The Dems' religion problem...

I've posted before about the Democrat Party's "problem" with religion. Today I read a Pew Center study on the public's perception about the two major parties and their relationship with religion. I also read that the Dems have responded to the release of the study by saying "we've hired religion outreach consultants"; that actually proves the point, if you ask me.

US Forces 2nd biggest cause of death of journalists!!!

This article (via google world news) reveals that U.S. military is the second biggest cause of death to journalists in Iraq. The first, by a long shot (300%) is, well, Islamofascists. But if we could just get those Americans out of there, folks in the media would be a lot safer . . .

Confirmation hearings gotten worse, indeed...

This article chronicles (somewhat honestly) the development of inquisition-like confirmation hearings to the SCOTUS. But the article neglects to point out that the hearings have moved from being about judicial philosophy to being about political philosophy--that is, how a judge would vote if they were in a legislature. An "expert" quoted in the article says about the Dems' reaction to Reagan's appointees: "They said, 'If the president can nominate based on ideology, then why can't we reject on the basis of ideology, and why can't we ask questions about the ideology of nominees.'"

That's inaccurate. Political ideology is only relevant to the discussion of the judiciary because the Left's vision of the Court as a super-legislature has prevailed. That is not rule of law and it is not the vision of our country's founders.

In fact, the pattern has been for the Dems to excoriate GOP nominees and attempt to derail them by any means necessary (remember Clarence Thomas?). That is the thesis of the article that should be written about this process.

Look in the mirror to see who is "divided"

This AP story and this one asserts that the GOP is deeply divided over the immigration issue, but the real split personality is within the Democrat party, which unlike us has the gall to demagogue on BOTH sides of the issue--depending on the audience or the donor or the hit ad or the particular campaign. I would posit that the GOP's dilemma reflects the genuine dilemma of reaching a consensus on the issue while the Dems' dilemma reflects the difficulty of pandering to a coalition of crass special interest groups.

The disingenuous comment from the Democrat Governor of AZ--"We just kept waiting and waiting and waiting but never did see a sense of urgency from Washington," is laughable; but the funniest part of this report is writer Fournier's "earnest" comment that, "McCain may seek the White House in 2008." [emphasis added]

Liberal law school professors

This NYT article reports that a study by a Georgetown U. law journal will demonstrate a markedly Liberal political ideology dominates most law school faculties. The article attempts to pooh-pooh the findings, I think, by asserting that such Liberal dominance (particularly extreme at the most elite schools) is of no effect because it has produced the most "conservative" members of the SCOTUS. That's a non sequitur.

The reality is that ideological folks (and I don't mean that to be derogatory) are only minimally affected by the views of professors (or those in authority, or "experts" or what "everyone else" believes); it is the folks who are relatively unmoored in their views (and who are substantially in the plurality) that are so impressionable. Thus, the fact that Antonin Scalia would not have turned out "Liberal" regardless of whom he sat under or where he got his JD, does not mean that the Liberal slant of law school faculties is insignificant.

"Jesse Jackson offers support to Chavez"

This story demonstrates the knee-jerk Liberalism of folks like THE REVEREND Jesse Jackson. Even though Pat Robertson's statements were imprudent for a Christian minister, I think that a person can condemn the statements without embracing the dictator Chavez.

On the homefront.

My wife spent the night on a scrapbooking retreat, so I was playing single parent with the three sweeties yesterday and today. Not much time for blogging . . . however, I read an article that highlights the Left's struggles to find a message and a volume control for said message, this well-researched article at Salon details how troubled they are. Any communicator is wise to consider substance and delivery of their message, but when you have no substance, delivery becomes everything. They have little or no substance and Howard Dean is their party's chairman; yikes.

Gender, gender what is gender?

This article (and several similar articles in other journals) talk of the murder of a "transgender youth" who was a female (actually, the youth was living as a female) but had the genitals of a male.

What?

I will concede that sexual proclivities are not as easy to categorize as gender. And I will concede that genitalia aren't always consistent with one's sex (though the instances of this are very rare or they are very fake). But how can these journalists write such nonsensical sentences? A person is either a male or a female. Is EVERYthing relative or subjective to these idiots?

Hardee, har, har . . . humans are merely primates

This article from England reflects the definite post-Christian worldview in Old Europe--"humans are no different than any other animal!"

Yeah, right.

Why Rich Liberals?!?

I've often wondered what motivates wealthy persons to vote Democrat or to be "limousine liberals"--why? because I don't believe that they are deeply motivated by goodwill in supporting Liberal tax policy (it hardly appears to motivate them in any other area of their material lives). In today's last (most likely) "deep thought" from visiting RushLimbaugh.com, I read that the Dems rely much more on fat cat donations than does the GOP. That is old news for those who follow politics and campaign finance stuff, but it illustrates what type of wealthy folks support liberal causes. Sure, there are exceptions to the rule, but one characteristic is that someone like Madonna reasonably can conclude that her immense wealth is akin to winning the lottery and has precious little to do with hard work, honest labor, etc. From that perspective, it makes sense to feel like wealthy folks surely are "advantaged" and that life's winners and losers are determined by mere fortune. Accordingly, a multimillionaire (who can hardly spend their money even after giving up half of what they have in taxes) can "painlessly" advocate for confiscatory tax policies.

Talk about imposing morality on others . . .

I just endured Jimmy Carter's infamous "malaise" speech on C-Span (hat tip, Rush Limbaugh) and my first thought was that I can't believe how politically tin-eared this speech was.

My second thought was that I can't believe the Left accuses me and other religious Conservatives of imposing morality on others. Carter is preachy, whiny and hand-wrings for a solid 32.5 minutes. Listen for yourself to see how he nags--like an impotent minister, in this speech.

My third thought (I think--I had a lot of thoughts) was that Carter was not so much a terrible president (as all Conservatives assert and most Democrats agree) but rather he was simply a president whose Liberalism was not obscured by the luck of external events. In particular, because Liberalism is premised on various foolish ideas and a flawed worldview, it is destined to fail (aside: Carter amazingly admitted that he had failed to enact most of his campaign promises--though he did point fingers at other factors).

This ain't Hollywood...

Two recent news stories have pained me and reminded me of a phrase I used to ruminate on: "this ain't Hollywood." What I mean when I use that statement is that Hollywood doesn't represent reality, and too many people do not realize the "danger" of living life as posed by the elite establishment.

First, I heard about a women in the middle-Tenn. area whose husband was beaten to death by her paramour when the husband discovered them together in the married couple's home. The dead husband's body was put in a closet and left there for several hours as the woman ran errands. Folks, life isn't like "Desperate Housewives" and our moral choices have real consequences. Adultery hurts families, well beyond the obvious injury of murder. Sadly, the consequences of adultery don't "go away" with a sweet jingle or the previews of next week's drama.

Second, I heard today that the ex-RN and Tennessee convict's wife who gunned-down a law enforcement officer as she helped her husband escape from incarceration had been keeping a diary after she had been apprehended in Ohio: the title she had written on the journal was "A Modern-day Bonnie and Clyde." I had been bothered by romantic allusions to this mythic man and woman when I heard references to Bonnie and Clyde in the reporting as the two perpetrators were "at large." Again, how tragic for those who happened to cross paths with this delusional, base man and woman and were harmed. This ain't Hollywood; wisdom is vindicated by her children (Matt. 11:19).

On the subject of Bush's lifestyle . . .

Below I noted how slanted is the so-called MSM's reporting on Dubya's Western White House, but I just found this lame smear attempt of Bush's energy use (courtesy of RushLimbaugh.com). Ironically, the piece's last paragraph hints at the author's motivation for writing the hit piece:

Remember Jimmy Carter donning a sweater and asking Americans facing an energy crisis to turn down their thermostats? Or giving the speech about the nation's "crisis of confidence" that led to his permanent association with "malaise?" Carter's critics turned both utterances into emblems that contributed to his political undoing.

The MSM would love to orchestrate Dubya's "political undoing."

The open-minded Left...

This quote from a NY Times article REALLY grates on me:

At a recent scientific conference at City College of New York, a student in the audience rose to ask the panelists an unexpected question: "Can you be a good scientist and believe in God?"

Reaction from one of the panelists, all Nobel laureates, was quick and sharp. "No!" declared Herbert A. Hauptman, who shared the chemistry prize in 1985 for his work on the structure of crystals.

Belief in the supernatural, especially belief in God, is not only incompatible with good science, Dr. Hauptman declared, "this kind of belief is damaging to the well-being of the human race."

The theory of "Intelligent Design" simply acknowledges the scientific evidence that macro-evolution is mathematically impossible. It is interesting to see how unscientific the Left is when a pet theory is challenged by science.

Cindy Sheehan's counter protestors

Just read a report--from an AP writer, no less!!! (hat tip to Drudge report) about a group of counter-protestors who are caravanning through California (starting in Vacaville--Sheehan's hometown) and ending up in Crawford, TX. Unfortunately, staging such a stunt is an uphill battle with normal Americans (contra the Left's protest professionals).

On the subject of full-time protestors, I was listening to Mark Christopher--a local talk radio host, last evening who had been in California recently and observed a particular Ahnuld protestor who showed up a two protests that were staged in two California cities which are hours apart from each other. He noted that they were likely funded by Unions to create the impression that the Governator was opposed by "citizens" from one side of the state to another. It reminded me of some clueless anti-whatever protestors/transients whom I met during a visit by Dubya to Nashville last year. When Clinton came to town, I just ignored him . . . but such nonsense is all consistent with the Left's mania about Dubya (see Sean Penn post below).

The Power of the Associated Press

It seems to me that the Associated Press amounts to a media monopoly, given the fact that so many print "news" organizations simply reprint what they receive from the AP. The liberal bias of most individuals in the so-called "mainstream media" is bad enough, but it is truly compounded by the fact that one liberal AP writer's report typically ends up being printed and re-printed (then recycled and reprinted).

Problems with Islam and representative gov't

The problem with representative government in Islamic lands is becoming apparent in the Iraqi process of hammering out a constitution. The proposed constitution would read: "Islam is a main source for legislation and it is not permitted to legislate anything that conflicts with the fixed principles of its rules." If you read my post below, such a standard provides an open-ended mandate for things like prohibiting the use of credit cards (charging interest, it appears, is forbidden by the Quran--but wife-beating is "ok").

I have previously noted my belief that Muslims are only keen on a republican form of gov't when they are in the minority, and I read something similar just last evening in Islam Unveiled, by Robert Spencer.

Bad news for Pro-aborts

This report is bad news for pro-aborts: "Researchers announced today that they reprogrammed skin cells to function like embryonic stem cells without destroying fertilized human eggs, work that may one day help resolve ethical obstacles in the field."

SF Chronicle: Iranian Islamofascism = "Conservative and tradition-bound"

I loved this intro paragraph of a special feature in the SF Chronicle:

In June, Sean Penn and two friends traveled to Tehran. It was Penn's first trip to the country. What he found was a culture in conflict. Although the nation is ruled by a very conservative, tradition-bound government, Penn talked to many younger Iranians who have a strong interest in Western culture and want heir own country to liberalize its policies on individual rights.

(emphasis mine). Gee, sounds like the GOP is in charge in Iran, doesn't it? Indeed, San Franciscans may not be able to discern a difference. As I read Penn's profound observations (cough, cough) from his trip, the absurdity of his comparisons between Iran and the U.S. was breathtaking . . . the entire country does not allow the sale of alcohol; women on the plane were told to put on head-coverings before leaving the plane; no cell phone use; credit cards are against the law . . . but to today's Democrat party, Dubya's America is practically a mullahcracy!!!

Corpus Delecti--"The body of the crime"

All Nashvillians have heard of the Perry March "case" in which a local attorney is suspected of pulling off the perfect murder of his wife in 1996. The fact that he has lost a civil suit (a la O.J.) over his wife's death, and been fighting with his in-laws over custody of his children all these years (while he lived in Mexico) has kept the case in the news.

Well, March has been deported from Mexico and charged with 2nd degree murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse. Here's some good reporting (Two parts) on the case from around the time it happened.

This interesting hoax email raises the interesting legal question of convicting someone of murder when you don't have "the body of the crime" (corpus delecti).

Clinton had opportunity to get OBL in 1998

Ironically, a diplomat during the poll-driven Clinton Administration had the gall to tell a Taliban official, "that the role of political leadership is to shape public opinion, not to decline to act because they think opinion is otherwise." The context was a point in 1998 when the Taliban was hesitant to turn over Osama Bin Laden to the U.S. (though they did offer to allow the U.S. to "assassinate" him).

Oh great; Big Labor to target Wal-Mart (pun intended) around the world

Just what we consumers need: Big Labor is scheming to bring collectivization . . . ur, "collective organization" to Wal-Marts around the world.

Iraq: Job #1 in global war on Islamofascism

The Left's premise is that military action against Iraq was extra-curricular activity on the part of the U.S. While it may be true that Iraq wasn't the only threat to civilization or even the greatest threat, it should be clear that it was a threat. It was simply the smallest task of those before us, but I would argue that it may have become the central task because of how, as detailed in a Time Mag. report, Islamofascists have chosen it as their proverbial hill to die on. I can't remember who was saying this recently (may have been a guest on Hannity), but most Americans when asked "do you agree with the President's handling of the GWOT?" say "no" but mean that he should be more aggressive in waging it.

The more I get to know him, the more I like John Roberts

This Washington Post article describes John Roberts' aversion to presidential tributes to "celebrities"--in particular Michael Jackson, while he was serving as an attorney in the Reagan administration. The more I get to know him, the more I like him . . .

Imagine the venom if Bush took off for 3 weeks

You've probably read all the blather about how much Dubya has "vacationed" (actually, he merely changes his work setting from DC to TX), but the silence is deafening concerning Tony Blair (of Britain's left of center party) and his 3-week, drop-off-the-face-of-the-earth vacation to an undisclosed locale. Actually, I wish Bush would head back to DC so that Cindy Sheehan could moveon.org, as they say.

In defense of James Dobson

It is en vogue (even for many Conservatives) to criticize James Dobson--for Conservatives it is usually a "distancing" that occurs. But this article fairly defends Dr. Dobson's recent comparisons of embryonic stem-cell research to the work of Nazi researchers on Jewish prisoners.

Interesting details about Gaza pullout

This article describes how the property of Israeli Gaza settlers was purchased from them for $150 mill. Also, 35,000 "Palestinian" jobs were saved because the Bush Administration (gasp, Bushitler has a heart?) urged American philanthropists to purchase equipment to be used in left-behind Gaza greenhouses.

Great stump speech line from Katherine Harris

Found in this British article on the 2006 US senate race in FL,

Ms Harris, who is currently serving a second term in the US House of
Representatives, believes she will close the gap with Mr Nelson once voters get
to know her better. Joking about her reputation for heavy use of cosmetics, she
told a campaign rally last week: “I only trail by an eyelash.”

Wal-Mart-bashing, Tennessee style...

This blog exposes the knee-jerk bashing of Wal-Mart engaged in by those on the Left, and it has a Tennessee flavor to it because the basher outrageously asserts in print that one-fourth of the people getting taxpayer-funded health coverage in Tennessee were employees of Wal-Mart.

Israel pulling out of Gaza Strip . . . does terrorism pay?

The recent pull-out by Israelis from the Gaza Strip and elsewhere (all of it land conquered by Israel in battle following unprovoked attacks from Arab countries decades ago) is a good example of the futility of appeasement, as this story reflects.

Everything but education

The "National Education Association" (NEA) has held its annual convention and amazingly paraded its Leftist orthodox views for all (who are paying attention) to see.

I wholeheartedly acknowledge that educating kids today is a difficult task--too many people are expecting teachers to parent kids rather than simply teach them. But what kills me about the NEA is that they take positions on a host of issues that have next to no relation to education and any relationship that IS present cuts against the NEA's policies. For example, why does the NEA need to take a position on Wal-Mart's "labor practices"? Assuming that the NEA SHOULD take a position, I would submit that the NEA should support the right to work, good economic value and more--not less, capitalism. Read the article for yourself. We've literally THROWN money at education over the past four decades and the problem has only gotten worse. As long as the education unions advocate on behalf of Liberal public policy and the concomitant social pathologies, teachers' jobs will NOT get any easier.

Soldier's mom does Crawford

I've written below (above? before?) about Ms. Sheehan who is stalking the President. This is a fantastic op/ed by Rich Lowry on the subject. Something I learned from the article that I hadn't heard before,

She said in a recent speech, directed at Bush: "You tell me the truth. You tell me that my son died for oil. You tell me that my son died to make your friends rich. You tell me my son died to spread the cancer of Pax Americana, imperialism in the Middle East."

In my opinion, this quote gives us a clear perspective into Ms. Sheehan's true motives . . . or true psychosis.

How's this for objectivity?

Read today that Harvard is going to fund a project to study the Origins of Life . . . I loved this reference to one of the "scientists" who will be participating:

"My expectation is that we will be able to reduce this to a very simple series
of logical events that could have taken place with no divine intervention," said
David R. Liu, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard.

How's that for objectivity?

Almost half of Americans get "mental disorders"!

This article about the recent quintennial (pentennial?) release of the DSM (or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) asserts that almost half of Americans develop "mental disorders." Sounds familiar, as I read many a psych report while in the AG's office related to sentencing or "mental disorder" defenses.

The key to the article is the statement that, "Others say the DSM should be considered the mental health bible, because if it says that a person is mentally ill, then that person can get the treatment they need — and insurance companies will foot the bill." Ah, yes.

So-called Mainline Denominations OUT OF TOUCH

I've read with interest the controversy over the Lutheran church's recent decision vote to reverse its centuries-old rejection of homosexual marriage. But today I read something that demonstrates how in the grip of LIBERALISM this denomination is. Amazingly, they were contemplating a vote to condemn Israel's proposed security wall. It appears that they have voted down the various measures to condemn Israel and financially punish Israeli companies, but folks, these proposals reflect radical, extreme, out-of-touch, Left-wing ideology.

Mother of slain soldier soaking up the spotlight

I'm sure you've heard of the woman "camped out" in front of the Bushes' Crawford, TX ranch ostensibly wanting "answers" from the President concerning her son's death in Iraq. I'm "sure" because the so-called Mainstream Media is determined that you hear about her. The Washington Post calls her actions a "pitched battle," but she is only trying to make news and it is just too hard to pass up a grieving mother. Surprise, surprise that she "is working with a political consultant and a team of public relations professionals."

This subject is old news, to everyone but the Left and its pawns. Bush has been forthcoming with answers about the war in Iraq, but the bottom line is that some questions have no suitable answers.

UPDATE: In light of my Israel-related post above, big shocker that Mourning Media Machine Mom thinks Israel should "get out of Palestine."

UPDATE II: Talk about bias: the Boston Globe has an article on MMMM with the headline, "A mother's plea evolves into a cause." But this woman isn't "pleading" for anything. If you read any of her comments, you'll see that she wants to--in what would be her second face-to-face meeting with the leader of the free world, rant against Dubya, not get any answers from him.

Man sprays nurses with HIV-infected blood...

This sorry excuse for a human being should be sentenced to decades of hard labor. Nurses, like my wife, selflessly care for the sick and idiots/potential perpetrators like this need to be clear about the fact that they will pay for such assaults.

I guess NARAL got the message . . .

Pro-abortion group NARAL has decided to pull (after a week) it's ad smearing SCOTUS appointee John Roberts. I guess NARAL got the message when even the Washington Post editorial board called them on it.

Americans may be stupid . . .

Mick Jagger is now claiming that his new song "My Sweet Neo-con" is not about President Bush, though the allusions (and denigrations) are obviously directed at Dubya. Sounds to me like he might be trying to avoid a Dixie Chicken experience. Hey Mick--Americans may be stupid enough to pay $100 to see your re-tread concerts . . . but they're not stupid; stand by your mean-spirited sniping or don't do it in the first place.

Is it just me . . .

or does anyone else feel like the Space Shuttle's safe return to earth was kind of overlooked? I had to (kind of) search for this article about it. In light of the tragic Columbia accident, and the problems at the beginning of this mission, I was expecting more attention to be paid. Oh well . . . I guess "no news is good news."

Thomas Sowell on "judicial Conservatism"

Thomas Sowell is an economist and logician with surgeon-like skills. This op/ed is a great exposition of the problem with the Left's view of the role of the judiciary.

Liberals' religion problem

This WSJ op/ed chronicles the Left's problem with any religiousness that is more than going through the motions. In particular it talks about the soft underbelly of the Secular Left has been exposed by their "religious test" for serving on the Federal Bench.

Nuance and politics

This op/ed at National Review Online highlights how "nuance" really hinders demagoguery.

Bush Conspiracy Generator

I commend this site to you; it's invaluable for generating a new Bushitler Conspiracy for a given news cycle or blog thread. (Tip o' the hat to theCorner )

Another headline to insult

This headline ("Dropping the bomb that ended the war: "60 years later, the navigator of the Enola Gay feels no remorse") about the man who helped pilot the plane that dropped the nuke on Hiroshima, reflects a bias that he should feel bad about what he did, I think. The guy saved lives (particularly American lives) which would have been lost if forced to fight to the death with the Japanese . . . should he be expected to feel remorse?

Hyperbole Alert!!! WashPo says Voting Rts. Act endangered

The Washington Post headline implies that the Voting Rights act (which ensured black enfranchisement) is at risk: "40 Years After Passage, Voting Law Is in Dispute" . . . good thing I read the article. According to the article, "strict" new laws in Georgia will place a burden on voters:

They are fighting a law passed by the state's Republican-controlled
legislature in March that requires voters to obtain one of six forms of photo
identification before going to the polls, as opposed to the 17 types of picture
and non-picture ID they currently use.

Note that the writer speeds by (in my humble opinion) a major difference between the current law and the old law, by equating photo identification with "picture and non-picture ID."

Give me a break, is it onerous to say that we won't accept a utility bill with your purported name on it as "identification" before letting you cast a vote? The sister of a crooked ex-Tennessee state senator (who just retired following Federal indictments related to his official duties) just won a crowded primary for her brother's old seat by a margin of . . . 20 votes. Voter fraud has an impact on elections, and it will increasingly do so as the Dems have slipped from their majority party status.

We need election reform in America, and this Georgia law is not going to disenfranchise blacks.

PC at the NCAA

This report really gets under my skin. The NCAA has banned all "hostile or abusive" Indian mascots in post-season tournaments. They would have banned them altogether but (amazingly) they admitted they didn't have authority to do it. This whole debate drives me crazy because it essentially says a special interest is going to define what is offensive to them. For example, blacks use "the N word" themselves but absolutely condemn non-blacks who do the same (for the record, I don't think ANYone should use it). Likewise, "Native Americans" get to pressure whites about using indian mascot names, despite the fact that such names are INHERENTLY chosen to represent positive attributes of Indians; in particular, strength, bravery, tenacity, etc. This is a crock.

Update (8/22/05): The NCAA is allowing FSU to use the Seminole mascot; the "Begging the Question" quote from the article: "It's not about an effort to be politically correct," Myles Brand, the president of the N.C.A.A., said in a statement when the ban was announced. "It is about doing the right thing." Oh, now we understand . . .

Perspectives on Global War on Terror

This story in USA Today grips your heart--the price that these men and their families have paid is incalculable. Unfortunately, some Americans highlight the tragedy and pooh-pooh the risks of Islamofascism because the leader of the struggle is their bitter political opponent: Dubya. Once a person concludes that the GWOT is necessary, then you have to keep losses like those above in context of the overall effort. 9,000 Allied soldiers died on June 6, 1944's D-Day invasion, alone; almost 2,400 Americans died in the Pearl Harbor attack; nearly 7,000 American soldiers died in the battle of Iwo Jima.

The Islamofascists want us dead (or enslaved) and it is better to take the battle to them. We mustn't lose sight of the sacrifice of our service people, and we mustn't lose sight of the reason we're fighting.

Update: Bill Buckley has commented on this issue in an op/ed, too.

NY Times "investigating" adoption records of John Roberts' children?!?

This really bothers me . . . the N.Y. Times is investigating the adoption records of SCOTUS nominee John Roberts' two children. What exactly is the relevance? What is the basis for the investigation? Sorry, but I can't think of a single reasonable basis for doing such an investigation . . .

Federalist Society--harmless, lovable, little fuzzball

If you pay attention to the John Roberts nomination very much in the coming weeks (months, if the Dems have their way), you're bound to hear about the Federalist Society. Here's the NY Times' take on the organization.

I have a funny personal story about the Federalist Society. I was in my first year of law school at UT in 96 when I happened to see a Nightline episode attempting to tarnish the reputation of Kenneth Starr. They showed a graphic of a flow chart which connected Starr to Scalia and Thomas (as well as the Clinton sexual harassment plaintiff's attorneys)--the connection? They were all purportedly members of the Federalist Society. It sounded like my kind of organization, and--after finding out that UT had not had a chapter for some years, I determined to found a chapter there. It is still going strong, last I heard.

What motivates people to join the organization? Law schools (even the "conservative" ones) are notoriously hostile to Conservative thought. They are also heavily populated by Liberal professors and Liberal-wannabees. I think the same can be said of most legal environments--to include DC. Thus, there is a natural attraction to coming together with like-minded attorneys. As Rush Limbaugh might say, the Federalist Society is just a harmless, lovable, little fuzzball. Hee hee.

Great op/ed about a Democratic 527

This op/ed is illustrates the serious problem faced by the Left in America (which, at the moment, controls the DNC). They've claimed that their message wasn't getting out (it was), they claimed that the GOP was "buying" elections (it wasn't) and they believed that they could improve their GOTV ("Get out the vote") operations (they couldn't). On the front page of NationalReview.com there's a great pic of George Soros holding a t-shirt with a silhouette of Dubya x-d out and script which reads "I spent $27 million and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" --Indeed.

I've said it many times: this was the most scrutinized, most contested presidential election in the history of mankind, and George W. Bush won it. Fair and square.

Dubya is correct about teaching theories of Origins

President Bush rightly commented in a recent interview that Intelligent Design Theory should be taught alongside evolutionary theory. I commend him for stating his opinion on this issue; that is, the instruction American school children receive about the Origins of humankind.

Accountability appears to improve education

It appears from recent Tennessee education scores that the increased accountability of Bush's NCLB Act is working. The ONLY ones who thought it wouldn't help are Liberals and many Educrats. Noone likes to have someone looking over their shoulder, but too many in the public education system don't appreciate the fact that they exist to serve the interests of parents and society.

Dems and the Voting Rights Act

I just received an announcement about a Dem event in Atlanta celebrating passage of the Voting Rights Act 40 years ago. The ironic thing is that the Act had more support from Republicans than it did from Democrats at the time of passage, and LBJ COULD NOT HAVE PASSED IT without the GOP.

Update (8/22/05): this is an excellent article by the WSJ's John Fund (whom I met in a Milwaukee bathroom, by the way) on this subject.