tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post6040505043959821291..comments2024-03-28T16:19:45.131-05:00Comments on Althouse: Another Drudgtaposition.Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-22994083856549623482010-01-03T17:32:28.647-06:002010-01-03T17:32:28.647-06:00To David Brooks and everyone who agrees with him: ...To David Brooks and everyone who agrees with him: We're not the ones who think government should be the answer to all questions. It's <i>government</i> that apparently thinks it is, or should be, the end all be all to all.<br /><br />I'm guessing the federal government could become pretty damned proficient/efficient in executing it's Constitutionally prescribed duties. But instead it's got to inject itself into seemingly every aspect of human endeavor (how many laws and regulations are there now on US books? I don't remember the number, but I do remember that it's horrifyingly high). He who would be Jack of all trades will be master of none is an axiom that can be applied to government as well. <br /><br />And, yes, we are so screwed. This situation begs for profiling, but political correctness will never allow it. A good start IMO would be to simply let air travelers know that if any of the following apply, they will be subjected to increased scrutiny: One-way ticket purchase; paying with cash; no checked luggage; named on the terrorist watch list (personally, I would deny anybody whose name is on that list entry into the US); traveling from and/or passport issued by a country known to be a center of terrorist training/activity. <br /><br />Nobody expects perfection, but we do have a right to competence. At the very least.SukieTawdryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07219517365750894110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-8594195126788960712010-01-03T10:30:39.561-06:002010-01-03T10:30:39.561-06:00Why they would let Abdulmutallab on the flight wit...<i>Why they would let Abdulmutallab on the flight without one [passport] is such a mystery to me that I'm having a hard time believing the story is true.</i><br /><br />It's no mystery; he was ushered through by a screener, a fellow Muslim. Of course, there'll never be an official acknowledgment - <i>cause diversity</i>. <br /><br />But for the passengers, we'd also wouldn't have known there was a second arrest after the plane landed. Courtesy of a sniffer-dog, and residue of PETN. <br /><br />The up side is that we now know what we're all in for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-6370504896082943452010-01-03T07:07:32.930-06:002010-01-03T07:07:32.930-06:00Yes, we are so screwed. Because of this political ...Yes, we are so screwed. Because of this political bullshit called PC, we are unable to defend ourselves. I cannot fault Obama or Bush. This has been developing for a long, long time.<br /><br />March 1785. When they inquired by what right the Barbary states preyed upon American shipping, enslaving both crews and passengers, America’s two foremost envoys were informed that “it was written in the Koran, that all Nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon whoever they could find and to make Slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Mussulman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise.” <br /><br />After 9/11 Bush said: "This crusade, this war on terrorism is gonna take awhile. And the American people must be patient. I'm gonna be patient"<br /><br />It didn't take long before Bush was forced to appologize, saying he regretted using the word crusade. Then came the PC statement that Islam is a religion of peace.<br /><br />Barack Hussein Obama? Why even go there. He'll do nothing.<br /><br />We are so screwed, but we have nobody to blame but ourselves.AllenShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08848966772462502893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1288469068591561802010-01-02T23:24:06.403-06:002010-01-02T23:24:06.403-06:00JAL said...
No..wait, they still hassle little ol...JAL said... <br />No..wait, they still hassle little old ladies.<br /><br />92 year old white haired 4'4" Caucasian woman who cannot walk without her 4 wheeled walker, being accompanied by her middle aged daughter. Checked a bag, had tickets (hers was one way !!!) paid for by credit card over a month peviously. Travelling companion had a round trip ticket.<br /><br />Yup. They are random pat downs.<br /><br />A complete waste of time and resources. And our tax money.<br /><br />Drudge picture? A statement on the inconsequence of these two individuals.<br /><br />The people who chose and put up the pictures? A couple of "who cares" Federal employees.JALhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15503869597362866878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-39409975772499176172010-01-02T23:20:31.479-06:002010-01-02T23:20:31.479-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.JALhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15503869597362866878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-22607064248532716852010-01-02T22:32:45.177-06:002010-01-02T22:32:45.177-06:00...but Dogwood can only find four -- though they&#...<i>...but Dogwood can only find four -- though they're a very big four.</i><br /><br />Don't take my list as comprehensive. I'm sure there were others, but when I heard the first three, I couldn't believe the guy was allowed on the plane.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-13530876687136886262010-01-02T22:19:22.919-06:002010-01-02T22:19:22.919-06:00Whenever I see photos of "important people&qu...Whenever I see photos of "important people" (at least in their own minds) lined up like that, it comes across to me as an unconscious expropriation of an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kings_Gate_of_iconostasis.JPG" rel="nofollow">Eastern Orthodox iconostasis</a>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-39760466501801139132010-01-02T22:18:35.234-06:002010-01-02T22:18:35.234-06:00OK, at 2:31 I said "easily a half dozen,"...OK, at 2:31 I said "easily a half dozen," but Dogwood can only find four -- though they're a very big four. The primary one I'd add is that, based on some news reports, he didn't have a passport with him. Why they would let Abdulmutallab on the flight without one is such a mystery to me that I'm having a hard time believing the story is true.Big Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15831645119853118904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-37081520101518106782010-01-02T21:51:54.835-06:002010-01-02T21:51:54.835-06:00How long did it take to get all the planes grounde...<i>How long did it take to get all the planes grounded on 9/11?</i><br /><br />It took hours to ground thousands of planes. All international flights not yet in American airspace were diverted to other countries or returned to their point of origin.<br /><br />Domestic flights were directed to the nearest airport capable of handling the plane.<br /><br />As for Brooks, I'm not looking for perfection, but the red flags on this one were so evident there is no excuse.<br /><br />He paid cash (red flag) for a one-way ticket (red flag) and checked no luggage (red flag). Oh, and his dad warned the CIA that his son was a nutjob (red flag).<br /><br />IIRC, the first three red flags have been red flags since 9/11/01 and should have been enough to get him pulled into a private room for some quality one-on-one time with security personnel.<br /><br />Perfection isn't possible from human beings (thus the above deletion), but catching the obvious isn't asking too much.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-86950146304832761042010-01-02T21:47:37.420-06:002010-01-02T21:47:37.420-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-82704370607317567802010-01-02T19:31:04.483-06:002010-01-02T19:31:04.483-06:00Information is the currency of Bureaucracy. Consti...Information is the currency of Bureaucracy. Constipation of information is the purpose of management. The bureaucratic model is, by its nature, not adequate for disseminationg intelligence. Rather an internal intelligence market must be created where the gatherers are compensated for finding and providing time critical information. Interpreters like stock traders are compensated for correct filters and actions, and massive parallel paths threated to leave the inefficient in the dust, hopefully with monetary losses as a warning to others.Don Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06057058763094040058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-36235369039670376122010-01-02T18:32:32.791-06:002010-01-02T18:32:32.791-06:00Cedarford:
They could have publicly raised the al...Cedarford:<br /><br />They could have publicly raised the alert level. But I think they are loathed to do this because they accused Bush of using it for political purposes. So I think they painted themselves in a corner and we get to pay for it in increased risk to our lives. <br /><br />obama: The gift that keeps on giving it to us.zefalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14430979067004842975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-4701907957986727962010-01-02T18:26:08.147-06:002010-01-02T18:26:08.147-06:00If the new rule was in effect on Christmas day, Ja...If the new rule was in effect on Christmas day, <i>Jasper</i> would have been shot by an air-marshal <i>before</i> he defused the bomber.<br /><br />Not to mention the subsequent decompression. <br /><br />Meanwhile, the <i>we're-so-screwed</i>, 96% crowd (me included) certainly know all new rules aimed at the flying public are baby-bottle pacifiers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-58674542957670893262010-01-02T18:01:42.069-06:002010-01-02T18:01:42.069-06:00@lonewacko, I think you're focusing on the wro...@lonewacko, I think you're focusing on the wrong question. Replacing Napolitano will not "solve everything." No one sane expects that. But leaving her in place solves nothing and clearly that's not acceptable.<br /><br />Look at these new rules! No one can get up in the last hour of the flight? What if you got diarrhea from eating airport food? Do you have to sit there and mess yourself? Would you want to be that traveller? Would you even want to be seated <i>near</i> that traveller? Somebody with common sense needs to be in the role of DHS Secretary so he or she can tell the TSA "whoa" when they go overboard.Big Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15831645119853118904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-72192029441210713902010-01-02T17:40:12.659-06:002010-01-02T17:40:12.659-06:00One thing that bothers me that Janet said to Candy...One thing that bothers me that Janet said to Candy Crowley was that they didn't panic and shut down all the airline traffic.<br /><br />And I'm just trying to figure out what that was supposed to mean. As far as I know, airline traffic was only shut down on 9/11 and for a few days after. Is she snarking on that?MayBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966319657113124861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-14257233980799703712010-01-02T17:36:34.580-06:002010-01-02T17:36:34.580-06:00It isn't that Obama should have gotten on Air ...It isn't that Obama should have gotten on Air Force One and flown back to Washington upon hearing the news of the Scrotum Bomber. It's that he shouldn't transmit that sensation that he just want to be interrupted from eating his pancake, so to speak. And then for him to go flying across the island because some friend's son cut himself on a surfboard ... I dunno, doesn't quite add up to the look and feel of a guy who really gives a damn.M Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05446729909633462523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-10398317822011508582010-01-02T17:31:23.688-06:002010-01-02T17:31:23.688-06:00We may yet not be screwed if the dis-illusionment ...We may yet not be screwed if the dis-illusionment with Obama's nonsense spreads to the news media. Will they be forever under his spell as a Black President that can never be opposed no matter how much intentional damage he does?traditionalguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706120413005530014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-49860438893616469172010-01-02T17:30:50.854-06:002010-01-02T17:30:50.854-06:00Probably the only way to get Obama off his pansy-a...Probably the only way to get Obama off his pansy-ass, and pronto, is to goad Al Qaeda into insulting <i>African-American women</i>. <br /><br />If he fails to get off his pansy-ass then - <i>Michelle</i> will go all ghetto on him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-17030537187238088912010-01-02T17:30:49.086-06:002010-01-02T17:30:49.086-06:00When I first heard our homeland secretary say how ...<i>When I first heard our homeland secretary say how proud she was that it only took 60-90 minutes to notify planes in the air of the incident,</i><br /><br />Yeah, that was weird. And it wasn't even all the planes in the air- just those traveling over the Atlantic to the US.<br /><br />How long did it take to get all the planes grounded on 9/11?MayBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966319657113124861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-16357270381732855692010-01-02T17:23:13.134-06:002010-01-02T17:23:13.134-06:00When I first heard our homeland secretary say how ...When I first heard our homeland secretary say how proud she was that it only took 60-90 minutes to notify planes in the air of the incident, I thought she mispoke and meant 60-90 seconds. but, alas, she meant what she said. did one person make all the calls? how many planes landed during that time -- thus exposing themselves to the critical period w/o any notice?<br /><br />we're sitting duckssteve uhrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10035001371164029895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-37509673316997085002010-01-02T17:17:42.480-06:002010-01-02T17:17:42.480-06:00For the record, David Brooks is a pansy-ass - a go...For the record, David Brooks is a pansy-ass - a good writer, but still a Starbucks-sipping pansy-ass. And from the outset, not a particularly clever example of a closet-liberal. <br /><br />Regarding Drudge, his pictures are often worth a thousand words - and today's side-by-side, ten thousand.<br /><br />Because Obama is a hyper-liberal pansy-ass, and Nepolitano fits in his shadow. <br /><br />Moral: The phone rang at 3:00am Christmas morning; NO ONE ANSWERED. And they've been lying through their teeth ever since.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-56969910344814970212010-01-02T17:16:11.899-06:002010-01-02T17:16:11.899-06:00Not only that but Obama's Global Warming czar ...Not only that but Obama's Global Warming czar is a total failure. Just when all the Florida oranges are about to freeze 3 weeks before the old frost dangers used to begin, there are still no emergency CO2 generators in action to warm the globe. WTF? We demand that these honchos that claim that they can control earth's weather get to work and warm this winters deep freze back up quick.traditionalguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706120413005530014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-16843842987963510692010-01-02T17:05:13.095-06:002010-01-02T17:05:13.095-06:00Big Mike: who's up to her job? It's a pret...Big Mike: who's up to her job? It's a pretty tough job and there aren't too many people besides Superman who could do it.<br /><br />Where you might hang your hat is the place where her opponents have a blind spot. Like her predecessors, she's "doing her job" rather than "doing her job description". The former involves promoting BHO's agenda, specifically helping him push amnesty. Of course, those opponents won't mention that for various ideological or financial reasons. Some support her "doing her job", others are dependent on those who make money from her "doing her job".<br /><br />Firing her is like that: it would "solve everything", if by "solve everything" you mean "papering over systemic problems".<br /><br />It all boils down to what is is.LonewackoDotComhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17942733237455764090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-19211880002898875452010-01-02T16:55:42.076-06:002010-01-02T16:55:42.076-06:00DBQ - "I don't get why people call Drudge...DBQ - "I don't get why people call Drudge a 'journalist'.<br />What is he journaling or writing. It seems that his site just links to news stories that Drudge thinks are interesting or that are breaking news."<br /><br />DBQ, Drudge and various people have said that Drudge is less a journalist than an enormously effective Editor and news collator that has a great "what's important or interesting" site you can read at a glance, drop off a tip at, or link to a few hundred columnists and global news sites..<br />His success at this is evident. I think he might have slipped a bit from when he was spending 12-14 hours a day at it...but the product is still hugely popular.<br /><br />Similar to Instapundit. A sparse, fast offering of what's up where you can take Reynold's word for it or bore in to his links for more detail.Cedarfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00602418702398818596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-36945220240941593512010-01-02T16:53:11.512-06:002010-01-02T16:53:11.512-06:00One of the selections should have been 'Talkin...One of the selections should have been 'Talking to Obama or Napolitano is like talking to a brick wall'MadisonManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01212179466758420208noreply@blogger.com