. . . survived their first day on the radio. I can't seem to get the replays over at Rightalk to work, but I guess I've got through the weekend to figure it out.

Congratulations to Protein Wisdom and In DC Journal: you guys have guts.

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the story of the heroic Italian journalist in terms a child could understand.

If you want to know the truth, he seems a little acerbic about the whole thing.

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James sums up the facts in the Terry Schiavo case. Obviously, we need to get a little more organized around this issue as a society. We need more living wills. But it's very hard to paint Michael Schiavo as some kind of monster.

P.S. "We're the party of small government. We're here to help you."

Via Say Anything.

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. . . is going on a trip. Business, or pleasure, I wonder.

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Beautiful Atrocities has done it again; run, don't walk.

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Iowahawk chronicles the new trend of college professors turning to a simpler, sylvan kind of living:

Two years ago this month, Alan Lowenstein, associate professor of philosophy at Harvard University, came to a fateful conclusion. "I suddenly realized that the oppression of western technology extended to my own life," he explained. "That's when I got rid of my computer, threw away my Brooks Brothers suits, changed my name to Grok and moved into a cave."

A passionate critic of Euro-American "linear thought," Grok is one of a growing number of college professors around the nation who have relocated to caves, mud huts and makeshift sweat lodges to demonstrate their disdain for western culture and technology. For Grok, 44, the move to a cave was a natural step in his intellectual progression.

"My dissertation at Columbia synthesized the seminal works of Jacques Lacan, Derrida, and Michel Foucault," says Grok, referring to the influential French deconstructionist philosophers. "I was able to prove, conclusively, that conclusiveness is not conclusive."

The 1988 dissertation, entitled "Beyond the (Dis)Integration of Post-Modern Post-Toasties Pair 'o Dimes and Paradigms: Look at How Clever I Am," created a stir in academic circles and landed Lowenstein a prestigious teaching position at Harvard.

And:

"I think it all goes back to that Stingray bike I got in fifth grade," adds Grok, who grew up in affluent suburban Winnetka, Illinois. "Like other victims, I became fixated on material things. There was actually time, before graduate school, when I considered getting a job."

So what are you waiting for? Get over there.

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Sez hi from the ghetto of chick opinion writers.

Naturally, that whole "editorial pages" flap splashed into the blogosphere, where we had to endure yet another round of mind-numbingly boring discussions of whether females are at a disadvantage in the blogging world. Cassandra calls it "booby counting." She's got that right.

(Applebaum article courtesy Beautiful Atrocities, who reads a lot of stuff so I don't have to.)

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1 Heh... I read Applebaum's column yesterday - it was good. Too funny - mind-numbingly boring is exactly the phrase that came to my mind too. Not to describe her column, but the whole !!! oooh...sexism in the whatever!!! "dialogue". Can't we all just quit worrying about each other's fragile egos and get on with life? Good God... All this condescending crap really gets in the way, doesn't it?

Posted by: Cass at March 18, 2005 11:45 AM (289B8)

2 I seem to remember that the very first time, I found myself vaguely interested. But it seems like this "issue" comes up every 3-6 months, and 1) no one has a definitive idea why there are more males at the "top" in this game; 2) this medium is so young, we have no way of knowing whether or how long that will continue to be the case; 3) so what? It's not like there aren't plenty of underappreciated blogs by men and women. If people want to perform a public service, they'll seek these out, no matter the chromosome-status of the writers behind 'em. Sheesh. So, yeah. I've got no patience with it these days.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 18, 2005 12:38 PM (R4CXG)

3 booby counting? They do know we all have just two, right? ;-)

Posted by: Rightwingsparkle at March 18, 2005 07:10 PM (oZB5Z)

4 I think most het males are, um, right on top of that.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 18, 2005 10:22 PM (R4CXG)

5 Seems like my husband keeps wanting to count them, though. WHAT THE HECK IS UP WITH THAT? We've been married 26 years on Thursday - you'd think the man would be able to remember how many I have by now... men are idiots

Posted by: Cassandra at March 19, 2005 11:42 AM (289B8)

6 Yeah. Ditto. Ditto.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 20, 2005 12:15 AM (R4CXG)

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. . . will you defy the FEC and continue your political blogging as you normally would?

Patterico asks the question. My answer: hell, yeah.

I'll be surprised if it comes to that, but you never know. The government has done some mighty strange things.

If they don't figure this one out, it's civil disobedience time.

UPDATE: Xrlq has some further thoughts, and they are good ones. He begins by pointing out that the FEC might value our "political contributions" so low that there's little or no point in our civil disobedience. But if the FEC does lose its head, then we need to be organized:

I don’t want any innocent non-participants pulled into the dragnet against their will. Instead, I’d suggest we form some kind of club, whose members not only allow each other to rat them out, but actively encourage it, from members and non-members alike. Maybe someone more artistic than I could devise a cute logo with a caption along the lines of “Political Blogmartyr,” “Report a Crime in Progress,” “Make My Day, Call the FEC,” or some other as-yet undetermined phrase. Whatever the symbol or caption may be, it should be available to everyone who wants to display it on his blog, and it must be universally understood as an open invitation to anyone and everyone to report this person’s political acitivities to the FEC. Those filing such reports on any given blog would be encouraged, but not required, to pick out the most ludicrous and the most technical violations they can find - provided that they must in fact be violations of whatever rule the FEC ends up handing down. So here’s my second pledge:

If I choose to disobey any FEC rule that I believe unreasonably limits my First Amendment right to express my opinoin on core political issues, I will not discourage, and will in fact actively encourage, other bloggers to report these violations to the FEC.

My first pledge alone reads like Patterico-Lite, but I like to think the two together are more like Patterico-Plus. Anyone with me on this? IÂ’m more than happy to be one of many fall guys in some stupid FEC action, but I canÂ’t represent the entire blogosphere alone.

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. . . When I give up my sentimental attachment to rail projects.

(Insty.)

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. . . Build some kind of tokonoma to Jeff Goldstein, who just had a scintillating discussion with the ghost of Tony Randall.

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. . . for the Constitution in your lifetime, please sign the internet freedom of speech letter. This petitions the FEC to refrain from restricting bloggers and other online journalists in their political speech, and it probably represents the only time I'll ever be forced to join forces with the Daily Kos.

Read through the names: it's like an online "who's who," left and right.

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Goldstein and Ardolino, coming to an internet connection near you. March 24th.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

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. . . discusses the recent ruling that suggests bloggers can't go around publishing the trade secrets of companies such as Apple with impunity.

It seems like the common-sense decision to me, in the absence of some sort of overriding public concern in knowing these things—that is, whistle-blowers who expose corporate misconduct should fall into a different category from people who simply can't adhere to their employment contracts because they are blabbermouths.

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. . . the final installment of the Dan Rather mystery, with quite a surprise ending. It's masterful.

(Of course, if Rather travelled to L.A., he really should have run into a short, buxom blogger with a Glock .40. That would have changed his day.) The best part lay in Rather encountering, not Lileks himself, but his young daughter. Genius.

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. . . which sounds kinky as hell, frankly. But, never mind.

Wearing his advice-columnist hat, Oakland Jeff answers the concerns of an "anonymous" woman named (oddly enough) Sondra K, who fears she might be harboring Islamic terrorists in her house.

And it's absolutely freaking hilarious.

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1 No, I think you topped it all with your comment. !!

Posted by: Desert Cat at March 10, 2005 11:50 PM (xdX36)

2 That IS funny. You can picture a 'Big Mommas' type household, with all of the mohammeds getting the shit slapped out of them.

Posted by: JD at March 11, 2005 11:04 AM (pQrtL)

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Beautiful Atrocities gives OBL a few more suggestions on prominent cultural icons he might kidnap that would devastate us more than nabbing Russell Crowe. I mean, we'd be wandering the streets with our eyes wide open, our mouths forming little O's if some of these guys went missing.

(But, God help me, I do like Elvira. Can't help myself.)

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As many of you know, Jane at Armies of Liberation has been conducting a one-woman campaign on behalf of Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani, a Yemeni journalist who was imprisoned for writing an editorial that criticized the Yemeni President.

Jane's petition will be presented to President Saleh on March 17th, several days in advance of Mr. Khaiwani's next trial date (trials have been delayed before, on flimsy pretexts; the Yemeni President is also head of the judiciary, for despotic one-stop shopping). Jane would like at least 400 signatures by the time she sends this material to President Saleh. I'm hoping we can do even better than that. As it stands, she has a number of the blogosphere's heavy hitters on her list, which is available for viewing.

Those of us who enjoy freedom of speech and the press must remind ourselves what a blessing it is, and have an obligation to speak up for those who do not yet fully possess these rights. Some Yemeni journalists have signed the petition at risk to themselves and their families: the least we in the West can do is to follow their example. If you live in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or Western Europe, I urge you to make a statement, here.

[/schoolmarmish lecture]

Jane's petition reads—

To President Saleh:

We the undersigned private citizens of many nations are writing to demonstrate our solidarity with Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani and Yemeni journalists.

We have come to the conclusion that Mr. al-Khaiwani is a prisoner of conscience having examined the details of the case including his irregular trial, his lack of a defense, the charges which include insulting the president, and his inability for six months to receive his appeal after several scheduled court dates.

We express our commitment to the concept of a free press in Yemen and to the Yemeni people as they peacefully work toward representative government.

We trust that Mr. al-Khaiwani's new court date set for March 22, 2005 will not be delayed again, as occurred five times previously. We hope that his appeal will be heard by a judicial member acting with independence and the authority of conscience.

We are concerned for Mr. al-Khaiwani's health and will be monitoring his well being through time. We ask that you do your utmost to insure his care.

We are acting with respect and affection for the Yemeni people in asking that you permit the free flow of ideas both in the media and in society. This is the essence of democracy.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Please. Let's bring some pressure to bear on this guy. I'm counting on you guys to spread the word over the next 10 days.

Thanks.

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1 Ick. Do we have to have a "call for action?" That's so Â… Indymedia. The cause is just. My quibble, as always, is embarrassingly superficial.

Posted by: Jeff Harrell at March 08, 2005 02:28 PM (KZlQC)

2

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 08, 2005 03:56 PM (IABNA)

3 I'm so very greatful for your help with this.

Posted by: Jane at March 08, 2005 04:13 PM (6krEN)

4 (Actually I'm teary eyed.)

Posted by: Jane at March 08, 2005 04:26 PM (6krEN)

5 Let's hope it helps. I recently read there are scores of university professors locked up in Libya, our new friend & business partner

Posted by: jeff at March 09, 2005 10:06 AM (r4pbH)

6 Laws, sausages, and short-term trading arrangements. Ugh. It's very difficult to know which is better for getting these regimes to change: carrots vs. sticks. At least the stick is now taken as seriously as the carrot. But most problems remain.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 09, 2005 04:40 PM (R4CXG)

7 Especially when Yemen is such an important partner in the WOT as they are grinding free speech under their heel. I am hoping this effort of ours will impact popular opinion though as I have declared myself to be a pro-Bush, pro-American American, and we are the only ones standing. The petition actually looks rather lovely with all the American names mixed with the Yemeni names. Also a democratic Yemen is a great revenge on bin Laden for 9/11.

Posted by: Jane at March 09, 2005 07:14 PM (6krEN)

8 The more I hear about the details of human rights abuses, the more I want to laugh when people talk about our attempts to "impose democracy at the point of a gun."

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 09, 2005 08:26 PM (R4CXG)

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As 2-3 of you know, famed lefty blogger and eminent silly person Oliver Willis is demanding Brit Hume resign from Fox News for interpreting some of FDR's writing to mean Roosevelt would support private retirement accounts as part of Social Security reform. (A lively discussion ensues in his comments section, and some people argue quite convincingly in each direction. Whatever. FDR is dead, and I'm alive, and more importantly, so are my nieces and nephews, who should not have to support me in my old age.)

Anyway, O-Dub is making a bit of an ass of himself by creating a "petition"—a list of lefty bloggers who are calling for Brit Hume to step down. As if.

So Sortapundit has hit upon the idea of calling for Oliver himself to stop blogging—a far more satisfactory resolution to the situation, if you ask me. I'd love to never again see that silly banner reading, "Like Kryptonite to Stupid." If you're going to have a lame-o slogan, can't you at least be grammatically correct about it? I think Oliver was after "Like Kryptonite to Stupidity," which is just as idiotic, but literate.

Here's Oliver:

Brit Hume is the anchor of Fox News Channel's prime time news report, Special Report with Brit Hume, and he makes things up. On February 3rd, Hume intentionally manipulated the words of the 32nd president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, to make it appear as if FDR supported privatization of social security. This is a brazen falsehood. President Roosevelt's grandson, James Roosevelt Jr., describes Hume's journalistic malfeasance as an "an outrageous distortion". We agree.

Be sure to hop over there, and check out his silly Brit Hume banner.

To which Sortapundit replies:

No matter how hard I try to ignore him, I find myself coming to in front of my PC, Willis' smug face and non-sensical tagline loading before my eyes. How did I get there? Just a moment ago I was reading Wizbang, Powerline or any number of blogs that, you know, make sense. Now I find myself hit full in the face with this shrill abrasive voice of the left - the very voice that pushes me ever rightwards. In the words of INDC's Bill - "Never have so many been annoyed by the stupidity of so few. One, actually."

And so, the time has come to demand that Oliver Willis cease and desist - if only to protect the two-party system. With spokesmen such as Willis, even the best Democratic politician finds it hard to get elected. We don't want to win too easily.

Since Willis sets a lot of stock in petitions he really has no choice but to accede to our demands. Unless he's, ya know, a hypocrite.

And Sortapundit has a banner too, courtesy of Political Teen.

Via Jeff at Beautiful Atrocities, who implies that he and Oliver have a groovy thang goin', Baby. Please, Jeff: don't ever "take one for the team" that way. Ick.

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My jury has been out on Ann Coulter for years. But sometimes the sheer ovarian swagger is charming, in a certain way.

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Via McGehee comes this colorful little quiz conceived by Frank J.

THE "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?" BLOGGER QUIZ

1. Who the hell do you think you are?

Joy McCann, aka Little Miss Attila (or Attila Girl). And I don't just think it: I'm absolutely positive. I just checked my own I.D.

2. So, other than blogging, what's your job? Do you work at some fast food joint, dumbass?

Writing, editing, fact-checking, assisting with marketing campaigns, fixing up and maintaining houses, including mine. All kinds of stuff; I get bored easily, you see.

3. Do you have like any experience in journalism, idiot?

Magazines, yes. Newspapers, not since junior high.

4. Do you even read newspapers?

Those large thin slices of dead tree I remember from childhood? I had no idea they still made those. How quaint.

5. Do you watch any other news than FOX News propaganda, you ignorant fool?

On television? The television's downstairs. I watch it twice a week: once on Sunday nights with my husband (generally a movie), and once on Wednesday nights after T'ai Chi (I've become addicted to The West Wing).

6. I bet you're some moron talk radio listener too, huh?

The radio? That's in my car. I'll listen if there's nothing good on the classic rock stations. But I'm getting a satellite radio, courtesy of my husband, and then I'll never run out of good rock 'n' roll. Which is all I really ask from life.

7. So, do you get a fax from the GOP each day for what to say, you @#$% Republican parrot?

The fax machine is also downstairs. It's amazing how little those things get used these days: remember when that was the way to send documents?

8. Why do you and your blogger friends want to silence and fire everyone who disagrees with you, fascist?

I don't know. But there you have it. And why, given that, do I let them comment on my website? I'm really a bundle of contradictions, I guess.

9. Are you completely ignorant of other countries, or do you actually own a passport?

I've gone through two passports, and as time goes by the pictures on 'em seem to get worse. Why is that, do you suppose?

10. Have you even been to another country, you dumb hick?

Only Mexico and most of the Western European countries; nowhere of note. Can we talk again in 5-10 years? I hope to have substantial updates for you.

11. If you're so keen on the war, why haven't you signed up, chickenhawk?

Because they wouldn't take me: I'm 42, short, and have no specialized skills other than writing iambic pentameter verse. All four branches of the Armed Forces have assured me that there is no need for sonnets about the war. They promised to get back to me, though (exact wording: "don't call us; we'll call you"). So there's hope.

12. Do you have any idea of the horrors of war? Have you ever reached into a pile of goo that was your best friend's face?

Um. My face is in front of a skeletal structure called a "skull." So even if you shot it off, there would be lots of bone fragments in it. Therefore, it wouldn't qualify as "goo," exactly: there'd be some hard material in it, along with a good deal of connective tissue that would be semi-firm. I would imagine it would have a texture vaguely like a good Jell-o salad—the kind that has fruit cocktail added in. Then just throw in some bone fragments, and you're done: Attila's face salad. If you're daring, take that to your next potluck.

13. Have you ever reached into any pile of goo?

Well, that's my main complaint about adulthood: that, and having to maintain a checking account. One just isn't called upon to play with piles of goo very often. In stark contrast, I spent most of my childhood playing with goo of every imaginable consistency, from finger paints to various types of paper maiche, to Play-Doh and that interesting stuff made out of corn starch and water.

Can you get me some good goo? I'll pay.

14. Once again, who the hell do you think you are?!

Are you a Deep Purple fan, by any chance?

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1 OK, that's funny I don't care who you are!!

Posted by: P Mann at March 04, 2005 11:29 AM (f+6vj)

2 Wow, the questioner is a real breath of fresh air.. You're remarkably restrained-I really would like to silence any who disagree, in a completely The Sopranos sense of 'to silence'.

Posted by: JD at March 04, 2005 11:37 AM (pQrtL)

3 Deep Purple, yup. Good goo? How about this: I was working as a bouncer at a bar in Greenville. I got bribed into cleaning the Womens room after closing by the promise that that is all I would have to do. Why? Because some really drunk girl took her top off, threw it in the sink, then yacked in the sink. Then passed out under the sink. Your welcome

Posted by: William Teach at March 04, 2005 01:47 PM (cuTsc)

4 Hm. This brings up at least two questions, and probably a few more that I'm too much of a lady to ask. 1) What had she been eating? 2) Did you rinse the blouse off?

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 04, 2005 05:02 PM (IABNA)

5 Not sure what she ate, but it went along with alot of alcohol. Blouse was, well, eeewwwwww. Not to get to grose, but I wondered why the sink wouldn't drain. I also had gloves on.Which followed the shirt into the garbage can. Then I sat around drinking for about 45 minutes while everyone else finished cleaning

Posted by: William Teach at March 04, 2005 06:57 PM (HxpPK)

6 I believe Frank J was trying to mock the tone of Ted Rall and some of the MSM sorts who have a rather intense dislike of the blogosphere. In a way, we're all taking our swipes at a strawman when we answer these questions, but it's fun nonetheless.

Posted by: Desert Cat at March 04, 2005 08:57 PM (c8BHE)

7 I know: it's just target practice. That's all

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 04, 2005 10:48 PM (IABNA)

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