Professional ones anyway. Besides the Katrina post-mortem, screwing up the reporting on Iraq strategy, or ignoring key points of said strategy, there's the covert propaganda that wasn't.

My favorite part of the LA Times "covert propaganda" story is this:

Though the articles are basically factual, they present only one side of events and omit information that might reflect poorly on the U.S. or Iraqi governments, officials said.

Well, if they're factual, they're one up on the New York Times. (see previous post.)

The meme that wouldn't die! Now the New York Times is getting in on the action (via John Cole), and manages to get nearly everything wrong.

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Somebody get Billy some black coffee and unfiltered smokes ASAP. Really, he's freaking me out more than he did with that "We Didn't Start the Fire" video, or the time he was presumably allowed to touch Christie Brinkley's vagina in order to create a child.

The concern shouldn't stop with the teeth; take a closer look at the eye:

Below the fold, I've enhanced the blow-up by adjusting the contrasts and eliminating some of the digital noise.

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*** Tell me: who exactly would buy this crap?

*** One is the loneliest number.

Sure, everyone already linked the sad Sheehan picture yesterday, but Florida Cracker provides multiple angles!

*** Some stuff is happening up in Canada ... but I can't for the life of me figure out what, nor muster the energy to care.

Yes, yes, I know that jokes about Canada's unimportance fulfill a tired cliche, but honestly, not for me: I make it a point to wake up every day and aggressively affirm my disdainful apathy for the impossibly vanilla hurly-burlies and intrinsically dull deficiencies of Canadian character, politics and "culture." Why? Experiential bias.

You see, a few years back, I had a roommate that dated one of them Canadiennes, and all she ever seemed to do was thumb her nose at America, shun the consumption of meat, brag about her vaunted expertise in snow ("You think this is snow? You think you know snow? Look, I'm from Canada, I know snow!") and make VERY BIG noise in a very small house during their incessant sessions of filthy Canuckian-American fucking. And the cacophonic insult was immeasurably compounded by the oddity of the noise: a pitching and whirling series of palsied stacatto yelps whose only parallel in nature might be the sound a seal makes when tortured by a sociopathic Inuit child, or perhaps when suffering a violent seizure, followed by a climactic stroke and cold, wet death rattle.

It went something like this:

ee-OW! eeHeeHOOOH! ee-OOW! ee-HOW! yep yep yep yep yep yep ee-OW! yepyepyepyepyepyep ee-OW! yepyepyepyepyepyep ee-OW! ee-OW!

yepyepyepyepyepyep ee-OW!

And on and on and on and on ...

And that's why I don't care much for Canadians or Canadian goings-ons or to-dos.

I always have my reasons.

From Jim Treacher.

I've just secured my escape from a relativistic rip in the space-time continuum fueled by the four lazy days of a holiday weekend, the virtual infinity of back-to-back-to-back-to-back Law and Order episodes on TNT HD, six bags of salted pistachios, individual bottles of Mezcal, Barbados Plantation rum, Belvedere vodka and rubbing alcohol and, ultimately and embarrassingly, the desperate, dying gasps of propellant from a Colgate shaving cream can.

How did it begin? The last thing I can clearly recall from our world is my laying prone on the couch, sipping a Mezcal-accented Orange Julius and watching the conclusion of my third consecutive Law and Order episode (the closeted gay professional ballplayer did it and got off on suppressed evidence!). I remember entertaining a brief yet determined impulse to rise and exercise, but TNT's neat continuity trick roped my arms and legs, sinking me further into the warm folds of the sofa's spongy faux-suede loam. You see, as another suspenseful Law and Order attains denouement, instead of properly breaking between repeats, the credits roll in a small horizontal zone underneath the start of a new episode. And the accidental discovery of a new dead body, the command of burning blue letters and the stern lecture about the elegant structure of our criminal justice system present an irresistible psychological lure to goggle more crime, fresh intrigue and Angie Harmon 's bosom. And just like that, bang, you're trapped.

A few observations/occurrences:

1. I believe that I've solved the murders of Jimmy Hoffa, Jonbenet Ramsey, Nicole Simpson and Kurt Cobain via a combination of learned investigative protocol, exceptional internet research skills and mystical augury relying on the applied geometric patterns of randomly strewn pistachio shells. I implore law enforcement with relevant jurisdiction to contact me immediately.

2. Time moves more slowly here. In the L&O Rip in the Space-Time Continuum (L&ORSTC), I had the leisure of successfully tracking down Ms. Harmon at a SoHo cafe, where I swiftly incapacitated Jason Sehorn with an Impact Kerambit Fighting Travel Wrench and stole my love away to a romantic two-month tent retreat among the cacti and gila monsters of the Mojave Desert. Despite some initial protestations, Angie soon fell deeply in love with me (deeply), anulled her marriage (it seems that the Sehorn-Harmon union had never been properly consummated, as his anomalistic white cornerback speed was unsurprisingly spurred by a sexually-suppressive cocktail of designer equine anabolics) and aggressively angled for our very own wedded union. Unfortunately, provoked by her bombastic snoring and clingy dependence, I was forced to end the relationship. Annoying, fellas, annoying. Still, sweet kid.

3. When one is trapped on a couch, used judiciously, a 5.5-quart Atlantis saucepot serves as an effective bed pan/chamber pot for a period of up to 48 hours.

4. My escape from the L&ORSTC was enabled by a combination of factors: the circumstantial discontinuation of mood-altering substances, the acquired smelling salt-like pungeance concommittant with a largely immobile four-day alcohol and pistachio-nut bender, and the sudden realization that Tyne Daly is not a hard-charging NY Assistant District Attorney, and that I'd somehow stumbled into trying to preemptively finger L&O's requisite sadistic rapist and murderer during an episode of "Judging Amy." Also, an indomitable will to live helps. To really LIVE.

Anyway, my apologies for the light posting; I hope that the mitigating circumstance of my story cuts me some slack, as well as helps anyone else who's ever found himself susceptible to the crime drama siren song of Ted Turner's succubi network. To those poor souls I say: you are not alone. I've ... we've ... seen horrible, brutal things over the course of our daily investigations, things that normal people - wrapped up as they are in an artificial cocoon of piddling worry - can scarcely imagine. But we deal. We soldier on. Why?

Because it's our job, detective.

And the good citizens of this fair city are counting on us.

I disagree with his reasoning here (for one thing, he's trying to make a comparison where there are too many variables other than his intended point of contrast), but I'm impressed that he actually responds to some comments, including mine.

If I were him, I'd use my residuals from The Simpsons to pay a hooker to dress as a cowgirl and read the comments on my posts, say "they're so wrong" and lightly spank me intermittently. But that's just me.

And oh, how they danced, the little children of Stonehenge...

This lends additional support to my theory that Cindy Sheehan and Harry Shearer are the same person.

I assume that making the thing was a lot like the building of the pyramids, with the exception that instead of thousands of laborers moving millions of tons of stone, it involved a hippy with limited part-time construction experience and seven bags of Sakrete®.

Do you think I have a shot with Angie Harmon?

UPDATE: What if I told her that I was a blogger?

UPDATE: Yeah, yeah, so Jason Sehorn runs the 40 in like 4.35 seconds on grass - how often does that come in handy during a marriage?

I can feed Angie's mind.

This condemnation - slamming Hizbullah by name for "acts of hatred" - marked the first time the Security Council has ever reprimanded Hizbullah for cross-border attacks on Israel. The condemnation followed by two days a failed attempt to get a condemnation issued on Monday, the day of the attack, when Algeria came out against any mention of Hizbullah in the statement.

When asked what changed from Monday to Wednesday, one diplomatic official replied: "John Bolton," a reference to the US ambassador to the UN. Bolton lobbied vigorously for the passage of the statement.

(Full story here found via Norm Geras.)

I'm thankful that John Cole finally came to his senses about a certain virulent little seditionist.

It's not like I didn't tell him ...

I'm also thankful for Klondike Artificially Flavored Ice Cream Cones with Chocolate Flavored Coating and Roasted Peanuts Artificial Flavor Added. And Belvedere vodka.

Happy Thanksgiving! Pass the pumpkin pie, John!

Ace finally samples the second most popular left-wing blog, and finds it lacking.

Hey, these short posts are fun! Open thread!

Amen.

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Propellerheads: History Repeating (featuring Shirley Bassey)

(video link just below picture)

It's called "Andrew Sullivan or Kos:"

Quote 1:

Marty Lederman has some important background on what Geneva's Article 3 means, how, before Cheney-Rumsfeld, the United States had adhered to it strictly for fifty years, and how the 9/11 Commission specifically recommended that adherence be restored. Money quote:

At page 380 of its Report, the Commission recommended that the United States "engage its friends to develop a common coalition approach toward the detention and humane treatment of captured terrorists," and expressly urged the U.S. to "draw upon Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions on the law of armed conflict," which was "specifically designed for those cases in which the usual laws of war did not apply." Common Article 3's minimum standards, reasoned the 9/11 Commission, "are generally accepted throughout the world as customary international law."

Except for rogue states that refuse to abide by even minimal standards of decent treatment. I.e. Bush's America.

Quote 2:

Saddam tortured, we torture. Saddam used WP chemical weapons against insurgents and civilians, we use WP chemical weapons against insurgents and civilians.

Like torture, the apologists try to justify our use of such abhorrent techniques, oblivious to the fact that our moral standing is in tatters and our crediblity beyond repair. We aren’t just losing the war in Iraq, we are losing our credibility in the world.

Getting tougher and tougher to tell them apart, isn't it?

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It's apparently to have the Russians give Iran enriched uranium.

Now it's not as completely crazy as it sounds. It would be low enriched uranium (LEU) which is not suitable for nukes, but is suitable for light water reactors. They would still need a covert enrichment program to get the highly enriched uranium (HEU) for a bomb. The main problems are that the reprocessing would take place in a Russian plant "under part-Iranian management." No word yet if they're actually going to name the plant "The Uranium Enrichment Learning Annex". The other problem is if, as Drezner argues, we're hoping Iran rejects the deal so we can use the rejection as the basis for more forceful action, there'd be a problem if Iran calls our bluff.

INDCBill: I wonder if Lauren thinks you're being funny
INDCBill: or that you're just a garden variety psycho
proteinwisdom: Huh?
proteinwisdom: Dude. I like my glasses.
INDCBill: but really?
INDCBill: you're a funny psycho
INDCBill: not mutually exclusive traits
INDCBill: in fact
INDCBill: Ted Bundy?
INDCBill: a SCREAM. he used to absolutely KILL
proteinwisdom: yeah. Dahmer? Used to do hi-larious shadow puppet shows right before he ate your thigh.
INDCBill: and John Wayne Gacy, well
INDCBill: I mean
INDCBill: he was an ACTUAL CLOWN
proteinwisdom: Sure, a professional funny man
INDCBill: and killer
proteinwisdom: Well, an amateur killer -- but good enough to turn pro had he wanted to.
INDCBill: admittedly, Son of Sam wasn't THAT funny
INDCBill: but he had that great dog ventriloquist schtick
proteinwisdom: Ahead of his time
proteinwisdom: that dog shit was GENIUS.
INDCBill: Lenny Bruce of the serial killer set
proteinwisdom: Richard Speck?
proteinwisdom: Could tell a knock knock joke like nobody else
proteinwisdom: Knock Knock
INDCBill: who's there?
proteinwisdom: DIE BITCH
INDCBill: ruthless
proteinwisdom: Hey, but seriously?
proteinwisdom: You should fire up the webcam and check out my glasses.

Radiohead: Karma Police

(Choice of player formats)

*** The Wonkette advocates a ban on the word "Pajamahadeen," a term initially coined by Jim Geraghty to describe the bloggers that swarmed CBS. Quoth Geraghty:

She's just jealous.

Of course - all of her clever little epithets and double entendres are ripped off from the graffiti on Roman bathroom stalls, circa 60 BC.

*** Pleased horn tooting: The Pajamahadeen and story of Rathergate conquer an important frontier: the journalism textbook.

Let it be told.

Prediction: Mary Mapes' version of events also makes campus ... in a Psych textbook.

*** My take on last week's unveiling of the new Open Source Media? Disclaimer: I was invited to join, initially indicated interest, then declined.

I don't have a particularly strong opinion on the venture either way. While I think that some of the criticism is valid, particularly the head-scratching confusion about OSM's specific image, format and goals, I also think that certain folks have gone fairly far overboard, including indulging in ridiculously hyperanalytical criticism, personal attacks and innuendo about OSR's use of venture capital, as well as prematurely busting out the cliched "they're just like the MSM!" irony. A few distinct impressions that gelled last week:

When MSM folks and public officials malign bloggers as ankle-biting pissants obsessed with tearing things down, they're partially right - there's a strong undercurrent in blogging that does resemble a school of pirahna, indiscriminately killing and devouring anything that moves in order to survive (or at least entertain themselves). Blogging lends itself to the digital expression of the ID writ easy, large and largely free from personal consequences, and this chronic gunslinging can get a bit exhausting in its incessancy and negativity.

That said, OSM does have a confusing presence. Apparently, one of its goals is to serve as a cutting edge aggregator of independent citizen reporting of the Michael Yon variety. Given that goal, I'm surprised that they didn't recruit and promote more bloggers to produce original newsgathering rather than straight pundits that rely on secondary material. A model that decentralizes real reporting and research by paying citizen journalists a bonus stipend to specifically gather and submit exclusive news would constitute a true media innovation that might spark a sustainable wave of independent reporting.

Right now, speaking from experience, it's infinitely harder and more time consuming to conduct interviews, take pictures and track down sources than it is to comfortably opine about the work of others. The open source journalism revolution gathered steam in 2004 and has notable representatives in 2005, but it's still failed to scratch its ultimate potential. Why? Because it's hard and it doesn't pay. Ameliorating one of these hindrances will soften the other. I hope that OSM moves some of its capital in this direction - I see an opportunity.

My particular ankle-biting criticism levied, I'm willing to give the endeavor a chance to find its feet, and much of the more outrageous animus directed at it from non-ideological sources is bizarre, surprising and unseemly enough to garner a new candidate entry for the DSM IV of mental health disorders. Such is the peril of attempting a public venture in the aggressive, narcissistic world of blogging, I suppose.

Best of luck to them.

[18:00] proteinwisdom: I got my new glasses
[18:23] proteinwisdom: and man, do I look SEXY.
[18:35] proteinwisdom: Rimless
[18:35] proteinwisdom: gorgeous
[20:37] proteinwisdom: I look like a movie star. Only, less like I'm TRYING to look like a movie star than ACTUAL movie stars do.
[23:17] proteinwisdom: If I had a vat of bronze, I'd dip myself in it.
[23:18] proteinwisdom: I look THAT good.
[00:09] proteinwisdom: I think I'm going to install a bunch of new mirrors around the house.
[00:53] proteinwisdom: I've changed clothes like 15 times and I look great in EVERYTHING with my new glasses!
[10:32] proteinwisdom: I woke up this morning with my eyes all puffy, but then I put on my glasses and I looked like Jude Law!
[11:01] proteinwisdom: I love my new glasses.
[11:04] proteinwisdom: It's like they're almost MAGIC!
[11:08] proteinwisdom: If you were a pair of rimless glasses, what kind of flowers would you like?
[12:07] proteinwisdom: Or maybe I should just go with a nice Merlot ...
[12:08] INDCBill: CHRIST, dude

UPDATE: Compounding the insanity? I'm not the only one.

Krauthammer marshalls some fresh pain for Intelligent Design:

Let's be clear. Intelligent design may be interesting as theology, but as science it is a fraud. It is a self-enclosed, tautological "theory" whose only holding is that when there are gaps in some area of scientific knowledge -- in this case, evolution -- they are to be filled by God. It is a "theory" that admits that evolution and natural selection explain such things as the development of drug resistance in bacteria and other such evolutionary changes within species but also says that every once in a while God steps into this world of constant and accumulating change and says, "I think I'll make me a lemur today." A "theory" that violates the most basic requirement of anything pretending to be science -- that it be empirically disprovable. How does one empirically disprove the proposition that God was behind the lemur, or evolution -- or behind the motion of the tides or the "strong force" that holds the atom together?

In order to justify the farce that intelligent design is science, Kansas had to corrupt the very definition of science, dropping the phrase " natural explanations for what we observe in the world around us," thus unmistakably implying -- by fiat of definition, no less -- that the supernatural is an integral part of science. This is an insult both to religion and science.

Reminiscent of one of the Commissar's ID stemwinders, I'd say.

(Via John Cole, who is, right now, as we live and breathe, standing on his chair and doing the wave, excitedly pinching his nipples between "crests")

UPDATE: One of Cole's commenters (TM Lutas) points out:

Unfortunately, Krauthammer seems to be misstating ID, at least as Behe writes about it. That makes his column useless at getting to any sort of civilized settlement.

The fundamentals of ID as scientific theory is that irreducible complexity exists and that is incompatible with blind, random chance. That isn’t what Krauthammer is saying ID is and that’s a problem.

I'm not certain if Krauthammer is blithely misstating the theory, or whether he simply rejects the characterization of ID as non-religious. In any case, the rest of TM Lutas's comment is worth reading.

I've packed my breath strips and chaps; my "audition" at the Stud Farm is on Saturday.

My only concern:

Berman said the "stud farm" could appeal to women who want a taste of sexual adventure and experimentation, or even to try to reach orgasm, without the pressure of pleasing a regular partner.

This isn't the America I grew up in.

Bill Adds: I believe that I mentioned something about shame, earlier?

Hubris Adds: There's no room for shame in my chaps.

Tears for Fears: Sowing the Seeds of Love

(Live, Acoustic, Realplayer)

*** Do you know what today is?

Why, today's the return of the Dark Lord, it is:

As good as these actors are, nothing prepares you for the malevolent force that is Lord Voldemort and the brilliance of the actor playing him, Ralph Fiennes. Dressed in a flowing black robe that seems to float off his body rather than hang, Mr. Fiennes moves with lissome grace, his smooth white head bobbing like a cork on a sea, his fluttery hands and feet as pale and bright as beacons. For years, the movies have tried to transform this delicate beauty into a heartthrob, but as "Schindler's List" proved, Mr. Fiennes is an actor for whom a walk on the darker side is not just a pleasure, but liberation. His Voldemort may be the greatest screen performance ever delivered without the benefit of a nose; certainly it's a performance of sublime villainy.

Absinthe-swilling Canadian dandy Ghost of a Flea has compiled a wide array of Goblet of Fire release-related links to dark mark this glorious occasion.

*** Are academics being denied tenure because of their blogs? Probably:

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of academics keep blogs these days, posting everything from family pictures to scholarly works-in-progress. While few are counting on their Web publications to improve their chances at tenure, many have begun to fear that their blogs might actually harm their prospects. Last July, "Bloggers Need Not Apply," an essay in the Chronicle of Higher Education about an anonymous Midwestern college's attempt to fill a position, laid out the perils for academic job-seekers who blog. "Our blogger applicants came off reasonably well at the initial interview, but once we hung up the phone and called up their blogs, we got to know 'the real them'—better than we wanted, enough to conclude we didn't want to know more," wrote the pseudonymous columnist.

One thing I'm certain of: my future political ambitions died a shrieking, scrabbling, muddy death the minute I allowed Hubris and Dorkafork to start posting here. As well as any future employment prospects, come to think of it. As a matter of fact, it's probably safe to say that my new blogging manservants are wholly responsible for destroying my credibility and reputation, both as a serious CITIZEN JOURNALIST, as well as personally, since every human interaction endeavored in meat space is now preemptively tainted by the fetid albatross of Hubris and Dorkafork's concordantly hungry and repellant online perversions. Their appetites garotte me with resilient shame.

I am ruined.

...

Well. That's a load off.

Who's up for some Harry Potter?!

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Who Said It?(Iraq)

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Greg Gutfeld. The outraged comments on his last three posts, e.g. "how disappointing that Arianna is letting you make a mockery of her forum" (note: I think it's a bit late to be concerned about that) are the best part.

Instapundit has a great roundup that includes this post by Bruce Rolston. An excellent post until the end, where I believe he is far too generous to the anti-WP side.

NOTE: For the record, the case that WP is a "chemical weapon" under the terms of the 1993 UN Chemical Weapons Convention is probably stronger than arguing it is an "incendiary weapon" under the terms of Geneva. WP is a lousy way to start a fire in anything less flammable than a dry haystack. It does, however, easily cause burns to its victims, due what is essentially a violent chemical reaction between the phosphorus and the surrounding air, and the CWC defines prohibited chemicals in weapons as "any chemical which through its chemical action on life processes can cause death, temporary incapacitation or permanent harm to humans or animals." That clearly excludes explosive effects (sorry, Colby) but it is inclusive of caustics and chemical burning agents, which WP could reasonably be compared to.

But how exactly does WP burn people? What is the difference between chemical burns and regular burning?

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... and I'm largely AFK. As a reminder, we have several authors here at INDC Journal, so please check the name of the author (located both just below the title and again at the bottom of the post) before automatically addressing comments or e-mails to me.

This requires the ability to read English. Good luck.

Thank you.

UPDATE: Per Marble's admonition in the comments:

Esto (la abilidad de destingir los diferentes autores de este blog) requiere la abilidad de leer ingles, pero si necesita una traduccion espanol, mandame un correo electronico. Si hay alguna muchacha que se paresca a Jessica Alba, Eva Mendez u Sofia Vergera, incluya una fotografia tambien, por favor. O si hay un hombre guapo y con mucho dinero, incluya una fotografia para Hubris - el siempre dice, dice, dice que su "culo esta apprietado como el de un adolescente!." Me molesta mucho.

Otro Reviso: Me doy de cuenta, la gente que hacen comentarios en este blog son imbeciles, por lo general. Creo que voy a escribir revisos en espanol a partir de ahora. Entonces, ellos continuaran de escribar estupideces, y yo me cagare de la risa.

Otro Reviso: ˇ Burrito, taco, chimichanga!

Otro Reviso: ˇ Diga hola a mi pequeno amigo! ˇ Mira pelicano vola! ˇ Vamos pelicano!

(Or "some" science, at least. I am not an expert, and I can't claim this is definitive.)

An argument seems to be going around (for example, in the comments to this post) that WP manages to burn skin without affecting clothing through the following process: burning white phosphorus creates phosphorus pentoxide which reacts with water in the human body to create phosphoric acid, which is "highly corrosive" and burns the skin without burning clothing. Well, let's take a closer look at this.

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Alanis Morrissette: Crazy*

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My favorite blogger shares his unique brand of insightful commentary while linking to a post about bodies remaining in New Orleans.

The Eschabots pounce:

Impeach!

-----------

Any troll want to argue that Shrub gives a rat's flying ass about black people?

-----------

Amazing. FEMA continues to fuck up, months later. Isn't it time for Chertoff to resign? Isn't he ultimately responsible, as head of Homeland Security, FEMA's boss?

-----------

None of the poor black folks in New Orleans were useful to the GOP. They didn't vote for them, they didn't contribute to their campaigns, and they don't own oil companies or need an estate tax cut. They aren't even cute enough to use in photo ops shilling for Christian extremism. As Karl Rove would say, "fuck 'em."

Eh, it's kind of unfair to pick on a site for its commenters, but Atrios himself jumps into the comment thread:

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Reading Michael Wilbon's column on MLB's new tough disciplinary policy on steroid use, I wondered how many paragraphs it would take for him to toss in the repetitive, vague, intellectually lazy health bugaboos about the evils of steroid use. Turns out it was six:

From the way Fehr and other union executives initially fought testing and then sanctions, you would think that players had nothing to gain from a get-tough policy against steroids, when in fact players had more to gain than anybody else. While there is still so much we don't know about steroids and their long-term effects, no responsible physician or trainer argues steroids are good for players' health.

Physicians don't argue that lots of things are good for one's health. These omissions do not equal "particularly bad for one's health," though Wilbon's subsequent strong assertions do just that:

In fact, most studies, the overwhelming anecdotal evidence, and the testimony from the steroid hearings, offered in fairly frightening detail, spell out the damage steroids can do over time.

Oh really? "Most studies?" Any references for that? "Overwhelming anecdotal evidence?" Surely not a standard around which to base dire, unequivocal health warnings. And given the "fairly frightening detail" supposedly spelled out between "most studies," "anecdotal evidence," and "the testimony from the steroid hearings," does Wilbon assert one or two examples of the ill effects of steroids? No. Why? Because he's parroting lazy dogma.

One would think a union would want to eradicate anything that brings that kind of health risk to its constituents.

Again, what kind of health risk, exactly?

The smarter members of the union are thankful today that their fraternity brothers are going to be much less likely to take steroids because the consequences are so grave.

Grave, how?

This is the exact type of ridiculous scare-mongering that marks the hyperbolic social taboos and media coverage surrounding anabolic substances in sports, a taboo that bleeds into the larger culture and misinforms the public and health care system about the nature and safe and appropriate usages of steroids. A superb article by Dayn Perry in Reason addresses many conventionally repeated health concerns about anabolics:

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Time Magazine names Louisiana's Blanco one of America's worst governors:

Failures aren't born. They're made. Before Hurricane Katrina, it wasn't the job of Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to plan for the evacuation of the elderly and poor from New Orleans. Afterward, she wasn't in charge of the federal response. But it was her job to give her constituents heart by looking decisive, steadfast and capable. Even if she wasn't.

I'd take issue with the characterization that composure was her only unfulfilled responsibility. Even marking her a failure, Time neglects to mention that she was in charge of granting the Federal government authority to coordinate response within her state, and delayed that course of action because of procedural ignorance and political ass-covering:

Behind the scenes, a power struggle emerged, as federal officials tried to wrest authority from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state's emergency operations center said Saturday.

The administration sought unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. Some officials in the state suspected a political motive behind the request. "Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything on the locals," said the source, who does not have the authority to speak publicly.

Putting aside that ass-backwards logic (greater responsibility = less blame?), who was making political moves? Those trying to federalize an inadequate and splintered state and local response, or those who refused and delayed because they suspected political maneuvering behind the attempt? In the immediate post-hurricane aftermath, Goldstein covered this failure at great length.

Despite Time's inadequate accounting of Blanco's inadequacies, the article's still another long nail in her political coffin.

Building on the runaway success of their hidden copy-protection program and the subsequent "fix," Sony has announced the development of related products to enhance brand awareness. The first to make it to the shelves:

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A Marine's-eye view of Iraq:

According to Jordan, morale among our guys is very high. They not only believe they are winning, but that they are winning decisively. They are stunned and dismayed by what they see in the American press, whom they almost universally view as against them. The embedded reporters are despised and distrusted. They are inflicting casualties at a rate of 20-1 and then see shit like "Are we losing in Iraq?" on TV and the print media. For the most part, they are satisfied with their equipment, food and leadership. Bottom line though, and they all say this, there are not enough guys there to drive the final stake through the heart of the insurgency, primarily because there aren't enough troops in-theater to shut down the borders with Iran and Syria. The Iranians and the Syrians just can't stand the thought of Iraq being an American ally (with, of course, permanent US bases there).

This adds tactical-level credence to criticism of the Bush Administration's chosen force structure, as well as scathing contempt for MSM coverage of the war's progress.

(Via AoS)

I'll admit it, I probably wasn't taking the threat of a bird flu pandemic seriously enough. That is, until CNN got me to recoil in terror and lose control of my bladder with their (initial) choice of photos to accompany their latest bird flu article:

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Since your site is now a subsidiary of Time Warner, could you maybe stop asking for freakin' donations?

It's like Warren Buffet passing me on the street and asking me for some twenty-dollar bills to wrap around his shoes to keep them from getting dirty, because he "doesn't have any cash" on him. There's just something a tad unseemly about it.

So, how 'bout these new INDC Journal contributors, eh?

This video makes a rather devastating case against historical revisionism regarding WMD in Iraq.

(Via IP)

*** Jeff Percifeld is apparently back and blogging at Beautiful Atrocities. At least until he disappears without a trace like a deadbeat dad running out to the Circle K for a pack of Lucky Strikes at three AM again, that is ...

I won't let you hurt me again.

UPDATE: Lies.

*** The lesson gleaned from this study? Give your teenagers ecstasy, so that they can safely enjoy it later:

Other new research on MDMA has investigated "binges" of ecstasy-taking in rats. Scientists found that rats exposed to many single doses of ecstasy as adolescents are protected from much of the harm caused by e-binges as adults.
...
Typically after a big ecstasy binge, animals suffer hyperthermia, fatigue and lethargy and sustain damage to serotonin axons – the long fibres extending from serotonin-containing neurons. All these features were observed in control rats.

But the rats that had been pre-exposed to the drug were spared these symptoms, including damage to their serotonin system. “Exposure does have this powerful effect to protect animals,” says Meyer.

There may be other lessons as well, but I'll be damned if I can figure 'em out.

(Via AoS)

*** Thus far, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has an 83% fresh rating at Rottentomatoes. If the awesome power of the blogosphere puts muscle behind it, I think that we can make this low-budget Indie thriller a hit!*

* Glenn Reynolds backed his horse, I'm backing mine.

Advantage: INDC Journal!

*** Carnival in Rio with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Quote:

You know something, after watching the mulatas shake it, I can absolutely understand why Brazil is totally devoted to my favorite body part, the ass.

I'm a big fan of the opposable thumb, myself. Or maybe the spine. Have you see what that thing can do?!

On Patriotism, redux:

I do in fact believe that the WMD accusations against Bush have been dispositively disproven, though not simply because the Senate Intelligence Committee rejected them. Bush gets intelligence reports, he doesn’t pore through raw intelligence data, and so his understanding of intelligence comes from his national security analysts. Anyone who thinks Bush looked at his analysts’ reports and rejected them because he wanted to avenge Daddy or enrich his oil buddies is either terribly confused or purposely dishonest—blinded by their hatred for the President. Those who are confused aren’t unpatriotic; they are, however, ignorant on this point, and are earnestly playing the part of useful idiots. Those who do know how intelligence works—and yet continue to suggest that Bush lied or manipulated intelligence in order to take us to war—are more concerned with damaging the Bush presidency than they are with winning the war.

And the follow-up ...

On Patriotism, redux -- a final response to Glenn Greewald

The Establishment Clause? Separation of church and state? Yep, I dig 'em.

But stuff like this? Cheese 'n rice.

I'd like to humbly propose an alternative to the drawn-out litigation that will likely ensue over this issue in the years to come: On all of our coins and currency, let's replace "In God We Trust" with "Michael Newdow Is A Real Dipshit." Such a message would avoid the God issue, but still reflect the traditional values of our great nation.

Bill adds: I disagree. While I think that Newdow's latest effort regarding currency takes his campaign against religious belief expressed by the state too far and contextually undermines his other case against the Pledge of Allegiance (practically and politically, though not when each distinct case is viewed inside the theoretical vacuum of legal analysis), I think that Hubris and Goldstein are overly dismissive, if not totally wrong. My comment left at PW (slightly edited):

Hubris adds: (Bill's additional comment is below the fold) I disagree with you disagreeing, natch. Actually, I'm not sure if you're actually disagreeing with me, or just Jeff's post. I'm speaking to the currency issue only, not to the pledge. I avoid the pledge issue because it makes my brain hurt. In the context of the "In God We Trust" thing, I stand by my well-reasoned "dipshit" argument.

Oh, let's just cut to the chase--pillow fight!

Bill Adds: Well, Hubris linked to Goldstein's post, which goes after not only the currency issue, but the expanded context of the pledge case as well. That being said, as long as Hubris promises to keep his pants on, I am willing to settle this with a pillow fight.

Hubris adds:

That being said, as long as Hubris promises to keep his pants on...

Too late!

Original comment still below the fold:

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Confederate Yankee has a must read post featuring a detailed refutation from a former Army Captain.

(found via John Cole.)

P.S. I'm going to reprint a comment I left there where I debunk a quote used to support the contention that WP was used in an anti-personnel capacity, something I think is not being challenged enough. (See update 2)

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Ann Althouse notes a review of Senator Barbara Boxer's novel by the Wonkette in the NYT*, and wonders about the plot.

Helpful commenter Dave Schuler reminds Althouse that INDC scored exclusive excerpts from the trashy tome way back in January:

Excerpt One
Excerpt Two (based on the transcript of Boxer's attack during Condi's confirmation hearings)
Excerpt Three

I'll see if I can dig up another lost excerpt ...

* Boxer, Ana Marie Cox and the NYT? Now there's a discomfiting collision of ideological and stylistic entities.

View Larger Image

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1) Their faces don't look alike. At all.

2) Chris Simms has never been a color analyst for an NFL broadcast.

3) Both of them have played football at the professional level, but one played for the Giants and the other plays for the Buccaneers.

4) Phil Simms was just an albino, while Chris Simms is a super-albino.

Phil, sorry about the cuckold thing; someone had to tell you.

UPDATE: In the comments, Chris points to a possible Busey connection.

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Actually, I have to agree with Nancy Pelosi. Politics shouldn't be a part of Veterans Day. It's a time to come together, dammit.

Pelosi and Waxman issue a press release at 10:47 AM Friday morning, which includes a copy of their letter to the president's counsel:

Yesterday's New York Times reported that President Bush met with Gabon's President Omar Bongo in May 2004, ten months after lobbyist Jack Abramoff asked President Bongo for $9 million to arrange such a meeting. Mr. Abramoff's offer and the size of the requested payment raise questions about what role Mr. Abramoff may have played in the scheduling of this meeting between President Bush and President Bongo.

We are writing to request that you provide us with all White House and State Department documents and correspondence regarding the arrangement of the meeting.

Bush begins his Veterans Day speech at 11:45 AM Friday morning.

Pelosi's statement after Bush's speech:

"On Veterans Day we should come together to honor those who have served in our Armed Forces. Instead, President Bush is using Veterans Day to try to bolster his political standing on the war in Iraq rather than honor our nation's men and women in uniform."

Come together? Uh, yeah.

Oh, I almost forgot...

Howard Dean's press release from 11:34 AM this morning:

Republicans in Congress need to put aside their broken promises and empty rhetoric about supporting our veterans and join Democrats in standing up for the brave men and women who have served our country.

And Pelosi on Veterans Day in 2003:

Because of Democratic pressure, the Republicans have put forward a plan, but it leaves far too many veterans behind. Under the Republican plan, two-thirds of our veterans still will not receive one penny of compensation for their disabilities. Democrats will stand for all of our disabled veterans and will continue to fight for full concurrent receipt, making sure that no soldier is left behind.

Remember kids, keep the politics out of Veterans Day!

The episode order for Arrested Development has been cut down to thirteen.

Disappointed? Go call Darwin, maybe he can evolve some new episodes for you.

Aviation Machinists Mate 2nd Class Harry G Adams, World War II Veteran

Americans Celebrate Veterans Day

The History of Veteran's Day

Remembrance Day, 2005 Blog Round-Up

Zero Seven: In Time

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*** "Willy Pete" Shocker! Determined Kos Kid Keeps Digging; Discovers "Magical Underground Kingdom of Stupid"

*** Documentary Favored Contender for Palme d'Patchouli ("Patchy") at Bay International Moonbat Film Festival and Organic Farmers' Market (Also, Cannes):

As the credits roll in Fallujah: The Forgotten Massacre (discussed below), and the morose “aren’t the Americans evil” music is piped in, the viewer is faced with a horrifying scene: a group of Iraqis, cowering under scant cover, brutally mowed down by Apache helicopter fire. It is, of course, presumed that the targets are innocents; further victims of the “forgotten massacre,” one presumes. And shorn of context, we can forgive the credulous Umbrian housewife for thinking the American military an organization made up entirely of sadists. But, of course, the entire clip tells a rather different story.

*** Rachel Leigh Cook Wields Frying Pan: Snuffs Unborn Chick, Heroin Chic

*** Melissa Theuriau Wields Smoldering Beauty, French Accent, Spaghetti Straps, That Adorable Little Curve of Her Nose, Sigh: Stirs Transatlantic Pants

*** "Moderate" Republicans Block Spending Cuts, Drilling in ANWR: "Moderate" Blogger at INDC Journal Ponders Hard Right Turn, Melissa Theuriau, The Nature of Mankind, Melissa Theuriau, French Roast or Starbuck's Morning Blend?

Minister bemoans lack of "rich, lustrous shine"; "This half-assed detailing job smacks of Babylon"

Trapped in a space station while Paul McCartney (or the eighty-year-old female body double who stands in for him and lip synchs when he has a busy schedule) sings "Good Day Sunshine." Directly. To you.

I can only speak for myself, but I'd strap some heat shielding to my torso, hit the escape hatch, and take my chances.

Actually, it would be a good storyline for Event Horizon 2.

The relevant convention covering WP is the Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons (Protocol III). Geneva, 10 October 1980. Now the US did not sign this Protocol, but even if it had the Protocol does not ban WP. It does not ban incendiary weapons, it only prohibits their use against civilians. Their use is not banned against military targets. If the left wants to argue that US forces purposefully or wildly and indiscriminately bomb civilians, they are welcome to try. And they are trying.

"Shake and Bake"
This post by Steve D at Daily Kos includes the following excerpt:

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Side effects of white phosphorus apparently include causing complete credulousness in war opponents. As an example, one Mark Kraft, an e-mailer to Eric Alterman's blog, is spreading the idea that "...there is no way you can use white phosphorus like that without forming a deadly chemical cloud that kills everything within a tenth of a mile in all directions from where it hits." He further states on a comment on a Protein Wisdom post on the subject: "Now, WP isn’t just some kind of friendly little pelet(sic) gun. Its white hot pellets can burn through a tank, and, when that fire is concentrated, it is capable of creating lethal clouds of gas that can kill everyone within 150 meters in all directions. Do the math on that… it’s a circle that spans nearly a quarter of a mile." This claim has been printed in Eric Alterman's Altercation and picked up by Steve D at the Daily Kos, and Kos himself. All have unquestioningly spread the ideas, not only of a 150 meter "lethal cloud", but the idea that WP somehow burns bodies without harming clothing (ideas that apparently originated from this source) For those of you who do not immediately recognize these as absurd on their face, read on:

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AP: "Oil Company Execs Defend Huge Profits"

Huge? Yeah, the oil companies are making a lot of money. Of course, a lot of money is invested and spent to make that money.

For example, "Exxon earned its biggest-ever profit, $9.9 billion, on revenue of more than $100 billion in the third quarter."

I'm no economist, but that seems to mean that Exxon is actually making just under ten cents for every dollar they bring in (I'm not sure whether that is pre-tax or post-tax). That doesn't strike me as a "windfall." It just seems like a decent return.

Am I missing something? Will Exxon CEO/robber baron Lee Raymond include this episode in the "Suckers!" chapter of his future Ribald Tales Of Corporate Malfeasance tell-all? Or is the Senate putting on a big show over nothing?

A Marine doles out some scorn for Anthony Swofford's "Jarhead:"

"Welcome to the Suck." That was the tagline of Anthony Swofford's best-selling Gulf War memoir, Jarhead, but it also neatly summed up my opinion of the book. I bought the audio version after two combat tours as a Marine in Afghanistan and Iraq and settled in to listen on a cross-country drive from California to Virginia. By the time I hit Nevada, I was ready to throw the CDs from my car window. Swofford struck me as an ax-grinder who blamed the Corps for his own failures. He hadn't seen enough combat to justify his angst, and conduct like his—at one point, he points a gun at another Marine and threatens to kill him—would have landed my Marines in jail. His story felt all the more insidious since his venom was cloaked in fine writing. It seemed fitting that "jarhead" isn't even a term most Marines use.

His take on the movie version is somewhat more kind, and features some skillful prose:

One of the great secrets about the Marine Corps is that, beneath its veneer of cynicism, it's deeply idealistic. Swofford's misfit band of brothers may seem artfully contrived—a brash Texan, a bespectacled nerd, an immigrant family man. But taking such grab-bags of Americans and molding them into a team is exactly what the Marines do. These guys aren't black, white, or Latino; they're Marines. And Marines, thanks to their intrinsic brotherhood, can deal more bluntly with race than most of society, without negative undertones. Antics frequently mask this camaraderie, as when the platoon gathers around two scorpions—white Marines around an anemic-looking white one, and black Marines around a hulking black monster named "Chango"—to cheer as they battle to the death. Such is the boredom of waiting for war.

Above left: Students warm up for gym class; above right: Coach Conner explains the principles of "Mathball"

DWEEB ADVOCATE CHESTER WILKERSON: "It's time to move past outdated physical fitness dogma. Can I do a chin-up? No. But I can do spelling-ups all day long." (continued on page A12)

An excerpt from page 201 of her new book:

Within minutes of Buckhead's original posting, Freepers began to repeat and embellish Buckhead's thoughts. Not surprisingly, they all agreed with him, they all agreed with one another, and they all agreed this should be pursued aggressively. Freethinkers they are not. The Freepers and their lockstep like-minded fellow travelers moved as a group, like a school of sharks sweeping toward an unaware and unarmed victim. CBS was like some sunburned, overweight Florida tourist with a cut foot, floundering and flapping in the water alone in the surf. The Freepers swarmed CBS not because it was right or fair but because they could.

On Web sites such as Powerline, INDC Journal, Allahpundit, and Spacetownusa, the bravehearts of the blogging world worked anonymously in what appeared to be huge numbers, in unison, to destroy the Bush-Guard story, to uphold one another's wild and hateful claims, to outshout, outargue, and outblog anyone who dared to disagree. And on their Web sites there is no disagreement. They hate in unison, they speak with one angry voice, they each make themselves bigger by staying as close together as possible.

Mary, no hard feelings? Even in forced retirement, Mapes continues her legacy of accuracy, as neither Powerline, nor Spacetown, nor INDC Journal worked anonymously during the scandal. I invite everyone to revisit my September archives and peruse the "wild and hateful claims" made by INDC. Good times.

I will grant her one thing - the "school of sharks" analogy is pretty accurate, though her description of a helpless victim (a multi-million dollar respected professional news organization) is a bit ... off. And let's not forget who chummed the water.

(Thanks to Raving Atheist for the tip and excerpt)

*** The Politburo Diktat reaches 1 million visits. Huzzah! To celebrate, the Commissar submits to interrogation.

In the course of the interview, Commissar neglects to mention INDC as one of his favorite blogs. Boo, you f%$#&*@ Communist!

*** Why did certain elements of the media fail to fact check or follow-up on a Marine who fraudelently claimed that he was ordered to massacre civilians in Iraq? Malkin knows. More here.

*** Alito reluctant to overturn Roe?

In private meetings with senators who support abortion rights, Alito has said the Supreme Court should be quite wary of reversing decisions that have been repeatedly upheld, according to the senators who said it was clear that the context was abortion.

"He basically said . . . that Roe was precedent on which people -- a lot of people -- relied, and been precedent now for decades and therefore deserved great respect," Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) told reporters after meeting with Alito yesterday. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she had a similar conversation about an hour later with Alito, who has made clear that he personally opposes abortion.

"I asked him whether it made a difference to him if he disagreed with the initial decision but it had been reaffirmed several times since then," Collins told reporters. "I was obviously referring to Roe in that question. He assured me that he has tremendous respect for precedent and that his approach is to not overturn cases due to a disagreement with how they were originally decided."

I'm not sure that this means much, as the analysis relies on a great deal of vague implication.

Here's an example, destroyed here. This is what happens when you belittle science, when you deny science's authority. You create fertile breeding ground for hucksterism.

The first story follows a typical ID narrative to the T. A brave maverick, turning the conservative, close-minded establishment on its ear. It "goes against almost a century of thinking". But, hey, what does the scientific community know anyway?

Best quote: "All of us who are not quantum physicists are looking at Dr Mills's data and we find it very compelling". Yeah, all of us guys who don't have the expertise to understand this think it's the bees knees! Looks a-ok to an unqualified observer!

A decision from the Kansas Board of Education on school science standards:

In addition, the board rewrote the definition of science, so that it is no longer limited to the search for natural explanations of phenomena.

Next on the agenda: Addressing the ugly and limiting obsession with "stuff that happened in the past" in history classes.

UPDATE: In the comments, B Moe asks if we have located the "new" definition of science written by the board. While I do not have access to the entire text as written, a reliable source has informed me that it will require "fancy" explanations of phenomena, so as to balance the need for a broader perspective with continued strict scientific standards.

*** Random Fate on that "jihad" in France:

Correlation, despite our desire for an orderly and understandable universe, does not prove causality.

*** Goldstein pounces on a crass case of academic intimidation.

*** Steve the Llamabutcher spies a glimmer of national unity in the public reaction to a recent Tampa arrest:

Five years ago we had the most divisive election in our living memory, but here we are, half a decade later, healed as a nation in our ability to come together---Chomskyites and Hayekians---to savor the story of NFL cheerleaders having randy lesbian sex in a bar bathroom before busting out into a punch-throwing melee ending with the highly desirable pouty Thelma n' Louise yet hot mug shots.

Yay team.

*** Rumsfeld to Germany:

I'm not talking about sanctions. You've got the lead. Well, lead!

Nur zu wahr, mein herr.

(Via AoS)

Aniston's list is here.

1. Does Matt LeBlanc smell more like flowers or meat?
2. Did the nipple thing just happen naturally on Friends or was a mandate from the director involved? Or was it all in my head?
3. How much I actually do cry. There's nothing wrong with crying, it's perfectly healthy.
4. When you were with Brad, which of you self-identified as "the smart one"?
5. You're absolutely right, it does seem like the world is imploding. Would you like to look at my privates?*
6. Even though John Aniston is your father, wouldn't you agree that on Days of our Lives Joseph Mascolo was significantly more badass as Stefano DiMera than Aniston was as Victor Kiriakis? And how did anyone believe that John Black was Roman Brady post-plastic surgery? As my sister sagely pointed out to me years ago, there's like a four-inch height difference there that couldn't really be addressed by a medical procedure. And don't get me started on Bo and Hope, or we'll be talking all day.

*Written guarantee of immunity from prosecution required

30 Hornets vs 30,000 Bees

*** More fall-out from the NY Times' selective quotation of Cpl. Jeffrey Starr:

The girlfriend of a Marine killed in Iraq said she was devastated when she saw how The New York Times cherry-picked a letter her "first love" intended her to read in case he died.

*** A worthy charity:

Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, provides voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at major military medical centers. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the 'Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field without having to press a key or move a mouse. The experience of CPT Charles "Chuck" Ziegenfuss, a partner in the project who suffered hand wounds while serving in Iraq, illustrates how important this voice-controlled software can be to a wounded servicemember's recovery.

Head on over to learn more.

*** Stephen Green offers a prediction on Alito. I agree, though I put the margin at 70-30.

A two-fer:

What Goes Around, Comes Around
The Plame kerfuffle has made hypocrites of just about everyone:

The Republicans who drafted and proposed the Intelligence Identities Protection Act in the early days of the Reagan administration, in a vain attempt to end the career of CIA defector Philip Agee, could not have known that their hasty legislation would one day paralyze the workings of a conservative wartime administration. Nor could the eager internationalist Wilsonians who rammed through the 1917 Espionage Act--the most repressive legislation since the Alien and Sedition laws--have expected it to be used against government officials making the case for an overseas military intervention.

But then, who would have thought that liberals and civil libertarians--the New York Times called for the repeal of the IIPA as soon as it was passed, or else for it to be struck down by the courts--would find these same catch-all statutes coming in handy for the embarrassment of Team Bush? The outrage of the left at any infringement of CIA prerogatives is only the least of the ironies in the indictment of Lewis Libby for discussing matters the disclosure of which, in and of itself, appears to have violated no known law.

Mr. Stability
The wrongness of Brent Scowcroft's realism:

Scowcroft, sounding "realist" enough, announces to Goldberg that he is "a cynic about human nature." Well, so would I be, if I were a former partner in the firm of Kissinger Associates who now runs his own consultancy, introducing unpleasant regimes to the corporations that love them. But "cynicism" of this kind often masks a certain naiveté. Those who elected to keep Saddam in power in 1991—Scowcroft prominent among them—imagined that they would keep him in a "box." Instead, Saddam turned the sanctions regime into a racket that hugely augmented his own power and wealth, while the sanctions themselves killed innumerable people and created an immiserated underclass in Iraq that is the source of many of our present woes. And, perhaps more important, would have become the source of many woes. Like all of his co-thinkers, Scowcroft appears to imagine that the Saddam regime would just have continued, in its cynical way, providing some version of predictability and stability. Whereas it is as clear as day that the regime was crumbling and would have imploded with ghastly results that would have given many openings to "bad guys." You can say that this has happened anyway, as it has, but realist statecraft often involves the realization that there are no good options. That realization ought to prompt, surely, some reflection on the policy that led to an option-free outcome. That was exactly the mistake that the "realists" made with the Iran of the shah, whose implosion came to them as if out of a clear blue sky.

A post at Balloon Juice points out that the "totally-doesn't-have-a-connection-to-religion" and "isn't-religiously-based" Intelligent Design movement is being represented in the Dover Trial by the Thomas More Center, whose mission, according to its website, is to "be the sword and shield for people of faith, providing legal representation without charge to defend and protect Christians and their religious beliefs in the public square." Oops! Looks like somebody didn't get the memo. Also check out the quote on the international popularity of ID from a somewhat surprising source.

I don't think this is what they meant by "carbon dating". Hey-O!

Hey, listening to an Elton John CD all day is punishment enough!* (Via zombyboy, who also has a good post on eminent domain)

*We kid around here a lot, but seriously, kids: Murder is wrong.

A lot of people are talking about Wilson's trip as though it were a plot by a faction of the CIA to undermine the President. Now I admit that the fact that Wilson was not required to sign a non-disclosure agreement is odd. Extremely odd. But I think the problem is that too many people think of Wilson's trip as an "investigation." A "fact finding trip" might be more accurate. He was given general talking points that did not refer to specific reporting of the deal, and the people he interviewed were aware that their answers would make their way to the US government. It was all above-board. And his trip was just not considered that important by the CIA. That's going by the description in the SSCI report(pdf), pages 40-41:

...INR believed that the embassy in Niger had good contacts and would be able to get to the truth on the uranium issue, suggesting a visit from the former ambassador would be redundant. Other meeting participants argued that the trip would do little to clarify the story on the alleged uranium deal because the Nigeriens would be unlikely to admit to a uranium sales agreement with Iraq, even if one had been negotiated. An e-mail from a WINPAC analyst to CPD following the meeting noted "it appears that the results from this source will be suspect at best, and not believable under most scenarios." CPD concluded that with no other options, sending the former ambassador to Niger was worth a try."

Although this makes the lack of a non-disclosure agreement less odd, it is still odd. So, why don't I think the trip was deliberately planned to hurt Bush?

Let us assume the trip was part of a plot by a faction of the CIA to hurt the President. Plame arranged for Wilson to go because she knew what he would report, and they did not have him sign a non-disclosure agreement because they wanted him to write an op-ed on it later. An op-ed about how Iraq did not seek/obtain uranium from Niger. If that is the case, why on Earth would Wilson report on Mayaki's story about the Iraqi trade delegation? The same bit of information that got his report rated "good" because it provided some confirmation of foreign service reporting that Iraq sought uranium from Niger? Why would he deliberately provide the means for his petard to be hoisted if this was all pre-planned? He has certainly showed his willingness to bend the truth since then, why wouldn't he just leave out any mention of Iraq? He was biased, had preconceived notions of what he would find on the trip, and lied about it afterwards, but that does not mean the trip was originally conceived as an anti-Bush plot.

Update: Well this is extremely interesting.

Update (11/9): I also disagree with the idea that this was a "get what you pay for" plot by the CIA. That the CIA knew Wilson's biases, knew he would end up writing about it, and so it was not necessary to form an actual plot with him, just let nature take its course. It strikes me as a bit of a longshot plan. This was such a minor point in the case for the war. Nobody would even be talking about it if Wilson hadn't written his op-ed. (Or more specifically, if he hadn't lied on background to reporters before the op-ed appeared to make the story look bigger than it actually was. More here.)

A brief overview:

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Here we go again. Gatewaypundit points out, in bold font, that:

Also, from the website: He is married to the former Valerie Plame and has four children. (via American Thinker)

It is not shocking that this is not the only place where Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame are listed together. Here is their entry in the "Who's Who in America" from 2002.

also:

So, via Who's Who, the name "Valerie Plame" has been associated publicly with Joe Wilson since the Clinton era - nice secret... ***

If the secret is that Valerie Plame is married to Joe Wilson, then no, it's not much of a secret. If the secret is that Plame is an agency operative on WMDs, then it was.

*** Commissar vs. Esmay: Geekfight XXIII^IX

In an email exchange related to his Anthropic Principle thread, Dean noted that I “did not understand what science is.”

Oh, no he di-int!

*** Sharp as a Marble responsibly issues an Alito-related misidentification correction.

Don't sweat it man - after I saw the nomination, I came this close to publishing a long screed condemning "his abysmally incompetent management of the OJ trial."

*** OTB has a good round-up on the status of the Paris riots:

The French Muslim riots, now in their eighth day, continue to spread and grow more violent.

Why might they be rioting?

“Overall unemployment in France is 9.8%, but for under-25 Frenchmen the figure is a stunning 23%.

That could have something to do with it. As a suggestion, I'd distribute Playstation 2, weed, internet porn and pizza pockets, immediately.

*** Why do I get the feeling that Kevin Drum dimmed the lights, lit some candles, slipped into a pair of red, silk boxers, and fired up some

Marvin Gaye: Sexual Healing

NIN: Closer

Enigma: Sadness, Part 1

Enya: China Roses

before writing this post?

I'm not hatin.' Everyone's got to seize their moments.

Dean Esmay comments on life after Roe:

When Roe v. Wade is finally overturned--and it will be, it was an incredibly arrogant overreach by the courts that's done an immeasurable amount of damage to our democratic processes--the pro-life movement will be faced with a crisis: the vast majority of Americans want abortion basically legal. They favor restrictions on the practice but, especially in the earliest phases, they want it legal in some form.

Despite the paranoid fantasies of those who rabidly fear the "religious right," pro-lifers will never successfully sustain a long-term complete ban on the procedure, because only a very few hard-core pro-life Republicans (or Democrats) will be able to maintain their seats. Pro-lifers will have to settle for some modest restrictions, and with relying on persuasion and things like running adoption facilities and shelters for unwed mothers in order to get their desires.

I don't completely agree with Dean's scorn for Roe, but the post-Roe reality that he describes for pro-lifers, which many seem unwilling to confront, seems spot-on. Strident pro-life pundits tend to argue with an implied assumption that most people share their views, rarely acknowledging the huge demographic challenge to their moral certitude and absolutism. If and when the ultimate socially conservative bogeyman of Roe is banished, and localities begin to fight out abortion in the legislatures, I wonder how many will be surprised or frustrated when it's difficult to impossible to achieve an outright ban on the procedure in the great majority of the country.

One side quibble with Dean's post:

The pro-life movement is going to face another crisis within the next two decades as well: soon it will be possible to remove an embryo or fetus intact and preserve it without destroying it in the lab. What then?

I believe that the opposite is true - technological progress will favor the pro-life movement with opportunity to advance its position. As medical science progresses to the point where viability is achievable at a very early stage in a pregnancy, with the advent of external wombs and such, pro-lifers will gain the ability to argue that the destruction of such life is malicious, using the very same current legal framework that attempts to weigh competing rights between mother and progeny. For when a fetus or even embryo can be removed and cared for safely without undue burden on the mother, arguing for the right to destroy the offspring under the auspices of privacy would be more aptly considered gratuitous and immoral by moderates in the debate.

At that point, the bulk of the battle will shift to whether the earliest incarnations - zygotes, morulas, blatoscysts, etc. - are full human beings, but again, as fertility technology improves and creates less waste, and stem cell research progresses beyond the actual requisite use of embryos, I believe that these issues will resolve themselves to the satisfaction of all parties.

Of course, then the displaced moral energy will rapidly shift again within certain quarters, questioning the ethics of using technology to enhance humans to a degree that radically challenges the current definitions of humanity and mortality. And I'm here to tell any religious pro-lifers patiently waiting to argue for the sanctity of God's original plan: you'll take my cognitive neural implants from my cold, bionic fingers.

Actually, scratch that - no, you won't.

*** Auto-targeting sequence initiated ***

15 Days, 4 Hours, 54 Minutes and 30 Seconds

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*** MoveOn.org petition bends laws of space and time: collects eight BILLION signatures! The organization subsequently issued a press release declaring George Bush the "most worstest President EVER in the history of the UNIVERSE! Times a kajillion!"

*** Ace pens a screenplay that only a Dungeons & Dragons dork could love.

Hey, I didn't say that I love it ...

*** Gorillaz: Dirty Harry. Fantastic album.

*** Malkin has a new book out. Review to follow.

In the meantime, check out her coverage of the NY Times' selective editing of the late Corporal Jeffrey B. Starr's letter home from Iraq:

I still don't get it, though. Is the editorial policy at the NY Times such that you may misrepresent the last letters home of any individual KIA, and dishonor their memory by making them look like whiners and cynics, if only you raise a different argument somewhere else, under another dead soldier's name.

This is somehow acceptable?

Apparently, to the Times editorial staff and the reporter in question, it is.

*** And a mainstream newspaper editorial decrees that Clarence Thomas isn't really black. Jeff Goldstein responds effectively.

Well, I have gone through a lot of Alito cases, and nowhere does he condemn the practice.

I'm just trying to help out with the formulation of those condensed anti-Alito guides.

In a piece for WaPo (via Feministe), Cass Sunstein writes that “[i]n a case involving workers' rights, the court ruled that a coal processing site was a ‘mine’ under federal law and therefore subject to the protection of the agency that regulated conditions at coal mines; Alito disagreed.” Sunstein unhelpfully fails to cite this or the other cases that are summarized within his article. One is left with the impression that Alito’s decision was somehow a result of his views on workers’ rights.

The subject case appears to be RNS Services Inc. v. MSHA. In his actual dissent, Alito wasn’t weighing workers’ rights; rather, he was interpreting the following language within the Mine Act:

The Mine Act explains that "[a] `coal or other mine' means an area of land . . . used in . . . the work of preparing the coal . . . ." 30 U.S.C. § 802(h)(1). Accordingly, a "coal mine" is a site at which, inter alia, "the work of preparing the coal" usually occurs. 30 U.S.C. § 802(I). The Act delineates activities that constitute "the work of preparing the coal": `work of preparing the coal' means the breaking, crushing, sizing, cleaning, washing, drying, mixing, storing, and loading of bituminous coal, lignite, or anthracite, and such other work of preparing such coal as is usually done by the operator of the coal mine.

In essence, Alito’s controversial position was that the "as is usually done by the operator of the coal mine" clause within the Act meant “as is done by the typical coal mine operator.” This contrasted with the majority’s contention that the clause signified that “the activity in question ('breaking, crushing, sizing,' etc.) must be an activity that is regularly performed at the site.” As a result, Alito reasoned that MSHA jurisdiction would not extend to the "Refuse Pile" involved in the case.

This interpretation does not seem to say much about Alito’s views on federal power or workers’ rights.

In the introduction to his article, Sunstein writes:

When they touch on issues that split people along political lines, Alito's dissents show a remarkable pattern: They are almost uniformly conservative. In the overwhelming majority of cases, he has urged a more conservative position than that of his colleagues. In his dissents, at least, he has been a conservative's conservative -- not always in his reasoning, which tends to be modest, but in his ultimate conclusions.

So Alito uses "modest" reasoning that doesn’t always lead to a predetermined, wished-for political result?

And Sunstein says that like it’s a bad thing.

*** Judge Alito: the second coming of John Roberts?

The N.Y. Times, today, comes out with their profile of Judge Alito.

In short, it’s a love letter. At the end, you half expect them to invite him in to meet the parents, ask the guy if there’s any brothers left at home for their friend Maureen. The portrait is that of a man who’s brilliant, measured, thoughtful and, most of all, nice.

Ah, the power of being extremely competent, humble and nice. (Alternately: the reason most bloggers will never be eligible for any position of such prominence.)

*** The situationally super-savvy Kevin Drum and Marshall Whitman see Bush's nomination of Alito as evidence of ... the waxing influence of ... the Dark Lord Rove, Rove, ROVE! Tell me again, when did Rove's influence ever really wane?

More soberly, Drum asks what lower-key strategies the Dems can undertake to fight the nomination. Aside from the fact that I think that they're over a barrel on this SCOTUS nominee no matter what they do, trying to warn off high profile Dem activists and politicians from overplaying their hand is like ... well, it's like begging Wile E Coyote to stop chasing the Road Runner off the cliff. It's like asking your dog to show some self-control and pace himself when he eats leftover turkey scraps. It's like trying to resist licking the dusty inside of your empty xanax bottle with futile hope of milking those last sweet moments of benzodiazepine salvation when you're days from getting you prescription refilled and you're totally flipping out and why won't that damn dog stop chewing the empty pizza box?

...

I'm going to stop now. See? Self-control.

UPDATE: Case in point.

(Via the LB)

*** A ray of hope for Drum: citing poli-sci experts, the WaPo's Charles Babington puts forth the idea that GOP moderates could derail Alito's nomination:

Senate Democrats will lead the opposition to Samuel A. Alito Jr.'s Supreme Court nomination, but a handful of Republican moderates could ultimately decide its outcome, several analysts and lawmakers said yesterday.

The roughly half-dozen GOP senators who support abortion rights are scrutinizing Alito's dissent in a major 1991 abortion case. If they determine that his judicial record or his answers to questions signal a willingness to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion, they will fall under heavy pressure to oppose him, said congressional scholars and analysts.

With Republicans holding 55 of the Senate's 100 seats -- and with Democrats raising the possibility of a filibuster, in which 41 senators could prevent a confirmation vote -- Alito can withstand few Republican defections if Democrats solidly oppose him. That is by no means certain, experts note, but it is possible.

"I think the moderate, or pro-choice, Republicans will likely determine the fate of this nomination," said University of North Carolina law professor Michael Gerhardt, a constitutional expert.

As the card-carrying official spokesman for punch-pissing GOP Moderates, I don't see this happening.