Sunday, September 28, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Dissecting the financial crisis
This video provides an almost too-quick narrative of the path to the current financial crisis. I suspect many will be turned off by the production values or the obvious perspective of the creator, but the pattern of facts is hard to ignore.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The depths to which some will go
This is just sick.
From my reading of history, there is maybe one truth in this garbage: the North Vietnamese did refer to McCain as "The Prince" because his father was CINCPAC (Commander-in-Chief Pacific), and maybe even sought to leverage that status. But beyond one (contrived) "confession" that McCain acknowledges and regrets, the assertion than he cooperated is ludicrous, insulting, and, ultimately, reflects on the credibility of Rhodes and rest of Air America.
From my reading of history, there is maybe one truth in this garbage: the North Vietnamese did refer to McCain as "The Prince" because his father was CINCPAC (Commander-in-Chief Pacific), and maybe even sought to leverage that status. But beyond one (contrived) "confession" that McCain acknowledges and regrets, the assertion than he cooperated is ludicrous, insulting, and, ultimately, reflects on the credibility of Rhodes and rest of Air America.
Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs
I ask you to read this letter, multiply-derefenced through Curt Schilling's blog.
To some, it's going to sound like a lecture from Jack Nicholson's character in "A Few Good Men." But the Real People who take on the role of the sheepdog are much more human than the caricature in that movie.
To some, it's going to sound like a lecture from Jack Nicholson's character in "A Few Good Men." But the Real People who take on the role of the sheepdog are much more human than the caricature in that movie.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Pravda
For those who don't remember, "Pravda" ("The Truth") was the official newspaper of the Soviet Communist Party during the Cold War, and the great irony was that it frequently published flagrant distortions of fact.
Today, we were treated to a news item that Russia considers events in South Ossetia in August were somehow equivalent to 9/11:
"The world has changed and it occurred to me that August 8 2008 has become for Russia as September 11 2001 for the United States. This is an accurate comparison corresponding to Russian realities.
"Humankind has drawn lessons from September 11 tragedy and other tragic events. I would like the world to draw lessons also from these events [in South Ossetia]."
I am probably uninformed about what was happening in South Ossetia in early August, but I have some idea, and I am at a loss to understand how it somehow compares to the attempted (and somewhat successful) simultaneous attack on the economic, military, and political nerve centers of the USA in September of 2001. It strikes me as an incredibly shallow attempt to establish "moral equivalency" to the response of the 9/11 attacks, and it's all the more disturbing that the "free press" in the West is not challenging it.
Today, we were treated to a news item that Russia considers events in South Ossetia in August were somehow equivalent to 9/11:
"The world has changed and it occurred to me that August 8 2008 has become for Russia as September 11 2001 for the United States. This is an accurate comparison corresponding to Russian realities.
"Humankind has drawn lessons from September 11 tragedy and other tragic events. I would like the world to draw lessons also from these events [in South Ossetia]."
I am probably uninformed about what was happening in South Ossetia in early August, but I have some idea, and I am at a loss to understand how it somehow compares to the attempted (and somewhat successful) simultaneous attack on the economic, military, and political nerve centers of the USA in September of 2001. It strikes me as an incredibly shallow attempt to establish "moral equivalency" to the response of the 9/11 attacks, and it's all the more disturbing that the "free press" in the West is not challenging it.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Dissecting a media attack on Sarah Palin
Howard Kurtz, "reporting" on Charlie Gibson's "gotcha" on Sarah Palin in his interview on "20/20":
GIBSON: You said recently, in your old church, "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God." Are we fighting a holy war?
PALIN: You know, I don't know if that was my exact quote.
GIBSON: Exact words.
PALIN: But the reference there is a repeat of Abraham Lincoln's words when he said -- first, he suggested never presume to know what God's will is, and I would never presume to know God's will or to speak God's words.
On Fox, Newt Gingrich called this "a sad commentary on the growing anti-religious hostility of the news media." I would call it asking the governor about her own words.
Glenn Beck, who I'm normally not inclined to quote, addressed this canard before the interview:
There has been some hard-core journalistic malpractice on this one. The Associated Press ran this headline about a speech she gave at her church: "Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'"
In the story, they omit the first part of the sentence they're quoting along with the entire previous sentence for good measure.
Here are her actual words: "Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."
Palin is clearly praying that we're doing the right thing in Iraq, something sensible for an introspective woman of faith concerned about the lives of our troops to do. She's not saying that she just received a text message from heaven's BlackBerry ordering her to launch missiles. Sorry to disappoint you.
And for those of you who think politicians asking God for guidance is offensive, might I remind you of this famous politician's prayer:
"Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of your will." --Barack Obama
Indeed, Lincoln is reported to have said:
"Some time in the early part of the war a clergy man said in his presence that he "hoped the Lord was on our side.' "I am not at all concerned about that," replied Mr. Lincoln. 'For I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right, but it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side.' "
To me, it's clear that Palin was channeling Lincoln's hope, not making an arrogant assertion. And Gibson's quote within his question was flagrantly out of context.
A final note: several sources have noted that Palin was at a disadvantage in an interview that could be (and was) aggressively edited by the network that aired it.
GIBSON: You said recently, in your old church, "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God." Are we fighting a holy war?
PALIN: You know, I don't know if that was my exact quote.
GIBSON: Exact words.
PALIN: But the reference there is a repeat of Abraham Lincoln's words when he said -- first, he suggested never presume to know what God's will is, and I would never presume to know God's will or to speak God's words.
On Fox, Newt Gingrich called this "a sad commentary on the growing anti-religious hostility of the news media." I would call it asking the governor about her own words.
Glenn Beck, who I'm normally not inclined to quote, addressed this canard before the interview:
There has been some hard-core journalistic malpractice on this one. The Associated Press ran this headline about a speech she gave at her church: "Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'"
In the story, they omit the first part of the sentence they're quoting along with the entire previous sentence for good measure.
Here are her actual words: "Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."
Palin is clearly praying that we're doing the right thing in Iraq, something sensible for an introspective woman of faith concerned about the lives of our troops to do. She's not saying that she just received a text message from heaven's BlackBerry ordering her to launch missiles. Sorry to disappoint you.
And for those of you who think politicians asking God for guidance is offensive, might I remind you of this famous politician's prayer:
"Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of your will." --Barack Obama
Indeed, Lincoln is reported to have said:
"Some time in the early part of the war a clergy man said in his presence that he "hoped the Lord was on our side.' "I am not at all concerned about that," replied Mr. Lincoln. 'For I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right, but it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side.' "
To me, it's clear that Palin was channeling Lincoln's hope, not making an arrogant assertion. And Gibson's quote within his question was flagrantly out of context.
A final note: several sources have noted that Palin was at a disadvantage in an interview that could be (and was) aggressively edited by the network that aired it.
This needs to be seen
I'm linking to Curt Schilling's blog, because he deserves the credit for calling attention to it:
Please take a minute.
Please take a minute.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Experience & Expectations
[I've lost about 5 posts to issues between MarsEdit and Blogger; hopefully they're fixed.]
1) Many Obama supporters are screaming about Sarah Palin's supposed insufficient experience to be President, ranging from outraged to snarky to childish. (Matt Damon, not that I take him seriously, even postulated Palin as President.) Do they really want to have a conversation about the relative experience of the candidates? Especially comparing a proposed President-in-waiting to a proposed President-to-be? It appears that they don't, but it's going to happen if they keep challenging Palin's experience.
2) Likewise, they are screaming that Palin must submit to press interviews immediately, clearly because they expect her to fail the test. In doing so, they are lowering expectations, and a merely competent performance by Palin will seem like a brilliant success.
1) Many Obama supporters are screaming about Sarah Palin's supposed insufficient experience to be President, ranging from outraged to snarky to childish. (Matt Damon, not that I take him seriously, even postulated Palin as President.) Do they really want to have a conversation about the relative experience of the candidates? Especially comparing a proposed President-in-waiting to a proposed President-to-be? It appears that they don't, but it's going to happen if they keep challenging Palin's experience.
2) Likewise, they are screaming that Palin must submit to press interviews immediately, clearly because they expect her to fail the test. In doing so, they are lowering expectations, and a merely competent performance by Palin will seem like a brilliant success.
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