Kerry's Contempt...and...Winter Approaches!

John F(rickin’). Kerry, at Pasadena City College yesterday, during a campaign rally for Phil Angelides, Democrat candidate for CA governor:

“You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”

And the audience’s reaction? From the San Gabriel Valley Tribune: “ ‘If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq,’ he said to a mixture of laughter and gasps.” I’d really like to know what the laughter/gasp mix was…25/75? 50/50? 60/40? 75/25? God only knows, but some of us have our suspicions. These were Democrats, after all.

Still and even…a slip of the tongue is revealing, no? This from the man who fancies himself as Commander-in-Chief. Call it what you will, I say it’s contempt. Sorta like being in uniform and tossing “your” medals over the White House fence; that kind of contempt. Or not. Or maybe. Whatever. That sort of thing.

Folks with more on the subject: The American Thinker, Captain Ed, Michelle Malkin, Cassandra. The American Thinker’s post is brief and has a couple of good quotes and links on Liberal/elite thought on the military. When (not if, trust me) you go over to Cassandra’s place, scroll down and read her cheerleading for the Jarhead Valour IT team. Pretty funny stuff, that. She’s a great Team Leader!

From Brit Hume’s Special Report:

If you are a satanist or pagan in prison in Great Britain — you get Halloween off. The Daily Mail cites official documents saying devil worshipers and other devotees of the dark side will be excused from their work assignments tomorrow out of respect for their religious beliefs — and so the government won't be sued.

Pagans can choose two days off per year from eight of their festivals. Christians can have three days off — Christmas, Good Friday and Easter. Muslims get 26 days off — including all of Ramadan.

Interesting, eh? What struck me as odd, however, is the great disparity in days off granted to Muslims and those given to others. Just sayin’.

Pat Santy has a lengthy but interesting post up about the Democrats and the election. An excerpt:

The exception that the political left wants to make sure all of you retards out there are perfectly clear about is this: They want you to think that the only way the Republicans could keep their majority; the only way the Democrats would not "sweep" and take over in the 2006 midterm elections next week is...wait for it...if the Republicans cheated.

The first meme was simply annoying. The giddy self-congratulations; the constant reaffirmations by this and that poll, dutifully reported in the Democratic propaganda outlets at the Times and Post. The never-ending dissection of the public's obvious dissatisfaction with all things Bush and Republican.

The interesting thing about Dr. Santy’s blog is the perspective she brings to any issue, that being, of course, the perspective of the mental health professional. One of her recurring memes is the fact the far-left fringe is mentally ill. I believe it. Case in point: The moonbats are already making noises about election fraud, and it ain’t limited to one or two nutcases. The interesting thing is the moonbats aren’t waiting until after the election to claim fraud like they did in 2000 and 2004. Nope…they’ve learned at least one thing from Dubya: pre-emption. Dr. Santy has links…lotsa links!

Flirting with the freeze…It was 34 degrees out when I woke up this morning, and the furnace has been kicking on and off all morning. It’s gonna get down to 32 this evening, supposedly. Ah, winter approaches. Or what passes for winter in these parts. Which, as you may know, is alright with me! Now, all that said, it does get cold here. Today’s Pic provides visible proof. Christmas Day, 2002.

Some Things I Learned This Weekend...

Lileks’ Newhouse column (the nationally syndicated one) is out, and he gives us a view of the First 100 Days if Democrats win:

Some on the left believe this election has been stolen in advance. Races are tightening, as they always do - ergo the fix is in. What to do?

Braving the inevitable midnight knock on the door, Lyn Davis Lear, the wife of activist/TV genius Norman Lear, proposed on the Huffington Post blog that angry citizens "take it to the streets" if the sweet anticipated victory is snatched away by the Cheneyburton overlords. Lear quoted Gore Vidal's dark view: If the election went against them, "the Bush-Cheney henchmen could simply call on martial law." No doubt. One last election, a few cleansing rounds from the Brownshirt burp guns, and it's the Reich Stuff for us and our descendants.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) gave an interview in which she set forth the broad new agenda, just in case martial law is not declared:

"The gavel of the speaker of the House is in the hands of special interests, and now it will be in the hands of America's children." (Make them wash off the jam first.) She went on: "I don't mean to imply my male colleagues will have any less integrity... . But I don't know that a man can say that as easily as a woman can."

Without bursting into laughter?

It’s typical James: funny and on-point. Brief, too.

In the “Well, It’s About Time!” department…there’s this lil screed in the Boston Herald: “Grammar: It’s good for you.” The lede grafs:

The Washington Post says it’s spotted a trend: High schools in the D.C. area are teaching grammar more than they used to. If true, this trend - admittedly slow - is worth a few cheers.

For several decades grammar was de-emphasized. The National Council of Teachers of English in 1985 actually discouraged drills in grammar on the alleged grounds that they were “a deterrent to the improvement of students’ speaking and writing.”

Far from it. Good grammar brings to writing of any kind the clarity and precision that are the foundations for all other effects and techniques such as argument, narration and description. In the long run, command of grammar can enhance ambiguity and muddle, the opposites of clarity and precision, if that’s what the writer intends. (Artists and craftsmen have to master the rules before they can know when and how to break them. Picasso was a highly skilled draftsman, something not always apparent in his greatest work.)

Amen. “Clarity and precision,” God knows we need a LOT more of that! One of the things that never ceased to amaze me in my business career (as opposed to my Air Force career) was that highly-educated techies just can not write. I was fortunate to be associated with some brilliant technical minds during my career in IT… Hell, I’ll even go so far as to say these folks were brilliant, period.

But.

Could they write? Not only no, but Hell, No! I suppose I should be grateful, because my peers’ inability to string three sentences together into one coherent thought was the basis for my semi-success in the business world. In the beginning I made damned good money translating incoherent geek-speak into plain English, and that skill was the jumping-off point for bigger and better things later in my career. Still, and even, it’s good to see the flash of recognition in our educators that grammar matters. More power to ‘em!

I learned a couple of things this weekend, courtesy of C-SPAN2’s “Book-TV” series of interviews and speeches. First and foremost, I learned Scott Ritter is still a “useful idiot,” perhaps even more so than he’s previously demonstrated. Mr. Ritter has a new book out, and the subject matter is all about the coming war with Iran. I had the dubious pleasure of watching Ritter and Seymour Hersh pontificate on the evils of the BushCheneyHalliburton regime in a rather lengthy Book-TV presentation given in New York City on October 16^th. And I was appalled. How two intelligent individuals can be SO wrong is just beyond me. And Ritter is a sarcastic sumbitch, too. The audio transcript of this program is available here. And just for grins and giggles, here are the folks that sponsored this event:

The program was presented by The Nation Institute. Cosponsored by The New York Society for Ethical Culture, Democrats.com, and the Public Concern Foundation, and was taped before a live audience on Monday, October 16, 2006.

‘Nuff said, eh? I don’t know exactly why you’d want to listen to such drivel, but Hey! It’s good to know what the moonbats are up to, no?

Speaking of moonbats, I also learned George McGovern is still in that category. I won’t call Senator McGovern an idiot because I believe the Senator is a patriot and he’s sincere in his beliefs, wrong-headed as they may be. He also has a new book out, and his subject matter is a plan for withdrawal from Iraq.

Out of Iraq: A Practical Plan for Withdrawal Now
from October 29, 2006
George McGovern and William Polk argue that the war in Iraq is too expensive and outline a plan to bring U.S. troops home. They describe the plan as a gradual one that doesn't involve cutting and running or deserting the Iraqi people. Mr. McGovern and Mr. Polk explain why they feel that Iraq was not a mortal threat prior to the invasion and detail the longterm effects of guerilla warfare. This event was hosted by the National Arts Club in New York City.

As I said, wrong-headed. But sincere. Senator McGovern and his co-author, Mr. Polk, were a lot easier to listen to than that idiot Ritter. Just sayin’.

And finally…C-SPAN wasn’t all bad this weekend. I was privileged to watch Ilario Pantano deliver one of the best speeches/talks on the war I’ve ever seen, period. Here’s the program capsule, as found on the Book-TV web site:

Warlord: No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy
from October 29, 2006
Ilario Pantano argues that the U.S., as a society, has moved away from embracing offensive warfare. He says that in Iraq and Afghanistan, because of moral and political considerations, the U.S. military has restrained itself from completely destroying the enemy and winning the war. Mr. Pantano also argues that the volume of media coverage of the war on terror has overwhelmed the American public's ability to process what is happening. As a result, he says, an increasing number of people are tuning out the war. This talk was hosted by the John Locke Foundation in Wilmington, North Carolina.

I looked high and low for a link to a podcast or video of Mr. Pantano’s presentation but was unsuccessful. Aside from the summary above, Mr. Pantano is a forceful advocate for crying havoc and unleashing the dogs of war. If I become aware of a scheduled re-broadcast of this lecture/talk, I’ll post it. Because it really should be seen, heard, and taken to heart.

Today’s Pic: More Plane Pr0n, this time an F-84F from the AF Armament Museum’s static display collection. Eglin AFB, FL - November, 1999.

Fall Back

Didja Fall Back? I did. I’ve reset two of the three electronic clocks in El Casa Móvil De Pennington, to wit, the coffee pot and the microwave. I’ll have to dig out the DVD player’s manual to reset that clock as it’s more involved than the others. But, none the less, the time change has been made, for better or worse. Worse, in my book. I hate it when it gets dark at 1700.

I woke up sorta early this morning, but blew it by returning to my warm and cozy bed while the coffee was brewing. Two hours later I woke up again. I poured and consumed two cups of slightly burnt coffee before I thought “why am I drinking bad coffee?” and lit off another pot. The answer to that rhetorical question, if you’re at all curious, is that I’m a cheap bastard frugal individual. Mom always said “waste not, want not.” It’s really hard for me to overcome those lil homilies that were beaten into my head oh-so-many years ago. But sometimes I do…

Dick Armey is a smart man and, along with Newt Gingrich, he was a key architect and player in the 1994 Republican rout of the Democratic Congress. Everyone who is anyone is pontificating on the widely-predicted but yet-to-materialize Republican rout next week. Armey is no exception. He has an op-ed in yesterday’s WaPo titled “Where We Went Wrong,” and he’s pretty much right on the money. A key graf:

How can the Republicans respond?

The leadership must remember that the modern conservative movement is a fusion of social and fiscal conservatives united in their belief in limited government. The party must keep both in the fold. Republicans also need to get back to being the party of big ideas. The greatest threat to American prosperity today is a catastrophic fiscal meltdown resulting from long-term entitlements. Democrats have already lined up behind the solution of raising taxes and reducing benefits. But Americans want more freedom and choice in education, health care and retirement security. Republicans -- too busy dreaming up wedge issues to score cheap points against Democrats -- have lost sight of their broad national agenda.

When he says “fiscal conservatives,” that would be me. I’m not at all in tune with the social conservatives…as a matter of fact I find the social conservative agenda generally off-putting (with a couple of exceptions). But that’s another story, one I may explore someday, but not now. Were these “normal” times I’d sign on to a “throw the bums out” revolution. The Republicans have done little or nothing to advance the small government, fiscally responsible ideal fiscal conservatives, including me, believe in. They have, in fact, pissed me off mightily. But these are not normal times, this is war time. And the only alternative to the Republicans is the Democrats. The key being, of course, is that the Democrats are not a viable alternative. Based, you know, on what they say.

A common response when one is faced with a bad situation that seems intractable is to shrug your shoulders and say “Well, it could be worse.” Yes, it could indeed be worse. And there’s a pretty damned good chance things will get worse. One hopes not.

And while I’m on about what Democrats say, there’s this op-ed (“What Democrats Would Do”) in yesterday’s WaPo, as well:

But with it looking increasingly as if Democrats, after 12 years in the minority, will take over the House at least, it's worth looking at their stated agenda -- "A New Direction for America" -- for a glimpse at what a Democratic majority might entail.

On national security, the House Democrats' plan offers more goals than details. Who could disagree with promises to "eliminate Osama Bin Laden, destroy terrorist networks like al-Qaeda, finish the job in Afghanistan and end the threat posed by the Taliban" or "redouble efforts to stop nuclear weapons development in Iran and North Korea?" But the hard part -- on which Democrats offer no details -- is how that is to be done.

On Iraq in particular, the agenda calls for "the responsible redeployment of U.S. forces," with "Iraqis assuming primary responsibility for securing and governing their country." Again, what's missing are the details of what "responsible redeployment" might look like. "Insist that Iraqis make the political compromises necessary to unite their country and defeat the insurgency," the Democrats say. Okay, what if that insistence doesn't yield the desired result?

Precisely. While “the responsible redeployment of U.S. forces” has a much nicer ring than, say, “cut and run,” there is little or no difference in the intent of the two terms. Both mean we’ve lost the will to prevail. Both are prescriptions for defeat, either immediately or deferred for a short period of time, depending on how much time we allocate for the “responsible redeployment.” Of course, it remains to be seen how a Democratic majority could actually enforce a “responsible redeployment.” The Republicans, after all, will still define and implement policy. But policy requires funding, and funding would be the Democrats’ trump card. Under funding the war effort would require a redeployment of forces, or other cut-backs in on-going operations. And then there’s the specter of all those investigations a Democratic majority would launch, and the chaos, finger pointing, and distractions from the real job at hand, which, of course, is winning the frickin’ war. The Democrats proposed approach simply doesn’t wash with me. And yeah, I’m a “single-issue voter.” National security is my issue, and the Republicans seem better equipped to deal with it.

There’s more in that op-ed other than Iraq. The Post’s bottom line is the Dems are all about focus-group approved rhetoric but short on real ideas. I agree with them completely, and that doesn’t happen very often.

The WSJ put up a similar editorial yesterday, too, titled “The Non-Contract with America,” and although it says a lot of the same things the WaPo does, I believe the WSJ editorial staff says those things better. But then again, I nearly always agree with the WSJ. Surprised?

OK, all that said, I’ll be damned glad when the election is over, regardless of who wins. I’m sick to death of watching the same political ads over and over and over again, ad nauseam. We say the same things each political season about how low the ads have gone, deplore the mud-slinging, and all that. But this year it really is getting to me. I’d love to see just one clever political advertisement. Just one. Fat chance.

Today’s Pic: After their fourth or fifth Labatts, the Boys decided to serenade the ladies with an a cappella rendition of “Cielito Lindo.” 03/2000, Brownsville, TX.

At the Half

The Boat School is making a game of it: ND 24, Boat School 14. It’s closer than the score indicates. Navy (there: I said “Navy”) has a strong running game and ND is having a hard time stopping it. Both defenses are struggling, however. The first and only punt in the half came with about 15 seconds left—Navy had to punt it away after their first unsuccessful series.

Still. Not to worry. Despite the Boat School’s best efforts, ND will pull away in the second half. Karnak sez so.

Snake-Bit

What is it with Detroit’s teams this year? The President’s Trophy-winning Red Wings—first round exit in the play-offs. The Pistons, with the best record in the NBA, lose in the Conference Finals. And now the Tigers. But at least the Tigers made it to the World Series. Mitch Albom:

Forget those foolish predictions, or the Tigers being heavy favorites. St. Louis won because it delivered good, steady play. Detroit lost because it delivered only steady drama -- of its own making. Five errors by pitchers, all of them costly, is not how you want to be remembered. Going empty at the plate when runners are in scoring position -- Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco -- is not how you want to be remembered. Making your first baseman play Gumby is not how you want to be remembered.

Enough. It was time to end this. These were two terrific teams, but only the Cardinals played terrifically. The Tigers played as if the magic rubbed off during the joyous celebration of their sweep over the Athletics two weeks ago.

After that, they sat. They practiced. They sat. They did interviews. It was too long. Their angels seemed to get bored. By the time the Series started, those angels had taken flight, and their synchronicity was gone. They played most of the World Series like a drummer who never found the beat.

Eight unearned runs? Eight errors in five games?

"We don't really single out any area," a glum Jim Leyland told the TV cameras. "It starts with the manager. I didn't have my club prepared to play good enough. ... We have no excuses."

He's right. No excuses.

They didn't lose to a better team. They lost to a team that played better.

He’s right. Congratulations to the Cardinals. They deserve it.

As for me, I pretty much abandoned last night’s game after Detroit’s fourth inning debacle. SN1, he of the NHL’s Center Ice TV package, called to give me an update on the Wings – Stars game (just after Verlander’s error to third), which was being played in Dallas. “Hmmm,” sez I, “…in Dallas? Cool!” Meaning: the game should be available to me, and Lo! It was. So it was mostly hockey for the rest of the evening, with visits to the baseball game during hockey commercial breaks, between the second and third periods, and after the game was over. I caught the bottom of the eighth and the top of the ninth, plus the victory celebrations. {sigh}

Oh, yeah…the Wings won, 4-3.

So…today is football, last night will fade like a bad dream, and Notre Dame will continue to humble The Boat School on the Severn. Some things remain the same.

(photo: Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press)

A Massive Disappointment and Other Things

A week ago today I wrote:

So. The Cardinals are on their way to Detroit. All the pundits are calling the series for Detroit, and most are saying this will be a short, very short series. Those predictions give me cause for worry (Hey! This is DETROIT—home of the inexplicable post-season collapse), but, yeah, I gotta agree. On paper, and on the field for both the Division series and the ALCS, the Tigers are and were impressive.

My fears have come to pass. While this isn’t an “inexplicable post-season collapse” such as those demonstrated by the Red Wings (i.e., repeated first-round exits in the play offs), it’s damned hard to explain all the errors the Tigers have committed and their dearth of hitting (until last evening). It’s hard, if not impossible, to see the Tigers as World Series champions after last night’s debacle. Detroit’s hitters finally showed up, but once again, sloppy play in the form of another fielding error by a pitcher sealed the Tigers’ fate. So, the Tigers are down 3-1. Like I said, it don’t look good for the Tigers. But. Remember 1968? It can be done! Lightning just has to strike the same place twice.

More on The Beeb’s bias, or lack of same (?)… This past Tuesday, Helen Boaden, Director of BBC News, published a rebuttal to that Daily Mail editorial I linked concerning BBC bias. Not surprisingly, Ms. Boaden refuted the claims made by the Daily Mail.

The main thing is, however, they were both giving their personal opinions. That is entirely their right and what they had been asked to do in the interests of discussion. I disagree with them. I found their claim of liberal bias unconvincing – based on anecdote and attitude rather than evidence.

The BBC employs more than 20,000 people across the UK. It is not a chattering class club of the kind depicted by the papers. It is a hugely varied organisation with many different cultures and a huge variety of opinions on every single issue among its staff. What does unite BBC staff however, is a deep commitment to BBC values and at the heart of those values is a commitment to impartiality.

Sorry, Ms. Boaden, but I don’t believe you…not for a moment. You and your colleagues can express your “deep commitment to BBC values” all you want, but the output and product of the BBC belies your commitment, each and every day. And it’s not just bias in your news reporting…no, it’s worse than that:

The bandwagon is gathering momentum. Yesterday it emerged that a BBC executive, Ann Davies, has questioned whether the corporation should "help break the constraints of the PC police" after audience research found it was out of step with much of mainstream public opinion. Another BBC boss, Richard Klein, commissioning editor for documentaries, told staff it was "pathetic" for the BBC to pride itself on being "of the people".

They're all spot on. It's high time the debate moved on from narrow notions of political bias. Far harder for the BBC to gainsay is that it has a liberal cultural bias, one that envelops pretty much all programmes, not just news and current affairs. If you want to find the most solid evidence of partiality, look at the BBC's entertainment output – its dramas, comedies and arts programmes. This is where its guard is down, where the BBC editorial police are not watching out for "balance" weak points. And it's also where, arguably, the partiality is far more subversive.

The author, Mr. Tom Leonard, has a valid point and goes on to provide more “anecdotal” evidence of Auntie’s cultural bias. I agree with Mr. Leonard. Bias in news reporting is fairly easy to discern, assuming one is relatively well-informed and obtains one’s news from multiple sources. But cultural bias is quite another can o’ worms in that it affects and influences people, old and young, that the news programs may or may not reach. If you think cultural bias isn’t all that important, then you’re missing the Big Picture. Values, and all that. Who wears the white hat, and who doesn’t. It matters immensely, as our own illustrious Hollywood stars, directors, and producers are so very aware. Birds of a feather, so to speak.

The culture war continues.

Preachin’ to the choir… Rich Lowry, in today’s National Review on-line (Lovin’ Nancy…The Pelosi honeymoon begins. But it’s not too late to call off the marriage!):

Let the Nancy Pelosi honeymoon begin. Sure, the current House Democratic minority leader hasn’t won a House majority yet, and it is traditional for honeymoons to follow, rather than anticipate, the blessed event. But the media can’t help themselves, not when they are tingling with anticipation over the prospect of a Democratic victory.

Say what you will about Pelosi, but it is a matter of record that she’s far left of the center of American politics — her rating from the liberal lobbying group Americans for Democratic Action is routinely a 100 percent; that she enforces party loyalty — her Democrats voted along party lines 88 percent of the time last year, a record for the past 50 years; that she has primarily occupied herself with blocking legislation in the House — she has tried to kill practically every Republican initiative, no matter how small; that she uses tough rhetoric — Republicans are, according to Pelosi, “corrupt,” “incompetent” and running a “criminal enterprise.”

There’s nothing wrong with any of this. Politicians should have deep convictions, and they should work to organize their party around them and to defeat the opposition. Nor is there anything wrong with sharp rhetorical elbows. But the press usually professes to like none of these qualities, and typically dubs someone exhibiting them as “radical,” “partisan,” “obstructionist,” and “mean-spirited.”

Instead, in a typical media treatment, the Washington Post finds Pelosi a “tough-minded tactician.” She has “kept the fractious House Democrats in line.” She has “thwarted many GOP initiatives” by getting the Democrats to “hang together.” Yes, Republicans accuse her of being an obstructionist, but that’s just the sort of name-calling Republicans always engage in, now isn’t it?

She’s definitely not “casually reckless” in attacking her enemies. Not “ruthless.” Not “authoritarian.” Not a “bomb-thrower.” Not given to “slash and burn, knife and smear” tactics. And, of course, not “mad as hell” or riding “a surge of voter anger.”

All those descriptions were applied to Newt Gingrich when he won the speakership in 1994.

Of course there’s more, and the choir should read it!

And finally, Mort Kondracke had an excellent op-ed yesterday in his magazine, Roll Call. The lead grafs:

The political cartoon on my office wall shows Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as a frazzled father trying to drive the car while kids in the front and back seats yell, "Is it Vietnam yet?"

Daryl Cagle's cartoon was delightful back in March 2003, lampooning critics of the war in Afghanistan. Now it's a mordant commentary on Iraq.

The tragic fact is that Iraq has become Vietnam -- a noble cause that has lost the support of the American people and Congress and is on the verge of ending in disaster. But this time, the consequences will be much worse.

The choir is hereby encouraged to read this, too. Hell, read it even if (and especially if) you’re NOT a member of the choir, because actions have consequences, ya know. And you should know.

Today’s Pic: “Soft Fan,” a soft sculpture at the Museum of Fine Art, Houston. April, 2000. As always, click the pic for the larger version.

Pump It!

A lil naval video divertissement at Mary Katherine Ham’s, via Lex. Very, very cool. Those guys at VAW-116 know how to have fun…and their videos are MTV-worthy. Better, even.

Scents

One of the more interesting, nay, fascinating, things about my recent trip to San Antonio was encountering perfumed women once again. I say “once again” because I cannot, for the life of me, remember the last time (or the first time, for that matter) I caught a whiff of a delicately perfumed woman in Portales. It just doesn’t seem to happen. Perhaps I’m just not hanging out at the “right” sort of places in P-Town. But it was a minor joy to have my olfactory senses treated every so often while in San Antonio. I like perfume, and have enjoyed it on the women in my life from a very early age.

It used to be that women had a “signature” scent, a brand they used almost exclusively. I’m not sure that’s true any longer…perhaps it’s an artifact from a by-gone age. Both my Mom and my grandmother had signature scents. My maternal grandmother was an Evening in Paris woman. Her dressing table was littered with those cobalt-blue bottles and containers, each emblazoned with a silver label with the brand name in flowing script. Evening in Paris was all she ever wore, as far as I know. My grandmother walked around trailing a pink could of Evening in Paris. You could walk into a room she’d vacated an hour ago and know she’d been there. My mother was quite different in that regard.

Mom was a Chanel No 5 woman (which, if you clicked the link, you’ll note is hideously expensive these days)…none of the upstart “new” Chanel fragrances for her, thank you. Just the original. She applied her perfume in a quick, deft manner that was the grand finale to her toilette ritual—otherwise known as “fixing my face”—a dab behind each ear and a dab in the crook of each elbow. She’d place her index finger over the bottle opening, tilt the bottle quickly on end, apply the dab, repeat. Not much at all, when you came down to it. “There are other places, too, but not for you to know,” she once told me, with a grin and a wink. Which, of course, was lost on me until much later in life. My mother’s use of perfume was subtle to the point one wasn’t really sure she was wearing any at all, but you knew she had a very attractive aroma about her. And that’s the way it should be, to my way of thinking.

The Second Mrs. Pennington wore White Ginger when we first met. White Ginger is a very clean, fresh sort of scent and it drove me nuts, in a very good, extremely good, way. Very appropriate for a young woman, and also very erotic. Perhaps it was the fact I was young and in love. Or perhaps White Ginger was the icing on the cake, so to speak. But whatever it was, that scent, on the rare occasion I encounter it these days, immediately transports me back to Former Happy Days. Interestingly, TSMP developed an allergy to perfume later in life and quit wearing it altogether. She also insisted I quit wearing after-shave, too, because it affected her in the same way.

Which brings me to the subject of male scents, or after-shave. My father, he of the Greatest Generation, used exactly two: Old Spice and Mennen Skin Bracer. That was it. I think that approach was wide-spread among men of his cohort. It was unseemly for men to wear “perfume,” and he told me so in no uncertain terms. So…during my adolescence the only scents in my medicine cabinet were his scents—like father, like son.

That changed when I went into the military. I remember standing in the common latrine one evening, getting ready to splash some Skin Bracer on after shaving, and having a friend ask “Why are you using that cheap (stuff)?” “Here,” he says, “try this,” handing me his bottle of English Leather. I did. And I got a good comment from the Lady Friend that evening, something on the order of “Wow…you smell good!” (or something to that general effect.) I went to the BX the next day and bought some English Leather. Which, in turn, was followed by Jade East, Canoe, British Sterling, and all sorts of scents. I settled on Canoe and wore that until TSMP insisted I abandon all scent products. Now that I’m single again my “signature” scent is Burberry’s (or Burberry’s Weekend, when I can find it)…and will probably remain so.

And just to bring this full-circle, I have it on very good authority that Laurie puts a dab of Hoppes Number Nine on when she goes out…{insert evil grin here}

Oh…if you’re wondering: I’m better, but still not well. I won’t be venturing very far a field today.

An Abbreviated Post...

I poisoned myself last night, apparently. Suffice to say I’ve been suffering from severe gastric distress since oh-dark-thirty this morning. I’ve taken the usual meds (thank GOD my medicine cabinet is well-stocked for such contingencies) and may be back later on.

In the mean time, I’ll leave you with this bit from Michael Barone of US News:

This afternoon I had the privilege of being one of eight columnists interviewing George W. Bush in the Oval Office. The others were Tony Blankley of the Washington Times, Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal, Charles Krauthammer of the Washington Post, Lawrence Kudlow of CNBC, Kathleen Parker of the Orlando Sentinel, Mark Steyn of the Chicago Sun-Times, and Byron York of National Review–all conservatives of various stripes. Like many others who have been with Bush in the Oval Office, I have found him to be much more articulate and forceful in that setting than he often is in press conferences or in taking questions from traveling reporters. The interview was on the record, so we are posting an MP3 audio recording (High bandwidth | Low bandwidth) of the whole hour. I think you'll find it compelling listening. It's the closest thing many people will get to spending an hour or so in the Oval Office with the 43rd president.

Judging from the reaction to this by people I respect, the audio files are well worth the listen. I haven’t listened yet (simply because I’m not motivated towards doing much at all, save keeping a clear path to “the little room”), but I will. Barone’s full column/essay is here, which is good as a stand-alone.

Today’s Pic: Even More Plane Pr0n. This time it’s the nose of a B-25 done up in USMC livery. Amarillo, TX. May 22, 2004. (click for larger, as always)

How 'Bout Them Tigers? Not.

Gene Wojciechowski, writing at ESPN.com:

Incredibly enough, the team nobody picked to win this thing, well, might win this thing. Even the Cardinals can't ignore the possibilities.

"I'd be lying if I said no," said Looper. "But you really try not to think about it. You sit there and you think, 'Well, we're two games away. Two more games, which doesn't sound like much, but against a team like Detroit, it's a lot."

Is it? The Tigers are playing as if they'll be charged a late fee if the Series lasts seven games. Carpenter handcuffed them to the bedpost and noogied them to death, allowing just three hits, issuing no walks and striking out six. He was more efficient than a Swiss train schedule.

At the moment, the Tigers -- and how do you put this delicately? -- suck.

What he said. To say that last night’s game was a major disappointment is to engage in massive understatement. I haven’t been to the Detroit News or the Free Press’s web sites (yet), but I can imagine what’s being said. Detroit fans love their teams like no others. But it’s a tough love. The fans simply don’t forgive underperformance or sloppy play. And we’ve seen too much of both in this series, so far. (Kenny Rogers excepted, of course) It ain’t out of reach, but the Tigers need to raise their level of play a lot to beat these Cards.

From the New York Sun (“Western Press Ignores Iran’s Hate-Filled Quds Day”):

President Ahmadinejad gave a series of speeches leading up to and on Quds Day. At an Iftar address on October 14, he discussed his "connection with God" and said: "The president of America is like us. That is, he too is inspired ... but [his] inspiration is of the satanic kind. Satan gives inspiration to the president of America."

Mr. Ahmadinejad delivered his Quds Day speech under a banner that read, "Israel must be wiped off the face of the world." He described the holiday as "a day for confrontation between the Islamic faith with the global arrogance."

In another speech, he said Israel was "doomed" and promised that the Israeli "regime will be gone, definitely."

The words "the Zionist regime is a cancerous gland that needs to be uprooted" were written in a communiqué from the Iranian Foreign Ministry in honor of the holiday.

[…]

A who's who of the Iranian leadership marched in the main Quds Day parade before crowds chanting "death to Israel" and "death to America." The marchers included a former Iranian president, Mohammed Khatemi, and a spokesman for the parliament presidency board, Mohsen Kouhkan, who predicted a quick "final and total defeat of America and the Zionist regime."

Read the whole thing and then consider the following question: The Dems would have us “talk” with these people directly? What’s to talk about? Terms of surrender? How Tel Aviv will be partitioned between Hamas and Hezbollah? You can’t “talk” to crazy people. Period.

This is worth the read… Dean Barnett’s Absolute Moral Authority Revisited. Here are the opening paragraphs:

Allah yesterday uncomfortably alluded to an Ann Coulter theory that the left was devising a strategy where it would rely solely on spokespeople that you couldn’t argue with. While I, too, deplore Ann’s bomb throwing, when she’s right, she’s right. The left’s strategy is to have absolute moral authority figures like the Jersey Girls or Cindy Sheehan carry its message. The messengers would also necessarily be victims so if you got down ‘n’ dirty with them, you would automatically qualify as a cretin.

I learned this firsthand over the past couple of days when I questioned Michael J. Fox’s actions during this campaign season. My inbox filled with vituperative semi-literate screeds, while on the internet blogging imbeciles inferred from my post that I was “mad that I can’t attack handicapped people.”

Much as Glenn Greenwald heaves one of his virtual despairing sighs when neither he nor any of his alter egos can achieve a productive dialogue with his right wing critics, I now face the temptation to walk away from this matter. Alas, sadly, there is more to say. Markos Moulitsas has coined the Michael J. Fox offensive the real October surprise. Thus, it must be dealt with.

This, of course, is all about the brouhaha concerning Fox’s political ads supporting the Democrat Senate candidate in Missouri and Maryland Senate candidate Ben Cardin. Rush Limbaugh came down on Fox for the Missouri ad, to the outrage and subsequent outcries of the Left. The Left presumes victims cannot be criticized or taken to task for their views because they’re, well, victims. People in polite society do not point, mock, laugh at, or otherwise draw attention to the disadvantaged. That’s a given. But when a “victim” assumes an arguable partisan position and draws attention to himself and/or his condition, then all bets should be off. Especially if and when that victim uses his disability to advance his argument. I find it extremely ironic that those who espouse moral relativitism when it comes to radical Islam and other multi-culti issues claim people like Sheehan and Fox have “absolute moral authority” on their specific issues. You can’t have it both ways, Guys.

Today’s Pic: Another of my favorite pics of SN3, this time at the Kennedy Space Center, April, 2003.

A Thunderbird "First"

I just received my monthly Air Force Association e-mail newsletter, which contained this interesting item:

First Woman Thunderbird Proud to Serve

Women have served in the Air Force for years, making valuable contributions, but gender and race differences have never been an important factor in accomplishing the Air Force mission, according to the first woman pilot on the Air Force Thunderbirds. "What we need to concentrate on is what we have in common, which is that warrior spirit that's in all of our hearts, that has created us the way we are -- to choose to be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves," Maj. Nicole Malachowski said during a speech at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. Click here for story.

If you click the link above (and I hope you do), you’ll find this bit:

Major Malachowski first became interested in flying at the age of 5, when she saw an air show in her native Las Vegas. She set her sights on becoming an Air Force pilot and never looked back. She started flying with the Civil Air Patrol when she was 12, and by 16 was doing solo flights. After high school, she attended the Air Force Academy and has since seen various assignments as an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot, including a tour in Iraq. She said she hopes her service in the Thunderbirds is an example to young girls and to all children that they can achieve their dreams. (emphasis mine)

Poetic justice, that. Jihadis on the receiving end of ordnance delivered by a woman. God, I love America! More power to you, Major Malachowski.

Personal History and Lack of Same

Today’s Lileks:

Storage: the great ongoing annoyance.

And by “ongoing” and “great,” well, you have no idea. I mentioned I’m cleaning out the area below the stairs to make room for permanent storage – stuff I’ll never use but cannot bear to toss. This means I have to get rid of ancient tapes – cassettes, 8mm from the 90s camera. But that means digitizing everything. Right now I have the old camcorder going on the laptop, and a cassette player working on the mainframe upstairs. One of the tapes I saved from the 80s, so help me God, was an answering machine tape. Think of it: don’t you wish you had an old answering machine tape? It’s a parade of the lost and the dead and the near and dear, a slice of life I couldn’t possibly have reconstructed. The voices are all familiar, too. They all speak to matters obscure or forgotten, but they do so with assurance and urgency. Everyone on the tape assumes I know what they’re talking about. Not any more. But I remember them.

It’s a bit odd to hear your wife say she’ll stop by your place later.

I also found a tape I made in the spring of 1978, one of those “I must document my fascinating day” things you do when you’re 19. Why, I was podcasting decades in advance.

If James were to observe the dearth of personal history that is my life, i.e., my absolute lack of mementos, curios, post cards, photos, and other flotsam and jetsam that we accumulate as we move down the path, I’m sure he’d be shocked. Just as I’m amazed at James’ habit of retaining and archiving all sorts of “stuff,” as indicated above. Technology is a wonderful thing. Think about it… shoeboxes full of photos have been replaced by CD (or DVD) after CD of photos we’ve archived, including those photos formerly resident in shoeboxes, which we’ve scanned. And those old movies—archived to disc, as well. But that’s the small stuff. There’s no way to digitize your old books, your kids’ old Halloween costumes, or a treasured painting that’s hung on your, and perhaps your ancestors’, wall as you moved from place to place and house to house. You either have the big stuff, or you don’t. And I don’t.

I experience a (small, very small) twinge of regret as I look around El Casa Móvil De Pennington and tote up the artifacts saved from my previous life—a couple of framed pics of TSMP; one lone, small watercolor acquired in London hanging on the wall; three antique Ottoman Empire blades (two knives, one scimitar); a few old unit ball caps; and a shadow box summarizing my 22-year AF career. And aside from a couple of VHS cassettes documenting SN3’s early days and my first trip to Moscow: that’s it. The rest of it went away in the great post-divorce and pre-RV “going out of business” sale. Semi-sad, it is.

Or not. Some people believe things and stuff tie you down. This is true, to a certain extent, and I subscribe to this point of view about 90% of the time. There’s a certain freedom attained by divesting yourself of “stuff,” but it has a price. And that price is you forfeit your personal history. Is it worth it? Depends on when you ask the question, if you ask at all.

Just a Pic: The morning of the Going Out of Business Sale. “Stuff,” all tagged and ready to go. And it went. October, 1999.

Just More Stuff

Update on the Brit veil flap: “British watchdog warns on veil debate.”

LONDON - The heated debate over veils that cover the faces of some British Muslim women is growing ugly and could trigger riots, the head of Britain's race relations watchdog warned on Sunday.

Britons are becoming increasingly polarized along racial and religious lines, and if they don't talk respectfully about their differences, tensions could fuel unrest, Commission for Racial Equality chairman Trevor Phillips wrote in The Sunday Times newspaper.

In an interview with British Broadcasting Corp. television, he said he didn't want Britain to suffer the kind of violence that exploded in the deprived suburbs of Paris a year ago, when disaffected young people, many from immigrant backgrounds, rioted for three weeks.

He warned there could also be a repeat of the rioting in several northern English towns in 2001 caused by racial tensions between white and mainly Muslim south Asian youths.

"Only this time the conflict would be much worse," Phillips wrote in the Times.

And the Left accuses us of fear-mongering! God forbid we should offend the Muslim community by suggesting the veil is an active statement about not wanting to assimilate, coz if we do: riots. Good Grief.

Further, from The Times On-Line (UK) “Sweden's Muslim minister turns on veil”:

THE latest media darling of Scandinavian politics is not only black, beautiful and Muslim; she is also firmly against the wearing of the veil.

Nyamko Sabuni, 37, has caused a storm as Sweden’s new integration and equality minister by arguing that all girls should be checked for evidence of female circumcision; arranged marriages should be criminalised; religious schools should receive no state funding; and immigrants should learn Swedish and find a job.

Supporters of the centre-right government that came to power last month believe that her bold rejection of cultural diversity may make her a force for change across Europe. Her critics are calling her a hardliner and even an Islamophobe.

“I am neither,” she said in an interview. “My aim is to integrate immigrants. One is to ensure they grow up just as any other child in Sweden would.”

[…]

According to Sabuni, many politicians have shied away from talking about the need for assimilation rather than multi-culturalism: “I am one of the few who dares to speak out. Sadly, some members of the Muslim community feel picked on.”

Muslim groups in Sweden are already organising a petition to have her removed from government. “I regret that Muslims feel I am a threat to them,” she said. “Everybody has a right to practise their religion, but I will never accept religious oppression. And I represent the whole of society, not just the Muslims.”

Good Grief, reprised. Common sense seems to be breaking out all over, with certain…uh…notable exceptions.

I’m simultaneously surfing, reading, cutting and pasting, and watching Mark Steyn on C-SPAN. Damn, but Steyn is great! The man pulls no punches and is as right (and correct) as right can be. Need proof? His weekly editorials in the Chicago Sun-Times are simply excellent. I link them often, and here’s another one:

Last Tuesday morning, in a maternity ward somewhere in the United States, the 300 millionth American arrived. He or she got a marginally warmer welcome than Mark Foley turning up to hand out the prizes at junior high. One could have predicted the appalled editorials from European newspapers aghast at yet another addition to the swollen cohort of excess Americans consuming ever more of the planet's dwindling resources. And, when Canada's National Post announced "'Frightening' Surge Brings US To 300m People," you can appreciate their terror: the millions of Democrats who declared they were moving north after Bush's re-election must have placed incredible strain on Canada's highways, schools, trauma counselors, etc.

[…]

I, on the other hand, was feeling pretty chipper about the birth of the cute l'il quality-of-life degrader. The previous day, my new book was published. You'll find it in all good bookstores -- it's propping up the slightly wonky rear left leg of the front table groaning under the weight of unsold copies of Peace Mom by Cindy Sheehan. Anyway, the book -- mine, not Cindy's -- deals in part with the geopolitical implications of demography -- i.e., birth rates. That's an easy subject to get all dry and statistical about, so I gotta hand it to my publicist: arranging for the birth of the 300 millionth American is about as good a promotional tie-in as you could get and well worth the 75 bucks he bribed the guy at the Census Bureau. But, even if you haven't got a book to plug, the arrival of Junior 300 Mil is something everyone should celebrate.

Read the whole thing!

This is good news, and it should be obvious to even the most casual observer: “Radical Islam finds US ‘sterile ground”:

NEW YORK – The Islamist radicalism that inspired young Muslims to attack their own countries - in London, Madrid, and Bali - has not yielded similar incidents in the United States, at least so far.

"Home-grown" terror cells remain a concern of US law officers, who cite several disrupted plots since 9/11. But the suspects' unsophisticated planning and tiny numbers have led some security analysts to conclude that America, for all its imperfections, is not fertile ground for producing jihadist terrorists.

To understand why, experts point to people like Omar Jaber, an AmeriCorps volunteer; Tarek Radwan, a human rights advocate; and Hala Kotb, a consultant on Middle East affairs. They are the face of young Muslim-Americans today - educated, motivated, and integrated into society - and their voices help explain how the nation's history of inclusion has helped to defuse sparks of Islamist extremism.

"American society is more into the whole assimilation aspect of it," says New York-born Mr. Jaber. "In America, it's a lot easier to practice our religion without complications."

[…]

European Muslims today live primarily in isolated, low-income enclaves where opportunities for good jobs and a good education are limited. In the US, 95 percent of Muslim-Americans are high school graduates, according to "Muslims in the Public Square," a Zogby International survey in 2004. Almost 60 percent are college graduates, and Muslims are thriving economically around the country. Sixty-nine percent of adults make more than $35,000 a year, and one-third earn more than $75,000, the survey showed.

In Britain, by contrast, two-thirds of Muslims live in low-income households, according to British census data. Three-quarters of those households are overcrowded. British Muslims' jobless rate is 15 percent - three times higher than in the general population. For young Muslims between 16 and 24, the jobless rate is higher: 17.5 percent.

"The culture is qualitatively different [in the American Muslim community] from what we've seen from public information from Europe, and that actually says very positive things about our society," says Jonathan Winer, a terrorism expert in Washington. "We don't have large populations of immigrants with a generation sitting around semi-employed and deeply frustrated. That's a gigantic difference."

Liberty. Education. Opportunity. Assimilation. These four concepts simply scare the Beejeebus out of the jihadis, as well they should. The successful and the assimilated have no reason to launch jihad, or, in other words: sterile ground. The big question, of course, is why is it so different in Europe? Could it be the socialist nanny-state focused on the dole and the lip-service of multi-culturalism, as opposed to genuine opportunities available in a generally class-less society (read that: meritocracy)? You decide…

Today’s Pic: Whimsical and thoroughly delightful sculpture near the Moscone Center, San Francisco. August, 2001.

Subtle...and WRONG

Signs of the apocalypse, part XXIV…the moonbat leftie blog Attytood and I agree on something. That something would be John Mellencamp’s new song “This is Our Country,” which Chevrolet is using to flog its trucks, replacing Bob Segar’s old, familiar “Like a Rock.” Actually, it’s not the song so much (lyrics here) as it’s the visuals in the commercials running during the World Series and both League Series before. I’ll quote Will Bunch, the proprietor of Attytood:

We saw troops in the jungles of Vietnam, where 58,000 Americans died for a mistake.

We saw Richard Nixon waving goodbye from the helicopter in 1974, after his secret government of dirty tricksters damn near destroyed the Constitution.

We saw, to our disbelief and amazement, shots of the worst of Hurricane Katrina, the howling winds and the flooded-out city, apparently mitigated by a shot of a Habitat-for-Humanity style rebuilding.

Then we saw the thing that truly amazed us, the beams of light in Lower Manhattan from where the World Trade Center once stood, and where 2.973 people were murdered five years ago.

[…]

How did you feel watching the ad? We felt angry.

Oh sure, you can rationalize it. You could say that after a generation of morning-in-America feel-good commercials from Madison Avenue, this is at least a more honest portrayal of the American experience. You could also note that GM, in some ways, isn't the worst corporate citizen within the rogues' gallery better known as the Fortune 500. They did hire a lot of African-Americans in the Rosa Parks era, after all, which is why so many left places like Montgomery for Detroit. And regarding Katrina, at least they did throw some dollars that way...we looked it up.

No matter. You just don't use 9/11 or Katrina to sell a product...period.

Mr. Bunch is correct, but he goes on to dilute his anger with a bunch (no pun…) of “progressive” arguments against the ad and those evil corporate America types, yadda, yadda, yadda. But I agree with his point: it’s in extremely bad taste to use images of the two most painful disasters this country has endured in a long time to sell trucks.

I think there’s a little bit more than truck selling going on here, however. The inclusion of the Viet Nam images and Nixon’s famous farewell gestures as he left the White House for the last time immediately preceding the Katrina and 9/11 images establishes a subtle but direct connection between history and current events. And that connection, however subtle, is negative, given the Viet Nam and Iraq comparisons that are en vogue, and the ultra-left’s noises about impeaching President Bush. I’m surprised Mr. Bunch missed that.

The image sequences in the commercial are probably lost on the average person under 30, after all Viet Nam and Nixon resigning under pressure of impeachment happened before they were born. The 30-and-under demographic isn’t the target, however—that cohort has a poor voting track record. Boomers vote, and Boomers are the target of those negative visuals. I think Mellencamp, with the active participation of Campbell-Ewald, artfully used a freakin’ Chevy commercial to advance his anti-war, anti-Bush agenda. Or maybe I’m just paranoid. But I don’t think so. Is there any other plausible reason for those specific images to appear in that specific order? You tell me.

Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down...

Well, I’m glad they got that out of their system. It was probably unrealistic to expect the Tigers to win eight straight games in the playoffs, especially against a motivated (and insulted) St. Louis team. Still, at the end of the first inning I was thinking things were going according to plan. Piece of cake, and all that. YeahRightSure! Here’s what Gene Wojciechowski has to say:

This is what happens when you fall in love with a story line. Even after Saturday evening's 7-2 loss, I still think the Tigers are going to end the postseason with champagne on their unis. But no way is this thing over in five or six games. The Cardinals are too proud, too well-managed, and too experienced to become afterthoughts and footnotes.

I’m not sure I agree with Wojciechowski’s implication the series will go seven games, but six isn’t beyond the pale. It’s apparent (to me, at least) that the Tigers’ six days of rest didn’t do them any good. Three errors in a World Series game is an indication of serious rust, and is a wake-up call. I think the Tigers will look a lot better this evening.

Yesterday’s football games were pretty good great. I watched two games in their entirety and pieces of two others, and in both (complete) games the favored teams (Texas, ND) had to pull it out of their…um…ear in the last minute to get the win. Notre Dame’s last minute heroics (literally: they got the winning TD with 27 seconds left on the clock) had me jumping up and down on my seat. The finish was that good, that intense. Until I calmed down and realized that UCLA should have never been in it to begin with. But…but…any team going into South Bend is supremely motivated. Notre Dame has that effect on their opponents, regardless of how well ND is doing that year or the history between the two teams. It could be a long-standing rivalry (like Michigan, USC), or a new addition to the schedule: it doesn’t matter. It’s Notre Dame!

From The Telegraph (UK):

Shahid Malik, the Labour MP for Dewsbury, spoke for almost the entire nation yesterday when he told Aisha Azmi – the Muslim teaching assistant suspended for wearing a veil – "to just let this thing go". An employment tribunal has rightly rejected Mrs Azmi's case for unfair dismissal, though – absurdly – it has awarded her damages for "victimisation" by her local council.

[…]

Moreover – and this is something that has gone largely unremarked – the behaviour of Mrs Azmi and her suspiciously glib supporters has particularly annoyed many British women. We are not talking here of those earnest feminists who are desperately trying to disentangle their allegiances to multi-culturalism and secularism: the hand-wringing of, say, the Guardian's Madeleine Bunting is a joy to behold. What strikes us is the anger of sane, civilised women at the claim that Mrs Azmi's dismissal impinges on their own rights. That is a preposterous notion. If British women feel any sympathy for the teaching assistant, it is because she appears – ironically, given the casus belli – to have been turned into a mouthpiece for male Islamists who genuinely wish women to endure a form of medieval subjugation.

Further evidence that rationality is beginning to prevail in Britain. I particularly enjoyed the barb directed at Madeline Bunting and by implication, The Guardian, in general. The Guardian has long been the “voice” of the British liberal-left (one could say fringe-left and not be too far off the mark). It’s good to see them on the losing end, for a change. Lefties, of course, will not agree.

Full disclosure, of sorts: My animosity towards The Guardian is deep-rooted and goes back to the early 1980s when I was stationed at RAF Uxbridge and lived on High Wycombe Air Station. The Guardian was the mouthpiece for the “peace movement” and devoted a great deal of coverage to the “Peace Camps” outside of High Wycombe AS and the much larger, more visible camp outside of RAF Greenham Common. Publicity, of course, aided and abetted the loonies and enabled them to survive—thrive, even. I’ve never forgiven The Guardian for that, even (and perhaps especially) when they were ultimately proven to be wrong about the deployment of the ground launched cruise missiles.

And while we’re on about the UK, this is interesting: “We are biased, admit the stars of BBC News.”

It was the day that a host of BBC executives and star presenters admitted what critics have been telling them for years: the BBC is dominated by trendy, Left-leaning liberals who are biased against Christianity and in favour of multiculturalism.

A leaked account of an 'impartiality summit' called by BBC chairman Michael Grade, is certain to lead to a new row about the BBC and its reporting on key issues, especially concerning Muslims and the war on terror.

[…]

At the secret meeting in London last month, which was hosted by veteran broadcaster Sue Lawley, BBC executives admitted the corporation is dominated by homosexuals and people from ethnic minorities, deliberately promotes multiculturalism, is anti-American, anti-countryside and more sensitive to the feelings of Muslims than Christians.

One veteran BBC executive said: 'There was widespread acknowledgement that we may have gone too far in the direction of political correctness.

'Unfortunately, much of it is so deeply embedded in the BBC's culture, that it is very hard to change it.'

Well, Hell. We knew that! It is refreshing, though, to see the Beeb’s senior leadership admit bias, even if it’s only in private. The first step on the road to recovery is to admit you have a problem, right? OK, you’ve got a problem. Fix it.

Right, now…Off you go!

Fear and Loathing of a Democrat Majority… “Rank Would Guide Pelosi As She Chose Chairmen”

If Democrats win control in November, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) has decided to award committee chairmanships based almost entirely on seniority, ensuring that the House would feature far more minority faces, and some liberal firebrands, in key posts.

But, mindful of the growing power of an expanding band of Democratic moderates and conservatives, Pelosi has also vowed that she would keep her chairmen on a tight leash, according to leadership aides and current and former Democratic lawmakers.

[…]

Republicans have attacked Rep. Charles B. Rangel (N.Y.), the senior Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, as a tax hiker. The Republican National Committee called Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the would-be chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee, "a liberal partisan" who "would launch criminal inquiries into the Bush administration."

In Topeka, Kan., last week, Vice President Cheney singled out three of the most liberal Democrats in the House as foils -- Reps. John Conyers Jr. (Mich.), the would-be Judiciary Committee chairman; Henry A. Waxman (Calif.), who is in line to take over the Government Reform Committee; and Barney Frank (Mass.), the senior Democrat on the Financial Services Committee.

Click the links of the “right honorable representatives” above to access their voting records on key bills over the past year or so. Are you still thinking about staying home in November? Really? How about this, then?

Misgivings exist in Democratic ranks as well. Several moderate-to-conservative Democrats in the House, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of fraying party unity, specifically mentioned two members: Conyers, who has already laid out what he says are grounds to impeach President Bush, and Alcee L. Hastings (Fla.), a senior Democrat on the intelligence committee, who was impeached and removed from his federal judgeship in 1989 for conspiring to take a $150,000 bribe and give light sentences to two convicted swindlers.

As Dan Riehl notes…

If you think Iraq and its government is in trouble, hand the keys to the kingdom over to these loons for two years and we'll be soliciting aid and guidance from the third world.

LMAO If nothing else, aside from the significant problems it would cause the nation, a Dem take over of the House is bound to provide some incredible laughs. Just think, the MSM actually loves this bunch of losers. No wonder their profits are tanked.

Good, bad or indifferent, the only thing that comes close to good organized political judgment in America today is the Republican Party. Despite their faults, God save America if people stay home and throw them out.

Or, as Edwin Starr sang: “Good GAWD, Y’All!” Fear and loathing, indeed. If I were the RNC, I’d hammer this message home in closely-contested House districts/races. We absolutely cannot afford to cede control of the asylum to the lunatics. We have a war to fight.

Today’s Pic: Plane Pr0n, from the AF Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, FL. November, 1999.

The World Series Begins Tonight! (and Other Stuff)

This is disturbing: “Censoring Iraq… Why are there so few reporters with American troops in combat? Don't blame the media.” The Weekly Standard is hardly a left-wing, anti-war cheering section like, say, the NYT. And Michael Yon doesn’t work for Reuters or the AP; his bona-fides are much more than well-established. Yon has set the standard for reporting from the war zone with his on-line magazine. There’s no one better. No one. So when a guy like Yon writes something like this, it’s past time to pay attention:

My experiences with the U.S. military as a soldier and then as a writer and photographer covering soldiers have been overwhelmingly positive, and I feel no shame in saying I am biased in favor of our troops. Even worse, I feel no shame in calling a terrorist a terrorist. I've seen their deeds and tasted air filled with burning human flesh from their bombs. I've seen terrorists kill children while our people risk their lives to save civilians again, and again, and again. I feel no shame in saying I hope that Afghanistan and Iraq "succeed," whatever that means. For that very reason, it would be a dereliction to remain silent about our military's ineptitude in handling the press. The subject is worthy of a book, but can't wait that long, lest we grow accustomed to a subtle but all too real censorship of the U.S. war effort.

I don't use the word lightly. Censorship is a hand grenade of an accusation, and a writer should be serious before pulling the pin. Indeed, some war-zone censorship for reasons of operational security is obviously desirable and important. No one can complain when Delta Force will not permit an embed. In fact, I have turned down offers to embed with some Special Operations forces because the limitations on what I could write would not be worth the danger and expense. But we can and should complain when authorities willfully limit war reporting. We should do so whether it happens as a matter of policy, or through incompetence or bureaucratic sloth. The result is the same in any case. And once the matter has been brought to the attention of the military and the Pentagon--which I have quietly done--and still the situation is not rectified, it is time for a public accounting.

Read the whole thing. We absolutely, positively cannot tolerate incompetence on a scale like Yon describes, let alone allow it to exist. The stakes are much too high. Heads need to roll, beginning with Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, Director of the Combined Press Information Center in Baghdad, his boss, and maybe even his boss’s boss. We have no way of telling how high Yon has taken his complaints within the Pentagon, but a failure to act on their part is worse than incompetence. It’s negligence.

Hoo-Boy. I’m pissed.

Ah-HA! I KNEW it!! I’ve been going on about this subject for a long time, and articles and essays by David Horowitz have been my principal sources of information on the subject. But then along comes this:

A report released on Wednesday on the political views of faculty members accuses professors of liberal "groupthink," a stance that the report says puts them at odds with the beliefs of most Americans on national and international issues.

The report, by the Institute for Jewish & Community Research, was based on an online, nationally representative survey of 1,259 professors at four-year colleges and universities in the spring of 2005. It found that, in general, professors are critical of American business and foreign policy and are skeptical of capitalism.

Among other findings, the report, "A Profile of American College Faculty: Volume 1: Political Beliefs & Behavior," says that:

· Professors are three times as likely to call themselves "liberal" as "conservative." In the 2004 presidential election, 72 percent of those surveyed voted for John Kerry.

· Almost one-third of professors cite the United States as among the top two greatest threats to international stability -- more than cited Iran, China, or Iraq.

· Fifty-four percent of professors say U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East is partially responsible for the growth of Islamic militancy.

· Sixty-four percent say the government's powers under the USA Patriot Act should be weakened.

Professors, says the report, are at the "forefront of the political divide" over U.S. foreign policy that has developed since the 2001 terrorist attacks. Faculty members have "aligned themselves in direct opposition to the political philosophy of the conservative base voting for the prevailing political power" in America, it says. Unlike most Americans, it adds, faculty members "blame America for world problems" and regard U.S. policies as "suspect."

This in The Chronicle of Higher Education, no less. I’m not sure if this is good news or bad news, as it simply confirms what most of us already know. Will there be change? I doubt it. Academe’s tenure system protects and in some ways encourages the Lefties. There is a ray of hope, however. Some folks are getting pretty tired of the indoctrination and one-sided world views. The Horowitz-supported Students for Academic Freedom is one such organization. More power to ‘em.

It’s STILL bad in La France…from The Times Online (UK):

Before next week’s anniversary of the Clichy riots, the violence and despair on the estates are again to the fore. Despite a promised renaissance, little has changed, and the lid could blow at any moment.

The figures are stark. An average of 112 cars a day have been torched across France so far this year and there have been 15 attacks a day on police and emergency services. Nearly 3,000 police officers have been injured in clashes this year. Officers have been badly injured in four ambushes in the Paris outskirts since September. Some police talk of open war with youths who are bent on more than vandalism.

“The thing that has changed over the past month is that they now want to kill us,” said Bruno Beschizza, the leader of Synergie, a union to which 40 per cent of officers belong. Action Police, a hardline union, said: “We are in a civil war, orchestrated by radical Islamists.”

Unfortunately, the problem goes beyond the radical Islamists. I’m not saying radical Islamism isn’t the problem…it is the largest part of the problem. But there are contributory causes, as well, such as France’s general failure to integrate their Muslim population into the “mainstream,” and France’s socialistic economic policies. There are many reasons, lots of finger-pointing, but very little meaningful action to resolve the problem(s). Ergo, another explosion to follow. Shortly.

OK…enough bad news. There are football games to be watched, and the World Series begins this evening! This is my favorite time of year!! GO TIGERS!!

Today’s Pic: Once again, Former Happy Days…Three friends (co-workers) and YrsTrly at my EDS retirement party. September, 1999.

Beisbol and Other Games

Didja watch the NLCS last night? It doesn’t get a lot better than that… Game Seven, the best team in baseball (their record, anyway) fighting for their lives on home turf, the scrappy underdogs playing their hearts out, spectacular pitching, at least one God-like play, a game-winning home run, and the outcome in doubt all the way until the last out in the bottom of the ninth. Wow!

So. The Cardinals are on their way to Detroit. All the pundits are calling the series for Detroit, and most are saying this will be a short, very short series. Those predictions give me cause for worry (Hey! This is DETROIT—home of the inexplicable post-season collapse), but, yeah, I gotta agree. On paper, and on the field for both the Division series and the ALCS, the Tigers are and were impressive. They’re well-rested, too. Detroit in five, if not a sweep. Get ready for burning cars in Motown!

Words to the wise, from the New Hampshire Union-Leader:

Can anyone imagine a Democratic House passing a tough border control bill? The Republican House did that this year. Can anyone imagine a Democratic House passing tax cuts? The Republican House has done that year after year. Can anyone imagine a Democratic House approving legislation allowing U.S. forces to be more aggressive in the War on Terror? The Republican House did that this year.

Yes, Republicans have become profligate spenders. Yes, the leadership has lost its way. But nobody who favors limited government and strong foreign policy should be fooled into thinking that the party of Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean and John Kerry will provide either.

In 1954 Republicans lost the House. It took them four decades to regain it. If conservatives stay home on Nov. 7, they might just cast themselves back into the wilderness for decades to come. Why would anyone take that chance?

What they said.

A keeper: “Anti-Americanisms,” by Peter J. Katzenstein and Robert O. Keohane. A very scholarly but accessible discussion of the varieties and origins of anti-American feelings throughout the world. It’s difficult to excerpt this essay, but I’ll give you this:

With several colleagues we recently completed a book, Anti-Americanisms in World Politics,[1] exploring these issues, and in this short article we discuss four of its themes. First, we distinguish between anti-Americanisms that are rooted in opinion or bias. Second, as our book's title suggests, there are many varieties of anti-Americanism. The beginning of wisdom is to recognize that what is called anti-Americanism varies, depending on who is reacting to America. In our book, we describe several different types of anti-Americanism and indicate where each type is concentrated. The variety of anti-Americanism helps us to see, third, the futility of grand explanations for anti-Americanism. It is accounted for better as the result of particular sets of forces. Finally, the persistence of anti-Americanism, as well as the great variety of forms that it takes, reflects what we call the polyvalence of a complex and kaleidoscopic American society in which observers can find whatever they don't like -- from Protestantism to porn. The complexity of anti-Americanism reflects the polyvalence of America itself.

One recognizes the veracity of the authors’ premises as one reads, especially if you’ve been personally exposed to anti-American arguments and biases at one time or another. Reminds me of some interesting political discussions I’ve had in bars and pubs around the world. This essay is something I’ll revisit from time to time in the future. (h/t: Real Clear Politics)

Song of the Day…As noted yesterday, Dylan’s two-disc Rolling Thunder Revue concert has been in the CD changer for nearly a week now, and has been this morning’s soundtrack as I’ve surfed and read. This song, particularly, has been played and re-played several times. The song, for whatever reason, has some sort of resonance today, far above and beyond its normal “favorite” status. Why? I don’t know. But here it is:

One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)
Originally released on “Desire,” 1976

Your breath is sweet
Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky.
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth
On the pillow where you lie.
But I don't sense affection
No gratitude or love
Your loyalty is not to me
But to the stars above.

One more cup of coffee for the road,
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below.

Your daddy he's an outlaw
And a wanderer by trade
He'll teach you how to pick and choose
And how to throw the blade.
He oversees his kingdom
So no stranger does intrude
His voice it trembles as he calls out
For another plate of food.

One more cup of coffee for the road,
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below.

Your sister sees the future
Like your mama and yourself.
You've never learned to read or write
There's no books upon your shelf.
And your pleasure knows no limits
Your voice is like a meadowlark
But your heart is like an ocean
Mysterious and dark.

One more cup of coffee for the road,
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below.

Ah, Bobby. I owe you so much!

Today’s Pic: Riotous color in a Santa Fe outdoor market - June, 2004. As always, click the pic for the larger version. In this case, you most definitely should look at the larger pic.

A Few Good Things

This is semi-interesting, in that very brief and pithy Forbes sort of way: The Average American: 1967 And Today. But I’m gonna call “bullshit,” right off the bat:

Mr. and Mrs. Median's $46,326 in annual income is 32% more than their mid-'60s counterparts, even when adjusted for inflation, and 13% more than those at the median in the economic boom year of 1985. And thanks to ballooning real estate values, average household net worth has increased even faster. The typical American household has a net worth of $465,970, up 83% from 1965, 60% from 1985 and 35% from 1995. (emphasis mine)

“Net worth,” means “assets minus liabilities.” I find it impossible—not difficult, impossible—to believe the typical American household has a net worth over $450,000.00. That’s bullshit, pure and simple. Still and even, the article is interesting for some of the demographic pictures it draws.

The fact is that in real terms, the Medians are doing great. Mr. Median makes 25% more than his father did 30 years ago, even after holding for inflation. Mrs. Median is a lot more likely to work in the professional ranks than her mom was, and to be paid about three times as much doing so. And though she still makes only 77% of what her male counterparts earn, this is up from 33% in 1965. They dote on the same number of children (two), but waited longer to have them, until both careers are well under way. They also pay less tax to the federal government and have 8% more purchasing power than they did 20 years ago, including 5.7% more than they had just ten years ago.

We’ve come a long way, Baby!

John Yoo has written a good op-ed in the WSJ on the Detainee and Military Commissions bill the President signed into law yesterday. Excerpts:

Until the Supreme Court began trying to make war policy, the writ of habeas corpus had never been understood to benefit enemy prisoners in war. The U.S. held millions of POWs during World War II, with none permitted to use our civilian courts (except for a few cases of U.S. citizens captured fighting for the Axis). Even after hostilities ended, the justices turned away lawsuits by enemy prisoners seeking to challenge their detention. In Johnson v. Eisentrager, the court held that it would not hear habeas claims brought by alien enemy prisoners held outside the U.S., and refused to interpret the Geneva Conventions to give new rights in civilian court against the government. In the case of Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, the court refrained from reviewing the operations of military commissions.

In Hamdan, the court moved to sweep aside decades of law and practice so as to forge a grand new role for the courts to open their doors to enemy war prisoners. Led by John Paul Stevens and abetted by Anthony Kennedy, the majority ignored or creatively misread the court's World War II precedents. The approach catered to the legal academy, whose tastes run to swashbuckling assertions of judicial supremacy and radical innovations, rather than hewing to wise but boring precedents.

[…]

This time, Congress and the president did not take the court's power grab lying down. They told the courts, in effect, to get out of the war on terror, stripped them of habeas jurisdiction over alien enemy combatants, and said there was nothing wrong with the military commissions. It is the first time since the New Deal that Congress had so completely divested the courts of power over a category of cases. It is also the first time since the Civil War that Congress saw fit to narrow the court's habeas powers in wartime because it disagreed with its decisions.

Since we here at EIP always attempt to be fair and balanced, here’s a link to an opposing viewpoint. Marty Lederman writes an extensive rebuttal to Professor Yoo’s op-ed, which may or may not interest you. Mr. Lederman is one of those folks who believe terrorists deserve the protection afforded by the Geneva Conventions and should enjoy access to US courts. I think he’s as wrong as two boys holding hands, but you may not. (hat tip to The Volokh Conspiracy for the Lederman link.)

It seems like I stumble upon the good things in life quite by accident most of the time. Such was the case when I came upon one of only four Starbucks Hear Music coffeehouses while in San Antonio. I was making my way up Crockett Street on the way back to the hotel last Thursday evening and was passing by a Starbucks store. I idly glanced in the window and saw lots and lots of CD bins, something out of the ordinary for your average Starbucks. I went in. And was amazed.

A clerk came over and asked if I had ever been in the store before. “No,” sez I. “Well, let me explain,” sez he. And he gave me the dirt: You can sit yourself down at a computer terminal and search Starbucks’ music database for any title that comes into your mind. If and when you find the album/CD you’re looking for, you can then slip on a set of headphones and listen to the entire CD, free of charge. Not snippets of songs, not “selected” tracks, but the entire album. Let’s say you like what you hear. You can go to the CD bins, pick it out and buy it. Ooops! They’re out of stock! Not a problem, The friendly Starbucks clerk will burn you a CD right there on the spot (from their on-line music archive) and sell it to you…and the artist gets credit for the sale. What a freakin’ concept! Needless to say, I could spend hours in a store like that.

Alas, time was short that evening. I was waiting for Buck to call after his banquet and we were going to go out and spend our last night on the town, so I had to get back to the hotel. I bought some new music (the latest Dylan album [Modern Times], a two-disc Dylan set from the 1975 Rolling Thunder tour, and a Sonny Landreth album) and walked out. But, oh do I ever wish I had access to that Hear Music store…

And continuing on the music theme… That Rolling Thunder set has been in the CD changer since I got back from San Antonio, and wow, is it ever good! Here’s the track list:

Disc One

1. Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
2. It Ain't Me, Babe
3. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
4. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
5. Romance In Durango
6. Isis
7. Mr. Tambourine Man
8. Simple Twist Of Fate
9. Blowin' In The Wind
10. Mama, You Been On My Mind

Disc Two

1. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
2. Love Minus Zero/No Limit
3. Tangled Up In Blue
4. The Water Is Wide
5. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
6. Oh, Sister
7. Hurricane
8. One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)
9. Sara
10. Just Like A Woman

1975 just might have been the best year of my life. I turned 30, was living in Tokyo, and was traveling all over the Pacific Rim, having the time of my life. I also met and fell in love with TSMP that Fall…who was a big Dylan fan, once upon a time (she still may be, I dunno). So, all these tunes I’ve been listening to this week bring back some astounding memories. And they’re ALL good.

Today’s Pic: On the Kennebec River - Bath, Maine. June, 2005.

Middle Wife

From my Buddy Ed in Florida, a story too good not to share:

"Middle Wife" by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second-grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.
She holds up a snapshot of an infant. "This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday."

"First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord."

She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.

"Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. "She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.

"My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this." Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.

"And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!" This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!

"Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe. They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, so there must be a lot of toys inside there."

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat. I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another "Middle Wife" comes along.

Another placeholder this is, and a dangerous one, at that. (This, that?) I'm posting before the coffee is done. I just now woke up and the only thing I've done is fire up the coffee and check the overnight mail. And post this.

More in a bit...

Studies, Surveys, and Chilly Weather

Read this: 655,000 War Dead? A bogus study on Iraq casualties.

After doing survey research in Iraq for nearly two years, I was surprised to read that a study by a group from Johns Hopkins University claims that 655,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the war. Don't get me wrong, there have been far too many deaths in Iraq by anyone's measure; some of them have been friends of mine. But the Johns Hopkins tally is wildly at odds with any numbers I have seen in that country. Survey results frequently have a margin of error of plus or minus 3% or 5%--not 1200%.

The group--associated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health--employed cluster sampling for in-person interviews, which is the methodology that I and most researchers use in developing countries.

[…]

However, the key to the validity of cluster sampling is to use enough cluster points. In their 2006 report, "Mortality after the 2003 invasion of Iraq: a cross-sectional sample survey," the Johns Hopkins team says it used 47 cluster points for their sample of 1,849 interviews. This is astonishing: I wouldn't survey a junior high school, no less an entire country, using only 47 cluster points.

With so few cluster points, it is highly unlikely the Johns Hopkins survey is representative of the population in Iraq. However, there is a definitive method of establishing if it is. Recording the gender, age, education and other demographic characteristics of the respondents allows a researcher to compare his survey results to a known demographic instrument, such as a census.

Dr. Roberts said that his team's surveyors did not ask demographic questions. I was so surprised to hear this that I emailed him later in the day to ask a second time if his team asked demographic questions and compared the results to the 1997 Iraqi census. Dr. Roberts replied that he had not even looked at the Iraqi census.

The author of this op-ed, Steven E. Moore, is a political consultant with Gorton Moore International and trained Iraqi researchers for the International Republican Institute from 2003 to 2004. He also conducted survey research for the Coalition Forces from 2005 to 2006. I’d say he has the experience and the credentials to know from whence he speaks. Mr. Moore closes with this comment:

Public-policy decisions based on this survey will impact millions of Iraqis and hundreds of thousands of Americans. It's important that voters and policy makers have accurate information. When the question matters this much, it is worth taking the time to get the answer right.

Hoo-boy, is that ever an understatement! I remember reading the survey, and the reactions to same, when it was released recently. It’s good to see someone step up and debunk what is obviously a flawed effort on the part of the Johns Hopkins survey team. I’ll leave the subject of underlying motivations/agenda of the JH survey team aside, but I’m pretty sure I know what they were.

This should give you a laugh… Human species 'may split in two' (or, “Slow News Day at The Beeb”)

Humanity may split into two sub-species in 100,000 years' time as predicted by HG Wells, an expert has said.

Evolutionary theorist Oliver Curry of the London School of Economics expects a genetic upper class and a dim-witted underclass to emerge.

[…]

Physical appearance, driven by indicators of health, youth and fertility, will improve, he says, while men will exhibit symmetrical facial features, look athletic, and have squarer jaws, deeper voices and bigger penises.

Women, on the other hand, will develop lighter, smooth, hairless skin, large clear eyes, pert breasts, glossy hair, and even features, he adds. Racial differences will be ironed out by interbreeding, producing a uniform race of coffee-coloured people.

Well, following the theories postulated by this “study,” I’d say the process has already begun. Here in America we have Democrats and Republicans. The latter, of course, are mostly beautiful, intelligent and well-formed examples of humanity (with “bigger penises,” presumably). I’ll leave you to speculate on the qualities of the former, but rampant Bush Derangement Syndrome is bound to have evolutionary effects. Just sayin’.

What would we do without studies? US full of Internet addicts: study.

According to preliminary research, the typical Internet addict was a single, college-educated, white male in his 30s, who spends approximately 30 hours a week on non-essential computer use.

Oh…I’m OK. My computer use is essential and I’m waaay over 30. No prob. I think.

So, apropos of nothing, I’m speculating the weather is the reason I was so long abed this morning. It was 47 degrees outside when I woke up this morning and not much warmer inside El Casa Móvil De Pennington. I didn’t turn on the heat before retiring last evening/this morning. So, in other words, it was perfect weather/temperature to pull the covers up around my ears and drift back into sleep. Which I did, repeatedly. The coffee’s been consumed, the ‘net has been surfed (although there’s still much to be done in this category…it’s never ending), and the weather hasn’t improved a whit. A perfect sort of day to catch up on my reading.

Today's Pic

The altar and the view beyond, St. Philips Episcopal church, Tucson, AZ. February, 2004. From the church’s website:

Worshippers are continually inspired by views from the twelve-foot arched window that opens from the sanctuary on to the desert and the Santa Catalina Mountains beyond. The buildings and gardens of St. Philip's have long drawn the attention and admiration of artists and visitors.

This is a placeholder post. Life is back to what passes for “normal” around these parts. I got up at 1115, poured my first cup at 1130 and the second at 1155. I’m caffeinated enough to post a picture. I think.

Back in a few.

Mostly Good News...

This is good news: Venezuela Is Denied Security Council Seat. Venezuela’s UNSC seat has been denied for the time being, and voting continues today for the seat allocated to the South American region. I suppose that if Chavez couldn’t get the required two thirds majority vote in the first ten rounds of voting, then there’s no reason to believe his prospects will improve in subsequent votes. All in all, Venezuela’s failure to obtain a UNSC seat is a very good thing. We have serious issues with the Security Council now, what with our “friends” Russia, China, and France opposing us at every turn. Adding a bona fide nut-case regime to the mix would be (additional) grounds to withdraw from the UN.

Mark Steyn has a new book (America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It) and the New York Post favors us with an excerpt.

When you look at it that way, the biggest globalization success story of recent years is not McDonald's or Microsoft but Islamism. The Saudis took what was not so long ago a severe but peripheral strain of Islam - practiced by Bedouins in the middle of a desert miles from anywhere - and successfully exported it to Jakarta and Singapore and Alma-Ata and Grozny and Sarajevo and Lyons and Bergen and Manchester and Ottawa and Dearborn and Falls Church. It was a strictly local virus, but the bird flew the coop.

And now, instead of the quaintly parochial terrorist movements of yore, we have the first globalized insurgency.

As a bleary Dean Martin liked to say, in mock bewilderment, at the start of his stage act: "How did all these people get in my room?" How did all these jihadists get rooms in Miami and Portland and Montreal? How did we come to breed suicide bombers not just in Gaza but in Yorkshire?

Looks like I have an addition to my reading list…

More good news… Denis MacShane, Labour MP (ed: Member of Parliament) for Rotherham, writing in The Telegraph (UK):

At long last, the debate on Islamism as politics, not Islam as religion, is out in the open. Two weeks ago, Jack Straw might have felt he was taking a risk when publishing his now notorious article on the Muslim veil. However, he was pushing at an open door. From across the political spectrum there is now common consent that the old multicultural emperor, before whom generation of politicians have made obeisance, is now a pitiful, naked sight.

The 10,000 Muslims in my constituency of Rotherham can only benefit from removing the dead hand of ideological Islamism – allowing their faith to be respected and their children to flourish in a Britain that finally wakes up to what must be done. Despite the efforts of extremists to prevent any sort of rational debate about the place of Islam in Britain, it is at last happening.

And it’s about time. The Right Honorable Mr. MacShane has more than a few valid points in his essay, not the least of which are the contributions of out-of-control multi-culturalism, moral relativism, and the arcane British bureaucracy to the current situation. One hopes that it’s not too late…

Mundane notes on life…

I nuked not one, but three bags of popcorn last evening. As it’s said: the third time’s the charm. The first two bags were burnt beyond recognition but at least they weren’t reduced to an actual flaming mess. It was all part of getting used to the settings on the new microwave. There’s a “popcorn” button on the new nuker, and I used it. Two minutes and ten seconds wasn’t enough, so I increased the time in 30 second increments until I got it right, after the aforementioned failures. Turns out that 2:30 is the appropriate setting.

My old microwave died last month (on the 26^th, to be precise) and I finally replaced it this past weekend. If you’re wondering what took me so long, it’s all because the wonderful folks at Forest River (the manufacturer of my RV) installed an odd-sized microwave in a non-standard space above the range. It would have cost me $350.00 to replace the nuker with a drop-and-insert, turn key installation from Forest River. Three-hundred-fifty-frickin’ dollars for an $85.00 (or less, much less) microwave, do you believe it? Esthetics mean a lot to me, but not to the tune of $350.00! So…I looked. I shopped. Bottom line: no one builds a nuker that is precisely 19.25 inches wide, or even 19.5 inches, that will fit the available opening, which is precisely 19.75” wide. The industry standard for 1,000 watt microwaves appears to be 20” or 21”. So, I settled on an 18” 800 watt microwave that looks pretty damned clunky when installed. Oh, yeah: $49.99 at Best Buy, for a savings of three hundred dollars over the “custom” alternative. I can live with “clunky” and save $300.00.

Yesterday was a brilliant autumn day, High Plains style. Our high was 72 degrees, with a brilliant blue sky and light breeze. Today will be a re-run of yesterday, but it’s forecasted to be a tad warmer. I can live with this!

Today’s Pic: Stone Archways at the Alamo, 10/11/2006.

Bouguereau

Lileks wrote this today:

This was unknown to me: the new Denver Art Museum. It looks like a building devoted to the history of things your mother would not let you carry while running. It might come in handy if the earth is threatened by a giant balloon, but otherwise it is a perfect symbol of a culture that does not have the faintest clue what it stands for. I don’t mean our culture in general; I mean the culture of the curators of our artistic heritage. Really: this building is a warning. Within these walls you will find Lincoln Logs glued to a piece of plywood and titled “My Uncle, The Rapist.” The closest you’ll get to representative art – will be screaming popes! And you’ll like it! Of course, that’s not actually the case; the museum includes the old as well as the new. It even has a Bouguereau, although as usual they seem somewhat apologetic about it. For the record, I do think he’s sappy and sentimental, but at least he could paint. If I had to be in a cell with one painting for the rest of my life, I’d choose a Bouguereau over . . . well, this.

It has to be a masterpiece; it's ten feet wide.

What caught my eye was the Bouguereau reference (link), the first I’ve ever seen in a blog, or anywhere else that I can recall. And why did that catch my eye? Not because Bouguereau is a fave of mine, he’s not. No, it’s because when TSMP and I first moved to Detroit, we rented a house from a man who owned not one, not two, but three Bouguereau paintings. He was proud of the fact that the Detroit Institute of the Arts only had two. And what did this guy do, besides rent houses to recently retired military folks? He was a dentist. With a wife who had a big trust fund.

The good doctor did TSMP and I a favor two years into our rental agreement. He accelerated our house hunting with a phone call one evening, telling us we were going to have to move in two months time because he was selling the house we were renting. And why was he selling the house? He wanted to buy another Bouguereau.

TSMP and I moved into our new home a little more than a month later...

Mixed Emotions...

…about this:

The New York lawyer who was convicted of material support for terrorism after carrying messages for her client, terrorist sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, is scheduled to be sentenced today to as much as 30 years in prison.

She and her allies are pinning their hopes for leniency on a strategy that argues she became so emotionally involved in the sheik's case that she acted irrationally — a strategy that is underpinned by a sealed letter to the court from a psychiatrist.

[…]

Stewart was convicted in 2005 of providing material support for terrorism for passing on the messages Abdel Rahman gave her and her translator during visits with him in federal prison in Minnesota. Abdel Rahman, the spiritual leader of a terrorist group in Egypt, is serving a life term following his 1995 conviction in a conspiracy to blow up landmarks around New York. Following a conversation with Abdel Rahman in 2000, Stewart called a Reuters reporter in Cairo to say that Abdel Rahman had withdrawn his support from a ceasefire that his terrorist organization, the Islamic Group, was observing in Egypt.

On the one hand, I think the judge should throw the book at her. There’s more than enough justification for the maximum sentence…in addition to aiding and abetting a known terrorist, her reprehensible actions during the period of time between her indictment and sentencing should also be considered, to wit: her numerous appearances at International A.N.S.W.E.R rallies and other ultra-left-wing organizations. This article in FrontPageMag.com is revealing, and I’ll just quote it briefly:

Stewart shares the Communist beliefs of the WWP and IAC and the Center for Constitutional Rights. She is anti-capitalist and believes the USA is an imperialistic nation, and that anti-capitalist violence is justified. In a 1995 New York Times interview she said, "I don't believe in anarchistic violence, but in directed violence. That would be violence directed at the institutions which perpetuate capitalism, racism, and sexism, and at the people who are the appointed guardians of those institutions, and accompanied by popular support." Obviously, Stewart's worldview meshes seamlessly with that of Saddam Hussein, Yassir Arafat, the blind sheik and Osama Bin Laden. And with that of Deirdre Griswold Brian, Becker, Ramsey Clark and the Workers World Party.

Andrew McCarthy, the lead government prosecutor in the Blind Sheik case wrote an article in National Review that is well worth the read. McCarthy came to know Stewart very well, and admits he likes the woman. But he also believes the following:

There is something wrong with Lynne's brain. Obviously, she loves being a darling of the loony Left — a Left so loony it now makes common cause with theocratic, homo-phobic, misogynistic psycho-killers, since, after all, they too hate America. Nestled among this element, her humanity synapse disengages, such that she can spout about faraway terrorist kidnapping victims and other unknown civilians as legitimate targets with all the contemplative depth of a dinner companion asking you to pass the salt.

But she is not without humanity. What has happened to her here is very far from a tragedy — a tragedy is when someone unwittingly crosses the path of Abdel Rahman's ilk and is ruthlessly murdered for the great offense of being an American, or a Jew, or a Christian, or anything other than an Islamic militant. This is what Lynne Stewart promoted, and for that she must pay dearly. At 65, it may mean she pays with the rest of her life. Many will understandably celebrate that. I will pray she perceives that she has done enormous harm, and that the real civil rights she might have honored are those of the innocent victims of terror.

So, that’s the one hand. On the other is the fact that she is a 67 year-old woman recovering from breast cancer. I believe mercy is in order for this woman. She should receive the maximum sentence, true. But if I were the judge I’d suspend all but 90 days of the sentence, put her on probation and possibly house arrest, and order her to perform 1,000 hours of community service under the supervision and direction of the court. I’d also bar her from further public appearances on behalf of radical left-wing groups…but that might not be constitutionally legal.

Others with political views similar to mine do not agree…and those others include Gaius at Blue Crab Boulevard, Captain Ed, and Billy at Outside the Beltway.

Married? You're a Minority!

Well, now. This is interesting.

Married couples, whose numbers have been declining for decades as a proportion of American households, have finally slipped into a minority, according to an analysis of new census figures by The New York Times.

The American Community Survey, released this month by the Census Bureau, found that 49.7 percent, or 55.2 million, of the nation’s 111.1 million households in 2005 were made up of married couples — with and without children — just shy of a majority and down from more than 52 percent five years earlier.

The numbers by no means suggests marriage is dead or necessarily that a tipping point has been reached. The total number of married couples is higher than ever, and most Americans eventually marry. But marriage has been facing more competition. A growing number of adults are spending more of their lives single or living unmarried with partners, and the potential social and economic implications are profound.

And why is this?

“It’s the legacy of the boomers that have finally caused this tipping point,” Dr. Frey said. “Certainly later generations have followed in boomer footsteps, with high levels of living together before marriage, and more flexible lifestyles. But the boomers were the trailblazers, once again, rebelling against a norm their parents epitomized.

“This would seem to close the book on the Ozzie and Harriet era that characterized much of the last century,” he said.

Those frickin’ Boomers…always upsetting the apple cart. But the comment is nonetheless true. There is absolutely no stigma associated with light housekeeping any longer. Well, that’s not entirely true. The ex-girlfriend adamantly maintained we weren’t living together, even though three drawers of her dresser were filled with my clothes, my toiletries occupied 10% of her medicine cabinet, and my car was parked in her garage every night. But I maintained a separate residence and received my mail there, so, technically, she was right. There was something in her reality that rejected the concept of “living together.” I didn’t have a problem with it, and have often wondered just who she was kidding. Certainly not her friends, family, or her business associates. It was pretty clear what our living arrangements were…

All that said, speaking strictly for YrsTrly, I will not marry again. There’s a possibility, however slight, I may meet someone I want to share life with and if that happens I’ll opt for light housekeeping. My reason, and there’s but one, is I refuse to be a three-time loser. I view two unsuccessful marriages as my greatest failing in life. Three failures would be totally unacceptable. And the 50-50 odds of a successful marriage just don’t cut it with me.

The USAF Memorial

A soldier can walk the battlefields where he once fought; a Marine can walk the beaches he once stormed; but an airman can never visit the patch of sky he raced across on a mission to defend freedom. And so it's fitting that, from this day forward, the men and women of the Air Force will have this memorial, a place here on the ground that recognizes their achievements and sacrifices in the skies above.

President Bush, October 14, 2006

Finally. After nearly 15 years of inter-service squabbles, court fights, two approved locations, and months of construction, the United States Air Force has a memorial. Up until yesterday, the Air Force was the only armed service without a memorial. No longer.

President Bush and a host of other dignitaries, including Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, the Secretary of the Air Force, the USAF Chief of Staff, the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, and hundreds of their predecessors, attended yesterday’s dedication ceremony. The dedication ceremony included fly-bys of historic aircraft and was capped by the USAF Thunderbirds performing their signature bomb burst maneuver, which was the inspiration for the monument’s design.

And speaking of the design…

James Ingo Freed, one of America’s finest architects, gave the nation a design that truly honors the men and women of the Air Force. Featuring three stainless steel spires that soar skyward, the tallest reaching a height of 270 feet, the Memorial’s design is truly representative of flight and the flying spirit of the Air Force. The three spires impart a sense of accomplishment in command of the sky, and evoke the image of the precision “bomb burst” maneuver performed by the United States Air Force Thunderbird Demonstration Team.

The three spires also represent the three core values of the Air Force - integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all that is done - and the Air Force’s total force - active, guard and reserve.

Embedded in granite beneath the three central spires is the Air Force "star," which has long been emblazoned on Air Force aircraft and serves as the rank insignia of every enlisted member of the Air Force. Other key elements of the Memorial include a Runway to Glory at the site entrance, a bronze Honor Guard statue developed by the renowned sculptor, Zenos Frudakis, two granite inscription walls located at either end of the central lawn and a Glass Contemplation Wall that honors fallen airmen.

I’ve got to go there…I just have to. A new addition to the “to-do” list.

Links:
President Bush’s address.
AP News Release
Air Force Memorial Foundation home.
The Memorial’s Texas Connection(s).
AF.mil Memorial stories and photos.

(Photo credits: Memorial and Falcon - Reuters; Thunderbirds - White House photo)

Home Again!

It’s good to be home. I had Big Fun in San Antonio…it was more than good to spend that much time with Buck, see the sights, meet new friends, do “big city” things and all that, but as the saying goes: “…be it ever so humble (and it is that), there’s no place like home!”

Random notes:

First and foremost…the thought occurred to me this morning: they ALL look so young! This regarding the appearance of every single one of Buck’s friends and peers, who are primarily Captains, First Lieutenants, and junior Majors. Even a few of the Lieutenant Colonels looked pretty young to me…A sign I’m getting way old, to be sure.

Rubbing elbows with “The Stars”… Buck returned to the room after the LOA banquet Thursday evening to change out of his Class A uniform into something more appropriate (read that: jeans and a tee shirt) for our final night on the town. We went down to the Menger bar to meet his buddy, gather up the gaggle and head out. Upon entering the bar Buck said “Wow! Not one, but two generals!” And sure enough, there was a two-star and a one-star standing at the end of the bar, along with a Lt Col and a Captain. Turns out Buck knows them both, and to make a long story short, Buck goes over and says “General Sullivan, I’d like to introduce my dad, retired Master Sergeant Buck Pennington…” So, we spend about five or six minutes shooting the bull with a couple of generals. It’s not the first time I’ve stood at the bar with a general, but it was the first time I stood with two of ‘em. Most interesting.

Which brings up the next point. Both generals made the obligatory “thank you for your service” comments almost immediately after the introductions were completed. I’m not quite sure how to address this without appearing to be both ungrateful and curmudgeonly, but I’m getting just a little bit tired of all this “thank you for your service” stuff, especially among and between members of the military community. It’s one thing to be on the receiving end of those comments when they come from a member of the civilian population who has never served, it’s quite another to get it from a fellow warrior. It’s difficult to put into words, as I said in my intro, but the “thanks for your service” thingie is acquiring the aura of “the politically correct thing to do.” At any rate, I find it a little, perhaps a lot, off-putting. A firm handshake, a knowing look, and perhaps a “where were you stationed?” would more than do the trick when coming from another military man or woman. Just sayin’, ya know.

OK, that said… I did exactly the same thing while at the Alamo. There was this young Army private first class, in uniform, there with her mother. (How do I know it was Mom? Because Mom’s tee shirt said “My daughter is a combat medic at Fort Sam Houston.”) I walked up to the PFC and said “I know you probably get tired of hearing this, but… thank you.” The private immediately extended her hand, looked me directly in the eye, shook my hand firmly and nodded. Her reaction, and her expression, led me to believe she felt exactly the same way I do. Perhaps if we just said “thank you,” rather than “thanks for your service,” that would be more than enough. And not so damned politically correct.

One thing that makes Texas unique (out of many things) is the number of state flags one sees flying. They’re literally everywhere…car lots, banks, schools, homes, businesses…everywhere. The Texas flag just might outnumber the US flags. As an example, I could see four Texas flags from my hotel window, and only two US flags. And that’s just the flag itself, and not the various representations of the state flag, be it on logos, in art of all sorts, on bumperstickers, tee shirts, and God-knows-what-else. I think that’s pretty cool. No, it’s way-cool. No where else…

Well. I must get my day under way. I have to remedy an act of stupidity I committed yesterday when I bought a new optical mouse for the computer. I bought a “notebook” mouse without realizing it’s a notebook mouse, which is to say the mouse cord is only about eight inches long, way too short to reach the USB connection on my computer, which sits under my table/desk. I don’t know if there’s such a thing as a USB extension cord, but I do know there are USB hubs, which I can sit on the desktop, plug the spiffy new mouse into, and plug the hub into the computer. This new mouse is going to be the most expensive mouse around, once I get done jury-rigging the connection to the computer. {sigh} It’s always sump’thin!

Today’s Pic: The back side of the Alamo, taken this past Wednesday.

Outta Here!

Abbreviated post today. Buck’s packing as I type and we’ll be on the road to P-Town in about 20 minutes or so.

I broke a cardinal rule of mine last night: never eat sushi when you’re over 200 miles from the ocean. But. I hadn’t had sushi since leaving SFO and there was this sushi bar within walking distance of the hotel, so… Forty dollars later the itch was wonderfully scratched. It was good.

More later when I’m back home.

Today’s Pic: The hostess at The Republic of Texas on the River Walk. Taken Tuesday or Wednesday.

The Alamo

I had an impromptu chat with a couple of ladies at the bar last evening and one posed the question “What’s the most impressive thing you’ve seen in San Antonio so far?” That’s a no-brainer: The Alamo.

While the facts surrounding the siege of the Alamo continue to be debated, there is no doubt about what the battle has come to symbolize. People worldwide continue to remember the Alamo as a heroic struggle against overwhelming odds — a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. For this reason the Alamo remains hallowed ground and the Shrine of Texas Liberty.

“The Shrine of Texas Liberty.” And, of course, American liberty. Visiting the Alamo really is an emotional experience. Buck and I had a discussion night before last about the Alamo and we both tried, unsuccessfully, to name another American icon that is equal to the Alamo. The Statue of Liberty probably is close, but in our minds the Statue is a distant second.

I’ll digress briefly: one of my strongest childhood memories is of standing on the rail of the USNS Troopship (can’t remember the ship’s real name) as we sailed into New York harbor after being overseas for five years. I looked up at my Mom as the Statue of Liberty came into view and was surprised to see tears streaming down her cheeks. She tried to explain, but could not. She simply said “We’re home.” That’s impact.

I didn’t see anyone crying while I was at the Alamo yesterday, but I will admit that I was close a couple of times. After I signed the guestbook I spent about five or six minutes thumbing through those pages, going back about a week. People from all over the world—Asia, Africa, Europe, South America—and from every state in America signed the guest book. Just reading the origins of the visitors impressed me. The Alamo is more than an American icon, it’s an international shrine to Liberty. The legend is known worldwide. That, too, my friends, is impact.

For Lou

OK, Lou...here's your marg! The waitress asked if you had the large one or the small one. I said it was up to you...

At The Republic of Texas, Wednesday, 10/11/2006.

More Pics

A couple of pics of the "old" lobby at the Menger and a rain pic, all shot yesterday... The Menger lobby is quite elegant, no?

Life is Good!

Yesterday was a computer-free day, pretty much. I broke one of my primary rules, to wit: if you’re gonna blog, blog. Post every day. And I didn’t post. {sigh} What’s that they say? Rules are made to be broken?

Yesterday wasn’t all that good, weather-wise. It rained nearly all day, so that put a damper on most (but not all) outdoor activities. I used the day to check off a few items on my “big city” list…mostly (all) shopping related. I have a new watch band, several new tee shirts and a small supply of fine Partagas cigars, because I stumbled upon a great tobacconist with a well-stocked humidor room. Very friendly folks there, too. I spent about an hour there, chatting about cigars and other cultural stuff with the shop owner and his very lovely assistant. I also got my Zippo tuned up, which is a rather long story I won’t go into in great detail. Suffice to say the lighter works first time, every time, now. It didn’t used to…

The lovely assistant at the tobacconists also gave me a tip I’ll pass along to smokers who may be accosted by the TSA, such as I was this past June. If you are carrying a treasured Zippo (sound familiar?), don’t surrender the entire lighter…simply remove the lighter’s guts (which can be easily replaced by writing to Zippo) and hand them over to that friendly gub’mint agent, keeping the case for yourself. Simple solution, and I’ll admit I’m terribly embarrassed that the thought didn’t occur to me at the time.

So…time to hit the shower and get my day going.

Today’s agenda: coffee at Starbuck’s and the WSJ, followed with a trip across the street to the Alamo. Lunch somewhere and lotsa people watching. Life is good…

Today’s Pic: The gas fountain at Pat O’Brien’s, which mesmerized me. I have at least ten pics of this fountain. I took this one last evening.

Trip Report, Part One

The trip from P-Town to San Antonio was uneventful, but long. We got a later start than Buck wanted, but we made good time, arriving at the Menger around 2300 hours Central Time. Buck checked us in, we tipped the porter and gave him the key to the room and went straight to the bar for “a” beer.

Yeah, right.

One beer turned into three at the Menger Bar, which we closed down, being as how it was Sunday and they only stayed open until midnte. Out into the street and around the corner to Pat O’Brien’s, San Antonio division. Three more beers and we closed that place, too. It was a good thing we ran out of time, given the way I felt when I woke up this morning. I don’t think I’d have lived if we had had more time…

Poor Buck had to get up and go flog LOA shirts at the golf tournament, which, typical of military functions, began at oh-dark-thirty this morning. He got a grand total of four hours sleep. I, on the other hand, was finishing up my shower routine when he returned just after 1000. I probably would still have been asleep had not the maid barged in around 0930 and woke me up…

So…the rest of the day was spent exploring parts of the River Walk area and doing some serious people watching. (No alcohol was consumed, for obvious reasons.) To say I’m impressed with the River Walk is an understatement. What surprises me is the fact that there aren’t more venues similar to the River Walk in America. People watching is great sport, and the Europeans, especially the French and the Italians, understand this. Sidewalk cafés are everywhere in Europe, with the possible exception of the northern latitudes. The sidewalk café is virtually non-existent in America, on the other hand. I’ve never understood this…

Buck’s at his official “ice breaker” at the moment, but there’s more partying on tap after the ice breaker is done. Ya gotta love conventions, eh?

No news, no politics. While we were in the bar last evening I happened to see the Norks supposedly conducted their nuclear test. I haven’t followed up on that lil bit of news today, perhaps I will tomorrow. Or, perhaps not.

Today’s Pics: At Pat O’Brien’s last evening (note the “Last Call” message scrawled on the mirror) and a piece of the River Walk, today.

Signs O' the Times...Part I

Rib joint in Junction, Texas...just off I-10. I don't know this to be a fact, but it's a good marketing ploy, ain't it? That's the moon off to the right. Too bad I didn't have my tripod, because the moon was simply awesome orange...

More in a bit...

Happy Birthday Sam!

SN2 is 38 today. To say I’m proud of the boy is an understatement…

The pics: Sam as an enlisted sailor, 1988; his “official” portrait circa 1997; Sam and associates on board USS Monterey in or around the Gulf, 2004.

Short post today. Lots to do before SN1 arrives in a couple of hours and we get on the road to San Antonio.

Well... I'll BE!

How ‘bout them Tigers!?! No one, and I mean no one, thought this would happen: the Tigers eliminate the Yankees, 3 games to 1, with an 8 – 3 win today. And you’d think they won the World Series, from the reaction of the crowd. What an amazing sight! Detroit sports fans just have to be the world’s very best, bar none. And that includes English football rowdies, too.

From a team that lost their division on the last day of the regular season (after leading nearly all year) to the ALCS. One had to think the Tigers collapse would continue into the post-season, but it obviously didn’t. The Yankees are stunned. Hell, I'm stunned!

On to Oakland!

Out

As Gaius at Blue Crab Boulevard notes: “All the Cool Kids Are Doing It!” And The Anchoress started it… Doing what, you ask? Outing themselves! (By way of further explanation: This wave of outing is more or less in response to the Democrats circulating that list of gay Republican staffers, aides, etc. in Congress to various Republican groups.) Gerard van der Leun’s site must be down (I can’t get it to load; other sites load fine), but I’m intrigued by his outing confession, quoted elsewhere:

For decades I have been a lesbian trapped in a man’s body. I can’t help it. I have this deep need to pursue every beautiful woman I see. What can this be other than latent lesbianism? As my two wives will, if they were speaking to me, attest, I have in the past performed lesbian acts on them. I couldn’t help it because it was in my genes and also part of their special request.

I’ll keep trying that link as I write. But, Hey! I used Gerard’s line years ago, apropos of nothing. And, not being one to miss a wave, I’ll out myself, too:

Like a lot of the others outing themselves, I’ll admit to voting for Democrats in the past. Lotsa times. But not lately.

This may be the most damning confession I’ve ever made: I bought the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack within a week of its release. I still know the words to most of the songs. “Burn, Baby, Burn! Disco Inferno! Burn that mother down…” (That’s kinda gay, isn’t it?)

OK. That’s enough.

Are we looking at a Democrat victory in the upcoming mid-terms of 1994 proportions? Stuart Rothenberg, writing at Real Clear Politics, thinks so:

The Iraq War is going poorly, with daily reports of mounting casualties and little evidence that American policy is achieving its goals. Bob Woodward’s book and the leaked National Intelligence Estimate give more fodder to critics of the White House, undercutting President Bush’s fundamental argument about the war against terror. If Iraq indeed is the front line of the war against terror, then the war on terror isn’t going well, is it?

Republicans failed to produce anything meaningful over the past couple of years on the president’s top priorities, Social Security reform and immigration. And now in the wake of the scandal surrounding former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), the House leadership looks like the Keystone Cops.

[…]

At this point in the cycle, with four weeks to go, Democrats have enough credible candidates and enough resources to win both the House and the Senate. It’s quite possible that a handful of lower-second-tier, and even some third-tier, Democrats could be swept into the House by an anti-Republican wave, giving Democrats a bigger gain than I had heretofore been estimating.

Republicans may counter that while they have messed up, Democrats haven’t done anything to deserve control of Congress. Sure, I can buy that. But that’s not how our system works. Democrats don’t have to offer an agenda. They don’t have to offer a list of unquestionably able committee chairmen. They don’t have to understand that their election isn’t a mandate for anything — except change.

Rothenberg’s point—that this is what Republicans themselves are saying—is well-taken. If the Republicans have anything at all to fear, it’s that the base will opt out and stay home. All the pundits may be wrong, however, and I have only two words to counter the conventional wisdom: Speaker Pelosi.

Today’s Pic: YrsTrly and friend below the Palisades Sill in the Cimarron River canyon near Red River, NM. May, 2004.

Overcome by Moonbats

Didja Miss It? I did, and from the looks of things, I’m glad I did. “Miss what?” you ask…

(AP) NEW YORK From longtime activists to toddlers, thousands of protesters clogged streets around the country Thursday to speak against the war in Iraq and the Bush administration.

There’s the AP for ya. “Thousands” of people “clogging” our streets. More like hundreds of former aged hippies wearing clogs hoping for press coverage and a much better turnout. Moonbattery has photos from the NYC event; LGF has coverage and a link to a photo gallery. The usually reliable and oh-so-entertaining ZombieTime in SFO has gone missing; his site was last updated 9/11/2006.

The one thing I take away from the photos? A large number of folks in my generation are a serious embarrassment to the rest of us. Perfect poster children for an anti-drug campaign…you know, “Don’t Do Drugs or You’ll End Up Like THIS!” kinda thing.

Sheesh.

So. I’ve spent the better part of three hours following links from memeorandum this morning, and all it’s done is depress me. More Foley. Way too much Foley, actually. Another seriously-disconnected-from-reality moonbat rant from the Odious Olbermann, with corresponding huzzahs from his moonbat acolytes. “buy more Thank You notes,” indeed. I’ve tried to restrain myself from using the pejorative term “moonbat” over the past few months or so, but dammit, a spade is a spade. Bush Derangement Syndrome is such a debilitating malady, and there’s apparently NO cure. I’m left sitting here, just shaking my head slowly from side to side, speechless. There’s simply no arguing with crazy people, as Mom used to say.

I need a break.

And we’re gearing up for said break. I’m compiling a list of “big-city” things to do while I’m away that includes little items to buy, cuisines to indulge myself in that aren’t available here in the outlands, and a potential habitat scouting trip. I haven’t completely dismissed the thought of leaving P-Town, and this trip is an opportunity to test my willingness and ability to orchestrate the move, should it appear to be desirable and feasible. This is gonna be fun.

Today’s Pic: The Roosevelt County Memorial Building, downtown Portales. Sometime after 0300 hrs, 7/21/2005.

I Say Something GOOD About Bill Moyers, Among Other Things

Victor Davis Hanson, writing at Pajamas Media, on the subject of footnotes:

But when you write history, and especially history of a contentious nature about Iraq, in which so much is at stake, it is incumbent to identify primary sources. The last three books about the supposed mess in Iraq—Cobra II, Fiasco, and now State of Denial—violate every canon of intellectual courtesy. Check who said what in Cobra II and you find the following: “Interview, former senior military officer”, “Interview, former senior officer”, “Interview, former Centcom planner,” Interview, Pentagon Officials,” “Interview, U.S. State Department Official,” or “notes of a participant.”

When the readers encounter the most controversial and damning of verbatim quotes in Fiasco, they are presented with “said a Bush administration official” or “recalled one officer.” Woodward is ever more derelict, in imagining not just the conversations, but even the thoughts of characters. And lest one think I am unduly critical in questioning the veracity of these unnamed sources—whose authenticity can never be checked by anyone other than the journalists who now write out popular histories—examine the recent record of journalists at the New York Times and Washington Post, and more recent stories such as the Koran flushing at Guantanamo or the photshopped pictures from Lebanon.

I’ve not read any of the cited works—haven’t even picked them up and examined them at the bookstore—but I’m not all that surprised at the lack of source citations and other supporting documentation. I believe Hanson’s point is that these authors and the reporters producing much of what passes for “journalism” these days are simply saying “trust me.” Whether you trust them or not is largely a function of your political orientation. My orientation is such that, like Hanson, I reject the expressed arguments for the reason(s) that it’s just so much conjecture without proof…and proof is naming names, times, and places.

On the other hand, expecting authors to identify sources in this day, given that much of the negative position on the Iraq war relies primarily on leaked classified information, is expecting a lot. The authors of the cited works, and the sources themselves, understand the nature of the game they’re playing: when it comes to classified information, the leakers are breaking the law, the authors are accessories to the leakers’ crimes. The fact that the government hasn’t yet moved to identify and silence the leakers doesn’t mean they won’t. And I believe the government should pursue the leakers, and I think I understand why they aren’t doing it, or are only doing so halfheartedly. I think both sides, leakers and government, remember what happened to Daniel Ellsberg when he released the Pentagon Papers to the NYT. The leakers, and their enablers (like the NYT) simply don’t have Ellsberg’s courage and the willingness to face trial. And I believe the administration doesn’t have the fortitude to investigate, identify, and prosecute the leakers at this point in time. The administration has enough on its plate, what with fighting the war and trying to win the hearts and minds of Democrats and the rest of the nay-sayers at home and abroad. Devoting time, resources, and energy to an investigation and subsequent trial, while defending themselves against the avalanche of liberal outage that would be sure to follow (Prior Restraint! Censorship!), just might fail a reasonable risk analysis. But that may not remain true for very much longer. One hopes that’s the case.

Good News, indeed: The Dow-Jones Industrial average closed at 11,850.53 yesterday, the second record close in as many days. The NASDAQ, currently at 2,290.95, has a looong way to go, however, to equal its all-time closing high of 5,048.62, achieved on Friday March 10, 2000. Nonetheless, the Dow’s rise is good news. And it gives the lie to all those “concerns” about the economy, as do the unemployment figures.

Red Meat for Lefties: Bill Moyers’ “Capitol Crimes,” on PBS. I watched this show in its entirety last evening, and must admit it was, for the most part, very well-done. I say “for the most part” because I take issue with the overly-dramatic readings (which reminded me of the current GEICO “celebrity” ads) from e-mails sent to and from various participants in the Abramoff scandal. But, that’s some serious nit-picking on my part. I take Moyers with a block—nay, a frickin’ mine—of salt. The man is so over-the-top, so partisan, and such a virulent Lefty of the worst sort, that anything he produces is suspect in my book. But Boy-Howdy, he sure seems to have the goods this time. The show, lasting two hours, was a tour de force. Regarding the Abramoff scandal, specifically, I’ll be amazed if Tom DeLay doesn’t wind up in jail…seriously. I’m also waiting for the GOP rebuttal. That rebuttal cannot come soon enough, if a rebuttal is even possible.

The Abramoff scandal wasn’t the only topic addressed by Moyers, but that particular scandal got the lion’s share of the program. He went deeper than that, exploring the whole K-Street lobbying industry and its impact on the system, and most importantly, on the Congress. And he also went after the earmarking process, which I’ve ranted about in the past. When it comes to earmarking, Moyers and I are pretty much on the same page, and I never thought I’d ever say something like that.

There’s a lot to explore on the web site, if you have the time and inclination. And you can watch video of last night’s program, helpfully broken into several segments, if you have a broadband connection. And, once again, the inclination. I cannot emphasize this enough: I never thought I’d say this, but I think this show is worth the time.

Today’s Pic: A rainbow shot, taken on US 70 north of Portales and south of Clovis, March, 2004.

Bob Woodward and One Other Stupid Thing

If there’s the tiniest bit of a silver lining in the Foley scandal, it’s the fact that Foley, Hastert, et al have knocked Bob Woodward (State of Denial) off the front pages of the nation’s papers. Small (very small) consolation that, but good, nonetheless. Woodward’s accusations and spin may not be front page news today, but the man is still making the rounds of the TV talk shows. Charlie Rose devoted the entire hour of his show last night to an interview with Woodward (video at the link). I watched. Or at least tried to watch, but found myself hitting mute when Rose’s leading questions and Woodward’s response(s) became just too much for me to stomach. But I kept going back. All told, I probably watched two-thirds of the show.

I was struck by several things. First and foremost, Woodward is apparently infected with that “every war is Viet Nam” virus. During the course of the interview he mentioned several times that he served in Viet Nam (Navy) and knew what it was like to be “at the bottom of the food chain” when the Big Dogs claim everything is going just dandy but your personal experience contradicts the Party Line. Well, Duh! Name a war, any war, where the grunts’ mud-level view meshed with that of the generals, the SecDef, or the President. Those guys slogging it out on the Marne or at Bastogne didn’t think the war was going well, not at all. Yet, we won. And the reality of Viet Nam was we never lost a single engagement on the battlefield, yet we lost the war. And why? Because, in the end, the American public turned against the war. There’s a lesson there, no? The North Vietnamese understood the impact of public opinion (as does al Qaeda), yet for all his “I was there” rhetoric, Woodward seems to have missed the single most important lesson of Viet Nam. Imagine that.

Secondly, Woodward was privy in a limited way to the councils of war. The impression Woodward developed from this experience is that the administration’s in denial, and is guilty of rejecting substantial evidence that the war is going badly. There is an alternative point of view, succinctly expressed in today’s New York Post editorial:

Everyone's long known about the turmoil in Iraq. And as for administration in-fighting, well, that's just another way of saying that a staff of intelligent, opinionated, self-confident individuals sparred over complex issues.

Or, in other words, Woodward witnessed the fact that war is messy, people die, things get badly broken, and success comes in fits and starts, interspersed with set-backs and losses. Once again, imagine that.

To Woodward’s credit, he admits the jury is still out and that Iraq may well turn out to be a major victory. If that happens, Woodward maintains President Bush will go down in history as “the American Churchill.” But, he followed up that comment with his personal opinion that that particular outcome is highly improbable, given the current situation and leadership. Interestingly enough, the enemy is having doubts of their own about the outcome of the Iraq war. For the third time: Imagine that!

Woodward troubles me because the man has substantial and widespread credibility due to his excellent work during the Watergate era. His point of view and opinions are well-received in certain circles and plants the seed of doubt in others. As I said, he has credibility. And given the daily reports of carnage and mayhem coming out of Iraq, his assertions that the administration’s strategy is flawed and failing meshes with a certain “reality.” Not good. Not good at all. It remains to be seen if the optimists or the pessimists will prevail. There’s a lot riding on the coming mid-terms.

Interesting times, these.

Enough of politics. I agree with the comment Laurie made, re: yesterday’s post. I’m getting burnt out. Really burnt out. San Antonio will be a nice break. I’ll continue to blog while I’m there, but the subject matter will probably be quite different from the usual fare.

Today’s Pic: The house I bought but never lived in. Continuing with a semi-occurring theme of late, that of “Former Happy Days,” here’s an interesting (and stupid) example of the lengths one will go to in a vain attempt to save a marriage. TSMP made an off-hand comment during our end game that “she always hated this house,” referring to the place we were living in. “No problem!” said I… “we’ll buy another house!” And so we did. She left, anyway. We sold the house two weeks after we closed on the purchase. Never lived in. Rush, NY. August, 1998.

Plans, Foley, Terror, and Cacti...

It’s been a month or two, but that road trip I was on about back in August is gonna happen this coming weekend. Destination: San Antonio, accompanying SN1 to the 2006 Logistics Officers Association conference. SN1 decided to drive to the conference from Utah… he’ll swing by P-Town this weekend, pick me up, and we’ll be on our way. We’ll be staying at the historic Menger Hotel (built in 1859, historic by American standards, semi-contemporary by European standards). And there are ghosts! The Menger is about 100 yards away from the Alamo, so I’ll be able to check off another item on my “must see/do” list. And the hotel is close by the River Walk, too. I see margaritas in my future. And Starbucks! Beer, too.

Apropos of nothing, you should check out the Bleat today. Lileks has a sequence of screen-shots taken from this week’s Noir feature that should make you laugh. And he ends that sequence with:

If any of you have young sons, show them the picture above, and stress the importance of not making women look at you like that. No good ever comes of it.

And if you don’t laugh? Well, I’m sorry. I just can’t help you… By the way, he’s oh-so-right about not making women look at you like that. Don’t ask how I know, I just do.

So, the Representative Foley scandal is in full-blown witch hunt mode now. I’m watching C-SPAN’s Washington Journal as I type and there’s this very shrill young woman by the name of Melanie Sloan from an organization known as “Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington” going on and on about how we need an investigation into Foley, an investigation into the House Republican Leadership, and, for good measure, a DOJ investigation into the FBI itself (for ignoring CREW’s request for an investigation into Foley, back in July). Here’s Ms. Sloan’s bio:

Melanie Sloan, Executive Director
Melanie Sloan serves as CREW's Executive Director. Prior to starting CREW, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia, where, from 1998-2003, she successfully tried cases before dozens of judges and juries. Before becoming a prosecutor, Ms. Sloan served as Minority Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, working for Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI) and specializing in crime issues.

Emphasis mine, of course. Ms. Sloan couldn’t possibly have an agenda now, could she? Oh, and did I mention she’s shrill? Harpy is more like it. Her stern visage and sharp, clipped tone probably shatters any and all glass within 100 yards. They must have bomb-proof glass in the C-SPAN studios. When I encounter a woman like this in real life I run, not walk, to the nearest exit. But, I digress.

Back to Foley… Numerous editorials are clamoring for Hastert’s resignation today, including one from the Washington Times, of all papers. One would expect this sort of call from the NYT, but, strangely enough, they aren’t calling for his resignation. Yet. The WSJ is a lot more moderate on this issue (as one would suspect). Excerpt:

But in today's politically correct culture, it's easy to understand how senior Republicans might well have decided they had no grounds to doubt Mr. Foley merely because he was gay and a little too friendly in emails. Some of those liberals now shouting the loudest for Mr. Hastert's head are the same voices who tell us that the larger society must be tolerant of private lifestyle choices, and certainly must never leap to conclusions about gay men and young boys. Are these Democratic critics of Mr. Hastert saying that they now have more sympathy for the Boy Scouts' decision to ban gay scoutmasters? Where's Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on that one?

I don’t like Speaker Hastert, which should be plain enough from my previous ranting. But should he resign? No. Not yet, anyway. There’s way too much speculation and not near enough facts on the ground, at this point in time.

Wizbang has more, as does Captain Ed.

Mansoor Ijaz, a pundit I have long respected for his well-thought-out and reasonable views, has an editorial today in the Christian Science Monitor (End the Blame Game and Start Fighting Terror) that evoked a “Hell, Yeah!” from Yrs Trly.

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – The terrorism blame game being played by America's leaders in recent weeks goes beyond political sport. It is polarizing the country in the worst possible way in front of enemies, who revel in our divisiveness. They know better than we that neither side of the political spectrum has gotten it right in combating their extremist march against civilization.

[…]

Meanwhile, extremists are skillfully adapting to our dysfunctional antiterror strategies. They are smarter than we are, capable of outmaneuvering us, and unflappable in pursuit of their hideous cause. The threat they pose requires us to stop pointing fingers - and to develop a new blueprint for fighting terror.

I make these observations as one who sparked an important phase of this national debate. Five years ago, based on my personal experiences, I questioned whether President Clinton's national security team had done enough to cut off radical Islam's growing tentacles during his two terms in office. Had I known that my efforts to raise the issue for debate so future policy planners could learn from past mistakes would become so politicized and divisive, I would not have willingly taken that step.

Mr. Ijaz makes a couple of interesting and heretofore unseen recommendations (by me, anyway) about combating terror from a global, not just national, perspective. Interesting, indeed. Read the whole thing…

Today’s Pic: Copper Cacti, Tucson, AZ. February, 2004. These cacti are waaay beyond “lawn ornaments,” and are more in the realm of sculpture. Expensive, too!

More of the Same. Late, Too.

Gerard van der Leun hasn’t been writing much on his blog of late. When he took the gig as editor at Pajamas Media he warned us posting would diminish. However. He put a post up last Thursday that I think needs to be read. So I link…

For, lo, this word which once emblemized both race-hate and a degraded and disgraced secondary state of humanity has, through the alchemy of the asinine among us, been mystically transmogrified into something approaching a holy incantation. From a mongrel word it has be made magical. But the use of this magic word has, as the high priests of pap always assure us, been made unavailable to the many for the power of the few.

The Word is now the sole possession of the REMD (Racial Establishment of Monetized Defeatism). It is a closely held stock whose possession assures that, the more we strive to put racism behind us in this country, the more certainly it will be kept alive in order to maintain the parasite of racism's ability to feed upon the host culture and continue to enrich its stockholders.

He’s talking about people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, of course. He’s also calling out the hip-hop gangstas that throw “that” word around in their lyrics with a frequency that is simply appalling. Years and years ago, back in the mid-60s and waaay before hip-hop, I had a black friend who explained the terms and conditions of the N-word to me: “I can use it, you can’t. Simple as that.” I protested, to no avail. “That’s just the way it is” was the answer. Well, that answer wasn’t good then and it’s STILL indefensible. Gerard is right.

Here are two interesting op-eds, one in the WSJ, the other in the WaPo, both on Congress, both critical, both correct. First, the WSJ’s concluding paragraph:

With his party down in the polls, Mr. Bush has tried to recast the midterm election as a referendum on the war on terror. This strategy may yet save Republicans from losing Congress, both because the war is the most important issue of our time and because the Democrats are calling for retreat in Iraq and essentially for a return to the antiterror policies of the 1990s. But it is no credit to the performance of Republicans in this Congress that their best argument for re-election is the wartime flaws of their opponents.

And the lead graf from the WaPo:

After years of single-party government, the prospect of a Democratic majority in the House ought to feel refreshing. But even with Republicans collapsing in a pile of sexual sleaze, I just can't get excited. Most Democrats in Congress seem bereft of ideas or the courage to stand up for them. They clearly want power, but they have no principles to guide their use of it.

I’ve read that up to 65% of Americans have a negative view of Congress. It’s been that way ever since I can remember, and long before my time, too. Mark Twain’s famous “Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.” is often quoted and remains ever-so-true, to this day. I’m more than dissatisfied with the Republicans’ performance in Congress over the past two years, for many, many reasons…not the least of which is their complete fiscal irresponsibility and their seeming inability to unite behind the President on key issues. As noted in the WSJ editorial, the single “good thing” the Congress has done is enabling the appointment of two well-qualified conservatives to the Supreme Court. That, and funding the war. But, damn! Is that it? You own the House and the Senate and that’s ALL you can do? And the foot-dragging on ear-marks just gets my knickers all twisted up…

Still…I’ll pull the “R” lever in November, metaphorically-speaking (because I vote absentee). I’m a single-issue voter these days, and the war is my issue. I cannot, simply cannot, imagine the Donkey Party in control of Congress during wartime. This war, anyway.

Unseasonably HOT…It’s 88 degrees as I write, on its way to 89. Yesterday we hit 90. Is this really October, or am I hallucinating?

Today’s Pic: My own personal B-57 Canberra, seen at the Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, Florida. November, 1999.

A Funny

My Buddy Ed in Florida sent this along and I thought I’d share it:

Aren't older women great?

When I was married 25 years, I took a look at my wife one day and said, "Honey, 25 years ago, we had a cheap apartment, a cheap car, slept on a sofa bed and watched a 10 inch black and white TV, but I got to sleep every night with a hot 25 year old blonde.

Now, we have a nice house, nice car, big bed and plasma screen TV, but I'm sleeping with a 50 year old woman. It seems to me that you are not holding up your side of things."

My wife is a very reasonable woman. She told me to go out and find a hot 25 year old blonde, and she would make sure that I would once again be living in a cheap apartment, driving a cheap car, and sleeping on a sofa bed.

Aren't older women great! They really know how to solve your mid-life crises....

Pretty damned close! Substitute “RV” for apartment and that’s life as I know it. Except there is not now, nor has there been in the past 25 years, a hot 25 year-old blonde.

More’s the pity.

Enough with the Election Rhetoric, Already

It’s been an interesting morning here at El Casa Móvil De Pennington. First and foremost, I was up at oh-dark-thirty. Way too early for a Sunday, and more like the middle of the night. But, it is what it is. I’ve frequently mentioned Sunday is my day off from politics, but that was before football season. Saturday has now effectively become my day off, such as it is.

So…this morning I was reading this and that on memeorandum before Washington Journal came on. Or, as much as I could, what with alternately rebooting the computer and the modem in a vain effort to figure out why I was losing my ‘net connection. Again. Still. This erratic connectivity issue is driving me nuts and makes me wonder, for the 54^th time, is it me (my computer/NIC/cable/modem or any combination of the four) or is it the ISP? I’ve decided the truly paranoid should never be allowed near a computer.

Washington Journal came on about the time the ‘net came back, so I quit surfing and shifted the focus of my attention to WJ. The main subjects today seemed to be about the brouhaha unleashed in the WaPo over excerpts (here, too) from Woodward’s latest book and What It All Means. What it means, to me, is just another round of pre-election rhetoric and hot air. Frankly, I’m getting sick of it already and it’s only just begun—we have five more weeks of this krep to get through. I find it interesting that a recurring meme among and around the Left is the awfulness of “the Republican attack machine.” The Republicans have nothing on the Left, now that the WaPo and the NYT are getting their election campaign wound up and in full swing. For what it’s worth, the White House has released a rebuttal to some of the charges Woodward makes in his book. It’s here, with a couple of excerpts below.

MYTH #3: Woodward Claims Condoleezza Rice Brushed Off George Tenet And Cofer Black's July 2001 Warning About Al Qaeda. (Bob Woodward, State Of Denial, 2006)

· FACT: According To State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack, The Recollections Portrayed By Woodward Do Not Reflect Tenet And Black's 9/11 Commission Testimony. "But Rice and other State Department officials denied [Woodward's claim], noting that the report of the Sept. 11 commission, which had sworn testimony from Tenet and others at the meeting, made no mention of the July 10 encounter. 'The recollections as portrayed in the Woodward book in no way reflect the public and private testimony under oath of those individuals to the 9/11 commission,' said Sean McCormack, the State Department spokesman." (David E. Sanger, "White House Disputes Book's Account Of Rifts On Iraq," The New York Times, 9/30/06)

MYTH #5: Woodward Claims Then-Chief Of Staff Andy Card Tried To Remove Sec. Rumsfeld, And Mrs. Bush Also Wanted Him Removed. (Bob Woodward, State Of Denial, 2006)

· FACT: Card Has Made Clear That Woodward Ignored The Situation's Context. "'Right after the election, I went to Camp David and talked to the president, and we talked about a lot of changes, starting with the chief of staff,' Mr. Card said, recounting how he used to tote around what he called his 'hit by a bus book,' a notebook of lists of potential replacements for senior White House staff members and top cabinet officials. 'It's not inaccurate to say that we talked about Rumsfeld,' he said. 'I can understand why Bob would try to create a climate around these conversations.' But he added: 'There was no campaign, and I didn't go out and solicit others to back any view about getting rid of anyone. I could talk about these things with the president, and plant seeds, because there is a cadence to life in Washington and you raise these issues periodically.' Mr. Card acknowledged that he renewed the question of replacing Mr. Rumsfeld this year, but again insisted that it was not part of a specific effort to single out the defense secretary for removal." (David E. Sanger, "White House Disputes Book's Account Of Rifts On Iraq," The New York Times, 9/30/06)

· FACT: "Mrs. Bush's Office Has Said, Not True ... Flatly Not True." (Tony Snow, Press Briefing, Washington, DC, 9/29/06)

That’s two out of five “myths,” as the White House described them. I’m glad to see the White House isn’t taking this laying down, but I’m not happy to see the Administration put on the defensive. Still, as I said in the beginning, it’s just more election hot air, as far as I’m concerned. I don’t know if this is the end of a bad week, or the beginning of another, what with last Sunday’s NIE flap followed by the hyperventilating over the detainee/torture legislation. One frickin’ thing after another, eh?

It doesn’t help the Republicans any that a personal scandal involving a highly visible Representative, sex, and young boys has just blown up, either. The scandal is one thing, but that’s a personal, not a party issue. The cover-up by Speaker Hastert is quite another thing, on the other hand. Captain Ed has it exactly right:

It's the dishonesty and the butt-covering that I find unacceptable in a House Speaker, who is two heartbeats away from the Presidency.

More fodder for the Left and their “Culture of Corruption” meme. Oh, Goody. WTF was Hastert thinking, anyway? Is he that frickin’ stupid? And if he knew Foley was a pervert, why the Hell didn’t he take action? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Mark Steyn is good today, as always. He’s just back from Gitmo and has some cold, hard fat and juicy facts for the Democrats about detainee abuse and torture down Gitmo way.

When visitors like yours truly swing by, the camp likes to serve them the same meal the prisoners get. This being Ramadan, Adm. Harris was particularly proud of the fresh-baked traditional pastries his team had made for the holy month. And he was right: The baklava was delicious. "Baklava" is said by some linguists to come from the Arabic for "nuts" -- and, indeed, in that sense this entire war can sometimes seem like one giant baklava. There was a film out earlier this year called ''The Road To Guantanamo,'' and the poster showed the usual emaciated prisoner hung by shackles against a dungeon wall. No doubt the actor in question did the full Robert De Niro and lost 40 pounds to get himself looking that cadaverous.

If they've got anything like that going on at the real Gitmo, they must be doing it behind the confectioner's sugar at the back of the pastry chef's cupboard. If you're hoping to hear about the old wooden chair under a bare lightbulb swinging on its cord, here's the reality: The detainees are interrogated on either a La-Z-Boy recliner or a luxuriously upholstered sofa -- blue plush with gold piping.

Oh, The Horror! Read it…

Today’s Pic: Something from Former Happy Days…one of my favorite pics of SN3 as a baby (not quite 18 months old). Rochester, NY. July, 1998.