I'll be honest -- I never thought much about mortgages before I bought my house. Yeah, i knew thy were secured loans with the money guaranteed by the house itself, but never about what went into getting one. Indeed, I went in blind, never stopping to look at a mortgage calculator to figure out what I could afford. Fortunately, I got in with a good broker who found me an excellent loan at a good rate -- but I hear today about too many folks who didn't luck out like I did, and are losing their shirts because of adjustable rates or outrageous payments.

Frankly, I'm glad I'm not looking for a house today or seeking to refinance because I am locked in at a very good rate that I've found I cannot beat. However, my friends seeking mortgages today appear to be entering the process with a lot more understanding and knowledge than I had. In addition, recent financial setbacks in the mortgage market are making those high-risk and exotic loans a little less common, as lenders seek to protect their capital -- which in turn protects buyers from getting into financial trouble, though that isn't out of any sort of altruistic motive on the part of lenders.

Paid Endorsement.

Posted by: Greg at 11:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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When I attended Washington and Lee, one of the best courses I took was "The Bible as English Literature". As a pretty lukewarm Christian (searching for faith, but bordering on agnosticism), I came to see the beauty of the Good Book -- and found my faith. But I came to understand that text in a different way as well, as a literary and historical document that may be read on many different levels. And quite honestly, I'd love to teach such a course on the high school level.

But I do not believe that the state of Texas should mandate that such a course should be offered by every school district as an elective.

STATE Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, has proposed a bill that would require all Texas public school districts to offer high school students an elective course in the history and literature of the Old and New Testaments. Chisum, who heads the budget-writing House Appropriations Committee, arguably the most powerful committee in either chamber, insists that the Bible would be used as "the basic textbook" for such courses, "not a worship document." The bill would require districts to make a Bible course available if at least 15 students signed up for it.

Terrific — on its face. The Bible has had a tremendous influence on Western civilization, and Texas students could benefit from studying its impact on all areas of American life, laws and culture. But given the record of most schools that already have such programs, the lack of resources available and the apparent motivation of the bill's author, the courses would wind up being oriented toward a particular branch of Christianity and therefore discriminatory, opening the way for court challenges.

The Chronicle then continues with a shameful attack on the religious beliefs of the bill's author -- but a cogent problem with the Bible-related courses taught in a handful of schools around the state. And it is those problems that lead me to object to this bill -- the lack of standards, materials, and safe-guards in place to keep these courses from becoming "religious education" classes.

But more important from my point of view is this -- the reality that many districts lack the resources to add this elective course, and too many of my colleagues around the state lack the training to teach this class as it should be taught -- an objective study of a beautiful text, not a devotional study of a work of faith. And as such, i think the bill must be defeated as well-intended but unwise.

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Let's be honest about credit cards -- they are the avenue to so much information about us, and can be both a source of financial opportunity and financial danger. I mean, one need only consider the recent breaches of credit card security at places like T J Maxx to realize that they can be teh vehicle to so much of your personal information as to virtually strip you naked for the world to see, and to allow great financial mischief to be made in your life. On the other hand, many credit card issuers monitor for fraud and will contact you if they see strange transactions, as one of mine did in the days before Hurricane Rita -- my purchase of evacuation supplies and material to board up my house were seen as unusual (six purchases in three hours on a card I use perhaps once a month), and so they called me to make sure that the transactions were authorized. So it does seem that the companies are out to protect our interests when they coincide with their interests -- such as fraud prevention

However, there are benefits to credit cards, in terms of finding an offer that will save you money by allowing 0% balance transfers or offering a lower interest rate. So if you do find credit card use to be necessary, it is a good thing to shop around for the best offers.

Paid Endorsement.

Posted by: Greg at 10:50 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Most of the bloggers I deal with on a regular basis are pretty ethical people. They exercise responsibility in their posts, allow great latitude in their comments but clamp down on/ban obscene, racist, or defamatory commenters, and generally try to engage in reasoned political debate/discussion. They do this without being held to standards by some outside body -- which is, in my eyes, a good thing. And yet some wish to establish some sort of "ethical gold standard" for bloggers.

Is it too late to bring civility to the Web?

The conversational free-for-all on the Internet known as the blogosphere can be a prickly and unpleasant place. Now, a few high-profile figures in high-tech are proposing a blogger code of conduct to clean up the quality of online discourse.

Last week, Tim OÂ’Reilly, a conference promoter and book publisher who is credited with coining the term Web 2.0, began working with Jimmy Wales, creator of the communal online encyclopedia Wikipedia, to create a set of guidelines to shape online discussion and debate.

Chief among the recommendations is that bloggers consider banning anonymous comments left by visitors to their pages and be able to delete threatening or libelous comments without facing cries of censorship.

A recent outbreak of antagonism among several prominent bloggers “gives us an opportunity to change the level of expectations that people have about what’s acceptable online,” said Mr. O’Reilly, who posted the preliminary recommendations last week on his company blog (radar.oreilly.com). Mr. Wales then put the proposed guidelines on his company’s site (blogging.wikia.com), and is now soliciting comments in the hope of creating consensus around what constitutes civil behavior online.

Mr. OÂ’Reilly and Mr. Wales talk about creating several sets of guidelines for conduct and seals of approval represented by logos. For example, anonymous writing might be acceptable in one set; in another, it would be discouraged. Under a third set of guidelines, bloggers would pledge to get a second source for any gossip or breaking news they write about.

Bloggers could then pick a set of principles and post the corresponding badge on their page, to indicate to readers what kind of behavior and dialogue they will engage in and tolerate. The whole system would be voluntary, relying on the community to police itself.

“If it’s a carefully constructed set of principles, it could carry a lot of weight even if not everyone agrees,” Mr. Wales said.

But here comes my concern -- with the amount of censorware out there on the net, how long until some of the filtering companies begin filtering any blog that does not formally adhere to one of these sets of standards -- and until there ctarts being a fee for receiving that badge declaring that one is an ethical blogger? And how long until anonymous political speech -- you know, like that engaged in by the Foundingn Fathers when they wrote the Federalist Papers and other early American political classics -- is strangled by the "ethics mavens" out there as somehow unacceptable?

And let's be honest about matters -- there is good reason for anonymity -- or at least semi-anonymity -- out here on the web. There is, effectively, a record of every word one says, and it is there forever. A pseudonym is therefore not a bad thing. Similarly, I've seen one blogging buddy pull down his website and delete all archives because of a threat of termination by his employer -- and I had a group of local Democrat bloggers prove their commitment to freedom of speech by exposing my name and attempting to get my school district to fire me (don't think I wasn't told, guys).

Personally, I'd prefer self-policing -- with bloggers setting their own policies -- to some sort of over-arching regulation of speech, no matter how benignly intended. Otherwise, you'd get folks like this setting the standards -- and regulating the debate.

MORE AT Reason's Hit & Run

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No, folks, that is not a typo or some weird code in the title -- Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo is an anime series found upon the Japanese manga by Yoshio Sawai, one of the most gifted artists of the genre. The series itself is now found on Cartoon Network and at Illumitoon.com. Check out the Official Website!

But let me tell you about this madcap series, one which not only is amusing in its own right, but also based upon its parody of other anime series such as Sailor Moon and Pokemon. The main hero, of course, is Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (AKA Bo^7), an Afro-coifed warrior out to defeat Czar Baldy-Bald IV and his force of head-shavers who are out to wage war upon hairstyles everywhere. OK, it sounds a bit strange, I realize -- but it includes so much more in the way of spoof, parody and satire throughout the series as the battles continue. However, explaining the series is a little bit difficult beyond this -- you sort of have to see it to believe it. Indeed, some liken its humor to that of the Simpsons, in that no aspect of Japanese culture is safe from the show. But even if some of that gets a little mudled int he translation, the effect is still so hilarious that you cannot help but enjoy the wild sight-gages and bizarre situations involving food, cross-dressing, and the like.

Of course, these episodes have recently become available on DVD. However, there is quite a controversy about them. The initial release was sold with "Dubtitles" (English dialogue subtitles) instead of Japanese Subtitles (literal translation of the original Japanese dialogue). As a result, there is a trade-in offer out to allow owners of the Dubtitled DVDs to trade them in for the Japanese Subtitled version.

Seriously, folks, if you enjoy anime and are into having a good hearty laugh at something a bit unusual, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo is for you.

Paid Endorsement.

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I'll never forget the tragic events that left New England patriots player Darryl Stingley paralyzed on the field. Neither will most football fans of my generation.

Darryl Stingley has passed away at the much-too-young age of 55.

Former pro football wide receiver Darryl Stingley, a quadriplegic who became a symbol of the game's violence, died early this morning at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. He was 55.

The cause of death was not immediately available. An autopsy will be performed later today.

* * *

Stingley's life changed forever on Aug. 12, 1978, in a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. A wide receiver for the New England Patriots, Stingley was the victim of a vicious but legal hit by Oakland Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum. The blow broke Stingley's neck and left him a quadriplegic for life.

Stingley grew up in Chicago and was a star player at John Marshall High School, where he was a standout running back. He received a scholarship to Purdue University, where he was converted to wide receiver. He was the third of three first-round draft picks of the Patriots in 1973.

Stingley's injury changed the game, making players generally safer and taking out some of the ugliness that had begun to creep into the game as outlaw players like Jack Tatum became on-field assassins, paid to intentionally injure their opponents. While there can be nothing positive said about the circumstances that led to Stingley's injury, there is at least that positive outcome.

H/T Political Vindication

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And the rest of the crude, disgusting staff of his pathetic radio show. After all, there is no way that such a clear example of racism should go unpunished -- even after his insincere, disingenuous apology.

Radio host Don Imus apologized Friday for calling the Rutgers University women's basketball team "nappy headed hos" on his nationally syndicated program.

The National Association of Black Journalists demanded his immediate firing after the man known as "Imus in the Morning" put his foot deep in his mouth Wednesday. Imus questioned the players' looks, describing them as tattooed "rough girls." His producer compared the team—which has eight black members—to the NBA's Toronto Raptors.

Near the start of Friday's show, Imus said he wanted to "apologize for an insensitive and ill-conceived remark we made the other morning referring to the Rutgers women's basketball team."

"It was completely inappropriate, and we can understand why people were offended. Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid, and we are sorry."

My standard is very simple -- how long would a conservative radio host be kept around if he made such a comment on the air? I think we all know the answer to that one -- and the same standard needs to be applied to Imus.

Posted by: Greg at 05:04 PM | Comments (20) | Add Comment
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Good grief! The Supreme Court ruled in 1943 that a student cannot be required to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Why don't the folks at Lewisville High School know that, since it is covered in every every school law class?

A student who refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance has been given a two-day suspension from Lewisville High.

He says, saying the pledge violates his religious beliefs.

The school district says his behavior is a distraction to the rest of the classroom.

The problem is, his "distraction" was his refusal to say the words of the Pledge, nothing more. And since the kid is a Jehovah's Witness, just like the kids in the 193 case of West Virginia v. Barnette, there is not any basis for distinguishing between what this young man, Adrian Boykin, is doing today and what those students were doing 64 years ago.

"The only thing I pledge allegiance to is God, not a flag. It's cloth to me."

Boykin's family follows the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

They believe the pledge equates to worshiping an image or object above God.

"You're not supposed to put any idol before God," said Boykin's mother, Kolette.

Adrian Boykin says after several months in class, his teacher at Lewisville High finally noticed him not reciting the pledge.

The senior was sent to detention but refused to go, leading to a two-day suspension.

The district says a student has the right not to recite the pledge, but cannot cause distractions with their actions.

Now wait just a minute -- how can the district even begin to claim that there was a substantial disruption or distraction is it took the teacher several months to notice and take action against Adrian for not saying the Pledge. That is laughable on its face.

And as for his refusal to go to the detentions, the administration should have been backing him to the hilt, not suspending him. After all, the teacher's actions were no different than assigning him a detention because he is black. Surely the school would not allow suspend a student for refusing to accept sucha violation of fundamental rihts under the Constitution.

There is only one positive outcome I can see here -- we now know that young Mr. Boykin is likely to have a college fund large enough to attend the school of his choice. Unfortunately, it seems likely that the taxpayers, and not the teacher and administrators who displayed such utter incompetence concluded.

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It is a sad reality that some folks fall prey to drug and/or alcohol addiction. As a teacher, I see that all too often among both my high school and college students. In such cases, there needs to be some sort of intervention and treatment to deal with the addiction.

That is where Stone Hawk, a michigan addiction treatment facility, can be of assistance. Stone Hawk provides drug addiction and alcoholism treatment using the Narconon program, which is a program that focuses on adiction as a biochemical process that can be overcome using behavioral approaches, with education providing of skills to assist an individual through daily life problems and disorders. As such, it is not a program of medical intervention with one drug substituting for another. As I saw all too often when I worked with a homeless population, medical programs all too often result in nothing more than a switch in drugs to be abused, with the twist of multiple addictions. The Narconon program's rejection of that approach is therefore a healthy thing in my eyes.

Hopefully you will never need a drug or alcohol rehab program, and neither will those you love. If you do, though, please consider Stone Hawk as an option.

Paid Endorsement.

Posted by: Greg at 03:50 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I love "To Kill A Mockingbird" -- despite the fact that I had never read the book before I found myself expected to teach it when I began teaching. Yet having read it many times since, and having taught it nearly a dozen times (when you include summer school sessions), I really do believe it is a book that every adult ought to read -- both from the point of view of its moral message AND due to the fact it is a great read. So when I hear folks criticize the book for its flaws and question whether it should be read, I bristle just a bit.

If there's one book you should read before you die, it's To Kill a Mockingbird. That's not my opinion. Apparently I was sick back in ninth grade when every other American kid read Harper Lee's novel of racism, moral courage and coming of age in 1930s Alabama. I read it for the first time only this week and have my misgivings.

But according to the Guardian newspaper's Web site, a 2006 poll of librarians — British librarians — put To Kill a Mockingbird atop the list of books every adult should read before they shuffle off. Ahead of the Bible. Ahead of Huckleberry Finn and Pride and Prejudice and even Harry "the Franchise" Potter.

According to a 1989 study in this country, 69 percent of public schools, 67 percent of Catholic schools and 47 percent of other private schools teach the book, most often in the ninth grade. And it's still assigned regularly, three Houston-area educators say.

For many young people, To Kill a Mockingbird, more than 45 years after its publication, looms like that first tattoo as a milestone on the road to adulthood. It has become, as Slate's Stephen Metcalf writes,"an inescapable fact of America's civic religion."

So what's its appeal? Why a fixture on school reading lists? And what's its status in the canon of American literature? Is it really a book for grown-ups?

As I've said, I think it is a great book -- but that doesn't mean that TKAM is a perfect book. There are obvious flaws in Harper Lee's classic, some of which are mentioned later in the article.

In a New Yorker review of Charles J. Shields' new biography of Harper Lee, Thomas Mallon savages Mockingbird for its moral simplicity and implausible characters. He calls Atticus Finch a "plaster saint" with a way "of making forbearance itself insufferable."

Mallon calls Scout "a kind of highly constructed doll, feisty and cute on every subject from algebra to grown-ups," her voice a "forced mixture" of the child and the adult.

He wraps things up by describing the novel as "a kind of moral Ritalin, an ungainsayable endorser of the obvious." The movie, he writes, is "rather better."

This smackdown prompted Stephen Metcalf, Slate's critic at large, to read the book for the first time and weigh in with a qualified endorsement. He likes Scout, calling her a clever child whose "cleverness nonetheless never interferes with her innocence, and whose innocence is finally a near-flawless arbiter of right and wrong."

He acknowledges that Lee mixes child and adult perspectives but praises the book's voice as being "almost always fetching, often vivid, and the small-town manners it captures are keenly observed." He particularly admires how the book evokes and critiques Southern white-class snobbery.

I find myself leaning a little Mallon's way. I don't find either Atticus or Scout particularly plausible. The black characters are long-suffering and large-hearted in a way that, today, comes across as condescending. Scout too often sounds like no child I ever met — too smart, too spunky.

Of course, I lean towards Metcalf. I like to point out to folks that there is a reason that Scout sounds like a mixture of child and adult -- the Scout that narrates the story is not a little girl, but is instead an adult woman approaching thirty, telling a story about her childhood. Indeed, the voice we hear is that of Miss Jean Louise Finch (or maybe Mrs. Charles Baker Harris -- my kids one year debated whether or not she ended up married to Dill) telling a childhood story. And like most of us telling such stories in our adulthood, we make ourselves both a little bit more innocent and a little more wise than we probably were -- it is human nature. And while Atticus comes across as a "plaster saint", isn't that how we saw our parents when we were young? It is therefore reasonable for Harper Lee, through her narrator, to try to capture that child-like view of Atticus.

And then there was that criticism of the presentation of the black characters. let's be honest -- in 1930s Alabama, that was precisely the face that black community showed to whites, even those who showed them sympathy. After all, this was a society where the Klan still held the reins of power -- Kluxer Hugo Black was a US Senator from Alabama when the story begins, and by the time the story ends he would have been nominated as a Supreme Court Justice by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. If you were black, you needed to hide that seething anger and discontent, and so Scout would likely never have seen it, even from Calpurnia.

Of course, my favorite point to make with my students is that TKAM is an example of one story framing another. After all, the adult Jean Louis Finch begins the book by telling us it is the story of how her brother Jem broke his arm! Well over 200 pages later, we finally find out how the arm was broken -- but only after learning about life in her small Alabama town, Boo Radley, and the horrible miscarriage of justice that is the Tom Robinson trial.

And perhaps the best thing about the story is that it does leave you wanting to know more about some of the characters. My favorite "untold story"? What experience did Atticus have (presumably during WWI) that led the "One Shot" Finch to permanently put down his rifle until the day he needed to kill a rabid dog? I've often hoped that Harper Lee has written that story, and that it awaits posthumous publication on a dusty bookshelf in her home.

Is To Kill A Mockingbird Shakespeare? No, it isn't -- and does not pretend to be. Still, I believe it to be an important book that ought to be read.

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Posted by: Greg at 01:45 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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AIMpromote is an on-demand lead management program for businesses. The greatt thing about AIMpromote is that it allows you to track every lead, trace every dollar, and check data on every business campaign in real-time, without having to wait for data to be gathered and reports generated -- because AIMpromote does it all for you!

One of the nice features about AIMpromote is that there is no need for you to spend a large number of man-hours configuring software to the needs of your enterprise. AIMpromote sets it all up for you, configures the program to your needs, and provides your people with the training that they need to use the program, all as part of the cost of the program itself. That is certainly better than many other lead management programs, which charge extra for those little necessities that are essential to your business. They even have dedicated support representatives to work with you in the event you have difficulties or concerns.

Not convinced? Well, you can always sign up for the 14-day free trial of AIMpromote. Try it -- you will become a customer.

Paid Endorsement.

Posted by: Greg at 10:55 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The winning entries in the Watcher's Council vote for this week are The Scourging by Eternity Road, and Universal Moral Equivalence by Gates of Vienna.  Here is a link to the full results of the vote.

Here are the full tallies of all votes cast:

Posted by: Greg at 10:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You folks know I have been doing paid posts through PayPerPost.com for a while now, taking advantage of my blog traffic to monetize my blog and make a little extra cash. I've blogged about their programs in the past, but here's one that you ought to know about and which might interest you -- it's a promotion they are calling 1K Tuesdays.

Here's how it works. In addition to all the other posting opportunities that are available on a regular basis, each and every Tuesday during the month of April will provide posties with the chance to be the author of a very special post -- with a payout of $1000. Yep -- you saw that one correctly. A thousand bucks. Ten Benjamins. Your buddy Mr. Washington and 999 of his friends. All you have to do is be the lucky person who clicks the link and submits it when it pops up during the day.

Best of all, there is no segmentation going on. This post can be taken by ANYONE in PayPerPost, not just someone writing a specialized blog on business opportunities available to rug-weaving yaks in need of debt relief who has a Technorati rating below 5000, Alexa rating below 10000, a Google rating of 8 and the top PPP rating of 5 tacks. That means that even a PayPerPost newbie with a Blogger blog can do it! No segmentation at all to keep you (or better yet, ME) from being the lucky postie.

Now last Tuesday, expectant posties nearly crashed the server as tehy hit reload in the hopes of being the first to spot this golden opportunity. And given that we are in the midst of Oppapalooza, there are lots of great opportunities out there for posties to take advantage of. But I will tell you -- this one is the best, and puts my $125.00 post to shame.

Paid Endorsement.

Posted by: Greg at 06:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I agree whole-heartedly with the Supreme Court precedent that burning a flag is constitutionally protected speech -- as long as it is your flag. As a result, I hope they throw the book at these three guys -- and deport the two who are not US citizens.

Three Yale University students were arrested early Tuesday morning for burning an American flag on a pole attached to a house in New Haven, the Yale Daily News reported today.

The three men, all of foreign origin, were charged with offenses ranging from reckless endangerment to arson and were held in jail Tuesday night after a judge refused to release them without bail.

According to the newspaper, the New Haven police said the men — two freshmen and a senior — first attracted police attention at about 3 a.m. Tuesday when they asked two offcers for directions back to their residence. They were identified as Said Hyder Akbar, 23, Nikolaos Angelopoulos, 19, and Farhad Anklesaria, also 19.

Dumb-asses.

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What is the old song by Irving Berlin? "Oh, How I Hat To Get Up In The Morning". Yeah, that's me. And since the school day starts at 7:15 and I live half-an hour away from school, I'm getting up at oh-dark-freakin'-thirty every morning just to make sure that I get a chance to blog and get myself through the morning ablutions before I shoot out the door.

But some days I forget to set the alarm clock. It would be great to be able to have a wake-up call in the morning, timed to get me started early.

And that, my friends, is where Snoozester enters into the picture.

Snoozester.com is a great new service that allows you to schedule wake-up calls in the morning, just like when you stay at a fancy hotel with silk sheets and a mint on the pillow -- the sort of thing a teacher like me doesn't get too often.

Well... not exactly like in the hotel.

You see, Snoozester calls are not exactly from normal operators. Indeed, there is very little that you can describe as normal about the characters who call you to get you up and moving in the dark of the pre-dawn morning.

Let's see, there are currently five of them who share wake-up duties, depending on your needs and desires.

There's Lisa, who I find sort of cute in a mousy sort of way -- but she certainly isn't enough to get my blood pumping when I need to get myself vertical and moving around the house for my morning business.

And then there is the kid, Max. Let's just say that he might be the right thing for some of you, but I really don't have any patience for whiny babies approaching their terrible twos a bit early. But hey, whatever floats your boat!

Yeah, and speaking of boats, you could always get Captain Snooze, the pirate. If you want to start your day talking like Long John Silver, the Captain is your man -- and maybe he can force max or Lisa right off the plank for you some morning before he swashes his buckles.

need a boot camp flash-back? Try Sgt. Snoozester, who is vaguely reminiscent of the fellow from Mail Call on the History Channel. He'll get you moving -- and sometimes even laughing.

But my favorite has to be Harbajan, the Indian prince who supplies me with regular updates on the latest gossip form Bollywood and the odd cricket score -- and you know, cricket scores are all a little odd to American ears. But he's funny, and you need a laugh when you have to turn the lights on to find the phone to answer the call.

And now, you can even get reminder calls for appointments, too!

best of all, you can try out Snoozester free, just for signing up. Ten free calls -- that is two weeks of work for those of you trust-fund babies and Kennedys used to those silk sheet hotels I mentioned earlier. So what have you got to loose, friend -- check it out! it is easy to use, easy to configure to your needs, and priced right for any budget.

Paid Endorsement.

Posted by: Greg at 10:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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If the Senate Democrats are going to play politics with appointments because they object to the exercise of First Amendment rights by appointees, it is fully appropriate for the White House to use the Constitution to bypass them.

President Bush, defying Senate Democrats, gave recess appointments yesterday to three controversial nominees, including, as ambassador to Belgium, Republican donor Sam Fox, who had contributed to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group whose ads helped doom Sen. John F. Kerry's 2004 presidential bid.

Kerry (D-Mass.), who grilled Fox about his $50,000 contribution to the group during testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in February, had complained that Fox never disavowed his actions and that he should not be confirmed. "It's sad but not surprising that this White House would abuse the power of the presidency to reward a donor over the objections of the Senate," Kerry said in a statement yesterday.

No, Senator, it is sad that you and your colleagues would place your pathetic little ego and the demonstrable falsehoods in your Vietnam record above the First Amendment.

Posted by: Greg at 10:27 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I knew that down here in Texas, household mold is a problem. Frankly, I was surprised to find that the icky, drippy, toxic black goo and other forms of mold that afflicted one of my neighbors a few years back are also found in parts of the country that don;t have a semi-tropical environment. But I guess they have that problem out east as well, and need Mold Removal in places like Pennsylvania and New Jersey, too. But what shocked me as I looked at this site is the question they ask about their methods -- "Why Dogs?"

Mold dogs? Now I've heard of just about everything!

Paid Endorsement.

Posted by: Greg at 10:20 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I generally support many of the ideas put forward by State Senator Dan Patrick. Even when I don't, I at least respect where he is coming from. Unfortunately, he has really blown it this time.

Republican Sen. Dan Patrick on Wednesday boycotted the first prayer delivered in the Texas Senate by a Muslim cleric, and then praised religious tolerance and freedom of speech in an address at the end of the day's session.

"I think that it's important that we are tolerant as a people of all faiths, but that doesn't mean we have to endorse all faiths, and that was my decision," he said later.

"I surely believe that everyone should have the right to speak, but I didn't want my attendance on the floor to appear that I was endorsing that."

Patrick, a conservative radio talk show host from Houston and self-professed Christian, said he wasn't the only senator to miss the invocation — in English and song — by the Imam Yusuf Kavakci of the Dallas Central Mosque.

I'm sorry, but being present for an invocation does not legitimize the faith of the person offering that invocation -- and if it does, then surely that makes the ACLU right on the issue of invocations being constitutionally suspect, especially if they are limited to representatives of the Christian and Jewish faiths.

And the bigger problem is that Patrick's more important point got overshadowed by that stupid part of his objection -- an objection to the individual who was selected to be the first Muslim to offer the invocation for the Texas Senate. Over at Lone Star Times (started but no longer owned by Patrick, and for which I was one of the original group of contributors), they offer a much more serious basis for objecting to Imam Yusuf Kavakci.

The prayer to begin this morningÂ’s Texas Senate session was given by Imam Yusuf Kavakci, a Turkish-born Muslim preacher who runs the Islamic Association of North Texas.

In 2004, Kavakci was a featured speaker at a conference in Irving entitled “A Tribute to the Great Islamic Visionary.” The conference, honoring Ayatollah Khomeini, discussed such moderate, genteel topics as… worldwide Islamic revolution.

HereÂ’s a flyer.

The guy also has an ugly tendency to praise guys like Hasan al-Turabi (OsamaÂ’s buddy who helped establish sharia in Sudan) and Yusuf Qaradawi (who thinks suicide bombings are just peachy.)

Muslim apologists constantly lecture America that jihadists are a tiny minority of Muslims, that the overwhelming majority are moderate, peace-loving folks.

Out of all those moderate Muslims, we couldnÂ’t do any better than this guy?

I'm all for having an imam in to do the invocation -- but seriously, is this the right man for the job? Unfortunately, Patrick's RELIGIOUS objection to the imam made it impossible for anyone to raise a principled objection to Kavakci without being tied to the religiously exclusive objections Dan voiced.

Rod Dreher of the Dallas Morning News offers this objection to the choice of Kavakci to do the invocation -- the ideologies of the Islamists and extremists with whom the imam and his mosque have associated themselves, including Islamic "scholars" who call for jihad against Jews.

Does Imam Kavakci disagree with this? Does he think that urging murder of Jews is consistent with being the kind of Islamic scholar fit to guide US Muslims? Sen. Shapiro should also ask Imam Kavakci about his similar "quality scholar" praise for the Sudanese Islamist leader Hasan al-Turabi, who gave Osama bin Laden sanctuary when he ruled Sudan, and who instigated jihad against Sudanese Christians and animists. How does Imam Kavakci reconcile this aspect of Turabi's life and belief with his (Kavakci's) praise for his brilliance as an Islamic scholar? Or does Imam Kavakci agree with him?

I do hope Sen. Shapiro or someone in the legislature will put the question to the Dallas imam. Every time I've tried to get him to answer these simple and legitimate questions, he's refused, and on several occasions accused me of Islamophobia for daring to ask. He shouldn't be allowed to bluff and bully his way around giving a straight answer to perfectly reasonable questions.

Reasonable questions -- and a reasonable basis for selecting someone else. After all, would it be appropriate to open a session with the words of someone who praised the Fred Phelps klan?

Oh, and a quick note for Harris County GOP chairman Jared Woodfill -- yes, the invocation occurs in the midst of Passover and Holy Week, but since yesterday was also the birthday of Muhammad the selection of yesterday for the invocation was not at all problematic. After all, as often happens, there is some overlap between the holy days of different faiths.

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Posted by: Greg at 10:18 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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A lot of my students are getting ready to go off to college in the next couple of years -- and before too long after that, many of them will find themselves in need of debt help because of the student loans they have taken out to pay for their educations. It is therefore very important that young people start planning early to determine how much student loan debt they can afford to take on.

But once you have found yourself with a lot of college debt that needs to be paid, what then? Well, it is possible that you could be eligible for a student loan consolidation program that could cut your payments. That is where DebtHelp.com could be of some assistance to you in finding your student loan debt solution. DebtHelp.com offers a wide range of solutions for you if you need such assistance, and excellent articles explaining your options.

I'm really impressed with that aspect of the site, as well as the other services available at DebtHelp.com -- credit counseling, mortgage refinance, tax debt relief and many others.

Paid Endorsement.

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Few in sports really deserve the title of “great” for their efforts. Eddie Robinson was clearly one of those.

Former Grambling coach Eddie Robinson, who created a football powerhouse at the small, black college in northern Louisiana that turned out hundreds of NFL players, has died. He was 88.

The soft-spoken coach spent nearly 60 years at Grambling State University, where he set a standard for victories with 408 and nearly every season saw his top players drafted by NFL teams.

Doug Williams, a Super Bowl MVP quarterback was one of them. Williams said Robinson died shortly before midnight Tuesday. Robinson had been admitted to Lincoln General Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.

“For the Grambling family this is a very emotional time,” Williams said Wednesday. “But I’m thinking about Eddie Robinson the man, not in today-time, but in the day and what he meant to me and to so many people.”

RobinsonÂ’s career spanned 11 presidents, several wars and the civil-rights movement. His older records are what people will remember: In 57 years, Robinson compiled a 408-165-15 record. Until John Gagliardi of St. JohnÂ’s, Minn., topped the victory mark four years ago, Robinson was known as the winningest coach in all of college football.

“The real record I have set for over 50 years is the fact that I have had one job and one wife,” Robinson said.

And if you look at the caliber of young men who came out of the Grambling program, you see the real measure of his success as a coach. His players overwhelmingly stayed out of trouble, and he often said he coached them like they were going to marry his daughter. By all accounts, Robinson was an outstanding individual – the sort who comes along all too rarely in the high pressure field of big-time sports.

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As I read this, we have both assault and unlawful imprisonment.

White House Advisor Karl Rove was the target of a protest on the American University campus Tuesday night, News4 reported.

Rove was on the campus to talk to the College Republicans, but when he got outside more than a dozen students began throwing things at him and at his car, an American University spokesperson said.

The students then got on the ground and laid down in front of his car as a protest.

The students said security officials picked them up and carried them away so Rove could leave.

Police said they have dealt with a lot of protests on campus and this one was handled peacefully.

No one was arrested.

Let’s hope that American university takes appropriate disciplinary action against the students in question for their unlawful conduct which certainly violates the campus code of conduct – provided, of course, that conservatives receive equal protection of campus regulations. After all, could you imagine that no arrests would have been made if this were Al Sharpton, Hillary Clinton, or Nancy Pelosi?

Posted by: Greg at 11:22 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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They were ready to give us a $2000 raise last session -- and promised to revisit the issue this session. Why is there now no money for it in 2007, despite the huge state budget surplus? And why is a $800 (or $500) raise a budget buster this time around -- even as Texas teachers lag $4000 behind the national average in teacher pay?

Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Florence Shapiro said Tuesday a combination of an across-the-board teacher salary increase and incentive pay should be considered in the state budget.

"I think there's still room ... to look at both of them. I think they both need to be in the bill. I don't think there should be one or the other," said Shapiro, R-Plano. "As a pragmatist, I recognize that we need to review both and have some very serious conversations when it comes time."

Shapiro last week had suggested there might not be money for both after the House in its two-year state spending plan took $583 million from incentive-pay programs to fund an $800 across-the-board teacher pay raise. A strong incentive-pay advocate, Shapiro said then she'd fight for it and noted lawmakers approved a $2,000 across-the-board teacher raise last year.

This week, Shapiro and other Senate budget-writers put a smaller, across-the-board pay raise of about $500 on their unfunded "wish list." It would cost $300 million.

The Senate Finance Committee next week is scheduled to recommend a proposed budget to the Senate. After a vote, legislative negotiators will work out differences between the House and Senate proposals.

Shapiro said putting the raise on the "wish list" keeps it alive for negotiations.

We teachers keep being told we are important -- why don't you pay us like we are? And as far as merit pay goes, we are willing to give it a shot -- but only after you bring teacher pay in general up to national standards.

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Who cares how involved Mormons are in Mitt Romney's campaign? Are we going to start focusing on how many Italians work for or raise funds for Giuliani? Or how many blacks are on Obama's staff? This is really a false issue.

It is the rare presidential candidate who comes to Idaho to raise money, but there was Mitt Romney last month, packing more than 100 people, at up to $2,300 a head, into the Crystal Ballroom in Boise.

"Nearly every seat was filled. Just about everybody that's anybody was there," said Grant Ipsen, a former Idaho state legislator. "I don't think I'd ever attended another fundraiser for a federal candidate in Idaho."

There was no great mystery why Romney was in town. The former Massachusetts governor is a Mormon, as are about one-quarter of Idaho residents, including Ipsen and many others who turned out for the lunchtime event. The fundraiser was bracketed by two others in the Mountain West: one in Las Vegas and another outside Phoenix. At both of those events, Mormons made up at least half the crowd, organizers said. Altogether, the two-day swing brought in well over $1 million for Romney.

As he vies for a place in the top tier of contenders for the Republican nomination, Romney is reaping enormous benefits from being part of a growing religion that has traditionally emphasized civic engagement and mutual support. Mormons are fueling his strong fundraising operation, which this week reported raising $21 million, the most of any Republican candidate. And they are laying the foundation for a potent grass-roots network -- including a cadre of young church members experienced in door-to-door missions who say they are looking forward to hitting the streets for him.

"When Mormons get mobilized, they're like dry kindling. You drop a match and get impressive results quickly," said University of Notre Dame political scientist David Campbell, who is Mormon. "It's almost a unique group in the way in which it's organized at the local level and the channels through which mobilization can occur."

But the intensity of this support has a potential downside as Romney tries to establish an identity separate from a religion still regarded warily by many Americans -- a quarter of whom, polls suggest, do not want a Mormon president.

Really, this is a non-issue for most Americans, except a minority of bigots; a few on the Right but more on the Left who would never have voted for Romney in any event. It survives because the media keeps up a focus on it -- in a way they would never do over Obama's black support. Indeed, they would never treat racist refusal to vote for a black man as the basis for calling Obama's heritage and support among African-Americans a "mixed blessing", would they?

It seems clear that too many folks in the MSM have forgotten the lessons of 1960. And I say that as someone who is not Mormon and has serious issues with Mormon teachings and theology -- but who also supports Mitt Romney as the best the best declared GOP candidate for 2008.

Posted by: Greg at 10:35 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Talk about false consciousness -- some people really think they are better human beings because of how their meat is killed.

Burger King, of all places, has taken the biggest initiative to pull savagery off the menu. After several years of consulting animal welfare groups, the chain last month announced significant changes in the way it buys meat.

Starting now, 2 percent of Burger King's eggs will come from cage-free birds; that proportion will rise to 5 percent by the end of this year. The chain also will buy 10 percent of its pork from suppliers who refuse to keep their animals in crates; that percentage will rise to 20 by 2008.

Burger King also has told suppliers it will prioritize buying chickens that have been killed humanely, with a "controlled atmosphere" technique that is already in use in Europe.

The effect of these measures together, animal welfare groups say, is enormous. First, Burger King's actions will increase awareness about the way meat is routinely produced. If more Americans knew about these methods, the factory farms that sell more than 95 percent of U.S. meat surely would be pressured into changing.

* * *

Most promising of all, Burger King has announced it will continue its ongoing discussions with animal welfare experts. The Humane Society and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals both worked closely with the chain to develop the policy changes.

In keeping that conversation going, Burger King shows that ethics can coincide with good business. Few consumers, after all, need or want animals tortured in the service of lunch.

I'm sorry, but if your conscience is that prickly concerning your food, how can you justify eating meat? After all, it is still being killed. And if you are still willing to kill to obtain your food, is it really cruelty free? Either become a vegetarian or quit your bitchin' about it.

Personally, I want my meal to have been water-boarded, dressed in women's underwear and terrorized by dogs before it is dispatched with a single bullet to the back of the head. I'll take two Abu Ghraib burgers to go, please.

Posted by: Greg at 10:27 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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And one need look no further than Jimmy Carter's presidency (and Supreme Court precedent) to reach that conclusion.

In the aftermath of Watergate, President Jimmy Carter directed Attorney General Griffin Bell to prepare legislation that would make the attorney general an appointed post for a definite term, subject to removal only for cause. Carter's idea was to keep the attorney general independent of presidential direction to ensure that the Justice Department's authority would never again be abused for political purposes, as it had been during the ethically troubled Nixon presidency.

Despite Carter's noble intent, Bell refused. In a little-known memorandum to the president dated April 11, 1977, he explained why. Any law that restricted the president's power to remove the attorney general — and, by inference, to fire any U.S. attorney — likely would be found unconstitutional. The president, Bell reasoned, is held accountable for the actions of the executive branch in its entirety, including the Justice Department; he must be free to establish policy and define priorities, even in the legal arena. "Because laws are not self-executing, their enforcement obviously cannot be separated from policy considerations," Bell wrote.

Carter argued that the attorney general is different from other Cabinet officers. The job entails dual responsibilities: carrying forward White House policies like any other Cabinet official and representing the law of the United States, whether it coincides with the president's policies or not. Bell agreed, but he found that insufficient to justify separating the attorney general and subordinate U.S. attorneys from presidential direction.

Bell anchored his reasoning on Supreme Court precedent, especially Chief Justice William Howard Taft's opinion in Myers v. United States (1926).

Congress enacts different types of laws, the chief justice opined. Some laws require close supervision by the president, while others draw upon the expertise found within the specific agencies of government. Much law, however, generally empowers the executive, and when subordinates perform these functions, "they are exercising not their own but (the president's) discretion," the court said. "Each head of a department is and must be the president's alter ego in the matters of that department where the president is required by law to exercise authority."

In other words, history, the Supreme Court, and the Constitution are on the side of the Bush Administration.

Posted by: Greg at 10:19 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Now I know every parent would like to be home with their child. That often isn't realistic, though, so if you need a site to learn about Daycares in your neighborhood, you need DaycareBear.com. It is a free site, open to childcare providers and families who need a preeschool, a babysitter, a nanny or other provider of childcare services.

Drop by DaycareBear.com to see what is available in your neighborhood.

Paid Endorsement.

Posted by: Greg at 10:15 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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He's got no traction, and little support among the GOP base -- so John McCain is seeking to rake in the very big bucks donations he says corrupt the system.

Lagging in fund-raising and under fire for his support of the Iraq war, Senator John McCain is overhauling his campaign finance operation and delaying the official announcement of his candidacy, his aides said Tuesday.

They said he would adopt the kind of big-donor fund-raising program pioneered by President Bush and give a speech explaining his support for the administrationÂ’s troop buildup in Iraq.

The maneuvers come at a time of sharp anxiety in Mr. McCainÂ’s camp, especially over his fund-raising, which is trailing all the major Republican and Democratic presidential candidates.

The concern grew after his visit to Iraq over the weekend, when he asserted that conditions there were improving.

Mr. McCainÂ’s aides said that to deal with his fund-raising problems, he would adopt what had been a centerpiece of Mr. BushÂ’s fund-raising technique, and one that has been embraced by most major presidential candidates: creating an honorary campaign designation to reward the campaignÂ’s top money raisers. Mr. Bush called his Rangers and Pioneers; Mr. McCain will call his the McCain 100Â’s, for supporters who collect $100,000 for the campaign, and the McCain 200Â’s, who collect $200,000.

Mr. McCain has been identified throughout his career as an advocate of curbing the influence of money in politics, notably as a co-sponsor of a landmark bill limiting political contributions. He criticized Mr. Bush, when the two were opponents in 2000, as leading overly aggressive fund-raising efforts.

I think the word for this is HYPOCRISY!

But then again, McCain is desperate to become president, and if that means selling out his own principles, he'll do it.

Not that he will ever get his vote.

Indeed, the only way John McCain will ever be president is if he runs as an independent with Joe Lieberman as his VP candidate -- and even then he would be a long-shot.

Posted by: Greg at 10:12 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Frankly, I don't know how anyone can get by today without having a credit card packed away in their purse or wallet -- maybe even more than one. Used responsibly, such little conveniences can be a life-saver in dire straights and emergency situations. But how do you sort through the many credit card offers out there? What you need is a site that lets you compare credit cards.

Often times you have a chance to transfer balances from one card to another. Done correctly, this can save you a wad of cash. If you are walking around with a typical card with a 15% interest rate, it is possible to find opportunities to transfer the balance from that card to one of the many interest free credit cards that are available for a year or longer! Or maybe you can get an offer of a 0% credit card which will allow you to make some of those purchases with no interest for an extended period of time. Either way, you save if you act responsibly with your credit.

Of course, you do need to behave responsibly with that credit. Never take out more than you can afford to pay back, or else you find yourself in a real jam.

Paid Endorsement.

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We all saw how accurate this prediction was last year?

A top researcher predicted a "very active" 2007 Atlantic hurricane season Tuesday, with at least nine hurricanes and a good chance one will hit the U.S. coast. The forecast by William Gray predicts 17 named storms this year, five of them major hurricanes. The probability of a major storm making landfall on the U.S. coast this year is 74 percent, compared with the average of 52 percent over the past century, he said.

The forecast, issued two months before the hurricane season starts, is virtually identical to the one Gray issued before the 2006 season, which turned out far quieter than he and others had feared.

"Our forecast skill does improve as we get closer to the start of the season," said Phil Klotzbach, a member of Gray's team at Colorado State University. "Stay tuned."

Last May, Gray's team forecast 17 named storms in 2006, including nine hurricanes, five of them major ones, and an 81 percent chance that at least one major hurricane would hit the U.S. Scientists with the National Hurricane Center and two other National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration agencies issued similar predictions.

Instead, there were 10 named storms in 2006 and five hurricanes, two of them major ones, in what was considered a "near normal" season. None of those hurricanes hit the U.S. Atlantic coast — only the 11th time that has occurred since 1945.

I'd argue this constitutes a wild @$$ guess -- and will treat it as such.

Sort of like global warming.

Posted by: Greg at 10:07 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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One of the ways out there to invest your cash today is global futures trading and foreign currency trading. Now those may sound like really technical financial markets for financial bigwigs with lots of cash to throw around in the markets, but it isn't. In fact, you can get into these two hot financial markets with as little as a $250 initial investment of capital on your part.

Now how to you get into the global futures and forex trading markets? Is it difficult? Is it necessary to be familiar with lots of financial arcana just to keep from losing your shirt? Actually, it isn't. All you really need to do is hook up with a brokerage firm or trading company that works in these markets and begin to trade on these two hot markets. If you have questions, might I suggest you contact Global Futures Exchange & Trading Co., Inc. at GlobalFutures@GlobalFutures.com for additional information. They can explain to you the many opportunities that are out there for the small investor (or the large one) as part of your overall investment strategy, and how the tools on their website can help you track trends, make purchases and sell off the futures and currency you own in order to receive a great return on investment.

There is risk of loss trading Futures, options and forex.

Paid Endorsement.

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The city of Tacoma wants to bill the military for the cost of controlling anti-war anti-American protesters who caused a ruckus when military equipment was being deployed from the Port of Tacoma.

Tacoma police say last month's 12-day anti-war protests cost the city an unbudgeted $500,000 to provide a large-scale law enforcement presence.

The rough estimate covers overtime, regular compensation, equipment and food for hundreds of workers from Tacoma police and other agencies, Assistant Chief Bob Sheehan said.

The city plans to ask the Port of Tacoma and the military to cover some of the costs.

"That's a tremendous hit on our budget -- a half-million dollars of unexpected expense," said Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma, adding that the military would get the first invoice.
"I think our request is justifiable," Baarsma said. "I would expect that we would be reimbursed. I would be surprised if we weren't."

Police increased law enforcement at the Port of Tacoma during the convoying and storage of Army Stryker vehicles from March 3 until a ship carrying the military equipment left for Iraq on March 14.

Protesters were there each night.

Might I suggest that the invoice be returned with the words “BUGGER OFF!” scrawled across it.

Either that, or bill Tacoma for its proportionate share of the national defense budget.

H/T Michelle Malkin

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What can I say. I’m speechless.

Keith Richards has acknowledged consuming a raft of illegal substances in his time, but this may top them all.

In comments published Tuesday, the 63-year-old Rolling Stones guitarist said he had snorted his father's ashes mixed with cocaine.

"The strangest thing I've tried to snort? My father. I snorted my father," Richards was quoted as saying by British music magazine NME.

"He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn't have cared," he said. "... It went down pretty well, and I'm still alive."

Richards' father, Bert, died in 2002, at 84.

And we thought he only looks like a corpse.

Posted by: Greg at 12:25 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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What can I say. IÂ’m speechless.

Keith Richards has acknowledged consuming a raft of illegal substances in his time, but this may top them all.

In comments published Tuesday, the 63-year-old Rolling Stones guitarist said he had snorted his father's ashes mixed with cocaine.

"The strangest thing I've tried to snort? My father. I snorted my father," Richards was quoted as saying by British music magazine NME.

"He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn't have cared," he said. "... It went down pretty well, and I'm still alive."

Richards' father, Bert, died in 2002, at 84.

And we thought he only looks like a corpse.

Posted by: Greg at 12:25 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The US is investigating counterfeiting by the North Korean government – an activity that dates back to at least the mid 1990s. how do we know? Because the UN has been in possession of some of the faux cash since 1995 – but conveniently failed to tell the United States government.

As federal investigators examine how the leading U.N. agency in North Korea illegally kept 35 counterfeit American $100 bills in its possession for 12 years, documents indicate that more officials were aware of the existence of the fake currency — and earlier — than the agency has reported.

Spokesmen for the United Nations Development Program have said top officials at the agency's New York headquarters learned in February that their safe in Pyongyang contained the counterfeit bills and immediately reported it to American authorities. But several documents shown recently to The New York Sun indicate that higher-ups knew much earlier that the safe held counterfeit money.

The documents are part of a worldwide reporting system that allows the agency to keep track of the contents of its office safes.

Where did the cash come from?

The safe contents record shown to the Sun includes such items as a "petty cash box," its keys, a zip drive containing finance-software data backup, an official U.N. stamp, identity cards, a log for checks, and a long list of checkbooks in euros, dollars, and North Korean won. One line in the record itemizes $3,500 in " Counterfeit US Dollar Bank Notes (given by FTB)."

A UNDP spokesman, David Morrison, declined to provide the Sun with the agency's rules governing the tracking of safe contents and how regional offices report on them, citing the ongoing probe.

Mr. Morrison explained the presence of the counterfeit currency in the safe by saying an unidentified Egyptian consultant did some work for the UNDP in North Korea and as payment was given a check equal to $3,500 in North Korean won. The Egyptian consultant then cashed the check at the Foreign Trade Bank in Pyongyang, received American bills, and left the country.

Once abroad, the Egyptian consultant tried to deposit the bills, but was told they were suspect. He then returned the bills to the UNDP office in Pyongyang, where they were kept since 1995 in a safe, unnoticed, until February, the spokesman said.

Unnoticed – except for being recorded on all those inventory forms.

US prosecutors are seeking to interview at least 13 UN officials – who are resisting those interviews based upon questions of diplomatic immunity and legal representation.

Indictments must be sought – against officials of Communist North Korea, as well as against those UN officials who knew about this counterfeiting ring and covered it up for over a decade. And I agree with the assessment of Captain Ed Morrissey.

If federal prosecutors can return an indictment and confirm this activity, the UN will face a much tougher time in the US than it did in the Oil-for-Food Programme scandal. In that case, they turned a blind eye and enabled Saddam Hussein to enrich himself through a vast kickback scheme. If the UN helped hide North Korea's counterfeiting ring, that is a direct insult to our sovereignty, as well as our hospitality.

It would be an insult that we cannot afford to let pass. If the UN does not immediately fire everyone involved in this scandal and revoke their immunity, then we must cut off all funds for the UN and create a timetable for withdrawal from this thoroughly corrupt organization. We have no need of a debating society whose members transform refugee camps into seraglios, who stuff the pockets of dictators with money meant for those they oppress, and who actively assist other nations in undermining our currency. If the UN fails to cooperate, it's time to push Turtle Bay into the water and bid adieu to the last of the Cold War anachronisms.

Actually, I’d take matters a bit further – given that the evidence is clear that UN officials were more interested in protecting the NorK dictatorship than the primary financial supporter of the UN and the host of its headquarters, it is appropriate to take at least some of those actions, if not all of them. It is time for the UN to join the League of Nations on the garbage heap of history, a fate which this corrupt organization deserves even more than its impotent predecessor.

H/T Stix Blog

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Libs get all in a tizzy over Ann Coulter – but do her words ever really reach the level of vitriol found in this column published by the major daily in oh-so-tolerant San Francisco?

Here's the good news: The Republican party is dying. Slow, painful, twitching, secreting war and intolerance and desperation like a fetid gas, snarling and gagging like Jabba the Hutt being choked by the hard chain of progress and hope and relaxed social mores and an upcoming Generation Next that seems to sense that screaming about gays and women's rights and Muslims and drugs actually doesn't do much to move the human experiment forward in the slightest.

Is this not delicious? Is this not cause for rejoicing? According to Pew Research, the percentage of young 'uns age 18 to 25 (a.k.a. Generation Next) who identify with Republicans has been in steady decline since the early '90s, and now hovers around a meager 35 percent, down from a high of 55 percent in the Reagan-toxic early-90s, and is still dropping, whereas fully 48 percent of 18-to-25-year-olds now lean Democratic ... and rising.

Seems Generation Next tend to be more socially liberal and much less worried about the trembling "sanctity" of the failed nuclear family, and are overall less inclined to align with a particular religion. Indeed, it almost makes you want to weep and sigh and go buy a large grass-fed free-range organic hybrid vibrator.

Ah, but there is a flip side. A counterargument. A dark cloud of righteous bleakness and it looms like a giant synthetic cheesecake-scented Glade PlugIn of potential misery.

It is this: According to another set of data, for the past 30 years or so, conservatives -- particularly those of the right-wing red-state Christian strain -- have been out-breeding liberals by a margin of at least 20 percent, if not far more.

It's true. The reason? Why, God loves babies, of course. White American babies, most especially. Also: issues of space, religion, sexual orientation and, of course, conscience. Or, you know, lack thereof.

IÂ’ll take Liberal Hatemongers for $500, Alex.

Posted by: Greg at 12:13 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Could you imagine if the GOP tried to do this under Bill Clinton – or Hillary Clinton? Especially since foreign policy is a presidential, not congressional, prerogative.

Rep. Tom Lantos, a San Mateo Democrat and chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee who is accompanying Pelosi and several other Democrats and one Republican lawmaker, said during the group's visit to Israel on Sunday, "We have an alternative Democratic foreign policy. I view my job as beginning with restoring overseas credibility and respect for the United States."

But then again, why should we be surprised.

They tried to undermine US foreign policy under Reagan – and arguably engaged in treason at that time.

Heck, they tried that alternative foreign policy thing during the Civil War – and justly earned the name “Copperheads” at that time.

And today we see that Pelosi, Lantos and the rest are clearly Neo-Copperheads.

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Could you imagine if the GOP tried to do this under Bill Clinton – or Hillary Clinton? Especially since foreign policy is a presidential, not congressional, prerogative.

Rep. Tom Lantos, a San Mateo Democrat and chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee who is accompanying Pelosi and several other Democrats and one Republican lawmaker, said during the group's visit to Israel on Sunday, "We have an alternative Democratic foreign policy. I view my job as beginning with restoring overseas credibility and respect for the United States."

But then again, why should we be surprised.

They tried to undermine US foreign policy under Reagan – and arguably engaged in treason at that time.

Heck, they tried that alternative foreign policy thing during the Civil War – and justly earned the name “Copperheads” at that time.

And today we see that Pelosi, Lantos and the rest are clearly Neo-Copperheads.

Posted by: Greg at 12:12 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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After all, the Iranians have repeatedly shown their peaceful intentions – NOT.

Iran has more than tripled its ability to produce enriched uranium in the last three months, adding some 1,000 centrifuges which are used to separate radioactive particles from the raw material.

The development means Iran could have enough material for a nuclear bomb by 2009, sources familiar with the dramatic upgrade tell ABC News.

The sources say the unexpected expansion is taking place at Iran's nuclear enrichment plant outside the city of Natanz, in a hardened facility 70 feet underground.

Libs, of course, are accusing the Bush Administration of faking information to justify “another unnecessary war” – a song they will sing until the Iranians detonate a bomb in downtown LA, at which point the will claim it is all Bush’s fault for not stopping Iran over the objection of the libs.

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Harry's not right! Feingold's not right!
They just dangerous and weird.
Surrender! Surrender!
Let's just give Iraq away!

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday he wants to cut off money for the Iraq war next year, making clear for the first time that Democrats are willing to pull out all the stops to end U.S. involvement.

Reid's new strategy faces an uphill battle because many of his colleagues see yanking funds as a dangerous last resort. The proposal increases the stakes on the debate and marks a new era for the Democratic leadership once reluctant to talk about Congress' power of the purse.

"In the face of the administration's stubborn unwillingness to change course, the Senate has no choice but to force a change of course," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who signed on Monday as a co-sponsor of Reid's proposal with Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.

The move is likely to intensify the Democrats' rift with the administration, which already contends Democrats are putting troops at risk by setting deadlines.

Funny, but I thought the Democrats had told us they would never abandon the troops in the field or cut off funds. Now, in a fit of pique because the president won't accept their timetables for surrender, they are going to do precisely that.

I stand with Dick Cheney on this one.

"It's time the self-appointed strategists on Capitol Hill understood a very simple concept: You cannot win a war if you tell the enemy you're going to quit," Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday....

Of course, maybe the problem is that they DO understand that such a course is nothing but surrender.

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Which may indicate his support goes deeper than the polls have indicated.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney provided a jolt to the Republican presidential contest yesterday, reporting a haul of $21 million in the first three months of the year, as Sen. John McCain of Arizona posted a lackluster third-place finish that even his campaign manager called a disappointment.

As campaigns release their first meaningful fundraising figures in what appears certain to become the most expensive presidential campaign in history, McCain's $12.5 million total also put him behind former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who leads the Republican field in public polls and reported taking in $15 million in the first quarter.

Among Democrats, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) has set the pace for the field so far, reporting Sunday that she had raised $26 million in combined primary and general election funds and transferred an additional $10 million from her Senate campaign account. Her total was followed by that of former North Carolina senator John Edwards, who raised $14 million. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has so far declined to release figures for his campaign.

The totals of the major contenders easily surpassed the record $8.9 million raised by Al Gore in the first three months of 1999.

Now some folks may be disturbed by the sheer number of dollars raised and spent during this election cycle, but let me put it in perspective for you -- taken in the aggregate, the money raised by the six leading candidates amounts to $0.33 (yeah, that's right, thirty-three cents) per American. Is that really too much to be spent by those seeking the most powerful elected office in the United States?

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