Tip Your Cap to the Danes (Again)

In the spirit of Mark Steyn, who has an unerring eye for small news stories of great importance, here is a small item worth noting.

An American novel about the 6-year-old wife of Mohammed, Aisha, may end up being released in Denmark, after publishing company Random House dropped its plans to print the book.

Danish publishers association Trykkeselskabet has given its blessing to Sherry Jones' novel 'The Jewel of Medina' to be released in Denmark. Random House pulled out of its contract to publish the book after fear of reprisals from Muslims, and Jones' agent is looking for buyers.

Background on Random House’s decision not to publish is here.

When coupled with the Jyllands-Posten cartoons, I think we can make the case that the Danes have passed the Americans in supporting freedom of the press.

Called In

Yesterday I was listening to the First Team of the Nothern Radio Alliance (John Hinderocker, Chad Doughty, and Brian Ward), and I decided to call into the show. I was quite nervous, and the point I tried to make was kind of convoluted, but I think I did okay. I listened to the Podcast today and wasn't too embarrassed by what I sounded like. My call is around the 29th minute of the second hour of the August 9th show.

The guys were talking about the how the Democrats will not lift moratoriums on drilling for oil in ANWR, offshore, or recovering shale oil in Colorado. The point I made in my call was that this really exposes the fact the Democrats put a much higher value on environmental issues than they do on issues related to the working or middle class. The book What's the Matter with Kansas by Thomas Frank basically says that Republicans have fooled middle class and poor Americans with their "values" issues, and that it is the Democrats, not the Republicans, who have the best interests of these constituencies at heart. This debate about domestic oil exploration has been shown the Frank thesis to be false, because if it were true, the Democrats would allow the drilling for oil that would lower fuel costs, food costs, and improve the economy.

I have another theory that What's the Matter with Kansas is the equivalent on the left as Mark Steyn's America Alone is on the right. As a conservative, I think Steyn's argument in America Alone best describes the current international geo-politcial reality. I think that What's the Matter with Kansas explains the U.S. geo-political reality to lefties: How can Republicans win elections when most people are not rich? Because the Republicans have fooled the people, or the people are just dumb. Once they realize that they will be better off under Democrats, then the Democrats will win elections. (The book was written before the Democrats did win the House and Senate in 2006.)

But helping middle and working class Americans is demonstratably not a Democrat value. Their top three values are pro-choice, environmentalism, and bringing in European socialism. Helping middle class and working class Americans will always be a lower priority than those three--at least to the elite of the party.