Comments Posted By ed
Displaying 151 To 160 Of 205 Comments
Cars run into crowds fairly often. A quick Google search offers:
July 3, 2006 "10 Injured When Car Hits Crowd" Madison IN
August 12, 2006 "Man Drives Car Into Crowd at Mosque" ChicoER.com
August 22, 2004 "Man Whose Car Hit Crowd Is In Custody" New York Times
Old Man Plows Through Crowd With His Car, video, nothingtoxic.comWaiting to get facts in the SF case is the only part of the post that is useful. In fact, the post itself could have waited on more facts.
Comment Posted By ed On 30.08.2006 @ 12:19
Local newspapers can only offer one thing that is relatively unique: in-depth coverage of local events and using resources to do in-depth investigative stories. My local left leaning rag, the Kansas City Star, recently had a multi-part investigative series on, of all things, the temperature of fuel at the gas pumps. Fuel is supposed to be metered out at 60 degrees F to meet standards of volume purchased. Most fuel is a lot hotter, leading to not getting the amount paid for. Some states are looking into how to deal with the issue because of the story. Local television cannot invest the time needed to present such stories. It is something almost unique to papers that gives them meaning in today's world.
Comment Posted By ed On 29.08.2006 @ 16:38
Thank you for pointing out how the intentions of the Founding Fathers for our government are subject to change over time. Indeed, the original intent was for the Electoral College to vote in each state in a manner that precluded being influenced by general election results or anything else, what Rick called a College of Cardinals (see Federalist Papers #68, in particular).
Strict constitutional constructionists pretend that the constitutional intent of the Founding Fathers cannot be changed, except through the formal Constitutional amendment process. Those who read the actual writings of the Founding Fathers know of the considerable dissent AMONG them regarding our government, both philosophically and functionally. The Founders knew also that their work would and should be modified by all three branches of the republic over time. Important to remember when cursing "judicial activists", i.e., judges who don't agree with me.
Comment Posted By ed On 29.08.2006 @ 10:58
GOOSING THE NANNY STATE IN CHICAGO
Ahh, City of the Broad Shoulders, I can see it now. Quackeasies with secret passwords (Goose Tatum sent me) serving up the ostentatious offal to those in the know. Hidden goose farms just beyond the Des Plaines River, a resurgence in organized crime to sell da foie gras and provide "protection" to the sellers, all headed up by a modern day Al Capon(e).
As we have moved away from our agricultural roots, too many people have come to view all animals as they do pets, or as fellow humans. I gave up being a Democrat a long time ago because of the increasing influence of groups such as PETA (well meaning, but still waaay out of the mainstream). Call me old fashioned, but I am more concerned with the suffering of humans than I am the travails of crop animals.
Comment Posted By ed On 23.08.2006 @ 11:23
Rick:
Are there plans for podcasting or some other recorded format for the show? I don't hit the computer until about 9:00 a.m., and am surely not alone in missing the live show.
Thanks for your voice. Can't understand why the powers that be don't replace Jonah Goldberg with you as a national print voice for an intelligent commenter from the right.
Comment Posted By ed On 22.08.2006 @ 11:29
B.Poster:
Thanks for your always thoughtful response. I wish I had your confidence that we can still prevail in Iraq. There is not tangible evidence that I can find to support such a notion, but if we are going to continue in Iraq, the borders must be secured and closed, the completely ineffectual democratic government of Iraq must be under the direct command of a Supreme Coalition Commander(a la Douglas McCarthur in making post-war Japan a success) who reports directly to President Bush, Cheney must be kept completely out of the loop, Rumsfeld fired post-haste, a replacement of the top military command in Iraq, and a clear, concrete definition of success. "We will stand down when the Iraqi soldiers and police stand up" is an undefined political slogan, not a plan or an outcome.
For example, success will be when IED bombings are reduced to x per month in Iraq, when suicide bombings are reduced to x per month, etc. Concrete, defined outcomes with a commitment to leave when they are reached is an absolute if we are to escalate our Iraqi involvement. The White House must also have a timeline (that they DO NOT publicize) that states if our operational goals cannot be met in x number of months, then we will leave the area for Iraq's self-determination. If we are going to continue in Iraq, then go smart, go prepared, go with a plan, go with a clearly defined set of objectives, and go with enough humility to define when our best of intentions have not worked.
Comment Posted By ed On 21.08.2006 @ 16:35
Rick:
This must not have been an easy piece for you to write. Everyone should read Rick's "Fiasco" that you cited and
"Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice" by David Galula. Galula's text is THE primer on counterinsurgency and unfortunately, a complete laundry list of the mistakes and inevitable outcomes of our invasion of Iraq, written 40 years before the war. Large numbers of troops are of use in an insurgency primarily to maintain the borders of the insurgent country(another failure of our efforts). Massive troop deployment and engagement will only refuel and intensify the insurgency at this point. It is too late, with too many blunders already committed, to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, so they may themselves extinguish the insurgency. There is no joy in saying there is nothing we can commit at this point that will lead to a different outcome.As my Grandpa always said, "When you find that you have dug yourself into a deep hole, the first rule is to stop digging."
Comment Posted By ed On 21.08.2006 @ 13:06
IF 9/11 WAS SIMPLY SEPTEMBER 11
What a banal set of essays. Why on earth was no editorial functions in place for the potentially exciting idea? For example, "Mr. Wolfe if you have a point to make, please rewrite this into a form that allows us to recognize it." Or, "Mr. Sharpton, thank you for your interest, but this work is too amateurish for us to print. Please take some writing lessons focusing on clarity and the necessity of an idea before submitting to us again."
Comment Posted By ed On 16.08.2006 @ 11:24
WINNERS AND LOSERS IN THE ISRAELI-ISLAMIST WAR
B.Poster:
Troop strength is not the determinant factor in quelling an insurgency. Counter-insurgency experts, such as David Galula, state that the keys to fighting an insurgency do NOT include massive troop strength, and if fact large numbers of troops are frequently counterproductive.
Comment Posted By ed On 14.08.2006 @ 15:16
And by the way, not all W.W. II veterans are in their grave, or spinning. My 82 year old father fought three years in the Pacific Theater (proudly U.S. Army,with Purple Heart and Silver Star) and believes that invading Iraq was "poking a beehive that a smart man would have left alone" and irrelevant to our national security. Or in his inimitable Greatest Generation venacular, "Saddam Hussein had about as much chance of harming the United States as a one legged man in an ass-kicking contest!"
We are in a real battle with a real enemy, as Rick Moran correctly reminds us. Not a traditional war between nation-states, but a war of ideals, interests and fanaticism. The billions being wasted on "rebuilding" Iraq's infrastructure needs to be invested in counterterrorism efforts that protect the United States.
The real enemies are Islamic extremists-target them. Stop making Grandma from Cleveland remove her shoes and pour out her coffee at the airport. I am not a conservative, but Rick is so right. Forget the political correctness. Pay more attention to the most likely terrorists. Screen and track people from Islamic nations carefully as they enter and move about the USA. This may not be "fair", but little in life is fair. The real victories in the war on terror will be like this one in Great Britan. Stopping terrorist plots before they can be carried out. Counterterrorism is a slow, difficult process that we must have the strength and resolve to carry out, most likely over several decades. However the war in Iraq ends, it will not end terrorism or America's need to combat it for the protection and well being on the nation.
Comment Posted By ed On 10.08.2006 @ 14:52
