February 25, 2006 by s.z.

Red State Want Ad Here's the text of an actual classified ad from my local paper: BABY SITTER PUPS WANTED. Looking for herding dog pups that keep kids safe. You can now make the obligatory jokes about how kids today are going to the dogs. But anyway, If you have some puppies that will baby-sit these people's children (and maybe do a little light housecleaning while keeping the kids safe and chewing on electrical cords), let me know and I'll pass along their phone number.  I thought about trying to sell them my babysitter kittens, but Zigra and Tibby didn't want the gig. 2:59:16 PM

The Reagankinder Discover Blogging It all started when 20-year-old Hans Zieger got together with the youngish Republicans of his county.   The idea that arose from all the networking and bandying and such will change the course of our civilization! About thirty people, most in their twenties and thirties, gathered at the Pierce County Republican Headquarters to discuss the blogging revolution. Not everyone there would stand out at a PCO meeting, but most of them stand out in the blogosphere. It's easier to stand out in the blogosphere than it is at a Pierce County Republican Party Officer meeting, because the blogosphere is a lot smaller. An excitement spread the room as we bandied ideas and networked, and I sensed the same thing that so many Americans now sense, that a revolution is at our disposal. A reminder: if you are going to dispose of revolutions, put them in the proper bin so they can be recycled. I left the meeting inspired. And I decided to take up blogging myself, which I have just done with Reagan's Children Blog at www.reaganchildren.com. Hopefully, Nancy won't think that this is yet another fraudulent paternity claim, and Michael won't sulk about having more new siblings whom Dad loves better than him. (Oh, and maybe it's just me, but this "Reagan Children" thing reminds me uncomfortably of The Boys From Brazil.)  It is not with complete confidence that I commence blogging. Hans, maybe your fear is trying to tell you something -- like that the blogosphere doesn't really need another group blog manned by conservative lads who make up for their lack of life experience with lots of ill-formed opinions.  But you know who needs you guys?  The U.S. military!  Trust your gut on this one. The blogosphere poses questions that I have not yet sorted out, that perhaps by my posing of them here will generate some answers. Well, we'll do our best to sort you out, young Zieger. For instance, the blogosphere seems to cheapen language. By equalizing the opportunity of everyone to post their rants and raves and daily activities and deep secrets, we hardly increase the output of quality literature. You're right.  The price of language dropped to an all-time low on the commodities market once we let the hoi-polloi use it.  How in such a culture are we to encourage an educated and literary citizenry? Is the intelligent man to add his intelligent essay to a clutter of mostly unintelligent blathers, or is he to keep himself to the more traditional media? Hans, the intelligent man (you) is to keep his intelligent essay to himself, because it's way too good for both the crappy blogosphere and  the snobby, lying, liberal traditional media. Just lock up that essay in a safe deposit box somewhere, to protect it from blather damage.  Will truth triumph in the blogosphere, or will it merely become lost in a postmodern trivia? I think the phenomena known as Instapundit has already answered your question. But one thing about blogging is inescapable — and we cannot escape our moment in history — and that is that blogging is the wave of the future. It is not a passing fad, for it holds within its break revolutions of media, education, literature, and politics. Hey, it looks like somebody bought one of those remaindered copies of Hugh Hewitt's book about blogs! Already, the mainstream media topples, new political accountabilities are established, and the free market of ideas is spread wide for the world. Hans, if you think that the mainstream media has already been toppled by blogging, then why did you ask me if you should save your essays for it? In such a scene is Reagan's Children Blog vital. It sure is!  In fact, I don't know how we existed this long without it. Reagan's Children Blog will be a central portal on the blogosphere for the conservative vanguard of the rising generation. Or rather, it will be another place where our young pundits can post the essays rejected by Renew America for being too banal and/or precious for publication.  We will wage a conversation about the future.  Young conservative writers like Ben Shapiro, Ryan Walsh, Brendan Steinhauser, Patrick Bell, and Christian Hartsock will contribute their unique perspectives on the generation to answer the question: "Where are we going?" The answers will be, "To our weekly meeting of the He-Man Woman Hater's Club for Virgins," and "To the Christian apparel store, to buy more hartsocks." We promise no answers to the ultimate questions. But ... but  ... if I can't get the answers to the ultimate questions from sophomores at Hillsdale College, how will I figure out how to live my life? We guarantee a discussion of the future that is long overdue, a future that must be oriented in a particular way if following generations are to answer the ultimate questions. We have just begun to blog. Well, Ben Shapiro hasn't actually begun yet, but I guess he felt that allowing the ReaganChildren use his name on their masthead was contribution enough.  (BTW, Doghouse Riley has a few questions of his own for Ben.  Maybe Ben could answer them at the new ReaganKids blog.  Wouldn't that be a good way to wage a conversation about the future, since Doghouse wants to know  when the hell Ben is going to show that he's learned something at Harvard? Anyway, while I am a longtime fan of Hans, Ben, and Christian, some of the other ReaganTots were new to me (or, had made no impression on me with their previous work).  So, I checked out a piece by Ryan Walsh entitled "A Call to Arms," and was pleasantly surprised by its tender, succulent wingnuttiness. Let me share it with you: For decades, our education system, media, and culture have bombarded our young generation with myths: “Global warming driven by human activity is destroying Mother Earth!” “War is never the answer!” “The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer!” “Capitalism is a flawed system!” “Tax cuts for the rich!” "Environmental standards for businesses aren't just a way to impede progress. " "Jesus wanted us to help the poor." "Killing those who say that war isn't the answer isn't the answer." "Women aren't just baby-gestating machines." And so on. Even worse, students encounter this sort of establishment liberalism whenever they read their textbooks or listen to a lecture. Young Ryan attends Hillsdale College, so he knows the kind of crap with which the liberal education system is bombarding students. The endless supply of liberal myths has pushed the blood of young conservatives to its boiling point. Another liberal myth is that you can cause blood to boil by pushing it. What’s a conservative-minded young person to do? I hope the answer doesn't involve firearms ... To paraphrase a popular 19th century manifesto, young conservatives around the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains and a world to gain! That was a pretty lame paraphrase, dude.  Here, let me help you: "Wankers of the world, unite!  You have nothing to lose but your Cheetoh stains."  And here's another one for you.  "A spectre is haunting the blogosphere -- The spectre of Ronald Reagan!  And he's pissed!" My upcoming book, A Young Conservative Manifesto, notes the rise of a new, hip, and radical political class of young conservatives and tackles the liberal myths which the education system and media have inconspicuously ingrained into our young minds. Ryan is 18 -- of course he's written a book.  Well, an upcoming book for which I can't find any publication information.  But I'm sure it blows the lid off the myth that young conservatives aren't hip and radical and stuff. We're not going to take it sitting down anymore; young conservatives are fighting back. Consider the launching of this blog the opening salvo.... Consider the liberal education system, media, and culture appropriately cowed. P.S.  All this talk about the Reagan Children made me wonder how the Limbaugh Babies were doing.  So, I visited "Dean" Chris Flickinger over at the Network of College Conservatives, and learned that his site now features ads for David Horowitz's The Professors, and is also "partners" with HumanEventsOnline in an effort to promote the book.  So, I guess the "Dean's" plan to get him some of that sweet, sweet Scaife money (instead of getting a job) is panning out. Anyway, here's part of Chris's latest HEO column, "Liberals Host Sex Fair on Campus." The University of Missouri-Kansas City held its first "sex fair," and after reading about the account in the Kansas City Star, the most exciting fact students learned was that a Trojan condom could be filled with 26 limes without tearing. Maybe the UMK students would have learned more exciting facts if they had attended the event instead of just reading about the account in the newspaper.  (They could have at least read the actual account in the paper instead of merely reading about the account.) Chris, Chris, Chris -- what you apparently meant to say is that after reading the account in the Star, the most exciting fact that YOU learned was that a condom can hold 26 limes.  (Oh, and that condoms can be used for other things besides holding citrus fruits.)  You're going to have to do better if you're aspiring to be the new, hip, young, radical David Horowitz.   [Per the article], "a woman from Planned Parenthood gave a lecture on sexual anatomy." That's right. Planned -- I'm going to get an abortion because a baby doesn't fit in my immediate plans -- Parenthood was lecturing students about sex. The bastards!  It's as if they WANT students to make informed choices about sex!   The article goes on to say that large numbers of students were attracted to tables selling sex toys and "X-rated lollipops in white or dark chocolate. White or dark chocolate…how racist! I guess Asians and Indians don't have sex." Chris, I don't think the Star article went on to make that stupid joke about Asian and Indian chocolate.  If you can't learn to use quotation marks properly, we're talking your supply away from you and giving them to Kaye Grogan. Oh, and the  N.C.C. Campus Question of the week is: Liberal professors often state their opinions as facts within the classroom. So, what opinion has your leftwing professor portrayed as fact? Please provide us with as many details as possible! If you have nothing better to do, copy your Algebra book into the form and mail it off to Dean Flickinger.  You might want to copy out some grammar books for him also -- it couldn't hurt!    12:03:29 AM