No, this place is not dead. Well, almost. It's on life-support. I plan to be back soon.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Long story, but if you want a case for what has been found in Iraq, this is a good place to go.
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
John Derbyshire, quoting Chesterton on the ordinariness of great men. I post because, damn, I thought it was interesting.
James Lileks is blogging about a Claudia Rosett piece about Saddam's funneling money through Al Qaida connected banks. I just wanted to post this here. I bow to the master.
"He stated on Sunday that Saddam had no connections to Al-Qaeda, an assertion that has now taken on the mantle of Absolute Fact. Nowadays the idea that Saddam had anything to do with terrorism is regarded as proof of a mind that refuses to accept reality. This, despite the payments to the suicide bombers’ families. This, despite the terrorists who had refuge in Iraq. This, despite the training camp. This, despite al-Ansar. This is something I’ve never understood: the belief that Iraq was somehow hermetically sealed off from the politics of the Arab world, as though it was actually located somewhere north of Turkey, as though it was immune to the temptation of using these transnational forces to its own advantage. At the very least you’d expect Saddam to buy these guys off, if only for insurance purposes. But no: Saddam was the one principled leader who refused to deal with terrorist organizations, because . . . he was secular? Please. A guy who commissions a Qu’ran in his own blood is not exactly unaware of the fundamentalist currents in his culture."
"He stated on Sunday that Saddam had no connections to Al-Qaeda, an assertion that has now taken on the mantle of Absolute Fact. Nowadays the idea that Saddam had anything to do with terrorism is regarded as proof of a mind that refuses to accept reality. This, despite the payments to the suicide bombers’ families. This, despite the terrorists who had refuge in Iraq. This, despite the training camp. This, despite al-Ansar. This is something I’ve never understood: the belief that Iraq was somehow hermetically sealed off from the politics of the Arab world, as though it was actually located somewhere north of Turkey, as though it was immune to the temptation of using these transnational forces to its own advantage. At the very least you’d expect Saddam to buy these guys off, if only for insurance purposes. But no: Saddam was the one principled leader who refused to deal with terrorist organizations, because . . . he was secular? Please. A guy who commissions a Qu’ran in his own blood is not exactly unaware of the fundamentalist currents in his culture."
Here is the transcript of John Aschrofts testimony to the 9-11 Commision.
And here's something else I picked up last week. "The Degeneration of the Democratic Party"
"This growing faction of the Democrats represents their "base;" their most committed and articulate supporters; their most 'connected' in more ways than one supporters; their effective fundraisers; the supporters that can be counted on to craft and broadcast the message of the Democratic Party to the people of the United States. And what is that message?
The message is that anyone or anything that stands with or supports, not the policies nor the positions of George Bush, but the very person of George Bush is to be attacked and denigrated with every slur at their command."
"This growing faction of the Democrats represents their "base;" their most committed and articulate supporters; their most 'connected' in more ways than one supporters; their effective fundraisers; the supporters that can be counted on to craft and broadcast the message of the Democratic Party to the people of the United States. And what is that message?
The message is that anyone or anything that stands with or supports, not the policies nor the positions of George Bush, but the very person of George Bush is to be attacked and denigrated with every slur at their command."
Well, certain circumstances are hindering my blogging efforts at this time, so I've been emailing links to myself and promising to put them up as soon as I get time. Of course then I forget.
I found this last week. It's a letter from a contractor in Iraq, which goes into some detail about what the "mercenaries" are doing.Linkage. Enjoy.
I found this last week. It's a letter from a contractor in Iraq, which goes into some detail about what the "mercenaries" are doing.Linkage. Enjoy.
Monday, April 19, 2004
This may be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen on the web.
Theodore Dalrymple takes on Islam in the City Journal. He discusses the tragedies of forced marriage, and the fundamental differences of Islam and Christianity. It's a long read. I'm only halfway through and have to stop to go to work. I'm posting a taste you show you why you should be reading it.
"This pattern of betrothal causes suffering as intense as any I know of. It has terrible consequences. One father prevented his daughter, highly intelligent and ambitious to be a journalist, from attending school, precisely to ensure her lack of Westernization and economic independence. He then took her, aged 16, to Pakistan for the traditional forced marriage (silence, or a lack of open objection, amounts to consent in these circumstances, according to Islamic law) to a first cousin whom she disliked from the first and who forced his attentions on her. Granted a visa to come to Britain, as if the marriage were a bona fide one—the British authorities having turned a cowardly blind eye to the real nature of such marriages in order to avoid the charge of racial discrimination—he was violent toward her.
She had two children in quick succession, both of whom were so severely handicapped that they would be bedridden for the rest of their short lives and would require nursing 24 hours a day. (For fear of giving offense, the press almost never alludes to the extremely high rate of genetic illnesses among the offspring of consanguineous marriages.) Her husband, deciding that the blame for the illnesses was entirely hers, and not wishing to devote himself to looking after such useless creatures, left her, divorcing her after Islamic custom. Her family ostracized her, having concluded that a woman whose husband had left her must have been to blame and was the next thing to a whore. She threw herself off a cliff, but was saved by a ledge.
I’ve heard a hundred variations of her emblematic story. Here, for once, are instances of unadulterated female victimhood, yet the silence of the feminists is deafening. Where two pieties—feminism and multiculturalism—come into conflict, the only way of preserving both is an indecent silence."
"This pattern of betrothal causes suffering as intense as any I know of. It has terrible consequences. One father prevented his daughter, highly intelligent and ambitious to be a journalist, from attending school, precisely to ensure her lack of Westernization and economic independence. He then took her, aged 16, to Pakistan for the traditional forced marriage (silence, or a lack of open objection, amounts to consent in these circumstances, according to Islamic law) to a first cousin whom she disliked from the first and who forced his attentions on her. Granted a visa to come to Britain, as if the marriage were a bona fide one—the British authorities having turned a cowardly blind eye to the real nature of such marriages in order to avoid the charge of racial discrimination—he was violent toward her.
She had two children in quick succession, both of whom were so severely handicapped that they would be bedridden for the rest of their short lives and would require nursing 24 hours a day. (For fear of giving offense, the press almost never alludes to the extremely high rate of genetic illnesses among the offspring of consanguineous marriages.) Her husband, deciding that the blame for the illnesses was entirely hers, and not wishing to devote himself to looking after such useless creatures, left her, divorcing her after Islamic custom. Her family ostracized her, having concluded that a woman whose husband had left her must have been to blame and was the next thing to a whore. She threw herself off a cliff, but was saved by a ledge.
I’ve heard a hundred variations of her emblematic story. Here, for once, are instances of unadulterated female victimhood, yet the silence of the feminists is deafening. Where two pieties—feminism and multiculturalism—come into conflict, the only way of preserving both is an indecent silence."
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Well, a home girl won the Miss USA contest. Congratulations Shandi! And I tell you they don't make beauty queens like they used to.
"A Republican, she told Reuters she would use her position to help explain America's involvement in Iraq. "What needed to be done had to be done," she said."
I think I'm in love.
"A Republican, she told Reuters she would use her position to help explain America's involvement in Iraq. "What needed to be done had to be done," she said."
I think I'm in love.
Good morning. I have news. They have developed a boting device that even Floridians can't screw up. Here's a pic.
Monday, April 12, 2004
I really don't know what to say. Andy Rooney makes an ass out of himself, again. It's not his assertion that American soldiers are not heroes, each and every one of them, just for being there, though I disagree with him. It's not his ignorant questions that could not be intelligently answered by soldiers far removed from the decision making apparatus that commands them.
No, it's just his asinine claim that American soldiers, who I served with, and who were quiveringly eager to be called upon to defend our shores, are somehow victims. Are there clay feet? Of course. Would many of them like to come home? Well, in the same situation, wouldn't you? Are many of them woefully unprepared for the tasks they've been assigned? As someone who has personally seen the damage the Clinton Administration did to military preparedness in this country, I can say Hell Yes!
Are they victims? Hell no, they are the proudest of citizen soldiers. People enlist for many reasons, and yes money does drive many to pledge their lives. But by the end of Basic they all serve for one reason, to serve and protect this nation with their lives. And Rooney's muddle headed assertion that the bad economy has driven the enlistment rates is the silliest thing in a silly article. Andy, do you mind if I call you Andy? The reason young men and women are enlisting in droves is because of a certain incident a few years ago. You might remember it; I'm pretty sure your network covered it. They were forcefully reminded that the tree of liberty requires the blood of its patriots as well as tyrants in order to flourish.
I was in Basic with a young banger from the streets of LA. He was the type of kid that, were it not for the Army, would have been dead or in jail before his twenty-first birthday. I asked him why he enlisted and he told me that if he was going to die, he wanted to do it for a better reason than a drive by. He turned into a fine young man, and there were several occasions when I stumbled, only to find his hand helping me up. He's an infantryman in the 101st, and I'm just a chickenblogger who's proud of him. But please Andy, neither he, nor I, need your pity.
No, it's just his asinine claim that American soldiers, who I served with, and who were quiveringly eager to be called upon to defend our shores, are somehow victims. Are there clay feet? Of course. Would many of them like to come home? Well, in the same situation, wouldn't you? Are many of them woefully unprepared for the tasks they've been assigned? As someone who has personally seen the damage the Clinton Administration did to military preparedness in this country, I can say Hell Yes!
Are they victims? Hell no, they are the proudest of citizen soldiers. People enlist for many reasons, and yes money does drive many to pledge their lives. But by the end of Basic they all serve for one reason, to serve and protect this nation with their lives. And Rooney's muddle headed assertion that the bad economy has driven the enlistment rates is the silliest thing in a silly article. Andy, do you mind if I call you Andy? The reason young men and women are enlisting in droves is because of a certain incident a few years ago. You might remember it; I'm pretty sure your network covered it. They were forcefully reminded that the tree of liberty requires the blood of its patriots as well as tyrants in order to flourish.
I was in Basic with a young banger from the streets of LA. He was the type of kid that, were it not for the Army, would have been dead or in jail before his twenty-first birthday. I asked him why he enlisted and he told me that if he was going to die, he wanted to do it for a better reason than a drive by. He turned into a fine young man, and there were several occasions when I stumbled, only to find his hand helping me up. He's an infantryman in the 101st, and I'm just a chickenblogger who's proud of him. But please Andy, neither he, nor I, need your pity.
Well, it's Monday, and it's back to work we go. No, I didn't really see a whole lot to blog about this morning. A guy bet his life savings on red in Vegas and won; that's pretty cool. I heard on the radio that the President issued Purple Hearts at Fort Hood this week-end.
The terrorists have taken more hostages in Iraq. I just heard the radio blurb on the way in to work, so I don't know much more than that so far. And I need to track down who said (either saw it on Instapundit or the NRO's the Corner) that Iran had given 80 million dollars to Sadr. So it might be time for some new ass-kickin'.
The terrorists have taken more hostages in Iraq. I just heard the radio blurb on the way in to work, so I don't know much more than that so far. And I need to track down who said (either saw it on Instapundit or the NRO's the Corner) that Iran had given 80 million dollars to Sadr. So it might be time for some new ass-kickin'.
Friday, April 09, 2004
Good Friday, and I've got a week-end off, so I'm going to be catching up on my reading. See you monday!
Thursday, April 08, 2004
Andrew Sullivan has a great letter from a Marine in Iraq. The Corps is going to step up and do us proud. Hey they're not the Army, but they're still pretty good.
Volokh's inserting some common sense in the Ashcroft anti-porn crusade. I've long been a defender of John Ashcroft, and on balance I think he's been creditable attorney general, but this is the wrong place, and the wrong time (if there is ever a good time for this). I mean, there is a war on. Does the justice department really have the resources to go after Skinemax?
Jonah Goldberg is talking about an interesting phenomenon on The Corner. It's one I've noticed as well. Not too long ago, I was reading a forum and a young woman was asking for advice on how to deal with a roommate she had just found out was a prostitute.
Now in my college years, had we found out someone we were living with was peddling it, our immediate reaction would have been to say "Cool". But this person wanted to turn her into the authorities,and there was much opinion to that effect by other posters. But the main reason was that prostitution was illegal, which somehow was enough to make it so bad that ruining a young woman's reputation and her future seemed perfectly legitimate.
I've always had a very ambivalent relationship with the law. I pay it a nodding respect, and, say in the case of speed limits, I will obey it when the penalties for breaking the law are more than I can afford. But I never mistake the law for morality. If I deem that my actions are somehow wrong, the guilt never arises because my actions were also illegal (I'm not advocating breaking the law, but I there are a lot of stupid laws on the books, and I trust my sense of right and wrong a lot more).
Now in my college years, had we found out someone we were living with was peddling it, our immediate reaction would have been to say "Cool". But this person wanted to turn her into the authorities,and there was much opinion to that effect by other posters. But the main reason was that prostitution was illegal, which somehow was enough to make it so bad that ruining a young woman's reputation and her future seemed perfectly legitimate.
I've always had a very ambivalent relationship with the law. I pay it a nodding respect, and, say in the case of speed limits, I will obey it when the penalties for breaking the law are more than I can afford. But I never mistake the law for morality. If I deem that my actions are somehow wrong, the guilt never arises because my actions were also illegal (I'm not advocating breaking the law, but I there are a lot of stupid laws on the books, and I trust my sense of right and wrong a lot more).
James S. Robbins talks about the things that have changed since 9/11 and some of the futility of the commission.
"The al Qaeda attack plan exploited our preconceptions, particularly our knowledge of what a hijacking was. Before 9/11, hijacking was largely a form of theater. Hostage takings had become well-developed rituals. Killing was usually not the hijacker's aim. Perhaps a hostage might be murdered by way of example, such as Leon Klinghoffer or Petty Officer Robert Dean Stethem. But most of the passengers were props, human shields to keep the terrorists alive during the negotiation phase. The way for innocents to get out of the situation alive was to relax, let the scene play out, and hope that if there is a rescue attempt, that none of the bad guys has a bomb. In short, cooperate, don't escalate. Don't be a hero."
This of course couldn't happen now, and right glad I am of it.
"The al Qaeda attack plan exploited our preconceptions, particularly our knowledge of what a hijacking was. Before 9/11, hijacking was largely a form of theater. Hostage takings had become well-developed rituals. Killing was usually not the hijacker's aim. Perhaps a hostage might be murdered by way of example, such as Leon Klinghoffer or Petty Officer Robert Dean Stethem. But most of the passengers were props, human shields to keep the terrorists alive during the negotiation phase. The way for innocents to get out of the situation alive was to relax, let the scene play out, and hope that if there is a rescue attempt, that none of the bad guys has a bomb. In short, cooperate, don't escalate. Don't be a hero."
This of course couldn't happen now, and right glad I am of it.
Condeleezza Rice has taken the stand before the 9/11 commision. I understand the President's reluctance in allowing his advisors to be subpoenaed, but I'm glad she did it.
I think tonight I may try to find the transcript, since every piece I've read or heard on the subject has been less than satisfactory. That assumes I can tear myself away from "Far Side of the World". I'm racing through it in anticipation of Neal Stephenson's new book, which comes out Tuesday.
I think tonight I may try to find the transcript, since every piece I've read or heard on the subject has been less than satisfactory. That assumes I can tear myself away from "Far Side of the World". I'm racing through it in anticipation of Neal Stephenson's new book, which comes out Tuesday.
Wednesday, April 07, 2004
It just keeps getting worse. Now Jimmy Breslin has been accused of faking an interview. And the media says bloggers are untrustworty. (tip o' the hat to Drudge).
So here I thought it was going to be a quiet political day. No big news, except the US kicking ass in Iraq. I like kicking ass; it's fair to say that I fully approve of the ass we are now kicking, but I didn't feel a big need to comment on it.
But then a buddy sends me this. Kerry hires online chief from MoveOn. Oh Boy. In addition to chocking a big raspberry at the campaign finance laws all the Democrats tell us are so important, it's now pretty clear that Kerry has no plans to distance himself from the far left vitriol that has been spewing from the likes of MoveOn for the past couple years. Want to say Bush is Hitler? Want to say that Donald Rumsfeld and John Ashcroft are secretly plotting to force small children and welfare mothers into sweatshops working 15 hour days while singing 'Onward Christian Soldiers'? That's okay with Kerry; just be sure to push that "D" in November.
Blech. Kerry impresses me, he consistently manages to underwhelm my expectations.
But then a buddy sends me this. Kerry hires online chief from MoveOn. Oh Boy. In addition to chocking a big raspberry at the campaign finance laws all the Democrats tell us are so important, it's now pretty clear that Kerry has no plans to distance himself from the far left vitriol that has been spewing from the likes of MoveOn for the past couple years. Want to say Bush is Hitler? Want to say that Donald Rumsfeld and John Ashcroft are secretly plotting to force small children and welfare mothers into sweatshops working 15 hour days while singing 'Onward Christian Soldiers'? That's okay with Kerry; just be sure to push that "D" in November.
Blech. Kerry impresses me, he consistently manages to underwhelm my expectations.
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
The New York review of Books may be the only place where the book reviews are better than the books. Here's a piece from a year ago, with Freeman Dyson fisking Michael Crichton.
You know, sometimes you make a point and make a point, and then somebody comes along and makes your point so well that he now completely owns it and everything you've ever said might as well have been flatulence by comparison. James Lileks takes on one of my personal demons today, the disease of irony. I've long felt that the worst affliction of my generation is the need to find irony in everything, the need to distance themselves from any position, which leads inevitably to placing every idea, no matter how good or how wrong, on the same level. And now Lileks steals my thunder so hard that he takes the lightning too.
But in the end the kerfuffle always comes down to the Clever Kids who cannot seem to process any emotion other than Bemused Ironic Distance from anyone who feels strongly about anything; when they arrive on the scene to survey the damage, their main contribution is to roll their eyes at how artlessly the dead bodies are arranged, no? You get the sense that it’s not the fact that people have erroneous positions that bothers the Clever Kids, it’s the fact that they have positions at all. The best position is no position, because then everyone’s so amusing, and really, that’s what it’s all about: standing above the fray and laughing at the people who take things so seriously. Because nothing is serious, except for certain things, and if you step out of line on those issues then you’re super-evil and you get the extra snarky scorn-sauce poured on your unflattering AP photos, and we’ll lie about you too, but hey! We lie about everyone, for fun. Eventually. Maybe. Whatever. Who cares. Do you like these shoes? They’re hot. But they pinch. Where’s the waiter?
I bow to the master.
But in the end the kerfuffle always comes down to the Clever Kids who cannot seem to process any emotion other than Bemused Ironic Distance from anyone who feels strongly about anything; when they arrive on the scene to survey the damage, their main contribution is to roll their eyes at how artlessly the dead bodies are arranged, no? You get the sense that it’s not the fact that people have erroneous positions that bothers the Clever Kids, it’s the fact that they have positions at all. The best position is no position, because then everyone’s so amusing, and really, that’s what it’s all about: standing above the fray and laughing at the people who take things so seriously. Because nothing is serious, except for certain things, and if you step out of line on those issues then you’re super-evil and you get the extra snarky scorn-sauce poured on your unflattering AP photos, and we’ll lie about you too, but hey! We lie about everyone, for fun. Eventually. Maybe. Whatever. Who cares. Do you like these shoes? They’re hot. But they pinch. Where’s the waiter?
I bow to the master.
Monday, April 05, 2004
Because I haven't been really productive lately, and this guy deserves all the attention I can throw his way (what little that is), go read Filibuster.
Man seduces his 15 year old student, and the state has to pay him. As a friend said, that guy had a good lawyer.
Funny stuff from Steyn, and true.
And I think a "Life of Bryan" style story about the "Life of Mohammed" would be hilarious.
And I think a "Life of Bryan" style story about the "Life of Mohammed" would be hilarious.
Friday, April 02, 2004
Jay Reding, has pics and short biographies of the heroes of Falluja, brave fallen, who have been spit on by various leftists as "mercenaries".
Oh, yes, they're mercenaries, driven by greed to provide food for the hungry in Iraq. And they were killed for it, and rather than the honor they deserve, many people, who would scream bloody murder if I questioned their "patriotism", are calling them the murderers.
(Hat tip to the Instapundit.)
Oh, yes, they're mercenaries, driven by greed to provide food for the hungry in Iraq. And they were killed for it, and rather than the honor they deserve, many people, who would scream bloody murder if I questioned their "patriotism", are calling them the murderers.
(Hat tip to the Instapundit.)
Thursday, April 01, 2004
I'm not sure I want to dive into the cess pit that is Democratic Underground, but you can if you want. For those who want a selection of what the "loyal opposition" feel about dead Americans, travel over to Right Wing News. They do have a link to the appropriate thread, as well as some rather sick making quotes.
Nordlinger highlights a small article from the AP. Unfortunately there's no link to the original story, but here's a quote:
"U.S. weapons hunters in Iraq have found more evidence Saddam Hussein had civilian factories able to quickly produce biological and chemical weapons, the CIA's top weapons inspector told senators yesterday."
"U.S. weapons hunters in Iraq have found more evidence Saddam Hussein had civilian factories able to quickly produce biological and chemical weapons, the CIA's top weapons inspector told senators yesterday."
