Return of manned space flight

Riots in Minneapolis

What a f*cking disaster.

Trump impeached

Historic day.  New York Times story link.

.

Honoring the U.S. service members killed this year

Salute. 

Breitbart/Bannon is doubling down on a pedophile

Below is a screen capture from tonight (click on image to enlarge).

He may be a pedophile but he is our pedophile

Max Boot (military historian, foreign policy analyst, and conservative) on Republican response to Roy Moore revelations (link):

This episode is the sorry culmination of two trends that have disfigured the conservative movement beyond all recognition: contempt for the facts and desire to win at all costs. Republicans are increasingly reliant on ‘alternative facts’ manufactured by the likes of Fox News and Breitbart, which claim that global warming isn’t real and neither is the Russian hack of the Democratic National Committee. The real scandal, they tell us, is the Steele dossier paid for by the Democrats in an attempt to uncover Trump’s Russian connections. Or is it the evidence-free claim that Obama supposedly wiretapped Trump?” 

“In the final analysis, no indictment of their candidate will convince the faithful. As Trump once said, ‘I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters’ Or, more to the point, Roy Moore could molest a 14-year-old girl and not lose votes. Because for Republican partisans, their opponents are ‘the forces of evil,’ and anything is preferable to that. Even Donald Trump. Even Roy Moore. So in ostensibly fighting evil, Republicans have become complicit in it.” 

“This is a party that does not deserve to survive.”

It is "SAD" when parody = reality

Click cartoon image below to enlarge. Link.

Trump's carnage

From The Economist - summary of opinion piece (link).

 For all its flaws, America has long been the greatest force for good in the world, upholding the liberal order and offering an example of how democracy works. All that is imperilled by a president who believes that strong nations look out only for themselves. By putting “America First”, he makes it weaker, and the world worse off.

Roy Moore is toast

Link.  Someone clever managed to suppress this story until Moore's name could not be removed from the ballot.  

Virginia House of Delegates harbinger

Link from conservative Weekly Standard.

Put [it] in perspective for a moment: The Democrats began the night just one net loss away from giving Republicans a supermajority. They finished it one seat away from parity.

This transgender candidate beats 13 term conservative Republican upset (and others like it in state and local elections across the country yesterday) will influence the future behavior of those seeking federal reelection in 2018.  In short --

Virginia voters elected the state's first openly transgender candidate to the Virginia House of Delegates on Tuesday.

Danica Roem unseated incumbent delegate Bob Marshall, who had been elected thirteen times over 26 years . . .

Just another outrage

Trump is threatening to fire his chief law enforcement officer if Sessions doesn't open an investigation into Trump's political opponents.

Link.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he is “disappointed” with the Justice Department and won’t rule out firing Attorney General Jeff Sessions, if Sessions won’t investigate Democrats.

"I forgot"

Link.   How is it possible for Trump to recover?  Best case scenario for him seems to be maintaining the status quo, which is not good at all.

Quote:

President Donald Trump said Friday that he does not “remember much” from a 2016 meeting attended by then-campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty earlier this month to lying to the FBI and is cooperating with special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. . . 

The president’s claim that he did not recall much from the 2016 meeting comes nine days after he claimed to possess “one of the great memories of all time,” a defense he put forward to argue that his recollection of a conversation with a military widow was more accurate than that of the widow herself and a Democratic congresswoman who heard the call on speakerphone.

Donald Trump philosophy of life closely resembles Steve Martin's character from this bit from the 1970s. Trump started with millions of dollars from his father, and it seems more likely than not that (1) Trump did not pay all of his taxes  and (2) at least turned a blind eye to some shady foreign dealings (financial and political).

Trump's "I didn't know" seems to be morphing into "I forgot".

Why staff the federal government?

Link.

President Trump says "I'm the only one that matters" in setting U.S. foreign policy, downplaying the importance of high-level jobs such as the assistant secretary of state, which is currently vacant.

Moron.

"The end of the beginning"

Link. 

That’s not to say the media isn’t liberal or anti-Trump; I’ll grant you all that. But in a desperate effort to dismiss what Mueller has unearthed, conservative media has purposely conflated a bunch of things that, taken in context, aren’t terribly relevant at the moment . . .  

The only thing for sure right now is that Mueller has his talons into some Trump associates who would probably throw the president off a plane before they’d spend a single day in jail, so it’s fair to assume that whatever they know will be known to all of us before long.

Opening indictments

From the analytical, scholarly, objective LawFare (link):

This is only Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s opening salvo. As opening salvos go, it’s a doozy. . .  

We will say this: Mueller’s opening bid is a remarkable show of strength. He has a cooperating witness from inside the campaign’s interactions with the Russians. And he is alleging not mere technical infractions of law but astonishing criminality on the part of Trump’s campaign manager, a man who also attended the Trump Tower meeting. 

Any hope the White House may have had that the Mueller investigation might be fading away vanished this morning. Things are only going to get worse from here.  

"John Kasich Is Already Running"

Please.  Link.

New chapter - first indictments

Nine months from inauguration, the first "criminal" shoe drops.  The next year is going to suck worse than the last one for the country.  Count 1: "Conspiracy against the United States".

Pdf of indictment here.

UPDATE:  From Facebook.

Keep an eye on the ball

From LawFare: "The (Ir)relevance of the Trump “Dossier” 

"One important point is sometimes lost in the discussion.  The dossier itself played absolutely no role in the coordinated intelligence assessment that Russia interfered in our election."

GOP reckoning

The reckoning within the GOP has momentum, thank goodness.  Silent or otherwise complicit Senate Republicans are now all Trump Republicans.  Link.  The crazies must be defeated.    

Flake quits

Flake announces retirement as he denounces Trump

If Flake's floor speech — and retiring Republican Sen. Bob Corker's scathing criticism of the president earlier Tuesday — was any indication, Trump could be in for a long year of vocal opposition from prominent members of his own party before they leave the Senate. 

Flake will be treated kindly by the history books.  He never endorsed Trump, and later wrote a book repudiating everything Trump.

More Corker

Corker continues his assault on Trump this morning.

"I think the things that are happening right now that are harmful to our nation, whether it's the breaking down of . . . relationships we have around the world that have been useful to our nation," he said. "But I think at the end of the day, when his term is over, I think the debasing of our nation, the constant non-truth telling, just the name-calling ... I think the debasement of our nation will be what he'll be remembered most for, and that's regretful."

"Debasement of our nation."  That sums it up perfectly.

UPDATE: NY Times. "Mr. Corker, who supported Mr. Trump in the 2016 presidential election, told CNN on Tuesday that he would not do that again."

McCain and Corker v. Trump

Senator McCain and Senator Corker, both liberated of any reelection concerns, have opened a two-front Republican battle with Trump on terms that Trump understands - personal digs.

McCain essentially called Trump a coward with his recent comments about deferments during Vietnam for "bone spurs" without mentioning Trump by name.

Corker went further.

Same untruths from an utterly untruthful president. #AlertTheDaycareStaff

— Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) October 24, 2017

Now there are at least two in open revolt against Trump in the ranks of Senate Republicans. When will it be 10? 20? The sooner the better, for the sake of the country.

End of blog hibernation

My last post here was more than 3 years ago. That post (just below) shared information about the incredible growing menace of ISIS. Just last week, the retaking of Raqqa marked the end of ISIS' territorial "Caliphate".  A lot can happen in 3 years.

The next 3 years are going to have incredibly lasting historical significance. Trump is a runaway train and it seems to me that complete derailment is almost inevitable before 2021.

The blog is open again, and for at least the next 3 years.

The enemy of our time

Obama today said the right words. It is time for the full force of the United States to be deployed to eliminate this barbaric scourge.

"We will not be intimidated," Obama said during a joint press conference in Estonia. "Their horrific acts only unite us as a country and stiffen our resolve to take the fight against these terrorists. And those who make the mistake of harming Americans will learn that we will not forget, and that our reach is long and that justice will be served."

UPDATE: I never thought that I would say this, but Rand Paul is making sense.

Rand Paul is often labeled by his critics an isolationist, but the Republican senator from Kentucky is now calling on President Obama to outline plans to use the military to “destroy” the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

“If I were President, I would call a joint session of Congress,” Paul told the Associated Press. “I would lay out the reasoning of why ISIS is a threat to our national security and seek congressional authorization to destroy ISIS militarily.”

Fenton - RIP (2005 - 2014)

As perfect of a dog as one could hope to meet, much less to own, has gone to dog heaven.

Fenton -- who was technically my son's dog -- got very sick in December 2013.  We took him to the U of M Vet Hospital and were given a dire diagnosis (cancer) and two options:  (1) immediate surgery, with a significant risk that he would die on the operating table because of his weak condition, or (2) immediate euthanasia.  After soliciting the opinions of everyone in the family and because the dog was not in obvious pain, my son rejected the options presented and decided that we should take Fenton home and let him pass there.      

For a few days at home, Fenton hardly moved or ate, and he was unable to go outside to take care of business so our floor was covered in rugs and absorbing pads.  I bought 12 cans of soft cat food to entice him to eat, and my wife noted that I had probably overbought, a sad thought with which I could not disagree.

Then, something remarkable happened.  Fenton got his appetite back, and ate 6 of those cans of cat food in a span of minutes.  Soon, he was getting up to go outside.  It wasn't long before I was headed to the store to buy another 40 pound bag of his regular dry food.  

By mid-January, he was strong enough for us to reconsider surgery, and a six pound tumor the size a soccer ball was eventually removed from his spleen.  He recovered quickly and, within a couple of weeks, he was back to his old self.  But we were warned that the cancer would return eventually and probably suddenly, so we should enjoy every day with him.

Fenton did well for several months until one day in early May when he could not get up.  Soon thereafter, he stopped eating.  As predicted, the cancer was back with a vengeance.  Within a couple of days, after he started showing signs of struggling with respiratory failure, we reluctantly decided that the time had come.

We made arrangements for a vet to come to our house for the procedure.  Two hours before the appointed hour, Fenton pulled off a final remarkable feat: He got himself up to go outside.  He struggled to the yard on a beautiful sunny day and laid down for the last time.  For two hours my wife and son sat with him in the yard, enjoying final moments together.

When the vet arrived, he was very respectful as he went over the paperwork with my son, who bravely provided the signature authorizing the procedure.  The procedure was done in our front yard and, when it was over, my son stood at attention while Fenton was loaded in the vet's car.  After the vet left, my son had a private moment of silence at Fenton's place of death in the yard. It was all very moving. 

All dogs are special in their own way, but Fenton was really special.  He was regal, gentle, friendly, loving, and always so calm (unless another dog had the audacity to walk down his street).  He is already deeply missed.

AP = MVP

Twitter

Obviously, I haven't been blogging for a while.  Yesterday, I finally gave in and set up a Twitter account.  Time will tell if I actually get into it.  Given that I rarely put anything on Facebook, the odds are probably not great, but I invite you to follow me at @toddcpearson.

Scalia and illegal immigration

Richard Posner is a Reagan appointee and probably the most widely respected federal circuit court judge in the country.  His bio is here.  

John Roberts, at his confirmation hearing, said that the role of judge is to be an umpire; to call balls and strikes.  That is what Posner does, in my judgment.  And, here, Posner goes to the extraordinary step of calling out Scalia, his superior, in this article.  Yes, Posner has a lifetime appointment too, but this is a rare challenge.  You can read it here.  

Bad actors

I'm a social libertarian, fiscal moderate, and defense hawk. For that reason, Obama gets a "favorable" rating from me, although that stunt last week on immigration was so brazenly political that I lost some respect for him. I agree with the policy, but not with the way that it was implemented or the manner in which it was done.

As far as my defense hawk side, I think that I know bad people when I see them, and I don't think that just talking with bad people is always the answer.  If there is truth to this story, a firm response is imperative because they are just giving the free world the finger in the most blatant manner possible.

Meet Scarlet

If you look hard, you will see one of our 4 dogs, Scarlet, 30 feet up in our weeping willow tree. It is listing a bit, and she has learned to climb to get a better view of the neighborhood. This has become part of her daily routine.

Political ad of the day

Airlines

I have never understood why people buy stock in airlines.  Every airline seems to go bankrupt (and wipe out all equity) every 10 years.  But it isn't all the fault of the airlines.  The taxes and fees are extremely onerous.  See below for a flight that I just booked to Salzburg, Austria.

Flight

$911.00

Expedia booking fee	$7.00
Taxes and fees	$709.10

Total:

$1,627.10

Nomadic dog

For several years neighbors on the next street have allowed their dog (a Sheltie) to just roam the neighborhood, peeing and pooping in the yards of everyone else, not to mention getting our dogs whipped up by an unrestrained intruder on their territory.  Not only is it completely irresponsible for a pet owner (the next street has a lot more traffic that goes a lot faster), it is just not neighborly behavior.

Last year, my wife registered a complaint with the police department, and an officer went and spoke with them.  Nothing changed.  I called again today to register another complaint, and the officer was very sympathetic.  He told me this story (not exact quotes):

"I totally understand.  My neighbor does the same thing.  Just last night I looked out and saw his dog taking his umpteenth crap in my yard.  So I went out, picked it up, and went over to the neighbors' house and rang the bell.  I said to him 'your dog seems to like crapping in my yard more than your yard, so I thought that I should return this.  Where do you want me to put it?"

I think that I find the right person to help us.

Let the horse race begin

Obviously, I am an independent. Also, since being eligible to vote, my vote has been a barometer in every election. I voted Reagan (84), Bush 41 (88), Clinton (92 and 96), Bush 43 (00 and 04), and Obama (08). A cynic might conclude that I read the political winds and vote accordingly, but I would beg to differ. Neither of Bush 43's wins were foregone conclusions by election day by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, I would argue that my votes are all the empirical evidence that you need that independents decide every election.

That is the lead-in to the first Gallup Daily tracking poll --

PRINCETON, NJ -- Mitt Romney is supported by 47% of national registered voters and Barack Obama by 45% in the inaugural Gallup Daily tracking results from April 11-15. Both Obama and Romney are supported by 90% of their respective partisans. . .

These results are the first from Gallup Daily tracking of registered voters' general election preferences, which began on April 11 and will be reported daily on Gallup.com on the basis of continuous five-day rolling averages. . .

The race breaks down into the expected patterns by party, with 90% of Democrats supporting Obama, and 90% of Republicans supporting Romney. The Republican results show that despite the rancor and divisiveness of the Republican campaign, the vast majority of Republicans are backing Romney in the head-to-head battle with Obama, as they have in ballot tests earlier this year.

The crucial voting bloc of independents breaks toward Romney by 45% to 39%, giving the GOP challenger his slight overall edge.

Right now, unlike the slight majority of independents, I'm leaning Obama. But I'm ready to listen to Romney's sales pitch over the next 4 1/2 months.

Tebow to NY

I wonder if he will sell any tickets or draw any viewers?

People who are criticizing the Jets for taking on a $5 million trade penalty in Tebow's contract don't understand the economics. I guarantee that the Jets have already recouped that $5 million in jersey sales and enthusiasm.

Douche Daddy

Today, my son called me a "douche" for the first time. I didn't know whether to be mortified, or to ask him what took him so long.

Vikings stadium

I doubted this day would ever happen. I assumed that the assholes on the City Council would prevail and would sink this.

The Legislature now has first and goal at the one yard line. 50-50 they screw it up.

A majority of the Minneapolis City Council now backs Mayor R.T. Rybak's plan to fund a new Vikings stadium in Minneapolis, setting up a last-ditch effort by Gov. Mark Dayton to persuade reluctant Republican legislators to support the project.

The surprise announcement Monday that seven council members had signed letters of support seemed unlikely just a week ago, when seven members publicly opposed the plan. But after heavy lobbying by stadium backers, including Gov. Mark Dayton, Council Member Sandra Colvin Roy abandoned her insistence on a citywide referendum and gave Rybak the majority he needs.

"I didn't change my mind," Colvin Roy said Monday. "I made up my mind."

The deal is far from done, however. Legislators were still scrambling Monday to obtain an agreement with charities over the use of charitable gambling funds to pay for the state portion of the stadium. It is also uncertain whether there are enough votes at the Legislature to pass the plan.

"Now [the] motion shifts over here to the Legislature," Rybak said at a state Capitol news conference. "If the Legislature acts, the City Council will act as well."

We probably can't create something on par with Soldier Field or Lambeau. But Target Field set a high bar. They need to build a 100 year stadium for the Vikes, not a 30 year stadium.

A link posted upon request by my better half

Link.

Redundancy

I saw a commercial for the University of Maryland University College. Haven't they heard the joke about the Department of Redundancy Department?

Romney wins Iowa

A win is a win in the political perception world. Thank goodness. Only if Romney or long-shot Huntsman is the GOP nominee will I get a chance to exercise my brain in deciding for whom to vote in November.

Newt

This is rich.

At his final event Sunday, in Waterloo, Iowa, Gingrich was asked what his greatest weakness was.

"It's probably that I'm too reasonable," Gingrich replied.

The world gets better a little at a time

Link.

In 2012, the world's tyrants and dictators are sleeping a little less
comfortably than they did a year ago. And that, in its own way, is good
news.

Battle of the Bulge

New pictures after all of these years.

December 7

Today is "National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day." 70 years ago today, the course of history changed dramatically. Here is what I posted 7 years ago today.

My uncle (who died 20 years before I was born) was president and valedictorian of his class at Dartmouth, as well as captain of the football team and basketball team (including a basketball team that lost in the NCAA Championship game in 1942). He then joined the Navy.

Here is what I know about his valedictorian speech:

Charles 'Stubbie' Pearson '42, served as his class's valedictorian, and later as a Navy dive-bomber pilot in the Pacific. In his valedictory address, he said 'this is a war for the future. Man must replace the importance of material gain. We must humanize ourselves. Man is man and that is all that is important...Do not feel sorry for us. We are not sorry for ourselves. Today we are happy. We have a duty to perform and we are proud to perform it.'

My uncle never returned from the Pacific, and his body was never found. Tom Brokaw later did a lengthy piece on my uncle and he interviewed my Dad extensively as part of his "Greatest Generation" series on NBC Nightly News. Boy, that was emotional to watch.

I inherited neither the intelllectual gifts nor the athletic ability of my uncle. But 60 years later, I want to pay my respects to him on Pearl Harbor Day.

Another one bites the dust

Romney is going to win the nomination by default. The latest GOP implosion comes from Rick Perry. Unlike Fallows, I don't feel sorry for him; like Bachmann, he is a lightweight and we are all better off having him exposed as such sooner rather than later.

More Penn State

John Feinstein, one of the preeminent sports journalists of his generation, opines.

If the sexual abuse and assault charges brought by a Pennsylvania grand jury against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky prove to be true on any level, then this will be the single worst thing that has happened in college sports in just about forever.

Penn State

I'm sick. These words express my thoughts very well.

I waited several days to write this because my first thought was what I would do if someone did something like this to my child. My initial reaction --
and I'm fairly certain most parents would feel this way -- was homicidal.
If someone molested my child, he would need the police to protect him from
me. If I found him first, his death would be neither quick nor clean. I
might spend the rest of my life in prison, though I'm not sure a
right-thinking jury would convict me. Those were the first thoughts that
popped into my head, and I'm not ashamed to say that. So why didn't Paterno,
a parent and grandparent who claims to have dedicated his life to the kids,
feel the same way? Why didn't he do everything in his power to ensure he
helped protect a kid who couldn't protect himself?

I hope that there is a special section of Hell for people like this.

Words elude me

Link.

LACEY -- Kristoffer Domeij is an American hero.

Domeij, an Army sergeant, was deployed an astounding 14 times before he was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Saturday. He enlisted two months before Sept. 11, and he'd been in combat ever since. . . .

Domeij served four deployments in Iraq, then took part in an original airborne assault into Afghanistan. Amazingly, he would be deployed to Afghanistan nine times. In all, there were 14 deployments for this warrior hero -- more than any other Army ranger killed in action.

He received two bronze stars, and a third will be awarded posthumously.

"This was a ranger you wanted at your side when the chips were down. He is irreplaceable - in our formation and in our hearts," said his battalion commander, Lt. Col. David Hodne.

In all, Domeij had a combined total of 48 months of deployment in combat. And in that time, he may have been part of more than 5,000 combat missions.

Gadhafi

I feel a tinge of guilt for feeling more than a tinge of elation in the news of a death.

OK, the guilt part has passed.

Hat tip to President Obama

Who won't miss his pretty face? Kristof, for one.

Americans are not often heroes in the Arab world, but as nonstop celebrations unfold here in the Libyan capital I keep running into ordinary people who learn where I’m from and then fervently repeat variants of the same phrase: “Thank you, America!”

As I was walking back from Green Square (now renamed “Martyrs’ Square”) to my hotel on Wednesday morning, a car draped in the victorious Libyan flag pulled up and offered me a lift. “I just want you to feel welcome here,” explained the driver, Sufian al-Gariani, a 21-year-old salesman. He beamed when he heard where I was from and declared: “Thank you, Americans. Thank you, President Obama.” . . .

President Obama took a huge political risk, averted a massacre and helped topple an odious regime. . .

Pro-Americanism now is ubiquitous. I was particularly moved by a rebel soldier near Zuwarah in the west who asked me if New York City was safe. When I looked puzzled, he explained: “Irene. The hurricane.” And he asked how he could help.

“Without America, we would not be here,” Ismael Taweel, a businessman, told me as he stood by Martyrs’ Square with a huge grin on his face. “I hope there will be more relations between Libya and America now,” he added. That’s a common refrain: Libyans are hungry to rejoin the world.

Belgassim Ali, a petroleum engineer, told me: “I would thank America for the stance to protect my people.” Without America, he added, “we would not be celebrating. We would be in the cemetery.” . . .

“I love America so much. It’s the land of freedom.” That warmth toward the United States seems to have replaced the early doubts. It’s coupled with huge appreciation for other foreign supporters such as Qatar, Tunisia, France and Britain.

Thome

599 and 600. Cool.

Career change

I am taking the plunge (again). More here.

Whitey Bulger arrested

Link.

Fugitive South Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, wanted for 19 murders, was captured last night in Southern California, the result of a tip from FBI television spots that began airing this week. His capture ended a 16-year manhunt that spanned the globe.

I have read two books about this horrible yet fascinating guy. I also have watched every episode of Brotherhood and the movie The Departed multiple times, both of which were inspired by Bulger's life story. It is a good day for the FBI, finally.

God and politics

Link.

After a thorough investigation, Daily Intel has discovered that God is separately backing at least three different contenders for the Republican presidential nomination. Over the course of the past few months and even years, God has sent signs and direct messages to each of these candidates encouraging them to run, presumably without telling them that he supports other candidates as well. . .

T-Paw DOA?

Link.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press hilariously ran the announcement of T-Paw's presidential campaign on the Obituary page this morning.

Any other day, it would have made the front page. But that's what he gets for making his big publicity push the day after a deadly tornado rips through his home state.

The Killer

Story.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Harmon Killebrew, the Minnesota Twins slugger known for his tape-measure home runs, has died at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., after battling esophageal cancer. He was 74.

The team said Killebrew died peacefully Tuesday morning with his wife, Nita, and their family at his side.

He had announced in December that he had been diagnosed with cancer. Last week, Killebrew announced that doctors had deemed his cancer incurable and he would no longer fight the "awful disease."

Killebrew hit 573 home runs during his 22-year career, 11th-most in major league history. His eight seasons with 40 or more homers still is tied for second in league history to Babe Ruth.

"No individual has ever meant more to the Minnesota Twins organization and millions of fans across Twins territory than Harmon Killebrew," Twins president Dave St. Peter said. He said Killebrew's legacy "will be the class, dignity and humility he demonstrated each and every day as a Hall of Fame-quality husband, father, friend, teammate and man. The Twins extend heartfelt sympathies and prayers to the Killebrew family at this difficult time."

Swiss "Jetman" flies over Grand Canyon

Twins - Welcome back Mr. Liriano

Last night, Liriano interrupted an otherwise relatively joyless season for the Twins with a no hitter.

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=37c7e422-923b-4966-add4-ea3b658a2450&from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_articles" target="_new" title="Liriano no-hits ChiSox">Video: Liriano no-hits ChiSox</a>

Arab Spring gets boost/Al Qaeda goes bust

What does OBL's death mean in the big picture? I can't improve on the opinion expressed by Fareed Zakaria.

[T]he truth is this is a huge, devastating blow to al Qaeda, which had already been crippled by the Arab Spring. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is the end of al Qaeda in any meaningful sense of the word. . .

History has turned an important page.

The Australian

Link.

THIS is the moment America struck back.

The killing of Osama bin Laden will have powerful strategic consequences around the world.

It is not the end of the war on terrorism.

But it is a big day in that war. It helps to show America's enemies that ultimately they pay the price.

It removes the most brazen boast of the terrorists - that they can thumb their nose at the Americans. It shows, too, nothing is beyond the reach of the US special forces. . .

This is a very big win for the US national security apparatus, and the intelligence services that have been so maligned in the past 10 years. . .

[T]he Pakistani government claims it did not know Osama bin Laden was hiding in a giant compound barely 100km from its capital, Islamabad.

It is utterly implausible that any international figure of note could hide in a mansion near Islamabad without the knowledge of the Pakistani intelligence services. Completely impossible.

If the Pakistani government did not know, it is the most incompetent government in the world. If it did know, then it was intentionally sheltering the most dangerous and infamous terrorist of our time. . .

But whatever the circumstances, this is a magnificent victory for the Americans, and for us, the Americans' allies.

Update: Leonard Pitts: 9/12/2001.

It's My job to have something to say. They pay me to provide words that help make sense of that which troubles the American soul. But in this moment of airless shock, when hot tears sting disbelieving eyes, the only thing I can say, the only words that seem to fit, must be addressed to the unknown author of this suffering:
You monster. You beast. You bastard.
What lesson did you hope to teach us by your coward's attack on our World Trade Center, our Pentagon, us? What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was, please know that you failed!
Did you want us to respect you cause? You just damned your cause!
Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve!
Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together!
Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsome family, a family rent by racial, social, political, and class division, but a family nonetheless. We're frivolous, yes, capable of expending tremendous energy on pop culture minutia -- a singer's revealing dress, a ball team misfortune, a cartoon mouse. We're wealthy too, spoiled by the ready availability of trinkets and material goods. Maybe because of that we walk through life with a certain sense of blithe entitlement. We are fundamentally decent though -- peace loving and compassionate. We struggle to know the right thing and do it. And we are, the overwhelming majority of us, people of faith, believers in a just and loving God. Some people -- you perhaps -- think that any or all of this makes us weak. You are mistaken. We are not weak. Indeed, we are strong in ways that cannot be measured by arsenals.
IN PAIN: Yes, we are in pain now. We are in mourning and we are in shock. We're still grappling with the unreality of the awful thing you did; still working to make ourselves understand that this isn't a special effect from some Hollywood blockbuster, isn't the plot development from a Tom Clancy novel. Both in terms of the awful scope of their ambition and the probable final death toll, you attacks are likely to go down as the worst acts of terrorism in the history of the United States, and probably the history of the world. You've bloodied us as we have never been bloodied before. But there is a gulf of difference between making us bloody and making us fall. This is the lesson Japan was taught, to it's bitter sorrow, the last time anyone hit us this hard, the last time anyone brought us such abrupt and monumental pain. When aroused we are righteous in our outrage, terrible in our force. When provoked by this level of barbarism, we will bear any suffering, pay any cost, go to any length, in the pursuit of justice. I tell you this without fear of contradiction. I know my people, as I think, you do not. What I know reassures me. It also causes me to tremble with dread of the future. In days to come there will be be recrimination and accusation, fingers will be pointed to determine whose failure allowed this to happen, and what can be done to prevent it from happening again. There will be heighten security, misguided talk of revoking basic freedoms. We'll go forward from this moment sobered, chastised, sad, but determined too. Unimaginably determined.
THE STEEL IN US: You see the steel in us is not always apparent. That aspect of our character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day the family's bickering is put on hold. As Americans we will weep; as Americans we will mourn, as Americans we will rise in defense of all we cherish. So I ask again: What was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case consider the message received. And take this message in exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we are capable of; you don't know what you just started.
But you're about to learn!

OBL's compound

NY Times

What a pleasant surprise to wake up to this morning. My 12 year old son announced this is one of the best days of his life.

Trump - he can't stop

More crazy.

"In the meantime we can't get a f---ing school in Brooklyn," he said.

He also cursed the spike in gas prices: "We have nobody in Washington that sits back and said, you're not going to raise that f---ing price."

Trump even dropped what's considered the most offensive f-bomb when he promised to use swear words while negotiating with China.

"Listen you mother f---ers, we're going to tax you 25 percent," he said. . .

But he later said: "There is a really good chance that I won't win because of one of these blood-sucking politicians."

Or, perhaps you won't win because the American people will rightly judge you to be delusional and scary.

Christian Ponder - QB of the future

There is a lot of local negativity about the Vikings first round pick in the draft yesterday.

Others disagree.

I love this pick. I think he will be the best in this class. Smart. Tough. Sees the field. Great move, Vikings. Grade: A.

Time will tell whether Mr. Ponder is closer to Drew Brees or Cade McNown, another number 12 pick who was a bust.

Twins games so far this year

So far this year, luck has not been with us.

1. April 10 - Athletics 5, Twins 3
2. April 22 - Indians (rainout that is announced only as we approach the ballpark)
3. April 27 - Rays 8, Twins 2. More.

MINNEAPOLIS --

At snowy Target Field, Ben Zobrist tripled and drove in three runs Wednesday night as the Tampa Bay Rays pounded Francisco Liriano in an 8-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Temperatures dipped below 40 degrees during the game and flurries turned the ballpark into a late-April snow globe.*

* "So, other than that, how did you enjoy the play, Mrs. Lincoln?”

Just watch

Prior posts on this hero are here and here.

The man is impressive

Trump

This morning on the elevator ride we stopped at our reception floor, and I saw "Breaking News: Trump Speaks" on the monitor. Obviously, I could not wait to hear our future Dear Leader's words.

"Today I am very proud of myself, because I've accomplished something that nobody else was able to accomplish," Trump said . . .

At what point does a person become so self-absorbed and self-important that it is just not possible to go any further? All prior known boundaries of ego-mania shattered?

Fierce doggy

This has shades of watching our cat wiping the floor with our little dog's butt.

Free Libya

Link.

BENGHAZI, Libya — . . .

As the fighting on the front line in eastern Libya settles into a stalemate 100 miles south of here, this city where the revolution against the government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi began in earnest on Feb. 17 has started to grapple with a daunting problem: building democracy in a society where there never was such a thing. Far out of the range of Colonel Qaddafi’s artillery and no longer worried about his air force, “Free Libya” is free to reinvent itself.

Brazil

This story about the evolution of Brazil and its relationship with the U.S. is very interesting. The conclusion:

[I]f you want reasons to be optimistic about where the human race, the western hemisphere and American foreign policy are going — watch Brazil.

GOP - Send in the Clowns

This is an opinion that is likely to be repeated ad nauseum on this blog over the next 15 months: The GOP is dominated by goofballs. As I have said before, it is maddening that a major political party's leading candidates look like the cast from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Mitch Daniels: Please come to the rescue. The country deserves a serious debate and a real choice before we walk into the voting both in November 2012.

What part of "volunteer" did you not understand?

Not from The Onion.

Huffington Post bloggers who think they ought to get paid for their volunteer writing. . .

I'm speechless. You "volunteered", and now claim that you were exploited because you were not paid? Are the NY Times and every other newspaper exploiting people who send letters to the editor because that content helps sell newspapers?

Masters 2011

The most wide open "back nine on Sunday at the Masters" in a long time, maybe ever. With an hour left, 9 guys from around the world (only Tiger from the U.S.) were within 1 shot of the lead.



More highlights here.

Another link.

Who conceives these scripts? . . .

By the time Tiger Woods whipsawed that 8-iron onto the sixth green – the only man to play the hole correctly all day – for birdie, you could tell this was going to be a wild afternoon.

After third-round leader Rory McIlroy and playing competitor Angel Cabrera birdied the seventh hole, Peter Kostis asked, “Does it get any better than this?” . . .

For sheer tragedy, McIlroy’s collapse was evocative of Greg Norman’s 15 years ago. And as things became officially unglued during the ugly triple bogey on the 10th hole, Nick Faldo, the beneficiary in 1996 of Norman’s self-immolation, pointed out in thoughtful terms that only he can know, how “pressure finds your weakest point” – by which he meant McIlroy’s draw. . .

Throughout it all, we were able to track the fireworks – a tribute to the telecast and the quality of the golf. I thought The Masters of 1975 and 1986 were thrilling. And they were. But I don’t recall ever seeing so many players from so many countries having so many good chances to win on the back nine. “Every continent but the Arctic and Antarctica are represented on the first page of the leader board,” Feherty said as the drama unfolded.

OK, the Arctic isn’t a continent, just an ice sheet. But we were watching golf, not Geography 101. It was the kind of telecast where, midway through, you knew that you also were watching history.

Twins' Home Opener

I was stuck on a train trying to get through flood waters near Fargo when the Twins played the home opener, so I have to go exclusively by the highlights that I can find and the StarTribune's extensive coverage of the game. But it sounds like it was one for the ages. A movie director might complain that there is just too much going on.

• Bert Blyleven Hall of Fame induction countdown started.
• Gardenhire received 2010 Manager of the Year award in pre-game ceremony.
  
• Morneau's return.
• Morneau proceeded to get his 1,000th career hit, and the ball is ceremoniously removed.
• Pavano struggled a bit early but steadied the ship.
  
• The Twins couldn't hit anything for 7.5 innings, facing a pitcher having a very good day.
• Bottom of the 8th, Twins down 1-0. They start a piranha attack of seeing eye singles, score a run to make it 1-1, and Joe Mauer comes to the plate. The place is raucous. The man who has amazing hand/eye coordination, picks his spot on the third base line and nails it, 2-1. Good stuff. (Video link.)
  
• The best was yet to come. Joe Nathan's return after missing the 2010 season with Tommy John surgery. He comes out of the bullpen to preserve the win, his job and one that he is very good at. Target Field turned up the volume.

"Stand Up and Shout" already was pumping when the bullpen door swung open to start the ninth inning, but the Target Field crowd didn't need Steel Dragon's cue to erupt.

"The place kind of started shaking," said the object of that clamor. "It's the loudest I've ever heard a crowd in this city."

That's saying something, considering the decibels that once reverberated around the Metrodome. But of course the Opening Day crowd went jet-engine raucous -- it's as if Twins fans collectively remembered all at once: "Hey, Joe Nathan is on this team!"

It had been 18 months, an elbow surgery and one ballpark ago since Nathan last threw a pitch in Minnesota, an out-of-sight-out-of-mind eternity so lengthy, Nathan's name doesn't even appear in the scorecard the Twins sold on the concourse. But as he stood on the Target Field mound, he looked as though he had never been away.

"It picks you up to see him run out of that bullpen," right fielder Michael Cuddyer said. "We've been missing that."

Everyone had. Starting pitcher Carl Pavano turned to manager Ron Gardenhire during the clamor and said, "If that don't make you get the jitters, nothing will."

Nathan got them, too -- and that's a problem for a closer. The score was 2-1, after all, and it's his job to make sure it stayed that way.

We have tickets for tomorrow, 1st date of our limited game season ticket plan.

2012

I voted for Obama in 2008. I'm generally satisfied with the job he has done, and I think that it is more likely than not that I will vote for him in 2012. But I want a real choice, so I share Joe Klein's despair regarding the current GOP lineup to face Obama.

And so I plead, as an unflinching American patriot--please Mitch Daniels, please Jeb Bush, please run. I may not agree with you on most things, but I respect you. And you seem to respect yourselves enough not to behave like public clowns.

Please, in the name of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, run.

"The most insane tsunami footage yet"

Link.

Via Gizmodo, I thought we’d seen the worst a few weeks ago, but no. The clip at the last link looked like a flood turning into rapids transforming into a roaring river. This looks more like what it actually was — an honest-to-goodness ocean spilling into a city and swallowing it whole. By the end of the clip, if not for that lone building on the right edge of the frame, you wouldn’t know civilization had been there.

UPDATE: This video is even more dramatic, if that is possible. (Can't embed.)

Obama on Libya

Nice job, Mr. President.

He went all in. Gaddafi is gone no matter what it takes.

More Syria

It is bewildering to try to keep up with everything in the Middle East right now, but possible change in Syria is really a bigger story than Libya.

“It’s over; it’s just a question of time,” said a Western diplomat in Damascus, speaking on the condition of anonymity in accordance with diplomatic protocol. “It could be a slow burn, or Qaddafi-esque insanity over the next few days. It’s very tense here, very tense. You can feel it in the air.”

More Libya

If you are wondering why President Obama is not going to speak from the White House tonight when he makes his most detailed statement yet on Libya, here is the answer.

The reason why the president is making his speech from the National Defense University and not from the Oval Office is that it’s more of a “policy” speech (which presidents typically deliver from different venues) than an “action” one (which they typically give from the Oval Office).

Meanwhile, let's hope that the good news continues to accumulate.

In the last 48 hours, rebels have blown through 300 miles of Gadhafi-held territory.

This morning, they claim to control the Libyan leader's hometown of Sirte, which is located halfway between the rebel-held east and the government-controlled west.

If reports are true, the development would be a major coup for the rebels who are quickly heading toward the capitol city of Tripoli.

Geraldine A. Ferraro

Rest in peace.

I had the highest respect for her. She was a historic pioneer, and she handled it with grace and intellect, and acquitted herself very well despite the historic nature of Reagan's win in 1984.

Ferraro's existence made everything in this country some degree better for women, and that makes her a historic figure.