Heard enough of armchair generals, barstool diplomats, pie-eyed pundits, and cut-rate Nostrodamases venting on the war with Iraq? Then read this rant about why everyone should, in the words of the author, "Shut your goddamn pieholes". Having just returned from north China, I think this expression should be modified to "Shut your noodle chutes!" Or for those people in the Alleghany Mountains, “Shut your damn beer drains!"

Well, it looks like George "Hulegu" Bush is going to roll the dice on this Iraq thing. I consulted one of Ulaan Baatar's famous fortune tellers yesterday and this person informed me that the US will invade Iraq on March 18. This person refused to comment on the outcome, but did point out that the ancient city of Baghdad was built in the shape of an enneagon, a figure with nine sides. So what we have here is a struggle between Saddam in his Enneagon and Donald "Rummie" Rumsfeld in his Pentagon. For the connection between the Assassins, who were wiped out by Hulegu in 1256, and enneagons see Here. By the way, it's back down to 15 below 0 F this morning: so much for the imminent arrival of spring.