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Sect leaders at a polygamist compound in West Texas refused Saturday to let authorities search a temple for a teenage girl whose report of abuse led to the raid, and authorities said they were preparing "for the worst." If no agreement is reached with sect leaders, authorities will forcibly remove the sect's followers "as peaceably as possible," Allison Palmer, a prosecutor in Tom Green County, told the San Angelo Standard-Times. Medical workers are being sent "in case this were to a go in a way that no one wants," Palmer said. Law enforcers are "preparing for the worst," she said....

High Hopes, Low Expectations By Chris Shugart, Oct 11, 2005   If nothing else, hurricane Katrina reaffirmed something many of us already know. Government bureaucracies are slow inefficient entities-even on a good day. On a bad day, as we've recently seen, government can be much worse. The stories of delayed evacuation, slow rescue response, and inadequate relief are many, and unnecessary to rehash.There is one thing however, that deserves another look. What exactly should we demand from our government? And what can we realistically expect? If New Orleans is any kind of reliable gauge, expectations were much greater than what...

Anti War Nostalgiaby Chris Shugart Sep  28, 2005 Ever since the mainstream media’s canonization of Cindy Sheehan as the patron saint of anti-war activism, leftists have been in a state of rapture over the attention they’ve been getting. To hear them tell it, we’re witnessing a renaissance of left wing idealism not seen since the halcyon days of Viet Nam, Berkeley and Abbie Hoffman. If only they could see themselves as others seem them.  The rest of us saw hordes of angry malcontents, a lot of incoherent screaming, meaningless slogans, and hostile rants aimed at some mythical imperialist power elite....

The Source The Quote The Translation August Quotations Patrick Leahy, Aug. 17, 05 "[Roberts' views are] among the most radical being offered by a cadre intent on reversing decades of policies on civil rights, voting rights, women's rights, privacy and access to justice." Robert's views fly in the face of every liberal gimmick we've ever used to promote our radical left wing policies.  Cindy Sheehan, Aug. 13, 05 “I am a continued thorn in the side of right-wing bloggers and right wing-nut ‘journalists.’" I'm a one-woman freak show and an endless source for liberal kookism.  Howard Dean, Aug 8,...

Aug  26, 2005Rotting Awayby Chris ShugartThe ongoing Cindy Sheehan media marathon is but the latest chapter in the continuing tragic-comedy known to some as “The Decline and Fall of the Mainstream Media.” So obsessed have they become in discrediting the Bush administration that they don’t even try to disguise their bias any more. Media rhetoric seems to have entered a new dimension of shameless propaganda that has completely abandoned all pretense of “news reporting.” And they carry on as if no one is noticing.For three weeks (and still counting), the press has been singing in unison with the anti-war left...

The Source The Quote The Translation July Quotations MoveOn.Org, July 27, 05 “We can't afford to have a right-wing ideologue on our nation's highest court.” We can't afford to have anyone who insists on applying the constitution. James P. Hoffa, July 25, 05 "We must have more union members in order to change the political climate that is undermining workers' rights." I need more union members in order  to preserve my cushy job, and maintain our sweetheart labor deals. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich. July 19, 05 "It appears that an administration that came to office promising 'honesty and integrity'...

Random Searches: A Sucker BetBy Chris Shugart, 26 July, 05 One of the most interesting classes I ever took in school was a math class called Probability. I enjoyed playing poker in high school and I knew that successful gamblers knew how to play the odds. I thought it would be cool to be able to mathematically calculate different probability scenarios in different situations, and know how to get those numbers to work in my favor. I though about this when the subject of profiling came up again in light of the recent efforts to step up security in our...

The Source The Quote The Translation June Quotations Harry Reid, June 29, 05 “The president's numerous references to September 11 did not provide a way forward in Iraq .” The president's numerous references to September 11 did nothing to appease the terrorists. Henry Waxman, June 21, 05 "It is a disgrace that the matters relating to the treatment of detainees have not been meaningfully investigated by this House. It's frustrating that we can't get political traction out of criticizing the military. Bill Moyers, June 10, 05 “It’s very hard for a liberal to throw red meat simply because the...

Liberals: the Real Targets of TerrorismDozens of Londoners perished as a result of the most recent terrorist attacks, and that's a tragedy. The fact that these innocent British civilians are not the real targets of terrorism makes their deaths even more tragic. Al-Qaida and their ilk know very well who their targets are, and it's ultimately not civilians. The Muslim terrorists aim their carnage and destruction at those most predisposed to assist their cause: anti-war pacifists, progressives, socialists, academic apologists, and left-wing media. In a word: liberals.The name of the game is propaganda, and the terrorists understand this. They're not...

Food Fight!By Chris Shugart, May 19, 2005 Nowadays, up-to-date and happening progressives no longer rely on discussion and debate to further their cause. In today's world of liberal politics, thoughtful discourse has become inconvenient. Formulating reasonable arguments can be complex and require annoying things like research, facts, and the coherent articulation of ideas. Why waste time trying to create intelligent rebuttals when you can counter your opponent by just throwing food at them?Malcontented liberals like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have become so yesterday. Their anti-Bush griping is moldier than John Kerry's campaign victory cake. These days, even Michael Moore...

Minutemen: The Liability of Resultsby Chris Shugart, May 4, 2005 Volunteerism in America is supposed to be a good thing. But when U.S. civilian volunteers calling themselves the Minutemen started patrolling a 20-mile stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border, they managed to ruffle a few feathers in the process. Given the outstanding initial success of the Minutemen's efforts, it's easy to understand why a few people would get rubbed the wrong way. Just imagine how you'd feel if someone showed up at your place of work and started doing your job. And to add to the insult, they did it better...

Adventures in BureaucracyBy Chris Shugart, April 13, 2005Out of the 50 states in the U.S., half of them have a legislative process that allows voters to directly ratify laws through state ballot initiatives and referendums. In my state of California, voters pass a handful of assorted laws and regulations via this process every state election.Years ago I began wondering what sort of results we get out of this process. Does it actually do any good? In the three decades that I've been a California voter, I sometimes ask myself, has the state actually improved itself due to so many new...

Coloring by the NumbersThe Blue and the Red, part 2 By Chris Shugart, Mar 31, 2005 I can't recall a time when Democrats got so many things so wrong. The DNC 2004 election cycle was a series of miscalculations and faulty assessments that caught them flat-footed; like unsuspecting creatures frozen in the headlights, leaving them flattened like so much political road kill. And then their wild explanations for how and why they lost only confirmed just how clueless they were.One of their earliest explanations was also one of the most foolish. Liberal analysts jumped to the flimsy conclusion that people who...

A Toast to the Left by Chris Shugart, 17 Mar 05If you don’t happen to be on any left-wing mailing lists, you may not be up to speed on the Global Day of Protest. Coming to a blue state near you, Saturday March 19 marks the second anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq . Unhappy with our military and political success in the Middle East , the anti-American, anti-war coalition, United for Peace and Justice hopes to mark the date with worldwide protest. This radical leftist organization—chaired by Communist fossil Leslie Cagan—is trying to coordinate anti war demonstrations in major...

Calculating Democratic Nonsense by Chris Shugart, Mar 5, 2005 On Feb 17, Democratic Senators Harry Reid and Charles Schumer announced the unveiling of their Social Security calculator, a political contrivance designed to "demonstrate" the unworkability of President Bush's Social Security reform proposals. It wasn't much of a news story until Schumer issued his own press release to the media. All of a sudden the news outlets were parroting the press release as if it was hard news, treating the story as if the Democrats really had just designed an actual Social Security calculator that functioned with the precision and accuracy of...

Gonzo But Not ForgottenThe strange and terrible legacy of Hunter S. ThompsonBy Chris Shugart, Feb 28, 2005  Long before the New Media emerged into prominence, there was the New Journalism, a modernistic writing style that flourished in the Sixties. Writers like Truman Capote, Tom Wolfe, and George Plimpton were establishing a new trend that was blurring the lines between journalism and literary fiction. At the time, there was also Hunter S. Thompson, who created his own unique genre that was so far outside the margin lines that it spawned its own definition: gonzo journalism. Now that Thompson is gone, the...

Is the DNC Dead?By Chris Shugart, Feb 21, 2005 I’m not prone to making bold pronouncements, but at the moment I’m having a hard time resisting the urge. The political landscape is shifting so rapidly that if I don’t say something now, the terrain may evolve beyond recognition before I get the chance to ask, “What the heck happened?” At the risk of becoming the Friedrich Nietzche of American left-wing politics, I have to ask, is the Democratic Party dead?Really, it’s a sincere question. After watching their variously out-of-sorts reactions to the Nov. 2004 presidential election, the Dems seem more willing...

Pat Sajak's Moment of RageBy Chris Shugart, Feb 7, 05        John Kerry has done it now. Oh sure, he's cranky, aloof, and overbearingly annoying every time he opens his mouth. But this time he must have really stepped over the line. He made Pat Sajak mad.        Yes, that Pat Sajak, the affable game show host that makes Clark Kent look like an uncouth brute. What exactly does it take to ruffle up Wheel of Fortune's long standing and generally likeable master of ceremonies? Asking to buy a vowel when an obvious consonant is available? Not likely. Making a catty comment...

Primary Colors, The Blue and the Red, Part 1By Chris Shugart, Jan 28, 2005It's not going to take a psychic soothsayer to predict that one of the most overused sets of words we'll encounter in political discussions for the next few years will be variations of the "blue states" versus "red states" distinction. Analysts will assess issues by determining their impact on "red" states compared to "blue" states. Pundits will frame political topics as "blue state issues," or "red state issues." And just about anyone with a political opinion will find it hard to resist occasionally breaking down the American...

Tortured by News BiasBy Chris Shugart Jan 14, 2005I don't usually like to get too deep into the liberal media bias argument. Generally, it's a poor use of my time-a little like arguing the existence of gravity. There's not much to be gained from having to constantly assert the obvious: The old media establishment is firmly entrenched on the side of Democrats and liberals. Why belabor the point?On the other hand, I sometimes do like to get into the media bias thing for amusement purposes, if nothing else. The latest spate of reports on Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales has...