Optimates Optimates

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Blogging the Bible

Am I the only one fascinated by this ongoing Slate series? Let me know.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Introducing: Civ-Cons!

Or at least introducing a new label. John Fonte's National Review article can be found here, at Asiansmith's request. (He really should have contributer status.) My question, however, is what's driving the need for more and more labels in the conservative arena? Is it a need to re-brand the party as big-tent, or a self-serving measure to differentiate from a conservative movement run out of steam?

Also, what do y'all think about Fonte's desire for a national voice, et al. Discuss!

Sunday, January 28, 2007

A Fantastically Stupid Article

Have you ever read an article and wondered whether the authors were being paid to write such obvious falsehoods, or if they simply lacked common sense and perception?

Well, I have just such an article for you right here. It's another in a long list of denialism about our current automobile culture. They often run on a common theme, and this one is no exception: Cars are good because people like cars, and they are a sign of wealth. Or something like that. In truth, here are the five 'myths' the authors set out to debunk:

  1. Americans are addicted to driving.

  2. Public transit can reduce traffic congestion.

  3. We can cut air pollution only if we stop driving.

  4. We're paving over America.

  5. We can't deal with global warming unless we stop driving.

My favorite, as you must have gathered, is #2. Is it really a myth that public transportation reduces traffic congestion? Here's an especially choice paragraph, in which the authors state that it would be just too darned hard for us to make our suburbs transit-friendly:

Many officials say we should reconfigure the landscape -- pack people in more tightly -- to make it fit better with a transit-oriented lifestyle. But that would mean increasing density in existing developments by bulldozing the low-density neighborhoods that countless families call home. Single-family houses, malls and shops would have to make way for a stacked-up style of living that most don't want. And even then the best-case scenario would be replicating New York, where only one in four commuters uses mass transit. [Emphasis mine]
Read that bold passage again. What could be a more blatant misrepresentation of what sensible planners are suggesting? Planners suggest that new development should ideally be created in a manner that creates higher-density neighborhoods. This means zoning with more regular street plans and smaller lot sizes. Where do the authors get the notion that this is the same thing as bulldozing existing neighborhoods? Again, I ask if they're honestly this stupid or if they're being paid off.

Never mind that beneath the entire article is the implicit assumption that we will have enough oil (or hydrogen, or ethanol, or magic beans) to continue running our cars at the same capacity forever. Well, I'm sorry, but we won't. We just won't. And it makes far more sense to begin planning for an oil-short future sensibly than plugging our hands over our ears and repeating that everything is fine.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to our friend and fellow blogger, Gaufridus. Welcome to the club, old man!

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Giuliani '08

The other night my parents went to the Littleton Area Chamber of Commerce annual dinner. The featured speaker was Giuliani. A well-known politician in New Hampshire a year before the primary? You know what that means!

I've got little to say about it now, but soon I'll offer up my thoughts on a possible Giuliani candidacy. In the meantime, feel free to give me your thoughts on the man.

Friday, January 26, 2007

As neocon pundits continue to break ranks...

Charles Krauthammer comes out in favor of a gas tax. (and ANWR drilling, and nuclear power, and accepts global warming as true... a mixed bag, but worth reading.)

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Apropos of Nothing...

But we really like High School Musical. No, we're not going to apologize.


Tuesday, January 23, 2007

SOTU

Since the TV and the computer are not in the same room, I will not be liveblogging the SOTU. I will, however, post commentary afterward. Watch this space!

Update: That was really boring. It is no exaggeration to say that I fell asleep during parts of the speech. Comparing this speech to last year, I noticed that many portions were virtually identical. For example, are my notes below from last year or this year?
9:47 p.m. - Hypes Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Frivolous lawsuits are no good.

9:48 p.m. - "America is addicted to oil." Umm... keep talking...

9:50 p.m. - Coal, wind, solar, and, ahem, 'nukular.' Research will be increased in alternate sources. We'll be ready by 2025. No rush or anything.
That's right, you can't tell. Neither could I, and I watched the speech both years. And so the Bush Administration stumbles along to the anticlimax. Your thoughts, as always, are welcome. Did you see or hear something I didn't?

In Anticipation

It's clear that the 2008 election season has begun. Candidates from both parties have declared their intentions outright or established so-called "Exploratory Committees" to determine the manner in which they should declare their intentions.

After six - by then eight - years of the astoundingly bad Bush Administration, I'm sure a lot of us will be looking for a candidate who will 'put things right,' and solve the many problems this current bunch has let fester. While that's all well and good, and there is plenty a President can do to change direction, I think it's important to remember we're not looking for a savior. In fact, it's precisely that kind of thinking that only makes matters worse.

So long as the political involvement in this country is focused on a quadrennial beauty contest, we will not truly have a Republic, but an elective monarchy of a kind. Is it any coincidence that Bush only thought he was accountable when the votes were counted? This, as many of you know, is why I'm skeptical of greater federal government power in general: I think it leads to greater and greater gaps in accountability and honest government.

I urge you to remember that when you consider candidates. Ask yourself if the candidate will, in the long run, grant you more power over not only your destiny, but the destiny of the country as a whole.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Vote for me!

Hello friends and fellow gardens plants. I've been part of this great botanical nation of ours for many years now and I've seen many presidents come and go. But dear friends, both vegetable and flower alike, these last few years I've seen things going wrong in this garden. I've voiced my opinions and spoken out. Spoken out on the campaign to keep the weeds from getting through our borders. Spoken out on the growing fertilizer gap between flowers and vegetables. I've even
let my voice be heard on the new sunlight placement laws and the deep question of if that really is a greenhouse being built around us.

Now friends, I've feel my time just talking is over. So I, Adam the Orchid, declare my candidacy for president of the garden! It is long past time we had a flower in the oval office. Too long it has been purely vegetable race. Well it's time for a change! As a flower I can bring a fresh way of dealing with problems. As a flower I can deal with all plants to help bring a brighter tomorrow.
In the coming days I'll be going all over this great garden of ours to talk to everyone about what can be done to get things back on track! I look forward to speaking to each and everyone of you!
Thank you!

If you were to ask a frog what he thought he'd probably not see what the hype was about. Flowers, Vegetables, what difference does it make? They're all just potted plants.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Clinton '08

She follows Obama and makes the counter-move. And here I thought I wasn't going to voting Republican in '08!

I like the world today...

I like it when it's green...

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Obama the Smoker

I like him even more!

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Obama '08

It's on. Your move, Hillary.

Monday, January 15, 2007

MLK

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Rome

The HBO series Rome returns tonight. Sadly, we do not get HBO at our apartment. Consider this an open thread to tell us what happened in this week's episode, as well as what you thought of it.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

More Scissor Sisters

They're no mere musical group, says Sullivan: they are a revolution! I just like the songs, personally.

Friday, January 12, 2007

Down With Baby Boomers!

Robert Samuelson makes the case for massive entitlement reform here.

More Court!

If you're an avid court-watcher, or if you have any interest at all in the workings of the judiciary, I urge you to read this very thorough article on Chief Justice John Roberts. The article is based on what must have been an incredibly compelling interview with Roberts, in which he lays out how the Supreme Court must deal with the modern-day politics of personality (among other things) to retain its prestige.

Money quote:

“A justice is not like a law professor, who might say, ‘This is my theory … and this is what I’m going to be faithful to and consistent with,’ and in twenty years will look back and say, ‘I had a consistent theory of the First Amendment as applied to a particular area,’” he explained. Instead of nine justices moving in nine separate directions, Roberts said, “it would be good to have a commitment on the part of the Court to acting as a Court, rather than being more concerned about the consistency and coherency of an individual judicial record.”

Read it all (hat tip: Volokh, of course).

Thursday, January 11, 2007

One-Hundred and Fifty

Tonight at dinner, Boudicca and I realized that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the Dred Scott decision, in my opinion the single worst decision in the history of the United States.

Well, except for Roe.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Escalation

So, by Bush's leave, it's an escalation of the war in Iraq. The additional 21,500 troops will be sent into Baghdad and Anbar province to pacify the area. I think the concept is fatally flawed - per Andrew Sullivan, "enough troops to lose" - but that was never the point, was it?

The real question is this: given the substantial opposition to the troop increase among Democrats (and in surprising quarters of the Republican Party), and given that the Democrats control both the House and the Senate, will the Legislature regain its composure and dignity long enough to oppose a policy they detest?

My money's on "no."

Mankind's best/worst Achievement

Your quest into Youtube reminds me of something Rich and Nate are quickly running to. At first Youtube was a god send straight from Rich's lightning god (don't ask), but now they're getting bored with it. The main problem they seem to have is coming up with things they want to see.
What does one want when one can get whatever one wants? If anyone knows please tell them.
Trust me, they're all ears.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

In a Little While

Sorry to post two videos in a row, but YouTube is just so fun, you know? Anyway, this next clip U2 and Brandon Flowers duet on one of my favorite U2 songs, "In A Little While." Give it a listen.


Monday, January 08, 2007

Irony Explosion

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Israel to nuke Iran! ..shhh..don't tell anybody though..

I opened up Drudge this morning and what is it that I see? A headline bigger than my arm saying Israel has secret plans to nuke Iran before Iran nukes Israel. At least they were secret plans before this morning.

Now I'm all for freedom of the press, but this story shouldn't have happened. What point does it serve other than to inflame an already tense situation? Iran could easily read this and decide to launch a preemptive strike before Israel's preemptive strike.

I'm not saying the press should be outright censored (even though it should be), but editors should have some sense of what they're putting out there and what effect it will end up having on the readers. Running a scoop on Paris Hilton is one thing, running one on secret plans for nuclear attacks is another.

I look forward to you disagreeing. That's your cue Shawn..

This is Interesting

So newly released files tell us that Rehnquist was zonked out of his mind on painkillers in the early 80s. Who's on what today?

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Brownback '08

Are you as excited as I am about this? That's right, God's Own Senator(tm) is going to run for President.

My only serious question at this hour is the following: what does this do to Romney's chances?

Friday, January 05, 2007

The Scissor Sisters

Is it wrong that I like this song?


Thursday, January 04, 2007

The Talented Tenth?

With the Democrats' success at the polls in 2006, a fair number of House committees and subcommittees are now led by members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Indeed, I heard it said on the radio today that black members of Congress now have a greater role in the affairs of the Republic than at any time in our history. This can only be to the good.

And yet I can't help but notice the divergent paths forged by the black elite and the bulk of their constituency since the 1960s, when the black vote was freed from Jim Crow and became an electoral force. The census offers a stark tale: over that time, illegitimacy rates have gone from the low 20s to the high 60s; black men are now in prison in far greater numbers than their proportion in society; black poverty rates remain consistently higher than those of whites. The political successes of black candidates - such as in the '06 election - have not, it seems, improved the lot of most of their supporters.

It all returns me to the old argument between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. Washington said the way forward was through self-reliance and industry, and since nothing could be done about white racism and discrimination, it should merely be endured. In the end, he argued, a self-empowered and economically vibrant black community would be the best defense against discrimination, indeed its eventual downfall.

DuBois, on the other hand, argued that Washington was an accommodationist who would do the black community no good. He advocated for a so-called "Talented Tenth" of classically schooled intellectuals who would push for social change, leading the community into the broad uplands of social and legal equality. The rest would follow from that.

In the current political elite we have something of a Tenth (talented or no). What strikes me is not how well they have fostered equality and economic opportunity, but rather how well they have become part of the self-serving establishment. Really, how is a CBC member any different from a conservative white politician who riles up his poor white constituency with wild talk about abortion or gay marriage? The sentiment is the same in both cases: it's about being represented by someone who looks and acts exactly like you. Results are less important than the symbolism of being represented by "one of us." Identity politics.

So I'm left ambivalent about it all. While it's oddly comforting that black politicians have finally reached the same level of do-nothing symbolism and allegiance to the establishment as their white counterparts (what perverse equality!), I don't see how anyone else really benefits from it. But, as always, I'm open to your thoughts on the matter.

Do You Still Beat Your Wife?

... and do you follow the Hadith while doing it?

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

BloggingHeads

If you have an hour or so, consider watching these fascinating and erudite video blogs. The two men featured are Robert Wright and Andrew Sullivan, respectively. The opening of the second one is particularly compelling, as Sullivan apologizes for his part in selling the Iraq War. So throughly does he apologize that Wright has no comeback! Give 'em a look.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

'07 Predictions

As a companion piece to Boudicca's post below on New Year's Resolutions, I'm asking for your predictions for this year. What will happen in 2007 politically? Economically? Culturally? I want to hear from you.

Monday, January 01, 2007

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2007! I hope you all were able to party heartily (yet safely) to ring in the new year, and I'm curious about your New Year's Resolutions. It goes without saying that you have all resolved to read this blog more and comment frequently.

Do you have anything else exciting planned for your clean calendrical slate?