Not So PC Hereabouts

Friend Matt wonders about Political Correctness as it relates to courthouse security. My co-worker (and former auxiliary sheriff's deputy) Daniel assured me that, after appearing the previous day with makeshift edged weapons in his shoes, Brian Nichols would have been escorted into Mayes County court with "a shotgun pointed at each ear."

Things I Have Learned

...About plumbing:

1. Cold goes on the right.
2. Shit flows downhill.
   

Maybe It's Mad Max

Via Tim Blair, this from an Army journalist in Iraq:

I saw more Tina Turner albums in Iraqi homes than I ever have in my life. And I have no idea why. It was just weird. I mean, who likes Tina Turner?

Well I kinda like her, though I've never bought one of her albums. The guy has a point, though: Ike Turner albums would seem more in character.

Speeding to the Airport

Some folks in the comments here have claimed that speeding on Route Irish (the road from Baghdad to the airport) at up to 100 mph is routine. That doesn't seem quite right. There must be a fair amount of military traffic, and there are not very many military land vehicles that can operate at that rate. Also, there must be a lot of Iraqi trucks and other vehicles not capable of those speeds. So there are some speeders, but probably not right into the teeth of checkpoints. Best description so far (linked by Instapundit and LGF today) is Austin Bay's column. The Charles Johnson post here links to a story with quotes from Berlusconi stating that the Italians had coordinated the release of Sgrena. They don't mention the ransom. Definitely not included is a statement claiming that passage through the roadblocks had been coordinated in advance.

Things I Have Learned

...about Electrical Engineering:

1. E = IR
2. You have to plug it in to make it work
   

Family Leave

My Dad and his friend Carol are visiting this weekend. Today we visited Will Rogers's birthplace, where Wesley had a great time with the ranch animals. He was very talkative. We went to the Gilcrease Museum in the afternoon, our first visit.