« September 2006 | Main | November 2006 »

October 22, 2006

The Florida State Trooper

From en email to me from Iris, Fern's mom.

A Florida senior citizen drove his brand new Corvette convertible out of the dealership. Taking off down the road, he floored it to 80 mph, enjoying the wind blowing through what little hair he had left. "Amazing," he thought as he flew down the I-75 freeway, pushing the pedal even more. Looking in his rear view mirror, he saw the state trooper behind him, blue lights flashing and the siren blaring. He floored it to 100 mph, then 110, then 120. Suddenly he thought, "What am I doing? I'm too old for this." and pulled over to await the trooper's arrival.

Pulling in behind him, the trooper walked up to the Corvette, looked at his watch and said, "Sir, my shift ends in 30 minutes. Today is Friday. If you can give me a reason for speeding that I've never heard before, I'll let you go." The old gentleman paused for a moment. Then he said, "Years ago, my wife ran off with a Florida State Trooper. I thought you were bringing her back."

"Have a good day, Sir," replied the trooper.

Posted at 11:57 AM   ·  Comments (0)   ·  TrackBack (0)   ·  Categories: Humor

October 21, 2006

"Bulldozed by Naivete"

Politics makes artists stupid. Take "My Name Is Rachel Corrie," the one-woman play cobbled together from the diaries, emails and miscellaneous scribblings of the 23-year-old left-wing activist who was run over by an Israeli Army bulldozer in 2003 while protesting the demolition of a Palestinian house in the Gaza Strip. Co-written and directed by Alan Rickman, one of England's best actors, "Rachel Corrie" just opened off-Broadway after a successful London run. It's an ill-crafted piece of goopy give-peace-a-chance agitprop--yet it's being performed to cheers and tears before admiring crowds of theater-savvy New Yorkers who, like Mr. Rickman himself, ought to know better.
. . .
"My Name Is Rachel Corrie," by contrast, is a scrappy, one-sided monologue consisting of nothing but the fugitive observations of a young woman who, like so many idealists, treated her emotions as facts. "I am disappointed," she declares, "that this is the base reality of our world and that we, in fact, participate in it. This is not at all what I asked for when I came into this world." To mistake such jejune disillusion for profundity and turn it into the climax of a full-length play is an act of piety, not artistry.

"Bulldozed by Naivete," by Terry Teachout, Opinion Journal, October 21, 2006

Posted at 09:17 AM   ·  Comments (0)   ·  TrackBack (0)   ·  Categories: Ignorance

October 20, 2006

Immigration

A balanced approach to immigration suits me just fine. But a fence only approach not only won’t work, it would be bad for the economy. (Now I’ve said it.) Remember, over the past twenty years of the high tide of Mexican immigration, the American economy has prospered and flourished.

I like these Mexicans. They go to Catholic Church; They work hard; They’re learning English and they will eventually create a new blue-collar middle class.

"Kudlow’s Congressional Report Card," Kudlow's Money Politic$, September 29, 2006

Anybody who says that immigranmts from Mexico and Central America are lazy or don't work hard has no idea what they're talking about ... check out any construction site in the DC metro area ... especially during the hot and muggy summer months ... also try some of the food served out of the taco trucks servicing those sites ... or one of the trucks at Gunston ...

Posted at 08:27 AM   ·  Comments (0)   ·  TrackBack (0)   ·  Categories: America

October 18, 2006

"We're better off seeking guidance from the first 100 names in the Hamilton Township phone book"

Yes, you can still find those things at Princeton and other great universities, here and there -- in the scholarship of Princeton Professors Sean Wilentz and Robert George, for example. But, to paraphrase William F. Buckley, I think we're better off seeking guidance from the first 100 names in the Hamilton Township phone book than from a random sample of the Princeton faculty.

"The Beautiful People vs. The Dutiful People," by Michael Barone, Commentray, January 16, 2006

Posted at 06:17 AM   ·  Comments (0)   ·  TrackBack (0)   ·  Categories: America

October 10, 2006

Free Speech at Columbia? Uh, no.

"These are racist individuals heading a project that terrorizes immigrants on the U.S.-Mexican border," Ryan Fukumori, a Columbia junior who took part in the protest, told The New York Sun. "They have no right to be able to speak here."

"At Columbia, Students Attack Minuteman Founder," by Eliana Johnson, The New York Sun, October 5, 2006

This appears to be the result of a liberal arts education today: Idiots declaring that some one has no right to speak.

The epitome of Columbia's intellectual nadir came from Ryan Fukumori, a junior at the university who told Johnson that Gilchrist and others who spoke at the event "had no right to be able to speak here." Apparently Columbia doesn't teach students about the Constitution, especially the First Amendment, any more. The College Republicans have a right to invite anyone they want to speak at their events, and the speakers have the right to speak without being physically attacked. Bear in mind that this university houses the most prestigious school of journalism in the nation, which should indicate a particular interest in supporting free speech.

"Mob Rule at Columbia," by Captain'sQuartersBlog.com, October 6, 2006

I'm willing to bet 3 things: 1) Ryan Fukimori is involved in some campus group that wants rights for some minority, 2) he has been told most of his life how special he is, and 3) he has a bit too much "self-esteem". Oh, and I'll bet he's self-righteous, too.

Posted at 06:47 AM   ·  Comments (0)   ·  TrackBack (0)   ·  Categories: Nihilism

October 02, 2006

"How Many Lynchings?"

Ah yes, it is so very sophisticated to step back from the herd, with their silly emotions, and explain with cold, raw numbers why terrorism isn't such a big deal.

But we have a few questions for Dr. Jett:

If there were 600 lynchings a year in America, would they belong in the same category as boating accidents?

If 600 Arab-Americans a year were being murdered on account of their ethnicity or religion, would those who consider that a moral outrage of surpassing importance be "sheep" led by "liars, fools and cowards"?

If gangs of thugs were stalking gay bars and beating to death 600 of their patrons a year, would Dr. Jett disagree with those who consider stopping such crimes a higher priority than banning smoking in those same bars?

Just asking.

"How Many Lynchings?" by James Taranto, Best of the Web, OpnionJournal, October 2, 2006

Posted at 04:37 PM   ·  Comments (0)   ·  TrackBack (0)   ·  Categories: Politics

October 01, 2006

"Step away from that Flood-Damaged Car!"

Good advice from lifehacker ... "Step away from that Flood-Damaged Car!" ... and don't think because you're buying that car in Arizona that it's not a flood-damaged car ... use CarFax to get the history ... is the seller reputable? ... for other things to watch out for, see the resources below ...

Other Resources

Posted at 08:37 AM   ·  Comments (0)   ·  TrackBack (0)   ·  Categories: Good Advice