A Wednesday Warble

Nice day, today. We’ll be in the low seventies by the afternoon, so it’s warm, and breezy (as usual). Nothing much on the ol’ plate today. I may go get a haircut. Or a dog license. It’s a toss-up, at this point. If I opt for the license, I’ll have to buy a new collar to go with it, so I’ll prolly do the haircut.

Lileks has a new Screedblog up. It’s a good one, as usual. Perhaps the day will come when I’ll say “New Screedblog, don’t bother.” But I doubt it. Here’s the lede paragraph:

The story made every Blue Stater sit up straight and hiss: the mask has dropped. It’s begun. A college student at the U of Mass. requested a copy of Mao’s “Little Red Book” from the library, and was subsequently visited by Federal agents. A professor vouched for his tale. The news wires picked up the story. Blogs frothed. Columnists great and small rent their garments. Finally, the true face of Chimpy W. Pretzelchoker’s Amerikkka had shown itself. Today, goon-squads bracing innocent Mao scholars; tomorrow, the Reichstag burns. No, that was 9/11. Tomorrow, Kristallnacht! The worst has come true, and things are looking up!

And since we’re talking links…The Anchoress provided tasty links to the following two articles…and she has LOTS more!

Mark Steyn, in the Chicago Sun-Times: U.S. shouldn't have to do tap dance over bugging. Sample grafs:

It shouldn't be necessary to point out the obvious. But, unmoored from reality, wafting happily into fantasy land safe in the hermetically sealed Democrat-media bubble, Sen. Barbara Boxer and her colleagues are apparently considering impeaching the president for eavesdropping on al Qaida calls made to U.S. phone numbers. Surely, even Karl Rove can't get that lucky.

By the way, I'd love to see the witness list for that trial: Muhammad al-Jihad testifying that a week before he blows up a Bali nightclub he always makes a perfectly innocent call to his cousin in Milwaukee to ask how the kids are; Abu Musad al-Zarqawi testifying that he only called Howard Dean to issue a formal complaint about congressional Democrats stealing his rationalizations. Etc.
The Democrats and the media want to upgrade every terrorist into O.J. Simpson, insulated by legalisms and entitled to his own dream team. (Their figleaf, the court set up by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which previously denied not a single request, has turned down hundreds in the years since 9/11.) The practical effect of the Dems' approach is to extend the protections of the U.S. Constitution to any dodgy character anywhere on the planet who has a U.S. telephone number in his Rolodex.

Intel, Lies, and Treason, by Ralph Peters in the NY Post (registration required, or you could go here to avoid giving out your e-mail addy) The lede:

January 9, 2006 -- ACCORDING to the Democratic Party's leaders, we all have been betrayed by the Bush administration's Big Brother intelligence tactics as evil government operatives invaded the privacy of innocent Americans.
Stop lying. Show us the victims.

Name one honest citizen who has been targeted by our intelligence system. Name one innocent man or woman whose life has been destroyed. Come on, Nancy. Give it up, Howard. Name just one.

And then…

I worked in the intel field for 22 years and still give occasional lectures at various agencies, and the truth is that analysts and technicians work in cubicles that would make Dilbert run screaming. Recent recruiting efforts mean that more-senior officials work in cubicles, too.

Our intelligence professionals could make more money in private industry. But they serve because they believe in our country and their mission. And not one of them goes to work in the morning asking, "How can I do a bad job for my fellow citizens today? How can I subvert the Constitution?"

I’ve been trying, rather half-heartedly, to watch the Judge Sam Alito confirmation hearings on C-SPAN. Emphasis on trying. The bottom line is that I’ve been unsuccessful. I understand watching would be good for me, sorta like cod-liver oil for the brain. But I can’t seem to pay attention in my current state. Which brings us to…

Cold Update. Still here, still suffering. Yesterday morning I ruined my coffee by taking a dose of TC&F-S immediately upon waking up. Bad move. That stuff is so strong it screws up your taste buds for an hour or more. So today I opted for coffee over medicine. The coffee is nearly exhausted, so it must be time to relieve the headache and incredible congestion. Boy, will I EVER be glad when this shite runs it course…

And so it goes....