Final Protective Fire

Monday, February 28, 2005

 

The new "chair" of ethnic studies at CU-Boulder has this incoherent screed out "explaining" what the Ward Churchill controversy is all about.

Its the "neocons" attempt to take over academe.

The term "neocon" is repeated over and over in this nutty piece. It is difficult for me to read this without mentally editing in "joos" everytime this nut writes "neocon".

Robin 9:24 PM

Sunday, February 27, 2005

 

Chris Muir is still, thankfully, a genius:

Robin 11:28 PM

Sunday, February 20, 2005

 

Evidently, having nutballs like Cynthia MacKinney in the House and Mark Dayton in the Senate, ( and Dean as DNC ) isn't enough. So another Democrat proudly proclaims that he is a flaming nut; claiming that Karl Rove planted forgeries on Dan Rather.

People this stupid should be prohibited from qualifying for elected office.

Robin 8:34 PM

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Recently, CNN did another dishonest hit piece on .50 caliber rifles to continue their habit of repeating the Brady Campaign's press releases as news. Well, CNN committed several Federal felonies to do that story.

You should write your Congressman and Senator to demand that they be prosecuted for actions that would put you or I in federal prison.

Glenn Reynolds points us to the above blogger.

Robin 4:26 PM

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Tuesday, February 15, 2005

 

I'm not much of a Triumph the Insult comic puppet fan, but I hurt myself laughing at this exchange.

"I have a conch shell with more listeners."

Ouch.

Robin 5:21 PM

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Were you afraid that the legal profession of today wasn't up to the challenge of creating ever new and more frivolous theories of tort? Fear not, european lawyers are even as we speak preparing to file the most frivolous lawsuit imaginable. Suing the hotel chain Accor, and US agencies in New York federal court for failing to adequately warn of the tsunami.

The mind would boggle were it still capable.

Robin 9:25 AM

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Sunday, February 13, 2005

 

Up in Canada, the Canadians are having a weird abreviated debate on the course to gay marriage that their government is taking them on. I missed this, but last month, Colby Cosh had this piece discussing how the arguments for gay marriage undermine prohibitions on multiple-marriage as well.

Robin 8:24 PM

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Friday, February 11, 2005

 

Eason Jordan has resigned. The only conclusion is that CNN has seen the videotape of his remarks and realized that the reality was even worse than we thought. It is appropriate that Jordan resign, but CNN's cowardice is manifest as well.

Robin 11:23 PM

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Thursday, February 10, 2005

 

Chris Muir nails it again:

Robin 2:35 PM

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Silliness in the news. Today's Denver Post business section accompanies coverage of the departure of HP's CEO Carly Fiorina with this vapid story about women reacting to her firing.

Ignoring for the moment my annoyance with the theme of having women "comment" on a firing with no basis other than their possession of a pair of X chromosomes, the article has some silly comments.

The piece quotes the Treasurer of the Rocky Mountain chapter of the Arthritis Association as saying "I heard she was forced out because she's a dynamic, assertive woman,.... With this situation and Martha Stewart, it hasn't been good for women CEOs."

Oh, come one. Grow up. There are obviously still challenging hurdles for women to reach the CEO position in Fortune 500 companies, especially the Fortune 100, but Fiorina made her climb on her energy and dynamism through several companies like Lucent. I have nothing against Fiorina ( although I've acquaintances at Lucent who - when they read this - will send me email with obscene comments about her ) but the bottom line is that the HP-Compaq merger didn't succeed and her tenure has seen poor performance by HP. The article at least mentions some of these facts toward its end, after playing up the discrimination line without any real evidence.

Typical journalism.

Robin 9:20 AM

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Tuesday, February 08, 2005

 

Glenn Reynolds points to this piece by Lileks which includes at its end a bit of a rip on Frank Rich's silly column about the TV series "24" finally including a plot line with Islamic terrorists. Lileks does a good job ridiculing Rich's typical silly harping on how all of us are just racists all the time. The best part is really the closing line:

" You get the feeling some people watch Star Trek and get irritated because they can’t figure out who the Borg are really supposed to be?"

Robin 1:57 PM

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Eugene Volokh takes Eric Alterman to task for an astonishingly vile article about Muslim boycotts of Holocaust. Bravo Eugene.

Robin 1:57 PM

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CNN continues to stonewall on the Eason Jordan story. Roger Simon discusses it again today as does Captains Quarters.

The bottom line is that the WEF seem to be aiding Jordan/CNN in covering this up by suddenly inventing the idea that the session was off the record ( it wasn't ) and refusing to produce the videotape ( see the second link).

Obviously this gives us good reason to think that CNN's pathetic spammed explanation that Jordan was being misquoted was dishonest. It isn't something I like to advocate but it is time to start contacting CNN advertisers. Jordan cannot be permitted to make baseless slanders of the kind that will be used as excuses by jihadists and Baghdad Blob to attack our troops literally and figuratively.

Robin 11:22 AM

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Friday, February 04, 2005

 

"Juan Non-Volokh", the pseudonymous contributor to the Volokh Conspiracy, posts this great takedown of Erwin Chemerinsky caught yet again in hypocrisy and flip-flopping.

Go Juan!

Robin 4:43 PM

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Thursday, February 03, 2005

 

After all the excitement about Armstrong Williams, this should get more attention because it is worse than Armstrong Williams. NBC's UN reporter gets paid by the United Nations to write a book. Williams was always known at a commentator not a reporter - he wore his biases on his sleeve indeed in his columns. No one expected objective reporting on the administration from Williams, that wasn't his job. But NBC's reporter was expected to objectively report on the subject of her conflict of interest.

Robin 7:35 PM

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Well, I haven't been published in a long time. Do you think I can get Glenn Reynolds to co-author with me a law review article upon the question of whether there is a property interest in an "Instalanche" ? Hmmm, time for an email to Glenn...

Robin 1:08 PM

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Nationalized health care, such as the Canadian system so lauded by advocates of "universal" health care here in the U.S., requires politicians to craft policies that restrict access to accomplish its financial goals.

There is a great example in this story. It seems that Canadian law forbids using paid-for eggs in fertility treatment. So there isn't much if any of a supply. The story presents this as an "unintended" consequence of a Canadian moral principle, but is it really? Or is it that this policy reduces supply and so reduces the amount of resources dedicated to fertility treatment?

I sucked up to Steve for a link and he took pity on me and also commented on this.

Robin 10:27 AM

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Tuesday, February 01, 2005

 

Larry Kudlow puts the recent economic statistics into context - and shows how the media misrepresent economic news for political reasons.

Robin 11:02 PM

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This is outrageous. The head of CNN slandering our soldiers. This is beyond any policy disagreement, this is outrageous slander and demonstrates frankly a bizarre psychosis.

If CNN doesn't distance itself immediately from this man, CNN should be boycotted by anyone with a shred of self-respect.

UPDATE: Like Glenn, I received the following, otherwise unsigned, email from "'Admin, CNNia' ":

========
Many blogs have taken Mr. Jordan's remarks out of context. Eason Jordan does not believe the U.S. military is trying to kill journalists. Mr. Jordan simply pointed out the facts: While the majority of journalists killed in Iraq have been slain at the hands of insurgents, the Pentagon has also noted that the U.S. military on occasion has killed people who turned out to be journalists. The Pentagon has apologized for those actions. Mr. Jordan was responding to an assertion by Cong. Frank that all 63 journalist victims had been the result of "collateral damage."
========

Frankly, I don't believe it either. I'm especially suspicious that this statement is unsigned. It is unconvincing and unbelievable. Why would Jordan feel a need to correct a statemetn that journalists' deaths were "collateral damage" if all he was going to assert was that the military had killed people that later turned out to be journalists? That makes no sense. That Jordan might contradict the claim by asserting that the military intentionally killed them is more credible in terms of how a response/challenge series would occur. I responded with the following:

I thank you for the response; however, your statement is unconvincing. The reports of Mr. Jordan's statements are far more specific and the claim that they are being taken "out of context" is not credible.

I will add your statement to my blog comment but in the absence of an official and specific explanation from Mr. Jordan, I will continue to condemn his comments and CNN.

Robin Roberts
Final Protective Fire

Here's a direct witness to Jordan's comments.

UPDATE: Glenn points us to this supposed response from Eason Jordan. Assuming that this is in fact actually Eason Jordan's response, I think I would recommend - were he a client - that he go with a defense of mental defect. That response is completely confused. It is difficult to tell if the man is completely inarticulate or just trying to lie his way out of this. Frankly, given the previous comments that others have found, I think its an "oh, crap, how do I lie my way out of this?" approach.

I'm still not buying it.

Robin 7:01 PM

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