Obsidian Wings

French Hostages

Cnn reports that two French journalists have been kidnapped with the terrorist group demanding that France abandon its ban on the hijab in schools. I'll admit that this story initially engaged the bitterly ironic side of me that thought "The silly French can't even surrender properly." My next thought was that this proves that you can't ever satisfy the terrorists.

Both sentiments aren't helpful in this context. This instance does however highlight a problem worth discussing. Even if we wanted to fulfill terrorist demands, and even if we thought it wouldn't cause more terrorism would it be possible to do so?

This is the flip-side of the fact that fighting terrorist groups in the Middle East is difficult because there seems to be so many of them--satisfying their desires so they won't fight us is just as difficult for the same reason.

BTW I'm against the hijab ban in France but that isn't the point.

hilzoy heals all wounds!

To quote Fafnir, "I have been noticin some anger in the world of late. Some of it has been comin from partisan wounds. I am wagging my finger in your direction Democrats and Republicans!" Thus the following silly thread. What are some of your favorite bizarre facts? Here are some of mine:

Best towns' names (US): Bugscuffle TN, Cheesequake NJ, Eek AK, Meddybemps ME.
Best birds' names: Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Crinkle-collared Manucode, Perplexing Scrubwren, Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant, Bearded Coquette, Undulated Antpitta, Marvelous Spatuletail.

I am happier knowing that somewhere in the world there is such a thing as a Bare-faced Go-away-bird. (One of two species of Go-away-birds; they live in Africa.) Which peculiar facts do this for you?

Nonpolitical Open Thread

For more general observations.

Moe Lane "It's nice outside. Sue Me" Memorial Open Thread

Because, really, I did mean to blog this weekend. But we went out to dinner Friday night, then there was the SCA Des(s)ert Revel (Middle Eastern theme. Most fun) last night, and I'm out the door in a moment for a cookout... well.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Easy One

Kerry needs to ask this Austin-based site to take down this video. Even though Former Texas House Speaker Ben Barnes has every right to speak his mind about this, the official Kerry campaign should not be promoting his statements.

The timing here is also particularly transparent.

I wanna be George Jetson

I want a machine that safely shaves my face while I'm still waking up. I want a sassy maid who's happy to be compensated in WD40. But mostly, I want a flying car. OK, so not really, but who didn't expect we'd have them by 2004 while watching cartoons as a kid? Apparently, we'll still be waiting for decades, but the technology is getting there:

In 10 years, NASA hopes to have created technology for going door-to-door. These still wouldn't be full-fledged flying cars — instead, they'd be small planes that can drive very short distances on side streets, after landing at a nearby airport.

In 15 years, they hope to have the technology for larger vehicles, seating as many as four passengers, and the ability to make vertical takeoffs.

It will probably take years after these technologies are developed before such vehicles are actually on the market. And Moore says it will take about 25 years to get to anything "remotely 'Jetsons'-like,'" a reference to the futuristic cartoon that fed many flying car fantasies.

So what's the hold up?

He Should Have Stuck To Viagra.

Remember Bob Dole's recent appearance on the Wolf Blitzer show? The one where he said, about the SwiftVets controversy, that "not every one of these people can be Republican liars. There's got to be some truth to the charges"? Slate got a copy of the raw camera feed from the CNN studio, so you can see what he said when Kerry's ad was airing and the mic was turned off. Check it out.

A Spy in the Pentagon?

From the New York Times:

"The F.B.I. is investigating a Pentagon official on suspicion of passing secrets to Israel, according to government officials.

The espionage investigation has focused on an official who works in the office of Douglas Feith, the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, officials who have been briefed about the investigation said on Friday. The F.B.I. has gathered evidence that the Pentagon official passed classified policy documents to officials at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a major pro-Israeli lobbying group, who in turn provided the information to Israeli intelligence, the officials said.

The bureau has evidence that the Pentagon official has provided the Israelis with a sensitive report about American policy toward Iran, along with other materials, according to the officials."

The Israeli Embassy and AIPAC deny the allegations.

The story gets more interesting, though.

Who Elects These People?

Via Steve Clemons: Did you know that there is a sitting member of Congress who has:

Said the Congressional Leadership (in 1992) "ought to be lined up and shot"

Said, of protesters against the war in Vietnam, "I would have no hesitation about lining them up and shooting them," he said. "Those people should be shot for what they did to us over there."

Said that Bill Clinton was a KGB dupe

Said that some members of Congress "will tell you openly that they're both Communist supporters and socialist supporters" who want "your kids and my kids ... to fall under a socialist, Communist regime"

Said that a rectal procedure he had undergone was "just not natural, unless maybe you're Barney Frank."

Besides all this, this Representative -- Randy Cunningham of California's 50th District -- was on the board of the Tailhook Association in 1991, the year of the Tailhook Symposium at which 83 women and 7 men were sexually assaulted. In the aftermath of the scandal, the armed forces undertook various efforts to combat sexual harassment; at a House Subcommittee hearing in which the acting Army Secretary described these efforts, "Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham called the efforts "B.S." and asserted that "our kids don't like . . . political correctness."" What makes this particularly relevant now is that, as a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, one of the Committees that might investigate the abuses at Abu Ghraib. As Steve Clemons asks, "How can a guy who thinks Tailhook was just all good fun be counted on to responsibly legislate or investigate matters related to Abu Ghraib?"

As I've said before, there are jerks and idiots in both parties, and we shouldn't criticize either party for the views expressed by their more, um, peculiar members. That being said, however, we should also try to make sure that such people don't end up as members of Congress. I have voted for Republicans with whom I deeply disagreed when their Democratic opponents seemed to me to be out to lunch, on the grounds that it was better to be represented by someone who was wrongheaded but sane than by someone who seemed to live in an alternate universe. If the universe you live in is not one in which it's OK to line your opponents up and shoot them, and in which preventing sexual assault is not just "B.S.", take heart: Cunningham is not running unopposed.

On the subject of the GOP's fringe: Vernon Robinson, who put out the amusing Twilight Zone ad, lost his runoff in North Carolina. The Republican voters of North Carolina's 5th District deserve our gratitude.

Friday Funnies

Advance defense: it's a joke!

Pleasure Boat Captains for Truth

merci Ondine