TheConservativeRant

Back off hiatus, tweaking at ABC News and Rose Bowl ranting

2006-01-04T02:48:00.000-06:00

My exile is over. My hiatus can be explained with one word: divorce. I am not going into details. It is a painful process that I don't wish on anyone and will only discuss with my closest confidantes. I am glad to be back in the spirit of blogging, and I hope that 2006 is a great year for my site. Now onto more site-related matter.

ABC NEWS PISSES ME OFF!!!

Nothing new since they are a MSM outlet. However, while perusing the nightly news, Bob Wodruff got my dander up with some of his reporting from Iran. First off, he kept referring to Iran as a republic. This could not be any bigger lie. Iran is not a republic, a democracy, or any other form of representative government. Just because they have elections does not make it so. Iran is a theocracy, better yet termed a mullocracy. It is a coulntry whose government is tightly controlled by a group of Islmaic clerics. While they do have elections, they are no more fair than elections in Iraq under Saddam Hussein or in Syria under the Baathist regime there. There is no free dissent in Iran. Hard core dissenters are jailed, tortured and killed. Elections are rigged to insure that the candidates chosen by the mullahs are elected. This is a country under the control of radicals who spew their hatred for the West and Judaism on a regular basis. Yet they continue to get a free pass from the MSM. This sort of moral equivalency by journalists is sickening. I could come up with quite a few conspiracy theories of why the MSM does this, but it is based on a random thought that the MSM is ingrained in a basic hatred of the United States, which even if true, is hard to fathom as an American. I'm sure I can do some basic research to prove this true, but I digress. Iran should neve be considered to be equivalent to the United States. The basic fact that a reporter from ABC News did this on tonight's broadcast is continued evidence that MSM doesn't get it. I would even be more outraged if our nation had a coherent policy on Iran, but our lack of one chaps me even more. We are so dependent on Europe to do our work for us in nuclear policy, it is scary. Let's get this straight. We are depending on Britain, France and Germany to craft a nuclear agreement with Iran that will forestall their nuclear ambitions. And just yesterday, Iran announces that it is resuming its nuclear fuel program, of course, for "peaceful purposes." Hogwash. Do you trust Germany and France to help us in this regard? I don't. Even though I support President W in our decision to got into Iraq and affect regime change, Iran is a far greater threat. Our lack of coherent policy is evident that while we had a definitive idea of what to do about Iraq, we are basically clueliss in how to deal with Iran. The current tack is akin to an ostrich with its head in the sand, just hoping for the best. This is a beast that is of a lot of our own creation, dating back to the rule of the Shah and our propping up of his regime for the sake of the status quo. Hindsight provides great wisdom of what we should have done, but it provides nothing of what we should do now. What do we do? I'm perplexed on what to do, and I will devote considerable thought on this topic over the coming days and weeks. I know one thing for certain. The MSM equivalency campaign does nothing to help.

ROSE BOWL RANTING

The burnt orange text is for The University of Texas, who I am pulling for in tomorrow night's matchup with USC for the National Championship. No matter what the outcome, the pregame hype is selling UT short for its wonderful season and its incredible amount of talent. I think a lot people are going to be surprised at how good the Horns are and how well they will play. This game will be a lot closer than what the experts predict. I hope I am spending tomorrow night celebrating the first title in 36 years. We'll see.

I won't promise regular posting for awhile, but I am back. And I have a lot of hot opinions to share.

We Will Never Forget

2005-09-11T19:19:00.000-05:00

Photo courstesy of Fox News

Let me give some props to THE MAN!!!

2005-09-10T22:50:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy of ESPN.com

This is THE MAN. Vince Young, QB, University of Texas. All he does is win. Tonight, he gave Head Coach Mack Brown something he never gets: a win in a big game. 25-22 at #4 Ohio State. The knock on Young is that he can't throw the ball. No problem. 270 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions to go with his 74 yards rushing. I know it's only the second week of the season, but this guy IS the Heisman Trophy winner until he proves he doesn't deserve it. Major props also go to Co-defensive Coordinator Gene Chizik for getting the D to hang in there when Ohio State had the ball 3 times in the red zone and only came away with 9 points. They kept the Horns in it until THE MAN could make a big play. And did he ever.

Now, Texas just needs scale that mountain called OU to put them in the driver's seat for a Big 12 Title and a chance at a national title. There will be plenty of tests along the way as Texas Tech, A&M and others will be primed and ready to knock off the Longhorns.

We'll see how many Texas haters get on the bandwagon, but if Texas wins on October 8 at the Cotton Bowl, everyone will count down to a UT-USC Rose Bowl matchup.

Political fallout from Katrina has begun.

2005-09-10T11:38:00.000-05:00

According to the FW Star-Telegram, Dallas Morning News and about every other news organization, Mike Brown has been dumped from the FEMA controlled part of Katrina relief efforts. He was recalled to Washington by President Bush. I'm sure that after the headlines have quited down a little bit, he will be asked to resign as well. Brown becomes the first of what will be many political casualties in the blame game and bungled attempts to get relief to the victims in Louisiana and Mississippi.

I don't believe all fingers point to the federal government in the massive problems that took place over the last 2 weeks, but this is a good move. Brown, in my opinion, was not qualified to run a major disaster management function. He had little practical experience in these matters. Even though he's played the Washington game for years, and has been very good at what he has done in the past, FEMA was and is a far different animal. Only the most qualified disaster reliefe specialists should ever be considered.

I know this won't slow down the Kanye West's of the world from their hyped up criticisms, but this is at least a good first step by the administration to admit to their wrongdoing and attempt to correct it.

Somewhat on the same topic, I still am wondering when the political fallout is going to turn to Kathleen Blanco for her management of the crisis. We still don't have an appreciable timeline or definitive knowledge of how she exactly acted. This is disingenious to me, especially since we know every move the feds have made. I know it's not a cover-up, but a little more thorough investigation of her actions by the media IS good journalism. All impressions that I have is that when her time came to make decisive action, she too blinked. I wish she would resign, but she's just another cog in the corrupt Lousisiana political machine.

Not being a Roy Nagin apologist here, but he did manage to get over 80% of the New Orleans population to some place of safety. Compared to the computer models that said only 65% would be able to get out, that is an accomplishment. However, it is our job to criticize and find out what we could have done about the other 20%. I'm merely suggesting that our criticism should be balanced by what the man did manage to accomplish, even if many of you think it was just dumb luck. He should have had a plan in place to use those buses, and he did have a plan that evacuation experts put in place that was not fully utilized. Those two points, (plus as Dell Gines put it, his unmanliness in the time of crisis) probably should cost him his job. It won't, because politics as usual will continue to reign down there in the Big Easy.

Should be interesting as we keep score who gets sacked in the aftermath of Katrina.

APB

2005-09-09T22:30:00.000-05:00

We are on the lookout for one rapper known as Ice Cube. He is wanted for his salacious rap rhymes, hard core attitude, and fun style. We need him to replace wannabe thug rappers who have no originality in their raps and basically hurt our eardrums. If you see the one known as Ice Cube, please pass this message on:

CAN WE GET SOME GOOD RHYMES?

Is this really the best way to proceed?

2005-09-09T21:25:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: Apparently, it wasn't the best way to handle things. This courtesy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
FEMA to end debit card plan
By Hope YenThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The federal government's relief agency will discontinue its program to distribute debit cards worth up to $2,000 a family for hurricane victims, it said, two days after hastily announcing the novel plan to provide quick relief

I do not deny the need to help Hurricane Katrina victims get back on their feet. I know President Bush feels compelled to do something immediately to help the people. But to give everyone a $2K debit card?

I am concerned because I believe that we, in our desire to do good and generous things for other Americans, will get fleeced. I believe this system will fail.

Point 1: It will fail because there is not proper record keeping involved. It's impossible. Not everyone will have an ID. So unless they use laser fingerprinting to track every card that is dispensed, many thugs and criminals who are part of the evacuees being housed will take advantage of the system. Even common citizens will realize the huge loophole here and take advantage.

Point 2: What about the citizens who will promptly take that $2K and waste it. What then? Give them another debit card? Again, another opportunity for rampant waste and fraud.

Point 3: Is there a potential for a debit card black market? What about counterfitting?

There are better ways to do this.

Since it is on the government's tab, the government's duty is to excercise responsibility to the taxpayer. Since they never do that anyways, here's my humble suggestions. How about putting together an essentials kit similar to the school supply kits PTA's sell at the beginning of the school year, only with clothes, toiletries, etc. It can be customized to fit each and every evacuee. Next, give the people vouchers that are specifically earmarked for certain items. Contract with reputable and deserving vendors to accept those vouchers. Give vouchers for housing and other basic needs. Just giving away money is plain reckless.

I don't want one dime of money that I as a taxpayer contribute to go for booze, cigarettes or any other unnecessary item. I totally think that we must do something, but this debit card idea is just too much.

It's an attempt to immediately soothe people for their devastating loss, but it is irresponsible use of monies, again, by our government.

The test questions WILL get harder.

2005-09-07T20:11:00.000-05:00

Photos courtesy of National Archives and Record Administration

It's Manifest Destiny and Civil War time in my U.S. History classes. This is where the hard questions and the tough explanations from me start. I'm interested in your perspectives on these subjects. I've included two images which always get my dander up.

The first image is one of the most famous from the 1800's, John Brown in Kansas.

In the second, Frederick Douglass is listening to William Lloyd Garrison denounce slavery.

Here are the questions I still have a hard time answering to my kids:

1) How could Southern society deny the human existence of slaves and treat them like animals?

2) How many slave owners really believed in the inferiority of blacks? or did they just go along because they just said "that's the way our society is"?

3) Why haven't economic leaders learned the lessons of tunnel vision and lack of economic diversity that southern society possessed with King Cotton? (think the dot.com bust)

4) Did slavery and the brutal manner in which it had to be ended poison any chance for a real black/white dialogue? or, Are we just using history as a cop-out for our real responsibilities to each other as fellow men and women?

I'd be very interested in your responses, and I would appreciate anyone who could pass this along to help me reach as many people as possible. More responses=better teaching material.

Thanks!!!

Will someone do somethign about illegal immigration?

2005-09-06T19:26:00.000-05:00

Nope. Not now, not ever unless WE THE PEOPLE rise up and force the government to change.

The Urban Conservative and Lashawn Barber weigh in with hard hitting commentary.

We can trot out statistics until we are blue in the face, but it comes down to these undeniable truths:

Entering the country without the proper documentation is ILLEGAL. Hiring someone without the proper documentation is ILLEGAL. Yet our government is content to sit on the side and let all this happen, every last bit of it at your expense.

Sickening, yet so typical. Only when enough people give a damn will our leaders stop hitting the cocktail party circuit, schmoozing with Washington lobbying whores and give John Q. Taxpayer an ear.

Put the race card back up the sleeve.

2005-09-05T15:22:00.000-05:00

There are many reasons why the federal response to Hurricane Katrina stinks, but it isn't because the residents are poor and black. That race card needs to be saved for a later date.

Our government had its opportunities to be prepared for a disaster like this and blew it. For years, our leaders knew the levee system in New Orleans wouldn't hold. They knew that thousands of residents had no contingency plan in case of emergence. They knew that they had to spend money to do something better. And in meeting after meeting, all they could do is shrug their shoulders and hope that it never happened.

There was always something else to spend the money on.

Now that the event took place, with no real plan or relief scenario spelled out, thousands of people that shouldn't have died, will.

The President and the Governor of Louisiana could have called for the National Guard much sooner. That way they would have been en route much sooner. This would have helped maintain law and order.

Just like our military in Diego Garcia, FEMA should have prepositioned necessary supplies and resources for an event just like this. They should have several such centers safely near our coastal regions likely to be hit hard by hurricanes.

The government could have stopped civilian transport, both bus and air, and put those resources to use for a last ditch mass evac, but they didn't.

It had nothing to do with poor or black. It was bureaucratic inefficiency at its worst. It was hoping it wouldn't happen, instead of realistically planning that it would.

We could have spent far less money to prepare, but now we will spend far more to rebuild.

President Bush should be harrangued, and his cabinet with him. He screwed this one up, and now we all pay a higher cost.

Don't play the race card on this one. The government just didn't care, not because of color or economics, but because it figured it had better things to spend money on.

Runs in the family.

2005-09-05T15:17:00.000-05:00

A coincidence, perhaps, but an odd happening just the same.

George W. Bush, blasted for his slow response to Hurricane Katrina, the largest and most damaging storm to hit the United States in over 100 years.

and

George H. W. Bush, blasted for his slow response to Hurricane Andrew, the largest and most damaging storm to hit the United States in almost 100 years.

#41 lost his job and a lot of his credibility with the voters in a large part because of his screw up with Andrew, in addition to the infamous "Read my lips, no new taxes" statement and the economy.

#43 won't lose his job, but he's losing his credibility with the voters because of his screw up with Katrina in addition to illegal immigration, GWOT, and Iraq.

Not very humorous, but kind funny anyways.

Partisan politickin' aside, I've got some blame to assess.

2005-09-04T14:54:00.000-05:00

Picture courtesy of the Dallas Morning News.

We've seen plenty of images like this and worse over the last week. The President is getting blasted for the slow federal response to the aftermath. Lawlessness and chaos, a hallmark of New Orleans, rose to epic proportions. I'm giving the President a pass in this article to articulate an argument that is long overdue, and was already heightened by the Kay Hymonitz article I blogged about last week. Write this thesis statement down, as it should be the rallying cry of what's left of our Civil Rights movement. The aftermath of Hurrican Katrina shows how little we have truly advanced in solving the poverty problem in our large urban cities.

New Orleans according to today's Dallas Morning News has been a city in decline. The statistics prove it. Over the last 40 years, the population of the Crescent City has declined by over 20%. The people that have left the city were middle class, leaving a huge vacuum where you are now either extremely wealthy, or extremely poor. The median household income in the city is
$27,133 (1999) while the national average was over $14K higher.

Those statistics show a couple of things. One, New Orleans has become a city whose primary employers are in low paying jobs (service, tourism). Two, New Orleans has become a city where a majority of its citizens are in one way or another wards of the state.

The real question to be asked is, how was this allowed to happen? The equally important question is, how do we fix it, both in N'awlins (as I pronounce it) and elsewhere?

I can speculate lots about how it was allowed to happen, and there are several contributors. Poor schools, lack of quality infrastructure, lax enforcement of crime, dependence on too few economic sources are the primary contributors. They are a sickening mix that will devastate any city economically. New Orleans is not diverse. It depends solely upon tourism and commerce. The jobs available to that do not pay much. While they bring in lots and lots of money to the city and to the businesses in those industries, they do nothing to lift up most of its citizens. This leads to less home ownership, smaller tax base, dwindling city services and one disaster away from utter ruin. Well utter ruin arrived last Sunday. This lies at the feet of city administrators and economic planners who have sat on their hands for years, accepted federal welfare assistance and be content to let New Orleans suffer as long as people flocked to Bourbon Street and the Port of New Orleans moved its cargo. They should all be fired. Immediately.

How do we fix it? I'm not sure. To me, it must be a three pronged attack after the city is rebuilt and its current government sacked. First, the economy must be diversified by any means necessary. This will lessen the damage of reduced tourism as much as possible. Second, home ownership must be promoted at all costs. I propose that the government help banks give credit and loans to people who wouldn't already qualify (that means expand the HUD loan program). Give people a chance for ownership and get them out of the ghetto. Third, end the bureaucracy, graft and corruption so known to N.O. that has overrun the school system and put it on a path into the ground.

The federal government will spend unprecedented amounts of money on the rebuilding effort of this vital commercial center. By diverting some of that money to these three programs, a lot of the ills that are a part of this disaster can be cured and make a future disaster less damaging.

Fix the corruption, diversify the economy, home ownership and fix the schools. That will solve a lot of Urban America's ills. Let's make New Orleans the model and fix every other urban site one city at a time.

Filling the next open slot.

2005-09-04T14:42:00.000-05:00

UPDATE 9/5 Bush chooses current nominee John Roberts for the Chief Justice slot. A very shrewd move. Roberts was considered a "safe" pick from the start and he'll still be confirmed, though not as easily if it were for just an Associate Justice slot. He will have big shoes to fill. Rheinquist was a conservative's conservative, nudging the court back to the right after decades of movement left. I wish it were Thomas, but he's just too controversial a selection for a President being blasted daily, and deservedly slow, for the slow response to Hurricane Katrina.

Most people figured that William Rheinquist would have to be replaced on the Supreme Court during this current presidential term. There are two slots to be filled. One is the justice slot now opened. The other is the Chief Justice role. I'll make my choices here, with a little analysis as to why.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
...and the winner is: Clarence Thomas

There is more than just practical politics at work here. Thomas is an outstanding justice who would rightly represent the conservative path the court needs to take. Being the first Black Chief Justice in our country's history would be great too, although not many liberal blacks believe Thomas is black after all. He's too controversial for Bush to pick, but he's my man. It will likely go to Scalia, and I can't stand it because he is such a turncoat.

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
...and the winner is: Edith Clement

Smart, principled, conservative and not controversial, Clement is another "safe" pick that would work for President Bush. She was the early front runner before John Roberts was picked. She's another justice who would have a routine, yet partisan path to the Court. The added political bonus is that she would fill the woman's slot vacated by Sandra Day O'Connor.

All in all, this will be a very, very interesting time to see what new direction the court will take. The President just had another helping of political crisis added to an already overflowing plate.

A week without blogging, but not because I'm lazy.

2005-09-04T14:38:00.000-05:00

I have been overwhelmed with work. Period. It has taken so much of my time that by the time I get home, it's time to go to bed and get ready for the next day of work. The computers at work don't support blogger or web e-mail, of course to keep us more productive. So even on my lunch break, if I wanted to blog, I can't.

It has allowed me to take what little time I have and do a lot of introspection. I hope that I'm a better man for that. I've got a couple of items to blog over, and then it's back to work. I've got a practice schedule, lesson plans, and the UIL rulebook to work on over the holiday.

I hope everyone has the best Labor Day holiday possible.

A Black Civil War?

2005-08-27T13:26:00.000-05:00

So writes Mo Kelly in this recent article.

Fellow blogger Dell Gines will be discussing this article and more with Mr. Kelly very soon and asked for some potential questions. After reading the article, this is what I came up with:

1. The concept of a Black Civil War leads me to believe that one of the consequences is the> dissolution of a "singular black identity." Is this true or possible? What are the benefits/consequences to this happening? To the average white person it would represent a final and full assimilation into "American society." What is the black perspective?

2. Who are the potential leaders who would bridge this divide between the educated black community and> the street?

3. What strategies are needed to appeal to urban high schoolers that would make both street and educated a successful model vs. being opposed to each other?

These are issues that John McWhorter of the Manhattan Institute and Cal-Berkley professor tackled in his controversial book, Losing the Race. McWhorter got grilled for his conclusions, which were that the street and the educated are totally and will be forever opposed. After reading Mo Kelly, seems as if many more are speaking out about the same thread.

I'll be very interested in how this debate turns out. Although I am not black, I work in urban schools, so this has a direct effect on my job.

Read the article and tell me what you think.

Rethinking and retrenching

2005-08-26T17:36:00.000-05:00

With the school year started, my time to blog has decreased significantly. This will be even more so in February, when baseball season starts. For now, I've had some thoughts about what I'm going to do with my blog.

Here is what I've come up with:

1. I'll blog 3-5 days per week.

2. My posts will stick primarily to public education and race relations, with the occasional random rant. These are the two areas I am primarily involved in, so it makes sense for me to stick to that vein.

3. I'll continue to promote and visit fellow travelers as time permits.

School Finance Bill Watch

2005-08-24T21:05:00.000-05:00

This is installment #1.

3 failed special sessions @ $34 million each

1 regular session @ over $100 million

Current cost to the taxpayer and still no School Finance bill: over $200 million

If these idiots wanted to really get something done, it would have been done. It's time to put politics aside and do what's right. A lot of you jerks are going to get tossed out next year because of this. No sense going down with the ship.

My representatives know who they are. They are getting notice. I will ACTIVELY campaign against them and any other state legislator that has failed us in this travesty. This goes for both parties.

Texans are getting real tired of the nonsense.

Dallas City Hall corruption probe expanding

2005-08-24T20:54:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of The Dallas Morning News:

New names have emerged in the federal investigation into corruption at Dallas City Hall, including DISD trustee Ron Price, State Rep. Terri Hodge and State Sen. Royce West.

Those names were included in a federal subpoena served at Dallas City Hall earlier this month. Excerpts of the document were obtained Wednesday by The Dallas Morning News.
The subpoena is part of an ongoing FBI investigation into tax-credit housing projects, contracting and development companies, and potential kickbacks and corruption at City Hall.
The federal probe surfaced in June, when agents searched the homes and offices of Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill and City Plan Commissioner D’Angelo Lee, and the security business of Councilman James Fantroy.

The subpoena demands large amounts of overarching information on Mr. Hill, Mr. Fantroy, Councilman Leo Chaney and plan commissioners Melvin Traylor and Carol Brandon, who were appointed by Mr. Chaney and Mr. Fantroy, respectively.

It seeks specific, pointed documents on Councilwoman Maxine Thornton-Reese, Mr. Price, DART board member Lynn Flint Shaw and Toska Medlock-Lee, Mr. Lee’s wife.
And it requests correspondence from Mr. West and Ms. Hodge, D-Dallas, on tax-credit housing projects.

The subpoena also seeks additional records on two companies specializing in affordable housing: Southwest Housing Development Co., owned by Brian Potashnik, and Odyssey Residential Holdings, headed by James R. “Bill” Fisher. Mr. Potashnik’s company was searched by the FBI in June.

This is really, really bad news for a city that desparately needs a city government with its act together. It provides lots more fodder for the commenters whose vein is that blacks are nothing but corrupt, no good, dirty politicians. It just keeps on getting worse. There have been so many problems in Dallas lately, from the fake drug scandal, to the strong-mayor plan fiasco, to DISD kickbacks and corruption and now this. When are the citizens of Dallas going to demand more accountability of all its elected leaders?

Obviously, the subpoenas are seeking information, and they don't mean that Sen. West and others are the target of the investigation. But the FBI already has some Dallas City Council members and city government officials on their radar, and that's enough for me to say the citizens need to make a stand.

The race card has already been played by the Dallas black community. They've already accused the FBI of a racially motivated investigation. Let me ask you this: what if it's all true? Every last allegation. Is it still racism if the people investigated are guilty as hell? If the trend is anything like what I've seen since moving to the D/FW area in 1987, the answer will be yes.

It's time to put all the dirty politicians in this area "buck naked and out in the cold," and stop playing the race baiting zero-sum games that are getting us nowhere.

New home sales numbers a mixed bag of tricks

2005-08-24T20:36:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of The Dallas Morning News:

Flouting expectations, new home sales spiked 6.5 percent in July to a record 1.41-million-unit rate.
Economists had been expecting a decline to a 1.33-million unit rate from June’s previous record of 1.37 million units.
“The momentum in the most recent month was clearly very strong and there is no reason to expect much let up until we see some rationalization in interest rates,” David Greenlaw, senior fixed income economist at Morgan Stanley, commented in a note to clients.
Unlike existing home sales, new home sales are counted when a contract is signed. For that reason, economists treat this data as very “real time.”
Over the past year, new home sales have risen a remarkable 28 percent.
The strength has been most notable in the red-hot West, where sales rose 36 percent, to a record 495,000 units -- twice the 10-year average of 251,000 units. For the month, the West carried the country, as sales in the Northeast rose modestly, by 10 percent, and declined in the South, by 3.5 percent, and the Midwest, by 13.5 percent.

Reading the first couple of paragraphs of the article, the news looks great as one of the chief measurements of the strength of our economy is in new home starts and new home sales. It's another great sign that our economy is growing. However, the positive tone of the article didn't last, as I found out when I read this more ominous section:

Though the record sales helped push months’ supply down to 4.0 months, the actual inventory numbers raised concerns that supply could easily bury demand if sales were to stop reaching new records every month.
“With monthly sales running at a pace that seems to us to be way above a longer-term sustainable level,” Mr. Greenlaw added, “the value of this gauge as a true measure of inventories is limited in our view since it is holding at such low levels as a result of the extraordinary level of sales, not a low number of homes for sale.”
Aside from the inventory number, some were troubled to see the decline in new home prices despite the strength in sales. Median home prices slipped 7 percent in July to $203, 800 from $219,500. For the year, median prices are down 4 percent.
More puzzling yet was that home prices exhibited strength in high-priced areas and weakness in low-priced areas, fanning the flames that speculation is rampant in certain sections of the country.
Average home prices rose to $275,000 in July from a revised $272,200 in June, providing a better reflection of continued price strength in certain markets.
The median family living in the West now earns only 81 percent of the amount needed to pay the mortgage on an average home, Mr. Greenlaw figured.
His conclusion was that, “builders may be forced to build cheaper new homes that more people can actually afford.”

This isn't the first time I've heard the dreaded bubble talk in the housing market. I hope that the builders keep in tune witht the market and adjust as necessary to keep this robust portion of the economy rolling.

I myself would like to see more of the lower priced affordable units built, as that allows more Americans a real opportunity to purchase a home and afford the mortgage over the long-term, without financing gimmicks and tricks.

The best means to economic empowerment in this nation is owning a home. We have to make this possible for as large a segment of the population as possible. People are much more involved in their community if they have an ownership stake, meaning they are much less tolerant of the criminal element. This could mean a further clearing out of the urban areas, until we find manageable ways to clean up our cities and make it a safe place to buy a home again. I don't really care where our people buy their houses, as long as it helps them attain their version of the "American Dream."

We have to be on the lookout to make sure this isn't a bubble situation, and that the market will shift to find new buyers no matter what their income level. Even though there were some warnings, I found the article warming and encouraging...another sign that this is the best nation on the planet to be living in, no question.

A Beautiful Mind

2005-08-23T22:07:00.000-05:00

We could all use a lesson from John Forbes Nash. He's the guy Russell Crowe brilliantly portrayed in the movie whose title I ripped off for this post. Here's the basic idea of his economics theory that won him the Nobel Prize:

Zero-sum game (definition): Zero-sum games are games where the amount of "winnable goods" (or resources in our terminology) is fixed. Whatever is gained by one actor, is therefore lost by the other actor: the sum of gained (positive) and lost (negative) is zero. This corresponds to a situation of pure competition.

People do not operate in a zero-sum economic game where there are defined positions and rules with only one winner and loser. People will be flexible to meet their economic needs and cooperate if both can gain. Now this is most people, not all. Nash proved this to be true and won is prize based on this argument.

This wasn't radical stuff but it took over 4 decades from Nash postulating this until his recognition. While there is truth to this in how we apply it in economics, in other aspects of our lives, we are not so savvy. I believe that to be a mistake. There is no stronger point for this than in our world of politics and specifically politics of race.

My most recent post dealt with the polarization of the national racial discussion since the issue of the Moynihan Report 40 years ago. As the writer of the article I profiled stated, we play this in a zero-sum game vacuum, where either side operates stiffly based on bedrocked interests, without ever believing there is benefit to cooperating for mutual gain. Conservatives and liberals are engaged in a fight to the death ideology battle in which each side believes that only they can win. This is so foolish because it contradicts what our human nature will allow us to do. The problem with our human nature is that we allow greed and lust for power to win out over this more virtuous ideal. That has to stop.

We cannot solve our problems, especially our racial problems in a fixed environment where neither side is willing to give. That is where we are at in our racial politics. It won't work. Neither side will eventually win. We are too diverse of a people with too many ideas at play, and especially too much money vested in the political process.

What we need, as I have been saying, is not to just think outside the box, but to build a new box.

We don't have to like each other's politics, but to really solve our racial problems each side must identify what is for mutual gain and work like crazy to make it happen. And we can do it without selling our values "down the river."

Are you with me?

40 Years of Lies

2005-08-21T14:58:00.000-05:00

According to Kay S. Hymowitz, in her recent City Journal piece, that's what the discussion about blacks and poverty has amounted to.

It's a very interesting read, and for many it reveals an underlying truth to why poverty has continued to be an overwhelmingly black experience. The decline of the family unit in Black America has directly led to the increase in black poverty. Here's the introduction:

Read through the megazillion words on class, income mobility, and poverty in the recent New York Times series “Class Matters” and you still won’t grasp two of the most basic truths on the subject: 1. entrenched, multigenerational poverty is largely black; and 2. it is intricately intertwined with the collapse of the nuclear family in the inner city.
By now, these facts shouldn’t be hard to grasp. Almost 70 percent of black children are born to single mothers. Those mothers are far more likely than married mothers to be poor, even after a post-welfare-reform decline in child poverty. They are also more likely to pass that poverty on to their children. Sophisticates often try to dodge the implications of this bleak reality by shrugging that single motherhood is an inescapable fact of modern life, affecting everyone from the bobo Murphy Browns to the ghetto “baby mamas.” Not so; it is a largely low-income—and disproportionately black—phenomenon. The vast majority of higher-income women wait to have their children until they are married. The truth is that we are now a two-family nation, separate and unequal—one thriving and intact, and the other struggling, broken, and far too often African-American.

This history of the discussion dates to the Moynihan Report of 1965, a radical piece which challenged the thought processes of many who argued that the legal and economic system of the United States was the final barrier to black achievement. Senator Moynihan disagreed and trotted out statistic after statistic that showed rapid gains from 1954-1960 after many legal barriers were being removed and the economy was expanding. Sometime after 1960, however, economic gains in the black community were diminishing. Black men were still being employed, but black women and children were becoming increasingly poor. Moynihan wondered why. His answer was the disintegration of the nuclear family.

His report was trashed. He was accused of "blaming the victim" and being a "racist." His results were set aside, and a new way of framing the black poverty argument emerged: it's the system. The American system was crooked and flawed, and only by fixing the system could blacks rise from poverty. The new argument transformed children from the responsibility of the parents to being an OPPRESSED class. Parents were no longer responsible. Their children were poor because of the system and not because the parents weren't married or weren't working.

This is the same argument we are still engaging in today. Many writers, like the oft criticized Thomas Sowell, have bluntly and directly challenged this way of thinking, Sowell is derided as a sellout or an Uncle Tom for trying to return the debate to where it was before the release of the Moynihan Report.

This is where we are in the political divide as well. Each side of the political spectrum believes ardently in their view of the poverty crisis. Republicans believe in the veracity of the Moynihan report and that the solution lies in regaining the family unit in the black community. Democrats genuinely believe we must still fix the system, and solely fixing the system is the solution. After almost 40 years of welfare excesses, we are coming to the conclusion that the Moynihan Report wasn't wrong, and neither were the Democrats who found flaws in the system. The problem has rested in the polarization of the issue and the refusal to work together for a solution. In addition, we have seen that just creating programs designed to change the system doesn't work either. Our democratic system is not perfect. Far from being perfect, there are always going to be flaws. Dems must realize that designing program after program to change the flaws in the system aren't going to be enough, in fact they will always fail. The change must also be in the human behavior within the system.

After 40 years of harsh rhetoric, how can we be open in our criticisms of what is wrong? How can we honestly say that the destruction of the family is hurting all of us? This is no longer just a black problem. The poverty numbers are increasing in the white community too, and it is directly tied to the dissolution of the family. But as long as blacks make up the majority of the poverty cases, not until the entire black community undertakes introspection and self-criticism will there be a breakthrough. The ills that have been passed down from slavery and Jim Crow are a root cause. However, it's not enough to blame whites for the problem and then expect whites to gracefully fork over monies as part of a solution. We have to be met halfway. The flip side of the coin is true as well That goes for any two groups at odds with each other that must confront their ills.

Can we make a breakthrough?

Right now, we can't. I don't know where the breakthrough will come, or who will step up to the plate. It will likely be something that we must do individually. It will require trust, something that each side is very loathe to give. Theodore Roosevelt as oft to say that the easiest way to build trust in someone is to trust them. Until we can come to this point, trying to craft solutions will be pointless.

This is an American problem, for as long as one segment of our society lags behind, we all lag behind.

Even rock stars can say they believe in Jesus...

2005-08-20T16:35:00.000-05:00

This was Bono, frontman of my favorite rock group U2 recently:

"I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge," says Bono. "It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity."

"The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death," replies Bono. "It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven."

"Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: He was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says, No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: 'I'm the Messiah.' I'm saying: 'I am God incarnate.' . . . So what you're left with is either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase. . . . The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me that's farfetched."

Interesting, indeed.

Pop culture ranting

2005-08-20T16:01:00.000-05:00

LaShawn Barber makes some sense out of Jude Law's adultery in one of today's posts at LaShawn Barber's Corner.

I highly suggest you read it. To me, I'm not sure why adultery in Hollywood gets such great pub. Is it really that cool?

Not to me, and not to many of us. Yet there are millions, yes MILLIONS who eat that stuff up on a daily basis. Add that to rappers talking about bedding down multiple women, and degradation is pop culture.

I don't think this is anything about what we want our kids to know or do. Yet when I see kids pull into the parking lot of my school with songs like "Bitch get in my car," I know it's already too late for one generation.

I hope parents will step up and save the next.

Armed child molester shot and killed by police. Family wonders why police didn't just shoot to injure?

2005-08-20T10:50:00.000-05:00

Really. I'm totally serious. Here's some of the story from this morning's Dallas Morning News:

A convicted child molester who was wanted on a new charge was fatally shot Friday after fleeing from police into a Duncanville park and pointing a gun at a Dallas detective, authorities said.
Douglas H. Blackstone, 24, died about noon Friday at a Dallas hospital from gunshot wounds. He was convicted of the aggravated sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl in 2004 and ordered to serve 10 years' probation.

About 11 a.m. Friday, police returned to the Duncanville address and a relative told them that Mr. Blackstone was armed and had fled. Other witnesses told police that an armed man had gone into Lakeside Park near Center Street and Tanglewood Drive.
Detectives called for backup and began a search of the park. School officials locked down nearby Hastings Elementary as a precaution.
About 11:20 a.m., a detective spotted Mr. Blackstone through a clearing in the park, police said. The officer briefly lost sight of him when he stepped off the trail.
"When he reappeared, the officer confronted him and identified himself as a police officer," said Sgt. Ross Salverino, a Dallas homicide investigator. "The suspect raised his weapon and attempted to fire. Our officer fired multiple times."
Police said the officer was wearing a jacket that clearly identified him as an officer. Authorities have recovered Mr. Blackstone's .45-caliber handgun from the scene.

Now here's where the story gets weird. The family, interviewed last night on the local Fox affiliate, KDFW Channel 4, wondered why the police officers couldn't have shot Blackwood just to injure him? The anchor and reporter were wondering the same thing.

Are we really that stupid of a society? I guess so.

If a person points a weapon at a police officer, are we so PC that we really expect him to not shoot to incapacitate or kill? The officer could shoot to injure, and then the suspect could still have the weapon and get off a few rounds and kill the officer. But a dead police officer isn't really that bad. It's better than a convicted and armed child molester being shot and killed.

What's even worse, this family will surely file a wrongful death suit against the Dallas Police Department.

The officer did his job. A gun was pointed at him, he nuetralized the threat. His job was to make sure that the suspect COULD NOT get off a shot. Period. Anyone expecting something else is a complete fool.

Just another example of the absolute absurdity of our society today.

Dell has something cool working...

2005-08-18T22:48:00.000-05:00

about leadership at his blog, Independent Thought (formerly Urban Conservative).

One of his theories dealing with the lack of leadership in the black community is the lack of rallying points for people to find common cause.

Isn't that a problem for all Americans?

Don't we all lack a common purpose and cause?

One of his commenters wondered why Dell was placing black needs ahead of the needs of all Americans. Us whiteys have been wondering that for a long, long time.

Maybe blacks have been defined by their blackness for so long, it is their reference or starting point for everything.

Just some mumbling. Am I on the right track?

Hello Vietnam???

2005-08-18T21:54:00.000-05:00

Michael Savage said on his program today emphatically today that the Iraq WILL turn into Vietnam for the U.S. military.

His reasons? Leaked information from high ranking military officers who are complaining of not being aggresive in attacking the insurgents, not enough bombing, Bush is fighting a PC war, blah, blah, blah. He then listed his reasons for our failure in Vietnam and said that we are doing the same thing in Iraq.

No specific quotes of military officials on the program, but of course most high ranking officials wouldn't dare comment on the record. Most carping from high ranking officials usually means that they want more hardware or funding for themselves or, they want to take an opportunity to hammer away at the SecDef because he is dismantling bureaucracy. I'll take the latter. Top generals are as bad as any other leader of a government "fat pig."

What does Savage want us to do, nuke the place?

Bill Bennett, on his program today totally disagreed. He had on a former West Point professor and think tank brain who said that it is impossible for Iraq to become a Vietnam. His reasons? The insurgency is in no way as potent or organized as the Viet Cong and NVA. Any organization that has to resort to terror attacks is not a definitive threat to take over the country, but more of a deadly nuisance.

I tend to agree more with Bennett's guest than I did with Savage. Terrorism is a sign of weakness. It is in no way strength. It can only work if a populace agrees to be terrorized. You have to not want to fight back in order for terrorism to win. As long as we are there rooting out terrorists, and Iraqis train to become police and soldiers in the current numbers, these thugs cannot last. They are not supported by the masses. There is no broad popular support. None.

Too many critics on both sides want the impossible: easy and quick victory, zero casualties, and troops home in 6 months.

This fight against terrorism (and that's who were fighting in Iraq. It's not the Iraqis) will be long and difficult. This leap to conclusions about Iraq becoming Vietnam is sad. And it shows some genuine ignorance of history.

LaShawn has asked, and I have complied.

2005-08-16T21:07:00.000-05:00

I'm such a sucker!!! Here's her post today over at LaShawn Barber's Corner:

Calling All Abortion-Supporting Liberals and Homosexuals!
Got a couple of questions for you. Set-up first. As you may know, technology has advanced to such a degree that parents may choose to kill — pardon me, “sex-select” — their babies if they have sex-related diseases such as hemophilia. The latest topic of discussion in Britain is whether sex selection should be allowed for family planning purposes.
Not mentioned in the article, but an obvious cause of controversy, is that “undesirable” human beings will be killed. My questions to liberal homosexual and non-homosexual abortion supporters are these:
If a significant number of women begin choosing to abort their babies because doctors discovered a “gay gene,” would your stance on the “right to choose” change or shift in any way? Would the number of women killing these “defective” babies make a difference? Is one potentially gay dead baby one too many?
Please disseminate this post far and wide. No doubt it will attract trolls, but I’m dead serious. Pardon the pun.
Update: Off-topic comments will be deleted. The questions are posed to pro-choice readers, by the way.
Update II: Steven Kelso blogged about the same article. I’m sure he’s not a strict stay-on-topic-and-don’t-call-each-the-names blog host like I am. So why don’t you troll stroll on over and start another thread?

All we hear is how conservatives are so inconsistent, so intolerant. Let's wait and see for this to really happen and I bet a lot of opinions change.

Back in school

2005-08-15T21:38:00.000-05:00

Classes started today, not really what I would define as class, more like just a first day of school. In most schools, the first day is a success if you can get almost all the students where they are supposed to be, when they are supposed to be there.

I calmly await my Mr. Hand moment of the year, as each teacher has their fair share of Spiccoli's.

Hopefully I can learn a lot from my students, but I really hope they learn a lot of history. For their own sake. I always think of some words I wrote, probably borrowed from many different authors:

As hard as I can try,
I cannot change my past,
but I can change my future,
with the past as my teacher,
giving me the lessons learned,
for hard choices ahead.

Human nature has changed little since the Garden of Eden. We are all flawed. Why people are so content to be ignorant of the past is beyond me. Apart from technology, how much different are people now from how they were back then?

That will be the ultimate question my students must answer by the end of the year.

Chime in, my fellow thinkers, and let me know what you think.

Lucky 7???

2005-08-14T22:25:00.000-05:00

Rangers lose 10-3 in New York. This picture represents the entire trip...Buck heading out to the mound to bring in another spare to get shelled. Watching this road trip has been agonizing. Texas has nobody, and I mean nobody who can consistently throw strikes and get hitters out. Looks like we'll be seeing Danks, Diamond and Volquez in September. This streak makes Chan Ho and Ryan Drese look good. Rangers were 10 games over .500 when they cut loose with Drese and have been buried ever since. This is inexcusable for a team in a top 10 media market. Can't you manage your money better than this? Apparently not, which is why you won't see me at Ameriquest Field anytime in the future.

The Old Gray Lady strikes...

2005-08-14T16:49:00.000-05:00

and once again it is laughable. Powerline displays the idiocy and self-delusion of the Left in one of today's postings:

Amazingly enough, Paul Krugman is not the New York Times's worst columnist. Not as long as Frank Rich is writing. Rich's latest is on Iraq; it is a compendium of the usual far-left myths, distortions and outright lies on that subject. What is new, though, is that Rich is proclaiming the end of the war; his column's title is "Someone Tell the President the War Is Over." In Rich's view, the United States has now lost the war, and he couldn't be happier. His gleeful assessment ushers in what could be a new concept in commentary: defeatist triumphalism.
Rich likens President Bush to the Japanese soldiers on remote Pacific islands who didn't get the word that World War II had ended. He predicts premature withdrawal and disaster in Iraq:

WHAT lies ahead now in Iraq instead is not victory, which Mr. Bush has never clearly defined anyway, but an exit (or triage) strategy that may echo Johnson's March 1968 plan for retreat from Vietnam: some kind of negotiations (in this case, with Sunni elements of the insurgency), followed by more inflated claims about the readiness of the local troops-in-training, whom we'll then throw to the wolves. ...
Thus the president's claim on Thursday that "no decision has been made yet" about withdrawing troops from Iraq can be taken exactly as seriously as the vice president's preceding fantasy that the insurgency is in its "last throes." The country has already made the decision for Mr. Bush. We're outta there.

There is one obvious catch, however, in Rich's rosy--for him--scenario. Much as he and his fellow left-wingers can encourage our terrorist enemy, and they do, they don't have the power to bring about America's defeat. Notwithstanding endless hectoring from Rich and his fellows on the fringe, there is only one man whose views about Iraq will really matter for the next three and a half years. His name is George W. Bush, and he isn't going to cut and run. Nor can Rich and his ilk significantly impede the efforts of America's armed forces.
In the medium and long term, what happens in Iraq is up to the Iraqis. It is certainly possible that they might forfeit what the Bush administration and America's armed forces have given them: a chance at freedom and the opportunity to live in peace with their neighbors. But if the Iraqis fail, it won't be because liberals stampeded the United States into abandoning them.

The Left fully and truly believes that they can drum up enough opposition to force the President to withdraw from Iraq before the Administrations objectives are complete. They could not be more wrong. Say what you will about George W. Bush, but the left continually sells short his resolve to do what he thinks is right. To quote Rhett from "Gone With the Wind": "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." That perfectly explains the way that our President conducts himself. He doesn't buy one bit into the tripe slung out by the media. He is going to govern with the authority that the 2004 election conferred upon him. What the media is now finding is that they are not so important as they believe themselves to be. Their influence is nil with the Administration, contrary to past administrations whose machinations would hinge upon whether they looked good or bad.

Leadership is refreshing, and the President, at least in Iraq, is showing just that. If only we could harness some of that for the immigration fight.

On his shoulders, the hopes of a weary nation...

2005-08-14T13:26:00.000-05:00

That would be Vince Young, QB, Heisman Trophy candidate, future first round draft pick, and the leader of the Longhorn football team. He will carry the burden of all the Longhorn Nation as Texas seeks its first national title since 1969. Young has lost only 2 games as the starting QB, both to the hated Oklahoma Sooners. Many Texas fans believe this will be the breakthrough season. As for me, I'm a lot more skeptical and will believe it only when I see UT playing in Pasadena for the national title.

I'm glad football season is upon us. It will give me much more material to blog about, as my beloved St. Louis Cardinals have had the NL Central wrapped up for a couple of months and the Texas Rangers have been on ice about as long.

To borrow from Hank: Are you ready for some football?

New additions....

2005-08-14T02:35:00.000-05:00

I am proud to announce my addition of Day by Day to the blog. Now I don't have to head over to Captain's Quarters or anywhere else to get a very witty cartoon.

Also added, but no less important is Sister Toldjah, a frequent commenter over at LaShawn Barber's Corner.

Another addition is Fresh Politics, a group blog from the University of Pennsylvania.

I've updated the blogroll, and I am trying to remove any blogs who aren't publishing. If you notice any, let me know. My kind thanks to the commenter who already alerted me to that fact.

Roberts muckraking is getting amusing.

2005-08-13T22:21:00.000-05:00

Let's see. I don't have a lot to say about John Roberts nomination other than he should be confirmed, and quickly. We've had time to look over his dossier of work, and I've determined he's a swell pick who will do a good job.

What's been more fun has been watching the repeated attempts by the Left to smear him, and only to find egg on their faces each time they fail.

Let's recap some of their fine work:

WaPo style columnist ripping Roberts' wife and children for their attire during the nomination announcement.
Kennedy, Schumer and others stating that Roberts must ask questions relating to future cases, questions that no nominee has ever been required to answer.
Schumer bringing up Roberts Catholocism in a 1960 Presidential campaign styled smear.
Repeated attempt to get the Bush administration to violate attorney-client privilige and give up documents Roberts wrote while working in the Solicitor General's office.
Old Gray Lady investigates the adoption of Roberts' children.
MSM attempts to divide the conservative base by revealing that Roberts did about 12 hours work advising a gay rights lawyer on how to proceed in her case.
NARAL ad stating that Roberts opinion in one particular abortion case was tantamount to supporting abortion clinic bombers.

In each and every case, Roberts has demonstrated that his position/decision/opinion has been the correct one based on the law and the Constitution. It's great that the Left is making a mockery of itself, just for the sole purpose of obstructionism. Why? Because the refuse to come to grips with the fact that they lost the last 2 Presidential elections. I hope they continue to live in la-la land, as we conservatives will see more victorious elections and more conservative nominees to the highest court in the land.

This could be a long year...

2005-08-13T21:43:00.000-05:00

It's not even the first day of school, and already I want to do some damage!!!

Just kidding. I was looking for an excuse to post an Office Space pic. I didn't think Jenifer Aniston giving her manager the "bird" was too appropriate.

I've been back to work all of 5 days, and all I can think is: Is it summer yet???

This has been as an eventful and fun summer as I've had in a long time. When do I get to do it again?

Story of the day

2005-08-13T15:30:00.000-05:00

Lil sis over at Impatient Chicken retells the great adventure she undertook to drive over from Aggieland and see my college baseball team play at Sam Houston State University.

She forgot to mention how I sat down in a puddle of spilled soft drink in the front seat of her friend's car when heading off to El Chico for dinner and how I had to endure looking like I had urine stains on my shorts for dinner. Adding to the fact that several of my teammates were eating at the same restaurant, it made for a fun evening at my expense.

I didn't see the results from the fair first hand, but the teammates girlfriends had the play by play when they got back.

Another of the embarrasing moments for my sister involving the UTA baseball team.

Powerline now offers a news site...

2005-08-13T15:25:00.000-05:00

introducing Powerline News

It has all the breaking news, plus RSS feeds to the top Conservative sites in the blogosphere like Hugh Hewitt, Michelle Malkin, Captain Ed, Polipundit, and the woman who got me started blogging, LaShawn Barber.

It's been added to the blogroll, and will now be in the official reading rotation.

Politics vs. Policy

2005-08-13T13:29:00.000-05:00

That's the conflict that let the Able Danger intelligence pass. There is no other explanation.

Examine some of the facts:

Army intelligence collected the information from "open-sources", meaning just about anyone could have gathered that info.
Army intelligence was not prohibited from passing this information on, there was nothing illegal about it.
The "wall" set up by Jamie Gorelick that everyone is talking about existed not out of good policy, but because the administration had looked bad at Ruby Ridge and Waco.
No Administration, dating back to even the Ford and Carter years has wanted to do the dirty work of dealing with potential terrorists at home.
9/11 Commisioners had access to the Able Danger reports, but ignored it (through staffers) because it didn't fit what they wanted their conclusions to say.

What we have here is an obvious case of over 30 years of political wrangling to make terrorism fit in the administrative round hole. Far too long, administration after administration has refused to acknowledge the possiblity that terrorists have existed in our midst. So accurate reporting of that fact has been ignored, everyone hoping that the inevitalbe would not happen. And when it did (9/11), it must have been an aberration.

Politics should never come at the expense of the people's safety. But politicians don't really care. The only thing they care about is the advancement of their own career.

Vote em out. All of them.

How to switch Black Democrats to Black Republicans?

2005-08-13T12:59:00.000-05:00

Dell Gines attacks the question with this:

Imagine for me if you will that you are an adult and are working for an employer. This employer every time he sees you criticizes your work, tells you that you are behaving idiotic and that you don’t know what you are doing. He tells you that the things that you value are dumb and that they have no place in the world. After he tells you all these negative things about yourself, he then goes on to finish the comments day after day by saying, “I only tell you these things because I care”. After taking these verbal beat downs day after day, how would you feel about your boss? Not very good.
The fact of the matter is this, the Republican pundits do the same thing when it comes to black voters. How many times have you heard, “blacks need to stop playing the victim”, “blacks need to stop blaming racism”, “blacks need to come off of the liberal plantation”, “blacks need to stop asking for handouts”, “blacks need to stop ______X insert cliche here”. Now whether there is validity to certain aspects of the criticism or not, similar to the boss who verbally beats you down every day, why would blacks be inclined to make a wholesale turn to the republican party? Why, when everyday they are disparaged and ridiculed for things they value, would they vote for the ones that seemingly devalue them?
Remember, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. By active vocal and visible Republican pundits who lay verbal beat downs on the black voter, and passive Republican non-solitication of black votes, I submit Republicans are giving the appearance that they don’t care about blacks or the black voter. Will the Republican party ever win over a large percentage of blacks who truly do hold so many ideologically similar positions, if they don’t reframe their positions to effectively communicate them to blacks, and begin grassroots Republican campaigning and promoting? Would you support a boss who tongue lashes you every day? I don’t think so.

I've learned some of those same lessons the hard way as a teacher. For all my idealism, not framing my message properly got me labeled by some parents in previous jobs as a racist. Not fair, but that's how they felt. We are a long way from being able to accept each other in a true "color blind" way. No matter how right I would be, if my message is negative, then I am "prejudiced", "racist", or "bigoted". This is why conservatives must find a new tack. Criticism of the Black community has to come from within. It's just like whites hate it when blacks call us racist. We don't want to hear criticism from someone of a different color or ethnic background, even if it is right. Head on over to his site and check out the whole thing.

Accused student-athlete getting ready for season...

2005-08-13T12:05:00.000-05:00

Hat tip: Dallas Morning News

Brandon Jackson, college recruit and All-District wide reciever has begun fall workouts with the Lancaster High School football team. What makes him different than the other students-athletes? Brandon has a 7:45 p.m. curfew, wears an ankle tracking device, and is accused of aggravated robbery from an series of incidents last January.

The only thing keeping him from playing in a regular season game is his transfer papers, which his former school states are only for athletic purposes. For now, Brandon is ineligible.

Heres stands a stark contrast between two schools, coaching staffs and their ideologies. Steve Bragg, Head Coach at North Mesquite, is upholding the non-binding Texas High School Coaches Association ethics code stating that coaches shall not play anyone accused of a felony until they are determined to be not guilty.

Andrew Jacskon, Head Coach at Lancaster, completely disagrees. "Kids are kids. Sometimes they make mistakes, but you can't throw away a kids life."

What about a felony mistake?

"My question is, why shouldn't he play?" Lancaster ISD Superintendent Dr. Larry D. Lewis said. "You're innocent until proven guilty. Our job is to educate students and give them another chance." Lewis doesn't believe THSCA's ethics code is an end all to follow.
"This may be his only route to a college education. Who are we to take that away, by making him sit out?" Lewis asked.
"We're doing what's best for the kid, not what's best for the coaches association or best for society."

Does the fact that the kid caught 37 passes for 7 touchdowns last year make a difference? You would be hard pressed in football crazy Texas to think differently.

This is very hypocritical of the Lancaster football coach, and especially the Lancaster superintendent. Last month, neighboring Wilmer-Hutchins ISD was ordered by the state to shut down. Lancaster had an opportunity to welcome the W-HISD athletes, with all their costs paid for by the state. Andrew Jackson said no, and Larry Lewis did too. So did the Lancaster ISD again when they had another opportunity to accept all the students.

So it's okay to do what's best for a Division 1 recruit who has a felony arrest, but not for kids with no arrest record and no place to play?

Fortunately for the W-H kids, the Dallas ISD will let them attend Dallas schools this year.

As a coach, I have a big issue with what Coach Jackson is doing. Extracurricular activities are a privilige, and student-athletes must be held to the highest standards. They are ambassadors for the school. Letting a kid with a felony arrest play tells that kid that there are no consequences for his actions, unless he is convicted. What about gettting arrested in the first place? This isn't some traffic ticket here. It is a felony arrest. It's a shame that the tolerance of mischevious behavior in professional and college sports has found its way down to the high school.

I don't believe for one minute Lancaster is doing what's best for this kid. Brandon Jacskon must learn accountability and responsibility. What if the kid was in band? Or drama? Or just a student? What if he was the 3rd string wide reciever? Would he play then? You know the answers. To let Brandon Jacskon play gives him a free pass.

Since I'm at home...

2005-08-10T08:59:00.000-05:00

I'll recap yesterday's sit-down with Dr. Pauline Maier, History professor at MIT and author of the book American Scriptures.

The book is an excellent look at the background, influences and writings of the Declaration of Independence.

Dr. Maier made a very stirring point about history and our treatment of it today. She stated that today's historians (speaking towards the revisionist camp) do not take into account the values, laws, customs and outside factors that influenced peoples actions in the past. They only view history through today's values and customs, and therefore are excessively judgemental in their writing. In fact, she argues that today's historians just get it plain wrong because they have no interest in researching the influential factors of the past.

We had a rousing discussion of the Declaration of Independence. Lost on most Americans is Jefferson's first draft, full of fire and brimstone. Only after careful debate by the Continental Congress and some careful revisions did we have the final document read to the masses on July 7, 1776.Also lost are the contributions of John Adams, Ben Franklin and Richard Henry Lee on the writing. Jefferson did most of the legwork, but these other gentlemen made very keen observations and changes.

What they ended up with is a priceless document whose tenets formed the basis of our Bill of Rights. I am so thankful for the brilliance of these men, for they have given us a most wondeful place to live.

If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.

2005-08-10T08:55:00.000-05:00

On Monday, my battery light came on in my truck. I promptly took it in to have the battery tested. Guess what? Battery was dying, time for a replacement. No problem. Shell out $60, put the new battery in and problem solved, right?

Not even close.

Yesterday I drive to work no problems. Start the truck up for the drive home, no problems. But on the drive home...complete electrical shutdown in the vehicle and my truck died.Turns out the battery was low because my alternator was shot.

So now I'm missing a very important 1/2 day at work in order to get the truck fixed. I would do the job myself, but I don't have the lift tools necessary to jack the truck up and get to the alternator. So I'll end up paying $150 more to have someone else do it. Nuts.

And all I thought I needed this time around was a new battery, an oil change and a new fuel filter.

Jonesboro killer to go free...

2005-08-08T21:19:00.000-05:00

on Thursday. One of the two young men that shot and killed English teacher Shannon Wright and several classmates 8 years ago is slated to be released. The reason why? Arkansas had a loophole which set free all juvenile criminals upon their 18th birthday. The feds could only muster an additional 3 on gun charges.

The only good thing to come of this is that the loophole was closed.

This young man deserved more for his premeditated act. As Mrs. Wright's now 10 year old son comments: "How come he gets to go free and all I get to see of my momma is on video?"

Hat tip: Dallas Morning News

It's a recession...

2005-08-08T20:59:00.000-05:00

of my blogging, and thankfully not the economy. As I head back to work, my time available to research and blog will diminish. When I do blog, it will be over topics which I am researching for my classes, as I seek to tie as many current events to something in the past my students must master.

I've already posted on today's visit to my school by Dr. Ray McNulty. Tomorrow, Dr. Pauline Maier of MIT will be speaking to the grant project I am participating in this school year. I'll have a wrap up tomorrow.

I haven't posted about the weekend trip to Memphis to see my 87 year old grandfather. He the "pater familias" of the Roberts clan. Weather sucked, traffic sucked, but the barbecue and some great storytelling by the master made the trip worthwhile. Grandpa has led one remarkable life. I'm sure I'll blog plenty on him in the coming weeks.

If anyone has an opportunity, read William Raspberry's column from yesterday. His ignorance of conservatives, Christians and their basis for being pro-life and pro-death penalty is ridiculous. You will get quite a laugh. In fact, we should all send him a letter along this form:

Dear Mr. Raspberry,
I was appalled at your ignorance when penning your most recent column. To help you out, I have a small suggestion for your great mind. Please read the Book of Romans, especially Chapter 13. Then your ignorance in regards to our "inconsistency" will be cured.

Sincerely,

The Conservative Rant

The intolerance of the left is amusing. They don't even want to know what we think. It's just wrong. As for me, I'll let any lefty tell me what they think, and then I'll tell them why they are wrong.

A few more random rants:

I'm so sick of NFL training camp already. Can the regular season get here?
Ditto for college football.
Can the NCAA be any more stupid? Glad to see even Dickie V ripping them today. See my previous postings for more.
I'm no longer going to support the Texas Rangers (in person) as long as Tom Hicks and the Empty Golf Shirt (John Hart) penny pinch in the 5th largest media market in the nation.
Dem actions regarding John Roberts are sinking lower and lower. I can't wait to see what cess pool they head to next.
I wonder how much the TennCare scandal involving John Ford will affect the other Ford in politics, Rep. Harold Ford, Jr?
Will the city of Memphis come up with a common-sense solution to their "park" imbroglio? Now that Al Sharpton is involved, I guess not.
Ben Franklin is the most amazing human being I've ever read about or researched.

As Forrest Gump said, "That's all I have to say about the war in Vietnam."

Changing the box???

2005-08-08T20:29:00.000-05:00

So asked Ray McNulty today in our first staff development session for the 2005-06 school year. Dr. McNulty was the Commissioner of Education in Vermont as well as a Senior Fellow for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. I could care less what Dr. McNulty's politics were or are, for what he had to say to us today was of great relevance.

A lot of lip service is paid to the education establishment. With that, lawmakers pass new standards, increase accountability, pass more laws. But what do the laws intend as their purpose? The idea is to make students in the United States the best in the world.

Today's session argued that while all those new regulations are great, they miss the whole point about education today. I found myself in complete agreeement.

If you trace the evolution of the public school in the United States, its foremost influence was the 1892 Committee of Ten, which recommended a universal curriculum for all high school students. The idea was to prepare for college those who would go on, prepare for work those who would work with the same curriculum, while pushing less talented students into the industrial workforce. In yesteryear, this was an outstanding methodology, and one that led to incredible success for the United States. The 30/30/30 (30% dropout and become factory workers, 30% graduate and enter the workforce, 30% go to college and become business leaders) ideal is great for nation's whose workforces can be so easily stratified. Unfortunately, today's global job market does not allow for such models, especially here in the United States.

Dr. McNulty and others now argue that there are only two groups: future college students and the workforce. Both must have the same skills upon graduating from high school. And there lies the rub. How do we change the education establishment so that our students can compete in the global marketplace? Not very easily.

Education, like any other establishment is a bureaucracy that is loathe to change. It has seen success for a long duration of time. It seeks to tweak and reform without truly changing. The time for change is now. Laws are passed to raise standards, but they still work from the same 30/30/30 framework. The laws are noble, but they are obsolete.

Other nations, as the global workforce moves more towards information and less towards industry, are leaps and bounds ahead of the United States. Their schools are designed on the formula that students are either going to prepare for work or college and that there are no high paying jobs for those who do not finish high school.

Our current and future students will compete with those other nations students. The information age allows workers to do their jobs thousands of miles away from the customer. India is capitalizing on this trend. Their graduates are highly proficient, industrious and creative. They can also work for less, as their standard of living is less than ours. Where does that leave our students? Up a creek unless they have superior skills. Skills which we do not provide.

How do we come up with solutions? Education must be more individualized and customized. You want proof? The fastest growing and most successful new style of education is home schooling. Home schooling is the epitome of individualized and customized education. Public schools must become more like home schools. The smallest of classrooms. The largest use of technology of any school component. The most opportunity for real world application. Public schools can learn from this. Let me repeat it for those slow to understand: Smaller classrooms, more relationship between teacher and student (i.e. the teacher conducts more than one subject), increased use of technology, and opportunities for students to learn in the method that they learn best. No longer can we jam square pegs into round holes. It is the same in business. Education must soon follow suit.

This is a radical departure for some, but not for me. I have been arguing for these types of changes for a long time. They must go hand in hand with rigorous discipline, safe schools and reduced bureaucracy in school administration. Replace textbooks with computers. Then have the textbook on CD-Rom if the teacher wants to use the text. Otherwise, give the students the framework and watch them engage and learn more. Give more money to teachers who innovate and come up with solutions that work. You would be surprised. The better results are staggering. And it CAN be done without radically raising the tax burden. In fact, it can be done for less money and less waste.

This isn't about social experimentation. It's about competing, innovating and moving away from the stagnant approach we use now.

If we cannot change now, and give our students the opportunity to compete on the international stage, then we will help ruin our own economy and future.

This is something else!!!

2005-08-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Impatient Chicken

We would like to take this opportunity to officially reject you.
Rejection line: It's been awhile since I called this number up for a good laugh. I'm sad that my favorite poem isn't playing now ("Why? Why no friends in high school?"), but it still works.So I thought I would call it again, and then mention to everyone to remind you to call when you need a good laugh.Or just to feel better about yourself because no one's ever done this to you. Yet.I'll even copy their webpage for you:

Someone won't leave you alone?
Give them "your" number: 212-479-7990The official New York Rejection Line!
The rejection line team takes care of the rest, providing premium rejection services -- completely free of charge!!
It's that simple.
We do the rejecting. You spend time doing things you enjoy, like walking in the park, going to cultural events, and dating attractive people.

Man, that would have been real handy back in the day!!!

NCAA is run amok with PC

2005-08-05T11:48:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of ESPN.com

The NCAA banned the use of American Indian mascots by sports teams during its postseason tournaments, but will not prohibit them otherwise.
The NCAA's Executive Committee decided this week the organization did not have the authority to bar Indian mascots by individual schools, committee chairman Walter Harrison said Friday.
Nicknames or mascots deemed "hostile or abusive" would not be allowed by teams on their uniforms or other clothing beginning with any NCAA tournament after Feb. 1, said Harrison, the University of Hartford's president.
"What each institution decides to do is really its own business" outside NCAA championship events, he said.
At the University of North Dakota, where the Fighting Sioux nickname has come under fire, officials said they wanted to study the decision before commenting.
"We just don't have enough information to know exactly what it means," said Phil Harmeson, a senior associate to school president Charles Kupchella.
Guidelines were not immediately available on which logos and nicknames would be considered "hostile or abusive."
The NCAA two years ago recommended that schools determine for themselves whether the Indian depictions were offensive.
Among the schools to change nicknames in recent years over such concerns were St. John's (from Redmen to Red Storm) and Marquette (from Warriors to Golden Eagles).
The NCAA plans to ban schools using Indian nicknames from hosting postseason events. Harrison said schools with such mascots that have already been selected as tournament sites would be asked to cover any offensive logos.
Such logos also would be prohibited at postseason games on cheerleader and band uniforms starting in 2008.

This is a topic that makes me scratch my head. No group has suffered more by the hands or our government than the Native Americans. Somehow, someway, the NCAA and other organizations believe that those wrongs will be righted by forcing schools to abandon nicknames and logos that utilize Native American characters and lore.

This fits in the same category as the U.S. Senate's apology for not enacting anti-lynching laws. It's great PR, it sounds good, it soothes some hurt feelings, but IT DOES NOT ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. Problems such as alcoholism, suicide, drug use, high dropout rates and poverty.

In many cases, the offensiveness of the mascots to Native Americans is questionable. Univerisities like Florida State have the endorsement of tribes to carry on and honor Native Americans by the use of their mascot.

Shouldn't the mascot be better off left up to the school?

Another problem I have with this is that it is an unfunded mandate by the NCAA. Replacing uniforms, logos and other associated items will cost each univeristy in the millions. It also costs universities money lost from alumni whose gifts will diminish over the PC craze. I know, I know, you don't want that money anyways, right? Ask any university how much money its willing to go without. Not much.

I get tired of the NCAA trying to engineer social change through college athletics. But what am I to expect from an organization run by college administrators who seek to do the same on their own campuses.

PC is great!!!

Media bias, red herring or objective reporting?

2005-08-04T13:25:00.000-05:00

Check this article out from today's Fort Worth Star Telegram online.

GRAPEVINE - In a packed ballroom in Grapevine, President Bush quickly skimmed through myriad hot-button topics, each of which drew loud applause from a largely conservative legislative organization.
While he broke no new political ground -- and even repeated ideas he has championed since 2001 -- he covered many issues considered significant to his administration.
The former Texas governor seemed right at home, with an easy smile and laid-back mannerisms, at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on Lake Grapevine, which is decorated to resemble different locales in the state. He told the members of the American Legislative Exchange Council that they made a "good decision" in bringing their national convention to Texas and Tarrant County.
He again defended his decision to go to war in Iraq. Recent opinion polls suggest that the public is growing weary of the conflict.
Bush also said he expects Congress to approve his controversial plan to privatize parts of the Social Security system, despite signs of reluctance from many lawmakers.
The president called his Supreme Court nominee, John G. Roberts Jr., a "good, modest fellow that is plenty bright." He said he hopes that the Senate acts with "dignity" in confirming Roberts' appointment before the Supreme Court reconvenes in October.
Bush also complimented Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick, who shared the stage with him at the Gaylord Texan.
"Speaker, you're doing a great job. I'm proud of your accomplishments," Bush said, never mentioning the troubles that Craddick and the rest of the state GOP leadership are having in trying to pass a new school-finance plan.
Before an estimated crowd of 1,200, Bush received his loudest applause when, in reference to the 9-11 attacks, he said "The United States will not wait to be attacked again."
"This is a war against killers who hide ... Iraq is the latest battleground," said Bush, who spoke for just under an hour.
The president's speech was well-received by the group, which is holding its national convention at Gaylord Texan.
The well-dressed crowd eagerly awaited the president's arrival, falling silent only after officials placed a temporary presidential seal on the main podium. Standing ovations and cheers regularly interrupted Bush's remarks, despite empty stomachs -- food was not served until after the speech.
"He's wonderful, great. Too bad we can't have him for another four years," said Lisa Cleary of Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Bush explained his reasons for the fight in Iraq, saying "a freer land in the heart of the Middle East will be a serious blow to their hateful ideology."
However, the independent, bipartisan 9-11 Commission concluded that while there were contacts between Iraq and al Qaeda, there was no evidence of a collaborative relationship or Iraqi involvement in the 9-11 plot.
Bush touched on numerous other topics, including public education, health care, immigration and faith-based organizations. He anticipated heading for Crawford for a vacation after the speech and told the crowd that he planned to ride his mountain bike.
Bush's planned appearance at the event leaked out late last week, but some audience members were in the dark almost until he took the stage.
"We didn't know it for sure until we showed up," said Myrna Powell of Kansas, who was tipped off by a telephone call the night before. Powell abandoned her luggage and her car to a valet and headed to the Texas Ballroom, one of the larger rooms at the Texan.
"He is always very sincere and to the point," said 82-year-old Leona Montgomery of The Woodlands, who has been embraced by the president in the past. "He gives a good hug."
For those not invited to the event, a quick view of Bush's helicopter was the closest they could get. About 50 people gathered along Dooley Street and East Northwest Highway to watch the helicopter land at Grapevine's Fire Station No. 1, 601 Boyd St. School buses were used as barricades.
The American Legislative Exchange Council has more than 2,400 legislator members. The bipartisan association promotes a belief in limited government, free markets, federalism and individual liberty.
The conference runs through Friday.

Was that objective journalism? The statement reflected nothing of what George Bush said in his speech. He never said that Iraq and Al Qaida were linked in his remarks. He stated that Iraq was the "latest battleground" in the War on Terror. This was poor journalism, where the writers slipped in a liberal/Dem talking point at the expense of good writing.

If you want to argue the Iraq/Al Qaida connection, then argue when statements about that link are made by the President. I would expect something like this out of Paul Krugman or Bob Hebert, but reporters should know better.

Another example of the shitty reporting done by the Star-Telegram, with whom many of my athlete and coaching friends have had icy relationships. I've seen their reporters mischaracterize, take out of context and manipulate stories and quotes for years now...and that's just in the Sports page. Add to that their liberal editorial style, it's a recipe for disaster. This is another great example of liberal cockamamie, with the S-T front and center.

Michael Barone has a blog!!!

2005-08-04T11:21:00.000-05:00

Check it out here. Barone is one of the most astute political commentators, ever. He is a favorite writer of mine, and I highly suggest his book Hard America, Soft America.

Particularly interesting are his rules in life. Especially the second one. ;)

Economic News

2005-08-04T10:36:00.000-05:00

courtesy of AP

Fewer people signed up for unemployment benefits last week, an encouraging sign that the nation's jobs climate is improving.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that new applications filed for unemployment insurance dropped by a seasonally adjusted 1,000 to 312,000 for the week ending July 30.
The showing was even better than economists were expecting before the release of the report. They were predicting claims for jobless benefits actually would rise.
The latest labor market barometer suggested that companies are feeling pretty good about the economy and thus may be less inclined to lay off workers and more willing to step up hiring.
The economy grew by an energetic 3.4 percent annual rate in the second quarter. Economists believe it will perform even better in the July-September period.
The more stable, four-week moving average of new jobless claims also declined last week to 316,750, a decrease of 2,250 from the previous week. The 316,750 level of claims was the lowest since late February.
And, the number of people continuing to draw unemployment benefits dropped to 2.6 million for the week ending July 23, the most recent period for which that information is available. A year ago, the number of people continuing to collect benefits stood at 2.9 million.
Thursday's report is consistent with analysts' expectations that labor market conditions continued to get better in July.
The nation's unemployment rate in June dipped to 5 percent, the lowest in nearly four years, as employers added 146,000 jobs to their payrolls during the month.
Economists are looking for stronger job growth for July and are forecasting that around 180,000 net new jobs were created. The jobless rate is expected to hold steady. The government releases the employment report for July on Friday.

As I have commented over at LaShawn Barber's and elsewhere, the economy is well and showing signs of healthy growth. This is further proof of that. As reported on Powerline, 37 million new jobs have been created in the economic recovery. Manufacturing is surging.

I'm waiting for the Dem assault on the new job figures. They will assert that the jobs don't pay well, that they aren't a living wage. What is a living wage? I'll tell you what living wage means to the Dems. Cars, TV's, DVD players, Direct TV, fancy clothing. To them, it's not enough to just have a job. It's the government's job to assure everyone of a quality of life.

That's where the big difference lies between Conservatives and Dem/Libs. Read the Constitution carefully. Nowhere does it list the government's responsibilities as ensuring a quality of life. It only designates the government to allow for the opportunity. Don't we remember the "pursuit of life, liberty and happiness"? I get sick of all the people complaining about trade agreements, fiscal policies, subsidies. The government does have minimal responsibility in the marketplace: make sure everyone follows the rules of law, help ensure that fiscal policy doesn't lead to economic disaster. That's it. It's not supposed to be more complicated than that, yet since the New Deal, we have allowed further government intrusion into our wallets and into our economic lives. Sure, we've been told it's for the good of the people, but is it really good to have 10, 15, 20, 35 % of your paycheck taken away from you? I'm sure you would argue the same as me. No freakin way.

We've definitely crossed the Rubicon of government policy, so now we are faced with a nation that believes the government is responsible for our happiness and economic comfort. The duty of conservatives is to put as many checks and balances on this growing leviathan as possible. Only a revolution would put it down. A conservative revolution.

Quotables

2005-08-03T16:10:00.000-05:00

Truth or arrogance?

"Tyranny is so generally established in the rest of the world that the prospect of an asylum in America for those who love liberty gives general joy, and our cause is esteemed the cause of all mankind. Slaves naturally become less base as well as wretched. We re fighting for the dignity and happiness of human nature. Glorious it is for the Americans to be called by Providence to this post of honor. Cursed and detested will everyone be that deserts or betrays it."

Benjamin Franklin, 1776

Does this passage still ring true today? Many of us believe it still does, evidenced by the call of man to be free and live in a democratic society. When we fight for the American ideal, the American way, we not only fight for ourselves, but we fight for those who cannot. We indeed are the beacon for all the world, and for those who are oppressed. "Give me your tired and your poor," Lady Liberty is known to have said. It is true today as it was in 1901, 1812 or 1776.

Is it any wonder why people of all walks of life, ethnicities and cultures would risk life and limb to be here? Only in America would an idea over 200 years old be as fresh and vigorous as it were when it was penned.

LIAR!!!

2005-08-03T11:15:00.000-05:00

Remember the finger pointing Rafael Palmeiro did at the Congressional Hearings on Steroids? He never took steriods, ever. Remember that I posted about how I wanted answers.
Well this is what I read as I opened the Dallas Morning News this AM:

Rafael Palmeiro's positive steroid test was for stanozolol, a powerful anabolic steroid that is not available in dietary supplements, according to a newspaper report.
The New York Times, citing a person in baseball with direct knowledge of the sport's drug-testing program, reported on its Web site Tuesday that Palmeiro tested positive for the drug known by the brand name Winstrol, most notably linked to the Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson of Canada

The same drug as Ben Johnson??? Horse steriod taking Ben Johnson??? That is definitely no accident.

Like Desi liked to say to Luci:

Raffy, you got some splainin to do!!!

What's even worse is that MLB knew Palmeiro had tested positive before he got his 3000th hit and then paid for full page ads congratulating him on his achievement. The reason the suspension took so long to take effect was Palmeiro's use of the appeals process, which allowed him to continue to play.

Man, this sucks.

Time for the first ballot steroid Hall of Famer to square up, admit he cheated, and retire.

Where can I sign up?

2005-08-02T12:54:00.000-05:00

Dell Gines, over at The Urban Conservative has an interesting piece about the abortion debate.

He's starting the "I WANT MY SPERM BACK!" campaign. He makes a very compelling case.

Roe v. Wade must be overturned and remanded to the states where it belongs. Then we can make a sensible and effectual compromise...even though I am staunchly pro-life.

TAKS scores released

2005-08-02T12:29:00.000-05:00

And my campus was rated acceptable. The number of unacceptable rated campuses exploded from 98 last year to 364 this year.

When are teacher organizations and administrators going to realize that success on the test means going back and teaching the basics?

Too much emphasis on electives and special programs is costly. Espcecially when the standards for the test continue to rise.

There are four keys to continued improvement in the scores:
1. Rigid discipline within the school, so students know they are coming to learn and not socialize.
2. Everyone reads on their grade level. Most of my students did poorly because they don't understand what the question is asking. They don't posess the necessary vocabulary for their grade level. How do you improve your vocab? You read.
3. Get the kids to class on time and keep them there. In most of the low performing schools, the students aren't where they are supposed to be.
4. Get rid of teachers who can't do their job. That would include me if I wasn't up to snuff.

How do you accomplish these things with consequences that aren't excessively punitive? That's a good question.

I expect more out of myself this year, as I do every year. That's the only way I'll hold up my end of the bargain.

A big name finally got caught...

2005-08-02T11:07:00.000-05:00

and it was the guy I least expected. Raffy. One of my boyhood baseball heroes. The guy I coach left handed hitters to pattern themselves after.

This one is just too hard to believe. In an era where you knew some players were on the juice (Canseco, McGwire, Sosa), Palmeiro was one guy you never suspected. Here's what I remembered about people like Joe Morgan saying were the reasons behind Raffy's consistent hitting:

"He has an easily repeated, very consistent swing."

"He's learned to pull the ball."

"He's gotten stronger as he's matured as a player."

"He's a smarter hitter."

"He plays in hitter's parks with inviting right-field targets."

Never, ever was he mentioned to use steroids until Jose Canseco wrote his book. So now the questions start, but we'll get few answers. Was it cheating? In the realm of life, yes, but not in baseball. Baseball never banned steroids until this season. So how can you say a player cheated if it isn't against the rules?

I want to know what substance Palmeiro tested postitive for, how long it was in his system, and what products it is commonly found in. Will I find out? Doubtful. But it is something all fans want to know.

The next big question is: Does this disqualify Palmeiro from the Hall of Fame?

No. As Jason Stark writes on ESPN.com , we don't know when he took steroids, for how long, and how many hits or home runs were a result of any steriod use. We also can't punish someone for cheating when it wasn't cheating. Another problem is that if cheating pitchers such as Gaylord Perry are Hall of Famer's, and celebrated for their cheating, what is so much more sinister about this type of cheating? What we will have here is a lack of consitency in determining how players who supposedly cheated are treated when becoming eligible for the Hall of Fame. We all know pitchers will get a free pass.

I am disappointed that an icon of my youth didn't measure up to his iconic standard. But neither did the Mick. That doesn't stop me from revering Mickey Mantle, and it won't stop my admiration of Rafael Palmeiro. I just won't view him with the same eye as I did before. People we put on pedastals will always dissapoint us, no matter how close to perfect they are. We aren't perfect, and we all make bad choices. Choices that do come with consequences. Rafael Palmeiro will learn that his baseball legacy will always be tarnished. What will be our life lesson?

Still unpacking...

2005-08-01T17:44:00.000-05:00

so between that and the wife's hectic summer school schedule, I won't get much blog time today. The good thing is that we are mostly settled into our new place, with just some minor decorating left to do.

Sure is nice to have some more space.

Issues of note:
1. Glad to see John Bolton recieve his recess appointment. He is deserving. People will find he will do more good than percieved harm.

2. I'm ready for a new governor. Rick Perry has exhausted my patience as a voter.

On hiatus

2005-07-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

Posting will be restricted as we move to new quarters this weekend. Be back soon.

CAFTA passes House...

2005-07-28T10:59:00.000-05:00

by a narrow margin of 217-215. Looks like union efforts to bully Congressmen didn't work out. This is a win for the American consumer. It will cost the government $4 billion over 10 years in lost tariffs. But it will cut costs on lots of goods we use every day: sugar, sugar based products, fruits and vegetables.

Another benefit not mentioned is that it will allow Central American nations to develop industry and compete in one of the world's largest economies, bringing up the standard of living and making democracy more viable. How much we forget that Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro have their eyes on infiltrating and overthrowing the democratic governments of the region.

As much as you will hear big industry and big union complain, this is a big WIN for all of us.

Deader than dead

2005-07-28T10:12:00.000-05:00

That's what school finance in Texas has become. Last night the house voted 124-8 against the tax bill which would support the school finance measure, which was voted down the night before. Let's face it, it is a bad school finance bill. It doesn't close down the loopholes for businesses and tobacco interests. It doesn't address the teacher pay and benefit problem. It doesn't steer more money into the classroom. I've been against it from the start. Yesterday I proposed alternatives to the financing plan that would never be adopted...but they would work. This is an issue that must be solved, and the solution will likely be a watered down plan that does nothing, but will pass because they have to pass something.

New website

2005-07-28T10:07:00.000-05:00

With school starting in 2 weeks, I've started a blog for my students to track their assignments, ask questions and comment on class. Please feel free to visit the site once schools starts on August 15th and let me know what you think.

www.coachrobsclass.blogspot.com

PEW survey has some interesting results.

2005-07-27T17:41:00.000-05:00

The latest survey from the PEW group asked questions to over 17,000 Muslims across the majority Muslim worshipping countries. The results were surprising for some, not so much for others. Check it out for yourself by clicking here.

I won't pound you with the numbers, but here are some highlights:

Democracy
For the entire survey, an overwhelming majority of Muslims believe that democracy is a viable form of government. The peak was at 83%, while the low was 43% in Pakistan. Recently, Indonesia held successful democratic elections, and it is the largest Muslim country in the world. Contrary to what liberal senators and State Department hacks think, Muslims do wish to choose their own fate. Their misguided attitude has led to failed policies that reinforces regimes in Iran and elsewhere. If anything, our work in Iraq is proving them wrong. Muslims do believe, however, that Islam plays an important role in democracy and government.

Terrorism
Once again, an overwhelming majority oppose terrorism as a tool in political change. Among the sub-categories, however, terrorism against American interests was widely accepted. This could be just as much as a result of the slant given by the Arab street towards the United States. An interesting side note is that they seem to despise our policies...which are designed to bring them the very freedoms they are seeking.

Radical Islam
A majority of Muslims oppose the radical elements sought by the terrorists and their supporters. Less than 10% across the board support the fanatical clerics and their hateful ideology. That is a good sign. Hopefully the remaining 90% will begin to speak out more forcefully against the radical 10...unless this poll number is untruthful. Growing attacks against women and children as well as against local police are taking their toll.

Bin Laden
OBL recieved the highest support in Pakistan and Jordan, where over 40% gave him a positive approval rating. Elsewhere, OBL does not have broad support, relegating his supporters to the same 10% that fall in with the fanatical clerics. His approval ratings have plummeted, in some cases by large double digit numbers.

Now, many discount the accuracy and objectivity of the PEW polls, often times myself included. I'm not sure which way to accept the poll results, but at first glance, they look favorable. The logical conclusion is that democracy and freedom are desired among people world-wide. Only a fool would think that people are either incompatible or not desiring freedom. That is unless you work in the State Department.

Time to give President Bush some credit for a forward thinking foreign policy that seeks to give freedom and democracy to those who seek it.

School finance bill fails in House

2005-07-27T10:36:00.000-05:00

This after House Democrats got through an amendment that added $3.8 billion to the state school budget for a larger teacher raise and complete funding for bilingual ed programs. The new version then failed, as Speaker Tom Craddick and his Republican leadership arm-twisted enough Republicans who were in favor of the improved bill to change their minds. I'm sure he reminded them that there were significant highway dollars promised to their districts in return for their votes for the original plan.

The Senate version is expected to pass in the next couple of days. Will this ever get done? Maybe.

This fight is all about avoiding tough decisions in reworking the school finance structure in the state. As long as the state relies on local property taxes for the bulk of its funding, there will always be the same problems of funding disparities between districts. If you want to make that problem moot, then take away the local property tax funding and replace it with something that gives every district the same amount of $$ per student. Then if Southlake wants to build a nice new natatorium (they already have one), they can pass a bond package to fund it. Here's some budget ideas:

1. Each district recieves from the state $5K per student. To take that to another radical step, after 5 years each parent recieves a $5K voucher per year to send their child to the public school of their choice. Low performing schools would then be on notice that they have 5 years to fix their act.
2. Of that $5K, 65% must be spent inside the classroom (teacher salaries, textbooks, technology).
3. Close all the Mack truck sized loopholes for businesses and levy a flat franchise tax against businesses, with an exemption for small family owned businesses.
4. Parents of school children pay a flat income tax (3-5%) with exemptions for parents earning less than $25K.
5. Increase the cigarette tax by $0.50 per pack.
6. Repeal the property tax used for school funding.
7. Do not touch the sales tax.

Then force school districts to make tough choices about how they allocate their money. Too many districts are caught in a bureaucratic trap where there are excessive amounts of administrators and support staff and not enough instruction. This rewarding of the "fat cats" wastes entirely too much money.

School district and teachers then should be financially rewarded for their performance. All teachers and administrators should recieve the same base salaries based on years experience. However, extra money should be rewarded to teachers and administrators who actually excel in their job. In corporate America, this is how you play. It shouldn't be anything different. Competition will bring out the best in all our teachers, and it will put glaring spotlights on those who can't do the job. It will encourage creativity, and help eliminate waste.

Of course, if my teacher organization and fellow teacher's read this, they would picket...better yet riot in front of my apartment until they caught me and tore me limb from limb. But hey, that's the great part of being a conservative in a liberal establishment. Always swimming upstream!!!

Lil sis has a blog all her own...

2005-07-26T17:15:00.000-05:00

www.impatientchicken.blogspot.com

Lil sis is entering her 3rd year at SMU Law. She's one of the two real brains in the family (not me), and will be far wealthier and more powerful than I'll ever be. No worries, because I know she'll be a benevolent dictator to her "big bro."

Interspersed with her quick wit and loquacious commentary, you will find insight on a far range of topics, many of them law related (obviously so).

Needless to say I am very proud of my sisters (this one has a duplicate, and she's the other brain of the family), so I gladly reccomend you to her site.

As for me: baa baa black sheep!

Is this too far out there???

2005-07-25T22:57:00.000-05:00

I just started typing, and this is what I came up with. I'm wondering if it is too over the top, or incoherent, or good. After reading it over a couple of times, it seems radical in its own way. The third reading had me thinking it's way over the top. I've decided to print it anyways, because this is my forum to espouse whatever may be on my mind. I don't ask anyone to like it, as I might not even like it. Yet it is what's on my mind, so now I give it to you, my loyal readers. As FoxNews likes to say: We report, you decide.

Are we now to say that we are too far removed to actually follow the written framework of our Constitution?
To a liberal, then the answer would be yes, but that is the wrong answer. Over time, we have forgotten that we engage in this form of government as part of a social contract. This form of government is chosen because it offers us the freedoms we seek while giving us the protections from tyranny we also desire. What good is it to uphold our part of the social contract if the government cannot protect us from the tyranny of radical Islam?

This removal from Constitutional supremacy and its original construct began on college campuses by "progressive thinking" law professors and gained acceptance with the Griswold decision and furthered by Roe v. Wade, Bakke and others. It has brought us to the morass of tolerance and diversity, a practice that has weakend America at the expense of strengthening others. Enjoying other cultures and giving others the respect to practice their beliefs has been a hallmark of our society. However, that idea has never meant that other beliefs and ideas were to be considered equivalent to what the founders dared to create. Yet we continue to masquerade in this dialogue which does nothing but bring about our own destruction.

Dare we say that the liberal idea of what America should be has contributed to the problem we now face? Absolutely. With the protections afforded by a liberal judiciary, who make laws without the consent of the people, we have necessarily made it harder to uproot and eliminate what is evil and seeks to destroy us.

Our government has been very pro-active in infiltrating and surveiling groups such as the Aryan Nation and other fringe groups which are so often associated with Christianity. Why is it so revolting to do the same with the mosques and sects of Islam within our borders? We are barred in the name of tolerance and diversity. Radical clerics and hateful Islamists hide behind it. It is time that the shield of such tolerance be lifted. We should justly be intolerant of those who hate us, just as we are intolerant of David Duke, the KKK and any other radical group that seeks to overthrow the government and terrorize the populace.

It is unfortunate that our liberal leaders have sold a bill of goods to the population that unfettered acceptance (they call it tolerance) should be the law of the land. Especially when it is a practice they certainly do not preach. It is now time to demand the government stop this charade and shell game and do our bidding. Without such action, we will certainly find ourselves in the grip of tyranny, either at the hands of Islamists, or at the hands of some leader given power because we did not take action now.

Seeking alternative hosting sites...

2005-07-25T10:58:00.000-05:00

According to the Captain, Blogger is allowing commercial users to spam other sites. Not only that, Blogger is owned by Google. We all know the political affiliation of that group. Not sure I want to be permanently associated with Google and its moonbat owners. Blogger is very easy to use, which is why I chose it in the first place.

I welcome any suggestions...and free is best.

Man gunned down in London not a terrorist...

2005-07-23T22:38:00.000-05:00

which makes his fleeing police even more perplexing. News reports interviewing his family stated he knew English very well, so why did he not heed the police command to stop? Reading over the news reports, however, brokered this priceless tidbit:

Iqbal Sacranie, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said, "It's absolutely vital that the utmost care is taken to ensure that innocent people are not killed due to overzealousness."

Sure would be nice if he would preach that to his own flock. Of course, this guy and his organization will get a free pass from the media, when it was the "overzealousness" enacted by terrorists he represents that killed over 50 INNOCENT PEOPLE just 2 weeks ago. These spokesmen are pathetic.

Perhaps if the overzealous Muslim terrorists weren't trying to blow up the Tube every other week we would not be faced with the situation we're in. Spare the "we're in Iraq" diatribe. As Australian PM Howard waxed poetically for us last week, this nonsense cranked up long before Iraq or Afghanistan. Anyone remember Bali? Predates our response to these idiots.

I'm glad I don't deal daily with some of these mouthpieces.

The greatness of Chrenkoff:

2005-07-22T23:49:00.000-05:00

The jihadis demand that we withdraw our troops from Iraq - and Afghanistan, and from every other Muslim country (and the Jews, presumably, withdraw themselves altogether from their country). These demands are accompanied by nods of agreement from much of our intelligencia and the commentariat, who agree that such withdrawal would stop terrorism and make all our current problems go away.

Yet, all the talk about withdrawing foreign "crusader" troops from the Middle East and Central Asia is but a ruse. It is not really about withdrawing troops per se, but about giving Islamofascists the free hand to overthrow all the current governments throughout the region, many of whom actually or tacitly rely on Western assistance, and replace them with Taliban clones.

So yes, maybe - or maybe not - the withdrawal would temporarily diminish international terrorism, but at a price of helping to create a monster - a totalitarian jihadi superstate in control of most of the world's oil resources and in possession of weapons of mass distraction.

This is absolutely crucial to understand: all the talk about the war on terror being the Third (or the Fourth, depending how you're counting) World War, or the new Cold War, obscures the fact that it is in reality a largely pre-emptive war to smother in the cradle, while it's still relatively weak, the menace which if allowed to grow would in a decade or two confront us with a specter of a genuine, apocalyptic world war.

As cruel and callous the calculus might sound to the victims and their loved ones, thousands are dying today so that millions will not have to die years from now.

I think many of us have been blogging relentlessly to make this very point. People have learned so little from history, and in the annals of time, very recent history at that. Policies of acceding and appeasement are always paid back in full. With higher costs, both monetary and in blood. No policy of appeasement has ever worked. Those who are pacifists have always been on the wrong side of history. Of course, that means little. Our current intellectual class would have us believe that they know better. Their brainpower has enlightened them such that they will solve the problem through nuance and negotiation. There is no amount of bombs, terror or death that will convince the intellectuals otherwise. They've become drunk on their own mind. Funny, Neville Chamberlain thought the same thing in 1936 only to see Britain blitzed in the summer of 1940. That failure led to the deaths of over 40 mllion people in Europe alone.

We will pay a price now, or we will pay later. Later will cost us something far greater than we can fathom. Paying now at least gives us the opportunity to dictate our own terms in the war on terror.

You wonder why I am against House Bill 2?

2005-07-22T14:24:00.000-05:00

Read this over at the Smoking Gun.

House Bill 2 takes away many of the due process protections that a teacher in a "non-union" state lacks. The due process rights I enjoy now are the only barrier keeping an overzealous ideologue from firing a conservative like myself because of my conservatism.

Think I'm lying? Ask any conservative teacher about how much crap we put up with because of our view, and how some administrators have it out for us.

I've got plenty of other beefs with the school finance bill, among them my compensation. Taking away barriers to ideological vendettas, however, has got me steamed.

The Empire Strikes Back?

2005-07-22T11:54:00.000-05:00

Metropolitan Police Force and British security services hot on the trail of 4 suspects. One other suspect gunned down in the Tube. Are the British getting tough?

Looks like the Brits are adopting a "shoot first" interrogation style.

London, Part II

2005-07-21T11:04:00.000-05:00

Four more blasts today. The injury toll, while less, should not be the issue here. The Iraq critics, like Galloway, will be out in full force, blaming the British woes on being in the Middle East/Southwest Asia. Perhaps now can we begin looking harder at the root of the problems, vs. paying lip service to the victims families while giving radicals a free pass.

I surmise that Britain will shortly begin crackdowns against the mosques and clerics that they percieve to be radical. Questions to ponder:

Will this ultimately be a war of cultures and religion?

Does the scarcity of attacks in the United States (meaning=0) actually show that the Patriot Act works?

Are those who claim Islam as a religion of peace losing their credibility?

For my faithful readers, I think you know where I stand on all three questions (yes on all 3?). I would like to see what everyone else thinks.

Others blogging:
The Urban Conservative, LB's Corner, Michelle Malkin, The Captain, Powerline, Chrenkoff

Headed to double overtime

2005-07-20T11:13:00.000-05:00

Well, the first special session of the Texas Legislature is winding down. School finance and its corresponding tax reform is pretty much dead...until maybe Thursday. That's when Rick Perry is expected to call lawmakers back to work. What's the cost to us: $1.2 million for each session. In short, it will cost us at least $2.4 million to get a crappy school finance bill. There are some redeeming values to it, but not many.

Here are some highlights:

A teacher pay raise phased in over two years.

Restoration of the insurance stipend for classroom teachers.

Incentive pay for high performing teachers and classrooms.

A future requirement of 65% of all expenditures in the classroom.

Serious penalties and consequences for districts that don't get their act together.

The lowlights:

Loss of certain contract rights for teachers.

An exemption from the teacher pay scale for districts who are exemplary.

This bill makes everybody mad, and maybe that's a good thing. I'm no socialist or liberal, but I do think the method in which they compensate teachers is ridiculous. Should everyone get some kind of raise: yes. But that raise should have two components to it. The first should help adjust for cost of living increases. The second should reward those who do their job well. Teachers that do perform well (not judging totally by standardized test scores) should be justly compensated. On that standard, I would get the first raise, but maybe not the second, as my students test scores did not markedly improve over a year ago.

Anyways, when it is all said and done, I will commence to a long and detailed rant. Probably by that time I'll be back at work and I won't have much time to blog at all.

Then again, they could screw this thing up real bad and the courts decide it on October 1. I hope not.

Pathetic

2005-07-19T23:23:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of FoxNews:

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who last week laid out a list of questions that a Supreme Court nominee should answer, said that Roberts has an obligation to answer those questions.
"The burden is on a nominee to the Supreme Court to prove that he is worthy, not on the Senate to prove that he is unworthy. I voted against Judge Roberts for the D.C. Court of Appeals because he didn't answer questions fully and openly when he appeared before the committee," Schumer said.
"I hope Judge Roberts, understanding how important this nomination is — particularly when replacing a swing vote on the court — will decide to answer questions about his views," he said.

Instead of quality, constructive questions about judicial philosophy, this opens the way for the Dems to commit all out character assassination. Roberts is too good of a choice to get "Borked", but it doesn't make Schumer's statement any less revulsing.

A good and decent man

2005-07-19T21:28:00.000-05:00

President Bush picks John Roberts as his nominee to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the high court. He is a good jurist. I'm sure there will be plenty of rankling since the pick isn't a woman or minority. The President should pick as he chooses, not hamstrung by anything but his own mind. Now let's get to the confirmation process and more Dem and lib obstructionism, more malevolent than any Congress perhaps in history.

After reading this, Tancredo isn't far off the mark

2005-07-19T16:19:00.000-05:00

The Islamists are now within the gates. They fled the fires and the terrors of the Arab-Islamic world but brought ruin with them. This new Islamism mocks the borders of nations and the very idea of nationality. "We may carry their nationalities," a Wahhabi preacher decreed recently, "but we belong to our religion."

So writes Fouad Ajami in this week's U.S. News and World Report. His analysis of the current European crisis with Islam paints a differing picture of how most of us view the war on terror. The new class of terrorist is 2nd or 3rd generation immigrant to Europe who feels not welcome in their ancestral homes and even less welcome in the new country their parents and grandparents have emigrated to. This presents a difficult problem. While we can disable as many state sponsors of terrorism as possible, it leaves open the possibility that this war is going to evolve into something that doesn't involve nations, but involves individuals, and more to the front, religion itself. So how do you offer a deterrent to those who profess no nationality, but only claim their religion??? That's where Tom Tancredo's hypothetical, which has gotten him in deep trouble with many, really hits home. If these people have no nationality, then what they hold important is Mecca, the Dome of the Rock and other holy sites. That is where deterrent may lie, and subsequently Tancredo wasn't so far off after all.

Straight talk on the Tancredo flagration

2005-07-19T12:52:00.000-05:00

This is what I posted over at LB's Corner:

You guys so worried about how we are making Muslims feel need to recognize where this multicultural babble is leading us. By looking tolerant, our enemies construe us as being weak or soft. True deterrence is through strength and the threat that we will use that strength.

We aren’t making new enemies and we aren’t winning new friends by virtue of what Tom Tancredo says. That is painting the general Islamic public as being way too stupid or way too ignorant. The Arab street is a lot wiser than you guys think. And they are using our mealy mouthed-nonsense against us. They want us to believe that we have to be “tolerant” and nice to them so that they can use us to achieve their aims. How stupid are we to allow ourselves to be so manipulated?

As long as we give in to this line of thinking, the longer we will continue to have problems. Only by directly staring down the threat and backing it up with action will the threat dissipate, and it won’t be quick nor easy. Right now these Arab despots and their network news outlets are scared. Scared of real freedom and democracy booting them from power. The Islamofacists are just the same. They’ve got a bunch of people hoodwinked. They bomb and terrorize and blame us for how we talk about them and we buy it. Many of our leaders believe that if we talk nice they will leave us alone. So we talk nice, and act nice, and the terrorists get what they want. Then they will bomb again and blame some other aspect of our society.

Their goal is to get us to submit. And by worrying about what we say and who we offend, we are doing so much more to achieve their goals than we are in achieving ours.

And the winner is...

2005-07-19T12:30:00.000-05:00

According to FoxNews and other sources, Edith Clement of the 5th Circuit will be the nominee to the Supreme Court. This is a politically wise choice for President Bush, stemming from the mere fact that she was confirmed to the 5th Circuit by a vote of 99-0. Of course, Dems and libs will line up and say that her previous confirmation was formality and how things are done, and now she should be given much closer scrutiny. That is such ludicrous logic. Senators know that men and women picked for the Circuit courts just very well could be nominated to the Supremes. That is why Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and others were hammered away at mercilessly. I hope that the Dems do attempt a fillibuster, so their ludicrous grandstanding and political hatred can further expose itself to the general public.

As far as the merits of Clement are concerned, I know very little about her. One thing that is good is that she seems to have ticked off both NARAL Pro-Choice and the Christian Coalition. That will put her viewpoints where the majority of Americans lie, just to the right of the center.

In any case, I'll find out tonight around 8 p.m. Texas time.

Plame game

2005-07-18T21:17:00.000-05:00

Andrew McCarthy at NRO discloses that MSM has been telling the Fitzgerald inquiry something far different from what it reports to the dimwitted public. Surprising? Not at all. These guys try to play us for fools all the time. Unfortunately, they cannot fool us for long.

Calling a "spade" a spade.

2005-07-18T18:22:00.000-05:00

What to do about terrorism? Or better put, how do we talk openly about terrorism and who is committing it? There are some major questions that I believe must be answered in order for us to honestly move ahead in combatting the problem.

1. Is this a genuine religious issue?
More aptly put, is terrorism an issue dealing exclusively with Islam? Historically speaking, no. More recently, maybe. We've seen terrorism in England, Northern Ireland, the Balkans, India, Pakistan and elsewhere that was perpetrated by non-Muslims. So to truly answer the question, we must ask this: Is Islamic based terrorism a genuine reflection of the majority, or a radical element? There are two ways to cut this question. First, the silence of a majority of Muslims suggests that they tacitly support the terrorists through their silence. This may not totally be true. In many places, Muslims are silent because they fear reprisal by the more radical elements. Not true in the Middle East, where Islam is the cultural norm. So now the question can be further sub-divided, asking: Is Islamic based terrorism a genuine reflection of the majority of people in the Middle East? In that instance, the answer is a little more clear cut, and it is a yes. I would love to be convinced otherwise, but in this case, evidence is much to the contrary.

2. Is this an issue of socio-economics?
The London bombings, 9/11 and others prove otherwise. The perpetrators have come from middle and upper class backgrounds. While poverty may make some more vulnerable to influence, it is not the only factor, so saying we should give aid to these countries and it solve the problem is definitely not the solution.

3. Is this an issue of despotism and lack of freedoms?
Maybe. That is the bet that George W. Bush has hedged his place in history upon. It is based on the premise that free peoples value life and do not seek to destroy it. History will be the answer to this question, and I see it more in the affirmative than in the negative.

So, that being said, how do we talk about the issue. The problem, as Victor Davis Hanson so aptly puts it is multiculturalism and PC. It prevents us from honestly talking about the issue because only one side is free to talk as they wish, and it is not the West. The liberal element in our society has convinced itself that the reason why these people commit these acts is because of us, and because of that guilt we are supposed to have, they get free pass to speak and act with impunity. WE MUST BE ABLE TO BEAR OUT ALL COMPLAINTS. Even if the rhetoric is ugly and offensive to some, open discussion is the only means to rationally talk about the issue. Now, don't tear into me saying I advocate a diplomatic solution. Not the case. What I am saying, however, is that everyone involved should be able to freely and openly speak their mind without being called racist, bigoted, ignorant or stupid.

With that in mind, let me firmly state that terrorism in its current state is a religious issue. Those that use it seek to place Islam first in the world order, with all others subordinate to its laws. We are either willing to convert, or ultimately, in their eyes, we must die. The goal is the return of the Caliphates, which ruled over large portions of the Earth in the Middle Ages. At stake is our way of life. The failure of other elements of Islam to speak out against these thugs accelerates the problem. Because the terrorists speak out in the name of Islam, those Muslims who despise terrorism must speak out against it, much as the same secular expectation of Christians if someone committed terrorism in the name of Christ. The concept that Islam gets leeway from explaining itself, when Christianity does not is loathesome and irresponsible. If we cannot call this brand of Islam for what it is, then we are surely sowing the seeds of our own demise.

Can we speak freely on the terrorist issue?

2005-07-18T15:48:00.000-05:00

Right now, I'm not sure without the threat of being branded a racist. I'm compiling my thoughts, and will post later on as one commenter at LB's Corner put it: "calling a spade a "spade".

Are girls the new sexual aggressors?

2005-07-17T18:37:00.000-05:00

Not to be confused with the hot wife photo up above....

So asks the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (reg.req.) in today's story by the same title.

At younger ages than ever before, girls are dressing provocatively, wooing boys aggressively and initiating sex. Parents complain that their sons are the victims. But, psychologists say, so are your daughters.
Girls in short skirts purposely showing off their thong underwear -- or their lack of underwear.
Girls hiking up their skirts to straddle stair banisters.
Girls catcalling after guys, groping them in hallways, sitting on their laps and even propositioning them for sex.
Sounds like "Girls Gone Wild Visits the Playboy Mansion," right?
Wrong.
It's an average day at your local high school.
And many girls are leading the wanton way.
What was once considered the province of hormone-raging teen boys -- chasing the opposite sex -- is now just as much the territory of many teen and pre-teen girls. These girls aren't just batting their mascara-laden lashes at the boys; they're dressing like hookers, talking like sailors and partaking in sexual behaviors that make the old-fashioned back-seat petting session seem as quaint as a tea party.

This is something I see daily and fight diligently against, along side fellow teachers. Unfortunately, it is a losing battle right now. It's evidenced in the increased numbers of pregnancies on high school campuses, the catastrophic increase in STD's and the rapidly rising rate of HIV/AIDS infections.

There are two solutions to the dress code issue:

1. Zero tolerance enforcement of the current dress code. This usually doesn't happen because there are always a couple of teachers who don't do their job, or male teachers do not enforce dress code for fear of sexual harrassment claims.

2. School uniforms.

These young sexpots know they have the advantage. All it takes is to cry rape or sexual harrassment if they don't get their way. Young men are often going to give in to the temptation because it gives them status or "cred". They also are powerfully influenced by the hip-hop lifestyle they see on TV and listen to on their CD's. The young men and women are also powerfully influenced by what they see at home, where in many cases the parent either exhibit the same behavior or isn't there and leaves the kids to grow up on their own.

This is continued evidence that the laws should be shaped and benefits conferred to those who choose to make the right choices in getting married, raising their children, staying married, and teaching right from wrong. It's also evidence that this "safe sex" nonsense that so many liberals want to teach leads to more sex, more disease and more pregnancy than it prevents. Only when this stuff is looked down upon will the behavior change.

It's hard to teach class when I have to battle girls talking luridly about oral sex instead of completing their assignment, and then getting little or no support at home. It's also hard to teach class when the young men would rather brag of their weekend's "conquest" than do their work. Call home? You get far more derision and scorn from home, where the child can do no wrong instead of moral support. We all know where this is going to lead us. I don't even have to explain. Just be prepared when Uncle Sam is ready to take a little more out of your check to support these promiscuous kids.

Read the entire article.

Fishing junket.

2005-07-17T18:21:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of FoxNews:

"So did Rove leak Plame's name to me or tell me she was covert? No. Was it through my conversation with Rove that I learned for the first time that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA and may have been responsible for sending him? Yes. Did Rove say that she worked at the 'agency' on 'WMD'? Yes. When he said things would be declassified soon, was that itself impermissible? I don't know. Is any of this a crime? Beats me," Cooper wrote.

A few observations:
The person that should be on the hot seat right now is Robert Novak.

It's obvious now that Rove was not the source of the leak, yet the Dems are relentless in trying to tie this to the Bush administration. Rove truthfully has stated that his only comments relate to background on information put in the open by someone else.

Judith Miller also has a lot to add to all this. I would reckon to guess that Miller could end this whole thing by coming forward. We really don't know what her genuine motives are for keeping quiet. Her silence could be from genuine bias, or it could be from her devotion to journalistic ethics. The truth is usually somewhere in between.

This will continue to be a hot topic until ALL the facts are revealed. Right now they are not, and there is plenty of specuation (I'm guilty of that too). That continues to feed the Dem frenzy and will likely not abate until we get to the bottom of this. Even when the facts do come out and should the Bush administration be exonerated (which I believe will be the outcome), this will still be spun as damaging. Evidence to the contrary means little to the Dems right now. Somewhere out there in the past someone said: "If you repeat a lie often enough, it will become the truth." So it is with every DNC talking point in its vile hatred for those on the other side.

UPDATE: The AP story running in several papers (FW Star-Telegram, etc.) mentions nothing of the Cooper statement listed above and concludes that Rove and Lewis Libby, aide to VP Cheney, are the sources of the leak. Much of Cooper's story in Time is listed, but nowhere does it mention the statments that Cooper made that shed light on the fact that Rove was not the source of the "leak." Does this constitute bias? You decide.

UPDATE II: Powerline scoops why the AP story is so worded. The blame goes squarely on Matthew Cooper, who did not disclose on "Meet the Press" the same information that he disclosed in Time magazine this week. Spin city. What a jerk. His story will unravel in the same matter as it has for the last week or so. I've figured that I'll catch more fish heading to Galveston Bay in the fall than the Dems in this exercise.

Al Jazeera dissing Al Qaida???

2005-07-16T12:26:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe, but it's true. Check it out over at Don Surber's site.

Hat tip: Chrenkoff

China update

2005-07-16T12:01:00.000-05:00

About a month ago, I wrote at length about the rising threat that is China. Now, according to some, that threat was simply posturing by the Chinese to cover-up a growing economic crisis.

Courtesy of Mark Noonan at Blogs4Bush:

Chinese Saber Rattling
By Mark Noonan
Recently a Chinese general stated that China would use nuclear weapons if the United States intervened in a Chinese/Taiwan war...this is put out as the mere opinion of one Chinese general and not reflecting offical Chinese policy, but this is an absurd assertion - China is a dictatorship and any government of military official speaking out of turn faces prison or execution. China's government wanted this threat out there for all to see. The question is, why?
George Friedman writing in Jewish World Review opines that China's aggressiveness is designed to mask China's deepening economic crisis:

Passing a law authorizing war in the event of secession makes no sense, if one assumes that China is economically healthy. If, on the other hand, one thinks of China as facing hard times, increasing the level of tension with Taiwan makes perfect sense. Even if Beijing has no intention— or ability — to invade, Taiwan is a patriotic issue, and the threat of war generates social solidarity and support for the government.
Over the past few weeks, observers have noted an odd hardening of China's foreign policy and a harsher edge to its tone. I would argue that China is in economic difficulty and a Chinese government in economic trouble is also in deep political trouble. Therefore, acting like a superpower is an antidote to economic problems, and legally committing itself to protect China's sovereignty makes a certain kind of sense.

Friedman notes that Standand and Poor rates China's bad debt at $600 billion - like Friedman, I think the number is likely much higher. In a way, all of China's debt is bad debt because no one can actually make a loan to or in China with any assurance of repayment because the government controls everything and repayment will only happen if the Chinese government believes it should. China's economy had only one strength - vast reserves of cheap labor; and I think they've done all they can with that. For China to really advance to first world economic status, the requirement now is rule of law and liberty...two things the Chinese government don't want to have.
Most observers think it doubtful that China would actually launch a war over Taiwan...I'm not so sure; these things tend to take on a life of their own. The cat is already out of the bag, and we're reliant upon corrupt and brutal tyrants to get it back in.

If, in fact, China is in deep economic trouble, then there is a possibility for a far reaching fall out. China's economy is the lynchpin of Asian economic policy, much like we dictate economic policies world wide. I agree that the best way to solve any impending crisis is to introduce rule of law and liberty. Much like Iran, the government has a vice grip on the way of life, meaning change for the better is not a likely scenario. Information, or course, will be difficult to come by. More likely, this is further posturing by the Chinese government, not as a cover-up, but as it continues to assert its once large role in the world politic. China considers itself the world's first superpower. The government see as its destiny a return to that status. It's been a long time since the 14th century.

More Victor Davis Hanson...

2005-07-15T18:50:00.000-05:00

in today's National Review Online.

Ever since September 11, there has been an alternative narrative about this war embraced by the Left. In this mythology, the attack on September 11 had in some vague way something to do with American culpability.

Hansen goes on to explain it as thus:

In this fable, we are not safer as a nation. George Bush’s policies have increased the terror threat as we saw recently in the London bombing. We have now been at war longer than World War II. We still have no plan to defeat our enemies, and thus must set a timetable to withdraw from Iraq. Islamic terrorism cannot be defeated militarily nor can democracy be “implanted by force.” So it is time to return to seeing the terrorist killing as a criminal justice matter — a tolerable nuisance addressed by writs and indictments, while we give more money to the Middle East and begin paying attention to the “root causes” of terror.That is the dominant narrative of the Western Left and at times it finds its way into mainstream Democratic-party thinking. Yet every element of it is false.
Prior to 9/11, the United States had given an aggregate of over $50 billion to Egypt, and had allotted about the same amount of aid to Israel as to its frontline enemies. We had helped to save Muslims in Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, and received little if any thanks for bombing Christian Europeans to finish in a matter of weeks what all the crack-pot jihadists had not done by flocking to the Balkans in a decade.

He continues on and offers this:

Why does this false narrative, then, persist — other than that it had a certain political utility in the 2002 and 2004 elections?
In a word, this version of events brings spiritual calm for millions of troubled though affluent and blessed Westerners. There are three sacraments to their postmodern thinking, besides the primordial fear that so often leads to appeasement.

Our first hindrance is moral equivalence. For the hard Left there is no absolute right and wrong since amorality is defined arbitrarily and only by those in power. Taking back Fallujah from beheaders and terrorists is no different from bombing the London subway since civilians may die in either case. The deliberate rather than accidental targeting of noncombatants makes little difference, especially since the underdog in Fallujah is not to be judged by the same standard as the overdogs in London and New York. A half-dozen roughed up prisoners in Guantanamo are the same as the Nazi death camps or the Gulag.

Our second shackle is utopian pacifism — ‘war never solved anything’ and ‘violence only begets violence.’ Thus it makes no sense to resort to violence, since reason and conflict resolution can convince even a bin Laden to come to the table. That most evil has ended tragically and most good has resumed through armed struggle — whether in Germany, Japan, and Italy or Panama, Belgrade, and Kabul — is irrelevant. Apparently on some past day, sophisticated Westerners, in their infinite wisdom and morality, transcended age-old human nature, and as a reward were given a pass from the smelly, dirty old world of the past six millennia.
The third restraint is multiculturalism, or the idea that all social practices are of equal merit. Who are we to generalize that the regimes and fundamentalist sects of the Middle East result in economic backwardness, intolerance of religious and ethnic minorities, gender apartheid, racism, homophobia, and patriarchy? Being different from the West is never being worse.These tenets in various forms are not merely found in the womb of the universities, but filter down into our popular culture, grade schools, and national political discourse — and make it hard to fight a war against stealthy enemies who proclaim constant and shifting grievances.

If at times these doctrines are proven bankrupt by the evidence it matters little, because such beliefs are near religious in nature — a secular creed that will brook no empirical challenge.

These articles of faith apparently fill a deep psychological need for millions of Westerners, guilty over their privilege, free to do anything without constraints or repercussions, and convinced that their own culture has made them spectacularly rich and leisured only at the expense of others.

Somehow, we are supposed to feel guilty because the United States is the most prosperous nation on earth. Prosperous because of our values and way of life. There is no peer, no competitor. While we need not boast of our superiority, we should take a humble pride that warts and all, for over 200 years the United States has gotten it right way more than it ever got it wrong. We are at war because there are those who wish us to submit to thier way of life, the way of life that was snuffed out in Europe by the likes of Charles Martel. As we see people of affluence continue to take up the banner against us and trot out lists of grievances that change as the wind blows, we must cooly realize that this is no longer about the so-called atrocities of the West. This is about establishing a new world order in which we all submit to Allah and all bow towards Mecca. There can no longer be any middle ground.

A proper perspective...

2005-07-14T16:36:00.000-05:00

from Victor Davis Hanson's site:

The slaughter in London is another grisly wake-up call that likely will go as unheeded as earlier ones. Already the standard narrative is being trotted out: evildoers created by what the New York Times predictably called the “root causes of terrorism”: autocracy, or economic stagnation, or Palestinian suffering, or globalization's dislocations, or Western historical sins, or the war in Iraq (the cause will depend on the political prejudices of the pundit) have “hijacked” Islam and distorted its peaceful message. And now they are using Islam to justify murder in order to further their own ambitions or dysfunctional psychic needs. Given this explanation, so the story goes, we must be careful not to demonize all Muslims and assure them that we respect their religion and culture. The tale is then wrapped up with fierce threats against the terrorists and protestations of admiration for Islam.
Believing this delusion requires that one ignores fourteen centuries of Islamic jihad against the West, a war of conquest and colonization ratified by centuries of Islamic theology and jurisprudence. Indeed, what we call Islamic radicals are in fact Islamic traditionalists; it is the so-called “moderates” — those wanting to compromise Islam so it can coexist with Western ideas such as secular government, separation of church and state, and human rights — who are the radicals and innovators. The terrorists are simply fulfilling the traditional and orthodox command of their religion to battle the infidels who resist the revelation of Mohammed and the global socio-political order mandated by Islam.

People always ask, why do you study history? Why do you teach history? History provides a CORRECT perspective in which to view the running battles of our civilization. Which begs the question, are the current Islamofacists so different from those who were defeated at Vienna or in Spain?

Something to ponder.

Joe Wilson on Karl Rove...

2005-07-14T16:09:00.000-05:00

This from FoxNews:

"I've said this repeatedly, that the smear campaign launched from the West Wing of the White House is just ethically unsupportable," said Wilson.
"This is an enormous distraction from that principled debate — a debate on war and peace," Wilson said, adding that any leak made to achieve a political end is "simply unacceptable."
"I am committed to seeing that justice is done," he added

Wilson is only interested in lying his way to whatever glam and fortune he can accrue. Let's remember the facts here:
1. Wilson lied about who requested his trip to Niger.
2. Wilson lied about his findings and was contradicted by the Senate Intelligence Committee.
3. Rove did not disclose the name of Wilson's wife, nor did he know she was a covert agent.
4. Plame's service as a "covert" agent falls outside the statute of limitations within the law Dems seek to charge Rove with violating.
5. Rove was commenting on background information to a reporter, not making direct inflammatory statements in retaliation to Wilson. Wilson was the one who lied, and continues to do so.

This is such garbage, but as I posted earlier, truth here means little. Anyone who has a story that is spinnable and can "damage" the White House is rushed front and center. MSM, more specifically the NY Times engages in hypocritical opinion by continuing to have Judith Miller keep her mouth shut.

This isn't as Wilson said, about "justice." This is about partisan advantage. The climate in D.C. is terribly disappointing. The work of the country cannot get done in this present tone. Can we get some leadership, please?

UPDATE: Here's the GOP.com memo showing Wilson's "inaccuracies."

A great message.

2005-07-13T22:05:00.000-05:00

I'm a high school head baseball coach. Baseball and basketball are my passions. I've coached both, was the manager for both in college and played both in high school. I was on the fast track to be a top high school basketball coach until I made 2 life changing mistakes. Now that I've worked my way back up (with a lot of God's grace), I can still say I'm looking for stories that help me relate to the kids I am going to coach. This is a hoops story, but I like it. Courtesy of Pat Forde at ESPN.com:

Who was in the stands was just as impressive
By Pat FordeESPN.com
Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college basketball (George Raveling bobblehead doll sold separately):
BEST PLAYER IN THE GYM AT NIKE CAMP
He never dribbled a ball, never took a shot. He just showed up anonymously and sat in the stands spectating, alongside the college coaches, media members and parents. But every kid in uniform could have been schooled by four-year New Mexico (by way of Bradley) star and first-round Indiana Pacers draft pick Danny Granger (1).
Granger had been in Indy for only three days when he decided to drop by the camp that had no room for him as a player at Grace King High School in Metairie, La. That's right -- Danny Granger was a nobody as a teenager, just another kid with a modest rep who was overlooked by the July glam camps.
"I was just trying to go to college," Granger said with a laugh. "I didn't even think about the NBA."
Granger's very presence in the gym at IUPUI would have been instructive for all the campers, underscoring the point so many of them miss: Very few players their age have proven anything yet. This is only the beginning point to making it big in basketball. It's the work and development put in from here that defines their hoops futures.
Just something The Minutes invites everyone to keep in mind during the summer recruiting season

This sure has been a hot topic on a lot of blogs:

2005-07-13T18:58:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Hispanic Pundit:

Meet The New Republicans
July 13th, 2005
The Washington Times writes about The New Republicans:
Journalists are creating public awareness of an emerging class of people called New Republicans. No longer operating under the proverbial radar screen, they are people who value family, limited government, self-help and responsibility, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
Partly, journalists may be interested in their enlarging presence because they are noticing an obvious sociopolitical paradigm shift occurringinourcountry. Another reason may be that the New Republicans are African Americans and Hispanics.
From a conservative perspective, African Americans and Hispanics conspicuously are asserting themselves in the public square by engaging in politics, commerce and the judiciary….
Minorities are breathing new life into the Republican Party. They are affirming that absolute moral truth exists, that traditional values matter and that their dreams can be realized by preserving proven historical ways to succeed.

Hey, that describes me and my views pretty accurately. Welcome to the changing faces of politics my friends, there is a lot more where I came from, and we’re not staying quiet.
Link Via Latino Pundit, who I still refuse to associate with the liberal label.

I'm so glad I don't deal with their nonsense down here in TEXAS

2005-07-13T18:48:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of the Captain:

The Priorities Of The National Education Association

The NEA published its agenda for its July 7th Assembly, listing all the new action items under consideration and the action taken on each. How long does one have to read down the list before the NEA actually addresses an issue having directly to do with educating students? The first item? Third? Fifth?
How about ... fifteenth?
Here's what comes ahead of education at the National Education Association:
1. [Defeated, no description]
2. Fighting Wal-Mart
3. Investigating the positions of financial firms regarding Social Security privatization
4. Adding "multiethnic" and "other" as options on ethnicity questions
5. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the NEA and ATA
6. Forming coalitions to "protect" Social Security
7. Explaining the difference between two different pension plans
8. Requesting an article for their newsletter on "health problems from exposure to fragrance chemicals".
9. Getting outside funding to allow 25 more people to attent the EPA Tools for Schools Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Symposium
10. Creating a workgroup on health care
11. Sponsoring "political training" for Congressional candidates friendly to NEA priorities (see above!)
12. [Defeated, no description]
13. Opposing "billionaire Eli Broad and any other entities to remove elected school boards from cities"
14. Repealing the Social Security offset and explaining the differences between states' approach to Social Security for teachers who move

Five of the top 20 have to do with Social Security politics. Only two items in the top 30 have anything directly to do with educating children. As Michelle Malkin points out, however, they made room during their efforts to demand a withdrawal from Iraq (number 61), oppose CAFTA, (number 63), and support the boycott of Gallo Wines (number 47).
If I wanted to parody the NEA, I couldn't draft a better list than this. Anyone arguing that this special-interest group has the welfare of children as its first priority should read this list carefully and often.

Did I mention I'm glad they don't run the show down here for teachers?

As others would have us stand idly by.

2005-07-12T22:40:00.000-05:00

Christopher Hitchens in Slate:

There has been a great deal of nonsense published in the last week to the effect that an alliance with the United States can put other countries like Britain in the position of being "targeted." Why deny this? I reflect on what was not done at Srebrenica, and on what ought to have been done in Rwanda, and on what was put off too long with the Taliban and the Baathists, and I think what an honor it is to have such enemies. Co-existence with them is not possible, which is good, because it is not desirable or tolerable, either. The Srebrenica memorial stands as enduring testimony to that inescapable conclusion.

Required reading for the day.

A big answer.

2005-07-12T09:15:00.000-05:00

This is the follow up to my post A Big Question.

A few days ago I asked the following: What is the most effective means of teaching young men without fathers the skills needed to be a man within the context of a public education classroom?

If I had a multitude of readers, I'm sure many would assume that I'm talking about a Black problem. That is an aberration. It is only a Black problem in as much as the MSM portrays poverty and single parent households as being exclusively Black. That is a lie. This is an issue that transcends cultural lines. While single parent households may exist in larger numbers in the Black community, it by no means makes that community exclusive.

I believe that this is a question that DOES in some way have solutions already available within the education establishment. Getting the education establishment to actually do these things, as we all know is liking getting water to flow uphill.

I have proscribed six items which I think every school can implement at varying levels to provide good leadership and role modeling for young men without father figures.

The first is to convince these young men that education does matter. Many feel hopeless. We must show them that they have a chance in the battle against their circumstances. Each day they are bombarded by what they see at home, in the MSM and their experiences at school. Many of those experiences are negative. They must be given a reason to persevere. We all know that income rises exponentially with each level that is completed. This is where a teacher's skill to motivate becomes essentially important.

The second step, and it is one that I believe is vital, is to ensure that all students, but especially students with no male role model, can read and write on their grade level. This is a very important step. Children in single parent homes statistically lag behind in language arts skills. That is putting these children at an extreme disadvantage. Students are 63% less likely to engage in criminal activity if they can read and write at their grade level. Here's how that works. A student can't read on his/her grade level. Fear of embarassment or failure causes them to act out in class to drive attention away from their deficit. The student gets sent to the office. Repeated trips to the office, and the student is suspended, labeled a trouble maker and is exposed on a more regular basis to students who engage in criminal activity. Here they find students that are much like them. They fit in and then they too are engaging in criminal activity. It sounds so simple, but it happens all the time. Pay a visit to a high school campus, and you will see for yourself. Not all students fall into this trap, but too many do.

Another step to provide effective mentoring within the classroom is to wage a daily war against the Hip Hop game. Here is what Hip Hop culture, peer pressure and no father at home teaches:

Women are objects (b*&^#@%! and h&*) to be used up and discarded.
Being in "the game" pays better than a real job.
Fathering a child has no responsibilities.
Problems in the community are the fault of the police or government, usually a "whitey."

This is the hardest step. Effective role modeling here is through the use of quality groundrules within the classroom. Self-respect is the greatest tool against the hip hop game. Rules and discipline teach that. Of course, some help at home doesn't hurt either. This not just a Black problem. The majority of hip hop albums are sold to whites. This transcends cultural lines.

Another tool in the classroom is the use of goal setting. Too many of these students have no goals, no hopes, no chance. Teaching simple goal setting can transfer into larger goal setting without deviating too far from the curriculum. This teaches how to plan and invest in the future. It also teaches that by setting and achieving goals, the individual DOES have control of the outcome.

The final two tools may require more of the use of special programs within the school context, or they can be taught within certain classroom environments. They are: 1. learning goal achieving skills, and 2. having practical means to apply those skills. Here are some of the goal achieving skills that can be taught in a regular education classroom:

Time management
Dressing appropriately for a job/job interview
Accepting criticism
How to keep a job/relevant behaviors
Interacting with co-workers
Problem solving skills
Honest competition: winning and losing

Other skills that can be taught in a co-op environment or an economics class:

Opening a bank account
How to budget and save money
How to eventually own a home

Once those skills are taught, students need opportunities to ply their skills. To LEARN. Co-op programs already exist on almost all high school campuses. They should be further utilized to help these need students. Student success should be tied to some tangible reward: scholarship money, further technical training, job placement.

Now, these are all things that ALREADY EXIST in most public schools. What I am calling for is the proper utilization of these skills. Pie in the sky, perhaps? I think not. What it requires are teachers who are willing to sell this to the students. To mold, to LEAD. There isn't the need to spend a single dime more of taxpayer money. Grants, faith-based initiatives and volunteer work can and should provide the extra mentoring and assistance for what can, should and does take place in the classroom. We must teach these young men/women that there are three keys to long term empowerment:

1. Education

2. Entrepreneurship

3. Property Ownership

This can be done in the classroom environment. Many teachers don't. The primary responsiblity for all of this is supposed to be the parent. We already know their story. One or two individuals irresponsibility has placed a child in a tough spot. This is where we can help.

UPDATE: NYGirl posts her solutions here.

The proposal for public support of boarding schools is interesting. I learned a lot about them by training in the Boy's and Girl's Town Classroom Management model. Call our works co-sponsored legislation?

How long til someone here builds one?

2005-07-11T19:00:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of LGF:
How best to blow up people on a bus - the chilling video circulating on Islamic websites.
A DIY video showing how to make a “suicide-belt” bomb for use on a crowded bus is being circulated among terrorist websites.
The 26-minute tape gives a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to pack the belt with shrapnel and high explosive, and then detonate it on board for maximum loss of life.
In a grim reminder of the blast that devastated the Number 30 in London’s Tavistock Place on Thursday, the film’s final section shows the device being blown up in a specially arranged “test site”, with rows of metal targets designed to simulate passengers on a bus. A voice-over explains exactly where the would-be bomber should sit on the vehicle in order to maximise the blast. A second test-bombing shows how the same bomb will impact on a crowd of people in a street.
The film, a copy of which has been obtained by The Sunday Telegraph, is among a wide range of terrorism training manuals available on internet message boards dedicated to supporting Islamic terrorism.
Little is known about the film’s origins, although it is thought to have been shot in the Palestinian territories, where Arab militants have frequently used suicide belts in attacks on Israeli citizens.
It has slick production values that give it the feeling of a corporate video.
As music plays in the background, a voice in Arabic explains, Blue Peter-style, how to manufacture the belt with the help of household items such as glue and Scotch tape.

Current reading and random ranting

2005-07-11T18:12:00.000-05:00

Summertime is reading time for me. No classes to teach, no practices to run, no games to coach. I usually churn through about a 1 1/2 books per week during the summer. As you'll note, most of the books I read are history related. Obvious choice since I teach history. But I don't limit myself just to the conservative perspective. Even the most liberally bent book has useful information.

Here are the current selections:

The First American by H.W. Brands-a biography of Benjamin Franklin
I Rose Like a Rocket by Paul Grondahl-a depiction of the political upbringing of Teddy Roosevelt
What Color Is A Conservative by J.C. Watts-his autobiography. I selected this one to brush up on the arguments being tossed about by Dell Gines over at The Urban Conservative.
America's Women:400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates and Heroines by Gail Collins-a women's history of the United States. Plenty of feminist arguments, but plenty of good stories too. A worthy read. I'm well into it and it is as they say "a good read."

I've got plenty to say about the upcoming Supreme Court nominations, but I haven't quite formulated all my arguments yet. Plenty forthcoming. I will say, though, that there will be entirely too much rhetoric and grandstanding by the Dem party than actual debates on the merits. I am also very concerned about the muckraking the Dems are sure to do. This is the SC, and should be treated as such, not as tabloid expose.

All-Star break and the Cardinals are way out in front in the NL Central. I'm hoping for another World Series run for the greatest National League franchise in history. With them I've at least got one team to root for. Can't say much about what I can root for in my transplanted home of Denton, Texas. The home team Texas Rangers are 5 back of LA/Anaheim and drifting. Can't see myself paying the $10 parking, $20 tickets and ridiculous concession prices this year. Not to mention it takes over an hour to get there from my northern outpost in the D/FW Metroplex.

Is it football season yet?

She wasn't always the bastion of PC

2005-07-11T11:25:00.000-05:00

Our friend, the Old Gray Lady (NYT if you don't know) is a bastion of PC and liberal fair. It wasn't always that way. When the Civil Rights Bill had an amendment attached to it including the word sex when defining descrimination, the paper's beef was editorialized in by the following:

"Bunny problem indeed," when worrying that the Playboy club would now employ men as bunnies.

"This is revolution, chaos. You can't even safely advertise for a wife anymore."

So glad to see the Times realized the errors of its ways.

Sharks in the water.

2005-07-10T14:56:00.000-05:00

According to Powerline, Karl Rove is the mystery man behind the Valerie Plame identification. This will cause a media frenzy of Michael Jackson proportions. It will feed on false information, innuendo and supposition. It will not be based on facts. This will be depicted as a scandal of Watergate proportions. It is simply a way for libs and Dems to vent their rampant hatred of George W. Bush. Rational thought will be casually tossed to the backseat. There will be no acceptable response from any conservative.

This is going to be ugly.

This will all take place even though Rove broke no laws. Rove didn't disclose Valerie Plame by name, and only undertook the effort to respond to criticisms against the Bush administration by Joseph Wilson. Criticisms that ran counter to his written assessments to the government.

Since the Novak article, Wilson and Plame have lived the life of movie stars, jet setting around, being the belle of socialite parties and appearing on the cover of Vanity Fair. They are the darlings of the MSM and will be the centerpoint in the latest effort to bring down the current President. Like Rathergate and others, this will pass. But the conspiracies and firestorm will be quite hot for the next few weeks.

UPDATE: Captain's Quarters has more info on the matter. One more thing for the record. Joseph Wilson LIED in his Old Gray Lady op-ed. The fact that he lied means little. The only thing that matters is that he trashed the Bush administration and that is good enough for MSM and lib conspiracists.

A very big question.

2005-07-09T22:34:00.000-05:00

A different father every weekend
Before we get to meet him
They break up before the week ends
I'm gettin' sick of all the friendships
As soon as we kick it he done split
And the whole s--- ends quick
How can I be a man if there's no role model?
-Tupac Shakur

What is the most effective means of teaching young men without fathers the skills needed to be a man within the context of a public education classroom?

I'm very interested. My professional well being depends upon it.

Hat tip: NYgirl

If only he can hold on for a few more years.

2005-07-09T20:44:00.000-05:00

This courtesy of Bob Sturm (Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket):

Although he insists he has no timetable for retirement, Scully has made concessions to age in recent years. His contract (always year-to-year, never long term) stipulates he is not required to travel east of Denver, and he only does three innings per night on radio -- always solo.
Those three innings are simulcast on radio and TV, and beginning with the fourth, he is only on TV -- and it is a poor substitute, as even Scully admits."With radio -- and I've almost made this a cliche -- you come into the booth, and there's an empty canvas," Scully says, describing the difference between the media outlets. "And you get all your paint and brushes, and you mix your paints. And then you have a broad swath here and fine line there. And at the end of three hours, you say, 'Well, that's the best I can do today.' On television, you walk in and the picture's already there. So what you're doing is shading, subtle things."
In a typical three-hour baseball game, the ball is only in play for perhaps six minutes, and Scully is a master at interspersing biographical material and anecdotes about the batter or the pitcher between pitches -- information he keeps on notebook pages in front of him.

It will be a very sad day for me when Vin Scully, the voice of the LA Dodgers, finally retires. This is the guy I grew up with on Saturday afternoons in the spring and World Series broadcasts every October. I can recall with certainty Scully's voice and call when Kirk Gibson smacked one over the right field fence in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. They guys I grew up on are slowly fading away, and it's a damn shame. He and his kind made broadcasting an art form, a simple unrefined joy of listening, a Beethoven or Mozart or Tchaichovsky. We'll see men of Scully's ilk in the future, but we'll always wish it was Vin Scully and no one else.

Double sided nonsense...

2005-07-09T18:10:00.001-05:00

from the "moderate" King of Jordan.

LONDON (Reuters) - Jordan’s King Abdullah said the world must tackle Arab frustration over poverty and perceived injustices in the Israeli-Palestinian and Iraqi conflicts if it is to stem militant violence.
Four bombs exploded in London on Thursday, killing more than 50 people. Three Islamic militant groups claimed responsibility, and while none of the claims have been verified, British officials said the blasts bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda.
“There is tremendous frustration throughout the Middle East over ... the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — that is the first thing that these extremists use to raise the level of tension,” Abdullah said in an interview with CNN on Saturday.
“The second one is Iraq, so if we deal with these core issues it does allow us to bring the level of tension down, but at the same time we do have to improve the lives of Arabs.”
Abdullah said Thursday’s attacks were made all the more painful as they were “carried out in the name of Islam.”
“With every terrorist incident there is a fatwa behind it ... these people who have nothing to do with Islam have tried to justify their actions by hiding behind religion,” he said.

The injustices are caused by the Arab and Palestinian leadership who do nothing to help their people. Basically, this is word to the West saying: "It's all your fault, send more money."

These terrorist thugs would still blow up bombs regardless of whether there existed an Israeli-Palestinian conflict, our involvement in Iraq or otherwise. Terrorists are terrorists. Their so-called "religion of peace" is bent on killing or subjugating infidels, which lets us know where we in the United States stand.

A London'ers response to 7/7

2005-07-09T18:10:00.000-05:00

Niall Ferguson in the LA Times:

But though they may seem softer, today's Londoners have lived through horrifying scenes as well; the Germans were not the last people to bomb London. The Irish Republican Army's mainland bombing campaign is still fresh in the memory of virtually every grown man and woman in the city. The IRA bombed London in 1973 (two car bombs, one outside the Old Bailey), and again in 1974. In 1982, it killed 11 soldiers in attacks on Hyde and Regents parks. A year later, six people at Harrods. And in 1992, three people outside the Baltic Exchange in the financial district. In 1993, it struck again with a truck bomb at Bishopsgate. And I vividly remember the attack on Docklands in 1996 — because it was immediately outside the office where I was working.

Then, as during the Blitz, the near-universal response could be summed up in the phrase "business as usual." We were all aware that our grandparents had stood much worse without flinching.To be sure, what happened Thursday was better calculated — and more lethal — than anything the IRA ever managed. Yet once again Londoners have reacted with sang-froid (a French phrase for a very British trait). In any case, we all knew this would happen sooner or later. Since 9/11, I haven't taken the Tube once without asking myself: "Will it be today? Will it be my train?" I have taken it nonetheless. And I shall continue to do so.

No, whoever the perpetrators were, I am confident they will not achieve their aim of disrupting London life. More than that: I am certain they will live — though perhaps not for very long — to regret following in the cloven hoof-prints of the Luftwaffe and their Irish imitators.

London can take it. And dish it out.

Read the whole thing.

Why moonbats on both sides need to stay out of it...let the adults work it out.

2005-07-09T17:32:00.000-05:00

Hat tip: Michelle Malkin

Courtesy of the Indymedia/G8 conspiracy site:
Over the years we have seen the threat of terror used and acknowledged by outgoing U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. Now it appears that it is possible that old plans from the 60s may have been dusted off, re-vamped and put into place today to bolster the approval rating of George Bush (which was in the 30 percent range). The attacks in London also benefitted the Bush Administration by taking the issues of Global Climate Change and Debt Relief, Fair Trade and African Poverty off of the front burner at the G8 summit just when 7 of the 8 nations appeared to be reaching consensus on those issues. George Bush as usual was the lone desenter.
So when one looks at the attacks of the past 24 hrs one should view them with the story below in mind and ask the question: "Who has the most to gain from an attack during the G8? Bin Laden? Or George Bush?"

This is right there with the conspiracy that Israel orchestrated 9/11, or that the Jews faked the Holocaust. Right there with Hillary killing Vince Foster. Idiots on both sides butt out so the rest of us can finish the task of relegating terrorism to the trunk of the world vehicle.

Quote blogging...

2005-07-09T11:02:00.000-05:00

Three quotes from recent readings. Let them inspire your mind in what manner you see fit.

"Treat the Negro as a citizen and a voter, as he is and must remain, and soon parties will be divided not on the color line, but on principle."
-Ulysses S. Grant
This gives a simple, maybe too simple reasoning for why the Democrat Party monopolizes the Black vote. Some pundits believe that the Black citizen is still not treated as such in politics, just a commodity of votes to be bought and sold.

"The pacifist is as surely a traitor to his country and to humanity as is the most brutal wrongdoer."
-Theodore Roosevelt
Pacifists have never been on the right side of history. Their illusion that peace will work only makes defeating evil much more difficult.

"I never recieved a single operational reccomendation, or a single page of actionable intelligence from Richard Clarke."
-Tommy Franks
Richard Clarke was a soundbite that made good press, but didn't help us against terrorism one bit. Which is a small part of the reason we are where we are in regards to terrorism.

A fitting reminder...

2005-07-09T09:34:00.000-05:00

courtesy of NYGirl:

Freedom is not free, it had to be fought for over 200 years ago, and it had to be fought for over 50 years age and it must be fought for now. Freedom is a precious commodity, and as with any other precious commodity, it is threatened by evil men who wish to unlawfully possess it. Therefore, it is incumbent upon its custodians to guard it well and defend it when need be.

America came to be because a group of perfectly ordinary people -farmers, writers, silversmiths and pub owners- decided that they had had enough. Freedom is was always won by ordinary people having the courage to act upon their convictions and the goodness of heart to deplore tyranny and evil. The events of 9/11, Madrid and now London call us to do our duty and follow in the footsteps of those who went before us.

An additional point I might add. It is important in today's age that the custodians of freedom no longer just guard and defend its existence. It is now imperative that freedom is passed on to the world, so that those who threaten it have fewer and fewer places of safekeeping. We have tried to co-exist with this evil for far too long.