July 2004 Archives

I listened to Kerry's speech last night. It helped the babies get to sleep. I heard him mention Fitzsimons Hospital, and it sounded like the Colorado delegation gave him a loud cheer for it. Also, the locals got some pub in this Tim Blair bit:

Current sleeper count on the floor is eight; one in each of the Florida, New York, California, Colorado, Kentucky, and Texas delegations, plus two happy snoozers from Maryland.

Plus the two in my house. I'm looking forward to a similar effort from George W. at the Republican taxpayer funded beer bash convention. I stayed awake by reading Zomby's and Steve's live blogging. I was awake enough to hear this bit:

And when I'm President, America will stop being the only advanced nation in the world which fails to understand that health care is not a privilege for the wealthy, and the connected, and the elected — it is a right for all Americans. And we will make it so.

I've heard politicians make similar remarks many times, and I'm still astonished that anyone can have such a dim view of human interaction as to think that health care could be a right. Health care, after all, consists mostly of the labor of health care workers. No one has a right to someone else's labor.

I've been reading Drug WarRant for years, too.

Heh.

Here's a nice article about my little sister, including a picture of my niece. Way to go!

The early favorite for most entertaining political convention blog has to be Reason Magazine's, featuring Matt Welch and Tim Blair.

Ari deconstructs a boilerplate political brochure from State Senator Sue Windels, (mmm, almost a Fisking):

SW: Call Senator Windels and tell her you support her position to provide incentives to business that discourages the outsourcing of Colorado jobs overseas.

AA: Call Senator Windels and tell her that you're an economic ignoramus who wants to use tax policy to destroy wealth by discouraging free trade and reducing the economic benefits that derive from comparative advantage.

Read the rest for Ari's take on anti-Walmart activists and politicians.

We interrupt this Kobe-free-zone to note, if you need to suppress evidence and keep facts hidden in order to make your court case then you are inherently dishonest.

Case in point, this ruling in the Kobe case. That our legal system routinely hides such evidence from juries tells you a lot about what's wrong with our system.

The babies are a week old today. I suppose everyone learns a lot about parenthood in the first days, I.E. babies are fun, but a lot more fun for Dad than Mom. Other than that sort of standard stuff I have a few specific observations.

1. I've been away from blogs for a number of days, and I'm less informed for it. I had access to television and newspapers, but that just doesn't cut it. For instance, I didn't know about this account of a possible terrorist dress rehearsal until I read it on fusilierpundit when I got back to my computer.

2. The nicest healthcare workers are found in labor and delivery wards. This point was driven home when, after almost four days in the hospital with Mom and the new babies, I had a three hour reprieve, and then I was back in to have a broken toe set back in place. The emergency room is just not the same.

3. Nothing brings out the well-wishers like new babies.

Thank you all.

Wyatt, born 7/15/04, 3:47 PM, six pounds even. His sister Abigail came along sixteen minutes later, tipping the scale at 5 lbs, 10 oz.

For those of you keeping score at home, that comes to just shy of 12 pounds of babies, and only nine days short of full term. Their mom is a little sore, but all are healthy and happy.

Pics to come in the next few days.

Tyler Cowen on XTC:

They don't have a single album you can listen to straight through without wincing at least occasionally [Black Sea comes closest, though English Settlement has their highest peaks], the fey Britishisms can be offputting, and the vocals are sometimes monotonous [have I sold you on them yet?]. Plus they don't have a truly convincing greatest hits collection. But their very best songs are among the most significant achievements of rock and roll.

I can listen to 'Skylarking' pretty easily, except for that silly Dear God thing. 'English Settlement' is awfully good, too.

Today's VOA news:

The Cuban government has confirmed the arrest of Luis Hernando Bustemante, an alleged leader of Colombia's largest drug cartel.
In a statement Saturday, Cuba's foreign ministry said Mr. Bustemante was arrested on July 2 at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport as he was trying to enter the country on a false passport.

The police chief said Cuba and Colombia are negotiating the extradition of Mr. Bustemante, who is also wanted in the United States.

Wonder if this will make any difference in the often strained relations between the two countries?

But Bush might pick up some votes from the fishing industry. Can anyone tell me why a libertarian might want to vote for him?

Today is Cost of Government Day, meaning that if you're the average American you've just finished paying your share of taxes for the year.

(As if you were an average American.)

We expected some by now. Stay tuned.