I’m confident that like me, many of you have spent time pondering what made a bunch of wild eyed dreamers like the founders of our country believe their sacrifice would be worthwhile. What ever made them think they could break free of the world’s mightiest colonial power and establish a new country – without eventually losing the freedoms that are uniquely ours? What confidence caused this goal to grip their souls so firmly they were willing to pledge their "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor" to attain it? To put it succinctly: they were trusting that a free populace would be willing to accept personal responsibility in their lives and thereby the direction of their country. They trusted that those who came after them would wisely choose this light load over the oppressive burden of an intrusive yet seemingly protective government .
-Orrin Wagner
We Might As Well Move Back: Was Bush right after all?
Eye on Politics & Law Lords: Blogger makes White House debut
On Monday the White House allowed Garrett Graff, editor of FishbowlDC, to attend its regular press briefing - the first recognised internet diarist given a pass. Here is an extract from his blog of the day:
We'd been warned by a regular White House correspondent over the weekend that the 'zoo' of the briefing would likely leave us knowing less and being more confused than when went in. Having sat through it now, we have to agree. Watching it on television doesn't quite do justice to the uselessness of many of the exchanges back and forth, nor the intensity of [press secretary] Scott McClellan's withering gaze, nor the frustration boiling up in the reporters' voices as they butt their heads up against a rhetoric wall.
• Blogger heads for historic day at White House [Google: Blogger breakthrough ; FishbowlDC ]
• · The NSW Assistant Planning Minister, Diane Beamer, vowed not to meet anyone or take phone calls from lobbyists for or against the controversial Orange Grove project in Liverpool after receiving a "corruption warning" from the office of the Premier, Bob Carr. Beamer can't recall events 30 times ; Google On Orange Grove
• · · Canadian MP Monte Solberg has come under fire after he posted comments to his blog mocking Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin as Paul Martin Luther King and urging him to take his “hairy knuckles back to Selma, Alabama Canadian MP under fire for blog entry ; Offending the sensibilities of the politically correct
• · · · When Dan Rather signs off tonight, ending 24 years as anchor of the "CBS Evening News," it will mark a changing of the guard in more ways than one In new era of reporting, blogs take a seat at the media table ; Canberra's attack on federalism is a blow to experimentation. Celebrate diversity, if it's all the same to you Tough Love or Tough Luck?
• · · · · NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney said he hoped the western Sydney suburb of Macquarie Fields would quieten down following the arrest of Jesse Kelly All seems quiet on south-western front: Moroney ; Police probably made mistakes in their handling of the Macquarie Fields unrest, NSW Police Minister Carl Scully said today We made mistakes in riots: Police Minister ; He is not Ned Kelly, as the Police Minister, Carl Scully, said. He is not Jesse James, either. However, Jesse Kelly could have acquired the mystique of his famous namesakes if police had let him remain on the run Triple-0 call sounds warning ; Google on Kelly
• · · · · · Taxes: who do you believe? Election promises and the $1 billion tsunami relief package may prevent any far-ranging tax cuts in this year's Budget, says Treasurer Peter Costello, despite estimates he'll be sitting on a $10 billion surplus. We're a light taxing nation, claims Costello ; Australia's taxpayers were not getting value for money, the Australian Democrats said today after an OECD report revealed the government had bucked the global trend by increasing the tax burden markedly in recent years Our taxes go up while others go down: report ; OECD Table (PDF - version