Links and Minifeatures 01 12 Thursday

Carnival of The Vanities Recommended: Boxing Alcibiades, Coyote Blog

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It's Hunting Season for Identity Thieves



HT to Jeff Jarvis for this link to a story of Sprint refusing to help a family recover their SUV (and incidentally, 10 month old son).



Now, if we just dispensed with the subpoena nonsense, but made everyone who wanted the information submit verifiable information about themselves, would that not have solved the privacy issue in a superior way? How many celebrity stalkers are going to want to fill out forms that tell everyone who got the information? "My name is John Doe. My driver's license is A1234567. I live at 1234 Main Street, and my phone number is 123-456-7890"



The problem is that the whole privacy movement is fighting a war that's already been lost, and in continuing to fight it in a manner that makes the damage worse, rather than trying to make the situation better.



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Michael Yon has three letters up from the family of an American hero whose murderers were allowed to go free.



I urge you all to contact the president or his staff and your elected representatives in this matter.



Here is a letter I sent:



Mr. President,



I am a concerned voter who is writing today to ask that you please take steps to bring the murderers of Robert Stetham to justice here in the United States. They were recently released by Germany in order to secure the release of German hostages.



From your speeches which caused me to vote for you and to support you, I believe you find this as unconscionable as I do. Mohammed Ali Hammadi, Ali Atwa, Iz-Al-Din and Imad Mugniyah tortured and murdered this American hero in 1985, and are free to reside in Lebanon.



I understand that Lebanon is currently undergoing a period of transition out from under Syrian oppression. All the more reason to serve notice now that while we sympathize with their situation and wish to aid them, there will be no free passes issued in the War on Terrorism.



Please make a formal diplomatic request for the extradition of these murderers to stand trial in the United States.



Sincerely,





Be respectful, keep it short, keep it to the point. This hero was tortured and murdered by terrorists because he was a United States Serviceman. That they are allowed to walk around free in a country that we have rendered substantial aid to should be an affront to the sensibilities of any american, whatever your political affiliation or sympathies.



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Ann Althouse has some thoughts on whether a husband supporting a wife at congressional hearings would cut the senators sufficient slack for what's been directed at Alito. My response: not likely. But then the cowards would never dare direct it at a woman, either. That would be seen as "bullying," and even if they thought she was an unqualified hack with an extremist's mentality, they'd have better political sense. Intellectually, I believe that women are capable of putting up with as much as men and should be required to, but politically and emotionally it's just not going to happen. True political equality will be when a man can attack a woman as Judge Alito has been attacked, and nobody thinks anything of it except as it relates to qualification and political orientation. On the other hand, I don't think anyone should be subjected to this.



(If my wife were attacked like that? The senator better pray for a sympathetic television editor and a commercial break. That's part of the promise I made on our wedding day, and she'd do the same for me. No, we'll never be confirmed by the US Senate for anything. So what?)



Wizbang has the answer to "who made Ms. Alito cry?" question right. here is more.



Professor Bainbridge also has the right idea. A man without solid principles could get radicalized by this treatment.



Dean's World has the reasons for the tone of these hearings dead right.



Captain's Quarters covers an ironic suggestion by Joe Biden with the reasons why it is appropriate. If you want hearings into whether or not someone is actually, you know, qualified, Donkey tactics of the last twenty years are pretty much a textbook entry for how not to get them.



A more destructive bullet to our constitutional foot would be difficult to imagine.



Finally, to those who went off the deep end on Harriet Miers: Thank you ever so much for giving ammunition to this nonsense from Daily Kos



On the other hand, Powerline covers a thoughtful liberal's position on the matter.



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Politburo Diktat has got a photo essay too funny for words!



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John Leo has some thoughts on the VAWA, which Congress reauthorized.



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Cox and Forkum sums up the Iranian nukes situation. I spoke to the issues here.



Victor Davis Hanson covers the international situation.



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Iraw the Model has some good news in that the Sunni have rejected Zarqawi.



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Asymmetrical Information has a worthy snark on Whole Foods.



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Armies of Liberation has a good post on a Yemeni judge standing up to the regime, and it looks like Canada has given up on being charitably effective in Yemen.



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It is good to see moderates like Joe Lieberman having broad electoral support, as Michael Barone notes.



Michael Barone also notes why handicapping the Republican race to succeed Tom DeLay is largely a waste of time.



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Michelle Malkin dissects the armor issue.



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Meryl Yourish crunches numbers and comes to an inescapable conclusion as regards the Palestinian "truce". I fail to see how anyone could have any sympathy for the Palestinian point of view after reading this.



HT to Instapundit



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UPDATE: Regarding the Alito Confirmation Hearings, I wrote this on October 27th, right after Harriet Miers withdrew. So far, it looks like I nailed it. Also, the first segment of this Links and Minifeatures that I did on November 3 seems relevant to the discussion.