Andrew Sullivan's Blog, page 2841

Glenn Reynolds, Paranoid Gun Nut

Who else would fall for an hysterical conspiracy theory about the feds and the Internet? Here's Insta's knee jerking:

If they shut down the Internet, I'm getting out my gun. And I think
everyone should take it as a signal to do the same — because one way or
the other, it means the country's under attack.

He soon realizes he's been had, although characteristically fails to take responsibility for the error. Stewart Baker:

There's an Internet kill switch all right, but it ain't in Washington...

No Madonna, Ctd

A reader writes:

Anyone with an ear for music and a sense of humor can instantly tell that Gaga was doing a parody of Swedish pop music when she wrote and recorded "Alejandro."  It is obviously a satire and homage to "Don't Turn Around" and "Fernando."  There is no copying here - just humor, admiration and genius.

Another writes:

I heard the same Ace of Base influence in Alejandro and I think it's intentional.  To me, her music is like a super mash-up of all the great female pop acts dating...

"Clean Fusion Power This Decade"

That's the title of a gripping talk by Ed Moses, director of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore
Labs. I'm not qualified to judge this scientifically - maybe some readers are - but that sure would be nice, wouldn't? Money quote from a summary of the lecture by Stewart Brand:

The question, Moses said, is "Can we build a miniature Sun on Earth?" The recipe involves a peppercorn-size target of hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium heated to 200 million degrees...

More Journalism Committed

The headline says it all:

Patricia Lesko's bid for Ann Arbor mayor gaining support, despite false campaign messages

No MSM-style equivocation - but a clear factual statement that a candidate has been lying, complete with evidence of her fabrications. Why can't the NYT do this?

Ann Arbor Michigan - Ann Arbor - United States - Government - Sports

The American View Of Soccer, Ctd

A reader writes:

Despite being a marvelous game, soccer will never become popular in the US because the sport's pace and flow does not lend itself to commercial interruption. Baseball is perfect for commercials because of its inning structure, and football and basketball have numerous time-outs. So soccer will never get the huge investments fromnetworks and sponsors that have enabled American football andbasketball to prosper. And hard to imagine soccer going that route without destroying...

"Don't Let Them Forget About Us"

Dan Zak reports on Leeville, LA. Slideshow here. He follows up at his blog:

This is a town that shouldn't exist, topographically, but has been
kept alive by two American prospects: seafood and oil. Now both those
industries are crippled by the uncontrolled leak out in the gulf.
Leeville is evaporating. Every person I talked to used the words "ghost
town."

United States - Business - Hosting - Free - Web Design and Development

Netanyahu's Achievement

From a Pew Study (pdf) released yesterday:

In Egypt the percentage of Muslims expressing confidence in Obama fellfrom 41% to 31% and in Turkey from 33% to 23%. Last year only 13% ofPakistani Muslims expressed confidence in Obama, but this year evenfewer (8%) hold this view. And while views of Obama are still morepositive than were attitudes toward President Bush among most Muslimpublics, significant percentages continue to worry that the U.S. couldbecome a military threat to their country.

The ...

Barton And The Right

The right-wing punditariat backs the congressman who apologized to BP for the government "shakedown." I told you Rush is not mocked. He runs the GOP and they follow him:

Republican - Right-wing politics - United States - Politics - Opposing Views

The Nitty Gritty Of Governance

Here's something that won't seize cable news:

Authorities arrested 485 people since March in the
largest nationwide mortgage-fraud crackdown of its kind, the U.S.
Justice Department

During the enforcement effort, 1,215 criminal
defendants responsible for $2.3 billion in losses faced some type of
legal action, the department said. The crackdown, dubbed Operation
Stolen Dreams, also included 191 civil cases resulting in the recovery
of more than $147 million.

"This represents...

"You Ain't Got No Pancake Mix!"

Finally, a way to respond to holy rollers, tea-partiers, Larouchies, Code Pink, Mormon missionaries, Farrakhanites, HRC fundraisers, at al:

Mormon - Latter Day Saint - Religion and Spirituality - Christianity - Denominations