The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

You’re Supposed to Be Shocked

Posted on | March 25, 2011 | 8 Comments

The Republican governor of Alaska has nominated a conservative for the panel that approves state judges. Democrats want you to scream in horror to learn that Don Haase thinks sex outside marriage should be against the law:

One blog post on the Eagle Forum Alaska site praised efforts at criminalizing adultery in Michigan, and [Democrat state Sen. Joe] Paskvan asked Haase if he thought it should be a felony in Alaska.
“I don’t see that that would rise to the level of a felony,” Haase said.
Paskvan: “Do you believe it should be a crime?”
Haase: “Yeah, I think it’s very harmful to have extramarital affairs. It’s harmful to children, it’s harmful to the spouse who entered a legally binding agreement to marry the person that’s cheating on them.”
Paskvan: “What about premarital affairs — should that be a crime?”
Haase: “I think that would be up to the voters certainly. If it came before (the state) as a vote, I probably would vote for it … I can see where it would be a matter for the state to be involved with because of the spread of disease and the likelihood that it would cause violence. I can see legitimate reasons to push that as a crime.”

This is really shocking, right? Except for the fact that, within living memory, most states criminalized non-marital sex:

Prior to the 1950s and ’60s, most states had a network of laws, well-rooted in the Anglo-American tradition, that had the cumulative effect of outlawing every manner of sex except between husband and wife.
Adultery, fornication, sodomy — one way or another, if you were messin’ around with anyone except your lawful spouse, you were outside the law. Frank Sinatra was once arrested on a charge of “seduction,” a New Jersey law that made it illegal for a man to use a false promise of marriage to entice a woman into sex.

Of course, people found many ways to circumvent those laws, which in general were only enforced when someone complained. (Sinatra beat the rap because the woman who accused him was a liar.) Our modern idea that all sex between consenting adults must be legal comes from two sources: (a) Alfred Kinsey, who in 1948 claimed that a majority of American men commited sex acts then regarded as crimes, and (b) the 1957 British “Wolfendon Report,” which recommended that “homosexual behaviour between consenting adults in private should no longer be a criminal offence.” (Emphasis added.)

Over time, laws were “reformed” to do away with the old common-law tradition that treated all non-marital sex as illegal. And among the consequences of that change is the great difficulty of prosecuting what we nowadays call “date rape.” In the old days, all that was necessary would be to prove that (a) they had sex and (b) they weren’t married, and the accused party would be guilty under one of the various laws. Whether that legal regime was altogether fair is one question, but it certainly avoided the “he-said”/”she-said” disputes over “consent” that surround so many date-rape cases.

Don Haase’s arguments for returning to the old common-law tradition will, no doubt, cause head-exploding reactions among liberals (and also for many conservatives unfamiliar with the legal history of the “consenting adults” standard), but it is not really so bizarre as it seems.

Lawrence v. Texas — now that’s what I call truly bizarre.

Category: Alaska, Sex

Separated At Birth, Plus A Couple Of Generations?

Posted on | March 25, 2011 | 2 Comments

by Smitty

I saw this, courtesy of Design Milk:
four_bits_and_teddy
This prompts a bit of thinking about Teddy and The ‘Stache:
Category: Politics

The Nyquil Worked

Posted on | March 25, 2011 | 12 Comments

Just to update y’all on the illness I announced Wednesday: I took the NyQuil about 1 p.m. and by 3 p.m. was asleep. I woke up about 11 p.m. and took another dose of NyQuil. Some time Thursday afternoon, I woke up long enough to do one brief post, but was still feeling very woozy, so I went back to bed.

When I got up this morning, I said to my wife, “Well, I got a good night’s sleep.” She said: “No, you got a good two days’ sleep.”

One of the commenters said:

NyQuil, or, as it is soon to be known, “all of the state-of-the-art medical care you can afford under ObamaCare.”

Hey, not that it’s all bad. Another commenter recommended this Dennis Leary riff on NyQuil (foul language warning):

Dennis Leary – NyQuil – watch more funny videos

So the good news is, I’m not dead yet. Still not 100% however. My head is still stuffy, but the coughing and sneezing have abated significantly. Then again, I’m only on my third cup of coffee this morning. Thanks for all the kind expressions of sympathy, and especially thanks to the tip-jar hitters Joel in Indiana, Robert in Colorado, and Mark in Minnesota.

Category: Health Care

Housing Sales Data ‘Badly Flawed’?

Posted on | March 25, 2011 | 7 Comments

What if we were in the second dip of a double-dip recession and, because of inaccurate measurements, we didn’t even know it? That’s one possible interpretation of John Schoen’s story at MSNBC:

Two high-profile reports on home sales this week confirmed that the housing market is still mired in a deep slump with prices still falling and sales activity sluggish at best. In fact, the market may be in much worse shape than even those numbers suggest.
Figures from the National Association of Realtors that are among the most closely watched indicators on the housing market have been called into question by economists who say they may overstate existing-home sales activity by up to 20 percent. . . .
According to the Realtors, sales of existing homes fell nearly 10 percent last month, snapping three months of gains. Sales of new homes, which are tracked by the government, plunged in February for a third straight month to the lowest level in records dating back nearly 50 years.
Analysts have theorized that new-home sales have been hurt because prices of existing homes have fallen more quickly, making them relative bargains. But analysts have been unsettled by data suggesting that the housing market is headed into another leg down for sales and prices.

Read the whole thing. Accurately measuring economic activity isn’t easy — just ask the U.S. Commerce Department:

Gross domestic product growth was revised up to an annualized rate of 3.1 percent, the Commerce Department said on Friday in its final estimate, close to its initial estimate of 3.2 percent published two months ago and up from its tally of 2.8 percent made in February.

The fourth quarter ended in December and, in January, Commerce made an initial estimate of 3.2 percent growth. But when it came time to publish the actual data in February, they could show only 2.8 percent growth. Now, however, they’ve had time to accumulate better data and so the numbers have been revised upward to 3.1 percent.

“Close enough for government work.”


Category: Economics

Dear ManBearPig: We Know, Climate Is Not Static

Posted on | March 25, 2011 | 8 Comments

by Smitty (via Bluegrass Pundit)

Yes, Al, we’re cereal. Via The Hill:

“Not since the dark days of the Bush administration have we seen a Republican-controlled Congress that is so intent on pushing their agenda in Washington — protecting tax breaks for oil companies making record profits, attempting to roll back environmental regulations, and not only refusing to pass climate change legislation in any form but refusing to acknowledge that climate change even exists,” Gore wrote in a fundraising pitch for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).

Ah, yes, those pre-financial crisis days were indeed dark. And the thought of Congress doing its job, instead of letting the EPA go APE with its PEA brain on the economy is indeed terrifying. We could actually stave off economic collapse if there was enough energy to run the country.
Everybody knows that climate is not static, and good stewardship of resources and the environment is common sense. The problem you have, Mr. Gore, is that you are viewed as a slightly slenderized version of Michael Moore, the image of a hypocritical, self-serving buffoon who regularly urinates down the public back while congratulating himself on his rain-making capacity.
So, yeah, this post is rather harsh in tone, but your actions either merit an extended public apology, or a retirement in silence with your Oscar and your Nobel. No one envies you or likes what you have to say or views you as other than an economic predator. Begone, or face increasing ridicule.

Category: ManBearPig

He’s Herman Cain …

Posted on | March 25, 2011 | 5 Comments

. . . and he approved this message:

Notice the reference to “Ellen” — that’s Ellen Carmichael, Cain’s communications director. She’s often told me how much she enjoys working for him because he’s so optimistic and cheerful. Here you see him talking about growing up during segregation, without any hint of bitterness or resentment. Heck, he’s laughing about it.

Little Miss Attila says “I like this guy.” She should join the grassroots online army at Citizens for Cain. And you should, too.

Category: Election 2012, Herman Cain

What A Condescending Pile Of Hooey

Posted on | March 25, 2011 | 7 Comments

by Smitty

Troglopundit links an article in the National Journal making the claim that

a solid majority of political operatives — 59 percent — said the public didn’t “know enough about the issues facing Washington to form wise opinions about what should be done.”

Political positions are about leadership. I’ll cite the Stockdale Leadership Model: a leader is a moralist, jurist philosopher, steward, and teacher. Leaders acquire and broadcast knowledge. They point in a direction, navigate via a moral compass, and articulate to those who will soon succeed them why, in the near term, the bad guys can appear to win.
Certainly, some aspects of the government have a great deal of history to them, and have acquired complexity. Yet, real leadership would seek to minimize that, both to make it easier to manage in the here and now, and for the next generation to assume the watch.
As we’re collapsing into an Imperial Executive and a Divine Government, officeholders are instead becoming a ‘priesthood’. Laws pile upon laws with intent to obscure. I can’t find the quote, but I seem to recall it was Sowell, mentioning that it took 2,000+ pages of ObamaCare to describe how it was going to be unfair to people. Precisely the antithesis of the purpose of law and government.
News flash for you self-aggrandizing Ruling Class creeps: you will continue to be peacefully opposed by liberty-loving Americans, who will continue to communicate and resist you. It’s common sense, it’s patriotism, it’s the knowledge that the fools who have created this contemporary crisis are incapable of doing anything but worsen it. The Ruling Class are so generally Gollum-like in their twistedness as to be incapable of redemption short of an overt act of God. We can pray for them, but these ‘priests’ are not leaders and therefore should not be followed.

Category: Troglopundit

LIVE AT FIVE – 03.25.11

Posted on | March 25, 2011 | 1 Comment

TOP NEWS
NATO Takes Over Command & Control Of No-Fly Zone

The NATO symbol outside the alliance HQ in Brussels

Not agreed yet re: taking on broader responsibilities from UNSC

Reactor Core May Be Breached At Fukushima Plant
Radioactive water to be drained from No. 3 unit



Air Traffic Controller Tested For Drugs, Suspended After Sleeping On The Job
FAA declines to confirm testing or comment on results



POLITICS
Hispanics Surge To New High: 50 Million

The Other McCain Salutes The New US Center Of Population, Plato Missouri: Population 50!

Hispanics also made up over half the nation’s population growth

California Site For “Maternity Tourists” Shut Down (Video)

Romney Hits Road To Target Big Contributors




Union Bill Ruling Moves On To Wisc. Supreme Court

Texas Beauty Queen Wins Back Her Crown

Bachmann Tests Support In Iowa For 2012 Candidacy

Boehner Faces Tea Party Pressure On Budget



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Fed’s Clash with Bank Of America Raises Questions
USPS Announces Sweeping Job Cuts, District Office Closures
Euro Heads For Second Weekly Advance Vs. Yen
Forecast Glum On Global Auto Output
US Stocks Close Higher As Earnings, Outlooks Boost Tech
Comodo CEO: Fake SSL Certificate Incident Highlights Flaws In DNS
Research In Motion 4Q Profit Beats Forecast, Outlook Falls Short
Forrester CEO Predicts Apple Will Eclipse HP, IBM



SPORTS
UConn Men Beat Aztecs 74-67 In Sweet 16 Action

Kemba Walker drives against the Aztecs in the first half of his 36-point night

Walker leads and makes Huskies believe

In The End, Too Many Pieces Missing For Jimmer Fredette Finale

Loss At Houston Clinches Warriors’ Third Straight Losing Season

Illusion Of Big East Dominance Takes Hit In Tournament

Sacramento Mayor Says Kings’ Relocation Like Slow Death

Arizona Announces Arrival With Second-Half Demolition Of Duke


Penguins Beat Punchless Flyers In Shootout

Steroids Expert Testifies At Bonds Trial

FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
This Week’s EW Cover: Robert Pattinson Moves Beyond “Twilight”

All about "Water For Elephants" and future plans

Pattinson dishes on Reese Witherspoon, annoying vampire contacts, and more

“Real Housewives Of DC” Second Season Vetoed?

Whoopi Admits To Toking Up, Being Completely Stoned During 1981 Oscar
What’s her excuse these days?

Rachael Ray Cooked Her Dog?!?!

ABC Orders “Dancing” Duo Lacey & Mike To Turn Down The Heat

George Lopez Compares Kirstie Alley To A Pig



Showtime Developing Comedy Series Adaptation Of “Chew” Comic

“Sucker Punch” Ladies Shine On Red Carpet



FOREIGNERS
Portugal’s Crisis Bad Timing For EU Summit (Video)
Syria’s Regime Forced To Offer Concessions
Yemen Security Forces Brace For Mass Protest
Northeast Burma Struck By Powerful Quake
Ivory Coast Neighbors Urge Tougher UN Stance
EU Nuclear Fight Spills Over To Leaders’ Summit



BLOGS & STUFF
Cubachi: Michele Bachmann Forms Exploratory Committee
Lee Stranahan: Why I’m Quitting Blogging At HuffPo
Legal Insurrection: WI Court Of Appeals Refuses To Rule On TRO, Sends Case On To State Supreme Court
Weasel Zippers: GE Makes $14.2 Billion Profit, Gets $3.2 Billion Tax Credit
Flopping Aces: Krauthammer Says Obama’s “Working On Language That Will Disguise A Failure”
Peter Suderman: Space Waste
Camille Paglia: Liz Taylor “A Luscious, Opulent, Ripe Fruit!”

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Category: Live at Five
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