The Spag Report

Initiative 26 And The Smart Guy

So tell us Resident Smart Guy™, if Initiative 26 is wrong in defining a "person" then who is right and why? Where is the line if one exists, and why not this one? It's more absolute than any other, is it not?

Okay, I get it that liberals are upset with the Citizens United decision, but surely they agree that actual humans are in fact actual humans- or maybe none of us are.

BONUS SOMEWHAT RELATED MATERIAL:

The Smart Guy™ describes GPCC as "an advocacy organization, which is fine, but which also should be clear when it comes to public image and funding."

Of course, the Smart Guy™ never expressed any similar concerns about Planned Parenthood. In fact, he seemed quite perturbed that the public funding of that organization would come into question.

That kind of double standard isn't really "Truth In Advertising" either when it comes to alleged principles and the Smart Guy™.

UPDATE:  Michele writes "I am amazed that an enlightened society in 2011 is still sanctioning the slaughter of its children. It's sick and barbaric."

That is almost verbatim the same point I have made before in this forum and elsewhere. Michle is exactly right.

Dissecting Rubin

Erick Erickson is not entirely accurate, but pretty close when he describes columnist Jennifer Rubin, the subject of a recent piece in Politico:

"Jenn Rubin, when not pushing out Romney talking points is in favor of freeing traitors, claims to be a conservative covering the conservative movement, though she has nothing in common with conservatives other than hating terrorists. A conservative friend says she’s best understood as ‘Likud’ rather than Republican or conservative. There’s nothing wrong with being Likud, but one ought to be honest about it."

Rubin objected of course, but Erickson responded (again, correctly):

"The fact is, Jenn Rubin is not a conservative. She only allies with conservatives on matters related to Israel, national security, and terrorism, which also happen to be the only areas on which she and I agree."

My take: the lady doth protest way too much. Her charges of anti-Semitism are too frequent and American policy towards Israel does appear to be her litmus test on nearly all matters. Erickson is right- Rubin, someone I occassionally agree with- should at least be honest about it.

The Washed Up Phony And The Protesters

This N&R story on the John Edwards trial illustrates that the Occupy movement is nothing more than the usual crowd of socialists and anarchists. The proof is in their own quotes, hurled at no less than John Edwards- whose flaw isn't that he's a capitalist but that he's a grade A hypocrite.

As he left the federal courthouse, about 30 protesters with the Occupy Wall Street movement marched down the sidewalk across the street. A man with a bullhorn heckled the former presidential candidate, who grew rich as a personal injury lawyer, saying he was a "washed-up capitalist."

As he made his way toward a scrum of television cameras, Edwards turned to one of his defense lawyers. "I'm not a washed-up anything," he said.

The more effective protest against him would be a confrontation over the disconnect between his vast wealth and his claim that ending poverty was the fight of his life.

The Occupy crowd did get one thing right: Edwards is washed up, but he's a washed up phony.

Jedi Prophecies

From NRO:

"...decades of systematic research by several noted scientific institutes have established that if [David] Gergen makes an observation about the state of play in American politics, the opposite is always true. I invoke here “Gergen’s Law.”

True words from a wise Jedi.