A man in the arena

I am throwing this question out there. Is there a government role in protecting the beluga whale from extinction? Why or why not?

“He who does not love wine, women, and song is a fool.”

- Martin Luther

I always loved this quote. It tells us that Luther was the first get-down Theologian.

On a more serious note, this quote shows Luther’s earthy side. After leaving the Catholic Church he embraced life, fell in love, and got married. His marriage was much more a marriage of equals then we think a “traditional” marriage would be.

His belief in being stalked by demons and his almost medieval German background make the boldness of his life almost unintelligible to the modern man. We should note that he shifted theology and philosophy from the high-minded metaphysical to the day to day living of the good life. Martin Luther the last Ancient Greek philosopher?

Note: Yeah that’s pushing it. But it sounded good.

The Codeine has kicked in big time and I feel quite goofy. So I have to keep stopping myself from blogging about random thoughts. I am trying to avoid writing any posts about porn stars, cute fellow bloggers, Nemesis’s wife doing all the yard work, my dream to revive the three martini lunch, yada yada yada.

Interesting question. My instant reaction is who gives a damn? Shouldn’t the Right, broadly speaking, want from women what they want from themselves? If she wants to be a stay at home mom or stay single and climb the corporate ladder, her choice is hers to make. That is what we are talking about when we discuss freedom.

Yes nuclear families are vital, and it would seem that instinctually women lean towards being the full-time care provider. Yet this is a big country. There is enough room for everyone.

On this note: I will be attending the Roundtable below. I am sure it will be interesting, and I met some great people at the last AFF event I attended. I heartily suggest everyone stop by.

AFF Roundtable: What does the Right want from women?

March 09, 2006 | America's Future Foundation

In time for Women’s History month, AFF’s next roundtable discussion will take place on Thursday, March 9, on the topic, “What does the Right want for women?” Panelists will discuss what should be the Right’s vision for feminism: stay at home moms, women who can take the heat of the professional world, or women who try to juggle everything?

The event will take place at the Fund for American Studies, 1706 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, near Dupont Circle. Drinks at 6:30; Roundtable begins at 7:00. Roundtables are free for members, $5 for non-members. So join today! Please RSVP to Anna Pope at pope@americasfuture.org.

I am quite sick. I haven’t been this sick in years. They have put me on a few different medications, including Codeine, and forbidden me to go to work for three days. I would use the extra time to blog, but I can barely see straight.

Blogging this week will be slow, and any e-mails or phone calls probably will not be returned until I become coherent.

Another attack has been made in the war over whether Leo Strauss was Satan or not. This is an excellent article for the hopelessly geeky.

Of all the attacks on neo-conservatism, the Straussian angle is the weirdest. Strauss was a professor philosophy who taught a bizarre idea, and whose writings are obscure to the point of being opaque. The students of his students decided to start a war.

I know what Keynes said about old philosophers dictating the actions of seemingly practical men. However, the man in question is controversial because he taught that ancient philosophers were deliberately misleading in their writings so that only the few brilliant people would understand them. However, “There is a hidden meaning in The Republic” does not translate to “Invade Mesopotamia.”

Americans seemed to insufficiently aware of what has happened, the President and his staff, especially. We may have passed a point where a functioning democracy in Iraq is impossible and a civil war is inevitable.

The current violence in Iraq is extensive, and it is not directed against American Soldiers. The battle is between Sunnis and Shias. And the cause of this battle was the destruction of the Mosque of the Golden Dome. That event may be the event that historians pinpoint as the moment that America lost the war.

A brief history of Islam is necessary. Islam was founded by the Prophet Mohammad and was quickly spread through conquest and empire (caliphate.) After he died, his descendents ruled the empire. The disagreement between the Sunnis and Shias in a nutshell is between which descendents should rule. The Shias followed only the first 11 Imams. They believe the 12^th Imam was hidden by Allah and that the following Imams were illegitimate. The Sunnis followed these leaders, hence the schism in Islam. The Shias’ version of the apocalypse is that the 12^th Imam will return and restore the empire.

The Golden Dome’s role is this drama is that it is the place where the 12^th Imam will make his glorious return. That ancient structure is where the Shias believed the beginning of the birth of a world of true believers would begin. Now, that place is gone.

In the bad old days of Ireland’s troubles, the Catholics battled the Protestants and there was terror on both sides. Assume for a moment that an Irish Protestant drove a truck full of explosives into the Vatican and turned it into rubble. The battle in Ireland would rage as Catholics exacted their revenge. This would have been bloody beyond belief, and no one would expect a peace process to work.

That scenario pales in comparison to the destruction of the Golden Mosque. The Vatican is a Holy city, but it has direct role in the Christian idea of the Apocalypse. The Golden Mosque is a building that has to be standing when the end comes. Destroying it was a blow to that religions center of gravity. The reaction is inevitable. There will only be schism and blood shed in the Iraq of the future.

So let us accept that we have failed to meet our objective: a unified and democratic Iraq. What are our new objectives? How long do we leave troops in a country descending into civil war? These are the defining questions of this moment in time. The President seems to think otherwise.

When you read the old Conservatives, especially Russell Kirk, you feel an unmistakable aura of sadness. History never stops. The nation changes, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. The old Conservatives knew that some things that were lost would not be found again.

We live in an age of drastic change. The internet, expanding human rights, and growing affluence are great things. And the argument that Americans have lost their religious moorings is absurd in an era of mega-churches and evangelical revival. However, this change is happening fast and has consequences.

The atmosphere is warming. The only question is whether man is affecting this process or not. And to the vast majority of scientists that question has been answered in the affirmative. In this century our coasts will change, shift, and become unrecognizable to those of us now living. Snowcapped mountains may no longer be found in the Rockies. Mankind will continue, the U.S. will exist, but things will be different. The boundless west of Theodore Roosevelt’s imagination will be gone.

Something else has already been lost that was dear to TR: our sense of the noble. World War II was met with an outpouring of support. People placed their lives and wealth at the service of a noble cause. The Salvation Army was created by Christians who believed that the love of their fellow man preached by Christ was vital. Martin Luther King had marches, wrote books, created organizations, and preached to achieve a simple goal. He wanted to force America to be America and live up to the idea that all men were created equal. This nobility still lives. A woman who works at a boot camp for delinquent girls, teachers who work with the mentally disabled, young men and women who serve in the Armed Forces are still revered. They are revered; they are not celebrated.

The celebrated are the wealthy. Our age has succumbed to the Bling-Bling mentality. Donald Trump is not famous because he is the best developer in New York City. He is not the best developer in New York City. He is a self promoter, and promotes his extraordinary wealth. Many Hip Hop stars brag about their gold chains and street “cred”. LL Cool Jay runs a summer camp for inner city kids. To be sure that is not why he is famous.

Although in their defense some celebrities do mouth the platitudes of patriotism. Phil Donahue can claim he supports the troops while any soldier within ear shot can hear the disingenuousness in his words. The Hollywood World wants Academy Awards for movies that “challenge” American ideals. A notable exception to Hollywood’s deception is Al Franken’s trips to the Middle East with the USO. This should be respected. His politics may not match your own; however his actions display an excellent sense of decency, decency above and beyond the average celebrity. Of course, the lack of that decency is the problem with our culture.

We come to Kelo. The Supreme Court has decided that the government can take your home and give it to a business entity, because the business entity will generate higher tax revenue and this is in the Public Good. You are not safe in your home. Think about that. The government can take you home, not because we need a highway or a park, but because McDonalds will pay more in taxes then you do. For all intents and purposes the government owns your home. That simple fact is the greatest threat to American freedom in our history.

What can be done? First we fight. Tooth and nail. We defend our rights; we petition Congress, we get involved in our local politics. And we persevere. We write down and preserve that which is worth preserving. So that if we lose, some time in the future the knowledge will be out there that America was once America.

And we dance in the ruins. Look at a child and realize that there are so many opportunities for her to live a great life. There are wonderful things happening. Both progress and decay are happening. Our role is to hold on to the great things that our ancestors have given us. There is joy in that endeavor.

Well. Since I found out that the reader from New Hampshire was a friend from High School, who is an outstanding American and a liberal, I have been curious about who reads my blog. The information I have gathered is odd.

Out of the last 100 readers, 61 are from the U.S., 1 is from Italy and 11 are from France. France? Why would the French read my blog?

Thanks for reading my blog. I am flattered. And I am considering blogging more about our mutual interests: a love of cheese and beautiful women (in that order.)

We are now being told that 50 year old men have better sex lives then those my age, 30. Excellent. I can’t wait to have sex at 50. That would beat what I am having now.

“Or not having” Did you get that? See how that’s funny?

Michelle Malkin’s website has suffered a denial of service attack. I don’t think the attackers who started attacking first from a server in Turkey are “unhinged” liberals. They may just be Islamists who are angry about her repeated posting of the infamous Mohammed cartoons.

Ya think?

A few bloggers have slapped Senator Hillary Clinton because of her argument against school vouchers. She is claimed to be crazy with rage. Well, not really. There is no yelling. In actuality she is a woman with a passionate argument. See for yourself. And there are some good arguments against the idea.

Now dear reader, please don’t misunderstand me. She is wrong. It is a reductio ad absurdum argument. She is logically wrong that we could not set limits on what schools receive vouchers. And she is empirically wrong because we already voucher programs and this problem does not exist. She is not losing her mind she is just pandering to the teachers' union. And after all, she is a politician.

The idea that Senator Clinton is an angry woman who didn’t handle menopause all that well is probably going to become a regular attack throughout her Presidential candidacy in 2008. She is a liberal with little real experience. Why can’t that be used?

Because it isn’t simple enough to make 15 second sound bites on talk shows. And reporters won’t dig down enough on a story unless they have a good headline to support. So give them something ridiculous but simple. They will put it in the headline and not point out the holes until paragraph nine.

This is a disease in the bloodstreams of both parties. Remember 2004? Kerry was a coward; Bush is a retard, yada yada yada. This is why campaigns are boring.

Sorry. Still having connection problems, I am writing posts on Word and putting them up when I get access.

When does one transcend the line between Conservatism and Libertarianism? Adam Smith said that the government should provide the goods that the market is unable to produce. Milton Friedman wrote that public parks were not a legitimate public purpose.

Would public parks exist if the government did not supply them? Yes. However, they would have to be profitable. Most of the great mid-west national parks have minerals that would far exceed the money made off of park visitors. It is fair to assume that in the free market most of that space would be used for development and not as a park. This also applies to a small park in the city, regarding housing development.

Here is the problem: parks are great for almost everyone. Having a national park system and local parks creates greenways that allow a diverse ecology. Even if you do not benefit directly, the environmental stability of the U.S. is in your best interest. And if you do benefit directly, all the better. The woods that surrounded my childhood home were my playground. The fishing I will be doing with my father this weekend is a good thing. There is an unquantifiable benefit to the natural world.

Therefore maybe government should supply things that the people want in the aggregate. The government, if it buys land at a fair market price and without using eminent domain, can do this reasonably without hurting anyone. This principle must be applied rarely. However, the market will not supply the natural world. We have to conserve it.

Well, I am having my mid-afternoon martini. And it dawns on me that I this concept that “Denial is the first stage” is bunk. The first stage is irrelevant. The important stage is Acceptance. When I accepted that I was a drunk I was able to become an outstanding drunk. Andy Warhol had Truman Capote I have Winston Churchill.

That you have to accept reality to succeed is a very Conservative idea.

His Instantness has it right on the Cheney hunting accident story.

“That said, it's also a classic example of the press's instinct for the capillary. This is getting Natalee Holloway level coverage, when there's lots of more important stuff going on.”

It was a bad political move not to go public from Day 1. However, if I shot my friend in the face I would not want to chat about it with some not so very friendly reporters.

I would be content if I could convince just a few liberals of the importance of free markets. The free market handles an incredible number of decisions and transactions. These are decisions and transactions that are subjective; I want grapes or I want oranges. No one can make that decision besides me. It cannot be simulated by a computer. The free market is what happens when I am allowed to make my own decisions.

Increasing the minimum wage does not help the poor because no one knows what the value of labor is except the guy doing the work and the guy paying him. Erase the minimum wage and let the market work.

To help the poor, enact a negative income tax. You made $800 this month, then we will give you $1200 to help out. Pick a minimum income and give the poor and unlucky the difference every month. No welfare, food stamps, or government interference in the market, just freedom and a helping hand.

Health Care? I work for the government. The last thing I want is a federal employee deciding whether removing my spleen is in the government's best financial interests. Let people buy their own health care, however don’t let them be overcome. Have the government pay for catastrophic health care costs (Costs say 20% over the patient’s annual income. Hat Tip: Jane Galt.) Pay the doctors directly what they charge. And let the market decide the prices.

I just want one liberal to understand that the market works, and that you can help people without destroying it.

The one thing that truly saddens me about the idea of studying lost boys is the inherent political implications. There is far too much boy v. girl arguments in the study of psychology. There will be many more, and that will not help anyone.

Someone from Plymouth, NH has read my blog twice. He/She started at my Blogger Profile, which has never happend before. Considering that I have not been in that town in at least 12 years, that just strikes me as weird.

Who do I know that moved there? Who are you?

Let us kill the Pork Monster! First, let us throw him in a cage by ending ear marks! McCain and Coburn are leading the way.

Note: A friend of mine is a Cherokee from Oklahoma who knows Coburn. He said Coburn and his campaign opponent were both assholes. I do trust my friend. But frankly an asshole doing the right thing is still doing the right thing.

Without a martini in sight I am engaged in a dangerous activity today: I have been thinking.

We should steal the word “equality.”

By “we” I mean people who love freedom. And by “steal” I mean use the word correctly. Merriam-Webster defines equality as the quality or state of being equal. The idea is simple: everyone is equal in the eyes of the law. Every law should apply to every American.

How would this work? Let us start with taxes. I pay a higher tax rate then my mother and my father pays a higher tax rate then either of us. Different rates = unequal. My father is punished for being different, for being more financially successful then others. How is that not wrong? Shouldn’t we all pay the same rate? No exceptions. No deductions. Sales tax or flat tax, one way or the other we should all be treated equally.

Do you have a problem with political corruption? I do. Companies shell out huge amounts of money to lobbyists and campaigns so they can get money out of the government (our tax money!) Why should Coca-Cola get tax breaks that Custom Auto Repair in Braintree, MA does not? How is that fair? The difference is that one is the family business of my dear friend’s parents and the other is rich enough to get goodies from the government. This has to stop. Every company should be held to the same tax rate. No exceptions. No deductions.

Close friends of mine live in Maryland. One works for the U.S. government, the other works for a private company. They were teenage parents. Any parent knows that parenting is difficult. Try doing it when you are 18. He joined the military and spent a fair amount of time overseas, while she worked her way through college. They are in their mid-Twenties and doing great. And their daughter is wonderful.

However he works for a government that uses Affirmative Action. Should he ever be overlooked for promotion because of his skin color? Has his life been too easy? You want to show compassion? Show compassion to a man who had to be a father as a teenager and has done a remarkable job. Treat him like anyone else and promote him on his hard work not his skin color. End Affirmative Action and treat everyone equally under the law.

The Equality Movement: we treat all Americans as Americans.

After an introduction that showed anti-Semitic but not ant-Arab cartoons, Bennett said this:

“And if I were a Jew watching what CNN just lead in with, I would be offended too. But CNN doesn't have the same solicitude it has for Jews as it does for Muslims.”

And when Zogby defended certain actions by Muslims Bennett said:

“Catholicism is as Catholicism does. Judaism is as Judaism does. And by God, Islam is as Islam does.”

Watch this please.

“Islam is a religion that is iconoclastic. There are no images allowed. We have to be sensitive to that.”

No. We. Don’t.

Welcome to Freedom.

Is it a bad thing that I noticed that the dating site Mate1 Intimate Dating is using a pornstar as one of their models?

Note: She does not match to this image. You will have to trust me.

I am now on the following socially oriented sites:

http://www.myspace.com/dhugh

http://www.friendster.com/user.php?uid=25679144

http://personals.yahoo.com/us/preview/preview?search=1&resulttype=1&kws=0&searchinternal=1&position=1&total=143&adid=personals-1135665131-866076&affid=&searchview=1&searchsort=1&speed=2&advanced=1&primary=&searchname=


I think I understand why NinjaKitty asked me "When did you become such a pussy?"

However, she hates cats so her opinion is irrelevant.

Waltham. Check out Cheryl.

Every damn year people whine that the Super Bowl commercials were horrible.

Wrongo. They rocked.

I have to admit that the Dove Super Bowl ad almost brings me to tears. I just think of my dear friend Carey who was torn apart for being “ugly” as a kid. She turned out to be a knockout in high school, and I don’t think she realized it until she was 27.

It also reminded me of one of the few rules that govern my life. One of my best friends has a daughter who is 7 years old. As you know I have a sarcastic sense of humor and use it liberally. She can fire back at me; it is hysterical. The rule: No body jokes. No fat jokes, no skinny jokes, no ugly jokes, absolutely nothing in that arena. If I play any role in her life it will not reinforce our cultural stupidity. She deserves better.

Dove is doing excellent business. Bless them.

The Islamic community has gone rabid over 12 Danish cartoons. There are riots from the Gaza Strip to Indonesia. I understand the cartoons are offensive to Islam.

However, the question is simple: can the Islamic world ever except a liberal democracy? We are not talking about extremists in this instance. We are talking about mass demonstrations.

I am starting to think that the answer is No.

The American Prospect has a very good Leftie blog. Not that I agree with them on many issues, but they are sane and civil. And that is a very good thing.

The Bus has done a great commercial for an asthma charity. The commercial reprises the great 70’s Pepsi commercial with Mean Joe Green. It shows class to use your immediate and extraordinary Super Bowl fame to help a charity and not just take a Nike paycheck.

When I was in college a Libertarian friend and I always affectionately referred to Milton Friedman as Uncle Milty. I later a read a book that claimed that Friedman’s economic arguments had an unfair advantage because he looks like everyone’s favorite Jewish uncle.

When Uncle Milty speaks, we all should listen.

With some old school running and hitting, the Pittsburgh Steelers have won the Superbowl. It would have been nice to see an upstart underdog city like Seattle win. However, Bill Cowher has earned this title.

The man in the arena’s hat is off to Pittsburgh.

If you do not laugh at this, then you are a Godless Commie.

Recently, an old friend made a good point. I made some off hand comment about the days when Pat Buchanan wrote in National Review. He replied “Buchanan was ostracized from the conservative movement for his stance on the war, and everything he said would happen pretty much has.” He said this with understandable disgust.

That was an excellent speech. He outlined his Wilsonian vision brilliantly. I have my qualms about the President’s policies, but not with his delivery.

The partisan rebuttals have been sad, in the sense that the country deserves better.

The one rebuttal that was well done was Governor Keine’s. Even so, we should end the practice of a post-State of the Union partisan speech by the outside party. Let us have one event that is not partisan. One speech that lays out a vision every year that is digested and then discussed not spun.