Constitutional Taxation

One or two of you may have noticed my comment under Tuesday's Quote of the Day. Fewer still may have followed any of the links. I got a chance to investigate futher today.

From a November 7, 2002 Press Release by Paul Andrew Mitchell, B.A., M.S., Counselor at Law, Federal Witness and Private Attorney General:

On a much broader scale, the absence of liability statutes raises the specter of widespread government fraud, going all the way back to the year 1913. And, there is no statute of limitations on fraud.

The main problem which the SUBPOENA seeks to solve is to confirm, once and for all, the apparent absence of any federal statutes which create a specific liability for income taxes imposed by subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code.

(...)

The absence of any statutes creating a specific liability for subtitle A income taxes means, quite simply, that federal income taxes are totally and completely voluntary, in the common everyday meaning of that term. Liability only begins when Form 1040 is signed.

So it would seem that refusing to complete a tax return, or even completing it and refusing to sign it, may legally absolve an individual of any federal income tax liability. I met a man who actually adhered to this strategy in the early 1990's. At the time I thought he was a madman. Now I believe I've found his justification.

But what of that pesky federal witholding that AlexC lamented?

Further stunning proof that these taxes are truly voluntary can be found at IRC section 3402(n). Here, Congress has authorized a form called the “withholding exemption certificate” abbreviated “WEC”. The term “withholding exemption certificate” occurs a total of seventeen (17) times in that one statute alone.

However, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has never created an official form for the WEC.

I haven't yet found any information on the status of the legal action since the date of this press release. (Is there an honest judge left anywhere in the United States Federal Government?) Here, however, is Counselor Mitchell's brief essay "Let's Dismantle the IRS: This Racket is Busted"

Let’s Dismantle IRS:
This Racket is Busted

by

Paul Andrew Mitchell
Private Attorney General

All Rights Reserved without Prejudice

It’s time to dismantle the Internal Revenue Service. This organization has outlived its usefulness.

The hunt was on, several years ago, when activists like this writer confirmed that IRS was never created by any Act of Congress. It cannot be found in any of the laws which created the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The U.S. Supreme Court quietly admitted as much, at footnote 23 in Chrysler Corp. v. Brown. In a nation governed by the rule of law, this omission is monumental.

The search for its real origins has taken this nation down many blind alleys, so convoluted and complicated are the statutes and regulations which govern its employees rarely, if ever.

The best explanation now favors its links to Prohibition, the ill-fated experiment in outlawing alcohol.

The Women’s Temperance Movement, we believe, was secretly underwritten by the petroleum cartel, to perfect a monopoly over automotive fuels. Once that monopoly was in place, Prohibition was repealed, leaving alcohol high and dry as the preferred fuel for cars and trucks, and leaving a federal police force inside the several States, to extort money from the American People.

All evidence indicates that IRS is an alias for the Federal Alcohol Administration (“FAA”), which was declared unconstitutional inside the several States by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1935. The result of the high Court’s decision in U.S. v. Constantine confined that FAA to federal territories, like Puerto Rico, where Congress is the “state” legislature.

Further confirmation can be found in a decision by the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Used Tire International, Inc. v. Manual Diaz-Saldana, which identified the latter as the real “Secretary of the Treasury.” The Code of Federal Regulations for Title 27 also identifies this other “Secretary” as an office in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

This is ominous data. It serves to suggest that IRS has no authority whatsoever to mail envelopes from the “Department of the Treasury.” Such obvious deception is prohibited by federal mail fraud statutes, and defined as a predicate to racketeering.

Moreover, the vagueness now proven to frequent the Internal Revenue Code forces a legal conclusion that the entire Code is necessarily void, read “no legal effect.” The high Court’s test for vagueness is obviously violated when men and women of common intelligence cannot agree on its correct meaning, its proper construction, or its territorial application.

Take, for instance, a statute at IRC section 7851. Here, Congress has said that all the enforcement provisions in subtitle F shall take effect on the day after the date “this title” is enacted. These provisions include, for example, filing requirements, penalties for failing to file, and tax evasion.

Guess what?

Title 26 has never been enacted into positive law, rendering every single section in subtitle F a big pile of spaghetti, with no teeth whatsoever. Throughout most federal laws, the consistent legislative practice is to use the term “this title” to refer to a Title of the United States Code.

To make matters worse, conscientious courts (an endangered species) have ruled that taxes cannot be imposed without statutes assigning a specific liability to certain parties.

There are no statutes creating a specific liability for taxes imposed by subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code. This is the set of statutes that impose the federal income tax.

Look at it this way: if Congress imposed a tax on chickens, would that necessarily mean that the chickens are liable for the tax?

Obviously not! Congress would also need to define the farmer, or the consumer, or the wholesaler, as the party liable for paying that tax. Chickens, where are your tax returns?

Without a liability statute, there can be no liability.

This now opens another, deeper layer in this can of rotting worms. If IRS is really using fear tactics to extort an unlawful debt, then it qualifies for careful scrutiny, and prosecution, under the Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act aka “RICO”.

How fitting, and how ironic, that IRS is legally domiciled in Puerto RICO.

When we get down to brass tacks, we find that Congress encourages private Citizens to investigate and bust rackets, mainly because it perceived a shortage of public prosecutors talented enough to enforce RICO statutes against organized crime syndicates.

This shortage is the real reason why the RICO statute at 18 U.S.C. 1964 awards triple damages to any party who prevails, using the civil remedies it provides. And, happily, State courts like the Superior Court of California also enjoy original jurisdiction to litigate and issue these remedies.

All of this would approach comedy in the extreme, were it not also the case that IRS launders huge sums of money, every day, into foreign banks chiefly owned by the families that founded the Federal Reserve system.

Did you think the Federal Reserve was federal government? Guess again!

One of the biggest shocks of the last century was an admission by President Reagan’s Grace Commission, that none of the income taxes collected by IRS goes to pay for any federal government services.

Those taxes are paying interest to these foreign banks, and benefit payments to recipients of entitlement programs, like federal pension funds.

So, the next time your neighbors accuse you of being unpatriotic for challenging the IRS, we recommend that you demand from them proof that IRS is really funding any federal government services, like air traffic control, the Pentagon, the Congress, the Courts, or the White House.

Don’t hold your breath.

Honestly, when all the facts are put on a level table top, there is not a single reason why America should put up with this massive fiscal fraud for one more day.

It’s now time to dismantle the Internal Revenue Service.

Keeping all those laundered funds inside this country will result in economic prosperity without precedent in our nation’s history.

Let’s bury IRS beneath the Titanic, where it can rust in peace forever along with the rest of the planet’s jellyfish.

America deserves to be a living, thriving Republic, not another victim of Plank Number Two in the Communist Manifesto.

About the Author:

Paul Andrew Mitchell is a Private Attorney General and
Webmaster of the Supreme Law Library on the Internet:

http://www.supremelaw.org

See also:

“U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Falls Silent in Face of SUBPOENA for Tax Liability Statutes”

“31 Questions and Answers about the IRS”

“What Is the Federal Income Tax?”

“Electronic Censors Found at U.C. Berkeley’s Law School”

“Private Attorney General Backs UCB’s Graduate Instructors”

“Paul Mitchell Blasts Clinton, Rubin for Racketeering”

“Paul Mitchell Applauds House Vote to Kill IRC”

“Paul Mitchell Urges Nation to Boycott IRS”

“The Kick-Back Racket: PMRS”

“Congresswoman Suspected of Income Tax Evasion”

“Our Proposal to Save Social Security”

“Charitable Contributions by the Federal Reserve”

“Legal Notice in re Withholding Exemption Certificates”

“A Cogent Summary of Federal Jurisdictions”

“BATF/IRS -- Criminal Fraud”

“Income Taxes and Government Fraud”

“A Monologue on Federal Fiscal Fraud”

“Miscellaneous Letters of Correspondence”

# # #

November 7, 2008

Election Night Recap

Hat-tip: Samizdata

Posted by John Kranz at 7:23 PM | Comments (0)

October 30, 2008

At Last!!!!

Front page of Philly.com

The parade is Friday at noon.... the Charyna family will be there.

20th & JFK to the Sports Complex.

Enjoying the fan coverage on 6ABC.... all over the city..... people converging.

We are all Philadelphians. .... except for that Jersey Scum.

Posted by AlexC at 12:26 AM | Comments (4)

But jk thinks:

Well done lads!!!!

And, ahem, that is a Denver Kid in the picture.

Posted by: jk at October 30, 2008 10:50 AM

But johngalt thinks:

Yes, congratulations! Rockies fans are jealous of the Phillies ability to win even a SINGLE World Series game, much less the title.

(Didja notice how, even in victory, Philly fans STILL booed the Rays?)

Posted by: johngalt at October 30, 2008 1:40 PM

But AlexC thinks:

no, they booed Bud Selig.

Posted by: AlexC at October 30, 2008 3:20 PM

But johngalt thinks:

I don't doubt that for a moment. Let's just say that Philly fans can always be counted on for some boos. Gotta love 'em for that.

Posted by: johngalt at October 31, 2008 11:13 AM

October 20, 2008

A little sunny optimism

OK, maybe just "partly-cloudy." (It seems to be in order around here these days. JEEZ!)

Bill (not Billy) Kristol writes in today's NY Times that the American public usually does show pretty good judgement:

Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country and of course concerned about the economy. But, as Pew summarized, “there is little indication that the nation’s financial crisis has triggered public panic or despair.”

In fact, “There is a broad public consensus regarding the causes of the current problems with financial institutions and markets: 79 percent say people taking on too much debt has contributed a lot to the crisis, while 72 percent say the same about banks making risky loans.”

(...)

Needless to say, the public’s not always right, and public opinion’s not always responsible. But as publics go, the American public has a pretty good track record.

In the 1930s, the American people didn’t fall — unlike so many of their supposed intellectual betters — for either fascism or Communism. Since World War II, the American people have resisted the temptations of isolationism and protectionism, and have turned their backs on a history of bigotry.

And this good judgement might just lead to a McCain-Palin victory in November:

But it’s hard to blame the public for preferring Obama at this stage — given the understandable desire to kick the Republicans out of the White House, and given the failure of the McCain campaign to make its case effectively. And some number of the public may change their minds in the final two weeks of the campaign, and may decide McCain-Palin offers a better kind of change — perhaps enough to give McCain-Palin a victory.

The media elites really hate that idea. Not just because so many of them prefer Obama. But because they like telling us what’s going to happen. They’re always annoyed when the people cross them up.

Finally, Kristol puts a face on this "common man" who makes up the American public: Joe the Plumber.

And to Peggy Noonan, who wrote that Joe “in an extended cable interview Thursday made a better case for the Republican ticket than the Republican ticket has made.” At least McCain and Palin have had the good sense to embrace him. I join them in taking my stand with Joe the Plumber — in defiance of Horace the Poet.

Posted by JohnGalt at 3:36 PM | Comments (0)

July 3, 2008

Happy Fourth From GoDaddy.com

I got an email alerting me to a special 4th of July message from GoDaddy.com and I prepared myself for a buxom young lady in a red white and blue bikini.

Happy Independence Day from GoDaddy.com (Give it time to load).

The disappointment faded quickly. It’s awesome to see unabashed, undeconstrusted, unapologetic patriotism from a US Company.

Posted by John Kranz at 3:39 PM | Comments (0)

October 21, 2007

Another Day, Another Debate

Another day, another debate.

But it had this nugget, which NRO's Jim Geraghty calls "the best line of the campaign so far."

"Hillary tried to get a million dollars for the Woodstock museum. I understand it was a major cultural and pharmaceutical event. I couldn't attend. I was tied up at the time."

It gets a standing ovation.

F*ck yeah, that's a good line.

Posted by AlexC at 11:34 PM | Comments (1)

But jk thinks:

I TiVoed the debate so I could flip between the ALCS game seven and the Broncos-Steelers. My recorder has two tuners, and this is the first time in the history of TV that there have been three good things on at once.

It is a great line and Senator McCain's appearance of FOXNews Sunday in the empty debate hall was very good as well.

Posted by: jk at October 22, 2007 11:45 AM

July 13, 2007

Crazy Brit in PA with Gun!

Samizdat Perry de Havilland enjoys America's gun laws (compared to his native UK).

Posted by John Kranz at 6:35 PM

July 4, 2007

Happy Fourth!

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Posted by John Kranz at 12:00 AM | Comments (2)

But johngalt thinks:

I always prefered the prose of the Declaration of Independence to that of the Constitution. Fewer cooks - better broth.

Happy Birthday America. We're doing our best to "keep the Republic."

Posted by: johngalt at July 4, 2007 11:34 AM

But jk thinks:

With all respect to Gouverneur Morris (who had a larger committee to muck things up), that paragraph is bracing for its clarity, style and substance. I don't know that a better paragraph has ever been penned.

Posted by: jk at July 4, 2007 3:19 PM

May 18, 2007

Wolfowitz and the War

Or, "Freedom Loses One."

The forces of darkness and anti-modernity do not lie peacefully, whether in the caves of Afghanistan or the capitals of Europe, They are active and are bound to win a few.

That said, I am still disappointed in the World Bank scandal. The scandal being, of course, that a good man who was trying to clean up a corrupt institution such that it could actually do some good was run out by the thugs who profit from corruption. The Wall Street Journal has a well written recap of what transpired, so I will link and excerpt, not summarize it.

We've said from the beginning that the charges against Mr. Wolfowitz were bogus, and that the effort to unseat him amounted to a political grudge by those who opposed his role in the Bush Administration and a bureaucratic vendetta by those who opposed his anti-corruption agenda at the bank. That view was vindicated by yesterday's statement, which showed how little the merits of the case against Mr. Wolfowitz had to do with the final result.
[...]
In a better world, the bank would shrink to perform only its core mission of helping the world's poorest nations. That's not going to happen, however, so the best that President Bush can do now to minimize the damage of the Wolfowitz putsch is by replacing him with someone who shares his agenda and will clean the place up. No European should have a chance to do that given what has transpired, not even Tony Blair. Nor should he name another well known member of the Council on Foreign Relations seminar circuit whom the Europeans and staff can quickly capture.

We've suggested former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, who saw first-hand how these institutions function while investigating the U.N.'s Oil for Food scandal. But whoever it is, the core task of Mr. Wolfowitz's successor should be to clean the World Bank stables, or shut it down.

I'm glad that the European economies are doing better and that a new crop of leaders show some fondness for capitalism. L'Affaire Wolfowitz shows, however, that there is a fundamental difference between Europe and America in each's tolerance for corruption.

Europe stood still as the Oil for Food corruption undermined the only chance the world had to avoid the Iraq War. It wasn't WMDs, it was the fecklessness of Europe to enact and enforce tough sanctions and to demand thorough inspections Now we are repeating the same errors in Iran, with a corrupt Europe having been expanded to include corruption in Moscow and Beijing.

Bill Bennet wrote a book about President Clinton's troubles where he discussed European bemusement at Americans' caring so much about a trivial matter. Bennet, whom I've disagreed with on a thousand things, got off one of the great lines ever. I quote from memory: "Europe has much to teach us about wine, culture, and cuisine. America, however, has much to teach Europe about morality in government."

The players have all changed, but that part remains true. Europe doesn't seem to care that the UN or many of its satellite NGOs are corrupt, incompetent, and counter-productive. There may be friendlier G-8 meetings with Sarkozy, Merkel and Brown. But a huge gap remains in the tolerance for corruption in NGOs that must be addressed. And it will have to be addressed by America.

Posted by John Kranz at 11:05 AM

April 15, 2007

What a Great Country

A young (two? three?) neighbor was out playing with his new toy machine gun. I complimented him on it, and he said "the easter bunny brought it to me!"

I told him to shoot a tight group.

Posted by John Kranz at 12:11 PM

March 9, 2007

News Item of the Decade

What's that? Did Bill Gates promise to buy Apple Computer and divide all of its stock amongst all the AIDS patients in Africa? Did Mahmood I'mInAJihad just convert to Christianity? Did Hillary divorce Bill? No.

Gun Ban in D.C. Overturned

Owning guns in D.C. may soon become legal, as federal appeals court ruled that the right to bear arms applies not only to militias.

Three years ago, a lower-court judge had told six D.C. residents of high-crime neighborhoods who wanted the guns for protection that they don't have a constitutional right to own handguns.

City argued that the Second Amendment right to bear arms applies only to militias, not individuals.

Today judge held that the Second Amendment doesn't just apply to militia service, or to people with "intermittent enrollment in the militia."

Just what was this D.C. gun ban? From the Cato Institute via P.R. Newswire: "Under existing law, no handgun could be registered in the District, and even pistols registered prior to D.C.'s 1976 ban could not be carried from room to room within a home without a license."

Well, what's wrong with that CNSnews? If that is the "democratically-expressed will of the people of the District of Columbia" then who cares that, "Even though the nation's capital had one of the strictest gun bans in the country, it also suffers from one of the five-highest murders rates of major cities nationwide?" I guess two out of three federal appeals judges care:

In a 2-1 decision, the judges held that the activities protected by the Second Amendment "are not limited to militia service, nor is an individual's enjoyment of the right contingent upon his or her continued intermittent enrollment in the militia."

The court also ruled the D.C. requirement that registered firearms be kept unloaded, disassembled and under trigger lock was unconstitutional.

(...)

"The district's definition of the militia is just too narrow," Judge Laurence Silberman wrote for the majority Friday. "There are too many instances of 'bear arms' indicating private use to conclude that the drafters intended only a military sense."

The opinion of the lone dissenting judge is telling. Her foundation for supporting the 30-year old law was not that individuals are not militia members, or that handguns are not hunting tools. Instead she wrote, "the Second Amendment does not apply to the District of Columbia because it is not a state."

Can I believe my eyes? I'm still not sure I believe a sitting federal judge actually wrote this. The reporter must have misrepresented, right? I wonder if she would also argue that the first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth (take a breath), twenty first, twenty second, twenty third (oh really?), twenty fourth, twenty fifth, twenty sixth and twenty seventh amendments don't apply to D.C. because "it is not a state?"

For some time now I've been considering creation of a "Slave-o-Meter" that reflects the global movement toward collectivism and away from individual liberty modeled after the Union of Atomic Scientists' "Doomsday Clock." I was dissuaded by the notion that the "Slave-o-Meter" would only ever move in one direction: toward collectivization of humankind. (And because I still haven't thought of a better name than Slave-o-Meter.) This development in D.C. is one rare, delicious, possibly temporary case where it moved noticeably in the other direction.

UPDATE: [13 March] I am eternally grateful to JK for his comment link to the WaPo editorial on this. It allows me to share this remarkable quote:

"While the ruling caught observers off guard, it was not completely unexpected, given the unconscionable campaign, led by the National Rife Association and abetted by the Bush administration, to broadly reinterpret the Constitution so as to give individuals Second Amendment rights."

So in the document that begins ... We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America, an interpretation by the "National Rifle Association and abetted by the Bush administration" that one of its amendments applies to "individuals" is "unconscionable."

DUDE! WHERE'S MY COUNTRY?!

Posted by JohnGalt at 3:50 PM | Comments (5)

But jk thinks:

I humbly suggest "Serfdom Miles." How far down Hayek’s road we are. Like the clock, it will be hard to weight multiple parameters into a single, scalar quantity.

I am not so pessimistic as you. It is disturbing to see the free word give up its liberty by bits and pieces -- at the same time, I look at the Heritage /WSJ index of economic freedom and see that more and more people are escaping from the least free nations.

In a Sharansky sense, I'd say this planet is doing well, although in a Friedmanite, Hayekian sense, we may be giving back some gains.

Following the Constitution in the US Capitol is a good sign.

Posted by: jk at March 9, 2007 6:07 PM

But TrekMedic251 thinks:

Thank GOD a court in this country FINALLY understood what the Second Amendment really means!

Now,..how soon before the knee-jerk reactions from the "let's talk" liberal crowds??

Posted by: TrekMedic251 at March 9, 2007 8:34 PM

But jk thinks:

Not sure what time the WaPo hits the streets, tm, but the answer is "less than 24 hours."

Dangerous Ruling: An appeals court ruling would put handguns back in D.C. homes

Quelle Horreur! Guns in homes...

Posted by: jk at March 10, 2007 12:26 PM

But TrekMedic251 thinks:

Thanx for the link, jk

Posted by: TrekMedic251 at March 11, 2007 12:02 PM

But dagny thinks:

The WaPO article JK links to above is hysterical, in more ways than one. However, I recommend reading the comments to the article. At one point a commenter notes that the comments are 82% in favor of the ruling. Perhaps there is hope for DC yet????

Posted by: dagny at March 12, 2007 7:31 PM

January 28, 2007

God Bless America!

This oughtta piss off the Islamists...

Some Coffee Stands Get Steamier

And most of them have their own websites too (but of course!)

Natte Latte
The Sweet Spot Espresso
Cowgirls Espresso

It's alright, JK. They have drive-thrus too.

What a country!
(Hat tip: Fox News Channel's Brian Williams)

Posted by JohnGalt at 2:55 AM | Comments (3)

But jk thinks:

This is what we fight for.

Posted by: jk at January 28, 2007 10:07 AM

But TrekMedic251 thinks:

Hmm,...wonder where the steamy, foamed milk comes from? ;-)

Sorry, had to go there,...

Posted by: TrekMedic251 at January 28, 2007 11:49 AM

But johngalt thinks:

"This is what we fight for."

Yep. Badonkadonk.

Posted by: johngalt at January 28, 2007 6:52 PM

January 8, 2007

For the Boys

over there...

Stick that in your burqa.

h/t Ace

Posted by AlexC at 11:11 PM | Comments (1)

But TrekMedic251 thinks:

Hel-l-l-lo-o-o-o!

Posted by: TrekMedic251 at January 9, 2007 9:17 PM

November 11, 2006

11:11

Today, November the 11th, used to be called Armistice Day. Celebrating the allied victory in WWI. In 1954, President Eisenhower renamed it to Veterans Day.

Wikipedia Link

Thank you all for your service and sacrifice.

Posted by AlexC at 11:11 AM | Comments (1)

But jk thinks:

Amen to that.

Posted by: jk at November 12, 2006 12:59 PM

November 4, 2006

Army / Navy

Seen at Army / Navy game.

Speaking of which, I've seen fish flop around less than John Kerry.

The latest.

Posted by AlexC at 9:54 PM

October 24, 2006

On Liberty

If you're going to read only one thing today.

Make sure it's this.

Would I lie to you?

Posted by AlexC at 12:53 AM | Comments (4)

But jk thinks:

Probably everybody read it when I posted a link on Oct13, ac, but I agree it's worth reading again.

Posted by: jk at October 24, 2006 10:01 AM

But AlexC thinks:

I guess I didn't see it... did you say "Must read!"? ;)

Posted by: AlexC at October 24, 2006 11:48 AM

But jk thinks:

I encouraged "all my readers" to read it.

http://www.threesources.com/archives/003424.html

Posted by: jk at October 24, 2006 12:23 PM

But AlexC thinks:

Whew... because i don't count myself amongst your readers!!

Posted by: AlexC at October 24, 2006 1:55 PM

October 11, 2006

Or Else What?

(tip to BOTW)

Posted by AlexC at 5:08 PM

June 14, 2006

Flag Day

Today is Flag Day.

Long may it wave!

Posted by AlexC at 10:06 AM

June 9, 2006

Zarqawi Killed II

Regarding Zarqawi's death, I wrote, I would have rather seen a capture THEN the execution, but hey.

To which John Galt replied... No way, AlexC. This is the best possible outcome. In fact, can we have a do-over on the Saddam capture? Hand grenades first, questions later.

How about a happy medium?

"Zarqawi was alive when U.S. forces arrived on the site," Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said in a satellite interview from Iraq. "The Iraqi police arrived first, they found him in the rubble, put him on a gurney of some type."

Caldwell, the chief U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, said Zarqawi tried to roll off the gurney to escape once he became aware of the fact that he was being taken into custody by coalition troops Wednesday night after two 500-pound precision guided bombs blew up his safehouse near Baqouba.

U.S. forces immediately made a visual identification of Zarqawi but were unable to interrogate him because he died of his injuries "shortly after" being pulled from the rubble, Caldwell said.

Caldwell indicated that U.S. troops "went into the process to provide medical care to him" before he expired. He did not elaborate on the medical assistance.

Justice, thy taste is so sweet.

Posted by AlexC at 5:08 PM

June 8, 2006

Sha-na-na-na

hey hey hey....

good bye.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaida leader in Iraq who waged a bloody campaign of suicide bombings and beheadings of hostages, has been killed in a precision airstrike, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Thursday. It was a long-sought victory in the war in Iraq.

Al-Zarqawi and seven aides, including spiritual adviser Sheik Abdul Rahman, were killed Wednesday evening in a remote area 30 miles northeast of Baghdad in the volatile province of Diyala, just east of the provincial capital of Baqouba, officials said.

"Al-Zarqawi was eliminated," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said.

At the White House, President Bush hailed the killing as "a severe blow to al-Qaida and it is a significant victory in the war on terror."

I would have rather seen a capture THEN the execution, but hey.

Update: Regarding Johngalt's comment, here's blogometer's comment.

Blogosphere reaction to the death of Abu Musa'ab al-Zarqawi grows faster than can possibly be read, let alone commented on. So far though, some quick generalizations can be made. Like last week's arrest of the Toronto terror suspects, this is by and large a righty blogosphere story. Lefty comments are perfunctory, if they exist at all.

Blogometer is a sort of round up of all blogs goings on. I highly recommend it.

Posted by AlexC at 10:48 AM | Comments (4)

But jk thinks:

Sentor Durbin would've demanded a trial. Nope, this is a great day for freedom!

Posted by: jk at June 8, 2006 11:14 AM

But johngalt thinks:

No way, AlexC. This is the best possible outcome. In fact, can we have a do-over on the Saddam capture? Hand grenades first, questions later.

I heard on Fox (evil anti-UN) News that a woman and child were believed among the dead. I'm watching with great interest to see if any of the lunatic left condemn this killing of "innocents."

This Zarqawi killing news is fabulous progress toward life, liberty and prosperity in Iraq, and an absolute tragedy for the "It's Bush's Fault" crowd. Daily Kos must be in full mourning mode. (Damned if I'm going to go there to find out.)

In requiem: "Enjoy your so-called virgins, Abu Musab."

Posted by: johngalt at June 8, 2006 11:49 AM

But jk thinks:

And let us all hope it is actually 72 small, white raisins.

Posted by: jk at June 8, 2006 12:27 PM

But AlexC thinks:

Johngalt, you simply must follow this link.
http://www.redstate.com/story/2006/6/8/8655/22796

Posted by: AlexC at June 8, 2006 3:02 PM

June 6, 2006

Operation Overlord

Today marks 62 years since Europe's liberation began.

Battle of Normandy

I expect to be fully vegged out on History Channel this evening.

Thank you to all of the brave men and women who accomplished the impossible!

Posted by AlexC at 11:45 AM | Comments (1)

But jk thinks:

THAT, friends, is a quagmire!

Thanks to all who have served. And thanks, ALex for reminding us that this day is more than the date which matches my phone prefix )6/6/6).

Posted by: jk at June 6, 2006 1:39 PM

June 2, 2006

Hot Dogs & Beer

Krauthammer

Leave it to the good people of Philadelphia, whose football fans once famously booed and threw snowballs at Santa Claus, to come up with the perfect takedown of the most inflated (in more ways than one) superstar in contemporary sport. With the visiting Barry Bonds at the plate and needing just two home runs to tie Babe Ruth's iconic 714 lifetime homers, the banner was raised: "Ruth did it on hot dogs & beer.''

Let's not forget the hypodermic needle thrown during batting practice.

The stinking bum.

I had to double check this wasn't a George Will column.

Posted by AlexC at 1:06 AM

May 29, 2006

To All Vets and Enlisted...

Thank you.

Posted by Cyrano at 9:18 PM

May 26, 2006

OK, JK...

Here's what you can make into my "bio:"

Real Identity: I am a 41-year old teacher – high school math, physics, and logic – and dance instructor, with a B.S. in Mathematics, a B.A. in Philosophy, and an unofficial minor in Physics. I am an advocate of Objectivism, the first philosophy in the history of mankind to get the theory of concepts right and to be fully objective – all thanks to the achievement of Ayn Rand. I have two cats and a horse, who get treated extremely well. They get hugs and kisses – and they owe their good treatment to Rand’s identification that life is about living, about achieving positives, not about “achieving” the zero or avoiding punishment…which point many people do not get…

I take my nom de blog because of Cyrano’s line: “To fight - or write. [But] Never to make a line I have not heard, In my own heart.”

The line is part of a speech on the part of Cyrano (Brian Hooker’s translation):

To sing, to laugh, to dream,

To walk in my own way and be alone,/Free, with an eye to see things as they are,

A voice that means manhood - to cock my hat/Where I choose - At a word, a Yes, a No,

To fight - or write. To travel any road/Under the sun, under the stars, nor doubt

If fame or fortune lie beyond the bourne -/Never to make a line I have not heard

In my own heart; yet, with all modesty/To say: "My soul, be satisfied with flowers,

With fruit, with weeds even; but gather them/In one garden you may call your own."

So when I win some triumph, by some chance,/Render no share to Caeser.

In a word, I am too proud to be a parasite./And if my nature wants the germ that grows

Towering to heaven like a mountain pine,/Or like the oak sheltering multitudes.

I stand not high it may be – but alone!

Here is Barry Kornhauser’s translation of a part of that whole:

To dream, to laugh, to sing,/to let my heart take wing,

Free! - with an eye open to see all things as they are!

To fight—to write—to follow the moon or any star

that I choose/win or lose...

On Blogging: As reason is man's means of survival and only means of cognition, ideas are man's most important tools. It is important to speak and to write, in order to stand up for what is right and good. As Aristotle said in the Rhetoric: “it is absurd to hold that a man ought to be ashamed of being unable to defend himself with his limbs, but not of being unable to defend himself with speech and reason, when the use of rational speech is more distinctive of a human being than the use of his limbs.”

What’s more, if it were not for the Internet and bloggers, we would be very misinformed about current events: the Paris Riots, the Mohammed Cartoons, Islam, CAIR, Envirowackism. That’s a sad thought…

On Politics: Because I believe each person is an end in himself/herself, not a means to be used by someone else, by King, by God, by society, or by the environment; because I believe each person is self-sovereign and rational (by nature, if not by practice) – I am an advocate for the only moral social system, the only system consistent with human nature: capitalism. Recommended: Capitalism: the Unknown Ideal by Ayn Rand.

Posted by Cyrano at 11:24 PM

April 1, 2006

Coming Out

After years of tiresome conservatism, always siding with big business against the little guy, I've decided that I'm going to see the error of my ways, and become a liberal.

I'm burning my NRA card, and replacing it with an ACLU card.
And I'm turning in my guns, replacing them with hugs.

Environmental issues should always trump economic interests and I'm ready to raise taxes on the rich. It's not confiscation, it's compassion (or is it compensation?) Social Security needs no repair, neither does Medicare.

I retain my membership in the Roman Catholic Church, however it's tempered with my own blend of abortion on demand and interest in hemlock, and I will not attend it's weekly services until women are welcomed into the Priesthood.

I'm tired of tirelessly defending the Bush Doctrine and all of it's attendant and necessary lies.
We should have left Iraq alone. North Korea and Iran were needlessly antagonized when the President Chimpy McBushitler labelled them the Axis of Evil.

Iran? Don't worry about them. They need to defend themselves against the aggressive Israeli/Zionist state.

I think that our military should only be used at the behest of the UN, and only with their blessing. A corollary to that is that I believe Neville Chamberlain was misunderstood and peace should have been given another chance to work.

And don't you dare call me unpatriotic!

I'm out and I'm a proud liberal!

Of course, before the process is totally complete, I'm going to need a government run health care system to cover my lobotomy, as my government paid prescription of stupid pills are only a temporary fix.

Posted by AlexC at 4:23 PM | Comments (4)

But TrekMedic251 thinks:

Nice April Fool's Joke!

Posted by: TrekMedic251 at April 1, 2006 4:32 PM

But AlexC thinks:

Dude! Way to blow it!

Posted by: AlexC at April 1, 2006 5:17 PM

But johngalt thinks:

AlexC - I think you had a believable spoof going until you failed to describe the Israeli/Zionist state as "illegal and cowardly." Then you ignored the liberal "fact" that our military is far larger and expensive than needed in the first place.

Finally (or, to begin with) REAL liberals don't label themselves as such. They've got much more luminous-sounding self-identifiers: Progressive, centrist, open-minded, pragmatic or even neo-liberal. But never just "liberal." (I guess lattesipper is an exception.)

Posted by: johngalt at April 2, 2006 1:20 PM

But mdmhvonpa thinks:

You forgot to shriek in horror and pledge subserviance to Howard Dean. A real progressive would do so.

Posted by: mdmhvonpa at April 3, 2006 3:37 PM

March 10, 2006

Viva First Amendment

Right on!

While Cuba played the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic, a spectator in the stands raised a sign saying: "Down with Fidel," sparking an international incident that escalated Friday with the velocity of a major league fastball.

The image of the man holding the sign behind home plate was beamed live Thursday night to millions of TV viewers _ including those in Cuba. The top Cuban official at the game at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan rushed to confront the man.

Puerto Rican police quickly intervened and took the Cuban official _ Angel Iglesias, vice president of Cuba's National Institute of Sports _ to a nearby police station, where they lectured him about free speech.

"We explained to him that here the constitutional right to free expression exists and that it is not a crime," police Col. Adalberto Mercado was quoted as saying in El Nuevo Dia, a San Juan daily.

Posted by AlexC at 4:43 PM

March 1, 2006

American Dream

This is what makes this country great.

When he met with NBC 10 morning anchor Dawn Timmeney, Gogan Lakhmna was meeting with his architects about his latest condo project.

"Let's all think forward and think about the upgrades we want to offer to accommodate Andrea," Lakhmna said.

Despite owning $250 million in real estate in the Philadelphia area, this 34-year-old multimillionaire is always looking for the next challenge.

"There's a term for people like me in the business world. They call them deal junkies. We are just hungry for the next deal," Lakhmna said.

Lakhmna has had that hunger ever since coming to Philadelphia from India to attend graduate school at Drexel University.

Lakhmna worked as a pizza deliveryman to help pay for his tuition and shortly after getting his MBA, he was wheeling and dealing.

A gas station in Delran, N.J., was the first piece of real estate that Lakhmna bought and he managed to negotiate a deal with the owner that he would work up to 20 hours a day for a piece of the action.

Lakhmna now has a portfolio of 50 properties, including one in Northern Liberties.

"When I go to my work sites and I see work happening and a building coming up, that is what gives me satisfaction, and I don't see an end right now," Lakhmna said. "There is still that burning in my belly that tells me there is still more I have to do."

He still works 20 hours days.

More like him, please.

Posted by AlexC at 8:15 PM

Next Generation

The next generation of NASA space vehicles have been named.

Sources have revealed the latest list of the names NASA has given to its new fleet, with a Greek goddess, a Roman mythological god, and a near-by star winning through as the identities of the new ships that will send America back to the moon and on to Mars.

In the next decade, Altair, Artemis and Ares (I and V) could well become space community household names, as NASA returns to exploration past our own orbit.

A huge step up from NASA administrator Mike Griffin's 'Apollo on steroids' tag, the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) has been christened 'Altair' - named after a variable double star in the constellation Aquila.

Altair is also an Arabic word meaning "the flyer."

Posted by AlexC at 1:26 PM | Comments (3)

But johngalt thinks:

An ARABIC word? On our most sophisticated, delicate and expensive spacecraft? But what about the threat of Islamic terrorists using the word to launch an attack on us? Those fellows are very devious and clever. We can never be too careful.

Posted by: johngalt at March 1, 2006 3:21 PM

But AlexC thinks:

Johngalt, "Altair" was named when the Muslims were the world leaders in science. Hint.... "algebra" is Arabic too.

I guess it's just another link in the chain of dhimmitude. ;)

Posted by: AlexC at March 1, 2006 4:32 PM

But johngalt thinks:

And the characters we're conversing in are... ARABIC characters! Oh God oh God we're gonna die.

Being the world leaders in science apparently grew tiresome, and they aspired to be the world leaders in blowing shit up instead. (Hey, isn't that what Alfred Nobel used to do too?)

Posted by: johngalt at March 4, 2006 10:08 AM

January 18, 2006

Badonkadonk

Occasionally there's some discussion of Jazz music on these pages but I've gotta say that anyone who doesn't listen to country music is missing out on some serious "flyover country philosophy lessons." Take the latest release from Trace Adkins, for example. (Links include sound clips) In 4:01 he explains the subtleties of male motivation in virtually all of life's endeavors, boiling it all down to a single word: badonkadonk.

Now Honey, you can't blame her

For what 'er mama gave her

It ain't right to hate her

For workin' that money-maker

Band shuts down at two

But we're hangin' out till three

We hate to see her go

But love to watch her leave

With that honky tonk badonkadonk

Keepin' perfect rhythm

Make ya wanna swing along

Got it goin' on

Like Donkey Kong

And whoo-wee

Shut my mouth, slap your grandma

There outta be a law

Get the Sheriff on the phone

Lord have mercy, how's she even get them britches on

With that honky tonk badonkadonk

(Ooh, that's what I'm talkin' bout right there, honey)

Pure poetry (except for finding nothing better to rhyme with "goin' on" than "donkey kong.") Trace integrates the individual rational components of this and the other two verses thusly:

That's it, right there boys; that's why we do what we do. It ain't for the money; it ain't for the glory; it ain't for the free whiskey; it's for the badonkadonk.

I can make some more recommendations as well. Off the top of my head...

Songs About Me (same album)
Welcome to Hell (Trace Adkins, Greatest Hits Vol. 1)
The Taliban Song (Toby Keith, Shock'n Y'all)

Real. American. Glorious.

Posted by JohnGalt at 3:47 PM | Comments (4)

But jk thinks:

Don't know Trace (or admittedly much of the "Contemporary Country scene") but you'd be surprised at what the jazzheads around here listen to. For the record, Sugarchuck is an encyclopedia of classic and serious country players, and -- he'll hate my saying this -- an unbelievably awesome country guitar player.

He taught me that Merle Haggard is just jazz with Telecasters and twang, and has turned me on to many many good country songs and performers.

Many guitar players from country are worthy of awe: Chet Atkins and Roy Clark could and did cover a jazz gig and guys like Roy Buchannan and Albert Lee were HUGE influences for me.

MS is crippling my playing pretty bad but I was hoping that my next project would be a jazzy-country thing in the order of Ray Charles and Merle. The second Berkeley Square CD has the Cindy Walker/Eddie Albert "You Don't Know Me" and Brooke and I have an arrangement of "I Fall to Pieces" that I always liked.

And I do appreciate the unabashed patriotism I hear from country artists.

Posted by: jk at January 18, 2006 4:43 PM

But Sugarchuck thinks:

There is no better place to be, on a Friday or Saturday night, than on the bandstand, pickin' Merle, in a VFW. I've got lots of quibbles with the Music Row/CMT/Nashville, and I think it would serve us all well if the beancounters and producers spent a little more time on Lower Broadway with the real pickers and singers, but when it comes to singing truth to power, country music gets her done. There is nowhere left in music, other than in country music, for God, Family and Country. Country also makes lots of room for those with blue state sentiments, just not room on the radio. Somewhere, there is a book waiting to be written on politics in country music. IF not a book, maybe a WWF cage match pitting Emmy Lou Harris and the Dixie Chicks against Trace et. al... maybe on pay-per-view.
I might add a cool music update, rumor has it that Aaron Neville and Aretha Franklin with Dr. John on piano, will do the national anthem at the Super Bowl. Is this a great country or what!

Posted by: Sugarchuck at January 19, 2006 9:53 AM

But jk thinks:

Emmylou on the dark side? Say it ain't so! I have enjoyed her music and never got over a teenage crush on her (now a family genealogist assures me that I'm related to EVERYONE in the US named Harris. Think about it).

I thought I was turning into a Dixie Chicks fan. When Fred (Winifred) dies on Angel, they play "A Place Called Home." As the character was a Dixie Chicks, fan, I assumed it was them. But no, it is Kim Richey (and it is available on iTunes).

Posted by: jk at January 20, 2006 10:59 AM

But johngalt thinks:

Red state values indeed, Sugarchuck.

From the aforementioned 'Songs About Me,' when asked by "a guy on the red eye" why he sings stuff "'bout that twang and trains and hillbilly things" he "just looked at him and laughed and said

'Cause they're all songs about me,
And who I am.
Songs about lovin' and livin'
And good hearted women and family and God.
Yeah they're all just songs about me.
Songs about me."

Or another favorite from the same album, 'My Heaven' (clip available on link in main post) that proclaims,

"My heaven is a wood frame house with a great big porch goin' all the way around, Sittin' on the swing, listenin' to the sound of the birds singin'. My heaven is a warm summer day in the back yard, WHile the kids all play, flies and mosquitoes stay away while we're eatin' watermelon. That's my heaven."

Amen!

(Now that's a faith-based song I can get behind, because it celebrates heaven ON EARTH, not in some mythical afterlife.)

Posted by: johngalt at January 21, 2006 11:33 AM

January 15, 2006

Colonial Economics

Friedrich, at 2blowhards, ponders the impetus for the American Revolution. He makes a good point that in the global scheme of things, the colonists did not seem to be aggrieved on the order of other oppressed peoples. Okay, Stamp Tax Bad, tariffs, yadda yadda. We have MUCH more oppressive taxation today and my musket is in its case.

He examines a book with economic and biometric data, William Fogel’s “The Escape from Hunger and Premature Death, 1700-2100.” ($65!) and discovers that the colonists were taller, ate better and lived longer.

Given that most Americans of the Revolutionary War period were of British extraction and could hardly have been ignorant of conditions there, it must have been as plain as the nose on their faces that people lived far longer, ate far better and grew up more sturdily in the Colonies than in the Mother Country. So when the British government started tightening the screws on the colonies in the wake of the French and Indian wars, the mental calculation of the colonists must have been pretty simple: “Let me get this straight: you British aristocrats, in your infinite wisdom, want to make us Americans more like the average British working man? In short, you want us to live as poorly as you do? I think not, if I have anything to say about it. Martha, what did you do with my rifle?”

In short, it appears that rather than being the work of ultra-touchy libertarians, the American Revolution was one of the most substantively motivated conflicts in history. The colonists had a good thing going, and didn’t intend to give it up lightly. Who wouldn’t go to war, even today, if the disputed prize was a 17-year difference in life expectancy?

Interesting post. Good Comments. Hat-tip: Pajamas Media

Posted by John Kranz at 1:10 PM | Comments (3)

But Silence Dogood thinks:

This is true, taxation without representation makes a great rallying cry, but compared to their compatriots back home they were in much better shape. Why else would folks pay for a long and risky voyage across the ocean if not to improve their lot in life. It could be said that a lot of the impetus for the war was based on propaganda, coupled with some political chicanery. (Any of this sound familiar?) Samuel Adams was a master at propaganda but given his proclivity for inciting the masses (he not once but twice led/advocated the burning of the Governor's house) could be considered a terrorist leader. John Hancock, who supported/bankrolled him (even had to buy him a suit to attend the first Continental Congress) was a steadfast American patriot, who just happened to make his fortune smuggling some of those taxed British items. Anyone who tells you that politics has become so much more corrupt and coarse than it used to be hasn't read much history.

Posted by: Silence Dogood at January 16, 2006 3:55 PM

But johngalt thinks:

Yeah, they pledged their "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor" to line their own pockets. That makes sense.

Or does it? If Hancock got rich smuggling against British taxation then how does he gain be dismantling the unjust taxes?

Surely Silence wouldn't suggest his namesake fell in this rank of self-interested propagandists as well, especially after reading Chris Hitchens' words above:

"Benjamin Franklin offered to pay the damages of the Boston Tea Party. If the British authorities had not treated him in such an arrogant and underhanded manner, and had not had such a paltry idea of the man with whom they had to deal, he would very probably have negotiated a brilliant settlement of the outstanding disputes between the colonies and the motherland. This was certainly his wish."

I have no delusion that America's founders were pure as the wind driven snow but I can't abide wholesale defamation of their character. Have you no sense of gratitude?

Posted by: johngalt at January 17, 2006 3:27 PM

But dagny thinks:

Very interesting link. Based on the information in the blog and the comments (I probably won't shell out $65?? for the book) I note a few points.

It seems likely to me that the 17 year difference in life expectancy could be a result of the differences in freedom. Therefore they were fighting for their freedom knowing its true worth.

An excellent point made in one of the comments was that it is likely that America started out with hardier, healthier people as those are the types that are likely to emigrate. And since there seem to be a lot of book recommendations flying around, I will add this:

This point is raised by Robert H. Heinlein in several of his books. He writes science fiction so he talks about the results when the best and the brightest go off to colonize some new planet but the analogy holds. I additionally recommend his, “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress,” for a description of a revolution that, although fictional, rings true regarding the motives and methods of revolutionaries.

Posted by: dagny at January 18, 2006 1:37 AM

November 22, 2005

Credibility

I was reading a white-phosphorus related post on Protein Wisdom this morning, and read the following in a citation from DailyKos.

Saddam tortured, we torture. Saddam used WP chemical weapons against insurgents and civilians, we use WP chemical weapons against insurgents and civilians.

Like torture, the apologists try to justify our use of such abhorrent techniques, oblivious to the fact that our moral standing is in tatters and our crediblity beyond repair. We aren’t just losing the war in Iraq, we are losing our credibility in the world.

I thought ever since the go-it alone invasion, the subsequent occupation, the evening at Abu-Graib, Gitmo Korans, W '04 re-election, we've been losing credibility as a nation on the international scene.

I say "losing," but by the metric of the chicken-little "falling credibility" crowd, we've actually been hemorraging it. And hemorraging it for years.

Which begs the question, "How much more credibility do we have left to lose, if we haven't lost it all?"

Either we're the nation-state equivalent of the Black Knight from Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail, or we have not really lost any.

I would venture to suppose that there are nations out there saying, "Gosh, those Americans are really paying for doing the right thing." Those nations are providing any kind of support they can to the Global War on Terror. Nations like Mongolia. Once a giant in terms of warring, now a very minor international player are pledging support... as are the nations of new Europe.

Those nations remind of the parable I once heard while sitting in a pew. (Luke 21, if you're interested) The rich man tithes a lot to the Church because he has it, the poor widow tithes to the Church because that's all she has. It's sacrifices like those from nations that don't have it to sacrifice, who understand credibility.

Credibility from those nations is important... and worthwhile.

Included in that list are our steadfast friends the British and the Australians. With whom we share a common cultural bond.

Where it has been lost, what did it matter? Those nations likely did not share common interests with us *cough*le France*cough*)... or they see advantages to staying friendly with us. (ahem, China)

Our Republic's credibility has not been lost. Not to any nation that matters. On the contrary, we have gained it in the eyes of those people who understand the fight and the sacrifices at hand.

Posted by AlexC at 1:36 AM | Comments (1)

But jk thinks:

I spent a lot of time in Ireland and England in my last job and it saddens me that even our allies have such a low opinion.

I think it has become as politicized as the Congress and that the only hope of better ties would be if we were to practice the appeasement the intelligencia and governments believe in.

What really counts are those who vote with their feet. Only one in seven European engineering students say they expect to go back. We have captured the imagination of people of the world, if not their governments.
.

Posted by: jk at November 22, 2005 10:39 AM

July 4, 2005

Star Spangled Banner

(To go with JK's post)

The Star Spangled Banner, one of the most difficult to sing national anthems, gets a bad rap from dirty hippies for being too militaristic.

I say "hogwash."

It's a beautiful song.

Especially if you know all four stanzas.

Posted by AlexC at 9:39 AM | Comments (3)

But jk thinks:

What a great piece -- thanks! I am a new convert to the song, and new converts are always the most fervent.

When I was young, I really did not understand the words. It is very unusual for the lyric to not make sense in single lines, you have to take a whole stanza at a time to "get it" (I think I was about 40 when I did...)

I also like the new melodic approaches you hear these days (sorry Burkeans). The guy who sings it a canella at the Avalanche games just nails it -- I cry every time.

Side note: I was a HUGE Asimov fan as a kid and I have been thinking of him lately (after reading David Deutch's "The Fabric of Reality," which all the Physics geeks at ThreeSources should drop everything and go read).

Posted by: jk at July 4, 2005 11:15 AM

But johngalt thinks:

Thanks for the link AlexC. I'll read it aloud at our family celebration tonight - freemen all.

Posted by: johngalt at July 4, 2005 2:17 PM

But AlexC thinks:

Here's a tip to maximize your Anthem experience.
You all know the words, and no one cares to hear you sing it anyway.

Focus on the singer.

If they're good, and really into it (not like fat-ass Roseanne), you can feel the emotions.

*MUCH* better.

JK's on to it... just listen, enjoy and weep in thanks.

Posted by: AlexC at July 4, 2005 11:52 PM

Happy 4th of July II

Posted by John Kranz at 9:09 AM | Comments (1)

But johngalt thinks:

This is our third July 4 in this house and I'm proud to say I've finally got the flag holder installed by the front door. "Long may she wave!"

Posted by: johngalt at July 4, 2005 2:06 PM

Deep Impact

It appeared that no cable news network provided live coverage of Deep Impact hitting Comet Tempel 1. So much for the 24 hours news cycle.

So I watched the NASA TV feed via the internet.

The mission to slam a coffee table into Manhattan was was successful!

The preliminary photos look awesome, I suspect as better ones come in some of them will make their way to computer desktops the world over.

More pictures are here.

Congratulations to NASA and the University of Maryland for providing us with one heck of a Fourth of July fireworks show... A job well done.

Posted by AlexC at 2:46 AM | Comments (7)

But AlexC thinks:

Is that coverage not embarassing? I've pretty much forsaken TV news (except local stuff)... when i turn it on to Fox, it's all Aruba, all the time.

The reporters all suckered Roger Ailes into open ended trips down there.

I'm embarassed for them.

Posted by: AlexC at July 4, 2005 10:41 AM

But johngalt thinks:

Of all the things government unjustly spends my tax money on, this is the one I object to least: space exploration.

I set the PVR to record the NASA channel and, armed with locating info from http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2005/06/28/deepimpact.html, headed out to the hot tub with my binoculars. I'm pretty sure I had the comet located. I found Jupiter, low in the western sky and the brightest object around. (Also the only one with three moons visible in orbit!) Then, up and to the left, a bright star that had to be Spica. About a half-binocular field-of-view above and slightly left from Spica was a small dot not visible to the naked eye. I watched it for about 15 minutes, 5 before and 10 after the scheduled impact. Nothing. If anything it appeared to grow dimmer, or possibly a bit fuzzy although that could have been eye fatigue.

It goes without saying that the TV pictures were better. I had fun though!

Posted by: johngalt at July 4, 2005 2:03 PM

But AlexC thinks:

Johngalt, actually spending on science is Constitutional! Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8. "progress of science and useful arts".... of course the definitions of those could be subject to debate.

Damn you round earth! Damn you! It was all below the horizon.. you non-east coasters got a chance anyway.

Posted by: AlexC at July 4, 2005 11:48 PM

But Silence Dogood thinks:

We're all in agreement here, no news coverage? I was all set to have my trusty TIVO record the event, now all I needed was some event coverage to record. A NASA channels sounds cool, is that a satellite system? But come on, what else news worthy was going on at the time that was so important that no coverage was planned? Surely there must still be some broadcast equipment out Michael Jackson's way that could have been trucked over to JPL.

Posted by: Silence Dogood at July 5, 2005 10:27 AM

But AlexC thinks:

True story. NASA TV is on satellite and some cable systems. Typically watching paint dry is more exciting, but then there are those days...

But they do stream it online.

Posted by: AlexC at July 5, 2005 3:02 PM

But johngalt thinks:

"...by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;"

This is the patent and trademark provision Alex. Surely you detect no penumbra about government funding!

Posted by: johngalt at July 6, 2005 2:52 PM

Happy 4th of July

What encompasses the American spirit more than gathering with your neighbors and their children, sitting on your lawn and blowing up surreptitiously procured fireworks which your state forbids you from buying?

Save for throwing boxes of tea into the harbor, I dare say "nothing."

God Bless America in her 229th year.

Posted by AlexC at 12:00 AM

June 26, 2005

Steyn on Flag Burning

No surprise that Mark Steyn would have the best exegesis on the flag burning amendment.

Unlike Congressman Cunningham, I wouldn't presume to speak for those who died atop the World Trade Center. For one thing, citizens of more than 50 foreign countries, from Argentina to Zimbabwe, were killed on 9/11. Of the remainder, maybe some would be in favor of a flag-burning amendment; and maybe some would think that criminalizing disrespect for national symbols is unworthy of a free society.

"[C]riminalizing disrespect for national symbols is unworthy of a free society" definitely nails it for me. But every Steyn column provides thought, and humor as well as rhetoric. And this does not disappoint. He contends that legal flag burning helps us to see our enemies for what they are. Better still, he shows that the flag is burned because of its power.

Banning flag desecration flatters the desecrators and suggests that the flag of this great republic is a wee delicate bloom that has to be protected. It's not. It gets burned because it's strong. I'm a Canadian and one day, during the Kosovo war, I switched on the TV and there were some fellows jumping up and down in Belgrade burning the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack. Big deal, seen it a million times. But then to my astonishment, some of those excitable Serbs produced a Maple Leaf from somewhere and started torching that. Don't ask me why -- we had a small contribution to the Kosovo bombing campaign but evidently it was enough to arouse the ire of Slobo's boys. I've never been so proud to be Canadian in years. I turned the sound up to see if they were yelling ''Death to the Little Satan!'' But you can't have everything.

All hail the great Steyn!

Hat-tip: PowerLine Blog

Posted by John Kranz at 11:24 AM | Comments (1)

But Attila thinks:

Burning a flag is the quintessential political protest, so I would oppose the amendment.

That said, the proper response is to create an affirmative defense to assault charges for someone who applies reasonable force to the face of the flag burner.

Posted by: Attila at June 29, 2005 4:12 PM

June 19, 2005

American Apologizing

Tip to Tim Blair.

Posted by AlexC at 9:00 PM | Comments (1)

But johngalt thinks:

To those who believe that capitalist and religiously tolerant America's continued existence "crosses the line" (apologies to Richard "Dick" Durbin), WE APOLOGIZE.

Posted by: johngalt at June 23, 2005 2:55 PM

June 9, 2005

Liberty is beautiful

AlexC made recent mention of liberty babes or "protest babes" with respect to Azerbajian. Coincidentally, a friend emailed me a picture that qualifies as "liberty babes, American style." (You figure out which ones I mean.)

Posted by JohnGalt at 12:57 AM | Comments (3)

But jk thinks:

And you missed Kelly Ann Conway (nee Fitzpatrick) the GOP pollster.

Posted by: jk at June 9, 2005 10:48 AM

But johngalt thinks:

Not to mention both of our wives! Haven't met AlexC's (yet?) though I'm sure she belongs with "ours" as well.

Posted by: johngalt at June 14, 2005 2:48 PM

But johngalt thinks:

And for the record, "I" didn't miss Kelly Ann, I merely posted someone else's montage work here. :)

Posted by: johngalt at June 14, 2005 2:49 PM

May 29, 2005

Art Appreciation

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone. And now, for something a little different...

Philosophically, the actions of the US government following the Great Depression were deplorable. But that judgment is somewhat mitigated by the fact that other equally deplorable government policies helped create the miserable situation in the first place. But this is not meant as a discussion of the New Deal, rather an appreciation of some of the artwork that resulted from it.

The Loveland, Colorado post office, where thousands from around the world send their mail for a unique postmark on Valentine's day, displays a mural that captivated my spirit. This inspired me to learn more about it, and it's creator, 'R. Sherman' or James Russell Sherman, I came to learn.

Some time on the internet allowed me to discover an entire website dedicated to art of this nature, as it was funded by several New Deal programs.

The Colorado page listed all of the New Deal artwork on display in Colorado post offices and linked to photos of some of them, but not the Loveland mural. Seeking to rectify this, I emailed a photo to the webmaster and she posted it thusly.

This painting moves me because of its rich color, romantic realism, and its subject: The industrious harvest of nature's bounty by enterprising and creative individuals. My newfound side profession as a hay farmer dependent upon irrigation water probably has a lot to do with the joy I find in this painting, along with my romantic attitude toward the realm of industry.

I notice that this painting is very similar to one in the Scottdale, PA post office. Perhaps AlexC will be inspired to seek out other works in the Pennysylvania post offices.

James Russell Sherman, aka Russell Sherman, studied art in Chicago before moving to the American Northwest. Other works include "At the Brook." ('Continue Reading' to see short bio from this source.)

Reprinted from: http://www.artoftheprint.com/artistpages/sherman_russell_atthebrookquietpool.htm

Russell Sherman: A fine twentieth century American lithographer, illustrator and painter, Russell Sherman studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. His first exhibited works of art date from the early 1930's and at this time he moved to the American north west. His landscapes deal mostly with this region and British Columbia. During the following years Sherman's original lithographs were shown at exhibitions in San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago and New York.

A number of this artist's lithographs were commissioned by the Associated American Artists of New York. Since its founding (in the mid 1930's), the A.A.A. was responsible for the publication of many important etchings and lithographs by such major American artists as Reginald Marsh, Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton. Both by its printing techniques and by the quality of paper (a sturdy white, wove), At the Brook is most probably an Associated American Artists commissioned lithograph.

At the Brook is a superb, original example of Sherman's lithographic art. Using strong contrasts of light and dark and decorative art deco elements, Sherman created a landscape of unforgettable purity and beauty. It is in every regard a most spectacular image.

Edition: As mentioned earlier, At the Brook is most probably a publication of the Associated American Artists. If so, it would have been printed in a limited edition of 250 impressions.

Image Size: 7 7/8 X 10 3/4 (Sizes in inches are approximate, height preceding width of plate-mark or image.) Matted with 100% Archival Materials

Price: $225.00 US

Condition: Printed upon sturdy wove paper and with full margins as published around 1940. Signed by the artist in pencil along the lower margin. A strongly printed impression and in flawless condition throughout. This original lithograph represents a prime example of the art of Russell Sherman.

Note: The artist biography and information pertaining to this work of art has been provided for the benefit of our viewers. Check our site periodically for new additons. There are new biographies and works of art for sale posted every month.

Posted by JohnGalt at 10:28 AM

May 5, 2005

Before and After

Arthur Chrenkoff has pictures of Abu Faraj (alQaida #3), Kalid Sheikh Muhammed and Saddam Hussein.

The first is when they're having a good day.
The second is when, well, they're not.

Having the globe's most powerful military force looking for you really does tend to put a on strain you.

Simply terrible.

Posted by AlexC at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)

But johngalt thinks:

Yes, and particularly now that we've forged an alliance with the emminently practical Pakistanis. Through their prisoner interrogation practices, they're cultivating a reputation to rival the Turks!

When it comes to prisoners who are known members of a gang that wishes to kill every last free man I say, no holds barred in "interviewing" these bastards.

Posted by: johngalt at May 5, 2005 3:04 PM

May 2, 2005

Rolling 9-11 Memorial

	A good friend emails these photos: John Holmgren from Shafer Minnesota has painted his cab and trailer with the names of all those who lost their lives in 9/11. The trucker has been "pulled over" numerous times just so the troopers can get their picture taken with the truck. Click "Continuie Reading to see more photos.

Posted by John Kranz at 1:09 PM

March 31, 2005

South Park

I cannot clear from my mind the term "South Park Republicans." Stephen Stanton credits the term's coinage to Andrew Sullivan, but has written the most comprehensive exegeses on the species in TCS.

His first column asked how the GOP could do so well in elections if only a group of stodgy old rich evangelical white millionaires voted for them:

The answer could very well be the "South Park Republicans." The name stems from the primetime cartoon "South Park" that clearly demonstrates the contrast within the party. The show is widely condemned by some moralists, including members of the Christian right. Yet in spite of its coarse language and base humor, the show persuasively communicates the Republican position on many issues, including hate crime legislation ("a savage hypocrisy"), radical environmentalism, and rampant litigation by ambitious trial lawyers. In one episode, industrious gnomes pick apart myopic anti-corporate rhetoric and teach the main characters about the benefits of capitalism.

South Park Republicans are true Republicans, though they do not look or act like Pat Robertson. They believe in liberty, not conformity. They can enjoy watching The Sopranos even if they are New Jersey Italians. They can appreciate the tight abs of Britney Spears or Brad Pitt without worrying about the nation's decaying moral fiber. They strongly believe in liberty, personal responsibility, limited government, and free markets. However, they do not live by the edicts of political correctness.

I suspected I fell into this taxonomy, so I started watching the show. I find it humorous but (pardon the pun) one-dimensional. It's funny but it's only funny. Buffy, by comparison, is artful, thought-provoking, dramatic and funny. But South Park is REALLY funny!

Last night's episode really blew me away. It was well crafted. A tight plot with two well-integrated sub plots: Kenny's selection to lead heaven's army based on his performance in a video game, and Kenny's drifting between heaven and earth as other, disinterested parties fought over his feeding tube.

How did they get this out so quickly? I expect even some hard-to-offend South Park folks may be offended. It was irreverent.

But it was good. The Archangel Michael, who swears like Patton at every setback, is an image that has kept me laughing all day.

Last night clears up their politics for me. They are even more libertarian than Stanton allows. They take a great whack at Republicans ("Satan, the forces of heaven have a Keanu Reeves, what shall we do?" "What we always do: we'll use the Republicans!")

What I liked was that they make of Republicans for what they are and for what I make fun of them for. Hollywood movies and network sitcoms ridicule a straw man Republican that I don't recognize, and I'm not sure exists. But the GOP officials in last night's South Park definitely exist.

Am I a South Park Republican? (Well, Terry, labels can be so constricting...) yeah, I guess I am.

Posted by John Kranz at 4:01 PM | Comments (2)

But johngalt thinks:

Great post JK! Maybe it'll even convince Dagny to let me watch SP in her presence. Got my fingers crossed!

Posted by: johngalt at April 1, 2005 3:36 PM

But AlexC thinks:

That latest SP episode was great. No matter how stand on the Schiavo matter, allying Cartman with Heaven and the rest of South Park with Hell was a clever way of offending everyone at somelevel.

They get them out so fast because it's no longer animated with construction paper cut outs like the first season was. It's all CG. And they're fast.

Here's some info.
http://www.everwonder.com/david/southpark/animationsp.html

Posted by: AlexC at April 1, 2005 4:39 PM

March 24, 2005

The Michael Moore Bank Robberies

Detroit is facing a string of bank robberies from a guy they say resembles Michael Moore

The man, who police say earned the nickname because of his resemblance to the filmmaker, is wanted in the armed robbery of a Standard Federal Bank at about 9:20 a.m. on Saturday.

Police said the man entered the bank at 602 Monroe Avenue and implied that he had a weapon. An undetermined amount of cash was taken in the robbery.

The man was last seen walking south from the bank.

He's described as white, in his 40s, 6 feet tall, with a beard and wearing a plaid shirt and a baseball cap.

So it's just another dirty fat white guy? I don't see the resemblance.
Maybe if he was stuffing his face with hot dogs or donuts, THEN we'd be talking.

Posted by AlexC at 6:00 PM | Comments (1)

But johngalt thinks:

We all know that Michael Moore owns a gun. It was given to him by... a BANK! Wonder if it was the same bank he robbed? Anyway, they gotta get that dangerous slob. When they do his conviction will be a slam dunk. Seems he FILMED HIMSELF receiving the gun! Idiot.

Posted by: johngalt at March 25, 2005 3:29 PM

February 9, 2005

Dear Leader Upset at Film's Depiction

Surprisingly, North Korea is upset about Team America.

The caricature of North Korea's "Dear Leader", Kim Jong-Il, in the film, "Team America: World Police," is striking a discordant note among North Korean officials, and probably their supreme leader himself, despite his well-known love for private viewings of foreign movies.

Sometimes the truth hurts, Kim.

A Czech newspaper, Lidove Noviny, reports that a North Korean diplomat complained that the film "harms the image of our country." He was even quoted as saying, "Such behavior is not part of our country's political culture."

Apparently rampant starvation doesn't hurt the image of his country.

In related news, Michael Moore was also upset about his role in the film, joining international Islamo-fascists, the Film Actors Guild and their members Hollywood and the French.

Posted by AlexC at 2:00 PM | Comments (1)

But jk thinks:

Presumably, Matt Stone and Trey Parker are very upset that others have taken offense and are currently drafting apologies...

Posted by: jk at February 9, 2005 2:41 PM