Passing Fancies

A few items, from the news of the past week or so, that caught my eye.

1 -- Nancy Pelosi's advocacy of Tibetan rights continues to rankle the powers that be in Beijing. Apparently they have mistaken her for someone who has some real power. Now the People's Daily -- China's answer to the Weekly World News -- has said that "she would likely top any Chinese poll to find 'the most disgusting figure'". I don't think they're talking about her measurements. Well, maybe. But in any case, I really do feel their pain. I react the same way every time I read something she said. Or see her picture. Or think about her. As a free-lance roving ambassador for mush-headedness, she certainly ranks right up there with James Earl Carter, despite her relative inexperience.

2 -- Now that the longest continuous floating crap game in the country -- the Democrat race for the nomination -- has folded its tents and departed the Keystone State, we can go back to doing what we do best, namely guzzle beer, eat fattening food, and root for hapless sports teams, while the candidates move onto the next "absolutely essential" primary state. (And don't you love the way they're blowing millions of dollars on this campaign -- money that might otherwise be spent on Eddie Bauer products?) We can also take pride in the fact that, even though heavy industry has been fleeing Pittsburgh in droves for decades, we have still taken top honors in the "short-term fine particle pollution" sweepstakes. (Any wonder that medicine is the main growth industry in this area?) But it's also good news that -- despite John McCain's certain nominee status -- we managed to get Ron Paul, the hometown favorite, 16% of the Republican primary vote. So yeah, life here is a mixed bag. But it looks a lot better when you consider what we _don't_ have. We're way below the national average in: (1) yuppies driving Scandinavian cars; (2) "sensitivity training"; (3) vegans; (4) parts of town you don't want to be caught in after dark; (5) parts of town you don't want to be caught in in broad daylight; (6) bicyclists whose outfits cost more than their bikes; (7) snooty private schools whose name is "The [Whatever] School"; (8) joggers; (9) New York Times readers; (10) militant homeless people; (11) day labor pick-up lots; (12) "spas" for idle rich women; (13) private limousines; (14) idiots who made millions in real estate because their grandfather happened to own a failed farm just outside town; (15) suburban sprawl; (16) entertainment venues where it costs more to park than to see the show; (17) summer weather like that in Haiti; (18) strutting, stuffed-shirt CEOs and bureaucrats; (19) PC police; (20) Maoist university professors. Even our registered Democrats tend to be on the more or less normal, folksy side. As I said, there's a lot to like.

3 -- The Census Bureau reports that "Hispanics... now account for about one in four children under 5 in the United States" -- which is another way of saying that Hispanics are both willing and able to reproduce, and they are laying the groundwork for their own population explosion within the U.S. in the very near future. What I find gratifying about this is that it is totally "in the face" of all the liberals, population alarmists, "planners", and other meddlers who are arrayed along the high end of the totalitarian scale. But at least they put their -- um, whatever -- where their mouth is. (Or maybe it's the other way around?) I mean, with a few grotesque exceptions like the Kennedy "clan", liberals have been following their own advice in refusing to replenish their own numbers through reproduction (natural or otherwise) or other means. And of course they are ruthless in their criticism of groups that don't go along with their program, like traditional Catholics, Mormons, and... well, they can't mess with Hassidic Jews but let's just assume they're included. But then along come the Hispanics, who are just naturally inclined to be fruitful and multiply, _and_ who have not yet gotten themselves addicted to the blessings of government-funded abortion. And there's not a thing anyone can do about it. Once again, the truism that the destiny of a people lies in its reproductive capacity has been lost on the political powers that be. Maybe only getting outvoted and thrown out office will make any impression. Or maybe they'll just retire, go off somewhere, and slowly sink into a fantasy world the way the old New Dealers did. In any case, they won't be missed.

4 -- The inventor of LSD, Albert Hoffman, died at age 102. And he was a frequent user of the stuff in the old days -- for research purposes primarily. But hey -- what about this "age 102" thing? You don't suppose LSD is the real fountain of youth? (It certainly seemed to serve that purpose in the 1960s.) Further investigation is definitely called for. We may have to update Tim Leary's motto to "Turn on, tune in, drop out, and get _really_ old".