Althouse: At the Tabletop Café...

January 3, 2010

At the Tabletop Café...

... keep the conversation going while I'm in transit.

42 comments:

Anonymous said...: Arrangement of items on tabletop-- purposeful or accidental?; 1/3/10, 2:13 PM
Big Mike said...: Wishing you and Meade a safe trip.; 1/3/10, 2:33 PM
Maxine Weiss said...: My wish for Althouse in 2010:

She finally realizes...

--The wisest thing ever said....wasn't.; 1/3/10, 2:43 PM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 2:55 PM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: the room is silent
but for an old clock ticking
all are gone, even you; 1/3/10, 2:59 PM
LonewackoDotCom said...: After years of searching, I've finally found Reason's subscriber!

If you want to find out just how sleazy that magazine is, I used to comment at their site and not a single person - including their contributors - were ever able to present a valid counterargument. Instead, almost all of my comments were met with a series of vile ad hom attacks; some are so bad that I'm considering taking legal action. That was despite including a disclaimer designed to make those who engaged in such attacks look bad; they weren't smart enough to realize that people outside their group read their comments. You can see some of my comments through this search.; 1/3/10, 3:05 PM
Unknown said...: Take care, guys, and have fun, wherever you're going.

PS You left your desk a whole lot cleaner than mine will be in a few weeks. Congrats.

WV "mativ" What Ann and Meade were about this time last year.; 1/3/10, 3:21 PM
Revenant said...: Here's a question: have airport screeners foiled any terrorist attacks in the last 10 years? I assume they have, but I can't think of any examples.; 1/3/10, 5:25 PM
Unknown said...: In all honesty, Rev, while I'm as hard on the TSA as I can be, it may well be they have; we just may not know of them.

WV "suppe" What you have at night instead of dinne.; 1/3/10, 6:25 PM
former law student said...: Coasters on a glass tabletop? The Meadhousians are more house-proud than we are.; 1/3/10, 7:17 PM
Revenant said...: In all honesty, Rev, while I'm as hard on the TSA as I can be, it may well be they have; we just may not know of them.

That's what I had been thinking, too. But then I asked myself -- WHY haven't we heard about them? I mean, we've heard about tons of terrorist plots being foiled by everyone from the CIA to Dutch tourists. And we've heard plenty of government bureaucrats going on about how the TSA system works. But actual examples of it working either don't exist or aren't getting publicity. What's up with that?; 1/3/10, 7:31 PM
knox said...: the room is silent
except for old Maxine Weiss
who will not shut up; 1/3/10, 7:39 PM
Penny said...: "My wish for Althouse in 2010:

She finally realizes...

--The wisest thing ever said....wasn't."

That was 'then', and this is 'now', Maxine.

NOW we judge "wise" by the number of "wise followers".

See how that works?; 1/3/10, 8:25 PM
Ron said...: Hiya Penny! ;); 1/3/10, 8:38 PM
Penny said...: Hey, honey!

Always nice to see your face, Ron.

Apparently, we are at the "tabletop cafe" tonight.

Dammit, I was in the mood for the "laptop".

See how that works? It's all about timing.; 1/3/10, 8:56 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 9:01 PM
Miles White said...: Lonewacko:

Perhaps if you didn't write your original post with such sweeping, unscrupulously inaccurate, blanket statements, on this page, to publicly insult an entire, broad, political movement, you would see kinder responses that would, more likely or not, take you're judgement seriously. I would like you to explain to me how anyone could possibly be a "fascist-libertarian". It's fascinating to what extent some people are willing to pervert facts to their own advantage. Fascist-libertarian makes just as much sense as "unforced-coercion". Some libertarians might get into quarrels with one another over the practical application of their ideas, but I don't see how that discredits them as "childish" and "anti-intellectual" since there is hardly an existing political movement that is entirely on the same page with themselves. However, I suspect you're not interested in delivering a factual judgement upon libertarians. Instead, you argue from a deeply partisan vantage point against their values and not against them as people, to which is despicably sinister. I'd like to hear, exactly, what disgustingly paternalistic, sheepish, political philosophy you considered a "grown up" alternative to libertarianism. Not a very good way to gather empirical information and pose as a statistician. You're a hack, plain and simple.; 1/3/10, 9:04 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 9:10 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 9:14 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 9:20 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 9:23 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 9:31 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 9:35 PM
David said...: Mice playing . . .; 1/3/10, 9:45 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 9:46 PM
G Joubert said...: Here's a question: have airport screeners foiled any terrorist attacks in the last 10 years? I assume they have, but I can't think of any examples.

How many they have deterred is unknowable.; 1/3/10, 10:08 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 10:13 PM
Penny said...: Theo has given up the manufacture of flutes to spin gold links?

Pity, but perhaps just for me.

I seem to have accumulated many gold bracelets, yet not a single, malodorous flute.; 1/3/10, 10:35 PM
Anonymous said...: See what happens when you argue about Bob Dylan?; 1/3/10, 10:40 PM
LonewackoDotCom said...: Miles White: you're a boring buttonholer like most other libertarians, and my "sweeping" statement was based on commenting at that site since 2003. One of the favorite phrases included in replies was "STFU Lonewacko", and those commenting at that site went as far as creating a wikia page that lies about my positions. Those are fascistic, whether you want to admit it or not.

And, the libertarian habit of trying to impose their ideology through assorted forms of coercion and trickery (such as by lying or misleading about the impacts of mass imm.) is also fascistic.

I don't just call people fascists for the heck of it, they have to act like it first.; 1/3/10, 10:50 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 10:59 PM
reader_iam said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 11:06 PM
Revenant said...: One of the favorite phrases included in replies was "STFU Lonewacko"

And here I was thinking that nobody ever said anything sensible in the Hit&Run comments. :); 1/3/10, 11:06 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 11:07 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 11:10 PM
reader_iam said...: First, while Maxine has re-appeared recently, she hasn't exactly been ubiquitous in recent times (over the last 18 months to 2 years, that is, give or take). Therefore, she mostly HAS shut up. Weird to defend her in her later incarnation, but it is what it is.

Second:

But actual examples of it working either don't exist or aren't getting publicity. What's up with that?

Rev, I'm sincerely a little puzzled by that comment, and I'd sincerely appreciate your, in particular, reaction to the following:

The only thing worse than the mechanics of our security failures being disseminated far and wide is the particulars of our security *successes* being so trumpeted--in chapter and verse, to be sure, but even in acknowledgment.

***

Note: I deleted and reposted this comment only to correct an obvious convolution due to incomplete proofreading of the previous paragraph.; 1/3/10, 11:13 PM
reader_iam said...: Sheesh. In the process of deleting my original comment and reposting it, I failed to manually italicize the comment of Rev's to which I was responding, which makes the reposted comment less clear. Here's that to which I was responding, properly italicized again:

But actual examples of it working either don't exist or aren't getting publicity. What's up with that?; 1/3/10, 11:18 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 11:21 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/3/10, 11:32 PM
reader_iam said...: Interesting, Theo.; 1/4/10, 12:17 AM
Scott M said...: Did you bump into Harry Knowles while you were there? If not, how the hell could you possibly avoid the guy? He's like three city blocks wide...; 1/4/10, 8:02 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Lonewacko said...

...such as by lying or misleading about the impacts of mass imm.

As someone who lives in New Hampshire, I can tell you the impacts of Mass. Immigration suck. Just because you screwed up your own state doesn't mean you have a right to come here and screw up mine!; 1/4/10, 9:26 AM