Brooks Boliek at Politico:
The FCC gave the coup de grace to the fairness doctrine Monday as the commission axed more than 80 media industry rules.
Relieved? Don’t be. When the right hand moves, watch the left.
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FCC Kills Fairness Doctrine
Gold Futures Top $1900
If you said to me a year ago “we’ll see $1900 gold in a year”, I probably would have laughed at you. Well…
The spot price is about $0.90 off from $1900 as well.
Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire
David Eldridge at The Washington Times:
“I wouldn’t necessarily trust any of my opponents right now, who were on a recent debate stage with me, when every single one of them would have allowed this country to default,” Mr. Huntsman said on ABC’s “This Week.”
That statement is patently false. Huntsman is either intentionally lying to his audience, or he’s a dumb oaf. I hope the latter is true for the sake of his character.
The Bipartisan Policy Center concluded that the U.S. would not default even if the debt ceiling was not raised. The reason is that our first obligation to pay our debts, and we have more than enough revenue to pay them. Yes, many domestic programs would be cut, but that’s not the point here. In fact, the Obama administration even reassured major U.S. banks of this fact during the heat of the debt ceiling debate. There was never—and probably never will be—a risk of the U.S. defaulting on its debt.
I think Huntsman is swinging for the fences here. He’s down in the polls. He’s not conservative, and consequently conservatives don’t identify with him. RINOs are losing their place in the Republican party. He’s like a geeky awkward freshmen in high school who hasn’t moved past fifth grade. He still thinks girls have cooties. The rest of the party has moved on while Huntsman is shouting “Look! Rick Perry likes girls! Yuck!”
I think it’s time for you to embrace the other side, Romeo. They might actually like you.
Introducing Gems
I’ve added a new section to Basecharge called Gems.1 It’s a collection of my best and favorite pieces of writing. If you haven’t kept up with the pace around here, or you’re new and want some meaty content to get you started just click on over and dig in.
- I’ve replaced the Home button with Gems. However, you can still navigate home by clicking on the giant Basecharge logo at the top of each page. ↩
The Facts are Clear as Mud
That last article I linked to on Rick Perry reminds me how cleverly communicated facts can shape terrible and misinformed conclusions. The criticism of Perry reminds me of the chemical dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO). Here are some facts about DHMO:
- It’s also called hydroxyl acid, the substance is the major component of acid rain.
- It’s gaseous form is responsible for thousands of severe skin burns every year.
- It is fatal if inhaled.
- It contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
- It accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
- It may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
- It has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.
Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:
- as an industrial solvent and coolant.
- in nuclear power plants.
- in the production of Styrofoam.
- as a fire retardant.
- in many forms of cruel animal research.
- in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical.
- as an additive in certain “junk-foods” and other food products.
After reading that, would you drink of glass full of DHMO right now? In case you haven’t figured it out yet, dihydrogen monoxide is just a fancy name for water. Yep. Good old H2O.
I’ll take a healthy serving of Rick Perry while I’m at it, I suppose.