I joined Blogs for Thompson a couple of weeks ago but just discovered The Fred 2008 Blogroll. Your choice, or both.
The Watcher's Council is holding their weekly vote. If you want to participate, you can follow the Watcher's instructions and submit a post for consideration.
To see what is going on, read the winning post by a council member and that by a non-council member. You can check out the list of results for the latest vote and even peruse the entire list of all the nominees that were voted on.
And you'll see that it's pretty good exposure.
Today's must read is from Bill Hobbs as he gets a little snarky: Newsflash: Association of Legislators Doesn't Like Term Limits.
First, the conservative UN problem from The World According to Oatney, which is the reason he is the latest Featured Blog.
Before the serious stuff, take a look at this spoof of the "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" commercials. Warning: drinking and watching may result in indiscriminte spraying. [HT to etc.]
The Reuters fake photo story was broken at LGF. Rusty Shackleford followed up with another fake Reuters photo as the news organization takes its place alongside Al Jazeera as a supporter and propagandist for terrorists. Update: Kim du Toit is outraged.
Fill up today — gas prices are about to jump. BP has shut down the largest US oil field, Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, because of pipeline corrosion and a leak.
For record temperatures in American heat waves, read Wizbang's You Think It's Hot Now? [HT non-blogging Advised by Wolves]. Along those lines, I remember one summer 20 or 30 years ago in Dallas in which we had over 100 straight days of 100+ degree heat. I don't think we've seen that since.
Update: Reader Advised by Wolves informs me that my recollection was wrong:
A heat wave in Texas that broke all previous records occurred in the summer of 1980. There were 69 100-degree days, the most of any year. Additionally, the thermometer exceeded 100 at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport on 42 consecutive days, from June 23rd to August 3rd. The warmest temperatures ever recorded the Dallas-Fort Worth area --- 113 degrees --- occurred June 26th and 27th. July averaged the warmest ever. There were 37 maximum temperatures that tied or set records, the most for a single year. There were 60 deaths statewide, and near 1300 nationwide.
Allah has a portion of a speech delivered by LTC Randolph C. White Jr. to infatrymen graduating at Ft. Benning [HT to Wizbang!]. Warning: after viewing this segment you will want to go to Blackfive and see the whole thing. [Heh. Blackfive says, "After that speech, I'd follow LTC White into hell carrying a gasoline can."]
WILLisms has some interesting insights in Reviewing The Reagan Record In Light Of The War On Terror. Excerpting won't do the article justice, so I won't. Read it all.
CIO Magizine has an interesting view of the government's data mining projects (hint: "No Scope, No Budget, No End"). [HT to Schneier on Security]
Nice roundup of the ATF's bad year including something new over at Say Uncle.
It's bad when your identity is stolen. It's worse when your ten-year-old daughter's ID is stolen. Read about it at Bear Creek Ledger.
Got a fire ant problem? Get an armadillo.
I encourage bloggers to participate as there are many benefits (although it does consume an hour or two of your time each week).
The EMP Threat: ElectroMagnetic Pulse Warfare
Why terrorists won't use it, but we should be prepared in case an unfriendly nation does.
Poll: Parents confident about 'No Child'
It's the teachers that are feeling a bit unsinecure uncertain.
New York In the Eyes Of the Nation
New Yorker is surprised to find the rest of the nation looks down on New Yorkers. [How many of us still quote the Pace Picante Sauce commercial? "New York City? Get a rope!"]
Study finds boycott of French wine hurt sales
Millions lost as a result of the boycott, and some of us are still finding fine alternatives from Australia and Chile.
Israel boycott unnoticed
Norwegian lefties just can't generate the anger.
French look to technology boost
The government will invest things like a new internet search engine. I think they're just made about the top hit in a Google search for "french military victories".
America Supports You: Mom Works to Show Troops Someone Cares
Must read, heartwarming story about founder of Operation Gratitude. Read, and then click over and give a few dollars.
John Kerry's tangled webs
Kerry's Valerie Plame vs. Mary McCarthy hypocrisy.
More Aides Subpoenaed in McKinney Case
They "announced they would comply with subpoenas". Who do they think they are, Bill Clinton?
Night jobs 'lower Parkinson's risk'
Maybe I should take an early retirement and go back to bar tending. At Platinum Plus (that'd be good for the circulation, too!).
Drinking lots of coffee doesn't harm heart: study
No word on my personal addiction, Mountain Dew.
Study shows secret to gas-free beans
Maybe that'll make our guys-only fishing trip a little more civilized. Or maybe not.
Militants take symbolic snowman prisoner
Those whacky Swiss leftwing militants stole a giant cotton snowman, the Böögg, leaving a chocolate Easter bunny and a hammer and sickle emblem.
All articles were found combing my favorite news site, Lucianne.com.
Venezuela is becoming the leading transit country through which the bulk of the world’s cocaine is smuggled to the US and Europe. [Communism and corruption always go hand in hand.]
Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it had arrested five militants linked to a failed al Qaeda attack on a major oil facility in February, and seized 1.5 tonnes of explosives. [Nice to know the Saudis are paying attention.]
Senator Lieberman says that attacking Iran to "delay and deter" the nuclear program is "probably the last choice, but it has to be there." [I've always like Lieberman, even when he was paired up with Gore.]
A former Japanese soldier last seen by his family when he went to fight in World War II has resurfaced in Ukraine and is returning home to see his relatives after 60 years. [No word on where he's been all these years, but he's finally going home at age 83.]
Research indicates that bloggers and internet pundits are exerting a "disproportionately large influence" on society. [Duh. Of course, that probably wouldn't be happening if the MSM didn't run their articles through an ideology filter before printing. When the people stop trusting you, they turn to something else.]
Technorati Tags: Tennessee.
It looks like Abdul Rahman, the famous Christian Afghan, will be freed tomorrow (although clerics are calling for him to be killed so can't walk the streets). Wizbang! reports that Rahman is seeking asylum. The Big Picture tells why Rahman is a true hero. Instapundit finds a story that says there has been a "surge of interest in Christianity among Afghans" because of the Rahman case. For more, go read the Anchoress.
Last week, Strata-Sphere told us that the Russians have been implicated in the oil-for-food scandal. Unsurprisingly, they also gave Saddam our troop locations and anticipated movements in an unsuccessful attempt to protect him (read commentary by Captain's Quarters). For an excellent analysis and opinion on what this means for the future, read Back(stabbed) in the USSR by Cavalier's Guardian Watchblog.
Maggie's Farm has a great post on the language framing in immigration debate.
The Carnival of Cordite one-year anniversary was celebrated in a big way. So big that it required two posts: Carnival of Cordite #52 (part one) (highlights from the entire year) and Carnival of Cordite #52 (part two) (the normal weekly carnival posting). Hell, it's worth going through part one just for the pictures (but, like Playboy, there's some interesting stuff in the wordy part too).
Speaking of Playboy, CJ has pictures proving that he was at the Playboy Mansion (although it looks like my back yard, but that's just me).
E-nough! brings us the impossible: actual video of actual French counter-protesters actually yelling, "We want to work!"
I have more to catch up on, but it's after midnight and I swore that I would start getting to bed by 10. Doesn't seem to be working out too well so far. And to think, I sat down three hours ago to write up my impressions of my trip this evening of going to hear a Democrat who is running for Juvenile Court Clerk (a county race). Ah well, perhaps tomorrow. Uh, I mean today.
Before the liberation we were suffering and we had no hope, now we are also suffering but we have hope and I see this hope even in the words of those that are cynical about the outcome of the political process; who say they hope things will be better in four years or eight years…
When Saddam was here we didn't have any hope and we could expect nothing good from a dead regime that cared only about its absolute existence.
Iraq as the rest of the world is much better without Saddam but much worse in every other aspect especially the security.
What we have done in Iraq and what we are doing there now are among the noblest things we have ever done. You know, we truly are the last best hope of earth. We dare not quash that hope in Iraq, and, in the process, destroy our valiant, struggling friends--and their hope for peace and justice.
Based on the best information available, and the existing legal state (the repeated violations of the 1991 ceasefire, and the Congressional authorization of the use of force), the invasion of Iraq and deposal of Saddam was the least worst of the available options. And those who wish to rewrite history based on their own lies and prejudices need to be confronted and defeated with the most powerful weapon available:The truth.
Something had to be done about Saddam Hussein, and the United Nations certainly wasn't going to do anything about it besides administering a porous, much-maligned sanctions regime. (One genuinely positive side effect of the war is that we now know the degree to which the UN "oil for food" program was corrupted, and how many officials and governments were on the take all along.) I certainly won't apologize for supporting his removal, but it's gone from being merely hard to almost impossible to see how this is going to end well.
In the present circumstances of terror on the march in the Middle East, abandoning territory will not tame the terrorists, only strengthen them and expand their holdings.
How frustrating it must be to all the people who desperately want America to be humiliated and defeated to realize that no matter what they write; or how often they write it; no matter how many polls they take or how low they make them come out; that the President will press forward with his strategy. ...Two things the left should remember no matter how much it goes against their ideological conditioning: Americans are not stupid; and they really like to win.
We'll go one step further: Not only will the president stay the course, history will be more than kind to Mr Bush. Why? Because a free Iraqi people, living in a democratic society, negate everything Mr Bush's opponents stand for. In fact, a free Iraq can only highlight the moral bankruptcy of Mr Bush's critics. That truth cannot be disputed and that is why the hatred for Mr Bush is so profound. The primary concern of the 'progressives' is that they will be exposed for what they are- empty and devoid of any real morality. Theirs is a hatred bred of fear.
In the end, freedom will transform the Middle East as it did Eastern Europe. Nothing great is easy, and establishing democracy in Iraq is a challenge. We have also said, democracy is built on the blood of patriots. Like Lafayette and Kosciusko that came to the aid of the patriots that built our country, we are coming to the aid of the Iraqi patriots that are paying for their freedom every day, in blood.
How many more will die? Too many I'm afraid, but less than will surely die in a full-blown civil war. There is no magical solution to ending the revenge killings and terror attacks, no Harry Potter that will come in to banish Zarqawi and any other psycho with a grudge and a bit of explosive from the scene.Instead we continue, three steps forward a step or two back but always progressing, doing what must be done.
The terrorists seem to recognize that they are losing in Iraq. I believe that history will show that to be the case.
Readers should review the report in full but it's worth noting these points:
- 64% think their country is heading in the right direction
- A majority do not approve of attacks on US soldiers
- 77% think the hardships resulting from the overthrow of Saddam Hussein have been worth it.
Because of the insurgency in Iraq, the abuse at Abu Ghraib and a host of other real (and imagined) struggles to lift the Iraqis into freedom the left has jeered at every attempt by the newly elected Iraqi government to get up and running.The bud’s been left with little water except that poured on by the true gardeners of freedom, the American military and by the careful clipping of the stalks by those of good will who would see a strong, healthy democracy grow in the Middle East.
Three years after the Coalition invasion of Iraq that overthrew the regime of Saddam Hussein, President George Bush admitted today that he failed to anticipate the unrest and ideological strife which now threaten to tear apart the Democrat party.
Technorati Tags: War on Islamofascism, War on Terror, Liberation of Iraq, Iraqi Freedom, Iraqi Liberation, Iraq.
Say Anything posts this bumper sticker and is running a contest to see who can come up with the best ending to the phrase "I'd rather hunt with Dick Cheney than...".He is actually offering a cash prize. (Perhaps putting ads on a blog pays more than I thought.)
Hurry on over — the contest ends today.
Technorati Tags: Cheney,
Kennedy,
Shooting Accident.
Harris plays a player, a guy that is always making moves on one girl or another and makes no bones about (pun intended). And he (or the writers) continues the character on Barney's Blog with in-character posts such as Haiku? Hiya! which begins:
The way into a woman's pants, we know, is through her heart... but short of invasive surgery, how does one get to a woman's heart? Poetry. As a panty-melting agent, the original poem has much to offer, especially considering how freakishly easy it is to write one.The guy's a total scoundrel and absolutely my favorite character of the show.
A while back, I wrote a post entitled Divorce American Style, discussing how the American political system historically bifurcated into two parties more or less mirroring the archetypal maternal and paternal spheres. As it evolved, the Republican party came to represent masculine virtues such as competition, maintaining strict rules ("law and order"), standards over compassion (i.e., not changing the rules for members of liberal victim groups), delayed gratification, and respect for the ways of the father--that is, conserving what had been handed down by previous generations of fathers, and not just assuming in our adolescent hubris that we know better than they. ...Absolutely superb writing. The author elequently expresses that which I grapple to formulate into words (as I am one who has lived through some of the history that is addressed in the post).The Democratic party, on the other hand, came to represent the realm of maternal nurturance--compassion over standards (i.e., racial quotas), idealization of the impulses (just as a mother is delighted in the instinctual play of her child), mercy over judgment (reduced prison sentences, criminal rights, etc.), cradle-to-grave welfare, a belief that we can seduce our enemies and do not have to defeat them with manly violence, and the notion that meaning, truth and values are all arbitrary and subject to change (which is true of the fluid world of emotions in general).
("Jimmy Carter's gynocracy" — heh!)
Read the comments as well.
Hat tip to Dr. Sanity, whose post has some other excellent links.
My major fears, of course, revolve around getting my high speed internet connection hooked up and my email accounts transfered. And my TiVo so it doesn't miss Desperate Housewives on Sunday night :D
So I can't really comment on anything, but:
If you guys don’t like Bush’s nominees, here’s a suggestion: Win some elections.Hat tip to baldilocks' In Search of a Viable Second Party, also recommended reading.
So next time you hear the "nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize" mantra about anyone, just smile and go get one for yourself. It doesn't seem to be that difficult.EU Referendum keeps us up to date on the attrocities that the French are allegedly committing in the Ivory Coast (and remember, the press is ignoring this even though they were hyping Abu Graib when it was as substantial as a whisper in the wind):
The report, originating from the online site, African News Dimension, retails allegations that French troops have been raping young girls and stripping them naked for pornography scenes, in the north of Ivory Coast. One report claims how soldiers forced a young girl to have sex with a dog.IO Error takes Michelle Malkin to task about falling for the terrorists using pre-paid cellphone non-story. He begins:This follows on from other allegations that French soldiers stole €58,000 from the Ivorian reserve bank last year, but they are now accused of kidnapping young girls between 16 and 22 for a strip shows. Some soldiers are said to be giving US$1.50 to the girls "when they are hostile to their disgraceful scenes".
Someone find me a good conservative blog where people are actually sensible and have more than half a clue what they’re talking about when it comes to security, especially national security, and don’t go off on hysterical rants every other post. I’ve searched and searched and come up empty. It would seem that the conservatives who know what they’re talking about in this field don’t publish on the Internet.Dissecting Leftism is concerned about the news that the U.S. Army using accepting recruits who score lower on aptitude tests:
Putting a deadly weapon into the hands of a dummy is likely to make him more a danger to his fellow-soldiers than to the enemy. Modern soldiering in particular ideally requires a high level of intelligence. So the "validity" (usefulness, correctness, informativeness) of IQ tests is not confined to predicting educational achievement but also extends into fields very different from classroom performance -- to fields such as military efficiency. And that is why we have the term IQ -- because there IS a general factor of mental (or problem-solving) ability. There IS such a thing as a general factor of intelligence that shows up in a wide variety of situations.Diggers Realm is outraged that Latino countries are demanding that their citizens be allowed to infiltrate our country, and thinks that you should be too:So the fact that the US army is now recruiting less bright people to fill its ranks is a very bad thing indeed.
In an act that should outrage every single legal resident and citizen in America, representatives from Central America and Mexico demanded a guest worker program in the United States.Just a Bump in the Beltway is outraged that a government website was allowed to stay up for after a security flaw was found (you should be too!):
A mistake of this type and magnitude would not be surprising in the Department of the Interior. Or .. dare I say it? .. the DHS. But the GSA ought to be one of the most security-aware branches of the Federal Government!Dr. Sanity has posted the latest Carnival of the Insanities, complete with a mini-carni of posts about insanities surrounding the Alito confirmation. My favorite has got to be the Alito opening hearings in haiku. For instance:
Sen. Dianne FeinsteinFinally, this is just plain disturbing.
On Rybar And Roe
So Much For You To Explain
Sigh. Filibuster.
See what you miss if you don't go read?
Rob over at Say Anything covers Democrat reaction to the speech as well as the "news" headlines.
QandO Blog exposes the hypocrisy in the Democrat rhetoric (must read!).
Citizen Smash says Bush won't back down.
Bill Hobbs shreds the LAT coverage.
The Confederate Yankee finds another place for the Democrats to wave the white flag.
And, of course, the Political Teen provides the video in case you missed the speech.
I posted earlier this week that rumor has it that he will be working with the Tennessee Firearms Association to further the cause of freedom in Tennessee.
And now I am informed that he has a blog.
HT to Say Uncle.
Donald Sensing is speaking today at two high schools on the subject of Veteran's Day, and has has an exceptional post on the subject.
Outside the Beltway has a history of the day.
Right Wing Nation has a rather interesting analysis of the latest Fox poll on the subject of veterans.
Blackfive lists the "Things that chafe my cones- Veteran's Day edition".
Castle Argghhh! has an extensive post that spans two nations, and shows how you can really say "thank you".
Appalachian Gun Trash says, "Don't mention it."
LaShawn Barber has an extensive roundup.
Do you think Jimmy Carter would do a good job heading up the relief efforts to rebuild New Orleans?Current vote totals:
| Yes | 20% | |
| No | 80% |
But did you know that you can pledge to stay in the hotel if it is built, thus giving Clements' amunition to prove his case of benefit to the community? Go do it now!
[HT to Say Anything, via Marginal Revolution.]
A Washington D.C. station has a web poll asking if the draconian gun ban that has led to the capital's outrageous murder rate should be done away with. Right now it stands at:
Microsoft Shrugs: 'Atlas' Is BornNow that's funny, I don't care who y'are.
According to the Pentagon, some 265 members of Congress have visited the embattled nation, including 57 senators and every member of the Senate Armed Services Committee — except three. West Virginia Democrat Robert Byrd (search) hasn't been there for health reasons, and North Carolina Republican Elizabeth Dole (search) has plans to go. There's been no explanation as to why Kennedy has never been.[Perhaps because he can't get a flight that serves single malts?]
New research, which reviews 65 years of data, concludes that there is no evidence that high doses of vitamin C ward off colds or lessen the symptoms -- except in cases of extreme physical exertion such as running a marathon in the winter.
Reasonably priced online or save the image (full size is available f