Archive for July, 2008
Homeland Security Meets The Sopranos
The Transportation Security Administration seems to have taken a page from the mob.
Obama Does Offer Hope — to America’s Foes
You may not like it but you can't deny it — enemies of the U.S. would vote Obama.
Want Cheaper Oil? Support Speculation, Don’t Curtail It
Trashing speculators is all the rage, but let's separate the myths from the facts.
"Every possible form of interaction between an adult and a child is perceived as yet another opportunity for child abuse."
Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Kent and author of a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1556524641?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=1556524641″emParanoid Parenting: Why Ignoring the Experts May Be Best for Your Child/em/aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=1556524641″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / has an article a href=”http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/will-paranoid-parents-criminalize-photographing-children/”at PJM on the paranoia /a over photographing children:br /br /blockquoteThe assumption that pictures represent a significant threat to children has acquired a fantasy-like grotesque character. We rarely dare ask the question: what possible harm can come from taking pictures of children playing soccer? Dark hints about the threat of evil networks of pedophiles are sufficient to corrode common sense. Tragically, what the dramatization and criminalization of the act of photographing children reveals is a culture that regards virtually every childhood experience from the standpoint of a pedophile.br /br /Every possible form of interaction between an adult and a child is perceived as yet another opportunity for child abuse. In a roundabout way society has normalized pedophilia. The default position is to always expect the worse — and therefore children should be placed in purdah./blockquotebr /br /Take a a href=”http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/will-paranoid-parents-criminalize-photographing-children/”look at the comments too,/a they are illuminating and some commenters explore child abduction numbers; for example, a href=”http://www.slate.com/id/2157738/”here is an article from Slate /athat sheds some light on how many kids are really abducted–only 115 were “stereotypical kidnappings,” defined in one study as “a nonfamily abduction perpetrated by a slight acquaintance or stranger…”
a href=”http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/cooking-the-books-on-homelessness-stats/”Cooking the Books on Homelessness Stats: /a Are there really 3 million Americans wandering the streets?
Yahoo-Icahn-Microsoft Aftermath: Who Really Won?
The media thinks the battle over the future of Yahoo! has been settled. Not so fast.
Requiring Flex-Fuel: A Giant Step Towards Energy Security
A new bill introduced in the Senate this week could help us win the War on Terror.
Obama’s New Berlin Venue: Another Bad Choice
Speaking in front of a monument associated with Hitler could have been avoided.
McCain Keeps Up Iraq Attack on Obama
The McCain campaign's newly aggressive approach was on display today at a “Straight Talk Town Hall” event in Pennsylvania.
PJM Political 7/23/08: The Spike Remains The Same
Tune in each Wednesday to XM Channel #130, POTUS ’08 at 1:00 PM Eastern/10:00 AM Pacific for Pajamas Media’s weekly PJM Political show! (And at 12:00 AM Eastern Friday/9:00 PM Pacific Thursday for a rebroadcast.) If you missed this week’s show, click below to listen:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
(Want to download instead of streaming? Click here to download this week’s show. Or click here to download the lo-fi edition.)
Hosted by Steve Green of VodkaPundit, the Gray Lady gets spiked in this edition of PJM Political, featuring:
- Ed Morrissey on why the New York Times spiked John McCain’s op-ed, and how they accidentally benefited John McCain.
- Thomas Lifson of The American Thinker disects “The Rapid Decline of the New York Times.”
- Elizabeth Scalia, the Anchoress, says, “Let’s Learn To Laugh About Obama.”
- James Lileks flies the friendly skies of Air Obama.
- Produced By Ed Driscoll.
If you missed any previous episodes of PJM Political, click here and scroll through for hours of audio archives.
Big Fat Brother Is Watching Your Calorie Count
Should the government be inventing laws to shame people into their healthy lifestyle choices?
Obamessiah Hits the Holy Land
Israelis liked what they heard from the Democratic presidential candidate during his whirlwind visit. They just hope they can believe it.
Hurricane Dolly Hits Texas as a Category 2
PJM's own Weather Nerd, Brendan Loy, is tracking the storm's every move.
Shocked Serbians Celebrate Karadzic’s Capture
How did a fugitive leader wanted for genocide hide in his own country in plain sight? Conspiracy theories abound.
"What’s the Matter With Chicago? and Seattle and New York and Boston…?"
Reason magazine a href=”http://reason.com/news/show/127481.html”ranks the worst nanny-state /acities in America:br /br /blockquoteFrom New York to Los Angeles, from the People’s Republic of Cambridge to the west Texas town of El Paso, city governments are using and abusing their authority to tell the rest of us how to live. Two decades of healthy economies and dropping crime rates have given many city councils the luxury of worrying about less urgent issues, from the last wisps of secondhand smoke to the discomfort of fatted geese. So even while self-styled progressives in Seattle, San Francisco, and Boston take a more relaxed approach to sex and pot, they’ve adopted increasingly restrictive laws regarding alcohol, tobacco, and junk food. It may be easier to smoke a joint today than it was 20 years ago (except in New York City—see below), but it’s getting much more difficult to enjoy a legal cigarette./blockquotebr /br /Is a href=”http://reason.com/news/show/127481.html”your city on the list?/a
The Dark Knight — Not Just Another Superhero Movie
Who would have guessed that the latest Batman movie would have a conservative point of view?
Colorblind Equality: A Winning Issue for McCain?
Opposing race-based preferences could help power a McCain comeback.
The Media and Obama: Reporters or Flunkies?
Coverage of Obama and McCain is so unbalanced that even the NY Times has noticed.
John Edwards in a Feydeau Farce at the Beverly Hilton
There's a moral to the John Edwards/Rielle Hunter affair and love child story — and I think we all know it.
Senator, You’re No Henry Kissinger
Does Obama really think he can prove himself a foreign-policy pro by eating chow with U.S. soldiers and delivering a few wrist-slaps to our allies?
David Harsanyi: a href=”http://www.denverpost.com/harsanyi/ci_9951995″”What Obama Could Learn on Vacation.”/a
Beach Connection
I ran across a href=”http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2008/07/11/nlounge111.xml”an article about this hi-tech lounge chair /afor geeks and was both fascinated and troubled by it:br /br /blockquoteHoliday makers will soon be able to have all the electronic gadgets and entertainment they need from the comfort of their sun lounger.br /br /Known as ‘The Tech Chair’, the lounger will have docking stations for cameras, iPods and laptops and harness solar energy to power them.br /br /Designed by PC World, users will now have access to thousands of songs, films, podcasts, games, and photos, as well as Wi-Fi internet connection from the beach or poolside.br /br /It will even allows people to upload their digital holiday snaps onto their laptop before uploading them onto social networking sites such as Facebook or My Space./blockquotebr /br /A few summers ago, I encountered this a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MMQ6E0?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=B000MMQ6E0″Lafuma lounge chair/aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=B000MMQ6E0″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / while on vacation and we bought one. I thought this was “high-tech” enough for me but I see I was wrong. I am fascinated because with the geek chair, one could take their work with them while sitting at the beach, particularly bloggers or those who use the internet for business. On the other hand, should people really be this connected to technology 24/7? How healthy is it? Don’t people need real vacations to just relax and do nothing or is this too much to expect in our wired world? Is it awful that I want one?
Photo Ops and ‘Fake Interviews’: Obama’s Excellent Overseas Adventure
Great pictures and fawning media coverage? Yes. Real evidence of foreign policy competence? Not yet.
The Doctor Is In: National Health Insurance = Longer Life?
Many people in countries with socialized medicine outlive Americans. But is access to health care the reason?
Previous Posts