I’ve been busy, so not a lot of posting lately.  Ok, no posts.  Part of this was the Primaries have caught my attention, and I don’t like any of the candidates.  Mostly though, I really have been busy.  It turns out I have a company to run.  Who knew?

However, with Newt’s recent upset in South Carolina, I began to see some hope in the race.  Ever since Fred Thompson, I have been waiting for a candidate willing to fight for conservative principles.  I was not happy about McCain, but when he selected Sarah Palin, I was ecstatic, hoping finally for a campaign of ideas.  A fight.  Unfortunately, McCain shut the Palin camp up, and eventually lost while trying to be the nice guy.

It is not that conservatives think Newt is our spokesman.  He blew that over the past several years with his lack of knowledge on Global Warming, one of the touchstones we use to determine who is really a conservative.  I could list other examples, but the point is that Newt has not been a great representative of conservative thought in the past decade.

However, he can articulate conservative thoughts, which makes him valuable to us.  And, as he has now demonstrated, he is willing to fight for those principles, making him a lot more interesting than Perry was, or Santorum, for that matter.

Now, I bring all of that up only to change the subject.  For the real geeks out there, check out this intensely technical discussion regarding Equation 8 in Global Warming discussions. 

Now, to the point:  How can I tie Newt into pure geek conservative?  I believe that Newt is willing to learn where he is wrong, and is able to change his mind.  My guess is that he is the only current candidate that could wade through a technical discussion like this and emerge from the far side with an actual opinion based on reason.  I can’t see Santorum engaging in this discussion, nor Romney.  As a result, I think they are both too subject to the opinions of their handlers.  I discount Ron Paul, as obviously I do Obama.  That leaves Newt as the only choice I see as a candidate able to make the difficult decisions we now face.  To fight the necessary fight.

So, unless or until we get Palin through a brokered convention, I am now ready to make an endorsement: Newt Gingrich.

For those of you who thought that Barney Frank was retiring just to avoid a tough re-election, there is this bit of news: SEC Charges Ex-Fannie, Freddie CEOs With Fraud. 

Just a reminder, Barney Frank not only setup the circumstances to allow this fraud, he also successfully killed the much needed oversight to prevent such abuse.

Chris Dodd slouched away in a similar manner, for much the same reasons.

One can only hope that Maxine Waters is right behind them, as she was another significant player behind the worst financial crisis this country has seen.

From Michael Gerson at the Washington Post, here is a great column on the hunt for the Higgs boson (more commonly known as the God Particle).  The search for the Higgs boson is related to fundamental physics, and Gerson explains the reason that so many physicists remain open to the idea of theism and Intelligent Design.

Not only does the universe unexpectedly correspond to mathematical theories, it is self-organizing — from biology to astrophysics — in unlikely ways. The physical constants of the universe seem finely tuned for the emergence of complexity and life. Slightly modify the strength of gravity, or the chemistry of carbon, or the ratio of the mass of protons and electrons, and biological systems become impossible. The universe-ending Big Crunch comes too soon, or carbon isn’t produced, or suns explode.

The wild improbability of a universe that allows us to be aware of it seems to demand some explanation.

The Guardian has more on the Higgs boson, that will help in understanding why this is such an important topic.

And here is another good summary from Asian Science magazine.

It is the wild improbability of so many “just right” features of the universe that leads to speculation of a designer. The alternative theories are, frankly, even harder to believe (or prove). 

One theory I particularly like is the counter-intuitive realization that intelligence is a form of reverse entropy.  Isaac Asimov wrote a great story, The Last Question, that describes this theory. 

Frankly, the portion of the scientific community that pushes political views as “science” is as dangerous as a dirty politician.  For much the same reason.  In fact, both groups appear to be motivated more by personal greed than they do political views.  Both groups belong in jail (after a thorough public shaming).

It is time to look behind that curtain.

Here’s a nice summary of the corruption from the National Association of Scholars.

H/t Instapundit

H/T Powerline

Big Government has an interesting story regarding an ongoing abuse of power directed against the Tea Party in Richmond.

Time for a short education. H/t Hot Air

Watch this.  From Nerds4Cain.

I hope NASA spent as much on the Rover as they did on this incredible video.  Introducing the NASA Curiosity Rover.

As posted previously, I still think that the explanation for Rick Perry’s campaign fade has more to do with the fact he never connected with the base than his debate performances.  Oh, the base flirted with him.  But it never evolved; there was never enthusiasm. 

Then Sarah Palin spoke about crony capitalism, and it reached a tipping point.  Suddenly, conservatives had a way to frame their general unease with Perry, and he was bound to fail. 

Enthusiastic supporters will overlook debate gaffes and other minor issues.  Unenthusiastic ones quickly change horses.

We all stumble for words on occasion.  Very few people have the enthusiastic support necessary to survive several lackluster performances followed by a gaffe like this, and Perry is not one of them.  I only hope he is careful about his endorsement as he leaves the race, likely after Iowa.

On the other hand, Newt continues to surprise many of us who had long ago written him off.

The smartest political move I have ever in this election cycle was the obviously choreographed timing by Newt’s daughter refuting the infamous charge that about divorcing his wife on her death-bed.  Coming right when it did, the conservative base was at their most open to give Newt a second look.  As a result, his numbers are rising.

On the other hand, Romney is also looking stronger, just by staying above the fray.