I'm Live Blogging Debate No. 3

Question	Bush	Kerry	Comment
1. Will our children live in a world as safe as the one we grew up in?	We can be safe if we stay on offense and spread freedom and liberty. 75% of Al Qaeda brought to justice. Held to account a terrorist regime We have a comprehensive plan. Goes to Kerry nuisance thing. Rebuttal-exaggeration. Use every asset at our disposal.	Yes. We must be. Pres. rushed us into war, pushed away allies. US bearing burden. Host of options like inspecting ports, cargo hold not xrayed, not enough fire and police. I can be smarter and more effective, hunt and kill terrorists. Do it like FDR, Reagan, Kennedy, with allies and better intelligence. Rebut. Outsorced Osama hunting to Afghan warlords. Bush- not concerned about Osama.	Bush could've had him. Weak answer.
2. Flu vaccine?	Relied on an English co., contaminated. Working with Canada in hope they'll help produce vaccine needed. Don't get flu shot if you're healthy and young. Goes to litigation ans deterrent to vaccine production. Rebut: plan not a litany of complaints. Have to pay for it. Cost would be $5 trillion over 10 years. Bait and switch--empty promise.	Underscores problems of health care system. Not working for family. 5 million lost health insurance. Statistics. I HAVE A PLAN to let all Americans buy in to insurance. Rebut: Bush did this on seniors. No response to Bush.	Bush got him.
3. Kerry-- you promised not to raise taxes on people with incomes below $200K. Won't this screw up debt.	Rhetoric doesn't match record. Colleague of Kennedy. You pay, he goes ahead and spends. 2 trillion in new spending, new tax raises 600-800M. Middle class will pay. We need progrowth policies and fiscal sanity.	I can do it. Pay as you go system. Have to show how to pay for programs. Roll back Bush tax cuts. Use McCain Kerry Comm. plan. Favors to oil and importers. Fight for American worker. I show how. Pres. never vetoed a bill.	Kerry weak and wishy washy. Bush strong and got in some left jabs.
4. How grow economy?	Support education. Best way to keep jobs here is to make sure education system works. I saw problem in education. Shuffling kids through system. Let's raise standards now. Reward teachers in school districts that work. Pell grants.	Notice how Bush shifted from jobs to education. Let's talk about fiscal responsibilty. Like Tony Soprano talking about law and order. We have deficits all over. Prices up, etc. Wages going down. New jobs are less well-paying. Cut Pell grants, cut college loans, didn't extend unemployment and health care. I'm going to help workers to transition.	Kerry gets him. Bush evaded question.
5. Is it fair to blame admin for job loss?	Whoof! Litany of misstatements. Pell grants increased by 1 M students. More money in pocket due to tax cuts. Child credit, reduced marriage penalty, 10% bracket. Your money. We're spending your money. Gov't should not tell citizens how to live. Record of Kerry in Senate does not match rhetoric. 277 budget busters, 98 raisers. Bush -- no one is playing with vote. Mainstream in US politics -- you sit on far left bank.	Not entirely. Outsourcing is going to happen. I've told union stewards I can't stop outsourcing. Make playing field fair. Don't subsidize going overseas through tax deferral. Shut loophole in nanosecond and lower all corp. taxes, manufacturing jobs credit. Fair trade playing field: Boeing vs. Airbus, (Bush grinning). We have to fight for fair trade for US worker. Fiscal discipline. Can play with votes, 600 votes for tax cuts. Pell grants go up in numbers because they have less money.	Bush effective. Kerry too detailed
6. Is homosexuality a choice?	Dunno. Be tolerant and let adults live as they choose. But don't change basic views on sanctity of marriage. Worried that activist judges redefining marriage. Amendment will protect. People will participate: judges not citizens are deciding. Kerry against Defense of Marraige Act. Concerned judges will overturn it.	Cheney's daughter is being who she was. Not a choice. I know people who struggle with this for years. Respect that. We share belief marriage is bet. a man and a woman. Also believe because we are US and have rights, can't discriminate in workplace and rights. States can manage.	Each shored up base. Each tried to look tolerant.
7. What about bishops on stem cell and abortion?	Society should be one where everyone matters, every child is protected. Differences on the issue, but reasonable people can get law to reduce abortions in place. Partial birth abortion ban. Overwhelming vote of both parties, but Kerry out of mainstream, voted against law. Culture of life. Work together to reduce abortions, promote adoptions, fund maternity homes.	Disagrees with bishops. Can't legislate my own articles of faith. Choice is a woman's choice -- woman, God, and MD. Won't allow change in Roe v. Wade. Bush wants to do that. I was an altar boy. Quotes JFK -- I happen to be Catholic. Faith without works is dead. Everything guided by faith, but don't transfer to others. Poverty, Equality, Environment.	Kerry wishy washy. Bush shored up base again but didn't sound like bigot. Good point on partial birth abortion.
8. Health care costs and litigation.	Consumers not involved. No market forces invovled. I like health savings accounts. Make sure people make their own health decisions. Lawsuits causing costs to rise. Defensive practice of medicine. Need more high tech in health care to reduce costs. Generic drugs. Kerry has no record on reform of health care. No leadership. Passed only 5 bills. I led on prescription drugs.	H.C. costs higher because administration stood in way. Drug importation from Canada. Pres. blocked. Medicare should negotiate bulk purchase. $138 million windfall to drug cos. Gotta have health care for all. Has passed 56 bills, but more importantly, helped write early childhood health care.	Bush got him on record. Details are MEGO (My Eyes Glazed Over).
9. Kerry -- you can pay for health care how?	Not so sure it credible to quote leading news organizations. Lewin report says Kerry plan costs 1.2 trillion bucks. 20 million more in government controlled health care. Medicaid increase reduces incentive to business to provide insurance. Fundamental difference. Govt. health will be poor, lead to rationing, more controls. Look at other countries with govt. health care. Very poor systems. Rebuttal-- we've increased VA funding. Meeting obligations to veterans.	My health care plan, America, doesn't require you to do anything. You're free to keep what you have. No compulsion. Take over Medicaid children from states, and states can cover individuals up to 300 p.c of poverty. Broader competition to buy into congressional type plan. Allow buy in to medicare early. Give small business a tax credit to cover employees. Same money by early diagnosis. Rebuttal: VA not funded, medicare not adequately funded, but I'm not proposing a government program.	Bush did pretty well. Kerry full of details.
10. Social Security -- cost of private accounts. Where get money? Increase deficit?	Reassure seniors -- you won't lose your checks. A real problem for the young. Will cost trillions. Need a different strategy. Studied issue by commission. Came up with a bunch of ideas. Young workers should be able to invest some of their own money. This will increase solvency. Vital issue. Willing to take on--unite both parties. Cost of doing nothing is more than cost of reform.	Private accounts is invitation to disaster. 2 trillion dollar hole in SS, because today's workers pay for today's retirees. Would lead to 25-40% cuts in benefits. Nothing he's done is paid for. I fought for fiscal responsibility. Balanced budget. Paid down debt. Protect SS. Won't cut benefits.	Advantage Bush, I think, but could scare pensioners.
11. Greenspan says no way we can pay retirees what we've promised them. If we have no change, will this be a problem for our children?	Kerry voted to tax benefits. I didn't hear a plan. Tax cuts went to low and middle income Americans. Taxes are fair. All opposed by Kerry. Idea to spur consumption and investment to get us out of recession. Stock decline before I took office, then a recession, and an attack. We acted. Passed tax relief. Economy's growing. More work to do. Increasing govt and taxes is not way to grow economy.	We solved problem in past. Onto tax cut for rich. We're going to grow to cut deficit. Later on, we'll pull together experts, and make adjustment. First, create jobs. No one lost jobs the way Bush does. I HAVE A PLAN	Bush was good and strong. Kerry obscure.
12. Finally! What about immigration. Lots of email on this.	Security, economic, and human rights issue. We increased Border Patrol and equipment, and we'll continue to do. I was a border governor. Economic issue. Should be a temporary worker card, if American not there to to the job. Period of time attached to card. Won't have to sneak. Focus on BP doing job. No amnesty. No reward for illegal behavior. Kerry supported amnesty for illegals. We ARE protecting borders.	Back to middle class family not making it -- another nonresponse. More statistics on inequality. tBorders not protected as they should be. We need to be tougher. Crack down on illegal hiring. Earned legalization program -- out of the shadows. 4000 a day cross border, including people from Middle East. Not enough technology. Borders not secure and I'll make them secure.	Both poor answers. Bush did OK.
13. Minimum wage.	I supported McConnell's bill. Education=jobs. Back to no child left behind. Measure -- show if child is learning. Close minority achievement gap. Don't quit on children.	Need to raise minimum. Hold on to equal pay. Bush doesn't value families. We will raise women's pay. GOP doesn't enforce this stuff. Raising minimum would increase consumption. Fight tooth and nail to raise min. wage.	Bush segues to education instead of jobs. Doesn't critique concept of min. wage as job killer. Second time he did it.
14. Overturn Roe?	No litmus test. Very short answer. Kerry has litmus test -- liberal Sen. from Mass. would attack us for not spending enough.	Won't appoint a judge who will undo constitutional right. Racial inequality segue. Bush wouldn't fund programs. 500K kids lost afterschool programs on budget, so wealthiest could get tax cut.	Neither hits the judge issue. Embarassing. Bush could have hit him on judges. Missed opportunity.
15. Back door draft of guard? What would you do?	Way to relieve pressure is to succeed in Iraq. I met guard. They were serving their country and they knew it. Back to "global test." I work with allies, will do so, but never turn over our national security to leaders of other countries. Kerry voted against use of force in 1991 when we had an alliance.	Expand forces. Bush mismanaged war. Didn't choose war as last resort. We're spending too much. Took eye off Osama. Rebut--never said I'd turn security over to other nations. But we ought to pass a "truth standard" to gain legitimacy with countrymen and the world.	Bush got it--vote on Gulf War--he's b.s.ing. That was the zinger.
16. Assault weapons ban.	I supported it but both parties opposed it. Thing to do is prosecute gun crime.	Law enforcement was for ban. Bush didn't fight for it. I'd have gone out to the country.	Each plays to base. Kerry more eloquent.
17. Affirmative action.	Has met with Black Cong. Caucus. Don't agree about quotas. Aggressive effort to make sure people are educated, Pell Grants, 10 million families. Best way to help businesses is through loans and unbundule government contracts. Minority owned businesses are up. Ownership society. More minorities own homes than ever before.	Long way to go. Affirmative action not just for blacks -- women and so on. Oppose quotas. Mend it, don't end it. Distance to travel on racism. This president wouldn't meet with NAACP or black congressional caucus. Doesn't reach out.	Bush started weak on Black Caucus, finished strong on ownership.
18. What place does religion play in your policy?	I pray a lot. But we're free to do it or not. This is a free country. Faith sustains me. My decisions based upon principle. Faith based initiative. God wants everyone to be free. Afghan freedom is gft from Almighty. Religion a party of me.	Respect what President has said. Everything is a gift from the Almighty. Cites all kinds of scriptures. Two greatest commandments --love God and neighbor-- have more loving of neighbor to do here and abroad. Unequal school systems. Difference of opinion on how we live out faith. More work to do. Respect religious freedoms.	Kerry hits multicultural note. Bush cements base again, yet emphasizes freedom.
19. How bring people together?	Biggest disappointment was not bringing folks together. We did at the start. Lots of special interests. I'm going to keep trying. We've been divided for a long time. McCain is for me for President, because of Iraq.	Bush did good job after 9/11. I've worked with both sides. No secret meetings. Genuine efffort to bring people together. More campaign finance reform.
20. What did you learn from wives?	Listen. Don't scowl. Very personal talk about her. Love a first sight.	Lucky people who married up. Some would say me more than others. I can take it. Talks about his late Mother. Integrity, integrity, integrit	Weird segue away from wife. Didn't say he loved wife or she's special. People could see that
Close.	Painting of a Mt. scene. Live on sunrise side, to see day that's coming. Love optimism. That's how I feel about America. Been through a lot, recession, attack, etc. Reformed schools. Achievement gap closing. Work on health care, compassion, optimistic about War on Terror; requires resolve and clear purpose. Never waver, and as we pursue, spread freedom and liberty. Faith in ability of liberty to transform societies. Look for America as prosperous and safer. Ask for vote. God bless.	No veto over security. Faith in God. We can do better. Greatest dreams and possibilities are ahead. Embark with me. Ask for help and trust. Most of all, be safer. God Bless.

Lileks Said It Better

Lileks hits it out of the park on this statement by Sen. Nuance, in the New York Times:

When I asked Kerry what it would take for Americans to feel safe again, he displayed a much less apocalyptic worldview. 'We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they're a nuisance,' Kerry said. 'As a former law-enforcement person, I know we're never going to end prostitution. We're never going to end illegal gambling. But we're going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn't on the rise. It isn't threatening people's lives every day, and fundamentally, it's something that you continue to fight, but it's not threatening the fabric of your life.'

Here's Lileks's analysis:

Tony Soprano doesn’t take over schools and shoot kids in the back. The doxies of the Bunny Ranch don’t train at flight schools to ram brothels into skyscrapers.

A nuisance?

A nuisance? I don’t want the definition of success of terrorism to be “it isn’t on the rise.” I want the definition of success to be “free democratic states in the Middle East and the cessation of support of those governments and fascist states we haven’t gotten around to kicking in the ass yet.” I want the definition of success to mean a free Lebanon and free Iran and a Saudi Arabia that realizes there’s no point in funding the fundies. An Egypt that stops pouring out the Jew-hatred as a form of political novacaine to keep the citizens from turning their ire on their own government. I want the definition of success to mean that Europe takes a stand against the Islamicist radicals in their midst before the Wahabbi poison is the only acceptable strain on the continent. Mosquito bites are a nuisance. Cable outages are a nuisance. Someone shooting up a school in Montana or California or Maine on behalf of the brave martyrs of Fallujah isn't a nuisance. It's war.

But that's not the key phrase. This matters: We have to get back to the place we were.

But when we were there we were blind. When we were there we losing. When we were there we died. We have to get back to the place we were. We have to get back to 9/10? We have to get back to the place we were. So we can go through it all again? We have to get back to the place we were. And forget all we’ve learned and done? We have to get back to the place we were. No. I don’t want to go back there. Planes into towers. That changed the terms. I am remarkably disinterested in returning to a place where such things are unimaginable. Where our nighmares are their dreams.

We have to get back to the place we were.

No. We have to go the place where they are.

Liberalism and Gnosticism

A Seattle doctor offers a thought-provoking analogy between liberalism and gnosticism, the ancient (and recently revived) belief in secret knowledge as the key to spiritual salvation, combined with a view that the material world itself is corrupt.

HT to Sue Bob's Diary.

Send Your Kids to Trucking School

Some parents in my home town start to worry about college admissions when their kids turn 11.

For years, I've thought it makes more economic sense to send your kids to trucking school when they turn 18. It takes a few weeks. Then co-sign for a Peterbilt tractor. It's all a matter of opportunity cost.

The tads can start earning right away. So if college costs $50K a year, the college-bound will cost $200K in four years (and it often takes longer). Meanwhile, the truckers will be earning, say $50K a year. At the end of four years, your trucker kids will be $400K ahead. And at the end of four years, most college kids will either be (a) going into occupations with mediocre pay, like teaching; (b) going to graduate school; or (c) going into rehab.

So, is "liberal education" worth it from an intellectual or spiritual perspective? Given the biases and dominant schools of thought on campuses today, I'm not so sure.

Of course, if your kid really wants to learn about raku, the banjo, or telemetry, by all means they should do so, and if you can, you should help them do it.

But if you're motivated by economics or just a general idea that college is a "good thing," trucking school is an option worth considering.

Update: here.

Kerry's "Lebanon" Remark

Hugh Hewitt's second blogger symposium asks

Lebanon?  What does Kerry Mean by Lebanon?" which is on the subject of John Kerry's exchange with the press on Thursday, a transcript of which appears here, with a press release from the RNC on the allegation by Kerry that General Shinseki was "fired" interjected. The symposium question: "What do Kerry's answers to today's press inquiries tell us about Kerry's worldview and character?"

The Lebanon remark follows:

Q. "If you are elected, given Paul Bremer's remarks, and deteriorating conditions as you have judged them, would you be prepared to commit more troops."

A.  "I will do what the generals believe we need to do without having any chilling effect, as the president put in place by firing General Shinseki, and I'll have to wait until January 20th. I don't know what I am going to find on January 20th, the way the president is going. If the president just does more of the same every day, and it continues to deteriorate, I may be handed Lebanon, figuratively speaking. Now, I just don't know.  I can't tell you.  What I'll tell you is, I have a plan. I have laid out my plan to America, and I know that my plan has a better chance of working.  And in the next days I am going to say more about exactly how we are going to do what has been available to this Administration that it has chosen not to do.  But I will make certain that our troops are protected.  I will hunt down and kill the terrorists, and I will make sure that we are successful, and I know exactly what I am going to do and how to do it."

It does seem hard for him to "have a plan" and at the same time have no idea what he would be handed (God forbid!) on January 20th.

What "Lebanon" does he fear being handed? It could be one of at least three:

• Most probably, he's referring to the Lebanon of the civil war in the '80s, into which Israel (unsuccessfully) and Syria (successfully, so far) intervened -- a multitude of sects and parties, once carefully balanced in an intricate political system that left the Christian Maronites and Sunnis on top and the U.S. Marines were there for a time, too, until Hezbollah blew up a barracks and Reagan cut his losses and withdrew.


• He could also be referring to the Eisenhower intervention in Lebanon that occurred when the Hashemite king of Iraq was deposed, his body dragged through the street in a jeep, and Lebanon and Jordan were both threatened by Nasserite rebellion.


• Or more remotely, he could be referring to the current situation, where Syrian troops and intelligence maintain overall control of the political system, and the US and even the UN asks the Syrians to leave.

Kerry is almost certainly be referring to the Lebanese civil war of the '80s, and the condition he fears in Iraq is one in which the ethnic and religious groups in Iraq began to struggle with one another militarily and not just politically. This is not an irrational fear. The Kurds don't trust us or the other Iraqis, in both cases with some justice. The Shi'a, now that Muqtada as-Sadr has been quelled for the moment, will wait for elections on the theory that they will end up dominating. The Sunni are mostly unhappy and some in open rebellion, because they foresee a loss of their former dominance. The Turkmen are waiting watchfully, with some support from Turkey. Long story short, most of the groups are watching and waiting, but a descent into active warfare is possible.

It's more likely that most will wait to see what happens with the planned Iraqi elections.

If the civil war scenario were to come to pass, it could pose major problems for the U.S. forces and for U.S. policy. But Kerry's invocation of this scenario is not thought-out, but what my children call "random" -- that is, arbitrary and unmotivated. It's typical Kerry, a reference designed to make him seem knowledgeable and Bush misguided, but devoid of any real content. It's not, "if we can't prevent a Civil War we might (a) need to invoke a regional negotiated solution; (b) send more troops; (c) evacuate," but "I have a plan, but I can't tell you what I will do, because after all, it might become . . . LEBANON! And you should elect me, because I can say Lebanon in English and in French."

In short, the reference to Lebanon reaffirms Kerry as a pompous, "pampered cipher," as Mark Steyn calls him.

From the perspective of US interests, the biggest fear (next to an Al Qaeda takeover, which even Kerry might resist with overwhelming force) is that a chaotic Iraq would invite intervention by a regional power, just as a chaotic Iraq invited intervention by Syria. The candidate power for intervention in Iran, which would be unacceptable as long as the mullahs rule. The mullahs won't intervene as long as Bush is in power, because they know his determination. If Neville . . I mean, Kerry, is elected, Iranian intervention would be a great danger, because his response would very likely be akin to Carter's feckless response to the Iranian hostage crisis. For all we know, Kerry would have a summit conference with Chiraq, Putin, Mubarak and the Iranians, and acquiesce in their intervention as long as there was an international fig-leaf for it, as there was in the beginning for Syria's intervention in Lebanon.

My views are more akin to Mark Helprin's realistic hawkishness, but Kerry, almost certainly, would be a feckless, hand-wringing internationalist -- or worse.

On Political Guidance From Artists and Performers

My Texas art-teacher daughter expressed the view on our family blog that we should listen to the voices of the creative people in deciding political questions (hyperlinks by me):

I am a Democrat because I love Susan Sarandon, alfalfa sprouts, French existentialism, Big Bird, contemporary art, and punk rock. Listen to the voices of creative people and vote with the artists, musicians, writers, interior designers, freaks, vegans, and beret wearing mimes. (Yes, I'm certain Big Bird is voting for Kerry this year. He voted for a third party candidate last election.. and he won't make that mistake again!)

And:

I would find it difficult to listen to music that is meaningful to me and then practice politics that contradict that world view.
I believe that the things that make life worth living, such as painting, music, literature, are not just window dressing. The arts are the best building blocks of human culture and a worthy source of political inspiration.

Love my daughter madly and respect both her art and her brain. But I got to thinking and put down some thoughts on the family blog, which I've edited for this public one, adding a bunch of hyperlinks.

I'm not so sure about taking political guidance from artists and performers, even if I'm no Laura Ingraham. My barber, Lonnie, cuts my hair beautifully, but I wouldn't ask his advice about nutrition, immigration reform, or gardening.

(a) When it comes to artists (in the broad sense, musicians, actors, and mimes included), I'm dubious indeed. Ever since François Villon, at least, there have been artists who were vagabonds, drop-outs, high-livers, voluntarily poor (maybe the last two are a contradiction), and generally self-created outsiders. (This history is truncated and simplified, but it'll do for now). So one species of artist is the garret-dwelling or wandering rebel and outsider.

These folks are great as mockers of social convention and often quite creative. But most of them never met a payroll, and wouldn't want to, either. They also never conducted a fair trial, worked out a budget, or negotiated a compromise between competing interest groups. And fer sure most never defended a country under military threat. Doesn't mean they aren't good at their craft.

(b) The artist as political mentor idea doesn't test well, either, it seems to me. Picasso, certainly an innovator and creator of great works, was a Stalinist even when the deliberate starvation of the Ukraine and the purges were known (My sister says he was a misogynist, too). Guérnica still a great work even if there was a log in Stalin's eye as well as that of the Germans in the Spanish Civil War. Carl Orff's Carmina Burana is a fine (maybe not great) choral work, and Leni Riefenstahl was a highly talented film maker and later photographer, though both were on the Nazi side. Dennis Miller and Janeane Garofalo don't have the same political views, but they're both funny in their way.

(c)She's on to something, though, with the grouped cultural references (Humvees and Blockbuster, Babdists and Pat Boone, etc.) The marketers do identify different subgroups of the population around clusters of preferences both for consumer goods and values -- it's pscyhographic segmentation in B-school jargon. So single, childless females are more likely to vote Dem., married women with children GOP, Pentecostalist deer hunters GOP, Thomas Frank, who wrote What's the Matter With Kansas? laments the tendency of culturally conservative Middle-Western blue-collar family types to vote against what he conceives to be their economic interests.

I don't know whether I'm a latte-swigging, bicoastal, NPR-listening, artsy-fartsy secular, or a middle-aged, middle-class, property-owning white father, or both, let alone how that all affects my voting, tho' the pros seem to think it's relevant. I do know I'm a skeptic and I think my current preference is mostly based upon my belief that even though I could write a book (or a long think-piece, anyway) about what the Bushies have done wrong on the issue, I don't trust the Democrats to defend the country against Islamofascism, and everything else takes second place. (That's not intended as a poltiical argument, just self-analysis). I like "White Wedding" and giant vinyl burgers, but I'm not about to ask Billy Idol (cool site!) or Claes Oldenburg how to vote.

Australia Is No Spain

Australian Prime Minister Howard won a historic fourth-in-a-row victory in elections today.

This notwithstanding Australian participation in the Iraq war and several terrorist attacks directed at Aussies in Indonesia.

Guess they're not part of the "coalition of the coerced and the bribed."

Presidential Debate No. 2 -- Grades

	Substance	Delivery	Grade
Bush	A-	A-	A-
Kerry	C	A-	B

Bush was on his game tonight.

Kerry has good delivery -- less pompous than he usually seems -- but has little substance. He was afraid to say what he really believes, though he toyed with it, on the Supreme Court, for example.

Still no questions about immigration.

Confession: I hear the phrase "health care" and MEGO -- My Eyes Glaze Over.

The Cowbird Strategy

Male and Female Cowbirds
Originally uploaded by octopod.

Went to court in Compton a few days ago. Compton's a majority-minority town in LA County famous for its indicted elected officials and schools so horrible the state took them over.

After I'd finished my appearance, I was waiting for the elevator. A middle-aged lady wandered in, saying to herself in a loud voice "Thank you Jesus! Thank you Jesus!" I don't know what the thanks were for. Perhaps a relative got probation.

Then a short, young-looking fellow came in, dressed in jeans whose legs would clothe an elephant's foot, grousing about having to pay child support. He announced that he was going to buy something or other and sell it for cash, because if he got a job, they'd garnish his wages for the $400 a month he would otherwise have to pay in back child support.

Then he remarked that anyway, he had another baby to support.

So, no doubt, we taxpayers are paying to raise this squirrely little sperm-donor's expanding progeny, who will be raised alone by a young uneducated mother with a crop of half-siblings, and a father who at best shows up every now and then for a hug, a meal, a loan, or a poke.

From a moral perspective, this behavior is disgusting. Parenthood carries with it responsibilities. "Multiply and replenish the earth" means more than "find her, feel her, f*** her and forget her."

From an evolutionary perspective, this behavior resembles that of the cowbird, which lays its eggs in strange nests for other, dumber birds to raise.

From a policy perspective, we should not provide incentives for this kind of conduct. "Snip, snip" on the sperm ducts would seem appropriate, except for the "slippery slope" danger.

There is a buried racial issue here. Let's un-bury it. This kind of behavior is stereotypically associated with the black commuinity, but is by no means confined to it. There are plenty of young white slackers who spead their sperm around with no thought of caring for the result.

The question of marriage is part of this issue. It used to be that young couples whose dalliances resulted in pregnancy were encouraged to marry, the "shotgun wedding." Then the high divorce rate among those who married very young and the availability of AFDC ("welfare") let to an increasing acceptance of single motherhood even among mothers with no education and no private means of support. Proposition: if you have kids, you are obliged to provide for them not merely with money, but with time, love, and attention. It's a corollary of "Multiply, and replenish the earth," and indeed, for the scripturally challenged, of natural moral law.

It may take a village to raise a child, but first it takes parents.

Moreover, to do it right, it takes parents of both sexes. I know a number of divorced women who have found it in their sons' best interest to have them live with their fathers during adolescence.

This is not to say that single parents are doomed to fail in raising children, or should be denied the right to adopt. Plenty of single parents (including me) have done all right. But two responsible parents is ideal.

The little notch-carving slacker sperm-donor in the courthouse hallway is really far from ideal. We are people, and we don't need cowbirds laying their eggs in our nests.

Oh, and thanks to Cornell's fine ornithology site for the bird picture. If you go there you can hear the sounds the birds make, and as much as (or more than) you may want to know about any North American bird species.

From the Nation That Educated Pol Pot

The Dhimmi-in-Chief announced in Hanoi that American cultural influence is baleful.

Didn't this pack of singes capitulards* educate the mass murderer Pol Pot, not to speak of Uncle Ho and his minions?

I could rant some more, but 'nuff said. HT to Allah.

_________________________

*Surrender monkeys.

A Must-Read

Read this.

A bunch of medieval fanatics want to kill us. They've struck already. We must hunt them down and kill them before they kill us.

Bush, whatever his limitations, knows this.

Kerry, at best, is not sure, and prefers the UN and other nostrums.

We need the guy who understands.

All the rest, my friends, is commentary.

Hat tip to Hugh.

VP Debate Report Card

Have parents sign and return tomorrow:

	Substance	Delivery	Grade
Cheney	A-	B+	A-
Edwards	C	B	B-

Gwen Ifill's questons were mostly good, at times incisive, and she was pleasant and professional.

Big missing question: Immigration.