Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
by John Cole| 13 Comments
This post is in: Humorous
Q: What’s a Frenchman’s favorite wine?
A: “We thought Belgium was neutral!”
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Q: Have you heard about the French kamikaze pilot?
A: He’s on his 23rd Mission!
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“As far as I’m concerned, war always means failure” —Jacques Chirac, President of France
“As far as France is concerned, you’re right.” —Rush Limbaugh, Doctor of Democracy
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Q: What does the word “Maginot” mean in English?
A: “Welcome!”
via France Stinks
by John Cole| 2 Comments
This post is in: Foreign Affairs
Larry Miller has an article on the left and proof that would be rather funny if it were not so tragic:
IN THE COURSE of our adult lives, we all learn lessons about humanity that disappoint us, but, for me, this one has been stunning.
I swear, I cannot fathom the people who insist that Saddam Hussein is not going to merrily kill us and everyone he can reach as soon as he is able. What is it about some people that makes them live in this suicidal denial? I could normally shrug it off, except that now it’s not just suicidal. They’re going to get us all killed, and that makes it homicidal as well.
This quote about the “No Blood FOr Oil” and “It’s All ABout Oil” crowd is priceless:
Of course, what the “just-about-oilers” mean is that President Bush is going to get a skadillion people killed “just” so he can steal Iraq’s oil; and it may be overstating the obvious, but we don’t do that. The phrase “Spoils of War” is as dead in America as Cotton Mather. In fact, if there’s one thing history has taught us, it’s that the best thing that can ever happen to a country is to go to war with us and lose. This was so obvious after the Second World War that a wonderful satire was made, “The Mouse That Roared,” about a little, impoverished country that decides to declare war on the United States for the express purpose of immediately surrendering and being rebuilt afterwards with foreign aid.
This post is in: Excellent Links
Horsefeathers reports on a fascinating breakthrough:
ARAB SCIENTISTS MAKE COMPUTER BREAKTHROUGH!
That got your attention didn’t it? Actually the breakthrough came, not from Arab computer scientists, if any exist, but from Israeli scientists working at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot. Surrounded on all sides by barbarians whose contribution to civilization consists of efforts to destroy it, these seekers of knowledge continue to add to the glories of our time.
Click on the link from the Horsefeathers quote to learn something amazing.
This post is in: Humorous
It is not Unremitting Verse, but Stephen the Analyst gives it a go:
The Walrus and the Inspector
Were talking near Tikrit;
They wept like anything to see
Compliance incomplete–
“If this were only cleared away,”
They said, “that would be neat!”
“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of Jews–and ships
This post is in: Excellent Links
Matthew Stinson reports on an interesting exchange he had with a foreign student.
by John Cole| 3 Comments
This post is in: Outrage
This was discussed yesterday by Oliver Willis, TalkLeft, and the Instapundit, but Bigwig puts it all into perspective:
Which choice should the Department of Justice ignore?
1.) Biological Weapons
2.) Chemical Weapons
3.) Radiological Weapons
4.) Suicidal Islamic Terrorists
5.) Internet Bong Sales
John, you clueless Puritan ass, the only threat America faces from bongs is the threat to America’s carpets should they get knocked over. Here’s a secret, John, you moralistic twit. Anyone who bothers to order a bong off the Internet is less of a threat to the American way of life than you are, and they’re not kids. They’re Bobos and Yuppies, and a bunch of them would vote Republican for the rest of their lives if you would get the fuck out of their house.
Yep.
*** Update ***
This is even more outrageous:
State and federal authorities recently conducted raids of various companies and individuals that sell “drug paraphernalia”, such as pipes and related materials. Pipes, etc were seized along with their websites.
According to a Voice of America article, Mr. Ashcroft says they plan to redirect the seized websites to to the DEA website.
“Mr. Ashcroft says customers who want to visit some of their favorite drug paraphernalia websites are in for a big surprise in the days ahead. They will be automatically redirected to the website for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.”
In essence the DEA is going to usurp the freedom of speech and expression of the people who run those seized websites. This would be akin to the U.S. Dept of Justice redirecting the “aclu.org” website to the “usdoj.gov” website.
And then there are the serious privacy issues involved if the DEA redirects the seized websites, since they’ll be logging all visitors, obtaining their IP address and other highly personal information.
Bottom line is this is a serious issue and if the DEA is able to do this, they could potentially redirect *ANY* website -remember that the owners of the websites seized have *NOT* been convicted of any crime.”
This post is in: Domestic Politics
More bad news on the economy:
Consumer confidence plunged in February to its lowest level in more than nine years, the Conference Board reported today, as concerns about a war with Iraq, rising energy prices and jobs took a toll on attitudes.
The consumer confidence index, a monthly measure, fell to a reading of 64 from 78.8 in January.
Fabulous. FWIW- other than my stocks not doing particularly well (but holding their onw), I just have not felt the pinch yet. I consider myself lucky.
*** Update ***
Scrappleface has the Democrat plan to ease consumer confidence:
With the index of consumer confidence sagging to its lowest level in nine years, Congressional Democrats will introduce a new plan this week to boost it.
Based on a National Education Association (NEA) concept, the plan calls for encouraging consumers by “letting them know they’re really doing well even if they’re not buying anything.”
As part of the proposed program, Americans who cut back on spending because of vague fears about the future will receive a “smiley face” on their checking account statements. Federal employees will stand at the entrances to stores and shopping malls shouting encouraging words to people who leave without making a purchase.