A romantic impulse commands me to cheer the Scot "Yes" forces, and I dream of Highland independence -- at long last -- from the English usurpers.
It is not only my image of a hundred thousand kilted stalwarts flashing their Claymores at Hadrian's Wall, chorusing out the newest Presbyterian hymn. (Still unwritten but to be titled Thus Far and no Further Ye English Bawjaw Dobber.)
It could be the beginning of world-wide ascent of the Celts. Ireland would welcome the Caledonia clans as brother and sisters. Together they open their arms to the Welsh. Together they ally their stout hearts to free all Ulster still enslaved under Cross St. George. The sons of The Wild Geese would return to ancestral homes. Likewise the rest of the Celtic diaspora excepting only those inferiors any race produces. (I am thinking here of such things as the Massachusetts Kennedys. )
On close examination, however, my fantasy of tomorrow's vote as the harbinger of Celtic world rule crumbles.
You know why those gobshite yessers north of the big firths are pissed and want to run away? It is because London is not liberal enough for them. Their campaign slogan could just as well be a resounding "MORE DOLE." No such group, no matter how noble its ancestry, should be entrusted with operating a nation or other adult responsibility.
Sep 17, 2014
Sep 9, 2014
Shades of Checkpoint Charlie
Flash bang and smoke as Putin shows that wimp Obama that Russian leaders have the bigger balls.
We are getting used to that kind of neo-tsarist theatre, but I'm especially unhappy with his latest Speedo pose because it is upsetting folks in one of my favorite countries-I've-never-visited.
...according to several Estonian accounts, smoke grenades detonated at an Estonian customs post, and all radio and telephone signals were jammed as armed Russian men suddenly materialized and dragged away ... Eston Kohver.
Kohver is identified as a counter-intelligence official, but his main job seems to have been keeping an eye out for smugglers at the Luhamaa crossing to Russia. It could therefore look like one of those small-potatoes border squabbles dreamed up by bored local poobahs, more to relieve bureaucratic tedium than anything else.
Probably, though, it is more geopolitically significant. Or at least a credible plot line for whomever is doing Eric Ambler's work nowadays.
...Kohver's fate has now become entangled in a much bigger issue: the question of just how far Vladimir Putin's Russia is prepared to go to goad the Nato allies on its doorstep.
That is, Putin and his capos are getting their kicks humiliating the West in general and our president in particular by proving they can be utter nuisances -- and dangerous to boot, sometimes -- all the way from the Ukraine, where everyone is watching, to the Baltic, where hardly anyone is*.
As the Guardian has it:
The capture has been seen as particularly provocative because it came two days after the US president, Barack Obama, visited Estonia, a trip aimed at reassuring the Baltic states of the US commitment to the security of its Nato allies in the face of Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis. It followed the announcement of the creation of a "spearhead force" – a Nato unit of 4,000 soldiers to be tasked with defending Baltic countries including Estonia.
Putin had to grin when he heard that. Four thousand NATOians to defend Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania? "I mean, Hell, Barack, I purge more soldiers than that every couple of weeks or so. Wanna arm wrestle?"
---
*Except of course for the Estonians, including a smart and pretty lady named Kristin who keeps her Face book friends updated and rates a hat tip for this report.
We are getting used to that kind of neo-tsarist theatre, but I'm especially unhappy with his latest Speedo pose because it is upsetting folks in one of my favorite countries-I've-never-visited.
...according to several Estonian accounts, smoke grenades detonated at an Estonian customs post, and all radio and telephone signals were jammed as armed Russian men suddenly materialized and dragged away ... Eston Kohver.
Kohver is identified as a counter-intelligence official, but his main job seems to have been keeping an eye out for smugglers at the Luhamaa crossing to Russia. It could therefore look like one of those small-potatoes border squabbles dreamed up by bored local poobahs, more to relieve bureaucratic tedium than anything else.
Probably, though, it is more geopolitically significant. Or at least a credible plot line for whomever is doing Eric Ambler's work nowadays.
...Kohver's fate has now become entangled in a much bigger issue: the question of just how far Vladimir Putin's Russia is prepared to go to goad the Nato allies on its doorstep.
That is, Putin and his capos are getting their kicks humiliating the West in general and our president in particular by proving they can be utter nuisances -- and dangerous to boot, sometimes -- all the way from the Ukraine, where everyone is watching, to the Baltic, where hardly anyone is*.
As the Guardian has it:
The capture has been seen as particularly provocative because it came two days after the US president, Barack Obama, visited Estonia, a trip aimed at reassuring the Baltic states of the US commitment to the security of its Nato allies in the face of Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis. It followed the announcement of the creation of a "spearhead force" – a Nato unit of 4,000 soldiers to be tasked with defending Baltic countries including Estonia.
Putin had to grin when he heard that. Four thousand NATOians to defend Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania? "I mean, Hell, Barack, I purge more soldiers than that every couple of weeks or so. Wanna arm wrestle?"
---
*Except of course for the Estonians, including a smart and pretty lady named Kristin who keeps her Face book friends updated and rates a hat tip for this report.
Sep 6, 2014
A little car porn while I'm warming up
My dad certainly saw this car, and may have been in it. Assigned to the staff of the Algona POW camp, it was in service during the years when he drove German prisoners from Algona to the marijuana factory hemp plant in Humboldt.
There was a Ford of his own in his future. The Terraplane by Hudson blew up...
(That's not Mom.)
...so we made do with Model A for a year or so.
Warming up for what? A couple of breathless anti-government tirades, that's what.
But first, I note that the family transportation tastes seem to have regressed.
I again warn her that they're easy to lose in even small snow drifts. New Dog Libby moonfully concurs, I think.
There was a Ford of his own in his future. The Terraplane by Hudson blew up...
(That's not Mom.)
...so we made do with Model A for a year or so.
Warming up for what? A couple of breathless anti-government tirades, that's what.
But first, I note that the family transportation tastes seem to have regressed.
I again warn her that they're easy to lose in even small snow drifts. New Dog Libby moonfully concurs, I think.
But maybe it is a Minisootie Special, computer chipped for easy location in the snowiest months, September through June.
Pip-pip and cheerio.
Aug 28, 2014
The Revolver Door
Just in case you still think voting matters:
Former Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), who now controls the entire public policy practice at Squire Patton Boggs, expressed confidence that he and his lobbying partner, former Sen. John Breaux (D-La.), are well-positioned if the Senate flips.
“We feel pretty good about our relationships on both sides of the aisle and both sides of the Capitol, but we are looking to strengthen our hands with House Republicans,” Lott said, adding that Republicans specializing in healthcare are particularly prized.
It is from a piece reporting that Republican legislative aides are flocking to K-Street Bandits in hopes of turning their influence into a ten-fold salary increase. They expect Republican free-ice-cream promises to outdo Democrat free-candy promises in the battle for a senate majority.
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