Archive for: July 2008

Below you will find one of the finest groups of men in which America is honored to be considered their home. Eight of them shall undertake the grueling task of going back to Iraq to report about the situation on …

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Chicago Tribune posted a story in the July 30 edition that highlights the often absurd hyperbole all too common in the language of environmentalists and eco-watchers. The story detailed the findings of scientists studying Lake Michigan and the ecology of the Great Lakes, one of them saying it is in “catastrophic” shape. Native fish and vegetation are being crowded out by new species and the “Great Lakes are at a tipping point” the Trib warns. It’s all presented as some major disaster that should alarm us all, as if Mother Nature is being ruined, presumably by man.

But a closer reading of the story proves that Mother Nature is doing just fine. It is only that our conception of what sort of ecology the Great Lakes should have that is taking a “catastrophic” turn.

The Trib report details the massively changing ecology of Lake Michigan as new species — like the zebra mussel, the guagga mussel and the round gobie, etc. — are remaking the ecology of the Great Lakes into something completely new in relation to what it once was. Scientists have found native fish species changing in their eating habits or beginning to disappear with new species adding a new aspect to the chain of life there.

It seems somehow to be alarming scientists.

It’s now time for the fourth day of my vacation “Dragnet Marathon” as I present a classic episode of Dragnet for people to enjoy while I’m out of state in the Portland …

-By Warner Todd Huston

Starting off with the often ridiculed 1998 hyperbole from writer Toni Morrison who decided that Bill Clinton was the nation’s first black president, “Asian Pop” writer,Jeff Yang of the San Francisco Chronicle, has decided that Barack Obama could be the first “Asian American president” if elected in November. Apparently Yang is unaware of how much ridicule has been heaped upon Morrison, and deservingly so, and he is lining up for some smacking around himself with this outlandish Chronicle piece.

We all remember that Morrison claimed that Clinton was some sort of honorary black man in the 90s. Apparently, because Clinton payed attention to — and incessantly pandered to — the black power establishment in the 90s, that was all that was required for a race-graft. At least that almost makes some sense, if only metaphorically. Now Yang takes Morrison’s loose connections one better, though. Apparently, all Obama has to have done to become an “Asian” is to have known some during his lifetime. After all, Obama is not known for being a politician constantly pandering to the Asian community like Clinton pandered to the black power structure. Does anyone recall Barack Obama sitting in a church as an Asian minister “God D_mns” America? But, why heck, he did grow up with a few Asian-like folks. So maybe there’s a little sumpthin’ in this!

After commenting on Morrison’s absurdities, Yang goes on to moon over Obama.

In fact, reading Obama’s absorbing 1995 memoir “Dreams from My Father,” it strikes me that the tropes that surround and define Obama can just as easily be read as those of another community entirely. Which raises the question: Could it be that our true first black president might also be our first Asian American president?

Case closed. Obama is now neither white, nor black, but Asian.

So, how is it that Obama can be claimed an Asian instead of a black man? Let’s run down Yang’s bullet points…

-By Warner Todd Huston

Yes, there are two Americas. The one where John Edwards used to have a scholarship program that he intended to set up as an example for all of America to …

I read something this evening that I had not heard about anywhere else expect over at Blackfive’s. He led me over to Mrs. Greyhawk’s wonderful article at the Mudville Gazette that distinguishes the true difference between Sen. Obama – a …

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Wall Street Journal today has an interesting little story highlighting a newly adopted change to the constitution of the powerful Service Employees International Union. At issue is whether it is legal for the union to …

by Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON (June 24, 2008) — The surge in Iraq has been a success by any measure, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said during a news conference June 23. The policy, announced by President Bush in …

by Capt. Robin Worch
1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs

SAMAWA, Iraq (July 28, 2008) – More than 500 tribal leaders gathered in Samawa to discuss upcoming Iraqi elections and issues affecting their tribes, July 16. “This is the spirit of democracy that …

-By Warner Todd Huston

How many Germans would vote for Barack Obama for our president? CNN claims to know. During the last weekend that Barack Obama was in Germany, CNN used a graphic on the Wolf Blitzer show that claimed that 72% of Germans preferred Obama with only a mere 11% who favored John McCain. Of course, CNN didn’t think it relevant to mention that only 501 Germans were even polled, nor that the poll was conducted by German pollster Emnid for a notorious tabloid newspaper named Bild — not the most trustworthy of sources. This is the same newspaper that published with “gushing immaturity” an Obamtastic “report” by one of their giddy female reporters who supposedly worked out with Obama in his hotel gym after which Obama claimed to have been “hustled.”

So where did this lopsided, 72% approval rating come from? How was the poll conducted? What questions were asked? How do we know what level of knowledge the respondents had about our candidates? Why should we just assume that this is even a relevant result to our elections? I guess all that CNN needed was to show that Obama is loved by Germany, no other investigation needed.

To give you a flavor of the sort of stories that comprises “news” with Bild tabloid, a perusal of some recent stories are in order. With such “news” as an interview with one Tatjana Gsell headlined “I Love Sex and Eroticism,” and another touting that “Sexy Claudia is Lahm’s New Neighbor” (Philipp Lahm is a German Sports figure), various Amy Winehouse stories and at least one story with a photo of actress Bai Ling bending over showing her breast popping out of her dress, you can see the caliber of stories that fills Bild Newspaper. They are also chock-a-block with sports stories galore. So, not much for hard news, to be sure.

It is claimed that Bild tabloid was created for the many Germans who are not well educated. Bild is German for “picture” so you can see that highly crafted writing is not a priority there. And with the constant salacious sex stories and pictures of nude women we can see that they have lived down to their reputation. Bild tabloid is not in a much higher bracket than America’s National Enquirer by comparison.