I've despised Fred Phelps and his pseudo-Christian cult for many years -- long before his anti-war protest brought him to the attention of most Americans. So I was pleased to see information on this WorldNetDaily article over at Stop the ACLU, about an exchange between FoxNews host Julie banderas, who said what most decent Americans really think about the hatemongers from Westboro Baptist Church (which is made up almost entirely of Phelps family members),

Banderas: “The Bible says ‘the fear of the Lord is hatred of evil,’ [from the Book of] Proverbs. ‘Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.’ Perverted speech like yours: ‘God hates fags.’ You are preaching absolute B.-., and you know the final letter.”

Phelps-Roper: “If you don’t tell them that this nation is full of idolatry, full of adulteries …

Banderas: “Full of insane people like yourself, ma’am.”

Phelps-Roper: “You’re proud. You’re proud of your sins. You can’t do enough sinning. You think ‘gay’ pride, bimbo. You have sinned away your day of grace.”

Banderas: “OK, you are an abomination.”

Phelps-Roper: “America is doomed. America is doomed. … Before your eyes, missy, you’re gonna see the destruction of America.”

Banderas: “If America is doomed, then why don’t you get out? Why are you in this country? Why are you an American? Are you an American?”

Phelps-Roper: “I am exactly where my God put me to tell you plainly, that you are going to hell, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Banderas: “Why don’t you take your church to another country, then, ma’am? Thank you so much. You should not be proud to be an American, and thank you. Good-bye.”

Go Julie -- it is time that the media quit treating these low-lifes like just one more group expressing a valid opinion that merits hearing and equal consideration.

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Over at Jawa Report, Dr. Rusty Shackleford has taken the summer off while he travels and (one presumes) engages in intensive academic research/goofs off.

A couple of his summer fill-ins have taken a serious interest in thePhilippines, and has been posting about some of that nation's greatest natural resources.

Really -- go take a look at the eye-candy.

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The winning entries in the Watcher's Council vote for this week are Abolish the "N" Word by ShrinkWrapped, and Why Does the Unhinged Left So Hate Jeff Goldstein? by Ace of Spades HQ. 

Here is where you can find the full results of the vote.

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If you want any evidence that truth and decency are not in the hearts or minds of the jihadi terrorists, you need look no further than this claim.

THREE Muslims said to have committed suicide in a Guantanamo Bay prison would not have violated Islam by taking their own lives and must have been killed by their US captors, the Taliban said today.
"We can't accept that they have committed suicide," a purported spokesman for the Islamist Taliban movement in Afghanistan, Mohammad Hanif, said.

"No Muslim, no mujahid (holy warrior), can commit suicide. It's banned under Islamic Sharia law," said Hanif, who is often in contact with the media from a secret location.

The Guantanamo Bay commander said the "war on terror" suspects - a Yemeni and two Saudis - were found dead in their cells yesterday and had hanged themselves with clothes and bed sheets.

Hanif said there a clear difference between committing suicide and carrying out suicide attacks against "infidels".

"Those carrying out suicide attacks are targeting infidels," he said, distinguishing this from suicide just to "relieve oneself from suffering".

"The trio, three Arabs, the US says have committed suicide - it is not true. They've been killed by their captors," Hanif said.

"A mujahid is committed to struggle to the last moment of his life."

Andf I hope each of them struggled to get the ropes from their necks as they smelled the first whiff of brimstone on their journey to Allah. For you see, every last "mujahid" pig is a coward committed to the murder of innocents. The only difference between these dead jihadi swine and the ones who succeed in detonating a suicide vest is that the former failed to meet the murderous definition of "bravery" that the cowardly Koranic code they follow dictates.

Posted by: Greg at 03:26 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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According to this piece, not the various police and security agencies in the Western world. Rather it is Muslim terrorists who are responsible for responsible for heightened scrutiny of Muslims during this Crusade Against Jihadi Terror.

Consider the opening anecdote.

A television series I worked on in the 1980s employed an adorable, gentle and handsome researcher called Dermot who was fancied rotten by everyone in the office, and came from Northern Ireland. He travelled back and forth between London and Belfast to see his family by a variety of means, and on almost every journey was stopped, questioned, sometimes searched, when other English passengers were not. He was also, I recall, the only person whose accreditation was questioned and treble-checked when we were issued with press passes to enter a function attended by Princess Diana. Dermot was quiet, polite and unassuming and we were always furious on his behalf. Our producer put it to him that he must hate the British police force for this terrible discrimination. No, he said. He hated the IRA for forcing the police to discriminate against people like him on legitimate grounds of security.

If the many good Muslims in our society -- and around the world -- would feel this sort of outrage at the terrorists rather than at the authorities for looking at those who match the terrorist profile -- young Muslim men of Middle Eastern or East Asian extraction -- then maybe the terrorists could be exposed and eliminated, rendering such scrutiny unnecessary.

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One senoir British military strategist has a very dim view of the future -- and one that he sees happening within the next dozen years. He compares it to the age of mass migration by the barbarian tribes that precipitated the fall of the Roman Empire.

ONE of BritainÂ’s most senior military strategists has warned that western civilisation faces a threat on a par with the barbarian invasions that destroyed the Roman empire.

In an apocalyptic vision of security dangers, Rear Admiral Chris Parry said future migrations would be comparable to the Goths and Vandals while north African "barbary" pirates could be attacking yachts and beaches in the Mediterranean within 10 years.

Europe, including Britain, could be undermined by large immigrant groups with little allegiance to their host countries — a "reverse colonisation" as Parry described it. These groups would stay connected to their homelands by the internet and cheap flights. The idea of assimilation was becoming redundant, he said.

The warnings by Parry of what could threaten Britain over the next 30 years were delivered to senior officers and industry experts at a conference last week. Parry, head of the development, concepts and doctrine centre at the Ministry of Defence, is charged with identifying the greatest challenges that will frame national security policy in the future.

If a security breakdown occurred, he said, it was likely to be brought on by environmental destruction and a population boom, coupled with technology and radical Islam. The result for Britain and Europe, Parry warned, could be "like the 5th century Roman empire facing the Goths and the Vandals".

It might be time for some of us to start looking at the end of the Classical period and the beginning of the Dark Ages if we are to understand the developments taking place among us -- and to influence our civilization to mobilize against the thread.

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This really will make for a very different Navy, but one that will be better able to meet the needs of the Crusade Against Jihadi Terror.

Sailor, these are not your father's warships.

The first of a new breed of Navy ship - faster and easier to maneuver - is expected to launch later this year to meet threats including modern-day pirates and terrorists who turn speedboats into suicide weapons.

The Littoral Combat Ship is powered by steerable waterjets, so it doesn't need propellers or rudders. It's designed to go more than 50 mph; traditional destroyers have had the same top speed - about 35 mph - since World War II.

The LCS has a shallow draft and its waterjets let the ship zoom close to shore without getting stuck and to turn on a dime, allowing it to chase smaller boats. The name itself is taken from the coastal "littoral" waters in which the ship will operate.

The LCS will be more lightly armored than bigger ships, but its speed will give it a tactical advantage in combat, said Rear Adm. Charles Hamilton, program executive officer for ships, who's overseeing the project from Washington.

The Navy envisions several of the ships working together on missions using unmanned vehicles, helicopters and other weapons, he said. An LCS will have a core crew of only 40 sailors, and berthing for up to 75, compared to 330 sailors aboard a destroyer.

There are two, possibly three, different versions of the LCS being developed and built by different contractors. They will be used to beef up a Navy that has fallen to below 300 ships from the high of over 600 during the Reagan Administration.

Of particular interest to me is the versatility of these new vessels.

The resulting designs feature removable "mission packages" that allow the ships to operate either for anti-submarine missions, mine removal or traditional surface warfare, said Lt. Tamara D. Lawrence, a Navy spokeswoman at the Pentagon.

Tests show the mission packages can be swapped out in 24 hours. And when those mission modules become outdated, the Navy can replace them instead of building new ships, Hamilton said.

At about $350 million, an LCS cost roughly a third as much as a destroyer, he said.

Now there will always be a need for larger, more traditional ships. But these next-generation warships should become an important part of our national defense over the next few years.

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One of the candidates I find attractive at this early stage of the race for the 2008 GOP nomination is Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. And it looks like he has devised a strategy to line up a lot of early money behind him in advance of formally announcing his campaign -- and well in advance of the primaries.

Governor Mitt Romney is financing the early stages of his potential presidential campaign with a novel, multistate fund-raising operation that is allowing him to maximize legal donations, outflank top Republican competitors, and minimize public scrutiny.

Since July 2004, Romney has set up affiliates of his political action committee, the Commonwealth PAC, in five states. By having donors spread their contributions across the various affiliates, Romney has been able to effectively evade the $5,000-per-donor annual contribution limit that applies only to federal committees, which most presidential aspirants set up to build initial support for their candidacies.

The multistate system is helping Romney raise money quickly from relatively few contributors, and foster valuable political relationships around the country. It also is a strategy several potential opponents for the Republican nomination cannot use: Federal office-holders, under new campaign finance rules, are barred from operating such state affiliates.

That means possible 2008 competitors such as Senators John McCain of Arizona and George Allen of Virginia have to rely solely on their federal PACs and thus cannot accept more than $5,000 from any contributor each year.

``I think it's a brilliant strategy," said Rich Bond, a former Republican National Committee chairman and a McCain supporter. ``It's fully compliant with the law, yet allows Romney to deploy political assets in a comprehensive fashion."

While the methods are different, the tactic of getting large infusions of early money is reminescent of another governor who sought the presidential nod of the GOP a few years back -- then-Gov. george W. Bush of Texas.

And let's be honest -- Romney needs to become more familiar to voters nationwide very quickly. Of particular concern to a segment of the GOP voters is Romney's religion, and this strategy might allow him to become more well-known among the GOP base, defusing the issue if Romney can be seen as "one of us" by groups that are suspicious of his LDS Church connections even as they share a host of values with the overwhelming majority of Mormons. I believe that the gulf can be overcome -- it hasn't been long since Evangelicals were suspicious of Catholic candidates based upon theology, not values.

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I'm disgusted that this sacred site has been desecrated.

And not just by the scumbags with a racist message. But by the issuance of a permit for any sort of rally.

Calling themselves the 'ghosts of the Confederacy,' white supremacists from several groups held a rally at Antietam National Battlefield yesterday, the first time any group has been permitted to demonstrate at the site of the bloodiest day of the Civil War.

About 30 men, women and children gathered at what was a family farm at the time of the battle to commemorate their 'forefathers' who 'fought for our liberty as white men,' said Gordon Young, imperial wizard of the World Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

A few donned the white robes characteristic of the Klan, while others identifying with the National Socialist Movement wore swastika arm bands and other mock-military uniforms.

Young, of Hagerstown, who was dressed in a brown business suit, said he had applied for a First Amendment permit so he and others could talk about 'black-on-white crime,' and his group's fight for 'equal treatment as whites.'

As he and others spoke, an assembly of local residents, bikers and activists shouted them down with a bullhorn and chants.

The soil of our nation's battlefields must be held sacred to the memories of those who fought and died there. These are not mere parks -- they are historical sites, monumnet to those whose blood was she. There should be no permits issued for any rally, demonstration, or political event.

What next? Demonstrations at Gettysburg or Bull Run?

Posted by: Greg at 06:27 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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I'm disgusted that this suit has not been thrown out of court. After all, criminals don't deserve mercy at the hands of their intended victims.

A man who was beaten by employees of a store he was trying to rob is now suing.

Police say Dana Buckman entered the AutoZone in Rochester, New York, last July, brandished a semi-automatic pistol and demanded cash.

That's when employees Eli Crespo and Jerry Vega beat him with a pipe and held Buckman at bay with his own gun.

Buckman escaped when they retreated into the store to call 911, but he was arrested a week later. He pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 18 years in prison as a repeat violent felon.

Now Buckman is suing the auto parts store and the two employees who beat him, claiming they committed assault and battery and intentionally inflicted emotional distress.

So the moral of this story is don't stop beating a felon until he is dead -- that way he cannot sue you for taking all appropriate steps to stop his crime.

Posted by: Greg at 06:16 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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No.

I do.

Really.

I do wish I could care.

But all I can do is thank God that there are three fewer America-hating terrorists in the world.

Three prisoners at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have hanged themselves in what is being called a "planned event," the U.S. military has said.

They are the first confirmed deaths at the compound. Prisoners have attempted suicide in the past.

"Two Saudis and one Yemeni, each located in Camp 1, were found unresponsive and not breathing in their cells by guards," said a statement issued by Joint Task Force-Guantanamo on Saturday.

"Medical teams responded quickly and all three detainees were provided immediate emergency medical treatment in attempts to revive them. The three detainees were pronounced dead by a physician after all lifesaving measures had been exhausted," the statement said.

"This was clearly a planned event, not a spontaneous event," said Rear Adm. Harry Harris, commander of Joint Task Force-Guantanamo.

He added that there is a "mythical belief" that the Guantanamo detention center would be shut down if three detainees die.

Personally, I hink we need to issue every one of these terrorist swine a six-foot length of rope, and require that US troops wear gloves and provide it with an honor guard like they do for Korans. Guards should be strictly forbiddent to damage the rope -- including by cutting down any prisoner who chooses to hang himself. After all, we wouldn't want to violate the right of any of these prisoners to end their own lives -- and since self-detonation is religious ritual for them, we would simply be accommodating their faith while ensuring the safety of others. Call me pro-religious freedom and pro-choice.

And besides -- if they all kill themselves, then we can shut down the Gitmo camps. Wouldn't that make the Left and the "international community" happy and excited to the point of orgasm?

Posted by: Greg at 01:04 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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About 15 years ago, David Duke got the idea that he could be accepted as a Republican. Republican elected officials from around the country went to Louisiana to campaign against him and urge votes for his corrupt Democrat opponent, bearing a simple message -- "Vote for the crook -- It's important."

On the other hand, in Minnesota, Democrats embrace those with a long history of racist and anti-Semitic affiliations -- and nominate them for Congressional seats in safe districts.

Imagine that a Republican seeks his party's endorsement for the U.S. House of Representatives, despite having been allied with a white supremacist organization just a decade earlier. Imagine that this candidate had once sarcastically proposed setting aside certain states for white citizens and had shared a stage with a speaker known for excoriating Jews as "bloodsuckers."

You're right. That man wouldn't get his party's endorsement. He would probably want to go into hiding after the howl of negative media coverage.

So how did we get Keith Ellison?

State Rep. Keith Ellison of Minneapolis is the DFL-endorsed candidate for the Fifth District congressional seat. In this DFL bastion, that means that -- barring a primary loss -- Ellison will succeed Martin Sabo when Congress reconvenes next year.

Ellison's background is, shall we say, unorthodox. He is a former outspoken supporter of Louis Farrakhan's notorious Nation of Islam, a virulently anti-white, anti-Semitic organization once led by Black Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad.

Ellison claims he has changed, that he never really held those views, and that he wasn't affiliated with the groups all that long. He says he should be forgiven and his past ignored.

Fine -- except for the fact that even in this Ellison wants to apply a racial (dare I sa racist) double-standard.

There's a strange irony here. In April 2004, Minnesota's public safety commissioner at the time, Rich Stanek, resigned after acknowledging making racist comments in 1992. At a news conference, Keith Ellison and other black leaders condemned Stanek's remarks and vowed to fight his confirmation.

Stanek repudiated the comments and said he had changed. Nevertheless, Ellison didn't give him the benefit of the doubt. "He's definitely one to hold other people accountable, so I held him accountable," Ellison told the Star Tribune.

So we are looking at the same sort of behavior -- if not more severe. Ellison claims his associations and misdeeds are long in the past -- but they are from the same time period as the inappropruate comments that led to his demnds that a white man withdraw from consideration for public office. So shouldn't Ellison be held to account in the same way he held another man?

Or does he believe that the color of one's skin should determine the standard to which one is held -- proving that he remains a racist, unfit for office.

A much more detailed piece is found at Powerline.

UPDATE -- 6/11/2006: Well, here is some candor.

"I wasn't proud of my work with the Nation of Islam," Ellison said Sunday, "but I was hoping it wouldn't come up." He said now that he's in the spotlight, "I have come face to face with my past."

Yeah, I bet he didn't want it to come up -- but it is there, on the public record, and must not be ignored. Ellison's failure to address these issues earlier speaks volumes about his honesty and trustworthiness.

So off he goes to meet with the men's group at a synagogue. And it seems that at least some of them have forgotten the lessons of the 1930s and 1940s.

Bill Prohofsky, who attended the breakfast, liked what he heard from Ellison. "I think he convinced me," he said.

"Until today, I was very much against him," said Dick Hoffman. "I think a lot of his thoughts co-exist with mine. ... I could support him."

Said Richard Hunegs, "I was favorably impressed by him. I was refreshed by his honesty."

Elliot Miller said, "I think he's a good candidate, but he needs further seasoning in the Legislature."

Perhaps if you are lucky, you will get a leading role in "Ellison Goves The Jews A City".

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You filed suit to prevent the Texas GOP from acting under the Texas Election Code to replace an ineligible candidate for office, former Congressman Tom DeLay. You argue that he is not a resident of Virginia, but is instead a resident of Texas.

Under the Texas Election Code, DeLay must "conclusively" establish by public record that he is a resident of another state, said Chad Dunn, an attorney for the state Democratic Party. Democrats contend he hasn't done so because he still has a Texas driver's license, was registered to vote in Fort Bend County, Texas, as of Thursday and gets a Texas homestead exemption.

How, then, do you deal with this?

DeLay told reporters Thursday he is a Virginia resident and planned to vote next week. [DeLay spokesperson Shannon] Flaherty said he obtained a Virginia driver's license and registered to vote in Virginia in late April or early May. She said he voted absentee because he will be traveling Tuesday, the state's primary day.

Delay has voted in Virginia. We all know that counties within Texas don't always notify each other of new registrations in a timely fashion -- what makes you think another state would be any better?

He has a driver's license in Virginia. How quickly do states notify each other of such things?

And as for the homestead exemption, that house is community property and Christine DeLay (who is staying here to work with the Rio Bend forster community) has not changed her residency -- which entitles the house to the homestead exemption, as I recall the requirements from when I applied for mine.

Is there ANY evidence you will accept of his having abandoned his Texas residency and becomeing a Virginia resident?

Posted by: Greg at 08:29 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs has been working to end the cityÂ’s sanctuary policy for illegal immigrants for some time. She authored a column in todayÂ’s Houston Chronicle.

OVER the past few months, the temperature has risen significantly in the immigration debate. Citizens and leaders at all levels of government are working together to find long-term solutions.

At a time when we are working diligently to put a stop to the flow of illegal immigration, I chose to vote against the renewal of a $100,000 federally funded contract for a day labor center in Houston's East End. This center assists people in finding work. It is the only city-authorized, federally funded day labor site remaining in Houston. Recent studies show that at least 85 percent of people who access day labor sites are illegal immigrants — a statistic punctuated by a May 18 Houston Chronicle article that points out that 100 percent of the day laborers a reporter talked to at this North Sampson Street site were illegal.

This is clearly a city issue. By funding this center, the city of Houston is supporting the process of hiring illegal immigrants. This is wrong.

But this does not have to be a partisan, divisive decision. In the past, day labor centers in our city have received support from City Council members regardless of party affiliation. The sites were offered as an alternative to day laborers loitering on private property while waiting for work, a common complaint received in City Council offices. Unfortunately, the calls are still coming in.

These sites have not stopped the problems that they were intended to, and in fact, they are having the opposite effect, by nurturing the increasing flow of illegal immigrants who have turned to our city to find work.

Meanwhile, Houston's "sanctuary city" status is only making a bad situation worse. This is a Houston Police Department policy that City Council members have no control over, and it should be abolished. The policy, forbidding Houston police from inquiring into anyone's immigration status, was established years ago under a previous city administration, has been reauthorized periodically and can only be rescinded by Mayor Bill White.

Council could try to bypass the mayor with a resolution opposing the "sanctuary city" policy, but that is unlikely to occur in our strong mayor form of government in which the mayor sets the council agenda. Even if such a resolution were passed, the mayor would be under no obligation to do away with the policy.

In addition, such a resolution would potentially open Pandora's box, encouraging the consideration of other resolutions dealing with federal matters, such as the war in Iraq. These resolutions would be merely symbolic and would not have a direct impact on federal legislation.

Congress can help put a stop to "sanctuary cities" across the nation by denying federal funding to cities that refuse to enforce immigration laws. For example, Houston faces sanctions, including a loss of highway funds, if the 2007 federal ozone standards deadline is not met.

Similar penalties could be imposed if cities fail to comply with immigration laws. At the local level, the responsibility to revoke Houston's "sanctuary city" policy falls squarely on the shoulders of the mayor.

Changes are needed to the Federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which currently clears the way for day labor sites to receive federal funding.

The act outlines our nation's welfare and immigration policy, which states that "self-sufficiency has been a basic principle of United States immigration law since this country's earliest immigration statutes" and that immigrants within our nation's borders "not depend on public resources to meet their needs" — yet it includes exceptions for programs and services that could be construed to allow day labor sites. This federal loophole must be closed.

The issue of illegal immigration is not just a federal one. It starts at our national borders but quickly spreads into cities such as Houston, where work is readily available.

As a top destination for illegal immigrants, we must do everything we can to assist in enforcing our existing immigration laws while responding to increasing demands for labor and honoring our tradition of welcoming immigrants legally.

It is very simple – the city of Houston (indeed, every community) needs to work with the federal government to enforce our immigration laws and ensure border security, not assist those who break our laws and violate our sovereignty out of a well-intentioned but misguided sense of compassion based on the notion that illegal immigrants are “just good people who want jobs and a better life.” While that may be true, it cannot excuse their law-breaking.

Shelley Sekula-Gibbs is one of those seeking to replace Tom Delay on the CD22 ballot. She has a solid record in favor of enforcing and strengthening our nation's immigration laws. Stands like this show her to be a pro-border conservative worthy of that nomination.

Posted by: Greg at 04:12 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You have to love the Washington PostÂ’s article on the upcoming elections in Maryland. Much to the paperÂ’s surprise, candidates are trying to garner a share of the black vote by visiting black churches.

The early morning breakfast gathering at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden was intended to promote economic empowerment for African Americans.

But the long roster of prominent politicians packing the small church meeting room last week signaled that the coming election season could bring parishioners something else they've been seeking: political clout.

The candidates for Maryland's open U.S. Senate seat, in particular, have turned the state's predominately black churches into a key battleground for both the primary and general elections.

"This is where you've got to be," said the Rev. Jerome Stephens, a Baltimore minister who is helping execute an outreach strategy to black churches for U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin, one of a half-dozen Democrats seeking the Senate seat. "Everybody who wants statewide office knows they have to be seen in church."

Attracting the support of black voters has always been pivotal to Democratic candidates because African Americans make up roughly 40 percent of the party's primary voters. This year, these voters have also become a crucial target for the best-known Republican contender, Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele.

Steele recently predicted he needs 25 percent of the black vote to prevail in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly two to one.

Aware that the best place to reach black voters is in church, Steele, Cardin and Democratic contender Kweisi Mfume have been a steady presence in the pews over the past year.

"All politicians seeking African American votes know they have to go through the churches," said Mark Clack, Mfume's communications director. "That's where the black community first received its political inspiration, and it's where the center of the community still remains."

I realize the strict-separationists don’t like it, but there are a great many American citizens whose religious beliefs under-gird their political philosophies. And not only that, but many religious Americans live lives that revolve around their place of worship – whether we are talking Evangelicals, Catholics, Jews, or Muslims. Even at my church – a small congregation affiliated with the mainline Disciples of Christ – you find activities going most nights of the week that involve a substantial percentage of the congregation. Candidates who want to meet the people where they are have to make contact with these believers – who are citizens and voters – where they are. And “where they are” is at church.

And when it comes to the African-American community, the pull of the faith –community is even stronger. The church is the bedrock of society in most black communities. It is no accident that the civil rights movement was led by men whose title was often “Reverend” rather than “Doctor” or “Esquire” – and that the premiere organization for many years was the Southern Christian Leadership Council.

So don’t be surprised, outraged, or disturbed. Such campaigning is not unusual or even new, dating back to the very beginning of American political life – and tax-code prohibitions against church involvement in politics date back less than half a century.

Posted by: Greg at 04:10 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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IÂ’m glad to see that this guy has been indicted. What a piece of work!

Following a three-year investigation, the former president of Houston's largest Teamsters local was arrested Friday on charges of rigging a union election and accepting a $20,000 kickback from a union vendor.

Chuck Crawley, 56, who lost control of Local 988 in 2003 after an investigation into corruption allegations by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, was released on a $100,000 bond after posting a $5,000 cash bail.

Crawley gained national attention that year when it was learned he used nonunion labor to build the local's $1.7 million union hall, causing international President James P. Hoffa to cancel his appearance at the opening.

An indictment unsealed Friday accuses Crawley of using the mail to cast 362 phony ballots in the name of union members he thought would not be voting in a 2002 union election.

He also is accused of rigging the vote to get himself re-elected, using the union's computer system to generate fraudulent ballots, of accepting a $20,000 kickback from the company that installed the union's telephone system, and making false entries in union records about the telephone installation.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years on one count of wire fraud, five years on each of two counts of embezzlement, and fines of $250,000 on each of the three counts.

This guy also used union money to sue two union members who went to the FBI to report his corruption.

It is cases like this that make me glad that I live in a right-to-work state, where I cannot be forced to give money to corrupt union bosses like Chuck Crawley. I hope he goes away for a long time – and that the members of his union realize that he is just the tip of the iceberg of corruption the historically corrupt Teamsters union.

Posted by: Greg at 04:09 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Yeah, it sure sounds like the quip by Will Rogers still applies to the Dems today.

Look at these messes among the Donks.

Fighting the Democrat culture of corruption is divisive.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi juggled competing political goals on Friday, seeking to drain racial tension from her attempt to strip embattled Rep. William Jefferson of his committee seat.

Facing a showdown next week that he is likely to lose, Jefferson, D-La., signaled anew he will not step aside voluntarily, and some fellow members of the
Congressional Black Caucus spoke out on his behalf.

"The Black Caucus takes exception when we become the exception to the rule. We want the same standards," said Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J. He noted that the Louisianan has denied wrongdoing in a federal bribery probe and has not been indicted.

At the same time, several officials said that Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who is black, was the lawmaker who formally proposed at a closed-door meeting Thursday night that Jefferson be stripped of his committee assignment. Lewis, who first gained fame as a civil rights pioneer in the 1960s, declined to comment.

And then there is the new leadership fight brewing.

Rep. John P. Murtha (Pa.), one of the Democrats' leading antiwar voices, startled his political colleagues yesterday by announcing he would seek a senior leadership position if the Democrats win control of the House in November.

In a letter that he circulated on the floor during a series of votes, Murtha said he is eyeing the No. 2 position. "If we prevail as I hope and know we will and return to the majority this next Congress, I have decided to run for the open seat of the Majority Leader," Murtha wrote.

The presumed favorite for that job had been the current No. 2 House Democrat, Steny H. Hoyer (Md.), with whom Murtha has long had testy relations. Hoyer, like many of his political colleagues, greeted Murtha's announcement with annoyance and exasperation, given that the election remains five months off and a Democratic victory is by no means assured.

"Mr. Hoyer has worked extraordinarily hard to unify the caucus and take back the House for Democrats, and that is his first focus," said Stacey Bernards, his press secretary. "As a result of that unity, he's confident that we will be successful in November, and intends to run for majority leader."

There is, of course, long-standing bad-blood between Murtha and Hoyer, and this appears based as much on peronalities as principle.

And we ahve already heard that failure to win the House this fall will cost Pelosi her job, possibly in favor of Hoyer -- or could it be Murtha now?

Posted by: Greg at 03:25 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Over teh last couple years, i've come to appreciate a number of "blawgers" out there -- lawyers and law professors who blog on the serious issues of the state and federal courts. One of those blogs, SCOTUSblog, offers a look at what remains to be done by the Supreme Court in the next three weeks.

With no more than three weeks left in the Supreme Court's current Term, the Justices are expected to move more rapidly in the coming weeks toward clearing the remaining decisions on their docket. There are 32 cases to be decided, but multiples on several issues indicate that all cases can be decided with 24 rulings. At the moment, there appears little likelihood that any of the cases will be put over for reargument in the next Term. The Court heard three re-arguments during this Term, but that was due to its change in membership, with Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., arriving at about mid-Term.

Since completing oral argument with a special sitting on May 18, the Court has continued to issue opinions only one day a week. Now that the middle of June is approaching, the Court is likely to begin releasing rulings on two or more days in the remaining weeks. Next Monday, at the close of the public session, the Court's marshal may announce whether there will be another decision day in the coming week. At last once a week, the Court will issue orders granting or denying new cases; any newly granted cases will be heard in the next Term.

So we are looking for about two dozen decisions -- which to my way of thinking means that we are likely to see at least two decision days each of the next three weeks, one on Monday and one later on in the week, with the possibility of three or more during the final week. After all, the Justices (or their clerks) are drafting opinions, making revisions to meet the objections of other Justices as they seek a majority, and writing concurring and disenting opinions. A couple of the cases are seen as really big deals that are no doubt getting heightened consideration from the Justices -- and there is always a chance that some case will come down in a way that will make it a blockbuster.

What cases are left?

04-607 -- Laboratory Corp. v. Metabolite Laboratories (patentability of a naturally occuring process)

04-1034 (and a companion case) -- Rapanos v. U.S. (Clean Water Act application to wetlands)

04-1170 -- Kansas v. Marsh (constitutionality of a death penalty law that
requires death if plus and minor factors are in balance) (re-argued case)

04-1360 - Hudson v. Michigan (remedy for violation of knock-and-announce rule for police entering a home) (re-argued case)

04-1376 -- Fernandez-Vargas v. Gonzales (right of deported alien to return to U.S.)

04-1528 (and two companion cases) -- Randall v. Sorrell (constitutionality of state ceilings on campaign expenditures)

04-1739 -- Beard v. Banks (right of dangerous prison inmates to have access to newspapers, magazines and photographs)

04-8990 -- House v. Bell (scope of right to present new evidence to show innocence of crime)

04-9728 -- Samson v. California (authority to search parolee without a warrant or suspicion)

04-10566 (and a companion case) -- Sanchez-Llamas v. Oregon (state court duty to obey World Court ruling on arrested foreign nationals' access to consular officer)

05-18 -- Arlington School District v. Murphy (parents' right to recover fees for expert witness in disabled child education case)

05-83 -- Washington v. Recuenco (harmless error analysis for error in sentence enhancement)

05-128 -- Howard Delivery v. Zurich American Insurance (priority in bankruptcy of claim for workmen's compensation premiums)

05-184 -- Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (Supreme Court power to decide constitutionality of war-on-terrorism war crimes tribunals, and the merits of that constitutional question)

05-200 -- Empire Healthchoice v. McVeigh (private contractor right to enforce benefits for federal government employees)

05-204 (and three companion cases) -- League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry (validity of Texas congressional redistricting plan)

05-259 -- Burlington Northern Railway v. White (proof needed to show retaliation claim under Title VII job bias law)

05-352 -- U.S. v. Gonzalez-Lopez (remedy for denial of access to counsel of choice in a criminal case)

05-409 -- Kircher v. Putnam Funds Trust (federal appeals court power to review remand of securities case to state court)

05-416 -- Woodford v. Ngo (scope of exhaustion of claims requirement under Prison Litigation Reform Act)

05-5224 and 05-5705 (two cases, perhaps one opinion) -- Davis v. Washington and Hammon v. Indiana (exclusion of evidence of "excited utterances" in 911 calls or at a crime scene, under Crawford v. Washington)

05-5966 -- Clark v. Arizona (right to make an insanity defense to disprove criminal intent)

05-7053 -- Dixon v. U.S. (burden of proof on defense of duress or coercion in criminal case)

05-8794 -- Hill v. McDonough (procedures available for challenges to lethal injection method of execution)

The two I am most interested in are Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry. The former would effectively overturn the unanimous decision rendered during WWII in Ex Parte Quirin if it were decided that military tribunals for unlawful combattants in the war on terror are unconstitutional. The latter has the potential to upset the entire congressional map here in Texas, and to make radical changes in the rules regarding congressional redistricting.

It should be a fun three weeks.

Posted by: Greg at 02:57 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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While Texas Democrats are trying to prevent an ineligible candidate from being replaced on the ballot, Alabama Democrats are trying to force one of their own off the ballot against his will within days of the primary because they find his candidacy embarassing.

teacher fired for showing profane videos to his students won a seat on the State Democratic Executive Committee. But party members say Steve White won't serve out his term.

White won the race for State Democratic Executive Committee District 4 Tuesday night.

* * *

White is also running in a separate election. White is a democratic candidate for the District 4 seat on the House of Representatives.

He ran unopposed in Tuesday's primary election.

Because of allegations that White showed videos with sex acts, nudity, and obscene material in school, White may never hold that political office.

Brian Oakes, chairman of the Democratic Party, says White has been asked to step down.

"The Democratic party has asked him to withdraw his name. There's not been a response by him in relation to that request," says Oakes.

A subcommittee of the Democratic Executive Committee will decide how to handle the race if White does not resign.

One option is to remove White's name from November's general election ballot and appoint another candidate.

In other words, the Alabama Democrats want to remove and replace their own candidate because they think he cannot win.

I do wish the Donks would make up their mind about replacing candidates.

Torricelli out, Lautenberg in -- fine, even though the statutory deadline had passed.

DeLay out, someone else in -- go to court to stop it, even though it complies with all aspects of state law.

Steve White not willing to drop out -- throw him off the ballot anyway because he is an embarassment who will lose the election.

There is no principle at work among the Democrats -- simply raw political calculation.

Oh, by the way -- did you folks notice that the Holocaust-denying atheist church-state separationist got 46% of the vote for Attorney General in the Democrat primary?

(Hat Tip: Southern Appeal)

Posted by: Greg at 09:40 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I guess he was just outside the house or in some sheltered location when the bombs hit, so he briefly survived before heading off to his infernal reward.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian terrorist who led an al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Iraq, initially survived an airstrike that targeted his hideout north of Baghdad Wednesday, then died on a stretcher as U.S. troops prepared to give him medical assistance, a U.S. general said today.

Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, a top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, said Zarqawi tried to roll off the stretcher and had to be restrained, mumbling something unintelligible, before he died of wounds received when a U.S. Air Force F-16 dropped two 500-pound bombs on his safe house late Wednesday. Initial reports were that Zarqawi died instantly in the bombing, which Caldwell said killed five other people, including three women.

I take great pleasure in the fact that among the last things he saw in life were American military personnel proving that the Judeo-Christian values upon which our nation was founded are superior to the Jihadi-Islamist values which he served -- because rather than beheading their prisoner, our troops were trying to ensure that al-Zarqawi received medical treatment that would allow his survival. The traditional Christian notion of corporal works of mercy trumped the Sixth Pillar of Jihadi Islam, the spreading of terror.

Posted by: Greg at 09:21 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Do schools have any business dictating what parents feed their kids?

We've seen some places try peanut bans on the basis of a single child with an allergy. While I disagree with the draconian measure, I can commend the motivation.

But this strikes me as the first step towards schools dictating what parents decide to feed their kids, treading into an area of parental autonomy that is not for schools to violate.

Parents who visit their children at lunch would be required to eat school food rather than bring the children fast-food lunches under a proposed wellness policy in the Palmyra Area School District.

That doesn't set well with some parents. Lori Swisher, who has three children at Forge Road Elementary School, agreed the schools don't need soda machines or daily doughnuts, but bristled at "one more government restriction."

Swisher said she occasionally has brought pizza or a sub to her kids at school. "I like to think I serve mostly healthy meals, but when all three have sports, sometimes fast food is the option," she said.

The school board will vote June 15 on the guidelines, which Collene Van Noord, director of curriculum and instruction, said is part of a nationwide effort to combat childhood obesity by teaching healthy eating and exercise habits.

What next? A ban on all meals from home?

Posted by: Greg at 10:57 PM | Comments (155) | Add Comment
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Some stories are just too weird to make up!

A woman angry that her new puppy had died pushed her way into a dog breeder's home and repeatedly hit her on the head with the dead Chihuahua, authorities said.

The 33-year-old woman told police she had taken the puppy to a veterinarian, who said it was only 4 weeks old and needed to be returned to its mother. But before she could return the puppy, it died.

Early Wednesday, the woman went to the breeder's home, pushed her way inside and began fighting with the breeder as she tried to make her way to the basement to get another puppy, police said.

The breeder wrestled the woman out of her house to the front porch, where the woman then hit the breeder over the head numerous times with the dead puppy, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, citing police.

We could have teh basis of a new saying here -- "I'm gonna beat you with a dead Chihuahua." What do you think?

Posted by: Greg at 10:51 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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How did we get al-Zarqawi and his cohorts? Easy -- a little bit of inside information.

According to a Pentagon official, the Americans finally got one. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the raid are classified, said that an Iraqi informant inside Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia provided the critical piece of intelligence about Mr. Rahman's meeting with Mr. Zarqawi. The source's identity was not clear — nor was it clear how that source was able to pinpoint Mr. Zarqawi's location without getting killed himself.

"We have a guy on the inside who led us directly to Zarqawi," the official said.

In a news release on Thursday morning, American military commanders hinted strongly that a member of Mr. Zarqawi's inner circle had pointed the way. "Tips and intelligence from Iraqi senior leaders from his network led forces to al-Zarqawi," the release said.

Iraqi officials confirmed that Mr. Zarqawi had indeed been sold out by one of his own.

"We have managed to infiltrate this organization," said Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser. He declined to elaborate.

I guess that there is no honor among terrorists.

And that good intelligence beats good luck any day.

Posted by: Greg at 10:33 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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***WELCOME MICHELLE MALKIN READERS***

Less than 24 hours after Texas GOP Chair Tina Benkiser declared Congressman Tom DeLay to be ineligible to run for or serve as Congressman for Texas CD22, Texas Democrats have filed suit to prevent his being replaced on the ballot.

What's more, they have received a temporary restraining order to prevent any action being taken to fill the slot declared vacant yesterday until after a hearing on June 22.

The following is reported at FortBendNow.com, a local online news source.

In a surprise twist to the Tom DeLay saga, the Texas Democratic Party filed suit Thursday in an attempt to keep the resigning Republican CongressmanÂ’s name on the November ballot.

The suit, filed in Travis County 126th District Court, seeks to undo an hours-old declaration by Republican Party Chair Tina Benkiser that DeLay is ineligible to run in the general election.

If DeLay doesnÂ’t serve as the partyÂ’s candidate for Congressional District 22, then according to the Texas Election Code, no other candidate is allowed to replace him, the suit says.

Lawyers for HoustonÂ’s Riddle & Brazil law firm, which filed the action, obtained a temporary restraining order at about 5:10 p.m. from Judge Darlene Byrne. Sources familiar with the case said the order prevents Benkiser from calling a meeting of the so-called District Executive Committee or taking other measures to replace DeLay as the Republican Party nominee for CD-22.

That is not entirely correct. DeLay can be replaced if declared ineligible, but not if he withdraws. The Democrats are trying to muddy the water regarding which he has done in an attempt to keep DeLay on the ballot, effectively leaving Lampson without a challenger because Tom DeLay HAS established residency in Virginia.

At bare minimum, the goal is to prevent there from being a candidate actively raising campaign funds and campaigning against Lampson. After all, despite their rhetoric, the Democrats and their lawyers know that the Texas Election Code DOES allow for DeLay to be removed from the ballot.

The lawsuit says that DeLayÂ’s attempt to be declared ineligible goes against state Election Code and the U.S. Constitution.

The election code says ineligibility can be declared if public records conclusively establish a candidate’s ineligibility, the lawsuit states. The Constitution says eligibility criteria for serving as a U.S. Rep. include being at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and “an inhabitant ‘when elected’ of the state he or she will represent.

Thus, “nothing in the public record conclusively establishes that DeLay fails to satisfy any of these criteria,” the lawsuit says.

Well, except for Tom DeLay having gotten a Virginia driver's license and registering to vote in Virginia, both of which require establishing residence in that state.

And to my buddy Liberty, I will make the following vow -- in the event the Democrats DO succeed in preventing the voters of CD22 from having a Republican candidate, I will devote my efforts to see to it that your party's candidate becomes the first declared Libertarian to serve in Congress. I will never, ever, vote for Nick Lampson.

UPDATE: There is a great article in the San Antonio Express-News. It shows the Democrat plan for what it really is -- an attempt to deny the people of CD22 a choice.

The Democrats sued the GOP in state court in Austin, arguing that Republican officials can't replace the Sugar Land Republican because he technically is still in the race.

And if the courts agree that DeLay withdrew, party officials contend, state Republican officials couldn't select a replacement candidate to take on Democrat Nick Lampson in the fall.

“The election would continue on — they just wouldn't have a dog in the hunt,” said Boyd Richie, the state Democratic Party's interim chairman.

Unfortunately for the Democrats, DeLay is out of the race, having established residency in Virginia and been declared ineligible by the GOP, as dictated by the US Constitution and the Texas Election Code.

GOP officials have commented on the situation.

“The Democrats have resorted to their usual method of turning to the courthouse if they can't win at the ballot box,” said Gretchen Essell, communications director for the Republican Party of Texas. “We have followed the process that is delineated in the Texas Election Code. We are confident of the outcome.”

Jared Woodfill, Harris County Republican Party Chairman, called it a desperate move on Democrats' part and said he is confident the GOP will prevail.

“I'm surprised they did it this early. We figured it was coming,” he said, adding that the GOP's position is solid.

“Election law is very clear on this. He's clearly ineligible. It's a pretty open-and-shut case,” he said. “I know we're going to prevail. The law and facts are on our side.”

Noting that Democrats have lost every statewide office to Republicans and that the GOP holds a legislative majority, Woodfill said, “They're desperate. ..... Desperate people turn to desperate measures, and that's what they've done. They're not going to be successful, though.”

Gary Gillen, the new Republican Party chairman for Fort Bend County, described the efforts to obtain a restraining order as a “political play to keep voters from having the opportunity to elect their congressman. It's politics,” he said.

This is a desperate ploy on the part of the Democrats to win the only way they caqn -- by making sure that no other choice is permitted. I guess it they miss the day when Democrat nominees in most parts of Texas were relevant.

MORE AT Riehl World View, Burnt Orange Report, Eye on Williamson, Off The Kuff and Texas Rainmaker.

Posted by: Greg at 02:43 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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Back in January, I wrote about this miscarriage of justice involving property just a couple of miles down the road from my house, in which Judge Lynn Bradshaw-Hull rolled over for the Port of Houston and gave the owner of 100 acres of property $1 (that's right -- ONE DOLLAR) for his land when he protested that it was worth more than the $1.9 million he was initially offered -- and then awarded the publicly funded Port its legal fees, meaning the owner was effectively required to pay for the privilege of having his land taken from him.

As you may recall, I ended my post with these words.

Let us hope that this decision does not stand -- and that this judge is off the bench.

Well I don't know what is going on in the way of appeals, but the grassroots of the GOP dumped Lynn Bradshaw-Hull on primary day back in March, despite the strong backing of the Establishment Wing of the party. It was close, but for a sitting judge to be dumped by her own party is a major thing, and indicates a real lack of confidence in her competence and judicial philosophy.

Quite frankly, I was pleased.

But now it turns out that there is a move afoot to make sure that Lynn Bradshaw-Hull remains a judge -- and not only that, but gets a promotion after the people rejected her at the polls!

How is this possible? Following a gubernatorial appointment, the judicial seat n the 80th District Court is open, and the Harris County GOP has to select a new candidate for the November ballot. Judge Bradshaw-Hull wants that seat, which would be a promotion to a state court from a county court.

Today I received a letter from Lynn Bradshaw-Hull, soliciting my endorsement and bragging that 102 precinct chairs have endorsed her for the seat on the 80th District Court!

Dear Precinct Chairs,

Since I wrote to you, I have received more precinct chair endorsements and have attended the Republican State Convention. Please see the attached list, which includes most of the new endorsements. There are some precinct chair endorsements who requested their names not be listed at this time. What a great time to be a "grass-roots politician"!

I am most grateful to those who have given their support. To the remaining chairs, I ask for your endorsement today and your vote at the upcoming Executive Committee meeting. As of today, that meeting has not been scheduled.

There are now approximately 418 Precinct Chairs on the rolls. 210 constitute, for statute purposes, the number required to conduct business. A simple majority of 210 voters is 106. Hopefully, more will attend this vital meeting so the, numbers may well increase.

I cite these numbers to impress how important it is that every precinct chair attend and participate in this election. If we fail to place a name on the ballot, we can be assured the Democrats will win this bench by default.

It has been an honor to serve in one of Harris County's busiest courts. I hope to continue serving the law and the people of Harris County. If you have not already done so, please return the enclosed postcard today or contact me at email@judgebradshawhullcom with your pledge of support. You may want to visit my website at www.judgebradshawhull.com. Please feel free to call me at XXX-XXX-XXXX with questions.

Sincerely yours,
Lynn Bradshaw-Hull

Frankly, I find this sickening.

Not just because I disagree with her on one judicial decision in which she ignored the constitutional principle of just compensation for private property taken by government for public use.

More because it is offensive that so many of the precinct chairs of Harris County, who are supposed to represent the grassroots of the party, are ignoring the voice of the people as expressed at the polls in March and working to promote a judge they rejected.

There are at least three other candidates out there, and possibly a fourth. Former Judge Scott Link, who chose not to run for reelection to the 80th District Court in 2002 because of serious illnesses in his family is seeking the chance to regain his former post. Former HISD School Board Member Jeff Shadwick has contacted precinct chairs seeking endorsements I've also heard from attorney and fellow precinct chair Marilyn Griffin, who is seeking support. There is also a rumor that attorney Patrick Pacheco may be interested in the nomination.

I'm not sure yet who i will support -- but I would like to urge all of my fellow precinct chairs to reconsider this rejection of the voter's will as expressed on primary day. I also encourage all Harris County Republicans to contact their precinct chairs and insist that they not support Lynn Bradshaw-Hull for the nomination to the 80th District Court.

We can do better.

OPEN TRACKBACKED TO: Mudville Gazette, Outside the Beltway, Stuck on Stupid, Conservative Cat, Bacon Bits, Samantha Burns, Adam's Blog, Is It Just Me?, Passionate America, Blue Star Chronicles, Dumb Ox, 7 Deadly Sins, Free Constitution, Uncooperative Blogger, Stop The ACLU, Wizbang, Cao's Blog, Euphoric Reality

Posted by: Greg at 12:58 PM | Comments (55) | Add Comment
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You may remember my post about Tim Bono, an Alexandria, VA businessman who refused to accept a job reproducing pro-homosexual videos for a lesbian activist at his video reporduction business.

Hving been found guilty of discrimination for abiding by his Christian moral principles in his day-to-day business activities, Bono decided to take legal action to vindicate his First Amendment rights. The suit was filed by the Liberty Counsel, a conservative civil liberties group, yesterday.

The lawsuit filed today challenges the authority of the Commission to enter the order. The so-called “Dillon’s Rule,” under Virginia law, prohibits local government from passing or enforcing nondiscrimination laws that are not authorized by the state. The state does not list “sexual orientation” as a protected civil right or class. The suit would take away all authority from the Commission to enforce “sexual orientation” nondiscrimination laws. The lawsuit will also affect several other Virginia counties that have illegally passed “sexual orientation” antidiscrimination laws. The suit also alleges violations of Mr. Bono’s freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, and sections 12 and 16 of the Virginia Constitution.

Erik Stanley, Chief Counsel of Liberty Counsel, stated: “As a newspaper is not required to run every proposed ad, so a duplicator or printer is not obligated to reproduce every proposed copy. Mr. Bono does not have to reproduce a customer’s hate speech, obscenity or pornography, nor may a customer hijack Mr. Bono’s business and force him to promote a homosexual agenda. Since the state of Virginia does not recognize ‘sexual orientation’ as a civil right, neither Arlington County nor any other county may enforce such laws. This lawsuit will rein in renegade counties that have intentionally violated state law. Neither Arlington County nor any other local government entity is above the law.”

Several years ago, the Virginia Attorney General issued an opinion concluding that local “sexual orientation” laws violated state law.

May justice be done, and religious freedom be indicated.

Posted by: Greg at 12:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Well, I think so -- if we are going to demand equitable use the definition that the Left uses when talking about these women.

Commentator Ann Coulter's incendiary words about outspoken 9/11 widows have led two state lawmakers to calls for a boycott of her book in the widows' home state of New Jersey.

Assemblywomen Joan M. Quigley, D-Hudson, and Linda Stender, D-Union, on Thursday called on New Jerseyans to stop buying the book, "Godless: The Church of Liberalism," and for retailers in the state to stop selling it.

"Coulter's vicious characterizations and remarks are motivated by greed and her desire to sell books. By making these claims, she proved herself worse than those she is attempting to vilify - she is a leach trying to turn a profit off perverting the suffering of others," the two assemblywomen said in a statement.

A spokeswoman for Crown Forum, the publisher of Coulter's book, did not immediately return calls for comment Thursday.

Interestingly enough, this case actually involves government officials seeking to silence someone "courageously engaging in free speech," rather than private entities and individuals acting on their own. I would think that this should therefore be much more disturbing to those who defend and lionize the Dixie Chicks (whose tour is likely to be postponed or cancelled due to poor ticket sales), and they should run right out and buy a copy of Ann's book to show their solidarity, just like they did with the Chick's CD.

Oh, that's right.

Only liberals spouting hate-America, hate-Bush rhetoric need to apply for free-speech-martyr status.

And before you ask -- I wish she had toned down her criticism of this small minority of 9/11 family members. It strikes me as a bit harsh.

But then again, if she had done so she wouldn't be Ann Coulter.

Posted by: Greg at 11:50 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Michael Berg, of course, is the father of Nicholas Berg, whose murder by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was broadcast about the world via the Internet. And he is a serious moonbat.

Upon hearing that al-Zarqawi had been served justice with a side order of bacon, Michael Berg expressed sympathy for the murderer of his son and the murderer's family -- AND HEAPED BLAME ON PRESIDENT BUSH.

The father of Nicholas Berg, a U.S. contractor believed to have been beheaded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq, said Thursday that al-Zarqawi's killing will only perpetuate the cycle of violence in the Middle East.

"I think al-Zarqawi's death is a double tragedy," Michael Berg told The Associated Press after learning a U.S. airstrike had killed the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq. "His death will incite a new wave of revenge. George Bush and al-Zarqawi are two men who believe in revenge."...

Berg said the blame for most deaths in Iraq should be placed on President Bush, who he said is "more of a terrorist than Zarqawi."

Utterly incredible!

But then again, I've heard rumors that he places an even bigger share upon another individual for the decaptiation of his son.

more...

Posted by: Greg at 11:31 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You have to love the insane illogic of the idiotarian Left.

Some guy on ABC is saying this is a "nail in the coffin of Al Queda." Bull shit. This guy was a face, a name, a few menacing lines about impending doom to us. The victory doesn't lie in removing this man, nor any other true terrorists in Iraq. Instead victory is in making a peaceful nation in a land fractured by ethnicity and then war.

Where is Osama?

Why ask, if the removal of "a face, a name, a few menacing lines of impending doom" does not really impact al-Qaeda? After all, killing or apprehending Osama really wouldn't matter, as "victory does not lie in removing" bin Laden.

I mean really, folks, you cannot have it both ways.

Now I will agree that punching al-Zarqawi's one-way ticket to Hell is not victory -- but it is one more milestone along the way.

(H/T Hugh Hewitt)

Posted by: Greg at 10:25 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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We have heard the commercials over the last year – Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander Strayhorn [YOUR NAME HERE] (mother of former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan) calls herself “One Tough Grandma” in a series of campaign commercials she has run over the last year, attacking Gov. Rick Perry. Now she wants to run as “Grandma Strayhorn” on the November ballot as a way of boosting her independent bid for governor.

Independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn won political office under her two previous married names, but in this year's race for governor, voters apparently are saying: Strayhorn who?

Strayhorn told supporters in an e-mail this week that is why she wants to solve her name identification problem by appearing on the November ballot as "Grandma" Strayhorn. She has campaigned as "One Tough Grandma" since 1998.

Born Carole Keeton, she won the Austin mayor's office as Carole McClellan. She won statewide elections for railroad commissioner and state comptroller as Carole Keeton Rylander.

But she has remarried since her last election in 1992, exchanging vows with Eddie Strayhorn and picking up a new last name in the process.

"The name change from Rylander to Strayhorn has not completely sunk in with voters (She has never run as Strayhorn)," said the fundraising e-mail.

Strayhorn has six granddaughters. "Once voters are told that Strayhorn is 'One Tough Grandma,' she jumps 10 points in every poll we have taken, and (Gov. Rick) Perry drops," the e-mail said. "No public poll has tested her nickname 'Grandma,' only Strayhorn."

The e-mail says that is why she will appear on the November ballot as Carole Keeton "Grandma" Strayhorn.

Unfortunately, there are two obstacles facing her. The first is that she may not have enough signatures to qualify for the ballot – that has yet to be determined by the Secretary of State’s office. The second is that she doesn’t really meet the criteria for including the nickname.

State law allows the use of a nickname on the ballot if it is a name by which the candidate has been "commonly known for at least three years preceding the election."

"The law doesn't allow you to use a political slogan. So we weren't going to try that," said Strayhorn's campaign manager and son, Brad McClellan. "More people know her as 'grandma' than Strayhorn."

Robert Black, spokesman for Gov. James Richard Perry — aka Rick — said Strayhorn has never run on the ballot as "grandma." He called it a political slogan and a gimmick.

"She ain't my grandma," Black said. "If she was honestly looking for a moniker people would recognize she would put flip-flopper or multiple-party-switcher."

Strayhorn has not used this as a common nickname – you won’t find it in news articles or even her campaign literature. The only place you will find such a reference is in her “One Tough Grandma” ads. I’ve been involved in Texas GOP politics for a decade – I never heard her called that until folks made a derogatory reference to the ads. And it is not like the argument for my using “Greg” instead of “Gregory” on the ballot for precinct chair, or letting the Democrat R. Christopher Bell run as the more familiar Chris Bell or Richard Friedman use his longstanding professional name of Kinky Friedman. On the other hand, if you apply Strayhorn’s argument across the board, you may as well let someone run as John “The Taxpayer’s Friend” Smith.

My guess is that One Tough Grandma will only be permitted to use her legal name.

Posted by: Greg at 09:26 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I applaud the approval of the vaccine – would that we could find more vaccines against cancers of various types.

The first vaccine to protect against most cervical cancer won federal approval Thursday.

The vaccine Gardasil, approved for use in girls and women ages 9 to 26, prevents infection by four strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, Merck & Co. Inc. said. The virus is the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease.

Gardasil protects against the two types of HPV responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. The vaccine also blocks infection by two other strains responsible for 90 percent of genital wart cases.

Merck is expected to market Gardasil as a cancer, rather than an STD, vaccine. It remains unclear how widespread will be the use of the three-shot series, in part because of its estimated cost of $300 to $500. Conservative opposition to making the vaccine mandatory for school attendance may also curb its adoption.

The target age for receiving Gardasil is low because the vaccine works best when given to girls before they begin having sex and run the risk of HPV infection. The vaccine may not protect people already infected and may increase their risk of the kind of lesions that can lead to cervical cancer, the FDA has said.

The national Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will decide June 29 whether to endorse routine vaccination with Gardasil. That endorsement is critical if a vaccine is to become a standard of care.

It is this last part that concerns me. Some argue for making the vaccine mandatory for students as a condition of being allowed to receive an education . This is not a vaccine that stops a disease readily communicable like whooping cough, polio, or smallpox. We do not require a flu shot, despite the fact that influenza runs rampant in the bacterial and viral incubator that is a school classroom. To require a shot for what is, in the end, a SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE intrudes upon the right of parents to make medical decisions for their children and to determine their upbringing in regard to sexual morality.

Posted by: Greg at 09:23 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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We have heard the commercials over the last year – Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander Strayhorn [YOUR NAME HERE] (mother of former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan) calls herself “One Tough Grandma” in a series of campaign commercials she has run over the last year, attacking Gov. Rick Perry. Now she wants to run as “Grandma Strayhorn” on the November ballot as a way of boosting her independent bid for governor.

Independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn won political office under her two previous married names, but in this year's race for governor, voters apparently are saying: Strayhorn who?

Strayhorn told supporters in an e-mail this week that is why she wants to solve her name identification problem by appearing on the November ballot as "Grandma" Strayhorn. She has campaigned as "One Tough Grandma" since 1998.

Born Carole Keeton, she won the Austin mayor's office as Carole McClellan. She won statewide elections for railroad commissioner and state comptroller as Carole Keeton Rylander.

But she has remarried since her last election in 1992, exchanging vows with Eddie Strayhorn and picking up a new last name in the process.

"The name change from Rylander to Strayhorn has not completely sunk in with voters (She has never run as Strayhorn)," said the fundraising e-mail.

Strayhorn has six granddaughters. "Once voters are told that Strayhorn is 'One Tough Grandma,' she jumps 10 points in every poll we have taken, and (Gov. Rick) Perry drops," the e-mail said. "No public poll has tested her nickname 'Grandma,' only Strayhorn."

The e-mail says that is why she will appear on the November ballot as Carole Keeton "Grandma" Strayhorn.

Unfortunately, there are two obstacles facing her. The first is that she may not have enough signatures to qualify for the ballot – that has yet to be determined by the Secretary of State’s office. The second is that she doesn’t really meet the criteria for including the nickname.

State law allows the use of a nickname on the ballot if it is a name by which the candidate has been "commonly known for at least three years preceding the election."

"The law doesn't allow you to use a political slogan. So we weren't going to try that," said Strayhorn's campaign manager and son, Brad McClellan. "More people know her as 'grandma' than Strayhorn."

Robert Black, spokesman for Gov. James Richard Perry — aka Rick — said Strayhorn has never run on the ballot as "grandma." He called it a political slogan and a gimmick.

"She ain't my grandma," Black said. "If she was honestly looking for a moniker people would recognize she would put flip-flopper or multiple-party-switcher."

Strayhorn has not used this as a common nickname – you won’t find it in news articles or even her campaign literature. The only place you will find such a reference is in her “One Tough Grandma” ads. I’ve been involved in Texas GOP politics for a decade – I never heard her called that until folks made a derogatory reference to the ads. And it is not like the argument for my using “Greg” instead of “Gregory” on the ballot for precinct chair, or letting the Democrat R. Christopher Bell run as the more familiar Chris Bell or Richard Friedman use his longstanding professional name of Kinky Friedman. On the other hand, if you apply Strayhorn’s argument across the board, you may as well let someone run as John “The Taxpayer’s Friend” Smith.

My guess is that One Tough Grandma will only be permitted to use her legal name.

Posted by: Greg at 09:20 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I guess it happens from time to time, but I cannot imagine doing something like this during school hours while students are present.

Two Hillsborough County middle school teachers have resigned after students saw them having sex in a classroom, a report released Wednesday states.

Foreign language teacher Frances J. Sepulveda, 30, and physical education teacher Bryant J. Wilburn, 29, quit two days after the May 22 incident at Coleman Middle School, 1724 S. Manhattan Ave.

Sepulveda's classroom door was locked and paper covered its window, but a boy and a girl saw the teachers through the window, the report states.

Hillsborough school district spokesman Steve Hegarty said information about the incident will be sent to the state Department of Education.

"These teachers showed appallingly bad judgment," he said. "We dealt with it quickly, and the teachers are no longer welcome in the Hillsborough County classroom."

Appallingly poor judgment? That is certainly an understatement.

But at least they were not fooling around with students.

Posted by: Greg at 09:16 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Two days ahead of his resignation from Congress, the Texas GOP has declared Congressman Tom Delay ineligible to be on the ballot as a candidate for Congress. The reason? He is no longer a resident of Texas.

Texas Republicans took a key official step Wednesday toward replacing U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on the November ballot, as the state GOP declared him ineligible to run because he has moved his official residence to Virginia.

Friday is the former House majority leader's last day in Congress.

Republican Party of Texas Chairwoman Tina Benkiser notified Republican county chairs in the 22nd Congressional District that they can begin the process for selecting a new nominee. DeLay's successor as GOP nominee will be selected by a four-member committee of precinct chairs representing each of the counties in the district — Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston and Harris.

County chairs plan to call meetings before the end of the month. Once each of the counties has selected its representative, they will meet to choose the new Republican nominee.

As one of those precinct chairs, I wonder how fast the process will play out. I have been figuring that meetings could not begin until at least Thursday of next week (it takes five days in Harris County to call an emergency meeting) -- but this date allows for a meeting as early as Monday. I'll let you know when I know.

Now I do have one little constitutional quibble here. If Delay has already established himself as a Virginia resident, shouldn't that have caused the automatic forfeiture of office? After all, a congressman does have to be a resident of the state he represents. As a practical matter it is irrelevant, as he will likely cast no votes -- and certainly none where his vote is the deciding matter. But it is an interesting intellectual question to turn over in one's mind.

Posted by: Greg at 11:37 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Oh, dear, the FBI threatened to pick a lock to execute a valid search warrant. Had this been one of our homes or offices, they would have kicked in the damn door.

FBI agents who raided the office of Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) last month threatened to pick the lock on the door after the acting U.S. Capitol Police chief asked them to hold off until a congressional lawyer showed up, according to a document filed in U.S. District Court.

Shortly after that, the FBI agents were let in.

The confrontation with Acting Chief Christopher M. McGaffin was cited in a brief filed by the Office of General Counsel for the House of Representatives as one of irregularities that made the search unconstitutional. Jefferson, the target of a federal bribery probe, has denied wrongdoing.

"The execution of the warrant poses a grave threat to the separation of powers principle that is the very foundation of our government's structure," the motion said.

Excuse me? Do I understand that the Capitol Police interfered with the execution of a lawfully issued search warrant? If so, why was Acting Chief Christopher M. McGaffin not taken into custody after delaying the investigation?

Now we have already established time and again that there is no privilege that grants a congressman the right to conduct criminal activity in a congressional office free from search or investigation. There is no threat to the separation of powers when a federal judge issues a warrant pursuant to the Fourth Amendment to search for evidence of a crime involving a member of Congress. Why are they even making this specious argument?

What I find particularly amusing is this part of the motion.

The motion, which recommends new protocols for congressional search warrants, suggested that the House counsel and Jefferson could have been present during the search to ensure legislative documents protected by the Speech or Debate Clause were not seized.

What? So Jefferson could have engaged in the same sort of actions he did when his home was searched -- moving and hiding relevant documents and lying to FBI agents about the documents he had in his possession? That is a non-starter.

I once had respect for the Capitol Police. However, the last couple of months make me wonder if they really are less competent and more corrupt than your average untrained, unarmed mall cops, between this and the Patrick Kennedy cover-up. Maybe Cynthia McKinney was right to bitch-slap one of them.

Posted by: Greg at 11:16 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I cannot think of any better news to have heard when, at 2:15 this morning, I was awoken by the excited voices of on the television that was still on in the living room where I had fallen asleep readingabout four hours before.

One of the leaders of the jihadi terrorists -- a man with the blood of countless innocents dripping from his hands -- is dead, and receiving his infernal reward.

Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, whose leadership of the insurgent group al- Qaeda in Iraq made him the most wanted man in the country, was killed Wednesday evening by an air strike near Baqubah, north of Baghdad, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Thursday.

The Jordanian-born Zarqawi claimed responsibility for hundreds of kidnappings, bombings and beheadings. His stated aim, in addition to ousting U.S. and other forces from Iraq, was to foment bloody sectarian strife between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.

He was killed along with seven aides, officials said. They said his identity has been verified by fingerprints and other methods.

"Today Zarqawi was defeated," said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, appearing at a midday news conference with top U.S. General George W. Casey and American Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. "This is a message to all those who use violence killing and devastation to disrupt life in Iraq to rethink within themselves before it is too late," he added.

Zarqawi was killed in a rural house in the village of Hib Hib, 5 miles north of Baqubah, Maliki said.

The statement was met by applause among Iraqi reporters assembled in a briefing room. The announcement, which was confirmed by a Website linked to al-Qaeda in Iraq, was also met by celebratory gunfire in the streets of Baghdad.

Burn, baby, burn!

Posted by: Greg at 10:50 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Two years ago today, I made a momentous decision.

I wanted to write about the death of one of my heroes -- President Ronald Reagan.

I also wanted a safe space to talk politics without adding extra stresses to my marriage to my Darling Democrat.

So began Precinct 333, a Blogger blog that morphed into Rhymes With Right the following spring when I joined the Munuvians the following spring at the invitation of one of my online companions.

I'd like to thank every person who has viewed my blog -- and especially the commenters and linkers. It has been an honor to have most of you here (spammers excepted), and I thank you for the time and energy you have put in helping me build this blog into something I've come to be proud of.

May we have many more years together -- and my the growth continue.

* * *

And what the heck -- let's turn this into a special Blogiversary Edition linkfest and open trackback carnival!

You know the rules -- link back to this post with your best/favorite current posts. I won't limit your number of posts, but instead ask you to exercise prudent judgement about how many you send.

Some folks have told me they have problems trackbacking to this site. If this is the case, please use the Wizbang Standalone Trackback Pinger to establish the link.

And, of course, don't forget the big three rules.

No Spam. No Porn. No Problem.

Posted by: Greg at 10:36 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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I can’t wait to hear this one – what “honorable explanation” can you have for taking bribes and hiding the marked bills in your freezer?

Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, said Tuesday that there is "an honorable explanation" for the damaging scenario being painted by the federal government in the federal bribery probe targeting him, and he again denied breaking any laws.

Jefferson declined to discuss specifics of the 15-month investigation that has yielded two guilty pleas amid allegations that the congressman accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. Jefferson has not been charged and would not speculate on whether he thought an indictment was coming from the northern Virginia grand jury investigating him.

In a wide-ranging interview late Tuesday in his congressional office, the site last month of an unprecedented FBI search, Jefferson said he has no intention of stepping down and reiterated his plan to seek a ninth term in November.

"When all is said and done, you will see that there is an honorable explanation for everything you are reading about," Jefferson said, remaining relaxed throughout the interview, his feet slung up on a coffee table. "I believe an impartial forum can reach and will reach that same conclusion.

If he believes that, the Democrat culture of corruption must run much deeper – especially in Louisiana – than any of us ever imagined.

Posted by: Greg at 12:27 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I am, to say the least, shocked. A movie written and produced by a pair of Baptist pastors has been given a PG rating – because some people might be offended by the Christian religious themes.

"Facing the Giants" cost $100,000 and resembles a fusion of the Book of Job and a homemade "Hoosiers," or perhaps a small- school "Friday Night Lights" blended with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association movies that used to appear in some mainstream theaters. Sherwood Pictures used local volunteers as actors and extras, backed by a small crew of tech professionals.

The movie includes waves of answered prayers, a medical miracle, a mysterious silver-haired mystic who delivers a message from God and a bench-warmer who kicks a 51-yard field goal to win the big game when his handicapped father pulls himself out of a wheelchair and stands under the goal post to inspire his son's faith. There's a prayer-driven gust of wind in there, too.

But the scene that caught the MPAA's attention may have been the chat between football coach Grant Taylor _ played by Alex Kendrick _ and a rich brat named Matt Prader. The coach says that he needs to stop bad-mouthing his bossy father and get right with God.

The boy replies: "You really believe in all that honoring God and following Jesus stuff? ... Well, I ain't trying to be disrespectful, but not everybody believes in that."

The coach replies: "Matt, nobody's forcing anything on you. Following Jesus Christ is the decision that you're going to have to make for yourself. You may not want to accept it, because it'll change your life. You'll never be the same."

So I guess faith has joined sex, swearing, drugs, alcohol, and violence as unacceptable fare for children in our society.

Have we really descended so far into moral degradation?

Or is it just the entertainment industry?

Posted by: Greg at 12:17 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 321 words, total size 2 kb.

I am, to say the least, shocked. A movie written and produced by a pair of Baptist pastors has been given a PG rating – because some people might be offended by the Christian religious themes.

"Facing the Giants" cost $100,000 and resembles a fusion of the Book of Job and a homemade "Hoosiers," or perhaps a small- school "Friday Night Lights" blended with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association movies that used to appear in some mainstream theaters. Sherwood Pictures used local volunteers as actors and extras, backed by a small crew of tech professionals.

The movie includes waves of answered prayers, a medical miracle, a mysterious silver-haired mystic who delivers a message from God and a bench-warmer who kicks a 51-yard field goal to win the big game when his handicapped father pulls himself out of a wheelchair and stands under the goal post to inspire his son's faith. There's a prayer-driven gust of wind in there, too.

But the scene that caught the MPAA's attention may have been the chat between football coach Grant Taylor _ played by Alex Kendrick _ and a rich brat named Matt Prader. The coach says that he needs to stop bad-mouthing his bossy father and get right with God.

The boy replies: "You really believe in all that honoring God and following Jesus stuff? ... Well, I ain't trying to be disrespectful, but not everybody believes in that."

The coach replies: "Matt, nobody's forcing anything on you. Following Jesus Christ is the decision that you're going to have to make for yourself. You may not want to accept it, because it'll change your life. You'll never be the same."

So I guess faith has joined sex, swearing, drugs, alcohol, and violence as unacceptable fare for children in our society.

Have we really descended so far into moral degradation?

Or is it just the entertainment industry?

Posted by: Greg at 12:17 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 329 words, total size 2 kb.