Arrrrr....

"Liberal Bloggers"

The link I posted below refers to "liberal bloggers." I just want to
make it clear that I am not one of those people. My partisan
affiliation is neither with the Democratic Party nor the Green Party. I
put myself firmly in the Wool Pants Party camp, which makes me a
right-leaning revolutionary syndicalist/left-leaning anarcho-capitalist.

More Election Ridiculosity

Not to pick on McCain (I really don't have anything against him, except
for his terrible judgement in running mates), however:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/latinamerica/la-na-trailspain19-2008sep19,0,2931922.story?track=rss

Let the hilarity ensue!

Perhaps we were too hasty...

...in nominating our candidate:


Old, Grizzled Third-Party Candidate May Steal Support From McCain

Economists Favor Obama

Check it out--possibly a good argument for Obama, and also hilarious.
John McCain is "a lukewarm corpse."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/16/dilbert.economy/index.html

Scary goings-on in Bolivia

So, as I understand it, among a range of other violence, including
radical rightist youth trashing national government offices, a group of
paramilitaries armed by the regional governor in Pando has ambushed a
group of peasants and killed something like thirty of them. The US
State department has issued a travel warning, and urged the cessation of
all "nonessential travel" to Bolivia.

Evo also expelled the US ambassador (it's about damn time--from what
I've read, he's an incompetent fool) for meeting with leaders of the
opposition, and the US retaliated in kind.

Leave it to the Bush administration to make the wise and mature choice.

Scary.

Hopefully, Evo Morales is smarter than W. Wouldn't be hard.

I've (of course) been following the situation as closely as I can,
though it's difficult to know what's going on when things are happening
so quickly. However, I'm wondering where this leaves me--I'm supposed
to go to Cochabamba on Oct. 4. Cochabamba has been pretty calm through
this most recent outbreak, as I understand it, but I go in through Sta.
Cruz, which is the epicenter of the troubles.

The Boren people want me to sign a waiver, and also have offered to push
back my program or make changes to my proposed program. I've mentioned
the idea that I might like to do my language training in Peru instead,
and we'll see what they say to that.

If scholars who study civil war are correct, two of the biggest things
needed for longstanding, costly civil wars are terrain (jungle and
mountains, especially) and low weight, high-value goods. Bolivia has
(a) lots of mountains, (b) lots of jungle, and (c) lots of cocaine.

Lucky them.

If researchers are right, Bolivia could be in for a bad stretch if
violence gets worse.

This Rules!

Check it out:

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=09&year=2008&base_name=what_is_the_european_union_how#109088

WPPA

In caucus, at the urging of party stalwarts, the Wool Pants Party of
America has nominated Kinky Friedman as our candidate for vice
president. Friedman supports the "de-wussification" of America, and
argues that we should utilize Mexico's traditional system of patronage
politics to stem the tide of illegal immigration.

As our current presidential nominee, former one-term U.S. president
James K. Polk would be the oldest person to serve in the executive
office (currently 203 years old), Friedman is an important addition to
the ticket, as his likelihood of serving as president, were Polk
elected, is very high (nearly 100%).

Cotton Kills
Wool Pants in '08

EPIRBs

Blattman has discovered the EPIRB (personal locator beacon):

http://chrisblattman.blogspot.com/2008/09/links-i-liked_08.html

I'm surprised it took him so long. I've wanted one of those for years,
but had to settle for a handheld VHF radio when I was kayaking. It's
one of four things I'd like to own for being on the water:

1. I'd like to finish my half-built kayak back in CT.
2. I'd also love to own a feathercraft Khatsalano--a folding kayak that
fits into a large duffle bag. It would be perfect for Lakes Atitlan and
Titicaca.
3. An EPIRB
4. A tuilik--an Inuit garmet that looks like a waterproof sweatshirt,
but ties down to the cockpit coaming of the kayak to keep you dry when
you eskimo roll, and also covers your head--much more comfortable than a
wetsuit. You can buy them made of neoprene, but I would make one out of
coated nylon.

I heard...

...that Sarah Palin has more political experience as than any American
political figure, ever, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry
Truman, combined.