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.