Tax Time

One little-covered story, hidden in the Washington Post just after tax day, was this gem:

As a candidate in 2008, Obama earned about $2.6 million from the sale of his books, "The Audacity of Hope" and "Dreams From My Father," according to returns the White House released yesterday.

And further down the page:

Most of Biden's income was from his Senate salary, although he reported about $9,500 from audio book royalties related to his 2007 autobiography, "Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics."

In short, Obama's book sales outearned Biden's by better than 270:1. Actually, the fact that anyone would pay to hear Biden talk on an audio CD is amazing. Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?

Liberals and Conflict

Two editorials on Monday struck a note on liberal attitudes toward international conflict, more specifically the 30-year U.S. conflict with Iran. First, George Will writing about the Obama administration's U.N. ambassador Susan Rice, who was interviewed on a Sunday morning show. Rice apparently rambled on about the "international community" and Iran:

Rice really thinks there is a community out there. To believe that is to believe, as liberals do, that harmony is humanity's natural condition, so discord is a remediable defect in arrangements.

Christopher Hitchens was even more direct with his critique of Obama's recent tour of Europe and the President's general naivete on the subject of talks with Iran:

Some differences cannot be split. Many conflicts are real and do not arise from mere cultural misunderstandings. Obama must learn this or be taught it, whichever comes sooner.

The best summary of the frustration that conservatives like myself have with these liberal attitutes was John McCain in the Sept 26, 2008 presidential debate:

So let me get this right. We sit down with Ahmadinejad, and he says, "We're going to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth," and we say, "No, you're not"? Oh, please.

Blast from the Past

My wife and I were watching Blast from the Past this weekend. I got the tip off a National Review list of the 25 Best Conservative Movies of the last 25 years. I love anything with Christopher Walken.

Its a good little comedy, and it has some subtle parts where the characters discuss things like marriage and manners. It doesn't really hit you over the head, but conservative values are given a positive light for a change! Plenty of other films like Pleasantville depict values from an earlier era as backwards and oppressive.

The Fantastic Journey

Okay, I'm back!

I was searching IMDB for new stuff to add to my Netflix queue when I ran across this TV show called The Fantastic Journey from 1977. This is a show I recall from my childhood, but I had no way of finding it for years. I remember there was a guy from the future with a handheld device that would amplify his thoughts and produce telekinetic results (requiring significant mental concentration on his part). For some reason, that aspect of the show struck me as innovative and original in Sci-Fi at the time. Okay, I was just a kid.

Anyway, over the years I remembered that one feature, but I had no idea what the show's title was. I also had no knowledge of any of the cast, the year it was produced, the creators or writers, the characters names, etc. In short, I had nothing to google, so it remained a mystery to me until tonight. Unfortunately, I checked on Netflix and it is not available on DVD.