TENNESSEE’S DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE STONEWALLS on a Freedom of Information request. “You’re not worthy!”
Full story here.
Archive for 2007
February 16, 2007
MICKEY KAUS finds a positive indicator for Scooter Libby.
GLOBAL WARMING UPDATE: Burning fossil fuels with helicopters and Cadillacs in Massachusetts. Of course, with the weather they’re having now, a pro-global-warming stance might be smart politics!
February 15, 2007
JULES CRITTENDEN ROUNDS UP good news and bad news from Iraq and elsewhere.
ARKIN FALLOUT: A resignation at NBC.
WHY PEOPLE WHO ARE WORRIED ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING should support the Iraq war.
SOME THOUGHTS on wealth and culture.
SHRUGGING OFF CORRUPTION in Chicago.
GOING AFTER “WHITE FLAG REPUBLICANS,” at VictoryCaucus.com.
NOMINATIONS FOR THE MILBLOGGIES are in full swing.
MEXICAN DRUG DEALERS take to YouTube.
UPDATE: On the other hand, here’s a school-shooting prevented, with help from a YouTube view. (Via AGoyandhisBlog).
Most people believe al Qaeda in Iraq is finished. After boasting last Fall that they would establish a safe zone in western Iraq, and failing to do anything close to that, the Islamic terrorists lost whatever credibility they had left. Most of the terrorist bombings these days are the work of Iraqi Sunni Arab organizations, who still believe that if you make the Iraqi Shia Arabs mad enough, they will get so nasty that neighboring Sunni Arab nations will feel compelled to invade. This plan has split the Sunni Arab nationalists, mainly because the invasion shows no sign of happening, and the brighter terrorists point out that the Saudi army is unlikely to win against the Americans. In a trend that began two years ago, Sunni Arab factions are continuing to battle each other. U.S. troops stand aside when they encounter “Red-on-Red” fighting, then deal with the winner.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi Shia Arab militias, especially the Sadr forces (the Mahdi Army), have lost whatever unity and discipline they once had. Factionalism has taken over as several of Sadr’s lieutenants compete for popularity and territory by driving Sunni Arabs out of Baghdad neighborhoods. Most of Iraq’s Sunni Arabs have been chased from their homes since 2003, and that process has accelerated in the last year. The Iraqi Sunni Arabs are quite wealthy compared to Iraqi Shia, and the Shia gangs have been fighting each other over the loot, and the power. Gang war, literally, because many of the militiamen moonlight as gangsters (or vice versa).
While the number of terror bombings has been declining in the past year, the crime rate has not, and most people in central Iraq are looking forward to the “Battle for Baghdad.” Brigades of troops are arriving from the Kurdish north and Shia south, and more American troops can be seen on the streets. There are more raids in Baghdad. But all the average Iraqi wants is safer streets, fewer kidnappings and a little peace and quiet. Realizing that that kind of paradise is not likely to be found in the Middle East, Baghdad has been suffering a major brain drain in the past year, with the most educated fleeing for foreign countries. Europe and North America are preferred destinations, but any place with a lower crime rate will do.
Read the whole thing. Plus, a look at Ramadi.
MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE PUT MILTON FRIEDMAN ON THE NEW DOLLAR COIN: “The contribution of world-renowned 18th century philosopher and economist, Adam Smith, is to be acknowledged on a new-design £20 banknote the Bank of England is to introduce into circulation next Spring.”
ENDING racial discrimination in a journalism program. Eugene Volokh has more.
A LOOK AT VENEZUELA’S ECONOMY, from Lynn Kiesling.
NANCY PELOSI PIRATING C-SPAN?
I’m pretty sure this is bogus. At least, the floor coverage is called public domain by C-SPAN itself. And even if this charge is somehow true, as I doubt, this is awfully small potatoes. If this is the most the RSC can find to complain about, then Pelosi must be doing a pretty good job.
UPDATE: Follow the top link for an update. The complaint was bogus; the RSC has withdrawn it and says they were given a bum steer by someone at C-SPAN.
A REVIEW OF BRIAN DOHERTY’S RADICALS FOR CAPITALISM, from John Fund. He likes it a lot: “Mr. Doherty has rescued libertarianism from its own obscurity, eloquently capturing the appeal of the ‘pure idea,’ its origins in great minds and the feistiness of its many current champions.”
The press seems downright excited at the prospect of the first female president.
The idea of the first black president has journalists all but giddy.
But the first Mormon president? Whoa! That’s a different matter.
The skeptical tone toward Mitt Romney’s announcement has been impossible to miss. And the major reason is his religion.
Hmm. Is this because most members of the press don’t hang around with Mormons much? Maybe it’s a diversity problem.
JUST SPOKE to the local chapter of the PRSA (the Public Relations Society of America) and asked how many monitor Technorati, etc., to keep an eye on blog discussion regarding their clients. Nearly half of the people there raised their hands.
John Ondrasik is Five for Fighting. Unless you’ve been living in a cave in Waziristan, you’ve heard his songs like 100 Years, Superman, and The Riddle. But the title cut to his latest album, Two Lights,
You can listen directly — no downloads needed — by going here and clicking on the gray Flash player. You can download the file directly by clicking right here. You can get a lo-fi version suitable for download by going here and selecting lo-fi. And, of course, you can get a free subscription via iTunes — and you should! As always, of course, my lovely and talented cohost is taking comments and suggestions.
Music is by Five for Fighting. This podcast is sponsored by Volvo USA. Buy a Volvo, and tell ’em we sent you!
ANN ALTHOUSE: “I haven’t had the time or inclination to follow the detailed blog coverage of the Libby trial, but I really would like to read some detailed coverage of the dynamic between the professional journalists and the bloggers who get to have so much more fun and show their emotions.”
CATHY YOUNG ON PANDAGATE and the cult of victimhood.
WELL, YES: “With mandatory curbs on U.S. global-warming emissions looking increasingly likely in the next several years, industries are starting to argue over who will pay for the cleanup. One thing is clear: Whatever the cost, it will get passed along to consumers.”
SURGE UPDATE: B1 over Baghdad.