June 30, 2007
As you know, my wife and I are owned by a somewhat neurotic, highly affectionate mixed-breed dog who thinks that she is a person. We love her and feel we did a good job training her as a puppy, but recognize that we made a few mistakes in training her early on that we were never were able to correct her and were largely responsible for her separation anxiety. But unlike kids, puppies do come with instruction manuals, and you can find this puppy training online. After all, that adorable ball of fur is going to be a part of your life for years to come -- start her off right so that she is always a valued and valuable member of the family.
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Many of the assertions Gore makes in his movie, ''An Inconvenient Truth,'' have been refuted by science, both before and after he made them. Gore can show sincerity in his plea for scientific honesty by publicly acknowledging where science has rebutted his claims.For example, Gore claims that Himalayan glaciers are shrinking and global warming is to blame. Yet the September 2006 issue of the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Climate reported, "Glaciers are growing in the Himalayan Mountains, confounding global warming alarmists who recently claimed the glaciers were shrinking and that global warming was to blame."
Gore claims the snowcap atop Africa's Mt. Kilimanjaro is shrinking and that global warming is to blame. Yet according to the November 23, 2003, issue of Nature magazine, "Although it's tempting to blame the ice loss on global warming, researchers think that deforestation of the mountain's foothills is the more likely culprit. Without the forests' humidity, previously moisture-laden winds blew dry. No longer replenished with water, the ice is evaporating in the strong equatorial sunshine."
Gore claims global warming is causing more tornadoes. Yet the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated in February that there has been no scientific link established between global warming and tornadoes.
Gore claims global warming is causing more frequent and severe hurricanes. However, hurricane expert Chris Landsea published a study on May 1 documenting that hurricane activity is no higher now than in decades past. Hurricane expert William Gray reported just a few days earlier, on April 27, that the number of major hurricanes making landfall on the U.S. Atlantic coast has declined in the past 40 years. Hurricane scientists reported in the April 18 Geophysical Research Letters that global warming enhances wind shear, which will prevent a significant increase in future hurricane activity.
Gore claims global warming is causing an expansion of African deserts. However, the Sept. 16, 2002, issue of New Scientist reports, "Africa's deserts are in 'spectacular' retreat . . . making farming viable again in what were some of the most arid parts of Africa."
Gore argues Greenland is in rapid meltdown, and that this threatens to raise sea levels by 20 feet. But according to a 2005 study in the Journal of Glaciology, "the Greenland ice sheet is thinning at the margins and growing inland, with a small overall mass gain." In late 2006, researchers at the Danish Meteorological Institute reported that the past two decades were the coldest for Greenland since the 1910s.
Gore claims the Antarctic ice sheet is melting because of global warming. Yet the Jan. 14, 2002, issue of Nature magazine reported Antarctica as a whole has been dramatically cooling for decades. More recently, scientists reported in the September 2006 issue of the British journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Series A: Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences, that satellite measurements of the Antarctic ice sheet showed significant growth between 1992 and 2003. And the U.N. Climate Change panel reported in February 2007 that Antarctica is unlikely to lose any ice mass during the remainder of the century.
Now Al Gwhore and his supporters claim that there is a consensus behind his claims -- but either he is lying or he believes that "consensus" trumps truth. It may be inconvenient, but it is time for him to tell the truth.
UPDATE: Al Gore conveniently avoids correcting his errors/lies in this NY Times column -- I guess he believes that an assault on a inconvenient truths is OK if Earth's in the balance.
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Air strikes in the British-controlled Helmand province of Afghanistan may have killed civilians, coalition troops said yesterday as local people claimed that between 50 and 80 people, many of them women and children, had died.In the latest of a series of attacks causing significant civilian casualties in recent weeks, more than 200 were killed by coalition troops in Afghanistan in June, far more than are believed to have been killed by Taliban militants.
It takes a while, however, to get to the reason for this tragedy -- and discern the moral responsibility for the deaths -- as well as where international law places the responsibility.
The bombardment, which witnesses said lasted up to three hours, in the Gereshk district late on Friday followed an attempted ambush by the Taliban on a joint US-Afghan military convoy. According to Mohammad Hussein, the provincial police chief, the militants fled into a nearby village for cover. Planes then targeted the village of Hyderabad. Mohammad Khan, a resident of the village, said seven members of his family, including his brother and five of his brother's children, were killed.
Oh, that is why the bombing tool place -- Taliban cowards hiding themselves among civilians.
What does international law say about such things. Since the terrorists and their supporters wax eloquent about the Geneva Conventions, it is convenient that the answer comes from one of them.
The presence of a protected person may not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations. Article 28, Fourth Geneva Convention
The Taliban who attacked US and Afghan troops were a legitimate military target. Their hiding amongst civilians did nothing to make such an attack illegitimate -- and did, in fact, render them morally and legally responsible for any civilian casualties by violating this provision.
The presence or movements of the civilian population or individual civilians shall not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations, in particular in attempts to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield, favor or impede military operations. The Parties to the conflict shall not direct the movement of the civilian population or individual civilians in order to attempt to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield military operations. Article 51 (7), Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions
Now, if the Taliban wishes to claim the protections of the Geneva Conventions, then they are also bound by them -- and in violating these provisions, once again prove themselves to be beneath contempt.
But the media is too busy providing aid and comfort to our enemies to tell you such things -- because it does not fit their preconceived template for the news.
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The problem for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi isn't just President Bush. It's the Senate.Pelosi sounded more apologetic than celebratory Friday when she announced with her Senate counterpart, Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democrats' list of accomplishments six months after they seized control of Capitol Hill and promised "a new direction" in Washington.
"I'm not happy with Congress, either," Pelosi, of San Francisco, conceded.
She pinned the blame on "the obstructionism of the Republicans in the United States Senate."
Immigration has joined Iraq, stem cell research, Medicare drug pricing, the 9/11 Commission's recommendations and other promises in the dustbin of the current Congress. Heading into a July Fourth recess after a bruising failure on immigration, Congress has a public approval rating in the mid-20s, lower than Bush's and no better than Republicans' ratings on the eve of their catastrophic election defeat in November, when the GOP lost control of the Senate and the House.
Seems rather hypocritical to me -- after all, this is the woman who promised "bi-partisanship" but has never tried to deliver on that -- and is faulting the GOP for daring to use some tactics that ought to be familiar to both her and the mobbed-up Senate Majority Leader who was standing beside her as she delivered her comments.
"The Republicans are doing what the Democrats did," said Julian Zelizer, a history and public affairs scholar at Boston University. "They're using the power of the Senate filibuster, and the power in the House when you have narrow majorities, to make a do-nothing Congress -- even when there's a lot of issues on the table, even when there's a lot of interest in accomplishing things."
In other words, she is angry that the GOP would dare use the powers that the Democrats insisted upon as a matter of right when they were in the minority. I believe that the proper response is "Payback's a bitch -- and so are you, Nancy."
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A 65-year-old St. Louis man is missing after Amtrak personnel, mistaking his diabetic shock for drunk and disorderly behavior, kicked him off a train in the middle of a national forest, according to police in Williams, Ariz.Police said Roosevelt Sims was headed to Los Angeles but was asked to leave the train shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday at a railroad crossing five miles outside Williams.
"He was let off in the middle of a national forest, which is about 800,000 acres of beautiful pine trees," Lt. Mike Graham said.
Police said there is no train station or running water at the crossing, which is about two miles from the nearest road, at an elevation of about 8,000 feet.
If he was truly "drunk and unruly", the correct approach is to restrain him as would be done on an airplane, not dump him in the middle of a forest. That this could happen is sufficient reason for this diabetic to steer well-clear of any AMTRAK train.
Fortunately, Williams has been found dazed and disoriented -- four days after being unceremoniously dumped from the train. Here's hoping for criminal charges and a lawsuit against AMTRAK and the employees as individuals.
H/T Texas Fred
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My wife and I have had the same furniture since for over a decade. I mean just about all of it -- dining room, living room, bedroom. It is getting a little worse for wear in some cases, though we have done our best to keep up with it. Still, we talk sometimes about what we would like our next house full of furniture to look like – and more than once I have taken the time to browse around an online furniture store just to get some ideas of what we might do when we do finally find ourselves ready to buy new furniture.
I mean, let's consider the living room furniture for a moment. We definitely need a new sofa -- and my wife would really like for us to go with a sectional sofa this time around, preferably one with a chaise. We are unlikely to go for a leather sofa, though, both due to aesthetics and the fact that we have an indoor dog that could damage the leather with her claws
And what about the bedroom furniture? Well, she might not want the sleigh bed any more because of some of the practical issues one would present in our home due to her mobility issues. Personally I'd like to get us a couple of twin or full beds so that my tossing and turning does not disrupt her sleep by setting off her ache and pains but still allows us to share the same bedroom.
There is definitely one non-negotiable aspect of our home office furniture. One piece has to stay -- Dad's old marble-top roll-top desk that he and mom bought in Asia 20 years ago. However, a new computer desk that harmonizes with that family piece, and some comfortable desk chairs would certainly be appreciated by both my darling wife and I.
Of course, I am talking about a pipe dream right now -- but someday, maybe sooner than I expect, we will make the change.
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Here are the full tallies of all votes cast:
| Votes | Council link |
|---|---|
| 2 1/3 | A Stunningly Dishonest Piece of Advocacy Writing About the Supreme Court Bookworm Room |
| 2 | The Most Ridiculous Story of the Year? (2) Cheat Seeking Missiles |
| 1 | General Petraeus: Fighting On Two Fronts, Winning... and Playing for Time Joshuapundit |
| 2/3 | Dividing and Conquering, or Dancing With the Devil? Big Lizards |
| 2/3 | ‘Life With An Old Dog’ -- Hard Lessons Learned Hard ‘Okie’ on the Lam |
| 1/3 | A Sort of Haunted Look The Glittering Eye |
| 1/3 | Tinkering With Immigration Bomb Will Only Set It Off Right Wing Nut House |
| 1/3 | SciFi Channel: Humans As Invaders The Colossus of Rhodey |
| Votes | Non-council link |
|---|---|
| 1 2/3 | The Rupture Seraphic Secret |
| 1 1/3 | Muslim Speaks at My Church, Calls Me “Naive.” Also “Tough.” Anwyn's Notes in the Margin |
| 1 | Secularist Europe Silences Pro-Lifers and Creationists The Brussels Journal |
| 1 | Are Idiots of This Magnitude Born or Made? Dr. Sanity |
| 2/3 | Women, Lost and Found La Shawn Barber's Corner |
| 2/3 | Iraq Report: al Qaeda Strikes at the Seams The Fourth Rail |
| 2/3 | U.S. Strategy at a Crossroads Westhawk |
| 2/3 | A Modest Proposal On Reforming Social Security Preceding the Boomer Flood Immodest Proposals |
| 2/3 | It's a Great Day for Freedom of Speech Tapscott's Copy Desk |
| 2/3 | The Human Rights Outrage In Iran... and a Challenge to Rosie O'Donnell and Her Ilk Michelle Malkin |
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June 29, 2007
We all know people who like to get stuff for free -- and maybe you are one of those folks. Well, you can get lots of Free Samples and SavingsFree Samples and Savings over at MySavings.com. And the site really does offer an interesting variety of free samples and savings for you if you take a few minutes and browse through what is there.
But the really interesting thing about MySavings.com is that they have tried to make it into a community, not just a website with Free Samples and Savings. They have also established an online community and forum with prizes for folks who post about free offers. In addition, there is a regularly updated entertainment blog. more...
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Arab-American voters are abandoning the Republican Party in large numbers and only 10 percent of them want the United States to stay in Iraq.
* * * Only one in 10 Arab-Americans wish for U.S. troops to stay in Iraq until they achieve "victory." Almost a third would prefer they leave immediately and more than half think they should withdraw gradually, according to a new poll released by James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute Thursday.
Given recent survey results showing that a frighteningly large proportion of US Muslims support suicide bombings and other terrorists activities, this shouldn't come as a surprise. Given that numerous Arab and Muslim groups are intimately involved in funding the terrorists, we shouldn't be shocked.
Indeed, we need to be vigilant and aware -- for like what we have seen in Great Britain, it is likely that the next terrorist attack in this country will come from home-grown jihadis.
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IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT AND THE VICE PRESIDENT, THEY ARE TRAITORS TO AMERICA, AND SO ARE ALL OF THEIR SUPPORTERS. IMPEACH! ANYONE IN CONGRESS WHO REFUSES TO SAVE OUR UNION FROM THESE TRAITORS BY DOING NOTHING NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. SAVE OUR TROOPS!!! SAVE OUR SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS AND JOBS. FEED OUR HUNGRY AND POOR! SAVE THE DROWNING PEOPLE IN NEW ORLEANS! ANYONE WHO MENTIONS PARIS HILTON ONE MORE TIME MUST DIE!
No word as to whether she spit and scratched her crotch following the completion of this magnum opus.
And to think that she couldn't make it on talk radio.
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The Chairman of the Republican Party on Friday lambasted Democrats and Republicans who helped kill an immigration bill in the Senate and challenged them to come up with a solution beyond ``just build a fence along the border.''``The voices of negativity now have a responsibility to come up with an answer,'' RNC Chairman and U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, R-Fla. said.
``How will you fix the situation to make peoples' lives better? How will you continue to grow the economy? How will we bring people out of the shadows for our national security and for the sake of being a country that is just?'' he demanded.
In other words, he still doesn't get that 75% of Americans reject the bill he supported, and that the bulk of the GOP grassroots found its provisions repugnant. Rather than attempt to represent the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of Americans (or even the overwhelming majority of Republicans), Martinez has made it clear that he refuses to do anything other than attempt to revive the dead bill for a third go-round.
Martinez promised to work with members of the U.S. House of Representatives to try to revive the legislation, a measure the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials supports.
Yep -- a real man of the people, that Mel Martinez. So much so that he is prepared to ram the flawed amnesty plan down the throats of the American people, whether they like it or not.
Well, Mel, I've got a plan for you, one that I articulated the other night after the American people one in the Senate. Here it is again, with an addition based upon your comments.
So this time American citizens win and border-jumping immigration criminals -- and the craven politicians who support them -- lose.Now it is time for some real immigration reform.
Build the fence/wall IMMEDIATELY. Set up a working system to verify legal status of every employee -- if VISA and MasterCard can verify the validity of my credit card in a matter of seconds, the US government should be able to do the same with regard to eligibility to work. Impose meaningful fines upon those who knowingly hire illegals -- and follow up with prison sentences for repeat offenders.
And, of course, as always there is one more element.
Round 'em up! Ship 'em back! Rawhide!
But based upon Mel's comments, I'd like to include this little addendum to the plan.
1. Fire Mel Martinez as Chairman of the GOP.
2. Expel Mel Martinez from the US Senate.
3. Revoke the citizenship of Mel Martinez.
4. Deport Mel Martinez back to Cuba, where his top-down leadership style and contempt for the voice of the people would make him a valuable asset to the Castro regime.
Now who can we get to include this new addition in the next round of immigration legislation?
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London escaped what could have been its worst terrorist attack this morning when a car bomb packed with nails, gas canisters and containers of petrol apparently failed to detonate outside a popular West End nightclub hosting a 'ladies' night'.Police were called to Tiger Tiger nightclub on Haymarket near Piccadilly Circus shortly before 2am when smoke was seen coming from the inside of a Mercedes car parked outside. Unconfirmed reports said that a man had been seen running away from the vehicle.
Inside officers discovered "significant quantities" of petrol, believed to be 60 litres, plus nails and gas cylinders.
The bomb itself was packed with nails to act as shrapnel.
If the device had exploded, police said that the shrapnel would have killed or injured anyone within a wide area. The bomb could have caused a fireball as big as a house followed by a large shock wave.Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of Scotland YardÂ’s counter-terrorism command, said: "It is obvious that if the device had detonated there could have been significant injury or loss of life."
While later reports question the size of the bomb and the competence of the bomb-makers, it is clear that this was a serious attempt to terrorize London again.
Hot Air has a roundup of coverage, including a mention of the second vehicle which has caused the closure of Park Lane in London -- could there be a multi-bomb plot in the midst of Wimbledon and on the eve of the Princess Diana tribute concert?
MORE AT Michelle Malkin and the Counterterrorism Blog.
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A middle school janitor doing end-of-school cleaning Thursday found what appeared to him to be a human fetus in a trash bag inside a locker, police said.Police are unsure what was in the trash bag, and its contents were turned over to the Dallas County Medical Examiner, Dallas police spokeswoman Sr. Cpl. Janice Crowther said.
"It is hard to determine what is in the bag,'' Crowther said. "If it is a fetus, it has been there quite a while.''
A janitor was cleaning out Ben Franklin Middle School on Thursday when he came across the trash bag inside a locker in the girls locker room.
It could be several weeks before the medical examiner makes a determination, Crowther said.
Did someone bring her abortion for show-and-tell? And will the school's solution be to stop allowing students to use lockers rather than encourage abstinence?
UPDATE: No fetus -- just rotten oranges.
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June 28, 2007
Frankly, I don't know how anyone can get by today without having credit cards packed away in their purse or wallet. Used responsibly, such little conveniences can be a life-saver in emergency situations. But how do you sort through the many credit cards out there? What you need is a site that lets you compare credit cards.
You often have a chance to transfer balances from one card to another. This can save you a wad of cash. If you have 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 low-rate balance transfer credit cards that are available for a year or longer! Or maybe you can get an offer of a interest free credit cards 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.
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The Senate voted today to effectively block efforts to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws, meaning that the issue is most likely dead until after the 2008 elections.Needing 60 votes to bring debate on the contentious bill to an end — a step called cloture — and move it toward passage, proponents of the bill could only muster 46 votes in favor today, with 53 opposed.
In the debate leading up to the vote, Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, said, “If we do not invoke cloture, the bill is dead.”
So this time American citizens win and border-jumping immigration criminals -- and the craven politicians who support them -- lose.
Now it is time for some real immigration reform.
Build the fence/wall IMMEDIATELY. Set up a working system to verify legal status of every employee -- if VISA and MasterCard can verify the validity of my credit card in a matter of seconds, the US government should be able to do the same with regard to eligibility to work. Impose meaningful fines upon those who knowingly hire illegals -- and follow up with prison sentences for repeat offenders.
And, of course, as always there is one more element.
Round 'em up! Ship 'em back! Rawhide!
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Thanks, Montgomery County School Superintendent Jerry D. Weast said yesterday that the federal No Child Left Behind law has created a culture that has education leaders nationwide "shooting way too low" and that it has spawned a generation of statewide tests that are too easy to pass.In a meeting with Washington Post editors and reporters, Weast said the federal mandate, with its push for 100 percent proficiency on state tests, has driven states toward lower standards that don't prepare most students for college or careers.
"I think we've got to adjust up," he said. "Or at least give some flexibility for those who would like to adjust up."
Now you do get the obligatory state flunky intoning that the test is a floor, not a ceiling", but that is nothing but a pious lie. When the expectation is that 100% of the students pass a test, you lower the floor -- which puts the ceiling even further out of reach for everyone.
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IranÂ’s parliament on Wednesday night agreed to press ahead with plans to introduce fuel rationing in the face of panic and rioting across the country over the proposals.The protests presented a rare public challenge to Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, the president, whose popularity has been based on his pledge to share oil revenues more fairly and cut living costs for ordinary Iranians.
After attending a closed parliamentary session addressed by the interior and oil ministers, Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, IranÂ’s parliamentary speaker, said fuel rationing, introduced at midnight on Tuesday, had to continue, to thwart US threats and the possibility of sanctions hitting petrol imports.
Though Iran is one of the world’s biggest oil producers, its lack of refineries means it must import about 40 per cent of its petrol – of which it consumes about 75m litres a day. Iran imported $4.9bn (£2.45bn) of petrol in the year to March 20. This year, however, the government is authorised by parliament to import only $2.5bn.
Sanctions appear to be working to destabilize the regime -- perhaps there will be no need for US intervention to free Iran.
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The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected school assignment plans that take account of students' race in two major public school districts. The decisions could imperil similar plans nationwide.The rulings in cases affecting schools in Louisville, Ky., and Seattle leave public school systems with a limited arsenal to maintain racial diversity.
The court split, 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts announcing the court's judgment. Justice Stephen Breyer wrote a dissent that was joined by the court's other three liberals.
Perhaps the single best part of the opinion authored by the Chief Justice is this little bit of common-sense wisdom that was lost on the minority but should be carved on granite in every town square in America.
“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”
Justice Thomas was eloquent, powerful, and a bit more scholarly with this observation, but not nearly as pithy.
"What was wrong in 1954 cannot be right today," Thomas said. "The plans before us base school assignment decisions on students' race. Because 'our Constitution is colorblind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens,' such race-based decisionmaking is unconstitutional."
It is important here to remember something about these two school desegregation/integration plans. These were not campus assignments pursuant to a court order to remedy past segregation -- in one case there was never a desegregation order and in the other the order had been lifted by the supervising court. But in each case the district decided that the race of a student should be the basis for the assignment of children to a campus other than the one that their place of residence would ordinarily dictate. A majority today rejected that concept -- although one Justice in the majority seems to be prepared to go wobbly on this bedrock principle of civil rights in education and join the minority in repudiating Brown v. Board of Education in some instances.
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote a concurring opinion in which he said race may be a component of school district plans designed to achieve diversity.He agreed with Roberts that the plans in Louisville and Seattle went too far. He said, however, that to the extent that Roberts' opinion could be interpreted as foreclosing the use of race in any circumstance, ''I disagree with that reasoning.''
Particularly frightening is that the dissenters dared to claim that the majority's position upholding Brown's core principle -- that school assignments based on race violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment -- constituted an assault on Brown and that their repudiation of that principle constituted the ultimate fulfillment of it!
Justice Stephen Breyer, in a dissent joined by the other liberals on the court, said Roberts' opinion undermined the promise of integrated schools that the court laid out 53 years ago in its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education."To invalidate the plans under review is to threaten the promise of Brown," Breyer said.
The problem is that Brown does not call for integration -- it calls an end to legally-mandated segregation. Indeed, "integration" of schools is not required by the Constitution and would, in most places, require an unconstitutional distribution of benefits and burdens based upon race of the sort banned under Brown to accomplish.
The other day I asked if the precedent in Tinker v. Des Moines was dead? Based upon the willingness of a substantial minority of the court to abandon the fundamental principles of Brown v. Board of Education and the lack of firm resolution to uphold that seminal decision on behalf of equality of all students based upon race on the part of a fifth, I am left fearing for the future of race-neutral treatment in public education, even as I celebrate the decision in today's cases.
UPDATE: The New York Times, of course, comes out firmly in favor of violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment in an editorial that ought to be called "Civil Rights: They're A Black Thing".
I wonder -- would they have been equally supportive of a plan designed to make sure that predominantly white schools didn't become "too black" and denied transfers for that reason?
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I've mentioned before that I live within four blocks of Galveston Bay in the Clear Lake area of the Houston metropolitan area. As such, I have lots of opportunities for using a boat, but unfortunately don't have the means to buy one.
Well, maybe I do, if I go for an inflatable boat. Such a watercraft might not be ideal for going too far out into the Bay itself, but most of the local bayous and lakes (even Clear Lake itself) would be navigable for purposes of fishing, which is what I'd be interested in doing. I like the idea of an inflatable pontoon boat for getting up close to shore or maneuvering into some of the close quarters out there, like around some of the structural supports in Taylor Lake. I suppose I could also try a zodiac inflatable boat, but I don't know that it would be as good for my purposes. On the other hand, a 2 person inflatable kayak is definitely not what I want or need -- aside from being impractical for a fishing trip, I am just too out of shape to paddle myself around these big bodies of water -- though I wish I had taken up that sport 20 years ago so that i would be in better shape.
One nice thing about inflatable boats -- they are easy to transport and much easier to afford than most other boats you would consider. Like I said, that means I might just be able to afford one some day.
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It was one of the most radical reforms to emerge from the Second Vatican Council. The Mass, root of Roman Catholic worship, would be celebrated in the local language and not in Latin.Now, little more than a generation later, Pope Benedict XVI is poised to revive the 16th-century Tridentine Mass.
But wait -- it is not an abandonment of the post-Vatican II liturgical reforms. Rather, it is simply the grant of greater freedom to use the Tridentine Missal -- revised and updated to eliminate any hint of anti-Semitism in light of Vatican II reforms -- where there are a sufficient number of people to warrant it.
And there is a pastoral need, both among Catholics who have remained loyal to the Vatican and schismatic groups that Benedict seeks to bring back into the fold. While I never found the Tridentine Rite to be particularly moving, I understand that there are those whose spirituality does benefit from the older form. Ultimately, it is the meeting of those spiritual needs that is central to the Pope's decision, which is appropriate given his role as the universal pastor of the Catholic Church.
UPDATE: Looks like the Pope has signed off on this and will shortly be passing the word to the faithful through the bishops.
Pope Benedict XVI has approved a document that relaxes restrictions on celebrating the Latin Mass used by the Roman Catholic Church for centuries until the modernizing reforms of the 1960s, the Vatican said Thursday.Benedict discussed the decision with top officials in a meeting on Wednesday and the document will be published in the next few days, the statement said. The meeting was called to ''illustrate the content and the spirit'' of the document, which will be sent to all bishops accompanied by a personal letter from the pope.
Now there are a variety of objections from the usual suspects to allowing this change -- including objections from Jewish groups to Good Friday prayers for the conversion of the Jews. However, given the Great Commission to go forth in the world and make all its inhabitants disciples, I don't see where that should carry any weight with those who still believe that Scripture means what it says and says what it means.
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Fritz's Skate and Surf is a great action sports shop in Miami -- you've probably seen it if you have ever been on the Strip. Well, they have a website selling their products, including now-classic rollerblades (I doubt you can even buy rollerskates with keys today) and heelys for active folks looking for a bit of skating fun. Check out all of their action sports gear at their website -- 123Skate.com.
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The Constitution does not expressly forbid the president from abandoning his chief powers to the vice president. But President Bush's tacit delegation to Cheney and Cheney's eager acceptance tortures the Constitution's provision for an acting president. The presidency and vice presidency are discrete constitutional offices. The 12th Amendment provides for their separate elections. The sole constitutionally enumerated function of the vice president is to serve as president of the Senate without a vote except to break ties.In contrast, Article II enumerates the powers and responsibilities of the president, including the obligation to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. A special presidential oath is prescribed. Section 3 of the 25th Amendment provides a method for the president to yield his office to the vice president, when "he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office." There is no other constitutional provision for transferring presidential powers to the vice president.
Yet without making a written transmittal to Congress, President Bush has ceded vast domains of his powers to Vice President Cheney by mutual understanding that circumvents the 25th Amendment. This constitutional provision assures that the public and Congress know who is exercising the powers of the presidency and who should be held responsible for successes or failures. The Bush-Cheney dispensation blurs political accountability by continually hiding the real decision-maker under presidential skirts. The Washington Post has thoroughly documented the vice president's dominance in a four-part series running this week. It is quite a read.
In the end, President Bush regularly is unable to explain or defend the policies of his own administration, and that is because the heavy intellectual labor has been performed in the office of the vice president. Cheney is impeachable for his overweening power and his sneering contempt of the Constitution and the rule of law.
The problem, of course, with this argument is that the President DOES have the power to delegate executive authority to a wide array of advisers and appointees -- indeed, the presidency has never been a one man job, hence the need for the Cabinet and a White House staff larger than many small towns If a president (any president) can delegate to appointed and/or civil service employees, then surely a delegation to the elected Vice President is not forbidden by custom, law, or the Constitution itself.
Fein, of course, rightly recognizes that George W. Bush would never be impeached -- and certainly not removed, by the Democrats in Congress. So instead he proposes going after Cheney, who is truly despised by the Left. The problem is that any removal that might come to pass under this scenario would result in the appointment of a new Vice President by George W. Bush -- one who must be confirmed by the Democrats unless they wish to look supremely arrogant in their attempt to overturn the results of the 2004 presidential election by disrupting the line of succession to clear the way for Nancy Pelosi to take the presidency.
SO who would be the likely nominee for VP in such a scenario? I could think of several individuals who would frighten the crap out of the Dems -- Condi Rice, Newt Gingrich, or another respected conservative -- who would suddenly be thrust into the position of front-runner for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination. Faced with an incumbent VP, one with a great deal of good will from his or her recent elevation to the new office, the chances of the Democrats electing one of their own would be greatly diminished.
So come on, Cheney-haters -- take your best shot. Anything you do will serve to strengthen the GOP
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Hey vato! You gotta see the camisetas over at TChirts.com, the home of many funny t-shirts with a Latino flair. Really, you can find shirts for tu madre, your sancha, and even la abuelita. And there are plenty of shirts for los machos tambien.
OK, enough with the Spanglish this gringo teacher has picked up from a room full of Hispanic kids. I have to tell you, I suspect that I might just end up seeing shirts like these around school this year -- I know that the soccer guys (and girls) at my school would just love to have the Mexico World Cup shirt, and probably even the Diego Maradona shirt as well.
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Paris Hilton may have a feud going with someone who isn’t best-known for nightclubbing: her former lawyer.The ex-jailbird heiress is “furious” with Richard Hutton, the lawyer who represented her in her DUI case, says a source close to the Hilton family, who claims that her camp is looking into possible legal action against him.
“The way this case was handled was a disaster,” the insider says. “Nobody goes to jail for DUI that long. It was all the lawyer’s fault and we’re looking into what recourse we have.” The source says legal action may be in the future.
Because we know, of course, that Hutton made her drive drunk, violate the terms of her probation, and behave like an arrogant little bimbo throughout the entire fiasco.
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June 27, 2007
Now here are some folks I find working around my neighborhood on a frequent basis -- All-Tex exteriors, one of the top siding and window companies in the Houston area. They've done work for several neighbors in town, as well as a number of the homes around the school where I teach. Experts with James Hardie siding and Simonton windows, they are also responsible for a lot of Houston decks. With a reputation for craftsmanship and reasonable prices, they really are one of the best-known companies for home exterior work here in Houston. So whether you are after Vinyl Replacement Windows, Decks, Siding, Pergolas and Covered Porches, you need All-Tex Exteriors.
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Now, though, this ignored mummy has been identified as Queen Hatshepsut -- whose successor tried to erase all trace of her 15 year reign over the Valley of the Nile.
The British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered Hatshepsut's tomb while excavating at the Valley of the Kings in 1902. When he properly explored the tomb in 1920, two years before his famous discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb, Mr Carter found two sarcophagi, one for Hatshepsut and the second for her father, but both were empty.Speculation about the riddle has, for years, focused on a separate tomb now known as KV60, which Mr Carter found and opened in the spring of 1903.
Inside he found coffins of mummified geese, which he removed, and the partially disturbed and decaying coffins of two women lying side by side. One bore the inscription of Sitre-In, Hatshepsut's wet nurse, the other was anonymous.
As the tomb was not royal it received little attention until the Egyptologist Donald Ryan reopened it in 1989. The sarcophagus marked with the name of the wet nurse was taken to Cairo museum, and the second unnamed sarcophagus remained behind.
Mr Hawass decided to re-investigate the mystery surrounding Hatshepsut for a television special to be aired by the Discovery network and his team removed the second sarcophagus to Cairo for a CT scan.
"That is the only mummy I have removed from the Valley of the Kings," he said.
The scan revealed that this mummy was an obese woman between the ages of 45 and 60 who had bad teeth. She also suffered from cancer, evidence of which can be seen in the pelvic region and the spine.
In search of more clues, Mr Hawass suggested a CT scanner be used to examine artefacts associated with the queen. One of those was a small wooden box that bore the cartouche, or royal seal, of Hatshepsut and contained a liver.
Embalmers typically eviscerated the dead before embalming them but preserved the organs in jars and boxes.
The CT scan also revealed a tooth in the box. Mr Hawass called in a dentist, Galal El-Beheri from Cairo University, who studied the scans of the tooth and of several female mummies.
"Not only was the fat lady from KV-60 missing a tooth but the hole left behind and the type of tooth that was missing were an exact match for the loose one in the box," Mr Hawass said.
The exact dimensions of teeth are unique to each mouth. The molar tooth in the box fits within a fraction of a millimetre with the space of the missing molar in the mouth of the mummy. The minuscule difference could be due to erosion of the gums after the tooth was extracted.
This is utterly incredible -- and shows how there is still so much to be learned about ancient civilizations through the work of archaeologists. This will be one to share with my students this fall.
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We all know people who like to get stuff for free -- and maybe you are one of those folks. Well, you can get lots of Free Samples and Savings over at MySavings.com. When I peeked in a few minutes ago they had pages of free stuff for teachers like me, and lots of other neat stuff. I even found a good resource for my diabetes and a road atlas for my next trip. more...
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Filling in for conservative talk-show host Michael Berry Tuesday morning, Houston lawyer Geoff Berg was direct with KPRC radio's listeners."I am a moderate," he announced. "Michael is a right-wing fanatic. We are going to disagree."
He was on point.
Listeners — and apparently advertisers — disagreed so much that KPRC/950 AM fired Berg after one day on the job, ending his brief stint as a talk-radio host.
"Right after the show, the producers told me that I'd done a great job as host," Berg said Wednesday.
"(But) later in the day, they said don't come back."
Berg's defense of gay marriage and adoption displeased KPRC listeners, many of whom were used to Berry's more conservative take on social and political issues.
"There were truly some vicious calls, but that's fine," he said. "That's what you'd expect in this business."
In this case, it was clearly market forces that knocked Berg off the air. And while I consider that to be too bad (and wish I had put him on when I ran out for breakfast this morning), I also believe that this is how it is supposed to work -- if the audience does not want a host, the station should not keep him around.
On the other hand, there are those who think radio listeners are little children who must be fed their broccoli, and would insist that Berg have a regular spot on KPRC in order to make sure that the station is "balanced" -- even if the listeners don't care to hear what Berg has to say, they need to swallow what Mama says is good for them before they are allowed to consume what they want.
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A federal judge overseeing a lawsuit filed by six Muslim men who were removed from a US Airways flight last fall has declined to limit public access to the case.Omar T. Mohammedi, a New York attorney for the six Muslim scholars, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he sought limited media access because he felt some of the coverage of the case has been biased against his clients.
"When you think of the media, and the way they have been portraying this case, it has not been very helpful. It has been biased," Mohammedi said. "That has caused a lot of stress, a lot of stress on our clients, as well as made it difficult for us to handle this case ... in a manner that it should be handled."
Mohammedi wanted the court to coerce press coverage favorable to his client -- or prevent press coverage completely by closing all proceedings and records to the media and the public at large. Someone needs to tell him that this is not the American way -- but then again, we have repeatedly seen how much respect Islamic radicals like these have for the American way.
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The head of a Mexican forgery ring was convinced he could make phony documents that illegal aliens could use to indicate fraudulently that they were eligible for a new amnesty, says a government affidavit recounting wiretapped phone calls the man made.Julio Leija-Sanchez, who ran a $3 million-a-year forgery operation before he was arrested in April, was expecting Congress to pass a legalization program, which he called "amnesty," and said he could forge documents to fool the U.S. government into believing illegal aliens were in the country in time to qualify for amnesty, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent said in the affidavit.
In recounting a wiretapped telephone conversation, ICE agent Jason E. Medica said he heard Mr. Leija-Sanchez tell an associate the forgery ring could "fix his papers" to meet the requirements of a legalization program such as the bill the Senate is debating today.
"When Leija-Sanchez said 'if there's an amnesty, he can fix his papers,' Leija-Sanchez was referring to the possibility of pending legislation which would allow a certain class of illegal aliens to remain in the United States, as long as they can prove a term of residency in the United States with no convictions," agent Medica wrote.
"When Leija-Sanchez said 'he can fix his papers,' he was referring to the fact that the organization could fraudulently create or alter documents to falsely prove the requisite residency period," the agent wrote.
I guess they are just doing the jobs that American forgers won't do.
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PatriotPartner (John) wanted me to pass along some news to all of you who used to support the Republican Party before the Party left us and sold out AmericaÂ’s national security and citizenship to illegal invaders.He called the Republican National Committee today and they are, in fact, giving him a refund of the entire amount of his donations to the party in the past twelve months. He also tells me that the RNC staffer is getting a lot of refund calls this week.
So now it is your turn to join in the cash-out of the Republican Party. CALL NOW!
Republican National Committee - 202-863-8500
National Republican Senatorial Committee - 202-675-6000
National Republican Congressional Committee - 202-479-7000CALL FOR YOUR REFUND NOW!
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The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals today refused to reinstate criminal conspiracy charges against former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and two co-defendants.DeLay, R-Sugar Land, and political consultants Jim Ellis and John Colyandro were accused of conspiring to violate state election laws in the 2002 elections for the Texas House. But lower courts threw out the indictment on grounds that conspiracy to violate the election code was not a crime until 2003,
A majority of the Court of Criminal Appeals agreed.
DeLay, Ellis and Colyandro were charged with plotting to funnel illegal corporate campaign contributions to several Republican House candidates in 2002, when the GOP gained its first House majority of modern times.
According to his spokesman, Ronnie Earle and his staff are "reviewing" the decision. I don't know what there is to review -- the Court of Criminal Appeals is the highest court in the state when it comes to criminal law (Texas has, effectively, two supreme courts -- one for criminal cases and the other for civil cases). There is no federal issue at work here. The bogus charge is dead -- and with it, I suspect, any chance of getting a conviction on the other charges has disappeared, given that Earle's case against Delay depended first proving that he violated the conspiracy law.
It's no wonder, given his history of unsuccessful prosecutions of political opponents and prosecutorial overreaching, that Earle is regarded as the Texas equivalent of Mike Nifong.
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Democratic leaders say that government has a compelling interest to ensure that listeners are properly informed.“It’s time to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine,” said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). “I have this old-fashioned attitude that when Americans hear both sides of the story, they’re in a better position to make a decision.”
Now let’s take a look at that argument – the “compelling interest” standard has been used by the courts to allow exceptions to the First Amendment in the past – and not just in the case of broadcast media. Does the government also have “a compelling interest to ensure that” readers of newspapers, magazines, and websites are also “properly informed”? What Durbin has proposed here is nothing less than a standard that would allow the federal government to censor all media in the name of ensuring that We the People are “properly informed” – according to our Lords and Masters with the federal government.
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Unemployed gabfest queen Rosie O'Donnell, who last went to war with Elisabeth Hasselbeck only to retreat from her position on "The View," has drafted a reinforcement in the form of her waif-like 4-year-old daughter Vivienne Rose, better known as "Vivi."O'Donnell posted a video and photo of her little soldier on her Web site Rosie.com on Tuesday, which drew immediate reaction — some not so kind — about the media transformation of her daughter from little princess to bullet-toting guerrilla fighter.
I'm surprised that Vivi isn't wearing a little suicide vest -- you know, like the one the Taliban tried to get a six-year-old to detonate recently.
I wonder if this will secure her Joe Scarborough’s slot on MSNBC – making that cable network “fair and balanced†in the eyes of America’s Left.
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Unemployed gabfest queen Rosie O'Donnell, who last went to war with Elisabeth Hasselbeck only to retreat from her position on "The View," has drafted a reinforcement in the form of her waif-like 4-year-old daughter Vivienne Rose, better known as "Vivi."O'Donnell posted a video and photo of her little soldier on her Web site Rosie.com on Tuesday, which drew immediate reaction — some not so kind — about the media transformation of her daughter from little princess to bullet-toting guerrilla fighter.
I'm surprised that Vivi isn't wearing a little suicide vest -- you know, like the one the Taliban tried to get a six-year-old to detonate recently.
I wonder if this will secure her Joe Scarborough’s slot on MSNBC – making that cable network “fair and balanced” in the eyes of America’s Left.
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, As you may recall, I talked about that very issue recently, and why I didn't buy my wife a diamond but instead chose a different ring with speachial meaning to us. That said, I am not against making that big purchase of a diamond ring for the woman you love -- indeed, I am all for that token of love.
And if you are trying to find just the right Diamond Engagement Ring, you want to give the best quality ring you can find. That ring symbolizes commitment to the woman you want to marry -- and that commitment is a precious thing of great value. So if you are preparing to make that commitment, be sure to find a ring that says you love her enough to get the very best.
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A Romeo woman is suing the manufacturer of Starburst Fruit Chews in Macomb County Circuit Court in Michigan for "severe and permanent personal injuries" she received while eating the candy.The attorney for Victoria McArthur filed the lawsuit Monday against New Jersey-based Master Foods USA asking for more than $25,000. She alleges that when she bit into a yellow Starburst fruit chew in April 2005, she began to feel pain in her jaw, and then began having difficulty opening her mouth.
This should be dismissed on the legal theory of “Shit Happens!”
And if this case is not dismissed, my mom broke a tooth on a chocolate chip in an ice cream cone from Basking Robbins. Can she recover for the pain and suffering?
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If you shop online, coupon codes and promo codes can save you lots of money. That's why you need to visit KeepCash.com They have online coupons, promo codes, and discount codes that can save you 10%, 20%, even 30% off your purchases from online retailers like Lane Bryant and 1-800-FLOWERS. They also have promotional codes for free shipping or other great bonuses. So before you buy on line, check out the coupon codes at KeepCash.com. And if you don't find the code you are after today, check back tomorrow because they are constantly updating their site with even more bargains just for you -- bargains tht help you keep your cash.
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Legislation to overhaul the nation's immigration laws cleared a key hurdle yesterday when the Senate voted 64 to 35 to take up the measure again after a nearly three-week break. But opponents of the proposal insisted they would scuttle it by week's end.The procedural vote squeezed past the 60-vote threshold needed to bring the bill back for debate, but even advocates said that was the easy part. The immigration bill must run a gantlet of 26 politically charged amendments and clear another 60-vote hurdle tomorrow to cut off a filibuster before a final vote Friday.
The bill's most ardent opponents forced the Senate clerk last night to read all 26 of those amendments in their entirety as a delaying tactic. "This is going to begin some very heavy trench warfare," Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said. "It's going to be like World War I."
Still, Bush administration officials who have championed the proposal insisted that a bill once left for dead was now on its way toward passage.
"We are confident in Senate passage, because we look at the alternative, and the alternative is nothing," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said.
"In the end, logic, common sense and wisdom will prevail," added Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez, in a shot against detractors, who continue to say the immigration bill's border security provisions are unworkable and its path to citizenship for 12 million illegal immigrants amounts to "amnesty" for lawbreakers.
And lest you doubt that this is an amnesty bill, even the President admitted that it is in a rare moment of truthfulness on the subject.
"You know, I've heard all the rhetoric — you've heard it, too — about how this is amnesty," Bush told supporters of the bill at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. "Amnesty means that you've got to pay a price for having been here illegally, and this bill does that."
Tony Snow and the White House Press office released a statment "correcting" the president's true statement.
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June 26, 2007
I am always fascinated by trade show displays at events I attend. Some are pretty basic, but others get quite elaborate. How do you design some of these displays, and where do you get the supplies to best market your wares to the most interested and motivated audience you are likely to encounter? Try CamelbackDisplays.com for a wide variety of flooring, graphics, furniture, banner stands, truss, stages, printed table covers, printed directors chairs, hanging signs, literature stands and more that will make your display stand out from the crowd.
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