tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56037922011-06-08T00:03:37.017-05:00Elm and IvyWhere we major in ethics and politics (with minors in science, humor, and pop culture).RFTRnoreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1095058906190117162004-09-13T02:01:00.000-05:002004-09-13T02:01:46.190-05:00Hiatus
Elm and Ivy has been placed on indefinite hiatus. Unfortunately, we have not yet found a blog format for bipartisan debate. While we try to solve this issue, please read the blogs maintained by our former contributors:
Brian Cook
Matthew Robinson
Or, email Brian with questions.RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1077061416520034132004-02-17T18:43:00.000-05:002004-02-17T18:52:42.826-05:00A test, arising from curiosity:
If you are reading this right now, please send an email to thecookie83@yahoo.com.
I'm trying to determine whether this site can be resurrected or not.
I have also purged the membership to the blog back down to myself and Tyler, since we're pretty much the only two who were ever posting regularly. If you think this blog is a worthwhile effort and you'd like to be RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1071512749701026842003-12-15T13:25:00.000-05:002003-12-16T01:56:31.030-05:00WSJ.com - Learning and Spending: "Wyoming leads the nation in high school graduates with 90.2%, followed by Utah (90.1%), Minnesota (89.8%), Alaska (89.7%) and Nebraska (89.3%). All are well above the national average of 82.6%, which includes GED recipients. At the same time, four of those top five states spend right around the per-student national average of $7,376, according to Education RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1071289051200615532003-12-12T23:17:00.000-05:002003-12-15T00:14:51.670-05:00The Economist - After the Russian Elections Thank you all for welcoming me to Elm and Ivy. My first post is about the well publicized situation in the Russian Federation following the recent parliamentary elections. The efforts of the current President to consolidate his political power by seizing control of television news media and arresting political rivals have been clearly visible for yearsExilenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1071173487425561562003-12-11T15:11:00.000-05:002003-12-11T15:12:14.106-05:00Let's give a hearty Elm and Ivy welcome to our newest blogger, Matt who will be joining us with perspectives mostly from the Left. He will be posted as MattRob.RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1071165229110038212003-12-11T12:53:00.000-05:002003-12-11T14:58:24.093-05:00I've been following this story for some time, now, and it's pretty unbelievable. First reported by my favorite columnist and yours, Bob Novak:
On the House floor, Nick Smith was told business interests would give his son $100,000 in return for his father's vote. When he still declined, fellow Republican House members told him they would make sure Brad Smith never came to Congress. After Nick Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845883740579296531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1071164353820531812003-12-11T12:39:00.000-05:002003-12-11T15:03:49.623-05:00WSJ.com - The March of Folly: "We can't leave this subject without also mentioning the abdication of President Bush on this issue. Though opposed to the bill, he nonetheless signed it in the hope that the courts would save him from his obligation to honor and defend the Constitution."
I'll just mention this to make the point that I do not blindly follow W, as many (not on this blog) have accusedRFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1071163461810203102003-12-11T12:24:00.000-05:002003-12-11T12:25:08.186-05:00Two pieces of required reading for today:
Questions For the Contenders (washingtonpost.com) - George Will's great piece inquiring as to how the Democratic candidates think they truly offer perspective on Bush's success.
Op-Ed Columnist: Breaking and EnteringThomas Friedman makes some great points regarding Iraq's relationship with the rest of the Middle East, particularly Israel.RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1070494646772957002003-12-03T18:37:00.000-05:002003-12-03T18:38:05.373-05:00War Watch - The Ornery American (courtesy of James at diet coke for breakfast)
Have you ever read Orson Scott Card? I loved the Ender's Game series, and now I have even more reason to love him.RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1070488468588588502003-12-03T16:54:00.000-05:002003-12-03T16:55:06.873-05:00CIA Agent Valerie Plame Goes Undercover In Vanity Fair (washingtonpost.com)
Unbefrickinleivable.RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1070431776347487842003-12-03T01:09:00.000-05:002003-12-03T16:22:51.140-05:00WP: U.S. military ousts gay linguists -- If anyone can defend this to me on either moral or national security grounds, make my day.
Brian-- Much as I hate to do it again, gay-rights issues force me to set myself up as a straw-man. I'm simply not clear enough on my own beliefs to take a convicted stand. That being said, let me try and play some Devil's Advocate here:
Morally, the Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845883740579296531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1069953177727373532003-11-27T12:12:00.000-05:002003-11-29T14:31:56.403-05:00Some thoughts on gay marriage ... Dahlia Lithwick, perhaps the most talented Supreme Court correspondent writing today, has a pretty funny article on what's really destroying the "sanctity of marriage."
But on a more serious note, David Brooks of all people makes a compelling case for why conservatives should be encouraging gay marriage, not fighting it. Highlights:
Still, even in this time ofTylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845883740579296531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1069430119072765902003-11-21T10:55:00.000-05:002003-11-26T13:37:07.466-05:00WSJ.com - Tax Reform to Die For: "We do not need sophisticated economics, however, to teach us that the death tax is bad. The fundamental lesson of Adam Smith, rooted in common sense, and confirmed in the laboratories of history, is that an economic system must align with ordinary moral principles to allow society to flourish. The death tax at its most basic level does not. It falls, when it RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1069334646633643872003-11-20T08:24:00.000-05:002003-11-20T08:25:13.653-05:00From a Blair-Bush press conference today, a few great excerpts:
Bush:"These are Al Quaeda killers killing Muslims. And they've got to be stopped."
Reporter: "Mr. President, when you've talked about peace in the Middle East, you've often said that freedom is granted by the Almighty. Some people who share your beliefs don't believe that Muslims worhsip the same Almighty. I wonder about your RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1069325073724627022003-11-20T05:44:00.000-05:002003-11-20T08:36:42.513-05:00WSJ.com - Credit Where It's Due: "South Africa has taken a major step in the battle against HIV and AIDS, one that may help the world defeat the pandemic once and for all.
Yesterday's decision by the South African cabinet to approve a plan for the nationwide treatment of people living with HIV and AIDS is a milestone for a country that has one of the highest rates of HIV infection. Under the RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1069276843396912122003-11-19T16:20:00.000-05:002003-11-19T16:21:08.233-05:00FOXNews.com - Views - Candidates Confused on Gun Ban
This is a really interesting piece, showing how rhetoric can be very effective, but incredibly inaccurate, particularly in the Gun Control debate.RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1069015649109749162003-11-16T15:47:00.000-05:002003-11-16T15:47:50.796-05:00Case Closed: "OSAMA BIN LADEN and Saddam Hussein had an operational relationship from the early 1990s to 2003 that involved training in explosives and weapons of mass destruction, logistical support for terrorist attacks, al Qaeda training camps and safe haven in Iraq, and Iraqi financial support for al Qaeda--perhaps even for Mohamed Atta--according to a top secret U.S. government memorandum RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1068844017977876202003-11-14T16:06:00.000-05:002003-11-14T16:07:18.140-05:00U.S. Troops Kill Seven Suspected Iraqi Insurgents (washingtonpost.com)
I think this marks a real shift in coverage of the Iraqi war. This headline states the number of Iraqi's killed, and only in the third paragraph does it mention 2 American soldiers were killed in a seperate incident, as opposed to previously, when all we would have gotten would have been the number of dead Americans.RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1068757159610894682003-11-13T15:59:00.000-05:002003-11-14T02:07:22.983-05:00'President Bush sketched an expansive vision last night of what he expects to accomplish by a war in Iraq. Instead of focusing on eliminating weapons of mass destruction, or reducing the threat of terror to the United States, Mr. Bush talked about establishing a 'free and peaceful Iraq' that would serve as a 'dramatic and inspiring example' to the entire Arab and Muslim world, provide a RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1068746447529298472003-11-13T13:00:00.000-05:002003-11-13T13:01:06.686-05:00Dean: Opting Out . . . (washingtonpost.com)
Let's get this blog rolling again! Here's a great description of the problems with campaign finance reform.RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067648126405097152003-10-31T19:55:00.000-05:002003-10-31T19:55:24.810-05:00Saw Clinton speak at Yale this afternoon (even got to shake his hand afterwards ...) Truly an amazing man - in 40 minutes he presented his own outlook of what the next hundred years should look like. Two points that he made struck me in particular. First, his point that if you are a wealthy, democratic society, you cannot win the war on terrorism by killing all the terrorists. This seemingly Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845883740579296531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067633072914117822003-10-31T15:44:00.000-05:002003-10-31T19:45:24.410-05:00From today's Political Journal (sorry, subscriber email only): Gephardt? He's about to prove that if you spend 20 years at it, you might be able to win the Iowa caucuses.
Tyler, this touches quite nicely on what we were discussing yesterday...
Tyler-- Can't stand the man partly for that very reason. He is accurately viewed by most people who aren't Iowa union members as a partisan hack whose RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067573337996713132003-10-30T23:08:00.000-05:002003-11-20T08:35:49.153-05:00OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today: "Great Minds Think Alike
'Vietnam It Isn't'--headline, Richard Cohen column, Washington Post, Oct. 30
'It's No Vietnam'--headline, Thomas Friedman column, New York Times, Oct. 30
'Another Vietnam? No'--headline, Ralph Peters column, New York Post, Oct. 29"
Heads up, Professor Flink... Here comes reality!
Tyler-- John McCain in this week's Newsweek:
RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067464544063141772003-10-29T16:55:00.000-05:002003-10-29T16:55:43.516-05:00It's been settled. Since no one has been able to come up with a decent title, we're sticking with Elm and Ivy. This decision having been reached, the site address will no longer be http://swfb.blogspot.com. The site has been moved to elmivy.blogspot.com.RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067456670994521832003-10-29T14:44:00.000-05:002003-10-31T11:44:38.560-05:00Wow ... pay attention kids, there's an online debate on abortion rights (through blog-style swapped letters between William Saletan (Slate's chief political correspondent and the author of Bearing Right: How Conservatives Won the Abortion War) and Kate Michelman (former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America). These are two very smart people with a lot to say on this issue, so I'd pay attention Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845883740579296531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067453696525393052003-10-29T13:54:00.000-05:002003-10-30T09:55:41.170-05:00Ananova - Downing Street 'mystified' by Bill Clinton claim
How did I miss this?? There are two explanations: Clinton lies easier than he tells the truth, or, Blair forgot that this had happened to him before. Which do you think is more likely?
Tyler-- That's kinda interesting ... No idea here, of course, because the reporters never went back to Clinton to ask what he thought about Downing RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067400989943377472003-10-28T23:16:00.000-05:002003-10-29T00:32:13.773-05:00Odd, isn't it? I'm sitting here writing a paper on the timelessness of Mill's theories of Freedom of Speech and Thought, fully confident that I can defend them against any modern challenge when Fred Phelps has to come along and screw it all up for me.
Matthew Shepard entered hell Oct. 12, 1998, at age 21 in defiance of God’s solemn warning
One little sentence carved in granite and I was left Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845883740579296531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067375889695528472003-10-28T16:18:00.000-05:002003-10-28T16:18:08.996-05:00Just for fun, go to google and search for elm and ivy. Pretty cool!RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067296567804013642003-10-27T18:16:00.000-05:002003-10-27T18:16:07.260-05:00We need a title! Everyone think of one!RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067219247966462432003-10-26T20:47:00.000-05:002003-10-27T00:44:37.756-05:00Presidential Debate
John Kerry, in reference to Boykin's comments: "When Boykin talks about 'The Almighty' he gets the White House all confused: Bush thinks he's talking about Cheney, Cheney thinks he's talking about Halliburton, Ashcroft thinks he's talking about him."
HAS THE POLITICAL DEBATE IN THIS COUNTRY REALLY SUNK THIS LOW? I'm appalled that John Kerry could actually feel comfortable RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067193432291410442003-10-26T13:37:00.000-05:002003-10-26T13:37:11.596-05:00Instapundit.com: America 100, Taliban 0
Read the whole thing, this is hilarious.RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067194064042755062003-10-26T12:46:00.000-05:002003-10-27T00:42:42.726-05:00Chris -- (I don't know if this is posted in the correct format. Let me know if it's not, Cookie)
Ah, the War in Iraq. My sentiments of its existence are murky at best, but I would like to address some of the issues that have been raised thus far. First of all, I don't really buy the credibility argument, mainly for the reason that I don't see what America lost its credibilty on by going to Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067095567217119082003-10-25T10:26:00.000-05:002003-10-26T13:20:42.453-05:00National Review Online (http://www.nationalreview.com): "For some reason or another, a series of enormously important issues the future of the Middle East, the credibility of the United States as both a strong and a moral power, the war against the Islamic fundamentalists, the future of the U.N. and NATO, our own politics here at home now hinge on America's efforts at creating a democracy out RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067040102025873392003-10-24T19:01:00.000-05:002003-10-24T19:01:42.013-05:00I am granting you all "admin" privileges, so that you can make comments to one another's posts. Please do not screw with the settings in any way. Thanks.RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067036291563823792003-10-24T17:58:00.000-05:002003-10-25T10:34:25.530-05:00Reading the newspaper the other day I was struck by the connection between this article and this one. Apparently only mass murderers get the right to kill themselves ...
Brian --This is from the second article: "He has been charged under two Virginia statutes, each carrying the death penalty. One makes it a capital crime to commit more than one murder over three years."
I must say, I think thatTylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845883740579296531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067033491577072802003-10-24T17:11:00.000-05:002003-10-24T17:14:04.016-05:00Google Toolbar
If you download and install the google toolbar, this button: will provide you with the following features, as described on google's website:
"New! BlogThis!: With the press of a button you can create a weblog (blog) post pointing to the web page you're visiting. If you select text on the page, that text also appears in your blog post."RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067031480240231242003-10-24T16:38:00.000-05:002003-10-24T16:42:50.713-05:00This is the form that we should use for posting (though it can be modified if people have better ideas):
The thing you're linking to should go here:"Any excerpted quotes should go here, in italics, but there's no need for them to be excessively long."
Your comments should follow, here, with an extra line after the quote. Please refrain from expletives, as this is a family site. Also, as this RFTRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603792.post-1067010116430508872003-10-24T10:41:00.000-05:002003-10-24T10:41:56.083-05:00The Innauguration of Elm and Ivy will occur soon. Check back often!RFTRnoreply@blogger.com