Archive for March, 2006

IN THE MAIL: A pretty interesting-looking book on Teddy Roosevelt. “His era shared many features with that of the twenty-first century, including growing economic interdependence, failed states unable or unwilling to discharge their sovereign responsibilities, and even a loose equivalent to today’s international terrorist networks in the form of an anarchist movement that felled Roosevelt’s predecessor, William McKinley.”

porkbustersnewsm.jpgPORKBUSTERS UPDATE: Declan McCullagh reports that technology pork is on the rise:

Buried deep in the initial version of a vital federal spending bill last year were some unlikely items slated for government money: a Waterfree Urinal Conservation Initiative, a Virtual Reality Spray Paint Simulator System and a community ski association in Telluride, Colo.

Not all the programs included in earlier drafts of the legislation, which was supposed to pay for Department of Defense operations and the war in Iraq, were included in the final version that President Bush signed Dec. 30. But such earmarks for favored recipients–known colloquially as pork–have become easier than ever for politicians to secure because of the rapid growth in homeland security and military spending, especially if they can find some plausible technological veneer.

Exact figures are difficult to obtain, mostly because spending bills tend to be intentionally obfuscated and specifics are usually absent from legislative text. Government watchdogs, however, say earmarks ostensibly related to technology are clearly on the rise.

“A lot of those projects are really directed at one company rather than a larger role of improving technology,” said Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste.

A database compiled for CNET News.com by CAGW, a taxpayer watchdog group, also indicated a rise in technology pork projects from fiscal 2003 to 2005.

Read the whole thing. He thinks that things may be improving as the result of porkbusting efforts. I hope he’s right. This is clearly evidence that we need more transparency in the process.

A PRAYER STUDY shows no benefit:

In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that having people pray for heart bypass surgery patients had no effect on their recovery. In fact, patients who knew they were being prayed for had a slightly higher rate of complications.

Researchers emphasized that their work can’t address whether God exists or answers prayers made on another’s behalf. The study can only look for an effect from prayers offered as part of the research, they said.

They also said they had no explanation for the higher complication rate in patients who knew they were being prayed for, in comparison to patients who only knew it was possible prayers were being said for them.

Hmm. What’s the prayer equivalent of a placebo? Scott Ott, meanwhile, offers an alternative take.

DUNCAN BLACK: “I’m not the ‘Instapundit of the Left.'”

True!

On the other hand, this claim — “I generally read through and fact check stuff I link to” — seems a bit of a stretch.

UH OH:

Capitol Hill police plan to issue an arrest warrant today for Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.).

The warrant is related to the incident Wednesday when McKinney allegedly slapped a Capitol Hill police officer.

Charges could range from assault on a police officer, which is a felony carrying a possible five year prison term, to simple assault, which is a misdeamenor.

She should have just flipped him off, though that might have gotten more press. . . .

STEPHEN GREEN:

President Bush isn’t a fascist, and I can prove it.

We’ve seen what American bookstores and publications and universities do when confronted with real fascists: they knuckle under. You might not be able to find those Danish cartoons anyplace respectable, but you’ll sure find lots of anti-Bush stuff.

Ipso facto, America is doing just fine, thankyouverymuch.

Excellent point.

CINDY SHEEHAN gets no respect from Rep. Jack Kingston, who calls her a “nutcase.”

PHOTOS LIKE THESE aren’t likely to stir sympathy for illegal immigrants.

UPDATE: Reader John Borell emails:

Do you know what is disturbing about that web site? At first I assumed it was something like what Little Green Footballs shows — the absurdity of one side’s argument. Not until the end did I realize that the site was done by a proponent of the movement — those photos are a source of pride!

My goodness, this issue cries out for some cooling down. I have no problem with an immigrant having ethnic pride. Mine did (Irish, English, German and Italian. Espeically the Italians). But ethnic pride, watered down through the successive generations is a far cry from a demand to deport all Europeans.

I fear, though, that this issue is going to get uglier. The extremes on both sides are doing our great country a disservice.

Yes. And here’s an interesting question: Why so little immigration protest in South Florida?

POWER LINE NEWS VIDEO makes its debut.

A BREWING FIGHT OVER accreditation in higher education. We need a fight on that subject, but I’m not sure this is the right one.

OKAY, I CRACKED AND BOUGHT ONE TOO. Only in black. Like people say, once you hold one, you want one.

A PATENT THICKET may be retarding nanomedicine.

MICKEY KAUS: “Note to Doris Kearns Goodwin–Ben Domenech Died for Your Sins.”

THROWING DOWN THE GAUNTLET at Borders. More here.

AP SAYS IT DIDN’T PLAGIARIZE but relied on interest groups: “The article written by the AP, ‘Security Clearance Rules May Impede Gays,’ attributed its information to gay rights groups, who happened to be wrong and who received their information from Raw Story.”

UPDATE: Jon Henke emails: “Didn’t the New York Times just do a story ripping bloggers for relying on information provided by Wal-Mart (an interest group)?”

Yes, but it’s okay when Certified Professional JournalistsTM do it.

TEXAS’ AGGRESSIVE ENFORCEMENT of public intoxication laws has generated considerable backlash. Perhaps that’s because the Texas legislature seems to be really, really dumb:

Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, was instrumental in getting the increased staffing, as a member of both the powerful Senate Finance Committee and the Criminal Justice Committee, which oversees the alcohol commission.

Although he agreed hearings are merited, he defended the principle of in-bar citations.

“Even though a public drunk is not planning on driving, that could change in an instant,” he said. “There is certainly potential danger.”

Even though a Senator is not planning on taking bribes from the underage-goat-sex lobby, that could change in an instant. Best we lock them all up now.

WE’D ALL LOVE TO SEE THE PLAN: Well, actually, Brian Dunn has taken a look. Jim Geraghty also has a series of posts. Just keep scrolling.

INSTAPUNDIT has its own Amazon page.— with reviews and everything. Seems like I ought to have noticed this before, but if I did I don’t remember it.

HELEN AND I ARE INTERVIEWED at the latest Israellycool podcast.