Yes, I have to admit to being "one of THOSE people" -- my dog certainly owns me every bit as much as I own her. My wife sometimes has to offer me a pointed reminder on who is supposed to be in charge -- "Greg, YOU are the person, not Carmie."

I'll readily concede that I dote on Carmie (as does my wife), in large part because, with no children in our home, she is truly a pet-child. That is why I spoil her. And with our sweet girl having reached her eleventh birthday recently, we are all too aware that she is aging and starting to slow down just a little bit. One of these days it will be more than just being gray around the muzzle -- she may lack the spring in her step to jump up on our bed, and may need a bed of her own (though I honestly believe that she thinks that she is generously sharing HER bed with us).

As I've started looking at dog beds, I have seen a number that seem like good possibilities for Carmie. No, not her own chaise lounge (my wife would kill me if the dog got a chaise before she did), but something that would fit in with our decor. Or maybe we should get her something orthopedic that would help to soothe those old bones and joints and make Carmie comfortable when we can't lift her up to join us in our bed. After all, she has been a wonderful companion for all these years, and she deserves to be treated with all the love that she has shown us over the years.

Posted by: Greg at 09:40 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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One of the strangest laws on the books in Texas has been a statute forbidding any person or organization from operating an educational institution referring to itself as a seminary or awarding theological degrees without licensure and supervision by the State of Texas. It seemed out of place, for the teaching of theology and the determination of the qualifications of those who have a theological education for a degree has always seemed to be decidedly a matter for churches, not the state.

Today, the Texas Supreme Court agreed.

The Texas Supreme Court reversed lower court decisions today and ruled that state restrictions on what unaccredited religious institutions can call themselves and their education training violate the First Amendment.

The court said banning an institution like the Tyndale Theological Seminary in Fort Worth from using the term "seminary" in its name violates the Constitution.

Three religious organizations waged the legal fight. Tyndale, one of the schools, was cited in 1998 for violating a law that requires seminaries to be accredited and prevents unaccredited institutions from awarding degrees. It was fined $173,000 by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Plano-based Liberty Legal Institute represented the schools and argued before the court in 2005 that the state has no business regulating how pastors are trained.

State law requires institutions to meet certain standards if they call themselves a college, university or seminary. The court ruled that the law as it pertains to seminaries intrudes upon religious freedom.

"This decision is a huge victory for all seminaries not only in Texas but nationwide," said Kelly Shackelford, the institute chief counsel. "Seminaries are going to now be free to be seminaries ... The shackles are off."

The case is not about secular teaching and degrees, but about purely theological education, he said. Shackelford said the ruling means the plaintiffs can try to recover attorneys' fees incurred in the case.

Ultimately, the statute had the state (either directly or through a private organization) determining the qualifications of teachers of theology and the structure and content of that education if a school wished to award academic degrees. Indeed, there was potential here for the state to deny a religious body the ability to credential its own clergy -- especially given the fact that the state recognized only one body for accrediting schools of religion, meaning that a group with unorthodox beliefs might be denied due to doctrinal and ecclesiastical governance issues. with which it was at odds with the organization granted a monopoly on recognizing such programs by the state.

Freedom of religion means nothing if the teaching of religion by religious organizations can be regulated and restricted by the state.

Posted by: Greg at 12:27 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Well, maybe that isn't exactly what she said -- but it is the only way this woman can plausibly claim she does not understand the conservative and Republican disdain and contempt for Hillary Clinton.

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, says "hatred" of his rival Hillary Rodham Clinton would motivate Republicans to vote against her in the general election.

"I want to be perfectly clear: I do not think the hatred against Hillary Clinton is justified," Elizabeth Edwards said in an interview with Time magazine out this week. "I don't know where it comes from. I don't begin to understand it. But you can't pretend it doesn't exist, and it will energize the Republican base. Their nominee won't energize them, Bush won't, but Hillary as the nominee will. It's hard for John to talk about, but it's the reality."

Well, let's see.

HillaryCare.

Cattle futures.

Whitewater.

Gennifer Flowers.

Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.

Rose Law Firm.

FBI files.

Craig Livingston.

"I don't recall."

And I think that only takes us through 1995. Does any of that ring a bell, Liz?

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That is what I'm left wondering after reading this WaPo article and the complaints from the congresscritters contained within.

The sheets of paper seemed to be everywhere the lawmakers went in the Green Zone, distributed to Iraqi officials, U.S. officials and uniformed military of no particular rank. So when Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) asked a soldier last weekend just what he was holding, the congressman was taken aback to find out.

In the soldier's hand was a thumbnail biography, distributed before each of the congressmen's meetings in Baghdad, which let meeting participants such as that soldier know where each of the lawmakers stands on the war. "Moran on Iraq policy," read one section, going on to cite some the congressman's most incendiary statements, such as, "This has been the worst foreign policy fiasco in American history."

The bio of Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Calif.) -- "TAU (rhymes with 'now')-sher," the bio helpfully relates -- was no less pointed, even if she once supported the war and has taken heat from liberal Bay Area constituents who remain wary of her position. "Our forces are caught in the middle of an escalating sectarian conflict in Iraq, with no end in sight," the bio quotes.

"This is beyond parsing. This is being slimed in the Green Zone," Tauscher said of her bio.

My question – are the quotes accurate? Yes, in fact, they are. So how is it "sliming" if one accurately quotes the public words of a member of Congress? They strike me as honest, straight-forward comments that hardly can be described as defamatory.

Unless, of course, the representatives in question have defamed themselves and revealed their own personal sliminess by their criticisms of the Iraq war and their willingness to undercut the troops and their mission.

Especially when the polls show that over half of Americans believe victory is attainable.

Posted by: Greg at 09:56 AM | Comments (67) | Add Comment
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Normally I'd oppose legislation to avoid a problem that does not exist. However, this one strikes me as a reasonable regulation by the California legislature.

Tackling a dilemma right out of a science fiction novel, the state Senate passed legislation Thursday that would bar employers from requiring workers to have identification devices implanted under their skin.

State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) proposed the measure after at least one company began marketing radio frequency identification devices for use in humans.

The devices, as small as a grain of rice, can be used by employers to identify workers. A scanner passing over a body part implanted with one can instantly identify the person.

"RFID is a minor miracle, with all sorts of good uses," Simitian said. "But we shouldn't condone forced 'tagging' of humans. It's the ultimate invasion of privacy."

Simitian said he fears that the devices could be compromised by persons with unauthorized scanners, facilitating identity theft and improper tracking and surveillance.

The bill has been approved by the state Assembly and now goes to the governor.

Nine senators opposed the measure, including Bob Margett (R-Arcadia), who said it is premature to legislate technology that has not yet proved to be a problem. "It sounded like it was a solution looking for a problem," Margett said. "It didn't seem like it was necessary."

I was surprised, though, to find out that one company, based in Ohio, already requires RFID chips for employees so that they can be tracked in the workplace.

To be honest, I'm glad to see legislatures preempting this. While I'm willing to give employers wide latitude on some things, chipping their employees crosses a line. It strikes me as a violation of one's bodily integrity that no employer has a right to demand.

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I've got mixed emotions about this decision by Governor Rick Perry.

Perry issued the commutation order on a parole board's rare recommendation about seven hours before Kenneth Foster was to have been put to death — the narrowest gap by which he has halted an execution in his more than eight years in office.

Thursday's vote marked only the second time since Texas resumed carrying out executions in 1982 that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles endorsed stopping an execution with so little time remaining. And in that 2004 case, Perry rejected the board's recommendation and the prisoner, who had been diagnosed as mentally ill, was executed.

This time, Perry agreed with the board's recommendation that Foster be saved from lethal injection.

Foster, 30, learned of Thursday's board vote during a morning visit with his father. A warden told him of the governor's commutation about an hour later.

On the one hand, I firmly believe that every participant in this crime ought to be executed -- and that the guy merely driving the getaway car deserves to go to his death for his part in the criminal rampage that resulted in a murder.

On the other hand, I am troubled by the fact that two other participants did not get the death penalty.

In the end, though, I believe that Rick Perry's decision was wrong, and denies justice to the victim and his family.

H/T Don Surber

Posted by: Greg at 10:25 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Is there no seditious extreme to which the Democrats will not go in an attempt to undermine the war effort for political gain?

Saying the coming weeks will be "one of the last opportunities" to alter the course of the war, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said he is now willing to compromise with Republicans to find ways to limit troop deployments in Iraq.

Reid acknowledged that his previous firm demand for a spring withdrawal deadline had become an obstacle for a small but growing number of Republicans who have said they want to end the war but have been unwilling to set a timeline.

"I don't think we have to think that our way is the only way," Reid said of specific dates during an interview in his office here. "I'm not saying, 'Republicans, do what we want to do.' Just give me something that you think you would like to do, that accomplishes some or all of what I want to do."

Reid's unwavering stance this summer earned him critics who said he was playing politics by refusing to bargain with antiwar Republicans. In the interview, he said that his goal remains an immediate return of U.S. troops but that now is the time to work with the GOP. He cited bringing up legislation after Labor Day that would require troops to have more home leave, forcing military leaders to reduce troop levels, a measure that has drawn some Republican support.

The Surge is working. Progress is being made. And yet we again see the Democrats seeking to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in order to gain political advantage in 2008.

And let me be clear -- I know of no Republican who does not want the war to come to an end and all the troops brought home. However, speaking as the son of a Vietnam vet, I know that we want to see it done in a way that honors the troops -- and the only way to do that is to pursue a strategy of victory an success, not retreat and surrender.

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A part of me admires the ingenuity and dedication of this kid in pulling off a classic sports prank. Is a suspension really an appropriate punishment here? Is any punishment warranted?

A high school student who tricked football fans from a crosstown rival into holding up signs that together spelled out, "We Suck," was suspended for the prank, students said.

Kyle Garchar, a senior at Hilliard Davidson High School in suburban Columbus, said he spent about 20 hours over three days plotting the trick, which was captured on video and posted on the video-sharing Web site YouTube. He said he was inspired by a similar prank pulled by Yale students in 2004, when Harvard fans were duped into holding up cards with the same message.

At the end of the video, Garchar wryly thanks the 800 Hilliard Darby High School supporters who raised the cards at the start of the third quarter during last Friday's football game.

"It couldn't have been done without you," reads the closing frame of the video.

Garchar, 17, created a grid to plan how the message would be spelled out once fans in three sections held up either a black or white piece of construction paper.

Directions left on stadium seats instructed fans to check that the number listed on their papers matched their seat numbers. Darby supporters were told the message would read "Go Darby."

"It was tedious," Garchar said. "I didn't really think it was going to work."

There was a day, not many years past, when folks would have found this humorous and the kid would have become one of those school legends that is talked about for years to come. Faculty and administration would have been at least marginally approving of the show of school spirit that went into the prank.

Today we make it a matter for serious discipline.

What do you think -- is the punishment appropriate or not?

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The Bush Administration will take steps to help homeowners facing financial problems due to their subprime home mortgages -- a move that will likely not satisfy his Democrat critics.

President Bush, in his first response to families hit by the subprime mortgage crisis, plans to announce several steps Friday to help Americans who have credit problems meet the rising cost of their housing loans, administration officials said Thursday.

The officials said Mr. Bush would call for the Federal Housing Administration to change its federal mortgage insurance program in a way that would let an additional 80,000 homeowners with spotty credit records sign up, beyond the 160,000 likely to use it this year and next.

The administration is offering his plan, which will include what one official called jawboning of lenders to persuade them not to foreclose on some borrowers, at a time of growing attacks on Mr. Bush from Democrats who say he has remained on the sidelines amid increasing anxiety over whether millions of Americans could end up losing their homes. Other elements of the plan would need legislative action, requiring Mr. Bush to win over the Democratic leadership in Congress.

Administration officials, who asked not to be identified, briefed a handful of news organizations on the proposals to be announced by Mr. Bush at an appearance in the White House Rose Garden on Friday morning.

The main objective of the package, one senior official said, is not to affect the stock markets but to help low-income homeowners, many of them concentrated in certain neighborhoods in several distressed areas of the country, such as Ohio and Michigan.

“The primary focus is to help individuals who have an opportunity to stay in their homes to stay in their homes,” this official said. “The subprime mortgage situation is having a crushing effect on a lot of communities right now.”

This does, of course, raise the issue of how far the government should go to help those who made poor financial decisions and are marginally able to afford their homes to stay in them. At what point does the government need to allow the market to apply economic realities to the situation, rather than having government provide a political solution?

In the coming weeks and months, Democrats (especially the presidential candidates) will push for more and more government involvement in the mortgage market if there is not a turnaround. It is in their nature. Where should the line be drawn?

Posted by: Greg at 10:03 PM | Comments (284) | Add Comment
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The discovery of more of the ruins of the Second Temple in Jerusalem clearly puts the lie to claims by some Islamists that there was never a Jewish temple on Temple Mount -- and seems to confirm the belief of some Jewish groups that renovations and improvements by Muslim religious authorities are really directed at destroying Jewish artifacts there.

Remains of the Jewish second temple may have been found during work to lay pipes at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem, Israeli television reported Thursday.

Israeli television broadcast footage of a mechanical digger at the site which Israeli archaeologists visited on Thursday.

Gaby Barkai, an archaeologist from Bar Ilan University, urged the Israeli government to stop the pipework after the discovery of what he said is "a massive seven metre-long wall."

Television said the pipework carried out by the office of Muslim religious affairs, or Waqf, is about 1.5 metres deep and about 100 metres long.

The compound, which houses both Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, is located in east Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967 and then annexed. It is the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina.

For Jews it as known as the Temple Mount, which they revere as the site of the King Herod's second temple, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. It is the holiest site in Judaism.

All that remains today is the temple's Western Wall, or Wailing wall.

I agree with Barkari's assessment that the Israeli government must act to stop the construction work so that this historical treasure may be preserved, studied, and properly venerated by the Jewish faithful.

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The waiting game is almost over. Fred Thompson will declare his candidacy for the presidency next week.

Republican Fred Thompson will officially launch his presidential bid Sept. 6 in a Webcast on his campaign site, followed by a five-day tour of early primary states.

"I believe that there are millions of Americans who know that our security and prosperity are at risk if we don't address the challenges of our time; the global threat of terrorism; taxes and spending that will bankrupt future generations, and a government that can't seem to get the most basic responsibilities right for its citizens," the former Tennessee senator and "Law & Order" actor said in a statement Thursday that laid out themes of his campaign.

Thompson, 65, is vying to be seen as the most consistent mainstream conservative in the race.

Aides disclosed details about how he will formally enter the race in a conference call with supporters.

Evening house parties will be held nationwide on Sept. 6. A tour of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina will quickly follow the Internet announcement on http://www.imwithfred.com, with later stops in Florida, and a homecoming event in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., on Sept. 15.

Next Wednesday, Thompson will appear on NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" but he won't participate with his Republican rivals in a debate that same night in New Hampshire.

Thompson brings to the eight-man GOP field a right-leaning Senate voting record with a few digressions from GOP orthodoxy and a healthy dose of Hollywood star power. He is hoping to attract conservatives who are lukewarm about the current crop of candidates.

I personally think it is about time that he make the move -- but that he should make the announcement on September 4 and participate in the big GOP debate on September 5. I don't think he is intentionally dodging that event, but it would have made for a great opportunity to place himself next to the otehr candidates at the start of his formal campaign.

Posted by: Greg at 09:47 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Or at least of the Second Amendment – they will continue to engage in absolutist idolatry of the First Amendment, even if it undermines the war effort.

As the Army's suicide rate hits record levels in the Iraq war, there's small wonder practically everyone in Congress wants to deal with the parallel emerging crisis of depressed veterans tempted to take their own lives. Everyone, that is, except Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma. He stands alone in blocking final passage of a suicide prevention bill in fear that the government's record-keeping on troubled vets might somehow crimp their ability to purchase handguns.

Even the craven gun lobby should manage some shame over this absurd example of Second Amendment idolatry.

The House has unanimously approved a measure mandating the screening of all veterans for suicide risk, but Senator Coburn worries that veterans' medical data might be appropriated by other agencies to deny that all-encompassing right to wield arms on the domestic front.

If Congress can somehow guarantee confidentiality, I'd support this bill. But unfortunately, Coburn is correct in fearing that these records could somehow be abused . After all, I remember some 900 FBI files turned over to political appointees in the Clinton White House, the disclosure of top secret national security programs by the NY Times – and today's lead story at the Washington Post is all about a leaked copy of a classified report. Imagine the concern that this confidential information will get out and be used to deny veterans the right to own a gun!

I'll tell you what – I'll give up my absolutism on the Second Amendment when the New York Times gives up its absolutism about the First Amendment. Until then, I'll stick by the views of the Founding Fathers.

Oh, and I can't help but be struck by the ignorance of our founding documents exhibited in the editorial as well.

But that's to care for them as human beings, under that other constitutional right — to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Guys – that isn't a constitutional right. It is a statement of principles in the Declaration of Independence. My tenth graders even know that.

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After all, EVERYTHING is the fault of George W. Bush!

The economy grew at its strongest pace in more than a year during the spring as solid improvements in international trade and business investment helped offset weakness in housing.

The gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic health, expanded at an annual rate of 4 percent in the April-June quarter, significantly higher than the 3.4 percent rate the government had initially estimated a month ago, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

That may taper off in response to the sub-prime crash – but then again, maybe not. But even if it does, we will still likely see 2% growth.

Posted by: Greg at 09:29 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You know how we keep being told that there is consensus view of scientists in favor of catastrophic man-made Global Warming? That is a lie.

In 2004, history professor Naomi Oreskes performed a survey of research papers on climate change. Examining peer-reviewed papers published on the ISI Web of Science database from 1993 to 2003, she found a majority supported the "consensus view," defined as humans were having at least some effect on global climate change. Oreskes' work has been repeatedly cited, but as some of its data is now nearly 15 years old, its conclusions are becoming somewhat dated.

Medical researcher Dr. Klaus-Martin Schulte recently updated this research. Using the same database and search terms as Oreskes, he examined all papers published from 2004 to February 2007. The results have been submitted to the journal Energy and Environment, of which DailyTech has obtained a pre-publication copy. The figures are surprising.

Of 528 total papers on climate change, only 38 (7%) gave an explicit endorsement of the consensus. If one considers "implicit" endorsement (accepting the consensus without explicit statement), the figure rises to 45%. However, while only 32 papers (6%) reject the consensus outright, the largest category (48%) are neutral papers, refusing to either accept or reject the hypothesis. This is no "consensus."

The figures are even more shocking when one remembers the watered-down definition of consensus here. Not only does it not require supporting that man is the "primary" cause of warming, but it doesn't require any belief or support for "catastrophic" global warming. In fact of all papers published in this period (2004 to February 2007), only a single one makes any reference to climate change leading to catastrophic results.

These changing viewpoints represent the advances in climate science over the past decade. While today we are even more certain the earth is warming, we are less certain about the root causes. More importantly, research has shown us that -- whatever the cause may be -- the amount of warming is unlikely to cause any great calamity for mankind or the planet itself.

Indeed, the insistence that there was a consensus in the IPPC's report was in a section not written by scientists – it was written by politicians and bureaucrats. And the sections written by the scientists are edited to conform with the conclusion – in other words, the politicians and bureaucrats throw out what doesn't fit with a conclusion that is written and published before the actual research chapters.

In other words, the tail wags the dog.

And there is no consensus in favor of catastrophic global warming – cause by man or otherwise.

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Probably not -- after all, they want to grab your guns, and the mere fact that these police officers and city officials violated Virginia law and the Second Amendment won't bother them a bit.

More than 100 gun-rights advocates, most carrying handguns on their hips and wearing buttons saying "Guns Save Lives," came to the City Council on Tuesday night to protest what they called harassment of law-abiding gun owners by city officials.

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The protest was called by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a gun-rights group, after Chet Szymecki of Yorktown was arrested in June at Harborfest for carrying a gun.

Szymecki was arrested for violating a city ordinance banning guns at Harborfest - an ordinance that officials now acknowledge violates state law. City Attorney Bernard A. Pishko said city officials were unaware of a state law prohibiting localities from banning guns.

Carrying a weapon openly is legal in Virginia, even at a large gathering such as Harborfest. Once city officials realized their error, the charges against Szymecki were dropped.

"We made a mistake," Councilman Barclay C. Winn said. "It was unintentional."

Most who came to protest didn't appear to believe it was an innocent mistake.

"You know it was illegal," said Dave Vann, who drove from Falls Church to speak. "You arrested someone, and now it's going to cost you dearly."

Szymecki, a Navy veteran, said he was manhandled and hurt and that his wife, Deborah, his three children and two other children who accompanied them were traumatized. He said he has hired Norfolk attorney Stephen Merrill.

An emotional Deborah Szymecki told the council that after several police officers were done handcuffing her husband, she was left without money or the keys to the family car.

Others rose to describe incidents in which they said they were questioned and often handcuffed by police for simply carrying a firearm openly.

"Apparently you have some officers who don't understand the law," said the president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Philip Van Cleave of Midlothian.

Most distressing is that one member of the city council, Paul R. Riddick, left the meeting rather than hear what mere citizens had to say on the issue of the police violating state law via their thuggish conduct in enforcing an illegal city ordinance. Such arrogance, of course, is why this incident was able to happen in the first place.

But then again, maybe we shouldn't expect protests by liberals and outraged coverage by the press over the violations of right and official arrogance in Virginia Beach. After all, these are loyal, law-abiding American citizens of a conservative bent whose rights have been violated -- and since they are not border-jumping immigration criminals or terrorist-affiliated enemy combatants, their rights will not be seen as relevant by reporters or leftards.

Posted by: Greg at 10:17 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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This fits a certain MSM pattern -- report an overblown charge as fact, then back off when it turns out there is no actual evidence to support the charge.

An internal investigation has found no evidence of heavy drinking or drunkenness among astronauts before space missions, NASA officials said Wednesday.

In a report summarizing the investigation, NASAÂ’s safety chief, the former astronaut Bryan D. OÂ’Connor, said that although stories had circulated about astronauts abusing alcohol before missions, nothing was found to support them.

“Within the scope and limitations of this review, I was unable to verify any case in which an astronaut spaceflight crewmember was impaired on launch day,” Mr. O’Connor wrote.

He also said he had found no evidence that managers had disregarded recommendations from flight surgeons or other crew members that an astronaut not be allowed to fly.

In the report, Mr. OÂ’Connor recommended that NASA remind its employees to report, either openly or using one of several anonymous reporting systems the agency has in place, any threat to a flightÂ’s safety, including alcohol abuse. The report also recommended improvements in the oversight role of flight surgeons on launching day.

“I am confident that there are reasonable safeguards in place to prevent an impaired crew member from boarding a spacecraft,” he said.

So the mention of two unverified reports in an earlier report was sufficient to tar the space agency as unconcerned with safety and irresponsible in its handling of personnel and machinery. But now that the stories have been shown to be nothing more than NASA urban legends, will the media give the sort of remedial coverage needed to repair NASA's image? I doubt it.

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And yet neither the press nor the anti-war lynch mob led by John Murtha have offered a peep of apology now that it has been definitively shown that the "cold-blooded murders" violated not a single law.

Last December, when the Marine Corps charged four infantrymen with killing Iraqi civilians in Haditha, Iraq, in 2005, the allegation was as dark as it was devastating: after a roadside bomb had killed their buddy, a group of marines rampaged through nearby homes, massacring 24 innocent people.

In Iraq and in the United States, the killings were viewed as cold-blooded vengeance. After a perfunctory military investigation, Haditha was brushed aside, but once the details were disclosed, the killings became an ugly symbol of a difficult, demoralizing war. After a fuller investigation, the Marines promised to punish the guilty.

But now, the prosecutions have faltered. Since May, charges against two infantrymen and a Marine officer have been dismissed, and dismissal has been recommended for murder charges against a third infantryman. Prosecutors were not able to prove even that the killings violated the American military code of justice.

Now their final attempt to get a murder conviction is set to begin, with a military court hearing on Thursday for Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, the last marine still facing that charge. He is accused of killing 18 Iraqis, including several women and children, after the attack on his convoy.

If the legal problems that have thwarted the prosecutors in other cases are repeated this time, there is a possibility that no marine will be convicted for what happened in Haditha.

Could it be that what we had was a rush to judgment by the MSM and the cut-and-runners? Will the press look at that possibility?

No, they will instead continue to besmirch the names of heroes and wonder aloud about how the military justice system is broken, rather than consider that the media reporting was flawed and that the war's opponents have such low regard for the truth that they acted as a high-tech lynch mob that convicted these men before the charges were even brought.

After all, that story wouldn't fit the template that they are using to cover the war.

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Sponsored Post

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One of the things that impressed me was the Infinity Institute's library of free resources for practitioners and the general public. Unlike programs designed merely to make money, the Infinity Institute clearly sees its mission as educating the public at large about the field.

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This really doesn't even rise to the level of a human interest story.

Karl Rove, your car is ready.

White House pranksters wrapped Rove's Jaguar in plastic wrap on the private driveway next to the West Wing. Rove's car is easily recognizable because of its "I love Barack Obama" bumper sticker and the twin stuffed-animal eagles on the trunk. Oh, and there's a stuffed-animal elephant on the hood.

Rove, the top White House political strategist who recently announced his resignation, left his car on the driveway while visiting Texas and traveling with President Bush.

He got back to the White House early Wednesday evening, ventured out to the driveway and — wearing a big smile — began unwrapping the car. Rove got some help from a few eager children who had come by the White House to watch President Bush arrive on the South Lawn in the Marine One helicopter.

Rove seemed to assign blame for the prank on Al Hubbard, the chairman of Bush's National Economic Council. He playfully pointed the finger at Hubbard while the kids ripped off the plastic wrap.

So what? What does this story tell us, other than that Rove has friends and coworkers who play practical jokes -- and not even particularly original ones?

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Start-ups fail. But when that happens, is it really necessary to rehash the entire past of those involved -- especially when it appears that none of it is relevant to the failure?

Armand Rousso was associated with one start-up that has run into difficulty. But when the New York Times chose to cover those problems, the article's writer chose to dredge up every bit of salacious gossip in Ruosso's past. Parts of it were of questionable accuracy, and some of it downright prejudicial. Fortunately, I also found the Armand Rousso response to NYT story by Saul Hansell at his blog.

For example, a criminal conviction eight years in the past was characterized as "recent" -- and despite the judge's recognition that Ruosso's misdeeds were out of character and that his overall past and present were those of a responsible citizen. Similarly, the author made vague and unsubstantiated hints of financial impropriety regarding Ruosso's wife (who had served as CEO of the company prior to their marriage). But a close examination shows there is no "there" there. The author couldn't even get the facts straight regarding how Ruosso's fees were paid. This is just sloppy reporting -- and it appears that the New York Times is unwilling to correct it.

Maybe most troubling to me is the fact thet Hansell tries to tar Ruosso with the misconduct of others. he was investigated and cleared in a campaign finance case -- but a partner was convicted of wrong-doing. Now I don't like the candidate in question (Robert Torricelli) or Ruosso's apparent association with the Clintons -- but this kind of slimy journalism is too egregious to ignore. When one is investigated and cleared, it seems wrong to me to impute guilt.

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Seems to me that liberals just can't follow the rules that they insist be applied to the rest of us.

The Federal Election Commission has fined one of the last cycle's biggest liberal political action committees $775,000 for using unregulated soft money to boost John Kerry and other Democratic candidates during the 2004 elections.

America Coming Together (ACT) raised $137 million for its get-out-the-vote effort in 2004, but the FEC found most of that cash came through contributions that violated federal limits.

The group's big donors included George Soros, Progressive Corp. chairman Peter Lewis and the Service Employees International Union.

The settlement, which the FEC approved unanimously, is the third largest enforcement penalty in the commission's 33-year history.

I don't know about you, but illegal campaign practices seem a lot more important than Larry Craig's non-BJ. Which will the press cover extensively?

Seems to me that the bumper sticker slogan that the Democrats need is "Got Corruption?"

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Yep – that is the latest John Edwards mantra.

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards told a labor group that he would ask Americans to make a big sacrifice: their sport utility vehicles.

"I think Americans are actually willing to sacrifice," Edwards said Tuesday during a forum held by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. "One of the things they should be asked to do is drive more fuel efficient vehicles."

The former North Carolina senator was asked specifically if he would tell them to give up their SUVs, he said, "Yes."

Doesn't Edwards often travel in an SUV? Doesn't he often fly on private jets? Isn't he the owner of a palatial mansion that uses a superabundance of energy? In other words, isn't John Edwards a carbon sasquatch?

I've never owned an SUV, and won't unless my wife needs one to get around in a wheelchair. But let me say this – I resent being called on to sacrifice by an individual who annually consumes more energy than I do in the course of 5 years.

MORE AT Captain Ed.

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I don't agree with their challenge to the policy, but I respect their willingness to stand up for what they believe.

The leaders of a student group at Montgomery County's Wissahickon High School that opposes a new rule requiring backpacks worn inside the school to be made of mesh or clear plastic won praise from the school board and administration at a board meeting Tuesday night, but got no change in the policy.

The students vowed to continue the fight; they are calling for a "Day of Silence" on Sept. 12, when they will refuse to talk during classes. The board agreed to take another look at the policy after school starts.

The new rule was part of a 13-page list of school safety recommendations released in July by a school safety task force convened by Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. Several other Montgomery County school districts already either require see-through backpacks or have banned backpacks altogether from school hallways.

Principal William Hayes decided over the summer to implement the clear or mesh backpack policy, saying that while it was not a surefire way of keeping weapons out of the school, it would "make kids think twice" about bringing contraband into the school.

The move unleashed a wave of protest from students who formed an online group calling itself "Hell No I'm Not Wearing a See-Through Backpack."

What is particularly nice here is that the school board is taking its responsibility to encourage good citizenship quite seriously. Rather than dismissing the complaints and punishing the students, they offer nothing but praise for the kids and express a willingness to discuss – but not necessarily change – the policy.

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With her history of lawbreaking and border jumping, I think it would be appropriate top declare her persona non grata so that she can NEVER legally return to this country under any circumstance.

The recently deported illegal migrant and activist who took refuge in a Chicago church for a year, has asked the Mexico's president to appoint her "peace and justice" ambassador so she can return to the United States.

Elvira Arellano, 32, who sought refuge to avoid being separated from her U.S.-born, 8-year-old son, was arrested and sent back to Mexico on Aug. 19 after traveling to Los Angeles to attend a rally for the overhaul of U.S. immigration laws. Her son stayed in the United States.

"What I'm asking for is a diplomatic visa so that I can be an ambassador for peace and justice because I'm not a terrorist and the United States can't continue treating undocumented migrants as terrorists," Arellano told reporters after meeting with President Felipe Calderon at the presidential residence, Los Pinos.

There is no reason for us to recognize any diplomatic status the Mexicans give her – and every reason to permanently ban her from American soil.

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I guess that felons really are a Democrat constituency.

For the last 15 years, California authorities have been trying to figure out what happened to a businessman named Norman Hsu, who pleaded no contest to grand theft, agreed to serve up to three years in prison and then seemed to vanish.

"He is a fugitive," Ronald Smetana, who handled the case for the state attorney general, said in an interview. "Do you know where he is?"

Hsu, it seems, has been hiding in plain sight, at least for the last three years.

Since 2004, one Norman Hsu has been carving out a prominent place of honor among Democratic fundraisers. He has funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions into party coffers, much of it earmarked for presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

In addition to making his own contributions, Hsu has honed the practice of assembling packets of checks from contributors who bear little resemblance to the usual Democratic deep pockets: A self-described apparel executive with a variety of business interests, Hsu has focused on delivering hefty contributions from citizens who live modest lives and are neophytes in the world of campaign giving.

Hsu has donated or raised over $100,000 for Hillary Clinton's presidential run -- and over $1,000,000 for Democrats since 2004.

And Hillary's response to this?

"Norman Hsu is a longtime and generous supporter of the Democratic Party and its candidates, including Sen. Clinton," Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for the campaign, said Tuesday.

"During Mr. Hsu's many years of active participation in the political process, there has been no question about his integrity or his commitment to playing by the rules, and we have absolutely no reason to call his contributions into question or to return them."

Could you imagine the outrage if this were a Republican candidate refusing to return funds raised by a fugitive felon? And given the unusual patterns of some of those donations, it is clear that there is a serious question about Hsu's integrity and his commitment to playing by the rules.

I wonder if the Clinton PardonMart is already open for business.

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The Turkish Parliament, acting in accord with the will of the people as expressed in recent elections, have defied the Turkish military and elected Abdullah Gul as the nation's new president.

Beaming as the votes were counted, a veteran government figure with roots in political Islam won a parliamentary vote to become Turkey's president Tuesday, in defiance of the country's strongly secular military. Abdullah Gul's triumph presented Turkey's generals with a choice: overthrow Gul in what would be a deeply unpopular coup or accommodate the rise of political Islam in the Muslim world's most rigidly secular state.

Gul immediately sought to reassure the military and other doubters. "Turkey is a secular democracy. . . . These are basic values of our republic, and I will defend and strengthen these values," he told parliament after taking the oath as Turkey's 11th president.

Many Turks say the popularity of Gul's mildly Islamic Justice and Development Party after five years in power, and the unprecedented economic prosperity it has brought, will probably shield it from any immediate putsch. Turkey's military sees itself as the guardian of the secular state established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923. Generals have driven out four governments since 1960, including an overtly Islamic government in the 1990s in which Gul held a cabinet post.

The election of Gul, as I noted yesterday, offers a model for the Muslim world of a Democratic government that respects Islamic values while not imposing a sharia-based theocracy. The Bush administration needs to strongly support Gul's election, and make it clear to the Turkish military that any attempt to undo it will not receive favorable treatment from Washington.

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The Firefighters Union has endorsed. . . Chris Dodd.

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) picked up the first significant prize in the competition for labor union endorsements yesterday, winning the support of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) in what his advisers believe will be an important boost to his presidential primary campaign.

The firefighters count 281,000 members, meaning they are only the 10th-largest union in the AFL-CIO. But they are among the most politically active and symbolically prized labor groups in the country, in part because of the heroic actions of firefighters at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon when terrorists struck on Sept. 11, 2001.

Just let that one sink in. Chris Dodd.

That certainly makes me take them seriously when the union thugs in charge of this organization attack Rudy Giuliani. After all, if you want evidence of bad judgment, this endorsement is it.

Chris Dodd? Good God!

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In other words, the cut-&-run crowd, whether they intend it or not, are advocating turning Iraq over the Mahmoud the Mad and the murderous Mullahs of Iran.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad boldly declared Tuesday that U.S. political influence in Iraq is "collapsing rapidly" and said his government is ready to help fill any power vacuum.

The hard-line leader also defended Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a fellow Shiite Muslim who has been harshly criticized by American politicians for his unsuccessful efforts to reconcile Iraq's Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.

"The political power of the occupiers is collapsing rapidly," Ahmadinejad said at a news conference, referring to U.S. troops in Iraq. "Soon, we will see a huge power vacuum in the region. Of course, we are prepared to fill the gap, with the help of neighbors and regional friends like Saudi Arabia, and with the help of the Iraqi nation."

The last thing we want to see in Iraq is another hardline Islamic theocracy. And at a time when US policy in Iraq seems to be working, pulling out so that one can be established by an enemy of the United States is precisely the wrong policy.

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I condemned it when the Democrats did it. Now I fear that my own party may follow them in the same sort of mistake -- even if not nearly as extreme.

The Republican National Committee plans to penalize at least four states holding early primaries, including New Hampshire and Florida, by refusing to seat at least half their delegates at the partyÂ’s national convention in 2008, a party official said Tuesday.

Much of the focus in the primary scheduling fight up to now has been on the Democratic National CommitteeÂ’s moves to penalize Florida by not seating its convention delegates because of the stateÂ’s decision to move up its primary. But the Republican rules are even more stringent, and the national party said today that it would not hesitate enforcing them.

I agree that we need to get a better hold on the nominating process, but disenfranchising the voters is not the way to do it. And make no mistake, that is what such penalties do.

To the legislators of the four states involved, I offer the same advice that I offered when the Democrats took action against Florida.

1) Deny access to the November 2008 ballot to any party which holds a national nominating convention which refuses to seat the delegates duly elected on the primary date established by law.

2) Exercise its constitutional power to direct the votes of the state's electors by prohibiting the awarding of any of the state's electoral votes to a candidate nominated at a national nominating convention which refuses to seat the delegates duly elected on the primary date established by law.

Disenfranchisement is wrong when the GOP does it, every bit as much as when the Democrats do it. I urge my party to pull back from the brink of a serious political and moral wrong.

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Now the Red Chinese are working to turn the internet into the same sort of freedom-free zone as the rest of their country.

Police in China's capital said Tuesday they will start patrolling the Web using animated beat officers that pop up on a user's browser and walk, bike or drive across the screen warning them to stay away from illegal Internet content.

Many of the sites that will bring the cyber-cops to your screen are those that have politically questionable content. You know, advocacy of freedom, democracy, and human rights. All things that have undermiend communism in every nation where such ideas are able to take hold in the hearts and minds of the people.

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So, you want to play poker and get rich doing it. Well, maybe not get rich -- just make sure that you come home still wearing your shirt. You need to learn about poker strategy, because it really is as much more a game of skill than a game of chance.

For example, did you know that there were different strategies for single-table and multi-table tournaments?

For example, in a multi-table tourney, you start off simply trying not to lose. Don't get yourself wiped out early through a dumb mover or incorrect play. Hold back just a little bit, until you can either strike with a good hand or even back your way into the finals without having taken any risk at all. I've found that particular strategy to be useful in local tourneys, where most of your opponents are rank amateurs who will end up shooting their wads within a few poorly played hands. And even when you advance, you can still make a killing against some of your competitors because they have gotten lucky and somehow entered a pool that is much too deep for them. Indeed, the host gets it exactly right with his recommendations for conservative play in certain situations -- a lesson I learned the hard way when I was much younger and was sure that A-K could beat anything

Frankly, I like many of the tips that are on the site. If you are trying to learn how to play poker successfully, I don't think you can go wrong if you follow the guidance offered.

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And they are all George Bush's fault.

Five years into a national economic recovery, the share of Americans living in poverty finally dropped.

The nation's poverty rate was 12.3 percent in 2006, down from 12.6 percent a year before, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. Median household income increased slightly, to $48,200.

Individual earnings dropped for both men and women in 2006, but more members of each household worked, resulting in the overall increase in household income, said David Johnson, chief of the Census Bureau's Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division.

Remember -- the burst of the tech bubble in the final months of the Clinton Administration, followed by the Enron debacle (caused by lax enforcement and supervision by the SEC during the Clinton years) and 9/11 (again, brought on by lax Clinton terrorism policies) led to an economic downturn in 2001 and 2002. Tax cuts brought us out of that slump -- the Bush tax cuts opposed by the Democrats. Had we followed their policies, we would still be in the midst of an economic depression.

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What's the old song say? Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat. Well, as you feed that chubby bird, you need to start thinking about the gifts you are going to buy for the holidays. And if you are going to be buying gifts online, you need to remember CouponChief.com.

At CouponChief.com, you can find all sorts of great savings on gifts for the whole family. Are you looking for a new computer for the holidays? Well, Coupon Chief has coupon codes for HP desktop and laptop computers that will really make your holiday a merry one. They've got coupons for $200 dollar discounts and promo codes for $400 off the cost of that new computer. That will certainly stretch your holiday budget.

Or maybe you'd rather buy one of the great computers from Apple and get a free iPod Nano -- Coupon Chief can help hook you up. And even better, they have free shipping to go along with that free gift. Again, you can make that gift-giving dollar go a lot farther just by using these great coupons and promo codes when you make your purchases.

Hey -- these are gifts you were planning to buy anyway? Why not be a smart holiday shopper and save yourself some cash in the process?

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This would be really goofy if it didn't have a serious cool factor to it -- at least for science fiction and space geeks like me.

May the force be with shuttle Discovery and seven astronauts on an October mission to the International Space Station.

Coming from a galaxy far, far away, the lightsaber wielded by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars will fly aboard the orbiter three decades after the classic movie opened.

"What better way to celebrate the 30th anniversary than to send the original lightsaber into space with the shuttle?" Julie Kuenstle, a spokeswoman for Space Center Houston, said Tuesday.

The lightsaber will be on display at the visitor complex at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston through Labor Day. Then it will be shipped to Kennedy Space Center and packed into Discovery's mid-deck.

NASA spokesman James Hartsfield said the sci-fi sword would remain stowed throughout the shuttle's 13-day mission.

Yeah -- I guess a lightsaber wouldn't be much good if the Shuttle were to encounter the Death Star.

I guess I'll have to drive down the road this week to see the movie relic before it gets shipped to Florida.

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I've had it.

I'm tired of seeing "community" abused.

It has been going on for years. We hear it all the time.

The black community.

The Jewish community.

The GLBT community

Fine, these are all groups of people who share some common trait, but do they really have the level of commonality and cohesion to be considered a "community? That can be argued either way, especially since the word has taken on an expanded meaning in recent years.

But tonight I heard the most egregious abuse of the word "community" that I've ever encountered.

On one of our local stations tonight, the reporter dutifully reported that a task force to study ways to decrease convenience store robberies included "representatives of the convenience store community".

Convenience store community?

What next -- Convenience Store-Americans?

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I frankly don't care whether or not Senator Larry Craig is gay or bisexual.

I don't even care if he attempted to solicit sex in a bathroom.

We determined in the 1980s and 1990s that sexual orientation and sexual misconduct are irrelevant to fitness for office -- and any Democrat who didn't support the removal of Bill Clinton, Barney Frank, and Gerry Studds from office has no basis for raising a fuss over Craig.

What I do find disturbing is the hypocrisy charge -- based upon the presumption of his sexuality and his positions on gay marriage and hate crimes.

I've been trying to figure out how to explain my position, but ran across something that reflected my thoughts in a manner better than I could express them.

The liberal view of homosexuality is based on two claims: an empirical one and a moral one. The empirical claim is that sexual orientation is inborn, a trait over which one has no control. The moral claim is that homosexuality is no better or worse than heterosexuality; that a gay relationship, like a traditional marriage, can be an expression of true love and a source of deep fulfillment. Out of these claims flows the conclusion that opposition to gay rights is akin to racism: an unwarranted prejudice against people for a trait over which they have no control.

For the sake of argument, suppose this liberal view is true. What does it imply about the closeted homosexual who takes antigay positions? To our mind, the implication is that he is a deeply tragic figure, an abject victim of society's prejudices, which he has internalized and turned against himself. "Outing" him seems an act of gratuitous cruelty, not to mention hypocrisy if one also claims to believe in the right to privacy.

According to the Statesman, the blogger who "outed" Craig did so in order to "nail a hypocritical Republican foe of gay rights." But there is nothing hypocritical about someone who is homosexual, believes homosexuality is wrong, and keeps his homosexuality under wraps. To the contrary, he is acting consistent with his beliefs. If he has furtive encounters in men's rooms, that is an act of weakness, not hypocrisy.

Defenders of "outing" politicians argue that the cruelty is not gratuitous--that politicians are in a position of power, which they are using to harm gay citizens, and therefore their private lives are fair game. But if the politician in question is a mere legislator, his power consists only of the ability to cast one vote among hundreds. The actual amount of harm that he is able to inflict is minimal.

Anyway, most lawmakers who oppose gay-rights measures are not homosexual. To single out those who are for special vituperation is itself a form of antigay prejudice. Liberals pride themselves on their compassion, but often are unwilling to extend it to those with whose politics they disagree.

Of course, liberals don't really believe that those who disagree with them are worthy of respect or rights. From Stalin's USSR to the Clinton White House to the local Democrat official who called for the murder of a prominent Republican for supporting the Iraq War, those who oppose the position of the liberal is seen as an enemy to be destroyed, not a fellow human being with a different point of view.

Some interesting takes on the Craig issue at Captain's Quarters, Slate, Lawyers Guns & Money, Talking Points Memo, Crossed Pond

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I've seen cheap shots before -- but exploiting this tragedy in this manner is inexcusable.

Bush Motorcade Kills Cop

What -- did the George W. Bush order his motorcade to speed up and run this law enforcement officer off the road? Was Dick Cheney laying down covering fire as they passed th cop?

No. Nothing of the sort.

What happened was that the officer lost control of his bike as the motorcade entered a parking garage, and was fatally injured in the performance of his duty. It was a tragic accident, notable to the national press only because the officer was one of the escorts of the presidential motorcade.

Should this story have been reported? Absolutely.

But is the headline irresponsible and misleading? You bet.

But you know the MSM motto -- never miss a cheap shot at the the President.

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Seems rather oxymoronic to me -- but then again, most anarchists I've met have been morons, so there's no surprise.

A group of activists who describe themselves as "anarchists and anti-authoritarians" will hold a private strategy session over the Labor Day weekend to discuss plans to protest at the Republican National Convention to be held in St. Paul Sept. 1-4, 2008.

The group, called the RNC Welcoming Committee, held a news conference on Monday at the Jack Pine Community Center on Lake Street in Minneapolis, where Bea Bridges, speaking for the committee, showed a video that hinted at confrontational tactics, read a statement and walked out, taking no questions.

It seems pretty clear they are planning violence -- like such anarchist groups do every time they seek to express their displeasure.

Captain Ed has a great analysis of this group and the article.

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