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In re the previous post, if we're all doomed, then it wouldn't hurt to look at this. Warning, very NSFW, and if you're easily offended you probably shouldn't go there. If you're warped and perverted and read comics as a kid (and anime now, not that that's related) then by all means have at it.
thanks to AndrewR
The usual suspects, up to the usual stuff. Sometimes it's hard not to think, well, we're doomed.
Man, he's like fine wine-
We went to the lodge – the 40s one, where Bogart might possibly have sat and smoked, not the spooky Overlook one - where the promise of WiFi was not fulfilled. So we played checkers until the lodge closed, then walked back up the road in the dark. Back in the cabin we played UNO, and I lost four out of five. The kid, she can play UNO. She’d be great at Monte Carlo, coolly appraising Le Chiffre. When the game was done and we were settling in for the night I decided to go shoot the exterior with the camcorder’s Nightvision feature; I so rarely get the reason to use it, I figured this was the time. Nothing like scary green reeds to say “Vacation” in the monthly family movie. I walked down to the shore, careful not to topple into the water, because that’s a stupid way to die. People don’t say it at the funeral, but they’re all thinking the same thing: idiot. When I realized that the footage would be interesting only if a pair of eyes stared back at me, I shut off the camera, and looked up. To paraphrase Dave Bowman:
My stars. It’s full of God.
I went back into the cabin, got Gnat out of bed. She held my hand as we walked around to the front; I told her to look down. We got to the middle of the lawn between the cabin and the shore, and laid down and looked up.
She gasped.
It’s so beautiful, she said. We saw the clouds of stars, the bright ones burning a billion years away, the dim pricks in the firmament that probably represented an entire galaxy, or two, and as usual you remember the wise man’s formulation: either we are alone or we are not, and either is astonishing. Although each has its own implications.
We laid in the grass for a few minutes, holding hands, looking up at the stars. Your mind goes through moods quite quickly – they’re pitiless, indifferent; they’re somehow benevolent. They’re remote but tantalizingly close. They overwhelm with their numbers, yet you can ignore them all by studying one, and giving it the full force of your conjecture. A choir of light, a million silent voices, one great chord you cannot begin to imagine – but you’d know it if you heard it.
He copies the Instaman...
Heh.
I found this nifty little piece on Rantburg, quoting the State Department's list of terrorist attacks against the U.S. from 1970 up to 9/11 (and quoted in full)-
Here is the official US State Department list of terrorist attacks for the period of 1961 - 2003. I pulled the muslim attacks up to 9-11 out of that:
Attack on the Munich Airport, February 10, 1970: Three terrorists attacked El Al passengers in a bus at the Munich Airport with guns and grenades. One passenger was killed and 11 were injured. All three terrorists were captured by airport police. The Action Organization for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for the attack.
Munich Olympic Massacre, September 5, 1972: Eight Palestinian "Black September" terrorists seized eleven Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village in Munich, West Germany. In a bungled rescue attempt by West German authorities, nine of the hostages and five terrorists were killed.
Ambassador to Sudan Assassinated, March 2, 1973: U.S. Ambassador to Sudan Cleo A. Noel and other diplomats were assassinated at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Khartoum by members of the Black September organization.
Attack and Hijacking at the Rome Airport, December 17, 1973: Five terrorists pulled weapons from their luggage in the terminal lounge at the Rome airport, killing two persons. They then attacked a Pan American 707 bound for Beirut and Tehran, destroying it with incendiary grenades and killing 29 persons, including 4 senior Moroccan officials and 14 American employees of ARAMCO. They then herded 5 Italian hostages into a Lufthansa airliner and killed an Italian customs agent as he tried to escape, after which they forced the pilot to fly to Beirut. After Lebanese authorities refused to let the plane land, it landed in Athens, where the terrorists demanded the release of 2 Arab terrorists. In order to make Greek authorities comply with their demands, the terrorists killed a hostage and threw his body onto the tarmac. The plane then flew to Damascus, where it stopped for two hours to obtain fuel and food. It then flew to Kuwait, where the terrorists released their hostages in return for passage to an unknown destination. The Palestine Liberation Organization disavowed the attack, and no group claimed responsibility for it.
Entebbe Hostage Crisis, June 27, 1976: Members of the Baader-Meinhof Group and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) seized an Air France airliner and its 258 passengers. They forced the plane to land in Uganda. On July 3 Israeli commandos successfully rescued the passengers.
Ambassador to Afghanistan Assassinated, February 14, 1979: Four Afghans kidnapped U.S. Ambassador Adolph Dubs in Kabul and demanded the release of various "religious figures." Dubs was killed, along with four alleged terrorists, when Afghan police stormed the hotel room where he was being held.
Iran Hostage Crisis, November 4, 1979: After President Carter agreed to admit the Shah of Iran into the US, Iranian radicals seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 66 American diplomats hostage. Thirteen hostages were soon released, but the remaining 53 were held until their release on January 20, 1981.
Grand Mosque Seizure, November 20, 1979: 200 Islamic terrorists seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, taking hundreds of pilgrims hostage. Saudi and French security forces retook the shrine after an intense battle in which some 250 people were killed and 600 wounded.
Assassination of Egyptian President, October 6, 1981: Soldiers who were secretly members of the Takfir Wal-Hajira sect attacked and killed Egyptian President Anwar Sadat during a troop review.
Assassination of Lebanese President, September 14, 1982: President Bashir Gemayel was assassinated by a car bomb parked outside his party’s Beirut headquarters.
Bombing of U.S. Embassy in Beirut, April 18, 1983: Sixty-three people, including the CIA’s Middle East director, were killed and 120 were injured in a 400-pound suicide truck-bomb attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
Bombing of Marine Barracks, Beirut, October 23, 1983: Simultaneous suicide truck-bomb attacks were made on American and French compounds in Beirut, Lebanon. A 12,000-pound bomb destroyed the U.S. compound, killing 242 Americans, while 58 French troops were killed when a 400-pound device destroyed a French base. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
Kidnapping of Embassy Official, March 16, 1984: The Islamic Jihad kidnapped and later murdered Political Officer William Buckley in Beirut, Lebanon. Other U.S. citizens not connected to the U.S. government were seized over a succeeding two-year period.
TWA Hijacking, June 14, 1985: A Trans-World Airlines flight was hijacked en route to Rome from Athens by two Lebanese Hizballah terrorists and forced to fly to Beirut. The eight crew members and 145 passengers were held for seventeen days, during which one American hostage, a U.S. Navy sailor, was murdered. After being flown twice to Algiers, the aircraft was returned to Beirut after Israel released 435 Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners.
Soviet Diplomats Kidnapped, September 30, 1985: In Beirut, Lebanon, Sunni terrorists kidnapped four Soviet diplomats. One was killed but three were later released.
Achille Lauro Hijacking, October 7, 1985: Four Palestinian Liberation Front terrorists seized the Italian cruise liner in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, taking more than 700 hostages. One U.S. passenger was murdered before the Egyptian government offered the terrorists safe haven in return for the hostages’ freedom.
Egyptian Airliner Hijacking, November 23, 1985: An EgyptAir airplane bound from Athens to Malta and carrying several U.S. citizens was hijacked by the Abu Nidal Group.
Airport Attacks in Rome and Vienna, December 27, 1985: Four gunmen belonging to the Abu Nidal Organization attacked the El Al and Trans World Airlines ticket counters at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport with grenades and automatic rifles. Thirteen persons were killed and 75 were wounded before Italian police and Israeli security guards killed three of the gunmen and captured the fourth. Three more Abu Nidal gunmen attacked the El Al ticket counter at Vienna’s Schwechat Airport, killing three persons and wounding 30. Austrian police killed one of the gunmen and captured the others.
Aircraft Bombing in Greece, March 30, 1986: A Palestinian splinter group detonated a bomb as TWA Flight 840 approached Athens airport, killing four U.S. citizens.
Berlin Discothèque Bombing, April 5, 1986: Two U.S. soldiers were killed and 79 American servicemen were injured in a Libyan bomb attack on a nightclub in West Berlin, West Germany. In retaliation U.S. military jets bombed targets in and around Tripoli and Benghazi.
Kidnapping of William Higgins, February 17, 1988: U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel W. Higgins was kidnapped and murdered by the Iranian-backed Hizballah group while serving with the United Nations Truce Supervisory Organization (UNTSO) in southern Lebanon.
Naples USO Attack, April 14, 1988: The Organization of Jihad Brigades exploded a car-bomb outside a USO Club in Naples, Italy, killing one U.S. sailor.
Pan Am 103 Bombing, December 21, 1988: Pan American Airlines Flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, by a bomb believed to have been placed on the aircraft by Libyan terrorists in Frankfurt, West Germany. All 259 people on board were killed.
Bombing of UTA Flight 772, September 19, 1989: A bomb explosion destroyed UTA Flight 772 over the Sahara Desert in southern Niger during a flight from Brazzaville to Paris. All 170 persons aboard were killed. Six Libyans were later found guilty in absentia and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Attempted Iraqi Attacks on U.S. Posts, January 18-19, 1991: Iraqi agents planted bombs at the U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia’s home residence and at the USIS library in Manila.
Bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina, March 17, 1992: Hizballah claimed responsibility for a blast that leveled the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, causing the deaths of 29 and wounding 242.
World Trade Center Bombing, February 26, 1993: The World Trade Center in New York City was badly damaged when a car bomb planted by Islamic terrorists exploded in an underground garage. The bomb left 6 people dead and 1,000 injured. The men carrying out the attack were followers of Umar Abd al-Rahman, an Egyptian cleric who preached in the New York City area.
Attempted Assassination of President Bush by Iraqi Agents, April 14, 1993: The Iraqi intelligence service attempted to assassinate former U.S. President George Bush during a visit to Kuwait. In retaliation, the U.S. launched a cruise missile attack 2 months later on the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Air France Hijacking, December 24, 1994: Members of the Armed Islamic Group seized an Air France Flight to Algeria. The four terrorists were killed during a rescue effort.
Attack on U.S. Diplomats in Pakistan, March 8, 1995: Two unidentified gunmen killed two U.S. diplomats and wounded a third in Karachi, Pakistan.
Kashmiri Hostage-taking, July 4, 1995: In India six foreigners, including two U.S. citizens, were taken hostage by Al-Faran, a Kashmiri separatist group. One non-U.S. hostage was later found beheaded.
Jerusalem Bus Attack, August 21, 1995: HAMAS claimed responsibility for the detonation of a bomb that killed 6 and injured over 100 persons, including several U.S. citizens.
Saudi Military Installation Attack, November 13, 1995: The Islamic Movement of Change planted a bomb in a Riyadh military compound that killed one U.S. citizen, several foreign national employees of the U.S. government, and over 40 others.
Egyptian Embassy Attack, November 19, 1995: A suicide bomber drove a vehicle into the Egyptian Embassy compound in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing at least 16 and injuring 60 persons. Three militant Islamic groups claimed responsibility.
HAMAS Bus Attack, February 26, 1996: In Jerusalem, a suicide bomber blew up a bus, killing 26 persons, including three U.S. citizens, and injuring some 80 persons, including three other US citizens.
Dizengoff Center Bombing, March 4, 1996: HAMAS and the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) both claimed responsibility for a bombing outside of Tel Aviv's largest shopping mall that killed 20 persons and injured 75 others, including 2 U.S. citizens.
West Bank Attack, May 13, 1996: Arab gunmen opened fire on a bus and a group of Yeshiva students near the Bet El settlement, killing a dual U.S./Israeli citizen and wounding three Israelis. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but HAMAS was suspected.
Zekharya Attack, June 9, 1996: Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a car near Zekharya, killing a dual U.S./Israeli citizen and an Israeli. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) was suspected.
Khobar Towers Bombing, June 25, 1996: A fuel truck carrying a bomb exploded outside the US military's Khobar Towers housing facility in Dhahran, killing 19 U.S. military personnel and wounding 515 persons, including 240 U.S. personnel. Several groups claimed responsibility for the attack.
Bombing of Archbishop of Oran, August 1, 1996: A bomb exploded at the home of the French Archbishop of Oran, killing him and his chauffeur. The attack occurred after the Archbishop's meeting with the French Foreign Minister. The Algerian Armed Islamic Group (GIA) is suspected.
Sudanese Rebel Kidnapping, August 17, 1996: Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) rebels kidnapped six missionaries in Mapourdit, including a U.S. citizen, an Italian, three Australians, and a Sudanese. The SPLA released the hostages 11 days later.
Paris Subway Explosion, December 3, 1996: A bomb exploded aboard a Paris subway train as it arrived at the Port Royal station, killing two French nationals, a Moroccan, and a Canadian, and injuring 86 persons. Among those injured were one U.S. citizen and a Canadian. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but Algerian extremists are suspected.
Egyptian Letter Bombs, January 2-13, 1997: A series of letter bombs with Alexandria, Egypt, postmarks were discovered at Al-Hayat newspaper bureaus in Washington, New York City, London, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Three similar devices, also postmarked in Egypt, were found at a prison facility in Leavenworth, Kansas. Bomb disposal experts defused all the devices, but one detonated at the Al-Hayat office in London, injuring two security guards and causing minor damage.
Tajik Hostage Abductions, February 4-17, 1997: Near Komsomolabad, Tajikistan, a paramilitary group led by Bakhrom Sodirov abducted four United Nations (UN) military observers. The victims included two Swiss, one Austrian, one Ukrainian, and their Tajik interpreter. The kidnappers demanded safe passage for their supporters from Afghanistan to Tajikistan. In four separate incidents occurring between Dushanbe and Garm, Bakhrom Sodirov and his group kidnapped two International Committee for the Red Cross members, four Russian journalists and their Tajik driver, four UNHCR members, and the Tajik Security Minister, Saidamir Zukhurov.
Empire State Building Sniper Attack, February 23, 1997: A Palestinian gunman opened fire on tourists at an observation deck atop the Empire State Building in New York City, killing a Danish national and wounding visitors from the United States, Argentina, Switzerland, and France before turning the gun on himself. A handwritten note carried by the gunman claimed this was a punishment attack against the "enemies of Palestine."
Israeli Shopping Mall Bombing, September 4, 1997: Three suicide bombers of HAMAS detonated bombs in the Ben Yehuda shopping mall in Jerusalem, killing eight persons, including the bombers, and wounding nearly 200 others. A dual U.S./Israeli citizen was among the dead, and 7 U.S. citizens were wounded.
Murder of U.S. Businessmen in Pakistan, November 12, 1997: Two unidentified gunmen shot to death four U.S. auditors from Union Texas Petroleum Corporation and their Pakistani driver after they drove away from the Sheraton Hotel in Karachi. The Islami Inqilabi Council, or Islamic Revolutionary Council, claimed responsibility in a call to the U.S. Consulate in Karachi. In a letter to Pakistani newspapers, the Aimal Khufia Action Committee also claimed responsibility.
Tourist Killings in Egypt, November 17, 1997: Al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya (IG) gunmen shot and killed 58 tourists and four Egyptians and wounded 26 others at the Hatshepsut Temple in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor. Thirty-four Swiss, eight Japanese, five Germans, four Britons, one French, one Colombian, a dual Bulgarian/British citizen, and four unidentified persons were among the dead. Twelve Swiss, two Japanese, two Germans, one French, and nine Egyptians were among the wounded.
Somali Hostage-takings, April 15, 1998: Somali militiamen abducted nine Red Cross and Red Crescent workers at an airstrip north of Mogadishu. The hostages included a U.S. citizen, a German, a Belgian, a French, a Norwegian, two Swiss, and one Somali. The gunmen were members of a sub-clan loyal to Ali Mahdi Mohammed, who controlled the northern section of the capital.
U.S. Embassy Bombings in East Africa, August 7, 1998: A bomb exploded at the rear entrance of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, killing 12 U.S. citizens, 32 Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs), and 247 Kenyan citizens. Approximately 5,000 Kenyans, 6 U.S. citizens, and 13 FSNs were injured. The U.S. Embassy building sustained extensive structural damage. Almost simultaneously, a bomb detonated outside the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing 7 FSNs and 3 Tanzanian citizens, and injuring 1 U.S. citizen and 76 Tanzanians. The explosion caused major structural damage to the U.S. Embassy facility. The U.S. Government held Usama Bin Laden responsible.
Kidnappings in Kyrgyzstan, August 12, 2000: In the Kara-Su Valley, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan took four U.S. citizens hostage. The Americans escaped on August 12.
Church Bombing in Tajikistan, October 1, 2000: Unidentified militants detonated two bombs in a Christian church in Dushanbe, killing seven persons and injuring 70 others. The church was founded by a Korean-born U.S. citizen, and most of those killed and wounded were Korean. No one claimed responsibility.
Attack on U.S.S. Cole, October 12, 2000: In Aden, Yemen, a small dingy carrying explosives rammed the destroyer U.S.S. Cole, killing 17 sailors and injuring 39 others. Supporters of Usama Bin Laden were suspected.
Manila Bombing, December 30, 2000: A bomb exploded in a plaza across the street from the U.S. Embassy in Manila, injuring nine persons. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front was likely responsible.
Srinagar Airport Attack and Assassination Attempt, January 17, 2001: In India, six members of the Lashkar-e-Tayyba militant group were killed when they attempted to seize a local airport. Members of Hizbul Mujaheddin fired two rifle grenades at Farooq Abdullah, Chief Minister for Jammu and Kashmir. Two persons were wounded in the unsuccessful assassination attempt.
Suicide Bombing in Israel, March 4, 2001: A suicide bomb attack in Netanya killed 3 persons and wounded 65. HAMAS later claimed responsibility.
Airliner Hijacking in Istanbul, March 15, 2001: Three Chechens hijacked a Russian airliner during a flight from Istanbul to Moscow and forced it to fly to Medina, Saudi Arabia. The plane carried 162 passengers and a crew of 12. After a 22-hour siege during which more than 40 passengers were released, Saudi security forces stormed the plane, killing a hijacker, a passenger, and a flight attendant.
Bus Stop Bombing, April 22, 2001: A member of HAMAS detonated a bomb he was carrying near a bus stop in Kfar Siva, Israel, killing one person and injuring 60.
Philippines Hostage Incident, May 27, 2001: Muslim Abu Sayyaf guerrillas seized 13 tourists and 3 staff members at a resort on Palawan Island and took their captives to Basilan Island. The captives included three U.S. citizens: Guellermo Sobero and missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham. Philippine troops fought a series of battles with the guerrillas between June 1 and June 3 during which 9 hostages escaped and two were found dead. The guerrillas took additional hostages when they seized the hospital in the town of Lamitan. On June 12, Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Sabaya claimed that Sobero had been killed and beheaded; his body was found in October. The Burnhams remained in captivity until June 2002.
Tel-Aviv Nightclub Bombing, June 1, 2001: HAMAS claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing of a popular Israeli nightclub that caused over 140 casualties.
HAMAS Restaurant Bombing, August 9, 2001: A HAMAS-planted bomb detonated in a Jerusalem pizza restaurant, killing 15 people and wounding more than 90. The Israeli response included occupation of Orient House, the Palestine Liberation Organization’s political headquarters in East Jerusalem.
Suicide Bombing in Israel, September 9, 2001: The first suicide bombing carried out by an Israeli Arab killed 3 persons in Nahariya. HAMAS claimed responsibility.
Death of "the Lion of the Panjshir", September 9, 2001: Two suicide bombers fatally wounded Ahmed Shah Massoud, a leader of Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance, which had opposed both the Soviet occupation and the post-Soviet Taliban government. The bombers posed as journalists and were apparently linked to al-Qaida. The Northern Alliance did not confirm Massoud’s death until September 15.
Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Homeland, September 11, 2001: Two hijacked airliners crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Soon thereafter, the Pentagon was struck by a third hijacked plane. A fourth hijacked plane, suspected to be bound for a high-profile target in Washington, crashed into a field in southern Pennsylvania. The attacks killed 3,025 U.S. citizens and other nationals. President Bush and Cabinet officials indicated that Usama Bin Laden was the prime suspect and that they considered the United States in a state of war with international terrorism. In the aftermath of the attacks, the United States formed the Global Coalition Against Terrorism.
Think we're not at war?
The guy who makes my brain hurt, Steven den Beste, has popped up with a response to the accusations against Israel, and, as usual, hits one totally out of the park-
Industrial war can be summed up this way: God fights on the side which has the biggest pile of ammunition and the fastest rate of replacement of expended ammunition. Like any general principle it's not absolutely unconditionally true, but that's the norm.
In response, two new strategic doctrines of war were developed to make it possible for small logistically-poor forces to contend against large logistically-rich forces without getting instantly crushed: guerrilla warfare and terrorist warfare. Both of them seek to nullify the logistical advantage of their richer opponents by maintaining initiative, so as to control the tempo of the war at a level low enough to not exhaust the logistics of the poorer side. For the rest of this discussion I'll be concentrating on guerrillas.
Guerrillas hide among civilians, and only come out and form up when they choose to fight. The rest of the time they're invisible, which makes it impossible for their rich opponent to find them.
It's possible for guerrillas to win directly, but the doctrine doesn't assume that to be the only way victory can be achieved. The idea is to try to fight a long slow war and to build strength. Guerrillas try to maintain a force-in-being, and concentrate heavily on propaganda. By so doing they try to wear out their opponent, try to rally supporters, and try to find patrons elsewhere to support the fight. When handled ideally all these begin slow but increase in effectiveness as time goes on. As their strength builds, they can make more attacks, and get more headlines. The other side's war weariness grows. Patrons see the guerrillas winning and are more enthusiastic about providing more and better weapons and supplies to help them. Locals see them winning and are more likely to join or otherwise support them.
Anyone recognize Hezbollah in what I just wrote? That's what they've been trying to do in Lebanon. They haven't been trying for a single big set-piece battle to defeat Israel; instead they've been building their strength slowly over time. In fact, it's not even clear that Hezbollah is trying to win against Israel; their primary goal at this time may be to try to dominate Lebanon. But for political reasons, making ostentatious attacks against Israel has served them well in propaganda terms, and as a result of their general successes over the course of a few years their strength and prestige has been growing, leading to more support (or at least tacit acceptance) in Lebanon, and more logistical support from Syria and Iran. When there was a bloodless revolt in Lebanon against Syrian domination, Hezbollah emerged as one of the major power brokers and had to be included in the ruling coalition there.
Money quote:
...war isn't about fairness. But that's what they were really saying. Hezbollah did make a major mistake in that attack, because they had developed to the point where they actually presented a target Israel could fight against at a tempo Israel could sustain but Hezbollah could not. Israel had the opportunity to crush Hezbollah, but Olmert lost his nerve.
RTWT for sure so your brain will hurt like mine. It is so sad that this fine voice has been nearly stilled by his illness- we need thinking like this now more than ever.
Thanks to Glenn for the head's-up.
Iowahawk uncovers the truly pathetic, heartbreaking story...
"Israeli Airstrike Leaves Reuters Ambulance in Flames, Chopped, Channeled"
The penalty for being 20 years ahead of your time, via John Derbyshire
Comedy gold. Do you think we should ever trust the media again? After all, there was all that cannibalism in the Superdome last year...
If this is really true, I'll be a shocked as Ace is. Maybe more. File under the "stuff you kinda assumed was true but can't believe ABC would actually come out and say it".
And Orsen Scott Card said it.
...is cool
Like I have said before, just because it's pretty.
The Anchoress reminds us that there are some clear-thinking and prescient men out there. I read him 
every day, of course.
...and if you read through the comments here you'll see what I mean. We did not create this climate of fear, we're merely reacting to it. People of color and guilty whites need to get over themselves.
This is a test post with Microsoft Writer. It should be interesting if this thing works as advertised.... OK, now let's see how the formatting works. This could change the way TechnoChitlins works! This is what Micro$oft says-
For the blogging aficionado who spends hours tweaking his or her blog using a browser-based text editor, publishing may have just gotten easier with Microsoft's new publishing tool.
Named Live Writer, the new WYSIWYG editor is still in beta, but so far it’s been well received by initial users.
Live Writer is designed to look much like Microsoft Word, so a simple highlight and a click on the desired text is all that is required to make changes.
“If you’re a power blogger I think Write will be a helpful application, being able to save drafts and organize work," said Charlene Li, devices analyst for Forrester Research.
We'll see I guess...
Another home run, by Gerard. I should be jealous of how well he writes, but the sheer beauty of it won't allow that. RTWT.
As a religion Freedom has been gaining converts since the success of the American Revolution enabled it to go forth and be preached to the world. Freedom is easily the most popular of the new religions and historically converts nearly 100% of all populations in which it is allowed to take firm root. This is the religion which we have lately brought to Iraq.
This is depressing, but probably true. That guy I never link to has some cogent thoughts (and I never thought I'd say that) about Iran-
The only possible military solution would be a punishing and inhumane aerial bombing campaign to destroy not only all of Iran's military capabilities, and known nuclear laboratories, but all centers of state control and economic production as well. This would be accompanied by a ground invasion, not an occupation -- a blitz of tanks and APCs moving in long columns to seize as much of Iran's nuclear equipment and materiel as possible, and capture what few scientists we could before they were all smuggled out of the country to be given safe haven with Al Qaeda. That's not quite as scary a prospect as it may seem, as scientists still need a state funded laboratory to build a nuke.
After accomplishing those limited goals, we'd exit, or at least retreat to bases inside the country to let the Iranian civil war fight itself out. Of course we'd assist by arming the moderates and bombing the radicals, but essentailly we'd let them butcher each other until they themselves had won their own war. No more exchaning American lives for foreign Islamic lives; quite frankly, not only is the trade not worth it, but we just don't have enough American lives to spare.
Would that work? I think it's got a decent chance of working; a state essentially knocked back into pre-industrial, pre-modern economic squalor and civil war won't have the resources, or the organization, to continue threatening the world.
The one drawback is that if it fails, we have given Iran all the pretext it needs to nuke our cities, but this is mitigated by the fact that they don't need an pretext, and are going to use the bomb as soon as they get a dozen of them anyway.
It would be a decent plan, if not for the fact that America simply will never agree to it. It would be a nasty thing but, from our perspective, a relatively painless thing, but I doubt the American people are willing to take the necessary steps to ensure their own survival at this point.
There are too many in this country who are determined to take the course of appeasement, and take a wait-and-see-attitude about whether or not America is really all the poorer for losing three or four of its greatest cities.
So, the one conjecture is this: Iran is getting the bomb, and they're going to use the bomb, and there's not a damn thing we will do about it.
After this happens, which it will, conservatives can reap the political rewards of it all, and perhaps finally have a nation where appeasement of bloody-minded apocalyptic death-cult maniacs is finally discredited, and we finally comprehend this isn't all just some neocon Cowboy fantasy.
But I'd have preferred such a situation without having to lose New York City. I like the city well enough, and love several of the people there, but it seems that there are some quite willing to accept its extirpation from the face of the earth if it buys them a little temporary convenience, a little temporary "peace," a little temporary goodwill from Europe, and a little temporary preening that we are "better" than our enemies, though not, alas, as many as we once were.
I can't disagree. Pamela, I'll miss you. Come visit Mobile; we don't have the Yankees but, well, we don't have the Yankees.
No wonder the Islamonazis are terrified
The Lovely and Talented Pamela, bikini-vlogging from the beach! Gawd I love the blogosphere...
Happy birthday to me! I've now learned, through the magic of Google, that the potato chip was invented on this day in 1853. This dispells the gloom of the other event tied to August 24- the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius, which buried Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Hmm, herculaneum. Sounds like a new kind of floor tile.
UPDATE: Dang, those Romans were a horny bunch. Heh©.
A thoughtful post from the Dinocrat, a blogger I've just recently discovered. His insight puts me in mind of the best of Steven den Beste. Marvelous!
Some interesting thoughts on China and Iran. None of this sounds good for us either way.
It seems that the ideas put forth in Glenn Reynolds' book An Army of Davids have stung some in big government, which in my mind is a good thing. Money quote:
Reader Bill O'Neill found something else to object to:
Even more characteristic of government bureaucrats than the (now corrected) error in your university is the following sentence from the review you linked:
"I was intrigued by the notion of who might want to beat big government -- usually only tax cheats and other criminals are interested in that kind of racket."
Do you think this pompous bozo believes he works for us, the taxpayers?
Yes, quite a few people found that sentence both revealing and objectionable. (Though I should note that Govt. Executive is published for government employees, but not by government employees). But Shoop did send me a non-pompous email on the error: "Jeez, that was a dumb mistake. My apologies. I’ll correct it."
Quick correction is characteristic of the blogosphere and the Army of Davids, so maybe there's hope for him yet.
But never think they don't hate it when we pay attention to them.
Mmm... somebody in Tennessee has, uh, issues.
"My ugly came out."
Why, yes it did. Too bad hubby didn't survive it.
Sometimes a rant is just so good, so delicious, it deserves a link for no other reason than, well, it's legendary.
Who knew?
...and Blue. Dang, those Zionists are clever! Too clever by half, I think.
Seriously, this is great out-of-the-box thinking.
Mmm-kay, something broke the blog. I'll work on it later.
UPDATE: It was the Cthulu post; something in the code there broke MT. Oh well.
For Steve and Olaf. Sadly, Daniel Pearl comes to mind...
via Hot Air
courtesy UK Telegraph and Ace
I suspected this already, but it's good to see folk with a rep to lose are willing to back their words with deeds. Refreshing, that. A relevant quote:
On the other hand, I generally assume cool people are Republican or at least not anti-American or ultralefty and relatively sane. It's always a disappointment to find out they're not.
Dr. Helen speaks truth to power. Funny, because I prefer my ladies have their own mind and don't blindly follow the latest fembot meme...
Mmm-kay. I am employed again, but everybody is going to hate me and I'm not being paid. Or at least that's how it sounds right now. The inveterate handyman, or so it seems. He dances, he juggles! He'll show you how to reboot your PC! (That originally got typed as PFC and I'm not sure that's wrong.) Plus, I'm now a Master Sergeant in the battlegrounds! (In joke- if it doesn't make sense, don't ask, you'll be terminally bored.)
Interesting concept this- work for just enough to pay for the gas to get to and from there. But I'll be among the l33t!
This is totally bizarre. My my, could it be that the case against Limbaugh was, ahem, politically motivated? Perish the thought!
UPDATE: Wow. A Google search has turned up absolutely no references on the web to Michael Reiter, State Attorney Bruce Krischer, or anyone else involved, just hit pieces on Rush. Either Ace and Fox have completely missed the boat or there's something big going on. Developing...
Glenn has a cogent and timely question- "Can a free press survive if the public concludes that it's in the business of purveying politically motivated propaganda on behalf of civilization's enemies? And, if this kind of thing keeps up, will people be able to resist coming to such a conclusion?"
Are you there yet? I am. I don't believe a damn thing I see on any MSM website or hear on TV- Fox included- because they have completely lost any objectivity or willingness to see that there might be more than one side to a question. Joseph Goebbels would be proud- but I bet most that read this would have to google him to understand what I'm talking about.
If I sound disgusted it's because I am.
