I thought the Donnybrook could stand to read some elucidations from Peter Schiff on the economic outlook for 2009.
Here, Mr. Schiff discusses why gold is a great buy (I disagree).
And finally, here is Schiff uncomfortably making dire predictions for 2007/2008.
An Idaho man may be charged with murder for allowing his two young children to walk in icy cold and snowy weather. The man was en route to the children’s mother’s home when his truck became stuck in the snow. The man allowed his two children to walk the remaining ten miles to their mother’s home. After freeing the truck, the man returned home. Later, the boy was found delirious and freezing near a truck stop. The daughter was found dead from hypothermia in a separate location.
This is a tragic story indeed. The father is definitly repsonsible for the welfare of his children and allowing them to walk that far in the snow and cold is criminally reckless. This man must be distraught. Charging him with murder only makes the situation worse. Let’s hope the authorities in Idaho have some decency and common sense.
Ahh the New Year! Here are some events from the past….
12/28
1832 John Calhoun became 1st VP to resign
1902 Trans-Pacific cable linked Hawaii to US
1945 Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance
12/29
1813 The British burned Buffalo, New York during War of 1812
1845 Texas was admitted as the 28th state
1862 Battle of Chichasaw Bayou: Confederate armies defeated Gen Sherman
1890 US 7th Cavalry killed 200+ captive Sioux at Wounded Knee, SD
12/30
1817 1st coffee planted in Hawaii (Kona)
1907 The Mills commission declared Abner Doubleday invented baseball
1940 California’s 1st freeway, (Arroyo Seco Parkway), opened
1963 “Let’s Make A Deal,” debuted on NBC-TV
1972 Nixon halted the bombing of North Vietnam and announced peace talks
2006 Saddam Hussein was hanged in Baghdad
12/31
1775 Americans lost the battle of Quebec
1776 Rhode Island established wage and price controls
1862 West Virginia admitted to the Union
1890 Ellis Island opened
1897 Brooklyn’s last day as a city, it was incorporated into New York City (1/1/1898)
1946 President Truman officially proclaimed the end of WW II
1995 The “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strip came to an end
Continue Reading »
After a busy week last week left me unable to sort through history, I give you Decemeber 21-27, enjoy.
On December 21,
1784 John Jay become the 1st U.S. Secretary of State
1864 General Sherman conquered Savannah
1941 The last NFL drop kick for an extra point (Ray McLean, Chicago Bears) occurred
1988 A NY-bound Pan Am jet exploded over Scotland, all 258 aboard were killed
1989 Dan Quayle sent out 30,000 Christmas cards with word “beacon” spelled “beakon”
1991 The Soviet Union formally dissolved
On December 22,
1775 The Continental Navy organized with 7 ships
1882 The 1st string of Christmas tree lights was created by Thomas Edison
1964 The SR-71 “Blackbird” reached 2,715 mph
On December 23,
1779 Benedict Arnold was court-martialed
1913 President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act into law
1941 American forces on Wake Island surrendered to the Japanese
On December 24,
1814 The United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent ending the War of 1812
1851 US Library of Congress caught fire; 35,000 books burned
1865 Confederate veterans formed the Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski, Tn
1943 Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed General Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces
On December 25,
352 Was the first recorded date Christmas was celebrated on Dec 25th
1492 Columbus’ ship Santa Maria docked in the (now) Dominican Republic
1651 Massachusetts General Court ordered a fine (five shillings) for “observing any such day as Christmas”
1776 Washington crossed the Delaware and defeated 1,400 Hessians
1831 Louisiana and Arkansas became the first states to observe Christmas as holiday
1939 Montgomery Ward introduced Rudolph, the 9th reindeer
On December 26,
1773 The tea ships of Britain were expelled from Philadelphia
1825 The Erie Canal opened
1946 The Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas opened
On December 27,
1937 Mae West performed an Adam and Eve skit that got her banned from NBC radio
1983 A propane gas fire devastated 16 blocks of Buffalo, NY
Fox is reporting that the recount of votes in MN is favoring Democratic challenger Al Franken over incumbent Republican Norm Coleman. The problem, as portrayed by Fox, is in the way some ballots are being re-counted. It sure looks like Franken is set to steal the election.
Say Franken does win by obviously less than fair play, what should the voters in MN do? Protest? Sue? What is the correct response? What should the Governor do? What should the U.S. Senate do? Should anyone/someone do something? Any thoughts? Minnesotans, any ideas?
This morning I was talking to my beautiful wife while Pandora played in the background and a song began to play that I mentioned was probably the Coolest Song Ever Recorded. She immediately challenged my assertion. It seems that living in my household is a donnybrook all its own. The song that was playing was Frank Sinatra’s version of Mack the Knife. My second offering was also a song by a member of the Rat Pack (seriously, was there ever a group of people who embodied the essence of cool like the Rat Pack?). My second choice was Dean Martin’s Ain’t That a Kick in the Head. Of course, she instantly repudiated that choice as well. Notably however, she declined to offer her own choice for Coolest Song Ever Recorded.
So I appeal to a wider audience. What is the Coolest Song Ever Recorded? I’ve offered my top two nominations. I like Frank’s version of Mack the Knife, but I think that almost any version automatically bumps its singer three notches on the coolness meter. Now is your turn to nominate your favorite for the title of Coolest Song Ever Recorded.
The Grinch has stolen Chrysler and all the good little boys and girls who hoped to find PT Cruisers stuffing their stockings on Christmas morning will no doubt be left to MOPARound (sorry).
It appears that rather than enter Chapter 11 reorganization, Chrysler has opted to wait out its share of the hoped-for taxpayer largesse. It will be shuttering operations beginning on Friday and, theoretically, will resume operations on January 19. Presumably by then Congress will have caved and ponied up the money so that they could resume squandering it at an alarming rate.
I know I keep playing this tune but its only because I see the gravity of the situation.
After delivering humanitarian supplies to Nicaragua, the Russian navy continued its tour of the Americas and the Caribbean by setting sail for communist Cuba. The Russkies will put in for five days at the island nation a mere 90 miles for U.S. shores.
More distressing is the conference taking place in Brazil, the Latin American and Caribbean Summit on Integration and Development. “Why is a conference taking place in Brazil distressing,” you ask. Because the U.S. was not invited to attend. Joshua Goodman, writer for Bloomberg News, interviewed top U.S. diplomat, Thomas Shannon on the apparent snub. Goodman writes:
The U.S. ‘didn’t ask to be invited’ to the summit, he says, although it had discussed with Brazil and Mexico ways the meeting’s agenda could be used during the U.S.-backed Summit of the Americas, in April in Trinidad and Tobago.
‘We don’t subscribe to the hydraulic theory of diplomacy that when one country is up, the other is down — that if China and Russia are in the area our influence has somehow waned,’ Shannon said in a telephone interview.
So, like the bully on the block we weren’t invited to a birthday party but we had our friends do some reconn for us. Lovely policy, I am sure that will get us very far. Just look what Brazil’s ex-Foreign Minister had to say.
While the U.S. remains aloof from a region it no longer sees as relevant to its strategic interests, other countries are making unprecedented, serious moves to fill the void. Countries in the region are more aware than ever that they live in a globalized, post-American world.
This is the real point of leaving America out of the summit. Nations is the western hemisphere feel neglected and taken for granted by the United States. All the while the Chinese and Russians commit time and resources to the area. Our neighbors to the south snubbed us like a high school girl trying to get her beau’s attention: she went to the prom with someone else. It is not too late to save our hemisphere and ourselves. This doesn’t mean our neighbors are not interested in working with America to safely and securely develop the two continents, it simply means they are trying to get our attention.
Again, I call on the President to pay more attention to our own backyard, to make friends with our neighbors not to just treat them like younger step-children. Re-activating the fourth fleet is a fine start but the purpose to which it is put must be constructive. Sure, the Navy is a war fighting machine, but maybe it can also do some humanitarian work
Last night the representatives the states rejected the House’s plan to bail out the Big Three automakers. The disagreement lay in the House’s refusal to force the unions to accept pay concessions. Last night Nancy Pelosi called upon the White House to circumvent the will of the States and impose a bailout by shunting monies already allocated for the financial crisis to the car companies and their unions.
Not surprisingly, President Bush is considering Pelosi’s demands. However, before acceding to the demands of Pelosi, Levin, and Gettelfinger, Bush should consider the long-term costs to the economy of allowing the carmakers to escape their poor management and the union’s rapaciousness. It is acknowledged that this is to be only a bridge “loan” meaning that everyone fully expects to be back in this same position at a later date when the carmakers blow through the money. Bush should also consider whether caving in to the Democrats will make Michigan any redder, whether the Unions will switch allegiances or if, politically, it will only serve to save the bacon of a number of Democrat representatives.
I’m no constitutional scholar, but it seems that diverting funds that Congress approved for the finincial markets and repurposing them to bail out the automakers may be impermissible under the Constitution’s clear rule that only Congress has the authority to spend. Congress last night rejected further spending for the purpose of bailing out Detroit. It would be violation of the separation of powers for the executive branch to conduct an end run around that inconvenient fact. Another breach of contract seems to be in the offing.
Bettie Page passed away yesterday after suffering through pneumonia and then a heart attack, She was 85.
Best known for her pin-up modeling during the 1950’s, Page attracted a cult following with her jet black hair and short bangs. During the 1960’s Page converted to Christianity and served time as a missionary in Angola.
RIP Bettie Page.
I have, on two separate occasions now, advocated for the formation of a third party. Not surprisingly, my fellow blogger, Bill, has taken me to task for my previous comment that voting for a third party could imperil one’s soul. Therefore, it is properly incumbent upon me to detail why I think voting for a third party in the future is, in any way, different going forward than it was in the late election.
First, the late election was notable for the stark contrast between the candidates’ stances on abortion. On the Democratic side, there was a candidate who favored infanticide for alive-born aborted babies. On the other side was a candidate who professed to be against abortion (although I recognize that his voting record was ambiguous). In light of the differences, the outcome of the election made one’s vote particularly important, given the stakes.
I wrote a post wherein I supported the decision of a local priest to withhold the Eucharist from persons who had voted for Obama. My argument proceeded along the lines that because of the peculiar situation of the United States, where the people are their own rulers, our votes take on special meaning. The basis for this claim, as I alluded to, was St. Paul’s comments in Romans:
- 1 Let every person be subordinate to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God.
- 2 Therefore, whoever resists authority opposes what God has appointed, and those who oppose it will bring judgment upon themselves.
- 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear to good conduct, but to evil. Do you wish to have no fear of authority? Then do what is good and you will receive approval from it,
- 4 for it is a servant of God for your good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for it does not bear the sword without purpose; it is the servant of God to inflict wrath on the evildoer.
- 5 Therefore, it is necessary to be subject not only because of the wrath but also because of conscience.
- 6 This is why you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
- 7 Pay to all their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, toll to whom toll is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
Bill Kristol, the pre-eminent neoconservative spokesman, recently wrote an editorial for the New York Times (on Monday – I meant to write this on Monday, but I am a conservative and have a job). In that op-ed piece he argues that the Republican bread is buttered on the big government side. I understand that when parties lose elections that despondency may set in and that certain people may give in to despair, but to abandon the basic definition of conservatism and re-brand it as New Conservatism is too cynical, I hope to think, for any right thinking conservative.
There are one or two Kristol admirers who post to this website and I wish to inquire whether they think Kristol is speaking for them. Is he simply realizing the truth of the situation and offering realism? Or has he left the reservation? Was he ever on the reservation? Is it perhaps the case, as I maintain, that he has always been a cheerleader for Liberalism and his latest paean to Big Government has revealed him?
I’d love to hear from the Bill Kristol lovers. Which is it? How do you defend this? In particular, I’m calling out awb to defend his infatuation with Mr. Kristol. Still there? What do you say?
At the end of the op-ed it notes that “Paul Krugman is off today.” One wonders if America wouldn’t have been better off if he had worked.
The American auto industry will be taken over by a czar, a “car czar” that is. President Bush and top Democrat lawmakers have agreed in principal to continue robbing the taxpayers while expanding the scope and power of the federal government.
Under the plan, the Bush and Obama administrations will work together to find a “suitable” de-facto owner of the Big Three. This “car czar” will hold the strings of a purse filled with $15 billion in looted cash. He alone will have the right to spend, demand repayment and force bankruptcy of the now federalized industry. The power Motor City once generated will now be delivered by the Big Red Washington Machine. In return for stealing from the taxpayers (again) and giving the funds to private businesses (again), Washington will receive a massive cut of profits (if any); A sort of steal-from-the-poor-to-give-to-the-dumb-and-rich maneuver. Shareholders, however, are to be barred from receiving dividends or other distributions. So, the only real winners here are the federal government, the giant and lazy unions and auto executives. Everyone else loses big time.
Those who know me know that there has never been a bigger supporter of the American auto industry than myself. I have never owned anything other than a Ford product. Should FOMOCO take one penny, one red cent from this “loan” I swear I will never buy another of their products. The same goes for Chrysler (owned, incidentally, by a CANADIAN company with plenty of money) and GM. As crazy as it sounds, the most American thing I could do under those circumstances would be to buy…gulp…a Toyota or Subaru. I swear it shall be done.
With the take-over of the financial markets and now the stealing of the auto industry, I have to wonder what is next. Utilities? Already happened or happening. Water? Ditto. Agriculture? Probably not too far off. How far will this go until we see full fledged fascist socialism in this nation? We are goose-stepping at an ever increasing pace.
On December 7:
1787 Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution
1917 The United States declared war on Austria-Hungary
1941 Pearl Harbor was “suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”
On December 8:
1863 President Lincoln offered amnesty to all Confederates
1941 Congress declared war on the Empire of Japan
On December 9:
1793 Noah Webster established the first U.S. newspaper, the American Minerva
1967 Jim Morrison was arrested on stage for disturbing the peace
On December 10:
1817 Mississippi was admitted to the Union as the 20th state
1864 General Sherman laid siege to Savannah, GA
1869 Wyoming became the first state to allow women to vote
1898 America ended the Spanish-American war
1906 President Theodore Roosevelt became the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize
On December 11:
1816 Indiana was admitted to the Union as the 19th state
1946 Hank Williams began recording for Sterling Records
On December 12:
1791 The Bank of the United States opened
1800 Washington D.C. was established as the Capital
On December 13:
1903 The Wright brothers made the first flight at Kitty Hawk, NC
2003 U.S. forces captured Saddam Hussein
On this day in 1492, Columbus landed at Hispaniola.
On this day in 1933, the 21st amendment was ratified, repealing the 18th amendment and rescuing America from the worst drought in history!
On this day in 1918, President Woodrow Wilson set sail for the treaty talks at Versailles making him the first United States president to visit foreign shores while in office.
On this day in 1980, Led Zeppelin officially broke up following the death of legendary drummer John Bonham.
The topic of the Civil War and some of the issues surrounding that conflict have arisen on this website on a couple different occasions, but I don’t believe we’ve ever hashed out whether the states possess the right to secede.
I think it can be surmised from my earlier argument (the breach of contract discussion) that I believe that state’s do possess the right to secede. It is inherent in the nature of contract that, the parties may withdraw from the compact upon a showing of breach or by mutual consent. The text of the Declaration of Independence argues strongly in favor of the idea that states possess the right to withdraw from their voluntary compacts with the federal government.
Of course, my argument was that the South did not have cause to withdraw and that it was, in fact, the South that breached its obligations under the contract. However, had the federal government breached, I believe a state would be jusitified in unilaterally declaring rescission as the remedy. Loss of an election in itself would not provide cause. But, as we have seen from the Declaration and subsequent Revolution, if one party to the contract fundamentally changes the terms, that can provide cause. The lesson, of course, is that it is incumbent upon the national government to act with restraint and within the confines of the Constitution in order to preserve the Union. Acting beyond the sanction of the Constitution would provide a state with a claim of breach and would provide cause for separation.
Some might argue that the moment for restraint has long passed and that the contract on which this Union is premised has been irredeemibly breached. I think there is still an opportunity for reform so long as the parties remain in parity. But, that only makes the call for reform all the more urgent. I have argued that it appears that the necessary reform can only come from the formation of a third party. Neither of the current major parties appear to have the ability to exercise restraint, to honor individual freedom, or to respect the sovereignty of the states.
On Monday an atheist advocacy group gained permission from Governor Gregoire to erect a paean to atheism in the rotunda of the Washington State Capitol building. The sign reads:
At this season of the Winter Solstice, may reason prevail.
There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell.
There is only our natural world.
Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts
and enslaves minds.
This is the second such display to be officially sanctioned by the government – the other is in Madison, Wisconsion. The assault on Christianity proceeds apace.
On this date in 1868 the trial of the traitor Jefferson Davis began. This trial also marked the first time African Americans were permitted to serve on a jury. The charges of treason were dropped and the trial suspended just over two months later when then President Johnson issued an unqualified general war amnesty to all persons.
Davis escaped justice and went on to lead a fruitful life finally meeting his maker and answering for his egregious sins on December 6, 1889. His great accomplishments as a military man, senator and businessman will for ever be overshadowed by his truly disgusting act of treason, his responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans and his abhorrent support for the maltreatment of his fellow Man.
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