No Foolin'
Here's an interesting article in The American Thinker from Douglas Hanson, who served as Chief of Staff in the Iraqi Ministry of Science and Technology last year. With certainly more authority than I have, he dismisses a notion (suggested by David Kay, among others) that has long struck me as preposterous: that the reason why we haven't yet uncovered any stockpiles of WMD is because they were really the figments of scientists' imaginations ---and that these scientists were ballsy enough to lie to the Saddamites about having created such weapons because they were somehow men of conscience. Hanson writes:

To assert that the scientists bypassed the Baathist infrastructure, the Iraqi Intelligence Service, and Special Republican Guard commanders, all the while fooling Saddam is, to put it mildly, a real stretch. To this day, many still fear the consequences of cooperating with the ISG. We would need to see the detailed rationale for Dr. Kay's conclusions on this matter to gauge if Saddam was really fooled by scientists scared to death of him and the Baath Party, or if he ran one of military history's most successful deception operations. If he did the latter, we must also ask why he would risk the toppling of his regime, and his death or capture, over non-existent WMDs. The only alternative explanation to these two questionable scenarios is that WMD stockpiles did in fact exist, but that they have been hidden, and/or spirited out of the country.

A Hot Babe
I always thought that people (like the nauseating Rush Limbaugh) were chickenshits when it came to Chelsea Clinton and her supposed ugliness. I never saw it. Never. There is such a thing as the "awkward years," but that's because human beings have a rough time of it coming into their physically mature selves.

Anyway, here's a photo of a very beautiful young woman who always was beautiful. Enjoy.

Reagan Revisionism
Over at USS Clueless, Steven den Beste gives a good fisking to a recent article on Reagan's presidency in the New York Times by professor John Diggins of the City University of New York.

Naturally, the comparisons between Reagan and our current president are made ---but without the benefit of the truth or evidence. Diggins writes:

The difference between Mr. Reagan and Mr. Bush's militant brain staff is that he believed in negotiation and they in escalation. They wanted to win the cold war; he sought to end it.

Is that really how the cow ate the cabbage? Read the whole thing. It's a thorough-going dismantlement of all things bullshit and Carter.

Rasputin's Cock
Mood:  not sure
The Commissar brings us news of Rasputin's pickled pecker, but I don't know if it's for real. You be the judge.

The Old Ultraviolet
Mood:  silly
Jeeze, did you get a look at Clinton today? When President Bush cracked a joke at the portrait unveiling for Bill and Hillary about how Clinton has to be an optimistic man (for having run the McGovern Presidential campaign here in Texas back in '72), the former President laughed so hard he looked like he did the time he was standing there with Yeltsin when Yeltsin told the press that they were "the disaster." Tee hee. Clinton was beet red. What a goofy guy. Anyway, the portraits look great. Almost as great as Chelsea was looking. What a babe.

Hopefully, all the attention will assuage Clinton's hurt feelings at not being asked to eulogize Reagan. Because, as you know, it's all about Bill.

Put Reagan on a New Dollar Coin
I'm a weird sort of numismatist (i.e., a coin collector, you dirty-minded bastage): I horde virtually every penny I come across, storing them away in wine bottles (and even in the casing of an old artillery shell my Daddy left me). I separate them by mint, keeping Philadelphia-minted pennies in their own bottle (they're much less common than ones from Denver ---at least this side of the Mississippi). I love finding a wheat penny in my change. I think to myself, "How can this thing still be circulating? Don't people spend their time as wisely as I do, inspecting the dates of all the coins in their pockets?" If I get a penny from my birthyear, I put that in its own bottle. If I come across a penny from any of my family's birthyears, I keep those separated, too. I always save any silver coin from 1964 or before. And I always save any Bicentennial Quarter. I never spend my favorite state quarters. (Now that Texas has its own issue, I doubt I'll ever spend any of those.)

And, as for the dollar coin, that's always been a favorite cause with me. But we've had some pretty lame ones in recent decades ---and no one uses them. The Eisenhower Dollar is nice to look at, but was much too large. And the infamous Susan B. Anthony was crap from day one: confusingly similar to the quarter and bearing the image of a woman whose accomplishments and stature do not entitle her to such an exalted place in our coinage. And even though I really don't care for the now-discontinued Sacagawea (because it looks like a Chuck E. Cheese token when it tarnishes), it doesn't dissuade me from believing that a dollar coin is the smart way to go for the American consumer.

That's because paper dollars don't usually last very well beyond two or so years of use, but a dollar coin can last for many decades. So, although a paper dollar is more cheaply produced than a coin of that same denomination, the durability of the coin makes it the more economical choice in the long run.

I don't think we should displace Hamilton from the $10 bill as some are pushing for; he is a Founding Father and an important symbol of the American free market system. But we can accomplish two very important things if we put a portrait of Ronald Reagan on a new dollar coin.

First, we will be honoring one of the true giants of the 20th Century. Maybe he wouldn't have wanted such an honor, and maybe Mrs. Reagan is resistant to it, too, but in the wake of such a grand and prominent state funeral, I am not inclined to believe that she is truly averse to celebrating her husband's legacy. Reagan belongs somewhere within the popular memory ---and to be on the basic denomination of everyday economic life is a fitting tribute.

Second, as I say, the dollar coin makes good sense. It is manufacturally more sound than the perpetually-replaced paper dollar (and, besides, if we phase out the greenback as we should, Washington will still be on the quarter ---as well as being the most ubiquitous figure in all of American iconography). The promotion of the dollar coin is something that needs genuine popular support ---and if that means first making its use appealing to Reaganites (who, by the way, constitute a majority of Americans, regardless of what the weenies on the Left might have you believe), then that's all to the good.

Using a Reagan Dollar would, therefore, begin as a small gesture of patriotism by most people, eventually growing into a practical act with all who still want the freedom to pay for a Coke or a parking space or a toll with the convenience of a sturdy coin, rather than turning more and more to sticking a credit card or a pass into the monitoring maw of modern life.

Crossing the Red River
My Momma just called me as she was crossing over the Red River. It's now 1715 CST. Welcome home.

Acid in the Acid with Acid
Turns out, the Beatles' famous song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" really was about lysergic acid diethylamide.

Meanwhile, Back at Abu Ghraib...
I did a double-take and a half when I saw Scott Baio at President Reagan's funeral. I mean, what the fuck?

Scott Baio?! I didn't figure that guy could get into the Viper Room with a silver platter of Ecstasy and a supermodel on his arm.

Ray Charles on My Mind
My knowledge of Ray Charles' music and the impact of his career is pretty pedestrian, but I'll just say this. The guy was incredibly good-natured. He commanded everyone's respect and he was perpetually hip. How can you go wrong digging Ray Charles? There's no way.

"America the Beautiful" is his. No one else owns that song like he does and always will. I also really love the duet he did with Willie Nelson called "Seven Spanish Angels." It's a beautiful piece of poetry, of which Charles' voice is an essential element.

We're going to miss you, Ray. Thanks for your gifts.

"It's As If Lurch Had Gone to Choate"
Did anybody catch former New York Times editor Howell Raines' opinion piece in last week's Guardian? It pretty much takes a dump on Kerry. After all, if Bush is such a miserable failure, why isn't Lurch doing better?

Never mind the horse race crapola. The only poll numbers you need to know are the ones that show that Bush's base is far more solid than Kerry's. Which means that there's more swing in the polls than the liberals are letting on.

The Iron Baroness
Mood:  blue
The most poignant moment for me yesterday was seeing Margaret Thatcher come and pay her respects at Mr. Reagan's side. She is such a strong and interesting lady, and I must say I wept some at the sight of her sorrow.

Thanks for making it over here, Maggie. Your friends and admirers are happy to see you.

Collector's Item
As Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs reports, the ACLU has managed to get the County of Los Angeles to remove a Christian cross from its official seal. It's a disgusting demonstration of the anti-Christian bigotry on the Left. It's also more evidence that sympathizers of totalitarianism (like those brave resistance fighters in Iraq that the anti-American asshole Michael Moore thinks so much of) are in the business of destroying and erasing the past. What's next? Renaming all of the cities of California that have some connection to Christianity ---starting with the City of Angels itself?

As I tell sickly communist moonbats wherever I find them, those who forget the past are condemned to become asshole Leftist hypocrites.

Just Happy to See You
Just got back a while ago from a ceremony at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum where they officially introduced the new state quarter. My brother and I met up for the occasion, and it was well worth it. The Governor and Mrs. Perry were there. So was the mayor. And the nice red-haired lady who runs the Mint was there, too. She was pretty cute with her silly little cowboy hat she donned at the end of her presentation.

As for the quarter, it's pretty good-looking, although somewhat conventional. But it's no monstrosity like some other state's quarters (Maryland and Vermont come immediately to mind). My favorite is still Connecticut's quarter, although I also love the New Jersey one. But Indiana with a stupid race car? How undignified.

A beautiful day, but I was pretty sweaty. Lots of hot babes (some of them were even over 18). The Governor gave a little speech. He'll be in Washington for Mr. Reagan's funeral tomorrow, I hear. My brother even bought me a roll of uncirculated quarters. Very nice.

All in all, well worth waking up for.

15 May 1967: Reagan and RFK Debate
Thanks to RealClearPolitics, here's a transcript of a debate between Ronald Reagan and Robert Kennedy from just before the Summer of Love. Enjoy.

(Hat tip to NRO)

The Vasty Deep
The folks at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are sending the Opportunity rover into the Martian crater called Endurance to see what's cooking there.

Since Endurance's walls are sloped downward by about 25 degrees and appear to be composed of a variety of terrains, the team plans to take its time sending the rover to a target within the crater dubbed "Cappadocia," said Jim Erickson, deputy project manager for the rover mission. It should reach the target around Tuesday, he said.

Although there is the possibility that Opportunity will not be able to climb back out of Endurance Crater, [Firouz Naderi, manager of the Mars Exploration Program] said, "If you want to study history, there are worse places to get stuck than a library," which is virtually what the crater is to scientists.

Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of Spirit's launch. The scientists and engineers at JPL said both rovers are in good health but continue to lose operation time. Naderi said the rovers have already "accomplished more than we had any right to expect when we launched."

A Capital Idea
There is some idea going around of putting Ronald Reagan's face on the $10 bill. I'm down with that. What do you think?

Inside Blogball
If your comments don't immediately appear, it's because they are moderated. Quaint, but prudent. Nevertheless, I don't censor anyone. So fire away. Hell, I'll even fisk you up front and proper if I'm bored enough.

Yeah. What He Said.
Thanks to Aaron's Rantblog, read Ronald Reagan's address at the Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast in Dallas, Texas on 23 August 1984.

I don't believe that there's no morality without God, but I believe in the great works done by men and women who did (and do) so believe. And, in any event, religious faith can be a beautiful thing.

But don't try selling that to the Bush-haters on the Left. The only religion they want to defend anymore is the disease of Mohammedan extremism.

Saddam's Ghost
Be sure to read Steven Vincent's very interesting piece at ReasonOnline about his time in Baghdad and the paradoxical opinions he heard there. But here's an especially interesting analogy from a local poet Vincent met there:

I asked Hasan, the poet, why, if the freeing of his country from Saddam Hussein was such a great event, so many people, both in Iraq and throughout the world, view it so negatively. "Think of Hamlet," he told me. "In the play, the young prince is haunted by his murdered father. At the same time, his mother, Gertrude, wants to forget the murder in order to get along with her life and encourages her son to do the same. But Hamlet can't forget; he won't forget. We see the same in the world: Hamlets who refuse to forget the crimes of Saddam, and Gertrudes who refuse to remember them.