Provided my car is released from the Abu Ghraib of Saturn dealerships today, I'll be driving out to Scottsdale/Phoenix tomorrow.

My husband and I had a spirited discussion about my taking my 11-year-old SL2 out to the Valley of the Sun. I reminded him that it's really no farther to drive there vs. the San Francisco Bay Area, and that I know the route by heart (though he usually drives when we go out to visit his sister in Tempe; some kind of guy thing).

Attila the Hub wanted me to grab a rental car for the trip, but I'm unwilling to drive up the costs to that degree. After all, my mother's car is 14 years old, and still going strong. And my particular Saturn was made before GM started to let the brand slide. It's a good car, though battle-scarred from that unfortunate deer-in-the-freeway incident.

Our compromise: I'm supposed to leave at a decent hour tomorrow, and get to Phoenix by dusk, in case there's some kind of problem on the road.

I'll be covering the NFRA convention in general, and the Americans For Rice activities in particular; AFR is sponsoring the Goldwater Reception on Friday night, and will unveil its new media campaign over the coming weekend. (And please do go to their main page; it's updated frequently and contains all kinds of interesting buzz on the Draft Condi movement.)

So while I tie up about a million loose ends here in L.A. you won't read much here until I check in from Arizona Thursday night or Friday morning.

Posted by: Attila at 08:24 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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. . . over what's happening in New Orleans. Attila the Hub hasn't been able to get through to our friend in the area; we're hoping she evacuated her home early. We know she was right on top of the threat last time. Since Katrina unfolded more dramatically/suddenly, I'm hoping she just didn't get a chance to send an e-mail out this time. But it's worrisome.

The whole thing certainly puts things like my car problems and dental issues in perspective. (The other day as I complained about my post-40 aches and pains in what I deluded myself was a humorous way, my husband remarked that "these are problems that live people have."

"Yes," I conceded. "Getting older beats the hell out of the alternative." Then I looked at the calendar and apologized to him.)

Mostly I've stayed away from Katrina because I just don't feel like I can contribute much to the situation from thousands of miles away. Glenn has an interesting TCS story from 2003 on how our infrastructure needs to be hardened against natural/man-made disasters. It's worth thinking about.

(Via . . . well, via Glenn.)

Posted by: Attila at 10:25 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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. . . and head over to Protein Wisdom, for a Maloney-level smackdown of moonbat academia.

But one that contains that evil Goldstein flair, and exploits his ability to blend in, as it were, with the locals.

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This was a very naughty thing to do, and whoever did it should be spanked.

(I'm thinking Allah or Goldstein, but I've been wrong before.)

Posted by: Attila at 10:13 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 If it's either of them, they'll probably be showing up shortly to claim their spanking...

Posted by: Kathy K at August 30, 2005 06:08 PM (6JPu3)

2

Posted by: Attila Girl at August 30, 2005 07:20 PM (EtCQE)

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[naturally, I stole that headline from an MSM report on the storm]

K's Quest has some pretty good (mostly) real-life coverage of the disaster from Florida. And now she has electricity, so there's much rejoicing and a virtual panegyric to the beauty of wall outlets.

Just keep scrolling.

Posted by: Attila at 10:08 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I'm having a bit of a moonbat attack here. I seem to be battling with 2-3 lefties who are pretending to be 10-15, 'cause they keep changing their screen names.

I mean, I could check the IPs to find out how many there really are. But would it be as much fun?

THESE PEOPLE ARE LURING ME INTO A DEBATE ON FALSE PRETENSES! THEY LIE, AND I WASTE TIME! (Wait. That didn't rhyme.)

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. . . supposed to wear makeup in weather like this? I mean, at 35% humidity, I'm basically powdering over a wet surface: one mistake and I can't just "blend" the eye shadow or whatever to cover my mistakes. I suddenly realize why people talk about "powdering their noses" to cover "shine." I try it. My face is immediately wet again, and I realize that if I keep powdering I'll soon have about an inch of yucky solidified sweat-powder on my face.

OTOH, my hair is curling a bit on its own, like it did when I was on the East Coast.

The only thing worse than living in California would be living somewhere else.

UPDATE: Well, okay. Thirty-five percent is probably not record humidity for anyone living in the South, Midwest, Northwest, or Northeast. However, it does change the usual formula for converting California temperatures into those in these other regions. Usually 100 degrees in the Southwest is like 80 degrees elsewhere. But when it's 95 degrees here and there's some water in the air, it's pretty uncomfortable. Especially when I have sensitive skin, and thre are pools of salty sweat on it for long periods of time: yesterday I had a heat rash so bad, it looked almost like a tan, from scratching my legs all night long.

On the other hand, there are the enhanced waves in my hair, and there's the fact that I have to gulp down less water on a regular basis. And I don't have to keep picking my nose, since normal California weather generally makes me feel like someone has shoved pieces of plastic up into my nostrils.

And there's no worry about forgetting the water bottle somewhere and having people come across one's parched bones in the supermarket parking lot or outside the dry cleaner. Visitors here are always so disturbed when they see sights like that.

Posted by: Attila at 07:01 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 Ummm...I take it you mean the 35% is high humidity?

Posted by: k at August 30, 2005 12:00 AM (ywZa8)

2 Um. It's all relative, right?

Posted by: Attila Girl at August 30, 2005 12:37 AM (EtCQE)

3 Here in Tucson, we start moaning when the dewpoint crosses 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I don't know what that is in %RH at 105 degrees air temperature, but it is not a high number. All joking aside, there is something to be said for "dry heat".

Posted by: Desert Cat at August 30, 2005 11:15 PM (xdX36)

4 35%? That's like wintertime in NC.

Posted by: William Teach at August 31, 2005 07:12 PM (Pzlrt)

5 If it's a dry heat and the wind is blowing, all is well.

Posted by: Attila Girl at August 31, 2005 11:04 PM (EtCQE)

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. . . just did an entire Cotillion Ball roundup. Singlehandedly. From the airport. As the rest of us were wondering what to do about the effects of the evil Katrina.

This is a chick who knows how to take charge, and go way above and beyond the call of duty.

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Because first of all, it's really Goldstein's kind of project. Also, I adore Graham Nash for personal and professional reasons I shan't go into here.

But I'm cranky and crampy, so you get what you get:

Crawford

So your brother's bound and gagged
And they've seduced him with Fox News
Won't you please come to Crawford just to sing
In a land that's known as cowards, how can we all fail to lose
Won't you please come to Crawford for the help that we can bring?

We can change the world,
Re-arrange the world.
It's dying--if you believe in bombing
Dying--and if you believe in beheadings
Dying

Thinking people, sit yourselves down, there's nothing for you to do
Won't you please come to Crawford for a ride
Don't ask Michael Kelly to help you `cause he's dead, too
Won't you please come to Crawford or else join the other side.

We can change the world,
Re-arrange the world.
It's dying--if you believe in wheat grass
Dying--and if you believe in tofu
Live Casey Sheehan's life.

Posted by: Attila at 09:22 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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From now on:

1) Name-calling is discouraged in all cases, but tolerated with respect to public figures. It is not to be used against other commenters, or your hostess. If you resort to this, I may change your comments to make you sound stupid. If that's, you know. If it's feasible. (Often, it simply isn't, and I just let the comment stand.)

2) If there's no chance that your words will edify others or persuade someone else to come around to your point of view, why bother?—you could be watching re-runs of Man from U.N.C.L.E.. Or doing drugs. Or working out a New York Times crossword.

3) Stick to one screen name here, particularly within a given comment thread. Of if you're going to pretend to be several different people, do try to make it convincing: misspell different words. Commit separate grammatical errors. Live it up and use paragraph breaks, even if that isn't normally your bag.

I want to believe.

4) If you're going to claim status as a Vietnam Vet, I want your branch of service, the years you served, your unit number, the tasks your group specialized in (tunnel rats? LRRP?), and the area(s) where you were deployed. Or, you know—I get to counter your arguments by claiming to be the reincarnation of Molly Kettle. This isn't a Monopoly game, and pretending to be a Vet isn't like drawing a get-out-of-jail-free card, releasing you from the normal rules of civilized discourse.

I'm starting to conclude that real 'Nam vets are far outnumbered by those who are "recovering memories" of their service therein. Matter of fact, I think I might have been there myself. I was eight years old at the time, but tough as nails. I killed a lot of VC, and now I'm plagued by guilt.

Thanks.

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1 Not to mention that the REMF to combat troop ratio in the 'Nam was 8 or 9 to one, so even someone legitimately in-country might not have a whole lot to add to the party. There is a professor up here who simultaneously claims to have been a VN combat vet in the 101st and not to have fired a shot in anger. Either a) he was a REMF pogue, or b) he's lying about being in the 101st, because his claimed time of service coincides with the Hamburger Hill action. If he really was that much of a pacifist, either his platoon mates would have fragged him for non-support in combat, or (more likely) the 101st would have washed him out for insufficient belicosity. My vote is that he was a desk jockey or supply pogue attached to the 101st. He brings exactly zero to the debate about the horrors of combat.

Posted by: John at August 29, 2005 03:42 AM (YFWw+)

2 "...watching re-runs of Man from U.N.C.L.E." I cannot imagine how deep in your repressed memory you had to delve to come up with that.

Posted by: James at August 29, 2005 10:08 AM (95AVn)

3 Blogger, 2003-present, 101st Keyboarders Division, Comment Sniping Specialist and Anti-Drug Warrior, deployed on the lower right hemisphere, taking and giving flak from Moonbats, Libertarian Utopians, and Rightwing Statists, depending upon the day and the specific patrol I was on. You're welcome, you're welcome very much!

Posted by: Desert Cat at August 30, 2005 11:22 PM (xdX36)

4 On the thread I was specifically complaining about, the opposition switched from vague claims of being Vietnam vets to equally vague claims of having participated in the Korean War. People are so stupid.

Posted by: Attila Girl at August 31, 2005 06:55 AM (EtCQE)

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What sayest thou?

In other news, it's 8:00 p.m., and the temperature has dropped to 90 degrees. I'm flirting with the idea of taking my sleeping bag onto the balcony, and crashing there tonight. (But then, if I tried to read myself to sleep, the big icky bugs so beloved of the Argentine would fly around and bang against me, my lamp, and my book. And I swear some of these insects are the size of mice.)

Now you're going to tell me to turn on the air conditioning. I'm trailer trash, and I don't turn on the AC more than five days a year, because otherwise I can't brag about how WONDERFUL it is to live in Caleeforneeia. Fucking desert. I'm moving to New Zealand.

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. . . is the man.

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Stuff like this.*

*In case you were wondering, CGWLTF = Conservative Girls Who Love To Fuck. There's an auxiliary: CGWLTFBPGH (Conservative Girls Who Like to Fuck, But Prefer Getting Head). The two groups cooperate on all kinds of ventures: sewing shirts for the soldiers in Iraq, handloading ammo for Special Forces in Afghanistan, knitting vibrator cozies. You know.

For more on the Cotillion ladies—some who do, and some who do not, talk like sailors—see my Cotillion blogroll of sexy warmongers on the left sidebar, under "links."

Posted by: Attila at 05:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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. . . that Michael Moore's adjustment at the Pritikin Center has been a bit . . . rocky. And I don't mean that like Rocky Road Ice Cream.

UPDATE: A weaker woman would be shamefaced. Not me: I simply proclaim myself Queen of the Broken Link, and challenge my readers to supply their own links. In this case Desert Cat found the correct one, but with all this reader participation, someone's eventually bound to find a page that's better than the one I had in mind.

Hey! Let's light candles, put flowers in our hair, and sing Kumbayah.

Posted by: Attila at 12:17 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Trackbacks aren't important, but leaving comments is paramount; we have to let the thugs in the Yemeni government know that "the audience is listening," so they will think hard before they engage in more of this intimidation against journalists. And we know that they routinely monitor Jane's site.

Left, right, and center—this is the least we can do.

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Steyn gets the final word on any topic. This time it's the Cindy Sheehan phenomenon.

His entire essay is marked with compassion. He really feels for the media people who used to go to the Hamptons during Clinton's vacations, and are now stuck in . . . Crawford, Texas. He's able to write about this appalling tragedy in a way that's sensitive to both the President (who apparently doesn't want to hobnob with Hollywood celebrities while he's on vacation) and the real victims, reporters forced to go to a tiny town in the scorching Texas heat.

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The Condistas are definitely on the march.

Crystal Deuker—whose last name got inexplicably garbled by the local press—got lead-story coverage as she spoke to a political women's group in Iowa, attempting to spread the message that it's time to draft Condi.

This is right on the heels of the Quad City Times' report that in poll of 400 Republican Iowas voters, Condi leads the pack by a considerable margin:

Rice received the backing of 30.3 percent. U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona was second in the survey with 16 percent, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani received support from 15.3 percent. Roughly 20 percent were undecided.

Just to be fair to the guys, a second set of questions was asked that excluded Condi's name. Naturally, WaPo ran a story on that second poll, entirely ignoring the Rice lead in the main poll.

What is the Washington establishment afraid of?

Meanwhile, the latest poll in Florida puts Rice neck-and-neck with Mayor Giuliani (21% and 23% respectively), with Constitution-shredder McCain a distant third at 11%.

DISCLOSURE: Team Condi bought an ad from me (see it?—upper left). I got $45 for it, and I'll be spending several multiples of that going out to cover their activities in Scottsdale this Labor Day weekend (along with blogging the entire NFRA convention). Should I ever be in danger of breaking even due to my having contacts within (or sympathy for) a political group, I'll be sure to let you know. (This policy is very unlike that of your average consumer magazine.)

In the meantime, everyone in Team Condi appears to be spending their own money for gasoline, meals, lodging—just about everything in almost all cases. If you think Condi is the best person to carry on—and possibly fine-tune—G.W.'s efforts in the War on Terror, think about whether you have time or money to give. If you do, click the ad and get involved. Thanks. They are about to roll out their big media campaign, so right now would be a great time to slide them some filthy lucre.

Posted by: Attila at 11:18 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Dean points out their similarities, and then suggests that the difference in the coverage they're receiving might have something to do with bias in the mainstream American media.

Pretty fast with that trigger finger—aren't you, Buddy?

Posted by: Attila at 10:26 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Well gosh it would be so unsafe to assume....

Posted by: Dean Esmay at August 24, 2005 11:03 PM (fUXNc)

2 I GUESS YOU'VE LEARNED YOUR LESSON, YOUNG MAN!

Posted by: Attila Girl at August 24, 2005 11:21 PM (1Veel)

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Though, you know, if someone were to do it, I'd cope.

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Jesse Taylor is Jeff Goldstein's bitch.

Posted by: Attila at 12:22 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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