What I really, really hate is when people attempt to pass themselves off as knowledgable sages who ought to be taken seriously when they spout off on something that they clearly don't know a single damned thing about. This is what really pisses me off about the LaRouchies, and makes them so much viler in my eyes than all the other nutjobs out there. Wilfull ignorance is not reserved for the lunatic fringe, however: The New Republic publishes it regularly, as pulled from the anus of Gregg Easterbrook. The man clearly does not know anything at all about physics. Now, there are a lot of people who don't know anything at all about physics, and, while that's a shame, I can live with that fact. Most such people take a variety of simple steps to prevent this lack of knowledge having any major negative consequences for their fellow humans; steps like, just for example, not writing magazine articles about physics. Not this Easterbrook, though. Oh no. He decided to write an article about Stephen Hawking changing his mind about black holes. Instead of actually learning anything about Hawking's work or about black holes, or about physics in general, Easterbrook decided to insult Hawking and pooh-pooh all of modern (i.e. post-18^th-century) physics, like some kind of mediaeval peasant with a torch and pitchfork trying to form a one-man mob. Brad DeLong has given him a solid rogering already.

I don't know much about politics or economics, and I like calling people names; therefore, based on Easterbrook's example, I should be a political correspondent.

The President gave a speech today, but his skin was so red and blotchy I just couldn't focus on the words coming out of his mouth; all I heard was a sort of Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrgh sound for about 15 minutes, after which I wandered off in search of nearby cookies. I like cookies, especially ones with cinnamon. The speech seems to have garnished mixed reactions here in Washington; I interviewed myself about it for quite some time at an imaginary tea party, and I launched into a furious tirade about the mumbo-jumbo, poppycock, and quackery on display, circulated by the likes of "Alan Greenspan," if that is his real name, who speaks of money one cannot see or touch, money neither of coin nor of note; hundreds of billions of dollars, clearly just a made-up number, for what pocket could contain such a sum? And deficits. Something about deficits. I think that was in the President's speech too, unless it was a dream. This "electrical money" is clearly against all laws of God and Man and an abomination, and all right-thinking persons agree with me, because I'll punch them in the mouths if they don't, so help me.