I feel entitled to be politically pessimistic today. While Joshua opines on President Bush as LBJ, Clay traffics in crass, baseless, ad hominem attacks ... against a fellow Republican. And these are my Rocky Mountain Alliance friends! I appreciate Joshua's attempt at discourse. The concerns he addresses demonstrate historical perspective and insight. And they raise at least one issue about Bush's low poll numbers I have not often heard discussed: that they represent disaffection among some conservatives more than a general Left-ward tilt of the voting populace. I will give more thought to Joshua's analogy before commenting directly on it. As for Clay, I'm left to believe that his reposting of the absurd, innuendo-laced cartoon without … [Read more...]
Book Review: Tasty Red Meat for Red State Republican Families
The other night I lay in bed with my wife and weeks-old daughter. We snuggled up with a copy of Katharine DeBrecht's Help, Mom! Hollywood's in My Hamper, and I read aloud. My wife and I shared a few giggles throughout the story and dozed off (as best we could under the circumstances) with a warm feeling. The baby? Well, I'm pretty certain she'll appreciate the Help, Mom! series some day. I can picture her a few years from now tugging at my pant leg, pleading for me to read one of the sequels. And I can tell you right now - my whole family hopes for DeBrecht to publish some more that meet the quality of the first two. … [Read more...]
I’m Back
I've had a wonderful, week-long hiatus from blogging. Even as I resume, posts likely will be more sparse for awhile. After all, there's a new Little Virtus who has stolen Daddy's heart and needs more of his time. To get back into the spirit of things, an interesting Monday read comes from across the Pond: William Rees-Mogg of The Times of London writes about the impending downfall of General Motors. (HT: Real Clear Politics) Amazing stuff to contemplate - my family earned its living from GM - including the premiere health benefits that yours truly benefited from - and my dad still draws a pension from them. But globalization moves on to benefit more and more consumers, and GM appears unable to adapt. So be it. The world continues to … [Read more...]
Off to the LPR Retreat
I'm off to the Leadership Program of the Rockies (LPR) Retreat at the Broadmoor this weekend for a fantastic time. If you don't know what I'm talking about or would like to learn more, you can read posts from one of LPR's most enthusiastic alumni here, here, and here. Look forward to a Mount Virtus report from Colorado Springs on sessions and speeches from Ann Coulter, Hugh Hewitt, Kate O'Beirne, Stephen Moore, Mike Rosen, and more. … [Read more...]
Hail to the Lion… and JoePa
If you love a good college football game, I believe you saw one of the best last night... though for awhile it seemed like it would never end. Penn State's 26-23 triple overtime victory over the courageous Florida State Seminoles (after a combined 5 missed kicks) was one for the ages - literally. The Nittany Lions' 79-year-old coaching legend Joe Paterno - after a couple of truly abominable campaigns - won redemption with a Big Ten title, an 11-1 record, and the Orange Bowl crown, by defeating 76-year-old Bobby Bowden's squad. The two men have combined for 713 coaching victories (more than some Division I-A programs have earned in their entire history), but determining who would win No. 713 was in great suspense throughout as the Lions … [Read more...]
Another Sign the World is Changing
When you read in the New York Times that the governor of Michigan is aggressively courting a Japanese auto manufacturer to invest production and jobs in the Great Lakes State, you know the world is changing. For those who aren't aware, such an action not long ago would have been like touching the third rail of Michigan politics (and still seems far from perfectly safe). Yet while the economy is recovering well across most of the United States, the land of my childhood lags behind in employment and other key indicators. Gov. Jennifer Granholm's efforts to woo Toyota are a healthy sign for the future economy and quality of life of Michigan residents. The Big Three aren't quite able to protect their turf like they once did, and should … [Read more...]
Driven over the Edge by a Red Bow
Some people might chalk off my decision to post this as the result of repressed bourgeois greed and envy, or as a sign I've joined the Left-wing class warfare crusade, but I assure you it's neither. As an ardent supporter of the benefits of a free-exchange capitalist system, I am content to know that companies manufacture expensive automobiles and that consumers are willing and able to buy them. Yet there is so much that I despise about the televised ad campaigns depicting youthful upper middle-class people surprising their loved ones with a red bow-topped luxury car in the driveway on Christmas morn. Every year, my angst grows toward these commercials. And today the Washington Times reports how real people participate in the … [Read more...]
Detroit Lions Fans: Mad as Heck
It's finally come to this: an organized fan protest of the Detroit Lions and general manager Matt Millen. As a native of southeastern Michigan, I can sympathize with their plight. While there certainly are much worthier causes to march for - if marching is in your blood - you know the Lions franchise has lingered in the depths for too long. When you read this account from the Detroit Free Press, however, you realize just how pathetic an attempt the fan protest was. All you can say is... wow. It's embarrassing to think that Super Bowl XL comes to Ford Field in seven weeks. One might suggest the timing could hardly be worse. … [Read more...]
2nd Annual Beethoven’s Birthday Blog
Following in the spirit of this day's post from last year, a happy 235th anniversary of the birthday of the great Ludwig van Beethoven. This year, consider one of the master's all-time great works, the bittersweet pinnacle of his composition career: the Ninth Symphony, and the theme of joy. It's a familiar tale: an aging Beethoven, ill and deaf, conducting the orchestra and chorus in the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, conducting even after they had ceased to perform, after they had reached the end of the stunning new work, after the audience had already begun to applaud, continuing to conduct until a singer turned him around so that he could see the thunderous cheers that were resounding throughout the hall. The image is deeply … [Read more...]
Arctic Temps Recede
Colorado did one of its best imitations of "Eskimo Summer" yesterday, leaving at least one blogger's brain cells and fingers at a sub-optimal temperature for filing a meaningful post. As the mercury slowly rises today and tomorrow back to healthier daytime temps and less bitterly cold nighttime lows, expect Mount Virtus to resume regular blogging activities. So much to write about, so little time.... Meanwhile, if you know a Colorado public school teacher, please send them to independentmindedteacher.org, with valuable information on union political refunds, different membership organizations, and much more. … [Read more...]
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