Who cares?
I want an answer on the steroids.

100 years ago, they had a different name for this.

I have two sources that suggest that this was the type of weapon used by James Roszco in the murder of the four RCMP in Mayerthorpe last week.

HECKLER & KOCH, HK91, Caliber 308
Semi Automatic, Assault Rifle

Arrests have been made in the vicious slaying of a New Jersey family. Fears that the killings were religiously motivated have been allayed (providing the accused are convicted) – New York Post reports that they were victims of a brutal robbery by a man who rented an upstairs apartment, and an accomplice.
(Previous posts here)

I purchased a 350 g bag of Dad’s Goodie Rings (chewy, chocolatey cookies made with oatmeal, peanut butter and coconut) at Wal-Mart just under 23 hours ago. All that remains is a sad, crumpled yellow carcass and the empty husk of a cookie tray.
If I could just spread Cheeze Whiz on these things, they would qualify as “Nature’s Most Perfect Food”.

This is a poem that was forwarded by a friend who serves in the Canadian Forces, in Afghanistan. Written by a Canadian Peacekeeper, It’s fairly long so the rest appears in the extended entry.
Merry Christmas to everyone, and especially to those who are far from home, serving in Haiti, Kosovo, Afghanistan, the Middle East and elsewhere.
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.
I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.
I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

Continue reading →

Tidbits are starting to trickle in about the details of the Bush visit. Most gratifying (to a redneck conservative like me) was the story that he walked past former prime minister Jean Chretien to greet someone else at that table. This though, is even better. Toronto Star (reg.required)

For six minutes last night, while the top layer of Canada’s political class schmoozed with cocktails and canap�s, New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton told President George W. Bush why a lot of Canadians don’t like the idea of a missile-defence shield over North America.
Bush was not moved. If there were no such thing as North Korea or Iran, Bush reportedly said, then there would be no need for missile defence. He seemed to like Layton’s spunk, however.
As Bush started to slide away, to shake more hands among the three dozen or so high-ranking guests invited to the private reception at last night’s gala dinner, he smiled and told Layton: “Every country needs a good lefty. … We even have some in our country.”
Layton spoke to the Star last night after what he described as a direct, amiable but ultimately “disturbing” conversation with Bush, which was followed up by longer chats at the private reception with the outgoing and incoming U.S. secretaries of state, Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice.
In all, Layton had about half an hour with top U.S. politicians. He was gratified he got a chance to help explain to Americans what the protests in Ottawa were about yesterday, but he also knows he didn’t make a dent in their determination to go ahead with the plan. “He’s a very determined man.”

Politician, meet statesman.

From whom else?

Yay Condi Rice. I want her to go to Saudi Arabia, and I want her first words upon getting off the plane to be “I’ll drive.”

The Commissar has a new map up of The Empire
I think I’ll use my new authorities to outlaw cats.

I went to visit my mom for the last time yesterday. She passed away this evening in Arcola hospital. I’m sure the two hour road trip must have hastened her death, but it was clear that she really wanted to be out of Regina General and “home”. I can’t say that I blame her.
The blogging has been a useful distraction over the past days, and I suspect, it will continue to serve that purpose for a few more. It goes without saying that activity here will be light for the rest of the week.
This space wasn’t set up to be a window into my personal life, and even if it were, my Scottish genes wouldn’t allow it. So, while I appreciate any sentiments you may wish to share, I’d really prefer you take those few moments to sit down and tell a young person that a very good woman left the world tonight, years before she should have, because she made the choice as a teenager to pick up a cigarette.
Goodnight.

Paul Bremer has an op-ed in the New York Times today. I believe registration is required, so I”m going to quote generously.

In recent days, attention has been focused on some remarks I’ve made about Iraq. The coverage of these remarks has elicited far more heat than light, so I believe it’s important to put my remarks in the correct context.
In my speeches, I have said that the United States paid a price for not stopping the looting in Iraq in the immediate aftermath of major combat operations and that we did not have enough troops on the ground to accomplish that task. The press and critics of the war have seized on these remarks in an effort to undermine President Bush’s Iraq policy.
[…]
The press has been curiously reluctant to report my constant public support for the president’s strategy in Iraq and his policies to fight terrorism. I have been involved in the war on terrorism for two decades, and in my view no world leader has better understood the stakes in this global war than President Bush.
The president was right when he concluded that Saddam Hussein was a menace who needed to be removed from power. He understands that our enemies are not confined to Al Qaeda, and certainly not just to Osama bin Laden, who is probably trapped in his hide-out in Afghanistan. As the bipartisan 9/11 commission reported, there were contacts between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein’s regime going back a decade. We will win the war against global terror only by staying on the offensive and confronting terrorists and state sponsors of terror – wherever they are. Right now, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Qaeda ally, is a dangerous threat. He is in Iraq.
President Bush has said that Iraq is the central front in the war on terror. He is right. Mr. Zarqawi’s stated goal is to kill Americans, set off a sectarian war in Iraq and defeat democracy there. He is our enemy.
[…]
Mr. Kerry is free to quote my comments about Iraq. But for the sake of honesty he should also point out that I have repeatedly said, including in all my speeches in recent weeks, that President Bush made a correct and courageous decision to liberate Iraq from Saddam Hussein’s brutality, and that the president is correct to see the war in Iraq as a central front in the war on terrorism.
A year and a half ago, President Bush asked me to come to the Oval Office to discuss my going to Iraq to head the coalition authority. He asked me bluntly, “Why would you want to leave private life and take on such a difficult, dangerous and probably thankless job?” Without hesitation, I answered, “Because I believe in your vision for Iraq and would be honored to help you make it a reality.” Today America and the coalition are making steady progress toward that vision.

Don’t expect any of it to be quoted on the nightly news.
(Via Powerline and crossposted to the Shotgun)

The difference between the two: Dick Cheney could be President.
That’s all that matters, in the final analysis. James Joyner has a lengthier one and a gazillion trackbacks for the insomniac.
A truck driver calls in to talk radio’s Jerry Doyle:

“Edwards reminds me of Tattoo on Fantasy Island… up in the tower …calling out “da plan, da plan” and not much else … which is not to say that Kerry is Ricardo Montalban.”

Ouch, as they say.

Something rather odd is going on with MT tonight – it started with error messages on multiple attempts to post, a sudden complaince and now, an inability to edit the repeats, or anything else here.

Argh. I’ve sent a plea for geek help. Hopefully things will be back to normal tomorrow.

Geek help is working on it. Probably tomorrow, it’s a corrupt database. Comments and trackbacks are off to prevent further corruption.

Update. So far, so good. Let’s see if we can straighten out the front page.

Geek update: comments and trackbacks are on again.

I’m home. I did have internet access while I was in Montana, but between the challenge of typing blog posts on a Libretto 70CT (with a keyboard that’s 8″ wide) and general disconnectness from the news world, I didn’t get much blogging done.

We finished up at the show around noon Sunday (successfully) and hit the road right away. It’s about 5 hours from Helena to the border crossing north of Malta. On the way through Harlem, I tossed around the idea of heading north for the port of Climax, but the roads on the Saskatchewan side being what they are, chose to go further east to Malta and cross south of Swift Current. There was plenty of time.

What we didn’t know was that on Sept.15 the border crossing moved to “winter hours”. We fueled up in Malta, and turned north. Then, a few miles along, a sign informed us the border now closed at 6 pm. We had 35 minutes to cover 45 miles. And had the clock in the van not been 3 minutes slow, we’d have made it.

This is what the Port of Monchy looks like at 6:03 pm. From the American side.

And this is the border to the east of the crossing, viewed out the passenger window…. hmmmmm…..

It’s probably a good thing we didn’t have wire cutters.

Norm Spector notes outrage by Canadian Muslim groups National Council on Canada- Arab Relations (NCCAR) and the Canadian Arab Federation (CAF);

�This is another troubling example of clear bias by CanWest publications like the National Post and the Ottawa Citizen in applying different standards towards Arabs and Muslims when reporting,� said NCCAR Executive Director Mazen Chouaib.

These two groups are protesting the use of the word “terrorist” to describe the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

About a week ago, I began to wonder why one person mentioned in the discredited Rathergate memos had not commented on the controversy. My suspicion is that he may have been seeking legal advice – as far as I can tell, it looks as though he’d have one hell of a libel suit against CBS.
Today, Powerline says he’s broken his silence.

“He didn’t use political influence to get into the Air National Guard. I don’t know how they would know that, because I was the one who did it and I was the one who was there and I didn’t talk to any of them.”
“He was highly qualified. He passed all the scrutiny and tests he was given.”
“No one called me about taking George Bush into the Air National Guard. It was my decision. I swore him in. I never heard anything from anybody.”
“He was a well-educated, bright- eyed young man, just the kind of guy we were looking for. He presented himself well. I’d say he was in the upper 10 percent or 5 percent or whatever we ever talked to about going to pilot training. We were pretty particular because when he came back [from trainin.g], we had to fly with him.”

Online ABC version here. Reportedly, the interview will air tonight.
One does wonder why Dan Rather didn’t go the extra mile to the do that interview himself.
Well, ok. One doesn’t wonder.

I’ve resisted commenting on the pajama meme raging throughout the blogosphere.
But today, James Joyner and Donald Sensing have come clean.
Welcome gentlemen to the League Of Naked Bloggers.
And I thought I was the only one!

Wire cutters to cut cable of surveillance camera – $5.95
Gloves to prevent fingerprints from being left on glass case – $18.99
Being apprended in the worlds first Kmart Jewel Heist – priceless
(no link – picked uo on local Great Falls,MT radio news)