FUN WITH defibrillators.

JEFF GOLDSTEIN’S SITE is still under DOS attack. Background is here.

I encourage people not to be too positive about the perpetrator’s identity until there’s some sort of outside confirmation.

UPDATE: Here’s a blog post with an apology. The domain shows as registered to the right person, in Tucson Arizona. Nonetheless, on the Internet you can’t be entirely sure about identities, something that’s worth remembering.

ANOTHER UPDATE: But apparently she’s got some blog-stalking history with Bainbridge.

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Here’s more on the DOS attacks.

MORE: And here’s a message from Jeff Goldstein. Plus, thoughts from Matoko Kusanagi on why Goldstein is so hated by the left. They do seem to dislike him, don’t they?

STILL MORE: Michelle Malkin emails that she has confirmed Deb Frisch’s identity, and her resignation, with the University of Arizona. (LATER: She’s posted the email here).

Eric Scheie observes: “Of all the various forms of viciousness I’ve seen in the years I’ve been blogging, this one takes the cake.”

And The Anchoress writes: “And to those who are supporting her or trying to keep her words from being read: ‘Have you no decency. Finally, have you no decency?’ And, her idea that ideological differences has rendered the man and his child “not human,” that is something that should concern all of us.”

Sadly, Gateway Pundit reports that threats against children are nothing new.

More thoughts here: “The blogger on blog reader war concerns me. I’ve seen the blogosphere do wonderful things. Some of the investigative reporting that’s been done has been Grade A. But when blogs attack other blogs, or get attacked by blog readers, I become distressed at how quickly the voyeurs give in to the instinct to engage in school playground behavior. The pile-on, hand wringing and ‘ah-ha’ -ism becomes childish pretty quickly. Personally, I’d like to read less of this. So let’s close the book on all this Frisch-ing, and get back to the important things – Iraq, Immigration reform, and those crazy North Koreans.”

THINGS THAT DON’T SUCK: The charger that came with my Sony digital camera isn’t its best feature. It takes quite a while to charge batteries, and they often don’t seem to be fully charged even when it says it’s done. At the beach, my sister had this Duracell 30 minute charger for NiMH batteries, and it seemed to work better. I ordered one myself, and am very happy. With it — I’m a little less happy with Sony, which seems to have cut a corner.

ANN ALTHOUSE DEBATES 9/11 DENIAL on Wisconsin Public Radio.

LARRY KUDLOW:

Did you know that just over the past 11 quarters, dating back to the June 2003 Bush tax cuts, America has increased the size of its entire economy by 20 percent? In less than three years, the U.S. economic pie has expanded by $2.2 trillion, an output add-on that is roughly the same size as the total Chinese economy, and much larger than the total economic size of nations like India, Mexico, Ireland, and Belgium.

It’s news to me.

UPDATE: Reader Daniel Amerman says that Kudlow didn’t include inflation, and that if you include inflation, the U.S. economic expansion was “only” 11.4 %. As Amerman says, “11.4% over 11 quarters is quite respectable in real terms, there is no need for misrepresentation and hyperbole.” Click “read more” for his entire email.

ANOTHER UPDATE: A response from Prof. Aron Spencer — click “read more” and scroll down.

And be sure you read this.

MORE: Captain Ed has much more, and says Kudlow overplayed a winning hand. “The numbers, adjusted for inflation, are already compelling.”

(more…)

RUDY FOR PRESIDENT: Robert Novak says he’s running.

UPDATE: More thoughts on a Giuliani candidacy from Roger Simon.

MORE: Lots more on a Giuliani run over at GayPatriot.

WINDS OF CHANGE on Mexico:

It’s “deja vu all over again”. Apparently the ideological tie that afflicted the US Presidential Election six years ago, and the deadlock that Thomas Mann has been writing about for a number of years, isn’t just an American thing. . . . At precisely the time in history when we need to be decisive, we’re afflicted with paralysis. We’ve got two approximately equal sides, equally convinced that they’re right, and in diametric opposition to one another about critical issues.

It is kind of odd.

ALPHECCA NOTES a victory for human rights at the U.N.

MICHELLE MALKIN: “Honestly, I don’t see what the big deal is over Joe Biden’s remark about Indian-Americans operating 7-11 and Dunkin’ Donut stores in Delaware.”

I’M SORRY: “The Instalanche on the jobs post this morning took the site down to a crawl, and then totally down for a while.”

It’s kind of Heisenbergian.

HIGHER SPEEDS, MORE SAFETY:

We now have 10 years of evidence proving that the only “assault” was on the sanctity of the truth. The nearby table shows that the death, injury and crash rates have fallen sharply since 1995. Per mile traveled, there were about 5,000 fewer deaths and almost one million fewer injuries in 2005 than in the mid-1990s. This is all the more remarkable given that a dozen years ago Americans lacked today’s distraction of driving while also talking on their cell phones.

Of the 31 states that have raised their speed limits to more than 70 mph, 29 saw a decline in the death and injury rate and only two–the Dakotas–have seen fatalities increase. Two studies, by the National Motorists Association and by the Cato Institute, have compared crash data in states that raised their speed limits with those that didn’t and found no increase in deaths in the higher speed states. . . .

We are often told, by nanny-state advocates, that such public goods as safety require a loss of liberty. In the case of speed limits and traffic deaths, that just isn’t so.

Indeed.

JEFF GOLDSTEIN ENCOUNTERS the tolerant left. (Note, however, that the identity of the perpetrator is still unconfirmed.) Also, Goldstein was subject to a DOS attack earlier today. In case Glenn Greenwald remains confused, let me be clear that I regard this behavior as not merely a breach of manners, but as actually thuggish.

UPDATE: Still waiting to hear from the Toddler-threatening Community.

DAVE KOPEL: “As of 6 p.m. eastern time, the word from the United Nations small arms conference is that the conference is concluding with NO final document, and NO plans for any follow-up conference. . . . Today’s victory is extremely important, but it should not be mistaken for a final victory in the international arena.” That’s because there’s no such thing.

THE HOTLINE BLOG COMMENTS:

We’re not in the business of judging winners and losers; there are plenty of well-informed Nutmeg State voters who can make up their own minds. But putting aside the (curiously ironic) blogger charge that Sen. Joe Lieberman’s strong performance in last night’s debate was marred by his rudeness, many Connecticut and nat’l Dems likely got up this morning asking themselves if they really want to stake their hopes with Ned Lamont.

Beyond his obvious deficiencies in stagecraft and presentation (more than excusable for a first-time statewide candidate running against a three-term incumbent Senator who has run twice in nat’l elections), Lamont handed at least three issues to Lieberman on a silver platter.

Plus, Biden talks too much, again.

UPDATE: More on Lieberman / Lamont here:

The debate, in the minds of many political analysts, was pretty one-sided. And it should be — a veteran pol who’s debated as a VP candidate versus a neophyte businessman? But bloggers took the spanking poorly, and those supporting Lamont all note the incumbent’s perceived rudeness. In fact, one, in the course of pointing out his rudeness, used a seven-letter word that we felt compelled to edit. Can the blogosphere grow a thicker skin? Can they win a race against an incumbent? Or will they blow their ’06 momentum on a seat that, almost no matter the outcome, will remain a Dem seat, instead of spending their energy on seats they might actually pick up for Dems? Is Ned Lamont the throne that begins the hut’s collapse?

I just wish people would distinguish between the left blogosphere and the blogosphere as a whole, here.

UPDATE: Charles Austin emails:

Maybe the Netroots crowd has decided that it is too hard to beat Republicans. Instead, they’ve decided to go after what they perceive as a vulnerable Democrat, because, you know, they are all about winning. Not governing or building a caucus to advance their agenda, but winning.

Well, a win’s a win, I guess. But it seems to me that if you’re after winning a majority in the House and Senate, you wouldn’t be so quick to go after someone in your own party, even if they disagree with you on some major issues. The Republicans have people with similar sentiments, of course, though they’re not as powerful. And it’s not necessarily wrong to want to discipline members of your own party to stick with the party platform. But this targeting of Lieberman seems quite unwise to me. Then again, I don’t pretend to be a political consultant or strategist.

DEMOCRATS vs. the peace movement?

THE NEW PAJAMAS MEDIA Blog Week in Review podcast is up, featuring Austin Bay, Eric Umansky, Tammy Bruce, and me. Enjoy!

IS THE L.A. TIMES PLANNING TO GO AFTER BLOGGERS?

A GROWING BATTLE over jobs numbers.

IN THE MAIL: Jed Rubenfeld’s new book, The Interpretation of Murder. Haven’t read it yet, but the cover is very cool.

GAY MARRIAGE IN NEW YORK: A blueprint for victory, from Ryan Sager.

THE THREE PERCENT SOLUTION: Donald Sensing looks skeptically at alternative energy proposals, with an assist from Steven Den Beste.

And Armed Liberal replies with a way to save 3% from our national energy budget and observes: “It’s a small thing, but the error I think that Sensing (and others) are making is that they are looking for One Big solution when in reality there are a hundred small ones.” Yes, I think it’s a mistake to just look for silver bullets.

IS NANO THE NEW “TURBO?” Some related thoughts here.

MATOKO KUSANAGI has thoughts on The Friendliness Problem.

That’s a theme of Nick Sagan’s new book, though the solution — a tailored virus that makes people more altruistic — may be a bit drastic.

UPDATE: Phil Bowermaster says we’re already doing better than we think. Without tailored viruses!

ANOTHER REPORT OF A FOILED TERROR PLOT:

The FBI has uncovered what officials consider a serious plot by jihadists to bomb the Holland Tunnel in hopes of causing a torrent of water to deluge lower Manhattan, the Daily News has learned.

The terrorists sought to drown the Financial District as New Orleans was by Hurricane Katrina, sources said. They also wanted to attack subways and other tunnels.

Counterterrorism officials are alarmed by the “lone wolf” terror plot because they allegedly got a pledge of financial and tactical support from Jordanian associates of top terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi before he was killed in Iraq, a counterterrorism source told The News.

Doesn’t that mean they’re not exactly lone wolves?