Human Rights a Weapon Against Islam

lgf: Little Green Footballs has it straight from the mouth of the "supreme leader" of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Warner First in America in Restoring Voting for Felons

I am curious if this is the type of legacy an executive should be seeking to make for himself:

The Washington Times: "Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, who has returned voting rights to more felons than any other governor in state history, also leads the nation in restoring felons' rights. "

I guess if your goal is a crass effort to build a new voting constiuency, this is the legacy of legacies.

This is part of a larger Democrat strategy to draw from an untapped source of new voters while they are losing ground within the Hispanic and African-American communities. And the Times reports

Several grass-roots organizations yesterday announced a campaign to aid 10,000 convicted Virginia felons who want to vote again. The coalition of groups, based in Virginia and in the District, will urge Mr. Warner to restore the right to vote to thousands of eligible petitioners before he leaves office in January.

10,000 new voters can swing a statewide election and would easily change the makeup of numerous legislative districts.

Virginia has approximately 2200 precincts. This would be 4.5 extra votes per precinct. In a house district with 22 precincts, that would be 100 votes. That can swing an election easily. And if this effect can be duplicated in 2 to 3 districts in combination with proper targeting in other districts, it can change the makeup of a legislative body. The point: registering 10,000 likely new Democrat voters would give Warner and his party a huge advantage in a strongly Republican state.

William Simon said, "Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote." I seems that Governor Warner wants to send bad politicians to Richmond by means of bad people. As Lord Acton would say, "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

As the Foundation of Law Crumbles. . .

As I am re-reading John W. Whitehead's The Second American Revolution, I find the following quote instructive for an understanding of today's legal and constitutional climate (p. 20 if the 1987 third printing):

Good law is limiting. It prevents the exercise of arbitrary power by the state and its agencies. If, however, the foundation undergirding law in a Christian society shifts from a Christian to a humanistic base, then a "nervous breakdown" occurs. Anarchy may result, and, if it does, history teaches that an imposed order will be inevitable.

The death of Terri Schiavo was not the beginning of our problems with the courts. Rather, it has served to reveal a shift in law that has taken place over the last 50 years or so. Our legal system has embraced what Francis Schaeffer called a "materialistic final reality concept" which refuses any belief in an objective truth thus ignoring the very basis for law. According to Schaeffer, this leads to natural, inevitable results sociologically, governmentally and in law.

Because this world view dominates law and culture, the courts are not just and society is not sufficiently disturbed by their actions leading to reform. This latter may change, but Divine intervention may be necessary to cause it.

Since about 1978 and beginning with the "Reagan Revolution", the influence in our federal and state legislatures of objective truth has increased notably--though not yet thoroughly. And in the process, we have not yet seen this influence come into law and culture. This must be addressed.

Dan, "Ask the Other Quayle"

The Arizona Republic has the inside scoop. Apparently Arizona Republican Party Chairman Matt Salmon has talked with Marilyn Quayle about seeking the Republican nomination for Governor in 2006 against current Democrat Governor Janet Napolitano.

We'll keep an eye on this big news.

A Quayle emerges from the bushes finally!

"Theraputic" Society

George Will has an excellent essay which describes the inane and self-contradictory use of therapy in our society. In it, we received evidences that this is a major cause of the loss of important virtues which have shaped the success of this country: courage and self-relaiance (Will adds stoicism).

Government and Morality are Founded in Families

I have postulated in an earlier post that all government has its origin and foundation in families which are composed of one man and one woman producing responsible offspring. In this light I offer the following quote which I received today through the Federalist Patriot.

"The foundation of national morality must be laid in private families. ... How is it possible that Children can have any just Sense of the sacred Obligations of Morality or Religion if, from their earliest Infancy, they learn their Mothers live in habitual Infidelity to their fathers, and their fathers in as constant Infidelity to their Mothers?"

--John Adams

Rice for President? 'Da... Nyet, Nyet, Nyet!'

Condoleeza Rice, a Russian history, culture and language expert for many years, stumbled on her Russian in a foreign language interview in Moscow prior to scheduled meetings with Vladimir Putin. A young school girl asked her whether she would run for President:

Yahoo! News: "'Da (Yes),' Rice answered in Russian, before realizing her misunderstanding and hastily adding 'Nyet' (No) -- seven times."

Also while speaking Russian she said she would like to do her next interview fully in Russian, but she composed her "to do" verb in such a way that it sounded like "to earn money."

Note to Condi: we like your personal touch, but world leaders speak in their native language when doing interviews to avoid just these types of problems. Not good.

A Country At Arms

"Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom of Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States."

--Noah Webster

Tocqueville on the "New Media"

I am far from denying that newspapers in democratic countries lead citizens to do very ill-considered things in common; but without newspapers there would be hardly any common action at all. So they mend many more ills than they cause.

--Alexis de Tocqueville