So Arafat is dead. The world is a better place I think. However in the whirlwind of "He's dead...he's not dead" press releases no one has sufficiently answered--now that he is apparently fully dead--how the man died.
The folks at CodeBlueBlog have an interesting assessment of Arafat's condition. As they write:
"This "coma" came on abruptly, just when it seemed that the patient was doing better -- sitting up, watching the elections, writing congratulatory notes...
If anyone cares, none of this makes sense, and certainly, the cause of Y.A.'s death was not a bleed into his brain while he was lying unconscious and immobile under 24 hour medical supervision. People lying in their hospital beds for two weeks don't just suddenly hemorrhage into their brains.
Likewise, patients who are sitting up, talking, watching TV, and writing, don't suddenly decompensate straight into irreversible death-watch states of unconsciousness without some proximal event!"
I'm not pointing fingers, but I do agree somebody needs to get in there and ask those French doctors what the heck happened.
This guy just will not go away. Apparently one fantasy tale of 9/11 conspiracy theory and Bush collusion with terrorists was not enough. Michael Moore is back, now with plans to make Fahrenheit 9/11 1/2. I love his reasoning:
"Fifty-one percent of the American people lacked information (in this election) and we want to educate and enlighten them. They weren't told the truth. We're communicators and it's up to us to start doing it now."
The left's delusions know no bounds. This is classic denial, wrapped in utter contempt for the American people, the President and our soldiers. And this type of false storytelling, or more accurately, selective truth telling is very damaging to our Republic. In fact I daresay it has contributed to this vitriolic Bush hatred and unfounded America bashing. I highly recommend that anyone curious about Moore's 9/11 fantasies also check out the numerous websites devoted to debunking his wild inaccuracies.
I think the blogosphere, in addition to fact-checking the media, is going to be instrumental over the next four years in draining these fever swamps of misinformation by the likes of Moore and his ilk.
BOSTON - The Big Dig is riddled with leaks that are dumping millions of gallons of water into the $14.6 billion tunnel system, according to an engineer hired to investigate the cause of a massive leak in September.
Locating and fixing the hundreds of leaks could take up to 10 years, said Jack K. Lemley, a consultant hired by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority to investigate the problem.
And in the meantime...might not be a bad idea for Boston residents to contemplate boating to work.
I've been following the story of the recent murder of Dutch filmaker Theo Van Gogh by muslim extremists. Following his grisly death and subsequent threats against citizens the public has apparently gone vigilantee and tensions are pretty high over there right now. I wonder if the tolerant liberals of Europe can curb their anger and let the police handle this? Based on this article I'm not sure they can.
And Glenn Reynolds, at Instapundit, has a wonderful point about the state of things over there:
"Nothing breeds that sort of freelance violence like the perception that the duly constituted authorities aren't willing to protect the citizenry. People in the United States didn't doubt that; people in the Netherlands have had reason to. As John Ashcroft retires, that's a point that's worth noting. Perhaps, given the tougher government response linked above, the Dutch government has noted it."
Reuters is now reporting that Ashcroft has stepped down from the Cabinet. I think everyone expected this. Personally I think he did an exemplary job in the Attorney General spot given the circumstances. We haven't had a terrorist attack since 9/11, due to combined offensive and homeland defensive operations. He deserves our thanks.
But I think it is time for a change. If I were the one nominating I'd put Rudi Guliani in the AG spot. He's capable, he's tough, he's America's mayor. I think people feel like they know him. They would trust him with their homeland safety. Plus, he actually made New York City a nicer place to live. No small accomplishment.
As U.S. military troops and their Iraqi allies open up a can and are now engaged to destroy the terrorist scourge in Fallujah, the once-envied-now-forgotten-British-residenced Madonna decided that now is the best time to voice her opinion on battle tactics in the War on Terror. In short: "Leave Iraq, terrorism is everywhere, even down the street, we are divided." Read the entire press article for more eye rolling.
While the worldwide effort to oust Bush continues to go down in flames...
I find it useful to harken back to the sage words of Mark Steyn, who in his nearly year old article "It's "peace" psychosis in a nut's hell" neatly identifies and summarizes the worldwide extremist view of America. A crucial excerpt for those who want to skip to the end:
"The fanatical Muslims despise America because it's all lapdancing and gay porn; the secular Europeans despise America because it's all born-again Christians hung up on abortion; the anti-Semites despise America because it's controlled by Jews. Too Jewish, too Christian, too Godless, America is also too isolationist, except when it's too imperialist. And even its imperialism is too vulgar and arriviste to appeal to real imperialists: let's face it, the ghastly Yanks never stick it to the fuzzy-wuzzy with the dash and élan of the Bengal Lancers, which appears to be the principal complaint of Sir Max Hastings and his ilk. To the mullahs, America is the Great Satan, a wily seducer; to the Gaullists, America is the Great Cretin, a culture so self-evidently moronic that only stump-toothed inbred Appalachian lardbutts could possibly fall for it. American popular culture is utterly worthless, except when one of its proponents - Michael Moore, Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon - attacks Bush, in which case he or she is showered with European awards and sees the foreign-language rights for his latest tract sell for six figures at Frankfurt. The fact that the best-selling anti-Americans are themselves American - Moore, Chomsky - is perhaps the cruellest manifestation of the suffocating grip of the hyperpower.
Too Christian, too Godless, too isolationist, too imperialist, too seductive, too cretinous, America is George Orwell's Room 101: whatever your bugbear, you will find it therein-"
With regard to this delicate issue I think the guys at Powerline have the right idea. I think this particular point they make is spot on:
Consider a world in which Specter has been denied that post. It would probably look very much like the world we've lived in the past two years -- a world in which the White House has only about 51 Republican Senators willing to confirm conservative judicial nominees. The Democrats will still be able successfully to filibuster such nominees, and be in a position to claim legitimacy by pointing to the opposition to these nominees of Republicans like Specter, Chafee, and perhaps the Senators from Maine. Now consider a world in which Specter is Judiciary Committee chairman. More likely than not, that world would be agreeable. Specter likely will support conservative nominees, though maybe not always the first choice, as he has during the past four years and (mostly) before that. The only price would be that Bush might have to appoint some moderate/liberal pals of Specter to the Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. Democrats wishing to filibuster Bush's nominees will have no cover, and only a few Democratic defections will be needed to end the filibuster. Democrats from red states likely will think twice about going to the mat on behalf of People for the American Way and NOW after seeing what happened to Tom Daschle.
And I'm glad. That should about sum it up for anyone curious on where I stand on the election. Actually, in case there is still any doubt, I just ordered these yesterday. I know, I know smoking is bad for me. But I figure if Ahhhnold can get away with it occasionally then so can I. Besides, I figure the time to celebrate is now. Once the Democrats pick themselves up off the floor and put a clamp on the loonies talking secession they'll be back in the game...with a vengeance.
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