Tuesday, October 30, 2001

Quote of The Day

``It is important we never forget why we are doing this, never forget how we felt watching the planes flying into the Trade Towers. Never forget those answer phone messages, never forget how we felt imagining how mothers felt telling children they were about to die, never forget the guts of the firefighters and the police who died trying to save others."

---Prime Minister Tony Blair in a speech in Wales on Tuesday, October 30.

"Sometimes a politician is so aggressively stupid it simply becomes a moral obligation to point it out, for fear the contagion will spread."

---Jonah Goldberg commenting on Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) at NationalReviewOnline.com.

Sir Rudy reacts to second Yankee loss

High? We Couldn't Get Much Higher: Late yesterday afternoon Attorney General Ashcroft alerted us to an alert that our high alert has just been made higher. We are now more alert than we were before we were on high alert. We are now highly alerted to the fact that we are on high alert. Hopefully, someone will soon explain what we have been alerted to. In the meantime, Gov. George Pataki has said our patrolling National Guardsman can carry guns. This, sounds sound. And alert. Some feel being so highly alert makes them want to get high and perhaps a little less alert.

The Nanny State Media: Still Futzing: The subject of this USA Today feature is one that is cropping up more frequently and gets dumber every time. A few extra puffs, a darker liquid in the glass and ordering the creme brulee instead of the three prunes isn't going to kill anyone. It's terrorists that kill, not pralines 'n cream. A little self indulgence may just mean we've given ourselves permission to enjoy what we watched others losing so violently. Namely, life. What next? Susan Sontag drops by to tuck us in?

Sharpton Switcharoo: Al Sharpton waddled away from his Jewish hosts in Israel yesterday to dine with Arafat (now, there's a sight to make a waiter gag) angering everyone involved with his trip. One might ask why he was invited in the first place. One might wonder why a constituency of one makes this guy worth mentioning at all.

Put A Sock In It, Madeleine: We meant to give former Secretary of State Madeleine "I believe him" Albright a taste of the old frozen flounder yesterday for her inane remarks about Clinton not having the public support needed to go after bin Laden. CIA career veteran Anne Allen says it better than we would have in this morning's Washington Times.

Mean But Funny: Poster Morris Wanchuk has a line on the board this morning that snipes at Bill Kristol and his military strategy advice in the Washington Post. "Kristol's brave exploits during the Viet Nam War - he wore a Spiro Agnew sweatshirt at Harvard."

Your Highly Alert LComStaff In Full "Mrs. Miniver" Mode