January 30, 2004
Maureen's States
create your own visited states map
Hmm, what about the other half of the country? Anybody want to invite me (us) to visit?
January 29, 2004
States I've Visited
create your own visited states map
Any recommendations as to which state to visit next?
January 28, 2004
Quote of the Day
Quoth Howard Dean:
"You can say that it's great that Saddam is gone and I'm sure that a lot of Iraqis feel it is great that Saddam is gone," said the former Vermont governor, an unflinching critic of the war against Iraq (news - web sites). "But a lot of them gave their lives. And their living standard is a whole lot worse now than it was before."
In response, on Iraq the Model, Ali writes:
I’m not going to comment about the rightness of the statement with more than saying that only a (blind) man would believe it and only a man blinded by his ambitions would dare to say it, but when you say such words, don’t you mean in other words that the sacrifices made by the American soldiers are all in vain? And that these soldiers are not doing a service to the world, nor to Iraqis and not to America.
...
And all of this for what? For staying in the white house for 4 or 8 years? Is it worth it? And this is not directed only to Mr. Dean, it’s for all the Americans who support such allegations without being aware of their consequences. What’s it that you fight so hard for, showing your soldiers as [] occupiers and murderers, the soldiers who I had the honour of meeting many, and when talking to some of them, I didn’t see anything other than gentleness, honesty and good will and faith in what they’re doing.
Well said, sir.
January 25, 2004
Purity of Essence
Yesterday, I watched Dr. Strangelove for the first time and then lost all my change to Oscar in a friendly game of poker. This morning, I woke up from a horrible nightmare in which Wesley Clark was President and my Grover doll was VP. In the nightmare, we bombed Russia, the Doomsday Machine ended the world, and my boyfriend left me because I'd voted for Clark. My Grandmother would tell me that I eat too many pickles before I go to bed.
In case you were interested…
January 21, 2004
Time for Another Regime Change?
On Armavirumque, James Panero discusses the site’s Man in Havana. Excerpt:
Just how unlucky is Cuba? Here is one example of what it means to live in the sad dictatorship. Our Man in Havana was once walking through Castro's capital when a police officer decided to impress a foreigner. The officer flagged down a passing motorist, commandeered the vehicle, and forced said motorist to take Our Man in Havana to the Hotel Nacional. Some blocks on, our man and his new chauffeur were pulled over by another officer. The driver was charged with running a taxi without a license, he was arrested and taken away in handcuffs, and the car was impounded.
He concludes the post by asking, “Isn't it time we ended a terrorist regime operating 90 miles off our coast?” I would support this on the merits. As a bonus, it would drive the folks of International A.N.S.W.E.R. even more bonkers.
Quote of the Day
Victor Davis Hanson on NRO on the State of the Union speech:
Where the president is great the opposition is pathetic; and where he is on weak ground, they are still weaker — as evidenced by the collective ankle biting of Dean, Clark, and Kerry and the responses of Nancy Pelosi and Tom Daschle.
January 20, 2004
Not a Caption Contest
Ian Wood also has some thoughts on Mad How:
That's what the American people want, for sure. A President who is quoted in the Washington Post as saying, "Yaaaaaaaaaah!"
And here's Lileks’ take set to music (via LGF).
Browsing
I think I'll be doing my Christmas shopping here. On the other hand, Maureen plans on shopping here.
It Could Happen to You
A few months ago, while having a drink at my usual watering hole, I found the ideal time to try out a new conspiracy theory. Although I don’t believe a word of it, it was terribly amusing to make it up, and I thought perhaps this kind of conversation would encourage the fellow next to me to go sit somewhere else. It didn’t work. This guy already had his own conspiracy theory and seemed to be pretty attached to it. Now, I’d started something…
In a desperate attempt to rescue myself from my current situation, I tried to involve the innocent bystander reading a book to my left. Asking only “Right?” didn’t work. I attempted to get him to “just smile and nod.” Knocked down, I had to tell him the theory. He looked up at me, smiled and said “that’s nonsense.” That’s how I met Oscar. Thank heaven for conspiracy theories. I hope he is always to the left of me, or the right.
It could happen to you with a little help from the The George Bush Conspiracy Theory Generator.
Posted by Maureen.
January 19, 2004
We're Still Here
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?
I'm still around, recovering from an overnight road trip to New York and the Eagles' disappointment this evening.
I'm encouraging my friend Maureen to join me in posting on this site. I think she will, and soon.
By way of introduction, some slightly out-of-date pictures of her can be seen through the link above. Here's what I think of her: she's pretty (see above), kind, funny, smart (if unconfident), charming, popular, athletic, warm, supposedly 'liberal,' and, best of all, my friend. I hope any friends, family members and readers will encourage her to post.
Things may get more interesting around here soon!
January 15, 2004
You Can't Always Get What You Want...
In case you haven't seen the post, “Allah” will probably make you laugh out loud tonight. (Adult language warning, though.) Excerpt:
Our boy, Big Wes? He's nuts. Not a little nuts. Not “Kucinich nuts.” I mean NUTS. As in, he's holding strategy sessions with stuffed animals. As in, he's a little too interested in pancakes.
It worked for me, anyway.
January 14, 2004
January 12, 2004
Random Blog #10
Weblog Name: The Yin Blog
Subtitle/Tagline: Random thoughts on law, politics, game theory, sports, books, television shows, and movies.
Focus: Law
Author: Tung Yin
Blogger Occupation: Law Professor
Blogger Location: Iowa
Ecosystem Rank: Marauding Marsupial
TTLBBE Unique Inbound Links: 67
Average Daily Visits: 297
Last Post: January 12, 2004
Posting Frequency: 1.92 posts/day
Blog Age: 11.0 months
First on Blogroll: Stephen Bainbridge
Blogroll Organization: Unknown
Comments Allowed: Yes
Selected Post: Supreme Court takes the Hamdi case
Excerpt:
This case, contrasted with the Gitmo detainees (also up before the Court), strikes me as the sort of area most susceptible to a Justice O'Connor kind of balancing test, with the Gitmo detainees getting no right to counsel and no access to counsel, but Hamdi getting access to counsel and to an Article III court. The usual argument against giving wartime enemies access to counsel and courts boils down to one of logistics and practicalities: we simply could not and would not have given every Japanese and German POW or detainee a lawyer during World War II to litigate the legality of detention. There would have been too many POWs. But the number of U.S. citizens who fight for the enemy in a war is likely to be much much smaller, and hence it might be workable to give them attorneys and some right to a federal court. This is consistent with Ex Parte Quirin, the German saboteurs case; one of the eight was a U.S. citizen. All eight were tried and convicted in a military tribunal (they had counsel), but they all managed to file a habeas petition seeking review by the Supreme Court. Thus, that U.S. citizen, who fought on the side of Germany, did have counsel and access to a federal court (however limited).
Bonus Link: A Pete Rose Autograph Story
Comment: This is an interesting and eclecting blog containing posts on, among other topics, law, politics and sports.
As of: January 12, 2004
You Call This Back?
Wow, four posts in December, and two so far in January. Perhaps calling myself "back" was premature -- I've become the Blogging Sloth. Well, it's been an interesting couple of months mostly away from the digital world. I hadn't really expected it, but I now realize that posting develops a rhythm of its own, one which I hope to regain.
I have partially written updates to the Blogs around the World and Blogs around the U.S.A. projects in the works, and hope to complete and post them soon. I also intend to clean up and perhaps even attempt organize my blogroll. In addition, I hope to continue the Random Blogs series of posts, which at least I find enjoyable.
So, things should pick up around here soon. Thanks to anyone who has visited, and I hope you will continue to do so.
January 09, 2004
Is It Worth It?
On The Mesopotamian, Alaa attempts to answer this question:
Why should the U.S. and Allies go to all this trouble to implement this plan in our country, and is it worth it really?
Here's part of his answer:
The entire region will succumb and fall into the basket like a ripe fruit once the dust settles and the benefits begin to materialize and they will, have no doubt. The main thing is that this neo-imperialism is quite different from the old. Rather than aiming at subjugating and enslaving people it aims at freeing and raising their standard so that they may be eligible to join the family of civilized people. The tables are indeed turned (eloquent Lisa); almost every meaning is reversed. We should not be afraid of names. Occupation is liberation; Imperialism is benevolent; Resistance is sabotage and directed against the people and their livelihood and has no clear objective and no future; The Right is revolutionary and the Left is reactionary; The Conservatives of yesterday are the optimists who believe in the ability of eastern people for freedom and democracy and the Liberals and Leftists of yesterday are pessimistic and skeptical and even racist about it; and we could go on and on citing this remarkable reversal of things.
It's a remarkable and eloquent essay that I hope everyone will read. It also makes a nice companion to this essay by the ever-eloquent Victor Davis Hanson on NRO today. Excerpt:
Downsizing in Europe, seeing a wall rise on Israel's border, and trying to create democracy in places like Afghanistan and Iraq are not pleasant, easy solutions. Indeed, such tough efforts to end the familiar status quo will prompt greater outrage. Expect more adolescent "I hate Bush" articles, gloomy, end-of-the-world scenarios in the New York Review of Books, and hysterical appearances from an array of ex-NATO apparatchiks, worried former Saudi ambassadors, out-of-work Clinton State Department "crisis-managers," and frowning Washington insiders. Anticipate also more invective about "neoconservatives," "unilateralism," "ideologically driven policy," "hegemony," "squandered good will" — and all the other meaningless buzz words and third-hand catch-phrases that now are regurgitated daily in lieu of thoughtful analysis.Yet in truth we are witnessing a radical change in the world's landscape, a much-needed honesty that will soon curtail both the deceitful rhetoric and hypocritical behavior that have insidiously warped us all in the West during the last 20 years.
Read 'em both.
