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Saturday, August 30, 2008Your Electrical Socket is ObsoleteIntel has just invented a way to transmit electricity wirelessly via magnetic fields. It doesn't seem as if this innovation is going to be on the market anytime soon, but the technology certainly is cool. Time to Play "Which European Dictator Did This?"Can you name the European dictator that invaded and absorbed territory in the name of allowing all its ethnic peoples to live under one unified state? You could... you might see parallels: "Tarzan Kokoity, the province's Deputy Speaker of parliament, announced that South Ossetia would be absorbed into Russia soon so that its people could live in "one united Russian state" with their ethnic kin in North Ossetia.How this violation of Georgian territorial integrity will be met by NATO -- or more specifically, the European Union (and France, who brokered the cease fire) -- will have far reaching implications for states such as Belarus, Ukraine, or any other nation with a sizeable Russian minority. This Won't End WellHurricane Gustav looks to be tracking along a similar path to Hurricane Katrina. Wednesday, August 27, 2008Chaput Slams PelosiFinally, the Catholic Bishops are starting to get a little tired being told by politicians what Catholics should believe about who is fit to receive the Eucharist. Devenr Archbishop Charles Chaput slams Nancy Pelosi's henious remarks on Meet the Press: Chaput and Denver Auxiliary Bishop James D. Conley called Pelosi "a gifted public servant of strong convictions and many professional skills," in a statement posted on the Denver archdiocese's Web site.Talk about damning with faint praise. Ouch! Thursday, August 21, 2008DNC on Eric Cantor: "Both Abramoff and Cantor are Jewish"DNC channelling Eric Cartman? That's right: In the attack sheet on Rep. Eric Cantor, the DNC comments 5 times in a 660 word memo about Cantor's faith, and not in flattering terms. This meme is getting old, and quick. Is anyone else discerning a dangerous theme from the Democrats yet? Where this gets creepy, though, is the persistent focus on Cantor's faith. We should associate Cantor with Abramoff, the Democrats tell us, because "Both Abramoff and Cantor are Jewish". Then we get this item that is supposed to make us fear Cantor:Creepy is right, and it's not the first time Democrats have sunk to such depths. But what is more worrisome is this seeming obsession with Jews is becoming oddly mainstream within certain circles of the Democratic Party. Someone at the DNC should be fired for this. UPDATE: Jim Riley over at Virginia Virtucon slams the DNC with a simple sentence: Religious bigotry is alive and well in the Democrat-ick Party.Indeed. UPDATE x2: Michael over at The Write Side of My Brain notes the DNC attack with similar disgust. UPDATE x3: In completely unrelated news, Lowell Feld over at Raising Kaine (guess it's OK to say Raising Kaine now that the Virginia Governor stands a better-than-even-shot at becoming the Democratic VP nominee) condones ratcheting up that vile sort of confrontational-style politics, to the point where Lowell calls conservatives "evil" while asserting this position like some bizarre Russian dictator: What amazes me is that it's SOOOOOO hard for political "insiders" to understand this. Let me boil it down for supposedly "brilliant" political insiders - here's what you should be saying over and over again: "McCain=Bush"; McCain is a hothead; McCain is unstable; McCain is clueless and borderline senile; McCain is a warmonger who thinks you're all a bunch of whiners in a "mental recession;" McCain does NOT represent change...certainly not for the better; Conservatism is inherently evil. Read Thomas Frank's latest book, "The Wrecking Crew," if you are unclear on that concept.Guess fear really is a foreign policy. Still, one has to wonder where such attacks as these are condoned or merely explained away... because they certainly have been in the past. UPDATE x4: And before we go running off revising history, let's review George Washington professor Mark Feldstein's reaction to the anti-Semitic flyer the Webb campaign tossed around -- not against Lieberman (though could it be?) but against one of their very own in a primary no less: "That doesn't look so good. There's no question to me that's replete with anti-Semitic stereotypes," said Mark Feldstein, an associate professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University. "I'm not someone who readily cries anti-Semitism, but I think it's hard to look at this and not see a number of anti-Semitic stereotypes plugged into this ad, from the hook nose to the 'antichrist' to the money-grubbing character.Either it's nipped in the bud now, or if Kaine becomes the Vice-Presidential nominee in the next few days there will be serious questions to answer about this negative, nasty, and downright senseless style of campaigning. UPDATE x5: Timothy over at I'm Surrounded by Idiots observes how the Democrats seem to be surrounded by anti-Semites: Do the Dems think that there was a conspiracy about people of Jewish faith?Indeed. This is getting hot. I'm starting to get some angry e-mails from people outraged over this memo from the DNC... rightly so. Sunday, August 17, 2008The Aftermath of an Immigration Raid
All speak of the same concerns, and the same confusion. They do not understand why some people disparage them as "illegals" or "criminals." They do not understand why federal officials are pressing criminal identity theft charges against many of the detained immigrants, who say they did not know they were buying stolen information.You can read the rest of the article here. Ray Guns. Today.That's right folks -- the United States of America has accomplished awesomeness yet again. Yes folks, we have invented the ray gun: In tests earlier this month at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser -- a modified C-130H aircraft -- "fired its high-energy chemical laser through its beam control system. The beam control system acquired a ground target and guided the laser beam to the target, as directed by ATL's battle management system."The WIRED article above isn't too keen on the ray gun (seems as if it will allow us to do nefarious things... like destroy enemy equipment without actually engaging): For example, they say it can either destroy a vehicle completely, or just damage the tires to immobilize it. The illustration shows a theoretical 26-second engagement in which the beam deftly destroys "32 tires, 11 Antennae, 3 Missile Launchers, 11 EO devices, 4 Mortars, 5 Machine Guns" -- while avoiding harming a truckload of refugees and the soldiers guarding them.Yeah. That's totally not cool. Disabling tanks without civilian casualties... how absurd. The New Scientist has all the "how tos" and such. Not only is there a massive cool factor in this, it's a huge leap in how American's military can project force and protect lives. Friday, August 15, 2008Jody Wagner for Lt. GovernorI don't care what you think of her politics: her staff nailed the website. Reminds me of former Governor Warner's Senate announcement (and website)... the video is excellent. The kicker? No where is it self-evident that she is a Democrat. Tuesday, August 12, 2008I Desire One of These (Above All Things)
Rule .303: Attack, Attack, AttackGood advice: I'll tell you what I would do if I was the President of Georgia right now. I would make Russia pay as dearly as possible for this victory. Right away, this very minute while Georgia still has an air force, I would muster every combat aircraft and ballistic missile and order attacks on Russian soil. Moscow is probably too far to hit, but I would identify the most important strategic Russian asset within bombing range and launch an offensive to reduce it to rubble. Forget playing this defensive game that Russia is forcing. Go on a hard offensive with everything left.A very American response. The Georgian Republic deserves a lot more than the platitudes it is currently receiving -- here is a nation that is begging to be a part of the West: EU membership, NATO membership, 2,000 soldiers supporting our mission in Iraq, and a strong ally in the War on Terrorism. How is that professed friendship and alliance being repaid? If I were a Georgian, this would be a defense-in-depth followed by the most aggressive anti-personnel campaign I could reasonably muster. This is not a nation that should be easily conquered. Most of the topography lends well to regions where the Russian Army's performance has been catastrophically poor: Chechnya, Afghanistan, and Dagestan. It isn't just Georgia that is at stake, nor is it even the Caucascus region. American prestige and reliability is at stake. If we cannot help our friends, why wouldn't the Georgian people find it easier to live under Russian totaltarianism, rather that as the focus of it's imperial rage? You hear more Democrats railing for action in Georgia than Republicans at this point, and not for the sole point of illustrating how America is currently involved in two wars some still feel as unnecessary. The way the United States used to combat totalitarianism was simple: funnel as many guns and ammo to those fighting on the front lines. It takes a version of realpolitik many leftists are uncomfortable with, but such support for West Germany, Taiwan, South Korea, Afghanistan, Israel and elsewhere was often the best insurance against the spread of totaltarianism. Perhaps the scales are falling off. It's still a dark world after all, and just maybe American exceptionalism is something to appreciate rather than assume will endure. Monday, August 11, 2008Protect Life VirginiaHard hitting pro-life blogger in Virginia with the creative pseudonym of Protect Life Va -- and this one pulls no punches. Thursday, August 07, 2008First Things: Fetuses Born AliveWhat would you call a "fetus born alive"? Mary Rose Rybak over at First Things discusses the linguistic gymnastics at play in the progressive left over abortion: Fetuses born alive. Now that’s creative. What anyone else would call live, born, breathing human beings, the Times here calls “fetuses born alive,” putting Obama’s truly radical position on abortion in a softer light. It remains to be seen whether that convinces Catholic voters this November, but my guess is it will take more than symbols and nice talk.The post is thought-provoking, going over Bob Casey Jr.'s Catholics will long remember Casey Sr.'s rejection from the Democratic Party as a rejection of their pro-life principles. When the Democratic Party returns to common sense, perhaps more Catholics will feel comfortable being a Democrat, without checking their faith at the convention door. Just Shoot 'EmCorrupt Mexican army units crossing into the United States and holding your U.S. Border Patrol agents hostage? Blow 'em to hell. Create a major international incident. Wash, rinse and repeat -- and let it be known that if you violate American soveriegnity, harm an American citizen, or terrorize our nation that you will die. This isn't difficult, is it? Wednesday, August 06, 2008St. Petersburg Times: The girl in the windowThis has to be the most heartwrenching story I have read in awhile: Everyone knew a woman lived in the house with her boyfriend and two adult sons. But they had never seen a child there, had never noticed anyone playing in the overgrown yard.There's a good ending to this, or at least a better ending than the beginning. Still, the story of how incidents such as these occur is unbearably sad. TPMMuckraker: Bob Schaffer's Son Apologizes For Obnoxious Facebook PageIt's not everyday that I link to TPM, but this is a prime example of why you are not anonymous online. Especially FaceBook. Where you post stupid things. Online. For everyone to see. Monday, August 04, 2008Meth CoffeeI'll lean on the good folks at Scott's Morning Brew for advice on this one. Still, supercharged coffee? How could you go wrong? Jonah Goldberg: The Spoiled Children of CapitalismExcellent op-ed on the virtues of capitalism: Great food for thought, and worth digesting in the next event you are ever approached with questions about the gap between rich and poor. Sunday, August 03, 2008Imagine a boot in your face. Forever.Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn passes away at age 89. Too bad more people don't read his work. The Richmond Democrat: Goodbye Howling LatinaThe same Howling Latina that cried for Saddam Hussein is now formally being excised from the Virginia Democratic leftosphere for the unpardonable sin of refusing to support Barack Obama. Heck -- perhaps she's joined the other 50+% of America who knows that the junior Senator from Illinois isn't ready to lead? W.I dunno... this: ...looks like it's worth watching. FOXNews: McCain/Cantor '08?FOX News reports on the Cantor, the current chief minority whip in the House, and McCain met privately weeks ago in the Hamptons and Cantor has helped raise more than $10 million from the Jewish community for McCain’s White House bid.Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less? All Eric Cantor folks. $10 million? That's more than either Virginia Senate candidate has been able to raise thus far (and Cantor does it in one shot). Better still, Cantor will bring to the light of day Obama's terrible record on Israel and terrorism, which is a very real conversation this nation should be having. McCain/Cantor '08! Saturday, August 02, 2008No More US Air For Me$2 for water, $1 for coffee? In instances such as these, when you're paying $300 for roundtrip fair, just charge $305 for the damn ticket and save yourself the PR embarassment. Better still, charge $315 and tell customers they can drink whatever they want, as much as they want, and without charge. For being crammed into a seat designed for a 10-year old, that's a small comfort one could afford, isn't it? Dumb Gambler's Luck Bleeding CasinosI dabble in poker every once in awhile, almost in the same sense I might dabble in chess from time to time. Sadly, I can barely tolerate the game nowadays as some of the dumbest bets from those just learning to play the game are rewarded by sheer gambler's luck. It seems as if I'm not the only one complaning: Gamblers played about $611 million at table games during the quarter, a 6.4 percent increase. The casino kept about 11.6 percent of that gambling money, nearly 5 percent less than it did during last year's quarter.Money on the table? That only encourages bad gambling IMO, because there are some folks who just don't mind losing a few bucks on the luck of the draw. It's the same theory behind those who play the lottery... when you don't have money, it's easier to blow it on scratch tickets or small dollar bets.
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JEFFERSONIAD POLL: Whom do you support for Virginia Attorney General?1) John Brownlee2) Ken Cuccinelli AboutShaunKenney.com is one of Virginia's oldest political blogs, focusing on the role of religion and politics in public life. Shaun Kenney, 30, lives in Fluvanna County, Virginia.ContactThe Jeffersoniad
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