PUBLIC REVENGE for an unreliable car. Heh.

IN THE MAIL: Alexander Rose’s American Rifle: A Biography. Looks quite interesting.

INSTA-POLL: Inspired by Obama’s share-the-wealth remarks:

AN INTERVIEW WITH Joe Wurzelbacher, the plumber Barack Obama lectured about sharing the wealth. CEOs, bank executives, plumbers — they all need to give up their excessive earnings! For the common good!

IN WHICH I AM TAKEN TO TASK: Reader Marcus Bowman writes:

Glen,

Over the last few years you have always been quick to point out Republican excess and problems you have with Republicans– seemingly because you were afraid of too much Republican power even though they barely just got their head above water in Congress for the first time in 50 years.

NOW, we are on the verge of a total Democrat landslide and wipeout with all houses of Congress dominated by Democrats, big city governments dominated by Democrats, the President a Democrat, most State governors Democrats, most Washington DC bureaucrats faithful Democrats, and our news media and universities fully staffed with Democrats.

Why no alarm from you? Why not the type of messages urging the American populace to think twice about giving all the power? In your overall posts you have always been far more comfortable with Democrats than Republicans. Your preferences are seemingly well betrayed to be the opposite. However, your general tone of your website is much quicker to point to Republican power. And now it’s clear Republicans won’t have ANY power. None.

Sorry if I come across as an Obama shill. He brings hope and change! But it’s true that divided government is generally better, and that it’s looking unlikely that we’ll have that, unless McCain gets a sudden surge.

Domestically, I think we’re best off with a Democratic President and a Republican Congress. On foreign affairs, maybe the reverse? I hope the GOP at least keeps enough of a margin in the Senate to sustain a filibuster now and then.

GROUNDBREAKING HELD FOR BIOFUELS PLANT: A “red letter day” for alternative energy.

SOME PRO PAINTING TIPS that amateurs should know.

A LOOK AT the new Apple MacBooks.

IS IT TIME TO “go John Galt?” I don’t think so, but the discussion is interesting.

OIL PRICES at a 13-month low. I guess that talk of $200/barrel oil by the end of the year was wrong. Though, heck, the way things have gone this year, things could change again . . . .

STEPHEN GREEN: Fighting Words.

JOHN KERRY GOES TO MADISON, WISCONSIN FOR OBAMA and draws a disappointing crowd. More a reflection on Kerry than Obama, I’d say . . . .

TIM CAVANAUGH on covering up the John Edwards scandal at the L.A. Times: “The L.A. Times desperately wanted to avoid this damaging story, dressed up its desires in media-diligence drag (we were told not to comment until the paper’s reporters were through looking into the matter), and as a result was beaten and humiliated in its own backyard.”

IRAN’S FEAR of low oil prices.

THE APTERA ELECTRIC CAR takes a drive in New York and turns heads.

A “CIVIL WAR” among the Republican punditry. Yeah, that’s a sign of good priorities . . . .

I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL THIS WAY: “It’s not Obama himself that fuels my anger – it’s the way the media is covering for him.”

HEH: “Finding someone in Hollywood who says they don’t want to affect the election is like finding a virgin in a brothel.”

UPDATE: Oddly, that story seems to have disappeared from the Houston Chronicle site. But you can find it here.

GAS PRICES hit 8-month low.

A LOOK AT information-wrangling.

A BIG WIN FOR CANADA’S CONSERVATIVE PARTY. Maybe the G.O.P. should take a few lessons?

UPDATE: Ilya Somin: “Canadian libertarians tell me that Harper and his Tories have serious flaws, and I don’t doubt it. But the Conservatives north of the border sure look a lot better to me than either American party does right now. Their policies are probably more pro-market than those of Bush’s ‘big government conservative’ GOP. . . . In addition, the Canadian Conservatives don’t have nearly as much of a social conservative/religious right streak as the Republicans do. And libertarians have to give at least a little love to a prime minister who took a lot of flak for cutting government subsidies to the arts – a goal the Republicans weren’t able to achieve with their campaign against the NEA.”

SOUTH PARK CONSERVATIVES RUSSIANS: “Just when you start believing Russia has returned to its old ways, something like this happens. A religious group attempted to get the license of a TV station pulled because it felt a South Park cartoon was hateful to Christians and Muslims. In return Russians rallied behind South Park, demonstrated, collected signatures on petitions… and… won????”

HEH. Wouldn’t put it past ’em. . . .

MORE FROM CNN ON OBAMA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ACORN: And note the widespread “ACORN for Obama” t-shirts!

THE MAN WHO NAMED HIS DAUGHTER Sarah McCain Palin.