Where do they find so many creeps?

First speculations on Libby's possible replacement = David Addington, Cheney's current chief council. And quite a piece of work he is:

Colleagues say Addington stands out for his devotion to secrecy in an administration noted for its confidentiality.
. . .
Even in a White House known for its dedication to conservative philosophy, Addington is known as an ideologue, an adherent of an obscure philosophy called the unitary executive theory that favors an extraordinarily powerful president.

I'm just glad I don't have to run coffee for meetings at the White House these days or I'd be reeking from the triple necklace of garlic...

(via Atrios)

One down, more to come

Libby indicted on 5 counts, including the charge that he endangered national security (what? by gutting a secret anti-nuclear operation?); official press briefing scheduled for 2pm according to Fitzgerald's website... (They also note that Cheney is not to be indicted today, but still under investigation.)

**Update** Libby resigns!
Update 2: full text of the indictment, as well as a press release summarizing the highlights, are now available in the "news" section of the Fitzgerald website.

Update 3: (paraphrase from the Q&A at the press conference) "We will be keeping a Grand Jury open to look into additional matters." Veeery interesting. Should keep the speculators in business!

Gratuitous Friday cuteness

I apologize for the image-heaviness of this blog at the moment, what with Thursday kittens and Rosa Parks tributes and the rest, but WHEN YOU HAVE A NIECE THIS CUTE HOW CAN YOU IGNORE IT?!? I mean, get real! (sorry for all the shouting, ahem.)



Sophie, future heart-throb.
It's just too much.

New math (new millenium edition)

My, those Pentagon boys do some creative figuring!

[L]ast year American commanders estimated that there were no more than 5,000 active insurgents in Iraq.

Those same commanders have reported that some 1,300 insurgents have been killed since the end of January 2005 and another 8,260 have been detained.

But wait! Before you declare the war over, consider this: Gen. John Abizaid, the head of the U.S. Central Command, said on Oct. 2 that he estimates that there now are 20,000 insurgents.

My head is starting to hurt, with all this success...

Super-wealth doesn't necessitate blindness to inequity

Rafe at rc3 has some out-takes from Warren Buffet on the idea of a flat tax and on the estate tax that I wish more Republicans would pay attention to. In particular, he notes that high payroll taxes mean that average working folks pay a much higher percentage of their income than do big investors.

Where science and intuition meet

Ever try to eat at a table that's wobbling because its feet aren't all level? Ever try rotating it to get all the feet solidly on the ground? It seems to always work, and now a physicist has mathematically proven that it must always be possible. Very nice.

(via boing boing)

Quote of the day (turning seasons edition)

This is the coolest day thus far, reminding me that I have only a half-thick coat on. The easterly wind comes cold into my ear, as yet unused to it. Yet this first decided coolness—not to say wintriness—is not only bracing but exhilarating and concentrating [to] our forces. So much the more I have a hearth and heart within me. We step more briskly, and brace ourselves against the winter.

Henry David Thoreau
Journal entry of October 25, 1858

(via the Thoreau Blog)

The power of "harmless fun"

Gendergeek has a very pointed look at the misogynistic views that are implicit in much of what she calls "lad's magazines." She cites examples of analogues to the typical women's mag quiz and column features, which here run along the lines of "calculate how much you are paying for sex" and "how can I get my girlfriend to do things in bed that she doesn't want to?" Eeek.

I don't have much familiarity with such magazines, so I have no idea of the degree to which this is a symptom of a particular British excess of jaunty chauvinism versus an endemic problem in the genre on both sides of the pond. Anyway, read the whole post -- it makes many other good points about the way that an existing power structure can disallow questioning of its mores (as by accusing the questioner of having "no sense of humor")...

Don't pack up your office yet, Sandra

The right-wingers have hounded Miers out of contention before her hearings even get underway. It's hard to mourn the loss of what appears to have been an extremely unqualified pick, but I doubt that the next nominee will be somebody that the left (or even center) can feel good about.

"President Bush’s complete capitulation to the far-right interest groups is astounding. The ultra-right wing dominance of Republican Party politics is complete, and they have dealt a terrible blow to an already weakened President and his administration," said [People for the American Way President Ralph] Neas.

(quote from this dailyKos response) Especially if Bush decides to stick with women, we're likely to hear quite a bit more about such extremist harpies as Priscilla Owen. yippee.

(hat tip to BF)

Update: August thinks this is a win. I'm not certain I agree with him, but his point about the weakness of the White House and thus the unpalatability of both other cronies (Gonzales was one I was wondering about) and extremists is an interesting one. Only time will tell.

Thursday kitten blogging: Focus on Pasha

Last week Pixel got some close-up exposure (here), so this week a few shots of Pasha looking her cutest at 15 weeks of age. (As always, click any image for a larger view.)


A little lazy glamor.


More typical action shot.



As a bonus, this wide-eyed look at the world
at 11 weeks (leaning off the edge)...


Previous Pasha solo appearances: 2nd look, arrival, teaser3, teaser2, teaser1, homepage

A picture worth 2000 words

Reminding us once again of the power of the visual, cartoonist Mike Luckovich asks the only real question about our latest casualty figures from Iraq.

(via This Modern World)

Well! sometimes good does prevail

Perhaps after hearing about consequences like these, the Bush administration has backed off of its policy suspending the prevailing wages for New Orleans reconstruction work. Apparently it took some congressional gamesmanship, but maybe it also just looked worse when it might have to be generalized to the more recent Florida disaster as well (brotherhood being thicker than compassion for these guys, after all) . . .

(via PaulVA at dailyKos)

Meet Edgar Allen Seuss

That is, Horton Hears a Heart, a clever mash-up of "Horton hatches the egg" (and other Seuss bits) with "The telltale heart." Other clever titles listed at the bottom; might future installments be in store?

(oh woe! I've lost my referrer. apologies!)

If we ignore it, will it go away?

Unsurprisingly, the answer is no: despite the fact that torture of detainees by US soldiers is "old news," it's become a routine part of operations in Iraq. All the chilling signs are there, the dehumanizing epithets (PUCs for "persons under control"), the casual jokes, the routine willingness of medical personnel to sign off on new injuries as having been derived from the capture process. This isn't a few bad apples; this is standard procedure for American treatment of prisoners of war. Such huge steps backward for our civilization and for the souls of those who come to accept their involvement in this grim status quo . . .

Quote of the day

I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
I awoke and saw that life was service.
I acted and behold, service was joy.

-- Rabindranath Tagore,
philosopher, author, songwriter, painter, educator,
composer, Nobel laureate (1861-1941)

(via A.W.A.D.)

Necessity isn't the only mother of invention

Sometimes it's serendipity: an accidental discovery could make conventional lightbulbs obsolete, replacing them with a combination of LEDs and quantum dots that cuts power usage and gives longer-life light sources.

(via Rebecca's Pocket)

Legally inscrutable

An interesting piece at the Christian Science Monitor looks at how laws really get passed and why sometimes judges have to "legislate from the bench" in order for a measure to have any meaning at all.

Often enough the final version suffers what Dean Acheson called "agreement by exhaustion." After all, legislators have a final luxury: They can leave it to the courts to decide what they really meant - indeed, what they really said.

Sometimes contradictory language is left in the final version, or it contains sections that lawmakers didn't even know about. All very pretty, and it puts the lie to those who claim that textual literalism is possible.

(via Rebecca's Pocket)

Hardly even noticed

The inevitable mile marker: 2000 dead in Iraq. Demonstrations and vigils are planned in many parts of the country, likely to be as effective as the last set . . . Sigh.

(via BookNotes)

Update: check MoveOn's listings for a vigil being planned near you for Wednesday night (October 26).

Update 2: MyDD points out how much bigger the total loss of life is than this (already too large) fraction.

A snack-pack of neologisms

The latest wonder to emerge from the thoroughly wonderful Wikipedia is a collection of made-up words used on the Simpsons. Some are pretty obscure, but others (such as "embiggened") have become part of common, if flip, parlance. Don't click the link if you don't have a chunk of time to waste!

(via Alas, a blog)

The passing of a historic icon

Rosa Parks passed away last night. She was an icon of the civil rights movement, and a quiet example of strength and conviction for more than a generation of Americans. Always sad to see a bright light go out, but her life was long and her legacy immeasurable.

Here are an assortment of good Rosa Parks resources:

1. A biography and interview at the Academy of Achievement.
   
   
2. The profile from Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential Figures of the 20th century.
   
   
3. A partial timeline of her life.
   
   
4. A collection of quotes from famous folks in response to her death (from the AP).
   
   
5. A site calling itself the Rosa Parks portal, with links to many more resources, newspaper articles, and other good stuff.

(original news via XOverboard)

Update: here's a nice gallery of photos at the Washington Post. It also has this great quote:

I am leaving this legacy to all of you... to bring peace, justice, equality, love and a fulfillment of what our lives should be. Without vision, the people will perish, and without courage and inspiration, dreams will die -- the dream of freedom and peace.

( via Bitch, PhD)