We've thought about this, right?

Let's see...40-plus Al Qaeda feared to have entered Los Angeles...fuel tankers believed to be component of next terror attack...intel suggesting the use of scuba divers...is it just me or is anyone taking a look at the oil pipeline used to refill tankers off Manhattan Beach, Ca?

What does "the Bear" know?

Here's one arrest the government hasn't been talking about. And why.

Testosterone in Space

The new Russian commander of the International Space Station says he wants Cindy Crawford, not NSync's Lance Bass, to come spend time with him in space. DUH!

George steals Joe's candy

Heard on the Hill brings to light some behind-the-scenes political jousting going on between Dubya and Lieberman. Seems Joe got bumped from a speaking engagement tonight for 150 top CEO's, missing a great opportunity to mingle with donors for 2004. Two words: Karl Rove

Middle East Madness

If you still possess sympathy for the Palestinian cause, click here. Thanks, Instapundit, for pointing it out.

"Globocourt" Bulletin

NYT's William Safire has a bone to pick with the new "Globocourt"(link requires registration). Apparently, the new court wants to force the testimony of former WaPo war correspondent, Jonathan Randal.

Living Legend

Tuesday's passing of legendary St. Louis Cardinal announcer, Jack Buck, got me to thinking just how fortunate Los Angeles is to still have Vin Scully. For more than 50 years, Scully has held Dodger fans spellbound with his heavenly voice and indefatigable mind. Like no other, he's delivered a captivating picture to his radio audience, rife with intimate stories about the players of the game and insightful commentary from decades of having observed it all. Los Angeles is rich, indeed, to possess such a treasure. Still, much is made of the penchant LA fans seem to have for leaving ball games early. As a SF Giants fan, I'm normally quite willing to join those bashing Dodger fans for doing just that. In this case, however, those bashing aren't seeing the whole picture. Dodger fans can leave in the seventh inning of a night contest, secure in the knowledge that any drama from late in the game will be captured on the radio by Vin Scully. Most purists would cringe at the notion of leaving games early. I normally would, too. This is the exception. If I owned the Dodgers, I would have Vin's broadcasts piped throughout the stadium during every game; concession stands and restrooms, included. But then, I wouldn't have traded Piazza, either

Central American Justice?

This just in from Costa Rica: help kill a judge, beware of crocodiles

Nick Denton says that soccer has replaced warmongering.

"Sweden, with some of the worst hooligans, and neutral for centuries. Italy, where the tanks only operate in reverse. Brazil, too busy sambaing to fight a war. Holland, the country of dope-smoking peaceniks. Passion for the country's soccer team is sublimated nationalism; soccer is what countries do when they've given up on war.

HAH! And you thought soccer had no place on this page.

GOP lawmakers and other party faithful are becoming more vocal about some of Bush's recent decisions. Certainly his decision regarding steel tariffs was questionable, given a previously stated position for free markets. This decision taken by itself makes little sense. Tariffs beget tariffs. Period. Thing is, Bush knows this. So why the policy reversal? The same reason he gave up on vouchers, doled out fat subsidies to farmers, and signed campaign finance reform: Bush is far-sighted. Perhaps to a fault, as many would argue. Principle has meaning, even in politics, and no right-thinking individual relishes abandoning it. However, Dubya seems to think that these moves are necessary to shore up support cylinders for the coming races, legislative and executive. He may be right. And as much as it pisses me off to watch more wasteful spending in the name of $4 per gallon milk, I'll swallow it if he makes good on the trade in the end. What entails making good? Winning the war on terror is top priority. Bush knows that will take more than one term. He has seen another President Bush hold high approval ratings, following a successful US military victory, only to lose them. While some have argued it was compromise which destroyed 41's administration, 43 believes it was lack of vision. Only time will tell if he's right.

Pass the Sodium Pentathol!

GREAT opinion piece on the use of truth serums in the war on terror. E.V. Kontorovich from WSJ's Opinion Journal offers a moving argument for their use and debunks many of the counter-arguments made by those who insist it is a form of torture. He further points out that whatever pearls are netted from the use of serums would not be used for prosecution, but for terrorism prevention. He backs up what he has to say and is convincing in his argument. Email your thoughts and I'll post the best arguments, for and against. Note: you may need to register with OpinionJournal after linking if this is your first visit there. It's free, however, and a worthwhile site to have in your favorites

Drudge has the siren up now in advance of what he proclaims a WashTimes scoop. Apparently involving detailed and specific intel as well as the report that 40 or so Al Qaeda members were at sea and headed for Los Angeles...to arrive in early June. This city has seen it's share of natural disasters and general states of emergency- mudslides, earthquakes, fires, riots; we've always rebounded. This, however, leaves a lump in my throat.

A little creepy watching Goldfinger tonight in the context of the current threat of "dirty bombs". If you remember, Goldfinger's scheme involves irradiating Fort Knox so as to make permanently unavailable(well, at least 50-60 years) the US gold reserve stored therein. The fact that the US was then on the Gold Standard meant Goldfinger's personal supply of gold would then become astronomically more valuable. Before you get carried away, I'm not about to get in the habit of drawing too much from escapist cinema fiction...BUT..it's not really escapist, anymore, now is it? Provided the terrorists have equipped themselves with such a device, and that they possess the means to deploy it, the only remaining question becomes: what piece of the world puzzle do they wish to disrupt, most? In our case, we take so many things for granted in our day-to-day lives that it becomes hard to imagine life without any of it's customary elements.

The Guardian is quoting Ted Turner as saying that the Israelis are terrorists, too.

"The Palestinians are fighting with human suicide bombers, that's all they have. The Israelis ... they've got one of the most powerful military machines in the world. The Palestinians have nothing. So who are the terrorists? I would make a case that both sides are involved in terrorism."

Question: Does this statement surprise anyone? I think not. Instead, it offers yet another example of the type of moral relativism plaguing the modern establishment press. Targeting innocent civilians specifically for shock and horror value ought not be confused with the defense Israel puts up, however resolute, to protect its own population. No word yet on what Turner's response is to Castro's "petition" for a permanently communist Cuba.

The Supreme Court today overturned the ordinance requiring permits for door-to-door solicitors. The law was originally intended to restrict Jehovah's Witnesses, though it applied to all who wished to make these types of house calls. However annoying these calls can be(there has been a similar initiative in California seeking to restrict telemarketers), I'm glad that the court saw fit to strike the law down. DTD salesman, Mormon missionaries, and even Girl Scouts may not be welcome visitors to many a household, but we should be loathe to enact laws which restrict this form of outreach.

The EU has once again showed its true colors. In agreeing to negotiate with Tehran for closer trade ties, three objectives are accomplished at once for the Euros.

1- A boost to the economy by opening up the availablity for more oil at, likely, discounted rates.
2- Snubbing Israel while directly dealing with a known state supporter of Palestinian and other Islamic terrorists.
3- Countering US interests by engaging a hostile nation in the midst of Dubya's war on terror.

I don't think it's oversimplifying to say this nor do I believe the canard that the EU's policy of engagement is in their view, a non-militaristic policy directed at fostering more democratic changes. They have lost their credibility where this is concerned. The truth is that the EU is a lot closer to world economic irrelevance than it had ever believed possible. Solana and his cronies are off the mark, however, if they believe they can return to glory through policies like this one. The world has changed and will continue to change, and so long as France, Belgium, Germany, et al continue to hold onto the past, substantive economic progess will be held in abeyance.

Gephardt the hawk?

Michael Barone points out an interesting development in Demland. Dick Gephardt not only seems to be saying the same things as the Bush administration, where Iraq is concerned, but he seems to be seeing things the same way, too. Read the article, it's quite revealing.

US ADVANCES TO WORLD CUP QUARTERFINALS! Our boys have acquitted themselves magnificently through the first four games and it's earned them a place among the final eight teams in the quest for the Cup. Two beautiful goals in a heated contest were enough to propel the US over Mexico and bring home the first single-elimination game victory this nation has ever seen in World Cup play. For the record, the Mexican team got robbed on a no-call when one of the US players fisted the ball out of the penalty box. Fortunately for all involved, that missed call didn't turn out to be the difference. Get to know the name, Brad Friedel. The former UCLA Bruin(see:shameless alumni plug) has been nothing short of phenomenal, blocking 2 penalty kicks(nearly impossible) and recording 19 saves in the last four games. Do you believe in miracles? Get on the bandwagon now, before it's too late!

The BBC offers this on the upcoming Mexico v. US match.

His Holiness, the Engineerist

Glenn Reynolds is a beast! VH has been operating less than 24 hours and he's already found me. Sort of reminds me of that DSL commercial where the man finds he's reached the end of the internet. What does the abyss look like, Glenn? Will you tell me if I kiss your ring?

GOOOOOAAALLL!!

Nightowl soccer fans are likely to see a barn-burner tonight as the United States faces off against Mexico in the second round of World Cup play. Kick off is at 11:30 PDT. As a West Los Angeles resident, I feel quite secure in rooting for the home team. The same probably cannot be said for my neighbors roughly ten miles east. The millions of Mexican immigrants(legal and illegal) who live in southern California are normally quite patriotic in their support for all-things-Uncle Sam, but the game of futbol is one enormous exception. Getting beat on the world stage by the US may unhinge more than a few otherwise law-abiding, productive citizens. As near as I can tell, no pre-game public statements urging peace and tranquility have emerged from our beloved mayor's office or the L.A.P.D. Perhaps that's good- we have more serious alerts to be concerned with, to be sure. Still, it would be foolish not to recognize the potential for civil unrest here. Here's hoping that if the US team is fortunate enough to win later tonight, it doesn't come from a "hand of God" goal or blown penalty call in the box.

WaPo has this to offer in the way of an objection to our attacking Iraq. Galston has some interesting points, but misses the larger issue when he states...

"A global strategy based on the new Bush doctrine means the end of the system of international institutions, laws and norms that the United States has worked for more than half a century to build."

SO WHAT? How have these institutions served our interests lately? They are anti-American at best, woefully inadequate at worst. In any event, they simply do not address the problems inherent in the asymmetric threat. We can ill-afford the Neville Chamberlains of the world and their delusions of an omniscient Federation of Planets. The stakes are too high. Institutions don't stop terrorists, people do.

Just in case those infidel Indians weren't convinced the last time, here's another atrocity for good measure. The Islamists are in quite a hurry to start a war between India and Pakistan. I suspect they'll soon get their wish. What remains to be seen, however, is the psychological effect that a few nuclear explosions in close proximity will have on area Muslims. Oh, don't get me wrong. I don't, for one minute, think that the terrorists themselves will get squeemish. The Pakistani citizenry, on the other hand, may find more than a moment of pause after sustaining a catastrophic blow or two.

Greetings fellow maniacs! I've come for your hearts and minds but will settle for other organs of black market value. If you've arrived here by accident, my sincere apologies. For those who've chosen this twisted path, your morbid curiosity will suffice.