The Happy Carpenter

WSJ: In short, the plain and brutal truth is that if Iran is to be prevented from developing a nuclear arsenal, there is no alternative to the actual use of military force--any more than there was an alternative to force if Hitler was to be stopped

It's long past time to bomb Iran.  Norman Podhoretz makes the case.  His conclusion:

If we believe the CIA, perhaps as much as 10 years. But CIA estimates have so often been wrong that they are hardly more credible than the boasts of Ahmadinejad. Other estimates by other experts fall within the range of a few months to six years. Which is to say that no one really knows. And because no one really knows, the only prudent--indeed, the only responsible--course is to assume that Ahmadinejad may not be bluffing, or may only be exaggerating a bit, and to strike at him as soon as it is logistically possible.

Read the whole thing.

Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in this country lately. Illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, wild animals attacking humans in Florida. Not me. I concentrate on solutions to problems. The result is a win-win-win situation:

Trish the Dish contribues this:

+ Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.

+ Use the dirt to raise the levies in New Orleans.

+ Put the Florida alligators in the moat.

Any other problems you would like for me to solve today?

Cool packaging 7

The Punchout Begines

Round one.

The right equipment

One morning the husband returns after several hours of fishing and decides
to take a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take
the boat out. She motors out a short distance, and reads her book.

Along comes a Game Warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and
says, "Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?"

"Reading a book," she replies, (thinking, Isn't that obvious?")

"You're in a Restricted Fishing Area," he informs her.

"I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing, I'm reading."

"Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any
moment. "I'll have to take you in and write you up."

"If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault "says the woman.

"But I haven't even touched you" says the game warden.

"That's true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could
start at any moment."

"Have a nice day ma'am," and he left.

MORAL: Never argue with a woman who reads. It's likely she can also think.

Gator gloating 7

Dammit. Just when I've made up my mind, George Will throws me this zingeri

George Will:

In an attempt to anesthetize people who sensibly say ``border control and workplace enforcement first,'' important provisions of the legislation would supposedly be ``triggered'' only when control of the border is ``certified'' by the president. But in what looks like a parody of the Washington mentality, certification would be triggered not by border control but by the hiring of border control agents and other spending. So, the supposedly hardheaded aspects of the legislation actually rest on the delusion that spending equals the achievement of the intention behind the spending. By that assumption, we have long since tranquilized and democratized Iraq.

Hmmmm.  Maybe the status quo is better than this bill.   I hate it when I flip flop faster than Senator Kerry at an International House of Pancakes.

Immigration - the good, the bad, and the ugly

Last night driving home I listened to Hugh Hewit interview senator John Kyle (R - Arizona) for about an hour.  Senator Kyle was very impressive and very persuasive.  It's a good bill.

Then this morning I listened to Laura Ingraham for about two hours, including an interview of a really smart guy from the Heritage Foundation whose name I don't recall.  Very informative.  There is quite a bit of really bad crap in the bill as it stands right now, such as in-state tuition for semi-legal aliens, welfare benefits, the list goes on.

Ingraham convinced me that the bill needs a lot of work.  But her position is that the bill should be fought to the last drop of blood.  No.  We should roll up our sleeves and get the crap out of the bill, subparagraph by subparagraph.  Too many conservatives loose sight of the fact that we're comparing this bill to the current actual real life status quo, which is terrible.  It's a mistake to compare the bill to what you'd like a comprehensive immigration reform bill to be in heaven.  Remember, not so long ago the Republicans controlled the House, the Senate, and the White House and did squat.

In the end, Senator Kyle was the most persuasive.  Get to work, get the best bill you can get, but don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

Michael Yon has a new dispatch

Go read it.  He's the best reporter in the war, and he's completely independant -- he gets all his money through donations, so if you think his work is worthy, hit his tip jap.  He's only asking for $10.

It's hard to be a Bucs fan

A guy walks into a bar with a dachshund under his arm. The dog is
wearing a Tampa Bay Buccaneer's jersey and helmet, and is festooned
with Buccaneer pom-poms.

The bartender says, "Hey! No pets are allowed! You'll have to
leave."

The guy begs him, "Look, I'm desperate! We're both big fans, the
TV's broken at home, and this is the only place around where we
can see the game."

After securing a promise that the dog will behave, and warning
him that he and the dog will be thrown out if there's any
trouble, the  ;bartender relents and allows them to stay in the bar
and watch the game.

The big game begins with the Buccaneers receiving the kickoff. They
march down field, get stopped at the 30, and kick a field goal.
Suddenly, the dog jumps up on the bar and begins walking up and
down the bar giving high-fives to everyone.

The bartender says, "Wow, that's the most amazing thing I've ever
seen! What does the dog do if they score a touchdown?"

The owner replies,

"I don't know, I've only had him for three years."