No, this place is not dead. Well, almost. It's on life-support. I plan to be back soon.
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
Screw the Plame affair. This is good news. Afghanistan is set to unveil their new constitution. They do declare themselves an Islamic country, but do not impose Sharia. Sounds promising and my prayers and hopes go out to them.
The commission sent 460,000 questionnaires out to the public this year and held meetings in villages across the country seeking public input.
"So many people replied, including women who said they wanted more rights and good education," Lewal said. "The illiterate sent cassette tapes and we got tens of thousands of letters."
The commission sent 460,000 questionnaires out to the public this year and held meetings in villages across the country seeking public input.
"So many people replied, including women who said they wanted more rights and good education," Lewal said. "The illiterate sent cassette tapes and we got tens of thousands of letters."
I've been for the most part ignoring this whole Plame, Wilson rigamarole. For one thing it looks like a tempest in a teapot. For another it appears to be pretty much whole cloth. And lastly it's so confusing that thinking about it makes me want to grab 2 excedrin and a bottle of vodka. Andrew Sullivan has the goods and some links. As does Instapundit, NRO, and everybody else. Gah.
Monday, September 29, 2003
Again the Steyn-man (or should it be Steyner, or Steynerino?) makes the point. He starts off blasting the Canadian government for not even being a competent drug dealer, and follows it up with a vicious smack at the NGO's that like to piddle around with the downtrodden so they can feel better about themselves when they're at the local expat bar.
Which brings us, as most things do, to Iraq. In the last few weeks, almost all the big NGOs -- nongovernmental organizations -- have pulled out of the country, either partially or totally: Oxfam, the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders ... Is it dangerous? Maybe. When I was in Iraq earlier this year, I detected a good deal of resentment at the NGO big shots swanking around like colonial grandees in their gleaming Cherokees and Suburbans. But Iraq's a good deal less dangerous than, say, Liberia, where drugged-up gangs roam the streets killing at random, and the humanitarian lobby -- Big Consciences -- is happy to stay on.
What's different is the political agenda. The humanitarian touring circuit is now the oldest established permanent floating crap game. Regions such as West Africa, where there's no pretense anything will ever get better, or the Balkans, which are maintained by the U.N. as the global equivalent of a slum housing project, suit the aid agencies perfectly: There's never not a need for them. But in Iraq they've decided they're not interested in staying to see the electric grid back up to capacity and the water system improved if it's an American administration at the helm. The Big Consciences have made a political decision: that it's not in their interest for the Bush crowd to succeed, and that calculation outweighs any concern they might have for the Iraqi people.
Heigh-ho. For six months, their Chicken Little predictions of humanitarian catastrophe in Iraq have failed to emerge. If the country gets by perfectly fine without them, that may be a very useful lesson.
Meanwhile, who's staying on? The private sector: Bechtel and Halliburton and all the other supposed Bush cronies invited to help rebuild postwar Iraq. According to the conspirazoids, Dick Cheney planned 9/11 so that he'd have an excuse to topple Saddam Hussein and his old company Halliburton could make a killing. Fine. Let's take that as read. The fact is, right now, Oxfam and the other do-gooders have fled, and the only folks standing shoulder to shoulder with the Iraqi people are the wicked capitalists.
Which brings us, as most things do, to Iraq. In the last few weeks, almost all the big NGOs -- nongovernmental organizations -- have pulled out of the country, either partially or totally: Oxfam, the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders ... Is it dangerous? Maybe. When I was in Iraq earlier this year, I detected a good deal of resentment at the NGO big shots swanking around like colonial grandees in their gleaming Cherokees and Suburbans. But Iraq's a good deal less dangerous than, say, Liberia, where drugged-up gangs roam the streets killing at random, and the humanitarian lobby -- Big Consciences -- is happy to stay on.
What's different is the political agenda. The humanitarian touring circuit is now the oldest established permanent floating crap game. Regions such as West Africa, where there's no pretense anything will ever get better, or the Balkans, which are maintained by the U.N. as the global equivalent of a slum housing project, suit the aid agencies perfectly: There's never not a need for them. But in Iraq they've decided they're not interested in staying to see the electric grid back up to capacity and the water system improved if it's an American administration at the helm. The Big Consciences have made a political decision: that it's not in their interest for the Bush crowd to succeed, and that calculation outweighs any concern they might have for the Iraqi people.
Heigh-ho. For six months, their Chicken Little predictions of humanitarian catastrophe in Iraq have failed to emerge. If the country gets by perfectly fine without them, that may be a very useful lesson.
Meanwhile, who's staying on? The private sector: Bechtel and Halliburton and all the other supposed Bush cronies invited to help rebuild postwar Iraq. According to the conspirazoids, Dick Cheney planned 9/11 so that he'd have an excuse to topple Saddam Hussein and his old company Halliburton could make a killing. Fine. Let's take that as read. The fact is, right now, Oxfam and the other do-gooders have fled, and the only folks standing shoulder to shoulder with the Iraqi people are the wicked capitalists.
Don Rumsfeld makes the case in OpinionJournal.
• Today, in Iraq, virtually all major hospitals and universities have been re-opened, and hundreds of secondary schools--until a few months ago used as weapons caches--have been rebuilt and were ready for the start of the fall semester.
• 56,000 Iraqis have been armed and trained in just a few months, and are contributing to the security and defense of their country. Today, a new Iraqi Army is being trained and more than 40,000 Iraqi police are conducting joint patrols with Coalition forces. By contrast, it took 14 months to establish a police force in post-war Germany--and 10 years to begin training a new German Army.
• As security improves, so does commerce: 5,000 small businesses have opened since liberation on May 1. An independent Iraqi Central Bank was established and a new currency announced in just two months--accomplishments that took three years in postwar Germany.
• The Iraqi Governing Council has been formed and has appointed a cabinet of ministers--something that took 14 months in Germany.
• In major cities and most towns and villages, municipal councils have been formed and are making decisions about local matters--something that took eight months in Germany.
• The Coalition has completed 6,000 civil affairs projects--with many more under way.
He also takes on the idea that we need more troops on the ground.
In Baghdad, a reporter asked why we don't just "flood the zone"--double or treble the number of American troops in the country? We could do that, but it would be a mistake.
First, as Gens. Abizaid and Sanchez have stated, they do not believe they need more American troops--if they did, they would ask and they would get them. The division commanders in Iraq have said that, far from needing more forces, additional troops could complicate their mission--because it would require more force protection, more combat support, and create pressure to adopt a defensive posture (guarding buildings, power lines, etc.), when their intention is to remain on the offense against the terrorists and Baath party remnants.
That is why, at the end of May, Gen. Jim Mattis, the Marine division commander in the south central area, decided to send home 15,000 of his 23,000 troops. As he recently explained: "If at any point I had needed more troops, I could have asked for them. But I have not needed them. The enemy over there, once we get the intelligence on them, \[is\] remarkably easy to destroy. My way of thinking: If we needed more people on our side, enlist more Iraqis."
Pretty good stuff, and I like it when senior officials take the trouble to make their case directly to us.
• Today, in Iraq, virtually all major hospitals and universities have been re-opened, and hundreds of secondary schools--until a few months ago used as weapons caches--have been rebuilt and were ready for the start of the fall semester.
• 56,000 Iraqis have been armed and trained in just a few months, and are contributing to the security and defense of their country. Today, a new Iraqi Army is being trained and more than 40,000 Iraqi police are conducting joint patrols with Coalition forces. By contrast, it took 14 months to establish a police force in post-war Germany--and 10 years to begin training a new German Army.
• As security improves, so does commerce: 5,000 small businesses have opened since liberation on May 1. An independent Iraqi Central Bank was established and a new currency announced in just two months--accomplishments that took three years in postwar Germany.
• The Iraqi Governing Council has been formed and has appointed a cabinet of ministers--something that took 14 months in Germany.
• In major cities and most towns and villages, municipal councils have been formed and are making decisions about local matters--something that took eight months in Germany.
• The Coalition has completed 6,000 civil affairs projects--with many more under way.
He also takes on the idea that we need more troops on the ground.
In Baghdad, a reporter asked why we don't just "flood the zone"--double or treble the number of American troops in the country? We could do that, but it would be a mistake.
First, as Gens. Abizaid and Sanchez have stated, they do not believe they need more American troops--if they did, they would ask and they would get them. The division commanders in Iraq have said that, far from needing more forces, additional troops could complicate their mission--because it would require more force protection, more combat support, and create pressure to adopt a defensive posture (guarding buildings, power lines, etc.), when their intention is to remain on the offense against the terrorists and Baath party remnants.
That is why, at the end of May, Gen. Jim Mattis, the Marine division commander in the south central area, decided to send home 15,000 of his 23,000 troops. As he recently explained: "If at any point I had needed more troops, I could have asked for them. But I have not needed them. The enemy over there, once we get the intelligence on them, \[is\] remarkably easy to destroy. My way of thinking: If we needed more people on our side, enlist more Iraqis."
Pretty good stuff, and I like it when senior officials take the trouble to make their case directly to us.
If you're reading this, send me an e-mail. It'd be cool to see if anybody has noticed me. salamandyr@hotmail.com
Engineering News-Record, and engineering and construction periodical has a full rundown of the construction going on in Iraq. Check it out.
David Frum didn't come to praise Edward Said either.
I've haven't written about Edward Said, who recently died. The reason is I have nothing to say that's good so I figured the better tactic was to stay quiet. Mark Steyn feels differently.
Friday, September 26, 2003
If this is true, as the ACLU contends, then the Bush Administration deserves every bit of scorn and ridicule, and possibly worse they'll get for this. Courtesy of Eugene Volokh.
A defense of "The Passion."
DRUDGE has info on Clark's kind words for the Presidential team back in 2001. It's not as big a deal as people are making it out; 2 years and a lot of water goes under the bridge; a lot of opinions change. But it does lead us to ask, what (besides political calculation) caused Retired General Clark to go from staunch support of a conservative President to being an opponent in the race for the 04 election?
During extended remarks delivered at the Pulaski County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 11, 2001, General Clark declared: "And I'm very glad we've got the great team in office, men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice... people I know very well - our president George W. Bush. We need them there."
During extended remarks delivered at the Pulaski County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 11, 2001, General Clark declared: "And I'm very glad we've got the great team in office, men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice... people I know very well - our president George W. Bush. We need them there."
This reminds; life is so much less complicated for an honest man.
20 Questions the Media Will Not Ask Concerning Iraq
1. Where is all the money from the UN’s Oil for Food Program?
2. How many people have now lived at least six months longer than they would have under Saddam?
3. How many civilians were really killed in the major combat portion of the war?
4. How many civilians have been killed since the end of major combat?
5. How unreliable is the Iraqi electric distribution system in comparison to, say, the Washington, D.C., area system?
6. How many people (estimates allowed) are crossing into Iraq from its neighbors each month?
7. How many people entering Iraq are Iraqis returning after escaping Saddam in the past?
8. How many Iraqis are suffering for lack of health care, lack of food, lack of potable water, etc.? (Not individual hard luck cases - good figures.)
9. How many Iraqis are directly involved in the “guerilla war” campaign against coalition forces?
10. How many non-Iraqis are directly involved in the “guerilla war” campaign against coalition forces?
11. What precisely has Bremer’s administration been spending billions of dollars on? (Show us the buildings, bridges, factories, power plants, oil fields, etc., assuming they exist.)
12. What was the average Iraqi’s income prior to the war, and what is it now?
13. What did Saddam do with his weapons of mass destruction and the component programs? (Don’t ask what “people” think; go find out!)
14. How many American and British service men and women in Iraq believe the cause of Iraqi democracy is hopeless?
15. Was the “looting” of the National Museum and Library an inside job?
16. How would international troops change the minds of the “guerilla” fighters?
17. How would additional American troops be useful in the 15 or so attacks and firefights now experienced by the 150,000 troops (10,000 per attack) in Iraq?
18. Is Saddam Hussein actually dead, and the tapes and such are all a hoax?
19. What is an average day in Iraq like for an America soldier? (Remember, the ratio of attacks to soldiers is 1:10,000, so a bloody firefight is clearly NOT average.)
20. What would Iraq be like if the coalition pulled out early and left things to the U.N. and Iraqi players? (Explore this with examples and a wide range of experts, please.)
These aren't questions I came up with; these came from the blog I linked to above, but I want to save them. There is some serious journalism that needs to be done regarding Iraq, but we're not seeing it. It all boils down to a he-said, she-said, with no real information being given. Hell, we're still arguing over whether we should have gone to war in the first place. This is not serious debate, nor is it serious journalism.
1. Where is all the money from the UN’s Oil for Food Program?
2. How many people have now lived at least six months longer than they would have under Saddam?
3. How many civilians were really killed in the major combat portion of the war?
4. How many civilians have been killed since the end of major combat?
5. How unreliable is the Iraqi electric distribution system in comparison to, say, the Washington, D.C., area system?
6. How many people (estimates allowed) are crossing into Iraq from its neighbors each month?
7. How many people entering Iraq are Iraqis returning after escaping Saddam in the past?
8. How many Iraqis are suffering for lack of health care, lack of food, lack of potable water, etc.? (Not individual hard luck cases - good figures.)
9. How many Iraqis are directly involved in the “guerilla war” campaign against coalition forces?
10. How many non-Iraqis are directly involved in the “guerilla war” campaign against coalition forces?
11. What precisely has Bremer’s administration been spending billions of dollars on? (Show us the buildings, bridges, factories, power plants, oil fields, etc., assuming they exist.)
12. What was the average Iraqi’s income prior to the war, and what is it now?
13. What did Saddam do with his weapons of mass destruction and the component programs? (Don’t ask what “people” think; go find out!)
14. How many American and British service men and women in Iraq believe the cause of Iraqi democracy is hopeless?
15. Was the “looting” of the National Museum and Library an inside job?
16. How would international troops change the minds of the “guerilla” fighters?
17. How would additional American troops be useful in the 15 or so attacks and firefights now experienced by the 150,000 troops (10,000 per attack) in Iraq?
18. Is Saddam Hussein actually dead, and the tapes and such are all a hoax?
19. What is an average day in Iraq like for an America soldier? (Remember, the ratio of attacks to soldiers is 1:10,000, so a bloody firefight is clearly NOT average.)
20. What would Iraq be like if the coalition pulled out early and left things to the U.N. and Iraqi players? (Explore this with examples and a wide range of experts, please.)
These aren't questions I came up with; these came from the blog I linked to above, but I want to save them. There is some serious journalism that needs to be done regarding Iraq, but we're not seeing it. It all boils down to a he-said, she-said, with no real information being given. Hell, we're still arguing over whether we should have gone to war in the first place. This is not serious debate, nor is it serious journalism.
Here's another story about what's really going on in Iraq, from a 1st Lt. with the Marine Corp. I never get tired of reading this stuff.
Doctor Who returns!
There are a few people that, like in the old commercial, when they talk you should listen. Paul Johnson is one of them.
Thursday, September 25, 2003
I did my first modification of HTML today. I added some linkies to my page to a couple of the better blogs I know of. Half the people I know can write up this page from scratch using nothing but Notepad and a crayon, and I'm just learning to make tiny modifications to an existing page. Yep, I'm pathetic; sue me.
(Oh, crap. Somebody probably will...)
I'm not sure Clark is McClellan, but I do like the comparison the J-man* made on the Daily Show just now. He called him Johnny Bravo, the rock star character that Greg Brady was recruited for because he fit the suit. Clark isn't anything the Democrats really want, but he looks real purty with all them medals. And he's beholden to the Clinton's, which makes him less of a threat to the established order than Dean, the one man running who could finally turn the Democratic National Committee into something more than La Cosa Nostra for the Clintons.
(*-Jonah Goldberg-editor at large, or large editor, of National Review Online)
(Oh, crap. Somebody probably will...)
I'm not sure Clark is McClellan, but I do like the comparison the J-man* made on the Daily Show just now. He called him Johnny Bravo, the rock star character that Greg Brady was recruited for because he fit the suit. Clark isn't anything the Democrats really want, but he looks real purty with all them medals. And he's beholden to the Clinton's, which makes him less of a threat to the established order than Dean, the one man running who could finally turn the Democratic National Committee into something more than La Cosa Nostra for the Clintons.
(*-Jonah Goldberg-editor at large, or large editor, of National Review Online)
Wesley Clark=General McClellan? You be the judge.
If you're reading this, send me an e-mail. It'd be cool to see if anybody has noticed me. salamandyr@hotmail.com
Here's another former critic, who, upon seeing the reality of Iraq, who has changed his tune.
A friend sent this to me and I thought it might be of some interest.
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Well, one more before, I sign off, read Sluggy Freelance, and go to bed.
If you one of those self-important fools who says "I vote for the man, not the party", I've got one thing to say, don't. It has to be one of the most asinine statements in political discourse today.
What the Hell do you think the rest of us do? The difference between you and me is I know what kind of government I want. The party I vote for may not always work in my best interests, but I can damn well tell who isn't going to work in my interest.
People, there are genuine differences between the two major parties in our political system. Democrats believe certain things, they stand for certain things, day in day out, year after year. The same goes for the Republican party. They have distinct world views; they look at the same problem and come to completely different solutions. Are they monolithic? No, are they, for the most part, trying to do the best job they know how? Yes. Is one of them wrong? Hell yes.
I want smaller government. I believe that there are defined limits to the power of the Federal Government. I believe that lawmaking is the purview of the legislative branch, not the judicial. I believe that the free market can provide greater benefits to our citizens for less cost than government programs.
I vote Republican. Do they fail me? Often. But the Democrats have declared themselves hostile to everything I believe is right. So exactly how can I in good conscience vote for someone who believes the complete opposite of everything I do? The very fact that the person has consented to put a (D) beside his name pretty much tells me all I need to know about him.
It makes the upcoming election kind of boring, since my candidate is a foregone conclusion, so I get my kicks handicapping the Democratic presidential race, but when we’re down to the pointy brass bits, I know where my hopes are pinned.
If you one of those self-important fools who says "I vote for the man, not the party", I've got one thing to say, don't. It has to be one of the most asinine statements in political discourse today.
What the Hell do you think the rest of us do? The difference between you and me is I know what kind of government I want. The party I vote for may not always work in my best interests, but I can damn well tell who isn't going to work in my interest.
People, there are genuine differences between the two major parties in our political system. Democrats believe certain things, they stand for certain things, day in day out, year after year. The same goes for the Republican party. They have distinct world views; they look at the same problem and come to completely different solutions. Are they monolithic? No, are they, for the most part, trying to do the best job they know how? Yes. Is one of them wrong? Hell yes.
I want smaller government. I believe that there are defined limits to the power of the Federal Government. I believe that lawmaking is the purview of the legislative branch, not the judicial. I believe that the free market can provide greater benefits to our citizens for less cost than government programs.
I vote Republican. Do they fail me? Often. But the Democrats have declared themselves hostile to everything I believe is right. So exactly how can I in good conscience vote for someone who believes the complete opposite of everything I do? The very fact that the person has consented to put a (D) beside his name pretty much tells me all I need to know about him.
It makes the upcoming election kind of boring, since my candidate is a foregone conclusion, so I get my kicks handicapping the Democratic presidential race, but when we’re down to the pointy brass bits, I know where my hopes are pinned.
If you're reading this, send me an e-mail. It'd be cool to see if anybody has noticed me. salamandyr@hotmail.com
Well, not a lot of blogging today. I took the day off, purchased Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver and spent the day reading. My verdict so far: it's good. Set in the 17th Century, it includes a panoply of characters you probably snored your way through in high school physics class. Isaac Newton and Benjamin Franklin rub shoulders with the ancestor of the Waterhouses, who you may remember from Cryptonomicon.
Ugh, I'm trying to figure out a way to describe the book and my mind is ramming against metaphor like a shopping cart against a car door. I'm not doing much but scratching the surface. If you've read Stephenson you know. But dammit, I'm going to try.
One of the biggest problems with my generation, and the art we have created is the self-conscious sense of irony we have nurtured in ourselves. We have convinced ourselves that there is nothing truly good, truly profound in the world and that we don't really care. The world may be going to Hell, but hey, we've got good clothes, good food, and it's not like we could do anything about it anyway.
Stephenson writes in an ironical style, but God be praised, he is not afraid to be earnest. He looks at the world and sees the faultlines, sees the frailties and the weaknesses that plague us, and still manages to say "Hey, we're pretty good." Stephenson likes us.
He also really likes scientists. You know, those earnest guys who went to class in college and did their homework and never got invited to the really cool parties. And he does something unimaginable; he makes them cool.
Well, enough about that, I'm a couple hundred pages into it, and I'm going to go read some more.
Ugh, I'm trying to figure out a way to describe the book and my mind is ramming against metaphor like a shopping cart against a car door. I'm not doing much but scratching the surface. If you've read Stephenson you know. But dammit, I'm going to try.
One of the biggest problems with my generation, and the art we have created is the self-conscious sense of irony we have nurtured in ourselves. We have convinced ourselves that there is nothing truly good, truly profound in the world and that we don't really care. The world may be going to Hell, but hey, we've got good clothes, good food, and it's not like we could do anything about it anyway.
Stephenson writes in an ironical style, but God be praised, he is not afraid to be earnest. He looks at the world and sees the faultlines, sees the frailties and the weaknesses that plague us, and still manages to say "Hey, we're pretty good." Stephenson likes us.
He also really likes scientists. You know, those earnest guys who went to class in college and did their homework and never got invited to the really cool parties. And he does something unimaginable; he makes them cool.
Well, enough about that, I'm a couple hundred pages into it, and I'm going to go read some more.
Hugh Shelton has disavowed any support for Wes Clark. Hmm, a general I have a deep and abiding respect for (and who was Commander of the Army when I served) doesn't like Gen. Clark, and Michael Moore does. That about wraps it up for me.
"What do you think of General Wesley Clark and would you support him as a presidential candidate," was the question put to him by moderator Dick Henning, assuming that all military men stood in support of each other. General Shelton took a drink of water and Henning said, "I noticed you took a drink on that one!"
"That question makes me wish it were vodka," said Shelton. "I've known Wes for a long time. I will tell you the reason he came out of Europe early had to do with integrity and character issues, things that are very near and dear to my heart. I'm not going to say whether I'm a Republican or a Democrat. I'll just say Wes won't get my vote."
"What do you think of General Wesley Clark and would you support him as a presidential candidate," was the question put to him by moderator Dick Henning, assuming that all military men stood in support of each other. General Shelton took a drink of water and Henning said, "I noticed you took a drink on that one!"
"That question makes me wish it were vodka," said Shelton. "I've known Wes for a long time. I will tell you the reason he came out of Europe early had to do with integrity and character issues, things that are very near and dear to my heart. I'm not going to say whether I'm a Republican or a Democrat. I'll just say Wes won't get my vote."
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
The new NYSE chief will make $1 per year. Sounds like a bargain at twice the price.
Here's another Congressman telling the Media to knock it off.
USA Today is noticing the dichotomy between events on the ground and the tale the reporters are telling about Iraq. This is a good piece about that. Different reporters see different things.
Watched Bush's speech before the UN this morning. I believe he made a strong case for actions regarding Iraq and Afghanistan, but for those who've been watching and listening, it was not new information. Interestingly enough, we seem to have Kofi Annan on our side now.
Bush laid out a clear moral vision for the UN, urging strong pro-active steps to combat terrorism, famine, and international slavery. I always have my doubts where the UN is concerned. I can't get excited about an organization that kowtows to the most despicable brutes on this planet, but if they listen, perhaps they could become a force for good...
Naahhh.
Bush laid out a clear moral vision for the UN, urging strong pro-active steps to combat terrorism, famine, and international slavery. I always have my doubts where the UN is concerned. I can't get excited about an organization that kowtows to the most despicable brutes on this planet, but if they listen, perhaps they could become a force for good...
Naahhh.
Monday, September 22, 2003
Even Dan Rather has recognized that the media has distorted the situation in Iraq, though in this case if looks a bit like "Damning with faint praise".
Apparently, it seemed like a good idea for some Greens to launch a campaign to draft Cynthia McKinney for President. Any respect I had for them has now disappeared.
This, by Georgia Democratic Congressman Jim Marshall is worth reading. Let's hope it gets read by a few people in the media.
Friday, September 19, 2003
If you know me, you've probably heard me proclaim on the eagerness I feel for the release of Mel Gibson's movie about the crucifixion of Christ, The Passion. You might also know that the film, which takes a genuinely respectful look at the tale of Christ's suffering is having a lot of trouble finding a distirbutor.
If you'd like to help this film receive wide viewership, and guarantee that it comes to your area, please head over to this site, and show your support.
If you'd like to help this film receive wide viewership, and guarantee that it comes to your area, please head over to this site, and show your support.
For those of you who are feeling a depressed over the breakup of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, Jane Galt has some words of consolation for you.
Here it is. Talkin like a pirate, Yarr!
Oh, by the way, today is Talk Like a Pirate Day. I'd give you the link, but it's down.
I'm probably not going to blog much today, so if you're in need of blogerific sustenance, head on over to the InstaPundit. Honestly at this point I just haven't seen anything that reaches out and grabs me, other than the full-blown panic attack people are having over Isabel. People, it's dropped to a Cat 2 hurricane, it's not The Perfect Storm.
The problem with this over-hyping is that the next time a hurricane hits, a real cat 5 womp-dinger, people will overlook the valid warnings they're given because the hype for Isabel was so overblown.
The problem with this over-hyping is that the next time a hurricane hits, a real cat 5 womp-dinger, people will overlook the valid warnings they're given because the hype for Isabel was so overblown.
Thursday, September 18, 2003
LILEKS, my man.
I can’t help but come back to the central theme these edits imply: we should have left Iraq alone. We should have left this charnel house stand. We should have bought a wad of nice French cotton to shove in our ears so the buzz of the flies over the graves didn’t distract us from the important business of deciding whether Syria or China should have the rotating observer-status seat in the Oil-for-Palaces program. Afghanistan, well, that’s understandable, in a way; we were mad. We lashed out. But we should have stopped there, and let the UN deploy its extra-strong Frown Beams against the Iraqi ambassador in the hopes that Saddam would reduce the money he gave to Palestinian suicide bombers down to five grand. Five grand! Hell, that hardly covers the parking tickets your average ambassador owes to the city of New York; who’d blow themselves up for that.
I can’t help but come back to the central theme these edits imply: we should have left Iraq alone. We should have left this charnel house stand. We should have bought a wad of nice French cotton to shove in our ears so the buzz of the flies over the graves didn’t distract us from the important business of deciding whether Syria or China should have the rotating observer-status seat in the Oil-for-Palaces program. Afghanistan, well, that’s understandable, in a way; we were mad. We lashed out. But we should have stopped there, and let the UN deploy its extra-strong Frown Beams against the Iraqi ambassador in the hopes that Saddam would reduce the money he gave to Palestinian suicide bombers down to five grand. Five grand! Hell, that hardly covers the parking tickets your average ambassador owes to the city of New York; who’d blow themselves up for that.
I don't know why I find this so funny, but I do.
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Hilarious!
The ironies in this abound. The NAACP says a young woman's attempt to form a club for white teens is racially divisive (it is, but then so is the NAACP). And finally, the name of the school; Freedom High School.
The ironies in this abound. The NAACP says a young woman's attempt to form a club for white teens is racially divisive (it is, but then so is the NAACP). And finally, the name of the school; Freedom High School.
Heh! I especially like this part at the bottom: "When using any walking directions or map, it is a good idea to stop at an inn or hostelry and inquire about news from abroad. Find out whether any wars are brewing, and if so, whether agents of the enemy are pursuing you. This is only an aid in planning. Your eventual route and mileage may vary."
Jacob Levy has some thoughts on the idea of shared sacrifice and the politics of removing people from the tax rolls.
Brookhiser on Clark: Wesley Clark is George McClellan--proud, smart, by the book, untalented, incompetent. All stars, no battles.
McDonald's is planning to produce "adult" happy meals. When I saw the headline a salad and pedometer are not what came to mind.
Here is the story of Clark's near attack on Russian troops in Kosovo. From The Nation
I post because I find this interesting. Jane Galt has posted some interesting info on the disparity of federal taxation to federal money received by states. She also has some comments on relative burden taxation causes to various people.
If I had no other reason to oppose Clark, this would cause it. An endorsement by Michael Moore is, or should be, one of those embarrassing things you try to laugh off at parties.
Wesley Clark plans to announce his candidacy today. I can barely hold back my excitement. In case arial font does not adequately convey it, that was sarcasm.
We will of course, be inundated over the next few weeks, with testimonials to Clark's brainy ability, his steely eye, his manly gait, etc. ad fricking nauseum. But let us not forget a few things about this sterling example of manhood. This Rhodes scholar is the guy who told Tim Russert "I thought that this country was founded on the principle of progressive taxation." This is the guy who decided that carpet bombing in Kosovo could overthrow the enemy without harming civilians (here's a clue: he was wrong). He's also the guy who petulantly nearly got us into WWIII until a British General refused to follow his orders.
Lucianne Goldberg has dubbed him Ashley Wilkes to Bill Clinton's Rhett Butler. I'll leave it to the reader to decide if that is a fair comparison.
We will of course, be inundated over the next few weeks, with testimonials to Clark's brainy ability, his steely eye, his manly gait, etc. ad fricking nauseum. But let us not forget a few things about this sterling example of manhood. This Rhodes scholar is the guy who told Tim Russert "I thought that this country was founded on the principle of progressive taxation." This is the guy who decided that carpet bombing in Kosovo could overthrow the enemy without harming civilians (here's a clue: he was wrong). He's also the guy who petulantly nearly got us into WWIII until a British General refused to follow his orders.
Lucianne Goldberg has dubbed him Ashley Wilkes to Bill Clinton's Rhett Butler. I'll leave it to the reader to decide if that is a fair comparison.
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Randal Robinson has a list of The Top 10 Ways Fox News Intimidated CNN
John Burns of the NY Times writes on the capitulation of most of the media in covering Iraq.
There were correspondents who thought it appropriate to seek the approbation of the people who governed their lives. This was the ministry of information, and particularly the director of the ministry. By taking him out for long candlelit dinners, plying him with sweet cakes, plying him with mobile phones at $600 each for members of his family, and giving bribes of thousands of dollars. Senior members of the information ministry took hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes from these television correspondents who then behaved as if they were in Belgium. They never mentioned the function of minders. Never mentioned terror.
In one case, a correspondent actually went to the Internet Center at the Al-Rashid Hotel and printed out copies of his and other people's stories -- mine included -- specifically in order to be able to show the difference between himself and the others. He wanted to show what a good boy he was compared to this enemy of the state. He was with a major American newspaper.
There's more. He writes of the horror he saw in Iraq. "Terror, totalitarian states, and their ways are nothing new to me, but I felt from the start that this was in a category by itself, with the possible exception in the present world of North Korea.
This piece is a selection from the book Embedded: The Media at War in Iraq, an Oral History by Bill Katovsky and Timothy Carlson.
There were correspondents who thought it appropriate to seek the approbation of the people who governed their lives. This was the ministry of information, and particularly the director of the ministry. By taking him out for long candlelit dinners, plying him with sweet cakes, plying him with mobile phones at $600 each for members of his family, and giving bribes of thousands of dollars. Senior members of the information ministry took hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes from these television correspondents who then behaved as if they were in Belgium. They never mentioned the function of minders. Never mentioned terror.
In one case, a correspondent actually went to the Internet Center at the Al-Rashid Hotel and printed out copies of his and other people's stories -- mine included -- specifically in order to be able to show the difference between himself and the others. He wanted to show what a good boy he was compared to this enemy of the state. He was with a major American newspaper.
There's more. He writes of the horror he saw in Iraq. "Terror, totalitarian states, and their ways are nothing new to me, but I felt from the start that this was in a category by itself, with the possible exception in the present world of North Korea.
This piece is a selection from the book Embedded: The Media at War in Iraq, an Oral History by Bill Katovsky and Timothy Carlson.
Well, Cheney has responded, calling it a 'political cheap shot'.
Maybe not a cheap shot, but it was definitely overblown. He had some parting salary coming and chose to take it over several years rather than as a lump sum. He also took out an insurance policy to make sure that he got paid even if Halliburton went under (considering that it has dropped half its value since 2000, that might not have been a bad idea).
He also has some shares in a trust outside of his control. This is standard procedure. Elected officials place all their holdings in a trust for the duration of their presidency, and have no control or input during their term of office. Every President in my memory has done so immediately upon assuming office, if not before. Oh yeah, except for Clinton.
Hey! That was my first Clinton bash on this blog!
Maybe not a cheap shot, but it was definitely overblown. He had some parting salary coming and chose to take it over several years rather than as a lump sum. He also took out an insurance policy to make sure that he got paid even if Halliburton went under (considering that it has dropped half its value since 2000, that might not have been a bad idea).
He also has some shares in a trust outside of his control. This is standard procedure. Elected officials place all their holdings in a trust for the duration of their presidency, and have no control or input during their term of office. Every President in my memory has done so immediately upon assuming office, if not before. Oh yeah, except for Clinton.
Hey! That was my first Clinton bash on this blog!
Sweet Serendipity!
I was just reading the comments of someone on a bulletin board regarding awards to Halliburton by the Bush administration on a no bid basis! No, this can't be!
Well, a reference made in this story confirms it, as well as that the Vice President is still receiving money from Halliburton (deferred salary from his time as CEO).
Did Cheney lie? Well, looks like you could go either way. I don't think there's enough meat here to make soup, but you may disagree.
As for the 1 Billion dollar award to Halliburton by the Army Corp. of Engineers, I think this final quote is a good rebuttal to the idea that this is a payoff.
In March, Halliburton was granted, without competition, a contract by the Army Corps of Engineers to repair and restore Iraq's oil fields. The ACE says the cost of this contract to taxpayers is about $1 billion.
But under a second military support contract, Halliburton's Kellogg Brown & Root unit has racked up over $1 billion in expenses in Iraq, according to the U.S. Army Field Support Command.
I was just reading the comments of someone on a bulletin board regarding awards to Halliburton by the Bush administration on a no bid basis! No, this can't be!
Well, a reference made in this story confirms it, as well as that the Vice President is still receiving money from Halliburton (deferred salary from his time as CEO).
Did Cheney lie? Well, looks like you could go either way. I don't think there's enough meat here to make soup, but you may disagree.
As for the 1 Billion dollar award to Halliburton by the Army Corp. of Engineers, I think this final quote is a good rebuttal to the idea that this is a payoff.
In March, Halliburton was granted, without competition, a contract by the Army Corps of Engineers to repair and restore Iraq's oil fields. The ACE says the cost of this contract to taxpayers is about $1 billion.
But under a second military support contract, Halliburton's Kellogg Brown & Root unit has racked up over $1 billion in expenses in Iraq, according to the U.S. Army Field Support Command.
William Saletan pours some cold water on his liberal companions, who have been arguing the perfidy of Republicans of late. Very nice piece.
Monday, September 15, 2003
I personally think the clerk who accepted this should be the one arrested. Geez.
Well, the 9th Circuit has blocked the October 7th recall election of Governor Gray Davis. There reasoning is because some punchcard machines haven't been replaced. They've put a stay on it, to pass it along to the Supreme Court for final disposition. I'm trying for something witty, but I think I'll just let you read it.
Well it's a Monday again. So far nothing has really jumped out at me as blog-worthy. There's a bit over at the Corner on WaPo completely misrepresenting a Cheney quote, but that's not exactly world shattering news. When exactly was the media not misrepresenting this administrations words? Liz Smith over at the NYPost has a nice piece on "The Passion", Mel Gibson's new movie about the crucifixion of Christ. Also the radio gave a report that we lost another soldier to ambush in Iraq yesterday, and a Iraqui policeman was killed. I really like how they always say "this is the -- person killed since May 1st, when President Bush announced the end of major combat." But come on, pot shots here and there major combat do not make (to sound like Yoda).
Frustratingly, it never occurs to the news people to say what happened to the sniper, whose lifespan probably exceeded his victims by seconds. Some of us would like to know.
Frustratingly, it never occurs to the news people to say what happened to the sniper, whose lifespan probably exceeded his victims by seconds. Some of us would like to know.
Sunday, September 14, 2003
Mark Steyn makes a point I've often made myself.
Anna Lindh, Sweden's foreign minister was killed in broad daylight, in front of a crowd of bystanders, who did nothing. And now there are howls that "The government should do something" Well, why didn't you do something? It is the responsibility of every civilized person to safeguard civilization, with one's life if necessary. Don't just stand passively waiting for all the things you hold dear to be ripped away from you. Protect yourself, protect your family, protect those around you. Fight back.
We've done it before. Our country was founded by those who didn't wait for government's call to take up arms to defend themselves. It lived in those brave souls who carved a life for themselves in unguarded territories, with nothing but their hands and their rifles. They didn't just survive; they married, raised children, and thrived.
That spirit lived on in the passengers of Flight 93, whose brave defiance has done more to protect us than all the air marshalls and body cavity searches ever could. And it lives on in us, if we let it.
So, just to make a long post a bit longer, and because Mr. Steyn is a much better writer than I am, here's a bit of his post to end with.
That's the big lesson I took away from Sept. 11: Don't be passive. After 9/11, my wife bought me a cell phone, so that in the event I found myself in a similar situation I could at least call my family one last time. It's not much use up here in the mountains, so I never bothered getting it out of the box. If I ever am on a hijacked plane, while everyone else is dialing home, I'll be calling AT&T or Verizon trying to set up an account. But, of course, no one will ever hijack an American plane ever again -- not because of idiotic confiscations of tweezers, but because of the brave passengers on that fourth flight. That's why, three months later, the great British shoebomber had barely got the match to his sock before half the cabin pounded the crap out of him. Even the French. To expect the government to save you is to be a bystander in your own fate.
Anna Lindh, Sweden's foreign minister was killed in broad daylight, in front of a crowd of bystanders, who did nothing. And now there are howls that "The government should do something" Well, why didn't you do something? It is the responsibility of every civilized person to safeguard civilization, with one's life if necessary. Don't just stand passively waiting for all the things you hold dear to be ripped away from you. Protect yourself, protect your family, protect those around you. Fight back.
We've done it before. Our country was founded by those who didn't wait for government's call to take up arms to defend themselves. It lived in those brave souls who carved a life for themselves in unguarded territories, with nothing but their hands and their rifles. They didn't just survive; they married, raised children, and thrived.
That spirit lived on in the passengers of Flight 93, whose brave defiance has done more to protect us than all the air marshalls and body cavity searches ever could. And it lives on in us, if we let it.
So, just to make a long post a bit longer, and because Mr. Steyn is a much better writer than I am, here's a bit of his post to end with.
That's the big lesson I took away from Sept. 11: Don't be passive. After 9/11, my wife bought me a cell phone, so that in the event I found myself in a similar situation I could at least call my family one last time. It's not much use up here in the mountains, so I never bothered getting it out of the box. If I ever am on a hijacked plane, while everyone else is dialing home, I'll be calling AT&T or Verizon trying to set up an account. But, of course, no one will ever hijack an American plane ever again -- not because of idiotic confiscations of tweezers, but because of the brave passengers on that fourth flight. That's why, three months later, the great British shoebomber had barely got the match to his sock before half the cabin pounded the crap out of him. Even the French. To expect the government to save you is to be a bystander in your own fate.
Steven Den Beste has a round up of links and commentry on Iraq. Worth reading.
Friday, September 12, 2003
Good News! Ottawa is getting a second MRI machine. Unfortunately, it's for dogs. John Robson has a thing or two to say about it, and it's not too flattering for countries that put their trust in socialized medicine. Here's a sample.
I mean, imagine if the corner store was allowed to sell you milk for your cat at the market rate, but had to give you free milk for yourself then apply to the government for reimbursement at a centrally planned price. Also, the store couldn't pay the farmer for the milk it gave you until it got reimbursed. And the farmer would have to squeeze a grant out of a chronically underfunded government cow budget instead of buying a cow to produce milk for humans using his own money. Meanwhile the store could buy milk from anyone willing to sell it at a mutually agreeable price, and the farmer could buy a cow from any willing seller ditto, but only if they promised not to give any milk to people.
You know you'd end up gluing on whiskers and miaowing up to the counter. Because after a while, there would be a critical shortage of free milk for people, and lots of milk for sale for cats. It's hard to imagine that the proper reaction in such a situation would be to take away the milk for cats too, but judging by Canadian precedent that's what we would do.
I mean, imagine if the corner store was allowed to sell you milk for your cat at the market rate, but had to give you free milk for yourself then apply to the government for reimbursement at a centrally planned price. Also, the store couldn't pay the farmer for the milk it gave you until it got reimbursed. And the farmer would have to squeeze a grant out of a chronically underfunded government cow budget instead of buying a cow to produce milk for humans using his own money. Meanwhile the store could buy milk from anyone willing to sell it at a mutually agreeable price, and the farmer could buy a cow from any willing seller ditto, but only if they promised not to give any milk to people.
You know you'd end up gluing on whiskers and miaowing up to the counter. Because after a while, there would be a critical shortage of free milk for people, and lots of milk for sale for cats. It's hard to imagine that the proper reaction in such a situation would be to take away the milk for cats too, but judging by Canadian precedent that's what we would do.
NARAL won't be happy about this. Not that I really care what NARAL thinks.
I found this in a sidebar at The Truth Laid Bear. The original link doesn't work, so I'm pasting it directly here.
Well, this is astounding news:
As of this writing, August 31, 2003, there are only about half a dozen people in the entire known universe who can accurately claim that they have read every novel Heinlein has written.
For those of us who thought there would never again be another new Heinlein novel, the impossible has become reality . "For Us, the Living," is a brand new, never before published novel by Robert A. Heinlein. It is going into print now for the first time and will be in bookstores by the end of November, 2003.
"For Us, the Living" was written by Heinlein about 1938-9, before he wrote his first sf short, "Lifeline." The novel, "For Us, the Living," was deemed unpublishable, mainly for the racy content.
I find it difficult to discuss Heinlein without falling into superlatives; suffice it to say that yes, I've read just about everything he's ever written (or so I had thought!), and yes, I borrowed many of my core moral and political beliefs from what I found in his work. To find that after so many years we have a fresh opportunity to hear one last tale from the old man is simply extraordinary.
Well, this is astounding news:
As of this writing, August 31, 2003, there are only about half a dozen people in the entire known universe who can accurately claim that they have read every novel Heinlein has written.
For those of us who thought there would never again be another new Heinlein novel, the impossible has become reality . "For Us, the Living," is a brand new, never before published novel by Robert A. Heinlein. It is going into print now for the first time and will be in bookstores by the end of November, 2003.
"For Us, the Living" was written by Heinlein about 1938-9, before he wrote his first sf short, "Lifeline." The novel, "For Us, the Living," was deemed unpublishable, mainly for the racy content.
I find it difficult to discuss Heinlein without falling into superlatives; suffice it to say that yes, I've read just about everything he's ever written (or so I had thought!), and yes, I borrowed many of my core moral and political beliefs from what I found in his work. To find that after so many years we have a fresh opportunity to hear one last tale from the old man is simply extraordinary.
Johnny Cash has died. He was 71. Bon Voyage.
Thursday, September 11, 2003
If you haven't read LILEKS, go, now. I'll wait. I spent an hour today reading the Democratic Underground site, and afterwards I felt like I need a bath. Some people...just...don't...GET IT. I don't care how hard you wish, Bush is not Hitler. The country is not sliding into fascism. There are no parallels to Germany in the 1930's. There are parallels to every country girding itself for necessary war all throughout history. The flags you roll your eyes at, the hymns through which you sigh loudly, impatient for that all important eighth inning, all those memorial services. Can't we all just move on? you say. No, we can't. We were attacked, we did not declare war, war was declared on us. And by God, we will finish it.
Anyway, here's a bit of Lilek's Thursday piece
I’ve no doubt that if Seattle or Boston or Manhattan goes up in a bright white flash there will be those who blame it all on Bush. We squandered the world’s good will. We threw away the opportunity to atone, and lashed out. Really? You want to see lashing out? Imagine Kabul and Mecca and Baghdad and Tehran on 9/14 crowned with mushroom clouds: that’s lashing out. Imagine the President in the National Cathedral castigating Islam instead of sitting next to an Imam who's giving a homily. Mosques burned, oil fields occupied, smart bombs slamming into Syrian palaces. We could have gone full Roman on anyone we wanted, but we didn’t. And we won’t.
Anyway, here's a bit of Lilek's Thursday piece
I’ve no doubt that if Seattle or Boston or Manhattan goes up in a bright white flash there will be those who blame it all on Bush. We squandered the world’s good will. We threw away the opportunity to atone, and lashed out. Really? You want to see lashing out? Imagine Kabul and Mecca and Baghdad and Tehran on 9/14 crowned with mushroom clouds: that’s lashing out. Imagine the President in the National Cathedral castigating Islam instead of sitting next to an Imam who's giving a homily. Mosques burned, oil fields occupied, smart bombs slamming into Syrian palaces. We could have gone full Roman on anyone we wanted, but we didn’t. And we won’t.
Nowthis I find intereting, the eight digits of todays date, 09112003-don't show up in the decimal expansion o fpi until the 9,530,360th place.
Jonah Goldberg has a few things to say about who exactly has "blown it" in the war on terrorism. It's strong stuff, and he succeeds on several levels, including the level of being laugh out loud funny. Here's the money point:
Indeed, imagine the hopefully not-too-far-flung-future where humanity is having a grand time in the sunny cafes at the end of history. Conjure the image of a Star Treky age where greed and superstition and paranoia are rightly seen as the childish things long since put away by man. Well, when our descendents look back on the years since September 11, who do you think will say, "Man, we really blew it!"? Will it be the Americans who — at great risk and expense — offered a drowning people a lifeline? Or will it be those who preferred the familiar comfort of drowning to the mild sting to their pride which came with taking that lifeline?
Indeed, imagine the hopefully not-too-far-flung-future where humanity is having a grand time in the sunny cafes at the end of history. Conjure the image of a Star Treky age where greed and superstition and paranoia are rightly seen as the childish things long since put away by man. Well, when our descendents look back on the years since September 11, who do you think will say, "Man, we really blew it!"? Will it be the Americans who — at great risk and expense — offered a drowning people a lifeline? Or will it be those who preferred the familiar comfort of drowning to the mild sting to their pride which came with taking that lifeline?
The Isreali Cabinet has voted to oust Yasser Arafat. They're not saying how they plan to go about it.
Palestinian leaders are claiming there will be grave consequences, but I really can't see how the situation can get much worse.
Palestinian leaders are claiming there will be grave consequences, but I really can't see how the situation can get much worse.
Victor Davis Hanson has a few words on the subject as well.
So many things about September 11 have coalesced to define the attack as a singular event in American history. Three thousand Americans did not die in a fire, earthquake, or flood. No, they were slain by the deliberate hand of formidable enemies — raising issues of culpability, preventability, and retribution. And 3,000 were gone so quickly and without warning, and all so innocently — leading to all sorts of existential questions among their fellow citizens left behind, from "Why here, why now?" to "If them, why not me?"
Read the whole thing.
So many things about September 11 have coalesced to define the attack as a singular event in American history. Three thousand Americans did not die in a fire, earthquake, or flood. No, they were slain by the deliberate hand of formidable enemies — raising issues of culpability, preventability, and retribution. And 3,000 were gone so quickly and without warning, and all so innocently — leading to all sorts of existential questions among their fellow citizens left behind, from "Why here, why now?" to "If them, why not me?"
Read the whole thing.
Andrew Sullivan says it a lot better than me.
Two years. It’s been two years since the world changed. It’s been two years since American was reminded that evil exists, two years since we saw the towers fall, two years since we heard the death toll and consoled ourselves that it could have been far worse. Two years since the brave men and women of the New York Fire Department reminded us what sacrifice was all about.
It has been two years, and in that time we have liberated two countries. We have attacked the enemy in his lair, and defeated him on the battlefield. We have not won, and victory is still a long way, but it’s in sight, if we do not falter.
A tape was released yesterday; maybe it was bin Laden, maybe not. What I do know is that it doesn’t matter. Bin Laden is not important, he’s merely the face of a belief that scorns every last shred of what I hold dear. There can be no compromise, there can be no accord, we cannot live together on the same planet with those who would destroy us simply for the way we choose to live our life.
How should we commemorate this day? Let us not turn our grief into spectacle; this is not a holiday to celebrate. Get up, hug your families, eat your breakfast, go to work with the grim determination to do a job well done. But remember; remember what we saw, remember the bodies falling from the air, the heroism of our people, and the resolve we all felt that day, and let the fire burn hot.
It has been two years, and in that time we have liberated two countries. We have attacked the enemy in his lair, and defeated him on the battlefield. We have not won, and victory is still a long way, but it’s in sight, if we do not falter.
A tape was released yesterday; maybe it was bin Laden, maybe not. What I do know is that it doesn’t matter. Bin Laden is not important, he’s merely the face of a belief that scorns every last shred of what I hold dear. There can be no compromise, there can be no accord, we cannot live together on the same planet with those who would destroy us simply for the way we choose to live our life.
How should we commemorate this day? Let us not turn our grief into spectacle; this is not a holiday to celebrate. Get up, hug your families, eat your breakfast, go to work with the grim determination to do a job well done. But remember; remember what we saw, remember the bodies falling from the air, the heroism of our people, and the resolve we all felt that day, and let the fire burn hot.
Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Osama, has released a new tape.
Who says all good things are lost forever? Opus is coming back!
Funny, she doesn't look Jewish.
Does NASA have a future? It's taken a lot of bashing. Let's give equal time to the other side.
Yay! Improptus!
Spot on has an interesting letter from an Iranian student who tried to get ANSWER to help her organize protests. Seems they're somewhat discriminating about the "injustices" they fight against.
You may have to scroll down. It's the first post for Wednesday, September 10th.
You may have to scroll down. It's the first post for Wednesday, September 10th.
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
John O'Sullivan on the beneficial outcome of the Vietnam War, and its application to Iraq. This is a must read.
"What of the significance of Vietnam as a local skirmish in the Cold War? Here we have the testimony of Asia's principal elder statesman, Lee Kuan Yew, first minister of Singapore. He has pointed out that the American intervention in the war halted the onward march of communism southwards for 15 years-- roughly from 1960 to 1975. In that crucial period, the new ex-colonial states of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, maybe India itself, took advantage of this incidental U.S. protection to develop from poor agricultural and trading post economies into modern industrial and information societies, more or less immune to the communist virus."
"What of the significance of Vietnam as a local skirmish in the Cold War? Here we have the testimony of Asia's principal elder statesman, Lee Kuan Yew, first minister of Singapore. He has pointed out that the American intervention in the war halted the onward march of communism southwards for 15 years-- roughly from 1960 to 1975. In that crucial period, the new ex-colonial states of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, maybe India itself, took advantage of this incidental U.S. protection to develop from poor agricultural and trading post economies into modern industrial and information societies, more or less immune to the communist virus."
AP is taking a swipe at Dean too, this time for the rather pale complexion of his supporters. This is a big problem, since minority votes are crucial for a Democrat, and Dean has no real history dealing with minority issues. My suggestion is that he stop thinking of them like children.
"You've got to go to the leadership in those communities. You can't just do the grass roots without the blessing of the leaders," Dean said last week. "
"You've got to go to the leadership in those communities. You can't just do the grass roots without the blessing of the leaders," Dean said last week. "
Yesterday, the WSJ had a piece questioning Howard Dean's performance in Vermont and today Joe Klein looks at some of the policy shifts that Dean has made thus far.
Dean turns out to be a flagrantly political anti-politician. As his campaign gains altitude, he seems to change a position a week. In the debate, he changed two — first on American troops in Iraq, then on American labor standards on trade. Before that, he trimmed his honorable position on raising the age of eligibility for Social Security and his support for lifting the embargo on Cuba. Dean still proudly struts his pro-gun stance in the anti-gun Democratic Party, but as often as not he points out the political efficacy of that position in the red states. The question is: How many of Dean's positions are negotiable? As victory becomes a possibility, how much integrity will he compromise to win? Another question: How long before Dean's tough talk — the apparent candor that propelled his charge — begins to seem arrogant, uninformed, unpresidential? "I think Dean confuses being smart with knowing a lot," says a prominent Democrat who wants Dean to succeed. "I'm not sure he knows a lot."
What does this mean? It means the media honeymoon Dean has enjoyed thus far is over and we can see if he is really a serious candidate.
Dean turns out to be a flagrantly political anti-politician. As his campaign gains altitude, he seems to change a position a week. In the debate, he changed two — first on American troops in Iraq, then on American labor standards on trade. Before that, he trimmed his honorable position on raising the age of eligibility for Social Security and his support for lifting the embargo on Cuba. Dean still proudly struts his pro-gun stance in the anti-gun Democratic Party, but as often as not he points out the political efficacy of that position in the red states. The question is: How many of Dean's positions are negotiable? As victory becomes a possibility, how much integrity will he compromise to win? Another question: How long before Dean's tough talk — the apparent candor that propelled his charge — begins to seem arrogant, uninformed, unpresidential? "I think Dean confuses being smart with knowing a lot," says a prominent Democrat who wants Dean to succeed. "I'm not sure he knows a lot."
What does this mean? It means the media honeymoon Dean has enjoyed thus far is over and we can see if he is really a serious candidate.
Monday, September 08, 2003
BTW, if there's anyone out there reading this (and you haven't fallen asleep yet), you can e-mail me at salamandyr@hotmail.com. Go ahead, you know you want to.
Gregg Easterbrook of the New Republic comes out strong on his new blog.
Did I mention that Terry Teachout is from my home town?
The wonderful Jane Galt refers to Terry Teachouts latest review from the Wall Street Journal (I ain't a subscriber, or I'd give you the main link). In it he excoriates the latest tiresome entry in the mythologizing of the Hollywood Blacklist. It's a peeve of mine, and here's a money quote
"In fact, Dalton Trumbo was a man of firm convictions -- so long as they were in robotic accord with the oft-changing dictates of the American Communist Party, of which he was a card-carrying member from 1943 to 1948. A red-hot Stalinist of the old school, he supported every twist and turn in the party line, even bragging about how he and his fellow Hollywood Reds had succeeded in keeping anti-Communist scripts from being produced (which sounds suspiciously like blacklisting to me). . . "
"One thing "Trumbo" does make clear, albeit unintentionally, is that its subject was a smug, sanctimonious windbag who suffered from the mistaken notion that he was funny. It would also have been worth pointing out that he was a well-compensated Hollywood hack who paid his party dues (and bought his luxurious California ranch) by cranking out such deathless masterpieces as "The Flying Irishman," "Sorority House," "Kitty Foyle," "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" and "Tender Comrade." One might well call him a limousine Leninist, though I prefer the crack Billy Wilder made about the Unfriendly Ten: "Only one of them had talent. The rest were just unfriendly."
"In fact, Dalton Trumbo was a man of firm convictions -- so long as they were in robotic accord with the oft-changing dictates of the American Communist Party, of which he was a card-carrying member from 1943 to 1948. A red-hot Stalinist of the old school, he supported every twist and turn in the party line, even bragging about how he and his fellow Hollywood Reds had succeeded in keeping anti-Communist scripts from being produced (which sounds suspiciously like blacklisting to me). . . "
"One thing "Trumbo" does make clear, albeit unintentionally, is that its subject was a smug, sanctimonious windbag who suffered from the mistaken notion that he was funny. It would also have been worth pointing out that he was a well-compensated Hollywood hack who paid his party dues (and bought his luxurious California ranch) by cranking out such deathless masterpieces as "The Flying Irishman," "Sorority House," "Kitty Foyle," "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" and "Tender Comrade." One might well call him a limousine Leninist, though I prefer the crack Billy Wilder made about the Unfriendly Ten: "Only one of them had talent. The rest were just unfriendly."
Seven Days and no combat deaths. Here's praying it holds.
Winning the Peace, Quietly is a piece by Max Boot, senior fellow in national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He's just come back from 10 days in Iraq, and has some observations. Interesting Stuff.
Spider Robinson has a few sharp words to say about the state of Science Fiction. My first reaction was an angry denial, but upon reflection, I realize that more and more often, the books that wind up in my shopping cart are Fantasy. Much of today's Science Fiction doesn't even deal with far horizons, but near ones. I think much of it has to do with the times, and the current popularity of fantasy in the rest of pop culture. More on this later...
Here is a piece claiming that by Keynesian standards the President's economic policy has been a B+ to A-. Since I think Keynes was a dope, I put Bush's performance more around the C- area. Cut spending dammit!
Warren Zevon died last night. The way he handled his illness in his public life was an inspiration. Blogcritics has a round-up of links.
LILEKS gives us some of his inestimable wisdom.
"As for the Iraq situation? I’m stunned that a country whose face was held mouth-down in the mud for 30 years hasn’t spontaneously produced a civil society in six months. I don’t think they’ve even started thinking about a new national anthem. Let’s give it all to the French."
"As for the Iraq situation? I’m stunned that a country whose face was held mouth-down in the mud for 30 years hasn’t spontaneously produced a civil society in six months. I don’t think they’ve even started thinking about a new national anthem. Let’s give it all to the French."
Thomas Sowell is saying he plans to vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger for Governor.
Here is the full text of the President's speech.
Friday, September 05, 2003
I'm not sure this is something any of us really want to see. Yoko, for God's sake, keep your clothes on!
If you're not reading James Lilek's The Bleat you're missing the best thing on the Internet (so I exaggerate, but if I'm wrong, I'm not far off) It's better in the morning than a cup of coffee and a doughnut.
This is probably going to be handy for me. Don't worry about it y'all. It's just the Blogger help link.
Matt Welch has debunked the dead baby scandal.
Hey, this is kind of neat. I'm still working out the kinks on this whole thing, but it seems "way" user-friendly. And I've been so worried about doing the proper html linkies and it automatically does it for me! Neato!
I'm serious though. If you haven't read Jonah's latest essay, the first one in about a gazillion years, you need to.
I'm serious though. If you haven't read Jonah's latest essay, the first one in about a gazillion years, you need to.
Ya'll need to check this out:Jonah Goldberg's Goldberg File on National Review Online
problems problems, is this thing on?
Well, here we go. This is a brand new adventure for me; one I should have started long ago. But better late than never, as they always say. We'll see how often I update this little journal, and what good things I have in store over the next few days. If all goes according to plan, my opinions will soon join the thousands (millions?) of others in cyberspace, clamoring for your ears attention. It's sure to be a ride.
