I guess that Dick Durbin is not the only member of the Illinois congressional delegation to be totally out of touch with reality. Lane Evans has shown a similar lack of coherant reasoning.

Noting that Durbin was working with him to protect the shifting of 1,200 jobs from Rock Island Arsenal under this year's round of base closings, Evans blamed the Bush administration for "putting our nation at risk" by realigning the arsenal and other bases in Illinois "at a time when we are fighting the war on terrorism."

"That is why I condemn the rhetoric of those intent on destroying the character of Dick Durbin, a public servant who has given so much to our military and to our veterans," said Evans, the senior Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee whose district includes the arsenal.

"This attempt by the right wing to shift responsibility and blame from the Bush administration to Sen. Durbin is pathetic and will backfire with the American people."

Would someone please connect the dots between the base closing and Gitmo? I don't get it.

Posted by: Greg at 01:57 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Gordon Quan, a popular Houston City Councilman, has bowed out of the 2006 race for the Democrat nomination for Congress so as not to jeopardize the chances of former Congressman Nick Lampson in next year's election for the 22nd Congreesional District seat held by Tom DeLay.

But as I read the article, I become more and more shocked about the nature of the Democrat Party, and the clear racial bias that exists there.

Quan, who had formed an exploratory committee for the 22nd Congressional District in April, said he wanted to avoid a "costly, divisive and lengthy" Democratic primary.

He said he conducted polling that showed DeLay has lost support among constituents and that he and Lampson had nearly equal support.

The district, which includes parts of Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston and Harris counties, is solidly Republican and has elected DeLay 11 times.

Quan must leave the council in six months because of city term limits.

Quan, who is of Chinese ancestry, made the announcement at Kim Son restaurant in Stafford, and said he plans to help bring out the Asian vote for Lampson. Asians make up about 10 percent of the district.

Now let me get this straight. Nick Lampson doesn't live in the 22nd District -- but his grandparents did. He does not own a home there -- his residence is in the Beaumont area, at least 90 miles from the Fort Bend County communities that make up the heart of the 22nd District. He used to represent a few Harris County precincts that are now in the 22nd District, but they were never a strong part of his base of support -- but his grandparents used to live in Stafford. The powers that be in the Texas Democrat Party have recruited him and anointed him as the candidate -- and did we mention he used to visit his grandparents in Fort Bend County when he was a kid?

Quan, on the other hand, is a well-known and popular Democrat who has shown the ability to win elections in the area. A Chinese-American, he is part of a community that makes up 10% of the district. He does not need to establish residency to run in the 22nd District -- he lives there. And he is running even with Lampson in everything but fundraising -- because the Democrat power elite put the word out that Lampson is the candidate they want.

So why dump the popular Asian-American local officeholder in favor of a former congressman who does not even live in the district?

And what would be said if this were the GOP dumping a minority candidate in favor of a white carpetbagger candidate selected by the powers that be?

Posted by: Greg at 01:55 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This would be really humorous if it were not so frightening.

Broke and without enough money in the bank to pay its bills after the end of the month, the Florida Democratic Party has now been slapped with a lien by the Internal Revenue Service for failing to pay payroll and Social Security taxes in 2003.
The state party's budget and finance committee voted Tuesday to ask for a new audit to account for more than $900,000 it believes somehow disappeared from the books during the 2003-2004 calendar years when the party was led by Scott Maddox, who is now seeking its nomination for governor.

Maddox and successor Karen Thurman, who became the party's new chairwoman just last month, did not immediately return phone messages asking for comment on the findings.

"We're going to be on top of this a lot more than we were previously, not only in Scott's term of office, but Bob Poe's term in office," state party vice-chair Diane Glasser of Fort Lauderdale said Tuesday. "We weren't getting all the information we should have been getting." Maddox replaced Poe.

While the party owes roughly $200,000 in delinquent payroll and Social Security taxes, the lien was against the remaining $98,000 in their account on Friday, longtime Leon County committeeman Jon Ausman said. Ausman said it cost about $250,000 a month to pay salaries and overhead for the party operation in Tallahassee and that it had been spending more so far this year than it has raised.

So what we see here is that the Florida Dems have floated a $200,000 from the taxpauyers by failing to turn over to the government money held out of employee salaries for taxes. Seems to me that there is a serious issue of financial mismanagement and fraud here. Who is going to be the first locked up?

But it gets even worse, as the responsible officials in the party look to pass the blame elsewhere.

more...

Posted by: Greg at 01:43 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Just a quick reminder about the Holocaust, that historical evil you minimized and denied last week with your comments on Gitmo, as well as the other government-sponsored mass murders you belittled.

Aushwitz. Bergen-Belsen. Birkenau. Buchenwald. Dachau. Majdanek. Mauthausen. Sobibor. Treblinka.

Ring any bells?

Those were true concentration camps - places where death crossed all human boundaries and people died simply because of who they were.

If you were a Gypsy, you died. If you were mentally handicapped, you died. If you were a homosexual, you died. If you were a dissident, you died. If you were a Jew, you moved to the head of the line and died as part of a program aimed at the extermination of an entire race.

Mothers and children were killed. Fathers and sons were killed. The sick and the old were killed. Babies were bashed against walls. Children were thrown into fires. People were packed into "bath houses" and killed by the score, after which the bodies were packed into ovens and burnt to ash.

The death toll in such camps has been estimated to be as high as 11 million people.

The Soviet gulags got started earlier, but their "best" years were between 1930 and 1950. Again, millions (estimates range from 20 million to 50 million) perished. One of the worst of these camps was a little patch of sunshine called Kolyma. Those fond of making comparisons might want to read up on it.

Minor aside: Given such numbers, one wonders why the term "Communists" isn't used more frequently since the Nazis were, obviously, a second-string operation when it came to slaughtering innocent people.

As regards Pol Pot and his merry band of killers, here's a bit of information provided by the Dith Pran Holocaust Awareness Organization:

"The Khmer Rouge turned Cambodia to year zero. They banned all institutions, including stores, banks, hospitals, schools, religion, and the family. Everyone was forced to work 12-14 hours a day, every day. Children were separated from their parents to work in mobile groups or as soldiers. People were fed one watery bowl of soup with a few grains of rice thrown in. Babies, children, adults and the elderly were killed everywhere. The Khmer Rouge killed people if they didn't like them, if they didn't work hard enough, if they were educated, if they came from different ethnic groups, or if they showed sympathy when their family members were taken away to be killed. All were killed without reason. Everyone had to pledge total allegiance to Angka, the Khmer Rouge government. It was a campaign based on instilling constant fear and keeping their victims off balance."
The death toll was 2.5 million.

When will you resign, sir?

Posted by: Greg at 10:04 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I found this over at National Review. What do you think, Senator Durbin? Are you prepared to call this military chaplain a liar, in addition to a war criminal who has committedcrimes against humanity?

Here's a list that might help you if you're willing to listen to an Ordained Elder who knows the facts rather than accusations made based on speculation. I'll respond here specifically to some of the ones I've heard.

1. The detainees have direct access to the International Red Cross representatives contrary to the accusations that they have no outside contact. Also, all the detainees are allowed to write and receive mail from family.

2. The detainees have their food prepared according to Islamic guidelines. The call to prayer is broadcast for them to go to prayer. Each detainee has the direction to Meccah painted in their cell. They are allowed to practice their religion without interference and are given the religious items they need to do so. They are allowed to observe Ramadan.

3. There are strict guidelines and training concerning human rights protections. If a service member sees a violation they are to report it and if asked to violate someone's human rights they are to consider it as an unlawful order. Those who violate are subject to prosecution.

I know, Senator, that such a man is not nearly as trustworthy as an enemy cobattant who violated international law in taking up arms agains the United States, but I hope you will give his claims some weight.

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I'm always troubled by school district policies that seek to ban the Confederate flag. It is a symbol with a multiplicity of meanings, depending upon the wearer and the observer. Is it a racist hate symbol? The iconic image of ancestral heritage? A signe of rebelliousness? Or simply an advertising slogan (we have a "blody-art shop near school, patronized by all ethninc groups, called Southern Boys', that uses the banner as its logo)? What should schools do about the flag> And what CAN they do?

Personally, I think this district stepped over the line in its response to the Confederate flag. They want to ban every flag except the American flag, unless specific advance permission is obtained to celebrate a certain heritage on a particular day.

The proposed ban, which would be unique in the Tampa Bay region, was drafted by a district committee examining changes to the student code of conduct. In addition to barring students from wearing the Confederate flag, the proposal would keep them from wearing the flag of any other country, unless there is "a designated ethnic recognition activity held at the school."

The scope of the flag ban could make it vulnerable to litigation. Becky Steele, director of the West Central Florida region of the American Civil Liberties Union, said it was "overly broad" and would create "serious first amendment problems."

Barbara Renczkowski, president of the Hernando County council of PTAs and a member of the committee that proposed the change, said the ban had come up because officials wanted to head off students who might wear the Confederate flag to school. Members then decided to expand the ban rather than keep it narrow, Renczkowski said.

"It was an observation that it could possibly cause problems," Renczkowski said. "They just felt it would be easier to ban them all (except the American flag) instead of just one."

Now I see a couple of issues. First, there is the issue of Tinker v. DsMoines. Are these flags causing a disruption in school? It seems not, with the possible exception of the Confederate flag. But the article doesn't list any problems in this school. And even if the wearing of the flag makes some uncomfortable, does it rise to the level of a disruption under Tinker? After all, the First Amendment exists to protect speech that makes people uncomfortable.

Second, does this ban constitute the establishment of a political orthodoxy by the school district? In permitting the American flag at all times, but banning all others except when permitted by schools, does it have the effect of endorsing one position and penalizing all others? If so, it would seem to go beyond the limits set in the 1943 Flag Salute case.

Still, I'm interested inthe thoughts of others. What do you think?

Posted by: Greg at 12:03 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I've been fascinated with the ancient Greeks and the age of Pericles ever since the first book about them was stuck in my hands somewhere arouhnd the age of eight-years old. As the son of a naval officer, I was particularly interested inthe battle at Salamis, which saved the Athenians (and the rest of the Greeks) from defeat at the hands of the Persians.

Marine archaeologists are now searching for evidence about the battle which made the development of classical civilization (as we know it) possible.

In the world of underwater archaeology the hunt for the legendary armadas is the expedition that might, just, scoop all others.

Topping the international team's wish list is the remains of a trireme, the pre-eminent warship of the classical age.

"This is high-risk archaeology," says the team's co-leader, Dr Shelly Wachsmann, of Texas A&M University. "Discovering a trireme is one of the holy grails. Not one has ever been found."

The Persians' defeat at Salamis is seen as one of the first victories of democracy over tyranny, a crucial moment in Western history. Without it, say scholars, there would have been no golden age and the world would have been a very different place.

All of which makes this week-long mission more poignant as experts try to discover how the Greeks managed to defeat a much bigger and better-equipped enemy.

If this Aggie gets his trireme, I might even be persuaded to offer a hearty "Gig 'Em" on their behalf.

Posted by: Greg at 11:43 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Good grief -- if this young man has this exceptional talent and range, why deny him the right to compete on a fair and equal basis with the girls?

Singing soprano is for girls only in Texas' All-State Choir, eliminating a 17-year-old boy's chance to audition for a statewide honor and raising questions about gender and vocal performance.

The Texas Music Educators Association denied a petition by Mikhael Rawls of suburban Fort Worth to audition this fall for the elite ensemble as a soprano, a part traditionally sung by girls.

Rawls sings countertenor, a little known male voice part that has surged in popularity in classical and operatic circles in the past decade. He can sing an octave and a half higher than most boys his age, and he feels most comfortable singing in that range. He has even won first place as a soprano in the University Interscholastic League's competition two years in a row.

The association, however, does not allow boys to sing soprano, or alto or girls to sing tenor or bass. Association spokeswoman Amy Lear said the group adopted the rule two years ago because of concerns that girls auditioning for tenor parts were hurting their voices by singing too low.

"If you make a rule one way it has to work both ways,"

Actually, no you don't have to make it both ways. On the one hand, you have individuals being harmed by exceeding their abilities. On the other, you have someone trying to sing in their natural range. No reasonable judge in the world would see it differently.

Oh, that's right, I just used a non-sequiter -- "reasonable judge".

The young man, though, hits the nail right on the head in his letter to the association.

"This is an education association that is supposed to be fostering and developing young singers," said Maguire, who wrote a letter to the Texas group urging them to approve Rawls' petition. "Keeping someone from singing what is essentially natural to them is not fostering them."

Fortuantely, colleges are already looking at this fine young man. He'll get to sing on the college level -- and well beyond, if I do not miss my guess.

Good luck, Mikhael! I long to hear your voice some day.

Posted by: Greg at 01:59 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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William Kristol makes an excellent point in The Daily Standard. It is not the responsibility of the Republicans to act against Dick Durbin for his reprehensible statements against the US military. Rather, it is the responsibility of the Democrats.

Why not put the burden on the Democrats? When Sen. Trent Lott made a far less damaging, but still deplorable, statement two and a half years ago, his fellow Republicans insisted he step down as their leader. Shouldn't Democrats insist that Sen. Durbin step down as their whip, the number two man in their leadership? Shouldn't conservatives (and liberals) legitimately ask Democrats to hold their leader to account, especially given the precedent of Lott?

Yes, what is the Democrat Party's response to Durbin's outrageous words and his clear lack of repentance over them -- as evidenced by his non-apology which indicates he believes the comparison to the Nazis was appropriate but misunderstood? Do the Democrats penalize such Holocaust denial (for that is what his comments constitute)? We know that the Democrats still refuse to come to grips with the true nature of Communism and the murderous barbarism of that system. Yet one would have hopes that the genocide of six-million innocent Jews and the liquidation of six-million other innocents would still be seen as quantitatively and qualitatively different from the use of extreme interrogation techniques against a few hundred terrorists who took up arms against the US in a manner that violates international law and places them outside its protection. Will the Democrats in the Senate (and elsewhere) act to repudiate Durbin's minimization of industrialized murder?

Senator Durbin is scheduled to join Democratic chairman Howard Dean at a big fundraiser at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., this Tuesday. I assume he will withdraw from that appearance. But if he cannot appear with his party chairman, one can ask how he can lead his party in the Senate? And if he does appear with Dean Tuesday night, and stays in his party's Senate leadership, doesn't that tell us everything we need to know about today's Democratic party?

The GOP sacrificed Trent Lott for the crime of saying kind but stupid words to an old man on the occasion of his reaching 100-years of age. Should we not expect the Democrats to do at least as much against a senior member of leadership whose words clearly defame our troops, implicitly deny the magnitude of the Holocaust, and arguably give aid and comfort to the enemies of the United States during time of war?

Posted by: Greg at 11:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I guess the Senator from Illinois just isn't disturbed enough by reports of real torture against real innocents to issue any sort of condemnation. But American troops are Nazis for turning off the AC.

What I see in front of me is absolutely heartbreaking. It's two of four hostages who are being taken away, rescued. They were rescued this morning. They're Iraqi, and they were found in this complex that Marines first thought was a car-bomb factory. In fact, they did find what they believe was a potential car bomb or suicide car bomb.

But inside this complex, they found something even more sinister -- four Iraqis who were handcuffed, their hands and feet bound with steel cuffs. They're now being taken away for medical treatment, one being borne away on a stretcher.

The man in intense pain that they're trying to get into a vehicle, has been tortured, he says, and has all the marks of being tortured with electricity. His back is crisscrossed with welts. The other man is even ... in worse shape. Their crime was to be part of the border police.

The Marines came in here this morning, rescued them. The battle is still raging around us. I don't know if you can hear the gunfire, but this is a major offensive to get rid of insurgents and foreign fighters in this city near the Syrian border....

... Two young men say they don't know why they were seized. They say they didn't hear the voices of their captors, only people whispering in their ear that they were going to be killed.

But we have just watched the two who were most badly treated be carried out of here for medical equipment, one of them on a stretcher, an older man who worked for the border police, along with his colleague. ... the Marines showed us the room where he says he was hung by his feet, his head dipped in water and then tortured with electric shocks repeatedly.

One of the other men, the other border police, was too weak, really, to tell us what had happened. But he obviously was in very, very bad shape.

They were rescued this morning as Marines and Iraqi forces came into this complex, which included an underground bunker, weapons stockpiles and other things, and found them here. Their captors have fled.

Bring on a Senate censure -- or better yet, his resignation.

Posted by: Greg at 09:39 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Does Joe Biden really believe he would stand a chance, given his 1988 scandal and his later health concerns -- not to mention Hillary?

Democratic U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden said on Sunday he intends to run for president in 2008, two decades after he dropped out of the race amid charges he plagiarized a British politician's speech.

"My intention now is to seek the nomination," Biden, of Delaware, said on CBS television's "Face the Nation." He said he would explore his support and decide by the end of this year -- a sign the race may get off to an early and competitive start.

"If in fact I think I have a clear shot at winning the nomination, by this November or December, then I'm going to seek the nomination," he said.

Biden is the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a frequent critic of President Bush's Iraq policy.

Still, if he did get the nomination I think he would be an easy-to-beat candidate for the eventual GOP nominee.

Posted by: Greg at 09:35 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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A Muslim student at the University of Arkansas, upset that his doctoral dissertation would require another six-months to defend, decided to leave off his studies and become a terrorist.

Federal agents arrested Arwah J. Jaber, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Palestine, on a criminal complaint accusing him of knowingly attempting to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization.According to a criminal affidavit filed with the U.S. District Court in Fort Smith, an anonymous tipster from Fayetteville placed a call earlier this month to the Department of Homeland Security to inform them that Arwah Jaber, a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry at UA, intended to go to Palestine to fight in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

A video of the May 14 graduation at the University of Arkansas shows Jaber joining thousand of of other students in commencement exercises. Jaber was a candidate in the program for the last four years, and according to the affidavit, had only six months left to go before he had completed his studies. But just days before graduation, Jaber's attitude had suddenly shifted as evidenced in an e-mail Jaber sent to his doctoral advisor on May 11. The professor turned over the e-mail after being questioned by investigators. It reads in part:

“Since Dr. Wilkins was unable to help me graduate this May, I have decided to take an honorable job in Palestine with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Organization to pursue a more noble cause -- freedom, justice and peace for the Palestinians and to fight the Israeli terrorism. This action will make it impossible for me to return to the states to defend my dissertation -- assuming I am still alive."

more...

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To nobody's surprise, RINO Comptroller Carole Keeton McClellan Rylander Strayhorn announced her bid to unseat Governor Rick Perry in the 2006 GOP primary.

"You know that Texans cannot afford another four years of a governor who promises tax relief and delivers nothing," she said.

"Now is time to replace this do-nothing drugstore cowboy with one tough grandma," Strayhorn told a cheering crowd.

Strayhorn specifically criticized Perry for his decision today to veto the state's $35 billion education budget and call a new special session without having a plan on how to overhaul public school finance.

"A leader does not call a fifth special session — costing taxpayers another $1.5 million dollars — when he does not have a plan," she said. "A leader does not hold our children's education hostage and certainly would never even allow a discussion about schools not opening on time."

Strayhorn offered two specific suggestions on what she would do as governor. One is to pass her proposed program to pay for two years of college for every high school graduate. And the other is to legalize video lottery terminals with the revenue going to pay for a teacher pay raise.

Strayhorn has been able to brag in her statewide electi

While Strayhorn has done well in general elections in recent years, she does not have as strong support among GOP primary voters. She trailed Perry by 80,000 votes in the 2002 primary in number of primary votes received.

CAMPAIGN NOTE: I'm backing Perry -- please contact me if you are interested in supporting Governor Perry.

Posted by: Greg at 04:47 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I just ran across the single most impresive post in the blogosphere on the pathetic smear of America by Senator Dick-less Durbin.

I already know my nominee for this week's Watcher's Council vote.

Posted by: Greg at 05:17 AM | Comments (26) | Add Comment
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John Kass of the Chicago Trbune offers this pointed reminder -- and rebuke -- to Senator Dick-less Durbin regarding his outrage over the non-torture inflicted upon terrorist prisoners at Gitmo.

We're at war, Senator. How can you possibly justify that statement?

And you know what? We have learned from history. The reason buildings at Guantanamo are full is because there are two big holes in the ground in New York.

Senator, weren't you one of those legitimately complaining that U.S. intelligence dropped the ball and something had to be done so it wouldn't happen again?

It is being done. Much of it isn't polite or civilized and some of it upsets me, like the abuse of the Koran. Suspects have been pushed around, hurt, and enemies have been given propaganda fodder.

Clearly, Americans don't like it when others get hurt. But Americans really don't like it when Americans get hurt.

At any rate, this is not the kind of torture I've heard about. In World War II in Greece, my father was handed over to the Germans on the suspicion he aided downed British airmen. They beat him, day after day, making him dig his own grave. He played dumb to survive and it worked. An uncle was forced into a labor camp. The Nazis didn't use Christina Aguilera music on him, though luckily, he too survived.

Sen. Durbin, in other places, suspected terrorists have their feet flayed with rods, their families raped; they're force-fed a quart of olive oil, then tied, seated, to a block of ice. By your own words, Senator, Guantanamo isn't remotely like that.

You don't have to apologize to the Republicans in the White House. But Senator, you should apologize to the nation.

And if you don't have the stomach for the work, please have the guts not to play partisan politics with what has to be done.

Seriously.

Better yet, Senator -- RESIGN!

Posted by: Greg at 04:01 AM | Comments (22) | Add Comment
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Some things don't need much commentary.

The furious widow of a New York National Guardsman murdered at a military base in Iraq branded the soldier accused of killing him "a traitor and a coward" yesterday.

"God have mercy on him but I hope that no one else will," Barbara Allen said of Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez.

Try. Convict. Execute.

Posted by: Greg at 03:54 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Like everyone else, I complain about the medical insurance my employer offers -- it seems like premiums go up but benefits go down every year, and the plan that district administrators can afford is way out of the price range of those of us who actually perform the primary task of the school district -- educate students.

But I've never really been attracted to the notion of a socialized medical program, no matter how much the advocates of such plans waxed eloquent about the medical care in Canada, the UK, or the Soviet Union (hey -- I still remembr the discussions from my college days).

Articles like this one help me remember that such schemes are inherrantly flawed and riddled with inefficiency.

A HOSPITAL told a road accident victim that she would have to wait a year and a half for an NHS brain scan, but could have the procedure done privately at the same unit in two weeks, The Times has learnt.

In a case that highlights the crisis in diagnostic tests, King’s College Hospital, London, warned Rachel King that, because of “heavy demand”, the MRI scan that her consultant had sought could be delayed for 80 weeks.

But a handwritten note at the end of the letter gave a telephone number for the hospital’s “self-pay” private clinic, where she could have the procedure in two weeks for £983.

Ms KingÂ’s case is the starkest example yet of widespread delays in diagnostic tests across the health service. One in five trusts has waiting times of more than a year for MRI scans, and two in five have waits of more than six months.

A quarter of trusts said that 25 per cent or more of their scanning capacity was not used but lack of staff and resources prevent increased usage.

Posted by: Greg at 03:47 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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We are always told that teenagers have a right to privacy and reproductive choice. So what is the deal here? On what basis is this nurse insisting that a student take a pregnancy test? Especially since the basis of her demand is a rumor that the girl herself denied.

A 15-year-old San Marcos girl and her father have filed a federal lawsuit against her school nurse, who allegedly forced the girl to take a pregnancy test.

The lawsuit claims nurse Dyanna Eastwood called the girl to her office and told her that a student at another school claimed he impregnated her.

Eastwood insisted the girl take the test, according to the lawsuit.

The girl said she did not have sex with the boy and denied that she was pregnant.

The girl's lawyer also said she was not pregnant.

The suit, which was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Austin, claims the girl's privacy and constitutional rights were violated during the January event.

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, claims Eastwood violated the girl's Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure.

There are a couple of fundamental problems here, from my point of view. more...

Posted by: Greg at 03:14 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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We Texans have been eagerly awaiting a decision by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison on whether she will run for reelection to the Senate or challenge Rick Perry for Governor. Today we got half the answer. UPDATE -- This updated story contains more information and clarifies her Senate plans.

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison announced today that she will run for a third Senate term, ending months of speculation that she would challenge Texas Gov. Rick Perry for the Republican nomination in 2006.

An e-mail distributed by Hutchison's campaign said she would make the formal announcement on June 27, when she would provide details on her decision and "why she believes it is in the best interest of Texas."

Hutchison had long been considered a likely challenger to Perry, who is seeking his second full term. He became governor in 2000, after George W. Bush resigned to become president. He was elected to a full four-year term in 2002.

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I find it strange that this Reuters article fails to mention the subject's most famous and influential client. Neither do the AP or LA Times articles on the case.

Imprisoned celebrity sleuth Anthony Pellicano was charged on Friday with threatening a Los Angeles Times reporter three years ago to keep her from pursuing a story about action movie star Steven Seagal.

The criminal complaint charging Pellicano and an associate was brought a week after a U.S. appeals court ruled prosecutors were free to use evidence seized by authorities during a search of his West Hollywood office in 2002.

A private eye for more than two decades, Pellicano, 61, is serving a 30-month federal prison term for his conviction on charges of keeping unregistered firearms, grenades and plastic explosives in his office safe.

Pellicano, a self-described "sin eater" for celebrities he was hired to keep out of the press, worked for such stars as Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Tom Cruise, Kevin Costner and some of the biggest lawyers in the entertainment industry.

The investigation of Pellicano was triggered by reports in 2002 that he had tried to intimidate reporter Anita Busch, then working for the Los Angeles Times, to keep her from working on stories about a suspected Mafia extortion plot against Seagal.

Quick -- who is the client that is left out of the article?

more...

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A good chunk of my family are graduates of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. I even have a few credits from the school myself, taken when I lived in the area and was a staff member at the local homeless shelter. I've even had family teach at the SIU, which holds a very special place in my heart.

Now stuff like this is sort of an annual right of spring at SIU-Carbondale, which has a beautiful wooded campus. A couple of years ago there was a buck that got caught in the lobby of one of the academic buildings. But it would appear that this fawning season is a bit more intense than most.

Students and faculty at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale are getting a summer lesson about fawning, after deer have threatened or attacked seven people on campus over the past two weeks.

Four of the victims were sent to a hospital, none with life-threatening injuries. The latest confrontation came Tuesday, when a doe charged three people, hospitalizing two.

The school says such attacks are rare, although warnings about the deer are being posted.

All of the encounters happened near Thompson Woods and may be tied to a female deer's natural protectiveness during fawning season that typically peaks this month and is almost over.

A scientist also says the area's deer population likely is rising and that construction perhaps has pushed the animals into campus.

So remember, Salukis, those deer are NOT tame. Bambi's mama is gonna kick your ass if you piss her off, so please give her a wide berth.

Posted by: Greg at 04:56 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Bret Stephens, a member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board, recently had a disturbing encounter with a senior member of the staff at the German consulate in New York.

But the diplomat had no patience for my small talk. Apropos of nothing, he said he had recently made a study of U.S. tax laws and concluded that practices here were inferior to those in Germany. Given recent rates of German economic growth, I found this comment odd. But I offered no rejoinder. I was, after all, a guest in his home.

The diplomat, however, was just getting started. Bad as U.S. economic policy was, it was as nothing next to our human-rights record. Had I read the recent Amnesty International report on Guantanamo? "You mean the one that compared it to the Soviet gulag?" Yes, that one. My host disagreed with it: The gulag was better than Gitmo, since at least the Stalinist system offered its victims a trial of sorts.

Nor was that all. Civil rights in the U.S., he said, were on a par with those of North Korea and rather behind what they had been in Europe in the Middle Ages. When I offered that, as a journalist, I had encountered no restrictions on press freedom, he cut me off. "That's because The Wall Street Journal takes its orders from the government."

By then we had sat down at the formal dining table, with our backs to Ground Zero a half-mile away and our eyes on the boats on the river below us. My wife and I made abortive attempts at ordinary conversation. We were met with non sequiturs: "The only people who appreciate American foreign policy are poodles." After further bizarre pronouncements, including a lecture on the illegality of the Holocaust under Nazi law, my wife said that she felt unwell. We gathered our things and left.

Stephens, unfortunately, does not identify the cretin in question. Having remained mute and failed to adequately defend his own country in the course of the conversation -- lest he appear impolite, one would presume -- he now feels that to identify him would be a breach of ethics.

I disagree.

Mr. Stephens, your host crossed the bounds of decency, as well as of diplomacy. He is clearly a public figure, and a representative of his government. What expectation of privacy, of confidentiality, does he really have? You've disclosed the substance of the conversation, which did not occur in a professional capacity. How is disclosing the identity of the speaker a greater violation?

Posted by: Greg at 04:45 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Having recently finished O'Brian's epic Aubrey/Maturin novels (I did Hornblower a couple of years ago), I've developed a fascination with Lord Nelson. And given that we are near to the anniversary of the glorious Battle of Trafalgar, it seems right tthat I note the presence of this document on the auction list at Bobnham's in London.

A description of the horrors of the Battle of Trafalgar written by a barely literate below-decks seaman is to be auctioned next month as enthusiasm for memorabilia peaks on the 200th anniversary of the battle in which Admiral Horatio Nelson crushed a French and Spanish fleet.

The document describes the action of Britain's greatest naval victory from the point of view of Robert Sands, a 17-year-old "powder monkey" on the Temeraire, and includes an account of how he almost suffocated in the smoke from the ship's 98 guns and how he narrowly escaped death from a fire.

His story opens with a description of the famous signal to the fleet sent by Nelson: "He said he oped that Everey man would doo his Duty this day for old Englands sake for it would be a gloureus day for them that lived to see the end of it."

Later Sands writes: "We had to leave our Quarters 2 get breth. The smoke sofecated us."

As I loke to remind my students, history is not just the lives of the great men and women of an age, but those of the humblest as well.

I wish I had an extra $7000 lying around to make this purchase.

It is expected to go for about $7000 (3000 pounds). I certainly wish I had that sort of cash to spare.

Posted by: Greg at 04:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It seems clear that Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is looking to be on the 2008 Democrat ticket, and is making sure that there are as many Democrats on the voting rolls in Iowa as possible. Never mind that he is overriding the clear intent of iowa law to do it.

Gov. Tom Vilsack said Friday he soon will sign an executive order restoring voting rights to convicted felons who have served their sentence.

"This action we take is not going to be a pardon," Vilsack said.

The governor said only five other states prohibit felons from voting after completing their sentences.

"We're here today to talk about justice," Vilsack aid. "When you've paid your debt to society, you need to be reconnected to society.

Vilsack said about 600 felons last year had voting rights restored, but he said it's a painstaking and time-consuming process that distracts the state's parole board and investigators.

Vilsack said he will sign the measure on July 4 with the symbolism of Independence Day.

Vilsack notes that his action will not restore other civil rights, such as the right to keep and bear arms. I guess he believes that these folks are responsible enough to direct the fate of the country, but not to carry the means of self-defense like a free man.

Stroke of the pen -- law of the land. Kinda disgusting.

Posted by: Greg at 04:18 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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As I drove in to work this morning, I couldn't help but be amused about the report of flashing signals -- at the intersection of Clinton and Fidelity.

INSERT YOUR JOKE HERE

Posted by: Greg at 06:13 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Congratulations to the winners (to all the nominees, actually) of this weeks Watcher's Council vote over at Watcher of Weasels.

The winning entry from a Council member was WhatÂ’s the Real Question in America, from The Sundries Shack.

The winning non-Council entry was Zimbabwe Changed My Mind: Guns Are A Human Right, located at Winds of Change.

I encourage you to read the winning posts, and to peruse the others that were entered this week.

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Let's be really clear for Senator Dick-less Durbin about why US policy at Guantanamo Bay regarding the non-applicability of the Geneva Convention is perfectly correct.

Here's who the Geneva Conventions cover.

Article 4

A. Prisoners of war, in the sense of the present Convention, are persons belonging to one of the following categories, who have fallen into the power of the enemy:

1. Members of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict as well as members of militias or volunteer corps forming part of such armed forces.

2. Members of other militias and members of other volunteer corps, including those of organized resistance movements, belonging to a Party to the conflict and operating in or outside their own territory, even if this territory is occupied, provided that such militias or volunteer corps, including such organized resistance movements, fulfil the following conditions:

(a) That of being commanded by a person responsible for his subordinates;

(b) That of having a fixed distinctive sign recognizable at a distance;

(c) That of carrying arms openly;

(d) That of conducting their operations in accordance with the laws and customs of war.

3. Members of regular armed forces who profess allegiance to a government or an authority not recognized by the Detaining Power.

4. Persons who accompany the armed forces without actually being members thereof, such as civilian members of military aircraft crews, war correspondents, supply contractors, members of labour units or of services responsible for the welfare of the armed forces, provided that they have received authorization from the armed forces which they accompany, who shall provide them for that purpose with an identity card similar to the annexed model.

5. Members of crews, including masters, pilots and apprentices, of the merchant marine and the crews of civil aircraft of the Parties to the conflict, who do not benefit by more favourable treatment under any other provisions of international law.

6. Inhabitants of a non-occupied territory, who on the approach of the enemy spontaneously take up arms to resist the invading forces, without having had time to form themselves into regular armed units, provided they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war.

Of these categories of persons, only #2 could be held to apply -- except for the fact that the terrorists violate conditions b, c, and d, putting them outside the framework established by the Geneva Convention. So while we generally give them treatment consistent with the Geneva Convention, any deviation is not a violation because they are not covered in the first place.

Hat Tip: GOPBloggers

Posted by: Greg at 05:24 PM | Comments (30) | Add Comment
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Well, this story is even more disgusting than my earlier post on PETA's abyssmal euthanasia rate at its shelters.

Two individuals from Hampton Roads, employees of the Norfolk-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, were arrested Wednesday night in Ahoskie, N.C., on animal cruelty charges.

The two were arrested after authorities allege they dumped dead dogs and cats in a dumpster at a shopping center on Memorial Drive in Ahoskie.

Andrew Benjamin Cook, 24, of Virginia Beach, and Adria Joy Hinkle, 27, of Norfolk, were arrested at the shopping center. Police say they found 18 dead animals in the dumpster and 13 dead animals in the couple's van, which according to authorities, is registered to PETA. Both suspects were charged with 31 counts of animal cruelty and eight counts of illegal disposal of animals.

According to police, the animals were from two North Carolina animal shelters - one in Northampton County and the other in Bertie County.

Officials say the animals were alive when they left the shelters, but have not said how they died.

This pet lover is horrified at the obvious cruelty -- and at the fact that these animals were clearly treated with no compassion by these PETA-philes.

Posted by: Greg at 04:41 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Let me begin by saying that if I were a member of the US Senate, I would have abstained from voting on the resolution apologizing for the failure of the Senate to pas a law making lynching a federal crime. I wasn't born at the time the laws were considered, and as a Republican I have nothing to apologize for -- it was a series of filibusters and other parliamentary tricks used by a Democrat minority to prevent the majority of senators (including all Republicans) from voting to make lynching a federal crime as asked by Republican a number of Republican presidents. That is why I'm not too disturbed that a number of senators failed to co-sponsor the apology resolution.

Texas' U.S. senators decided against co-sponsoring a resolution apologizing to lynching victims and their families because of procedural reasons rather than any second thoughts about the measure, aides said Wednesday.

The decisions by Republicans Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn put them among the 17 senators who refrained from co-sponsoring the apology. It was co-sponsored by the 83 others.

The resolution, which apologized for the Senate's failure to enact anti-lynching legislation through two centuries, passed by unanimous consent.

Only about six senators were on the floor for the vote, which is not unusual when measures are approved in such a manner. Hutchison and Cornyn were absent.
The resolution was introduced by Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, a Democrat, and Republican Sen. George Allen of Virginia.

I'm sorry, the resolution passed was nothing short of a steaming pile of crap dumped on the graves of lynching victims. The passage of this resolution STILL fails to make lynching a federal crime, and so it is meaningless beyond a hollow symbolism. Any actual apology should have come in the form of legislation accomplishing the aim of the original bills that failed to gain passage -- all 200 of them.

Partisan Democrats are, of course, making hay over the fact that these senators did not co-sponsor the resolution. The irony is that one of them has paid advertising on his site raising money for Senator Robert "Sheets" Byrd (KKK-Dogpatch), whose previous career includes a stint as a paid recruiter for the Klan – and who has never publicly answered questions about his participation in lynchings, cross-burnings, and other acts of KKK terrorism during his days in that anti-American organization.

UPDATE: Two recent developments:

1) Senator Byrd has published his memoirs -- and still fails to come clean about the full extent of his involvement in the terrorist organization known as the Ku Klux Klan. Seems he is still in denial about its nature and the level of evil of his membership/organizing activities.

2) It only took a week, but John Aravosis FINALLY acknowledges that lynching is still not a Federal crime.

hadn't realized they NEVER passed the law. This puts the importance of the anti-lynching resolution in a whole new light. They NEVER passed the law, while lynchings continued up until the late 1960s (though, I'd argue, what happened to James Byrd in Texas a few years back was clearly a lynching).

When I made an issue of it in his comment section, noting that I'd been pointing that out on his site for a week, John did what any honest liberal would do -- banned me and deleted all my comments so that no one could go back and check. I guess he doesn't like having folks note that he is a John-ny-Come-Lately to the issue of passing an actual law banning lynching.

OOPS! My bad! He still hasn't called for the passage of anti-lynching legislation, but instead wants to score cheap political points over a do-nothing resolution that takes no action to actually rectify the Senate's failure to pass legislation against lynching. I wonder if it has anything to do with his taking advertising dollars from Bobby the Klansman's campaign?

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Look at this solution to the fractures within the Anglican Communion – and notice that certain folks are now simply one “subgroup” among many in this so-called Christian body.

A draft of a constitution detailing a proposed realignment of the worldwide Anglican Communion became public this week, outlining for the first time how divisions over homosexuality may change the face of the more than 70-million-member church.

The unsourced and undated four-page document, named "The Organizing Constitution of the Anglican Global Initiative," has been circulating among some executive members of the Episcopal Church since January, after it was brought to the church's New York headquarters following a meeting of African bishops in Nairobi.

Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh, a group of clergy and lay people, made the document available on its Web site. Its existence was first reported this week by the Guardian newspaper in Great Britain.

The articles of the constitution state that the Anglican Global Initiative would be an organization of Anglicans from the Global South, which includes Africa, Asia and parts of the Southern Hemisphere, and those in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada who "hold to the centrality and authority of Holy Scripture."

“The centrality and authority of Holy Scripture.” One would have hoped that those were a given for a body that claims to be Christian, not simply one option among many.

Posted by: Greg at 10:16 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Look at this solution to the fractures within the Anglican Communion – and notice that certain folks are now simply one “subgroup” among many in this so-called Christian body.

A draft of a constitution detailing a proposed realignment of the worldwide Anglican Communion became public this week, outlining for the first time how divisions over homosexuality may change the face of the more than 70-million-member church.

The unsourced and undated four-page document, named "The Organizing Constitution of the Anglican Global Initiative," has been circulating among some executive members of the Episcopal Church since January, after it was brought to the church's New York headquarters following a meeting of African bishops in Nairobi.

Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh, a group of clergy and lay people, made the document available on its Web site. Its existence was first reported this week by the Guardian newspaper in Great Britain.

The articles of the constitution state that the Anglican Global Initiative would be an organization of Anglicans from the Global South, which includes Africa, Asia and parts of the Southern Hemisphere, and those in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada who "hold to the centrality and authority of Holy Scripture."

“The centrality and authority of Holy Scripture.” One would have hoped that those were a given for a body that claims to be Christian, not simply one option among many.

Posted by: Greg at 10:16 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Well, there seems to be a new term of derision directed at those of us who follow the Christ. That term is “Christer”, used in a sense not unlike “nigger” or “kike” by bigots. Take this example, which is the source of the current controversy.

Today’s Christer protests are targeting a different kind of subversion. Chip Berlet, senior analyst at the labor-funded Political Research Associates, has spent over 25 years studying the far right and theocratic fundamentalism. He is co-author of Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort. Berlet — who was one of the speakers at a conference last month co-sponsored by the N.Y. Open Center and the City University of New York Graduate Center on “Examining the Real Agenda of the Christian Right” — says that “What’s motivating these people is two things. First, an incredible dread, completely irrational, of a hodgepodge of sexual subversion and social chaos. The response to that fear is genuinely a grassroots response, and it’s motivated by fundamentalist Christian doctrines like Triumphalism and Dominionism, which order Christians to take over the secular state and secular institutions. The Christian right frames itself as an oppressed minority battling the secular-humanist liberal homofeminist hordes.”

Posted by: Greg at 10:12 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Well, there seems to be a new term of derision directed at those of us who follow the Christ. That term is “Christer”, used in a sense not unlike “nigger” or “kike” by bigots. Take this example, which is the source of the current controversy.

Today’s Christer protests are targeting a different kind of subversion. Chip Berlet, senior analyst at the labor-funded Political Research Associates, has spent over 25 years studying the far right and theocratic fundamentalism. He is co-author of Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort. Berlet — who was one of the speakers at a conference last month co-sponsored by the N.Y. Open Center and the City University of New York Graduate Center on “Examining the Real Agenda of the Christian Right” — says that “What’s motivating these people is two things. First, an incredible dread, completely irrational, of a hodgepodge of sexual subversion and social chaos. The response to that fear is genuinely a grassroots response, and it’s motivated by fundamentalist Christian doctrines like Triumphalism and Dominionism, which order Christians to take over the secular state and secular institutions. The Christian right frames itself as an oppressed minority battling the secular-humanist liberal homofeminist hordes.”

Posted by: Greg at 10:12 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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The Liberty Counsel, a group dedicated to the preservation of religious and civil liberies, has sued a library in Woodland Park, Colorado, regarding its policy on the use of community rooms for meetings.

The Woodland Park Library says its community room is "available to nonprofit civic, cultural and educational organizations for events open to the public." But the policy also says, "Meetings open to the public that are religious or political in nature must provide a balanced view and [meet] with the Board of Trustees' approval."

The Liberty Counsel said it applied to use library's community room at the end of May and again on June 6. The Liberty Counsel noted on the application that the meeting would present a biblical perspective on marriage and homosexuality and would include prayer and scripture reading.

But library officials responded that since the proposed meeting was religious, someone else must present an opposing view.

The policy is not just unconstitutional. On what possible grounds could this government agency insist upon requiring groups to sponsor speech with which they disagree?

Posted by: Greg at 09:59 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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As I've said, I like to watch international trends to determine what eventual tactics and demands we in the Unied States will encounter from those seeking to impose homosexual marriage on this country against the will of the American populace. This latest development from Canada shows that those who claim that religious believers will be left aone if they don't support the fundamental redefinition of the concept of marriage are very likely lying, biding their time until they are in a position to punish that opposition.

Homosexual activist Kevin Bourassa, co-sponsor of equalmarriage.ca, along with his “spouse,” Joe Varnell – whose Ontario court win paved the way for same-sex “marriage” for Canada – claimed Sunday that churches who vocally oppose the legalization of same-sex “marriage” for Canada should have their charitable status revoked, for participating in politics.

“We have no problem with the Catholic Church or any other faith group promoting bigotry,” Bourassa charged, as reported by the Ottawa Citizen. “We have a problem with the Canadian government funding that bigotry.”

more...

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It is not unprecedented for a member of the legislative branch to be nominated to a federal court – including the Supreme Court of the United States. One name being mentioned among possible nominees to fill a potential vacancy is Senator John Cornyn (R-TX).

Senator Cornyn is currently a Deputy Whip in the U.S. Senate, where he also serves on five Senate legislative committees: Armed Services, Judiciary, Budget, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and the Joint Economic Committee. He chairs the Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship and the Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, Sen. Cornyn served as Attorney General of Texas (1998-2002), a Texas Supreme Court Justice (1990-1997), and a State District Court Judge for the District of San Antonio (1984-1990)

As you can see, he has a wealth of experience as a judge, as well as experience as a legislator and the chief law enforcement officer of the state of Texas. As such, he has an excellent understanding of the roles of all three branches of government.

more...

Posted by: Greg at 01:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I’m glad to know that I, as a history teacher, am in good company with one of out top contemporary American historians – David McCullough.

"We're raising a generation of Americans who are historically illiterate," McCullough said during a speech here Monday. "What they don't know about our history is staggering."

We are a society that has come to value immediacy over context. Too often there is a focus on the contemporary issues to the exclusion of the past. Imagine the shock of my students when they find out that slaves in the Greco-Roman world were white. And I won’t get in to the issue of how many of them insist on correcting me when I try to tell them about the Reformation and Martin Luther – they all shout out “King” the first time I mention the man whose 95 Theses are one of the most important documents of the last millenium. The American Revolution, and Great Depression are mysteries to them, and all they know about the Civil War is slavery. World War II is nothing but the Holocaust to them.

I’m only about 40 years old, but I knew this stuff at a significantly younger age. So did my peers, and our parents. How can we stem the tide that may result in the loss of much of our heritage in the space of a generation?

Posted by: Greg at 01:18 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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1 Ya know I've been thinking the same thing, believe it or not. I am a few years older you, and I work with several twenty-sonethings that are utterly clueless about our own hustory let alone the history of the world. I began to notice this when I heard about the "new emphasis" that our actions @ Hiroshima & Nagasaki were "immoral", and there was no corrosponding discussion about Pearl Harbor, or the Rape of NanKing. Maybe you and I (political differences put aside) should work together to do a history blog.

Posted by: Bubba Bo Bob Brain at Tue Jun 14 14:24:36 2005 (aHbua)

2 Hmmmm....

An intriguing thought.

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Tue Jun 14 17:06:58 2005 (HMt1E)

3 Yeah, sad to see these things happen. They need to learn to put their shoes in that era to see why these things happen. Truman was absolutely distraught in deciding whether to bomb the cities or not.

One thing tho, are we seeing a balance in history for other races who had helped contributed in the making of the United States? It's been more than 20 years since I was in high school and yet my oldest daughter will be in the 7th grade. It'd be interesting to see what her history book says. Watch out for those PC lines in history books.

Posted by: mcconnell at Wed Jun 15 03:01:18 2005 (JRKms)

4 I just recently found out, a Great Uncle was slated to be in the first wave to attack Japan, if a ground war was to happen.

Without the use of those two bombs, would I have my uncle and my cousins? I seriously doubt it.

To listen to him talk about the preparations, the military had already written off the first 2 waves that would storm the shores of Japan.

The soldiers were being prepared to fight the elderly and the women and children of Japan.

Don't know about any of you, but I am glad I was not there, and have nothing but respect for those soldiers preparing to invade Japan.

Something kids today don't do is listen and hear the stories of WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam from those older relatives they have that were there, and did the actual fighting.

Instead they get liberal indoctrination as soon as the 1st grade, in some states.

I would be interested in the History blog if you B can do it without political spin.

You can never know everything, and learning should be an everyday thing!

Posted by: scubachris at Wed Jun 15 04:21:47 2005 (AktpP)

5 My great uncle was killed by a Japanese sniper by putting a bullet into his back on one of the islands in the Pacific during WWII.

Posted by: mcconnell at Wed Jun 15 10:18:12 2005 (LmcbS)

6 Also, my cousin was killed by a hand thrown grenade tossed into a tent shared by many sleeping troops in Kuwait prior to the 2nd Iraq war at Camp Pennsylvania. The tosser was none other than one of their own.

Posted by: mcconnell at Wed Jun 15 10:22:21 2005 (LmcbS)

7 Hey when it comes to history there is no politics as far as I am concerned, there are facts (sometimes inconvenient) and there are myths(always inconvenient, and almost always wrong), I think if I were to do this I would make sure that opinions were advertised as such.

Posted by: Bubba Bo Bob Brain at Wed Jun 15 13:30:07 2005 (aHbua)

8 McConnell: I don't think I'll get any rounds of disagreement from anyone when I say that the person who did that to your cousin was an absolutely vile person.

I am sorry for your loss, and respect your cousin's desire to do his or her duty and protect both our lives, and the lives of the Iraqi people. Nothing can repay such sacrifice, but I'd like to find out that we honor the soldiers that fight for us now as best we can.

Sub

Posted by: Subjugator at Wed Jun 15 14:23:10 2005 (r/FBF)

9 Thanks Sub. I never knew him. Just my mother's cousin (Betty Lenzi) whose son was killed. My mom knew him when he was a toddler. However, I can you tell you thing. There is one person who have frequented this board who said that Maj. Gregory Stone deserved to be buried rotting 6 ft under. A very vile individual indeed. Dirty mouth and all.

Posted by: mcconnell at Wed Jun 15 17:37:58 2005 (JRKms)

10 Exact words:

"...second, to make fun of his dead, mangled cousin who is rotting six feet under the cold ground."
http://ridor.blogspot.com/2005/04/reminder-for-bitch-session-iv.html

That alone proves how some people prefer to side with the enemy and put them on a pedestal instead. In this case, his hero seems to be Sgt. Akbar.


In any U.S. wars we should honor and remember the dead. Even some of the enemies such as the ones in Japan and Germany. They were the victim in the politics of war. Many of them were forced into battle. So many young men..literally boys who never gotten a chance at a good life.

I've seen a PBS show or something similar where both Japan and U.S. WWII veterans met each other for the first time on one of those Midway islands. Many veterans were happen to have reconciled knowing it was a vile time in history. I thing reconciling such past events is therapeutic and helps heal wounds.

Posted by: mcconnell at Wed Jun 15 17:51:52 2005 (JRKms)

11 I feel bad about anyone who dies in war. They're almost always kids who are either conscripted, brainwashed, misguided, or otherwise actually doing the right thing. What they rarely are is people that are flat out evil and wrong.

Now - the LEADERS of the countries that are evil and wrong...well...let's just say Saddam has none of my sympathy.

Sub

Posted by: Subjugator at Thu Jun 16 00:15:32 2005 (r/FBF)

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I’m glad to know that I, as a history teacher, am in good company with one of out top contemporary American historians – David McCullough.

"We're raising a generation of Americans who are historically illiterate," McCullough said during a speech here Monday. "What they don't know about our history is staggering."

We are a society that has come to value immediacy over context. Too often there is a focus on the contemporary issues to the exclusion of the past. Imagine the shock of my students when they find out that slaves in the Greco-Roman world were white. And I won’t get in to the issue of how many of them insist on correcting me when I try to tell them about the Reformation and Martin Luther – they all shout out “King” the first time I mention the man whose 95 Theses are one of the most important documents of the last millenium. The American Revolution, and Great Depression are mysteries to them, and all they know about the Civil War is slavery. World War II is nothing but the Holocaust to them.

IÂ’m only about 40 years old, but I knew this stuff at a significantly younger age. So did my peers, and our parents. How can we stem the tide that may result in the loss of much of our heritage in the space of a generation?

Posted by: Greg at 01:18 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
Post contains 239 words, total size 1 kb.

1 Ya know I've been thinking the same thing, believe it or not. I am a few years older you, and I work with several twenty-sonethings that are utterly clueless about our own hustory let alone the history of the world. I began to notice this when I heard about the "new emphasis" that our actions @ Hiroshima & Nagasaki were "immoral", and there was no corrosponding discussion about Pearl Harbor, or the Rape of NanKing. Maybe you and I (political differences put aside) should work together to do a history blog.

Posted by: Bubba Bo Bob Brain at Tue Jun 14 14:24:36 2005 (aHbua)

2 Hmmmm.... An intriguing thought.

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Tue Jun 14 17:06:58 2005 (HMt1E)

3 Yeah, sad to see these things happen. They need to learn to put their shoes in that era to see why these things happen. Truman was absolutely distraught in deciding whether to bomb the cities or not. One thing tho, are we seeing a balance in history for other races who had helped contributed in the making of the United States? It's been more than 20 years since I was in high school and yet my oldest daughter will be in the 7th grade. It'd be interesting to see what her history book says. Watch out for those PC lines in history books.

Posted by: mcconnell at Wed Jun 15 03:01:18 2005 (JRKms)

4 I just recently found out, a Great Uncle was slated to be in the first wave to attack Japan, if a ground war was to happen. Without the use of those two bombs, would I have my uncle and my cousins? I seriously doubt it. To listen to him talk about the preparations, the military had already written off the first 2 waves that would storm the shores of Japan. The soldiers were being prepared to fight the elderly and the women and children of Japan. Don't know about any of you, but I am glad I was not there, and have nothing but respect for those soldiers preparing to invade Japan. Something kids today don't do is listen and hear the stories of WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam from those older relatives they have that were there, and did the actual fighting. Instead they get liberal indoctrination as soon as the 1st grade, in some states. I would be interested in the History blog if you B can do it without political spin. You can never know everything, and learning should be an everyday thing!

Posted by: scubachris at Wed Jun 15 04:21:47 2005 (AktpP)

5 My great uncle was killed by a Japanese sniper by putting a bullet into his back on one of the islands in the Pacific during WWII.

Posted by: mcconnell at Wed Jun 15 10:18:12 2005 (LmcbS)

6 Also, my cousin was killed by a hand thrown grenade tossed into a tent shared by many sleeping troops in Kuwait prior to the 2nd Iraq war at Camp Pennsylvania. The tosser was none other than one of their own.

Posted by: mcconnell at Wed Jun 15 10:22:21 2005 (LmcbS)

7 Hey when it comes to history there is no politics as far as I am concerned, there are facts (sometimes inconvenient) and there are myths(always inconvenient, and almost always wrong), I think if I were to do this I would make sure that opinions were advertised as such.

Posted by: Bubba Bo Bob Brain at Wed Jun 15 13:30:07 2005 (aHbua)

8 McConnell: I don't think I'll get any rounds of disagreement from anyone when I say that the person who did that to your cousin was an absolutely vile person. I am sorry for your loss, and respect your cousin's desire to do his or her duty and protect both our lives, and the lives of the Iraqi people. Nothing can repay such sacrifice, but I'd like to find out that we honor the soldiers that fight for us now as best we can. Sub

Posted by: Subjugator at Wed Jun 15 14:23:10 2005 (r/FBF)

9 Thanks Sub. I never knew him. Just my mother's cousin (Betty Lenzi) whose son was killed. My mom knew him when he was a toddler. However, I can you tell you thing. There is one person who have frequented this board who said that Maj. Gregory Stone deserved to be buried rotting 6 ft under. A very vile individual indeed. Dirty mouth and all.

Posted by: mcconnell at Wed Jun 15 17:37:58 2005 (JRKms)

10 Exact words: "...second, to make fun of his dead, mangled cousin who is rotting six feet under the cold ground." http://ridor.blogspot.com/2005/04/reminder-for-bitch-session-iv.html That alone proves how some people prefer to side with the enemy and put them on a pedestal instead. In this case, his hero seems to be Sgt. Akbar. In any U.S. wars we should honor and remember the dead. Even some of the enemies such as the ones in Japan and Germany. They were the victim in the politics of war. Many of them were forced into battle. So many young men..literally boys who never gotten a chance at a good life. I've seen a PBS show or something similar where both Japan and U.S. WWII veterans met each other for the first time on one of those Midway islands. Many veterans were happen to have reconciled knowing it was a vile time in history. I thing reconciling such past events is therapeutic and helps heal wounds.

Posted by: mcconnell at Wed Jun 15 17:51:52 2005 (JRKms)

11 I feel bad about anyone who dies in war. They're almost always kids who are either conscripted, brainwashed, misguided, or otherwise actually doing the right thing. What they rarely are is people that are flat out evil and wrong. Now - the LEADERS of the countries that are evil and wrong...well...let's just say Saddam has none of my sympathy. Sub

Posted by: Subjugator at Thu Jun 16 00:15:32 2005 (r/FBF)

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Among the more despicable public figures in America today is Fred Phelps. Best known for picketing the funerals of homosexuals with crude and morally reprehensible signs, Phelps and the members of his cult-like congregation are now picketing the funerals of American military personnel killed in the line of duty.

A flier on the Web site of Pastor Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church claims God killed Cpl. Carrie French with an improvised explosive device in retaliation against the United States for a bombing at Phelps' church six years ago.

"We're coming," Phelps said Monday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

Westboro Baptist either has protested or is planning protests of other public funerals of soldiers from Michigan, Alabama, Minnesota, Virginia and Colorado. A protest is planned for July 11 at Dover Air Force Base, the military base where war dead are transported before being sent on to their home states.

Why this funeral?

Phelps said the fact that French led an all-American life gives him all the more reason to picket her final public tribute.
"An all-American girl from a society of all-American heretics," he said.
"Our attitude toward what's happening with the war is the Lord is punishing this evil nation for abandoning all moral imperatives that are worth a dime," Phelps said.

Here’s hoping there are enough loyal American patriots – folks on both sides of the question of the War in Iraq – to make this hatemonger (who tarnishes the name of “Christian”) and his rag-tag disciples reconsider their plans, or beat a hasty retreat in the face of public outrage.

UPDATE: More from these fine bloggers:
Michelle Malkin
ninme
The Pink Flamingo Bar Grill
UrbanGrounds
the unequivocal notion
disinterested party
A voice crying out from the thickness
The Stupid Shall Be Punished
OldController
Our Way of Life
Darth Apathy

Posted by: Greg at 01:14 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Just a reminder for all of you that Senator Carl Levin is not acting on principle when he opposes the nominations of judges to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. His motivation sits a little closer to home.

Senator Levin is very upset that a particular Clinton-nominee never got her bench. Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Helene White was nominated by President Clinton to fill one of the open Sixth Circuit seats but was never confirmed by the Senate. So, like every nomination of a retiring president, her nomination was returned without approval at the end of President Clinton's second term. This is neither a surprising nor an uncommon result. Indeed, John Roberts, who served as the first Bush administration's number-two lawyer before the Supreme Court, waited more than eleven years between his original nomination by President George H. W. Bush to serve on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and his eventual confirmation by the Senate two years after being re-nominated by President George W. Bush. No Democrat — be they Levin or Leahy — fought for his re-nomination by the Clinton administration as a matter of "tradition" or "comity." It is just part of the reality of electoral politics: with the victor go the spoils.

But John Roberts was no Helene White. He didn't have the singular qualification that could bring the entire democratic and judicial process to a standstill — he wasn't Carl Levin's cousin-in-law. You see, Judge White happens to be married to Senator Levin's cousin, a fact that Senator Levin fails to emphasize whenever he rails on the Senate floor about President Bush's unacceptable tactics. The real "fundamental issue" with President Bush's judicial nominees to the Sixth Circuit, then, has nothing to do with the prerogatives of home-state senators and the grand traditions of that lofty institution. It is that none of them can make a scene at a Levin family picnic.

But the filibuster, we are told, is the cornerstone of the Republic – preserving for lynching, racial discrimination, and nepotism on behalf of the Democrats.

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