Open Threads

Sin of UNFORGIVABLE sins.

I thought I had Permalinked Will Warren of Unremittingverse A LONG TIME AGO.

I had not, and it has been corrected. PLEASE go check him out.

Also, I have added Richard Bennett’s Omphalos, which is a fantastic site.

I am now to the point that I have so many links that I am going to have to come up with some sort of hierarchy. I will deal with that this weekend

Sin of UNFORGIVABLE sins. IPost + Comments

One more reason Ken Layne needs to be Kinsley’s replacement. Read these remarks, then go read the whole blurb here:

Note to Unhinged Liberals: When you can’t tell the difference between Susan Sontag being mocked on talk radio and an international terrorist organization murdering 3,000-plus of your fellow citizens in an hour, you should feel lonely, because you’ve lost all touch with reality. Your bogus claims of victimization are not only insulting to the millions of people around the world who truly have no rights and no freedoms, they’re also poison to legitimate dissent and rational opposition. The Nation, for my money, is a fine example of thoughtful liberalism, and I’m glad to hear you people are reading it. But do you understand it?

One more reason Ken LaynePost + Comments

Kudos to Ted Barlow for being the Lone Man on the Left to diss Ted Turner’s last remarks.

Ted Turner says his comments about how the terrorists were “brave” and “a little nuts” “were reported out of context, and I deeply regret any pain they may have caused.”

BZZZZT! Wrong answer! When Jerry Falwell said that his comments immediately after September 11th were taken out of context, I was furious, and I absolutely did not accept the “out of context” explanation. It’s no different here.

I think he is wrong, however, in another post in which he cites Jonathon Cohn. Cohn states:

“Unions and environmental groups can call upon millions of Americans who can write small, hard money checks or influence politics via more traditional means–i.e., by writing letters, marching in rallies, etc. Big corporations generally can’t do that. And while the Republicans can certainly count upon their own large membership organizations to do the same–I’m thinking here of the NRA and Christian Coalition–maybe McConnell worries their numbers and enthusiasm aren’t large enough to overwhelm the Democratic groups.

But if that’s the case, it’s quite a damning admission. It means that unless business groups are allowed to use their money to sway political debate, over the long run, popular opinion will nudge politics toward the left–and, more or less, in the direction of the Democrats. Or, to put it more simply, it means that Republican ideas don’t really have that much popular support.

No wonder McConnell is so worried.”

I think this is wrong for several reasons. The first reason I believe this is wrong is because Unions simply do not ‘call’ on people to write small checks because they choose to. They confiscate the money in the form of UNION dues, then spend them on whomever they choose. Landmark Legal Foundation currently has several lawsuits against the NEA doing precisely this (and there is much more invovled in this case, lest you think I am oversimplifying). This is the whole gist of the ‘Paycheck Protection” you hear Republicans screaming about in concert.

The second reason I disagree with this is that Mr. Cohn (got do these lefties love doing this) determines that he knows why McConnell is opposed to McCain-Feingold, and then goes ahead and tells us. I challenge anyone to prove that Mitch McConnel has not ALWAYS been a proponent of the 1st Amendment, even in cases in which it would be advantageous for him not to be…..

Kudos to Ted Barlow forPost + Comments

Islam, the ‘Peaceful’ Religion.

Afghan pilgrims kill transport minister

DUBAI (Reuters) – Afghan Muslim pilgrims, angry over plane delays, have attacked and killed Afghanistan’s interim transport minister at Kabul airport, Arabic-language al-Jazeera television has reported.

It quoted its reporter in the Afghan capital as saying Air Transport and Tourism Minister Abdul Rahman had gone to the airport to leave on a trip abroad when he was attacked on Thursday by a large number of disgruntled pilgrims awaiting flights to Saudi Arabia.

There was no immediate confirmation of the report by Afghan officials. Foreign journalists were unable to go to the airport to check on reports of a disturbance there because of a curfew.

More than 5,000 Afghans planning to leave for the annual haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia have been told that foreign aircraft are being leased for the trip as Afghanistan’s Ariana airline has only one functioning plane, Afghan-based reporters said.

Saudi officials have said pilgrims coming from abroad must arrive by Sunday to be able to perform haj, one of Islam’s five pillars.

Islam, the ‘Peaceful’ Religion. AfghanPost + Comments

Is anyone else on blogspot getting hundreds of hits from the same IP?

I went to samspade.org and know where it is coming from, but I want to wait until I am sure this is something malicious rather than someone inexperienced or doing something mistakenly.

I do not know how denial of service attacks work, but I am assuming it would take more than a hundred or so attempts.

Is anyone else on blogspotPost + Comments

Again, this is why Ken Layne should be the new editor replacing Kinsley.

Check out his tribute to Waylon Jennings.

Again, this is why KenPost + Comments

It took longer than I thought it would to materialize, but here is Gregory Hlatky’s response to Jonah’s dog column yesterday.

It took longer than IPost + Comments