She's got it goin' on.

She also agrees with me that we might want so start somewhere realistic in dealing with the immigration issue . . . which, you know—that's an idea some should definitely ponder.

Unless they prefer to sit around wringing their hands, and getting angrier by the day.

(News of the Anchoress' redesign reached me via My Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy.)

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U.S. out of Baltimore.

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Mostly, I just like to watch.

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. . . comes this picture of me in West Los Angeles, taken when I was in my mid-twenties or something like that.

Note the bad hair dye: that was on purpose. I was doing this trailer-trash thing around then, for whatever reason. (I mean, I was wearing it on my cut-off, 80s-style sleeve . . . . )

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Strong feelings, here: he's encouraging people to leave the GOP over this issue. Of course, if that happened, there'd be no one left but us little old libertarians, and we could, like stretch out a bit.

But, here, a ray of light:

Again, I'm not really bothered by the amnesty part. I mean, that's a given. What else are we going to do, realistically?

But I refuse to grant amnesty unless I get my part of the quid pro quo first. Amnesty is acceptable only if it's the last amnesty, and the government needs to secure the border, finally, to prove that.

12-30 million new American citizens I can accept. The problem is the 40-60 million to almost immediately follow. Amnesty, if necessary, but as a one-time deal, and I'm going to need some serious evidence to show it's a one-time deal rather than an ongoing cycle of runaway illegal immigration followed by periodic amnesties.

No one gets their side of the quid pro quo first, Ace: it's like a drug deal. The money and the stuff have to show up simultaneously, or the transaction doesn't take place.

No one trusts anyone in politics. Nor should they.

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Is it ever possible for a female to wear shorts with high heels and not look like a complete whore?

If not, it's rather mysterious, no? I mean, put a skirt on her, and make it even shorter, and it just looks like she's about to go clubbing. More fabric, more modesty as shorts, and . . . instant [ironic] sluttitude.

Why?

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Well, then: I'll share the wealth.

And what wealth it is:

Though, really—does anyone expect Prof. Althouse to be unseated anytime soon?

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Iraq is just exactly like Vietnam. Just exactly.

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. . . for heresy against the Holy Church of the Greenhouse Effect?

Unfortunately, I am an old heretic. Old heretics don't cut much ice. What the world needs is young heretics.

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Unless you have a blog.

The Foothills Cities blog has retained counsel to defend itself against the attempts at intimidation by the City of Pomona.

The money quote from the Bostwick & Jassy letter sent to Pomona's City Attorney:

A response to any lawsuit will surely include a special motion to strike under Code of Civil Procedure 425.16, which is designed to weed out SLAPP suits (SLAPP is an acronym for Stretegic Lawsuits Against Public Participation). Under that law, the defendants need to demonstrate that the targeted speech relates to a matter of public interest (which it clearly does here), and then the plaintiffs would have the burden of demonstrating a probability of success on their claims, without the benefit of any discovery. Your clients would not be able to satisfy such a burden. As a result, our clients would prevail, and they would be entitled to a mandatory award of their attorneys fees under the anti-SLAPP statute. Not only will any defamation plaintiffs waste the public's money paying their attorneys, they will end up paying our cleints' fees.

It's a beautiful thing. At least, I see it that way. Robert Hymers* may disagree, along with J.L. Kirk & Associates*, Enigma Software Group*, Infotel/Vericom/AmeriCorp***, the City of Pomona, and so many others.

There is a lovely passage in the coverage of this story by the Whittier Daily News (other than the fact that I—a hometown girl, whose four grandparents lived in that town for decades!—got a mention):

Pomona officials questioned the lofty aspirations of Foothill Cities [Blog] and challenged the need for anonymity.

"I could take a pseudonym of somebody that had more prestige or historical significance and be totally inaccurate," said Paula Lantz, a Pomona City Councilwoman. "Why would I give more credence or less credence to what they write by how they identify themselves?"

Lantz likened any Internet buzz over the posts, Alvarez-Glasman's letter and Foothill Cities reaction to spam chain letters that circulate from friend to friend via e-mail.

"It's like when someone forwards some cute, little anecdotal stories about Mother's Day, or Easter, or name the circumstance," Lantz said. "It went to a gazillion people because everyone that gets it turns around and clicks `send to all' and it gets sent to their entire directory of contacts and so on and so on and so on."

Pomona Mayor Norma Torres compared Foothill Cities coverage of Pomona to supermarket tabloids.

"They don't have the full picture of what's going on," she said. "I laugh at them. You know what? They are gossipers."

Lantz said she first became aware of the blog after receiving an e-mail on April 20.

"The e-mail said, `We thought you might be interested in a recent post. We're happy to publish your response or commentary on the topic," Lantz said. "It was signed, `best, Centinel."

So the officials in Pomona admit that they only know about the posts in question because one of the bloggers made a good-faith effort to get their side of the story. And blogs are, to them, simply gossip and innuendo—not worthy of notice. Except, of course, when it's time to send threatening letters on City letterhead.

Amazing.

Thanks to David Carr Harr for sending the link to the Whittier Daily News. My family—both sides, the Goodwins and Whittemores alike—will be thrilled/horrified.

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1 Excellent. I hope you will be able to attend the Conservative Leadership Conference so we can meet you. I will use your post as a reference for that legalese that looks like it will get results discouraging a city council from persuing legal action against a blogger. It seems that the "arrogance of power" intoxicates many government agencies to keep pressing on against the "puny bloggers."

Posted by: Richard Disney at May 17, 2007 11:14 PM (T/pIw)

2 Bloggers do have a responsibility to verify what they claim is true. Otherwise, they can simply present information for public review, without further claims--which is what the good ones do. And I think most of us who surf the blogs can tell the difference. The City of Pomona would have been well advised to address the issues raised on the 'net. Boy, I bet that is what they are wishing they did, now.

Posted by: M.A. George at May 18, 2007 06:58 AM (kYfdk)

3 Well, sure. We're not just here to cause trouble; we're here to cause productive trouble. If we raise an issue, but can't discern what the underlying facts are, we have to disclose that we weren't able to fact-check the entry, and are hoping more info will come in.

Posted by: Attila Girl at May 18, 2007 08:24 AM (3F7vn)

4 Well, it is Harr, not Carr, but that is ok...:-) David

Posted by: David Harr at May 18, 2007 09:47 AM (X9kfa)

5 I'm sorry; I wrote the post once, complete with all the links, and was just going to write one more line--the credit to you. Then I managed to nuke the entire entry, and had to reconstruct it. (It was, of course, funnier the first time.) So on take two I started to hurry at the end. If my proofreading clients ever find this blog, I'm sunk

Posted by: Attila Girl at May 18, 2007 12:31 PM (3F7vn)

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A little touch of Insty, of course. The man is a force of nature:

Now if only he'd give my deep, profound and downright brilliant analyses the same attention he gives my throwaway lines . . . .

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And it looks like the approach is somewhat holistic, which is all I asked. (Well—it's one of the things I asked.) Details so far are sketchy. For instance, when we ask people with high-level skill sets to return to their countries of origin in order to become citizens here, how long do they have to stay there? And who covers their jobs or runs their businesses while they are gone?

This would explain why John McCain wasn't available for his periodic blogger conference call this morning, of course.

The fact is, we had to do something about this, and preferably in a way that didn't create perverse incentives for more people to come here simply because some magical "window of opportunity" might close soon. Not because the system wasn't working previously: in a sense, it's been working all along, in its own messy way. But the "don't ask, don't tell" approach has been expensive in some respects, and—more importantly—it's just too risky for us to have porous borders in this day and age.

The "back door" into this country must close, and part of the solution is to make it easier for people to get here legally. We must cut down on that red tape, or the whole thing falls apart.

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If we were to frame Kazan’s testimony to HUAC in terms of personal loyalty, what about his responsibility to, say, Vsevolod Meyerhold? When Kazan joined the Group straight out of Yale, the company looked to the Russians for inspiration, not just to Stanislavski but also to his wayward disciple Meyerhold. The latter was a great mentor to the young American and other Group members. This was a period, remember, when the Group frequently visited Russia – Lefty, for example, was staged in Moscow. Meyerhold loved the older stylized forms – commedia del’arte, pantomime – and refused to confine himself to Socialist Realism. So Stalin had him arrested and executed.

Think about that: murdered over a difference of opinion about a directing style. As “persecution” goes, that’s a little more thorough than forcing some screenwriter to work on a schlock network variety show under a false name.

Amid the herd-like moral poseurs, Kazan was always temperamentally an outsider, and his work benefited after he became one in a more formal sense. But, both before and after, his best productions concern themselves with a common question: the point at which you’re obliged to break with your own – your union, your class, your group, or, in Kazan’s case, your Group. The 1947 Oscar-winner Gentleman’s Agreement strikes most contemporary observers as very tame, square Kazan. But, in a curious way, that’s the point. When you start watching and you realize it’s an issue movie “about” anti-semitism, you expect it to get ugly, to show us Jew-bashing in the schoolyard, and vile language about kikes. But it stays up the genteel end with dinner party embarrassments, restricted resort hotels, an understanding about the sort of person one sells one’s property to. Dorothy McGuire and her Connecticut friends aren’t bad people, but in their world, as much as on Johnny Friendly’s waterfront, people conform: they turn a blind eye to the Jew-disparaging joke, they discreetly avoid confronting the truth about the hotel’s admission policies, and, as Gregory Peck comes to understand, they’re the respectable face of what at the sharp end means pogroms and genocide.

That’s what all those Hollywood and Broadway Communists did. They were the polite front of an ideology that led to mass murder, and they expected Kazan to honour their gentleman’s agreement. In those polite house parties Gregory Peck goes to, it’s rather boorish and tedious to become too exercised about anti-semitism. And likewise, at gatherings in the arts, it’s boorish and tedious to become too exercised about Communism – no matter how many faraway, foreign, unglamorous people it kills. Elia Kazan was on the right side of history. His enemies line up with the apologists for thugs and tyrants. Whose reputation would you bet on in the long run?

That would have to be in the awfully long run. Read the whole thing.

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I'll get my husband to take a portrait of us soon, but in the meantime here are a few Cruiser surfwagons that look a bit similar to The Woody From Heaven (which sounds vaguely obscene, doesn't it?).

And then there's this one, to all appearances parked along the sexiest stretch of coastline in the world:

The color on mine is a dark taupe. And, of course, The Chariot of Coolness sports a sunroof, and a luggage rack that can be configured to look like a spoiler: I'm sure once I do that my gas mileage will be off the charts, due to reduced drag.

Just certain of it.

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. . . the clerk insisted on bringing the clothing out to hang it in my car himself. Outside the building, he saw my Cruiser next to an econo-box and a sedan, and pointed at it: "That car, right? It's small. It looks like you."

I copped to it, with pleasure.

The Cruiser is actually the largest car I've ever driven. I believe he either perceived it to be a truck, in which case it is indeed small—or the term "small" is a euphemism for "curvy and quirky."

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. . . the reaper.

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And what's not to like?

You know how chicks are: we like a guy who can take charge. Until it gets boring, of course. Then we ignore him.

Honestly: I had no idea the debate on how I construct my mother's patio would get this heated.

I'm thinking of doing something like this, only a bit larger, and perhaps using mortar around the edges as well as for the center paver (which I'll buy separately, of course). Which means, Darrell, that we will have to forego wearing high heels in the backyard: Sunset is very explicit on that point.

Therefore: everyone is right, and we can all stop bickering about bricks.

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1 Yes, but you have to make sure that the mortared edge bricks are set on a proper ringwall foundation cast to at least 6 inches below the local frost line, or in areas without frost, at least 18 inches deep. Said ringwall must be a minimum of 12 inches thick. You will need to get soil tests done by a competent geotechnical testing firm to determine the bearing capacity of your soil and ensure that your total live loads and dead loads (times their appropriate Factor of Safety) does not exceed the soil bearing capacity. Said ringwall must be Class S concrete of minimum 2500 psi compressive strength, with #4 rebar placed at the midpoint in both directions, 12" on center. Lap the rebar joints a minimum of 24 inches. When the cement arrives on the job site, be sure to have your geotechnical testing firm collect a minimum of five concrete cylinders for testing purposes--one at three days, one at seven days, three at twenty-eight days and one held in reserve. If the minimum compressive strength is not met at 28 days, the concrete must be jackhammered out and new concrete poured. Of course to do it *right*, you then need to excavate all of the soil within that ringwall scarify the soil at the bottom and recompact it to a minimum of 95% of the maximum density, while ensuring that the moisture content is within 3% of optimal. Then you will need to bring in aggregate base course (ABC) and backfill the area within the ringwall in lifts of no more than six inches, again compacting to minimum 95% of maximum density. The final lift must be compacted to 100% maximum density, and graded to have a 1% slope from the center out toward the edge of the ringwall foundation. Now you can begin setting bricks. Prior to accepting your first load of bricks, a submittal should be required consisting of complete engineering design and testing data and a Certificate of Compliance from the manufacturer verifying that all applicable ASTM standards have been met. Do not accept any shipments until at least three iterations of submittals, rejections and resubmittals has been completed. You want to make sure you're getting the *right* product after all. Brick setting may now commence in accordance with the article instructions, although you must ensure that the bricks are laid in strict accordance with the standards developed by the National Joint Bricklaying Apprenticeship and Training Committee, the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen, the Mason Contractors Association of America, the International Building Code and any applicable local ordinances. Frankly I have some serious doubts as to whether the instructions in that article would even get you close... Now, go have fun!

Posted by: Desert Cat at May 16, 2007 08:40 PM (ogl5V)

2 Y'know I left out *so-o* much that is crucially important in that post. Honestly, I think about fifty pages of specifications minimum, plus about a five-page plan set would be required to lay out exactly how to do this job right. As we've been told, anything short of that is just not worth doing. I could work up a set of plans and specs for you for about $15,000. Unfortunately I'm not registered in California.

Posted by: Desert Cat at May 16, 2007 08:51 PM (ogl5V)

3 Plus on-site Resident Engineer services if you should choose. Oh, and that price is net of third-party services such as testing labs, reproductions, submittal fees, and other direct and incidental expenses.

Posted by: Desert Cat at May 16, 2007 08:54 PM (ogl5V)

4 Because if I don't have the time to do it right, how will I ever find the time to do it over?

Posted by: Attila Girl at May 17, 2007 02:26 AM (3F7vn)

5 Camilla Paglia laughed. Go figure! And they say feminists don't have a sense of humor! Maybe in the spirit of openness and honesty you can mention that I sent that toon to you Sunday night. Would a chauvinist really see the parody? But how could one tell that it was made in jest? Being a toon could be a hint. And in that same spirit I should mention that a filched it from Blazing Cat Fur Blog--in case anyone is keeping track. Men figure out pretty early in life that women don't "need" them. And if they miss the point, you can rest assured that a woman will be there to tell them. And remind them again and again and again. Like most of the best arguments, it started when someone inferred what was never implied and written. It was never about art versus engineering. Everyone that builds knows it's all art. That's why carpenters use moldings that serve no purpose other than aesthetics, and all the artist's tricks of balance, form and symmetry. Some artists use dryer lint for their medium, some stainless steel. It's all art. Except to elitists. . . It was not about old versus new, or unique versus "cookie-cutter" boring sameness either. I did mention that if I needed to start building the project and I had to buy what I needed, I would use pavers for something designed to be walked on, not bricks, meant for walls and vertical applications.. But we all know that pavers are also made from clay, too, and that antique or faux-antique pavers have just as much charm and individuality and uniqueness as any brick ever made. More so even because of the firing times. For the genuine antiques, you have all that color variation and surface distortions that came from the pine tars and resins they used when firing. And the other poisonous and toxic impurities they used to add until the EPA put a stop to that in the early 70's. Wonder if someone told those characters straight out of "The Green Mile" that make the St. Joe brick that k told us about? It was not that pavers have to be split, making them half-thickness. We know that contractors do that to halve their materials cost, especially in freeze-thaw safe climates. And we know that if there is still a market for a product, someone will still make it. At least until capitalism is takes its last breath. If you look around, you can find what you're looking for. Even in home centers. Along with everything else you need to complete your project. Always a good place to start, and a safe place to recommend for the do-it-yourselfer. Yes, DC, that's exactly like the conversation went! Too bad the original is in the archive and readers can judge for themselves who was reasonable. And who wasn't. And who read what was actually written before making a comment. It'll take more than this post to lose my support, LMA, because that support and appreciation is given freely and unconditionally-- like all my other generosities. You can even support others over me that have no leg to stand on in their arguments. Or their "outrage." It's all conversation. We agree sometimes. We disagree. Whatever. We sometimes take something away from the discussion. Like roof racks that turn into spoilers. We can use what we read whenever we please. Or not.

Posted by: Darrell at May 17, 2007 11:00 AM (qj3Dj)

6 It did occur to me a few hours after I posted that that I didn't make it clear you'd sent me the cartoon. I thought it was funny as hell: that's why I posted it. I loved it. But what's really, really funny is that my three most devoted readers are all as passionate about dry masonry as they are about politics. Frankly, I think it's kind of cool. Though if I pull this project off, I think you'll all be so proud of me you'll forget to ask about the exact specs. Or to care quite as much as you do now. Remember: this is just the starter patio, in the backyard. There's still some decking/patio needed on the side yard, and that one will have to be done more carefully, because I suspect it'll get more traffic than the one I'm contemplating doing first. Over and out.

Posted by: Attila Girl at May 17, 2007 11:32 AM (3F7vn)

7 Great! I'll dig up the ASTM specifications right now. . . There are two specifications for clay paving brick. ASTM C902 outlines the requirements for Pedestrian and Light Traffic paving brick and ASTM C1272 covers brick pavers for Heavy Vehicular Traffic uses. Within each specification there are minimum compressive strengths: • C902 requires 8,000 psi • C1272 requires 8,000 psi for pavers set on a concrete or bituminous bed (Type R) or 10,000 psi for pavers set on a sand bed (Type F) For Vehicular C1272 pavers there are minimum thickness depending on the application: • For pavers set on a bituminous or rigid setting bed (Type R) pavers must be at least 2 1/4 inches thick • For pavers set on a sand setting bed (Type F) pavers must be at least 2 5/8 inches thick. Clay pavers shrink during the firing process so both specifications outline permissible dimensional tolerances for particular applications: • Application PS – Pavers for general use – permits +/- 3/16 inch on paver dimensions of 3-5 inches and +/- _ inch on dimensions of 5-8 inches • Application PX – Pavers for use where exceptionally tight tolerances are required – permits +/- 3/32 on paver dimensions of 3-5 inches and +/- 1/8 on dimensions of 5-8 inches. The high firing process that produces fired-clay paving brick produces slight inconsistencies within each brick. Limited amounts of chipping and cracking are inherent in the brick making process. As such specifications C902 and C1272 outline requirements of tolerable inconsistencies. Brick pavers ‘shall be free of cracks or other imperfections detracting from the appearance of a designated sample when viewed from a distance of 15 feet for Application PX and a distance of 20 feet for Application PS.’ A delivery of brick shall contain not more than 5% brick that do not meet the dimensional and chipping requirements, unless otherwise agreed upon by the buyer PART 1 - GENERAL 1.1 DESCRIPTION The requirements for brick pavers that may be set in sand, bituminous setting bed, or rigid concrete are specified in this section. 1.2 SUBMITTALS A. SAMPLES: Five individual samples of each brick color and/or texture showing normal and extreme variations in color or texture. B. CERTIFICATIONS: Submit certifications that all brick pavers will meet or exceed designated specifications. C. QUALIFICATIONS OF INSTALLER: 1. Installer shall have a minimum of five years experience. 2. Installer shall submit for approval, a list of projects similar in nature and size that establishes his/her ability to complete this project. A resume for the project-superintendent should be submitted to establish his/her ability to complete the project. If for any reason, the qualifications are not acceptable, work shall not commence until an acceptable installer is found. PART 2 - PRODUCTS 2.1 MATERIALS A. Clay brick pavers to be manufactured by a registered manufacturer. B. Pavers may be chamfered and lugged or square edge without lugs. Finish may be smooth or textured. C. PAVING BRICK IN PEDESTRIAN/LIGHT TRAFFIC AREAS: 1. True 4x8x2-1/4 as per ASTM C 902 Class SX, Type 1 Application PS, 8000 minimum PSI, 6% maximum average absorption. 2. Slip resistance shall be tested in general accordance with ASTM C 1028-96, standard test method for determining the static coefficient of friction of ceramic tile and other like surfaces by the horizontal dynamometer pull-meter test. Minimum static coefficient of friction shall be .60 for wet and .70 for dry. D. PAVING BRICK FOR HEAVY VEHICULAR TRAFFIC: 1. True 4x8x3 as per ASTM C 1272, Application PX, 8,000 PSI minimum, average compressive strength, 6% maximum absorption. 2. Slip resistance same as LIGHT TYPE R. E. COLOR AND TEXTURE TO BE SELECTED BY THE OWNER’S REP. PART 3 - EXECUTION 3.1 ALLOWABLE TOLERANCES A. Joint widths to be no greater than 5/32 of an inch and not less than 1/16 of an inch. B. Pavers shall not be touching each other unless they have spacing bars. 3.2 JOINT TREATMENTS A. Sweep dry sand, cement or polmyric sand into the joints after the pavers have been set in place until joints are flush with top surface. Fog lightly with water. Repeat process until the joints are full. 3.3 LEVELING A. Protect newly laid pavers with plywood or carpeting as the work progresses. If mechanical compaction is required, you must protect the surface to avoid chipping. See? Just like all my other comments! P.S. I would use the flexible retainers and aluminum stakes for the perimeter of my patio that they sell in home centers. It's easier than mortar and it will last a lot longer. It'll be invisible, too, once the grass grows around it. The other advice in Sunset I agree with. How could I not? It's a lot like what I said.

Posted by: Darrell at May 17, 2007 02:01 PM (fXTKw)

8 Did you say "bituminous"?

Posted by: Attila Girl at May 17, 2007 02:29 PM (3F7vn)

9 Yes, DC, that's exactly like the conversation went! Hey hey now I didn't say that. I'm just contributing my engineering expertise to a proper solution to the problem at hand. Let's be careful not to infer what was never implied and written.

Posted by: Desert Cat at May 17, 2007 04:19 PM (B2X7i)

10 Don't make me stop this car!

Posted by: Attila Girl at May 17, 2007 07:00 PM (3F7vn)

11 Do you say asphalt instead? Necessary if you decide to "paver" your main thoroughfare. When engineers fight, no one dives under the tables.

Posted by: Darrell at May 17, 2007 07:40 PM (Pgd9e)

12 Could be worse: I've heard computer programmers squabble, and it's worse.

Posted by: Attila Girl at May 18, 2007 12:35 PM (3F7vn)

13 Confession time: I have been laughing about this all weekend.

Posted by: Desert Cat at May 20, 2007 10:03 PM (ogl5V)

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Likely to start making death threats and setting off bombs? I hope not, but it's certainly happened, and more recently than a lot of Americans remember. (Cough, cough . . . Ireland . . . cough, cough.)

But Reynolds' point is that any religious sect that wants special privileges can now look at the behavior practiced by Islamists, and get pretty much exact guidance on how to obtain that kid-glove treatment. Hindus, Jews, Paganists, practitioners of Native American faiths: anyone can pick up those tools and use 'em, if we keep offering a special status to fundamentalist Muslims.

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Very clumsy, folks. A city attorney should be able to do better.

When, oh when, will people learn that these "cease and desist" letters will always get posted, and will always bring bad publicity to those who wrote them, unless there is a damned good reason for sending them? (That is, a reason other than intimidation/suppression of First Amendment rights?)

But it's a beautiful thing. Please note the exquisite details:

• web-site
• "publication" [With scare quotes!]
• "blogs" [This one features scare quotes and the usual idiot's confusion of a blog with a blog entry—these are, presumably, the same people who confuse "faxes" with fax machines, and "CDs" with CD players.]

Mmmm. I love the smell of 20th-century modalities in the morning. It smells like . . . well, yeah. I'll say it: Victory.

It just makes me want to "libel" someone.

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I thought I'd get a tarp that's about the right size, and we could test it to make sure we can fit enough chairs into it for the mom, me, and three other people. (There can be satellite seating for larger gatherings, but I figured I'd start out with the husband, the mom, two cousins, and one dog zooming around.)

I'd like to do this in early July, when a few of the cousins will be in town. (Unfortunately, it's the teaching contingent, rather than the lumber-supply contingent, so I'll still be taking the lead. Still, a few more pairs of hands won't hurt.)

But for right now the paths really need attention: I actually swept them off the other day, despite them being bare dirt. That got some of the fence-building debris and dog toys out of the way. But allergic people don't have any business breathing any more dirt in than absolutely necessary. We'll start with pea gravel, and then move on to some kind of pavers, interspersed with herb plantings or ground covers. And then the main seating area we've all been discussing.

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