So. I read on Dave Winer's site that he thinks we should apologize, put the tanks in reverse, and bring all the troops home now.

I would like to invite Dave Winer, and anyone who thinks like him, to read the following three articles:

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The new viral super-pneumonia from China, SARS, is responsible for the panic of millions of Americans. But even in China, where the "epidemic" began, it seems only a minor threat. In Hong Kong, the virus killed 10 out of 316 who were hospitalized with it -- a death rate of about 3% -- and that doesn't count people who caught the bug but weren't sick enough to seek medical care. In the United States, forty people have been hospitalized with SARS, and none have died. Other forms of pneumonia kill about 40,000 Americans annually, so SARS has a ways to go before hysteria is justified. More debunking here courtesy of science writer Michael Fumento. The best news: contrary to many news reports, there is a drug that has proven fairly effective at fighting it.

Remember the Campain for Democracy in Iraq? Well, thanks to the hard work and dedication of MT Politics, we have finally finished the Official List of Web Sites in Support of Democracy in Iraq!

If you want to join the campaign, or just see the list of sites that are part of it, there's no time like the present. You'll find everything you need on that page.

Thanks again to MT Politics for making this possible.

Those of you who enjoyed the Interview with Chris Muir I did a few weeks ago may be interested in this: Dodd over at Ipse Dixit has done a further interview with Chris Muir that takes up where my interview left off. Dodd finds out a little more about what Chris does for a living, shows off some art work by Muir that you've likely never seen before, and of course publishes some more of Muir's Day By Day cartoons. Enjoy!

In listening to much of the recent war coverage, you'd think that we're experiencing little but a series of unmitigated disasters, shocking betrayals by the administration, horrifying surprises, and stunning setbacks in the slow-grinding quagmire that is the war in Iraq. Not all reporting has been like that, but it's often rather disorienting: I'll go from listening to NPR, wondering how we'll ever recover from this horrible mess we've gotten into, then head over to The Command Post and I'll see information from all sides and perspectives, from around the world, and I'll realize: hey, things aren't that bad at all. In fact, they're pretty good, if you get past the bug-eyed coverage from so much of the press.

I think Rand Simberg has the most clear-eyed perspective on the war coverage I've seen so far. And the funniest.

Andrea has an interesting question: Is it just me, or did women in the forties have some sort of confidence and glamour that modern women (at least, the ones who pose scantily clad) lack?

I think that the answer is yes, but it's not as different as it might seem at first.

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Iain Murray has a fine analysis on the highly useful expertise brought to the allied coalition by the British. He suggests why, despite their smaller footprint and firepower tonnage, their presence has already saved lives, and is likely to save many more in the coming weeks.

(Via Moira.)

USS Clueless has published an analysis of the Iraq war sent in by a retired military officer. Read it to understand why it's far too early to declare (as some have) that we're losing. If this analysis is right, our forces are about to begin the Whoop Ass phase in earnest.

I heard this on my drive home Friday. Courtesy of Deminsky & Doyle at 97.1 Detroit's FM Talk.

How do you know that the world has gone mad?

1. World's Best Rapper is WHITE
2. World's Best Golfer is BLACK
3. One of the Tallest Players in the NBA is CHINESE
4. France accuses the United States of being ARROGANT
5. Germany DOESN'T want to go to WAR

I thought it was funny - thought you might too!

Assyrian Ken Joseph Jr., a committed peace activist, recently visited Iraq as part of his effort to prevent the war with Iraq. He came away convinced that he was completely wrong, by the very people of Iraq who he visited to save from the impending war.

Joseph claims to have brought back tapes of ordinary Iraqis who wish for war to end the brutal tyranny of the Baathist regime. These tapes will be shown by Barbara Walters next week, according to Joseph's web site.

Joseph's accounting of his journey to, and escape from, Iraq, is gripping. Joseph also claims that his tapes, along with an extended interview conducted by Barbara Walters, will appear next week on ABC.

(First link via Viking Pundit.)

by Stephen Vincent Benet, first published in 1935

For all those beaten, for the broken heads,
The fosterless, the simple, the oppressed,
The ghosts in the burning city of our time…

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I need (a) volunteer(s) to help out with a small item for the Iraqi Democracy project. We have about 150 weblogs we need to list in a database. MT Politics has worked up a terrific data base for us to list all the sites who have signed up for the "Support Democracy in Iraq" project. But now we need to get the data entered. It's only about 150 web sites but I keep not finding the time to do it with the other items I've committed to.

Does anyone have an hour or two to spare to help us finish getting this project up and running properly?

You don't hear much about what the Australian forces in the coalition against Iraq are up to. But over at Samizdata, they have an interesting report you probably won't read elswhere about how Australian special forces operate behind enemy lines.

Always did like them Ozzies.

* Upate * - Might also want to read this one too, while you're at it.

Apparently, Dean's World is doing pretty good in the market:



I will offer to sell shares at half-off to anyone who wants them.

What great cause has ever been fought and won under the banner "I stand for consensus"? --Margaret Thatcher

The place that had been the embodiment of liberal expectation after World War II had moved towards totalitarianism: the inversion of truth, the Big, Big Lie--this was now the language of the General Assembly. --Daniel Patrick Moynihan, former Ambassador to the United Nations, on the passage of the United Nations General Assembly resolution equating Zionism with racism, 1975.

(Via Pejman.)

Scientists yesterday released data suggesting that a certain tree fungus is, in fact, one single gigantic organism that's between 2000 and 8500 years old. It's raising serious questions about the definition of the word "organism," and even more serious questions about forestry management practices. Fascinating stuff.

Trevor Van Meter's FlyGuy is a unique and oddly addicting... what do you call it? Presentation? Toy? Game? Well anyway, it's unique and oddly addicting, and something you could only do with a computer. (Thanks Jerry.)

You'll need the latest Flash Player, by the way.

Your photo of the day:


Taken from the Army Times story on field medic Joseph P. Dwyer at the time of an intense gun battle on the banks of the Euphrates:

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Dissident Frogman fisks the human shields coming home with their tails between their legs. I'm sorry, but they deserve every word of it and more. The only question: will they have the courage to speak out even more from now on about their own mistakes? Let's hope so. You haven't done anything really noble until you've admitted your mistakes and tried to help others learn from them.

The world is never the simple place we would like to think it is.

David Hardy says that the film that just won an Oscar® for Best Documentary isn't a documentary. In fact, Hardy goes so far as to call it "deliberately, seriously, and consistently deceptive." And provides evidence.

SFGate, that well-known bastion of right-wing apologism and bloodthirsty, pro-Bush pro-war slant, has published an excellent piece on the Iraqi resistance. It's a genuine must-read item. The basic thrust: countless Iraqis wish to join the resistance, but are afraid they'll be let down by the Americans as they were in 1991. And, Saddam's regime has done some rather frightening things to keep them under control.

In the cloud of war news, I'd like to pause for a moment to note the passing of one of the most influential men in America over the last half of the 20th Century. Daniel Patrick Moynihan is dead.

It is difficult to describe the influence and importance of this man to shaping American public policy over the last few decades. Michael Barone said he was "the nation's best thinker among politicians since Lincoln and its best politician among thinkers since Jefferson." That's pretty hard to argue with.

There were those who didn't like him, of course. That's politics. But he was, truly, a giant.

* Update * Kaus has a eulogy for Moynihan that's worth reading.

What some parents won't do in the name of patriotism. You have to see this:

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IMAO has a funny skit on how we should respond if Iraq uses WMD's. We will send in a Happy Bomb!

Here is a snippet:

..."If Iraq uses WMD's against U.S. troops, will you consider striking back with nuclear weapons?"

"No, absolutely not. Karl Rove carefully explained to me that the diplomatic costs are too high." He looked around. "Where is he?"

"We have some new technology related to that," Rice told the press, "This is a new weapon to help us defeat our enemies but isn't as mean and scary as a nuclear weapon. It's a 10 megaton 'Happy Bomb'." Rice then pulled back a sheet revealing a large bomb with a smiley face displayed prominently on the front. "Look it's smiling!" Rice exclaimed, "Isn't it happy?"

"Wow! It is smiling!" Bush said excitedly, "Let's use it now!"

"Isn't it that actually a nuclear bomb with just a smile painted on it?" asked one reporter skeptically.

"Yeah, that's a good question," Bush said to Rice, getting suspicious, "Did you just paint a smile on a nuclear bomb?"

"No, of course not," Rice replied innocently. "There are also stencils of bunnies on the side." ...

The whole thing is really funny. You should definitely give it a read!

I just (3:30 pm) got a note from Jesus Gil. He can't post to his own weblog at the moment, but he has some impressions from what he's seeing on Al Jazeera out of Spain. Pretty gruesome stuff:

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Heh. Heh. Heh.

National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice has an editorial in this morning's Wall Street Journal. In it, she notes that the coalition against Saddam Hussein now consists of 50 nations. She notes that all 50 "have the will to face the gravest threat of our time--the nexus between outlaw regimes, weapons of mass destruction, and terrorism."

In one of the more moving parts of the piece, she mentions that "...some have only recently emerged from tyrannies imposed in no small part because of that failure. Months ago, the prime minister of Estonia told President Bush that he did not need an explanation of the need to confront Iraq. Because the great democracies failed to act in 1930s, his people lived in slavery for 50 years."

She also notes for special praise the assistance being given by Polish, Danish, Czech, and Slovak forces, as well as the work being done by the Australians.

Dean's World appears to have become the unofficial home of the Trogdor the Burninator Fan Club. That thread is now the second-most posted to thread in the history of Dean's World. It has gotten at least one message a day, more often 2-3, ever since created, even though it rolled off the front page two weeks ago.

"Trogdor" is now also the #1 search term by which people find Dean's World. No kidding. "Trogdor the Burninator" is #3.

Everyone knows that this is because Trogdor is the ultimate at burninating!

Andrew Cory, better known to some as the Punning Pundit, conducted an interview today with an Iraqi expatriate named Yousip Enuiya, who once served in Saddam's military. As the interview was taking place, word flashed on CNN that there was a civil uprising against the Baathists in Basra, which is Yousip Enuiya's home town. Cory's report is as follows:

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Thom Hartmann has a fairly smart piece over at the progressive site Common Dreams about what he thinks liberals must do to beat Bush in 2004: join the Democratic Party in droves, take over its leadership, and remake it in the far left's image. By "fairly smart" I mean that it's nice to see progressives finally acknowledging that they shot themselves in the foot in 2000 by voting for Nader instead of Gore, and it's even more encouraging to see them taking notice of the fact that Republicans are currently much, much better at the political game than anyone on the left. Progressives are often so far out in left field that any indication that they can actually percieve reality is like a breath of fresh air.

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The Iranian New Year began yesterday. It is now 1382 according to their calendar. In celebration, the Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran released a statement in support of making 1382 the year ending clerical rule and bringing democracy to Iran. Many (not all, but many) Iranians believe the war on Saddam will help these aims.

* Correction * -- Due to my carelessness, I said the Iranian new year was yestrday, when I should have said it was Friday the 21st. Sorry about that.

If you haven't read Jerry's thread on The Philosopher of Islamic Terror yet, you should. The article he links is long but very good. The discussion we're having about it, in the comments, is also very good and worth going out of your way to read. It illustrates pretty well why many of us think this war is so necessary for the long-term security of Western civilization and, really, the world. It's nothing that can fit on a postcard, but it matters. Give the discussion a read, and feel free to join in.

It's good to see comment traffic going back up to its previous high quality levels, too. It was getting slow there for a while. :-)

There's much noise making the rounds about how the Iraqis are using Global Position Satellite jamming systems to mess up coalition forces' targeting systems. A lot of people are mad at the Russians about it. But as Donald Sensing reports, the GPS jamming stories are mostly bunk. It appears that the Russians are making themselves rich at Iraqi expense, not ours. Read the materials Reverend Sensing links to, and you'll see why.

Political feminism's ongoing implosion is nowhere better demonstrated than in this LA Times story about Asparagirl. Go read it. Yes, it requires registration, but it's free, and the LA Times is one of the better online papers, so it's worth it.

Feminists of the world take note: young women think you are a joke. You're dying because you no longer honestly represent what most young women believe in or care about. And by "young" I actually mean "40 and under." So who is it you think you represent? From what it looks like, it appears to be "Baby Boomer Women Who Only Vote For Democrats." Which isn't what feminism was supposed to be about, is it?

Dean's World denizens will have noticed by now that while Dean does most of the posting, he's not the only one. Our featured authors have until now included my firebrand wife Rosemary, history maven Paul Fallon, and the estimable Gary Utter (along with occasional submissions from other authors). Now joining our crack editorial team is one Jerry Kindall (a.k.a. "Jerry"), who will be posting articles that aren't right for his own entertaining but nonpolitical weblog.

Jerry is one of those people who I truly despise: a really really smart guy who knows more than I do about a lot of stuff, reads faster, and writes really well. Instead of having him killed for rivaling my talents, I've made him a contributor. (For now. Mwahahahahahaha....)

The New York Times Magazine has an excellent article on the writings of Sayyid Qutb ("KUH-tahb"), whose book Milestones is is cited as a manifesto of Islamist philosophy. But the relatively shallow Milestones is merely the distillation of ideas Qutb developed in a 15-volume commentary on Islam titled In the Shade of the Qur'an, which he wrote while in prison in Egypt. (He was executed in 1966.)

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Apparently, the left-leaning black community, as well as much of academia, believes that it is funny to call Condoleeza Rice a bitch-whore-slut ("skeeza").

Not that this is anything new. Any uppity black person who refuses to toe the lefty line is frequently subject to these kinds of high-tech lynchings. They can be done any time, anywhere, by just about anyone--and no one has the least bit of fear of being called to task for it. Indeed, other than a few conservatives, very few people ever bother to say anything at all.

This is another Trent Lott moment if you ask me. The Left has blown many such moments before. Will they blow this one too?

I guess we'll see.

(Via Instapundit.)

Hey Kim, it’s George. How ya’ll doing?

Listen, you watching TV? Oh wait, what am I thinking? Of course you are, you’re the only one in the whole damn country with a set. Listen do me a favor, turn off the porn for a second and switch over to Fox or CNN…Pretty cool, huh? Watch this… (KA-BOOM!) Bullseye! Cool, eh?

What’s that?...

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I posted a ton of stuff on the war this weekend. I'll be throttling back on that. However, I will be posting occasionally to:


The Command Post.

It's a collective blog dedicated to breaking news on the war. It's updated at a furious pace, with a couple of dozen contributors. If you want up-to-the-minute war coverage, I suspect you won't find a better place online.

The Times Online has reprinted the speech of a British colonel to his men on the eve of battle. I must say, it's an impressive bit of oratory:

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There's a good piece by Howard Kurtz in yesterday's Washington Post about the influence of weblogging.

There are those who say this new medium is meaningless and has no significant influence. They are wrong.

By the way, I'm quite relieved to see this morning that Salam Pax is back online. Since he hadn't posted since Friday, right at the beginning of the Chockenaw campaign, I was getting really worried about him.

The Jerusalem Post reports that U.S. forces have captured an Iraqi chemical weapons factory. Hmm.

* Update * Instapundit is reporting that this story may not be true. Not clear yet. Stay tuned.

* Another Update * Sky News and Fox News both quote the Pentagon as saying it's true.

Jesus Gil has extensive information on the Americans captured by Iraqis, including a pretty detailed description of who they appear to be and their conversation with Arab reporters.

Well, after all the heavy stuff, this should amuse you: Business 2.0's annual '101 Dumbest Moments in Business'. I'm hoping to fly one day on Hooters Air, myself.

And boy, am I glad I never worked for McCall's...

Via The World's Greatest blog on economics.

So. Justin Raimondo is upset with the behavior of the San Francisco protestors for acting like violent thugs. Rand Simberg says that if you lie down with dogs, you should expect to get fleas. Well, maybe that's a little harsh. Then again, what do you think Bernadine Dohrn would say?

* Update * - Athena has a picture of cops engulfed in flames from a Molotov cocktail thrown by peace protestors. "Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, off the pigs'n blow up buildings, riot now..."

I want you people who think you're protesting for "peace" to have the courage to read this piece written by Daniel Pepper for the Sunday Telegraph.

You people have no idea how much I'm restraining myself. But I will say this: I hope you never again claim to be a liberal. That you never again claim to be a humanist or a humitarian. And I hope you never, ever, ever try to claim again that it is "peace" that you advocate.

I'll stop now before I start swearing.

Gotta love it:

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A senior Kurdish official says U.S. Troops are on their way to Kurdistan to open up a second front.

This should alleviate the need for any Turkish troops, we should hope.

Eric Alterman has a refreshingly honest piece about Jewish loyalties in his MSNBC column. Although he gets one fact wrong that too many anti-Christian paranoids get wrong all the time: Bush is not a fundamentalist, he's a Methodist.

Anyway, I consider Jewish loyalty a non-issue for the moment, but it's nice to see someone talking about this without getting his nose out of joint. (Courtesy of Ara.)

As reported in The Guardian:

Afraid that the US and Britain will abandon them, the people of Safwan did not touch the portraits and murals of Saddam Hussein hanging everywhere. It was left to the marines to tear them down. It did not mean there was not heartfelt gladness at the marines' arrival. Ajami Saadoun Khlis, whose son and brother were executed under the Saddam regime, sobbed like a child on the shoulder of the Guardian's Egyptian translator. He mopped the tears but they kept coming.

"You just arrived," he said. "You're late. What took you so long? God help you become victorious. I want to say hello to Bush, to shake his hand. We came out of the grave."

"For a long time we've been saying: 'Let them come'," his wife, Zahara, said. "Last night we were afraid, but we said: 'Never mind, as long as they get rid of him, as long as they overthrow him, no problem'." Their 29-year-old son was executed in July 2001, accused of harbouring warm feelings for Iran.

"He was a farmer, he had a car, he sold tomatoes, and we had a life that we were satisfied with," said Khlis. "He was in prison for a whole year, and I raised 75m dinars in bribes. It didn't work. The money was gone, and he was gone. They sent me a telegram. They gave me the body."

You people have no idea how much I'm restraining myself.

Go Kurds! Go Kurds! Go Kurds! Go Kurds!

Oh man I'm getting really worked up over this Turk thing now. Damn the Turks. They need to leave these people the hell alone.

(Link snitched from Celissa again.)

From today's UPI story on people fleeing Iraq (none of which, interestingly enough, are Iraqis):

A group of American anti-war demonstrators who came to Iraq with Japanese human shield volunteers made it across the border today with 14 hours of uncensored video, all shot without Iraqi government minders present. Kenneth Joseph, a young American pastor with the Assyrian Church of the East, told UPI the trip "had shocked me back to reality." Some of the Iraqis he interviewed on camera "told me they would commit suicide if American bombing didn't start. They were willing to see their homes demolished to gain their freedom from Saddam's bloody tyranny. They convinced me that Saddam was a monster the likes of which the world had not seen since Stalin and Hitler. He and his sons are sick sadists. Their tales of slow torture and killing made me ill, such as people put in a huge shredder for plastic products, feet first so they could hear their screams as bodies got chewed up from foot to head."

By the way, he's not the only one to hear about the Shredder. There are also first-hand accounts. In case you were wondering. (Do you suppose this Human Shield and the Welsh member of parliament traded notes? That must be it...)

(Link snitched from Celissa.)

Click here.

Courtesy of Politburo, via him again. (But I beat him to the officer-fragging story! :-)

The Turks are threatening to invade Northern Iraq, to prevent a "flood of refugees." What refugees?

The administration says if they do it, it will be over their objections. It damn well better be. If selling out the Kurds had been a necessary condition to getting Turkish support for basing out of Turkey, I would have reluctantly concluded that it was a necessary evil. But they turned us down, and this now looks like a naked power grab by the Turks, and I hope the administration does whatever it takes to prevent it.

So. Apparently among some "peace" activists, Molotov cocktails are standard equipment.

I'm sure someone will be quick to point out that these people are a minority. And they are. But it would be smart to remember that extremism breeds violence, and this is no less true for "anti-war" activists than anyone else. As I've written before, political violence can come from any quarter, and almost any ideology. It's smart to always keep that in mind, no matter what your viewpoint on the war or anything else.

(Link to Molotov article courtesy of that crazy woman.)

Wild Monk has written one hell of an essay on the roots of our conflict with the European elite. It's academic and lengthy, so I don't know if all of you will find it as interesting as I did--but I know that many of you will. Hint: if an essay that talks about Rousseau, Marx, Locke, the Scottish Enlightenment thinkers, and how they help explain French, German, and American behavior during the current conflict sounds interesting, then this is your meat.

I have long argued that the ideological conflict that America faces long-term is between Classical Liberalism (aka modern conservative libertarianism) and Transnational Progressivism. This dispute goes well beyond the simplistic labels of "conservative" or "liberal" or "left" vs. "right." Indeed, the postmodernist left and the fringe right are increasingly difficult to distinguish from each other. No, this is a deep-seated argument based on fundamentally differing interpretations of the nature of humanity, rights, the individual, the role of the state, and of economic justice.

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The Times of London reports that Iraqi soldiers have begun fragging their own officers rather than fight. Of course, these are conscripts, not Republican Guard.

The Bushies are smart to downplay expectations. Something bad could happen any minute. It's war, for God's sake. But I don't see how this can last much longer the way things are going. Let's hope I'm right.

Best quote from a Royal Marine so far:

Small groups of dishevelled Iraqis were standing up all around us with their hands in the air, or with a dirty white T-shirt tied to a stick waving above them. Every time you turned around, a new trickle of silhouettes emerged from the horizon walking slowly towards us. One Marine joked: “Oh no. They’re surrendering at us from all sides!”

(Story courtesy Arthur Silber.)

American Diplomacy has a pretty good article on how Arab armies are organized, and why they fare so poorly in modern combat. Paul Fallon sent this to me ages ago but I lost it. But now Jerry Kindall found it on Den Beste's page. (Gotta love the Internet.)

Anyway, if the article is accurate--and I have no reason to believe it's not--it explains a lot. For one thing, it's part of why we're not having a real tough time with most of their forces. For another, it would go a long way toward explaining why Israel's still on the map.

Strategy Page reports that two Iraqi divisions have formally surrendered: the 11th and 51st, leaving only the 6th on a truculent footing. If true, this is good news. For everybody but the Baathist regime.

(Thanks to Dean's World roving correspondent Casey Tompkins for the link.)

From UPI:

Dawn broke over the al-Ramallah oil fields of southern Iraq Friday to plumes of billowing smoke from torched wells and destroyed Iraqi military positions and the sight of Iraqi soldiers surrendering by the score.

..."It's a good day to be a Marine," one man yelled in his 26-ton vehicle.

"They put up some minor resistance, kind of a show of face, I guess, and then surrendered," Staff Sgt. Gregory Craft said.

Craft said his unit took six prisoners in the inky black night while searching trenches, eerily illuminated by the burning remnants of an artillery battery vaporized by laser guided bombs from planes.

...With the coming of dawn, a dribble of disheveled Iraqi troops began leaving their foxholes on the south side of the gas and oil plant in groups of three and four, waving makeshift white flags as they approached 1st Battalion troops. Before an hour had passed, they were coming out in larger groups.

In the first two hours of Friday morning, more than 159 Iraqis had surrendered and more were continuing to approach U.S. troops, turning themselves in.

"We search 'em, search 'em for weapons, never mind the mementos and papers for now," Lt. Dave Denials, commander of the company's 1st platoon told his men. "And keep each other covered."

The prisoners, ranging from teenagers to older men, appeared thankful to turn themselves over. Many asked for food and water, which they would be given when taken to positions in the rear.

"Hey, look, they're forming lines themselves," said Lance Cpl. Gregory Moll, looking at the detainees. "It looks like they've done this before.

"They all look so dirty, tired and hungry."

Semper fi, boys. Come home soon.

According to that well-known bastion of bloodthirsty British imperialism and right-wing extremism, The Guardian:

The "Great Satan" has invaded Iraq but students at Tehran University seem pleased at the prospect.

"It will be a good thing to have American troops in Iraq. Perhaps that will bring change to Iran," said Namin, a lanky engineering student strolling to class.

"Maybe that will put more pressure on the regime here." Unlike fellow Muslims in the Middle East or their predecessors 23 years ago who seized the United States embassy, students today are not seething with anger against America and are unmoved by the government's daily references to "the enemy" in Washington.

"I think only about the consequences of a war. If the war has good consequences, let it be," said another student, Mohammad. "We're not protesting like European students. We don't have a democratic government like they do. We're not acting like them because we're not in European shoes."

You should go read the whole thing.

Oh, and by the way: remember that nasty and intemperate thing I said below about "up yours?"

Good.

As I type this (13:08 Eastern) the "Shock and Awe" campaign (whose name I am already tired of hearing) has been underway for about a half hour. Yet live video from Baghdad continues, and, interestingly enough, the electricity is obviously still on in the city.

Unbelievable.

* Update * - A few minutes later, I heard a General on the news saying that they're trying very hard to avoid knocking out power, so they can make sure that people who want to join the resistance can hear what's going on as time goes on. Presumably the same goes for water and sewage lines.

For the people who uncritically spread the notion that "Shock and Awe" was going to be about carpet-bombing civilians and massacring hundreds of thousands of people: up yours.

ELIZABETH BRACKETT: This Iraqi-owned cafe in Detroit was packed and all eyes were glued to the Arabic al-Jazeera Channel for President Bush's speech last night -- 160,000 Iraqis now live in the Detroit area, the largest Iraqi community in the country.

Many of these Iraqi-Americans fled after persecution from the regime of Saddam Hussein, and have worked to dismantle that regime ever since. Here, the president's ultimatum brought cheers. (Applause) Activist Emad Dhia was especially pleased.

EMAD DHIA, Iraqi Forum for Democracy: It’s a sense of accomplishment and relief, in all honestly. Iraqi- Americans worked very hard for this moment, this moment of the truth when President Bush announced on the TV Saddam and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours.

Ever wonder why there were no Iraqis at those "peace" marches? Read the rest of this PBS News Hour report on Iraqi Americans to find out.

And if you were at any of those "peace" marches, I hope you have the good sense to feel profoundly embarassed.

Meanwhile, in Iraq itself:

Milling crowds of men and boys watched as the Marines attached ropes on the front of their Jeeps to one portrait and then backed up, peeling the Iraqi leader's black-and-white metal image off a frame. Some locals briefly joined Maj. David "Bull" Gurfein in a new cheer.

"Iraqis! Iraqis! Iraqis!" Gurfein yelled, pumping his fist in the air...A few men and boys ventured out, putting makeshift white flags on their pickup trucks or waving white T-shirts out truck windows.

"Americans very good," Ali Khemy said. "Iraq wants to be free."

Some chanted, "Ameriki! Ameriki!"

Many others in the starving town just patted their stomachs and raised their hands, begging for food.

A man identifying himself only as Abdullah welcomed the arrival of the U.S. troops: "Saddam Hussein is no good. Saddam Hussein a butcher."

An old woman shrouded in black -- one of the very few women outside -- knelt toward the feet of Americans, embracing an American woman.

Read the rest of the above at Fox News, if you can keep your eyes dry long enough to click.

(News Hour link courtesy of Instantman.)

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

There was little initial resistance as the United States Marines swept into southern Iraq early yesterday....The Iraqi gunners fired first, soon after United States President George Bush announced the attack on Saddam Hussein was under way.

It was a fatal mistake....Within hours, the Iraqi gunners and their Russian-made 122mm howitzers were destroyed as the Americans unleashed an artillery barrage that shook the ground and lit up the night sky with orange flashes.

....Later in the day, the American firepower was turned on Safwan Hill, an Iraqi military observation post a couple of kilometres across the border. About six hours after US marines and their 155mm howitzer guns pulled up at the border, they opened up with a deafening barrage. Safwan Hill went up in a huge fireball and the Iraqi observation post was obliterated.

"I pity anybody who's in there," a marine sergeant said. "We told them to surrender."

Hoo-ya.

From the Dallas Morning News:

As America moved closer to war with Iraq, a Muslim cleric for the first time gave the opening prayer at a session of the Texas House of Representatives on Tuesday....Imam Bakhach, 47, wore a blue robe and a white emma, or cap. Attached to his robe was an American flag lapel pin – "to show that we are behind our leadership," he said. The imam told reporters he would oppose any bombing of Iraq that harms civilians....At a later rally with other Texas Muslims, he said, "This is our country. This is our home. We have to pray for the security of our community – before Iraq. ... Yes, I disagree with Mr. Bush. But I am a patriot."

Six Cubans apparently decided to hijack an airplane in order to defect. Not a smart move, unfortunately. Not only did they startle the military at a time when it's not real smart to startle the military, but they're facing a minimum of 20 years in U.S. Federal prison if convicted.

Let's hope everyone else on the plane was allowed an opportunity to stay if they wanted to.

Lots of people know about this, but for the few of you who don't: you really should be checking out Salam Pax's web site. He's a resident of Baghdad, and still blogging.

Some don't believe he's real. But I'm convinced. Could be wrong, but I don't think so.

* Update * - I feel stupid for not mentioning, you should also be reading The Primary Main Objective, written by one of our boys over there, and who doesn't get mentioned a lot. Also, L.T. Smash, who does.

A Baghdad resident and two U.S. soldiers are blogging from the conflict. The internet is an amazing place.

Iraqi state radio was recently interrupted, and a voice speaking in Arabic spoke these words: This is the day we have been waiting for.

Radio Free Iraq is, apparently, on the air.

* Update * Salam Pax says that this story is not true. Or if it is true, he didn't hear it, and the Iraqi government is still broadcasting.

Notice what's missing from the news this morning?

Massive civil unrest on the "Arab Street."

Not that there won't be any protests. But notice just how quiet it really is. This should tell you something. Dennis Ross, a mideast policy wonk for the Bush '41 and Clinton administrations, has a very good piece in the Wall Street Journal which just might explain what's really going on in the Arab street and, far more importantly, in the corridors of power above that street.

In a world where democracy doesn't exist, it isn't protestors who make the difference.

FYI: For sources for war information, you could hardly do better than Ara's handy list.

* Update * But Ara forgot this one.

Since no one was hurt, I found this story about our boys under fire by an Iraqi missile most interesting because of the following snippet of information:

At another, undisclosed position in the desert along the Iraqi border, the men of A Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment were eating lunch when the Iraqi missile hit the desert. The locomotive-like roar of the missile flying through the air followed the sound of impact because of the distances involved.

I had to read that twice before I caught the significance: they heard the explosion of the impact, and then heard the roar of the missile's engine as it moved toward impact.

This seems like it would only be possible if the missile A) was heading directly (or nearly directly) toward them, B) never passed them, and C) was travelling fairly near, or beyond, the speed of sound.

But if so, that would imply more speed out of the missile in question than I recall Saddam's Scuds having in the last war, which were considered to be somewhat slow, lumbering beasts. If I'm not misremembering that, this would seem to indicate that it was an Al Samoud 2, and that the Al Samouds are very fast for overland missiles.

(By the way, the rest of the story's good, too.)

* Update * Photon Courier David Foster fact-checks my butt in the comments. Scuds are hypersonic.

Interesting. Anonymous sources say the U.S. may put Kofi Annan in charge of Iraqi oil funds, according to the Boston Globe.

This, at first, seems somewhat in conflict with the Wall Street Journal's story that the U.S. plans to sideline the U.N. during the rebuild effort.

Although I suppose it's possible for both stories to be true, it seems hard to imagine both happening as-described.

The Department of Homeland Security's helpful hints for terrorist attacks should be printed out and posted in prominent places. I've posted these signs all over my living room, just to remind me how to be safe.

(Thanks to Darren Smith and Kyle Raths, who both sent this to me on the same day.)

There's an email floating around the internet that you may have seen. It lists 15 or so "questions" about the U.S., of the "When will America stop beating its wife?" variety. All the questions are slanted from a hard-left perspective. Admiral Quixote does a good job of responding to these questions with a generous helping of facts and logic.

Go to bed. Our ability to influence events, however small, is done for the moment. It's not in our hands right now, it's in theirs.

And, believers would say, in His.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. ---Psalm 23

The latest Carnival of the Vanities #26, is available. There's enough diversity to make the University of Michigan envious, and enough to keep blog addicts reading for days.

The Queen Shrew of the Blogosphere conducts a mean-spirited, unprovoked attack on a poor defenseless woman who only wants to make the world a more gentle and caring and nurturing place for our children.

Or, Andrea tears apart a misandrist pinhead. Your mileage may vary.

I don't like pop music. Well, scratch that: as a rule, I don't like most pop music, especially modern pop. The last era of pop music I can say I consistently enjoyed was 1960s Motown, along with the too-often overlooked Stax/Volt Records sound (what used to be known as "Beach" music) of the same era. Don't ask me why, but as someone who came of age in the 1980s, I simply never enjoyed the pop music of that day, or most of it since. It's not snobbery either. Not really, anyway. I love all kinds of music, and some modern pop I do like. Most of it just doesn't do anything for me.

I'm not the target demographic for pop music, either. Pop music is for teens and twenty-somethings, mostly. I also tend to prefer stuff that's off the beaten path and nontraditional. All things considered, I normally wouldn't be caught dead watching a show like American Idol. But I have checked it out, and by comparison I've also checked out the new Star Search.

Well, Star Search is every bit as painfully lame as the '80s version was. Did any really memorable talent come out of that show? But by comparison, American Idol---well, I must admit that I'm impressed.

There's More...

Ever seen Winds of Change? It's one of the best things in the blogosphere. I hate Joe Katzman with a seething animosity that borders on stalker-level obsssion. If it weren't for talented people like him (and his impressive crew of contributors), I'm quite certain I would dominate the blogosphere like a titan.

So, before I have them all killed, you may want to check them out. They're doing marvelous work. Infidel scum that they are.

You must admit, it's pretty creative. In fact, I'm a little surprised they haven't offered it sooner.

Three observations:

1) I pledge to fly to Washington D.C. and personally kick George W.'s Texas hiney around the oval office if he allows these cochons anywhere near the coalition. Anyone want to come with me?

2) Why is the BBC reporting Tony Blair's impressive triumph as if it's a near-disaster? The man's showing more sack than any Prime Minister since Margaret Thatcher's support for putting missiles into Western Europe, and just won overwhelming support. This amidst polls showing that the British public has come around to respecting Blair's decision even if they don't all agree with him. What's up over there at the Beeb?

3) The Saddam clan says "Pbtbtbtbt!" Big surprise, eh? Anyone think they'll bail out at the last minute anyway?

George W. Bush's approval rating is now 53%--in the United Kingdom. A majority of British men, and a majority of both Labour and Tory voters now back war with Iraq. Tony Blair's approval rating has recovered to normal levels. Pro-war and anti-war sentiment are nearly at parity, and among those opposing the war, many obviously don't hate Blair or the Americans for doing it. This according to The Guardian.

The widespread, virulent anti-Americanism, not surprisingly, is turning out to be more of a phantasm and a product of wishful thinking than anything else. I always suspected this: there are rational people who oppose the war, but who are not the sort of shrill, angry, America-hating, Bush-bashing brutes who typify so much of the anti-war extremism. Rather, they are often just sensible people who instinctively oppose conflict, but understand that rational and decent people can disagree--and who have no interest in being hijacked by the radicals. Especially after having seen us work so hard to win U.N. approval.

Meanwhile, within America, 70% now support going to war without U.N. support. More than 2 in 3 say the President's policies on the war are the right ones. Three in four disapprove of the United Nations. A solid majority of women as well as men approve of the war plans--and of Bush's handling of this matter. Even though a sizeable number believe this may increase terrorism in the U.S., they support it as the right thing to do anyway.

All this according to The Washington Post.

Gloating finished. Now on to the serious business of war.

(Links snitched directly from Professor Reynolds.)

We did it before and we can do it again, and we will do it again...

Last night, I saw the President's speech. He looked and sounded calm, serious, resolved, unhappy. Paul Fallon tells me he only heard it on the radio and said he sounded like he hadn't slept and was utterly exhausted.

You tell me which is more revealing.

Ever shop at Pep Boys? Might I suggest that you stop shopping at Pep Boys? Just a thought.

(Thanks Gary.)

If he manages to pull this off, it's incredibly good news. This man is going to go down in history as either a laughingstock or the 21st Century's Teddy Roosevelt.

Get U.S. companies to take care of most of the rebuilding. Sideline the U.N. and most of the multinational organizations. Freaking BRILLIANT!

I can already hear the howls from the conspiracy set: "Bush payoff to the corporate overlords, proof that it was all about oil all along!" and whatnot. But, in truth, it allows us to sideline meddlesome multinationals that often just get in the way of progress (just look at what they've done to Palestine, for example), allows us to recoup our losses while helping Iraq enormously, and...

My God, the man has cojones bigger than a buffalo's, he really does. Sure, some people will smirk and hate him for it. But those are the people who'll hate him as long as he's still breathing.

The liberation cannot begin soon enough.

(Via Bill Quick.)

Our Trogdor the Burninator thread has been picked up by many search engines and referral services. But this is no surprise, because Trogdor is King.

Trogdor now has his own Trogdor entry in the dictionary. Also burninate, at which everyone knows Trogdor is the best.

Also in case you did not know, there is now a Trogdor video game, which you must play because it is so awesome!!!

If you still have not seen Trogdor, you must go here to meet Trogdor, because Trogdor comes in the NIIIIIIGGGHHHTTTTT!!!!!

Heard about the protester girl who got run over by the Israeli bulldozer in Palestine? Here's a report on Rachel Corrie with information you might not see elsewhere. Give it a look, it may surprise you.

Wow. Mike's got the first set of predictions that I've seen which I believe are 100% likely to come to pass. Indeed, I suggest you bookmark the page and go back to it periodically, checking off each and every one as they occur.

The Dissident Frogman is begging us for help!

"Grim plea to the United States: test the MoaB over France. And pave it, the British need more parking."

This site is a riot! Go have a few laughs before we forget how.

God Bless and Protect Our Troops

Those of you who've been around here since last October may remember when I mentioned that we should all start calling phony news reports Duranty Reports. I named the term after the New York Times reporter who spent a decade publishing Stalinist propaganda in their pages. Including regularly denying the reality of one of the greatest holocausts in world history: the Harvest of Sorrows in which between 5 and 10 million Ukranians were intentionally starved to death by Stalin (and by Stalin's henchman, Nikita Kruschev).

Duranty won a Pulitzer for those reports. To this day, the New York Times has never even acknowledged that Walter Duranty was a lying Stalinist, or repudiated his reports. Every year, they proudly list every reporter who's ever worked for the New York Times who's won a Pulitzer. Every year his name is on their list. The Pulitzer Committee has never addressed the issue either.

A campaign to get the Times and the Pulitzer committee to own up to the truth is being undertaken by Mark Pelech. I support it wholeheartedly and intend to send letters as recommended.

The New York Times has recently admitted to being completely and embarassingly wrong about important issues recently. Perhaps they'll notice this campaign too? We can only hope.

The New York Times, in recent years, seems to have acceeded to allowing The Washington Post to claim the title of America's best left-leaning newspaper. So is this just peeing into the wind? I guess we'll see.

One of the greatest crimes of human history is still unknown by too many people. The New York Times is continuing to play a role in allowing this crime to go unnoticed.

The President will address the nation tonight, and supposedly will give Saddam an ultimatum to leave Iraq. This may mean the war won't start tonight. Or maybe it means that it will, but we won't move on Bagdad, and will give him a chance to surrender without any further violence.

In the meantime, a top minister has given his resignation to Tony Blair in protest of the impending war. And the U.S. is advising weapons inspectors to get the hell out of Dodge.

December seventh, nineteen hundred and forty-one,
Our land of freedom was defied;
December eighth, nineteen hundred and forty-one,
Uncle Sam replied.

We did it before and we can do it again--and we will do it again.
We've got a heck of a job to do,
But you can bet that we'll see it thru.
We did it before and we can do it again--and we will do it again.
We're one for all and we're all for one,
They'll get a lickin' before we're done.
Millions of voices are ringing, singing as we march along.
We did it before and we can do it again--and we will do it again
We'll knock them over, and then
We'll get the guy in back of them.
We did it before, we'll do it again!

If you haven't seen Anna's photo collection, you're missing out.

If you want to read an interesting variety of opinions predicting what comes next regarding Iraq, you should check out Michele's What Say You? thread.

Some of the predictions are interesting. Since I find such things far too serious to want to make a lot of predictions, I'll stick with the only one I did make: chem-bio casualties, if there are a significant number of them, will largely be civilian.

Feeling frustrated and worn out at the wait? This'll give you a sense of perspective on impatience.

(This is dedicated to the boob who I recently saw suggesting that long waits don't affect military morale, and that modern warfare in the middle of the summer is no different than it would have been 4,000 years ago.)

In a little conversation over at E Pluribus Unum, Ara, responded to my very serious question in a really shocking way. I need help to understand.

Here's the conversation:

Rosemary said: Also, please give me an example of taking from the poor to give to the rich, hmmmmn.

Ara's answer: Let's talk about payroll taxes. Another time.

I think that NOW is the time for us all to be educated on how that is even possible.

Seriously! I'm dying to know!!

There's More...

I gave serious thought to voting for him. After the election, I thought for a little while that he might be a good President. But I was disappointed, and after that I never had much use for him. Then again, his critics have not done enough to credit him for his accomplishments, some of which were substantial.

I did believe he deserved impeachment. I also believed he deserved acquittal by a hung Senate jury. Yes, if an obsessed millionaire hadn't been out to get him, none of it would have happened. That doesn't mean the obsessed did anything wrong, though. Ultimately, none of it would have happened if he weren't an immature, selfish horndog who perjured himself.

I believed the Arkansas troopers who claimed they did a little tail-cruising for their Commander In Chief. I didn't believe the trooper who made money claiming a bunch of much more proposterous things later on. I didn't believe the FBI guy with his book, either.

So why do I bring this up? Because, while I am hardly a fan of the man, I do not believe a word of this. And I will not without very substantial corroborating evidence.

That is all. You may resume your normal lives now that I have spoken.

I meant to mention this a few days ago, but I forgot. Revisiting Dr. Weevil, I spotted it again. I love pithy lines like this:

I can't help thinking that the Canadians are a great crowd, but are perhaps the only people who could have produced a boring whisky.

To which I can only add that, even though their beer isn't gelded (like so much American beer is), there's still a certain quality to every Canadian beer I've ever tried that unmistakably marks it as, well, you know, Canadian.

By the way, read Weevil's whole article, since he properly credits the original source, and his commenters left some amusing observations of their own.

Dale Amon has some interesting thoughts on Saddam's likely battle strategy. I think he makes some good points, but misses the mark in a couple of ways.

The first is in the assumption that Saddam is a rational actor, and that his troops are loyal. That remains to be seen.

The bigger problem I see, however, is the description of how chemical and biological weapons would be used. This is such a common misapprehension we can perhaps forgive it. But the fact of the matter is that Saddam is unlikely to inflict much damage on American troops with poison gas and killer germs. This would be true even if we had no protective technologies against these weapons.

It's been proven over and over again that gas and germs are a terribly unreliable battlefield weapon. If prevailing winds are blowing toward you, then you can't release them without hitting your own people instead of the enemy. If they're sideways to you, you have the complication of trying to get them to your opponents without hitting yourself. To be truly effective, the winds have to be going just the right way. And even then, a sudden shift could leave your own forces as damaged as the enemy.

Gasses disperse quickly. Germs stick around, but take much longer to kill or disable, and can be treated with vaccines and antibiotics. All this, on top of the benefits of chem-bio suits and the pre-emptive strike capabilities of artillery and air power, makes the fear that we'll see massive numbers of dead soldiers from gas and germs fairly overstated.

Chemical and germ agents have proven themselves effective in only two scenarios: trench warfare (which we will not be conducting), and the terrorization and demoralization of civilian populations. Against troops in battle, these weapons are far less fearful than bullets and shells and tanks. Our real fear is how many civilians he'll try to take down with these weapons--in Iraq, in Israel, in Palestine, and elsewhere.

So. Some people are now changing the terms for "french fries" and "french toast" and whatnot, to substitute the word "freedom" for "french." Others are mocking this, claiming that it's silly, or will only make the French laugh at us. I even saw one joker compare it to (what else?) Hitler-style rhetoric.

I'm not really playing this "freedom fries" game, but you know what? I just order my fries and eat them. When I heard about this, I thought it was silly, but it gave me a chuckle. And that's all.

What I find even more silly and laughable are the people reacting against this "freedom fries" business. These folks are being even more silly than the people they're criticizing.

Neil Gaiman apparently observed that this would only make the French laugh at us. To which the response is: Sneering condescension from the French? Really? Wow. We have no idea what that feels like. So, thanks for the news flash, Neil. But the gesture is for us, not for them, okay?

For those who say that Congress has more important things to do: the Congress does all kinds of pointless, frivolous things every year. Why on Earth would you find something so utterly harmless worth getting your knickers in a twist over? Don't you have anything better to do than criticize one of the thousands of meaningless gestures congress makes every year, like wishing ex-Presidents happy birthdays, declaring next Monday "Mexican food appreciation day," or erecting some $5,000 memorial in Burnt Tongue, Idaho for a former congressman? They do stuff like this constantly. Of all the stupid, silly, pointless things Congress does every year (the mind boggles at the sheer number of them), why are you kvetching about this one?

As for those calling this dangerous propaganda: get a grip, you hysterical cassandras.

During World War II, many stores stopped carrying "sauerkraut" and started carrying "liberty cabbage." Do you think that anyone was boneheaded enough to believe this would infuriate Hitler? No. They did it because it was a small gesture to show solidarity with their fellow Americans. It hasn't got a bleeding thing to do with what anyone outside the United States thinks. About anything.

Pissing on small gestures of patriotism and solidarity with the war effort doesn't make you smart or sophisticated. It makes you look like a pompous jerk. If you don't want to play along, don't play along. But save your sneers for someone who gives a damn.

Just so you know.

If only I had known sooner.

I am against the war now. I mean, really man, what else is there to say?

I almost forgot!

Remember, today is Eat An Animal for PETA Day!

And if you're going to really do it up right, be sure to send them a note as Meryl suggests. :-)

Also, remember who the real anti-animal cruelty people are. These guys too.

The web effectively turned 10 yesterday. That's when the first version of the first web browser was released.

I remember that era well. I was very active online, and the internet was still nothing but email, FTP sites, some Gopher sites, and the Usenet. Not long after that, I was involved in an ill-fated attempt to help bring the web to schools. We knew it was the wave of the future, but even then we didn't quite realize how much so.

You could make a very strong case that weblogs are the culmination of what the creators of the web originally envisioned. So much of what people are trying to do with the internet--live streaming video and audio especially--are things it just wasn't designed for. Publishing documents, on the other hand, is exactly what they had in mind. Funny, isn't it?

It's finally starting to happen. We're three weeks away from this weblog's first anniversary ("blogiversary," as they say) and I'm starting to feel burnt out.

For the past few days, I've felt a great, sagging weariness every time I sit down and think about blogging something. I love doing this, and I love my readers, but I feel completely uninspired. I feel like I've said all I can say on the subjects that matter the most to me at the moment.

I feel a great gratitude to the thousand or so of you who show up here every day. You make it worth it. That includes the great silent majority of you who never leave any comments, but who I know are lurking out there and reading. If blogging is a performance art--and it is--the fact that so many of you want to come by to check out my performance is motivation to continue.

But I'm weary, ladies and gentlemen, so for a little while, anyway, you might be getting a lot more "go read this, this is interesting" messages without a lot of comments from me. At least, until my batteries recharge.

Just so you know.

Another one gone, another one gone, another one bites the dust.
Hey, we're gonna get you too, another one bites the dust!

(Via Rand Simberg.)

The SETI@Home project has finished the largest computation in history, and is set to begin homing in on promising signals. They doubt they'll find signals from intelligent life (and I'm with them on that) but the results should be fascinating. Just the way they pulled the whole thing off is fascinating, frankly.

Sylvain Galineau, an expatriate Frenchman, has writte an inightful analysis of why Chirac is behaving the way he is. I really didn't think more could be said on this topic, but he manages to point out things I didn't think of.

The one thing I still don't understand is why they wouldn't simply cut a deal with the Bush administration. Lord knows, enough other deals are being cut.

Bjorn has some interesting news about a flap between the American ambassador and Norway's politicians. You have to wonder if this sort of thing is going on in other countries, too. I expect so.

Although it seems to be increasingly unpopular in some circles, I still love Google. And I'm grateful to Armed Liberal for finally motivating me to get off my butt and add a Google search capability to Dean's World. You'll find it over there on the top right.

Notice the cool part: you can search either Dean's World or all the Web. Which means you now no longer need to start anywhere else. :-)

Sean-Paul Kelley (publisher of the reliably Bush-bashing "The Agonist") is a grad student who's lost a grant that would make completion of his thesis--and a book--possible.

He's looking for donations to help him out. If you find the cause worthy (as I do), click here.

BIG SHOCKER!!!

Rosemary Esmay is a (GASP)

There's More...

Apparently Sadaam Hussein has prepared his last will and testament.

On the whole a wise move, but I think we might want to take a look at that two-ton iron canister marked "BUG SPRAY, DO NOT BREATHE," in Palace thirty-eight before we send him off to Allah.

I'm in a philosophical mood this morning. So I was really struck by this Daniel C. Dennett article on a hideous virus. It seems particularly worth reading at the moment.

Dovetails nicely with that C.S. Lewis quote below, doesn't it?

When everything is a matter of opinion, nothing means anything.

(Via my funk-soul brutha.)

In reading this Eyes Wide Shut article, I was struck once again by this: the more things change, the more they stay the same. What fools these mortals be.

The C.S. Lewis quote was one for our age if I've ever seen one. It's so good it has to be repeated: You cannot go on "seeing through" things forever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To "see through" all things is the same as not to see.

I'm tempted to print it out and put it up in my cubicle at work.

(Via Tim Blair.)

The Hubble has taken pictures of a planet whose atmosphere is being sucked away by its star. The picture is breathtaking, although apparently this is only an "artist's conception?" Why aren't they showing us the actual images from the Hubble?

Still and all: Who would have thought that the Hubble, of all things, would be the one thing that made NASA contniue to seem relevant? It's the only project within their bailiwick that regularly produces something interesting and inspiring. To most people, anyway.

This is good to see: Japan's government stands against fascism and genocide. They're backing the U.S. position on Saddam, strongly.

Every day, it becomes more clear that going to the U.N. was the right move. Doing so brought us more allies than failing to do so ever would have--while simultaneously doing incalculable dmage to the credibility of the U.N. This effort has left us in a greater position of strength than we could possibly have been in if we'd simply gone into Iraq without attempting to bring the U.N. along.

Bush has been vindicated so many times now, you'd think his critics, especially the critics to his right on the war, would have the good sense to be embarassed by now. But his Reality Distortion Field continues to work wonders on their minds. It really is quite amusing to watch.

Arthur Silber has a letter from a soldier. Susanna has comments on it, and more.

I'm very tired so won't be blogging much more today, but it appears that they've said everything that's important for now.

See you in the morning.

Jonathan Pearce has some interesting news and a new accounting scandal the press largely seems to have missed so far. One has to wonder when the everyday people will decide to do something about such widespread corruption and abuse.

Mike Hendrix and Susanna Cornett have started a fabulous new web site:

The Home Front

The Home Front is dedicated to supporting those companies that have gone above and beyond the requirements of the law and their own self-interests. These companies give special benefits to reservists who've been called to war, paying part or all of their salary even though they aren't required to do so. The site attempts to recognize these companies--and encourages people like you to go out of your way to support them with your business.

Hell yeah you need to visit. Hell yeah those companies deserve special notice. I'll be making a point of patronizing companies listed here whenever possible.

Every parent's nightmare ends happily for Elizabeth Smart's family.

The 14 year old, from Salt Lake City, who was kidnapped on June 5, 2002 was found ALIVE - TODAY.

Drifter Brian David Mitchell was pulled over for a traffic stop, just outside Salt Lake City, and Elizabeth was in the back seat. Mitchell's ex-wife said that he was a pedophile - let's hope not.

Check out Fox News for more details.

When I heard the news I was so happy I just cried and cried. So far, it appears that she is in good health and nothing horribly nasty befell her while being held captive.

Thank God. (sniff, sniff...)

Okay. Am I the only one who finds it odd beyond belief that the Serbian Prime Minister has been assassinated on the eve of a potentially world-changing war? Are Serbs always involved in some hard-to-explain tangent to world-changing affairs at the turn of a new century, or what?

For Jeopardy fans, the answer is: Gavrilo Princip. For five thousand points, what is the question?

By the way: condolences to the family, friends, and countrymen of Zoran Djindjic.

Chris Muir has made quite an impression among webloggers in recent months with his cartoon strip, Day By Day. A witty and insightful look at what he calls "the other half of America," the strip alternates between the relationships between four office coworkers:






...and current events:

There's More...

I haven't heard the Darryl Worley "Have You Forgotten" song. So I may be wrong. I know some of you are going to disagree with me. I even admit to being something of a hypocrite, because I think that bashing people for unapologetic patriotism is an ugly thing. But I never want to hear it.

Why? Michele fairly well explains it for me. And, although the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique is a phenomenal album, I want even less to do with their new "It's for the OIIIIILLLLLL!!!!" idiocy.

Basically, Michele says it for me. Then again, she likes that syrupy "Sister Christian" soft-rock ballad from the 1980s, so there's something obviously twisted about her.

David Sims is a sick, sick man.

My mind will never function properly again.

Heh. Heh. Heh.

(Via Tim Blair.)

Still angry?

I am.

Oh my God.

Bush has caved in to the security council and is ordering the troops home.

Holy cow.

So, Congressman James P. Moron, Jr. (the press seems to have misspelled his name) has uncovered what's really driving our 12 year headlong rush into war. It turns out it's the Jooooooooooooooooooooooooooz! Man, if only I'd known it was ZOG, I would not have been so quick to get on the bandwagon with Dubya's war.

This guy needs to party with Trent Lott.

Megan makes sense of it all. Or so it seems to me....

Thoughts of a woman who is not particularly interested in being a martyr. I must say I found that quite refreshing.

My guess is that this "we're oppressed victims of the patriarchy because we can't have it all" mentality has only a decade or two left before it peters out completely. At least, here in the U.S. What do you think?

(Via the Destroyer of Ideas.)

Ara Rubyan worries about how we'll pay for the upcoming liberation of Iraq. I don't, but I must admit that he seems to have come up with a pretty creative idea for a new funding stream for Uncle Sam. Hey, whatever it takes, guys.

In one sense, it's truly hilarious. In another, it's gut-wrenchingly awful.

A group of British paratroopers were conducting live fire exercises near the Kuwaiti border, and a group of Iraqi soldiers rushed across the border and attempted to surrender, according to the Sunday Mirror.

Ha ha ha. Yeah, it is funny. But these people are so desperate for liberation, it's gutwrenching.

(Via Instadude.)

Multi-multi-multi-millionaire and Democratic Presidential hopeful John Kerry recently referred to Australia, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, all of Eastern Europe, and a few dozen other countries as a "so-called coalition of the bribed, the coerced, the bought and the extorted," in statements about how Bush has moved "too quickly" on Iraq.

This, ladies and gentleman, might very well be the next President of the United states. Students of international relations, take careful note.

(Via the all-seeing, all-powerful one.)

Who's the most partisan hack on the planet? Raging harpy screecher Ann Coulter, or demented pseudo-intellectual Paul Krugman? Well, it turns out that Krugman's in the lead, but Coulter's giving him an awfully good fight.

Go for it Ann! We know you can take that putz! Go on a coke binge and bang your head against a wall for a couple of hours, it should put you over the top!

I propose that Lying in Ponds should start giving out prizes to the winner and runner-up of such contests. Might I suggest a one-way ticket to Siberia for the one, and an Atlas rocket boost into orbit for the other?

Oh man, wouldn't this be sweet?

John Stryker, a career military man, has a good rant on the subject of torturing prisoners, in response to a recent irresponsible article that appeared in a British tabloid.

Arthur Silber also has some thoughts on torture.

Obviously, I'm sympatico with both of them, as I've made clear before. I found Stryker's piece, along with the comments to his article from other military men, particularly heartening. But then again, I wasn't all that surprised. Despite the ridiculous stereotypes, most people in America's military are humane, decent souls who utterly lack the sadistic streak so many people assume they must have. (And don't even get me started on people who casually use words like "bloodthirsty." It makes me see red, it really does.)

And yes, of course there are exceptions. Does that even need to be said?

* Update * - Instantman feels the same way I do, but notes that the French and some lefty bloggers disagree. Hmmm.

The New Yorker has a very good article on intelligence analysis that you really should read. It'll give you a perspective on these things that too many people lack. Especially people who are in the habit of using words like "lies" or "screwups" to describe intel that turns out to be flawed.

It also explains, in clear-eyed fashion, why I am completely uninterested in the tempest-in-a-teapot "controversy" over how much funding the 9/11 investigation commission is getting. And why I'll be utterly uninterested in anything that commission has to say, no matter how much time or money they get.

Some people never lose certain illusions, and never learn.

Link via the Amazing Pejman.

Well, it looks like Googlism is making the rounds among some of my favorite bloggers again. Talk about your nerd toys! Still, who can resist its charms, at least for a few minutes?

A Googlism on Dean Esmay turns up nothing particularly interesting. Must be that not enough people hate me. (Gotta work on that.) However, a search on Dean's World is fairly amusing. It turns out that:

dean's world is an online journal
dean's world is not based on cultural signifiers but rather on the emergence of a new vocabulary
dean's world is bizarre but escape is possible
dean's world is one of the very few in that category
dean's world is way too small
dean's world is not the only blog to take submissions
dean's world is a real nueva terra

I'm dying to know where that line about a new vocabulary came from. :-)

Be sure there's nothing in your mouth before you read this.

You were warned.

In the last three wars in a row, America has gotten involved primarily to protect Muslims. Actually, I would argue that it's the last four in a row. But never mind. The point remains: why doesn't the Islamic world acknowledge that?

Dave Sims has more, if you don't believe it.

Come to think of it, who cares why Arab Muslims don't ever point it out? Why the heck don't we point it out more often?

Oh yeah. Because we think like Americans. We are one of the most tolerant, least racist, and (except for the all-too-common Christian-bashers) most religiously pluralistic societies that has ever existed. So most of us just don't think that way. We don't care about your race or your creed.

But still, we ought to be pointing this one out more often. Shouldn't we?

Periodically, I like to remind people that we have some pretty cool archives here that are worth checking out. Some of my better essays can be found in the Best of Dean's Articles archive, whereas some of the best discussion threads we've ever had can be found in the Best Discussions archive where, you will find some honest-to-God illuminating and interesting discussions with some very small people. Give 'em a look some time.

Also, don't forget, Rosemary's favorite fun stuff can be found in Rosemary's Corner! And some very talented third parties, including Paul Fallon, Gary Utter, Ara Rubyan, Kevin Brehmer and Arnold Harris have submitted some great stuff that's appeared in our Best Submissions archive.

Really, why would you go anywhere else when you've got Dean's World to play in?

John Weidner has some pretty good thoughts on American imperialism this week. You might want to give them a read.

As good or better is Richard Bennett's discussion of how and why his hippy days are now behind him. Read 'em both. Somehow, they dovetail nicely.

Saw my former dream girl Janeane Garafalo on TV the other night, describing what she now calls the "Diplomacy Movement." It's not the "peace" or "anti-war" movement, because I guess that sounds flightly or something. So now it's the "diplomacy" movement.

So tell me, Janeane. What sort of diplomacy do you feel would be effective with these people? Just curious. (Warning: brace yourself.)

I think I'm going to have to find a new dream girl. (Aside from my lovely wife, of course.) Hmm, let's see, to replace Janeane properly, I'll need a funny, surly, foul-mouthed Italian who despises shallow pop culture and loves independent comic books. I wonder where I'll find one of those?

The late great Bill Graham, owner of the famed Fillmore auditoriums, used to say of the Grateful Dead that, on any given night, they might be the greatest band on the planet. Of course, on other nights they often sucked, and they never had any really great studio albums, just a few pretty solid ones. So if you didn't go to a show, and didn't catch a good one, you would never have any idea what all the fuss was about.

Ithaca '77 was the sort of thing that all the fuss was about. Man, I still miss Jerry.

As I was walkin' 'round Grosvenor Square....

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I wanted to make a few points regarding that very interesting discussion below.

Dean is about as calm and patient as they come. (Qualifier: when it comes to explaining computer stuff)

Seriously, practically the patience of a saint. If he gets irritated the person WILL never know it. (I'll hear about it, though...) If he is ranting - the customer must have been a real TOOL. I guarantee that Dean treated him with respect and was pleasant.

Now, that aside, I take exception to the rude comments being lobbed at Jerry.

Why? [Bitch Mode Turned On]

Jerry is MY BROTHER. Everything that Jerry said about himself was true. Everything he said to Dean was right. He wasn't being rude to Dean - he was making a point.

If you work in customer service (911 is an exception) it IS YOUR JOB to be nice, even if, the customer is a dick. Dean doesn't dispute that. I've seen people LOSE their jobs for being rude to customers. (I DID)

Jerry is positively the nicest guy that I know - Dean will back me on this one. Not because he's my brother - because it is true. And, another thing he is also an overqualified customer - just as he said! (He practically runs the Technical Support Department at a local college)

Why would he call tech support? Because he's human and not a machine and sometimes even if you know the answer you feel better if someone else confirms it. And HE PAID FOR IT.

So There. To the dolt, who, called him a chump. Stick it!

[Bitch Mode Turned Off]

Some time ago, my friend Ara emailed me to ask whether or not we hadn't made a mistake in going to the U.N. before proceeding against Saddam. Hadn't we just delayed things too much? Hadn't it given the anti-war folks time to build their forces and rally people to their cause? Hadn't we only embarassed ourselves?

I promised to answer here.

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I've had an awfully strong hunch for a while now that Usama bin Laden is dead. Everything I've seen in the news for the last year has only made me feel more sure, at a gut level, that he was burnt-up kibbles 'n bits. Every story, that is, until this one. Now, I'm not so sure at all.

Wouldn't it be nice to see UBL and Saddam taken down in the same week? The mind boggles.

(Found the link over at Reverend Sensing's site.)

Well, he called him his "good friend," anyway. But he really laid into de Villepin, didn't he?

(By the way, do you guys have any idea how long I've been waiting for a chance to use that line?)

I work in tech support for an internet service provider. I'm very overqualified for the position, but it gives me enough breathing room to go to school full time, and it's a steady job in an industry that's very soft right now.

Still, the job is not without its hassles. The worst hassle by far being the people who don't understand how to deal with tech support when they call in. For those of you who may have to call a tech support number some time, here are a few tips:

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I have found my new hero, my new role model, my new way of life. Trogdor is God. Trogdor is King. Trogdor is me if only I were more like Trogdor!

You will see it and you will join the movement too. Trodgor! Trogdor!

Blogging will be light today. I'm working on finishing up an interview with Chris Muir, which will probably appear some time this weekend.

If you're looking for something good to read today, though, you might want to see Daniel Henninger's piece on anti-anti-Americanism. The effete pseudo-intellectuals who spend so much time wringing their hands over how America's actions are "alienating people" should stop and wonder how their own crass and mean-spirited and selfish anti-Americanism is starting to alienate Americans.

Also, Jerry Kaufman has an interesting except from a piece by Gore advisor Martin Peretz on Kofi Annan. Pretty sharp stuff.

Also, Jonah Goldberg has a particularly good answer to Janeane Garofalo. I must confess, Ms. Garafalo has seriously wounded me. For years she was, no foolin', my fantasy girl. I have a fondness in my heart for surly, comic-book reading women with a sardonic attitude about shallow and stupid pop culture. Alas, she's cut me to the quick lately, with her shallow and profoundly ignorant comments. I guess that's what I get for taking any Hollywood celebrity seriously about anything.

Finally, I'll mention again the Women for a Free Iraq. Go read some of the essays on their site. It's worth it.

I'm sure many of you have already heard about this, but a group of misogynist, misandrist, self-hating, arrogant, and hateful women calling themselves the "Lysistrata Project" are pledging to refrain from having sex with their men if those men favor the war to liberate Iraq (and the world) from Saddam.

Lots of people have noticed Asparagirl's response to the Lysistrata misogynists. It is at turns funny and catch-in-your-throat moving. I need to buy something with that Statue of Liberty graphic. Anyway, go give her post a read, then check out women's campaign for freedom. It'll give you a chuckle. I also suspect that most of you men will be urging your women to show their patriotism and join Michele's cause.

Women for a Free Iraq is a non-profit group of women from Iraq who have banded together to speak up about the suffering of their people under Saddam Hussein's rule--and about their yearning to be liberated. They represent a broad cross-section of Iraq's diverse ethnic groups - Sh'ias, Sunnis, Kurds and Assyro-Chaldean Christians. And their web site is now available, which contains essays by eleven Iraqi women who tell their stories, and further information on the group.

We are helping to coordinate efforts with Women for a Free Iraq. They've asked us to publicize this link and put up this graphic that they've supplied us. We will collect names of others who carry the graphic and link. If you run a web site and would like to be involved, here is a graphic button and link:

Support Women for a Free Iraq!

You should read some of those essays. They're just heartbreaking.

Interesting FYI: these woman met with Condi Rice and Dick Cheney today at the White House. Then they went to the Capitol and gave a briefing to members of congress, from there they went to the National Press Building and gave a similar briefing to the Foreign Press Club. They're a pretty serious group!

If you decide you want to post the button, the code should look like this:

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In my recent article discussing the idea of torturing Al Qaeda members, I have offended one of my favorite webloggers.

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I've often expressed criticisms of the founding of the state of Israel. I've long thought it was questionable. If you leave a place for over 1900 years, it's no longer yours. You shouldn't expect the people there to welcome you home as brothers when you do show up, either. Saying that a land belongs to you because your religion says so seems like a questionable way to start a new enterprise.

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Check out Ara Rubyan's new MT site. He finally dumped Blogger. What's the matter Ara, tired of your archives disappearing at random and your comments working only when they feel like it?

When I read this Wall Street Journal piece this morning, I found myself even more skeptical about recent rumors of Turkish invasions and military dictatorships and whatnot. Perhaps these people haven't heard the rumors? Funny, since the people spreading them are supposed to be their "leaders."

The Chronicle of Higher Education has a truly fascinating piece on scientifically questionable ideas foisted on the world by the psychological profession, many of which have made it into the popular imagination as unquestioned gospel. These include:

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No fooling. And honest-to-God Man Bites Dog story. And yet somehow it's only worth a paragraph or two?

The interesting thing is that, although they don't say so, physically assaulting a police dog is the same punishment as assaulting a police officer, and carries very hefty penalties indeed. Unless this guy is found to be just plain nuts, he's probably in big trouble.

(Via Rand Simberg.)

It appears that Weaselfuhrer Gerhard Schroeder is discovering that insulting Americans carries a cost. It not only alienates Americans, but it embarasses Germans. And rightly so. While some whiners in America complained that the Bushies were "childish" to give the Germans the cold shoulder, it's increasingly clear that most German voters rightly identified who the real children were: Schroeder and his America-bashing SPD party.

A few weeks ago Schroeder's SPD party took a major election drubbing. Well, they just another drubbing in recent municipal elections. A couple of things are increasingly apparent from this:

1) When Rumsfeld refused to shake the German defense minister's hand in public, most of the German public got the message quick. Ditto when they heard rumors that we might pull most of our troops out of Germany.
2) Even if the general German public may not agree with the U.S. position, acting like spoiled children (which is exactly how Schroeder and his SPD cronies have been acting) is an embarassment to Germans everywhere. It's just plain bad manners to a country that's been your best friend for half a century.
3) While most Germans may oppose our war plans, they understand that reasonable people may disagree.

Germany's Christian Democrats are steadily gaining ground on the SPD. If Schroeder wants his party to survive, he might consider starting to act less like a petulant child and more like a real statesman.

Gerald Posner, who is one very sharp guy and a credit to the Democratic Party, has an excellent excellent essay comparing yesterday's peace protestors to today's. Give it a read. I can't think of a single thing he says that isn't both historically accurate and worth contemplating. (And thanks to William Jordan for sending it to me.)

Can anyone help me with this?

US and Pakistani forces recently captured top Al Qaeda thug Khalid Sheik Mohammed. Without question, this man has information that would be useful to us.

Coincidentally, the "torture" meme is also appearing around the blogosphere lately (including, just off the top of my head, Colby Cosh and Susanna Cornett's weblogs). I'd be less than honest if I didn't confess that I've been thinking about applying such methods to Khalid Sheik Mohammed. I've seen some people openly advocate it in his case, and I understand where they're coming from.

Still, call me a bleeding heart if you want, but...

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I have to say, John Hawkins is an evil, evil man.

Also, VikingPundit has a very good summation of negotiations with Iraq so far.

Susanna has a hot rumor this morning. Or is it a rumor? Hard to say, but...

In reading this very good Slate essay by Steven E. Landsburg on putting a $$ value on life, I was struck by two things: 1) It's the sort of thinking that tends to make some people go ballistic, and 2) it's the sort of rational perspective that would make the world a better place if more people understood it.

Funny, huh?

Here's a French animated music video. Yes, yes, it's French, but, I'm more hurt by the French than angry with them really. The video is quite lovely, even if the political message is a little hackneyed and pretentious. (The French? Hackneyed and pretentious?!)

Then again, my buddy Jerry, who sent it to me, says he didn't see any "message" in it. So I guess these things are open to multiple interpretations. Anyway, it's lovely, as I said.

By the way, if you don't have broadband, you probably don't want to bother trying to view it.

Ladies and gentlemen, the four horses of the apocolypse. Or calypso. Okay, not really apocolyptic or calypsotic. But they're cool. :-)

I got that on Samizdata. While you're over there, you may want to check out this interesting message about the growing use of mobile phone shorthand. Since I still don't have text messaging on my cell phone, I'm still horribly out of the loop on these things, and find it fascinating.

I don't know where I come down on it, either. I think most English teachers ruin the language with the way they teach it. Yet there's a need for standardization and rules. Call me flummoxed.

It appears that the human shields and other "peace" activists have some new allies: Swedish Nazis. (You'll have to read a couple of paragraphs down to see it.)

As I'm sure you've probably heard, top Al Qaeda thug Khalid Sheik Mohammed was arrested yesterday in Pakistan. This is the monster who planned the 9/11 attacks, and is considered Al Qaeda's most important planner and organizer. This is just the latest (and most important) of a virtually non-stop series of captures or outright kills of terrorists since 9/11. Indeed, it seems like the rate of victories against Al Qaeda has only accelerated over the last six months.

So here's the thing: For a while now, a standard line among Bush critics has been that Al Qaeda was "forgotten" by the "distraction" of Iraq. Or worse, that Bush had "changed the subject to Iraq." Now, isn't it time to admit that this was, not to put too fine a point on it, a bunch of crap?

Capturing Al Qaeda is mostly the job of the CIA and the FBI, while Iraq is mostly the Defense and State Departments' job. Just because most pundits can't walk and chew gum at the same time doesn't mean the government can't. Rounding up Al Qaeda is the job of a completely different set of people from those dealing with Iraq.

And they've been doing a bang-up job, haven't they?

Some folks would do themselves credit if they'd admit that this "Al Qaeda has been forgotten" stuff was bunk--maybe even politically inspired bunk. I won't hold my breath, but it would be nice to see.

* Update * -- It appears that OpinionJournal is following Dean's World's lead and making the same basic point. They also make a few other good points.

John Rosenberg, who's always worth reading, has an excellent piece on racist violence on an American college campus that's particularly good. Go give it a look. And bookmark or permalink Rosenberg's weblog while you're at it.

I need to put together a basic web page to do two things: list, in easily displayed form, all the weblogs that have added themselves to the Iraqi Democracy project online, and, for submitting their own sites for listing. The FDD will link to this list.

I lack the time and, frankly, the energy to get this done. But it needs to be done. Anyone out there got some time and experience to help me? I'll host it here but I need help.

Speaking of race, here's an interesting story that almost slipped under my radar: a company called VaxGen recently finished the first round of testing on an AIDS vaccine. It worked on only 4% of the test group, but it seemed to be fairly effective for blacks and "Asians". Although the story does not say what type of Asians (God I hate that term!).

They're saying the sample size of blacks and Asians was too small, and more testing is going to be required. Still, if it turns out to be valid, it's both great news and a fascinating result.

Would it surprise you to learn that I am a large mammal?

Back in the 1950s and 1960s, the King of Afghanistan embarked on a serious program of liberalization for his ancient land. He substantially loosened the laws regarding burkas and other forms of social control. He initiated legal reforms to cut down on corruption. He allowed women to receive educations. He expanded the parliament, and intimated that he intended to convert the country to a Constitutional Monarchy, voluntarily giving up most of his enormous power. Kabul, in particular, developed a reputation for being a loose, hip, cosmopolitan sort of place, with the fleshpots of Babylon easily savored, and friendly relations with Westerners as well as the Soviet bloc.

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I can't exactly explain it. But I really needed to see this.

Two brief ones:

First, Saturday, March 15 is International Eat an Animal for PETA Day. Pass it on.

Second, anyone who finds Rush Limbaugh frightening needs to spend five minutes listening to Michael Savage. But get this: Arthur Silber dares Michael Savage to come and get him. Arthur would mop the floor with him. And it would be fun to watch. Savage is an embarassment, as are his troglodyte fans.

Sure, other people have already mentioned all this. But you know me, always going along to get along and following the "in" crowd. Besides, all the cool people are doing it, y'know?

Do not click here unless you want your blood pressure to shoot up over 500.

What can you say about such a thing?

Heh. Heh. Heheheheh. Heheheheheheheheheheheheheh. [snort, snurf] HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!

What? What do I mean? Oh, uhm.... Go read this.

[Wiping eyes.] AAAAaaaahh......

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This Mark Morford piece, "Hippie Crap Saves the World", had me chuckling all the way through. It just kept getting funnier as it went. It reminded me of my days, not all that long ago, when losing a weekend tripping on acid, smoking a lot of pot, listening to intense music and spacing out with friends was my idea of a Significant Growth Experience.

The funny part is, I'm not all that different a person today. Except all I can do is titter at this stuff. If I understand correctly, the problem with the world is that Bush and Ashcroft don't have messy sex. Or, if we all have messy sex and party hearty, then Bush and his minions will melt like the Wicked Witch of the West. Or something. Also, vibrators are somehow involved.

If only we'd all listen to more Donovan and chant "no rain! no rain! no rain!" and imagine whirled peas, we'd... we'd... well, who can say what would happen for sure, but wouldn't it be great?!?!?

(Link from Michele.)

So. Recent news suggests that Stalin was murdered. I'm all broke up about it. [sniff]

(Via Pejman.)

This is becoming something of a monthly ritual. Those with no interest in hearing how the site is doing can skip this message completely and move on to more interesting materials.

We are one month away from our first Blogiversary, since our first posting was on April 6, 2002. Our usage for February of this year was up markedly, and our best month ever. I don't quite expect that to last, however.

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John Stryker's grandfather, Roy Palubicki, fought in a tank crew at Okinawa near the end of World War II. Mr. Palubicki has passed on, but John is looking for anyone who might have known his grandfather. If you know any World War II veterans who fought at Okinawa, particularly one who may have fought in or around tank crews, click here and see if you can't help Sgt. Stryker out. And if you run a blog, hey, why not post it? Let's see if we can make this anarchy engine we call the web work some magic.

Chris Muir manages to be something Garry Trudeau was a long, long time ago: clever, funny, and in tune with the times. And, oh yeah: relevant.

Read the latest from Chris Muir here, and bookmark him. He's worth it.

The U.S. is letting something horrible happen, and saying nothing. It's something we can rationalize, I suppose. Something where we can say, "this is necessary for our long-term goal of protecting our own people." Hey, we once made common cause with Stalin, and it's harder to find a bigger monster in the history of mankind than that.

Still:

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The relationship between the length of the hypotenuse and lengths of the sides of a right triangle is an eternal truth, but that does not mean that any other culture need share the categories triangle, right triangle, hypotenuse ... A critical issue is that, as it stands, much of mathematics education depends upon assumptions of Western culture and carries with it Western values. Those with other traditions are, as a result, often turned away by the subject or unsuccessful in learning it.

In short, it's a white thing. The other kids wouldn't understand.

That and more is taken from the hottest new thing out of America's colleges of Education, Ethnomathematics: Challenging Eurocentrism in Mathematics Education by Powell and (yes) Frankenstein.

This and more can be found in Joanne Jacobs' latest column.

The PETA jerks (that's the nicest word I can come up with) have a vile new advertising campaign, comparing meat growing to Nazi concentration camps. I truly despise these people, and one of the main reasons is because of the damage they've done to a cause that I have always supported.

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Ted Rall, the most vicious, most stupid, and least talented man in the political cartoon business, has recently been fisked (yet again) over at A Small Victory. Check it out. Didn't know you could fisk a cartoon, did ya?