-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! * Veritas Vos Liberabit * THE FEDERALIST(r) DIGEST The Conservative e-Journal of Record Date: 26 January 2001 Federalist #01-04.dgst Retrieve today's Digest as HTML printer-friendly text or PDF -- it's much easier reading than e-mail text! Link to: http://www.Federalist.com/current2001.asp Support and sponsor The Federalist! Link to: http://www.Federalist.com/support.asp CONTENTS: The Founders Federalist Perspective Insight Upright Editorial Exegesis Dezinformatsia Village Idiots Short Cuts ______--------********O********--------______ THE FOUNDERS "...We shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations...." --Patrick Henry ______--------********O********--------______ FEDERALIST PERSPECTIVE In the news this week, President Bush sent both his tax and education reform proposals over to Congress, where the tax measure has already found a Democrat sponsor. Based on his accomplishments this first week in office, we now suspect that Mr. Bush's dyslexia caused him to claim he was a "uniter" when he meant to say, "untier." His first official act as president was to untie many of Bill Clinton 11th-hour executive orders and other Sociocrat regulatory shenanigans. He is going to untie some of the IRS's claims on our income. He is going to untie some of the Left's claims on the government schools dumbing-down American children. On his agenda Mr. Bush said, "I wish I could say it was my charming personality or the ability to string a couple sentences together. The truth of the matter is I'm sitting here because I took firm positions on important issues and didn't back off. And I'm not backing off.... Quite the contrary." On restoring honor and integrity to the White House Mr. Bush admonished his staff: "I expect every member of this administration to stay well within the boundaries that define legal and ethical conduct. This means checking, and if need be, double-checking, that the rules have been obeyed. This means never compromising those rules. As we go about our work, there is no excuse for arrogance and never a reason for disrespect toward others. You will be the face and voice of the White House staff. You will be my representative. I expect each of you, as an official of this administration, to be an example of humility and decency and fairness. ...[W]e are here for a reason...to make progress, not just to mark time. ... I want it said at the end of our service that promises made were promises kept." (Speaking of PRESIDENT Bush, The Federalist previously reported that the Palm Beach Post had recounted Miami-Dade County's ballots and found, in fact, that Mr. Bush GAINED a few votes. Now comes word from the Naples Daily News that after examining their region's ballots under the "permissive standards" demanded by team Goron, Mr. Bush would have picked up an additional 226 votes.) While Mr. Bush's legislative agenda was progressing on Capitol Hill, he also got Senate approval for 12 of his Cabinet nominees and appointees. But the "religious profiling" and ridicule of John Ashcroft continued as Teddy Kennedy et al. extended his pillory for another week. Headlining the Leftist's complaints were Mr. Ashcroft's 1997 remarks that Americans should end "judicial tyranny" by "asking ourselves why modern judicial activism exists in the first place. Could it be that we have been lax in demanding that judges place our constitutional rights before their policy objectives? Could it be we have failed to reject judges who are willing to place their private preferences above the people's will?" On the subject of justice, we are reminded of this comment from young Teddy in 1974: "Do we operate under a system of equal justice where there is one system for the average citizen and another for the high and mighty?" Did somebody mention Chappaquiddick? Some conservatives have criticized Mr. Ashcroft for not defending himself and exercising his considerable intellect to cut down Kennedy and his cronies, but, as a wise man once advised, "You shouldn't swap spit with a jackass." And Kennedy is the biggest of Demo mascots. Of course, there are some openings in the Demos' front line. Sen. Russ Feingold said, "A Democratic president ought to be able to appoint to the Cabinet principled people of strong progressive or even liberal ideology. And therefore a Republican president ought to be able to appoint people of strong conservative ideology." And apparently someone spiked Chester Lott's tea with Viagra. He finally rose to the defense of Mr. Ashcroft, saying, "If there is a cesspool anywhere in this city it is the Justice Department. And I'd like for John to try and clean it up and enforce the laws that really do need to be enforced. ... I was disturbed and shocked a little bit by the tone in the Judiciary Committee. I guess I shouldn't have been shocked. That extreme left is there, has been there and I guess will be there." Chester was "disturbed and shocked." In other news, William "Slick" Clinton cut a deal with federal prosecutors to prevent his indictment for perjury. You may recall that in Clinton's efforts to defend himself from one of his sexual offendees, Ms. Paula Jones, he lied about "sexual relations" with another female subordinate, testimony which would have corroborated Ms. Jones's sexual harassment accusations. In his plea bargain, Clinton said, "I tried to walk a fine line between acting lawfully and testifying falsely, but I now recognize that I did not fully accomplish this goal and am certain my responses to questions about Ms. Lewinsky were false." In other words, he lied and got caught. As a result, he surrendered his law license for five years and agreed to pay a $25,000 fine. Of Clinton's admission, Former Independent Counsel Ken Starr observed, "It obviously would have been far better, less expensive, less divisive, if his acknowledgement [that he lied under oath] would have come...much earlier, say, in January of 1998. But better late than never...." Former Attorney General Dick Thornburgh added, "Much about the Clinton presidency was obscured by his seemingly effortless maneuvering around the notion that there are fixed and immutable principles of right and wrong that should govern public and private conduct. The ex-president's farewell performance was entirely in character in this respect. History will not overlook it." The Washington Times concluded, "At this late date it's more than a little tempting to heed what are probably the most significant words of the Clinton years: It's time to move on." That was seconded by the Wall Street Journal: "The reaction to Independent Counsel Robert Ray's plea bargain with Bill Clinton seems to be a collective sigh of relief that we can now put the Clinton era behind us." However, the Journal added, "The only problem is that [Clinton] has no such intention." Indeed, listening to the last of his 500 farewell speeches, one is left with confirmation of what we have known all along -- Clinton is going to serve as president in absentia. In his final remarks from Andrews AFB prior to departing on Air Force One for his "home state" of New York, Clinton said, "I left the White House, but I'm still here. We're not going anywhere." For the record, the Washington residence he will share with his estranged wife, Sen. HILLARY!, is only a few blocks from the White House. Clinton's former chief of staff Leon Panetta clarified his old boss's comments about being "still here": "It's not that he'll speak out on every issue that George Bush is dealing with, but I think on the big issues, whether it's foreign affairs or the economy, that are really important to Bill Clinton, he is going to let the American people know what he thinks." What a relief! Of course, Clinton's final words from Andrews were: "As for me, I'll leave the presidency...more confident than ever that America's best days lie ahead." On this point, we agree. (By the way, the Air Force informs The Federalist that upon arrival in New York, Air Force One had been stripped of many presidential appointments, including porcelain china, silverware, salt and pepper shakers, towels and linens -- all bearing the presidential seal.) And a final note about the endless farewells.... Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, brother of Gore's campaign chair, William Daley, criticized Clinton's departure fanfare, saying, "In the past, they shook hands, the [former] president went to a helicopter, and that was it. This was different. He had a rally at the airport, a rally in New York and a rally at his home. That's his style. He wanted two or three more parties. You have to respect the office. That was President Bush's day. It wasn't Clinton's day or Al Gore's day." In other oversexed adolescent cockroach news, 48 hours after announcing that he was "taking some time off to revive my spirit and reconnect with my family," Jesse Jackson returned to public life, saying, "The ground is no place for a champion. ... I'll develop a rhythm that allows me to focus on family and...the [social justice] battlefield." He is invoking the "Murphy Brown" defense. We are shocked, SHOCKED, to report that the media talking heads have not treated Jackson's indiscretion with the same "journalistic objectivity" afforded equally dubious religious provocateurs Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker. Of Jackson's "rhythm," Holman Jenkins writes, "Jesse Jackson's sin may have lacked the sheer cruddiness of Bill Clinton's. He may have owned up to it manfully. But the reverend's greatest innovation will probably turn out to have been his pioneering use of drive-by penance. Having dropped out of public life on Thursday, he began dropping back in on Saturday. ... The public knows him as a civil rights agitator, preacher and presidential candidate. But the history books may remember him as the impresario of a great bazaar, offering Corporate America racial protection in exchange for financial opportunities for the black entrepreneurs and professionals who make up his personal network." And speaking of cockroaches, Al Gore is looking for a new line of work that will not impede his Gore2004 election campaign. He has accepted an offer to teach a journalism class at Columbia University. The course is reportedly entitled, "How My Media Failed Me." Actually, the course's real name is humorous enough: "Covering National Affairs in the Information Age." Wasn't "covering national affairs" Clinton's forte? This from the guy who "invented the Internet" and went months in the heat of his presidential campaign last year without giving a single press conference. Gore should teach a second course entitled, "How to Trash the Incoming Veep's Offices." When Vice President Cheney's staff showed up to occupy their offices in the White House, they found the place vandalized by the former tenants and left in shambles. Phone lines were cut, and those that did work greeted callers with obscene voice mail messages. Desks and file cabinets were upturned in heaps in the middle of staff meeting rooms, and trash was strewn over the floors. Printers were spiked with pornography. The letter "W" was removed from most keyboards and reattached upside down with superglue. Estimated cost of damages: $250,000. But....they are gone! Quote of the week... "We are guided by a power larger than ourselves, Who created us equal in his image. ... Abandonment and abuse are not acts of God, they are failures of love. ... Church and charity, synagogue and mosque, lend our communities their humanity, and they will have an honored place in our plans and laws. ... Sometimes in life we are called to do great things. But as a saint of our times has said, every day we are called to do small things with great love." --George W. Bush in his inaugural. News from the Swamp... In the upper chamber of the people's legislature, Demo Sen. Zell Miller joined Sen. Phil Gramm as cosponsor to President Bush's 10-year, $1.6 trillion tax-cut plan. At present, Demo support is gaining momentum and the cut may even get larger.... Regarding your IRS overpayment... White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer had a few words about Mr. Bush's tax reform: "Get used to it, Washington. President Bush does not believe that all money belongs to the government, and the people get to keep what the government lets them. The government gets to keep what the people let the government receive. It's going to be a sea change, and he's proud to lead it." (Regarding your IRS overpayment, "John Stossel Goes to Washington" airs Saturday, January 27, at 10pm EST on ABC. We suggest our readers tune in for a brief review of how your money is being spent.) >From the states... Regarding our comments about the energy crisis in the People's Republic of California, readers have asked for a basic explanation of the problem. To wit: Four years ago, California "deregulated" energy by freeing prices at the wholesale level while freezing them at the retail level and providing consumers no lasting choice or competition (among what had previously been monopoly energy retailers). "Deregulation" also separated the functions of "power provider" from "power generator," which had before been joined in the regional monopoly companies regulated by the state of California -- and which had been quite profitable. "Deregulation" had further promised individual energy customers a choice among "providers" ... which never really materialized. But anyone who completed Economics 101 knows that pricing under such conditions is dictated by the "providers" buying for the retail market, who offered consumers no information or incentives they could use to lower their energy bills. Power "providers" were paying $200 per megawatt hour to generators, some of which they used to own, though they were only able to charge retail users $54 per megawatt hour under terms of the state's "deregulation" schedule. Thus, two of the state's largest utility "providers" are now drowning under $13 billion in debt. In December, the state's legislature passed a bill granting temporary rate increases of 7% to 15%. However, that increase was far short of the 30% to 40% increase necessary if those utility "providers" were to remain solvent. But Californians were never provided a true free market in energy. As we noted last week, this debacle is the result of that old oxymoron -- free-enterprise Socialism, California style. Can you say, "junk bonds"? Please address you complaints to Mr. Green Jeans, Gray Davis, and his green marauders. In its evaluation of the crisis, the Wall Street Journal concludes, "Gov. Gray Davis...didn't get it last summer when the trouble began. He didn't get it last month when the problems multiplied, and he still doesn't get it. Not only did Mr. Davis accuse out-of-state power suppliers of being 'pirates' and 'marauders,' but he has proposed making the withholding of power a criminal act and suggested committing public lands to power-plant construction 'on the condition that energy be distributed only in California'." Of "deregulation" California style, Pete du Pont notes, "The idea of price controls goes back four millennia to the Code of Hammurabi. It descended through Diocletian, Lenin, Hitler, Nixon and Carter. Price controls have always failed, and now they have failed badly again in California." The "Dumb and Dumber" Department... >From the "Murky-Middle" files, Sen. John Warner describing his position on abortion rights: "Pro-choice with limitations, pro-life with exceptions." In economic news... December marked the third month in a row the Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators has dropped. December's 0.6% decline was the most precipitous in four years. Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein says the index trend indicates additional economic decline for at least the first half of 2001. The irony is just too much to bear.... Clinton-Gore inherited an economy, which, by all reliable accounts -- and their own admission -- began expanding in the last year of George Bush the elder's administration. Now, George W. has inherited an economy, which began showing serious problems in the last year of the Clinton-Gore administration. Clinton was quick to take credit for the good economy he inherited. What is poor George to do? Around the world... Yugoslavia is denying any compliance with the International Criminal Court's demand for Slobo Milosevic's surrender. Ah, if only we could find a way to send Clinton to the ICC without thereby treating the ICC as legitimate...! Elsewhere, a law that went into effect Jan. 1 in Red China makes grammatical errors on billboards a criminal offense. Our final copy editors are of two minds about whether such a policy should be implemented here.... Culture comment... According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "The rate of new HIV infections among San Francisco's gay men has more than doubled since 1997 and is climbing steeply," in what is being characterized by epidemiologists as a "rebound epidemic." The Chronicle notes similar epidemiological trends in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and Miami. "Because antiviral drugs have extended so many lives," the Chronicle notes, "there are now more infected people who can pass the virus along to others." On the frontiers of science... Regarding the quality of government schools, Bill Nye, "Science Guy," had this to say after U.S. eighth-graders placed 17th in the TIMMS international science tests: "Maybe we shouldn't make students take science tests anymore. We'll just let the Florida Supreme Court decide their scores." *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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