Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Assortment

1) Here’s the first installment in an intriguing detective story dating back to the American Civil War (H/T: Petitedov, via Alarming News).

2) A few countries with real short histories (H/T: Smitty at The Other McCain).

3) Ninety Miles Away finds a quote that admirably pinpoints one of the problems of our current political environment.

4) Not everybody is willing to play nice with Obama’s new friend (Thank God).

5) Judd Greg insists on talking common sense about Obama’s shiny new budget.

6) Yee haw! A sampling of Old West insults

7) It may well be time to start growing my own.

7 comments:

SwampWoman said...

DAMNIT, I KNEW I would eventually rue the day the tornado took out the tobacco barn.

RebeccaH said...

I'm tempted to grow tobacco in my back yard, even though I'm a nonsmoker. It's still legal and it's gonna cost more on the black market than marijuana or cocaine!

JeffS said...

"It's like this whole country's turned into high school.... Everything's a popularity contest."

Right down to common, commercial prizes, er, ah, I mean, gifts, intended to appeal to common avarice, and totally inappropriate for formal presentations.

bruce said...

Yeah, high school popularity contest applies to much the rest of the world too now.

Our Aust PM has (unlike his deputy) no clear policy position on main issues, merely executing a series of trapeze stunts (mostly double-talk).

The result? According to polls he is now 'Our most popular PM ever'. Fickle foolish public opinion.

bruce said...

JeffS I beg to differ on the gifts issue. There was something momentous about Pres Obama meeting the Queen with which stiff formality would have been wrong. I don't believe he 'gave the Queen an Ipod' - that's just the typically negative brit press jumping to judge. It was the Video-memento of the Queen's US visit which was the gift, presented on an Ipod so she could see it right there. And a Rogers songbook, icing on the cake. I was touched by the whole thing, and the Queen showed much more affection to the Obamas than I've seen her show to any other leader. She put aside her usual stiff formality and Obama's warm personal approach was just right.

Overall the Obama's meeting with the Queen was a big success and I imagine Pres Barack's old friends like William Ayers are aghast - Good!

tw: mereca - what the pommies call the USA.

JeffS said...

Well, let's not forget all of the other items on that iPod, Bruce. Makes me wonder if there will be an iPOTUS in the future. TOTUS ought to be worried.......

bruce said...

Yeah JeffS, I was wrong anyway. Apparently the Queen's staff asked Obama to bring a video iPod as she only had an audio one.

Which leads me to wonder if all the adulation the Pres received from British leaders had anything to do with their nation being now flat broke?