Conservatives deal with facts and reach conclusions; liberals have conclusions and sell them as facts.
We are at sixes and sevens today. Our house guest arrives and my twice monthly cleaning service. Between the two, we’ve purged the house of as much extraneous material as possible. I swear that, if you could put my house on a scale, it would weigh substantially less. There’s still
Continue readingA moment of calm, so I’m resuming my round-up. Things are not good all over Richard Fernandez does a quick survey of the three main issues on America’s plate — Russia, Iraq, and Ebola — and is not sanguine. He’s not screaming that the end is near, but he thinks
Continue readingBusy day. Very busy day and not a bad one either, because I got a lot accomplished. Just about the only thing I didn’t get done today was spending time at my computer. I’ve got a pile of open tabs left over from yesterday, though, all of which have aged
Continue readingNot to boast — okay, never mind, I’m boasting — but the reason I didn’t write more this afternoon was that I met up in the City with Neo Neocon. It was, I must say, a delightful way to spend an afternoon. Neo is, as you would expect, thoughtful, informed,
Continue readingIsrael has destroyed 31 tunnels. With her purpose in entering Gaza over, she’s pulling out, leaving a three-day ceasefire in her wake. It remains to be seen whether Hamas will lose patience before the three days are up. At this point, Hamas has pretty much shot its bolt. Although the
Continue readingImagine you have two perfectly matched militaries. One fights on behalf of a country that values the individual, liberty, and civil rights. The other fights on behalf of a theocratic dictatorship that hates, demeans, kills, and/or taxes everyone and everything that doesn’t conform precisely to the theocratic ideology. Which country
Continue readingAs you’ve probably noticed, I’ve re-jiggered these portmanteau posts, with a new name and a new image. I’d like to thank all of you for your suggestions. I’ve gone with a vaguely newsy title and a picture from one of my favorite illustrators, and it just feels right. I’ll continue
Continue readingLast week, I posted this image: Some commenters at both my “real me” and my Bookworm Facebook rightly (and politely) pointed out that those who attack the Twin Towers are not the same people as those whom Israel is now fighting. Israel’s enemy calls itself Hamas, while al Qaeda was
Continue readingIt’s quite flattering that, during the weekends, everyone in my world wants a piece of me. It also precludes blogging. I’ve saved a whole bunch of interesting sites, but didn’t have the time to write anything. I do, however, have some pictures to share with you. (And many thanks to
Continue readingI’m sneaking in a few minutes between appointments and telephone calls. It’s been a crazy day with appointments, endless telephone calls, contractors, and a house full of my family members (and, of course, the kids’ friends). Down time happens sporadically and I have problems focusing. I’ve got tons of good
Continue readingI really need to get a more innovative and exciting name for these round-ups, a name that will convey just how exciting these round-ups are. I find writing posts easy and naming them hard. Perhaps you guys have a witty suggestion. I envision something along the lines of “The [Clever Name]
Continue readingAt a military level, Hamas’s advantages in the war with Israel are minimal. Its rocket strikes were ineffectual against Israel because of the Iron Dome missile defense system. In the ground war, it is certainly able to kill Israeli soldiers (most recently, three died in a booby-trapped UN building), but ultimately Israel
Continue readingHang on to your hats, because this round-up’s a big one (and quite interesting too, I hope). Reading through my own posts, I have a sense of a world rushing unstoppably towards something catastrophic. I think many feel this way, which is why they’re so terribly aware of the 100th anniversary
Continue readingThe Times of Israel has published what is alleged to be a transcript of a leaked telephone call between Obama and Netanyahu. Both Netanyahu and Obama are denying its truth, but I wonder. The substance is entirely consistent with Obama’s and Kerry’s public pronouncements, although much ruder, hectoring, hostile, and autocratic
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