I am taking advantage of three days' unseasonably cool weather to go into the Wild. I will return Monday, or thereabouts.
In the meanwhile, there are a number of good posts at BlackFive. There are also some posts from me there, as I sometimes post things there for that audience I don't put up here. Froggy has more on the Navy SEAL recently (and, sadly, posthumously) awarded the Silver Star. BlackFive himself has reposted an old piece on the difference between the illegal immigration problem, and the Jihadi problem. Jimbo has a good piece on the recent terror attacks, which were thwarted by means that certain people will regard as violations of civil liberties. And so forth.
If you can't get out and enjoy the weather also, by all means enjoy the writing. I'll see you next week.
Camping again
Chickens
John's post at MilBlogs is very funny. The comments include some additional suggestions which are just as funny.
Hate Crimes
Via Southern Appeal, a truly remarkable piece on the accounting of hate crimes. I had always opposed the legislation creating such offenses on the grounds that it criminalized thought -- that, in other words, the crime was already a crime, so all you were punishing here was the attitude. You have a right to think and say what you want, in America, so it seemed improper.
On the other hand, that accounting has made it possible to undermine some old stereotypes, so deeply rooted that even I -- proud Southerner -- am astonished by the results.
For example:
* That it is fifty times more likely that a man will be victim of a race-based hate crime in Minnesota than in Alabama.
* That the bottom four states for such crimes are all Southern states, including my own Georgia.
* That the worst regions of the country are the deepest Blue states, especially the northeast and upper mid-west.
Outstanding. It's the kind of thing you'd want to believe about your homeland in spite of the evidence. How wonderful to see that the evidence, in fact, is on your side.
Goodbye, Cynthia
Lest anyone think that I am totally opposed to all forms of innovation, allow me to congratulate my Fourth District countrymen on ridding themselves of the worst representative in Congress. Well done!
Its sad that this gets ignored by the news, because something like this has happened each month this year since May.
Those JPAC people are to be commended.
Update: mea culpa--I can't do simple math anymore.
fool headlines
From the Associated Press: "Mideast fight ramps up despite diplomacy."
One might better say, "due to diplomacy." The impending US-French "peace plan" means that a ceasefire demand from the UN will be forthcoming. It is thus increasingly important to all parties to resolve the situation on the ground into something they will find to their advantage in case the ceasefire takes effect. The increased intensity of the fighting is therefore a direct result of the diplomacy.
I know the average reader things diplomacy = peace, but a professional analyst of the events ought to have learned better by now.