Suggested Christmas Gifts

Today kiddies your humble WordBearer will offer up a few gift suggestions for the up coming Christmas season. Most of them will be books because I believe that the best gift anyone can ever give is a book. I get positively excited when I get something new to read.

1. Heaven on Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism - Joshua Muravchik provides a wonderfully researched and highly engaging history of the meteoric rise, and catastrophic collapse of the religion of Socialism. Muravchik is a former Chairmen of the Young Socialist League who saw the light and renounced his former faith.

The book is a little dry in the initial chapters, but once one gets to his chapters on Lenin and Mao, the book comes into its own.

I found the chapter on the Jewish Kibbutz system interesting in that I had little experience with the institution. It also provided useful fodder for frequent arguments I engage in with all the unreformed Marxists that pervade my campus. The Kibbutz proves that even when pulled off peacefully, Socialism does not work.

2. A Christmas Story - Probably the best Christmas movie I have ever watched. A heart of stone is required for one not to love this movie.

The story centers on the life of a young boy named Ralphie living in the late 40's. His heart's one desire is a Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas. His quest for this "gift of gifts" is great. The movie is populated with characters everyone can relate to and is the perfect film to watch with the family.

3. The Republic - Plato's best known dialogue has given me many sleepless nights with its plethora of riddles and problems. It is the best place to start if one seeks to get in touch with Western philosophical traditions. Bloom's translation is the one I was trained on, and I find it superior to the others I have since encountered.

4. Bias - Bernard Goldberg seminal look at the bias in the American media.

His take is fresh and it makes you pity the poor dolts in the MSM who don't seem to even realize they are biased. I love this book.

5. Death in the Long Grass - Peter Capstick's great collection of tales from his experiences as a professional hunter in Africa. The book is broken down into chapters centered around stories about specific animals such as lions, elephants, and leopards.

Capstick's prose is breathtaking and makes the reader feel the heat of the African sun, the cold steel of a loaded barrel, and the pounding fear that a maneater is right around the next tree.

I find that kids really love these stories. They are a far better representation of the behavior of African wildlife than they get in their P.C. documentaries.

Capstick will have you looking over your shoulder at times to ensure that a lion is not about to pounce on you. You will never feel the same in the zoo after this book.

6. The Rebirth of Classical Political Rationalism - Leo Strauss' great series of essays that tackle a variety of subjects pertaining to political philosophy. I particularly like the one entitled "The Problem of Socrates". Great gift for anyone who loves philosophy.

7. Cromwell - Ok I must admit that I have a soft-spot for Oliver Cromwell. I simply find him to be one of histories most fascinating and misunderstood figures. Richard Harris's portrayal of him in this film is at times a little to rosey, but I find the finally scene to be a perfect lesson on how the anarchy caused by a corrupt legislator can lead to despotism. Gives me shivers with every viewing.

8. Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power - I have read this book about eight times and still can't get enough of it. Hanson has a writing style that keeps the reader thristing for more.

A solution for the Middle East that I like

I think that this would be a better way to appeal to the regions youth than Britney Spears. In fact I think that every American politician, when abroad, should be forced to apologize to the world for not smothering Spears, Paris Hilton, and Kelly Osbourne in their cribs. We would be much better off than we are now.

We used to just call these people "Homeless"

This story speaks for itself.

Movie Reviews.

Figured I would offer up my assessments of some of the movies I have seen during the Thanksgiving holiday.


1. Jarhead: Two exasperated thumbs down.

I thought this movie would have it all. The trailer was almost perfectly crafted, the cast was stellar, and the subject was topical. But it was all for naught. Probably one of the most boring movies I have ever seen. If you wanted an anti-war film you left disappointed, if you wanted a pro-war film you left disappointed. I understand a nuanced approach, but I just felt like the film said nothing important.

Jake Gyllenhaal's performance was wooden and possessed none of the sparkle he showed in October Sky. Jamie Fox was a shining light in the movie and reminded everyone how much he deserved that Oscar.

The tag line of "Welcome to the Suck" seemed all too appropriate for Jarhead.

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Two even more emphatic thumbs down.

As a massive Harry Potter fan, I had such high hopes for this film. After being extremely disappointed by The Prisoner of Azkaban, I anticipated that the new directing style of Mike Newell would take the film back in the direction of the first two. Alas he seemed to just rewarm the Prisoner of Azkaban.

The acting seemed unnecessarily over the top at times and Michael Gambon became less convincing as Dumbledore with each passing scene.

3. Just Friends: Two thumbs up.

This is not your typical gross out holiday movie, and that is a pleasant surprise. The jokes are well timed and the fight scenes between Chris (Ryan Reynolds) and Mike (Christopher Marquette) are so well done that they must have been impromptu.

Reynolds plays the ugly (and fat) duckling with an unrequited love for his best friend Jamie, who is the most popular girl in school. After an embarrassing post-Graduation party, Chris flees his small New Jersey town for LA where he becomes a powerful, cold-hearted, womanizing record executive. Trapped in his small town after a flight mishap, he seeks to get the girl he has obsessed over for the last ten years. What follows is a hodgepodge of misadventures that ends with the typical Hollywood ending.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone over 13 this holiday season.

Well that is it. See you all soon.

Walter Williams on Europe's economy

Walter Williams' latest column on the economies of Europe is hot off the metaphorical presses.

His abuse of the hysterical woman-masquerading as a man Paul Krugman just makes my day. I'm glad that you now have to pay for the editorial page of The New York Pravda. Now we can guarantee that some unsuspecting innocent is not poisoned by his lack of insight.

Just a Holiday Reminder

While you are sitting down with your family to gorge on the traditional turkey, just realize how many we are sending to the Middle East for our men, whose family's will have to suffer an empty spot at the table.

Hold hands with your loved ones and pray for them, and that a brighter world comes from their sacrifices.

Happy Thanksgiving

Something that really gets my goat

In a figurative sense. I don't own a goat...anymore.

Anyway, stories like this leave me perplexed. He caps her, withholds medical attention for six days, then to cap it all off she still wants to marry him. This just boggles my mind. Obviously, the man is callous, murderous, and a lousy shot to boot, but she still thinks he is quite a catch.

You want to know why this really upsets me. Idiots like this can get women, while nice, decent guys such as yours truly are left to shiver alone in the long winter nights. Its like all those women one sees on Cops who are being beaten by their husbands/boyfriends/lovers, but still go back to their abusers. Just goes to show that humans do not always act rationally.

I'm a decent looking guy (stop laughing) and recently I have struck out more times than the Astros in Game Four of the Series. Inexplicable.

Oh well I will leave you tonight to go shiver alone once more.

Update: Dims still have no convictions

Well at least none they will use as a basis for voting. Earlier I commented on the resolution calling for a withdrawl from Iraq, and noted how the Demokrats refused to vote their convictions.

Apparantly I am on the same page as Paul Mirengoff from the Weekly Standard. His excellent article can be found here.

The only conclusions one can draw from their actions are:

1. They have no convictions, and operate totally out of political self interest.
Or
2. Their real beliefs are so out of the mainstream that they are not willing to back them up with a recorded vote.

How dare you use weapons to kill murderers

The UK Independent is in hysterics over the British use of cluster bombs in Iraq.

The tone of the story is what upsets me. It seems to treat the problem of unexploded ordinance as something that has only come about after the evil invasion of Iraq.

Of course anyone who does even a cursory investigation would realize this problem is nothing new. Unexploded ordinance from World War 2 still litters Europe. I guess we have to be held accountable for using dangerous weapons to destroy Fascism in Europe.

The real motive behind this story is that the Independent is upset we are in Iraq at all. There is not a single mention of all the ordinance Saddam's government left laying around the country. I am sure that more Iraqi civilians have died from Saddam's arsenal than from the British. How about even a mention that those weapons ended the reign of terror of a regime that was filling mass graves faster than they could be dug.?

Of course to report that would endanger their precious objectivity.

Quick Blogging today

I have been working on a paper this weekend so my blogging has had to suffer, but I just wanted to give a little attention to my favorite running feature in any newspaper in the country.

The Washington Times Nobles & Knaves section is updated every week and is one of the most interesting reads one can get out of any paper.

This week's highlighted the continuing idiocy that pervades our college campuses. I am on the front line of that fight and I can assure you, it is even worse than you hear.

Of course I don't always agree with the Times choice of Knaves. I personally think that Ted "Look at me swim" Kennedy and Michael "I think I'll have some" Moore should be standing Knaves.

These guys should also be tapped in order to help solve the American energy crunch. I defy anyone to point out two men who produce more hot air.

Put your vote where your mouth is.

That was what the Republicans told the Dims today. This was the perfect opportunity for the libs to take back their votes on Iraq. Of course they did not because they lack the courage of their convictions. They want to be on the record supporting the war, but still be able to huff and puff about "Bush's lies" in front of moveon.org rallies.

If Bush really lied they should not be ashamed to rescind their votes. There is nothing shameful about retracting an action made on false premises. But in their hearts they know that Bush didn't lie, and that he had the same info that they had.

The Dims called it a stunt, but what about their demands that the Senate operate in a closed session? What about all the threatened filibusters of judges? These were stunts designed to fire up the moonbats and Sheehanaholics.

If you will excuse me I need to go spend some time in the "Angry Dome."

Reagan's Legacy

I have always had an inordinate admiration for Reagan, and darn it, I am just sick of his record being maligned.

I was watching one of those annoyingly long winded libs give a speech at some hippie/commie meeting on CSPAM the other day and was startled by the hatred the Left still has for the Gipper. Basically the Commissar stood on a stage surrounded by the same old Marxists who were dropping LSD and burning draft cards 30 years ago spouting the same old lies about Reagan while the moonbats tittered with glee.

If I wanted to listen to uninformed illogical Commies spout mindless drival to a braindead audience, I would attend class more often.

For my money I prefer the real Reagan record to hyperbole.

Would you like fries with that lie?

Christopher Hitchens hits the Left here on their criticism of the war in Iraq. Everyone knows that if we had not invaded Iraq the DemoKrats would be screaming that we were not doing enough to promote democracy in the world. Of course the Dims have never really supported democracy, as their failure to support Reagan against the USSR in the 80's illustrates. Still you would think that these paragons of virtue would at least be happy that Iraqis can vote.

The gift every Socialist should have

Has this ever happened to you? You just can't decide what to get your favorite progressive cannabis loving relatives for KwanzMas. The shame that one feels when that day comes and everyone is passing around the KwanzMas Toad, taking turns licking it, and lo and behold...there is no present from you to Uncle Sunshine or Aunt Steve. Everyone looks at you through their dilated pupils and they know...you never visited the moveon.org gift shop.

But what should one get for those lovers of equality, tolerance (except for all those damn Christians), peace (except for all those damn Jews), and non-violence? They already have the "Bush Lied, Kittens Died" and "Cindy Sheehan for God" bumperstickers. Their collection of hemp Che t-shirts is fully up-to-date. They have plenty of foodstamps.

Well no need to fret this year. The People's Cube solves all your problems. Finally a completely egalitarian game that makes sure no one feels left out and removes all those subversive capitalist notions of fun. Buy yours today and help the Revolution.

Day one...

Well I finally jumped into the frightening world of the blog. Figured I should get in on the action. Everyone else seems to have a blog and if my time in the gulag that is the American public school system taught me anything, it is that one should always follow the crowd. Plus I know bloggers are despised by the MSM because well...we can tell the truth about them.

Warning: I will be posting frequent rants about politics, the idiocy of DemoKrats, the spinelessness of Republicans, and the perfidy of the Bible-burning, dissent squashing, murdering thug-loving Commies that call themselves educators.

Therefore, Cry Ho and let slip the dog of blogs.

Viva la Blogger revolution.