The Dish

How did we ever survive without eye-ball tattoos? Shannon Laratt cautions:

The procedures themselves were effectively painless because there aren’t nerve endings in the surface of the eye, and we did additional control with lidocaine drops which numbed the lids. After pain is fairly minor, although we all have bruising and some discomfort. I have what appears to almost be blistering between the sclera and conjunctiva which is worrying me a little but so far I don’t have reason to believe this is abnormal. Aftercare, at least in my case, is antibiotic drops and a patch.

In any case, we’ll keep you updated!

I really have to emphasize again that the procedure was extensively researched and done by people who were aware of the risks and possible complications and that it should not be casually attempted. Now that this experiment has been started, please wait for us to either heal or go blind before trying it!

Can you do Lasik at the same time?

An "enhanced withdrawal technique", I think.

How can you stay mad at a man who can write this?

On the other hand, my rather strong impression is that while the president CAN think, he DOESN’T, much. The Iraq blunderings, the poverty of his off-the-cuff oratory, the endless repetition of tired, empty cliches long discredited, the Harriet Miers fiasco, the stupid squandering of his small remaining political capital on that major-stupid immigration bill…  not much thinking there that I can see.

…I feel it myself rather strongly — a great reluctance to think. If I wasn’t chained to a computer trying to support my family, I doubt I’d have a thought from one week’s end to the next.

Genius. And all the more so for the obvious use his enemies will make of it. Derb is like Ron Paul. His honesty, even when it’s repellent, is so much preferable to the spin, lies and focus-grouped blather that now infests the discourse. (Hat tip: Whiskey Fire.)

Their opposition to the Iraq war prompted a major slide in U.S. support for France, which in turn had a big impact, according to the Economist:

Between February 2002 and March 2003, the percentage of Americans who had a favourable view of France fell from 83% (it’s hard to remember it was ever so high) to just 35%. By 2005, that aversion to all things gallic was costing France about $5 billion-worth of exports…

The full paper is here.

It drastically helps reduce the risk of Parkinson’s. David Harsanyi asks:

My only question is how many major news organizations will give this politically incorrect fact the attention it deserves? If eating tofu lowered your risk of Parkinson’s by 54 percent would it be a front-page story? Should it be a front-page story if tobacco does the trick?

A reader sends in an email from his nephew in Iraq:

Yup, still in Baghdad. I fuckin’ hate this sweaty, shit-hole country. At least i got satellite internet hooked up now. About 18 of us chipped in and bought – yeah we frickin’ bought a satellite dish about 5 foot in diameter – stored it in one of the cans we live in until the English-speaking towel-head connected everyone’s cable. So life is pretty peachy for Iraq.

As for Julie, we met at Ft. Rich. She was supposed to greet and welcome the unit that was returning to Ft. Rich. except they got extended 3 months during the flight back home. Yeah, I fuckin’ know. They literally turned the plane around and dropped them off back in Kuwait. Good thing they take all yur ammo away when it’s time for the flight home. Shit, maybe that’s the reason why, cuz id shoot myself too … you know, just in the leg or something so i could go home for good. I’ll just claim it was an accidental discharge (a.d.). All I’d get is an article 15, and right now that doesn’t look like that bad of a trade. Good to hear from you. Take it easy.

Hang in there. Help is on the way.

(Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty.)

The site is launched – for theocon Catholics opposed to Rudy Giuliani’s divergence from Catholic doctrine on several issues. Vox Nova blog immediately noticed an interesting lacuna:

Most importantly, torture is nowhere to be seen. Remember, torture is an intrinsically evil act that attacks the God-given human dignity of the person, an act that can never be justified, and condemned in the strongest terms by the Church. And yet Rudy does justify it. When asked specifically if he supported the Khmer Rouge-perfected waterboarding technique, he replied without hesitation that "I would tell the people who had to do the interrogation to use every method they can think of". For a Catholic, this is as beyond the pale as arguing in favor of abortion.

So, Catholics Against Rudy: Where’s the torture? Where’s the consistency?

Only hours later, the site did indeed add "torture" to its list of issues. Unlike the others though, it has no content. Well: except for the words "coming soon." Like the Republican conscience.

"So, the Iraqi government reportedly hasn’t met any of its targets. Has the Democrat Congress met any of its targets?" – Mark Levin, NRO.

There were fifteen beatings and arrests yesterday. Why isn’t this on the front pages?

The plot thickens.