When the president was asked at a Rose Garden question-and-answer session whether the anthem should be sung in Spanish, he replied: "I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English, and I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English." (via Yahoo)
Archive for April, 2006
Any Questions?
Misleading Poll Numbers
Disapproval of Bush ran strongest in Northeast Ohio, which has never been friendly territory, but even in conservative Southern Ohio majorities have turned against him. (via The Plain Dealer)
The problem with these polls is that they don’t ask the key question of why people disapprove. I think it’s real possible that people might be disapproving for various reasons (that are often at odds with each other).
For example, let’s say 20% approve of the way the President is handling the war in Iraq and 80% disapprove. Sounds bad at first right? Well, what if that 80% who disapprove is split between half who think we need more troops and are not doing enough and half who think we should immediately pullout? I’d say that paints a wholly different picture of true public opinion.
Lesson: Beware of polls that allow two divergent opinions to be grouped as one.
Travel’n Man
I’ve been out-of-town for most of the week so postings have been light. I landed in Cleveland yesterday and just missed being in the middle of this by 5 minutes. All I saw was the aftermath. One question, how did the damn reporters get there so fast? Literally five minutes after the altercation both TV and photo journalists were on the scene. In any case, glad I missed it. Last thing I need is to catch a stray bullet from some nut.
Democrats Slip Father Left
"I think it's a challenge for Lieberman to reconnect to the rank-and-file of the party and prove he is an authentic Democrat," said John McNamara, chairman of the New Britain Democratic Town Committee. (via Yahoo)
How out of touch are the Democrats? Joe Lieberman is one of the most highly thought of politicians on either side of the aisle. You’d think that his party would try to capitalize on his popularity?? Instead they’re trying to bury him.
With the poll numbers of both parties so low, now might be the chance for a plausible 3rd party run in 2008. Not from “no name” candidates from the Libertarians or Greens, but just maybe from big name breakaways.
McCain/Lieberman 2008, hmmm, that could steal a lot of votes from both parties…
It would be a little liberal for my taste, but it might be worth it to bring the major parties back to the people.
The Media Made Cindy Sheehan an Icon
Not so for Chinese protester Wenyi Wang. Heck, after scouring the web I could only find a few stories about the event. All of the articles can be summarized by saying the protester was an embarrassment and the White House should have done something to stifle her.
A heckler from the Falun Gong spiritual movement, who entered White House grounds as a reporter, interrupted a formal arrival ceremony for Chinese President Hu Jintao today (via The Age)
Hmmm, are these the same people that demanded that Bush meet with Cindy Sheehan to discuss the US strategy in the War on Terror? I don't remember Cindy played down as a heckler. Shouldn’t the press want the Chinese President to talk to the protester about the growing claims that China is selling the organs of political prisoners on the black market?
Unfortunately, despite our efforts, as well as those of human rights activists like Harry Wu, human rights organizations, and concerned medical professionals, the practice of harvesting organs from executed prisoners continues in China. The lack of transparency in the Chinese criminal justice system, the secrecy that surrounds prison executions, and the removal of organs make actual documentation of the practice impossible. However, the anecdotal and circumstantial evidence regarding the practice of removing organs from executed prisoners for sale to foreigners and wealthy Chinese is substantial, credible, and growing. It cannot be ignored. (via US State Dept.)
Ahh, but it can be (and has been) ignored!
The media crucified the US because we had the audacity to parade prisoners of war around in women’s panties, yet China can imprison, torture, and kill people because they don’t like their religion.
UPDATE: (cleveland.com/forums/politics/ contributed by "Lambaster")
Now they are going to charge her with some trumped up law.
Hu should feel right at home now. Maybe they'll add a few lashings with a switch to please the commie.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060421/pl_nm/china_usa_protester_dc
We must not insult our enemies (errr I mean allies/friends/etc)
UPDATE: Michelle Malkin has excellent coverage here
&$%^#$% Taxes
Can anyone explain to me how if you owe taxes (like in Ohio for instance) they'll collect your money within 24 hours of e-filing. But if you're getting a refund back (say from the Fed) it takes more than 2 weeks to process a direct deposit?
Shouldn't I be allowed to charge a penalty if my refund isn't deposited in a timely manner?
Ohio Politic Snippets
The Cleveland Plain Dealer has a couple of interesting stories online today.
The first explains how democratic nut job Howard Dean predicts his party will sweep November’s key state elections. Has anything Howard Dean ever supported won anything? Only Moveon.org has a worse election record. 
The second and more interesting article talks about underdog democrat Barbara Ann Ferris taking on local weirdo (errr I mean incumbent) Dennis Kucinich in the congressional primary. Denny better watch out, if I read the article correctly she just might be crazier than him!! One thing’s for sure, she’s looking for a fight. Let’s see if the self-proclaimed pacifist will give it to her. 
RFID Paranoia
…tags could theoretically be read by hidden sensors alongside the road, in the mall or in the hands of criminals hoping to identify someone on the street by his or her ID number." (via Slashdot)
I think we’re going to be hearing more and more stories about personal privacy as it relates to RFID and other forms of high-tech identification. Have you ever seen the movie Minority Report? I can see (no pun intended) the retinal scan thing becoming a reality in the next ten years.
Pirates Abound in China
"My understanding of President Hu Jintao's dialogue with Bill Gates … is that it sent the signal that the Chinese government wants foreign investors and businesses to have confidence in China's intellectual property protections," Wang Ziqiang, the spokesman for the State Copyright Bureau, told a news conference. (whole store here via Yahoo)
Yeah right. I’ll believe it when I see it. A Chinese “Copyright Bureau”… that’s an oxymoron if I ever heard one.
With the people in China so afraid of their government (and rightfully so), if the government really said STOP, the people would stop immediately. I strongly doubt anyone in China would be interested in an extended stay at a local prison. I’m not an expert, but I hear they’re a little rougher than a minimum security US country club.
Frankly, I believe the Chinese government loves (and unofficially supports) the pirating of intellectual property rights. It helps to weaken their global competitors.
Oops
A government watchdog group that gleefully twitted statewide office candidates for running afoul of a campaign finance law has now found itself in the wrong — and apologizing.
Read it all here.
