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P.J. O'Rourke:No, it turns out Saddam Hussein didn't have weapons of mass destruction. And how crazy does that make Saddam? All he had to do was tell Hans Blix, "Look anywhere you want. Look under the bed. Look beneath the couch. Look behind the toilet tank in the third presidential palace on the left, but keep your mitts off my copies of Maxim." And Saddam could have gone on dictatoring away until Donald Rumsfeld gets elected head of the World Council of Churches.
Reach out to Egypt?
John Kerry, in today's New York Times: "A new presidency with the right moves, the right language, the right outreach, the right initiatives, can dramatically alter the world’s perception of us very, very quickly.
I know Mubarak well enough to know what I think I could achieve in the messaging and in the press in Egypt,” Kerry went on. Ah, so Sen. Kerry believes the problem with Egypt is "perception" and "messaging." Let's quote some Egyptians, from the Jerusalem Post: General (Ret.) Muhammad Abdel Fattah Omar, a former senior official with the Egyptian Ministry of Interior, which is responsible for the country's security services, was one of the first Egyptians to accuse Israel of masterminding the attacks.
"In each operation, we should first try to find out who benefits from it," he said. "Israel is the only party that benefits from the Sinai attacks. The Israelis and their agents are the only ones who are able to enter this area without difficulty."...
Abdullah al-Ashal, a former top official with the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, said he had no doubts that Israeli hands were involved in the bombings. "Israel's ultimate plan is to bring Egypt to its knees and eliminate its regional role," he told the IslamOnline Web site.
Ashal, who served as assistant foreign minister, went on to claim that by pointing a finger at al-Qaida, Israel was seeking to include Egypt in the US-led war on terror...
Diaa Rashwan, an expert in the Islamic movements affairs in Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies, an Egyptian think-tank, also agreed that Al-Qaeda was not a likely culprit. No wonder the Israelis are sweating a Kerry victory. In the Times article, Kerry continued by saying: "I mean, you ever hear anything about the ‘road map’ anymore?" he asked, referring to the international plan for phasing in peace between Israel and the Palestinians, which Kerry supports. “No." I can tell you why we don't hear about the road map, but I'd rather let President Bush tell you. From Friday night's presidential debate: Question: You know, I've made some decisions on Israel that's unpopular. I wouldn't deal with Arafat, because I felt like he had let the former president down, and I don't think he's the kind of person that can lead toward a Palestinian state.
And people in Europe didn't like that decision. And that was unpopular, but it was the right thing to do.
I believe Palestinians ought to have a state, but I know they need leadership that's committed to a democracy and freedom, leadership that would be willing to reject terrorism. In the vice-presidential debate, Vice-President Cheney made the same point: In respect to Israel and Palestine, Gwen, the suicide bombers, in part, were generated by Saddam Hussein, who paid $25,000 to the families of suicide bombers.
I personally think one of the reasons that we don't have as many suicide attacks today in Israel as we've had in the past is because Saddam is no longer in business.
We've been strong supporters of Israel. The president stepped forward and put in place a policy basically that said we will support the establishment of two states. First president ever to say we'll establish and support a Palestinian state nextdoor to Israelis.
But first, there has to be an interlocutor you can trust and deal with. And we won't have that, we don't have it now, in a Yasser Arafat. There has to be reform of the Palestinian system. Sen. Edwards followed up with one of his most amazing remarks of the night: No, I did talk about it, Israel. He's the one who didn't talk about it.
The inconsistency at the heart of it all: Jason Van Steenwyck nails the unrealistic wishful thinking that has Democrats believing that they can simultaneously attack President Bush for doing too much in Iraq and not enough in Iran: How in the WORLD would we convince Iran to give up it's own nuclear program so long as it was the considered opinion of Iran, Israel, the United States, the senior leadership of the Iraqi army, and every reputable intelligence agency in the world that Iraq was still keeping WMDs? Why would Iran ever THINK of dismantling its nuclear program? Indeed, it would be stupid to do so, given Saddam Hussein's demonstrated intent.
Why I still like Glenn Reynolds (despite the effort required to mold his Nanotechnology: Three Futures article into publishable form):
From tonight's live-blog of the presidential debate: WHO WOULD YOU NAME TO THE SUPREME COURT? Bush foolishly doesn't say "Eugene Volokh." But President Bush already has my vote.
Later in the entry, Prof. Reynolds notes that "Kerry voted to confirm Scalia." Unfortunately, this doesn't count as an example of a flip-flop -- not after President Bush announced tonight that he considers some of his appointments to be, in hindsight, mistakes.
If you don't tear it down, I will: Nothing has infuriated me more in this election cycle than reports from my friends that their bumper stickers (and, in some cases, the rest of the car) have been vandalized because of their support for President Bush and Vice-President Cheney. I would like to show my support on the streets of Cambridge, where there is hardly a car without a sticker declaring that "Bush Lied, People Died," or some such nonsense.
I've been meaning to do a count, actually, of anti-Bush stickers vs. pro-Kerry/Edwards stickers. I think the number might actually be close.
In response, several people who live outside the People's Republic have suggested "That's what you get for living in Cambridge."
Nope. Political intolerance is everywhere. And it's growing.
I wish I had some empirical sense for how common these sorts of incidents have been during my lifetime: my sense is not very common. Particularly given how often we've heard (completely unsubstantiated) complaints about "voter suppression" in Florida in 2000 -- I tend to think that if these sorts of things were happening a lot to Democrats, it would be headline news. I think I'll start keeping a running list:
(From Jim Geraghty, 10/6/04): Howard County, Maryland:
The political season has turned ugly in Howard County, with an Ellicott City homeowner reporting a late-night fire that burned two Republican campaign signs in his back yard.
In addition, local Republicans say scores of other campaign signs have been destroyed or vandalized in the past couple of weeks, most of them along major highways.
"It's absolutely outrageous," said Howard Rensin, chairman of the county Republican party. He said about $1,500 worth of GOP signs have been destroyed.
"We're talking about dozens and dozens and dozens of signs. We think we may be looking at a concerted effort here," Rensin said. "If people want to express their political views, they ought to do so at the polls." ...
Over the weekend, county police conducted a surveillance operation prompted by the spate of sign destruction. On Sept. 25, police spotted a man on Route 40 cutting down with a power tool a sign urging voters to re-elect President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Police arrested Corey Robert Cooke, 33, of Ellicott City and charged him with destruction of property.
Pfc. Dave Proulx, a county police spokesman, said Cooke has not been charged in any of the other incidents.
The most dramatic incident so far involved the burning of the 4-foot-by-8-foot Bush-Cheney sign and a smaller sign endorsing U.S. Senate candidate E. J. Pipkin in Ellicott City.
James McQuarrie said he awoke shortly after 1 A.M. Sept. 25 and saw a fire burning in the yard of his home in the 10100 block of Old Frederick Road.
"I saw a big flame outside my window," McQuarrie said. He rushed to fight the fire with a hose, then county firefighters arrived to help. The fire also burned part of his yard fence and a nearby pile of wood, McQuarrie said.
Another case in the same neck of the woods:
Howard County's spate of political sign destruction led to the arrest late Friday of a Randallstown couple accused of using a bayonet to cut the centers out of two Bush/Cheney campaign signs on U.S. 40 near Ridge Road in Ellicott City, according to court files and county police.
Peter Lizon, 30, and his wife, Stephanie Louise Lizon, 34, of the first block of Valdivia Court, were each charged with destruction of private property. Peter Lizon faces weapons charges. He is free on $3,500 bail and Stephanie Lizon on $3,000 bail.
Duluth, Minnesota:
"We did it."
Three Duluth teenagers walked into the Duluth News Tribune on Wednesday afternoon, opening with these three words. The boys said they were responsible for vandalizing Bush campaign signs and painting a swastika and the word "Nazi" at a London Road residence last weekend.
An hour later, the three boys traveled to the Lakeside-Lester Park police station, where Sgt. Scott Campbell was waiting to talk to them.
The teenagers told the News Tribune they meant no harm to Bob James, the homeowner and Bush-Cheney supporter who erected the signs. They said they spray painted the signs and the swastika on James' sidewalk but had nothing to do with the vandalism of two of James' vehicles.
Friends and supporters of James and the Republican Party of Minnesota had offered a $2,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the vandalism.
While the teenagers were remorseful for what they did to James, they stood by their contempt for President Bush. They said they left a phone message for James on Wednesday and twice went to his house to apologize, but he wasn't home. They planned to try again later Wednesday.
"It was not an act of hate," said Dustin "Dusty" Dzuck, 17, a senior at Denfeld High School. "My mom called me a terrorist. It wasn't terrorism; it was activism. It was for a cause.... The whole thing is, basically, I just wanted to get the word out there that in my opinion Bush isn't doing this country any good."
Dzuck said his actions bothered him more when he learned James is an Army veteran.
Nashville, Tennessee:
Police said a Nashville teenager and his friends stole 71 Bush-Cheney yard signs because he was mad at President Bush for sending his brother to Iraq.
Andrew Thurman, 18, told police that he and 19-year-old Frederick Stevenson stole the signs from several west Nashville neighborhoods because his brother, a U.S. marine, was sent to Iraq.
"It's not unusual to see the isolated theft of campaign signs in local, state and federal elections," Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said. "However, this is the first time I can recall that someone who admits responsibility for the theft has linked it to the war in Iraq."
Thurman, Stevenson and two other teens were riding in a Honda Accord when they were stopped by police. Officers searched the car and found the signs, along with three pistols.
Thurman and Stevenson were cited for misdemeanor charges of theft and unlawful weapon possession. The other teens, who were both minors, face only the weapon charge.
Officials say this presidential campaign has triggered more reports of stolen campaign signs than in previous elections.
Rapid City, South Dakota:
The battle over political yard signs continued in Rapid City on Friday night, and the Republicans seemed to get the worst of it.
Signs supporting Republican candidates John Thune and Larry Diedrich were spray painted, stolen or destroyed up and down West Boulevard, as well as on several streets nearby. West Boulevard resident Ellen Drabek said Saturday that she lost two signs from her yard during the night.
"Mine weren't painted. Mine were stolen. And there were two large Thune signs up at St. Patrick Street that were broken up. All the rest of them were spray painted," Drabek said. "None of the Democratic signs were touched."
The vandalism and thefts occurred about two weeks after three Rapid City teenagers were caught after they were spotted in the act of stealing a large yard sign for Democrat Stephanie Herseth from a West Boulevard yard. Signs for Democrat Tom Daschle also had been taken. From Jim Geraghty, 10/5/04: September 2, 2004: Huntington, West Virginia:
Republican supporters in Huntington were watching their candidate accept the party's nomination when a gunshot rang out right in the middle of George W. Bush's speech.
"We heard a small snap, and felt glass come sliding by us. We looked up and saw a hole in our window and realized somebody was shooting at us", said Paula Stewart.
Witnesses tell police that someone fired a shot at the Republican Headquarters office at 1402 4th Avenue around 10:30pm Thursday night.
Today, Knoxville, Tennessee:
An unknown gunman fired several shots into the Bearden, Tenn., Bush-Cheney campaign office Tuesday, WBIR-TV in Knoxville reported.
According to Knoxville police officers on the scene, it is believed that the two separate shots were fired from a car sometime between 6:30 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. One shot shattered the glass in one front door and the other cracked the glass in another of the front doors.
Today, Orlando, Florida:
A group of protestors caused a commotion Tuesday afternoon at the Bush-Cheney Headquarters at SR436 & the 408. The protestors rushed the front door and Orlando police spokesman, Sgt. Brian Gilliams says.
Once inside, the protestors used a marker to draw on posters and scribbled remarks. O-P says one employee at the office was slightly injured and police are considering whether to file misdemeanor battery charges against the unidentified protestor. From Instapundit, 10/5/04: Swastika Burned Into Grass On Bush-Cheney Supporter's Lawn
Homeowner: 'My Signs Are Going Right Back In The Yard'
POSTED: 11:57 am CDT October 1, 2004
UPDATED: 12:31 pm CDT October 1, 2004
MADISON, Wis. -- Madison homeowners are livid after vandals defaced their homes.
Homeowner Rob Schaeffer
Someone burned an 8-foot-by-8-foot Nazi swastika on a home's lawn near where Bush-Cheney signs were posted. The vandals used grass killer to spray the symbol.
Several nearby homes were vandalized -- all were within a two-block radius on the West Side, near Ice Age Trail, News 3 reported.
State Republican Party officials claim it's the latest in a series of desperate acts by Democrats.
Homeowners are angry, but resolute in what they plan to do next.
AVON, Co:
AVON — Enough of the burning Bush and enough of the Avon chain saw massacre.
Vandals trespassing on his property to chainsaw the middle out of Republican campaign signs spurred landowner Magnus Lindholm Wednesday to offer a $5,000 reward for information leading the arrest of those responsible.
Earlier this week, somebody chain-sawed the middle out of two Bush signs on his property in Avon at the William Post Boulevard exit on Interstate 70. A “Bush/Cheney ’04” campaign sign was burned in Wolcott.
The Avon signs had been torn down previously, and others around the state have been damaged. Also targeted were campaign signs in other parts of the state promoting the U.S. Senate campaign of Pete Coors, also a Republican.
No signs promoting Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry or Senate hopeful Ken Salazar have been reported damaged.
We'll see if this continues... I'm as much keeping track of this for myself as for anyone else.
Infuriating: It's become a mantra for peaceniks ever since the first Gulf War. "We support the troops. We're just against the war." Thousands of pages of ink have been spilled regarding whether this position contradicts itself, or not. For the record, given Sen. Kerry's oft-quoted testimony about Vietnam ("Who wants to be the last man to die for a mistake?"), and the desire of our enemies abroad to kill our servicemen solely to change American public opinion, I come down on the contradictory side. But writers to today's Boston Globe make clear that for many Massachusetts liberals, the "support our troops" mantra is a lie: I use Route 3 from 128 to 495 every day; then 495 north to Lawrence," Robert wrote. "The overpasses are turning into a serious distraction. I am as patriotic as anyone else, but this has gotten out of control. Flags, sheets with all types of messages hand-painted on them are all beginning to really look cheesy. Save it for your front lawn."
Peter of Ipswich wrote about the same issue in June.
"On Route 128 in Woburn the overpass at Mishawum is covered end to end with flags. This is state property. I find it distracting and am perplexed. The State Police removed a couple of signs at an overpass on [I-95] in the Byfield-Newburyport area some time ago and explained that it was a distraction to drivers. Also state property. What's the difference? Do the State Police make decisions based on politics?"
"I thought posting signs/banners on highway overpasses created a driving hazard and is illegal, and yet the number of overpasses decorated with American flags, memorials, and military flags seem to multiply each day," wrote Susan of Groton last month. "Can I post my peace flags on the overpass of my choice?" Ridiculous.
First, I drive a lot. In the last month, I've covered much of the Massachusetts length of I-90, I-93, I-95, I-495, I-290, Route 2, and Route 3. Most of the signs and messages to which these writers are referring are not just "patriotic displays" of the flag, but specific messages to soldiers, Marines, or airmen (relatively few sailors, based on my observation), usually welcoming them home from Iraq, Afghanistan, or other overseas postings. If these people aren't interested in welcoming home the men and women who have volunteered to put their lives on the line, in what way, exactly, are they "as patriotic as anyone" or willing to "support our troops?"
Apparently, these navel-gazers think that the flags and "welcome home" messages are aimed at persuading them to change their opinions on the war. They couldn't possibly be directed towards the people that they are, usually, explicitly addressed to. If "Susan of Groton" is worried about the "driving hazard," and not her offended political sensibilities, she sure as heck wouldn't be talking about adding to the visual clutter with peace flags.
I do want to make one positive observation -- at least the letter-writers have chosen to express themselves by speaking out and writing. One hopes that they won't contemplate vandalism as an alternative.
Baby steps towards space tourism: Here's a first-hand account (with pictures!) of a ride on the Zero-Gravity Corporation's parabolic weightlessness trip: And then, when the weight is worst, the invisible hands cramming your spine into the plane's padded floor lose interest and lift away. What was concrete becomes cotton. The hands reach beneath you, and lift you up into nothing, and you float. And all there is to do when this happens for the very first time is to laugh. Because it's impossible. Because it's unnatural.
But the joke in your bones is that it feels perfectly natural, like all your life you were intended to float. After all, just before you came into the world, that's what you were doing in liquid. And when your life ends and you leave, there you are again, becoming vapor. Breaking down from matter to dust to air. Floating...
As I sit here, I can still feel it in my body. It comes in waves. I want to hit "post," shut the application, close the laptop lid. Then bend my knees a little and shove off, push up into the air above my desk. Do the superman. Do a backflip. Bust a "crouching tiger hidden dragon" move, karate-chop martian foes mid-air. And float away into bed. It's natural now, and will remain that way forever. I miss it already. It may be a while before I can afford to give it a try, but it sounds like they'll have a lot of customers... and great word of mouth.
Baby steps towards space tourism: Here's a first-hand account (with pictures!) of a ride on the Zero-Gravity Corporation's parabolic weightlessness trip: And then, when the weight is worst, the invisible hands cramming your spine into the plane's padded floor lose interest and lift away. What was concrete becomes cotton. The hands reach beneath you, and lift you up into nothing, and you float. And all there is to do when this happens for the very first time is to laugh. Because it's impossible. Because it's unnatural.
But the joke in your bones is that it feels perfectly natural, like all your life you were intended to float. After all, just before you came into the world, that's what you were doing in liquid. And when your life ends and you leave, there you are again, becoming vapor. Breaking down from matter to dust to air. Floating...
As I sit here, I can still feel it in my body. It comes in waves. I want to hit "post," shut the application, close the laptop lid. Then bend my knees a little and shove off, push up into the air above my desk. Do the superman. Do a backflip. Bust a "crouching tiger hidden dragon" move, karate-chop martian foes mid-air. And float away into bed. It's natural now, and will remain that way forever. I miss it already. It may be a while before I can afford to give it a try, but it sounds like they'll have a lot of customers... and great word of mouth.
Kerry: President Should Watch TV: OK - I freely admit this is a cheap shot. But Sen. Kerry deserves it, for saying this in his stump speech: "With all due respect to the president, has he turned on the evening news lately?... Is he talking about the same war that the rest of us are talking about?"
Are you kidding? The evening news? Maybe the reason that President Bush and Sen. Kerry have different perspectives (or do they?) on the war in Iraq is because President Bush isn't foolish enough to rely on information from CBS News.
But maybe Sen. Kerry does get his information from the evening news. If I recall correctly ( I do!) Sen. Kerry has passed up official intelligence briefings because he doesn't have time.
My fondest wish for 2008 is that we could have two serious candidates for President. And that one of them would be fiscally conservative.
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