Tuesday Round-Up

The second straight day I’ve done a round-up. Big reason is that I’m not 100%. I’ve got a sore throat and in my line of work (Call Center Customer Service) that’s about the worst affliction possible. That’s why there’s no podcasts this week. Hopefully, I’ll be able to resume Thursday.

Anyway, here’s some interesting Blog Posts, I found.

Over at Pro-Life Blogs found an interesting press release by the Cook County GOP. What’s huge about this is that the Illinois GOP has traditionally been pretty moderate. I think for the Cook County party to take this line is pretty powerful for the pro-life movement. Hopefully, this will begin a trend of the establishment not treating pro-lifers like lepers.

Thinklings has the sad story of Ota Benga, a pygmy from Africa who was turned into part of a racist Zoo exhibit in the name of Darwinian theory. Here’s a brief excerpt:

The story of Ota Benga is a sad and maddening example of the kinds of blunders that occurred at a time when the theory of Darwinism was rationalizing the evolution of humanity. To the thousands of spectators in St. Louis in the summer of 1904, the Department of Anthropology’s exhibits of Pygmies, American Indians, Filipinos and Asians living in reconstructed huts and villages seemed to prove that man had indeed ascended from savages to masters of civilization.

The “guests” as the men, women and children on display were euphemistically called probably weren’t so impressed: The Americans had a penchant for stealing pieces of the exhibits, and they also threw lighted cigars and other unwanted items into the displays. When teh(sic) chilly days of autumn arrived, the Pygmies weren’t permitted to wear warm clothes becaues that wouldn’t have been authentic…

Thousands of spectators flocked to the exhibit on the first weekend, and the New York Times reported that “the joint man-and-monkey exhibition was the most interesting in Bronx Park.” While the spectacle provided plenty of laughs, the Times added, “it is probably a good thing that Benga doesn’t think very deeply…If he did it isn’t likely that he was very proud of himself when he woke in the morning and found himself under the same roof with the orangutans and monkeys.”

Mr. Hornaday, the park’s director, vehemently defended the exhibit. “We are taking excellent care of the little fellow,” he said. “He has one of the best rooms in the primate house.” And the Times opined, “It is absurd to moan over the imagined humiliation and degradation he is suffering… The idea that men are all much alike except as they have had or lacked opportunities for getting an education out of books is now far out of date.”

Read the whole disturbing story at The Thinklings

Voting has begun in The Porkbusters Hall of Shame where people can nominate Congressmen and Senator for the “Honor.” Ted Stevens has actually garnered more votes than Robert Byrd which is a shock.

I voted for most of those nominated and was pretty bi-partisan:

Senator Ted Stevens (R-Ak.), Senator Robert Byrd (D-Wv.), Rep. Don Young (R-Ak.), Senator Richard Shelby (R-Al.), John Murtha (D-Pa.), Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Ma.), and Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC.).

I was somewhat bi-partian in voting no:

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wi.):

A lot of pork, but she’s been in Congress a long time, just not hall of Shame Material.

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Ia.):

I’d be hard-pressed to call his project pork as I consider the term to be defined, even though I probably wouldn’t support the program.

Rep. Charles Norwood (R-Ga.):

This is actually a pretty unfair nomination. Norwood actually voted for a bill to do a study on a proposal written by another representative to do some Freeways in the South. It cost all of $400,000. Come on.

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.)
Rep. Mike Castle (R-De.)

They’re minor leaguers in this game, not Hall of Shamers.

Rep. John Boehner (R-Oh.)
Rep. Denny Hastert (R-Ill.)

I voted to remove these as these don’t give any details. Got some nominations, share ‘em at Porkbusters and please make them juicy.

Finally, I have a piece in the Festival of Frugality.

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