Abortion
Mood:  lazy
Now Playing: Cable news
Topic: Social Issues
Carolyn posted a comment to a post of some months back that I did on the death penalty. She questioned the lack of concern over the millions and millions of "death penalties" that have been handed down over the past years by women aborting their babies.

Carolyn certainly brings up an interesting point--the courts have created a dictatorship of the woman over anything pertaining to her body. But I think most people would consider that "dictatorship" a right. I believe we have rights that the government should not infringe upon which gives us an aspect of dictatorship over that area of our lives. The right of privacy, which, if memory serves, is the one that was used in Roe v. Wade to grant abortions, is a hotly contested right.

I have for the most part refrained from posting on abortion, homosexual marriage, among others because I don't know that there is a right position.

I'm not a moral relativist. And I would describe myself as a pro-life conservative. But the question is when does life begin? Babies are viable outside of the womb as early as 20 weeks, I believe, so life certainly begins before then. Some insist that life begins at conception. Scientifically and politically, I don't know that I could go that far back. Personally, that's when I believe life begins.

So how do I reconcile my personal belief with what I think is viable politically or verified scientifically? That's my quandary. I'll probably expend several posts exploring this as well as other subjects in the coming days.

Comments, as always are greatly appreciated.

Kerry Konfusion
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: D-Rays-Red Sox (watching Brewers-Giants)
Topic: Politics
If John Kerry is to win in November, some thing will have to change. Criticism has been coming from fellow Democrats (here and here, for example) and the media is starting to opine (like here and here) that he is in trouble.

Kerry has been knocked for a loop by a one-two from the Republican Convention and ads by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. He tried to get back on message but now Memogate strikes and keeps attention on the Vietnam War.

The only thing I can conclude is that Kerry can not answer the charges. He's had ample time.

More Memogate
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: D-Rays-Red Sox (and keeping tabs on Brewers-Giants)
Topic: Just for Fun
This guy sure doesn't look like Dan Rather ....

Memogate
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: Red Sox-D-Rays
Topic: Just for Fun
Perhaps the forger should have looked on eBay first, like here or here.

Zell Miller strikes back
Mood:  lazy
Now Playing: Packers-Panthers
Topic: Politics
Zell Miller responds to his critics.

This was interesting ...
Mood:  smelly
Now Playing: Packers-Panthers
Topic: History
USA Today also posed a question, "Do the greatest presidents pose the greatest danger to liberty?"

"Mention the names of John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt to historians, and they will tell you that these are some of our greatest presidents.

"Mention the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798; the revocation during the Civil War of the writ of habeas corpus, which protects Americans from false imprisonment; the Palmer raids of 1918, which swept up scores of political dissidents; and the forced relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War II, and those same historians will tell you that these acts constitute some of the worst assaults on American liberty."

It went on to describe Bush and The Patriot Act. I admit I haven't studied it much (yet). I know the ACLU is against it, which, of course, is a plus for it :^).

Not to minimize the situations cited, but the main point is that this has happened before and has not impacted the greatness of the president involved. The Constitution and the country's freedom survived.

Electronic Voting
Mood:  loud
Now Playing: Packers-Panthers
Topic: Politics
The USA Today had two editorials on electronic voting today. In taking one side of the debate the con opinion contends that electronic ballots have failed to gain the confidence of voters.

"In Nye County, Nev., last week, one of the new, highly touted electronic-voting devices bought to replace discredited old-technology machines malfunctioned. When the polls closed in the state primary election, it refused to display the results, threatening to disenfranchise everyone who'd used it.

"Fortunately, there was a backup. For every vote cast electronically, there was a paper trail, a printout that could be manually counted so no one's vote would be lost.

"About 30% of the nation will be voting electronically this November, up from 13% in the disputed 2000 election that set off a wave of voting reform. But for the vast majority, there's no way of checking whether the devices worked accurately. Nevada is the only state with paper backup for every machine. For millions of votes cast on most of the 100,000 new devices in other jurisdictions, there will be none."

The "pro" opinion contends that e-voting works.

"Now we are told that two consecutive incident-free elections, one in Florida, the other in Nevada, are not enough to alleviate the concerns about electronic voting....

"DRE machines have become scapegoats for every election woe, from misplaced disks to power plugs switched off. In a well-administered election with formal processes and well-trained poll workers, e-voting works, and it works much better than the technologies it is replacing."

I've commented on current e-voting trends and concerns here and here.

A paper trail is a necessity with machines, but many will not have this paper trail. If this election is close, it will be an eye of contention for the next four years.

UPDATE: Another setback for electronic voting machines.

9/11 Recollection
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: Football
Topic: History
I admit that things about 9/11/2001 are in a blur. I remember being awakened by my daughter about the time the second plane struck. We were in Nashville at her house on vacation. I quickly got out of bed and watched as the news unfolded. I watched as the two towers collapsed, the fire at the Pentagon and the confusion on the faces of everyone involved. I heard the reports about Flight 93 going down in Pennsylvania and later viewed the vidoe of the scene. I watched as news people and pundits pieced together the bits of information gathered and tried to make sense of it all. News junkie that I am, I stayed glued to the TV for most of the next few days.

I was impressed with the response of the fire and police workers, the horror of what the people faced and the stories of courage by common citizens repeated many times over the next weeks and even months.

We heard about the terrorists' operation--flight training, box openers for weapons, threats of bombs, their access to the cockpits. Some of the intelligence failures were disclosed. In the days that followed, steps were already being talked about to prevent this from happening again.

I was moved by the memorial service and shed tears as I listened to tales of heroism recounted. My heart burned for revenge on those who planned this and carried it out.

No, we will never forget.

Third Anniversary of 9/11
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: football
Topic: War on Terror
We will never forget.

Chad at In The Bullpen is memoralising the day by posting people's recollections and encouraging bloggers to post theirs. RIGHT ON RED posted a Moment of Silence at the time the first plane hit. Those who have posted their remembrances:

In the Bullpen
Diggers Realm
Political Musings
In Search of Utopia
Six Meat Buffet
The Politicker
Backcountry Conservative
MartiniPundit
Poliblog
Mark the Pundit
Guest Commenter Chris
Duke Deland of Pekkin Prattles
Blogs for Bush is running stories all day
Overtaken By Events
KevinDonahue.com
The Talk Arena
Professor Chaos
Stumax
Slant Point

(tip from Jeff at Backcountry Conservative)

Kerry's Campaign Shakeup
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: Tough Crowd
Topic: Politics
Bush takes a double-digit lead as Kerry campaign struggles to regroup. It's amazing what one poor poll showing will do to the Democrats. I thought that Kerry touting his Vietnam record was a mild gamble. It appears that others disagree with that strategy.

Media Bias?
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: Tough Crowd
Topic: Politics
Two points about this AP article, Lawsuit Uncovers New Bush Guard Records

"Bush's Vietnam-era service in the Texas Air National Guard has become an issue in the presidential campaign as the candidates spar over who would make the best commander in chief. Supporters of Democratic nominee John Kerry, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran, have criticized Bush for serving stateside in the National Guard."

Doesn't the AP have this backwards? Isn't it Kerry's Vietnam record that has been under attack lately?

And there's this:

"The Pentagon and Bush's campaign have claimed for months that all records detailing his fighter pilot career have been made public, but defense officials said they found two dozen new records detailing his training and flight logs after The Associated Press filed a lawsuit and submitted new requests under the public records law."

One wonders if the AP has filed a lawsuit and submitted requests for Kerry's records.

Teen Sex and TV Viewing
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: Brewers-Pirates
Topic: Social Issues
A recent study links TV viewing to teen sex.

"Teenagers who watch a lot of television with sexual content are twice as likely to engage in intercourse than those who watch few such programs, according to a study published today.

The study covered 1,792 adolescents aged 12 to 17 who were quizzed on viewing habits and sexual activity and then surveyed again a year later. Both regular and cable television were included.

"This is the strongest evidence yet that the sexual content of television programs encourages adolescents to initiate sexual intercourse and other sexual activities," said Rebecca Collins, a psychologist at the RAND Corporation who headed the study."

Strongest evidence yet. Admittedly not proof but strong evidence that what we watch influences our thinking. And, after all, isn't that why advertisers spend big bucks?

Other items of interest in this study:

"The RAND study identified other factors that increased the likelihood that adolescents would initiate sexual intercourse, including: being older, having older friends, getting lower grades, engaging in rule-breaking such as skipping class, and sensation-seeking.

Adolescents were less likely to initiate sexual intercourse if their parents monitored their activities, if their parents had more education, if they lived with both parents, if their parents did not approve of them having sexual relations, if they were religious, and if they were in good mental health. Adolescents with these characteristics also were less likely to see sex on television, but television viewing was related to sexual behavior even after these differences were taken into account."

Parental involvement has the result of the teens being less likely to have sex.

Finally,

"A key period of sexual exploration and development occurs during adolescence. During this time, individuals begin to consider which sexual behaviors are enjoyable, moral, and appropriate for their age group. Many teens become sexually active during this period; currently, 46% of high school students in the United States have had sexual intercourse. Although intercourse among youths is common, most sexually active teens wish they had waited longer to have sex, which suggests that sex is occurring before youths are prepared for its consequences. Additional evidence of this is provided by public health data. Each year, 1 case of a sexually transmitted disease (STD) is diagnosed for every 4 sexually active teens in the United States, and the US rate of teen pregnancy is among the highest of all industrialized countries. Unplanned pregnancies and STDs are more common among those who begin sexual activity earlier."

Waiting for to initiate sex is not a bad thing.

Obviously more studies are needed and one characteristic of studies is that one will come out (if not out already) which comes to the opposite conclusion. The study was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Too Right, Mate
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: Brewers-Pirates
Topic: Just for Fun
Did the first Americans come from Australia?

"Anthropologists have stepped into a hornets' nest, revealing research that suggests the original inhabitants of America may in fact have come from what is now known as Australia.

Silvia Gonzalez from John Moores University in Liverpool said skeletal evidence pointed strongly to this unpalatable truth and hinted that recovered DNA would corroborate it.

She said there was very strong evidence that the first migration came from Australia via Japan and Polynesia and down the Pacific Coast of America."

Crikey!

Not Too Smart
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: Brewers-Pirates
Topic: Just for Fun
Youth held for offering drugs at police party:

"A German teenager set himself up for an easy arrest when he offered to sell marijuana to guests at a party full of off-duty policeman"

Almost two days in traffic jams
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: Brewers-Pirates
Topic: Just for Fun
It's a Bumper-To-Bumper Life...

"The average U.S. motorist spends 46 hours each year or nearly two full days stuck in rush-hour traffic jams."

Consequently,

"Motorists wasted 5.7 billion gallons of fuel idling in traffic, the study showed."

Makes me glad I'm close enough to walk to work.

Gun Safety
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: Brewers-Pirates
Topic: Just for Fun
Gun safety lesson #1: Always check to make sure your weapon is unloaded.

"Monroe County Coroner David Toumey was hospitalized with a leg wound after accidentally shooting himself while trying to demonstrate gun safety.

Toumey said ... that he was demonstrating gun safety to some people at a Lake Monroe boat ramp about 11 p.m. Wednesday when he accidentally shot himself.
He said that as he checked to make sure his weapon was unloaded, the gun discharged, and a bullet struck him in his left leg."

The Democrats have their own Swifties ?
Mood:  cheeky
Now Playing: MSNBC
Topic: Just for Fun
Now Dubya has to answer for things listed here

Media Bias II?
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: Dick Cheney
Topic: Politics
I believe there is bias in the media. Some don't, that's their opinion. I believe there are many in the media who are biased to the left. Recent polls confirm this. There are also those who are biased to the right. The Washington Times would be one. FOX News certainly has more conservatives than other networks (Incidentally, I take "Fair and Balanced" to refer to the fact that they are going to give us the other side).

The whole subject of media bias is something that is practically unique to America. Most countries of the world have their pro- and anti-government media, especially newspapers.

Now in reference to the Swifties. It is amazing to me that there is so much effort in defending Kerry from attacks from an organization who has spent less than $200,000 (like this chart adapted from this one in the New York Times--echoed on compared to organizations that have spent millions (MoveOn.org and other left-leaning 527s). This has some interesting details by the lawyer of the Swifties on the connections of Democrats to left-leaning 527s.

Why have the ads from the Swifties been so effective? I think one reason has been the effect of the ads themselves. The ads from leftist 527s have had virtually no effect on polls. The Swifties ads and Kerry's poor response has caused a slight shift toward Bush.

Media Bias?
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Just for Fun
An interesting post on how D-Day might have been reported, if it happened today. :^)

Economic Policy
Mood:  spacey
Now Playing: John McCain's speech (re-run on C-Span)
Topic: Economy
Ben also seems to think that I am trying to evade responsibility (or helping Dubya evade responsibility for a poor economy).

Does any one really think that the problems of the 70's and early 80's were the result of the party who controlled the presidency and Congress? Both parties had the presidency at one time. The Democrats controlled Congress. Certainly some of the policies hindered economic growth, but usually it was outside events (gas price hikes a couple of times) that were the main impetus.

Does anyone really think that it mattered who was President or which party controlled Congress that accounted for the 90's boom? Clinton was President for most of it, but it started during Bush I, and the Republicans controlled at least one house of Congress during that time.

Does any one really think the events of 9/11 had nothing to do with the last recession? It started two months after Bush took office--is he responsible? Really? Again according to the non-partisan National Bureau of Economic Research, the latest recession started in March, 2001 and bottomed out in November, 2001. And according to the traditional definition of a recession (two consecutive quarters of falling GDP), there was no recession. The definitions aren't mine, so don't beat me up over it. Show me something more logical.

I think we are in the process of beginning another recession, the economy being impacted once again by a spike in gas prices. I think we are already seeing it by less than stellar job numbers among other indicators that are not as robust as they should be. Is this Bush's fault also?

Now are there things governments can do to cause recessions? I think so. Poor monetary policy among other things. Are there things governments can do to influence growth? Yes, Reagan's tax cuts are a good example.

But overall, I think the influence of a President or Congress doesn't do as much as events.