HOW EXACTLY DID THIS HAPPEN?

A friend of mine whose spouse works for a public school was telling this story to our friends. Now, I may not have all the facts straight, but that doesn't matter because it's the story I thought I heard that got me thinking. I heard her say, "The kids in Andy's class asked him, 'What is free love?'".

My head started to turn around and didn't stop until it was back facing forward again. I realized immediately why teachers are so biased - there is no way I could answer that free of my conservative, Catholic, intelligent bias. My answer would have gone something like this:

"Free love is the thought process that divorces sex from responsibility. It is directly or indirectly the cause of the rampant explosion of STD's, the AIDS "crisis", the 50% divorce rate in this country, porn being the only profit making segment of the internet and 75% of all black children being born out of marriage just for starters."

Aside from my rant and the bad/good it would have done for these kids, a bigger question resides in my mind -

How the H.E. Double-toothpicks did all this happen?

Seriously, how? In 1958, every standard of free love and the "Me" generation would have been scorned and laughed out of the town. By 1968 - only ten years later - it was the accepted norm. How did this happen so quickly? How did hundred's of years worth of good, moral thought get tossed out with the baby water?

I would really like to know. Honestly.

MORE FUN WITH ELLEN

Fun facts about my last blog entry, "AH-HA!". Ellen dismissively said this about bloggers:

"Remember when a former CBS executive described bloggers as guys in pajamas writing in their living rooms? Well, it seems that many have only one exercise routine: jumping to conclusions."

Ha-ha-ha. Actually, while I wrote that post I WAS in my pajamas. As for my one exercise routine - it's not "jumping to conclusions" (so clever you are, Ellen), it's skewering liberal journalists.

"AH-HA!"

Ellen Goodman in the Boston Globe thinks she has her, “Ah-ha!” against those peskiest of all conservatives – bloggers. She has written a column titled “Bloggers owe Carroll an apology” about how evil bloggers called Jill Carroll a “Commie-pinko rhymes-with-witch” (well, maybe Ellen didn't use those exact words).

“The printouts on my desk describe the 28-year-old journalist, a hostage and victim for 82 terrifying days, as something between Patty Hearst and Baghdad Jane, between a traitor and ''Princess Jill." TBone posted a potshot, calling Carroll ''a liar" and the kidnapping ''a total scam." PA Pundits said that ''I still just can't get past her being (for the most part) unharmed." And Debbie Schlussel called her a ''spoiled brat America-hater."

Well, I know of one who apologized. I checked Powerline and they never really said too much about her. I’m not sure I have the “TBone” Ellen refers to, but here he is casting doubts on her kidnapping, not without merit mind you, so he may be the one calling Jill a “liar”. Of course, the part that Ellen I’m sure just mistakenly left out is the last paragraph of the post,

“I apologize profusely in advance if I'm wrong. I'm not convinced this is the case, but merely want to offer it as a possibility. I would hate to see Jill Carroll hurt in any way regardless of her motivations. I hope I'm wrong on this.”

Good work there, Ellen – no apology in sight.

As for PA Pundits, they’re already answering Ellen’s claims:

“Don’t get me wrong, I am HAPPY she’s is fine, I am HAPPY she is alive and free. I just don’t understand why her captors chose to do what they did.

If Ms. Carroll wants that apology, flowers, and a chance to punch me in the mouth, she can email me at Elf@papundits.com.

We’ll tape it an play it over here at PA Pundits.”

Debbie Schlussel is another case. She has been on Jill Carroll’s case NOT for what she said when she was released, but for everything she said BEFORE she was kidnapped. This is a case of Ellen Goodman being, how should I put it, dishonest. But why let a little thing like the truth get in the way?

Ellen also tries to sneak this in:

“The political bloggers first flexed their muscle in 2002 when they trumped the MSM -- blogspeak for Mainstream Media -- by forcing Trent Lott out of the Senate speakership after he toasted the good old segregated days of Strom Thurmond. In 2004, they proved the power of the Internet as a great equalizer when they confronted the house of CBS and Dan Rather over Bush's military records.

Two years later, we have -- ready, fire, aim -- the Jill Carroll affair. These attacks raise the question of what bloggery is going to be when it grows up. An Internet op-ed page? Or a polarized, talk-radio food fight?”

Ready, fire, aim...cute. Look, at least we were commenting on ACTUAL statements from Jill Carroll’s own mouth. What Dan Rather did was base his allegations on FAKES. And when the fakes were pointed out, he still stuck with his story. The bloggers at least deal with reality.

Ellen is just all upset that bloggers are upsetting the MSM apple cart. My advice to her is this - get over yourself.

HIGH SCHOOL HIGH JINKS

Failed 1980 presidential candidate John Anderson and some guy named Ray Martinez III have an op-ed column in today’s New York Times about voter registration. Like a lot of people, they are bemoaning the low voter turnout and registration among young people, the 18-24 year olds. So, they propose automatic voter registration for all high school seniors.

They fashion this idea after the 1993 Motor Voter act:

“There is precedent for us to build on. In 1993, Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act, which promoted voter registration at motor vehicle and social service agencies. A recent survey by the federal Election Assistance Commission measured steady increases in voter registration since passage of the law. “

Minor difference, though – OK, major difference. As they say, but make no effort to point out, the Motor Voter act “…promote[s] voter registration at motor vehicle and social service agencies.”, it isn’t automatic.

“But, Mike (you’re asking yourself), this sounds like a great idea. We need to get these kids INVOLVED. Our democracy depends on people voting!” Hey, Jack and Ray said the same thing:

“Of course, voter registration is no guarantee of turnout, but it is the first — and often, most difficult —step. There is perhaps no better place to begin this critical task than our high schools. By improving our registration and education efforts, we will not only help protect the voting preferences of younger Americans but the long-term vitality of our participatory democracy. Let's not leave any voters behind.”

To that I say phooey. The uninformed vote is worse than useless, it’s counter-productive and the 18-24 year olds are the most uninformed, apathetic segment of our population. I could go on and on and bore you to tears, or you could read an excellent, funny and dead-on assessment of what I just said here.

There’s a indentured servant idea Jack-Ray mention that bothers me, too:

“Many high schools require students to fulfill a certain number of community service hours to graduate. Under our plan, that community service could include working in election offices. The hope here is that we would be training the next generation of election administrators and, equally important, providing poll workers who are comfortable with computers — a desirable qualification given our increasingly modern voting systems. “

I’m not sure what they mean by “election offices”. I don’t believe they mean political party headquarters and if they do, I’ve got even more problems. Every town or city I voted in couldn’t accommodate every graduating senior “volunteering” , there just isn’t that much to do. I may be all wet on this point, but I don’t think they thought this out too much.

Another issue that’s bound to pop up right off – what about those that don’t make it to senior year. You know, drop outs. Aren’t they being “disenfranchised”? According to the Department of Education, in 2001, over 10% of high school students dropped out. Minorities dropping out represented the largest segment of drop outs with Hispanics having a drop out rate of over 25%. (see figure 2 on the link). Do Jack and Ray see a potential “mission creep” of their plan to capture these lost voters? Either they are too ignorant or don’t want to bring it up in case it scuttles their idea.

THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS

Massachusetts is about to get a wake up call with their new “universal health” proposal that was rammed through the State government this week. The plan will cover the poorest of the state with full health insurance, no deductibles or co-pays. As the income rises to 300% of the poverty line, the health coverage is available on a sliding scale, again with no deductibles. Those who the state declares able to pay for health insurance, but who refuse to buy it will be fined $1,000 a year until they get it. This is all well and good, but what about businesses? Businesses who don’t offer health insurance will be required to pay $295.00 a year per employee to the state.

And there’s the flaw.

Businesses pay a WHOLE LOT MORE than $295.00 a year per employee for health insurance. At the company I work at, that’s about what we pay a MONTH. If Mitty signs this bill, businesses will begin to dump employee health insurance and gladly pony up the 300 bucks a year per employee. And then, you will see the system overloaded.

When that happens, then what?

Firstly, the business fee will climb fast. And then the amount citizens have to pay will go up. The state will start to muscle the insurance companies to charge less. Then insurance companies will pull out of Massachusetts. Then doctors will start leaving. The quality will drop. Costs will rise. Etc, etc., etc.

JILL CARROLL

Even though I didn't technically accuse her of being a commie pinko rhymes-with-witch, my "tone" (if there can be such a thing in a blog) definitely did and I would like to apologize. I felt she, like so many of the left, hated Bush and "his war" that no matter what, like being kidnapped or having her co-worker killed, wasn't going to change her mind that Bush=bad, Islamist terrorist = good.

I was wrong.

Welcome home, Jill.

I LOVE THIS GUY!

I have a new columnist addition to my must reads. Ian Robinson writes for the Calgary Sun and boy, was he good today. Check out these snippets:

"These smarmy, international busybodies, the Gladys Kravitzes of the Iraq occupation, peering out at the world from behind the curtains with their pursed little disapproving lips?"

"See, members of Christian Peacemaker Teams are pacifists and they don't co-operate with men with guns who might use the information to track down kidnappers and/or terrorists and shoot them in the head until they agree to stop kidnapping and/or terrorizing people."

Shoot them in the head until they agree to stop kidnapping... As Kenny Bania would say, "That's gold, Jerry! Pure gold!"

"We live in a civilized society -- in which wimpy pacifist losers can walk around safely -- because we live under constant threat of socially sanctioned government violence. "

"They believe violence never solves anything when, in fact, the judicious use of violence solves many of the large problems. "

Judicious use of violence solves many of the worlds problems... Gold, pure gold.