Still not done with the project that’s keeping me, but (finally) making substantial progress.\u00c2\u00a0 So back here soon, I think.\u00c2\u00a0 In the meantime:<\/p>\n
Hey, turns out that there’s lots and lots of oil in the Arctic<\/a>, and whaddya know, all that troublesome ice that kept us from it before is disappearing.\u00c2\u00a0 Now, the national lines up there aren’t entirely clear, but really, what’s Greenland going to do about it?\u00c2\u00a0 Who’s up for a little Arctic Invasion?<\/p>\n ~<\/p>\n Speaking of madness (and on a much more serious note), Bob Herbert’s column<\/a> on Jane Mayer’s “The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals”, has convinced me I need to pick up and read this book.\u00c2\u00a0 In his view:<\/p>\n Americans still have not come to grips with this disastrous stain on the nation\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s soul. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important that the whole truth eventually come out, and as many of the wrongs as possible be rectified.<\/p>\n Ms. Mayer, as much as anyone, is doing her part to pull back the curtain on the awful reality. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Dark Side\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is essential reading for those who think they can stand the truth.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n ~<\/p>\n On the subject of awful realities, I’ll again urge readers to give a few minutes to Vivian Paige’s (multipart) review of Tom Schaller’s Whistling Past Dixie.\u00c2\u00a0 Simply offering practical solutions and better governance will not overcome the cultural beliefs and practices of some groups, and it’s time for the Democrats to stop banging their heads up that electoral wall.\u00c2\u00a0 She’s got some very smart readers who, despite the best efforts of her resident trolls, could put together a very good discussion there.\u00c2\u00a0 Pop in for a bit<\/a>.<\/p>\n ~<\/p>\n