Wouldn't it just be easier to vote Yes once?

Another reason to dump Davis: he doesn't understand the concept of a double negative. The headline from California is "Davis: Vote No Twice"

California recall update and prediction

Political Wire has a post titled “Large Turnout Expected for Recall” noting “89 percent of Californians say they are following the recall closely, while 77 percent say they intend to vote in the Oct. 7 election.”

Meanwhile, Real Clear Politics has updated their California Recall page with the latest poll showing Ah-nold with a 5-point lead over Lt. Governor Cruz “Gray Davis? Never heard of him” Bustamante. RCP also averages the current polls and estimates 58% of Californians for the recall and 37% opposing.

As a final stat to mull over, take note that Gray Davis continues to wallow with a 72% disapproval rating. Based solely on the motivation factor, I’m predicting that whatever the recall poll says is low by at least 5% - therefore, recall wins with 63% of the vote – indicating that nearly two out of three voters (including some Democrats) want Davis gone. I’m also giving Ah-nold the “Jesse Ventura motivated vote” and an easy win with, oh, 25% of the total vote.

Keep an eye on the highly accurate Taco Bell poll.

Dean Esmay has an awesome photo of the U.S. during the blackout. There’s a huge gash of darkness around Lake Erie.

Update: Well, everyone now says it's Photoshop. That Photoshop is more trouble than that "Not Me" in The Family Circus.

Paul Krugman deeply saddened: “Jobless Claims drop to lowest level since February”

One commenter wrote: "This is the funniest thing I've ever read involving a bed, a girlfriend, and string." I find it hard to disagree (via Silent Running).

What liberal media? Nice catch from Dodd.

Follow up: Hei Lun at Duck Season finds a wacky quote on Ben Domenech's blog about the DNC web site hijacking: “You have to ask to post somebody's logos and link to somebody's site," said Boston 2004 executive director Julie Burns.

(This post includes unapproved links to Duck Season and The Ben File – legal action is pending)

A whiff of panic in the Kerry camp

New Hampshire is the meat in the Massachusetts-Vermont sandwich and is critical to the presidential aspirations of John Kerry and Howard Dean. But as Senator AWOL’s polls drop in both Iowa and the Granite State, he’s looking Dixie-way to salvage his campaign. From the Boston Globe today: “Kerry to head South for announcement”:

To political junkies, Kerry's revised itinerary speaks volumes. With all due respect for the usual caveat about polls being snapshots at a moment in time, current polling snapshots do not paint a breezy political picture for the Kerry presidential campaign in Iowa or New Hampshire. The first Iowa poll conducted by the Des Moines Register and published Aug. 3 showed former Vermont governor Howard Dean leading with 23 percent. Dean was followed by Richard Gephardt with 21 percent and Kerry with 14.

Dean also pulled ahead of Kerry in New Hampshire for the first time in a monthly poll ranking the Democratic candidates. Dean received 28 percent in the August survey conducted by the American Research Groups Inc. of Manchester, N.H., compared with 21 percent for Kerry. A similar poll in July showed Kerry leading Dean 25 percent to 19. News of the New Hampshire poll and the Kerry announcement itinerary inspired the Massachusetts GOP to send out a press release headlined, "Kerry heads South -- in polls and for his official campaign announcement."

Senator AWOL is going to have to eat a lot of corn dogs if he thinks his Boston pompadour is going to sway the voters in the birthplace of the Civil War. Suggested question for a South Carolina press conference: "Can you name five NASCAR drivers?"

I thought he was dead! Fox News reports: "Chemical Ali" has been captured

God doubles up on 11, draws a deuce

A bolt of lightning hits east of the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, August 19, 2003. A powerful thunderstorm dumped three inches of rain in about 90 minutes in the northwest section of the city causing major flooding and stranding many motorists.

Hosed again

Blogging has slowed to a near-halt as I'm forced to use my AOL dial-up to update because the multiple virus attack has shut down my daytime connection. Well, I'll try my best tonight.

COTV - The latest Carnival of the Vanities is up and running at Outside the Beltway. Nice football graphics!

And yet, signs of hope

Little Green Footballs details how some Iraqis react to Americans. The hyperlink says it all: "Bush Good, Saddam Bad!" There's even a dig at the French.

The Religion of Peace strikes again

I think President Bush hits all the right notes with his comments on the cowardly truck bombing in Iraq today. Meanwhile, Brian Chapin has some stronger words for Mahmoud Abbas and others from the religion of peace on the Israeli bombing.

Frozen out

My Internet connection was down today so I was totally blocked from updating. So I did the next best thing and updated my Smarter Harper's page. But it's pretty half-assed this month; I'll get back into the swing next month.

Political Hijinks? Somebody’s playing games with the Dems

Say you’re looking for some info on the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston next year. You do a Google search on “Boston” + “Democrats” + “2004” and the first choice is this site.

Curious….it looks official. But there’s a huge Bush/Cheney banner in the center of the screen! Further down in very fine print is this: “This website is in no way endorsed by or affiliated with the Democratic party, Democratic National Convention or it's Committees.”

Keep your eye on this one! I smell a lawsuit. Hahahahahaha!!!

Update: "Rogue Web Site Claims Democratic Convention Status"

BOSTON -- Democratic convention officials are trying to shutdown a rogue Web site that is posting fake sponsors, soliciting ads and luring would-be volunteers in cyberspace.

The site -- www.2004dnc.com -- claims to be the Official Guide for the Democratic National Convention 2004 in Boston. However both the Democratic National Committee and the Boston 2004 host committee said there is nothing official about the Web site.

Tee hee

Why we need standardized tests

Through Joanne Jacobs comes this posting by Kimberly Swygert of Number 2 Pencil about a New Orleans high school valedictorian who failed to pass that state’s Graduate Exit Exam. Although Bridget Green passed the English portion of the test, she bombed on the math portion, failing to meet the requirement after five attempts. On the standardized ACT test, Valedictorian Green’s score was in the first percentile – that is, 99% of all test-takers performed better.

Critics of standardized tests (like the MCAS here in Massachusetts) often complain that it forces teachers to “teach to the test.” Well, the alternative of setting no objective standards leads to students that can’t read or add. Which is more intolerable?

Headlines that make me smile: "Green Party Happy to 'Spoil' Democratic Presidential Run in 2004"

The continuing humor the NY Times Corrections page: “Some maps in the grouping mislabeled the state southeast of Ohio. It is West Virginia, not Maryland.”

Democrats love misery

As I’ve noted many times before, the Democrats have set themselves up such that the only way they can succeed is for America to fail. The depth of their desperation was on full display this past weekend as prominent Dems took to the airwaves to Blame Bush for the Blackout:

One of the first was New Mexico Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, a former energy secretary in the Clinton administration, who quickly appeared on at least two cable news networks wringing his hands over what he sees as an antiquated power-delivery system.
……
No one questioned Richardson as to why he didn't make the system better when he was in charge of the nation's energy policy, but he had plenty of suggestions as to what the Bush administration should do.

And of course, no inconvenience of modern life should pass without a trite metaphor by Senator AWOL:

"It underscores a blackout in this administration on energy policies," said Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.

Bravo, Senator. That speechwriting staff of yours deserves a raise.

California Recall

Real Clear Politics has set up a special CA recall page with the latest news and polls. According to the RCP composite poll, Ah-nold should beat Bustamante by 9%. A great source for all your recall info.

Weekend's here! Let's go home

See you Monday

2004 is “Year of the Kickback” in Santa Fe

Via Terpsboy, I found this article from an owner of a steakhouse chain in Santa Fe, where the minimum wage is going up to $8.50 in 2004 and $10.50 in 2008. Ed Tinsley won’t open another Santa Fe steakhouse and other businesses are looking to escape.

Watch this story: I guarantee there will be a torrent of stories next year about 1.) small businesses fleeing Santa Fe and 2.) assorted schemes by employers to recoup payroll expenses (e.g. charging for uniforms, docking pay for long lunches, etc.) Nobody is going to pay pizza delivery boys $8.50/hr and expect customers to cough up $25 for a large with pepperoni.

Dr. Weevil finally found a job teaching Latin. Congrats, Dr. W!

Uh-oh. Soon after I posted my Krugman screed, I noticed “Princeton.edu” on my Sitemeter. Comrade Professor – is that you?

Krugman and the Dismal Science: You gotta accentuate the negative

There’s no doubt in my mind that Paul Krugman believes that the articles he provides to the NY Times constitutes “work.” In some foppish and fanciful rationalization, he must stare at his paycheck and decide he performed “labor.” Nobody gets a nice haircut from Paul or takes a Krugman-made product home from the market. He’s selling his thoughts and opinions – he pronounces, the NY Times pays. Nice work if you can get it.

And I think that’s what makes him maddening to bloggers. There are so many great web logs, updated daily with a week’s worth of Krugman’s contribution, most with far better research and quality. No self-respecting blogger would make a statement without a link to back it up. Not so for the Professor, who gets away with slovenly prose like this:

So is a real, unambiguous recovery just around the corner? Recent economic reports have had a "good news"-"bad news" feel to them. Businesses are starting to buy some equipment; that's good. But they seem to be engaging in replacement investment, not capacity expansion; that's bad. Consumers are spending; that's good. But rising interest rates seem to have ended the refinancing boom that put cash in consumers' pockets; that's bad. And so on. [Emphasis added]

“And so on” – yadda yadda yadda – you know what I mean. Everything seems better, but not really, because there’s bad news too.

Well, no shit, Sherlock. There’s always two sides to economic data. To wit:

- The dollar is trading weaker with foreign currency – that’s bad. But a weaker dollar helps to narrow the trade deficit – that’s good. (Reuters: “June US Trade data belatedly reflect weaker dollar”)

- Interest rates are low – that’s good if you’re taking a loan. Sucks if you’re trying to earn interest income on a savings account.

- Productivity shot up last quarter – that’s good. But when workers are more productive, companies don’t need to hire as many people – that’s bad. (USA Today: “Companies do more with less”)

Strange how Krugman failed to mention the productivity jump since it’s a critical component of his thesis that joblessness is intolerable (take note that the Comrade Professor wants nothing less than “full employment!”) But then the productivity data is “good” news that must be ignored. Next time PK, to borrow a phrase: do your homework.

Lileks on non-rioting New Yorkers

The Fox news guy was outside Penn Station, where thousands of people were - brace yourself - patiently waiting for electricity to return. He seemed a little annoyed that there wasn’t a brawl or a riot. I’m sure no one was happy to be standing there in the dead black dark, but what could you do? Stick someone up, take his credit cards and fashion them into a small portable fan? Stab someone in the foot, and hop he hops around and creates a small breeze? Set yourself on fire to take your mind off the hunger? He corralled a couple of New Yorkers off the sidewalk, wisely ignoring the three shiny-faced moth-balls behind him who were drawn to the camera light. Two women, one of a certain age, the other in her thirties. The first woman was a leathery old bird with a big smile and a shade of lipstick no one’s seen since Gimbels had a close-out in the late 40s. She took it all in stride. “It’s an adventure,” she smiled, shrugging. And then she added: “And who needs it.”

I saw the same segment on Fox and that woman’s reaction was priceless: she had this huge “I’m-gonna-be-on-TV!” grin on her face. You go girl!

“Kerry Lied” – wasn’t that a song by Steely Dan?

Al Gore couldn’t seem to shake the impression that he lies (or at least exaggerates extravagantly) during the 2000 campaign. As Polipundit catches another John Kerry lie this morning, the parallels are beginning to coalesce. It was such an obvious lie, by the way, because Kerry claimed he voted on something.

The Great Northeast Blackout of 1965 (with good linkage)

California recall update

DNC chair Terry Mcauliffe in July: "I want the folks here in California to know that we are not going to have another Democrat on the ballot. I think that is the single biggest message I can give today," DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe said at a downtown news conference Thursday.

And today’s San Francisco Gate: “The field includes 50 Democrats, 42 Republicans and 32 independents, as well as members of small parties such as the Greens and Libertarians.”

Damian Penny links Kathy Shaidle who links Media Life Magazine who sez: "Fox’s “Futurama” had the highest ultra-liberal index for any broadcast network program."

But...but...I love Futurama!

Matthew Hoy thinks (the increasingly Krugmanesque) Bob Herbert ought to lay blame for the mess in California on California. But that kind of straightforward logic will never get you a gig at the NYT, Matt.

Razor on FauxPolitik explains the etiquette (such as it is) of ordering a Philly cheese steak.

Kerry’s bold stance on Social Security: “We should do...um…something.”

If you read between the lines of this Boston Globe article, you can smell the flop sweat of Senator AWOL as he’s confronted by a question on Social Security. Some fool Iowan asked him how he would fix the system that is destined for insolvency once the baby boomers retire. His answer:

1.) Stop paying Social Security to “rich” people
2.) Increase the income cap that is taxable from the current maximum of $86,000

What income level should we raise the cut-off so that Social Security can be saved?

"Maybe people ought to pay up to $100,000 or $120,000, I don't know," the senator said.

O principled leadership, thy name is Kerry!

Nader a la mode

The Cracker Barrel Philosopher found the sought-after picture of Ralph Nader covered in pie. The pie-thrower got away; Al Gore's whereabouts at the time are unknown.

Western Massachusetts loves taxes and the Quote of the Day

The Boston Globe published an article today titled about attitudes towards taxation in Massachusetts. According to a study, Bay Staters in southeastern Mass consistently reject tax hikes while: "The protax towns are all clustered in the Western part of the state," said John Barrett, director of research at the Beacon Hill Institute.

Any compelling reason why Western Mass embraces higher taxation?

Representative Ellen Story, an Amherst Democrat, said that people in her community believe that taxes help pay for necessary government services. "I think it shows that Amherst and the other towns surrounding Amherst all understand that taxes are the price you pay for a civilized society," she said. "Amherst does have three institutions of higher learning, two colleges, and one university. Often, when there are more educated people, they do understand that taxes are worth paying."

Sweet tap-dancing Moses! She didn’t really say that, did she? So that’s why all us gun-totin’, NASCAR-lovin’, Fox-watchin’ types don’t like taxes – we’re dumb!

It must give Ms. Story a warm feeling to fork over her earnings, secure in the knowledge that she can see the big picture. Al Gore intimated the same liberal superciliousness, the same moral perceptiveness, when he said the only reason Americans support conservative policies is because they’ve been hypnotized by a GOP propaganda machine. And recently George Will dedicated a column effectively lampooning the theory put forward by some professors that conservatism is a mental disease. The liberal cause is rooted in the mythology of socialism that automatically imbues true believers with moral superiority. It is inconceivable to them that others might think differently so, as the case with the psych professors, it can’t be that conservatives have actual “reasons” for their ideology, it’s because they suffer from fascist tendencies brought on by a short circuit in the brain.

One final word on Amherst. I live right next to Amherst and, for nine months out of the year, the local economy is sustained by the influx of thousands of students to the Five-College system (Amherst, Hampshire, University of Massachusetts, Mt. Holyoke (Holyoke) and Smith (Northampton). The vast majority of these students don’t have to worry about the crush of taxes; even if they’re working, they’re in the lowest bracket. So there’s a whole class of students largely unburdened by taxes under the tutelage of professors who, in the rarefied fantasy world of the Happy Valley, spend their spare time organizing anti-war rallies and protesting the American flag. But, in their twisted world, conservatives are the ones who need to understand.

Looking for something?

Outside the Beltway is pulling in hits from people looking for pictures of Britney Spears, and specifically the pics of her from the British edition of Elle magazine.

Oh, sure, you’ll get traffic from search engines if you seem like a destination for Britney or Pamela Anderson photos, but blogging shouldn’t be about pumping up your traffic stats. That kind of naked opportunism, why it’s as unseemly as Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher dating (I can’t believe he dumped Brittany Murphy!)

Swiss cheese does NOT go on a Philly cheesesteak

How did I miss this John Kerry story? Zogby Blog reports on the “Sandwich Scandal” in Philadelphia – Senator AWOL is already writing off Pennsylvania.

Senator Kerry, would you like some mayonnaise for your pastrami sandwich?

Spin Control

Jane Galt revisits the delicious conundrum of well-to-do left-wingers on Martha’s Vineyard trying to block an offshore wind farm:

Rich liberals on Nantucket and environs are arguing pretty much openly that while of course they are in favor of renewable energy in theory, they are only in favor of it in practice when it does not interfere in any way with the comforts (and property values) of rich liberals. Presumably the right sort of wind farms are located in midwestern farmland, where the only people who will be bothered are people who don't matter.

In fact, as I’ve noted here, that’s precisely the argument made by the likes of Walter Cronkite: that the wind turbines should be moved to “inland New England.” Because no sacrifice is too great for Walter Cronkite unspoiled dockside view.

Pop Quiz: Finish this sentence from Robert Samuelson’s article “Smug Journalism”: “No place in American journalism is so smug and superior as the ___ ____ _____.”

Viking Pundit: Ahead of the curve!

I observed the sniping on John Kerry's blog Monday, and today the Boston Herald reports: "Dean fans flog blog, rip Kerry to threads" - "The testy rivalry between presidential hopefuls John F. Kerry and Howard Dean has spilled over to Kerry's new campaign Web log, which has been swamped with mocking messages from Dean backers."

Cue the Ted-sicle jokes

From Fox News: "NEW YORK — Ted Williams was decapitated by surgeons at the cryonics company where his body is suspended in liquid nitrogen, and several samples of his DNA are missing, Sports Illustrated reported."

[Austin and Vanessa see a man decapitated.]
Austin Powers: Not the time to lose one's head.
Vanessa Kensington: No.
Austin Powers: That's not the way to get ahead in life.
Vanessa Kensington: No.
Austin Powers: It's a shame he wasn't more headstrong.
Vanessa Kensington: Hmm.
Austin Powers: He'll never be the head of a major corporation.
Vanessa Kensington: Okay, that'll do.
Austin Powers: Okay.

Nader takes a pie in the face

There's nothing on the Yahoo Photo directory, but please tell me someone has a picture! Here's the blurb from Reuters/WashPost:

Nader was speaking at an event to endorse fellow Green Peter Camejo for California governor when a man ran into the room where he was speaking, forced a pie in his face, and made a quick exit.

He's on the loose!

My Blogcritics review of "The War Against Boys" by Christina Hoff Sommers - check it out (esp. if you have boys).

Honeymoon in Egypt

I try to avoid blogging on personal issues since I consider it a lazy form of writing. But Steve Denbeste’s essay on the decline of the French tourism industry reminded me of my last trip overseas: my honeymoon in Egypt.

The wife wanted to go on safari in Africa, but I steadfastly refused to go sub-Saharan. The compromise was a cruise down the Nile river with stops in Luxor, Edfu, the Valley of the Kings, Memphis, and of course the Pyramids. The last standing wonder of the world truly is beyond comprehension or description. But my standard response whenever I’m asked about Egypt is: “I’m glad I went, but I’ll never go back again.”

The begging is relentless.

It’s not just street urchins, one of which ran behind our carriage wailing in a foreign tongue, hands outstretched. It also took the form of gentle gouging by bellhops, taxi drivers, bartenders and storeowners. It was as if I had “American ATM” tattooed across my forehead. Egypt has a special “Tourism Police” whose sole purpose is to protect tourists and the hard cash they bring to the country. (Egypt’s tourist trade – the top revenue generator for the country – topped $4 billion in 1999) The final straw was when one of these “policemen” took me aside, allegedly to show me some Sphinx statues, and then rubbed thumb to forefinger in the international symbol for “can I have a dollar?” Our final day before flying back, we hired a taxi driver to take us to the Pyramids one last time. We negotiated a price at the hotel only to find it had inflated somewhere along the way. I nearly punched him. There were other incidents I won’t mention here.

On top of this, October 1992 saw the first incident of terrorism aimed at tourists, occurring in the middle of our trip (there would be more to come). The crew of our tiny cruise ship huddled around the radio trying to figure out how this would affect their business. Meanwhile, I tried to get an English language news broadcast on my shortwave. Tourism revenue started to slide soon afterward and Egypt would lose an estimated $1 billion in tourism revenue in 1997 after terrorists massacred 58 tourists at Luxor. And as this October 2001 New York Times article indicates, Western tourism has evaporated after 9/11:

Tour operators there said they could not remember seeing a single American at the famous monuments since the attacks, with cancellations running between 70 and 80 percent for the fall. Visitors from Scandinavia, Britain, Japan and Australia have also all but disappeared.

And it’s not just Egypt:

Egypt is not alone in this. Saudi Arabia's nascent tour industry, for example, was expecting 35 to 40 groups from the United States and Europe to visit the southern Asir region between September and January. All of them canceled.

Well boo-hoo for Egypt, France and Saudi Arabia. I think American tourists are going to be much less tolerant of the tight-smiled mendacity of people who are silently contemptuous of (or hostile to) the United States. As for me, the last big vacation I took was at Walt Disney World. Yes, it was expensive, but I consoled myself with the thought that at least all my money was staying in America.

Squeeze the Saudis

Here's the concluding graf from "Shifting Sands" in the Economist:

As America increasingly takes the war on terror to Saudi soil, Saudi Arabia’s rulers face tough choices. They will want to preserve their alliance with America, which is the biggest buyer of Saudi oil and has traditionally protected the country from threatening neighbours, such as Iran and Iraq. There are concerns in the royal family that with America now invested in Iraq, putting down military bases and getting Iraq’s oil pumping, Saudi Arabia could lose out. (Indeed, America announced in May that it would pull its 5,000 troops out of Saudi, though it said this was because they were no longer needed to patrol the no-fly zone in Iraq, and denied that it was downgrading its relationship with Saudi Arabia.) But appealing too much to America brings its own internal perils. Ordinary Saudis are no fans of the superpower, owing to its support of Israel, its invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and its perceived prejudice against Muslims. All of which leaves Saudi Arabia's rulers between a rock and a hard place. The released Britons can only be thankful that they are no longer there with them.

Um...another bodyguard

From Fox News: "RAMADI, Iraq — American forces on Tuesday bagged one of Saddam Hussein's former bodyguards and an Iraqi general during a series of raids carried out in the deposed leader's hometown of Tikrit."

I'm getting the feeling that capturing Saddam's bodyguards is like finding flygirls from J.Lo's entourage - there are hundreds of them.

Wesley Clark considers running – Ninedwarfs.com scrambles for new URL

With a hat tip to Political Wire, here’s the lead on a Boston Globe article: “Clark seen planning Democratic nomination bid”

WASHINGTON -- In the strongest signal yet that retired US Army General Wesley K. Clark, the former NATO commander, is planning to join the Democratic presidential race, Clark told volunteers last week to step up their efforts and prepare for an announcement on Labor Day.

The introduction of Clark into the Dem race will hurt John Kerry the most since it robs him of his “only candidate to serve in the military” edge. (Kerry served in Vietnam). I doubt Clark will swing any support from the Dean camp.

People who write letters to the New York Times

Before I upset my stomach by reading Paul Krugman's article, here's a letter to the editor:

To the Editor:
Re "How the 'Radicals' Can Save the Democrats," by Sam Tanenhaus (Op-Ed, Aug. 11):
Many of us haven't gotten over the theft of the White House in 2000. The Democrats in office thought that they could just go along with the war in Iraq and make it go away. Now we are spending almost $4 billion a month there that could be spent here on roads, schools, technology, local police and, most important, protecting our borders and coasts.
I knew that there were no weapons of mass destruction, and now the Democratic politicians act like foolish schoolchildren, claiming that they were tricked. They have allowed President Bush to saddle our future generations with astronomical debt.
Is it any wonder we are enamored of Howard Dean, a fresh face in the crowd?
KATHY GALLIGAN
Bridgewater, N.J., Aug. 11, 2003

Oh Kathy, Kathy, Kathy. Why didn't you tell us there were no weapons of mass destruction?

Some things never change

If you enjoyed Steven Denbeste's account on the decline of the French tourism industry, then you'll love this book review in the Washington Post on Vichy France. It's from a book titled "Verdict on Vichy: Power and Prejudice in the Vichy French Regime" - here's a key quote from the review:

If the French people had recognized Vichy legality for four years, and if the active Resistance had constituted a courageous but barely perceptible fraction of French society, then Free France had a weak claim on power in 1944 -- as Franklin Roosevelt had always argued. Furthermore, contrary to de Gaulle's assertion that France had liberated itself largely through its own efforts, the Allies had received only a feeble assist from an ultimately grateful but otherwise unanimously passive French population. If France had not participated fully in its own liberation, how then could it claim a leadership role in the postwar world?

They can't, not then or now.

Dead Man Walking

According to USA Today, 64% of registered California voters and 69% of probable voters will elect to kick Gray Davis out of office. Since I'm assuming the "Dump Davis" crowd consists of highly motivated voters, I would tack another 5% onto those numbers.

An important essay: Stephen Schwartz writes on "The Dysfunctional House of Saud" in the Weekly Standard.

Chuckle of the Day: John Kerry’s web site set up a blog to track Senator AWOL as he campaigns through Iowa and New Hampshire. The comments section for each blog entry seem to be entirely populated by Howard Dean supporters and Kerry staffers telling the Dean people to shut up.

I kept getting service errors last week, but I'm happy to report that American Realpolitik is back in action with some great editorial cartoons this morning.

"It turned out to be a really phony organization"

California attorney and talk show host Leo Terrell has done volunteer legal work for the NAACP for 13 years. But he supports California Judge Carolyn Kuhl who has been nominated by President Bush to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. It turns out the civil rights organization isn’t tolerant…of other viewpoints:

"In a nutshell, I got a call from legal counsel in Washington, basically saying I am not an NAACP attorney. I said I have been volunteering my time for 13 years," said Terrell. "They said that the NAACP does not endorse Kuhl, and I said, 'That’s funny, because I do.'"

He said the message was implicit — drop the endorsement or leave the NAACP off your resume. "It’s really horrible, this is two guys back in Washington calling me out here telling me to drop my endorsement or don’t call yourself an NAACP attorney."

So he decided to take their advice and quit.

The WashPost rips Gore's speech

The main editorial in the Washington Post today was titled "Mr. Gore's Blurred View" and there's nary a kind word for the former vice-president. My favorite part:

This notion -- that we were all somehow bamboozled into war -- is part of Mr. Gore's larger conviction that Mr. Bush has put one over on the nation, and not just with regard to Iraq.

You can see why he might want to think so. Mr. Gore believes, for example, that the Patriot Act represents "a broad and extreme invasion of our privacy rights in the name of terrorism." But then how to explain that 98 senators -- including all four Democratic senators now running for president -- voted for it? The president's economic and environmental policies represent an "ideologically narrow agenda" serving only "powerful and wealthy groups and individuals who manage to work their way into the inner circle."

But then why do so many other people support those policies? Mr. Gore has an umbrella explanation, albeit one that many Americans might find a tad insulting: "The administration has developed a highly effective propaganda machine to embed in the public mind mythologies. . . . "

There's also a little slam on John Kerry in the concluding paragraph, so it had everything. I caught most of Gore's speech on C-Span and Gore was just pandering to the audience, like a man starved for affirmation. Poor Al.

More Bush lies...ho hum

The Washington Post's main above-the-fold story today was about how the intelligence on Iraq was outpaced by the march to war in Iraq: "Depiction of Threat Outgrew Supporting Evidence". The Post article focuses in on the claim by the Bush Administration that high-quality aluminum tubes imported into Iraq could be used for uranium enrichment; in fact the tubes appear to be specially designed for rockets:

According to knowledgeable U.S. and overseas sources, experts from U.S. national laboratories reported in December to the Energy Department and U.S. intelligence analysts that Iraq was manufacturing copies of the Italian-made Medusa 81. Not only the Medusa's alloy, but also its dimensions, to the fraction of a millimeter, matched the disputed aluminum tubes.

Does this constitute another "lie" by President Bush? Well, as the article clearly indicates, there were elements within the intelligence community ("Joe") who believed that the aluminum tubes could be used for uranium enrichment. This leads me to a couple of conclusions:

1.) Bush believed the intelligence that represented a graver threat
2.) If doubts were raised on the intel, Bush chose to err on the side of caution by accepting a worst-case scenario
and
3.) If the tubes weren't used for U-235 enrichment, Saddam Hussein was still trying to build a rocket

I think it's same to assume he wasn't gearing up Iraq's space program.

I'm back! I read the Sunday papers on the ride back from Pennsylvania and something must be said. There's no way to sugar coat this: Funky Winkerbean is an affront to mankind. Persistently, stubbornly, unfunny. The Funky "spinoff" Crankshaft is equally loathsome. They probably survive only because of inertia. Comic Page Editors, I implore you, end the madness.

Blogging update part II: No free ice cream for a couple of days - on the road again. However, you're free to add me to your blogroll. Later days!

Blogging update

Sweet! One of my fave blogs, Ipse Dixit, put me on the blogroll - thanks Dodd! In exchange, I shall bestow blogrolldom onto Spartacus, a worthy scribe.

Dodd has a most excellent slam on Senator AWOL titled "Another Day, Another Kerry Flip-Flop" about Kerry's vacillation on his NAFTA vote (at least in front of Big Labor). By the way, watch for Kerry to backpedal like a Bizarro Lance Armstrong on this statement when the South Carolina primary heats up: "“We would raise it [the federal tobacco tax] at least a minimum of $1. I have no reservations at all in doing that.”

Senator AWOL: "It depends on what the meaning of 'untrue' and 'misleading' is"

Uh-oh. John Kerry, the non-Irish non-voting Senator is stretching the truth yet again: "Experts Question Kerry's 'First Prize' in Health Care Plans":

On the campaign trail and on his Internet site, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) boasts that a bipartisan group of policy experts has rated his proposal to reform health care "the best" among those offered by the presidential candidates, including President Bush's plan. He even features a "First Prize" blue ribbon on his Web site.

But the statement is, at best, a questionable extrapolation of a recent report on the candidates' health plans, say the analysts who rated them. The10 reviewers cited by Kerry say they did not choose a top health plan and would be at pains to label one "the best." In interviews, some of them described Kerry's statements as "completely wrong," "patently untrue" and "inappropriate and rather misleading."

It seems that the Kerry staffers just added up scores without regard to weighting of each category. Thus, presumably, Kerry's health plan got a "1" for coverage but a "9" for penmanship.

Ah-nold Ascending - Davis Descending

Robert Musil has been running a comprehensive series of posts on the incredible shrinking Gray Davis called "Davis Descending". In the latest installment, the Man without Qualities thinks that the entrance of Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante into the race will dissipate the "Right Wing Coup" attack that Davis was gearing up. Davis is toast.

Bitter Bitch wishes she had the talent to make humorous campaign slogans for Ah-nold. Two words: Radioactive Man

"Up and at them!" is OK. "The goggles do nothing!" could be morphed into "Gray Davis does nothing!" And so on....unfortunately, I couldn't find a good McBain/Rainer Wolfcastle site. Eh.

Red Forman for Wisconsin! - Boots and Sabers has the definitive list of possible replacements in case there's a recall of Wisconsin's governor.

Everybody's linking - so why not me? Lileks is back in style after a server crash. Very good today.

Senator AWOL receives a "Senatorial Fisking" from VodkaPundit. Quick summary: "Kerry lies."

The Maalox is flowing at DNC headquarters

Ah-nold is almost certain to win the governorship of the most populous state in the Union, overturning Terry McAuliffe’s single boast of the 2002 midterm elections that “'The good news is, 52 percent of Americans are waking up today and they now have a Democratic governor.”

The Democrats’ fervent hope that the economy sours was dealt a setback: “Productivity Soars, Jobless Claims Drop to Six-Month Low”

America's business productivity soared in the second quarter of 2003 and new claims for unemployment benefits dropped to a six-month low last week, a double dose of good news as the economy tries to get back to full throttle.

Meanwhile, conservative columnists are tagging the Dems as the party of anti-Bush vigor and not much else. Washington veteran Bob Novak notes:

Dean's campaign is a remorseless assault on George W. Bush, far exceeding his opponents'. Humorless and unsmiling, the country doctor with upper-class roots pummels the president. He has tapped into pure hatred by rank-and-file Democrats of the reigning Republican that I have never seen in 44 years of campaign watching. Not Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan or even Bill Clinton generated such animosity.

And George Will calls the Dems “The Venting Party” in the Washington Post:

Dean, who believes that extremism in denunciation of George W. Bush and all his works is no vice, has made himself the vehicle for venting by Democratic activists. They comprise the big bleeding liberal heart of the party's nominating electorate, whose detestation of Bush is a witch's brew of hatred and condescension.

Its three main ingredients are lingering resentment about Florida (they believe the U.S. Supreme Court should not have settled the 2000 election; that Florida's Supreme Court should have), fury about Bush policies from tax cuts to war and, most important, a visceral, almost aesthetic recoil from Bush's persona -- his Texasness, the way he walks, the way he talks. They would not like the way he wears his hat or sips his tea, if he did such things.

This is what happens when you have no ideas of your own: you reflexively lash out at those who do. Poor Dems - such disarray.

He's in!

From Fox News: "Well, Jay, after thinking for a long time my decision is ... " he began to tell Leno before the TV screen showed a "Please Stand By" sign. When the picture finally returned, he said: "That's why I decided that way."
When the actor finally confirmed he was running, "The Tonight Show" audience in Burbank erupted in whoops and cheers. A camera in the press room showed several reporters cheering as well.

The Google News Candidate Tracker™

Last month, I introduced a completely unscientific gauge on the buzz generated by the Democratic candidates based on the number of hits each gets on a Google News search. The numbers on July 3rd looked like this:

“John Kerry” – 2940
“Howard Dean” – 2890
“John Edwards” – 2190
“Bob Graham” – 2100
“Dick Gephardt” – 1630
“Joe Lieberman” – 1550
“Dennis Kucinich” – 1430
“Al Sharpton” – 1200
“Carol Moseley Braun” – 646

The same search today returns these results:

“Bob Graham” – 4600
“Howard Dean” – 4260
“John Kerry” – 4130
“Dick Gephardt” – 2840
“John Edwards” – 2740
“Dennis Kucinich” – 1930
“Al Sharpton” – 1530
“Carol Moseley Braun” – 936

It looks like Florida Bob benefited from the exposure of some Sunday morning programs, but he also pulls in a lot of articles that read “popularity drops.” Dr. Dean pulls ahead of Senator AWOL; meanwhile Edwards fades from view.

That girl is poison - Bigwig sizes up the movie career of Jennifer Lopez as Gigli circles the drain.

New York-based magazines and their discontents

Ben Domenech has a post on the Ben File titled “Mags for the Spiritually Unattractive” where he bemoans the leftist tilt of The New Yorker (or at least one part). Offhand, he throws in this line: “They're not quite as tendentious as Harper's, but they're on the same side of the force.”

Which reminds me. I’ve been gearing up to write the latest Smarter Harper’s page, but every time I go to the Borders or Waldenbooks, the latest issue is not there. Have they ceased publication (wishful thinking)? Is the August issue running late? Or have these bookstores stopped stocking Harper’s? This last conjecture wouldn’t surprise me since the Borders had about 15 unsold copies of the July issue begging for attention.

[P.S. - if anybody does have the August issue of Harper's, please E-mail me the Index entries so I can start on this month's Smarter Index. Thanks!]

I'm mesmerized by the World Series of Poker on ESPN Tuesday nights. Man, that Chris Moneymaker has been one lucky S.O.B. so far....

I'm shocked! Jen calls it off with Ben after he spends a night at a strip club to forget "Gigli".

Don't hold your breath, Rupert

From Media Notes in today's Washington Post:

You may recall that Democratic Chairman Terry McAuliffe blasted Fox awhile back when a Fox station in Wisconsin refused to run an anti-Bush ad. Fox czar Rupert Murdoch was "furious," one source says, and Rupert put out this statement:

"The truth is that the FOX affiliate in Madison is not owned by Fox Television Stations; it is owned by Sinclair Communications. Neither Fox Television Stations nor the FOX broadcast network had anything to do with the ad's rejection.

"Either Mr. McAuliffe does not understand the basic relationship between networks and their affiliates or he made a deliberately misleading and inflammatory statement. In either case, Mr. McAuliffe should immediately retract his incorrect accusations against Fox."

Heh.

Centrist Democrats are starting to panic

Howard Dean, the nightmare candidate of the Democratic Leadership Council, made the covers of both Time and Newsweek this week – a rare publicity coup of Bruce Springsteen-type proportion. On Monday, Connecticut Senator and darling of the DLC Joe Lieberman, made a forceful plea for sanity among Democrats:

In a campaign speech Monday in Washington and at last night's labor forum in Chicago, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) came out boldly in favor of, uh, strategy -- that is, what he thinks the Democrats must avoid doing if they want to defeat George W. Bush next year.

That's not to say that Lieberman's speech - large swaths of which could have been delivered verbatim by Clinton pollster and passionate centrist Mark Penn -- was off base. When it comes to general elections, the country usually goes for someone who can appeal to the vast middle, which is one of the reasons why George W. Bush (who ran as a moderate, but has governed as a conservative) is president and not Gary Bauer.

"We're not going to win by being opposed to all tax cuts, which would raise taxes on middle-class Americans," Lieberman said Tuesday at the AFL-CIO event. "We're not going to earn the trust of the American people by being weak or ambivalent on defense."

Speaking of Mark Penn, he made a presentation to the DLC on the perceptions and prospects of the Democratic Party for the 2004 election. There’s some striking stuff here, but what I thought was most disturbing for the Dems is the “Party ID Trends since ‘50s” slide. It indicates that since 1952, the percentage of Americans identifying themselves as Democrats has plunged from 47% to 33% (Republicans have slipped from 28% to 26% by comparison). Much of Penn’s PowerPoint show is a call for more centrist policies such as bridging the “security gap” or, in other words, the Republican’s overwhelming advantage on issues of terrorism and homeland security. Unfortunately for centrist Democrats, Howard Dean – arguably the most dovish of all the Democratic candidates – has the “big mo” right now.

Massachusetts update: Mitt Romney wins!

From the Boston Globe: "Bulger set to resign today"

William M. Bulger, the legendary strongman of state politics who has led the University of Massachusetts to new respectability during the last seven years, plans to announce today he will step down as UMass president following weeks of criticism over his role in the federal investigation of his fugitive mobster brother, James ''Whitey'' Bulger, according to a person close to discussions between Bulger and UMass trustees.

Mass. Governor Mitt Romney has been trying to pry Bulger out of this position since Romney took office, but the old-boy Democratic network here in the Bay State has sustained Bulger. Finally, some progress. I wonder if there was some backroom deal to get Bulger to leave.

People who write letters to the New York Times

One Spence Medford of Chicago seems very concerned about how we handle the legal case against Saddam Hussein and the United States’ reputation in the United Nations. Your flight from reality is now boarding.

Closer and closer? - Fox News reports: "Brother of Key Saddam Bodyguard in U.S. Custody"

Because of his proximity to the event, Tim Blair has the best Jakarta bombing news roundup this morning.

While you were sleeping.....

....Matthew Hoy was busy Fisking Paul Krugman. Shouldn't you do Matt the courtesy of reading the latest from a charter member of the Krugman Truth Squad? Yes you should.

Update: You see – I was right! Donald Luskin confirms my suspicions by recounting a letter sent to The Conspiracy to keep you Poor and Stupid by Andrew Ortlieb:

"Mr. Krugman's claim is that the spending increase was 'only 10 percent,' which was, '...simply a matter of keeping up with inflation and population.' Regardless of whether the increase is 10% or 13.4%, the base numbers are per capita and in constant 2002-2003 dollars. In other words, inflation and population growth are factored out!"

Luskin responds: “In other words, Krugman's statement gives the false impression that the "only 10 percent" growth was, itself, undertaken to match inflation and population -- yet those considerations had already been included in the very growth rate that Krugman cited. It's a clear case of double counting, designed to minimize the size of California's spending growth in order to make a political point.”

The dog ate my homework

Here’s an exchange from this past Sunday’s “Meet the Press” between Tim Russert and the Washington Post’s Dana Priest and U.S. News & World Report’s Gloria Borger:

MS. PRIEST: I think on the other question of politics, though, you know, the president is getting hammered on this, but I must say every single member of Congress has the right to go in and look at the national intelligence estimate on Iraq. They knew when the administration stood up and said, “This is an imminent peril, that we might be facing a mushroom cloud.” They could look at the national intelligence estimate themselves and say, “Well, is that really what they said?”

So while we have been concentrating on the White House, I think it’s also fair to concentrate not just the Democrats but the Republicans and the intelligence community who all had the things that are just coming out to us right now.

MR. RUSSERT: No major Democrat stood up and said, “This intelligence may be bogus.” A hundred and eighty members of the House cited the nuclear threat as a reason for voting for the resolution to go to war with Iraq.

MS. BORGER: But yet, John Kerry, during the campaign says now that he was misled. Well, he could have looked at the intelligence data.

Kerry has been complaining that he was misled on the intelligence leading up to the vote to commit troops to Iraq. But for a vote that was so momentous, Kerry put all his trust in President Bush’s estimations and did little perceivable work on his own. Here’s Christopher Hitchens in “The Gullible Mr. Kerry”:

Kerry, to take the nearest and most recent example of this mindset, was once an active-duty officer and once chaired a Senate investigation into skullduggery in Central America. Could he not have decided to inform himself and reach some conclusions of his own about the possibility of continued coexistence with the Saddam regime? Did he have to wait for permission to think, let alone permission to speak? Does he only turn his attention to these matters when there is a "drumbeat"? And when does he decide that the evidence is all in? When he votes in the Senate on a major resolution? Or when he looks at the shifts of opinion among core Democratic voters?

“When he votes” – that’s a joke, right?

The Devil in Disguise

From today's Washington Post:

Tikrit has been the focus of the continuing search for Hussein, and military officials here said there have been at least two credible "Elvis sightings," their term for glimpses of the former Iraqi leader. "Based on intelligence that's way above our level, we believe that we have been close on one or two occasions," Aberle said.

He can't escape forever, with suspicious minds.

One American reported killed in Jakarta blast (no name yet).

Ace in the ever-shrinking hole

This might be wishful thinking, but I’m skeptical the military would make statements like “It’s just a matter of time” unless they genuinely believe they’re getting close to bagging Saddam. For those of you keeping score, here’s the CentCom status list for the 55 most wanted Iraqis.

The Krugman Truth Squad never sleeps

Last week, I wondered about the semantics of Paul Krugman’s assertion that “real spending per capita” cannot increase by force of inflation or population because exactly those parameters are held equal in “real” and “per capita” spending. Today, Donald Luskin unleashes his latest dissection of Herr Professor’s Friday column and focuses on the numbers. It turns out that Princeton Paul can’t do math since the 10% increase in California spending he cited is actually more than 13%.

To summarize: except for the words and numbers, Paul Krugman’s statement is correct.

Jane Galt asks: “Why can’t the Democrats seem to get it together?” and then answers very well, thank you very much.

The Altruism of Youth

Via a posting on Discriminations, I perused this Washington Post article about some high-school students talking about race on college applications. Irony and unintentional humor run deep in the article; basically the minority students want to be judged on their merits, but have few qualms about grabbing the race advantage.

In deciding his qualifications, Brounson would prefer that college officials consider the strength of his character along with the obstacles he faced growing up in New York City.
But will he leave his race off all his applications?
"If it's a safety school I could care less about, I probably won't do it," Brounson said. "But if it's a school that I really want to attend and I think it will help me, I'll use it."

But it was this moment of principled bravado that made me laugh out loud:

Several minority students said they had already been debating internally whether to mention their race on college applications. As it happened, Camille Rivera-Garcia applied for a scholarship moments before joining the discussion.
When the application asked her ethnicity, Rivera-Garcia proudly filled in Hispanic. An hour later, she began having second thoughts.
"I'm thinking that maybe I'll change it," said Rivera-Garcia, a senior from Puerto Rico. "I want to be accepted for what I've accomplished, not just because I'm Hispanic."

Surely they’ll never guess your ethnicity, Ms. Rivera-Garcia!

Dog bites man alert: Democrats don’t like Bush

This New York Times article is laughable in thesis and execution: “Disdain for Bush simmers in Democratic Strongholds.” Who’da thunk it?! Journalist Robin Toner notes: “But the anger is broader now…and the candidates are increasingly responding to it, Democratic strategists say.”

Any polls or statistics to back up that claim, Robin? “One way to measure it is by what generates applause on the campaign trail these days.” Ah, I see. Perhaps another gauge is the proliferation of brain-dead newspaper commentaries, crying out for a righteous Fisking.

Tom Bevan runs the great Real Clear Politics website and he was recently contacted by Newsweek for a story on Howard Dean. According to Bevan, the end result was a shoddy piece of journalism.

Midwest Conservative Journal has moved - you know the drill.

Kerry Vote Watch

I used to call John Kerry “Senator Splunge” because he refuses to take a clear stand on any issue (I’m for the war – no, against it – wait!). Now I’m going to call him “Senator AWOL” since he’s all but given up on his Senate duties.

Same ‘ol same ‘ol: The Senate had a four-day workweek last week and Kerry didn’t work one, missing all 15 floor votes cast. One amendment sponsored by Maria Cantwell (D-WA) failed by a 48-50 vote; the two missing votes were Kerry and Kennedy.

Days worked: 0
Votes missed: 15

Posting on a Sunday afternoon

I think that was a song by the Kinks....posting on a Sunday afternoon..."in the summertime" - right?

I'm seriously thinking about getting one of those "pre-paid" or "no annual contract" cell phones. I've wanted one for a while but I don't want a contract of any kind. The Virgin Mobile cell phones seem pretty good. Does anybody have an opinion one way or the other? All viewpoints are welcome via E-mail. Thanks - EAL

I came in third place for the 10 Worst Songs of the last 25 Years contest. However, the second place finisher included "Afternoon Delight" which peaked in 1976. I have therefore demanded a second place standing by default. I won't challenge first place because the winner included the excellent choice of "Believe" by Cher.

World's greatest tombstone, via Fark. Seems like he was a pretty cool guy, but....Rick Springfield? Dude.

Happy Birthday, Susanna!

Pictures of Saddam / Made my life so wonderful

Central Command released photos of possible renditions of Saddam Hussein, in case he tries to disguise himself. Here he is with a shaved beard and with "Suddenly White" hair coloring:

And here's Saddam with a long beard, enjoying a Coca-Cola:

Keep your eyes open!

Closer and closer: TIKRIT, Iraq — U.S. forces swept down on two houses in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit Friday and nabbed two "important associates of the former regime" who were taking an afternoon nap.

Why do the Democrats get all the good candidates?

We Republicans have Ah-nold. But the Dems have Jerry Springer! And now another Democrat has stepped into the California governor's race (via How Appealing):

"Hustler's Larry Flynt wants to replace Davis": Today's issue of The San Francisco Chronicle reports here that "Larry C. Flynt, the publisher of Hustler magazine, says he wants to be the Democratic Party's standard bearer -- or maybe 'barer' -- in the coming California recall election, and he's running for governor."

Talk about the soft bigotry of low expectations.....

Economics 101

The new Krugman is out and everybody smells blood. I’ll leave the heavy lifting to the Krugman Truth Squad, but I do want to focus in on one point in the Bearded One’s latest article that is baffling:

As analysts at the nonpartisan California Budget Project point out, real state spending per capita was only 10 percent higher in 2002-03 than it was in 1989-90 — that is, most of the spending growth was simply a matter of keeping up with the population and inflation.

Now I don’t have a fancy PhD like Princeton Paul, but he’s implying that the California spending increase was a natural result of population growth and inflation. But the “real” in “real state spending per capita” means that inflation is held constant while “per capita” means that the population is essentially held constant by expressing spending on a per-person basis. There is no “keeping up” with something that is held constant. Am I missing something here?

Update: Matthew Hoy is first out of the gate.

Religion of Peace update

An article in the Washington Post today titled “For An Iraqi Family: ‘No other choice’” made me physically ill this morning. I found myself repeatedly swallowing my dry mouth and cursing the coffee maker for taking so long. The subtitle to the article is “Father and Brother Are Forced by Villagers to Execute Suspected U.S. Informant.”

THULUYA, Iraq -- Two hours before the dawn call to prayer, in a village still shrouded in silence, Sabah Kerbul's executioners arrived. His father carried an AK-47 assault rifle, as did his brother. And with barely a word spoken, they led the man accused by the village of working as an informer for the Americans behind a house girded with fig trees, vineyards and orange groves.

Yes, you know, you really should take care of those chores like killing a blood relative before you head off to church.

His father raised his rifle and aimed it at his oldest son.

The banality of this scenario is chilling.

"Sabah didn't try to escape," said Abdullah Ali, a village resident. "He knew he was facing his fate."

The story of what followed is based on interviews with Kerbul's father, brother and five other villagers who said witnesses told them about the events. One shot tore through Kerbul's leg, another his torso, the villagers said. He fell to the ground still breathing, his blood soaking the parched land near the banks of the Tigris River, they said. His father could go no further, and according to some accounts, he collapsed. His other son then fired three times, the villagers said, at least once at his brother's head.

Kerbul, a tall, husky 28-year-old, died.

"It wasn't an easy thing to kill him," his brother Salah said.

“It wasn’t an easy thing.” “It wasn’t an easy thing.” Maybe it’s just me, but if I had to define the task of killing my own brother, I would call it “impossible.”

"I have the heart of a father, and he's my son," Salem said. "Even the prophet Abraham didn't have to kill his son." He dragged on a cigarette. His eyes glimmered with the faint trace of tears. "There was no other choice," he whispered.

I’m hard-wired by American political correctness to avoid passing judgment on other cultures and religions. But I find it hard to find a rationale for this within my Judeo-Christian-Western mindset. I mean, WTF, Salem – you had a gun! Your other son had a gun! “There was no other choice” than to kill your firstborn? Man, I just don’t get it. I’m going to stop now…the coffee is ready.