Unqualified Offerings

In the comments sections on some conservative sites where the proprietors have denounced Luskin’s attempt to intimidate Atrios, some of the man’s fellow travelers have airily avowed that this story is of no interest “beyond the few thousand people who read blogs.” Well okay, sure. To that I would say, if you’re reading this, or […]

So the other night, when the news of the Donald Luskin legal threat against Atrios hit the news, I declared that Luskin was “a pussy.” And then I wondered if I was being not just foul-mouthed but over the top.
Turns out, not. The Atrios letter hit Wednesday night. As I mentioned at the time, there […]

RGB Greg Pearson reminds me that Marriott, they went and built two hotels in Crystal City, about two blocks apart. I have confirmed with Chad Orzel that he’s in the Crystal City Marriott, not the “Crystal Gateway” Marriott, so the Crystal City Marriott is where you go. 7PM. The bar is on the second floor, […]

I could swear that somewhere between Daredevils 110-114, the Mandrill collapsed the top floors of the World Trade Center, killing many people. (Captions inform us that Daredevil’s super senses can perceive all the deaths.) Am I imagining this? Was it a different skyscraper?

The Fiore post below reminds me of Avengers 113, titled Your Young Men Shall Slay Visions. It was Steve Englehart at his most earnest, and since I was an earnest lad myself, it made a big impression on me. Vision and Scarlet Witch kiss in public. She’s a mutant, sure, but he’s an android, so […]

The most perfect night for trick-or-treating in years, warm (c. 60F), dry, a bright quarter-moon. Not a lot of trick-or-treaters, alas, but a nice outing with Offering Boy (as Eddie from “Ed, Edd and Eddy”) and the Littlest Offering (fairy princess).
Hot Liberty has a great Halloween treat suggestion, and Dave Fiore reminisces about two great […]

Chrissy Rockwell is a buddy of mine from the Elvis Costello list who has recently begun actively blogging at A Fine Idea at the Time. She’s now appeased me by changing her template color so that the Unqualified Eyes can actually read the thing. Thanks, Chrissy! The blog is not just all politics all the […]

Our unassuming little party will begin, for the sake of simplicity, at the bar in the Crystal City Marriott at 7PM tomorrow night, Saturday November 1. Eventually it will probably move over to Restaurant Row. If in doubt, ask at the registration desk “where the blogfest is.” We will keep them informed. Guest of Honor […]

Ya know, tort reform really isn’t such a bad idea.

From this morning’s Washington Post:

SINJAR, Iraq — Commanders of U.S. military forces responsible for monitoring the border between Iraq and Syria say there is no evidence from human intelligence sources or radar surveillance aircraft indicating that significant numbers of foreign fighters are crossing into Iraq illegally.

1) That’s because they’re all in Mali!
2) Um, commanders? What […]

Via Glenn Reynolds comes this story of Al Qaeda camps in the wilds of Mali. Bu-but - shouldn’t the builders all be in Iraq now?

Apparently Donald Luskin of National Review Online has threatened legal action against Atrios. From his lawyer’s letter:

You recently linked to Mr. Luskin’s October 7, 2003, posting on his website entitled “Face To Face With Evil,” in which he chronicles his attendance at a lecture and book signing presented by Paul Krugman. You chose the unfortunate […]

Henry Farrell has a good defense of good academic prose, worth reading despite Henry’s unaccountable assertion along the way that “One may not agree with Edward Said on the facts - but his prose is compelling precisely because of its vigor and clarity.” I’ve really only read Said’s journalism, but it was gaseous nonsense, with […]

Brendan is rapidly turning Human Liberty into an advice column. See his reader mail (”The thing is, I never wanted to load Linux anyway, I just took the CD to humor him. Now I’ve lost a friend. What can I do?–Sad in Austin” and “I am so fascinated by radical subsidiaritanism, but I noticed that […]

Not blog birthday; Happy Human Birthday to Nate of Polytropos, his last as a pre-parent. Nate is as nice and bright a guy as his blog suggests, by the way. Tonight’s offering, an even-handed appreciation of 24, complete with first-season spoiler.

but then I realized - the connection between the previous two items is pretty freaking obvious, isn’t it?

Do you mean before or after this?

NEW YORK — A 14-year-old New Jersey schoolboy — whose dad and stepdad are in the military — was suspended for five days because he drew a “patriotic” stick figure of a U.S Marine blowing away a Taliban fighter, officials said yesterday.
“He’s been punished for the drawing,” said Tinton […]

Liberty&Power reports that the Alabama Scholars Association is protesting more shenanigans:

Drawings and photographs by Trobaugh depict scenes that could be construed as homosexual in orientation or theme.
The exhibit had been approved by the chair of the Art Department for display in the entrance to the Bean Brown Theater at Shelton State. The day after the […]

Mrs. Offering and I are surely the last couple in America to pick up on 24, but we both watched the season opener tonight, me fortified with spoilers from the Tony Kornheiser Show. I mean, I liked it, but who would want to work in that office? (The CTU office.) All those reflective surfaces, the […]

Daniel Drezner vs. Max Sawicky. So far it’s an entirely indirect smackdown, as the two items seem to have been written independently, but they make an interesting contest. Naturally, I think Drezner has the better of it, though I hasten to point out that I haven’t seen the TV special in question.

Megan McArdle in TechCentralStation can’t quite bring herself to accept the implications of a basic libertarian insight: whatever else war is, it’s a massive government program.

That we are even thinking about beggaring Iraqis over so trivial a sum boggles the mind. And I’m beginning to wonder if my support for the war didn’t rely on […]

I’m in possession of a mySQL update query from Michael Croft that should solve my categories problem. Thanks, Michael!

Will Wilkinson channels his inner Walter Benjamin. Bonus for this site’s liberal readers - Charles Murray abuse!
Speaking of good art since 1950, Will’s item inescapably reminds me that the following verse from the Barenaked Ladies’ “It’s All Been Done”

Alone
and bored
on a thirtieth century night
will I
see you
on The Price Is Right?
Will I cry
will I smile
as you […]

Blogarama V.5, in honor of Chad Orzel’s visit to DC for a physics conference, will take place early Saturday evening in Crystal City. Details to follow tomorrow. We already have several commitments, but anyone is welcome.
After-action reports on Blogarama V continue to appear. Glen Engel-Cox, Jeremy Lott (now web editor of the American Spectator), tequila […]

Steven Grant interviewed writer Ed Brubaker last week - in some ways it was more of a mutual interview about the conditions of the marketplace and everyone’s favorite topic, the shift from a floppy-based to softcover-based economy. During the transitional phase this presents the clear problem of how to write for two different formats simultaneously. […]

Polytropos and God of the Machine are on about poetry workshops. I can say from experience that not one in a hundred works the way Aaron Haspel (and I, largely) would want them to work. The sacred texts of the poetry workshop as actually taught in America are Richard Hugo’s The Triggering Town, Peter Elbow’s […]

Just follow the directions. (Via Amygdala.)

Andrew Chamberlain’s intellectual scalping odyssey continues:

So contrary to my initial thinking, it looks like we can make a strong case for repeal of anti-scalping laws after all. Somehow, I knew the argument would lead here, given enough time…

It is, no lie, cool that Andrew is this intellectually supple. He is a blogger to keep your […]

Atrios responds to my connection of him, Taranto and Easterbrook from Friday. Worth reading. I agree with him that identity politics is, among other things, a response to constructions dominant groups place on marginalized ones. But I don’t think that’s all identity politics is, and I think it tends to be a self-destructive strategy. […]

Firing General Boykin for his religiously-based statements would be to apply an unconstitutional religious test for public office. Discuss.

By the logic of Flypaper Theory, the lesson of the weekend’s hallmarks of progress is clear: we must keep Paul Wolfowitz in Iraq. He sure does seem to draw flies. I can’t imagine what moral case the hawks would make against the direction. If it’s okay to troll public servants whose names you don’t know […]