1. Thanks so much to Dawn Westerberg for the “Twilight Zone Season 5” DVD set. I’m a big fan of the show, but I almost never catch it when it’s on TV. Now I can watch it before bed and give myself the kind of dreams I like to imagine Phil Dick must’ve had.
2. Tom Elia sends word that twice in the last several days Syrian ambassador to the US Bashar Ja’afari has equated Hizbullah to George Washington—once on “Hardball” and once in a CNN interview. Which is just silly, because Hizbullah is no where near 6’20”. Though, in Ja’afari’s defense, the whole “killing for fun” thing does ring alarmingly true.
3. AJ Strata notes some movement in the NSA leak investigations, with Capitol Hill the focus. Roll Call has the full story, but alas, I’m not a subscriber.
4. neo-neocon has an in-depth post about how Hizbullah has interwoven itself into Lebanon over the years. An excerpt:
It’s clear that Hezbollah needs to be rooted out of Lebanon. But it’s very difficult to see how this could happen if the Lebanese people themselves don’t wish it to happen–and even then, it would be far from easy to accomplish at this point. Syria, as Hezbollah’s main supplier, could theoretically be involved, but that has the danger of “inviting” the Syrians back into greater power in a country that’s only recently begun to detangle itself from its nefarious influence.
That word “detangle” is a good one, because excising Hezbollah from Lebanon is not going to be a simple act of surgery. Many metaphors come to mind: Hezbollah in Lebanon is like a tumor without sharp borders or boundaries; a neuroma that’s burrowed itself into the tissue in a deep and complex manner, a family that’s too deeply enmeshed for members to individuate and separate.
This is one of the reasons that Condoleezza Rice’s words at Friday’s news conference were so interesting. If you read the transcript, you’ll find that, over and over, she emphasizes the issue of Lebanese sovereignty, an appeal to Lebanese pride in its own autonomy. Knowing how instrumental Hezbollah was in Lebanese perception of that autonomy from Israel back in 2000, and how pleased the country is to have recently expelled the Syrians, she carefully phrases the eradication of Hezbollah from Lebanon as an issue of Lebanese sovereignty as well.
Whether this will be at all effective is unclear. But it’s the right sort of rhetoric for the occasion, to be followed by tough negotiations that–as Rice herself says–don’t just put into place a meaningless cease-fire that perpetuates business as usual, but some sort of lasting change for the better that damps down Hezbollah’s power in the region.
5. Did I ever tell you people about the time I killed an aborigine with a wicked boomerang throw? It was like something out of “Marine Boy,” only I wasn’t under water, and the aborigine wasn’t an evil undersea villain just askin’ for a sharpened wood blade to the jugular. In fact, the kill was entirely random. Truth is, I just couldn’t find a koala bear to aim at.
True story.
6. Finally, Charles Martin sends this bit along from In the Bullpen, which I’m sure you’ll find provocative. Seems an Iranian Revolutionary Guard was killed in Lebanon while fighting the IDF.
I know. It’s like my entire worldview is collapsing!
Since this is an odds and ends post, has anyone been following this strange story. Amazing.
And there is an honorable mention of topsecret9.
Are there any sane people on the left?
Oh, I don’t know.
A few television primers, techniques, moves, stealth, a government handout of good-quality French chef knives (hear that, France? Redeem yourselves!), a modest bounty on the ears and dong, and, pick a day! August is a fine month for mayhem.
I can see the celebrations next year, and Syrians, Iranians and anyone else who wants to yank the Lebanese thinking “Ah! Maybe I’ll give it a miss!”
Now, if we had a catchy name for the mass dissection of Hezbollah…
The cherry tree was the son of pigs and apes.
Just waiting for the IDF to capture one or two Iranian Guards alive.
Wouldn’t Israel be safer if Lebanon were less stable? As in total chaos? It’s hard to aim a Katyusha when you’re afraid a Druze or a member of the SLA is just about to take your head off.
And there is an honorable mention of topsecret9.
Well, there’s a topsecretk9, who is more than honorably mentioned. Turns out she’s Keyser Soze.
The world has gone completely crazy. I watched Wolf Blitzer interview Bibi today, and Bibi gave him the unvarnished truth, which is that they’re dealing with medieval psychopaths, and it’s not just the Israelis’ fight, that after they get done killing Jews they’ll come after us. That we need to stop the Iranians today.
He no sooner got done saying this, than Wolf turned to the camera and said, “When we come back, I’ll have the other side.”
Leaving aside the journalistic obsession with “balance,” what kind of unfamothable cognitive dissonance does it take to have this mindset? The world is full of people who are apparently clinically insane. They are taking the side of evil against the only real democracy in the region. Evil that has baldly stated again and again its intention to kill infidels and destroy Western civilization.
The crazies in Teheran are laughing at us. They have nothing but contempt for our pathetic weakness, and our capitulation to the suicidal embrace of relativism and multiculturalism.
I knew it was pissing against the wind when I did it, but I wrote to the White House (again) last night to tell them that if we continue to do nothing, one or more of our cities WILL go up in a mushroom cloud, so we might as well start the bombing now. In for a penny, in for a pound. Oh, and for Pete’s sake, can we please give the Jooos some air cover in Lebanon?
Speaking of the Twilight Zone, how did we get here?
Spamword, “big,” as in, “Let’s drop the big one.”
Apparently, in Larry Johnson’s dreams.
Marine Boy? Cripes. That’s a show so obscure the Excel Saga DVD failed to tag a reference with a Menchi Note.
I am having a pro hezbollah party in my mind right now. All the cool people are there. Never forget, some peoples terrorists are other peoples self deluded fantasies….
Oxygen gum rules. That all I got to say about THAT. Serously. I thought by now we would of had oxygen gum.
Does oxygen gum kill joos? Cuz like if it did, I’d totally show up at the rally chewing it and stuff.
What I find interesting is all the analysis says that the Lebanese army was too weak take out Hezbollah themselves, which is why the Syrian army was supposedly there, to “help out.” Has anyone made the radical reach that the Lebanese ask the Israelis for help? I know, I know, the arabs have to look all tough for each other against the jooos, but the lebanese are Christians and Druze too. Am I crazy or what?
tw: “trade” as in 2 Israeli soldiers for a strong and secure Lebanon.
Anybody know how to get fucking oxygen gum out of your hair?
topsecretk9 sez:
My inner twelve-year-old has you pegged as a Barbara Feldon clone.
Hubba hubba!
Would you believe Charo’s niece?
tw: Plant
I knew it!
“Piper, I’m giving it everything she’s got—and more!”
“Bolton, you’re an idiot.”
Get them drunk, hand them a couple of lit smokes and point them toward the hot tub. Tell them the Chiclets will be along for some silly, wet, naked fun.
So like my professor – who is really smart btw – well like he is telling me that after the hizbolla rally that I can go to a party with him and stuff. He plays acoustic guitar and everything. Man, I knew college would be exciting but this is totally AWESOME.
What should I wear?
Anything but taffeta.
Trust me on this.
oh my gawd, he just called! he said the party is a screening of that one Al Gore movie… man this is like the sixties or something! I am so much freaking OUT.
why, is taffeta made in sweat shops or something?
Susan Hilton? Or Agent 99?
Seriously, it is the studiest thing. I think the wildest part is they seemed to have pissed off this AArmy, who is a Daily Kos diarist.
Not related at all but, now I know why I am happy the Japanese are on our side.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d147/sexyjessie724/148p64k1.jpg
No. No one looks good in taffeta.
Trust me on this.
Well since I am not really a girl I will.
Still though, would it impress my friends into thinking I was “international”.
I have also thought about taking some sitarre lessons. I think that’s a muslim instrument right?
Sorry I missed the k.
When I consider that Johnson was CIA employee, I completely understand why they seem so incompetent most of the time.
You’re not mixing Klonopin and oxygen gum are you?!
Oh dear god no.
ROA: “sitar” and no.
I think if there were a superhero that would do such a thing, I think that superhero would probably be JIHAD BOY, the ruthless yet submissive sidekick of HEZBOILAH MAN.
Me, I prefer vodka to jumpstart my super human powers. Of course most folk don’t consider typing random nonsense on a keyboard superpowers but that isn’t my problem.
Dude, give me a break, I was still in character. Don’t you republikkkans know anything about acting?
Because of their sooooopersecret monopole magentic technology, ROA?
And I really hope it’s not because of your preference in g-strings,
‘cuz if that’s why you posted that photo, I’m gonna have to hunt you down and kill you like an animal. 
Twilight Zone 5? Who keeps sending you all these neat gifts? Are you a secret politician?
I have all of the Twilight Zone series and watched them all practically nonstop last summer. It’s fun seeing a lot of famous actors when they were just starting their careers and were unknowns at the time the TWZ series was made.
Favorite TWZ: The one in which Billy Mumy became some kind of kid-monster with powers of psychokinesis! A Republican Jew if ever I saw one.
I really don’t have an answer for why I like it. Let me put it this way, if that is what passes for entertainment in Japan, they have one helluva bizarre sense of humour and there isn’t anything wrong with that.
For instance, if these two guys were the gay characters on Will and Grace I might actually watch the god damn show.
PS. I have a wife. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
As I recall, PKD went the Laumer route, an done kilt hisself. Make it look like an accident, Jeff, or The Frisch will be doing the two-step with the armored rodent.
There’s just no way Israel can get Hezbollah out of Lebanon, with or without “the Lebanese people’s” (as if that’s a uniform thing) prodding. Hezbollah is part of Southern Lebanon just as much as civil strife, bad tracts of land, disputed security zones, and Israeli angst will be. Lebanon can’t push them out. Israel can’t get them all. And no international forces are going near that place without seeming to be providing Israel cover or seeming to Israel to be providing Hezbollah cover.
But would they leave if asked? I think guerilla groups of Islamists have proven themselves quite willing to act contrary to public opinion. And those who ask them to leave don’t often get a chance to ask them a second time.
It’s going to be status quo for a good long time, folks. And while that means Israel will continue to pound away at rockets, bridges, and martyrs galore, it also means a continuing humanitarian crisis. That last bit keeps me from cheering, but the first bits keep me from complaining.
Israel can end this unilaterally, and it might. But I think those rumors of a two-week schedule for operations are not going to prove true.
Another topic, I would find nothing more delicious than to have certain elected officials get some time for the NSA issue.
For 8 or so years now I have been wondering why there is no accountability for treason. Maybe now some of us out here will have our little dreams come true.
Seems an Iranian Revolutionary Guard was killed in Lebanon while fighting the IDF.
But… but… that can’t be!
One of Iran’s top military officers, Maj. Gen. Seyyed Hassan Firuzabadi, said Saturday that Iran would never join the fighting in Lebanon.
Careful about trying to think like Phillip K Dick – without taking lots of LSD, I mean.
6’20�
That must be a really old-timey way of saying 7’8″… and Washington wasn’t nearly that tall!
Yes he was—according to the song, anyway.