War of the Worlds opens tomorrow. The selected reviews linked by Drudge suggest that critics are all over the place, but Rotten Tomatoes shows a 91% “fresh” rating, which is quite good.

As you can see, the blog is working again after yesterday’s outage; I’m once again able to update it frequently. But you may notice a few layout changes and a few missing features. That’s because I’ve had to disable almost all of my MT plugins (and adjust my layouts accordingly). The homepage and Page 2 should work OK, but permalinks and other archives may be messed up, and neither cell-phone photo posts nor CNN breaking-news alert posts will work correctly.

If you notice any crippling errors or problems, please let me know. If you notice any minor annoyances, well, you can still let me know, but I probably won’t have the ability or inclination to fix them right now. :)

This is a temporarily solution. The next step is to either switch to WordPress (or some other blogging software that will be more friendly to Total Choice Hosting’s shared servers), or move to a dedicated server. Unfortunately, TCH’s dedicated servers cost $129/month, so that’s out of the question. There are some bargain-basement servers out there, but I’m leery of anything too cheap… after all, you get what you pay for, right? So anyway, yeah, if anybody has some sort of connection that would allow them to get me a discount on a good, dedicated Linux server, now would be the time to speak up. :)

Governor Pataki last week joined the chorus seeking to ensure that the planned “International Freedom Center” at Ground Zero does not demean or desecrate the gravesite of hundreds of 9/11 victims. (Previous posts here and here.) The New York Times is not happy:

What the [9/11 victims’] lives stand for now is American freedom, in its full implication and all its contradictions. That is what has gone missing in the governor’s remarks, in which he demanded that the cultural organizations promise never to display art that might “denigrate” the victims of 9/11 or America in general. …

It is no contradiction to hope that ground zero will become a place that commemorates death and reaffirms life at the same time. But it will be the worst of bad beginnings to turn it into a place where only grief is acceptable, where the vital impulses represented by the arts are handcuffed in the name of freedom.

Mickey Kaus responds:

There are already plenty of institutions in Manhattan where the “vital impulses represented by the arts” can and do express themselves. The hollow, pompous rhetoric already generated by the Freedom Center’s defenders–”nurture a global conversation about freedom in our world today”–demonstrates that it is a highly unpromising venue for this expression.

New York needs a big, new, self-important museum like it needs another street fair. The simple solution is not to build it. Let the memorial stand by itself.

I’m with Kaus on this one.

P.S. I strongly disagree with the Times editorial board that the lives of the innocent victims of 9/11 stand for “American freedom, in its full implication[s] and all its contradictions.” Ummm, news flash: there is nothing “contradictory” about what happened that day, nothing “contradictory” about the fact that 3,000 innocent people were slaughtered by remorseless terrorists on September 11, 2001. Are there “contradictions” in American policy and American history and American freedom? Yes, absolutely. Do the people who died on 9/11 symbolize those contradictions? NO! And that is precisely why this crap does not belong at Ground Zero.

You’ve heard the expression “no news is good news.” Well, when the topic is Guantanamo Bay and the newspaper is the New York Times, it seems the opposite is also true: good news is no news. Or buried news, anyway. Heh.

As Becky and I watch the episode of South Park that features 4 million fourth-graders playing My Country Tis of Thee on their recorders, it occurred to me to check Wikipedia and find out: Is the “brown note” real? The answer: maybe! Or maybe not. More here and here.

InstaPundit linked to my post liveblogging Bush’s speech. Woohoo!

I’m afraid Glenn’s characterization of my reaction is wrong, though. He quotes some bloggers who liked the speech, and then says I was “considerably less impressed.” Huh? I thought I said: “This is not a rhetorically soaring speech, but it’s honest and straightforward. I like it.” I thought I also defended Bush, criticized Ted Kennedy, etc.

Maybe Glenn didn’t get past the part where Becky was making fun of the sound system. :)

I hate it when he “addresses the nation” in front of an audience. That’s trashy. You address the nation from the Oval Office; you make political speeches in front of an audience.

At least they’re not cheering and applauding so far.

There’s some audio feedback. “Did you do a sound check? Assholes.” –Becky

BREAKING NEWS! Terrorists hate freedom.

He’s talking about the war on terror. 9/11, etc. And “Iraq is the latest battlefield in this war.” Of course, this will cause opponents of the Iraq war to say he’s conflating two unrelated things again. The thing is, they’re not objectively unrelated. War opponents think they’re unrelated; war supporters think they’re related. The pro-war side is not obviously wrong. It’s not dishonest to talk about Iraq and 9/11 in the same sentence. It’s an honest difference of opinion. You might disagree with what he’s saying, but it doesn’t make him a liar. He’s not saying, or implying, that “Saddam caused 9/11.” He’s saying that he believes dealing with people like Saddam, and spreading freedom in the Middle East, is necessary for preventing future 9/11s. And he’s saying that a terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist, and they all need to be dealt with. That’s a valid, honest philosophy, whether you agree with it or not.

Ooh, he’s talking about the flypaper strategy! We’ve captured hundreds of foreign fighters, etc. Sweet!

HE JUST QUOTED OSAMA BIN LADEN!!! He actually said Osama’s name!!! He hasn’t forgotten about him!!!

Where is Osama bin Laden, by the way?

Terrorists setting off bombs, “…including one outside of a mosque.” That’s right! Damn straight! Remind people who the real enemy of Islam is: the terrorists!

The terrorists have failed to accomplish their strategic goals. That’s right! Terrorists suck!

“The terrorists can kill the innocent – but they cannot stop the advance of freedom. The only way our enemies can succeed is if we forget the lessons of September 11, if we abandon the Iraqi people to men like Zarqawi, and if we yield the future of the Middle East to men like Bin Laden. For the sake of our Nation’s security, this will not happen on my watch.” WOOHOO!

(more…)

President Bush will address the nation in ten minutes about the progress of the war. He is expected to elaborate on how often he thinks about Iraq. :)

Tropical Storm Bret has formed in the Bay of Campeche. Warnings are up for the Mexican coast from Tampico to Vera Cruz.

Professor Rick Garnett is quoted in this Washington Post article from this morning’s paper. (Hat tip: Sergio.) The article also includes the following statement from Supreme Court historian David Garrow:

“If there’s no announcement by Tuesday, that means every justice is expecting to return in October and believes they will be medically fit to return in October,” Garrow said.

There have been no announcements yet.

As we speak (er, as I type), I’m getting my picture taken by a South Bend Tribune photographer while blogging at Quizno’s. The photo is for a story about political blogging in Michiana that is slated to run sometime in the next week or two. (I was interviewed for it a few weeks ago.)

I don’t have time for a full lunch-break update today, but here’s an amusing story out of New Hampshire:

Could a hotel be built on the land owned by Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter? A new ruling by the Supreme Court which was supported by Justice Souter himself itself might allow it. A private developer is seeking to use this very law to build a hotel on Souter’s land. …

On Monday, June 27, Logan Darrow Clements faxed a request to Chip Meany, the code enforcement officer of the Towne of Weare, New Hampshire, seeking to start the application process to build a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road. This is the present location of Mr. Souter’s home. …

The proposed development, called “The Lost Liberty Hotel,” will feature the “Just Desserts Café” and include a museum, open to the public, featuring a permanent exhibit on the loss of freedom in America. Instead of a Gideon’s Bible, each guest will receive a free copy of Ayn Rand’s novel “Atlas Shrugged.”

Heh.

I’m still working on (again) shoring up the MovableType blog interface. Ugh. I’m also working on setting up an alternate installation using WordPress, to see if that has fewer problems. Stay tuned, as they say.