About
Captain Ed is a father and grandfather living in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, a native Californian who moved to the North Star State because of the weather. He lives with his wife Marcia, also known as the First Mate, their two dogs, and frequently watch their granddaughter Kayla, whom Captain Ed calls The Little Admiral.
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The Crows Nest
Rule 1: Drag The Corpse On Over First
If I've learned anything in four years of blogging, don't try to be out in front of the death rumors, especially with the villains of the world. Saddam died a hundred deaths before we caught him alive in his spider hole, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi almost as many before his demise last year. Osama may or may not be alive, but everyone's avoided speculating on his fate for a while now. Maybe Val at Babalu Blog will get luckier with his "Castro Is Dead" story. We all hope so. I'll wait for the announcement ....
Hobbs Choice
Volunteer Voters is holding its annual "Best of Nashville" on-line polls, and one of the categories is for the best political writer. Our friend Bill Hobbs, now posting at Newsbusters, and he'd like his on-line fans to cast their votes. Drop by and put one in for Bill if you get a chance!
Murtha Getting Backlogged On Apologies
Gary Gross of Let Freedom Ring sees another case collapsing on the Haditha charges. He's called for Murtha to apologize earlier, and adds another reason to the tally.
No Such Thing As 'Moderate' Islam?
Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan told a television interviewer that he finds the label "moderate Islam" offensive. Shrink Wrapped has a lot more on this, but at least in the same interview Erdogan acknowledged that "radical Islam" exists, and that it's been a catastrophe. Be sure to read the whole post.
MS-NBC Gets Punk'd
Power Line has a great post on a lack of journalistic effort on the part of MS-NBC. In covering the Michael Vick story, they reported on what they thought was Al Sharpton's website proclaiming Vick's innocence. I guess Alex Johnson and two other MS-NBC reporters couldn't bother to read the title bar of the site, which proudly proclaims it as a "parody site".
New Instapundit Podcast On Pharmaceuticals
I just caught this e-mail from Glenn Reynolds about his new podcast with Richard Epstein, the author of Overdose: How Excessive Government Regulation Stifles Pharmaceutical Innovation. Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but the topic is important enough to make sure I carve out time for it tomorrow. Get their first and tell me what I'm missing ....
Fed Trying A 'Stealth Easing'?
The Federal Reserve seems to have conducted a quiet campaign to steady markets that started spinning out of control, according to King Banaian at SCSU Scholars. He thinks that the Fed has conducted a "stealth easing". Be sure to read his explanation and follow his lnks.
A Shameless Bit Of Sel-Promotion
Gateway Pundit and Val at Babalu Blog note a crass PR move by Hugo Chavez. Venezuela has responded to Peru's eathquake disaster with food shipments -- and with Hugo's smiling picture on the cans. He also uses the tuna-can label to undermine President Garcia of Peru, who narrowly defeated Chavez' pal Ollanto Humalla, whom the labels extol for his "solidarity" with Chavez.
Tacky beyond belief.
Bush Going After Palestinian Terror Financing?
George Bush's new orders to USAID forces them to review the executive management of all NGOs to ensure that they have no terrorist connections. Carl in Jerusalem says at Israel Matzav that the order specifically intends to target Palestinian front groups for terrorists. Let's hope he's right.
Slow Start!
Yes, I'm off to a slow start today, thanks to some scripting issues, a bad back, and an alarm clock that needs replacing. Bear with me -- I'm ramping up, I promise...
And Now, In Little League Action Last Night ...
I once played in a Little League game where we lost, 30-1, obviously before mercy rules came into being. The only comfort during that shellacking was that 13-year-olds don't have to justify their salaries for being on the field. You have to wonder what the Baltimore Orioles have to feel without that caveat today, after losing 30-3 to the Texas Rangers. Sixteen of the runs came in the last two innings .... (via TMV)
Bush Speech On Iraq
I got a couple of e-mails wondering why I haven't linked to George Bush's speech today. I liked it; I just didn't have much to add. Rush Limbaugh covered it well on his site, and Power Line also links approvingly but has nothing much more to say. Michael Goldfarb notes that the Weekly Standard had made a similar argument regarding Vietnam a year ago.
Rove Fears Me -- No, Really!
Hot Air notes the latest fundraising letter from John Edwards. No longer content to indulge his paranoia when Ann Coulter mentions him, now he wants to indulge it when Karl Rove doesn't. Has any candidate seemed this desperate before now?
Racism Or Hard Truth?
Angela Winters looks at an editorial cartoon and the controvery it has caused in Jacksonville, Florida, especially in the black community. Truth or racism? When rap artists tell young listeners not to cooperate with the police, how much responsibility do they have for the victimization that follows? Read all of the essay at The Moderate Voice.
Support Citizen Journalism
Bill Ardolino at INDC Journal reminds us that there is a reporter shortage on the front lines. The best way to solve that problem? Donate to Public Multimedia, the citizen-journalist organization that supports Bill Roggio, Bill Ardolino, and others. (And a direct donation to Michael Yon would be much appreciated as well.)
Comments (11)
Posted by North Shore | June 5, 2007 8:41 AM
Where is the AARP when you need them?
Posted by Ken | June 5, 2007 8:56 AM
CBO report? CBO report?
We don't need no stinkin' CBO report.
Posted by MikeD | June 5, 2007 9:20 AM
'....concludes that "We're not being well-served" by either the political or media establishment.'
Been going on for years.
Posted by John | June 5, 2007 10:02 AM
What the heritage study does not tell you that the figure cited is very very small when you look at the total spending that would incur in thirty years. The total cumulative US budget over thirty years would be over $120 trillion. which means the cost of immigration would come to around 2 percent of the total budget spent during those thirty years. The $120 trillion number is very conservative. The heritage study also did not show how much increase our economy be over those thirty years with the immigrants. Without knowing how much our economy will grow with and without the immigrants it is a flaw study. Conservative must also be aware of the growth in this country and how removing the immigrant would effect our growth.
Posted by Paul A'Barge | June 5, 2007 10:45 AM
...questions whether members of Congress have bothered to read this...
bothered to read?
Bwah hah hah!
Posted by Carol Herman | June 5, 2007 1:59 PM
DC is a closed town.
Me? I'm just grateful for the Internet! And, Drudge.
On Sunday Drudge said that the DC crowds are "advertising" that this issue is one where the American people just went to sleep.
The initial wave of outrage is over. And, the senate plans to pass this dog.
Sans teeth. But a very quick influx of at least 12-million, if not up to 40-million new pieces of trash. Or whatever else you want to call this boondoggle.
DC is NOT a town of ideas!
I think, too, the donks feel they'll own Congress; even if some lame duck republican "wins" in 2008. Life can be made miserable for any White House occupant IF the donks decide to send the lawyers after every single new idea.
On the other hand?
That's the unknown.
When Reagan won, one of the surprising outcomes was that men like Tip O'Niell saw "the handwriting on the wall." They saw that if Reagan felt like it, he could crush any member in Congress. Hint. Hint.
That's what happens when a good man says you're unworthy to hold office.
Of course, we've got years of messes now to clean up.
But congress? They're in the dumps, again, too.
Will they lie themselves out of it in 2008? How many Blue Dogs will sway voters?
Because 2006 did something similar to what happened when Schwartzenegger knocked Grey Davis out of da' box.
Gray Davis actually thought of himself as presidential timber. Schwartzenegger, though, knocked him out of da' box.
The other thing? Angry people stay up, tossing and turning. And, there are lots of Americans, now, who are very, very angry at being "had."
Means that there could be a shift, ahead, in the political world?
And, some things from history actually amaze.
This idea of going all over the country? Started with Douglas, who lost in 1860. Lincoln STAYED HOME! Do you know why? Lincoln though the press would twist anything he said on the campaign stump; using it for guel in their pages.
That's why I think Fred's onto something BIG. Can he pull it off?
You're asking me to tell you what happens in the future? Nah. I can't do that. I can only watch. And, at least see that Fred's riding tall. Hasn't been tossed.
While it took about ten days for Wesley Clark to get tossed. By the pro's. Who then went and backed John Kerry. It's not as if the donks have a talent rich environment, folks.
Well, the Internet seems to work 24/7. I have no idea if a million people hear Drudge on any given Sunday night. He's heard in 50 states. And, he did run the headline that the senators were saying Americans weren't "hot under the collar" anymore.
Maybe, so? But I wouldn't bank on their not being enough backlash, should the congress critters "forgetting" they need to check with voters. (Whom most of them hate, anyway.)
Posted by Ken | June 5, 2007 2:01 PM
John:
"What the heritage study does not tell you"
You missed the point. The entitlement programs are already headed for insolvency. That's a fact. If you add $2 trillion to the liability side, it hastens the collapse.
How do you explain that to your children and grand children?
Posted by The Man | June 5, 2007 10:21 PM
While it is obvious that we need to tighten our borders, the theory that somehow illegal immigrants do not pay taxes is simply wrong.
Jobs are offered by employers (farmers etc.) who are responsible for withholding money from each pay check to pay for social security medicare, federal and state taxes. If the employer is honest then he is taking this money and sending it to the government plus his share of social security etc. If he is dishonest, then he reaps the profit which he may or may not pay taxes on...but thats not the illegals problem.
Just like the rest of us, if we do not file a tax return we do not get any tax refund...period. If when we retire we do not possess a legitimate SS number we also dont get benefits.
Illegal aliens also pay sales tax in those states that have such taxes
If you want to get rid of illegal immigration then simply enforce the employment laws in this country..no jobs...no problem. But of course politically this is impossible, the same way it is for drug usage so we therefore concentrate on supply. Look how successful that aproach has been.
The heritage study simply makes the case that illegals get more benefits than what they pay in taxes. But note, that the vast majority of the states receive more federal aid then what they pay in taxes on a per capita basis (only 13 states pay more). This is largely due to the income level of each states citizens. In short, even legal residents receive more benefits than what they pay in.
Posted by Ron Hellesvig | June 6, 2007 6:51 AM
If our elected representatives won't even read an Intelligence Estimate before voting on a war proposal why should we expect them to read a CBO report before voting on an immigration bill?
Posted by Keemo | June 6, 2007 7:12 AM
I have officially made my move to Montana. Both Senators from Montana have just come out on the shamnesty bill; both are going to vote against this bill, stating that this bill doesn't offer true solutions to the border security issue, and both call the bill "amnesty" for millions of illegal immigrants who broke our laws. Tester is a true Liberal folks, but he knows how the people of Montana see this bill.
Don't let up folks; keep those letters moving.
Posted by Keemo | June 6, 2007 7:27 AM
Read this link folks....
http://sessions.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=275456
A few tidbits:
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) released a list of 20 loopholes in the comprehensive immigration bill today which reveals that the bill is fatally flawed and will not establish a functioning immigration system in the future.
The list of loopholes includes flaws effecting border security, chain-migration and assimilation policies. The list exposes the lack of serious attention given to ensuring that the legislation fixes America’s failed immigration system.
“I am deeply concerned about the numerous loopholes we have found in this legislation. They are more than technical errors, but rather symptoms of a fundamentally flawed piece of legislation that stands no chance of actually fixing our broken immigration system,” Sessions said. “Many of the loopholes are indicative of a desire not to have the system work.”