Maggie's Farm

With the Dylanologist on vacation, covering the fruited plains of the USA from NY to DC to Nashville to LA, I will fill in with my selection for the Thursday Dylan lyrics, Idiot Wind, from the masterpiece Blood on the Tracks:

Someone's got it in for me, they're planting stories in the press Whoever it is I wish they'd cut it out but when they will I can only guess. They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy, She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me. I can't help it if I'm lucky. People see me all the time and they just can't remember how to act Their minds are filled with big ideas, images and distorted facts. Even you, yesterday you had to ask me where it was at, I couldn't believe after all these years, you didn't know me better than that Sweet lady. Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your mouth, Blowing down the backroads headin' south. Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth, You're an idiot, babe. It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe. I ran into the fortune-teller, who said beware of lightning that might strike I haven't known peace and quiet for so long I can't remember what it's like. There's a lone soldier on the cross, smoke pourin' out of a boxcar door, You didn't know it, you didn't think it could be done, in the final end he won the wars After losin' every battle. I woke up on the roadside, daydreamin' 'bout the way things sometimes are Visions of your chestnut mare shoot through my head and are makin' me see stars. You hurt the ones that I love best and cover up the truth with lies. One day you'll be in the ditch, flies buzzin' around your eyes, Blood on your saddle. Idiot wind, blowing through the flowers on your tomb, Blowing through the curtains in your room. Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth, You're an idiot, babe. It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe. It was gravity which pulled us down and destiny which broke us apart You tamed the lion in my cage but it just wasn't enough to change my heart. Now everything's a little upside down, as a matter of fact the wheels have stopped, What's good is bad, what's bad is good, you'll find out when you reach the top You're on the bottom. I noticed at the ceremony, your corrupt ways had finally made you blind I can't remember your face anymore, your mouth has changed, your eyes don't look into mine. The priest wore black on the seventh day and sat stone-faced while the building burned. I waited for you on the running boards, near the cypress trees, while the springtime turned Slowly into autumn. Idiot wind, blowing like a circle around my skull, From the Grand Coulee Dam to the Capitol. Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth, You're an idiot, babe. It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe. I can't feel you anymore, I can't even touch the books you've read Every time I crawl past your door, I been wishin' I was somebody else instead. Down the highway, down the tracks, down the road to ecstasy, I followed you beneath the stars, hounded by your memory And all your ragin' glory. I been double-crossed now for the very last time and now I'm finally free, I kissed goodbye the howling beast on the borderline which separated you from me. You'll never know the hurt I suffered nor the pain I rise above, And I'll never know the same about you, your holiness or your kind of love, And it makes me feel so sorry. Idiot wind, blowing through the buttons of our coats, Blowing through the letters that we wrote. Idiot wind, blowing through the dust upon our shelves, We're idiots, babe. It's a wonder we can even feed ourselves.

From Fisk himself, in the Guardian. One quote:

Terrorist, terrorist, terrorist. There is something perverse about all this, the slaughter and massive destruction and the self-righteous, constant, cancerous use of the word "terrorist".

Perhaps "knuckle-dragging Jihadist blood-thirsty power-mad fascist idiots" would capture the concept more accurately? Whole piece here. h/t, neoneo

When Dalrymple talks about criminality and addiction, you have to listen. He is an ex prison psychiatrist. He makes the case that opiate addiction is not a "disease," which therefore requires "treatment."

Is any great harm done by pretending that opiate addiction is a disease like any other? After all, a portion of mankind will always resort to mind- altering drugs to obscure the existential problems that confront us all. Certainly methadone when prescribed carelessly — as it is in Britain — is a dangerous drug, and can cause nearly as many deaths as heroin itself.

There is a more intangible harm, however, to the pretence: the existence of drug clinics sends a message to addicts that they are ill and in need of treatment rather than they have chosen a disastrous path in life. It conceals from people their responsibility for their own lives, a responsibility we all find irksome at times, but acceptance of which is the only basis of a meaningful life.

Although AA tends to term addiction a "disease," they approach it as a problem with the soul and the spirit, as does Dalrymple. Read the whole thing, which runs contrary to the usual pieties and victim mongering.

Comment from Dr. Bliss: I like Dalrymple very much. And I don't care whether you call addiction a disease or not - the concept has been so degraded that they call acne and PMS diseases these days. The implication that addicts are real, or latent, born criminals is not born out by my experience. Some are, some aren't. "Help" for them? Some require detox - that's a medical function. After that, AA is the best bet, unless they have other psychiatric problems. AA is the exact opposite of a government program.

Walmart wins, unions lose. Env Repub. Apparently there is a relevant law.

Is it now the Left that doesn't want change - or is that just an artifact of having Repubs in control of congress? Driscoll

The Duke group of 88 - who are these people? Dino found out. They are, umm, not "regular folks." Doubtless smarter than the rest of us.

"Why Stephen Harper is my hero." At YARGB

Leaving people to die on Everest usually makes sense. Big Lizard explains. Dying is a basic part of the sport. Like the military, don't do it if you aren't willing to die doing it. I have two friends who have lost relatives on mountains. The risk and challenge is the deal. You can chose to sit home and watch TV.

Someone else who wonders why an Israel cease-fire would be a good idea: Bolton. As the Wash. Times commentary puts it:

As Ben Stein recently put it, "God bless Eretz Israel. God bless Israel for having the [courage] to stand up for herself." But supporters of freedom and democracy must also say a prayer for President Bush, who has steadfastly stood up for Israel. He outright refuses to publicly ask Israel to stand down.
    As expected, France, Spain and Italy have responded to recent events with pacifist posturing. In the smoking rooms of Western Europe and around the coffee tables of the United Nations, we hear more lofty calls for restraint. But the terrorist groups that started this fight have shown no restraint. Rather than pull back, Israel should move forward, cleaning out all the terrorist sanctuaries, training camps, weapons caches and missile systems it can find.
    Remember, Israel pulled out of southern Lebanon and Gaza. Later, when terrorist gangs kidnapped Israeli soldiers, Israel appropriately fought back. That is what sovereign nations do, and Israel's recent military actions deserve our unyielding support. Israel has the right to put the terrorist armies of Hezbollah and Hamas out of business.

Krauthammer agrees.  So does Gingrich: Not the time for restraint. But, on the other hard, David Clark in The Guardian wants Israel to give up even more land...probably all of it. They will not:

It's high time western governments grasped the fundamental truth that Israel is pursuing an agenda that conflicts directly with their own. In the context of the fight against terrorism and the need to promote international cooperation, the west's interest must be to remove the Palestinian question as a source of grievance among mainstream Muslims in a way that guarantees justice for the Palestinians and security for Israel. A settlement of this kind is perfectly feasible and has been outlined in countless documents and initiatives over the years, most recently in the Geneva accords. But the main reason it has proved illusive is that Israel is not, and never has been, prepared to make the territorial compromises required. It still believes that it is entitled to the victor's spoils by annexing large tracts of Palestinian land.

That's a perfect example of a guy who preaches appeasement, and would be pleased to see Israel an Arab nation - but who is too naive, (maybe) to acknowledge that these people would just find another scapegoat for their mess.

New State Slogans. Two samples:

West Virginia
One Big Happy Family...Really! 

The District of Columbia
The Work-Free Drug Place 

Read the rest at Dr. Sanity

NYT reduced to begging for readers. Am Thinker

How Liberal is Joe Lieberman? Very. And I see Lamont cannot raise $ in CT. Calif Yank

What's wrong with "social justice?" FIRE

Who wants a cease fire? What for? Finish it, first. RWN

An important point reinforced at S, C and A: Being elected does give you some legitimacy, but it doesn't make you right.

From a new piece by Steyn, re Canada - and multi-cult in general:

That's how nations die -- not by war or conquest, but by a thousand trivial concessions, until one day you wake up and you don't need to sign a formal instrument of surrender because you did it piecemeal. How many Muslims in Toronto sympathize with the aims of those arrested last week? Maybe we could use a book on the subject. But which Canadian house would publish it? And would the faint-hearts at Indigo-Chapters carry it?

They have taken away Winston's cigar. Tangled Web

Why dealing with Islam is different from dealing with Marxism: Samiz

Tree dweller enviro will not come out of tree. Moonbattery

Brit Moslems approve of beheading. LGF

NYC stands with Israel. Atlas. So do we - whatever they want is OK with us.  "Left-wingers" in Israel protest self-defence. Why is it always "Left wingers"? We always thought that self-defence was a good thing, compared to suicide. Is it some special chemical they put in Starbucks coffee when a limo, or a time-warped jerk with a pony-tail, pulls up?  Also - Appeasement- Iran needed a diversion: Town Hall/ The Left in the western world supports terror. Period. Because they hate themselves. It is a disease.

Camp checklist: Bugspray - and your pills!!! NYT

Democracy Alliance outed. The multi-millionaire Limo Liberals, who cannot relate to the aspiring working guy like me, are up to their old tricks. The Prof. Is it some chemical in Starbucks, or does it just come with tax-protected money? The Soros-types never even talk to regular Americans - they leave that to their servants.

Ted Kennedy damns Lieberman as a "JFK Liberal." Perfect. Scrappledude

See the review of Dion at Powerline?

The Dangerous Book for Boys is on semi-permanent hold in the US, depite being a best-seller in Europe. I could have written this.

Where to live in the USA?  anywhere is good, and don't fall for the old geographical cure - but take the test.

Ahminejajbajbaj has had it with Israel's "terrorism". Ummm. HH

The Bombay bombings. Jihadists take "credit." Gateway. Also - they were funded by Brit "businessmen" - no ethnic identity noted. Highland Calvinists, no doubt, in kilts, with their single-malt whiskey wealth.

France's joie de vivre - where did it go? CSM/ Confiscatory taxes, and a total lack of work ethic, do not help. Nor does their "solidarity tax": Cafe Hayek. Solidarity with whom? Chirac? Or here: France Head-butts entrepreneurs.

More NYT in bed with the enemy. What amoral morons. Michelle. "Yo' momma never taught you right from wrong.."  Also, more at Villainous

Way to go, Dan. Dan Quayle walks out on Mellencamp.

More on Dems trying to harvest the "religious" voters. Got religion?  I suggest that they lean hard on the "render unto Caesar" line. That'll get 'em.

Bush will speak to NAACP. Good. He should bring a friend.

Good source of Israel war links at HH, and piece on the Iran Connection.

Somebody really HATES Kenny G: Synthstuff

Megachurches and the Repub party

ATLA wants to change their name. Lipstick on a pig.

The real names of rock stars. Ace. Bet you didn't know that Paul Revere and the Raiders real name was Paul Revere.

The CBS Egg story - too dumb.

Diversity is not strength in Lebanon. VDARE

Stop test-driving your girlfriend: A Christian view of wife selection/ h/t, Evangelical Outpost

Eager Dhimmis in Sweden. Unbelievable. I guess they hate themselves.

Culture wars and the Evangelical Christians. Middlebrow is right - they aren't trying to take over - they are fighting a holding action for traditional western civilization.

Hey teacher, leave them kids alone. 7years hard time for her. I guess it's against the law.

Tom Brokaw: Drives a Prius, bemoans global warming, owns a charter jet company. Tim Blair/ Gas for me but not for thee.

What Londonistan is up against: Daniel Pipes, h/t, Smart Christian

Lebanon was just about to get its tourism business back. From a piece in Travelwire:

Tourism is one of the major economic drivers in Lebanon, generating a significant revenue for the national income. In 2004, around 1.3 million tourists arrived reflecting a 26% from 2003. The numbers grew higher above the average regional rate of 20.5% in the Middle East region. Visitors count was impressive for a country so small in size and population. Of the 2004 total, 545,150 were Arab nationals, 338,475 North and Latin Americans, and
152,075 Europeans and Asians. Up till end of July 2005, the statistics office said the country received 422,000. Tourism Minister H.E. Joseph Sarkis was bent on topping last year’s growth rate, if not, reaching at least the 1 million mark the country has traditionally enjoyed since 2000 until February 14 when the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated.

Read the whole piece - a good update on the country in general.

Buying wine online: What's the future?  Bainbridge at TCS

Is the ABA's Diversity Standard legal? volokh

An amusing advt (beach video) for Israel vacations (maybe not this week, tho)

When the govt tells doctors how to treat their patients. DB

What did the NYT really do when they published the SWIFT story? Villainous Company

Post-modernism, deconstructionism, another wacko professor, and Israel. Sigmund, Carl and Alfred

Obesity and political correctness. Can a doctor tell a patient that they are "fat"? Of course. Like it's not obvious anyway.  Dr. Helen

Johnny Cash tops record charts. Here's a Johnny Cash website.

Does being wealthy make people Liberal? Then why do they love the inheritance taxes? View from 1776. At Maggie's, we oppose all inheritance taxes. We would like everyone and every family to have the chance to become free of relying on the government - whether that makes them liberal or conservative.

"The religious left that doesn't exist." In Britain. Asst Village Idiot. And in the US, the Dems go up against the Pope with their Religion of the State: Ankle Biting

Prostate Cancer: Does it always need to be treated? Many docs say No.

The Gay Sea Scouts, or The Black Sea Scouts, or the Hispanic Sea Scouts, or the Jewish Sea Scouts, would have no problem in Berkleley, but the real Sea Scouts have a real problem. Stop the ACLU

Dinosaurs in Alaska?  There were herds of them, due to global warming. Will they return if we warm it up again? Could be some exciting hunting. Nice head mounts.

More details on the Big Dig. Talk about sloppy execution. MassBackwards. Engineering details at Viking. Did I help pay for this boodoggle?

The consequences of gun confiscation in East Africa. Never take away people's right to self-defence. You take away their humanity. h/t, Barone And here is why: Dept of Righteous Shooting by Kim du Toit. My opinion? No responsible home should be unprotected by firearms.

More on Rove and La Rasa. "Shared values."

Lieberman update. Ex-Donk. I could almost support this Lefty guy, just because of the people behind his opposition.

Psychedelic drugs and religion. A new study. Yes, they make people more "spiritual," whatever that means.

Can you write the worst opening line for a novel? A contest.

The Bombay (Mumbai?) Bombings. Looks like Jihadists. Gateway

Fluffgate continues in MA: At Maggie's Farm, we support the basic and Constitutionally-guaranteed freedom to eat fluffernutter sandwiches if they wish. CSM  As we have noted, millions of otherwise normal Yankees have been raised successfully on this disgusting concoction, alternated with baloney sandwiches.

June Allyson died. Shelf

The Big Dig - more problems. We are reminded that Reagan tried to veto this boondoggle, but Ted Kennedy got it through.

Novak unravels the Valerie Plame kefuffle: Atlas

Karl Rove and La Raza. What's the deal? I think I know - it's probably about POLITICS! (Don't tell anyone.)LinknZona has his own view, along with some disturbing documents.

Fantasy Cowboy by John Podhoretz. Good stuff in the NY Post. h/t, Powerline

The NYT is confused by why tax revenues are up, and the deficit down. The Conspiracy. Would someone please explain it to them?

Speaking Truth to Power. Haha. Yesterday's protest at the NYT. Michelle

We are adding a few more new friends to the Olde  Blogrolle: Assistant Village Idiot from the Granite State, Blue Crab Boulevard from Blue Crab Boulevard, and LinknZona from the land of 65 year-old women who dress like they are 17 (up here, we term that "mutton dressed as lamb"), and someone who doesn't like the notion of the Reconquista. Also, Villainous Company, with whom we feel quite at home.

Remember this joke we posted in April? Can anyone here make me feel like a woman?

Does paranoia interest you? How about websites that term those who think the Jihadists did 9-11 "conspiracy theorists"? http://911tvfakery.blogspot.com/,  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/911InsideJobbers/
http://911closeup.com/nico/911truthlings.html

A couple of new posts last nite - don't miss 'em.

Duct Tape in space: repairing the shuttle.

Lying lies and the liars who tell them. When you smear someone with a lie, it never goes away, even after corrections. The American Left has learned that lies work as well as facts, but you run out of facts too quickly. For example, after Rather, how many Americans still think Bush played games with his Guard service? Tons. How many people still believe the NSA was listening in on their phone calls? Tons. Now the Ann Coulter plagiarism smear has been corrected, but as a commenter to the piece at Lucianne succinctly says:

Sorry, Ann, too late. The progressives' stink bomb has gone off and the old media doesn't care what you say. As long as some know-nothing moderates now think there was plagiarism, the left's idea of the greater good has been served.

Nature Conservancy buying fishing fleet. Good example of the market approach to conservation. Marginal Rev.

No religion please - we're English. Brits believe they have better ways to reach and reform jailbirds than through religion. Wish they would share this hitherto unknown knowledge with the world. Dinocrat

Probably read this already, but Al Baradei was covering for the Iranians. But he keeps his UN job. Wizbang

The beheadings, on video. I cannot watch. Can you? My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. But go ahead, and ask me what we are fighting for.

Bill Keller in 1944. Why do these folks love Jihadist Islam? Horsefeathers.

Is John McCain unstable?  He just sounds like a tough guy to me, but how come no-one who knows him likes him?

Corruption? More Clintons and money. They do love their money. Captain Ed.  Always funny how socialists love their own money, but don't want you to keep yours.

Bush 41. What a gentleman. He gets a ship named after him, with grace and humor. Rhymes with Right

Wackos reveal their true view: The US Army are Nazis. Is there a name for this disorder? LGF

Vacation is over. A Dunkin Donuts and back to work for me. If you have been away, scroll down so you do not miss one iota of our efforts!  We do it for you!

Image? You noticed? Seen on the beach on Cape Cod on Saturday. When body-surfing in the Atlantic, the ocean waves can play fun tricks with a gal's bathing top.

World Cup - Great game, until the end. The trouble with low-scoring sports is the larger role of luck. Maybe just eliminate the goalies? Naw, that would worsen unemployment in Europe.

What are colleges warning the kids about in freshman orientation these days?  Poker, facebook photos, etc.

VDH's latest: Facts about the war that no-one is talking about.

Racist Oil: RTLC has Jesse Jackson's number.

Last week I posted the following:

Hamas can't let Israel go. That's right - opposing the existence of Israel is their only claim to power. If the Palestinians were interested in anything else - like running a country, and an economy, having normal happy lives, getting educated, etc. - these terrorist creeps would be outta there. Tiny Israel, with no natural resources other than people, is the Great Middle-Eastern scapegoat and distraction from their own failings. Without Israel, or the Americans, they'd have to look at themselves in the mirror - and who wants to do that? So killing Jews, a handful at a time, can keep them in power for a long time, because there are lots of Jews in Israel.

As if to confirm that notion, Ahmadinejab said this on the 8th (Gateway):

"The basic problem in the Islamic world is the existence of the Zionist regime, and the Islamic world and the region must mobilise to remove this problem," the president said at the opening of the two-day conference.

Well, if Israel is the greatest problem, then the Middle East has no problems. These guys learned from history that distraction, hatred, and scapegoating are effective political tools, especially with the ignorant and the uneducated.

A new drug to quit smoking. Kevin MD

Joe Lieberman's problem: He doesn't hate Bush enough. So it's all about hate? Good update on the challenge against Lieberman, and their debate, in which Ned was crushed - so they accused Lieberman of being a bully. Lieberman?!? Is it just possible that Ned isn't ready for the Major League? Ned is being used, and the danger is that it will go to his head.  Wkly Standard

Truth, Justice, and the American Way.  That's not cool anymore? But, may I ask, what adult seeks to be cool? Oh, right. Hollywood adults.  Betsy, with Lileks.

Rudy is running. I think the Repubs are going to face some good, tough choices in the primaries. Cap'n Ed

Missing Headlines: Jobs growth continues apace: Am Thinker

Bill Keller Unplugged. The NYT defence is unravelling. At the brand new shiny Town Hall Blog

Europe must look to the US to find their roots. Brussels Journal

David Warren suggests prayer as a foreign policy towards North Korea.

The DaVinci Barcode.

A new train - the Beijing to Tibet express.

A plea for support for Diana Irey - she is running against Murtha. Cotillion

Hamas can't let Israel go. That's right - opposing the existence of Israel is their only claim to power. If the Palestinians were interested in anything else - like running a country, and an economy, having normal happy lives, getting educated, etc. - these terrorist creeps would be outta there. Tiny Israel, with no natural resources other than people, is the Great Middle-Eastern scapegoat and distraction from their own failings. Without Israel, or the Americans, they'd have to look at themselves in the mirror - and who wants to do that? So killing Jews, a handful at a time, can keep them in power for a long time, because there are lots of Jews in Israel.

How dumb can you be? Coke employees try to sell secrets to Pepsi. NYT

Nice clips from the Volvo sea-racing video. Not for the faint of heart.  You Tube

The economics of the minimum wage. Good, clear stuff. Cafe Hayek.

Nutjobs in lab prove 9-11 was a hoax. Good grief. Yup, that sure looks like proof to me. Gateway

A good birthday post for our youthful Pres, by Anchoress

Update on the Iraq govt's peace plan. Oxblog. For better or worse, control is gradually being transferred to them, as it must be.

Why would a state pay for kids of illegals to go to college? Wizbang takes a look at Massachusetts.

Walkin' down Main Street, looking for a hoe. Any idea how many kinds there are?

Wordplay. Pejman likes this new movie.

For iPods, file-sharing is down, legal music is up. Ars Technica

The Godfather of the Muslim Brotherhood and Grandfather of Al Quaida: Saayid Qutb. A bit of recent history at Gates of Vienna

Flag-burning on July 4th.  Moonbattery

First it was dodge-ball, now tag, soccer and flag football are being banned from school recess. Ed. Wonks

Henry Paulson is a bird-watcher and nature lover. I like this guy already. The Commons

Brit National Health Service attacks "complementary and alternative" cancer treatments. These things are enjoying growing popularity in the US.

Is Hawaii really part of America? Brown at RCP

Haha. Fred Sanders offers a bit of art criticism at Middlebrow

Is Bin Ladin turning into a religious fanatic? Blame Bush

Why do some gays want kids? Gay Patriot explains.

Multiculturalism is a social nuclear weapon. View from 1776

EU votes for "green tax" on airfare.  What will a tax on airfare do to reduce air pollution, I wonder? Daily Pundit

Everyone on earth has royal roots. Knew I did.

That asteroid near-miss: It will come back again, in a while.

Excerpted from The Conspiracy:

According to the Theory of the Unitary Editor, whenever a Times reporter is given unauthorized classified information, Bill Keller's editorial conscience allows him to unilaterally declassify national secrets, bypass Congress, and violate the law in the interest of keeping the nation safe from a popularly elected President who he fears may be bypassing Congress and breaking the law.

 Rhode Island has a 9% state income tax. Even their Dems are now trying to cut. Lib Leanings

From Jed Babbin, via Dinocrat:

Since 9-11, none but a few of our former allies have given us more than lip service to help fight terrorism. And among them, fewer still have been willing to do so openly. When those who cooperate in secret are exposed, the damage is enormous, whether someone dies the next day or not. The NYT and WaPo bloody well knew, before the stories ran, that their publication of the CIA prisons and the SWIFT program would make it impossible for some nations to continue cooperating with us. By using their power to interrupt nations’ cooperation with us, the New York Times and the Washington Post have done more damage to our nation’s security than Usama bin Laden has been able to since 9-11. They have become a weapon in the terrorist arsenal. Their claims to still be guardians of our freedom are laughable, and tragically so.

Stossel adds himself to the Gore debunking squad: RCP

From Atlas:

Samizdata found this good blog which deals with Chinese business and law: China Law Blog

Govt unions oppose performance pay. Big surprise. Redstate

We love our Brit cousins, but we are still glad that we had the revolution. After all, we have less crime, a booming economy with essentially no unemployment, more babies, no class system, millions of people gleefully resisting nanny-statism and political correctness, freedom of medical care, lots of guns, and the ability to hunt foxes with dogs and horses. Plus better skiing, better beaches, better sex - and NO MARMITE. Hey - I guess we just do not have the serf mentality.  Gateway on how the Brits look down on us. Shame on them. They gave us our foundation, for which we are forever grateful,  but our self-determination had to be taken by arms, and we still detest, or at least distrust, State power.

I never exhaled. Enviros want to control CO2 emissions. In New Zealand, cow farts are the major source (really), but animals and people exhale tons of it all day long. Let's face it - the enviros want YOU to go away. They could always set an example?

Coming out of the closet by becoming a black Repub: neo neo

Why solar energy won't work: you'd need to cover two states with solar collectors. YARGB did the math.

Read Powerline yet today? Too much good stuff.

George Mason has benefited from reaching the Final Four. Good for them, but it's still a dumb way for a university to get visibility. Volokh

Haha. Chomsky is a deep cover CIA operative and agent provocateur. Sure, probably. But isn't he a bit obvious?

Church of England: being destroyed from within.

Big Lizards shows how the same news is and would be reported, depending on the party involved. He is right as rain.

Just heard Sean Hannity say he doesn't read blogs.  Too bad, but I don't know how he would have the time. Really, talk radio is just a verbal blog anyway. Or vice-versa.

Maggie's Farm is still in vacation mode. A long July 4th vacation.

How to force your liberal arts major kids to grow up? Reality boot camp. Someone should have sent Pinch Sulzberger. It's for kids who are reluctant to grow up. I could run this: are whips and chains allowed?

Jeff Jarvis: Can the press please just tell  us what their principles are? Other than trying to bash conservatives?

American Left going crazy. Why don't they move to France or China or Bolivia or Venezuela or Cuba, where voting doesn't mess things up? norm. Rejection hurts, but you have to adjust.

Moonbattery thinks he found a prof who is nuttier than Ward Churchill.

A State Department officer talks, after two years living in the Green Zone. No Pasaran

Where is the Supreme Court? In transition? And what's with Justice Kennedy? Greenhouse in the NYT

Belgium: "The Frog is getting warmer" by Dymphna

USA Today corrects/retracts their NSA spy story. It's too little, too late, and the damage is done.

A defense of Ann Coulter's book Godless, by Kirk in Am. Spectator

Big Moslem Hate-fest this weekend in the US. Front Page.

Canada Day yesterday. Will they figure out how others are taking advantage of them, while they bask in their innocent and foolish nursery school virtue? Maxed Out

Big reptile show at the American Museum of Natural History. I always think of it as Teddy Roosevelt's place.

Two-tier Anglicans? Is that like business class and coach? WTH? Where's God in this? Newsmax

Resurrecting mothballed Navy ships: a great piece by Confederate Yank - photo on right, of the former USNS San Diego, stolen from him. Few things as sentimental or soulful as an old Navy ship: the combination of ocean, power, and vulnerability is plain wonderful.

Gonzales wants porn ratings for web sites. I want the govt's hands OFF the internet.

Marvin Olasky has written a novel. h/t, SmartChristian

Robinson Jeffers.  A fine appreciation of the California poet, by Middlebrow.

"Now, I'm going to make like a divorce and split." Althouse on Dylan's radio show.

Hawkins on the Lieberman challenge in CT. Ned Lamont is having fun, but is he doing the Dems any favors? They would be nuts to give up Joe Lieberman, unless they want a very small tent. It's about emotion, not reason.

Ankle Biting Pundit takes another look at Howard Dean's 60s nostalgia.

Have you seen dignity?  Joe at Evangelical Outpost looks at human dignity as the foundational concept of civilization.

Manliness vs. Boyishness. Part-time Pundit seems to get it right.

Academic political correctness in Holland. Do not say "It can't happen here." Augean Stables.

How media leaks damage intel-gathering: CSM

China trying to crack down further on internet: expected to have 60 million blogs this year. The internet is a heck of a challenge for a totalitarian country. via Drudge

Kesler says Bill Keller had good legal advice. I agree. Legal, but immoral.

Al Gore's mentor, and how Al Gore tried to bury him. Am Thinker

Hostas. Bridgewood Gardens Hosta Catalog. Nice.

Dem Strategy: Everybody RUN! People's Cube

Black Americans come out of the GOP closet: Hawkins at Human Events. Yes, it's way past time for this.

Is Canada part of Europe? No Pasaran doubts it.

Can you believe that NYC has a "rent control board"?  It's a vestige of socialism in the Leftist town, the world center of capitalist dynamism. Weird.

We spend 350 million for the EEOC. What do we get? a lawsuit against Hooters for not hiring men. Jeez. Your tax dollars...

The Mexican elections: What does it mean for the USA? VDARE

Traffic calming. The govt slows you down, hoping you will use mass transit instead. A Desire named Streetcar. h/t, Gumshoe

More climatologists say Gore is full of baloney.

Hugh Hewitt interviews the LA Times on the subject of "crossing the line."

Eisenhower's Autobahn at 50 - do we like it? I don't. The Interstate Highway system. But it was built for war. But it created "sprawl."

Peekaboo, Assad. We know you're there. Israeli jets buzz Assad's summer house.

Putin sends out "kill" order. Bet they will, too. We could use a bit of that attitude.

Nice update on Simon Schama's career. Have his new one - haven't opened it yet. Landscape and Memory was remarkable.

Overheard today in an elevator from Sulzberger, Jr.: "Hey, 200,000 cancellations today! We must be doing something right! Yeah, man - we are cool - in the vanguard! We are like hip. Finally, a groovy newspaper like Ramparts! Dig it, man."

How the others think: Glenn Greenwald thinks Bush is the greatest danger to America. Does he really think this, or is he just saying it for effect? I cannot tell.

Piling on the NYT. Howard Kurtz at WaPo

The 2006 PlanetOut Travel Awards. Favored gay, lesbian and transgender destinations. Opie thought you might be interested, even if you're not g,l, t, etc.

Good news for guys who appreciate: American bra sizes increasing. Is it a crisis for givernment intervention?

The AP hides the climatologists who think Gore is an "embarassment." The more I learn, the more I think this is a big scam, foisted on a scientifically-ignorant public.

Can you pass the US Citizenship Test? If you are awake, you can. Here. These are the "hard ones"!!!

Is India one nation, or many states? Try driving a truck through India. CSM. Their corruption, and obstacles to commerce, are astonishing. Yet they continue.

Howard Dean: "We're about to enter the 60s again".  Umm, I think the problem is that he never left the 60s. How childish. Amazing to me that he would say that - so dumb. Some folks never grow up. Kumbaya, dude. Love and peace and pass me that bong. Hey, got any 'shrooms? Reality is getting to be a major drag, man.

Vote for Miss Hoosegow 2006, at Iowahawk. They are almost as cute as the Wal-Mart girls (see below)

Climate scientists say Gore is an embarassment. The AP ignores them. Very windy and rainy here today: Thanks, George Bush for the rain - it is soaking in all the fertilizer I put out this weekend, very nicely, and my tomatoes are growing like crazy.

Anchoress says environmentalism is a religion. She doesn't say "pagan," but she might as well have said. So we have two theories: a religion, or (last nite's post re Dr. Sanity) or a socialist power grab. Could be both, eh?

Very curious about what is going on in Gaza - very hard to get any info.

"Youths" in Antwerp kill bus driver. Belgium having increasing problems with Moslem "youths." If they cannot carry guns, I'd suggest Louisville Sluggers or knives. You cannot just let the punks kill you, if you have kids at home. Brussels Journal h/t Daily Pundit

Bolton vs. Gore - How to Save the World? Hunger and disease, vs climate? The Economist.

Che Guevera: Let's try to remember who this guy was. Sandmonkey

South Florida Sun Sentinel praises CAIR. Front Page disagrees.

Bush a threat to our very democracy, claims Gore in fund raising letter. That's fund-raising for ya: Scare the ignorant. Get their money.

Why Moslems would rather move to the US than to Europe. Economist.

Meet your new UN Human Rights Council. Gateway.

Germans kill their only wild bear. Ridiculous. They should see all the bears in New Jersey. Bears in the garbage, bears under the porch. No need to kill the darn things, except during hunting season.

You already saw this, didn't you? NYT caught with their pants down again, revealing their cute panties with pictures of Al Gore's face on them. Powerline. In 2002, they editorialized that we needed more aggressive intel on international bank transfers. Moral of the story: they are partisan pure and simple, without any apparent guilt about it.

Playboy does the women of Walmart. Buy the DVD!