From Kevin: The New Republic agrees with the theory I posted a few days ago that 2002 is going to be a bust for Congressional Democrats. W
[January 6, 2001]
It's official. Congress has counted the electoral votes. Congresscritters offering challenges were rebuffed by the presiding officer, who ruled the challenges out of order: "The chair would advise that the rules do care." Our next president has been legally and officially chosen. W
Much faster. Superb. W
[January 5, 2001]
Remember that 12th Amendment lawsuit claiming that Dick Cheney was a resident of Texas and therefore couldn't share the ticket with George Bush? Remember how it got slam-dunked by the trial court? The Supreme Court just refused to hear the appeal, so the matter is done. [This article is horribly inaccurate as to the actual rulings of the court - the trial court dismissed the suit for lack of standing. At no time has any court ever ruled that Cheney was a resident of Wyoming, Texas, Virginia, DC, or Mars. But what can you expect from the media on legal matters?] W
Day One - Pyra makes its pitch for more server power and speed.
Day Two through Four - Blogger slows to a glacial crawl. Although every other part of Blogger is seemingly non-functional, the Blogger Server Fund Page is always up and running.
Hmmm. W
Dave and others seem confused about this Bush quote:
Natural gas is hemispheric. I like to call it hemispheric in nature because it is a product that we can find in our neighborhoods.
Although I don't have any context to guide me, it sounds like the Prez-elect is invoking a Monroe-Doctrine approach to energy policy - in other words, develop the resources we have in our own backyard (the Western hemisphere) rather then rely on those wily Eatern-hemisphere oil cartels. Seems pretty smart to me. W
Here's a fine example of the Democrite idea of bi-partisanship in the House: dump anyone who dares who vote across party lines. W
Since JFK Jr. died, George hasn't really been the same, and even though I've been a loyal inaugural subscriber I've been debating whether or not to renew my subscription. I guess this answers my question. W
Who could have imagined there would be a cover-up at the Justice Department? The grand jury is hearing evidence that senior DOJ officials tried to protect Henry Cisneros, who admitted that he lied to the FBI during his intitial background check. W
[January 4, 2001]
[January 3, 2001]
From Kevin: The New Republic agrees with the theory I posted a few days ago that 2002 is going to be a bust for Congressional Democrats. W
Once every seven years or so, I find it necessary to root for the Gators. Win or lose, it's always an unsettling experience.
I find it startling that Miami can claim to be the best team in the country after giving up 20 points to an offense that played as poorly as Florida did last night.
On to the Orange Bowl! W
Donations to the Blogger Server Fund will help pull it out of its current incarnation as Slogger. There's already tons of hype. I won't hesitate to give (well, I might hesitate until this weekend when I cash my next paycheck) because Blogger is one of the best free tools I've ever had the pleasure of using. For the hours I've spent using Blogger, and the hope of trimming a few of those hours with a speedier server, I'm more than happy to chip in the cost of a pizza - even several pizzas. If you use the system, I hope you chip in something too. W
The OpinionJournal alerted me to this smart, sexy, and dead-on daily critique of the New York Times: Smarter Times.
[D]edicated to the proposition that New York's dominant daily has grown complacent, slow and inaccurate. Even an ordinary semi-intelligent guy in Brooklyn who reads the newspaper carefully early each morning can regularly notice errors of fact and of logic.
Quite the formidable mission. W
[January 2, 2001]
No big surprise here: Cooper out as Ohio State coach. John Cooper, that is, also known as "The Man Who Couldn't Beat Michigan or Win a Bowl Game". W
Some folks think that "hate crime" laws will deter bigotry and, well, "hate crimes." Interestingly, there is a large overlap of this crowd with opponents of the death penalty, who often oppose that for one of two reasons: unfair and.or racially biased adminsitration; or lack of deterrence.
As this note shows, straight white males don't have a monopoly on hate. Giving the government more power to wield against the disadvantaged doesn't strike me as such a good idea. After all, who's most likely to be convicted of any crime? Minorities... the poor... anyone who lacks the means to afford a good lawyer. How long do you really think it will be before some redneck prosecutor in Lynchburg gets the idea to build his career prosecuting every interracial crime as a hate crime? (not long, say the voices in my head.) Why would anyone want to create the means of his own persecution? W
From Jess (who has a nice new look and a rather startling smoking gun): the new crop of Survivors. Let the hysteria begin anew. W
The adults are coming! The adults are coming!
[In] key departments, including State, Defense and Treasury, he has chosen men of stature and practical ability. His own gaps in experience remain a worry, but Mr. Bush has shown he is not afraid to surround himself with people of considerable heft in management and national and international affairs.
What a change from the last eight years of sandbox-style government. W
Bray on the Free-Trade Century:
Prosperity produced a paucity of protectionist peasants to plump for poor Pitchfork Pat.
The election of 2000 produced no serious threat to the free-trade school of thought - allowing for delicious alliterative references like these. W
[January 1, 2001]
Happy New Year! None of this maudlin retrospective garbage for me... full speed ahead! W
[December 31, 2000]