I was listening to one of the South London Muhajadeen last night babbling about being sorry that women had to see them chop someone up on the street for chips and giggles and God, and thought,"So much for inclusion." There is a qualitative difference between a nation killing in execution of a policy and a couple of individuals hitting a guy walking down the street and chopping him up with meat cleavers. One is the problem of scale -- we're all guilty bastards when the state kills in our name; however, when individuals terrorize in the name of a religion, race, or culture it's an opening into a deeper and darker abyss. While it's nice to see the guys from Area 51 and my brother Defeatists all excited about something, I see a huge problem with the dynamic of Islam in western Societies. A bunch of rednecks in Pennysyltucky decide to drive into Amish Country and forcibly shave beards, and we'd find it amusing; an autistic sociopath shoots up a grammar school and we find it horrific; a couple of sociopaths use Allah, sharia and US drone strikes to justify random acts of murder and desecration, and we find it symbolic? A difference of scale? Frederick and I were soldiers, and Frederick served in Iraq. He knows existentially about horror. I find it odd that he, El Serracho and Mr. Fun are defending political correctness. The deeper problem, the problem of the abyss goes back to a question posed by Augustine in The City of God: "How, then, should we live together?" I guess El S and Mr. Fun are advocating not doing so, or at least that's my reading of their comments. Crispy is asking a question -- in true Socratic fashion -- about political correctness as a response to religion-motivated murder.

Given what we know of Scalia's temperament, if the question about dates was his best attack on Ted Olson's position, think it's fair to say that California will probably be tossed for lack of standing. The DOMA case may be more interesting.

And of course, the Rand Paul approach ultiamtely results in your hero Hobbes' vision of paradise...ultimately, I guess we're going to evolve as a creatures while devolving as communities into some dystopian morass of libertarian dictatorship. Get your head around that one... Given a choice between Reagan and Roosevelt, I go with FDR and TR. However, that's a choice between strawmen...

Not terribly surprising in a lot of ways. However, General Zinni is a Marine, not Army. He's a fine man and a good officer and a fellow Holy Cross Alumni. But, getting things like that wrong underminds credibility on what is really a serious issue.

Dear god, preserve us from the hordes of slacker youth gathering in mall food courts to sing "Da Da Diddy" while dancing on the tables. Of course, unlike Iran, we probably won't shoot them.

Of course. Collaboration is the only way to change what we've got to what we need based on what we can do or say. I still think that the blogosphere has the potential for good, to be the equivalent to the English Coffee Houses in the 18th Century and the Left Bank Cafes in Paris in the 40s and 50s. Granted, there's a lot of preaching to the choir that'll go on, but the world is screwy enough that we need to have reassurance by other voices that the world has not become flat...arid...and empty.

Good. Wear Black whenever Susan or Louise or Jonathan is around. No comments, although occasional sobs may be in order.

Please. Love 'em. Email a bunch to Crusader.AXE.ofthe.Lost.Causes@gmail.com... So, I'm guessing Luna Lovejoy plays a roll in your thinking as well...or, you're channeling the human loving, semi-suicidal deceased whale

And, even more interestingly, Chrysler-Dodge-Seven Headed Dog Guarding the Gates of Hades Automotive Grope is now the poorest of the US brands for Quality. Of course, when your CEO came in second to Jack Immelt, drove Home Depot into the ground and is now trying to run a car company with zero talent at people, processes or engineering, I'm not too terribly surprised. My charger is a 2006, and still feels like a cross between a US muscle car and a German GT. Since Top Gear did a test of the Challenger at Bonneville, and it came in behind not only the hottest Corvette but also behind the hottest Caddy, I've lost interest. Next car will be either a loaded Mustang or...and this depends on what the twitbergers at GM do...a Camaro SS...or, fuck it. I'm getting a 370Z, unless I win the lottery. Which will never happen...of course, the way things are going economically, I should probably be looking at, oh, I don't know, a Kia Optima?