Redstate

Posted at 2:30pm on Dec. 31, 2007 Just a drop of water in an endless sea.

By Thomas

I thought about calling this And thanks for all the fish, but that's been done. I confess to being tempted with The Wrath of the Valheru, but only because it's the coolest phrase in English ever. I also thought about The Bad Wolf, but that would be lost on the non-geeky.

So, I'm leaving.

Traditionally, diaries such as these tend to focus on how awful everyone's been to the diarist; how the blogosphere is a great, teeming mass of unfairness that stalks the land like a great, teeming, unfair, massive thing; and they tend to be interesting only from an anthropological perspective. We've been blessed with relatively few of even the truly interesting type -- the great kowalski's numerous successes in defying convention notwithstanding -- so I'm hoping this one will at least do all the budding archaeology majors a service.

One last time, please, read on.

Posted in Death of the McChicken | goodbye cruel world | Miscellanea — Comments (92) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:28pm on Dec. 31, 2007 And the horses you all rode in on, one at a time, then rotate.

By Thomas

You all have no idea how long I've wanted to write this. For the reasons set forth in my next diary, I can, and am; but I've been saving this up for a while. Pardon the spleen.

Dear Senators Thompson and McCain; Governors Romney and Huckabee; and Mayor Giuliani: You all suck.

Read on to see why. Or don't; I figure only two of you are smart enough to care why a conservative, Mass-going Catholic would personally drive the buggy to take you all to Hell.

Posted in 2008 | Death of the McChicken — Comments (47) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:19pm on Nov. 5, 2007 Game Theory and Party Politics

By Thomas

It's another Giuliani/Huckabee diary. If just those five words are enough to turn your stomach, you should probably read something else.

Anyway: We're in the middle of something a lot of folks haven't really seen since 1980, and perhaps haven't seen in their lifetimes: A well-and-truly contested Republican Presidential Primary. Now, because we're unused to it, it's my theory that we don't remember how to react; and because the Party was a very different animal then, the coalition of groups who compose it have little to no institutional memory of how to resolve formational problems before they get out of hand.

Put differently: Depending on which candidate is ascendant at any given time, a lot of otherwise good-faith Republicans are threatening to take their ball and run away, because they don't know precisely what else to do.

I'm not going to sit here and argue that anyone must vote for this guy, or must not vote for that one; I'm not going to get into the middle of the what-happens-when-the-general-comes argument. I have enough headaches without engaging that.

What I'd like to do is offer every camp an insight into why we are where we are, and point to some possible resolutions of the problem. I would suggest that we need to get this done now, rather than, say, September 2008. So, if you have some time, read on.

Posted in 2008 | conservative crackup | Mike Huckabee | Republican crackup | Republicans | Rudy Giuliani — Comments (39) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:22am on Oct. 21, 2007 I've Never Been So Happy to Apologize (Four Years Later)

By Thomas

Four years ago, Ben Domenech was excited about Bobby Jindal. So was I. He thought Jindal had a good chance at the governor's mansion. I did not.

I was right.

I won't go through the reasons I turned out to be right. I was. A woman who, I believe, is my sister's godfather's (my father's best friend from high school's) first cousin won by suddenly reminding everyone in Cajun country what her maiden name was, and reminded all of Louisiana that Bobby Jindal was not melanin-free (that this was successful in a State with such a strong history of interbreeding (not intermarriage, though) is an irony lost on most) -- and most importantly, manufactured votes in the time-honored way her Party always did, by getting 238% turnout in Orleans and a few other Parishes.

Four years later, I was wrong.

So: Ben (and Orrin): I apologize. You were right, just four years early. You called correctly, if early, something I never really thought would happen.

Erick is 100% right (though the Carter analogy is 100%, the better analogy to the Mary one is Catholics not fearing being burned at the stake after Charles II came to the throne after that psycho Cromwell breathed his last).

For the first time I can remember, I can say my family hails from Louisiana without feeling a little bit of rue and shame as I say it.

And Bobby? God bless, and congratulations.

Posted in 2007 | Bobby Jindal | Death of the McChicken | Louisiana — Comments (3) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 11:28pm on Oct. 17, 2007 A Fairly Important Note on Diaries

By Thomas

I seem to write too many of these "what not to put in a diary" things.

Ok, here's the deal. About once every year or two, we have a new diary that discusses The Bell Curve or some new bit of news, science, or pop silliness that reflects on it.

Those end now. From now on, any diary discussing genetic theories of intelligence tied to race, ethnic grouping, skin color, or proclivity for butter pecan ice cream is specifically forbidden. When I say "forbidden," I mean, "will be deleted and the user's account deactivated."

Posted in Bell Curve | Miscellanea | verboten — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 6:35am on Oct. 16, 2007 Nope. Absolutely wide of the mark. Except for one thing...

By Thomas

On general principle, I try very hard to avoid disagreeing with my fellow contributors anywhere but in the comment sections of their pieces; generally, it feels unseemly to turn the front page, or diaries, into a back-and-forth on some issue or another. This is just me; Heaven knows others have different perspectives, and have displayed them.

That said, I'm breaking that personal rule this time to take issue with almost everything Erick said here. Before I wander out on this thin-looking tree extension, I'd note that I have no small amount of respect for Erick as both a man and as a thinker. Generally, I don't publicly disagree with him because I have the luxury of seeing most of what he writes as essentially correct. Nothing that I write here changes any of that.

With that said, I think with respect to this specific piece, Erick's wrong in general, wrong in his initial premises, and wrong in most of his conclusions. I'll explain why below the fold, but I do want to ask you to follow me there, because there is one thing I think he's absolutely right about; and that one thing contains within it so much awful truth, I'd like you to not only tell me why I'm wrong, I'd like you to prove it.

Click the link.

Posted in conservative crackup | Death of the McChicken | GOP War | Republican crackup | Republicans — Comments (27) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:23am on May 2, 2007 The price of serfdom.

By Thomas

I'm loathe to engage in intra-dextrosphere blogwars, but I just wanted to add my bit about Dean Barnett's shots at pro-lifers (which, amazingly, seem to come as shots at John McCain, and appear to be a moral defense of the Dresden firebombing). I cannot hope to surpass Ross's, Mark Shea's (a hero of mine from years gone), or our own Alexham's (here and here). But I did want to add this:

Posted in 2008 | Blogosphere | culture of death | Dean Barnett | Hugh Hewitt | John McCain | Romney | sell-out | shilling — Comments (19) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 6:39pm on Dec. 31, 2006 My New Year's Request

By Thomas

If y'all will remember, it was my brief -- and largely ignored -- Christmas wish that we focus on 2007, rather than 2008, for at least a little while this year, because there are, you know, elections this year that might be kinda, sorta important.

In the spirit of hopeless charges, I give you my New Year's request. It's much easier, it takes but a moment, and those of you who want to obsess about 2008 and 2010 can do so and give me this -- and once again, it's a present for all of you, too.

Posted in Miscellanea — Comments (5) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 7:03pm on Oct. 16, 2006 Behold the Effects of ObiWi Disease

By Thomas

(Hat tip to Moe for the term of art. I interpret it to mean the effect of being surrounded by madmen in the comments section of your blog.)

As a rule of thumb, since I joined RedState over two years ago (and left my own blog more or less moribund since), I've had a more or less ironclad series of rules: Do not take to the front page to criticize fellow commenters (or diarists). Do not openly take shots at present or former editors, in diaries or on the front page. (RedHot is the exception, and even there, keep it brisk.) Keep disagreement with fellow editors to the cabals. Some might call this shilling, or any number of other inapplicable words. I consider it the minimum level of courtesy I should show to the folks with whom I don't precisely work, but do spend, online, some time with, and with whom I have to deal (and whom, overwhelmingly, I like a great deal). You'll note a front-pager aimed at John Cole today; that really isn't my style, and, despite what the frothers in John's comments will think, there was no coordination. (I almost decided not to go with this piece when I saw the fronter.)

I'm going to break the second rule, hopefully for the only time, today.

Posted in Blogosphere — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:24pm on Sep. 29, 2006 You want reasons to win? Do ya?

By Thomas

I'll give you a list of reasons; no, check that, someone else will.

Taste the comments as you go.

Savor all of this for a second, folks. If our folks lose, these morons win. We are now in the zero-sum portion of this game, and our opponents are playing -- stupidly, futilely, incompetently, blindly, and, yes, insanely, but nevertheless, playing -- for all the marbles. If they win, there will not -- their high-minded psuedo-protests notwithstanding -- be a war on terror. There will be an impeachment debacle that will end in nothing. There will be a war on tax cuts. There will be a slashed military budget, and pointless (vetoed) bills about making sure that foreign nationals enjoy the same extra-Constitutional and Constitutional rights Americans enjoy.

And then another three thousand or so will die, and we'll be told it's Bush's fault. And whoever is then reconstructing Afghanistan. And Cheney. And probably Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and Michelle Malkin.

Posted in 2006 — Comments (33) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:21pm on Aug. 4, 2006 Undoing History, One Paper at a Time

By Thomas

I once accidentally ate moldy bread and drank curdled milk, in the same sitting. (Don't ask.) Though the side effects were mild, I nevertheless wished I could undo that damage.

Little did I know, you can go back again!

Tribal leaders and indigenous rights groups will ask the pope to rescind a 1493 Vatican document which they believe paved the legal road for Europeans to take land from indigenous American people.

Twenty-three organizations and 100 individuals signed a resolution Thursday at the Summit of Indigenous Nations at Bear Butte. The resolution, which will be sent to the Vatican for review, targets the Papal Bull Inter Caetera of 1493, in which Vatican officials urged Christopher Columbus to convert indigenous Americans to Catholicism.

"We command you in virtue of holy obedience that, employing all due diligence in the premises, ... you should appoint to the aforesaid mainlands and islands worthy, God-fearing, learned, skilled and experienced men, in order to instruct the aforesaid inhabitants and residents in the Catholic faith and train them in good morals," reads the 1493 document.

"This is going to be history in the making," Vic Camp announced before the resolution and a separate treaty amongst summit participants were signed.

Granted, in the history of pointless acts, this may be a pinnacle.

My favorite part?

Debra White Plume of Bring Back the Way, one of the summit organizers, said she experienced trauma attending Catholic boarding schools.

Honey, everyone who's attended Catholic schools has experienced trauma. Deal.

Posted in User Blogs — Comments (11) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 11:49am on Feb. 23, 2006 It's More a Greased Than a Slippery Slope

By Thomas

We are constantly heckled, in the endless abortion debate, that pro-life fears of a slippery slope leading from the devaluation of human life in the womb to the devaluation of human life elsewhere, are merely that: The unrestrained fantasies of a group of religious fanatics.

Maybe.

My good and esteemed friends Josh Trevino and Paul Cella like to heckle me for abandoning Europe to its death-throes, arguing that we are bound to that Continent in a hundred ways, and that at any rate, if for no other reason than this, we should stand by Europe to see what lies in store for us.

Maybe.

So I give you this:

A pro-abortion city councilwoman in Rotterdam says that forced abortions should be used to curb the "problem" of unwanted children in Holland and its territories.

Alderman Marianne van den Anker of the Leefbaar Rotterdam (LR) party says the forced abortion and contraception would reduce the incidence of child abuse. ...

Van den Anker said Antillean teenage mothers, drug addicts and those who are mentally disabled should be forced to have abortions and use contraception if they are having sex.

Otherwise, an "unacceptable risk" of some children exposed to "violence, neglect, mistreatment and sexual abuse."

She indicated courts would determine when women should be forced to have abortions and that social workers "can see in 95 percent or even 100 percent of cases whether the child has a chance of growing up with love."

Every child a wanted one, indeed.

Oh, I know, this is different somehow. And I'd be dishonest if I told you I expect this to pass on the first try. Heavens no. There's a certain ... griminess here that won't take.

Right now. In ten years, the unthinkable will be normal. And there will be good, wise judges to make sure that no unloved child is allowed to enter this world. And we'll all shrug.

Hat tip to Orrin Judd.

Posted in User Blogs — Comments (37) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 4:23pm on Oct. 27, 2005 A Long Overdue Shout-Out to Clayton

By Thomas

Amid all the shouting and excitement the last couple of months, we've had traffic the likes of which we only used to dream.

And no crashes.

Those of you with us waaaaaay back remember frequent server outages, screwy html, posting errors, blood on the walls, cats and dogs living together, and so on. We had to streamline like mad to handle the Election Day surge.

The problems dropped off fast, then virtually disappeared, once Clayton got on board.

So, Clayton, we salute you.

Posted in User Blogs — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:10pm on Oct. 6, 2005 A Note on Comments and Diaries

By Thomas

Tempers are, to say the least, high around here, I think understandably so. But we are a community that values reasoned argument, logic, and thoughtful persuasion. And, admittedly, snark and sarcasm.

I love snark and sarcasm.

But for right now, when discussing any issue, especially Harriet Miers's nomination to the Supreme Court, take a deep breath, wonder how your opponent in the argument will take it, imagine that it will be twice as bad as you think, and only post if it still wouldn't offend.

We've already banned a few folks for stepping over the line. Let's not have any more executions for a little while.

Everyone take a deep breath.

Posted in User Blogs — Comments (14) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 4:37pm on Sep. 12, 2005 A Prayer Request

By Thomas

Susan Anne Catherine Torres is with us no longer.

The girl was born about two months premature Aug. 2. Her mother, Susan Rollin Torres, was kept on life support for more than three months after suffering a stroke in May that was brought on by cancer.

The mother died shortly after her daughter's birth when she was taken off life support.

I spoke about this briefly here. Her Mom wanted her to have a chance at life. So did her Dad. Some might say it was a rigged chance -- premature mortality rates are high under the best of circumstances -- but at least her family got a chance to know her for two months.

Say a prayer for her family. They need it. Susan Anne Catherine Torres is with God, now.

Update [2005-9-12 15:38:57 by Thomas]: Brendan beat me to it.

Posted in User Blogs — Comments (4) / Email this page » / Read More »