"The Failed Lesson of Katrina"

Robert Tracinski at Real Clear Politics on New Orleans, Katrina, and the failure of the welfare state.

He makes a number of hard-hitting points, and concludes: "Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that the moral difference between self-reliance and dependence on government is ultimately the difference between life and death."

Good Plamegate Links at National Review

Byron York has an excellent column at National Review, noting that Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame have no intention of adding Richard Armitage to their lawsuit. Which, of course, just provides more evidence that their lawsuit has no purpose other than to attempt to injure the Bush Administration.

Cliff May analyzes David Corn's unusual role in the Plame matter, as it seems clear that Joe Wilson "leaked" his wife's supposedly covert status to Corn early on. May writes "It would be good for an investigative reporter to look into all this but I guess Michael Isikoff is disqualified since he decided to write a book about the Wilson/Plame affairs with David Corn as his co-author. What could Michael have been thinking?"

And Kate O'Beirne wrote my favorite Corner post of the day, wondering why the same members of the media who have endlessly staked out the homes of Karl Rove and Scooter Libby aren't currently in Richard Armitage's driveway. Armitage has yet to make a firsthand statement regarding his role as the Plamegate leaker.

Arnold Needs a Veto Pen

Governor Schwarzenegger is not having his best week in office.

As Iain Murray explains at The Corner: "Gov. Schwarzenegger has done a deal with the legislature to cap greenhouse gas emissions, essentially imposing Kyoto on his state... It is hard to escape the conclusion that what California has done today...is to decide to join the Third World."

Among other things, this could lead to more expensive utility bills for California consumers, which would be a real hardship given how sharply those bills have increased this year alone.

Meanwhile, the legislature has passed a bill which will make California's minimum wage the highest in the nation. It appears the governor will sign it.

The legislature also passed a bill prohibiting "teachers and textbooks from portraying homosexuality, cross-dressing, sex-change operations and homosexual marriage in a negative light." As of yesterday, it was not known whether or not the Governor would sign it.

"Secret Hold" Senator: Ted Stevens

With speculation continuing to build today, Republican Senator Ted Stevens has admitted through his staff that he was the senator who placed the anonymous hold on the pending bill which would allow American citizens to research spending in the federal budget via the Internet.

Stevens has a reputation for never having met a piece of pork he didn't like, most (in)famously the "Bridge to Nowhere".

Thursday Update: Stevens did not act alone. Democrat Senator Robert Byrd, the King of Pork, has admitted that he also placed an anonymous hold on this bill.

Byrd has released the hold as "there has been time to better understand the legislation."

And time to better understand that, thanks to the Internet, his days of secret parliamentary maneuvers may be over.

Today at Disneyland

The weather was gorgeous today, sunny and warm but not too hot. A hint of fall was in the air as the shop windows on Main Street already have pumpkins on display.


The last week of August is usually slow at Disneyland, as school has already started in other states. We spent a wonderfully uncrowded morning enjoying rides with very short lines.

We even had the chance to ride both sides of the Matterhorn back to back and compare. We thought that the "right" side was smoother (the "outside" track makes wider turns) but the "left" side was more fun and had a better "splashdown" at the end.


Labor Day and the end of the 50th Anniversary Celebration are fast approaching. Already the merchandise available in the stores has been consolidated down to just a few shops. Soon the beautiful decorations will be part of park history and happy memories.

Hillarycare Coming to CA?

The only thing standing between socialized medicine and California citizens may be Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

He has previously taken a position against universal health care.

California citizens, incidentally, have in the recent past rejected a ballot initiative for state-run health insurance, but the state legislature seems unable to take "no" for an answer.

This legislative session can't end quickly enough.

CA Lawmakers Vote to Give Illegal Immigrants Financial Aid

It's bad enough our state gives illegal immigrants in-state college tuition rates, giving financial preference to illegal aliens over legal citizens of other states.

Now the state assembly has voted to give illegal immigrant students taxpayer-funded financial aid for college, such as Cal Grants. The bill next goes to the state senate.

Yes, we're working hard so that illegal non-taxpayers can receive free state tuition. That makes total sense.

Not only does that fly in the face of justice and further insult this state's taxpayers, it provides additional encouragement to those wishing to enter the country illegally. In this day and age, that defies all common sense.

"Aides to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he had taken no position on the bill."

And why not, Arnold?

The Incredible Shrinking Katie Couric

And we're supposed to trust Katie Couric and CBS News to tell us the truth?

Uh-huh.

Plamegate: More Pathetic Than We Knew

Richard Armitage has come clean and admitted through his lawyer that the Newsweek story was accurate: he was Robert Novak's source.

What's even more stunning is the confirmation that Armitage disclosed his talks with Novak to the FBI before Patrick Fitzgerald was ever appointed as special prosecutor.

Think about that: there was never anything "there" for Fitzgerald to investigate in the first place! Yet millions of tax dollars have gone down the drain in this investigation, and one person, Scooter Libby, has lost his job and been indicted because his memory of events differed from someone else's. And, as Rush Limbaugh pointed out, the media, Fitzgerald, and Democrats used this non-case as an excuse to smear the Administration, particularly Karl Rove.

One must also ask how Richard Armitage could, in good conscience, remain quiet for three years as Fitzgerald's investigation went on and hurt so many people. It wasn't enough to tell the FBI; he should have gone public and put a stop to the speculation and stories at the outset. Just One Minute has written a good story on "The Hubris of Richard Armitage."

Rush Limbaugh also pointed out that the complicit media, rather than excoriating Armitage, are trying to paint a picture of him as a lovable guy who meant no harm. The Newsweek article describes Armitage as "a well-known gossip who loves to dish and receive juicy tidbits about Washington characters." They certainly wouldn't do that for Karl Rove. Armitage, in remaining publicly quiet, gave the media a weapon to use to damage the Bush Administration, so now the media is returning the favor in letting him off the hook.

Christopher Hitchens on "Plamegate's Ridiculous Conclusion." Hitchens points out that David Corn, one of the co-authors of the Newsweek article and forthcoming book, HUBRIS, had attacked the administration for the "thuggish act" of supposedly disclosing Plame's identity. (Which was never a secret, anyway, but that's another part of this entire convoluted non-case.)

Ed Morrissey, a couple of days ago: "Just a Plame Waste of Time".

A postscript: Armitage has apparently been aiding John McCain behind the scenes. One more reason not to vote for McCain for President.

Update: National Review's Byron York has written today on the lack of contact between the authors of HUBRIS and Rove and Libby, as well as the strangeness of David Corn co-authoring an "investigative news" book when he was part of the story himself. According to York, Corn also maintains a website called "Bushlies.com."

More from Jack Kelly: "Mr. Fitzgerald knew in his first few days on the job that Mr. Armitage was the leaker; that the leak was inadvertent, and that the Intelligence Identities Act hadn't been violated. Yet he has persisted in a sham prosecution."

And don't miss John Podhoretz, who seems to have had the whole "case" figured out from the get-go.

Podhoretz concludes: "Fitzgerald indicted Libby while claiming he was the first 'known' official to have talked to reporters about Valerie Wilson. But Fitzgerald was simply wrong about this central contention in his case. He was wrong to indict Libby on questionable charges of having been deceitful about a matter that wasn't in fact criminal to begin with. Valerie Wilson's boss was wrong to go along with her nepotistic plan of giving her vainglorious liar of a husband a few more days of government service. And Joseph Wilson - the word 'wrong' doesn't even begin to describe him."

Arnold Makes a Really Big Mistake

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger finally went far enough over the line that conservatives may be sitting home this November instead of voting.

The governor has signed a law (1441) prohibiting colleges, private schools, daycare centers, and other facilities from having moral conduct codes if any of their students receive state financial help with their tuition. There is to be no "discrimination" based on sexual orientation.

This law includes colleges with students receiving Cal Grants as part of their financial aid. There is no exemption for faith-based organizations.

While on the one hand one might make the case that it's better, from the point of view of some religious organizations, not to take money with governmental strings attached in the first place, it seems to me that there could be a serious case made that this law discriminates on the basis of religion.

John Kerry: Sleazy Campaigning

John Kerry is campaigning against the Republican candidate for governor of Ohio, Ken Blackwell, by alleging that Blackwell "used his office to abuse our democracy and threaten basic voting rights" in the 2004 Presidential election.

Kerry writes in a campaign email that Blackwell "used the power of his state office to try to intimidate Ohioans and suppress the Democratic vote."

Of course, he has no facts to back up his slander of Blackwell, because there aren't any.

The modern Democratic Party has no positive platform and no constructive ideas, so instead they campaign based on groundless character assassination.

The Blogosphere at Its Finest

A pending Senate bill would create a national online database allowing the American public to research spending in the federal budget. This "full disclosure" showing how our tax dollars are spent is a huge step forward for open government. It should also lead to pressure for reduced spending, as the public is able to look at specific items included in the budget and identify "pork" and waste.

As Brit Hume explains at the above link, one of the senators has placed an anonymous hold on the legislation, stopping it in its tracks.

That's where the blogosphere comes in. Individual senators are being asked to go on the record and deny that they placed the secret hold, and the data is being compiled at Porkbusters and Muckraker. So far the number of denials is up to 53.

As the denials increase and the number of "suspects" shrinks, the pressure is going to build on the senator who placed the hold. Although the senator might have preferred to hide the ball when it comes to federal spending, being known as the person who attempted to stop this legislation may not be good for his or her career.

Mary Katharine Ham points toward evidence that the senator in question might be Democrat Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.

Isn't it interesting that the mainstream media is willing to spend its time on obviously worthless wild good chases, such as the Plame leak and the recent Jon Benet Ramsey phony "confession," yet when it comes to a legitimately newsworthy mystery, most of the media looks the other way?

A Google News search, as of late Monday evening, shows just a handful of articles, including stories in The Washington Times, The Modesto Bee, and a Cox News Service story by Rebecca Carr carried in a few papers such as The Contra Costa Times. The "old media," including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, seem to be uninterested in publishing the story as of the time of this post.

Captain Ed weighs in on why secret Senate holds and secret government spending should not be part of an open society.

Tuesday Update: Ed Morrissey has interviewed Majority Leader Bill Frist on this topic and updates the story. Frist plans to talk to everyone and if there is still a hold, have them object publicly from the floor.

Senator Frist says there is also a way to maneuver around the hold without it being released, but as Ed points out, there aren't many days left in the legislative session for that option. Hopefully pressure from the blogosphere and constituents will see to it that this bill comes up for a Senate vote.

Tonight's Movie: His Kind of Woman (1951)

HIS KIND OF WOMAN is our second Robert Mitchum movie viewed this weekend, the first being BLOOD ON THE MOON. The "woman" of the title is the film's leading lady, Jane Russell.

HIS KIND OF WOMAN is considered to be film noir, but it has to be the strangest example of that genre I've yet seen. The plot, such as it is, almost defies description. The first three quarters of the movie alternates traditional dark noir elements with humor and romance, as down-on-his-luck gambler Robert Mitchum accepts a large sum of money to travel to a remote Mexican resort for unknown reasons.

The story meanders in a most unusual way as Mitchum interacts with the odd cast of characters at the resort, including Vincent Price, a sharpshooting ham actor. The movie feels rather patched together; you never have a sense of where it's going to end up next, though it's highly entertaining. Mitchum even has a CASABLANCA-type moment, helping a young couple at the gambling tables. And of course, he finds romance, not to mention a musical interlude or two, with Jane Russell. Yet even during the lighter moments, there is an undercurrent of darkness and uncertainty as Mitchum tries to figure out who he can trust and what the real reason is for his paid resort "vacation."

The level of violence in the film's last half hour is too sadistic and overdone to make the movie a complete pleasure. However, those scenes are offset by the intercut sequences featuring Price's amusing heroics, and the ending is satisfactory, so I recommend the film, although I left the room briefly during a couple of the more unpleasant scenes. I would not recommend this movie for pre-teens.

The film was chiefly directed by John Farrow (husband of Maureen O'Sullivan, father of Mia), although some scenes were reshot by Richard Fleischer. Farrow previously directed another memorable film about a group of people stranded and in danger, FIVE CAME BACK, which has stayed vivid in my memory since I saw it at a museum screening as a teenager. In that film, an airplane crashed onto an island of headhunters. Very different plots -- and HIS KIND OF WOMAN has a firm thread of humor missing from the other film -- but the overall feeling of foreboding and suspense, and the examination of group dynamics when dealing with imminent peril, feels rather similar, as does the exceeding nastiness of the threat lurking "out there."

HIS KIND OF WOMAN is available on DVD as part of the Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 3. There is a commentary on the film's checkered production history by UCLA professor Vivian Sobchak. I haven't yet heard the commentary myself, but am told Sobchak disproves the assertion posted at IMDb that the movie was completely reshot by Richard Fleischer. (I suspect that if producer Howard Hughes and Fleischer had left Farrow's original ending intact, I would have found the last section of the film more tolerable.) I'm looking forward to listening to this track in the near future.

This film is also part of the Turner Classic Movies library.

The movie was filmed in black and white and runs two hours even.

2025 Update: HIS KIND OF WOMAN is now available on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection. My review of the Blu-ray may be read here.

Fox News Crew Released

Very happy news today.

More from Michelle Malkin.

I Don't Think So

Paul Johnson of Power Line, responding to an American Spectator article on Governor Mitt Romney's success courting some evangelicals, suggests "The Mitt Begins to Fit."

Respectfully, I disagree.

I don't find Romney particularly conservative and am baffled by those (including the Evangelicals for Mitt) who describe him as such. As recently as 2002, Romney ran as a pro-choice candidate. Given that, I don't have a great deal of confidence that Romney is solidly pro-life.

Romney's mandatory health insurance plan, which he claims is a "conservative" idea ("insisting that individuals have responsibility for their own health care"), is the essence of big government interference in the free market. Forcing people to buy something reduces personal freedom and leads to higher prices, as the market has less need to compete for guaranteed buyers.

Given these philosophies, particularly his very recent pro-choice position, what kind of judicial appointments could we expect from Romney?

Romney does have some conservative credentials, such as support of traditional marriage, but I don't know if that will be enough to win over skeptics.

George Allen's recent verbal goofiness has dimmed his star for the time being, so the race seems wide open for a truly conservative candidate should one decide to run. But who?

It's About Time

Federal air marshals will be able to dispense with the strict business attire dress code which looked sharp but, in this day and age, often clued in other travelers to the marshals' possible identities.

It's hard to believe that higher-ups maintained this rule as long as they did. We'll all be safer flying with the marshals having an element of surprise on their side.

Tonight's Movie: Blood on the Moon (1948)

BLOOD ON THE MOON is a briskly paced Western directed by the versatile Robert Wise. Robert Mitchum plays a "loose rider" who seemingly wanders into the middle of a range war pitting Robert Preston against Barbara Bel Geddes and family. Which side will Mitchum and his fast gun support?

Some writers refer to this movie as a "Western film noir." It has great moody black and white atmosphere, beginning with the opening scene of Mitchum preparing to bunk down for the night after riding through a rainstorm. A shadowy barroom brawl between Mitchum and Preston is classic. The movie was partially shot in Sedona, Arizona, and includes striking shots of mountains against cloud-filled skies.

Robert Mitchum is, well, Robert Mitchum, terrific as the laconic, initially morally ambiguous gunman. Barbara Bel Geddes is an atypical Western heroine who is very handy with a rifle herself. This was one of Bel Geddes's first films; she also appeared that year as Katrin in the wonderful I REMEMBER MAMA.

Walter Brennan is superb in a supporting role and has the best line in the movie: "I always wanted to shoot one of you, and he was the handiest."

The film echoes some of the themes of one of my favorite Westerns, ANGEL AND THE BADMAN (1947): the gunslinger helped along the road to redemption by the love of a good woman; the older man with a rifle who could prove to be either friend or enemy to the hero. They're quite different movies, but it's interesting to mull over some of the story elements the two films have in common.

This 88-minute film is a small gem which deserves wider viewing and recognition.

BLOOD ON THE MOON is available on VHS.

This movie is also part of the Turner Classic Movies library. TCM has a nice writeup on the movie here, and the trailer is available here.

Update: This film is available in Europe on a Region 2 DVD. Still awaiting a U.S. release!

Update: I had a wonderful opportunity to see this film on a big screen at UCLA in July 2011.

March 2020 Update: Great news, a U.S. release at last! BLOOD ON THE MOON will be released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive in April 2020.

May 2020 Update: My review of the gorgeous Warner Archive Blu-ray may be found here.

June 2020 Update: The Warner Archive has now also released this film on DVD-R.

Update: Please visit my Classic Movie Hub Western RoundUp column which reviews Alan K. Rode's 2023 book on the making of BLOOD ON THE MOON.

Food Blogs!

USA Today ran a fun article today on blogs which focus on food and cooking.

Two of the blogs mentioned in the article, 101 Cookbooks and Chocolate and Zucchini, are linked at the left under "Food and Homemaking Links."

I'm familiar with a couple of the other blogs mentioned, and I look forward to checking out those sites which are new to me.

I've found that, as with blogs on other subjects, one of the best ways to find interesting cooking blogs is by checking out links at sites I like. Some of the food blogs I enjoy checking out from time to time, along with sites already linked at the left margin, are Cooking With Amy, 52 Cupcakes, I Like to Cook, Food Chronicles, and Simply Recipes.

The College Applications Process

USA Today ran an article today with some good insights into the arduous college applications process.

Like the family in the article, our daughter used a spreadsheet (Excel) to keep track of application and scholarship deadlines and fees. She had columns to check off as test scores and recommendation letters were completed. I highly recommend this to anyone about to embark on the process.

I also suggest setting aside a small chunk of time to work on "college" on a daily basis, beginning no later than September, which will prevent the student from being overwhelmed by the work involved once November and December hit.

Unlike the family in the article, our daughter did all the work herself, other than my proofreading her essays. It was time consuming, but I think it was a good thing that she "owned" the process as she worked through the applications and later the final college decision.

I'm happy to say that all the hard work was worth it, as she has very much enjoyed her first week at college. Tonight she walked past Leonard Maltin on campus...she is a film fan like the rest of our family so that was really fun. Maybe one year she can take his class. :)

Gas Tax Advocates Lack Confidence in Convictions

Advocates of Proposition 87, a November ballot measure which would impose a huge new tax on oil produced in California, obviously don't believe that their plan has much chance of succeeding.

They are so insecure that they bought up several "No on 87" web addresses so that when citizens searching for that phrase click on a "No" website, they are then redirected to a "Yes on 87" site. The cyber shenanigans have led to legal action.

A real "No on 87" site is here.

So much for good old-fashioned campaign work; the "Yes" campaign obviously feels they can win only by engaging in deception and trickery. Hopefully this bodes well for Proposition 87's defeat at the polls.