WWIII: A 5-Minute Tutorial

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Connecting the dots.

Farmer Allah Hezbollah and his John Deer Tractor or...

Anti-aircraft gun: these pictures were taken by a visiting journalist and smuggled out by a friend.

Photos that damn Hezbollah | Herald Sun

Anti-aircraft gun: these pictures were taken by a visiting journalist and smuggled out by a friend.

RSR Morning Report for July 30, 2006

Again, it appears to me that while Israel has strategic goals in the campaign, it does not have a well-developed strategic plan . For example, yesterday, Israeli ground forces withdrew from Bint Jbail, where they had battled Hezbollah for several days. IDF spokesmen said that the town had been mostly reduced to rubble and the Hezbollah was no longer a significant presence there. This may well be true and probably is, IMO. One Hand Clapping » Blog Archive » Targeting tragedy in Qana – http://www.donaldsensing.com/index.php/2006/07/30/targeting-tragedy-in-qana/

Otherwise, I did find this post about Karl Rove amusing and instructive. Yesterday Rove criticized the "corrosive role" journalists can play in covering modern day politics. What did the illiterate fools in Kos-land do? Create a strawman pretending Rove wants to take away the freedom of the press replete with Nazi references (read the comments) due to paranoia on their part. Finally, if you didn’t read this yet, check out Patterico’s exposure of the fraud that is Glenn Greenwald. The same Greenwald these paranoid idiots view as an intellectual heavyweight. PoliPundit.com » The Left: Ignorant and Paranoid – http://polipundit.com/index.php?p=14492

As Wittes notes, judicial confirmation hearings have never been about the substance of a nominees views. If the history of judicial confirmations proves anything, it is that the hearings were never meant to be a thoughtful inquiry into a nominee's judicial philosophy. Rather, their point has always been to wring concessions from would-be jurists or to tar them as unworthy. Since live testimony by nominees became standard after the Supreme Court's 1954 decision striking down segregated public schools, senators have sought to pressure nominees into swearing allegiance to contested ideas, or to make statements that provide ground for opposition. That is what the hearings still achieve today. They function coercively not because they are failing their intended purpose. Coercion is their intended purpose. The Volokh Conspiracy - Wittes on Reforming the Confirmation Process: – http://volokh.com/posts/1154264576.shtml

An Israeli pilot manages to fly and land an F-15 after losing one of its wings. I have a feeling his country is going to need soldiers like him in the coming days and months. Andrew Sullivan | The Daily Dish: YouTube for the Day – http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/07/youtube_for_the_20.html?promoid=rss_daily_dish

The big question, of course, is why people are so much healthier (or for that matter smarter, see the Flynn Effect). It seems to be more than just better nutrition and sanitation. Scientists are focusing on time in the womb plus the first two years of life. Children born during the 1918 pandemic, for instance, fare much worse later in life in terms of health. The hypothesis is that the poor health of their mothers programmed them for later troubles. Marginal Revolution: Why are people getting healthier? – http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2006/07/why_are_people_.html

With an eye on the November elections, the GOP-controlled House approved an increase in the minimum wage coupled with making permanent cuts in the estate tax. Which seems like an opportune moment to remind you of my argument that "First, a differential lower minimum wage for those who have not completed a high school degree should result in a lower dropout rate. Second, ... the minimum wage ought to be indexed." ProfessorBainbridge.com: The Minimum Wage – http://www.professorbainbridge.com/2006/07/the_minimum_wag.html

Marines Will Always Go Back In (VIDEO) Cross-posted from MsUnderestimated. In the "Back of the Book" segment on Friday, Laura had Sgt. Michael Sarro on, who is a Purple Heart recipient, former Marine, and now in the Pennsylvania National Guard. He’s back here stateside, injured in battle, but is very proud of his service and shows a deep admiration and respect for his fellow soldiers. Expose the Left » Marines Will Always Go Back In (VIDEO) – http://www.exposetheleft.com/2006/07/30/marines-will-always-go-back-in-video/

CURSE and effect. Instapundit.com - – http://instapundit.com/archives/031655.php

After successfully reducing Bint Jbeir and Maroun al-Ras, the IDF has amassed its forces at the border for more operations in southern Lebanon. With American diplomacy working towards an end to the fighting, the Israelis want to clear as much territory from Hezbollah as possible in the time remaining: The IDF wrapped up its operations in the southern Lebanese village of Bint Jbail on Saturday and withdrew most of its troops from the area. At the same time, the army was gearing up for a new ground incursion into Lebanon. Also Saturday night, the IAF struck a road along the Lebanese border with Syria that the IDF said was being used by Damascus to smuggle weapons to Hizbullah. Captain's Quarters – http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/007657.php

This is an unofficial translation of Document Number ISGQ-2005-00022470, released as part of Project Harmony. It is a memo dated July 13, probably 2003; the author is an Iraqi opposition source located in Syria. Power Line: WMD Shipments to Syria Described – http://powerlineblog.com/archives/014835.php

Obsession: What The War on Terror Is Really About. lgf: Obsession – http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=21841&only&rss

Greg Djerejian, who’s definitely one of the more interesting and thoughtful people on the right, attacks John Podhoretz for engaging in "amoral" and "outrageous" "speculative dribble" about how US troops didn’t kill enough young Sunni men in the early stages of the war to have put the fear of God into them (only thing they understand is force, you know). Right on. Crooked Timber » » Apple, Tree – http://crookedtimber.org/2006/07/29/apple-tree/

Headline: Duh!?

I pulled up MSNBC just an hour ago and had to laugh out loud. So much so that it got me blogging again. See for yourself:

It's just insane that the MSM misunderstands things SOOO badly.

What's that? Why haven't I blogged since March? Why did I leave a decently popular political web blogging motif dormant for nearly 6 months? I'll let you know soon.