That’s the kind of armband I’d like to wear, particularly around these clueless celebrities, whose well-meaning nostrums, as Stephen Pollard points out, would only further entrench poverty.
[Via David Carr]
Desperation
Bill Roggio notes the depth of moral depravity to which the terrorists in Iraq have been forced.
While the media reports there is a glut of volunteers willing to immolate themselves, the reliance on blackmail, the mentally handicapped and four legged creatures as martyrs shows there may be a serious problem with the devotion to the cause amongst the recruits.
As Bill asks, where is PETA?
[Update at 10 AM]
They’re also using children as human shields.
Bill Whittle reminds us of the kind of people we’re dealing with here (note: as usual a long, but worthwhile essay):
Whenever there is war and invasion, there will be terrified civilians trying to get from one place to another. In the very early hours of Operation Iraqi Freedom, when we expected to be fighting the same Army that in the Gulf War fully honored the idea of uniformed troops, our soldiers discovered large numbers of unarmed, military-aged men in civilian clothes making for the rear. Many of these men were let through, and promptly took up arms and caused immeasurable damage before blending back into the population.
But they did much worse. Because after a few suicide bombers in civilian vehicles drove up to checkpoints and blew themselves and honor-abiding Coalition soldiers to bits, we have found ourselves having to treat all speeding civilian vehicles as hostile. We simply have no choice anymore. We did not simply decide to open fire on civilians; rather the enemy, in a cold and calculated decision repeated many, many times over, decided to violate the Sanctuary given to civilians to wage war on an American and British Army playing by the rules. They have made the line between civilian and soldier nonexistent. They did this, not us. They did it. They gained the benefits from it, and it has cost us dear. And so perhaps, in a world with less ignorance and more honesty, Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena
What.A.Moron
Charlie Gibson is surprised to hear that Iraqis (you know, the folks that the so-called “insurgents” have been murdering by the droves?) are not Zarquawi fans.
On Wednesday’s World News Tonight, after Brian Ross noted that “some Arabs” on a “popular Web site said they hoped the news was true” about the serious injury to terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, with messages such as, “Let this criminal Zarqawi go to Hell,” Gibson turned to reporter Nick Watt in Baghdad and expressed shock, “I’m surprised by something in Brian’s piece: The vehemence of the comments on Arab Web sites in opposition to Zarqawi, because we keep hearing that he has considerable support.” Watt confirmed that “many” Iraqis “will be very glad if he does die.”
There are some things so stupid that only a liberal television commentator can believe them.
Beginning Of The End?
The French are already privately admitting that the EU vote will lose.
If the Dutch vote it down as well, how long before they decide they want the guilder back?
[Update a few minutes later]
Mark Steyn has further thoughts (registration required).
Space Virgin
Jeff Foust has an extensive description of Virgin Galactic’s plans, based on Will Whitehorn’s talk at last week’s ISDC:
Virgin is open to other uses of suborbital spaceflight, such as point-to-point transportation, although Whitehorn noted that they are not actively pursuing it because they would then be treated as an airline from a regulatory standpoint, with strict limitations on the flights that a foreign-owned airline can offer in the US. Instead, Virgin is looking at the possibility of orbital spaceflight.
Unnatural Selection
Stephen Gordon has a couple tales of evolution.
Mass Psychosis
This article about a poll indicating that the vast majority of so-called historians have already judged the Bush presidency a failure doesn’t give one confidence in the profession of history instruction.
No, academia isn’t biased at all…
In Case You Were Wondering
My trip to Europe has been delayed, but I’ll still have to go sometime in the next few weeks.
Beats Me
John Podhoretz asks (iconoclastically, given the venue) what’s wrong with reproductive cloning? I don’t know, either.
More ISDC Reporting
From Clark Lindsey, with links to others’ reports:
I last attended a NSS conference in 1990 and much of that meeting dealt either with NASA or with theoretical proposals for grand futuristic projects of all sorts. This time most of the focus was on projects in the private sector that are actually doable. The discussions dealt extensively with real hardware that has flown, like the SS1, or is under development, like the SS2.
This time there were representatives from well financed companies with believable business plans such as those that are getting ready to offer spaceflight services to a space tourism market that looks increasingly viable and sizable. Companies like ZERO-G are offering spaceflight related services today and seemed to be doing it profitably.
NASA and its exploration initiative certainly had a place at the conference but I didn’t detect any great excitement with the agency’s long term plans. Skepticism towards NASA and its ability to carry out its plans has been well earned. Most activists have learned that nothing great is going to happen in space until the costs come down significantly. So there seemed to be much greater interest in the t/Space consortium and its plan for an Earth-to-LEO transport system with a price tag a factor of ten below the expected price.
Space activism has had many ups and downs over the past 30 years or so since the end of Apollo era. There will certainly be many more disappointments. However, there is a substance and vitality to what is happening now that I’ve never seen before. I think this conference definitely is an sign that things have changed fundamentally. The old “NASA is space, space is NASA” paradigm is fading fast and a new age of independent space pioneering is upon us.
Amen.