Right-Wing Vitriol

RWV Is Moving to VandyRight.com! (and Merry Christmas!)

For almost a year, we’ve been pussyfooting around with moving over to WordPress, and finally, Christmas break 2008 has afforded me the opportunity to do so. So, allow me to introduce you to Vandy Right. With this post, we formally bid auf wiedersehen to Right-Wing Vitriol, the fine title we operated under for almost a year, in favor of something a little more sturdy and traditional. We are, after all, conservatives.

Anyway, in case we don’t say it enough, thanks to our readers (and donors, particularly) — Merry Christmas and have an excellent New Year. See you over at Vandy Right!

'Just Shoot Me' star makes awesome donation

From Fox News:

Actor and one-time Phoenix resident David Spade has donated $100,000 to the Phoenix Police Department. The department will use the much needed funds to buy high-powered rifles to defend the city from the growing influence of Mexican drug cartels.

Through his publicist, Spade explained that "these guys need to be able to do their jobs, and I am just happy I could help."

Spade says he got the idea for the donation after seeing a story on FOX News. Phoenix police say Spade called asking to donate to their rifle program after he saw that officers, outgunned and desperate for more firepower, wanted to buy their own semi-automatic rifles.

“Mr. Spade has stepped forward and has given a gift to our officers of increased safety," said Police Chief Jack Harris. "I am thrilled that we were able to accept that money that will hopefully bring us to 300 rifles on the street.”

Phoenix Police Sgt. Alan Hill says 50 AR-15 rifles to be purchased with the donation will be given to patrol officers.

Wherefore bark thou Romeo?

Just a cool story I saw at the Headlines at Hot Air. A lone wolf roaming the capital of Alaska at Christmastime? Sounds like a holiday special to me.

The locals call him Romeo. He's a black wolf without a pack, a wild canine who's often seen patrolling Juneau's Mendenhall Glacier, the state capital's signature recreation area.

Romeo baffles area biologists and naturalists with his refusal to find a pack or a mate, choosing instead to return each winter, clearly at ease with humans walking within a few hundred yards.

He's typically been seen during a six-month stretch starting in late November when the glacier's lakes begin to freeze.

This story is clearly the result of an AP reporter trickling down from Wasilla after the unfruitful search for stories on Palin. Good stuff.

Sad story for the season

Reported on InsideVandy.com right before a message was sent out to the student body, a Vanderbilt student has died in an automobile accident this week.

A junior in the College of Arts and Science died during the week of Dec. 22 in an automobile accident.

Richard Anthony Meredith, 21, of Pulaski, Tenn., had planned to study abroad this spring semester through the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and continue work he had begun with Ayurvedic physicians in and from Sri Lanka.

Not sure I have much to say about it with the information we have now. I hate to see this, particularly around Christmas. Thoughts and prayers go out from us here.

Madoff isn't the only one making off with your money

So, I was watching CNBC (because its one of my favorite channels, seriously) last night, and caught the full hour of "Bernie Madoff and the $50 Billion Heist."  Some thoughts:

1)  Turns out that fellow money managers alerted the SEC not once, but twice, a decade ago, about the impossibility of Mr. Madoff's "returns" - almost 12% a year using a strategy that usually tracked the S&P, albeit with less volatility.  Doesn't take too much of a genius to figure out there is something wrong with that.  The whistleblower, who was flat out ignored, said "this is either massive fraud or a huge Ponzi scam."  Thanks, SEC, for being on top of that.

2)  This man cannot have acted alone, and there have got to be more scams like this out there.  The answer, though?  Not more regulation, as many will call for, but better, more qualified regulation.  Let's have a change of culture in regulation - an SEC that is as smart as the people they are trying to regulate, and who aren't as integrated into the system over which they are watching.

3)  Charles Ponzi made this type of fraud famous, when he used money from new investors to pay off old investors.  The scheme works as long as no one wants to withdraw their money outright, and you can still maintain a steady stream of new money.  Bernie Madoff did it on such a large scale, his fraud is being called the "heist of a century."  I beg to differ.

The biggest Ponzi Scheme of the century?  That's Social Security, folks.  As Jim Cramer explains, in a Ponzi scheme, "investors get returns from the money paid in by subsequent investors."  How is this different than Social Security?  It isn't.  The people who got into this Ponzi scheme early - the current retirees and Baby Boomers - are going to be just fine.  Young people today should get ready for the bottom to drop out, though.  We've got no better chance of seeing our investments when we retire than Bernie Madoff's investors did when they wanted their money back.  The link to Cramer's outrage:

Jim Cramer sounds off on Social Insecurity

Sure, Bernie Madoff did a horrible thing to hundreds of individuals, charities, and families by abusing their trust and their life savings.  But as we angrily point the finger at the man leaving his multi-million dollar apartment for misleading so many, let's not forget that he isn't the only one ripping off America.  The SEC let this scheme happen, and the United States Congress is doing nothing to fix a Social Security program that is essentially no different in structure or outcome.

Nevertheless, Congress just voted to give themselves each a $4,700 raise.  What better way to show solidarity with a nation in recession than to make its citizens pay an extra $2.5 million for a job well done?

True Story: The 2008 GOP = The 2006 Yankees

Earlier, looking for the finest, most elegant metaphor available waiting to board my plane for a Twitter response, I decided the 2008 GOP derives from the 2006 New York Yankees. Or, well, if we're being more specific, the 2005-2007 New York Yankees. Two nights ago, while miserably studying for a final on the history of our glorious nation's economy, I had to read a paper on how the Wizard of Oz allegorically explains all the bimetallic / gold standard hoo ha, replete with direct comparisons (Dorothy's America, Marcus Hanna is the Wizard, Toto the Temperance fools, it goes on and on), so bear with me.

Lesser instincts or the right stuff?

From CNN via Drudge, Colin Powell, the Republican former Sec. of State who voted for Obama, thinks Republicans need to reform their image and aims, particularly with minorities (which I, to a point, agree with). Then he unnecessarily throws this in there:

"Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh?" Powell asked. "Is this really the kind of party that we want to be when these kinds of spokespersons seem to appeal to our lesser instincts rather than our better instincts?"

Look, plenty of Republicans and conservatives use "Rush Limbaugh" to stand in for talk radio, or social conservatives, or politically incorrect members of the party, or whomever. I get that. And I get that plenty of folks don't agree with Rush nor like listening to him. What I am sick of are the mischaracterizations of Rush as some kind of hate monger or loudmouth.

Has Powell ever listened to Rush's show? If so, then what in the world is he talking about when he talks about "appeal(ing) to our lesser instincts rather than our better instincts"?

We Twitter now. And you should, too!

So, Mike Warren and I both took a stab at this Twitter business last summer during the whole #dontgo / Guerrilla Congress / Marsha Blackburn and Her Light Bulb of Energy saga. But since the election, and actually prior to the Top Conservatives on Twitter list (which is awesome and has made friendship like a crazy, crazy competition and with my standing as one of the three most competitive people living, suddenly a lot of fun), Mike and I have been all over Twitter.

Anyway, my Hustler column tomorrow sets out to inform the Vandy public why they should Twitter (Shaq and Barack Obama are featured heavily). And, as you'll note to the right, the Torch now has a Twitter account, which you can follow here. As well, feel free to follow Mike or myself, for Mike's sensible updates and mine which are all about Kanye West, Gossip Girl, and 30 Rock (kidding...kind of?).

Clinton reminds us why "ladies" trump "feminists"

Now, my Grand Ironic Love for Her Majesty, the Manchurian Candidate, Hillary Clinton is well-established in this territory. As is my totally not-ironic, Taylor Swift listening love for Sarah "Love Lockdown" Palin. Also, we all know I hate the feminists (or, at least, The Feminists).

How much do I love Hillary Clinton's response to the frattiest photo ever taken with Obama's chief speechwriter feeling a cardboard cutout of her up? That would be this one:

Which, okay, the photo's mildly to moderately hilarious. But her response, through an adviser: "Sen. Clinton is pleased to learn of Jon's obvious interest in the State Department, and is currently reviewing his application," Clinton aide Philippe Reines told the Washington Post. Heh. Althouse thinks feminists are supposed to be angry, but is sort of like "...or not?" Obviously, I think it's awesome, but I also carry a general distaste for the feminists and enjoy a little irony.

But, combine that with conservative E.M. Zanotti and liberal Slate's Camille Paglia's take on where Sarah Palin is taking the essence of being a lady. Paglia:

"I stand on what I said (as a staunch pro-choice advocate) in my last two columns — that Palin as a pro-life wife, mother and ambitious professional represents the next big shift in feminism. Pro-life women will save feminism by expanding it, particularly into the more traditional Third World."

Zanotti:

"Sarah does everything: she embraces her femininity, she maintains her sexual attractiveness, she fits into both a traditional mold (wife and mother) and a progressive one (powerful career woman). She embraces an opposite idea from the one Madonna pushed: to be respected as a woman, one doesn’t need to wield sexuality as power. One merely needs to embrace one’s ambition, whatever that ambition may entail."

Could it be, per chance, we've fully entered into the ironic, awesome version of being a lady on stage? Feeling pretty and witty and wry? Because that's so, so much more fun. It's all about being Katharine Hepburn (or Blair Waldorf), creating your own rules, and blasting everybody who stands in your way with a smile. While being sexy. Well, unless you're Hillary Clinton, but hey, even she's come a long way.

Re: One Hundred Years of Debate on Concealed Carry

I've got to throw out my two cents on the endless debate, since I feel like I began this whole thing with my Hustler editorial.

Katherine, I don't feel like you are approaching the issue consistently, and that may be because the whole idea of and argument for concealed carry is misrepresented. The argument against concealed carry as has been characterized in the Hustler and the Torch is as follows: Guns are dangerous if in the hands of the wrong people. Concealed carry would put guns in the hands of students. Students are the wrong people to have guns, so concealed carry would be putting our campus in danger.