Just in case anyone wondered, I was traveling yesterday. We’re in Columbia Missouri, the Ann Arbor of…errrrr…Missouri, visiting Patricia’s relatives. Posting will not be non-existent, but perhaps light, due to ongoing work load and celebratory Christm…holiday activities. Hope you’re having a good one as well, so far.
Solution of High-Priced Milk
Milk prices hit $3.84/gallon in September which was about a buck more than gasoline. My solution: put ice in milk glasses, then add 15% ethanol to the milk to be required by law. The solution’s also known as (White) Russian.
— Update 12/21, 9:00 PM CST —
Ethanol should be mandated for 15% of the rocket fuel used in US rockets. That might get ADM to stump for more launches.
A Tale Of Two Pictures
One wonders if the photog is a one-trick pony:
…look at the differences. The crop, of course, is exceedingly important. Here the focal points are the regal hands and imperial glare instead of the giant hands and, well, crotch. Whereas Clinton comes off like a thoroughly pleased guy about to run off to a party, Putin looks like he’s deciding whether to have you killed.
Caption Michael Jackson
Some of these are pretty funny, albeit cruel. I particularly like this comment:
He better get those tiles checked out before he attempts to reenter the atmosphere.
He’s Right
If Obama isn’t the next president, it will be because of America’s inherent racism. And if Hillary! isn’t, it will be because of America’s inherent sexism. It won’t, it goes without saying, be because of any inherent deficiencies in them as candidates that are independent of their melanin content or genital configuration.
And it’s guaranteed to be one or the other, because only one of them (if either) can win. And of course, if neither of them do, and another Rethuglican steals the election, it will be because we’re both racist and sexist. Because, you know, it’s always America’s fault.
He’s Right
If Obama isn’t the next president, it will be because of America’s inherent racism. And if Hillary! isn’t, it will be because of America’s inherent sexism. It won’t, it goes without saying, be because of any inherent deficiencies in them as candidates that are independent of their melanin content or genital configuration.
And it’s guaranteed to be one or the other, because only one of them (if either) can win. And of course, if neither of them do, and another Rethuglican steals the election, it will be because we’re both racist and sexist. Because, you know, it’s always America’s fault.
He’s Right
If Obama isn’t the next president, it will be because of America’s inherent racism. And if Hillary! isn’t, it will be because of America’s inherent sexism. It won’t, it goes without saying, be because of any inherent deficiencies in them as candidates that are independent of their melanin content or genital configuration.
And it’s guaranteed to be one or the other, because only one of them (if either) can win. And of course, if neither of them do, and another Rethuglican steals the election, it will be because we’re both racist and sexist. Because, you know, it’s always America’s fault.
Support Free Speech
I’ve added a new button over to the left on my sidebar, supporting Mark Steyn and Macleans against the Canadian Human RightsWrongs Commission. Here’s the latest in the saga.
If someone sets up a legal fund to support a counter suit by Mark, I’ll link the button to it, instead of to the web site that came up with it, as it is now.
No Media Bias Here
Misreporting a Thompson campaign event, over at the Politico. I’d call it more media malpractice.
Of course, I’ve had my own run-in with this particular reporter.
[Update a few minutes later]
Roger L. Simon (not the one who is the above journalistic hack) has some further thoughts. And as he says, he knows his hats.
Coming To Their Senses?
This seems like good news:
In his memoirs, Sharif recalls serving time with Zawahiri in 1981 after the assassination of Anwar Sadat. Sharif specifically accuses Zawahiri of informing on his associates to get out of prison. He also calls Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden cowards, accusing them of running out of Afghanistan and leaving wives and children behind to die in the American invasion. He wants them tried before a shari’a court, which would be at least poetic justice for the radical Islamists.
Zawahiri could give a press conference at CENTCOM and still not live down those kind of accusations. The entire mythos of AQ relies on the personal courage of its leaders, who claim to have bested a global superpower in personally liberating Afghanistan. Leaving behind women and children while fleeing a battle doesn’t quite match that mythology. If it gains resonance in the ummah, Zawahiri and Osama will discover that interviews with Western journalists won’t make up the lost ground.
Critics of Sharif claim that he has been tortured into his recantation. Undoubtedly, the Egyptian authorities have applied their usual techniques to Sharif, but Rohan Gunaranta says it matches a trend in Egypt over the last few years. The author of Inside al-Qaeda believes that Muslims have begun to see the disaster that 9/11 has brought to their standing in the world, and even the radicals want a new direction. The personal revelations of Zawahiri as a snitch may make it easier for them to make that transition, and for us to then destroy what remains of AQ.
I think that Ed is a little overoptimistic on that last, but it would sure be nice if he’s right.
[Update a few minutes later]
Here’s some more good news that would seem to be related:
We have failed to offer a robust response to the brutal wave of human sacrifice. This failure has allowed extremists to garner headlines and define the agenda without meeting an equally passionate response from the moderate center. It is long past time to mount a vigorous campaign against the cult of death and reaffirm a culture of life.
An essential first step is admitting we have a problem. The terrible attacks of recent days occurred during the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam’s most solemn act of atonement. The introspection and self-criticism of this sacred time offer an ideal moment to acknowledge the sacrilege of terrorism and the sin of being a passive bystander.
We must also avoid the temptation to rationalize murder. “The attack is wrong,” goes a common refrain, “but we must understand the root causes.” There can be no “buts” – no qualifications or justifications that indulge the political grievances and religious sanction claimed by extremists.
More of this, please.