After all, the building where the Holocaust-denying, Israel-hating anti-Semite spoke today was named for and funded in large part by donations from philanthropist Alfred Lerner.

Alfred Lerner Hall, the main student center, was named for the late Jewish philanthropist who donated $25 million to the school.

It is an "obscenity" that the Iranian is speaking there, said Rabbi Gerald Skolnik of Forest Hills Jewish Center in Queens, to which Lerner also gave. "To have a Holocaust-denying, nuclear-aspiring hatemonger speaking in a hall that bears his name in the interest of 'free speech,' it's just the wrong person in the wrong place."

Lerner, who died in 2002 at 69, was born in Brooklyn to Russian immigrants. He was a 1955 Columbia graduate and a Marine pilot. He became chairman of MBNA Corp. and owned the Cleveland Browns football team. Lerner donated a fortune to the Cleveland Clinic and created a fund to help families of first responders killed on 9/11. He also gave generously to the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, which assists aging unsung heroes from World War II who helped save Jews during the Holocaust and educates teachers about the genocide

Thank you, Columbia University, for pissing on the grave of a great man and a great patriot. May no American, and especially no Jewish American, give your pathetic excuse for a university a single penny in donations.

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This kid offers the most inane reason for opting-out of military service in Israel.

To many she is a traitor, a coward and a parasite. But 17-year-old Israeli "draft dodger" Saar Vardi says if more people thought like her, the Middle East would be a more peaceful place.

Vardi is part of a growing group of young Israelis who are refusing to sign up for mandatory military service, often in protest over the Jewish state's occupation of Palestinian territory or because of last year's unpopular war in Lebanon.

* * *

"People refer to me as a traitor and say that my country has given me so much and I'm not willing to give anything back, like a parasite," Vardi, a student, told Reuters.

"But I know what I believe ... If truly everyone saw things the way I see them then we wouldn't need an army."

Actually, Saar Vardi has it wrong – if everyone saw things like she does, then there would not be an Israel. Maybe the lack of a major fight for the survival of Israel since 1973 has resulted in a weakening in the resolve of that nation’s young people to ensure their homeland’s survival. Maybe distance from the Holocaust has made the notion that Jews must fight for survival an alien thought. But regardless, I fear for the future of Israel in a sea of hostile neighbors.

Posted by: Greg at 01:16 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Maybe these archaic things will disappear if this sort of fraud is prosecuted like it would be in any other case.

When Ashley Wood was crowned Miss South Carolina in 2004, she thought her title came not only with a tiara and a shot at Miss America, but also a $20,000 state scholarship and $5,000 national pageant scholarship.

This fall, Ms. Wood entered the Wharton School, the business-studies arm of the University of Pennsylvania. But she has yet to receive any of that scholarship money, having been locked in a dispute with the Miss South Carolina pageant for more than two years.

“You are talking about an organization that is promoting itself as the largest scholarship provider for women in the world,” Ms. Wood, 26, said of the Miss America Organization. “When contestants try to collect their funds, they encounter one obstacle after another.”

Ms. Wood said she was told that she would not get the $20,000 for winning the Miss South Carolina pageant in part because her two local pageants had not paid her $950 that she had won from them (Ms. Wood said that after she enrolled in classes, one group reneged on payment and the other dodged her when she tried to collect). In turn, because she did not receive the state money, the national pageant sent her a letter in June saying she was ineligible for the $5,000 from it, even though the deadline to use her national scholarship had not passed. “It’s like a game of gotcha,” she said. “What is very clear to me is that the goal is to not give out the scholarships if at all possible.”

Most of us have believed that the ugly underbelly of the pageants was the sexism and the unhealthy competition between contestants and their parents. I see now that the real problem is the financial shenanigans and broken promises f the pageants themselves.

Posted by: Greg at 10:43 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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But some will still deny that the Jews occupied Israel in the past, will still deny the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem, and will still advocate for their expulsion from the Holy Land. Historical evidence like this doesn't matter to them -- or to international organizations and "prestigious" universities that give such folks a platform to speak.

An ancient quarry where King Herod's workers chiseled huge high-quality limestones for the construction of the Second Temple, including the Western Wall, has been uncovered in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Sunday.

The quarry, which is located four kilometers northwest of the Old City of Jerusalem in the city's outlying Ramat Shlomo neighborhood, was used 2,000 years ago by dozens of King Herod's workers at the site during the construction of the Second Temple walls, archeologist Yuval Baruch said.

"This unique and sensational find is the first Second Temple quarry ever found," he said.

The site, which spans at least five dunams, was uncovered by chance during a "salvage excavation" carried out by the state-run archeological body over the last two months following municipal plans to build an elementary school in the area, he said.

Dozens of quarries have previously been uncovered in Jerusalem - including ones larger than the present find - but this is the first one that archeologists have found which they believe was used in the construction of the Temple Mount itself, Baruch said.

Archeologists had previously assumed that the quarry which was used to construct the Temple Mount was located within the Old City itself, but the enormous size of the stones found at the site - up to 8 meters long - as well as coins and fragments of pottery vessels dating back to the first century CE indicated that this was the site used 2,000 years ago in the construction of the walls of the Temple Mount, including the Western Wall.

"We have never found any other monument in Israel with stones this size except for the Temple Mount walls," Baruch said.

One more bit of proof of the undeniable presence of the Jews in Israel. One more bit of evidence for the Jewish nature and history of Temple Mount. One more fact to throw back at the anti-Semites.

And may we see the Temple rebuilt in our lifetimes.

Posted by: Greg at 10:39 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Come on -- let Grandpa and Great Aunt Martha have their doughnuts.

It was just another morning at the senior center: Women were sewing, men were playing pool — and seven demonstrators, average age 76, were picketing outside, demanding doughnuts.

They wore sandwich boards proclaiming, "Give Us Our Just Desserts" and "They're Carbs, Not Contraband."

At issue is a decision to refuse free doughnuts, pies and breads that were being donated to senior centers around Putnam County, north of New York City. Officials were concerned that the county was setting a bad nutritional precedent by providing mounds of doughnuts and other sweets to seniors.

The picketers said they were objecting not to a lack of sweets but that they weren't consulted about the ban.

"Lack of respect is what it's all about," said Joe Hajkowski, 75, a former labor union official who organized the demonstration. He said officials had implied that seniors were gorging themselves on jelly doughnuts and were too senile to make the choice for themselves.

Of course, this is precisely the problem when government is making the decisions. They don't consult you -- they decide for you.

Jon Edwards wants to tell us when we must go to the doctor. County officials want to tell seniors what they can have for a snack. Do we really want more government regulation of our lives?

Posted by: Greg at 10:32 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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One of the realities of being in business today is the need for a line of credit or other form of Business Loan to provide a financial lifeline for a company. After all, cash flow isn't always smooth and steady, and expenses often precede revenue.

That is why EZUnsecured.com is a great resource for small businesses. They provide business loans for small businesses, in the form of lines of credit, loans, and business credit cards. Working with EZUnsecured.com is going to get you an easy application and approval process, fast funding of your loan, and great service from the associates you work with. What more can a businessman ask for?

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Every now and then, liberal commentators have to pull out the same old template to comment on Republican racism. Never mind that the position is untrue -- it is holy writ among the Left, and must therefore be preached upon regularly.

And so you get this old chestnut from Paul Krugman.

Republican politicians, who understand quite well that the G.O.P.Â’s national success since the 1970s owes everything to the partisan switch of Southern whites, have tacitly acknowledged this reality. Since the days of Gerald Ford, just about every Republican presidential campaign has included some symbolic gesture of approval for good old-fashioned racism.

Thus Ronald Reagan, who began his political career by campaigning against CaliforniaÂ’s Fair Housing Act, started his 1980 campaign with a speech supporting statesÂ’ rights delivered just outside Philadelphia, Miss., where three civil rights workers were murdered. In 2000, Mr. Bush made a pilgrimage to Bob Jones University, famed at the time for its ban on interracial dating.

And all four leading Republican candidates for the 2008 nomination have turned down an invitation to a debate on minority issues scheduled to air on PBS this week.

Ah, yes -- the liberal intones the mantra: Republicans are racist.

But let's look at those examples Krugman cites.

Yes, Reagan did oppose the Fair Housing Act -- but not on the grounds that discrimination was a moral good, but rather because of a belief that the government should not be regulating how private individuals control their own property. Having watched an elderly family member suffer through an investigation of her refusal to sell her home to a black couple with lousy credit (they wanted a 75 year old woman to finance the sale herself for 10 years because they could not qualify for a mortgage with a bank) before selling to a white couple with cash in hand, I can't help but sometimes feel that the government has no business in this field.

For that matter, the Philadelphia, Mississippi speech --w hcih came after teh GOP convention, not at the beginning of his presidential run, reflected the same themes that Reagan had been addressing for years, as California Governor, as a radio commentator, and as a candidate for the GOP nomination. While the choice of Philadelphia Mississippi may have been questionable, it was not chosen because of its racial symbolism. Rather, it was chosen because of an invitation from a leading Republican congressman whose district included Philadelphia -- Trent Lott.

And as for Bush visiting Bob Jones University (a place which I believe no civilized individual should patronize), I can only note that he spoke to many groups in many places in South Carolina. I'm curious -- will Krugman insist that n Democrat speak at Columbia University this year (or in any future year) because of the platform given to Mahmoud the Mad this week? Will he label any candidate who does speak at Columbia as objectively pro-terrorist and anti-Semitic? I think we know the answer -- so why does speaking at BJU indicate that the candidate is somehow racist or insensitive? Could it be that Krugman is warm to terrorists and cold towards Jews?

And as noted recently by many major outlets, the GOP candidates turned down the PBS debate because it comes two days before the quarterly fundraising deadline. But Krugman would prefer to impute racism where none exists because it fits the template.

The GOP has, throughout its history, done more to provide opportunity for racial and ethnic minorities than the Democrats. What's more, it has done so without pandering to racial separatism, but rather by appealing to racial equality. But that won't make the cut in a Krugman column -- because it doesn't fit the template.

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It never ceases to amaze me how social networking sites have taken off over the last few years. It just seems to be a great way to expand one's range of friends and acquaintances, and to expand one's knowledge base as well if one joins a specialized community.

That's where MyWallSt.net comes into the picture as a great online community and resource for those interested in investing and making money -- whether as a big investor or a small one. It brings together interested individuals and many resources to share knowledge and ideas related to investing and investment strategy.

One nice thing about MyWallSt.net is that it operates in real time. There is none of the time delay that one encounters as a reader of books that are months (or even years) out or date, or even business periodicals (which are often weeks or days behind, just due to printing and delivery time). You are getting information RIGHT NOW about what is going on in the market, and how to take advantage of it. And with friends and mentors working together, you can certainly speed up that learning curve that all new investors have.

Oh, and did I mention that they also have a “fantasy league” for rookie investors, giving them a chance to make those novice mistakes with fantasy money – and win prizes as well.

Seriously, folks, this is a sight worth seeing – drop by and take a look.

Posted by: Greg at 10:10 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Yes, Rudy Giuliani didn't see terrorism as a threat before 9/11. Neither did most of America, Republican and Democrat, with the Clinton Administration being key among those who missed the threat level after the 1993 truck bomb in the World Trade Center.

Today, Rudy Giuliani has learned from that mistake following the horror of 9/11 -- but the Washington Post seems intent upon minimizing the reason for the change in his evaluation of the terrorist threat.

As Rudolph W. Giuliani campaigns for president, he rarely misses a chance to warn about the threat from terrorists. "They hate you," he told a woman at an Atlanta college. They "want to kill us," he told guests at a Virginia luncheon.

The former New York City mayor exhorts America to fight back in what he calls the "terrorists' war on us" and accuses Democrats of reverting to their "denial" in the 1990s, when, he said, President Bill Clinton erred by treating terrorism as a law enforcement matter, not a war.

Democrats, he said in July, have "the same bad judgment they had in the 1990s. They don't see the threat. They don't accept the threat."

It is a powerful message coming from the man who won global acclaim for his calm and resolve after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But it is undercut by Giuliani's record as mayor and by his public statements about terrorism since the 1990s, which document an evolution in thinking that began with a mind-set similar to the one he criticizes today.

And therein lies the difference -- in the 1990s, Rudy followed the prevailing wisdom that terrorism needed to be treated as a crime problem and handled by the courts. Today, he recognizes it as a national security problem that needs to be handled by other means. Democrats still want to handle the problem with cops and judges.

What it comes down to is this -- in a post-9/11 world, do we continue to follow 9/10 strategies. Rudy, who lived the devastation of 9/11, understands that we cannot. Rather than being criticized for holding a different view on handling the terrorist threat today than he did a decade ago, Giuliani needs to be applauded for moving forward rather than sticking with the failed policies of the past.

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Does your idea of a vacation getaway include casino gambling? Well if it does, check out MyCasinoAgent.com for some of the best deals around the internet. They can book you for trips to Vegas, Atlantic City, and other great casino gambling destinations. Not only will they arrange your hotel stay, they can even arrange ground transportation, air transportation, and dinner reservations! It is one-stop shopping for all your gambling junket needs!

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Can the Texans make it 3-0 this week? The loss of Andre Johnson is a problem, though, and the Colts are dominant. Still, a much-less talented Houston team beat the Colts last year as they prepared for their Super bowl run.

CBS had disabled embedding for the YouTube analysis of the game, but you can see it here.

In the mean time, here is another analysis for you.

This is a nationally televised this week, so let's hope they acquit themselves well and pull another miracle out of their hat.

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Oklahoma State University QB Bobby Reid is a graduate the high school where I teach. He was really savaged in a column this week by a hack reporter for one of the local papers. Coach Mike Gundy went off about it yesterday.

Bobby Reid is a fine young man. Thank you, Coach Gundy, for standing up for him.

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Let me explain.

Mitt Romney has remained mum on the alleged killing of 11 Iraqis by a company where one of his top advisers serves as vice chairman, even as the case has led to an uproar in Baghdad and Washington. Barack Obama, John McCain and other politicians have raised the possibility of tighter controls on the firm.

The top counterterrorism and national security adviser to RomneyÂ’s presidential campaign is Cofer Black, vice chairman of Blackwater USA. The Iraqis died after guards employed by the private security firm opened fire following an alleged attack on a State Department convoy under their protection. Blackwater has a lucrative contract to guard U.S. diplomats in Iraq.

Frankly, I think the Romney/Blackwater connection is a red herring. Romney should remain silent pending the outcome of this case, because we remain unsure of what happened and he should not be politicizing it or prejudging it.

This is the same position I took with regard to the irresponsible words of John Murtha, the corrupt, cowardly cut-and-run congressman from Pennsylvania. He gave a press conference declaring the Haditha marines guilty of war crimes and murder -- only to later see those men cleared. He still has not retracted his libel against them. I'd rather that Romney remain silent than follow such a shameful path.

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I can't help but note this fine profile of Justice John Paul Stevens. I encourage folks to read it -- and will likely assign it to my students the next time I teach US Government. It gives a fine insight into a complex jurist of the highest caliber -- though one with whom I often disagree on the outcome and reasoning of cases.

But I'm struck by this story.

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Chicago in 1941, Stevens enlisted in the Navy on Dec. 6, 1941, hours before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He later won a bronze star for his service as a cryptographer, after he helped break the code that informed American officials that Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, the commander of the Japanese Navy and architect of the Pearl Harbor attack, was about to travel to the front. Based on the code-breaking of Stevens and others, U.S. pilots, on RooseveltÂ’s orders, shot down YamamotoÂ’s plane in April 1943.

Stevens told me he was troubled by the fact that Yamamoto, a highly intelligent officer who had lived in the United States and become friends with American officers, was shot down with so little apparent deliberation or humanitarian consideration. The experience, he said, raised questions in his mind about the fairness of the death penalty. “I was on the desk, on watch, when I got word that they had shot down Yamamoto in the Solomon Islands, and I remember thinking: This is a particular individual they went out to intercept,” he said. “There is a very different notion when you’re thinking about killing an individual, as opposed to killing a soldier in the line of fire.” Stevens said that, partly as a result of his World War II experience, he has tried on the court to narrow the category of offenders who are eligible for the death penalty and to ensure that it is imposed fairly and accurately. He has been the most outspoken critic of the death penalty on the current court.

One can look at the death penalty from many different points of view, and this is one upon which I differ with Stevens -- particularly because the death penalty is clearly authorized in the Eighth Amendment, and therefore unambiguously constitutional. But his view on the intentional, targeted killing of Yamamoto strikes me as misplaced.

Yes, killing a random soldier or sailor is in some ways different from making a particular officer a target, with the intent of ending his life. But for all his Stevens' moral qualms, I think it is important to remember that military commanders, not just the man in the trenches, are legitimate targets. There really is no moral distinction between the two. And I wonder -- would he feel the same had he instead helped locate Hitler and therefore brought about the demise of that evil man (and likely the end of the war)?

Posted by: Greg at 01:20 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I love my wife's sunglasses. They look like something straight out of the late 1940s or early 1950s -- black and pink, like something some Joan Crawford or Jan Wyman would have worn on a ride into the studio. The neat thing, though, is that they are not designer sunglasses, but are actually a low-cost, no-name prescription pair.

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But not the one that Toobin tries to reveal in regards to the Bush v. Gore decision.

O’Connor was clearly Toobin’s most important source. She’s also — readers can decide if it’s coincidental — his hero: the justice, he argues, who through her pragmatic, seat-of-the-pants jurisprudence single-handedly kept the court close to the American mainstream, particularly on matters like reproductive freedom and affirmative action.

Excuse me -- court decisions, especially Supreme Court decisions, are not supposed to be based upon considerations like the political opinions of the majority of Americans or a judge's views of the same. They are supposed to be rooted in precedent, law, and the Constitution. If the picture painted by Jeffrey Toobin (and characterized above by reviewer David Margolick) is correct, Sandra Day O'Connor was unqualified to sit on the Supreme Court and performed her duties in an unfit manner for nearly a quarter of a century. It explains what I have long pointed out in my college level American government classes -- the lack of a clearly consistent jurisprudence on O'Connor's part. She is too busy trying to shape policy based upon some majoritarian impulse more appropriate to the Legislative or Executive branches.

As one of my students noted in a paper some years ago, an O'Connor opinion (especially when compared to those of her fellow justices) often seemed to be a conclusion in search of reasoning to support it. Now we know why.

Oh, one other comment on a Toobin tidbit discussed in the review.

Why were OÂ’Connor and Stevens the only colleagues the dying Rehnquist allowed into his home? And who most regularly persuades whom (if, on such a factionalized court, thereÂ’s any persuasion going on at all)?

Simple -- O'Connor and Rehnquist had known each other since their days at Stanford Law School (it is even suggested that there might have been a few dates). Stevens and Rehnquist had become fast friends in the latter's early days on the Court and worked together for some 30 years. The rest of the justices were at least a decade younger and had a decade less service on the Court -- and had all come aboard AFTER (or in Scalia's case, concurrent with) Rehnquist's move to the center chair on the bench. Their relationships were therefore different from the rest.

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Since it nearly October, I suppose I need to look for Halloween costumes now. After all, failure to do so will leave me with few options in Halloween costumes, and that simply won't do.

One year I waited until the last minute, and found myself forced to recycle the clerical collar from my seminary days and add some cheap black makeup so that I looked like a colleague at the Catholic school where I taught. It wasn't convincing.

This year, though, I want to wear something to scare the be-jeebers out of the neighborhood kids as they come around the house.

Option number one would certainly stand out -- the Emperor of Darkness. It is bright, it looks sharp, and could certainly convey a frightening face for the evening. After all, that long red robe and the black accessories do sort of stand out-- and if I use a light makeup that appears more deathly than satanic, I believe I would do well. After all, down here in Houston the warm night and high humidity would cause me to sweat like a pig in all that greasepaint. Something more powdery and pale would be more comfortable.

On the other hand, there is also this Gravedigger costume. It would let me blend into the darker surroundings of my front yard, and certainly has a creepier air to it. The makeup seems to be less intensive that fits well with the character, so it allows me to use my natural abilities.

Where can you go to get these costumes and more? Costume Cauldron has a great online present with over 14,000 costumes in stock for you to choose from. Their site is well, organized and easy to use, and includes great pictures and easy to find prices. They even have a good discount for you if you click on the comma in the line that reads “Our Store now has over 14,000 masquerade items for you to choose from!”

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The day before coming to America to speak to the UN and (based upon his request) desecrate Ground Zero.

A day before flying to New York to speak directly to the American people, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad struck a confrontational tone Saturday with a parade of fighter jets and missiles and tough warnings for the United States to stay out of the Mideast.

Three new domestically manufactured warplanes streaked over the capital during the parade marking the 27th anniversary of the Iraqi invasion of Iran, which sparked a 1980-88 war that killed hundreds of thousands of people. The parade also featured the Ghadr missile, which has a range of 1,120 miles, capable of reaching Israel.

Some of the missile trucks were painted with the slogans "Down with the U.S." and "Down with Israel." The parade also featured unmanned aerial surveillance drones, torpedoes, and tanks.

Tensions are high between Washington and Tehran over U.S. accusations that Iran is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons and helping Shiite militias in Iraq that target U.S. troops. Iran denies the claims.

Washington has said it is addressing the Iran situation diplomatically, rather than militarily, but U.S. officials also say that all options are open.

Our government needs to revoke Mahmoud the Mad's permission to enter America -- screw the UN and the Host Country Agreement. After all, what enforcement power do the terrorist supporters at the UN actually have?

On the other hand, assuming that this Iranian pig is allowed to enter the US, American citizens ought and should fully exercises their rights under the US Constitution to make him unwelcome at every turn. And if Mahmoud the Mad does attempt the desecration of Ground Zero, he must be physically prevented by doing so by American citizens. What's more, those citizens must resist any attempt by law enforcement officials to open a path for him to approach the site of the worst terror attack upon American soil, where his fellow hate-filled Muslim extremists murdered over 2700 Americans.

This week marks the Bush Administration's Elian Gonzalez moment -- will President Bush fail the test in the same way Bill Clinton failed his, accommodating evil anti-Americanism in the face of American freedom.

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I want to write a novel. Science fiction, in particular. Yes, I'm one of those geeky guys. And no, I'm not talking about being Heinlein or L. Neil Smith, writing serious books weighted down with political meaning and philosophy, but also backed up with good story-telling. No, I just want to write something fun and pleasurable to read --"escapist literature."

The problem is that I don't know where to begin. Writing a novel is a lot different than writing a blog, with its relatively short posts. I'd need to plot out a story, develop some good characters, and then actually write the darn thing!. That sounds like a lot of work, since my strong suit is not creative writing.

Not long ago, I came across a website that says it can teach me how to write a book in just 28 days. It claims that if I follow its plan I can complete the book while writing only one single hour a day -- and in bursts of no more than five minutes. That is astounding. And they do offer a money-back guarantee if you don't have a publishing contract within three months.

Why don't you drop by WriteQuickly.com and take a look -- and then tell me what you think.

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They don't want illegals either.

Fleeing stepped-up sweeps by the American authorities, illegal immigrants to the United States, mostly Mexican, are arriving in growing numbers at the foot of the bridge in this Canadian border town seeking refugee status.

Still more immigrants, mostly Mexicans living illegally in Florida, have begun trying to make their way past AmericaÂ’s northern border at other locations, the majority of them flying into the airport in Toronto, Canadian officials said Thursday.

So, will the fuzzy-minded liberals/socialists in Canada eventually decide they must take in all of the illegals? Or will they instead insist on deporting them home?

And if they decide to keep them, are they prepared to absorb all 12-20 million who are already violating America's immigration laws and who American citizens want out?

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If you want to avoid those junk calls.

he cherished dinner hour void of telemarketers could vanish next year for millions of people when phone numbers begin dropping off the national Do Not Call list.

The Federal Trade Commission, which oversees the list, says there is a simple fix. But some lawmakers think it is a hassle to expect people to re-register their phone numbers every five years.

Numbers placed on the registry, begun in June 2003, are valid for five years. For the millions of people who signed onto the list in its early days, their numbers will automatically drop off beginning next June if they do not enroll again.

"It is incredibly quick and easy to do," Lydia Parnes, director of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection, said in an interview with The Associated Press this week. "It was so easy for people to sign up in the first instance. It will be just as easy for them to re-up."

I'd rather not drop off the list, but I understand teh time-limit rule.

And it isn't like it is difficult to deal with -- it takes under 5 minutes every 5 years.

In fact, I just re-registered today, through 2012.

Here is where to go to get on the Do Not Call list -- or to renew your registration.

Posted by: Greg at 03:05 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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As a seminary-trained Christian who is also an educator, I find this story quite troubling.

A community college instructor in Red Oak claims he was fired after he told his students that the biblical story of Adam and Eve should not be literally interpreted.

Steve Bitterman, 60, said officials at Southwestern Community College sided with a handful of students who threatened legal action over his remarks in a western civilization class Tuesday. He said he was fired Thursday.

“I’m just a little bit shocked myself that a college in good standing would back up students who insist that people who have been through college and have a master’s degree, a couple actually, have to teach that there were such things as talking snakes or lose their job,” Bitterman said.

What, exactly, did Bitterman say?

Bitterman, who taught part time at Southwestern and OmahaÂ’s Metropolitan Community College, said he uses the Old Testament in his western civilization course and always teaches it from an academic standpoint.

Bitterman’s Tuesday course was telecast to students in Osceola over the Iowa Communications Network. A few students in the Osceola classroom, he said, thought the lesson was “denigrating their religion.”

“I put the Hebrew religion on the same plane as any other religion. Their god wasn’t given any more credibility than any other god,” Bitterman said. “I told them it was an extremely meaningful story, but you had to see it in a poetic, metaphoric or symbolic sense, that if you took it literally, that you were going to miss a whole lot of meaning there.”

Bitterman said called the story of Adam and Eve a “fairy tale” in a conversation with a student after the class and was told the students had threatened to see an attorney. He declined to identify any of the students in the class.

“I just thought there was such a thing as academic freedom here,” he said. “From my point of view, what they’re doing is essentially teaching their students very well to function in the 8th century.”

Now his words are harsh, impolitic, and maybe even mildly offensive -- but that does not mean they are wrong or that they should lead to discipline against him -- especially because they are, in my opinion, more or less correct.

The Genesis account of the creation cannot and should not be taken literally in light of the fossil record. It is best understood as an allegorical tale that communicates the essential truth that everything was created by God, and that our free will leads us to disobey God and to sever/strain our relationship with him. The story of Adam and Eve and the snake is therefore a myth -- but it is also true at its core.

And for those of you who object that the Bible is the revealed word of God (a contention which i whole-heartedly affirm), I offer this for your consideration -- if I can write an allegory, don't you suppose that the omnipotent God we both worship is able to do the same?

But regardless of whether we agree or disagree, and regardless of whether either of us agrees with Bitterman, there remains the question of academic freedom. There is a great body of academic literature which agrees with his position, and to fire him for citing it and teaching about it is not only wrong, but positively anti-intellectual.

It strikes me that Southwest Community College needs to offer a more public explanation of this personnel decision -- and that Bitterman should explicitly authorize them to do so. And if the comments on genesis have anything to do with the firing, Bitterman should be immediately reinstated.

And on a personnel note, I have more than a passing interest in such controversies. I've actually had a parent call my school and demand their child be removed from my class over a similar issue -- the inclusion of evolution in my World History class. Silencing truth in the name of religious sensitivity is simply wrong, whether the perpetrators of Christian, Muslim, or atheist.

A different viewpoint at Stop the ACLU

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Let's hope that the rest of the league has the integrity to not offer Barry Bonds a contract.

Barry Bonds was told by the San Francisco Giants that he won't play for them in 2008, he said on his Web site Friday. But baseball's all-time home run leader said he planned on playing somewhere next season.

In a statement, Bonds said: "This journal will be one of my last entries as a San Francisco Giant. Yesterday, I was told by the Giants that they will not be bringing me back for the 2008 season."

Giants owner Peter Magowan told Bonds of the decision in person Thursday night, said Bonds' agent, Jeff Borris.

Frankly, the MLB should have banned Barry Bonds before he passed Hank Aaron with his steroid-enhanced home run number 756*.

And for all you Barry Bonds fans out there, you can kiss my asterisk.

* home run count includes those hit while using illegal performance-enhancing drugs in violation of major league rules -- and which shrunk his package to smaller than that of a six-year-old.

Posted by: Greg at 02:06 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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New York is upset that Medicaid is no longer allowing chemo for illegals.

The federal government has told New York State health officials that chemotherapy, which had been covered for illegal immigrants under a government-financed program for emergency medical care, does not qualify for coverage. The decision sets the stage for a battle between the state and federal governments over how medical emergencies are defined.

The change comes amid a fierce national debate on providing medical care to immigrants, with New York State officials and critics saying this latest move is one more indication of the Bush administrationÂ’s efforts to exclude the uninsured from public health services.

State officials in New York and other states have found themselves caught in the middle. The New York dispute, focusing on illegal immigrants with cancer — a marginal group of unknown size among the more than 500,000 people living in New York illegally — has become a flash point for health officials and advocates for immigrants in recent weeks.

Under a limited provision of Medicaid, the national health program for the poor, the federal government permits emergency coverage for illegal immigrants and other noncitizens. But the Bush administration has been more closely scrutinizing and increasingly denying state claims for federal payment for some emergency services, Medicaid experts said.

Last month, federal officials, concluding an audit that began in 2004 and was not challenged by the state until now, told New York State that they would no longer provide matching funds for chemotherapy under the emergency program. Yesterday, state officials sent a letter to the federal Medicaid agency protesting the change, saying that doctors, not the federal government, should determine when chemotherapy is needed.

The problem with that argument is not, of course, that th federal government is defining what is needed. Rather, it is defining what is "emergency" care, and determining whether or not medical care is entitled to reimbursement from federal funds. And since long-term chemotherapy is chronic, rather than emergency, care, it clearly is not covered under the limited exception to the law that is intended to provide critical care in the case of an immediate medical crisis.

If an illegal immigrant needs chemo, let him or her return to the country of origin and receive the health care there under whatever medical program their home country has. And if the home country has no such program, explain to me again why I, as an American taxpayer, should provide it for a persona who is in this country in violation of our nation's laws.

However, if the state of New York disagrees, it may opt to spend its own tax dollars for the non-emergency treatment of border-jumpers. Similarly, private charities can step in and cover the cost. But the demand for illegal reimbursements for medical care for illegal aliens is unacceptable.

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Castro looks healthy.

Fidel Castro looked alert and healthier in a video taped Friday, the first images released of the ailing 81-year-old leader in more than three months. In the images aired unexpectedly on state television Friday evening, Castro wore a red, blue and white jumpsuit with "F. Castro" in small block letters. The Cuban leader spoke slowly and softly and didn't always look the interviewer in the eye, but appeared to be thinking clearly.

Officials broke into regularly scheduled programming only minutes earlier to announce that an hour-long "conversation" with Castro would be shown.

Castro mentioned the price of oil and the value of the Euro against the dollar, evidence that the video was recorded Friday, as Cuban officials said. At times, it was hard to follow his train of thought as he spoke about a wandering essay he published in state media Wednesday.

Which means, of course, continued oppression for the people of Cuba.

Couldn't the CIA arrange for him to receive a Semtex suppository?

Posted by: Greg at 01:43 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I have to tell you, my life has not been the same since we got a Dell notebook computer over the summer. We have really been impressed with the quality of the machine, and how convenient it is to take it along with us to doctor's appointments, events away from home, and even to a couple of local spots that are wi-fi sites.

As i think about the possibilities for our next computer purchase (the notebook was a gift), I wonder if I want to get a Cordless Desktop, to do away with all the wires. Or maybe another notebook, so we don't have to share. But regardless, I think my next purchase will be a Dell.

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Can be summed up in one line in a commentary in today's Houston Chronicle.

White people's refusal to acknowledge their own racism is a major stumbling block to addressing issues of race in this country.

But the reality is that this is NOT the major stumbling block, or even a major stumbling block, in the discussion. Instead, it is the demand that the writer makes that biased, bigoted, racist assumption that underlies that statement that is the major obstacles to addressing issues of race in this country. What is sought, therefore, is not discussion or engagement on controversial issues, but surrender and capitulation in an echo chamber of political correctness.

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I had not realized that yesterday was World Alzheimer's Day, a day intended to raise awareness of that terrible degenerative disease that afflicts so many people worldwide. It was a day marked with educational programs, government events, walkathons, and parties.

Yes, you read that correctly -- parties.

Why celebrate Alzheimer's disease? Well, that isn't the purpose of the "Purple Parties", friends. Rather, they are intended to raise money for research into Alzheimer's disease, in the hopes of curing and preventing it.

And you can still help. You can throw a Purple Party to help find a cure for Alzheimer's disease.

Here's what you need to do.

Visit the website at http://www.actionalz.org/fundraising/, or at one of the above links.

Register your party on the website. If you commit to raising at least $150, you will even receive a party kit to help you plan your party and supply your guests with important information about Alzheimer's disease.

If you can hold it by September 30, all funds raised will be matched by the Harrah's Foundation, so all gifts are doubled.

But the best thing is that you will be working towards a cure for a disease that has taken loved ones and heroes from us all, so that in the future no one will have to fade away into the misty twilight of mental decline that is Alzheimer's disease.

Posted by: Greg at 08:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The winning entries in the Watcher's Council vote for this week are Is War With Iran Now Just a Matter of Time? by Right Wing Nut House, and Dead Eyes by Acute Politics.  Here are the full results of the vote:

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When we bought our Texas home six years ago, we were very fortunate. We worked with a mortgage broker who was based in our real estate agent's office. Since I really didn't know anything about Mortgage Loans when I started, it may have been a good. She found a 30-year mortgage at a fixed rate comparable to other mortgages out there -- but with no money down because I'm a teacher. The loan was underwritten by a major national bank, so I knew it was reputable. The broker even managed to lower my rate by an additional 1/8 of a point just before closing due to a market fluctuation.

It wasn’t, however, perfect. Nobody noticed that my school district taxes through the neighboring county, not the county where the house is located. The result -- they missed $1200 in property taxes annually, which resulted in a $200 increase in my payment the second year as I struggled to fund my escrow to cover the shortfall as well as paying the full tax bill! So while the broker got me a great loan, the mistake put a squeeze on the budget for the first couple of years in the house.

Now would I look at refinancing my house? No -- the rate is still good and my equity and income would not shorten my loan term. And while I liked my broker, I wouldn't be using her again because of that tax oversight.

Posted by: Greg at 06:53 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I might have to consider it.

"No, I may slit my throat," former president Bill Clinton joked last night on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart after being asked how well he might cope with going from leader of the world's remaining superpower to husband of the first woman president.

So, what do you folks think – would the suicide of Billzebubba be sufficient reason to vote Hildebeast in 2008?

Or does Christian charity require working for her defeat in the name of preventing a needless death?

Or is this, like all the liberal threats to leave America if Bush won in 2004, simply another false promise designed to get our hopes up?

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I cannot imagine such callous indifference to others.

Shouting, "This is YouTube material!" a 27-year-old British man urinated on a dying woman who had collapsed on the street, the BBC and local Hartepool Mail and Northern Echo tell us. He also doused her with a bucket of water and covered her with shaving cream.

The woman, 50-year-old Christine Lakinski, died at the scene of pancreatic failure.

In a sad sign of the times, it was all recorded on a mobile phone.

In court, Anthony Anderson said he had smoked a joint and been drinking with two friends when they spotted Lakinski. He faces jail after pleading guilty to "outraging public decency." Sentencing is set for Oct. 22.

"We will await the outcome and just hope he gets what he deserves," Lakinski's brother said after today's court hearing.

But he won’t – there is no death penalty in the UK.

Posted by: Greg at 11:37 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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If my buddy over at Gone Mild is going to condemn a senator for condemning an ad calling an active duty military office commanding troops in the field a traitor, I want to know if he believes it to be true.

I've written about Claire McCaskill's abandonment of the people who elected her when the important issues arise. I suppose that, in the context of her blind support of Bush's war, her vote today to support a Senate Resolution condemning MoveOn's "General Betray Us" advertisement is hardly worth mentioning.

But, dammit, what in the hell is she thinking?

I understand the the Republicans like to attack the patriotism and human worth of anyone who dares to question their precious war. I understand that Republicans are offended when someone points out that Bush has hand-picked the lords of this war based upon partisan loyalty and sycophantry (sycophantocity? sycophanthood?) instead of merit.

But why would Claire McCaskill join them in telling America to shut up? Why would she join the Republicans in stifling dissent?

Personally, I think the MoveOn ad was poor judgment and poor taste. Not as bad as a Democratic Senator joining the Republicans to criticize Americans speaking their minds, though.

Well, Dan, what is it – is Petraeus a traitor or not? And if he is not, why do you object to a condemnation of an ad calling him one?

After all, you took great offense at a satirical post here on my site. Will you offer the same level of outrage over an actual accusation of treason against a serving military officer based upon a policy dispute?

Oh, and will you explain why this condemnation constitutes “stifling dissent” and criticizing “Americans speaking their minds” when you condemned my post (and that of Michelle Malkin) and insisted that we had no right to offer that criticism of Harry Reid? Why do you feel free to tell America to shut up while taking offense when others do the same? Doesn’t that constitute HYPOCRISY (a mortal sin when Democrats find it in Republicans) on your part?

Posted by: Greg at 11:36 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I’ve had local Democrats come here and take quotes out of context so as to “prove” some point about my blog and me personally – usually to claim that I am a racist and a religious bigot – by cherry-picking a sentence (or merely a part of a sentence) that confirms their pre-determined position.

IÂ’m therefore sympathetic to the President in light of a similar action by John Stewart.

This is the problem we're gonna have with the growing number of Americans getting their news from this guy:

Thanks to Jon Stewart and a quick edit on last night's Daily Show, the sufferers of Bush Derangement Syndrome will surely jump on a comment President Bush made yesterday that "Mandela is dead."

Only, Bush didn't say that. He was actually making a point that he and Ambassador Crocker have made several times since the Petraeus/Crocker testimony:

There could be no "instant democracy in Iraq" because "people are still recovering from Saddam Hussein's brutal rule," Bush told reporters.

Referring to former South African president Nelson Mandela, who led the fight against apartheid to become a symbol of reconciliation and hope, Bush said of Iraq: "I heard somebody say, 'Now where's Mandela?'"

"Well, Mandela is dead. Because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas."

Of course, Stewart and the writers at the Daily Show knew this. There's no way they saw the "Mandela is dead" clip without seeing the context. But the facts got in the way of an easy political joke. And, Stewart has the nerve to get all self-righteous on "Crossfire?" Ha.

Clearly he said something entirely different than that cherry-picked quote implied – something that does make a difference to the message. But then again, we’ve long expected such intellectual dishonesty from too many Democrats.

Posted by: Greg at 11:27 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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So it would appear, according to Congressman Henry Waxman.

The Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles is devoted to Jewish culture. It is well funded, backed by a $100 million endowment thanks in large part to its founders, Jack Skirball and Audrey Skirball-Kenis. Revenues were $885 million in 2005, CBS News reported. Many of its executives receive 6-figure salaries.

So why did taxpayers have to pony up $550,000 to build a playground for Skirball?

The center is rolling in money and pays no taxes. Why should Joe Sixpack give a dime to some well-endowed cultural center?

Congressman Henry Waxman, D-Beverly Hills, thatÂ’s why. He is proud of his Jewish heritage. He used his position to get $550,000 for Skirball.

“The amount of money that the Skirball got for this project was very, very small. It was $550,000,” Waxman told CBS.

It’s nice to know that Congressman Waxman believes that a sum of money equivalent to the pay of all the teachers on my end of the hall constitutes a “very, very small” sum of money.

Kudos to Don Surber for pointing it out – and for linking to the article.

Posted by: Greg at 11:26 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Is implying that a teenager is a virgin defamatory? Has our society really sunk to such a level of depravity?

A Dallas family has sued Australia's Virgin Mobile phone company, claiming it caused their teenage daughter grief and humiliation by plastering her photo on billboards and Web site advertisements without consent.

The family of Alison Chang says Virgin Mobile grabbed the picture from Flickr, Yahoo Inc.'s popular photo-sharing Web site, and failed to credit by name the photographer who took the photo.

Chang's photo was part of a Virgin Mobile Australia campaign called "Are You With Us Or What?" It features pictures downloaded from Flickr superimposed with the company's ad slogans.

The picture of 16-year-old Chang flashing a peace sign was taken at an April church car wash by Alison's youth counselor, who posted it that day on his Flickr page, according to Alison's brother, Damon. In the ad, Virgin Mobile printed one of its campaign slogans, "Dump your pen friend," over Alison's picture.

The ad also says "Free text virgin to virgin" at the bottom.

The experience damaged Alison's reputation and exposed her to ridicule from her peers and scrutiny from people who can now Google her, the family charged in the lawsuit.

"It's the tag line; it's derogatory," said Damon Chang, 27. "A lot of her church friends saw it."

Now i'll agree that the use of the picture without credit or permission is probably actionable -- but I'm stunned by that last line. Calling a 16-year-old a virgin is derogatory? Her reputation has been harmed because people at her church have seen it? Are you kidding? What do they teach at that church?

I can certainly understand if they implied that she was sexually immoral -- but to argue that Virgin Mobile defamed Alison Chang for saying that she was not engaged in sexual activity seems to be a stretch. To argue that her reputation is damaged by calling her a virgin seems to indicate that she prefers to be known as sexually active, or even promiscuous. What does this say about her values and those of her family, church, and larger community?

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Posted by: Greg at 11:10 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Under no circumstances should this evil man be permitted to defile Ground Zero.

Iran's president has defied the United Nations Security Council and snubbed the Bush administration, but there is one authority he can't ignore: the New York Police Department.

The NYPD announced Thursday that it had turned down a request by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to lay a wreath at the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. The Iranian leader is to arrive in New York on Sunday for the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

The problem is that under the Host nation agreement signed by the US with the UN, world leaders must be permitted to travel more or less freely within 25 miles of the UN Headquarters -- and the host nation (that means us) must provide security.

Which means, of course, that the US Secret Service may be in the position of squaring off with NYPD to enforce the international obligation to permit the Iranian terrorist-sponsor to go to the site of the single worst terrorist attack in American history.

I personally agree with John McCain.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should be physically prevented from visiting Ground Zero should he attempt to go to the "sacred" site where the World Trade Center once stood, Arizona Sen. John McCain joked Thursday.

"I think the president of Iran should be physically restrained if necessary," a laughing McCain told radio host Shawn Wasson. "I hope it doesn't come to that but we're not going to have that kind of desecration of what is sacred ground. Obviously, it is a propaganda ploy on his part, and if we allowed him to do it it would just embolden his followers and give him the publicity he seeks."

If this evil man attempts to approach Ground Zero, American citizens ought to defend the sacred site from desecration by fully exercising the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights -- rights that Mahmoud the Mad denies his own people.

This is one more reason for demanding that our government repudiate the Host Nation Agreement, expel the UN from American soil, and and renounce membership in that corrupt organization (perhaps forming a new one, open only to free nations, in its place).

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More on Dem funny money.

Norman Hsu, the Democratic fund-raiser with a habit of fleeing the law, confessed to FBI agents last week that he had pressured investors in what he now admits were phony business deals to contribute to political campaigns, prosecutors said in an indictment that was unsealed today.

The complaint, filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, accused Mr. Hsu of bilking at least $60 million from hundreds of investors in a nationwide Ponzi scheme, and using some of that money to illegally reimburse at least two people who made a total of $60,000 in campaign donations at his request.

While the complaint did not specify which candidates received the illegal or coerced contributions, federal authorities confirmed that one of them was Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Her presidential campaign has said it intends to return $850,000 to more than 200 people whose donations were bundled by Mr. Hsu.

If convicted of the three charges he faces — mail fraud, wire fraud and violating the Federal Election Campaign Act —Mr. Hsu could face a maximum of 45 years in prison.

Will every candidate divest him or herself of ALL Hsu-related donations --and refuse to take any money from the donors associated with those funds? Or will they simply keep the revolving door of campaign corruption going.

Oh, yeah -- and will the media begin to treat this case with the same seriousness they do accusations of corruption against Republicans like Tom DeLay?

Posted by: Greg at 10:13 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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