Category: Uncategorized

vote!

But bad blog posts will still be every bit as bad as they were on the day they were spawned.

…The fourteen finalists for the worst, most embarrassing, most risible blog posts of all time are listed below.

ALL-TIME WORST BLOG POST CONTEST….


Think about it. A century from now, even the very best blog posts will be long forgotten. Let’s face it: they aren’t that good. But bad blog posts will still be every bit as bad as they were on the day they were spawned. They’ll endure. So we’re doing this for our grandchildren.

The fourteen finalists for the worst, most embarrassing, most risible blog posts of all time are listed below. You can vote for up to five. So take a trip down memory lane and then vote for your favorites. Remember: It’s your civic duty. [From The Washington Monthly]

bonus quote of the day

Rathole squared?

If even [well-liked and highly respected Ryan Crocker] can’t manage to attract enough people to fill up all the open slots in Iraq — especially when a Baghdad posting also offers higher pay, the career boost of serving in a critical embassy, and a choice of assignments after your hitch is up — then service in the Green Zone must be a rathole squared.

Rathole squared?

If even [well-liked and highly respected Ryan Crocker] can’t manage to attract enough people to fill up all the open slots in Iraq — especially when a Baghdad posting also offers higher pay, the career boost of serving in a critical embassy, and a choice of assignments after your hitch is up — then service in the Green Zone must be a rathole squared. [From The Washington Monthly]

one last chance for redemption

Think the Dems are up to it?

Friend of TPM and former Nixon White House Counsel John Dean knows a few things about lawless presidents. He just sent us his thoughts on the now certain confirmation of Judge Mukasey …

A Last Thought Before the Senate Judiciary Committee Confirms Judge Mukasey

By John W. Dean

As the Senate Democrats complete another sad concession to President Bush, and confirms a nominee who refuses to declare “water-boarding” torture, allow me to offer a brief historical reminder: the Senate Judiciary Committee has conspicuously forgotten that there are direct situational and historical parallels with Judge Mukasey’s nomination to be Attorney General and that of President Richard Nixon nominating Elliot Richardson to be Attorney General during Watergate.

Nixon’s Attorney General had been removed (and was later prosecuted for lying to Congress) – a situation not unlike Alberto Gonzales’s leaving the job under such a cloud. Nixon was under deep suspicion of covering up the true facts relating to the bungled break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate, not to mention widespread rumors that he had engaged in abuses of power and corrupt campaign practices. Today, Bush is under even deeper suspicion for activities far more serious than anything Nixon engaged in for there is evidence Bush has abused the laws of war, violated treaties, and ordered (or approved) the use of torture and political renditions, which are war crimes.

Since Judge Mukasey’s situation is not unlike that facing Elliot Richardson when he was appointed Attorney General during Watergate, why should not the Senate Judiciary Committee similarly make it a quid pro quo for his confirmation that he appoint a special prosecutor to investigate war crimes? Richardson was only confirmed when he agreed to appoint a special prosecutor, which, of course, he did. And when Nixon fired that prosecutor, Archibald Cox, it lead to his impeachment.

Before the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee completely cave-in to Bush, at minimum they should demand that Judge Mukasey appoint a special prosecutor to investigate if war crimes have been committed. If Mukasey refuses he should be rejected. This, indeed, should be a pre-condition to anyone filling the post of Attorney General under Bush.

If the Democrats in the Senate refuse to demand any such requirement, it will be act that should send chills down the spine of every thinking American.

[From Dean on Mukasey]

like movies?

Amazon tells me that

Associates are eligible to earn 20% during the month of November 2007, on all Unbox referrals (up to $3.00 per item). There is no limit to the number of items on which referral fees can be earned.

I have mixed feelings, as the UnBox movies are all DRMed and otherwise toxic to freedom-loving people. But if you’re interested, have at it.

Never mind: the widget’s HTML fouls up page-rendering.

blegs

An imap client that isn’t awful?

Google imap support is a wonderful thing: Mail.app, not so much. I should and will try Thunderbird again. GNUMail crashed on contact with the server. No MSFT products need apply. So what’s left?

Mailplane is OK, but I want to make sure it’s the best thing I can find. The wizards of GOOG are making some Big Changes in the weeks ahead to their web mail interface and I’m not sure how that will affect Mailplane.

How to upgrade an ancient LinkSys AP?

The ca. 2001 AP I picked up could be updated if there wasn’t a browser/server mismatch. tftp, maybe?

quote of the day

On the subject of school vouchers — or more broadly, the public/private divide:

We’re dealing with people for whom, unlike most other words — grapefruit, mountain, Tuesday — there is no entity to which the locution ‘public’ corresponds. It is, like ‘thnork’ or ‘promble’, something you can utter, but which does not signify anything. [From School vouchers fail another accountability test – The Carpetbagger Report]

As with any other conservatarian scheme, the goal is to privatize the benefits — the higher-performing students and the money their parents can afford to pay — and keep the risks — kids from low-income families, with the attendant poor nutrition/health issues, as well as kids with learning disabilities or special needs — in the public sector. Equality for me but not for thee . . . .

links for 2007-11-02