Round up...

Way late – yes I am way late. No blogging for three weeks, only random trolling on some very nice sites.

UPDATE - Horrible spelling error corrected!!!

I wanted to point out a few interesting spots on my holiday travels, Lana Walker-Helmuth has a very nice site here. I spent some time discussing the various benefits of fluoridation and talking about Ron Paul – who appears to be destined for the dustbin of history. Laura seems to be an engaging person who has a genuinely bright outlook on life.

I found her site from this fabulous one, a sassy spot run by Connie Schmidt. Here she skewers the easily misled and the criminally dishonest.

I also trolled around the Respectful Insolence site (Orac’s joint) and Dr. Martin Rundkvist's place. He poses an interesting question about the definition of skepticism. I take a purists view and contend that skepticism is simply doubt of a proposed idea. On the site we talk about the role of words and the tendency of folks to label people. The term denialism is used to besmirch folks who argue against conventional wisdom. This is typically applied to folks who claim the Holocaust did not occur or that evolution is unproven. It is also applied to people who argue about global warming (GW) and anthropogenic global warming (AGW).

SPECIAL DISCLAIMER – I have several concerns about the causality of global warming. At one point I was an out and out skeptic of global warming, but I have warmed up to the possibility. I am simply not convinced that the human factor is as significant. Thus, I am a denialist according to Mark Hoofnagle’s definition.

UNITED STATES POLITICS

Hillary recovered, slightly, in New Hampshire and McCain knocked Romney for a loop in his own backyard. I am pleased that Edwards, Huckabee and Paul continue to drop behind. None of the aforementioned individuals should be considered viable candidates. This is notwithstanding the very questionable history of Paul’s alarming newsletters or Huckabee’s sermons. We live in a world where what you have said and written before starts to define you. I think that’s a fair measure to use when judging an individual. We can not all be Saul, subject to some monumental conversion and then given a pass on all our former behavior.

UNITED STATES NAVY

The Navy nearly lit up a squadron of Iranian Revolutionary Guard patrol boats . Most likely they were simply tricked out outboards, and not the truly lethal Boghammers which lurk in the NAG (North Arabian Gulf).

Side note: If you want to irritate an Iranian, call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf.

The three warships in question were just about to open fire on the boats in question when they sped away. Having stood watch where FP (force protection) measures were in full force, the threat posed by high speed boats is all too real. Additionally, the risk to our vessels from mines (as described in the report) is likely the greatest in the PG. I do not want US Navy vessels to needlessly incinerate potentially hostile craft – but the reality of self-defense makes this circumstance likely – if not inevitable.