I’m still not sure about the propoganda inherent in Hero but this is one of the most stunning movies I’ve seen…ever. Visually beautiful with an elegant story and great wire-work (ala Crouching Tiger…), Jet Li redefines the simple action hero role that American cinema tried to force on him. The American version comes on the invitation of Quentin Tarantino so I am anxious to see how it’s changed to fit American audiences.

SCOTUS says if the cops ask you who you are, you’ve got to answer.

“One’s identity is, by definition, unique; yet it is, in another sense, a universal characteristic,” writes Justice Anthony Kennedy for the majority. “Answering a request to disclose a name is likely to be so insignificant in the scheme of things as to be incriminating only in unusual circumstances.” … Justice Kennedy adds that if a case arises in which the furnished identity provides a key link leading to the conviction of the individual for a different crime, the court will revisit the issue. (Riiiight… Just like the SCOTUS was going to overturn much of McCain/Feingold)

… In a dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens says the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination must always shield a criminal suspect who is being questioned by police. … “The court reasons that we should not assume the disclosure of petitioner’s name would be used to incriminate him,” Justice Stevens writes. “But why else would an officer ask for it?”

(BTW – slashdot was where I grabbed this.)

I head north, Texas installs free Wi-Fi at rest areas.

The comfort I take, however, is that there’s really nowhere worth driving that’s far enough away to warrant taking a break. 3 hours? That’s the White Mountains, the Green Mountians, Albany, or Portsmouth, NH. Time for a break? I’m there, baby.

Let me continue the Google lovefest with a feature I had never paid any attention to, but one that we might have to adopt as the official BpB news portal: Google News:

Google News is highly unusual in that it offers a news service compiled solely by computer algorithms without human intervention. While the sources of the news vary in perspective and editorial approach, their selection for inclusion is done without regard to political viewpoint or ideology. While this may lead to some occasionally unusual and contradictory groupings, it is exactly this variety that makes Google News a valuable source of information on the important issues of the day.

I would like to take a moment to give a shout out to one of my favorite athletes of all time. Ms. Martina Navratilova, at 47, advanced into the second round of Wimbledon today. Some have complained that she took a wild card spot from a hungrier, younger player, but I think that any 20 time winner deserves court time just about whenever she wants it.

Anyway, congrats Ms. N. I hope you can stick around for a while in the tourney, cause you sure are more entertaining and enthusiastic than some of the current top seeds.

The Moonies report today that there are unusual numbers of rats in the DC area, feasiting on carcasses of Brood X.

Today’s reason: they are really bad dancers.

Were Iraq and Al Qaeda in cahoots for 9/11? Were they in cahoots at all? There are no clear answers on these questions, but the waffling at the whitehouse on the definition of the word “is” does not help the almost daily contradictions from the media on whether W drew a connection between the attacks of 9/11 and Al Qaeda. This letter from W to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate on March 18th of last year clearly demonstrates that while preparing to attack he was saying they were in cahoots.

Consistent with … the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq … and based on information available to me … acting pursuant to the Constitution and Public Law 107-243 is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.

Iran’s siezing British Navy vessels. 8 sailors on 3 vessels, so it’s not like ships, but still…

(More from Google News” )

Start the countdown to the first Gulf of Tonkin comparison…

So, I’ve got to be like the last person in the world on Gmail but I finally got my invite (Through my running/cycling site). Woo Hoo!

Imagine my frustration when I click the link to create the account and see:

And the living is easy…

Missy and the boys got me a hammock for Father’s Day. I would have posted pictures, but yesterday was the test drive. Sits low enough to the ground to put a cooler in arm’s reach, and is stable despite four-year-olds climbing in and out.

Tomorrow, I’m playing stay-at-home dad, since Missy’s got to make the trek to Hartford for a meeting; I expect the baby will be napping outside…

My right-wing fix often comes from The Federalist. They’ve been pretty harsh on GWB’s tendency to tax-cut and spend, but in general wave the flag and channel Reagan even more directly than Nat’l Review.

Today’s quote, though, will be plastered on lefty websites the world over, if anyone’s doing any opposition research:

“The natural cure for an ill-administration, in a popular or
representative constitution, is a change of men.” —Alexander
Hamilton, Federalist No. 21

Granted, Ken Griffey, Junior, is possibly the most hyped player of the last 2 decades, but he’s been plagued by injuries and bad career moves, and hasn’t quite lived up to the hype. (But honestly, who, short of a Palistenian Carpenter could?)

In any case, hoorah for Griffey; he hit his 500th dinger offa Matt Morris (Who I hold in one of my fantasy leagues, darnnit) “I stayed away with breaking balls until on a 2-2 count I tried to slip a fastball by him. I guess people have been doing that 500 times, and it didn’t work.”