At the New Republic, John Judis has a nice take on the not quite as outrageous as it could have been trial of Bradley Manning (no more than 64 years in the stockade instead of life), titled “Meanwhile, Cheney Goes Fishing.” Because, in the reign of Bush/Obama, those who expose the crime do the time.
Chris Christie, suddenly my least favorite fat New Jersey Republican
I’ve been known to say both kind and unkind things about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, but last week’s performance earned the big guy a whole year of lazy, tasteless fat jokes. Denouncing the recent, shocking trend among certain “libertarian” types in the Republican Party to consider the endless violations of our civil liberties by…
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. “You’re damn right I meant ‘that kind of foursome’!” “Those clubs better be sterile, girlfriend.” “No, sweetheart. Gallbladder first, then the fairway.” “Ferguson, do you enjoy being the face of American medicine?” “Yes, we damn well mind if you play through! Some of us don’t push botox for a living!” “I don’t…
Retired Air Force general accuses Air Force of telling the truth
That’s about the size of it. Retired Air Force Gen. Ronald Fogleman, who was Air Force chief of staff back in the Nineties, has blasted the Air Force for, basically, telling Congress what it doesn’t want to hear. Last year, the Air Force gave Congress its wish list, asking for substantial funding for active duty…
Words, Words, Words
I’m working my way up to writing a long piece on James Thurber, a writer who was a constant companion of my childhood. I recently tracked down one of his more obscure works, The Beast in Me and Other Animals, discovering as I did so that it includes a handful of “Talk of the Town”…
The Wall Street Journal sends up a flair
In the course of an article about political protest in North Carolina, Wall Street Journal editorial board member and senior economics writer Stephen Moore takes on Rev. William Barber II, “a loquacious, likable and politically shrewd preacher and leader of the North Carolina NAACP.” Moore describes Barber’s reaction to proposed changes to North Carolina’s election…
Bemsha Swing
Al McLean – Tenor Saxophone, Jaleel Shaw – Alto Saxophone, Bryn Roberts – Piano, Jason Davis – Bass. Posted by Randy Cole.
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. “Sure, we can wait until after dinner. But it will have to be a really nice dinner.” “Relax. The SEC doesn’t know this place exists.” “You’re so handsome you’re shy? Hey, we’re still drinking tap water here, you know.” “It’s just that, well, when we get to my place, you’d better look…
The Mysterious, Disappearing Chinese Aircraft Carrier Resurfaces
An aircraft carrier that can disappear? Apparently, the Chinese have perfected such a craft. Back in the day, I used to riff almost monthly on the good ship Varyag, a rusting Soviet hull that the Chinese recently bought and relabeled the good ship Liaoning. The Liaoning had just about disappeared, but resurfaced recently in the…
This Town boring as this town
This Town, New York Timesman Mark Leibovich’s shocking piss-and-tell, chattering class takedown of the chattering class is, in fact, causing a lot of chatter amidst the chattering class. Old DC hand Lois Romano goes full chattering class in this exercise in suppressed hysteria, accusing “Leibo” of undermining the networks of “dinner parties and receptions [where]…