Is Michael Moore writing the headlines at USAToday?

This article about the President's plans for August ("Bush plans 50th ranch trip in five years") makes me wonder whether muckumentary filmmaker Michael Moore is headline editor over at USA Today. If you read the article (boy, they're hoping you don't . . .) you'll see that Bush's time in Crawford, TX is more work than play. I'll concede that if Clinton had owned a home he might have been able to have working "vacations" as well--e.g., entertained foreign executives, come and gone for important speeches and summits and even set up a second WH Communications capability, but he didn't.

This is all part of the meme that Bush is a do-nothing President, an unreformed party-animal, a slacker, Rove's puppet. Yeah, right.

How powerful are Republicans?

Susan Estrich's July 28, 2005 op/ed raises the question, "How powerful is the GOP if it cannot confirm John Bolton (to UN ambassador)?" This is ironic because the perception (or reality?) is being created, in my humble opinion, by a determined obstructionist minority party intent on scoring some (any!!!) political points on the majority party.

The problem I have with this question is akin to my problem with Death Penalty opponents who royally-obstruct (and thereby extraordinarily drag out) implementation of the procedure all the while claiming it's unconstitutional because people are made to wait too long before execution, and the process takes too long, and there's no deterrent value and blah blah blah.

There is some consolation in knowing that the political points being scored by the Dems' are wholly unrelated to their positions on the issues.

For the record, I'm very impressed with British law enforcement . . .

It has been fascinating to watch as the British tracked down the Jihadiots responsible for the most recent bombing attempts in London.

A couple of questions: what's up with surrendering without a fight, and doing so with your nude, Islamic body and a look of utter surprise!!??!!! when you're a Jihadiot?

Jonah Goldberg (of NationalReview.com) has some interesting thoughts on critics of U.S. Homeland Security whiners.

Al Franken's Air America probably pilfering from charity

This is an interesting report about how Al Franken's Air America Liberal Talk Radio network was "borrowing" money from a gov't-funded charity. a) How in the world does a charity--funded by gov't, have enough money to loan it out? b) is there now any question that Air America is a flop?

Valerie Plame, erstwhile career civil servant . . .

This is a fascinating report about Valerie Plame and how apolitical she really isn't . . . she contributed to an anti-Bush 527 and lied about her employment (the FEC requires disclosure of said info)

What Islamofascists want . . .

This article plainly lays out what it is that Islamofascists want . . .

A Liberal Steps Up in Favor of Abstinence

Notably Liberal columnist William Raspberry has written the following op/ed on the crisis in Black culture and the need for emphasis on Abstinence:

All People Need Abstinence Until Marriage Message
For First Time Since Slavery, Black Lives Not Improving
Houston Chronicle, William Raspberry, 07/25/05

''There is a crisis of unprecedented magnitude in the black community, one that goes to the very heart of its survival. The black family is failing."Quibble if you will about the "unprecedented magnitude" — slavery wasn't exactly a high point of African-American well-being. But there's no quarreling with the essence of the alarm sounded in Washington last week by a gathering of Pentecostal clergy and the Seymour Institute for Advanced Christian Studies. What is happening to the black family in America is the sociological equivalent of global warming: easier to document than to reverse, inconsistent in its near-term effect — and disastrous in the long run. Father absence is the bane of the black community, predisposing its children (boys especially, but increasingly girls as well) to school failure, criminal behavior and economic hardship — and to an intergenerational repetition of the grim cycle. The culprit, the ministers (led by Boston's Rev. Eugene Rivers III, president of the Seymour Institute) agreed, is the decline of marriage. Kenneth B. Johnson, a Seymour senior fellow who has worked in youth programs, says he often sees teenagers "who've never seen a wedding."

The concern is not new. As Rivers noted at last week's National Press Club news conference, the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan sounded the alarm 40 years ago, only to be "condemned and pilloried as misinformed, malevolent, and even racist." What is new is the understanding of how deep and wide is the reach of declining marriage — and the still-forming determination to do something about it. When Moynihan first issued his controversial study, roughly a quarter of black babies were born out of wedlock; moreover, it was largely a low-income phenomenon. The proportion now tops two-thirds, with little prospect of significant decline, and has moved up the socioeconomic scale.

There have been two main explanations. At the low-income end, the disproportionate incarceration, unemployment and early death of black men makes them unavailable for marriage. At the upper-income level, it is the fact that black women are far likelier than black men to complete high school, attend college and earn the professional credentials that would render them "eligible" for marriage. Both explanations are true. But black men aren't born incarcerated, crime-prone dropouts. What principally renders them vulnerable to such a plight is the absence of fathers and their stabilizing influence.Fatherless boys (as a general rule) become ineligible as husbands — though no less likely to become fathers — and their children fall into the patterns that render them ineligible as husbands.

The absence of fathers means, as well, that girls lack both a pattern against which to measure the boys who pursue them and an example of sacrificial love between a man and a woman. As the ministers were at pains to say last week, it isn't the incompetence of mothers that is at issue, but the absence of half of the adult support needed for families to be most effective. Interestingly, they blamed the black church for abetting the decline of the black family — by moderating virtually out of existence its once stern sanctions against extramarital sex and childbirth and by accepting the present trends as more or less inevitable. They didn't say — but might have — that black America's almost reflexive search for outside explanations for our internal problems delayed the introspective examination that might have slowed the trend. What we have now is a changed culture — a culture whose worst aspects are reinforced by oversexualized popular entertainment and that places a reduced value on the things that produced nearly a century of socioeconomic improvement.

For the first time since slavery, it is no longer possible to say with assurance that things are getting better. As the Rev. Jesse Jackson once said in a slightly different context, "What began as a problem has deteriorated into a condition. Problems require solving; conditions require healing."How to start the healing? Rivers and his colleagues hope to use their personal influence, a series of marriage forums and their well-produced booklet, "God's Gift: A Christian Vision of Marriage and the Black Family," to launch a serious, national discussion and action program.In truth, though, the situation is so critical — and its elements so interconnected and self-perpetuating — that there is no wrong place to begin. When you find yourself in this sort of a hole, someone once said, the first thing to do is stop digging.

Time waster . . .

I just wasted too much time watching these "mishap" videos on the Nationwide Mutual Insurance website: Life Comes at You Fast. Check it out.

Jihadiots on the dole . . .

This is rich: one of the most recent Jihadiot bombers (truly idiotic, as their bombs failed)

. . . has been the registered tenant of the ninth floor apartment since
February 1999 and received a government housing subsidy of £300, or around $550 a month, until two months ago, according to local government records.

I fear that these parasites are also living on the dole in the U.S.

Name dropping is bad form, Mr. Ex Vice President

Ex vice-president, Algore, is dropping names in the NY Times. He claims that--as V.P., he received comedy pointers from Johnny Carson. I think it is interesting though (and the reason it qualifies as "name dropping"), because who is going to not accept a call from the Vice President (Gore said he would call Carson).

I also think it is funny that Algore feels he needs to inform the interviewer (and, thus, the audience/readers) that "the shtick about me was that I was stiff" . . . we know that; thanks; and we're not so sure it was merely a shtick. This was another, much longer insightful article/profile on Algore from last year.

Hogwash from Joe Wilson's neighbor (who also happens to be his lawyer)

This "letter to the editor" in USA Today was written by the neighbor of Joe and Valerie Wilson. It is interesting to see how masterful the Left is in manipulating (if you can call it that) the so-called MSM. The indignance from Democrats is hilarious on this issue.

Joe Wilson was notoriously "sent" to "investigate" claims by British Intelligence that Iraq had attempted to purchase the raw mat'ls for nukes, and when he returned he very publicly "called out" the President of the United States and accused him of deceiving the country. But Wilson's credibility was suspect because he was not neutral on this subject, was itching for the limelight and lacked credibility because of the way he obtained the assignment to "investigate" yellow-cake claims.

But Joe Wilson's neighbor tugs on our heart strings about the whole ordeal--casting the Wilsons as victims and himself as Washington's version of--ironically, "Wilson"--the sage, gentle neighbor on Home Improvement. Unfortunately (for the sake of truth) Wilson-on-the-Potomac intentionally (I have to conclude) uses misleading, carefully chosen, lawyerly language to assert that Wilson was right all along about Dubya, stating the administration admitted that the assertion about yellow-cake should not have been put in the State of the Union address and has never retracted its statement . . ." (paraphrased). THAT'S JUST FALSE. The Brits still stand by the information they provided to us, so the President's statement that ""The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa" was right.

This recent "letter to the editor" stinks to high heaven as a crass PR ploy . . . the Left will have to work overtime to rehabilitate Joe Wilson, as even the Kerry Campaign gave him the pink slip when the truth came out. Now Wilson et al are eager to focus on Karl Rove and hope that Americans have gotten bored or forgotten what a sad poseur Joe Wilson is.

Kerry worries that Lance is a Republican

This article quotes John F'in Kerry as saying that Lance Armstrong would make a great politician; however, Kerry also worries that Armstrong would be a Republican . . . because he is purportedly "close" to Dubya. (Tip 'o the hat to "Drudge Report")

Knowing how congenial Bush is (I know, the Left thinks he's Bushitler), that seems to be a lot less of an indicator than the fact that he a) shacks up with someone, and b) does so with Sheryl Crow.

Barbie sales slump?

I have a hard time believing this story from Mattel claiming that their sales of Barbie dolls have dropped. I know that we're doing our part to keep the company's stock prices high. It seems like every time I turn around one of my three sweeties is holding a new version of Barbie. I think maybe Mattel is pulling some kind of Enron.

Shacking up doesn't "work"

This article asserts "More Couples Look Before Leaping" in its headline on a story about how more couples are choosing to shack up instead of get married. Everything I've ever seen (other than water cooler "data") reflects that people who "live together" before getting married are more likely to divorce than those who don't. The article/study also states that the rate of divorce is declining at the same time . . . interesting stuff.

I remember when working as a prosecutor how many people had fiance(e)s but really just seemed to be living together. I think there's a lot of self-delusion going on.

Great Metaphor for Islamofascists

Jonah Goldberg at NationalReview.com describes an excellent metaphor for Islamofascists and the Left's predictable reaction to terrorism:

In their caricatured asininity, [Anti-American Journalist Gary] Younge and [British MP George] Galloway are extreme examples of a more widespread mindset that assumes that America (along with its British and other allies) is the problem. And if we would just stop bothering the beehive, the bees would just stop stinging us.

This is nonsense. Everything we’ve learned about the jihadis in recent years points to the fact that they are more like killer bees than conventional ones. They spread. They’re aggressive. And they seek to replace the traditional population wherever they appear.

Seemingly "normal" London Bombers

This article from a British journal profiles the four London Bombers. I believe that resorting to violence, despite seemingly normal lives is the result of over-the-top rhetoric of so many involved in politics today. It appears that these young men were motivated to kill their fellow Britons--with whom they enjoyed freedom and relative prosperity, because of a cockamamie belief that Britain's involvement in dealing with Iraq was unjust. Do they even realize how oppressive Arabic and Muslim countries are, not to mention aggressive toward their neighbors?

It really ticks me off to read the "I told you so" statements from Liberal British leaders saying that Britain's involvement was the cause of the bombings. What alternative do we have, idiots? What the Iraq War the reason for 9/11? Should we just let Islamofascist nations alone, until they decide to lob a nuke into Israel or Turkey? As Rush (I think) says, these people cannot be trusted with national security.

Into the minds of Jihadiots, part 2

I have always thought it was silly for FoxNews to use the term "homicide bomber" to describe Muslim suicide bombers. But today I read an article from Times Online UK containing interviews with near-martyrs (Jihadiots who blundered and didn't die). Apparently, the Jihadiots don't like the term "suicide bomber"; yet another reason to use that name when referring to them. Here's the pertinent paragraph:

They were not inclined to argue but they were happy to discuss, far into the night, the issues and the purpose of their activities. One condition of the interviews was that, in our discussions, I not refer to their deeds as “suicide”, which is forbidden in Islam. Their preferred term is “sacred explosions”. One member of al-Qassam said: “We do not have tanks or rockets, but we have something superior — our exploding Islamic bombs.”

Another interesting point from the article bolsters my conviction that the Left's natural response to terrorism--sympathize or appease or capitulate, is exactly the response sought by terrorists:

My contacts told me that, as a military objective, spreading fear among the Israelis was as important as killing them. Anwar Aziz, an Islamic Jihad member who blew himself up in an ambulance in Gaza, in December 1993, had often told friends: “Battles for Islam are won not through the gun but by striking fear into the enemy’s heart.”

The last point I took from the article was the moral blindness of the Jihadiots justifying terrorism by equating accidental with intentional killing of innocents. This quotation emphasizes the distinction between unintentional civilian deaths and the kind of "war" waged by the Jihadiots:

Military commanders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad remarked that the human bomb was one of the surest ways of hitting a target. A senior Hamas leader said: “The main thing is to guarantee that a large number of the enemy will be affected. With an explosive belt or bag, the bomber has control over vision, location, and timing.”

Man dies during or after bestiality with horse

This bizarre article reports that a man died during bestiality with a horse and that the farm where the incident occurred is likely to have advertised on-line about sex with livestock. What's even more bizarre (but understandable seeing as this all happened in Washington State) is that PETA-types are using this case as impetus to outlaw (not bestiality, but) sexual abuse of animals (for instances where there is no injury to the animal--which qualifies as the already-illegal animal abuse, but sex has occurred). The plum quote of the article is,

Susan Michaels, co-founder of local animal-rights organization Pasado's Safe Haven, said she has been fighting to have bestiality made illegal. "It's animal cruelty behind closed doors," Michaels said.

Dem's Rovehunt, cont'd

This op/ed at National Review Online effectively argues that Joe Wilson, if anyone, was guilty of exposing Valerie Plame's role with the CIA.

Cliff May (the article's author) writes,

Keep in mind that from early on there were two possible but contradictory
scenarios:
1) Members of the Bush administration intentionally exposed a covert CIA agent as a way to take revenge against her husband who had written a critical op-ed.
2) Members of the Bush administration were attempting to set the record straight by telling reporters that it was not Vice President Cheney who sent Wilson on the Africa assignment as Wilson claimed; rather Wilson’s wife, a CIA employee, helped get him the assignment. (And that is indeed the conclusion of the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee.)

The facts that are continuing to come out (particularly from Grand Jury testimony which is, ostensibly, supposed to be secret) support the second scenario.

Folks, there's no scandal here, keep moving along . . .

"Lifelong Republicans" have had it up to here with Rove!!! Honest!!!

"Lifelong Republicans" is a self-descriptive phrase that I've come to expect from many talk-radio callers who want to bash Dubya. It now has become my shorthand for someone who is "not a lifelong Republican but who thinks it will give them credibility for bashing Bushitler."

That's what I thought of when reading a DNC email urging me to tell the White House to "come clean" and listing a number of Karl Rove-related complaints from purportedly "lifelong" or "registered" Republicans. What is difficult for me to swallow is the notion that there are so many "lifelong Republicans" using the DNC "send a message" service. Yes, I know I'm a Republican and receive the DNC email, but I and any other Republican interested enough to sign up for/read these letters is likely to simply be keeping an eye on the opposition rather than getting marching orders.

I don't suspect that a large percentage of open-minded Americans, much less "lifelong Republicans" are buying the DNC's line about Joe Wilson. See my posts on the matter below.

Examples of their complaints:
"As a lifelong Republican, who has been voting and supporting this great country for close to 50 years, I am outraged that a member of your administration would damage this nation's interests for petty, partisan, political reasons. Mr. Rove and anyone else involved in this despicable act should be fired ..." Donald E., Pittsfield, MA

"I am a registered and disappointed Republican. Don't make this situation worse - 'fess up and fix the problem." Karen H., Fort Collins, CO

"I am a registered Republican and want this current administration to admit the fault and fire Rove now! Decent Americans lose their jobs over less." Alice C., Wilmington, DE

"As a registered Republican, I join with those that say enough is enough! Time to clean house!" Tim M., Milan, OH

"I am registered Republican. However, the behavior of this administration isn't part of my Republican Party. Start by taking responsibility for both the good and the bad decisions of the administration. ... Mr. Rove has now stepped over the line. President Bush, like his father, needs to request Mr. Rove's resignation." Ed S., Newport Beach, CA

"As a registered Republican I am concerned about the failure of the Bush administration to follow through with its promise with anyone who comprises the security of a CIA agent and our country. Karl Rove has gone too far and must resign or be dismissed." Jan O., Yorba Linda, CA

"As a Republican ... I have to insist that the president and my party affiliates in Washington tend to the accountability of Karl Rove or face yourselves the possibility of being called part of a cover-up conspiracy. You are ELECTED officials entrusted to the security of all Americans. For God's sake get responsible." Marilynne R., Glendale, AZ

"As a registered Republican, I'm shocked that Karl Rove would sink so low as to reveal our CIA agents. It is really time to ask Karl Rove to resign to spare this president further embarrassment." Charles B., Sarasota, FL

Must read article about Islamofascism

This article provides a chilling look into the mind of a Jihadist. The article reports the in-court confession of Jihadiot Mohammed Bouyeri who savagely killed a Dutch filmmaker:

Turning his chair towards [his victim's mother] as she watched from the public gallery, the Moroccan-born Mohammed Bouyeri said: “I don’t feel your pain. I don’t have any sympathy for you. I can’t feel for you because I think you’re a non-believer.”

As Karl Rove has noted, therapy sessions or stiff jail sentences aren't going to solve this problem. Indeed, Bouyeri said, "If I ever get free, I would do it again."

McDonald's Bashing

I will admit that I have not seen Supersize Me about McDonald's and the restaurant's Big-tobacco-like conspiracy to "hook" people. I have several friends who have seen it and believe that it is credible. I will also state that I am very skeptical of such "documentaries." I promise to you that I will look into the movie (I'm not going to pay to watch it, but I will research it online), but I thought it was funny that I read in the July 4 issue of ESPN-The Magazine a report about Chris Horner--an American cyclist who is a contender (riding for a European cycling team) in the Tour de France.

When talking about how little money he had at various times in his cycling career the article states:

Before turning pro in 1995, he drove to races knowing he needed to win gas money for the drive home . . . and smuggled soda into fast-food joints (the only places he could affort to eat). "I'm not saying you can eat McDonald's seven days a week and still win races," says Horner. "I'm just telling you that I have."

Update: I just visited the supersizeme site and couldn't believe the idiocy of this quote IMPLYING that corporations may be to blame for obesity in Americans:

Ominously, 37% of American children and adolescents are carrying too much fat and 2 out of every three adults are overweight or obese. Is it our fault for lacking self-control, or are the fast-food corporations to blame?

Now, I'm going to keep an open mind (until further notice) but I also found it idiotic that one of the producer's rules for his one-month all-McDonald's diet was "only supersize if offered" . . . he dufus (or is it the people that he fooled with this) that's called "suggestive sales" and it is company policy to sell as much product as the customer wants. I know . . . I'm supposed to be keeping an open mind . . .

Update: Okay, open mind over. I've discovered a great website that denudes the movie's producer, Spurlock. He's a self-promoting sham, just like Michael Moore.

Dubya's charm

I know that many people view Dubya as the source of all evil in the universe . . . this post isn't for you. Rather, this post demonstrates the qualities of Dubya that make him so likeable--even though I don't agree with every action he takes presidentially or personally. I urge you to read this article about an NCAA champions recognition ceremony at the White House. (hat tip: The Corner at NRO)

Update: Here's another story about a White House event that speaks to Dubya's charm.

The Rovehunt is petering out

This WSJ op/ed fully refutes efforts from the Left and its abettors to deep-six Karl Rove. Don't swallow what you're hearing from the so-called Mainstream Media . . . Rove was simply pointing out to journalists that Joe Wilson's credibility was suspect as they were rushing to broadcast his specious "Bush lied" slurs.

Newt Gingrich made a similar point on Today . . . today:

"[Joe Wilson] Lied To The Country About Who Got Him The Job. The Senate Intelligence Committee Is Scathing About That. He Lied To The Country About His Own Conclusions. The Senate Intelligence Committee Report Repudiates Him On That. ... It Turns Out In Retrospect He Had Been Talking To The Kerry Campaign For Months. He Was A Contributor To Kerry And He Was Essentially A Kerry Supporter ... His Book Title Is The Politics Of Truth And Yet The Senate Intelligence Committee Said That Wilson Specifically Was Using Falsehoods On 3 Or 4 Occasions ..." (NBC's, "Today," 7/13/05)

National Abortion Rights Action League is about more than abortion

Talk about revealing: the Seattle-area NARAL chapter is hostessing a "Screw Abstinence" party. This is an example of why the Left HAS to have abortion-on-demand . . . because it cannot fathom self-restraint-on-demand.

Eye-opening article about Iraq war

This article, written by a military historian and author upon his son being sent to Iraq, is very eye-opening. Nothing dissuades me from supporting the war, but I perceive that politicization of the war has only exacerbated the inherent difficulties of effectively waging a war.

"Consensus" pick for SCOTUS?

Sen. Minority Leader Harry Reid, (D-NV) has expressed confidence that Dubya will appoint a "consensus" pick. This from a guy who called the President a "loser" in front of high school students? Give me a break. I think he keeps forgetting that his party doesn't represent the majority view in America, especially on what a judge's duties are.

In the same article, Sen. Arlen Specter, (RINO-PA)--who is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, asserts that we need a justice with "practical experience"--like a lawyer or elected official. First, I think Specter is having diarrhea of the mouth of late (just because someone sticks a microphone in your mouth doesn't mean you have to think of something to say). Second, I find it ironic that a person in Specter's position doesn't have any greater appreciation for the difficulty of statutory interpretation and Constitutional law. And, sorry senator, but we need fewer, not more, people on the S. Ct. who are inclined to legislate or think in abstractions.

Further, I believe many of our problems in government would be diminished if legislators took seriously their oath to serve the constitution when passing laws. I am a fan of George W. Bush, but he had a similar lapse in character when he signed the McCain-Feingold law despite thinking that it was probably unconstitutional.

If you're wondering whether John McCain plans to run for President as a Republican...

If you're looking for clues that John McCain is planning a run for the GOP nomination to be President. Here's a good one. I read the following on Drudge Report this a.m.:

Sen. McCain [R-AZ] Strong Words On Supreme Ct Nomination at Dallas Fundraiser: 'During the campaign, President Bush said he will appoint judges who will strictly interpret the constitution... thinking anything else is either amnesia or ignorance... elections have consequences... whomever he nominates deserves an up or down vote and no filibuster... and an up or down vote is what we will have'...

Pardon us, senator if these words ring hollow in light of your actions as one of the "Gang of 7" so-called moderate Senate Republicans.

The Left's View of the Judiciary

This op/ed by E.J. Dionne exemplifies the Left's problematic view of the judiciary in general, and the S. Ct. in particular. He/they look at the S.Ct. as sort of a super committee of legislators who have power to make law pursuant to some "ideology." The only ideology I want (and the only "ideology" the Constitution contemplates) is that of someone who respects the law drafted by legislatures and applies it to the specific set of facts before the court. It's not what what they could have said (had they foreseen these particular facts) or what they should have said, or what they meant to say (but somehow left out of the statute) . . . it is what they included in the statute.

Instituting religion

I just ran across this enlightening information. Justice Scalia has noted that the "neutrality" on religion envisioned by the founders "is not neutrality between religiousness and nonreligiousness; it is between denominations of religion." This is an example of "originalism"; the text says "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion" and we know that there was all manner of government involvement in religous ideas at the time of the founding of the U.S., so the "establishment clause" most likely related to "denominations of religion."

Another interesting thing to me about this story, is that most Jews take the politically Liberal position on this issue, which amazes me. America--plainly established on Christian principles of moral absolutism and the God-given rights of the individual, has long been the defender of Israel and has long protected the religious freedom of Jews in the U.S. I guess "It's a Jewish thing"?

How much do we need to know?

I was just reading an article about the fourth missing Navy SEAL's body being found. The U.S. military has said he was found in the general area where the other two men were killed in combat and that he had not been disfigured in any way--contrary to what a Jihadiot spokesman had recently claimed ("we beheaded him"). I'm saddened to hear that he was killed but glad to know that he was not tortured/held/disfigured. But it made me start thinking: what if the military was only saying that to goad or aggravate the Jihadiots? would that be wrong? how much do we (citizens) need to know? You know it would tick off those Jihadiots not to get credit for one of their beheading shows . . . .

Legal Giant Specter Suggests Recently-retired O'Connor for Possible Chief Justice Opening

Arlen Specter (RINO-PA), the lone U.S. Senator to vote "not proven" at the conclusion of the Clinton impeachment trial--purportedly per Scottish legal tradition, is recommending that Sandra Day O'Connor--who only a week ago announced her desire to step down from the Supreme Court, be appointed to become Chief Justice in the event that Rehnquist retires.

What?

Truly Club Gitmo

An interesting report from U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) about the Guantanamo Bay detention facility for high-level Islamofascists: they play soccer, ping-pong and volleyball, and enjoy a menu of 113 Islam-kosher (heehee) meals. Sounds like Rush is right about Club Gitmo . . . my favorite t-shirt slogan from the Club Gitmo site: "Club Gitmo: Your tropical retreat from the stress of Jihad."

CAFTA debate

I'm a bit suspicious of the groups who are opposing CAFTA--some of the opposition seems a bit knee-jerk; (for example, Rep. Peter Stark (D-CA) implies that CAFTA will artificially inflate profits on pharmaceutical prices in Central American countries; thus, he claims he "clearly" must vote against it. All this aside, I will reserve judgment on the proposal until I've done a little more study.

Here is an interesting article by Defense Sec. Donald Rumsfeld about the national security implications of increasing free trade between our country and this region.

Update: 11:48 pm
This op/ed from the Orlando Sentinel expresses how I'm leaning on CAFTA: in sum, the chicken little Labor/"Populist" lobby has little substance to their opposition.

High-Level Target in WOT May Have Been in Our Sights

This article reports that the missing team of Navy SEALs in Afghanistan--three of whom are likely dead, were quite possibly on a mission to assassinate a high level Al Qaida-type. After reading this article I am reminded of how much U.S. servicemen deserve our undying praise for fighting in our stead.

Fascinating Look at State Politics

This is a fascinating article about state politics in Kansas, and about judicial activism, and about disingenuous politicians (mostly RINOs). In brief, a state judge has ORDERED the legislature to increase spending on schools to comply with the KS constitution's requirement that children receive a "suitable education." That's just part of the article that illustrates the peril of becoming a country under rule of man, not rule of law.

"Last Best Chance" and Nuclear Terrorist Threats

I can't believe that I didn't post at all yesterday--dadgum deck sealing took me the entire day. But in the evening my lovely wife allowed me to join a friend for a viewing of Last Best Chance--a movie about the terrorist threat posed by unsecured nuclear weapons and mat'ls. The movie is compelling and something needs to be done about it, but I DID find it peculiar when I noticed during the credits all the foundations who funded it (typically left-of-center foundations). Then it occurred to me that it had been released in the run-up to the 2004 election and the Dems had attempted to make hay about Dubya's "failure" to do more on this front. In any event, even a broken clock is right twice a day, and this organization has a point . . . presidential election agenda aside.

By the way, you can order a FREE copy (as I always say, "if it's free, it's me") of the movie at lastbestchance.org

I've coined a term: "Jihadiots"

I spend time over at anncoulter.com (too much time) posting to her forum. And today I coined a term for the Jihadists or Islamofascists with whom America is at war: Jihadiots. I don't know if it will catch on, but if it does, this post will serve as my copyright notice. Hmmm (cue dreamsequence music) maybe I could sell it to Ann Coulter or Sean Hannity for a book title.

On that subject (Jihadiots), I just read this 2004 article (hat tip, TheCorner at nationalreview.com) about Jihadiots agitating for Jihad in London. It is intriguing to read the thought processes of actual Jihadiots.

Terri Schiavo and Potential Pitfalls of Living Wills

Writer David Klinghoffer (author of the recent bestseller Why the Jews Reject Jesus, which I'm not necessarily endorsing) has written an excellent op/ed entitled "A Living Will, A Slippery Slope." It outlines potential problems with the current popularity of drafting a living will. I cannot yet find it published online, but here is a similarly insightful article on the subject.

The best quote from Klinghoffer's piece is:

After all, there is no good reason to refuse a debilitated patient the "right" to have himself killed; no reason, that is, apart from a very good one that everyone used to recognize: that God made each of us so as to reflect His own essence, "for in the image of God He made man" (Genesis 9:6). There is an aura, spirit or effulgence about a human being, even a severely impaired one, the afterglow of the breath God breathed into the first man.

On another subject, I am saddened by reports of terrorist incidents in London today. This should strengthen our resolve to defeat Jihadists.

Primer/pep talk re. upcoming S.Ct. nomination

Ann Coulter's op/ed this week is must reading for Conservatives in regard to the upcoming battle over Dubya's nomination to fill Sandra Day O'Connor's seat. Appointing a justice with a Constitutional judicial philosophy will not be an easy and steely resolve is a prerequisite.

So-called MSM loves division over S. Ct. nominees

The so-called MSM is loving the dust-up between "the right wing" and Dubya about AG Gonzales' prospects of an appointment to the S.Ct. Though the issue is muddied by most widely-read articles on the issue, it is not Gonzales' political views that bother true Conservatives; rather, it is his muddled understanding of the proper role of the judiciary--his judicial philosophy. (See below for more on that subject).

This article provides a good overview of why Gonzales, who as AG is advising the President on the nomination, should remove himself from any short list.

This woman has got it goin' on

I heard a presentation by Judith Reisman, PhD, at a conference last summer and it was one of those "aha" moments where you suddenly notice a connection betwee a string of "unrelated" concepts. In particular, she was speaking against the growing use of erotic images to teach "sex education." More on that some other day, but this article ("From Greatest Generation to Porn Generation") is a good high-altitude view of her message. Pornography is a scourge similar to any addictive drug.

Man, I miss the Gipper

I read two great Reagan statements today. The first is an essay he penned in celebration of the 4th of July soon after becoming president. Read it to see how great a writer he was.

The second is a quote from a 1964 speech (I think his famous speech in support of Barry Goldwater). It may encapsulate my overarching public policy philosophy as good as any statement I've read.

They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong. There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right…You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children’s children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.

Ronald Reagan, 1964

Unfortunately there are monsters

I tell my children that there is no such thing as monsters, but I'm not sure that is accurate. When you consider the animalistic, unconscionable actions of people like the perpetrator in this Idaho case. When society began treating actions like this as an illness or condition, it diminished the perpetrators' culpability. What followed from that was diminishing the punishment warranted by such actions, and the result is that ingrates like this are able to wander our streets looking for their next object of abuse.

Smart move by Dubya

I just learned (thanks Bobbie) that President Bush has asked former Senator Fred Thompson to act as "guide" for the President's S.Ct. nominee, whomever that may be. This is--I almost hate to acknowledge, incredibly smart, because so much of the process these days (since the Democrats set a new mark in the politics of personal destruction w/ nominee Robert Bork) is a marketing/media challenge. Thompson is an impressive personality--his deep, southern voice and his tall stature, coupled with his celebrity, will make it less daunting for the nominee to make it through the razor wire/minefield that the Democrats will construct.

The So-called "Mainstream"

Thomas Sowell masterfully dissects assertions by some that they speak for "the mainstream." His first sentence demonstrates the irony of folks like Senate Dems defining "mainstream" for us:

Recent shocking Supreme Court decisions may at least wake up those people who
have been saying glibly that the Senate has been spending too much time fighting
over judicial nominees, instead of getting back to the "real" issues.

Voter Fraud my Ear

Howard Dean recently declared at a press conference last week that a DNC "study" of Ohio election data showed widespread problems in OH and voter suppression by the GOP. Oh, he did concede that there was no evidence of fraud.

I was there as part of the Bush/Cheney 72-hour legal task force and as this article by OH Sec. of State Ken Blackwell demonstrates, the Democrat "study" is completely bogus. The Dems' big mistake was broadcasting their intent to fight tooth and nail (with or without cause) to win the election, because Bush ended up winning convincingly in the most-scrutinized--and therefore, most legitimate, election in the history of the WORLD. Indeed, I and the other GOP attorneys present in OH were irate at how Blackwell bent over backwards to accommodate all the demands of the Left in the runup to the election.

Hey Dems: You lost the election; get over it. And with Demagogue Dean at the helm; get used to it.