The Holy Roman Empire Was Neither Holy, Nor Roman, Nor an Empire. Discuss.

Read this story and riddle me this:

What's more bizarre?

(a) That Norma ("Jane Roe") McCorvey would be one of the protestors arrested at the Sotomayor hearings; or

(b) The senator she interrupted is Al Franken?

Discuss.

res ipsa loquitur 071409 -- It's Not Easy Being Green Edition

Exhibit A (H/T: Ed Morrissey)

Exhibit B (H/T: Mitch Berg)

Radio Free Dilettante — Senate Judiciary Committee Edition

2-4-6-8, now it's time to bloviate!

Last Five:
Chain of Fools, Aretha Franklin
Walkin' Blues, Eric Clapton
Gone Daddy Gone, Gnarls Barkley
Mary Anne, Marshall Crenshaw
Parker's Band, Steely Dan

Next Five:
Hateful, Clash
I Wanna Be Your Dog, Uncle Tupelo
Gee Officer Krupke, West Side Story Soundtrack
Gimme Shelter, Rolling Stones
Chinatown, Thin Lizzy

Estereo Azul

This is a continuation of a series. Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 are linked.

I've always loved music and listening to the radio was always a big pastime growing up. My Guatemalan host family loved to listen to music on the radio as well. Their favorite radio station was something called Estereo Azul, "lo mejor del mundo." That translates into "Stereo Blue, the best in the world." I begged to differ.

Since it was the summer 1979, we were at the peak of the disco era, although the backlash was imminent, about which more in a moment. Let's put it this way -- Estereo Azul was riding the disco train big time. No matter when you turned in, it was wall to wall dance tunes, with the occasional commercial for "Frenos de Guatemala" (Guatemala Brakes, an auto supply concern) on "Calle Cinco, Zona Nueve."

For a kid from Wisconsin who owned a "Disco Sucks" t-shirt (which I wisely left behind), it was a minor bummer. We'd climb into one of the family vehicles and on a typical trip into the city we'd probably hear "Give Me Love," "Get Off" by Foxy, "Bad Girls" by the ubiquitous Donna Summer, or if the d.j.'s were feeling a little more mellow, perhaps "Que un Tonto Cree, por los Hermanos Doobies."

The longer road trips, to Atitlan or Chichicastenango, made for especially strange listening. Since the quality of car stereos is so much better today, it's hard to remember how odd music could sound on a radio. And since the Guatemalan terrain is mountainous, the radio signal would dart in and out at odd times. You'd settle back in your seat and look at the countryside when suddenly a blast of bongo drums would jolt you awake. The host father didn't like to change the radio station and we'd listen to static, then nothing, then Alicia Bridges calling for some "ack-shown."

The eldest son of the host family had an enormous stereo system in his room, with tower speakers and a state-of-the-art turntable. He loved to blast his records at night, which he did until his father would get tired of it. I would wander down to his room to hear what he was playing, but he wasn't especially interested in my views on music. He had the best record that had ever been recorded, he told me. Yep, he had Gino Vannelli. That would clear me out of his room pretty quick.

As I would listen to all this music that I despised, I kept thinking about my return to the United States. I was wondering what music I'd missed that summer as I was trapped in the disco inferno. I knew that my friends were starting to get their driver's licenses and were starting to cruise around with the radio on. I couldn't wait to get back and join them. At the time I left for Guatemala, the big song on the local radio in Appleton was "The Logical Song" from Supertramp's Breakfast in America album, which I saw displayed in the Vista Hermosa shopping mall for the first time a few days before I was to leave the country. That was on July 12, 30 years ago today. What I didn't learn until I returned was that something else happened in Chicago on July 12. And I wouldn't have to worry about listening to disco music much longer.

il miglior fabbro

Peggy Noonan, a writer I've long admired, has been off the rails for at least a year now. She wrote an especially despicable column about our favorite politician yesterday. I was thinking about fisking the column, but there's no need. Doctor Zero over at Hot Air has it all under control.

A representative sample of the rich, fisky goodness on offer at the link:

Noonan is symptomatic of a defeated, collaborative wing of the GOP that wants nothing more than to be thought well of by the Left, which they believe has decisively won the political and cultural battles of the twentieth century. Their idea of a “conservative” is someone who can eke out a small discount on the price tag of mammoth liberal programs. Their goal in 2012 is to find a bland, pleasant, “moderate” Republican, who can win the approval of the media mullahs as a “serious candidate,” then lose gracefully and give America’s First Black President his second term. The idea of serious conservative reform terrifies them: radical overhaul of the tax system, dramatic reduction in the size of government, a system that compels Congress to live like humble servants of the people instead of Renaissance royalty… Who will throw those wonderful cocktail parties in Washington, if the conservatives burn half the city down? Who will tell Peggy bedtime stories of dashing social engineers with titanic government schemes? Where will she find hip, exciting statists she can celebrate with schoolgirl treacle, like this nonsense from her 2008 endorsement of Obama: “Something new is happening in America. It is the imminent arrival of a new liberal moment. History happens, it makes its turns, you hold on for dear life. Life moves.” She was on to something with that last bit. Obama has made a lot of American businesses think about moving.

Go read the whole thing. Do not hesistate.

The Gut Feeling

Visceral (vis-uh-rel)

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the word has four meanings:

1. felt in or as if in the viscera
2. not intellectual
3. dealing with crude or elemental emotions
4. of, relating to, or on or among the viscera

Your viscera are your guts. When we talk of visceral reactions, we're not talking about reactions that are given a lot of thought. Fear and revulsion are visceral reactions.

Which brings us to Al Franken.

Earlier this week I wrote a post where I gently referred to the junior senator from Minnesota as "Senator Steaming Pile." Our friend Amanda, who performs regular acts of kindness by coming here to challenge our assumptions (and I am quite sincere in saying that, by the way), took notice of that and gave me a gentle dig about "taking the high road." But she did more than that. She also wrote a post on her always-interesting blog Memeopolis and she mentioned a couple of very useful things:

The reaction of conservative acquaintances and bloggers however, has been a vitriolic gnashing of the teeth and bloodthirsty name-calling. They HATE Al Franken. HATE. Hatehatehatehate. Instinctively, at first I felt slightly defensive. I mean, Al hasn't even done anything in office yet. Good or bad. Give him a chance to f*** up, yeah?

That's a fair point. Then she made a better, more provocative point.

But then I realized that their emotional reaction could be likened to my affection for Sarah Palin.

I'm guessing that I am one of the conservative acquaintances that Amanda mentioned in her post. Which got me thinking about Franken and why I feel the way I do.

Hate is a strong word and a strong emotion. It is also an emotion that is learned. I don't know if I hate Al Franken -- if were hurt in a traffic accident or somesuch and I came upon him, I'd whip out my cell, call 911 and then see if there was anything I could do to help him until the pros arrived. But I do dislike him quite a lot, probably more than just about any other politician on the current scene. And I will do everything in my power to ensure his retirement in 2015.

Why is that? Is it a visceral reaction, a gut feeling? Or is my disdain for Franken something that I learned? The answer is pretty clear: it is something I learned. The first time I saw Franken was on Saturday Night Live back in the late 1970s. He then appeared in skits with his comedy partner, Tom Davis. He was a semi-regular presence on that show for years and, in some cases he was pretty damned funny. His imitation of the dour and preachy Illinois Sen. Paul Simon in the mock presidential debates in the 1988 cycle was spot-on and hilarious. It's worth remembering that history.

The problem that most conservatives have with Franken is that when he entered into the political arena, he was an especially vicious guy. I'd even be willing to forgive him that, though: as they say in Chicago, politics ain't beanbag. My problem with Franken is that he has a history with someone I know personally. That someone is Evan Montvel-Cohen. The story of Franken's involvement with Montvel-Cohen, and the scam Montvel-Cohen pulled on the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club to get funding that was instrumental to the founding of Air America ,was much downplayed during the election cycle, but it was to my mind the most damning thing about Franken. Montvel-Cohen and I both attended the same college. I know him. He was a shifty character then and most everyone on our campus recognized it. Franken did not, apparently. More importantly, Franken didn't do much of anything to make the situation right after he became aware of it. To me, the incident speaks to Franken's character and judgment. And it speaks quite badly.

Do I have a visceral reaction now when Franken's name comes up? Yeah, I guess I do.

So what about the reaction that Amanda has to Sarah Palin and the reasons for her reaction? She can answer that herself. I'd be willing to wager she has an interesting story to tell. And it's useful to tell these stories, I think.

Cap This

All the caterwauling I've done this week about cap and trade, and now this:

As President Barack Obama encouraged world leaders meeting in Italy to intensify the fight against global warming, legislation to cut U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases suffered a delay in the Senate on Thursday.

The leading Senate committee responsible for developing the climate change legislation has delayed by at least a month its crafting of a bill, leaving less time for Congress to fulfill Obama's desire to enact a law this year.

So why would you delay something that's URGENT URGENT URGENT as cap and trade? Two reasons, apparently. First is the old Beltway standby, sloth:

"We'll do it as soon as we get back" in September from a month-long break, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer announced.

Emphasis mine. While there's little doubt that our wallets are all safer when Congress is not in session, how many people do you know who take a month-long break? I guess a month-long break is fine as long as you don't spend it in Crawford, Texas. But there's a more important reason:

The Senate delay came as Congress was preoccupied with healthcare reform, Obama's top legislative priority, and as senators continued to bicker over how to reduce industrial emissions of carbon dioxide without putting U.S. businesses and consumers at a disadvantage.

Healthcare reform, in this context, is of course the ongoing effort to replace the current patchwork of private insurance with the all-new shiny government-run healthcare program, which will save skabillions of dollars and will be run effectively and efficiently through the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Now, moving effective control of the economy over to the Beltway is tough work, especially if you're trying to get it done before people notice what's really happening. What I suspect: the Democrats realize that they can't get both national health care and a carbon regulation scheme, especially with people starting to notice that some of the other Change You Can Believe In isn't working so well, so they have to choose. And since taking over healthcare provides more effective control over how people live their lives, that's the smart bet.

August is now a very important month. When the solons come home, it's time to let them know what the consequences of voting for government control will be. While I don't expect that Betty McCollum, Amy Klobuchar or Al Franken care about the views of a mouth-breathing blogger, if enough other like minded people make it clear that there will be consequences for nationalizing vast swathes of the economy, we may be able to stop these horrible ideas. And if that happens, business will start investing again and Obama might even get his economic recovery. Eventually Bill Clinton figured that one out. Let's see if The One is as quick on the uptake as Slick Willy.

Why are we doing this again?

I keep hearing we gotta have cap and trade. So what would you call this?

Cap-and-trade regimes have advantages, notably the ability to set a limit on emissions and to integrate with other countries. But they are complex and vulnerable to lobbying and special pleading, and they do not guarantee success.

The experience of the European Union is Exhibit A. Emissions targets were set too high. Too many pollution allowances were given away to industry. The value of a carbon credit plummeted. Companies made windfall profits by charging customers more for energy while selling allowances they didn't need. And the Europeans have not had much success reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Disputes on the next round of reductions led to the creation of a two-tiered system to appease Eastern European countries fearful of the cost to their industries.

It's quite simple, actually. The advantage of cap and trade is that it disguises the reality that the government controlling the regime is imposing an especially onerous and regressive tax. And the market for these credits will necessarily be as arbitrary as the market for credit default swaps was. And I think we all remember how that movie ended.

And there's this little problem, too:

Washington, D.C.-During a hearing today in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, EPA Administrator Jackson confirmed an EPA analysis showing that unilateral U.S. action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would have no effect on climate. Moreover, when presented with an EPA chart depicting that outcome, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said he disagreed with EPA's analysis.

"I believe the central parts of the [EPA] chart are that U.S. action alone will not impact world CO2 levels," Administrator Jackson said.

What would be needed? The agreement of China and India. Likely? Well, not so much.

Maybe there's a good reason to set up an artificial market for intangible credits that are well-nigh impossible to price, with the goal of doing something that won't work. Guess I'm not seeing it. Help me out, people -- explain the benefit, if you can.

(H/T: Heritage)

Guilty Pleasures Part Forty-Nine: Maria Ponders Artistic Choices

We're back for more music and once again Fearless Maria is in the house! So Maria, what would you like to listen to this evening?

Can we do an entire version with Hannah Montana songs? Or doesn't your audience understand greatness?

Well, I'm not sure they quite understand the majesty that is Hannah Montana, Maria.

Well, at least the Old Kids on the Block aren't on the magazine covers these days!

True. Unless they are on the cover of Modern Maturity.

Well, I think we should just knock them right off the block and try something else. What do you have in your pile of scraps today, Dad?

Hmmm. Sounds appetizing, Maria. How about some random early 80s stuff? This is music I heard when I went to college back then.

Okay, let's see if you learned anything, Dad!

Well, let's start out with this one. These guys were a personal favorite of mine back then, because they were a fun band and they had a song called "Stand Down Margaret," which came in handy when I wanted to pick on my little sister. But that's not the song I have here. This one is from 1982, toward the end of their time. It's the English Beat, telling the truth at last:

I Confess

I confess that the singer looks like a girl, Dad! He's wearing eye shadow and a weird beret hat thingy and earrings! And when he's shouting with the fire all around him, he sounds like a girl! Is he confused, Dad? Or is he confessing he's a girl?

I don't know, Maria. That sort of thing passed for art in those days, I guess. I confess I'm somewhat confused by it myself! Shall we move on?

Yes yes yes yes yes! I'm Miss Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes!

When did that happen, Maria?

When I don't want to see that tomgirl English Beat dude, Dad!

Okay. Let's try another odd group of Englishmen, then. These guys were a big deal in England but never really broke big in the States. This song is a jaunty little number from 1982. It's The Jam, with

Town Called Malice

I bet I know why they were called The Jam, Dad.

Let's hear your theory, Maria.

Because they didn't want to be called the Jelly, or the Honey, or the Mustard, or the Chutney, or the Nectarines or Plums or something! Good thing they're not called the Jellyfish, either, even though they seem to flop around a lot like a jellyfish. Why do you think they couldn't stay in focus on the video, Dad?

That's another one of those artistic choices, Maria.

I don't know, Dad. Maybe the cameraman was from a town called malice!

Good theory, Maria. Let's try this one. Here's an odd-looking lady with her somewhat big hit and very big hair. From 1981, it's Lene Lovich, requesting a

New Toy

Who would give a new toy to the likes of her, Dad? She looks she's in a too-tight and too makeup-y Halloween costume! And even worse, I think she had the all-time Bad Hair Day! I think she should use her credit card and get professional hairdo help immediately!

Well, again Maria, this is one of those "artistic choices" that people made back then.

Well, next time she makes an "artistic choice," maybe she should choose not to look so ridiculous!

Good advice, Maria. And do you want to know something really weird?

No, but I'll bet you'll tell me anyway. Right, Dad?

Well, of course I will, Maria. Did you know that a few years ago Target used that song for selling toys at Christmas?

Oh my gosh! I don't see how that would work. What were they selling, Ridiculous Hair Elmo?

I don't know, Maria, but I'm betting it didn't work. Shall we move on?

Yeah, we better.

Okay, let's get a little more mainstream. This one was a big hit for the Clash in 1982, although the video is kinda weird. They filmed it in Austin, Texas, for reasons I can't understand, but it does include some excellent armadillo footage. Here they are, singing

Rock the Casbah

Wow. Bad hairdos, crawling armadillos and a trip to Burger King. What a weird video! So Dad, are those people reasonable? Or is that just some more of those artistic choices you keep talking about?

You're making me suffer for my art, Maria, aren't you?

Well, maybe this next one isn't too bad. Right?

Let's find out, shall we? It's our old pal Joan Jett, covering an old Tommy James and the Shondells tune, but with slightly less reverb but a lot more attitude.

Crimson and Clover

Nice pants, Joan Jett! What is crimson, anyway?

It's a shade of red, Maria.

Okay, that makes sense. The song wouldn't work so well if was "Burgundy and Clover," I guess! So Dad, I have a question. Do you think Gino will like any of these?

Maybe, Maria. If not, he'll like this.

Yes, I bet he will, Dad. As for the rest of you, go ahead and vote in the comments section. Don't be shy! And make sure your choice is artistic, too!

Who knew?

Well, maybe you did. Still, it's nice to have the Associated Press actually pointing out the obvious:

President Barack Obama promised to fix health care and trim the federal budget deficit, all without raising taxes on anyone but the wealthiest Americans. It's a promise he's already broken and will likely have to break again.

AP writer Stephen Ohlemacher would also like to remind you of a promise then-candidate Obama made:

Obama made a firm tax pledge during the presidential campaign, repeating it numerous times in the weeks and months leading up to Election Day: no tax increases for individuals making less than $200,000 a year or couples making less than $250,000.

"Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes," Obama told a crowd in Dover, N.H., last year.

Is that true? Not a chance. Ohlemacher explains:

Obama also signed an anti-smoking bill in June that grants authority to the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco. To pay for the new program, a fee is being imposed on the industry — and presumably passed on to consumers — estimated to generate more than $5 billion over the next decade.

While not directly increasing taxes, a House-passed version of Obama's plan to reduce greenhouse gases blamed for causing global warming would similarly increase American families' home energy bills by $175 a year on average, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Here's the truth, folks. If any version of the cap and trade fiasco becomes law, the costs will far exceed the $175 per family increase in heating costs. All the companies that use power will also be affected and, to the extent possible, those costs will be passed on to consumers as well. And with inflationary pressures coming from the stimulus and other genius programs of this administration, many things are going to cost a lot more money, and soon.

With Senator Steaming Pile now occupying a chair in Washington, the D's pretty much have the muscle to do as they see fit. Change You Can Believe In is coming, good and hard.

Radio Free Dilettante — Ignoring the Coast to Coast Freak Show Edition

iTunes again provides an alternate history of the day:

Last Five:

A Legal Matter, The Who
Tell Her She's Lovely, El Chicano
I'm Not in Love, 10cc
I Would Die 4 U, Prince and the Revolution
Playin' in the Dirt, Robert Cray Band

Next Five:

Then Came You, Spinners and Dionne Warwick
Those Shoe Biz Shoes, The Guess Who
Death or Glory, The Clash
Hot Rod Lincoln, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
When the Levee Breaks, Led Zeppelin

Manure with gift wrap

Despite 4-5 days of rapturous coverage in the Twin Cities media, including a full-page photo in the Sunday Pioneer Press and lead stories at least 3 times on the 10 p.m. news, Al Franken is still a steaming pile. Senator Steaming Pile, perhaps, but still a steaming pile.

Look in my eyes, what do you see?

I'll give Sarah Palin this much -- she knows how to get attention. Good for her.

I've defended Palin on a number of occasions recently, because she does face a lot of scurrility. But in watching the action on some of the conservative blogs that I read, I must say this: a lot of Sarah Palin supporters really give me the creeps. For some of these folks, any criticism, no matter how mild, is thoughtcrime.

This thread over at Hot Air is illustrative; if you're not convinced, you'll find a half-dozen more that are similar. The post I've linked, which references a post put up by the guy who runs the highly-caffeinated conservative blog Ace of Spades, shows reaction to even mild criticism of la Palin that is just astonishingly vitriolic.

I have long criticized those supporters of Barack Obama who treat him as a demigod; I've kept the Obama Messiah website on my blogroll because it serves as a handy compendium of idolatry and foolishness.

Sarah Palin is a politician. A gifted one, one who reaches many people, without question. But a politician nonetheless. And we don't need a cult of Sarah on the right.

Things that won't end well

My internet access was down nearly all weekend (bad Comcast! Bad, bad Comcast!) and many things happened. A few very quick thoughts:

Word to the wise, fellas: taking a mistress doesn't end well. Exhibit A. Exhibit B.

Zelaya doesn't get to land in Honduras. This also won't end well. Here's a hint, folks -- anything involving Hugo Chavez is a fool's errand.

Meanwhile, the train wreck continues to approach Minneapolis.

No Qum-baya

This is very big news:

The most important group of religious leaders in Iran called the disputed presidential election and the new government illegitimate on Saturday, an act of defiance against the country’s supreme leader and the most public sign of a major split in the country’s clerical establishment.

Most of the big-time mullahs live in Qum, and this statement from them undercuts most of the claims that Khamenei has made. If the gray eminences call the election illegitmate, that's not something even the Basij can walk back.

All Khamenei has left now is cudgels. You can do a lot with cudgels in the short term, but in the long term, there isn't a long term.