Forget the LA Times controversy. That was a ginned-up deal and only mattered because lefty journalists, who don’t want Schwarzenegger to win, wanted it to matter. Look instead at Tradesports.com (click on “RECALL.ARNOLD”), where Arnold’s odds have been rising since mid-September and are now around 75%. That’s always been the real story. He’ll win and probably win big.
“It Doesn’t Work, So Keep Doing It”
A brilliant post by Val on one of the world’s great political ironies: voters elect irresponsible leftist/populist spendthrifts who wreck their local economies, leading to mass emigration. The cycle repeats as the emigres foul their new civic nests by again voting for leftist/populist spendthrifts. Every libertarian or conservative resident of the U.S. sunbelt knows what Val is talking about. Lex probably has a learned explanation for this phenomenon, but I feel the same way about it as I do about Jews who are basically conservative yet always vote for Democrats: how can they have so little insight into the contradictions of their own behavior? Beats me.
“Return of the King” Trailer
I may be the last guy to see this, but the official trailer for the third and last Lord of the Rings movie is now out. My oldest kid and I just watched it. We agree it looks most cool. Stirring stuff, moving stuff.
The cavalry charge of the Rohirrim, one of my all-time favorite scenes in any book I have ever read, looks awfully good. The entire passage reads like the Song of Roland, or some genuine epic of the dark ages:
“Horns, horns, horns. … Great horns of the North, wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.” “For morning came, morning and a wind from the sea; and darkness was removed, and the hosts of Mordor wailed, and terror took them, and they fled, and died, and the hoofs of wrath rode over them. And then all the host of Rohan burst into song, and they sang as they slew, for the joy of battle was upon them …” “Hard fighting and long labour they had still; for the Southrons were bold men and grim, and fierce in despair; and the Easterlings were strong and war-hardened and asked for no quarter. And so in this place and that, by burned homestead or barn, upon hillock or mound, under wall or on field, still they gathered and rallied and fought until the day wore away.”
New Baghdad Journal
Steve Mumford has a new column up. Just had a chance to skim it. Looks good. Good text, good art. (Thanks to Mark at Kaedrin for the heads up.)
Is “War on Terror” the Wrong Way to Frame the Issue?
Val Dorta has a long and thoughtful post about conceptual flaws in our “war on terror.” I agree that we aren’t dealing openly with the problems posed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. However, unlike Val I think that our behavior in this regard is probably more a function of our trying to finesse these situations, and if possible avoid war, than of any unwillingness on our part to face the truth. But I may be wrong, and Val makes the contrary case well.