It’s All About Gin Old Man

It seems my nom de blog was very nearly usurped, but the wrong was righted.

Meanwhile, as I’m not at all fond of dirty Martinis (though have no objections to others preferring them that way), it seems the right time to recall my own recipe for a perfect Martini.

Anti-Smoking Zealots Redux

Last month I noted a company which fired employees for smoking when off the job. This month, Debra Saunders picks up the meme in the San Francisco Chronicle:

A [Weyco] spokeswoman told me the company shouldn’t have to pay for “unilateral lifestyle decisions.”

“Unilateral lifestyle decisions”: Think about the presumption behind that statement. The alternative — multilateral lifestyle decisions — allows other people, the government, even big corporations, to dictate what you can eat, what you can smoke, what you can drink.

In essence, to own you.

This is not a smokers’ rights issue – this is an issue of personal liberty. She notes that Michigan state senator Virg Bernero – a Democrat – is working on legislation to outlaw this practice. I imagine it would pass handily and if you live in Michigan, perhaps you can express your support. Here is the Senator’s e-mail address: SenVBernero@senate.michigan.gov

Peggy Noonan on Blogging

It was inevitable, but someone had to do it. I’m rather glad it was Peggy Noonan, who is more eloquent than most. In the wake of the Eason Jordan affair, quite a few people are asking or opining “whither blogging.”

“Salivating morons.” “Scalp hunters.” “Moon howlers.” “Trophy hunters.” “Sons of Sen. McCarthy.” “Rabid.” “Blogswarm.” “These pseudo-journalist lynch mob people.”

This is excellent invective. It must come from bloggers. But wait, it was the mainstream media and their maidservants in the elite journalism reviews, and they were talking about bloggers!

Those MSMers have gone wild, I tell you! The tendentious language, the low insults. It’s the Wild Wild West out there. We may have to consider legislation.

When you hear name-calling like what we’ve been hearing from the elite media this week, you know someone must be doing something right. The hysterical edge makes you wonder if writers for newspapers and magazines and professors in J-schools don’t have a serious case of freedom envy.

She has some predictions – which mostly amount to the legitimization if not cooption of blogging by the MSM – something I’m not sure is actually viable due to the perceived and more likely real editorial control. Still, thought-provoking observations, not the least of which being that the only blogger mentioned in the past tense is Sullivan. Heh.

But then you knew she’s been paying attention.