is that Land is one of a cohort of Evangelical leaders who have threatened to back a Third-Party candidate should Rudy Giuliani win the GOP Presidential nomination.

It seems the easiest way to avert this outcome is to back Huckabee whose message obviously resonates with the Christian base of the Party. This, after all, was plainly demonstrated at the Values Voter Summit over the weekend.

Given the wary eye of Richard Land, it is hard not to wonder if there is a darker history of denominational politics at play which led to a chill toward Huckabee at some point in their shared Southern Baptist history. Consider, if you think Democrats and Republicans fight, you clearly haven't been to a Baptist business meeting.

Nevertheless, I would posit that Land's reluctance (and others) amounts solely to one rooted in pragmatics and political opportunism. Everyone likes to bet on a winner. It seems the religious right is waiting to see who catches fire before they make a move to endorse anyone (a decision which will all but guarantee a Giuliani nomination). In a lot of ways, this is fairly typical of any political establishment.

Unfortunately, if the religious right does opt to back a third-party candidate when one of their own stood before them, the decision amounts to self-marginalization within the Party. Evangelicals will find themselves less relevant to GOP politics than Larry Craig in a Senate committee meeting.

For a grassroots movement which fought doggedly to uphold principles dear to Christian voters, it would be especially sad to see today's Evangelical leaders forsake the values of the movement and decide who to support based on overtly secular issues like fundraising. Given the history of the religious right in Republican politics, it is hard to envision a clearer example of casting pearls before the swine.

Chuck Norris Endorses Mike Huckabee

A buddy in fact and in the blogs called the endorsement below to my attention. Having been enthralled by the ALCS, I had no idea but according to World Net Daily Chuck Norris has endorsed Mike Huckabee for President.

Matt of Catchpenny Blog acclaim said it best:

Dick Morris and Chuck Norris make the case for Huckabee.

[Link]

Indeed, he did.

It's worth a note- that Chuck Norris didn't endorse Fred Thompson is just as well. Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs. See evidence at right.

Update: More news on Hucakbee breaking today. The Chuck Norris endorsement was followed up with a Time Magazine piece detailing the real story behind the Values Voter summit.

The magazine leaves the question open but posits that there is a rift among the Christian right which generally backs Huckabee (especially after this past week) and the pragmatic actions of its leadership who are loosely or unaffiliated.

As the story concludes, time will tell.

Bitter New Yorkers Trash Red Sox After ALCS Win

First things first. Hats off to the Boston Red Sox for their come from behind win over the Cleveland Indians in last night's ALCS.

The Sox win, thanks to a breakout performance from big ticket rookie Dustin Pedroia, put the finishing touch on a wild race to the top of the American League.

Given Boston's post-season scamper to the World Series, one would expect Yankees fans to be a little bitter. Maybe even jaded. After all, their erstwhile manager Joe Torre caught the first Fung Wah out of the Bronx and their $195 Million payroll earned them plenty of time off during October to hit the links.

But the article, run only hours after the Red Sox claimed the American League Pennant, was an unprecedented low- even for Selena Roberts and the New York Times sports desk. Rather than acknowledging an impressive win, Roberts' diatribe cuts to the quick, questioning why the Red Sox were not implicated in a brewing substance abuse issue which befell Cleveland Indians pitcher Paul Byrd just before last night's opening pitch. Byrd faced a firestorm of media criticism (perhaps media sympathy from Roberts) after a San Fransisco Chronicle exposé outed his link to the league-banned substance H.G.H.

Half of Roberts' column is an attempt to conjure up hitherto non-existent substance abuse skeletons in the Red Sox closet. The other half, is an attempt to incite speculation that Congressionally appointed baseball sleuth George Mitchell is playing with house money and purposely keeping the Sox out of his investigation of MLB athletes.

Toward that end, Roberts writes:

But perception of preferential treatment is an issue he cannot sidestep with more names leaked every day, with almost every team within six degrees of doping suspicions — except the Red Sox.

They enter the World Series untainted. They played last night undistracted.

The Indians didn’t have that luxury. Boston won emphatically. And the Indians certainly didn’t seek an excuse — “I’m proud as I can be of our players,” Indians Manager Eric Wedge said. But Byrd did feel the need to address the team in a pregame meeting.

[Link]

It is understood and uncontested that the job of a reporter is to ask questions. All menial tasks have to fall on someone, and the job of positing the inane is one particularly well handled by the mainstream press and the New York Times in particular. Yet, given the convenient timing, the acrimonious tenor, and the utter scorn with which Roberts writes, it is hard to justify the article as anything more than a smear piece squarely aimed at the reigning champion of the American League.

Sadly, Roberts is not disappointed with the substance abuse issue plaguing the game. If she were, she would have lambasted Paul Byrd. Rather, she is only disappointed that one of baseball's victors remains tarnished.

For Sox fans, the silver lining is that Roberts' column will ultimately matter little. The Sox ALCS win marks yet another come from behind win in America's most beloved ballpark. On Wednesday night, the Sox will host the Rockies in the World Series and both Roberts and the Yankees can watch.

From home.

Photo courtesy of Brian Snyder, Reuters.

David Brooks Makes the Case for Huckabee

With Mike Huckabee's poll numbers on the rise in Iowa, the mainstream press and various constituencies of the GOP establishment are finally beginning to take note.

In turn, today the Huckabee campaign received an unexpected lift with a glowing op-ed by New York Times Columnist David Brooks. Brooks lays out seven reasons for why the GOP could well coalesce around Mike Huckabee's candidacy.

Here's an exerpt from Brook's column:

He tells audiences that the only soap his family could afford was the rough Lava soap, and that he was in college before he realized showering didn’t have to hurt. “There are people paying $150 for an exfoliation,” he jokes. “I could just hand them a bar of Lava soap.”

His policies reflect that background. At the recent Republican economic debate, he was the candidate who most vociferously argued that the current economy is not working for the middle class. As the others spoke, he thought to himself: “You guys don’t get out much. You should meet somebody who’s not handing you a $2,300 check.”

[Link]

News also hit the wires today that Kansas Senator Sam Brownback will likely bow out of the race within the next couple of days. Given that Brownback's base operation in Iowa consisted mostly of conservative Christians, one can reasonably expect that Huckabee would get a significant boost in the Hawkeye State.

[Link]

Here's hoping a little press will go a long way.

Update: Dick Morris also weighs in with a forecast very much similar to David Brooks. See his column here.

Democrat Congressman Accuses Bush of Amusement at American War Casualties

Their radical policies notwithstanding, Democrats often claim to be reasonable. But what does one of their own ranks really believe?

In brief, Democrat Congressman Pete Stark believes the President derives amusement from seeing American heads "blown off" in combat. He said as much on the floor of the United States House of Representatives.

Please find below the face of our tolerant Congressional majority.

Strongly Religious Republicans?

Yes, according to Pew which notes that some 79% of Republicans self-identify as being strongly religious.

[Link]

While this could be the case, it is worth noting that a sizable faction of the GOP has hitherto backed a candidate in the Presidential Primary contest whose pro-choice, and pro-gay views offer no hint of their strongly religious convictions.

[Link]

When Kids and Presidents Hang Out

I am not sure what French President Nicolas Sarkozy was doing here. But the snap shot is definitely one of the best images I have seen all week.



Photo courtesy of the Associated Press.

Off On The Road To Morocco

In the Pax Plena Song of the Week, we featured Stewie Griffin and Brian singing "Off on the Road to Rhode Island."

For the sake of contrast, please find below the original number as performed by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope titled, "Off on the Road to Morocco."



Hat tip to Belgian Prince.

Song of the Week: Road To Rhode Island

Some of you may recall that Pax Plena once had a weekly item where I featured a song of the week. Sadly, it took nary a month of law school before things went awry. Here's hoping to right the wrong and get the Pax Plena song of the week back on track.

Perhaps this selection is indicative of my present state, but the video below is definitely one of the funniest song/dance routines featured on Family Guy in my recent memory. Taken from the eponymous episode, Stewie Griffin and Brian the dog sing, "Road to Rhode Island." Lyrics follow after the jump.


Family Guy - Road To Rhode Island - The funniest videos are a click away

Road to Rhode Island

(Both) We're off on the road to Rhode Island
We're having the time of our lives.

(Stewie) (Take it dog...)

(Brian) We're quite a pair of partners,
Just Like Thelma and Louise.
'cept you're not six feet tall

(Stewie) Yes, and your breasts don't reach your knees.
(Brian) (Give it time.)

(Both) We're off on the road to Rhode Island,
We're certainly going in style.

(Brian) I'm with an intellectual, who craps inside his pants.
(Stewie) How dare you. At least I don't leave urine stains on all the household plants.
(Brian) (Oh, pee jokes)

(Both) We've traveled a bit and we've found,
Like a masochist in Newport we're Rhode Island bound.

((Brian) Crazy travel conditions, huh?
(Stewie) First class or no class
(Brian) Whoa, careful with that joke, it's an antique)

(Both) We're off on the road to Rhode Island
We're not going to stop until we're there
(Brian) Maybe for a beer.

(Brian) Whatever dangers we may face, we'll never fear or cry
(Stewie) That's right, until we're syndicated Fox will never let us die. (Please!)

(Both) We're off on the road to Rhode Island,
The home of that old campus swing.

(Brian) We may pick up some college girls, and picnic on the grass.
(Stewie) We'd tell you more, but we'd have the censors on our ass.
(Brian) (Yikes!)

(Both) We're off on the road to Rhode Island
We certainly do get around.
Like a bunch of renegade pilgrims
Who are thrown out of Plymouth colony.
We're Rhode Island bound.
Or like a group of college freshmen
who were rejected by Harvard and forced to go to Brown!

We're Rhode Island Bound..

(fade out)

George Will on SCHIP

George Will offered an important point of order on the Senate's attempt to override President Bush's veto of the SCHIP legislation passed earlier this month. Will writes:

SCHIP is described as serving "poor children" or children of "the working poor." Everyone agrees that it is for "low-income" people. Under the bill that Democrats hope to pass over the president's veto tomorrow, states could extend eligibility to households earning $61,950. But America's median household income is $48,201. How can people above the median income be eligible for a program serving lower-income people?

[Link]

While there are some additional nuggets in the op-ed concerning the left's inconsistency, given the timing of the SCHIP vote it seemed appropriate to flag the above for your consideration forthwith.

Of course, the obvious result of an override will be an increase in wasteful spending which directly correlates with an increase in your tax dollars. But the less obvious, principle effect, as Will notes, is the abrogation of commonsense for want of political posturing.

Dick Cheney is Black

What makes the above headline originally aired by Wonkette funny is that it's actually true in part.

[Link]

But for the skeptics, if you would rather not believe Wonkette, the New York Times' political blog, "The Caucus," has more links and a newsworthier post.

[Link]

Putin on Iranian Nukes

It has been sometime since we last linked to the folks at Scrappleface. But today the faux news reporters have out done themselves. Below is an excerpt and link to their latest parody:

“I think that Ahmadinejad envisions a peaceful future, ushered in by Iranian nuclear power,” said Mr. Bush, “He foresees a time of absolute calm in Israel, when even the crickets fall into reverent silence … a day when every hill and mountain shall be made low, and the rough places smooth as glass. I think he wishes to help the United States find that same kind of peace.”

[Link]

Too fun.

Golf Gains Following in Afghanistan

While, it's no Southern Hills Country Club, the Kabul Golf Course definitely looks like a force to be reckoned with. According to the New York Times, its reopening has helped Kabul's golf aficionados to reclaim a following among the tattered city's inhabitants.

[Link]

A couple of observations from the article. The course (unsurprisingly, Afghanistan's only golf course) has no trees. It also has no fairways. The fairways at the Kabul Golf Course are less promenades and more crag lined paths. Also, where greens would be, the Kabul Golf Course has browns (yes, this is their actual name). The browns are constructed using a mix of sand and oil which is then used to surround each of the 9 holes and smoothed over with a large roller.

We could call the course's purveyors many things, but we must certainly call them industrious.

Photo courtesy of Max Becherer/Polaris, for The New York Times

National Review Goes to Bat for Giuliani

You really can't fault them for trying. The National Review's effort to assuage conservative Christians over Rudy Giuliani's candidacy has been nothing short of prodigious. Nearly every day a one op-ed contributor or another is lauding the least of evils that has become the Giuliani campaign.

[Link]

Today, Deroy Murdock adds his voice to the chorus with a piece glibly titled, "Spinning for Rudy?" The crux of Mr. Murdock's article is his list of twelve, Republican Congressmen (and one Senator) rated 100% by the National Right to Life Committee who have endorsed Rudy Giuliani despite his pro-choice, pro-gay views.

Mr. Murdock goes on to bemoan the evil that is Hillary Clinton. He then pauses for effect and suggests the following:

These members of Congress grasp what seems to escape Ramesh and other Rudy foes: Giuliani is no social liberal. The impressive abortion reductions during his mayoralty should be counted among the socially conservative advances that Giuliani either engineered or witnessed on his watch. (Adoption hikes, crime cuts, welfare reform, charter schools, and racial-quota elimination were among many others he enacted.) Were Giuliani as energetically pro-choice as his detractors claim, he would have presided over smaller — or even nonexistent — declines in abortion.

Put differently, if you are pro-life and choose to vote for a pro-life candidate (viz., any other Republican candidate spare Rudy Giuliani), then you "don't get it."

Aside from its paternalistic qualities, the view is fairly typical of those political elite back east. Particularly, those in the Giuliani camp trying to create a sense of inevitability as Election Day draws near. In this regard, Mayor Giuliani has borrowed a play from Hillary Clinton herself as she tries to create her own inevitable momentum against Barack Obama (and to a lesser extent against the hapless John Edwards).

There is much to be said about Murdock's column. Make no mistake, the GOP is at a crossroads and the nominee could well define the GOP of the future. But it is exactly this point which should concern conservative Christians. How can a sizable fraction of our base support a candidate whose views are less Billy Graham and more Bill Clinton (or Hillary to be more precise)? It is exactly this gap of logic in Murdock's argument which require much more than the blind faith he seems to place Rudy Giuliani.

More importantly, he is mistaken on the best route to win. The key to beating Hillary isn't to send in Hillary-Lite and hope Giuliani can can beat her at her own game. The solution is to stick fast to principle (pro-traditional values, pro-security, pro-markets) and offer a clear optimistic, alternative. Republicans win when our ideas are more compelling than the tired, big-government solutions offered by the radical left. We lose, as we did in 2006, when the American people can mark no difference between us and them.

Mr. Murdock may have offered a compelling list of Giuliani supporters. But the only thing his article manages to do is to show how decent people are willing to forsake principle for politics.

Would You Marry a Robot?

Depending upon your experience, the answer may be an enthusiastic yes or an unmitigated no. Given my own relationship disasters I cynically fall somewhere in the middle.

[Link]

By way of scant analysis, I would offer that the article's forecasts are overly ambitious. They look to be less rooted in fact, and more rooted in one too many fanatics playing World of Warcraft.

Seven Years Later, Thomas Friedman Still Laments Bush v. Gore

We are closely approaching the final months of President Bush's second term in office, yet some liberals are still smarting that Bush beat Gore in 2000.

I would offer a critique, but its foolishness speaks for itself.

[Link]

Stephen Colbert's Mock New York Times Column

The New York Times once again proved that its op-ed page is a bigger joke than Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize.

[Link]

Big Game in Big D

Sports writers are calling today's showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots a preview of this year's Super Bowl.

While I am loathe to agree, it is more for the fact that a meeting between two undefeated teams at this point in any season is a big-time game.

After all, there is no guarantee New England will even make it to the Super Bowl...

[Link]

Blackberry Induces Phantom Vibrations

And all this time I thought it was just me...

[Link]

Al Gore Nets Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize committee announced that its latest recipient is none other than former American Vice-President, Al Gore.

[Link]

Some will note that the award came as rather a surprise to Mr. Gore. The former Vice-President was still miffed that his invention of the Internet didn't earn him a Nobel prize back in the 90s.

The award was given to Gore for his quixotic work in combating climate change. Unfortunately, Nobel Peace Prizes are seldom awarded for consistency and Mr. Gore while warning us of carbon footprints has amassed for himself a carbon crater.

What Is Reasonable Care Anyway?

CNN featured a rather disturbing story about a wrongful death suit out of Lynn, Massachusetts. Apparently a British tourist visited an American executive for a consensual session of S&M play after meeting online. The rendezvous ultimately resulted in the tourist's death.

Shortly thereafter, the American host committed suicide and the family of the victim filed a wrongful death suit against his estate. The whole matter is summed up in the closing lines of the article:

"The law says if a person causes the death of another person by an act which is either negligent or reckless, that person is liable," Cook said. "You have a duty to behave reasonably. I think it's the same thing here, albeit a very strange set of facts."

It was Exley's mother, Maggie Horner, who decided to sue LeBlanc's estate.

"We decided that we didn't want Gary's last wishes being granted when Adrian's couldn't be," she said. "Why should Gary be able to kill my son, bury my son, shoot himself and still get his own way?"

[Link]

As a civil action, the case will invariably turn upon the ephemeral standard of reasonable care. Or to put the question simply, albeit oddly, what would a reasonable and prudent sadomasochist do under the circumstances in which the victim passed away?

One could argue that the issue calls for a professional standard of care, or that level of caution which one would take in a particular industry. On this point, however, one would be hard pressed to argue that S&M activities are an 'industry,' much less argue that any particular custom of that community ought to direct the law.

Being unfamiliar with the case, I have no projections as to the outcome of the matter. I can say with certainty, however, that for a variety of reasons (discovery/evidence) I do not envy the attorneys involved.

NYT on Baseball Championship Series

With Joe Torre on the next flight out of Laguardia, it's rather amusing to see how much Yankees fans hate the Sox.

Today, the intrepid NYT sports desk waded into the murky waters of baseball acrimony, offering a vapid analysis for why fans of the game should now cheer on Colorado and flail against the Red Sox.

What was the Times' rationale for rooting on Cleveland?

It Rocks.

[Link]

Rape, Murder and Justice 2

Back in August, we brought you the case of Nathan Andres Leyvas. This week, according to the Arizona Daily Star, he has finally been sentenced to 40 years in prison on his conviction of rape and sexual assault, among other things.

[Link]

I will link back to the original post below for those interested in following the conversation. Our comparison between the Leyvas case and the case of Mary Winkler (the preacher's wife who was convicted of murder) sparked some debate on the board and elicited a number of comments from those following the cases.

As always feel free to weigh-in if you are so inclined.

[Link]

Some Thoughts On OSU's Mike Gundy

I am admittedly a week or two behind the ball on this one. Until this evening, I had only seen snippets of Oklahoma State Football Coach Mike Gundy's post game presser following OSU's win over Texas Tech.

From my astute observations of Sport's Center, it looked like maybe Gundy was a raving lunatic.

Today, I finally saw the video and in the words of Paul Harvey got the proverbial rest of the story. This may come as a shock to some but for once, I've changed my mind.

Gundy did exactly what a coach needs to do: keep the columnist honest and defend your players. You will notice in the clip below that Gundy is fightin' mad but never swears or deviates from his very clear point: these guys playing on Saturday are kids- not professionals; and they should not be subject to the scorn of a spiteful columnist.

For any doubters, consider your own maturity at the age of 21 and think about how you would feel if the State's largest daily newspaper took you to task.

I am not terribly old, but the thought of me at 21 versus me now is a harrowing proposition.

But don't take my word for it. We're fair and balanced here. See the video in its entirety below:


And just for good measure, below is a link to columnist Jenni Carlson's response to Mike Gundy on Good Morning America:

Thomas Friedman on Twenty-somethings

Thomas Friedman's column in today's New York Times both lauds and insults twenty-somethings in the typical pejorative manner which only Friedman can effect.

Early on, Friedman praises the 'quiet generation':

Quiet Americans, in the best sense of that term, quietly pursuing their idealism, at home and abroad.

[Link]

But in quite literally the next breath, Friedman goes on the attack:

But Generation Q may be too quiet, too online, for its own good, and for the country’s own good. When I think of the huge budget deficit, Social Security deficit and ecological deficit that our generation is leaving this generation, if they are not spitting mad, well, then they’re just not paying attention. And we’ll just keep piling it on them.

His point is almost well taken. But it could be that his distinction is spurious. I would submit that our generation is quietly idealistic because we are far too optimistic and idealistic to engage in the radical politics of failure typical of the 1960s.

Friedman's call is for a return of the twenty-something hippy. Our generation is better than that.

Fred Thompson Spoofed on SNL

Last week we brought you Fred Thompson's press corp scamper.

This week we show you the SNL spoof. As The Caucus notes, it was especially funny though I'm not sure I would agree that it was 'devastating.' At any rate, hopefully it will be a nice pick-me-up to counter the Monday blues.

[Link]

If Justice Scalia Joined 24...

Here's what would happen if Justice Scalia were to join 24.

Warning: The video below is far too hilarious for the average law student. Proceed at own risk.





Via Baseball Crank

Oklahoma Overpowers Texas in Red River Shootout

As a loyal Oklahoman, my exile in the desert notwithstanding, I make it a point every year to watch the Red River Shootout. From Washington D.C. to Hanover, NH and all points in between, you can find me watching Oklahoma take on Texas during the second week of October.

As much as I despise Texas (I've long maintained that nothing good has ever come out of the state);

And as much as I love to make fun of their uniforms (puke orange);

And make fun of their school song (I've Been Working on the Railroad. For the record, it isn't The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You. Stop fooling yourselves. Play the same song in a Kindergarten classroom and the kids will call it what it is. I've Been Working on the Railroad.);

The Red River Rivalry truly is my favorite game in all of Sports.

For me, it's kinda like the Super Bowl back before it was all about the money. It's like the 2004 Boston Red Sox before they canned Pedro. It's even a bit like the Tour de France before Lance Armstrong retired and steroids permeated the race.

It's everything good about competitive sports.

At any rate, today's game (the Tucson edition for me), proved just as kind as those viewings back in my college years at Dartmouth during which Oklahoma peeled off four straight wins against the Horns. Today's final score:

Oklahoma 28
Texas 21

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Even more important than the score is the fact that this year's game all but eliminates Texas from any national title implications and assures that they will not win a Big 12 Championship.

Oklahoma on the other hand, thanks to losses by USC, Wisconsin and Kentucky (ranked 2, 5 and 8 respectively) is very much back in the thick of things- both in the Big 12 and in the national title picture. It will be a very interesting fall.

Boomer Sooner and congrats.

*Wallpaper courtesy of OU Kingpin

Fred Thompson Runs from Press

Some candidates clamor for all of the media attention they can get. Fred Thompson runs away it.

After having scheduled his first big Q&A with the DC Press Corp since announcing his run for President, Mr. Thompson opted to cut and run claiming an oft sounded excuse: scheduling conflict. In this case, however, the fib might be believable, if the presser had not been scheduled in advance.

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Theories abound for why Fred Thompson pulled out of the event. The most obvious reason is that Thompson has been under intense pressure for an underwhelming campaign presence since his entry into the GOP fray. Audiences, like the one below, have been lulled into a daze after hearing Sen. Thompson speak. When one must ask for applause at the end of a speech, that's never a good sign.

The God-o-Meter and Mike Huckabee

For whatever reason, I have hitherto been unaware of the Time Magazine/Beliefnet God-o-Meter which measures each of the candidates references to religion and God.

It really is a fantastic contraption for those wonks with time to care.

Fortunately, for Mike Huckabee, the God-o-Meter has significantly turned in his favor. In fact, God-o-Meter even had a terrific write up about the buoy of Conservatives coalescing around him after Fred Thompson's collapse.

See the write up here

McCain Nets Big Endorsement

Arizona Senator John McCain netted a major endorsement in his Presidential bid from an A-list of Foreign policy experts. The list includes:

George P. Shultz
Henry A. Kissinger
Alexander M. Haig Jr.
Lawrence S. Eagleburger
James R. Schlesinger
John F. Lehman Jr.
R. James Woolsey Jr.
Robert C. McFarlane

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The press has shown a resurgence of interest in the Arizona Senator. The endorsement only helps.

Obama's War on Flag Lapels

We're all good liberals here at Pax Plena. We know that Barack Hussein Obama cares about the issues we care about. You know, the big issues.

And this is exactly why Barack Hussein Obama has thrown down. He's fed up. Not gonna take it. Fisticuffs. He has declared war.

On flag pins...

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Is this really the battle to pick when you're trailing by 33 points and people think you are naive?

Louie Armstrong and Johnny Cash

It seems the most unlikely of duos, but while perusing YouTube I stumbled across this terrific performance of the unrivaled blues legend and one of Country music's all-time greats.

Performing, Blue Yodel No. 9, enjoy this video of Louie Armstrong and Johnny Cash.

Defending John McCain on Religion

Arizona Senator John McCain's interview with Beliefnet.com prompted a well documented barrage of comments by the religious and anti-religious alike- along with a cadre of absent minded agnostics who neither agreed nor disagreed with the Senators remarks but were disgruntled all the same.

Most denounced the Senator for his claim that America was founded as a "Christian Nation" on "Christian principles" (it was).

But the biggest outcry was reserved for the Senator's apparent reluctance to vote for a Muslim Presidential Candidate:

I admire the Islam. There's a lot of good principles in it. I think one of the great tragedies of the 21st century is that these forces of evil have perverted what's basically an honorable religion. But, no, I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles.... personally, I prefer someone who I know who has a solid grounding in my faith. But that doesn't mean that I'm sure that someone who is Muslim would not make a good president. I don't say that we would rule out under any circumstances someone of a different faith. I just would--I just feel that that's an important part of our qualifications to lead.*

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*McCain contacted Beliefnet after the interview to clarify his remarks: “I would vote for a Muslim if he or she was the candidate best able to lead the country and defend our political values.”

In the aftermath, it was easier to hear Hillary Clinton cackling than to find a soul willing to defend Sen. McCain.

Today, however, such a defense was artfully provided by the impavid William F. Buckley. The crux of Buckley's essay follows:

What is happening is the reification of a civic conflict of the most fundamental order. We have for many years, in the talkative corners of the world, pretty much agreed not to emphasize in public the distinctive qualities of our own faith...

Christianity is supposed to be a way of life, and it was a way of life that Sen. McCain initially spoke of in his Beliefnet interview. Islam is a way of life — there is nothing in Islam excepting a way of life. We're at about the point when Christians have to admit that we were there when they crucified Our Lord.

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The essay is a compelling read for anyone with the temerity to entertain a point of view different from the latest talking points memo.

On the home front, what I found most refreshing was the simplicity of Mr. Buckley's premise: Individuals select a religion from among the religions, precisely because they believe it provides the best way of life and because they believe its tenants are true above all others.

Formerly, we would say this is the essence of belief and it follows quite naturally that we would opt to support candidates who share our world view and values.

Alas, today, we merely call it intolerance.

Mike Huckabee Jams with Boston Lead Singer

So, you think your candidate is cool? But can he do this...

Senile Jimmy Carter Shouts at Sudanese Security

Below is yet another compelling reason for why the United States should ban Jimmy Carter.

The man is an absolute embarrassment to all Americans.

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Come to think of it, he should run on the Democrat ticket in 2008! Republicans for Carter, anyone?

Hillary Clinton's Cackle

In one of the more bizarre, political news items I have chanced upon, Democrat Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's new campaign strategy is making the rounds on the Internets.

The new move calls for New York's Junior Senator to experiment with a personality using humor as a means of confirming her humanity. You can judge from the video below how successful Hillary has been.

In the interim, Columnist Frank Rich weighed in:

"Now Mrs. Clinton is erupting in a laugh with all the spontaneity of an alarm clock buzzer," Rich wrote.

[Link]

Sadly, Mr. Rich isn't too far off in his assessment. Below is the video of Mrs. Clinton's chilling laugh.

Obama Vows to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons

Demonstrating exactly why he is too naive to be President of the United States, Democrat Presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama is set to unveil his plan to rid the world of all nuclear weapons tomorrow .

[Link]

Why he would sacrifice America's first strike nuclear capability and why he would intentionally put America at a military disadvantage remains an obvious cognitive dissonance. It will also be interesting to hear why Sen. Obama would do this when countries like Iran continue to forge ahead with rogue nuclear weapons programs.

In all, the plan only demonstrates why Obama and the radical left are not to be trusted with America's National security. They would rather fete terrorist leaders like Ahmadinejad at Columbia, than confront the cold reality of a dangerous world.

It is a terrific liberal fiction, but the world's ills require a serious leader- which Mr. Obama clearly is not. Sen. Obama's plan may be a fine platitude to the far left but, make no mistake, it is not a safe plan upon which to base American foreign policy.