CA Needs to Ban Dumb Bills

First we hear that a California legislator wants to criminalize spanking -- a bill columnist Steve Greenhut suggests has a real chance of passing -- and now a California legislator wants to...ban light bulbs?

So much for letting the free market work.

Some politicians won't be happy until they have decided every minute detail of our daily living. I guess we're just too dumb to be able to make responsible decisions ourselves...

Update on Saving the Union 76 Balls

Last May I reported on the efforts to save the iconic Union 76 balls which ConocoPhillips has been steadily removing from California gas stations.

My local station lost its orange ball last year. I miss it.

Jacob Soboroff of L.A. Observed's Native Intelligence reports that the "Save the 76 Ball" campaign appears to have had some influence. ConocoPhillips has agreed to help preserve up to 3 dozen of the balls by sending them to museums or elsewhere.

And now the company is considering replacing some of the orange balls with balls in the company's red color, rather than removing the spinning balls altogether.

Around the Blogosphere Today

Real Clear Politics, always a great site to visit, has an especially rich lineup of articles today. One of my favorites was by Victor Davis Hanson, writing on John Kerry, "The Ugly American" (linked above).

Captain's Quarters reports on a bill sponsored by Senators Obama and Schumer which would further restrict free political speech...individuals could file lawsuits against anyone they believe is making a "deceptive" public argument.

Captain Ed: "I'm certain that this law would have resulted in an avalanche of lawsuits against the Swift Boat veterans in 2004. They would have had to sink their funds into courtrooms and lawyers across the nation, defending their right to speak out by offering the considerable testimony and documentation they collected -- but that effort would have stopped them from participating in the election."

Michelle Malkin has an extensive roundup on the bizarre column by the Washington Post's National Security writer, in which he referred to U.S. soldiers as "mercenaries" who enjoy "obscene amenities"; he generally slammed them, saying they should be grateful they have any support from the American public. The author, William Arkin, seems to be more than a little unhinged (he also desperately needs the services of an editor)...yet he's employed by the Washington Post.

Betsy Newmark muses on Joe Biden's latest case of foot-in-mouth-itis, wondering among other things: "Will the Washington Post run as many stories on it as they did on George Allen saying macaca?"

An Interesting Idea

Quin Hillyer of The American Spectator, notes that "conservatives have been desperately searching for a champion who knows how to communicate, how to engage and inspire the public, ever since Reagan left the scene. What has been missing in the interim is not merely some acquired skill or a trick of communicating, but a communications talent that is married to a genuine, heartfelt, long-developed set of beliefs."

Hillyer suggests that perhaps that champion conservatives are looking for is...Tony Snow.

Read the whole piece.

More on Mrs. Clinton

A great column by Jan Moir of London's Daily Telegraph, "Whom Does Hillary Think She's Fooling?" about Mrs. Clinton's attempt to do a "soft-focus rebrand" of herself as she pursues the Presidency.

If you happened to miss last week's column by Gerard Baker of the Times of London, "The Vaulting Ambition of America's Lady Macbeth," be sure to catch that one too. These British columnists both have Mrs. Clinton pegged.

If you want to understand the real Hillary Clinton, I highly recommend Barbara Olson's THE FINAL DAYS: THE LAST, DESPERATE ABUSES OF POWER BY THE CLINTON WHITE HOUSE. Olson's earlier HELL TO PAY: THE UNFOLDING STORY OF HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON and Peggy Noonan's THE CASE AGAINST HILLARY CLINTON are also well-researched, worthwhile reads.

Unfortunately it looks like it's time for all of us to start remembering the Clinton White House we'd rather forget, in order to work to stop this woman from becoming President.

The Lady Resents

John Podhoretz suggests we got a glimpse of the real Hillary Clinton when she said "I really resent" the prospect of inheriting a war if she were elected President. "The real Hillary is the Really Resenting one..."

You'd think if Hillary thought she could handle foreign policy better than the current President, she'd be jumping at the chance to "clean up" what she perceives as President Bush's problem.

Podhoretz adds: "Imagine, for example, that President Bush had given a speech a few days after 9/11 declaring he really resented the fact that Bill Clinton didn't kill Osama bin Laden before Bush became president."

Mitt Romney's Pro-Life "Conversion"

Jennifer Rubin in The Weekly Standard: "...a look at Romney's second campaign, the 2002 race for Massachusetts governor, reveals that his pro-choice stance and support for embryonic stem cell research were clear and ardent less than five years ago."

As I wrote yesterday, Romney's "evolution" from being a pro-abortion moderate to a conservative pro-lifer is hardly Reaganesque; it's political opportunism.

If Romney is truly now pro-life, I of course am happy about that; but would I trust him to stick to that position as President? Not if the wind starts blowing another direction.

50 Years Working at the Apple Pan

TJ Sullivan has a wonderful piece on the employees of the famed Los Angeles burger diner, The Apple Pan, at L.A. Observed's Native Intelligence. The Apple Pan celebrates its 60th anniversary this spring.

The Sandy Berger Mystery, Continued

John Fund of Opinion Journal explores two mysteries -- why Sandy Berger stole classified documents from the National Archives, and why the Justice Department let him do it with a mere slap on the wrist.

Tonight's Movie: Half Angel (1951)

January seems to be Loretta Young Movie Month... Following our recent viewing of BEDTIME STORY and KEY TO THE CITY, tonight's movie was HALF ANGEL, a slight but amusing romantic comedy costarring Young and Joseph Cotten.

By day, Nora (Young) is a prim nurse who dislikes hospital benefactor John Raymond (Cotten) and is newly engaged to her boyfriend of five years. By night, Nora sleepwalks and tirelessly chases after Raymond, who was a childhood friend. She doesn't remember her evenings with Raymond during the day, which leaves the poor man very confused. Will Nora's day and night personalities be reconciled and true love win the day? One guess. :)

HALF ANGEL is by no means a great film, but compared to much of the dreck produced today, it's a pleasant way to pass an hour and 17 minutes.

The supporting cast includes Jim Backus, Cecil Kellaway, and Irene Ryan (Granny of THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES). It was directed by Richard Sale. The lush Technicolor cinematography by the great Milton Krasner does full justice to Young's beautiful gowns by Travilla.

HALF ANGEL is not available on DVD or VHS. It can be viewed on cable as part of the Fox Movie Channel library.

December 2012 Update: HALF ANGEL has been released on DVD-R in the Fox Cinema Archives program.

Deborah Orin-Eilbeck of NY Post Dies at 59

I was saddened to learn tonight of the death of Deborah Orin-Eilbeck of the New York Post. I have enjoyed her work for many years.

Ms. Orin-Eilbeck passed away after a battle with cancer.

President and Mrs. Bush have issued a statement expressing their sorrow.

Romney Compares Political Evolution to Reagan

Mitt Romney has developed a line for his speeches acknowledging his "evolving" political views: "On abortion, I wasn't always a Ronald Reagan conservative. Neither was Ronald Reagan, by the way. But like him, I learned from experience."

This is one of the rare occasions when I disagree with Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters; Romney's Reagan reference did not provide "a nice touch." Just the opposite.

I frankly find Romney's attempt to liken himself to Reagan in this area to be a cheap shot which inadvertently attempts to make Reagan's views look as changeable as Romney's. It doesn't bring Romney up to Reagan's stature, it attempts to drag Reagan down to Romney's size, and it certainly doesn't make Romney look any better in my eyes.

As is well known, Reagan's political transition occurred over a period of decades. The evolution of his conservative philosophies was documented, in part, in the brand-new book THE EDUCATION OF RONALD REAGAN.

At the time Reagan ran for President, his views had been well known for a very considerable length of time; they did not change simply because he was running for the Presidency.

Romney, on the other hand, has fashioned his political "beliefs" -- including his position on abortion -- as dictated by political necessity.

Tonight's Movie: Key to the City (1950)

KEY TO THE CITY is a cute romantic comedy starring Clark Gable and Loretta Young as mayors who meet at a convention in San Francisco. Proper Harvard Law graduate Young and former longshoreman Gable initially don't get along very well, but opposites attract, and after a series of misadventures -- including a couple of arrests -- they fall in love.

The excellent supporting cast includes James Gleason as a police sergeant on the night desk, Frank Morgan as a fire-prone fire chief, Lewis Stone as Loretta's uncle, and Raymond Burr as a political henchman. Marilyn Maxwell, Pamela Britton, and Clinton Sundberg also appear. Jack Elam, in one of his earliest film roles, has an uncredited part as a city councilman.

The prominent use of the song "San Francisco" as background music calls to mind Gable's classic film of the same name. Unfortunately, what little is seen of that beautiful city is stock footage. The view during a romantic scene on Telegraph Hill is cleverly obscured by fog.

By now it is well known that Gable and Young fell in love and conceived a child while making CALL OF THE WILD (1935). As Gable was married at the time, Young went to great lengths to keep the baby, while salvaging both her and Gable's careers, by pretending to be ill for a prolonged time and then "adopting" a child, Judy. That story can be read from two perspectives, by Judy herself in UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE and in the authorized Loretta Young biography FOREVER YOUNG by Joan Wester Anderson. A deeply religious woman, Loretta spent decades supporting a home for unwed mothers. She and Gable had seen little of each other in the years between CALL OF THE WILD and KEY TO THE CITY.

KEY TO THE CITY was filmed in black and white and runs 101 minutes. It was directed by George Sidney, perhaps best known as the director of beloved MGM musicals such as ANCHORS AWEIGH, THE HARVEY GIRLS, SHOW BOAT (1951), and KISS ME, KATE.

KEY TO THE CITY is available on VHS. It's also part of the Turner Classic Movies library.

March 2013 Update: KEY TO THE CITY is now available in a remastered print from the Warner Archive.

July 2017 Update: My review of the Warner Archive DVD may be found here.

Tonight's Movie: Man With the Gun (1955)

MAN WITH THE GUN is a fairly entertaining Western starring Robert Mitchum as Clint Tollinger, a "town tamer" hired to clean up Sheridan City. It just so happens Tollinger's estranged wife (Jan Sterling) is also in Sheridan City, where she is a "businesswoman" who houses and supplies dance hall girls to the local saloon.

Mitchum is always compelling; it's enjoyable watching his strategies to clean up the town. The personal storyline, with Sterling as the cold, bitter woman from Mitchum's past, is less interesting, and even somewhat distasteful given her new career. The resolution to their relationship at the end of the film was a bit abrupt.

The movie has a good supporting cast, including Barbara Lawrence and Angie Dickinson as the dance hall girls and Claude Akins and Leo Gordon as bad guys.

It was filmed in black and white and runs 83 minutes. It was the first film directed by Richard Wilson, who had a fairly short career as a director. Wilson had a varied career including bit acting parts and serving as Orson Welles' assistant on CITIZEN KANE and THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS.

MAN WITH THE GUN is available on VHS.

Brian Wilson FNC's New Washington Bureau Chief

Fox News Channel correspondent and weekend anchor Brian Wilson succeeds Kim Hume as the network's new Washington Bureau chief. He has also been named a vice president.

Wilson will continue to make appearances on Fox.

Sunday Update: Nice video of Brian Wilson's farewell on Weekend Live is available here.

Obama: Universal Health Care by End of First Term

Senator Barack Obama says "I am absolutely determined that by the end of the first term of the next president, we should have universal health care in this country."

I got to wondering: if the U.S. adopts universal health care, where will all the Canadians and Brits who flee their dysfunctional universal health care systems for the U.S. go? :)

If this country simultaneously elects a Democrat President and Democrat Congress, it seems almost certain socialized medicine will arrive in the U.S.

"Yes, Rudy Giuliani is a Conservative"

Steven Malanga of City Journal makes the case for Giuliani. It's a thought-provoking "must read" article.

An excerpt:

"In a GOP presidential field in which cultural and religious conservatives may find something to object to in every candidate who could really get nominated (and, more important, elected), Giuliani may be the most conservative candidate on a wide range of issues. Far from being a liberal, he ran New York with a conservative’s priorities: government exists above all to keep people safe in their homes and in the streets, he said, not to redistribute income, run a welfare state, or perform social engineering. The private economy, not government, creates opportunity, he argued; government should just deliver basic services well and then get out of the private sector’s way. He denied that cities and their citizens were victims of vast forces outside their control, and he urged New Yorkers to take personal responsibility for their lives."

More: "To those of us who observed Giuliani from the beginning, it was astonishing how fully he followed through on his conservative principles once elected, no matter how much he upset elite opinion, no matter how often radical advocates took to the streets in protest, no matter how many veiled (and not so veiled) threats that incendiary figures like Al Sharpton made against him, and no matter how often the New York Times fulminated against his policies. In particular, offended by the notion that people should be treated differently and demand privileges based on the color of their skin, Giuliani was fearless in confronting racial extortionists..."

"For Giuliani, the revival of New York started with securing public safety, because all other agendas were useless if citizens didn’t feel protected..."

Giuliani is also a proponent of school vouchers, saying: "“[T]he whole notion of choice is really about more freedom for people, rather than being subjugated by a government system that says you have no choice about the education of your child."

Malanga's account of Giuliani's battle against the entrenched liberal political culture in New York City is long and detailed, and worth reading every word.

I'm not sold, but at this point I'm open-minded given the current lack of a candidate to carry forward the tradition of Reagan conservatism... I'm particularly concerned about what Rudy's judicial picks would be like, but I'm not sure they'd be any worse, at least, than those that would be made by McCain or Romney.

(Hat tip: Real Clear Politics.)

Update: Captain Ed responds to the article and, noting that Giuliani has consistently spoken out against judicial activism, concludes: "Conservatives should reconsider Giuliani. Of all the candidates in the race thus far, he has the best track record of implementing conservative governance consistently and successfully."

Whites Need Not Apply

Can you imagine the reaction if there were a "Congressional White Caucus"?

It's time for this country to fully embrace Martin Luther King's dream and get past color-based politics and racial separatism.

New Book: Zamboni: The Coolest Machines on Ice

Years ago I worked for a law firm which represented the Zamboni family, so I've always been extra-interested in the machines. Thus I was intrigued to learn about ZAMBONI: THE COOLEST MACHINES ON ICE by Eric Dregni. Looks like a fun slice of pop culture history. (Hat tip: SoCal Sports Observed.)

I learned via Amazon that there is also a children's alphabet book titled Z IS FOR ZAMBONI. Looks like a must-have for any young hockey fans, in particular.

For more info, visit the official Zamboni website, which contains the company's history.

NC Bar Charges Nifong Withheld Evidence

It looks as though justice is finally on the way in the Duke "rape" hoax case.

Update: More analysis from KC Johnson at Durham-in-Wonderland.