Weekends are clearly made for trivial blogging

In a lot of ways, I'm a total girlie girl. I like having painted nails, wearing skirts, rocking the high heels. But upon closer inspection, you'd learn that I choose my manicurist based on her speed, find skirts easier, and more comfortable, to wear than pants and my high heels are Aerosoles--it's practically cheating.

One thing that I can never seem to girl up for is the handbag obsession. I have three hand bags in my rotation.

There is the black Gucci bag that I wear to work. My brother bought it for me in Italy three years ago (that's like 15 years in the lifespan of other clothing items) particularly because he felt I lacked a good bag.

Then there's a velvet Prada bag that has had the straps fixed and refixed so often because it too is something like 3-4 years old.

Finally, my favorite bag: a small white one with Billie Holiday's face on it. I love it, despite the fact that it fits hardly anything, certainly not my blackberry AND my cell phone, because it's so different and I've never seen another person carrying it.

Anyway, it's time for a new bag and I've been surfing EBAY. I just can't do the typical Christian Dior saddlebag or the cheesy Louis Vuitton pochette. I likely wouldn't want a Balenciaga, even if I could afford it, because everyone and their mother has one (although I've never seen anyone carry one like this).

So, ladies reading Alarming News, what do you recommend? I like simple, black, without the designer name all over it and it can't be worn by every third girl on the upper east side of Manhattan. Whattya got?

Sorry Ben and Azi, I have a new favorite local politics blog....

Early&Often quotes my favorite celebrity of all time, Vincent Gallo, about Jeanine Pirro "spanning time" with her husband Al. It's subtle and you have to be both a Gallo fanatic who has seen "Buffalo 66" and a political observer to get it. Clearly, as I am both, I love it.

They then go on to quote the Notorious B.I.G/Lil Kim song "Another", with the line "What do you do if your man is untrue?", also about Jeanine Pirro. Clearly, you "cut the sucker off and find someone new" and not try to hire Bernie Kerik to wiretap him.

Blogroll Update

My blogroll policy is to link interesting, informative and funny blogs that I'd like to visit again.

In addition, I link pretty much everyone that comments with any regularity.

I'll also blogroll any NY conservative, poker-playing conservative or hip-hop or indie-rock listening conservative. Conservatives, in the American sense, who live in Britain are also sought out.

If you fall into one of these categories and I'm missing your blog in my blogroll, drop me a line.

Everywhere:

Discourse DB- The new political wiki site started by Yaron that I mentioned the other day.

New York Politics:

Daily Gotham- We've got Urban Elephants on the right and Daily Gotham on the left.

Early and Often- New York Magazine's new local politics blog. There's hardly anything going on politically in NY, yet these local blogs attached to mainstream publications keep popping up. We'll see who is left after the election.

NYC:

Eta-Ta- I met Tatyana at the blogger party last year. Her blog is mostly in Russian but she wrote about her recent camera scuffle in English.

Grade-One Gadfly- Another blog from a NY-based rightleaner, bringing our total to like 12 (yes, sarcastic, yes).

Yaron is writing- Mr. Daily Lunch is writing.

America:

Elephant State- Online networking for American conservatives.

Up For Anything- Have I already mentioned how much I love poker-playing conservatives? 'Cause, I'll say it again....

And I'm only semi-ashamed to admit it

I love Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack". Love. It makes me start dancing every time I hear it. "She'll burn it up for me and that's a fact." It really is.

Get yer sexy on.

Bastards

I don't even play online but I despise everyone connected to this bill:

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 passed Congress last night, after being attached to a Port Security measure that was sure to pass.

Hat-tip Tom the funky pundit.

(Cross-posted on "I Had Outs" which, if you're not reading for the poker content you should be reading for the hilarious trip stories by Dawn. Did we really get lured into a stranger's hotel room with the promise of a party? Did Dawn really double-fist Amaretto Sours and Vodka Red Bulls? Did someone demonstrate how he was going to make sweet Mexican love to me...on Dawn's leg? It's all there at "I Had Outs". Come for the poker, stay for the drunken trip reports)

UPDATE: CJ at Up for Anything writes "What today has ensured for me is that I will never, ever vote for Bill Frist for anything. In fact, I will campaign vigorously against him." I agree and I'm in on the vigorous campaigning against him.

It's a bad, bad year

Congressman Foley (R, FL) Submits Resignation to Congress

He was sending sexually explicit emails to a 16-year old male page.

URG.

They like me?

Bouldin over at Daily Gotham (think Daily Kos on a local level) did an overview of New York blogs. He spelled my last name wrong (whatever, who doesn't?) but wrote:

There's Karol Scheinlin over at Alarming News, whom I tend to disagree with, but who probably stands as the best writer among bloggers when style is considered.

Thanks! And to those who don't know, compliments will always get you a link. ;-)

Where are the headlines?

Bush cracks 50th percentile favorability.

Quote of the Day

(That will make sense only to people who speak Russian and live in Brooklyn):

"I love that hat sasat.com. And I love that there is no sasat.com. It's like the ultimate sasat!"

-Dawn Summers

Yes! Yes! Start with Texas, please. Stop looking at Colorado and Pennsylvania.

"We are going to take back Texas. And we're going to do it before we take back other states we've lost the last 15-20 years,"

-Howard Dean

"You're one in a million, yeah that's what you are"

Michael Parker points out that in something like 5 days I will have surpassed one million visitors to this site (although I did have a blog in another space with another sitemeter before now, a million is still a nice number to celebrate).

What should I give the millionth visitor as a prize?

On to my third choice (Houston does have that cutie David Carr)

I'm a Jets fan but, since the Jets suck, I have Dallas as my back-up team. It's mostly because my good friend SMVP is a Dallas fan, and also they are, after all, America's team. My back-up team, however, may need a back-up team:

Police Report: Owens Hospitalized After Suicide Attempt

Remember

I stole this picture off of Ms. Esther's flickr page:

I remember when Gilad Schalit was kidnapped and I had all this hope that Israel wouldn't wuss out, would level Gaza and Lebanon if they had to to get their boy back. The fact that Gilad is still out there somewhere, maybe, speaks volumes to the kind of control Islamofascists have over the world. They kidnap Israeli soldiers, murder civilians, slice throats of Dutch filmmakers, riot and burn over words and still get insulted when Islam is tied to violence. Somehow the west is still wrong, somehow we're the insensitive ones who don't get it.

Well, I get it. Gilad is still missing and Israel had the capacity to burn the whole place down but didn't. Maybe some people feel some kind of pride over this, though the fact is that leftists still think Israel went too far, but I just feel like we're suckers.

This Yom Kippur, as Jews all over the world atone for their sins, remember the soldiers in the poster. But most of all, remember that what he didn't get here, to the year 5767 by the Jewish calendar, by letting ourselves get killed while the world sympathizes with our killer. If we will survive, we must fight back and never backtrack. This year I pray for leadership that will understand that.

Attention feminists

I know you will all jump to Ann Coulter's defense. Right? Right?

Anti-Semitic Olbermann

Ed R. in St. Louis sent me a beautiful email saying he was insulted by Keith "dumb as a rock" Olbermann calling Chris Wallace a 'monkey'. Wallace is apparently a descendent of Russian Jews, and it seems Olberidiot was making some kind of 'macaca'-like insult at us. Ed writes "Jews were ritually called monkeys in Austria, Germany, Occupied Poland and elsewhere. We know what happened to almost all of those who were unable to flee. For a man of Jewish ancestry to invoke such a term just days after The New Year (Shana Tova to all!) is a disgrace." Allah's got video.

UPDATE: Texas Hold 'Em Blogger writes (no, I didn't find him because of the poker blog, I found him trackbacking to Allah) "Have to feel a little sorry for Olbermann. His ratings over at PMSNBC are miniscule. Need a microscope to see him, he’s so jealous of O’Reilly.

Begging the question: if a moonbat gives a rant and nobody sees it, does it make a sound?"

I know better....

I deleted the meme. I think it's my first time ever purposefully deleting a post. I just felt a little sick whenever I looked at it. Sorry.

Wikipolitics

One of my favorite bloggers has always been Yaron at Daily Lunch. Yaron has a new project called Discourse DB, a wiki site that will serve as "a database for notable political opinions". It sounds really cool:

Opinions, whether they come from newspapers, magazines or notable online sources, are all included; they're indexed by author, source, date, and, most importantly, by the political stance they take on various issues. You can think of the site as similar to rottentomatoes.com, except that it's political decisions of all stripes that are reviewed, as opposed to movies. This is, as far as we know, the first-ever attempt to categorize political thought in this way: we hope it provides a useful addition to the current political-commentary landscape.

Do check it out and make sure to add opinions as you find them.

What not to do

Remember when I said 'do not engage' the 9/11 conspiracy crazies? Cake or Death found himself burnt out on blogging because of his constant interaction with the nuts. He's back now, thankfully.

On a slightly separate note, a friend of mine who works deep in the black ghetto in Flint, Michigan (supposed home of Michael Moore) says that the idea that 9/11 was an inside job has become accepted fact to most people with whom he interacts. Personally, I see it as just another way that white liberals keep black people down. No matter how loud the conspiracy theorists get, the great majority of Americans will roll their eyes, hard, when confronted with their idiotic 'arguments'. How're you ever going to get up out the ghetto if you keep believing dumb shit like that? Who is ever going to give a job to someone prone to believing things that make no sense?

File under "no duh"

Pakistan 'War-Gamed U.S.,' Concluded Would Lose

Quote of the Day

"Right now there are hordes of angry people all over the planet chanting "Death to America!" and burning our flags. They want to kill you, your mother, and your kids. Those are the folks that our federalies should be rounding up and intimidating, and not guys and girls like you and me."

-Poker blogger Pauly on the online poker crackdown (link contains some 'not safe for work' images.)

Holy smokes!

NJ actually has something resembling a race for U.S. Senate. The Republican, Tom Kean, is currently leading in the polls. If you're a New Yorker who feels like I feel about our own U.S Senate race, perhaps we should think about adding a helping hand to our Joisey neighbors.

Meanwhile, CJ at Up For Anything thinks that Ahmadinejad and Chavez's insanity at the UN last week is good for Republicans. I'm sort of pessimistic about the upcoming midterms, but I hope he's right.

Eh?

I go away for the weekend and come back to find out that Osama was dead on Saturday but back to being alive on Sunday. What the hell.

A short list of not-so-random thoughts

1. I'm sort of shy. Who knew?! I did not know.

2. It's only week 3 of football and I already miss the fellas.

3. The psychic Cleo has come out as a gay faux-Jamaican. Only the gay part is news.

4. I know the conservative punk thing was done to death during the '04 election, but this is really funny. Via UE.

5. "You remind me of myself when I was your age"- Said to me by a friend of my brother's who didn't realize he is younger than me.

Six Feet Right

Rightwing Trash is a great site, written by J.R Taylor, which celebrates "conservative thought in film, music, literature, and other lowlife pursuits." In a recent post, he finds rightwing themes in the now-defunct Six Feet Under:

The big surprise was Claire’s growth from high-school rebel to art-school student. The series delighted in goofing on all kinds of Sensitive Artists, and never spared their pathetic politics. Claire’s personal arc is too complex for this to count as a spoiler, but be warned, anyway: Her final happiness is earned when she’s cast into corporate America, where she meets the sensible Republican who becomes her true love.

The political parts of the show used to kind of bug me, but I do see his point. If you were into Six Feet Under, read the whole thing.

Happy new year!

Happy 5767 to all the Jews in the house.

Reagan and poker

I'm spending this Jewish holiday weekend in Pennsylvania, and as Atlantic City is half-way between here and my NYC home, we made a stop for a few hours of poker play last night.

My favorite place to play lately has been Resorts, despite the fact that their games are sporadic and the room is atrocious. It just has my favorite players in all of Atlantic City. On a Thursday night, however, there was no No Limit game going so we went next door to the Taj Mahal. I asked for a 1-2 table and the floor man showed me to my seat, then pointed where I could buy chips.

I was walking to the table with my rack when I saw that they had sat me near a guy in a Che Guevara shirt. "Great", I thought to myself, "I have to sit next to this doofus." As I got closer though, I realized it wasn't a Che shirt at all, it was Ronald Reagan. Still unconvinced this young man was wearing a Reagan shirt, I took my seat and looked him over, looking for the "...was an idiot" or "...wasn't my president" ending. But there was none.

I said to him "I love your shirt". He looked at me like he thought I was joking and I momentarily feared he was wearing the shirt ironically. When he realized I was serious, we had the usual mutual appreciation moment when two outnumbered conservatives meet. I gave him the name of this site, so if you're reading this Reagan guy, drop me a line. There are more of us out there, believe it or not.

Clinton is pissed.....

...at the suggestion that he didn't try to get Osama. He says he did try, and failed. I've never seen him lose his cool like that. Watch the clip.

Best. Idea. Ever.

McDonald's may start having all-day breakfast.

No, actually, Bush calls people who are evil evildoers

Rosie O'Donnell says Bush calls people who disagree with him evildoers.

Question for Robert George

Um, Robert, is there something you forgot to mention when I saw you last night? Or do you normally have 10 minute conversations with ex-presidents?

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day, etc.

Drudge is reporting that Charlie Rangel is defending Bush against Chavez's attack and saying that an attack on Bush is an attack on all Americans. Wow. If I made a list of people who I could never see making that argument, Charlie Rangel would be near the top. Good on him for proving me wrong.

Back in 2003, I wrote on the idea that attacks on Bush by foreigners are attacks on Americans:

And it does matter that Europe violently hates these leaders. I will vote for George W. Bush in 2004 (barring some unforseen circumstances). To call him stupid is to call me stupid. To call him evil is to call me evil. It's not that hard to understand.

Even if you didn't vote for him, as Rangel obviously didn't, there's a lot of truth in what Rangel is saying:

'You do not come into my country, my congressional district, and you do not condemn my president. If there is any criticism of President Bush, it should be restricted to Americans, whether they voted for him or not. I just want to make it abundantly clear to Hugo Chavez or any other president, but do not come to the United States and think because we have problems with our president that any foreigner can come to our country and not think that Americans do not feel offended when you offend our Chief of State'...

When I told Dawn what Rangel had said, she said "yeah, baby, Americans always stick together". As it will likely be another 20 years before I agree with another word that Rangel says, I take this opportunity to applaud him for what is, honestly, a courageous comment.

UPDATE: Um, did someone do a poll on Chavez's comments or something? Nancy Pelosi calls Chavez a thug.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Allahtchka has video.

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Ace thinks the responses from Democrats are being coordinated. I'm ok with that, as they're saying what I want them to say.

AND ANOTHER UPDATE: Not all Democrats got the memo.

Public

Tatyana saw some Muslim missionaries and decided to snap some photos of their table. This is what she got:

"Piktoores prohebeted! Stooupid wooman! against ze law! my table! miss, you ar stooupid!no piktoores! I say, go out! stoopid biiitch "(into my back).

All my efforts of explaining that taking pictures on a public street is not against the law; that I have to ask permission only if I intend take pictures of people - and he doesn't interest me enough that I'd take his picture, etc etc - fell on deaf ears and more high-pitched insults and intimidating gestures.

And now I'm thinking...should I take my camera again, go out and take more close-ups of this attempt of soliciting religious propaganda in public place? And if he'll try to stop me again, call the police so he will be familiarized with extent of American laws as they are, and not as he wants them to be?

She left but couldn't put it out of her head:

And I realized - if I will keep quiet and let it pass, there will be more of the same, and of the more hostile nature. And that I wouldn't be able to respect myself.

I don't like to be called a stupid bitch. And I don't like to be forbidden to take photographs on a public street in American city.

Read what happened next. And if you're a lawyer, go over and give her some advice.

Dorian Davis is Spectacular

Republican Spectacular- Occasional guest-blogger Dorian Davis has started a monthly, online magazine for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered) Republicans. If you know Dorian then you know it will be fun and controversial.

Check it out.

A very short list of not-so-random thoughts

1. If you tell me your parent had a prominent position in the Reagan White House, expect me to say 'wow' for something like two days. Hi, I'm a geek, nice to meet you.

2. Ladies of Midtown, Manhattan: if you're into the 'bad boy in a suit' look, and, really, who isn't, I suggest getting your lunch at the Cipriani cafe on 42nd street just off of Lex (it's actually hardly a cafe, in Russian we'd call a tiny place with 3 tables a 'zabeegalafka', not sure what to call it in English). In addition to the food being amazing, the men in there are all just superb looking and not in a corporate drone kind of way.

3. My love song of the week is "I'm So Into You" by Fabolous. That's right, Fabolous. Don't judge me.

May he do as well as he did at the DNC

Terry McAuliffe says he will have a prominent role if Hillary runs for president, and thinks you're a dummy if you thought otherwise.

Wait, what?

Can someone explain to me why the movie based on the life of Idi Amin is called "The last king of Scotland"?

Reason #4019384 that the UN is a joke

Hugo Chavez loses the plot during his UN speech, calls Bush "the devil", crosses himself, gives book advice.

UPDATE: Oh, snap. Governments 'like that'. I love Bolton:

The main U.S. seat in the assembly hall was empty as Chavez spoke. But there was a "junior note taker" there, as is customary "when governments like that speak," the U.S. ambassador to the U.N said.

Ambassador John Bolton told The Associated Press that Chavez had the right to express his opinion, adding it was "too bad the people of Venezuela don't have free speech."

"I'm just not going to comment on this because his remarks just don't warrant a response," Bolton said. "Serious people can listen to what he had to say and if they do they will reject it."

Don't think Bob Mould would approve

Dr. Vinnie Huskerfan at My Pet Jawa has a novel way of fighting Islamic terrorists who are pledging to kill Catholics over the Pope's remarks: unleash the IRA on them.

Just wondering

While Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in NY, does he leave his hotel? I was just imagining being in a restaurant and having him walk in. Or running into him at Prada. That would be weird.

"You know the type, loud as a motorbike, but wouldn't bust a grape in a fruit fight" (I may make this a continuing series on France talking a big game but never backing it up with any action)

France says Iran doesn't have to stop enriching uranium before talks can commence:

The French President is the first European leader to state publicly that a freeze by Iran is not a precondition for opening talks. The concession to Iran seems to be linked to events in Lebanon, where there had been concern that French soldiers may be targeted by Iran’s proxy militia, Hizbollah, over France’s previously hardline stance in the nuclear negotiations.

While the cat's away....

....the military will have a coup and depose his leadership:

Thai leader overthrown while he attends UN meeting in NY.

We love John Howard

John Howard tells Australian Muslims to "move on" and get over the Pope's comments. Allah writes: "In case you didn’t know, Australia will be playing the fantasy role for conservatives in the next presidential election that Canada played for liberals in the last one."

Ohmig-d, Ohmig-d, Ohmig-d.

There might be better pictures forthcoming, but I geeked out to the fullest last night when I met the one writer I had been dying to meet since I was about 18 years old, Peggy Noonan:

I was standing across the room with Julia Gorin when I saw Ms. Noonan talking to James Taranto. James graciously introduced us and I stood there completely starstruck for the first 5 minutes or so. Then I babbled something about abortion rates in Russia and how Peggy was a big influence on my becoming a pro-lifer (though ex-blogger Oschisms gets the lion share of that credit). Then I asked Robert George to snap our photo with my camera phone. He also took one with his camera which apparently came out better but he's yet to send it to me. I'll post it when he does. The last time I dorked out in such a fashion was when I met William F. Buckley. Peggy "What I saw at the Revolution" Noonan. I can die happy.

UPDATE: Slightly better shot though I do have my eyes closed. Thanks, Robert:

"Throw the Jew down the well."

"Jew" as accusation by a reporter in a US Senate race. Nice.

Food porn?

Busy day but should have some stuff up soon.

I went to Clemente's, the crab place in Brooklyn, again and loved it. There is something really primal about ripping the crab apart with your hands and eating the meat. Yum. They were having an all-you-can-eat pig roast at the time too. I sent this picture to (the still blogless) Tom Elliot to make him jealous he wasn't there, but I'm not sure it worked.

Blogroll Update

Two of my favorite NY-based writers have moved on to bigger things.

Philip Klein is now at the American Spectator blog AmSpec while Ryan Sager is now at Real Clear Politics (both in the "Here, There and Everywhere" section).

Ryan also has a book out called "The Elephant in the Room" about the battle of libertarians and the Christian conservatives for the Republican party, which I plan to check out post haste.

When both sides are retarded

I agree with Dawn Eden that bloggers are wrong to crack 'intern' jokes at Jessica Valenti, the blogger from Feministing who was photographed with Bill Clinton. Ann Althouse is completely out of line with her comments, and sadly the one good point she makes (why do feminists give Bill Clinton a pass?) get lost in her ridiculous argument about whether Jessica was posing and whether Jessica uses her breasts to increase hits to her blog.

Of course, as is often the case when one defends liberals, Jessica makes me regret it in her very next post:

"It was a nasty personal attack—one that’s ridiculously indicative of the way that young women are treated, especially by conservative assholes.

...

And this whole boobgate bullshit isn’t just about Althouse and her mean-spirited attack. It’s about how young women are routinely reminded that they’re only good for one thing—consumption. "

Well, it wasn't a conservative asshole who treated Monica Lewinsky and countless other women as only good for consumption--it was the liberal asshole standing behind you in the picture, jackass. Way to make your point.

Roh-roh

Al Qaeda warns Muslims to leave NYC and DC

Violence to protest being called violent

Nun murdered in Somalia.

Anglican Church in Gaza firebombed.

Two West Bank Churches Firebombed over Pope's Remarks (Sidenote, I get asked a lot by friends abroad why Christians support Israel--here's why, Jews don't firebomb their churches).

Meanwhile, "Responding to remarks by Pope Benedict XVI that Islam is violent Saudi Arabia's Mufti, Abdel Aziz al-Sheikh, said on Sunday that Jihad (Holy War) is God's will."

The Pope has semi-apologized. He did one of those "I'm sorry it offended you" apologies although he did say he was just quoting text and those weren't his opinions. I suppose he can't say "I said that Islam inspires violence and raging Muslims around the world made sure to prove me right."

Odds, ends and random thoughts

1. Saturdays are made for laying around and listening to Leonard Cohen. I can't tell if I ultimately want a man like the one in "I'm Your Man" or the one in "Waiting For a Miracle".

2. Dear new French place on Second Avenue, if you insist on French-quality service, we'll have to insist on French-quality tipping.

3. My father thinks I dress so badly that he's going to take me shopping. Despite the fact that I'm almost, you know, 30 (ok, still 7 months to go but anyway) . Oh and he thinks this because my style is so bland and my clothes are "boring". Have we met? The worst part is that my mom agrees.

4. I'm going to that crab place again tonight. Seriously, if you live in NY, get over there before the season is over.

Oh, oh, one more: 5. It's going to be 84 degrees in NY tomorrow. I think it is the absolutely last day of summer weather for 2006. I'm going to the beach, Long Beach to be exact.

Quote of the day

"The whole idea that one should be a feminist these days in America, is almost like campaigning for the rights of oppressed Muslim men in Iran or Saudi Arabia..."

-Ivan Lenin.

Sad

I really want to go to Atlantic City this weekend but my partner in insanity is in LA.

My Spacing for the Right

If you use "My Space", I just started a group for Republicans who work on campaigns across the country called "Campaigners for the Right". I frequently get requests from people looking for campaign work or campaigns looking to hire talent so this will be a one-stop-shop for both. If you work on campaigns and are a My Space member, do join.

Rioting over words

Turkish lawmaker compares pope to Hitler

Pakistan's Parliament Condemns Pope

Pope's remarks recall cartoon crisis

The terrorists have won just a little bit today

Oriana Fallaci dies in Italy

One easy way to burn a dozen bridges

In July of 2004, I had my heart completely broken by politics. Herman Cain lost the Republican primary for U.S Senate in Georgia. I had never felt that way about a candidate before (or, honestly, since). I saw him as the future of Republicans, as this amazing leader I would follow anywhere. I had spent my time in Georgia just mesmerized by him. He said everything I've ever thought but said it in this booming voice with concise, brilliant language and connected with people in a way I’d never seen before. He was a star. I couldn't sleep the night he lost, I couldn't believe it was over.

If you've read my blog for awhile you've probably read all this before. Herman remains my political hero, and the example of everything I think candidates should be. But I write all this now not to gush over Mr. Cain, though he always deserves my gushing, but as a set up for what I want to say about the current political situation in NY.

Johnny Isakson won that night in July and became the Republican candidate for U.S Senate. Though the campaign had gotten ugly in the days before the election, I still wanted Isakson to beat Denise Majette and be the representative of the Republican message through the rest of the election. If I was a Georgia resident, Johnny Isakson would have had my vote in November.

I do not feel this way about John Spencer, the Republican candidate for U.S Senate in NY.

This man gives me a serious case of the icks. I literally feel embarrassment that he and I are in the same party. K.T. McFarland lost the election to him, it's done. This isn't about that, it isn’t about her. It's about him and how I will never support him, ever, and how I've never felt about another Republican candidate the way I feel about him.

Spencer conducted his campaign as if something was owed to him. His on-the-record comment when he heard KT had entered the race was "what the fuck?". He seemed put out by the fact that he was getting primaried at all. I haven't seen this noted anywhere but KT had absolutely no money or structural support (Spencer had the official backing of the Republican and Conservative parties in NY) and she still managed to get 40% against him. His 60% isn't proof of anything other than what a disaster he is as a candidate. This should have been a landslide. When he wasn't being condescending to other candidates, his campaign was being condescending to voters. When asked why Spencer was completely out of the spotlight during the campaign (personally, I think they knew that like John Kerry, the less people saw of Spencer the more they liked him), his Communication Director's response was, "It's fucking summer in New York... No one pays attention until 3 weeks out... And by the time the primary comes, Joe Six-Pack just wants to know who the conservative is." Then he added that they were focused on fundraising and "We kicked her [KT's] ass and now we're going after Hillary."

But, ok, he and his campaign like to curse to reporters, surely as a two-term mayor of Yonkers, he must be ace on the issues. Right? He's had the same three issues on his website for the entirety of the campaign. They are: Border Security, "Pro-Life" (I know I'm an immigrant and all but even I know that 'pro-life' is a position not an issue) and Second Amendment. He talks a tough conservative game but if you actually read his positions, and oh lordy I've read them, they are either totally wishy-washy or plum make no sense. His border security position includes "Crack down on employers who intentionally hire illegal aliens" (the word intentionally is the loophole that Democrats insert into their language to insure nothing happens), "Remove incentives and taxpayer benefits that reward to illegal aliens." (I'm sorry, is that English?), "Enforce our existing laws and deport illegal aliens when convicted of crimes or detected during routine law enforcement activities." Big whoop. Everyone supports deporting criminals. On his "pro-life" issue, he offers zero comment beyond a Reagan quote. But during the only debate that his highness agreed to during the primary (and during which he came off as dumb as a rock), he actually said that pregnancies resulting from rape aren't really pregnancies. Calling all pro-lifers, do you agree with that?

Another aspect of his campaign that I just detested, and will never forgive, is the class-warfare that they and their supporters engaged in. KT came from a working-class family and put herself through college. She became successful on her own and then married someone who was also successful. John Spencer finds this kind of determination distasteful. From a NY magazine article on the race: "‘Oy went to Augss-ford, and Oy went there on scholarship,’" he [Spencer] imagined KT saying, in his best British accent." I mean, seriously. Who looks down on someone going to one of the best schools in the world on scholarship? His supporters followed his class-warfare example. On Urban Elephants, commenters would refer to KT's Hampton's home as if it was a crime. When one of the doofuses over there realized I was a KT supporter, she tried to use some Hamptons reference on me. I wasn't supposed to be commenting on the race but that was the last straw for me. I commented "I'm not the type you can shame with Hamptons references. I want to be filthy, dirty, disgustingly rich. I want to have TWO Hamptons houses, one for Saturday and one for Sunday. And I don't care what little class warriors like you think of me. You can talk conservative values all you want--I've worked for them in 4 states." The blogger at New York College Republican criticized KT's supporters on Facebook (a sort-of "My Space" for High School and College kids) for attending an expensive camp. When I instant-messaged him to criticize the post, he told me he felt that people had a responsibility not to squander money. I find that absurd. I don't have any responsibility to anyone in how I spend my money. Neither do millionaires. His point wasn't even that they should give to charity, just that they have a 'responsibility' not to 'squander' money. We're Republicans, we shouldn't be practicing the class-warfare of the Democrats. It's disgusting and I blame John Spencer.

And, then there's all the sleazy personal stuff I mentioned on election day. That stuff matters to me, it just does. I know that we modern sorts are supposed to shrug our shoulders and say that his personal life doesn't affect our image of his leadership. But it affects it for me. I look down on people that don't treat marriage seriously. I look down on people that have affairs, especially in the cliche'd 'with an employee' version. The fact that he tripled his girlfriend's salary on the taxpayer's dime, however, makes him unfit for office, as opposed to just generally gross.

But the final straw on the proverbial camel's back, and the reason this post exists, is this: when KT called John Spencer to concede on election night, he wouldn't take her call. He said "I think she called but I was busy." Have you ever heard of anything like that? Can you imagine what kind of low-life one has to be to not answer a concession call from an opponent? I can't support someone with zero class and atrocious manners. And because he didn't feel he owed his opponent the decency to answer her call, I don't feel I need to abide by that so-called 11th Commandment [Corrected from 'Amendment'] to not criticize other Republicans.

I don't know what I'll do in November. I've never voted for a Democrat in my life and couldn't be paid enough to vote for Hillary. The Libertarian candidate is some guy that wants to withdraw from Iraq ASAP. I may just skip the line. I've only done that once before, when I found the Republican so detestable, I couldn't pull the switch for him, and there was no third-party option. Leaving the U.S Senate line blank is sad, but voting for someone like John Spencer would be sadder.

Crazy or terrorist? (An Alarming News Continuing Series)

Man goes berserk on a plane, shouts that he knows Osama Bin Laden (Hat-tip Jeremayakova):

A Brentford man who went berserk on a plane, shouting that he knew Osama Bin Laden, had to be restrained with hand and leg cuffs.

The drunken rampage began after Virgin Airline crew refused to let 36-year-old Moustafa Moufaden buy more alcohol.

Demanding that the captain of the flight from Shanghai to London’s Heathrow should call his bank to check his credit rating, 36-year-old Moufaden “shouted loudly that he had contacts with Osama Bin Laden”, prosecutor Nicholas Rimmer told Isleworth Crown Court on Monday.

“This caused considerable concern among crew and passengers,” he said.

Previous:

Man tries to open jet door during flight

Man drives SUV into crowd of pedestrians in California

French teenager with gun threatens tourists.

Woman freaks out on airplane, implies she's Al Qaeda, pees on floor.

Always good when the judge disagrees with the one indisputable fact.

Judge says Saddam 'not dictator':

The chief judge in Saddam Hussein's trial has said the former Iraqi leader was not a dictator, but had only been made to seem like one by his aides.

The controversial comments come a day after Judge Abdullah al-Amiri was accused of bias towards the defence.

Bring him on.

John Kerry is definitely running for president again.

Crazy or terrorist? (An Alarming News Continuing Series)

Man tries to open jet door during flight (Via Dawn):

The official said the man, who was wearing military fatigues and spoke Portuguese and little English, was apparently a boxer and was described as walking around the cabin during the flight, trying to attract attention by throwing punches into the air. "He was strutting his stuff," the official said.

...

The man had been acting strangely for about 20 minutes, then sat up, wrapped belts around his hands and threw punches into the air, Wolfenbarger said.

Wolfenbarger said he heard a flight attendant yell for help and tell the man, “Sir, get your hand off the handle.”

Previous:

Man drives SUV into crowd of pedestrians in California

French teenager with gun threatens tourists.

Woman freaks out on airplane, implies she's Al Qaeda, pees on floor.

Hold on just a second....

...I thought Canada didn't have guns, eh?

Book Meme

I haven't been tagged for a meme in awhile. Thanks, Todd A, and I say that only semi-sarcastically.

1. One book that changed your life?

"Lulu's Back in Town" by L.Dean. A children's book about an independent girl with all male friends. When crossed she is vengeful and vindictive. I love her.

2. One book you have read more than once?
I've read a thousand books more than once.

3. One book you would want on a desert island?
A really long one with lots of intricate detail.

4. One book that made you cry?
I don't cry.

5. One book that made you laugh?
This isn't very original but: Seinlanguage by Jerry Seinfeld. I read it while alone on a plane and laughed out loud numerous times.

6. One book you wish had been written? (Peter informs me that I misread the question as "One book you wish you had written")
Harry Potter. I like money.

7. One book you wish had never been written?
I have no such wish.

8. One book you are currently reading?
"Time Traveler's Wife".

9. One book you have been meaning to read?
I guess "War and Peace" only because it's such a thing.

10. Now tag five people…

Dawn, Pretty Numbers, Ed Z, Emma and Jerameyakova.

Imagine he was a Christian leader

Harvard audience silent as Khatami defends killing gay people in Iran.

I imagine a hearty "boooo" would be insensitive and show a lack of multiculturalism.

Dying to lose the war on terrorism

Our military lost an opportunity to take out a contingent of Taliban fighters because our rules of engagement prohibit fighting in a cemetary. Seriously, if this is how we're going to fight this war, let's just give up and bring our boys home now. I supported the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to clean house, not to pussyfoot around trying to spare feelings. I'm scared for our military over there, not because of the fierceness of the enemy but because of the cowardice of our government.

Hat-tip Dan the x-Republican.

"You know the type, loud as a motorbike, but wouldn't bust a grape in a fruit fight"

Nato facing 'crisis of resolve' over Afghanistan

His truth is that he's an attention-whore

Why do we still care about this guy?:

Excerpts from McGreevey's memoir leaked out in May and in them the ex-governor recounted his struggle to come to terms with his homosexuality.

McGreevey, who fathered two daughters by each of his two ex-wives, wrote that he had secret gay sex in bookstores and rest stops because he feared his homosexuality would ruin his chances of success as a politician.

Really? More than having sex in bookstores and reststops?

"Start fights in the yard"

He didn't get the nickname "Dopey Don" for nothing:

Gotti invested in failed prison magazine, tapes say at NYC trial

John "Junior" Gotti invested about $20,000 into a failed magazine for prison inmates called "Hottie" which would have offered free legal advice as well as photos of female hip-hop stars, according to tapes played for jurors at his racketeering trial.

Back to basics

Herman Cain has a phenomenal new project aimed at reaching black voters with the Republican message.

Vote Our Values is planning to run $1,000,000 in ads on black radio, in key states and districts this upcoming election season. The ads are amazing and I encourage you to go listen. I couldn't stop listening.

Short list of not-so-random thoughts

1. If you're planning to piss me off, do it this week. It's clearance time over in Karol-land and everything must go.

2. I have found the best crab restaurant in the tri-state area and it happens to be in my area of Brooklyn. The fact that I have never heard of it before, despite going to the movies across the street from it a million times and eating at the lobster place around the corner all summer long, is pretty unbelieveable. Went there the other night with currently blogless Tom Elliott and though it was freezing we sat outside overlooking the bay and shivered while we ate bucket after bucket of crabs. Yum.

3. Why does nearly all the comment spam that I get on this blog get posted on this post? Any idea?

Quote of the day on my other site

Yes, it's poker-related but it's also a funny Ace of Spades line.

If someone told you 5 years ago that this is where we'd be.....

....would you have believed it?

U.S. filmmaker Oliver Stone, who surprised many with the patriotic flavour of his new film World Trade Center, hinted in Moscow yesterday that he is considering a more controversial follow-up investigating the "conspiracy" around 9/11.

"There is a great story in a movie, a conspiracy by a group of people in the American administration who have an agenda and who used 9/11 to further that agenda," he told journalists in Russia.

UPDATE: Debbie Schlussel informs me he said the same thing back in August.

Vote

It's election day in NY and for the first time in decades, the Republicans are having a primary for U.S. Senate. I've made no secret of my support for K.T McFarland, as well as my connection to the campaign. She is poised, articulate, incredibly intelligent and the only credible challenge to Hillary Clinton.

Her opponent has accused her, with full seriousness, of being planted by Hillary (crazy, much?), "jokingly" threatened to kill Governor Pataki and a federal judge, used the words "goombah" and "chinaman" in public, had an affair with his Chief of Staff, producing two children while married to someone else and then tripled his girlfriend's salary, said that pregnancies resulting from rape aren't pregnancies (he's the supposed "pro-lifer" in the race, see?) and ran ads equating Hillary with Osama bin Laden that made even the most hawkish Republicans ashamed to associated with him.

I write this as a movement conservative, someone who has gone to other states to work for the most conservative candidates I can find and, as a conservative I can not support this man. I write this as a New Yorker, who loves this state and wants to see it get the best representation possible. And I write this as a Republican who thinks our party can do so much better than this, that we shouldn't have to stick with the candidate that was left when all the others dropped out simply because he was able to hang on. Frankly, this can't be our guy.

If you're a Republican voting in NY today, I highly recommend K.T. McFarland. Now go vote!

UPDATE: Michelle Malkin and Rightwing News have info on elections in other states.

"Do not engage"

Mary Katharine Ham thinks it's important to take on the 9/11 conspiracy nuts. Personally, my reaction is to just step away from the crazies but she may just have a point.

All tomorrow's parties

The blogger party was off the hook. Something like 80 bloggers and blog readers crammed into a bar on the east side of Manhattan to chit-chat and booze it up. I'll be linking to write-ups as I find them. Pictures from the party are here. Yes, it really does say "sweet cakes" on my t-shirt. If anyone else has pics, send me the link and I'll post it here. As long as I look cute in them. Obviously.

More:

Emma at Weenie Enema.

Zelda at Urban Grind.

Live from New York, that unforgettable day

I was a paralegal at a great Danish pharmaceutical company. My office was at the top of the Chrysler building and I had recently moved in to a new apartment on the upper east side. I was completely in love with politics and had spent that summer doing some work on Herman Badillo's mayoral campaign--my first time working on a race.

It was after 8:30am when I finally left my apartment. In every mention of that day, people note the glorious weather, the beautiful blue sky. You expect a day that changes your whole world, that brings war to your doorstep, to be gray and grim. But the weather could not have been more perfect. When I think of it now, seeing the commotion in my lobby but tuning it out, buying my coffee at the bagel store next to my building, seeking out my new polling location and giving up when I couldn't find it, it's the sun on my face that I remember the clearest.

I tried to hail a cab but the driver told me there was too much traffic for him to take me to midtown. The second cab that pulled over said he would take me crosstown but there was just too much traffic anywhere else. I could feel myself losing my cool. I was late for work and cab drivers in Manhattan seemed to be surprised that there was traffic during rush hour. The third cab that pulled over didn't get an option. I got in and closed the door behind me before he had a chance to say anything. I told him to take me to 42nd+Lex. He looked at me in the rearview mirror and said "Ok, I'll take you there but there's a lot of traffic...." I was just about to say "yeah, I know there's traffic, there's always traffic, welcome to New York" when he added "you know, because of the plane crashes."

It was plural. I didn't even get a chance to believe that it wasn't evil. I missed those 17 minutes where I might've thought this was a tragic accident. As soon as he said it, everything around me took on new meaning. Suddenly I realized the sounds of the sirens and the bewildered looks on the faces of the people in the street.

By the time I got to midtown, my office had been evacuated. I ran into a girl from my office as I exited the cab, then we ran down the street and caught the same cab back uptown.

I called my grandmother from the cab. She hadn't heard the news and I told her to turn on her television. (My father swears he had called her after the first plane hit but when I called it was all new information to her). Then I called my mother. She too didn't know that anything had happened. I told her it might be a good idea for my brother to stay home from school that day as I was worried about the bridges and tunnels coming into Manhattan. She essentially said 'no way, he's not missing school for any reason'. It was a time of complete suspension of reality. There was no way for us to understand the magnitude of what had happened. Later on that night I would have my own moment of disengagement from reality. The newscaster announced that 23 were confirmed dead. I would imagine that the real number couldn't be more than 2 or 3 times the confirmed amount. My friend, and neighbor, SMVP would shake his head and tell me the number will be in the thousands.

I didn't have a television so we sat on my bedroom floor, watching the towers come down through my cable modem. When the first tower fell, I said "it's going to be so strange having just one tower". And then the second one fell too.

I was in a daze. Peter and I went to give blood but when we were turned away, I went to try and vote. I couldn't believe it when they said the election was cancelled.

On September 12th, nobody had work so we tried to pretend things were normal. Four of us went to brunch. We mostly just sat there in stunned silence. Peter and I went to see a movie. It was "Rat Race". It was too loud and every sound made me jump. It had a scene with an airplane that was just unwatchable.

I went home that afternoon and didn't leave my house again until Saturday, three days later. I mostly couldn't take the 'missing' signs on every lamppost. I couldn't stand all that hope. It was so obvious that all those people were dead. I didn't have work the rest of the week so I'd just stay home all day and wait for SMVP to come home, then go sit on his couch with our eyes glued to the TV.

Everything was different. Nothing would ever be the same. We were all going to live with that day for the rest of our lives. We were all in this together. We didn't know then that nothing would really change, that we weren't all united in the ways that matter. As James Lileks writes: "The good news? We returned to our norm: cheerful industrious self-directed Americans who think in terms of fiscal quarters, not ancient grievances, and trust in Coke and Mickey to spread our message of tolerance and prosperity. The bad news? Same as the good. Or perhaps it’s the other way around."

Other New Yorkers reflect (I'll update this as I find more posts):

Broken Chair

Atlas Shrugs

Whatsapundit

Jeremy Del Rio has incredible pictures from Ground Zero, 9/14/01.

Mary at Exit Zero has a must-read.

Personally, I think we should be screaming our heads off

US marks 9/11 with silence

UPDATE: Check out these pictures from Ground Zero 2006 and try not to retch.

Path to 9/11

Red State has clips from the "Path to 9/11" movie. It looks pretty good. Via Hot Air.

UPDATE: I didn't see it but here's a review from my father: "Hey, we still live in free country! The movie was on and it was great. It totally destroyed my evening, but I'm really proud of ABC....
Bill and Madeline did not wanted us to see this. I'll watch the second part tomorrow."

Had

You Tube celebrity "Lonely Girl 15" has been exposed as a fake:

Along with her friend "Daniel," lonelygirl15 appears in a series of video blogs, confessional screeds spoken into a video camera and posted on websites such as YouTube. Since June, viewers have questioned whether the videos really depicted a home-schooled, shy girl named "Bree, or whether they were part of some larger project or promotional scheme.

...

The team behind the lonelygirl15 YouTube mystery has come forward, claiming that lonelygirl15 is part of their "show" and thanking their fans effusively for tuning in to "the birth of a new art form." They are not, they insisted, "a big corporation."

After amateur sleuths uncovered apparent links between the Creative Artists Agency and the official lonelygirl15 MySpace page, a statement claiming to be from "The Creators" was posted on the lonelygirl15 website late Thursday.

I checked out the videos and you have to be high to believe that the girl isn't acting, the the video isn't produced by tech-savvy people, or that she's 15. But I guess when people want to believe, there's no stopping them.

But where will The Children go to learn about Biggie?

Funding For Hip-Hop Museum In The Bronx Frozen.

The non-profit group involved in the project has failed an audit of their finances.

But anyway, a hip-hop museum in the Bronx? What rappers came out of the Bronx? Any hip-hop museum should be in the natural home of hip-hop, BKNY (that's Brooklyn Kings New York for you out of towners).

Kamikaze Mission

I'm now starting to believe Republicans will lose both houses of Congress this year (Via The Corner):

In an extraordinary pre-emptive announcement, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has said it will concede Rhode Island to the Democrats should Stephen Laffey, the mayor of Cranston, defeat Mr. Chafee in the primary.

Compare this to the Democrats rallying around Ned Lamont. Democrats are hungry to win, Republicans are conducting this election with one big shoulder shrug. Additionally, we have to really ask ourselves why, exactly, the Republicans are fighting so hard to keep Chaffee:

The result has been the striking sight of the national Republican Party, dominated by conservatives, using resources to save the seat of a Republican who said he voted against Mr. Bush in 2004. He chose instead to write in the name of the first President Bush.

Mr. Chafee has opposed many centerpiece Republican policies, from the war in Iraq to tax cuts to most restrictions on abortion. This week, he helped force a delay on the confirmation of John R. Bolton as the United States ambassador to the United Nations.

***BLOGGER PARTY NYC*** (Final Bump with new poll)

It's on, baby. Are you a blogger? Do you read blogs? Everyone is invited.

I'm not sending out an evite like I've done in the past because inevitably I forget to include people on it and feelings get hurt. So, fellow bloggers, please post a note about the party on your site and invite anyone that wants to attend. If at all possible, leave a comment here letting me know you'll be attending so I can give the bar a semi-accurate count. I will keep bumping this post until the day of the party.

This is not just for political bloggers but since I'm the one organizing it it's likely that political bloggers, particularly the right-leaning kind, will be heavily represented. If you feel you won't be able to maintain composure if outnumbered by non-liberals, this event is probably not for you.

The deets:

WHERE: Mica Bar, 252 E 51st St, between Second and Third Avenues.

WHEN: Saturday, September 9th, 8:30pm.

See y'all there.

"Honesty is such a lonely word, everyone is so untrue"

All Bill Clinton wants is for the truth to come out. That's all.

Bandwagon

The New York Times has launched a new national politics blog called The Caucus. Whatever you think of the Times, I have to say that their NY-politics blog, Empire Zone, has been pretty good and I'm looking forward to seeing if Caucus will be the same.

Thanks for jumping out ahead of that scandal, Rich

Armitage admits he gave up Plame's identity:

The former US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has confirmed that it was he who leaked the identity of an undercover CIA employee, triggering a federal investigation that went as far as Dick Cheney, the US Vice-President.

Speaking to the US media yesterday, the former State official said that he never intended to reveal the identity of Valerie Plame in his conversations with reporters Robert Novak and Bob Woodward in 2003.

The leak of the name - a criminal offence in the US - led to a three year investigation, led by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, to determine whether Bush administration officials intentionally revealed Ms Plame's identity as a covert operative as a way to punish her husband for criticising the Bush administration's march to war with Iraq.

....

Armitage said he mentioned Plame’s name in an offhand way in a conversation with reporter Mr Novak, who then identified the CIA agent in his newspaper column on July 2003, after getting indirect confirmation of her role from senior presidential adviser Karl Rove.

“Novak asked me, ’Hey, why did the CIA send Mr. Wilson to Niger?’ I said, ’I don’t know, but I think his wife worked out there’

Not a joke headline....

....but actually something our government is wasting its time on:

Horse Slaughtering: The New Terrorism?

I'm on a 3-4 times a week schedule

Poll: 1/3 of NYers Think About 9/11 Every Day

Via Room Eight.

Why I hate them

A new site offers a photo montage of why 'they' hate 'us' ('they' being the terrorists and 'us' being Americans, I assume).

It includes pictures of obese women, American flag flip-flops, college girls doing beer bongs, Condoleeza Rice, Jerry Falwell, Tori Spelling, Rush Limbaugh, illegal immigration protesters, a man shooting a gun, and a family vacationing at Disneyland wearing t-shirts with Mickey Mouse as breasts.

Hipster site Stay Free showcases one of the photographs, a man holding a sign that says 'Get A Brain, Morans' though a commenter points out that the sign is not a misspelling but actually a jab at supporters of Jim Moran, Congressman from Virginia. Oh c'mon, if facts don't stop don't stop Moran from Israel-hating, surely they shouldn't stop anyone from America-hating.

Anyway, looking through the pictures made me more patriotic than ever. I think Jerry Falwell is a moron but he's a moron that calls a teletubby gay, not one that incites people to murder like some of his Muslim counterparts. If Falwell is as radical as we get, well that's fine with me. It's easier to point and laugh at someone when you know you won't be beheaded for it. The rest of the photos are just as retarded. Fat women? They hate us because our women are fat? They hate us because our college girls drink beer?

The site is just photography but it makes its point loud and clear: Americans have things about them worth hating by our enemies. The fact that these things are so innocuous should matter but won't to the sort of people who think this is the epitome of cleverness.

On a sort of sidenote, this thought occurred to me today: we're so concerned with winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqis, and of Muslims everywhere. But seeing the dispiritedness of my soldier friends in Iraq I've been thinking that it will be so much worse for the Muslim world, and specifically for Iraqis if they lose our hearts and minds. I'm guessing they won't be putting up 'Why they hate us' websites featuring babies dressed in fatigues posing with guns, terrorists hiding behind civilians, gay people being publicly hung, women being beaten for offenses like driving. But those reasons are better than Tori Spelling any day of the week.

It was probably the Joooos

Democrats nominate a 9/11 conspiracy theorist for Congress in Florida.

The best part:

"do you want to know how I found out that Bowman had won? I was monitoring a "moderate" Muslim message board in the UK. These "moderates" were ecstatic that Bowman had won. I'm not kidding, you don't get more mainstream than these guys."

Via Hot Air.

Maybe Newt Gingrich is right. Maybe Republicans do just need to find 11 ways to say they're not Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the kooky Democrats.

The Bush speech

What, now? We're giving Geneva Convention rights to terrorists? Awesome.

Politics is satire

New York political site Room Eight has launched a new video feature called "LunchBox". It promises to be a "a daily 3-minute satirical roundup of New York political news" hosted by Adam Green. Which, you know, is all fine and good until they start taking swipes at my candidates. So watch it, Green.

Guess who's back, back again

Allah points me to Andrew Sullivan calling me out, again, regarding my comments on the imminent threat last month in London:

If torture was integral to their arrests, then they may have to be released. I await a retraction from the Malkin blog; and an apology from Jeff Goldstein who accused me of "dementia" for doubting the original official line. It was not dementia prompting my doubts. It was the evidence, something some on the far right seem uninterested in. If we want to win the war on Islamist terror, we need to be as reality-based as possible.

Ok, let's go through this one. more. time.

Why does Sullivan insist on arguing about the imminence of the attacks? WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE TO HIS ARGUMENT? He is against torture in all situations, whether an attack is imminent or not. Is it just that he is unable to defend his holier-than-thou, literally, position and therefore needs to pick at details that don't matter to his general point? Unlike Andrew, I'm not a wild conspiracy theorist. If officials tell me an attack was 'imminent', however they define that, I'm probably going to believe them. That is what they thought at the time and, frankly, I'm unconvinced that an attack was not imminent.

But, again, irrelevant. If Sullivan is against all torture, always, why keep coming back to the 'imminent' point? Why? Is it to cover up the fact that when I called the plot 'imminent', Sullivan essentially called it nonexistent? At the time, Sullivan wrote:

I wonder if Lieberman's defeat, the resilience of Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the emergence of a Hezbollah-style government in Iraq had any bearing on the decision by Bush and Blair to pre-empt the British police and order this alleged plot disabled. I wish I didn't find these questions popping into my head. But the alternative is to trust the Bush administration.

Been there. Done that. Learned my lesson.

I understand that sentiment. I used to read and trust Andrew Sullivan. Been there. Done that. Got called deranged for believing the terrorist plot was real and not a distraction from the Lieberman loss. Learned my lesson.

Total eclipse of the mind

Orthodox Jewish man removed from airplane for praying (Via Sara)

Belgian travelers feel their security is threatened when Bonnie Tyler breaks into song on their flight.

R.I.P. Julia Shafir

I knew her as Rosa Luxemborg, "the stinging rose of the revolution". I would see Julia around from time to time and she was always a happy, sweet person. She died on Monday in Brooklyn. She will be missed.

This -n- that

1. My ipod does not seem to be working which, as you can guess, is a bit of a nightmare.

2. Is it really going to be 80 degrees and sunny this Saturday? Really? REALLY? Can any New Yorker remember the last warm, non-rainy weekend? I think it was something like early July. This summer has been atrocious. Where is the global warming we were promised?

3. I won second place in a 50-person tournament at the Atlantic City Hilton yesterday. There was an incident during the tournament that I blogged about over on the ole poker blog. If you're a poker player, please comment over there with thoughts.

4. I'm addicted to Post Secret. It's always a special treat when I forget to check it on Sunday (the day each week it is updated) and then remember during the week.

"Crazy or terrorist?" revisited

Remember that Arc de Triomphe "Crazy or Terrorist?" story from a few weeks ago? I got the following email from someone who was there:

We are a Canadian family of four and were visiting the Arc for the first time. We were on the roof and it started to rain. We took cover with other visitors on the level with the souvenir shops and the benches. 20 to thirty people approximately.

My daughter, 15, went to sit on the benches and my wife, son ( 11) and I went to the souvenir shop. Then the shouting started. There was a man waving a gun at the visitors in the main hall. They were told to get down and they along with my daughter hid under the benches and waited.

We were in the store. It is all glass and we dropped down to see what was happening. Some of the yelling was in French and part in English. He told the women and children to leave and we watched my daughter come out with others and start to crawl away. Then there was a shot and they all dove for cover again. The shot seemed too quiet. But as a teacher of young children I am not really qualified to comment.

Then they were told to crawl away again and this time my daughter and others made it to the stairs and ran for their lives. Remember that it is real until you find out at the end.

Later my daughter told me that he had al qeada slogans on him and spoke about this in French. I do not understand very much of the French language.

There was more shouting, some confusion concerning a man in the main hall and then again another shot. I whispered to my wife that it seemed to be the wrong noise and perhaps it was not a real gun.

At this point, we in the store were noticed. The man began to approach the store. He stood in the doorway of the store. Holding the gun, a heavy looking gun with the kind of design where the bullets are arranged in a circle. Short barrel and very real looking. He asked women and children to leave the store. The clerk was the first to leave, as she was right there inside the doorway. We were next closest. We pushed my son out the door where he followed the clerk. My wife grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the store saying that she was not leaving me behind and we took our chances and bolted for the stairs. There was another shot, but we kept running.

In the stairs we met the police response team. They were dressed in protective gear and one was carrying a rifle or shot gun, Shorter barrel long and black. I stopped to tell him I thought it may not be a real gun, and he repeated what I said and nodded.

We fled the building with others ahead and behind us. We met my daughter out in the pouring rain where she was shaking and crying.

There was no attempt to talk with us, no one in authority gathered us up to escort us away from the scene. It was only a day later that we were able to find a report on the Internet about what had happened.

I was not pleased with the way it was understated in the news. It was terrifying, and certainly ruined out experience.

A lying alien

Ark sent me a joke about Al Gore being born 9 months after the Roswell incident so I decided to needlessly google that and see if it's true. I came across an article in the British Telegraph titled "Nine months after the Roswell Incident, Al Gore was born. It might not be a coincidence." Irrelevant to my original point, the article contained this tidbit:

His face is on the covers of Time magazine and Vanity Fair, and his timely championing of the environment has made him the new darling of America’s down-on-its-luck liberal establishment.

Al, 58, denies that he is interested in running for president again, but what he says is not always a reliable guide to what he means. Two of the things he is most famous for saying are that he invented the internet, and provided the real life model for the Ryan O’Neal character in the movie Love Story. At the height, or, rather, in the depths of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Al proclaimed Bill Clinton to be “the greatest president in history”.

While it is true, to some extent, that his exaggerations have been exaggerated, Al’s sayings on most things are best treated with caution. Just last week in Cannes he fondly recalled the summer he spent as a 15-year-old studying existentialist literature in Paris. “Sartre, Camus, Gide…” he sighed. “And we were not allowed to speak anything but French.” According to David Maraniss’ prodigiously researched biography, however, Gore spent that summer cutting hay on his father’s farm in Tennessee. “I just don’t know why such a smart guy needs to make things up,” says the former US Labour Secretary, Robert Reich.

It's pathological with this guy. I've never seen anything like it. Does he not realize he's a public figure and his whole life is an open book?

Signed, Proudly Serving

This is a letter from a non-political friend who joined the military out of a patriotic duty and is currently serving in Iraq. I took out identifying details but this is the email in its entirety:

I wanted to let you all know that i am doing alright. I don't know what type of news is going on, but my battallion has been and still is very busy.

...

We have been finding a lot of bad people and bad things. Hopefully we are "winning hearts and minds" of these ungrateful people.

I don't want to get into politics, but this has turned into a political war. Marines are AFRAID to pull the trigger when they have positive id on bad guys because of what has been going on in the media. Higher ups are telling us not to as well so they don't go down. Unfortunately, bad things happen then. We have taken a lot of casualties as of now. Things will hopefully change.

...

I came back to our camp so I jumped on the computer. I currently live out in a village. Don't get much free time to relax. I have seen though, the Mets are the best in all of Major League. "You Gotta Believe."

Well, I hope this finds you all doing well. I am doing good things over on this side of the world.

In a post a few days ago, I write:

My feeling is that Americans are souring on Iraq for two reasons:

1. They feel our kid glove treatment, with more focus on winning hearts&minds and less on killing terrorists, just isn't working. They are not seeing toughness. We're frequently told we're at war...but it feels like we're in some weird gray area where yeah, we're sort of at war but we're also sort of trying to be some kind of good samaritans. I love the idea of helping the Iraqi people while making that part of the world safer, but I was for this war to destroy terrorists wherever they may breed--helping Iraqis was a noble side goal. Which brings me to point #2:

2. We've lost faith in the Iraqi people. Let's face it, we thought Iraqis would step up and welcome their freedom. Its happened to some extent but the big image out of Iraq is of a people resigned to live under Saddam's thumb who don't want the big responsibility of governing themselves. I hear this from friends who have served in Iraq. They were for the war, and still are, but they wish the Iraqi people would begin to take over some of the burdens of civilization--building roads, forming governments, and, most of all, killing terrorists--so that our boys can come home.

I wrote that before receiving the above note. Anecdotally, it is the prevailing image I'm getting from friends in the military serving over there. If you know someone serving in Iraq, I'd love to know if this is what they are saying as well.

Odds, ends and other random thoughts on a very rainy Saturday

1. THE BLOGGER PARTY IS DEFINITELY ON. I'm thisclose to securing a location. Just keep Saturday, September 9th from about 8pm open for it. I'll have a note up here by Tuesday, so stay tuned.

2. I can't believe this is how my Labor Day weekend has turned out. I was supposed to be in California, then Montreal and finally a last-ditch effort to go to either Baltimore/DC or the Jersey shore. After last-minute trips worked out for Memorial Day and the 4th of July, I just assumed it would work out this time too. But the weather and general circumstances means that the extent of my travel will be to Atlantic City tomorrow with Dawn. Exciting, sure, but not what I had in mind for the last weekend of the summer.

3. Dawn got me into saying "awesome" both when something is awesome and also when something is not awesome. My other favorite phrase lately has been 'a bit of a nightmare'. Bonus points if you say it in a British accent. Leave your latest favorite phrase in the comment section.

4. My song of the weekend is "One Blood" but not the new Game song. I went back to basics with Junior Reid. What's your song of the weekend?

Quote of the Day

So there you have it. MySpace is completely regressing back to highschool where everyone wants to hang out with the cool people and be in their top 8 12 or whatever. It's completely pathetic, and it's officially making my day job suffer.

P.S. Let me know if you want to be my MySpace friend cuz I only have like 35.

-Pretty Numbers.

R.I.P. Hina Saleem, I will be intolerant in your name

"She was simply a daughter who did not obey", said the mother of the 20-year old dead girl, Hina Saleem. Hina was found buried, with her throat slit, in the garden of her family home in Brescia, Italy. The "honor" killing has rocked Italy.

The New York Times reports:

"She smoked and wore revealing, low-slung jeans like many young women. News reports said she had been living with an Italian man.

...

Her father and uncle have been arrested in the case. [A brother-in-law turned himself in on Thursday, and an unidentified fourth man, also of Pakistani descent, was arrested Friday and accused in the case, the ANSA news agency reported.]"

She simply would not obey. So four men had to kill her.

From the Guardian:

"Investigators said they were looking into the theory that the grave was dug before the woman was killed. It is thought a long kitchen knife was used to slit her throat."

That must have been one disobedient woman.

The spokesman for UCOII, the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy, issued a statement that essentially said:

1. There might be other motives aside from religion in this crime. He presented no evidence or even theories of any such motives.

2. The crime probably happened because the father had let things get so out of control for so long.

3. He concluded by saying that Islam is not separated from the idea of tolerance by strict religious code and that "We will not stand around debating rampant Islamophobic themes".

Well, that clears that up. She wasn't killed because of religious intolerance and if she was, it's because her father had been tolerant for so long. But if you imply religious intolerance was the reason for her murder, you're just propogating Islamaphobic themes. Got that?

Meanwhile, Mahmood Tariq, the director of the Muhammadiah Islamic Cultural Association in Brescia has said "Cases like this happen in all societies."

No. Cases like this DO NOT happen in all societies. Fathers don't kill their daughters, with the help of three other family members because of the cut of their jeans. Mothers don't then explain the killing with a flippant "she did not obey". This is not normal. This is not acceptable.

But here is, of course, the punchline. It's not the Muslims who kill their children that are intolerant, oh no. It's those intolerant Italians:

The anger has Brescia’s residents of Pakistani descent worried.

“People used to be more tolerant; they used to be less allergic to seeing someone from a different race,” said Sajid Shah, the founder of the Muhammadiah association, which is building in Brescia what will be the second-biggest mosque in Italy.

When a foreigner does something, the reaction is immediate, Mr. Shah said, adding that since the wave of crime he has felt as though he were under surveillance.

It reminds me of the program on tolerance toward Muslims brought into American schools after 9/11, including the school across the street from where the World Trade Center used to stand. As many said at the time, why are American kids being taught 'tolerance'? Shouldn't we export these programs to kids in Muslim countries to teach them tolerance of us?

So no, I'm not going to be tolerant as a 20-year old is killed by her family. And I'm not going to pretend that this is ok and just something that backward cultures do. This happened in Italy, a western country, but it shouldn't matter where it happens. If we don't collectively rage at these murders, if there isn't a strong signal from us all that we will NOT be tolerant to this then it will keep happening.

(Hat-tip to Ark who felt so strongly about this article that he faxed it to me. Who knew people still used fax machines?)

Me, me, me

I'm interviewed in today's Metro newspaper by the fine blogger at Englishman in New York, Paul Berger.

In it, I say that I enjoy being a Republican in New York because it feels like there's so much room for growth. Although I think it was John O'Sullivan writing in National Review that said some worn-torn country had incredible potential for growth in tourism since it had none just now. I think I meant it in that way.

Good morning from New York!

It seems a bank was robbed on my block this morning, as this was the sight directly outside my building on the upper east side:

People reported seeing a man jump into a cab with a bag, and the money fell out as he ran. Some people took pictures of his cab and tried to get a shot of him. But not me, I just got my coffee and headed into work.

UPDATE: By the time I came home from work, the cash was gone, the dye was not:

Damn fine reasons

Mary Katharine Ham lays out the reasons for chicks to support Israel.