PORKBUSTERS UPDATE: The Washington Examiner weighs in on the Senate’s secret hold on earmark reform legislation:

A Senate staffer — who shall remain nameless here — must have awakened on the wrong side of the bed Monday morning. Said staffer exploded in response to a constituent’s question whether the staffer’s boss was the senator who placed an anonymous hold on S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act. . . .

Odds are slim that the real senator or senators behind the anonymous hold will ever come forward voluntarily, even though for years it has been customary in these arcane matters beyond the Senate cloakroom for the identity of such holders to be kept private only so long as necessary to force some sort of compromise on the legislation in question. Compromise is probably not the spirit behind the present anonymous hold.

The problem here, of course, is that federal spending transparency is anathema for too many Democrats and Republicans in government. They think members of the public ought to keep their noses out of how their tax dollars are being spent by the Potomac potentates at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, and all the departments and agencies in between. The attitude was epitomized by former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott’s statement that he was “damn tired” of the “so-called porkbusters” because “they’ve been nothing but trouble ever since Katrina.” Those words sound like something you’d expect from a prime suspect in the present mystery, do they not?

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Over at the Corner, Andrew Stuttaford warns Republicans:

Stories like this can only add to a “throw the bums out” mentality this fall. And whoever the senator responsible for the “anonymous hold”, the GOP should be under no illusions that – as the party in charge – they will be the ones that end up paying the electoral price.

He concludes, “Are you paying attention, Senator Frist?”

ANIMAL RIGHTS TERRORISM PAYS OFF:

The constant calls, the people frightening his children, and the demonstrations in front of his home apparently became a little too much.

Dario Ringach, an associate neurobiology professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, decided this month to give up his research on primates because of pressure put on him, his neighborhood, and his family by the UCLA Primate Freedom Project, which seeks to stop research that harms animals.

Anti-animal research groups are trumpeting Ringach’s move as a victory, while some researchers are worried that it could embolden such groups to use more extreme tactics. . . .

Colleagues suggested that Ringach, who did not return e-mails seeking comment, was spooked by an attack on a colleague. In June, the Animal Liberation Front took credit for trying to put a Molotov cocktail on the doorstep of Lynn Fairbanks, another UCLA researcher who does experimentation on animals. The explosive was accidentally placed on the doorstep of Fairbanks’s elderly neighbor’s house, and did not detonate.

If people were doing this to animal-rights activists, it would be called fascism.

UPDATE: More threats against children here. And the Insta-Wife wonders why the AIDS activists aren’t going after the anti-research animal-rights terrorists. Good question!

And reader William S. Aronstein emails:

“If people were doing this to animal-rights activists, it would be called fascism.”

In fact, this informal “control of the streets” was a key part of the National Socialist and Fascist program. By intimidating their opponents with threats of violence, the fascists silence them.

With all of the reports of unhinged leftist mayhem catalogued by Michelle Malkin and Gateway Pundit, how far away from such a situation are we?

Still pretty far, fortunately. But I think the FBI should come down hard on animal-rights terrorism, and I think these guys deserve RICO suits to the same degree that anti-abortion terrorists do.

FEWER HURRICANES THIS YEAR, because of cooler seas? When I was in the Cayman Islands earlier this month, people said the water was a couple of degrees cooler than last year. Apparently, that’s a general phenomenon this year. But Brendan Loy says more storms may be on the way.

AN 8/22 DOOMSDAY WATCH UPDATE: “It’s the end of the world as we know it and we feel fine.”

GERMAN TERROR PLOT UPDATE:

A LEBANESE student suspected of trying to paralyse the German railway network with a bomb concealed in a suitcase appeared in court yesterday, as a huge police hunt for a second suspect continued.

The 21-year-old man was remanded in custody by an investigating judge in Karlsruhe, southwest Germany, on charges of attempted murder, belonging to a terrorist organisation and attempting to cause an explosion.

The suspect was an engineering student in the north German town of Kiel, where he was held on Saturday morning.

His arrest has thrown the country into panic since it coincides with Berlin’s emotionally charged decision to deploy troops in the Middle East for the first time since the Second World War. Suddenly Germans, too, are beginning to feel that they have become a target.

As opposed to a sanctuary, which is what they’ve been for years.

AN A’IMMA ANNIVERSARY: “Last weekend, roughly one million Iraqis celebrated a holy day in Baghdad. And they were relatively unmolested.”

UPDATE: A less positive take from Omar. He’s there, so I defer to his position.

AIDS UPDATE: William Saletan looks at circumcision as vaccination. “Drug researchers would kill for an HIV vaccine half as effective as circumcision.” I think he overstates the case somewhat, but the evidence that circumcision makes a difference does seem to be growing.

MICKEY KAUS compares Iraq and Iwo Jima.

MOVIE CHANNELS BLOCKED IN MUMBAI: Amit Varma has the scoop.

IDIOT FATIGUE: Bruce Kesler says you don’t know Jack. But he thinks you should.

PORKBUSTERS UPDATE: An interesting report:

House Republican leaders promise that even if lobby reform stalls – as it has – they will do something to rein in earmarks when they return to Capitol Hill next month.

The reason: There’s too much flak over lawmakers who are cashing in on earmarks – legally, as campaign contributions; illegally, as bribes. Even good projects look bad when they’re muscled into spending bills late in the process, anonymously, and with no competition, debate, or chance to delete them.

Read the whole thing.

CATHY SEIPP looks at Spike Lee’s new Katrina movie, which seems to be rather conspiracist in nature. Those interested in a more factual account might want to look here.

Upside — the movie reportedly features Brendan Loy, who provides some background and stresses a point that Lee may or may not address in depth: “Ray Nagin is an incompetent idiot. Here’s a detailed explanation of why. Two days before landfall, I predicted that he would be “the mayor who fiddled while New Orleans drowned,” and I was right. Yes, there were massive failures at all levels of government — local, state and federal — but the single person who bears the most blame, in my view, is Mayor Nagin, for failing to make even a halfway-serious effort at implementing the city’s evacuation plan, even though it was 100% clear by the Saturday morning before landfall that if there was ever a time to do it, now is the time. Spike, I gather, intends to focus on Condi Rice’s shoe-buying tendencies in tonight’s movie, and while that might score political points, it’s not the Secretary of State’s job to protect American citizens from hurricanes.”

UPDATE: More Katrina background here.

ANOTHER UPDATE: And in a largely unrelated item, Cathy also looks at hip hypocrites.

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Brendan Loy has another post with further reflections on Spike Lee’s film:

I don’t mind the inclusion of the conspiracy theories, in the sense that it’s good to know how many people believe that, but Spike definitely didn’t emphasize the debunking of those theories. His treatment was hardly evenhanded, clearly leaving the impression that these theories are plausible, if not likely. A bit more actual scientific commentary on the plausbility of the theories, and alternative explanations for the “explosions,” would have been appreciated. . . . Also: Harry Belafonte is an idiot. But if you’re going to include his inane ranting about how Bush doesn’t care about poor people and black people, where was the alternative viewpoint saying that it was incompetence, not malice? I know Spike had footage available of someone saying that, because I said it. He just chose not to use it. So Belafonte’s crap goes unrebutted, the ridiculous criticisms of Rice go unrebutted, Nagin’s comment about “where are the buses” goes unrebutted (the obvious rebuttal being, you let them drown, Mr. Mayor)… yet when people criticize Nagin, it’s rebutted by Nagin and others. Very interesting editorial choices, Spike.

But, alas, not surprising. Dishonesty is the small coin of documentary filmmaking these days.

MORE: On the other hand, Randy Neal loved the film.

THE HOTLINE BLOG: “Quinnipiac’s latest poll suggests that the anti-war sentiment in CT isn’t as fervent as anticipated.”

Karl Rove has lured the Kos Krowd into a quagmire! But James Taranto is offering them a way out . . .

PAT BUCHANAN HAS A NEW BOOK OUT, but I thought The Camp of the Saints had already been written.

THE ANCHORESS is standing by her man. Who happens to be Rudy Giuliani.

THEY SHOULD HAVE HAD AN EXIT STRATEGY: “As the rest of the nation ponders solutions to Iraq war troubles, progressive bloggers are also mired in their own strategic quagmire in CT. After toppling Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) in the 8/8 Dem primary, progressives are finding it more difficult than anticipated to rid themselves permanently of the 18-year incumbent. Now that it’s clear cable exec Ned Lamont (D-CT) faces a tough battle that threatens to drain progressive resources and attention from other races, as well as draw out GOPers in close House races, some are arguing that Lamont should be cut loose to focus on the larger war against the GOP. For now, the ‘stay the course’ crowd is winning the debate.”

If you criticize Kos, you’re siding with the Republicans!

UPDATE: Ryan Sager wonders why the “netroots” haven’t taken on Hillary.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Heck, forget Kos. Nowadays, if you criticize Iran you’re siding with the Republicans!

JAMES LILEKS DISCUSSES “the perpetual adolescent strain in post-WW2 culture.”

NO, THERE AREN’T MANY HURRICANES. But that could change. They could rev up anytime. Yessirree, any old time at all. . . .

Yeah, they do seem a little bit desperate here (which is not to mock Alberto’s fierce wrath). But hey, you can only milk JonBenet so long.

And anyway, for some reason (fear of an Iranian apocalypse tomorrow?) people want my disaster preparedness post again. It’s right here.

UPDATE: Brendan Loy thinks that things may actually be about to heat up.

If that happens, I’ll blame James Wolcott. But will that help the Republicans again?

HOT AIR has video of the Scotland Yard press conference on the UK skybombing plot. Claims that this was some sort of put-up by Bush and Blair are looking weaker.

YOUTUBE POLITICS: My TCS Daily column is up.

MIKE GODWIN WRITES on why net neutrality is like New York cabs.

UPDATE: Matt Sherman and Richard Bennett beg to differ.

PORKBUSTERS UPDATE: A new Wall Street Journal editorial looks at the secret hold on earmarks reform:

Yet most Senators clearly have no desire to shine a light on their spending practices, and at least one — perhaps more — has placed a “secret” hold on the legislation. Normally the architects of these holds are exposed within a few legislative days, but with Congress on recess the masked spender has so far evaded capture and public scrutiny.

Porkbusters, a grassroots outfit that fights government waste, found this untransparent move to stymie government transparency a bit rich, and last week launched a campaign to unveil the blocker’s identity. It has asked its members to call on their Senators to disavow the hold, and the responses are trickling in. The group, which is tracking the results on its Web site (www.porkbusters.org), still has the pictures of 91 Senators under its “Suspect” list. The nine Senators who have denied placing the hold are now listed as “In the Clear”; they are Senator Coburn, Barack Obama, Mary Landrieu, David Vitter, John McCain, Ron Wyden, Richard Shelby, Jim Inhofe and Jeff Sessions.

If Congress insists on spending like there’s no tomorrow, at least the Members could let the voters see what they’re spending it on by passing Senator Coburn’s reform. Will the real secret Senator please stand up?

I’m guessing he or she won’t come forward voluntarily.

UPDATE: This item has produced an angry email to PorkBusters from a Senator’s communications staffer, charging a “guilty until proved innocent” approach. This seems unwise, but I’ll leave out the guy’s name and attribute it to Monday-morning blahs. But here’s some advice.

First, angry emails to bloggers are a bad idea. They usually get reprinted in full.

Second, “guilty until proved innocent” seems a bit strong, but it’s also kind of rich considering that the whole issue stems from Senate secrecy about the people’s business. It’s the Senate’s effort to avoid transparency and accountability that’s at the root of the problem here. Senators conducting Senate business aren’t like individuals going about their private lives — they’re public officials, who work for the public, who are doing the public’s business, not their own. The Senate’s tendency to forget that, and to wallow in its own sense of entitlement, is what’s wrong here. Complaints like this one just underscore that.

MOSCOW MARKET BLAST: Gateway Pundit has a roundup.

MORE TIPS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS: But advice tailored to boys that age seems to be in shorter supply.

DANIEL GLOVER: “Democratic bloggers have invested as much or more of their rhetorical energy into attacking lawmakers in their own party this year as they have Republicans.”