Talk about grace under fire!  Check out this video of a Georgian reporter shot in the arm while delivering a live report.  Not only does she not freak out, she continues to report on things while her crew fits her with a flak jacket.

Now that's what I call Poise!

I LOVE this guy!  Talk about calling 'em like you see 'em!

Saakashvili 08!

This would be hilarious if it weren't so painfully sad.

http://www.cato.org/dailypodcast/podcast-archive.php?podcast_id=697

Inflation of 15 million percent?  How is that even sustainable?  Sadly, people can only make real transactions in US Dollars, which is currently basically illegal.  But it sounds like the only way out of this is for them to adopt the US Dollar.

Amazing.

The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets.

  -- Will Rogers

A solid, concise explanation of why T. Boone Pickens is just plain wrong.

http://www.cato.org/dailypodcast/podcast-archive.php?podcast_id=691

The market will tell us which technology will get us out of this, not the government.

The NYT Magazine has a pretty interesting peice on Rush Limbaugh this week, on the heels of his new multi-million dollar deal.  I'd paste a few quotes in here, but you really should just read the entire peice.

Zev Chafets does a very nice job.

I've tried for a few hours now to figure out how to frame this.  I can't, except to say that it touches me, and I hope that we all never forget the sacrifices made by others far more brave and courageous than I could ever hope to be.

George Will: The Knock on the Door.

Lt. Col. Jim Walton, West Point Class of 1989 - RIP

Tomas Sowell has a great column today regarding the desire of many in the US to be more like Europe.  I've honestly never understood this desire, especially as someone of Greek heritage.  I've been to Greece, of course, and it's a great place to vacation.  But you couldn't pay me to live there.  It's a freaking mess. 

Among the points well made in the column:

The American economy produces the largest output in the world — more than Japan, Germany and Great Britain combined. Measured by purchasing power, output per capita in the U.S. is the highest of any large nation.

And yet we want to adopt labor laws more like Europe's why?

Anyway, it's a great read.

As some of you know, I intend to support Bob Barr for President in 2008.  A good friend of mine recently made up this picture for me.  :-)

This was my reply:

That might be true, and I know you are only poking fun, but sometimes it's about the principle. 
 
I'm as Machiavellian as they come, but this isn't about winning the election.  No matter who wins, this election is already lost.  It's about expressing a voice.  The party of Reagan is dead, but those of us who still believe will not just give up.  We may never win, and we will tilt at windmills occasionally, because not to is to capitulate.  Call me an ideologue, if you must, but I simply don't see it that way.
 
You and Newt and Kasich, et. al. can fight the good fight inside the party, if you wish.  I understand and respect that point of view, and will even join it when appropriate (Drill Here, Drill Now).  However, Reagan became a Republican when the Democrat party left him behind.  And now the Republicans have left me behind. 
 
Bob Barr is not a Libertarian nut, as some have been in the past.  He has served in the House.  He was once appointed by President Reagan to serve as a US Attorney.  He's a true small-government conservative, and he has my vote.

I didn't blog about this at the time, but a few weeks ago I signed the Drill Here, Drill Now petition over at American Solutions.  We have so much untapped oil available to us right here in this country that it is absolutely absurd, bordering on the criminal, that we don't avail ourselves of this opportunity to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.  But now with oil prices going through the roof, we might finally be able to change all of that.

Anyway, I just learned today that Chuck Norris has joined the cause.  And we all know how much I love Chuck Norris.  After all, he IS the only man alive who can slam shut a revolving door.

But seriously, it's nice to see this movement getting some wider exposure.  On June 9th, Chuck wrote a great column outlining the issues, and throwing his support behind the petition.  If you haven't already, get on over there and sign the petition, or Chuck will kick you and Congress in the Medulla Oblongata!