The Last Ephor

"Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean." -Maya Angelou

I guess you do form a special bond to the person you lose your virginity to. Which is why I have my own private shrine to honor Mary the Escaped Mental Patient. I'll never forget that fateful day (last week) when she ran into my yard wearing nothing but a trash bag and construction worker's helmet. *sigh* It was pure magic. Until she left me for the neighbor's dog. I know where you sleep, Mr. Barksington!

"...modified Brits with levels of enthusiasm that would surely qualify them for honorary U.S. citizenship."

"Libertarians spend as much time dreaming about the end of the drug war, a return to the gold standard, and the death of the income tax as Republicans fantasize about prayer in public schools and no abortions and Democrats covet socialized medicine and a minimum wage of $42/hour."

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth a war, is much worse...A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. As long as justice and injustice have not terminated their ever-renewing fight for ascendancy in the affairs of mankind, human beings must be willing, when need is, to do battle for the one against the other." John Stuart Mill "The Contest in America," Fraser’s Magazine (February 1862)

"The Democrats in the Senate need to explain how making Iraq into a "Darfur" is good for Iraqis or Americans."

Global Politician revisits the Anthrax cases and points a blackened finger. More here Just another day in Iraq . The ease and humility that Teflon Don writes with makes it all the more compelling. I guarantee if I were writing this story it would be replete with hyperbole, self-aggrandizement and worse. Read it. Now. Why France will liberalize . I'm not so sure. The welfare state has been decades in the making. We're now looking at third and fourth generation Frenchmen who know nothing else. As an American I knew about the size and scope of the state in France but it wasn't until I lived there did I really get it. Even if Sarko wins he's fighting an entrench bureaucracy that makes the US government look like Cato Institute's wet dream. Mitt Romney's efforts to make himself unelectable continue apace. Now he declares "Battlefield Earth" as his favorite book. Who's the only religious group less electable than Mormons? Scientologists!...

This is funny. Snide but funny. Palestinians attend a demonstration against violence in Gaza April 23, 2007. Clearly they need a refresher on the definition of violence. Bush's ruination of the economy continues apace. I know you're not a soccer fan, but watch this anyway. Reid debunked in 5 easy steps . h/t: Malkin Become Just. One. Person. I became Just. One. Person. once. I was heading to the subway in NYC and some skel (that'd be homeless guy to you) was blocking a very pretty young woman from going down the steps. She would move left and he would step to his right to block her. I said "Hey, leave her alone". He wheeled on my and put a rusty razor up to my face. He said "You're a real tough guy aren't you." I didn't say a word. We stared at each other for a minute and then he left. The woman, wisely, left as soon as he turned to me. I have to admit I was terrified. I have no doubt he would have sliced me up if I had op...

Quote of the day: "a blogger with under a thousand readers a day can bring a company to its knees, especially when that company attempts to roll over an individual's First Amendment rights." An Army of Davids indeed.

Hypocrisy has a Human Price on the Streets of Baghdad . Puts a human face on the price of early withdrawal. I often say that the prime reason I cannot vote Democrat is their divorce from reality in matters of foreign policy. I understand their want to throw money and increased government at any domestic problem. Most of that doesn't imperil democracy so much as harm the economy. We can easily remedy such errors. Missteps of foreign policy are much much harder to correct. Diplomacy is not an end, it is a means to an end. Conferences are all well and good but they usually result in nothing. Negotiations only work if they are backed by something. Something like the Fifth Fleet or economic sanctions. It's good cop/bad cop routine. One that only works if your opponent thinks the bad cop is in charge. Showing that the Kucinich wing of the party has truly taken control of the party they're attempting to add a cabinet level post called Department of Peace an...

The Adaptable Hillary Hillary_animatedIf you're playing along at home, here's Hillary Clinton so far: Cubs Fan/Yankees Fan, Gay-ish Pro-choice-with-an-asterisk Christian Mom, Southern Belle New Yorker, Black Panther Sympathizing Goldwater Girl and Progressive Feminist Against iPods. I know I've left out a lot, but I got tired of typing. That's two in a row for Some Have Hats

The Corner on National Review Online “Opposing the deportation of Jews had not been a matter of major national interest.” Oh, so then it's OK I guess. It's only important or necessary to oppose the wholesale slaughter of an entire group of people if its a matter of major national interest.