Friday Cat Blogging… Nelson
…my veterinarian told me that Nelson was born without a tail; I had believed that he’d lost it at some point. So I started looking up info on the Manx. Apparently they keep growing until they hit five years old…
Blog Like Tim McCarver Day
As I anticipated, this Yankees/Tigers series will be an incredible nail-biter; I can’t believe anybody wrote the Tigers off. And there’s nobody I’d rather have close out a huge road win than Todd Jones–he has Jeff Reardon makeup and Randy Myers pancake foundation. And the fact that the Tigers could overcome the great Derek Jeter going a full step to his right and getting the lightning-fast Ivan Rodriguez at first–which might be the greatest defensive play I’ve ever seen–just shows they’re in it to win. [/McCarver]
I still don’t give them much of a shot, but every game they can get out of the Yankees helps. And hey, maybe they can win, what the hell, who do they have going Friday? Oh, right, The Coward of the County. Well, he’s due. Also, as we discussed recently it could be argued that trading Carlos Guillen for Ramon Santiago was not the best trade in Mariners history.
Situational Ethics
Let’s play “spot the glaring logical flaws, one revealed by reprehensible behavior.” It’s an easy one! Lesse, according to Glenn Reynolds:
- Pointing out that a gay person is gay is clear evidence of homophobia, and is “McCarthyism” if the person in question isn’t out.
- Roger Simon is right to say that it’s hypocritical to have no objection to the anonymous republishing of instant messages while opposing unconstrained government surveillance. This makes extra sense for a libertarian. (“First you didn’t want the pony. Now you want me to give it up! Make up your mind!)
- Helping Roger Simon out the victims of a sex crime–completely acceptable!
I’m sure there’s an explanation in which this is all perfectly log…look–Ted Kennedy!
…in comments, Pithlord says: “IIRC, Reynolds claimed that mentioning that Mary Cheney is gay is wrong, even though she IS out.” To confirm: Heh. Indeed!
The Dreamlife of Bush Fluffers
John Cole offers an amusing round-up of the dead-enders trying to defend the GOP in the wake of the Foley scandal. (See also Dave.) Lots of classics, but I think there’s no question that indefatigable Bush hack Tom Maguire emerges as the champion. Admittedly, Maguire had some standard-issue attempts to blame a nefarious media-Democratic conspiracy, but his heart didn’t seem to be in it; he threw out some stuff about how the information appeared on an obscure website without bothering to mount an argument about what exactly this was evidence of or why it mattered. But then, he hits an inside-the-park-homerun of hackdom: the Republicans covered up the scandal because they were afraid of…the gay rights lobby!
…if the pages in question had been girls, Foley would have been shot at dawn.However, picture this headline – “House Leadership Boots Allegedly Gay Republican On Trumped-Up Pedophilia Charges”. Ugly. Worth Avoiding. Listening to Andrew Sullivan decry the homophobes in the House would not have been worth it. So they played it a bit too cautiously and slowly and here we are.
Wow. I know it’s hard, because it’s so different from the only world we know, but let’s try to imagine how the world works in Tom Maguire’s fantasy life:
Denny Hastert: Good news, Karl! The Arbitrary Executive Power and Torture Act just passed the House!
Karl Rove: You idiot! That act is opposed by Andrew Sullivan! You don’t think we do anything without his approval, do you?
DH: But we spoke to Dr. Dobson, and he seemed to think the bill would help mobilize our supporters.
KR: Who the hell is that–the guy who pitched for the Orioles in the early 70s? Look, I’m sure he’s a nice guy and everything, but if we don’t have the Log Cabin Republicans on board, we’re toast in the upcoming elections. Who do you think is going to man the phones, reactionary evangelicals? Get the habeas-stripping provision taken out in conference, or your name is mud.
DH: OK, sorry.
KR: Don’t worry. We have an ace up our sleeve: another anti-gay-marriage initiative is going on the ballot this year!
DH: Whew, outstanding. And we’re going to try for another vote on the constitutional amendment making gay people 3/5 of a citizen and 2/5 of a fetus.
KR: Great! We’ll teach you yet.
[Exeunt.]
…it should probably also be noted that, in addition to being irrelevant, Maguire’s innuendoes about the source of the emails were wrong.
You’re So Vain You Probably Think Your Obsessions Are Universal
Shorter Ann Althouse: Michael Moore Bill Clinton Warren Beatty is fat. And he probably wears shorts in the summer too, he’s half a man!
Groggy
Is the Russian Navy finally beginning to come out of its fifteen year hibernation? Admiral Kuznetsov, the Russian Navy’s sole aircraft carrier, will apparently rejoin the fleet by the end of the year. Admiral Nahkimov, a Kirov class nuclear battlecruiser, is scheduled to return to service next year after eight years laid up. By themselves, of course, these moves barely begin to staunch the bleeding that the Russian Navy has experienced since 1991, but they may nonetheless signal that the Kremlin has decided to make naval power a higher priority. The Russian Navy has begun to contribute in a small way to Operation Active Endeavour, NATO’s effort to stop piracy, drug trafficking, and refugee trafficking in the Mediterranean.
In tangentially related news, the Tories apparently miss the Cold War. Speaking at a Conservative Party conference, shadow defence minister Liam Fox reportedly inveighed against unwariness:
He said Russian President Vladimir Putin had spoken recently “of having armed forces capable of fighting a global, regional and, if necessary, a few local conflicts”. The shadow minister said he had been “amazed” by how little coverage Russia’s new military build-up has received in the Western media. He said the country was spending 25% more on defence this year than last year and is testing new inter-continental ballistic missiles, and ordering new frigates for its navy, equipped with cruise missiles.The Russians have also reportedly invested in two Syrian ports, he added. If they switch their Black Sea fleet there it would be their first Mediterranean base since the 1950s, said Dr Fox, who repeated his warning in a speech in the main conference hall at the Bournemouth conference centre.
For my part I would rather think about how the United States and the United Kingdom might make use of Russian military power in a cooperative fashion than about how Russian revanchism threatens the West. The relationship between Russia and the Western Allies need not be zero-sum, as Active Endeavour and similar proposals, like 1000 ship Navy, demonstrate.
Cross-posted at Tapped.
Roll Over Richard Cohen and Tell Will Saletan the News
An excellent post at Broadsheet about how financial obstacles prevent women from obtaining first trimester abortions, which should again remind us that the centrist abortion position–which simultaneously argues that we can agree about the legalization of first trimester abortions and that abortion should be regulated in ways that exacerbate inequitable access and de-funded–is on a collision course itself. This is also instructive:
Just for the sake of argument, let’s say certain thoughts are sneaking into your head. Thoughts like “what are these destitute mothers-of-many doing getting pregnant again in the first place?” First of all, you don’t have to have kids in order to not have $450. But more to the point, the Guttmacher Institute reports that not only have 33 states cut funds for birth control, but also half of all poor women who need birth control services are not able to afford them.
I’d expect Saletan to discover this data in an op-ed about how feminists never talk about birth control in about 2011.
Mark Levin: The Frozen Limit of Hackery
According to first-rate constitutional scholar Mark Levin, Bill Clinton is so powerful he can magically transform a 22-year-old White House employee into a “19-year-old intern.” The Clenis is omnipotent.
(Via Somerby.)
The Hunter Boner
Wow, I’d have to say of all the things I’d be worried about if I was a Twins fan, “Torri Hunter’s defense” would have ranked pretty far down the list. What’s sad is that people with regular jobs have to miss this kind of baseball so that Fox can show games that can only be enjoyed by people who like to watch videos of frat boys beating up handicapped schoolchildren.
By the way, didn’t you used to be Eric Chavez?
But Santorum Will Free Mumia!
Good to know that the bought-and-paid-for-by-Republicans Green Party–but I repeat myself–of Pennsylvania has failed to get on the ballot:
Robert Gleason, chairman of the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania, said last week that Romanelli was a critical part of the GOP’s strategy to get Santorum re-elected. “We need him on the ballot,” Gleason said.
Indeed. Oh, and a reminder of why which party controls the White House might matter even if the two parties have the same position on legalizing hemp. Republican control of the NLRB is, in fact, a big deal.
The Nietzsche Family Circus
Oddly addictive. I’m sure my acquaintances are wondering if it will include “anyone with a very loud voice is almost incapable of thinking subtleties.”
(Via Holbo.)
