And here's her blog.

Via the King of Felines, Desert Cat.

(Oh, come on, my liberal friends. Even you like to see pictures of pretty young women with large guns. You must—deep down.)

Posted by: Attila at 10:56 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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I've been asked to write something about myself. Oddly, I'm not sure I want to do this in any kind of disciplined way. And I'm also uncertain about whether, as advertising, this will be "accurate." I write on many subjects, and what you see here may not be what you get in the posts.

But here it is: the post that will serve as (or at least be the acorn for) the future bio page.

I'm a 42-year old white woman (mostly Anglo-Saxon, probably slightly Slavic, with a little Creek Indian thrown in and God knows what else). Ancestors on the Mayflower, Methodist family roots. I'm very short, and I'm told I look 5-10 years younger than I really am. This has been difficult in the work world, but I suspect it will become more and more gratifying over the next decade or two. (Photos of me exist online; you can look for them if you like.)

My husband and I can't produce children biologically, but want a family. We're in the process of adopting. I want twins, reasoning that that would be a "ready-made family," but the odds are against me.

We live in the hills east of Los Angeles, near Pasadena.

I'm interested in guns, architecture, crime fiction, movies, art, and music. But with respect to music, I'm a pig. I like 70s rock, with a good beat and lots of bass. Some of what I like is good, but that's an accident: quality is not a prerequisite. In many areas I can be refined in my tastes. Music isn't one of them.

I like to cook, but rarely make the time. I like to grow plants, but have no talent for it at all.

I support the war in Iraq, and the War on Terrorism in general. (What do you mean you can't wage war on a noun? Japan is a noun. The Axis is a noun. Fascism is a noun. Go home.)

I'm pro-gay rights, and in favor of legalizing marijuana. I think the War on Drugs is an abomination, and has thrashed the Bill of Rights more thoroughly than anything John Ashcroft ever did.

I'm a big fan of the Bill of Rights in general. Fond, in particular, of the First, Second, and Fourth Amendments.

I work in publishing; I've been involved with magazines for over 20 years. My husband works in television. We're both writers; he's a successful one.

Mostly, I'm a blogger. Blogging is an addiction for me—a necessary outlet. Fiction projects come and go, but blogging is something I expect to do for the rest of my life. Not because there's any virtue in it, but because I've caught the disease.

I tend to forget that a handful of people from my "real," flesh-and-blood life read these pages, and concentrate instead on writing for those whom I haven't met—or, in the case of the Bear Flag Leaguers, those I met only through blogging. Mostly, I write for the people who leave comments and send me e-mail.

If you're a regular here, I'm writing for you.

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1 She's writing for me! She's writing for me! In your face, occasional readers! She's writing for me!

Posted by: Jeff Harrell at November 14, 2004 03:00 PM (UAuME)

2 Excellent, this speaks volumes! (One question though: Where did the name of your blog come from?) *Always-curious occassional-reader*

Posted by: Jeremy at November 14, 2004 04:41 PM (UOSU9)

3 I think that it came out very well. I hope that y'all get lucky and get twins, would be fantastic. 70's rock is great. Stones, Deep Purple, Rush, etc. and, yeah, where does the weblog name come from?

Posted by: William Teach at November 14, 2004 04:47 PM (KCG7N)

4 As a regular, I'm honored.

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at November 14, 2004 05:02 PM (U3CvV)

5 As I recall, I had three possible blog names ready. My initial foray, as with so many, was on Blogspot. The name "Dr. Bitch" was taken. This was my second choice, and in retrospect I believe it's the better name. The phrase sprang, fully formed, into my head. If I had to try to parse it out, I'd probably say it related on an unconscious level to Rush Limbaugh's allusions to "sitting in the Attila the Hun chair." And from being called "Miss English Major" repeatedly in high school and college. (In high school there were majors, but no one paid them any mind, since we were all "university prep" majors. But it was well-known that I would be an English major once I got into the University of California, since I was clearly born to be an English major at the University of California.)

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 14, 2004 05:34 PM (SuJa4)

6 Is this the "regular reader" check in desk?

Posted by: Lysander at November 14, 2004 09:06 PM (ht9UE)

7 Yes. Someday it'll be replaced by the customer service desk, wherein those who have been nicest to me in the comments get their feedback taken seriously, and those I don't like get compared to Michael Moore. Shortly after that, I take over the world [evil villain laugh].

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 14, 2004 11:00 PM (SuJa4)

8 Oy, the evil laugh (at least it's not the maniacal evil laughter, or I'd have to find the Evil Overlord reference). And a direct reference to The Evil One himself... can't we just lock it in a car and let it eat itself to death, a la Pizza the Hutt? Lysander

Posted by: Lysander at November 15, 2004 10:58 AM (ShW/G)

9 Foundya at http://www.mwilliams.info/archives/001495.php Thanks for blogging just for me and all us "me"s who enjoy your site.

Posted by: Politickal Animal at November 15, 2004 01:31 PM (Yims8)

10 That brunch was a while ago! Glad you stopped in.

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 15, 2004 04:29 PM (SuJa4)

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According to Scott Ott, it happened today while Cheney was in the hospital.

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As Jeff/BA puts it: "Widow/Fag Hag."

Nickname in Palestinian press: Miss Moneybags. Who she admires: Hillary Clinton. Friends: Shapari Khashoggi, Queen Rania of Jordan. Wears: Louis Féraud, Christian Louboutin. (When Arafat sat next to Catherine Deneuve at dinner, Suha had to explain who she was. )

Arafat fortune estimated $300 million (Forbes), $1.3 billion (Mossad), $4.2 billion (IMF). According to PA, Suha received monthly stipend of $100,000, which means Israeli figure of $1 million per month more likely. Owns villa on gold standard Rue Fauborg St Honore, also maintains lavish suite at 5-star Hotel Le Bristol.

Investigated for money laundering this year when $11.4 million showed up in French account, about the time IMF discovered $778 million 'hole' in PA funds. Suha's response:"Ariel Sharon is responsible for this vicious leak. What's strange about the rais [president] sending money to his wife overseas, especially when I handle Palestinian matters and interests?"

Good point, be-atch.

Read the whole thing, if you've got the stomach.

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Phillip Carter of Intel Dump wrote a tribute on Thursday to the living veterans of our last few wars. It's a beautiful piece, and it ends with this tart little reminder of what we need to be doing:

On this Veterans Day, unfortunately, there is more that we can do to support our nation's warriors. The Veterans Administration, always the victim of chronic underfunding, faces significant shortfalls today. It must ration health care in order to deliver even the most basic services, and it may not be ready for the bow wave of combat veterans who will leave active duty over the next several years. We owe our veterans more than this. Similarly, while the overwhelming majority of mobilized reservists have been supported well by their civilian employers, thousands of reservists have come home from combat duty to find their jobs gone, or to find themselves the victims of some adverse employment action, in contravention of federal law. According to the Washington Post, roughly 40 percent of the reservists now mobilized face a "pay gap", where they make (in many cases, significantly) less money on active duty than in their civilian jobs. These troops have a tough time supporting their families while they serve.

Read the original, which contains clickable links to set us on the right path.

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Photon Courier tells the story of a courageous woman who, at tremendous physical danger to herself, refused to back down in Iraq (scroll to "A Genuine Heroine")

Humalia Akrawy is a 22-year-old Iraqi Kurdish woman. Her father was tortured by Saddam's regime, and lost the full use of his hands. Her brother was killed: one of his legs and part of an arm were sent back to the family. She tells of what happened in Iraq following the 9/11 attacks on the United States: "When 9/11 happened, Saddam ordered a 3 day celebration with feasts and parades. Some people did not want to celebrate those attacks. He had those who did not participate brutally executed in public."

Following the invasion by Coalition forces, she volunteered to become a translator for the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. In revenge, the enemy ambushed what they thought was her car, killing her sister instead. She then received a letter: "We know we missed killing you, but we will be back," and her home was blown up.

Humalia Akrawy helped her remaining family members move to a relatively safe area, in the far north of the country and then returned to her job. In fact, she accepted a new position as the translator for Lieutenant General Petraeus himself--a position carrying even more risk because of its high profile.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

These are individuals who would face a gruesome death in the event of a precipitous American withdrawal from Iraq.

Read the whole thing, and definitely browse around while you're there: it's an eclectic blog, and he does a lot of think pieces on a broad number of subjects. Often these essays have to do with how various segments of the economy function, or the way management can best go about developing a business. All discussed in "lay language," and made quite readable/entertaining.

It's sometimes like a private-sector buffet, but he certainly doesn't shy away from politics.

Scoot. I mean it.

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writing in the Boston Globe, reminds us that Arafat's big contribution to civilization was to deliberately promote children as targets of terrorist violence.

On the other hand, those children were mini-Jooos, so never mind.

Hat tip: everyone, including several bloggers. But I first got this from my friend, RS, whom I rely on for arcana on the foundering of the Titanic and the latest theories on Saucy Jack's identity.

UPDATE: Wouldn't it be cool to see some of those who are eulogizing Arafat blown into tiny bits? I'd love to see Jimmy Carter's brains splattered all over the sidewalk one day. Or, better: Amy Carter's brains on the sidewalk, and a picture of Jimmy's face when he sees what he's promoting when he speaks so kindly of this violent, disgusting excuse for a dead human being.

DISCLAIMER: I don't promote violence. Please don't commit violence. I'm making a statement about hypocrisy, and I'm really fucking pissed. Use your head.

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Has a small, public exchange with one of my favorite writers, Jonathan Rauch, right here. Subjects: the degree to which the U.S. has turned to the right, and the level of danger that the conservatives within the GOP will overreach (I'll take the middle ground on that one: moderate to high).

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Cap'n Teach has a nice little summary of why we must not lionize Arafat, and he doesn't lapse into the obscenites I employ when I think about that murderous fuck (oops; there it is again).

(And in case you didn't know, I stole the title of this post from Rush Limbaugh.)

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I never get tired of poring over these things and seeing what The Commissar's done to various blog names to make them into place names.

And this is the first time I've been on the first draft of a map. Look, Ma! No nagging required!

Furthermore, the Divine Marxist links to a post of mine as an example of how to accomplish the nagging in a polite way.

I couldn't be happier; nice to be there with Rusty, the Llamas, and all the other cool kids. It's also good to see SondraK on the first draft; she's often underappreciated.

Posted by: Attila at 10:59 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 Re: your exemplary post. The idea of the maps seemed pretty simple to me. Traffic & link building. It seemed stone-obvious, if you want a mention, do a trackbacked link. Nonetheless, I continue to get whiny comments and emails. Your post was greatly appreciated, as are witty, bitchin-and-moanin posts that do the same thing.

Posted by: The Commissar at November 12, 2004 11:21 AM (jNXzj)

2 Fair enough. Traffic is traffic. I remember how thrilled I was when I got my first really hostile comment. "Cool!" I exclaimed. "This is almost as good as hate mail!" Same principle, on a different scale: attention (links even more than comments, of course) is the coin of the realm.

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 12, 2004 11:27 AM (SuJa4)

3 ||Suggeston|| You need an "About Page" And abstract on who the author of the page is, and what drives them. A quick 10-30 second read to satisfy what curiousity a lame-passer-by, such as myself, would have. I like what I see; the graphics and color schemes are attractive; the words are pleasing to read, and down my socio-political realm. But I don't know *WHO* you are. *Sticking your URL on my Newsreader, just in case*

Posted by: Jeremy at November 12, 2004 03:57 PM (NgoAe)

4 I think Jeremy's prolly right. I have resisted writing an about-page for myself mostly because I can't write in the first person worth a damn. I used to rely on my work to stand on its own, but with archives going back to 2000 and over a thousand posts, there's just too much. Sooner or later I'll probably take the time to assemble a dossier on myself and link it from the front page. Not today, mind you. Prolly not tomorrow, either. But someday. So yeah, Jeremy's probably onto something.

Posted by: Jeff Harrell at November 12, 2004 04:54 PM (UAuME)

5 I'm looking into it. Maybe I'll write a post tonight that will serve as an intro.

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 12, 2004 05:02 PM (SuJa4)

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Rot in hell, motherfucker.

Some have suggested, as an alternative to burying him in pig entrails, that his body be blown to bits in a public square, like those of the young Muslims he's egregiously misled.

That's fine, too. But I'm counting on the courageous Jewish nurse: I suspect she implanted a little bit of bacon somewhere on his aging, decrepit, murderous body.

And I hope his money corrupts his cronies; may his wife and his henchmen fight over the cash until they eat each other and there's nothing left with which to fuck over the young.

Posted by: Attila at 10:55 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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What a relief. We were a little short on our paperwork (which we knew about), but our social worker approved our home and its orderliness/safety. Apparently, she was already three quarters of the way through the report she needs to submit about us. Yet it's truly lovely that she won't have to come back, except to do an annual verification while we wait, and four visits within the first six months the child is with us.

But I'll bet we aren't the first to get nervous about this process. The house was not as spic-and-span as I would have liked, but I did manage to shovel most of the clutter off of many horizontal surfaces. (I've often thought that clutterbugs should sleep in hammocks, since they don't provide level places for papers and whatnot to accumulate.)

I'm a happy girl, but I need sleep. And lots of it.

I'm now officially allowing myself to hope again: the spouse and I went out to an early dinner afterward, and on the way back I told Attila the Hub some thoughts I had on arranging the [gulp] nursery.

And he wants to have a baby shower once our approval is final. It looks like we may only be a few weeks away from that, though we'll see.

Meanwhile, I'm working on our "profile," the photo album they show to prospective birthmothers so they can select parents for their babies. (There's even a "leave behind," a resume with a photo on one page, with the "dear birthmother" letter on the flip side.)

We're continuing to discuss what our limitations might be on race, on learning disabilities, and on drug exposure. We continue to think about what degree of contact with the birthmother we would be open to.

Professor Purkinje, thanks for the photos. If my child is half as cute as yours are, I'll be very happy indeed.

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. . . just shines through in this commerical. I wonder if they have similar contests for judging mooses meese meeses really large animals vaguely related to deer.

Via Diana, commenting on this post at Protein Wisdom, which discusses Janeane Garofalo's relocation plans in the wake of the election.

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We now have four little baby gates, and three "configure gates," which are essentially little baby fences. Two of these happen to be around the fireplaces—the theory being that the child is to be kept away from the fireplace. But when there's no fire, it could be used as a kiddle jail. (Hey, I didn't say I was going to be a good parent, did I?)

They actually sell little "open-air playrooms" that are essentially baby cages. Sounds ghastly on the surface, but I'll bet my attitude could change in a heartbeat on that one.

And every drawer with a lock on it has a different "sweet spot," a different place where one has to put the pressure. I'm getting the hang of it. I hope.

Two more days to blast-off. The place is half-transformed, but it needs some solid work tomorrow, and a lot of refinements on Wednesday morning.

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Forgot to link this sweet sentiment from Lair.

Speaking of that old, pathetic murderer, has he died yet? Stil lingering? Perhaps in excruciating pain? Being tended by a Jewish nurse? About to be buried in pig entrails? Can I help?

I'm bracing myself for the obituaries. I really am.

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I don't go to Terrorism Unveiled enough. This piece by Athena in Jordan makes me quiver with a lot of fear . . . and a little hope.

Get these people an independent media. Now.

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Dean wrote an open letter to John Perry Barlow, which explains clearly and passionately why some of us Classical Liberal and Libertarian types are so annoyed by many of our former brothers in arms—and why we feel they are often responsible for the frequent breakdowns in communication between those who support the war and those who do not.

And I dreamt about him two nights ago. (Dean, that is—not John Perry Barlow, though "Cassidy" is one of my favorite Dead songs.) It was interesting, because it's the first time one of my online friends has made an appearance in my dreams, as more than a disembodied, abstract "weblog author." It was a sort of emotional/electronic watershed.

(Oh, for crying out loud. Get your minds out of the gutters. In my dream, we were in Alaska with a bunch of other people and we stayed up talking until 2:00 a.m. I had insomnia, just like in real life. Nothing there to upset Attila the Hub or the Queen.)

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What's your favorite source for news about Fallujah? The Iraqi conflict? The War on Terror in general?

I'm primarily looking for hard news sites, but military analysts would also be good, since they often have more complete information.

Thanks.

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. . . to the Bush re-election, Misha becomes a mite irritated and shares a few of his concerns in his usual mild-mannered fashion.

Via Rusty.

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Is there anybody out there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone home?

Posted by: Attila at 12:21 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 Relax. We need some information first. Just the basic facts. Can you show me where it hurts?

Posted by: JimK at November 07, 2004 01:55 AM (jpi3h)

2 There is no pain You are receding A distant ship's smoke on the horizon. You are only coming through in waves. (with Feedreader

Posted by: William Teach at November 07, 2004 05:57 AM (KCG7N)

3 Recent new reader and blogger-who-is-too-lazy-to-edit-his-blogroll here.

Posted by: Chadster at November 07, 2004 07:02 AM (LKIOt)

4 Hey, Chad-- Welcome aboard. Of course, I don't recognize your lyrics; are they from a different song?--maybe "Have a Cigar"?

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 07, 2004 11:47 AM (SuJa4)

5 (Dangit, NOW I get it. I thought that was an actual ques...awww...never mind.) Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying. When I was a child I had a fever My hands felt just like two balloons.

Posted by: Chadster at November 08, 2004 10:31 AM (lHBak)

6 Now I got that feeling once again. I canÂ’t explain, you would not understand. This is not how I am. I have become comfortably numb.

Posted by: Miller's Time at November 08, 2004 10:08 PM (dVPOV)

7 [Of course, it's my fault; I cheated by changing the quote by one word. How antisocial can a girl get?] Ok. Just a little pinprick. ThereÂ’ll be no more --aaaaaahhhhh! But you may feel a little sick.

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 09, 2004 12:20 AM (SuJa4)

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