Opinion Times

It's Changed

2005-07-14T09:08:00.000-06:00

Please change all your links to http://www.opiniontimes.com. I am now doing all my posting there.

The Blog: It Is A Changin'

2005-07-08T13:23:00.000-06:00

I am in the process of changing the location of my blog to the permalink www.opiniontimes.com. I'll be cross-posting here for a short time until a full transition is completed.

In the meantime please go visit my new Opinion Times site and give me your feedback in comments below.

Shelby Foote - The Homer of the Old South?

2005-07-05T10:20:00.000-06:00

Obituaries of Shelby Foote, the eloquent Southern storyteller and Civil War Historian, have been abounding. Field Maloney has well stated the nuances and contradictions of this well-beloved protagonist of Ken Burns' 1991 PBS Civil War documentary.

As a great fan of Foote and Civil War history, I'll never forget his description of a phone conversation he had with the granddaughter of Southern General Nathan Bedford Forrest. He had told her that he was convinced the Civil War produced two true geniuses: her grandfather and Abraham Lincoln. There was a short silence and then in a modest Southern drawl she responded, "Well you know, Mr. Foote, my family never did like Mr. Lincoln."

SCOTUS Confirmation Fight Will Draw Millions of Dollars

2005-07-05T09:57:00.000-06:00

The imminent Supreme Court confirmation battle will draw in big money.

WaPo: "Under the scenario of an ideological battle, participants predict the competition for cash will turn the Senate confirmation into the most expensive nomination fight in the nation's history, certain to break $50 million and, if the nominee is especially controversial, likely to approach $100 million."

Partisan bickering on the left is the cause in my humble opinion. As usual, Reid and Pelosi are stirring up the reasons and will blame the President for the problem.

Bisexuality Study Asserts No Such Condition

2005-07-05T09:52:00.000-06:00

A recent bisexuality study reported in The New York Times concludes that multi-sex attraction does not exist. Sampling in the study looks suspect to me as subjects were taken from ads in alternative magazines (high probability of various forms of sexual deviancy regardless of sexual orientation) and shown pornographic movies (which would tend to highlight deviant response rather than normal sexual response).

But the most revealing aspect of this study is what was said by Dr. Randall Sell, an assistant professor of clinical socio-medical sciences at Columbia University:

"'We don't know nearly enough about sexual orientation and identity' to jump to [the conclusion that bisexuality does not exist as a provable sexual orientation]. "

. . .or any other conclusions about non-heterosexual behavior for that matter.

Milblogger Wounded: Met President

2005-07-05T09:38:00.000-06:00

Milblogger Chuck Ziegenfuss was wounded in Iraq recently and shipped home for surgery and recovery to DC. He recently met President Bush and his wife reports on his behalf.

Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin.

SCOTUS Battle About to Be Engaged

2005-07-01T09:05:00.000-06:00

The announcement has come. The first of two Arizonans is retiring from the Supreme Court.

WASHINGTON -- "Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court and a key swing vote on issues such as abortion and the death penalty, said Friday she is retiring.

O'Connor, 75, said she expects to leave before the start of the court's next term in October, or whenever the Senate confirms her successor. There was no immediate word from the White House on who might be nominated to replace O'Connor."

Let the games begin!
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UPDATE: Amy Ridenour has it right regarding the hysterical response of liberal organizations to the possibility that a strict constructionist might be put on the court in place of O'Connor: "What is it about interpreting our Constitution according to its actual words that has these folks so frightened? Like many others, I've read the Constitution. Not scary stuff."

My friend Erick at RedState.org and Confessions of a Political Junkie believes it's Garza who will be appointed. FURTHER ERICK UPDATE: Here.

Captain's Quarters has his take as well.

Instapundit has a slew of links to useful commentary on the impending replacement.

The American Mind and The Crusader.

NE Republican believes there are many "Desperate Housewives" around the country in the wake if this announcement.

DailyKos has it right. This is about abortion now. But he hopes abortion remains.

UPDATE II: RedState.org has nine guidelines POTUS should use to fill SCOTUS.

Souter May Become First Victim of "Lost Liberty"

2005-06-28T13:05:00.000-06:00

Logan Darrow Clements, CEO of Freestar Media, LLC, has petitioned the town of Weare, NH to build a hotel at 34 Cilley Hill Road. This would be an everyday non-event until one considers the person residing there now, Supreme Court Justice David Souter.

Clements argues that the city of Weare will receive much greater tax revenue with a hotel on this property, and would therefore benefit from the enforcement of immanent domain. This, of course, is the argument behind the recent Kelo v. City of New London case which was supported by Souter.

Freestar Media, LLC: "The proposed development, called 'The Lost Liberty Hotel' will feature the 'Just Desserts Cafe' and include a museum, open to the public, featuring a permanent exhibit on the loss of freedom in America. Instead of a Gideon's Bible each guest will receive a free copy of Ayn Rand's novel 'Atlas Shrugged.'"

We at Opinion Times would like to see the Gideon Bible remain, but well done Mr. Clements anyway! This would be an appropriate monument to the excesses of Supreme Court hegemony over the actual language and intent of the Constitution.

Maybe the same thing could be done at 125 Broad Street in New York City at the ACLU headquarters. Just think of it: a brand new hotel bringing in more tax revenue per square foot than office space. On the first floor is the new home of New York Evangelical College with adjacent Court House which hangs the Ten Commandments above the bench.

Read the press release here.

Hat Tip: Drudge Report.

Economist: Religious Just Starting Rise

2005-06-24T16:32:00.000-06:00

Economist.com gives its take on the rise of the "Religious Right" in American politics.

"Religious America's switch to the right is rooted in two things: liberal over-reach and conservative organisation. The consistent whinge from the Christian right about "liberal activist judges" exceeding their mandate contains a kernel of truth. In the 1960s and 1970s, judges changed America from a country where every school day began with a prayer, and abortion and pornography were frowned on, to a country where school prayer was banned and both abortion and pornography were protected by the constitution.

The fact that the courts were running so far ahead of public opinion in a generally religious country bolstered the religious right in two ways. It provoked white evangelicals to join the political fray. And it persuaded all religious types to bond together. Protestants and Catholics, who used to be at loggerheads, have now found common ground, especially on abortion. "

This is not just a passing fad but the result of more than 25 years of effort which has led to a more mature and diverse Christian response to political and legal actions. President Reagan's move to remove the Fairness Doctrine which led to the rise of Rush Limbaugh and a slew of conservative radio talk shows and the emergence of the blogs has also facilitated the rise of Social and Evangelical Conservatives.

The gains which took fruit in 2004 have not yet consolidated, but a successful 2006 election in Congress and with various Senate and Governors' races could change the political landscape for the proceeding 20-25 years.

Durbin on a Bad Run

2005-06-24T14:24:00.000-06:00

IowaHawk has found evidence that Dick Durbin is having a bad run in the customer service area. Thankfully, these few samples give us an example of patience and tolerance from one of our Senate leaders.

Green Counter-revolution

2005-06-24T12:10:00.000-06:00

Zach Wendling opines about Kelo:

"Now that development interests official[ly] trump property rights, I think it's natural to wonder, 'What trumps development interests?' "

This makes me consider that now with government help I can get rid of my pesky neighbors and get that green space my boys have been craving!

PowerLine gives George Will's opinion on the decision.

Nobel Prize Nominee Says Terri Schiavo was Able to See

2005-06-21T08:30:00.000-06:00

Confirming the suspicions of some, a Nobel Prize nominated Doctor confirms that Terri Schiavo was aware and not blind when she was killed in a Florida hospice. Dr. William Hammesfahr, a Florida neurologist, disputed some of the autopsy results in a recent interview.

LifeNews.com Unlike the constant drumbeat from the husband, his attorneys, and his doctors, the brain tissue was not dissolved, with a head of just spinal fluid," Hammesfahr explained. "In fact, large areas were 'relatively preserved.'"

"Obviously, the pathologists comments that she could not see were not borne out by reality," he said.

"The autopsy results confirmed my opinion ... that the frontal areas of the brains, the areas that deal with awareness and cognition were relatively intact," Hammesfahr added.

As a result, the Florida physician said Terri likely had little trouble with her eyesight in the years leading up to her death.

"In fact, the relay areas from the frontal and front temporal regions of the brain, to the spinal cord and the brain stem, by way of the basal ganglia, were preserved, thus the evident responses which she was able to express to her family and to the clinicians seeing her or viewing her videotape," he said.

The Doctor also noted the autopsy did not verify Terri's husband Michael's claim that she suffered a heart attack nor did it rule out physical abuse as the cause of her collapse and loss of oxygen back in 1991 which resulted in her deteriorated neurological condition.

Hammesfahr pointed out that the autopsy shows Terri's collapse was not the result of bulimia, eating disorders or a heart attack. That leaves open the possibility that Terri's collapse could have been the result of physical abuse.

"As we noted in the press, there was no heart attack, or evident reason for this to have happened (and certainly not of Terri's making)," he said.

He also indicated that the autopsy did not completely check for all types of physical abuse and he and a neurologist for Michael both agreed neck injuries were present.

Unfortunately, a woman who was fully mentally aware was destroyed by a court system unwilling to make life the ultimate test of good law. By refusing to embrace the concept of "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness," a rogue judge destroyed innocent human life. And by neglecting the enumerated executive power given to him, the Florida Governor sat back and watched it happen allowing the question to remain open: will we as a society ever again value the concept of life as the foundational principle of our freedoms?

Housing Market: What's Next

2005-06-20T16:32:00.000-06:00

. . . MaxedOutMama has her take and some research.

Durbin: Guantanamo is Cruel, Not Partial Birth Abortion

2005-06-20T16:25:00.000-06:00

Robert Knight of Concerned Women of America points out an interesting fact left out of Sen. Dick Durbin's (R-IL) recent comments suggesting the Guantanamo Bay prisoner facility is cruel and inhumane to suspected terrorist prisoners captured on the battlefield. He believes that taking a baby from its mother's womb, sucking out its brains and discarding it is not cruelty.

Read about it here.

Dry Creek Chronicles

2005-06-20T15:07:00.000-06:00

Here's a great new blog I came across today: Dry Creek Chronicles.

Cheaper by the Dozen--Plus Four

2005-06-20T09:12:00.000-06:00

Arkansas State Representative Jim Bob Dugger and his wife are expecting a new child, and it will bring their family up to sixteen children.

Now that's family values!

Editorial Writers Claim Religious Discriminiation

2005-06-16T13:03:00.000-06:00

The Indianapolis Star, a Gannett Co. newspaper, has been charged with religious discrimination in a lawsuit brought by two former editorial writers, James Patterson and Lisa Coffey.

INDIANAPOLIS: "[Patterson and Coffey have charged in court that] top newsroom managers 'consistently and repeatedly demonstrated ... a negative hostility toward Christianity.'"

The two are asking to be reinstated at the paper, and be compensated for lost income, benefits, emotional distress and unspecified punitive damages.

"Lisa and I aren't the only employees that have been driven away from this company and we thought it was time for someone to say, 'Goodness gracious. This isn't right,'" Patterson said.

This is consistent with the changes which have taken place at the Star since Gannett purchased Central Newspapers, the former parent company of the Star and the Arizona Republic. The editorial bent has turned decidedly more liberal and news reports have become much less local and more liberally oriented with editorial decisions following the precedent of Gannett's mega paper, USAToday.

In fairness, the editorial staff maintains two decidedly Christian writers, Russ Pulliam and Lori Borgman. Pulliam is the scion of the paper's founding family, but his role on the editorial staff has been greatly reduced to general legislative and community commentary. Borgman writes a stay-at-home-mother oriented humor column which is in the Erma Bombeck tradition which sometimes espouses decidedly Christian ethical advice and insight.

The Indianapolis Star (history) was founded in 1903 and was brought to prominence after it was purchased in 1944 by Eugene C. Pulliam. The Pulliam family was a highly influential and conservative voice in the midwest for many years until Pulliam's son, Eugene S. Pulliam, died in 1999. Shortly thereafter, it was sold to Gannett Co.

Amnesty International Calls for Kidnapping of Pres. Bush, et. al.

2005-06-09T12:37:00.000-06:00

We've heard much in the media about the assertion by Amnesty International that Guantanimo Bay is a "gulag." But Ed Morrisey found out through columnist John Leo that they are also calling on foreign governments to kidnap President Bush and other US Government officials for trial in International Criminal Court.

Captain's Quarters: "according to Leo at the end of his column, AI also issued a press release accompanying their annual report that the media mostly ignored. In that release, Amnesty International apparently called for other nations to kidnap George Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, and other American officials and haul them off to the ICC for prosecution on charges of crimes against humanity:"

Outrageous and greatly unreported!

"Howard Dean: The Windows 3.1 Of The Democratic Party"

2005-06-08T20:59:00.000-06:00

I link this from Right Wing News mostly because of the byline. Good points as well.

Dizzy from Feminist Spin

2005-06-08T20:52:00.000-06:00

MaxedOutMama takes a brief trip into the feminist mind.

...Thankfully she came out alive.

MSM Ignores American Flag Desecration. Laser on Quran Abuse

2005-06-08T20:19:00.000-06:00

Hat tip to Michelle Malkin for giving us video and other links.

Tancredo Will Enter '08 Race if There Is "No Other Person" on Immigration

2005-06-08T11:05:00.000-06:00

Politics1 and the Denver Post report that Colorado Cong. Tom Tancredo, R, will enter the Republican presidential primary race if no other candidate will stand up for immigration reform including strict border enforcement.

"It's such an odd thing to talk about," Tancredo told The Denver Post. But "if there is no other person ... then we have no choice" but to enter the presidential race.

Norman Ornstein, an American Enterprise Institute Fellow feels that though Tancredo would play the role of Don Quixote in any primary bid, bringing the issue to the forefront as a candidate would require Republican candidates to address the issue more directly.

"Even fringe presidential candidates end up with more airtime than members of Congress. It's quixotic if you think you've got a realistic chance, but not if your goal is to continue to get airtime and get the press to bring up these issues."

Tancredo has burned bridges in the Republican Party because he has not been afraid to excoriate elected officials in both parties for sitting on the sideline while thousands of illegal immigrants continue to stream across the Mexican border. Karl Rove in particular strongly rebuked him in 2004 because of Tancredo's strong criticism of the President over border policy during the Presidential campaign.

A Primary flavor is beginning to develop!

Tom Daschle to be Honored at Homosexual Awards Ceremony

2005-06-08T09:06:00.001-06:00

Dakota Voice has the story.

Former United States Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) will be honored at the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Leadership Awards. . . .The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force's website further states, "Senator Daschle led the successful fight to defeat the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) in the U.S. Senate. In doing so, he put his 25-year career in Congress on the line to help wage one of the crucial battles in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. FMA was defeated, but on Election Day 2004, Sen. Daschle became the first Senate party leader in 52 years to lose reelection — by 4,500 votes."

Need I say more?

Great news for future efforts to pass the Federal Marriage Amendment. Opposition to FMA is politically damaging by the opposition's own admission.

Tom Daschle to be Honored at Homosexual Awards Ceremony

2005-06-08T09:06:00.000-06:00

Dakota Voice has the story.

Former United States Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) will be honored at the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Leadership Awards. . . .The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force's website further states, "Senator Daschle led the successful fight to defeat the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) in the U.S. Senate. In doing so, he put his 25-year career in Congress on the line to help wage one of the crucial battles in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. FMA was defeated, but on Election Day 2004, Sen. Daschle became the first Senate party leader in 52 years to lose reelection — by 4,500 votes."

Need I say more?

Great news for future efforts to pass the Federal Marriage Amendment. Opposition to FMA is politically damaging by the opposition's own admission.

Congressman Wants to Stop ACLU Profit from First Amendment Cases

2005-06-08T07:56:00.000-06:00

Congressman John Hostettler, R-IN, wants to remove the financial incentive organizations like the ACLU have to attack religious expression in the public square.

CitizenLink--Representative John Hostettler, R-Ind., has teamed with the American Legion to prevent the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others like them, from strong arming defendants.

The Public Expression of Religion Act of 2005 (PERA) would prohibit attorneys' fees from being collected in cases against the establishment of religion clause. . . .

The legislation comes at a time when the ACLU is challenging the mention of "Jesus" in the Indiana legislature, the cross on the California state seal and prayer at graduation ceremonies across America. Regularly such cases never make it to court because of concern over the cost of attorney fees.

Kneejerk reactions to this sort of proposal will clearly point out that the "rights of victims to due process" will be infringed if they cannot obtain a competent attorney through fees which come through court judgments. But to the contrary, the ACLU with its 400,000 members, for example, brings in $44 million in donations to its organization.

If this law passes, it could also bring to the forefront the most onerous aspect of the current status of First Amendment law. It's what I call the "Malicious Ignorance Clause"; too much emphasis on "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion" and complete denial of the words "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

This is not the first time Cong. Hostettler has introduced this bill. In 2003, it died in committee. The difference this time: he has the support of 2.7 million members of the American Legion.

Are the Numbers Really Against Robert Byrd?

2005-06-07T22:16:00.000-06:00

With all due respect to the political insight of Dick Morris (and he deserves much), he is quite wrong about his belief that Cong. Shelley Moore Capito--D-WV has a chance to defeat Sen. Robert Byrd--D-WV. It is unlikely that he will come down to defeat when otherwise Republican business owners won't cough up the money to make the Republican machine work. The WV GOP was severly choked in 2004 because these businesses were unwilling to buck Democrats who held and wielded a serious threat of reprisal. In the aftermath, the GOP there is in shambles. More of that later.

Morris makes the following assertion:

Byrd, who still boats a 62-28 favorable-unfavorable ratio, may have met his match and master in Capito, who has a statewide rating of 57-35.

Sorry Dick. The 11% undecided in that poll will swing to Byrd precisely because of his 62% favorable. West Virginians will stay with what works before they move to Capito who cannot win in the Southern counties. She has a lackluster pro-life voting record rating lower than Democrat Cong. Nick Rahall who represents that strongly pro-life area of the state. And vote-buying in the southern counties (e.g. Lincoln, Logan, Wayne, Cabell et. al) still proceeds unchecked making it very difficult to gather needed votes (and significantly depressing Republican turnout).

Shelly Moore Capito has a family name as strong as Byrd. Her father, former Republican Governor Arch Moore, is incredibly popular in WV, even with his indictment, conviction and jail time served for vote buying years ago. Problem is, she isn't Robert Byrd. She (or anyone else for that matter) will have to earn the respect Bob Byrd still holds with many in the state. West Virginians still tend to break toward that with which they feel comfortable. They felt comfortable with a Texan over an East Coast Liberal in 2004. Will they feel equally comfortable with an up-and-coming "young lady" over the stalwart force of the "dependable" Byrd? The jury is out on that, but smart bets should be placed with Byrd.

One thing Shelley does well is mildly deprecating humor. In most of her campaign appearances in 2004, she announced her late arrival thus: "I'm sorry I didn't get here on time, but because I try to avoid roads named after Robert Byrd, got a little sidetracked." It was well stated and, as they say, "many a true word was spoken in jest."

Morris also postulates that national trends favor change in traditionally blue states that went strongly for Bush in 2004.

. . . West Virginia went for President Bush by 56-43 in 2004 and 52-46 in 2000, and voters who back the GOP nationally are getting less and less forgiving of their Democratic representatives and senators in Congress. As party-line voting increases in Washington and the well-publicized partisan feuds animate the body, voters are getting the point that as long as the legislators vote a straight party line, so should they.

There is some truth to this, but remember, the Democrat Gubernatorial candidate in 2004--and current Governor--, Joe Manchin won with 62% of the vote while Bush was getting his 56%. For those of you who have run political campaigns like myself, that is solid statistical proof that West Virginians still have a HUGE block of swing voters. And in West Virginia, they swing Democrat still unless they have a compelling reason to do otherwise.

Change is coming to WV sometime in the future but with a recent meltdown in the State GOP (read here and here--registration required), Republicans are not in a very good position to support any candidate unless support comes from outside the state and a tremendous grassroots operation is successfully carried out.

Two other factors:

First, Capito has been given good committee appointments recently in Congress which is a sign that leadership is giving her strong reasons to stay in her district (which is likely to be lost if she abandons it). So it all may be a moot point if she sits this one out.

Second, the current announced candidate, Hiram Lewis, came within a whisker of defeating Attorney General Darrell McGraw in 2004. This makes him a dark horse hopeful, though he benefited from a strong anti-McGraw turnout (related to strong opposition to his brother who went down to defeat for a Supreme Court seat that same year). That election proved that a strong vote against an opponent can bring Hiram close, but if he cannot give a good reason for people to vote FOR him, he can't get over the top.

One parting thought. Because Sen. Byrd is in failing health and therefore might have to abandon the seat, it may come down to open seat race. This would give a Republican a great opportunity to take the seat. But under such a scenario, look for Gov. Joe Manchin--a well-liked, proven statewide vote-getter who is endorsed by West Virginia Right-to-Life (an important endorsement in WV)--to appoint himself in place of Byrd. This will make it equally difficult for any Republican opponent.

I call this Senate seat to stay Democrat (Byrd or Manchin) with a 40% chance of a Republican upset.

(Disclosure: I worked for the WV GOP in 2004 as a paid statewide grassroots consultant).

"The Sky Is Falling!": MSM/Dems Implement Plan to Get Dean Out of Media

2005-06-07T20:57:00.000-06:00

We have evidence that Democrats want to get Howard Dean out of the spotlight and don't want to allow Bush/Blair cooperation to show the President in a positive light.

Proof?

THIS:

NEW YORK Jun 7, 2005--'We are living in a time when the other side doesn't want us to see the facts. Facts are inconvenient facts about global warming, facts about mercury in the air, facts about people staying unemployed longer,' said Clinton, considered a Democratic contender for the presidency in 2008.

Plus THIS:

DRUDGE REPORT Tue Jun 07 2005 19:07:22 ET--A White House official who once led the oil industry's fight against curbs on greenhouse gases has repeatedly edited government climate reports in ways that play down links between such emissions and global warming, according to internal documents.

The NEW YORK TIMES is planning a Wednesday splash on the development, newsroom sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.

Plus THIS: NYT--"Official Played Down Emissions' Links to Global Warming."
Plus THIS: Reuters--"World scientists say humans causing global warming."
Plus THIS: RedNova--"Global Warming Threat Growing."
Plus THIS: Michigan Daily--"Levin calls for Bush to act on global warming."
(All published within 18 hours of each other)

EQUALS Democrat/MSM spin cycle to clean up the Dean mess.

Dean Slips Once More

2005-06-07T20:51:00.000-06:00

Howard Dean calls Republicans a "white, Christian party." Click here to listen.

Democrats are obsessed with race, like Southern Democrats in the first half of the 20th Century. Some things never change.

Featured Blog of the Day

2005-06-07T09:41:00.000-06:00

Mystery Pollster provided a tremendous service during the 2004 elections. This is a "must see" source for wading through the polls coming out regularly. The expert analysis of polling accuracy you will find there is a tremendous help and the "CATEGORIES" section provides an excellent primer on polling practices.

How D-Day Would Be Reported Today

2005-06-06T22:03:00.000-06:00

Hat Tip: Instapundit. Murdoc Online asks the question and received some interesting, and accurate in my opinion, answers.

A.C.L.U. Shredding Documents

2005-06-04T17:13:00.000-06:00

The New York Times reports that great concern is arising regarding the fact that the ACLU is shredding documents.

The American Civil Liberties Union has been shredding some documents over the repeated objections of its records manager and in conflict with its longstanding policies on the preservation and disposal of records.

The matter has fueled a dispute at the organization over internal operations, one of several such debates over the last couple of years, and has reignighted questions over whether the A.C.L.U.'s own practices are consistent with its public positions.

The apparent hypocrisy of this situation is evident as the ACLU has regularly called for records openness in government agencies.

In a speech to the Society of American Archivists last year, Nadine Strossen, the president of the A.C.L.U., said that at its inception in 1920, the civil liberties group arranged for the New York Public Library to archive its records and those of its predecessor organization.

"I'm especially impressed by how prescient the A.C.L.U.'s founders were in understanding the importance of preserving our organizational records," Ms. Strossen said.

In 2003, the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York gave Ms. Linde an award for her role in helping draft and enact a public records law after Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, moved records from his administration to a private institution.

As someone recently stated on FreeRepublic.com when the story was revealed there, "How very . . . Nixonian . .. of the ACLU."

Dick DeVos to Run for MI Governor in '06

2005-06-03T12:07:00.000-06:00

We have a report from WOODTV.com that Dick DeVos will be running for Michigan Governor in 2006.

"At this point I am able to confirm that it is my intention and my plan to run for governor in '06. And we'll be announcing a campaign sometime down the road. But I wanted to, once a decision was made, just square up and tell people exactly where I'm at," DeVos told us. . . . "I'm looking forward to traveling around the state, as I already have all of my life . . . . I know how important it is to listen, to learn and then to make decisions," DeVos told us.

DeVos's wife, Betsy, is Chairman of the Michigan GOP. They have money and influence, and Michigan is a Blue state which longs to be Red. Should be an interesting run.

Quote of the Day: Fair Tax in the Federalist

2005-06-03T11:02:00.000-06:00

Alexander Hamiltion has some interesting advice in Federalist 21 for those who support the Fair Tax (of which I am one).

"It is a singular advantage of taxes on articles of consumption that they contain in their own nature a security against excess. They prescribe their own limit, which cannot be exceeded without defeating the end purposed -- that is, an extension of the revenue. . . . If duties are too high, they lessen the consumption; the collection is eluded; and the product to the treasury is not so great as when they are confined within proper and moderate bounds. This forms a complete barrier against any material oppression of the citizens by taxes of this class, and is itself a natural limitation of the power of imposing them."

The fact is that the United States was originally funded by consumption taxes. Not until the passage of the 16th Amendment was the government allowed to collect taxes on incomes. And it's time we went back to the old standard (including repeal of the 16th Amendment).

Alexander Hamilton had it right. I don't think I could have argued better for a return to the fair tax. But, then, I do not posses the genius of Alexander Hamilton.

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FOR FURTHER READING: Check out this article from NewsMax.com

FEC v. Bloggers: Regulation Under Current Law Appropriate

2005-06-02T13:03:00.000-06:00

La Shawn Barber stepped out on a limb by saying that bloggers who are paid by political organizations should be regulated per recommended FEC guidelines. I agree with her. The current campaign finance law would apply in such circumstance.

But McCain Feingold needs to be reformed. We wrongly got into a tizzy after the Nixon administration when massive gifts were given to his campaign which could not be traced. The problems could have been resolved if we had moved to a full-disclosure system with unlimited gifts. That is the type of reform I propose.

Individuals should have the ability to give unlimited cash and in-kind donations to any federal candidate. Businesses should be limited nationally to $25,000 donations per candidate. Allow PAC's to take unlimited donations from individuals with businesses and other organizations totally restricted from giving to them. All donations (cash and in-kind) should be given with full disclosure. Any organization which breaks the disclosure laws with malice should be subject to criminal penalties including jail time.

Open the system, but make it transparent to all. Then free speech will once again become king and politicians can be held fully accountable to the associations they make.
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REGARDING THE FULL DISCLOSURE ISSUE: An article in the Denver Post highlights the amount of money quickly raised by Focus on the Family Action. They noted that such organizations do not have the same disclosure requirements as those regulated by the FEC--i.e. PAC's and 527's)--, and stated that some believe they should be required to provide disclosure. This is not the sort of thing I am talking about above. Remove limits from candidate's and Party organizations with full disclosure there. Maintain 501 c(3) and 501 c(4) designations with the current rules in place and allow PAC's and 527's to operate with limited donations and full disclosure.

Dutch Town Bans Blasphemy

2005-06-02T10:48:00.000-06:00

The Dutch village of Staphorst, considered a "Bible Belt" town has banned swearing. Similar laws in Holland have been struck down by Dutch courts in the past.

Featured Blog of the Day: The National Guard Experience

2005-06-02T10:40:00.000-06:00

Jean-Paul Boorda from The National Guard Experience sent me an email telling me about his post, The Golden Rules of Care Packages.

Jean-Paul is a National Guardsman stationed in Iraq. This is funny, must read stuff.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Jean-Paul is stationed in Afghanistan. Sorry JP

Nascent Newspaper Blogging

2005-06-02T08:03:00.000-06:00

Jeff Quinton catalogs some attempts by media types to start their own blogs.

To date, traditional media is far removed from the "common people" and hesitant to dirty their hands with blogging "irresponsibility." Thus, early attempts reveal the latent horror within them as they wade into the blogsphere. Jeff Quinton led me to a sample in Brad Warthen's Blog which he links in his post.

Welcome to my Weblog, which begins with a series of disclaimers: First, I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m making this up as I go along. I could read other blogs and imitate them, but I don’t want to. I want this to be different. Second, I am bound to make mistakes as I do this – factual and otherwise. This is a much more hurried form of journalism than what I’m used to, and there is nobody paid to check behind me. So if you see mistakes, say something so I can fix them. Third, the opinions, observations, digressions and irrelevancies contained herein are my own, and should not be seen as reflecting upon the wisdom of The State’s editorial board in any way.

Poor Brad. We know it's tough to come down out of the Ivory Tower and mill about with us commoners. But worry not. You'll find we actually have bathtubs here too, but, sadly, no manicured nails.

Planned Parenthood Study Refutes "Abortions Are Up" Claim

2005-06-01T13:47:00.000-06:00

Back before the 2004 elections, researcher Harold Stassen wrote an op-ed piece in which he claimed that abortions are increasing during the Bush Administration and were decreasing under his predecessor, Bill Clinton. This information was immediately and effectively refuted at the time, but it started a debate which President Bush's pro-abortion detractors have used to delegitimize the pro-life position. LifeNews.com reports that Planned Parenthood's research arm, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, has found that abortions actually decreased during the Bush administration.

Prof. Stassen's survey only reviewed abortion trends in 16 states while Guttmacher's data surveyed 44 as well as other significant statistical anomalies. This caused Stassen to send a memo to FactCheck.org stating that the Guttmacher study was "significantly better" than his.

Read more about the updated data on FactCheck.org's website here.

UPDATE: LifeNews.com has reported a statement from Dr. Randy O'Bannon of National Right to Life. O'Bannon lauds the Guttmacher study and appropriately chides Democrat operatives who took advantage of the errant Stassen study:

"Pro-abortion Democrats have been pushing the myth ever since the election that abortions had increased since Bush took office," he said. "Turns out not to have been true at all."

"Many of those in leadership in the Democratic party seem to have suddenly developed an interest in reducing abortion, but if they were sincere, they'd be supporting pro-life legislation and policies," Dr. O'Bannon added.

A Friend's Review of "Sith"

2005-06-01T06:50:00.000-06:00

I've been telling everyone that my wife and I are going to see "Revenge of the Sith" for the last two weekends: it hasn't happened yet, and they laugh. Thankfully I'll be well prepared when I do finally go to the theatre. I posted a link to an interesting "commentary a couple weeks ago which my friend Erick Erickson shared at his site. Now Erick has seen the movie, and provides his own commentary here addressing in particular the supposed political message George Lucas intended to make. Erick says,

In the end, I do not take Star Wars to be a political commentary. But, if Lucas intended it to be an indictment of the right, he failed.

And as with the rest of the series, a sense of the excellency of goodness and the destructive capacity of evil is more prevelant than any rant against conservatives Lucas may intend.

Whacky Arizona Border Policy

2005-05-31T08:56:00.000-06:00

For some reason, Congressmen Jeff Flake and Jim Kolbe of Arizona continue to propose a bizzare border policy lacking in enforcement provisions. In the case of this article from WashingtonTimes.com, Cong. Kolbe refuses to support permanent checkpoints in the Tucson sector.

In helping to draft legislation blocking the creation of permanent checkpoints in the Tucson sector, which he represents, Mr. Kolbe has said taxpayer funds could better be used 'towards additional vehicles, night-vision gear, sensors, lights, fencing or other needed equipment.'
While Mr. Kolbe has endorsed the use of 'tactical mobile checkpoints that move from place to place,' Border Patrol Chief David V. Aguilar, who formerly headed the Tucson sector, told a Senate subcommittee last month that permanent checkpoints south of Tucson would help agents apprehend more illegal aliens trying to sneak into the United States.
Mr. Aguilar testified before a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee that agents 'cannot control our borders by merely enforcing the line,' adding that the Border Patrol strategy 'incorporates a defense-in-depth component' to include permanent checkpoints away from the border.

Why not do both? Develop a system of permanent and mobile checkpoints. It seems reasonable.

This has all the signs of a government operation.

WWII Japanese Soldiers Found On Island. Vietnam Veteran McCain Found in Congress.

2005-05-27T11:54:00.000-06:00

Some Japanese World War II soldiers were recently found on the island Mindanao sixty years after Japan surrendered.

There is apparently no connection to Vietnam Veteran John McCain who didn't know that the Democrats lost the 2004 elections.

Thune Threatens Bush

2005-05-27T11:16:00.000-06:00

Despite strong support for the President because of Bush's help defeating Tom Daschle, Sen. John Thune is not feeling the love as the Defense Department has called for the closure of Ellsworth AFB. Retaliation may be forthcoming.

Christian Activists in Canada

2005-05-27T10:35:00.000-06:00

In a country where pastors can be arrested for calling homosexuality a sin, this is encouraging news.

Reid slams GOP

2005-05-27T09:50:00.000-06:00

Is it just me, or does something not ring true when Harry Reid says:

Washington Times: . . . [Y]esterday in a speech laying out Democrats' agenda [Ried] accused Republican leaders of being so consumed with partisan political 'sniping' that they've neglected a troubled economy and a weak national defense. 'Democrats are the party of national security,' Mr. Reid said at the National Press Club. 'And we have an agenda to defend America from danger.' "

I guess he's been watching too many episodes of X-Files.

"Mr. Narcissus Goes to Washington"

2005-05-26T15:59:00.000-06:00

Just when Peggy Noonan wows you, she ups the ante. Her current column at Opinion Journal, Mr. Narcissus Goes to Washington, is a total hoot!

It requires no analysis from me. But some teasers are warranted:

. . . [M]y favorite was Lindsey Graham, who said, "I know there will be folks 'back home' who will be angry, but that's only because they're not as sophisticated and high-minded as I am. Actually they're rather stupid, which is why they're not in the Senate and I am. But I have 3 1/2 years to charm them out of their narrow-minded resentments, and watch me, baby."

Oh, excuse me, that's not what he said. That's only what he meant. It was the invisible scroll as he spoke. The CNN identifier that popped up beneath his head as he chattered, however, did say, "Conceited Nitwit Who Affects 'Back Home' Accent to Confuse the Boobs."

Oh wait, that's not what it said. It said, "R-South Carolina." My bad.

And then there's this one:

All this self-lauding has become strange. Public figures use the press to laud themselves with no embarrassment, no sense of what is important, and no sense of modesty. . . . Every announcement of news in America has become an Academy Awards show. And every speaker has become a variation on Sally Fields: "I like me, I really like me!"

Go read it here and enjoy!

States' Rights Out the Window

2005-05-26T10:33:00.000-06:00

The recent 8th Circuit Court decision striking down the Nebraska Marriage Amendment is another less publicized example of judicial tyranny.

Tom Minnery of Focus on the Family Action makes the point forcefully and well.

What Kind of Leader Are You?

2005-05-24T11:09:00.000-06:00

Find out by reading theMonday Morning Insight Weblog

With the Compromise Now In, the 2008 Race Shapes Up

2005-05-24T10:32:00.000-06:00

An article in the Des Moines Register recently discussed the consequences for Senators who go soft on the filibuster who may be seeking the Presidential nomination in Iowa in 2008 (e.g. Hagel and McCain). It's happened, and our field of softies has emerged. Based on this analysis, Sen. John McCain-AZ should be greatly damaged in Iowa over his support and leadership of yesterday's compromise. It should make him vulnerable in South Carolina as well especially in light of his alliance with Sen. Lindsay Graham-SC one of the most surprising of softies.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee has also been damaged for 2008. His lackluster approach to the filibuster problem of allowing this to drag on for four and a half months since the start of the session overshadows his recent strong statements in support of removing the filibuster for judicial nominees. Now that John McCain is the de facto Majority Leader, Frist has shown a major weakness in his leadership; not a good thing for a Presidential candidate.

Interestingly, Sen. Chuck Hegel-NE did not follow McCain into filibuster compromise. But as the "Republican" compromise darling in the Senate, he's already damaged goods.

Look for Sen. George Allen-VA and Sen. Sam Brownback-KS to benefit greatly by their consistently strong public statements for up or down votes. Sen. Rick Santorum-PA, on the other hand, should have benefited from his solid stand as well, but his support of fellow Pennsylvania and Democratically liberal Republican Senator Arlen Specter over primary challenger Pat Toomey in 2004 has already taken him out of contention for the nomination.

There are others who are insulated from Senate politics who could benefit from angst in the Republican grassroots against the Senate and rise to the nomination. Chief among them is Gov. Jeb Bush-FL. If he were to rescind his promise not to run for President, he would be a serious candidate from outside the beltway. There are two longshots who might find the momentum because of all this: Gov. Bill Owens-CO and Gov. Mike Huckabee-AR. Both have considered a run, and both would connect with the conservative grassroots. And in Owens' case, he is articulate and shows well on TV.

A reader of this column sent me a comment on a post I wrote about the possibility that Cong. Mike Pence-IN will run for President. Though Pence is a big-time longshot, the sentiments of the reader are relevant: "Mike Pence in 2008! He is the only hope we have for a conservative nominee!" Though a guy like Mike Pence is likely not a possibility in 2008, there is likely someone who can satisfy the desires of the conservative grassroots in the Republican party. If not, January 20, 2009 will welcome President-elect Hillary Rodham Clinton to the podium.
----------
FROM THE "'LEST WE FORGET" FILE: This might be a good time to revisit David Limbaugh's A Credo for Acquitting Senators.

UPDATE: Mike Huckabee's people have picked up on the comments in this post.

Star Wars Episode III

2005-05-17T21:47:00.000-06:00

Here is some excellent commentary on the new Star Wars movie. I will see it this weekend, and my anticipation has increased after reading it.

Hat Tip to Erick Erickson

Filibusters: A History

2005-05-16T15:02:00.000-06:00

Amy Ridenour from the National Center for Public Policy Research shares the following from the Senate Republican Conference.

Great Stuff!

Dates Democrats Want to Forget

1787
The year the U.S. Constitution was ratified without the filibuster as part of it

1789
The year the Senate was originally constituted with rules that permitted a majority vote to end debate

1806
The year that the filibuster became theoretically possible through an inadvertent rules change

1837
The year that a filibuster was used for the first time to block legislation

1917
The year that a "cloture" rule was adopted to control legislative filibusters

1949
The year that the Senate rules were changed to extend cloture to all debatable matters, including nominations

1968
The first time a bipartisan filibuster was used to deny a judicial nominee an up-or-down vote. But the nominee, Abe Fortas to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, did not have majority support, and was opposed by one-third of his own party. He withdrew his nomination shortly after the failed cloture vote. In contrast, every one of the filibustered judicial nominees in 2003 and 2004 had majority support.

1977, 1979, 1980, 1987
The years in which then Senate Majority-Leader Robert Byrd employed the constitutional option in order to limit minority and individual Senators' rights

2003, 2004
The years in which partisan filibusters were used for the first time to deny confirmation to a judicial nominee with majority support. Ten nominees were blocked from getting up-or-down votes due to the filibuster

2005
The year the Senate will restore the 214-year tradition of up-or-down votes on every judicial nominee with majority support

LifeNews.com

2005-05-16T09:27:00.000-06:00

As you can see, I am reading through my LifeNews.com daily email to highlight posts there. Please go to their website and sign up for their daily or weekly updates.

Case Similar to Terri Schiavo's

2005-05-16T09:26:00.000-06:00

LifeNews.com also reports on a case similar to Terri Schiavo's. A Florida woman want's to remove the gastric tube feeding her disabled husband.

A case similar to that of Terri Schiavo has a Florida woman holding her husband's fate in her hands. Schiavo's family is calling on Jacksonville resident Eliza Thomas to allow her husband to live.

Scott Thomas suffered brain injury in September of 2004 and has since been incapacitated and dependent on others. As with Terri, Scott's wife is seeking to move him to a hospice and remove the gastric tube that provides him with food and water. Scott's mother, Pamela Patton, has petitioned the courts for guardianship of the disabled man and was awarded a temporary guardianship. . . .

Despite Eliza's desire to end her husband's life, Patton says her son speaks a limited vocabulary, answers yes or no questions with hand signals, and can tell basic factual information about himself such as his former school and hometown.

It's time to stop the madness. Can we not get it right [legally] on this one at least and make Terri Schiavo's fate work a miracle for this man?

Abortion Increases Risk of Premature Birth

2005-05-16T09:21:00.000-06:00

LifeNews.com reports that a French study shows that premature birth increases by 70% for women who have had abortions.

Just another in a litany of reasons to have objections to abortion from a medical perspective, not just a moral one.
---------------
UPDATE: Another sad bit of information about the medical effects of abortion is reported by The Drudge Report. According to Drudge, one in three women in Great Britain who have abortions have had more than one in their lifetime including one woman who had six in the last 12 months. And women 20 to 24 have taken over teenagers as the largest group of women seeking abortions.

"Scrappy Local Newspaper Struggles For Survival "

2005-05-15T10:25:00.000-06:00

Iowa Hawk waxes nostalgic on the glory days of the New York Times.

Abortion as a Factor in Judicial Nominees

2005-05-13T14:41:00.000-06:00

The Gallup Organization has an interesting poll out showing who is paying attention to the fight over judicial nominees in the Senate.

It turns out that 45% of people said it was very important "to them, personally, that future U.S. Supreme Court nominees share their views on abortion." Of these, 53% said they are pro-life. Though Americans polled by Gallup break 48% pro-choice and 44% pro-life, the "very important" number should be of major concern to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. This is the constituency which is watching his every move on this. And if they become a depressed vote in 2006, it could mean disaster for Republicans.

It is important to note as you read through the Gallup survey that pro-life voters are much more active overall than pro-choice voters. The pro-choice agenda is not one that inspires action in those who claim they are pro-choice or those who take no firm position at all. Whereas pro-lifers are generally very motivated to work on behalf of candidates they support.

Liberal Bias at Google

2005-05-13T09:05:00.000-06:00

RightMarch.com documents liberal bias of which it has been the victim in ads it attempted to place with search engine Google.com.

It turns out that Democrat groups which are advertising in opposition to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay are allowed to run their ads, but with RightMarch.com attempted to run ads in opposition to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, they were denied because, "Google policy does not permit ad text that advocates against an individual, group or organization."

This is all well documented here. Fascinating example of liberal control of some parts of the internet (and Google is no small player). One need only see the ads that show up at the top of this blog.

Air Force Academy Christians Under Fire

2005-05-12T14:45:00.000-06:00

Now this is the shock of the century: there are christians at the Air Force Academy (some in influential positions), and they are actually encouraging cadets to follow Christ.

New York Times: "A chaplain at the Air Force Academy has described a 'systemic and pervasive' problem of religious proselytizing at the academy and says a religious tolerance program she helped create to deal with the problem was watered down after it was shown to officers, including the major general who is the Air Force's chief chaplain.

The academy chaplain, Capt. MeLinda Morton, 48, spoke publicly for the first time as an Air Force task force arrived at the academy in Colorado Springs on Tuesday to investigate accusations that officers, staff members and senior cadets inappropriately used their positions to push their evangelical Christian beliefs on Air Force cadets."

When rumors of this horrible atrocity began to surface, a major survey was taken throughout the Academy.

The survey found that more than half of the cadets said they had heard derogatory religious comments or jokes at the academy.

I am sure that derogatory comments weren't made about christians as well. Actually, the program was designed to portray christians as mean spirited and incapable of normal human relations.

Maj. Gen. Charles C. Baldwin, the chief of chaplains for the entire Air Force, screened the R.S.V.P. program in October, Captain Morton said, and afterward asked her, "Why is it that the Christians never win?" in response to some of the program's dramatizations of interactions between cadets of different religions.

She said: "It was obvious to us that he had missed the point of the entire presentation here. It wasn't about winning or losing, some kind of cosmic battle, it was about helping our folks at the Air Force Academy understand the wonders of the whole range of religious experiences."

In an interview on Wednesday, General Baldwin acknowledged making that comment and said he had objected because too many scenes in the original program had portrayed Christians at fault for excessive efforts at evangelizing.

"In every scenario, where cadet met cadet in the hall," he said, "every time it was the Christian who had to apologize and say, 'I'm sorry, I wasn't sensitive to your needs.' I said, that's not balanced, and the Christians will turn you off if every time they were the ones who made the mistake."

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has spearheaded a complaint against the Academy, and the Air Force has dispatched a committee to review the situation. They are apparently taking the complaint seriously as testimony begins this week.

This is nothing more than an attack upon religious people and not an attempt to find balance.

Interesting Prospect for 2008

2005-05-12T10:15:00.000-06:00

According to NewsMax.com, Cong. Mike Pence--a Republican representing Indiana's 6th District--is a potential candidate for President in 2008.

Pence is Chairman of the influential Republican Study Committee in only his second term in Congress. He is also an assistant Majority Whip. He's risen very quickly in Congress to key positions of Republican leadership, and is well respected by his Republican peers in the house.

So why is his name surfacing? It could be for many reasons. Many in Indiana want Pence to seek statewide office like Governor or Senate. As a former statewide talk show host and having a congressional district which touches the Indianapolis media market, Pence is truly a statewide commodity there.

Rumors like this spread for many reasons. Many Republicans are fishing to find a person who will convey the conservative message clearly as moderate candidate hopefuls like John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are currently at the forefront of the nomination race.

With so few years in Congress, it is unlikely Pence could build a national following, but he is an interesting candidate for the future.

Top Anti-Pornography Activist to Meet with AG Gonzales

2005-05-10T09:27:00.000-06:00

Phil Burress, President of the Ohio based Citizens for Community Values and one of the most successful anti-pornography activsts in the country will be meeting with U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to develop strategies to go after "White Collar Pornographers."

“White collar pornographers” is the term Burress uses to describe corporations which profit through the distribution of hard core pornography. Included in the designation are satellite and cable companies such as DirecTV, Comcast and Time Warner as well as companies such as LodgeNet and On Command, which deliver pornographic movies to some of the nation’s largest hotels, including Marriott and Hilton, for resale through their pay-per-view services.

The distribution of pornography must be greatly curtailed in this country. It is a plague upon families where men who have serious addictions are disconnected to their family and much worse. If this meeting brings about effective action against the excesses of the pornography industry, our country will be greatly benefited.

This Man Wants to be President

2005-05-10T07:31:00.000-06:00

. . . OK. I know he isn't being quite that crass about it, but Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-TN, seems poised to make a bold move to break the tide Democrat filibusters against the President's judicial appointments. If he is successful, he'll quickly endear himself to the Republican base. . . . But enough of presidential politics.

The Washington Times reports that Frist will use the nomination of California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown as the trigger for the "nuclear option" requiring an up or down vote for nominees. (The Washington Times requires a free, one-time registration to view the article)

Frankly it would be a bold and savvy move once again highlighting the implicit racism of liberal Democrats who refuse to accept the diverse nature of Bush's Presidency--maybe the most diverse in history.

Let's hope it plays out this way. Hope springs eternal when we consider the strong statements Frist made at the Justice Sunday event on April 24, 2005.

Pro-Abortion UNICEF Director of Ten Years to Step Down

2005-05-09T09:45:00.000-06:00

LifeNews.com reports that Carol Bellamy, the head of the United Nations Childrens' Education Fund (UNICEF), will step down. Bellamy promoted making abortions widely available to young women a major emphasis durning her tenure of UNICEF Director.

Bellamy will be replaced by outgoing U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman who was nominated by the Bush Administration. LifeNews.com reports:

Veneman said at a press conference that she wants UNICEF to champion "an agenda of helping children, particularly in the areas of education and health and to address the issues of hunger and malnutrition." Asked by a reporter about "reproductive health" issues, she responded: "I don't believe that these issues are relevant to the missions of UNICEF."

If Veneman turns UNICEF back to its primary mission helping promote efforts to alleviate poverty and malnutrition among children, it would be a welcome addition to similar private and corporate efforts worldwide.

Microsoft Will Lobby for "Anti-Discrimination" Policies as a Part of Its Legislative Agenda

2005-05-06T16:57:00.000-06:00

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's CEO sent an email clarifying the company's principles for public policy engagement in response to a flood of email from it's employees criticizing the neutral stance taken when an employee anti-discrimination (read pro-homosexual rights) bill was before the Washington State Legislature. It was defeated by one vote.

Ballmer has determined that lobbying for these laws on the Federal and State level are in the interest of his company,

said in my April 22 email that we were wrestling with the question of how and when the company should engage on issues that go beyond the software industry. After thinking about this for the past two weeks, I want to share my decision with you and lay out the principles that will guide us going forward.

First and foremost, we will continue to focus our public policy activities on issues that most directly affect our business, such as Internet safety, intellectual property rights, free trade, digital inclusion and a healthy business climate.

After looking at the question from all sides, Ive concluded that diversity in the workplace is such an important issue for our business that it should be included in our legislative agenda. . . . Im proud of Microsofts commitment to non-discrimination in our internal policies and benefits, but our policies cant cover the range of housing, education, financial and similar services that our people and their partners and families need. Therefore, its appropriate for the company to support legislation that will promote and protect diversity in the workplace.

That last bit of language is convoluted political speak for, "we have a large number of homosexual employees, so I want to avert civil war in the ranks."

Not that Ballmer or Founder Bill Gates were particularly enamored Judeo-Christian values--so-called--to begin with. But as incredibly talented and savvy businessmen, they have remained as neutral as possible when it comes to social policy. Not any longer.

This is an important time in the company's history. They have taken a road which will be hard to leave. And the logical conclusion of this new legislative agenda (exhibited in the strained reasoning for not extending the practice to "housing, education, financial and similar [government] services") is to expand toward a more active policy toward political action outside of business issues.

UPDATE: CitizenLink has the story on who influenced the recent vote and Microsoft's role (or lack thereof) in the legislative outcome in Washington State.

Feds Stepping Up Obscenity Prosecutions

2005-05-05T08:07:00.000-06:00

The Alberto Gonzalez Justice Department is stepping up obscenity prosecutions nationwide.

Quote of the Day

2005-05-03T17:21:00.000-06:00

I am very doubtful whether history shows us one example of a man who, having stepped outside traditional morality and attained power, has used that power benevolently.

--C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man

Political Quote of the Day

2005-05-02T08:38:00.000-06:00

Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right.

--H.L. Mencken

"Well They Did It Too!"

2005-05-02T08:36:00.000-06:00

Matt Drudge reports that Democrat Congressman Norm Dicks, WA, has violated House ethics rules by having a lobbyist pay for an overseas trip. This revelation is an attempt to refute charges that House Majority Leader Tom Delay has violated the same rules. This is not the best way to make a defense of Delay. It only serves to widen the morass into which the Democrats have drug the House Republican Leader.

The benefit of such revelations is to bring out in to the open an problem which has existed in Congress for some time. The reflexive nature of the House ethics rules invites scandal more than reduces it. And it provides an opportunity for hidden abuse rather than encouraging openness and disclosure.

The real story here is proven violations of law by Democrats--specifically Nancy Pelosi and Harry Ried. These happened outside of House or Senate Ethics Committees' perview. And they are receiving very little attention.

Hillary in Trouble in MI

2005-05-01T20:17:00.000-06:00

New England Republican reports that Hillary may have trouble in Michigan.

These numbers are important and interesting. But unions can get the vote out there. And judging from the fact that Kerry won Michigan concomitant with the strong passage of a Marriage Amendment to the Michigan State Constitution, I don't think Hillary is very concerned. But these numbers to show an opportunity for the right Republican candidate.

Human Rights a Weapon Against Islam

2005-04-29T21:08:00.000-06:00

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

2005-04-29T11:20:00.000-06:00

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. . .

2005-04-29T07:51:00.000-06:00

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"

2005-04-28T12:45:00.000-06:00

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

2005-04-22T13:51:00.000-06:00

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

2005-04-21T06:41:00.000-06:00

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!'

2005-04-20T16:32:00.000-06:00

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

2005-04-20T10:34:00.000-06:00

"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"

2005-04-06T09:15:00.000-06:00

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

Terri Shiavo has Died

2005-03-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

A sad day has just begun in the United States. The courts successfully killed a human being based upon their judgement that that life was not valuable to society.

This makes a severly harmful precedent in our government institutions which must be fixed immediately.

Peggy Noonan recently stated that if Schiavo were to die, it could be disasterous for Republicans in the polls. I believe that unless Congress, the President, the Florida Legislature and Governor and Legislatures and Governors in every state take a strong stand to balance powers by reducing the current influence of the courts, there will be political consequences.

Despite the fact that polls seem to indicate most Americans supported the removal of Terri's souce of food, when the facts are presented, people know that this was a horrible act of cruelty.

Terri Shiavo and Evolving Standards of Life

2005-03-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

As Terri Shiavo nears death while the Judicial and Executive Branches sit on their collective hands, one wonders how we came to this place where the life of one person becomes such a political issue.

We cannot turn on the News without hearing about the Terri Shiavo case: Updates on legal briefs, attorneys flying between Pinnelas County, Atlanta, GA and Washington, D.C.; strings of arrested adults and children desperately attempting to give Terri water; interviews with attorneys and relatives and pundits.

Government as well has put much of its business on hold: Congress totally shifted its agenda for more than a week in a desperate attempt to obtain de novo review of the case and judges from Pinnellas County to Atlanta to Washington have moved their dockets to the side for all night reviews of the case.

This draws comparisons to another case of a disabled person who was the subject of hours of television time and Congressional hearings. This person was severly handicapped. Care for this person cost hundredes of thousands of dollars and the dedication of family and nursing care.

What was this person's name you ask? Christopher Reeve. Except no court determined his care. His wife stayed with him to the bitter end. If he weren't Christopher Reeve, by his own admission, he would have had a horrible quality of life. No, he did not have brain damage, but the need for specialized care was equally great. But we fought for him. We adored him. We sympathized with his condition and lauded him as a hero. He was Superman in our eyes humbled by circumstance.

Why did we care so much for Reeve and yet stand on the precipice of discarding Terri Shiavo? There is a factor which binds these cases inexorably together, and it's not that they were both disabled. It's the culture of death which has sprung up in our laws since some short amount of time prior to 1973 and Roe v. Wade.

In the case of Christopher Reeve, we will destroy human life while an embryo to obtain a cure. Terri Shiavo is being destroyed to make life easier for a husband. Though we don't fully understand it yet, we know as a culture that we prefer the death of uneasy things to keep things easy. Yet the bulk of our history is the acceptance of uneasiness as the price for freedom.

Throughout history, despotism has always arisen out of the pursuit of peace and ease. And despotism is the power of the sword; it grasps within its hands the power of life and death. Free societies err on the side of life. I question at this moment whether we are truly free.

Judicial Edict Regarding Terri Schiavo, et. al., Prove We Are No Longer Ruled by a Constitution

2005-03-19T05:44:00.000-07:00

I have attempted to be rational and add to constructive discussion. But I am very angry, so I am going to vent.

Until Federal and State judges are held to account for their rulings, we no longer have freedom in this country. Laws passed by duly elected representatives are struck down as "unconstitutional" only when they relate to social issues at the forefront of political debate. Legal opinions taken in other countries outside the framework of our own constitution are used to impose social change. Far too many of the most important constitutional rights cases taken to the Supreme Court are done so by politically oriented legal organizations under the guise of representation of an offended party. In particular, but not exclusively, Roe v. Wade was the result of a short group of meetings with Norma McCorvey to establish a legal relationship with her with no continual contact on the part of her political activist lawyers before or after the decision was handed down.

Now Terri Schiavo may die, and the courts are thumbing their noses at Congress and the Florida Legislature and at Governor Jeb Bush. This kind of action by duly elected representatives who, despite what Peggy Noonan says, will receive no backlash from voters if Terri Schiavo dies CLEARLY WARRANTS that unaccountable judges become more subserviant to legislative and executive demands.

It's an outrage! It must stop!

I thank Peggy Noonan for making an argument about political outcomes in this matter. She is correct in this assesment:

It is not at all in the political interests of senators and congressmen to earn the wrath of the pro-Schiavo group and the gratitude of the anti-Schiavo husband, by doing nothing.

The electoral backlash will not arise merely out the death of Terri Schiavo. It will arise out of voter demands that Congress and the President take a stand and clean house in the judiciary. It will come against Senate leadership if they do not beat down the harping of Democrats by muzzling them with limitations on the filibuster.

Stack the Court! Impeach the judges! Start with a clean slate!

It's time to "go for broke" and turn back Marbury v. Madison forever. John Marshall, I believe, never fully understood the argument he was making when he asserted the authority of the Court. Contrary to his formula for Checks and Balances, we are freer when bad laws are passed by the whims of representatives who can be voted out of office rather than dictated by judges who cannot (or will not) be made accountable.

Could the Political Blogsphere Be Harmed by McCain-Feingold?

2005-03-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

Captain's Quarters has an excellent analysis of why McCain-Feingold could hinder or destroy the effectiveness of blogs in the political arena.

We'll be watching this closely at Opinion Times.

Pro-Lifers Can Win for Dems--If They Want To

2005-03-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

Democrats must have a death wish. They must. Every step they take they perceive as a home run, but is turning into a disaster.

Here is a list of actions praised internally which lack introspection:

Harry Reid becomes Minority Leader in the Senate

Howard Dean becames Chairman and promply bashes conservatives and continutes to alienate pro-life Democrats.
And according to PoliPundit, they are about the shut out two pro-life Democrat Senate candidates ahead in the polls with pro-abortion primary challengers likely to be defeated in Democrat pro-abortion primaries.

I say, "bring it on. You're doing great guys. Keep up the good work."

Why is David Pryor Being Filibustered?

2005-03-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

Power Line has a good point.

Opinion Times 10/22/04: The Supreme Court is the Least Discussed Campaign Issue

2005-03-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

Harkening back to my discussion last October where I opined that the Supreme Court was the least discussed campaign issue, I don't mean to forward too much of an "I told you so" in light of the recent Court decision to deny states the right to impose the death penalty on juvenile murderers. It was a horrid decision based solely on a presumed need to conform to the standards of other countries. It was a outrage to Constitutional principles and seemingly makes extra-Constitutional analysis stare decisis necessary be performed in future cases in that and other courts.

The Greatest Generation gives us an example of the type murderer which has had their death sentence effectively commuted to life in prison here (via Michelle Malkin).

Other examples abound. Justice--after this decision--does not.

Catholic Courage "In the Arena"

2005-03-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

Kudos goes out to Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput who shows himself to be an example of the role of church leaders in the public debate. In a speech a subsequent question and answer session before the City Club of Denver, he stood on solid ground by refuting the lie that church leaders are supposed to refrain from giving input into our political process.

When challenged about religious leaders and believers "imposing their views" on society and in government he retorted that "if we don't - you'll impose your views on us."

Rocky Mountain News: "'For religious believers not to advance their convictions about public morality in public debate is not an example of tolerance - it's a lack of courage."

Exactly! And it's a rallying call to all of us who believe biblical morality is something significant and useful in advancing and protecting our freedoms.

John Adams said, "[Our] Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government any other." The foundation of our freedom is not government institutions but self-government--especially that in the family. Self-government is sustained by individual effort in the political debate. For Christians, that includes a substantive, biblical response to government action and societal norms.

Hat Tip Confessions of a Political Junkie

Regarding the Influence of Foreign Laws in Supreme Court Decisions

2005-03-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

"Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence, (I conjure you to believe me fellow citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake; since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of Republican Government."

--George Washington

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Wictory Wednesday

2005-03-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

Minnesota is perhaps the best opportunity for Republicans to pick up a Senate seat in 2006. How sweet would it be if the state that gave us Humphrey and Mondale had two Republican senators and a Republican governor?

You can help make this happen. Mark Kennedy, the strongest Republican candidate, has a web site up and running, where you can contribute online. If he were to put up decent fundraising numbers this early in the process, he could dissuade any strong Democrat challengers from getting in the race. Even a small contribution from you could help make that happen. So please contribute whatever you can to Kennedy’s campaign.

Today is Wictory Wednesday. Every Wednesday, hundreds of bloggers ask their readers to donate to an important Republican campaign.

If you’re a blogger, you can join Wictory Wednesdays by e-mailing me at wictory@blogsforbush.com. I’ll add you to the Wictory Wednesday blogroll. I’ll also send you a reminder e-mail every Wednesday, explaining which candidate to support that day.

Howard Dean on the "Tolerance" Front

2005-03-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Howard Dean took a little trip to Kansas (wait, did I mean Iowa?).

In a tolerant speech to promote tolerance where the intolerant seem more intolerant to those who promote tolerance, Howard Dean, hot on the heels of his appointment to DNC chair, comes out of the box with this:

LJWorld.com: "'Moderate Republicans can't stand these people (conservatives), because they're intolerant. They don't think tolerance is a virtue,' Dean said, adding: 'I'm not going to have these right-wingers throw away our right to be tolerant.'"

Ahhhhh! Feel the love *swoon*!

And then, to put a nice cherry on top of the sundae. . .

And concluding his backyard speech with a litany of Democratic values, he added: "This is a struggle of good and evil. And we're the good."

Proving which man in the state had the better political instincts, Derrick Sontag, Executive Director of the Kansas Republican Party had this to say.

"My immediate reaction to that whole dialogue is, it's full of hatred," Sontag said. "The Democratic Party has elected a leader that's full of hatred."

"Property In Men"

2005-02-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

"[The Convention] thought it wrong to admit in the Constitution the idea that there could be property in men."

--James Madison

Is Terri Schiavo any less someone's property?

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I receive the "Founders Quote Daily" from the Federalist Patriot website. If you would like to subscribe to their regular emails, click here.

Tax Reform Clue

2005-02-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

President Bush made an interesting statement today which may be a signal to his tax reform plan

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH: President Bush, who has pledged to reform the U.S. tax code in his second term, today praised the flat tax implemented by Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda of the Slovak Republic. During their meeting in Bratislava, Bush, without prompting, made a point of touting the flat tax:

“I complimented the Prime Minister on putting policies in place that have helped this economy grow. The most important responsibility we have at home is to make sure our people can find work. And the president put a flat tax in place; he simplified his tax code, which has helped to attract capital and create economic vitality and growth. I really congratulate you and your government for making wise decisions.”

The Fair Tax is the best way to go in my humble opinion. But simplification is the best way to true reform. Though Fair Tax purists may not agree with me, I'll settle for a Flat Tax filled out on a post card. That would be much more "fair" than the present system.

Don't give me an 'R'

2005-02-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

Though Hollywood stubbornly continues to cram its values into the throat of American Culture, it is not as though they are completely unteachable.

Variety reports that for the first time since the 1980's PG movies have outpaced R movies in the Box Office take.

In 2004, PG films outgrossed R pics for the first time in two decades: $2.3 billion to $2.1 billion. The last time PG was bigger business than R was 1984, the year the Motion Picture Assn. of America introduced the PG-13 rating.

While PG films have been making more money . . . the box office generated by R-rated films has been falling precipitously.

Since 1999 -- when the $3 billion grosses for R pics was 41% of all box office -- total box office has grown by 26% while R-rated biz has fallen 30%.

Facts are stubborn things, and as in every place where the market rules, filmmakers are making adjustments in their script choices. But they unfortunately are not waxing philosophical about the shift.

No single cause is likely responsible for the shift, but many execs cite one factor: the voluntary guidelines studios and execs adopted five years ago. Those regulations restrict the marketing of R-rated films to kids, which in theory ensures that only people 17 and older can buy tickets to R-rated films.

But no matter what has put R into free-fall, some filmmakers and studio execs have concluded that R is losing its commercial luster.

It is clear that marketing changes have had some effect on these numbers. But a bit of introspection (and a review of the 2004 election results) might help them understand that self-imposed advertising restraint is no more responsible for this development than protecting the steel industry made us more competitive abroad. In both cases the market itself dictates the change. And thus as steel tariffs were withdrawn exposing production arrogance at home, removing the "tariff" against family oriented films advertising in "child-time" programming slots (via an overload of 'R' advertising) has revealed the arrogance of the Hollywood studios.

It is not insignificant to note at this point that domestically in 2004, "The Passion of the Christ" and "The Last Samurai" (both 'R' rated with Red State value scripts) accounted for $481 million (22%) of the $2.1 billion 'R' gross. Internationally they combined for $1.136 billion!

As Hollywood execs wring their hands over their increasing inability to produce seedy movies at a profit, they have missed the much more significant development: they're in an industry boom fueled by Red State ethics.

More evidence that Blue hearts yet remain blinded to Red thinking.

Terri Schiavo: Urgent Action Needed

2005-02-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Read various posts on the Terri Schiavo issue at Blogs for Terri Schiavo to find out the latest news being reported around the blogsphere.

I quote Logicus bLogicus regarding the Terri Schiavo case

"Tomorrow (Feb. 22), at 1 pm est, Terri Schiavo's husband will have the legal ability to withhold food and water from her. Although he claims she is in a vegetative state, Terri recognizes and responds to others and makes attempts to verbally communicate. Twelve medical experts, nurses who cared for her, family members and, recently, a Catholic Priest, confirmed these facts. Health care workers have testified under oath that she uses several words.

Terri is not on life support but does need someone to feed her through a removable tube which experts testify would not be needed if she were given therapy. This assisted feeding is a natural means of preserving life and not a medical act of life support.

Terri is a person with disabilities who thinks and expresses her moods and desires. She is loved by her family and responds to their visits with smiles and laughter."

Look at this video of Terri. (RealPlayer feed) This seems conclusive evidence that she is alive and aware of what is around her. This is hardly a "vegetative" state.

Here is a full account of the history behind the Terri Schiavo case.

Urgent help is needed today. Many prayers and petitions need to be made on Terri's behalf and on behalf of her parents who are suffering under this tremendously difficult event for them. They may lose their daughter unnecessarily.

This would be the first time to my knowledge that someone will be killed by the state because a person brought a cause of action stating the person was an inconvenience.

Comment if you know of other similar situations.

UPDATE:

LaShawn Barber has an update here on a 24 hour stay on the removal of the feeding tube.

News report at CNN.

More news--stay given by the court.

A Different View On Heinz Ketchup

2005-02-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

Many conservatives have been switching from Heinz Ketchup to W Ketchup because of the outrageous statements and views of Theresa Heinz, part heriess of the Heinz family fortune. I must admit that my sentiments have been much the same until this morning at church.

My pastor shared the following excerpt from the Last Will and Testament of Henry J. Heinz, the founder of Heinz "57 Varieties":

"Looking forward to the time when my earthly career will end, I desire to set forth at the very beginning of this will, as the most important item in it, a confession of my faith in Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I also desire to bear witness to the fact that throughout my life, in which there were unusual joys and sorrows, I have been wonderfully sustained by my faith in God through Jesus Christ. This legacy was left me by my consecrated mother, a woman of strong faith, and to it I attribute any success I have attained."

I think I'll continue to use the ketchup I enjoy--Heinz--and maintain my support in absentia for a man committed to the faith and teaching of the Lord and Creator of the universe, Emmanuel, Jesus Christ.

Let Theresa live out her years with or without the knowledge of the true reason why she enjoys the blessings she has been privileged to obtain. They have come to her through the fortune of her marriage into a family built with a heritage of faith in the God she currently rejects. Our prayers are that she may understand them sometime in the future.

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The quote above can be found elsewhere here. I have not been able to verify its validity beyond this link and some links to sermons on the web. Further research will be updated at this post later.

A short biography of Henry J. Heinz.

Men In Black

2005-02-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

As we all consider the wisdom of Mark Levin's analysis of our federal judiciary in his book Men In Black, we have this quote from Jefferson (on the the heels of the Marbury v. Madison decision) to bolster the argument.

"It has long, however, been my opinion, and I have never shrunk from its expression...that the germ of dissolution of our federal government is in the constitution of the federal Judiciary;...working like gravity by night and by day, gaining a little today and a little tomorrow, and advancing its noiseless step like a thief, over the field of jurisdiction, until all shall be usurped."

--Thomas Jefferson

"It's Deja Vu All Over Again"

2005-02-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

I am re-introduced to Yogi Berra's wisdom as I read the news today.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) - : "President Bush is not ruling out raising taxes on people who earn more than $90,000 as a way to help fix Social Security's finances."

Is this a genetic problem? Am I the only person here who wonders if President Bush believes his political capital can work against Democrats as well as those of us who supported him last year?

Count me in as befuddled and frustrated by this news! Credibility seems in short supply with this news. There is some assurance mentioned by the President:

Asked directly, Bush said he would not bar raising the $90,000 cap, although he does not want to see the payroll tax rate go up.

"The one thing I'm not open-minded about is raising the payroll tax rate. And all the other issues go on the table," Bush said in the interview, according to an account in Wednesday's New Haven (Conn.) Register.

That's nice, but I the President said that no tax increase was "on the table" already. The Washington Post reported in early February at a rally in South Dakota,

"Bush told the mostly partisan crowd here that he would never 'play politics with the issue.'

At some point, the government will be forced to cut benefits, raise taxes or restrict eligibility if the system is to stay solvent, Bush said. The president is leaving those choices to Congress but signaling he will support almost any change short of a tax increase.

'If you've got a good idea, come forth with your idea,' he said. 'Because now is the time to put partisanship aside and focus on saving Social Security for young workers.'"

As it is, the press is already making a connection between his father's broken promise and this current proposal. The President is risking too much political capital by potentially aligning himself to his father's political faux paux. It's the wrong course.

Let Mr. Greenspan do his own work Mr. Bush. Stay the course! "Thousand Points of Light," and all that stuff. Don't put your light under a peck-measure. Press on and let us keep our money at the same time!

Pictures of Global Warming? You Be the Judge, but the Jury is Clearly Out.

2005-02-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

American photographer Gary Braasch has been documenting images of environmental change since 1999. This webpage at the BBC's website has some examples of his work.

Braasch makes the claim that his photo comparisons are documentation of global warming. Maybe. But I have the following questions. Follow the pictures at this link as my questions follow their order in the BBC presentation.

Do reductions in glaciers show evidence of current environmental damage or the lagging effects of a previous Ice Age tens of thousands of years ago?
Is soil erosion really that much different now than any previous era of this planet's geological history?
It seems to me that snowfall varies from year to year.
It seems to me also that bugs have been moving around the planet for some time now, but maybe I misunderstood the memo.

Needless to say, there is much debate as to the effect man can have on the environment. I am certainly no scientist and have no expertise on the issue. But I also haven't seen where these critical questions (and others) have been adequately addressed in the scientific community. And I have heard other trained scientists ask them. (See here and here and here).

Until sufficient answers are given, the photos are at best interesting comparisons of geophysical change and at worst mere anecdotal "evidence" of man's destruction of nature intended to support the socialist agenda most environmental organizations propose governments adopt.

UPDATE: MaxedOutMamma has expanded upon this post. She went out and found some actual research (here) on the Upsala glacier in the picture and surrounding ones. It turns out that in the same area, certain glaciers expanded at the same time the Upsala glacier was reduced. She explains below:

I don't want to be pedantic about this, but when the temperature is falling, conditions can cause a glacier to retreat, and when the temperature is rising conditions can cause a glacier to advance. All glacial boundaries are marked by a melt/replenish cycle (ablation/flow). If a lot of precipitation (snow) is falling on the glaciers core, the glacier's boundaries may rapidly advance during a time of rising temperatures. If precipation on the glacier's core is low, the glacier may retreat during a time when of falling temperatures.

Here's the link she found to the research.

. . .Which brings me to a personal anecdote:

When I was young, I wondered why my mother questioned doctors so much. You should have seen how she treated them if they recommended something that worried her. She'd get in their face if she had to to figure out why they recommended a certain treatment that seemed inappropriate. And sometimes the doctor would change the them on her advice!

When I asked her to explain this, she told me that she became very suspicious of doctors after attending nursing school in the 1950's. Though there were doctors she liked during that experience, she came away with the impression that most trained physicians and surgeons considered themselves equal with God. They were little demi-gods ruling their kingdoms tyranically abusing those who questioned their ability or "professional qualifications." And when it came to the treatment of the children she loved, she wasn't having any of that! "They're humans who make mistakes like the rest of us!" she would say.

We would do well to take my mother's approach with scientists.

N.E. Republican links this story here.

A Message from Terri Schiavo's Father

2005-02-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

Read a current update on the Terri Schiavo case at LifeNews.com.

GOPInsight.com provides this post:

By now you have probably heard about a young woman who is threatened with starvation in Florida.

That young woman is my daughter, Terri. In 1990, through circumstances which are shrouded in mystery (and may involve a criminal act by Terri's estranged husband), my daughter was left severely brain-damaged.

But before I go any further, I must put an end to the lies and misinformation that are circulating around the country through the media concerning my daughter's condition.

Contrary to anything you may have heard, Terri is NOT brain dead; Terri is NOT in a coma; she is NOT in a "persistent vegetative state;" nor is she on ANY life-support system.

Terri laughs, Terri cries, she moves, and she makes child-like attempts at speech with her mother and me. Sometimes she will say "Mom" or "Dad" or "yeah" when we ask her a question. When I kiss her hello or goodbye, she looks at me and "puckers up" her lips.

This may not seem like much to you, but it means everything to Terri's mother and me. It tells us she is still here, she still knows us, and with therapy and time she can have some level of recovery.

I know that there are some hard hearted people who believe that due to my daughters condition, she is better off dead. Words cannot describe the pain and anger such sentiments cause us. This is our daughter, our little girl, and even in her disabled condition, she still has the right to life and the right to be loved and cared for by her family.

[. . .]

After the "incident" that left Terry in this condition, her husband Michael Schiavo sued various members of the medical community for money, saying that they did not treat or diagnose her properly at an early stage, and that he needed this money to provide for Terri's therapy and rehabilitation and care.

After lengthy court battles, he finally won upwards of $1.7 million under the guise of caring for our daughter, and then to our horror, he immediately began spending the money on himself and his Playboy lifestyle.

Terri's estranged husband Michael Schiavo has been living with another woman for years, and has two children by her. He is determined to see Terri dead. . . .

To add insult to all of this injury toward my daughter, Michael Schiavo is still her "legal husband" and therefore is her "guardian." And since they are not legally divorced, he controls whatever health care she will and will not get. We are not even allowed to know if she is getting aspirin. . . .

My wife and I are not wealthy people. Throughout those years, we did not have any large organizations trying to help rescue our daughter. Consequently, we had to rely on the generosity of attorneys who were willing to offer their legal expertise at no cost or at reduced fees.

The bottom line is that we are in the final weeks or months of our struggle to rescue our daughter from an untimely death by starvation. Death by starvation is very slow, and extremely painful. As you must know, it is against the law to deliberately starve an animal to death. There are members of the
Florida court who would not treat a dog the way they plan to treat my daughter.

At this point we must pull out all the stops in our fight to rescue our daughter.

As parents, we are desperate to save our daughter's life. As people who love life, we are determined to deprive the euthanasia advocates of successfully legalizing this form of homicide. We believe that their efforts to kill Terri are designed to set a precedent for the future eradication of defenseless disabled human beings. I was alive when Americans fought the Nazis; I do not want my daughter to meet the same fate of thousands of disabled people in Nazi Germany, and I do not want our country to go down that same dark path.

Friend, though we have never met, I'm asking you for your help. We desperately need your financial assistance to help our family continue the battle to keep our daughter from being starved to death. There are so many expenses in a case like this it is mind-boggling and overwhelming. Please click below to make a contribution now:

https://secure.cartlight.com/merchant/terri/?afid=rmemail

Our adversaries believe that by our family's financial attrition and difficulties, they will attain their objective of killing our daughter. Presently, Terri's starvation may only be a few weeks away, unless we find the financial resources to prevent this atrocity from becoming a reality.

I implore you to please help us. We are writing to you, because we believe you have a heart for justice and mercy. I'm asking you to put yourself in my shoes, and then do whatever you can to help our family. Whether it is $10 or $1000, we are desperate for the resources to fight this battle for our daughter's life at this critical juncture.

Please do whatever you can, and forward this e-mail to any friends or family that you have who you think might be interested in saving Terri's life.

I thank you for your time, your concern, and I solicit your prayers for Terri and our entire family. These have been very trying times for us all.

Sincerely,

Bob Schindler Sr.

CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE NOW!

La Shawn Barber's Corner

2005-02-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

La Shawn Barber makes a good point about the ascension of white/male Howard Dean to the charimanship of the DNC. Read it here.

Murdoch Mulling Internet Strategy

2005-02-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

I am curious to see the outcome of News Corporation's internet approach after a Rupert Murdoch meets with his executives which the Financial Times reports will be taking place on Wednesday.

I would like to see Fox News expand to provide greater internet information and video availability. C-SPAN is a great resource as it, but more commentary would be nice. Fox could provide an excellent outlet expanding beyond the weak internet efforts of the broadcast networks and CNN.

Tax Tracking

2005-02-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

California wants to tax drivers by the mile. Sounds fair until you see how it will be done. Read about it here.

US Withdraws Ambassador to Syria Over Assassination of Former Lebanese Prime Minister

2005-02-15T15:24:00.000-07:00

The United States withdrew its Ambassador to Syria today in protest to the assassination by car bomb of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri of Lebanon.

My Way News: Before departing, U.S. Ambassador Margaret Scobey delivered a stern note, called a demarche in diplomatic parlance, to the Syrian government, said an official who discussed the situation only on grounds of anonymity.

Because responsibility is being taken by an unknown (as of writing of this article) terrorist group, Syrian participation seems likely. And the size of the blast, which killed 16 others, seems to give the impression that military class explosives were used.

The experts will find out in days to come, but the question of our reponse to Syria over this (beyond diplomatic moves) looms large.