...since our last little post-ette!

Let us begin with a brief apology for being away for so long. Ok that was it.

And now a somewhat longer expostulation on dealing with stress: Here is how you attempt to recover from the cumulative effects of six or so uninterrupted years of work and such.

First, you realize your creative energy is sapped, and your ability to post has become severely diminished. You notice this when you visit your site in the morning and see that the previous evening's effort has resulted in a series of links with little else of interest, and you can't really recall what you were thinking when you did that. You reflect on your much more lively state of mind several months earlier, and say to yourself, "Lombardi once said 'fatigue makes cowards of us all' so now we can see that stress makes boring cowards of us all."

Second, you meander briefly through the Valley of Self-Pity, reflecting on the few actual breaks you have had, and the stressful aspects of those breaks: Vacations that became over-scheduled and overly ambitious; vacations terminating with some travel mixup that required you to stay awake for 30 consecutive hours and return to work exhausted; days off that became days on; holidays during which some semi-disaster occurred necessitating your presence in the office or tackling some massive household project. Then you realize you are being a silently whiny idiot so you move on.

Third, you recognize that you need to simplify your daily schedule for a little while.

Fourth, you decide to spend the evenings reading and relaxing.

Fifth, you find that reading anything more complex than the newspaper is fruitless because your mind begins to wander about four sentences into a paragraph, so you check to see what's on TV.

Sixth, you discover that watching TV is much more appropriate to your current mental condition, and with over 800 channels there really are in fact a boatload of excellent things to watch at just about any given time.

Seventh, you realize that your standard of "excellence" is not nearly as high as it was in the past, because you are thoroughly enjoying American Idol, typical commercial-fare movies and even situation comedies, along with the justifiable, bona fide good things such as Fox News, History Channel, Food Channel, Clint Eastwood films, Sportscenter, World Poker Tour, The Sopranos and The Apprentice. You then notice your list of "justifiable, bona fide good shows" is way longer than it used to be.

Eighth you say, "Ah - so 'stress makes stupid, boring cowards of us all.' Well, when in Rome..." Minutes turn into hours turn into large blocks of hours.

Ninth, you gratefully find you can maintain your attention span sufficiently to read science fiction, so you turn dutifully to Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld series. You begin with the excellent To Your Scattered Bodies Go, then move on to the equally excellent The Fabulous Riverboat, then the slightly less excellent The Dark Design, and you finish by reading half of The Magic Labyrinth because you know that's about where Farmer began to run out of ideas and you can't bear to experience again how quickly the story devolves.

Tenth, you enjoy a couple weeks of relative sloth - but you enjoy it in a slightly uncomfortable sort of way, sloth being what it is.

Finally you return to the Web log, not exactly back to 100%, but functional.

On to the WMD issue. There is still need for an accurate picture to be painted by the Bush administration. One wonders what they are waiting for, although there is certainly plenty of time to change the public perception before the November elections. One hopes the return of Hurricane Hughes means competent communications is nigh.

As noted earlier here, the pieces of a pretty scary puzzle are being revealed. The people who knew about Iraq's weapons programs are being killed off or are hightailing it out of the country. The latest testimony by the new chief inspector is confirming this:

In prepared testimony, the CIA's new chief Iraq weapons inspector said he does not rule out finding weapons of mass destruction, adding "we regularly receive reports, some quite intriguing and credible, about concealed caches" of weapons.

Charles Duelfer said, however, that former Iraqi senior officials -- now prisoners of U.S. forces -- are not talking...

"Many perceive a grave risk in speaking with us. On one hand, there is a fear of prosecution or arrest. On the other, there is a fear [that] former regime supporters will exact retribution."

In the "thank goodness we went to war" department, evidence that Saddam was as dangerous as we were told seems to be coming out:

Duelfer said U.S. weapons hunters in Iraq have found more evidence Saddam's regime had civilian - or "dual use" - factories able to quickly produce biological and chemical weapons.

And, according to declassified testimony shared with reporters, Duelfer said the survey group has found new evidence that Iraqi scientists flight tested long-range ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles that "easily exceeded" U.N. limits of 93 miles.

But don't bother trying to make that point with the leadership of Old Europe. There, the people who are committed to killing Westerners are viewed as an inconvenience and possibly a mirage, a phenomenon that quite possibly can be wished away, and certainly nothing that rises to the level of a "war". There is no big picture:

So when Israel targets the man who founded the organization, who embodied its zero-sum ideals, who inspired the deaths of hundreds of Israelis, it is regarded in the European councils of state as a noxious, hateful, illegitimate act.

The objectives that the Hamas Charter so clearly articulates – including a detailed religious justification for killing Jews – is simply overlooked in the frenetic drive to secure a "viable Palestinian state."

Part of the ideological smokescreen currently spreading says the war in Iraq was a diversion from the "war on terror." Let's just make this clear: It's all part of the same war, and better to be fighting them over there than over here.

Bin Laden's network has taken control from Saddam loyalists

Officials said the groups adopt different names to confuse the U.S. military. But many cells have been identified with the Saudi-sponsored Wahhabi movement or with Ansar Al Islam. Ansar was believed to be linked to Abu Mussib Al Zarqawi, regarded as the most lethal Sunni insurgent in Iraq.

This is one of the more powerful and concise statements I have seen about the current war, and one that should be printed out and posted on bulletin boards and refrigerators across America. Written by a French man. An excerpt:

I can no longer tolerate the double game of Yasser Arafat, the Saudi princes or Pakistani leaders. I can no longer tolerate watching Muslims dance with joy, in the Palestinian territories or in Paris, following attacks on the World Trade Center or an Israeli bus. I can no longer tolerate their anti-Semitism, anti-Christianism, anti-Buddhism or anti-Hinduism.

I can no longer tolerate those who hate liberty but take every advantage of it. I can no longer tolerate Islamist lack of respect for secularism and equality, between men and women, Muslims and others. I can no longer tolerate their lack of respect for the cultures of the very countries that shelter them. I can no longer tolerate the multiplication of veils on women in the streets of Paris...

On the topic of "history that will never appear in your child's textbooks," this is an eye-opener:

More than a million Europeans were captured and enslaved by North African pirates between 1530 and 1780, according to a new study.

Called corsairs, the Muslim pirates abducted thousands of white Christians each year, forcing them to work as slaves in what is today Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya.

"Anyone who travelled in the Mediterranean, or who lived along the shores in places like Italy, France, Spain and Portugal, and even as far north as England and Iceland, was at risk of being seized," U.S. historian Robert Davis, an Ohio State University professor and the author of the research, told Discovery News.

If it has happened yet, I haven't see any mention, but if I was a betting man I'd say it is only a matter of time until CAIR takes The Discover Channel out behind the woodshed over this.

Politics: If the Republican Party cannot get any traction on this issue and effect an immediate FEC inquiry - or, failing that, respond by launching a torrent of conservative soft money into the campaign - we can assume that GOP is the acronym for "Group of Pansies" (although the pansy-stance they've taken on Memo-gate really has to make you wonder if it might not be so):

Republicans moved to stop pro-Democratic groups from spending millions to defeat President Bush, filing a federal complaint Wednesday that accuses John Kerry's campaign of illegally coordinating its political ads and get-out-the-vote activities with anti-Bush groups.

The offenders here are not just the twitchy, angry weirdos like MoveOn.org, the thugs at National People's Action and the glue-covered George Soros. No, there's actually something pretty interesting going on with the goofy liberal radio network that puttered to life this afternoon. Of course, it's going to fail financially, but apparently this might part of the plan. It only needs to stay in business until November.

Air America Radio was designed and built to advance the Democratic Party, not necessarily liberalism. And if it proves unprofitable, preparations are already in place for this network’s lucrative dismemberment shortly after the November election.

“I’d be happy if the election of a Democrat ended the show,” said the network’s biggest star Al Franken, who reportedly has signed only a one-year contract to do a weekday three hour show opposite Limbaugh. “I’m doing this because I want to use my energies to get Bush unelected.”

One test of its liberal integrity will be whether, and how sharply and often, Air America Radio voices criticism of Democrats up for election. Another will be whether this network opens its books so that America can see which wealthy and powerful special interests, foreign and domestic, are bankrolling it – reportedly to the tune of $30 to $100 million.

I'm sure the arrangement can be construed as legal, but the dirty details need to be shouted from the rooftops.

On a positive note, it's refreshing to hear from those Democrats who Are Not Weasels. I think I'm starting to discern in some of them a desire to see Bush re-elected, an awareness that a President Kerry would be dangerous for America just as a Candidate Kerry may be devastating for the Democratic Party. Recent interviews I've seen with Pat Cadell and several others have given me this impression. Also, if Kerry is blown out in November, it will be a decisive victory for the centrist element in the party.

Good Guy Zell Miller, of course, is less circumspect:

"It's obvious to me that this country is rapidly dividing itself into two camps - the wimps and the warriors," Miller said. "The ones who want to argue and assess and appease, and the ones who want to carry this fight to our enemies and kill them before they kill us."

Finally, Tony Blankley has a devastating column today:

But what may become the enduring exemplar of the Kerry style was his spontaneous expletive on the ski slopes when his Secret Service guard bumped into him by accident (while guarding him): "I don't fall down. The S.O.B. knocked me over." To instinctively say that about the man who is sworn to put himself between Mr. Kerry and a bullet, paints a lasting and contemptible character portrait...

The second emerging liability is the matter of Sen. Kerry's health and vigor...In the murky background, national tabloid papers speculate that he may be a victim of more embarrassing diseases. Such nasty rumors are commonplace in American politics (and inevitably have their effects), but are fueled by candidates who refuse to release all their medical records — as Mr. Kerry refuses. The limited, general, uncorroborated statements by his personal physician, Dr. Gerald J. Doyle of Boston, only keep the controversy on a slow simmer.

Horrible personality - we knew that already. But refusal to release medical records? On top of his truly frightening belief that Islamic terrorists are not such a big problem and are not worth sending our military against, hiding his medical condition doesn't seem very bright unless there is some big problem. At least, I think that's what most everyone is going to think when news of this gets out.

Posted by John Climacus at 07:12 | Permalink

Claiming exhaustion as the rationale, John remains locked in his apartment with his library of Clint Eastwood films and Philip Jose Farmer novels and maintains if he were to post anything here at the Forum it would surely be drivel. Judging by his most recent submission, I must say I agree and have encouraged him to take whatever time is needed for a complete recovery. I also hope the rest may take some of the edge off, however I have been entertaining that hope for several years now.

Angus, meanwhile, is supposedly moving ahead towards completion of the parakeet-hunter story, although I have a suspicion he is at this very moment moving along the 1000-foot ledge at about 8 knots and completing his third or fourth Belikin of the afternoon.

Consequently, there is only your humble webmaster available to post to the Alpaca Burger Forum, which is unfortunate for you because I really have nothing of immediate import to say, and certainly nothing touching on current events despite there being undoubtedly many, and unfortunate for me because I enjoy writing for public consumption about as much as I enjoy cleaning the refrigerator, which is, not much. But there are those rare occasions when the refrigerator must be cleaned and the Forum must be posted to, and I am not one to shrink from the demands of the era.

My view regarding web logs such as this is, each contributor does best when he or she sticks to a unique area of expertise. Or, to put it another way, one should discuss what one knows best. To me, this is the beauty of the blog universe: It represents the cumulative knowledge of the participants, as opposed to the traditional media which represents the perspective of just a few. Every thoughful person is an expert in something. At the most basic level, there is the individual's life. No one else really knows that story. Then, there are our occupations: To the extent there is something to share that may be of interest to others, we can each talk cogently about what we do all day or night for a living. Next are our unique experiences, the events we happen to witness personally that we are thereby qualified to "report" on. Finally there are our interests, our hobbies or pet projects, into which we dedicate time and mental energy and about which we are in some sense experts.

On the latter, I am more interested in hearing from experts than dabblers. Not to name any names, but there are certain contributors to a certain web log at newcounterculture.com who in my view sometimes seem to reach beyond their realm of proficiency. I would grant to each person their right to express their opinion on any topic whatsoever, but I reserve the right to be selective in my listening. Now, from a positive standpoint, this is not simply to say that for opinions on the topic of terrorism I would prefer to hear from, say, "Mansoor Ijaz" than (oh well, guess I will have to name names) "John Climacus", but also that John Climacus does have some areas of expertise I would like very much to hear about. Although he is notoriously reluctant to let others peek into his presumably tidy sphere of interior contemplation, I have discerned during some of his unguarded moments that the questions he devotes the most time to would be of interest to many others. Obviously the same could be said for Brother Angus, who likewise seems to believe we have need for his commentary on politics, of all things, rather than his latest fishing report. I know, I know: Old men must rant. I was once a ranter myself, and am pleased to provide an outlet to ensure the respective hostilities can be expressed in a benign manner, but a shift in focus would elevate the value of this Forum.

Now, turning to my own unique interests, I can state with assurance that some may be of interest to some, and the majority would be resoundingly tedius to the majority.

Most recently, instigated by the fuss over the movie The Passion of the Christ (which I have not seen), I have been examining the question: From the Christian Bible, how is it that we have derived so many different versions of the Christian religion? I am well aware that the various flavors of "Christianity" have not been formulated solely from the text but as the result of a variety of social and historical developments, but it really is quite interesting to consider the ways in which different readings of the Bible result in different emphases - you could almost say, different religions.

I don't have time to get very far with this today, owing to the (unplanned) long preamble to this post, but I promise to continue with it tomorrow. For now, I have been fascinated with the discussion going on over at the "Search for Jesus" site. An interest picture emerges if one takes the time to read through the many opinions in the various relevant threads (and this does take patience as the messages in each thread are unfortunately displayed each on its own web page). The first dichotomy I have identified is between those who believe Christianity is (and should be) unique, and those who see it as essentially similar to other religions. And the question of the divinity of Christ appears to be a key element and indicator in this debate.

This will have to suffice as my posting for the day. I apologize for it not being more substantial, but I'm a bartender, not a writer.

Posted by drturner at 04:46 | Permalink

What a difference a few days away from the news makes. I had wondered what happened to these, in an age now dominated by what we used to call "ten speeds" and hi-tech "mountain bikes".

Men of a certain age who relish the memory of their old Schwinn "banana seat" bike may want to pull a wheelie: The company has reintroduced this two-wheeled icon of the 1960s.

Schwinn introduced the reinvented Sting-Ray bicycle in Madison, Wis., yesterday, billing it "The Rebirth of Cool."

The bike is unabashedly a relic from the all-American playground.

Krauthammer references the Jacques question amidst some good discussion of the French question:

It is not John Kerry's fault that he is endorsed by a Frenchman. (Or by Kim Jong Il of North Korea, whose media have been running some of Kerry's speeches verbatim!) But Kerry has made the major -- indeed, only discernible -- theme of his foreign policy 'rejoining the community of nations'' and being liked abroad once again.

And more on the French question - it's hard to tell if this is meant to simply inform or evoke an incredulous shaking of Canadian heads.

Sacre bleu! U.S. Republicans have come up with a novel line of attack against Democrat John Kerry -- he speaks French. Worse yet, he has family in France.

Posted by John Climacus at 05:48 | Permalink

A telling headline:

Kerry Predicts Character Attacks, Foreign Support

CITES ENCOURAGEMENT FROM UNNAMED LEADERS

"I've met foreign leaders who can't go out and say this publicly, but boy they look at you and say, 'You've got to win this, you've got to beat this guy, we need a new policy,' things like that," he said.

There are certain issues that serve as true barometers of a person's core values; but I would contend there are actually very few, so it is interesting when one arises. I think the role of the U.S. in the world, relative to other nations, is one such issue, the type of issue that really serves as a political dividing line.

Abortion may be such as issue - well, ok, of course it is - but in some ways I think it is a little fuzzy insofar as not everyone has thought it through to the same extent. Plus the advocacy that goes on around it is so shrill and ubiquitous that the normal citizen on the street has to cut thorough a whole lot of ideological statements before getting to his or her own personal perspective. The war in Iraq is a dividing-line issue, although there is a similar amount of ideological speech and outright misinformation proliferating on this topic. Gun control, school choice and income redistribution are some pretty clear examples.

But this is a good one and a new one - there is a visceral aspect to it and having an informed opinion does not require much inside information or a degree in economics. To what extent is the U.S. beholden to other nations' wishes regarding U.S. security? Because here is what President Bush has done that has ticked off some of our erstwhile "allies": He has said, we are not going to wait around for you to give us permission to take actions we deem necessary to improve our security. On top of that, he has nailed them on the fact that some really did not have any intention of supporting actions to improve our security, either because they were profiting from activities we deemed threatening to us, or they were profiting from some type of corruption that would be exposed, or because they supported the goals of the organizations hostile to the U.S. The report by Orianna Fallaci after 9-11 is haunting: "Good. Americans got it good."

America doesn't go over well at all among certain sets among our "fellow nations." They watched Bowling for Columbine and took it seriously. They don't want our country to be doing much of what it's doing and they'd like to see fundamental changes, both because they think the U.S. is more of a danger than most other countries in the world, and because they'd like to see us knocked down a notch or two just on general principles.

When a U.S. politician says with all sincerity, "Here's evidence why you should make me your president: Foreign leaders want a change and they think I'm the man to bring it" - well, you have to think a bunch of us are going to say, "Huh?" But I guess there are others who are going to react positively, and presumably most of these are either blue-staters or expatriates. So it is an election year issue that perhaps should be made into a big deal and could result in a very interesting and conclusive debate. If communicated effectively (a big if) it could be a bonus for the Bush White House. It's a question on which Kerry has stated his position clearly.

Posted by John Climacus at 02:51 | Permalink

Some snippets from the annals of everyday life.

There recently arose the question: Why the seemingly perpetual, quiet and, some (infuriated) detractors say 'smirking' self confidence of our Commander in Chief, despite the vicious attacks? I was going to answer, I think it has something to do with his being a self-identified "born-again" Christian, whatever that really means - I do not profess to know from personal experience. I do know that a key aspect of the "orthodox" Christian viewpoint - orthodox meaning accepting most of the key assertions of the New Testament - is the depravity of man. One must admit he or she is essentially sinful, with no innate goodness, therefore fully humbled before the Lord. "All have sinned" and the only goodness you have is a gift from Christ. This leaves little room for pride. A practical effect of this viewpoint would be, I think, that people who run you down really aren't going to have much impact on you, because you've already run yourself down much further. The drumbeat of criticism would strike President Bush as essentially humorous. And even more so, because everyone else is seen to be in the same boat as you, whether they are "Christians" or not.

I may or may not have time to discuss this further in the next week, as my day job is about to take me out of town for a fairly grueling week-long business meeting. But in the meantime, this just arrived in the in-box and it seems relevant enough to the topic at hand:

I'm at the 8:00am service at my church, St. Johns at Lafayette Square, across from the White House. (I wanted to go early because I was going with Alice and Brent for breakfast at the Cracker Barrel in Manassas). Much of the service was uneventful--nice, but uneventful--until it comes to the part of the service when the priest says, "Greet one another in the name of the Lord." I turn to my right to exchange the peace with my friend, Amy Fox Smythe, who was was on the other end of my pew. I then shake hands with the person in front of me, and turn around to say hello to the person behind me.

The person behind me was our 43rd President George W. Bush. I am not kidding. A small crowd was forming around him, and not wanting to delay the church service or bother him by waiting to shake his hand, I turned back around and sat down and talked to Amy. About 30 seconds later I felt a hand on my left shoulder and turn around to see President Bush with his hand extended. "Peace of the Lord," he said and held my hand with both of his.

"Peace of the Lord," I replied, and held both his hands and smiled at him. I turned back around and was remarkably calm about the fact that the most powerful person in the world was sitting two feet behind me.

I could hear him flipping through his bulletin as the priest made the announcements. I loved the idea of him thinking, "Oh, there's a covered dish next Sunday."

We perched and when I stood up to go to the communion rail, he got up and walked down the aisle behind me. We passed a little old lady who said, "Mr. President, I pray for you every day." To which he said, "That's a very special gift. Thank you so much." We got to the communion rail and there were two spaces, one in front of us and one around the side of the altar. We both surmised for ten seconds and then I started off around the corner. He stopped me and whispered, "No, no. I'll go around" and motioned for me to take the closer spot. The only exception made in the entire service was that the President was allowed to leave first and then the rest of the congregation followed.

With all sincerity, and partisanship aside I tell you: This is a special man! There is a peace and a Godliness about him. It radiates from him. It is the only reason that I was able to remain calm. It was more than the adrenaline I've felt when I've met other famous people. A goodness flows

through this man. He has more than my vote in November. He has my respect, my prayers, and my gratitude.

Whatever your political affiliation, and whether or not you agree with his decisions, you should take comfort in the fact that--despite recent press attacks--this is a man of integrity who makes decisions because he believes that are RIGHT, not popular. He makes these decisions with a heavy heart and through prayer.

I don't mean to go on, and on, but I truly believe this was a blessing from God that should be passed on.

Laura Lefler

Office of Senator Lamar Alexander

302 Hart Senate Office Building

Now back to current events, (and no, we are not making the point that one candidate is any more religious than the other, knowing little about Mr. Kerry's beliefs, but merely presenting the first few items we ran across this evening) we have this less-than-surpising news which I am betting will not make it into tomorrow's Washington Post:

Kerry's wife funds critics of Bush ads

Non-profit group behind 9/11 families tied to Heinz charitable contributions

The non-profit, tax-exempt organization representing the families of September 11 victims who are critical of campaign ads by President Bush is a project of the Tides Center, which has received millions of dollars in charitable contributions from foundations chaired by Teresa Heinz Kerry, WorldNetDaily has learned....

The group delivered up to the New York Daily News Thursday seasoned spokesmen Monica Gabrielle, Mindy Kleinberg and others to attack President Bush's re-election campaign ads. None of the critics of the ads in that original story were identified as members of Peaceful Tomorrows.

And the UK Telegraph has a zinger:

Revealed: how 'war hero' Kerry tried to put off Vietnam military duty

Senator John Kerry, the presumed Democratic presidential candidate who is trading on his Vietnam war record to campaign against President George W Bush, tried to defer his military service for a year, according to a newly rediscovered article in a Harvard University newspaper....

The revelation appears to undercut Sen Kerry's carefully-cultivated image as a man who willingly served his country in a dangerous war - in supposed contrast to President Bush, who served in the Texas National Guard and thus avoided being sent to Vietnam.

Just for giggles and future reference, enjoy the indefatigable work of Mark Steyn:

COLLECT THE SET!

THE JOHN KERRY CANCELED WEAPONS SYSTEM OF THE DAY

Thrilling tales of America’s fighting men and women in action using stuff Senator Kerry didn't want them to have!

"We are continuing a defense buildup that is consuming our resources with weapons systems that we don’t need and can’t use."

~ John Kerry, campaigning for the US Senate in 1984. Scroll down the page for more useless inventions he's got no time for!

10) THE SPARROW AIR-TO-AIR MISSILE....

Yes, go on over and scroll down the page.

Posted by John Climacus at 07:33 | Permalink

There are stories you ought to hear alot about, and then there are the ones you're GONNA hear alot about, and they are rarely the same story.

Cover your heads and plug your ears, friends, because the verdict is in:

A jury of eight women and four men deliberated three days before convicting Stewart of all counts against her: conspiracy, making false statements and obstruction of justice....

Stewart, 62, grimaced as each count against her was read, her eyes widening slightly. Her daughter, Alexis Stewart, was in tears.

If you enjoy watching the news as much as I do, you probably hate it as much as I do when some issue which is really a red herring from the cosmic standpoint pops up and dominates human consciousness from the alpha to the omega, 24/7/365. And I don't just mean on Beating It To Death at 10 with Greta. That's what Greta's hour is for, and that's what has given Joe Scarborough the golden opportunity to forge a television career, and that's all fine with me. I believe the poor souls who comprise the Beating It To Death panel night after night, who grow paler and increasingly shellshocked with each successive month of discussing the glacial evolution and potential contingencies and ramifications of the same bloody legal case are paying off their time in purgatory in advance and they must know this. Good for them.

What makes me wish I contolled the media from a secret control panel in my bedroom is the fact that all of the informational programs rush to the same story like iron shavings to a magnetic wand, and cling there for ridiculously extended periods, until someone in higher management finally says "Ok, I'm sick of looking at that beard" and shakes up the board.

I don't want to know any more about Martha Stewart's problems. I don't want to understand the intricacies of the legal boundaries she may have overstepped. I don't even want to form an opinion on whether I think she deserves what she's getting and what it portends for the future of the republic. She is a very rich woman who got that way by showing people how to prettify their cultural adornments. There is obviously a market for it but it's a fever I never caught. The bits of her act I saw had a tone that struck me as authoritative almost to the point of haughtiness: I didn't detect any self-deprecating side to Martha Stewart. I know she leans to the left and at some point hinted that her problems could be traced to the Republican Party. But the sum of the matter is she's not an interesting person to me because she seems quite one-dimensional. While she's got the rich and perfect thing down pat, the human thing is more my cup of tea. Perfection, I suppose, is a plus for an object of worship. I am not inclined to fall on my knees for a cook/decorator. Maybe it's just that I don't spend enough time looking at my house to appreciate what Martha Stewart has to offer.

In my view she is certainly not a tragic figure. She played in the financial big leagues and she got caught doing something fishy, and then got coy about it.

Hey Ms. Perfection, here is some advice from a regular dope: When you are rich you can afford to be ethical. You could have invested a week writing a book on your last vacation and you would have recouped on the first printing the amount of money you saved by unloading that stock.

It would be nice if after tonight's breathless coverage everyone could just drop the subject, except for a lasting circle of concern hosted by Oxygen or Lifetime where Martha's fans could gather and weep and keen over her fate - or maybe an occasional interview from her cell by The Man Show.

Posted by John Climacus at 08:08 | Permalink

JVK is playing well where it counts, in the suites of Pyongyang.

In the past few weeks, speeches by the Massachusetts senator have been broadcast on Radio Pyongyang and reported in glowing terms by the Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), the official mouthpiece of Mr Kim's communist regime.

He's now got the full support of the unions, the French, North Korea, and without doubt al Qaeda. I'm going to reserve judgement until we see whether the cat lovers get on board, in which case I will be fully prepared to condemn the man.

Posted by John Climacus at 09:53 | Permalink

John Vietnam Kerry, Vietnam veteran, is going to help solidify President Bush's "base" support among conservatives. And boy oh boy, it's happening just in time.

The signs are starting to come out, courtesy of Allah.

This is one of the more impressive Instapundit threads of the past few months:

The war effort is, in fact, going well -- but to some degree that's actually hurting Bush by taking it off the front burner. And if Osama turns up captured or killed, that will actually exacerbate the problem by making it easier for people to pretend that we don't need to worry about the war any more. And a lot of people want to do that either for self-interested reasons -- to get their own special interests on the agenda, or to distract people from their own war-related failures -- to which you can add the general war-weariness that even a lot of war supporters are feeling now....

If the war were, in fact, nearly over that would be okay. But it's not. (This cartoon, showing people squabbling over gay marriage while standing atop an Iranian A-bomb, captures the current political scene nicely.)

Bush needs to make that clear, and to spell out -- as best he can, given that in wartime not everything can be discussed publicly -- what's going on and why. Given Kerry's continued miserable failure at stating a position on the war, that shouldn't be too hard. But the job won't do itself.

As the saying goes: Read the whole thing. It will be well worth your while.

The Boston Globe asks: "why gamble on a second-guesser?"

The soft-edged Dick Morris says: "The Democratic Party slit its throat last night..."

I wonder how utterly burned out the Republican National Committee research moles are becoming, what with the mountains and mountains of Kerry's speeches, letters and e-mails that must be reviewed. They're probably not even allowed to skim or fast forward, because there are just so many gems to be unearthed:

The hard-line, anti-American Tehran Times published the entire text of the seven-paragraph e-mail under a triumphant headline announcing that Kerry pledged to "repair damage if he wins election." By claiming that the Kerry campaign had sent the message directly to an Iranian news agency in Tehran, the paper indicated that the e-mail was a demonstration of Kerry's support for a murderous regime that even today tops the State Department's list of supporters of international terrorism.

Anybody remember the Kerry Committee? Ye shall, ye shall:

The mainstream media still calls the McCarthy Hearings a "Witch Hunt," They call Richard Nixon a "red- baiter" and " political opportunist" for going after Alger Hiss. Yet declassified Soviet documents vindicated both Republicans.

John Kerry's "Subcommittee on Terrorism, Narcotics, and International Operations," was run "like a division of the Dukakis campaign," said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who served as ranking Republican on the subcommittee. Worse, it genuinely smeared innocent and honorable men, using the commie-crackpot Christic Institue, and convicted felons for evidence, and in the end--after millions of dollars--turned up nothing.

Posted by John Climacus at 07:14 | Permalink

Not a typical event here at the Forum, but on behalf of everyone at Joe's Original Alpaca Burger corporate headquarters I wish to congratulate John Kerry for his victory in the Democratic primary campaign. He was not on anyone's radar 2 months ago, he came under fairly heavy criticism along the way and he ventured to take a large personal loan to keep his campaign solvent. He deserves the victory. He certainly proved us wrong.

Posted by hemmingway at 06:33 | Permalink