Qatar coup attempted? Via CounterSpin
ArchPundit
Qatar coup attempted?
Via CounterSpin Central there was a coup attempt in Qatar? I’m behind in reading the paper, but DAMN why isn’t this on the nightly news?
ArchPundit
Having a good time at
Having a good time at funerals?
Yes, you remember people and laugh about the good times. What a crock. One of the stories that horrifies some twits in Missouri is that Kit Bond popped a beer after burying his mother. I always found this objection to Kit Bond silly because a common theme around my family is remembering the dead and the damn funny things they did. I think everyone objecting needs to get a life–and enjoy it with memories of those past.
J-Ry, “OH SHIT” Emil Jones
J-Ry, “OH SHIT”
Emil Jones and Da Speaker just put $1 Million into the Democratic GOTV effort in Illinois. If you read down the article you’ll see J-Ry pulling in more money recently. This is probably due to Hastert’s intervention recently. For those unfamiliar with Illinois politics, Hastert is from the Fox Valley and so is Rauschenberger–one of the mainstream, but conservative, GOPers. Hastert is trying to shore up the party to keep the Senate and hopefully avoid a painful, painful fight for the soul of the ICFST after a major loss.
An interesting note on this is Crain’s Chicago endorsements where they layed down the challenge to the GOP from here on out. The pushed for a GOP to back business and not social conservatives. The fight between the social conservatives and the business community should start somewhere around poll closing in Illinois on the 5th. I can see it now, Crain’s vs. The Illinois Leader in drag out knock down….
Blago Still Up 12 While
Blago Still Up 12
While more data points are always needed–the Pantagraph poll was probably an anomaly. The Sun-Times is reporting a 12 point lead. Expect a bit more tightening (making my prediction a bit high), but this race is stable. Both the P-D and Trib endorsed J-Ry today. More on that later.
Why the calling the sniper
Why the calling the sniper an Islamist is semantic vandalism
The Nation of Islam is considered a cult by most Muslims. The link points to significant doctrinal differences.
Trying to tie them together to any of the more traditional (it is my view orthodox Islam is a poor choice of terms) is a mistake. It could well be that Muhammed went from the NOI to some traditional form, but we have no information indicating that. Beyond that, he appears deeply disturbed with the NY Times reporting that he claimed he was God.
From what we know so far, it seems more likely that the NOI was attractive to him because he was disturbed, and not the cause of the violence as many warbloggers are trying to insinuate. Islam is a diverse religion and NOI is a very small offshoot that is not Islamist nor is it representative of any of the significant sects. NOI has little if any connection to traditional Islam, though Farrakhan has made some overtures in recent years. Islamists consider the NOI heretical and minus any specific connection, this is a weak argument. We don’t tar Christianity with the Aryan Nation fruitcakes, Islam deserves the same respect.
Islamists are a different story. They are tied to traditional Islam and they are a force Islam must come to terms with both politically and from faith. Maybe some tie will be found, but it seems less likely the more that is reported. Hearing the word Islam and going into full scale babble about Islamists sheds a lot of heat, but not much light.
For all the whining about how the press isn’t connecting this to Islamic violence, there is little understanding of these issues. This shouldn’t be surprising since much of the echo chamber is ignorant of the more scholarly works, such as Huntington, that argues for a “Clash of Civilizations.” Hell, a copy of the Autobiography of Malcolm X would do most of them some good.
A more productive critique made by several was the emphasis on the individual being white. It turns out that only 55% of serial killers are white. Apparently being a sick bastard is an equal opportunity issue.
Bill Kristol–confused While listening to
Bill Kristol–confused
While listening to Diane Rehm (something I try to avoid) Bill Kristol just indicated that Jim Leach was the chair of an important committee. Unfortunately, this is not true. Jim Leach was the head of what is now the Financial Services Committee. The United States is the better for that tenure since he stopped both Phil Gramm and Bill Clinton from jumping off the edge of a cliff over Banking deregulation. Leach forced the continued separation of banking and commerce to avoid the problems Germany and Japan face with relationships between the two sectors being too close.
Who is now the head of Financial Services? Michael Oxley. Term Limits Suck.
15 Ballots! All connected to
15 Ballots! All connected to one contractor!
Perverse incentives are a problem, but the South Dakota case is not a cabal of conspirators.
Update: Brendan Nyhan covers the story at Spinsanity.
Kass nails the Illinois Race
Kass nails the Illinois Race
Using dead kids to win the election when neither did a damn thing before. Oh where, oh where, is Paul Vallas. Worse, they are lying about education. My endorsements this weekend will cover this issue.
Thanks for the links There
Thanks for the links
There has been an upturn in traffic in the last couple days largely due to MY DD, Daily Kos, Thinking it Through, and William Burton. I highly recommend all four as worthy of at least daily reading.
Willam Burton posted to one of my favorite stories recently: Praying for a Judicial Revival. I believe this came out before the episode of West Wing in which CJ is told she is being prayed for by a group of evangelicals. It appears Aaron Sorkin is ahead of the curve.
Losing an entire family Paul
Losing an entire family
Paul Wellstone’s death is horrible, but the death of his wife and daughter is horrifying. I know several people who have worked with him in different ways and by all he was regarded as honest and humble-much in the same vein as Mel Carnahan.