Oh look, an attack article from the Washington Post!

To start off with, I want to point out that I'm ambivalent about the nature of Governor Rick Perry's (R-Tx) Gardasil/HPA vaccination executive order. I understand his concerns and his heart is in the right place. But he should have been more circumspect about the need for a executive order on the issue. Still, he did it as a Governor- and it fits with his "state's rights" agenda.

Anyways, on to the main story. The Washington Post followed up on Michelle Bachmann's attacks to Perry from last night's GOP debate with this article: Perry Has Deep Financial Ties to Makers of HPV Vaccine.

Okay, that sounds like damning stuff, doesn't it?

I don't think so, when you read the contents of the article. Let's go to the tape!

Debate updates

Some more post-debate thoughts:

Michelle Bachmann needs to tone down her sensationalism. She could have scored points against Perry on his cervical cancer vaccination executive order, but it felt more like she was trying to use that one wedge issue to take down his entire platform. Sorry Michelle, but most of America agrees with his (states rights!) actions on this. And her "You were bought out by Merck for $5,000" line was just over the top, and unnecessary. And constantly ranting that health care is "unconstitutional" just doesn't work. She needs to win on substance, not slogans.

Santorum did a better job on the vaccination front, but it won't help much, because no one really cares about Santorum.

I also think, since I've actually studied and taught immigration in America, I know that a good deal of the GOP contenders just aren't answering the immigration question right. The system for legal immigration is ridiculously complex, and needlessly so. That's one of the big barriers to immigration today. Most immigrants want to come to the states and become citizens. Make it easier for them to do so.

Ignoring the fact that 11 million illegal immigrants (if not more) are currently in the US doesn't make it any easier. Romney's plan sounds alot like stormtroopers going house to house and kicking them out of the US. That's what the Gestapo did. Now, if he wanted the police to have the authority to kick out those they captured committing crimes from the US- I'm all for that. But that leaves Perry with the best chance at winning moderate Republicans and Independents on this issue, once the dust settles from the pile-on with his immigration views from the other candidates.

Huntsman just feels like John Edwards did back in 2003-2004. He's a slick, slimy bastard with a goofy grin. And Ron Paul is the same idiot out there; why the libertarians don't go with Gary Johnson, I don't know.

**Update : Reader JohnK pointed out that it should read "11 million illegal immigrants" instead of "11 million immigrants." That's been updated in the text.

9/12 GOP/Tea Party Debate

The September 12th GOP debate was a pretty good one, and a few things are pretty clear from the debate.

First, I want to say that the debate was much better from a moderator perspective; CNN isn't my favorite cup of tea, but it's a far better one than the crapfest that was MSNBC's debate last week. Wolf Blitzer kept the stupid questions to a minimum, and actually seemed to focus more on reaching out to the Republican/Tea Party base. He spent alot of time on getting the candidates to have a dialogue about their different viewpoints as their state's representatives in Congress or as Governor. That's a valid moderator tactic, rather than MSNBC's "My god, why do Texas and Massachusetts suck?" cheap shots. So, kudos, CNN. Good job, overall.

Anyways, on to the candidates:

The Well-Intentioned but Stupid Idealists

I agree with Ann Althouse on this little article: Organizers of school garden in Madison, Wisconsin want more attention!

I don't really have a problem with these school gardens. I agree with the call to get kids, in general, outside of the techno-bubble they live in these days. But I would stress that they need to make it about, you know, school. Not just building a garden for the sake of it. Make it fit the curriculum.

"Teachers don't need to go out and dig in the garden; they can simply hold math class among the tomatoes to get students thinking about the environment and being outside, he said."

Aaaaaaaaand that's where the article lost me. What the hell does the garden have to do with math?! Anything? It sounds more like the creators of the gardens don't know how to fit it into the curriculum, and are upset That No One Appreciates The Work They Have Done. And they must be forced to like it. I'm sorry, but just because something's feel-good doesn't mean it belongs in school. Otherwise, everyone would have a adorable puppy to hold, just because.

Althouse is right when she says:

"[The] old outdoor class. Does that ever work? I say teach in the classroom and then give the kids some time to go out and play, freely. Not work in the sun.
I'm not against gardens, by the way. I love gardens. And I think a school garden could be a great learning experience. I just have a problem with underdeveloped feel-good projects and compulsory menial work"

Well said, Professor Althouse. Well said. Forcing the kids to work on the gardens without a well thought out educational curriculum is essentially slave labor, and really, cruel.

Dear Paul Krugman

I only have one thing to say in regards to your NYT blog post today:

Fuck you.

The deluded mind of Jimmy Carter

On one hand, I can say alot of good things about Jimmy Carter, but then all the negatives about him rise up like tsunami and squish it. He had a interview with the UK Guardian (ah, how leftist is this picture?), where he says:

'[What] he's most proud of, though, is that he didn't fire a single shot. Didn't kill a single person. Didn't lead his country into a war – legal or illegal. "We kept our country at peace. We never went to war. We never dropped a bomb. We never fired a bullet. But still we achieved our international goals. We brought peace to other people...We normalised relations with China, which had been non-existent for 30-something years....We formed a working relationship with the Soviet Union."

 Here's what I have to say about that statement: 

The 9/10 mindset: Of Knaves and Fools

Some folks view 9/11 as though it isn't a big issue, or that it was "a while ago", and act as though it should be a historical relic. Writers like E.J. Dionne, who's a well known liberal writer for the Washington Post, wants us to leave 9/11 behind. But, as the Wall Street Journal points out, he goes too far in his comments:

"After we honor the 10th anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we need to leave the day behind," Dionne writes. "Al-Qaeda is a dangerous enemy. But our country and the world were never threatened by the caliphate of its mad fantasies." (emphasis mine)

So let me get this straight, Mr. Dionne. The attempt by Al Qaeda to kill more than 3,000 Americans on 9/11 and attempt a decapitation strike on our political and military leadership (which was largely forestalled by the heroic work of first responders) wasn't an indication of it's capabilities? Sure, they were mad. Sure, they had fantastical views of the endgame result for themselves. But that doesn't mean they wouldn't try to attempt it, or that hundreds of thousands of lives wouldn't have been lost in the process.