Unfortunately, it's The Commissar.

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. . . that CBS might follow the lead of Ukranian journalists:

(2004-11-27) -- Inspired by a public pledge from Ukrainian TV journalists to provide unbiased reporting from now on, CBS News has launched an internal investigation to assess the potential impact of such a move.

"If it tests well in our focus groups, you can bet that Dan Rather will break the story," said an unnamed spokesman for CBS.

Posted by: Attila at 04:15 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The Belmont Club is providing terrific coverage of the latest scandals coming out of the U.N., which at best needs new leadership and at worst is rotten to the core.

"It is," my husband point out, " an organization responsible to itself."

Posted by: Attila at 09:01 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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In Hindrocket's "Happy Thanksgiving" post he gives us the following thoughts, which I'm linking because at the second-or-so mention of God I think my eyes glazed over, due to a perception that it was going to be one of those passages from my political allies who are somewhat to my right in the culture wars. It was much more insightful than I expected:

There have been a number of stories in the news this year about schools that have banned any reference to God in connection with Thanksgiving. Which raises, obviously, the question: to whom are we giving thanks, if not to God? I think the real answer, although always unspoken, is that instead of being thankful to God for our blessings, some would have us be thankful to the government.

In the end--and the end may be quite far off, for, as Adam Smith said, there is a lot of ruin in a country--there are only two alternatives for any nation: religious faith and tyranny. Because if each individual is not, as the Declaration says, endowed by his Creator with certain inalienable rights, then those rights are only the creation of governments. And what governments give, they can, and surely will, take away.

In the end, it is only the religious belief that each person, by virtue of being created in the image of God, is of transcendant value that stands between all of us and the boot heel of tyranny. Absent such belief, people are but cattle and, sooner or later, will be treated as such.

That dramatic broad statement—that it's religious faith or tyranny for a country or a society—is actually worth pondering. I know that some of my favorite bloggers who are slightly right-of-center are athiests, and if anything that strengthens those of us who do have a belief in God; it certainly keeps us honest in any number of debates. But our nation's founding documents posit that rights come from God, not man. And for that reason no one is in a position to take them away. It gives us moral authority to defend rights that already exist, rather than demanding ones that are the state's to withhold or dispense at its whim.

Not a preachy bit of fluff, after all. Some of my favorite thinkers are still athiests, but it's nice to be reminded that they don't always win the intellectual arm-wrestling. Not by a long shot.

Posted by: Attila at 10:49 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Has a new Show Trial up; this one is dedicated to the memory of Joey Stalin, that misunderstood, charming bad boy of the old Soviet Union. Check it out: very kewl links.

Posted by: Attila at 10:32 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Dear Jeff:

Margi?

Rae?

Juliette?

Jane?

How many of them are there? I'm crushed. And Juliette and I are friends; I just can't believe . . . you bounder.

Yours,

Little Miss Attila

Posted by: Attila at 08:27 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Wizbang! is taking nominations for the Weblog Awards.

They don't have a separate category for "gun chicks." Or "GOP femmes." Nor "warmongering from the distaff side."

So someone will have to just nominate me for either best conservative or best essayist.

Or, you know: not. That's fine, too.

Posted by: Attila at 03:07 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I ran a quote a few days ago from Greg Hill of the Fairbanks News-Miner in which he maintains blogs can be highly inaccurate. The same writer ranted, as well, about the open sourcing of Wikipedia, and—oddly—referred to blogs that allow comments as "wikis," because of their supposed collaborative nature. (Speaking of which, why aren't you guys writing the entries for me?)

Mr. Hill: "garbage in, garbage out."

Problem is, as reader Chadster noticed, the writer mentions "Dave Berry's" blog by name. That is, Dave B-a-r-r-y. And, as a copy editor and fact-checker myself, I reminded myself that I try to turn that part of my brain off when I'm online, lest I go nuts. (Or . . . more nuts.) But Chad didn't, which is the point. He noticed that someone hyping the superior accuracy of printed/mainstream news sources didn't get the name right for a writer who's been well known and in the public eye since the 80s.

And so, Chadster wrote a note to Dave Barry, who blogged the Fairbanks News-Miner article. And thus I've helped to entertain thousands of people by writing one little old blog entry. You never know what might happen, huh?

Wiki, wiki, wiki.

Posted by: Attila at 02:08 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 How about: Little Miss Attila is a wonderful website by one of those incredible GOPers that send Liberals into a tizzy, and has just smacked Greg Hill silly. She is one of the special people out in Ca, who is trying to keep the dems in line. Feel free to add more, y'all. I'm not getting LMA mad at me for unilaterally creating something there. She scares me.

Posted by: William Teach at November 20, 2004 03:35 PM (KCG7N)

2 He got a couple of other things wrong as well. .

Posted by: Kathy K at November 20, 2004 05:55 PM (Aq6qj)

3 ; )

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 20, 2004 06:28 PM (SuJa4)

4 Thanks for the link. Still waiting on Glenn. =( Maybe I shouldn't have put "Avenge me, Insty!" in my link-beg email...

Posted by: Chadster at November 20, 2004 10:28 PM (t3o/A)

5 Let's just say that the person who figured out the magic formula for Glenn-linkage could get . . . if not money, a hell of a lot of links.

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 20, 2004 11:03 PM (SuJa4)

6 Changing my name to Roger Simon, the name of my blog to JustOneMinute, or discussing nanotechnology might help...

Posted by: Chadster at November 21, 2004 01:27 AM (t3o/A)

7 The Puppyblender linked to the Dave Barry entry today, crediting it to Tim Blair. I must say, I'm disappointed in him—though we must assume he just never happened to open your e-mail. But you deserved that hat tip: you really did. It's an annoying injustice.

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 21, 2004 02:43 AM (SuJa4)

8 Well, I sent it yesterday (Central European Time), *after* he posted that link. So, I don't think it was an intentional diss. I guess he just didn't read the email, like you said, or maybe it's because I'm an Alabama Crimson Tide fan. This makes me wonder if I should join the Alliance all the more.

Posted by: Chadster at November 21, 2004 03:55 AM (5odbR)

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Glenn is boycotting me. It makes me sad that he would throw out our friendship this way. All those long nights, talking almost until dawn till he went upstairs to the Instawife and I walked down the long hall to where Attila the Hub waited, asleep.

And now this utter silence. This refusal to recognize my blog.

Next thing you know he'll be saying he never went to Idyllwild, California for a vacation in a cabin covered with snow. He'll say I never made Moroccan Stew for him, the Instawife and 15 other people.

He's trying to disown me. He's acting like the history we share is somehow embarrassing to him.

Fine. Two can play at that game: I will stop linking him. Beat him at his own game, until he cries "mercy" and acknowledges our true, deep—yet Platonic—connection.

Posted by: Attila at 01:22 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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1 Dont count on mercy A real frend evean a asshole frend would not turn ther back just let it be, If your frend dosit see that hes not a frend.Just be cool un like me you got a lota readers a lota pull. Who gives a damm wat he thinkes this is your blog, you nead not be sorry to iney one. just stand and be you.

Posted by: gutterman at November 17, 2004 02:01 AM (Ak62X)

2 O and cool site

Posted by: gutterman at November 17, 2004 02:04 AM (Ak62X)

3 He'll link the Liberated, Vanities, Recipes, and Capitalists, but will he link Cats? NooooOOooOOooOOooOOoo. He also links the OLD me instead of the NEW me. How bad is that? Linking to him in unrequited fashion is almost like sucking up to Sullivan now, only without the bad taste in my mouth... and the fact that it would prop up a pathetic MSM tool who squeezes his buttocks on TV.

Posted by: Laurence Simon at November 17, 2004 06:52 AM (uBCxH)

4 Linking to the old you--that's almost as bad as spelling your name wrong. Oh, wait--I did that once.

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 17, 2004 10:32 AM (SuJa4)

5 Why not link to people that treat you well? One of the sad things that I've noticed about SOME large blogs is that they seem to forget that it is the SMALLER blogs that make-up the VAST majority of readers. If a GIANT blog treats its readers cavalierly, as seems to be the case here, then that giant might find itself a very small blog someday. As for myself, I get less than a 100 readers per day, and I adore every one of them and hope that they keep coming back. That is why I answer their emails and address their concerns. It's about the readers. You have a large and well-rounded blogroll. You can do without him. I would be most pleased be on it, if you could put-up with a teacher in your Realm.

Posted by: EdWonk at November 17, 2004 05:29 PM (EyLEO)

6 Actually, I was . . . um. I was joking.

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 17, 2004 06:35 PM (SuJa4)

7 I don't think Glenn is biting like Hawinks did

Posted by: William Teach at November 18, 2004 04:30 PM (KCG7N)

8 Heh! Indeed...

Posted by: Desert Cat at November 18, 2004 09:31 PM (c8BHE)

9 Good satirical writing! You certainly had me fooled. I would give you an A+ if you were in my English class. Still..It IS about the readers. ;-)

Posted by: EdWonk at November 19, 2004 12:39 AM (rvmEE)

10 In the case of John Hawkins, he just linked me out of the blue, and I linked him in return. In the case of Glenn Reynolds, I was just throwing a line out into the water, as many do periodically. I've never received an Instalanche, but I'm sure my day will come.

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 19, 2004 09:33 AM (SuJa4)

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You know, for a sexist pig,* you certainly link me a lot.

In return, and on its own merits, I'd like everyone who hasn't to check out "10 Quick Warnings For The GOP." I'm not the same brand of conservative as John—we differ on a couple of social issues—but I agree with every single point he makes here.

* This is what we call, in the trade, an inside joke. No nasty e-mails—either to Right Wing News, or to me.

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

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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.

Posted by: Attila at 12:06 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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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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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.)

Posted by: Attila at 01:34 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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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.

Posted by: Attila at 12:12 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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. . . is up here, in honor of his millionth hit.

I should do something equally spelendiferous for my 45,000th hit. Though I'll concede that's a more anti-climactic number.

Posted by: Attila at 11:46 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I’m at Interocitor’s house with the LA Bear Flag Leaguers. I’m not live-blogging, because the WiFi system is close to overloaded, with ten computers hooked up at the same time. So I’m composing this in Word, and I’ll post it afterward. (Every once in a while, someone will have trouble loading a page and ask our host, “hey, would you kick the router for me?”)

IÂ’m here with Baldilocks, Master of None, the Angry Clam, Xrlq, Patterico, the Armed Liberal, The Pirate, and Presto Pundit.

WeÂ’re basically a bunch of blognerds: there are five laptops open in this room, and weÂ’re channel-surfing the election returns on the large screen as we dig out information from the web and call it out to each other.

Bush is at 269 Electoral Votes, so the contest could be a theoretical tie— except that the GOP controls the Senate, so a tie would go our way. The Presidential race is theoretically over except for any legal challenges, because all Bush needs is one more state to break the tie.

Drudge has called the election for Bush.

Of course, a lot of the networks have Bush at numbers much lower than 269, and people have been tracking the points at which each channel calls Ohio for Bush. We flipped CBS on for a while so we could see Dan Rather's sad clown face, and have been following Brit Hume's persistently glum face. ("Why is he so legubrious?" people keep asking.
"It's his image," comes the answer.)

Mostly IÂ’m sticking very close to the Angry Clam, because heÂ’s one of the brightest people in a room full of very smart cookies. As an added bonus, he can do arithmetic in his head very quickly, which is nice when weÂ’re trying to figure out how various possible scenarios might work out in the Electoral College.

Okay. It looks like New Mexico is red for sure. This is probably it.

The consensus here seems to be that Kerry wonÂ’t concede until tomorrow. Wait!—Carl Cameron has just broken in on Fox to tell us that Kerry is consulting with Senator Kennedy, so the speculation is that they may be discussing the timing of the concession speech.

Okay, kids. It looks like weÂ’ll continue to fight this war on terror, after all.

Over and out.

Posted by: Attila at 11:27 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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