The Crows Nest
Crow's Nest Mostly Unmanned
Yes, I know the Crow's Nest has mostly been moribund since the site's relaunch. I do plan on using it more often in the future, I promise. I'll be spending a little more time on these posts as a way to link out to the blogosphere. Keep an eye on this space.
Also, please note that I've put the Amazon search bar on the main page, in the right sidebar. If you want to do some shopping at Amazon -- and who doesn't? -- be sure to shop through Captain's Quarters. Amazon does pay a small percentage of the sale to me, and it helps pay for a few sundries related to the blog. Much appreciated!
OpenCongress Web Widget
Ever wanted to announce your support or opposition to Congressional legislation? OpenCongress now has a web widget that allows bloggers to do exactly that. Take a look at this, and check out how easily you can build your own.
Maybe They're Flotation Devices?
The Australian Navy foots the bill for breast augmentations. The Labour Party would like to know why, and probably so would most of the voters in Australia.
The Thinking Blogger
Congrats to Fausta, who won a Thinking Blogger award. She thanks me for my friendship, but the truth is that Fausta makes it easy to be her friend. She's always positive and energetic, and she epitomizes the notion of a thinking blogger. Make sure to put her on your must-read list!
Ensign Calls For Return Of MoveOn Money
NRSC chair Senator John Ensign calls for Democrats to return all campaign funds donated by MoveOn, after their despicable New York Times ad today accusing David Petraeus of treason. "If Senate Democrats are serious about moving our country forward, they will denounce this outrageous ad and return the campaign funds MoveOn.org has lavished on them as well as the donations made through MoveOn.org -- the choice is theirs." Ensign's right, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the refund ...
Support The Al-Dura Petition
Roger Simon at Pajamas Media is circulating a petition to demand accountability for the discredited al-Dura report from France's Channel 2. This is, as Roger calls it, the "Father of all Fauxtography," and C-2 has never acknowledged its fault in airing the supposed murder of a Palestinian child. He wants C-2 to show all of the unedited footage of the incident in order to show that C-2 faked the murder. If they're resisting the demand, I'd say they have something to hide ....
There Goes The Undefeated Season
Notre Dame managed to get its first loss out of the way as soon as possible -- and as badly as possible. Georgia Tech came to South Bend and stomped the Irish, 33-3, in the worst home opener loss in school history. The offense fumbled twice and allowed seven sacks on Evan Sharpley, who must have longed to have Brady Quinn back on the field instead. If Charlie Weis doesn't turn this debacle around fast, he may want to start asking Ty Willingham for some career counseling ....
Would Early Primaries Allow More Donations?
Jim Geraghty at The Campaign Spot believes that candidates will benefit if primaries and caucuses get pushed into 2007. A loophole in campaign finance regulation appears to allow an extra $2,300 per donor for candidates if those elections are held this year. Be sure to check out Jim's analysis, and the surprising candidate that may benefit the most.
When Tom Met Jeralyn
One of the interesting aspects of politics is finding out that opponents are people, too. Jeralyn Merritt of TalkLeft met Rep. Tom Tancredo backstage at NBC's studios, and found him more likable than she had anticipated. Perhaps it was their mutual interest in Dog, The Bounty Hunter ...
Joe Lieberman A Right-Wing Nut?
That's what CAIR says, according to Joe Kaufman. He has a link to a CAIR official's blog post that calls Lieberman, along with John Bolton, former CIA director James Woolsey, and the Heritage Foundation's Peter Brookes as "extremists". Affad Shaikh also calls Dick Cheney a "fat bastard of a liar," apparently not meant as a pop-culture reference to the Austin Powers movies. (via Let Freedom Ring)
Broadband Homelessness
The Japanese have made homelessness more efficient, and more Net-friendly, too. Their Internet cafés have become homeless shelters for the struggling manual-labor sector. The problem has grown into such a problem that government intervention will shortly become a political priority.
Found My Law Firm
Power Line links twice to this story regarding an attorney at Faegre & Benson who refused to become a victim and helped capture a very dangerous man. Keith Radtke is a partner in the firm as is Power Line's John Hinderaker. Radtke is listed in satisfactory condition after getting shot in the back, but that didn't keep him from locking up his attacker in a wrestling grip until police could arrive. I don't know about you, but that's the kind of man I'd want as my counsel ....
Don't Click That YouTube E-mail
The latest in spam seems to be redirections from YouTube links in e-mail to IP addresses without domain names. They attempt to entice people by making it seem that they have been inadvertently YouTubed. I'm sure most people can see through this scam, but just in case, you've been warned ....
Rick Moran Escapes The Floods
Rick Moran has kept us up to date on his travails along the Algonquin River. Yesterday, the police showed up to get him evacuated before the river flooded his home -- but today, Rick finds that a minor miracle has taken place, and that his house survives ... at least for now. Keep Rick in your prayers, and keep checking in at Right Wing Nut House for updates.
Rule 1: Drag The Corpse On Over First
If I've learned anything in four years of blogging, don't try to be out in front of the death rumors, especially with the villains of the world. Saddam died a hundred deaths before we caught him alive in his spider hole, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi almost as many before his demise last year. Osama may or may not be alive, but everyone's avoided speculating on his fate for a while now. Maybe Val at Babalu Blog will get luckier with his "Castro Is Dead" story. We all hope so. I'll wait for the announcement ....
Comments (14)
Posted by burt | October 24, 2007 7:59 AM
Congratulations Captain. You wrote a good post which you frequently do. I much rarer thing you accomplished is to find a Washington Post article that has more substance than blather.
Posted by docjim505 | October 24, 2007 8:14 AM
At last, bipartisanship in the Senate! I'm so glad that senators from both parties were able to reach across the aisle and reach a consensus.
Um... Could we have a bit less of this sort of thing in the future, please?
I'm especially disgusted (though far from surprised) that there are plenty of Republicans involved in this foolishness. As you say, Cap'n, they are all busily buying off votes with our tax dollars.
Bah.
Posted by Keemo | October 24, 2007 8:14 AM
Watching these people doing their business on C-SPAN, reminds me of the days when I tried my best to speak over 100 cubs scouts at pack meetings. We expect this behavior from 7-10 year olds; pretty damn disgusting watching the same adolescent behavior from spoiled brat adults.
Posted by coldwarrior415 | October 24, 2007 8:32 AM
If these earmark junkies would try something completely different, perhaps they could get the funding they seek, maybe, and also actually engage in a dialog on the relative merits of these "projects' they attach to so many unrelated bills.
How about offering an actual bill instead of the stealthy earmark? Provide facts and substantiation, have an up or down vote? You know, the old fashioned step by step bill to law thing?
If the money or project they seek has merit, let them defend it right up front. If it has no merit, let the House or Senate make that decision.
These earmarks have gone a long way from the old standard of simply attaching an amendment to a bill a member of Congress has a reasonable prospect of being passed. These earmarks take their "projects" completely out of any sort of reasonable discussion.
Let the member of Congress actually work for his or her pet project.
From one-time horse-trading on the floor of Congress to sealing up funds long before the bill actually comes to a vote...and some people are amazed that Congress today has such a low degree of public support?
In the meantime, we get more of this passive-aggressive garbage. And we actually elected these people? I'd expect more from Keemo's Cub Scouts. I'd also wish Congress would start acting like adults instead of a coddled separate class above the law, a coddled class that by and large has nothing but contempt for the electorate.
As for the mantra of "we have to do it for the children," I guess we know who the "children" actually are --- Congress.
Posted by unclesmrgol | October 24, 2007 8:42 AM
As I commented in the Captain's earlier post on the Coburn amendment, SCHIP and any other entitlement for kids is dead.
Coburn has shown us that the Democrats wear the emperor's new clothes. They no longer have the high ground in the debate on entitlements. This vote will come back to haunt them over and over.
I'm a little bit disgusted with the Republicans, but for them the choice was Sisyphean -- vote against something they want for something they certainly don't want far more than the thing they want. Personally, I think they should have voted present and left the Dems to fall on the sword alone, but diplomacy is an action reserved to the executive branch of the government and therefore sadly missing in the legislative branch.
In a warped sort of way, I can see the Republican justification for their vote -- but not that of the Democrats, whose party pushed hard for children's healthcare.
Posted by Labamigo | October 24, 2007 8:53 AM
The most liberal senator and the most conservative senator have more in common with each other than any of them have in common with you or me.
Posted by PD Quig | October 24, 2007 9:21 AM
The last Tom Clancy book that I was able to suffer through (Executive Orders) contained what may be the only solution left to the national disgrace that Congress has become. If only the conspirators can get the word to Tom Coburn and the handful of others who haven't become completely corrupted before the 747 makes its unscheduled landing. Hell, there's times like these when I'd pilot the damned plane.
I'm kidding, of course, but "throw the bums out" seems like a vain hope when every other November the same crew gets a new mandate to destroy the country from their uninformed constituents.
Posted by docjim505 | October 24, 2007 10:12 AM
unclesmrgol: Coburn has shown us that the Democrats wear the emperor's new clothes. They no longer have the high ground in the debate on entitlements. This vote will come back to haunt them over and over.
I wish that were so, but I doubt that it will. Who will hold the dems accountable? The MSM? Don't make me laugh! The GOP? Hell, they are co-conspirators.
Unless and until John Q. Public starts demanding that his members of Congress STOP trying to get all the goodies they can for his state / district (like THAT will ever happen), we're going to continue down the path of increasing corruption.
Posted by MikeD | October 24, 2007 10:36 AM
I have a friend who believes that every citizen should have the right to shoot, without fear of retribution, three fools/idiots/despicable persons during one's lifetime. I would posit that politicians (and maybe lawyers in general)should not count against the total.
Posted by mojo | October 24, 2007 11:47 AM
Davenport, Ioway?
Half-way between Des Moines and Chicago? Home of the Rock Island Arsenal?
Yeah, sure, they need a museum.
Posted by kimsch | October 24, 2007 12:39 PM
A virtual herbarium? what do you do, look at pictures of the herbs? You can't smell, touch or taste the herbs?
What is the difference between that and a book about herbs?
Posted by Ken Oglesby | October 24, 2007 1:49 PM
If the Founders had had any idea what their foray into Democracy would look like after 200+ years,they must be rolling in their graves.
When they see the people(or sheeple as they are rightly called in the rodham camp)continually electing idiots like Stark,Durbin,Hargan,Reid and 531 others,including on occasion,a President,they must be rolling in their graves.
When they see how their judiciary,which was set up to resolve constitutional disputes,has now become the final,and sometimes the only,arbiter,in so many cases,they must be rolling in their graves.
Only the sheeple,er,people,can change this and they have shown absolutely no inclination to do so.
They must be rolling in their graves.
Posted by dhunter | October 24, 2007 3:10 PM
Take away their lifetime pension and put them on social security. Take away their health plan and let them buy one like we do. Impose 2 term limits. A candidate for pres that pushes this has my dollars and vote. With congress approval at 11% and dropping like a rock the candidate that proposes this might just get elected and with 89% of the country agreeing might actually get it done.
Don't give me the line that no one qualified will run, how much worse or less qualified can one get than the current crop? Batch of Asshat clowns about 90%.
Posted by RD | October 24, 2007 6:03 PM
Lament
Whatever happened to old fashioned ways?
Whatever happened to honest crime where the criminal simply pointed a gun at the victim's head and said your money or your life-now they become politicians with no threat of prison.
What ever happened to old fashioned hypocrisy where the hypocrite sowed wild oats on Saturday night and sang in the church choir on Sunday morning-now they become "environmentalists and sell CO2 credits while traveling the world in private jets.
Whatever happened to old fashioned reporting-now they are opinion makers who use fake but accurate documents or spin the facts.
Whatever happened to old fashioned entertainers-now they are foreign policy experts.
Whatever happened to truth, ethics, morality, common sense,statemanship and science?