Not forcing Catholic institutions to hand out free birth control, or “honor” killings? Call me crazy, but I think the latter is much more of a war on women.
Laying The Groundwork For The Next LA Riots
Thanks a bunch, Al:
By yoking himself to the memory of the Los Angeles riots, and to the coming trial of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, Sharpton is implicitly threatening violence even as he explicitly denounces it. “I’ve fought for justice for Trayvon,” Sharpton wrote at the Huffington Post, “because I believe in America and I don’t believe we should burn it down. Let’s prove that we are in fact the United States of America, and let’s not miss another opportunity to show just how great we can be.”
And just how great can we be, Mr. Sharpton, if “justice for Trayvon” results in an acquittal of George Zimmerman?
Sharpton surely knows this is a real possibility. As pointed out by Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, among others, the case against Zimmerman is feeble. But this is of little import to Sharpton, and indeed may even be to his advantage. The initial narrative of the Martin shooting – racist white guy shoots harmless black child – has come unraveled, leaving Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey in the unenviable position of pressing a murder case in which the only known eyewitness bolsters the defendant’s claim of self-defense. But expectations of a conviction have already been raised, not least by Sharpton himself, leaving him in the role of the man who will pour oil on the troubled waters. And, conveniently for Sharpton, the anniversary of the L.A. riots arrives to provide exactly the right platform for the type of self-promotion at which he is so adept.
I’m sure that Chris Gerrib will be along any minute to defend the lying race baiter, though.
More Asteroid-Mining Thoughts
From David Brin. I disagree with this, though:
It also correlates well with President Obama’s wise decision to abandon a fruitless return to the sterile Moon, in favor of studying objects that might make us all rich.
The moon is no more “sterile” (as far as we know) than the asteroids, and there is plenty there to make us rich as well. It’s going to be a trade off between time and velocity, and there’s probably room for ventures in both places. There’s enough water on the moon to make it very accessible even with high-thrust systems, and likely a lot of asteroidal wealth buried under the regolith. And it’s only three days away.
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
I don’t envy Jim Maser his job, especially if XCOR starts to manufacture an RL-10 replacement.
The “Gutsy” Bin Laden Call
That is a truly despicable campaign ad. Just what I’d expect from these lawless unprincipled thugs.
[Update a couple minutes later]
Obama got Osama, but lost the Middle East. It’s OK — Democrats don’t believe in winning wars, just “ending” them.
[Early afternoon update]
Heh. Other “gutsy calls” Obama didn’t make.
As California Collapses
Obama follows its lead. If California is bailed out, it’s the end of federalism. Unfortunately, it already started, with the “stimulus.”
[Update a few minutes later]
“California can either have all the regulation, or all the business, but it can’t have both.”
Advice To Aspiring Journalists
Get a degree in something societally useful.
The Avengers
Matt Patterson thinks that it’s the best comic-book movie made to date.
I hope that makes it easier for Joss Whedon to get money for more projects.
Russian’s Space Plans
Looks like their space policy is as much of a politics-driven mess as ours is.
The Competence Of The Administration
It looks like it screwed up the investigation of the secret service as much as it does everything else.