Guam Reparations

As always, an issue being trumpeted by the simpletons that make up a large portion of the right side of the cheddarsphere isn’t as simple as they claim. This time, Fred at Real Debate, Wiggy (though his post is more funny) and I’m sure there are others, are up in arms over legislation before Congress to pay reparations of "... about $200 million in compensation and grant programs for Guam residents, including $25,000 payments on behalf of residents who died during the Japanese occupation and smaller payments for injury and forced labor." How dare we pay for atrocities committed by the Japanese occupations forces, they chorus. Oddly enough, according to Fred and Wiggy, our very own one-man travel agency, F. James Sensenbrenner has signed onto this bill.

Sensenbrenner’s support caused me to dig just a little deeper (this is where most of the right-wingers always fall just a bit short) and I found a few additional items.

The reason Guam is seeking these reparations is because the United States unilaterally forgave Japan’s war debt when they signed the official peace reaty in 1951, which precludes any chance of Guam approaching Japan for reparations.

A similar bill made it out of committee during the 109th Congress, a Congress then dominated by Republicans. It never made it to vote because the 109th Congress was adjourned.

The bill apparently has bi-partisan support.

There has been bluster on the right that the only people that should be recognized are the troops that liberated Guam from Japanese occupation. What these simpletons ignore is the Chamarros, the indigenous people of Guam, protected American serviceman after the island was conquered, many forfeiting their lives to keep the location of the hidden troops secret. Additionally, Japanese treatment of the Chamarros was especially brutal, with public executions not unusual.

To argue this bill is just another Democtratic gifting of taxpayer money is a lie … something the right-wing of the cheddarsphere has become all to expert at ... Republicans support this too.

Jessica's Hissy Fit

I can't help myself. Jessica McBride is at it again. This was a recent post of hers:

Noticed this name on the guest house for the dinner at the White House with the Queen:

David Gregory, NBC News correspondent, and Beth Wilkinson (wife). Reminds me of the media chowing down at the governor's mansion with Doyle and then freaking out when Scott Walker gives reporters a couple of press passes to tourist attractions.

Did NBC pay the White House back for the chow?

While the post is beyond sophomoric, I couldn't resist answering her question. NBC White House correspondent, David Gregory, was probably invited to the White House dinner for the Queen because he has written favorably about the Bush administration. So favorably, in fact, that he was awarded Best White House Correspondent for coverage of President Bush’s first 100 days in office by the conservative Media Research Center. You know, the group headed by chief wing-nut hack, L. Brent Bozell III.

Regardless, you know what the real issue is here, don’t you? The real issue is that Jessica didn’t receive the invitation.

From a source deep within WTMJ, here is what Jessica really wrote (heavily edited before it hit her blog ... sentence fragments have been filled in for easier readability):

Noticed this name on the guest house for the dinner at the White House with the Queen:

David Gregory, NBC News correspondent, and Beth Wilkinson (wife). Why was he and that little hussy of a wife invited (yeah, she works for Fannie Mae … you know, that group that provides help to those minority folks to buy homes, as though their tenements weren’t good enough for them ... they're probably a gay or Muslim front group anyway).

I can’t believe I wasn’t invited. My husband, Paul, has been the top conservative in Wisconsin and would have been Attorney General if not for Xoff, Owen Robinson’s wife and you-know- who’s money. He and I are doing all we can for the war effort at home, giving our brave troops the encouragement they need to die for their country. And besides, haven’t I always said that the President is my hero. I’m his … what’s the word … oh yeah, bestest supporter.

And, I’m on the radio almost every day taking on any liberal my producer thinks I might be able to handle, and I am working hard to indoctrinate the young journalists at the UWM in the ways of journalism … no objectivity needed, just the conservative facts.

This entire thing reminds me of the media chowing down at the governor's mansion with Doyle (again, I wasn’t invited) and then freaking out when Scott Walker gives reporters a couple of press passes to tourist attractions (hey, I didn’t get any of those either).

Did NBC pay the White House back for the chow? I bet WTMJ would. Hint, hint.

Why is She Teaching?

The ignorance and stupidity of this woman is astounding. Jessica McBride links to the story of a young girl stoned to death for falling in love with a boy outside her religious faith. McBride titles the post “The Religion of Peace,” which she and others on the right use as code for Islam.

Of course, if she had read just a bit further, she would have discovered that the young girl belonged to a minority Kurdish religious group called Yezidi, not Islam. The boy she loved is a Sunni Muslim.

Of course, in the pea brain that is McBride’s, any group not Christian or Jewish is probably Muslim and not worthy of respect ... just a tinge of racism, don't you think?

Why is this woman teaching journalism? She can’t even get her facts straight.

Hilton to Attend Jail

In a nod to my friend, James … all I can say is ... there might be a God.

LOS ANGELES -- A judge sentenced Paris Hilton to 45 days in jail Friday for violating her probation, putting the brakes on the hotel heiress' famous high life.

Hilton, who parlayed her name and relentless partying into worldwide notoriety, must go to jail on June 5 and she will not be allowed any work release, no furloughs, no use of an alternative jail and no electronic monitoring in lieu of jail, Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer ruled after a hearing.

Thugs, Again?

I’m not defending Michael McGee’s comments regarding Charlie Sykes and the death of his mother. Her death was a tragedy and though I have a low regard for the man, he and his family did not deserve what McGee dished out and I do believe condolences should be offered to him and his family.

However, I could not help but continue to be bemused by local conservative bloggers. If they only spent half the time they do following the exploits of Eugene Kane and Michael McGee, there might indeed be world peace and everyone might just get along. Seriously though, the preoccupation shown does cause this blogger to wonder what else is on their agenda. This blogger does know what’s on the agenda of the person who wrote the following comment regarding the McGee flack:

that is the problem the people of that district ie the people who have supported that family all these years are most likely saying "Right on Mr McGee" "Isn't it great how mad he makes those white folks"I am willing to bet in the long run nothing will come from this just due to the fact the people of that district have such low standards when it comes to the people they choose to represent them

Keep fighting the good fight but I have a feeling your are trying to sweep back the ocean.

Shades of Jessica McBride’s “thugs” comment. Judging by the grammar used and the low regard he shows for the voters in the 6th District, Chris (of the former Spotted Horse 2) embraces standards similar to McGee’s and McBride’s.

Lizard Brains

This story about clown-evangelist, Kent Hovind (Dr. Dino), reminded me of Scott Jensen, disgraced former Assembly Speaker, who was convicted of three felonies back in March 2006. Hovind pleaded that the judge’s decision could ruin his life (though earlier in his trial he said he needn’t answer to anyone but God), just as Jensen did. The difference is that in a travesty of justice, Jensen remains free. What is fair about this, especially considering the carnival conviction of Georgia Thompson, who was sent straight away to prison and who was later acquitted of all charges because they were found to be completely without merit?

Hovind (and Jensen) are caricatures for what is conservatism in this country. The ideas of conservatism are but magical mystery tours designed to avert the American public eye from conservative corruption and conservative lust for power. The list of crimes includes illegal wiretapping, removal of habeus corpus, torture, the loss of innocent Iraqi lives, the loss of the lives of 3500+ brave American soldiers, etc. Conservatism's nonsense is further spewed by Goebbels-like talk show hosts that nightly fill the meager minds of the sheep (read conservative knot-heads like Jessica McBride) with gibberish, comfortable in the knowledge that they will blindly continue grazing on their leaves of lies.

Ah, then there is Jessica McBride ... Our very own Eva Braun, a half-wit follower of Bush who spouts childish platitudes in similar fashion to the former German dictator’s luscious dimwit. When she is not race-baiting (did you know that 40% of her most recent posts had to do with minorities ... almost always in a negative light), she's vomiting up crazy ideas like launching a preemptive strike on Iran. Brave talk for someone who won’t have to fight. Let’s inflame the region even more than it is already and likely cause the deaths of countless innocent Iranians (Would they be classified as thugs, I wonder?) in addition to the lost lives of our helpless troops. Helpless, because they only go where ordered, they can’t help that their commander-in-chief is the village idiot.

I’ve tried to avoid saying this previously, but Jessica, please enlist. I’m sure Stars and Stripes could find a position for you.

Anyway, here’s what I found about Hovind. There is yet justice in this country.

Kent Hovind, the evangelist who styles himself "Dr. Dino" and runs the Creation Science Evangelism ministry as well as Dinosaur Adventure Land, a small creationist theme park in Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison on January 19, 2007. In November 2006, a federal jury found Hovind guilty of fifty-eight charges, including failing to pay payroll taxes for his employees, structuring financial transactions to avoid reporting requirements, and "corruptly endeavor[ing] to obstruct and impede the due administration of the internal revenue laws" in a number of ways. He was detained in jail until his sentencing, although his wife Jo Hovind, who was found guilty of forty-four charges, was allowed to remain free.

At the sentencing, the Pensacola News-Journal (January 20, 2007) reported, Hovind adopted a meek demeanor, telling the judge, "I stand here in great fear of the power of this court. Your decision can destroy my life, my ministry and my grandchildren." But recordings of his telephone conversations from the jail, played in court, told a different story: Hovind accused the Internal Revenue Service, the judge, and the prosecutor of violating the law in prosecuting him, and referred to unspecified things he could do "to make their lives miserable." In handing down the sentence, the judge explained that Hovind's troubles were due to his "refusing to accept what the law is." In addition to ten years in prison and three years of probation, Hovind's sentence also included paying over $600,000 in restitution to the IRS.


Who was the last evolutionist arrested for bilking people of their money? Hmmm.

Sorry, They Weren't Heroes

It’s been a couple weeks since the Virginia Tech massacre. I had this thought some time back, but resisted putting it down into words until tonight. No reason, just finally got to it.

Why were the flags at half mast for the victims of this shooting? I’m not insensitive to what happened, it was an awful tragedy. But if we are going to fly flags at half mast for these “heroes,” then using that rationale, why are we not flying flags at half mast for each and every one of those soldiers slain overseas in that lie called the war in Iraq. In fact, why haven’t we been flying flags at half mast for the duration of this god-damned tragedy?

I’m saddened by the loss of life at Virginia Tech. But let’s get real here. Bush ignores the realities of war overseas so as to deflect attention, but recognizes tragedy in our midst because it can be used as ammunition by scumbags like Newt Gingrich to blame liberals.

Another Not So Very Christian Christian

Working for Change

Blog Summit 2007

I met Mike Mathias (Pundit Nation), James Wigderson (Wigderson Library and Pub) at the Starbucks on 16th and Wisconsin. James got his exercise in early by walking to the wrong Starbucks at 6th and Wisconsin, and then bravely hiking back up Wisconsin to our location. That he made it unscathed says something about goings on east of 124th Street.

Seriously, it was good to see Mike (only the second time in 19 some years) and James (first time in 19 some years). Mike, James and I were contemporaries at UWM. Mike and I wrote together for the UWM Post, while James was involved with the UWM Times, which I think is now defunct, not sure. Though tensions often were high between the opposing political camps at UWM, I’d like to think that Mike, James and I kept it a little more real than some of the others.

Anyway, we made our way to the event and following are some thoughts:

James made it walking up three flights of stairs to the event. Way to go!

I enjoyed meeting Owen Robinson (Boots and Sabers). Owen is a current West Bend resident, which happens to be where I grew up, went to high school, etc. I listened to Owen and was impressed by his speaking ability, and that though he is as partisan as they come, he came down squarely on the side of all bloggers, defending their rights to have a voice. However, his analysis of Eugene Kane was waaaay off. I liked Kane. The first time I ever met him, though I did not have an opportunity to talk with him. I liked him because he was unapologetic and spoke his mind. Apparently speaking ones mind is only relegated to conservative speech according to some conservatives.

I met Dave Casper (Ask Me Later) and Aaron Kreel (Subject To Change), two other conservative bloggers, and liked them immediately. I didn’t get much chance to speak with Dave, but our shared thoughts about Ms McBride are enough to acknowledge him as a kindred spirit, if not ideologically. Aaron is a nice guy. He showed me pictures of his newborn. Very cute kiddo. I wish him the best.

I also saw Phelony Jones (The Confidentials) from a distance. She looked, as she is wont to say, very sassy. Unfortunately for us (or wisely) she left the proceedings early.

I also had brief conversations with Patrick of Badger Blogger, Tom McMahon and Dean Mundy. All pretty decent people … for conservatives (just kidding, guys). I have to agree with Owen on this, I find myself liking a number of conservative bloggers (though I suspect if I had met Fred Dooley, my opinion of him would not change).

Oh, and Brian Fraley (Daily Takes) had nothing to say but tired clichés. He is a wiener.

And Jessica McBride is as annoying in person as she is in print and/or on the radio. She attempted to make a point about blogger diversity by pointing out conservatives were bloggers and … could you believe it, conservative women. Now, this is true, but she followed that up by stressing it this way (paraphrasing) … “can you believe it, a conservative woman” (referring to herself and just herself). Mike Plaisted came over later and said he liked the t-shirts I had made for Ms McBride’s benefit. He then pointed out her silliness (kind way to say she’s an obnoxious b—tch). I agreed, and said I had almost raised my hand to ask her if it was always about her … but in the interest of decorum had decided not to.

Anyway, she’s a wiener, too.

I also was glad to meet the aforementioned Plaisted, Sean Hackbarth (American Mind) and Cory Liebman, whose blog I have admired. I also spoke at length with Bert, a contributor at folkbum. He was ten years a reporter. I didn’t ask where. I should have. And, I got to share a moment with Renee Crawford. I liked her.

All in all, it was a pretty good time and I have to admit, I agreed with Charlie Sykes (just a couple times.)

Lastly, where was dad29? I would really like to have met him. And where was my erstwhile buddy, Chris of Spotted Horse fame? Oh well, one can’t have everything all the time.

McBride, Again

Jessica McBride wants us to look at this paragraph.

MADISON, Wis. Republican legislative leaders asked Attorney General J-B Van Hollen today for his opinion on how a U-S Supreme Court decision might affect the state's ban on a procedure critics call partial-birth abortion.

She has this to say about that paragraph.

Let's see. Babies are partially born before they are killed in the procedure. Sounds like a factually-based description to me.

For our factually challenged quasi-journalist let’s clear this up: The actual name for the procedure is “intact dilation and evacuation.” The paragraph clearly states that critics, that is anti-abortion supporters, call the procedure partial birth abortion. News organizations are under no obligation to use the intentionally-created term designed to fool the foolish into voting against this medically sound and rarely used procedure, regardless of how the Supreme Court ruled.


Also posted at Whallah!

Go get a doggy bag and pick up your crap, Ms McBride.

McIlheran: Favors White Supremacists?

This is just a quick note about a blog post by Patrick McIlheran (already well-covered by Bert at folkbum). David Gaubatz, the fellow that Melanie Phillips and McIlheran rely on for the breaking news on WMDs is a member of a fascinating group that believes in wonderful, pro-American ideals like this (by way of Glenn Greenwald, h/t Bert):

White Christians were at the founding of this nation a distinct people and privileged as such. Men of means among this people were given the opportunity for representative government. This is, for those of you flinching, not a thesis or “viewpoint”; this is historical fact.

After the Civil War, this changed; with the move into the 20th century this change became a wholesale reformation. Today, you cannot speak of Christianity in the public sphere and if you mention “white” and “Christians” in the same sentence you will be set upon as a despicable racist by every “fair-minded” public person. And, this phenomenon extends far beyond race.

Then this:

It was of course the beloved Ronald Reagan, the David of conservatism against the Goliath of Liberalism, who was the first president in the history of the US to actually grant amnesty to 3 million illegal immigrants with his support of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act. And before that, it was the Great Society’s Lyndon B. Johnson who passed the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which eliminated nation-specific quotas, replacing them with just one overall quota. This meant of course that we had as a country effectively determined that we were not a white Christian nation, but would become a brownish-black nation of third world types who could barely speak our language, knew nothing of our culture and civilization, and indeed desired to be one of “us” predominantly for economic reasons.

And this:

Immigration is now at the front lines in the battle for America's national existence. Under assault by the Left, including the Libertarians, the fact that America was founded and made strong by immigrants from western European countries with Judeo-Christian roots is no longer part of the modern immigration "debate." The only question now is how do you secure your borders and establish the necessary factors for "assimilation." This "debate" of course ignores the most fundamental fact: is there not something unique about American national existence that is directly related to the fact that it was founded by white, mostly anglo-saxon, believing Christians? Does the modern charge of "racism" now preclude the observation and analysis of this fact?

McIlheran's friend Gaubatz is currently engaged in mapping every mosque and Islamic day school in America, attempting to come up with a “threat” picture.

I knew McIlheran was whacky. Who would have thought he had such weird fellow-travelers … well, easy to believe actually.

Back At It Again

Patrick McIlheran is at it again. At least he is consistent. Now he’s got a piece claiming the environment is not as bad as those nasty scientists say it is. Everyone has an opinion on this and that’s okay. It’s just that McIlheran keeps trotting out these conservative think tank groups that have a vested interest in saying everything is peachy keen, to back up his assertions, rather than use real science. For example:

American Enterprise Institute: The American Enterprise Institute is a neoconservative think tank, AEI has emerged as one of the leading architects of the second Bush administration's public policy. (Wikipedia)

Pacific Research Institute: Another think tank, which has been closely associated with the American Enterprise Institute. (SourceWatch)

Steven Hayward: Hayward studies the environment, law, political economy, and the presidency. He is author of the annual Index of Leading Environmental Indicators, published jointly by the American Enterprise Institute and the Pacific Research Institute. Hayward writes AEI's Environmental Policy Outlook and also recently authored The Age of Reagan: The Fall of the Old Liberal Order, 1964-1980 (American Enterprise Institute).

Ah, a scientist devoted to the environment, NOT!

Look, McIlheran does point out that this is a different point of view. But, why oh why does he continue to abuse the intelligence of those who read his tripe. Just come out and admit it, Paddy, you don’t have a clue what you are writing about … you just do it to piss off the other half of the people who read your columns and blog entries, the ones who don’t take your writings at face value.

McBride Fails Again

I stopped today at the gas station around the corner to pick up some ice for the celebration of spring barbeque we were having. A young friend of mine was working. He is in his senior year at UWM, is an honor student and will be moving onto law school next year where, I am sure, he will succeed. Anyway, he told me that I would be amused by this story.

He said he was driving home one night and happened to be listening to Jessica McBride's show. She was talking about the Virginia Tech murder spree and apparently was chastising the school for not having closed the campus the next few days after. My friend decided to call in. The screener/producer answered the phone and asked what topic he wanted to talk to Jessica about. My friend said he wanted to discuss the school closing issue because he disagreed with Ms McBride. The screen said thank you and hung up.

It’s typical of wing-nut talk show hosts; especially McBride. She won't take on anyone who can match or exceed her intelligence (nearly everyone), but will wait for that stray idiot just so she can claim later how she was able to "smack" down another liberal.

McBride, Again

Another example of why Jessica McBride is the fruitiest of the fruit loops in the wing-nut world. On her blog Thursday, she tried to say that Joe Biden was inarticulate. Here is what she had to say.

"Guess he's an inarticulate as Obama.

By the way, only Democrats could get away with blaming a non-conservative talk show host's problems on conservatives. And exploiting Virginia Tech."

What a clueless wonkette!

ADDENDUM
A friend of mine pointed out that this post was a wee bit ambiguous. Looking back at it, I had to agree. I have not been applying much energy into blogging with the arrival of my daughter, but that is not an excuse for putting out sloppy efforts.

I was trying to point out McBride’s hypocrisy in pointing out that Joe Biden seemed to have an inarticulate moment during a speech (leaving aside that a written report cannot possibly duplicate how a speech sounds). Considering she is an ardent defender of Mr. Language-Mangler himself, her response, which I highlighted above, was hilarious.

Remember, she is a “professional” journalist. Why does UWM continue to provide a position for this woman? She embodies everything that is wrong with journalism today, and I am not just focusing on Faux News.

My Soda Has Zero Calories ... Nyah Nyah Nyah

I was heading back home from having picked up some goods at the local Pick n’ Save. Turned on the radio thinking I might catch the Brewers/Cardinals game and was shocked to hear the unmistakably shrill voice of Jessica McBride. Damn, rain delay.

So, I listened a bit, hard though it was on my ears. She was talking about State Senator Ted Kanavas’ gimmick of highlighting 30 different tax or fee increases during the month of April. All right, I thought. Big deal … I do like to know where my money is being spent, though I’m less needy than my conservative brethren ... so I decided to listen until I got home.

Apparently today, Kanavas highlighted a 2 cent increase on the cost of each can of soda … the revenue, estimated to be about $70 million, to be directed to a trust fund used to increase dental reimbursement rates.

I was turning into the driveway when Jessica started in on this, so wanting to hear what she would end up saying about the increase, I waited to turn the car off. She concluded by saying (paraphrasing) “I drink Coke Zero. There are no calories in Coke Zero. So I don’t want to have to pay for dental reimbursement for the poor because my soda doesn’t contribute to cavities.”

Two things struck me as odd about this.:

One: McBride must really dislike those less fortunate than her because she sure jumped on them pretty quickly. In fact, no where in Mr. Kanavas’ spiel was anything mentioned about the reimbursement being strictly for the poor.

Two: Calories have nothing to do with tooth decay.

Is McBride really this dumb?

(fyi: Diet colas don't contain sugars that cause tooth decay but they contain phosphoric acid. Acids can cause erosion in teeth. It’s different from decay, but can be just as bad. On the other hand, Coke Zero does contain aspartame, which some have linked to brain cancer. If true, that would explain much about McBride.)

Kurt Vonnegut

I was saddened to read that a childhood companion of mine, Kurt Vonnegut, has died at the age of 84, presumably of brain injuries suffered during a fall. I say a childhood friend because I remember reading "Player Piano" the first time just about the time I entered high school. Afterward, I read everything I could get my hands on written by Vonnegut. Vonnegut pushed the envelope ...

"He was a man who combined a wicked sense of humor and sort of steady moral compass, who was always sort of looking at the big picture of the things that were most important," said Joel Bleifuss, editor of In These Times, a liberal magazine based in Chicago that featured Vonnegut articles.

Some of Vonnegut's books were banned and burned for alleged obscenity. He took on censorship as an active member of the PEN writers' aid group and the American Civil Liberties Union.

The American Humanist Association, which promotes individual freedom, rational thought and scientific skepticism, made him its honorary president.

I hope in my life I can look back and know I rocked the boat just a bit and caused just a little uncomfortableness like Vonnegut did.


I really wonder what gives us the right to wreck this poor planet of ours. -- Kurt Vonnegut

Whallah!

I was considering keeping this secret, but then decided there was no point. I am going to have a t-shirt made with the word "Whallah" emblazoned across the chest in honor of our journalist wanna-be, Jessica McBride. If anyone is interested in their own t-shirt, either reply here or send me a note via e-mail (piratebat@wi.rr.com). Include size specs.

While I'm not too worried about the cost, some help will be appreciated. I will post the cost later after determining what it will be. Deadline for letting me know is next week Friday, April 20.

No Outrage

The price of gas hit $2.89 at the station around the corner. I asked the clerk inside if she had been getting complaints about the price and she said no. Has anyone else noticed the lack of outrage.

I remember just before the election how this was an issue guaranteed to inflame tempers. My only conclusion is that elections, that centerpiece of our democracy that should bring out the best in Americans, brings out the worst.

Daddy/Daughter Night Out

My youngest sister was lucky enough to come into four Admirals tickets for Friday night's game. She had one ticket to spare (she was going with her two boys) and asked if my son Ian would like to join them. Of course he jumped at the chance.

Unfortunately, this left out his younger sister, six-year old Abby. Well, daddy being free as well, he invited his beautiful daughter to join him for a dinner date at Pepinos. Abby took a bath. Kelly dried her hair and helped her get ready and when she was, she was even more astoundingly beautiful. I'm such a lucky dad.

I was very proud of Abby throughout dinner (which also included shakes from Culvers later). She was on her best manners. She said thank you, excuse me and please when appropriate. She did not interrupt the waiter while he was talking and was the perfect dinner guest.

I'll bet the other patrons saw how proud Abby's dada was of her.

A Quiet Morning

It's a quiet morning ... the children are downstairs with their cousins Kiefer and Keaton. There has been only one difference of opinion, solved by bringing an extra blanket and pillow. The baby still sleeps though a few gurgles were heard through the baby monitor. Mom is sleeping as well, enjoying her day off - part of her part time work schedule.

Me? I've been involved in a free agency draft for one of the fantasy leagues I am in ... this one for which my team is the defending champion. It will be a one-year reign as the team has already been dissassembled, ala the Florida Marlins.

Bopping around the Internet, I saw this quote:

"Other than telling us how to live, think, marry, pray, vote, invest, educate our children and, now, die, I think the Republicans have done a fine job of getting government out of our personal lives." -- Sunday Portland Oregonian

Hypocrites.

I had been having discussions with a fellow named Tracy over at Boots and Sabers. We had been discussing speech and its limits. He is of the belief that pornography, abortion, etc. are all liberal inventions. Since the founding fathers envisioned the 1st Amendment to be a protection only for political speech, he said, anything else is a liberal assault on the true meaning of this amendment (paraphrasing).

Folkbum and Scott Feldstein joined in the fray ... all of us amazed at the shortsightedness of this fellow. No one I know likes pornography. It is a disgusting abuse of the human spirit. Of course, Tracy could not look past the child pornographers he apparently sees around every corner, courtesy of liberal thought. I wonder if he has ever given thought to the manipulated women and what circumstances caused themselves to expose their souls in such a hard and unsavory manner.

Yet, for all its inherent evil, the right to publish this crap is enshrined in the 1st Amendment. Because, if this was banned, what would be next?

Modeling for art classes? (And then next, government-sponsored art).
Erotic speech. Would Giacomo Casanova be banned.
Art literature magazines.
Magazines with erotic poetry.
Just modeling.
All non-government magazines.
All speech (unless approved).

It's not a complete slippery-slope list, but I hope you get the idea. There are laws to combat predators. Let the police do their job. Communities have the right to deny pornographers residency. The Internet presents a unique challenge. But I've got news for you, Tracy. There were child pornographers before the Internet and access to this trash can be purchased anywhere.

We need to be very cautious regarding any chipping away at our freedoms. Unfortunately, this adminstration and its many followers, like Tracy, are only too glad to wield a chisel.

Meanwhile, the children blissfully play in the basement and watch the Cartoon Network ... and the baby and her mommy sleep soundly upstairs. There is still much good in this world.