Category — Uncategorized

Jane Lampman reviews Karen Armstrong’s book, The Great Transformation which covers the era of the formation of the world’s great religions between 900 and 200 BCE. Sounds like an interesting counterbalance to the depressing reality of Jared Diamond’s Collapse.

It would seem that every few centuries people figure out that violence doesn’t work, but after a while we return to it. When I hear all of the people talking about how we should blow things up to settle a problem, I have to wonder how many of them have been in the path of destruction. Someday they will introduce the smell of war to movies and most people will figure it out: dead bodies, and that’s what we are talking about, don’t smell very nice.

Carla Seaquist makes the point: Free speech should soar above insult and injury.

Yes, you have the right to say anything you want, as long as it’s true. You have the right to express your opinion openly, no matter how unbelievable or divorced from reality. Others also have the right to say you are wrong and should just shut up.

The refusal to repeat things that are hurtful to others isn’t suppression of free speech; it is called manners. If you are going share space with other people you have to learn when not to speak to preserve the peace.

Unfortunately when one side is rude, crude, and unglued it does no good to hold your peace, because they won’t stop.

Kevin Hayden at American Street has a concise quiz on the recent history in the Persian Gulf. If you have personally experienced history since the election of Richard Nixon and were paying attention to current affairs it is rather depressing.

My older instructors at the Defense Language Institute were unhappy when I pointed out that from the standpoint of the average Russian peasant the Soviet era was an improvement over the tsarist era that preceded it. Peasants received education and health care under the Soviets that didn’t exist for them under the tsars. They were oppressed under both systems, so the political changes didn’t really affect them.

It’s a good thing Saddam isn’t getting a jury trial.

The new predictions for this year’s hurricane season are out, and they are not comforting.

The Mid West is experiencing a record number of tornadoes and people are dying. Plants are budding and blooming sooner than ever. We have 100-year floods occurring every 10 years. The fire season has started sooner than ever. The world is in trouble, and the weather patterns are changing.

When do the powers that be figure out that it is time to do something before we run out of options? Will reducing pollution and greenhouse gases cost money? Absolutely. Will it cost as much as the tornadoes, wild fires, floods, droughts, and hurricanes we are currently experiencing? Not bloody likely.

During the coverage of Rice and Straw visiting Iraq the media forgot to mention that 13 US military died over the weekend.

It may not be obvious, but replacing a Secretary of State is actually easier than replacing an experienced infantryman or medic. There are hundreds of people qualified to be Secretary of State and more entering the pool every year. The number of people available to fill that infantry slot is decreasing.

Just so you know, when they report the death of Navy personnel in Iraq, they are almost always medics who serve with the Marines.

Tom Burka has a fun post: Democrats Used to Loss of Power in Capitol.

I have a serious question: why doesn’t the Capitol have an emergency power system? Don’t they think that it’s pretty stupid that an auto accident or thunderstorm could halt the Congress? Does their computer system have battery back-up? Do they have an emergency plan other than panic?

Dave Neiwert has a point to make about those complaining about immigration protesters waving Mexican flags: the Shrubbery did it when he was campaigning for governor of Texas.

I don’t guess you ever see Italian flags on Columbus Day, Irish flags on St. Patrick’s Day, and everyone avoids Mexican flags on Cinco de Mayo.

These were the “American” flags my people saw when they arrived as immigrants:

CNN is reporting that Tom DeLay is dropping his re-election bid after winning the Republican primary for his seat.

If true, I suspect that he is expecting some bad news on the legal front.

Update: It’s apparently true, but plans need to be completed.

The stake has to be oak, but is mistletoe in the tree good or bad? Is an oak struck by lightning more effective?

You soak the oak in a marinade of Holy water, crushed garlic and lemon juice from “cock’s crow” to “cock’s crow” on a day with a full moon, but would adding habañeros be gauche?

So many details to attend to, and so few sources of reliable information.

Which Japanese theatrical tradition are the Republicans and the Shrubbery more in tune with: Kabuki or Noh?

As usual, compare and contrast.

Extra credit for references to the films of Stanley Kubrick.

Showing that is has no real concerns for the rights of citizens guaranteed by the Constitution the Supremes have decided not to rule on the Shrubbery’s violation of US law in his Star Chamber proceedings against “enemy combatants”.

Well, you certainly can’t call the Roberts Court activist.

Tbogg tells us Parsons has only finished 20 of 300 medical clinics it was supposed to be building in Iraq but it has been allowed to withdraw from its contract because it has managed to spend all of the money.

This is apparently the new standard for Federal contracts: you get to stop when you have spent all the money. Oh, the complaints about the security situation are valid, but they should have been obvious to any international contractor.

The only reason for endangering ground troops is to control the land. If you don’t intend to control the ground that is being taken, use air power, not ground forces.

If you fire the army and police, you are obviously going to have a security problem unless you have the forces to take their place. This isn’t a matter of high conceptual thinking; this is common sense.

People were once fired for these kinds of mistakes, now they receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Update: Parsons has only actually finished 6 clinics, but has promised to finish the other 14 that are under construction, unless it doesn’t.

There are probably a lot of admirals on a Maalox diet at the Pentagon after reading this: Iran Tests Powerful Underwater Missile.

The Persian Gulf is narrow and shallow, so large ships all ready have problems maneuvering in the waters, and now the Iranians have apparently developed their own version of the Russian submarine anti-ship missile.

This coming the day after claims of a successful test of a ground-to-ground missile with multiple independently targetable warheads and stealth capabilities should really increase antacid sales in Arlington.

The Pensacola Beach Blogger noticed this opinion piece in the Pensacola News Journal about the Interior Department’s continuing program of not listening to Florida residents when it comes to off-shore drilling.

Florida makes a lot of money from its beaches, more than it would ever make from drilling, and the site of oil rigs is not compatible with tourism. The state is constantly telling the Federal government we don’t want them off the coast of Florida, but corporate interests keep getting Federal attention that the state can’t seem to overcome.

The latest move is to re-draw the maps so that Alabama and Louisiana have jurisdiction over the coastal waters south of the Panhandle. Since those states don’t care about the skyline seen from a Florida beach, they are not apt to object to drilling.

In addition to the visual and pollution possibilities, the oil rigs would encroach on the weapons testing ranges the military uses in the Gulf of Mexico, but those concerns get even less consideration from the current government.

Anyone with ties to tourism or the military in Florida who votes for a Republican is voting against themselves. Having the President’s brother as governor just means the governor makes excuses for bad Federal policy.

Because it is Sunday and the Republicans are all concerned by immigration, I thought I would see what kind of guidance I could find for them in the King James Version:

Leviticus 24:22 Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God.

I don’t know for sure, but it doesn’t look like the Bible approves of immigration laws.