hopperbach

Moving

2008-05-13T11:25:00.004-04:00

Due to some technical glitches involving tags (not blogger.com's fault), I have decided to pack my lettuce and move to a new home. You may now find me here. I will keep this blog open for a little while longer in case for some insane reason you want to read archives from 2005.

Otherwise, please bookmark the new site and visit often.

Note: if you work for one of the blog directories and came to this site for review purposes, I hope that you will visit the new link and update the url in your database. Thanks.

SNL not so friendly to Hillary anymore

2008-05-12T11:10:00.010-04:00

I've never been a huge Amy Poehler fan. Mainly because her Weekend Update segments grate on my last nerve. Her smarmy smile and "aren't I clever" delivery along with that irritating tendency to laugh audibly at Seth Meyers' jokes off camera so as to further display how hip and cool she is for "getting it" annoys the bejeezers out of me.

But I must admit Poehler is good in some of her character portrayals. Her Hillary Clinton "sore loser" skit on SNL this weekend was pretty on the mark. She nails Hillary's condescending mannerisms here and the clip is spot-on in revealing what really goes on inside the woman's head.

Here it is from YouTube:

Obama's 57 states of confusion

2008-05-10T13:40:00.009-04:00

Barack Obama's campaign staff has an interesting dilemma -- how do we get our candidate to talk to the press without actually using words? The LA Times blog, Top of the Ticket brings us a rather Quayle-worthy moment from the Democratic Presidential candidate:

"It is wonderful to be back in Oregon," Obama said. "Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it."

Later, Obama's aides watched in horror as the unthinkable happened -- their candidate opened his mouth again:

At a later stop Obama was talking with reporters and expressed concern he'd also mis-stated the number of potential cyclone victims in Burma. He said, ""I hope I said 100,000 people the first time instead of 100 million. I understand I said there were 57 states today. It's a sign that my numeracy is getting a little, uh." At that point, an aide cut him off and ushered journalists out. Before he could mis-speak again?

Campaign fatigue? Mmmmmm.... maybe. Amiable wabbit that I am, I'm not even going to ride him too hard... this time. I'll leave that to the other bloggers. More interesting to me is the fact that the media-at-large is virtually ignoring this gaffe. You'll be hard-pressed to find it anywhere outside the blogosphere. Can you imagine what would have happened if George Bush had made the same comments back in the 2000 campaign. Think the MSM would have given him the same pass? Nope. They would have dogged him until it actually became a campaign issue and Leno would have gathered a week's worth of material out of it.

But what about the future? Can we can look forward to more Obamisms in coming months? As the Golden Boy himself would say, "Yes we can."

Obama courts the envy vote: promises CEO tax hike

2008-05-09T11:11:00.015-04:00

In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer yesterday, Barack Obama promised to stick-it to evil Corporate America by raising "CEO Taxes" when he becomes President:

“If you’re a CEO in this country you’ll probably pay more taxes,” Obama said. Obama speculated his CEO tax rates “won’t be prohibitively high, you’ll pay roughly what you did in the 90’s when they were doing fine.”

Obama also said he would eliminate the Bush tax cuts and install what he called a “middle class tax cut.”

Blitzer asked Obama to define “middle class.”

Obama replied, “You know, I think the definitions are always a little bit rough” and said “if you’re making $100,000 a year or less, then you’re pretty solidly middle class…On the other hand, if you’re making more than $100,000 and certainly if you’re making more than $200,000 or $250,000, you’re doing pretty well.”

"Solidly middle class"? Says who? Apparently for Obama and liberals like him, it's all about digits. $99,999 puts you in the middle. One more dollar and you're a heartless corporate FATCAT -- or at least you get invited to their cocktail parties. Either way, you clearly have more than you need and it's time to give some of that excess wealth to those we have determined to be the less fortunate -- that poor Joe who is struggling to make ends meet on a meager $50,000. Curiously enough, the less fortunate in this country still seem to have managed to scrounge up enough pennies on their paltry income for a satellite dish and a 42" HDTV. But, as Obama and his ilk will gladly point out -- they don't own a private yacht like the average CEO does -- and that's just not fair.

In truth, it's all relative. A person living in a hut in a third world country would view even the lower class in America as "well off" -- and would probably wonder why some of them don't work a little harder given the freedom and opportunities they have. The middle class would look absolutely fabulously stinking rich in their eyes. Two cars? Electricity? Plumbing? Life is sure good over there.

So where do liberals like Obama get their numbers? Nowhere. They are purely arbitrary and are based on emotion rather than any solid data. $100,000 "sounds" rich to a person making $36,000. But even someone making $36,000 a year can still have a decent quality of life provided they manage their money. Conversely, there are people making $250,000 who are barely living within their means. It's all a state of mind.

But Obama's philosophy is nothing new. It's the typical liberal strategy -- divide people into classes, pit the lower against the higher, and then position yourself as the hero who will charge in and make things right. Obama has merely tweaked it a little by giving the enemy a face -- the face of Bob Nardelli, Michael Eisner or any other of a growing list of famous CEO's who have become notorious for their apparent greed and excess. By adding this extra emotional layer Obama hopes to garner that "solid" middle-class vote.

If you're happy and you know it...

2008-05-08T13:05:00.008-04:00

This is something I've always suspected. Very interesting story from FOXNews about liberals, conservatives and happiness:

Individuals with conservative ideologies are happier than liberal-leaners, and new research pinpoints the reason: Conservatives rationalize social and economic inequalities.

Regardless of marital status, income or church attendance, right-wing individuals reported greater life satisfaction and well-being than left-wingers, the new study found.

Conservatives also scored highest on measures of rationalization, which gauge a person's tendency to justify, or explain away, inequalities.

Couldn't have said it better.

If your beliefs don't justify gaps in status, you could be left frustrated and disheartened, according to the researchers, Jaime Napier and John Jost of New York University. They conducted both a U.S.-centric survey and a more internationally focused one to arrive at the findings.

"Our research suggests that inequality takes a greater psychological toll on liberals than on conservatives," the researchers write in the June issue of the journal Psychological Science, "apparently because liberals lack ideological rationalizations that would help them frame inequality in a positive (or at least neutral) light."

Bingo. But these are just the results of one study, right? Not quite...

The results support and further explain a Pew Research Center survey from 2006, in which 47 percent of conservative Republicans in the U.S. described themselves as "very happy," while only 28 percent of liberal Democrats indicated such cheer.

Not a bit surprising from what I have observed over the years. I've met only a couple of liberals in my lifetime who I would say are pleasant, calm, rational people. The rest , by and large, I have found to be bitter, cynical, sarcastic, unhappy folks who absolutely live to be offended. They actively seek inequality and injustice so that they can further confirm to themselves that the deck is stacked against them. Now that I think of it, they're not a lot unlike those cavemen we see in those GEICO commercials. Constantly offended. If you're reading this and are one of the "happy" few who are both happy AND liberal, then congrats. You are a rarity.

That is why Obama's campaign has done so well with his promise of "change". Change to what? Liberals don't know or care. They just know that they are unhappy, are sure that Bush has something to do with it, and will not rest until their valiant knight comes galloping in to make things right. Not able to find happiness in front of their eyes, they embrace any candidate who peddles the all-magical "change" -- even if they have no idea what that change will be.

So what about us conservatives? Aren't we always angry? Nope. Don't we always rant and rave in blogs or talk radio? Sometimes. But we're not chronically angry people. We leave it on the desk when we go home. We have the ability to enjoy life outside of politics and enjoy the company of others in social situations regardless of their beliefs. Basically, anger is not a way of life for us and -- here's a deep dark secret -- even when we are ranting and raving we are actually having a lot more fun than you may realize.

But don't us conservatives get mad or unhappy at things going on around us? Sure we do. It's just that we have a better ability to put things in perspective and get on with our lives. We don't believe that our happiness or quality of life depends upon government. We don't rest our hopes and dreams upon who takes office in 2008. We don't take every bit of unsavory news as evidence that the world is going down in flames. We don't lug our anger around like an albatross and -- most importantly -- we don't look outside of ourselves for our own happiness.

And therein lies the heart of the matter -- only YOU have the ability to make yourself happy. No person, place or thing can do it. No politician, political party, musician, activist, artist sage or guru can ever bring it to you. Infinitely wiser folks than I have recognized that happiness comes from within.

So why then do "happy" conservatives like myself become active in politics? Because liberals are becoming too powerful in society. We recognize the happiness that we inherently enjoy may someday be snuffed out as our freedoms become increasingly scarce due to social conditioning, consumer activism, political correctness and this unending quest to "level the playing field" (translation: if that guy next to you is miserable then YOU have to be miserable too). We recognize it and we do our part in speaking out against it so that our children will enjoy the same freedoms we had.

And in speaking out we offer an alternative: find your own happiness. The Founding Fathers called it a "pursuit" and it is this RIGHT to that pursuit of happiness that truly makes us all equal.

That's the truth as I know it and I am HAPPY to report it to you.

"What are you smiling at?"

We now know who the Democratic Nominee Will Be...

2008-05-07T11:41:00.005-04:00

Tim Russert has pretty much pronounced Hillary Clinton's campaign dead, describing it as "very much like being on life support. Once they start removing the systems, you really have no choice".

Paging Dr. Kevorkian...

Also, Drudge reports:

CONGRESSIONAL SOURCE: Hillary having trouble finding superdelegates who will meet with her... 'No one wants to see her today'..."

Not looking too good.

But if her campaign's prognosis is terminal, apparently Hillary hasn't yet made it through the denial stage. After all, she has loaned herself 6.4 million in the past month and there are rumors of more to come. And today, Clinton is meeting supporters in West Virginia vowing to keep fighting.

Can't blame the ol' gal. After all, her husband was hailed as the comeback kid a few years back. But she just doesn't possess the slick factor of Billy Boy and moreover she can't play the saxophone. Without another constructive outlet for all her hot air, her campaign has now begun the dying process.

A word of advice to her campaign staffers... keep a good distance over the next few days. She's a really good aim with dishware.

Bach in action

2008-05-05T15:22:00.006-04:00

Yawwwwwwwn. That was one heck of a hibernation.

Obviously, a lot has happened since my last post. I will not attempt here to summarize or recap the last three years. This is a just post to say I'm back -- for whatever a rabbit in a baroque wig being back is worth.

As for why I have been absent for so long, I guess the phrase others might use would be life took over. Problem is I hate that weenie phrase. Its a cop-out used by people who give up on their dreams too early. Life never really takes over. We just don't know how to organize our time. You can make time for anything if you have a passion for it. So here I am and that's that.

I'll be updating the rest of the site (in case you were wondering why I still have "Katrina" links). Be looking for more posts soon. It's good to be Bach.

Now we're talking

2005-10-31T09:34:00.000-05:00

The President has named Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. to be his new SCOTUS nominee. In addition to the fact that he serves on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Alito already has two other things in his favor:

Harry Reid doesn't like him.
His nickname is "Scalito" due to the fact that his philosophy closely mirrors that of Justice Antonin Scalia

Reid has already threatened a filibuster. And that brings us more good news:

But Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, fired back Sunday, saying that if the Democrats staged a filibuster against Judge Alito or Judge Luttig because of their conservatism, "the filibuster will not stand."

Mr. Graham's warning was significant because he played a crucial role earlier this year in helping block a Republican effort to change the Senate rules - known as the nuclear option - so that Democrats could not filibuster judicial nominees. His comments on Sunday indicated that this time, he would support that rule change;

Now that's more like it. Bye bye, Gang of 14 ... hello spine...

I am beginning to realize that Harriet Miers is the best thing that has happened to Republicans in a long time. Her nomination has fired up the party's base and united them in a way that few other things could have. As a result conservatives have reaffirmed their core principles and demanded that the people they put in office start adhering to them.

Now here's a question: If Bush had nominated Alito instead of Miers a few weeks ago, would Graham have even been hinting at the nuclear option the way he is today? My guess is no. As a result of Miers, the base has stood up and made their message clear: "We want a hard-line conservative, and we'll accept nothing less than confirmation".

In spite of all the reports of an imminent melt-down, this turn of events has only served to strengthen the Right. So much so that it almost makes me wonder if our President was crazy like a fox when he nominated Miers.

Technorati Tags: Harriet Miers, Supreme Court, SCOTUS, Alito, Lindsey Graham,Harry Reid,nuclear option

Death to infidels! Now here's your balloon

2005-10-28T08:56:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it can be an interesting exercise to visit other countries and explore their cultures. Let's see what is happening in Iran today:

Ramita Navai, Tehran Correspondent for The Times, was among thousands on the streets of the Iranian capital for annual anti-Israel rallies, at which the President continued his inflammatory rhetoric.

"It's a bit like a family day out, but with cursory outbreaks of flag burning. There are picnics, street-vendors and people selling balloons... there's a kind of carnival atmosphere.

"But I walked past one stand where people were writing messages on a flag to send to Palestine. There was a girl there, she can't have been older than 5, and she had just signed her name below a message reading 'Death to Israel, death to America.'

Those whacky kids! I have a feeling the U.N. will soon issue a resolution condemning this behavior. That should put an end to all these shenanigans.

On the spot in Tehran: 'A family day-out ... with flag-burning'

Contain yourselves, people

2005-10-28T08:11:00.000-04:00

It's indictment day! It's indictment day! Libs had been hoping for a triple witching Friday with charges being brought against Rove, Libby, and Cheney but if reports are to be believed (and we're talking about the New York Times and AP here so who knows) it looks as if it will only be Libby today:

WASHINGTON -- White House officials Friday morning braced for the possibility that Vice President Dick Cheney's top aide, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, would be indicted in the CIA leak case, but held out hope presidential confidant Karl Rove might escape charges for the time being.

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald signaled Thursday he might simply keep Rove under investigation, according to a person familiar with recent developments in the case who requested anonymity because of its sensitivity. That would spare Rove bad news Friday when the grand jury that has heard the case for two years is set to expire.

Speculation flew across Washington early Friday about who, if anyone, would be indicted regarding the exposure of covert CIA officer Valerie http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifPlame. At the White House, Cheney arrived at 6:25 a.m., more than an hour earlier than usual. His chief of staff, Libby, was seen leaving home about 6:15 a.m., his normal commuting time.

According to a New York Times report, lawyers in the case said they expected Libby to be indicted on Friday, charged with making false statements to the grand jury.

Hmmm... sounds familiar. It appears that Scooter is about to get "Martha'd".

***update - 4:04 pm: Scooter got nailed. Rove didn't. The journalists were not happy which made for a quite humorous press conference.

It's a gas... tax

2005-10-27T13:09:00.000-04:00

One thing liberal lawmakers don't want the public to know when they fight for mandates that force evil corporations to spend their money a certain way is that the little guy always ultimately ends up footing the bill. It's their backdoor way of increasing taxes while at the same time giving the government even more power over the private sector. Our latest example comes from Hillary Clinton as she toys with the idea of making oil companies use their "amazing" profits to fund clean energy research:

2008 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said yesterday that she backs a plan to hike gasoline taxes through the roof.

Speaking to a group of alternative energy investors in Washington, D.C., Clinton proposed to sock oil companies with $20 billion in new fees that would be used to fund research on clean energy - driving up costs for oil producers that they would inevitably pass along to consumers.

The top Democrat said her goal is to get "oil companies that have experienced these amazing profits either to reinvest them in our energy future to reduce our dependence on oil or to contribute to a strategic energy fund that will provide incentives for companies and consumers who want to be part of an energy solution."

Mrs. Clinton's whopping tax hike proposal comes just as prices at the pump are beginning to decline from records highs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which caused a bump in energy inflation that experts warned could tip the economy into recession.

Mrs. Clinton insisted that her $20 billion fee plan was "not about new energy taxes on consumers" - but she declined to say how oil companies would absorb the additional costs without charging consumers.

Funny how they always decline to elaborate on those little details. This is a classic Democratic strategy. Pass a bill that "sticks it" to big business, bask in the heroic glow as your constituents shower you with praise, blame the other side when those same constituents come to you later wondering why their wallets have gotten even lighter.

UN-paralleled corruption

2005-10-27T12:41:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are interested in a real scandal, here is a link to a pdf of the newly released report by Paul Volcker on his investigation of the U.N. "Oil for Food" debacle. Warning: it is a huge file and at some 600 pages, it's not exactly light reading.

In case you don't have that kind of time, here is a summarized version:

Miers is out

2005-10-27T09:04:00.000-04:00

The controversial Supreme Court nominee has had all she can take:

Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to be a Supreme Court justice Thursday in the face of stiff opposition and mounting criticism about her qualifications.

President Bush said he reluctantly accepted her decision to withdraw, after weeks of insisting that he did not want her to step down. He blamed her withdrawal on calls in the Senate for the release of internal White House documents that the administration has insisted were protected by executive privilege.

"It is clear that senators would not be satisfied until they gained access to internal documents concerning advice provided during her tenure at the White House _ disclosures that would undermine a president's ability to receive candid counsel," Bush said. "Harriet Miers' decision demonstrates her deep respect for this essential aspect of the constitutional separation of powers _ and confirms my deep respect and admiration for her."

Miers' surprise withdrawal stunned Washington on a day when the capital was awaiting news on another front _ the possible indictment of senior White House aides in the CIA leak case.

Miers told the president she was withdrawing at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. In her letter dated Thursday, Miers said she was concerned that the confirmation process "would create a burden for the White House and our staff that is not in the best interest of the country."

She noted that members of the Senate had indicated their intention to seek documents about her service in the White House in order to judge whether to support her nomination to the Supreme Court. "I have been informed repeatedly that in lieu of records, I would be expected to testify about my service in the White House to demonstrate my experience and judicial philosophy," she wrote.

"While I believe that my lengthy career provides sufficient evidence for consideration of my nomination, I am convinced the efforts to obtain Executive Branch materials and information will continue."

This is embarrassing for the administration but if the the buzz around Capitol hill was to be believed, it would have been even more embarrassing for the hearings to have been allowed to proceed. I feel a little sorry for her but let's face it... the woman was about to get eaten alive by the Senate.

The big loser in this? C-Span. This spectacle would have resulted in the best ratings they have had in years.

Just in time for Halloween

2005-10-26T16:09:00.000-04:00

USA Today has been caught giving the evil eye to Condi... literally. Check out this original unaltered AP photo of our Secretary of State below:

And now look at the version that appeared on USA Today's website on 10/19 to accompany an article about Ms. Rice:

Those who suspect blatant photo manipulation say "eye".

FromThePen.com, who originally broke the story, had this to say:

You guessed it. The USA Today version on the right was deliberately altered to make Condi Rice look more menacing. Notice how the whites of the eyes are highlighted to make her BLACK eyes look BLACKER and HATEFUL. The doctored photo is here on USA Today's site (they'll probably take it down with some heat). You have to look overseas here to see an unbiased version. Under the heat of protest, will USA Today apologize? Or, don't they care about racism when directed at "house Niggas" like Condi? Rathergate, OJgate, now Condigate! What will the MSM think of next?

{shudder} Does anyone remember that old Joe Walsh video for his song, "The Confessor"?

Technorati Tags: Condoleezza Rice, Condi, USA Today, photo, eyes

Oh, the anticipation...

2005-10-26T10:29:00.000-04:00

In addition to the "milestone" in Iraq, more wonderful news may arrive on the libs' doorstep today. This must be like Christmas morning for them (with "Rock-em, Sock-em Robots" under the tree):

CIA leak probe has Washington waiting: Grand jury could act as soon as today

*** Update (4:00 pm): Blitzen blew a hoof... no visit from Santa today:

WASHINGTON Oct 26, 2005 — The federal grand jury investigating the leak of a CIA officer's identity met for three hours Wednesday with Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald and adjourned for the day without announcing any action.

Celebration time for the left

2005-10-26T09:32:00.000-04:00

Fire up those bongs, libs. Your long awaited day is here:

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The American military death toll in the Iraq war reached 2,000 Tuesday with the announcements of three more deaths, including an Army sergeant who died of wounds at a military hospital in Texas and a Marine and a sailor killed last week in fighting west of Baghdad.

The 2,000 mark was reached amid growing doubts among the American public about the Iraq conflict, launched in March 2003 to destroy Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction. None was ever found.

On the other hand, the bravery and persistence of our soldiers have freed millions of people from a bloodthirsty dictator and given them their own constitution. As for WMD's -- we were acting on intelligence that dated well back into the previous administration. For a little refresher course, let's revisit a speech in December of 1998 where then president Bill Clinton explained his decision to attack Iraq {begin dreamy flashback music}:

Good evening.

Earlier today, I ordered America's armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces. Their mission is to attack Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors.

Their purpose is to protect the national interest of the United States, and indeed the interests of people throughout the Middle East and around the world.

Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons.

What intelligence was he acting on? Obviously the same intelligence that inspired some of Bubba's friends to make the following statements:

"We must stop Saddam from ever again jeopardizing the stability and security of his neighbors with weapons of mass destruction."
- Madeline Albright, Feb 1, 1998

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983."
- Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998

"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."
Letter to President Clinton.
- (D) Senators Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, others, Oct. 9, 1998

"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998

"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies."
- Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999

All this hypocrisy calls for a little perspective. Fortunately we have some in the words of Lt. Col. Steve Boylan:

In an e-mail statement to Baghdad-based journalists, command spokesman Lt. Col. Steve Boylan said media attention on the 2,000 figure was misguided and "set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives."

He described the grim statistic as an "artificial mark on the wall" and urged news organizations to focus more on the accomplishments of the U.S. military mission in Iraq.

For example, Iraqi officials announced Tuesday that voters had approved a new constitution in the Oct. 15 referendum, laying the foundation for constitutional, democratic Iraqi government after decades of Saddam's tyranny.

"I ask that when you report on the events, take a moment to think about the effects on the families and those serving in Iraq," Boylan wrote. "The 2,000 service members killed in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is not a milestone."

Boylan said the 2,000th service member to die in Iraq "is just as important as the first that died and will be just as important as the last to die in this war against terrorism and to ensure freedom for a people who have not known freedom in over two generations."

He complained that the true milestones of the war were "rarely covered or discussed," including the troops who had volunteered to serve, the families of those that have been deployed for a year or more, and the Iraqis who have sought at great risk to restore normalcy to their country.

"Celebrate the daily milestones, the accomplishments they have secured and look to the future of a free and democratic Iraq and to the day that all of our troops return home to the heroes welcome they deserve," Boylan wrote.

To those serving in Iraq -- thank you for your sacrifice and all that you have accomplished. There are a lot more people over here that appreciate what you are doing than you are led to believe by the weenies on the left and in the press.

Now play nice

2005-10-26T09:16:00.000-04:00

Recent remarks by peace-loving Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad show us once again why you should never try to appease your enemies. I think it's time for the Israeli air force to pay another friendly visit to Iran's nuke reactors:

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's hard-line president called for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and said a new wave of Palestinian attacks will destroy the Jewish state, state-run media reported Wednesday.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also denounced attempts to recognize Israel or normalize relations with it.

"There is no doubt that the new wave (of attacks) in Palestine will wipe off this stigma (Israel) from the face of the Islamic world," Ahmadinejad told students Wednesday during a Tehran conference called "The World without Zionism."

"Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury, any (Islamic leader) who recognizes the Zionist regime means he is acknowledging the surrender and defeat of the Islamic world," Ahmadinejad said.

Ahmadinejad also repeated the words of the founder of Iran's Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who called for the destruction of Israel.

"As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map," said Ahmadinejad, who came to power in August.

"It was just a day like any other day."

2005-10-25T10:14:00.000-04:00

Civil rights hero Rosa Parks has died in her sleep:

Rosa Parks is dead at age 92

Could it actually happen?

2005-10-25T09:27:00.000-04:00

Whenever Hillary Rodham Clinton is asked whether she'll run in the next presidential race, she usually will giggle like a schoolgirl and deny having ever entertained such a silly old thought. But according to many analysts, the senator already has a sharp eye on 2008:

(CNSNews.com) - Even though Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) has more than a year left in her re-election campaign, she is "already focused" on 2008 and a campaign to become the first female president of the United States, political analysts say.

Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, told Cybercast News Service that "there's no way in the world she couldn't be thinking about" running for the White House "because everybody else is thinking about her doing it."

Referring to a survey conducted by the Institute in early October, Carroll said Clinton can look beyond 2006 since she currently holds a 2-to-1 advantage over her likely GOP opponent, Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro, in next year's election.

According to that poll, 64 percent of New York State voters said Clinton deserves to be re-elected, including 32 percent of Republicans.

Carroll also noted that "a lot of people in New York and nationwide think she ought to run and probably will run for president."

And what about Bill's role?

Meanwhile, Carroll said that the senator has an even more important resource to help her win the White House.

"I think that she's married to probably the smartest politician in America, and I expect she'll get a lot of very good advice from former President Bill Clinton," he said.

Slick is the word, not smart. There's little that Bubba could tell his wife that would actually help her because she doesn't possess that same "Eddie Haskel" kind of charm. Still, her chances look frightentingly good if early reports are to be believed (and that's a big if).

A new beginning

2005-10-25T09:21:00.000-04:00

After a hard fought battle, the Iraqi people now officially have their own constitution. Thank you George W. Bush:

Iraq's Constitution is Adopted

Must have been some other guy

2005-10-19T10:24:00.000-04:00

Saddam Hussein pleaded innocent today on the first day of his trial for the murder if 150 Shiites:

The first session of the trial lasted about three hours, and the judge ordered an adjournment until Nov. 28.

Saddam and his seven co-defendants could face the death penalty if convicted for the 1982 massacre of nearly 150 Shiites in the town of Dujail. They are being tried in the former headquarters of Saddam's Baath Party.

After presiding judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin, a Kurd, read the defendants their rights and the charges against them — which also include forced expulsions and illegal imprisonment — he asked each for their plea. He started with the 68-year-old ousted dictator, saying "Mr. Saddam, go ahead. Are you guilty or innocent?"

Saddam replied quietly, "I said what I said. I am not guilty," referring to his arguments earlier in the session.

Amin read out the plea, "Innocent."

The confrontation then became physical. When a break was called, Saddam stood, smiling, and asked to step of the room. When two guards tried to grab his arms to escort him out, he angrily shook them off.

They tried to grab him again, and Saddam struggled to free himself. Saddam and the guards shoved each other and yelled for about a minute.

It ended with Saddam getting his way, and he was allowed to walk independently, with the two guards behind him, out of the room for the break.

No report expected in Plame case

2005-10-19T10:07:00.000-04:00

The mainstream media and leftists everywhere have been salivating over the possibility of imminent indictments in the Valerie Plame CIA leak investigation. A story from today's New York Times should bring their anticipation to a feverish peak:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 - The special counsel in the C.I.A. leak case has told associates he has no plans to issue a final report about the results of the investigation, heightening the expectation that he intends to bring indictments, lawyers in the case and law enforcement officials said yesterday.

The prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, is not expected to take any action in the case this week, government officials said. A spokesman for Mr. Fitzgerald, Randall Samborn, declined to comment.

A final report had long been considered an option for Mr. Fitzgerald if he decided not to accuse anyone of wrongdoing, although Justice Department officials have been dubious about his legal authority to issue such a report.

By signaling that he had no plans to issue the grand jury's findings in such detail, Mr. Fitzgerald appeared to narrow his options either to indictments or closing his investigation with no public disclosure of his findings, a choice that would set off a political firestorm.

While we weren't looking

2005-10-19T09:33:00.000-04:00

Wilma has turned into a category five hurricane literally overnight... and what's more it is now the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic. Current tracking information has it hitting the Florida panhandle by Saturday. Says Bryan Woods from StormTrack:

I thought I had seen everything this hurricane season, but I was wrong. WOW! ... Between 5:00pm EDT and 5:00am EDT Wilma's pressure dropped from 970 mb to 884 mb and her winds increased from 80 mph to 175 mph. This rate of strengthening in incredible. A strengthening of 86 mb in 12 hours is absolutely amazing. Even a 1 mb/hr strengthening is quick. We saw a strengthening of 7.2 mb/hr. Wilma has a very small eye that is fluctuating between 2 nm and 4 nm across. Since then the winds have stayed the same and the pressure has dropped at a little bit more to 882 mb.

Wilma is currently the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic. Yes, ever. To give you some points of reference: Katrina reached 902 mb, Rita bottomed out at 897 mb, and both Mitch and Camille measured 905 mb. Even this estimate of Wilma could be conservative.

I don't see how Wilma could get much stronger (it already is the strongest hurricane ever recorded). This is the first time on record that three Category 5 hurricanes formed in the same year. Previously both 1960 and 1961 had two Category 5 hurricanes. In a single year we have now seen the 1st, 4th, and 6th strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic.

Those of you in Southern Florida should begin planning now. Please be prepared for a hurricane landfall as early as Saturday. Wilma is very serious storm. Wilma clearly has her sights set on passing through the Yucatan Channel and heading directly at Southern Florida. This is no longer a joking matter. We have yet another catastrophic hurricane at hand.

Technorati Tags: hurricane, Wilma, Florida

It's about time

2005-10-19T09:19:00.000-04:00

The President is finally addressing one of the biggest problems our country faces today:

President Bush said yesterday that his goal is eventually to expel "every single" illegal alien from the United States as his administration pressed Congress to pass a guest-worker program.
Although conceding that the administration cannot immediately deport the estimated 11 million illegal aliens who are here, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao told Congress that a temporary-worker program would give aliens an incentive to come out of hiding and let them work legally for six years before being forced to return home.
As Mr. Bush signed the homeland security spending bill yesterday, he said Congress should couple a guest-worker plan with increased border security.
"We're going to get control of our borders," he said during the signing ceremony in the East Room. "Our goal is clear -- to return every single illegal entrant, with no exceptions."

Bush vows to oust 'every single' illegal

Technorati Tags: illegal aliens, guest-worker program, border security

Sunni complaints lead to investigation

2005-10-18T12:46:00.000-04:00

Some Sunni groups are disputing the recent voting results on the Iraq constitution. Now Iraq's Electoral Commission has decided to look into the matter:

Iraq's election commission announced Monday that officials were investigating "unusually high" numbers of "yes" votes in about a dozen provinces during Iraq's landmark referendum on a new constitution, raising questions about irregularities in the balloting.

Word of the review came as Sunni Arab leaders repeated accusations of fraud after initial reports from the provinces suggested the constitution had passed. Among the Sunni allegations are that police took ballot boxes from heavily "no" districts, and that some "yes" areas had more votes than registered voters.

The Electoral Commission made no mention of fraud, and an official with knowledge of the election process cautioned that it was too early to say whether the unusual numbers were incorrect or if they would affect the outcome.

These developments may be troubling to some but I look at it with great encouragement. Just the fact that voting results can be freely questioned in that country shows how dramatically things have changed in the last two years. Try to imagine anyone in Iraq disputing Saddam Hussein's sweeping victory in 2002 when he claimed to get 100% of the vote. It would have meant a guaranteed appointment with the paper shredder.

Technorati Tags: Iraq, constitution, referendum, Sunnis

New Orleans nursing home deaths probed

2005-10-18T12:14:00.000-04:00

Some disturbing allegations are coming out of Louisiana regarding the deaths of 215 hospital and nursing home patients during the Katrina evacuation:

Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti and several national and international media outlets are investigating the deaths – some say killings – of patients at New Orleans hospitals and health care facilities during the evacuation of that city in advance of Hurricane Katrina in late August.

Charges aired last week on CNN claim that some New Orleans patients may have been euthanized – purposely killed -- during the Katrina evacuation.

These charges have sparked a wide ranging investigation by Louisiana's attorney general into the fate of critically ill patients who were left behind during the chaotic prelude and aftermath of the storm.

As reported in USA Today, the state investigation is part of a "monumental" probe into an estimated 215 deaths at nursing homes and hospitals across the area, according to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams also featured a report Monday night on the expanded probe into the hospital deaths.

On August 31, Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans was surrounded by 10 feet of flood water without either electricity or plumbing, the hospital's CEO Rene Goux told CNN back on September 9.

"We had about 160 seriously ill, bed-ridden patients left inside," Goux told the cable news network.

Those patients, suffering from cancer and heart conditions, were so sick that one doctor alleges staffers discussed euthanizing them with injected drugs in an act of so-called "mercy killing" for the infirm. This doctor said he saw another doctor holding syringes, supposedly with the intent to follow-up on the idea of euthanasia.

Dr. Bryant King, a medical doctor at Memorial who had worked there for a month, told CNN one medical staffer spoke to him directly about this possibility.

"She said, ‘Well, you know, we talked about it, and this other doctor said she'd be willing to, she would be willing to do it.' And I was like, ‘You're crazy!'"

These are the fruits of the "culture of death" thinking that has become so popular in recent years. When someone else's life becomes a burden to others, simply eliminate the problem. Didn't they try this in Germany a while back?

Technorati Tags: Katrina, New Orleans, nursing homes, euthanasia

Help from home

2005-10-18T11:34:00.000-04:00

In the latest effort by President Bush to stem the criticism over Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, some of her former judicial colleagues from Texas have been asked to come to her defense:

WASHINGTON - The White House on Monday called in a posse of six former Texas Supreme Court justices to counter some of the criticism being leveled at embattled Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers.

The two Democrats and four Republicans, each of whom either worked directly with Miers or knows her professionally, met with President Bush and later spoke with reporters in the White House driveway, touting the nominee's qualifications and temperament.

"She analyzes issues, she gets her facts lined up, and she always does the right thing for the right reasons," said former Chief Justice John Hill Jr., a Houston Democrat who worked with Miers at the Texas Lottery Commission and later at Locke, Liddell & Sapp.

This doesn't hearten me much. A democrat's definition of "the right thing" often leaves a lot to be desired.

Bush's nomination of Miers two weeks ago kicked up a storm of dissent among conservatives, with many questioning whether Miers, who has never been a judge, was qualified for the Supreme Court and claiming that her selection looked like cronyism.

Concerned that criticism of Miers could harm her prospects for confirmation in the Senate, administration officials are intensifying efforts to highlight her qualifications, starting with the former Texas justices.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Republican and former Harris County state district judge appointed by Bush to the Texas Supreme Court in 1995, said he worked with Miers on constitutional law issues while she was White House counsel.

"I was dealing with a lawyer of top-notch legal ability who was able to quickly grasp the nuances of very challenging constitutional issues," Abbott said.

The word "nuances" always makes me uneasy when used in reference to the Constitution. It is often thrown about by elitists and those of "higher intellect" in an attempt to see things in the document that aren't actually there. The language in the Constitution is a fairly concise and straight-forward despite what some would have us believe.

Nothing that has been said here has done anything to sway me either way on Miers. At this point I'm not bowled over by the President's choice but much remains to be seen.

Technorati Tags: Harriet Miers, Supreme Court, SCOTUS, Texas Supreme Court

Patently Patriotic Post of the Week (10/17/05)

2005-10-17T23:31:00.000-04:00

Attack Submarines - SSN

Description
Attack submarine, designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships.

Background
The concept of technical superiority over numerical superiority was and still is the driving force in American submarine development. A number of Third World countries are acquiring modern state-of-the-art non-nuclear submarines. Countering this threat is the primary mission of U.S. nuclear attack submarines.

Their other missions range from intelligence collection and special forces delivery to anti-ship and strike warfare. The Navy began construction of Seawolf class submarines in 1989. Seawolf is designed to be exceptionally quiet, fast well-armed with advanced sensors. It is a multi-mission vessel, capable of deploying to forward ocean areas to search out and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships and to fire missiles in support of other forces.

The first of the class, Seawolf (SSN 21), completed its initial sea trials in July 1996. Attack submarines also carry the Tomahawk cruise missile. Tomahawk launches from attack submarines were successfully conducted during Operation Desert Storm.

In late 1998, the contract was let for building the first of the New Attack Submarine. This class, the Virginia-class fully embraces the new strategic concept in ... From the Sea and Forward... From the Sea. It is the first U.S. submarine to be designed for battlespace dominance across a broad spectrum of regional and littoral missions as well as open-ocean, 'blue water' missions. The Virginia-class achieves the right balance of core military capabilities and affordability.

The Benjamin Franklin-class were converted from Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines and carry drydeck shelters. They are equipped for special operations and support SEALs. The former missile spaces have been converted to accommodations, storage, and recreation spaces.

From United States Navy Fact File

Another historic day in Iraq

2005-10-15T13:04:00.000-04:00

The much anticipated violence did not materialize on Saturday as Iraqis came out in force to vote on their new constitution. What an amazing time for these people:

The national referendum on Iraq's new constitution has drawn to a close after a day of apparently strong voter turnout and little violence.

Long lines of voters were reported across much of the country's 18 provinces as the nation's Shi'ite, Kurdish, Sunni Arab and other communities used the ballot boxes to voice their opinion of the proposed new national charter.

Voters were asked the single question: "Do you approve the draft constitution of Iraq?" to which they answered either "yes" or "no."

Tens of thousands of Iraqi security forces and police, as well as U.S.-led coalition troops, provided protection for the country's more than 15 million eligible voters as international and local monitors looked on. There were only a few isolated reports of violence.

A simple majority of voters is needed to pass the constitution. But it could fail if two-thirds of voters in at least three provinces reject it.

Final results are expected in about three days.

You be careful out there!

2005-10-14T14:51:00.000-04:00

Now this is entertainment, folks. Just moments before the Today Show was to air a segment on the "staged" video conversation between President Bush and a group of soldiers in Iraq, the network got caught doing a little staging of it's own. Mark Finkelstein of NewsBusters has the story:

Today's timing couldn't have been worse. A preceding segment focused on the incessant rains and ensuing flooding in the northeast. For days now, beautiful, blonde - and one senses highly ambitious - young reporter Michelle Kosinski has been on the scene for Today in New Jersey, working the story. In an apparent effort to draw attention to herself, in yesterday's segment she turned up in hip waders, standing thigh-deep in the flood waters.

Taking her act one step further, this morning she appeared on a suburban street . . . paddling a canoe. There was one small problem. Just as the segment came on the air, two men waded in front of Kosinki . . . and the water barely covered their shoe tops! That's right, Kosinski's canoe was in no more than four to six inches of water!

To add to her embarrassment (and probably to save a little face themselves), hosts Katie Couric and Matt Lauer couldn't resist ribbing the reporter over her "shallow" stunt:

Matt: "Are these holy men, perhaps walking on top of the water?"

"Gee, is your oar hitting ground, Michelle?" inquired Katie, as she and Matt dissolved into laughter.

Absolutely classic!

Technorati Tags: Today Show, Michelle Kosinski, canoe, New Jersey

The spin starts here

2005-10-14T12:43:00.000-04:00

Cybercast News Service has an eye-opening article today which takes a look the overwhelmingly negative coverage of the Iraq War by the evening network news broadcasts:

Network reporters are giving the public an inordinately gloomy portrait of the war while downplaying the positive accomplishments of U.S. soldiers and Iraq's new democratic leaders, the Media Research Center (MRC) reported. (The MRC, the parent organization of Cybercast News Service, documents liberal bias in the media.)

The conclusions in the report, which was released Thursday, are based on a survey of broadcast network news coverage of the Iraq war so far this year. MRC analysts reviewed all 1,388 Iraq stories broadcast on ABC's "World News Tonight," the "CBS Evening News" and "NBC Nightly News" from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30.

Among MRC's findings:

-- Network coverage has been overwhelmingly pessimistic. More than half of all stories (848, or 61 percent) focused on negative topics or presented a pessimistic analysis of the situation, four times as many as featured U.S. or Iraqi achievements or offered an optimistic assessment (just 211 stories, or 15 percent).

-- News about the war has grown increasingly negative. In January and February, about one-fifth of all network stories (21 percent) struck a hopeful note, while just over half presented a negative slant on the situation.

By August and September, positive stories had fallen to seven percent and the percentage of bad news stories swelled to 73 percent of all Iraq news, a ten-to-one disparity.

-- Terrorist attacks are the centerpiece of TV's war news. Two out of every five network evening news stories (564) featured car bombings, assassinations, kidnappings or other attacks launched by the terrorists against the Iraqi people or coalition forces, more than any other topic.

-- Even coverage of the Iraqi political process has been negative. More stories (124) focused on shortcomings in Iraq's political process -- the danger of bloodshed during the January elections, political infighting among politicians and fears that the new Iraqi constitution might spur more civil strife -- than found optimism in the Iraqi people's historic march to democracy (92 stories).

One-third of those optimistic stories (32) appeared on just two nights: January 30 and 31, just after Iraq's first successful elections.

-- Few stories focused on the heroism or generous actions of American soldiers. Just eight stories recounted episodes of heroism or valor by U.S. troops, and another nine stories featured instances when soldiers reached out to help the Iraqi people. In contrast, 79 stories focused on allegations of combat mistakes or outright misconduct on the part of U.S. military personnel.

-- It's not as if there was no "good news" to report. NBC's cameras found a bullish stock market and a hiring boom in Baghdad's business district, ABC showcased the coalition's successful effort to bring peace to a Baghdad thoroughfare once branded "Death Street," and CBS documented how the one-time battleground of Sadr City is now quiet and citizens are beginning to benefit from improved public services.

Gotcha!

2005-10-14T11:30:00.000-04:00

U.S. and Iraqi forces pulled one over on the terrorists yesterday:

BAQOUBA, Iraq -- Joint Iraqi and U.S. security forces foiled an attempt by terrorists to ambush a truck delivering ballots to the nearby city of Muqtadiya yesterday, one in a series of attacks ahead of tomorrow's vote on a permanent constitution.
A decoy convoy -- disguised to look like it was carrying ballots from the Iraqi Electoral Commission and heavily armed with Iraqi forces -- drew fire from terrorists hiding in a palm grove outside of Baqouba at midday.
Unknown to the enemy, three ordinary pickup trucks carrying the real ballots already were delivering the precious cargo to the city of Muqtadiya, an hour's drive away.
Thirty Iraqi soldiers, accompanied by a reporter-photographer for The Washington Times, were assigned to the dummy convoy. It was an all-Iraqi operation. No U.S. soldiers were present.
The Iraqis were ready for a fight.
"By the name of Allah, the most merciful," said Iraqi army Lt. Hayder, who, like other Iraqi soldiers, goes only by one name to protect his family from being targeted by terrorists.
"This mission is dangerous. Any civilian car moving between our cars should be seen as a threat," Lt. Hayder said before the mission got under way.
The attack began with the bone-jarring explosion of a roadside bomb followed by a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades and rifle fire.
Within seconds, Iraqi soldiers responded with a wall of automatic-weapons fire. The terrorists ran.

Beautiful!

Later, U.S. Kiowa helicopters arrived to escort the convoy to Muqtadiya.
Back at Forward Operating Base Normandy in Muqtadiya, which U.S. Army Task Force 1-30 shares with an Iraqi unit nicknamed "Tiger Battalion." Lt. Col. Roger Cloutier reflected on the day's events.
"These [Iraqi soldiers] are ordinary guys that rose to the occasion. In their lifetime, they have never experienced freedom, and now they're defending it with their lives," said Col. Cloutier, commander of the task force.

Liberation will do that to a person. And just who is it that gave the Iraqi people that freedom... hmmmmm... let me see... Bill Clinton? No.... the U.N.? No... hmmmm... I'll have to keep pondering this...

Condi 2008?

2005-10-13T11:41:00.000-04:00

National Review Online in their Q&A section talked to Dick Morris about his new book Condi vs. Hillary : The Next Great Presidential Race. According to Morris, Ms. Rice is the only candidate the Republicans could throw out there in 2008 that would stand a chance against Hillary. In, fact, Morris says, Condi would beat her handily. Why?

Because she would take away a third to a half of the black vote and would stop Hillary from gaining among white women. White men are a given. They will vote against Hillary by 2-1 as they voted against Gore and against Kerry. But blacks and white women are the moving pieces of this electoral puzzle.

Morris is not always right 100% of the time but he has a brilliant mind and is always interesting to listen to. Full interview here.

Frist's turn

2005-10-13T11:17:00.000-04:00

The SEC wants to determine what Bill Frist knew and when he knew it in regard to his selling if HCA stock shortly before the company issued a profit warning. Today we learn that he has been subpoenaed for records related to the sale:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has been subpoenaed to turn over personal records in an investigation into possible insider trading, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.

The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the subpoena within the past two weeks, the newspaper reported, citing sources familiar with the probe.

A spokesman for Frist, a Tennessee Republican, was not immediately available for comment.

Frist aides previously said he had been contacted by regulators but did not mention that he had received a formal request for documents, The Washington Post said.

Authorities are looking into Frist's recent sale of shares of hospital operator HCA Inc., co-founded by Frist's father and brother. The sales took place just days before HCA's stock price fell on a disappointing July 13 profit outlook.

The newspaper, citing sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Frist was expected to testify under oath about what he knew about HCA's financial standing in the weeks before the stock sales.

Frist, viewed widely as a potential 2008 presidential candidate, said last month he had no inside information about the coming profit forecast when he began taking steps in April that led to the stock sale, which was completed on July 8.

Strange happenings in Syria

2005-10-13T10:57:00.000-04:00

A month after being questioned by U.N. investigators over the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister, Syria's interior minister Ghazi Kanaan has been found dead:

JIDDA, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 12 - Ghazi Kanaan, Syria's powerful interior minister and the Syrian government's key man in Lebanon for two decades, was found dead, apparently a suicide, in his Damascus office on Wednesday, the official Syrian news agency SANA reported.

The death of Mr. Kanaan, who was head of military intelligence in Lebanon until 2002, added an ominous twist to the continuing United Nations investigation into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister, Rafik Hariri.

Mr. Kanaan, 63, was one of several figures interrogated by a United Nations investigator last month about the killing of Mr. Hariri and 21 others in Beirut in February, deaths that many Lebanese, as well as members of the Bush administration, believe was the work of Syrian officials. A preliminary report of the investigation is due out this month.

Kanaan's last words were somewhat chilling:

"I want to make clear that our relation with our brothers in Lebanon was based on love and mutual respect," he said, his voice cracking at times. "We have served Lebanon's interest with honor and honesty."

Then, just before concluding, he added tersely, "I think this is the last statement I will give."

The narrow gate

2005-10-12T14:21:00.000-04:00

James Dobson made some revealing comments today about his recent conversation with Karl Rove on how the list of Supreme Court nominees had been narrowed:

(CNSNews.com) - Focus on the Family Chairman James Dobson said Wednesday President Bush had decided to nominate a woman to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, which shortened the list and then several candidates dropped out. Dobson revealed details of his conversation with White House adviser Karl Rove prior to the announcement of the Harriet Miers nomination. "What Karl told me is that some of those individuals took themselves off that list and they would not allow their names to be considered, because the process has become so vicious and so vitriolic and so bitter that they didn't want to subject themselves or the members of their families to it," Dobson said, according to the transcript.

This Jim Huber cartoon sums up my official take on the Miers nomination:

Technorati Tags: Harriet Miers, Supreme Court, SCOTUS, James Dobson

None dare call it terrorism

2005-10-12T13:00:00.000-04:00

Michelle Malkin has penned a great column today which takes a look at the almost non-existent coverage of the recent OU bombing in light of a litany of other "non-terrorist" happenings over the years. She points out what seems to be a troubling pattern of cover-up and shoddy reporting:

Oct. 12 marks the fifth anniversary of the bombing of the USS Cole. Seventeen American sailors were murdered in the attack. They were casualties of a war with radical Islamic terror that America hadn't yet declared and which the mainstream media still refuses to acknowledge today.

Too many of us were blind in 2000 -- unable or unwilling or simply too uninterested to connect such blood-stained dots as al Qaeda's 1993 World Trade Center bombing attack, the 1996 Khobar Tower bombings, the 1998 African embassy bombings, and the attack on the Cole. After Sept. 11, 2001, all of our eyes should have been pried wide open to the evils of Muslim extremism that exist among us in both organized and freelance form.

The watchdogs in the national press, however, insist on clouding our vision.

Since 9/11, I've reported on the media's reluctance to highlight the convicted Washington, D.C.-area snipers' Islamist proclivities and journalists' refusal to call Egyptian gunman Hesham Hadayet's acts of murder at the Israeli airline counter at Los Angeles International Airport on July 4, 2002, "terrorism."

Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes noted how quickly the media sought to whitewash the bloody bus-hijacking by Croatian illegal alien Damir Igric a month after 9/11. Although the incident "echoed similar attacks by Palestinians on Israeli buses," Pipes observed, the "media attributed the violence to post-traumatic stress syndrome."

National Guardsman Ryan Anderson (a.k.a. Amir Talhah), a Muslim convert who allegedly attempted to pass sensitive military information to al Qaeda over the Internet, rated barely a blip on the media radar screen.

Similarly, press accounts have downplayed the disruption of terrorist cells on American soil: The Lackawanna Six were just nice Muslim boys led astray. The Virginia Jihad Network was just a group of weekend paintball enthusiasts. Those indicted imams in Lodi, Calif., are just misunderstood "moderates." Terror suspects deported on immigration charges are just victims of discrimination.

We had forgotten about a lot of these, hadn't we? Malkin then turns to the subject of the OU bombing and after briefly recounting the facts behind that case, she brings us a telling letter she recieved from OU student journalist Rachael Kahne:

"I've been working on this story since the night it happened, and have been stonewalled at every turn. . . . Minutes after the explosion, police busted into a student's apartment and arrested four Muslim students who were there for a small gathering (the president of the Muslim Student Association assures me this was in no way a "party"). Among those arrested [and later released] was Fazal Cheema, Joel Henry Hinrichs' Pakistani roommate. I was baffled when I heard this. I didn't know how police would be able to identify who Hinrichs was, where he lived, who his roommate was, and then find where his roommate was in a matter of minutes. Something isn't adding up, and I've been wracking my brain for the past week trying to figure out what happened here. OU isn't saying anything more than the typical PR spin, and the FBI won't talk."

Interesting observations from someone who was fairly close to the action.

Mark Davis of the Dallas Morning News also published a column expressing his bewilderment over the lack of coverage. Like Malkin he suspects political correctness to be a primary culprit:

As for the terrorist angle, Mr. Hinrichs is now the subject of understandably intense scrutiny, virtually none of it from the mainstream media. You might think the story fizzled because there was, in fact, no death beyond the bomber. True enough, but I'd suggest that if a raid revealed some radical plan to bomb an abortion clinic anywhere in America, the suspects would be household names by nightfall without a single fuse lit.

Something about the nature of this event has swallowed almost whole the normal curiosity one would expect from the usual sources.

Is it political, because acknowledging a terror threat on our soil might bolster President Bush's war logic? Is it economic, out of fear of scaring people away from football games? Is it geographic snobbery because it didn't happen on either coast? Or is it a PC fear of seeming to lunge toward a jihadist angle?

Probably all of the above. But hopefully with pundits like Davis and Malkin continuing to beat the drum, this story will not be allowed to whither on the vine like so many have in times past.

Technorati Tags: Oklahoma University, University of Oklahoma, suicide, Hinrichs, bombing, explosion, Michelle Malkin, Mark Davis

Be careful what you ask for

2005-10-12T12:05:00.000-04:00

Those who are comparing the Iraq War to Vietnam and are calling for the immediate return of our troops will be comforted to know they have an important ally -- al Qaeda's number two man Ayman al-Zawahri:

WASHINGTON --In a letter to his top deputy in Iraq, al-Qaida's No. 2 leader said the United States "ran and left their agents" in Vietnam and the jihadists must have a plan ready to fill the void if the Americans suddenly leave Iraq.

"Things may develop faster than we imagine," Ayman al-Zawahri wrote in a letter to his top deputy in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. "The aftermath of the collapse of American power in Vietnam -- and how they ran and left their agents -- is noteworthy. ... We must be ready starting now."

Senior U.S. military commanders have said that Iraqi security forces are improving significantly and some U.S. forces could return home early next year. Yet skeptics have raised concerns about whether such statements simply let the insurgency know how long they must wait for the U.S. to leave.

In a letter taking up 13 typed pages in its English translation, al-Zawahri also recommended a four-stage expansion of the war that would take the fighting to neighboring Muslim countries.

"It has always been my belief that the victory of Islam will never take place until a Muslim state is established ... in the heart of the Islamic world," al-Zawahri wrote.

The letter laid out his long-term plan: expel the Americans from Iraq, establish an Islamic authority and take the war to Iraq's secular neighbors, including Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

The final stage, al-Zawahri wrote, would be a clash with Israel, which he said was established to challenge "any new Islamic entity."

Whether a fragmented al Qaeda still has the means to carry out these lofty goals is unknown. But this letter underscores the importance of our mission in Iraq and how crucial it is for us to stay the course. We can't afford to cut and run and if we do the whole world will face the repercussions.

Al-Qaida No. 2: U.S. 'ran' from Vietnam

Technorati Tags: al Qaeda, Iraq, al-Zawahri

Putting Earle on the hotseat

2005-10-12T10:35:00.000-04:00

In the past, Travis County D.A. Ronnie Earle has proudly procalimed his "mission from God" to bring down evil and corruption in high places. But the more we learn about his case against Tom DeLay, the more it appears that he is not above employing some unorthodox methods himself to get what he wants. Now DeLay's legal team has decided to take the fight to the enemy's turf:

Indicted Rep. Tom DeLay's defense team tried Tuesday to serve Texas prosecutor Ronnie Earle with a subpoena, but Earle refused to accept it, DeLay lawyer Dick DeGuerin said.

Alleging misconduct with grand jurors, the defense team wants to compel Earle to explain his behavior.

A state campaign finance investigation conducted by Earle led to DeLay's indictment on conspiracy and money laundering charges. DeLay, R-Texas, was obligated by House Republican rules to temporarily step aside as House majority leader.

DeGuerin said acceptance of the subpoena was voluntary Tuesday because it had not been stamped by a court official, but added the defense team would go through the court procedure Wednesday and redeliver it. He said Earle, district attorney for Travis County, would then be obligated to accept the subpoena, but could file a motion to have it dismissed.

The defense lawyer, who is trying to get the indictments dismissed, said an assistant district attorney also refused to accept her subpoena, but a second assistant accepted the subpoena delivered to him. Acceptance simply involves signing a paper acknowledging delivery.

The subpoenas asked that the prosecutor and the two assistants appear in court or submit to a deposition in which the defense lawyers would question them.

DeGuerin also asked that grand jurors be released from their secrecy oath so they could answer questions about the prosecutor's conduct.

Earle's office said in a written statement, "Because of laws protecting grand jury secrecy, there are limitations to what we can say at this time, but we fully expect to prevail in this matter."

DeGuerin wants Earle to answer 12 questions about conversations he had with grand jurors, including whether the prosecutor became angry when a grand jury decided against an indictment of DeLay and why that decision was not publicly released.

He also wants to know the details of Earle's conversation with William Gibson, foreman of a grand jury that indicted DeLay on conspiracy charges, whose term has since ended.

"If you did nothing improper, you should not be concerned about answering these questions," DeGuerin said in his letter to Earle.

I love that last line. The article goes on to provide the details of a defense motion filed last week alleging that Earle had manipulated and abused the grand jury process in his attempts to get more indictments:

In a motion filed last week, the defense team said that from Sept. 29 through Oct. 3, Earle and his staff "unlawfully participated in grand jury deliberations and attempted to browbeat and coerce" the grand jury that refused to indict DeLay.

The motion said Earle then attempted to cover up and delay public disclosure of the refusal, and also "incited" the foreman of the first grand jury to violate grand jury secrecy by talking publicly about the case _ in an effort to influence grand jurors still sitting.

The foreman, William Gibson, gave media interviews after the grand jury finished its work but told The Associated Press that Earle did not ask him to discuss the case.

"That's a bunch of (expletive) there," Gibson said. "That man did not talk to me."

He said Earle advised him and other grand jurors to keep an open mind as they considered evidence and cautioned them, "What goes on behind closed doors is secret."

The lawyers said Earle then spoke about the case with members of the first grand jury, whose work was finished, to get their opinion of what they might have done if they had known their conspiracy indictment was flawed _ as defense attorneys alleged.

So Earle is pretty much admitting here that he had a turkey on his hands with indictment # 1.

Earle then submitted the grand jury opinions to the third grand jury to persuade it to hand down the money laundering indictment, the defense team contended.

The indictments against DeLay triggered a House Republican rule that forced him to step aside _ at least temporarily _ from his post as majority leader.

Both indictments of DeLay focused on an alleged scheme to move money around and conceal the use of corporate contributions to support Texas Republican legislative candidates. State law prohibits use of corporate donations to support or oppose state candidates, allowing the money to go only for administrative expenses.

DeGuerin is asking for all documents, notes, telephone records and other relevant materials from Earle's staff.

"I am determined to put on record the steps taken by you and your staff to obtain a replacement indictment against my client, Tom DeLay," DeGuerin said in a letter to the prosecutor.

There does seem to be a zeal on the part of the prosecutor to bag his trophy by whatever means possible. The fact is, what DeLay is accused of doing goes on all across Capital Hill on both sides of the aisle. That doesn't make it right but it does cast suspicion on Earle's motivation for focusing on the most powerful Republican in Congress.

Technorati Tags: Tom DeLay, Ronnie Earle, subpoena, indictment

Has the terror mastermind come to a crushing end?

2005-10-11T20:33:00.000-04:00

As horrible as last weekend's earhquake in Pakistan was, there is speculation that some good may come out of the story:

WASHINGTON --Did Osama bin Laden's secret lair crumble in the earthquake that devastated northwest Pakistan? So far, U.S. government officials and terrorism experts caution against too much speculation about whether the al-Qaida chief may have been killed, injured or forced from hiding.

"There's a lot of people who know that that's an obvious question" was the most Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita would say Tuesday about U.S. thinking on bin Laden's fate.

Federal officials who track terrorism for a living said there's no evidence yet to suggest that bin Laden or his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, was injured or killed in the quake.

Yet the quake has caused many in and out of government to ask, "What if?"

Quake prompts questions on bin Laden

At long last

2005-10-11T20:21:00.000-04:00

It looks as if there has finally been a breakthrough in the struggle over the Iraqi constitution:

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 11 - Iraqi political leaders said they had agreed to an important last-minute change in the draft constitution this evening in exchange for a promise by some prominent Sunni Arab leaders to publicly support the document in the nationwide referendum on Saturday.

The change would create a panel in the next parliament with the power to propose broad new revisions to the constitution. In effect, the change could give the Sunnis - who were largely shut out of the constitution-writing process - a new chance to help redraft the document after the December elections.

The agreement was a major victory for American officials, who have spent weeks urging Iraq's Shiite and Kurdish leaders to make changes that could soften Sunni opposition to the charter and forge a broader consensus. The Americans had voiced fears that if the constitution passed over strong Sunni opposition, more would lose faith in the political process and turn toward violence.

Iraqi Leaders Reach Last-Minute Deal on Charter Revision

Getting "funny" down to a science

2005-10-11T20:09:00.000-04:00

Nothing like a little global warming humor to tweak some noses:

OU bombing update

2005-10-11T19:56:00.000-04:00

CNSNews tells us today that the FBI is denying reports circulating around the internet that OU bomber Joel Henry Hinrichs III may have had terrorist ties:

The head of the FBI investigation of a suicide bombing at an Oklahoma University football game said the investigation has yielded no information tying the bomber to terrorist activities, in spite of Internet reports to the contrary.

Oklahoma University police requested FBI assistance in the investigation due to the nature of the Oct. 1 bombing outside Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, which killed the bomber, student Joel Henry Hinrichs III, but apparently injured no one else.

In the week since the bombing, Internet reports have suggested that Hinrichs, a 21-year old engineering major, had ties to terrorism, including visiting the same Norman, Okla., mosque that Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called "20th hijacker" in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S., attended. Moussaoui never boarded the planes. Instead, he was arrested, pleaded guilty to conspiring with the 19 terrorist hijackers and could eventually face the death penalty.

The Internet-based Northeast Intelligence Network (NIN) reports that "confidential sources" have reported that more bomb-making materials and "jihad materials" were found in Hinrichs' university apartment and that there is a "money trail" between Hinrichs and a radical Islamist terror cell in Norman.

Norman Police have confirmed that Hinrichs was briefly investigated days before the bombing when he tried to purchase ammonium nitrate fertilizer. Ammonium nitrate is the same chemical used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and killed 168 people.

NIN Director Douglas Hagmann declined to comment on the identity of his sources, but told Cybercast News Service that he knows "who the confidential sources are and we have faith in them because of their proximity to the investigation."

He added that his group has "verified many of their statements through other channels." Hagmann said the sources approached his group but are less willing to talk after internal pressure has threatened those who leak information to the press.

News reports have said the material used in Hinrichs' bomb is known as triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and is the same material used in the July train bombings in London. It is also the same chemical used by Richard Reid in his foiled shoe-bombing attempt in 2001. Jihadists refer to the volatile chemical as "Mother of Satan."

Most of the above information is not new to those following this story. But this gets a little more interesting as we hear more from the head FBI agent:

FBI agent Gary Johnson, who is heading the investigation from the bureau's Oklahoma City office, declined to confirm or deny that TATP was used in the bombing or was found in the subsequent search of Hinrichs' apartment.

The search lasted at least 24 hours but no information has been released concerning what investigators actually discovered -- Hagmann's confidential sources report finding TATP and "jihad materials" on his computer - because the search warrant was sealed by the Department of Justice.

When asked if NIN's reports are consistent with the FBI investigation, Johnson said, "No," then added, Well okay the stuff that's found in his apartment, I can't comment on [be]cause it's part of a search warrant that's sealed.

That's a pretty revealing "no-comment" as it seems to suggest that something of interest was found in Hinrichs' apartment. What they actually discovered might not all jibe with what NIN is reporting but at the same time we can be pretty certain that whatever they carried out of there was interesting enough for the FBI to have the warrant sealed.

Technorati Tags: Oklahoma University, suicide, Hinrichs, bombing, explosion

Sound solution

2005-10-11T12:24:00.000-04:00

WorldNetDaily details an economical plan for erecting a fence along the U.S./Mexican border. Works for me:

As discussion of erecting a security fence along U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada heats up, some analysts say it's possible Washington could economically erect thousands of miles of barrier to keep out illegal aliens, smugglers and terrorists, for about half of what the Pentagon is spending a month to fight the war on terror.

The idea, they say, is to erect a structure similar to barrier walls built along highways to reduce sound. They are sturdy, tall, not easily scaled and, most attractively, affordable.

Plus, analysts say, a wall would dramatically reduce outside threats.

Highway sound barriers as border fences?

Never enough

2005-10-11T12:07:00.000-04:00

What would a deadly disaster be without the inevitable "Blame Bush" story? The Independent has taken the lead this time:

West's response condemned as slow and inadequate

NYT mum on Miller

2005-10-11T11:21:00.000-04:00

The Editor and Publisher questions why Judith Miller has received such meager coverage from her own newspaper since the reporter was released from jail:

NEW YORK In the 11 days since Judith Miller left jail after agreeing to testify before a federal grand jury about her sources, many of the facts in the case have yet to come out. But one thing is clear: Her newspaper, The New York Times, has had very little to say about her role in the Plame/CIA leak case, and has been regularly scooped by other papers on the latest twists in her involvement.

The newspaper promised a full accounting by now, but then put it off after Miller was told she had to chat with the federal prosecutor again, on Tuesday. Executive Editor Bill Keller was quoted in an online Business Week article Monday suggesting that the complexities of the situation put the paper in the "uncomfortable" position of not being able to share important information Miller knows.

I'm not sure what is meant here by "chat with the federal prosecutor" but from my understanding of the grand jury process, there is nothing stopping Miller from disclosing to the public what was said during her testimony. Only the jurors themselves are bound to secrecy.

Comments from the editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer seem to back this up:

"What bothers me is that they have been quiet about it since she got out of jail, not sharing with the readers anything," says Doug Clifton, editor of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland. "Once she was out, they owed it to readers to share what she testified. She ought to have shared with readers what she shared with the grand jury."

Miller to Talk to Prosecutor Again Tuesday, As Some Editors Question 'NY Times' Coverage of Her Case

Technorati Tags: Judith Miller, NYT, New York Times, Plame

Retroactive Ronnie

2005-10-11T10:04:00.000-04:00

The Houston Chronicle has taken an in-depth look at the Texas law that Travis County D.A. Ronnie Earle used for his indictment against Tom DeLay on conspiracy charges. The bill was first introduced by Rep. Steve Wolens as a means of combating voter fraud -- more specifically the practice of sending campaign workers to nursing homes to "help" them mark their ballots. The broad language of the bill -- making conspiracy to violate state election laws into a felony -- enabled Earle to get his first indictment against the congressman.

But there is one little problem... the activity in question had occurred in 2002 and yet the law didn't take effect until late 2003. How this could have escaped Earle's notice is a mystery. But the prosecutor's mad scramble to secure more indictments at the last hour seems to indicate that his blunder had finally begun to sink in:

Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle may have become aware of potential problems with the original indictment shortly after it was returned Sept. 28, the last day of the grand jury's term.

On Sept. 30, he presented different charges to another grand jury, which issued a no-bill.

On Oct. 3, a newly sworn grand jury indicted DeLay and two associates on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to launder money.

Not the mark of a man who has his ducks in a row.

Article link:

A look at a law being used against DeLay

Technorati Tags: Tom DeLay, Ronnie Earle, Steve Wolens, indictment

The Eye looks into the Hinrichs story

2005-10-10T19:27:00.000-04:00

Vaughn Ververs of CBS News's self-appointed internal "watchblog" Public Eye has a new post which poses the question that has been asked by Michelle Malkin and many others in the blogosphere over the past several days: Why is the MSM not covering the Oct. 2 bombing in Oklahoma?

Many, Malkin included, have wondered where the MSM is on this story. As the Oklahoma Daily editorial notes, local television has covered it and a quick Google search turns up (sometimes conflicting) reports in local and regional newspapers but no major media outlets appear to have picked up the story yet. We asked CBS News national editor Bill Felling, who told us the network is looking into the story. Let’s hope so, it’s one worth airing, whatever the facts are.

I'm not sure what more they need to be "looking into" as there are already enough confirmed facts to make for a pretty intriguing story. Perhaps CBS is digging deeper in order to put together a killer report. Or perhaps, as I suspect, they are providing a pat answer to appease those who are pressing for action (kind of like when the company IT guy says "I'm right on it"). But either way it seems to me that they could just report what is known so far and continue to follow it as more information becomes available. That shouldn't be a novel concept for a news organization.

Technorati Tags: University of Oklahoma, suicide, Hinrichs, bombing, explosion

How Clinton caved on Khobar

2005-10-10T16:01:00.000-04:00

One of the more controversial passages in the new book by former FBI director Louis Freeh details the former President's "confrontation" with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah in 1998 over the bombing of the Khobar Towers. According to Freeh, Clinton not only soft-pedaled the issue, he actually expressed sympathy for Saudi Arabia's position and then proceeded to ask for a donation to his future Presidential Library. NewsMax is now reporting that two more sources are validating the claims that Clinton sidestepped the Khobar issue, noting the President's pre-occupation with the Monica Lewinsky scandal:

According to two sources close to former Saudi ambassador Prince Bandar bin Sultan, ex-president Bill Clinton was on the verge of tears over legal woes brought on by the Monica Lewinsky scandal during a Sept. 1998 meeting with Crown Prince Adbullah - and spent almost no time discussing the Khobar Towers bombing case.

The Saudi account backs claims by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who told CBS's "60 Minutes" last night that Clinton failed to press Abdullah during the meeting for cooperation in the Khobar case.

Interviewed by the New Yorker in May 2001, two Saudi officials noted that Prince Bandar was present during the meeting. And Bandar's version, according to those same Saudi sources, contradicts the claim by former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger that his old boss vigorously pursued Khobar during the meeting.

"Clinton, by many accounts, was almost crying," the New Yorker said, based on interviews with the Saudis.

Bandar "remembered the crown prince consoling Clinton about his legal troubles. At one point, the crown prince, who was wearing a black robe, said to Clinton, 'All those who attack you and are making such a big issue out of this' - the Lewinsky affair - 'should be like the lint on my robes. One should just throw them off.'"

Addullah promised Clinton that he would "talk to people on the Hill and tell them they should respect the Presidency and not wipe the floor with it" over the Lewinsky case.

The Saudi sources said that while Clinton did eventually mention Khobar, "It was along the line of 'Would you be kind enough to continue cooperation?' "

Abdullah was stunned that Clinton had demonstrated so little interest about a bombing that had killed 19 U.S. airmen.

Bandar had warned him to expect some "very important questions" about Khobar, but Clinton had not raised them.

"What's going on?" the bewildered Saudi leader asked his U.S. ambassador.

The effect of this meeting, Bandar's associates told the New Yorker, "was to persuade the crown prince that the [Khobar] case was no longer of great importance to the United States."

This rings true of a President who always put his own legacy above all other issues. Lewinsky was what was hurting him at the time, so that took top priority in his mind. Terrorism, on the other hand, was an issue that Clinton skirted whenever possible due to fear that a serious military offensive might bring down his poll numbers. He knew that bin Laden was was getting bolder but instead of acting he chose to ride out the last few years of his presidency with his fingers crossed hoping that the much anticipated "super attack" would not take place under his watch.

Technorati Tags: Louis Freeh, FBI, Bill Clinton, Khobar Towers, Abdullah

Situation in Pakistan looking worse

2005-10-10T12:12:00.000-04:00

The death toll has now reached the tens of thousands in what is being called the worst earthquake ever to hit Pakistan:

Quake toll soars above 30,000

Big changes in Germany... maybe

2005-10-10T11:17:00.000-04:00

After a long and exhausting battle, conservative leader Angela Merkel will soon take the helm in Germany... but the victory didn't come without a price:

A deal to resolve an inconclusive national election in Germany calls for Angela Merkel to succeed Gerhard Schröder as chancellor.

The agreement will end Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's seven years at the helm of the government; but it appeared to give his Social Democratic Party a majority of cabinet posts, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The deal ends weeks of deadlock and will finally lead to formal coalition talks between the two parties, the outcome of which will determine how fast and how far reforms will take place in Germany over coming years.

Merkel's union of Christian Democrats and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union won the most votes and, narrowly, the most seats in the Bundestag, or Parliament, in the Sept. 18 election that left both camps without a governing majority.

Details of which cabinet posts would go to which party were still being finalized early today, but officials said the Social Democrats were poised to get eight out of 14 ministries, including three of the most influential briefs: the foreign ministry, the finance ministry and the labor ministry.

Merkel's conservatives were likely to get the economy, interior and defense ministries.

Here are some of the reforms that had been proposed by Merkel:

She promised during the campaign to shake up Germany's welfare state, strip down its bureaucracy and repair relations with Washington, strained by Schroeder's vocal opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

I like it. However, it's going to be extremely diffucult to implement these changes with her party having to share power. Look at the U.S., for example. The Republican party over here is having a bear of a time sharing power with Democrats and what makes it all the more maddening is that they don't even HAVE to!

Technorati Tags: Merkel, Germany, Schröder

Patently Patriotic Post of the Week (10/10/05)

2005-10-10T10:57:00.000-04:00

Columbus Day honors Christopher Columbus' first voyage to America in 1492. Columbus Day became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1971. It is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Before 1971, a number of states celebrated Columbus Day on October 12. Cities and organizations sponsor parades and banquets on Columbus Day.

The first Columbus Day celebration was held in 1792, when New York City celebrated the 300th anniversary of the landing. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison called upon the people of the United States to celebrate Columbus Day on the 400th anniversary of the event. Columbus Day has been celebrated annually since 1920.

Although the land Columbus reached was not named after him, many monuments honor him. The Republic of Colombia in South America and the District of Columbia in the United States bear his name. So do towns, rivers, streets, and public buildings. The name Columbia has also been used as a poetic personification of the United States . The Columbus Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., contains about 350,000 volumes on the American republics.

Excerpt from the World Book Encyclopedia

Plot thickens in Hinrichs story

2005-10-08T16:53:00.000-04:00

Mark Tapscott from Townhall.com has an interesting column today on the mysterious case of Joel Henry Hinrichs III. In addition to questioning why the Justice Department would want to seal the search warrant used to get into the OU student's apartment, he also makes note of some details many of us might not have been aware of:

So there is no surprise that the more officials with the FBI and the Joint Task Force on Terrorism deny Hinrichs had any terrorist ties, the more holes appear in the “lone bomber” scenario first hastily offered by OU President David Boren. Boren is a former U.S. senator who chaired the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence when he retired from government in 1994.

Start with the actual holes made in the bark of a tree near the bench where Hinrichs was sitting when he died. The holes appear to have been made by ball bearings or perhaps nails, the very objects typically used by Middle Eastern terrorists bombers to inflict the most widespread possible damage, injury and death.

Here’s another hole: Hinrichs registered his car in Oklahoma in June of this year, but only for nine months ending in February 2006. The June registration could be explained by his going to summer school, but the February expiration date would fall in the early weeks of what would have been his spring semester at OU. Did he know months ago that he would not be around by the time February rolled around next year?

Speaking of his car, federal investigators gave it the once-over but then left it in the parking lot of the apartment complex where Hinrichs lived with three or four Muslim students. By the way, the Muslim Students Association office is across the street from the apartment complex, as is the mosque attended by alleged 9/11 “20th hijacker” Zacarias Moussaoui while he was attending a local flight school.

Not only did investigators not impound Hinrichs’ car, they also left out in plain sight on the vehicle’s front seat the Justice Department inventory of things they found in it, including 13 plastic bottles.

The bottles weren’t described, nor did the inventory indicate whether any of them had anything in them. However, plastic bottles are often associated with bomb makers who find the containers suitable for transporting volatile chemical explosives.

An article from Friday's Investor's Business Daily questions the MSM's apathy towards this story:

So far, the big media have laid off Hinrichs' death. Apparently the fact that he was on a park bench just 100 yards from more than 84,000 fans when the bomb attached to his body exploded wasn't enough to stir their curiosity. Nor was the fact that death by detonation, not to mention a blast strong enough to be heard four miles away, isn't exactly a common method of suicide, which is how the incident was first categorized.

It took local media to learn that authorities found bomb-making material in Hinrichs' apartment. And as far as we can tell, there's been no mention on network news of Hinrichs' attempt to buy ammonium nitrate a few days before his death. Ammonium nitrate was the main component of the explosion that blew up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168.

It also took local media to learn that a stadium guard said a "guy had sprinted off" earlier outside the stadium's Gate 6 after refusing to let security search his backpack. A backpack was found near Hinrichs' body.

Local media also pointed out that the explosive that killed Hinrichs — triacetone triperoxide — is the same one that shoe bomber Richard Reid used. Made from commonplace ingredients, the substance was also used by the London tube bombers.

There's also at least one report, unconfirmed and doubted by O.U.'s Muslim Student Association president, that Hinrichs, whose Pakistani roommate attended a local mosque, had converted to Islam. Meanwhile, local TV is claiming that Hinrichs was a frequent visitor at the same Islamic mosque that Zacarias Moussaoui, known as the 20th 9-11 hijacker, attended in 2000.

Such coincidences do not a terrorist make. But talk of a conversion, a home stocked with bomb-making supplies, death by explosion and the presence of the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force raise suspicions. Was Hinrichs on a homicide bombing mission when unstable explosives went off at the wrong time?

I think that is a distinct possibility. It is worth noting however that so far we have no evidence from security cameras that Hinrichs tried to get into the stadium nor are there any records that he had bought a ticket to the game.

But would that be proof positive that he didn't intend to harm others? Not necessarily. Any potential suicide bomber would know that he wouldn't have much of a chance of getting through the gates with explosives strapped to his body or in his backpack. However, once the spectators started filing out after the game it would be a very simple matter to mingle into the large crowd and do his deadly deed there. In terms of casualties, the results would be very much the same as if he had been sitting in the stands. So it may be possible that the unstable explosives went off prematurely while Hinrichs was biding his time waiting for the game to end.

Having said all of this, I am aware that lot of what we understand to be the facts of this case may very well turn out to be rumor or conjecture. One needs only to look back at the recent fictitious reports of rapes and murders in the Katrina aftermath to see how information can be exaggerated. But one thing we know to be fact is that we now have a search warrant that has been sealed by the federal government -- something which makes it ever more difficult to believe the official FBI version of last Saturday's events. I have yet to hear a plausible explanation for that move.

Technorati Tags: University of Oklahoma, suicide, Hinrichs, bombing, explosion

Lost in the Amazon

2005-10-08T13:27:00.000-04:00

Washington Post staff writer Howard Kurtz decided to close out his online column Friday morning by quoting excerpts from the first chapter of Mary Mapes' new book which had been posted at Amazon.com. But strangely the link that Kurtz provided in his piece goes nowhere. It has vanished from Amazon... along with the entire book.

From reading the quotes in Kurtz' column -- most of them having to do with the Dan Rather forged-document flap last year in which Mapes had played such an intimate role -- I suspect that pure embarrassment might have been the culprit. Her words are rife with emotion, denial, defensiveness and sour grapes.

Some examples:

--"I was incredulous that the mainstream press -- a group I'd been a part of for nearly twenty-five years and thought I knew -- was falling for the blogs' critiques. I was shocked at the ferocity of the attack. I was terrified at CBS's lack of preparedness in defending us. I was furious at the unrelenting attacks on Dan. And I was helpless to do anything about any of it."

-- “And right now, on the Internet, it appeared everything was falling apart. I had a real physical reaction as I read the angry online accounts. It was something between a panic attack, a heart attack, and a nervous breakdown. My palms were sweaty; I gulped and tried to breathe. . . . The little girl in me wanted to crouch and hide behind the door and cry my eyes out."

--"Faxing changes a document in so many ways, large and small, that analyzing a memo that had been faxed -- -in some cases not once, but twice -- -was virtually impossible. The faxing destroyed the subtle arcs and lines in the letters. The characters bled into each other. The details of how the typed characters failed to line up perfectly inside each word were lost."

--"To these people, there was no such thing as unbiased mainstream reporting, certainly not when it came to criticism of the president, no matter how tepid. To them, there was Fox News and everything else -- and everything else was liberal and unfair."

I have read many of the blogs that covered the forged-documents and can't remember a single instance of outright anger -- at least not the viciousness that Mapes describes. Bemusement and incredulity come to mind, but nothing even approaching ferocity.

I think that the panic Mapes felt was due more to the rushing realization that she had been caught at a game that the MSM had gotten away with for so many years. The bloggers that she is so angry with were actually only doing the job that her colleagues in the media should have been doing -- especially considering the huge potential the Killian memo story had for changing the course of a presidential election.

And let's face it, the memo wasn't hard to debunk. It was as easy as opening Microsoft Word and typing the contents of the "original" document word for word. Not only did the font match but the line breaks fell in exactly the same places. Anybody in the MSM could have done this... but they didn't and that's the point. Call it bias or just plain incompetence... either way they dropped the ball and the Pajamahadeen came along to pick it up.

Technorati Tags: Mary Mapes, Howard Kurtz, Dan Rather, Killian memo, CBS, amazon.com, book

Deadly earthquake in Asia

2005-10-08T12:29:00.000-04:00

From AP:

A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake near the Pakistan-India border Saturday reduced villages to rubble, triggered landslides and flattened an apartment building. More than 1,700 people were killed in both nations, and a Pakistan army spokesman called the devastation "a national tragedy."

In the capitals of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, buildings shook and walls swayed for about a minute, and panicked people ran from their homes and offices. Tremors continued for hours afterward. Communications throughout the region were cut.

About 1,000 people were killed in Pakistani Kashmir, said Sardar Mohammed Anwar, the top government official in the area.
Top Stories

"This is my conservative guess, and the death toll could be much higher," Anwar told Pakistan's Aaj television station.

He said most homes in Muzaffarabad, the area's capital, were damaged, and schools and hospitals had collapsed.

Stealing home

2005-10-07T17:52:00.000-04:00

Here is a prime reason why the current battle for the Supreme Court is so crucial to our nation's future. Seizing the opportunity afforded them by the recent Kelo v. City of New London ruling, the District of Columbia has notified 23 landowners that they are to vacate their property by Dec. 31 to make room for a new stadium for the Washington Nationals... for the "common good":

The District will begin using eminent domain to acquire parcels of land at the site of the Washington Nationals' ballpark by the end of this month, after unsuccessful negotiations with nearly half of the landowners.
City officials said they expect to file court documents to take over at least some of the 21-acre site in the coming weeks and have $97 million set aside to buy the properties and help landowners relocate.
The city made offers to all 23 landowners on the site last month but received no response from 10.
"We think there are some that we'll have good-faith negotiations with," said Steve Green, director of development in the office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. "There are some we haven't heard from at all."
Many property owners on the site said the city's offers are inadequate. Others are suing the city on the grounds that it has no right to use eminent domain to acquire land at the site, despite a Supreme Court ruling affirming the right of municipal governments to take private property for the purpose of economic development.
In April, the city notified property owners on the site that they would be required to move out by Dec. 31.

Earlier this week, plans were announced to relocate 6,000 residents of a predominantly poor Florida community so that a billion dollar yachting and housing complex could be built... again for the "common good":

The coastal community of Rivera Beach in Palm Beach County may use eminent domain, if necessary, to claim 400 acres of land for the project, The Washington Times reported Monday.

"This is a community that's in dire need of jobs, which has a median income of less than $19,000 a year," Mayor Michael Brown said. "If we don't use this power, cities will die."

The U.S. Supreme Court in June upheld the use of eminent domain for economic purposes, ruling against a group of New London, Conn., homeowners fighting a proposed corporate development.

The City Council last week chose a New Jersey-based developer, Viking Inlet Harbor Properties LLC, to oversee the project, which is expected to displace 2,000 houses.

Viking has said it will pay at least the assessed values of homes and businesses it buys.

Dana Berliner, a lawyer who represented the New London homeowners, warned, "Once someone can be replaced, so something more expensive can go where they were, every home and business in the country is subject to taking by someone else."

Exactly right. As Founding Father and Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story once said:

"And it is no less true, that personal security and private property rest entirely upon the wisdom, the stability, and the integrity of the courts of justice."

We are now witnessing the fruits of "the wisdom, the stability, and the integrity" of our High Court. Stay tuned... this is just the beginning.

Technorati Tags: eminent domain, Supreme Court, Washington D.C., SCOTUS, Florida, chief justice

Terror warning for NYC subways

2005-10-06T19:12:00.000-04:00

We had been warned earlier of a possible Ramadan offensive by al Qaeda. Now it looks like we have a "credible" threat in New York:

New York and federal officials said this evening that they had received information about a specific but unconfirmed terrorist threat to the city's transit system and that the police presence in the subways would be heightened in coming days.

"I believe people should live their lives as they always do and have faith in the world's greatest police department," the mayor said.

"This is the first time we have had a threat with this level of specificity," Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said at a televised news conference carried live by the early-evening local news broadcasts.

Bloomberg Cites 'Specific Threat' to N.Y. Subways

A problem of their own making

2005-10-06T10:51:00.000-04:00

The reaction on the right to the Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers has been mixed at best. With so little information available on her, Senate Republicans are making a lot of noise over her inexperience and what they see as a lack of conservative credentials:

WASHINGTON - Unrest among conservatives over President Bush's Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers spread Wednesday even as she sought to assure senators that she was qualified for the job.

Some prominent Republican lawmakers expressed deep reservations about Miers, the White House counsel who has never been a judge.

"Is she qualified by her experience? Is she the most qualified person? Clearly the answer to that is no," said Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., former majority leader of the Senate, which is expected to vote on the nomination.

Lott, interviewed on MSNBC, added, "I just don't automatically salute or take a deep bow anytime a nominee is sent up. I have to find out who these people are. And right now I am not satisfied with what I know. I am not comfortable with the nomination."

Other Republican senators also said they still needed to be convinced that she is a conservative in the mold of Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.

Sounds wonderful. But by allowing all of this "Gang of 14" nonsense, these same Republicans have effectively sabatoged any hopes of getting another Scalia or Thomas on the bench. If they don't like Miers they had better realize that she is the result of their attempts to "get along".

Technorati Tags: Harriet Miers, Supreme Court, SCOTUS, Republicans

Plame indictments likely to come soon

2005-10-06T10:34:00.000-04:00

The Editor and Publisher is reporting that indictments in the Valerie Plame case may come as early as today and that Karl Rove has not been ruled out as one of the lucky parties. Interesting timing...

Indictments in Plame Case Could Come Any Time

Technorati Tags: Valerie Plame, CIA, Karl Rove

The one that got away

2005-10-06T09:19:00.000-04:00

As has been previously reported, Travis County D.A. Ronnie Earle went before three grand juries in his case against Tom DeLay and managed to come away with two indictments. Now we learn from sources familiar with the proceedings that the prosecutor got a little hotheaded with that third grand jury after he didn't get his way:

WASHINGTON --A prosecutor tried to persuade a grand jury that Rep. Tom DeLay tacitly approved illegal use of campaign money and became angry when jurors decided against an indictment, according to two people directly familiar with the proceeding.

"The mood was unpleasant," one person said Wednesday, describing Travis County prosecutor Ronnie Earle's reaction.

The people familiar with the proceeding insisted on anonymity because of grand jury secrecy.

Earle presented evidence to three grand juries. Two of them returned indictments against DeLay, triggering a House Republican rule that forced the Texas Republican to step aside -- at least temporarily -- from his post as majority leader.

Both indictments focused on an alleged scheme to move money around to conceal the use of corporate contributions to support Texas Republican candidates. State law prohibits corporate donations to support or oppose state candidates -- allowing the money to only be used for administrative expenses.

Little was previously known about the grand jury that refused to indict DeLay, who has maintained his innocence and accused Earle -- a Democrat -- of bringing the prosecution to politically damage him. Earle has denied the allegation and pointed out he has indicted far more Democrats than Republicans.

One person said the sole evidence Earle presented to the grand jury that declined to indict was a DeLay interview with the prosecutor in August. DeLay reportedly said he was generally aware of activities of his associates.

The person said Earle tried to convince the jurors that if DeLay "didn't say, 'Stop it,' he gave his tacit approval."

Actually that was pretty lame, Ronnie. Just be happy with what you got.

Earle actually reminds me somewhat of Dan Rather in that he becomes blinded by his own zeal to bring down someone that he just knows is corrupt. For him the man's guilt is a predetermined matter and all that remains is the gathering of evidence... real or imagined.

Technorati Tags: Ronnie Earle, Tom DeLay, grand jury, indictment

Spy discovered in the White House

2005-10-06T09:14:00.000-04:00

ABC News reported yesterday that a U.S. Marine who has been working in the White House over the past several years has been accused of espionage:

Oct. 5, 2005 — Both the FBI and CIA are calling it the first case of espionage in the White House in modern history.

Officials tell ABC News the alleged spy worked undetected at the White House for almost three years. Leandro Aragoncillo, 46, was a U.S. Marine most recently assigned to the staff of Vice President Dick Cheney.

"I don't know of a case where the vetting broke down before and resulted in a spy being in the White House," said Richard Clarke, a former White House advisor who is now an ABC News consultant.

Federal investigators say Aragoncillo, a naturalized citizen from the Philippines, used his top secret clearance to steal classified intelligence documents from White House computers.

In 2000, Aragoncillo worked on the staff of then-Vice President Al Gore. When interviewed by Philippine television, he remarked how valued Philippine employees were at the White House.

"I think what they like most is our integrity and loyalty," Aragoncillo said.

This is not necessarily a new story although it may be the first time we are hearing about the White House angle. But the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism tells us in their blog that Aragoncillo was actually charged in mid-September along with an accomplice named Ray Aquino:

THE U.S. Department of Justice has released the rap sheets filed against Michael Ray Aquino, a former ranking official of the Philippine National Police, and Leandro Aragoncillo, an intelligence analyst of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The two were charged with espionage on two counts, first with conspiring to defraud the U.S. government by disclosing classified information under the following circumstances:

a. On or about January 2, 2005, defendant MICHAEL RAY AQUINO sent a message to a public official in the Philippines about LEANDRO ARAGONCILLO and provided sensitive information furnished by ARAGONCILLO.

b. On or about February 24, 2005, defendant LEANDRO ARAGONCILLO transmitted classified information from a computer in New Jersey to a public official in the Philippines.

c. On or about February 24, 2005, defendant MICHAEL RAY AQUINO transmitted classified information to defendant ARAGONCILLO at a computer in New Jersey.

and second, with knowingly acting in the United States as agents of a foreign government, namely, as agents subject to the direction and control of a foreign official, without prior notification to the Attorney General, as required by law."

Aragoncillo, who is detailed with the Fort Monmouth Information Technology Center, was additionally charged with having knowingly accessed a computer without authorization and exceeding authorized access to sensitive information for reasons of U.S. national defense and foreign relations.

FBI investigation also revealed that Aragoncillo transmitted classified information 17 times via email, phone and SMS (text messages) to Aquino and still unnamed Philippine public officials.

And according to the PCIJ, Aquino has a rather colorful past:

Aquino was a chief inspector of the defunct Presidential Anti-Crime Commission (PACC) headed by then Vice Pres. Joseph Estrada. When the PACC was disbanded to form the now also defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), he was promoted as senior superintendent. During his stint as a PACC agent, Aquino was implicated in five bank robberies and the Kuratong Baleleng rubout case, along with his superior, erstwhile chief superintendent (now senator) Panfilo Lacson, and 32 other police officials. The case was dismissed by a Quezon City trial court judge in 2003.

More to come...

Technorati Tags: spy, White House, Aragoncillo, Philippines

Grand Old Pork

2005-10-05T15:38:00.000-04:00

CNSNews goes in depth today on an issue that may genuinely hurt the GOP's chances of staying in power -- their spending habits.

(CNSNews.com) - Eleven years after Americans routed Democrats at the ballot box over undisciplined spending habits, breaking the party's monopoly on power in Washington, voters may be leaning toward a similar punishment of the Republican Party, with the issue again revolving around the dominant party's spending of taxpayer dollars.

Even some of the GOP's most loyal activist groups are angry and frustrated, complaining about a "spending spree" or a Congress that has gone "whole hog while letting down every hard-working American taxpayer."

A Cybercast News Service analysis of federal spending reveals that non-defense discretionary spending -- which does not include such mandatory items as Social Security and Medicare -- climbed 79 percent between 1994 and 2005. The Clinton administration's $259 billion spent on such items in the fiscal year 1994 budget pales in comparison with the $464 billion in similar expenses by the Bush administration in the fiscal year 2005 budget.

The rate of inflation, meanwhile, as measured by the consumer price index, rose only 33 percent over the same time frame.

Republicans have controlled the U.S. House for all of those 11 years and the Senate for the entire time except for a 17-month stretch in 2001 and 2002. The White House was occupied by Democratic President Bill Clinton for the first six years of the Republican congressional majority, but Republican President George W. Bush has given the GOP a monopoly on power for most of the last five years.

According to a decades-old popular perception, Republicans favor spending on the military or "guns," while Democrats prefer spending on civilian programs or "butter." But Pete Sepp, vice president of communications for the National Taxpayers Union, told Cybercast News Service that the Republican spending philosophy in Congress "can be summed up in two words: guns and butter, with butter getting an even bigger share."

The Republicans are engaged in a "spending spree," according to Sepp, having adopted the practices of the Democratic Congress they ousted in 1994.

The 1994 Republican landslide was fueled by then-U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich's "Contract With America," the 10-point GOP agenda that included a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget. Even though the amendment never passed, the proposal solidified the idea that Republicans were more fiscally prudent.

However, Sepp says Republican leaders no longer feel the same way. "Many Appropriations Committee posts went to senior GOP lawmakers who had spent years playing the compromise game with their Democratic colleagues -- which only perpetuated the 'everyone gets a slice of the pie' mentality."

The change in GOP spending, Sepp added, "had to do with the trappings of incumbency.

"Some Republicans in Congress felt like they had been so deeply frozen out of power that they would do anything to keep it, even though the popular base of support that gave them control of Congress wanted to see real changes in Washington's spending habits," Sepp said.

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), another conservative group that has frequently sided with Republicans, notes on its website that "Congress continues to live in its own unreal world, believing there are no consequences to a steady diet of pork fat.

"Our elected officials have let themselves go whole hog while letting down every hard-working American taxpayer," according to the CAGW web statement.

Like many of us on the right, I consider myself a conservative first and Republican second. If Republicans in congress aren't behaving like conservatives then I agree that it's time for them to go. But shifting the balance of power back to the traditional "tax-n-spend" Democratic party in the hopes that they will grow government at a slower pace is not the answer. Conservative voters simply need to knock out the corrupt incumbents and replace them with some new blood. There are plenty of strong candidates waiting in the wings who would be more than happy to show us how it's done -- Herman Cain of Georgia comes to mind.

We have the power... we just need to exercise it...

Technorati Tags: GOP, Republican Party, spending

Miers' Christianity

2005-10-05T14:45:00.000-04:00

The Washington Times has further confirmed the rumors that Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers is, in fact, a born-again Christian:

Late Sunday night, the Rev. Ron Key and his wife, Kaycia, got a mysterious phone call from longtime friend Harriet Miers.

"She talked with my wife and asked us to pray for her," the 57-year-old Dallas pastor said. "She said, 'You know, I cannot tell you why, but please pray for me.'
"Harriet is like that. She is very careful about doing the right thing. Of course, I did pray for her, and the next morning woke up to find out with the rest of the nation that she had been nominated for the Supreme Court."

While the rest of the country debates the merits of Miss Miers' judicial qualifications, her Christian friends and confidants says she is a solid believer who, like President Bush, had a religious conversion in her 30s.

This was in June 1979. Within a few days of her decision, she was baptized at Valley View Christian Church, a conservative Protestant congregation in north Dallas with 1,200 members. The church is not affiliated with the similarly named Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a liberal mainline denomination.

"The whole basis for becoming a Christian is that you've made mistakes," said Mr. Key, who was pastor of the church at the time. "Obviously, at that time in her life, she became aware of the fact that she needed Jesus, and she committed her life to Him."

But here's the part that won't set well with the libs in the Senate:

Not only did this affect her financially -- "If you see her tax returns, you'll see she gives 15 percent to the church," Justice Hecht said -- but it also transformed her views on issues such as abortion.

"After her conversion, she thought more about things in a serious way. She realized life begins at conception. Taking a life after conception was serious business, and therefore you could not do it without a good reason," the judge said.

It is amazing to think that in today's America the status of being a practicing Christian would be a criteria for excluding someone from serving on the Supreme Court. But nonetheless, these revelations about Miers are certain to become a stumbling block for her confirmation chances, mainly due to that dreaded "A" word. The fact that a person's views on taking a human life when it has been deemed an inconvenience would actually become a litmus test for confirming someone to the High Court is a disturbing testament to our times. Do the Dems really want this for a legacy?

The dirty little secret is that all of us have a value system that is rooted in something and it should have no bearing on whether we are qualified to serve on the bench. A commitment to our Constitution is the only thing that matters.

Technorati Tags: Harriet Miers, Supreme Court, SCOTUS, abortion, Christianity

More on the Oklahoma "suicide"

2005-10-05T10:25:00.000-04:00

The following was posted by falconjet0900 on Free Republic:

This website is a combined website of the Daily Oklahoman newspaper and Channel 9 Television. It will probably require registration to view the video.

Video link: http://newsok.com/video/1633830/

The link is located in the middle of the page and is entitled: "Student Attempted Fertilizer Purchase".

The video is a segment of today's newscast and it will:

Confirm: The bomber had a Pakistani Roommate Confirm: He was seen at a Mosque that is Very close his apartment. Say: Nobody would know where the bomber was for months at a time over the last 2 years. Say: The student attempted a large fertilizer purchase a few days before the bomb went off.

This is a very solid source.

Here is some more background on the attempted fertilizer purchase from Eyewitness News 5:

NORMAN, Okla. -- The general manager of a Norman feed store said Tuesday that Joel Henry Hinrichs III had inquired about purchasing a significant amount of ammonium nitrate, the primary ingredient used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

Dustin Ellison, the general manager of Ellison Feed & Seed on Porter Avenue, said that a man matching Hinrichs' description had come into the store days before he blew himself up on OU's campus. Ellison said the man asked about ammonium nitrate, but couldn't offer a reason why he needed it.

After the bombing, Ellison said he thought nothing of it. However, when he saw Hinrichs' photo, it triggered his memory.

To this point, authorities still suggest Hinrichs' only motive for blowing himself up was suicide. The FBI released a statement Tuesday evening saying that "there is no known link between Hinrichs and any terrorist or extremist organization(s) or activities."

The release also indicated that the FBI believes there is "no known current threat posed by any additional explosive materials."

Ellison noted that his store doesn't carry ammonium nitrate any longer after recent legislation required new paperwork for stores to sell the product.

Yesterday's WorldnetDaily also had an interesting article about about possible "jihad" materials found in Hinrichs' apartment:

An Oklahoma University student who killed himself by detonating a bomb strapped to his body outside a packed stadium over the weekend was a "suicide bomber" in possession of "Islamic jihad" materials, according to a new report.

Joel Henry Hinrichs III, 21, an engineering major at the school blew himself up outside OU's football stadium during Saturday night's game against Kansas State. Doug Hagmann, a seasoned investigator, told WND he was informed by multiple reliable law-enforcement sources familiar with the investigation into the incident that authorities recovered a "significant amount" of "jihad" materials, as well as Hinrichs' computer.

Hagmann also said those same sources indicated police and federal agents "had pulled additional explosives from [Hinrichs'] house," including triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, "homemade explosive [that is] very potent but relatively easily manufactured."

TATP was also used in the July mass transit bombings in London, CNN reported, and was used by attempted bomber Richard Reid, who packed his shoes with the compound in an unsuccessful attempt to destroy a U.S.-bound American Airlines flight in December 2001.

The confiscated jihad documents "referenced bomb-making manuals and that type of thing," Hagmann said, who added Hinrichs' apartment in Norman, Okla., is "located near the Islamic Society."

A phone at the Islamic Society of Norman went unanswered yesterday. Also, there was no response to an e-mail inquiry by press time.

I have long held the belief that the "unofficial-official" government policy on terrorist attacks in the United States is that if they don't have to tell you it was terrorism they won't. This is not conspiracy thinking. It's just based on the idea that the government would rather avoid the psychological consequences that something like a suicide bombing on U.S. soil would bring about.

In any event, the very premise of a despondent student choosing that as a way out of this life is a little dubious and this story is worth keeping an eye on.

Technorati Tags: University of Oklahoma, suicide, Hinrichs, explosion

Meet the new boss

2005-10-05T09:52:00.000-04:00

A Russian news agency is reporting that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il may soon be naming his successor. Let's hope he has better hair:

Kim Jong Il Could Soon Name His Successor

Don't let that little donation fool you

2005-10-04T20:18:00.000-04:00

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison today defended SCOTUS nominee Harriet Miers over her support for Al Gore's presidential campaign in 1988, saying that at the time Miers considered Gore to be a conservative:

(CNSNews.com) - Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers "readily admits" that she used to be a Democrat, said her good friend Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison on Tuesday. "Most people in Texas were," Hutchison told Fox News on Tuesday. But starting in 1990, Miers supported Hutchison for state treasurer and President Bush for governor, Hutchison said. "She decided to become a Republican out of conscience, and I think, has an impeccable record as a strong Republican." Hutchison said "back in the old days," Miers supported Al Gore for president. But in 1988, when Miers donated $1,000 to Gore's presidential campaign, Gore was thought to be the conservative candidate - compared with Massachusetts liberal Michael Dukakis. It shouldn't count against her, Hutchison said.

Investigating the investigator

2005-10-04T15:28:00.000-04:00

Mark Levin of the Landmark Legal Foundation has filed a FOIA request with Travis County DA Ronnie Earle in an attempt to learn about any ties he may have with certain Democratic organizations. It probably won't get anywhere but I like this man's nerve.

Here is the full text:

BY FIRST CLASS MAIL AND FACSIMILE Fax: (512) 854-9695

October 4, 2005

Mr. Ronnie Earle District Attorney Travis County 509 W.11th St. Austin, TX 78701

APPLICATION FOR PRODUCTION OF PUBLIC INFORMATION

Dear Mr. Earle:

This is an application for production of public information pursuant to Sec. 552.221 of the Texas Public Information Act.

Landmark Legal Foundation (“Landmark”) requests that that your office provide copies of requested material to Landmark’s Leesburg, Virginia address pursuant to Sec. 552.221(b)(2). The following information is sought from your office:

REQUESTED INFORMATION

1. For the time period January 1, 2000 to October 4, 2005: Any and all information in the Travis County District Attorney’s Office (“DA”) , or in the custody or control of any individual working for said office, which name or in any way reference the Democratic National Committee (“DNC”); any entity, campaign committee, employee, agent or consultant of the DNC; DNC Chairman Howard Dean; the Texas Democratic Party; any entity, campaign committee, employee, agent or consultant of the Texas Democratic Party; Texas Democratic Party Chair Charles Soechting; any members of the Texas state legislature; Texas State Representative Pete Laney; and former Congressman Martin Frost.

The information must include, but is not limited to, calendars, agendas, schedules, notes, notations, letters, audio tapes, and/or video tapes. (For a more comprehensive definition of public information, see below.)

2. This request seeks all telephonic records (including but not limited to cell phone numbers) in the custody of the DA’s office, or in the custody of any individual working for said office, or to which the DA’s office has or can receive access, disclosing telephone calls to or from Mr. Earle for the time period August 1, 2005 to October 4, 2005. This request includes all information, regardless of format, including but not limited to bills or invoices disclosing telephonic communications.

3. This request seeks all telephone messages, logs, notes or notations prepared by anyone in the DA’s office for Mr. Earle, including but not limited to Mr. Earle’s secretary, receptionist and or office administrator or manager, for the time period August 1, 2005 to October 4, 2005.

4. This request seeks all telephone numbers (including but not limited to cell phone numbers) of Mr. Earle.

5. This request seeks all information in the custody of the DA’s office, or in the custody or control of any individual working for said office, which name or in any way reference Messrs. Mark Birnbaum, Jim Schermbeck, or their employees, agents or representatives, or the filming of their movie “The Big Buy” which cover the period of January 1, 2002 to October 4, 2005. This includes all telephonic records of communications involving Mr. Earle, the DA’s office, and Messrs. Birnbaum or Schermbeck.

6. This request seeks any copies of the film, or parts of the film The Big Buy, in whatever stage of production, in the possession of Mr. Earle, the DA’s office, or any employee of said office.

Pursuant to Sec. 552.002(a) public information means information that is collected, assembled, or maintained under a law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business: (1) by a governmental body; or (2) for a governmental body and the governmental body owns the information or has a right of access to it. Moreover, Sec. 552.002(b) provides that the media on which public information is recorded include: (1) paper; (2) film; (3) a magnetic, optical, or solid state device that can store an electronic signal; (4) tape; (5) Mylar; (6) linen; (7) silk; and (8) vellum. Furthermore, Sec. 552.002(c) provides that the general forms in which the media containing public information exist include a book, paper, letter, document, printout, photograph, film, tape, microfiche, microfilm, photostat, sound recording, map, and drawing and a voice, data, or video representation held in computer memory.

This request includes all information, regardless of format. Moreover, it includes information stored on back-up data files, including disks and recordings of electronic communications.

This request for information does not seek any information exempt from release pursuant to Sec. 552.108 in that such release would not impede legitimate law enforcement or prosecutorial activities. Moreover, information relating to improper or illegal conduct by the DA or any person acting on behalf of or in the employment of the DA’s office is not exempt from disclosure under any exemption set forth in Chapter 552.

In the event that the DA asserts an exemption in response to this application, Landmark will expect timely compliance with the DA’s duty pursuant to Sec. 552.301 to seek an Attorney General’s decision as to the legitimacy of the exemption asserted.

Landmark is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization and seeks this information for public dissemination and education. Landmark respectfully requests a waiver or reduction of charges for providing copies of the requested information pursuant to Sec. 552.267 as the information sought is “in the public interest because providing the cop[ies] . . . primarily benefits the general public.” Landmark will, in fact, make this information public upon receipt. If a fee waiver is refused Landmark agrees to pay reasonable duplication costs up to $1500.00, but requests a timely itemized estimate of charges prior to incurring those costs as provided in Sec. 552.2615 via facsimile to Landmark’s Leesburg, Virginia office at 703-554-6119. However, Landmark agrees that duplication and release of records may proceed up to the $1500.00 amount immediately.

Sec. 552.221(d) requires that you act “promptly [and] without delay” -- within the 10 days provided in. If you have any questions, or wish to discuss this request further, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Mark R. Levin President

cc: Ms. Alicia Perez, Executive Manager Administrative Operations Travis County 314 W. 11th St. Austin, TX 78701

Technorati Tags: Tom DeLay, Ronnie Earle, FOIA, Mark Levin

Bolton faces his old school

2005-10-04T12:53:00.000-04:00

A recent speech before a Yale audience by United Nations Ambassador John Bolton was greeted (surprise) with hisses and jeers. College kids will be brats sometimes -- which is understandable because they know everything. But as one might expect, Bolton handled himself well:

It was a bittersweet homecoming for United Nations Ambassador John Bolton '70 LAW '74, a former chair of the Conservative Party who returned to the Yale Political Union Monday evening amid a chorus of hisses and politically charged questions.

In his address, which defended the Bush administration's foreign policy, Bolton argued that voluntary contributions from states would allow major donors such as the United States to choose to fund the U.N. programs that they believe to be the most efficient. But while fielding questions from impassioned students packed into Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall, Bolton candidly discussed issues such as nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea, the war in Iraq and his own confirmation battles.

Noting that voluntary contributions are not yet part of President George W. Bush '68's policy on U.N. reform, Bolton said it was unfair for the U.S. to pay 22 percent of the organization's budget in exchange for one vote in the 191-member General Assembly. Agencies like the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, which is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions, are more efficient and more responsive to donor countries, Bolton said.

"Why shouldn't we pay for what we want, instead of paying a bill for what we get?" Bolton said.

That's a valid complaint. The fact that our country provides the U.N. with almost a quarter of it's budget only to have our vote routinely overruled by third world dictatorships and governments that support terrorism leaves a lot to be desired. I personally maintain that we should pull all funding and let those ingrates fend for themselves (I'm speaking of the U.N. here... not Yale).

The audience interrupted Bolton throughout his speech with loud banging on desks and hissing, the typical YPU expressions for approval and disagreement. When asked about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq, Bolton said the U.S. -- not other countries or international organizations Â-- should hold its own citizens accountable for possible abuse.

"We don't need anybody else to judge us," he said. "We judge our own."

The answer prompted loud hissing from the audience, but Bolton offered students a question of his own.

"I'm just curious, those of you who are hissing, who do you think will judge better than us?" he asked the audience.

Bolton's answers on this and other issues show that he correctly understands what is at stake -- namely our sovereignty. Are we going to handle our own affairs or are we going to hand power over to a world body that doesn't have our best interests at heart?

Much as some may spit at the notion, Bolton firmly believes that the U.S., with whatever flaws it may have, is fundamentally a good nation and is still the most qualified and best equipped to lead the free world through the challenges ahead. I happen to agree.

Some hints on Miers' abortion views

2005-10-04T10:01:00.000-04:00

A woman who campaigned against Harriet Miers in 1989 remembers her as a decidedly pro-life candidate:

"She is on the extreme end of the anti-choice movement," Lorlee Bartos tells the Dallas Morning News in Tuesday's edition.

Bartos managed Miers' 1989 run for a seat on the Dallas City Council.

"I think Harriet's belief was pretty strongly felt," Bartos said Monday. "I suspect she is of the same cloth as the president."

Bartos told the paper that Miers revealed she had been "pro-choice in her youth" - but "a born-again profound experience" prompted a change of mind.

Beyond their 1989 exchange, Bartos said she has no other recollection about Miers' views on life issues.

That same year, however, Miers donated $150 to the Texans for Life Coalition.

And here's another one!

2005-10-03T14:24:00.000-04:00

Ronnie Earle had so much fun last week he's decided to do it again. Hey, why quit when you're on a roll...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Texas grand jury has brought a new charge of money laundering against Rep. Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader indicted last week on conspiracy charges stemming from a campaign finance probe, the congressman's office said Monday.

In a written statement, DeLay called the indictment another example of "prosecutorial abuse" by District Attorney Ronnie Earle.

"He is trying to pull the legal equivalent of a 'do-over,' since he knows very well that the charges he brought against me last week are totally manufactured and illegitimate," said the Texas Republican. "This is an abomination of justice."

Redstate.org's krempasky sees this as Earle's feeble last-minute attempt to get what he couldn't get with his first grand jury:

If Ronnie Earle didn't exist, we'd have to invent him. Seriously, could any politician hope for a more disastrously incompetent prosector to be "hot on the trail"? His misteps and flailing about would almost be comical, if the normally right-minded folks in Texas hadn't given this boob a role in our justice system. If you hadn't noticed - Earle indicted Tom DeLay again today - on a new count: money laundering. Oooooh, sounds nasty. Let's all hide under our tables and wave the white flag. Or not. We already know that today's round is, in effect, Ronnie asking for a mulligan. The Austin American-Statesman opens by telling us,

"Travis County prosecutors rushed Monday to fix problems with an indictment against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay"

Problems? Gee - I would have thought that after TWO years of investigations, and a grand jury that had been empaneled for SIX MONTHS, they'd have gotten it right. Oops. So - after six months - what did the first grand jury find? Why didn't they bring the money laundering charge? Maybe we should ask Earle...

REPORTER: Did you seek money laundering charges or indictment on money laundering charges against Mr. DeLay, and if not, why?

EARLE: The grand jury returned the indictments that the grand jurors felt were appropriate to the evidence that was presented in this case. (Earle's 9/28 press conference)

Ok - so are we to believe that Earle found new evidence in the last four days? Or just a new set of eyes that had watched all the media hysteria?

But why the rush? Oh, that's simple - because not long ago - Earle threatened DeLay's lawyers with a simple threat: waive your rights to a statute of limitations or I'll indict you today. DeLay so waived, waiting to see what Earle would present. He showed up with a big fat pile of nothing - and DeLay wrote him a letter, re-establishing his rights under limitation (can this be done?). The big check in question was dated 10/4/2002 - and the normal statute would expire tomorrow. So Earle ran around to find a new grand jury to do his bidding.

On top of that - DeLay's lawyers have simply pointed out that the very law Earle is citing to go after DeLay for actions in the 2002 election didn't even apply to the election code under which Earle is prosecuting - until the Texas Legislature amended it - in 2003.

I just hope Ronnie rolls out six or seven more indictments. This is getting hysterical. Can't wait for the movie.

Thumbs up from Jay

2005-10-03T12:34:00.000-04:00

ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow has given Supreme Court Nominee Harriet Miers his enthusiastic endorsement:

I have been privileged to work with Harriet Miers in her capacity as White House Counsel. President Bush's excellent nominee is a strong candidate who shares your values and ideals, and one who will properly interpret the Constitution and not legislate from the bench. She is bright, thoughtful, and a consummate professional.

Blast from the past

2005-10-03T11:47:00.000-04:00

Lawyers for Bill and Hillary Clinton are fighting to suppress the release of a report by independent counsel David Barrett detailing his findings on the case of former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros:

WASHINGTON - The independent counsel investigation that led to the conviction of a former Clinton administration housing chief could come back to haunt Sen. Hillary Clinton.

The Daily News has learned that lawyers are fighting to suppress a potentially embarrassing final report from the probe that found Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros lied to the FBI about paying $250,000 in hush money to his ex-mistress.

Cisneros paid a $10,000 fine after he was found guilty in 1999 and was later pardoned by Bill Clinton. And though neither Hillary Clinton nor her husband was targeted by independent counsel David Barrett, his 420-page final report sent to a special court 13 months ago will include alleged abuses of power by his administration, sources told The News.

After Cisneros was convicted, Barrett started looking into allegations that the IRS and Justice Department aides stymied a tax fraud case against the disgraced Housing and Urban Development secretary and audited Clinton critics.

Ex-IRS Commissioner Peggy Richardson, who remains a close friend of the Clintons, is among the officials cited in the report, sources said.

Lawyers at the Washington firm Williams and Connolly who work for Cisnero and both Clintons have argued to judges overseeing the case that allegations of illegal activity, for which no charges were filed, should be snipped before the report is made public.

The court secretly granted another delay last month, a source said.

Barrett refused to comment on the case, but told The News that he's eager to wrap things up.

"The report was filed over a year ago, but there are still matters ... that have to be resolved by the judges before they decide when it can be published," he said. "The decision rests entirely with the court."

In April, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) tried to ax the probe - which has cost $22 million, including $1 million for the first six months of this year - by cutting Barrett's budget, saying it's a waste of money, but Republicans stopped them.

Williams and Connolly has since tried to quash the report, which probably would be released amid Clinton's 2006 Senate reelection bid.

Clinton lawyer David Kendall declined comment.

Something odd about this one

2005-10-03T11:17:00.000-04:00

Police have now identified the student who "committed suicide" outside of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium during a football game on Saturday night.

A University of Oklahoma student with "emotional difficulties" was identified Sunday as the person who apparently committed suicide near a packed football stadium using an explosive attached to his body.

The remains were believed to be those of Joel Henry Hinrichs III, according to Salvador Hernandez, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oklahoma.

University President David Boren has said the blast was an apparent suicide.

"We know that he has had what I would call emotional difficulties in the past," Boren said. "There is certainly no evidence at this point which points to any other kind of motivation other than his personal problems."

Hinrichs, 21, was killed when the explosive device detonated Saturday evening near Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where more than 84,000 people were watching a football game between the Oklahoma Sooners and Kansas State.

No spectators were injured. The game continued without interruption, and no announcement was made until the final minutes. Spectators were kept from leaving until about 30 minutes after the blast.

Part of the student apartment complex where Hinrichs lived was evacuated after the explosion. Boren said residents would not be allowed to return until authorities knew the area was safe.

"They're going through everything with a fine-toothed comb," he said.

WorldNetDaily has more details on this story -- most notably the fact that Hinrichs had a large cache of explosives in his apartment:

Local and federal agents were carting away what was described as a huge cache of explosives from the apartment of the 21-year-old student who blew himself up outside the stadium where 84,000 watched a Sooners football game.

Joel Henry Hinrichs III, 21, a junior from Colorado Springs, Colo., died in the explosion, according to FBI officials.

Investigators believe Hinrichs detonated a bomb about 8 p.m. Saturday, just 100 yards away from the packed football stadium.

Police were overheard telling residents it would take "several trips and could take up to 24 hours" to remove it all, according to the Daily Oklahoman.

A canister trailer used for detonating or transporting potentially explosive material was being used to haul items away.

Officials said Hinrichs' motive for blowing himself up Saturday near the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium during the second quarter of OU's game against Kansas State remains under investigation.

OU President David Boren said Hinrichs was a student "who had very, serious personal problems that led to this tragic death."

Because of what happened, Boren said, the FBI had taken over the investigation.

Boren said the student had explosives strapped to his body.

Investigators would not say whether they believe Hinrichs intended to go inside the stadium before the detonation happened.

Hmmmmmm..... me-thinks we're not getting the full story. This one is worth keeping an eye on.

Technorati Tags: University of Oklahoma, suicide, Hinrichs, explosion

Did Bush cave?

2005-10-03T10:57:00.000-04:00

President Bush has nominated White House counsel Harriet Miers to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court.

"She will be an outstanding addition to the Supreme Court of the United States," Bush said during a press conference announcing his pick.

Saying she has a "record of achievement with the law," Bush said Miers also has "built a reputation of character and integrity" and possesses a "deep compassion and abiding sense of duty."

"She will bring that same passion for service to the Supreme Court of the United States," he added.

Many conservatives are not particularly happy with this one. The following "siren" headline from Drudge won't do much to allay their concerns:

BUSH COURT PICK GAVE MONEY TO CLINTON, GORE!

HUMAN EVENTS: Harriet Miers contributed $250 to Clinton for President Committee on December 23, 1991, according to Federal Election Commission records. She did not contribute any money to the reelection of President Bush senior, who would face off against the Democrat Clinton in the 1992 presidential election. In 1988, Miers contributed $1,000 to the Democratic presidential primary campaign of then-Sen. Al Gore. At the time Vice President George H.W. Bush was in a Republican presidential primary fight with then-Sen. Dole and Kemp. She did not contribute to any of these Republicans...

Oh boy. You're killin' us, George.

Technorati Tags: Harriet Miers, Supreme Court, SCOTUS, Sandra Day O'Connor

Patently Patriotic Post of the Week (10/3/05)

2005-10-03T10:30:00.000-04:00

The Supreme Court

Other than establishing it, Article III of the U.S. Constitution spells out neither the specific duties, powers nor organization of the Supreme Court.

"[t]he judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish."

Instead, the Constitution left it to Congress and to the Justices of the Court itself to develop the authorities and operations of the entire Judicial Branch of government.

The very first bill introduced in the United States Senate was the Judiciary Act of 1789. It divided the country in 13 judicial districts, which were further organized into the Eastern, Middle, and Southern "circuits." The 1789 Act called for the Supreme Court to consist of a Chief Justice and only five Associate Justices, and for the Court to meet, or "sit" in the Nation's Capital. For the first 101 years of its service, Supreme Court Justices were required to "ride circuit," holding court twice a year in each of the 13 judicial districts. The Act also created the position of U.S. Attorney General and assigned the power to nominate Supreme Court justices to the President of the United States with the approval of the Senate.

The First Court
The Supreme Court was first called to assemble on Feb. 1, 1790, in the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City, then the Nation's Capital. The first Supreme Court was made up of:

Chief Justice:
John Jay, from New York

Associate Justices:
John Rutledge, from South Carolina
William Cushing, from Massachusetts
James Wilson, from Pennsylvania
John Blair, from Virginia
James Iredell, from North Carolina

Due to transportation problems, Chief Justice Jay had to postpone the first actual meeting of the Supreme Court until the next day, Feb. 2, 1790.

The Supreme Court spent its first session organizing itself and determining its own powers and duties. The new Justices heard and decided their first actual case in 1792.

Lacking any specific direction from the Constitution, the new U.S. Judiciary spent its first decade as the weakest of the three branches of government. Early federal courts failed to issue strong opinions or even take on controversial cases. The Supreme Court was not even sure if it had the power to consider the constitutionality of laws passed by Congress. This situation changed drastically in 1801 when President John Adams appointed John Marshall of Virginia to be the fourth Chief Justice. Confident that nobody would tell him not to, Marshall took clear and firm steps to define the role and powers of both the Supreme Court and the judiciary system.

The Supreme Court, under John Marshall, defined itself with its historic 1803 decision in the case of Marbury v. Madison (Also see: Complete Decision). In this single landmark case, the Supreme Court established its power to interpret the U.S. Constitution and to determine the constitutionality of laws passed by congress and the state legislatures.

John Marshall went on to serve as Chief Justice for a record 34 years, along with several Associate Justices who served for over 20 years. During his time on the bench, Marshall succeeded in molding the federal judicial system into what many consider to be today's most powerful branch of government.

Before settling at nine in 1869, the number of Supreme Court Justices changed six times. In its entire history, the Supreme Court has had only 16 Chief Justices, and over 100 Associate Justices.

From U.S. Supreme Court History (About.com: U.S. Gov Info)

I think we're getting warmer...

2005-09-30T21:12:00.000-04:00

Just yesterday, I was writing about the carless abandon with which modern scientists and activists embrace the theory of global warming. Today Live Science has an article on the findings of two Duke University scientists which seem to back up my personal theory of what might be causing the planet to heat up. Namely... the SUN!

Increased output from the Sun might be to blame for 10 to 30 percent of global warming that has been measured in the past 20 years, according to a new report.

Increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases still play a role, the scientists say.

But climate models of global warming should be corrected to better account for changes in solar activity, according to Nicola Scafetta and Bruce West of Duke University.

The findings were published online this week by the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Scientists agree the planet is warming. Effects are evident in melting glaciers and reductions in the amount of frozen ground around the planet.

The new study is based in part on Columbia University research from 2003 in which scientists found errors in how data on solar brightness is interpreted. A gap in data, owing to satellites not being deployed after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, were filled by less accurate data from other satellites, Scafetta says.

The Duke analyses examined solar changes over 22 years versus 11 years used in previous studies. The cooling effect of volcanoes and cyclical shifts in ocean currents can have a greater negative impact on the accuracy of shorter data periods.

"The Sun may have minimally contributed about 10 to 30 percent of the 1980-2002 global surface warming," the researchers said in a statement today.

Many questions remain, however. For example, scientists do not have a good grasp of how much Earth absorbs or reflects sunlight.

"We don't know what the Sun will do in the future," Scafetta says. "For now, if our analysis is correct, I think it is important to correct the climate models so that they include reliable sensitivity to solar activity. Once that is done, then it will be possible to better understand what has happened during the past hundred years."

10 to 30% over the past 20 years? If this turns out to be true it will turn all conventional scientific wisdom on it's ear. It would also ruin a lot of careers which is why Scafetta's hopes of correcting the climate models is not going to be happening any time soon. Still... verrrrry interesting...

An interview with a twisted mind

2005-09-30T12:36:00.000-04:00

"Dr. Death" will be up for parole on two years. Jack Kevorkian, the physician responsible for some 130 deaths recently told to MSNBC's Rita Cosby that he would pursue his cause a little differently if allowed to walk free:

LAPEER, Mich. --If released from prison, former doctor Jack Kevorkian says he'll still campaign to legalize assisted suicide but won't resume helping people to die that way.

Kevorkian, 77, is serving a 10- to 25-year sentence for second-degree murder for giving a fatal injection of drugs to a patient with Lou Gehrig's disease in 1998. Kevorkian, who has said he assisted in at least 130 deaths, is not eligible for parole until 2007.

In an MSNBC interview recorded at a Michigan prison and broadcast Thursday night, Kevorkian said he also hopes to travel and visit family if granted parole.

He emphasized that he would not help those who want to die by breaking the law or encourage other doctors to do so.

"I have said publicly and officially that I will not perform that act again when I get out," he said. "What I'll do is what I should have done earlier, is pursue this from a legal standpoint by campaigning to get the laws changed."

When asked by interviewer Rita Cosby if he regretted the actions that put him in prison, Kevorkian replied: "Well, I do a little."

Kevorkian also discussed the case of Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman whose feeding tube was removed in March after her husband won a court order to allow her to die.

Kevorkian said that had the woman's situation come up 10 years ago, he would have considered taking her as a patient.

And then like many of his past patients he would have left her body in a van for authorities to find. So much for dying with dignity.

I know that assisted suicide is a touchy issue, especially with those who have had to watch a family member suffer in a hospital bed day-in and day-out. But trust me when I say that Jack Kevorkian is nothing less than a serial killer. His high intelligence and charisma have enabled him to couch his sick obsession in the pretense of a noble cause but I honestly believe the man gets a perverse enjoyment out of watching the life slowly ebb out of his patients. And don't believe for a second that he won't return to his "practice" after being released -- like others of his kind he won't be able to resist.

Pandemic not panning out for WHO

2005-09-30T12:05:00.000-04:00

Every year or so the World Health Organization feels the need to remind us that our doom is imminent:

A top U.N. public health expert warned Thursday that a new influenza pandemic could come anytime and claim millions of lives unless officials to take action now to control an epidemic in Asia.

Dr. David Nabarro of the World Health Organization called on governments to take immediate steps to address the threat at a news conference following his appointment as the new U.N. coordinator to lead a global drive to counter a human flu pandemic.

"We expect the next influenza pandemic to come at any time now, and it's likely to be caused by a mutant of the virus that is currently causing bird flu in Asia," he said.

Sure it could happen. A hot-dog cart could also fall on your head while walking to work. Personally, I choose not to spend too much time worrying about either.

Don't think there is not a certain amount of dissapointment within the WHO (and the press) every time a flu outbreak doesn't turn out to be "the big one".

New Flu Pandemic Could Kill 150 Million

Invading on the Sly

2005-09-30T11:40:00.000-04:00

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez seems to rank second only to Kim Jong-il on the paranoia scale. The U.S. on Thursday refuted Chavez claims that they were planning to invade his country:

CARACAS, Venezuela --The United States is not planning to invade Venezuela, the U.S. ambassador to Venezuela said Thursday, disputing claims by President Hugo Chavez.

Chavez has said his government has documents showing Washington has a "Plan Balboa" to invade his oil-producing countrywide aircraft carriers and planes. He said Venezuela is preparing to repel any attack.

"No 'Plan Balboa' exists," Ambassador William Brownfield said.

What is a "Plan Balboa" you ask?

Brownfield told reporters that Spain, not the United States, had included Venezuela in a simulated military exercise titled "Operation Balboa" more than four years ago.

So it's not some covert operation involving Rocky (you know you were thinking it).

Times reporter Miller testifies

2005-09-30T11:30:00.000-04:00

NYT reporter Judith Miller has been released from jail and is appearing before a federal grand jury today. The odd thing is that she had apparently already recieved a waiver to testify more than a year ago from her source, now known to be I. Lewis Libby:

WASHINGTON -- New York Times reporter Judith Miller appeared for testimony before a federal grand jury Friday, throwing a spotlight once again on the White House role in the leak of a covert CIA officer's identity.

Freed after 85 days in a federal detention center, Miller arrived at about 8:30 a.m. at the federal courthouse to testify for Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation about her conversations in July 2003 with Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

Miller said in a statement that her source -identified by the Times as Libby - had released her from her promise of confidentially. But Libby's lawyer said Friday he and his client had released Miller long ago to testify, and was surprised when Miller's lawyers again asked for a release in the last few weeks.

"We had signed a waiver more than a year ago," Attorney Joseph Tate said. "We didn't think this had anything to do with Scooter. I was under the impression from talking to (Miller attorney Floyd) Abrams that she was protecting a number of other sources."

Tate said Miller's lawyers called recently and said there was "a misunderstanding and Judy wanted to hear it straight from the horse's mouth" that Libby was releasing her to talk to the grand jury about their conversation. Tate said his client did not know or hear about Plame's identity until it appeared in a newspaper column by Robert Novak

Judith Miller Out of Proson, Testifies in CIA Leak Probe

Anticipation...

2005-09-30T10:50:00.000-04:00

It now looks as if President Bush will wait a few days before announcing his nominee to replace Sandra Day O'Connor:

The White House has slowed the announcement of President Bush's next pick for the Supreme Court to bask _ at least for a few days _ in John Roberts' confirmation. Women and minorities remain atop what is said to be a narrowing list of candidates.

Bush initially was expected to name his second nominee to the nation's highest court soon after Roberts was sworn in as chief justice on Thursday. White House advisers now say the announcement probably won't come until next week.

Advocacy groups on the right are expecting Bush to name a rock-solid conservative to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Liberal groups are making a last-minute push for a moderate conservative. Senate Democrats, meanwhile, say if the president sends up any of the nominees they filibustered _ including federal appellate judges Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown, William Pryor and Hispanic lawyer Miguel Estrada _ they will fight to the bitter end.

And Bush's own "short list"?

"It's not that long," was all White House press secretary Scott McClellan would give up in the way of hints on Thursday.

Outside observers suggest the list has been narrowed to about five or six candidates, federal appellate judges and perhaps a few people who have never worn a judicial robe.

Mentioned most frequently in recent days are U.S. appeals judges Owen, Karen Williams and Alice Batchelder; Michigan Supreme Court Justice Maura Corrigan; White House counsel Harriet Miers; Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and PepsiCo attorney Larry Thompson, who was the federal government's highest ranking black law enforcement official when he was deputy attorney general during Bush's first term.

Others mentioned less frequently include federal appellate judges J. Michael Luttig, Edith Jones, Samuel Alito, Michael McConnell and Consuelo Callahan.

McCoy cartoon on Michael Brown

2005-09-29T20:50:00.000-04:00

This is great!

by Glenn McCoy

To the moon and beyond

2005-09-29T20:18:00.000-04:00

In a meeting with USA Today's editorial board on Tuesday, NASA administrator Michael Griffin revealed that he thinks that the space program is way off course -- and has been for the past 30 years:

"It is now commonly accepted that was not the right path," Griffin said. "We are now trying to change the path while doing as little damage as we can."

The shuttle has cost the lives of 14 astronauts since the first flight in 1982. Roger Pielke Jr., a space policy expert at the University of Colorado, estimates that NASA has spent about $150 billion on the program since its inception in 1971. The total cost of the space station by the time it's finished -- in 2010 or later -- may exceed $100 billion, though other nations will bear some of that.

Only now is the nation's space program getting back on track, Griffin said. He announced last week that NASA aims to send astronauts back to the moon in 2018 in a spacecraft that would look like the Apollo capsule.

The goal of returning Americans to the moon was laid out by President Bush in 2004, before Griffin took the top job at NASA. Bush also said the shuttle would be retired in 2010.

Griffin has made clear in previous statements that he regards the shuttle and space station as misguided. He told the Senate earlier this year that the shuttle was "deeply flawed" and that the space station was not worth "the expense, the risk and the difficulty" of flying humans to space.

But since he became NASA administrator, Griffin hasn't been so blunt about the two programs.

Asked Tuesday whether the shuttle had been a mistake, Griffin said, "My opinion is that it was. ... It was a design which was extremely aggressive and just barely possible." Asked whether the space station had been a mistake, he said, "Had the decision been mine, we would not have built the space station we're building in the orbit we're building it in."

I have always been a big supporter of our space program but I have to admit that I always preferred the rocket over the shuttle. There is something about the Apollo days that captures the imagination and I regret that I was too young to remember Man first setting foot on the moon. That was when America knew how to dream big. It's time we started heading back in that direction.

Technorati Tags: NASA, Michael Griffin, Apollo, space shuttle

Reflections on a hot topic

2005-09-29T19:27:00.000-04:00

The ice caps are shrinking. And so is my patience with all these muttonheads who insist that all anomalies found in nature can be traced to the excesses of selfish humans. Today's installment comes from the New York Times:

The floating cap of sea ice on the Arctic Ocean shrank this summer to what is probably its smallest size in at least a century of record keeping, continuing a trend toward less summer ice, a team of climate experts reported yesterday.

That shift is hard to explain without attributing it in part to human-caused global warming, the team's members and other experts on the region said.

It is? Why?

This summer was the fourth in a row with the ice cap areas sharply below the long-term average, said Mark C. Serreze, a senior scientist at the snow and ice center and a professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Dr. Scambos said the consecutive reductions in the ice cap "make it pretty certain a long-term decline is under way."

Why is that pretty certain?

A natural cycle in the polar atmosphere called the Arctic oscillation, which contributed to the reduction in Arctic ice in the past, did not appear to be a factor in the past several years, Dr. Serreze said.

How could he possibly know this?

Do you see what I'm getting at? The facts are real but the conclusions are conjecture. These scientists are observing real phenomena -- the melting of polar ice caps -- and then filtering it through their own pre-decided worldview and packaging it as science. Any other possible cause for the melting -- such as a cycle of nature -- is then promptly dismissed because it doesn't fit the mold.

Well, here's something else that doesn't fit the mold. The Canada Free Press in an article from Sept. 23 lets us in a little known fact -- the ice caps are melting on Mars:

An interesting tidbit of information emerged from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labs some four years ago that United Nations climatologists and the "sky-is-falling" climate change crowd has failed to acknowledge. Simply put, earth isn’t the only place in the solar system that is currently undergoing significant climate change. NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Extended Mission has documented significant shrinking in the Martian ice caps at a rate of approximately 10 feet per year.

"A study of the ice caps on Mars may show that the red planet is experiencing a warming trend. If both Mars and Earth are experiencing global warming, then perhaps there is a larger phenomenon going on in the Solar System that is causing their global climates to change."–Current Science and Technology Centre

So we have warming on the red planet, now. That -- to borrow a favorite phrase from television news anchors -- "changes the equation". Is it possible that the rising temperatures on our planet and on Mars are due to an increase in solar activity? Just a hunch.

I'm not discounting the possibility of global warming but I do get wary of those scientists who observe data and statistics, then promptly blame Man for any changes that occur. It is important to keep an open mind and not let ourselves be intimidated into accepting the status quo. It is also important to be aware that a lot of global warming advocates have an agenda which is rooted in their own extreme political ideologies rather than a genuine concern for the environment.

Don't throw the theory out, completely... just be watchful.

Roberts confirmed to the Supreme Court

2005-09-29T11:58:00.000-04:00

The final vote was 78 to 22. He is expected to be sworn in later today:

Roberts Confirmed to be Supreme Court Justice

Let the frenzy begin

2005-09-29T09:47:00.000-04:00

Democrats and the MSM are licking their chops over the Tom DeLay indictment as no less that three major newspapers have published articles today about the imminent fall of a "scandal-plagued" GOP. Here is a small sampling from today's New York Times:

At the same time, the White House is grappling with a criminal investigation into whether anyone leaked the name of a C.I.A. operative, an inquiry that has brought both Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's top political adviser, and I. Lewis Libby, chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, before a grand jury.

And the administration is struggling to steady itself after the slow response to Hurricane Katrina and defend itself against sweeping accusations of incompetence and cronyism in domestic security.

Joe Gaylord, a longtime Republican consultant and an adviser to Newt Gingrich when he was House speaker, said, "When you couple Iraq, Katrina, DeLay in the House, Frist in the Senate," and other ethical flaps, "it looks like 10 years is a long time for a party to be in power."

Yes you read it right. Iraq and Katrina are now ethical flaps! This has given rise to what Nancy Pelosi calls the "culture of corruption" coming from the Republican party (the media version is "stench of corruption").

Hmmmm... all this talk about corrupt administrations has suddenly brought some names from the past to mind... Ron Brown.... Harold Ickes... Craig Livingstone... Billy Dale... Catherine Cornelius... Nathan Landow... Jim McDougal... Susan McDougal... Ron Espy... Monica Lewinsky... Webb Hubble... Johnny Chung... John Huang... Kathleen Willey... David Watkins... Zoe Baird... Anthony Marceca... Jorge Cabrera... Jaunita Broaddrick... Henry Cisneros... Denise Rich... And going by our new definitions let's add Iraq (yes Bubba went in there too) and any hurricane that happened to hit America in the 90's.

Yes, the left is depending on short memories of Americans to help usher in a new administration of "change". Somehow I doubt the voters will be buying it.

But back to the Tom DeLay front... The Houston Chronicle has talked to several legal experts and the general consensus seems to be that Travis County D.A. Ronnie Earle has overreached his bounds. Most are agreeing that unless Earle has gotten someone to "flip", his case against DeLay will crumble:

Most legal experts looking at the conspiracy indictment of U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay said Wednesday that either an insider has turned against DeLay or the prosecutor may have gone too far.

"I can't imagine indicting a majority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives without having a smoking gun, and that means someone who flipped on DeLay," said Buck Wood, an Austin lawyer who filed a related civil lawsuit on behalf of Democratic congressional candidates. "He's got to have corroborating evidence, too, bills and things proving where DeLay was at key times."

Several lawyers and law professors said Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle could have talked the grand jury into a questionable indictment if he hasn't secured key witnesses who were "in the room" with DeLay. Otherwise, this conspiracy case could be too hard to prove with just circumstantial evidence, they said.

DeLay was indicted, along with two political associates, by an Austin state grand jury Wednesday. The three were charged with conspiracy to violate a Texas election law that bars giving corporate money to candidates.

The brief indictment accuses DeLay's two co-defendants with specific acts such as collecting corporate contributions through a Texas political action committee. It says they sent a $190,000 check to a branch of the Republican National Committee with a list of Texas congressional candidates who were to get funding.

But all the indictment says DeLay did was "enter into an agreement" with one or both men to knowingly violate the election code. Earle must prove to a jury that DeLay agreed to a felony when he denies it.

'Someone in the meetings'
Houston lawyer David Berg said the case against DeLay could possibly be proved with a lot of circumstantial evidence such as cryptic e-mail, hotel and travel bills placing him at meetings, and his "fingerprints" somehow on the transactions.

"But what a prosecutor wants is someone in the meetings. I think someone has to have rolled over on DeLay," Berg said.

He said prosecutor Earle has too much at stake to move forward without strong evidence. Earle has to be careful because he has taken heat over his public anti-DeLay comments and is marked by his failure to convict U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, some years ago, Berg said.

Attorneys familiar with the case said that key anti-DeLay cooperators, if they exist, could be co-defendants, insider Republicans or even witnesses from the contributing corporations.

Criminal conspiracy charges are common in federal court where they are used against drug gangs, organized-crime types and white-collar criminals.

The Texas conspiracy law is used infrequently. State courts are filled with murder, robbery, burglary and other cases that often don't lend themselves to conspiracy charges.

The Texas law invoked against DeLay is loosely worded and casts a wide net. It merely requires that a conspirator must intentionally agree with at least one person that they or someone else in the conspiracy will commit an act to further a felony.

University of Houston professor David Crump said the government is nevertheless going to have to show the jury, no matter how many Travis County Democrats are sitting on it, that DeLay did something to promote a campaign-fund transfer that was against the law.

"Yes, it's possible to have a conspiracy in which one conspirator didn't do anything but merely agreed. But I've never seen it happen in reality. The agreement can't be that passive or tacit," Crump said.

Moonshine cases
Crump said a "granddaddy of conspiracy cases" comes from moonshine charges. "Courts said delivering sugar, knowing it would be used for moonshine, just wasn't enough," Crump said. "They required an agreement with the intent to promote (moonshine production)."

Crump said he doesn't know all the DeLay case background but doesn't "necessarily infer that there has to be a turncoat insider." His reading of the indictment is that the case against DeLay looks "dubious and vague."

Dick DeGuerin, an attorney for DeLay who beat Earle in the Hutchison case, said Wednesday that the prosecutor doesn't have just one cooperating witness — he has many. "I think everybody has cooperated with the government, and the evidence showed Tom DeLay did nothing wrong," he said.

He said none of the three accused men committed a crime since the funds were never improperly used.

The indictment does not follow the corporate-sponsored $190,000 into any specific account from which it was then used to improperly pay candidates. DeGuerin says it wasn't alleged in the indictment because it didn't happen. Any money sent to the candidates came properly from a separate individual donor account.

"Still, no case is easy when somebody's career is at stake. It won't be a walk in the park," DeGuerin said.

Explosive case in store
Mike Ramsey, a Houston criminal defense lawyer, said the case will be easy for the prosecutors only if they have a turncoat witness with a lot of credibility.

He said no matter what the evidence, the case promises to be explosive.

"At any rate, this is a wild card indictment," Ramsey said. "There's a wild card prosecutor and a wild card defendant."

Technorati Tags: Tom DeLay, Ronnie Earle, Republican Party

The conservative buzz on DeLay

2005-09-28T19:09:00.000-04:00

Here is talk show host and constitutional lawyer Mark Levin's take on today's indictment of Tom DeLay:

The "facts" in the indictment do not make a case for illegal contributions by the corporations because the indictment doesn't even allege that the corporate contributions were made within 60 days of an election. The essential argument is that a contribution was made to the RNC from a Texas PAC, which had received these corporate contributions (the dates of which we don't know), and certain candidates in Texas received money (presumably from the RNC), although not necessarily tracking with the corporate contributions to the PAC. If this sounds convoluted, it is. Based on this information, I see no illegal contribution, let alone no tie to Tom DeLay. I also note that none of the corporations that made contributions have been indicted. (And, by the way, the Texas conspiracy statute requires evidence that those charged actually intended to commit a crime. So, the bar for the government is significant.) The more I analyze this, the more outrageous this appears. I only hope the mainstream media will do a better job reporting on this than on Hurricane Katrina.

DOJ official Barbara Comstock in an email to Michelle Malkin details what she sees as problems with the prosecutor's case:

Ronnie Earle argues that Tom DeLay conspired to make a contribution to a political party in violation of the Texas Election Code. There was no contribution to a political party in violation of the Texas Election Code. There was no conspiracy. Ronnie Earle is wrong on the facts. Ronnie Earle is wrong on the law.

According to the indictment, the conspiracy was to unlawfully make a political contribution of corporate funds to a political party within 60 days of an election.

The Texas Election Code clearly states that "A corporation or labor organization may not knowingly make a contribution [to a political party] during a period beginning on the 60th day before the date of a general election for state and county officers and continuing through the day of the election." Title 15, Texas Election Code, § 253.104. Texas law also states in part that "A person commits criminal conspiracy if, with intent that a felony be committed: (1) he agrees with one or more persons that they or one or more of them engage in conduct that would constitute the offense; and (2) he or one or more of them performs an overt act in pursuance of the agreement."

The Problems with Earle's case:

In an effort to contrive jurisdiction over DeLay, Earle charges that because Congressman DeLay may have known about the transaction before it occurred, he was then part of a conspiracy.

However, Earle's office has sworn testimony and other exculpatory evidence showing that Congressman DeLay did not have knowledge of the transaction.

In addition:

No corporation or labor organization was indicted in this conspiracy. Neither Jim Ellis nor John Colyandro is a corporation or labor organization.

No corporation or labor organization made a contribution during 60 days of an election.

What constitutes a contribution under the Texas Election Code is not strictly defined.

Neither the RNC nor RNSEC constitute a political party under Texas election law. They are considered PACs, just as the DNC is.

Corporations in Texas could have legally made contributions to the RNC or RNSEC during the period in question under Texas election law.

There was no violation of the Texas Election Code. There was no conspiracy. The underlying transaction was legal. Had corporations sent money directly to the RNC or RNSEC, the transaction would be legal. How could anyone conspire to do indirectly what could legally have been done directly?

Conservative blogger Tacitus was not so kind:

"Conservative leaders across the country are working now to make sure that any politician who hopes to have conservative support in the future had better be in the forefront as we attack those who attack Tom DeLay."

-- Morton Blackwell, 31 March 2005

Good call, Morton. Now that the indictment of the erstwhile House Majority Leader is an accomplished fact, the wisdom of chaining the conservative movement to Tom DeLay is apparent even to the most fervent of the true believers. The fall of Tom DeLay is not merely a parable of hubris in one man: it is the tale of ego begetting ill-judgment in the conservative movement at large.

The pity is that Republicans who care more about their party than about the cult of personality attendant to its key figures have long warned of this day. We knew all along that Tom DeLay was a bully -- ask the Heritage Foundation about his penchant for petty grudges. We knew all along that he was, on a fundamental level, unprincipled -- ask him about the fat in the Federal budget. We knew all along that he was mostly interested in power for its own sake -- recall, please, that he sought a House rules change to protect his leadership position in this very circumstance. And we knew that if it came to an indictment, it would be the end.

Our task, then, was to make it the end for him, and not the Republican House majority or the conservative movement in power. In this, we failed. It is not a failure we were forced into: it is one we embraced, and hence one we deserve.

But still thinks the charges are bogus:

What of the charges against him? His antagonist, Ronnie Earle, is a Democratic hack and a dishonest prosecutor. The probability is that Tom DeLay will be acquitted of the single charge against him, and rightly so. On a legal level, he is almost certainly guilty of nothing more than a poor choice of friends. This, though, is politics: he's done. And being done, a man who truly has the best interests of conservatism at heart would have stepped down to save the movement he purported to love. Tom DeLay has not, and that tells us all we need to know about what he values most.

Technorati Tags: Tom DeLay, indictment

Trouble for DeLay

2005-09-28T13:24:00.000-04:00

If you cant beat 'em... prosecute 'em. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has been indicted by a grand jury:

WASHINGTON Sep 28, 2005 — A Texas grand jury on Wednesday charged Rep. Tom DeLay and two political associates with conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme, an indictment that likely will force him to step down as House majority leader.

DeLay attorney Steve Brittain said DeLay was accused of a criminal conspiracy along with two associates, John Colyandro, former executive director of a Texas political action committee formed by DeLay, and Jim Ellis, who heads DeLay's national political committee.

GOP congressional officials said the plan was for DeLay to temporarily relinquish his leadership post and Speaker Dennis Hastert will recommend that Rep. David Dreier of California step into those duties.

Naaaaaah... put Curt Weldon in there.

Some of the duties may go to the GOP whip, Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri. The Republican rank and file may meet as early as Wednesday night to act on Hastert's recommendation.

"The defendants enetered into an agreement with each other or with TRMPAC (Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee) to make a political contribution in violation of the Texas election code," says the four-page indictment. "The contribution was made directly to the Republican National Committee within 60 days of a general election."

The indictment against the second-ranking, and most assertive Republican leader came on the final day of the grand jury's term. It followed earlier indictments of a state political action committee founded by DeLay and three of his political associates.

The grand jury action is expected to have immediate consequences in the House, where DeLay is largely responsible for winning passage of the Republican legislative program. House Republican Party rules require leaders who are indicted to temporarily step aside from their leadership posts.

However, DeLay retains his seat representing Texas' 22nd congressional district, suburbs southwest of Houston.

DeLay has denied committing any crime and accused the Democratic district attorney leading the investigation, Ronnie Earle, of pursuing the case for political motives.

Here is the text of the statement released today by Delay's spokesman, Kevin Madden:

"These charges have no basis in the facts or the law. This is just another example of (Travis County District Attorney) Ronnie Earle misusing his office for partisan vendettas.

"Despite the clearly political agenda of this prosecutor, Congressman DeLay has cooperated with officials throughout the entire process. Even in the last two weeks, Ronnie Earle himself had acknowledged publicly that Mr. DeLay was not a target of his investigation. However, as with many of Ronnie Earle's previous partisan investigations, Ronnie Earle refused to let the facts or the law get in the way of his partisan desire to indict a political foe.

"This purely political investigation has been marked by illegal grand jury leaks, a fundraising speech by Ronnie Earle for Texas Democrats that inappropriately focused on the investigation, misuse of his office for partisan purposes, and extortion of money for Earle's pet projects from corporations in exchange for dismissing indictments he brought against them.

"Ronnie Earle's previous misuse of his office has resulted in failed prosecutions and we trust his partisan grandstanding will strike out again, as it should.

"Ronnie Earle's 1994 indictment against Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison was quickly dismissed and his charges in the 1980s against former Attorney General Jim Mattox-another political foe of Earle-fell apart at trial.

"We regret the people of Texas will once again have their taxpayer dollars wasted on Ronnie Earle's pursuit of headlines and political paybacks. Ronnie Earle began this investigation in 2002, after the Democrat Party lost the Texas state legislature to Republicans.

"For three years and through numerous grand juries, Ronnie Earle has tried to manufacture charges against Republicans involved in winning those elections using arcane statutes never before utilized in a case in the state.

"This indictment is nothing more than prosecutorial retribution by a partisan Democrat."

It does look that way and with Bill Frist also under investigation it is easy to believe that some political strings are being pulled behind the scenes. Washington can be a nasty place to do business.

On the other hand... there must have been something that was pretty compelling to the grand jury. We'll find out more later.

Technorati Tags: Tom Delay, indictment

Bloomberg having second thoughts

2005-09-28T12:18:00.000-04:00

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been feeling the heat with his support of the proposed International Freedom Center. And now he's starting to think that maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all:

After standing by plans to house the International Freedom Center at Ground Zero, Mayor Bloomberg suggested for the first time yesterday that he may now be iffy on the controversial project.

Speaking to reporters, he said directors of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. should study the IFC's new outline of its programming plans to "see if we can't come to some resolution."

He added: "If you can't, then you just can't do it."

I'm glad to see Bloomberg and other local politicians finally coming around on this nonsense. While it is certainly not a bad thing to celebrate examples of freedom around the world, this brand of PC inclusiveness has no place in a memorial for the victims of 9/11.

Technorati Tags: Michael Bloomberg, New York, memorial, International Freedom Center, IFC

Contract with catastrophe

2005-09-28T11:09:00.000-04:00

The sharks are swimming on Capital Hill in the wake of the Katrina disaster:

Already energized by the president's declining poll numbers, House Democrats may have also sensed some ironic convergence in the events that brought former FEMA Director Michael Brown to Capitol Hill to testify about the federal response to Hurricane Katrina on the anniversary of the day in 1994 when House Republicans unveiled their Contract With America.

Tormented by GOP control for the past 11 years, Democrats have been looking for a way to void that contract for more than a decade, and now they think they have a chance.

"I can sense that the winds of change are about us," says Rep. Bob Menendez, chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Katrina has quickly become shorthand for government ineptitude, and Brown, the early fall guy, emerged as the poster boy for a government out of touch. The disastrous aftermath of Katrina cost Brown his job and is costing the president dearly in public opinion. And Hill Republicans are rightfully nervous. So Democrats wasted no time pouncing.

"Corruption, cronyism, and incompetence," was the assessment of House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi about the Bush administration and its allies in Congress. "We need a change."

Not gonna happen, Nance.

It is bizarre that comparisons would be drawn between the Contract with America and the fallout from the Katrina disaster. The former was an innovative strategy to present voters with a positive vision for America's future accompanied by a plan to make it happen. The latter is a negative campaign of exploitation and finger-pointing accompanied by... absolutely nothing. No vision. No solid plan for "fixing" the bloated bureaucracy (which was there, by the way, well before Bush ever took office).

Winning for the Democrats is not going to be accomplished by taking certain Republicans that have had a slide in the polls and running them out of office. That is because ultimately Americans are smart enough not to associate a politician with an ideology.

What the Dems have to come to terms with is that it is conservatism the country has embraced -- and that is what they will need to address if they want to regain their power. If that means biting the bullet, admitting that they are liberals and then aggressively pushing their convictions then so be it. Howard Dean may not have many friends on the right but at least he has their respect because they know exactly where he stands. If the rest of his party would follow suit we might finally have a real fight.

Technorati Tags: Katrina, Democrats, Michael Brown, FEMA

Another day, another dollar

2005-09-28T10:12:00.000-04:00

CNSNews tells us how Cindy Sheehan supports herself while she tours the country:

College Park, MD (CNSNews.com) - Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan recently signed on with a speakers' bureau, and her appearance on the lecture circuit drew mixed reaction Tuesday night, especially from her younger supporters at the University of Maryland.

Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in the Iraq war in 2004, took part in a discussion organized by the Democracy Collaborative, a university-sponsored group that works to "strengthen democracy" by addressing "democratic dilemmas in theoretical and practical ways," according to its website.

Sheehan left before the floor was opened to students for a question-and-answer session. Event moderator Gar Alperovitz, a professor at the university and the founder of the Democracy Collaborative, told students that Sheehan was not well. "She's in the back and very, very ill and I think also upset so she's not going to be coming back." He did not elaborate.

Before the event, Sheehan met with reporters to discuss her plans for the future. She said she didn't think her contract with Speaking Matters LLC will distract from her message.

"This is a society where people make money doing what they do and I have to pay my bills, too," she told Cybercast News Service.

"I love doing this and I do it for free," Sheehan continued. She said she has been spending her own money to travel around the country in recent weeks to rally opposition to the war in Iraq.

Sheehan previously told Cybercast News Service that she was not taking money from organizations like MoveOn.org or private financiers like George Soros but that her recent 51-city bus tour was funded by "grassroots fundraising."

She said her contract with Speaking Matters, which has not yet disclosed how much a Sheehan appearance will cost, will help her "finally make some money ...'cause Casey's insurance money's going to run out pretty soon."

Hey, it's a free country and she is allowed to make a career any way she wants to. My purpose here is simply to show how this woman's mind works and where her priorities are. If she's going to continue to thrust herself in the public eye then the world has a right to know who they are dealing with.

Technorati Tags: Cindy Sheehan, Speaking Matters, University of Maryland, lecture circuit

New SCOTUS pick soming soon

2005-09-28T09:18:00.000-04:00

The list has narrowed and a new nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy is emminent:

President Bush, close to nominating a successor to retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, has narrowed his list to a handful of candidates that outside advisers say includes federal judges and two people who have never banged a gavel _ corporate attorney Larry Thompson and White House counsel Harriet Miers.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Tuesday that Bush had pledged to consult with senators about his selection and said, "I think we were essentially wrapping that process up as early as today."

He declined to say if the president had interviewed any candidates and wouldn't speculate about Bush's favorites, but legal analysts monitoring the selection process say others often mentioned are federal appellate judges Alice Batchelder, J. Michael Luttig, Edith Jones, J. Harvie Wilkinson, Priscilla Owen, Samuel Alito, Karen Williams and Michael McConnell. Also said to be on the list are Maura Corrigan, a judge on the Michigan Supreme Court, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Bush is expected to announce his nominee quickly after Thursday's anticipated confirmation and swearing in of John Roberts as chief justice.

The ghosts of the NOPD

2005-09-27T19:55:00.000-04:00

Something interesting is brewing in New Orleans:

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The chief of the New Orleans police is
stepping down from that post.

Eddie Compass made the announcement this afternoon. He gave no reason, and asked that people respect his privacy and his decision.

Compass says he'll remain at the helm for a transition period of
30 to 45 days.

The announcement comes as the city still struggles to recover
from the impact of Hurricane Katrina.

The city's police force came under fire for its conduct in the aftermath of the storm. Officials now say about 250 officers -- some 15 percent of the police force-- left their posts in the days after the storm hit.

Judging from reports that have been circulating around the blogosphere, something huge may be coming down the pike. Just hours before Compass' resignation, Tony Snow reported on his radio show that reliable sources on Capital Hill had been telling him about a federal investigation that is targeting the NOPD.

According to Snow, the FBI has been trying to get a list of names of the officers who had left their posts during the Katrina aftermath. As it turns out, the number of missing officers is actually closer to 500 rather than the 250 that were being reported. But here's the kicker -- so far investigators have only been able to match 16% of the names on this list with real people. That means that New Orleans may have at least 420 phantom cops on their payroll. If this is true some heads are going to roll, and don't be surprised if one of them is the Mayor's. Stay tuned...

Technorati Tags: Katrina, New Orleans, Eddie Compass, NOPD, FBI, Ray Nagin

Would you believe... gone at 82

2005-09-27T11:07:00.000-04:00

The star of one of my favorite 60's TV shows died this past Sunday. Don Adams was best known for his role as bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart in the Mel Brooks spy-spoof "Get Smart". This show is famous for it's main character's memorable catch phrases as well as some hilarious high-tech inventions that never quite seemed to work as designed (remember the "cone of silence"?). What a classic!

We'll miss you, Don.

Smells like kook spirit

2005-09-27T10:40:00.000-04:00

FoxNews editorial writer Mike Straka penned a hilarious Grrr! column on Monday detailing his encounters with what he called the "Protestors from Hell" in Washington D.C. :

The protesters invaded Washington over the weekend.

From stem cell research advocates to Cindy Sheehan sympathizers, protesters of all shapes, sizes, colors and odors found a cause.

Unfortunately for me — since I was traveling by train — a whole lot of them originated from or passed through New York's Penn Station, and a train delay made matters worse.

A steel girder collapsed on the tracks just outside of the station, and it was just what the doctor ordered for a bunch of anxious, ready-to-protest-just-about-anything, jobless folks — err, demonstrators — who gathered with their anti-Bush cardboard signs and their 1967-era wardrobe.

As if the tie-dyed clothes weren't stereotypically Grrring enough, they just couldn't help but to break into song.

Yup. You guessed it. "All we are saying, is give peace a chance." Yeah, all I'm saying is get a grip.

A lot of these people would join a rally against Dr. Suess if "Sam I Am" actually ate his green eggs and ham earlier in the book. I'm actually surprised PETA hasn't called for a widespread burning of the popular children's tome.

Of course, the right to demonstrate against one's government is the mark of a true democracy. Unfortunately for my nasal passages and sense of smell, most of the demonstrators feel that the mark of a true democracy is the right not to bathe.

At lunch at D.C.'s Union Station with fellow FNC staffers Jason Ehrich, Andrea Macey and Alyson Donnelly, we were treated to more anti-Bush fodder from a trio of demonstrators who appeared not to have taken showers for at least three months.

What is it about protesters and poor hygiene? Maybe they double as anti-war and pro-water conservationists?

Technorati Tags: Mike Straka, Cindy Sheehan, protests, Washington D.C.

Fighting the good fight

2005-09-27T09:28:00.000-04:00

For those who are tired of this goofiness...

and for those who genuinely support our troops fighting overseas, please visit Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission. This grassroots organization has recently been very active in countering Cindy Sheehan and her band of tinfoil troublemakers by giving the "other" families a voice (including Diane & Von Ibbotson, whose son died in the same battle that took the life of Casey Sheehan).

The following is from their "About Us" page:

Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission is a grassroots coalition of Gold Star families, veterans, families with loved-ones in harms way and Americans that share a deep appreciation our men and women in uniform and support them in their efforts to make America safer by winning the War On Terror.

Collectively we will ensure that the sacrifices of our courageous warriors and continue to make are not in vain, and that the heroic soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who have been charged with such a vital mission will be given the support they need to complete their mission.

Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission provides a means for our Gold Star Families, who have lost loved ones in the defense of our nation, to find solace in each other's company, and know that their love, admiration and support for our armed forces is shared by the overwhelming majority of Americans despite the media attention to a small, albeit vocal, minority.

We want all the friends and families of our soldiers to know that we share their vision of finishing the incredibly vital task at hand and look forward to welcoming them home when the inevitable victory is achieved.

To our heroic military men and women, and their families, we offer a humble and especially sincere, "Thank You".

Technorati Tags: Cindy Sheehan, support our troops, Iraq

Timing is everything

2005-09-26T20:07:00.000-04:00

I got a kick out of this Jim Huber cartoon:

Buh bye

2005-09-26T19:17:00.000-04:00

Al Qaeda's #2 man in Iraq has just met up with U.S. Special Forces for the first and last time:

U.S. Special Forces killed Al Qaeda's No. 2 terror mastermind in Iraq, Defense Department officials say.

FOX News has confirmed that Abu Azzam, who was believed to have been in charge of the financing of terrorist cells in the war-torn country, was killed during a raid in Baghdad Sunday. Azzam is thought to be the top deputy to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Iraq's most wanted terrorist.

Azzam is the latest in a series of top Zarqawi deputies that been killed or captured by coalition forces in recent months. Zarqawi's Al Qaeda in Iraq group has taken responsibility for some of the country's most horrific acts of terror including car bombings, kidnappings and beheadings of Iraqi civilians and westerners.

Earlier this month Zarqawi, a Sunni Muslim, pledged war on Iraqi Shiites in response to the U.S. and Iraqi military offensive on the town of Tal Afar near the Syrian border.

The U.S. military says it is continuing to make progress dismantling Zarqawi's operations. Officials credit much of the success increasing tips coming from Iraqi civilians. A top U.S. commander in northwestern region of the country said that 80 percent the terror network has been affected by coalition operations in his region.

Zarqawi's number is coming up soon. Now that the Iraqi's are getting bolder with their tips, it is only a matter of when.

Nice job, Special Forces (who, by the way, are bad to the bone).

Technorati Tags: Iraq, Al Qaeda, Abu Azzam, Special Forces

Sheehan arrested

2005-09-26T13:56:00.000-04:00

About a month ago I had compared Cindy Sheehan to an infant sitting in the middle of the floor crying and then looking up periodically to make sure everyone was watching. She has proven this to be the case today as she steps up her efforts to make it back to the front page:

WASHINGTON Sep 26, 2005 -- Cindy Sheehan, the California woman who has used her son's death in Iraq to spur the anti-war movement, was arrested Monday while protesting outside the White House.

Sheehan and several dozen other protesters sat down on the sidewalk after marching along the pedestrian walkway on Pennsylvania Avenue. Police warned them three times that they were breaking the law by failing to move along, then began making arrests.

Sheehan was the first taken into custody. She stood up and was led to a police vehicle while protesters chanted, "The whole world is watching."

Yes they are. But that's not a plus for your side.

**Update 6:32 pm**

Drudge has posted a photo of the "grieving" mom being carried off to jail. This is what the "whole world is watching"...

Technorati Tags: Cindy Sheehan, arrested, White House, protests