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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Watcher's Council Nominations, 2/26/08




Every week, the Watcher's Council members nominate two posts each, one from the Council members and one from outside for consideration by the whole Council. The complete list of this week's Council nominations can be found at the site of our fearless leader, the infamous Watcher of Weasels

Do take the time and check out the non-Council links..they are always rewarding.

Here's this week's lineup:


"I'd rather be with God against man than with man against God..." Joshuapundit - This week's piece is about courage - not the battlefield kind, but the simple heroism of doing the right thing when doing the right thing is difficult and costly and simply following the herd is easy. There's a message here for our times, I think.

Mrs. Obama's ‘Proud’ Remark: It's the GOP's Fault The Colossus of Rhodey - Hube ponders the wit and wisdom of Michelle Obama,focusing on her famous remark that only now,with her husband up in the polls is she `proud of her country.' It's fascinating to me that a buppie like Mrs. Obama, the beneficiary of affirmative action and `legacy status'(her brother was a star athlete) at an Ivy League school and in a good career never found any redeeming qualities about her native land until now....but as Hube points out, that's what happens when race is your sole focus.

Packer on Iraq Done With Mirrors - This week,Callimachus focuses on an essay by George Packer on the ethos of the Iraq War at home and abroad, and picks apart the same bits I noticed..that Packer is concentrating on the way the war is portrayed by people with a political axe to grind, rather then deciding for himself what the reality is and taking a stand, one way or the other.

Unforced Errors The Glittering Eye - Dave Schuler looks at our meddling in Kosovo and finds it completely unjustified, and makes the cogent point that by doing so, we continue to retard any desire by Europe to solve its own problems.I agree with him,and would only add four little words to explain why the US and some members of the EU were so willing to discard international law and embrace such a dangerous precedent - it's about the Saudis.


Find the Adjectives Soccer Dad - this week, Soccer Dad shows us how so-called 'news items' are actually op-ed pieces, based on the language used, especially when the topic is Israel and the Palestinians. He does a fine job parsing a fairly egregious example in the WAPO.

Obama (with links) & McCain's Petard Wolf Howling - GW has a detailed piece on an interesting kerfluffle concerning a pledge taken by both Obama and John McCain to stay within public finance limits earlier in their campaigns, a pledge both are now repudiating.The difference in the way each candidate is doing it an d the conection between them? Read within..and see if it changes your opinion of the Chosen One.

Associated Press, Like Others, Retails Malicious Rumor as "Reporting" Big Lizards - Daffyd's piece this week is akin to Soccer Dad, in that he writes this week about the editorial language used in an article by the AP presented as `news', a follow-up to the slimy hit piece alleging that John McCain had an affair with a lobbyist by the New York Times.


In A PC Nation, How Will The GOP Run? Cheat Seeking Missiles - Laer focuses on what the GOP perceives as a problem - running against Barack Hussein Obama or Hillary Clinton without appearing racist or sexist. Frankly, I think that the defensive stance such worries reveal is the real problem and a potential loser in November, and that treating these candidates differently because of race and gender is the real bigotry - but that's just my two cents. OK, maybe five cents.

The Pursuit of Happiness Bookworm Room - Ms. Bookworm is back from vacation, and appropriately enough she tackles the idea of the fabled `pursuit of happiness' comparing the idea as expressed in our Declaration of Independence with the same idea as expressed in the California State Constitution. The one states that government will limit its power so as to allow you to pursue happiness on your own and make your own decisions in life, to the extent they are lawful and do not conflict with anyone else's rights; the other mandates happiness as a right.

There's a vast gulf between the two, as Ms. Bookworm points out.

John Murtha: Porker of the Year! The Education Wonks - EdWonk writes this week about the runaway winner of the Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) online poll and the recipient of the 2007 Porker of the Year award for earmarks and special interest earmarks spending for his district -our old friend John Murtha.

An Ethics Flap That Isn't Rhymes With Right - Greg likewise writes on the ridiculous attempt to smear Senator McCain by the New York Times.As he points out, there's nothing there...except a classic case of partisan advocacy masquerading as journalism.

Still At Risk: The Shocking Ignorance of Our Young Right Wing Nut House - Rick writes about a disturbing study that reveals an abysmal ignorance by American teenagers about their history and culture.

That's exactly why I and a lot of other discerning parents chose spend some money to remove their children from the clutches of the public schools, the assorted educrats and the tender mercies of the teacher's unions. This problem won't come close to being solved until there's a realistic school choice program on a Federal level and more parents can afford to do the same.

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