Daniel Pipes at NRO spotted this amazing paragraph from an English History book.

Until August 1914 a sensible, law-abiding Englishman could pass through life and hardly notice the existence of the state, beyond the post office and the policeman. He could live where he liked and as he liked. He had no official number or identity card. He could travel abroad or leave his country for ever without a passport or any sort of official permission. He could exchange his money for any other currency without restriction or limit. He could buy goods from any country in the world on the same terms as he bought goods at home. For that matter, a foreigner could spend his life in this country without permit and without informing the police. Unlike the countries of the European continent, the state did not require its citizens to perform military service. An Englishman could enlist, if he chose, in the regular army, the navy, or the territorials. He could also ignore, if he chose, the demands of national defence. Substantial householders were occasionally called on for jury service. Otherwise, only those helped the state who wished to do so. The Englishman paid taxes on a modest scale: nearly £200 million in 1913-14, or rather less than 8% of the national income. ... broadly speaking, the state acted only to help those who could not help themselves. It left the adult citizen alone.

You might say there's been a lot of ... progress since then! (get it? progress, progressives? oh, I slay myself!)

Posted by: Open Blogger at 07:56 AM | Comments (172)
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TITLE CARD:
Thanks, Doctor-Senator Coburn!

CAPTION:
Based on a true story.

FADE IN:
INTERIOR -- WHITE HOUSE OFFICE

EXTREME CLOSEUPS ON TWO MEN. Both are seated, but leaning toward each other aggressively.

CAMERA STAYS TIGHT ON THEIR FACES, throughout.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: "I demand a clean debt ceiling hike."

SPEAKER BOEHNER: "Unacceptable; we're not writing you a blank check. The public wants us to get spending under control."

OBAMA: "Alright, how does $2 billion in cuts sound? Oh, and I'm going to claim credit for the spending cuts idea."

BOEHNER: "$2 billion? You can't possibly be serious."

OBAMA: "Oh, and I also demand that we raise taxes. But you can have credit for that."

BOEHNER: "You aren't serious at all, are you?"

OBAMA: "It's a dealbreaker. And if you walk away now, I will blame the whole mess on you and the Republicans."

BOEHNER: (mutters to self) "We are so going to pwn your ass next year." (louder now) "Here's what's on the table. We agree to raise the debt ceiling in exchange for an equal amount cut from spending. Plus your tax increase. And, no, Republicans are not going to be taking credit for that, Mr. Forgotten Campaign Promise Not To Raise Taxes on the Middle Class. Now, let's talk numbers.

OBAMA: (wary) "What did you have in mind?"

BOEHNER: "We can see our way to reduce revenue at least $2.8 trillion relative to current law. But you'll get your $700 billion tax hike."

OBAMA: "That's acceptable."

BOEHNER: "Great, I'll take it to my people."

SUDDEN CAMERA CUT TO A THIRD PERSON. In the room, apparently, the whole time.

DOCTOR-SENATOR COBURN: "Actually, my people would accept $1.3 trillion tax hike."

OBAMA: (immediately to BOEHNER) "Let me be clear. Forget the deal we just talked about. Obviously the Republicans are more ready to accept higher taxes than you led me to believe. So the new deal will be to reduce revenue by at most $2.4 trillion relative to current law. And it'll be $1.1 trillion in new taxes."

BOEHNER: (seething) "You just agreed to at least a $2.8 trillion reduction."

OBAMA: (gloating) "That deal expired almost as soon as it came out of my mouth." (winks at COBURN)

BOEHNER: "Mr. President, this cannot work if you keep going back on your offers."

OBAMA: (practically dancing in his seat) "I know!"

BOEHNER STANDS AND WALKS OUT

FADE OUT

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 05:36 AM | Comments (302)
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Book megastore Borders closed up shop this week. It didn't break my heart -- Borders stores (which included the old Waldenbooks chain) were rarely a pleasure to shop in. Their stock was limited; their employees were usually surly, disconnected, and had little knowledge of the books they sold; and their stores were often cluttered and grubby. Even many professional writers, who have cause to mourn the death of the corner bookstore, don't seem to be all that put out by Borders' demise.

I've been an Amazon customer for years, but when I do buy books locally, I go to either a used-books place I know (for rare or hard-to-find stuff) or to Barnes and Noble. B&N has its issues, but it's still a fairly pleasant book-buying experience. My main beef with B&N is that their in-store stock often seems very shallow -- I'm used to having a vast catalog of books available to me via Amazon, and my reading tastes have become fairly eclectic over the years. Also, their markup on books (plus tax) often means I have to pay up to 20% more than I would for the same book from Amazon. (And paying $80 per year for Prime means I get all my books shipped for no extra cost.)

So, yeah -- I feel bad for the thousands of employees who are getting laid off (which is going to put an extra hurt on the economy), but Borders fell prey to market forces. This "creative destruction" is a necessary part of the economy, however painful it might be in the short term.

Speaking of Amazon, I got the books I mentioned last week in the mail -- Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India by Lawrence James and The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan by Yasmin Khan. I'll start reading them shortly, but first I have to finish Alan Guth's The Inflationary Universe. If you're into cosmology, in particular the history and development of the Big Bang theory, this book is required reading. Guth is a lively and entertaining writer (considering his main job is that of a physicist) and he keeps the equations to a minimum in his book. I wouldn't call it an easy book to read, but it's definitely approachable by non-specialist readers with an interest in science.

What's everyone else reading?

Posted by: Monty at 05:21 AM | Comments (121)
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"Anyone who thinks the art of conversation is dead ought to tell a child to go to bed." -- Robert C. Gallagher

Posted by: Monty at 05:03 AM | Comments (64)
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Well, well, well my dear pretties. Here we are with me your veritable journeyman AOSHQ purveyor, posting on behalf of Maetenloch, while Maet basks in the permafrosted vacation land, somewhere North of Bolungavik. I can give you Maet's lattitude (65 degrees El Norte) but giving you the longitude, well, that's just too personal. When's the last time you gave out your longitude?

Moving right along, let's test a few things out shall we? Let's test some of the controls here, I wanna make sure we are all tuned up, so to speak.

So if you have had enough of the, "hey if we take in $2 Trillion and spend $6 Trillion, but it's all good" schtick from the besotted brainiacs of Dem, stick around and partake in some blog free basing... I can't promise you will learn anything, but hey, it sure beats cleaning out the garage or watching a PBS pledge drive. So C'mon, sit back relax and let it roll.

Oh, and by the way, we will be heavy on the pictures tonight. A friend of mine the intrepid poli-blogger, Stacy McCain taught me a few things along the way, to wit, get the photos up early baby, and may they be many and easy on the eyes!

I hear Algore is selling em.
more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:13 PM | Comments (889)
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It's really about time.

"Walter Reed is closing its doors on the 15th of September permanently after 102 years of service to the nation. For many of the staff members, it's like losing your favorite uncle," said Colonel Norvell Coots, calling the facility a national "icon."

The closure is part of a reorganization of the country's military medical services in the US capital approved in 2005, two years before a scandal that damaged the reputation of the famed hospital.

In February 2007, the Washington Post revealed that wounded soldiers, including amputees, treated at Walter Reed suffered from bureaucratic neglect and often wretched conditions.

The revelations led to the sacking of the head of the hospital and the then army secretary, Francis Harvey.

As with many things held dear by Washington, Walter Reed AMC became a morass. It was neglected, inefficient, and yet still a primary care center for the wounded warrior. They deserve our best. If a facility cannot provide that because of age or decay, then move on and make the mission successful. It's an important mission.

We'd be remiss if we didn't thank the good men and women who served there over the years, carrying out that mission.

Well done, and thank you.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 05:05 PM | Comments (23)
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His route to redemption, I think, consists of claiming he had a nervous breakdown or something last Thanksgiving when this allegedly happened. Eventually I guess he'll pronounce himself all better now.

The unidentified teenager and her family did not file any criminal complaint over the incident, which apparently took place sometime around last Thanksgiving.

...

“This is very serious, and I have absolutely no desire to bring unwanted publicity, attention or stress to a young woman and her family,” Wu said.

And, as usual, I show my compassion for this poor young girl by refusing to speak further about it.

Didn't Weiner pull that? Yes he did.

The Oregonian reported the person involved graduated from high school in 2010 but did not mention her age. She and her family declined to speak to the newspaper.

Wu, who is being treated for an unspecified mental health condition, is separated from his wife Michelle and the couple reportedly is seeking a divorce. They have two children.

He has a history of oddness, including an old charge of sexual assault on a girlfriend back in his college days. But more recently was this:

n February 2011, Willamette Week[10] and later The Oregonian reported that in the runup to the November 2010 election, Wu began behaving erratically and that staffers "demanded he enter a hospital for psychiatric treatment."[11] The erratic behavior that triggered the staff's departure was reported to be no single incident but rather a pattern of behavior that included Wu's emailing his staff photos of himself in a tiger suit.[12]

Here's that picture:

You could just blow this off as a silly joke, but those closest to him interpreted it as deranged behavior, and they'd have the proper context to make that call.

After Wu won re-election, at least six of his staffers left, including his longtime chief of staff and his communications director.[13] In a statement, Wu acknowledged he has sought "professional medical care" and attributed the problems to the stress of being a single father, the death of his father, and his political campaign.[11] The Oregonian has reported that a campaign contributor gave Wu a prescription painkiller, identified by the staffer present as oxycodone to help alleviate an episode of severe neck pain.[14] Willamette Week quoted the donor as saying the pills were ibuprofen.[15] Wu has admitted taking the painkiller, saying that it was an act of bad judgment, but claiming that he does not know what it was.[16]

I remember in the run-up to 2010, a commenter was pushing the race in Oregon's first district (Wu's), suggesting we could get this guy out of office.

Well, that challenged failed. Who knows what happens next, though. He represents Portland -- not exactly fertile ground for a Republican candidate -- but has already picked up a Democratic challenger for the upcoming primary. I imagine he'll resign before then.

Posted by: Ace at 04:27 PM | Comments (139)
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Neat. (Better Link to Danger Room.)

Posted by: Ace at 02:55 PM | Comments (113)
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Neat.

Posted by: Ace at 02:55 PM | Comments (14)
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I don't like calling him "right wing" and honestly he's not what I think of as "right wing." But he'll be branded as such, of course.

A "Templar."

"Marxist Hunter"

It is about more than twelve minutes long video, which Behring Brevik compare themselves with Knights, and encourage a year-long war against Marxism and Islamism.

He has also published a manuscript of 1,500 pages which he explains very extreme political views. In addition, he describes in detail how an attack to be carried out. Everything from the use of the car bomb of the type of equipment to be used in an attack.

On an image that has not previously been known pose the seemingly Anders Behring Breivik in a diving suit with what looks like an automatic rifle. On his shoulder he has a badge that says "Marxist Hunter."

In the document, which is over 1500 pages the author elaborates on events throughout history and will repeatedly return to the Knights Templar, or Knights Templar as they say in English.

Today, the Knights Templar, an order within the Masonic movement, which also Anders Behring Breivik was a member of. He will now be excluded from the Masonic Order.

...

He signed with the title Justicia Knight Commander, Knights Templar Europe, the Knights Templar Norway.

He killed at least 92 people. Only seven were killed in the bomb blast. On the island of Utoya, he walked around for an hour (?!?) shooting people. Killing 85.

Posted by: Ace at 01:35 PM | Comments (391)
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