Deepest condolences to her loved ones.

Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, a seven-term congresswoman from southern California, died early Sunday of cancer. She was 68.

Millender-McDonald died at her home in Carson, said her chief of staff, Bandele McQueen.

The congresswoman had asked for a four- to six-week leave of absence from the House last week to deal with her illness. McQueen couldn't immediately provide details on what form of cancer Millender-McDonald had, but said she had been receiving hospice care.

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Columnist Vin Suprynowicz points out that some folks who want more anti-gun legislation following the Hokie Horror are asking the wrong question.

America's hoplophobe press will follow Mr. Horwitz's lead and concentrate on "where he got his guns" -- which makes about as much sense as investigating the latest Baghdad truck bombing by asking, "Where on earth did that suicidal militant get his Toyota?"

Why don't they explain to us, just this once, why these chemically warped fruitcakes never attack police stations or Army bases? Could it be because, even in their madness, they know the armed people there might shoot back?

Bravo, Vin.

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Not long ago I told you about actor Eric Schiffer, who appears to be a real Renaissance man. Well, I've got some more news about the guy, just for you.

You may recall me mentioning a possible upcoming movie role for Eric Schiffer in a "buddy flick". Well, there is more news on that front. I can tell you that discussion continues on that front, but we now know that one of the other actors to be featured in the film is none other than TK Carter, who you may remember from Dr. Detroit, Domino, and Showtime's "The Corner". There is also an A-list star set to come on board the project, but that name has yet to be released for public consumption.

And that remake of the old Charles Bronson vehicle, currently tagged with the working title of Death Wish Returns, is a definite go, with shooting scheduled to begin in December 2007 in Glasgow, and a tentative release date at the height of the summer movie season in 2008.

So anyway, it appears that there is a lot on Eric Schiffer's plate in the near to middle term. If I hear more, I'll be sure to let you know.

Sponsored by Hollywood News Entertainment.

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Some folks -- especially academics -- just have to be the center of attention.

Sheriff's investigators arrested and charged a Calhoun Community College instructor with making a terrorist threat against herself following the Virginia Tech massacre.

Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely said Penelope Blankenship, 43, of Decatur was arrested Friday on the felony charge and released on $5,000 bond.

Calhoun officials said Blankenship, a criminal justice and psychology instructor, has been placed on administrative leave.

She's accused of leaving threatening voice mail messages against herself. The messages made reference to Monday's Virginia Tech massacre, saying "you next," according to a campus police report.

Campus police also received a threatening phone call in connection with the same incident.

The caller was initially identified as a former student of Blankenship's, but further investigation indicated that the calls came from Blankenship herself, through Calhoun's switchboard to campus security and to her own voice mail, investigators said.

How can a woman who would appear to be so smart be so dumb?

H/T Michelle Malkin

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Credit cards. Can't live with them; can't live without them. The reality is that you really can't operate in today's world without one of those pieces of plastic in you wallet -- if not several. Some are general cards that you can use anywhere, others are store specific. Indeed, the average American has something like six credit cards, if I remember the figure from a study some time back correctly.

But how do you know if you have the right credit card? How can you tell if that piece of plastic in your pocket is the one that is best for you? Where can you find out if there is a better deal for you? Where do you need to look to locate the Best Credit Cards? Why, to CreditCardSearchEngine.com, of course!

At CreditCardSearchEngine.com, they have access to them all. Low interest rates. Zero-interest balance transfers. Rewards points and cash back. Cards for those with bad credit who are seeking to rebuild their credit history. If you want it, CreditCardSearchEngine.com probably has it waiting for you to find. All you have to do is drop by and make use of their site!

And look at some of the things you can find at CreditCardSearchEngine.com. You can search by card features, card issuers and brand name of the card. You can get a copy of your credit report, and learn how to dispute inaccuracies. You can even apply for your desired credit cards right from CreditCardSearchEngine.com. Really, it couldn't be easier!

Paid Endorsement.

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If the New York Times is encouraged, then I'm discouraged.

The good news is that in this yearÂ’s debate, triggers and touchback have become potential areas of compromise. It remains true that maliciously devised triggers can be too onerous, but as The Wall Street Journal reported, Democrats are now saying that they are open to well-written trigger provisions, since that could give a bill broader support among Republicans. Reassuring Americans that border security is improving is reasonable, as long as achieving the benchmarks is not the sole and ultimate aim. Republican leaders, to their credit, have backed away from the narrow, enforcement-only approach that disgraced their efforts last year.

Triggers and touchback have already been conceded by the supporters of comprehensive reform; a bill in the House, the Strive Act, sponsored by Representatives Jeff Flake and Luis Gutierrez, would require immigrants to leave the country and return within a six-year span. ItÂ’s not ideal, but if a touchback provision is manageable and reassures people that illegal immigrants are indeed going to the back of the line, then it will be defensible.

The possible breaking of the stalemate was only part of the good news in recent days. The other part came in the form of research showing Americans way ahead of the hard right on immigration reform. The USA Today/Gallup poll found that 78 percent favored earned citizenship.

The problem is, though, that the triggers teh Times supports are too easy to meet -- and the touchback provision too soft. And there still remains no real enforcement provision. And of course 78% of Americans -- including me -- support the notion of earned citizenship. The thing is that a great many of us reject the notion that we should be regarding those who have already shown a propensity to violate our nation's law with a preferential spot in the line, which any "comprehensive" immigration bill will do.

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So, let's go back to an earlier topic -- Jean-Claude, the backgammon king of the feline world! This wild and crazy guy is at it again in the second episode of his adventures over at BackgammonMasters.com -- which is well on its way to becoming the world's number one online backgammon site!

Now as you may remember from my earlier discussion, Jean-Claude is a backgammon playing fool. Well, maybe fool isn't the right word, because he is really a backgammon king -- and with apologies to his cousin Leo, might I suggest he is the backgammon king of the jungle?

Anyway, this master predator is a real strategist, as well as a student of history. In his latest lesson for we would-be online backgammon legends, Jean-Claude turns military historian on us, pointing us back to World War II and the famous Operation Barbarossa -- when Hitler attacked Russia and Stalin's forces drew the Nazi Wehrmacht into a battle against superior numbers and the weather in Russia's heartland (similar to what happened to napoleon some thirteen decades earlier.

Well as I was saying, Jean-Claude humorously draws comparisons between the game of backgammon and the strategy of both sides during this critical phase of the Eastern Front of the Second World War in Europe. In doing so, he shows how backgammon is a game of strategy -- a game of war -- and that the lessons of combat are applicable to the smaller sphere of gaming. An important lesson to learn if you are to be a backgammon champion -- success is based upon long-term thinking and not over-extending one's resources.

And to use an old advertising slogan -- put a tiger in your tank. And in Jean-Claude's case, make it a Panzer tank.

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As a Navy brat, I grew up worshiping the Blue Angels. Indeed, my brother and I both had fantasies of flying those planes. There even are a couple of pictures of us boys actually standing next to one of the planes with its pilot -- being an officer's kid has some advantages.

And so stories like this one leave me with a heavy heart.

A Navy Blue Angel fighter jet crashed during an air show Saturday, plunging into a neighborhood of small homes and trailers and killing the pilot, the county coroner said.

It was the first death of a Blue Angel pilot since 1999.

Witnesses said the Navy aerial-demonstration team, made up of six planes, was flying in formation at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort when one jet dropped below the tree line and crashed, sending up clouds of smoke.

It was not immediately known whether anyone on the ground was injured.

* * *

The Blue Angels were formed in 1946 to promote public interest in naval aviation. Flying F/A-18s painted navy blue, the team performs nationally at air shows, spring through fall, executing highly synchronized aerial acrobatics that bring the fighters within feet of each other at high speed.

Twenty-four Blue Angel pilots have died in accidents, including the one killed Saturday. In 1999, two were killed when an F/A-18 crashed into a stand of pine trees in Georgia as the team practiced for a show.

May the family and colleagues of the pilot who died yesterday -- whose name has yet to be released -- be comforted in this time of sorrow.

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What can I say about the home buying experience. I've been through it twice -- once when we withdrew from the deal because of our dissatisfaction with the builder, and once where the sale was consummated.

The first purchase was one that we tried to make on our own. We went to a builder in a subdivision in our area -- one that made his position clear that he did not want to deal with a real estate agent. indeed, he informed us that the price of the house would be 7% higher if we went through an agent, because he would not surrender one cent of profit. That should have been the signal to run -- but it was later, after having the wrong brick put on our house, the wrong tub installed in our master bath, carpet laid down over a soup-bowl size hole in the concrete and another problem too gross to mention, we refused to go through with the deal. I suspect an agent could have gotten us out sooner -- or solved the problems for us.

Our second go at buying a house came a few years later. We found an agent with a local big name company. She found houses for us quickly, made arrangements for us to see them, and helped us put in offers for three of them. One sold for more than we offered (and more than the house was listed for), one went to an identical offer, and the third became our home. On this house she negotiated her way through the obstacles placed by the seller's agent -- who wanted closing in 72 hours so it would count as an April sale -- to get us a house that we really do love.

I'd have to say that going with a reputable agent was the best decision we could have made the second time around. I'd urge you to do the same. And if you are in the market for Atlanta Area Real Estate, check out Mark Teytel and Lena Zaretsky at Realty1st.

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From the minute that the Texas State University for Negroes was established as a Jim Crow institution to prevent the desegregation of the state's white colleges and universities, it has been a failure. It took only a few years for the United States Supreme Court to declare it was a sub-standard institution that was unequal by any measure. Through decades of scandal and mismanagement at Texas Southern University, however, the black community has embraced this remnant of Jim Crow, a shining example of the inherent inequality of "separate but equal", which is little more than a four year community college with a graduate program and a law school.

The governor and legislature are looking for a fix for the school -- something I believe to be impossible, given the track record of "fixes" over the last decade. TSU is simply unable to stand as an independent institution.

But that does not keep certain black leaders from insisting that it must.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee vowed Saturday to stop Gov. Rick Perry's attempt to place Texas Southern University under conservatorship in the wake of the latest financial problems at the 11,000-student institution.

Jackson Lee said she wants the U.S. Department of Education to intervene, alleging that conservatorship would be a strict violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, imposing "undue burdens on black students."

The governor announced plans April 13 to appoint a conservator to control spending.

The individual selected would also have the ability to fire and hire any employee, and to change the administrative structure at the nation's second-largest historically black university.

Conservatorship has never occurred at any Texas university or college.

Sylvia Brooks, president of the Houston Area Urban League, said state funding to compensate for the university's "decades of neglect" and a "great board" would be able to solve the current financial problems.

But the problem is that TSU has had a "great board" in the past, made up of respected alumni and state African-American leaders. The last time a great president was brought in to make sure that the university was well-managed, she ripped off TSU so bad that she and a number of aides were indicted for their actions.

And then there is this propaganda piece.

Texas Southern continues its proud tradition of welcoming students the Texas public schools have failed. And while these nontraditional students tend not to graduate within the traditional four or even six years, there is a strong indication they eventually do graduate, have increased earning capacity and contribute largely to the Texas economy.

Texas Southern University is often compared with Prairie View A&M. Both are historically black universities. Prairie View's success is often attributed to being part of the Texas A&M system. Largely overlooked, Prairie View is not an open admissions university; it has specific academic criteria for the admission of students that closes its doors to the Cliffords and Thomases and Bettys.

TSU has always been here for Texas. We must ensure that it remains a viable institution so that it will continue to be.

And therein lies the biggest problem with TSU -- it has NO STANDARDS for admission! And while that may have been a great thing in the days before the state of Texas had a large system of community colleges, it does not make sense today and cannot be defended. the former president of TSU and local community leader who wrote this piece cannot even be troubled to cite statistics on graduation rates becauee they know TSU is a failure in that regard, too.

Community pride and an indefensible mission are not reason to keep the school open as an independent institution. And the difficulties TSU has had for decades places "undue burdens on black students" every bit as much as the conservatorship plan does.

There exist three options for dealing with TSU if conservatorship is not an option.

1) Close TSU. It is a failed experiment in racial segregation and standardless academics that wastes the money of the people of Texas. Or in the alternative, divest the state of TSU and let it become a private school that supports itself without the flood of public money that is going down a rathole.

2) Do nothing. Just continue to send the money down the rathole.

3) Merge TSU into the University of Houston system. Given that TSU is only a few blocks away from the main campus of the University of Houston, it seems to me that this is a viable Now this could take two forms -- either full incorporation of TSU into UH, or maintaining TSU as a separate institution that continues to operate with its own lax academic standards. While I view the latter possibility as less desirable, it at least has the advantage of providing much stronger oversight for the school, providing it the strength of leadership the school so desperately needs.

TSU is a mess. Will black leaders actually lead in fixing the problem, or will they obstruct any possible solution because the school is a "black thing" -- despite the fact that its budget comes out of the pockets of every taxpayer in the state of Texas. Will they allow TSU to become the sort of institution it ought to be in the twenty-first century -- or insist that it remain what it has been, a sub-standard Jim Crow institution?

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Romance seems to have gone out of our society today. I think it is tragic.. All too often, the dating scene is about "hooking up" and getting physical. That strikes me as a tragedy -- for individuals and for society as a whole.

I look at my students, tenth graders on the cusp of adulthood.When i mention romance, they don't understand the concept. Perhaps the closest I can get some of the boys is when I suggest to them that the girl they are with is much too good for them, and they need to start treating them that way. Some of them get the point -- and the girls who hear me say that buy into that concept, because they really do want to be treated like a lady, not just a one night stand.

Of course, it usually isn't until later in life that one comes to realize that the dating scene is supposed to be about finding Mr. or Ms. Right, not Mr. or Ms. Right Now. And even once you find that perfect mate, a relationship must be nurtured with a dash of romance every now and then.

Me, I like to leave little love notes for my wife. Some days the screensaver will be a romantic message. Other days she will find a note in the fridge or freezer, or even hidden in a pill bottle when I know her back is particularly bothering her. Perhaps the hardest to pull off was the note left taped around the dog's collar.

One of my ways of keeping romance alive involves a little bit of physical labor on my part, just so she knows I care. Even though my wife's wheel chair has an electric motor, when we go out together I usually don't install the batteries. If I cannot walk through the store holding her hand or go into a restaurant with her on my arm, at least I can provide that loving touch and support by being her source of horsepower. You see, anything can be romantic if you desire to make it so -- because there is Romance for Everyone if you wish to create it.

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The winning entries in the Watcher's Council vote for this week are Fighting Back Was Not an Option, Part 2 by Big Lizards, and The Laughter in the Dark by The Belmont Club.  Here's a link to the full results of the vote).

Here are the full tallies of all votes cast:

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Hey, dudes, it is that time of year again -- a whole new crop of television infomercials and "this product only available on TV" ads will be making their way to your television screen in the weeks to come!

There are bunches of great ones out there. You can get a Fake Security Camera or Pasta Pronta or one of any number of gadgets, gizmos or whatever -- available on your TV for a limited time only!

Paid Endorsement.

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If you are going to permit students to express themselves about sexuality in schools, can you punish a kid for "coming out" as being the wrong one?

Oakridge High School in Muskegon, Michigan, is one of many schools across the U.S. that took part in Wednesday's "National Day of Silence" -- an event promoted heavily by homosexual activist groups, which view it as a day to protest alleged discrimination faced by students who identify as "gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender (GLBT)." At Oakridge High, duct tape was passed out for students to wear over their lips as a way to show solidarity with homosexual students who are purportedly suffering in silence.

John Gardner is pastor of Holton Family Life Worship Center in Holton, a community of approximately 2,500 about 17 miles northeast of Muskegon. Pastor Gardner says his 15-year-old son David, a student at Oakridge High, was suspended for a day by the school because he wrote with a black marker "I'm straight" on a piece of duct tape and attached it to his shirt. He explains that David donned the message to voice his objection to the school's participation in the Day of Silence.

"They asked him, at that point, to take it off," Gardner says, "and David [asked] why do the rest of the kids in the class get to wear theirs and I can't wear something about what I believe?" According to the pastor, the teacher then instructed David to remove the message or he would be "kicked out" of class. "And he said, 'Well then, you'll have to kick me out' -- and that's what they did," says David's father.

There is absolutely no way that any school official could possibly argue that the sticker in question created a material disruption or the threat of one. There was no denigration of anyone -- merely the assertion of the student's sexual orientation as a heterosexual. Given that the school was sponsoring speech about sexuality that day, there can be no denying that the school had opened up itself up as a forum for the topic -- and I somehow doubt that a kid who had written "I'm Gay" on the duct tape and worn it would have bee silenced and suspended.

Don't these people know about Tinker v. Des Moines?

OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson's Website, The Pet Haven Blog, Shadowscope, Stuck On Stupid, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, Pursuing Holiness, Pet's Garden Blog, Rightlinx, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, , stikNstein... has no mercy, Pirate's Cove, The Right Nation, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Right Pundits, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, 123beta, Maggie's Notebook, Adam's Blog, basil's blog, MONICA, Cao's Blog, Phastidio.net, The Bullwinkle Blog, , Jo's Cafe, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, Sujet- Celebrities, Allie Is Wired, stikNstein... has no mercy, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, CORSARI D'ITALIA, The Yankee Sailor, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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NOTE TO LEFTISTS AND OTHER INTELLECTUALLY DEFICIENT FOLKS: SATIRE

Of course, some things never change.

* "I believe . . . that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week."--Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, April 19, 2007

* "Resolved, that this convention does explicitly declare, as the sense of the American people, that after four years of failure to restore the Union by the experiment of war, during which, under the pretence of military necessity, or war power higher than the Constitution, the Constitution itself has been disregarded in every part, and public liberty and private right alike trodden down, and the material prosperity of the country essentially impaired, justice, humanity, liberty, and the public welfare demand that immediate efforts be made for a cessation of hostilities, with a view to an ultimate convention of the States or other peaceable means, to the end that at the earliest practicable moment peace may be restored on the basis of the federal Union of the States."--1864 Democratic platform

H/T Lundesigns & Michelle Malkin

UPDATE: Even Harry Reid's hometown paper thinks he is out of line.

OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson's Website, The Pet Haven Blog, Shadowscope, Stuck On Stupid, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, Pursuing Holiness, Pet's Garden Blog, Rightlinx, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, , stikNstein... has no mercy, Pirate's Cove, The Right Nation, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Right Pundits, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, 123beta, Maggie's Notebook, Adam's Blog, basil's blog, MONICA, Cao's Blog, Phastidio.net, The Bullwinkle Blog, , Jo's Cafe, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, Sujet- Celebrities, Allie Is Wired, stikNstein... has no mercy, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, CORSARI D'ITALIA, The Yankee Sailor, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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At the Battle of San Jacinto.

The attack on Mexican troops at the Battle of San Jacinto came at just the right time and place 171 years ago today, leading to a Texian victory that secured independence from Mexico.

* * *

Texian troops were defeated by Mexican troops at the Alamo on March 6, 1836.

Another major blow came on March 27, when more than 350 Texian soldiers at Goliad who had surrendered were massacred.

Then came the Battle of San Jacinto.

* * *

"The battle only took 18 minutes so you can literally take an 18-minute walk and feel the battle," he said. "The Alamo takes a lot of attention, but this is where we won it."

And the world -- in particular the destiny of the United States and Mexico -- was forever changed in those 18 minutes.

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Well, not really. A big part of her effort will come in the form of participation in the carbon-offset scam.

To observe Earth Day on Sunday, Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign said it would become "carbon neutral" to help fight global warming.

"We all must act — and that includes our campaign," the Democratic front-runner said in a statement Friday.

The campaign said it would take several steps to conserve energy, such as buying 100 percent recycled paper products, installing motion-controlled lights and purchasing carbon offsets through Native Energy, a Vermont-based company that produces renewable energy.

I'll be much more impressed when Hillary gives up her private airplane and flies commercial. Or better yet, when she stops breathing and speaking -- thereby ending her personal expulsion of so-called greenhouse gases into the environment.

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Anyone who knows me for any length of time knows that I love my dog -- who is sitting next to me now, muzzle on my knee, begging for her ears to be scratched. that's why I love the book that this blog entry about dog lover gift ideas reviews -- The Pawprints of History: Dogs and the Course of Human Events by Stanley Cohen.

Which of our great figures of history were dog people -- and how did their affinity for their canine companions impact their world-view and actions. It is an interesting question, and Cohen tries to answer it. frankly, this is a book I want, both as a dog lover and a historian.

And I'll share it with my tail-wagging girl.

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Proving, of course, that the calls for more gun control in the wake of the Hokie Horror are as doomed to failure as the laws currently on the books.

Under federal law, the Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho should have been prohibited from buying a gun after a Virginia court declared him to be a danger to himself in late 2005 and sent him for psychiatric treatment, a state official and several legal experts said Friday.

Federal law prohibits anyone who has been “adjudicated as a mental defective,” as well as those who have been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, from buying a gun.

The special justiceÂ’s order in late 2005 that directed Mr. Cho to seek outpatient treatment and declared him to be mentally ill and an imminent danger to himself fits the federal criteria and should have immediately disqualified him, said Richard J. Bonnie, chairman of the Supreme Court of VirginiaÂ’s Commission on Mental Health Law Reform.

A spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also said that if Mr. Cho had been found mentally defective by a court, he should have been denied the right to purchase a gun.

The federal law defines adjudication as a mental defective to include “determination by a court, board, commission or other lawful authority” that as a result of mental illness, the person is a “danger to himself or others.”

Mr. ChoÂ’s ability to buy two guns despite his history has brought new attention to the adequacy of background checks that scrutinize potential gun buyers. And since federal gun laws depend on states for enforcement, the failure of Virginia to flag Mr. Cho highlights the often incomplete information provided by states to federal authorities.

So the problem is not a lack of laws, it is the inadequacy of the enforcement of those laws (sounds rather like our border situation, doesn't it?). So our choice is to more stringently enforce the laws on the book -- or to round up the 250,000,000 to 300,000,000 guns that are in private hands in this country. The latter is a virtually impossible job -- if we cannot find and expel 12 million illegal aliens, how could we possibly round up and destroy 20-25 times as many guns -- as well as a betrayal of our constitutional heritage. So enforcement it must be, unless America is willing to wake up and see that fewer gun laws, rather than more limitations on a constitutional right, may just be the proper solution.

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Looking for a great vacation get-away? Well, imagine a place overlooking the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, sucking up the Sonoran sun. You can find just such a place at Oceano-Rentals.com, where you can book your very own Rocky Point vacation with luxury beach-front accommodations.

Think about it -- a beautiful Santa Fe style house with all the amenities. You can find it. Or maybe a townhome close to the beach. They've got it. Or perhaps a condo with an ocean view. It is available for you.

best of all, you are dealing with a US based company when you make arrangements. Oceano-Rentals.com has American offices and conducts all transactions in American funds. What is also nice is that you can pick up your keys and continue your drive south into Mexico -- it is right on the way through Arizona, only an hour from the border.

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After all, Johnson Space Center is 10 minutes from my home -- and that is if I miss all the traffic lights. We spent a tense afternoon/evening here, waiting to see if any of our friends/neighbors were among those involved in this ugly situation.

A NASA contract worker barricaded himself inside a Johnson Space Center building Friday and killed one of two hostages before committing suicide.

William A. Phillips, a 60-year-old engineer, fatally shot co-worker David Beverly in the chest with a snub-nosed revolver at about 1:40 p.m., authorities said.

More than three hours later, with Houston police and JSC security officers inside the three-story Building 44, Phillips shot himself in the head. In the same room, police found a second hostage, Francelia Crenshaw, also a contract worker, bound to a chair with duct tape.

She was taken to Christus St. John Hospital near the center and later released.

It was not clear why Phillips — described as a model employee for 13 years by Mike Coats, JSC's director — went on the rampage. Police were unable to communicate with him during the standoff.

Now folks will want to know why security didn't stop this, because after all, JSC is supposed to be a secure facility. The reality is that it is -- or at least as secure as a military base, where one needs to have a sticker on the car and an ID to access certain areas of the facility. But short of every searching car and putting metal detectors in every building, there is no stopping someone from bringing a gun to this gun-free installation.

Indeed, as with the Virginia Tech case, the problem comes down to the fact that the gun-free policy worked almost perfectly. Nearly 100% of the employees in Building 44 were gun-free -- which is why the one who was not gun-free had such an easy time of it when he decided to act violently against close acquaintances/co-workers. In that respect, what happened yesterday is no different from what happens from time to time in workplaces and at schools around the country -- except that the location simply has a much more storied history than is usually the case.

And lest you start to wonder what the deal is with NASA (after all, we are not far from another unpleasant incident involving NASA personnel), please consider that your average NASA employee or contractor is, when it comes right down to it, an ordinary human being. I live around them and go to church with a number of them -- including folks who are honest-to-God rocket scientists. They have spouses, kids, hobbies, and everything else that ordinary people have. Some also have problems that lurk beneath the surface, or odd aspects to their lives. let's not forget -- Rusty Yates was (and I believe still is) employed at NASA, some six years after his strange family life came to light following the murder of his children by his wife, Andrea Yates.

Oh, and speaking of murders with a tie to NASA, I've got one more for you. Remember the Clara Harris case -- the one involving the dentists who ran over her cheating husband with an SUV in the parking lot of a hotel? That happened at the Hilton right across the street from Johnson Space Center, under a mile from the site of yesterday's incident -- at the corner of NASA Parkway and Space Center Boulevard.

OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Stop the ACLU, Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson's Website, The Pet Haven Blog, Shadowscope, Stuck On Stupid, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, Pursuing Holiness, Rightlinx, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, , Pirate's Cove, The Right Nation, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, 123beta, Maggie's Notebook, Adam's Blog, basil's blog, MONICA, Phastidio.net, The Bullwinkle Blog, Cao's Blog, , Conservative Cat, Jo's Cafe, Conservative Thoughts, Allie Is Wired, stikNstein... has no mercy, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, CORSARI D'ITALIA, The Yankee Sailor, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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Not only that, but they are a company that has been in business for nearly seven decades, with a huge brick-and-mortar presence in Glenview, Illinois. They are known for their great customer service, too -- and I know, because my family used to buy from Abt Electronics when I was a kid! Now the great customer service is available nationwide!

Even better -- AbtElectronics.com has their merchandise in stock, so they can ship most items on the same day you order it.

Paid Endorsement.

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From James Q. Wilson, one of AmericaÂ’s greatest living political scientists.

AS FOR THE European disdain for our criminal culture, many of those countries should not spend too much time congratulating themselves. In 2000, the rate at which people were robbed or assaulted was higher in England, Scotland, Finland, Poland, Denmark and Sweden than it was in the United States. The assault rate in England was twice that in the United States. In the decade since England banned all private possession of handguns, the BBC reported that the number of gun crimes has gone up sharply.

Some of the worst examples of mass gun violence have also occurred in Europe. In recent years, 17 students and teachers were killed by a shooter in one incident at a German public school; 14 legislators were shot to death in Switzerland, and eight city council members were shot to death near Paris.

The rest of the article is a masterpiece as well, coming from the pen of a distinguished scholar, not a polemicist. I encourage you to read it.

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She not only seems intent upon bashing Catholics, but also upon imposing a religious test for holding public office.

On today’s edition of the ABC show, “The View,” the discussion turned to the Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday affirming the partial-birth abortion ban. In an angry tone, Rosie O’Donnell asked, “You know what concerns me? How many of the Supreme Court judges are Catholic, Barbara?” Walters responded, “Five.” O’Donnell: “Five. Five are Catholic. Separation of church and state, America.” Walters then said that when the Catholic justices were vetted, they said they would not vote in a particular way because of their religion. But she then said, “It is interesting they’re Catholic.” After others spoke, Walters said she thought the justices were able to separate their faith from everyday life. To which O’Donnell replied, “From your everyday life but not hopefully from the foundation of our government. Separation of church and state.”

So, Rosie, do you want to placed a quota on the number of Catholics that can hold public office – despite the fact that such a quota would clearly run afoul of the Constitution? For that matter, have you read the various opinions in the case to find out what the legal and constitutional reasoning was behind the decision – or did you simply let your bigotry run rampant as you look at the religion of the justices?

Oh, and as far as the issue of “separation of church and state” – which is a phrase that appears nowhere in the Constitution or Bill of Rights – maybe it is time that we have a little separation of fat, ugly, obnoxious, bigoted lesbian and talk-show. Disney-ABC Television Group needs to give Rosie O’Donnell the Don Imus treatment.

Oh, and on a side note, it looks like Rosie isn't alone in stoking the fires of America's oldest and most persistent prejudice.

OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Church and State, Stop the ACLU, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson's Website, The Pet Haven Blog, Stuck On Stupid, The Amboy Times, Leaning Straight Up, Pursuing Holiness, Rightlinx, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, , Pirate's Cove, The Right Nation, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, 123beta, Adam's Blog, basil's blog, MONICA, Phastidio.net, The Bullwinkle Blog, Cao's Blog, , Jo's Cafe, Allie Is Wired, stikNstein... has no mercy, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, CORSARI D'ITALIA, Gone Hollywood, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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She not only seems intent upon bashing Catholics, but also upon imposing a religious test for holding public office.

On today’s edition of the ABC show, “The View,” the discussion turned to the Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday affirming the partial-birth abortion ban. In an angry tone, Rosie O’Donnell asked, “You know what concerns me? How many of the Supreme Court judges are Catholic, Barbara?” Walters responded, “Five.” O’Donnell: “Five. Five are Catholic. Separation of church and state, America.” Walters then said that when the Catholic justices were vetted, they said they would not vote in a particular way because of their religion. But she then said, “It is interesting they’re Catholic.” After others spoke, Walters said she thought the justices were able to separate their faith from everyday life. To which O’Donnell replied, “From your everyday life but not hopefully from the foundation of our government. Separation of church and state.”

So, Rosie, do you want to placed a quota on the number of Catholics that can hold public office – despite the fact that such a quota would clearly run afoul of the Constitution? For that matter, have you read the various opinions in the case to find out what the legal and constitutional reasoning was behind the decision – or did you simply let your bigotry run rampant as you look at the religion of the justices?

Oh, and as far as the issue of “separation of church and state” – which is a phrase that appears nowhere in the Constitution or Bill of Rights – maybe it is time that we have a little separation of fat, ugly, obnoxious, bigoted lesbian and talk-show. Disney-ABC Television Group needs to give Rosie O’Donnell the Don Imus treatment.

Oh, and on a side note, it looks like Rosie isn't alone in stoking the fires of America's oldest and most persistent prejudice.

OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Church and State, Stop the ACLU, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson's Website, The Pet Haven Blog, Stuck On Stupid, The Amboy Times, Leaning Straight Up, Pursuing Holiness, Rightlinx, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, , Pirate's Cove, The Right Nation, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, 123beta, Adam's Blog, basil's blog, MONICA, Phastidio.net, The Bullwinkle Blog, Cao's Blog, , Jo's Cafe, Allie Is Wired, stikNstein... has no mercy, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, CORSARI D'ITALIA, Gone Hollywood, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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For practical reasons, if nothing else.

Doctors in New York have removed a woman’s gallbladder with instruments passed through her vagina, a technique they hope will cause less pain and scarring than the usual operation, and allow a quicker recovery. The technique can eliminate the need to cut through abdominal muscles, a major source of pain after surgery.

The operation was experimental, part of a study that is being done to find out whether people will fare better if abdominal surgery is performed through natural openings in the body rather than cuts in the belly. The surgery still requires cutting, through the wall of the vagina, stomach or colon, but doctors say it should hurt less because those tissues are far less sensitive than the abdominal muscles.

The notion of taking a different direction for to reach abdominal sites is a good one, though there are already options for gallbladder removal that involve only a tiny incision through the belly button.

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For practical reasons, if nothing else.

Doctors in New York have removed a womanÂ’s gallbladder with instruments passed through her vagina, a technique they hope will cause less pain and scarring than the usual operation, and allow a quicker recovery. The technique can eliminate the need to cut through abdominal muscles, a major source of pain after surgery.

The operation was experimental, part of a study that is being done to find out whether people will fare better if abdominal surgery is performed through natural openings in the body rather than cuts in the belly. The surgery still requires cutting, through the wall of the vagina, stomach or colon, but doctors say it should hurt less because those tissues are far less sensitive than the abdominal muscles.

The notion of taking a different direction for to reach abdominal sites is a good one, though there are already options for gallbladder removal that involve only a tiny incision through the belly button.

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As I read this description of yesterdayÂ’s Senate testimony by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, I couldnÂ’t help but be put in mind of the trial of Charles Darnay in DickensÂ’ A Tale of Two Cities.

Democrats turned the Senate Judiciary Committee into a circus-like political rally Thursday, complete with chants from costumed demonstrators. Alberto Gonzales was the most sober man in the room.
How does "The World's Greatest Deliberative Body" treat the nation's chief law enforcement officer?

With his panel breaking for lunch, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy was seen giggling as a departing Attorney General Gonzales was subjected to crowds holding up signs and bellowing "Resign!" in the hearing room. After Gonzales returned for the afternoon session, noisy demonstrators were allowed to roam freely around the room with their placards. At the hearing's final gavel they sang and shouted taunts.

Why didn't Leahy have the Capitol Police clear the room? Why didn't the ranking Republican, the liberal Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, call on Leahy to do so? Or someone on the committee concerned with the Senate's highfalutin reputation?

They didn't because that mob demanding Gonzales' scalp is what the hearing was all about. The senators may have worn suits and ties and spoken in softer tones (though not always), but their blood lust for the White House is just as fervent as the extremists who wore orange garb and pink police costumes and had "Arrest Gonzales" duct-taped on their backs.

Leahy’s actions and inaction were a disgrace to the Senate virtually unrivaled since the founding of the Republic (perhaps exceeded only by the failure of Democrats to come to the aid of Charles Sumner as he was brutally beaten at his desk by a fellow-Democrat from the House of Representatives) – and the grandstanding by members of the committee indicates the proceeding had even less concern with justice than the proceedings at Salem in 1692.

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As many Americans begin questioning the rationale of denying legal adults the right to drink, now the state of Texas wants to infantilize legal adults in the area of smoking, too.

You're old enough to vote and serve your country at 18, but you'd have to wait a year to buy cigarettes under a bill approved Thursday by the Texas Senate.

"The further you can put this (legal age) off, there's a much better chance that people will not start to smoke," said Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio.

His Senate Bill 448, approved 26-4, moves to an uncertain future in the House, where it doesn't yet have a sponsor. Rep. Garnet Coleman, a Houston Democrat on the House Public Health Committee, said he doesn't have a position on the bill but would like to see it aired.

"I'm in favor of restricting who can buy cigarettes," Coleman said, "but I think there are a lot of people who are going to say, 'Enough is enough. You've taxed me to death, now you're saying that someone (age 1 can't buy cigarettes.' "

You can get married at 18. You can vote at 18. You can join the military and fight and die for your country at 18. Precisely why the hell shouldnÂ’t you be able to smoke (or drink) at 18?

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But then again, his long litany of hate-filled and racist comments already told us that – and since he was addressing a group run by arch-racist Al Sharpton, we shouldn’t be surprised by this.

Speaking at Al Sharpton’s National Action Network event in New York, Biden said President Bush, Newt Gingrich and Karl Rove are responsible for what he called “the politics of polarization.”

Biden said Republicans have created an environment that brings bad things to the United States.

“I would argue, since 1994 with the Gingrich revolution, just take a look at Iraq, Venezuela, Katrina, what’s gone down at Virginia Tech, Darfur, Imus. Take a look. This didn’t happen accidentally, all these things,” he said.

I wish I was stunned – but this is typical of the Party of Hatred, Imbecility, and Surrender.

UPDATE: One newspaper has the courage to speak out.

So if we have this straight - partisan Republicans are now responsible for ImusÂ’ show (on which Biden was a frequent guest) and the massacre at Virginia Tech? And this man thinks he should be president?

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Well, given the amount of data that DoubleClick and Google gather on private individuals, some are arguing that it is.

Google's proposed $3.1 billion purchase of online ad firm DoubleClick would merge two powerful digital data gatherers that track people's online activities, raising serious privacy concerns that the Federal Trade Commission should investigate, consumer advocates allege in a complaint to be filed with the FTC today. The deal would create a firm with access to more information about consumers' Internet activities than any other company in the world, the Electronic Privacy Information Center said in its complaint.

"Google will operate with virtually no legal obligation to ensure the privacy, security and accuracy of the personal data that it collects. At this time, there is simply no consumer privacy issue more pressing for the commission to consider than Google's plan to combine the search histories and Web site visit records of Internet users," the complaint says.

Hopefully this matter will be closely scrutinized.

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Progress is being made in fixing the broken Texas Youth Commission.

The Texas Senate unanimously approved fundamental changes in the Texas Youth Commission on Thursday, supporting efforts to reduce the population at its facilities, improve staff-to-offender ratios and require enhanced training for guards.

Senate Bill 103, by Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, passed 30-0, and is part of the promised overhaul of an agency reeling from accusations that incarcerated youths have been sexually and physically abused by staff at many of the state's 15 correctional facilities.

The Senate is trying "to rebuild, restructure TYC from the bottom up," he said, adding that his bill would create "checks and balances, a wide open system that is transparent. It'll change the whole culture in the way we treat our young people."

Soon after the bill passed, agency officials announced the firing of a high-ranking official in Austin and the resignation of four of his colleagues. All but one had served on the agency's executive council, and all, said spokesman Jim Hurley, "were on board when the agency failed in a spectacular way on a national stage. All were running the agency when the wheels came off."

Now that the folks who let the agency get out of control are gone, there could be some hope. but whill any of the policians who let the situation get this bad pay a price?

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As a history teacher, I get all sorts of brochures and fliers from companies that sell educational trips. I've often thought that I might like to sponsor one with my students, but I've been wary of doing so. After all, at least once a year I hear some horror story about a trip gone bad. That's why it is important to go with a company that is established and reputable.

Hemisphere Educational Travel has been in the business of arranging student travel for nearly four decades. Founded by a teacher for for students and teachers, the company is one of the recognized leaders in the field. And there are two other great things about Hemisphere Educational Travel -- they will meet or beat the prices offered by the competition AND teachers and chaperones travel free. Both of those features can put such trips within reach of your travel budget and meet with the requirements of your school or district. So teachers, if you are considering offering a student travel opportunity, consider Hemisphere Educational Travel.

Paid Endorsement.

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I lived in St. Louis when the Rams picked Lawrence Phillips -- a talented thug with a tendency towards violence and a history of abuse of women. I was shocked -- but hey, he was the best player out there, so what were the Rams to do? It was a gamble that didn't pay off.

Now, such a pick might not happen -- because the NFL has begun to crack down on bad behavior.

Many NFL team officials say they will be less likely to draft players who misbehave off the field because of the league's new conduct policy, which allows Commissioner Roger Goodell to impose lengthy suspensions on misbehaving players and punish clubs with significant numbers of offenders.

Baltimore Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome said that he and his peers have been feeling additional pressure since Goodell first told them during a meeting of general managers at February's NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis that teams would be held accountable for players' misdeeds.

"That falls on us," Newsome said, "that there are some players now we may have to pass on because I don't want to put [Ravens owner] Steve Bisciotti in that position or put this organization in that position to be held accountable for a player that I knew had some issues."

Such considerations during the pre-draft evaluation process are not entirely new to scouts, executives and coaches. With millions of dollars in player contracts at stake, it has long been standard practice for teams to conduct background checks and probe players' psyches in interviews. With some regularity, players have plummeted on draft day because of fears by teams about possible misbehavior.

At next weekend's NFL draft, the issue could be an important one. Pro Football Weekly reported Wednesday that three top draft prospects -- Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams and Louisville defensive tackle Amobi Okoye -- admitted to past marijuana use during interviews that the league tapes with players at the combine and distributes to the teams. But there's been no indication that any of the three failed the drug tests taken by players at the combine. That falls under the league's substance abuse policy, not the conduct policy, and it's unlikely that their draft status will be significantly affected.

Other draft-eligible players with conduct-related issues include Florida defensive tackle Marcus Thomas, who was dismissed from the team in November for violating the terms of his pending reinstatement from a suspension for violating the school's substance abuse policy; Texas running back Ramonce Taylor, who was arrested last year on a marijuana charge; Texas cornerback Tarell Brown, who was arrested in September on drug and weapon charges and last month on a marijuana charge (the drug charge from September was dropped); UNLV cornerback Eric Wright, who left Southern California after being arrested in 2005 on suspicion of sexual assault, although prosecutors declined to press charges because of insufficient evidence; and California running back Marshawn Lynch, who in January was accused of sexual assault and domestic violence by a former girlfriend but was not charged. Lynch is being projected by many draft observers as a first-round selection.

Now this will be interesting -- do some of these players drop in the draft given the new policy -- including the recent suspensions of two NFL stars? Or will it be business as usual for the teams?

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One of my former students just got back from rehab this week. She had started to do a few pills, and quickly moved on to what I will politely call "more than a few" pills a day -- to the point that she eventually found herself unable to function on a day-to-day basis. She needed help, and she needed it bad.

Fortunately, her parents found a drug detox and rehab programs for teens through the use of the internet. And that is where www.4rehabilitation.com comes into the picture. They provide a referral service for drug detox and rehab programs of all kinds so that you can find the proper program for you or your loved one.

It is my deepest hope that you never need to use such a service, but if you do I encourage you to contact www.4rehabilitation.com

Paid Endorsement.

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Alec Baldwin's daughter missed his phone call -- and now a judge has banned him from contact with the child in light of his abusive message to her.

After Ireland failed to answer her father's scheduled morning phone call from New York on April 11, Alec went berserk on her voice mail, saying "Once again, I have made an ass of myself trying to get to a phone," adding, "you have insulted me for the last time."

Switching his train of thought, Baldwin then exercised his incredible parenting skills and took a shot at his ex-wife, declaring, "I don't give a damn that you're 12-years-old or 11-years-old, or a child, or that your mother is a thoughtless pain in the ass who doesn't care about what you do." The irate Baldwin went on to say, "You've made me feel like s**t" and threatened to "straighten your ass out."

"This crap you pull on me with this goddamn phone situation that you would never dream of doing to your mother," screamed Baldwin, "and you do it to me constantly over and over again."

Before hanging up, Baldwin warned the child, "You better be ready Friday the 20th to meet with me." That's tomorrow.

We've learned that on Wednesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court commissioner Maren Nelson heard the tape and temporarily suspended Baldwin's visitation rights. A hearing is set for May 4, where the judge could permanently deny Baldwin visitation or contact with Ireland.

We shouldn't be surprised -- anyone who has ever heard Alec Baldwin give an interview with anyone but the most fawning reporter knows that he has serious anger management problems -- and believes his own press releases that he is the greatest actor on the planet. Why should we be surprised that he would speak this way to his own child?

Hey, Alec -- the universe does not revolve around Uranus.

UPDATE: HereÂ’s an appropriate decision by Baldwin.

Alec Baldwin has taken a vow of silence after a recording of a volcanic tirade by the actor to his 11-year-old daughter appeared in US media reports.

No great loss, especially if this becomes a vow of perpetual silence.

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What about a Christian one? Or one devoted to members of a particular ethnic group? I mean after all, we all look (or looked) for certain traits and characteristics in a mate that were important to us? Aren't religion and ethnicity important?

Personally, I think they are. After all, one's religious faith is often very important to one's sense of self, and compatibility. Why shouldn't there be a dating service that helps one "screen out" those who don't share that very important characteristic? Now I'm not talking about some sort of discriminatory program based upon superiority -- simply assistance in finding someone who is compatible.

So take my question about a Jewish dating service? offering classifications based upon such important issues as religious values and ethnic heritage is a very positive thing in my book. After all, these commonalities can be the very glue that hold a relationship together. It is certainly better than the old "looking for a red-head who likes cogs and long walks on the beach, doesn't it? It is likely that a shared set of beliefs is a much stronger cement than "what's your sign, baby", isn't it?

That is why so dating services have gotten much more scientific in their services for matching folks up. We see in-depth surveys about attitudes and backgrounds designed to help make matches more precise. And if such services operate in a manner that are non-discriminatory, I think the specialization is all for the good.

Paid Endorsement.

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After all, Islam traditionally treats women as inferior and lacking in the full rights due a man.

Elections Canada has begun to contact Muslim organizations to gauge their feelings on how to accommodate veiled women if photo identification becomes necessary to cast a federal ballot, Sun Media has learned.
Sameer Zuberi, with the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he spent 30 minutes on the telephone with an Elections Canada representative on Tuesday.
"They asked about how we can deal with this and what are the ways we can deal with it," said Zuberi.
Zuberi said veiled Muslim women should be given the option of unveiling in front of another woman.

Of course, there is this little bit of absurdity from the representative of another group.

Khaled Mouammar, president of the Canadian Arab Federation, said veiled women should not be asked to show their faces.
"If somebody comes in with a valid ID then it doesn't matter how you're dressed," said Mouammar.

Never mind, of course, that the veil would obscure the identity of the individual in question – making the question of whether they possess a valid ID something more than an academic exercise.

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Hillary Clinton had this reaction to yesterdayÂ’s partial birth abortion infanticide decision.

"TodayÂ’s decision blatantly defies the CourtÂ’s recent decision in 2000 striking down a state partial-birth abortion law because of its failure to provide an exception for the health of the mother."

Excuse me, Senator, but it is the proper place of the Supreme Court to determine that a precedent is wrong, and to overrule it.

Unless, of course, you have a problem with the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education to “defy” the venerable precedent set in 1896 in Plessy v. Ferguson, which held that “separate but equal” segregation was not a violation the 14th Amendment.

So, Senator, do you believe that the Supreme Court has the right and obligation to overturn wrongly decided precedents – or do you believe that our public schools should still be segregated?

Or is it possible that your ignorance of the US Constituiton renders you unfit to be President -- or Senator, for that matter?

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How is the employment of the killer's sister relevant -- or newsworthy?

The sister of the gunman responsible for the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history works as a contractor for a State Department office that oversees billions of dollars in American aid for Iraq.

Sun-Kyung Cho is employed by the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office, according to U.S. officials and a State Department staff directory that says she works from an annex near the department's headquarters in Washington.

Messages left on her office voicemail, in which she identifies herself as "Sun Cho," were not immediately returned on Wednesday.

The Virginia Tech gunman was her brother, Cho Seung-Hui. Thirty-three people died in the rampage Monday, including the 23-year-old student, who committed suicide.

Spokesman Sean McCormack declined to discuss Sun Cho's status but told reporters "this person is not a direct-hire employee of the State Department." He declined to comment further, citing privacy concerns. Other U.S. officials confirmed she works for a contractor.

Nothing in the article ties Ms. Cho to her brother's evil deeds -- besides her name and parentage. Why do a profile on her at all -- unless one is seeking to discredit the Bush administration, or the mission to help Iraq become a stable democracy after decades of oppression. Is it possible that the media is so interested in doing so that the life, accomplishments, and reputation of a young woman must be sacrificed because of the evil done by her brother?

Ms. Cho needs to be held up as an example of hard work and accomplishment -- not made a sideshow freak at her brother's carnival of horrors. The AP owes her an apology.

H/T Malkin

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