Fraters Libertas

Other Than That Mrs. Lincoln, How Was the Show?

Last night I made a brief cameo appearance on the Hugh Hewitt radio program (locally on the Patriot AM 1280 from 5-8 PM). It occurred around 6:45 Central. I graciously agreed to limit my segment to five minutes so they could have at least some time to squeeze in a discussion on Israeli-Palestinian relations with National Review’s Frank Gaffney and the search for weapons of mass destruction with The Hill’s Joshua Micah Marshall. Yes, it was a magnanimous gesture on my part. But gentlemen I need to warn you, next time I may need the full hour to fully dissect the nuances of people attempting to eat 4-1/2 pounds of meat in 60 minutes. Thanks for understanding.

Upon mentally reviewing my performance, I’ve come to the following conclusions:

1. When asked to explain your interest in the Frank Pastore sirloin inhaling episode, don‘t refer to the host of the program (Frank Pastore) as the “missing link.” (In my defense, that reference was in the context of his spanning my co-interests of steak and baseball, but I suspect something could have been lost in translation).

2. When being accused of having “Lileks envy,” don’t gleefully lobby to replace the irreplaceable James during his Monday afternoon spot with Hugh. Particularly avoid breezily characterizing James’s unthinkable absence as “when Lileks goes down.” (It sounds really bad, especially in the context of Lileks’s current mysterious troubles - which I swear I have nothing to do with. Believe me, everyone at Fraters lives by the motto “Up with Lileks.” In fact, we’re starting up a song and dance troupe by that name to spread the good news of The Bleat. All we need are 4 to 7 young women who can sing, dance, emote, and look good in skin tight white turtlenecks and plaid mini-skirts. Resumes and head shots can be sent directly to saintpaul@earthlink.net)

3. When asked to name your comrades in the Northern Alliance, don’t forget what the Website address is for SCSU Scholars, don’t give the wrong address for Shot in the Dark, and don’t entirely forget to mention the guys at Powerline. (Big mistakes, especially that last one. I sincerely respect the work of and value our association with them all. But in my own defense, with all the slashes and dashes and extra words in their respective URLs, it’s hard to recall them precisely when you’re put on the spot. However, fear not boys, since I precisely spelled out the address for Fraters Libertas about a half dozen times. And of course our readers are your readers, so I'm sure you can expect an avalanche of hits via linking roll over soon. (Pssst - Atomizer, go ahead and start rapid fire hitting each of the above Web sites, I’d say 500 each by midnight tonight ought to do it)).

Other than that, it all went swell. Thanks to Frank Pastore and Generalissimo at the Hugh Hewitt show for being such hospitable hosts and good sports. (Also thanks to R.B. at Infinite Monkeys, as it was his frantic behind the scenes maneuvering that made it all possible.)