Saturday, February 28, 2009

Thy Name is Willie

Look who's upset with criticism.

Letter to the Editor

“… It’s time for Prius drivers to quit constantly patting themselves on the back and maybe they should get a rag to finally wipe the smugness off their faces…”That is a somewhat insulting thing to say. Yet Andrew Mell wrote it in Feb. 2 opinion section. This raises a few concerns for me.

Who does Andrew Mell think has this smug look? Has he actually gone out into our community and our college and talked to people who try to be environmentally conscious? Or is he simply buying into the stereotype of the “snobby environmentalist” that he hears about on Glen Beck? His entire column seemed to be based on a TV show he watched called “Top Gear.” It would be nice if Andrew would write columns that weren’t entirely based on things he saw on TV. It would be nice if he actually talked to at least one environmentalist before he insulted them by telling them to “get a rag and wipe the smugness off of their faces.”

There are so many resources on campus that Andrew could be using. He could have spoken to WMU’s own SSE and asked them about environmental transportation. (most of us ride bikes, not Priuses btw)

Most of Andrew’s columns seem to respond to things he has seen on TV, and he doesn’t realize that the people who actually live in this community and read his columns are nothing like the stereotyped image he has in his mind of “those crazy environmentalists.”

Please Andrew, do some research next time. If you’re going to right a column on racism, talk to some actual black people in Kalamazoo. If you’re going to write a column on environmentalists, talk to some environmentalist. Please stop assuming you know what other people think. Is that too much to ask?
How would the letter-writer know whom the columnist talks to?

Moreover, who does he think he is? This is the guy who wrote a letter smearing the WMU College Republicans over the Faculty Hall of Shame. He never even bothered to take his own suggestion and contact this group before submitting his error-riddled diatribe.

Further, he also authored a column comparing skeptics of leftist claims about global warming to holcaust deniers.

Smugness, thy name is Willie.

POLITICAL UPDATE--Liberalism

This update focuses on liberalism. Liberals are mobilizing thanks to Barack Obama's election as President. There have been more revalations about Obama's political associations.

Phyllis Schlafly: Community Organizing Explained
Phyllis Schlafly: Feminists Expect to Cash in With Barack Obama
Michelle Malkin: Stimulus Slush Fund for Housing Entitlement Thugs
Selwyn Duke: That Thing Called Feminism
WorldNetDaily: Veteran psychiatrist calls liberals mentally ill
Steve Sailer: Blagojevich, Obama, And The Diversity–Fueled "Chicago Way"
Donald Devine: Obama Bureaucracy Payoff
Thomas Sowell: Freedom and the Left

Much information on liberal individuals and organizations can be found at David Horowitz's Discover the Network site.

NRA Alert

Mandatory Storage Bill Proposed in Michigan

Friday, February 27, 2009

Senate Bill 268, introduced by State Senator Martha Scott (D-2), would undermine a citizen’s right to self-defense by imposing onerous storage requirements on Michigan gun owners, rendering firearms useless in self-defense situations.

SB 268 requires households with children to store their guns in locked boxes with trigger locks installed. Violations would be punishable as a misdemeanor offense if a juvenile gains access to the firearm.

The bill has been assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee but has not been scheduled for a hearing.

Please contact the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and let them know this bill is not only unnecessary, it is dangerous. Contact information can be found below.

More Haenicke Articles

Articles about Diether Haenicke.

Former WMU president Haenicke's wit, charm and humor reflected in memorial ceremony
Haenicke was a success at home and at friendship
WMU honors Haenicke
Haenicke memorial service Thursday

Local News

Local news from Kalamazoo and Michigan.

WMU will get neighborhood input before expanding business park, official says
Film alleging gays silence opponents to be shown Monday at Kalamazoo church
Tweets from the twits? Peter Hoekstra may know something his fellow Twitterers may not
Dave Bing, Ken Cockrel Jr. to go 1-on-1 for Detroit mayor's job
Michigan Organizing Project will push for law to help ex-felons get jobs
Kalamazoo Regional Chamber of Commerce supports transit-tax plan
Michigan's colleges and universities push for more state funding at WMU meeting
Former state representative Jack Hoogendyk to lead Citizens' Voice for Property Owners
Kalamazoo Public Library to seek renewal of millage in May
WSA presidential candidates debate on issues
Students for Sustainable Earth aim to improve campus’ sustainability

Thursday, February 19, 2009

The Right Agenda

This series details what conservatives need to do to win in the future.

New Leadership
Republicans and conservatives need new leadership. Failure should not be rewarded.

Stop Doing What Doesn't Work
Strategies that have failed repeatedly should not be employed again.

Buy Guns
Buying guns can help to defend against both crime and gun control.

Fix the Primary System
The 2008 presidential primary system was a failure, but it can be improved.

Don't Support Obama
Bad policies should be opposed, and opposing them is key to political recovery.

Ditch Neoconservatism

Reject the Bush Legacy

How to Choose a Presidential Nominee

Pressure Over Persuasion

Remember Our Principles

POLITICAL UPDATE--The Economy

This update focuses on the economy. Congress passed a "stimulus" spending bill that will make the economy worse.

Gary North: Fractional Reserves Have Wrecked the Fascist State
Mac Johnson: The Media's Favorite 'Untouchable'
Steve Sailer: The Minority Mortgage Meltdown (contd.): How The Community Reinvestment Act Fits In
Thomas Sowell: What Are They Buying?
Ron Paul: Stimulus for Whom?
Gary North: How Bad Is the Crash?
Phyllis Schlafly: Barack's Bailout for Trial Lawyers
Walter Williams: Congress' Financial Mess
Ron Paul: Stimulating Our Way to Rock Bottom

See also:
The Recession Reader
The Bailout Reader

The Great College Hoax

This is an interesting article on college and debt. No, going to college won't automatically make you rich. True, college graduates make more, but correlation is not causation.

The Great College Hoax

Civil Liberties

This link has information on civil liberties.

Beat the Heat

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Diether Haenicke, RIP

From WMU News

Former president Diether Haenicke dead at 73
Feb. 15, 2009

KALAMAZOO--Longtime Western Michigan University President Diether H. Haenicke died today. He was 73.

Haenicke, who battled a heart condition for many years, died at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, where he was being treated for complications from a head injury that occurred when he suffered a cardiac arrest in December. Following emergency brain surgery Feb. 12, he declined quickly, according to his family

Haenicke, president emeritus and distinguished professor at WMU, served as the University's fifth president from 1985 to 1998, and also served one year as interim president in 2006-07 during the national search that brought current president Dr. John M. Dunn to Kalamazoo.

In a message today to the WMU community, Dunn called Haenicke, "one of the University's greatest treasures" and noted that he was "a giant among his contemporaries" who was "unwavering in his commitment to intellectual rigor and excellence."

"While we will miss him and his quick wit and infectious laugh, his footprint on this campus will remain forever," Dunn wrote.

During Haenicke's original 13-year presidency, WMU experienced significant growth in research, private support and enrollment. The University conducted a successful $62 million capital campaign and several major buildings were constructed, including the Student Recreation Center, University Computing Center, Lee Honors College, Gilmore Theatre Complex and Schneider Hall, home of the Haworth College of Business. Other major facilities were renovated and expanded, including Waldo Library, Read Fieldhouse and Waldo Stadium.

Among other major accomplishments during his tenure were increased recognition of WMU as a research institution and the successful application to Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious honor society, to authorize a campus chapter of that organization at WMU. The latter made the University one of fewer than 100 public institutions in the nation so honored.

Following his tenure as president, Haenicke returned to the faculty in 1998 and officially retired from WMU as president emeritus in 2004. He returned to the presidency in 2006, after being asked by WMU trustees to take the position on an interim basis while the University sought a new president.

During his second presidency, Haenicke reinvigorated the institution's reputation for student service and embraced the use of technology to stay in touch with students and hear their views. He returned to private life in 2007 at age 72 with more than 1,500 Facebook "friends."

Born and raised in Germany, Haenicke came to the United States as a Fulbright lecturer in the early 1960s. He immigrated and became a naturalized U.S. citizen 10 years later. He earned a doctorate, magna cum laude, in 1962 from the University of Munich. His major fields of study were German and comparative literature, history, psychology and philosophy.

Prior to coming to WMU, Haenicke served in academic administration as department chair, dean and provost for Wayne State University and as dean and academic vice president and provost for Ohio State University. He was the author of more than 200 publications and papers on literature, history, academic administration, international study and educational finance.

A widely respected scholar, Haenicke was honored in 2002 by colleagues around the globe who created a Festschrift in honor of his 65th birthday. A Festschrift is a rare academic honor in which professional colleagues collect and publish one or more volumes of essays or articles to celebrate the lifetime achievement of a distinguished academic colleague.

Shortly after his 1998 retirement from the WMU presidency, Haenicke began writing a popular weekly column in the Kalamazoo Gazette, which he continued into 2009. A collection of his weekly columns, "Wednesdays with Diether," was published in book form by the Gazette in 2003.

Haenicke served as board member for numerous civic, arts and charitable organizations, including Bronson Methodist Hospital, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and the Greater Kalamazoo United Way.

A lifelong advocate of study abroad programs, Haenicke's passion for the topic was celebrated in 1998 when the University gathered its international operations under one umbrella organization and named it for him. The Diether H. Haenicke Institute for Global Education is responsible for area studies courses, Universitywide internationalization of academics and faculty, and the Office of Study Abroad. It also encompasses the Office of International Affairs and Office of International and Student and Scholar Services as well as the Career English Language Center for International Students.

Haenicke is survived by his wife, Carol, of Kalamazoo; daughter and son-in-law Jennifer and Christopher Haenicke, also of Kalamazoo; son and daughter-in-law Kurt and Stephenie Haenicke of Lisle, Ill.; and four grandchildren.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Cox in Kalamazoo

State attorney general to speak at Kalamazoo College

Brought to campus by the College Republicans, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox will be speaking at Stetson Chapel at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Cox will deliver a brief lecture on Michigan law and current events in politics in an appearance that is open to the public.

After his remarks, Cox is expected to take audience questions.

Brooks Patterson on the Economy

A Stimulus Package in Washington Would Only Mask Problems In Michigan

Obama’s stimulus presumes to offer fiscal relief to states like Michigan. Patterson sees it differently.

“The state has several problems, of course, and unfortunately, Obama’s stimulus package is going to paper over the structural deficit we have in Michigan,” Patterson said. “We have a very hostile tax policy in this state. We have severe budget issues. And they’ll get (the stimulus money) and put it into operations -- as if it’s a windfall, as the governor sees it -- and she will now say the problem with the budget is being managed. It’s not being managed.”

Why does Michigan face a perpetual budget crisis? Surely the struggles of the Big Three automakers and the state’s high unemployment rate are major factors, but Patterson doesn’t let Granholm off easily.

“She cannot budget,” Patterson said. “And if you can’t budget, you’re damned.”

Haenicke on Ayers

Ayers' ties to higher education are more troubling than ties to Obama

See also: Faculty for Ayers

Thursday, February 05, 2009

NRA Alert

UPDATE: The resolution was pulled from the agenda.

From the NRA:

Michigan: Anti-Second Amendment Resolution to be Considered by Calhoun County Commissioners!

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Please Stand-Up and Make Your Voices Heard!

On Thursday, February 5 the Calhoun County Commissioners will consider a proposed resolution that would have serious effects on our Second Amendment freedoms.

Essentially, this proposal is a local version of the failed Clinton Gun Ban on assault weapons and contains broad and ambiguous language that would threaten virtually all firearms sales.

Public comments will only be accepted at the meeting. The meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 5 in the Commissioners Chambers on the third floor of the Calhoun County Building, located at 315 West Green Street in Marshall.

Please attend the meeting and voice your opposition to this dangerous anti-gun proposal. Make your voice heard and let the Commissioners know that more failed gun control in Michigan is not the answer.

Good Advice

Lawyer gives WSA tips for dealing with the police

When the officer asks what you did wrong, don’t offer a guilty confession right away. Ask the officer why they chose to pull you over.

“Cooperate with the officer and be polite, just don’t give them any reason to want to search your vehicle or suspect anything,” he said.

If a police officer asks to search your vehicle, Dufon said to never give consent. It can open up the floodgates.

“You don’t know what’s in your car. You have other people in your car and stuff gets dropped all the time. You do not want to be responsible,” Dufon said.

If an officer does find something illegal after a search, don’t answer any questions. Dufon explained that the information can and most likely will be used against you.