Unqualified Offerings

The pheasants are revolting! Downblog people demand a thread for last night’s episode. The last two Friday’s I’ve watched the show but been away from the computer in the immediate aftermath. What I discovered about last night’s show was that it sounded better in my recap to Mrs. Offering this morning than it played on [...]

Here.
Via Balko.

By Thoreau
Accused enemy combatant Ali Al-Marri is being transferred to civilian custody to stand trial in a regular court of law.  A few months ago I made a bet that Obama would assert the power to detain enemy combatants without trial.  I am delighted to be proven wrong here, and I am also delighted to [...]

By Thoreau
Student:  “Hello, Dr. T.  My advisor isn’t in and the registration period is almost over and I need to register for classes.  Can you sign my advising form?”
Me:  “Why didn’t you make an appointment with your advisor?”
Student:  “Well, this is the only time I could come.”
Me:  “OK, did you tell your advisor that this [...]

By Thoreau
More details on the undercover informant who allegedly discussed bombing plans with Ahmadullah Niazi, the brother-in-law of a major Al Qaeda operative (the only major Al Qaeda operative to not earn a #3 title):
1)  The mosque actually sought a restraining order against the informant because they thought he was a jihadist.  Call me crazy, [...]

On the question of mortgage workouts and borrower responsibility, Megan McArdle of the Atlantic writes
Who knows more about your future income prospects:  you, or a bank?  Who knows more about your budgeting skills:  you, or a bank?  Who knows more about your health, personal habits, and home maintenance skills?  Who knows better whether you’re likely [...]

By Thoreau
Afghan immigrant (and naturalized US citizen) Ahmadullah Sais Niazi of Orange County has been arrested for lying on immigration paperwork.  The issue is that his sister is married to an alleged high-ranking Al Qaeda operative (apparently he’s not important enough to warrant a “Number Three” designation, like virtually every other Al Qaeda operative gets) [...]

Discussing the economic course of postwar Europe, Matt writes
The thing is, that this points the way toward one possible path toward recovery. Consider the European version of World War II ending the Depression. On that side of the Atlantic, it wasn’t so much that wartime spending drove fiscal expansion. Instead, what happened was that a [...]

By Thoreau
California legislator Tom Ammiano wants to fix the budget crisis by taxing and regulating pot.
I hereby nominate Assemblyman Ammiano for governor in 2010.  Let the record reflect that my endorsement for governor of CA has gone to a Democrat, despite all the rumors that I am a secret Republican shill who hates teh Democrat [...]

By Thoreau
Illinois legislators are thinking about officially declaring that Pluto is too a planet.
I always thought the whole “What is a planet and what isn’t?” debate was silly.  The more  important  point is not the labels we put on objects around the sun, but recognizing the different aspects of groups  of similar objects:  4 rocky [...]