David Rodeback's Blog

Civilized People Do Not Burn Other People's Holy Books
A pastor in Florida plans to mark September 11 by burning copies of the Koran. You may have noticed that Americans have the right to do some un-American things, even if they're wrong. NEW: Listen to an audio podcast of this post.

Immigration Reform, Part III: The Millions of Illegals Who Are Already Here
Estimates of the number of illegal immigrants now in the United States range from 10 million to at least 25 million. What are we to do with them? Wave our magic wand and make them citizens? Herd them into cattle cars and ship them across the border? I'm glad you asked.  NEW: Listen to an audio podcast of this post.

The Ground Zero Mosque, the Uproar, and the Uproar over the Uproar
Surely, if a clear majority of Americans oppose the building of a new, prominent mosque at or near Ground Zero in Manhattan, one level or another of our government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" could stop it, right? Well, not exactly . . . NEW: Listen to an audio podcast of this post.

Immigration Reform, Part II: A Border Is a Border, and the Benefits of Legal Immigration
My discussion of immigration policy continues with talk of the border and of the benefits of legal immigration. Within reason, where legal immigrants are concerned, I say: the more, the better. NEW: Listen to an audio podcast of this post.

Some Housekeeping: Proposition 8, Etc.
Two of the most interesting columns I've read in the aftermath of the US District Court overturning California's Proposition 8, plus a quick note on immigration reform and two more interesting things to read.

Immigration Reform: My Wild Fantasy and Five Postulates
Just wait 'til you see how I try to get you in the mood to share my fantasy. I figure you might need some help with that, since you (unlike I) did not just return from Disneyland. NEW: Listen to an audio podcast of this post.

RAQ: Other Stuff (Mostly Not the Election)
Recently Asked Questions about a general, presidential succession, the federal budget, yachting and golfing, the institutional of marriage, carbonated beverages, etc.

Still Too Little, Much Too Late
After nearly two months, the Obama administration is finally beginning to act as if it wants to solve the oil spill problem, not just exploit it. Three possible reasons for the delay. A short list of interesting things to read.

Anchor Babies and the Fourteenth Amendment
Does Mike Lee's and Tim Bridgewater's advocacy of denying automatic US citizenship to "anchor babies" (children born in the US to parents who are in the country illegally) mean they're ignoring the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, as some suggest? A little investigation removes all certainty; it's just not that simple.

RAQ: Utah's Senate Race and the System Generally
Recently Asked Questions and answers about the Mike Lee-Tim Bridgewater Senate race, the caucus/convention system, and . . . how do we really know what we're doing?

Thomas, Patrick, Tea, and Me
My thoughts on the Tea Party movement and two of the icons that illuminate it, Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry.

Lee and Bridgewater Debate in American Fork
Both candidates are conservative. Both spoke well and stayed on message. It was a good hour.

More of a Prayer than a Post
It is Memorial Day, and my thoughts seem to reach beyond politics -- if there is such a place.

Labels as Alternatives to Thought and Effort
It is when labels become substitutes for serious thought and effort that they do us harm.

Join a Major Political Party. I Don't Care Which One.
To paraphrase our first president, it is the interest and duty of a wise people to restrain its political parties. At present, this is the only way to restrain and redirect our government. The only way to do that effectively in the short run or the long run is from the inside.

Lee over Bridgewater: The Abridged Version
Some people thanked me for the length and detail of my previous post. Some people asked for a shorter version, and here it is.

Mike Lee over Tim Bridgewater: My Explanation
I have wanted to evaluate the candidates thoroughly enough to be comfortable supporting one over the other. Meanwhile, you might say I've been staying not so much on the fence as within an arm's length of the fence. Now I'm finally ready to abandon the fence altogether and say, Mike Lee for Senate. Here's why.

Sgt. John Scott Pinney (1942-1969)
He would have been 68 years old today.

The Possible Larger Meaning of Massa
Some people think that private misbehavior should not disqualify a person for public office.

Musings on ObamaCare
Where do we go from here, and what if we win this one?

Health Care Takeover Passes
Freedom, prosperity, and quality medical care lost a battle today. A big battle. But the war goes on. Meanwhile, two thumbs way down for supposedly conservative House Democrats.

Update on Republican House and Senate Candidates
The official list of Utah Republican candidates for the US Senate and House of Representatives, now that the filing deadline has passed.

Teams, Deems, and an Honest-to-God Constitutional Crisis in the Making
The fundamental question is, will the President and the US House of Representatives try to make a controversial, far-reaching, game-changing bill into law without the House actually having voted on it. Unthinkable? Not in 2010.

Republican Candidates in Utah's Second Congressional District
Here's my initial take on Neil Walter and Morgan Philpot, who are vying for the Republican nomination to oppose incumbent Democrat Jim Matheson. At the end, there's a stellar quotation from Daniel Webster, which by itself is worth the price of admission (your reading time, I mean).

Media Coverage of Last Week's Town Hall Meeting
Also some mentions of the meeting in discussions of larger issues, and capers and potential capers on the parts of Congressman Jason Chaffetz and former Congressman Merrill Cook.

Reflections on Senator Hatch's Audience in American Fork
This long post is not intended to be a detailed report on US Senator Orrin Hatch's town meeting in American Fork on Wednesday, though it contains a lot of detail about things that were said there by the audience. It is more a collection of my reflections on that audience -- what they said, how they acted, how they fit into our participatory democracy. Fair warning is given: I do some name-calling. I identify some statements from the meeting as suggesting cluelessness, and some others as suggesting closed-minded right-wing zealotry. My months-old political optimism was threatened briefly by what I saw and heard; here I also explain what restored it. Finally, I tell you why I think all this matters.

Compassion and Coerced Silver
Two versions of one parable, the interpretation thereof, and my recommendation of a good book.

Don't Blame the Bloggers
A feisty little essay about the importance of political bloggers and the unfortunate tendency to use them as scapegoats.

What Planet Is This?
It's not the weird headlines in the current Drudge Report that will weird you out. It's the serious ones.

Accumulated Thoughts
. . . About accumulations and other themes, including both happy and ominous matters.

Reasons and Excuses for Electoral Defeat
In the wake of Tuesday's special US Senate election in Massachusetts, the reasons and excuses we offer after an electoral defeat seem relevant.

I Love Numbers, but What Do They Mean?
Numbers mean things, and I adore them. But they don't always mean what they appear to mean at first glance.

Accumulated Thoughts
On the Importance of Being Trivial. Things We'll Never Read. Doubly Cool. Watch Massachusetts on Tuesday. Thinking Democrats. What Do the Numbers Mean?

A Possible Reason Why
That is, why House and Senate Democrats are willing to jeopardize their reelection to pass the health care takeover.

Brief Addenda
More -- only a little more -- on legislation without representation, science, Mother Nature's sense of humor, etc.

On the Nature of Science
. . . And the sort of suspicions which are justified when people push science as something it is not.

More Accumulated Thoughts (Less Turkey)
Doubts about Afghanistan. Fiscal hypocrisy. Climate change hypocrisy. Something silly in the state of Denmark. Very little mention of Tiger Woods. Football and the Commerce Clause.

Accumulated Turkey-Related Thoughts
Thanksgiving turkeys, economic turkeys, pardoned turkeys, and more.

Legislation Without Representation Is Tyranny
We have a larger, more momentous ongoing task than defeating the health care takeover or blocking a devastating climate treaty: to recognize our tyrants and depose them through the electoral process, and to find and put in their place better American leaders, who are capable of recognizing tyranny in our institutions and in themselves, who are philosophically equipped to hate it when they see it, and who will oppose it persistently, intelligently, and effectively wherever they detect it, irrespective of party.

A Veteran's Day Tribute to Demo Red: "So Many Good Men and Women"
The motto of the 30th Infantry Regiment, "San Francisco's Own," seems apt: "Our Country, not Ourselves." Here, with undue brevity, for Veterans Day, is an account of a soldier I know who embodies that motto.

A Quick Look at Election Results
Results of American Fork races and a few other races of interest in Utah and elsewhere.

Where to Vote and What I'm Watching
In addition to races of local interest, at least four are of national interest, in New York, Virginia, New Jersey, and Maine.

Freedom Is Not a System. It's Freedom!
Small wonder that capitalism is taking a beating in the United States, when one of its chief exponents doesn't really understand it!

Copenhagen, Chicago, American Fork
Almost sounds like a bumper sticker, doesn't it? Two unrelated lists . . .

Random Thoughts, Mostly Brief
An AARP radio ad, Kung Fu Panda philosophy, the divine attribute of omnipresence, the intersection of MoTab and Cougar football, and, best of all, goat sacrifice.

The Federal Government Can Have One-Sixth of Utah -- on One Condition
There's nothing a multi-term Congressman or Senator understands better than quid pro quo. So if they choose the quid, we get to choose the quo. See what you think.

On Remembering and Forgetting
Reflections on September 11, 2001. Some things to forget. Some things to remember.

Links to Discussion of the Health Care Speech
A few thoughts of my own, but mostly links to others' discussion of President Obama's Wednesday evening offering.

Cheese, Sunroof, Freedom
On loving others' freedoms, not just my own, and loving freedom enough not to spend it on other things, and not assuming that everyone feels the same, and the case we have to make.

Politics in the Q and A
The President's speech to students yesterday was not much politicized. His answers to their questions afterward were quite political.

Good Speech
Actually, scratch that. It was an excellent speech.

Two Questions, Please, Senator
If enough others have the same questions, Senator Robert Bennett has a potential problem in 2010.

Memo to Fellow Conservatives: Grow Up Already!
On virtue and innocence, and why I prefer that my children watch President Obama's speech.

I Am a Tocqueville Conservative
Alexis de Tocqueville, the pioneer sociologist and brilliant student of American society, especially American political society, explained how free Americans supplied the wants and needs of society without relying on government to take care of them. He saw in his discovery the key to American freedom's survival. That was in the 1830s. He also foresaw the unique perils that lay in wait.

Thoughts on the Passing of an Icon
Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Massacusetts) passed away late last night, as you've probably heard by now.

The Gulf Which Divides Us
With some unwitting help from Time's Joe Klein, whom I enjoy reading, I attempt to describe the more fundamental battle which underlies the health care debate -- a battle which American conservatives don't yet seem to be fighting, because we've never had to fight it before. Some things are supposed to be self-evident, and maybe they used to be, but they're not universally self-evident now.

Ten Things You Probably Won't Overhear at the White House This Week
This is not a Top Ten List; that might be trademark infringement or some such thing. But it is a list, and it does contain ten items, numbered in descending order. And there are ten of them. No, wait, I already said that.

A Fictional White House Internal Memo
Fictional! As in, Not Real! As in, Didn't Really Come from the White House! But maybe it could have, and that's the point.

"We've Tried But They're Not Answering": Things That Might Be Worth Worrying About
There is a growing body of evidence that the party which controls the White House, the US Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Big Media Acronyms believes that opponents are un-American, have no right to oppose them, and should be intimidated, discredited, and even suppressed. Here are links to readings from the week on this and other themes, a few related thoughts, and a little reward for reading to the end.

Yankee Doodle, Keep It Up! (a thank-you note)
You'd rather stay home and mind your own business, like you used to, and not be called the foulest names they know. Instead, you crowd into town meetings and make your point with as much civility as circumstances will permit. When they sling mud at you for your trouble, you happily make mud pies. I salute you.

Sauce for the Goose, Part II: The Health Care Debate
Notes and quotes on the health care debate itself (more than on the substance of the matter). It's fascinating. And a good word about Utah along the way. Also, rat me out. Please!

Sauce for the Goose, Part I
A plan to retire inefficient elected officials, modeled after the Cash for Clunkers program.

Are We Stimulated Yet?
They say the stimulus is working, that we'd be worse off without it. They say we might need another massive stimulus bill. And they say only 10 percent of the first stimulus has actually been spent.

Excellent Readings
Climate change, Obamacare, Sarah Palin, Robert McNamara, a jobless recovery, American Fork, and more.

A Few More Good Readings -- In Case You're Tired of Michael Jackson Coverage
(I know I am.)

Some Very Recent Readings
Cap and trade and the EPA cover-up; affirmative action and the Ricci case; and miscellany featuring such names as Franken, Huntsman, Whitman, and Palin, among others.

A Selection of My Independence Day Thoughts
An article; a movie; reflections on an implication of tilting at windmills; why I read the Declaration of Independence and what I concluded; who is to blame; my personal civic activities; and a distant memory of celebrating July 4 in an empire that no longer exists.

A Cap and Trade Primer (Part Two)
Assuming the problem is real and the solution legitimate -- neither of which assumptions I accept -- will the House's cap and trade bill make a difference? How much will it cost? It proposes to regulate all manner of things, not just carbon emissions. And then there's the suppressed EPA report which questions the science behind it all . . .

Miscellany
An assortment of curious tales from the national scene, a couple of local notes, and a weird Mormon moment.

A Cap and Trade Primer (Part One)
Why I felt well represented last week. The basics of cap and trade. A host of false assumptions. A video gem from the ACLU. (No, really!)

What I Read over Lunch
Insightful readings on Obamacare, the revolt in Iran, the illegal firing of an inspector general, and the Republican Party's identity crisis.

Random Thoughts
Obamacare, cemeteries, the census, Facebook, Philly cheese steak, and SLAPP.

A Primer for Aspiring Tyrants: Techniques Used by Experts
Tyranny is a growth industry now, you see. If you don't aspire to it, read this as opposition research.

Foolishness du Jour and a Perfect Rainbow
I really wish I had a photo -- of the rainbow and its setting, that is, not the foolishness.

Peggy Noonan Day (and Some Housekeeping)
Here are links to a few excellent, recent Peggy Noonan columns, and to some other things I've read lately, some as recently as today.

A View of Governor Huntsman from the Left
Huntsman and conservative issues, Huntsman and China, Huntsman and Mitt Romney, Huntsman and 2016, etc.

Obama: "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"
Evidence is mounting that Chrysler dealerships were selected for closure on the basis of political contributions, not profitability. And Nancy Pelosi wants an inventory of "every aspect of our lives." These are only two of today's new items, for which the popular adjective (which I don't particularly like) would be concerning.

Huntsman, Christensen, Cemetery, and Steyn
It almost sounds like a law firm, but it's really a state getting a new governor, a city getting a new fire chief, a minor update about cemetery expansion in American Fork, and a speech I suggest you read and re-read.

Federal Takeovers: The Road Leads Where It Leads
If we keep going down the road we're on, we will inevitably arrive at the place to which the road leads.

100 Days in Retrospect
Including a bizarre list of Obama Faith Moments.

Miscellaneous Thoughts on the National Scene
Mostly brief notes on Arlen Specter, one less headless federal department, the political uses of overstated pandemic, thuggish federal abuse of banks, and a poorly thought-out photo op.

Miscellaneous Thoughts
Beautiful music, ramblings about Earth Day, the national basketball championship you didn't hear about, a morsel of good news about property taxes in American Fork, and . . . have we lost our institutional mind?

A Recent Long Weekend in Obamaland
Washington, DC, that is. There was food. There was art. There was a very large gaggle of enthusiastic conservatives.

Thomas Sowell Day
Alas, commonsensical is already a word.

Of Freedom and Sacrifice
I read today that two friends' son has been killed in Iraq, where he served in the US Army. . . .

Obama: Notes on the Transition and the Speech
Ideology or power: which is the end, and which the means for Obama? Notes on the transition, the oath, the speech, the prayer, and the new President.

A Look at the Election Results: National
Notes on presidential, US Senate, and House races, and marriage referenda in a few states.

A Quick Thought
Despair and discouragement are inappropriate. So is disinterest.

Where to Follow Election Returns on the Web
(I can't tell you where to go on television, since I don't have cable.)

Notes on Election Day
(Updated 5:45 p.m.) Here I accumulate notes on Election Day -- the lawsuits, the unforeseen technical problems, the plea for a clothing-optional polling place, etc. -- as they develop and as LBB permits.

David's Handy 2008 Election Guide
My election guide this time mentions not only the races and referenda, but also suggests some things to do before you go to the polls, what to take with you, an important thing to check while you're still at the voting machine, some helpful things you could do afterwards, and a good way to track the presidential election returns, if you're into that.

Excellent Readings
Excellent readings, with excerpts in most cases. The categories and their (sizes) are: Not About the Election or Its Issues (small). The Howler of the Week (small). What We'll Get If We Get Barack Obama (large). Economics Generally (medium).

A Tale of Two Liberals, or Is It Bad to Be a Socialist?
One of those two liberals is now called a conservative.

Obama: Communist? Marxist? Socialist?
In his political and social views, Barack Obama appears to be not a communist, a Marxist, or a democratic socialist, as political theorists usually categorize such things, but a social democrat . Make no mistake: A social democrat is a kind of socialist.

Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Speech
"If we do not believe in freedom of speech for those we despise we do not believe in it at all."

It Hasn't Been Tried
It wasn't free-market capitalism that failed, but it's certainly the popular scapegoat.

Shouldn't I Be a Democrat?
My biography says so. My education says so. My long residency in the Northeast says so. My dissatisfaction with state and national Republicans says so. But I'm not. Here's what the Utah Democrats would have to do to entice me.

Apropos Joe the Plumber (Etc.)
Links to columns on why the Left hates Joe the Plumber, how he might turn the election, Russian adventurism, and interpreting the US Constitution.

Don't Slander Robin Hood (and Selected Readings)
The hero of Sherwood Forest stole from the government, not rich individuals. A few readings on the election, the economic meltdown, and other themes.

Notes on The Third Presidential Debate
This one goes to John McCain over Barack Obama, but it was not the overwhelming performance McCain needed.

John McCain's Last Chance
We need some new heroism from John McCain tonight, and it will have to be an approach to the debate that is contrary to his senatorial instincts.

Listening to Smart People
Three little morsels I've heard lately while listening to smart people I know.

Excellent Readings
A selection of recent commentary on the election (and elections generally), the current economic mess, recent debates (and debates generally), and other topics.

Accumulated Thoughts on the National Scene
Rays of hope for the McCain campaign. The bailout of which you may not have heard. Why it's fair that we all pay the piper. And more.

Notes on the Second Presidential Debate
No knockout punches. No remorse for spending nearly a trillion tax dollars on a pork-greased bailout. One guy watching got a bit cranky, I'm afraid. ('Twas I.)

Notes on the Vice Presidential Debate
Biden spouted more details about policy. Palin landed more punches. Moderator Gwyn Ifill was not the story, after all.

My Debate Prep
For my debate prep, prior to tonight's vice presidential debate, that is, I watched several Sarah Palin interviews. I didn't watch Joe Biden at all. I've been watching him for years; he's a known quantity.

Notes on the First Presidential Debate
. . . which I watched this week instead of last week, thanks to the Internet.

More on the Financial Crisis
Links to two good, short explanations of what's going on with mortgages, banks, etc. A third about an Obama connection, and a fourth about the folly of worrying about executive compensation right now.

The Partisan Speech that Cost (Saved?) $700 Billion
Notes on the bailout package's defeat in the House today, including the Nancy Pelosi speech that might have killed it.

Sad News for American Fork, A Weird Photo, and Stuff to Read on the Bailout
The sad news is brief. The photo is comic relief. The readings are excellent.

Anti-Palin Hysteria: A Sample
Folks are calling it Palin Derangement Syndrome. Here's what it looks like in its advanced stages.

Is the Doddering Dud the Real Dodd?
. . . Or is the helpless handwringing by the chair of the Senate Banking Committee a diversion?

It's Not as If We Weren't Warned
In 2006 Senator John McCain told his colleagues, "If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole." Two years later, well . . .

9/11 Thoughts
A few thoughts on September 11 and larger themes, including a sign that history is begin to liberate itself from partisan blinders, where the Iraq war is concerned.

John McCain's Speech
Here are some notes, some excerpts from the speech, plenty of my own thoughts, and, before we're done, a piece of the speech which surprised me . . . by moving me.

Sarah Barracuda
Thoughts on Governor Sarah Palin's convention speech. My favorite lines. Selected good readings.

Early Thoughts on Sarah Palin, Running Mate
Yes, it's still early, but the end of the beginning is tonight at the Republican convention, when she gives a big speech.

Barack Obama's Convention Speech
Convention in another sense is what we got, but the packaging was excellent.

One Down, One to Go
My sigh of relief. Links to notes on the Democratic National Convention. Two names you're not hearing for Senator McCain's running mate.

Tyranny on Parade
Russia wants its empire back, and China, in its insecurity, is trying too hard to look perfect for the world.

The Perils of Historical Ignorance
"Don't Know Much About History" could be an Obama campaign slogan.

Infamous Scribblers and More
Notes from the Great Northwest, you might say.

July 4, Give or Take a Day
Obviously, Independence Day has a lot to do with freedom. But what does it have to do with bungee jumping?

A Short List of Recent Readings
. . . Mostly on themes mentioned in my recent comments on the election.

Mr. Spock, My Childhood Hero
Yes, that Spock. My mother thought he looked like Satan.

A Conservative's Guide to the Current Campaign
Here are some brief thoughts on working toward November, what needs to happen in November, and what to do after that.

My Tax Questions
The IRS is notorious for answering tax questions incorrectly more often than correctly -- but, either way, if you get it wrong, it's your fault. So I'm not asking them. I'm asking you.

Last Week an Angry Liberal, This Week a Right-wing Nut Job
This didn't turn out exactly as I planned. My original strategy proved to be too much like carpet-bombing some of my neighbors and relatives, so I shelved it. Something more surgical is indicated.

Peggy Noonan Is Worth Reading
. . . As usual, in this Wall Street Journal piece. Also, there's a bonus.

In the Meantime, About Moderates . . .
The best part of this post is that I point you to an excellent Orson Scott Card article about political moderates.

This Morning I Tried to Be a Liberal
. . . Not just any liberal, you understand, and not a thinking liberal like some of my friends, but a liberal like Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and, yes, Barack Obama.

It Wasn't Supposed to Be Like This
Bad news for the Hillary Clinton campaign. Very bad news. I expect Disney-like pyrotechnics.

The 2008 Campaign's Second Great Speech
Barack Obama's Philadelphia speech yesterday did not change my vote, but it was a great speech, worth reading and remembering. It was a lot like Mitt Romney's speech in December.

What's in a Word?
When things continue at approximately the same speed, we're told that things "basically ground to a halt" -- if those things are economic. And the words "qualified, certified, and competent" can be used to resist improvement and reform, when the subject is education.

Fredette, Fairness, Fairlie, (Non)Fiction, and Further Thoughts
A miscellany of accumulated reading-induced thoughts, some about politics, some about sports, some about other things.

Obama and the Flag: What's Not in a Symbol
If you want to convince me that Barack Obama isn't sufficiently loyal to his country, you'll have to do better than to tell me he doesn't wear an American flag on his lapel.

A Riddle
. . . about math and Mike Huckabee, that is.

Ah, the Humanity!
I could use a vacation. Show them you're the most important person in the room. And mind those foreseeable opposite consequences. (A veritable verbal mosaic of awareness ribbons, congressional deserters, cell phones, state and local legislators, defenseless wild bunnies and birdies, zealous residents, and boring neckwear.)

Last-Minute Valentinish (and Other) Thoughts
A link to winning limericks. Some Valentine's Day thoughts. Things to read if you prefer politics. Something to watch if you prefer math. A note on delegate counts.

Romney Out, No Leader Left in the Race (and Other Post-Super Tuesday Musings)
Romney out. West Virginia Republicans. The presumptive McNominee. The anti-Hillary vote. State of the Union, stimulus, and compassion.

Primaries: Republicans after Maine, Before Super Tuesday
The outcome pales next to the delegate counts to come from tomorrow's "Super Tuesday" primaries, but Maine's Republicans preferred Mitt Romney.

Thoughts Toward Super Tuesday
A quick, opinionated look at the names on the ballot in Tuesday's Utah presidential primaries.

Presidential Primaries: Updated Running Totals
TheGreenPapers.com has updated its committed delegate totals for Iowa (Republicans and Democrats), New Hampshire (Democrats), and Michigan (Republicans). This post reflects those changes.

Presidential Primary Update: After Florida
After Florida, for the first time, John McCain leads in the delegate count. The Florida Democratic primary apportioned no delegates, leaving Barack Obama with a slightly-enlarged lead over Hillary Clinton after South Carolina.

Primaries: After South Carolina and Nevada
After today, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama still lead by small margins in the delegate count.

Presidential Primaries and Caucuses: Iowa, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Running Totals
The BMA typically tell us which candidates get the most votes, without worrying much about who is accumulating the most delegates to the two parties' national conventions. Here we look at the numbers that matter: the delegate counts -- but even those are soft.

NIE, AF, Gitmo, AF the Movie, and More
. . . including a lawnmower analogy and the phrase, "if headlines were fishes" . . .

Christmas Music and Christmas Politics
The two don't really go together, but they coexist in my last blog post of the year, along with a bunch of Mormons, a former Southern Baptist minister, and some (other) really nice people.

My Favorite Democrat
That Ornery American makes a lot of sense on immigration and other topics.

Bad Statistics: Denial and de Fanning of de Flames
Here I pick on the local and national media -- again -- for not getting their statistics right in the matters of violence in Iraq and local Boy Scouts of America executive salaries.

Provo's Municipal Broadband, and a Happy (Unrelated) Lawsuit Verdict
Two news stories of note.

Anniversary Notes
Here are a few relatively quick thoughts on today's auspicious anniversary.

Voldemort and Global Warming
On the uncanny resemblance of He-Who-Must-not-Be-Named and That-Which-Must-not-Be-Questioned.

Random Dissenting Thoughts
. . . on the war in Iraq, the local loan sharks, and yelling at the radio.

Orson Scott Card on How We Live and How We Ought to Live
Foreign oil, domestic poverty, and no highway is ever wide enough . . .

Moscow: July 4, 1987
Twenty years ago, rather by surprise, I celebrated American independence with a bunch of -- gasp! -- Soviet Communists.

Hannity vs. Anderson: The Virtual Experience
I didn't attend the big debate, but I watched it later on the Internet. Here are my thoughts.

The Arts, the Jazz, the Debates, the Veto
Had I done any blogging at all last week, here are some things I might have blogged about.

Briefish Thoughts on Several Subjects
Relatively brief musings on a time machine, Vice President Cheney's speech, his detractors, Superintendent Henshaw and the "extremists," and what could cause me to leave the Republican Party after tomorrow.

We Can't Prevent Another Virginia Tech Massacre by Passing a Law
32 dead -- 33, if you count the shooter. 29 wounded. Labels and accusations and proposed legislation are swirling everywhere in response. There is nothing in that maelstrom that will bring back the dead. There is nothing in it that will prevent this from ever happening again, either.

Congressman Cannon and Multiple Bloggers as Lab Rats, or An Uneasy Hybrid of Political Junkie and Web Geek
. . . But don't get the idea that I didn't enjoy it. It was interesting on several levels.

Grab-Bag: Music, Vouchers, Freedom, and a Conservative Daydream
You might say it's leftover night. I happen to enjoy leftovers.

Is Laughter a Form of Worship?
First, a bit about Mitt -- something to read, actually. Then something funny to read about Mormons generally. Also, I muse on Mormons who can't laugh at themselves.

Gasoline Prices: What Goes Down Must Come Up
Fair warning: In this word I use the word stupid twice and the word gullible once. But the post is short. Together, those two words comprise more than one percent of the entire post.

The Arrogance of Dominance, and Vice Versa
In this lengthy post, I rip on Capitol Hill Republicans briefly, then Republicans in the Utah Legislature very slightly and ever so briefly, then Capitol Hill Democrats a little less briefly. Then I unload on the public education lobby at length, on the subject of vouchers and institutional arrogance. Finally, after you have paid the price in cognitive dissonance for a moment, I give you permission to call me names and think me evil if you really want to, because of my politics . . . but I still end up claiming a small victory. (This is truth-in-advertising: a long teaser for a long post.)

Miscellaneous Political Thoughts
Recycling in American Fork. The UEA checks its manners at the Capitol door. Who really represents me? An Oscar and a Nobel. And, finally, I manage to work the phrase barking moonbat into a sentence.

I Ran Away to Chicago -- in February!
I'd do it again, too. Art, pizza, Russian bookstores, a Chicago hot dog . . . And a flight delay led to an excellent lunch in Houston. (Note: This is not about politics. Not everything is, you know.)

Infinite Shades of Grey
Some of our horror at the bad things which happen in "good" places, such as Salt Lake City, is rooted in our preference for black-and-white categories, instead of infinite shades of gray. That preference is actually dangerous.

The State of the Union, Part II: The War
Here is the bulk of the President's discussion of the war, with some passages highlighted and relatively few of my comments along the way.

The State of the Union, Part I: General Notes and Domestic Issues
The economy, health care, immigration, federal judges, energy independence, and more.

I Don't See . . .
I've tried. I just don't.

Iraq Study Group's Terms for US Surrender: It's Time for a New Official Acronym
CESM, that is, for Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys, with a bow to The Simpsons' Groundskeeper Willie.

Grandpa and Veterans Day (Again)
What I have to say on the occasion of Veterans Day is not new.

Every Game Is an Away Game
It was a defeat, not a disaster. I blame the Republicans on Capitol Hill more than the voters. They forgot that for them every game is an away game.

Here's How My Predictions Fared
I got all the easy ones and broke about even on the hard ones -- which is better than the Republican Party did nationally, by the way.

David's Little Election Guide
Here's a quick look at all the races and propositions on my ballot, plus a few more which might be on yours.

Of Nuts with Nukes, and Lesser, Local Things
I look for principles, patterns, and parallels in government and politics. Even if the scale and some essential attitudes are radically different, I think I see a similarity between US attempts to restrain North Korea's nuclear aspirations and the impotence of American Fork's boundary agreement with Pleasant Grove. I fear the explanation is somewhat lengthy.

Questions on My Mind
Here I muse on several questions of recent occurrence and dubious note, from the cosmic to the American Forkic. Watch for cameos by Oprah, Satan, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

I Blinked for Two Days, and Look What I Missed
I missed Talk Like a Pirate Day, a coup in Thailand, tax tweaks, and angry Muslims. I didn't miss a good cartoon or an undeservedly obscure anniversary.

Thoughts on September 11
Miscellaneous thoughts on September 11, five years later.

And the Winners Are . . .
Here are the winners in the two primary races of national interest and the two American Fork issues I mentioned in today's earlier post.

Votes to Watch Today
Lieberman, McKinney, American Fork's tax increase, and that 900 West thing all are voted on today.

Little Rants
. . . about federal agencies and a piece of silliness local to American Fork.

Hoo-da Thunkit?
Just when you think you've seen everything . . . (I have never thought that myself. It's an expression.)

Israel and Its Enemies: The View from My Own 'Religion of Peace'
How many attacks must Israel absorb before fighting back? Here's my scriptural view.

Independence Day Thoughts
A few thoughts on the day, not especially profound or tightly linked together. If you want profundity, follow three links near the end and read some truly important words.

Notes from Ohio
Natural gas bills, water bills, and the voting machine blame game in Cleveland, Ohio.

Grab Bag
Short notes on several topics, at home and abroad.

Marriage Protection Amendment Dies on the Senate Floor
The Marriage Protection Amendment died today in a cloture vote. It will be back.

The Marriage Protection Amendment, Part IV
I support the Marriage Protection Amendment for two reasons. One is structural and procedural, and the other has to do with religious freedom itself.

The Marriage Protection Amendment, Part III
Here I discuss a recent letter from the First Presidency of the LDS Church, which doesn't say exactly what a lot of folks think it says, and list a host of reasons thinking people might cite for opposing both gay marriage and the Marriage Protection Amendment.

The Marriage Protection Amendment, Part II
This article examines a host of arguments for and against the amendment by discussing these questions: Is amending the Constitution something to avoid altogether? Is gay marriage good or bad for society? Is it wrong to legislate morality? Is gay marriage or homosexuality in general morally wrong? Is it a slippery slope?

The Marriage Protection Amendment, Part I
The first of at least three articles on the proposed Marriage Protection Amendment looks at the text of the proposed amendment, its apparent intent, and what may happen on Capitol Hill after the Senate debate.

Immigration Revisited
Diana West takes my notion that we may not actually have immigration laws any more and ups the ante. She's not sure we even have a nation any more.

How Illegal Are They, Anyway?
I see legal immigration as a national blessing, perhaps even a moral obligation. I'm not isolationist or xenophobic at all, as far as I can tell. And now that we've established that, let's talk about illegal immigration, because I'm not entirely sure there still is such a thing.

Happy International Workers Day (Are We Kidding?)
I think the choice of May 1 for the you'll-miss-your-illegal-alien walkout and demonstrations is almost as bad a PR move as all those Mexicans flags that we saw waved in the first round.

It's Earth Day. Let's Celebrate!
Who says you have to be a shallow, wacko-left, faith-not-facts type to celebrate Earth Day? Here are my suggestions for commemorating the day.

Scattered Thoughts
A bit of free association, almost, on income taxes, people who don't back up their data, a new local wetland, strong-arm tactics in South America and American Fork, and words that hurt worse than sticks and stones.

Socialized Medicine: Here We Go Again
This idea deserves a cinder block, a burlap bag, and a one-way ride to the bottom of the river. Again!

It Walks Like a Lame Duck (and Other Brief Thoughts on Seaports and Allies)
Ever wonder what a lame duck politician looks like? Are we going to have allies or not? Why don't our newly-donned scruples about foreign management of ports apply to China? And other questions and thoughts about the seaport debacle.

We Three Kings (Kong): The Really Big Lobbies
Here's a look at three oversized, hugely influential lobbies in Washington and state capitals.

Don't Believe Everything You Hear, Part CLXXIV
Numerous news reports today include a lead story about the US turning over major stateside seaports to the United Arab Emirates. That would like be as dumb as it sounds, but that's not what's proposed.

This Week's Readings
Suzanne Fields, Paul Greenberg, and George Will head the list. Jeff Jacoby has a great euphemism. Paul Greenberg (in another article) holds up an excellent example of civic activity with style and class. And you get to read the phrase "ahistorical thumbsucking." (Beat that!)

Help Me Evaluate Prof. Gingrich's Threats
In a recent speech, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich listed five major threat's to the United States' future. See if you agree. In fact, tell me whether you agree.

Quick Thoughts on Religious Freedom
Three quick thoughts on religious freedom.

The State of the Union Address: Education
My two previous posts discussed what President Bush had to say about foreign policy and several domestic issues. This one focuses on education.

The State of the Union: Foreign Policy First
I finally did it. I had put off discussing -- or reading, or even reading about -- President Bush's State of the Union speech from last week. I finally read it this morning, six days after the President gave it. Here are my notes on the first half of the speech, which addressed foreign policy.

Miscellaneous Short Thoughts
Quick comments on American Fork City government, the law of gravity, Mr. Justice Alito, a couple of bills before the Utah Legislature, etc.

When Democracy Goes Bad
Thoughts on Palestinian democracy and its regrettable fruits.

How Can Part of the Constitution Be Unconstitutional?
Some propose the repeal of the 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which provides for the direct election of US Senators by the people of their states. At least a few of them call the amendment "unconstitutional." This doesn't seem to make sense . . . but we'll follow it where it leads.

The Rule of Law, or 'Living' Is Libspeak for 'Dead'
Our question today is, "Is the US Constitution a living document or not?"

Happy New (Blog) Year!
The 2005 blogging year ended for me much sooner than I intended. . . . Here are some thoughts on stuff that happened during my unexpectedly long absence from the blogosphere.

Smart Stuff to Read
Steven Spielberg, Republican moral cowardice, Peggy Noonan on Iraq, and a good piece on immigration reform.

Recommended Readings
Recommended readings on Iraq, the President, Wal-Mart, abortion, Stanley "Tookie" Williams, the 2008 presidential election, good books, oil company profits, "stupidization," and more.

If These Aren't Weapons of Mass Destruction . . .

How Would You Vote?

The President's Veterans Day Speech

Local Gasoline Prices, a Pleasant Political Escape, and Good Readings on Many Topics

Grandpa and Veterans Day

Good Readings: Plamegate, Picking Judges, More Judges, and the Problem with Second Terms

Good, Recent Readings

More Good Readings

Iraq, Iraq, and Stuff to Read

Three Philosophical Matters about Representative Local Government

Some Overdue Housekeeping: Commander in Chief, Open Meeting Statutes, a Flyer, and Selecting a New Police Chief (Not Necessarily in That Order)

A Spectrum of Political Courage

Good Readings, Various Topics

What Mitt Romney Has Learned and Bill Bennett Hasn't

President Bush's Great Speech on the War: Better Late than Never

More Good Reads (and Procrastinating the President)

American Fork's Campaign Finance Rules More Rational than USA's

Math, Meyer, Manager, and I Can't Find a Word for UN that Starts with "M"

Miscellaneous Thoughts, Local and Larger

A Local Note, and Readings on John Roberts, Crisis Management and Katrina, Poverty, the Constitution, and China

Things They're Saying

The John Roberts Inquisition, Plus Good Stuff to Read

Scrambled Eggs and Boiled Spinach (or Why Primary Elections Matter)

Post-Katrina Notes, Some Local

Responsibility Starts at the Bottom, not the Top

Katrina and Contrasts

Evil People Doing Evil Things

Price Controls Are a Stupid Idea. Don't Fall for Them.

LaVaughn, LaVerl, Hurricane Katrina, and the International Community

On China, Mostly

Noteworthy Writing on Iraq

The West Wing

An Assortment: From Art and Language to Constitutional Law and Foreign Policy

How Much Dependency Is Too Much?

A Busy Day at the Blog, Part II: Justice O'Connor's Resignation

A Busy Day at the Blog, Part I: Krauthammer on Foreign Policy

Maybe They're not Completely Tone-Deaf, and Two Brief Notes on the War in Iraq

What Goes Around Comes Around: Justice Souder's Pretty Piece of New Hampshire

"We Won the War in Iraq"

Barack Obama's Great Speech

The Great American Fork Chili Cook-off, and Dick Durbin and John McCain Cook Off, Too

John Kerry's Grades

Language Matters in Politics, and Fact-Checking Matters in Journalism

Miscellany

The Un-Democratic Party and Its Imaginary Right Not to Lose

The Newsweek Dilemma

Immigration, the War on Terror, and a National ID

Common Sense: How not to Be Poor

Good Reading on Social Security

Earth Day and Recycling in American Fork

Parenting, Social Security, and Pope John Paul II

Redefining "Quarterly" - Again

A Christian Hero, a Modern Giant Has Left Us

Thoughts on the Late Terri Schiavo

Tom Hunter Goes, Jimmie Cates Comes

Groundhog Day and the State of the Union

The Greatest Inaugural Speech, IMO

Supporting Our Troops

Mormons, Abortion Policy, Harry Reid

Political Miscellany

Dignity and Grace

It Could Have Been a Lot Worse

How I Voted, and Some Predictions

Bin Laden Weighs In

Our Madrid

On Shortages of Leadership and Flu Vaccines

Some Loose Ends

Kerry/Edwards Should Worry About This Undecided Voter

Must Reading

What I Wish President Bush Had Said, Part II

What I Wish President Bush Had Said

Watching the Presidential Debate: First Impressions

I Haven't Watched the Debate Yet

The Electoral College

Paul Hamm, the Court, and Election 2000 Revisited

A Half-Baked Story about a Half-Baked Poll

More Moore

Michael Moore at UVSC

Quarterly Is Every Three Months, Except at the IRS

Looking Back: 9/11, Part Two

Looking Back: 9/11, Part One

We Passed 1000 Casualties a Long Time Ago

If Modern Islam is a Peaceful Religion, Where's the Outrage?

A Prediction: Bush by Enough

Campaign Finance: Last Day for What?

Stylianos Kyriakides

An Israeli Spy? A CBS Spy? Both?

It's Bush/Gore 2000 All Over Again

Kerry's Promise

"Hello, Freedom Man"

An Old Warning which Sounds Very New

Oil Prices in Real Dollars Aren't So High

The Dark Side of Universal Suffrage

Democratic National Convention

Democratic National Convention