Author: Fuzzy Curmudgeon

and in full flower:

Today we are back at the WFC. Our new office in our old building looks down on a 16-acre pit several stories deep. During our first stint in this place–from May 1996 to September 2001–we would occasionally look over at the World Trade Center and try to imagine what it was like when a bomb went off there in February 1993. Now we look at the enormous hole in the ground and try to remember what it was like a year ago, when two homely yet majestic buildings still stood on the site.
Then, to put things in perspective, we look at a map of the Muslim world and imagine what it will be like when the dictators are gone and the countries they now rule have joined the civilized world. If this strikes you as fancifully optimistic, look at a map of Germany, Italy, Japan or even Russia and remember what those countries used to be like.

Bravo! Welcome back, Mr. Taranto.

At least according to Jonathan Last.
I’m surprised that Fox didn’t take up this idea and flog it to death. Seems like it would be a natural for them. It would certainly beat hell out of those interminable helicopter car chases and Amber Alerts.

Lawrence Henry has a thoughtful piece on getting ready to go to war.

I was going to do the “What Revolution Are You?” quiz, but I have a problem with the second question:

Do you think you are a rebel?
x Sure I am, the system is wrong and must be changed
x Yes sometimes. I do what I want without thinking about consequences
x I would like but I am too busy to doing something
x No I am loyal to authorities

How about “No, as long as the authorities are loyal to me” ?
Sorry guys. That’s the crux of the American Revolution. Government is supposed to be in the service of us; we are not the servants of government.
So right off the bat this quiz is flawed.

This idiot is trying to foist his atheism on us yet again…

Pampered “singing” idol Lance Bass won’t be going into space.
Good. Space is for professionals right now, not for tourists who think their money can buy them whatever they want.
And that goes for members of Congress, too.

Well, I hope all my reader (I sometimes suspect that’s not a typo) had an enjoyable Labor Day weekend.
Mine was going just fine till about noon Saturday, when I threw my back out moving furniture at my Mom’s.
The good news is that I can walk today, after a fashion, although more like an evolving biped than an evolved one. Sitting up is agony but after being off two days because I couldn’t read (waiting for my bifocals) and then being off a couple of days sick right after that, I can’t really take any more time off without being shot 🙂 And I can’t take the laptop to bed because sitting up there is even worse. I think Sally has a beanbag chair in storage, and I’m thinking that might be comfortable. We’ll see.
Bloggage will probably be limited but I’ll try to come up with some good stuff for you. FWIW Best of the Web (linked in my Links area to the right) should be back today. (It isn’t so far but the day is young.)
Lileks and LGF were good today. So was den Beste (USS Clueless). All linked at right under Daily Blog Reads. Yes, I’m in too much pain to give you links here in the text 🙂

The intent is for this to be a quiet weekend, so unless W. surprises us all and blows Baghdad or Riyadh off the map, there probably won’t be any bloggage from this quarter until Tuesday. Have a good one.

Mark Steyn on the hope that the 9/11 anniversary isn’t Dianafied.
No kidding. It’s time to stop feeling pain, and open up that can of whup-ass we’ve been saving for militant Wahhabism.

Fuck Europe.
(On second thought, who would want to? Yechh.)