|link| Posted 1:21 AM by Brian Linse

Sentencing Horowitz

And the fun just keeps on coming, this time from Jim Capozzola's Rittenhouse Review spin off Horowitz Watch.

That bloodthirsty wack job, David Horowitz, seems to have forgotten about his own treasonous past when advocating punishment for John Walker Lindh. So the kind folks at HW have established the "Name That Punishment Contest". Real prizes, too!

|link| Posted 12:12 AM by Brian Linse

Making The Rounds

I've been having too much fun reading some of my favorites today to do any original blogging. Here's some of the best:

-- Barlow is on fire today. Read everything he posted today, but be sure not to miss this item pointing out that the current drug screening policy of the FBI (using lie-detectors) would preclude president Bush from joining that particular agency because of his past experience with illegal drugs (toot! toot!). But even more tragically, the policy is eliminating many qualified candidates whose expertise could be vital to the war on terror. Barlow points out the obvious and terrifying fact that the war on drugs seems to be more important than the war on terror, since the GOP is proposing to delay implementation of explosive detection of airline baggage for a year!

-- Atrios has a clever evisceration of a Nick Denton post that argues against freedom of religion for Muslims in the US. It's an uncharacteristic hawk-like post from Denton that Glenn Reynolds gives a thumbs up, though I think Glenn's post could be read to approve of greater hawkishness from the left in general, rather than explicit agreement with the specific idea in Denton's post. Maybe Glenn will clarify his position? I hope so. Suggesting that we should "tolerate" Islam in the same way that Islam historically tolerated Christains and Jews strikes me as, well, a little creepy. Denton's point is cute in its own little logical bubble, but it fails to take into account American Democracy.

-- Charles Dodgson tells of an awful technicality that (gasp!) holds the entertainment industry legally liable for the consequences of its actions. Oh dear. But never fear, ball-licking Congressmen from both sides of the aisle ride to the rescue with a bill that would exempt the industry from existing State and Federal laws so they can protect their intellectual property without all that pesky liability crap. Whew! The Congress may not be able to protect us from terror, but at least they can protect us from Napster. I'll sleep easier tonight.

-- I don't know what methods Jeff Goldstein uses to track down stories, but I hope he keeps at it. The idea that truth is stranger than fiction is nowhere more relevant than here in Hollywood, where even the best of our satirists could never top this. Keepin' it real, brutha Jeff!

-- Jason Rylander reports that our beloved Ninth Circuit, fresh from dissing God, has now found against everyone's favorite bimbo icon Barbie. I recommend reading the decision that Rylander links to in order to dispel the idea that justice has no sense of humor. The last sentence of Kozinski's opinion? "The parties are advised to chill". Really. I shit you not. I found this via Matt Yglesias who comments: "The Ninth Circuit — sticking it to God and Barbie since 2002 — I love those guys."

-- Buddy Rich on his death bed, so the legend goes, is reported to have said in response to a nurse asking if anything was still bothering him: "Country Music". Then he died. So I nominate Jim Henley of Unqualified Offerings for the 2002 "Buddy Rich" award for this takedown of blowhard Lee Greenwood. Steve Earle is starting to look like a fucking genius...

|link| Posted 12:40 PM by Brian Linse

Red, Welch, and Blue

Great Welch column on the Red State Blue State divide, and on the role that weblogs have played since 9/11.

UPDATE: Dale Amon sees the split as a City Folk/Country Folk issue, and is not too optimistic.

|link| Posted 12:37 PM by Brian Linse

Flexing the Bush

Excellent analysis by Alex Frantz on how president Bush's flexibility both serves him and fails him. I would only add that president Clinton's far superior abilities in this regard did fail him at the beginning of his first term in the arena of foreign policy. Bosnia and Somalia come to mind.

|link| Posted 7:15 AM by Brian Linse

Rocco Prestia Update

Good News! Rocco had surgery for a successful liver transplant yesterday. The bad news: it was expensive, and it's gonna stay expensive for some time. Information on Rocco's situation is available at his website. Just click on the link or banner to the left, and please donate if you can. I'll have updates here as well.

|link| Posted 6:41 AM by Brian Linse

All The News...

It's a busy morning over at the New York Times.

The most interesting story is about conservative unease over the antics of Attorney General Ashcroft. Seems some of his most ardent supporters are now a bit concerned that he may be pushing his own political agenda too hard. This is either a very public spanking from the boss in hopes of controlling a freelancing cabinet member, or a scapegoating of the AG due to the growing public concern and the unpopularity of some of the Bush team's more fascist ideas (TIPS anyone?). One thing is certain, this must be a move sanctioned from the oval office. Will the pundits let the president get away with it? Or will they remember that Ashcroft works for president Bush, and has, therefore, been executing his policies?

Speaking of criminals, Warren Buffet has a piece in the Op-Ed section that is a rather harsh indictment of the thieves currently running most of our nations large corporations. The Senate doesn't make out too well in Buffet's analysis either. Regarding options expenses he writes:

For these C.E.O.'s I have a proposition: Berkshire Hathaway will sell you insurance, carpeting or any of our other products in exchange for options identical to those you grant yourselves. It'll all be cash-free. But do you really think your corporation will not have incurred a cost when you hand over the options in exchange for the carpeting? Or do you really think that placing a value on the option is just too difficult to do, one of your other excuses for not expensing them? If these are the opinions you honestly hold, call me collect. We can do business.

While we are visiting Wall Street, the Times also has a real howler about SEC Chair Harv Pitt seeking L1 status and a pay raise. The headline of the piece says it all: S.E.C. Chief Seeks Promotion; Chances Look Dim

This guy Pitt turns into more of a clown with each passing day. Even the White House seems embarrassed by this idea.

It's a good day to read all the news that fits into the Times website. Except MoDo, her column bites. Just appallingly bad. Skip her today, unless you love to hate her --then go knock yourself out.

|link| Posted 1:17 AM by Brian Linse

There's A New Sheriff In Town

Steven Den Beste and any other no 'count bloggers best be-ware when postin' 'bout en-vi-ron-mental type things. Cuz we got us a new Sheriff in Town. Dead-Eye Crane takes aim at that 'ol rustler Den Beste and straightens out his saddle with regard to carbon di-oxide E-missions.

Howdy, Ma'am.

|link| Posted 7:36 PM by Brian Linse

Andrew Sullivan's Red Butt

Longtime readers of ANBD will know that I have long had a love/hate thing going with Sulli. His silly and often obsessive Left-Bashings were balanced with occasional Sunday Times columns that showed talent and brilliant insight just often enough to keep me interested. Lately, however, he has been letting his OCD tendencies get the better of his blog.

Thankfully, many new Lefty bloggers have been standing by to shine the light of reality on my old friend. Judging by the number of blog spankings administered to Andrew these last few days, his little virtual butt must be bright red as of this posting:

-- The always wicked and smart "Jimmy the C" of The Rittenhouse Review paddled Sulli nicely with regard to his latest obsession, (Mr. Raines and the NYT) and his confusion over just how a newspaper manages its corporate and editorial operations. A must read if you missed it. And the RR is back today to heat up Andrew's cheeks over his latest effort at sloganeering with regard to the laughable "Rubin's Bubble".

-- Atrios points me to SmarterAndrewSullivan for a Pot/Kettle exercise in corporal punishment over Sulli's accusations that Gary Hart (remember him?) is a poseur. One can almost hear Sulli saying, "Thank you, sir, may I have another?" between clenched teeth.

-- My favorite socialist, Vaara, bends Sulli over with a comparison of his own contradictory statements on the usefulness of polls. Short and sweet. Sometimes one good "Daddy" smack is more effective than a dozen little "Mommy" swats.

-- Either Alex at Public Nuisance is psychic, or Andrew has become so predictable that he can now be spanked before he even posts on a topic. Alex blames it all on Clinton's winkie, which makes this particular hide tanning even more brutal because nothing is worse than catching a beating from someone who is laughing at you.

It's been fun, but I have to admit that I hope Andrew comes around soon.

UPDATE: My good friend and (yes he IS a) liberal Mickey Kaus, who has been getting smacked around the blogosphere lately, is likely suffering a bit of gluteus discomfort himself from the switch that Ted Barlow took to his ass.

Ouch.

|link| Posted 10:46 PM by Brian Linse

Guy With A Guitar Threatens Free World

Just in case you have managed to miss the dust up over a new song by Steve Earle, purportedly written in the voice of John Walker Lindh, here's the deal.

FoxNews, all of Talk Radio, and the NY Post are reporting that the song, which nobody actually seems to have heard yet, is sympathetic to the views of young Johnny Taliban. This has had the predictable effect in Blogistan of generating a multitude of outraged posts. If you are interested, Glenn Reynolds, Dawson Jackson, and Damien Penny represent the guys who have their heads up their asses on this one, while Matt Welch, Jim Henley, Ken Layne, and Charles Oliver seem to have a much better grip on the issue.

As silly as the whole thing may be, it is also a good example of why we all need to take a fucking breath and relax. A relatively unknown, alternative Country Music songwriter doesn't pose much of a threat to our way of life, no matter what he writes. The type of hysteria that this story has generated, and it's potential effects on artistic expression, however, do pose a threat to our way of life.

UPDATE: This (via Guy Cabot) is a quote from Earle's website: "I don't condone what he did. Still, he's a 20 year-old kid. My son Justin is almost exactly Walker's age. Would I be upset if he suddenly turned up fighting for the Islamic Jihad? Sure, absolutely. Fundamentalism, as practiced by the Taliban, is the enemy of real thought, and religion too. But there are circumstances. Walker was from a very bohemian household, from Marin County. His father had just come out of the closet. It's hard to say how that played out in Walker's mind. He went to Yemen because that's where they teach the purest kind of Arabic. He didn't just sit on the couch and watch the box, get depressed and complain. He was a smart kid, he graduated from high school early, the culture here didn't impress him, so he went out looking for something to believe in."

Is it just me, or does this sound more like the right-wing bloggers, led by Andrew Sullivan, blaming Johnny T on his "Marin County upbringing", than an America-hating Lefty?

|link| Posted 5:46 PM by Brian Linse

Pundits On The Dow

Will Verhs has his always great PunditWatch posted for today.