Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader, earlier in the week, wrote that he wasn’t quite sure if the North Koreans had actually detonated a nuclear device. Well… Your Maximum Leader doesn’t have any doubt now that in fact they did. In fact, he doesn’t know why he wrote that bit in the first place.

Only one reader even mentioned this to your Maximum Leader. That would be our loyal minion and Boy named Sous, Brian. Brian wondered if his (and your) Maximum Leader had been exposed to too much liberal propaganda. While that may be the case, it shouldn’t have clouded his judgement so. Brian was also good enough to pass along a thoughtful explanatory link on this very subject. It is here. Check it out if you like.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader has seen that neat Jerry Zucker “ad” that has been circulating around the blogosphere. On Six Meat Buffet, our friend Gordon the Cranky Neocon, posted the ad from YouTube and noted how he loved Zucker’s “Kentucky Fried Movie.” In response to a comment your Maximum Leader posted, Gordon admitted that he did not know the name Ushci Digard.

Well… Some of you might know that your Maximum Leader has a blogger site he doesn’t update much called “Got Villainy?” Originally it was supposed to be a back up site to this one - in case of technical problems. Well, on that site he posted an entry a looooooonnnngggg time about about Uschi Digard.

Since Cranky didn’t know who she was, your Maximum Leader figured he’d make it easier for him to find out about her. (The post is also reprinted after the fold. The post also has some NSFW links…)

Carry on.
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Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader sees on the news wire that former Virginia Governor Mark Warner (D) is going to announce that he is not going to seek the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 2008.

What is up with that? Has the Democratic party become so controlled by left-wing ideologues that Warner doesn’t feel he would be viable in the primary process? Does Warner have some core-beliefs that he doesn’t want to prostitute in order to become president? Did Mark Warner sit around one night over a beer and realize that running for president has to be the worst friggin thing a sentient human being could do to themselves?

Your Maximum Leader doesn’t know what the answers to those largely rhetorical questions are. But he does know that there are now no Democrats (that he knows of) running for president in 2008 that he could support.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader knows that by now you’ve probably read piles of stuff on North Korea. Many of the big sites that have been linked by others, in turn link to various Korea bloggers. Some of whom reside on your Maximum Leader’s own blogroll.

You ought to check out the ever popular Big Hominid on the situation. Post are here, here, and here.

Frankly, your Maximum Leader thinks the most helpful blog on the Korean situation from the point of view of people in Korea is The Marmot’s Hole. Check out the many good posts available there. Just click on the link and scroll down…

You should also check out the Lost Nomad.

In so far as your Maximum Leader is concerned… He is beginning to think that the “nuke” might not have been a “nuke.” But that is more or less irrelevant. The desired effect has been elicited by North Korea. The people to watch are the Chinese. From what your Maximum Leader reads and hears the Chinese do not desire to “upset the regional apple cart.” Their foreign ministry statements have been very harsh. The North Koreans must have taken note of this. No one in the region is pleased.

Your Maximum Leader suspects that two things have really been set in motion here. The first is the re-arming of Japan. Frankly, your Maximum Leader believes that it would be irresponsible of the Japanese to not re-arm. When you have a crazy neighbor with nuclear weapons, you probably ought to have an army and/or retaliatory capability.

The second is that China will work like crazy to stabilize the situation and try to go back to a status quo ante. Ante the nuke test that is. The Chinese can’t be satisfied with a crazy and unpredictable North Korea. The Chinese are in a position to change the regime in North Korea. If that thought hasn’t crossed your mind, it should have by now. Your Maximum Leader thinks that what the Chinese really want is a North Korea that is a little clone of themselves. A Communist Dictatorship with a quasi-market economy. They don’t want reunifcation. And they probably don’t want Kim Jong-Il either.

Most importantly, the Chinese don’t want anything that will upset their glorious 2008 Olympics. It will be the great coming of age party for their party. Nothing can interfere with that. As small-minded as it might seem (simple minded?) the Chinese will do everything they can to keep things just the way they are until after the Olympics. After the Olympics, then they can shake things up some. They might even undertake regime change in North Korea on their own. But given how successful other modern examples of regime change are going, they are likely to try and stabilize things.

Between Japan rearming and China desperately trying to keep everything together - not even factoring in what the US might do - the situation is probably going to be dicey for a while.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader has always thought that the Spartans have gotten the shaft in our study of Greek history. There is much to be learned and studied in Sparta’s contribution to Greek history. About all most people know about Sparta is that it was a military state where men trained their whole lives to fight.

If people know more, it is likely that they have heard of Thermopylae. The famous battle where 300 Spartans (and their allies - most notably the Thespians) held off the whole Persian army for days. (Check out the link to read about the battle, and to see the great painting “Leonidas and the Spartans” by David.)

Recently, comic book artist Frank Miller wrote a wonderful graphic novel (if there really is such a thing) called “300.” Your Maximum Leader owns “300″. Now your Maximum Leader has learnt that Miller’s work has been turned into a movie. He admits he is pretty excited to see it… Here is the trailer:

Thanks to Ragnar at the Jawa Report for directing your Maximum Leader to the trailer.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader has been trying to blog. Really. He has. Friday he thought he posted something, but the post was swallowed by the ether of the internet.

Then he tried to post stuff over the weekend. No go…

Your Maximum Leader thinks that his problems blogging are somehow related to Nork Nuke tests.

He’ll try and get some stuff up here for your consumption later today.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader will be out and about in the greater Washington DC area today. This means that he may not post anything more than this today.

Yesterday Smallholder posted about the “demon rum” and how everyone in Congress must be a horrid alcoholic. Your Maximum Leader would like to draw you all a picture….

Life under drunken Congressmen:

Life under the pseudo-benevolent autocracy of your Maximum Leader:

There you have it.

Carry on.

Is it just me or is there an epidemic of alcoholism in Congress?

Why did Cunningham sell legislation? Booze.
Why did Ney accept bribes? Booze.
Why did Foley, well, ewwwwwww? Booze.

Just once, I would like to see a Congressman say:

“It wasn’t the booze. I’m an evil son-of-a-bitch. And I’m not sorry for the harm to my family, community, and constituents. I’m just sorry I got caught.”

I mean, good grief. It used to be that drunken statesmen inspired their people in their “finest hour” and defeated Hitler.

Now it seems that alcohol just makes them stick their hand in the till, or in Foley’s case, down your own pants during a House vote.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader wants to commend to you the latest from the Hatemongers.

After the hunger-strike-for-Instalanche ended, the Crack Young Staff has been tearing it up. (So to speak.) Your Maximum Leader feels the hate, and likes it.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader must say that in the crush of people complaining about jobs going overseas and everything being outsourced, he hasn’t heard much complaining about e-tutoring. Indeed, until a recent news wire article, he’d never even thought about e-tutoring. According to Reuters, some e-tutoring services start at $2.50/hr and go up to $100/month for unlimited tutoring. Many of the tutors have advanced degrees, and most of the tutors are themselves briefed on specific US educational requirements as well as American slang and colloqui.

Frankly, your Maximum Leader can’t see what there wold be to complain about in a market driven solution like this. Of course he can see how some might complain because the service uses voice-over-IP technology and requires computers (two things only middle and upper class kids are likely to have). But who wouldn’t want to have a competent person with an advanced degree provide tutoring help to their kids? (Well… Assuming the parent doesn’t have the ability themselves to help.)

Your Maximum Leader would be very interested to see how students in the US who avail themselves of these services might do as a result of the tutoring.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader must admit he must have been educated in a very common fashion. He’s never (ever) heard of Debrett’s Peerage and Baronetage. Nor has he ever heard of Debrett’s Correct Form.

Apparently these august publications have been in circulation since 1769. They have (apparently) been guides to correct behaviour and conduct amongst the upper classes of British society. More recently, namely in the latest edition, the proper Debrett’s has started to dust off its Victorian image (or Georgian image if you go all the way back to 1769) and do some updating. Thanks to Reuters your Maximum Leader has learned that Debrett’s now offers advice one night stands and cautions against back alley grope-fests.

Well… What can one say about that? Other than to say, “Good show ole boy. I’ve always wondered the proper form to use when debasing oneself.”

Now your Maximum Leader knows that Mrs Villain is well versed in good behaviour from Emily Post. Your Maximum Leader must admit that he always relied on Judith Martin, mainly because she had a column in the Washington Post and seemed more in touch with Washington. Indeed, your Maximum Leader’s saintly mother has a copy of Ms Martin’s guide to excurciatingly correct behavior. Frankly, your Maximum Leader can’t imagine either Ms Post or Ms Martin writing about proper conduct surrounding a one night stand.

Call your Maximum Leader unfashionably prudish, but he just doesn’t really think there ought to be a “proper form” for the ole “wham, bam, thank you ma’am.”

Then again, your Maximum Leader wasn’t born an aristocrat…

Oh yes… Your Maximum Leader should mention that he must bookmark the Debrett’s site - as they do have a useful social season calendar. He’s surprised he’s never heard of Debrett’s from someone like the esteemed Mr. Seal or the very cultured Mrs. P…

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader figures that most of his readers probably check out George Will’s columns from time to time. You should if you don’t. If you are reading Will’s columns you will notice that Mr. Will is far from an ardent supporter of the President. Your Maximum Leader was reading over today’s Will column in the Washington Post and the final paragraph really struck him.

Go and read it if you haven’t already. If you are super-lazy… The whole piece appears below the fold.

Carry on.
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Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader is learning the dangers of teaching history. Once you start to teach history the right way people start to thinking. Once people start thinking, well there is no telling where you might end up.

Take, for example, your Maximum Leader’s beloved second daughter - Villainette #2. Villainette #2 is something of a tomboy. She loves her trucks, and baseball, and superhero stuff. She is also a pretty independent type. She doesn’t go out of her way to please you, but she is very caring and concerned about what you think of her. She is comfortable in her own skin - in so much as a 7 year old can be.

Over the past few weeks your Maximum Leader has been talking about Thomas Jefferson, te Declaration of Religious Freedoms, and the more famous Declaration of Independence. This converstation was begun one day while walking through town and noticing some historical marker thingies that talked about Jefferson coming to Fredericksburg to draft the Virginia Declaration of Religious Freedoms.

Now, Villainette #2 is a pretty independent type. Recently she’s felt a little constrained at home. Her older sister has wanted to “sleep over” in her room. They want to make tents out of chairs and blankets and pretend like they are camping - while still enjoying the surroundings of Villainette #2’s room. Villainette #2 thought this was a good idea, for a while. But it started to wear thin after a few days.

Then the other day a piece of construction paper (sort of ivory colored) with it’s edges cut to make it look more like parchment appeared on your Maximum Leader’s desk. It read, in the clearest 7 year old handwriting:

Decaration of Indpedis

Do no came in [Villainette #2’s] room when [Villainette #2] neds sum time alone. Ples dont broler me when a file like I want to be alon and no slepover in my room for 6 days

[Villainette #2] list of Indepedis

[signed Villainette #2]*

Villainette #2 was declaring her independence from her older sister’s self-invited “sleep overs.” Mrs. Villain and your Maximum Leader discussed the matter with both girls and worked things out… Villainette #2 has her room to herself and is feeling much better.

Villainette #1, in the meanwhile, has discovered that the Wee Villain (aged 2) enjoys her “sleep overs” even more than did her sister. So all is well.

Well… All is well until Villainette #2 tries to declare independence from your Maximum Leader’s discipline when she is about 13…

Carry on.
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Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader is watching his beloved Green Bay Packers play the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football (on ESPN HD).

As he types these words, the Second Quarter of the game has just begun. The score is Packers 3 - Eagles 0. The Pack have looked pretty good so far.

Your Maximum Leader is secretly praying that the game ends soon.

Carry on.