H&I Fires* 05 Jan 2009

Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite.
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We've seen political organizers use Twitter as a means of quick, mass comms that skips the MSM and saves having to dial a lot of numbers.

No wonder then, that the Palestinians and Israelis are leveraging Twitter for the same reasons.

Interesting post on the subject from blogger Kirk Petersen.  Too bad Twitter is not something I can have up and running at work.  -the Armorer

UPDATE: Noah Schachtman has more.  -the Armorer

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Snerk - on the internet, no one knows you're a dog.  Except at this place.  H/t, SWWBO.  -the Armorer

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Hmmm.  Someone is liveblogging trebuchet construction.  I wonder who that could be?  Oh, hello, Murray!   -the Armorer

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Greyhawk has an excellent piece up that wraps up Iraq, the California Army National Guard, the MSM, and milblogs in one tart confection.  So stop by and read Meanwhile, Back At To The Front.  -the Armorer

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Last, but not least - over at The War On Big Tobacco, BT tells how a young jewish boy from Jersey finds himself motivated by an eye-patch and products of the White Motor Company, and becomes a failure in everything important.  Except to himself.   Read My Son The Doctor Is Drowning.  There's hope, BT.  I'm thinking my father, the Auld Soldier, despaired for me now and again, too.  He's just taciturn by nature and was much more discreet about it.  Over time with us, at least, things got better. 
You could raise BT's spirits by voting for him in the 2008 Weblog Awards, and while you're there you could check out those other fine nominated blogs - especially if you're new to the whole milblog thing.  [As of posting this morning the polls aren't open yet, I'll change the link if needful]-the Armorer

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Heh.  Right Wing News has just released...

The 7th Annual "20 Most Annoying Liberals Of 2008"

The honorable mentions include,

Bill Ayers, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Juan Cole, Kent Conrad, The Daily Kos, Bill Delahunt, Glenn Greenwald, Alcee Hastings, Christopher Hitchens, The Huffington Post, Jesse Jackson, Jesse Jackson Jr. Caroline Kennedy, John Kerry, Ezra Klein, The L.A. Times, Mike Malloy, Rachel Maddow, Michael Moore, MoveOn, Michael Newdow, The New York Times, Michelle Obama, Rosie O'Donnell, Michael Pfleger, Ted Rall, Bill Richardson, Randi Rhodes, Al Sharpton, Cindy Sheehan, Ted Turner, Oprah Winfrey, Jeremiah Wright, Matthew Yglesias

If you think those folks are bad, wait until you see the winners!  -the Armorer

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Michael Yon with a frankly disturbing piece called "Border Bullies" about an individual immigration agent of DHS, in the context of a friend of his visiting the US.  I admit were I sitting in that chair across from DHS Agent Knapp, I would have been concerned, too.  So, you want to come into the country (at least as a foreigner) you have to give up your email passwords and let DHS fish through your email?  Heh.  I suspect we won't hear much of substance from DHS coming in response - if only because they'll say they have to protect their processes.  I honestly don't know what I would do if I were headed into say, Great Britain or France and was told I had to let them fish through my email in order to gain entry.  Because once you're at *that* end of a trip, choices become expensive ones. Heh.  -the Armorer

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I admit, I wasn't quite as keen as SWWBO was about this whole farm thing - but it turns out she was right.  -the Armorer

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Oh, sure, John - plug BT for the 2008 Weblog Awards, but not one of the Castle Denizens.  I'm not too hurt.  Of course, who bothers to look at the nominees for Best Canadian Blog anyhow?  (Heh - free guilt trip courtesy of my mother, who taught me well.)  - Damian

[Hey, he *shilled* me this morning.  *You* have posting privileges...  and I would note I'm not pushing *us* either...  so there!  Whiner.  -the Armorer]

Whining is one of my strong suits - take that away from me, and I got nothin'.  And, btw, I'll push your readership to vote for this blog if you won't: Argghhh! for Best Midsize Blog!  - Damian

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