Herb Meyer has an open letter to Europe.
Good News From Fallujah
The enemy is starting to turn on themselves.
…residents said the U.S-led offensive opened strains between the local insurgents and the foreigners. When a senior Zarqawi commander was found dead of a bullet to the head during the battle, many interpreted his death as the result of an insurgent execution.
Besides the commander’s death, the bodies of 20 foreign fighters also were found shot to death execution-style, military officials said.
Sorry, Barsoomophiles
There’s apparently a lot of public support for going back to the moon, but not much for going to Mars.
While I agree with that sentiment, I found this part a little less encouraging:
Out of 5 options, Americans ranked “International participation and cost-sharing” as their #1 choice for funding the Vision — with certain conditions.
That’s a failure of public education, to my mind (or a success of propaganda, depending on your point of view…). They don’t realize that “cost sharing” tends to increase costs to the point that we end up spending more than we would if we simply did it on our own.
And here’s some more propaganda that people seem to have absorbed:
Americans understand and appreciate the benefits of the space program (“spin-offs,” science, and the impact of space-based technology developments to daily lives).
My concern with this is not just that it’s probably not true (spinoff is highly overrated as a net benefit of space programs), but that if the purpose of having a space program is international cooperation and spinoff, it becomes possible to have a program that achieves those goals with no discernable progress in actually doing something in space. See the ISS for a sterling example.
Supreme Court Question
Can anyone be nominated as Chief Justice, or does one have to be an Associate Justice first?
Why The UN Is Worse Than Useless
Reason #86,476.
Annan has ordered all the flags in the plaza flown at half mast for the murderer Arafat.
[Update at 5:37 PM EST]
Ed Wright points out that I didn’t read carefully–only the UN flag is being lowered. But still…
Ayn Rand, Superhero?
David Brown at Laissez Faire Books says that The Incredibles is an Objectivist-themed movie.
I haven’t seen it yet, but I plan to. I’ve heard many good things about it.
Half A Century
Of teevee dinners. Happy anniversary, Swanson.
The First Delta IV Heavy Launch
…is scheduled for a week from today at the Cape, between 2:30 and 5:30 PM EST.
I’m going to try to go see it–it should be pretty spectacular. One of the few benefits of living in Florida that I’ve found so far.
Can Flying Cars Be Next?
Check it out. 3-D television.
De Is Ea Id Mortuis Nil Nisi Male
Of this dead, speak only ill. Max Boot and Jeff Jacoby have appropriately harsh eulogies for the late monster of Ramallah, and equally harsh criticism of his European enablers who remain with us.