No Healing

Washington Times: 30 Years Brings No Healing in Atlanta

What a sad story this is:

For decades as white residents fled to the suburbs, Atlanta's black political establishment, led by a string of strong mayors, revived the moribund economy and so revamped the city's image that it earned a national reputation as "Hotlanta."

Ironically, that success - including a winning bid to host the 1996 Summer Olympics and a slew of Fortune 500 companies relocating to the city - has brought white voters flocking back to the city and, for the first time in 36 years, could put a white candidate back in the mayor's office when voters go to the polls Tuesday.

In a race testing racial harmony in Georgia's largest city, some veteran black power brokers say their hold on power is being undercut by their past successes running the city.

"We haven't always gotten the credit for that, no," said former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, who oversaw the early days of the city's rebirth during the 1980s. "I brought in 1,100 companies from around the world - $70 billion in private investment - and generated more than a million new jobs.

"But most people think that's automatic, that that would have happened anyway," he said with a laugh.

Black mayors have occupied City Hall since 1973, but this year, a white City Council member is leading in the polls, even though two black civic leaders urged black voters to unite against her.

I don't know what to make of the claim that "we" don't get credit. Andrew Young, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion d'honneur for his work, has received "some" credit. Maynard Jackson had the Hartsfield International Airport partially renamed in his honor (it's now the "Hartsfield-Jackson" airport). The city, the nation and the world know who they are and have recognized their work.

Neither of them, however, is running for mayor of Atlanta. The candidates who are running have to run on their own strengths, not on the record of Andrew Young.

Isn't it possible that the lady is winning because she is the best candidate? Or is that just not possible, and her support really... well, racial?

No one raised race as a claim in the last debate, although there may have been a proxy used: a claim that Ms. Norwood is secretly Republican. She says she voted for every Democratic presidential candidate since 1996; that shows some poor judgment in the 2004 election particularly, I'd have to say, but it's certainly one measure of her bona fides as a party member.

Ah, well. It's a sad thing to see this kind of attitude on display. I hate to see the calls to "unify" against her, and I hate the idea that she's only winning because of some sort of racist animus on the part of whites. Things seem to be getting worse on that score; I thought we were supposed to have put all that behind us.

Marine Corps Team

Up the Marine Corps!

Cassandra has a post about Marine Corps dogs, and their injuries. It reminds us of the friendship between man and the noblest beasts, most evident with dogs and horses. Some of the dogs serve both in war and in peace.

Freedom Dogs, a San Diego-based nonprofit ...trains service dogs to help Marines coming home from Afghanistan and Iraq to overcome persisting medical and physical limitations.

Dogs understand. The people may not, but the dog that loved you when you went to war will love you when you come back. If he loved you while you were at war, he'll love you at home. They're very natural that way; they move between war and peace without thought, having no artificial barriers to keep them from comfort. They just take what comes.

Meanwhile, a reminder that the VALOUR-IT fundraiser is still ongoing.





This is a rough year for donations, as I well know. Still, if you can help -- or if you know friends or family who might be able to help -- or if your company likes to make charitable donations for tax or humanitarian purposes -- please remember our Marines.

And their dogs.

Georgia, On the First Day of November:

Nancy Ward

One Who Goes About:

One of the early figures of Georgia history was Nancy (Nanye-hi) Ward, a Cherokee "beloved woman" of the Wolf Clan. She earned the title by picking up her husband's rifle during a fight, and leading the group to victory.

Under Cherokee government of the day, a "beloved woman" was one who had the right to sit in council with the men; but, as a group, these women also had the duty of deciding on pardons from the harder parts of Cherokee law. The exercise of this power to save an Englishwoman introduced the arts of weaving and dairy cattle to the Cherokee, changing their society quite a bit.

A statue of Nancy Ward has a story of its own, nearly as interesting as that of the woman it symbolizes.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween:

In honor of this eerie night, some unnatural concoctions that should never have been mixed (very strong language warning on the first one, though probably you've all heard the song in its original incarnation):





I'm just going to go ahead and apologize in advance to Joel Leggett for that last one.

And then there's this thing, which fits the holiday all too well. I feel bad for even knowing this song exists, except that these boys (and one lady) sure can play.



Well, it's Halloween. We'll repent tomorrow.

UPDATE: Looks like the White House was fun tonight:

Dressed as superheroes, pirates, fairies and skeletons, the kids came in with their parents from Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C., and lined up on the orange-lit White House driveway.

Standing outside the White House front door, the Obamas smiled, chatted and passed out cellophane goody bags that were also filled with a sweet dough butter cookie made by White House pastry chef Bill Yosses. Kids also received a National Park Foundation Ranger activity book.

Mrs. Obama wore furry cat ears and a leopard-patterned top. Obama said the kids looked adorable, as well as his wife, "a very nice looking Catwoman."

A big, stuffed, black spider dangled in a web of string from the top of the portico, and pumpkins had sprouted up around the columns.

Meanwhile, an odd cast of figures wondered around the North Lawn, including skeletons playing musical instruments, walking trees and "Star Wars" characters. The night's arrangements took a month or two to prepare, the White House said.

You've got to say, that sounds pretty cool. Except for this:

The president, dressed in casual clothes, was one of the few not in costume.

Or possibly he came dressed as a pansy.

Even Obama's press secretary, Robert Gibbs, was dressed as Darth Vader, the "Star Wars" villain.

That's the spirit!

Most Hated Man in America

The New Most Hated Man in America:

Now former President Bush has retired to happy obscurity, even his name only turning up once in a while in administration speeches blaming him for whatever they haven't gotten done yet. Actually, it's not just 'once in a while'; we've been hearing his name from the administration a lot. It's as if they just can't turn loose of the habit. Much like a cribbing horse, the practice tears them up, and yet it feels so good.

Everyone has to move on, and a former member of their party seems eager to help them with that. How else to judge these comments?

This week, Lieberman made headlines by rejecting a plan for a government-run insurance option put forth by Senate Democratic leaders.

His statement to ABC News today that he intends to campaign for GOP candidates in 2010, only added more fuel to the critics' fire.

But Lieberman laughed off the critics' attempts to "psychoanalyze" him.

"I feel relevant," Lieberman said in a conference call with a handful of Connecticut reporters this afternoon.

'I feel relevant' is the kind of line that makes people pull their hair out. Of course, certain people did sell Lieberman out a few years ago, and I suppose he hasn't forgotten.

Most likely he's enjoying this quite a bit.

Hearty & Hellish

"Hearty & Hellish!"

So we've had a good time lately with some old Celtic tunes. Here are a few more, on love and merry-making.







And one political song:



I wonder, though... "Hellish"? It's a fine hell they imagine for us.

Nawlins Apology

Continuing to Impress:

I know I was making fun of N'awlins yesterday, but to be honest, Atlanta has its moments, too. The parents seem to have some pretty good heads on their shoulders... unlike the teachers.

Five

Five:

This last one from The New Republic itself:

Trust in government now stands at 23 percent—the lowest level in at least twelve years. A stunning 76 percent of Americans believe that the government in Washington will do the right thing only some of the time, or never. These statistics confirm the findings from a recent CBS/New York Times poll, and they suggest that proponents of government action must overcome deep skepticism. The Obama administration inherited a public sector most Americans regarded as broken, and nothing since the inauguration has fundamentally altered that perception....

These concerns may be related to the recent surge in the activities of the federal government. In the month after Barack Obama took office, 51 percent of Americans believed that government “should do more to solve problems and help meet the needs of people.” Today, the figure stands at 46 percent. Meanwhile, the percent who believe that government is “doing too many things better left to businesses” and individuals has risen from 40 to 48 percent....

As he and his advisors plan for the second year of his administration, they would do well to ask themselves how much more the people will bear. The man who famously called for "l'audace, et encore de l'audace, et toujours de l'audace" ended his life at the guillotine.

That would be Danton. He was put to death by his own people for being too moderate a revolutionary, so the historical analogy is bad: but the rhetoric is an interesting choice of warnings for a liberal journal of opinion.

Hard World

It's a Hard World:

Stop in and say something kind to a man who needs to hear it.

A Whistling Wind:

One:

In 1982 there were people saying, "If only we get rid of this guy Reagan, we can make it better!" Others said, "If we follow Reagan, he'll squeeze out inflation and lower taxes and we'll be America again, we'll be acting like Americans again." Everyone had a path through.

Now they don't. The most sophisticated Americans, experienced in how the country works on the ground, can't figure a way out. Have you heard, "If only we follow Obama and the Democrats, it will all get better"? Or, "If only we follow the Republicans, they'll make it all work again"? I bet you haven't, or not much.

This is historic. This is something new in modern political history, and I'm not sure we're fully noticing it. Americans are starting to think the problems we are facing cannot be solved....

When I see those in government, both locally and in Washington, spend and tax and come up each day with new ways to spend and tax—health care, cap and trade, etc.—I think: Why aren't they worried about the impact of what they're doing? Why do they think America is so strong it can take endless abuse?

I think I know part of the answer. It is that they've never seen things go dark.

Two:

I had a conversation last night with a bunch of adults in their 30s--and I was startled to hear remarks to the effect that the only real hope for fixing this country is revolution. I've been hearing remarks like this for the last few months; it isn't serious discussion, of course. (If they were seriously enough concerned, and there was more than just a few, we wouldn't have this idiot Congress and President.)

Three:

ROGULSKI: Why are you here?

WOMAN #1: To get some money.

ROGULSKI: What kind of money?

WOMAN #1: Obama money.

ROGULSKI: Where’s it coming from?

WOMAN #1: Obama.

ROGULSKI: And where did Obama get it?

WOMAN #1: I don’t know, his stash. I don’t know. (laughter) I don’t know where he got it from, but he givin’ it to us, to help us.

WOMAN #2: And we love him.

WOMAN #1: We love him. That’s why we voted for him!

Four:

H.R. 3962, the "Affordable Health Care for America Act" has been introduced--all 1990 pages of it. This gargantuan beast contains thirteen new tax hikes....

N'Awlins AK

N'Awlins Continues To Impress:

Las Vegas never quite lives up to its reputation, but the most important port on the south coast...

The deputy constable [serving the eviction notice] knocked on the door shortly after 11 a.m. and Scearce replied: "Hold on a minute." Soon smoke began poring from underneath the front door and the deputy constable called 911, Constable Lambert Boissiere Jr. said.

Within minutes firefighters kicked in the door and began to battle the blaze. They spotted Scearce inside the home, leveling a rifle at them. The firefighters fled. Gunshots rang out, though no one was injured.

The rifle was reportedly an AK-47, although I'll be quite surprised if it proves to be one in fact. It will almost certainly prove to be a semiautomatic rifle 'in the style of' the famous Kalashnikov. If the man could afford a real AK-47, even on the black market, he could have paid his rent.

Good work

Good Work!

The American Knife & Tool Institute has wonderful news today.

October 28, 2009 The President has signed the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2892) for FY 2010 that includes a permanent “fix” so that any folding knife with a bias toward closure cannot be declared a switchblade by U.S. Customs....

The significance of the legislative victory that was led by AKTI and supported by several other organizations cannot be overstated. If U.S. Customs had succeeded in broadly redefining a switchblade, as they proposed in late May 2009, domestic manufacturers and all owners of folding knives would have been in jeopardy. That’s because an import restriction becomes an issue for interstate commerce. And where local law enforcement might be uncertain about how to correctly apply their state law, they often turn to U.S. Customs to provide guidance.

All of you who contributed to their fund or helped spread the news, wrote your congressfolk or otherwise participated, thank you very much. Knife rights are an undeveloped field in the 'right to keep and bear arms,' and one where our liberty is still quite vulnerable.

UPDATE: In honor of the victory, a video on the making of knives as it is done in Sweden and among the Sami.

Nature

Extraordinary Nature:

Today we can read of an explosion brighter than galaxies, from an age when the stars were first starting to light.

Or, you can read of a simple coyote who had a most improbable adventure.

All part of your universe, brought to you by... well, some say by nothing at all.

Things I'm Prepared To Overlook

Unfit Sticks:

Chesterton wrote that many people seemed to feel that any stick was good enough to beat Christianity with: for example, that it produced such meek people (like monks), but also that it produced such warlike people (such as Richard the Lionheart). It was at once an unmanning religion, and a religion that had filled the world with blood.

So, here is a list of sticks that we won't be using to beat our ideological opponents in the White House:

1) 'All Male' sports games. Yes, it's true that 'relationships are formed' at these games, and that those relationships have effects beyond the arena of sports.

It's also true that everyone likes some people and doesn't like others. They enjoy spending time with some kinds of folks, and not with other kinds. Finally, it's true that being forced to spend time with people you don't really like won't improve your view of them.

If he doesn't like you enough to invite you along, you're better off with "no relationship" to him than the kind of "relationship" that will develop if he's forced to take you along to satisfy his critics. Your choice isn't between being ignored and being 'one of the boys.' It's between being ignored and being hated. Life's just unfair that way.

Don't feel bad. He wouldn't like me either.

2) "Date Night" with his wife. The US military asks some of its fine soldiers to leave their families for as long as fifteen months -- but not four years. The Presidency is a marathon, and personal feelings about the occupant aside, he'll need his wife.

3) Playing a lot of golf. Honestly, why is anyone on the right upset about this? Play golf every day, if you want. The more golf he plays, the fewer hours he's spending pushing his legislative agenda on us. We should be trying to find him new and exciting places to play.

I know that a lot of the criticism is coming from the perspective of his dithering on Afghanistan, but that's really a separate issue. If he were spending more time in the office, he wouldn't be spending it on Afghanistan, because he isn't particularly interested in Afghanistan. That's not to say he doesn't care about the people involved, just that he doesn't really care about the outcome of the war. He's not really even sure what he wants to accomplish there, and is trying to find any way he can just to make the issue go away so he can concentrate on what he really wants to do. No, he'd be spending those extra hours on health care: that's where his mind is focused.

Aside from that, though, the thing is -- this happens every Presidency. Remember the early stories about Bush, and how many 'vacations' he took? And by the end of it, his hair was white.

Demotivators Contest:

Cass is running a military demotivator contest for VALOUR-IT week. Here are my two entries.

"Embracing the Suck" Category:



"Interservice Snark" Category:



And remember: donate Team Marine Corps!

Third Position on Afghan

An Emerging Third Position on Afghanistan:

I normally don't post here about stuff I write for BLACKFIVE, as the purposes of the blogs are very different. However, since this is VALOUR-IT week, some additional military content is probably called for by the occasion.

Speaking of VALOUR-IT, Cassandra's father has promised to match ten $100 contributions. I don't know if any of you has a hundred bucks to spare, with economic times being hard for everyone and unlikely to improve any time soon; but it's a very kind offer, and I wanted you to be aware of it in case you happened to have the means and the wish to contribute.

OK

The OK Corral:

Our friend Lars Walker reminds us that we have just passed the day that in 1881 saw the most famous gunfight in American history. I've written about the subject several times in the past (and offered additional asides, like this one), so I won't test your patience with another version of the story. I will, however, give you a sense of the glorious treatment the man received in the 1950s:



"The West it was lawless, but one man was flawless, and his is the story you'll hear. Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp, brave courageous and bold! Long live his fame, and long live his glory, and long may his story be told!"

Sound too shrill? Remember this study:

Many years ago, a team of researchers at the department of anthropology at the University of Minnesota decided to put [a theory that religion was linked to mental illness] to the test. They studied certain fringe religious groups, such as fundamentalist Baptists, Pentecostalists and the snake-handlers of West Virginia, to see if they showed the particular type of psychopathology associated with mental illness. Members of mainstream Protestant churches from a similar social and financial background provided a good control group for comparison. Some of the wilder fundamentalists prayed with what can only be described as great and transcendental ecstasy, but there was no obvious sign of any particular psychopathology among most of the people studied. After further analysis, however, there appeared a tendency to what can only be described as mental instability in one particular group. The study was blinded, so that most of the research team involved with questionnaires did not have access to the final data. When they were asked which group they thought would show the most disturbed psychopathology, the whole team identified the snake-handlers. But when the data were revealed, the reverse was true: there was more mental illness among the conventional Protestant churchgoers - the "extrinsically" religious - than among the fervently committed.

The control group were the psycopaths. Interesting fact, I think: it is important to dare to believe, and enough to let that belief move you. It seems to purify. It matters that we have a vision of the right in the part of our heart that heeds myth, even if we can see the ways the truth fell short in the part of our minds that does reason.

Wyatt Earp is mentioned on that page too, as it happens -- in an old post about something Peggy Noonan once wrote. You can find it if you're curious.

How Bad?

How Badly Are Our Federal Entitlements Underfunded?

This badly:

* By 2050, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid (health care for the poor) will consume nearly the entire federal budget.

* By 2082, Medicare spending alone will consume nearly the entire federal budget.

...and look at the scale on the two big ones:

* By 2020, in addition to payroll taxes and premiums, Social Security and Medicare will require more than one in four federal income tax dollars.

* By 2030, about the midpoint of the baby boomer retirement years, the programs will require nearly half of all income tax dollars.

*By 2060, they will require nearly three out of four income tax dollars.

Don't worry, though. The CBO thinks we can handle it if we roughly triple marginal tax rates -- assuming that corporations and the rich don't decide they'd prefer to live in Trinidad or something; and assuming that they continue to be able to produce new jobs and keep the economy afloat with, say, a sixth of their current profits. I'd say "the government can just provide us with jobs" except, of course, that they won't have any money left: anyone not working for the Social Security Administration, Medicare, or the IRS will pretty much be out of work, including the entire Armed Forces and Federal police agencies. Well, except the ones that go after tax cheats -- we'll have to find a way to fund them somehow.

What Plan?

What Plan Are You Talking About?

The administration uses a strange sort of pincer attack in pushing its agenda. On the one hand, for example, the Obama administration has offered nothing concrete in terms of actual health care legislation:

...“I called him,” said Stupak. “I called the president--had a discussion with the president. And I read exactly what you just said. And he said: ‘What it says is “under my plan”’—meaning the president’s plan. And I said: ‘With all due respect, sir, you do not have a plan. The only plan we have out is the House plan.’ So, I don’t know if it is a game of semantics or what.”

This lack-of-concreteness has been used on several occasions by defenders of the President. When we talk about things we'd like not to see in any plan -- I've seen this tactic fielded on Afghanistan, too, where the President also has no plan -- we're told that any objections are 'lies about my plan' or 'chasing pink elephants' because the President has written no plan. So that's pincer one: you can't attack my plan, because there's nothing to attack.

Pincer two: ...and the time for debate is over.

So, you can't attack the plan because it doesn't exist yet. And we can't debate what the plan shouldn't include, because the time for debate is over. We must adopt my plan that doesn't exist right now!

It's almost clever, since it really does make it hard to debate the President on anything. Of course, the flaw in the plan is that someone else becomes the voice of your ideas.

UPDATE: Or possibly there just is no plan for anything at all.... (h/t InstaPundit.)