Was just about to add a small post this morning when a fire drill got my immediate attention. I wish Johnson Controls was a little more specific as to the exact nature of their equipment. In summary: the alarm might not wake up the dead, but anyone short of vegetative coma state will GET THE HELL OUT of the building. It sounds like a plague of locusts, except that the volume is at ear splitting level. The only other time I've EVER had my head hurt that much was when I went to a Monster Truck rally at LSU's Parker Ag Center. Aside: no, I'm not a monster truck fanatic, but I just couldn't pass up the, uh, opportunity to witness a particular aspect of Southern Culture. I've managed to hit the dirt track as well, and one day I'd like to check out the drag strip. Call it getting in touch with my inner Bubba.

Meanwhile, I caught the news about Marine Girl being forced to shut down her own web log via Atrios and Mary. Mary has been doing some fantastic posting about the debacle in Iraq, and I've been frequently checking out her site.

Lately, I've also tried to head over to antiwar.com for a look at the conflict from the conservative/libertarian side. Justin Raimundo and I might not agree on much else, but damn, he's got a lock on what's happening in the Middle East, and is likewise unafraid to criticize Israeli policy vis-a-vis Palestinians. The latter point is particularly important, as it seems that ANY criticism of Israeli policy is taken these days as a sign of Anti-Semitism--which is a lie. As citizens of a free nation, we have the right and duty to stay informed about issues and express our opinions, particularly considering our close relationship with the state of Israel. Israel is presently the largest receipent of United States Foreign Aid (Iraq will soon take the title, leaving Israel as Number 2, but it's STILL a lot of money). And, yes, I feel like it's my business when it's my tax dollars.

Meanwhile, and I should have expected this, Ed Gillespie has adopted a similar tack in defending the Bush Administration's tragic follies in Iraq and Afghanistan. Crticisim of the President is unpatriotic, says Ed, and hate speech to boot. This from the party that brought you Willie Horton.

Meanwhile, the tragedy continues, even as we seek peace with honor. It's truly amazing to watch the incredibly hollow G.W. Bush come out against death and destruction in all forms--well, I guess with the exception of death and destruction on the other side. But I presume that dehumanizing the enemy is essential to all wars.

And, here's a story showing how the world is getting so much safer now that we're taking on the terrorists over there. I'm sleeping better already, especially considering what I saw on 60 Minutes last night--that just about anyone can wander in to many of the roughly 15,000 chemical facilites dotting the nation. I expect that a real terrorist would receive slightly more punishment than the $25 dollar fine levied against Steve Kroft for trespassing. But would a real terrorist give a damn about blowing himself to kingdom come, along with a tank of highly toxic chlorine gas, thereby making additional penalties, uh, irrevelant?

Considering where I live--at the northern apex of the chemical corridor--I'm glad that my approach to such things is a combination of rational thought mixed with a tinge of fatalism. In all seriousness, the region between Baton Rouge and New Orleans could well be a ticking time bomb, waiting for some deranged fanatic to light the fuse. I don't think the war in Iraq has done one bit in making this area safer. That said, I'm not out buying gas masks, tinfoil hats, or other such nonesense. If it happens, so be it--although here's certainly hoping it doesn't happen.

Final aside: it is far likelier that any chemical release down here would be the result of an industrial accident, but until it was confirmed as such, you'd almost certainly see a paranoia bordering on the absurd should something tragic happen. Maybe it's time to SECURE these sites.

And, lastly, off topic, but comforting: Kasparov did some serious byte-kicking yesterday in his chess match against X3D Fritz. Not that I'm a big chess fan, but I always prefer the human in these contests, partly because I've been frustrated myself against chess computers, and partly because I still prefer people, even as I wish I could summon the fire alarm (see above) at will when dealing with difficult people on the help desk.