She should have whistled...

as she passed the graveyard, instead of whizzing in it! R.I.P. Technorati : Miscellaneous

Making the Case for War

Many of us have long wondered about the seeming reluctance of the Bush administration to effectively defend the rationale behind many of their policies. With respect to Iraq, and Christopher Hitchens, we don't have to wonder. [...] I have a ready answer to those who accuse me of being an agent and tool of the Bush-Cheney administration (which is the nicest thing that my enemies can find to say). Attempting a little levity, I respond that I could stay at home if the authorities could bother to make their own case, but that I meanwhile am a prisoner of what I actually do know about the permanent hell, and the permanent threat, of the Saddam regime. However, having debated almost all of the spokespeople for the antiwar faction, both the sane and the deranged, I was recently asked a question that I was temporarily unable to answer. "If what you claim is true," the honest citizen at this meeting politely asked me, "how come the White House hasn't told us?" [...] It's a long read, but a good one. And speaking of debating both sane and deranged members of the other side, he's going to do it again. With one of the deranged ones. (Thanks to American Barbarian for the link.) Technorati : Christopher Hitchens, George W. Bush, Iraq, Politics, United States, War

The Spy Who Came In From... Chicago

After double-checking to make sure that this piece did not drop right from the Op-Ed pages of the New York Times, I decided to post it. ACCUSATIONS CONFIRMED! [scroll down a bit] CLOAK Co-host Sherman Skolnick prior to the 2004 Election fingered Barack Obama running in Illinois for the U.S. Senate as a British Intel agent born in Kenya. Skolnick, as a co-spy watcher unmasked Obama on his regular CLOAK program, Shop Talk From Plot H.Q. Today Russian President V. Putin ordered U.S. Senator Barack Obama who is also tight with MOSSAD, to be held in custody under suspicion of being a British operative illegally spying in Russia at off-limits secret facilities. Spying with Obama, who was locked up, was U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, pro-Bush, was detained by Putin but unlike Obama, quickly released.(see story) [...] Who'd a thunk it? Well, apparently this guy would. And he's thunk much more! Go read it! (Thanks to Eaglespeak for the link. He called it the Whacko theory for the day, but it's more like a Whacko Library!) Technorati : Looney Tunes, Miscellaneous, Russia, Senatoer Barack Obama, Senator Richard Lugar, United States

and in this corner, wearing the white hat...

Oh, how I wish I could see this! Not since the Rumble in the Jungle, when Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in Kinshasa in 1974, can there have been such an eagerly anticipated punch-up as the one due to take place in New York in a fortnight. [...] Now THAT piqued my interest. Wonder who is fighting? [...] The Grapple in the Big Apple will pit "Gorgeous" George Galloway, the MP, against Christopher Hitchens, the writer and polemicist, in a public debate over Iraq and US and British foreign policy. Political junkies in America are drooling at the prospect. [...] Yes, this certainly has me drooling, like one of Pavlov's dogs! Sounds like a fine heavyweight bout, to me. I'm left wondering if it will degenerate into a spirited name-calling match. Can Mr. Hitchens match "drink-sodden former Trotskyist popinjay" ? (Thanks to Dave Budge for the link, he's earned a spot on my blogroll!) Technorati : America, Britain, Christopher Hitchens, Debate, George Foreman, George Galloway, Iraq, Muhammad Ali, Politics

Ya Think?

SURPRISE!!! CHICAGO - Preschoolers pretending to shop for a Barbie doll's social evening were more likely to choose cigarettes if their parents smoked, and wine or beer if their parents drank, a study found. [...] Is there anyone out there that doubts that children turn into adults with the same attributes as their parents? Researchers for this study looked at behavior such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and food choice in children, compared to the habits of their parents. Strangely, they made no mention of various other areas of behavior, such as racial intolerance. Next, this team might announce that they have discovered that the sun appears to rise in the East! Technorati : Miscellaneous

There's Nothing Like Success, And Urban Legends

Michelle Malkin has some information concerning the supposed atrocities committed among/by/against Hurricane Katrina evacuees, nipping the bud from some emerging urban legends. As the hysteria dies down, more and more examples will surely emerge. One reader emailed her with the possibility that Greg Packer may be among those evacuees. Hmmm... I know some people like this, but none so successful. From the Editor & Publisher: Has this man been quoted by your newspaper? He's not just another face in the crowd at concerts, book signings, and sporting events. Somehow, over the course of 10 years, one man has managed to become the media's go-to guy, quoted more than 100 times in various publications, including several prominent newspapers. Greg Packer is the "man on the street." [...] Go read the whole article. And here I am, contributing to his notoriety! (Thanks to Michell Malkin for the link, and image credit to E&P) Technorati : Greg Packer, Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana, Miscellaneous, New Orleans, Superdome, Urban Legends

Compare and Contrast

From Bill Hobbs, check out this about U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, and U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tennessee, the man who would be Senator. To paraphrase...It was the best of Reps, it was the worst of Reps. Technorati : Current Events, Disaster Response, Harold Ford Jr., Hurricane Katrina, Marsha Blackburn, Politics, Tennessee Del.icio.us : Current Events, Disaster Response, Harold Ford Jr., Hurricane Katrina, Marsha Blackburn, Politics, Tennessee

Faster, Please...

From South End Grounds comes a link to this article by Linda Seeback of the Rocky Mountain News about future oil reserves. [...] On one small test plot about 20 feet by 35 feet, on land Shell owns, they started heating the rock in early 2004. "Product" - about one-third natural gas, two-thirds light crude - began to appear in September 2004. They turned the heaters off about a month ago, after harvesting about 1,500 barrels of oil. While we were trying to do the math, O'Connor told us the answers. Upwards of a million barrels an acre, a billion barrels a square mile. And the oil shale formation in the Green River Basin, most of which is in Colorado, covers more than a thousand square miles - the largest fossil fuel deposits in the world. [...] On the surface, this sounds really good. Too good to be true, actually. But, as Ms. Seebach so aptly put it in her column: "Wow." According to the article, Shell is very close to putting this to a real test: [...] Shell has applied for a research and development lease on 160 acres of BLM land, which could be approved by February. That project would be on a large enough scale so design of a commercial facility could begin. [...] The appeal of extracting oil from oil shale has fluctuated over the years, increasing as each new technique is applied, or as oil prices rise, then dropping with oil prices and/or the inability of the techniques to yield cheap oil. Appeal is on the rise again, needless to say. And if successful, the prospect of that much oil located within our borders is appealing indeed! The RAND Corporation issued a study dated August 31 that basically agrees with the amount of reserves, and mentioned the lower cost claims made by Shell. They cautioned, however, that proven technology today would be very costly. [...] The study is titled “Oil Shale Development in the United States: Prospects and Policy Issues.” It indicates that oil production based on older oil shale mining and processing technologies would not be profitable unless crude oil prices consistently stay above at least $70 to $95 per barrel. The price of crude oil jumped past $70 per barrel Aug. 29 in response to Hurricane Katrina. In addition, significant adverse environmental impacts are associated with oil shale mining, above ground processing and disposing of spent shale. [...] The same process is being studied as applied to heavy oil and natural bitumen. According to this report, small scale testing and computer simulations have been run. Some history of oil shale may be found here. Echoing the RAND Corporation's estimated 20 to 30 year timeline until economical production is possible, this article from World Oil details the dispersion of oil shale deposits: [...] At present, shale oil is not being produced in the US, and large-scale commercial production is not expected for 20 to 30 years under present economic conditions. But it's not for a lack of reserves. According to published World Energy Council (WEC) estimates, nearly 62% of the world's potentially recoverable oil shale resources are concentrated in the US. At year-end 1999, WEC says the US had a possible shale oil reserve approaching 1.0 trillion barrels. Outside the US, oil shale has been burned directly as a low grade, high ash-content fuel in a few countries such as Estonia. Jordan also possesses a significant quantity of oil shale resources, but no formal development. Oil shales also occur throughout Canada, particularly in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, where some early mining occurred. Investigations into power plant use have also been made. Australia is generating the most publicity, with claims from the Australian Geological Survey organization of recoverable and additional shale oil reserves of 37 billion tonnes, or about 260 billion barrels. During the 1970s and ?80s, an exploration program was undertaken by two Australian companies, Southern Pacific Petroleum and Central Pacific Minerals (SPP/CPM). The aim was to find high-quality oil shale suitable for open-pit mining in areas near infrastructure and deepwater ports. The program was successful in finding commercial deposits along the coast of Queensland. [...] So, like the title of this post says... Faster, Please! I can see only one drawback to a massive amount of exploitable oil reserves. It only addresses the supply-side of the equation. If we, or any other countries, have access to large amounts of oil, then we may be less inclined to explore alternative energy sources to lessen the demand for oil. Actually, less should be replaced with WILL. Advances in nuclear, wind, solar, geothermal and hydro technology will fall by the wayside without the economic pressure of high oil prices. Major dilemma, there. Technorati : Canada, Gasoline Prices, Hurricane Katrina, In Situ Conversion Shell, Oil, Oil Shale, Rand Corporation, Technology, United States Del.icio.us : Canada, Gasoline Prices, Hurricane Katrina, In Situ Conversion Shell, Oil, Oil Shale, Rand Corporation, Technology, United States

More Reasons...

In my post immediately preceeding this one, I stated that the reason that I had blogrolled the Pillage Idiot was as a form of paybacks for leading me to the subject of that post. That reason does not stand alone. Atilla has some very interesting posts in his own right. The latest is a should read series of captioned photos describing the Anatomy of a nomination. Another series of captioned photos from a couple of weeks ago also deserve a read. Here, reproduced without permission, but on my own dime, is the last photo of that series. Go look at the entire thing. Technorati : Blog, Condoleeza Rice, Current Events, George W. Bush, John Roberts, Politics, United States Supreme Court Del.icio.us : Blog, Condoleeza Rice, Current Events, George W. Bush, John Roberts, Politics, United States Supreme Court

Liberalism Come Home To Roost

If you have not yet read Bill Whittle's Tribes, now is the time to do so. Then get yourself over to David Warren Online and read his take on looters. [...] In complete ignorance of his intellectual ancestry, this simple clod repeats an idea that has descended from arcane roots in Descartes, to Rousseau, and through Marx, to Frantz Fanon, and through the sociology departments of the universities, to daytime television, and out into popular cliché, till it has finally settled in the sewers of New Orleans. [...] Shades of Ward Churchill, it's liberalism come home to roost. Thanks to Attila at the Pillage Idiot for the original link to Vanderleun at American Digest, which led me to the David Warren Online post. It has earned a spot (or condemned him to, as the case may be) on my blogroll. Technorati : Current Events, Disaster Recovery, Hurricane Katrina, Law Enforcement, Looting, Louisiana, National Guard, New Orleans Del.icio.us : Current Events, Disaster Recovery, Hurricane Katrina, Law Enforcement, Looting, Louisiana, National Guard, New Orleans

'Bout Time!

Over at Eaglespeak (you do read this blog, right?) is an interesting comparison between the Exodus as related in the Bible, to the continuing saga of Hurricane Katrina. [...] "Moses and the Lord take too long to deliver the Israelis" "Food aid comes too late for some" "Is Moses too religious?" "Moses get Ten Commandments: Some Unfair" " "Lord discriminates against idol worshippers" Go read it all. And be sure to check out his link (or this one) to Bill Whittle's latest: Tribes Technorati : Bible, Current Events, Exodus, Fema, Flooding, Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana, Moses, New Orleans, News Del.icio.us : Bible, Current Events, Exodus, Fema, Flooding, Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana, Moses, New Orleans, News

Breaking News...

Now, here is some breaking news that will make everyone sit up and take notice! Former Vice President Al Gore will give a speech in Portland on Tuesday on global warming. [...] Technorati : Al Gore, Environment, Global Warning, Oregon, Portland, Sarcasm Del.icio.us : Al Gore, Environment, Global Warning, Oregon, Portland, Sarcasm

Idiot (Updated)

[...] [New Orlean Mayor Ray] Nagin: I need reinforcements. I need troops, man. I need 500 buses, man. They're talking about, you know, one of the briefings we had, you know, they were talking about getting uh, uh you know, public school bus drivers to come down here and bus people out of here. I'm like, 'You gotta be kidding me!' This is a national disaster. Get every doggone Greyhound bus line in the country and get their asses moving to New Orleans. That's, they're thinking small man, and this is a major, major, major deal. And I can't emphasize it enough, man. This is crazy! I've got 15,000 to 20,000 people over at the convention centre, it's bursting at the seams. The poor people in Plaquemines parish, they're air-vacing people here over to New Orleans. We don't have anything and were sharing with our brothers in Plaquemines parish. It's, it's, it's, it's awful down here, man. (bolds mine) Old news now, but still worth a read. Conclusion? The man is an idiot. Why do I say this? (image and link credit: Free Republic) Original caption, and further credit: AP - Thu Sep 1, 4:15 PM ET An aerial view of flooded school buses in a lot, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005, in New Orleans, LA. The flood is a result of Hurricane Katrina that passed through the area last Monday.(AP Photo/Phil Coale) Update: LOL, check this out: Press Release Date: 9/1/2005 Contact:Denise Bottcher or Roderick Hawkins at 225-342-9037 Governor Blanco Announces Executive Order Baton Rouge, LA— Governor Blanco today announced the following Executive Order: Executive Order NO. KBB 2005- 31- provides that pursuant to the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act, R.S. 29:721, et seq., grants emergency powers to the governor, where, she has in consultation with school superintendents, utilized public school buses for transportation of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. As you are aware most public school districts will not begin school until Tuesday, September 6th 2005. The full text of the above mentioned proclamation is available on the Internet at www.gov.state.la.us. If Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco had only done this LAST Saturday, or even Sunday, not only would the people have gotten out in time, but the picture featured above would probably not be in existence. Judging from the reaction and performance of the local officials there, I'm somewhat surprised they didn't try to back-date this. Update II: (9/4/05 7:43 Am CDT) B. Preston at JunYardBlog has more on the busses featured above, complete with better images, counts, and evacuee analysis. Methinks Mayor Ray 'Schoolbus' Nagin is not long for this world, politically speaking. Technorati : Current Events, Disaster Preparedness, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana, Mayor Ray Nagin, New Orleans Del.icio.us : Current Events, Disaster Preparedness, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana, Mayor Ray Nagin, New Orleans