Juan Cole calls the nation a damned pussy. He’s right. We’re hysterical about terrorism. Especially the Right. When you countenance torture, embrace wiretapping and support the President no matter what, you’re hysterical. You’ve let the terrorists win.
Miss South Carolina explains herself. To be honest, I’m willing to give her the benefit of a doubt. She seems like she’s got a brain. God knows a lot of otherwise coherent people sound like fools on television (*cough* President Bush *cough*). Still, I wasn’t thinking about her brain as I watched her.
Robert Rector on poverty pointing out that while some people are truly destitute, other are living like . . . well, like I do. We still need more welfare reform. All we did the last time was shift a lot of the payouts to different agencies.
An interesting story on Virginia’s campaign against men. On the one hand, they have a point — women are statistically safer than men. If my daughter ever got lost, I’d want her to seek out a woman with kids. On the other hand, I’ve seen lost kids crying in supermarkets and watched the men carefully avoid them because they don’t want to be looked at. I’d be nervous about coaching little league since a single unfounded accusation can destroy your life (a friend of my mom’s is dead because of such an accusation).