Cultural Gadfly

As the votes are being counted, I am holding my breath. It has been a very long time since any significant good news happened, and I don’t want to jinx Brown.

Jim Geraghty is confident, citing that Obama towns are flipping for Brown. Good news indeed, but as I write, only 23% of precincts are reporting, and I am still too nervous.

This weekend, Obama gave me the idea of going to Mass on election day, particularly because this bill that Brown might stop is so pernicious to the helpless of our nation. Certainly a cause worth praying for. I had misread the Drudge headline of “Obama goes to Mass.” thinking that he was perhaps converting (yeah, I hadn’t really woken up yet). Anyway, while at Mass this morning, the priest spoke of the OT reading (Samuel finding David in Jesse’s house with God’s aid), stating that it is illustrative of God working “in” history, not simply above and observing. The point, while fairly simple, seemed particularly apt on an election day, and it occurred to me that if Brown does win, the irony of the situation is simply too delicious to be the result of CHANCE. God’s hand must be at work, smiting Teddy, then taking his seat as the foil for disrupting this nonsense. I’m lovin’ it.

Anyways, here’s to Brown (whom I don’t like) and our prayers for his victory. The One has lost to the ONE…

Categories: Culture of Death, Culture of Life, Politics \\ Tags: Brown, David, Jesse, Mass

Coakley by 5-7.

MA exam tomorrow, say some prayers for me!

Categories: Politics

For your Saturday morning cup o’ joe read, I thought I would direct you to Jihadology: How the Creation of Sovietology Should Guide the Study of Today’s Threats. It is an interesting article over at Foreign Affairs, and I particularly appreciate its approach to our history of dealing with Soviets as a competent and coherent policy stance. The article begins:

In 1945, the United States faced a dire threat. The rising power of the Soviet Union and the spread of communism in Eastern Europe — and, soon enough, worldwide — represented a new enemy that imperiled postwar hopes for a peaceful and prosperous world. The United States was poorly equipped to comprehend, let alone respond to, this emerging global danger. The federal government had few experts who spoke Russian or had a deep knowledge of Russian history and culture; universities were barely better off. The field of Soviet studies emerged as a response and became the catalyst for a network of area studies programs that would soon follow.

Today, the United States faces a similar challenge in understanding the threat posed by Islamic fundamentalism. Much like the Soviet Union, militant Islam represents not just an army but an idea — and one that fights in novel and highly unorthodox ways.

Despite the existence of a successful historical model, the U.S. government does not seem to have absorbed the useful lessons from the creation of Soviet studies programs in its efforts to study this new threat. Sovietology was — especially in its first decade — a vibrant intellectual enterprise that contributed to scholarly disciplines, public debate, and top-secret government discussions. A look at this field’s success is essential to shaping how the U.S. government defines and studies the threat of Islamic fundamentalism.

The emphasis upon the similar nature of the threats of Islamic fundamentalism and the Soviets is important: an “idea” can often prove a far more formidable enemy that a political state, and requires intensive study and understanding to competently combat it. This is particularly clear in our two wars right now. Counter-insurgency and anti-guerrilla tactics are dependent on our interaction with the people in Iraq and Afghanistan on the ground, and as such, our armed forces are on the front lines in a dual sense: they face the physical threat and combat the idea in the hearts of the people. This is no small task, and the great success that our brave men and women have accomplished is a profound testament to the natural sympathy and understanding that informs the American heart. But the charity of our military operations regarding the peoples of these countries cannot alone defeat Islamic fundamentalism, and should be girded by a vigorous, searching intellectual endeavor on the part of the American people at large.

This article is well grounded in the history of our nation’s combat of the Soviet “idea,” and makes practical suggestions on how we should operate regarding the idea of Islamic fundamentalism. I commend it to your attention.

Categories: Culture, Foreign Policy, Political Philosophy \\ Tags: Afghanistan, Iraq, Islam, Jihadology, Sovietology

I have noted before the chaos that is bubbling within Nevada on both sides of the political isle. Now, granted, Nevada is not a particularly important state by size or resources, but being home of Harry Reid is enough to make the coming races here of intense national interest. Both Reid’s seat is up in 2010, as well as the Governor seat, and several developments are worth noting:

1. Chuck Muth writes this morning:

Many of the senior officers of the Clark County Republican Central Committee officially resigned their positions last night, including Chairman Richard Scotti, who advised in a press release after the meeting that he will now be joining the Sandoval for Governor campaign.

“It is imperative that Republicans maintain control of the Governorship,” Scotti said announcing his resignation. “I am leaving to work towards that goal. As the Clark County Campaign Coordinator (for Brian Sandoval), I will be able to effectively engage in fundraising activities, precinct walking, voter registration and GOTV efforts.”

Scotti’s dignified resignation message, however, can’t disguise the turmoil within the organization. If not for the ongoing dissension being caused by passionate but inexperienced newcomers in the organization, Scotti never would have considered moving on. As it is, the now-former chairman will be able to direct his time and energy to far more productive activities.

But Scotti wasn’t the only one to cash in his chips last evening.

Also reportedly throwing in the towel en masse were party Treasurer Swadeep Nigam, Secretary Heather Kydd, Finance Director Christine DeCorte, Communications Director Ron Futrell, and Board members Melody Howard, Norm Yeager and Martha Kimple.

This reshuffling may be important, but it is more than enough to make one nervous. And despite our current Governor Jim Gibbons’ immense unpopularity, Republicans and Brian Sandoval are not in a terrible position for making a very strong play for continued control of the governorship. But this reshuffling also indicates the deeper question that is troubling the Republican party across the nation: to what degree are the new “purity tests” of true conservatism forwarded by the tea parties going to help or hurt conservative politics? The Clark County Republicans have been in turmoil somewhat like the Hoffman vs. Scozzafava showdown in NY-23…and we (meaning both sides) lost that race.

Would you rather be a totally powerless, but completely pure party of conservatism, or part of a Republican party that has the larger tent including the likes of Scozzafava? This is, of course, complicated by the over-arching issue of the pro-life movement. For example, I don’t think that McCain is a conservative, but I voted for him becuase he is closer to me than Obama on many issues. But I would never have voted for Scozzafava, because she is pro-death. So while I support that “broader tent” approach to Republican politics as a necessary difficulty in the struggle to stay viable in congress, I also think that there are certain issues that can never be compromised on. Deciding what those issues are is much of the chaos that faces the Republican party right now, and explains, in part, this reshuffling in Nevada.

2. The other issue proceeds directly from the first, in that there are (at least) nine Republicans running for the slot against Reid. The Las Vegas Review Journal notes:

The survey of 625 registered Nevada voters by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research suggests the promotional bombardment that Reid launched more than six weeks ago has yet to hit its target.

“I’d be worried,” said Michael Franz, an assistant professor at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, who studies political advertising. “I’d stop if I had aired ads for two or three weeks and it wasn’t moving the needle.”

According to the poll commissioned by the Review-Journal, 49 percent of respondents had an unfavorable opinion of Reid, while 13 percent were neutral….

Among nine Republican candidates vying to challenge Reid in November only three had support levels in double digits: businesswoman and former GOP official Sue Lowden, attorney and businessman Danny Tarkanian, and former Nevada assemblywoman Sharron Angle.

Lowden and Tarkanian were in a statistical tie, with support from 25 percent and 24 percent of Republican respondents, respectively. Angle was supported by 13 percent.

Six other Republicans received support from 1 percent or less. Ed Hamilton, who is challenging Reid in the Democratic primary, wasn’t tested in the Mason-Dixon poll and isn’t expected to factor into the outcome.

In hypothetical general election matchups, respondents favored Lowden over Reid 51 percent to 41 percent, with 8 percent undecided. They favored Tarkanian over Reid 48 percent to 42 percent, with 10 percent undecided. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Sharron Angle was not included in these hypothetical election matchups.

This is good news, right? In part. The fact that both Lowden and Tarkanian are beating Reid (well beyond the margin of error) is certainly something of good cheer, particularly when you remember that Reid has far more money than both of them, and has been barraging the district with ads for weeks now. And did you notice that this weekend, Reid asked the Senate to take the time off so he could go to a fundraiser ($1000 a plate…)? He knows very well that he is in trouble.

But keep this in mind as well: 33 percent of those asked about the Republican primary were still undecided. With Lowden at 25 %, Tarkanian at 24 %, and Angel at 13%, a huge number have not made up their minds. Granted, there is still plenty of time, and the campaigns are only really hitting full steam about now, but the lack of a clear front runner should give us pause. The Reid attack machine is infamous, and clearly, whoever the Republicans nominate has an uphill battle, without the hindrance of a difficult, wide open primary. And given the general chaos that Republicans face already in reconciling the tea partiers, the Ron Paulites, the half blood conservatives, and the pro-lifers, one has to wonder if they will really coalesce around whoever does win the nomination…

In the end, many of them may simply feel as W.C. Feilds: “I never vote for anyone. I always vote against.” And this alone may be enough to topple Reid. That is the audacity of my hope.

Categories: Congress, Local Politics, Politics \\ Tags: Brian Sandoval, Chuck Muth, Nevada, Reid, Sharron Angle, Sue Lowden, Tarkanian

Of the many critiques that can be leveled at the reds in Cuba, one is certainly that they deprive the world of a rich musical tradition, full of fantastic folk and old bossa/jazz work. Cuban’s have a distinctive sense of rhythm that strikes me as a mixture between, at least in part, tango and African influences. Cubans also have a very beautiful tradition of strong, powerful vocals that are frequently amazingly expressive in their passion. You don’t need to understand the language to be moved by the beauty of the singing of great Cuban vocalists.

I first started to be interested in the Cuban music when I heard the Buena Vista Social Club, an amazing album cut in 1996 with Ry Cooder and a number of fantastic, very old Cuban artists. An interesting documentary was made about it shortly afterward, and I encourage you to buy the album and watch the film.

I don’t have time to go into it much, but as a Friday morning palate cleanser, I just watched this video, which I thoroughly enjoyed. There are three more of Alex Cuba’s songs at the link for the NPR video. Below is the interview that he had, though I really recommend that you follow through and watch the video of him playing. Really great music!

Categories: Politics \\ Tags: Alex Cuba, Buena Vista Social Club, Cuba

In the interests of full disclosure: no, I have not read Twilight, nor am I really interested. Anything that inspires droves of teenage American girls is, at this point in our culture, bound to be facile, vapid, stultifying, and [insert pejorative adjective here].

From the Telegraph:

The film [Twilight's New Moon], above, contained “an explosive mix” of good-looking protagonists dabbling in the supernatural, said Monsignor Franco Perazzolo of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture. The film’s occult imagery represented a “moral void more dangerous than any deviant message”, he said.

That’s it. That is all that the Telegraph quotes from the Vatican, though the banner headline, repeated on Drudge right now, states,

Categories: Art, Main Stream Media, Religion \\ Tags: Twilight, vatican

You bet he will try.

It has been national news for a while now that Reid is running very poorly in his polls, and in a recent Mason Dixon poll that pitted him against his two top challengers (right now there are 10 Republicans vying for his seat), he lost handily to both. From the Las Vegas Review Journal:

Reid trails Lowden and Tarkanian in the polls. In a recent survey of Nevadans by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, 49 percent of respondents chose Lowden compared with 39 percent for Reid in one general election scenario.

In another, 48 percent chose Tarkanian compared with 43 percent who chose Reid.

Good news? Yes, but not entirely. This story also notes that compared to his rivals, Reid is the top fundraiser by a very long shot:

Incumbent Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., raised more than $2 million in three months to add to a campaign fundraising haul of more than $12 million, according to records obtained Tuesday.

Reid, who is behind in the polls, plans to raise as much as $25 million to hold onto the U.S. Senate seat, which he first took in 1986….

Las Vegas businessman Danny Tarkanian, who announced his bid Aug. 21, raised $271,331 from 6,780 donors…

Former GOP official Sue Lowden didn’t announce her candidacy until Oct. 1, and her first reporting date isn’t until January.

Investment banker John Chachas has raised about $1.4 million. He contributed about $1 million to that total.

Now with a field as large as the Republican’s many and varied candidates, it makes sense that Reid would have the upper hand in fundraising, right now. The bigger question, however, is whether or not whatever Republican does win the nomination will be able to compete even then. The Reid machine in Nevada is a very powerful one, and we are similarly saddled with a terribly unpopular Republican governor, and our other state Senator, Republican Ensign, has had all of his own recent scandal.

It makes for a very interesting political environment. Nevada is second only to Michigan in unemployment, and there is widespread cynicism here regarding the Stimulus from Obama and Reid, as well as a growing feeling that Reid is not really concerned with Nevada, but his position as Senate leader. So both Democrats and Republicans are in rather hot water with the voters, and both are scrambling to separate themselves from Obama and Gibbons and Ensign. All, that is, except for Reid.

Reid’s strategy, as it is emerging, is to emphasize not distance from the unpopular policies in D.C., but his own personal power. Hence, his most recent 60 second ad running across Nevada (follow the link to view the ad):

The top Senate Democrat, who has looked vulnerable to a Republican challenger in 2010 in a series of opinion polls, is on-air in Nevada boasting of his clout in a 60-second TV ad.

“He’s the most powerful senator Nevada has ever had, and Harry Reid’s working harder than ever to get Nevada’s economy back on track,” the narrator in the ad says…

“America’s most powerful senator,” the ad concludes. “Harry Reid: Determination that makes a difference.”

An interesting argument, no? If Reid is “America’s most powerful senator,” pray tell why Nevada has one of the worst economies in the nation? The method of the Republican response to this should be patently obvious, but finally comes back to the original issue of funding. Reid is going to deluge Nevada with such similar adds, along with his usual vicious attacks upon opponents, for an entire year, and he has the money to do so. All the while, Republicans are going to be fighting a competitive battle for the nomination.

Reid’s seat is asking to be picked up by a conservative politician, but it will be a long and hard road, and with the current chaos of the Nevada Republican party, it is going to prove all the more difficult. This election, then, is not only going to be a test of popular reaction to Obama, Reid, and Pelosi’s aggressively leftist agenda, but will be a bellwether of the Republican party’s ability to harness anti-progressive sentiment behind a conservative movement.

Categories: Congress, Economy, Politics \\ Tags: Danny Tarkanian, John Chachas, Nevada, Reid, Senate, Sue Lowden

Any Gadflies or readers who live in NY-23, New Jersey, or Virginia: GO VOTE! Today is the day, and is as important for the people whom you elect as it is to show the sway of popular sentiment. We need to show opposition to the monstrosities in Congress, right now.

The Corner, as ever, is a great place to read up on the progress throughout the day, as their readers are already emailing in stories, and the number of voters that they saw, etc.

UPDATE

Ed Morrissey points out that there is also a special election in California, though Republicans have no real hope there.

Also, the NYT article at the top of their website this morning makes a point that I found interesting, not so much because of what they say, but that they said it:

In this supposedly quiet off-year election, three contests taking place Tuesday are filling the void. Voters in New Jersey and Virginia will elect governors, while voters in upstate New York are filling a vacant House seat in a race with national implications.Here are some things to look for as the results come in:

There will probably be only one suspenseful race, the contest between Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey and his Republican challenger, Christopher J. Christie. Last-minute polls suggests the race is too close to call, even after President Obama traveled to New Jersey on Sunday to campaign for Mr. Corzine.

Note the “supposedly quiet off-year election” as well as their notice that “even after President Obama traveled to New Jersey” the race is a nail-biter. For New York Times readers, this can mean but one thing, clearly stated. The president’s waning popularity and influence, only one year after his election, is of little enough consequence that these races are very close. Obama’s coattails, so convenient to ride upon last year, have already been trimmed considerably. And depending upon how this day turns out, moderate Dems may realize that there are no coattails at all for such unpopular legislation and policies as are now in the works.

Categories: Politics \\ Tags: New Jersey, NY-23, The Corner, Virginia, Voting

Incredible. Via Gateway Pundit, this story:

Children of God for Life announced today that Neocutis, a bio-pharmaceutical company focused on dermatology and skin care is using aborted fetal cell lines to produce several of their anti-aging skin creams.”It is absolutely deplorable that Neocutis would resort to exploiting the remains of a deliberately slaughtered baby for nothing other than pure vanity and financial gain,” stated Executive Director Debi Vinnedge. “There is simply no moral justification for this.”

For years Children of God for Life has been a watchdog on pharmaceutical companies using aborted fetal cell lines in medical products and they have received thousands of inquiries from the public on the use of aborted fetal material in cosmetics.

Until now, this was the first time they have encountered any company bold enough to put the information right on their own website and product literature.  A quick investigation into the science behind the products revealed the shameless data.

Neocutis’ key ingredient known as “Processed Skin Proteins” was developed at the University of Luasanne from the skin tissue of a 14-week gestation electively-aborted male baby donated by the University Hospital in Switzerland.  Subsequently, a working cell bank was established, containing several billion cultured skin cells to produce the human growth factor needed to restore aging skin. The list of products using the cell line include: Bio-Gel, Journee, Bio-Serum, Prevedem, Bio Restorative Skin Cream and Lumiere.  But Vinnedge is calling for a full boycott of all Neocutis products, regardless of their source.

It is not really, in the end, that surprising. If you are willing to slaughter a baby, it makes sense you would be willing to harvest the “material” left over. But the sheer depth of this disgusting culture never stops shocking me.

Put in relation to Drudge’s headline story right now, and you get a good idea of the moral compass that guides this society. Scientists have created eggs and sperm from…embryos (stem cells). Of course.

Dr Peter Saunders, of the Christian Medical Fellowship, said that IVF should be the preserve of married couples.

‘The question is, why are we creating artificial gametes (eggs and sperm) and aborting 200,000 babies a year when there are many, many couples willing to adopt?’

It has been noted on this blog that there is a rising pro-life sentiment in the US, which is heartening news, but stories such as these point all the more at the drastic situation we are in, and the great work that is still ahead of the pro-life movement. We must keep plodding. The deification of scientific knowledge (even while other departments in higher ed deny any objective truth beyond social epistemic knowledge), the sacred nature of medical research, and the all important individual rights are all ingrained attitudes in the American mind. And all of them are now being harnessed in the most destructive and horrifying genocide in history.

Categories: Culture of Death, Religion, Science \\ Tags: Abortion

Ok, well, it wasn’t just me and Dick Morris, but I do love the movie My Dinner with Andre…

Last night I had the opportunity to attend The Keystone Corporation’s annual dinner, a lavish affair at the Venetian hotel and casino, and Dick Morris was the guest speaker. It was an interesting group, and I would estimate that there were between 300-400 people present. At the table next to mine was the sitting Governor of Nevada, Jim Gibbons, and there was a former governor there as well. We also had the Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice and another Justice, as well as many state legislators, and 4 of announced challengers to Harry Reid in the coming election. There was also a guy wearing a cowboy hat.

Before Dick Morris’s talk, the Corporation honored Sherman Frederick, who is the publisher of the Las Vegas Review Journal, the paper which Reid famously wished would go out of business a few months ago. Federick’s remarks were strikingly impassioned in their denunciation of Reid, and I noted that the entire room seethed each time the senior senator’s name was mentioned. It is very interesting to be able to view this public reaction in person, because while polls will tell you what people think in a generic, detached manner, the passion of the dislike can only be gauged in person.

Dick Morris began his talk with a story about Churchill. As he said, Churchill lost the election of 1945 to Clement Attlee, who proceeded to socialize the entire economy immediately. Churchill then was serving in the House of Commons as Leader of the Opposition, and one time he was in the bathroom using a urinal, when Attlee came in and used the one beside him. Churchill turned slightly away from him, adjusting his coat to cover himself, and Attlee asked, “Shy, Winston?” Churchill responded, “No, but I am worried, because whenever you see something big and impressive, you make it public property.” I rather liked that story.

Morris’s talk centered around Obamacare, railing against it, and pointing out many statistical problems with the bill. He heavily emphasized, as we have noted here, that if this is passed, it is nearly irreversible. But Morris also made several interesting observations about our (Nevadan’s) coming effort to unseat Reid. He noted, for instance, that the election is entirely dependent upon who conservatives nominate. When our nominee is chosen, the Reid attack machine will kick into full force, and if our candidate is still standing after six weeks of this assault, the election will be over. It is entirely dependent upon the conservative selection of a candidate who can withstand the Reid machine. And this is Dick Morris speaking in the particular area of his expertise. Personally, I think that he is a moral relativist, and not particularly socially conservative, but the man knows how to get people elected. And he is very confident that we can defeat Reid.

Morris was also encouraging in our opposition to the health care overhaul. The swing of opinion in the popular polls is very important, because as he pointed out, many of these moderate democrats in Congress were his former clients, and they are more interested in being congressmen than in passing unpopular legislation. We have to keep fighting, and keep winning over more of the waverers, particularly, as he said, the very important ‘youth’ demographic.

As a final point, though I may have more to write as I digest other parts of his talk: someone asked him who he supported as the republican candidate in 2012. Morris responded that he would not say, because that election is still years away, and what we need more than anything is a united front in the current legislative battles. Less posturing and maneuvering, and more direct assaults upon the socializing forces in this country. I appreciated that, and is a point that I think more of our conservative governors and leaders need to keep in mind. Let us, for once, put principles first.

Also, since I am privileged to be down on the ground in the front lines of our efforts to unseat Reid, I am going to try to post at least once a week on the status of the election as it is shaping up here in Nevada. I will try to keep you all posted on the candidates that we put forth, and how things look here on the ground.

Categories: Congress, Economy, Health Care, Obama Craziness, Political Philosophy, Politics \\ Tags: Churchill, Dick Morris, Healthcare, Keystone Corporation, Las Vegas Review Journal, Reid