Synova

First there's Mario Burgos who has a blog of the same name. And Lucky Dawg News . It's sort of weird because the blogosphere isn't geographical and I don't think in terms of geography and Mario probably lives within a couple of miles of me. It actually feels strange. Maybe we can have some sort of New Mexico conservative blog party or something. Or maybe they already have that sort of thing and I can get myself invited. Hmm?

What happens when people who've been trying their best to be culturally sensative have finally had enough of being unappreciated. It will probably not be a *violent* backlash, but expect some disrespect, Islam, because you've earned it.

The insult of Pope Benedict to Muhammad and to Islam is nothing to the insult of Muslims themselves. It's as though they're trying to prove every statement against them 100% correct. I wish the Pope had not given even his non-apology. I wish he'd just out and out said, "But you're proving that what I quoted is true." and then let them choke on it. I'm *appalled* that other churches or church leaders have apologized *for* him. It's like apologizing to the Mafia for suggesting that they are breaking kneecaps in hopes that they won't break your kneecaps. Doesn't truth matter? Or does only safety matter? Or maybe, if there really *are* Muslims who don't believe in violence the analogy should be that it's like apologizing and pretending to *Italians* that there is no Mafia. It might make them feel good, but it encourages the Mafia. And the usual victims of the Mafia were other Italians just as the usual victim of violent Islam...

I can hardly even watch this. These guys are amazing. (h/t Instpundit) It *is* just like any other sort of conspiracy theory. It all depends on the truth being hidden from thousands of people. And the only agencies capable of pulling off such a stunt? Huge government agencies. I guess if you're in the government the saying "two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead" doesn't apply. There were bombs in the world trade centers. They were installed ahead of time. How many man-hours? How many engineers and explosive experts and scientists figured out just where to place those explosives and how many workers humped how many tons of explosives up how many trips in the freight elevators and wired the detonators? And not only was the government able to *find* people who would be willing to do this, none of those people bragged about it over a beer? No one told their husband or wife or lover that they spent the wee hours of the morning install...

I recall watching a show about Bin Laden, probably on the History channel, a *long* time ago that was a documentary and did show how time after time (someone said 10?) the Clinton administration either had Bin Laden in their sights or else were offered him, and they didn't take action. The "why" according to that documentary was essentially that they believed that either assasinating him or taking him prisoner would have been *illegal*. In hindsight, of course, this was a mistake. Still, the idea that the threat from Al Qaida was less than it was was a pervasive idea, not limited to the Clinton administration. And I don't really think that most people support the notion that we ought to go about assasinating potential threats as a matter of policy. The trailer says "why not" and quite frankly I think that a strong answer to "why not" can be made. The problem is that the only answer that will fly is that what is clear in hindsight was not clear at ...

My husband came home with a Breville cappaccino machine. We had just enough milk to make ONE experimental latte. What I really need, however, is for someone to tell me how to make Chai tea with the frothy milk stuff. I don't care for coffee. I need to find out how to make Chai like at the coffee places. In any case, further experimentation has to wait until we can get to the store and buy MILK! Update: Now that I have milk I've been trying to figure out how to make a Chai latte. I've gotten pretty good results by using one tea bag in 1/3 cup water and letting it seep then adding sugar to the strong tea, frothing half a cup of milk and then mixing the two together.

This began as a reply to a commenter on Wizbang who uses the name Muslim Unity. MU had made the statement that George Bush (in so many words) would pay for his crimes in the afterlife. I've rewritten my response. Just after 9-11 a couple of prominent Christian personalities told us that it was judgement on America because we tolerated homosexuality. My pastor at that time denounced those men in the strongest terms for presuming to speak for God. My thought at the time, when I considered what the future was likely to hold, was that it was just as likely a judgement on Bin Laden and his fellow religionists who seemed convinced that God was on their side. God's will can be a twisty sort of thing. Who can understand the mind of God? So I asked and ask this question: How do you know that Bush (and America) isn't doing the will of God? Even if Islam is correct, doesn't God use godless nations and wars when His people refuse to shape up? Why presume to speak for God when He cl...