Saturday, September 22, 2007
America's Most Important Date...
...is of course September 11th, not July 4th or any other date when we might point to our freedoms were affirmed. And, yes, you are silly if you t hought that the Constitution was designed to cover America during times of war and peace.
No, it's 9/11/01, according to Rudy Giuliani in a speech to the NRA because that was when it was okay to interpret the Second Amendment as actually permitting Americans to own handguns:
This is complete balderdash -- regardless of where one falls on the gun control argument:
If you believe in the right to bear arms, it is because of a strict interpretation of the Second Amendment. September 11th changed nothing; you always believed that. You also likely believe that private gun ownership is an enhancement to crime prevention, not an enducement to committing crimes.
On the other hand, if you believe in the traditional view on gun control, you'd be nuts to think that "September 11th changed everything." Is Giuliani ready to support law-abiding citizens being permitted to pack arms when they get on airlines? I might not have a problem with it, but something tells me that he does.
As an aside: If you are also running for the nomination of a party that believes in things like less regulation and tort reform, you also generally frown upon the idea of dubious third-party lawsuits -- such as those targeting gun manufacturers. Apparently, this epiphany is another thing that changed on 9/11 for Giuliani.
Rudy also showed "how much I love my wife": He "answered" a phone call from Judi during the speech. How cute! Too bad, as Marc Ambinder notes, that he's done it before: You'd think someone would have given Mrs. Giuliani her husband's schedule, so that she'd know when he was in the middle of a speech.
Now, it would be a little more understandable if one of his kids happened to call in the middle of the speech. Uh, oh wait...never mind.
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No, it's 9/11/01, according to Rudy Giuliani in a speech to the NRA because that was when it was okay to interpret the Second Amendment as actually permitting Americans to own handguns:
At one point, he came close to disavowing a lawsuit against gunmakers that he initiated while mayor of New York.Right.
The 2000 lawsuit sought to hold gunmakers liable for shootings with illegal guns (the case, by chance, was heard this week in a federal appeals court). At the time, Giuliani called it an "aggressive step towards restoring accountability to an industry that profits from the suffering of others."
Yesterday, Giuliani backed away from the lawsuit, saying he might not uphold it if he were a judge.
"That lawsuit has taken several turns and several twists that I don't agree with," he said, without going into specifics.
"I also think that there are some major intervening events -- September 11, which cast somewhat of a different light on the Second Amendment, doesn't change it fundamentally but perhaps highlights the necessity of it."
This is complete balderdash -- regardless of where one falls on the gun control argument:
If you believe in the right to bear arms, it is because of a strict interpretation of the Second Amendment. September 11th changed nothing; you always believed that. You also likely believe that private gun ownership is an enhancement to crime prevention, not an enducement to committing crimes.
On the other hand, if you believe in the traditional view on gun control, you'd be nuts to think that "September 11th changed everything." Is Giuliani ready to support law-abiding citizens being permitted to pack arms when they get on airlines? I might not have a problem with it, but something tells me that he does.
As an aside: If you are also running for the nomination of a party that believes in things like less regulation and tort reform, you also generally frown upon the idea of dubious third-party lawsuits -- such as those targeting gun manufacturers. Apparently, this epiphany is another thing that changed on 9/11 for Giuliani.
Rudy also showed "how much I love my wife": He "answered" a phone call from Judi during the speech. How cute! Too bad, as Marc Ambinder notes, that he's done it before: You'd think someone would have given Mrs. Giuliani her husband's schedule, so that she'd know when he was in the middle of a speech.
Now, it would be a little more understandable if one of his kids happened to call in the middle of the speech. Uh, oh wait...never mind.
Labels: gun control, NRA, Rudy Giuliani, Second Amendment
Friday, September 21, 2007
Open Thread
|RAG on NPR
A discussion of Jena Six and the GOP candidates skipping on minority-focused debates with Ruben Navarette and host Michel Martin.
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Labels: NPR
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Pigskin Pick'em - NFL Week 3 Picks
Feel free to add your picks to the comments (rules below). My picks are in red:
Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens: This one is not as obvious as it appears on paper. Regardless, the Ravens should still win a squeaker.
San Diego Chargers at Green Bay Packers: I predict a painful day for Lord Favre.
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans: If WR Andre Johnson was playing, the Texans might have a chance. Without him, take the Colts.
Minnesota Vikings at Kansas City Chiefs: If there's a more boring matchup this weekend, I don't see it.
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots: I don't need the video to know who's going to win this one.
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets: If Mangini is half the coach he's supposed to be, the Jets should win.
Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles: When Donovan McNabb made his comment about how hard it is for black quarterbacks, I doubt he had the Lions in mind, but he'll definitely be thrown (and throwing) to them this week.
San Francisco 49ers at Pittsburgh Steelers: Take gold over steel this week.
St. Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Rams are struggling with offensive line woes, while the Bucs look like they might be for real.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos: Denver at home is hard to beat, especially for the Jags.
Cleveland Browns at Oakland Raiders: Don't expect the Browns offense to look like it did last week.
Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks: Don't expect the Bengals offense to look like it did last week either, but they should still beat the Hawks.
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons: The Panthers aren't great, but they are good enough to beat these bums.
New York Giants at Washington Redskins: Both of these teams are beat up, but at least the Skins seem to have some depth.
Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears: The game of the week, but only because these two teams match up well. I lean towards the Bears, but only because of their great defense and the unstoppable Devin Hester on special teams.
Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints: The Young-Bush Bowl. The Saints need this win desperately.
Pigskin Pick'em Rules:
1. Pick the straight-up winners of all this weeks NFL games (excluding any Thursday games). Picks will be accepted in the comments section of the following websites: Politics and Pigskins, Ragged Thots, and American Legends. All picks must be posted by 1 pm Eastern Time on Sunday, or by the kickoff of the first NFL Saturday game on weeks when that happens.
2. The winner gets...bragging rights! (you weren't expecting money, were you?)
3. And new for this year: I will be keeping a running tally for the season, so the person who gets the most picks correct for the whole season, including the playoffs, gets...even BIGGER bragging rights! (and still no money)
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Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens: This one is not as obvious as it appears on paper. Regardless, the Ravens should still win a squeaker.
San Diego Chargers at Green Bay Packers: I predict a painful day for Lord Favre.
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans: If WR Andre Johnson was playing, the Texans might have a chance. Without him, take the Colts.
Minnesota Vikings at Kansas City Chiefs: If there's a more boring matchup this weekend, I don't see it.
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots: I don't need the video to know who's going to win this one.
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets: If Mangini is half the coach he's supposed to be, the Jets should win.
Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles: When Donovan McNabb made his comment about how hard it is for black quarterbacks, I doubt he had the Lions in mind, but he'll definitely be thrown (and throwing) to them this week.
San Francisco 49ers at Pittsburgh Steelers: Take gold over steel this week.
St. Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Rams are struggling with offensive line woes, while the Bucs look like they might be for real.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos: Denver at home is hard to beat, especially for the Jags.
Cleveland Browns at Oakland Raiders: Don't expect the Browns offense to look like it did last week.
Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks: Don't expect the Bengals offense to look like it did last week either, but they should still beat the Hawks.
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons: The Panthers aren't great, but they are good enough to beat these bums.
New York Giants at Washington Redskins: Both of these teams are beat up, but at least the Skins seem to have some depth.
Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears: The game of the week, but only because these two teams match up well. I lean towards the Bears, but only because of their great defense and the unstoppable Devin Hester on special teams.
Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints: The Young-Bush Bowl. The Saints need this win desperately.
Pigskin Pick'em Rules:
1. Pick the straight-up winners of all this weeks NFL games (excluding any Thursday games). Picks will be accepted in the comments section of the following websites: Politics and Pigskins, Ragged Thots, and American Legends. All picks must be posted by 1 pm Eastern Time on Sunday, or by the kickoff of the first NFL Saturday game on weeks when that happens.
2. The winner gets...bragging rights! (you weren't expecting money, were you?)
3. And new for this year: I will be keeping a running tally for the season, so the person who gets the most picks correct for the whole season, including the playoffs, gets...even BIGGER bragging rights! (and still no money)
Labels: NFL
Reality In Jena
John McWhorter explains why the "Jena 6" case in Louisiana is bigoted abuse of power correctly condemned.
The district attorney in the case, Reed Walters, strikes me as the mirror-image of now-former Durham DA Mike Nifong. Like Nifong and the Duke 3, Walters is happily brandishing power over the Jena 6 -- just because he can. ("I can end your lives with the stroke of a pen.")
Trust Jesse Jackson, of course, to try snatching moral defeat from the jaws of victory: He charged that Barack Obama was "acting like he's white" for not vociferously getting involved in the Jena case. He then said that he couldn't remember using that phrase. (Riiight...)
This summer, Obama addressed Genarlow Wilson's situation in Georgia. Yes, it was in connection with Scooter Libby's commuted sentence -- but certainly not a comparison that any of the other Democratic candidates had made.
Obama isn't required to get involved in every case involving racial injustice. Aside from it being politically unwise, but it's a simple fact: He's not running to become the president of Black America. Jesse did that two decades ago; Obama has larger aims (whether he achieves those this time around is another question.
Jesse should just accept that he might actually be in the right this time, leave it at that -- and otherwise STFU.
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The district attorney in the case, Reed Walters, strikes me as the mirror-image of now-former Durham DA Mike Nifong. Like Nifong and the Duke 3, Walters is happily brandishing power over the Jena 6 -- just because he can. ("I can end your lives with the stroke of a pen.")
Trust Jesse Jackson, of course, to try snatching moral defeat from the jaws of victory: He charged that Barack Obama was "acting like he's white" for not vociferously getting involved in the Jena case. He then said that he couldn't remember using that phrase. (Riiight...)
This summer, Obama addressed Genarlow Wilson's situation in Georgia. Yes, it was in connection with Scooter Libby's commuted sentence -- but certainly not a comparison that any of the other Democratic candidates had made.
Obama isn't required to get involved in every case involving racial injustice. Aside from it being politically unwise, but it's a simple fact: He's not running to become the president of Black America. Jesse did that two decades ago; Obama has larger aims (whether he achieves those this time around is another question.
Jesse should just accept that he might actually be in the right this time, leave it at that -- and otherwise STFU.
Labels: Barack Obama, Genarlow Wilson, Jena 6, Jesse Jackson
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Don't Know Much 'Bout History...
You know why colleges are repositories of knowledge? Well, the freshmen bring some in and the seniors take none away -- so knowledge accumulates.
Apparently, that old joke is true!
Further proof can be found in an article on the U.S. Naval Academy by a Columbia U.-affiliated Barnard College senior, who discovers, shockingly(!) that the USNA is more a military institution than an "academic" one! Horrors! (Hat tip: Licari of Arabia, via NRO's The Tank).
Oh, and don't forget to take the civics quiz.
No cheating! Let Mr. George know how you fared!
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Apparently, that old joke is true!
Further proof can be found in an article on the U.S. Naval Academy by a Columbia U.-affiliated Barnard College senior, who discovers, shockingly(!) that the USNA is more a military institution than an "academic" one! Horrors! (Hat tip: Licari of Arabia, via NRO's The Tank).
Oh, and don't forget to take the civics quiz.
No cheating! Let Mr. George know how you fared!
Labels: academia, civics, higher education, U.S. Naval Academy
"Don't Tase Me, Bro!"...
...is this week's official slogan of Ragged Thots.
Meet Andrew Meyer, the UF student coralled with arguably extreme methods -- as he was questioning John Kerry. RT commenters have already begun the discussion of this incident in the previous post's thread. However, one question did pop in my head: Was Kerry conflicted over who's side he should be on?
On a serious point: Given that this guy decided to bum-rush the line and then dominate the Q&A, removing him from the proceedings might have been legitimate (thus putting aside the free-speech argument; at an open forum such as that, no one is guaranteed the opportunity to speak).
However, unless someone is clearly violent and a danger to the police, him/herself or others, there's no excuse for a Taser to be used. Meyer is a relatively big guy, but he didn't seem to pose that level of threat.
Student Tasered at John Kerry Speech ... Right or Wrong?
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Meet Andrew Meyer, the UF student coralled with arguably extreme methods -- as he was questioning John Kerry. RT commenters have already begun the discussion of this incident in the previous post's thread. However, one question did pop in my head: Was Kerry conflicted over who's side he should be on?
On a serious point: Given that this guy decided to bum-rush the line and then dominate the Q&A, removing him from the proceedings might have been legitimate (thus putting aside the free-speech argument; at an open forum such as that, no one is guaranteed the opportunity to speak).
However, unless someone is clearly violent and a danger to the police, him/herself or others, there's no excuse for a Taser to be used. Meyer is a relatively big guy, but he didn't seem to pose that level of threat.
Student Tasered at John Kerry Speech ... Right or Wrong?
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Labels: civil liberties, John Kerry, protest
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Politics Makes For Strange...
|Pigskin Pick'em - NFL Week 2 Results
The final results for week 2 are:
J. Mark English - 12
Robert A. George - 11
EdMcGon - 9
David Stefanini - 9
Dave O'Leary - 8
Bill Barker - 7
Rigel - 5
Congrats Mark!
For our year-to-date results (with weeks won in parentheses):
David Stefanini(1) - 20
J. Mark English(1) - 17
EdMcGon - 17
Bill Barker - 13
Robert A. George - 11
Dave O'Leary - 8
Mike - 8
Rigel - 5
I will post the week 3 picks later this week, so stay tuned!
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J. Mark English - 12
Robert A. George - 11
EdMcGon - 9
David Stefanini - 9
Dave O'Leary - 8
Bill Barker - 7
Rigel - 5
Congrats Mark!
For our year-to-date results (with weeks won in parentheses):
David Stefanini(1) - 20
J. Mark English(1) - 17
EdMcGon - 17
Bill Barker - 13
Robert A. George - 11
Dave O'Leary - 8
Mike - 8
Rigel - 5
I will post the week 3 picks later this week, so stay tuned!
Labels: NFL
Monday, September 17, 2007
Party Like It's...1994?
O.J. in cuffs? Check.
Hillary proposing health care plan? Check.
Newt Gingrich talking about the need for “bold change”? Check.
Oh, and that good old late-90s recurring thematic headline thrown in for good measure: "Investigation into questionable Clinton campaign contributions..."
Is this all a promo for NBC’s new show Journeyman?
Paging Scott Bakula!
(Thanks to ERA for the idea!)
UPDATE: As mentioned last night on Monday Night Football, the Cowboys and Packers (and 49ers) are all 2-0.
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Hillary proposing health care plan? Check.
Newt Gingrich talking about the need for “bold change”? Check.
Oh, and that good old late-90s recurring thematic headline thrown in for good measure: "Investigation into questionable Clinton campaign contributions..."
Is this all a promo for NBC’s new show Journeyman?
Paging Scott Bakula!
(Thanks to ERA for the idea!)
UPDATE: As mentioned last night on Monday Night Football, the Cowboys and Packers (and 49ers) are all 2-0.
Labels: Hillary Clinton, Newt Gingrich, O.J. Simpson
