JAMES DELINGPOLE: Does any of you realise or even care just how stuffed we are?

BACKFIRE: Mickey Kaus: Pro-Pot Poll Should Bum Out Legalizers. “When you learn that California’s legalize-pot initiative got 46% of the vote, you think a) that’s close—Better Than Expected, given the tendency of support for ballot initiatives to plummet right before a vote—and b) it won’t be long before a better-drafted* measure passes. Then you read the results of a Greenberg Quinlan Rosner poll—funded by rich legalization supporter Peter Lewis—and you think again.”

CHANGE: OBAMA AT THE G-20: “Underlying all of this is an inconvenient truth: The U.S. president is no longer the undisputed boss-man of the world. In fact, at gatherings such as the G-20, it is becoming increasingly hard to assert that he is even primus inter pares—first among equals. Given the insurrectionary mood in the global economic hierarchy, led by a hyper-assertive China and an exasperated Germany, an American president debilitated by political defeat at home and genuine policy incoherence in his own agenda cuts a pretty sorry figure.”

UPDATE: A reader emails: “Obama wanted to take down the U.S. in the eyes of the world. He elevated himself above the presidency and thought the world would likewise elevate him and see him apart from America. What he did not know is that the president is one of the symbols of the country. Diminish the country and its symbols lose standing. In addition, the rest of the world has been looking at him and sees a man who is much less than the country. In some parts of the world, America still has standing. Barack Obama, not so much.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: Another email:

You know, I don’t understand our political class. Congress allows more and more of its power to pass to the President, thus making itself less important – while acting all-powerful. ( Check out all those czars! )

Now Obama is managing a decline of the United States, but still expects his position as President to have the same weight and authority. You get the impression that Obama believes he is the power, not the office he holds.

If these progressives succeed in downgrading the United States, they will be astonished to find that the rest of the world’s leaders will care less and less about anything they want – carbon reduction schemes, trade balance adjustments, human rights advocacy, and especially the advance of freedom and democracy.

And, of course, it will all be UNEXPECTED!

Geez. Bunch of losers.

Indeed.

TENTH CIRCUIT: Unconstitutional to Require Registration and Disclosure for Any Committee Spending Over $200 to Support/Oppose a Ballot Measure.

MEGAN MCARDLE ON FIXING SOCIAL SECURITY AND THE BUDGET. Megan’s thoughts are worth reading, but she quotes another commentator who argues against social security benefit cuts by noting that many young people oppose them: “That is, unless, your position is that young workers don’t know what’s good for them and it is up to us to safeguard them from themselves.”

Megan comments: “I’d suggest the data might be explained by recourse to the employment-to-population ratio for 18-24 year olds, which is under 50%. I don’t find it surprising that people who are not self-supporting would disproportionately break in favor of higher taxes to support a paternalistic program.”

But the other problem is that Social Security itself is based on the premise “that young workers don’t know what’s good for them and it is up to us to safeguard them from themselves.” If we felt otherwise, we’d leave it up to them to save for retirement, instead of levying upon them for social security. Right? It takes a lot of chutzpah to say that cutting Social Security benefits is somehow paternalistic . . . .

RUNNING THE PRINTING PRESS: Here’s Why QE2 Could Threaten The Dollar’s Status As The Global Reserve Currency.

Related: Why Fed’s Plan Is Raising Trade Tensions.

PREPARING AN EXCULPATORY BLAME NARRATIVE FOR THE DEMOCRATS: Time claims Tea Party will cause hyperinflation. Yeah, that’s whose fault it’ll be. . . .

UPDATE: Reader Jeff Dobbs emails:

It wasn’t that long ago that the Tea Party was just a flash-in-the-pan mob of nobodies who would fade away with little political or electoral influence, according to these same bright lights. But now the Tea Party controls the levers of power such that they may destroy the entire world!!!!!

We’ve come a long way baby.

Heh.

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: California’s Assorted Rocks and Hard Places. “News came out today that the California budget deficit is actually closer to $25 billion, twice what we are told. This follows from last year’s $42 billion shortfall, which was closed by all sorts of one-time tax increases and gimmicks.”

DISGUSTING: Protests by British Muslims ruin Armstice Day celebrations. Shouldn’t these folks be afraid that this sort of behavior will “provoke violence?” Or is that only for protests against Muslims?

CHANGE: Government Salaries Soar Under Obama.

BUZZ ALDRIN WOWS SOHO GALLERY CROWD: Reader Kim Hill writes:

Hi- Just thought I’d share a moment from a gallery in NYC/Soho tonight. Buzz Aldrin was at an event for an artist friend’s space paintings.

The most interesting aspect here is the straightforward acclaim for Aldrin, and for Veteran’s Day- in NYC. The evening was billed as “a very special event at the Pop Gallery on Veteran’s Day this year, honoring one of America’s National Heroes, famed astronaut and veteran, BUZZ ALDRIN.” (link).

Buzz was swarmed like a movie star- keep in mind this was clearly a Soho gallery crowd- not a space enthusiast crowd.

He was got a warm round of applause for his service in the Korean War. Later, he stood on a chair and gave a little talk about his Unified Space Vision for humans on Mars by 2035.

It warmed my heart to see supposedly jaded NYers respond like this.

Background here.

Buzz has a lot of presence. And he’s actually a swell guy. Nice to see people appreciate it.

UPDATE: Reader C.J. Burch writes: “I always liked Aldrin. I liked him even better after he punched the moon landing denier.” Yeah, that was fun.

ANOTHER UPDATE: More on Buzz from Rich Vail.

BEST Kid and Family DVDs of 2010.

NATALIE SOLENT: A robust defense of George W. Bush. But from the comments: “I am worried that he is still a better President than Al ‘Climategate’ Gore would have been! What does that say about the quality of either party, if these were their candidates?”

SOME VETERANS’ DAY THOUGHTS from Ralph Kinney Bennett.

SHOCKER: Some Muslims Attending Capitol Hill Prayer Group Have Terror Ties, Probe Reveals.

PROFESSOR BAINBRIDGE APOLOGIZES TO BRUCE BARTLETT. I don’t think Bartlett is owed an apology, as his manner has sometimes been as mean-spirited as his detractors’. But the circular-firing-squad warnings are well-taken, and I certainly agree with this: “When you start seeing people like Chris Christie being attacked for not being conservative enough, you know that the right is in danger of going off the rails. Or at least some parts of it.”

Don’t demand perfection, or you’ll be disappointed. Demand as good as you can get, and move ahead. Political change is a process, not an event.

C-SPAN VIDEO: Ed Morrissey, Byron York, et al., talk about the future of the Tea Party.

GENOCIDE, NOSTALGIA, and a New York Times puff piece about Marxists. In the finest tradition of Pulitzer-prize winning Timesman Walter Duranty . . . .

PROFESSOR JACOBSON: Why I Love Our Medical System. “We sought out the surgeon specifically for his expertise. He appears to have a thriving private practice, because there was a delay of a few weeks until he had an opening. I hope he is making a fortune, he deserves it. (All went well, by the way.) We didn’t have to go on a government created waiting list; or worry about whether we met the age or other parameters for the surgery. And there was no shortage of supply. If that surgeon were not available there were plenty of other competent choices. Most of all, we controlled the whole process.”

That last sentence is the part they really hate.

INSTAVISION: I talk with Utah Tea Party founder David Kirkham and Cincinnati Tea Party founder Mike Wilson about the elections and what comes next for the Tea Party movement. In an InstaVision rarity, this is YouTubed so no PJTV registration is required! Key lessons: The importance of showing up, the role of activism in taking over local / state party apparatuses and legislatures, the many opportunities for political neophytes, and the role of fun. DIY politics at its best! But you’ll have to stick around to the end to see what t-shirt I’m wearing. . . . (Bumped).

And here’s the PJTV link, for those who prefer that to YouTube.

If you like this kind of thing, please consider subscribing to PJTV.

DO TELL: Good Candidates Important In Winning Elections.

ROBERT CHESNEY: Insurgency as a Relevant Lens for Cartel Violence in Mexico.

JACK DUNPHY: A Child’s Death In No-Man’s Land.

HOPE: Inspector General: Travel Expense Fraud at the Department of Justice. “If the violations of travel rules don’t involve Republican-appointed U.S. attorneys, the DOJ is in no hurry to release reports. . . . Since leaving the Department of Justice, I have learned the other investigations and reports conducted by the inspector general detail sometimes tens of thousands of dollars in outright travel fraud by Department of Justice career employees. These reports were kept secret — and involve costs far in excess of one night at the Four Seasons.”

COMPUTING ADVICE: Legs Apart Under Laptop: Your Sperm Will Thank You.