Isn't it sad that we have reached a point that a school would need to make a rule about this?

Dorm rooms doubling as steamy love huts have Tufts University throwing cold water on sex on campus - at least when horny students let it all hang out in front of red-faced roommates.

“You may not engage in sexual activity while your roommate is present in the room,” tuts Tufts’ 2009-10 guest policy, newly revised in response to student gripes about rambunctious roomies and their raunchy romps.

Tufts spokeswoman Kim Thurler told the Herald the 8,500-student school has fielded roughly a dozen complaints from chagrined scholars “who expressed concerns that they were experiencing uncomfortable situations" with their roommates’ sex-tracurricular activities.

The school put the rules in place because they didn't have a written policy telling students what the expectations were. One would have hoped that wasn't necessary.

Not, of course, that this is a new problem. I ran into it in college -- once. I was dating a girl who developed a serious illness., and one Saturday evening she and I fell asleep while watching television her dorm room one evening when she was feeling particularly sick. Her roommate -- who was noted for her promiscuity -- brought a guy back to the room in the middle of the night and the pair proceeded to hump like a couple of bunnies in heat, waking both my girlfriend and I (though we feigned sleep out of embarrassment). My solution -- the next morning I discretely dropped a hint to the guy in question that we had heard everything -- and my girlfriend did the same with her roommate. It was never a problem after that.

Of course, maybe morals are looser than they were in the mid-1980s. Or maybe we are just a more litigious society, and so the school feels a need to tell students to act with a little common decency.

Posted by: Greg at 10:32 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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The other day I wrote about out-of-control government prosecuting a woman for doing something technically criminal -- buying cold medicine for two different family members at two different stores on two different days within the same week.

But this one is even worse -- the criminalization of neighbors helping neighbors.

A West Michigan woman says the state is threatening her with fines and possibly jail time for babysitting her neighbors' children.

Lisa Snyder of Middleville says her neighborhood school bus stop is right in front of her home. It arrives after her neighbors need to be at work, so she watches three of their children for 15-40 minutes until the bus comes.

The Department of Human Services received a complaint that Snyder was operating an illegal child care home. DHS contacted Snyder and told her to get licensed, stop watching her neighbors' kids, or face the consequences.

"It's ridiculous." says Snyder. "We are friends helping friends!" She added that she accepts no money for babysitting.

Mindy Rose, who leaves her 5-year-old with Snyder, agrees. "She's a friend... I trust her."

Good grief! This is the sort of stuff we grew up with when I was a kid. My house was where the kids next door came after school until their mom, a nurse, got off at 4:00. Miss Carmen down the street watched some of us when our parents had doctors appointments and were running late. That sort of stuff isn't day care -- it is normal human interaction.

My diagnosis? Too many laws caused by too much government.

Posted by: Greg at 10:22 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Big business gets a bad name too often. But stories like this one happen regularly, but don't always get reported.

Because of caring people and a caring company, a terminally ill little Green Forest girl was flown home Friday by air ambulance from M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, so she can spend her last days surrounded by the people who love her most.

Jada Harper, who turned seven on Sept. 1, has an inoperable malignant tumor in her brain and is in a coma with a ventilator doing her breathing for her. She has been at the famous cancer center in Houston since July, but her situation is now at the point not much else can be done to help her.

The story is tragic -- a little girl dying of cancer being brought home todie -- but the story itself is beautiful. After all, there is still a lot of caring and decency in this world -- the sort of thing that leads us to help others in their time of need.

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You can get some of the funniest situations.

Take today. I was using a personal anecdote to illustrate a point, and was about to say something about my education that no ninth grader could have possibly known about me. Suddenly, one of the boys chimed in with exactly the bit of information I was about to mention – and I responded with surprise.

From there, it got really funny, with the following exchange:

Girl: How did you know that?

Boy: Easy – I’m psychotic!

Girl: I think you mean psychic.

Boy: Yeah – that, too.

Psychotic and psychic. Could be a long school year.

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When it is clear that a legal product is being legitimately purchased for its intended purpose, a prosecutor ought to make a common sense decision to drop charges against someone who committed a technical violation of the law.

But for some reason, prosecutors in Indiana simply refuse to do so.

When Sally Harpold bought cold medicine for her family back in March, she never dreamed that four months later she would end up in handcuffs.

Now, Harpold is trying to clear her name of criminal charges, and she is speaking out in hopes that a law will change so others wonÂ’t endure the same embarrassment she still is facing.

“This is a very traumatic experience,” Harpold said.

Harpold is a grandmother of triplets who bought one box of Zyrtec-D cold medicine for her husband at a Rockville pharmacy. Less than seven days later, she bought a box of Mucinex-D cold medicine for her adult daughter at a Clinton pharmacy, thereby purchasing 3.6 grams total of pseudoephedrine in a weekÂ’s time.

Those two purchases put her in violation of Indiana law 35-48-4-14.7, which restricts the sale of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, or PSE, products to no more than 3.0 grams within any seven-day period.

That the purchase of two boxes of over-the-counter cold medicine is a crime is ludicrous. Moreover, that law enforcement and prosecutors still insist upon prosecuting this woman despite freely admitting that these over-the-counter purchases were not for illicit drug production and were, in fact, intended for legitimate use by sick family members is a serious abuse of the judicial process and waste of taxpayer money.

My diagnosis in this case? Indiana is clearly suffering from too many laws and too much government.

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Looks like it is happening again.

Dan Fuchs said business was just starting to pick up at his kiosk in the Mall at Johnson City.

Fuchs’ business, the Graphic Edge, printed slogans and pictures on items such as coffee cups, bumper stickers and T-shirts. He said more than half of his business came from the sale of anti-Obama merchandise. Bumper stickers with slogans such as “SOS: Stop Obama’s Socialism,” “Nobama,” and “Chicago got the party, but the country got the hangover” were displayed around the small stand.

Now it appears Fuchs is out of business at the mall, but mall officials say this decision was not based upon political views.

Friday afternoon, Fuchs was handed a lease termination notice by mall officials and signed by Mall General Manager Tembra Aldridge. The letter states that the option to terminate the lease agreement is effective 11:59 p.m. today and that he must vacate the mall premises and remove his property before then.

Fuchs said he was given no reason for this termination and was shocked and upset. Thursday evening, Fuchs said mall officials met with him and told him to take down the anti-Obama items on display by closing time or face immediate eviction.

I’m curious – how much anti-Bush merchandise was banned during the previous eight years? How many retailers have been ordered out of malls for being too pro-Obama? And will we Americans continue to spend our money in malls that show such contempt for the views of so many Americans?

Feel free to contact the management of the Mall at Johnson City to express your disapproval – and the property’s owner, the Glimcher Realty Trust.

And remember -- this isn't the first time this has happened.

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How dare the justice system pursue a cretin who drugged and then used force to vaginally and anally rape a child, admitted his guilt, and then fled to avoid justice!

Let there be no doubt about what he did to this girl. And that he voluntarily entered a plea of guilty to over three decades ago.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski has been arrested in Switzerland on a decades-old arrest warrant stemming from a sex charge in California, Swiss police said Sunday.

* * *

The director pleaded guilty in 1977 to a single count of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, acknowledging he had sex with a 13-year-old girl. But he fled the United States before he could be sentenced, and U.S. authorities have had a warrant for his arrest since 1978.

Out of fear that a judge might actually make him go to prison for this deviant sexual assault on a minor, Polanski fled the country to France, a land that would not extradite him despite his having committed crimes that would have drawn a jail sentence there.

There are those in the press, Europeans, and the “celebrities can do no wrong” community who think that this is a miscarriage of justice, that we should allow Polanski to walk away a free man. I say no – and if Polanski wants to try to prove that there was some sort of prosecutorial misconduct in his case that merits a different disposition than the time to which he was sentenced over three decades ago, then he can come to this country and make his case – just like any other child molester.

Where are Nancy Grace and Jane Velez-Mitchell to cause a stir when we need one?

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Seems to me that they are out to prove Joe Wilson right when he said that Obama lied about border-jumping immigration criminals not being covered under ObamaCare.

Fearful that they're losing ground on immigration and health care, a group of House Democrats is pushing back and arguing that any health care bill should extend to all legal immigrants and allow illegal immigrants some access, The Washington Times reported on Monday.

The Democrats, trying to stiffen their party's spines on the contentious issue, say it's unfair to bar illegal immigrants from paying their own way in a government-sponsored exchange. Legal immigrants, they say, regardless of how long they've been in the United States, should be able to get government-subsidized health care if they meet the other eligibility requirements.

Of course, the next argument is that illegals too poor to afford the insurance should get it for free – expect it. And there will certainly be a bar to using data from ObamaCare for purposes of locating illegals and deporting them. In other words, this will just be welfare for lawbreakers.

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Not only is Elizabeth Edwards making blog comments using the persona of a black woman, but there are some other fun details as well.

Along with claiming that Edwards and Hunter made a sex tape, the proposal alleges:

* Edwards had had affairs with other women on the campaign trail.

* When Edwards was forced to call off a birthday date with Hunter because he found out that Elizabeth's cancer had returned, an unsympathetic Hunter screamed at him.

* After learning of the affair, Elizabeth made John sleep in their barn though she would wake him up with accusatory rants.

* Hunter relied on a California psychic named Bob to tell her where to live and what to do.

* Edwards had little affection for John Kerry - once comparing him to Richie Rich - but changed his tune when the Democratic presidential nominee tapped him as his running mate.

* Ted Kennedy once told Young about a would-be assassin who managed to get into his Senate office because one of his bodyguards was having a gay liaison with one of his top aides.

Interesting, isnÂ’t it, that the media isnÂ’t giving this situation the same sort of coverage as Mark Sanford, Larry Craig, or other Republicans with fidelity problems. I guess that the D after EdwardsÂ’ name is sufficient to keep the press from being too interested.

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The US should not allow leaders like Mahmoud the Mad to come to the US.

The US should not allow the UN on American soil.

The US should quit the UN and allow it to whither and die of its own bloated inefficiency.

Any successor organization should exclude those nations that stuck around to hear the Iranian dictator's speech.

But that certainly isn't likely to happen under the Obama Regime -- especially after a speech by Obama in which he was so accommodating to the Arab nations and their terrorist proxy groups that he couldn't even bring himself to insist that Israel's enemies accept Israel's right to exist as a starting point for any negotiations -- while laying down the law as to what he expected Israel to do in response to American demands.

Would that Prime Minister Netanyahu had gone a step further in this speech and explicitly added Barack Obama to the list of those whose deeds at the UN were nothing less than shameful.

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I've had season tickets for the Houston Texans since the beginning of the franchise.

It hasn't always been pretty.

Sometimes it has been downright awful.

But there has always been one constant during the regular season -- one thing we could count on.

Chester Pitts would be starting for the team.

And so this news is sort of devastating.

Texans left guard Chester Pitts, who has started every game in franchise history, will be placed on injured reserve after undergoing major knee surgery Wednesday and will miss the remainder of the season.

Pitts, who started 114 consecutive games, had two procedures performed on his right knee by Dr. Walter Lowe.

Pitts underwent surgery to repair the meniscus cartilage and also had microfracture surgery to repair the articular cartilage. The damage to his medial collateral ligament will heal on its own.

Pitts was injured in the Texans' 34-31 victory at Tennessee on Sunday.

Kasey Studdard, a three-year veteran from the University of Texas, will replace Pitts in the starting lineup.

Pitts' season-ending surgery means kicker Kris Brown is the last of the original Texans on the 53-man roster.

Pitts, a second-round pick from San Diego State in 2002, is in the last year of his contract and turns 31 next season, which means he might not play again for the Texans.

Chester Pitts NOT starting for the Texans? Maybe not EVER suiting up for the team again?

It really does feel like the end of the world as we know it.

Here's hoping that he'll be fine -- and back with the team next season.

UPDATE: For all the folks who are not fans of the Houston texans, here's how you may better know Chester Pitts. Just one more reason we all love him down here in Houston, too.

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Here's my one fear as a teacher -- the kid who is so out of control that he (or she) is perfectly prepared to take a life.

And in this case, it was the life of a teacher, for no apparent reason.

A special-education teacher who had a passion for music was fatally stabbed Wednesday morning in a Texas high school classroom, and police took a 16-year-old student into custody.

Todd R. Henry, 50, worked with students at John Tyler High School who were either emotionally or behaviorally challenged, according to his older brother, Jody Henry.

“He loved it,” the elder Henry said. “He told me it was his calling. He had never been happier than when working with these kids.”

District Superintendent Randy Reid said the male suspect approached his teacher about 8:50 a.m. and stabbed him in the neck with a sharp object. A teacherÂ’s aide and two other students were in the classroom, and the aide subdued the suspect before calling district police, Reid said.

Reid said the student had been in and out of the district “a couple of times,” but declined to provide further details, citing privacy laws.

“It is our understanding at this time that there was nothing in the classroom that incited this situation,” Reid said. “It was a random act.”

I know stuff like this happens. A friend of mine was taken out of school on a stretcher several years ago with a stab wound he received breaking up a fight between a couple of girls. I know others who have been injured, though not necessarily with weapons, by kids who targeted them.

And let me say that in this instance the "privacy laws" argument is absolute bullshit. This isn't a school disciplinary matter -- it is a criminal act about which the public has the right to full details before they allow their children back into that building.

Want to know the real irony of this situation? Mr. Henry had previously worked as a prison guard. It just boggles the mind.

My heart goes out to the family of Todd Henry -- especially to his new wife, who is also an educator. May God console them -- and Mr. Henry's students and colleagues -- at a time that is surely one of unspeakable horror.

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The first three words of the US Constitution are "We the People". That is important, because it is indicative of the basic truth that all government power in the United States derives from We the People -- that We the People are sovereigns, not subjects.

And so the arrogance of the Democrats on this point is particularly galling.

Senate Finance Committee Democrats have rejected a GOP amendment that would have required a health overhaul bill to be available online for 72 hours before the committee votes.

Republicans argued that transparency is an Obama administration goal. They also noted that their constituents are demanding that they read bills before voting.

Democrats said it was a delay tactic that could have postponed a vote for weeks.

In other words, We the People don't have a right to know what those who are supposed to serve us, who derive their authority from our sovereignty, are trying to do with the limited power that we deign to grant them. Seems to me that they are under the mistaken notion that they, not We, are sovereign.

Seems to me that it is time for We the People to take action against those who would ignore the source of their authority.

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Given that that the implementation of any eventual healthcare scheme proposed by the Democrats is years away, Rep. Eric Cantor did the responsible thing when confronted with a question of how a woman who has cancer RIGHT NOW can get help for her condition.

CHURCHILL: I have a very close relative, a woman in her early forties, who did have a wonderful, high-paying job, owns her own home and is a real contributing member of society. She lost her job. Just a couple of weeks ago, she found out that she has tumors in her belly and that she needs an operation. Her doctors told her that they are growing and that she needs to get this operation quickly. She has no insurance. [...]

CANTOR: First of all I guess I would ask what the situation is in terms of income eligibility and the existing programs that are out there. Because if we look at the uninsured that are out there right now, there is probably 23, 24% of the uninsured that is already eligible for an existing government program [...] Beyond that, I know that there are programs, there are charitable organizations, there are hospitals here who do provide charity care if thereÂ’s an instance of indigency and the individual is not eligible for existing programs that there can be some cooperative effort. No one in this country, given who we are, should be sitting without an option to be addressed.

Not good enough for the libs over at Think Progress, who ignore the fact that he is trying to direct this dying woman to help RIGHT NOW, not at some hypothetical future date when legislation might go into effect four or five years ago. But I guess they would have preferred a promise to vote for single payer health insurance, even if the woman in question were to die in the interim – because, in the words of every Trekkie’s favorite Vulcan, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.”

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I was never a huge fan, and sharply criticized him for his betrayal of his party and his district in 2006.

But Tom DeLay was my congressman, after all -- and I always found him to be a pretty cordial fellow.

Here's wishing you all the best, Tom. Please at least knock out that damned Dallas Cowboy.

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And that he clearly doesn't know what he is talking about when he tries to con us into his risky healthcare scheme.

In the most contentious exchange of President Barack Obama’s marathon of five Sunday shows, he said it is “not true” that a requirement for individuals to get health insurance under a key reform plan now being debated amounts to a tax increase.

But he could look it up — in the bill.

Page 29, sentence one of the bill introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont) says: “The consequence for not maintaining insurance would be an excise tax.”

And the rest of the bill is clear that the Finance Committee does, in fact, consider it a tax: “The excise tax would be assessed through the tax code and applied as an additional amount of Federal tax owed.”

The bill requires every American, with few exceptions, to carry health insurance. To enforce this individual mandate, the Senate Finance Committee created the excise tax as a penalty for people who don’t have insurance – and it can run as much as $3,800 a year per family.

The House bill also refers to the penalties for not carrying insurance as a tax. It calls for a “tax on individuals without acceptable health care coverage” and amends the tax code to implement it.

Seems pretty clear to me that hte Obamateur doesn't know what he is talking about -- or doesn't have any regard for the truth when he speaks.

So what do you think?

Is the president a liar, or just in way over his head -- or both?

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I guess you have to be a dead abortionist to get the President to condemn acts of violence committed against you.

Flagstaff, AZ (LifeNews.com) -- Pro-life advocates are upset by an attack on a pro-life man in Arizona who was holding a pro-life sign that apparently upset two pro-abortion women. The attack came eight days after pro-life advocate James Pouillon was shot repeatedly and killed in Michigan by a man who didn't like him protesting abortion at a high school.

In the new case, 69-year-old Johnny Wallace was attacked by two women as he held two pro-life signs condemning the racist undertones of abortion and Planned Parenthood.

Wallace was alone in front of City Hall on the busiest street in town at the time of the attack. He was known to take up position at the spot most every day to make sure members of the community were reminded of the problems associated with abortion.

His two signs read "Abortion kills more black Americans in four days than the Klan killed in 150 years," and "Life begins at conception and ends at Planned Parenthood."

Wallace was approached from behind by two women, both 48, who began by yelling profanities at him. One then attempted to take way and destroy his sign. After Wallace was wrestled to the ground, the other woman joined the attack.

Paramedics were called and Wallace was treated for minor injuries. He suffered an elbow injury that has required additional treatment, according to officials with the pro-life group Operation Rescue.

Both women were cited and released on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and criminal damage.

This is the second major politically motivated attack against pro-life Americans for exercising their civil rights regarding this issue. As yet there has been no condemnation from teh White House as there was over the murder of abortionist George Tiller, despite the toll of one dead and one injured for doing nothing more than engaging in freedom of speech in a public place. When ill Barack Obama -- allegedly the president of ALL Americans -- speak out against these acts of political terrorism against pro-life Americans? When will the Justice Department open civil rihts investigations regarding these two events? Or do the lives and safety of Americans involved with this divisive issue only matter when they support the slaughter of the unborn?

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Remember when the Democrats and media assured us that the Tea Party protesters and folks turning out at town hall meetings were nothing but organized astroturf rather than genuine grassroots activism? Well, what should we call this?

The plan for a series of grass-roots demonstrations Tuesday to promote President Obama's health care agenda calls for tightly scripted events and an "escalation" of efforts against "enemies" of reform.

Organizers insist there is no comparison to rowdy summer town hall meetings and recent "tea party" protests that have challenged White House policies.

But Health Care for America Now (HCAN), which is backed by a coalition of labor unions and liberal groups including ACORN and MoveOn.org, organized the protests to target insurance companies and drafted the plan, which describes the demonstrations as part of its "insurance enemies project."

The document, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Times, details specific talking points, tactics, props and strategies to stage the protests. It lists goals that include action that "mobilizes our base by animating existing anger about private insurers."

The HCAN field plan dictates that each protest will include a minimum of 30 participants, target only health care insurers CIGNA, WellPoint and United Health Care and showcase what it calls "victims," or people who have either lost insurance, can't afford it or were denied coverage because of pre-existing medical conditions.

Got that -- they've scripted out the talking points, are providing props and signs, and even determined the minimum number of participants who will be brought in to these staged events. But then they deny that their activities are anything other than a reflection of the feelings of the American people.

Sounds like astroturf to me -- much more so than any of the events of the summer by opponents of ObamaCare.

H/T Founding Bloggers, Marathon Pundit, Prairie Pundit, Let Freedom Ring

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What does the Obama Regime have to hide?

That is my question when I found this little tidbit in the midst of a profile of Obama's campaign lawyer, Robert Bauer.

Mr. Bauer would not consent to an interview for this article. Mr. Obama recently issued an informal edict advising his staff not to assist with profiles.

So much for the new era of openness in Washington, and the desire to let Americans see inside the workings of our system of government and politics. In light of the dishonesty uncovered by the press among Obama's cronies and appointees -- along with the extremist views of those like Van Jones -- the new policy is to be the least transparent administration in American history, with the Regime adopting a Nixonian tactic of stonewalling the press.

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1 Good article, thank you If you are interesting 2012 year, by the way, welcome to us http://2012earth.net

Posted by: Earth at Thu Oct 8 01:54:49 2009 (8n1lS)

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I love football.

And for a time, earlier in my life, I worked with developmentally disabled adults, including many with Down Syndrome.

And so my emotions overwhelmed me when I read about this.

Matt Ziesel doesnÂ’t stray far from coach Dan McCamy on the sidelines during St. Joseph Benton High SchoolÂ’s freshman football games. He likes to stay within earshot.

“I’m ready, Coach. … Coach, I’m ready,” Ziesel says.McCamy says he hears it about 10 times a game, and also at practices, from Ziesel, his 5-foot-3, 110-pound running back.

So in the final stages of Benton’s third game of the season on Monday at Maryville, McCamy decided it was time for Ziesel — a 15-year-old freshman with Down syndrome — to make his season debut.

With about 10 seconds left in the game, and Benton trailing 46-0, McCamy called his final timeout, told an assistant coach to organize the team for the “Matt play” and ran across the field to the Maryville defensive huddle — and to some puzzled looks from the opposing players.

And the result?

This.

I missed these results last week, and so am giving them to you now with sincere apologies and a fervent hope that you will check out these excellent posts.

Winning Council Submissions

• First place with 2 points! – Soccer Dad - Verdict first; investigation afterwards
• Second place with 1 1/3 points – The Glittering Eye - Keep Faith With the Promise


• Third place with 1 points – (T*) – Joshuapundit - Obamaspeak: Challenge For Youth
• Third place with 1 points – (T*) – The Provocateur - A Psychopath at the Pittsburgh VA


• Fourth place with 2/3 points – (T*) – Mere Rhetoric - Figures. Feds DidnÂ’t Clear Brush In LA Wildfire Areas Because Of Liberal Pressure.
• Fourth place with 2/3 points – (T*) – Rhymes With Right - Well, The Text Of The Speech Is Out


• Fourth place with 2/3 points – (T*) – Bookworm Room - Are Obama and the American people capable of mimicking a Hitler/Nazi-like experience?
• Fifth place with 1/3 points – (T*) – Right Truth - Obama the Liar


• Fifth place with 1/3 points – (T*) – The Colossus of Rhodey - “Hyper-partisan?”

Winning Non-Council Submissions

• First place with 2 points! – Peter Finn, Joby Warrick and Julie Tate / WSJ - How a Detainee Became An Asset


• Second place with 1 1/3 points – Villainous Company - Own It, Mr. Secretary
• Third place with 1 points – (T*) – The Last Crusade - Gaddafi Seeks Islamic Conquest of England and Whales


• Third place with 1 points – (T*) – Dr. Richard Rafal/WSJ - A DoctorÂ’s Plan for Legal Industry Reform:My modest proposal to rearrange how lawyers do business.
• Fourth place with 2/3 points – (T*) – Gateway Pundit - WaPo Mourns Loss Of Great American “Patriot” –Commie-Truther Van Jones


• Fourth place with 2/3 points – (T*) – Texas Rainmaker - An Open Letter To The Secretary Of Education
• Fourth place with 2/3 points – (T*) – Yourish - Analyzing the AP anti-Israel bias


• Fifth place with 1/3 points – (T*) – Ranked Choice Voting - Propaganda to Remain on the Ballot
• Fifth place with 1/3 points – (T*) – New York Post - Go ahead, make my high holiday


• Fifth place with 1/3 points – (T*) – The New Yorker - The Rubber Room

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Or something like that.

DNC Promises 'Rain Of Hellfire'

No doubt to be followed by the "reign of hellfire" when Obama is exposed as the antiChrist or Satan replaces Biden as veep in 2012.

Or something like that.

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Not the people of Massachusetts, who will have no voice in picking that senator.

No, it is Barack Obama who needs that vote and voice.

Gov. Deval Patrick said Friday that President Barack Obama had personally talked to him about changing the Senate succession law in Massachusetts, and White House aides were pushing for him to gain the power to temporarily replace the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy amid the administration's health care push.

A month after a White House spokesman labeled the issue a state matter, Patrick said he and Obama spoke about changing the law as they both attended Kennedy's funeral in Boston last month. He also said White House aides have been in contact frequently ever since and pushing for the change so they can regain their filibuster-proof majority in the U.S. Senate.

"He and his whole team have been very clear about that," Patrick told reporters after holding a Cabinet meeting near his Berkshire Mountains vacation home

So when the corrupt Democrats of the Massachusetts legislature change the law to allow for an appointment and the corrupt Democrat governor of Massachusetts makes that appointment and the corrupt Democrat leadership of the Senate allows that appointee to be seated, let's call it like it really is. This appointee won't be the Senator from Massachusetts. He (or she) will be the Senator from Obama.

And look who is emerging as the leading contender to be the Senator from Obama. Massachusetts -- and America -- deserve better.

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Come on -- tell me that this story doesn't at least make you thing a little bit about the classic movies and television series.

Hours earlier, someone had broken into John Pontolillo's house and taken two laptops and a video-game console. Now it was past midnight, and he heard noises coming from the garage out back.

The Johns Hopkins University undergraduate didn't run. He didn't call the police. He grabbed his samurai sword.

With the 3- to 5-foot-long, razor-sharp weapon in hand, police say, Pontolillo crept toward the noise. He noticed a side door in the garage had been pried open. When a man inside lunged at him, police say, the confrontation was fatal.

What Pontolillo did was cleanse the gene pool of one very stupid criminal -- who, shall we say, lost his head.

No charges are pending -- yet. Let's hope that the Baltimore DA treats this kid as he deserves and pins a medal on him rather than taking him to trial.

Posted by: Greg at 04:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Out in California, we are seeing a couple of women battling for major political offices on the basis of their experience heading up large multi-national corporations. On its face, such private sector executive experience is a good thing – and the coming of moderately conservative female candidates to the GOP is a positive development.

But now Connecticut has its own female corporate CEO seeking the Senate nomination to challenge Senator Chris Dodd, whose own corruption is weighing him down like an anchor dropped into the Marianas Trench. But is this candidate one that we conservatives can embrace?

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. Chief Executive Linda McMahon stepped down from her post, one day after joining the increasingly crowded Republican field looking to run against Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon will assume the additional duties of CEO, supported by "the seasoned executive management team already in place," the wresting entertainment and media company said.

The announcement came as WWE grapples with the weak economy and competition from sports such as kickboxing. Still, WWE's profit nearly tripled in the latest quarter amid cost cuts as revenue rose 7%.

Ms. McMahon, 60 years old, is the fourth Republican to declare her candidacy, following former Rep. Rob Simmons, state Sen. Sam Caligiuri and former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley. Mr. Dodd will be seeking a sixth term in next year's election.

Let’s be honest – Linda McMahon has great name and face identification from her involvement in the WWE (formerly the WWF). But that is as much a problem as it is a benefit. Look at where her image has come from – a violent pseudo-sport that is rife with illegal drug use (both steroids and narcotics). McMahon herself has joined the parade of characters over the years in some less than tasteful storylines. Add this to her history of donating to Democrats (including Rahm Emanuel), her pro-choice position on abortion, and her generally moderate politics and I wonder if the base can accept her. Indeed, all I can think of is that she is a female Arnold Schwarzenegger.

H/T Doug Powers

Posted by: Greg at 12:24 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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One of the highlights of American education is state and local control of our schools and curriculum. In recent years, there has been an increase in federal intrusion into education matters as the national government has increased the number of dollars passed on for special programs. But this new development seems to go beyond that – and raises a new issue that troubles me.

Millions of Americans are marching, blogging, calling Congress, E-mailing friends, and writing to newspapers to say that President Obama and Congress are expanding government too far, too fast. We need to do more, because itÂ’s clear that theyÂ’re not getting the message. The latest example: the House of Representatives is preparing to put the Department of Education into the business of creating educational curriculum for American students.

This week the House is scheduled to approve H.R. 3221, an education lending bill that CBO reports will increase the deficit by $50 billion. The bill includes a little-known provision to give the Secretary of Education $500 million - to be provided to any entity he deems “appropriate” - to develop and disseminate free and “freely available” online courses.

Now these courses will be online, and will presumably be national in their availability. And therein lies the problem. What standards will be used in designing these courses? Who will make this determination? Will states (and their local school districts) be required to accept these courses for credit, even if the content does not match up with their state standards in the subject area? What will this do for graduation requirements in states like Texas, which is preparing to begin a new testing regime that involves “end of course” exams for core courses and mandates that students accrue a certain number of points in each core area in order to graduate? Will passing one or more of these courses enable a student to avoid meeting that requirement for graduation? Are these courses to be designed to create a de facto NATIONAL set of standards to which states will be pressured to adhere? I think these are questions that must be answered before we proceed any further down this road, so that we can have a true debate on the matter both within the education community and in the public at large.

Posted by: Greg at 12:15 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It isn't always easy to find the right web Hhsting service for your personal or business needs. Indeed, it sometimes can be quite a challenge. What hosting features you require? What is your budget? How much access to customer support will you need? And what country do you want to register your site in? Well, if you are looking for web hosting in services, it is probably to your advantage to consider a service like that offered by http://www.findmyhosting.com

Why FindMyHosting.com? Well, they offer you great comparisons of web hosting services from a number of companies so that you can find just what you need. They are will help you find reliable and cheap web hosting, helping you find hosts that will provide you with free or low cost domain registration, according to your needs. What's more, they offer one of the most extensive comparison services that I've ever seen when it comes to finding yourself a web host -- they actually compare competing hosts on nearly 40 different criteria, including a rating for reliability. And it is particularly easy to access their top ten list of top web hosting companies, so you don't have to fool around. So if you are read to switch hosts, now is your time and they are your place to shop.

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I've linked to Charles Johnson over at Little Green Footballs since the first day I had a blogroll. Let's be honest -- he was, at the time, one of the giants of conservative blogging, and an important voice on the conservative side of the spectrum.

Unfortunately, I cannot say that any longer.

Over the last several months (or longer), Charles has set out to somehow purge the conservative movement, the GOP, and the blogosphere of those voices with which he disagrees. In the beginning, it was a bit odd -- a couple positions I saw as counterproductive and overly curmudgeonly. But one could take his position on Intelligent Design to be reasonable even while disagreeing with him -- though anyone who disagreed with Charles on the issue was immediately labeled a "stealth creationist" -- even me, despite the fact that I explicitly have for many years taught evolution as the best available explanation of the development of life, just because I expressed the belief that the best way to deal with the issue of Intelligent Design is to talk about it as being a philosophical/theological adjunct to science's evolutionary theory.

And then there was the issue of opposition to Islamism. Though once a strong opponent of terrorism, Charles apparently became disenchanted with many of those who agreed with them. He began throwing around charges of racist and fascist when discussing not only actual racists and fascists, but also when discussing anyone who might cross over an ill-defined line or those who might continue to associate with/link to them.

Then came the abortion issue. Charles, it appears to me, may be pro-choice, but i'm really not sure. But in the wake of the murder ofGgeorge Tiller he began issuing edicts about what language was acceptable for opponents of abortion to use. Disagree with him, and you were little less than an accessory to Tiller's killing.

And now Charles has decided that support for the Tea party movement is somehow suspect, and has launched into a jihad against a great many bloggers who dare to disagree with him -- echoing the media line that opposition to Obama is racism.

Along the way, he has done his best to make LGF an echo chamber, banning folks who dare to dissent from his orthodoxy for perceived violations of rules, even while allowing his supporters to violate those same rules. Personally, I got banned because, in response to his diktat on pro-life rhetoric, I gave a one sentence, non-profane response that indicated i would not change my rhetoric just because he said to do so.

In tone, Charles Johnson has come to sound like one of the loony local liberals blogging here in Houston. Frankly, the purges he keeps advocating at LGF sound Stalinist. The creeping nature of those purges remind me of the gradualism of the Nazis described by Martin Niemöller. I won't call him a liberal, a Stalinist, or a Nazi -- I think that may be a bit over the top -- but I will call him both wrong and out of control as he crosses over the line into angry personal attacks on those on the right with whom he disagrees. So I'm joining with some of his targets and a great many other bloggers in cutting my links to LGF in the hopes that concerted action will cause Charles to come to his senses and reconsider the direction his once-great blog has taken -- or that he gets that daily show on AirAmerica for which his recent antics appear to be an audition.

Posted by: Greg at 11:21 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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This is an experiment on my part. I've had guest bloggers before, but they have been like-minded individuals filling in for me. This time I've invited a special guest from the other side of the political aisle -- my wife, Paula AKA the Darling Democrat and the Loyal Opposition.

For those wanting to know the genesis of the post, it comes from a recent conversation we had in which she gave voice to sentiments I found particularly striking and important -- sentiments that I felt ought to be shared with more than me and a few friends. I invited her to write for the blog, and after some hesitation the invitation was accepted. This is her work, and her words, not mine.

A couple of weeks ago, I watched and listened to the coverage of the fourth anniversary of the natural disaster that was Hurricane Katrina. I've waited for our turn, for the retrospectives on the events of September 12 & 13, 2008 -- the natural disaster that we call Hurricane Ike.

I'm still waiting.

I'd like to think that maybe we, the victims of Hurricane Ike, got lost in the tributes and memorials to September 11, 2001. And lest any reader think I am an unfeeling hard-ass, please understand that I sat crying on Thursday night as the surviving family members of the passengers of Flight 93 were honored at the Steelers/Titans game. And yes, on Friday I watched the memorials on cable and cried some more, too.

And while I may be one of those "support the troops, not the wars" liberals that my husband so often complains about, I feel those things in the most sincere way possible -- I lost a loved one in Desert Shield/Storm -- and as I prepare to say good-bye as a friend I love dearly leaves for Iraq or Afghanistan with his reserve unit in January, I cry every time I speak with him, his wife and their two little girls.

So, by now I will guess that you faithful readers of this blog know that the usual blogger around here isn't writing this -- it's me, Paula, the Darling Democrat, Loyal Opposition or whatever else he calls me. I quit reading a long time ago in order to save my sanity and marriage.

But as I was starting to say, we victims or survivors of Ike are waiting for the time late Saturday night or early Sunday morning to mark the first anniversary of when Ike hit our homes and changed our lives forever -- those of us who sat up for long hours through the night watching the coverage from far away from home, hoping for some word about our neighborhoods and towns. I write as someone that loves/loved my stuff -- just ask any one that helped with the clean out of our home . In fact, as we watched the coverage from our evacuation hotel in Austin, I told "The Warden" (my dear pet name for Greg, AKA Rhymes With Right) as much as I love Anderson Cooper, if he had put a microphone in my face and expected me to say that "it was only stuff," he would sure have gotten a rude awakening. I lost mementos from all the periods of my life, and saved so little. We packed up our little car with the wheelchair, the Apolitical Pooch (who really is a liberal, no matter what my husband says), our wedding album, my wedding tiara (which I intend on wearing every day when I get to the nursing home - if not before), a few other precious things, his clothes (he'll have to write about that) and the three of us. As we pulled out of the driveway on the morning of September 11, 2008 after the mandatory evacuation was declared, I looked at my home and knew that it and I would never be the same again.

I'll fast forward to today, otherwise I'll be typing all night and none of us wants that to happen. I feel that our communities were failed by every level of government. FEMA gave help to 17% of those that asked for it -- 17% of the residents of communities that were devastated by the third most destructive hurricane in American history, people who were left living in hotels, church youth rooms, and finally (if they were lucky) other small living spaces. Those that could afford it were paying for two households for much of the last year and those who couldn't ended up bunking with friends and relatives, pitching up tents and or living in campers. We here in the Houston/Galveston area didn't get the $2000 debit cards given to survivors of Hurricane Katrina, either. State and local governments didn't do much better.

In our own neighborhood, we returned in April to a house that was repaired by a contractor that didn't seem to be interested in anything more than money, or know anything more than how to cash his checks. Problems persist in our home, and our insurance company is sending someone out to see why our tile floor is cracking. And we are one of the lucky ones that was well-cared for by our insurance company -- I haven't forgotten those who are still fighting to get their insurance companies to give them full payment for the damages they suffered. Every day I say a blessing that I am back in the space that used to be home (and hopefully will be again someday); and I pray hard for those that who are still waiting, that they get back home as well.

I look to the north and see one of our next door neighbors still living in a FEMA trailer -- one of the few in the neighborhood (it arrived in December but she wasn't given the keys until January) -- as she waits for repairs to her home to finish a year after the storm that threw our lives into turmoil. On the other side of our house the family just walked away after getting some help from FEMA (guess they comprised the 17% in our town) -- they left their home to rot and mildew and mold before it finally was sold at auction in May. That home is one of a number that still stands vacant in our town, drywall torn out and studs standing naked. Our community is still filled with too many of those in campers and in tents, having lived this way through the hot Texas summer, and into a fall where the temperatures are expected to remain in the 90s this next week and beyond.

And having seen four years of coverage about that earlier storm, I compare our situation to that of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. I realize parts of New Orleans , the 9th ward in particular, still stand much as the day it hit. I think that is a sin and I think that they are still are entitled to getting back home to the neighborhoods and homes that they loved as well. Houston opened its arms to thousands of the victims and is still "home" to many of them. I wept as I watched the "cattle call" into the Superdome and remembered how fast we got supplies to the tsunami victims in Thailand even as we saw massive shortcomings in the response to Katrina. However, when President Obama gave them another 6 months of rental assistance and hotels rooms this summer, my head nearly began spinning around like Linda Blair's in the Exorcist.

I think that part of the problem was that our coverage focused on those beautiful beach homes on Galveston Island and the nation thought that if people can build those they can go right ahead and take care of themselves. But many of those were weekend and vacation homes --I challenge you to read the stats on the full-time residents of Galveston, many of whom are quite poor. In the end, those folks got one, yes ONE, Red Cross shelter that closed down a few weeks later with the suggestion that they look to family and friends for shelter or find some other living arrangements. But there were no other arrangements that most could make, for God sake, and large parts of Galveston are still struggling a year later.

I wondered where our Goob of a President was after our Hurricane Ike. No doubt the proud resident of Texas was consulting with his designer about the color scheme of his million dollar mansion in the toniest part of Dallas and working on his presidential library even though he doesn't read. Where were Senators Cornyn and Hutchinson? She was working on plans for seeking the seat of governor of the then blighted Texas. What he was doing, well, obviously, not much. Congressman Lampson was getting ready to leave DC because the polls showed he was about to be voted out of office. Galveston Island did get a "special visit" from Bush 41 and Clinton. Yee-Haw good buddies! But no telethons, no national fundraising campaigns, and precious little help compared to how another devastated city was treated three years before.

Let's fast forward to 2009. Our new Congressman, Pete Olsen, must be too busy meeting up with his buddies in DC, and President Obama still seems to just think that the only hurricane that devastated lives was that girl called Katrina. Hey Barack, there was a guy called Ike that still has victims and survivors that your "Yes We Can" administration ought to help, but so far we've seen little more than "No We Can't". This woman who voted for you and believed in your message is still waiting to see you recognize the Gulf Coast region in a place called Texas in a way comparable to the recognition accorded the Gulf Coast region of Louisiana.

And thus ends the first installment of spousal guest blogging. I've opened comments on this one, and hope that folks will exhibit class and tact if they choose to comment. You can email as well, and I'll pass the messages on to her. There are currently no plans for posts from the Apolitical Pooch.

Posted by: Greg at 05:10 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Remember how loony lefties complained about the "unitary executive theory" allegedly espoused by the Bush Administration? Well, ignorant LibTalker Ed Schultz thinks that such a system is just great now that Barry Hussein is in the White House.

Want proof? It's right here in his own words, where he makes it clear that he believes that the legislative branch is not co-equal to the executive branch, but is instead subordinate to it -- and that the president is the supervisor of members of the House and Senate, just like the manager is the supervisor of the pimply-faced teenager working drive-through at McDonalds.

Ask yourself this question as you try to put this in perspective. Do you think it was professional? And ask yourself, if you acted like that in the workplace, how would that be received by your supervisor and do you think you'd be able to hang onto your job?

Except, of course, for the minor detail that Congressman Joe Wilson does not work for Barry Hussein or anyone else in the Obama Regime. Congressman Joe Wilson works for the people of his congressional district -- who seem to be pretty supportive of his having spoken truth to power when Obama lied to the American people. I'll be honest -- I wish a few more had done the same.

So remember, my fellow Americans (and left-wingers pretending to be loyal Americans) -- when liberals talk about the Constitution, it doesn't mean that they are talking about what the document really says, but rather about what they want it to say (even when that contradicts what it actually says).

Posted by: Greg at 03:39 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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American citizens arrested on drug charges in national parks are invariably prosecuted in Massachusetts. So why was one prominent non-American given a pass on such charges?

Political commentator, author and writer for The Atlantic magazine Andrew M. Sullivan won’t have to face charges stemming from a recent pot bust at the Cape Cod National Seashore — but a federal judge isn't happy about it.

U. S. Magistrate Judge Robert B. Collings says in his decision that the case is an example of how sometimes "small cases raise issues of fundamental importance in our system of justice."

While marijuana possession may have been decriminalized, Sullivan, who owns a home in Provincetown, made the mistake of being caught by a park ranger with a controlled substance on National Park Service lands, a federal misdemeanor.

The ranger issued Sullivan a citation, which required him either to appear in U.S. District Court or, in essence, pay a $125 fine.

But the U.S. AttorneyÂ’s Office sought to dismiss the case. Both the federal prosecutor and SullivanÂ’s attorney said it would have resulted in an "adverse effect" on an unspecified "immigration status" that Sullivan, a British citizen, is applying for.

The US Attorney for the area is an Obama appointee. Sullivan was an outspoken Obama supporters during the campaign whose immigration status would potentially be in danger if the charges resulted in either a guilty plea or a conviction.

So why was the Obama-supporting, HIV-positive, bare-backing, drug-using, gay undesirable alien given treatment that no other defendant received in the courtroom that day -- treatment that led the judge to go so far as to raise questions of equal protection of the law?

I don't know.

Maybe Sullivan was in a position to confirm this story -- or one like it.

I don't know, but when you consider how the mainstream media protected John Edwards for so long from tabloid reports about infidelity and an illegitimate child -- reports that proved to be true -- it is a question that must be asked. And hopefully answered.

After all, we've already seen Obamunist subversion of justice in favor of Obama supporters by the Obama Regime's so-called "Department of Justice". Why would something like this surprise anyone?

A day late and a dollar short, at least one MSM outlet is taking notice. When will the rest?

Also, Sullivan cops out on the issue. What legal issues? After all, the dismissal means you are in the clear.

MORE AT The Other McCain, Riehl World View, VodkaPundit, Reason's Hit & Run, POWIP, Ace, Jawa Report, Gawker, Instapundit, Ron Radosh, Moonbattery, Blogs for Victory, Gay Patriot

Posted by: Greg at 01:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You want me to support government run health care for everyone? Fine, I'll do it -- provided it is in the form of the proposal offered by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA).

(Proposal is at the 4:00 mark)

Sounds rather straightforward to me -- just give every American the exact same insurance and options provided to every member of Congress. No need for a mega-bill like is currently under consideration in the House and Senate -- just a single page of legislation that says that every American gets what their elected representatives get.

And said plan is surely better than what you and your minions are currently proposing -- after all HR 3200 specifically exempts members of Congress and their staffs from having to have the same insurance as other Americans. If the plan that will come into being under HR 3200 isn't good enough for the employees of the people, it certainly is not good enough for the people themselves.

H/T Gateway Pundit

Posted by: Greg at 10:13 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Seminars are highly beneficial to students looking to be successful in their academic career. They are also useful to people in the professional world in many different ways. Most of us have attended several seminars for professional reasons -- indeed, that is how I spent my day today.

If you are a student, professional or entrepreneur searching for a useful seminar to improve your intellect or professional life, you can easily find it online. There are many educational websites offering seminars that can be downloaded for your use at your convenience. You can also get such courses sent to you via your email as well by entering your address in order to subscribe. That's great -- professional development right in your mailbox! At 101seminartopics.com, you will find free downloadable seminars for engineering students that can be presented to groups or used individually. There are also great computer and IT related Seminar Topics available for download as well, so you can probably find one that meets your needs. And once you have gained the useful knowledge from these seminars, you can pass the learning on in presentations to your classmates or colleagues, secure in the knowledge that you are up to date on the latest information!

Posted by: Greg at 06:20 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Man, are the liberals upset over one sentence in a fifteen page document in the proposed 11th grade social studies curriculum in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.

Texas high school students would learn about such significant individuals and milestones of conservative politics as Newt Gingrich and the rise of the Moral Majority — but nothing about liberals — under the first draft of new standards for public school history textbooks.

And the side that got left out is very unhappy.

Now I’ll be honest with you – I don’t teach that particular class, so I hadn’t looked at that set of standards (in large part because of my recent vacation and my subsequent preparation for the upcoming school year). But as presented in the Houston Chronicle’s article, the proposal seemed to be too partisan for me – and who has EVER accused me of viewing the world through nonpartisan glasses (though I do teach my classes in a nonpartisan fashion).

So I did what I teach my students to do when confronted with such disturbing information – I went to the primary source, the website of the Texas Education Agency where the newly proposed standards are posted so that I could see the new standards for US History since Reconstruction.

Here is the entire proposed strand in which this particular proposal fits.

(10) History. The student understands the circumstances of the U.S. as it emerges into the 21st century. The student is expected to:

(A) describe U.S. involvement in world affairs including the Persian Gulf War, Balkans Crisis, 9/11, and global war on terror; and

(B) identify significant conservative advocacy organizations and individuals, such as Newt Gingrich, Phyllis Schlafly, and the Moral Majority.

(C) discuss the rise of domestic terrorism

(D) discuss the role of third party candidates, such as Ross Perot and Ralph Nader.

Taken in that context, the focus on conservatism is mighty reasonable. Indeed, it parallels the sort of focus given to twentieth century movements such as the progressive movement and the civil rights movement. And while there are howls of outrage over the inclusion of Gingrich, Schlafly, and the Moral Majority, it is hard to argue that the three were not major figures in what has been a long-term shift of the political culture of the US to the right, one that has lasted some three decades and which may not be over. Indeed, I happen to think that there would be a place for Rush Limbaugh and the rise of conservative mass media in that particular standard.

But while there is outrage over the inclusion of two conservative individuals and one conservative group in the standards, let’s look at some of the other individuals and groups who are included who are pretty clearly liberal icons – and some of whom could be reasonably seen as less significant than the three conservative inclusions. These include Upton Sinclair, Susan B. Anthony, Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Jr, Cesar Chavez, Betty Friedan, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), American Indian Movement (AIM), Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Henry B. Gonzalez, Thurgood Marshall, and Delores Huerta. Taken in that context, one might argue that conservative figures are decidedly underrepresented – where is Barry Goldwater, for example? And let’s not forget that there have been assorted proposed changes to include a contemporary liberal strand to balance the conservative strand and include additional liberal figures like Hillary Clinton and Harvey Milk elsewhere throughout the curriculum, but no significant effort to include a more extensive or balanced look at conservative figures.

And then there are the PC changes in the curriculum. For example, the standards dump Omar Bradley and George S. Patton (and have never included Chester Nimitz) from the WWII TEK while adding Benjamin O. Davis and Oveta Culp Hobby – and while I would never diminish the accomplishments of either (Davis is a particular hero of mine), I question their relative significance compared to the three excluded flag officers. Similarly excluded figures (besides Barry Goldwater, who I noted earlier) include George W. Bush and Clarence Thomas – and native Texan Barbara Jordan. I understand the need to limit the length of the standards, but surely these individuals each belong in the document somewhere.

But that also raises an additional point – as we teachers are often reminded, the TEKS are the baseline of what you must teach, not the boundary line of what you are allowed to teach. We teachers are not forbidden to teach about any excluded individual or group – or to contrast the included figures and groups with their opponents. And as I noted earlier, the curriculum does present a fairly balanced portrait of America over the last fourteen decades. So while I would certainly make changes, I don’t find what is currently written to be unreasonable.

But I am curious – would the Houston Chronicle have presented the story in such an alarmist manner if the standards included an explicitly liberal thread but not a conservative one? And would protesting conservatives be given the same sort of kid-glove treatment as the upset liberals?

UPDATE: There's an editorial on the standards in today's Houston Chronicle -- care to guess which side it takes?

Posted by: Greg at 10:27 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Saw this on a blog run by the Houston Chronicle today. I'd normally be offended, but for some reason I'm not in this case. Indeed, I find it thought provoking.

Pet-Loving Atheists will care for fido when you leave!
.

I will reach your pets within 18-24 hours of the event (transportation infrastructure permitting) and bring them to live in our homes with us for the remainder of the pets' lives.
.

Pre-payment required, this rescue service only costs $110 per pet and expires in 10 years.
.

This is not a joke. If you truely believe in the Rapture don't leave you poor puppies unattended when you leave!
.

Contact Junior at BR549

Now here's my question -- assuming that the "Left Behind" model of the Rapture is accurate (indeed, assuming that the verses in Scripture giving rise to notions of the Rapture are intended literally and not metaphorically), should Christians plan for it? If so, how? Thoughts?

Posted by: Greg at 01:19 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You know, one of the best things for anyone to do for a holiday is throw a party. After all, who doesn't love a party?
Really -- pick your theme and get started providing an exciting party for friends, family, and co-workers. Decide what will excite and stimulate you and your gests and then go for it. Want to celebrate the start of the football season? Go for it! Want to mark a holiday? That is great, too. And of course there are the life celebrations of birthdays, anniversaries, marriages, etc. Or maybe just have a party just because!

Now if you can find the right resources for your party, then everything about planing a party is simple. For example, you really ought to consider a call for party supplies from partysecret.com. Partysecret has all necessary party supplies for any event, and lot's of top quality inventory. Unlike other online party supplies companies, Partysecret is really good at offering party supplies which are for adults as well as those for children. Their balloons are made of quality materials and have a soft texture but hard to break. You can order in bulk and save even more from their already low prices.

Posted by: Greg at 12:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It is called a contract. It defines the rights and obligations of parties. Unfortunately, this particular contract was not worth the paper it was written on.

The Texas Tomorrow Fund, faced with possible bankruptcy, is drastically cutting its payout on canceled contracts, angering many parents who signed up for the fund between 1996 and 2003.

The now-closed fund, later renamed the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan, allowed parents to prepay for tuition at locked-in rates and promised that if a child died or received a full scholarship, parents could cancel the contract and receive a payout based on current tuition and fees at public universities.

Tuition is three times what it was 10 years ago, so the payout would mean a windfall for many families.

But last week, a letter went out saying that in case of canceled contracts, the state would reimburse only the amount parents paid into the fund, minus administrative fees of around $36 per year.

This isn’t a little change – it means that those who were promised a return for their money will instead receive back less than they paid in. It means that the families of students who did well in school and qualified for scholarships get screwed. And it is totally unacceptable.

Posted by: Greg at 10:13 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Over at DelawareLiberal, my favorite liberal blog, there is an interesting post on folks not wanting their tax dollars to go for health care. The author, who goes by DelawareDem, somewhat correctly notes that not wanting one’s tax dollars to pay for something means you disagree with what the taxes are paying for. He then launches into a rant which I find revealing – and which shows his fundamental misunderstanding of what such opposition means.

Alright. Touche. Two can play this game.

I donÂ’t want my taxes paying for social security checks going to guys like him. Why should I my money support his welfare when he cares not for mine?

I donÂ’t want my taxes paying for his medicare.

I donÂ’t want my taxes paying for the upkeep and maintenance of the roads leading to his house. Fuck him. He can fix the potholes himself.

I donÂ’t want my taxes educating his children and grandchildren. If he is so smart, he can pay for private education or teach them himself.

I donÂ’t want my taxes to pay for the firetruck he may need when his house is burning down. Fuck him. HeÂ’s got a water hose, let him do it himself.

For that matter, he better never call the cops or 911. My taxes pay for that and I donÂ’t want to save his miserable ass from whatever trouble he is in. And he better never use the court system, or the Post Office. My taxes pay for those things too. And only people who I agree with can use the services provided for by my hard earned dollars.
That is what this is about.

We don’t exclude political dissenters from government programs. Indeed, that would be highly inappropriate. Could you imagine the outrage if, for example, the Bush Administration had decreed that opponents of the Iraq War were ineligible for Social Security, Medicare and unemployment benefits? If regulations were put in place that declare that roads near their houses would be denied routine maintenance, their homes denied police and fire protection, and their children denied an education? If it had been made illegal for them to use the postal service, the internet, or the broadcast media? And moreover, that those opponents of the administration policy would be denied access to the courts to challenge these facially unconstitutional actions by the totalitarian regime that put them in place? There would have been an uprising by the Left – supported by the Right – to put an end to both the restrictions and the administration that authored it.

In the case of the various permutations of ObamaCare, there are several principled bases for opposing the proposal.

First, there is the issue of cost – based upon our experience with the nearly bankrupt Medicare system, can we as a nation sustain a program of universal health insurance run by the government? And if we cannot sustain such costs, isn’t it implicit that cuts in funding will mean cuts in the care provided – which will bring with it the sort of problems we see today in Canada and the UK?

Second, there is the issue of form – is there a better way of ensuring better access to medical services than what has been proposed? Is more government – a lot more government, in fact – always the right answer?

Third, there is the issue of limited government – is it truly within the scope of a government supposedly limited by the Constitution to essentially take over one sixth of the economy? What of the issues of personal freedom and privacy that are intimately bound up with the adoption of such a system?

Fourth, there is the issue of permanence – once implemented, such programs become difficult to reform or repeal. In the case of Social Security, for example, it has become the third rail of American politics – untouchable because it would be impossible to close the program down without somehow funding it until current participants die because stripping those recipients of retirement benefits they have paid for their whole working lives would be unjust.

Fifth, there are those who simply disagree with the Obamunist premise that government funded health care is a right that the government is morally obligated to provide its people -- based upon competing philosophical notions of what constitutes a right.

And I could go on providing a host of logical, rational reasons for arguing that the sort of proposals that are being made – especially those with a “public option” that many on the Left are demanding – are simply wrong from a variety of perspectives. But notice that none of them are based upon the sort of selfish, “screw the other guy” mentality that DD ascribes to the bulk of opponents of ObamaCare. And indeed, most opponents of ObamaCare don’t hold to such selfish motivations. He is battling a strawman of his own creation.

In short, opponents of ObamaCare are not particularly selfish – and certainly no more selfish than those who are demanding benefits funded by the earnings of the most wealthy and productive Americans. The opponents hold instead to a vision of America in which government is more limited in scope – one more in keeping with the philosophy of government that dominated this country for the first 15 decades following its independence and which was abandoned, most would argue unwisely, by those who propagated the New Deal and the Great Society welfare state schemes.

Posted by: Greg at 09:33 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I grew up in a military family. WhatÂ’s more, I was blessed that my parents remained married through my childhood, and that they recently marked 48 years of marriage together (with every sign that these two healthy septuagenarians will make it to the half century mark in 2011). But I knew fellow military brats who faced divorce, and heard stories about the problems created by deployments, changes of duty stations, and other elements of military life.

Now I see a story like this one, and my heart aches.

During the 10 months she was deployed in Iraq, Leydi Mendoza, a 22-year-old specialist in the New Jersey National Guard, did everything she could think of to ease her longing for the year-old daughter she had left back home.

A picture taken on her baby Elizabeth’s first Christmas was tucked inside the camouflage patrol cap she wore while guarding prisoners at Camp Cropper in Baghdad. Several times a week, she would phone her former companion, Daniel Llares, who was caring for their daughter, aching as she heard her little girl’s vocabulary grow from babble to phrases like “I miss you” and “I love you.”
And on the flight back in May, Specialist Mendoza fought back the guilt she felt about being half a world away for so many formative moments by telling herself that one day Elizabeth would be proud of her service.

But since her return, Mr. Llares has allowed Ms. Mendoza only a few brief visits with Elizabeth. Despite a written family care plan they had worked out with military officials outlining shared custody upon her return, Mr. Llares now believes it is too disruptive for the baby to spend more than a few hours at a time with “a mother she doesn’t really know or recognize that well,” said his lawyer, Amy Lefkowitz.

After months of arguments, an exchange of legal papers and a restraining order, Specialist Mendoza and Mr. Llares each are demanding full custody of Elizabeth, and are scheduled to appear at a court proceeding Tuesday to determine her fate.

“My daughter needs her mother,” Specialist Mendoza said in an interview last week at the National Guard Armory here in Teaneck. “I left my daughter, and they told me that when I got back, she’d be with me again. But now, it’s like I’m on my own.”

We ask so much of our men and women in uniform. We ask so much of their families as well. Under no circumstance should military service or deployment be the basis for a permanent change of custody or the denial of adequate visitation by a non-custodial member of the armed forces. And given the failure of the states to adequately protect the rights of our men and women in uniform, and the reluctance of the military to assist them in fighting family court decisions that fly in the face of the family care plans developed before deployments, Congress must act. Just as federal law already protects the employment and educational rights of servicemembers and veterans, it now appears that these laws must be amended to protect something even more precious – their families and their relationships with their own children.

Posted by: Greg at 11:43 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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