Patterico's Pontifications

9/21/2007

Join Me for This Slow-Motion Train Wreck . . . I’ll Pop the Popcorn

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:59 pm



Lost pants: $67 million.

Lost reputation: $70 million.

Watching Dan Rather go slowly insane: priceless.

Patterico’s Take on the Tennie Pierce Settlement

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:43 pm



Oy vey, I’m rich!

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This is completely outrageous. I’m not waiting until Monday to start the blowback. Look at how it’s spun by Eric Garcetti:

I’m pleased that this case has been resolved, that we can get back focused on the hard work of improving the fire department and restoring its reputation. I’m also pleased that we were able to save taxpayer money in what promises to be a very difficult budget year.

This puts me in mind of my wife telling me about the incredible savings our family benefits from when she buys things at sales.

Villaraigosa is similarly nauseating, calling this settlement

the best possible outcome for taxpayers. . . . It reduces the original settlement by nearly half while protecting Angelenos from further liability.

The best possible outcome for taxpayers would be for this guy not to collect one red cent.

Too bad we don’t have a City Attorney, City Council, or Mayor courageous enough to ensure this outcome.

Thanks to Justin Levine for breaking the news on this blog earlier.

New York Governor to announce Policy that may Attract lots of Immigrants

Filed under: Immigration — DRJ @ 4:38 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Fulfilling a campaign promise, New York Governor Eliott Spitzer will announce that New York drivers licenses need not be verified by legal status documents or valid Social Security numbers, enabling illegal immigrants to get New York State drivers licenses beginning in 2008:

“Illegal immigrants in New York will be allowed to obtain New York State driver’s licenses under a new policy that the Spitzer administration is expected to announce shortly, a source said.

Starting in 2008, the Department of Motor Vehicles will accept foreign passports and birth certificates from immigrants as proofs of identification for new license applications. Immigrants will no longer need to provide legal status paperwork or a Social Security card, the source said.”

This is a difficult area. For safety, we want everyone who drives to have a drivers license and insurance (although insurance is available in some states regardless of legal status). However, having a drivers license permits the holder access to American benefits and financing that will encourage more illegal immigrants to come to the US.

Decisions like this require balancing and in my opinion Spitzer has not reached the right balance. Plus, this would not be a popular decision with most people in my border state, proving once again that Texas is not New York.

— DRJ

Cowardly L.A. City Council (and Mayor) Settles With Tennie Pierce For Over $1-million.

Filed under: Buffoons,Government,Morons — Justin Levine @ 3:59 pm



[posted by Justin Levine]

They tried to quietly announce it late on Friday, right before the start of Yom Kippur. They also lied to KFI reporter Eric Leonard by denying the story up until the last minute.

Look for serious blowback/fallout starting on Monday.

Background on this frivolous case here and here and here.

— Justin Levine

UPDATE BY PATTERICO: My take on this travesty is here.

Let the Politically-Based Gender Wars Begin

Filed under: General,Politics — DRJ @ 12:15 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Another (small) reason I won’t vote for Hillary: Because Sally Field may be right when it comes to liberal women:

“Sally Field praised mothers when she won an Emmy for lead actress in a drama series but also let her anti-war sentiments surface with a God-related swear word. “And, let’s face it, if the mothers ruled the war, there would be no (expletive) wars in the first place,” Field said.”

More Sally here and video from Hot Air. In addition, I think Dr. Helen and I are on the same page.

I don’t like war and I don’t want our nation to go to war but I want a President who accepts that war is an option and, sometimes, even necessary.

— DRJ

How Old are You?

Filed under: Humor — DRJ @ 11:30 am



[Guest post by DRJ]

This website calculates how old you are based on your lifestyle choices and personal/family medical history. I have no idea if this is legitimate but it’s fun.

I’m 53 (actual age), 38 (“real age”) and 92 (projected life span).

— DRJ

UPDATE BY PATTERICO: I’m 39 (actual age), 32.4 (“real age”), with a projected life expectancy of 81.6.

You can expect to live approximately another 15500 more days.

Why, thank you!

UPDATE x2 BY PATTERICO: Results for the lovely Mrs. P.: actual age 39, real age 27.3, life expectancy 86.7.

R.I.P. Travis Manion

Filed under: Blogging Matters,General,War — Patterico @ 6:10 am



I have been very busy lately and thus totally remiss in recognizing and linking the excellent work done lately by Bill Ardolino at INDC Journal. But now he has written a post that demands immediate linkage.

On a Sunday afternoon in late April, 1st Lt. Travis Manion spoke to his father via satellite phone from a dusty Iraqi Army barracks in downtown Fallujah. Manion and his fellow Marines with Military Transition Team (MiTT) 30 – advisors to the 3-2-1 Iraqi Army – had recently watched a DVD of the movie “300,” and it made an impression. He told his dad that for the Spartans, there was “no greater honor” than to die fighting for one’s country and its freedoms. He expressed frustration that many Americans didn’t understand that’s what he and his Marines were doing in Iraq. The satellite phone kept cutting out and, unusually, Travis kept calling his father back. He lingered on the phone. He spoke of the importance of honor, strength and courage. He expressed kinship with the Spartans.

A week later, Travis Manion died a Spartan’s death.

Bill is in the middle of his second embed in Fallujah, and he met Travis Manion during his first. He talks about that, about how Manion died, and about the effect that he had on people.

Read it all.

Bill ends by saying:

Please consider donating to the following Memorial fund set up in Travis Manion’s name. It will be used to support families of fallen heroes and also to establish an annual scholarship at LaSalle College High School, given to a student who exhibits the qualities of courage and leadership exemplified by the award’s namesake.

I just donated. You might consider doing the same. And keep checking in on Bill’s blog every day. He had a videoconference with the President. He has reported on the changes in Fallujah, including a statement from an Iraqi who says:

The picture is so clear now. When things started and the [initial] invasion came to Fallujah, we said, “It’s OK for civilians to [take up arms] and fight the invasion and throw [the Americans] out from Fallujah.” We said, “OK, they are the enemy and that’s our friend.” But things were confused, and the enemy has become the friend and the friend became the enemy.

If you haven’t been reading him, every day, you’ve been missing out.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Part 1

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 6:02 am



I thought I would post a few photos from my recent vacation over the next couple of weeks. I’ll do only one photo per day, so that we don’t have photo overload — not to mention slow loading time. We’ll start with a photo from early in our vacation, taken from the terrace in our apartment in Vernazza, Italy:

(more…)


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