Here is the text of Bush’s weekly radio address.
Thanks to Feinstein and Schumer, someone who can’t even tell us what torture is will likely be the next Attorney General.
Shorter President Bush: “Hey Dems! Thanks For Caving!”Post + Comments (17)
This post is in: Democratic Stupidity
Here is the text of Bush’s weekly radio address.
Thanks to Feinstein and Schumer, someone who can’t even tell us what torture is will likely be the next Attorney General.
Shorter President Bush: “Hey Dems! Thanks For Caving!”Post + Comments (17)
This post is in: Open Threads
Although I consider myself to be a small “l” libertarian at heart, when I see something like this, it makes me very happy:
Atlanta could become the first major U.S. city to require businesses to recycle.
Legislation that will be considered Nov. 5 by the Atlanta City Council would create a 16-member task force that would spend nine months studying a mandatory recycling program for businesses operating in the city.
The legislation has the support of a majority of the council and Mayor Shirley Franklin, a proponent of other environmentally friendly initiatives including green building practices and combating global warming.
Normally, I’m very wary of government using its police power, but there are times when things just aren’t happening fast enough. In my opinion, recycling is one of those things. And since I don’ t think anyone’s life, liberty, or property is being affected in any way, I don’t much consider it a violation of anyone’s rights (unless you believe there is a constitutional right to litter.)
In 1998, I lived in a small town just outside of Halifax, NS in Canada. Every resident had 3 bins. Yes, 3. One for regular trash, one for compost, and one for recycling (bottles, cans, paper, etc.) The trash bin was the smallest of the three. I remember thinging that if government is going to use its police power to force anything on the community, then this is one thing I could get behind. You could actually be fined if your trash bin contained items that should have been in the recycle bin.
And seeing the all the recyclable material that is regularly carted away from the buildings where I work, it’s something I would love to see put into action.
Atlanta May Require Businesses to RecyclePost + Comments (38)
This post is in: Politics
I don’t blame them for being a tad upset at possibly being forced to serve in Iraq, and they made those views known:
“It was an hourlong event, and for a brief period one or two speakers expressed very strongly held views,” the State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, said. “It’s a pretty sensitive topic and, understandably, some people are going to have some pretty strong feelings about it.”
During the meeting, one Foreign Service officer likened the Iraq order to a “potential death sentence,” The Associated Press reported. “It’s one thing if someone believes in what’s going on over there and volunteers, but it’s another thing to send someone over there on a forced assignment,” said the officer, who identified himself as Jack Croddy and once worked as a political adviser with NATO forces, The Associated Press reported. “I’m sorry, but basically that’s a potential death sentence, and you know it.”
The comments were directed at Harry Thomas, the Foreign Service director general.
I have a solution for those at State who have a problem with this: Resign or be fired. You are in the Foreign Service. That’s what you signed up for.
I work as an adult learning specialist. I know, in general, how adults learn. My boss may decide that something is to be done a certain way – a way I may not think is appropriate. I will voice my opinion, and if she still wants me to do it her way, I do it. And if I don’t, I can expect to be disciplined in some way.
Now, I know sitting in a cushy office chair in my Atlanta office is a lot different than being in the Green Zone in Baghdad; however, we all sign on the dotted line, and we all know what we’re in for. When you work in the foreign service as a diplomat, you know that there’s always a chance you’re going somewhere dangerous. If you can’t do that job, you should find another line of employment.
by Tim F| 25 Comments
This post is in: Beer Blogging
Most of you probably don’t remember that for a while we were known for insightful commentary and a world-famous beer blog. No kidding. We have archives and stuff.
In a weird convergence our new hire had a long running beer writing gig at his own site, typically with a depth of beer knowledge that puts mine to shame ifidosaysomyself. Then he gave up drinking or something like that, you’ll have to ask Michael for the details.
Unlike Michael I went right on drinking, but my beer blogging tapered off for a variety of reasons too weak to even count as excuses. Now we can thank my brother and sister-in-law for gifting me with a homebrew kit for a recent birthday and waking up the beerblogging bug again. After all, homebrewing works better with copious advice and regular feedback, and I know that at least some of you wogs are homebrewers, so I plan to milk this blogger’s privilege thing for all it’s worth.
Setting the ingredients aside this afternoon I kept thinking about a brewer friend telling me that poor sanitation kill more good batches than anything else. Good news, my day job gave me a decent sense of sterile technique and maybe I went a touch overboard on the no-rinse sanitizer, so at least that (hopefully) won’t be what kills my first batch. Here’s the recipe:
Munton’s Nut Brown Ale hopped malt syrup
2 lb. Dutch amber dry malt
1 yeast packet
1 oz. Cascade hop pellets
The syrup was loosened in warm water and then poured in the pail, followed by 1/2 oz. of the Cascade hops in 3.5 liters of boiling water. Cold water was added to 23 liters, then the dry malt was stirred in. While that cooled I boiled the other 1/2 oz. of hop pellets for 20 more min. in a small amount of water because I’d seen that in a recipe somewhere and it sounded like a good idea. I stirred in the second dose of boiled hops and then rehydrated yeast, sealed the pail and set it aside to ferment.
What’s the deal with the extra hops? Well, I’m a moron who didn’t think to check whether the malt syrup already had hops in it. Or, maybe I’m a natural beer genius who recognized that premade kits never put enough hops in. Does anyone have an opinion on this? The bigger the beer the better as far as I’m concerned, but at the same time I don’t want to be the only one who can drink it. We might as well open the floor for any advice. Warnings, recriminations or bragging about your own upcoming batch are also welcome.
I might not be able to resist blogging this new hobby, particularly if a batch turns out horrendous in some particularly comical way. That said, if you want to make sure that it keeps happening head over to the webbies and put us over RedState.
Now that the yeast has its thing to do, I think I might go make some ice cream.
Saturday Beer Blogging – Make It YourownselfPost + Comments (25)
by John Cole| 57 Comments
This post is in: Military, War, General Stupidity
She’ll be my uncle:
We don’t know what the future will bring, but so far the period between May and November 2007 ranks as one of the most dramatic changes in the perception of a war that we’ve experienced.
And if the past is any guide, there will be fundamental political adjustments from the trivial of pundits repositioning themselves by simple silence about the war, or suggestions they were never really anti-war, or that the improvements came only because of their principled criticism — to the fundamental of having the entire leadership of the Democratic either ignore Iraq, claim the victory was not worth the commensurate cost of the last four plus years, or take proprietorship over Gen. Petraeus’s success — anything other than demanding a timetable for complete withdrawal with an admission of de facto defeat in the manner of the now infamous NY Times editorial.
If Iraq is stable by spring of next year, the entire political landscape here at home will be altered. And more importantly the reputation of the U.S. Army will be not just restored but deservedly at an all time high of fighting a counterinsurgency war in almost impossible conditions-and defeating insurgents while gaining the trust of the local population, something thought almost impossible after Vietnam, Haiti, and Somalia.
It is hard to imagine a more complete display of sneering triumphalism than that gem offered up by Victor Davis Hanson at NRO, and as such, it is probably just mean-spirited to point out that what Hanson is actually celebrating is that the violence is now down to the levels where it was deemed so bad that we needed the surge in the first place. Huzzah! That isn’t to diminish the good news of late- less violence and fewer dead civilians and soldiers is undeniably good news, and I am glad to hear it. It is, however, with no accompanying political reconciliation (the stated goal of the surge), and with the surge ending, I might suggest it is a touch early to be breaking out the champagne bottles or erecting ‘Mission Accomplished’ banners.
Regardless, I will make Hanson a deal- if things continue to get better, and if Iraq is stable (and I mean stable, not just “as violent as it was a year ago” stable, but actually stable, with real political progress), I will be the first to throw $100.00 into a fund for a statue of George Bush, complete with the Powerline’s paean to his genius etched into the base, as long as we begin to bring the troops home. If it isn’t stable, Hanson will promise to be the first to call for an immediate troop drawdown and a timetable for complete withdrawal.
It is a bet I hope to lose, because I want a stable Iraq. I also want our troops home.
*** Update ***
This too, seems to be exceptionally good news:
In a dramatic turnaround, more than 3,000 Iraqi families driven out of their Baghdad neighborhoods have returned to their homes in the past three months as sectarian violence has dropped, the government said Saturday.
Saad al-Azawi, his wife and four children are among them. They fled to Syria six months ago, leaving behind what had become one of the capital’s more dangerous districts—west Baghdad’s largely Sunni Khadra region.
More news like this would certainly make me happy.
This post is in: Humorous
Your mandatory stupid news story of the day.
This post is in: Previous Site Maintenance
It’s 3:30am (Eastern.) Give me something to read.