Sunday Evening Blogroll!! Happy Football Season!!

As always, I'll start by asking how everybody's Saturday was? Mine was great. I dug holes in the backyard for a couple hours, then moved on to everybody's favorite pastime, TAILGATING! Oh yeah, and Missouri beat the hell out of not only a I-AA team, but one that finished 2-9 last year. The only drama was whether or not our 2nd stringers could preserve the shutout after our 2nd string QB threw an interception. Answer: not. Missouri wins 47-7.

On to the blogs...

Moment of silence, please (Digby). How will the Internet continue to run without its chief of anti-blogofascist police?

Now these are some tasty apples (C&L). Seriously, this is hilarious.

Now's a good time to mention that, if there are large-scale protests in Salt Lake Freaking City (Existentialist Cowboy), the dung is working its way through the proverbial fan blades. However, Dana walks us through why this November will see a tsunami, not a landslide.

This is a good point (TBogg): why are they so worried that those awful Ay-rabs are coming to get them? It's not like God won't swoop in with his rapture wagon at the last second. Speaking of wingnuttery, now they've taken to reading body language (Pandagon) and discussing the cowardice of hostages from the comfort of their own offices/bedrooms (Greenwald).

Debate Link discusses Centrist Anger. I wouldn't know about that because I'm not all that centrist (I like to think I am, but I'm really not), but it's a very well thought out post, nonetheless.

There is a difference, however, between the centrism expressed at Debate Link and that of people like DeLong. Why? Because Debate Link works from reality, not fantasy. Atrios rips to shreds the view of the Sensible Liberal in the World of Sensible Politics. The whole worldview might work in a different reality, but not this one.

And while it's respectable to present them with reality and challenge them to see it for themselves (First Draft), it's also a big waste of time. But hey...who knew that the only difference between Katrina and a tickle party was that bad stuff happened?

Susie links to WaPo, and just this once I'll allow it. Olvlzl at Echidne links to the Boston Globe, which is always a much better proposition.

Just in case you're wondering, here is the Rude Pundit (via Avedon) showing us the main reason for the 'No linking to WaPo' rule.

Now's a good time to mention that these "serious" people (Gadflyer) have yet to be correct about anything, ever. Speaking of always being wrong... (Greenwald)

Here's some fine writing--and linking--about fearmongering (Left Coaster). Double Down (FDL)! And speaking of fearmongering (Wolcott)...

I have a theory on why the War Party rhetoric has gone skittish and skyhigh, a theory based on casual observation of New York streetfights (streetfights everywhere, really). What I've noticed is that the trash talk in a street altercation escalates in proportion to the expanding distance between the two protagonists. When two potential fighters are almost literally in each other's faces, their words are few, their expressions fierce. It's when the fist fight has been avoided (or tabled) and they're putting distance between each other that the taunting becomes louder and more florid. "Get back in my face again, motherfucker, and I'll pound your face into hamburger meat, motherfucker." "Come back and say that to my face, lame-ass motherfucker." Etc. You can supply your own David Mamet expletives and challenges. One of my favorite verbal showdowns occurred on 14th Street one rainy day when two non-pugilists kept up the trash talk until one of them said, "You're carrying an umbrella, motherfucker--how tough can you be?" Which I must say got quite a chortle from us idle bystanders.

Now what has this to do with the posings of our militaristic muscle mouths?

This: It is an index of the frustration and impotence they're experiencing at not getting their way. They're waging rhetorical escalation because de-escalation is the unacknowledged order of the day, and there's nothing they can do about it.

Wow, I have a new favorite Republican (Rising Hegemon). Of course, that suggests I have an old favorite, but work with me. Oh, and Rubber Stamps, all around (Great Society)!

My second-favorite Republican has to be the person who thought this slogan contest (linked at the bottom of this Alicublog post) was a good idea.

Demosthenes discusses Corn, Armitage, and The Leak.

According to dictionary.com ("a situation from which extrication is very difficult"), Upyernoz, you are correct. That is the precise definition of quagmire. Of course, it also apparently means "anything soft or flabby", which leads me down other paths that I refuse to follow.







Okay, just this once.

quag-mire [kwag-mahyuhr]:
or or

Gotta love the English language. One word, so many different meanings...

Here's the latest on Mexico from Mercury Rising. I feel bad only linking Mexico-related posts from MR--they do post about other things--but they're the best around in regard to our southern neighbor.

Because we always need to be reminded... (The Le in Lefarkins)

What makes a Christian church Christian (Interesting Times)?

No question: Mannion rambles (yet stays completely interesting) with the best of them. Here's a post about 9/11, 9/11: The Movie, Deadwood, and plenty more...with an interesting question smack in the middle...

There are thousands and thousands and thousands of Americans who weren't directly hurt on Septemeber 11, 2001 who have been suffering from the aftermath of that day---starting with the soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq and their families---and millions more of us who have had to deal with five years of political and social upheaval, from the inconvenient to the literally disasterous---would George Bush have been president last September when New Orleans was drowning if the hijackers had missed their flights four Septembers before?

That's not a rhetorical question, by the way.

There's quite an obvious answer to that question, by the way.

They sound like nice people, the Uzbekis (Booman)...

Aww...poor little Ricky, getting mocked in print, and by his home state Pennsyltuckians, no less (AMERICAblog)...

Missouri's #1 (Fired Up! Missouri) in something other than meth! Woohoo! And finally, speaking of Midwesterners who act like Southerners...

Alright, time to go watch The Butterfly play Sims, then go to bed. Happy Labor Day to me.