News and politics

"Some ideas are so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them"  — George Orwell. Tip from James Hudnall. Read more

I’ve been a bit pessimistic about our incoming Democrat-controlled congress, but soon-too-be Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Honest Leadership and Open Government Act would go a long ways in building the public’s confidence in Democratic leadership. I hope she sees it through. Lots more pessimism over at QandO. Tip from James Hudnall. I don’t agree with his… Read more

Great advice from a deadbeat, to the tune of £26,818,728.  I don’t dislike Elton John because he’s gay, I detest him because he’s a clueless blowhard who’s full of himself.   Tip from the Drudge Report. Update (12 November).  van der Leuen came up for air and got out on the road this week.  It’s… Read more

Some of my fellow Republicans are down in dumps about the election, and some of my Democrat friends and colleagues are hooting and hollering like it’s Christmas.  All I can say is–chill out.  Neither political party has shown itself to be particularly adroit in dealing with the nation’s toughest problems, and I’ve long thought it… Read more

…appears in Lileks’ latest Bleat: I really should relax. I mean, if you’re driving down the road and you see a car coming towards you head on in your lane, there’s no reason to worry. You’re in the right. What else matters? Chill out dude. Maybe the Democrats will win, take over Congress, end the… Read more

The archetypical Texan is a pretty straight talker, and not much of a dissembler, unless it comes to cards or business negotiations. Among these, my favorites are those who would never be outright rude, but would avoid calling someone a dirty yellow-dog liar by emphasizing their character defects indirectly. Say by pointing out that someone… Read more

One of the serendipitous pleasures of reading blogs is the occasional lurch across the Pond, where people often call a spade a spade G*d-d@mn shovel: When someone says, "I am a Socialist", my immediate reaction is to say, "I’m so sorry" and pat them on the head. With a piece of two by four. Maybe… Read more

Seems that the beautiful people are staying away in droves from Bill Clinton’s 60th birthday bash.  Heck, he only wanted a $500,000 donation for a private Rolling Stones concert — just Bill, Hill, and Chelsea, and 2,900 of their closest friends…and Martin Scorsese’s film crew.  In Bill’s defense, he was going to open up any… Read more

A great comment on this post at Winds of Change: " It’s a great post that begins with Socrates and ends with John Hancock, although it’s a shame he had to kill that cowboy feller." — Daniel Markham Read more

Looks like some officious little clerk in the Department of the Interior’s sys admin is trying to protect employees from dangerous ideas. This never works. Am I totally off base, or does most of the Executive Branch need an enema? I’m hoping to vote for someone in 2008 who’s up for the job. Update (17… Read more