Joust The Facts

Furtive Glances

I've got my best friend from college coming into town this weekend, and I don't know how much attention this pasttime will receive, so here's a quick look around at what's cooking.

• Marvin Kalb interviews Dan Rather, and proclaims to a reader of the interview that he knows of no proof that CBS's TANG documents were forged.  John Hinderaker explains that Marvin should read more.
• A great photo for a caption contest over at Wizbang.
• A gay man's explanation why outing even a Republican! is just plain wrong.
• The Carnival of Cluelessness at RWNH.
• Dennis the Peasant showing up the thought processes, or rather lack thereof, of T. Christopher Kelly.

Enjoy the weekend.  Go Sox!!

3 Games In Boston

We've arrived at the final week of the baseball season, and here's where we stand.

• The Yankees lead the AL East by a game over the Red Sox, with 3 games in Boston to finish the season.
• The Indians and Red Sox are tied in the standings for the Wild Card.
• The White Sox have held on, and clinched the Central.  They play the Indians in the final 3; the Tribe will be motivated, the Pale Hose not so much.
• The Angels are in.
• The Braves, Cardinals and Padres have all clinched division titles.
• Houston's magic number to clinch the Wild Card in the NL is 2 with 3 to play.

I don't have many fingernails left - but Big Papi saved a few of them last night.  Down 4-1 Manny Ramirez hits one out for 2 runs, then David Ortiz ties it in the eighth and wins it in the ninth.  Can you say MVP?

The probable pitching matchups for this classic fall weekend series are:

• Friday: Chien Ming Wang vs. David Wells
• Saturday: Randy Johnson vs. Tim Wakefield
• Sunday: Mike Mussina vs. Curt Schilling

With the Indians playing the already-in White Sox the teams in Boston this weekend better not look for help out of Cleveland. 

Doubling Down On Racist Conspiracy Theories.

Democratic Representative Sheila Jackson Lee has decided to go all in with racism as the way to nail the Bush administration.  For Lee it's not good enough to accuse the Bush administration of racism as the cause of the 'slow' federal response to Hurricane Katrina.  No, she ties it in with black voter 'suppression' in 2000 and 2004 as ... well, I'm not quite sure what.  I guess it just has a lot more oomph if you string all the ridiculous accusations together.  She must think it sounds like it makes sense.

"Watching family members and others cling to rooftops in Hurricane Katrina, I wonder whether or not the absence of attention [to the recovery effort] is attributable to the loss of a vote in 2000 and 2004," U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas, said.

She added that the government's hurricane response gave her the feeling of "deja vu," following the Republican Party's alleged attempts to undermine the black vote in those two presidential elections.

So I guess those evil Bushies, encouraged by the success they had in keeping minority votes from putting Al Gore and John Kerry over the top, decided it would be just too good if they could strand thousands of them in a hurricane-leveled wasteland.

Unfortunately for Ms. Lee there are allegations, and then there are facts.  And allegations of minority vote suppression do not equal evidence of actual minority vote suppression.  Peter Kirsanow has addressed this issue repeatedly.

Given that distortions of the Commission's Florida 2000 report formed much of the basis for the disenfranchisement myth, several commissioners were concerned that any irregularities reported by staff, however minor, would be hyped into yet another "stolen election." But at the commission's November 12, 2004, meeting, the staff reported . . . absolutely nothing.

The mythologists were undaunted. When initial claims of disappearing votes, voter intimidation, and rigged "Republican" election machines proved false, they tried to make the most of less-titillating claims that long lines, inadequate numbers of voting machines, and partisan election officials "disenfranchised" voters.

So no, Ms. Lee, black voters were not disenfranchised, suppressed or otherwise intimidated from voting.  And equally incorrect are charges that racism led FEMA to delay helping in New Orleans.  Because, if you were to believe that, you'd also have to explain how the conspiracy caused Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin to be complicit.

Laughable, and simultaneously sad.  (hat tip: Ace)

I'd Throw The Big Lefty In Game 1 Against 'The Evil Empire'

No, not that lefty.  This lefty.  (hat tip: The Corner)

Tom DeLay vs. Ronnie Earle

Why do I get the feeling that at the end of this it'll seem that Wile E. Coyote failed once again to capture the Road Runner, instead slamming into the fake tunnel he himself painted on the rock wall.

There's a lot I could write about this, but others much more knowledgeable have already done so.  See Ms. Zanotti's epic at The American Princess (she has a lot more legal training than I) and today's lead editorial in the Wall Street Journal, for example.

Who knows what a jury will decide, but the four-page indictment isn't much to go on. Mr. DeLay is accused with two associates of using corporate money to fund state legislative campaigns in violation of Texas campaign-finance laws. The indictment includes a copy of a check that it claims was money laundered through a political action committee. But the charge is for conspiracy, which because of its vagueness can be the easiest indictment to bring but the most difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is bizarre from the start:

Not to mention, corporations are more than welcome to contribute to political parties. Lets face it, most corporations give large donations to the DNC and RNC every single year. They just cant give to individual candidates under Texas law. Here, you have a business, giving money to a PAC that gave money to the RNC. Cut out the middle man, and the transaction is legal, correct? Corporation to RNC, okay. Corporation to PAC to RNC not okay? Actually, it is okay under Texas law, since its just an indirect way of doing something a corporation could do directly. To claim that there was a conspiracy here would be to indicate that the corporations tried to make it harder for themselves to do something legally.

That's weird.

On top of which, it's not all that uncommon a practice.  Via Jason Smith, quoting an American Spectator article:

The only problem is that similar transactions are conducted by both parties in many states, including Texas. In fact, on October 31, 2002, the Texas Democratic Party sent the Democratic National Committee (DNC) $75,000, and on the same day, the DNC sent the Texas Democratic Party $75,000. On July 19, 2001, the Texas Democratic Party sent the DNC $50,000 and, again on the same day, the DNC sent the Texas Democratic Party $60,000. On June 8, 2001, the Texas Democratic Party sent the DNC $50,000. That very same day, the DNC sent the Texas Democratic Party $60,000.

Mr. DeLay will not likely be felled from the House for this, but may never regain his leadership position, nor have the agenda influence he once had.  The WSJ editorial staff would not be entirely unhappy with that.

Our disagreement with the Majority Leader is that, as the GOP cemented itself in power, he let incumbency become more important than the principles that elected him in the first place.

9/29/05 1500: The Political Teen has video of Rep. DeLay with Sean Hannity discussing the indictment.  This echoes the statements that DeLay has released, which you can read here.

9/29/05 1510: If Mr. Earle wants to root around for conspiracies he might have started with the politicians who benefited from these illegally laundered campaign contributions.

9/29/05 1710: Rick Moran picked Elmer Fudd instead of Wile E. Coyote, but you get the picture.  Also read Will Franklin, who knows a lot about Mr. Earle, being a Texan himself.

Collapse Of The IFC

To steal a line from James Taranto, "We Get Results!"  By 'we' I'm referring to Debra Burlingame, Take Back The Memorial and the NY Post, along with those of us who supported their efforts.

Gov. Pataki put the International Freedom Center out of its misery yesterday. Good for him.

"There remains too much opposition, too much controversy over the programming of the IFC, and we must move forward with our first priority — the creation of an inspiring memorial," Pataki said. "The IFC cannot be located on the memorial quadrant."

Again, good for the governor.

The Post led the journalistic charge.

Month after month, we made the case for moving it elsewhere, imploring the governor and mayor to take action.

"The International Freedom Center is to be a 250,000-square-foot museum with a self-professed mission to 'harness the power of history and use it as a springboard for contemporary dialogue and debate' on the meaning of freedom," we wrote back in June.

" 'Dialogue and debate,' huh?

"Time to reach for the revolver.

"Because odds are that, at the end of the day, this center won't focus on freedom's triumphs, so much as on its failures — particularly those in which America can be painted as the culprit."

From the TBTM website:

Ever since June 8, 2005 when Debra Bulingame’s op-ed The Great Ground Zero Heist appeared in the Wall Street Journal, we have fought together for the preservation of dignity at Ground Zero. With your help, we have achieved a major victory toward that goal.

Take Back the Memorial will continue to monitor the plans for Ground Zero to ensure that a fitting and proper memorial is built; one that is respectful of the victims murdered that day, their families, the first responders, and the American people.

Thank you again for your support, prayers, and dedication. This simply could not have been achieved without you.

As a supporter’s email says, “There aren’t too many happy (or at least pleasing) events associated with 9/11, but sometimes there’s justice.”

I'm sure that there are many who would find an International Freedom Center to be a interesting, worthy, and perhaps inspirational project if done correctly.  Unfortunately there was little to no confidence that it would be fashioned as a celebration of freedom, but instead would serve as a knife in the back to America, one of the most free nations on earth.  There was also little need for it to be located, given that expected slant, at the site of the largest attack on American soil.

The Memorial at Ground Zero should be just that, a memorial to those whose lives were taken from them in this terrorist attack.  To have any structure, display or message that detracts in any way from that memorial dishonors the lives that were lost.  So if the investors and planners involved with the IFC stil consider it valuable, put it someplace else.  I nominate Baghdad, where freedom from an oppressive dictatorial regime is just beginning to bloom.

Others: Ed Morrissey, Michelle Malkin, Brainster's Blog, Ankle Biting Pundits, LGF

Previously: The IFC Responds

It Was A Very Good Year

With Apologies to Frank Sinatra:

When I was forty-five, it was a very good year
It was a very good year for small-time blogging and writing my stuff
I’d link it all up, and lay down some jive
When I was forty-five

It’s been an interesting and enjoyable 365 days, and today Joust The Facts turns one.  Eighteen months ago I had a hazy awareness of weblogs and blogging, but as far as knowing the ins and outs of the craft, I was blithely unaware.  I still am in many ways.  I read Hugh Hewitt’s book last summer, If It’s Not Close They Can’t Cheat, and in it Hugh advocated starting your own blog if you felt you had something to say.  I thought I did, maybe, but who would read?  I had also been a regular reader of James Taranto, whose Best of the Web was a daily pleasure.   To be able to pull together the fragments of information, the snippets of quotes, and put in perspective some of the daily lunacy and farce we witness on a regular basis, why, that was something.

Then, lo and behold, as the presidential race heated up, a strange thing happened.  CBS News and Dan Rather ‘obtained’ some documents, and all hell broke loose.  Within a day there were significant doubts about the genuineness of the papers.  Where did I read about such doubts?  Blogs.

Little Green Footballs’ Charles Johnson produced his memorable comparison of one of the supposed originals and a quickly word-processed version in default Microsoft Word settings, and they matched.  He later animated the GIF for effect.  The Sixty-First Minute by Scott Johnson appeared on Power Line.  (That was back when those boys allowed trackbacks.)  A law professor named Glenn Reynolds got mentioned – I checked out his site, and he had tons of links to other bloggers.  I had found a whole new world.

From these places I branched out.  I found Ace of Spades – he was hitting the unfortunate Mr. Rather hard, and he was funny, too.  Really funny.  Jeff Goldstein was an eye-opener.  There were others, of course – PoliPundit, Roger Simon, Alarming News, Bill Roggio, Hugh Hewitt himself, James Lileks, Andrew Sullivan – the number of blogs was startling, and the variety and quality of the writing was astounding.  All these ‘pundits’ out there, and I had no idea.

So I did it.  Typepad seemed a simple way to get started.  If I stunk at it, didn’t enjoy it, or found I didn’t have time there would be a minimal loss of investment, not too much software to learn, and only a few embarrassing posts to live down.

I’m told your first post is supposed to stink.  I didn’t just put out the first thing that popped into my head, just to see if it worked.  Instead I thought about why it was that I wanted to give others a chance to read my thoughts, to communicate with them through my writing.  The war on terror, and my own family’s unfortunate connection to it played a big role, so that would have to be the topic.  I talked about my brother – the one I miss every day.  Indirectly he is the inspiration for my alter ego, Giacomo.  My brother was a singer, and a dancer, and a talented actor, with comedic flair.  Quite a lot like Danny Kaye, I think.  I don’t think my first post stunk, but I could be wrong.  Now, as for my second post ...

Shortly I found myself getting the occasional referral from a place called “Normblog: The Weblog of Norman Geras.”   Mr. Geras was the first to add Joust to his ‘blogroll’, and for that I am certainly grateful.  I still don’t really know why he did so, but I thank him for being the first to link.

I’ve found other ‘friends’ in this.  ‘Friends’ needs to be in scare quotes, as it seems just a bit odd to include purely electronic acquaintances in your list of friends.  For example, Karol Sheinin emailed me to say she enjoyed my writing, and could she add me to her blogroll.  “Sure, Karol, great.”  She was already on mine. Where do I pick up my Pulitzer?  I began haunting Will Franklin’s uber-classy WILLisms.com, and he and Zsa Zsa began haunting Joust.  He's even placed a couple of my posts in his Carnival of Classiness.  Jason Smith included me in his email list for his posts, along with Michelle Malkin, Glenn Reynolds, Ed Morrissey and other blog luminaries.  I wondered why I was included; Jason wrote “You’ve got a great blog.”  Hey, thanks, so do you, Jason.  My first contact with Rick Moran at Right Wing Nut House was when I linked one of his pieces.  He had noted that you couldn’t talk to the terrorists – they would just as soon “shoot you in the back.”  I commented that I might have written “cut off your head, but you get the point.”  ‘Superhawk’ soon commented that, indeed, that might have been an improvement.  RWNH has been regular reading for quite some time, although it still won’t trackback from Typepad.  Aaarrrgh!  Drew Burchett of Conservative Friends made Joust his Featured Blog of the Week, and then took my advice and later bestowed the same honor on E.M. Zanotti, The American Princess.  And there’s a certain very well-behaved and literate liberal who comes around to comment periodically, keeping me on my toes.   I have no doubt that if and when I get the chance to meet these and other ‘friends’ I will not be disappointed.

This isn’t all I do; I’m not a journalist.  I practice medicine, putting in 10 hour (or more) days, handling emergency room call during the week and on weekends, perform surgery, and provide medical care for a high school and a college.  I’m raising three young daughters.  I have a beautiful (and unbelievably patient and understanding) wife who already laments the demands this activity places upon my time.  So there’ll be times when I don’t post much, or my posts will be quick thoughts, brief comments.  I also don’t know everything about everything, and don't pretend to. I don’t have a day, a week, or a month to study and research a topic before I post.  But I do the best I can, and I try not to draw conclusions I can’t support.

There’ll be times when I do have the time to look at a story, research it, and really give it the attention it requires.  I do like to write about politics.  Medicine.  Baseball and football and basketball and hockey and golf.  Economics.  Science.  Comedy.  Music.  So you get a little bit of everything here.  I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks to my ‘friends’, both those listed above and  those I’ve neglected to mention, for reading, writing, and teaching me all at the same time.  And thanks, readers, for stopping by, and for coming back.

First and last thanks go to the lovely and loving Gwendolyn, my wife, and the little jesters for putting up with my pastime.  Absent their support this would end tomorrow. 

It was, indeed, a very good year.

Still Tied

Fluff and feathers flying all day yesterday, but when it all was over the race in the AL was unchanged.  Sox and Yankees tied, both tied with Cleveland, trailing Chicago by 2 games.  The Red Sox starter, Curt Schilling, and the Yankees starter, Mike Mussina, are now on schedule to meet in the final game of the season.  Neither was as effective they'd like to be.

The NL is much more defined now.  Atlanta clinches.  San Diego will soon.  Philadelphia fades, 2.5 down to Houston.

Scoreboard watching this weekend, to be sure.

"The Flowing Robes, The Grace, Bald ... Striking"

Via this Associated Press story we learn a lot about what that thin Himalayan air can do to a man.

The Dalai Lama told 36,000 people at Rutgers Stadium that the concept of war was outdated and young people have a responsibility to make this century one of peace.

"This whole planet is just us," the 70-year-old exiled monk said Sunday. "Therefore, destruction of another area essentially is destruction of yourself."

Like maybe the World Trade Center Towers?  Tell that to UBL and Al Qaeda.

Tibet's spiritual leader also urged the audience to develop a wider world perspective, not just focus on "America, America, America."

Maybe we should think about passing a "global test?"

The Dalai Lama, who won the 1989 Nobel peace prize, accepted an honorary degree from Rutgers President Richard McCormick. He said it was an honor to receive it without having to work hard and study.

Some hard work and study would have helped, apparently. 

In his lecture, "Peace, War and Reconciliation," the Dalai Lama said society's dream should be a world free of nuclear and biological weapons.

That's exactly what we're trying to accomplish.  And yes, I do know that America has nuclear weapons, and yes, I do know that we're the only nation that has ever used them.  But answer me this: Would you rather we have them and North Korea or Iran not have them, or the other way around?

He noted their danger — and their expense, saying some African states have an abundance of weapons, but not enough food.

They also have an abundance of corrupt government, socialism and slavery but you haven't suggested eliminating those.

"His quiet mind is the kind of serenity New Jersey, home of strip malls, could use," Arielle Gomberg said.

Quiet?  Almost silent.

It's The 'George W. Bush Freedom 'N' Terrorist Massacree Movement'

And that's what it is, the 'George W. Bush Freedom 'N' Terrorist Massacree Movement'.  And all ya got to do to join it is to sing it the next time it comes around again on the guitar.  With feelin'.

You can be free and democratic, whilst knockin' off terrorists
You can be free and democratic, whilst knockin' off terrorists
Join the coalition, it's in Iraq
And vote yourself a helpin' hand from Uncle Sam
You can be free and democratic, whilst knockin' off terrorists.

First Germany, one of the holdouts, seemed to have voted a little closer to joinin', though maybe a little schizo, then Poland, already a member, voted themselves a bigger helpin' o' that old-time democracy 'n' economic freedom.

Voters in Poland's parliamentary elections shunned the nation's scandal-prone government of ex-communists to embrace two center-right parties that have promised tax cuts and clean government, partial results showed Monday.

Why, it's a movement, a revolution takin' hold before our very eyes!

Market Timing

Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) is in some hot water over the sale of a large amount of stock in HCA, his family's hospital corporation.  The sale apparently came just prior to a disappointing earnings report that caused the stock to drop, but after a long period during which company insiders were selling their stock.  There are some issues with a blind trust.

Some have defended him, others want more information, still others are skeptical.  To be perfectly honest, I have neither the legal expertise nor the inside knowledge to add much to the discussion.  I would simply note that he'd probably be fine - and better off financially - if he'd simply gone with the 100:1 ROI the wives of prominent politicians can get in the cattle futures market.

9/26/05 1015: Dr. Reo Symes, guest-posting at Ace's Place, has a more lucid and transparent explanation than I could ever produce.  I suspect that Frist's move did not represent "insider trading," especially considering the whole Martha Stewart song and dance.  I also suspect he'll have a near-impossible time proving that it wasn't.

It's Getting 'Interesting'

Cleveland gave up a 3-0 lead, came back to tie, only to lose in the bottom of the ninth to Kansas City (update: on a fly ball lost in the sun!).  Meanwhile Chicago, Boston and New York all won; the latter two stay tied.  As a result of all this Cleveland leads the Wild Card race by 0.5 games, and trails Chicago by 2.5.  They still have three games at home with Chicago next weekend; simultaneously New York and Boston will be teeing it up in Fenway.

Over in the NL Philly picked up a game on Houston.  Florida lost again (still toast).

Here's an open question.  Usually ties for a playoff spot are decided by a one game playoff.  What happens if Boston, Cleveland and New York all finish with the same record, and Chicago wins the Central division?  I'm guessing two one game playoffs - one to decide the East, then a second to decide the Wild Card between Cleveland and the loser of the division game, though that doesn't really seem fair.

Zarqawi, The Blogger

He's back, and he's pissed!  What's a holy warrior to do when the infidels have the best toys, and all the good martyrs are ... well ... martyrs already?  And just when you think that the tide of public opinion might swing your way you check out the action on CSpan, only to find that your glorious jihad isn't the only cause having trouble finding good help.

Arrrrggghhh. Good Allah, I really need a good long vacation.

Listen man, I seriously gotta book. Achmed says Team Satan is headed this way, and I'm still walking funny from their last laser-guided high colonic. Stay golden, and if you're one of those college f**kwits that was screaming "End The Occupation" yesterday in DC: cracka, please. Allah knows I've got enough crusader problems as it is, and that kinda s**t only encourages them.

You really want to end the infidel occupation? Put down the ANSWER picket sign and book a group tour to Damascus. Flights leave daily, and Delta is Ready When You Are, Moby. We may be running short of martyrs, but we'll make sure to have an eastbound bus waiting for you at the airport.

One Candle On Rick Moran's Cake

The Right WIng Nut House turned one, and Rick Moran has a thoughtful look back and doles out some thanks.  Congratulations, Rick.  Nice work over the last year.  I've enjoyed reading you.

And, if you've been following along, Joust The Facts is approaching a similar blog milestone.  I'll have more on this later in the week.

Some Still Want To Leave

A couple of days ago I posted this brief note (reprinted in it's entirety)

Can We Stop The 'Get Out Of Iraq' Talk Now?

Jalal Talabani, President of Iraq, today in the Wall Street Journal:

There is no more important international issue today than the need to defeat the curse of terrorism. And as the first democratically elected president of Iraq, I have a responsibility to ensure that the world's youngest democracy survives the inherently difficult transition from totalitarianism to pluralism. A transformation of the Iraqi state and Iraqi society is impossible without a sustained commitment of soldiers from the United States and other democracies.

Nothing more need be said.

Who would you listen to - the President of Iraq, or Cindy Sheehan?  Several thousand inexplicably chose the latter, and Michelle Malkin has the photos.  The Political Teen has pictures and video.  Be sure you don't have a mouthful of milk when you view the last of Ian's photos.

Jalal Talabani, President of Iraq, today in the Wall Street Journal:

There is no more important international issue today than the need to defeat the curse of terrorism. And as the first democratically elected president of Iraq, I have a responsibility to ensure that the world's youngest democracy survives the inherently difficult transition from totalitarianism to pluralism. A transformation of the Iraqi state and Iraqi society is impossible without a sustained commitment of soldiers from the United States and other democracies.

Nothing more need be said.

Tied Up Again

The Toronto Blue Jays jumped all over Jaret Wright for four runs in the first inning, and knocked off the Yankees 7-4.  Trot Nixon just squeezed the final fly ball in deep right and the Red Sox held off the Orioles 4-3.  Here we go again.

Cleveland and Chicago are both playing now, and both lead by a run early.  Houston continues to win, and Philadelphia is trying to keep pace tonight.

Here are the records to watch:

Chicago: 93-61                                                       Houston: 85-70
Cleveland: 92-63  (-1.5, +1.5 WC)                            Philadelphia: 83-72  (-2)
Boston and NY: 90-64  (tied, -1.5 WC)                      Florida: 80-75  (toast)

Three of the four AL teams will make the playoffs; only one of the NL teams will make it.

9/25/05 0930: Updated records to include last night's results.

Oh, Really?

I don't have the time for a full analysis, but this report from Brian Ross of ABC News caught my eye.

More Scientists Say Global Warming Causes Strong Hurricanes

Considering that the same proposal had been made after Katrina hit, I think a little review is in order.  You can start your reading here, with a lengthy discussion I already did on the topic, and also with this piece at TMH's Bacon Bits.  Let's look at today's story.

Some preachers have said Katrina was meant to punish New Orleans for being a sin city. In Jerusalem, a prominent rabbi says the hurricanes are meant to punish President Bush. An Islamic Web site describes Katrina's destruction as God's fair punishment for America.

And others say it is no more than the natural, historical cycle of weather, that there have always been and always will be clusters of damaging hurricanes.

"This is just the way nature behaves and I find it astounding how tremendously lucky this country's been in the past 20 years in the lack of a major landfall," said Bill Gray, a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University. "People need to view this as a tragedy, an event of nature that occasionally occurs, and we shouldn't blame anybody for it."

I see.  Those who don't believe it's man-made (by Bush) for not following the Kyoto treaty that was rejected by 95 US senators are equivalent to those who believe it's the wrath of a vindictive God.  Nice analogy.

But there is another explanation, one that is highly controversial, but in the last few weeks has gained significant scientific credibility.

Some people are pointing to global warming, saying that our use of fossil fuels has helped to heat up the planet and its seas, producing much stronger hurricanes.

Explanations don't gain scientific credibility over the course of "the last few weeks."  They gain credibility over the course of years, with models and experiments that don't require numerous "guesses" like climate models do.  The argument that warmer water fuels stronger hurricanes is very supportable - that's science.  The argument that use of fossil fuels causes that warmer water is not so supportable - that's speculation.  There are scientists on both sides of the issue.

"There's good evidence to show that Category 4 and 5 storms indeed are becoming more common and a bigger part of the overall pictures of the hurricanes in the world," said Kevin Trenberth, a scientist at the government-funded National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Trenberth is the author of one of the papers, which links stronger hurricanes to warmer seas and global warming caused by humans. Global warming, he says, has caused increases in sea levels and in the temperature of the oceans, which increases water vapor in the atmosphere and provides fuel for massive storms.

Okay.  No one is arguing the last sentence.  It's the previous one that's controversial.  Let's, for example, say that warmer water temperatures / global warming were caused by shifts of magma within the earth, or due to increased energy from the sun.  With these warmer water temperatures we might be seeing stronger hurricanes, but the cause would not be controllable by man.  So we're back to the need to prove that humans cause global warming by our insane addiction to burning fossil fuels.  And if you believed that you'd also need to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that if the U.S pretty much alone risked it's economy (remember, China and India are exempt from Kyoto) that the globe would cool back down.

Many of the scientists at the National Hurricane Center have long been skeptical of linking global warming to more powerful hurricanes. But the former director of hurricane research at NOAA Hugh Willoughby says he has changed his mind because of these new findings.

[...]

Willoughby says government leaders need to pay close attention to the findings that global warming will mean more rainfall in hurricanes.

"If you think about it, raining more doesn't seem like a problem, but Hurricane Jeanne rained an awful lot in Haiti last year and killed 3,000 people," said Willoughby. "Global warming makes this nasty weather nastier. It's getting harder and harder to stick with the, 'There ain't no global warming'…That's harder and harder to say."

Again, whether the global climate is warming is measurable.  It may well be 0.5 C warmer, but even the author of the paper in Nature referenced in this article can't explain the strength increase in hurricanes that he sees (and with which others disagree) based on that rise.

Emanuel's finding defies existing models for measuring storm strength. Current models suggest that the intensity of hurricanes and typhoons should increase by 5 percent for every 1ºC (1.8ºF) rise in sea surface temperature.

"We've had half a degree [Celsius] of warming, so that should have led to a 2.5 percent increase [in intensity], which is probably not detectable," Emanuel said. "What we've seen is somewhat bigger than that, and we don't really know why."

There's another MIT scientist who is on the other side of the issue, Dr. Richard Lindzen.

To show why I assert that there is no substantive basis for predictions of sizeable global warming due to observed increases in minor greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons, I shall briefly review the science associated with those predictions.

His review is not all that brief, and I can't do it justice here.  Read the whole thing.

In any event, here's what we know.

• The water temperatures are higher.
• The higher temperatures fuel stronger hurricanes.
• We've seen two very strong hurricanes hit the states this year.

Here's what we don't know.

• Whether the burning of fossil fuels is the primary engine of global warming.
• Whether man-caused global warming is the cause of the higher water temperatures.
• Whether the number of strong hurricanes is a trend or an anomaly.

9/24/05 1400: On the other hand, if you do firmly believe that man's dependency on the combustion of fossil fuels for energy is the source of global warming, perhaps you'd like to explain the same phenomenon simultaneously observed on Mars.

9/24/05 1410: Submitted to the adults-only version of Wizbang's Carnival of the Trackbacks - this one is XXX!

One Down, One To Go

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved John Roberts for a full confirmation vote in the Senate next week.  He's sure to pass muster there, and as always it'll be interesting to see how many Democratic votes he garners.  He got the votes of Senators Leahy, Feingold and Kohl in the 13-5 approval.

Okay, get ready for a roadhouse brawl on number 2.

9/23/05 0630: Mary Katherine Hamm, writing at Wizbang, also thinks this is being set up for a major conflagration over nominee #2.

Most around here think the Democrats are trying to act reasonable in the Roberts process so that they get a pass on being completely unreasonable when Bush's second nominee comes to the plate. I think that's also what's going on with editorial pages all over the country endorsing Roberts, especially the LAT:

"It will be a damning indictment of petty partisanship in Washington if an overwhelming majority of the Senate does not vote to confirm John G. Roberts Jr. to be the next Chief Justice of the United States."

She also notes a pertinent point made by Paul at Power Line.

A majority of the Committee's Dems now has effectively endorsed the notion that it is proper for a Senator to vote against a supremely qualified conservative nominee, who receives top marks from the ABA and is backed by such liberal organs as the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, unless the nominee promises to decide issues the way the Senator desires.

In other words, the Democrats are voting as if eminently, even flawlessly qualified conservatives do not merit a spot on the court unless they'll decide cases as a Ted Kennedy would.  Right, that's a scary proposition.

The Second-Place Red Sox Take Another Hit

The day after the closer-by-default, Mike Timlin, blows the save in Tampa, last year's closer Keith Foulke headed home to Boston to get his troublesome knee checked.

In a development that can best be described as mildly surprising given his infrequent use since returning from the disabled list, Red Sox right-hander Keith Foulke was sent back to Boston to have his surgically repaired left knee examined by Dr. Thomas Gill, the team's medical director.

A team spokesman confirmed that Foulke flew back to Boston on Thursday to get the knee examined, but added that the club had no knowledge regarding the accuracy of a report on WEEI-850 AM on Thursday afternoon that stated that Foulke is done for the season.

This part doesn't sound particularly promising.

Dan Horwitz, who represents Foulke, shed further light on the situation.

"There's been some discussion with the team and the doctor and the staff about what to do. I think everyone is ... and I don't want to speak for Dr. Gill and the doctors who are going to look at Keith, but the fact is, he feels the same now as he did before the surgery," said Horwitz. "I don't think it's going to be, 'Hey, just rest a couple of days and see what happens' because they've already tried that.'"

Last year Foulke produced 32 saves and a 2.17 ERA.  More importantly, in the ALCS against the Yankees he appeared 5 times without giving up a run.  This year has been not nearly as productive, with, 15 saves, 4 blown saves, and a 5.91 ERA.  Timlin has 9 saves, but 7 blown, including Wednesday night.  This is the big difference for Boston this year.

Theo, if you're reading, send an email.  I'll be glad to take a look at him, see if I can help.

I've Been Busy

As a result, sorry, the last two days I haven't felt capable of writing anything clever, witty, or in the least interesting.  Don't dispair, though, I suspect I'll have more tomorrow.

This Is What I Was Talking About

A couple of days ago I wrote:

I'm concerned about my Sox - they are playing just badly enough to lose. Last year in September they were strong and getting stronger, this year the team feels shaky. I don't think they have quite enough pitching.

Tonight they're proving me prescient.  With a 4-2 lead over the Devil Rays entering the 8th inning, Boston has given up 5 runs and trails loses by 7-4.  Mike Timlin relieved Tim Wakefield and got lit up.  Can you say 'blown save'?  Meanwhile, Mariano Rivera closed out the Orioles to save a 2-1 win.

So the Yankees take the division lead.  Cleveland is shutting out Chicago and Houston leads again late.  The Athletics have lost to Minnesota.

Can We Stop The 'Get Out Of Iraq' Talk Now?

Jalal Talabani, President of Iraq, today in the Wall Street Journal:

There is no more important international issue today than the need to defeat the curse of terrorism. And as the first democratically elected president of Iraq, I have a responsibility to ensure that the world's youngest democracy survives the inherently difficult transition from totalitarianism to pluralism. A transformation of the Iraqi state and Iraqi society is impossible without a sustained commitment of soldiers from the United States and other democracies.

Nothing more need be said.

A Former President Rants

On Sunday Former President Bill Clinton appeared on ABC's "This Week", with George Stephanopoulos, his former advisor as the interviewer.  It was a truly remarkable interview in a lot of ways, not the least of which were the historically unusual attacks on his successor, President Bush.

There is a lot worthy of commentary and analysis as I looked over the transcript.  Some have already had their say; I'd like to address a couple of other points.

Early on in the interview this exchange took place.

STEPHANOPOULOS: We're here on your initiative, and I want to talk about that, but let's begin with Katrina. President Bush has brought you into the recovery effort, but he's not taking all of your advice. You say roll back the tax cuts for the wealthy. He says no tax increase of any kind. We're spending $5 billion a month in Iraq, probably $200 billion on Katrina. Something's got to give.

CLINTON: Well, that's what I think. I think this idea — I think it's very important that Americans understand, you know, tax cuts are always popular, but about half of these tax cuts since 2001 have gone to people in my income group, the top 1 percent. I've gotten four tax cuts.

They're responsible for this big structural deficit, and they're not going away, the deficits aren't. Now, what Americans need to understand is that that means every single day of the year, our government goes into the market and borrows money from other countries to finance Iraq, Afghanistan, Katrina and our tax cuts. We have never done this before. Never in the history of our republic have we ever financed a conflict, military conflict, by borrowing money from somewhere else.

Except that we did borrow to finance World War II, astronomical amounts for that day and age.

The United States economic surge started in 1940 and 1941, a prelude to the wartime "production miracle" which managed to maintain civilian consumption while growing the overall economy. Contributions to this came from increasing labour force participation and reducing private investment, while war financing followed the traditional approach of deficit spending until tax increases caught up.

Actually until reduced need for the massive military spending allowed the economy to catch up.  How much debt was there?

In 1929 the debt was 16.9 billion and when the Depression began and World War II occurred the United States under Franklin Delano Roosevelt began true deficit spending. All of those New Deal programs were paid for with money we did not really have. The debt in 1940 ran to 42.9 billion and mushroomed to 258 billion as the nation foughjt World War II.

So he's incorrect about that.

Like most Democrats he continues to plug the "tax cuts for the rich" line that's worked so well for them in the last two presidential elections.  Considering that 32% of tax"payors" pay no income tax at all it'd be an extraordinary challenge to cut their income tax.  Mr. Clinton's defense of keeping high tax rates on "the rich" is that cuts are irresponsible in the light of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Hurricane Katrina.  My question for Mr. Clinton is, are they irresponsible also when the government is running a surplus?  Because he vetoed a tax cut in 1999 in just that situation.

Despite President Bill Clinton's repeated threat to veto the Republicans' newly redesigned $792 billion tax cut plan, the Senate on Thursday narrowly approved the measure by a 50-49 vote, a few hours after the House passed it 221-206.

President Clinton issued an immediate condemnation, saying that no matter when the bill reaches his desk, "I will have no choice but to veto it immediately. It threatens Social Security and Medicare, makes it harder to pay off the debt, and imperils the prosperity that has brought real benefits to American families."

So, having vetoed the tax cut, he immediately put forward a plan to save Social Security and Medicare for the future.  ... Errr, I guess not.  Bottom line: for Bill Clinton, taxes should only increase.

The fact is, Mr. Clinton, that the top 20% income group pays 65% of all taxes.  Given that that's the case almost any tax cut will "disproportionately" favor that top 20%.  Mr. Bush inherited a burgeoning recession from your administration, then was thumped with the attacks on 9-11, futher dampening the economy.  I know it's painful for you to admit this, but even your fed chairman Alan Greenspan agrees: the tax cuts stimulated the economy, getting it moving again.  The growth data since the cuts took effect has been fairly remarkable.

Recently released Commerce Department figures show that the U.S. economy grew at a solid 3.4 percent annual rate in the second quarter, the ninth straight quarter in which GDP increased at a rate above 3 percent.

Sure, we'd rather not have the deficits, though as a percentage of GDP they're not all that high.  But the way out is to restrain discretionary pork spending and reform the entitlement programs that swallow ever larger portions of the government pie.  You know, the same spending restraint that the Republican Congress began enforcing on you in 1994.

9/21/05 0830: Via Woody's News, Chester takes apart another section of this interview, the discussion of Iraq policy. 

I would also point out that both Mr. Stephanopoulos and Mr. Clinton agree we're losing(?!) in Afghanistan.  That'd be news to the people who took part in the elections there on Sunday.

9/21/05 2115: Everyone's getting into the act.  Yet another fisking of a portion of this pathetic interview, this one courtesy of Ms. Zanotti.

9/21/05 2235: Here's another.  Stephen Johnson over at The Right Place notes that FEMA during the Clinton Administration was not always so well prepared.

No Change At The Top Tonight

At the top of the AL East, that is.  The Red Sox Bats have come alive.  The 3-4-5-6 hitters in the lineup, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek have combined to go 15-17 with 5 homeruns and 12 RBI behind Curt Schilling as Boston leads 13-2 in Tampa.  Meanwhile, the Yankees are spanking the Orioles 10-3.

Elsewhere the Indians are deadlocked with Chicago at 3-3, and a win would leave them 1.5 games behind, The White Sox, if they lose, would be 3-9 in their last 12.  Houston leads Pittsburgh in the seventh.

Baseball fever.

9/21/05 0600: LA and Oakland both win, Florida and Philly both lose, the latter to Atlanta.  Houston holds on, leading the wildcard race by 2 games,  and Chicago falls behind 5-3, then comes back to beat Cleveland.  The Orioles made a run, but still lose 12-9 in New York.

How Do You Say 'Florida' in German?

Angela Merkel and incumbent German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder finished in a virtual dead heat, with Merkel's Christian Democrat Party getting 35.2 % to Schroeder's Social Democrat Party's 34.3 %.   In the best tradition of American politics, both sides are claiming victory and the right to lead.

Germany's opposition leader Angela Merkel and the chairman of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's party made their first contacts with potential coalition partners Monday in a scramble for power after the country's inconclusive election.

Voters denied both Schroeder and Merkel a majority, but each is demanding the chancellor's office. Their struggle could last weeks, even as business leaders and economists warn decisive action is needed to invigorate the sluggish economy.

Germany's foreign policy — addressing such issues as Turkey's bid for European Union membership, Iran's nuclear program and U.S. relations — also remains on hold.

"Germany is paralyzed at the worst time for European diplomacy," said leading French foreign affairs analyst Dominique Moisi. On Iraq and in dealings with China and Russia, Washington officials "were looking for a stronger, more united, cooperative Europe. Obviously, they are not going to have it."

I don't pretend to know anything about German politics or the parliamentary system they use.  On the other hand, if the French think it's a problem, it might work out well.  Meanwhile, what's with this?

Official results showed Merkel's group winning 225 seats, three more than the Social Democrats. The Free Democrats got 61, the Greens 51 and the new Left Party 54. Voting in one district, in the eastern city of Dresden, is delayed until Oct. 2.

So results have been announced, but one group of citizens hasn't voted yet?

Party officials spent most of Tuesday ruling out potential combinations. The heads of the Left Party, Gregor Gysi and Oskar Lafontaine, said they would not keep the current government in power in an all-left coalition of Social Democrats, Left Party and Greens.

The pro-business Free Democrats said they would not form a government with the Social Democrats and Greens or join with the Christian Democrats and Greens — dubbed the "Jamaica" coalition because the parties colors, black, yellow and green, are those of that country's flag.

Social Democrats and Christian Democrats both ruled out working with the Left Party.

That reads like a recipe for chaos.

We're Talkin' Baseball

Here we are, the last two weeks of the regular season, and races for division titles and playoff spots are coming down to the wire - these are the current standings.  As a loyal denizen of Red Sox Nation I obviously take a much greater interest in the A.L. race, but the National is interesting also.  Let's look first over there.

The divisions look relatively safe for Atlanta in the East, St. Louis in the Central and San Diego in the West.  The East and West are winnable by other teams, but it would take a hot streak along with under-.500 baseball by the leader to get it done.  If the Philadelphia Phillies are thinking division they better start right now, with three games in Atlanta starting tomorrow.  With 9 of their final 12 on the road, it won't be easy.  Similarly the San Francisco Giants, now with a Barry Bonds who vows to be 25 lbs. lighter next year "to take pressure off his knee" (giggle, snort), can help themselves with four against the division-leading Padres next week.  But seriously, can we just not take a team from the West if they're all under .500?

The N.L. wildcard race is where the action is, with Houston's Astros leading and looking sharp, but chased by the Phillies (1.5 back) and the Florida Marlins (2.5 back).  The Washington Nationals, a good story, probably have too many hurdles to jump to get there with only 12 or 13 games left.  I like Houston to hold on to their spot, leaving Dontrelle Willis and his possible Cy Young on the sidelines.  Of course, Houston has a Cy candidate who may be familiar to Sox fans.  They've got a pretty good former Yankee, also.

Now to the junior circuit.  All of the teams in playoff contention could win their division, and each one could find themselves on the outside of the playoffs looking in.  That's how unpredictable it is.  Boston leads the Yankees by 1.5 games, 14 games left for the Pinstripes, 13 for Boston.  Cleveland's Indians have been the only really red-hot team in baseball, and have the same record as the Red Sox but trail Chicago, the most secure in their position but sputtering down the stretch, by 3.5 games.  In the West the Los Angeles nee Anaheim nee California Angels lead their division by 2, but trail the Indians by 3, the Yankees by 2.  The Oakland Athletics are chasing LA, but probably can't make up enough ground to grab the wildcard.

Probably ... probably ... the White Sox are in with a playoff spot if they can go .500, though they'll need to hold off Cleveland for the division.  The two teams meet in 6 of the final 13 games.  This will be a really fun race if Cleveland can win three in Chicago starting tonight.  Probably ... probably ... the wildcard will not come from the West given the current records.  The schedule may favor the Red Sox, who finish with seven at Fenway, where they've had the best home record in baseball this year, and the other six, while on the road, are at Tampa and Baltimore.  But the Yankees have eight of 14 against those same Orioles, and are playing in the Bronx for seven while the Sox are on the road.  Whether the Red Sox can hold off New York may depend on Manny being Manny, and the final three game set at Fenway on Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and Oct. 2.

Whew!  So who will be in?  I don't honestly know.  I'll be glued to the television and biting my nails every night.

9/19/05 2250: Rats.  Yanks win on a walk-off HR by Bubba Crosby (who?), his first (!) of the season.  David Wells had nothing except hanging curves tonight, and the Sox couldn't quite get it done, losing 8-7 to the D-Rays in Florida.  The teams are now tied in the loss column.

Elsewhere the Astros got shut down by Ian Snell of Pittsburgh, with Clemens taking the loss, and Cleveland just took the lead on Chicago in the eighth.  It's going to be a bumpy ride.

Death Wishes And Other Anomalies

The Political Teen notes a story that Vice President Dick Cheney is to undergo surgery to correct a vascular problem behind his knee.  Well, we already know he has vascular disease, as evidenced by the cardio-vascular disease that caused his heart attack.  The problem behind his knee, if left untreated, can lead to limb loss.

He also discovers the venom and hatred of those on the left boiling up in response.  A sample quote:

• Gravatar Die, you draft-dodging, money-grubbing pig. Amen.

Ian adds:

how people like these are allowed to roam the streets and interact with other beings is beyond me. These aren’t people, these are animals.

Compare and contrast, if you will, the thoughts on the right when Bill Clinton was scheduled for his coronary artery bypass surgery last year.

• Well, I for one, as much as I thought he was the wrong person to be president for this country, cannot wish Clinton ill will.
  So, I'm wishing him well.
• All politics aside, I wish him the best.
• Well, one cannot help but wish him a speedy recovery and health.
  I hope they give him a private room after the surgery. With a sink.
• In spite of it all, I wish him the best and a prayer for a speedy recovery.
• Praying for the Best Mr. Clinton.
  You can beat this one too.

The most vicious Freeper comments had a political slant, but still wished Clinton success and a speedy recovery.

• The REAL question - will he go to a hospital with socialized medicine and wait six months for an any doctor or will he find the best private hospital with the best doctors?
• Is Hillary going to visit him in the hospital for the photo op?
• Despite my disdain for Bill Clinton, no one should wish ill on anyone else.
  Who was he with when he had the heart attack?
  How old was she?

Most were simply this:

• Will keep President Clinton in prayers, and hope for a speedy recovery.

So I ask, what is wrong with the left?  Have they lost their collective minds?  Political disagreement now makes it acceptable to wish all manner of affliction, up to and including death, upon your enemies?    This is the same mentality that allows Saddam Hussein to find gassing the Kurds acceptable - he considers them less than human.  How does your heart become so cold that it is immune to a man's sufferings?  Does the political opponent's death confer a win the debate of ideas?  If you can't beat 'em, hope they die?

Before the left starts winning elections again let's hope they develop some humanity.  They'll find it necessary.

9/17/05 1230: Wizbang COTT XXIX.

9/17/05 1250: Here's another, the Free Republic link to comments immediately after it was disclosed that Elizabeth Edwards had breast cancer.  I'll post the first three comments, but they're all similar.

• She desrves prayers!!!! A rough thing to go through.
• My prayers for her and her family will be said. I'll pray for a swift recovery.
• Prayers and wishes for health for Mrs. Edwards.

Space, The Final Frontier

4Frontiers, a new company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, wants to settle Mars.  That's right, I said settle Mars.

All companies set goals, but newly formed 4Frontiers Corp. is eyeing some expansive horizons. The company's mission: to open a small human settlement on Mars within 20 years or so.

Sure, it may sound far-fetched. And the company's initial plans are a lot more terrestrial than ethereal, like developing a 25,000-square-foot replica of a Mars settlement here on Earth, then charging tourists admission.

If I'm any judge of horseflesh, I'd say the tourist admission fees are the likely endpoint.  How many billions of dollars would something like this take?  And, other than the satisfaction of accomplishing it, what would investers hope to get out of it.

But the people behind the venture are quite serious as serious as the $25 million they want to raise from investors.

That'll get you as far as Poughkeepsie.  They're going to need a lot more money than that.  They're also going to need a "Rocket Man".

Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact it’s cold as hell
And there’s no one there to raise them if you did
And all this science I don’t understand
It’s just my job five days a week
A rocket man, a rocket man

And I think it’s gonna be a long long time...

9/17/05 0840: Wizbang's COTT XXIX.

At Least I Was Kidding ...

... when I wrote up this nutty conspiracy theory.  Unfortunately some people aren't.

Mississippi Torts

An op-ed in the Wall Street Journal today by Mississippi State Senator Charlie Ross reviews that states history as a focus of 'jackpot justice', and the changes starting to take place since the passage of tort reform last year.

Prior to the legislation, Mississippi was known as the "jackpot justice capital of America." The American Tort Reform Association had labeled certain jurisdictions "judicial hellholes." A survey of more than 1,200 senior in-house counsels for the U.S. Chamber Commerce ranked Mississippi 50th in virtually every category of judicial system nationwide. Insurance companies were fleeing the state. Others were refusing to write new policies. The medical field was particularly strained: Liability insurance was in many cases unaffordable, and in some cases unavailable.

One year later, the story is very different. Mass Mutual Insurance Group, St. Paul Travelers, World Insurance Co. and Equitable Life Insurance Co. are returning to Mississippi. State Farm Insurance eased its growth restrictions for homeowners' insurance and lowered its rates on property insurance.

The Medical Assurance Company of Mississippi, which writes 60% of the medical malpractice coverage for doctors in the state, had raised its rates 20% the year prior to the tort reform legislation. After its passage, MACM did not raise its rates at all. "Those people who said tort reform would not work and actively fought any civil justice reform," Mississippi Insurance Commissioner George Dale said. "I think this indicates they were wrong." MACM also recently announced an end to its moratorium on new business; it also just declared it will cut its rates for 2006.

What changes were made?

In many respects, the bill is considered model legislation. Among other provisions, it included venue reform (so trial lawyers cannot shop around for favorable courts) and caps on subjective noneconomic damages (such as pain and suffering).

States with poor legal climates for medicine find themselves with not enough doctors in certain high risk specialties.  For example, read this report by the AMA on the liability crisis:

The most troubling aspect of the current medical liability litigation system is its impact on patients. Unbridled lawsuits have turned some regions of our country—and in several cases entire states—into risky areas to be sick, because it is so risky to practice medicine.

Throughout 2004, the medical liability crisis only got worse. Access to health care is now seriously threatened in 20 states, up from 12 states in 2002.

One of the arguments against tort reform is "how are the poor, and those injured by negligence, going to obtain proper compensation?"  A better question, given the difficulty in even finding a qualified specialist in the higher-risk fields (neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, OB-GYN) in certain locales is, how are these individuals going to obtain proper healthcare?

I've seen the arguments about weeding out the bad doctors, the small percentage who are responsible for a large portion of all cases.  I agree.  Let's get rid of them.  But doing it requires action by state medical societies AND legislation that backs that action.  It can take a long time to even get a troubled physician off a hospital staff, never mind pulling their state license.  That has to be made easier.

Richard Posner argues against malpractice tort reform:

The real cost of malpractice liability is limited to the cost of the actual resources consumed by such liability, principally the time of lawyers and expert witnesses (roughly half the total amount awarded in judgments goes to pay lawyers and expert witnesses), unless defensive medicine is assumed to cost more than its benefits in improving treatment outcomes. The real benefit of malpractice liability is its effect if any in deterring medical negligence; reducing that benefit would impose a real cost.

This is grossly inaccurate in several ways.  First, Posner neglects to mention as a cost the removal of physicians from their work during the process.  For a lawsuit the physician-defendant may have to carve out weeks of uncompensated time during which no patients are cared for.  Second, he mischaracterizes defensive medicine as improving treatment outcomes.  Defensive medicine is, by definition, the performance of unnecessary tests and consultations.  Therefore it does indeed cost more than its benefits.  Finally, there is little evidence that it deters medical negligence.  What it does do is stimulate avoidance behavior.  Physicians avoid difficult, complex cases, and look to reduce liability exposure by, for instance, reducing emergency room exposure.  That certainly does not help the patient in the ER.

Mississippi's experience, early on to be sure, is that tort reform has tangible benefits.  We'll follow along with the 'jackpot justice' state to see if those at-risk specialists begin to return to the state.

Furtive Glances

So much to keep abreast of:

• Ace of Spades liveblogged the Battle of the Titans, Hitchens vs. Galloway.  Couldn't watch, but it makes for an interesting read.  Big edge to Hitchens.
• Brilliant (what else?) Mark Steyn column on the "Crescent of Embrace" memorial to the hijackers passengers killed when Flight 93 was overtaken by rebelling passengers and crashed in Pennsylvania.
• Rick Moran's Carnival of the Clueless popped up Tuesday, as did WILLism's Carnival of Classiness.  I was remiss in not mentioning them earlier.
• Good song parodies are fun, whether you buy the politics or not.  This one's fun, from Mr. Right.
• Rob Port at Say Anything picks up a story of media collusion, and not between Fox News and conservative blogs.
• The "Man of Steel" is upset that Bush is muscling in on his turf.

Ted Rall - Say What?

I no longer know how to describe Ted Rall.  After his column today I'm going to need some suggestions.  Titled warmly, "CHARITIES ARE FOR SUCKERS," (yes, the shouting capitals are in the title) Mr. Rall laughs at the silly people who think private and charitable efforts in Hurricane Relief are worth a plugged nickel.  In truth, this polemic is such an incoherent rant that it's hard to analyze following any logical progression, so I'll have to pick and choose.

Hurricane Katrina has prompted Americans to donate more than $700 million to charity, reports the Chronicle of Philanthropy. So many suckers, so little foresight.

Government has been shirking its basic responsibilities since the '80s, when Ronald Reagan sold us his belief that the sick, poor and unlucky should no longer count on "big government" to help them, but should rather live and die at the whim of contributors to private charities.

Yes, It's Ronald Reagan's fault.  After all, he gave the executive order, one that has not yet been overturned, preventing the government from assisting those in need.  Maybe that's why the governments in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and the federal government havent even tried to help those affected.  I can't believe they're relying solely on the charities to do it.

Shelley Borysiewicz of Catholic Charities USA, which has raised $7 million thus far, also continues to solicit donations: "We don't want people to lose sight of the fact that this is going to take years of recovery, and we're going to be there to help the people who fall through the cracks."

What "cracks"? Why should New Orleans' dispossessed have to live in private shelters? We live in the United States, not Mali.  There's only one reason flood victims aren't getting help from the government: because the government refuses to help them.

That's it.  If only the government built large housing units that could remain empty until needed these private shelters would be totally unnecessary.  Why, we could even call one of them "Cabrini Green."

When construction first began on Cabrini-Green in the early 1940s, it was designed for as temporary housing for poor residents. But as the years passed, the poorly maintained buildings, urban blight, and mismanagement created havens for drug-dealing gangs who used the high-rises as sniper nests.

But I digress.

The U.S. government can easily pick up the tab for people inconvenienced (my emphasis) by bad weather--if helping them is a priority.

The big nanny government should drive me to work during Nor'Easters, too.

That goes double for Katrina, a disaster caused by the government's conscious decision to eliminate the $50 million pittance needed to improve New Orleans' levees.

That goes double for Katrina, a disaster caused by a hurricane that devastated a city and parts of several other states.  The inability of the levees to hold had many fathers.  For instance, from the Washington Post:

But over the five years of President Bush's administration, Louisiana has received far more money for Corps civil works projects than any other state, about $1.9 billion; California was a distant second with less than $1.4 billion, even though its population is more than seven times as large.

Let's not quibble about a paltry $50 million, shall we?

For our leaders the optional war against Iraq is such a priority, which the Congressional Budget Office expects to cost $600 billion by 2010. That's four or five Katrinas right there. (That's also where the levee money went.) Because rich people are always a political priority, their taxes have been slashed by $4 trillion over a decade--the equivalent of 32 Katrinas. So worried are our public servants about the tax burden placed on the rich that they're looking out for rich dead people. This is why they've gutted the estate tax that, at a cost of $75 billion annually, will run half a Katrina a year. Trickle-down economists beginning with Milton Friedman shout "starve the beast," but while the social programs are put on a diet, the mean and powerful pig out more than ever.

Fighting terrorism and freeing oppressed people, helping our economy recover from recession, one made worse by terrorist attacks, were useless wastes of money.  It's sad, because that recession fighting was simply an excuse for Bush to give money to his rich cronies.  Well, your argument is solid, Mr. Rall, you've won me over.  It really would be great if all the money of "rich" people were taken by the government, and they could just dole it out where it was needed.  Rich folks everywhere should be ashamed of pigging out.

In the final analysis, after the floodwaters have receded and the poor neighborhoods of New Orleans have been razed under eminent domain, major charities will be lucky if they've managed to raise one percent of the total cost of Katrina. Congress, recognizing the reality that only the federal government possesses the means to deal with the calamity, has already allocated $58 billion--over 70 times the amount raised by charities--to flood relief along the Gulf of Mexico.

I'm sure none of that $58 billion is going to reconstruction, water removal, infrastructure, utilities, etc., etc., etc., and with no overhead! Every red cent is duplicating and overwhelming the weak supplemental efforts of those pitiful Red Cross volunteers.

Tragically, that generosity feeds into the mindset of the sinister ideologues who argue that government shouldn't help people--the very mindset that caused the levee break that turned Katrina into a holocaust (my emphasis) and led to official unresponsiveness.

So it's 8-20 million killed by the Nazis running things now!  I thought it was 10,000.  Silly me.

It's time to "starve the beast": private charities used by the government to justify the abdication of its duties to its citizens.

Yeah, that's a great idea.  Let all those currently being helped - victims of Katrina, homeless, battered women - let 'em suffer, just to show that government should be taking care of them.

Mr. Rall, you should stick to bad drawings and bad captions for bad cartoons.

9/14/05 1730: Mr. Rall isn't the only one who wants the federal government to become an all-powerful Wizard of DC.  Andrew Sullivan is apparently also on board.

In short, Sullivan wants you to believe that a breakdown on the local level can only be fixed—and should have been fixed—by the federal government.

9/14/05 2210: Beltway Jam.

First Landrieu, And Now Blanco

First Sen. Landrieu was caught on Fox News Sunday tap dancing her way through an incisive line of questioning from Chris Wallace, and now Gov. Blanco has exposed her ineptitude and blame-shifting for all the world to see.

Paul at Wizbang has the story, Political Teen the video.

As I wrote,

[I]t was the local officials, Mr. Nagin and Ms. Blanco, who had the primary responsibility for preparing the community for the worst.  Mr. Bush would have had to usurp their authority if they didn't accede to federal takeover, which they didn't.

And she apparently didn't because she DIDN'T TRUST FEDS AND THE MILITARY.  From Wizbang:

Why didn't she ask for federal troops? As Blanco explained to her press secretary as she wiped away tears, if troops came in, they would "put good people in jail."

That's just what the goose-stepping Nazis always do, put "good people in jail."  Pathetic.

Leaving His Shoes, Shedding A Tear

American superheavyweight Rulon Gardner won a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney by beating the "Russian Bear," Alexander Karelin.  He came back in Athens in 2004 to win a bronze, and after his final match, a win for the bronze, removed his wrestling shoes and left them in the center circle along with tears of happiness and thanks.

One of the good guys in blogging, Arthur Chrenkoff, leaves his shoes and his tears at the center of the mat today.  So long, Arthur.  Yours was one of the most energetic and enlightened blogs I found when I first started reading them.  You should feel very satisfied with your work.  It's been superb.

John Roberts Splits The Uprights

It appears that neither of the activist camps in the battle over abortion are happy with the answers he's giving.

Troy Newman, leader of Operation Rescue, said anti-abortion activists weren't surprised by Roberts' comments but would watch him closely.

"We're concerned about these statements, but the proof will come when it's time for him to rule on these cases as a justice," Newman said.

Abortion rights groups found little comfort in Roberts' answers. "John Roberts failed to state whether he believes the right to privacy includes a woman's right to choose as recognized in Roe v. Wade," said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Roberts' opponents complained that he was ducking specific questions — as they had expected.

"He's obviously playing a game of dodgeball," said Ralph Neas, head of the liberal People of the American Way.

More like football.  The kick is up.  And it's good!!

Seriously, though, this is precisely what he had to do in this 18 ring circus.  He should be confirmed based on his qualifications and reasoning alone, not on his purported agreement with certain liberal or conservative senators.  The country is very divided over abortion.  It would be for the best if, at the conclusion of this campy cabaret, both sides thought he favored the opposition.

9/13/05 2005: Speaking of 18 ring circuses...

Sad

Just sad.

Sen. Landrieu Imitates Ann Reinking

Welcome, Political Teenies! This is just a nibble - go ahead, take a bite out of the whole blog.

It must be terribly uncomfortable to sit in a studio facing questions you don't want to answer, and darn it, even having trouble getting in your prepared talking point sound bites.

Just keep those toes a tappin', Senator.

Hat tip and a salute to Will Franklin, who just passed 200,000 visitors.  Well done.  And I think you're right, Will.  With the dispersion of evacuees from New Orleans, unless most of them return the state will be much more "red" in the future.

9/12/05 2230: And Mayor Ray Nagin imitates Tommy Tune.

What If I Were A Conspiracy Nut?

What if I were the kind of person who could convince myself that, for instance, Karl Rove orchestrated the timing of an Osama Bin Laden tape just before the election in 2004, like Walter Cronkite?  Or maybe that Paul Wellstone's death was a right wing plot?  Or that the Dan Rather memogate scandal was another clever plot.  What if I were the kind of person who could believe that the President of the United States knew in advance about the worst attack on American soil, and did nothing to stop it?

If I were that kind of person I might wonder about the following:

• That mandatory evacuations at the order of local officials were called for by the disaster plan 72 hours in advance of a hurricane, but that evacuation was only made mandatory by the Democratic Mayor of New Orleans 20 hours prior to landfall.  And that the plan was both inadequate and unheeded in other significant ways.
• That the Democratic Police Chief of neighboring Gretna blocked potential victims from crossing the bridge into his town, trapping them in a soon-to-be-flooded city.
• That the Red Cross and Salvation Army were blocked by the Louisiana Homeland Security Office, controlled by the state's Democratic Governor, from bringing prepositioned supplies into the city to support those trapped in the Superdome and Convention Center.
• That  the Democratic Mayor of New Orleans insisted the CIA will "wipe him out" because of criticism of the feds.
• That the same Democratic Mayor and Governor projected huge loss of life early on, before enough information to make projections was available, and during a time when anger at the federal response was maximum.  Shortly the picture brightened quite a bit, but not before the scare was out there.
• That FEMA actually did pre-position supplies and assistance, but was portrayed as failing to do so.
• That the race-baiters in American politics were out with sharp rhetoric early, propagating the Bush doesn't care about blacks narrative that Kanye West seconded on national TV.
• That the same FEMA director who successfully supervised the response to four hurricanes in a state with a Republican Governor last year was completely incapable and unprepared for dealing with a hurricane hitting a state with a Democratic Governor this year.
• That the media was only too ready to accept and print the "Bush failed" narrative that consistently bludgeoned the public, particularly with little investigation into what actually happened.

I might wonder if all of it were staged by the Democratic politicians, with the ready assistance of the media, using the people trapped in the city of New Orleans as pawns in a deadly game, trying to shred any remaining credibility and confidence in the sitting Republican president.

I might, but I'm not that kind of person.

Remembrances Real And Imagined

Sometimes its therapeutic to put into words the thoughts and emotions that churn inside, and it can be especially so when those emotions are associated with a life-altering event.  Like 9-11.

Varifrank brilliantly weaves his association with Manhattan and the World Trade Centers into a recurring dream, a dream of the dead.

Will Franklin dots the i's on every detail of his day that day, noting that

"People will also begin to lose touch with those memories, especially if the establishment media want us to forget about 9/11-- and we allow them to "help" us forget. We can't let that happen."

Rick Moran reviews the myths surrounding 9-11, and how they affect perceptions today.

It was, in fact, a bright sunny crisp and clear day in New England, the starting point for the two planes that hit the towers.  A day much like today.  I thought that this morning as I drove to the hospital to take a patient with a broken leg to surgery.

In 2001 it was a Tuesday.  I was assisting my partner with a joint replacement, a hip I believe.  Beverly, the operating room's circulating nurse for that case, had left to get a piece of equipment as we busied ourselves with preparation of the bone and placement of the femoral stem, cementing it into position.  Beverly returned shortly, looking quite a bit less cheerful than usual.

"Hey, did you hear that a plane just hit the World Trade Center?"  I was silent.

"In New York?", asked my partner.

"Yeah, it's on the news now."  I was still silent.

Some additional questions were asked that no one could really answer.  Speculation.  Could the plane have been in distress?  Was it a small plane off course?  Had the pilot had a problem.  We continued our work.

I was silent.  Something felt very wrong.  I thought of my brother, my family's horrible connection to terrorism.  The cement had hardened, and the surgery was largely complete.  Finally I spoke.

"I've got to scrub out, Tom."  Our physician's assistant, Scott, was also there to help.

"Go ahead, I can finish up."

I took off my gloves and gown as I stepped away from the table, and found two step stools up against the wall to sit.  I just knew this was a terrorist act.  I didn't know there would be more that day.

After a minute or two I got to my feet and went to the surgeon's lounge.  It was standing room only, literally, with everyone standing and staring at the television affixed to the wall tuned to CNN.  Within a minute or two the next plane hit the South Tower to an audible gasp in the room, just after 9 AM.  I sat down.  Others guessed at the cause, but I told them, no, this was terrorism.  I think almost everyone knew, but were hoping for a different answer.

I don't remember much else that day, except that my afternoon office was cancelled and I went home shortly, to be with my wife and two daughters.    I don't remember driving home, but I got there.  By then the Pentagon had been hit, and Flight 93 had crashed in Shanksville, Pa.  The girls were one and nearly three at the time.  The eldest has always been ahead of herself, and seemed to understand almost too well when we explained that bad men had flown planes into the buildings.

Yes, that was it.  Bad men had flown planes into the buildings.

My wife and I talked about a lot of things that day.  We talked about wanting to have our daughters grow up safe, secure.  We talked about how America would respond, how it should respond.  We talked about New York City, where her sister had just moved about a week earlier - we had heard that she was safe.  We talked about our trips there together.  And we talked about my brother.  She never had the chance to meet him, yet she seems to know him.

She knows him very well, almost eerily.  You see, they share the same birthday.

Goldstein 11, And Newsweek Forfeits

Jeff Goldstein puts up an 11 spot in the first inning, and Newsweek forfeits under the "mercy rule."  You know what kills the MSM?  When their readers are more informed than the reporter telling the story.  Goldstein is way more informed.

More On Global Warming And Hurricanes

It looks like Nicholas Kristof needs to read this as well.   Mr. Kristof quotes realclimate.org:

"The available scientific evidence indicates that it is likely that global warming will make - and possibly already is making - those hurricanes that form more destructive than they otherwise would have been," declares an analysis by five climate scientists[.]

My quote from an article from the same source?

Due to this semi-random nature of weather, it is wrong to blame any one event such as Katrina specifically on global warming - and of course it is just as indefensible to blame Katrina on a long-term natural cycle in the climate.

Remember the phrase, "We don't really know why," which was stated by Mr. Emanuel, one of Mr. Kristof's sources, in reference to increases in hurricane strength above and beyond what even pessimistic global warming models suggest.   Again, it depends on which scientists you believe, and no one really knows for sure.

Mr. Kristof, to his credit, did do some research, and provided links, that Mr. Gardels did not.

Now, don't get me wrong here.  I'm actually for gradually increasing efficiency in energy use, and gradually decreasing problematic emissions of all types, though I'd prefer it not be by one-size-fits-all federal directive.  What I'm not for is an international edict that may have deleterious effects on the American economy, and from which many nations, including China and India, with their large and rapidly growing economies, are exempt.  That the Senate voted 95-0 against Kyoto during the Clinton administration should speak volumes.  I'm also against those who present speculative scientific modeling as inarguable fact.

Previously:
It's Called Research

Also submitted to Wizbang's COTT XXVIII.

Why?

This is why.

Lorie Byrd at Polipundit has a near-as-I-can-tell comprehensive roundup of links, essays, photos and remembrances.  Read and view them all.

Sighs Of Relief All Over New England

Curt Schilling showed today what the Red Sox - and the lumbering behemoth known as "Red Sox Nation" - hope they can expect through September, and hopefully well into October.

Schilling threw eight sharp innings for his first win since returning to Boston's rotation, and Manny Ramirez busted out of a rare slump with a homer and three RBI to lead the Red Sox past New York 9-2 Saturday.

"That's the Schilling that everybody knows," teammate David Ortiz said.

Unlike the last several years the second place team in the AL East is not necessarily a shoo-in for the wild card slot.  The Indians and Angels/A's runner-up are playing well, and if the Yankees don't catch Boston they may not be part of the postseason.

Schilling has not had much to this point, going 0-2 with an ERA of nearly 8 since returning to the starting rotation in late August.  Watching him pitch this year was interesting.  Pitchers rely on their back foot and their lower body for the drive that generates velocity.  You've got to be able to load your back foot, drop your center of gravity with balance, and drive toward the plate.  With his ankle slowly coming around you could see the velocity and the command were coming, but it was spotty.  He was solid today, though.

For Sox fans, obviously, it's a lot brighter picture with a sharp Schilling running to the mound every fifth game, but Schilling is already a hero this year.

Last weekend, Schilling and his wife, Shonda, paid to fly a New Orleans family of nine to Boston and pledged to provide them with housing for a year.

That's really stepping up.

It's Called 'Research'

And if you're going to write something for publication, you'd better do at least a little bit of it.  And you'd better not outright fabricate to make your point.

Nathan Gardels does none of the research and lots of fabrication in this piece in the Huffington Post.

President Bush may go down in history as one of the most clueless leaders to have ever occupied the White House. He got the intelligence wrong on Iraq and now New Orleans.

Wow, that's some topic sentence.  I can't wait to see the data that you use to back it up.

Despite the evidence presented by UN inspector Hans Blix and others, Bush insisted Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and warranted a preemptive attack.

Do you have any link to a statement made by Blix that indicates Iraq didn't have WMD?  I was under the impression that Blix believed he had them, but that the inspections could contain Saddam's ability to use them, at least before the war started.  After the war began is when he changed his tune.

The chief UN weapons inspector, Hans Blix, said he was starting to suspect Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction in advance of the war on Iraq, a German newspaper reported today.

"I am obviously very interested in the question of whether or not there were weapons of mass destruction, and I am beginning to suspect there possibly were none," Mr Blix told the Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel.

The date of this article in The Guardian?  March 23, 2003.  Let's see, the war began in Iraq on March 19, 2003, so this would be after the war started, and Mr. Blix was only "beginning to suspect there possibly were" no WMD.  So Mr. Gardels is wrong.  Hans Blix did not warn that no WMD were present in Iraq before the war. 

Of course, Mr. Bush was not the only one to believe Saddam had WMD.  The list is actually long and distinguished.   Sen. Kerry had a lot of questions about Saddam's intentions and capabilities before the war.

Why is Saddam Hussein pursuing weapons that most nations have agreed to limit or give up? Why is Saddam Hussein guilty of breaking his own cease-fire agreement with the international community? Why is Saddam Hussein attempting to develop nuclear weapons when most nations don't even try, and responsible nations that have them attempt to limit their potential for disaster? Why did Saddam Hussein threaten and provoke? Why does he develop missiles that exceed allowable limits? Why did Saddam Hussein lie and deceive the inspection teams previously? Why did Saddam Hussein not account for all of the weapons of mass destruction which UNSCOM identified? Why is he seeking to develop unmanned airborne vehicles for delivery of biological agents?

These are all great questions.  Perhaps Mr. Gardels should answer them.  But let us continue.

Then, last week, he made the astonishing statement that "I don't think anyone anticipated a breach in the levees." As Lousiana Senator Mary Landrieu pointed out, even the clay cartoon figure "Mr. Bill" had warned in public service announcements before Katrina that the levees wouldn't hold in the face of a strong hurricane. "Mr. Bill was better informed than Mr. Bush" she concluded.

Well, Mr. Bush's statement is wrong here, but the mistake is irrelevant.  In the three days leading up to the landfall of Katrina the levees were not going to be upgraded to withstand a Cat 4/5 hurricane.  That would have to have been started and completed years ago.  The Army Corps of Engineers wanted to work on this starting in 1996, but met resistance.  In addition, it was the local officials, Mr. Nagin and Ms. Blanco, who had the primary responsibility for preparing the community for the worst.  Mr. Bush would have had to usurp their authority if they didn't accede to federal takeover, which they didn't.

Since leaving the UN, Hans Blix has been arguing that global warming is a far liklier [sic] threat to humanity than weapons of mass destruction.  By most accounts, the increased number of hurricanes in the Atlantic and the Gulf is part of a natural cycle, but the intensity of the storms is a one of the consequences of global warming.

Of course, the data support none of these 'facts', except the statement that the number of hurricanes is part of a natural cycle.  The remaining 'facts' are actually just speculation and supposition.  The intensity variation is not necessarily "one of the consequences of global warming," and could simply be part of that cycle, as the chart demonstrates.  Or maybe the 0.5 degree celcius warming that's occurred over 5 decades is partly responsible. 

Numerous studies in recent years have found no evidence that the number of hurricanes and their northwest Pacific Ocean cousins, typhoons, is increasing because of the rise in global temperatures.

Are you with me so far?

But a new study in the journal Nature found that hurricanes and typhoons have become stronger and longer-lasting over the past 30 years. These upswings correlate with a rise in sea surface temperatures.

The duration and strength of hurricanes have increased by about 50 percent over the last three decades, according to study author Kerry Emanuel, a professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

Emanuel's finding defies existing models for measuring storm strength. Current models suggest that the intensity of hurricanes and typhoons should increase by 5 percent for every 1ºC (1.8ºF) rise in sea surface temperature.

"We've had half a degree [Celsius] of warming, so that should have led to a 2.5 percent increase [in intensity], which is probably not detectable," Emanuel said. "What we've seen is somewhat bigger than that, and we don't really know why."

"We don't really know why."  Remember that phrase, Mr. Gardels.  We also don't yet have independent verification of Mr. Emanuel's research.  Back to Mr. Gardels.

The devastation of an entire city suggests that perhaps we should listen to Mr. Blix once again. We need a strategy to preempt global warming.

This is the last line in the post, and still no data.  Well, if Mr. Blix had been certain about WMD before and not after the war then perhaps his opinion now would mean more to me.  Meanwhile, what exactly should the strategy be to reduce "global warming?"  Well, it depends on which scientists you believe, doesn't it?

From a Real Climate article, Sept. 2, 2005.

Due to this semi-random nature of weather, it is wrong to blame any one event such as Katrina specifically on global warming - and of course it is just as indefensible to blame Katrina on a long-term natural cycle in the climate.

From Our Environment, 1995.

Getting reliable predictions from models is difficult because many of the secondary processes are not understood. For example, when temperatures start to warm because of the direct radiative effect of increasing carbon dioxide? will clouds increase or decrease. Will they let in less radiation from the sun, or more? These secondary processes are important.

So, Mr. Gardels, let's not get all righteous and put all of our eggs in the basket of Hans Blix just yet.

Linked to Wizbang's COTT XXVIII.

Classy Pats Fans

Kanye West got the reception he deserved.

Maroon 5 came off vapidly (doing just one song, ''Harder to Breathe"), while West did one tune, ''Heard 'Em Say." Yet it was disconcerting to hear his name booed loudly by Patriots fans who evidently didn't appreciate his nationally televised comment the other night on a Hurricane Katrina benefit that President Bush ''doesn't care about black people." The boos were thunderous and lasted for much of his number.

Disconcerting to whom?

The Globe writer, Steve Morse, is disappointed that the admittedly anti-Americanwar group Green Day only got one number, and from a peripheral stage.

Carlos Santana & Co. acquitted themselves well with past hit ''Smooth" and new single ''I'm Feelin' You," with singer Michelle Branch taking a nice guest turn, as she was wheeled to midfield on a stage shaped like a football. But, again, why was Santana given headliner treatment? Green Day has had a much bigger year.

I could explain it to you, but, to be honest, you should be able to figure this out yourself, Steve.

(hat tip: Karol)

And, oh yeah, Patriots 30, Raiders 20.  Nice start to the year, and 21 in a row at home.

I'm Sure The Bears Are Appreciative

As occurs with almost any large public works project, clashes between environmental groups and the government may have had an effect on the ability to build up the levee system in the Mississippi River basin.  This article appeared on NRO today.

The Army Corps was planning to upgrade 303 miles of levees along the river in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. This was needed, a Corps spokesman told the Baton Rouge, La., newspaper The Advocate, because “a failure could wreak catastrophic consequences on Louisiana and Mississippi which the states would be decades in overcoming, if they overcame them at all.”

But a suit filed by environmental groups at the U.S. District Court in New Orleans claimed the Corps had not looked at “the impact on bottomland hardwood wetlands.” The lawsuit stated, “Bottomland hardwood forests must be protected and restored if the Louisiana black bear is to survive as a species, and if we are to ensure continued support for source population of all birds breeding in the lower Mississippi River valley.”

The entire article is worth the read, if only to gain an understanding that a disaster of biblical proportions is built primarily through the forces of nature, but can be exacerbated by many different acts - and failures to act - of man.  This is just another one that may have been a factor.

(hat tip: Ace of Spades)

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Tonight at 9 PM, the New England Patriots, winners of three of the last 4 Super Bowls, host Randy Moss and the Oakland Raiders.  Be there.  The Raiders won't have to worry about the snow or the tuck rule this time.

A New Definition Of 'Moderate'

Moderate: (n) - An individual able to avoid assigning blame for the destruction caused by a natural disaster to one's political opponents, for partisan political gain, particularly while the event and its aftermath are still occurring.

Unfortunately there appear to be very few around lately.  Whom do you think Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Reid would blame if John Kerry were president?  I'm betting the devastation and deaths would be attributed to the forces of nature, and only the forces of nature.

Right now the Democrats are simply running around yelling "Michael Brown" and "FEMA" like they used to run around yelling "Dick Cheney" and "Halliburton" in the past.  Oh, wait, they're still doing that.

“You know there are two similarities that I see between Iraq and this hurricane,” Sen. Boxer says. “The administration didn't have a plan for either. And Halliburton will end up making billions of dollars for both.”

9/8/05 1300: Maybe the reason they're yelling "Michael Brown" and "FEMA" is that they can't easily yell "Bush" and "White House" and be taken seriously.  Well, except for Sen. Reid.

Probably Best To Wait

An Associated Press story notes that President Bush may not make his second SCOTUS nomination quickly.

Senior White House officials do not expect the president to make his choice known this week, and possibly not until after the Senate holds a confirmation hearing that begins Monday for John Roberts, Bush's nominee for chief justice.

John Roberts is now slated for the Chief Justice position, and as such he would be directly replacing the late William Rehnquist, buried today at Arlington Cemetary.  Roberts is predicted to be similar in philosophy to Rehnquist, for whom he clerked.

"It's hard to imagine a choice more similar to Chief Justice Rehnquist than John Roberts," says Walter Dellinger, a former U.S. solicitor general. "They both love the law and they both are among a handful of the most intellectually accomplished legal minds."

The glowing endorsement of Mr. Dellinger, the former solicitor general under President Clinton, makes plain that the Democrats will have a tough time blocking him from the court.  It's hard to imagine "extraordinary circumstances" that would allow a filibuster.  It also makes sense to elevate Roberts directly to the Chief Justice position given those stellar credentials.  In addition, as Pres. Bush's first nominee it is reasonable to assume that Roberts is the absolute best that Bush can offer.

A second nominee will now be seen as the replacement for Sandra Day O'Connor, and Democrats and the liberal activist groups will be looking for a "moderate."

If confirmed, Roberts is expected to vote much like the late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist he would replace. So if Roberts-for-Rehnquist is a wash and Bush wants to make the court more conservative, he would have to nominate someone to the right of O'Connor. O'Connor is a judicial conservative but sometimes sided with the liberal bloc of the court, something that earned her the tag of swing voter.

"That's the dilemma Bush faces," [Sen. Chuck] Schumer said.

"Because Roberts is in the mold of Rehnquist, what most Americans would say is for the associate justice pick, (Bush should choose) someone a little more moderate — in the mold of O'Connor," he said. "At first blush, Gonzales might well fit that, but obviously you'd want to so some research."

With all due respect, Sen. Schumer, you were not elected President, Bush was.  I'm fairly certain that he's not looking to your party for advice.  There's also some wishful thinking and evidence of liberal bias on the part of this story's writer, Deb Reichmann.

Burdened with low poll ratings and stung by criticism that the government responded slowly to Hurricane Katrina, Bush might not have the political standing to try to steer the court hard right with his replacement for O'Connor.

Well, what in President Bush's actions in the last 5 years makes you think that "low poll ratings" or criticism will influence him to avoid picking the candidate of his choice?  And, Ms. Reichmann, steering the court "hard right" is borrowed straight from the lexicon of PFAW.  You should watch your phraseology - it betrays you.

I think it's likely Bush will wait, primarily because if there is a second conservative nominee (note: not "hard right" nominee) before Roberts clears the Senate Judiciary Committee then it's likely to make both of their paths bumpier.  Now, slated for the chief position and with even Mr. Dellinger singing Roberts praise it's likely that he will be moved through with only the histrionics of Sens. Schumer, Leahy and Kennedy to make you wince.

However, better gird your loins for the Fight of the Century with nominee #2, because, no matter who it is, that candidate will be portrayed by Democrats and the media as the political equivalent of Freddy Kruger - a blood-thirsty slasher who's off the scale to the right.  The fact that it won't be a white male may help with the left, but not much.

Linked at OTB.

9/7/05 2045: You see, this is what I meant when I referred to histrionics from the Democratic Senators.

As if the tragedy has not been exploited enough, now the democrats will use it to attack John Roberts nomination to Chief Justice.

Say what?

9/8/05 1145: Power Line's John Hinderaker writes in a similar vein in his Weekly Standard column today.  I would change 'if' to 'when' in the paragraph excerpted below.

If President Bush nominates another strong conservative to replace O'Connor, the result will be the political equivalent of World War III. Liberal interest groups will face an existential crisis if they do not fight bitterly to keep the Court's current ideological makeup. Win or lose, they have no choice but to make the effort to oppose Bush's second nominee. And, unfortunately for Republicans, it appears likely that any conservative jurist whom Bush may appoint will give the Democrats more ammunition than John Roberts did. So be prepared for the ugliest, most bitter confirmation battle in a generation.

All the "News" That's Fit To Print

Iowahawk notes some big stories you may have overlooked.  My favorite?

POWER OUTAGES  PLAGUE PLASMA SCREEN  LOOTER COMMUNITY

Read the whole thing.