Current Affairs

Tough talk, but exactly what will we do to China if it doesn't heed Rumsfeld's warning? I think Teddy said speak SOFTLY and carry a BIG stick.

Boy, I so do not care.

I wonder how many people even know that 17 states and two U.S. territories have "criminal libel" laws. Probably not Juan Mata of New Mexico, who was found guilty of that crime for carrying a picket sign that called a police officer a liar and a dirty cop and could be sentenced to a year in jail. This passage caught my eye:

It's not crazy to spend $1 on a lottery ticket when Powerball hits $340 million; bought one myself. Sure, the odds against winning are astronomical, but so is the risk-to-reward ratio. I'm not quite sure, though, about the people who go all the way to the West Virginia convenience store where the last big winning ticket was sold, on the theory that lightning might strike twice in the same place. Those people really justify the description of the lottery as a tax on the stupid.

William F. Buckley has one of the finest minds of anybody in public life; I watched "Firing Line" when I was in high school, not because I understood the politics but because I'd always hear words I had to look up. Bill Maher is the smuggest dunce on TV, which is quite the achievement. Guess who comes out looking better?

A comedy writer wouldn't try to get away with making something like this up. At least the survival rate for being around Teddy and water is going up.

The people of Iraq keep surprising us with their courage and determination. Let's pause to celebrate the good news. And maybe take the time to learn that some things we think we know just aren't so.

What a scandal -- imagine, the evil administration staging a pro-war propaganda event! (Via Instapundit)

America's new elites seem not to cherish American traditions, and we're losing something as a result:

"A nation's morale and strength derive from a sense of the past," argues historian Wilfred McClay. Ties to those who came before--whether in the military, in religion, in general patriotism--provide a sense of purpose rooted in history and tested over time.

Read the whole thing.

A friend of mine was trying to find some news accounts of the mudslides in Guatemala to do a report for class, and she wasn't having much luck. Turns out there's a reason. But, really, I don't know what she's whining about.