Why did the chicken cross the road? Updated for 2008!

I got this in the mail from a friend the other day -- it went around the Internet maybe 5 years ago, but now updated for 2008!

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?

**BARACK OBAMA:***
**The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE! The chicken wanted CHANGE!**

**JOHN MC CAIN:**
**My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.**

**HILLARY CLINTON:**
**When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure -- right from Day One! -- that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.......** [ed: And to avoid sniper fire in Tuzla]


**DR. PHIL:**
**The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.**

**OPRAH:**
**Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.**

**GEORGE W. BUSH:**
**We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.**

**COLIN POWELL.**
**Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...**

**ANDERSON COOPER - CNN:**
**We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.**

**JOHN KERRY:**
**Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it!
It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.**

**NANCY GRACE - FOX NEWS.**
**That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.**

**PAT BUCHANAN:**
**To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.**

**MARTHA STEWART:***
**No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.**

**DR SEUSS:**
**Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.**

**ERNEST HEMINGWAY:**
**To die in the rain. Alone.**

**JERRY FALWELL:**
**Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side'. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.**

**GRANDPA:**
**In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road.
Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.**

**BARBARA WALTERS:**
**Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heartwarming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.**

**ARISTOTLE:**
**It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.**

**JOHN LENNON:**
**Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.**

**BILL GATES:**
**I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of the Chicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never crash . . . reboot.**

**ALBERT EINSTEIN:**
**Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the
chicken?**

**BILL CLINTON:**
**I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of
chicken?**

**AL GORE:**
**I invented the chicken!**

**DICK CHENEY:**
**Where's my gun?**

**AL SHARPTON:**
**Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.***

**COLONEL SANDERS:**
*Did I miss one???*

Post Racialism

While I was never an Obama supporter, my hope for his campaign was that it would further along the cause of "post racialism." Face it -- race has been an albatross around America's neck since before the founding. Far too much is seen in the prism of race. And race has left America with a legacy of bitterness and anger with respect to 11 percent of our population.

Most major black politicians come to prominence through the traditional civil rights leadership. As such, for good or ill, they are too connected to the racial divide to really fight it, even when they run for office under the banner of black empowerment.

I hoped that Obama would transcend race (I have always seen him as the liberal yuppie candidate, not the black candidate) mostly because he did not have the usual path that most black leaders had. His father was not the descendant of southern slaves, but rather was born a subject of the British crown. His mother was white, and from a comfortable middle class background.

Obama lived for a while outside the US. When here, he lived in the least "white" state in the US and went to a somewhat exclusive school. So for good or ill, all the baggage, cultural and historical, positive and negative, that gets attached to the previous generations of black leaders did not get attached to him.

In some ways it was the same with Collin Powell. Powell's parents were Jamaican immigrants, not native US blacks. He went to West Point and was immersed in the military culture. Hence he was able to be himself, without reference to almost 400 years of the black experience in America.

That is what I really hope for Obama -- that he loses the presidency, not because he is half black, but because people decide he is not the one for the job (in the same way HRC lost the Democratic nomination, not because she is a woman but because people thought Obama was better). Yes there are lots of people who will not vote for him because he is black. But many others (white and black) will vote for him because he is.

Will Obama be that post racial transformational character? That is a lot to ask someone and probably very unfair, as he is trying to run for President and be himself. In light of the Wright fiasco, I am not sure we are there yet. But I think we are getting closer.

Some proof?

The daughter of the President of the United States gets married, the minister is black, and no one really notices! (Well, the Anchoress did and her reaction was the same as mine)

The Farm Bill

Considering that crop prices are at their highest since, well, ever, why is Congress about to pass a farm bill that increases subsidies? And while I can understand some subsidies to small farmers (to help them along, preserve open land from development and have extra land available for crops in an emergency) it appears that most of this largess will go to large corporate farmers. The bill has passed with veto proof majorities in the House and Senate, with lots of Republicans joining the Democrats. The GOP has learned NOTHING from 2006 and will lose (and deserve to lose) more seats this November as a result.

How about a better idea -- let's get off of subsidies. I am hopeful on biofuels, so instead of an ethanol subsidy that has done little for energy independence while increasing food prices let's go with the Zubrin plan. Require within three years that all automobiles that use gasoline must also be able to accept ethanol and methanol. Wider use of methanol, made not from food crops but rather from stalks and non food crops, should help reduce food prices.

And while we are at it, let's end the tariff on Brazilian ethanol, made from sugar and with a higher energy produced to used ratio than corn based ethanol.

The cure for the common liturgical dance

Catholic churches do not use enough Palestrina these days. If heaven has a soundtrack, I hope this is included.

What was that?

I do not know exactly how to describe this.



There are no words. Now I know that a liberal Catholic or a low church Protestant will tell me to get with it and let the spirit move me, but, well, there are no words. That is all I can say.

(HT: Reformed Pastor)

West Virginia

It was over so quickly I did not even have a chance to mix my martini!

Democracy!

My numbers were off a "little" (OK Bill and Rob -- a whole lot!)

But I still will not be surprised if the Democratic nominee is Al Gore.

My Prediction for Primary Day

HRC wins Indiana by 5-10%.

Obama wins North Carolina by less than 5%.

Delegates are evenly split.

And the winner is . . .

AL GORE!

The Wright Fiasco

For the past three weeks or so, we have been bombarded with commentary about Reverend Wight. Should we care? Why do we care. It is important given that Senator Obama claimed Wight was his mentor and spiritual guide for 20 years. The title of his book, "The Audacity of Hope", comes from one of Wright's sermons. This is more than someone who simply attended church on Sundays.

We seem to care, should we? I don't know. I am somewhat sympathetic to Reverend Wright as the angry black man of the 1960s, angry at racism and the "system" that kept blacks from fully participating in America. But he went beyond that. Calling for his parishioners to reject "middle classism" while running a church that even Senator Obama admits has a reputation as something of a "buppie" church.

The Wright situation has been brewing for a long time. I remember noting to a friend (who was working for one of Obama's Democratic Senate race rivals in 2004) that Wright could be a problem for Obama. Of course, in 2004, Obama sailed thorough thanks to his opponents in both parties self destructing. So the issue is only being raised now.

And Wright refuses to go quietly. This makes we wonder if Wright is trying to do this on purpose. I know I am not the only person thinking this, Spike Lee has muttered some vague conspiracy theory.

So why is Wright doing this? Wright was known but not a huge player here in Chicago compared to other ministers. Wright built a very impressive congregation on the South Side (and to be sure does a lot of good) but he was a local figure. Now, thanks to all the controversy, he is a national figure.

This could torpedo Senator Obama's chances. But if he gets past Denver, he will be happy it happened now, and not in October.

Thoughts on Immigration

Yesterday, there was the now traditional May Day immigration rally. Unlike the past few years, this was a smaller rally. I think that the whole issue seems to have disappeared from people's radar screens for now. Both parties are probably happy with this. The issue is very divisive. People don't want to be overrun by hordes of illegal aliens but I believe most people also recognize the value these folks bring to our country. And people really do not want to be in the position of deporting parents of children born here.

I think the real problem is not the immigrants we know but those we don't know. Everyone in the US knows an immigrant. And generally they like the ones they know. Growing up we had one guy across the street who was an immigrant from Italy and a guy down the street who was an immigrant from Egypt. No one had a problem with them. In fact, most people liked them, felt they were hard workers and nice people.

The issue is the immigrants we don't know -- the nameless faceless people who hang out at Home Depot looking for work. I am someone who is usually accused of being an "open borders" type, but I think the real problem here in the US is simply a matter of human nature -- people have a fear of the unknown and the "other".

The other problem is in Mexico. This is not an issue that just popped up, rather something that has been brewing for a century. Namely, the fact that successive Mexican governments have refused to reform the country, and instead send their excess population to the US. It has only gotten worse under the leadership of Fox and Calderón. And to make it worse for Mexico, those who have left probably represent the most ambitious of their lower classes. The rich have no reason to leave and the middle classes probably feel they can still make a go of it. But if you are poor and ambitious, the government has basically said "Go North!" So Mexico is basically exporting those people who would be helpful in building up a better Mexico.

I am sympathetic to illegal immigrants and their plight. I believe generally in free movement of goods and people. And considering that we do not have the all pervasive and suffocating safety net that Europe has, the kind of people that come here will be the hard working people we want to attract. But wandering around the fringes of the rally yesterday, I think it would be easier to be sympathetic if many of those marching were not wearing Che Guevara tee shirts or carrying signs for some Trotskeyite organization such as the ISO or ANSWER.

More proof my wife is a saint

I was putting our flag out yesterday, which was also my wife's birthday. Given that I usually only put it out on holidays (Memorial Day, Armistice Day, Flag Day, etc) my wife asked why. This was the conversation:

Me: "For your birthday"

She: (Gives that "certain look") "No really".

Me: "Because it is May Day".

She: (Looking a little confused) "Is that a flag holiday?"

Me: "It is for communists."

She gave me that "really certain look", shook her head, and I am sure quietly wondered how she ended up with a nut like me.

As I said, my wife is a saint.

Happy May Day!

This is really cool



Granted, non-socialist that I am, I think this must be the soundtrack for Hell.

Catching Up on Politics

I have not been following national politics too closely the past few weeks. I discovered a few new things today.

First, Senator Obama's 2004 GOP opponent (the one NOT accused of NOT having sex with his wife) Alan Keyes dropped out of the Republican Party.

Second, Keyes is now a member of the Constitution Party.

Third, Keyes lost the Constitution Party's presidential nomination.

Fourth, apparently someone out there thinks Alan Keyes is relevant to something.

The Anchoress on Eurcharistic Devotion

The Anchoress has a posting on Catholics and Eucharistic devotion. This is something that non-Catholics (other than the Orthodox I would think) find somewhat strange. As Catholics, we believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. In fairness though, this can be even a difficult doctrine for Catholics to understand. I studied the theology in college, can discussed half remembered discourses by St. Thomas Aquinas regarding essence and accidents, yet we still hear of "bleeding host" stories despite he Church's attempts to suppress them.

The Anchoress posted some photographs of people kneeling before a procession. It reminds me of one of the things I miss about Brooklyn. I lived for two years in Williamsburg, my parents’ old neighborhood. Today it has a reputation as an artists’ colony and is now in the process of massive upscale gentrification, but there still remain a lot of Italians. Nearby, in Greenpoint, you have a lot of Polish and other Catholic Slavic immigrants.

The churches there still have public processions. If a priest well known for piety was visiting the area, they would often ask him to bless the Host and then process with it from church to church, sometimes over several days. My wife (who is not Catholic) was astounded by how the people on the street would genuflect or kneel when the procession passed by. Usually, the priest would be accompanied by the children of the parish and by old ladies singing hymns from the old country.

Again, it is difficult to explain to a non-Catholic, but there was something about touching the sacred in Eucharistic devotion, and most incredibly when it was in the most mundane venue of Lorimer Street in Brooklyn, as cars sped by.

Hilllary or Bust!

The blogosphere is alive with the sounds of everyone trying to figure out just what is going on with the Democrats. I suggest heading over to one of my favorite blogs, Ragged Thots, for some excellent analysis and discussion.

So why Hillary or bust (as my regular Rodak put it a few weeks ago)? It seems that the only HRC supporter in my neighborhood is also an Elvis fan. The HRC sign is next to a bust of Elvis (sorry for the bad photo, it was taken with my camera phone).

I am still trying to figure if there is any cosmic significance to this.

Another Primary Night?

I'll take the usual please!

Life Imitates The Onion

The Onion: Al-Qeada Takes on 9/11 Truthers

Life: Al-Qaeda whines that they really did 9/11 -- and that the conspiracy theories are really a plot by Iran (in cahoots with the USA!) to make al-Qaeda look bad. (granted according to the article, the tape has not been authenticated yet and I am sure a Truther will say it is a CIA/Mossad/Stone Cutter forgery).

Happy Earth Day!!

I celebrated Earth Day the way I always do -- wondering around at lunch time and punching out hippies (well, not really).

Hippies smell bad and scare small children. WON'T YOU THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!

Actually, the only people at the Earth Day rally seemed to be confused office workers looking for food and the occasional person handing out ex-trees (aka leaflets). The leaflets obviously hate the planet as they killed many carbon absorbing trees.

Does College Come with a Money Back Guarrantee?

This turned out to be something of a hoax, but the strange case of Ms. Aliza Shvarts shows how modern art is in a race to the bottom.

If I was her father, I would ask Yale for a refund.

The Pope's Visit

I have to admit that I have not been watching much of the mainstream media's coverage of the Pope's visit. Partly, it seemed that the media never understood Pope John Paul II and that Pope Benedict is even harder for them to understand. He is a walking contradiction. He is supposed to be a narrow authoritarian, yet he meets with his philosophical opponents such as Hans Kung. He invites those who threaten him to discuss with reason and respect.

And now he has gone and met with some of the victims of the clerical scandal. Yes it is a symbolic gesture, but considering how much pain the scandal brought us in the American Church, I thought a wonderful and healing gesture. It will take a long time for the pain and wounds to heal. But the Catholic Church has been around for 2000 years -- we can use time to cure ourselves.

The Anchoress of course has the best analysis of the visit.

A little humor for April 15th

"I'm proud to pay taxes in the United States; the only thing is, I could be just as proud for half the money." -- Arthur Godfrey

A nice list of tax related quotes can be found here

Of sunshine and taxes

Yes, I have not posted in a week. First off, last weekend, the weather here in Chicago was nice for the first time since forever. So Alex decided we had to play soccer in the park.

Then came taxes, and yes, I am still procrastinating and have not yet filed.

But I promise I will.

In Memory of Frank Meyer

As a self described conservative Catholic libertarian, I owe an immense debt to Frank Meyer. Meyer was a collaborator of William F. Buckley. He was born into a Jewish family and was a communist as a young man. On seeing the horrors of Stalinism, he turned away from communism and embraced liberty. Before his death, he converted to Catholicism.

Meyer developed the philosophy of "fusionism" -- the combination of traditional conservatism and libertarianism that has become this thing we know as "American Conservatism." The other day it was the 36th anniversary of his death and in his memory, an acquaintance sent me this -- to the turn of "Oh MY Darling Clementine". Apparently, Meyer used to like to teach young conservatives this song to mock totalitarianism.

In the Kremlin
Up in Moscow
In the Fall of '39
Sat a Russian
And a Prussian
Drawing up the Party-line.

[Chorus]
O! my darling
O! my darling
O! my darling Party-Line
Oh, I never
Will forsake you
For I love this
Life of mine.

Leon Trotsky
Was a Nazi
Oh, we knew it for a fact
Pravda said it
We all read it
Before the Stalin-Hitler Pact.

[Chorus]

Once a Nazi
Would be shot, see?
That was then the party line.
Now a Nazi's
Hotsy-totsy.
Trotsky's laying British mines.

[Chorus]

Once the Russians
Would kill Prussians
That was then the Party-Line
Now the Russians
Love the Prussians
Volga boatmen sail the Rhine.

[Chorus].

As a side note, the song actually came from a Fourth International conference in 1940 -- so viva Trotsky! (NOT!)

And for his next act, John McCain will . . .

Coming off of his successful European tour, John McCain did a spot on Letterman (HT Althouse)



McCain seems very relaxed right now. Thanks to the battle between Senators Obama and Clinton, he gets to sit back and play the statesman. Things will get tough again, but for now, he can make the jokes while the Clintons and Obama stick the knives in deeper.

Earth Hour Saves Earth

Last Saturday at 8 PM (I think) was Earth Hour -- when every one on the planet was supposed to turn off their lights and sit around in the dark.

I spent earth Hour the same way I spend every Saturday night in March -- I ordered pizza and watched NCAA basketball. In deference to light as a sign of civilization, I did turn on a few extra lights.

But that did not come close to the way this brave and noble soul saved the planet (warning, strong language).

April 1st was also supposed to be "Fossil Fools Day" when people of action were supposed to shut down something or other to protest something else or other. I did not see any protesters. However, one of the things they threatened to do was to "spank the bank". I guess subprime mortgages are destroying the planet faster than they are destroying my portfolio.

I think I know why I did not see any protesters. They were so busy "spanking the bank" that they went blind

It's 3 a.m.

And Hillary Clinton is considering firing her ad agency.

Granted, I am a McCain supporter, but WHO thought this ad was a good idea. Just leaving aside for a moment the merits of what should be done about the foreclosure issue. But why would someone call the president at three in the morning to talk about foreclosures? Personally, I think it can wait until after breakfast. It is not like Citibank just launched a WMD at Cleveland. (HT: The Corner)

Hookers are Cheaper in Michigan

Elliot Spitzer could have saved a lot had he headed over to Michigan.

You have to say this for the Democrats, at least when they have a sex scandal, they are getting lots of hot and heavy sex right now. On the GOP side, Vitter had sex years ago, while Ryan, Craig and Foley did not even get to have sex in their sex scandals.

Defending Europe

Vodka Pundit referenced a Guardian article today which asks from a European perspective, the same question I have been asking -- namely, why is the US still defending Europe?

Interestingly for a Guardian writer, he calls for both increased European defense spending AND a strong NATO alliance with the United States. How did that guy slip in there?

Oil in North Dakota?

There seems to be a lot of excitement in the blogosphere over this press release, claiming that there is a large oil field in North Dakota. From the looks of the map, I wonder if the field is some sort of extension of the tar sands in Canada.

That said, the release claims the oil is difficult to extract, and that only now, with prices as high as they are, is it economically viable.

If true, this would be great. However, like the occasional shale oil boomlet, I will believe it when I see oil coming out of the refineries.

The Truth Behind 9/11

9/11 Conspiracy Theories 'Ridiculous,' Al Qaeda Says

Deadlocked Convention!

It seems funny, but back in January, many people, including me, thought we might be seeing a contested GOP convention.

IMAO has tracked down a wire service report which today sounds like comedy, but was in January, the height of conventional wisdom.

This quote pretty much sums me up

"I sometimes think lawyers can't communicate coherently." -- Justice Antonin Scalia, comment during oral argument in Indiana v. Edwards.

How to Make a Meat Pie

As requested, I would like to say how my wife made the meat pie. She started with a basic Pizza Rustica recipe like this one. But as with all Italian food, you then improvised. As I was making a spinach pie, she left out the spinach. She is not crazy about ricotta, so she cut down on the ricotta and added more egg. Besides sausage and prosciutto, add some ham cappicola and peperoni (not the small ones you see on pizza but the large real one). Then cook.

One thing she did was she cooked it most of the way through, set it then sit for a while, then put it back in right before eating.

I love being Italian. And for a non-Italian, my wife is really good at cooking Italian food. It is little wonder that she had the babies but I have gained all the weight!

Further Proof our Foreign Policy Lacks Imagination

French President Sarkozy is offering to increase France's military integration in Europe and some people do not seem happy. The heart of the French proposal is to establish what essentially will be a second military headquarters in Europe, one which will be European in nature. This has some British security people unhappy. Others fear this will act as competition for NATO.

The question is, why should the US not support this initiative. It is long past time for Europe to take its own security seriously and stop relying on the US to protect it. NATO was established as a temporary expedient to give Europe time to rebuild itself and defend itself against the Soviets. Europe is no longer a war scared continent and the Soviet Union no longer exists.

The Bush administration has been supportive of the French proposal, but I think it is time to go farther. It is time to turn NATO into a primarily European alliance. The next Supreme Commander in Europe should be a European and at the least, we should decommission the remaining 300 or so US nuclear warheads in Europe. Beyond that, we should look to remove the final 40,000 or so US troops on the continent. And finally, we should remain on the Atlantic Council but leave NATO military command.

Why do this? Primarily, Europe needs to take more responsibility for its own security. So long as we provide an overarching security guarantee for the continent, the Europeans will not take security matters seriously. Secondly, the enemy NATO was formed to defend against no longer exists. NATO is therefore reduced to defending Europe from Serbia. Thirdly, Europe should no longer have the central role it continues to have in US foreign policy. Our central concerns now should be Canada, Mexico and China.

Granted, there is the legacy of "Western Betrayal" -- the belief that at Yalta (and before) the Western Allies betrayed Poland and the rest of Central and Eastern Europe, handing those countries over communism. Part of current US European policy is to placate Eastern Europe. But frankly, the threat no longer really exists. Russia's threat these days is economic, that is, threatening to cut off the gas and oil flow. It is no longer a military threat.

One solution may be as follows. The administration wants to place an ABM radar and interception facility somewhere in Eastern Europe. Despite Russian saber rattling, the real party this is focused against is Iran -- the handful of interceptors proposed would do nothing to stop a Russian missile assault on the West, but would be enough to make Iran think twice before trying nuclear blackmail.

Despite my support of missile defense, I am not so sure this European shield is necessary. But if it is, why not placate Russian fears by giving up our European based nuclear weapons and promising additional deep cuts in our forces there in return for the interceptor base? Everyone gets something, and the US security guarantee to Europe is reduced.

Unfortunately, most of our foreign policy elites seem to be still thinking in Cold War mode.

Outrage in the Cathedral

There was a bit of an outrage in the Cathedral Easter Sunday as some sort of anarchist-anti war protestors started throwing blood around during Cardinal George's homily (which had nothing to do with the war and as far as I know, neither has Cardinal George).

In the 1960s, they used to say that the only thing more unpopular than the Vietnam War was the anti-war movement. They are doing it all over again.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Yes the two or so of you who read this that is!

As I noted yesterday, we celebrate Holy Saturday here in the traditional Italian way -- foods full of meat, egg and cheese.

Here are our meat pies.

Five types of meat, ricotta, mozzarella and eggs.

Throw in the spaghetti pies (pasta, eggs and cheese) and spinach pie (spinach, egg and cheese). All very healthy and low cholesterol (NOT!)

Easter Sunday was celebrated with a visit from the Easter Bunny, Mass and then off for a traditional Easter lamb at my wife's aunt and uncle's house.

Holy Saturday

For Italians, and by extension Italian Americans, the vigil of both Easter and Christmas was celebrated with as much zeal and more preparation than the day itself. In my family, it was no exception. Holy Saturday evening was a major holiday in my family. We would all get together at my Aunt Fran and Uncle Louie's house (everyone should have an Uncle Louie). There would be certain special foods we ate only that night.

I have always wondered the reason for this. Partly, I believe it was the idea of watchful waiting. Partly it was probably to due with the liturgical calender and the fact that in ancient Jewish practice, the day began at sundown. Partly maybe it was a very practical result of Italy's economy of the time. Southern Italy was very rural and it was difficult to work on the farm during the midday. So people tended to work early in the morning and later in the afternoon. So the evening probably seemed the best time to celebrate -- with the sun down, you could gather with your family and not worry about

Today, we tried to replicate the old ways with some friends. In old practice, the Lenten fast was far more stringent. Not only did Catholics abstain from meat on Friday's, they would abstain from meat, eggs and milk products during the season. So to celebrate Easter, the foods are heavily with those three items. In my family, this meant we eat meat pies filled with sausage, prosciutto, other meat, ricotta, mozzarella, and egg. We also eat a "spaghetti pie" which is pasta, eggs and cheese. Spinach pie ties to add something healthy to the meal, but that too adds more cheese and egg to the meal.

So yes, you should not eat this everyday -- your artieries will hate you if you do.

The bells of Catholic churches are silent from the Gloria on Holy Thursday until the Gloria on Holy Saturday. In the old days, I am told, people would wait to hear the church bells ring before beginning the meal, as the bells of Holy Saturday marked the end of Lent.

Touching the Sacred

For Holy Thursday, I decided to attend Mass at Saint John Cantius. Saint John Cantius is a special parish here in Chicago, dedicated to preserving the Latin Mass and Catholicism's sacred tradition. If you are Catholic, you should attend a Latin Mass occasionally. It is a wonderful way to reconnect with our past.

Here is a bit of video from Wednesday night's service (nothing from last night is on the net yet):




This may be a shock to any Protestants or modernist Catholics reading this, but the Latin Mass is one of the great glories of the Catholic Church. And the Mass last night was not a Tridentine High Mass but rather an Ordinary Mass, partly in English, mostly in Latin.

The choir at St. John Cantius is incredible. And given the mode of Mass, the people joined in the Gregorian Chant Now I know that Church is a special one. Most of the members have joined because they have a special devotion to the Latin Mass and to traditional Catholic sacred music. I know that all of our Churches were not all like that in the old days. But whenever I attend a Latin Mass, I wonder what we as Catholics have lost.

I am very much a child of Vatican II. I have no memory of the days when the Tridentine Mass was the primary mode of Catholic worship. Nor do I wish to really go back to those days. But listening to the choir sing old Gregorian chants you could almost touch the sacred. That feeling is, I fear, too often missing from Catholicism today.

And now for a musical interlude

The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society!



For some reason, back when I was in high school, my favorite band was the Kinks. Strange, as by the time I was in high school, the Kinks were almost 20 years past their prime, though in the mid 1980s they did have something of as revival.

The songs of the British invasion were about rebellion against a Britain that was tired and boring and crying for change following war, rationing, decolonization and stagnation. The Kinks of course with their electric power chords and long hair and songs about sexual freedom tied into this rebellion.

But unlike other bands, the Kinks showed a real sentimentality for "Old England." The "Village Green" does not extol modern sensibilities but rather looks half ironically, half wistfully, at the simpler pleasures of small town English life.

Other songs are in the same vein. "Victoria" for example is a not totally unsentimental view of the pre-World War I Empire while "Come Dancing" remembers a time of innocence after World War II but before the sexual revolution. "Living on a Thin Line," while something of an indictment of Thacherism, also seems to grope for a simpler times of "kings and days of old."

It is always a danger to read too much into music. Maybe you can just sit back and enjoy it. And while we are at, God save the Village Green!

Thoughts on Saint Joseph’s Day

As a child, I always loved Saint Joseph's Day. Coming so soon after Saint Patrick's, the Italian families in my town tried to make a big deal about it. The best part was the zeppola:

My mother used to travel back to Brooklyn to get the best ones from DaLuca's on North 6th and Havemeyer Street in Williamsburg. Later, we would also get great ones from Francesca's Bakery in Hicksville.

As I have become a father, this day has meant more to me. I can imagine Saint Joseph with the baby Jesus, watching with pride as Jesus grew up. But also with a little sadness, for paradoxically, I find the happiness I feel watching my two boys grow and learn is also tinged by some melancholy.

I buried my father on Saint Joseph's Day. Saint Joseph is the patron of fathers and of workers, and my father excelled at both. So I find that both fitting and comforting.

Looking Around the Neighborhood

I live in a fairly liberal upper middle class neighborhood. It is the kind of place where adults attend children's birthday parties wearing Obama tee shirts. You notice things around here. Obviously, every other car it seems has an Obama sticker on it. I especially love the big SUVs and minivans decrying an oil war. Living near a university campus, I see lots of Ron Paul stickers.

There is one house in my neighborhood with a "Hillary for President" sign in the window. This house also sports (in another window) an etching of Elvis Presley on glass. This morning I noticed that next to the Hillary poster, there is a lifelike bust of Elvis in the window.

I am sure it means something, but I fear what that answer will be.

Oral Arguments in DC v. Heller

Oral arguments in DC v. Heller was held today and Scotusblog live blogged the oral arguments. If questions on oral argument are to be given weight, Justice Kennedy is going to vote on an individual right basis, so Heller should win.

That said, it is possible, neigh probable, that the result will be (i) the right to keep and bear arms is an individual right but (ii) government regulation of such right is permitted.What will follow is 30 years of litigation to decide what level of government regulation is permitted.The only thing that will be decided by such result is that blanket gun bans will not be permitted. The first litigation will be regarding "shall v. may" issue. DC and Chicago will claim that they are merely "may issue" jurisdictions.

So the case may decide everything (i.e. that there is an individual right under the Second Amendment) and nothing (i.e., how far does that right extend).

Thoughts on Palm Sunday

What does Palm Sunday mean to me? That sounds like the beginning of a bad essay I wrote in CCD a long time ago.

So really, what does it mean? The reading of the Passion reminds us that Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph, but within days was crucified. I have always thought of it as a statement of human fickleness. Within the period of five days, the people went from hailing Jesus as the Messiah to screaming for his death.

But I think it is something more. During the reading of the Passion, the congregation steps in for the mob. We are the ones calling for Jesus to die. Rather, I am. It is my sins, my failings, my transgressions for which Jesus died. Yet I am still offered the redemption that the cross bought us.

A quote I like

"Science gives us knowledge, and religion gives us meaning. Both are prerequisites of the decent existence." Father Michael Heller, cosmologist and Roman Catholic priest, on winning the Templeton Prize for science and philosophy.

One reason I started this blog was to examine the role of faith and reason. As I make it clear, I am not a philosopher, a theologian or a scientist. But I believe strongly that faith and reason need not be in opposition to each other. Yet, faith and reason at times seem so hard to reconcile. Some try to by using God to fill in those things that science cannot understand – turning God the cause behind the universe into "The God of the Gaps." This God of the Gaps idea is what lead to my brief fling with atheism a decade or so ago. I found viewing God in that way so narrow that it turned Him into something I no longer recognized. Father Heller has argued against this view of God.

I admit, I had not heard of Father Heller, who teaches in Poland, prior to winning this award. Perhaps I should make acquaintance with his work.

Seven Cubans Give Up on Free Health Care

Call Michael Moore! Seven members of the Cuban U-23 soccer team, in the US for Olympic qualifying, have surprisingly turned their back on the Socialist Paradise and defected. Due to a red card in their first game against the US, they ended up fielding 10 players for their game tonight against Honduras, losing only 2-0.

Back during the World Baseball Classic a few years ago, there was an issue if the Treasury Department and ICE would give visas to the Cuban team. A bunch of people felt that they should be denied visas. The issue was whether allowing the Cubans in gave legitimacy to the Cuban regime.

My theory is you should give the visas for the simple reason that someone will defect. And this has to be an embarrassment to the Cuban government. Athletes are the elite in Cuba. If they run out on the regime, what does that say to the world about the regime?

Viva Fidel!

The Clown Mass

Given my constant complaining about bad hymns at our services, someone suggested that I read "Why Catholics Can't Sing" by Thomas Day, a music professor at Salve Regina College. Day is frustrated by what he sees has the "triumph of bad taste" in American Catholic culture. Unlike many, however, he believes that Vatican II is not responsible for our bad hymns (and poor taste) but that it represents a much deeper cultural issue with American Catholicism.

One example of bad taste is the "clown Mass" where the priest and other ministers dress up as clowns. I thought it was a joke. Turns out I was wrong.



Yes, that is a priest wearing a clown vestment and clowns standing next to him in the sanctuary. How did we come to this -- in forty years from the Latin Mass to this?

I really hope this priest's bishop had a sit down with him immediately.

Obama as Maud'dib

And how can this be? For he is the Kwisatz Haderach!

Yes, I am a geek and you have to be one to find this funny. (HT to Vodka Pundit)

1968 -- Buckley on the "Next President"

This was part of those great 1968 commentaries by Buckley and Vidal. My favorite quote from Buckley, "The best run country in the world is Switzerland . . . no one can remember [the] name [of Switzerland's president]."

Obviously, my view of the presidency is closer to Buckley's than Vidal's (OK -- much closer to Buckley's) but I think our remaining candidates should pay close heed to what they both said.

They all need to keep their egos in check. One reason I think government increasingly does not work is that we have grown to expect far too much from it. It is reaching the point where government is seen as the font of all that is "good and holy" and the only end of that can be a lessening of our freedoms. It can be over stupid things -- the Chicago City Council is considering outlawing small plastic bags as part of the "war on drugs" that has devastated our cities and our poorer classes.

I am no anarchist (at least not before my third martini) and believe government to have an important function. I do not, however, believe that the government (especially Washington) must solve all problems and cure all ills. Not do I think government is capable of solving all problems and curing all ills. But government must serve everyone (though we will all disagree as to what the best course is).

So take heed of Vidal's warning to heed the ghetto as well as the boardroom, but also remember, as Buckley pointed out, that no one knows who is the president of Switzerland.

Where have all the leftists gone?

My cyber friend Rodak, in response to my post regarding the Buckley – Vidal commentaries during 1968 wonders (and I am paraphrasing here) where have all the leftists gone? At least, why aren't any of them appearing on TV these days?

Let it be noted that despite the supposed "liberal bias" of the MainStreamMedia, figures on the true left are never seen on mainstream television. If not for C-SPAN, figures like Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn would never be on TV at all. All of the neocons, and the rest of Wm. F. Buckley's spawn, by contrast, are on constantly. There are still left-wingers alive in the wild, but you have to seek them out for yourself; they are not brought to you free of charge by the MSM, as are the generations of Kristols and Podhoretzes.

And I have to agree with him, though I believe for slightly a different reason than he probably does. I believe a big part of it is how you view politics in America – is it left v. right or Democrats v. GOP? While the Democrats are the left and the GOP the right, those two possibilities are not really the same thing.

The conservative movement has been connected with the GOP since 1964. While there are dissenters (Pat Buchanan being the most prominent), most professional conservatives are seen as somehow surrogates for the GOP. This is not the case with the professional leftists, such as Chomsky and Zinn. Neither of those two could ever be considered surrogates for the Democratic Party. So considering the realities of our two-party system, in order to appear relevant, the media wants to have is a Democrat debating a Republican. They cannot fit into this dichotomy a debate between, say the left wing Chomsky and a libertarian such as Justin Raimondo.

A second problem is the decline of the "public intellectual." And by that, I mean someone who has a wide range of interests and knowledge and is not simply a specialist trying to discuss a narrow field or a political hack trying to score points. No matter what your thoughts on Buckley's or Vidal's politics, they both were polished intellectuals who could make an argument by reference to history and were well versed in high culture. Is there really anyone who can fit that mold today?

Looking at CNN's coverage of mini Tuesday, it seemed to me that the panelists were either political types or journalists. Bill Kristol was also there to be sure. But the debate was being framed as GOP v. Obama supporters v. Clinton supporters. In the general election it will be framed as GOP v. Democrat. So you will find a few GOP pundits and political types and have them face off against a few Democratic pundits and politics types. And the discussion will unfortunately be somewhat superficial and center around scoring points, rather than debating ideas.

Eh Cumpari!

It is coming up on the anniversary of my parents' deaths. They were so close to each other that they died on the same day, one year apart. I have always found some strange comfort in that.

This month is will be four years since my father died, and three since my mother died. I have been thinking about them a lot the past few days. Happily, mostly it has been good thoughts!

This song reminds me of being little, running around the yard at my Aunt Frances's house in Brooklyn, while old Italian songs played on the phonograph. Outside, it was the Feast of San Paulinus, the 5th Century bishop of Nola, the city my mother's family came from. So while this song has been stuck in my head for about a week, it is a good and happy memory.

McCain in! Democrats still arguing

Who would have thought back last Fall, we would be here now. That the GOP would be set really since Super Tuesday and the Democrats fighting out increasingly ugly?

McCain gave a very good and gracious speech. He cannot go toe to toe with Obama on style, so he has to appeal to something deeper. I am biased of course, but I think he is doing that. And I know, with things still a mess on the Democrats side, he is smiling widely tonight.

A rather unfortunate screenshot

I know it is getting ugly between Obama and HRC, but this is sad.

I approve this message!

Tell the truth, when you saw this for the first time, you expected it to be a McCain ad.



I think all McCain supporters owe Hillary Clinton a thank you for reminding us why we support McCain for president.

(HT to Ann Althouse and IMAO)

A Quote I Like

"I will not cede more power to the state. I will not willingly cede more power to anyone, not to the state, not to General Motors, not to the CIO. I will hoard my power like a miser, resisting every effort to drain it away from me. I will then use my power, as I see fit. I mean to live my life an obedient man, but obedient to God, subservient to the wisdom of my ancestors; never to the authority of political truths arrived at yesterday at the voting booth. That is a program of sorts, is it not? It is certainly program enough to keep conservatives busy, and liberals at bay. And the nation free." – William F. Buckley, Up From Liberalism

William F Buckley

William F. Buckley, the father of the conservative movement in America died today. I never met him, but I owe much of my political beliefs to him. For not only did he create a conservative movement purged of the paranoid anti-Semitic ranting of the Old Right, he help create the fusionism between traditional conservatives and libertarians that created the unique philosophy which is American conservatism (as I consider myself a conservative AND a Catholic libertarian, he showed the way).

He was not perfect. It took National Review too long to accept color blindness as the way to address race in America. That tardiness clearly harmed conservatism's appeal to minorities. And at times, his intelligence could be confused for elitism or arrogance. But he bequeathed to America an intellectual conservatism that, while clearly in trouble today has gone from a fringe movement to one of the mainsprings of American politics.

In college, reading National Review was like engaging in some sort of subversive activity. We would get the new issue, hide in some obscure corner of the library, and read it while we took turns as look outs, or so it seems in hindsight. Of course, it was never quite that way. By the time I entered college, Ronald Reagan had twice been elected president, the second time in a landslide. Conservatives had gone from being marginal figures to running the country, though of course, on campus, we were something of an oddity. But it is fun to remember it as such.

He was known for his speech and boy how he spoke. Here he is on election night, 1968.

(HT Ann Althouse)

Granted, a few months earlier Vidal and Buckley got into a shouting match on live t.v. during the 1968 Democratic Convention (Vidal called Buckley a "crypto Nazi" to which Buckley responded by threatening to punch Vidal in his "God damned face!"). That probably explains why they were in different locations.

Why can't we get political coverage like this today? Instead, today we get talking points and shouting and Ann Coulter. Ultimately, the problem with Coulter is a problem with my fellow conservatives more and more these days. We USED to seek out the intellectual high ground. Now, it seems we are in a race to the bottom with the Michael Moores and Ted Ralls. Who can be more outrageous? Who can sell more books?

Where is the William Buckley or George Will for the next generation? Instead of Russell Kirk or Irving Kristol we are getting mediocrities dressed up in drag. In the spirit of Mencken we have Steyn and O'Rourke to be sure, but where will the intellectual foundation for the next 20 years come from?

I see the same happening on the other side. The great social critics on both sides are either gone (Buckley, Mailer, Hunter S. Thompson) or old (Chomsky, Buchanan). And yes, most of them are annoying (Mailer was a psycho and Thompson probably insane). But they were intelligent and thought provoking. In their place we have mediocrities.

Farewell WFB.

Desperation!

Clinton surrogates apparently have been circulating a photo of Obama in Kenyan "elder" garb. HRC should never try and make fun of the anyone else on the planet was garbed.

What is that thing on her right shoulder? Oh, sorry, that is the future President Clinton.

(Somewhere there is a picture of me at 9, as an usher at my uncle's wedding. I am wearing a beige tuxedo, with a puffy shirt. Guys, it was the 70s.)

(HT to Vodka Pundit for the story, the picture and the snarky comment)

This pretty much sums up the last 8 years and the coming election

"The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then they get elected and prove it." – PJ O'Rourke

The Samaritan Woman

Today's gospel was John's account of the Samaritan woman. This has always been one of my favorite gospels. It seems very subtle. Unlike other important gospels, Christ is not taking on the religious establishment or challenging His disciples or accomplishing a miracle. Rather, He is sitting there, discussing mostly mundane things with a Samaritan woman. And in doing so, He wins over a group considered by the Jews of the day to be a schismatic offshoot of their religion.

The story of the Samaritan woman is found in John's gospel only. And as the homilist at my church pointed out, in some ways it contradicts other parts of the Biblical narrative, such as Matthew 10 where Jesus, in sending out his disciples, tells them to avoid pagan and Samaritan towns. Yet here is Jesus, not only entering Samaritan territory, but requesting that a Samaritan woman (considered unclean by the religious standards of the day) draw him water.

I am no theologian. But I have always found in this narrative that conversion is for everyone, and that God can be found in the simplest things.

Survivor: Cuba

The Cuban version of "Survivor" is the only one where the person NOT voted off the island loses.

Our Cuban policy has kept Castro in power. Unlike Eastern Europe, Cuba is far away from the Soviet Union. So unlike the Eastern communists, he was not kept in power with the threat of Soviet invasion. Rather, he kept himself in power by beggaring his nation. By making people turn their thoughts away from liberty and towards bare survival, he protected the regime. (Cuba in 1959 was not a poverty stricken island -- it was actually fairly prosperous. The Cuban Revolution was driven largely by the fact that the Cuban middle class was tired of playing Batista's tune).

The embargo made Castro's job easier and gave him an excuse for everything.

On top of that, the closeness of the US gave him an escape value. So people who wanted a better life for themselves jumped into inner tubes and headed north.

I am not sure where to go next. Obviously, in an election year, not much will happen. But going forward, progress can be made. Raul Castro needs to be given a face saving out. At the very least, he needs to be rewarded if he releases some political prisoners and loosens restrictions on the media. A full blown liberal democracy may take some more time, but maybe not all that much. With the exception of Haiti, pretty much all of Latin America is democratic these days. Granted, Venezuela is heading in the opposite direction, but it is Cuba which is bucking the regional and cultural trends.

Well, to Cuba Libre!

Bush takes on the Zombie Threat

It is my belief that for too long, the government is ignoring the threat of zombies. This has required the citizenry to take matters into our own hands.

At last, President Bush is taking action. Is it any coincidence that the Navy shot down that failed satellite today?

(HT: The Anchoress)

Bob Hope Explains Politics

Bob Hope explains everything.

Castro’s retirement

Fidel Castro "retired" as president of Cuba today. He stayed in power 49 years – that is easy when you do not have to worry about majority votes or term limits and the Constitution is what you say it is. Hearing the name Castro always reminds me of John Derbyshire's gloss on a George Orwell quote -- "Wherever there is a jackboot stomping on a human face there will be a well-heeled Western liberal to explain that the face does, after all, enjoy free health care and 100 percent literacy."

One side note, although Orwell is always quoted as "Jackboots", in actuality, he only mentioned boots. Not really that important, unless you are concerned about precision.

I Like Ike!

And now, how about some Eisenhower!



The jungle was written by Irving Berlin, an early supporter of Eisenhower. When you get down to it, they do not make campaign songs like they used to.

A Little More Reagan

For commentor Rob -- another taste of Reagan, to warm up a cold Valentine's Day. A principle I think even Obama supporters can agree on.

I Hate Saint Valentine’s Day

I hate Saint Valentine's Day. I did when I was single. I still hate it now that I am married. I hated it when I was dating someone. I hated it more when I wasn't. I once even broke up with someone in January to avoid the whole Valentine's Day thing.

Hopefully, my wife likes what I got her.

Yes We Can!

I find when I am feeling down and disheartened, a little dose of Reagan always perks me up again.

HT -- Instapundit

And now for something completely different

Question: How many Obama supporters does it take to change a light bulb?

Answer: None, because when Obama becomes president, light bulbs will change themselves.

Welcome denizens of the Derb. This is my very first “Derbalanche” and I invite you to look around, and comment that I have no clue what I am talking about!

And a hello to friends of John in North Carolina!

More Thoughts on Vice Presidential Choices

A new blog "VEEP WATCH" has started to look at the vice presidential "races."

I have noticed that Sarah Palin has been getting more looks. Also getting mentioned are former Maryland lieutenant governor Michael Steele and former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts. The thought is that Clinton or Obama have the novelty factor, which Watts or Steele would to some extent neutralize.

I like both Watts and Steele. However, I do not think one term as a lieutenant governor makes someone qualified for vice president. Had Steele been elected to the Senate in 2006, maybe things would be different. As for Watts, he has been out of the public eye for a while. Both are eloquent spokesmen for conservative ideals. While I hope they both get back into public view, neither will be the GOP's vice presidential nominee.

Obama's Supporters

Instapundit links to a San Francisco Chronicle opinion piece which notes that Barrack Obama, considered very liberal, is becoming the favorite of the hedge fund crowd. The author of the piece seems somewhat concerned that this is "hush money", so that Obama, once elected, will not engage in the progressive policies he promised.

To me, this is not surprising. Since Obama began his race, my take is that he is not "the progressive candidate" or "the black candidate." Rather, from Obama is the "liberal yuppie candidate." Last summer, I articulated this view to a friend who I would consider a liberal yuppie. Her response was, "well, we ARE the Democratic Party now."

Granted, there are lots of ways to look at the Clinton – Obama battle. It may be partially racial, in that Obama does well in states with few blacks and lots of blacks, but not ones with some blacks. Or it may be class based, a battle between the old Democratic Party (the "beer drinkers" supporting Clinton) and the new Democratic Party (the "wine drinkers" supporting Obama). But the better answer is that it is too complicated to reduce to such simplistic formulae.

Still, when yuppies look at Obama, they see one of them (or us – my wife says I am a yuppie too!)

Is it too Early to be Thinking of Running Mates?

With Mitt Romney dropping out of the race today, it is obvious to everyone that John McCain will be the Republican nominee. His VP pick is very, very important.

1. Due to his age, he needs to pick someone young enough to handle the rigors of office (in effect, McCain's VP is going to be the ceremonial head of state in many ways, the one doing all the traveling and visiting)

2. Because of his age, McCain also needs someone who can credibly step into the office on no notice.

3. McCain needs to make various different conservative constituencies happy

4. McCain needs someone who has not spent too much time in Washington

This rules out Mike Huckabee, who only makes certain social conservatives happy and has no foreign policy experience. It also rules out people like Colin Powell and Joe Lieberman, who appeal to the same voter demographic as McCain.

Based on these criteria, I think that South Carolina governor Mark Sanford should be top of his list. Why? Going back to my criteria

1. Sanford is 47 and charismatic

2. He can point to his time in the House and as governor to show he has experience and can run a government.

3. South Carolina has a lot of social conservatives, but Sanford has also made a name for himself as a pro-business fiscal conservative.

4. He only spent 6 years in Washington. He also has excellent private sector experience.

At the McCain rally last week I attended last week, I do not think McCain mentioned Sanford by name, but he did note that South Carolina has an energetic economy, thanks to good government that lets the private sector take off. (He was making a comparison with Michigan, and its poor business environment.)

I would also include governors Crist and Pawlenty, especially as Florida is a key state and Minnesota is possibly a swing state (though Pawlenty was twice only narrowly elected).

I also would consider Alaska governor Sarah Palin but she is a first term governor of a remote state.

So Sanford should be the first choice

McCain and War

One of my commenters in response to my post regarding my attendance at a McCain rally said that "Very cute children. Hopefully you won't have to serve them up in a continued one sided war."

Well, I agree. While I supported the invasion of Iraq, I think it has been a screw up. Ron Paul was right about Iraq back in 1998. I have never been in the middle of a war (my sole military experience was some college ROTC) and I really hope my children never see it.

This hope to avoid more war is one reason I am supporting John McCain. I believe that he will never place troops in harm's way unless he believes it necessary and a last resort and he will give them the proper support they need (something I believe President Bush failed at).

I believe this for two reasons. First, due to his own experience in Vietnam. Second, for a reason Senator McCain never talks about -- one of his sons is a Marine lance corporal and has been serving in Iraq. Another of his sons is in the Naval Academy. So when President McCain is (I hope) inaugurated next January, he will have two sons in harm's way.

That I believe is the best insurance against sending troops in lightly, and making sure they have what they need to win.

And one last note -- JC, I have listened to all of the candidates (except Mike Gravel). I choose McCain.

A Quote I find Extremely Disturbing

"We are going to have to look how authoritarian decisions based on consensus science can be implemented to contain greenhouse emissions. It is not that we do not tolerate such decisions in the very heart of our society, in wide range of enterprises from corporate empires to emergency and intensive care units. If we do not act urgently we may find we have chosen total liberty rather than life."

David Shearman is an Australian Professor who is very concerned about climate issues. I am not a total skeptic on global warming. I am, however, a skeptic on fear mongering. To me, it seems that global warming has become the latest reason a self appointed elite trumpet to prove that they need to be in charge of things. This group of enlightened individuals will step up and makes decisions for the rest of us, doling out scarce resources as they see fit, rather than trying to find replacements.

This is simply the old Marxist and fascist wine in the biodegradable bottle of environmentalism.

The Anchoress on Ash Wednesday

The Anchoress has some great thoughts on Ash Wednesday. It is a great moment to remind ourselves that we are mortal and will one day die. As a friend told me at lunch today "You never know, I could check out any minute."

An orthodox Jewish rabbi once told me that to understand Catholicism you have to understand Judaism. The tradition of ashes goes back to ancient Jewish ritual, whereby those in deep mourning would "sit in ashes" as a sign. Job himself, when he lost everything sat in ashes. So the ashes say that we mourn and, of course, they remind us that our body is merely dust.

When I was in law school, we had an ecumenical service where the sermon was given by the University's Anglican chaplain. He noted the gospel that day warns us of public piety, of acting holy to be seen as holy. Jesus in the gospel warns about hypocrisy.

Yet what do we do on Ash Wednesday? We mark ourselves with ash crosses, for all to see. In doing so therefore, are we also not admitting our hypocrisy?

So besides remembering our mortality, we should also use Ash Wednesday to remember our hypocrisy.

A Quote I Really Like

"One must welcome the true conquests of the Enlightenment, human rights and especially the freedom of faith and its practice, and recognize these also as being essential elements for the authenticity of religion." -- Pope Benedict's reply to the 138 Muslim Scholars.

Pope Benedict wrote those words as part of a reply to a letter addressed to him by 138 Muslim scholars. The scholars wrote to the Pope hoping to begin a dialogue between religions, following the Pope's Regensburg Address. While addressed to a specific group of Muslims, these words I believe have relevance for us all. Some believe it is impossible to unite faith, reason and liberal democracy. Yet I argue that the three not only co-exist but are enhanced and strengthened by each other.

Obama

Obama is speaking now. There is a messianic quality about him. His cadence is that of a preacher. He is uplifting. His supporters are now chanting USA.

Say what you want about Obama, but the guy can speak. "Yes He Can!"

EDITED TO ADD -- He seems to be supporting the Zubrin plan on energy. He says he wants to support among other things wind power. I wonder if he will ask Senator Kennedy about the Cape Wind Project.

McCain

McCain is talking now. He is relaxed, happy and joking. He says that he is the frontrunner. He is being magnanimous and mentioning Romney and Huckabee.

Now CNN is splitting the screen and going to Obama headquarters.

Huckabee

Huckabee is speaking on ABC News now. He does have the gift of gab.

Hillary!

We are watching Hillary Clinton's speech now. My comment was at least she is not using her faux southern accent. My wife's comment was that she hopes Hillary does not start talking in a Long Island accent.

Romney

There seem to be lots of third place finishes for Romney. Unless he wins California, he is done.

Voting this Morning

I went to vote this morning. I had planned on taking my older son with me then dropping him off at preschool. However, my younger son got upset because he thought I sad I was taking his brother to the BOAT (he likes boats). So we turned it into a family affair.

Cool thing was that they let my older son run the ballot through the machine and gave him the voting receipt. He was telling everyone one we passed on the street that he voted.

Getting Ready for the Results

The Democrats – Just Feel the Love

While the self appointed leaders of the conservative movement continue their sulk over the McCain surge, not everything is all sweetness and light on the Democrats' side. As the Clinton machine puts Barack Obama squarely in their sights, that race continues to get ugly. So far, we have Clinton surrogates mentioned Obama's middle name, the New York chapter of NOW calling Senator Kennedy a traitor for endorsing Obama, Bill Clinton comparing Obama to Jesse Jackson in light of Obama's victory in South Carolina.

And if no one looks to have a lead after tomorrow, it may get uglier. About 20% of the Democratic delegates are "super delegates"– party leaders who are not elected in the primary/caucus process. Given the closeness of the race, it is possible that neither Obama nor Clinton will have a majority of the elected delegates. Added to that are the games being played over the Florida and Michigan delegations. Both those states had their delegates stripped because the scheduling of the primary violated Democratic Party rules. All the candidates promised not to contest the primaries, by Hillary Clinton found some loopholes and "won" the primaries. Her campaign is now pushing to seat the delegations. The link is a few days old and I cannot find the current status of the controversy.

My favorite regular commentator, Rodak, has even called for a boycott of the election if this continues.

Imagine what will happen if come convention time neither candidate has sown up the nomination. I am not saying we will get a repeat of 1968 (I doubt the mayor of Denver will be quite a ready to "preserve disorder" as Mayor Daley was). You may see a fight over the seating of Florida and Michigan and, of course, a fight over the super delegates. If this comes to pass, I plan to make popcorn and martinis.

Super Tuesday

Yesterday we had friends coming over for the Super Bowl, so we made a run to pick up some things. One of our stops was to pick up beer and wine. While there, I also picked up a bottle of Belvedere.

My wife's comment to the cashier was that the beer was for the Super Bowl and the vodka for Super Tuesday.

The Super Bowl

As a native New Yorker, I am quite happy that the Giants won. While I was always more of a Jets fan, the Jets and Giants fans do not have anything close to the depth of hatred that other rival New York area teams have.

The Mets and Yankees have a sense of history, as most Mets fans were originally Dodger or Giants fans.

The fans of the Islanders and Rangers hate each other with a passion grown out of old playoff losses (I still think Maloney’s stick was high, though it came out alright in the end) and chants of 1940 and 1983.

The Jets and Giants do not have quite that history. They only play each other occasionally. And neither team has been in a position to deprive the other of glory.

So this Jets fan says "Let's Go Giants!" and good job!

McCain Rally

John McCain swung through Illinois on Friday. I attended the rally, though got there a little late. I was stuck in the back, practically in the lobby.

One of those blurs on the stage is the Senator (not a bad photo considering it was from my camera phone).

He seemed energized and ready to put the nomination away. But before us McCain supporters get to comfortable, the latest polls from California show that Romney is making a comeback there.

A couple of Ron Paul supporters showed up of course. One of them was whispering sweet nothings about illegal immigration and the gold standard in my ear.

But the Paulistas did not take away from the excitement McCain generated.

Mohammed Yunus and the Abolition of Poverty

Mohammed Yunus, head of the Grameen Bank, spoke here a few days ago. He is a real interesting guy and I even bought a copy of his latest book, Creating a World Without Poverty.

Yunus formed the Grameen Bank to give loans to the poorest people in Bangladesh, to help them get out of debt to moneylenders and start their own businesses. This has blossomed into a major undertaking, establishing not only a bank but a whole string of enterprises. All of the enterprises are self sustaining, but not profit making enterprises in the traditional sense. Rather, they are what he terms "social businesses" which means a non-profit or small profit enterprise which runs a business as a business, and generates enough profit to keep the business going and expanding. While investment is protected, dividends are not to be paid (or paid in small amounts). In his book, Yunus rejects socialist and Marxist prescriptions for alleviating poverty for one based on the free market (though he believes in heavy regulation).

I think Yunus underestimates the profit motive a bit, but then again, not really. You could argue that the Grameen principle is a way to train the poor to use capitalism to their advantage. And while the blankets and crafts that Grameen members are famous for are not what built the German or Japanese economic miracles, one imagines a time when Grameen enterprises moves onto new products.

But the guy is not standing on a street corner with a sign saying "will quit overpopulating for food." He is not standing outside a G8 meeting shouting "Give me money!" Quite the opposite. He wants to include the poor in the global market, not end the global market (I am reading his latest book and he is really pushing, among other things, free markets). I think his model, within its limits, is a good way forward for alleviating poverty

Living Lent

The Anchoress notes that, by happy circumstance, Ash Wednesday is the day after Super Tuesday. So I guess that means I will gorge myself on Tuesday night, while watching election returns and then begin the time of penance. As usual, I will give up ice cream.

But The Anchoress believes that is too easy and we should use the period of Lent for greater reflection. Hence, that most political of Catholic bloggers is considering giving up political talk until Easter. While I will not follow her example, I think she is right that Lent must be a time of self examination.

Ann Coulter Endorses Hillary Clinton

Well sort of. She has said that if John McCain is the GOP nominee, she is CAMPAIGNING for Hillary Clinton.

Why? Because Hillary would be stronger on anti-terrorism. One piece of her proof, McCain opposes waterboarding.

I have always thought that Coulter is either a Democratic Party mole or doing an extremely subtle piece of performance art. Either way, she is an embarassment.

Some Favorite Hymns

My post the other day regarding my dislike of most hymns sung in Catholic churches got me thinking, what are my favorite hymns? After all, I am a firm believer that singing makes you pray twice. But hymns must be singable, beautiful and meaningful -- and too many of the songs in our Catholic hymnal fail on all three counts.

But there are great hymns out there, some are even sung in Catholic Churches. A few favorites, off the top of my head (and not including Christmas songs):

• The King of Love my Shepherd Is (perhaps my all time favorite, and one I want sung at my funeral)


• Amazing Grace


• The Prayer of Saint Francis


• Holy, Holy, Holy


• Holy God We Praise Thy Name


• Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above (hearing this hymn reminds me of being little and watching the old Italian ladies walk through the streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn with a statute of the Virgin)


• We Walk by Faith

Of these quick hymns, three are Anglican hymns, three are "old" Catholic hymns thought no longer relevant by many, and one (the Prayer of St. Francis) is relatively old but still often sung.