Dude, I think I can totally pull a 360 in this completely unsecured metal pipe! Pipes aren't the right shape to roll or anything, right? That's rectangular prisms, isn't it?

Posted by: Ace at 11:13 AM | Comments (15)
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But after students and some faculty object, he gets to have his say.

"I didn't understand the problem with having the actual troops come and speak," said Katelyn Hancock, a student who helped to organize the event. "We can have Michael Moore come and speak on campus, but the troops can't come?"

The short, quick and dirty answer is "Thats right."

A longer, more thoughtful answer is "That's precisely right."

CJ again.

Posted by: Ace at 11:05 AM | Comments (80)
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Journalism.

Whites are more, not less, likely to be given "summosnes" (sic) by cops, and more cops were found to hassle whites than originally reported.

Other than that, the article is perfectly accurate, though we await a response from "them Hispanic people."

Thanks to CJ.

Posted by: Ace at 11:00 AM | Comments (12)
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It's not Maggie kicking the coal unions. But it's a start.

Competition requires that you, what's the word?

Compete.

Yes, that's it.

Don't even get me started about f'n' Bastille Day.

Posted by: Dave In Texas at 09:38 AM | Comments (20)
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On the whole debate kerfuffle, if you're not sick of it all yet.
For me the whole thing boils down to not whose ox is getting gored, but what the elemental purpose of these exercises is.

The purpose of these debates is for the candidates to identify themselves to the public. Not just to showcase their bullshit parrying skills, but also to articulate their platforms and plans.

The purpose of these debates is to assist VOTERS- partisans and leaners- in accurately choosing a favorite to represent themselves in the general election.

The Democrat candidates and voters are being afforded the full substantive benefit of this process.

The Republican candidates and voters are being denied the benefits of the debate process.

Utterly denied. How can a candidate distinguish himself among his competitors when outside people are deliberately subverting the debate process until it is a sideshow conveying nothing but irrelevant information?

He can't. FY, NQ.
Thanks to Sharkman for the new battle cry.

UPDATE: Found this little nugget from fulldroolcup among the scorching comments in Gabe's last post on the subject.

Here is exactly what Bohrman said on topic in the story, just a few days ago:
"This debate is to let Republican voters pick from among their eight candidates,"said David Bohrman, Washington bureau chief and senior vice president for CNN. [emphasis fulldroolcup's]"We are trying to focus mostly on questions where there are differences among these candidates."
Bohrman also told "The Caucus (ht: ProteinWisdom)," the blogger for the New York Times that they would weed out any "gotcha" questions."

(As an aside, the correct answer to the Confederate Flag question is "Sir, I am not running for Governor of Georgia. Fly the flag, don't fly the flag, honestly, most Americans see this as a regional controversy best left to individuals and States. Fuck You, Next Question.")

Posted by: LauraW. at 09:03 AM | Comments (111)
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We hear a lot about the need for ‘political progress’ in Iraq but what most critics of US efforts in Iraq mean when they say that is really a list of items congressional Democrats insisted the administration come up with. Sometimes societies make progress in ways unplanned by people half a world away.

The Tank at NRO has what looks like a pretty big story about reconciliation in Iraq that has gotten zero play in the media (shocking, I know).

Leading Shiite cleric in Iraq Ali Sistani Tuesday banned the killing of Iraqis, particularly the Sunnis, and urged the Shiites to protect their brother Sunnis.

Sistani bans the Iraqi blood in general the blood of Sunnis in particular. His announcement came during a meeting with a delegation from Sunni clerics from southern and northern Iraq. The clerics are visiting Najaf to participate in the first national conference for Ulemaa of Shiites and Sunnis.

Sistani called on the Shiites to protect their Sunni brothers, according to Sheikh Khaled Al-Mulla, head of the authority of Ulemaa of Southern Iraq, noting that the Fatwa of Sistani would have positive impacts nationwide.

"I am a servant of all Iraqis, there is no difference between a Sunni, a Shitte or a Kurd or a Christian," Al-Mulla quoted Sistani as saying during the meeting.

The link to The Tank has more on the story and the importance of Sistani’s statement.

I am sure that the advocates of surrender will claim that this isn’t political progress since the government didn’t do it. The fact is, one of the most important elements of any national political process is delegitimizing the idea that it’s okay to kill your neighbor for religious or any other reason.

I’m sure the left is busy packing up the goal posts for another trip across the field as we speak.

Posted by: DrewM. at 08:04 AM | Comments (13)
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We hear a lot about the need for ‘political progress’ in Iraq but what most critics of US efforts in Iraq mean when they say that is really a list of items congressional Democrats insisted the administration come up with. Sometimes societies make progress in ways unplanned by people half a world away.

The Tank at NRO has what looks like a pretty big story about reconciliation in Iraq that has gotten zero play in the media (shocking, I know).

Leading Shiite cleric in Iraq Ali Sistani Tuesday banned the killing of Iraqis, particularly the Sunnis, and urged the Shiites to protect their brother Sunnis.

Sistani bans the Iraqi blood in general the blood of Sunnis in particular. His announcement came during a meeting with a delegation from Sunni clerics from southern and northern Iraq. The clerics are visiting Najaf to participate in the first national conference for Ulemaa of Shiites and Sunnis.

Sistani called on the Shiites to protect their Sunni brothers, according to Sheikh Khaled Al-Mulla, head of the authority of Ulemaa of Southern Iraq, noting that the Fatwa of Sistani would have positive impacts nationwide.

"I am a servant of all Iraqis, there is no difference between a Sunni, a Shitte or a Kurd or a Christian," Al-Mulla quoted Sistani as saying during the meeting.

The link to The Tank has more on the story and the importance of SistaniÂ’s statement.

I am sure that the advocates of surrender will claim that this isnÂ’t political progress since the government didnÂ’t do it. The fact is, one of the most important elements of any national political process is delegitimizing the idea that itÂ’s okay to kill your neighbor for religious or any other reason.

IÂ’m sure the left is busy packing up the goal posts for another trip across the field as we speak.

Posted by: DrewM at 08:04 AM | Comments (26)
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Want to turn a bunch of unwashed grunge band wannabees and indie radio hotshots into supporters of supply side theory? It's simple enough just just raise the royalty rates on songs played on internet radio by about 300%. Suddenly when the shoe is on the other [stinky] foot, people who have disdained the laffer curve and supply side economics as only helping make the rich richer when applied to tax cuts are full on supporters of its miraculous economic power to increase revenues by keeping prices lower.

more...

Posted by: Open Blog at 07:13 AM | Comments (17)
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After taking far too many trips down to NYC to scout apartments I finally took one. I'm moving down there Saturday.

And I haven't packed a damn thing.

So Friday is going to be somewhat light for me on blogging, and by light, I think I mean "nonexistent."

Open Blog, I guess. If you want.

Posted by: Ace at 10:00 PM | Comments (58)
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Cute:

Regarding the “plant”, retired Brig. Gen. Keith H. Kerr, that you sent to ask me the question at the CNN-YouTube debate last night in Florida …

Send more!!!

Merry Christmas,
Duncan Hunter

Peggy Noonan agrees, and celebrates the tough questions from obvious Republican partisans in the Democratic You Tube debate:

I will never forget that breathtaking moment when, in the CNN/YouTube debate earlier this fall, the woman from Ohio held up a picture and said, "Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama, Mr. Edwards, this is a human fetus. Given a few more months, it will be a baby you could hold in your arms. You all say you're 'for the children.' I would ask you to look America in the eye and tell us how you can support laws to end this life. Thank you."

They were momentarily nonplussed, then awkwardly struggled to answer, to regain lost high ground. One of them, John Edwards I think, finally criticizing the woman for being "manipulative," using "hot images" and indulging in "the politics of personal destruction." The woman then stood in the audience for her follow up. "I beg your pardon, but the literal politics of personal destruction--of destroying a person--is what you stand for."

Oh, I wish I weren't about to say, "Wait, that didn't happen." For of course it did not. Who of our media masters would allow a question so piercing on such a painful and politically incorrect subject?

I thought of this the other night when citizens who turned out to be partisans for Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama and Mr. Edwards asked the Republicans, in debate, would Jesus support the death penalty, do you believe every word of the Bible, and what does the Confederate flag mean to you?

PS: It is of course perfectly absurd to speculate that the media would be so unprofessional as to allow hardcore partisan feelings to infect their news judgment.

Thanks to CJ.

PPS: Yes, Jones, I know the question was never asked. That's the point of her remark. I didn't think I should spoil the fun right away but instead chose to play around.

Catch up, people. I won't be slowed down by laggards and goldbrickers.

Posted by: Ace at 09:46 PM | Comments (55)
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