Read it.

At last — the game you’ve all been waiting for!

The biter bit.

AP is, of course, notorious for demanding payment for even thinking about one of their left-wing propaganda stories.

Read it. (Link is for reference. Complete speech below. Thanks to hogan at RedState.)

One of the most superb speeches in the English language.

No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The questing before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.

Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House. Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us: they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging. And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne! In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free– if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending–if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained–we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!

They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable–and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace– but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

Read it.

Hm. I don’t see a pocket protector….

Watch it. Steve Martin is a believer? Who knew?

Read it.

So holds the Court in McDonald v. City of Chicago, by a 5–4 vote. The syllabus suggests that there were four votes (the five conservatives minus Justice Thomas) for the proposition that the Due Process Clause applies the Second Amendment to the states and their subdivisions; Justice Thomas concluded that it is the Privileges or Immunities Clause that does so.

I, of course, agree with Justice Thomas — as I do in most things.

Watch it.

Of course, an analogous parody dealing with a black or Hispanic ‘candidate’ would immediately trigger a firestorm in the lamestream media, with charges starting with racism and ending in possible hate-crime prosecutions. But it’s fun to dream.

And God help you if you did one about Muslims. And I mean that literally – your life would be on the line.

Just sayin’.

Read it.

What a difference 54 years makes. Of course, Schumpeter told us it would happen.

What if our government, in 1956, had been focused on saving the jobs of the people who manufactured the parts and materials in the IBM Hard Drive, rather than promoting policies which allowed and encouraged technological innovation?

You would have the current Democratic Party policies which focus on subsidizing non-economically viable union jobs in the public and private sectors for political reasons, while punishing wealth creation in the name of fairness.

Yeah, what if?

Read it.

Mr Suppes, 32, is part of a growing community of “fusioneers” – amateur science junkies who are building homemade fusion reactors, for fun and with an eye to being part of the solution to that problem.

He is the 38th independent amateur physicist in the world to achieve nuclear fusion from a homemade reactor, according to community site Fusor.net. Others on the list include a 15-year-old from Michigan and a doctoral student in Ohio.

Read it.

One example from the 1964 Radio Shack catalog is the “Moderately priced, excellent stereo system” on sale for $379.95 (pictured below). That might not seem too expensive, except when you consider that the average hourly wage in 1964 was only $2.50 (data here). When measured in what is ultimately most important—the “time cost” of goods—that 1964 stereo equipment was actually very, very expensive. At the average hourly wage of $2.50, the typical American in 1964 would have had to work 152 hours (full-time for almost an entire month) to earn enough income (ignoring taxes) to purchase that “moderately priced” stereo system.

To help understand how expensive the 1964 stereo system really was, consider that a typical American today would earn almost $3,000 working 152 hours at the current average hourly wage of $19. Now imagine what you could purchase with a $3,000 budget for today’s electronics products, and you’ll begin to appreciate how fortunate you are today compared to the consumers in previous decades like the 1960s.

Read it.

Needless to say, Texas is winning.

Read it.

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?

Stay with us here because this one isn’t obvious. Apple just launched its Find My iPhone app on the iTunes App Store — a service previously limited to MobileMe’s web interface. The App will find your iPhone or iPad or iPod touch should it be lost or stolen. So obviously, you don’t install it on your lost/stolen device, you install it on a different iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, yours or somebody else’s (try a Starbucks).

Uh, if I could afford two iPhones, I wouldn’t really sweat losing one of them all that much.

Read it.

Veteran Detroit techno producer Jeff Mills has solved the vinyl or CD conundrum with a new “hybrid” disc that plays in both. It’s a five-inch single with a CD stuck on the back.

Read it.

Forget Karate Kid. Watch Shanghai Noon. Just do it.

John Derbyshire, Patron Saint of Dyspepsia, gives us a treat.

I wasn’t aware of Larkin, though.

A misogynist, child-hater and stone atheist, Larkin was naturally a political conservative, who said that all his life he had identified liberals with “idleness, greed, and treason.”

My kind of guy.

Read it. Who knew Slate had a sense of humor?

Where White People shop.

Read it.

Hope springs eternal….

Check it out.

Read it.

An article in the Straits Times says the rich in China are increasingly fleeing home to avoid taxes, government crackdowns and rising popular resentment. Where are they going? Well, to the U.S. for one.

Read it.

Last week, in what may be the biggest medical breakthrough of its kind in years, a group of scientists published results in The Lancet describing a completely new type of anti-viral treatment that appears to cure Ebola. They report a 100% success rate, although admittedly the test group was very small, just 4 rhesus monkeys.

So it’s not really a cure yet, but a major milestone suggesting that a cure is possible. Still, an amazing achievement.

Read it.

The real thing hasn’t been dug yet. But construction of the castle itself is under way. The first layers of hand-hewn rock are rising from a hillside clearing. The turrets are taking shape, and the arched entry that will one day support the drawbridge. You can hear the plink of chisels, the creak of wooden carts, and the grunts of local laborers who are building the massive fortress by hand, using only tools available in the 13th century.

This castle’s web site is here. The French castle’s web site is here.

“Most jobs in masonry last three or four months. Out here, we got 20 years,” says Mr. Fire Cloud, who hides his Dr Pepper in a burlap bag to keep the ambience authentic. “That’s job security.”

Read it.

US military boffins are about to produce a field-ready computer gunsight which will let snipers kill people on their first shot from a mile away – even with troublesome winds blowing.

Read it.

Wouldn’t mind having one of these.

Read it.

Considering that L.A. is one of the world capitals of illegal immigration, that’s a win for Arizona.

George Will puts the boot in.

To understand the pertinence to America of events in Greece, notice General Motors’ most recent misbehavior. A television commercial featuring CEO Ed Whitacre demonstrates the institutional murkiness and intellectual dishonesty that result when the line between public and private sectors disappears.

Read it.

Will we at last have a Supreme Court Justice who can hit off of a slider?

(Hey, this is more substance than you’ll get anywhere else regarding Kagan.)

Read it.

Readers may recall that Hispanic activists successfully sued Irving under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, arguing that the city’s century-old system of electing council members from at-large, city-wide districts discriminated against Hispanics because no Hispanic had ever won a seat on the council.

To settle the lawsuit, Irving was forced to create six single-member voting districts—one of which was heavily gerrymandered to ensure the election of a Hispanic—and two at-large ones.

The election results are in and the folks at the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund must be having a bad day. The newly created “Hispanic” district was won by an African American (who defeated a Hispanic), while the one at-large contest was won by … yep, a Hispanic (who defeated a white candidate).

The best-laid plans of mice and race-pimps gang aft agley….

Read it.

How about a Let’s Laugh at Lawyers day?

Watch it.

‘Oh, look, it’s like an event, except everybody’s in costume.’

Read it.

Sometimes the system works.

Read it.

Say not that the struggle naught availeth.

Read it.

A mouse with eighteen buttons!

Read it.

“Any neighbors?” I asked.

“A few. On the land next to us is a trailer. Woman lives there with her husband—and her ex-husband, who just got out of jail a few months ago.”

Some things had gone missing from his property, so soon after we arrived, he walked over to the vintage 1970s RV he kept there and opened the outside generator door. Generator gone. Obvious tracks leading directly back to the neighbors’ property. As soon as night fell, we heard a generator begin to hum in the distance.

There was not much that could be done, at the moment. It was at least an hour back to anything remotely resembling civilization, and there was no cell signal out here. We were armed, but disinclined to pursue the matter through unofficial means. A man who will live with his wife and her new husband is capable of pretty much anything. He may even have low self-esteem.

Freeberg has some great ideas.

1. ILLEGAL Immigration reform. As in ILLEGAL. Did I say ILLEGAL?
2. Putting-up-with-communist-assholes reform.
3. Domestic drilling reform. Drill-baby-drill.
4. Portraying-the-military-in-movies reform.
5. Aggressive interrogation reform. Which means start doing it.
6. This-Is-Sparta reform. If our soldiers rough up terrorists we don’t throw them in the brig, we give ‘em medals.
7. Deficit spending reform. Budget deficits simply aren’t allowed anymore. Learn to deal, Congress.
8. Birth certificate reform. Just pull the thing out, President-Elect, like I have to do when I apply for a passport.
9. ACORN/Census reform. Anyone who put you guys in charge of this, is banned from public service for life.
10. You-go-first reform. Congress makes laws that affect the rest of us, Congress lives under those laws first.

Read it.

If you had a trust fund, you could be an innovator too.

Read it.

I am not making this up.

Read it.

Not the sort of thing you usualy find in Slate.

Read it.

No one really knows why, but for an open wound, simply applying suction dramatically speeds healing times. (The theory is that the negative pressure draws bacteria out, and encourages circulation.) But for almost everyone, that treatment is out of reach–simply because the systems are expensive–rentals cost at least $100 a day and need to be recharged every six hours.

Kelly McCullough is one of my Recommended Writers (see there on the right?), for good reason.

I am a pretty gold dragon. I hatched today. Girl was waiting. Told her my name was Henth. Then I ated her.

Met a knight today. He tried to poke me with sharp stick. I didn’t let him. I did not ated him. How do you shuck a knight?

Not sure about ateding mimes. Too much gas later—silent but deadly. On the other claw, it’s one box they’ll never get out of.

Found princess and have set her out front as knight-bait. No more mime-indigestion. Thinking of collecting shields. Sparkly.

Read it.

If you don’t have to buy it, you don’t have to go through The Store.

My wife discovered this trick early on with her Kindle. Most of the books she has now are ones she got free from Project Gutenberg rather than bought from Amazon.

Now that’s comedy.

Read it.

Born of war and now in its 70th year, its brilliant design has propelled it into a new century with an undiminished reputation. It is an engineering landmark, the epitome of functional simplicity, and yet nobody is entirely sure who designed it or gave it its name.

Read it.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

At a senior center in Manchester Wednesday, one woman turned away when Hodes offered his outstretched hand for an introduction.

“I don’t want to shake your hand. You voted for health care, so just go,” snapped Carmen Guimond, as she refocused on her lunch of roast beef and mashed potatoes and waved him on.

When Hodes decided to stay at the table and launch a defense of what’s considered to be one of the more popular provisions of the law — closing the “doughnut hole,” a gap in prescription drug coverage for Medicare recipients — she challenged him about whether he had read the entire bill and dismissed his explanation.

“Two hundred and forty dollars in the first year. That’s all it is,” she said, referring to the initial subsidy. “That’s not much.”

“And over time, by 2020, it closes the doughnut hole,” Hodes said.

“We’ll all be dead by then,” she deadpanned.

Read it.

(1)  The man knows burgers; I like burgers.

Very persuasive.

Read it.

Time to get ready for summer, Roy.

Read it.

Hey, mutants deserve fame, too. And pizza, of course.

We have a new comic strip link. It’s on the right, beneath Frazz (although only in a positional sense).

Read it.

Apparently ace werewolf-story writer Carrie Vaughn is in the SCA.

Read it.

Texas has strict rules on home-equity lending, relative to other states, and this has helped to prevent ratios of loan size  to home value from rising as high as they have elsewhere. This is certainly worth thinking about in considering potential changes in the regulatory environment. A word of caution, however—it’s very easy to underplay the importance of both the relative strength of the Texas economy and the advantage of not having a significant housing bubble.

A lot of it’s just being a red state.