Scandal

The problem with independent prosecutors is that, given the mount of time they have to investigate an alleged crime, more often than not they end up "creating" a crime which they then feel obligated to charge to justify their effort. This was the case not only in "Plame-gate" but also with "Whitewater". Clinton was "impeached" after being charged with perjury on an un-related matter, not for the original investigation of a real-estate fraud.

"At the end of this process the prosecutor announces that he cannot produce evidence that the conduct he has investigated constituted a crime after all. But all is not lost! Inconsistent testimony is abundant. Hence there have been crimes uncovered: perjury, false statements and obstruction of justice. Serious crimes, to be sure, but usually accompanied by underlying criminal behavior. Thus the elaborate process has been worth it: Bad guys have been unearthed. The special prosecutor can sit tall on his white horse." WSJ (subscription)

Peggy Noonan- What a downer!

Peggy Noonan seems a bit over the top here:

"But this recounting doesn't quite get me to what I mean. I mean I believe there's a general and amorphous sense that things are broken and tough history is coming."

I like to be a little more optimistic and am a bit perplexed by Noonan's take on things. She has always had a larger view of issues than this. Taken in the perspective of history (WW's, Great Depression, Civil War, plagues, famines, Spanish inquisition, etc), are we really facing the end of the world?

You can HAVE religion classes, you just can't TEACH religion

"The university's rules aren't affecting a lot of students right now because they apply only if a high school submits new courses to the university for approval. But it is easy to imagine, at some point, university officials reviewing the 150 or so religious schools whose current classes would be regarded as unacceptable if new. 'If California prevails,' Mr. Carney says, 'the only way for students to go from our schools to university would be to strip out the religious elements of their education.'

Indeed, a list of 'helpful hints' from the university -- offered to high schools as part of the curricular review process -- suggests stripping religion even out of the religion classes: 'Religion and ethics courses are acceptable...as long as they do not include
among its [sic] primary goals the personal religious growth of the student.'"

WSJ.com - These Courses Are Condemned

Defining Capitalism Up

I'm not sure this book should be restricted to former communist/socialist countries:

"The book notes, for example, that 'social 'justice' is always related to the unjust redistribution of wealth, and 'fair competition' is almost always related to unfair government intervention in the economy.'

In other words, Ms. Vainiene is trying to educate but also to eradicate the misleading and contradictory doublespeak that infects much economic language, especially as it is used in Europe."

There are plenty of people in this democracy that could benefit from it's message.

Editorial: Keep Arctic refuge off limits

JS Online: Editorial: Keep Arctic refuge off limits:

"And even when oil starts coming out of the ground 10 years from now (if drilling were approved tomorrow), that oil will have only a marginal effect on gas prices. Citizens could have a much bigger effect - and much more quickly - simply by driving less and by demanding more fuel-efficient vehicles."

The editorial doesn't even bother to mention the whole "dependence on foreign oil" issue. That will come next.

UPDATE 5/3/2006: Gas prices now over $3.00/gal, the Journal Sentinel is crying about the pain and burden on the middle class of high prices! Hypocrisy.

Can't argue against the results, but we can question methods...

WSJ.com - Novel Way to Assess School Competition Stirs Academic Row:

"When she found that metro areas with more streams tended to have more districts, and also higher student achievement, many academics thought she had come up with an ingenious way of testing Dr. Friedman's competition thesis. 'Caroline had a great idea with that paper,' says David Figlio, an education economist at the University of Florida. 'It is incontrovertible that it was a brilliant insight.'

Dr. Rothstein says it doesn't stand up to scrutiny. He makes several technical challenges, but his main attack is on the way the author counted streams."

How about worrying about the results of the study? Some schools are better than others and many parents are not allowed to choose where their kids go. That's wrong!

Finally- A Legacy for President Clinton!

As a father of three (two girls), this is a disturbing trend. USATODAY.com - Teens define sex in new ways:

"Among teens, oral sex is often viewed so casually that it needn't even occur within the confines of a relationship. Some teens say it can take place at parties, possibly with multiple partners. But they say the more likely scenario is oral sex within an existing relationship. "

UN wants control of internet - Just say "NO"!

WSJ.com - e-Meddling:

"The working group's report says the governing body would respect freedom of expression. At the same time, it holds as one of its 'key principles' the 'respect for cultural and linguistic diversity as well as tradition [and] religion.' On the Internet, it says, 'that translates to multilingual, diverse and culturally appropriate content' (our emphasis). And who decides whether content is culturally, or otherwise, 'appropriate'? Today, no one. Tomorrow, Tehran, Beijing or Brussels."

'Baby mamas' await right daddies

JS Online:

"'That's why they hold off marriage until they are economically stable and emotionally mature.'"

Waiting to have children, however, would be unacceptable!

Transit in Emergency Evacuation Situations

An intelligent discussion of the problems with mass transit solutions for emergency evacuation purposes.

"The problem with all the transit suggestions for evacuation is their inflexibility. They require people to have reached certain destinations at certain times. The need to retain capacity for humans means officials take a stern line on pets taking up space, which discourages many from taking up the option. And there is the significant question of what to do with the thousands evacuated at the end of the journey. While bus transit can help, it is by no means the solution to complete evacuation." TCS: Tech Central Station - Sic Transit Maria Landrieu

Later in the article, the author discusses the dilemma with cars as well - lack of them by the poor and gridlock like in Houston.

While there are no easy answers for evacuating large, urban centers, knee-jerk suggestions like mass transit should be scrutinized.

Those wacky Danes!

Here they go again!

"'It's unfair to deny people with disabilities the right to a sex life,' he added."BBC NEWS / Dane fights for state-funded sex

"Unfair"? Since when is it the 'responsibility' of the government to ensure that your libido is properly addressed? I have nothing against sex. In fact, I'm all for it. I just don't believe that it is the role of ANY government to provide it as a right to it's citizens.

We always hear about the slippery slope - from both the left and right. Here's an example where the consequences of government policy has slid to new extremes.

"In Denmark, prostitution and other forms of sex work are not illegal so long as it is not a woman's sole means of income."

So Denmark officially condones prostitution on the one hand...

"We also spend tax money on trying to prevent prostitution, helping women out of prostitution - and we have a clear policy that this is a social problem that we want to solve.

"So I think that's very much in contradiction with spending tax money on requiring prostitutes."

...while spending tax dollars to help those choose to follow the sanctioned practice? How does that make sense? It doesn't!

Restoring Conservatism?

President Bush could take a few steps out of the hole he's dug himself with his conservative base, by holding congress to this task.

"If Mr. Bush is really serious, he'll now take Mr. Frist at his word and send his own White House rescission request to Congress. True, Congress would have to vote affirmatively to approve any rescission, but the showdown would be an ideal fiscal responsibility litmus test. Emergencies like a hurricane require emergency changes in spending priorities, not a blank check." WSJ.com - Spending Revelation

Since his second term began with the bold announcement of Social Security reform, George Bush has lost battle after battle and with the appointment of Harriet Miers, appeared to be a beaten man. Hopefully this call for spending constraint is more than one last gasp from a boxer on one knee.

In addition, he needs help from his majority, fellow Republican-led Congress. The president has not done the best job pressing for his initiatives, but he sure deserves better from his own party!

UPDATE: Thomas Sowell echoes my thoughts on Congress:

President Bush has taken on too many tough fights -- Social Security being a classic example -- to be regarded as a man who is personally weak. What is weak is the Republican majority in the Senate.

Federalist #76

"'To what purpose then require the co-operation of the Senate? I answer, that the necessity of their concurrence would have a powerful, though, in general, a silent operation. It would be an excellent check upon a spirit of favoritism in the President, and would tend greatly to prevent the appointment of unfit characters from State prejudice, from family connection, from personal attachment, or from a view to popularity... He would be both ashamed and afraid to bring forward, for the most distinguished or lucrative stations, candidates who had no other merit than that of coming from the same State to which he particularly belonged, or of being in some way or other personally allied to him, or of possessing the necessary insignificance and pliancy to render them the obsequious instruments of his pleasure.'"

As the author in this WSJ.com commentary presents, the questioning of this nomination is not so much on Harriet Miers the person or attorney, but on George Bush himself and the obvious cronyism demonstrated by this action. This is not the legacy that George Bush wants, but he is doing little to change it.

Whose afraid of bears?

My son and I were on an annual scout outing this weekend. Each year the pack has a sleep over and haunted trail at a nearby youth camp. This year, the 'story' about why the woods are haunted centered around a bear attacking six boy scouts.

After the trek through the haunted trail, a few kids - including mine - were still pretty shook up. The campfire and s'mores helped take their minds off what they 'witnessed' in the woods.

As we walked back to the tent area, one of the boys said he wasn't sure he wanted to stay. He told his dad that he was worried about the bears. His dad told him there weren't any bears in these woods and that it was just a story. This did little to calm the boys fears.

I volunteered another take on the bear story. I said that they used to tell Packer stories, but no one's afraid of the Packers anymore, so they had to change it to the Bears!

They ended up staying the night.