Monthly Archives: October 2015

Special Bonus Happy Halloween Edition

Featured image Back in the bad old days of the Soviet Union, one of the tricks a dissident might attempt to communicate subversive ideas in a subtle way would be to quote a good paragraph or two from Adam Smith or Hayek, surrounded on either side by boilerplate propaganda about why this imperialist dogma is wrong. The perceptive reader would pick up on the sense of the excerpts from Adam Smith, and »

Trick, No Treat

Featured image Michael Ramirez on Halloween and the debt. It’s a good reminder that all of that “free stuff” isn’t actually free. Click to enlarge: »

Iowa Republicans are very much up for grabs

Featured image I spent most of today at the Iowa state fairgrounds watching the Iowa Republican Party’s Growth and Opportunity event. Approximately 2,000 Republicans attended. Donald Trump and Ben Carson, the two leaders in Iowa, skipped the event. John Kasich was the only other member of the top 10 who did not show up. From the bottom tier, Bobby Jindal, Lindsey Graham, and Rick Santorum all spoke. I will discuss the speeches »

Egyptian Television: Burn the Jews!

Featured image MEMRI translates this edifying colloquy between “Dr.” Muhammad Khaled, Egyptian television host, and his guest, Islamic History Professor Yusri Ahmad Zidan. Professor Zidan helpfully explains that throughout history, the “solution” to the Jewish “problem” has been to burn them. Hey, the Crusaders and the Nazis both did it! (Wait, I thought the Crusaders were supposed to be bad…) This kind of incitement to mass murder is commonplace in the Islamic »

Another fake hate crime

Featured image Reading a hard copy of the New York Times this morning, I find Monica Davey’s story “Suspect is charged in St. Louis church fires.” Davey updates on an investigation of church arsons that have been suspected of reflecting racial animus: A man was accused on Friday of setting two fires at St. Louis churches, part of a series of seven arson attacks that had left places of worship around the »

The Week in Pictures: Scary Halloween Edition

Featured image So I can’t decide on a costume: Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders? They both have great fright prospects. Hillary will lie about her tricks, and Sanders will reach in to everyone’s goody bag and redistribute the candy. But perhaps I’ll stick with everyone’s favorite zombie of the moment—Jeb Bush. And as a reminder: Halloween this year coincides with every conservative’s favorite day—the day we literally get to turn the clock »

Live from Council Bluffs, it’s Chris Christie

Featured image Nebraska attorney David Begley continues his series of reports on appearances of the presidential candidates in Iowa for us. Yesterday Paul Mirengoff and Dave met up to attend the appearance of Chris Christie in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Paul’s impressions are set forth in the adjacent post. Omaha’s WOWT News has posted its report with video here. Dave’s report is below. Paul Mirengoff and I attended the Chris Christie town hall »

Chris Christie: What you see is what you get and it’s not bad

Featured image Dave Begley and I went to see Chris Christie in Council Bluffs, Iowa today. Dave’s reports have been excellent, so I will let him take the lead role. Here, though, is a summary of my impressions. Christie was excellent, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who has been watching the debates. He presented strong opening remarks and then answered questions for more than an hour. His answers were forceful, intelligent, and solidly »

Happy P.C. Halloween!

Featured image Vermont’s Middlebury College was concerned that its students might celebrate Halloween in “unsafe” costumes. So it released a video and checklist containing guidance on how to avoid “cultural appropriation” and other sins. The video features the college’s Chief Diversity Officer and Dean of Students: A Message on Costumes and Cultural Appropriation from Middlebury College Media Service on Vimeo. This is Middlebury’s checklist. Click to enlarge: Well, who wouldn’t be in »

Hillary Heckled

Featured image Black Lives Matter has finally succeeded in interrupting a Hillary Clinton campaign appearance. The Hill has details here. A one-minute video containing the point of interruption appears below. Hillary doesn’t look as pathetically weak as Bernie Sanders did in Seattle a while back, but her supine response illustrates the dilemma for Democrats—they don’t dare stand up to Black Lives Matter, for fear of offending Al Sharpton. The video displays one »

The Power Line Show, Episode 29: Crime and Punishment, With Heather Mac Donald

Featured image This afternoon Steve and John got together for Episode 29 of the Power Line Show. They were joined by Heather Mac Donald, for a lively and politically incorrect discussion of crime, incarceration and the role of race in America’s criminal justice system. Steve and John then finished out the podcast with commentary on this week’s presidential debate, including the RNC’s late-breaking letter to NBC, and on passage of the spending/debt »

Decoding the Democrats’ Debate

Featured image We’ve been spending our time on the latest Republican debate, but let’s not forget the Democrats! Fortunately, the good people at Bad Lip Reading haven’t, and they’ve produced this “revised” version of the recent Democratic debate, and it is a definite improvement on the real thing: »

RNC to NBC: Sod Off

Featured image The RNC finally gets a clue about the inherent media hostility to Republican candidates, and has transmitted the following letter this morning: Mr. Andrew Lack Chairman, NBC News 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, New York 10112 Dear Mr. Lack, I write to inform you that pending further discussion between the Republican National Committee (RNC) and our presidential campaigns, we are suspending the partnership with NBC News for the Republican primary »

Green Weenie of the Week: The Dept. of Energy

Featured image Ronald Reagan used to like to say that the nine most frightening words in the English language are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Which means the obvious costume for trick or treating is a government bureaucrat. Too bad Ronaldus Magnus didn’t succeed in abolishing the Department of Energy as he had proposed, for the DoE is up to even more tricks and treats with its suggestion »

The Bear Pokes the Unbearable Obama

Featured image A totally unsurprising news item from Reuters this morning: U.S. Navy scrambled jets as Russian warplanes approached carrier WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier scrambled four fighter jets to intercept approaching Russian warplanes as it carried out a military exercise on Tuesday in the Sea of Japan, U.S. military officials said on Thursday. The two Russian TU-145 “Bear” jets came as close as a nautical mile from the »

Today in Liberal Tolerance

Featured image I’m not the first to argue that for the left, the greatest attraction of climate change is the opportunity for authoritarianism it provides. Today’s exhibit is this tweet from a twit over in Britain: Advice for Mr. Rendall: Bring it on, bro. Over here in Second Amendment America, you won’t get very far with that program. »

What just happened at MSP?

Featured image We went out to dinner with close friends this past Saturday evening. One of our friends told me the story below, which I asked the friend to reduce to writing in as great detail as was remembered. This is the story. It is an interesting story. It has the additional advantage of being true. I thought readers would find it of interest. My friend writes: On Sunday, October 18, I »