The Dalai Lama says that war is outdated. What took it so long, anyway?
Strike While The Iron’s Hot
Hugh Hewitt has a good idea (not to imply that this isn’t often the case) about federal funds for Louisiana:
Senate Republicans should insist that as part of the package, reforms in the federal Endangered Species Act–similar to this that are poised to pass the House–be included in the appropriation so that the notoriously expense-increasing and private-property-rights destroying ESA not delay or increase the costs of these projects or other Corps projects across the country. A simple tightening of deadlines widely abused by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when the Corps “consults” with that agency under the ESA would be a huge step forward.
While they’re at it, the National Environmental Protection Act could use an overhaul as well. These two laws are one of the bigger barriers to private space launch, now that some of the FAA issues have been resolved.
If this Republican spending binge and the hurricanes result in real federal reform, such as this and a line-item veto, they will be shining silver linings in the clouds.
Strike While The Iron’s Hot
Hugh Hewitt has a good idea (not to imply that this isn’t often the case) about federal funds for Louisiana:
Senate Republicans should insist that as part of the package, reforms in the federal Endangered Species Act–similar to this that are poised to pass the House–be included in the appropriation so that the notoriously expense-increasing and private-property-rights destroying ESA not delay or increase the costs of these projects or other Corps projects across the country. A simple tightening of deadlines widely abused by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when the Corps “consults” with that agency under the ESA would be a huge step forward.
While they’re at it, the National Environmental Protection Act could use an overhaul as well. These two laws are one of the bigger barriers to private space launch, now that some of the FAA issues have been resolved.
If this Republican spending binge and the hurricanes result in real federal reform, such as this and a line-item veto, they will be shining silver linings in the clouds.
Strike While The Iron’s Hot
Hugh Hewitt has a good idea (not to imply that this isn’t often the case) about federal funds for Louisiana:
Senate Republicans should insist that as part of the package, reforms in the federal Endangered Species Act–similar to this that are poised to pass the House–be included in the appropriation so that the notoriously expense-increasing and private-property-rights destroying ESA not delay or increase the costs of these projects or other Corps projects across the country. A simple tightening of deadlines widely abused by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when the Corps “consults” with that agency under the ESA would be a huge step forward.
While they’re at it, the National Environmental Protection Act could use an overhaul as well. These two laws are one of the bigger barriers to private space launch, now that some of the FAA issues have been resolved.
If this Republican spending binge and the hurricanes result in real federal reform, such as this and a line-item veto, they will be shining silver linings in the clouds.
One Thousand Feet
…and about a hundred million more to go. Liftport had a successful space elevator climber test.
Heresy
Thomas McCabe fires a broadside at Bob Zubrin, with an article about the irrelevance of the Martian frontier.
Good Idea
If Ramesh is right, a couple of Republican senators have come up with a way to turn down the political heat on their big-spending party–by sponsoring a line-item veto amendment. The Supreme Court struck down the line-item veto in the 1990s, but this would get around that by making it Constitutional.
They’d better be careful what they wish for, though–given the current mood of the country, it just might pass. Or maybe, in the case of these two particular senators, they actually hope it will. It could be that its time has finally come.
I Asked You Not To Tell Me That
I’m hearing that Don Adams died yesterday, but I haven’t seen anything yet to link to about it.
[Update in the late afternoon of the east coast]
Dang. I suggest a minute of cone of silence.
[Evening update]
Cathy Seipp remembers him, though I would have thought her too young.
Is The Desktop Computer Dying?
Maybe. Laptops are definitely making inroads into the market, and will continue to do so, but as the article points out, there will always be a place for good, comfortable, cheap machines for people who aren’t road warriors.
I use my laptop a lot when I’m traveling, but it remains a PITA to carry around and continually reboot and renetwork, and I’m always glad to get home to my nineteen-inch screen and ergonomic keyboard. Not to mention my three CPUs and KVM switch. They’ll take away my desktop when they pry my cold, dead fingers off my Logitech.
“This War Sucks”
Apparently Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi is now co-blogging with Iowahawk. He’s disappointed in the weekend “morale booster” from Washington, DC:
I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look of horror in that poor Jordanian kid’s eyes when the camera panned across that fugly forest of hairy vegan Heathers and uberbutch Andrea Dworkin manatees. And can you blame the poor trembling kid? Holy fargin’ Prophet, sometimes I swear the only thing that keeps me motivated is knowing that a restored Caliphate means these hippie bowsers are gonna have their mugs and their bankles safely shielded under a burqqa.
By then the damage was done. I must have spent fifteen minutes trying to calm the boys down, promising them that Paradise is not gonna be a menage-a-72 with a bunch of Unitarian NPR grannies. Luckily, the camera panned to some guy in who was wearing a dynamite belt, which kinda cheered them up momentarily. At that point I didn’t have the heart to tell them it was probably fake.
He also thinks that the “peace protestors” are chickenhawks:
You really want to end the infidel occupation? Put down the ANSWER picket sign and book a group tour to Damascus. Flights leave daily, and Delta is Ready When You Are, Moby. We may be running short of martyrs, but we’ll make sure to have an eastbound bus waiting for you at the airport.
Read the whole thing, though it has some non-family-friendly words in it. But then, consider the source…