In case anyone’s looking for a project car. It’s a BMW 2002 tii that I’ve had for over twenty years. I need to get rid of it before I can leave California.
All posts by Rand Simberg
Flawed Premises
Thomas James mildly fisks a clueless space policy op ed.
By the way, I just got a complaint in the previous post that I’m doing too much politics, and not enough space stuff.
Maybe. I just don’t see that much going on in space right now worth commenting on, and if you browse through some of the space related blogs to the left, you’ll see that there’s not much activity there either (other than at the always-prolific Clark Lindsey’s site).
Maybe it’s just the dog days of August (and my continuing travails in getting the California house rented and finally getting to Florida), but I’m also getting a little burned out on space commentary. After almost three years of this, and a couple years of Fox News columns, I start to feel like I’m repeating myself. In addition, I just finished up a several-thousand word essay for The New Atlantis (in the mail to current subscribers, probably on line about the beginning of September, at which point I’ll put up a link to it), and I’m expanding it into a book, so I don’t have a lot of space energy remaining to blog about it unless something really topical pops up.
And I find the story of how the press is AWOL on Mr. Kerry’s tall tales, and clearly desperate to prop up his candidacy, the most fascinating thing going on right now.
Maybe Andrew can pick up the slack, but I suspect he’s busy as well.
[Evening Update, with thanks to Glenn for the link]
Per Bill Maron’s comment, I don’t think that space is an unimportant issue for this election. I think that, at least for those interested in space, it’s a very important one and an important election, and that Kerry would be a return to the stagnation of the nineties. But there are still over two months to the election, and most people aren’t really paying attention yet. To the degree that I’m going to invest much energy, mental or otherwise, in the subject, I think that it would be a better investment to do so in October rather than August.
Earth Out Of Balance
Al Gore was ticketed for 75 in a 55 zone.
Planet-hating monster.
Now We Know What the WaPo Was Waiting For
They were desperate to dig up someone who would challenge the Swift Boat Vets’ story.
They’ve found one. For now, I’ll let you judge the validity for yourself.
Another Kerry “Mistaken Recollection”?
Apparently, his journal isn’t consistent with the official story of one of his Purple Hearts. No biggie. He can just say he lied to his diary. After all, the press bought it during the Clinton administration (see Steiner, Josh).
No doubt this will be their strategy, since Drudge is reporting that, in desperation at what horrible (as in “incompetent”) liars both the candidate and his spokesmen to date are, the campaign wants to bring back the smooth Mike McCurry, whom the press all loved and were always willing–no, strike that–eager to believe.
I’m starting to think that “Unfit for Command” is likely to be viewed in the future as a much more reliable history of Kerry’s Vietnam activities than Brinkley’s hagiography.
[Thursday morning update]
Hugh Hewitt notes that Brinkley is AWOL:
As for historian Brinkley, he too is unavailable, even though the media wants him and such appearances could sell a lot of his books. His publisher must be wondering why Professor Brinkley is not accepting invitations to appear on cable or nationally-syndicated radio shows, which are the big wins for anyone peddling a book. (Believe me, I know about how books are sold these days, and Brinkley isn’t acting like any other author I have ever seen.) Going to the mattresses hasn’t worked for the past two weeks, and I don’t think it will work for the next two weeks. The story has legs until we get the run down on John Kerry, secret agent man in Cambodia.
Hugh also has some questions for the historian.
Another Kerry “Mistaken Recollection”?
Apparently, his journal isn’t consistent with the official story of one of his Purple Hearts. No biggie. He can just say he lied to his diary. After all, the press bought it during the Clinton administration (see Steiner, Josh).
No doubt this will be their strategy, since Drudge is reporting that, in desperation at what horrible (as in “incompetent”) liars both the candidate and his spokesmen to date are, the campaign wants to bring back the smooth Mike McCurry, whom the press all loved and were always willing–no, strike that–eager to believe.
I’m starting to think that “Unfit for Command” is likely to be viewed in the future as a much more reliable history of Kerry’s Vietnam activities than Brinkley’s hagiography.
[Thursday morning update]
Hugh Hewitt notes that Brinkley is AWOL:
As for historian Brinkley, he too is unavailable, even though the media wants him and such appearances could sell a lot of his books. His publisher must be wondering why Professor Brinkley is not accepting invitations to appear on cable or nationally-syndicated radio shows, which are the big wins for anyone peddling a book. (Believe me, I know about how books are sold these days, and Brinkley isn’t acting like any other author I have ever seen.) Going to the mattresses hasn’t worked for the past two weeks, and I don’t think it will work for the next two weeks. The story has legs until we get the run down on John Kerry, secret agent man in Cambodia.
Hugh also has some questions for the historian.
Another Kerry “Mistaken Recollection”?
Apparently, his journal isn’t consistent with the official story of one of his Purple Hearts. No biggie. He can just say he lied to his diary. After all, the press bought it during the Clinton administration (see Steiner, Josh).
No doubt this will be their strategy, since Drudge is reporting that, in desperation at what horrible (as in “incompetent”) liars both the candidate and his spokesmen to date are, the campaign wants to bring back the smooth Mike McCurry, whom the press all loved and were always willing–no, strike that–eager to believe.
I’m starting to think that “Unfit for Command” is likely to be viewed in the future as a much more reliable history of Kerry’s Vietnam activities than Brinkley’s hagiography.
[Thursday morning update]
Hugh Hewitt notes that Brinkley is AWOL:
As for historian Brinkley, he too is unavailable, even though the media wants him and such appearances could sell a lot of his books. His publisher must be wondering why Professor Brinkley is not accepting invitations to appear on cable or nationally-syndicated radio shows, which are the big wins for anyone peddling a book. (Believe me, I know about how books are sold these days, and Brinkley isn’t acting like any other author I have ever seen.) Going to the mattresses hasn’t worked for the past two weeks, and I don’t think it will work for the next two weeks. The story has legs until we get the run down on John Kerry, secret agent man in Cambodia.
Hugh also has some questions for the historian.
Flypaper Hung By Mistake
David Warren writes that we need more quagmires:
…by mucking in, the U.S. and allies have succeeded in creating a theatre of conflict far from Europe and the U.S., that draws Jihadis away from where they could be operating. Quite often, British and European I.D. is found on the corpses of the insurgents, who were recruited in Western mosques.
So much for Kerry’s charge that we’re “creating more Al Qaeda recruits.” We’re destroying them on a battleground of our choosing, not theirs.
Rambo V. Brando
One gets the impression from this particular bleat that, even in light of the anniversary, James Lileks isn’t impressed either with minstrels spouting politics, or politicians who (pretend to) take them seriously:
I like Bruckner, and the Pet Shop Boys. I like 1930s pop music, except for country. So? These details give a false sense of intimacy, and while that
New Earthlings
Belated congratulations to Mrs. Earthling and her pathetic husband (who only got to participate in the fun part of the process), and also to John and Anna Carmack, who apparently aren’t only birthing rockets. May the new arrivals have the opportunity to live on other worlds, perhaps ones that they forge themselves.