RedState
RedState is my full time job. It is the largest right of center blogging community on the internet. It's also the most widely read right of center blog on Capitol Hill and most quoted right of center blog in the media.
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WSB Radio
In 2010, I started the Erick Erickson Show on WSB Radio in Atlanta. WSB Radio is the nation's most listened talk radio station and broadcasts from Atlanta, GA. It's also the flagship station for Neal Boortz and Clark Howard. The show airs weeknights from 6pm to 9pm ET. If you can't listen live you can check out the podcast via iTunes.
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The House Of Baked Goods
I have the greatest wife. When she gets upset, angry, or frustrated — she bakes. She doesn’t just bake. She creates wonderful things that make me and my co-workers fat.
Tonight we have stuffed goody bags for many people. In lieu of office presents, Christy fires up the over for about two weeks. We have cheese straws, coconut shortbread cookies with rasberry jam, chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, Chex mix, carmel corn, Reeses Peanut Butter Cup cookies, etc.
We also have leftover Red Velvet Cake to take to my office and apple cider, the homemade kind, heating on the stove.
The bags are packed, the cider is bottled, and we’re going to bed. Goodnight y’all.
Vietnam Watch
According to this report, it appears Saddam Hussein had agents infiltrate the Coalition Provisional Authority. It’s most likely not unexpected. Luckily, we found a list of names when we captured Saddam.
But, note the reference to Vietnam at the end of the article. “Pentagon officials with whom ABCNEWS spoke were not surprised about the infiltration. It is a common tactic that certainly happened in Vietnam, they said. But what they continue to worry about are infiltrators whose names are not on the list.”
Why not just say that it has happened during most wars. No, no. The media wants to keep Vietnam fresh in our minds.
The Middle East
This drawing from The Conservative Crust very ably explains the lunacy of the so called “peace process” in the Middle East:
9th Circuit Madness
I think the decision today regarding Padilla was probably right. This 9th Circuit decision, however, is ridiculous.
The issue is over whether the enemy combatants we are holding in Cuba can have access to federal court in California to sue for a writ of habeas corpus. The Court grasps as straws to make the case for the combatants. Throughout the decision there are lines that suggest that the Court just wanted to find a way for the enemies of this country to have access to the courts.
Then, the court goes out on a limb to justifiy personal jurisdiction over Donald Rumsfeld. It was written by the same judge who says the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional. What can you expect.
Idiocy Watch
As you are probably aware, Matt Drudge discovered a Canadian site attempting to funnel money into the Wesley Clark campaign. They stopped. Here is their response to the charge:
We completely agree with the guidelines they have established, and it is indeed unacceptable for non-Americans to contribute financially to American politicians. Just as its wrong for the American government to interfere with the governments of other democratically elected leaders of democratic nations (for example, Venezuela)–but it is doubtful that we’ll ever see anything on Mr. Drudge’s website about past or present American anti-democratic actions. Only when a pro-Clark site from Canada emerges, does Drudge decide that interfering in other nations elections is wrong. We find that intriguing.
Miss Gangsta 2003
Fabio Call Your Office
Here is an interesting idea out of Britain.
The new M6 toll road has been built on two and a half million copies of old Mills and Boon novels to prevent it from cracking. Unsold copies of the books were shredded into a paste and added to a mixture of asphalt and Tarmac. It helps to bind the asphalt and the Tarmac, preventing the surface from splitting apart after heavy use. The construction company responsible for laying the road, Tarmac Central, used 92,000 books per mile for a 16-mile stretch of the road and said it should ensure the motorway remained free of roadworks. Richard Beal, project manager, said that Mills and Boon novels were used because millions are returned to the factory each year unsold. The reject copies are then passed on to other companies where they are recycled and used for other purposes. He said: “There is the old saying that the road to true love doesn’t run smoothly but thanks to thousands of Mills and Boon romance novels we hope that the M6 toll will.”
In France they use a rubber mixture that helps keep roads lasting longer. Unfortunately, the process is more expensive so low contract bidders in the U.S. don’t use it.
I remember seeing something like this on PrimeTime Live years ago. In France, the average road lasts about 20 years without the need for major repaving. The reason is that the rubber compound gives flexibility to the roads under the stresses of weight, heat, and cold. There is less cracking and there are less potholes.
We could save a bundle in the long term if we used the same material, but the upfront costs are greater than what we otherwise would use. Because we have a lowest bidder system, the lowest bidders don’t use the rubber and our roads last for seven to ten years before major repairs are needed.
Disturbing
I hope it’s not the whole story, but Radley Balko has a link to a WaPo story that says, “The White House apparently downgraded a state visit by the foreign minister of Qatar after said foreign minister refused a National Security Council request to fire certain employees of al-Jazeera whom the NSC thought were too biased in their coverage of the Iraq war.”
I hope we support the freedom of press everywhere and that there is more to this. Come to think of it, I seem to remember reading recently that for all of the “independent press” stuff we hear about al-Jazeera, it is, in fact, heavily influenced by the Quatari (Kah-tar-ee NOT Gutter-ee) government. In which case, the action seems a little less awful — but still not good.
PrestoPundit Quotes Steyn
In a bit of blog promotion, I link toPrestoPundit.com where you can get the highlights of Mark Steyn’s latest instant classic.