POWIP Piece of Work In Progress

Free Brian Aitken

Anybody whose case occasions a paragraph like this one gets my unqualified support:

A few weeks after Aitken's trial over the summer, Morley learned that Christie was not going to reappoint him, due in part to a 2009 case in which he dismissed animal-cruelty charges against a Moorestown cop accused of sticking his penis into the mouths of five calves. Morley said there was no way of knowing whether the calves had been "puzzled" or "tormented" by the officer's actions.

They were deprived of milk, you sick bastard! Or . . . never mind.

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

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I Hate To Say This About GiGi . . .

because of the whole sockpuppet thing, and maybe a couple of others, but Glenn Greenwald has been one of the more consistent and, yes, principled voices since the Obama Accession, deploring the same things in Obama that he deplored in Bush.

Nevertheless, I think he's being a little naive about the assassination of nuclear scientists in Iran. First, there's no proof that the US is behind it, though that wouldn't surprise me. True to form, the Iranians are blaming it officially on Israelis, though according to them the WikiLeaks are a US ploy. The latter would take an awful lot of co-ordination from this administration, and a willingness to set aside short-term gains for long-term benefits, that seems uncharacteristic. Despite the ways in which the Obama administration has disappointed Iranian resisters, it's just possible that it's a domestic job. Don't forget, too, that some high-ranking Iranian military and security people have defected recently, partly, I am sure, due to incentives, but partly, I am just as sure, due to alarm at the policies of Ahmadinejad and the mullahocracy.

In point of fact, Iran is and has been at war with the United States, through its exportation of shaped charges and by other means. They've been collaborating with the Syrians to back Hezbollah in Lebanon. As much as I dislike the Saudis, I understand their desire, revealed in the WikiLeaks, to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities, and as much as I find his rhetoric laughable, I understand Obama's desire to cut a big arms deal with them.

Stuxnet apart---and I feel that its sophistication has a lot to do with Iran's inability to believe that the US allows disgruntled Privates to access classified State Department communications---the Homophobic Republic has just gotten the green light, along with other murderous nations, from the UN, to execute those whom a teenaged Palin might refer to (to much greater consternation on the part of gay activists) as faggots. Copts are still being slaughtered in Egypt. Christians are still being sentenced to death for blaspheming The Prophet in Pakistan. The Cordoba Initiators, ever mindful of bridge-building, as was the Buffalo Beheader, are creating pathways to understanding by applying for government cash.

Our own military, our own society at large, have been moving inexorably toward destigmatization of gays. If one of the big suppliers of leaks to Assange and company turns out to be a gay activist, it is to be hoped, I think, that he had some idea of what kind of damage the leaks would do to Islamist ambitions.

People who can't see the difference between powerful mullahs in Iran and the very marginalized morons of the Westboro Baptist hate brigade really aren't worth my time, but strangely enough that description applies nowadays a lot to Andrew Sullivan and not much to Glenn Greewald. On privacy issues, I am in almost complete agreement with one of them. The other one smokes pot.

Regarding the heartbreaking arson at a Portland mosque center for enhanced mutual understanding . . .

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

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After Shellacking, Business as Usual [UPDATED]

Retiring Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN) still doing his job, despite it all:

ABC chooses to represent this as "losing his cool." Watch to the end.

Meanwhile, over in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body, brilliant raconteur Harry Reid was putting the children to sleep with a bedtime story:

UPDATE: Democratic Senator says, "It's all rigged."

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

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Future Weapons Systems

The next generation has arrived, with the Army introducing this sweet new weapon to the theater in Afghanistan.  It's a good thing this was so close to completion, or I'm afraid Obama would have cut funding.  After all, at one time, it would have qualified as a "future combat system."

At $35,000 a pop, if each weapon only saves one life on average, I'd say it's a good great investment.

Adam Wells

Living life at 84 mph and 7000 feet. All I ask is that you don't block traffic, act like a professional, and don't act all surprised when your actions have consequences. Oh, and don't complain about the refs; trust me, they don't care if your team wins or not.

Shitfaced British Hoydens Drub Each Other

Boffin calls for more anger management instruction.

The one on the left is kind of cute. Seriously. She could be the next Naomi Campbell, only white and with smaller boobs. Maybe the one on the right is, too.

Ladies! This is what Jell-O™ is for! Really!

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

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Is Michael Steele the Republican Maxine Waters?

I'm sorry, Michael, but you gots to go.

You blew right by problematic and went straight to insanely douchey.

Did you think you were indispensable? See ya.

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

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One Iranian Nuclear Scientist Murdered, One Wounded In Attacks [UPDATED]

First the Stuxnet worm, now this:

Israelis blamed.

Wikileaked cables show that Iran may have received missiles from the Norks.

Hillary's in hot water for having urged US diplomats to spy on their counterparts at the UN, though this can't be different from the directives given by other countries to other diplomats.

Ummmm . . . this guy says Assange is funded by Soros and the CIA. And Taiwan and Tibet?

Yeah, it's true that Cass Sunstein knows how to create paranoia, by being a proto-totalitarian dick, but . . .

Last night, too, there was a DOS attack that brought down the Wikileakers' servers (in comments elsewhere, Serr says it might just be un-orchestrated high demand that caused the crash). A rather inelegant and belated response, if it were orchestrated. I don't have any theories. I'm just putting some of the puzzle pieces out there.

UPDATE: Per the occasionally accurate Debka Files, the guy killed was Iran's top Stuxnet expert. Hmmm. Well, it would seem to be quite a lot for a person to be a nuclear scientist on one hand and a computer programming expert on the other, but I guess it's possible. I think it's more likely that he headed the efforts to deal with Stuxnet.

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

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Shirley Will Be Missed

In case you hadn't heard, veteran actor and veteran Leslie Neilsen died yesterday of pneumonia at a Ft. Lauderdale hospital, aged 84.

This is undoubtedly a significant blow to his career on earth, but we are confident that he'll get over it. Mr. Neilsen was rumored to have been Canadian.

We are saddened by the news, but would like to thank him for the laughs. His family has requested that in lieu of flowers, anyone who'd like to memorialize Mr. Nielsen send a donation in his name to a charity of their choice.

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

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Jerry Wilson: How Long Will the Christine O’Donnell Autopsy Go On, and May I Go Home, Now?

He's sick of it:

No one who has invested in a candidate receives their being slandered and insulted well. When the demeaning vibe is directly extended to the supporter, it’s on. And before anyone on the Castle side complains that those of us who supported O’Donnell were a bunch of meanies, kindly remember who threw the first mud. It was the Castle crew. End of discussion.

Once the primary was over and O’Donnell has won, the Castle side proved itself pathologically incapable of either letting go or laying off the slams against O’Donnell supporters. Be it the high flyers like Karl Rove or peashooters like Patterico, they simply couldn’t let it go. They piled on O’Donnell non-stop, whenever called out on it bleating it was all “honest debate.” No. It wasn’t all honest debate. There was nothing honest about any aspect of the discussion. It was spite and sour grapes masquerading as debate. It was personal and pathetic. It did nothing but further divide at a time when division was the last thing that was needed.

Not that O’Donnell ran a perfect campaign. She spent far too much time defending herself personally instead of attacking her opponent’s tax raising-happy record. And she lost.

At which point her detractors within conservative circles proceeded to start a victory dance that has yet to slow down.

Why?

It's nice of him to notice, though, because I reached saturation a long time ago.

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

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