Around the Neighborhood... Virtually Speaking

All Swift Boat Vets, all in one place… John Hinderaker, while engaging in a battle of wits with the unarmed, posts all the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads from the 2004 presidential campaign in one place. I think I should build a small shrine to the SBVT guys, because without them we just might would have had to endure a Kerry presidency. One shudders at the thought.

(h/t: Chap)

The Winner in Today’s “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” category: Iran Exonerates Six Who Killed in Islam’s Name. Not just “Iran,” but the Iranian Supreme Court. Spot-on commentary by McQ at the Q and O blog. I have nothing to add other than “What he said.” Well, that and “Aren’t you glad you’re an American?”

George Will writes a provocative op-ed in today’s WaPo on the subject of the legal drinking age. An excerpt:

McCardell thinks that, on campuses, a drinking age of 21 infantilizes students, encouraging immature behavior with alcohol and disrespect for law generally. Furthermore, an "enforcement only" policy makes school administrations adversaries of students and interferes with their attempts to acquaint students with pertinent information, such as the neurological effects of alcohol on young brains. He notes that 18-year-olds have a right to marry, adopt children, serve as legal guardians for minors and purchase firearms from authorized dealers, and are trusted with the vote and military responsibilities. So, he says, it is not unreasonable to think that they can, with proper preparation, be trusted to drink.

I agree. Mr. Will also revisits the age when America had a patchwork of “legal drinking age” laws. I’ll offer one piece of anecdotal evidence that a lower drinking age, while no guarantee of responsible drinking, at least familiarizes the young with alcohol and the pitfalls of over-indulgence.

When The Second Mrs. Pennington went off to college back in 1974, the legal drinking age in Michigan (her home state) was 18. And, without going into great detail, TSMP was familiar with the ins-and-outs of social drinking, including the effects of abuse. Her roommates, on the other hand, mostly came from states with a drinking age of 21. The difference in the attitudes towards partying was marked and visible between TSMP and her roomies. To quote TSMP…going out to the bar “was no big deal.” Been there, done that…in other words. Disregard for the moment, if you will, the obvious multiplicity of “other factors,” such as personality, upbringing, values/morals, and all that. My point is there is no substitute for first-hand exposure, warts and all. Today’s younger generation doesn’t get that exposure (for the most part), and they’re poorer for it.

Read the whole thing…

Michael J. Totten takes his readers for a wild ride (quite literally) in Iraqi Kurdistan, specifically Kirkuk, with numerous excellent photos. And in so doing touches lightly on the issue of the Kurds and the Turks. Mr. Totten’s sympathies are clearly with the Kurds, as are those of most Americans. We shouldn’t ignore both sides of the story, however. Turkey has legitimate complaints against the PKK, and those complaints continue to fester and just may boil over into something that could get out of control, and rapidly. It’s the Middle East…what’s new?

For the record: I’m a BIG Turkophile (a word I just coined, and one which MS-Word promptly rejected), in case you haven’t noticed.

Today’s Pic: Another of those “interesting skies” photos from day before yesterday. This is another view looking SSE from El Casa Móvil De Pennington.

Today’s weather still isn’t what I would call “bike-friendly” due to the ever-present wind. While it’s certainly warm enough to ride, the combination of persistent gusty winds, coupled with a (minor) threat of rain is enough to keep the bike covered. For the moment, anyway. That could change at any point in time...