Not only did I miss several weeks’ worth of important developments, but in particular the clarity of thinking that the Christmas spirit brings. As Rafe Colburn observes:

“I’ve often said that the fundamental difference between most hardcore conservatives and the rest of us is a lack of appreciation for the old bromide, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’ The inability to put yourself in the shoes of people worse off than yourself, or just different than you, period, is the enabler for what passes for modern conservatism.”

Rafe also has a cogent argument about why it doesn’t wash to claim that Libya’s renunciation of WMD is a consequence of the US invasion of Iraq, even though dysadministration propaganda crows about how it is our victory.

Another thing that may not be our victory to crow about is the apprehension of Saddam Hussein, who may actually have been taken into custody by the Kurdish opposition, hogtied and left for the US to claim.

Thank heavens the Plame affair hasn’t been entirely been swept under the rug as I had feared. Washington Post

“In his interview with the Monitor, Howard Dean repeated his contention that Saddam Hussein’s recent capture had made America no safer.

‘My opponents spent the week criticizing me for that, which I think was to their detriment’ since the federal government had just increased the terror alert level to orange, indicating an elevated risk of an attack.

But he said two other recent events had benefited national security: the capture of a ship loaded with drugs in the Persian Gulf – ‘which is almost certainly how al-Qaida is partly financing their operations,’ Dean said – and Libya’s decision to declare its illegal weapons programs and get rid of them.” Concord (NH) Monitor

Dean doesn’t mention the unabated continuation of assassinations of US occupiers by insurgents, which has prompted an increased bounty on the heads of the remaining at-large Baathist most wanted.

A Missouri transportation unit headed for Iraq sought extra protection for non-combat vehicles. Local businesses donated the costs for a local steel fabricator to sheath their trucks and Humvees.

The 72 vehicles operated by the 428th are not designed for battle. They have thin metal floorboards and, in some cases, a canvas covering for doors. Iraqi guerrilla groups have been targeting all types of military vehicles with homemade bombs and small-caliber weapons.

E-mails from soldiers already deployed in Iraq urged the Missouri reservists to get extra armor if possible, said 1st Sgt. Tim Beydler, a member of the 428th.

Unfortunately, although official US Army add-on armor is still under development and not yet ready, the Pentagon will not allow this jury-rigging, since it has not been approved through official channels. [Oh, and because one of Cheney’s cronies has to be awarded the price-gouging contract to do the retrofits instead?] Washington Post

“While security checks have reached a certain consistency, it may not remain so for too long. Before you head for the airport, you may want to check a frequently updated list of everything that is and is not allowed on a flight. This information comes from the Transportation Security Administration, part of the Department of Homeland Security.

It’s presented in chart form, telling you what you’re allowed to carry on or check, and it may not always be what you think.” PCWorld

I admit to a guilty pleasure — I love those year-end ‘best this’ and ‘worst that’ lists. They are the modern equivalent of the memory palace artifice. I do alot of my CD shopping (although not my bookbuying, since I tend to keep up better with the latter throughout the year) after the music lists come out. Any links to quality year-end lists you send me will be gratefully appreciated and likely posted here. To start with, here’s what one Guardian observer wants to deep-six for the new year. Unless you are a devotee of English tabloid culture, you might miss some of the references, but you also might agree with many of them, as I do.

Addendum: and the suggestions start rolling in. Thanks to Sam for pointing to the compilation of year-in-review lists at Fimoculous.

And, thanks to walker, some top-10-words-of-the-year lists (top phrases, the top names, the best and worst product names, top Enron inspired words, top YouthSpeak words, and others….) which reveal how the mutable English language can be influenced even on the timescale of one year’s developments.

“The United States doesn’t even pretend to respect the Geneva Conventions these days. Obviously, shooting unarmed demonstrators in the back as they flee is a war crime. But then neocons don’t do international law.

As Bush has repeatedly made clear, he believes international treaties are for wimps, appeasers, and the irrelevant. International law is for pantywaists such as the French, not intractable and self-righteous Americans engaged in a forever war against ‘terr’ism,’ otherwise known as the Islamic religion.” `–Kurt Nimmo, Counterpunch

Not only did I miss several weeks’ worth of important developments, but in particular the clarity of thinking that the Christmas spirit brings. As Rafe Colburn observes:

“I’ve often said that the fundamental difference between most hardcore conservatives and the rest of us is a lack of appreciation for the old bromide, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’ The inability to put yourself in the shoes of people worse off than yourself, or just different than you, period, is the enabler for what passes for modern conservatism.”

Rafe also has a cogent argument about why it doesn’t wash to claim that Libya’s renunciation of WMD is a consequence of the US invasion of Iraq, even though dysadministration propaganda crows about how it is our victory.

Another thing that may not be our victory to crow about is the apprehension of Saddam Hussein, who may actually have been taken into custody by the Kurdish opposition, hogtied and left for the US to claim.