Just like the dinosaurs, a big old asteroid is coming to wipe us out.

A blue-ribbon panel of scientists is trying to determine the best way to detect and ward off any wandering space rocks that might be on a collision course with Earth.

"We're looking for the killer asteroid,'' James Heasley, of the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy, last week told the committee that the National Academy of Sciences created at Congress' request.

Congress asked the academy to conduct the study after astronomers were unable to eliminate an extremely slight chance that an asteroid called Apophis will slam into Earth with devastating effect in 2036.

Apophis was discovered in 2004 about 17 million miles from Earth on a course that would overlap our planet's orbit in 2029 and return seven years later.

Observers said that the asteroid — a massive boulder left over from the birth of the solar system — is about 1,000 feet wide and weighs at least 50 million tons.
After further observations, astronomers reported that the asteroid would skim by Earth harmlessly in 2029, but it has a one in 44,000 probability of slamming into our planet on Easter Sunday, April 13, 2036.

Hmmmm. . . one-in-44,000. I don’t know that I like those odds. So the article posits an Armageddon-like project to decrease the possibility of an impact. Of course, it may be the end of the world as we know it – but I feel fine.

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A pocket of magma beneath the earth’s crust in Hawaii – the first we can actually study.

A geothermal power company drilling a mile and a half deep on one of the Hawaiian Islands has for the first time encountered an undisturbed chamber of magma, or molten rock, scientists reported this week.

Before the discovery, which was made in 2005, the only access to magma had been on Earth's surface -- in the form of lava from volcanoes.

The 2,000-degree Fahrenheit material in the chamber is undergoing a complicated transformation that may give geologists the first real-time look at how the silicate-rich rock of continents is formed.

"This is Jurassic Park. This is first contact. Here we see this [continental] stuff being produced in its natural habitat," said Bruce D. Marsh, a geologist at Johns Hopkins University. He described the findings at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.

Imagine the possibilities.

Increased scientific knowledge.

Near limitless geothermal energy.

An ideal spot to house Gitmo detainees, given that it closely approximates the corner of Hell to which they will be consigned.

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And this time it is a liberal being censored!

Big Bear High School student Mariah Jimenez should be allowed to wear the "Prop. 8 Equals Hate" T-shirt she was banned from wearing on campus, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The 16-year-old sophomore, who is her class president, wore the tie-dyed T-shirt to school on Nov. 3, the day before voters approved the constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage in California.

Mariah's sixth-period teacher, Sue Reynolds, ordered her to remove the shirt during a meeting of the Associated Student Body.

When Mariah protested, Reynolds sent her to the principal's office.

"She said I shouldn't be wearing such divisive shirts, and my shirt draws a line down the school," said

Now IÂ’ve taken a pretty hard line on student speech in the past, relying on the seminal case in Tinker v. Des Moines, in which the Supreme Court ruled that students do not shed their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse gate. However, since Jimenez lives in the Ninth Circuit, IÂ’m going to have to take a different position, because the Ninth Circuit decided to overrule that precedent from a higher court and the higher court (the US Supreme Court) punted when offered the opportunity to reassert its authority and acknowledge that student speech on important political and social issues is protected by the First Amendment.

The irony, of course, is that the decision in which the Ninth Circuit stripped students of their First Amendment rights was a speech that allowed schools to suppress the speech of students critical of homosexuality. But since the Ninth Circuit undermined the notion that students have a First Amendment right to speak on such issues, it is hard to accept the argument that this is a violation of MariahÂ’s rights in any way. After all, the Ninth Circuit has more or less indicated that it will defer to school administrators in such instances, and they did indicate that they were seeking to avoid violence and disruption, just as the school had in the case in which the Ninth Circuit implicitly dispensed with the relevant Supreme Court precedent.

Ferraud sent Mariah's mother a letter dated Dec. 3 indicating the school's decision was more about Mariah's safety than about restricting free speech. She said district officials "were concerned about the potential disruption resulting from the fact that the shirt seemed to imply that those students who supported Proposition 8 were expressing `hate."'

And since many of those students were basing their position on Prop 8 on their religious views, and since at least some of those students would have been members of minority religions (Mormons and Muslims, among others), these students had every right to be left alone and not subjected to so-called hate speech, just as the judges ruled gay students had a similar right when the student in Harper v. Poway was banned from expressing “hateful” sentiments by wearing a shirt that read “Homosexuality is Shameful”. These members of minority faiths might have their poor psyches injured by such hateful words, just like the hypothetically-harmed homosexual kids in the earlier case. And while the fact that young Mariah made it through to sixth period with no disruption of the school day might seem compelling in arguing that the shirt caused no harm, Tyler Harper had made it through a substantial portion of the day without incident before his speech was suppressed by school authorities. If such facts are irrelevant in a case involving speech on one side of the gay issue, it should be equally irrelevant on the other as a matter of applying the law and Constitution equally.

Outside the Ninth Circuit, though, I would argue that Mariah should have every right to wear her shirt unmolested – and, indeed protected if necessary – by school authorities. If we are to teach our young people to be fully-informed and active citizens in a free society, both Mariah Jimenez and Tyler Harper OUGHT to be able to walk through the hallways of a school expressing diverse views of homosexuality and gay rights with the full support of teachers and administrators. In a world where Tinker v. Des Moines were a precedent which school authorities sought to uphold rather than undermine, actions like those of Jimenez and Harper would be seen as evidence that the schools had succeed rather than problems for administrators to deal with. Of course, in such a world we would view schools as a place which encouraged critical thinking and respectful self-expression rather than institutions in which teaching to the state minimum standards implicitly requires that No Child Gets Ahead.

By the way, let me state for the record that I do not fully agree (or disagree) with either studentÂ’s message. On the other hand, IÂ’d be proud to claim either as my student or my child, because each has engaged in an act of true patriotism by exercising their legitimate First Amendment rights and attempting to defend them appropriately when challenged by government authority. Each deserves better than they were given by their respective schools.

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Is anyone else troubled by the fact that Barack Obma has appointed a new Secretary of Education whose own school district under-performs the nation on standardized tests AND is provides such a lousy education that the president-elect and his wife refused to send their children to the district's schools.

In 2007, only 17 percent of eighth graders tested at or above grade level in reading in Chicago Public Schools – the school system administered by Arne Duncan since 2001.

President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday tapped Duncan to become secretary of education in the upcoming administration.

Duncan, hailed by Obama as a reformer, said he would like to take the lessons he learned in Chicago with him when he moves to Washington. “I'm also eager to apply some of the lessons we have learned here in Chicago to help school districts all across our country," Duncan said after Obama formally named him to the job in Chicago.

By every measure, Duncan is a FAILURE as a superintendent, with his reforms having been ineffective. Can our children afford to have the lessons he learned in Chicago applied nationwide, which would presumably lower student performance? We'd be going from "No Child Moves Ahead" to "No Child Learns To Read". I therefore urge the US Senate to reject Arne Duncan's nomination to be Secretary of Education.

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What Muslims don't want you to be able to publish.

Islamic proposals to ban criticism of religion, which have gathered strength since the publication of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad two years ago, threaten to derail an already troubled U.N. anti-racism conference planned for next year.

The European Union rejects suggestions by Algeria _ backed by other Muslim and African countries _ that limits on free speech are needed to stop the publication of offensive articles and images.

Supporters of the proposal, who have been pushing for such a ban to be included in international anti-discrimination charters, want it discussed in April at a high-level United Nations anti-racism meeting in Geneva.

What Muslims want to be able to publish themselves.

BOOK EXCERPTS from Islam or Fundamentalism? In light of the QorÂ’an and the Sunna by Imam Abou Hammaad Sulaiman Dameus Al-Hayiti

Homosexuals

* Homosexuality is a "perversion"
* Homosexuals "spread disorder on earth"
* Homosexuals and lesbians should be "exterminated in this life"
* "Homosexuals caught performing sodomy are beheaded"

Ethnic groups are not equal

* "Can we doubt the superiority of Islamic principles over the corrupt principles of Eastern and Western cultures ? Culture is based on the beliefs of a nation. The superior culture is the one closest to the revelation of Allah !"
* "This is the reason why ethnic groups are not equal"

Muslims are superior to Infidels

* "... a Muslim must never put his brother in Islam at the same level as an Infidel. In fact, to place Infidels at equality with Muslims is one of the greatest form of ignorance and injustice"
* "The rule is that the most disobedient among Muslims is better than the most virtuous, the most polite, the most honest and the most loyal among the Infidels"
* "The Muslim nation is actually the most balanced and the most righteous"

Christianity

* "It is because of this religion of lies, which goes against human nature, that the West is now full of perversity, corruption and adultery"

Jews

* Jews "spread corruption and chaos on earth"
* Most Jews "seek only material goods and money, apart from that, they have nothing"
* Jews "unjustly occupy" Palestine for the sole purpose of "filling this land with corruption and transgress the laws of Allah in the name of secularism"

The scary thing is that there are some in the West who are more than willing to allow precisely such a dichotomy of speech, establishing a regime under which even the mildest criticism of Islam will result in government sanction while even the most outrageous words of hate from Muslims will be treated as protected speech. This leads us back to the question I have asked more than once in the past -- are Islam and human rights able to coexist, or is Islam a fundamental threat to the human rights of all non-Muslims?

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And it isn't to perform an extra-constitutional impeachment.

The Illinois Supreme Court has refused to hear a challenge to Gov. Rod Blagojevich's fitness to hold office.

A spokesman said Wednesday that the court rejected the challenge without comment.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan had argued Blagojevich's legal and political troubles are keeping him from performing his duties. He has been charged with seeking kickbacks in choosing a successor for President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

Madigan argued that the governor's problems amount to a disability, so Blagojevich should have his authority removed temporarily.

My guess is that the court internally adopted a theory something akin to what I outlined here. However, they didn't need to explain their decision not to take the case, and did not. Now the ball is in the court of the branch constitutionally charged with dealing with impeachment.

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So, asking questions is now the equivalent of a physical assault?

In the few seconds it took Iraqi journalist Muntather Zaidi to wing a pair of shoes at President George Bush, the Middle East got its own version of Joe the Plumber.

Just as Joe Wurzelbacher's gripes to Barack Obama during the U.S. presidential election catapulted him to fame, Zaidi's burst of rage toward Bush during a Baghdad news conference Sunday has made him a household name across the Middle East.

To many, Zaidi is a hero for engaging in the ultimate Arab world insult -- hurling his shoes -- at Bush, who ducked to avoid being slammed in the head. To others, Zaidi is an embarrassment for a society that prides itself on being hospitable to guests, even those who are not much liked. Whichever way his act is viewed, there's no question that Zaidi, like Wurzelbacher, is no longer just another Joe.

Let's see -- Wurzelbacher asked a pointed question of a candidate who literally appeared on his doorstep -- the ultimate in free speech. Zaidi engaged in a violent attack and confuses that with free speech.

Personally, I think we'd do better to compare Zaidi to Squeaky Fromme or John Hinkley -- but somehow I expect the press to start comparing those two presidential assailants to Joe the Plumber instead.

H/T NewsBusters

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It is not that this priest started a ministry per se -- it is that he was forbidden to engage in any public ministry due to his history of misconduct.

A priest accused of having sexual conversations with teenage boys has been excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix for starting his own ministry.

The diocese announced Monday that Monsignor Dale Fushek and another Catholic priest who helped open the ministry are now prohibited from receiving church sacraments.

Fushek was the second highest-ranking administrator in the diocese. He is awaiting trial on charges including assault and indecent exposure over conversations from the 1980s and '90s.

He had been placed on paid leave, but his salary was cut off after Fushek started the ministry in defiance of the bishop's orders.

The problem here? Defiance of the bishop's authority -- and his continuing to publicly act as a priest after suspension for sexual misconduct. The bishop has been acting to protect the faithful from a sexual predator -- and has no applied the ultimate sanction in an effort to get Fushek to comply with his authority. Too bad the Washington Post didn't do a better job of covering the situation -- but then again, there isn't as much news in the Church getting it right on sex abuse.

UPDATE: I did a little furhter checking -- it appears that there was a more fundamental reason for the excommunication. Not only was he violating the restriction upon exercising public ministry (thus violating his promise to obey his bishop taken at ordination), but the ministry he and a laicized priest set up is actually a schismatic religious congregation with teachings contrary to those of the Catholic Church. Seems to me that the only surprise here is that anyone would be surprised by the excommunication.

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By one measurement, the answer would have to be that they are.

The residential patterns for current veterans and the patterns of state-level contributions of new recruits to the all-volunteer military have a distinct geographic tilt. And tellingly, the map of military service since 1973 aligns closely with electoral maps distinguishing red from blue states.

In 1969, the 10 states with the highest percentage of veterans were, in order: Wyoming, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, California, Oregon, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio, Connecticut and Illinois.

In 2007, the 10 states with the highest percentage of post-Vietnam-era veterans were, in order: Alaska, Virginia, Hawaii, Washington, Wyoming, Maine, South Carolina, Montana, Maryland and Georgia.

Over the past four decades, which states have disappeared from the top 10? California, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Illinois, all big blue states that have voted Democratic in the past five presidential elections. These states and another blue state, New York, which ranked 12th in 1969, are among the 10 states with the lowest number of post-Vietnam vets per capita. New Jersey comes in 50th of the 50 states; just 1 percent of current residents have served in the military since Vietnam.

Now IÂ’ll be the first to concede that there are any number of ways to interpret those statistics, as well as a host of reasons for them. And IÂ’ll also concede that military service and love of country are not the same thing. But it does show a certain cultural divide that exists in this country that runs deeper than mere voting patterns. After all, we heard statements time and again about who was serving in the military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Turns out that it was the people of the states who were voting in support of those conflicts by voting in support of the GOP.

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There are two ways of looking at this one. On one level, it shows how the imposition of civil rights laws on private entities can cause a burden on the exercise of rights by business owners, in this case religious liberty. But if such laws are to exist (and in the case of access for the disabled, I think they should), allowing stuff like this to happen without consequence is unacceptable.

Alun Elder-Brown, a recruitment executive, said he was left feeling "like a piece of dirt" after being barred from bringing the animal into Kirthon Restaurant in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on religious grounds.

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association said the decision was illegal under the Disability Discrimination Act and Mr Elder-Brown, 51, is now considering suing the establishment in The Pantiles.

It follows a series of successful prosecutions of Muslim taxi drivers who refused to carry guide dogs in their cars because they considered them unclean on religious grounds.

Mr Elder-Brown was taking his girlfriend out to celebrate her birthday with her five year-old daughter last week when he was told he would have to leave his dog, Finn, tied up outside.

He showed a card issued by the Institute of Environmental Health Officers certifying he and his dog were allowed into any premises but an argument ensued and the owners threatened to call the police if he did not leave.

Oh, yes – the presence o a dog might offend a Muslim, and so the rights of other citizens to freely access a public accommodation under the conditions established by law are once again overriden. Here’s hoping that the Brits will come down hard on those who committed this outrage, as they have in the case of a number of cab drivers playing this same game.

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Will there be another corruption scandal touching the nascent Obama Administration?

A federal grand jury is investigating how a company that advised Jefferson County, Alabama, on bond deals that threaten to cause the biggest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, did similar work in New Mexico after making contributions to Governor Bill RichardsonÂ’s political action committees.
The grand jury in Albuquerque is looking into Beverly Hills, California-based CDR Financial Products Inc., which received almost $1.5 million in fees from the New Mexico Finance Authority in 2004 after donating $100,000 to RichardsonÂ’s efforts to register Hispanic and American Indian voters and pay for expenses at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, people familiar with the matter said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation asked current and former officials from the state agency if any staff members in the governorÂ’s office influenced CDRÂ’s hiring, said the people, who declined to be identified because the proceedings are secret. Richardson, who is President-elect Barack ObamaÂ’s designate for Commerce Secretary, has a staff of at least 30 people.

This probe has been in progress for some time. It could ensnare Richardson directly, but even if his involvement is only tangential it has the potential to spatter the new president with even more scandalous muck. After all, this appears to be more of the Chicago Way of pay-to-play.

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I’ll concede that I have expressed some preferences for possible GOP nominees in 2012, but I also recognize that it is a bit early to commit oneself to a candidate. After all, the new president has not even taken his oath of office. So for John McCain to take this position vis-à-vis a possible Sarah Palin candidacy is not at all surprising.

Sen. John McCain said Sunday he would not necessarily support his former running mate if she chose to run for president.

Speaking to ABC's "This Week," McCain was asked whether Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin could count on his support.

"I can't say something like that. We've got some great other young governors. I think you're going to see the governors assume a greater leadership role in our Republican Party," he said.

He then mentioned governors Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Jon Huntsman of Utah.

McCain is no fool. He is correct in recognizing that we have a number of young governors (including not only the two he mentioned, but also Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal and Hawaii’s Linda Lingle who would be great candidates. There are also several promising members of the House and Senate who would be fantastic candidates. And let’s not forget Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, whose showing this year gives them serious name recognition that would help a future candidacy. But who knows – there may be some candidate who is not yet on anyone’s radar who could emerge and lead us to victory. David Petraeus, anyone?

So for anyone who wants to make this into a slight of Palin by McCain, please think again. After all, at this time in 2004 we all thought that 2008 would see the major Dems line up to put Hillary Clinton into the Oval Office. We saw how well that worked.

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Yeah, IÂ’ll post about it.

The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush in a supreme insult has suddenly become the talk of Iraq, hailed by marchers as a national hero but blasted by the government as a barbarian.

* * *

Zaidi shouted "this is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog," at Bush in a news conference he held with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during a farewell visit to Baghdad on Sunday.

The journalist then flung one shoe at Bush, forcing him to duck, followed by another, which sailed over Bush's head and slammed into the wall behind him. Throwing shoes at someone is the worst possible insult in the Arab world.

Zaidi was dragged struggling and screaming from the room by security guards and could be heard shouting outside while the news conference continued after momentary mayhem.

Now apparently the Iraqi government is charging him with crimes against the Iraqi state. I think this is the wrong move for them to make, for it turns him into a political prisoner. Rather, he should be charged with assault – for after all, this piss-ant is nothing more than a common criminal.

His employer is demanding he be released, claiming that his actions are merely free speech. They are wrong – his actions were assault (assault and battery, actually, as I understand that one individual may have been struck by one of the shoes). He isn’t being punished for his words – he ought to be punished for his actions.

The Insane Left is, of course, all in a tizzy over the incident, proving their fundamental moral and mental inferiority to even single-cell life forms. Consider a few of the comments documented by the folks at NewsBusters:

Here is a sampling of the the reaction from the Daily Kos:

Is the Iraqi reporter eligible for a Pulitzer?

• What will happen to this reporter? Do we need to send money for his representation in court or is he dead already? My concern is for this guy. I understand that Dana Perino got a black eye from a microfone in the melee. I'm sorry but retribution is sweet! If we could help this shoeless person I would.
  
• We can throw 9000+ combat boots at him as he waddles to Marine 1 for the last time.
  
• Michael Ware Was Grinning From Ear to Ear! Iraq journalist Michael Ware was shown on CNN telling Blitzer about the shoe throwing incident. He was positively gleeful.
  

And it wouldn't surprise me if quite a few other American journalists, whether based in Iraq or not, were also grinning from ear to ear in solidarity with the Kossacks over this incident. Meanwhile the Huffington Post comments were very similar to those of the Daily Kos:

• All I can hope for is that bubble boy takes a real good look at what he has wrought. He should rot.
  
• Find out who it was the guy deserves a medal of honor.
  you go iraqi guy! wooohooo! we should all be chuckin our shoes at him! lmao!!!! the shoebomber! lmao!!!
  
• I would love to throw something at Bush.. not a shoe though.. maybe a brick.. or cinder block.
  
• Give that man who threw his shoes at the shrub an award...or better yet a statue built in his own likeness.
  
• Shall we say thank you Al-Jazeera?
  
• The next time you see Bush's motorcade rush by, don't let anyone keep you from giving him your shoe, too...
  
• does anybody know the name and address of the man who threw the shoe? I'd like to buy him a new pair and throwing lessons.
  

And finally, last but least, we have the input from the loons at the Democratic Underground:

• F---ing shame he missed.
  
• Too bad Shrub didn't get his teeth knocked out, that guys a true hero!
  
• *sigh* why can't anyone ever hit their targets? is it asking too much too see Bush hit in the face with a shoe, or Coulter with a pie, or Rove with flaming poo?
  
• I soooooo wish I could throw something at the idiot too.
  

Now I wonder if these folks will be so receptive to the first time “. . . a shoe, or. . . a pie, or. . . a bag of flaming poo” is thrown at Barack Obama? Or will these same morons apply a different standard to their new god (whose tin idol is already tarnished by the Blagojevich connection), demanding harsh treatment of the offender?

By the way, the idiot KOSsack who asked if Zaidi was already dead ought to consider something – if this were the Iraq that existed prior to the US liberation of that country, his actions would have earned him and his entire family prison and probably death by some barbaric methodology. If this were the Iraq that the Left’s beloved terrorists want, Zaidi would already have been decapitated for his crime. For that matter, what would have happened anywhere in the rest of the Arab/Muslim world if he had tried that with one of their leaders? The question answers itself. Instead, this semi-talented journalistic hack will be something of a hero to a certain segment of the Iraqi populace, while being excoriated by others – and he may face a short time in jail or a fine for his clearly inappropriate action.

After all, there are limits to freedom of expression – and Zaidi needs to learn that it ends where assault begins.

By the way, I have to agree with this point by Talking Points MemoÂ’s Josh Marshall:

But watching the video of the Iraqi journalist throwing his shoes at President Bush, I could not help but notice that it took an uncomfortably long period of time for anyone to get to the assailant and, even more, much longer than I would have expected for anyone who looked like Secret Service to get to the president and block his body or get him out of harm's way.

I guess the point here is that this was a very confined space. Presumably the Secret Service controlled access to the degree that they were confident there were no unauthorized weapons in the room. And they wouldn't have to worry about someone with a gun at a greater distance. So they may have been less worried about jumping in front of the president, etc.

Maybe I'm just over-analyzing this. And obviously a president can't be under lock and key at all moments, with Secret Service agents ready to throw him to the floor at a moment's notice. But for an American president, any moment in Iraq has to be considered a very high risk situation. So it did make me wonder.

That was, in fact, my first reaction to the incident.

UPDATE: Here's the best reaction I've seen from an Iraqi:

“I spent five years in Saddam’s jails,” said Saman Qadir, a 51-year-old mechanic. “This journalist has to throw flowers on Bush, not a shoe, because Bush saved the Iraqi people from a bloody regime. Malaki has to raise a case against this journalist.”

But then again, for some it all comes down to the shop-worn "Bush=Hitler" meme.

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During my seminary days, I had multiple opportunities to read the work of a great American theologian -- Avery Cardinal Dulles. Word has come today that he has passed from this life into the next, at the age of 90.

Cardinal Avery Dulles, a convert to Roman Catholicism from a prominent American family who was the only U.S. theologian named a cardinal without first becoming a bishop, died Friday. He was 90.

Dulles, a Jesuit, died in an infirmary at Fordham University, where he was a professor for two decades, according to the Rev. Jim Martin of America, a Jesuit magazine that regularly published Dulles' articles.

Pope John Paul II appointed Dulles in 2001 to the College of Cardinals, making him the first American Jesuit and the first U.S. theologian outside of a diocese to be named a cardinal. He was considered the dean of American Catholic theologians.

Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI considered Dulles to be so important that the pontiff made a personal visit to the cardinal while in the United States this spring. There are few who have had such an honor -- but Dulles was an extraordinary man.

When I read Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain, I noted a passage regarding the large number of veterans attracted to the priesthood and/or monastic life following the end of the Second World War. Like Merton, Dulles was one of them, converting to Catholicism in 1946 and eventually being ordained a priest in 1956.

During Vatican II he was seen as one of the great progressives, but in his later years he was often counted among the traditionalists (quite similar to the paths taken by Bishop Karol Wotyla and Father Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI) -- an example, as one of my seminary professors pointed out, that the purpose of the Council may have been to modernize the Church, but not to change it in its essentials.

Dulles was often noted for his great intellect as well as his great personal holiness. Perhaps the best tribute I can give is to quote from his last lecture, one which he was too weak to deliver himself but for which he was present this past April.

"The most important thing about my career, and many of yours, is the discovery of the pearl of great price, the treasure hidden in the field -- the Lord Jesus himself."

And to that I add a hearty "AMEN".

UPDATE: The New York Times provides this beautiful coverage of the funeral of Avery Cardinal Dulles.

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During my seminary days, I had multiple opportunities to read the work of a great American theologian -- Avery Cardinal Dulles. Word has come today that he has passed from this life into the next, at the age of 90.

Cardinal Avery Dulles, a convert to Roman Catholicism from a prominent American family who was the only U.S. theologian named a cardinal without first becoming a bishop, died Friday. He was 90.

Dulles, a Jesuit, died in an infirmary at Fordham University, where he was a professor for two decades, according to the Rev. Jim Martin of America, a Jesuit magazine that regularly published Dulles' articles.

Pope John Paul II appointed Dulles in 2001 to the College of Cardinals, making him the first American Jesuit and the first U.S. theologian outside of a diocese to be named a cardinal. He was considered the dean of American Catholic theologians.

Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI considered Dulles to be so important that the pontiff made a personal visit to the cardinal while in the United States this spring. There are few who have had such an honor -- but Dulles was an extraordinary man.

When I read Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain, I noted a passage regarding the large number of veterans attracted to the priesthood and/or monastic life following the end of the Second World War. Like Merton, Dulles was one of them, converting to Catholicism in 1946 and eventually being ordained a priest in 1956.

During Vatican II he was seen as one of the great progressives, but in his later years he was often counted among the traditionalists (quite similar to the paths taken by Bishop Karol Wotyla and Father Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI) -- an example, as one of my seminary professors pointed out, that the purpose of the Council may have been to modernize the Church, but not to change it in its essentials.

Dulles was often noted for his great intellect as well as his great personal holiness. Perhaps the best tribute I can give is to quote from his last lecture, one which he was too weak to deliver himself but for which he was present this past April.

"The most important thing about my career, and many of yours, is the discovery of the pearl of great price, the treasure hidden in the field -- the Lord Jesus himself."

And to that I add a hearty "AMEN".

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During my seminary days, I had multiple opportunities to read the work of a great American theologian -- Avery Cardinal Dulles. Word has come today that he has passed from this life into the next, at the age of 90.

Cardinal Avery Dulles, a convert to Roman Catholicism from a prominent American family who was the only U.S. theologian named a cardinal without first becoming a bishop, died Friday. He was 90.

Dulles, a Jesuit, died in an infirmary at Fordham University, where he was a professor for two decades, according to the Rev. Jim Martin of America, a Jesuit magazine that regularly published Dulles' articles.

Pope John Paul II appointed Dulles in 2001 to the College of Cardinals, making him the first American Jesuit and the first U.S. theologian outside of a diocese to be named a cardinal. He was considered the dean of American Catholic theologians.

Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI considered Dulles to be so important that the pontiff made a personal visit to the cardinal while in the United States this spring. There are few who have had such an honor -- but Dulles was an extraordinary man.

When I read Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain, I noted a passage regarding the large number of veterans attracted to the priesthood and/or monastic life following the end of the Second World War. Like Merton, Dulles was one of them, converting to Catholicism in 1946 and eventually being ordained a priest in 1956.

During Vatican II he was seen as one of the great progressives, but in his later years he was often counted among the traditionalists (quite similar to the paths taken by Bishop Karol Wotyla and Father Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI) -- an example, as one of my seminary professors pointed out, that the purpose of the Council may have been to modernize the Church, but not to change it in its essentials.

Dulles was often noted for his great intellect as well as his great personal holiness. Perhaps the best tribute I can give is to quote from his last lecture, one which he was too weak to deliver himself but for which he was present this past April.

"The most important thing about my career, and many of yours, is the discovery of the pearl of great price, the treasure hidden in the field -- the Lord Jesus himself."

And to that I add a hearty "AMEN".

Posted by: Greg at 05:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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During my seminary days, I had multiple opportunities to read the work of a great American theologian -- Avery Cardinal Dulles. Word has come today that he has passed from this life into the next, at the age of 90.

Cardinal Avery Dulles, a convert to Roman Catholicism from a prominent American family who was the only U.S. theologian named a cardinal without first becoming a bishop, died Friday. He was 90.

Dulles, a Jesuit, died in an infirmary at Fordham University, where he was a professor for two decades, according to the Rev. Jim Martin of America, a Jesuit magazine that regularly published Dulles' articles.

Pope John Paul II appointed Dulles in 2001 to the College of Cardinals, making him the first American Jesuit and the first U.S. theologian outside of a diocese to be named a cardinal. He was considered the dean of American Catholic theologians.

Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI considered Dulles to be so important that the pontiff made a personal visit to the cardinal while in the United States this spring. There are few who have had such an honor -- but Dulles was an extraordinary man.

When I read Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain, I noted a passage regarding the large number of veterans attracted to the priesthood and/or monastic life following the end of the Second World War. Like Merton, Dulles was one of them, converting to Catholicism in 1946 and eventually being ordained a priest in 1956.

During Vatican II he was seen as one of the great progressives, but in his later years he was often counted among the traditionalists (quite similar to the paths taken by Bishop Karol Wotyla and Father Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI) -- an example, as one of my seminary professors pointed out, that the purpose of the Council may have been to modernize the Church, but not to change it in its essentials.

Dulles was often noted for his great intellect as well as his great personal holiness. Perhaps the best tribute I can give is to quote from his last lecture, one which he was too weak to deliver himself but for which he was present this past April.

"The most important thing about my career, and many of yours, is the discovery of the pearl of great price, the treasure hidden in the field -- the Lord Jesus himself."

And to that I add a hearty "AMEN".

Posted by: Greg at 05:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 495 words, total size 3 kb.

During my seminary days, I had multiple opportunities to read the work of a great American theologian -- Avery Cardinal Dulles. Word has come today that he has passed from this life into the next, at the age of 90.

Cardinal Avery Dulles, a convert to Roman Catholicism from a prominent American family who was the only U.S. theologian named a cardinal without first becoming a bishop, died Friday. He was 90.

Dulles, a Jesuit, died in an infirmary at Fordham University, where he was a professor for two decades, according to the Rev. Jim Martin of America, a Jesuit magazine that regularly published Dulles' articles.

Pope John Paul II appointed Dulles in 2001 to the College of Cardinals, making him the first American Jesuit and the first U.S. theologian outside of a diocese to be named a cardinal. He was considered the dean of American Catholic theologians.

Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI considered Dulles to be so important that the pontiff made a personal visit to the cardinal while in the United States this spring. There are few who have had such an honor -- but Dulles was an extraordinary man.

When I read Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain, I noted a passage regarding the large number of veterans attracted to the priesthood and/or monastic life following the end of the Second World War. Like Merton, Dulles was one of them, converting to Catholicism in 1946 and eventually being ordained a priest in 1956.

During Vatican II he was seen as one of the great progressives, but in his later years he was often counted among the traditionalists (quite similar to the paths taken by Bishop Karol Wotyla and Father Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI) -- an example, as one of my seminary professors pointed out, that the purpose of the Council may have been to modernize the Church, but not to change it in its essentials.

Dulles was often noted for his great intellect as well as his great personal holiness. Perhaps the best tribute I can give is to quote from his last lecture, one which he was too weak to deliver himself but for which he was present this past April.

"The most important thing about my career, and many of yours, is the discovery of the pearl of great price, the treasure hidden in the field -- the Lord Jesus himself."

And to that I add a hearty "AMEN".

Posted by: Greg at 05:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 495 words, total size 3 kb.

During my seminary days, I had multiple opportunities to read the work of a great American theologian -- Avery Cardinal Dulles. Word has come today that he has passed from this life into the next, at the age of 90.

Cardinal Avery Dulles, a convert to Roman Catholicism from a prominent American family who was the only U.S. theologian named a cardinal without first becoming a bishop, died Friday. He was 90.

Dulles, a Jesuit, died in an infirmary at Fordham University, where he was a professor for two decades, according to the Rev. Jim Martin of America, a Jesuit magazine that regularly published Dulles' articles.

Pope John Paul II appointed Dulles in 2001 to the College of Cardinals, making him the first American Jesuit and the first U.S. theologian outside of a diocese to be named a cardinal. He was considered the dean of American Catholic theologians.

Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI considered Dulles to be so important that the pontiff made a personal visit to the cardinal while in the United States this spring. There are few who have had such an honor -- but Dulles was an extraordinary man.

When I read Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain, I noted a passage regarding the large number of veterans attracted to the priesthood and/or monastic life following the end of the Second World War. Like Merton, Dulles was one of them, converting to Catholicism in 1946 and eventually being ordained a priest in 1956.

During Vatican II he was seen as one of the great progressives, but in his later years he was often counted among the traditionalists (quite similar to the paths taken by Bishop Karol Wotyla and Father Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI) -- an example, as one of my seminary professors pointed out, that the purpose of the Council may have been to modernize the Church, but not to change it in its essentials.

Dulles was often noted for his great intellect as well as his great personal holiness. Perhaps the best tribute I can give is to quote from his last lecture, one which he was too weak to deliver himself but for which he was present this past April.

"The most important thing about my career, and many of yours, is the discovery of the pearl of great price, the treasure hidden in the field -- the Lord Jesus himself."

And to that I add a hearty "AMEN".

Posted by: Greg at 05:00 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 495 words, total size 3 kb.

During my seminary days, I had multiple opportunities to read the work of a great American theologian -- Avery Cardinal Dulles. Word has come today that he has passed from this life into the next, at the age of 90.

Cardinal Avery Dulles, a convert to Roman Catholicism from a prominent American family who was the only U.S. theologian named a cardinal without first becoming a bishop, died Friday. He was 90.

Dulles, a Jesuit, died in an infirmary at Fordham University, where he was a professor for two decades, according to the Rev. Jim Martin of America, a Jesuit magazine that regularly published Dulles' articles.

Pope John Paul II appointed Dulles in 2001 to the College of Cardinals, making him the first American Jesuit and the first U.S. theologian outside of a diocese to be named a cardinal. He was considered the dean of American Catholic theologians.

Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI considered Dulles to be so important that the pontiff made a personal visit to the cardinal while in the United States this spring. There are few who have had such an honor -- but Dulles was an extraordinary man.

When I read Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain, I noted a passage regarding the large number of veterans attracted to the priesthood and/or monastic life following the end of the Second World War. Like Merton, Dulles was one of them, converting to Catholicism in 1946 and eventually being ordained a priest in 1956.

During Vatican II he was seen as one of the great progressives, but in his later years he was often counted among the traditionalists (quite similar to the paths taken by Bishop Karol Wotyla and Father Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI) -- an example, as one of my seminary professors pointed out, that the purpose of the Council may have been to modernize the Church, but not to change it in its essentials.

Dulles was often noted for his great intellect as well as his great personal holiness. Perhaps the best tribute I can give is to quote from his last lecture, one which he was too weak to deliver himself but for which he was present this past April.

"The most important thing about my career, and many of yours, is the discovery of the pearl of great price, the treasure hidden in the field -- the Lord Jesus himself."

And to that I add a hearty "AMEN".

Posted by: Greg at 05:00 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 495 words, total size 3 kb.

I'm regularly told that I'm not allowed to question the patriotism of Democrats -- even when they support policies that endanger our national security, parrot enemy propaganda during time of war, or conspire with America's enemies to influence American elections. After all, I'm told, the GOP does not have the monopoly on love of country -- and that dissent is the highest form of patriotism.

Now, however, the failure of Republican legislators to support legislation being rammed through by the Democrats who lead the Senate is described as unpatriotic by leading Democrats without a word of protest by the media or GOP leaders.

Consider these two statements, both made in the wake of the defeat of the Big Three bailout.

First, Congressman John Dingell.

“Last night, some Southern Senators kicked American workers in the gut,” Dingell said in a statement released by his office. “Let’s be clear about what happened in the Senate: Senators from states where the international automakers do considerable business unpatriotically blocked a bill that was supported by the White House, that passed the House with a bipartisan majority, and that had the support of 52 Senators.”

And then Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

"It is unacceptable for this un-American, frankly, behavior of these U.S. senators to cause this country to go from a recession into a depression," Granholm said during a radio interview Friday morning.

Notice, if you will, that failure to support the bill is not presented as a disagreement on principle, a policy difference, or even simply wrong. The Democrats have gone right to the patriotism of those who dare to disagree with their proposal to give another bailout to big business without giving a bit of relief to the average taxpayer. Now that they have seized power at the polls, dissent cannot be permitted, and dissenters have to be clearly labeled as the enemy of all decent Americans.

Oh, and let me make a little side note about Dingell. Could it be that his vote on the bailout bill, and his criticism of those who opposed it, is less about the needs of the country and more about the need of his stock portfolio?

[N]obodyÂ’s been a bigger advocate for Motor City interests than Dingell. And for him, the stakes arenÂ’t just political, theyÂ’re personal.

“There’s an actual conflict,” said Ryan Alexander of the nonprofit group Taxpayers for Common Sense. “His personal financial health, you know, the wealth of his family is tied up in the car industry.”

DingellÂ’s wife Debbie once worked as a lobbyist for GM.

When she married the congressman, she became a senior GM executive at an undisclosed salary. And we found the couple has extensive GM assets.

DingellÂ’s current financial disclosure filed in May lists GM stock worth up to $350,000, options worth up to $1 million more, and a GM pension fund. In 2000, among the DingellsÂ’ GM assets were stock options worth up to $5 million.

And in 1998, the congressman reported selling GM stock options worth up to $1 million dollars.

If Dingell were a Republican, I'm sure folks would accuse him of having a major conflict of interest. After all, a GM bankruptcy would certainly lead to sever financial losses for him and his wife. But since he has a D after his name, I suspect that the conflict of interest will be ignored and he will be permitted o cast aspersions on the patriotism of political dissenters.

Frankly, I'd love to see Granholm's disclosure forms as well. I know what I think we would find there, and it would certainly call into question whether her words were based upon the best interests of the country or the best interests of her personal finances.

H/T The Next Right

Posted by: Greg at 03:37 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Are the Democrats so short of credible folks to occupy newly vacated Senate seats that they will turn to not merely one, but instead two, members of the Kennedy clan to fill them?

Is Chris Kennedy, the son of the late, great U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, a possible entrant on the list to fill Presidentelect Barack Obama's Senate seat?

• • To wit: Sneed hears Kennedy's name has been wafted into the inner circle of Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, who would be the guy who chooses Obama's replacement if Gov. Blagojevich resigns.

• • Quoth Dem politico Jay Doherty, a Kennedy confidant: "It would give Pat Quinn the answer to the puzzle before him if he becomes governor."

• • The upshot: Word is Kennedy, who is also the nephew of Sen. Ted Kennedy, a major Obama supporter, is likely to accept if asked.

• • Hmmm: Wouldn't that be something: An offspring of the legendary Kennedy line as a senator from Illinois? Stay tuned.

Like his cousin Caroline (often mentioned as a replacement for Hillary Rodham Clinton), Chris Kennedy has no significant credentials for the office besides his name and has never held elective office. But what the heck -- who needs experience if you are a Kennedy?

Posted by: Greg at 03:11 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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As you all know, I am not a fan of the folks at Daily Kos. I consider it a cesspool of the worst that liberalism has to offer -- hate, profanity, and anti-Americanism.

That said, I can't help but be struck by this diary about Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's effort to do an end-run around the Illinois Constitution's impeachment provisions by having the Illinois Supreme Court declare Gov. Rod Blagojevich unfit for office. It mirrors my own thoughts on the matter, which I had been planning to write about tonight.

The Illinois Attorney General is trying to stage a Thai-style coup this weekend. I know that Blagojevich is an asshole and should leave office forthwith, but even if it's technically legal, having the Supreme Court remove him without due process is antidemocratic and the wrong way to go about it.

The constitutions of the several states are all based on the same principles of the Federal one, three coequal branches providing checks and balances. While this is less efficient than the parliamentary system, where the chairman of committee of the legislature has near dictatorial powers for a time (see Canada), the removal of an elected executive by members of an unelected branch without due process is nothing more than a coup d'etat and anti-democratic. I have no brief for Blagojevich and what he did, but this way of getting rid of him is profoundly wrong.

the law in question was about the Governor being in coma or being so physically damaged that CANNOT physically do his job. This is not the case here. Blagojevich may be a felonious asshole, but to some extent, so are the other 49 governors, Look at Sarah Palin, for example, or Jennifer Granholm, who is only slightly more popular than Blagojevich. Just because Blago got caught doesn't mean the Supreme Court can get rid of him without due process. If he was in a coma or in the hospital heavily sedated, means he couldn't object, and in the latter case, he could probably get his job back as soon he was well enough to ask for it. OR could he?

Of course, the diarist does make a small mistake -- in Illinois the judicial branch is elected. However, the reality is that removal of an executive who has not been convicted of a crime is the sole province of either the voters (refusal to reelect) or the legislative branch (impeachment). The incapacity provision is clearly intended to cover a physical or mental illness, not political corruption. A quick check of the Illinois Constitution makes it clear where the power to remove a corrupt governor lies:

ARTICLE IV SECTION 14. IMPEACHMENT
The House of Representatives has the sole power to conduct legislative investigations to determine the existence of cause for impeachment and, by the vote of a majority of the members elected, to impeach Executive and Judicial
officers. Impeachments shall be tried by the Senate. When sitting for that purpose, Senators shall be upon oath, or affirmation, to do justice according to law. If the Governor is tried, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall preside. No person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the Senators elected. Judgment shall not extend beyond removal from office and disqualification to hold any public office of this State. An impeached officer,
whether convicted or acquitted, shall be liable to prosecution, trial, judgment and punishment according to law.

Given that it is a bedrock principle of our system that members of one branch may not delegate their constitutional prerogatives to officers of another branch, it is obvious that the Madigan gambit is in violation of the Illinois Constitution of 1970.

Why, then, is Madigan making this effort? While one could infer that she is doing so out of concern for good government, consider a couple of points. First, Madigan is seen as atop candidate for governor in the next election. This effort would burnish her image in advance of the election. Second, Madigan's father, the Speaker of the Illinois House, is a Blagojevich enemy who would be spared the need to impeach a governor of his own party by this move. And third, there is currently the incentive for Blagojevich to rat out any legislator who votes for impeachment or conviction, so this provides cover for a host of grateful Illinois pols.

Sadly, We the People have become less concerned to constitutional niceties when they get in the way of what we want done. Here's hoping that there are enough judges on the Illinois Supreme Court who still recognize that a constitution is more than just a piece of paper to be ignored when it suits them. Impeachment, not removal for unfitness, is the proper outcome. It is so simple that even a Kossack can see it.

UPDATE: Not precisely on this point, but Darren makes a point that is certainly tangential to one of mine in this post about how Republics degenerate.

UPDATE 2: Althouse offers a much more detailed explanation of what is wrong with this move by Madigan from a constitutional viewpoint.

Posted by: Greg at 02:56 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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An apparent arson attack has caused major damage to Barack Obama's home church, Trinity United Church of Christ.

Fire officials are investigating a suspicious blaze at one of the biggest churches in Chicago. The pastor is estimating damage at more than $1 million.No one was injured in the fire at Trinity United Church of Christ, which started late Friday. About a half dozen church members were in the building doing crafts when the fire began but were able to get out safely after the building's fire alarm sounded, a church spokesman said.

"This fire is definitely suspicious," said Central Mat-Su Fire Chief James Steele.

Needless to say, this is a political attack by hate-filled Rethugliklans out to silence the prophetic voice of the black church and intimidate Barack Obama and his fellow progressive Christians. The Leftosphere is aflame in outrage, demanding action that includes the silencing of "hate radio" that obviously created the climate for such an attack

Oh.

I'm sorry.

The version of the story I received was apparently flawed.

Different church. Different city. Different state. Different major politician.

Fire officials are investigating a suspicious blaze at one of the biggest churches in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The pastor is estimating damage at more than $1 million.No one was injured in the fire at the Wasilla Bible Church, which started late Friday. About a half dozen church members were in the building doing crafts when the fire began but were able to get out safely after the building's fire alarm sounded, pastor Larry Kroon said.

"This fire is definitely suspicious," said Central Mat-Su Fire Chief James Steele.

The church, located off the Parks Highway on the north end of town, is one of the biggest in the Valley with a typical Sunday service drawing up to a 1,000 people.

Several well-known Valley residents attend the church, including Gov. Sarah Palin and Rep. Wes Keller, R-Wasilla.

Well, I expect that we won't be hearing any liberal outrage on this one -- and probably a fair amount of liberal gloating. In the mean time, conservative blogs are maintaining a calm tone, though the question obviously must be asked as to whether or not the arson was politically motivated (especially since we were told by liberals that the teachings of Palin's church were quite relevant to her fitness for office, while those of Obama''s church and pastor were merely a racist distraction).

What is shocking is that anyone would torch a church -- especially when there are people inside. But since this is a predominantly white church, I somehow suspect that there will be no assumption that this is a hate crime -- even though we have seen the repeated targeting of evangelical churches by liberal groups since the passage of California's Prop 8 and WBC has hosted at least one conference promoting the "ex-gay" movement.

And as for a possible Palin connection, i can't help but note the unique level of venom directed against her by the media and her political opponents (as bad or worse than that directed at George W. Bush, and with less reason). Heck, when a woman's political opponents (like Andrew Sullivan) go so far as to question the maternity of one of her children, I won't put anything past them.

Which leads, of course, to another question -- given that Andrew Sullivan is on sabbatical right now, can anyone verify his whereabouts at the time of the fire?

H/T Ace, Don Surber

Posted by: Greg at 01:58 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Now I'm sure there are a bunch of you reading this who have their own blogs or other websites, whether personal or business. One of the things you quickly discover when you do is that you really need a good host for your site, otherwise you will find yourself facing a lot of unfortunate problems with your site. But how do you know you are picking a good host for your site? After all, there are an incredible number of horror stories about the problems that folks have had with different hosting services. What you really need is an objective source that can set you straight on what hosts are good and which are garbage -- and that can also tell you what the best deals available are.

That is why you need to drop by http://webhostinggeeks.com. They provide a fantastic guide to many of the web hosting services out there, complete with reviews and ratings. For example, did you know you can get hosting for under four bucks a month with a service that boasts a 97% customer satisfaction rate while allowing you unlimited domains and space? Sounds good to me -- and you can even delve deeper into the hosting services to find out which ones specialize in the types of uses you have in mind. In other words, they have become the experts you need! Be sure to check them out.

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It does rather look like it, given this story.

As Gov. Rod Blagojevich was trying to pick IllinoisÂ’ next U.S. senator, businessmen with ties to both the governor and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. discussed raising at least $1 million for BlagojevichÂ’s campaign as a way to encourage him to pick Jackson for the job, the Tribune has learned.

Blagojevich made an appearance at an Oct. 31 luncheon meeting at the India House restaurant in Schaumburg sponsored by Oak Brook businessman Raghuveer Nayak, a major Blagojevich supporter who also has fundraising and business ties to the Jackson family, according to several attendees and public records.

Two businessmen who attended the meeting and spoke to the Tribune on the condition of anonymity said that Nayak and Blagojevich aide Rajinder Bedi privately told many of the more than two dozen attendees the fundraising effort was aimed at supporting JacksonÂ’s bid for the Senate.

Among the attendees was a Blagojevich fundraiser already under scrutiny by federal investigators, Joliet pharmacist Harish Bhatt.

Isn’t this all remarkably coincidental? And doesn’t it harmonize better with the evidence offered by Patrick Fitzgerald than the story told by the young congressman at his press conference? Interestingly enough, though, the major go-between in this case isn’t daddy, the well-know shakedown artist Rev. Jesse Jackson. Instead it was another Jackson son, Jonathan. I guess this shows that the apple does not fall far from the tree – though in this instance the elder Jackson was wise enough to stay away from the fire so as not to get burned.

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While I think that Obama and company have handled the entire Blagojevich matter incorrectly (and probably dishonestly), I must applaud the course of action taken by one member of his team.

Emanuel turned testy and declined to talk with a reporter who approached him Thursday at Chicago City Hall, where he was watching his children perform in a concert. The Chicago Sun-Times reporter pressed him to comment about whether he was the emissary named in the criminal complaint.

“You’re wasting your time,” Emanuel said. “I’m not going to say a word to you. I’m going to do this with my children. Don’t do that. I’m a father. I have two kids. I’m not going to do it.”

When pressed for comment, he said, “I’m not as capable as you. I’m going to be a father. I’m allowed to be a father,” and he pushed the reporter’s digital recorder away.

Now I realize that the press has the right to ask questions, and I fully support their doing so. That said, there is an appropriate time, place, and manner for doing so – and the Sun-Times reporter chose the wrong one. There was absolutely nothing asked that could not have waited until after the Emanuel kids sang at that concert – and Emanuel was pretty gentle in how he rebuffed the reporter in question. Every public official has a private life and is entitled to a bit of family/personal time, and Emanuel was drawing a healthy line to guarantee that he would get to be a Dad. What’s not to respect there?

And given Rahm’s reputation, I’m actually amazed there weren’t a few curse words – which I would have been hard-pressed to condemn under the circumstances.

H/T Hot Air, Protein Wisdom

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Let's be honest -- the economy is a mess right now. For all too many people, there is just not enough money to get by comfortably, especially when they take into account the debts they still need to on pay in order to keep their head above water financially. But realistically, one can only tread water in this manner for so long before something gives. That is where debt consolidation may become the best available option for folks in that sort of situation. After all, while our nation's banks and automakers might be too big to fail, we humble citizens are not, so it is necessary to consider getting assistance from other sources hen you need to restructure your debt.

That is the business of the fine folks over at Bills.com can be of assistance. They offer access to a large variety of programs and opportunities for those in need of assistance in cleaning up after their profligate spending or financial emergency. Indeed, one method that is suggested is to consolidate all of one's credit card payments on to a single card at a lower interest rate if you have good enough credit to do so. Not only does that reduce the number of payments, but it also cuts down on the payments, especially if you can find a 0% interest card and avoid bankruptcy or credit counseling.

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Hey, folks, it is Christmas. You know, the most wonderful time of the year, when Santa Claus is coming to town and a swaddled Babe lies sleeping in a manger. Yeah, that Christmas.

And let me remind you of one of those very important Christmas customs that you must not overlook -- the Christmas card. I started receiving them the day after Thanksgiving -- mostly ones that are from my professional or political associates. After all, professional organizations and politicians all know that folks like to be remembered at the holiday season -- and that is why there is such a need for Business Christmas Cards. After all, what better way to make it seem how much you appreciate those who are essential to your past (and future) prosperity.

Over at GalleryCollection.com, they have a large variety of such business Christmas cards available at reasonable prices. Just think -- you can keep in touch with all of those clients or buyers or other business contacts you have, reminding them of your business relationship right on the cusp of the new year, when many of those relationships might need to be renewed. That seems especially important during a recession, which is why the site even has a special offer available for former customers who haven't ordered yet -- check your email!

And by the way, GalleryCollection.com has one other little holiday surprise for you related to holiday traditions. If you visit Daily Lit.com, you can get a free download Charles Dickens' "Christmas Carol", sponsored by GalleryCollection.com. What a way to say Merry Christmas during this "Bah Humbug" of a year.

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Let’s face it – even in a year in which Republicans were at a distinct disadvantage, Democrat Senatorial candidate Rick Noriega never stood a chance. Only rarely did he even have a close showing in the polls, and the final couple of months showed him to be generally fading in most polls. Except for the most blind partisans, no one expected Noriega to best Senator John Cornyn. It was no wonder, then, that the national Democrats dropped Noriega from their list of races to focus on during the waning days of the campaign – they knew he could not win.

Well, now we’ve got Hispanic Democrats here in Texas up in arms over that decision – and angry that it appears that Democrats are going to focus upon viable candidates who happen to be Anglo in 2010 and beyond.

Two prominent Hispanic Democratic officials from Texas harshly criticized an arm of their national party today for skipping over the state when it provided funding muscle for U.S. Senate candidates across the country.

State Sens. Mario Gallegos of Houston and Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio objected to the fact that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee collected contributions from Texans — $1.1 million at an event in San Antonio, for instance — without sending any to the campaign of outgoing state legislator Rick Noriega of Houston.

Noriega lost the Senate race in November to Republican incumbent John Cornyn, who raised $10 million during the campaign to $4 million for Noriega, according to federal records.

The Democratic committee's decision to spend the money outside Texas "is shameful and disgraceful, and we will do everything we can to prevent this disrespect from happening again," the two state senators wrote.

"For the face of the U.S. Senate to represent the true face of America, we must all work together to invest in quality candidates such as Rick Noriega, not take a walk when our candidate is not a member of the millionaires' club," they added.

Sorry, folks, but while Noriega is an honorable man, he did not represent the views of Texas. After all, this is a state that went strongly for John McCain, and Cornyn won with similar numbers. Why, pray tell, would one expect a Democrat running on the same old liberal platform to do any better, especially when he publicly associated with the dregs of the Left over at Daily Kos?

And the other comments in the article, are Gallegos and Van de Putte suggesting that Democrats should back minority candidates rather than candidates who are more likely to win?

Posted by: Greg at 03:28 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Most of us are pretty firmly against discrimination by government – and are usually pretty troubled by it when it occurs in private entities as well. But are there times when discrimination is not only not a bad thing, but essential to a group’s maintaining its identity? And if so, how should laws and institutional rules deal with that discrimination? That is a key question in this Florida case – one which deals with how a university should deal with an organization that is organized to promote a certain ethic and point of view of a religious nature.

A Christian fraternity asked federal judges Wednesday to recognize the group as part of student life at the University of Florida, despite a school rule that bars Gator groups from discriminating based on religion.
Beta Upsilon Chi lawyers told a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the university's policy threatens their core beliefs and that inviting non-Christians would undermine their mission.

"They're not going to be as open if everyone in the group is not sharing their Christian values," fraternity lawyer Tim Tracy said.

University lawyer Chris Bartolomucci said student groups are an extension of the educational process and should be open to intellectually curious students. He said no non-Christians have attempted to join the fraternity to hijack it, a hypothetical concern raised by the judges during a hearing in Atlanta.

Now if this were a group designed to deal with any other sort of viewpoint, this would be an open and shut case – the group would be able to restrict its membership and leadership to those who hold to the point of view established in the charter of the organization. But we as a society tend to look at religious restrictions differently, and courts generally apply a higher standard to instances of religious discrimination than other viewpoint based restrictions. Still, when a group is formed around a religious viewpoint, limiting membership (or at least position of authority) it strikes me that it needs to be treated just as any other ideological group. Indeed, the most obvious reason for doing so is the fact that there have been efforts by some opposed to the group’s point of view to join the organization in an attempt to undermine its reason for existence. Requiring a Christian (or Jewish or Buddhist, or atheist) group to admit those who hold to other religious beliefs is to effectively neuter them.

Frankly, this case is more important than it appears at first glance. Colleges and universities across the country have attempted to impose similar restrictions on religiously-oriented groups (particularly evangelical Christian groups) over the last several years. Until and unless it becomes clear that the freedom of association rights of religious groups includes the exact same right to set belief-based membership requirements as non-religious groups, we will continue to see public institutions exhibit hostility to religiously-affiliated groups that seek to be true to their mission.

Posted by: Greg at 03:22 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I agree with David Frum -- letÂ’s not overlook this corrupt Democrat just because of the ruckus in BarackÂ’s backyard.

The House ethics committee voted on Tuesday to expand its investigation into Representative Charles B. Rangel to examine his role in preserving a tax loophole for an oil drilling company whose chief executive pledged $1 million to a City College of New York project that will bear the congressmanÂ’s name.

Interestingly enough, Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to stand by Rangel – just as she did recently defeated Corruptocrat Congresscritter William Jefferson. I guess draining the swamp is taking a backseat to feathering her nest – and that of her party.

Posted by: Greg at 01:57 PM | Comments (23) | Add Comment
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By now so much has been said about the Blagojevich indictment and the sleazy deeds that led to the charges that there is little left to say. What I will note is that the alleged misdeeds are even shocking to me, who cut his teeth on Illinois politics before moving to Texas.

The 76-page criminal complaint reveals a governor who no longer wanted his job and badly wanted cash – and quickly realized that the chance to name Obama’s successor was the answer to both of those problems. He and his aides spoke in expansive – and often profane – terms of replacing Obama as a naked act of political horse-trading, something to be maximized for as much personal gain as possible for Blagojevich, the complaint says.

And it isn’t just the Senate seat issue – there was the attempt to shake down a children’s hospital and the effort to get journalists fired as a condition of approving a deal on Wrigley Field. And he certainly worked to keep it all in the family, trying to ensure that his wife also got some lucrative plums in the process. Simply unbelievable – even by Chicago standards.

Too bad that the press and prosecutor acted to make sure that the American people knew nothing of this corruption before the election – because like it or not, it does reflect poorly upon Barack Obama, whose entire career is based upon connections to many of the very same players that are a part of the Blagojevich sleaze machine. Unless we are to conclude that Obama is the only virgin in the brothel, I think it is reasonable to believe there is more than meets the eye here.

I’m also curious – what actions will be taken regarding Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. AKA “Senate Candidate No. 5”.

Posted by: Greg at 01:56 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It is his name – he should use it proudly.

Barack Obama says his presidency is an opportunity for the U.S. to renovate its relations with the Muslim world, starting the day of his inauguration and continuing with a speech he plans to deliver in an Islamic capital.

And when he takes the oath of office Jan. 20, he plans to be sworn in like every other president, using his full name: Barack Hussein Obama.

The manÂ’s name is Barack Hussein Obama. Why should he shrink from using it? Indeed, one of the silliest controversies of the election season was over whether or not the use of that middle name constituted a vicious hate attack on the then-candidate. This move by the new president should settle that question once and for all.

As for the speech, I’ve commented on what he should say and where he should say it in a previous post. All I will say in addition to those earlier words is that the only “reboot” needed in the speech is a metaphorical one applied to the rumps of followers of Islam. Mutual respect and goodwill are wonderful – but not if they mean the sacrifice of fundamental American values like freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion around the world. To the degree that Islam is an obstacle to the spreading of those values around the world, there can be no mutual respect – and to the degree that the followers of Islam use terror and violence to oppose such freedom, there can be no goodwill.

Posted by: Greg at 01:54 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I realize that the explosive charges against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich are overshadowing everything else about his time as governor – but one recent action of his raises a question in my mind.

On Monday, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich held a quickly organized press conference at the plant and vowed to ask a federal court to enforce federal guidelines. He also said the state would sever business dealings with Bank of America until the Republic matter is resolved. "It's a natural thing to step up to help workers when there's a situation like they're facing now," Blagojevich said. "This is the right thing to do, this is the just thing to do."

I’m curious – just how far is the state of Illinois willing to go here? What exactly does it mean to “sever business dealings with Bank of America”? Will the state REALLY stop doing business with B of A? I mean completely, such as refusing to cash checks drawn on accounts with Bank of America customers? Or does it mean something less? And if the state isn’t willing to make the associated sacrifice (foregoing the funds drawn on Bank of America), how willing is it to REALLY do the right thing?

Posted by: Greg at 01:52 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Nearly seven decades after his death at the hands of the Japanese during their opening salvo against AmericaÂ’s armed forces.

Early on the morning of Dec. 8, 1941, nine Japanese fighter planes swooped down on Malalag Bay in the Philippines and strafed and sunk two U.S. Navy seaplanes at the very outset of World War II.
All of the Americans escaped unharmed except Ensign Robert G. Tills, 23, of Manitowoc, Wis., who was cut down by machine gun bullets.
"Ensign Robert Tills died in the fusillade of bullets from the Japanese strafers, the first American naval officer killed in the defense of the Philippines," the Naval Historical Center wrote.

Ensign Tills died during one of the many near-simultaneous sneak attacks upon American military bases in the Pacific on December 7/December 8, 1941. His body was not recovered – until recently. His sole surviving relative is his sister, who was eleven years old when her brother died, and will bury him at Arlington National Cemetary, with full military honors.

May God grant Ensign Tills eternal rest, and may the nation for which he gave his life always rmember his sacrifice.

Posted by: Greg at 01:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I grew up in a military household – and I spent several years studying for the priesthood. Those experiences taught me the value of patriotism, and the beauty of religious faith. But the reality is that it is not always easy to love one’s country – or to hold on to the hope that is part of faith – when times are bad.

This is a remarkable case of how one man has expressed both of these in the midst of terrible tragedy that took away his entire family in an instant.

One day after an F/A-18D Hornet fighter jet fell from the sky and crashed into his two-story house in San Diego's University City neighborhood, Dong Yun Yoon returned to a home and life in ruins.

Rescue workers sifting through the debris on Cather Avenue had found the bodies of his wife, two baby daughters and mother-in-law.

* * *

"I believe my wife and two babies and mother-in-law are in heaven with God," Yoon said at a news conference afterward. "Nobody expected such a horrible thing to happen, especially right here, our house."

Yoon said he bore no ill will toward the Marine Corps pilot who ejected safely before the jet plunged into the neighborhood two miles west of the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. "I pray for him not to suffer for this action," Yoon said. "I know he's one of our treasures for our country."

First, let me offer my deepest condolences to Mr. Yoon on this grievous loss. To lose one’s entire family in an accident that appears to caused by mechanical failure would seem to be enough to rock his love of country and faith in God – but it has not.

The unswerving faith that there is a life beyond this one, and that hs family has been brought into the presence of the divine is an inspiration.

The words of love and concern for a pilot who managed to escape his crashing plane exemplify the concern that each of us is called to show at all times – but that many of us fail to show under much less severe stress.

And the patriotic sentiment – that our servicemen and women are, indeed, our nation’s treasurs – is one which he could have overlooked in his hour of mourning without a word of reproach from anyone. And yet he stopped to include this acknowledgement, even though it was the crash of a military jet that tore his loved ones away from him. It takes a special sort of patriot to do something like that – one who loves his country when it is hard, not merely when it is easy.

And so I salute Dong Yun Yoon – a man whose example as a patriot and a man of faith we should all strive to follow.

Malkin provides contact information for those wishing to offer their sympathies to Dong Yun Yoon.

Posted by: Greg at 01:47 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I donÂ’t know that Kathleen Parker will succeed in mollifying her many conservative critics (including me) with her most recent column, but she does make a good point that I believe bears repeating.

How about social conservatives make their arguments without bringing God into it? By all means, let faith inform one's values, but let reason inform one's public arguments.

It is, I would have to say, a quite valid position – and one to which I personally subscribe. As long as arguments are presented in strictly theological terms, conservatives ought to lose any argument on public policy. Indeed, that is why I am often embarrassed by some of the language in the Texas GOP platform – not because I disagree with the sentiments expressed, but because such a document ought to be a reasoned outline of policy positions rather than a profession of faith.

Take, for example, abortion, which Parker uses to illustrate her position.

They might take a cue from Nat Hentoff, a self-described Jewish-atheist, who has written as eloquently as anyone about the "indivisibility of life" and the slippery slope down which abortion leads.
He uses logic and reason to argue that being pro-life, rather than resolving the religious question of ensoulment, is really a necessary barrier against selective killing, such as when someone else decides it's your time to die.

Even during my days studying for the priesthood, I never made the argument against abortion from a theological point of view. After all, such an argument is easily dismissed with the statement “I believe differently.” The moral argument, however, that a human being exists from conception is difficult to dispute scientifically – and the self-evident importance of defending innocent human life is something that brings most abortion supporters up short. But the moment someone trots out Biblical passages about God knowing us in our mother’s womb, the argument instead becomes one of religious freedom that is difficult to win. The same sort of thing applies in the gay marriage debate as well, which is why the folks who opposed Prop 8 are now actively appealing to religious bigotry in their efforts to overturn a ballot measure supported by virtually every demographic segment in the state of California.

But most importantly, the issue that needs to be dealt with is one of perception, as Parker notes. As long as GOP is seen as a party dominated by one segment of religious believers, the party will alienate many sympathetic to conservative and libertarian political philosophy. That doesn’t mean repudiating the values many of us draw from our faith, but instead requires that we present them in a way that are palatable to our fellow citizens. And I say that as a conservative who is unapologetically Christian – but who is certainly not a Christian Conservative.

But Kathleen – loose the oogedy-boogedy thing. It seems condescending and offensive to me, especially since you can’t particularly explain what you mean by it. Admit you were wrong, apologize, clarify what you meant, and move on – most of us are more than willing to forgive you if you do.

Posted by: Greg at 12:29 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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We are constantly told by advocates of affirmative action that the under-representation of racial, ethnic, or gender groups in a program is evidence of a problem that must be remedied. As such, IÂ’d like to encourage colleges and universities to implement affirmative action programs to guarantee that the proportion of individuals in these study abroad programs.

In recent years, as study abroad has ballooned across the nation, fueled by growth in short-term programs and increasing diversity in participating students’ majors and destinations, a 2-to-1 female-to-male ratio has stayed remarkably stagnant. In 2006-7, the most recent year for which data are available, 65.1 percent of Americans studying abroad were women, and 34.9 percent men. A decade earlier — when the total number of study abroad students was less than half its current total — the breakdown was 64.9 percent female, 35.1 percent male, according to Institute of International Education Open Doors statistics.

I’d bet that if there would be task forces, special programs and howling by the professional victim’s groups (like AAUW) over what would appear to be a violation of Title IX if these figures were reversed. Yet somehow this disparity has been permitted to fester over the years, with women being denied the benefits of an appropriately diverse educational experience when they study abroad. Shouldn’t something be done – using the very arguments used to eliminate men’s athletic programs and establish special scholarships for women and minorities? Or does this situation serve as confirmation that the claimed goals of equality and equity are actually nothing more than excuses to engage in indefensible discrimination?

Of course it does, as illustrated by this anecdote.

The persistent gender gap is regularly described as an object of interest in the field — if not an object of intense concern compared to, for instance, the similarly stagnant and low numbers of racial minorities studying abroad. (“I’ve made myself a little unpopular occasionally when I’ve been in sessions on under-represented groups in study abroad and I bring up the issue of men in study abroad,” (William) Hoffa said).

Yeah, that’s right – only under-representation of victim classes is a problem. Daring to suggest otherwise makes one “unpopular” due to the sin of political incorrectness.

H/T NROÂ’s Phi Beta Cons

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I’d have to argue that this is a leading candidate for “heist of the century”.

Armed robbers pulled off one of the world's biggest jewellery heists at a famed Paris store, making off with 80 million euros (102 million dollars) in diamonds and valuables, investigators said Friday.

A gang of four thieves -- two of them disguised as women -- on Thursday stole nearly all the jewels on display at the Harry Winston boutique just off the Champs-Elysees avenue, which attracts a wealthy international clientele.

The heist was well-planned, a source from the investigating team told AFP. The men knew the names of some of the shop's employees and the location of some hidden storage cases for jewellery.

Given the knowledge this gang had, you have to wonder if it is an inside job? Disgruntled employees, current or former? A mole at Harry Winston? Or just plain a good intelligence operation?

The even bigger question is what one does with $102 million in diamonds and other jewels. Where do you fence the stuff? And to whom do the proceeds eventually accrue?

Posted by: Greg at 12:23 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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