evolution

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the people affected by Hurricane Katrina, and a lot of time watching the sometimes maudlin media coverage (Matt Drudge accurately called the cable news networks during hurricane coverage a “shopping guide”). Daniel Drezner called it “hurricane porn“, at least before the levee broke. I’m not sure it’s such a good appellation now, having seen the scale of the destruction on television.

This is America’s worst disaster*. One of America’s crown jewels is in dire straits indeed, and were it not for a 50-mile shift in course the hurricane might have wiped New Orleans off the map. I wonder how we will recover from it. I hope we will try. (See Jeff Jarvis, who asks if the massive effort that will be required to completely recover is worth it. It’s not a totally unwarranted question — the costs, both human and financial, will be massive — but I believe the answer is an unqualified “Yes, it’s entirely worth it.”)

What’s better than television, if you can manage it, is to pick up “The Big 870″ (WWL-AM New Orleans) if you can, and listen in to the information, reports, and personal stories being aired there. They’ve got the cablers beat hands down, and they of course do not have the Emmy-chasing hair-dos.

What’s better than that is if you can help out. Here’s a number of ways you can do so.

I won’t say a whole lot about the hurricane; many, many others have and will continue to do so, and there are much better places than this to get your coverage of it. I will be thinking of you, New Orleans, and I’ll be looking for ways to help, if I can. I won’t give you up just yet.

UPDATE: I started off on a political rant, but I took it down at around 15:20. I’ll let Jeff Goldstein express my sentiments for me. Those of us with common sense and good will know who to ignore and what to do.

» Track relief efforts and the latest news using Technorati here and here.

» ASV is collecting stories of rescue and information on relief efforts.

» TTLB is coordinating blogger fundraising efforts for the disaster.

» Pennywit is tracking the charity-scam vultures.

» Malkin: Where’s big business?

» Jennifer has more relief links and information.

On so many levels.

» I’m still looking for a job. It’s a Zionist neocon conspiracy for oil.

» Our thoughts go out to those on the Gulf Coast ducking the hurricane (cue Anderson Cooper in a raincoat and CNN’s “KILLER HURRICANE OF DEATH!!” logo and music composed by Danny Elfman. Seriously, guys — you’re approaching a VMA-level of tastelessness here.)

» Author Stephen Chicoine writes,

There is actually much more to Turchin’s story
See my book John Basil Turchin and the Fight to Free the Slaves
Incidentally, I learned about Turchin from a Russian friend.

As soon as I have the wherewithal to do so, I shall. Thanks, Mr. Chicoine.

» If you’re a blogger, there are good odds that Jeff Goldstein is better at it than you. Start here and read the ten previous posts.

» Rap music “mogul” Suge Knight was injured by a gunshot in a Miami club in a party after the VMAs (you know, which we were supposed to be paying attention to instead of the strongest hurricane to ever hit the U.S.). The Baron von Munchausen could not be reached for comment.

» Pat Robertson is a tool. Suggesting that Hugo Chavez be assassinated is at best counterproductive and at worst inflammatory. By the way, the gunshot sound that Air America yapper Randi Rhoades makes every time she mentions President Bush could not be reached for comment.

» Big Cat Chronicles has the newest issue of RINO Sightings. Remember, the Sightings will be here three weeks from today, on 09.19.

UPDATE: Shoulda quit while you were ahead.

UPDATE: Oh my Pasta.

UPDATE [11:18]: RE: Suge Knight — You heard it here first.

… of NataleebenniferBTKcindysheehanmoveonevolutionand
creationismandintelligentdesignmemosCIAagentssenators
representativespresidentssecretariesbureaucratscelebrities
angelinakathygriffinrealityTVgasoildennisradermadonnashorse
islamicjihadBLOGSBLOGSBLOGSvh1michaeljackson
stalkingnancygracebitchingmediaculturefreaks.

I have a massive headache. I’m going to go home now, take six or seven Aleve tablets, chase them with a large dose of total silence, and lie down for a month or two. I tried, but my heart just isn’t in it.

UPDATE: Maybe I’m being sent a message.

[Note: This post is in response to a comment on the previous post.]

The radio talk-show host Glenn Beck described Cindy Sheehan as a “tragedy pimp.” I don’t think that’s so. Losing an immediate family member, particularly a child, in such a sudden manner affects the living family members in ways that cannot be fully understood or predicted, and in ways that never fully cease. I understand that her husband has sued her for divorce and that her family has publically disowned her. That is sad, and will be far more sad for her when her fifteen minutes are up and the MoveOn money is gone.

This post is not about Cindy Sheehan. This post is about terrorist PR. This post is about the barnacles who have attached themselves to Sheehan and turned what might have been a heartfelt message into Cindy 2!: Electric Boohoohoo. The barnacles of the Left swim from non-story to non-story, trying to find something to hide behind — in order to conceal the fact that they have utterly no solutions or ideas that are new in the last forty-five years. Wasn’t there an important CIA agent, or something — Valerie who? Karl who? Didn’t Dick Cheney used to work for some big company? Wasn’t there some gay judge nominated for something? Fake memos? What fake memos? And so it goes. These people have taken Jane Fonda’s place in the gun turret.

This post is about NataleebenniferTOmadonnasfallbradandangelinamichael jacksonsweirdBTK. (And that God-damned Kathy Griffin.) I view every single one of these media-cult celebrities as a complete non-person. If you want to make the world a better place, I suggest you do the same. They serve only to distract from (and in some cases, impede) the over-arching mission.

This post is about Israeli homeowners who are tonight staying with relatives because if we would JUST give terrorists what they want, maybe they would stop doing what they did to get it, even though that is wholly against human nature. Your kid figures this out by the age of two. Even cocaine-baked nutcases remember it from time to time.

Every leftist barnacle coming from Crawford and points before, every fawning celebrity-cult story; every shot of an Israeli settler crying in the arms of an Israeli soldier, who was ordered to pull him and his family out of his home and who is crying himself, is a victory for terrorists. Even now they celebrate it. You see, Hamas makes the trains run on time. They provide most of the services. Before this, they won more than a few elections. Now? I’ll place my money on a clean sweep. The “tiny minority” is much larger than you’d like to admit. Five percent? That’s 150,000 Palestinians (more troops than we have in Iraq) and 60 million Muslims (larger than all the world’s standing armies)worldwide. That’s who sympathizes with and supports terrorists or are terrorists themselves. Many of them have money; they have CNN too. And whenever they see Natalee, or Brad and Angelina, or Madonna falling off a horse, or a crying Israeli, or the professional protestariat here in America repeating their talking points, they smile.

They smile the knowing smile you get when you know you’ve won.

Michael and I were talking the other night. We noted that a few years ago, before he started working for the State of Kansas as a terrorism analyst, he set the over/under for “the end of Western civilization” at ten generations.

We both took the “under.” If you can’t see how these things are related, then you should too. For us, it’s a friendly bet; one we’ll have to settle in the after-life. For you, it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Royals are on a 16-game losing streak, Israel is handing terrorists a victory on a silver platter, leftist groups in Crawford, TX are handing them another victory on a silver platter, gas prices are $2.60 a gallon in Topeka, and I’m still looking for a job.

Other than that…

A little bit of Stockholm syndrome in South Korea:

SEOUL, South Korea - A senior South Korean official said Thursday that North Korea has the right to a peaceful nuclear program, a view conflicting with Washington in its disagreement with the hard-line Pyongyang regime that has snagged disarmament talks.

“Our position is that North Korea has a general right to peaceful use of nuclear energy, for agricultural, medical and power-generating purposes,” South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said in an interview Thursday with the online news service Media Daum.

“Building a light-water nuclear reactor is a general right of North Korea,” Chung said. “In this, our position differs from that of Washington.”

A “nuclear program for peaceful purposes” by a known terrorist supporter and threat to its region — Where have we heard that before?

UPDATE [10:27]: The UN is now concerned about Iran. A toughly-worded resolution, followed by more earnest hand-wringing, followed by more discussion about not imposing sanctions soon to come.

After shamelessly billing the State of Kansas for a $339-per-night hotel, State Board of Education Connie Morris, who famously declared that evolution was an “age-old fairy tale” and that people who study it are “in panic mode,” has repaid the money.

Topeka — State Board of Education member Connie Morris has paid the state back for a trip to Florida, but on Tuesday was unapologetic about initially billing taxpayers for six nights in a $339 per night hotel and other expenses.

“God says to avoid the appearance of wrongdoing. My dad says that if you want to know the character of a man look in his billfold. I prefer to take the higher ground,” Morris said in a prepared statement.

Morris, a Republican from St. Francis, reimbursed the state $2,890 for the trip in April to a magnet school conference in Miami.

In addition to the $339 per night at the Fontainebleau Hilton Resort in Miami Beach, she had charged taxpayers for airfare, meals, conference registration, taxis, mileage to the Denver airport, one night at a Denver hotel before the morning of her trip and airport parking.

Morris also said, “No amount of media bullying can take from the good people I serve the vision and knowledge I gained at the conference.”

Nice “higher ground” there, honey. Next time, work harder on the non-apology apology.

I was dismayed (as was many of my readers, I suspect) by the President’s remarks yesterday regarding the teaching of “intelligent design” as a competing theory with evolution.

For thoughtful commentary, a lively discussion, and a massive round-up of weblog opinion, see protein wisdom.

A few of you have written or commented wondering about my well-being. Nothing is wrong with me, other than right now I’m unemployed and I don’t have easy access to a computer to post very often. Plus, I don’t feel so hot about the incongruity of plodding along with what is essentially an exercise in my own vanity (like all weblogs, actually) while being unemployed.

I’m not giving it up or shutting it down. I just won’t be posting very often for the forseeable future.

Anyway, thanks, and don’t give up on evolution just yet.