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Dictatorships and Single Standards

By Michael Weiss
Posted Friday, Dec. 15, 2006, at 4:03 PM ET

(Continued from page 1)

Lefty P.M. Carpenter at p m carpenter's commentary notes that "we spend nearly 10 times what China does … But let's be fair. That's only because, as was reported into Congressional oversight oblivion in 2003, the Defense Department 'couldn't account for more than a trillion dollars [as in 1000 billion] in financial transactions, not to mention ... [d]efense inventory systems so lax that the U.S. Army lost track of 56 airplanes, 32 tanks, and 36 Javelin missile command launch-units.'"

Read more about Schoomaker's Army assessment.

Stretch Armstrong: Bao Xishun is a Mongolian herdsman—and, at 7 feet 9 inches, the world's tallest man. He recently helped save two ailing dolphins in northeast China, both of whom had swallowed shards of plastic, by reaching his lengthy arms into the creatures' stomachs and removed the offending matter. Very cool, says cyberspace.

G-Wee at Cool Looking Stuff notes: "This is not the first time this has happened. In late 1978 Clifford Ray a famous basketball player had use long arm to remove some item another dolphins swallowed. Makes you think that they should stop these dolphins from eating plastic."

And how 'bout that for the lock-in-key creationism? "[I]f I were am Intelligent Design freak," submits driftglass, "I'd be all over this shit. 'You mean you believe the tallest man in the world's arm just happens to be exactly the right length to pull the seat cushion outta Flipper's gullet? Please! Just hadda be Jebus. Case closed. Christmas War over.'"

Read more about the dolphin rescue.

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Michael Weiss is the New York editor of Pajamas Media. His personal blog is Snarksmith.
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