Moe Lane

…(via Jules Crittenden) it’s just that most of them are foul. Which, by a fascinating coincidence, is precisely the word that I’d use to describe the actions that the UN bureaucracy often finds itself involved in, usually involving children and teenagers.

I will promise this, though: if the President decides to go a little further than ‘unfortunate‘ I won’t stop him.  If he decides that our current economic crisis requires that we delay paying off the UN for a couple of quarters – or years – I promise not to say a word of criticism.  Heck, I’ll even unbend enough to say “Well done.”

Moe Lane

PS: Actually, I do have one semi-witty response: “Ban Ki Moon, do you know what the real estate value is for the land at Turtle Bay?  Because I bet that Mayor Bloomberg does.”

Crossposted to RedState.

After all, it couldn’t have been ‘swarmy, over-privileged, obnoxiously arrogant would-be aristocrat.’

Which is what I’d mean by that; but Greenwald’s a member of the Online Left, so that sort of thing wouldn’t bug him when it comes to a reliable Democrat.

None the less, Dan Riehl noted that Greenwald isn’t happy about the sudden cratering of Chas Freeman’s career:

Isn’t it rather obvious that at some point, there will be a substantial and understandable backlash as Americans watch people like Chuck Schumer openly boast that anyone who makes “statements against Israel” that he deems “over the top” will be disqualified from serving in our Government, despite a long and distinguished record of public service and unchallenged expertise?

As usual, I don’t directly link to pro-torture sites like Greenwald’s if I can help it; Dan’s got the link. I’d also like to note that the answer is “no, it’s not obvious.” Unlike Greenwald, most Americans don’t hate Jews Israelis Zionists are we still using ‘Likudniks’? I can never keep track. (more…)

- As Age of Sail reminds us, this was reportedly the reply by Colonel John Cope to the question of why he run all the way from from Edinburgh to Carlisle (about 74 or so miles) to escape a rebel Highlander regiment.

Speaking as the grandson of a MacMillan, I’m not surprised in the slightest.

AoS has the song by the Tannahill Weavers up at the site, as well as another pretty good post right afterward illustrated how AoS naval fiction writers have such a untapped field of historical narrative to draw from. Check ‘em both out.

Moe Lane

PS:

- From Fark, of course. Referencing the Vivek Kundra situation, which is actually not clearing the fellow; it’s merely indicating that he’s not a target right now. Right now the Feds have gotten access to the fishing hole and are casting out their nets to see what they can catch. After that, comes the plea bargaining. After that, comes… whatever comes.

Sent to me by my lovely and talented wife.

Crossposted to RedState.

Don Surber called it with regard to Obama snubbing the Gridiron Club:

Pres. Obama Will Not Attend Annual Gridiron Dinner, First President Since Cleveland to Miss

A Gridiron Club member tells FBDC first that President Obama will not attend this year’s dinner next Saturday, March 21st. He will be the first president since Grover Cleveland not to attend the first Gridiron Club Dinner of his presidency.

This year’s date coincides with the spring break of President Obama’s daughters’ school and club members have been informed the Obama family will be out of town, likely in Chicago.

…and in case you were thinking that “kids’ spring break” is rather weak beer for sloughing off a century-old tradition, well, good call. The real reason is that Obama would be expected to do something like this:

(more…)

(H/T Glenn) Did anybody have March 12, 2009 in the pool? Because if you did, Christmas just came early:

FBI raids office of D.C. CTO, Obama appointee

Federal agents this morning are searching the Judiciary Square office of Washington, D.C.’s Chief Technology Officer.

The search is part of “an ongoing investigation,” said a spokeswoman for the FBI’s D.C. Field Office, Lindsay Gotwin, said. She declined to comment further.

The outgoing Chief Technology Officer, Vivek Kundra, was appointed last week Chief Information Officer by the Obama administration. His last day at the city government office was February 4, a spokeswoman for D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Leslie Kershaw, said.

[UPDATE] Actually, I am going to speculate as a motive: Kundra’s apparently very Google-friendly, and there’s some indication that Google may not be entirely beloved by this administration. Of course, a government Google crackdown theory would have to assume that one part of the government (the part doing vetting of officials) wasn’t talking to another part of the government (the part doing raids on offices), but really, how likely is that?

(more…)

Monty Python, of course.

One of the highlights of last weekend, in fact. Although we weren’t nearly drunk enough to do it proper justice: we all had to drive home eventually, after all.

Rep. Alan Mollohan (D, WV-01) is merely the latest on the list.

Reading Brian Faughnan’s piece about Rep Alan Mollohan’s (D, WV-01) steering earmarks to his landlord while receiving free rent reminded me, of course, of Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s (D, formerly IL-05) steering lucrative polling contracts to his landlord while receiving free rent. And now I’ve been reminded by fellow RS Contributor Mark I that Senator Bob Menendez (D, NJ) notoriously steered earmarks the way of – and greased the path of federal funding for – a tenant of his when he was both a landlord and a Congressman. There’s apparently money in real estate shenanigans: I’m starting to wonder whether the House orientation session for freshmen Democrats includes a quick rundown on the topic. (more…)

Like a complete goof, I didn’t link to my lovely, smarter-than-me, and sometimes frighteningly talented lady wife’s medieval music research blog Mi Contra Fa. Yesterday was her one-year anniversary, and it really has done wonders for her productivity while not limiting her creativity and work quality in the slightest.

I know that most people reading this don’t groove to medieval music, but if you do, check it out.

[UPDATE]: And welcome, Ace of Spade HQ readers. May I suggest this?

And, via the aforementioned birthday girl at Lurking Rhythmically, we see a link to…

To…

To…

This.

Moe Lane

PS: If you’re not ready to kill either me or her at this point, here is a link to Erin’s ongoing Curse/Or online-story-in-progress. Warning: language, mature themes.

We are removing How Much Is a Million? from the Book of the Week. As it is her birthday, we will allow my old friend Erin Palette of Lurking Rhythmically to pick the book: Lullaby, by Chuck Palahniuk.

I have also removed The Hunt for Red October from the wish list: I own a copy now, and I really wish that I didn’t.

[UPDATE]: Welcome, Instapundit readers. If you haven’t seen the alternate universe Watchmen Saturday cartoon intro, may I suggest that you check it out?

…Glenn Reynolds is actually giving moral credit to a news organization for not memory-holing a straw poll that’s not coming out as expected.

And that’s not the sign of how far we’ve fallen: it’s that I can see Glenn’s point.  That’s just flat-out depressing.

Crossposted to RedState.