Politics and Pics

I. POLITICAL POST POLITICAL POST POLITICAL POST

This is my comment on Bill Keller's blog yesterday. (As yet, unpublished.)

The war with Iraq was much more than a blunder, and the Bush Administration did not stumble into it blindly.

On January 26, 1998, the Project for the New American Century sent a letter to President Clinton urging regime change in Iraq¹. Many of the signatories would later become G. W. Bush Administration members, including Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, and Undersecretary of State John Bolton.

According to Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, the Bush Administration was planning on invading Iraq well before 9-11². But it was 9-11 and the climate of fear that followed that provided the opportunity to push the nation in war.

They were not alone in this effort, Bill Keller. The New York Times and the Washington Post were crucial in helping peddle Administration lies about Iraq. And while Judy Miller was dismissed for her role in the Scooter Libby affair, her co-author on many of the Iraq stories, Michael Gordon, remains on the New York Times staff (as do "pundits" such as Thomas Friedman and David Brooks)³.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

- George Santayana

¹ PNAC letter, January 26, 1998

² Bush Sought 'Way' To Invade Iraq

³ Now They Tell Us by Michael Massing

/ POLITICAL POST POLITICAL POST POLITICAL POST

II. Salute to ZEGS

The Zombie-Eyed Granny Starver gave a speech last night. Commentary from my blog fiends: here and here.

There are the songs on his iPod which I’ve heard on the campaign bus -- and on many hotel elevators. He actually urged me to play some of these songs at campaign rallies. I said, ‘I hope it’s not a deal-breaker Mitt, but my playlist starts with AC/DC and ends with Zeppelin.’

- Paul Ryan

ZEGS and Drugs and Rock and Roll



III. Thanks for stopping by! Here are some pics.









UPDATE: ZEGS reacts to Clint Eastwood's performance this evening.



Cross-posted at Whiskey Fire. Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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Black Tuesday

Here's a shot of some mushrooms by Lake Siri, and the moon. None more black, ehh? It's the turning point, frankly.



But the trip was not a total loss, as here we have parallel lines on Cold Run Valley Road. Carmi's Thematic Photographic 210 is Parallelism.



Here are the mushrooms. I believe they are Destroying Angels.







I found a fishing lure caught in a tree.





Other Beesness







P.S. As seen at Aunt Snow's:



UPDATE: Mystery mushrooms from the Saying Yes backyard.



Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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Family Planning Disasters

Amphibian Division





Other beesness:

How about a hummingbird?



The weather changed a week or so ago, it's been much damper and cooler. Thus...Toadstools!









A stray kitty came by for a snack, and then moved on.



Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

I don't remember seeing these before.



A good butterfly nectar plant and a great hummingbird nectar plant, this species grows along streams, wet ditches, and pond edges.

Here is a pair of Halloween Pennants. The rings in the water are where Mrs. Pennant has placed an egg.





Goldie The Fish, enjoying some sun.







Here's a Blue Dasher, showing the characteristic white face of the male. I'm reminded of spider money, for some reason.



P.S. I copied in the tags from a previous post, and was about to remove "butterfly". Why not add a picture of an Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail, instead?



Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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A snake by the lake II

Carmi's Thematic 209 is From behind.

Here is a large Northern water snake, Nerodia sipedon, sunning itself on a rock in Lake Siri.





My left foot on the same rock...for scale.



Here's a Flying Cheeto controlling some prime Lake Siri real estate.



Would you believe three Appalachian Tiger Swallowtails mudding together?



Lake Siri (plus orbs), with Cacapon Mountain and the last night's moon behind it.



Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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There's Some Lovely Filth Down Here

Two Black Swallowtails, being repressed.



Two Appalachian Tiger Swallowtails, being repressed.





P.S. Presented for your edification.



Cross-posted at Whiskey Fire. Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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Grey

Carmi's Thematic 208 is Grey.

Here we have some smoke from a barbecue. (You'll have to imagine the happy chatter and laughter.)



Once again, a nice day for golf. And there wasn't even that much lightning!



Here we have a grey.



Now I don't have any photos to match that artist's impression, but I do have orbs.







(Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.)
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Chicory and Halping Fish

Chicory:



Halping Fish:

Stickleback fish show initiative, personality and leadership

August 15, 2012

These personality traits include qualities such as leadership and initiative, as well as the tendency to follow others. The results reveal a rather sophisticated social awareness in fish that was only previously hinted at.

Fish spend a lot of time in groups in order to decrease the risk of predation, but remaining part of a cohesive group is hard, as individuals often want different things. The emergence of leaders and followers settles these conflicts.

'It is a puzzling process as it means that some individuals win, while others lose out,' says Dr Shin Nakayama, from the University of Cambridge and first author of the research published in PLoS ONE.

P.S. Fish sunk to the bottom of the tank.
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Moon's Day Pics

Male Blue Dasher:



Male Common Pondhawk:





Fiery Skipper:







A Nice Day For Golf?









TRICK QUESTION! All days are nice days for golf.



UPDATE: female Blue-Fronted Dancer:



Cross-posted at Whiskey Fire. Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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