Weapons of mass destruction

Sometimes you have to hand it to Slate to answer the questions you have but forget about too quickly to actually research.

When reading about the arrests of the Hutaree militia group members who had planned an attack against law enforcement professionals, it was mentioned (in the headline and the body) that they were charged with attempting to use “weapons of mass destruction,” but the stories explained that they had planned on using Improvised Explosive Devices, which are generally conventional in nature. “Weapons of mass destruction” is a term that is generally used to describe nuclear, biological or chemical weaponry. So, how are these so-called “militiamen” being charged with such an offense? Well, Brian Palmer, writing for Slate, explains, “When did IEDs become WMD?”

In 1994. Since its origins in the 1940s, the phrase weapons of mass destruction has typically referred to some combination of nuclear, biological, chemical, and radioactive weaponry. But, in a sweeping 1994 crime bill, Congress defined the term to include weapons previously known only as “destructive devices,” such as bombs, grenades, mines, and guns with a bore of more than one-half inch in diameter that are not common in sport hunting. Under U.S. Code Title 18, Section 2332a, murder by WMD is now one of 50 death-penalty-eligible federal offenses, along with treason, espionage, drive-by shooting, and murdering a member of Congress. There is nothing in the congressional record showing why then-Sen. Joseph Biden, who drafted the language, defined the term so broadly, but the bill was introduced a few months after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, in which conventional weapons killed six and wounded more than 1,000 people.

He goes further into the history of the terms, I recommend you read the whole (actually rather concise and brief) explanation.

Hump-Day Song of the Week: Temptation by New Order

New York Times Columnist Line of the Day

If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas Friedman, Gail Collins, Nicholas Kristoff, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy.

Today’s is just a sad one from Maureen Dowd:

The church gave up its credibility for Lent. Holy Thursday and Good Friday are now becoming Cover-Up Thursday and Blame-Others Friday.

Weirdly enough, Friedman’s column today is basically the same as Maureen’s, but about Afghanistan.

“Well now I feel the pain of racism”

I’d never heard of Doc Thompson until today. The only reference I can find of him in a very quick Google search is that he hosts some talk radio program out of Richmond, Virginia. However, apparently he was given the reins of Glenn Beck’s radio program yesterday and decided to make a name for himself. The type of name that will resonate with the Glenn-Beckers and Tea Partiers and nutters out there. Perhaps the type of name that will rescue him from Richmond and land him a gig on Fox News. That is, at the very least, the only plausible explanation for the following:

Racism has been dropped at my front door and the front door of all lighter-skinned Americans. The health care bill the president just singed into law includes a 10 percent tax on all indoor tanning sessions starting July 1st, and I say, who uses tanning? Is it dark-skinned people? I don’t think so. I would guess that most tanning sessions are from light-skinned Americans. Why would the President of the United States of America—a man who says he understands racism, a man who has been confronted with racism—why would he sign such a racist law? Why would he agree to do that? Well now I feel the pain of racism.

If he’s being serious, and feeling seriously slighted, then this hearkens to the apologists for the white-power crazies out there. “They have a United Negro College Fund! If white people had a United Caucasian College Fund, we’d be racists!” “Black Entertainment Television? Time for White Entertainment Television!”

You know, forget about the fact that tanning is dangerous, causes cancer, and, at the end of the day, is absolutely, one-hundred-percent, a luxury purchase. I’m not personally one for using tax code to effect changes in behavior, but calling this a racist provision is silly attention-seeking at best, and dangerous hate-baiting at worst.

Morning Constitutional – Wednesday, 31 March 2010

Good morning, folks. Jesse James is going to rehab, there will be a Hangover sequel, and Matt Damon is going to guest star on 30 Rock. Now, your morning constitutional:

The Obama administration will propose opening large swathes of the eastern Gulf of Mexico to natural gas and oil exploration and drilling. The price of oil has risen over the last year, mostly a result of investor activity. The New York Times, however, reports that oil prices are stable and are at a good place for the world economy.

The Serbian Parliament passed a resolution condemning the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, where more than 7,000 Bosnia Muslim men and boys were killed by Serb troops.

Insurance companies have decided to comply with the rules to be issued soon from the Department of Health and Human services defining the requirement for insurers to cover children with pre-existing conditions. Insurers had stated that they did not believe that the newly-passed health care reform law actually required them to cover such children. In other good health care-related news, the recent overhaul ends the practice of gender discrimination, meaning women can no longer be charged more than men.

One joint leads to deportation.

Are humans too stupid to prevent climate change? James Lovelock thinks so.

The Obama administration will pledge $1.15B over the next two years to help with Haiti’s reconstruction efforts.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison will announce today that she intends on staying in the Senate, despite an earlier pledge to resign her seat.

Finally, looks like chocolate may help control blood pressure and prevent strokes.

Days until Opening Day: Four (4)

Why are novels so long?

Charles Stross has a really interesting explanation for why novels are the length they are:

Once a trend like that becomes established, it’s hard to stop. Put yourself in the position of a bored browser in front of a supermarket wire-rack, contemplating novels by two authors you’ve never read. They both cost the same, and you have enough pocket money to buy one. The year is 1980; LibraryThing or other internet resources aren’t available. How do you make your mind up? Well, you remember what you’ve heard about the authors, and you look at the cover painting, and you read the back flap blurb. Assuming all of these are equal … you probably buy on weight, because you subconsciously anticipate a longer reading experience and, all things considered, good experiences that last longer are better than short ones. Remember that the actual cost of the paper and ink is only a small component of the retail price of a book — around 10-15%. Increasing a book block’s size from 150 pages to 180 pages is cheap. And so, from the 1960s to the 1990s, publishers unconsciously trained readers to expect longer novels.

There’s a lot more, so go read the whole thing.

I’m sorta disgusted.

I was fed up with the actions and rhetoric of the left when Bush was in office, despite sharing many of their concerns. I’m fed up with the current tactics of the right, and share none of their concerns. And yes, sadly, I’m still fed up with the left. I’m having trouble understanding how we move forward from such insanity. President Obama answered the question quite diplomatically this morning, as he often does. Noting that there is a divide in the ‘tea party’* movement between the truly insane(birthers, etc…) and the more rational(deficit hawks, etc…) he thinks that there are inroads to be made to the latter, but admits the former are a lost cause. I happen to agree, if only because folks that are so susceptible to such obvious ridiculousness generally wed themselves to their insane ideas. Fortunately, generally large numbers of people do not buy into the insanity. Unfortunately, this time many have.

In light of this, how do Democrats move forward? Simultaneously relating to the increasingly violent factions of the far right and the more moderate voices doubtlessly require two separate messages and responses, yet what should either response look like? I hold out hope that more rational elements of all political persuasions will prevail when policy works as intended. When needed provisions of the health-care reform bill go into effect and formerly suspicious people see the actual good the bill provides and Stalin does not rise form the grave, hand in hand with Mussolini, and take control of the country, the wingnuts who have been arguing that would happen will look as foolish as their arguments actually are. However, we have an election in November, likely before many effects of HCR are noticed by the larger population, and majorities to defend in both houses. So what’s next? Other than not acting like wingnuts(seriously, people on the left…stop doing stupid shit…it’s not cute or helpful, it just makes you look as insane as the hordes of tax protesters who threaten violence.)

* I really, really, hate this name/term as it is undefined and sounds terribly juvenile, which, in all fairness, perhaps fits the situation quite well.

New York Times Columnist Line of the Day

If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas Friedman, Gail Collins, Nicholas Kristoff, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy.

From David Brooks’s kind-of-silly column today about happiness:

The United States is much richer than it was 50 years ago, but this has produced no measurable increase in overall happiness. On the other hand, it has become a much more unequal country, but this inequality doesn’t seem to have reduced national happiness.

Wonder if he might have considered that the two might have canceled each other out? Nah, that would be silly.

Morning Constitutional – Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Good morning, everybody. Ricky’s gay, Sandra’s dumping Jesse, but, worry not!, Heidi and Spencer are staying together. Now, your morning constitutional:

President Obama will sign changes to student lending into law today. The changes will replace the current system of the government giving loans through private lenders and instead provide loans directly to students.

The CERN Large Hadrom Collider succeeded Tuesday morning in colliding particles at three times the highest energy levels ever recorded. Of course, I have absolutely no idea what that means.

Members of the League for Democracy Party in Myanmar voted to skip the country’s first elections in two decades in protest of what they see as an unfair election. New election laws forbid political prisoners from running in the election, which would include Aung San Suu Ki, the Burmese democratic icon, because she is in prison.

President Obama held a Passover Seder with Jewish friends and White House workers last night.

The Republican National Committee fired a staffer who organized a $1,946 visit to a S&M-themed strip club, the latest in a series of questionable spending episodes by the RNC.

FiveThirtyEight on how UK poll numbers show that the race is impossible to read at this stage.

Students in a chorus class perform a provocative dance routine. The chorus teacher is charged with corruption of minors. The students are charged with public indecency. True story.

Nine members of the militia group Hutaree face charges of conspiracy and attempting use weapons of mass destruction.

President Obama will throw the first pitch at Nationals Park on opening day.

Finally, can magnets sway ones moral compass?

New York Times Columnist Line of the Day

If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas Friedman, Gail Collins, Nicholas Kristoff, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy.

And today’s from Ross “Do that thang” Douthat, in today’s column “A Time for Contrition,” in which he inexplicably partially blames psychiatry for the Catholic Church’s sex abuse problem:

The permissive sexual culture that prevailed everywhere, seminaries included, during the silly season of the ’70s deserves a share of the blame, as does that era’s overemphasis on therapy. (Again and again, bishops relied on psychiatrists rather than common sense in deciding how to handle abusive clerics.)

Sure, he also blames the conservative instincts: institutional loyalty and obedience, and explains the source of that blame. But never actually makes the “overemphasis on therapy” explanation stick, or even begin to explain it.

Oh, and if you missed it because we don’t do this on Sundays, you should definitely go back and read Frank Rich’s excellent column from yesterday, “The Rage Is Not About Health Care.”

Morning Constitutional – Monday, 29 March 2010

Good morning, folks. Butler, West Virginia, Duke and Michigan State: What in the—? Anyways, here’s your morning constitutional:

President Obama made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan on Sunday to meet with President Karzai and address the troops stationed there.

Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up on Moscow Metro subway trains this morning, killing at least 36.

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that three police officers were justified in using a Taser on a pregnant woman who they stopped for a traffic violation.

An obituary for ‘Cap and Trade.’

Seven have been arrested in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana in raids by a FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force on the militia group Hutaree, a self-described Christian militia, this weekend. They are expected to appear in court today. ABC News wonders if they were targeted because of threats made to Muslims.

The President made 15 recess appointments this weekend, but one very important post is still empty.

A shortage of slaughterhouses is hampering the local eating movement.

How the noses on Japan’s bullet trains are made – with hammers.

Trees in a forest an hour outside of D.C. are growing, in some cases, twice as fast as expected.

With so many Tea Party activists out of work, can the movement survive when the economy improves?

New Washington Post finds the public still split on health care reform.

Scientists discover evidence of another species of hominid, which would have lived at the same time as humans, Neanderthals, and the recently discovered Homo floresiensis in Indonesia.

Finally, kids need recess.

Things I Drink, And So Should You: The Negroni

Because this place needs another regular feature, I’m here, every Friday afternoon, to tell you that what you drink sucks.

Being married to an Italian can be fantastic. The food is amazing. The scenery, when in Italy rather than on Mott St. or in the North End, can be breathtaking. The language, the art … seriously, it’s a good deal, even without considering the individual Italian with whom I chose to spend the time before she decides to divorce me.

The drinking, however. If you’re not careful, you can find yourself beyond sauced before the bruschetta shows up at the table. Wine, beer, prosecco, can all run up on you with a quickness. And it will. You need a drink that forces you to slow down and savor the moment, that doesn’t overwhelm or confound the other great tastes you’ll be dealing with. And you’ll need a drink that doesn’t knock you on your ass but gets you nicely buzzed. If you want to be alert and affable when it comes time to impress your date, or just to enjoy the osso bucco — and save drinking room for the world’s greatest digestif, grappa — try this.

The Negroni
Perfect for all seasons, full of flavor, served in a heavy glass, the Negroni is exactly what you’re looking for. I think it’s a perfect match for an Italian dinner, but truth be told, I’ll order it whenever I see a bar proudly displaying a bottle of Campari. It looks fruity, but don’t let that dangling scurvy-stopper deceive you. Gin, Campari, sweet vermouth. End of story. This is the Mediterranean Old Fashioned. If Don Draper were Dona Draparoni, hipsters in Williamsburg would be drinking the hell out of these. Except, of course, you can’t drink them as a PBR chaser without the ghost of Antonio Gramsci shooting you in the name of the workers.

This weekend, separate yourself from the faceless crowds of vodka-drinkers* and order yourself a Negroni. You’ll look like you know your way around a bar and a Tuscan villa, you’ll distance yourself from the kids drinking IPAs (because, let’s face it, you’re not getting any younger and you can use it), and you’ll be enjoying the hell out of yourself. As an added bonus, after four of them, you’re sitting on the shores of Lake Como with Sophia Loren, about to get into an Alfa Romeo Cinque Cento.

This week, we raise our glass to the king of the Mediterranean: the Negroni

1 pt. Gin

1pt. Campari

1pt. Sweet Vermouth

/garnish with orange or lemon wedge

*It is my contention that people who drink vodka don’t like to drink. They like to be drunk. For serious, professional drinkers — rather than professional drunks (though like vision, that can get blurry ’round last call) — vodka is a no-go. It doesn’t taste like anything, and, as such, doesn’t change the flavor profile of the drink. A good cocktail uses every ingredient’s unique flavor to its advantage. Vodka is a way for people to look fancy (and drunk) without having to go through the difficult work of figuring out what they like (other than being drunk). Be adventurous. Find out what you like. There’s a wide world out there, and it doesn’t begin and end with “I’ll have a Ketel and … ”

Cheers.

Best. Week. Ever.

With the awesomeness surrounding the passage of healthcare reform, new DOT policy should not be overlooked.

Increased commitment to and investment in bicycle facilities and walking networks can help meet goals for cleaner, healthier air; less congested roadways; and more livable, safe, cost-efficient communities. Walking and bicycling provide low-cost mobility options that place fewer demands on local roads and highways. DOT recognizes that safe and convenient walking and bicycling facilities may look different depending on the context — appropriate facilities in a rural community may be different from a dense, urban area. However, regardless of regional, climate, and population density differences, it is important that pedestrian and bicycle facilities be integrated into transportation systems. While DOT leads the effort to provide safe and convenient accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclists, success will ultimately depend on transportation agencies across the country embracing and implementing this policy.

This is an overt shift from past federal transportation policy that provided little to no provision for bikes and pedestrian safety. Or existence. Or really anything besides cars. I am curious to see how they try to implement, or even recommend, good transportation strategies in the middle of suburbia, other than a walkway from the megamall to the Walmart, but enough about the sad state of post-WW2 ‘planning.’ The policy shift is unsurprising, given that we have the first president from an urban area in nearly 50 years, and from an area of Chicago that is highly walkable.

Friday Funny – Double Dose

Since these are both from the same group, it’s been decided to post both of them on the same day. That’s double the sketches for your money!

New York Times Columnist Line of the Day

If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas Friedman, Gail Collins, Nicholas Kristoff, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy.

Today’s is from Professor Krugman’s vitriolic column “Going to Extreme:”

For today’s G.O.P. is, fully and finally, the party of Ronald Reagan — not Reagan the pragmatic politician, who could and did strike deals with Democrats, but Reagan the antigovernment fanatic, who warned that Medicare would destroy American freedom.

Slim pickin’s today, but this one’s at least somewhat interesting. Roger Cohen’s is great, if you care about British politics, while David Brooks’s is really boring.