Toyah

You've probably already seen this animated Billy Collins poem, but if you haven't, it's worth a look. Billy Collins, a former U.S. Poet Laureate, is also my wife's favorite poet. She says she may even like him better than Shakespeare, but she urges me not to tell anyone. Collins has got several good collections out, but I'm most familiar with "The Art of Drowning". I recommend Billy Collins.

I live in a dry county. That means you can't buy alcohol of any kind in retail stores, but can purchase drinks in "private clubs." Now, it just so happens that Chili's is a private club. As is Applebees, Bennigans, Olive Garden, and every other restaurant that chooses to be a club. Different places have different "membership" requirements, such as paying a $1-3 membership fee, but most just ask you to sign a little receipt or let them swipe your drivers' license for a membership. If one wants to buy any alcohol for personal home consumption, he has to drive to a neighboring county that is not dry (4 of the neighboring 7 counties are "wet"), which means I usually have to trek about 20 miles to "Fat Dog" liquor to stock up on my booze. (map of Texas' "wet" and "dry" counties) As you can imagine, what with high gas prices, whisky, vodka and the like win out over buying palates of beer. I'm told, one can still find moonshiners and bootleggers around, if one knows where to look.

I guess this is all a result of the 21st amendment, which allows the states to write their own laws governing the sale of alcohol (in Texas, that power has been delegated to local authorities), while almost all other interstate businesses are subject to congressional oversight and regularization via the interstate commerce clause. Now imagine if we were still under the Articles, we'd face this problem with just about every good. For us in Texas, there'd be bootleg maple syrup and cheesecake, and for those in Michigan, there'd be bootlegged grapefruit and Mexican food. Of course, even the Constitution couldn't solve the problem with bootlegged Mexicans, but that's a topic for another post.

I just read an article linked off of Drudge about a radio interview with VP Cheney concerning the war on terror and iraq, etc... Here's the link.
One of Cheney's points that is trotted out in this little summary article is that the war in Iraq is at least partly responsible for the lack of attacks in the US since 9/11.

I say, "right on Mr. Vice President." I myself made this same point two years ago in a paper/book review for a National Security Law class in Law School. And, I have since that day wondered why the White House has not pushed that fact as a talking point. In fact, I would think that every six months or so the NYTimes headline out to read STILL NO ATTACKS SINCE 9/11 or some such thing. Instead we get this garbage from various senators from the soviet republics of NY City and Mass about how Bush has created a more dangerous world, so on and so forth. In fact, if you listen to the likes of Algore and his ilk, Bush might just cause the whole world to "inconvienently end."

Well, I say "heck no." There haven't been any attacks on US soil since Operation Iraqi Freedom and that's a major accomplishment. Thank you Mr. Cheney for finally making this point and thank you to Drudge for making sure that some people in the world actually read about it.

Ps. If your wondering, I got an A on that paper :) It was a review and response to a John Lewis Gaddis book entitled Surprise, Security and the American Experience. I highly recommend the book as a concise overview of the history of US geopolitical strategy.

Pretty cool story from the New York Times about new evidence regarding Edom and Israel.

An international team of archaeologists has recorded radiocarbon dates that they say show the tribes of Edom may have indeed come together in a cohesive society as early as the 12th century B.C., certainly by the 10th. The evidence was found in the ruins of a large copper-processing center and fortress at Khirbat en-Nahas, in the lowlands of what was Edom and is now part of Jordan.

Thomas E. Levy, a leader of the excavations, said in an interview last week that the findings there and at abandoned mines elsewhere in the region demonstrated that the Edomites had developed a complex state much earlier than previously thought.

They caution that we still shouldn't use the Bible as a historical source, although I wonder: I don't recall ever seeing a story like this which casts doubt upon a Biblical account, but I've seen many which confirm the Bible. Obviously I am biased and likely to forget or not notice the stories that are anti-biblical, but I still wonder how much evidence is necessary to depend on the historicity of the Bible?

ready for some ramblings from someone who's had a bit too much time to think about it?
today is my tuesday, my wednesday, and my thursday. yesterday was my monday and my wednesday. tomorrow will be my wednesday and my friday. does that make sense. it does if i have a 3 day week....which i do. tomorrow after work i am driving to cleveland. thursday jennifer and i will hang out with angela and meet up with the ciofani's for a big-ole' sumpin to eat and some professional funny-hood. maybe i'll heckle...probably not.

Zarqawi is dead, and the civilized world should rejoice. Heck, the entire world should rejoice. After Osama bin Laden himself and Saddam, I would consider Zarqawi the most important enemy leader in the war on terror, although it might be more symbolic than actual, given the way he's had to be in hiding.

Congrats to the U.S. and Iraqi militaries and intelligence agencies for patiently pursuing him until they got him.

The Kresge Center for Learning, or whatever its fancy title was, is coming down! 35 years of Hillsdale alumni, staff, and faculty rejoice!

There's even writing on the chalkboard. A student watching told me it was something to do with a scavenger hunt, and not leftover notes.

evidently this is the 422nd post to Toyah. i am going to have to keep track of this. we can do live Toyah cut-ins as we approach 500...and who is going post #500?...and will 500 live up to the hype?