Who gets to judge?

Jonah Goldberg, of National Review Online, hit the nail on the head. He is griping in this article about people who complain that so-an-so doesn't have the right to judge because they weren't there. He explains that we don't allow someone to serve as juror who was an eyewitness to a crime.

After pointing out that Democrats were making this case when Bill Clinton ran for president the first time, he then makes this excellent observation.

My point isn't the usual hypocrisy gotcha, though that's certainly worth pointing out. It's that experience — while more often than not superior to the lack of it — isn't as powerful or important as we like to think. If service in Vietnam or in uniform were the prerequisite for correct thinking on military and foreign-policy issues, then you'd think Veterans would all agree with each other. Obviously, they don't. The media's favorite veteran, John McCain, disagrees with John Kerry about Iraq and most foreign-policy issues (depending on which day of the week Kerry is talking). John Edwards talks about how Kerry still carries shrapnel in his leg and therefore...therefore...therefore, well, something along the lines of nobody's ever allowed to criticize John Kerry. Obviously, that's idiotic on its face. If it's not, maybe we should count the side with the most shrapnel in its collective body and declare it the most qualified to lead the country. My guess is Karl Rove would be happy with that.

Bush & National Guard

If this article isn't enough to put any rumblings about Bush's National Guard service, I don't know what would do it. Included in the article is a list of times when bush was on full-time service. That period added up to 2 years of active duty. That is no weekend warrior. That Bush wanted to avoid service in war is understandable and not in the minority. Kerry, too, wanted to avoid service and applied for a deferment. But both served. Shouldn't that be enough? (The argument for a civilian and not a military president is fairly strong, but one that we'll have to address later.)

Why is Vietnam such a big deal in this election?

John Kerry has dragged us back into Vietnam. Pro-Kerry voices are telling us to stop harping on the war. The article above helps us understand why the unspoken truce is over.

Realty Bites - Why do you still need an agent to buy a home? By Douglas Gantenbein

Realty Bites - Why do you still need an agent to buy a home? By Douglas Gantenbein

As a person about to purchase a home, this article really hit home. The main thrust is "why the heck to real estate agents charge so much?" A good question, for which I can't think of a great answer.