Eric Umansky

Headline of the Day

"Researcher: Moses Was Tripping at Mount Sinai" - Haaretz

Hi. My Name is John. What's Yours?

As you know, while Eric's off on a fact-finding mission to Guantanamo, Kashmir, and other global hotspots vacationing in Costa Rica, he's asked me to share with you the pearls of wisdom regarding national security  and international affairs that frequently fall onto my keyboard. It's a personal thrill for me, naturally, and now all I need to do to complete my long-dreamed-of trifecta of wonkdom is get a slot at TPMCafe and finally convince the Washington Monthly to accept my pitch about the misuse of federal funds at the Civilian Marksmanship Program. I'll be light today and tomorrow, since Eric thoughtfully dumped this on me at the last moment and I have an actual paying gig that demands my attention. But next week I promise I'm all yours. Oh, and I will never, ever write anything about the Lakers. So let's get started, shall we?

Friday Afternoon Niece Blogging

Little Lena hopes you enjoy our weekend :

More Proof of Americans' Generosity

From AP:

ATLANTA, Sept. 27 -- Ashley Smith, the woman who says she persuaded suspected courthouse gunman Brian Nichols to release her by talking about her faith, discloses in a new book that she gave him methamphetamine during the hostage ordeal.

Smith did not share that detail with authorities at the time. But investigators said she came clean about the drugs when they interviewed her months later. They said they have no plans to charge her with drug possession.

In her book, "Unlikely Angel," released Tuesday, Smith says Nichols bound her on her bed with masking tape and an extension cord. She says that he asked for marijuana, but that she did not have any, and that she dug into her illegal stash of crystal meth instead.

Light Posting

That, I admit, is what is going to be happening here for the next week.  I'm in the  middle of  a  big project. Then I must partake of apple and honey.

A Tip on Giving

This is why it's usually best not to specify that your money be spent on a specific project. If pick an organization that you trust, you shouldn't have to worry about tying down their hands.

Another Destination Wedding Weekend

Back Tuesday. (The wedding is Sunday night, and the destination is far, far away.)

Poor, Misunderstood Pat Robertson

From the NYT:

The Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson issued a statement today apologizing for his televised remarks calling for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.

"Is it right to call for assassination?" he said in the statement. "No, and I apologize for that statement. I spoke in frustration that we should accommodate the man who thinks the U.S. is out to kill him."

But Mr. Robertson was far from apologetic on his television show today, instead insisting that he had been been "misinterpreted" by The Associated Press and that he had never used the word "assassination."

"I said our special forces should 'take him out.' 'Take him out' could be a number of things, including kidnapping," Mr. Robertson told his audience on the show "The 700 Club" today.

The video from Monday's telecast, easily available on the internet, shows Mr. Robertson saying of the Venezuelan president: "If he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it.

   

So I'm a Sap

While proscrati  doing research, I came across  the official  Six Feet Under obits.  They're fabulous and fascinating, with admittedly, a bit of cheese. 

BTW: I had been ready to abandon the show.  It just got so over-the-top, like Days of Our Lives just with better camera angles. But the last two,  even three, episodes really got me.  Is that so wrong?

OK, back to Able Danger/ Iraq / etc.

PandaCam!

Just slightly off my normal beat--but they're so fuzzy and cute, plus--bonus--they won't eat you.