A Historic Inauguration

John Aloysius Farrell April 17, 2009

Texas Secession--Where Would It Lead? A Look at a Future Lone Star Republic

By John Aloysius Farrell, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Maybe we unionists are being hasty. Maybe we should let Texas secede.    

Think about what life in Texas would be like if its pandering governor has his way.

Peter Roff April 17, 2009

Democrats' Connecticut, Illinois Woes Could Open 2010 Senate Seats to Republicans

By Peter Roff, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

For the Republicans, who are just two senators away from being almost wholly irrelevant, there is some good news on the horizon. Things are looking up for 2010.

Bonnie Erbe April 17, 2009

Susan Boyle's Rocket-Like Rise to Harmonic Hymnal Heaven

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

For those of you who can't get enough of Susan Boyle, I highly recommend Mary Elizabeth Williams's lyrically-written piece on Susan's rocket-like rise to harmonic hymnal heaven. I don't agree with all she says—I for one am not obsessing about Boyle, I'm just thrilled at her success. But the piece is worth a quick read nonetheless:

Boyle's success doesn't change the world. Television competition remains as contrived a beast as you're likely to find. The duckling-into-swan motif will be familiar to anyone who witnessed the similar metamorphosis of the equally ordinary looking, vocally gifted Paul Potts on "Britain's Got Talent" two years ago, or any makeover show you can name. When Boyle first bursts into song and jaws promptly drop in unison, the show's hosts note with satisfaction, "You didn't expect that, did ya?" They obviously did. Simon Cowell's blissed-out expression during her performance may be the result of the cash register ca-ching ca-chings no doubt ringing in his head. And, because we are a short-attention-span universe, the "I'm so sick of Susan Boyle" comments are already racking up.

Mary Kate Cary April 17, 2009

What the Tea Party Protests, Domino's, and Facebook Have in Common

By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

This was a big week for social-networking tools such as Twitter, text messaging, E-mails, and Facebook. In fact, Facebook celebrated its 200 millionth user—keep in mind that's the equivalent of two thirds of the entire population of our country—by partnering with 16 advocacy groups to launch Facebook for Good, so that users can give "virtual gifts" to each other to benefit charity. Using that same social networking technology, thousands of Americans organized at the grassroots level to throw hundreds of Tea Party protests in all 50 states on Wednesday, April 15. Take a minute to look at the taxdayteaparty.com website to get an idea of how wildly popular the whole thing was.

Robert Schlesinger April 17, 2009

Texas Secession? Perry, One Third of Texans Are Wrong: Texas Can't Secede

By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

As if their current governor and his predecessor have not done enough damage to Texans' reputation for Constitutional acuity, nearly 1 in 3 Texas voters think that their state has the legal right to secede from the Union, according to a new Rasmussen Poll.

Umm, no.

On the bright side (such as it is), only 1 in 5 Texas voters would actually like to break off from the Union. Fully three quarters of Texas voters are content to remain part of these United States. Gee, thanks.

Mary Kate Cary April 17, 2009

Somali Pirate Threat Intensifies

By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

My sister the sailor just sent me a sad and disturbing article from Sail World magazine (I'm guessing that's probably not on your usual reading list). First, the sad comment from French Defense Minister Herve Morin that Florent Lemacon, father of a 3-year-old, who was killed when his family was taken hostage by Somali pirates, may have been killed by friendly fire from the French rescue team:

Bonnie Erbe April 17, 2009

Republicans Must Learn From Palin's Brave Admission That She Weighed An Abortion

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin displayed one minute aspect of her personality that even I could take a shine to. Speaking last night to an anti-abortion rights dinner in Indiana, Gov. Palin told the crowd about her struggle with her fifth pregnancy last year. She found out she was pregnant while on a trip out of town. Her son, Trig, was born with Down syndrome. She actually said publicly that she considered having an abortion on that trip—not an easy admission, especially before such a judgmental group:

John Aloysius Farrell April 16, 2009

McVeigh and Oklahoma City Remind Us: Calm Down Before the Crazies Come Out

By John Aloysius Farrell, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

I have in my workspace, resting on a bookcase with fragments of the Berlin Wall and some shrapnel I gathered at Verdun, an irregularly shaped chunk of red granite. It is a piece of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, which was destroyed by a creep named Timothy McVeigh in 1995.

The anniversary of the bombing, which took the lives of 168 people, is this Sunday—April 19.

Peter Roff April 16, 2009

DHS Report on Leftists Not Like Napolitano Report on Right-Wing Extremism

By Peter Roff, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

In Wednesday's blog post I took Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to task over her department's production of a report titled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment." That report, I said, amounted to "little more than a nine-page screed against phantoms" and was an overly broad attack that lumped returning veterans and people who hold certain political beliefs that are well within the mainstream of American political thought in with what the department referred to as religious and racial hate groups.

Several of the people who left comments—not to mention my Thomas Jefferson Street colleague Robert Schlesinger—pointed to the existence of a similar report released under the auspices of the Bush administration that they maintained was the functional equivalent of the Napolitano report, only with its rhetoric directed at the American left. In fact, it is remarkably different, and I'd like to show how.