Sounds very well considered & enlightened & fair. But...remember the Virginia Tech mass shooting, how Koreans held those big vigils, in part to distance themselves from the Korean-American shooter? They had nothing to do with him, of course--but they felt very keenly the possibility of Koreans getting a bad reputation because of him. No doubt they are reacting to Brother Man On The Bus and his too-short fuse the same way--jumping to all kinds of conclusions about his background and people like him.

Fair winds and following seas...

Argument by deflection takes on a tinge of cowardice, after a while. "Now here we come to the great crux of intellectual life: the attitude to violence. It is the fence at which most secular intellectuals, be they pacifist or not, stumble and fall into inconsistency -- or, indeed, into sheer incoherence. They may renounce it in theory, as indeed in logic they must since it is the antithesis of rational methods of solving problems. But in practice they find themselves from time to time endorsing it -- what might be called the Necessary Murder Syndrome -- or approving its use by those with whom they sympathize. Other intellectuals, confronted with the fact of violence practiced by those they wish to defend, simply transfer the moral responsibility, by ingenious argument, to others whom they wish to attack. -- Paul Johnson

I recently saw Restrepo and was struck by how similar much of it was to these clips we've been seeing for years on YouTube and LiveLeak. Vietnam was remarkable because we watched it in our living rooms, on TV. These wars are remarkable because we can watch them anywhere, on demand, via our glowing rectangle of choice.

All these veiled threats about what could happen if we suggest that Islam / = peace are reminiscent of that Behead Those Who Insult Islam sign--only slicker.

It is a frequent vice of radical polemic to assert, and even to believe, that once you have found the lowest motive for an antagonist, you have identified the correct one. -- Christopher Hitchens, "Reactionary Prophet", The Atlantic, April 2004

Congratulations to all Blackfive bloggers & hats off to all military & veterans hereabouts.

Oh, that's brutal! I felt that in the pit of my stomach, figuratively speaking.

I'm curious to test drive the turbo Regal due out later this year. Prolly can't afford it, having had to suddenly replace one car with a new Camry. But still...

Sounds like a challenge for a chaos theory wonk.

This is as nuts as that case years ago, when SUVs got tax breaks because they were considered trucks, which were considered work vehicles.

I look forward to test-driving the Sonata with a turbo. A turbo-charged Hyundai Sonata...five years ago that would have sounded almost ungrammatical, wouldn't it?

One of the more unexpected ways of learning about cars is by doing school carpool: opening the doors of vehicles as parents drive up to drop off their kids for school. I get to see a lot of vehicles up close, and slam their doors. The Odyssey is far & away the most popular minivan in my area, based on my observations.

I hope Chrysler stays in business and continues employing thousands of American workers. But you know, I wouldn't have another Chrysler vehicle if I won it in a raffle. First one I owned was my parents' hand-me-down Dodge Coronet 500. Loved it, but I crashed it one year shy of when it would've been an official antique. Next was a 1986 Plymouth Voyager. A 4-cylinder, it burned up the head gasket every 18 months. Next was a 1992 Acclaim. I took good care of it, but it fell apart like a Shriners clown car. No more for me. I can't afford cheap cars anymore. Fortunately for me, Toyota's present woes presented a bottom-feeding opportunity, and I bought a new Camry at a decent price. Okay, back to the Obama-bashing...

I'm glad he's still remembered. Happy Memorial Day to all at Black Five.

Eh, I'll wait til it shows up on Carmax...

(Side note: my head is huge!) You are suffering from the common female disorder of "girl-o-vision", where you feel that every picture taken of you must burn.

Great, congratulations!

Thanks for the legwork in putting together those links.

That's bizarre. Why is it, again, that you are even giving KTF your business, instead of SK? For the iPhone?

A YouTube clip is worth a thousand words.

Prayers for the wounded & families.

I just hope he's listening to wise counsel. All our futures depend on it.

Ha! Was that the bar girl who decked him?

I'm not military, so maybe I can't truly understand this sentiment--but I can certainly appreciate the job y'all do! We're always thinking of you.