Eh. Par for the course.

I'm a big fan of The Spanish Prisoner, and I never tire of finding situations to which this quote seems to apply:

“I think you’ll find if what you’ve done is as valuable as you say it is -- if they are indebted to you morally, but not legally -- my experience is they will give you nothing. [Pause] And they will begin to act cruelly toward you.”

-- “Why?”

“To suppress their guilt.”

-- Jimmy Dell to Joe Ross, "The Spanish Prisoner"

A weird thing. Many European nations either killed or allowed to be killed 6 million Jews, and yet they act cruelly towards them to this day. What else can explain it but the refusual to honor a moral obligation by making the obligee the villain, thus discharging the debt via a bit of moral jui-jitsu?

Related: More sophisticated Europeans beat the hell out of cops at a stupid soccer game.

Funny how when Europeans are comparing themselves to their barbaric American brothers, they always have in mind the elite-school media class and not the hoi polloi.

Posted by: Ace at 02:22 PM | Comments (23)
Post contains 201 words, total size 1 kb.

I hope everyone realizes that I strongly oppose the decision to euthanize Terri Schiavo in absence of her clear, unambiguous declaration of her wishes to be put to death, and to leave this decision in the hands of a what is effectively an ex-husband looking to marry his new hootchie.

But.

We live in a society of laws. We live in a democracy. There are certain laws or rulings that we conservatives don't like, but that does not, I think, give us the moral right to break them. As I've analogized before-- there are laws and rulings that leftists don't like; do conservatives grant lefties the right to break laws or commit violence simply because the lefties feel compelled to do so by their consciences?

It cannot be the case that conservatives are permitted to break the law if their conscience so dictates but leftists are required to observe the law. (And, as I've pointed out previously, the converse is obviously true as well.)

Obviously society has come to tolerate peaceful, and even not so peaceful, protests which are in fact technically illegal. But beyond creating nuisances for the police or commuters? I don't know if I'm prepared to say that I support conscience-based vigilatism.

Terri Schiavo is being euthanized. The court decision was senseless and borderline barbaric. The Florida legislature, the elected representative body with the inarguable power to change the law to protect Terri, declined to do so.

The courts have spoken. That doesn't mean they're right. But it does mean, alas, that that is the current state of the law. And the legislature has also spoken-- through its silence.

Should the law be broken on occasion? I suppose it should. But those who break the law in order to vindicate a deeply-held political belief must also ask what such law-breaking does to other important political beliefs-- beliefs like respect for the law, for civil society generally, and for democracy itself.

I grow weary of columns like this arguing that Governor Jeb Bush is duty-bound to break the actual law to vindicate a higher moral law.

The Florida state constitution declares unequivocally that in the state of Florida "the supreme executive power shall be vested in a governor Â… ." The word supreme means highest in authority. There can be no executive authority in the state of Florida higher than the governor. No state law can create an executive authority higher than highest in the Florida constitution. Therefore no court order based upon such a law can constitutionally create such an authority.

Idiotic. In the first paragraph alone he discards the whole checks-and-balance system of government and argues, in effect, for an absolute monarchy.

We conservatives say, correctly, that judges are not empowered by the constitution to make law.

You know who else isn't empowered to make law? The executive branch (yeah, it's allowed to promulgate "regulations" in a loosey-goosey constitutional gloss on the word "law").

But: I don't see how we can say this branch, unauthorized to make its own law by the constitution, should not do so, but this other branch, which we like better but which is also not authorized to make law, should be allowed to make up and enforce the law as it so chooses... when it suits us.

If the governor tells the local police in Pinellas County to step aside, they must do so, or else be arrested and tried for an assault on the government of the state, which is to say insurrection.

An argument can be made that he's kinda-sorta right, in the sense that police are generally under the authority of the executive... but they're also sort of under the authority of the courts, as any of us might find ourselves, when they are subject to a lawful (though moronic) court ruling.

But "insurrection"? Are you kidding me?

One of the reasons I got turned off to Free Republic was the constant praise of this preening jackass.

...

The governor of Florida cannot be obliged to enforce unconstitutional edicts, nor can he be faulted for acting to stop an evident violation of the constitution. In his oath as governor he swore to "support, protect and defend the Constitution and government of the United States and of the state of Florida."

He argues, or rather asserts without much real evidence, that the ruling in question is "unconstitutional." And by doing so he commits the same error that millions of liberals and lefties and judges do: mistakenly believing that "unconstitutional" means "something I don't personally agree with."

I could go on. I won't. Call me a statist, but I think it's dangerous business to start advocating on behalf of virtually unrestrained executive power.

For starters: what the hell do we do if Hillary! is elected President? I don't know about you, but I'm not about to start just reversing myself on these issues, the way liberals do, depending on which party is in power. It can't be the case that conservatives have unlimited executive power and yet liberal executives are limited by the courts and legislatures when they disagree.

I hate this guy.

I've seen other articles like this. I meant to link one last night... but I didn't. I didn't want to start what I thought would be an enormous row.

But I guess it's something that has to be discussed. What, precisely, are the limits of "conscience"?

To Answer My Own Question With Another Question Update: Is Alan Keyes a huckster or a maniac?

Well-- can't he be both?

Related-- Verdict Tossed Out Because Jurors Brought Bible Verses Into Their Deliberations: Sorry, I agree with this ruling 110%.

The law says you examine the evidence and arguments presented to you at trial. You are not allowed to begin hunting for your own evidence and arguments. Even if it's the Bible.

Render unto Caesar.

Posted by: Ace at 01:56 PM | Comments (74)
Post contains 985 words, total size 6 kb.

Major Loose Shit: This firefight occurred LAST Easter; it was republished from May 16, 2004. Sorry; I missed that completely.

The media must have missed this at the time too, because I never heard a word about it, and of course I was reading news. And blogging about it.

Anyway, still a kick-ass story.

Also, the guy wasn't a Marine. He was an army soldier. And a reservist to boot.

Back to orginal post:

I may have my facts wrong (as usual), but I think I recall S.L.A. Marshall noting that amidst the trained soldiers are born warriors, and those born warriors, maybe ten percent of a unit, inflict something like 50% of all casualties on the enemy.

Spec. Timmy Haag of South Glens Falls, N.Y., would seem to be one of those one-in-ten Decimators:

he truck carrying Haag and 13 other members of his platoon was roughly 100 yards past a mosque flying the fedayeen flag. An RPG slammed into the left side, killing 21-year-old Pfc. Nathan Brown of South Glens Falls.

...

Haag had begun returning fire with his SAW machine gun from the first moments after the blast.

"First thing he did was stand up on the driver's side," Mechanick recalled. "He saw a couple of enemy soldiers. He suppressed them, killing two or three immediately."

Mechanick is a Staff Sergeant. He had his own show of bravery, but you'll have to click on the article for that. Fair use means I have to cut some stuff out.

Haag turned to the passenger side and suppressed the fire coming from that direction. He and fellow soldier James MacDonald then clambered down and fought their way down the line of vehicles to notify their commander their truck had been hit.

"Small arms fire, AK-47 and RPG," Mechanick recalled "Haag's just running though it and as he's running he's shooting, killing people."

Haag and MacDonald passed four alleys, each of which had between six and 15 enemies armed with automatic weapons and RPGs. Haag is said to have shot them all.

"Timmy Haag was phenomenal," Mechanick said. "When the firefight happened, Timmy Haag was the man."

...

Mechanick had numerous other wounds and he was pale and short of breath from the loss of blood. Haag kept calling to him and nudging him with his boot as he fired.

"He knew I was going to sleep, and if you go to sleep you don't ever wake up," Mechanick said. "He's shooting at the enemy, kicking me, shooting at the enemy, kicking me: 'Sgt. Mechanick, don't you go to sleep.' Shoot a couple of rounds. Kick me. 'Sgt. Mechanick, don't you go to sleep.'"

Ummm... that's multitasking.

Two roadside bombs went off close enough to lift the truck off the ground. Haag spotted an Iraqi fleeing a courtyard, detonator still in hand. Haag cut the bomber in half and kept firing, by one estimate 1,500 rounds in all.

Easter Sunday, by the way.

Top Ten Signs That Specialist Timothy Haag Is On Fuckin' Fire

10. In the middle of the firefight, began deadlifting terrorists he'd wasted because he felt his "lats needed some toning"

9. At one point completed eight "PERFECT MORTALITY!" finishing moves in a row, thus unlocking the secret "Floating Dragon Pavillion" level and gaining the Lightning Gun

8. Just for shits and giggles, used one terrorist as a human shield while simultaenously fucking him up the ass; not in a gay way, of course, but like a Viking

7. Compelled one terrorist to surrender just by quoting Rodney Dangerfield's Caddyshack lines in a "very hurtful" tone of voice

6. By personal appointment by President Bush, will travel to London as special envoy to request that Madonna "Shut the fuck up already"

5. Promoted on the battlefield to newly-created rank of "MuadÂ’Dib"

4. Left-for-dead terrorists could speak nothing but gibberish and the enigmatic name "Keyser Sose... Keyser Sose!"

3. Just awarded the Mr. Paul Anka Star With Cluster, with commendation "The Only Important One On That Machine-Gun"

2. By an incredible coincidence that leaves both military experts and movie buffs baffled, he looks just like this...

...and is fond of saying things like this, this, this, this,
and even this

...and the Number One Sign That Specialist Timothy Haag Is On Fuckin' Fire...

1. When his machine-gun ran out of ammo, he killed four terrorists in close-quarters combat armed with nothing but Bob Dole's cock

Pic of Ash and .wav's from Army of Darkness wavs.

Bonus Entry For Heroism Beyond the Call of Duty Update: Actually, this was on the original list, but that list got zapped and I had to reconstruct it from memory. I forgot about this one.

0. Audie Murphy's family gathered at the firefight to watch Dad's record get broken

The Purpose of this Repost: Check out the comment by "Viking Ghost" below.

Working out some stuff. More may follow. Fingers crossed.

Posted by: Ace at 12:22 PM | Comments (33)
Post contains 842 words, total size 6 kb.

It's the only call that made sense. Hugh Jackman's good, but he's pretty busy lately, and I don't think he's quite right for the role.

Now, look: I know all the ladies love Clive Owen. So just calm yourselves and refrain from squealing about Clive. Don't make me start banning my five female commenters.

We get it already. You dig really handsome men. No need to keep rubbin' it in.

Thank God we're finally rid of that stiff girlyman Pierce Brosnan. He was like Peter Jennings, except without all the anchortwit's palpable sexual menace.

Now they just have to think about maybe buying a decent script for the first time since For Your Eyes Only.

Posted by: Ace at 12:19 PM | Comments (58)
Post contains 135 words, total size 1 kb.

I think I posted this before, actually. But what the hell. Mentioning his anti-liberal but distressingly-civil blog again gives me the right to re-link the Top Ten Signs that Pat Sajak Is On Fuckin' Fire. Medium Content Warning.

Thanks to Chris.

Posted by: Ace at 12:02 PM | Comments (5)
Post contains 47 words, total size 1 kb.

Why wait for the rush? Parking is always such a hassle.

To borrow Kausfiles' awesome Grey-Davis-recall vote joke: Florida Democrats are also "increasingly confident" that Kerry won Florida in 2004.

Your Liberal Media

You gotta give us one thing-- we are, if nothing else, plucky optimists with a can-do spirit.

Correction: 2006, not 2008. Typo, I'm afraid.

But I'm proud to say, along with Dan Rather, that I get "most of this stuff" right.

Posted by: Ace at 11:32 AM | Comments (3)
Post contains 96 words, total size 1 kb.

Sure, he wore the sheets proudly, but he bashes Bush, so all is forgiven.

Dear MoveOn member,

I'm writing today about a senator who needs your urgent support. Senator Robert Byrd was one of the first senators I met with when I came to the Senate 3 months ago. Senator Byrd understands the history, the importance and the role Senate plays in our government--at 87 years old, he's the most senior senator.

He has spoken out passionately against a Bush foreign policy that has alienated our allies throughout the world. Today, he is fighting an attempt by Republicans to change the 200-year old rules of the Senate that would allow Republicans to ram federal judges through the Senate with no regard for what others might say. Above all, Robert Byrd understands just how sacred the Constitution of our country truly is and fights every day to protect it.

Now he needs our help. In 2006, Senator Byrd will be the target of Republicans because he stands up for what he believes.

I want to be sure Robert Byrd is here fighting for us in the Senate. Will you join me in supporting his campaign for re-election, before a critical deadline this Thursday?

You can give online at: [link deleted for obvious reasons; wouldn't want to run afoul of the FEC's rules on "donating" pixels to candidates]

I hope you will give generously to help send Robert Byrd back to the Senate for another term to fight for the Constitution and the freedom of speech we all enjoy.

...

Remember, in order to win back the Senate majority, we need Robert Byrd.

The work you do is extremely important--you and millions of others, working through MoveOn, have helped change the way politics works in this country. Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

PAID FOR BY MOVEON PAC
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

A grateful Robert Byrd thanked Barack Obama by saying, "You're one of the 'good ones,' I think... You're definitely 'mixed.' I'm pretty sure you're a quadroon or even an octaroon, which I'm sure you'll be glad to know I consider almost white. Almost."

Yeah... Obama's just as "moderate" as the typical Democrat dubbed "moderate" by the media. I guess he is moderate on that whole silly KKK fooferall.

In related news, Alan Derschowitz is asking people to help support David Irving's brave revelations about the so-called "Holocaust."

Posted by: Ace at 11:18 AM | Comments (33)
Post contains 400 words, total size 2 kb.

I kinda-sorta own an iPod, but I haven't bothered to program it. I guess I just haven't cared about music all that much since Letters to Clio disbanded.

Here and Now kicks ass. I don't care if it was featured prominently on Melrose Place.

Anyway, Slublog wants bloggers to share their playlists, or at least the top of their playlist. I don't know if he wants the full thousand songs.

Send him your playlists! I know Alarming News has posted her list in the past, too.

And, if you like, feel free to share your playlists in the comments, so everyone can make fun of you for still thinking that Hall & Oates' Adult Education has a really funky, edgy beat.

Copyright Infringement Blegging: If anyone has Here and Now, could ya like send it to me? I mean, I own the album, of course, and therefore have full legal rights to make one copy for my own enjoyment, but I'm too lazy to make a copy.

I just realized it's a crime to ask for such a thing on a blog. So I retract the request.

Unfortunately I made this realization just after some damn scofflaw whom I will not name sent me the song. But I assure you all I deleted it immediately, realizing it was wrong, wrong, wrong.

Wouldn't want to run afoul of the Democratic Party/Hollywood/Music Industry "Iron Triangle."

More Scofflaws! Stop sending me the song, you criminals! You dastards*! You fiends!

*Nope, not a mistake, for once. Look it up.

Related! Dave from Garfield Ridge shares the soundtrack of his college years -- all the albums that made up the background music for book-learnin' and meth-parties.

I'm surprised how similar my list is... but what, no 98 Degrees? Loose shit.

Actually, his list isn't my college list. More like my post-college shiftless-drifter railroad-hobo years list.

It was all a bit of blur. I think at one point, though, I shared a cell with Robert Downey Junior. I'll never forgot the words of wisdom he imparted to me: "Hey, where can I get some smack?"

Posted by: Ace at 10:53 AM | Comments (27)
Post contains 357 words, total size 2 kb.

...if granted "relevant" legal protections, such as, I guess, not getting Ceausescu'd:

During an interview with Russia's state-run Channel One television, Akayev was asked whether he was prepared to step down early.

"Of course, of course," he said. "If I am given the relevant guarantees and if it is in full accordance with the current legislation of Kyrgyzstan."

The statement contrasted sharply with comments Akayev made earlier in the day. In an interview on Moscow's Ekho Moskvy radio, Akayev confirmed he was in Russia, outside Moscow, and said he was not planning to resign.

...

There was no immediate explanation for the differing statements.

Kyrgyzstan is really letting us down on the Protest Babes, so I've drafted Kim Richards to help out the cause.

more...

Posted by: Ace at 10:44 AM | Comments (4)
Post contains 172 words, total size 1 kb.

Wow. I did not see this coming.

College faculties, long assumed to be a liberal bastion, lean further to the left than even the most conspiratorial conservatives might have imagined, a new study says.

By their own description, 72 percent of those teaching at American universities and colleges are liberal and 15 percent are conservative, says the study being published this week. The imbalance is almost as striking in partisan terms, with 50 percent of the faculty members surveyed identifying themselves as Democrats and 11 percent as Republicans.

The disparity is even more pronounced at the most elite schools, where, according to the study, 87 percent of faculty are liberal and 13 percent are conservative.

"What's most striking is how few conservatives there are in any field," said Robert Lichter, a professor at George Mason University and a co-author of the study. "There was no field we studied in which there were more conservatives than liberals or more Republicans than Democrats. It's a very homogenous environment, not just in the places you'd expect to be dominated by liberals."

This jaw-dropping study also concluded, controversially, that 96% of all men enjoy barbecued ribs and/or oral sex and/or both simultaneously.

Posted by: Ace at 10:37 AM | Comments (14)
Post contains 214 words, total size 1 kb.