Month: February 2006

Glenn Reynolds’s republication of the Jyllands cartoons stands in stark contrast to the rank cowardice (and fear) displayed by most of the MSM. I’ve commented on the fear before, and I admire the Rocky Mountain News and the Philadelphia Inquirer for not caving to it. Because once it starts, when and where does it end?…

The following was sent to me as an email attachment: Ray Nagin, the mayor of New Orleans, was asked his views on Roe vs. Wade. He said he didn’t care how people got back to their houses. Hmmmm….. Well, Mayor Nagin is hardly known for having a dry sense of humor….

When I opined earlier that “vegans have a right to be vegans” but that I have a problem once they try to prevent me from eating meat, I was touching on a problem area surrounding the cultural debate. What someone eats is, in my view, as much a personal decision as what someone does sexually.…

A BBC story claims that the carelessness of cat owners in California is killing off sea otters like this adorable little guy: Seems reasonable enough. And this call comes from a genuine scientist: The Californian researcher has called for owners to keep their cats indoors. Cat faeces carrying Toxoplasma parasites wash into US waterways and…

Here’s a quick piece of advice for travelers, based on two unpleasant recent hotel experiences. Before settling in and getting too comfortable, look around to determine whether your room contains one of these: If it does, before you do anything else, UNPLUG IT IMMEDIATELY! Twice now, I have been awakened at ungodly hours by these…

Are actions increasingly being subordinated to and subsumed by theory? More and more I’m wondering…. I don’t have time for an essay right now, so I guess this will have to be an open loose thread. MORE: Oh what the hell. I don’t have time for an essay, but here’s a photo I took earlier:

I’m in Washington DC right now, and blogging will probably be light for the next couple of days. If I’m lucky I’ll squeeze a quick post in now and then, and if I’m really lucky Justin or Dennis (or maybe even a special guest) will write something.

Does Dick Cheney’s decision to talk to a “friendly” news agency (Fox) about his hunting accident have constitutional dimensions? …some Democrats and competing broadcasters charged that Cheney chose to speak only with Fox News because of a perception that the cable channel is sympathetic to the Republican administration. They called for the vice president to…

Speaking of “Culture War,” Sean Kinsell links to a remarkable piece of anti-gay advocacy by one Linda Harvey, who claims that “homosexuality is a faith issue” and that people expressing tolerance for homosexuality (“views supporting homosexuality” she says) “should not be involved with youth in any way, period.” That’s because, she asserts, homosexuality is caused…

That very scary Drudge headline links to an equally scary story with eye-opening claims about polar icecap melting from a scientist named Jim Hansen — who claims the Bush administration is trying to muzzle him. There are two issues here — one involving the muzzling (something NASA disputes, pointing out Hansen’s 20 year history of…

At the risk of sounding painfully naive, here’s a worrisome thought: Without electricity, the country would shut down. So would the blogosphere, which is an even worse prospect. Every time I’ve experienced a power failure, I am unable to blog or read blogs, and it’s been very annoying. In the event of a national emergency,…

The bus came by and I got on, that’s when it all began. There was Cowboy Neal at the wheel of the bus to never ever land… — Grateful Dead A primary reason I find the “Culture War” so endlessly annoying is that so many of the arguments involve bitter haggling over artificial constructs. Superficial…

I just found out that there’s apparently a ban on campaign reporting going on in New York, and the whole thing is barely mentioned in the MSM: The Clinton campaign ban on any mention of Hillary’s likely challenger, John Spencer, slipped a bit last night on Hardball. WOLFSON: We have an opponent. John Spencer, the…

As if the attacks on Ronald McDonald weren’t enough, I now see that the angry mobs have turned their wrath towards Kentucky Fried Chicken. As I try to leave no stones unturned in my quest for answers, I wondered whether Colonel Sanders might have done something to offend Islam. While I could find no connection…

My first reaction to Muslim persecution of the wholesome Ronald McDonald was shock and awe. “Next, They Came for the Plastic Clowns” opined David Bernstein, joined by clown defender Glenn Reynolds. Can we get serious? I mean, shouldn’t we be asking why the crowd is so upset at the clown? I didn’t know what to…

I’ll be occupied most of the evening, but Coco insisted that I include her in today’s celebrations. I had no choice but to, um, “draw” a card: (In her majesty’s honor, of course….)

That last post brings to mind an ugly language problem I’m having. A couple of words have been ringing in my ears lately. “Racist” and “Islamophobic.” As I am not entirely sure what these words mean and I hate manipulative or code language, I thought I should take a second look. A recent op ed…

Must be time for Turkey bashing in the media. (Really now. Couldn’t I have picked a better time for that last post?) But if “the most expensive film ever made in Turkey” is any indication, the United States would use a PR boost in Turkey right now. And the image of our country isn’t getting…

I’m seeing more and more essays like this one, asking a question which won’t go away: Is Islam Evil? Why is Islam exempt from critical analysis? In Western society, there is no shortage of critics of Christianity. Indeed, on many college campuses it is open season on anything that has the faint odor of Western…

That’s what Brady Bunch patriarch Jim Brady said in a press release yesterday: James and Sarah Brady made comments today related to Vice President Cheney’s reportedly accidental shooting yesterday in Texas. “Now I understand why Dick Cheney keeps asking me to go hunting with him,” said Jim Brady. “I had a friend once who accidentally…