Weird Digital Pictures

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Either a very quirky digital camera, or a very pointless set of fakes. You make the call. (Via the Instadude) Moe PS: I sorta want to know why the camera did that, but not if the explanation requires too many polysyllabic words.

Amusing semi-evil thought.

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…sparked by something that Matt Stinson said in comments: if Bush seems like he’s going to win in a landslide, Republicans may sit on their hands come election day and cost the GOP several vital Senate and House seats You have to admit, that’d be an interesting strategy by the Democrats: nominate somebody who that … Read more

Potential confusion.

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The raid on the Baghdad mosque that netted “AK-47s, hand grenades and an anti-aircraft missile” (noted by Tim Blair) was the Ibn Taymiyah mosque. I note this because I’m pretty sure that Sasha Castel’s site is using pictures from the raid on the Umm al Tabul mosque instead (which was the one that netted “three packages of TNT, one case of blasting caps, three bags of gunpowder, eight improvised grenades, a roll of detonation cord, improvised explosive device materials such as 9-volt batteries and unidentified propellants, 11 AK-47 assault rifles and 20 AK-47 magazines”. Then again, the Reuters article that Major Sean Bannion links to in his post calls it the al-Tabool mosque and says that the items recovered were “several sticks of high explosives, hand grenades, AK-47 rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and thousands of rounds of ammunition”.

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dKos throws down on TNR

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In case you’ve been ignoring dKos lately, he’s called for a jihad/crusade* against The New Republic. Apparently, it’s not liberal enough for him: I imagine that Chait’s Dean-o-phobe blog is giving Kos fits, itches and the galloping staggers, too (although I’m surprised that he’d be down on &c, too, as it’s more likely to tell … Read more

Howard Dean, the Pilgrims, and other far out lefties

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There have been a bunch of articles about Howard Dean’s religion over the last two weeks, most of them negative. The main knock on Dean is that he switched denominations (from Episcopal to Congregationalist) in the early 1980s in part because of a dispute over a bike path. This doesn’t seem like much of a story to me–he switched churches/denominations, not religions, because he had a strong dislike for some of the leaders of the church. Is this really so uncommon among Protestant denominations? I’m not the best judge, since my parents treated religious affiliation like George Steinbrenner treated managers in the late 1970s and 1980s–I was raised (more or less chronologically) Catholic, Episcopal, Quaker, Catholic again, Methodist, Unitarian, Episcopal again, and will probably be a reform Jew in a few years. But I know many more people who switched denominations at one point or another. My husband’s family goes to a Conservative synagogue on the high holy days because their local Reform rabbi is underwhelming. President Bush was raised Episcopalian and is now, if I remember correctly, Methodist. Other friends switched from Congregational to Unitarian because of a minister they really admired. For that matter, the Episcopal church began for pretty worldly reasons (though the Anglican church says it’s more complicated than that).

Some of the articles also make it sound as if the Congregational Church is some newfangled, leftist, hippy denomination. Frankin Foer’s New Republic article says:

As he shopped around for churches, it was natural that he turned to Congregationalism, a denomination famous for its informality and liberal stances. Last November, Dean told a reporter from the Forward that he liked that “there is no central authority” in the tradition. By the time Dean joined the church, Congregationalists had already authorized the ordination of gay ministers. Yoga is taught in the church. Sermons sometimes make the case for lefty causes, especially the plight of the Palestinians.

And here’s the always-charming Cal Thomas:

Dean is from a Congregationalist background, a liberal denomination that does not believe in ministerial authority or church hierarchy. Each Congregationalist believes he is in direct contact with God and is entitled to sort out truth for himself.

I would just like to point out that this zany hippie religion is more than a century older than our country is. The first American Congregationalists were the pilgrims–as in the Mayflower, Plymouth Rock, the first Thanksgiving, the whole bit. The Puritans of Massachusetts Bay Colony were also Congregationalists; so were more heretical sorts like Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson. So was Mr. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” himself, Jonathan Edwards. (It’s rather more complicated than I’m making out, since there was no centralized authority, and I think the Presbyterian church has some deep roots in Puritanism too. You can read more here.)

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Because Ricky had a point…

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Blogrolls get large, obviously; just as obviously, it can get easy to not read all of them on a regular basis. Which is a shame, because then you miss posts like this from debitage. It’s on religion – specifically, the difference between conservative/liberal perceptions of same – but in a way that doesn’t want me … Read more

Because the Blogroll wasn’t long enough…

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I’m adding two more (which, to be honest, is mostly so I’ll remember to check them more often). Outside the Beltway is a somewhat recent appreciation (this NYT Magazine article that James linked to about the Democrats and the war was most interesting, and should get further exposure) and I always meant to add Steve … Read more

Hey, I have a blog: the blog doesn’t have me

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Via Normblog we find this little quiz: Are you a Blogoholic? I scored a mere 52%. I can give this up any time that I want. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go work out ways to get twenty more people to add this site to their blogrolls, start a meme and work … Read more

Grist for the mill.

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Joe Katzman over at Winds of Change linked to this report on the Iraqi situation. He calls it not ‘completely comfortable reading for anybody’: I’d agree*. He also calls it ‘very much worth reading’: I’d agree on that, too. Obviously. And, on that note, I am officially now going back to bed: this cold I … Read more

Free legal advice.

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It’s been a slow day for paying customers — it’s all waiting for the Court on this, waiting for the consultants on that — which is a good thing, since I’ve been running myself into the ground of late. But I’m genetically predisposed to never, ever, ever stop working (ask my wife), so I’ll offer some free legal advice to Josh Marshall.

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Off with their heads.

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Tony Blair wants to reform the House of Lords, but is getting blocked by an unlikely alliance of Tories and Liberal Democrats. My only venture into British politics occurred as a grammer school student in the mid-1980s (conflicted underdog-rooter that I was, I supported the SDP/Liberal Alliance),* so take the following with a grain of salt.

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The name game.

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Fox News reports that “six cases of mistaken identity” were behind the grounding of the Air France flights over the holidays. It’s better to be safe than sorry, yes, but there’s also a lesson here that mistakes can (and do) get made in a war. Keep this in mind when you consider whether the government … Read more

You always hurt the ones you love, Part II

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Kos calls a party foul on General Clark. Why? Clark proclaimed that he is “the only candidate positioned to actually win the election” because he is “the candidate best able to stand up to George W. Bush and win the debate about who will best be able to make our country secure over the next four years.” Dean cannot.

The thing is, Clark is probably right. No special insight is required to see that Dean has not positioned himself well in the debate over security. Indeed, Dean has said so many stupid things on security issues that no mere “Sister Souljah” rebuke can save him — for how one give a Sister Souljah rebuke to oneself?

If the general election turns on security, as it most likely will, Dean becomes the darkest of dark horses. Democrats need to face up to that — and cast their primary votes accordingly.*

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Great. Googley. Moogley.

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Could it be? Could it really, truly be? Is Hollywood really beginning to make movies that are geared to my demographic? Because via Lileks I see that a film called Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is coming out, and by God this is the sort of film that I would pay primetime money … Read more

Ayup.

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Over at Tacitus there’s a pretty interesting debate going on about the ‘cowboy’ thing: Tac’s pretty much in that ‘this is an insult?’ camp of Righties that delights in complicating the lives of people who just wanted to use a nice, simple pejorative. For my part, that pretty much sums up this particular debate right … Read more

What Did I miss?

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I was fairly sick yesterday, to the point where I didn’t even go online for very long (I’m not exactly better, either: I’m blogging this early in the morning because I got slept out, but I still feel like death warmed over). Anything interesting happen?

If you don’t want to know the answer…

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… don’t ask the question. Generally speaking, I don’t overly concern myself with British gun policy, as American gun policy is sufficiently complicated enough that I don’t have much time to spare. But it’s hard not to snicker at least a little at the surprise and irritation engendered by some of the people involved, including … Read more

Quiet New Years Eve

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Aside from the cold, no worries. Watched a couple of movies, shouted huzzah five minutes late and drank some champagne. In other words, nothing like this, thank all gods past, present and future.

It’s 2004.

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Are you ready? Have you finished putting on your game face? Did you put your seat back and raised your tray into the full, upright position? Excellent. Then let’s get started, shall we?

This is insane, yes.

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I mean, really, really insane. We’re talking transcendently insane: Bush/Clinton in 2004 (Clinton being, of course, Hillary). Isn’t that lunatic? I got the idea from a poster from this dKos thread about that popularity poll. dKos is especially amusing today, by the way: the post after that one is sort of about how Dean doesn’t … Read more

Proxy charity request

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Gary Farber of Amygdala is apparently in a bit of a hole financially and could use some help. He’s an all right guy (when he isn’t correcting our grammar) and it is the Christmas season… your call to make; I didn’t begrudge him a twenty. Moe

Petty Annoyances

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Just in from Fox News : BAGHDAD, Iraq — At least five people were killed in a large explosion that ripped through a restaurant in central Baghdad Wednesday and there were reports that Iraqi police said it may have been caused by a homicide bomber. This is not an occasion to try to score political … Read more

This entire contest meta-theme

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It’s interesting: we’ve had this blog up and running for just over a month, and already we’ve jumped into at least three contests. There was Wizbang’s 2003 Weblog Awards (it was a shame that our site was still jumping up and down the Ecosystem at the time, because I felt too weird about voting for … Read more

Obligatory Google Search String post.

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I’d just like to note for the record that we’re currently #2 for Google searches using naked women as the search string. #1 is a Salon article about Mr. Spock’s nudes. (pause) The Internet is weird, man. UPDATE: My smarter half has pointed out that we’re #12, not #2. Oh, well, something to aim for.

Thought-Resolution Experiment.

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Thanks to regular Tacitus poster Timmy the Wonder Dog I was alerted to this piece of Lileksian amusement. Amusing stuff… and, in the spirit of the holiday, we’re going to designate this as… THE NEW YEAR’S POLITICAL RESOLUTION THREAD!!!!! Right. Anyway, the rules are simple: 1) Come up with a political resolution that applies to … Read more

Do the right thing.

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Ashcroft has opted out of the Plame game, recusing himself in favor of Peter Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. Although there were a few ruffled feathers when Fitzgerald was appointed — he’s not a native son of Chicago, but rather a carpetbagger from New York (so to speak) — all accounts are that he’s nonpartisan, sharp, and relentless.*

This is an excellent decision by Ashcroft. But why now?

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Chickens, on their way home to roost.

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From the Washington Post, troubling news about our attempts to rebuild Iraq’s police force.

As the U.S.-led governing authority in Iraq attempts to build a security force of 220,000 in the next few months, the competing priorities of speed and thoroughness have prompted shortcuts in the recruiting and training process. The consequences are starting to become apparent. . . . more than 200 Iraqi policemen in Baghdad have been dismissed and dozens of others have had their pay slashed for crimes ranging from pawning government equipment to extortion and kidnapping. . . . . In addition, roughly 2,500 people on the payroll of the Facilities Protection Service, which guards government buildings, either do not exist or have not been showing up to work . . . . [A] number of Border Patrol officers have been disciplined for accepting bribes in exchange for allowing people without proper identification to enter Iraq.

The importance of building a capable Iraqi police force cannot be overstated. Iraq needs substantial foreign investment to rebuild its infrastructure, institutions, and public services. The principle barrier to that investment is security.*

Many (including I) have chanted the mantra of “more troops, more money, more international involvement” as a solution to Iraq’s security issues. Our chanting has gone unheeded. The US lacks the will to commit the troops necessary to do the job, and the period during which a massive show of US force might have been effective has slipped us by. The time for chanting is past. The Iraqis must pick up the slack.

Indeed, the US military could have provided, at most, only tempory relief. And resort to the rebuilt Iraqi army — tempting though it may be — is also no substitute. It is the role of the Iraqi police to protect Iraqis. Having the police actually police is what is meant by “the rule of law.”

“[W]hen have you ever seen the police lead a coup?” Casteel explained. “If you build a strong police force, you have a republic. If you build a strong military, you have a banana republic.”

What are we building in Iraq? What shape do we wish Iraqification to take? And, if anything is an improvement over Saddam, does that make everything acceptable?

It’s time to stop celebrating the capture of Saddam. There’s work to do.

von

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OK, maybe I’m just too tired

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…but this Dave Barry year in review thing got funnier the farther in I read. Equal-opportunity skewering galore. (via Peevish, which has also been belatedly blogrolled)

A bit more serious

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…(also via Norm) is this link to an Observer article on Member of Parliament Ann Clwyd (to be blunt, if you don’t know who she is, then you have absolutely no business discussing the humanitarian arguments re the Iraqi liberation). It would seem that she has a better working relationship with Tony Blair’s government these … Read more

Mostly for one line

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Norm Geras linked to this article, which is worth noting for this paragraph alone: Therefore a cat with chicken tikka masala on its back will be certain to hover in mid air, while there could be problems with buttered toast as the toast may fall off the cat, causing a terrible monorail crash resulting in … Read more

Taranto’s back…

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Yeah, I know, half of you probably can’t stand OpinionJournal’s Best of the Web. Alas, I have a considerable fondness for it, and it’s for links like this one: The scam that caused a painful sting in my mailbox.

Oh, dear, that’s not a very good title by Polly Toynbee, is it?

Funny, funny article, though – in that actually, we’re not really laughing with you sense. It seems that our heroine got a letter from a Nigerian schoolgirl asking for money. Seems that said schoolgirl needed 200 pounds to finish school, being an orphan and all, she gave references, which apparently checked out, Toynbee cut a check and – guess what? – yup, the writer’s bank account keeps getting raided for cash.

Big surprise, really. Cold call, no way to really check it out, the girl’s parents were supposedly victims of Ebola, for crying out loud: this is one reason why relief organizations exist (like this one), to make sure that money goes where it should. So, is it Toynbee’s fault?

Naah. Sure, she’s an idiot, but in the end she lays the blame on the good old US of A:

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A step beyond a step too far.

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Lawyers. I know: the word alone almost causes you to swoon with joy and thanksgving. Lovers, fighters, poets — there’s no evil that these paragons of truth and virtue cannot conquer, no danger that they will not face, no friend-in-need whose call they will not answer.

Yes, I am one of them. Save your applause, please, until the end — for there are heavy matters that we first must discuss.

Heavy matter numero uno: The speed with which politico-shtick and lawyer shtick are converging. The rush to apply the bare minimal standards of honesty that govern us law-folks to political rhetoric — the “if I say it this way it will just barely be truthful” test. You know what I mean: “no controlling legal authority”; “I never said Iraq had WMDs, I said it had WMD programs“; “I suppose it depends on what the definition of ‘is’ is.”

This one foot over the line, one foot behind is usually just fine. Sure, a partisan or two gets stirred up, but most people can distinguish between spin and lie. But, sometimes, in our eagerness to score rhetorical points, we take that step beyond a step too far . . . .

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