Bloomberg has a nice—“nice” as in hideously ugly—story on the Dept. of Homeland Security’s passionate determination to investigate anything that might turn out to be worth investigating, particularly if the facts were different. For a variety of reasons, it’s a thing in China to have your baby in the U.S., if you’ve got the cash….
Baltimore Morals
Kudos, a bit belated, to Radley Balko for punching up (or perhaps down) against the “black people are just as scary as ever and it’s all Obama’s fault!” meme being pushed by the Right in the wake of the brief Baltimore riot, during which, to the disappointment of many “conservatives”, I suspect, no one was…
Nick Morgan Quintet—“Ask Me Now”
Performing at the Rex, Oct. 21, 2014. Nick Morgan Alto Saxophone; Brain O’Kane Trumpet; Lee Wallace Guitar; Jon Meyer Double Bass; Morgan Childs Drums. Posted by Eugene Beck
The British are not coming!
Conservative “analysts” are worried, as well they should be, that the British lion is no longer willing to play up, and play the game. A week before the election, the Washington Post could already read the handwriting on the wall: “the overarching result is already clear: A stalwart U.S. ally is growing weaker, more inwardly…
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here “Okay! Now, these babies like a lot of line!” “Well, no, the ‘seven-hole theory’ isn’t invariably optimal.” “We need a bigger hole? What the fuck does that mean?” “Throwing in our rods and getting the fuck out of here sounds like a great idea!” “A ‘vicious circle’? I like that. Or maybe…
Dean Tsur Quartet—“Four in One”
https://youtu.be/OwZvRnlkei4 Alon Tayar, Piano; Avri Borochov, Acoustic Bass; Noam Israeli, Drums; Dean Tsur, Saxophone. Posted by Dean Tsur
Glenn Greenwald, going sideways
I’ve long been a huge fan of Glenn Greenwald, perhaps the supreme foe of the Bush/Obama Forever War ever since the hostilities started. That’s why I’m so pained to read his reaction to the reaction to PEN America’s decision to give an award to Charlie Hebdo. Part of Glenn’s problem is that he’s reacting to…
“Make Fun of Mohammed Day” in Texas? How about “Make Fun of Jesus Day”? Or “Make Fun of the Cowboys Day”?
Since I’m already down as endorsing the idea that it’s okay to make fun of Mohammed à la Charlie Hebdo, I guess I can’t object too strenuously to the “Make Fun of Mohammed” exhibit staged by the “American Freedom Defense Initiative” in Garland, Texas that ultimately involved the wounding of a security guard and the…
Charlie Hebdo is sooooooo vulgar!
Well, that seems to be the new rap—the new, improved rap—on Charlie Hebdo, the no-holds-barred French satire magazine, nine of whose staff were recently murdered by Muslim terrorists. A number of prominent lefties, including renowned Doonesbury creator Gary Trudeau and anti-Bush/Obama war crimes crusader Glenn Greenwald, are suddenly deciding that there should be limits to…
Edward Gibbon, Part I
When I was a boy, back in the fifties, the Sunday papers were still a big deal. The Sunday paper, a full-color, four-color marvel in a black and white world, was a sensation when it emerged around 1900, bringing hours of entertainment for everyone in the family, and fifty years later the institution was still…