How’s This for a Media Conspiracy?

I had a thought about the LA Times sitting on the tape of Senator Obama toasting the one-time spokesman for Hamas. What caught my attention beyond the obvious was that the Times intended to release the tape after the election. This and that slow realization in the media that all may not be on the up and up in Obama land has some bloggers saying that the media will try to regain some credibility by criticizing their favorite once he is safely in office.

Allow me to play on some “the media is as biased as the corporations that own them” paranoia. The traditional press, in particular newspapers, are in dire financial straights. Eight years of Republican administration and scandals both actual and “squint and turn your head to see it” varieties have only lead to decreasing viewership and stacks of unsold newsprint. What could possibly turn it around for them?

What won’t do it would be four or, God forbid, eight years of vapid boosterism for President Obama. The news media needs red meat. Or would that be blue meat seeing as how making Republicans bleed has done nothing for circulation? The media might not be biased for just the liberal candidate, but for a candidate that they know will provide scandal and outrage and viewers for years to come.I doubt seriously that the traditional media will abandon their classic build up and tear down ways for President Obama.

The most extreme prediction, given the tendency of the MSM throughout the election, is that if Obama wins tonight, we are going to see some hard hitting exposes on ACORN and voting irregularities before the Inauguration. Of course, if McCain wins, then it will be Florida 2000 times five.

A thought on a slightly related note: if Obama wins, Jon Stewart will be left utterly without material.

Opening Up With Both Barrels

Orson Scott Card has put out a column in which he excoriates the media for what he calls a complete lack of honor or honesty:

But right now, you are consenting to or actively promoting a big fat lie — that the housing crisis should somehow be blamed on Bush, McCain, and the Republicans. You have trained the American people to blame everything bad — even bad weather — on Bush, and they are responding as you have taught them to.

If you had any personal honor, each reporter and editor would be insisting on telling the truth — even if it hurts the election chances of your favorite candidate.

Because that's what honorable people do. Honest people tell the truth even when they don't like the probable consequences. That's what honesty means . That's how trust is earned.

A Consequence of Marrying a Coworker

I have found that I now have direct deposit:

My paycheck is directly deposited with my wife.

Thank you, be sure to tip your waitresses.

I Have Got to Get This Book

But I probably won't. This election may already be doing bad things to my blood pressure, and I don't intend to vote for the guy anyway. So I'll refer you to someone who has read it:

I've Lost Faith in the Messiah

Let's Not Have a Neo-Deal

I was always taught that the New Deal was needed to end the Great Depression. Well, so much for the conventional wisdom.

So for the love of God lets not have the government "fix" our economy again.

So Who is Watching?

It would seem that the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating. Clearly there is a need for new ideas.

Now I am not one who thinks that Congressional oversight is a panacea. But then, if you are of that type, you should probably be wondering why the Senate hasn’t been keeping its eye on the matter. Perhaps a member of that subcommittee could have lit a fire

Subtle Bias at Microsoft?

An observation from posting:

I use a tablet PC for blogging. Sometimes the handwriting recognition is a little wonky. Those of you who know my handwriting are now saying "Ted, a computer that could read your handwriting would be a contender for the Turing Test." But that's beside the point.

Until I programmed in Obama into the dictionary, it kept reading it as Osama.

So, Mr. Gates, are there some sneaky Republicans in your labs?

Learning Through Comedy

It has struck me the degree to which people view those in the other parts of the political spectrum by mere stereotypes. Not sure you know the stereotypes? Allow Richard Jenni to explain.



'Nuff said.

The Company You Keep

Some people would like to say that Obama's connection to the Weather Underground's Bill Ayers is no big big deal.

A simple question for those folks: Would a Republican's past history with David Duke matter?

Just trying to show what objectivity would look like.

Debate Storage Locker

This is where I put articles for those times where end up saying "I read it somewhere"

A brief history of lax lending standards. Via Instapundit

Even better via Protein Wisdom.

Remember, Obama came out of Chicago with no reputation as a reformer.

Wrong TV Plot Line

This idea hit me over the long weekend when I didn’t want to spend too much time online. With the revelation of Bristol Palin’s pregnancy, this observation has gotten stale. But here it goes anyway.

The Sarah Palin Fake Pregnancy rumor made me wonder where the hill they would have come up with that idea. Then I remembered the seen in passing (I swear) season finale to Desperate Housewives last year, the one where Marcia Cross’s character was faking a pregnancy while her daughter was shoved off to an convent hiding her condition.

What I think the plot line that is developing may well be Commander in Chief. The First female Vice President, after being chosen as a play for the female vote, comes into office following the death of the President. I never saw an episode, and from its brief duration on air it would seem that not many others had either.

Not the Valedictorian, I Take It

Good to know that there wasn't an actual plot to kill Senator Obama. But then again, do you really think that the dude on the right especially is all that much with respect to planning and execution?


Dude on right seemed rather familiar to me, and then it hit me:

'Nuff said.

More Ammo for the Drug Warriors

Many people seem to think that the more liberal persuasions would not prosecute the drug war as vigorously as the any-excuse-to-trample-civil-liberties conservatives.

I would argue that one would only need to look at this article and remember that it is the liberal persuasions that pushed mandatory car seatbelt and motorcycle helmet laws.

Remember: Conservatives think you are too degenerate to choose what drugs to take, and liberals think you are too immature to choose what risks to take.

Comedy Can Be Enlightening

I have been reading Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg. The primary premise being that Fascism is an essentially Socialistic enterprise, and that it is not a fit label for modern Conservatives.

But if Fascism was a product of the same thinking that founds much of current Liberal thought, then what about the recieved wisdom that Fascism and Communism are opposite ends of the political spectrum? Hadn't Hitler and Stalin hated one another?

The point lies in Bolshevism being the Marxist Socialism for the benefit of the international working class, Nazism was Socialism for the benefit of the German race, and Italian Fascism was Socialism for the benefit of the Italian nation. All pursued the notion that the State was the highest expression of human will.

So if the difference is not night/day, dog/cat, then why were they so set against one another? Often the smallest differences create the biggest fights. That's when I remembered this Emo Phillips bit (press on to the second half):

I was in San Fransisco once, walking along the Golden Gate Bridge, and I saw this guy on the bridge about to jump. So I thought I'd try to stall and detain him, long enough for me to put the film in. I said, "Don't jump!" and he turns... You've heard of the elephant man. He was kind of like that, he had a, well, you could say he had the head of a horse. And my heart went out to him. I said, "Why the long face?"
He said, "'Cause all my life people have called me mean names like horses-head or Flicka or chess-piece or Trigger..."
I said, "Well, don't worry about it, Ed. It can't be that bad."
He said, "My girlfriend's suing me!"
I said, "For palomino?"
He said, "Why was I put on this Earth?"
I said, "My friend, anywhere else you wouldn't stand a chance."
He said, "Nobody loves me."
I said, "God loves you, you silly ninny."
He said, "How do you know there's a God?"
I said, "Of course there's a God. Do you think that billions of years ago a bunch of molecules floating around at random could someday have had the sense of humor to make you look like that?"
He said, "I do believe in God."
I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?"
He said, "A Christian."
I said, "Me too. Protestant or Catholic?"
He said, "Protestant."
I said, "Me too! What franchise?"
He says, "Baptist."
I said, "Me too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?"
He says, "Northern Baptist."
I said, "Me too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?"
He says, "Northern Conservative Baptist."
I say, "Me too! Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist or Northern Conservative Reform Baptist?"
He says, "Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist."
I say, "Me too! Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region or Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Eastern Region?"
He says, "Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region."
I say, "Me too! Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879 or Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?"
He says, "Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912."
I said, "Die, heretic!" And I pushed him over!

If only both Hitler and Stalin jumped off of bridges.

Assessment by Relatives and Absolute

Lately I have been challenged to look at my values and to consider how I assess whether something is good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable. The debate of what is good or bad will certainly not be settled here.

Even if one were to debate with a person who agreed to a standard of good and bad, I have found that there is still room for disagreement. That comes from whether the measure of good is done as an absolute measure or as a relative measure. Must the option that is chosen be good in the absolute or is the best possible just going to have to be good enough?

I write these to stimulate thought, and something just went click. In the above paragraph, I used the term “best possible” to illustrate the difference of absolute vs relative. I am starting to think that the essence of the conflict is when one decides that necessity dictates settling for the less than perfect. The course of deciding how to pursue my values is leading me to examine where I accede to necessity. Consistency has been hard to find.

I would like to be absolute in my votes for elected representatives. I want to have people who are in sync with my libertarian social and economic views while maintaining a proactive stance on national defense. While I am wishing, I want a Mustang, current or classic doesn’t matter, for my birthday. Since neither is going to happen, I’ll just pick my way through the candidates and keep my Kia tuned.

In this primary season, there is another route by which necessity sneaks in. It is all well and good that one candidate has your vote, but can he get enough votes to get where he can actually do any good? Do you back the long shot that is everything you want or should you support a more popular candidate that is two steps forward, one step back? Sometimes, if you are clinging to the Perfect Candidate, the only thing you will get is the satisfaction of having sent a message. Just hope that they listen. The flip side is having to swallow the less than perfect things your less than perfect candidate is doing in office. Remember, a pilot following the shallower dive is still going to put the plane in the ground.

Everyone has faced situations that had gone FUBAR through no fault of their own and the best they could do was minimize the damage. The boss from hell would still scream that he should fire you for the damage you failed to prevent. Now, if you were the cause of the FUBAR your ass deserves to get canned. Otherwise, I believe that one should be rewarded for achieving the best possible results. Let the best possible be decided by spirited debate, but I do think that one should avoid allowing class resentment color one’s opinion.

I’ve come the long way around to the idea of executive bonuses in companies that post losses. Provided the executive did not create the FUBAR, then I believe that he should be rewarded for achievements that approach the best possible results. This would have particular justification if the exec were brought into shore up a failing company.

Other judgments about the executive could be made. Everyone could admire the class of an executive who says, “Thanks, but I’ll pass,” when her company is really hurting or laying off workers. Another type of team player would say, “Thanks, but hold onto it until we’re in the black.” That would mean deferred compensation. Lastly would be the one who taker the money right off. She might be entitled by her contract, but it is still mercenary. Then again, the Board would have known she was mercenary.

I often think that a person is defined by then choices in priorities. I see now that the most reliable way to gauge what I value as a high priority is how much I am willing to settle for less than perfect. The more important to me, the less willing I am to compromise. The frictions in life come from dealing with those, namely everyone, whose willingness to compromise doesn’t correspond with mine. If we are individuals, then our priorities will differ.

And that’s just life.

In Defense of Stupid Studies

Last weekend I was hanging with friends when the topic got around to the government wasting money on stupid studies. Their gripe was about a study that showed that the rate of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is more common among troops who had done multiple tours in Iraq than those who had done fewer.

While I agree that the government should not be paying for these studies, I tried to argue that the studies themselves aren’t wastes. Even ones that show “well duh!” conclusions like proving that people watch TV to alleviate boredom are not a waste of time or money.

Over the past week I’ve come up with two arguments against what is fundamentally a failure to appreciate different qualities of knowledge.

First: What you might call obvious, I might call an assumption. It comes down to different requirements in what it takes to “know” something. My first retort to my friends’ questioning of doing this study is that conventional wisdom gets slammed quite frequently by someone rigorously examining the evidence. Unfortunately, I couldn’t come up with an answer to the retort “When have you ever heard of such a case?” At the best I could recall nothing better than how everyone “knew” that the sun revolved around a flat earth. It took a couple of days to remember reading about experiments showing that being physically chilled does not make one more likely to catch a cold, or that eating less than half an hour before swimming does not increase the rate of getting cramps. Imagine if either of these experiments had confirmed the conventional wisdom? Then the old hindsight bias kicks in and the money spent on is declared “wasted”.

Second: A stupid study tests not only the obvious conclusion but the concepts that go into the creation of the obvious conclusion. To butcher an old expression: Scientific discovery is not heralded by “Eureka” but by “What the (bleep), that doesn’t make any sense.” The result of a study is said to make sense if it fits with the previous conclusions that make up the dominant theory. If the data makes sense, then the paradigm is just hunky-dory. If not, one of those pesky paradigm shifts is in the offing, or at least will be once the parameters of the experiment have been verified down to the last measure. The tricky part is that one never knows just which conclusion is the one that will be the thread that unravels the whole conceptual sweater.

So next time you hear about a study that leaves you saying, “I could have told you that,” think instead that you have been given proof that you were right all along. That and future generations won't think you quaint for believing something just because it was superficially obvious.

Now That I Can Think …

Caffeine is proof that God doesn’t want human sacrifices first thing in the morning.

The Return of a Dirty Word

The word for today is Responsibility.

From Merriam-Webster:

Main Entry: re·spon·si·bil·i·ty
Pronunciation: ri-"spän(t)-s&-'bi-l&-tE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
1 : the quality or state of being responsible : as a : moral, legal, or mental accountability

One of the greatest pastimes in the world today is to stick others with it so that you don't have to. We have a real peach of an example in the car crash in Gary, Indiana. There is definitely some stink on this story for the police over the sloppy handling of the scene. But that does
not let the driver, Darius Moore, off the hook for his part of the event.

Too bad that he doesn't seem to agree.

"I'm angry at police because I thought they could have found my friends, and they probably would be alive today if [police] had just done their job," he said.

And here's the real winner:

"A lot of people tell me that it wasn't my fault, that there was nothing that I could do," said Moore, a senior at Gary's West Side High School. "I realize that it wasn't my fault, but sometimes I feel like it was -- it really wasn't -- but it's just how I feel sometimes."

Let us look at that first quote. "Probably would be alive." Aside from flat denying what the coroner reported that the injuries would have been fatal instantly, there is still the fundamental conditional in effect. "Probably would be alive" applies just as well to making sure your passengers were wearing their seatbelts (something that the passengers should have taken on themselves).

More to the point "Certainly would be alive" would apply if young Mr. Moore had not been drinking. The violence applied to the guardrail in one of the photos at CNN certainly doesn't look like 40 MPH after several rolls. Either alcohol impaired his ability to react to a 40 MPH blowout, or he was going the 80 MPH earlier reports indicated.

At the very least, Darius' friends put their lives in his hands when they got in his car. If he had shown more care, they would not have had their fates rest in the hands of sloppy cops in the first place.

As for the second quote , there might not have been anything he could have done after the accident, but there was plenty he should and shouldn't have done before.

Update: Speaking of responsibility, I neglected mine to link to Venomous Kate's Bite Me before sending my trackback . I apologize for the discourtesy and dread the thought that the bite will be harder than I can handle.

Did Tim Taylor Kill the Do-it-Yourselfer?

Let’s take as our starting point the Popular Mechanics article by Glenn Reynolds about the decline of manual skills in society. He ends the article with point that I had to admit came very close to the mark personally:

Most people can do more than they think they can, and it’s often fear of failure as much as lack of skill that keeps people from tackling hands-on tasks.

Speaking from experience, I know how easy it is to fall into the mindset of better to do nothing than do something wrong. Been there, done that, would have bought the T-Shirt but wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do.

Fortunately I have a job that allows me to start with the engineering I went to school for and expand my more manual skills in the course of setting up tests. Confidence in a great thing, I recommend it for everyone.

And there lies the rub. Many people fear being caught out in false confidence. The show “Home Improvement” rested entirely on the premise of the Do-it-Yourselfer who is totally clueless despite his self-professed competence. After that, a leaky faucet suddenly looks like a chance to be branded as a Doofus Dad for the rest of one’s life.

One other factor that plays into to hesitancy to practice manual skills is that when you make or repair something, you take the responsibility that you have done it right. Responsibility is a dirty word the days. I think that many people find a sort of comfort in the thought that if something goes wrong when someone else does it they can sue. That safety net is gone when you do it yourself. The cynic in me is waiting for the first lawsuit to come from someone botching a home repair after taking one of those classes at Home Depot.

And to end this post on a barely related thought: Who does the repairs at John Edwards’s estate? You would think that a contractor would have to be insane to risk the liability repairing any trial lawyer’s home.

Update: Greetings to all of you coming from Instapundit. I would invite you all to take a long look around, but this site is just now coming off hiatus.

What a Man Wants: Wedding Edition

Hey all,

Long time no write I know but I have been tied up figuratively for more than a couple of weeks.

What brings me out of hibernation is this post at Electric Venom about the perception of men that women want them to be able to read their minds. Like every guy, I have felt that way at one point or another. I'm not going to go there right now, but I would like to talk about how a guy, namely me would rather go about planning his wedding.

I am not going to say "Not at all". I can tough it out because it means a lot to Trish and I would like to have stuff that I like there as well. The big thing that gets to me is all of the small things that I really don't think of as important to me (such as centerpieces or favors) that she insists on having my input in. The moment I say, "OK, I like this one," she says, "Oh."

You guys know the tone that she uses. The one that says that this is not really a wedding favor catalog but a Cosmo quiz and your selection has just put you in the category of "Call animal control immediately" .

Suddenly, you get this feeling in your gut that your whole relationship is going down the drain because your incompatibility over place holder cards indicates a deeper rift. Let me tell you something ladies, few things make a guy uncomfortable like being judged on his taste.

I suggested the fix of going like this: Trish can look through magazines and catalogs to her heart's content. Once she feels like she has found her four or five favorites, she can come to me for my opinion of what I like best. Simple and to the point.

Because this is my nightmare scenario: I find something I really like, and she finds something that she really wants, and we fight about it. Or more insidiously, I don't fight and tell her to go with what she wants. Then she might come back with that she doesn't want me to only like it because she wants it. That way lies madness.

Like I said before, I really don't care about these incidentals, especially not enough to fight over them. She knows that my only request to her for our wedding day, the one irreducible thing that I must insist upon, is "Be there."