I wept because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.
Ancient Persian saying
It's Like Getting Kissed By An Ugly Girl
I got an email notification over the weekend that one of my tweets (admittedly not one on domestic policy) had been retweeted by a socialist group. Boy, talk about "you don't know me"....
Joke of the Day
(M.P.) Congratulations to Senator Ted Kennedy on five years of sobriety [Being Classically Liberal]Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009)
Image of the Day
 |
| Via Reason Okay, did you catch the fineprint on sign 5 the first time you drove past it? Watch out for pedestrians jaywalking across the street... |
 |
| Via Jeffrey Tucker |
 |
| Via Being Classically Liberal |
 |
| Via Libertarian Catholic |
The Ecofascist Regime
The State and Gender
In this clip, I find myself cringing about undue deference and lip service to politically correct nonsense.
True story. I went to a college where two-thirds of the students were coed. Even a geek should be able to date, given the odds. But I overanalyzed the situation and my own motives: wasn't it wrong to try to date someone for superficial factors like physical attraction and beauty? What about a girl with the right values and personality but, say, overweight or plain-looking? (In hindsight, I have to laugh at my young self: who did I think I was, God's gift to women?) I became trapped in self-imposed inertia. But I learned that attraction is rather subjective; I later tried to date a college friend of my sister; my Dad, who never really met any of the ladies I dated, later told me that he thought my sister's friend was plain-looking. As much as I respected my Dad, I didn't agree with him; the reason I had not pursued the relationship was that my sister and she had a subsequent falling out, and you don't mess with my little sister. Years later I learned that they had reconciled; in fact, my sister didn't even remember the kerfuffle. My sister thought we were perfectly matched since each of us were crazy about the nephews and nieces.
Do people discriminate? Probably. My Mom always wished that I would marry a nice Catholic girl. Probably my biggest crush was on a woman I met in the Navy who detested organized religion. I have had little direct hiring authority in my career, although I've done some technical screenings of candidates. But as a professor I issued A's to students I personally disliked, and one of the few F's I issued was to a student very supportive of me. It's always been business, not personal. I have seen people fired for all sorts of political nonsense; the last full-time job I had in Houston, I was fired for retrieving my office chair after a branch relocation; my boss had replaced it with a chair with a broken caster. It was irrational; people with my APL skills were hard to find, and I was fixing code needed by him to book revenue. As a manager I would focus on booking the talent I needed to meet my business objectives; I wouldn't care if it was a Martian with a cranky personality wearing polka dots (never mind being in an officially recognized victim class). I don't think it's possible to regulate bad decision making. But it is obvious to me that if you don't treat talented people fairly, you can't keep them. We have had decades of politically correct nonsense shoved down my throats; I don't need to be "reeducated" on fairness to women; I have a mom, 4 sisters, and 9 nieces whom I love.
The good part of this video is that the speaker notices that the "solution" is not State meddling in business policy, which can be counterproductive and result in unintended consequences.
You're My Inspiration
The Cumberland (RI) Americans were narrowly eliminated by Chicago recently in the Little League World Series tournament. What do you say to young men who have seen their championship hopes crushed in a heartbreaking loss?
“Heads up high. Heads up high. I’ve gotta see your eyes, guys. There’s no disappointment in your effort — in the whole tournament, the whole season. It’s been an incredible journey.“We fought. Look at the score – 8-7, 12-10 in hits. We came to the last out. We didn’t quit. That’s us! Boys, that’s us!“The only reason why I’ll probably end up shedding a tear is that this is the last time I’m going to coach you guys. But I’m going to bring back with me, the coaching staff is going to bring back, you guys are going to bring back that no one other team can provide – that’s pride. Pride.“You’re going to take that for the rest of your lives, what you provided for the town of Cumberland. You had the whole place jumping, right? You had the whole state jumping. You had New England jumping. You had ESPN jumping. OK?“You want to know why? They like fighters. They like sportsmen. They like guys who don’t quit. They like guys who play the game the right way. If everyone would play baseball like the Cumberland Americans, this would be the greatest game.“The lessons you guys have learned along the journey, you’re never going to forget. We’re going to have some more fun. We have two more days of fun. When you walk around this ballpark in the next couple of days, they’re going to look at you and say: “Hey, you guys were awesome!’“Everybody has said: You guys are awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Absolutely awesome.“It’s OK to cry, because we’re not going to play baseball together anymore. But we’re going to be friends forever. Friends forever. Our Little League careers have ended on the most positive note that could ever be. OK? Ever be.“There’s only going to be one team that’s going to walk out of here as World Series champions. Only one. We got down to the nitty-gritty. We’re one of the best teams in the world. Think about that for a second. In the world! Right?“So, we need to go see our parents, because they’re so proud of you. One more thing. I want a big hug. I want everyone to come in here for one big hug. One big hug, then we’re going to go celebrate. Then we’re going to go back home to a big parade.“I love you guys. I’m gonna love you forever. You’ve given me the most precious moment in my athletic and coaching career, and I’ve been coaching a long time – a looooong time. I’m getting to be an old man. I need memories like this, I need kids like this. You’re all my boys. You’re the boys of summer.“So, for the last time, we’re going to yell Americans: One, two three – Americans!”“OK. Good job. Let’s go. Time to go.”
Entertainment Potpourri
I don't know how I missed the premiere of the "The Color of Rain"; it's a true love story about the surviving Rochester, MI widower and widow of cancer victims, both families with children:
It was Christmas day, 2005. Just hours after opening presents, Gina lost her husband Matt and father of her two boys to a rare form of cancer. Six weeks later, across town, Michael’s beloved wife Kathy died of brain cancer, leaving him to raise three kids alone. Two years after attending funerals, Gina and Michael get married. In 2007 they started the New Day Foundation for Families . They walk alongside families affected by cancer, helping them financially and emotionally.
Political Cartoon
 |
| Courtesy of Eric Allie via IPI |
Billy Joel, "And So It Goes"
