Archive for April, 2009
100 Days In: Is Obama Blowing It?
Key groups who helped vote in President Obama are having serious buyer's remorse.
Obama’s EPA Declares CO2 a Poison
You can't even expel air anymore without ticking off the climate change commissars.
Durban II Diary: The UN Folds Its Cards
The United Nations has been humiliated big time by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's racist screed in Geneva.
The Moral Courage of Irene Sendlerowa
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, we recall the exploits of a Polish woman who rescued more than 2,500 Jewish children from death.
Harvard’s "dirty little secret"
It seems that a href=”http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/04/21/accepting_rejection/?page=full”Harvard students are having to learn /ahow to handle rejection (via a href=”http://nalert.blogspot.com/2009/04/harvard-students-cant-get-jobsdealing.html”Newsalert/a):br /br /blockquoteThe dirty secret is out. Harvard students fail sometimes. They are denied jobs, fellowships, A’s they think they deserve. They are passed over for publication, graduate school, and research grants. And when that finally happens, it hurts. Big time.br /br /To help students cope, Harvard’s Office of Career Services hosted a new seminar last week on handling rejection, a fear job-seekers are feeling acutely in the plummeting economy. The advice from panelists could have come from a caring, patient parent. No rejection is the end of the world, they said, even though it might feel that way at the time./blockquotebr /br /I have known quite a few people who have graduated from Harvard who had a hard time getting or keeping a job. When competing in the real world, an ivy league education is nice, but other skills and the ability to get along with others is often more important.
Chill Out About the DHS ‘Right-Wing Extremist’ Memo
Right-wing extremism is a real threat, not an imaginary one concocted to silence conservatives.
The Subjective Nature of Torture
Exploiting a detainee's idiosyncrasies, cultural inclinations, religious superstitions, and psychological defects is not objectively torture.
The First Puppy’s Inaugural Address
Bo, the new presidential pooch, confirms that the White House has gone to the dogs.
Mia Farrow Launches Hunger Strike Over Darfur
Sudan's brutal dictator, Omar al-Bashir, won't care. The question is, why should we?
Do As I Say, Not As I Do
When it comes to ethics, there's a lot of hypocrisy in the Obama administration.
Why Meghan McCain Is Wrong
She has little grasp of the foundational principles of either conservatism or the GOP.
Durban II Diary: The Clowning of Ahmadinejad
I have had enough of Iran's president to last me a lifetime. (Also read Claudia Rosett: "Waiting for Ahmadinejad … to Check Out." Video at PJTV. )
The joys of hate mail
Amy Alkon a href=”http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2009/04/18/if_you_cant_sta.html”on hate mail:/a br /br /blockquoteYet another writer-ninny, female of course, whinges about the horror of getting hate mail. I get it all the time. So do male columnists. I think my hate mail is funny, and when it’s really good, it’s hilarious. I see it as one of the perks of doing my job, and one of the signs I’m doing a good job (if you aren’t pissing people off, maybe you’re putting them to sleep?) If I couldn’t take it, I’d work at the Humane Society./blockquote
Help End David Axelrod’s Bewilderment
Obama's political guru sounded a little confused about what the tea parties were all about on TV yesterday.
Does anyone have a 12% good growth mutual fund?
I must say as I watch the a href=”http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/futures-remain-red-despite-bofas-results/”stock market dive today/a, I am really glad I got out of mutual funds completely a little over a week ago. I was sick of the ups and downs in my portfolio and the lack of control I had over my financial future. I realize, given the current administration, that my control is still limited–at some point, we a href=”http://www.prisonplanet.com/government-to-confiscate-401ks-and-iras-for-mandatory-savings-tax.html”may be forced to turn /aour SEPs and IRAs over to the government. But until then, I like the feeling of being invested in CDs, bonds and cash. “Stupid move,” some experts or others might say–but sometimes a feeling of control is more important than money. br /br /I have started watching Dave Ramsey, author of a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785289089?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=0785289089″emThe Total Money Makeover/em,/aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=0785289089″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / at the suggestion of some readers and he has some good general advice. However, I have to ask, “where are all those 12% good growth mutual funds that Ramsey is always harping about?” I have invested in numerous mutual funds but never gotten returns like that. Last time I heard about anyone getting returns that good, they were victims of the Benie Madoff scandal. I have been in many mutual funds over time (some as long as 13 or more years) and never had returns this good that lasted. Has anyone out there? Is so, tell us about about it–no need to tell us the names or any details, just whether you have made a killing in any “good growth mutual funds.” Maybe my picks are just poor.
The Sentencing of Roxana Saberi — and Obama’s Tepid Reaction
A testament to the power of Iranian blackmail.
Who Should Control Your Health Care?
In the near future, a nameless bureaucrat may determine what kind of medical treatment you receive.
Sophisticated Hatred: Democrats and America
From John Kerry to Jack Murtha to Nancy Pelosi, Democratic leaders often cannot conceal their enmity toward the nation they serve.
The Obama Administration: That 70s Show
This is not a sitcom or a new fashion craze. It is the new economic and international reality. (Also see Rich Karlgaard: "Study the Seventies.")
Comprehending an Incomprehensible Economy
Even our most educated elites can't truly grasp the concept of trillions of dollars in debt. No wonder we've lost all faith in them.
Durban II Diary: Sleeping with Ahmadinejad
I rub shoulders with Iran's president on my trip to Geneva for the Durban Review Conference. (Check PJTV for streaming updates.)
What could you and 25 "friends" accomplish?
I remember a while back, I read in a women’s magazine about political activists who were out “saving the world.” What struck me was something one of the activist’s said: “I found out that me and 25 friends could make a difference in changing politics.” I never forgot that. We often think it takes a big majority of people or a huge group to make a change. I think that’s wrong. Most people don’t care about politics and the truth is you and 25 friends can make a difference.br /br /Take for instance, the Tea Party protests. Pajamas Media has the tally of attendees at a href=”http://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=tea-party”over 600,000 and counting. /aHow did all those people get there? Word of mouth but also friends bringing friends. When Glenn and I a href=”http://www.pjtv.com/”interviewed people /aat the Knoxville Tea Party, many said that their friends and family were there to support them. I remember how I felt last Wed. at the protest, like I was among friends, like-minded people who I didn’t have to explain myself to. I felt a href=”http://drhelen.blogspot.com/2009/02/pjtv-at-cpac.html”the same way at CPAC /a–the crowd was accepting, kind and understood the concepts of freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.br /br /Contrast that to the real world. Conservatives and sometimes, libertarians are often considered pariahs, not worthy of presenting their worldview without resistance. David Horowitz, author of numerous books, including a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307452557?ie=UTF8amp;tag=wwwviolentkicomamp;linkCode=as2amp;camp=1789amp;creative=9325amp;creativeASIN=0307452557″emOne-Party Classroom: How Radical Professors at America’s Top Colleges Indoctrinate Students and Undermine Our Democracy,/em/aimg style=”BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none” height=”1″ alt=”" src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicomamp;l=as2amp;o=1amp;a=0307452557″ width=”1″ border=”0″ / described a href=”http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/76888/”his need for a bodyguard/a now when talking to groups on college campuses.br /br /Our society allows liberals to treat conservatives like second class citizens because our culture and the media encourage it. But the culture is us and we accept it also. As Horowitz points out, conservative students will not fight back because they are too decent and tolerant. However, they are also afraid–that they will lose their ability to get their degree (I have seen this happen), their standing in the community and their privacy. How do we change this?br /br /I’ll start with a couple of suggestions. Get some of your friends and acquaintances and fight back–starting with the schools–those institutions that indoctrinate our students with liberal ideology, often with downright disregard or by simply omitting other points of view and information. Get a half dozen friends and attend your local school board meeting. These meetings are often on your local cable channel and the school board members are often sensitive to what is on there since the whole community can view it. If you notice things wrong in your school, speak up and tell them. br /br /Call out the school board members by name and ask them what they are going to do about it. One example I heard recently was from a banker I know whose daughter was asked to attend an anti-war protest (it was in a college) to learn about political activism. His daughter did not want to go. The father went to the professor and told her to provide an alternative–a paper or something that did not require one to attend something against their will. At first, the professor refused and then relented, saying that she was just trying to teach about political activism. “Yes, but only about left-leaning politics,” the banker said. The professor realized that this was true. Many professors won’t be as flexible but pressure can help.br /br /Another suggestion: show up at your Congressman’s local town meetings with a half dozen friends and ask tough questions. He or she will notice or at least be uncomfortable.br /br /That’s a start in the fight against the culture of intolerant liberalism that only has room for one view. What other ways of changing the culture do my readers suggest?br /br /Update: I added quotes around friends in the title to indicate (as commenter Ken Kraska did) that few of us have 25 actual friends. I sure don’t as I am an introvert. However, I can round up people for a cause–I got over 500 to turn out for my film opening and hundreds for a local book signing. Perhaps the word friend here should be changed to acquaintances or like-minded people who believe in a similar cause.
The ‘Right-Wing Extremism’ Report and Europeanization
Artificially grafting German political categories onto the American scene.
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