Bryan Strawser

Question.  It appears that the inspection process made much more progress over the last few weeks that it has made in last 10 years (mostly since that for most of that time it was suspended due to Iraqi actions).  It’s clear that the presence of 130,000 US troops on its doorstep and a willingness to use those troops made the difference in Iraqi attitudes.  If that is what it takes to make Iraq comply, is the rest of the world ready to underwrite the costs of keeping them there indefinitely??  I don’t think so.  [John Robb’s Radio Weblog]

This should be interesting to watch.

‘Human Shields’ Gathering in Baghdad: American and European peace activists wrapped their arms around posts on a bridge over the Tigris River on Thursday, symbolizing their intent to act as human shields in any U.S. war on Iraq. [Adam Curry: Adam Curry’s Weblog]

Disarming Iraq. The time has come for members of the United Nations Security Council to quit pretending that inspections alone are the solution. [New York Times: Opinion]

The “Pull My Finger” Project. Something’s been weighing heavily on my mind for quite some time, and I think I’m finally ready to test my hypothesis. The question: “What if everybody in the world farted at the same time?” I’ll need your help, and can do nothing but assume that you’re going to participate unless I hear otherwise. At 4PM (Pacific) today, I need you to let loose and pass some gas. If my theory is correct, the planet will survive this influx in Pu (Stinkinium) gases. Not quite a noble gas, but respectable nonetheless. Thank you for your kind assistance. My suggestion? Grab a burrito or two for lunch. Careful not to push too hard – no solids are required for this experiment…. [C:PIRILLO.EXE ~ Chris Pirillo]

This is going to get significantly nasty.

What are the democrats going to do when they hold the Presidency and have judges that they want confirmed?!

“It sets a terrible precedent”. “It sets a terrible precedent”: That’s what Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) has just said on the floor of the U.S. Senate about the Democrats’ filibuster of Miguel A. Estrada’s nomination to serve on the U. [How Appealing]

While Byrd sometimes sounds like an insane idiot when you listen to his speeches, I do respect him as the contrarian voice in the Senate…

A Box of Our Own Making. Senator Robert Byrd (D – WV) is to be applauded for today’s speech on the Senate floor in response to the Bush Administration’s insane rush to war. “We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of events,” said Byrd. “On what is possibly the eve of horrific infliction of death and destruction on the population of the nation of Iraq — a population, I might add, of which over 50% is under age 15 — this chamber is silent. On what is possibly only days before we send thousands of our own citizens to face unimagined horrors of chemical and biological warfare — this chamber is silent. On the eve of what could possibly be a vicious terrorist attack in retaliation for our attack on Iraq, it is business as usual in the United States Senate.” [kuro5hin.org]

West Wing in 38 minutes.  Fish and black beans.  Life is good.