Instapundit has a nice summary of the tempest stirred up by Obama's comments. Here is one of the many stories on his comments at MyWay News:
...At issue are comments he made privately at a fundraiser in San Francisco last Sunday. He was trying to explain his troubles winning over some working-class voters, saying they have become frustrated with economic conditions:
"It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
The comments, posted Friday on The Huffington Post Web site, set off a blast of criticism from Clinton, Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain and other GOP officials, and drew attention to a potential Obama weakness - the image some have that the Harvard-trained lawyer is arrogant and aloof... (read it here)
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Attack of the preschool perverts
From OC Register:
Is American public education a form of child abuse? The Washington Post's Brigid Schulte reported this month on a student named Randy Castro, who attends school in Woodbridge, Va. Last November at recess he slapped a classmate on her bottom. The teacher took him to the principal. School officials wrote up an incident report and then called the police.
Randy Castro is in the first grade. But, at the ripe old age of 6, he's been declared a sex offender by Potomac View Elementary School. He's guilty of sexual harassment, and the incident report will remain on his record for the rest of his school days – and maybe beyond. )(read the rest here)
Is American public education a form of child abuse? The Washington Post's Brigid Schulte reported this month on a student named Randy Castro, who attends school in Woodbridge, Va. Last November at recess he slapped a classmate on her bottom. The teacher took him to the principal. School officials wrote up an incident report and then called the police.
Randy Castro is in the first grade. But, at the ripe old age of 6, he's been declared a sex offender by Potomac View Elementary School. He's guilty of sexual harassment, and the incident report will remain on his record for the rest of his school days – and maybe beyond. )(read the rest here)
Anti-Groping Straps
From the Salvo blog:
I was telling a friend of mine about this little device a few days ago. It is a replica subway strap that is used by male commuters to show others that their hands are busy, therefor hindering any chance of them being accused of groping the other passengers. My friend didn't believe that this was a real product and I don't blame her. (more here)
I was telling a friend of mine about this little device a few days ago. It is a replica subway strap that is used by male commuters to show others that their hands are busy, therefor hindering any chance of them being accused of groping the other passengers. My friend didn't believe that this was a real product and I don't blame her. (more here)
No Pledge on Troop Exit - Not a Problem, Democrat Says
(CNSNews.com) - While Democratic Sens. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) have refused to pledge that they would withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq by 2013 - if one of them is elected president - that lack of commitment to withdraw the troops is not something voters should concern themselves with, said Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) in an April 9 conference call. Full Story
Perseverance Pays Off in Baghdad
WSJ:
The recent violence in Sadrist areas of Baghdad should not distract us from the big picture. The capital city of Iraq is immensely more at peace than it was a year ago.
This time last year, there were deep booms and the rattle of extended firefights from virtually all around the compass throughout the day and night. Such incidents are now a rare occurrence in a week.
Some of the reasons for this progress are better known than others. The surge, the Awakening Councils and the neighborhood-based counterinsurgency program have received solid credit. (full story)
The recent violence in Sadrist areas of Baghdad should not distract us from the big picture. The capital city of Iraq is immensely more at peace than it was a year ago.
This time last year, there were deep booms and the rattle of extended firefights from virtually all around the compass throughout the day and night. Such incidents are now a rare occurrence in a week.
Some of the reasons for this progress are better known than others. The surge, the Awakening Councils and the neighborhood-based counterinsurgency program have received solid credit. (full story)
Petraeus/Crocker Testimony Proves Critics and Doubters Were Wrong
From VetsforFeedom:
“The doubters and critics of General Petraeus and his plan six months ago have nothing to say now,” said Pete Hegseth, Executive Director of Vets for Freedom. “Their silence is testament to the fact that progress has indeed been made, and it is imperative that we continue to give both the military and State Department time to carry out their plans,” Hegseth continued. “We need to trust the assessment of those that are on ground, and deal with the situation on a day-to-day, first-hand basis.”
They have a pretty good ad too. See ad here
“The doubters and critics of General Petraeus and his plan six months ago have nothing to say now,” said Pete Hegseth, Executive Director of Vets for Freedom. “Their silence is testament to the fact that progress has indeed been made, and it is imperative that we continue to give both the military and State Department time to carry out their plans,” Hegseth continued. “We need to trust the assessment of those that are on ground, and deal with the situation on a day-to-day, first-hand basis.”
They have a pretty good ad too. See ad here
Radical Islam and Our Cultural Suicide
From FrontPage:
Our society’s impulse towards suicide continues unabated, as those on the side of Western civilization are the ones continuously being silenced, while homegrown jihadists express their venom with increasing impunity.
Case in point: “the gleefully vicious and clownish jihadist Yousef al-Khattab,” as author and JihadWatch.com founder Robert Spencer calls him.
An American-born Jew turned Muslim, al-Khattab, 39, runs a website called RevolutionMuslim.com. As reported by FoxNews.com on April 7, the website mocks the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and calls for the implementation of Muslim sharia law in America.
The Queens, New York cab driver insists his website is providing a service to his country by “exposing the truth.”
“On any given day,” according to the FoxNews.com story, Internet surfers can “log on to al-Khattab's site and a host of startling images appear” including “the Statue of Liberty, with an ax blade cutting through her side” and a video “mocking the beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl, entitled ‘Daniel Pearl I am Happy Your Dead.’” (full story)
Our society’s impulse towards suicide continues unabated, as those on the side of Western civilization are the ones continuously being silenced, while homegrown jihadists express their venom with increasing impunity.
Case in point: “the gleefully vicious and clownish jihadist Yousef al-Khattab,” as author and JihadWatch.com founder Robert Spencer calls him.
An American-born Jew turned Muslim, al-Khattab, 39, runs a website called RevolutionMuslim.com. As reported by FoxNews.com on April 7, the website mocks the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and calls for the implementation of Muslim sharia law in America.
The Queens, New York cab driver insists his website is providing a service to his country by “exposing the truth.”
“On any given day,” according to the FoxNews.com story, Internet surfers can “log on to al-Khattab's site and a host of startling images appear” including “the Statue of Liberty, with an ax blade cutting through her side” and a video “mocking the beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl, entitled ‘Daniel Pearl I am Happy Your Dead.’” (full story)
Nine killed and 105 injured as bomb explodes at mosque in Iranian city
From the Independent:
A bomb in a mosque in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz has killed at least nine people, amid fears the death toll will continue to rise. At least 105 were injured by the explosion and many are in a critical condition, the Iranian Fars news agency reported.
The force of the blast shook houses and shattered windows half a mile away. By last night, no one had claimed responsibility for the attack, which happened in the city's Shohada mosque at 9pm local time. (full story)
A bomb in a mosque in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz has killed at least nine people, amid fears the death toll will continue to rise. At least 105 were injured by the explosion and many are in a critical condition, the Iranian Fars news agency reported.
The force of the blast shook houses and shattered windows half a mile away. By last night, no one had claimed responsibility for the attack, which happened in the city's Shohada mosque at 9pm local time. (full story)
Friday, April 11, 2008
New class divisions in altared states
Not entirely unrelated to a previous post here, this from From the Sydney Morning Herald :
Despite the concerted efforts of social revolutionaries over four decades, marriage is making a comeback, at least for Australia's most educated women.
Career-minded women used to be haunted by the prospect of never marrying, because, according to conventional wisdom, men liked to marry down the social scale.
"Oh my God I forgot to have children," was the cry of a generation of female university graduates who came of age in the 1980s.
But in a decade, everything changed for this subset of women, according to an analysis of the 2006 census published this week in Monash University's People And Place journal. (full story)
Despite the concerted efforts of social revolutionaries over four decades, marriage is making a comeback, at least for Australia's most educated women.
Career-minded women used to be haunted by the prospect of never marrying, because, according to conventional wisdom, men liked to marry down the social scale.
"Oh my God I forgot to have children," was the cry of a generation of female university graduates who came of age in the 1980s.
But in a decade, everything changed for this subset of women, according to an analysis of the 2006 census published this week in Monash University's People And Place journal. (full story)
Disgrace in Detroit
From the WSJ:
If you respect the NAACP's heritage, you will be disgusted to learn that the organization's Detroit chapter plans to honor a man who says that AIDS is a U.S. government plot to kill black people and that the Sept. 11 attacks were "America's chickens . . . coming home to roost," and who declares: "God damn America."
This appears to be a case of circling the wagons: Wright, a black man, is under attack, so the NAACP, an organization that seeks the advancement of black people, is defending him. In doing so, the NAACP is committing an analytical and moral error. Wright is under attack not for the color of his skin, but for the content of his ideas. To defend him is to countenance those ideas. Through its actions, the NAACP is in effect arguing that anti-Americanism is acceptable, so long as its source is black. The association is sanctioning both invidious ideas and an invidious racial double standard. (full article)
If you respect the NAACP's heritage, you will be disgusted to learn that the organization's Detroit chapter plans to honor a man who says that AIDS is a U.S. government plot to kill black people and that the Sept. 11 attacks were "America's chickens . . . coming home to roost," and who declares: "God damn America."
This appears to be a case of circling the wagons: Wright, a black man, is under attack, so the NAACP, an organization that seeks the advancement of black people, is defending him. In doing so, the NAACP is committing an analytical and moral error. Wright is under attack not for the color of his skin, but for the content of his ideas. To defend him is to countenance those ideas. Through its actions, the NAACP is in effect arguing that anti-Americanism is acceptable, so long as its source is black. The association is sanctioning both invidious ideas and an invidious racial double standard. (full article)
Pro-Life Doctors: A New Oxymoron?
From First Things:
In November 2007, the Committee on Ethics of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published Committee Opinion # 385 entitled, “The Limits of Conscientious Refusal in Reproductive Medicine.” The committee opinion sought to “maximize accommodation of an individual’s religious or moral beliefs while avoiding imposition of these beliefs on others or interfering with the safe, timely, and financially feasible access to reproductive health care that all women deserve.”
Unfortunately, the balance struck by the committee between the right of conscience of physicians and the reproductive health care of women so emphasizes patient autonomy that it turns physicians into medical automatons forced to act against their best ethical and medical judgment. As pointed out on March 14, 2008, by Health and Human Services secretary Mike Leavitt: “The ACOG ethics report would force physicians to violate their conscience by referring patients for abortions or taking other objectionable actions, or risk losing their board certification.” Put simply, committee Opinion 385 could be the end of the pro-life doctor. (full article)
In November 2007, the Committee on Ethics of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published Committee Opinion # 385 entitled, “The Limits of Conscientious Refusal in Reproductive Medicine.” The committee opinion sought to “maximize accommodation of an individual’s religious or moral beliefs while avoiding imposition of these beliefs on others or interfering with the safe, timely, and financially feasible access to reproductive health care that all women deserve.”
Unfortunately, the balance struck by the committee between the right of conscience of physicians and the reproductive health care of women so emphasizes patient autonomy that it turns physicians into medical automatons forced to act against their best ethical and medical judgment. As pointed out on March 14, 2008, by Health and Human Services secretary Mike Leavitt: “The ACOG ethics report would force physicians to violate their conscience by referring patients for abortions or taking other objectionable actions, or risk losing their board certification.” Put simply, committee Opinion 385 could be the end of the pro-life doctor. (full article)
Climate experts predict temperature drop
But if CO2 is the major player then how can this be? heh..
From the Telegraph:
Climate experts are forecasting a drop in global temperatures this year. (full story)
From the Telegraph:
Climate experts are forecasting a drop in global temperatures this year. (full story)
Important Supreme Court Decision Rejects UN High Court over US Treaty Obligations
From C-Fam:
The Supreme Court just rejected a directive the World Court that the US has to abide by specific provisions of a UN treaty even though Congress has not acted on those specific provisions. This is complicated but it is good news for pro-lifers in their battle to keep the courts from using international documents to protect Roe v. Wade. Read the article here
The Supreme Court just rejected a directive the World Court that the US has to abide by specific provisions of a UN treaty even though Congress has not acted on those specific provisions. This is complicated but it is good news for pro-lifers in their battle to keep the courts from using international documents to protect Roe v. Wade. Read the article here
Buchanan’s Iran Pretzel
Buchanan can make some good points, but not here. From commentarymagazine:
...Are Iranians then murdering Americans, asked Joe Lieberman:
“Is it fair to say that the Iranian-backed special groups in Iraq are responsible for the murder of hundreds of American soldiers and thousands of Iraqi soldiers and civilians?”
“It certainly is. . . . That is correct,” said Petraeus.
The following day, Petraeus told the House Armed Services Committee, “Unchecked, the ’special groups’ pose the greatest long-term threat to the viability of a democratic Iraq.”Translation: The United States is now fighting the proxies of Iran for the future of Iraq.
I don’t know about you, but I think this is a convincing case that Iran has already started a war with the U.S. Next, Buchanan takes some shots at the Iraq War and declares “Iran has nothing to gain by war.” (full article)
...Are Iranians then murdering Americans, asked Joe Lieberman:
“Is it fair to say that the Iranian-backed special groups in Iraq are responsible for the murder of hundreds of American soldiers and thousands of Iraqi soldiers and civilians?”
“It certainly is. . . . That is correct,” said Petraeus.
The following day, Petraeus told the House Armed Services Committee, “Unchecked, the ’special groups’ pose the greatest long-term threat to the viability of a democratic Iraq.”Translation: The United States is now fighting the proxies of Iran for the future of Iraq.
I don’t know about you, but I think this is a convincing case that Iran has already started a war with the U.S. Next, Buchanan takes some shots at the Iraq War and declares “Iran has nothing to gain by war.” (full article)
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
"All Religions Are Not the Same"
This is an article from American Thinker back in November 2007 called, "The Godless Delusion"
Good stuff
...The term "religious people" is meaningless. All people - especially militant anti-theists - are religious. The vital question is what one's religion believes. What I call "The Great Faith" of the Judeo-Christian heritage believes in a loving, good and just God - a Blessed Creator, as devout Jews might put it.
The history of Judeo-Christians is profoundly different than the history of other religious peoples, including religious anti-theists. The religious people of pre-Columbian American Mexico conquered other tribes simply to sacrifice them to Aztec gods. The religious people of Imperial Japan committed unspeakable crimes against the Chinese in following their national religion. The religious Nazis, who loathed passionately both Christianity and Judaism, committed unspeakable crimes against Jews, Poles and others. The religious anti-theists of Stalinist Russia and Maoist China murdered more than any other religion in history. And, of course, radical Islam murders indiscriminately.
No crimes of Judeo-Christians remotely approaches the holocausts of Aztecs, Japanese, Nazis, atheist Russia or atheist Japan. Why? Because all religions are not the same. Some religions are good and some religions are bad. Almost every single movement or belief which we now consider good originated in Christianity or Judaism. Abolitionism, prison reform, compassion for animals, equality before the law, medical science, systematic intellectual inquiry - nearly everything - traces back to a Christian or a Jew. (full article here)
Good stuff
...The term "religious people" is meaningless. All people - especially militant anti-theists - are religious. The vital question is what one's religion believes. What I call "The Great Faith" of the Judeo-Christian heritage believes in a loving, good and just God - a Blessed Creator, as devout Jews might put it.
The history of Judeo-Christians is profoundly different than the history of other religious peoples, including religious anti-theists. The religious people of pre-Columbian American Mexico conquered other tribes simply to sacrifice them to Aztec gods. The religious people of Imperial Japan committed unspeakable crimes against the Chinese in following their national religion. The religious Nazis, who loathed passionately both Christianity and Judaism, committed unspeakable crimes against Jews, Poles and others. The religious anti-theists of Stalinist Russia and Maoist China murdered more than any other religion in history. And, of course, radical Islam murders indiscriminately.
No crimes of Judeo-Christians remotely approaches the holocausts of Aztecs, Japanese, Nazis, atheist Russia or atheist Japan. Why? Because all religions are not the same. Some religions are good and some religions are bad. Almost every single movement or belief which we now consider good originated in Christianity or Judaism. Abolitionism, prison reform, compassion for animals, equality before the law, medical science, systematic intellectual inquiry - nearly everything - traces back to a Christian or a Jew. (full article here)
The Eve of Deconstruction
From Inside Catholic.com a really good article by Dawn Eden at Dawn Patrol well worth the read of the entire article: and she wrote a pretty good book too, "The Thrill of the Chaste-Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On"
...In Mulieris Dignitatem, John Paul II outlined a vision of returning man and woman to the "one flesh" union they shared in the Garden of Eden. This original unity is radical precisely because it restores true equality, in which there is no division between the sexes in the only area where it matters: human dignity. It was a point so important to the Holy Father that, within the apostolic letter, he repeated several times the words of St. Paul in Galatians 3:28: In Christ Jesus, "there is neither male nor female."
"Man and woman," he wrote, "are called from the beginning not only to exist 'side by side' or 'together,' but they are also called to exist mutually 'one for the other.'"
With that sentence, John Paul II struck a blow to the core of feminist ideology -- the "solitude of self" so prized by Stanton, in which women are "freed" from institutionalized forms of belonging. Woman is "called from the beginning" to exist not only alongside man, but for man -- and man for woman. "[T]he dignity of women," the Holy Father wrote with emphasis,"is measured by the order of love." ... (full article)
...In Mulieris Dignitatem, John Paul II outlined a vision of returning man and woman to the "one flesh" union they shared in the Garden of Eden. This original unity is radical precisely because it restores true equality, in which there is no division between the sexes in the only area where it matters: human dignity. It was a point so important to the Holy Father that, within the apostolic letter, he repeated several times the words of St. Paul in Galatians 3:28: In Christ Jesus, "there is neither male nor female."
"Man and woman," he wrote, "are called from the beginning not only to exist 'side by side' or 'together,' but they are also called to exist mutually 'one for the other.'"
With that sentence, John Paul II struck a blow to the core of feminist ideology -- the "solitude of self" so prized by Stanton, in which women are "freed" from institutionalized forms of belonging. Woman is "called from the beginning" to exist not only alongside man, but for man -- and man for woman. "[T]he dignity of women," the Holy Father wrote with emphasis,"is measured by the order of love." ... (full article)
Big Love on the Prairie
American Spectator
The assumptions underlying secularism's embrace of promiscuity are essentially polygamous. Who cares, secularists say, if people aren't monogamous over the course of their lives?After all, the principle upon which monogamy rests -- that sexual love possesses by nature an exclusive, permanent, and procreative character -- is annoyingly antiquated and was long ago discarded, clearing the path for a glorious lifetime of multiple partners, easy divorce, maybe a detour or two into homosexuality, and if all else fails a Clintonian open marriage.Polygamy is just a more organized and immediate form of promiscuity...
full article here
The assumptions underlying secularism's embrace of promiscuity are essentially polygamous. Who cares, secularists say, if people aren't monogamous over the course of their lives?After all, the principle upon which monogamy rests -- that sexual love possesses by nature an exclusive, permanent, and procreative character -- is annoyingly antiquated and was long ago discarded, clearing the path for a glorious lifetime of multiple partners, easy divorce, maybe a detour or two into homosexuality, and if all else fails a Clintonian open marriage.Polygamy is just a more organized and immediate form of promiscuity...
full article here
Al-Qa'ida planner linked to UK plots 'is dead'
From the Independent:
Senior al-Qa'ida planner Obaidah al Masri, considered a key suspect in the 2005 London subway and underground bombings and a foiled 2006 plot to blow up commercial airliners, is believed to have died, a US official said today.
"The sense is that he is dead," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. McClatchy newspapers reported that Masri died of hepatitis in Pakistan. The official said Masri appeared to have died of natural causes.
"He was a major operational figure," the US official said of al Masri, a pseudonym. (more)
Senior al-Qa'ida planner Obaidah al Masri, considered a key suspect in the 2005 London subway and underground bombings and a foiled 2006 plot to blow up commercial airliners, is believed to have died, a US official said today.
"The sense is that he is dead," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. McClatchy newspapers reported that Masri died of hepatitis in Pakistan. The official said Masri appeared to have died of natural causes.
"He was a major operational figure," the US official said of al Masri, a pseudonym. (more)
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Episcopal Church Slides Away
From the Prayersthatmatter blog:
Speaking of the Episcopal Church, KJ Schori said: "I see a glorious future."
Asked about the literal story of Easter and the Resurrection, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church reportedly said, "I think Easter is most profoundly about meaning, not mechanism".
Good grief
Speaking of the Episcopal Church, KJ Schori said: "I see a glorious future."
Asked about the literal story of Easter and the Resurrection, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church reportedly said, "I think Easter is most profoundly about meaning, not mechanism".
Good grief
A Mystery in the Middle East
From Stratfor:
The Arab-Israeli region of the Middle East is filled with rumors of war. That is about as unusual as the rising of the sun, so normally it would not be worth mentioning. But like the proverbial broken clock that is right twice a day, such rumors occasionally will be true. In this case, we don’t know that they are true, and certainly it’s not the rumors that are driving us. But other things — minor and readily explicable individually — have drawn our attention to the possibility that something is happening.
The first thing that drew our attention was a minor, routine matter. Back in February, the United States started purchasing oil for its Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The SPR is a reserve of crude oil stored in underground salt domes.... (read entire article)
The Arab-Israeli region of the Middle East is filled with rumors of war. That is about as unusual as the rising of the sun, so normally it would not be worth mentioning. But like the proverbial broken clock that is right twice a day, such rumors occasionally will be true. In this case, we don’t know that they are true, and certainly it’s not the rumors that are driving us. But other things — minor and readily explicable individually — have drawn our attention to the possibility that something is happening.
The first thing that drew our attention was a minor, routine matter. Back in February, the United States started purchasing oil for its Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The SPR is a reserve of crude oil stored in underground salt domes.... (read entire article)
Iraqi Army Keeps Peace in Mahmudiyah, Deters Criminals
MNF-Iraq:
CAMP STRIKER — The Iraqi Army commander in Mahmudiyah won’t stand for criminal activity in his city.
To that end, Brig. Gen. Ali Jassim Muhammad Hassen Al Frejee, commander of the 25th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and Lt. Col. William Zemp, commander of 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), worked together recently to make sure that violence seen in Basra wasn’t replicated in Mahmudiyah.
Zemp, a native of Hartsville, S.C., said one word sums up the IA successes in the area: leadership. The IA leadership at all levels – company, battalion and brigade – was involved in the mission to secure the city. (read the rest here)
CAMP STRIKER — The Iraqi Army commander in Mahmudiyah won’t stand for criminal activity in his city.
To that end, Brig. Gen. Ali Jassim Muhammad Hassen Al Frejee, commander of the 25th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and Lt. Col. William Zemp, commander of 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), worked together recently to make sure that violence seen in Basra wasn’t replicated in Mahmudiyah.
Zemp, a native of Hartsville, S.C., said one word sums up the IA successes in the area: leadership. The IA leadership at all levels – company, battalion and brigade – was involved in the mission to secure the city. (read the rest here)
Democratic president may reassess Iraq promises
Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats running for U.S. president have promised to pull troops from Iraq, but some analysts and defense officials question whether either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton would fulfill that pledge if elected.
Certainly, the U.S. military will comply with any policy adopted by the next commander-in-chief, including a full-scale withdrawal from Iraq, officers say.
But some officials and policy analysts say it is difficult to see Obama or Clinton, if elected, ordering a swift pull-out once presented with the complexity of the security and political situation in Iraq and the responsibility for maintaining relationships in the region. (full story)
But I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts they continue playing politics with the issue and lying to the American people about their intentions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats running for U.S. president have promised to pull troops from Iraq, but some analysts and defense officials question whether either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton would fulfill that pledge if elected.
Certainly, the U.S. military will comply with any policy adopted by the next commander-in-chief, including a full-scale withdrawal from Iraq, officers say.
But some officials and policy analysts say it is difficult to see Obama or Clinton, if elected, ordering a swift pull-out once presented with the complexity of the security and political situation in Iraq and the responsibility for maintaining relationships in the region. (full story)
But I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts they continue playing politics with the issue and lying to the American people about their intentions
Postal Workers Attacked by Wild Turkeys
From the Examiner:
MADISON, Wis. (Map, News) - Rather than rain or snow, or even dogs, postal workers in a West Side neighborhood near Owen Conservation Park are being pestered by wild turkeys this spring. Mara Wilhite, manager of the Hilldale Station Post Office, said she expected to deal with all manner of issues when she went to work for the U.S. Post Office. But that was not one of them.
"Just when you thought you'd heard it all," she said. (article here)
Maybe they should arm themselves with hedgehogs
MADISON, Wis. (Map, News) - Rather than rain or snow, or even dogs, postal workers in a West Side neighborhood near Owen Conservation Park are being pestered by wild turkeys this spring. Mara Wilhite, manager of the Hilldale Station Post Office, said she expected to deal with all manner of issues when she went to work for the U.S. Post Office. But that was not one of them.
"Just when you thought you'd heard it all," she said. (article here)
Maybe they should arm themselves with hedgehogs
Iran Tests Advanced Centrifuge
From the AP:
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced major progress in Iran's push for nuclear power, saying Tuesday that his nation was installing thousands of new uranium-enriching centrifuges and testing a much faster version of the device.
Ahmadinejad said scientists were putting 6,000 new centrifuges into place, about twice the current number, and testing a new type that works five times faster.
That would represent a major expansion of uranium enrichment - a process that can produce either fuel for a nuclear reactor or material for a warhead. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice cautioned, however, that the claim could not be immediately substantiated... (full article)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced major progress in Iran's push for nuclear power, saying Tuesday that his nation was installing thousands of new uranium-enriching centrifuges and testing a much faster version of the device.
Ahmadinejad said scientists were putting 6,000 new centrifuges into place, about twice the current number, and testing a new type that works five times faster.
That would represent a major expansion of uranium enrichment - a process that can produce either fuel for a nuclear reactor or material for a warhead. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice cautioned, however, that the claim could not be immediately substantiated... (full article)
Israel: We'll 'destroy' Iran
From WorldNet Dailey:
..."The Iranians won't rush to attack Israel, because they understand the significance such action would have and are well aware of our strength," Ben-Eliezer told reporters. "However, Iran continues to aggravate the situation by supplying arms to Syria and Hezbollah, and we must deal with this."
The minister said this week's war drill "is not a meaningless spectacle or a fictional scenario. The future reality is likely to be a number of times harsher than that which we recognize now. We are confronted with a situation where the home front becomes the front line."...(full story)
..."The Iranians won't rush to attack Israel, because they understand the significance such action would have and are well aware of our strength," Ben-Eliezer told reporters. "However, Iran continues to aggravate the situation by supplying arms to Syria and Hezbollah, and we must deal with this."
The minister said this week's war drill "is not a meaningless spectacle or a fictional scenario. The future reality is likely to be a number of times harsher than that which we recognize now. We are confronted with a situation where the home front becomes the front line."...(full story)
Oregon’s ‘Pregnant Man’ Hoax
From Right in a Left World Blog:
News out of Bend, Oregon is that male resident, Thomas Beatie, is 22 weeks pregnant. Articles have been written and an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show is scheduled. Looking closer, news of a Pregnant “Man” is just a myth....
...Equally fooling the public is the claim of a “pregnant man,” when by nature, it is a woman that is pregnant, as nature designed long ago.Confusing headlines like, Pregnant Man Thomas Beatie From Oregon Puzzles Medicine and 'Pregnant' man stuns medical profession only perpetuates the myth that this is actually a male that is pregnant.Tracy/Thomas’s neighbors have expressed their own skepticism about this “pregnancy.” One said,
“Quite frankly, I think it’s a hoax. I saw him a few days ago and he didn’t look like that,”regarding the photo circulating showing the swollen belly.Another said,
“I couldn't say that he looks pregnant. I can stick my stomach out and almost make it look like that.” (full sordid story here)
News out of Bend, Oregon is that male resident, Thomas Beatie, is 22 weeks pregnant. Articles have been written and an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show is scheduled. Looking closer, news of a Pregnant “Man” is just a myth....
...Equally fooling the public is the claim of a “pregnant man,” when by nature, it is a woman that is pregnant, as nature designed long ago.Confusing headlines like, Pregnant Man Thomas Beatie From Oregon Puzzles Medicine and 'Pregnant' man stuns medical profession only perpetuates the myth that this is actually a male that is pregnant.Tracy/Thomas’s neighbors have expressed their own skepticism about this “pregnancy.” One said,
“Quite frankly, I think it’s a hoax. I saw him a few days ago and he didn’t look like that,”regarding the photo circulating showing the swollen belly.Another said,
“I couldn't say that he looks pregnant. I can stick my stomach out and almost make it look like that.” (full sordid story here)
Police: Man Used Hedgehog As Weapon
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Map, News) - A New Zealand man has been accused of assault with prickly weapon - a hedgehog.
Police allege that William Singalargh picked up the hedgehog and threw it several yards to hit a 15-year-old boy in the North Island east coast town of Whakatane on Feb. 9. (more here)
Nice shot.
Police allege that William Singalargh picked up the hedgehog and threw it several yards to hit a 15-year-old boy in the North Island east coast town of Whakatane on Feb. 9. (more here)
Nice shot.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Iraq and Its Cost
WSJ:
Gen. Petraeus will be the first to acknowledge that the gains in Iraq have come at a heavy price in blood and treasure. We mourn the loss and pain of the civilians and service members who have been killed and wounded in Iraq, but adamantly believe these losses have served a noble cause.
No one can deny the dramatic improvements in security in Iraq achieved by Gen. Petraeus, the brave troops under his command, and the Iraqi Security Forces. From June 2007 through February 2008, deaths from ethno-sectarian violence in Baghdad have fallen approximately 90%. American casualties have also fallen sharply, down by 70%.
Al Qaeda in Iraq has been swept from its former strongholds in Anbar province and Baghdad. The liberation of these areas was made possible by the surge, which empowered Iraqi Muslims to reject the Islamist extremists who had previously terrorized them into submission. Any time Muslims take up arms against Osama bin Laden, his agents and sympathizers, the world is a safer place. (article here)
Gen. Petraeus will be the first to acknowledge that the gains in Iraq have come at a heavy price in blood and treasure. We mourn the loss and pain of the civilians and service members who have been killed and wounded in Iraq, but adamantly believe these losses have served a noble cause.
No one can deny the dramatic improvements in security in Iraq achieved by Gen. Petraeus, the brave troops under his command, and the Iraqi Security Forces. From June 2007 through February 2008, deaths from ethno-sectarian violence in Baghdad have fallen approximately 90%. American casualties have also fallen sharply, down by 70%.
Al Qaeda in Iraq has been swept from its former strongholds in Anbar province and Baghdad. The liberation of these areas was made possible by the surge, which empowered Iraqi Muslims to reject the Islamist extremists who had previously terrorized them into submission. Any time Muslims take up arms against Osama bin Laden, his agents and sympathizers, the world is a safer place. (article here)
After the Fire
WSJ:
Over the weekend Times columnist Frank Rich made yet another effort to liken Iraq to Vietnam, calling the recent battle in Basra "a mini-Tet that belied the 'success' of the surge." Tet, of course, was the famous 1968 communist offensive in Vietnam, which was a military defeat for the enemy that turned into a propaganda victory because American journalists misinterpreted it. Once again, Gen. Rich is fighting the last war--and he is on the other side.
An Associated Press story, though, suggests that the result of Basra is more tête-à -tête than Tet:
more here
Over the weekend Times columnist Frank Rich made yet another effort to liken Iraq to Vietnam, calling the recent battle in Basra "a mini-Tet that belied the 'success' of the surge." Tet, of course, was the famous 1968 communist offensive in Vietnam, which was a military defeat for the enemy that turned into a propaganda victory because American journalists misinterpreted it. Once again, Gen. Rich is fighting the last war--and he is on the other side.
An Associated Press story, though, suggests that the result of Basra is more tête-à -tête than Tet:
more here
Smoot-Chavez
From the WSJ:
Democrats play politics with trade. America may end up paying the price.
Trade legislation debates are usually about dry-as-dust topics like reciprocity and dumping. But sometimes they really matter. Take the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which the Bush administration will send to Congress this week. If Congress rejects it, the loss wouldn't be just measured in dollors or pesos. It could have profound geopolitical effects that would hurt the U.S.....
more here
Democrats play politics with trade. America may end up paying the price.
Trade legislation debates are usually about dry-as-dust topics like reciprocity and dumping. But sometimes they really matter. Take the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which the Bush administration will send to Congress this week. If Congress rejects it, the loss wouldn't be just measured in dollors or pesos. It could have profound geopolitical effects that would hurt the U.S.....
more here
The Unremembered Dead
From Touchstone's Mere Comments:
Imagine what it might be like, not to be forgotten, but to know, as you are growing old, that you will soon be forgotten -- that, in a few short years after your death, no one will care for you, or will preserve your wisdom, or uphold what you stood for, or honor your grave. Would that not be like dying before dying? Isn't there a pathetic rootlessness of time as well as of place? Maybe we can define modern life as that truncated and diminished state of having no home to call your own, no country to serve, no family tradition, maybe no family at all, no piously tended grave, no past, and no future.
If that's the case, then our educators do a very fine job preparing children for modern life. They too sever them from home, country, family, the past, and the future. In the April Touchstone there's a brief report of a study done by a Stanford professor of education, who asked 2000 high school students to name the ten most famous Americans from the time Columbus stepped foot on the continent to the present. The choices are telling... read the rest and the list and some readers' lists as well, here
Care to add your own top 10?
Imagine what it might be like, not to be forgotten, but to know, as you are growing old, that you will soon be forgotten -- that, in a few short years after your death, no one will care for you, or will preserve your wisdom, or uphold what you stood for, or honor your grave. Would that not be like dying before dying? Isn't there a pathetic rootlessness of time as well as of place? Maybe we can define modern life as that truncated and diminished state of having no home to call your own, no country to serve, no family tradition, maybe no family at all, no piously tended grave, no past, and no future.
If that's the case, then our educators do a very fine job preparing children for modern life. They too sever them from home, country, family, the past, and the future. In the April Touchstone there's a brief report of a study done by a Stanford professor of education, who asked 2000 high school students to name the ten most famous Americans from the time Columbus stepped foot on the continent to the present. The choices are telling... read the rest and the list and some readers' lists as well, here
Care to add your own top 10?
Prostitution- Just another job?
From the Zenit website:
...A number of articles in the English papers were opposed to any legalization. On Jan. 19 the Times reported on a book recently published in France by a person known only as Laura D, who is 19 years old. She paid for her first year of university studies by working as a prostitute and wrote the book to warn others against following her example. In her book, according to the Times, she describes the unpleasantness of the experience, describing it as financial domination. She also said that even after leaving the activity it is difficult to have a relationship with the opposite sex.Janice Turner, writing in the Times on Feb. 23, commented that the vast majority of women involved in prostitution wish to escape. She described the legalized brothels in Holland as “magnets for organized crime, drug dealers and traffickers.” Conditions in the legalized centers for prostitution in Nevada are no better, she added, with many women often cruelly treated.... (read the whole article here)
Aside from the other good points, I think this one is interesting. Financial domination- how many of us fall into that category?
...A number of articles in the English papers were opposed to any legalization. On Jan. 19 the Times reported on a book recently published in France by a person known only as Laura D, who is 19 years old. She paid for her first year of university studies by working as a prostitute and wrote the book to warn others against following her example. In her book, according to the Times, she describes the unpleasantness of the experience, describing it as financial domination. She also said that even after leaving the activity it is difficult to have a relationship with the opposite sex.Janice Turner, writing in the Times on Feb. 23, commented that the vast majority of women involved in prostitution wish to escape. She described the legalized brothels in Holland as “magnets for organized crime, drug dealers and traffickers.” Conditions in the legalized centers for prostitution in Nevada are no better, she added, with many women often cruelly treated.... (read the whole article here)
Aside from the other good points, I think this one is interesting. Financial domination- how many of us fall into that category?
Food for Thought on Martyrdom
A martyr is, he who has become the
instrument of God, who has lost his will in
the will of God, not lost it but found it, for
he has found freedom in submission to
God. The martyr no longer desires anything
for himself, not even the glory of
martyrdom.
T.S. ELLIOT—MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL
posted on the Voice of the Martyrs website
A Double Standard?
From the Persecution Blog of the Voice of the Martyrs Website:
...I thought of this again when I learned about Parveen in Pakistan. A brief story about her situation is on the Kids of Courage website at here.
Parveen could have avoided a lot of trouble by just agreeing to work for her Muslim employers on Sunday. After all, it was just one Sunday, and Jesus did say, “The Sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27).
Are persecuted Christians foolish for inviting persecution in this way? I don’t think many of us would say that. Does that then require me to change some of my ideas about the way I spend time on Sundays? Or do I have a double standard? Are there other areas where I might have a double standard about my actions and the actions of Christians in restricted nations? I wonder. ..
read the whole thing here
...I thought of this again when I learned about Parveen in Pakistan. A brief story about her situation is on the Kids of Courage website at here.
Parveen could have avoided a lot of trouble by just agreeing to work for her Muslim employers on Sunday. After all, it was just one Sunday, and Jesus did say, “The Sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27).
Are persecuted Christians foolish for inviting persecution in this way? I don’t think many of us would say that. Does that then require me to change some of my ideas about the way I spend time on Sundays? Or do I have a double standard? Are there other areas where I might have a double standard about my actions and the actions of Christians in restricted nations? I wonder. ..
read the whole thing here
U.N.: Global Temperatures to Decrease Temporarily
From Fox News:
Average global temperatures in 2008 are forecast to be lower than in previous years, thanks to the cooling effect of the ocean current in the Pacific, U.N. meteorologists say.
The World Meteorological Organisation's secretary-general, Michel Jarraud, said it was likely that La Nina, an abnormal cooling of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, would continue into the summer. (full story)
Average global temperatures in 2008 are forecast to be lower than in previous years, thanks to the cooling effect of the ocean current in the Pacific, U.N. meteorologists say.
The World Meteorological Organisation's secretary-general, Michel Jarraud, said it was likely that La Nina, an abnormal cooling of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, would continue into the summer. (full story)
How To Have A Race War
Background: From Frontpage:
In March of 2007, FOX News host Sean Hannity had engaged Obama’s pastor in a heated interview about his Church’s teachings. For many viewers, the ensuing shouting match was their first exposure to “Black Liberation Theology,” and to the name of one of its leading mouthpieces, James Cone, a professor at New York's Union Theological Seminary and an iconic figure venerated by Rev. Wright.
From Pro Existence
"If whiteness stands for all that is evil, blackness symbolizes all that is good. “Black theology,” says [black liberation theologian James] Cone, “refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community . . . Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love.” Small wonder that some critics have condemned black liberation theology as "racist idolatry” and “Afro-Nazism." " (full article)
In March of 2007, FOX News host Sean Hannity had engaged Obama’s pastor in a heated interview about his Church’s teachings. For many viewers, the ensuing shouting match was their first exposure to “Black Liberation Theology,” and to the name of one of its leading mouthpieces, James Cone, a professor at New York's Union Theological Seminary and an iconic figure venerated by Rev. Wright.
From Pro Existence
"If whiteness stands for all that is evil, blackness symbolizes all that is good. “Black theology,” says [black liberation theologian James] Cone, “refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community . . . Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love.” Small wonder that some critics have condemned black liberation theology as "racist idolatry” and “Afro-Nazism." " (full article)
Re-traumatizing blacks to serve the Left
Good points made over at American Thinker:
Keeping people on the boil makes for very powerful group politics, which is why demagogues and tyrannical regimes do it all over the world. But there is an awful cost when individuals or groups remain in turmoil over wrongs that lie in the past....
What the Left has done to black people in the last fifty years is a kind of emotional abuse -- a constant, obsessional reliving of the traumatic past. Fifty years after the Civil Rights Acts, Democrat politicians, professors and preachers are still intent on rubbing salt into those old, painful wounds. It has now become institutionalized. Reliving the past is a major reason for Black Studies Departments all over the country, just as Women's Studies are designed to perpetuate an everlasting cry of pain and rage about the fate of women throughout history. Those constant rehearsals of reasons for rage and resentment do not to help people; they just exploit their pain for political gain.
(full story)
Keeping people on the boil makes for very powerful group politics, which is why demagogues and tyrannical regimes do it all over the world. But there is an awful cost when individuals or groups remain in turmoil over wrongs that lie in the past....
What the Left has done to black people in the last fifty years is a kind of emotional abuse -- a constant, obsessional reliving of the traumatic past. Fifty years after the Civil Rights Acts, Democrat politicians, professors and preachers are still intent on rubbing salt into those old, painful wounds. It has now become institutionalized. Reliving the past is a major reason for Black Studies Departments all over the country, just as Women's Studies are designed to perpetuate an everlasting cry of pain and rage about the fate of women throughout history. Those constant rehearsals of reasons for rage and resentment do not to help people; they just exploit their pain for political gain.
(full story)
Conservative Episcopals score court victory
Good News from AP:
FAIRFAX, Virginia - Eleven conservative congregations who have left the Episcopal Church have won a preliminary victory in a closely watched lawsuit over who controls church property. (full story)
FAIRFAX, Virginia - Eleven conservative congregations who have left the Episcopal Church have won a preliminary victory in a closely watched lawsuit over who controls church property. (full story)
Dan Senor: Condoleezza Rice Is Pursuing the VP Spot
This would be good, and have the added benefit of making the left crazy..er crazier.
April 06, 2008 11:48 AMLindsey Ellerson-->
ABC News' Mary Bruce Reports: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is actively courting the vice presidential nomination, Republican strategist Dan Senor said.
“Condi Rice has been actively, actually in recent weeks, campaigning for this,” Senor said this morning on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” (full story)
April 06, 2008 11:48 AMLindsey Ellerson-->
ABC News' Mary Bruce Reports: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is actively courting the vice presidential nomination, Republican strategist Dan Senor said.
“Condi Rice has been actively, actually in recent weeks, campaigning for this,” Senor said this morning on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” (full story)
Obama Says "No" To Foreign Policy Experience
From the Huffington Post:
Last night at a fundraiser in San Francisco, Barack Obama took a question on what he's looking for in a running mate. "I would like somebody who knows about a bunch of stuff that I'm not as expert on," he said, and then he was off and running. "I think a lot of people assume that might be some sort of military thing to make me look more Commander-in-Chief-like. Ironically, this is an area--foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident that I know more and understand the world better than Senator Clinton or Senator McCain." (full text here)
Wow. How scary is that.
Last night at a fundraiser in San Francisco, Barack Obama took a question on what he's looking for in a running mate. "I would like somebody who knows about a bunch of stuff that I'm not as expert on," he said, and then he was off and running. "I think a lot of people assume that might be some sort of military thing to make me look more Commander-in-Chief-like. Ironically, this is an area--foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident that I know more and understand the world better than Senator Clinton or Senator McCain." (full text here)
Wow. How scary is that.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Theories of Constitutional Interpretation
Are you a Textualist, Intentionalist, or a Natural Law Theorist? Do you care? Should you? I think we should and many do even if we have never ventured far enough to name the discussion. It ususually shows up in conversations about electing judges who legislate from the bench or interpret the constitution straight on. But if you're like me and find yourself pretty ignorant about the issue other than your gut feeling you may find the following link helpful. It is front he University of Missouri at Kansas City It is understandble and at lest offers a general overview.
..Natural law (higher law, God's law) is now only infrequently suggested as an interpretive guide, even though many of the framers of the Constitution recognized its appropriateness. Persons who favor heavy reliance on originalist sources (text and intentions) are commonly called "originalists." Persons who favor giving a more substantial weighting to precedent, consequences, or natural law are called "non-originalists." In practice, disagreement between originalists and non-originalists often concerns whether to apply heightened judicial scrutiny to certain "fundamental rights" that are not explicitly protected in the text of the Constitution. ..read it all here
..Natural law (higher law, God's law) is now only infrequently suggested as an interpretive guide, even though many of the framers of the Constitution recognized its appropriateness. Persons who favor heavy reliance on originalist sources (text and intentions) are commonly called "originalists." Persons who favor giving a more substantial weighting to precedent, consequences, or natural law are called "non-originalists." In practice, disagreement between originalists and non-originalists often concerns whether to apply heightened judicial scrutiny to certain "fundamental rights" that are not explicitly protected in the text of the Constitution. ..read it all here
A Sensible Obama Position
From the National Post a sensible Obama position?
...Where do the three candidates stand on this important issue? Obama has it figured out and spelled out, Hillary is ducking the issue and McCain would rather fight in the Middle East to secure supplies than switch from oil-based transportation fuels to more ethanol production.
Obama proposes a specific remedy: a law that would mandate flex-fuel engines in automobiles in order to break the oil monopoly, as Brazil has done. Letting consumers choose or blend the two fuels exerts downward price pressure and is good for the economy. Extra cost? US$100 a model.... full article
...Where do the three candidates stand on this important issue? Obama has it figured out and spelled out, Hillary is ducking the issue and McCain would rather fight in the Middle East to secure supplies than switch from oil-based transportation fuels to more ethanol production.
Obama proposes a specific remedy: a law that would mandate flex-fuel engines in automobiles in order to break the oil monopoly, as Brazil has done. Letting consumers choose or blend the two fuels exerts downward price pressure and is good for the economy. Extra cost? US$100 a model.... full article
The Democratic Tribes at War
From the National Review:
,,,Obama runs unusually strongly in counties with large universities. Academics — and I include here those who choose to live in university towns as well as those actually in or teaching school — seem to find Obama particularly appealing.
Also, Obama runs unusually well in many state capitals — Concord, Lansing, Tallahassee, Atlanta, Nashville, Santa Fe, Dover, Jefferson City, Sacramento, Trenton, Madison, Columbus, Austin — which of course have unusual concentrations of public employees (and in some cases big universities, as well).
Clinton’s highest percentages come in counties with large numbers of Latinos and what I call Jacksonians. You can see the latter in counties in what is loosely called Appalachia — southwest Virginia, southern Ohio, the north end of Georgia, non-metropolitan Tennessee, northern Alabama, northeast Mississippi, all of Arkansas, southern Missouri, eastern Oklahoma, east and central Texas.
These are lands that were settled by the colonial-era immigrants from northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland and their descendants, who thronged down the Appalachian chain and then, like their heroes Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston, kept going southwest. (article here)
,,,Obama runs unusually strongly in counties with large universities. Academics — and I include here those who choose to live in university towns as well as those actually in or teaching school — seem to find Obama particularly appealing.
Also, Obama runs unusually well in many state capitals — Concord, Lansing, Tallahassee, Atlanta, Nashville, Santa Fe, Dover, Jefferson City, Sacramento, Trenton, Madison, Columbus, Austin — which of course have unusual concentrations of public employees (and in some cases big universities, as well).
Clinton’s highest percentages come in counties with large numbers of Latinos and what I call Jacksonians. You can see the latter in counties in what is loosely called Appalachia — southwest Virginia, southern Ohio, the north end of Georgia, non-metropolitan Tennessee, northern Alabama, northeast Mississippi, all of Arkansas, southern Missouri, eastern Oklahoma, east and central Texas.
These are lands that were settled by the colonial-era immigrants from northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland and their descendants, who thronged down the Appalachian chain and then, like their heroes Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston, kept going southwest. (article here)
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