VDARE DEVIL
Re: Reader Mail’s Peter Brimelow on the Sierra War:

It’s nice to see that my old colleague, Peter Brimelow, has ventured into a forum other than Vdare. Love to pat him on the back for getting out and about, except that he hasn’t come bearing any facts.

Brimelow mentions the high series projection of 518 million cited by the Census Bureau. Well, he seems to have forgotten the low projection of 283 million — which would mean that the U.S. population would remain virtually unchanged. Since neither the low or high estimates are ever achieved by either businesses or governments (Brimelow should remember his Forbes training), the middle is the one that will most likely occur.

As for this argument that population growth will lead to sprawl and a lack of “amenity”: This assertion entails that development will continue unabated without some sort of government interference. Obviously Brimelow haven’t been paying attention to the ordinances passed by Atlanta and other metro areas to restrict residential development, either through subsidy programs to encourage urban infill development or by levying “environmental impact” fees on projects.

This also assumes that there won’t be any sort of market approach that will ultimately accommodate both growth and the desire for green space. I don’t know if he can prove it. After all, look at history: Over the last century, this country has grown from 76 million to 280 million, yet there are still vast stretches of open country. The average person in 1900 would have breathed in fumes from factories that weren’t equipped with scrubbers used to reduce toxic fumes; chances are they wouldn’t have had running water. Today, sensible environmental regulations have led to cleaner air; technology and markets have equipped all but the most antiquated homes with running water. I would say those factors, along with our strong population growth — which has fueled the growth of our consumer-oriented economy — we live in a more amenable period of time than in any point in history.

None of this has apparently factored into either the arguments made by lefty anti-immigrationists or those on the Right such as Brimelow. But then, I wouldn’t especially expect the Right-leaners to do so because the environment is not an issue of real concern.

Like other strange bedfellows, the alliance Brimelow and his fellow-travelers have formed with the Tanton-Lamm anti-immigrationists is based on the desire to banish all but European-born Caucasians — such as himself — from entering the country. To take it further, with the exception of Brimelow, who has shown me nothing but kindness, I would suspect that most of the Right-leaning anti-immigrationists would also want to ship native Hispanics (which are considered Caucasian) and non-Caucasians out of the country as well. Why? Because the arguments made by Right immmigrationists are based on an irrational fear that if European-born Caucasians become a minority, the nation will sink into an abyss.
— RiShawn Biddle

DRIVING MR. KERRY
Re: George Neumayr’s Kerry Gasses:

George Neumayr brings up a fantastic new area to press John Kerry on with respect to developing renewable resources. Here in Massachusetts, there’s a project called Cape Wind on the table that would place 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound and take 3/4 of Cape Cod off the electric grid with the exact cheap, clean, renewable energy that Kerry is so much in favor of. What a great opportunity for Kerry to put his money where his mouth is and talk up his support for what would be the first offshore wind farm in America. A lay-up, right? Well, not exactly.

Because of a preponderance of the same “beautiful people” that typically support the Democratic Party are also the wealthy oceanfront property owners, this is turned into a classic “nimby” issue. And considering that one of the largest property owners is also the senior senator here in Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy, you can see that this issue would be better off swept under the rug.

A deliciously classic example of Kerry talking up a storm, and when opportunity knocks doing nothing in the name of furthering his political career. I think getting Kerry in a corner on this one would be a candidate for the flip-flop hall of fame.
— William H. Stewart
Boston, Massachusetts

Wanted to let you know that last week there was a film clip on one of the news shows of John Kerry getting into a Chevy Suburban or GMC Yukon. I guess that he wants all of us to give up our big SUV’s and drive electric cars. Maybe he wants to have the whole road to himself in his Suburban.
— R.J. Cook

What Kerry and Hillary and their ilk (elitists who have the solutions to all our problems, yet won’t be obligated to experience the solution) want is for us to pay $5.00 per gallon of gas. It doesn’t affect them, they’ll still be able to fill-up their limos, or jet off to the Alaska tundra and snap photos to send back to us plebeians who no longer can afford vacations/travel. They’ll be so smug in their justifications of how they saved the wilderness for us, yet we will never be able to travel to see those sites because we can no longer afford the price of gas.

Liberal/socialist solutions are never imposed on the elite who think them up. The Russian-Chinese-North Korean-Cuban Communist elite never had to wait in lines at government clinics, or use ration cards , or be restricted in their freedom of indulgence. Kerry and Hillary want us to go to government schools, have health care at government clinics, and pension checks from government pensions, and on-and-on, yet they are immune from all this. I doubt if either one of them knows (or cares) what the price of a gallon of milk is or the price of a can of tuna…..
— Fred Edwards

Now isn’t it just great that Kerry can suggest that the rest of us “peons” can cut our gas mileage, take public transportation, buy smaller cars, all of those big ideas of what the general population should do. But not the Kerrys, he who can get on the phone and order his DRIVER to pick him up at any time of the day or night . And in a limo, but they no doubt , are the only form of transportation that someone of his importance should use.

My advice to him is to park his own SUV in the garage. I certainly wouldn’t want anyone to see it if I was spouting off like he does on the topic of saving fuel. And to end this, has he ever had to pay for one pint of gas since he’s been eating at the public trough ? Silly question .
— Fran Humm

OXYMORONIC SIN
Re: The Washington Prowler’s Kerry Most Presumptive:

Just when I thought I couldn’t have more contempt for John Kerry, out trots one of his advisers, waxing poetic about “pro-choice Catholics.” What millions and millions of people that support pro-abortion Democrats don’t want to acknowledge is that they may dip their fingers in holy water as they enter a Catholic church, genuflect before they enter a pew, listen to the priest pray the words that change bread and water into the Body and Blood of Christ, and — yes — even take the blessed host into their body — but it all means nothing, because they are no longer Catholics. Catholicism isn’t a buffet line that allows its members to pick and choose which doctrine they will follow. The Catholic Church abhors and condemns the practice of abortion, so the term “pro-choice Catholics” is a misnomer. You cannot be in favor of abortion and be a Catholic. It’s really that simple.

As Kerry continues to show sneering contempt for the Catholic Church and its doctrines, faithful Catholics will continue to pray for the re-election of George W. Bush. President Bush has done more in 3 years to uphold human rights issues close to the hearts of true Catholics than most of the elected Catholic politicians have in decades . . . and yes, Ted Kennedy – I’m looking at you.
— Judy McDonough
Nashville, Tennessee

POSITIVE THINKER
Re: Lawrence Henry’s The Thinker as an American:

I was so pleased to read the article on The American Thinker. I found it on the net a few months ago and now it is a twice daily look to see what they are saying regarding almost anything they see as interesting to themselves and to the readers. Mr. Lifson took the time to write back when I sent him a comment about Canada regarding a column on Canadians forces; it was critical, but fair, and I appreciated his comments.

However, I thought he had missed one positive point and wrote him to tell him how I felt. He is very knowledgeable about Canada, its politics, and its many problems.

Bookmark the site, you will be glad you did. It is a great learning site, always up-to-date and presents the reality of our world at this time.
— Carole

SUMMER AND STEROIDS
Re: Larry Thornberry’s America’s Game:

I hope for the sake of the country that baseball is no longer “America’s game.” Professional baseball is merely a badly-run business operated by greedy and stupid team owners and played by greedy, stupid, overpaid, drug-abusing thugs. I stopped watching “the business” after the last player’s strike and I can’t say that I even miss it. Television has turned what used to be a graceful game into an interminable series of boring commercials interrupted only by the occasional foul ball or broken bat.

The “boys of summer” are now the boys on steroids. Every major league player, no matter how mediocre, now has an agent. A player who can’t even hit his own weight now can command a million dollar-plus salary. Professional baseball as it is now played is all about excess and greed. The “sport” of baseball has even less integrity than professional wrestling. As a character builder for kids, baseball is a joke. You might just as well buy your kid a crack pipe as a catcher’s mitt.

Perhaps baseball isn’t really the problem. Perhaps baseball is just a
reflection of the society that it flourishes in. What a scary thought!
— Tillman L. Jeffrey
Manteca, California

M*A*S*H PIT
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.’s All Fall Down:

I was fascinated by R. Emmett Tyrrell’s article on the Dems’ strategy of keeping the French-looking John Kerry under wraps, while his poll numbers are in decline. I would agree that this is the safest play for the left at this time.

After all, any good leader, coach, or strategist knows that a timely retreat into good defense is sometimes the best offense. However, this brings up what seems to be a difficult but as of yet unanswered question. Just when and how do they trot this one trick phony (sorry, I meant pony) back into the public arena?

Well, today is April Fool’s Day but that seems a bit too obvious. So, as much as I hate to do this, I would like to offer the left some advice. The answer came to me as I flipped through the channels on my TV set trying to find someone interviewing Ann Coulter in a short skirt (possibly Girls Gone Wild — just kidding, Ann)! Then I heard that familiar theme song and saw the picture of the helicopter landing as the men and women of the 4077th M*A*S*H unit ran towards it in there army uniforms.

The answer hit me like a ton of bricks. John Kerry’s return to the campaign trail should come as part of a M*A*S*H reunion show. It’s perfect for his cash-strapped campaign. There is already plenty of free footage with “Big John” in his combat fatigues (weapon in hand). With the help of a few voice-overs, he could fit right into the plot of a new M*A*S*H episode. He even has a built-in shoulder injury, which would make it easy to work him into a scene in the makeshift operating room the actors frequently occupied.

And just to make it really memorable, the episode could end with J.F. Kerry making a rousing plea to the United Nations as he accepted the Purple Heart for his various combat injuries. Don’t think all this is possible? C’mon, anything is possible when you get the left together with Hollywood. Well, anything except that part about a rousing Kerry speech, that is.
— Joel Wymer
Kent, Ohio

DOWNSIZED
Why are you all treating Richard Clarke like he was a cabinet member? He was not in the loop, as Cheney said. Most of his lying is that he tells everybody what was said and discussed in high level meetings he did not participate in. Also, he was not demoted by the Bush White House but by the Clinton White House in 1998, just read the following ad verbatim transcript from the hearings:

CLARKE: “If you look at the presidential decision directive in 1998 that created this position, it is replete with what the national coordinator cannot do and what resources the national coordinator would not have. It was not a counterterrorism czar, especially when compared to people like the drug czar. It gave me…”

GORTON: “It was a staff position, not an action position in other words.”

CLARKE: “It gave me all of the responsibility and none of the authority.”

And he claims he told the FBI, CIA, the President, cabinet members, etc. what to do? Give me a break!
— Russ Hugi

HAPPILY BLIND
Re: The Washington Prowler’s After the Fall:

I don’t believe it. If this really happened, why hasn’t any of it appeared on the TV news? I don’t believe John Kerry fell first of all, secondly, there hasn’t been any photos of it nor of him pointing to a secret service man, and certainly the news would have played ANY FOUL LANGUAGE (with bleeps) if he had called anyone a SOB.

Stop trying to play the public as if we’re fools. We know that this is just another Republican attempt to show Kerry in a bad light. It ain’t happening!!!
— unsigned