Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

Bogus polls are all they’ve got left. Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls a year from now.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Be a traveling stable for those who can’t find room at the inn.

“Cheese and Kraken paired together for the appetizer trial.”

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

It’s not hopeless, and we’re not helpless.

No Justins, No Peace

Biden: Oh no. We’ve upset Big Pharma again.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

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Afghan Attack

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Does anyone know anything else about this:

KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan intelligence officers said Sunday they had foiled a plan to launch rocket attacks on the U.S. Embassy, international peacekeepers and Kabul airport at the weekend.

Engineer Amin, head of intelligence for Kabul, told Reuters his men had found 30 BM-21 rockets in the Tara Khail area near Bagrami on the eastern outskirts of Kabul Saturday morning.

He said five were primed to fire while the rest lay ready nearby.

He said a map found at the scene identified three targets — the U.S. embassy, the headquarters of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for Kabul and Kabul airport.

All the locations would be within operational range of the BM-21, a rocket designed in the former Soviet Union.

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The Post Gets It

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The whole editorial is worthy, but here is an important snippet:

The French and Germans are right about war: It is always terrible, it can have unpredictable results, and democracies can embrace it only as a last resort. Yet their posturing, combined with the waffling of Mr. Blix, has made war more rather than less likely. Saddam Hussein can draw only one message from the current debate: that the Security Council no more has the will to force disarmament on him now than it did in the 1990s. Mr. Blix’s report and the European reactions will encourage him to cooperate not more, but less. He might be contained for a while, but in the post-Sept. 11, 2001, world, another failure by the world’s powers to enforce Iraqi disarmament would be a disaster even worse than war: It would touch off a rush by rogue states for nuclear weapons. Consequently, the absence of firmness by the council will only force the Bush administration to conclude that it has no choice other than to bypass the United Nations and lead a “coalition of the willing” into Iraq. That coalition likely would include half or more of the members of the NATO alliance; France and Germany, more than the United States, would risk isolation.

One more time now- appeasement and weakness is a recipe for disaster. Go read the rest.

*** Update ***

From the comments, we find this excellent link to the Tocqueville Connection stating that when push comes to shove, the French will be with us.

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The Fearsome French

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Bigwig has an amusing post on French military history (and yes, pedants, I am sure he is exxagerating some things, simplifying others, and forgetting some things). It is still damn amusing:

You can hardly blame the French. France is example number one when comes to natural selection of a nation’s character.

Gallic Wars – Lost. In a war whose ending foreshadows the next 2000 years of French history, France is conquered by of all things, an Italian.
Hundred Years War – Mostly lost, saved at last by female schizophrenic who inadvertently creates The First Rule of French Warfare; “France’s armies are victorious only when not led by a Frenchman.”
Italian Wars – Lost. France becomes the first and only country to ever lose two wars when fighting Italians.
Wars of Religion – France goes 0-5-4 against the Huguenots
Thirty Years War – France is technically not a participant, but manages to get invaded anyway. Claims a tie on the basis that eventually the other participants started ignoring her.
War of Devolution – Tied. Frenchmen take to wearing red flowerpots as chapeaux.
The Dutch War – Tied
War of the Augsburg League/King William’s War/French and Indian War – Lost, but claimed as a tie. Three ties in a row induces deluded Frogophiles the world over to label the period as the height of French military power.

Go read the whole thing.

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Axis of Stupid

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Instapundit, Spoons, The Rev. Chapin, and LGF all link to this amazing story:

Earlier there were unexplained incidents at the U.N.’s Baghdad compound when two men — one carrying three knives, the other a notebook and shouting “Save me!” — tried to enter the base.

Both men were apprehended and turned over to Iraqi authorities, U.N. officials reported. It was unclear whether the two incidents were related.

On the two incidents, U.N. officials said that one man approached the hotel’s security gate with a metal instrument, before Iraqi guards wrestled him to the ground. He was later found to have three knives, the U.N. said.

About 40 minutes later, another Iraqi man stopped a U.N. vehicle outside the headquarters pleading “Save me! Save me!” in Arabic, according to the U.N. The man, apparently unarmed, forced his way into the driver’s seat of the stopped vehicle, as an Iraqi guard struggled to pull him out, while an unfazed U.N. inspector watched from the passenger seat.

It gets better. Rather than attempting to find out what is going on, or what may be in the NOTEBOOK, our intrepid Clouseau’s allow this to happen:

Appearing agitated and frightened, the young man, with a closely trimmed beard and mustache, sat inside the white U.N.-marked utility vehicle for 10 minutes, AP reported. At first, an inspection team leader sought help from nearby Iraqi soldiers, but the man refused to leave the vehicle as the uniformed men pulled on his sleeve and collar.

“I am unjustly treated!” he shouted.

Then U.N. security men arrived, and they and Iraqi police carried the man by his feet and arms into the fenced compound, journalists said. The man was turned over to Iraqi authorities at a government office adjacent to the compound, U.N. officials said.

Iraqi officials said they had no information on the incidents.

The Instapundit wants to know if the inspectors can be charged with “material breach.” I would recommend accessory to murder.

*** Update ***

Go read the idiots at Metafilter.

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GM Foods

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I am not sure how they manage it, but the NY Times seems to work overtime to find the wrong viewpoint on almost every issue. Today’s offering, Don’t Pester Europe on Genetically Modified Food by Clyde Prestowitz, is no exception.

Mr. Prestowitz’s reasons for not pushing the issue are as follows, and I quote:

– Europeans are scared to death of genetically modified food.

– There may be no good scientific reason for concern, but to consider eating something that has resulted from some laboratory manipulation is felt by many Europeans as a kind of denial of the true self. For Americans to insist that the union accept genetically modified products is bound to be felt in Europe as another exercise in American cultural and economic imperialism.

– The administration will argue that it wants only to give the consumers a choice. But as one who spent years selling to European supermarkets and consumers, I can say with confidence that such a move by the United States would very likely result in a European campaign against all American food.

–We have already caused great resentment among our European allies by rejecting the Kyoto Protocol on global warming and the International Criminal Court, both of which were championed by the European Union. Given that we will want European support for whatever actions we eventually decide to take in the Persian Gulf or in North Korea, is this really the time to mount what is bound to be a bitter, high-profile case in order to sell genetically modified potatoes?

Got that? Europeans have an irrational fear of GM foods, despite any scientific evidence, and we may upset them. Not only that, we already upset them by withdrawing from Kyoto. That is the logic behind cowering away from scientific breakthroughs that could feed billions- European fear and European resentment.

Norman Borlaug, a true Nobel Peace Laureate (Instapundit has discussed him here, here is his foundation), debunks many of the myths and much of the hysteria surrounding GM foods in a guest editorial for the Opinion Journal, aptly titled Science vs. Hysteria. An excerpt:

Current genetically modified crop varieties that help to control insects and weeds are lowering production costs and increasing harvests–a great potential benefit to all Third World farmers. Future products are likely to carry traits that will improve nutrition and health. All of these technologies have more benefits to offer poor farmers and consumers than rich ones.

For example, Kenya is ready to field-test virus-resistant sweet potatoes that should yield 30% to 50% more of this important food staple. Virus-resistant bananas and potatoes have already been bred, but are being barred in African countries where people urgently need their higher yields. Indian researchers are developing a vaccine against the epidemic livestock disease, rinderpest, which can be genetically engineered into peanut plants. African farmers would be able to protect their draft animals simply by feeding them the peanut plants–again if biotech is allowed.

The needless confrontation of consumers against the use of transgenic crop technology in Europe and elsewhere might have been avoided had more people received a better education in biological science. This educational gap–which has resulted in a growing and worrisome ignorance about the challenges and complexities of agricultural and food systems–needs to be addressed without delay. Privileged societies have the luxury of adopting a very low-risk position on the issue of genetically modified crops, even if this action later turns out to be unnecessary. But the vast majority of humankind does not have such a luxury, and certainly not the hungry victims of wars, natural disasters, and economic crises.

Without adequate food supplies at affordable prices, we cannot expect world health, prosperity, and peace. Responsible biotechnology is not the enemy; starvation is.

At least Mr. Borlaug and Mr. Prestowitz agree on one thing, as Mr. Prestowitz noted:

It is, indeed, appalling that some countries would rather starve than accept donations of genetically modified corn.

Appalling, indeed. Do you ever get the feeling that if the South hadn’t received such a bad reputation for secession that the NY Times would be circulating petitions for New Yorkto become part of the EU?

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Saudi Plans for Saddam?

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Convinced that President Bush is serious about invading Iraq, Arab leaders hope to avoid war by orchestrating a coup in Baghdad. Well-placed sources have told TIME that Saudi Arabia is vigorously pursuing a concrete plan to encourage Iraqi generals to overthrow Saddam and his clique. Western and Arab diplomats say the Saudi proposal requires a UN Security Council resolution declaring amnesty for the vast majority of Iraqi officials if they orchestrate a transition of power in Baghdad.

Apparently there is room for only one corrupt dictatorship in the Middle East- the House of Saud. This line is informative:

Convinced that President Bush is serious about invading Iraq.

Gee-, maybe the world’s foremost expert on the Middle East, Bernard Lewis, was right- these regimes only understand force. I would love to see the left sputtering if we are able to orchestrate a regime change in Iraq without using one bomb, losing one soldier’s life, and going through the UN. It doesn’t matter- they’ll still call Bush a dolt and Powell an Uncle Tom.

At any rate, I will believe it when I see it.

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