1 I say use the real thing if it gets the bastard to talk.

2 Fake? Not while Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Tara Reid, Charlotte Church, Madonna, Nicky Hilton, Hilary Duff, Ashlee SImpson, Anna Nicole Smith, Nicole Richie, et.al., live and breath...I apologize to everyone for leaving your favorite Skank off the list: Feel free to add yours.

3 Oh.... and a big old plate of BBQ's pork ribs at din-din time. With a tall glass of premium beer. Served by a Hooters chick.

4 I think the jihadi would enjoy the Hooters outfit, though feel obligated to try to waste her, given an opportunity. For, you know--inciting his lust. (Like men need their lust incited at all . . .)

5 Like men need their lust incited at all . . . That's how you eviillll women have been influencing men since the dawn of time.

6 So that's how Eve got Adam to eat the forbidden fruit.

7 The old "push the shoulderblades together" gambit . . .

1 I couldn't agree more. I was finally intrigued enough to go see what you're talking about. What a bunch of disgusting bullshit. I despise Malkin and always have. I don't go there to read - tried a couple of times, because I'm always curious. But she always seemed obviously full of shit to me. Having set this BS off without, apparently, even reading Helen's post in the first place looks completely in character to me. She never was interested in truth or rational consideration of various points. Quite the opposite. She's always been all about spewing, and about ideology, instead. And embodied in her ideology is this self-righteous stance that it's not only okay, but *GOOD,* to do all she can to *shut up* people who disagree with her. I have no respect for that mindset and never will. What confuses me is the number of otherwise rational people who are either surprised by this turn of events, or think it represents some change in Malkin's behavior. I had no idea so many people bought into it. I really find that pathetic. I guess I thought they were just going over there to laugh at her or something. Now I'm afraid this means people actually *buy* that idiot Coulter, too.

2 They are both clever women, but they both are masters of superficial analysis--Malkin from a sort of "Pep Squad" perspective, and Coulter as a comic of dubious merit. They preach to the choir, but do little or nothing to advance real debate. One can glean facts from the work of both women (they do plenty of homework), but one must filter out the continual spinning as one does it. I would still like to read Malkin's tome on immigration, mostly because the premise is so outrageous that I'm deathly curious about how she defends it.

3 Also: I do have a soft spot in my heart for Malkin. She sends me plenty of traffic, and there's no earthly reason for her to have me on her blogroll, since I've publicly disagreed with her plenty of times on her signature issue (immigration). It's pity, or integrity--or perhaps a bit of both.

4 I read Helen's post. The only problem I had with it was that she was asking why security wasn't better, and complaining that she didn't like the very things needed to make it better. Which I told her in a e-mail. Haven't read Malkin, but 'moonbat' seems way over the top for what Helen said.

5 I know everyone's going to get mad at me, but I think it comes from being an American living in the U.K.--the American side of her wants maximum liberty, and the British side leans more toward feeling that the authorities ought to make people perfectly safe. They are conflicting impulses. But, again--it was a piece about subjective responses. It made no pretense to objectivity whatsoever. That isn't (usually) my style of blogging when it comes to issues of such gravity, but one needs to judge it on its own terms.

6 Let me have my book on a plane. If I can't air travel is worthless to me. Planes are uncomfortable enough as they are, no book means I'll be bored to death. They might as well drug me after I board then use the smelling salts after we land. That's how horrible air travel could become.

1 While I was out West recently, there were various pamphlets with advice as to what to do if confronted by an aggressive wild animal. The advice included things like "don't run," "don't let your children run," and "make yourself look as large as possible by standing upright and putting a child on your shoulders." In other words, think what a liberal would do, and do the exact opposite.

1 Literacy is the most dangeroud weapon there is. Thus the book ban.

2 Why do you ban books on the plane? Well, because in the immediate timeframe of something like this you ban everything that is not essential. Yes, books may not be a high threat item (although, I could very easily hide stuff in the bindings of a hardback) but do you really have time to sit down and list all the different things that really are high threats and then train and ensure compliance with said policy? Not a chance. So you ban everything now, and work out the fine details later.

3 Maybe it's a trick to catch Islamic Terrorists. Banned items are confiscated and thrown in trash bins,no? The Koran is a book. Koran goes in trash, zealot goes nuts and gets caught.

4 Cute, Bob.

5 I'm not sure you really want to know, and I hate to give anyone ideas, but the pages of a book could be soaked in any number of chemicals and left to dry. They could be used as incendiary devices, smoke producers, feedstock for more complicated binary or trinary chemical concoctions(when rewetted). Pages can also be glued together, hiding double-edged razor blades or utility knife blades:ceramic knife blades if you are nervous about x-ray machines. The handle can be something else you bring aboard-like a cane handle. Hard book covers can be hollowed and used to conceal a number of things; piano wire for a garrotte, ricin powder, explosive sheets, gel explosives or incendiaries, etc. Canes and crutches could be rifles or shotguns if one had access to a machine shop. Done well, few could detect them. They can also be dispersal devices for that ricin powder, combined with, say, an oxygen tank--if the airlines really let people bring their own aboard these days. Have the airlines sealed all those entry points to mechanicals hidden beneath the floor of the cabin? In these days of fly-by-wire, a determined terrorist could bring a plane down from there without even accessing the flight deck. It goes without saying that knowledge works both ways. Passengers will attack terrorists now. Terrorists know this. I'm sure their tactics have now evolved to the point of killing all the passengers when they get the chance. You have to act immediately if you see something happening. Carry Bic pens with you at all times--the old style "stick pen" with the polycarbonate shaft and "dyomite"(tungsten carbide) ball tip. Learn where the carotid artery is, and practice on a heavy vinyl (naugohide) bag from a dollar store(fill it with sand). The key is not hesitating -when the time comes--and not stopping until the threat is neutralized. That means dead. Practice stomping your foot with all your weight on a padded surface, with an emphasis on your heel. That action will be applied to a neck lying face-up on a hard surface. The neck should be behind your heel. These are not the times for timid responses. Or delays. Assess the situation to make sure it is really happening(someone being killed is a good clue), then act. Be vigilent. Be ready to act. Act. If you don't want to place yourself in this situation, don't travel. But, if you do, you have to do whatever you can to keep the innocent alive. Fights for life are not part of everyday life anymore(thankfully). Start thinking about what you have to do and get training and practice-now.

6 I guess this means I have to go back to jujitsu class . . .? Or at least dust off my copy of The Anarchist's Cookbook. What I really don't want to do--but should consider--is wearing high-heeled shoes. Awful to wear through an airport, but a fabulous weapon.

7 But ask your instructor to put together a short program of deadly maneuvers for use in a closed space. He(She)can set chairs up in a hallway to demonstrate.They usually don't teach the deadliest of moves because they don't want you using them in everyday circumstances. Here, you don't want to spend more than 15 seconds or so on any one individual. Stiletto heels are great for teaching two-letter English words to students("No"). I'd prefer to see you flying in flat-soled boots, preferably with a steel tool and bottom plate. I know that makes it hard to remove them for inspection, but "speed laces" make it a little better. It affords additional protection in the case of a crash/fire/emergency exit. I'd like to see you in a heavy leather jacket, too, one designed to handle "road surfing" in motorcycle accidents. The pants that go with the jackets are good too, but heavy denim jeans will do as well. It wouldn't hurt if the jacket's sleeves were along enough for you to conceal your hands and fingers when disarming someone with a knife/razor. It makes a big difference in a fight. That's why gangs used jackets like this even if they didn't own motorcycles. Wear an oversized heavy t-shirt, one where you can pull it up over your mouth and nose for smoke/poison gases. Order that bottled water and have some available to wet your shirt.

8 Maybe it's time to just make everyone fly naked. That would stop the female version of the jihad in their burkha'd tracks. Now, about the male version: refuse them tickets on any airplane anywhere. You're an Arab? Take a boat or drive. Profiling? Tough. I wonder how comfortable that idiot Mineta would be on a plane filled with nothing but Muslim men.

1 No water means I'll be hitting that call button now. Never used it before, but that thin dry air really parches the throat.

2 It's a mystery to me exactly when America and the world became ravenously thirsty. Growing up, I don't remember people running around with bottles of water. They used a water fountain if they were thirsty. Since when did the world develop an continuous thirst requiring bottles of water that cost more than gasoline? Makes no sense.