Unqualified Offerings

By Thoreau
I’m in the midst of 3 weeks of hell and deadlines and grading and writing.  Which means I’m developing a caffeine habit again.  And not just any caffeine habit.  No, an expensive caffeine habit.  Starbucks peppermint mochas.  Coffee, chocolate, sugar, and peppermint in one hot cup of expensive, Christmas-flavored goodness.  But I need it–need [...]

By Thoreau
Believe it or not, I’m actually somewhat sympathetic to diplomats who want to keep their candid conversations secret.  The purpose of diplomacy is or ought to be to solve problems by some means other than war, and that’s easier to do if some frank statements can be kept behind closed doors.  Also, honest negotiation [...]

By Thoreau
So, the latest terrorist caught by the FBI tried to get a job (apparently on an Alaskan fishing boat, difficult and dangerous, but the pay is supposed to be good) but the FBI successfully stopped a brown guy from getting a job.  (Hence the title of the blog post.)  Since he was on the [...]

By Thoreau
A San Diego-area man with a house full of explosives is being charged in a court of law. I don’t see how we can possibly allow this.  I mean, he’s a suspected terrorist, he could be blinking in Morse code!
Oh, wait, he’s white.  OK, never mind, I guess we can hold a regular civilian [...]

By Thoreau
There are vague spoilers that we will learn something shocking about a character and this changes everything.  I’m predicting that Sean is an alien.  Reasons why:
1)  When asked about his past, he said that he is estranged from his parents.  We know that Simon has produced background cover stories in which his high school [...]

By Thoreau
Chris Matthews is a Serious Person who realizes that it’s just crazy talk to suggest that a former Fatherland Security Secretary might push for screening technology because he profits as a lobbyist.  Next thing you know some crazy person will suggest that Halliburton profited from a war that it’s former CEO started.  Or suggest [...]

By Thoreau
Sex blogger Furrygirl decided to strip in the security line (warning:  side-bar ads most definitely NSFW), to make it easier for the TSA to determine that she wasn’t concealing any weapons.  They were not amused:
Also, she is aware that some lefty-types (note I said “some” rather than “most”) are cranky about the anti-TSA protests [...]

By Thoreau
America is TOTALLY more badass than the Soviets!  As Greenwald notes, we’re about to surpass their record for occupying Afghanistan.  Setting a record for freedom, bitchez!  Yeah!
EDIT:  Link fixed.

By Thoreau
So, as discussed by Kevin Carson and Glenn Greenwald, The Nation and Chris Matthews are smearing the anti-groping contingent as a bunch of extremist wackos and Kochtopus pawns.  They can’t comprehend why anybody would think it’s a violation of personal liberty to be subject to naked pictures and genital groping.  Apparently we just hate [...]

By Thoreau
The entire Air Marshal service averages four arrests per year. Not four arrests per Air Marshal, four arrests over the entire organization.
Each arrest only costs $200 million.