The Hobby Lobby Case and Jeffrey Toobin Continuing His Hackery

UPDATED IN BOLD TO GET A LITTLE MORE TECHNICAL/LEGALISTIC

Awhile back, I wrote a post called "Jeffrey Toobin Is a Hack". I was reminded of this when Ann Althouse wrote a post today on a similar topic: Toobin's Hackery. Althouse calls his piece on the Hobby Lobby Oral arguments "embarrassingly bad" I commend it to you only to demonstrate that my opinion of Toobin's hackery abounds all over the internet.

Anyway, you don't come here to get bad analysis, so if you want some actual, good analysis of the Hobby Lobby case, I am going to send you over to SCOTUSblog. 

My short and sweet thought is that an employer's failing to pay for an employee's preferred form of birth control is not a denial of that employee's ability to use that form of birth control. The employer not preventing the employee from using the birth control, the employer is simply saying they won't pay for it.

And that's fine.

But now you have a law (Obamacare) that says employers have to provide basically every type of birth control. And to be really technical about it, the actual law doesn't say that. HHS is issuing regulations that say this because Congress didn't explicitly want to take the heat for mandating the birth control requirement. This is an important issue, because regulations issued by HHS can be changed...by HHS. Regulations aren't as strong as federal statues.

So now, you have an employer (Hobby Lobby) that claims a sincere religious belief would be violated by complying with the regulation promulgated under the law, but claiming protection under a federal statute.

And so now you have a complicated problem. You have to balance the employer's religious beliefs against the compelling government interest (the regulation). Also, you've got to deal with a federal law (the Religious Freedom Restoration Act) passed in 1993 that basically says you have to apply "strict scrutiny" to laws that burden religious views, even if the law is religiously neutral - which is what we have here.

Note, the government's position concedes that the RFRA applies to for profit corporations, but they're basically asking the Supreme Court to ignore that.

Strict scrutiny is basically a death knell for anything that has to pass through it, so my guess is that the Court will apply the RFRA and issue a very narrow decision allowing Hobby Lobby an exemption based on religious grounds.

One big problem for the government is getting out from under the RFRA, and Toobin doesn't even mention the statue in his stupid little write up!

Also, It's not going to help the government's case that so many other waivers have been granted. It's hard to argue that there's a compelling government interest in this specific case when the government itself has given other entities a pass.

But that's just me.

Guns for Yee, But Not for Thee

If Barry from Championship Vinyl was making a top 5 list of hypocrisy, this story has to rank right up there near the top:

Leland Yee - So anti-gun that he decided to be an international arms trafficker.

Famously anti-gun California State Senator, Lelland Yee (Democrat), was arrested and charged with bribery and corruption.

Oh, wait. There was one more teensy little charge: international arms trafficking.

It really sounds like the plot of some kung-fu action movie, right? Hard-charging gun control advocate is secretly taking bribes from the Triads (California Organized Crime) to facilitate the import machine guns, grenades, and rocket launchers from the Philippines into California. 

Seriously, you guys. There is a 137 page affidavit from the FBI undercover officer about this, but my summary above is basically it.

The affidavit charges that the $2 million worth of weapons to have been secreted into the country from the Philippines included rocket launchers and machine guns, some of which Yee himself had fired while on Mindanao. A portion of the weapons Yee conspired to bring into the U.S. through New Jersey were to have been forwarded on to North Africa via Sicily.

How anti-gun was this guy? Senator Yee is quoted as saying, "It is extremely important that individuals in the state of California do not own assault weapons. I mean that is just so crystal clear, there is no debate, no discussion."

You know, I'm used to politicians being corrupt, but this just boggles my mind.

In other news yesterday, the Democratic Mayor of Charlotte was arrested by federal agents for run of the mill corruption and extortion charges. No international arms trafficking that we know of.

College Football Players Can Unionize

This is just...weird.

Here's a basic list of what the players are asking for, and it's not that unreasonable. The problem is the NCAA has had it's head up it's rear for so long, the players are finally trying anything they can to get what they want.

Also, an important note, this ruling only appears to apply to private universities.

So, I don't think this is a "sky is falling" kind of thing that many people are making it out to be.

Loud + Weak = War

Remember "Walk softly and carry a big stick"?

It kind of seems like we're doing the opposite now.

"Russia is a regional power that is threatening some of its immediate neighbors..."

...not out of strength, but out of weakness," Obama said.

Excuse me, but Russia isn't simply a "regional power". They have a whole bunch of ICBMs. Also, if you've ever looked at a map, you might have noticed that Russia stretches across many different regions.

Washington Redskins Team Owner Announces New Foundation

The Perpetual Outrage Industry has been wailing about the name of a football team for a long time. I haven't been following this fake outrage, mainly because I don't follow fake stories and I don't really care about the NFL.

However, it appears that team owner Dan Snyder has basically told everyone to go pound sand, and predictably, he's been vilified. But recently, he's made a move that might make it harder to cast him as a villain.

He's announced the foundation of the Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation.

"I believe the Washington Redskins community should commit to making a real, lasting, positive impact on Native American quality of life — one tribe and one person at a time," Snyder wrote. "I know we won't be able to fix every problem. But we need to make an impact. And so I will take action."

This is actually a pretty clever move.

The criticism (as far as I can tell) is that the team name is a bad symbol, it hurts people's feelings, and that the name is racist. Even assuming for the sake of argument that people are getting their feelings hurt, the damage is...let's call it indefinite.

However, it appears this new foundation will be doing actual, concrete work to make people's lives better. Will this stop the Perpetual Outrage Industry? No. They won't be happy until they've stamped the name out of existence, and my guess is that they'll get their way eventually. My guess is that the NFL will likely allow Snyder to keep the name as long as he owns the team, but the NFL will condition the sale or transfer of the team on the name changing.

This will keep Snyder from passing the problem to someone else, but  might also have the effect of depressing the value of the team by a few hundred million.

Disney and Human Nature

Happy Monday, y'all.

I can safely say that no actual turkeys were harmed in the making of this past weekend. So, if you were worried that I might have killed an innocent turkey, you can breathe easy. Oh, and for the record, they aren't as innocent as they look.

To start your week off right, here's a piece about what goes on behind the scenes at Disney-World and it pretty much covers everything you need to know human nature.

You really don't want to know what's inside these trunks.

I'll try to have some more newsy stuff up later today, depending on how the day goes.

Gone Hunting!

Happy Friday!

See y'all on the flip side of the weekend. I'm going turkey hunting.

What Was Your First Tweet? Here's Mine

I joined Twitter in March of 2011, and since then I've generated 7,143 Tweets. To celebrate it's 8th birthday, Twitter has now com up with a site that allows you to see your very first Tweet. It's called First Tweet.

In the three years that I've been on Twitter, it has really grown on me. I love the fact that it's whatever you make of it. I honestly couldn't remember my first tweet, but here it is:

I think it holds up to the test of time quite well. A solid cheer for my favorite college team.

And the best part is that you aren't limited to finding just your own first tweet. You can type in anyone's username and find their first tweet. It's a neat little way to show you that the internet is forever.

What was your first tweet?

Best and Worst Things About Each State

You can see the maps here.

I'm not sure that the best thing about South Carolina is "lowest gas prices", and I definitely call bullshit on Georgia's best thing being "best urban interstate conditions".

A few are funny.

1. Colorado's best thing is "lowest obesity rate", but it's worst is "highest cocaine use". I'm not sure, but doesn't cocaine use lead to weight loss?
2. Delaware's best thing is "highest standard of living", but it's worst is "most prisoners per capita". I guess you're likely to be in prison, but don't worry, prison is really nice.
3. New Jersey's best thing is "highest median family income", but it's worst is "highest property taxes". Good thing y'all have money, cause you have to give it to the government.

Some are really a stretch, like they couldn't find anything nice in a state:

1. Michigan's best thing is "Most fabulous state reptile (painted turtle)". Really? That's the best thing you can say about Michigan?
2. Maine's best is "Best state for cat owners". Huh? How do you measure that? I would have gone with cheapest place to get lobster, but that's just me.

Now that I go through it a little, I don't think this map was very well thought out.

"We need to talk, we need to communicate, and then come together and sign something of this nature and present it to our public that we represent,"

Said Councilwoman Leona Plaugh, who did not sign the Mayor's "Civility Pledge".

The whole idea of this "civility pledge" seems very middle-school student government to me. I can't believe that grown-ups we put in charge of the City of Columbia are doing civility pledges. It's not that I'm anti-civility. I just don't think a pledge is how you achieve civility.

You're either going to have rational, constructive debate - which at times can be pointed - or you're not. Signing a little pledge isn't going to make someone "civil".

To me,  it all seems like theater. I want to see City Council debate issues, have the public weigh in, and then make decisions. All this nonsense about civility pledges is a waste of time.

Best Ad for a Sewing Machine Ever

It's a Singer 4525 Deluxe sewing machine. What makes it deluxe? Hell if I know.

Restaurant Owner In Clemson Doesn't Like Guns

Apparently, he doesn't like making money either.

As you may recall from my earlier breakdown of the new CWP law, bars and restaurants in SC who don't want patrons to carry concealed simply need to post a standard sign to prohibit CWP on their premises.

The legal sign you need to post looks like this:

That's the legal sign. In fact, it's the only sign that carries any legal force. Any deviation from this sign renders the sign ineffective. It's also pretty straightforward. Not a lot of editorializing.

However, the super-genius running this place in Clemson decided to post this sign:

Not a legal sign. Also, weapons-grade stupid.

Now, I have no problem with folks who want to prohibit carry in their establishments. Freedom of speech, freedom of association, it's all good. This guy is fine to do whatever he likes with his business, just as I'm free to go where I want - or not go.

The good news is this guy is going to get a very good real-world example of how the free market works. People on the left love to say that the free market needs to be regulated. Well I have a little secret for them - it is.

The free market is not regulated by a few people in some office in Washington, DC - it's regulated by everyone. My guess is that the free market in the upstate of South Carolina is going to deal with this restaurant, and this guy will either take this offensive sign down, or he'll go out of business.

On another note, where this guy goes terribly wrong is his intolerance about the whole CWP issue. I'm sure this guy is a stereotypical leftist who thinks that tolerance and diversity are great things -- except when your thoughts are not Approved Thoughts. There's no room in this guy's world for people who disagree with him on an issue. They're "losers" and "douche bags" not deserving of his tolerance.

This happens all the time with the left. Thoughts that aren't Approved Thoughts™ are de-legitimized and  mocked, but are never dealt with on the merits. For example, if you don't believe in man-made global warming, you're a "Denier" who doesn't believe in "Science". It goes on and on.

The left is all about tolerance and understanding until you step out of their Approved Thought Group and have an independent thought of your own.

But please, tell me more about how the conservatives are the ones who are so close-minded.

Putin Knows How to Get People to the Polls

Every election here in the US, whether it's local, state, or national, I always hear the same thing. It's going to come down to voter turnout. So the politicians hire strategists like Karl Rove and David Axelrod to try and come up with a plan that gets their voters mobilized, energized, and out to actually vote.

Vladimir Putin has surpassed everyone here in the US in that regard.

With about half of the precincts reporting, 95.5% of the people of Crimea have voted to be join Russia. We here at the Permanent Press Decision Desk™ can now officially call this election for Russia.

Our sources on the ground in Crimea say that Putin really mobilized his base of ethnic Russians. Alsothe all important block of swing voters comprised of soccer moms and people who didn't want to be shot broke for Russia at the last moment.

Vladimir Putin's Campaign Staff

 In his post-election victory speech, Putin praised his uniformed staff for their efforts leading up to this crucial election.

"I thought about sending my staff door-to-door before the election to let people know our message, but I figured that I would just let all the voters know that we would be going door-to-door after the election if it didn't go our way. We saved a lot of time and energy with this strategy".

In an exit poll survey, 99% of the people who ended up voting for annexation to Russia cited "Not wanting to face the business end of an AK-47" as their main motivating factor.

In a related note, several voters praised the efficiency of the voting system, as compared to the Richland County Elections Board in Columbia, South Carolina. One voter in Crimiea said "Hey, at least we didn't have to stand in line for three hours to vote like those poor people in Richland County. Our ballots were actually pre-marked for us. We only  wait in long lines when we want to buy bread."

Happy St. Patrick's Day Weekend

Happy Friday, you crazy kids.

Should be a nice weekend, weather-wise. The Five Points St. Patrick's Day Festival will be in full swing, but you'll have to pay again if you leave and want to come back. Seems like a reasonable way to cut down on people drinking off site. 

If paying $15.00 to go drinking in Five Points isn't your scene, you can go watch the USC Baseball team put their 16-0 record on the line as they step into conference play for the first time this weekend against the Ole Miss Rebels. I'm predicting the Gamecocks take two out of three.

Other than that, it's business as usual around here.

Enjoy your weekend.

The Hog Splitter - Ultimate BBQ Weapon

In addition to blogging here, I also blog for Fig Columbia from time to time. If you didn't already know, Fig is a magazine that is geared towards local events and happenings in Columbia. If you're interested in the latest and greatest in Columbia, you might want to give Fig a look.

Anyway, since I'm one of their bloggers, they were kind enough to invite me to their party celebrating the release of their Spring Magazine. I had a chance to meet Reed Moore, who is the cover story of the Spring Magazine.

Reed is the owner/operator of Red Forgeworks, which is a blacksmith shop in Timmonsville, SC. Reed makes wonderful knives in an old-world style way - by hand. The knives are so impressive, Reed has started to earn some serious accolades. Just recently, he won the Garden & Gun - Made in the South "Outdoors Category" for his knives.

I was browsing his website, and although I haven't actually held one of his knives in my hand, I thought I would toss out a recommendation. One of the coolest things on his website is the "Hog Splitter".

I love the description: "This knife is basically a cross between a cleaver and a sledge hammer." I mean, who doesn't sometimes need both a cleaver and a sledgehammer? Seems like something that a movie villain would have in one of those classic slasher movies.

The Hog Splitter. Get it for the guy who does whole-hog BBQ...or someone who's looking to get into the slasher-villain industry.

Eastern Europe Is Begging for Help

The Eastern European countries are begging for help from the USA.

European officials who want to reduce their dependency on Russian gas also have seized on the situation to mount a major lobbying campaign in Washington for new legislation to ease regulations on American LNG exports. Some of these countries, including Bulgaria, Sweden and the Baltic states, rely on Russia for 100 percent of their gas supplies, and Moscow has shown repeatedly it is willing to crimp supplies for leverage in political disputes.

We have the ability to help Eastern Europe be less dependent on Russia. This is what the USA is good at. We could out produce them, sell Eastern Europe all the fuel they could pay for. It would increase our exports, help our allies, and diminish Russia's influence. Will we do so?

Given the track record of our current President, it seems unlikely we will make this move.

It's Because I'm Black, Isn't It?

I came across this the other day in my internet meanderings, and I thought it was pretty funny:

Try not to judge a rifle by it's color.

In related news, the CWP modification law has been on the books for a little while. Has there been any "wild west" shootouts around South Carolina at bars or restaurants? Maybe I've missed the news about that.

I seem to remember all of those folks saying that it would be "open season" for shooting people, and that there would be shootouts in pizza parlors.

I guess not so much, huh?

I'm prepared to accept your apologies now.

 

Michael Crichton on Environmentalism as Religion

Last night the Senate Democrats had an all night talkathon in which they burned the midnight oil to discuss climate change. (See what I did there?)

In response, I'd like to share a piece that author Michael Crichton wrote in the Hawaii Free Press several years ago. It holds up very well today.

I studied anthropology in college, and one of the things I learned was that certain human social structures always reappear. They can't be eliminated from society. One of those structures is religion. Today it is said we live in a secular society in which many people---the best people, the most enlightened people---do not believe in any religion. But I think that you cannot eliminate religion from the psyche of mankind. If you suppress it in one form, it merely re-emerges in another form. You can not believe in God, but you still have to believe in something that gives meaning to your life, and shapes your sense of the world. Such a belief is religious. 

Today, one of the most powerful religions in the Western World is environmentalism. Environmentalism seems to be the religion of choice for urban atheists. Why do I say it's a religion? Well, just look at the beliefs. If you look carefully, you see that environmentalism is in fact a perfect 21st century remapping of traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs and myths. 

There's an initial Eden, a paradise, a state of grace and unity with nature, there's a fall from grace into a state of pollution as a result of eating from the tree of knowledge, and as a result of our actions there is a judgment day coming for us all. We are all energy sinners, doomed to die, unless we seek salvation, which is now called sustainability. Sustainability is salvation in the church of the environment. Just as organic food is its communion, that pesticide-free wafer that the right people with the right beliefs, imbibe.

Go read the whole thing.

Garden and Gun Fried Chicken Recipe

Since the inception of this blog, one of the most viewed pages of all-time is my Top Five Places in Columbia for Fried Chicken. Hey, what can I say? People like fried chicken.

To carry on with the fried chicken theme, I thought I would share this recipe from Garden & Gun for fried chicken:

 

The first thing that caught my eye was that the recipe had sugar in it. My wife has told me that her great aunt always put a little bit of sugar in things that she pan-fried, and it was some of the best food she's ever had.

I might have to give this recipe a try, because that finished product looks delicious. Anyone else have a favorite homemade fried chicken recipe?

The Well-Regulated Militia, Chuck Norris, and Global Warming

Happy Monday.

Glenn Reynolds (a/k/a Instapundit) has an interesting essay on the origins and decline of the militia.

Also, it's Chuck Norris' birthday today, so you better watch yourself. I kind of just figured that Chuck Norris was the militia.

To recap the weekend, USC Baseball swept Brown University to improve to 15-0 on the year. We'll see how the team handles their first SEC games this weekend when the Gamecocks play host to Ole Miss for three games. My guess is that the Gamecocks take two out of three.

In the category of things that will make you dumber for having listened to, Senate Democrats are going to hold an all night "talkathon" on Global Warming darn, I mean Climate Change.

I just don't get the Climate Change people. The earth has been warming up and cooling down in cycles for millions of years. It's just nature. Man probably cannot affect the natural warming and cooling cycles of the entire planet, and it's just folly to say that this temperature, right now, is somehow inherently the "perfect temperature" for the planet.

Anyway, that's enough for now. Everyone go to work.

Cool Link of the Day: How Big Space Really Is

Space is big. No, it's really big. Normally, when you see a map of the solar system, it looks like this:

But the thing is, this isn't to scale. What this map fails to show you is all the space that's out there in space. If you want to really get an idea of how much empty space there is out there in space, check out this scale map of our solar system.

It takes a bit of time to scroll through it all, but there are some little bits of information in the empty space as you journey through the solar system. I would say that the first bit is the hardest, but the real hard part is once you get past Saturn. Our brains just cannot deal with such large numbers.

h/t @comradearthur

Busy Day: Indiana Jones Open Thread

No time for love, Dr. Jones.

I've got a lot going on right now, so you'll have to deal with an open thread until later this evening.

I'm kind of busy at the moment, so if you'll just sit tight, we'll be with you shortly.

So...open thread.

 

Columbia City Council Gives Initial Approval to Funding Ballpark

Morning, y'all.

My two-year-old son decided that 5:00AM would be a good time to start the morning today, so that kind of meant that I was also obligated to start the day at 5:00AM. As a result, I've been up and at 'em for about two hours now. Breakfast has been made, eaten, and cleaned up.

Columbia City Council Votes to Approve Ballpark at Bull Street Site. Go read the whole thing, but it  looks like City Council is moving forward to give some financial support to the baseball stadium in the form of a municipal bond backed by the hospitality tax.

Also, Carolyn Callahan at WIS had a very good Twitter feed of the whole council meeting. She's the most recent person I've added to my Twitter timeline for local Columbia news. If you're into that thing, you should check her out.

What Are You Prepared to Do About it?

Russia has occupied the Crimea, and it is looking towards the rest of Ukraine. The West hasn't responded yet, and the longer the West waits, the weaker it looks. The weaker it looks, the more likely it is that Russia will take more.

The question to the West is: What are you prepared to do? I'm not sure any of our current leaders are prepared to do much.

Playboy's 2014 Sports Cars of The Year

Via Jalopnik, the 2014 sports cars of the year (as ranked by Playboy) are topped by the US built 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.

The Corvette has always been America's sports car, but in the last twenty or so years, it's seen a drop-off in popularity relative to European rivals. Could this be the year that the Corvette comes back? Maybe.

All I know is that I like this Corvette. But not in a buy it and drive it around way. More like in the way a thirteen year old boy wants to buy a poster of it.

Ukraine Is Game To You?

Just easing into this week with a light-hearted Monday post.

Don't take yourself too seriously.

HBO Developing Another WWII Miniseries

Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg are going to do a miniseries centering on the Eighth Air Force.

I'll watch.

My Thoughts on Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

I am not a fan of President Obama, but it gives me no pleasure to see him embarrassed on the international stage. He represents me. He represents the entire country.

Russia has invaded Ukraine. That's a fact. Does Putin give a rip about the speeches given in the West? No. He's going to respond with a version of Stalin's line of "How many divisions do you have"? 

Russian leaders, through time immemorial, respect strength and exploit weakness.

Does this bode well for the American hegemony that has dominated the globe for the last 70 years? No. Does this help the people of Taiwan, Tel Aviv, and Poland sleep better at night? No.

You don't think China is watching? Maduro in Venezuela? Khamenei in Iran? Even if you don't care much about the Crimea, it is much bigger than that. Our President says that he isn't looking at the world like a Cold War chessboard. I would say that this is chess and he's not seeing the whole board.

Deterrence works only on a track record. Every time you don't act, you invite the next, bigger crisis. Sitting idle and grumbling (as you say) is a mistake. It would constitute a signal to Putin that he would welcome. Even if you do not agree that free nations must defend other nations as a moral obligation, it is a practical one. Dictators always expand. This is a strongman claiming to "protect" those in another country with a similar culture. I think I've seen this movie before.

So let's say you don't want to go military, Fine. What could we do? Russia's economy depends on high natural gas prices. Economics works here. Europe should start fracking, and US should increase natural gas exports. Price falls. Also, all of Russia's natural gas pipelines go through Ukraine. Anyone ever seen Lawrence of Arabia? BOOM. Russia has less money for foreign adventures.

US Economy's Growth Was Slower Than Expected in 4th Quarter

GDP revised down to 2.4% from 3.5%

As Instapundit would say, it was Unexpectedly!™ revised downwards. Sure. Who could have seen this coming, right?

The President has been telling us that the economy is "poised" for growth. He's been saying that for about five years. At some point being poised for growth isn't really growth. It's failure.

It's like a parent saying that their child has lots of potential. You can say that when your child is 8. When your child is 28 and still doesn't have job, you can't keep saying how much "potential" your kid has. He's a loser.

The Great Gay Marriage Cake Debacle of 2014

Our long, national nightmare is over. Gay couples will continue to be free to continue having wedding cakes for their weddings. The Great Gay Marriage Cake Debacle of 2014™ is now over.

I was not aware that there was a rash of bakers out there refusing to bake people cakes.

Maybe it was all just a big misunderstanding. Maybe the gay couple didn't tell the baker that they were coming over for a cake. According to my sources, this sort of thing happens all the time.

Also, this is another reason why pie is better than cake. You never hear about pie getting involved in this sort of thing.

Frank Underwood, Faulkner, and the South

Good conversation over at Brad's place about House of Cards, the South, and Faulkner. My thoughts are down in a comment from his original post, so you'll have to go over there to read them.

If you're a southerner, your history is something you grapple with.

Storm-Trooper Shooting Range Target

I need to get me some of these.

That is, until I acquire an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.

Harold Ramis Dead at Age 69

He was a comedy icon, and he leaves a big legacy.

Probably best known as "Egon" from Ghostbusters, Ramis also was a prolific writer, with movies such as Groundhog Day, Stripes, Caddyshack, and Animal House to his credit, among many more.

Although most people only remember Bill Murray from Stripes, Ramis' character had some great scenes:

The man knew how to bring the funny, and he was always "willing to learn".

Sumter Man Attempts to Pay Applebee's Tab with $1Trillion Dollar Bill

Applebee's declined. As an aside, the piece doesn't say how much his tab was. I'm assuming that it was substantially less than one trillion dollars, since Applebee's is a pretty good value.

Hey, he was probably just following the advice of noted economist Paul Krugman.

Future Gamecock Recruit's Video Resume

Henry, my two year old son, has started enjoying baseball. Between his grandfather and me, Henry has attended four Gamecock Baseball games this year.

Needless to say, Henry has become a big baseball fan. Watching the "baseball guys" (as he says) has inspired him to take an interest in hitting a baseball himself. Henry was also the recipient of an actual baseball from Elliott Caldwell, who is a hard-hitting Junior on the Carolina Baseball team, so Henry has a favorite player. You can follow Elliott on Twitter here, if you're so inclined.

After watching the Gamecock hitters so far this season, Henry has decided to work on his hitting. The results are below.

Now, you're probably thinking How many takes did it take for Henry to hit the ball like that?

One.

That's right. First time. Old "One-Take Henry", that's what they called him in his Hollywood days. We'll work up to hitting live pitching soon, but until then, hitting off the tee is going pretty well.

Don't worry Coach Espo, I won't take any recruiting calls from that college up in the upstate.

SCSSAR Celebrates George Washington's Birthday at Statehouse

Our Chapter VP John McCabe (center) and Chapter President Haskell Kibler (right) at the Statehouse.

Today, the South Carolina Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SCSSAR) commemorated George Washington's birthday at the Statehouse. The event was originally scheduled to be on the front steps (by the statute of George Washington) but the inclement weather forced us inside.

We were lucky enough to have JoAnn Zeise, the curator of History for the State Museum, deliver some remarks. Saturday is George Washington's actual birthday, so wherever, you are, raise a glass to our first President.

Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/w/washington_george.html#VQyyM4yrB4gsfU

Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/w/washington_george.html#VQyyM4yrB4gsfUoS.9

Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/w/washington_george.html#VQyyM4yrB4gsfUoS.99

Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/w/washington_george.html#VQyyM4yrB4gsfUoS.99

Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/w/washington_george.html#VQyyM4yrB4gsfUoS.99

Big Win Today - Open Blog

I'm enjoying a big win professionally today, so...open blog.

Boom.

The Economics of Sex and Downton Abbey

This is one of those  "Whiteboard Videos", where they show you graphs while delivering the point, and it's interesting. It looks at the issue of sex as an economic transaction, and looks at the exchange in economic terms - supply and demand.

I think there are some more complicated factors out there not addressed by looking at relationships in purely economic terms can be misleading, but there is some truth to most of the points in this video. The most insightful comment in the presentation is: Men tend to behave as well, or as poorly, as the women in their lives permit.

There is some truth in that.

In the past, the issue of sex resulting in a baby made pre-marital sex (or at least sex without a serious committed relationship) much more risky, and therefore it was not as casual as it is now. (See, Edith's pregnancy in the fourth season of Downton Abbey).

Sometimes you had to go to France if you got pregnant without a husband. Or was it Switzerland?

Anyway, watch the whole video. It's safe for viewing. There's no nudity or bad language. It's economics, so relax. I would be interested to see if men and women have different perspectives on the points asserted. As Instapundit is always noting, the benefits of marriage to men have been downgraded over time through various factors, not the least of which is divorce jurisprudence.

Shamelessly stolen from Ace's Place.

How Not To Parallel Park [VIDEO]

I love sitting at the outside tables at the Gourmet Shop in Five Points watching people try and parallel park. Sometimes people just give up. We should make it an Olympic sport.

I'm torn when I watch this video. I can't decide if it's painful or funny.

Eh, I'll go with funny.

My First Look at Det Bowers for US Senate

My firm hosted a short meeting with Det Bowers, who has tossed his hat into the ring in the GOP race to unseat Senator Graham.

[Full disclosure: I know the Bowers family personally. I'm about the same age as his two older sons, and I have known him and his family growing up. He was also one of the ministers at my church for awhile.]

[Second full disclosure: I was only able to stay for the first thirty minutes, as I had a court hearing to attend. Accordingly, I missed about half of the discussion.]

Having said that, coming into today's meeting I didn't know anything about Det's political opinions, so I was interested to see what his motivation for running would be, and what his intentions were. My biggest concern was that he was running "to make a statement" rather than to actually win. I have no problem supporting people whom I agree with if they truly want to win, but I have no interest in supporting a candidate who's goal is anything other than actually winning. Because of his late entry into the race, I was worried that he might not be fully committed.

Accordingly, I was pleased to hear Det say that he isn't in the race to just show up. He told us that he decided to enter the race about a month ago. He said that one of the catalysts to his entering the race was when he and his wife recently watched the HBO series John Adams. Det told us that his wife encouraged him to run for this office because it was his duty to his country to try and make it a better place. Det said that his initial response was "I can give you about eight million reasons why I shouldn't run" but his wife dismissed that objection.

Det said that ultimately, he wants to run not against Senator Graham so much as he wants to run for the things that he personally believes in. He emphasized that he felt it was his duty to run for office.

Getting to those specifics, he led off with the idea that he wants to be a Senator that doesn't live in Washington DC. He said that his life is in South Carolina, and he wouldn't be a Senator who goes up to DC and becomes detached from this State. Without directly saying so, it was clear that he believes Senator Graham has made Washington, DC his home.

This dovetailed into his position that politicians shouldn't be in office for long periods of time, and he endorsed the idea of term-limits. He spoke about Washington's overspending, and the how Congress has continually delegated more and more authority and responsibility to the other two branches of government. He was extremely familiar with the Constitution, referencing it specifically in several instances. It was clear that he would seek to reassert Congress' power at the expense of Executive agencies.

He indicated that he would not have voted to confirm either Justice Sotomayor or Justice Kagan due to their views on abortion and homosexuality, but he acknowledged that they would have been confirmed anyway. However, he made a point to de-emphasize social issues, or at least it seemed that way to me.

It appears that his primary motivation for seeking a seat in the US Senate rests more on economic freedom and lessening the federal government's role in trying to direct private action. He told us about a business owner in Charleston who said he pays more  money complying with government regulations than he pays in taxes as an example of the federal government's heavy hand with economic activity.

On the practical side, his son Wyman is dealing with the logistics of the campaign. Wyman briefly indicated that they are looking to raise $500k by March, and he said that "it was a very attainable goal". They hope to have an official campaign website up and running soon as well. In the meantime, if you want to keep up with him, he is on Twitter. Wyman indicated that it was their goal to reach out to people both in and outside of South Carolina, as a US Senator's vote affects more than just one state.

Overall, Det Bowers struck me as a very humble and authentic man who is running for office because he truly wants to try and make this country a better place for his children and grandchildren. I'll be interested to see how his campaign plays out over the next few months.

I haven't decided where I am on this GOP primary, but I'll certainly be watching all the candidates closely.

Rocky Balboa Is Smarter Than Norman Ornstein

I'll admit, I don't have a degree in math. I don't excel at it. I don't particularly enjoy it. My forte lies in other things. I have the utmost respect for my friends who are engineers or have hard science degrees. Much like fire, poisonous snakes, and VX gas, I have a healthy respect for math.

The second you don't respect this, it kills you.

Accordingly, I don't try to mess around with math without making darn sure that I'm doing it correctly and following the rules.

Some goof named Norman Ornstein doesn't excel at math either. There's nothing wrong with that. The problem is that he doesn't have the same healthy respect for math that I do. When you don't have a healthy respect for something that you can't control, you get into trouble.

Norman Ornstein got himself into trouble with math. Here, see if you can spot the problem:

The first iteration of KidSave, in simple terms, was this: Each year, for every one of the 4 million newborns in America, the federal government would put $1,000 in a designated savings account. The payment would be financed by using 1 percent of annual payroll-tax revenues. Then, for the first five years of a child's life, the $500 child tax credit would be added to that account, with a subsidy for poor people who pay no income. The accounts would be administered the same way as the federal employees' Thrift Savings Plan...under the initial KidSave proposal, the funds could not be withdrawn until age 65, when, through the miracle of compound interest, they would represent a hefty nest egg. At 5 percent annual growth, an individual would have almost $700,000.

Since I'm not Euler, I'm going to break this down a bit. The Federal government is going to give every baby a $1,000 in an account. Then each year (for five years) the feds drop $500 more dollars into the account. So on the child's fifth birthday, they'll have $3,500.00 of principal. (and maybe a little interest over those five years) With me so far? So we're maybe at $4,100.00 with the interest at year five.

As an aside, who the heck gets a 5% rate of return? If you know anywhere that guarantees a 5% rate of return these days, send me an e-mail. Banks around here are paying less than 1%. But let's just leave that aside. Assume that your old buddy Ornstein has a magical bank that pays 5%. If you put your $4,100.00 in there, at the end of sixty years, will you have "almost $700,000.00"?

No. No, you will not.

Hint, it's not even close. Not. Even. Close. The link above has the more detailed fisking.

If you're a "math person" (or just have some common sense) you'll immediately realize that you can't take $4,100.00 and turn it into "almost $700,000" with a 5% interest rate over sixty years. It's just not possible. Perhaps the best line of the piece above is as follows:

I am no finance guy, but it was immediately obvious to me that Ornstein’s numbers are ridiculous. If you could turn $3,500 into $700,000 in 60 years at 5%, I wouldn’t be practicing law these days. As Rocky said to his two goldfish, “If you guys could sing and dance, I wouldn’t be doin’ this.” Money, unfortunately, does not sing and dance as hypothesized by Ornstein.

Yo, how's about some compound interest?

Math. It doesn't care about your good intentions. It's just going to do its thing. So show some respect, sucker. Also, for all y'all out there defending Obamacare, I have news for you. Math is coming.

Monday Open Thread

This is probably what you were doing if you were looking for some content today:

So...you'll have to talk amongst yourselves for today anyway.

Tomorrow, I promise actual content. I'll be co-hosting a meet and greet a for Det Bowers, who has tossed his hat in the ring for the GOP primary against Lindsey Graham. I'll have some notes on how that goes. I don't know much about Det, other than he has been a pastor at my church. I know he's a good guy, but I also know that Graham has a lot of money.

If nothing else, tomorrow will be educational.

Best Excuse for Not Getting Your Girl a Valentine's Day Card...

...comes from The New Republic.

If your other half bought you a Valentine's card, be sure to say thanks for the 18.5 grams of CO2 it created. http://t.co/JlxWN5Pjzv
— The New Republic (@tnr) February 13, 2014

Hey, honey. I didn't get you a Valentine's Day card because of.......um....global warming. You just don't care about the earth if you gave someone a card.

If anyone tries this excuse out today, let me know how it goes.

Enjoy Your Snow Day -Snow Related Links

Enjoy your snow day, y'all. Here are some interesting snow-related links for you to kill some time with while you're holed up.

1. Canadian Ski Coach Helps Russian Skier in Awesome Sportsmanlike Fashion. In case you forgot what the Olympics was all about.

2. How Much Snow It Takes to Close School Where You Live. A handy map for you school-age kids.

3. 95% of the Global Warming Models Are Wrong. No kidding, huh?

Today's snowy post brought to you by redheads with guns in the snow.

You know nothing, Jon Snow.

That's all I got for today. See you after the snow melts.

Obamacare and Touching the Hot Stove

Remember the Employer Mandate? The law says it shall take effect in 2014. It still says that. But that's just what the law says.

How did you learn not to touch this?

Last summer, the Obama Administration unilaterally delayed the Employer Mandate so that it wouldn't take effect until 2015. I'm not sure why Obama decided to delay implementation of such a great part of his super great law, but apparently, you don't need Congress to change laws or anything. So the Executive Branch just said Don't worry about the law, we're changing it. Because...well...nevermind.

So, 2014 is here. Time to start gearing up for the Employer Mandate next year, right? Well, actually no. Now that this year is here, the Obama Administration has decided that the Employer Mandate will be delayed again. They're going to implement it for some employers, but not others, and partially for some. Until 2017...or whenever, yo

Even though that's not what the law actually says.

Now, the real question is cui bono? Who benefits? Well, obviously the businesses who aren't faced with the massive costs of this imposing law benefit. But the White House isn't delaying the Employer Mandate to benefit the businesses. If they wanted to benefit the businesses, they wouldn't have passed the Employer Mandate at all. But they did. The law passed, and now we're seeing the President unilaterally walk it back, year by year. Why?

It's obviously to spare his friends in Congressional elections this fall the pain at the voting booth. It's a nakedly politically motivated violation of the law from the Executive Branch. Read that sentence again. Got it?

You know, if Republicans had any lick of sense, they would do do everything in their power to make sure the Employer Mandate hits this year. America elected a President and a bunch of politicians who passed this healthcare mess. But the same people keep easing back away from it. They know that everyone will feel tons of pain when the law actually goes into effect. So they keep delaying it. Maybe it's time to put the Employer Mandate into effect. Maybe it's time to feel some pain. Maybe it's time for America to touch the hot stove -- and burn its hand. 

When you burn your hand, you'll learn not to touch the stove again. Maybe next time you won't touch the damn stove when I tell you not too.

Winter Storm Watch Issued for Midlands

Once again, we play our dangerous game, a game of chess against our old adversary -- The Winter Snow. For forty years, your father and your older brothers before you played this game and played it well. But today the game is different. We have the advantage.

Yes, the winter weather is headed our way again. Looks like the storm will hit the midlands on Tuesday night and persist until Wednesday. As always, drive safely. 

One other note, unrelated to the weather: I'm fed up with The State website. They've cluttered it with drop-down ads, pop-up ads, and paywalls. Frankly, I've had enough, so I'm not going to be linking them anymore. There's never really a story on The State that isn't found elsewhere, so I'll go elsewhere. However, if I have to discuss something that is there and nowhere else, I'll be just generally discussing it without linking it. I know that The State isn't relying on me to send them traffic, but I'm just going to take a stand against bad websites that make it difficult to get to the content.

So yeah, mood status: Cranky

A Century of Meat in the USA [chart]

Happy Monday.

Here's an interesting chart about the US consumption of meat over the last hundred years.

You can see the larger version here.

Two interesting things jump out at me. First, pork is really volatile, while fish and shellfish is really stable. I'm not sure what drives that. Also, the big winner over the last hundred years is chicken.

What are you eating?

Top Headlines Thread (Russian Toilet Instructions Edition)

FRIDAY!

Here's a look around at the top five headlines I'm seeing today:

1. Jay Leno Says Farewell to the "Tonight Show": After a long run, he's finally leaving. I've seen plenty of criticism of Leno from people who say he's really dull, but I always thought he was pretty funny. My guess is he'll find some way to keep telling jokes for a living.

2. Charleston School of Law to Possibly Merge With the College of Charleston?: It appears that the State Legislature gets the final say on whether the Charleston School of Law can be sold to a private group, and that's not a sure thing. Accordingly the College of Charleston is looking into it. Law Schools can be quite a cash cow, since they don't require much overhead and rake in tuition dollars.

3. SC Legislature has Bill to Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks: If I remember correctly, this was the same thing proposed in Texas that (by her opposition) propelled Wendy Davis to the forefront of national politics. Could we see a similar phenomenon here in South Carolina? If so, which state legislator is the most likely to be the face of the opposition to this law?

4. Four Ways Obamacare Hurts Millennials: Spoiler alert -- Young people are helping pay for the older, sicker people's coverage.

5. Want to Buy a Gun? Be Glad You Don't Live In Massachusetts: Hey, it could be worse. I hear China has some pretty tough restrictions on guns as well.

Yeah, yeah yeah...the Winter Olympics are starting, too. I guess that's news. The real news is all the problems that are going on with the logistics. Russia is weird, though. Here is a sign that is above toilets in Russian Hotels

 What's that on the bottom left? Do some people fish in toilets? Is this a Russian thing? I also like the bottom right one. Is that guy doing "air drums" on the toilet with a beer bottle?

That's all I got for some Friday AM links.

Jerry Seinfeld Dismisses "PC Nonsense"

Jerry Seinfeld has received criticism from the Diversity Agitator Crowd, because the guests on his new show aren't "diverse" enough. Of course, right? That Jerry Seinfeld is such a menace.

When he was asked about this criticism in a recent interview, I kind of figured that he would say something along the lines of Hey, there's lots of funny women/minorities out there, and I just haven't had a chance to have them on my show...or something like that. Something along those lines would be non-committal, and would be a kind of tacit acknowledgment that he supports diversity for it's own sake. Who could have a problem with that?

His actual response?

Well, let's just say he went another direction.

“People think it’s the census or something,” Seinfeld said of the assertion that all pop culture should accurately reflect society. “This has gotta represent the actual pie chart of America? Who cares? Funny is the world that I live in. You’re funny, I’m interested. You’re not funny, I’m not interested. I have no interest in gender or race or anything like that.”

This is what you can do when you're rich enough and accomplished enough. You can tell the politically correct, Diversity Agitator Crowd to all go pound sand. And that's exactly what he did.

Good for Seinfeld.

How to Eat Chicken Wings

You're probably doing it wrong.

I was.

Do You Feel Lucky With an Open Thread?

Open Thread.

Two hearings today, so this is what you get.

Columbia Bars, Restaurants Say "No" to Concealed Weapons

And that's fine.

If you give people choices, they'll make the best choice for their personal situation. In the larger picture, it all works out.

Freedom. Voluntary Association. It's a radical concept, bro.

Fun With Magnetism

Pretty neat.

h/t Insty.

Actor Phillip Seymor Hoffman Found Dead of Apparent Heroin Overdose

Hoffman was found dead with a hypodermic needle still in his arm.

Ace has a good point about the debate over drug legalization. Basically, his point is that the choices are a binary set of two choices:

1. Drugs are bad, and therefore must be illegal; or,
2. Drugs are fine, and therefore should be legal, and it's ok to do drugs.

Ace notes that you don't really see a more (dare I say) "nuanced" argument for: Drugs can be legal, yet they're pretty dangerous, so maybe you shouldn't do them.

As usual, Ace is right.

In all of the argument for legalization of marijuana in Colorado, we aren't really seeing anyone say that maybe it's ok to have legalized pot, but maybe we shouldn't be such big cheerleaders for it without the counterbalancing argument of "Maybe we shouldn't smoke pot all the time".

As events like Hoffman's death remind us, drug use has some negative consequences. Yes, this was heroin, not pot, but still, with all this marijuana legalization talk, I'm not hearing about any negative consequences. That's not good.

Remember the line Bill Clinton had about abortion? He said it should be "Safe, legal, and rare"which is a kind of third way of approaching the abortion issue. It's not the cheerleading stance of "Yay abortion", and it's not the prohibitionist stance of "never". He took the path of let's keep it legal, but let's discourage it culturally and socially.

I think that's the right path for some drug legalization. The problem is that we aren't seeing anyone of the legalization side of the argument call for restraint, or rarity in drug use.