August 14, 2007

Sometimes, it seems people would rather throw a screaming fit than
admit success.
A couple of weeks ago, I read a tirade based on an op-ed piece that appeared in the Washington
Post. The authors of this post, Paul X. Kelley and Robert F. Turner, accuse the President of issuing an executive order that:
…has compromised our national [...]

July 10, 2007

One of the arguments in favor of pulling out of Iraq is that it would force the Iraqi government to take responsibility for its own security.
I’m  curious to know how many who agree with this argument  would  agree with  programs like  privatization of  Social Security, Medicare, Education, and so on.  Wouldn’t withdrawing government support for [...]

While driving around at work, I saw a car sporting a bumper sticker that read:
Donate George Bush’s stem cells for early primate research
The car was a BMW with shiny black (unmarred) paint.
I wonder how long a car would retain its finish if it sported a bumper sticker reading:
Donate John Kerry’s medals to a war hero
Just [...]

July 6, 2007

TCS writer Tim Worstall looks at some of the numerical manipulations underlying the claim that healthcare in the US is worse than in places like Cuba.
For example: Medicare is more efficient than privately-funded health care? Well, Medicare has an overhead of 1%, and the overhead for private health care is between 10% and 30%. But…
“Overhead” [...]

June 21, 2007

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was on a panel discussion about torture and terrorism law. During this discussion, the topic of Jack Bauer came up. (source)
…a Canadian judge’s passing remark - “Thankfully, security agencies in all our countries do not subscribe to the mantra ‘What would Jack Bauer do?’ ” - got the legal bulldog [...]

June 10, 2007

One word about the Paris Hilton case:  Pfui.
She’s a spoiled brat. She’s grown up in an environment where she’s learned she can either buy or charm her way into whatever she wants, or out of whatever she doesn’t want.  She’s finally run up against something she can’t manipulate her way through, and it’s a shock [...]

May 31, 2007

…Then give me another word for it.
Proponents of the immigration bill making its way through Congress are constantly claiming “it’s not amnesty”. For example:
Amnesty is forgiveness for being here without any penalties — that’s what amnesty is. I oppose it.
— President Bush.
OK, if “amnesty” means forgiveness without any penalties, then we need another word for [...]

May 15, 2007

CNN changes history!
I’ve been having a debate with someone in a forum with a very slow turn-around time. It’s a newsletter that’s published once a month, so each cycle of the “discussion” takes two months.
Anyway, she believes the federal response to New Orleans after Katrina was slow – and indeed, slower than to areas [...]

May 6, 2007

I believe “torture” is overused in this country, and in areas controlled by this country.
By “torture”, I mean the word, not necessarily the action.
I’ve been putting in my two cents’ worth on this subject for a while, and I think it’s time I state, for the record, where I stand on the subject.  For the [...]

May 3, 2007

China’s plan to keep the skies sunny and clear during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing shows how far weather modification has come, climatologists say.
If a storm approaches the city, the Chinese said they would seed the clouds with silver iodide to force rainfall, cleansing the air and ensuring spectators and athletes stay dry.
(Source)
It’ll be [...]