It’s electric!

Actually, it will be a lack of electricity that will keep me quiet for most of the day; we’re having some upgrading done on our electric stuff and I understand my computer will be silenced for most of the day. I’ll prolly be kinda chilly, too!

In the meantime, I have some interesting and thought-provoking things for y’all to read and ponder. When I can get back online, I plan on writing rather extensively on one of the issues, but I’ll surprise you! :-)

At this writing, miraculously, 12 miners are still alive. Let us keep them and their families in our prayers!

Gay Patriot writes of The Tragedy of Jack Abramoff and as he knew him personally, it’s a compelling and well-written read. Couple it with this piece by Matthew Continetti, Money, Mobsters and Murder and you begin to think this story is going to be very, very big and very destructive for many people.

Anthony Browne in the UK writes on how political correctness is affecting Britain.

Christopher Hitchens on Iraq’s democratic elections. Good, snarky and smart.

Carol Platt Liebau writes that the liberal media lost big in 2005 while Wes Pruden wonders if the Plame scandal can be salvaged.

Jimmie Bise talks about these NSA leaks, and does it well. Clarice Feldman, in an excellent piece, calls the whole “scandal” laughable.

On the same subject, Pete Williams does the impossible and leaves Chris Matthews speechless. And if you missed it (I almost did) Kathleen Blanco is doing that Marie-Antoinette thang that is routinely credited to Conservatives, but which some Democrats do so well.

Speaking of Democrats, in direct opposition to their sudden concern about “the public’s right to know,” about our national security secrets, it looks like they’re going to forget about “the public’s right to know” when it comes to the Barrett Report particularly if it might hurt their sacred cows.

Mary Katharine Ham has a yummy piece about rich socialists. No, not socialites, socialists.

British, French and German intel says Iran is trying to go nuclear. It’s the big story no one wants to talk about.

Ann Althouse writes on a particularly interesting op-ed piece in the NY Times that is worth really talking about – as I hope to when the power comes back on!

Gerald takes a bat to an idea he doesn’t like

Kenneth Miongue, Journalism: Power without responsibility.

Joel Stein has assigned himself the thankless task of winning over a pissed off Maureen Dowd. If his little faux pas made her that mad, I imagine she’ll never accept a bottle of wine from me, either. Not that I’m sending! :-)

Microsoft – not the Chinese Government, but Microsoft – takes down a Chinese Blogger.

An Italian artist is surprised to find folks objecting to his “transgressive” nativity.

More anon!