September 30, 2008

How Deranged Can Palin Bashers Get?

Pretty deranged, as this at HuffPo demonstrates.

On September 10th, Wonkette received a tip that Sarah Palin's lipliner is a tattoo.


From: C______@gmail.com>
To: tips@wonkette.com
Date: Wed, Sep 10, 2008 at 2:59 PM
Subject: tip on Sarah Pallin


Notes: Sarah's sister in-law owns a beauty parlor in Wasilla...apparently Sarah's lip liner is tattooed on...not sure what to do with that one.


leak to wonkette

So although the allegation comes in a strangely cryptic email and there is no actual proof that this procedure was performed, we've been studying Sarah Palin's mouth very closely (see slideshow below), and would like to put this question to the readers. Do you think Sarah Palin's lipliner is a tattoo? Cast your vote in the poll below.

First, why does it matter?

Second, is it really your intention to set women back this far by even asking the question?

Third, who cares one way or another -- as it proves noting of substance?

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A Question For Andrew Sullivan

No, not regarding his Palin Derangement Syndrome – rather one regarding his rampant anti-Catholic Homosexualist agenda.

The Pope rejects the new Sarkozy-appointed French ambassador to the Vatican because he's gay and married to a man. These facts in no way impede the man's ability to do his job, just as being gay does not in any way impede a seminarian's ability to be a great priest (as so many gay men have been through the centuries). But this Pope is a bigot, as we now know - and will discriminate against people just for who they are, rather than what they can professionally do.

Excuse me, Andy, but Sarkozy appointed an individual to be ambassador to the Holly See whose lifestyle he knew would be repugnant to Catholic teaching and practice. The leadership of the Vatican made a decision to uphold the teachings of the Catholic Church by rejecting this intentional affront to Catholicism. To have made this appointment is no different than if he had appointed an abortionist to the position.

I’d like to ask – would Sarkozy have appointed this individual as ambassador to Saudi Arabia or Iran? Remember, please, that the Vatican simply refused to accept the diplomatic credentials of the individual in question – in the Islamic world, they would have likely been executed for the crime of sodomy. So before you start demanding that the rest of the world start bowing down before the demands of your Homosexualist agenda, consider that there is no requirement that the rest of the world follow your extreme fundamentalist religious/philosophical/sexual beliefs rather than their own consciences.

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More Democrat Voter Fraud

Remember, American patriots, the Democrats canÂ’t win if we donÂ’t let them cheat.

A Milwaukee woman is charged in what appears to be the stateÂ’s first election fraud case of the season. 21-year-old Endalyn Adams is accused of submitting dozens of false voter registration applications to the city.
It was her job to sign up potential voters for the Community VotersÂ’ Project and she could have been fired if she didnÂ’t submit 15 registrations per day, according to prosecutors. Authorities said it amounts to a quota. The same thing happened in the 2004 presidential contest and the state responded by banning payments for each registration an outside group submits. It was supposed to remove the incentive for submitting false names.
Milwaukee prosecutors said Adams is now one of 49 people being investigated as a part of two groups the VotersÂ’ Project, and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Prosecutors allege she submitted well over 50 false names and the city was able to remove them all from its voter list.

We’ve seen ACORN do this again and again – and then seen them get rewarded by grateful Democrats with tons of government loot. They even tried to load up the bailout bill to funnel some of the dollars to Barack Obama’s fellow community organizers. I want to know when RICO is going to be applied to the organization and its leaders duly punished for the organization’s innumerable criminal activities.

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Nancy Pelosi – Failed Leader

All she needed to do was get another dozen Democrats to support her bailout bill and it would have passed.

But considering that only a dozen votes needed to switch in order to provide a different outcome, and 95 Democrats in the House voted against it, critics are now wondering why couldn't House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have assured a different outcome considering how important she said its passage was?

Pelosi, whose insults directed at Republicans before the vote were a proximate cause of the legislationÂ’s defeat, failed to exercise enough party discipline to get her people to pass a bill that she considered critical to the US economy. Why didnÂ’t she act like she was the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives and use her clout to get her people in line before driving the opposition party away from the bill by her intemperate language? Could it be that she has no leadership clout, or leadership ability?

By the way, IÂ’d like to suggest that any legislation introduced in the future include a clause removing Pelosi as the Speaker of the House. She clearly lacks the skills, qualifications and temperament to be next in line for the presidency after the Vice President.

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An Offensive Painting In Chicago

Some two decades ago, police and aldermen in the city of Chicago seized the painting “Mirth and Girth” from the walls of the Art Institute of Chicago over its offensively satirical treatment of the late Mayor Harold Washington. Many in the city took offense at the suggestion that the recently deceased mayor, a rumored cross-dresser, was disrespectfully treated.

I wonder – will any of them go after this offensive work that insults and degrades a living politician? Or will the fact that she is on the ticket opposing Chicago’s favorite son (and a healthy respect for the First Amendment) lead them to leave this one alone?

There's been no shortage of takeoffs on Sarah Palin lately, from television skits to action figures, but Bruce Elliott has gone one step further than most. He's taken off her clothes.

Elliott, whose wife, Tobin Mitchen, owns the Old Town Ale House on Chicago's North Side, painted a nude portrait of the Republican vice presidential nominee and hung it above the bar, where it's now a prime attraction among his display of more than 200 celebrity portraits and other racy art.

* * *

Despite their political differences, Elliott admits to a bit of a crush on the Alaska governor. He began painting her smile and trademark glasses, he said, before filling in the details: a gun, red high heels, polar bear rug, rugged Alaska landscape and a scared moose. His daughter, who looks a little like Palin and does a great impression of her, served as model for the governor's body.

Interestingly enough, the Chicago Tribune was more than willing to show the disgusting picture by a sick freak prominently in both print and electronic editions. Contrast this with their refusal to reprint the Muhammad cartoons for fear of offending Muslims. And I somehow doubt that such an insult directed at the very juniour senator from Illinois would be tolerated for long -- or so prominently distributed by the Chicago media. Could it be that the only folks allowed to be degraded in the city of Chicago are white Christian conservative women?

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September 29, 2008

A Reminder About The Nature Of Islam

Once again, we see a bit of barbarism by the Muhammadans when others dare to exercise their inalienable human rights.

Three men arrested in north London on suspicion of terrorism continue to be questioned by police.

They are suspected of attempting to set fire to a publisher's office in Lonsdale Square, Islington.

The publisher, Gibson House, is due to release a controversial novel about the Prophet Muhammad and his child bride, entitled The Jewel of the Medina.
The three men were arrested by armed officers from the Metropolitan Police in a planned operation.

The men, aged 40, 22 and 30, were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 and are being held at Paddington Green police station.

Two were arrested outside the property in Lonsdale Square, and the third following an armed vehicle stop near Angel Tube station on Upper Street at 0225 GMT on Saturday.

A small fire was put out at the property, which is used as a home and office by publisher Martin Rynja, who is due to publish the controversial book.

All of which raises the question – if a religious group is continually involved in the wholesale violent violation of the human rights of non-believers, does it cease to be religion and instead become a criminal conspiracy to violate the rights of others? And if the answer is yes, does the preservation of human rights require that Islam be identified as such and suppressed in the name of preserving the rights of rest of humanity? I don’t know where the balance is – but given the continued threats coming from Muslim sources, we need to ask the question and consider the very real need to stamp out the very real threat to liberty that Islam apparently constitutes, and which we in the West should have been recognizing for at least the last twenty years (since the Rushdie fatwa).

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Not That The Obama Campaign Is Sleazy Or Anything

But seeking out rape victims for political commercials is slimy, even when you play by Chi-town rules.

Barack Obama's campaign earlier this month sought to find a rape victim to appear in a campaign commercial, according to an email obtained by Politico.

Kiersten Steward, director of public policy at the Family Violence Prevention Fund, served as a conduit between the campaign and victims and women's advocates.

"Obviously, this is a big ask and I havenÂ’t seen a script but presumably it will be a brief this is what happened to me, we need someone who will fight for women like me, these are the guys to do it," Steward wrote in a September 15th email. "Again, thatÂ’s just my assumption given how these things
usually go."

Steward, a former top aide to Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), said the Obama campaign would have a crew in Washington and was hoping to film that week.

The topic of the ad? Abortion, apparently. Seems that Senator Obama and his staff consider the difference between he and McCain to be a matter of “full civil rights”. In other words, while they would never support the execution of a rapist even after a trial with due process, they fully support the execution of the innocent child to be appropriate without any due process at all.

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In The Aftermath Of Ike – The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

Some observations after the storm has passed:

THE GOOD: As I’ve mentioned once or twice, I’ve switched schools this year. My new school is located in a poor area of town, with most of my students being socio-economically disadvantaged by any measure. And yet when one of the “Points of Distribution” for water, ice, and MREs was established in the community by FEMA but no personnel were supplied to staff it, a couple of folks associated with my school were able to start making phone calls and turn out 130 students over the course of 3 days to help distribute the needed supplies. That is out of a total student body of about 1700 – not a bad percentage.

THE BAD: You know, we were all told that FEMA had learned lessons after Hurricane Katrina. Maybe they did – but only in regards to dealing with New Orleans. They’ve been no help with us, despite our having applied for aid early in the disaster – indeed, I have not received any of the paperwork they have supposedly sent to me, nor have I been able to get any assistance regarding finding a place to live.

THE UGLY: Here’s one that just makes me sick – and I believe I may have met this person at some point in the past, as the name sounds familiar. For that matter, I am friends with several administrators from this person’s school, and nearly ended up working there a couple of years ago. The behavior recounted here, though, is simply too repugnant for words.

Jacki Steinhauer is one of the lucky ones. She has no damage at her Deer Park home, she has power and she doesn't have to work since her school is closed.

"Life is great after a hurricane when nothing really happened to your house!" Steinhauer says in her blog, "The Secret Life of an Uninteresting Teacher."
The most recent entries brag about all of the free MREs she's been eating -- MREs that are meant for hurricane victims who have no food because they have no power. Some of those victims have no homes.

The teacher has it down to a science, according to her blog: "I got Schlotsky's today for lunch and went again to the courthouse in Baytown to get my water, ice, and food. This time, there were different meals, but hopefully as good as the others. Then, i came home, emptied my trunk and then headed off for the Deer Park POD (Point of Delivery)."

"I think that I am falling in love with MREs. They are pretty darn good. I went around 5:30 to go get more MREs and actually got another box of real MREs, water, and ice," Steinhauer wrote on Wednesday. "Right now, I have five cases of water, two 20 pound bags of ice, four 10 pound bags of ice, and four boxes of MREs."

While stocking her pantry and frig with taxpayer-funded freebies, Steinhauer has become quite the MRE connoisseur.

"Yesterday I ate meatballs with marinara sauce, almonds, wheat bread with cheese sauce, pretzels, and the orange punch. Today's meal was chili mac, applesauce, a pop-tart, wheat bread with cheese sauce, fruit punch, and apple cider," she wrote. "It is so cool that you put a little bit of water in the bag with the food and in about a minute, there is hot food. This is great. I don't have school and getting free food!"

The good news? Her district has suspended her pending an investigation of whether or not her conduct constitutes a violation of the ethical standards set by the state and district for teachers – but once again she is getting a freebie off the taxpayers, since it is a suspension with pay. Too bad they couldn’t tell her that she didn’t need a taxpayer check since she has all those taxpayer-financed MREs to eat. In the mean time I’m living in a church hall, and have paid for every meal I’ve eaten since the storm by going to one of the many open grocery stores in the area – despite having had my home rendered unlivable for the next few months.

And to the pair of Bubbas I heard bragging about scoring MREs for hunting season -- may you not get your deer, may the birds fly elsewhere, and may you end up down-range of Dick Cheney on your next hunting trip.

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September 23, 2008

Hurricane Ike -- The Aftermath

Well, the storm has passed, but the devastation continues.

The house is uninhabitable, and so my Darling Democrat, the Apolitical Pooch, and I are living at our church for the time being.


I will be headed back to school Friday after 2 weeks off, and the kids return Monday. It should be interesting to see how folks survived and how this changes school life for us all.

I'm going to try to start blogging soon. In the mean time, please click one of the two buttons in the side column if you feel the urge.

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September 18, 2008

Hurricane Ike -- Going "Home"

As I've mentioned, things are pretty grim at the house back in Seabrook. Unfortunately, the commute from Austin is 200 miles, with just me and a friend helping doing the work of cleaning out an overly-cluttered home that had lots of stuff washed from where it belonged.

That is about to change.

This morning we return "home" from Austin, after deciding that it is better to be close than comfortable.

But we will not be in the house, which remains unlivable -- and will for the foreseeable future.

Instead, we will be taking over the "youth room" in the church fellowship hall about 2 1/2 miles inland from our house. It has the necessities of life, including a big kitchen -- and an offer to stay until we can make more permanent arrangements. That means no more long drives, and the ability to go back to school when it resumes (Monday, tentatively, but with 60% of the area without power I have doubts about that).

Besides, eventually we will probably be able to get an apartment or a trailer for us to live in until the house is repaired and we start filling it with new furniture.

So homeward bound -- with a very heavy heart but a spirit that is not (yet) broken.

And I'll again point to the PayPal and Amazon buttons on the side if you feel moved to help with our recovery.

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September 16, 2008

Grim -- A Hurricane Ike Update

Monday was a day of waiting for permission to get back into my neighborhood. Permission was given late that day -- too late to get back and check it out.

Yesterday was my first opportunity to see the place.

At first I was quite hopeful -- the back fence was down and the first pane of a couple of double-pane windows were broken.

And then I noticed the debris piled against the fence in the by the side of the house -- and my buddy Rick spotted the water line two feet high on the side of the house.

It appears the storm sewer backed up and sent water up from the street and into the houses on my side of the street (I don't know about the other side).

We took 2-2 1/2 feet in the garage, and 1 1/2 to 2 feet in the rest of the house. It is, dare I say it, a serious mess, and is going to require a serious rehab.

Thank God for flood insurance.

In the mean time, my district has canceled school until next week, and I'll have to see about finding more permanent quarters closer to home. Paula will remain in Austin for the time being, and I'll be in Houston with a friend trying to work on the house.

Prayer and moral support is always welcome -- as is a click on either the PayPal or Amazon boxes in the right column.

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Blaze Media Pro

We just lost most of our computer equipment in the flood of our house during Huricane Ike. I put it up, but not high enough, and I could see yesterday that the water reached my hard disk drive, so it is toast. That means a new computer will be coming my way to supplement this laptop, and with it new applications.

It also means I will try some new things. One will be a new multi-media software package, since I wasn’t really happy with the various programs I had been using. Why do I need a separate MOV converter , video encoder, and audio converter? Blaze Media Pro does everything a half-dozen programs on my old computer were needed for -- conversion, ripping, editing, recording, burning, playback, and much more. It supports CD/DVD, VCD, SVCD, and DVD burning. Plus it works with every audio and video format I could possibly want. So I expect it will be finding a home on my new computer – whenever the insurance cuts the check.

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September 14, 2008

Watcher's Council Results

First place in the Council category was Wolf Howling with Standing At The Crossroads - Identity Politics, Multiculturalism & The Melting Pot.

First place in the non-Council category was Beldar Blog with DonÂ’t Confuse RepublicansÂ’ thrill over the Palin nomination with the DemsÂ’ worship of Obama: A reply to Paul Mirengoff.

The full tally of this week's vote can be found here.

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Unsecured Loan Services

Unsecured Loan Services offers you unsecured loans online. Their site will help you get an unsecured personal line of credit or unsecured signature loans that you need. They have a great staff that will help you to solve your financial problem with an unsecured loan. They can even help with business loans, too!

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About That "Jesus Was A Community Organizer" Quip

It may be cute, but it is both wrong AND offensive. I don't care if it is uttered by a Democrat strategist, a Jewish Congressman, or a supposedly objective journalist.

The point of the comment is to equate Obama and the Democrats with Christ and Palin and the Republicans with Pilate.

Why is it wrong?

First of all, because Jesus was the Son of God who came to die for our sins and redeem the world, after a career preaching the importance of bringing man's ways into conformity with the ways of God.

Second, because Pilate was, first and foremost, the agent of the world's largest welfare state (bread and circuses, anyone), one that wanted its religious leaders subordinate to the power of the state as a condition of holding their offices and receiving the benefits thereof.

Now tell me -- which of these two sounds like he'd be at home among the Republicans, and which one would fit best among the Democrats?

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Just A Reminder On Barack Obama And William Ayers

His connection to the unrepentant terrorist is closer than he wants Americans to realize -- and than the "In-The-Tank" Media are willing to report.

Am I calling Barack Obama a terrorist? No, I'm not -- and I'll even go so far as to accept that he deplores the attacks on law enforcement, US military, and the legislative branch of the federal government with which Ayers was personally connected. What's more, I'll concede that Barack Obama would never have condoned the intended attack on a dance at a military installation that was averted only by the premature detonation of the home-made anti-personnel device that killed Ayers' Weather Underground colleagues. Obama isn't a terrorist.

However, his willingness to go to work for one ought to raise serious questions in the eyes of each and every patriotic American. It is a matter of judgment -- and Obama has said that we should elect him because of his judgment, right?

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Hurricane Ike -- The Pissed Off Post

Well, the folks with the city of Seabrook still won't tell us when we can come home.

Not only are they not answering the number they told us to call for information, but it has been over 24 hours since they have bothered to update their website.

But not to worry -- they do have the manpower to block anyone from coming home to actually check on their property.

Sunday morning, residents of the tiny community of Seabrook near Johnson Space Center began trying to return home. They were met by a roadblock, and three Seabrook police officers standing in the rain, turning folks away. At times the line was six to 12 cars deep.

"It's gonna be a while," an officer shouted to one man as he made a U-turn. "Just listen to the news."

"Seabrook is a disaster area: no sewer, no infrastructure. It really isn't safe," said officer Charlie Skinner. "It's making residents pretty upset. I understand, but ... There's an order signed by the mayor. We can't let anybody in."

That's right -- the law-abiding folks who followed the mandatory evacuation order are not permitted home and are getting no information. The folks who flaunted it and stayed behind are being allowed to remain.

Seems to me that the approach being taken by the city officials in Seabrook is exactly what should not be done -- and the mismanagement of Mayor Renola, the City Council, the city manager, and the rest of the employees of Seabrook has been so bad that many people will refuse to evacuate in the future for fear of again being denied access to their homes by badge-and-gun wielding cops acting on orders from an unresponsive and unprepared city government.

Seabrook was once known as Recall City USA because of its frequent use of that tactic to get rid of unresponsive politicians. Expect it to happen again with the entire crew currently in charge.

UPDATE: Shortly after 11:00 PM, the city put out phone calls, emails, and updated its website to inform residents that those on the west side of town can return home after 6:00 AM on Monday -- but that the rest of us still cannot. Better late than never -- but it would have been nice for those impacted by this move to get a little bit of extra notice.

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Personal Loans

Personal Loans can really help you out in a variety of situations. After all, there are many reasons you might need to borrow money - travel, tuition, the arrival of a baby, major emergencies, paying for a wedding and many more. That's why AfsLoansOnline.com exists -- to help you get the cash you need!

Here are some of the great things about their services. One, there are no application fees for your loan. and not only are there no hidden charges, you get your approval the same day you applied in most cases -- and you are guaranteed approval in most cases.

What would I need a personal loan for? Well, considering the eye of a hurricane just passed through my living room with a storm surge in front of it, I suspect I'll have a lo0t of unexpected expenses in the next few weeks. I hope I don'nt need to take out any loans, but it is good to know there are folks who can help if I need them.

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September 13, 2008

Hurricane Ike News-- It Doesn't Look Good For Us

We got a bit of Houston news on MSNBC -- folks are not being allowed into Seabrook due to flooding, and we are being instructed to wait for the city website to announce we are allowed back. Oh, and the city website is off-line.

This may explain why.

ikeseabrook6.jpg
Two blocks from city hall, two feet off Highway 146.
And 2 1/2 miles from my house.

ikeseabrook7.jpg
About 1/3 mile down Highway 146 from the above picture,
near the bridge to Kemah.

So we remain in Austin.

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September 12, 2008

Ike Update

080912-ike-surge-c-02[1].jpg

The storm surge from Hurricane Ike and debris covers a street, Friday, Sept 12, 2008 in Seabrook Texas.
Incredibly, Ike's center was still some 200 miles away when this photo was taken. AP Photo/Kim Christensen

This shot was taken about 12 hours before the storm is scheduled to make landfall -- about 1-2 miles from my house. This is a major reason why I am certain that my Darling Democrat, the Apolitical Pooch and I are hiding out in a hotel in Austin.

Word is that there will be a storm surge of 18-22 feet in our area -- and what you see there is at perhaps 8 feet.

I don't want to imagine what we will be going home to -- and can imagine that we might not have a home to go home to.

UPDATE: Additional photos from Seabrook, Texas -- H/T Houston Chronicle

ikeseabrook1.jpg
Local resident walking dog -- about 2-3 blocks from picture at top of this post.

ikeseabrook2.jpg
See that picture at the top? This would be the same spot, facing the other direction.

ikeseabrook3.jpg
See that white house in the center at the very top of the picture?
That is in front of the location with the debris.

ikeseabrook4.jpg
Resident wading about 1/2 mile from the debris picture, on a side street.
This would be in the extreme upper left of the photo just above.

Our house would be another 1 1/2 miles past this, at about the same point on a side street -- but with a bit more land (1/4-1/3 mile) between us and the water. Needless to say, I'm not taking much comfort in what I'm seeing here.

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September 10, 2008

Regarding Hurricne Ike

If you've been following the news about Hurricane Ike, you will know that it is headed for the Texas coast. And its latest wobble has set it on a path to make landfall only 60 miles south of my home.

Unfortunately, that is going to push a great deal of wind and rain this direction, as well as a storm surge.

It also means that there will likely be a storm surge up Galveston Bay that will flood low-lying areas. That means our house, which in 30 years has never taken so much as a drop of flood water from any storm. I have every reason to expect that run of good luck to end between now and Saturday.

I'm asking for prayers, good wishes and positive vibrations, according to your inclination and tradition -- not just for me, the Darling Democrat and the Apolitical Pooch, but also for my fellow Gulf Coast residents. Pray that this storm is directed so that it hits when, where, and how it will do the least damage to the lives of the least people.

I'll try to get back online tonight and update you on the evacuation. May it not be the sort of fiasco we experienced three years ago during Hurricane Rita.

UPDATE: WE ARE UNDER MANDATORY EVACUATION AS OF NOON TODAY.

Posted by: Greg at 09:20 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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In Memoriam -- 9/11/2001

Originally Posted on September 11, 2004 -- As is my custom, I repost it today.

So many died that horrible day.

One was my classmate at Washington and Lee University, Commander Robert Allan Schlegel.

I would love to tell you he and I were close. That would be a lie.

I would love to share stories of great times together. I don't have any.

What I can tell you is that I remember Rob Schlegel as a good guy, a friend of some friends. I remember him as being a bright guy, sitting a couple rows over and a couple seats back in a US History class. One of those classmates you later wish you had gotten to know when you had the chance.

Rest in Peace.

May all the victims of September 11 and the many men and women of our armed forces who have died fighting terrorism since that day rest in peace.

And let us not forget those heroes who still live.

Posted by: Greg at 09:08 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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September 09, 2008

Rangel: Well, I'll Pay Those Taxes Since I Got Caught

Interesting, isn't it, that another senior Democrat with a sweetheart mortgage deal has come to light -- and the media again issues a pass.

As House GOP leaders called for his removal from the powerful chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) announced yesterday that he will repay an unspecified amount in back federal, state and local taxes on unreported income from a Dominican Republic vacation property.

The Harlem Democrat will file amended federal, state and local tax returns to reflect $75,000 in income from the beachfront villa that he previously failed to list on tax and congressional financial disclosure forms, said his attorney Lanny Davis.

If this were a senior Republican -- say Mitch McConnell -- we would be seing lead stories on every network, demands for prosecution, and endless claims of a Republican culture of corruption. Yet somehow, the press just can't muster the outrage over this story, any more than it could over earlier mortgage deals -- or Obama's shady deal with Tony Rezko to get property at below market value.

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If Obama'sSuch A Great Speaker

Why did he make such a poor choice of words?

Obama poked fun of McCain and Palin's new "change" mantra.

"You can put lipstick on a pig," he said as the crowd cheered. "It's still a pig."

"You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still gonna stink."

"We've had enough of the same old thing."

Now let's consider a couple of things.

Yes, as the Obama campaign notes, the phrase is a not uncommon idiom. However, when you are running against a woman whose signature line is that she is a pit bull with lipstick, ANY reference to lipstick will be viewed as a reference to her. That crowd certainly took it that way -- and if Obama is even half as smart as he and his followers claim he is, then he knew it.

Oh, yeah, and for Obama and his supporters to claim that such an interpretation is unfair is rather disingenuous. After all, any criticism directed at Barry Hussein by his opponents has been deemed as "racist" by either him, his staff, or their surrogates in the media.

"Arrogant"? Racist!

"Elitist"? Racist!

"Inexperienced"? Racist!

"Community Organizer"? Racist!

So Democrats saying that the firestorm around the comment is unfair certainly strikes me as nothing more than whining.

Heck, I'm surprised that his syncophantic followers aren't claiming that Republican objections to the poor turn of phrase are racist.

Posted by: Greg at 10:39 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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An America Replies

Well, now we have it -- a columnist from the Britain's socialist rag, the Guardian, is warning America of the dire consequences if we Americans don't fall in line with world opinion and vote for Barack Obama like the world wants us to.

If Americans choose McCain, they will be turning their back on the rest of the world, choosing to show us four more years of the Bush-Cheney finger. And I predict a deeply unpleasant shift.

Until now, anti-Americanism has been exaggerated and much misunderstood: outside a leftist hardcore, it has mostly been anti-Bushism, opposition to this specific administration. But if McCain wins in November, that might well change. Suddenly Europeans and others will conclude that their dispute is with not only one ruling clique, but Americans themselves. For it will have been the American people, not the politicians, who will have passed up a once-in-a-generation chance for a fresh start - a fresh start the world is yearning for.

And the manner of that decision will matter, too. If it is deemed to have been about race - that Obama was rejected because of his colour - the world's verdict will be harsh. In that circumstance, Slate's Jacob Weisberg wrote recently, international opinion would conclude that "the United States had its day, but in the end couldn't put its own self-interest ahead of its crazy irrationality over race".

Even if it's not ethnic prejudice, but some other aspect of the culture wars, that proves decisive, the point still holds. For America to make a decision as grave as this one - while the planet boils and with the US fighting two wars - on the trivial basis that a hockey mom is likable and seems down to earth, would be to convey a lack of seriousness, a fleeing from reality, that does indeed suggest a nation in, to quote Weisberg, "historical decline". Let's not forget, McCain's campaign manager boasts that this election is "not about the issues."

Of course I know that even to mention Obama's support around the world is to hurt him. Incredibly, that large Berlin crowd damaged Obama at home, branding him the "candidate of Europe" and making him seem less of a patriotic American. But what does that say about today's America, that the world's esteem is now unwanted? If Americans reject Obama, they will be sending the clearest possible message to the rest of us - and, make no mistake, we shall hear it.

Well, I've got a message for Jonathan Freedland and the world he claims to speak for -- BUGGER OFF! Because you are, on one level, correct -- I, and many other Americans, don't give a damn about your "esteem". Having seen our nation pull Europe (and much of the rest of the world) out of the cauldron of militarism and dictatorship twice in the twentieth century by intervening in two world wars -- and then standing as a bulwark between freedom and communist tyranny for half a century -- we Americans feel like we have more than earned the right to make our decisions for ourselves on who will lead our nation. We don't want, much less need, your approval.

besides, I think back to the last time that the rest of the world had such a serious concern about the wisdom of allowing Americans to pick their own leaders. It was my senior year of high school, and the choice that was so objectionable was Ronald Reagan. I seem to recall that Americans rather intuitively made the right choice on that one -- and that our choice turned out to have loads of benefits for a world that objected to our choosing "that cowboy". And while we had to listen to a great deal of anti-American whining from the Euro-trash, history has judged that choice to have been correct.

I've no choice that, for the third straight election, the choice of a Republican president will again be the correct one. Regardless of what "the world community" thinks of the voice of the American people.

Posted by: Greg at 10:14 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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A Note On Ike

You may have noticed that the forecast map and tacking models have wobbled a couple of times over the last 24-36 hours. As a result, that means that we could be seeing the dirty side of the storm bringing us a surge that would literally cover my house (a 20 ft surge towards a home at 10 ft above sea level 1/4 mile from the water qualifies as a "bad thing"). So seeing stories like this one makes my heart quiver a bit -- while also fills it with hope that an evacuation won't be the pre-Rita mess we had 3 years ago.

The pressure of staring down Hurricane Ike is on as the storm moves across the Gulf of Mexico on an uncertain path that has officials along the Texas coast waiting to decide which communities need to evacuate — and when.

As of late Tuesday, Ike seemed set on coming to Texas, but it remained too early to know whether it would make landfall this weekend somewhere between Corpus Christi and Palacios, drop down into the Rio Grande Valley, or even make a hard turn that would bring it closer to Houston.

"When they get in the Gulf, they tend to do weird things, so we're going to keep watching it," said Francisco Sanchez, of Harris County's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. "We do have a bit of a sigh of relief."

Even if the storm doesn't head directly to Houston, its winds and rains still could be dangerous, said officials, who cautioned residents not to let their guards down.

"We are still in the monitoring stage now," Houston Emergency Center spokesman Joe Laud said. "There is always that chance it could turn back east."

So right now it looks like (probably) no evacuation for me -- but I'm not canceling that hotel room in Austin quite yet, either.

Posted by: Greg at 09:59 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Take A City Break In Amsterdam

IÂ’ve always wanted to visit Amsterdam, with its wonderful history. There is just so much to do and so much to see in this beautiful city if you brook one of the many amsterdam city breaks available online. YouÂ’ll find friendly people bicycling down small, picturesque streets filled with interesting bits of period architecture. Like the tulips that the Netherlands are known for, great things just seem to bloom in Amsterdam!

Now for someone history-minded like me, there is a great deal. Interested in more modern history? You can see Anne FrankÂ’s House, which today is a museum of major historical importance dedicated to the remembrance of the evils perpetrated during the Holocaust. IÂ’m told it is well worth the time. There are so many other great museums of history and art, as well as historical sites available throughout the city. It is possible to take in a few of these during Amsterdam short breaks.

And then there is another unique feature of the city – the canal. If you do the canal tour, your guide will impart a lot about Amsterdam and its history. And the canal is a great convenience in terms of transportation as well -- you can usually hop on and off of these tours at spots that are of particular interest.

Amsterdam is also noted for the many small coffee shops, restaurants and bars that dot the city An hour or two in one of them will allow you to see what the city is really like, and to see what modern Dutch culture is really like.

Looking for deals on city breaks in Amsterdam? Well, check out the many available packages city break packages for the city and then make your break for Amsterdam. After all, these trips are reasonably prices and short enough to fit into any schedule. Just look, book, and see what you want to see!

Posted by: Greg at 07:37 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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September 08, 2008

A Most Outrageous Charge

Richard Cohen argues that there has been some swiftboating going on since Sarah Palin was picked by John McCain.

Only she isn't the victim -- Barack Obama is.

What Obama does not understand is that he is being Swift-boated. The term does not apply to a mere smear. It is bolder, more outrageous than that. It means going straight at your opponent's strength and maligning it.

Yep -- questioning whether being a community organizer is really experience we can believe in is swiftboating -- because that constitutes the strength of Obama's candidacy. I don't know about you, but that looks like a concession as to how weak a candidate Barack Obama really is.

But somehow Cohen can't find it in him to comment on the scores of false attacks against Sarah Palin and her family.

It is almost as if he lives in an alternate reality.

But then again, he does -- the rarified air of the MSM enclave.

Posted by: Greg at 10:36 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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It Took Research To Discover This?

You could have gotten the same results anecdotally from any teacher.

Over four winters, Harvard researchers matched hacking adults' visits to Boston-area emergency rooms with Census data for 55 zip codes. Flu-like symptoms struck first and worst in the zip codes that were home to the most kids.

Every 1 percent increase in the child population brought a 4 percent increase in adult ER visits, researchers reported this summer in Annals of Emergency Medicine.

"The impact of kids and the flu is clear," says study co-author John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Children's Hospital Boston. "It doesn't mean the areas without kids are protected from flu. It just means they experience flu later and at lower rates."

Any parent can attest that youngsters are germ factories. It takes years of nagging before they cover coughs and sneezes. Little ones tend to pick their noses. Even teenagers aren't great hand-washers. Crowded schools, preschools and day-care centers act as incubators.

It's why we have little mini-epidemics at school every year -- and why teachers are eitehr decimated by something new or are gloriously immune after having been exposed to so much crap over the years. We all remember that first year of teaching when we got every byug that walked into our classroom.

And I suspect it is also not just that kids are less sanitary than adults, but also that adults let them inside our personal space more readily than other adults. Think about it -- we'll gladly pass around a baby or hug a sniffly toddler.

Posted by: Greg at 10:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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September 07, 2008

WaPo Objects On Measure Limiting DC Gun Laws

I'd normally agree with the Washington Post on this one. The representatives of the people of the District of Columbia should ordinarily have relatively free reign in legislating for the District, Congress' constitutional powers to oversee the city government notwithstanding.

That said, in this case the Congress must act as it is prepared to do in order to safeguard the rights guaranteed under the Constitution.

H.R. 6691 is the latest effort by the National Rifle Association to wrest jurisdiction over local gun legislation from the District's elected officials. It comes as city officials are in the midst of formulating permanent legislation to comply with the landmark Supreme Court ruling overturning the city's long-standing ban on handguns. Sponsors of the measure, 47 conservative Democrats and five Republicans, say that D.C. officials can't be trusted and so they are acting to ensure Second Amendment rights for city residents. It's a maddening argument considering that none of those who signed on to the bill would ever stomach letting Congress dictate local law to their constituents.

Equally troubling is that the bill goes beyond the scope of the ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller authorizing gun possession for self-defense in the home. The majority opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia specified that a range of gun regulations are "presumptively lawful." But, if sponsors of H.R. 6691 have their way, the District would be barred from passing any law that would "prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden" gun ownership by anyone not barred by existing (and weak) federal gun laws. That would mean that the District couldn't require a vision test or shooting proficiency or education about gun safety for children. Gun registration would be abolished, as would the ban on carrying weapons -- even military-style rifles -- in public. It's a scary scenario in a city where political protests, presidential motorcades and visits by foreign dignitaries are routine.

The problem, of course, is that the city has for decades violated the civil liberties of its residents, and after being told so has imposed regulations nearly as burdensome and likely as unconstitutional as those struck down by the Supreme Court this past summer. As such, it is Congress' duty to step in and stop such violations of the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment in the one place where it has the clearest constitutional ability to do so -- the District of Columbia.

I'm curious -- would the Post's editors be quite so upset if the legislation in question were designed to protect the press freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment from a city government that showed them no respect? No, I didn't think so either.

Posted by: Greg at 10:42 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Kennedy Returning To Senate In January

Looks like the Massachusetts Senator is making a good recovery following his treatment for cancer. He is even planning his return to the Senate.

The office of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) announced yesterday that he will not return to the Capitol this month and will remain in Massachusetts recuperating from brain surgery.

The announcement marked a change in plans for Kennedy; his aides and colleagues had said throughout the summer that he would return this week as Congress reconvened after a five-week recess and headed into a final legislative sprint before the November elections.

Kennedy aides said that the radiation and chemotherapy treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston are progressing but that doctors recommended he delay returning to Washington.

And frankly, this Republican is happy to hear the news. As I have said several times since the Senator took ill, my feelings towards the Senator as a politician and as a human being diverge -- and that this political news seems to indicate good news about his health makes me quite happy.

And maybe, just maybe, it signals that we will also have Bob Novak around a while longer, too.

Posted by: Greg at 10:32 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Yes She Can

Even the New York Times admits that Sarah Palin is more than capable of giving her family and her job ample attention -- just like millions of other working moms.

Many high-powered parents separate work and children; Ms. Palin takes a wholly different approach. “She’s the mom and the governor, and they’re not separate,” Ms. Cole said. Around the governor’s offices, it was not uncommon to get on the elevator and discover Piper, smothering her puppy with kisses.

“She’ll be with Piper or Trig, then she’s got a press conference or negotiations about the natural gas pipeline or a bill to sign, and it’s all business,” Ms. Burney, who works across the hall, said. “She just says, ‘Mommy’s got to do this press conference.’ ”

Ms. Palin installed a travel crib in her Anchorage office and a baby swing in her Juneau one. For much of the summer, she carried Trig in a sling as she signed bills and sat through hearings, even nursing him unseen during conference calls.

In other words, she has found a way of doing things that works for her and her family. Isn't that what feminists have told us women ought to be able to do?

But beyond that, there are a couple of other details that show up in the article that go a long way towards driving the final nails in the coffin of Trig Trutherism.

On her trip to an from Texas, which occurred a full month before the baby's expected due date.:

Around 4 a.m. on the day of her presentation, Ms. Palin stirred in her hotel room to an unusual sensation. According to The Anchorage Daily News, she was leaking amniotic fluid. She woke her husband and called her doctor back home. Go ahead and give the speech, said the doctor, Cathy Baldwin-Johnson, who declined to comment for this article.

* * *

In fact, Ms. Palin was not in labor, and her doctor thought she had time. So the governor flew to Seattle, continued to Anchorage and then drove to a small hospital near her hometown, Wasilla — a journey of at least 10 hours.

“She wanted to get back to Alaska to have that baby,” said a friend, Curtis Menard. “Man, that is one tough lady.”

A woman with symptoms like Ms. Palin’s should be examined to determine her condition, said Dr. Laura Riley of Massachusetts General Hospital. The long trip home could have posed a risk, “but the odds were still in her favor that everything would be O.K.," said Dr. Susan E. Gerber of Northwestern University.

When Ms. Palin arrived at the hospital, she was still not in labor, so her doctor induced it, Ms. Bruce said. Trig was born early the next morning, weighing 6 pounds 2 ounces.

In other words, there was no undue risk posed by the trip either way, though some amateur OB/GYNs online tried to argue differently for partisan advantage.

Parents in the delivery rooms surrounding Palin's also note that Bristol Palin and her sisters were coming and going during the birthing process, so no chance remains that Bristol could be Trig's mother folks. Another Trig Truter rumor bites the dust.

Oh, and about the three-day turnaround time between Trig's birth and Sarah Palin's return to work? With daughter Piper, she had gone back to work the next day. Seems to me that there is a pattern there that makes the short maternity leave with Trig understandable.

My only surprise? That this article appeared in the New York Times.

Posted by: Greg at 10:23 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Can This Bounce Be Sustained?

It would be great if it could be -- and would mean that Obama is in for a major drubbing if it does.

The Republican National Convention has given John McCain and his party a significant boost, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken over the weekend shows, as running mate Sarah Palin helps close an "enthusiasm gap" that has dogged the GOP all year.

McCain leads Democrat Barack Obama by 50%-46% among registered voters, the Republican's biggest advantage since January and a turnaround from the USA TODAY poll taken just before the convention opened in St. Paul. Then, he lagged by 7 percentage points.

And that is among all registered voters. Look at the likely voters and the bounce looks even more significant, but buried much firther down in the article.

In the new poll, taken Friday through Sunday, McCain leads Obama by 54%-44% among those seen as most likely to vote. The survey of 1,022 adults, including 959 registered voters, has a margin of error of +/— 3 points for both samples.

So when you get to those who are most likely to vote, that lead jumps from 4% to 10%. That would put Obama in a big hole right now.

Now I will concede that the analysis of Professor Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia is correct -- in the last half-century, these post-convention polls have only predicted the results correctly half the time. But when you consider where McCain and Obama were relative to one another at the start of the summer, the erosion of support for the Democrat and gain in support for the Republican is something that needs to be taken as a serious sign by both sides.

Posted by: Greg at 02:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The Other Drudge Scoop

No, I'm not talking the NYT story on Trig Palin that everyone is talking about.

I'm talking this blurb:

MSNBC drops Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews from anchor chair... David Gregory will anchor news coverage of the coming debates and election night.... Developing...

You mean that utter lack of professionalism might actually have consequences at that discredited network? Granted, David Gregory isn't much of an improvement, but it is something.

Will the various NBC brands ever recover from the untimely death of Tim Russert this summer?

Hot Air is also blogging this one.

UPDATE: NYT has the story -- and here is the money quote:

In interviews, 10 current and former staff members said that long-simmering tensions between MSNBC and NBC reached a boiling point during the conventions. “MSNBC is behaving like a heroin addict,” one senior staff member observed. “They’re living from fix to fix and swearing they’ll go into rehab the next week.”

UPDATE 2: The NYT story on Trig Palin I mentioned above is up -- and it is a reasonably sensitive piece that talks about the pregnancy and how she has dealt with motherhood. And it pretty effectively slaps down the "Trig Trutherism" of Andrew Sullivan, Daily Kos, and the rest of the deranged left.

Posted by: Greg at 02:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Obama Still Doesn't Get it On Human Life

Well, he does get that he gave a very stupid answer on the topic at Rick Warren's event at Saddleback, but that's about it.

Now, Obama tells ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in an interview taped for “This Week”: “What I intended to say is that, as a Christian, I have a lot of humility about understanding when does the soul enter into … It's a pretty tough question. And so, all I meant to communicate was that I don't presume to be able to answer these kinds of theological questions.”

To try to turn it into a question of ensoulment (which is a theological question that has NO RELEVANCE to the issue as a matter of law) is to profoundly confuse the issue. The question is a legal one of when a human being gets rights, not when a human being gets a soul.

Which proves, of course, that Obama does not get the real issue (or is intentionally trying to obscure it)l. It really all comes back to when you have human life -- and scientifically that one is a no-brainer. It is conception. That is a settled question of biology. Theology does not enter into the picture.

Now, having established that you have a living human being based upon science, answering Rick Warren's question about when human rights begin should also be easy enough -- with that answer again being conception. If it isn't, you then allow for all sorts of legal and moral obscenities, with certain members of the species homo sapiens sapiens being considered somehow sub-human. Chattel slavery and the Holocaust spring to mind as the logical outcome of such exclusions, and I can't imagine there are many who wish to go down either of those roads again.

The question that Obama needs to answer -- and which really needs to be put to him in a public forum -- is whether or not he believes that some human beings are less worthy of human rights than others. And then demand that he tell us which ones.

UPDATE: Well, Biden got it half right:

In the interview Sunday, Mr. Biden tried to walk the line between the staunch abortion-rights advocates in his party and his own religious beliefs. While he said he did not often talk about his faith, he said of those who disagree with him: “They believe in their faith and they believe in human life, and they have differing views as to when life — I’m prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at the moment of conception.”

Unfortunately, he is unwilling to accept it as a matter of science -- or the implications of his pro-abortion political philosophy as supporting the wholesale violation of human rights.

Posted by: Greg at 12:58 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Watcher's Council Results

Well, now that there is a brand new Watcher, we also have a he brand new Watcher's site up and running. And we now have our first announcement of a new week's winners.

1st place Council: Palin in Comparison by Wolf Howling.

1st place non-Council: Obama, McCain, Palin & Generosity by The Anchoress.

The full results can be seen here.

Posted by: Greg at 05:59 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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September 06, 2008

MyUS.com Mailing Addresses

I'm an American, living in America. As such, i'm blessed to be able to order pretty much anything I want from any American company I want, with it being delivered straight to my home. After all, I've got a US address.

But what about folks who live abroad -- Americans and non-Americans alike? Is there any way for them to gain access to those American shopping websites and the products available through them? Yes, there is -- they can establish their own personal US mailing address from which they can have their purchases forwarded to them abroad.

How do you accomplish this? With MyUS.com international package forwarding service! Using their services, any non-US resident can order the products they want from any US shopping site. The ordered products – vitamins, electronics, or whatever -- get delivered to a personal US address. Once it is there, it is easy to arrange to have the merchandise shipped on to their home anywhere in the world, as they direct. What this service does is open up more shopping options for people around the world who are interested in availing themselves of the wide variety of great consumer products available through the internet to folks with a US mailing address. So if you live abroad, check out the MyUS.com website for the way for you to start placing your orders with no hassles.

Sponsored by MyUS

Posted by: Greg at 11:48 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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What Changed?

These are your words, Senator.

What happened since then that led you to change your mind on this point?

What did you accomplish that you would cite as an actual qualification for the office which you said you were not qualified for?

And does running for President really count as experience that qualifies you for being president?

H/T STACLU

Posted by: Greg at 01:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Read It And Weep

Bob Novak writes about his tumor and its impact on his life.

More importantly, he writes about the response he has received from the many good people out there.

This detail brought a tear to my eye -- and made me thank God I had written what I did about Senator Ted Kennedy since his diagnosis with the same cancer.

After reviewing my case, [Allan H.] Friedman[, chief of neurosurgery at the Duke University Medical Center,] said a resection -- that is, a removal of the tumor -- was possible by surgery. He performed a similar operation this summer on Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts.

In today's world, it is up to the "informed patient" to make many decisions affecting treatment. My dear friend Bob Shrum, the Democratic political operative, asked Sen. Kennedy's wife, Vicki, to call me. I barely know Mrs. Kennedy, but I have found her to be a warm and gracious person. I have had few good things to say about Teddy Kennedy since I first met him at the 1960 Democratic National Convention, but he and his wife have treated me like a close friend. She was enthusiastic about Dr. Friedman and urged me to opt for surgery at Duke.

The Kennedys were not concerned by political and ideological differences when someone's life was at stake, recalling at least the myth of milder days in Washington. My long conversation with Vicki Kennedy filled me with hope.

I'm with Novak on this point -- we can have heated and intense political disagreements with an individual, whether they are a private person or public figure, and still respect their dignity as a human being. Going through what is surely an intensely difficult time, it would have been easy and understandable for the Kennedys to take a pass on talking to an adversary of nearly half a century. They didn't, and that speaks well of them.

And it provides a pointed reminder of how we as Americans should act towards our fellow citizens, including the ones we disagree with. We can attack their ideas and their actions, but we should never overlook their humanity.

Posted by: Greg at 05:54 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Weird News

My wife, a wheelchair user herself, forwarded this story on to me.

Dallas police on Friday searched for a man who robbed a 7-Eleven convenience store in his wheelchair, stealing 10 boxes of condoms and an energy drink before rolling himself out the door, authorities said.

That would qualify as seriously weird.

But then you get this at the end of the article.

Cpl. Janse said he couldn't recall another robbery involving a person in a wheelchair. He believes the culprit was probably intoxicated at the time.

Well, maybe.

Condoms and energy drinks? I'd conclude he was looking for a bit of fun and some "staying power."

Posted by: Greg at 02:47 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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