People are saying
*The general's crusade
General J.C. Christian is feeling inadequate again. He is under the delusion that very big clams are invading his space. The general thinks the clams are leading people to mock his handicap. (Don't ask.) So, he is beginning a campaign to protect himself against them.
For years, I'd heard rumors that the freedom-hating citizens of Pender Island had launched a psychological warfare program against us. The geoducks were my first piece of proof. Geoducks are a type of clam that is easily identified by it's large syphon. While I've always felt a bit inadequate around geoducks, I've noticed that the Pender Island variety was particularly obscene. Moreover, they've caused me to have strange, unnatural thoughts. These thoughts grab hold of my mind forcing me to commit certain private sinful acts. Someday, I will sit down with Jesus to review my life, and these acts will be the source of many seconds of embarrassing silence. I'm sure that Hell will be something like those few moments.
Dare I say the general has what I believe to be a psychological problem? Poor man. Pay Jesus' General a visit. He also has a great picture of a geoduck. (For non-Northwesterners, that is pronounced "gooey duck.")
*How instant is he?
My old comments buddy Leah, guesting at Eschaton, writes, via CounterSpin, Glenn Reynolds has changed. Describing Hesiod's most recent takedown of the king of snippets, i.e., the InstaPundit, she says,
"he argues persausively that had Instapundit been writing then, when he first began, the way he is now, like a confirmed neocon, no one but other neocons would have paid any attention."
I think people forget that I am a short-timer in the blogosphere. I did not start reading blogs regularly until January of this year. I have no memory of the InstaPundit's earlier incarnation. When I arrived, he was already his full-blown 'direct me to the conservative bandwagon so I can jump on it' self. What I wonder about the situation is whether someone can change his political views as much as people have told me he did in a two or two-and-one half year period. Also, if he changed, was it to match the Right Wing slant of the blogosphere I wrote about in recent entries? Some people are like chameleons. They feel compelled to fit into whatever is going on around them. Or was the InstaPundit a driving force in bringing the polarization about? I realize no one can read his mind. However, there must be people around who observed the process. I would be interested in hearing about it.
Something I noticed while reading so many new bloggers of late is that many of them play the sycophant to the bigger blogs of the Right from the beginning. Could the InstaPundit's longevity, plus that tendency in people, be as much a reason for his popularity as what he writes?
*A prediction: Ashcroft will stick like glue
Richard Einhorn of Tristero is considering whether John Ashcroft will remain for a second term if Shrub is reappointed by the Supreme Court. (Wink.)
It brings up the question: if Ashcroft is replaced between now and '04, we won't have him to kick around which takes pressure off Bush. OTOH, if he stays, he continues to abuse the Constitution. Otoh, if he leaves, it will infuriate the right wing nuts that Bush caved.
So all things considered I say, "Go back to whatever rock you crawled out from under, Mr. Ashcroft. Do it today."
I can't imagine Ashcroft leaving without a fight. Remember how he came to be in the office in the first place. I don't believe he can win an election for his old seat in the Senate and I don't think he is ready to step out of the limelight. He might be tempted by the offer of a judicial appointment, but it would have to be at a high level. Such a nomination would be difficult to get approved. (With good reason.) So, we are back where we started, with John Ashcroft trying to hold on to the AG's office so hard a calico cat wouldn't scare him away.
Thank you notes
1) I want to thank the people who have sent me emails of encouragement, particularly those of you who have described your own battles dealing with people with Asperger's who have become angry and obsessive. It is reassuring to be reminded that I am not the only one who has had this experience, particularly with a campaign of denial of the true symptoms of Asperger's being waged. Your letters also help me appreciate that the target of the person, my blogging avocation, is something I value but can accept damage to, not something as important as my person or my career. I don't know what I would do if I encountered such a situation in a workplace, for example. You all are brave to have dealt with these very difficult people without letting the experiences discourage you. Perhaps, in time I can look back on my experience with Natasha Chart and feel something other than frustration. Maybe I will even feel some sympathy for her fate in life.
2) I also wish to thank James L. for the lovely gift he sent me from my Amazon Wish List. It is wonderful to feel appreciated.
