'Enchanted April' Open Thread

Victor Davis Hanson

One writer that I really should pay more attention to is Victor Davis Hanson. He writes clearly and insightfully, and is on point. His latest over at The Corner place his observations on his native California into the perspective of our nation's cultural drift, a drift which the left, through its machinations, has intended, and which the rest of us have unwittingly been taken along for the ride.

"I note this because hundreds of students here illegally are now terrified of being deported to Mexico. I can understand that, given the chaos in Mexico and their own long residency in the United States. But here is what still confuses me: If one were to consider the classes that deal with Mexico at the university, or the visible displays of national chauvinism, then one might conclude that Mexico is a far more attractive and moral place than the United States.

So there is a surreal nature to these protests: something like, “Please do not send me back to the culture I nostalgically praise; please let me stay in the culture that I ignore or deprecate.” I think the DREAM Act protestors might have been far more successful in winning public opinion had they stopped blaming the U.S. for suggesting that they might have to leave at some point, and instead explained why, in fact, they want to stay."

Good stuff. And no, I didn't steal his thunder. You're going to want to read the whole thing here.

'Field of Dreams' Open Thread

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United Nations Continues to Mock Reality

What is the UN up to? What started out as a Western democracy inspired dream of international cooperation, an instrument to enable dialogue between nations and avert war, has continued its slide into irrelevance with the recent election of Iran onto its Commission on the Status of Women. That's right, the nation that has made a national policy of putting women under its boot has been selected with nary a thought.

George Jonas is little troubled over it:

"It's a weird world. Take, for instance, the United Nations celebrating the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day by electing Iran to a four-year seat on the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
...

Iran, having abandoned its high-profile quest for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, was now among 10 other nations "elected by acclamation" to the Commission on the Status of Women.

Today, there are 45 seats on this august body, set up in 1947 "to raise the status of women, irrespective of nationality, race, language or religion, to equality with men."

See why Jonas finds these antics more comical than troubling here.

Wisconsin Unions Lose Collective Bargaining, Democrats Not Available To Comment

What happened?!

The people of Wisconsin scored a major victory Wednesday when the state senate moved to eliminate collective bargaining, the union linch pin that had supposedly held up all efforts to address the state's budgetary problems.

The Wisconsin Senate succeeded in voting Wednesday to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers, after Republicans outmaneuvered the chamber's missing Democrats and approved an explosive proposal that has rocked the state and unions nationwide.

All 14 Senate Democrats fled to Illinois nearly three weeks ago, preventing the chamber from having enough members present to consider Gov. Scott Walker's "budget-repair bill" - a proposal introduced to plug a $137 million budget shortfall.

The unions had been attempting to intimidate the Republicans, who had been voted in by the people last fall.

The Senate requires a quorum to take up any measure that spends money. But Republicans on Wednesday took all the spending measures out of Walker's proposal and a special committee of lawmakers from both the Senate and Assembly approved the revised bill a short time later.

The unexpected yet surprisingly simple procedural move ended a stalemate that had threatened to drag on indefinitely.

Nice.

After Republicans cut off debate a little more than three hours after it started, Democrats jumped up to protest. Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) brought a megaphone out from under his desk and through it yelled, "Mr. Speaker, I demand to be recognized."

He was ignored.

Is Governor Scott Walker's Faith the Work Of The Devil?

Concerned spiritual consciousness.

So argues Diana Butler Bass of the Huffington Post.

"And this is why Scott Walker’s religion is actually dangerous in the public square. Because it lacks the ability to compromise, it is profoundly anti-democratic."

I mention the curiously argued piece merely to direct you to a nice counter laid out by Dana Loesch.

Not baffled by apples and oranges.

He’s not motivated by religion, he’s motivated by the people’s November 2nd voice. So Bass is saying … that the vote of the people is evil? No, Ms. Bass, standing in opposition to what happened on November 2nd, 2010 is what is profoundly anti-democratic. Bass’s inability to put aside her limiting bias obviously impedes her ability to understand Scripture and relying on politically religious figures instead of God’s Word is the first red flag of false prophecy that people of faith are so often warned of throughout the Bible.

Right on the money.

- 'Roman Holiday' Open Thread

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