And now for something completely different: two diplomats discussing a territory disagreement.

Muslims are claiming England for Islam. Send more Christian missionaries.

Alisa Harris points to some good comments and quotes on thrift, which some people are returning to lately. I was thinking The Art of Manliness blog had a Ben Franklin post on thrift, but I found only this list of posts related to thrift instead. Could be great weekend reading–lots of T. Roosevelt in there and the virtues of the Samurai.

In facing the future and in striving, each according to the measure of his individual capacity, to work out the salvation of our land, we should be neither timid pessimists nor foolish optimists. We should recognize the dangers that exist and that threaten us: we should neither overestimate them nor shrink from them, but steadily fronting them should set to work to overcome and beat them down. Grave perils are yet to be encountered in the stormy course of the Republic – perils from political corruption, perils from individual laziness, indolence and timidity, perils springing from the greed of the unscrupulous rich, and from the anarchic violence of the thriftless and turbulent poor. There is every reason why we should recognize them, but there is no reason why we should fear them or doubt our capacity to overcome them, if only each will, according to the measure of his ability, do his full duty, and endeavor so to live as to deserve the high praise of being called a good American citizen. – Teddy Roosevelt

HEADLINE: “Milky Way Galaxy Suddenly Much Bigger, Heavier”

Suddenly, eh? I’m shocked. Apparently, astronomers have learned our galaxy is bigger, denser, and moving faster than previously thought. Of course, the brass tacks is what it has always been–the end is near.

“A bigger Milky Way means that it could be crashing violently into the neighboring Andromeda galaxy sooner than predicted — though still billions of years from now.”

Now, I’m going home to curl up in bed for a while. No hope. What will become of us?

I confess I do not understand politicians and activists who act as if governmental policy is like any sports game–no moral principles are being fought over, we’re just opposing teams in a big, expensive game. I am a conservative because I believe those ideals promote life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As Quin Hillyer puts it:

Limited government isn’t a means, it’s an end. Or, rather, it’s part and parcel of the end of maximum liberty under law that is rooted in the Judeo-Christian moral and ethical tradition. We believe that if government isn’t limited, it is dangerous.

Likewise, protection of parental authority and of the nuclear family isn’t just a nostalgic or emotional tic; it’s bedrock of a free society because — among many other blessings — it provides the stability and order without which freedom quickly devolves into anarchy.

For these reasons, I embrace the Oogedy-Boogedy. Apparently others are publically embracing it too, though I want to point out that being a Republican does not mean you are a conservative. There are liberal Republicans out there just as there are people of all stripes.

But apparently, conservatives in Hollywood and other media centers are stepping out of the shadows. Andrew Klavan is quoted in second article saying “a spate of recent political movies like Rendition and Redaction also strengthened the conservative cause.

‘These movies are genuinely anti-American. Never before have we had anti-war movies made while our troops were at war. Many people like me were ashamed of the industry, and there’s been a bit of a backlash.'”

Klavan also has a post cheering a new blog, Big Hollywood, run by popular blogger Andrew Breitbart.