That possibility seems to be getting closer.

The Texas House on Monday gave tentative approval to a bill that would replace the high-stakes, highly unpopular TAKS test with a series of end-of-year exams that could make graduation easier for high school students who excel in class but do poorly on tests.

The House bill would eliminate the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, or TAKS, in stages beginning in 2011 for grades six through 12. High school students in grades nine through 11 would be required to take standardized end-of-year exams in four core courses — English language arts, math, science and social studies.

But in a dramatic change to the state's 20-year-old testing requirements, those students, under one amendment, could conceivably graduate from high school without passing the exams — if they excel in their courses.

The exams would constitute 25 percent of a student's grade in each course. The TAKS is not part of a course grade, but students must pass it to graduate.

The bill's author, Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, was quick to dispel any suggestion that his proposal would weaken academic standards.

"We're intensifying standards," said Eissler, by encouraging teachers to focus on their subject areas and "teach to content, not teach to the test."

"Teachers can go into greater depth and rigor," he added.

I'm for the change -- after all, the test my kids currently have to pass includes absolutely no content from my course, but my teaching is evaluated based upon how they do! An end of course test will actually measure what goes on in my class.

Now I'm not sure about the amendments that are discussed in the article, but I somehow doubt that the Senate will accept them -- especially given teh requirements of NCLB.

Posted by: Greg at 10:31 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Despite their denials, the proof is there.

Inspectors for the International Atomic Energy Agency have concluded that Iran appears to have solved most of its technological problems and is now beginning to enrich uranium on a far larger scale than before, according to the agencyÂ’s top officials.

The findings may change the calculus of diplomacy in Europe and in Washington, which aimed to force a suspension of IranÂ’s enrichment activities in large part to prevent it from learning how to produce weapons-grade material.

In a short-notice inspection of IranÂ’s operations in the main nuclear facility at Natanz on Sunday, conducted in advance of a report to the United Nations Security Council due early next week, the inspectors found that Iranian engineers were already using roughly 1,300 centrifuges and were producing fuel suitable for nuclear reactors, according to diplomats and nuclear experts here.

Now this uranium is not weapons grade -- yet. But don't be surprised to hear that IAEA inspectors have been tossed out of Iran, which will be the signal that the Iranians are taking the next step towards acquiring nuclear weapons.

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Thomas Sowell notes that even liberal economists understand the impact of tax cuts on budget revenues.

The angry left has no time to spend even considering the argument that what they call "tax cuts for the rich" are in fact tax cuts for the economy.

Nor is the idea new that tax cuts can sometimes spur economic growth, resulting in more jobs for workers and higher earnings for business, leading to more tax revenue for the government.

A highly regarded economist once observed that "taxation may be so high as to defeat its object," so that sometimes "a reduction of taxation will run a better chance, than an increase, of balancing the Budget."

Who said that? Milton Friedman? Arthur Laffer? No. It was said in 1933 by John Maynard Keynes, a liberal icon.

Lower tax rates have led to higher tax revenues many times, both before and since Keynes' statement -- the Kennedy tax cuts in the 1960s, the Reagan tax cuts in the 1980s, and the recent Bush tax cuts that have led to record high tax revenues this April.

Now given the constant cries of Democrats to raise taxes, are we to assume that they want the government -- and the economy as a whole -- to operate on less tax revenue? Or that they simply want to punish some folks by confiscating their wealth?

Posted by: Greg at 10:15 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Hardly a profile in courage.

Rudy Giuliani yesterday fingered his former top emergency-management aide Jerry Hauer as the man responsible for the tragic decision to put the city's emergency command bunker inside the World Trade Center complex.

"Jerry Hauer recommended that as the prime site and the site that would make the most sense," Giuliani said on "Fox News Sunday," adding, "It was largely on his recommendation that that site was selected."

Giuliani was answering a question about why the city built the $61 million bunker on the 23rd floor of 7 World Trade Center despite the 1993 truck-bomb attack on the WTC, even though Hauer - a Democrat who has since had a falling-out with Giuliani - had told him the existing facility in Brooklyn could be updated.

So Giuliani picked the option that was taken -- but it is the fault of the guy who gave him the options. What we have here is certainly not leadership -- it is an exercise in blamesmanship -- and not very presidential.

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Here's one school board member who clearly feels that obtaining the consent of the governed is simply too inconvenient.

But some elected school board members bristle at that suggestion and resent having to ask voters to increase their own tax rates.

"I've already been elected to make that decision," said Rhonda Lowe, president of the Deer Park board.

No, Rhonda, that isn't the case at all. Sorry that the requirements of state law are too much of a burden for you to follow. I'm sure that the voters of Deer Park will be more than willing to replace you with someone who has more respect for them and the requirements of state law.

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I work with teenagers every day. It isn't easy -- and I can only imagine how hard it is to actually parent one. Where do you turn for help when you don't know what to do for your teen? How do you deal with issues like teen curfew times, questionable friends, and the like?

Really, at that point parents need good information. Where can you find it? Try Parenting Teens, a site devoted to parenting teenagers. And I'll be honest -- I'm impressed with the section on education, and some of the questions it deals with. They are ones i know are dealt with at my school every day -- issues of sexual harassment, academic problems, bullying, and drugs. While I wish sites like this were not necessary, I'm pleased to see that this one is available.

There are a couple of other neat features at ParentingTeenagers.com as well. One is a referral list for parenting support groups, where parents can seek out the help of other parents who have faced or are facing the same sorts of problems. In addition, there is a forum where parents can seek help online from other parents who are struggling with or have struggled with the same sorts of issues. Such support is vital for parents.

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I grew up in a military family. While every duty station has a place in my heart, one of those that is particularly special is Guam. I think that it is fair to say that those two years, from 1974 to 1976, may be among those closest to my heart. I loved Guam, and even thought about returning there to teach at one time. And it goes without saying that I loved the people there.

That is why it is really hard to oppose the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act.

Recognizes the suffering and the loyalty of the people of Guam during the Japanese occupation of Guam in World War II.

Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make specified payments to: (1) living Guam residents who were killed, injured, interned, or subjected to forced labor or marches resulting from, or incident to, such occupation and subsequent liberation; and (2) survivors of compensable residents who died in war or survivors of compensable injured residents (such payments to be made after payments have been made to surviving Guam residents).

Defines "compensable Guam decedent" and "compensable Guam victim."
Directs the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission to specify injuries that would constitute a severe personal injury or a personal injury. Authorizes the Commission to adjudicate claims and determine payment eligibility.

Requires: (1) claims to be filed within one year after the Commission publishes public notice of the filing period in the Federal Register; and (2) the Commission to make filing period information available to the public through the media in Guam.

Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program for research, educational, and media activities that memorialize the events surrounding the occupation of Guam during World War II, honor the loyalty of the people of Guam during such occupation, or both.

There is some good stuff in there, but the reparations program is out of the question. The harm suffered came at the hands of the Empire of Japan over 60 years ago, and reparations, if any, should come (or should have come) from the Japanese, not the United States. Furthermore, the precedent of paying reparations to the descendants of those harmed opens up a whole new can of worms – one which makes it impossible for the United States to ever deny any claim for reparations by any group, no matter how remote the ancestral claim.

Memorializing the heroism of the people of Guam during the war, however, is quite important and appropriate. I heard those stories from some of those who survived the occupation. I actually found 30-year-old bullets under my school building, and knew a girl who found a 30 year old Japanese hand grenade in the woods. And I am still moved by the story of the torture and execution (dare I say martyrdom) of Father Jesus Baza Duenas. Let that be done – but the time for US-funded financial reparations for the crimes of Japan has long since passed, if it was ever appropriate.

Posted by: Greg at 11:44 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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The accusation has been around for years – Planned Parenthood abortion facilities fail to report cases of child abuse as required by state law. Now there is proof.

Planned Parenthood is under fire after one of its employees was recorded encouraging a student - who was posing as a pregnant minor - to lie about her age in order to obtain an abortion without the abortion provider having to report the "statutory rape" to the police.

Lila Rose, an 18-year-old sophomore at the University of California Los Angeles, visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in the city, posing as a 15-year-old impregnated by her 23-year-old boyfriend. The visit was part of an investigation for The Advocate, a new pro-life magazine distributed on the UCLA campus.

California law requires abortion clinics to report instances of statutory rape to police. The age of consent in California is 16.

In covertly-filmed video of the meeting between Rose and an unnamed Planned Parenthood employee, the staffer is heard to tell Rose: "If you're 15, we have to report it ... If you're not, if you're older than that, then we don't need to."

"Okay, but if I just say I'm not 15, then it's different?" Rose asks.

"You could say 16," the worker replies, later adding, "Just figure out a birth date that works. And I don't know anything."

Not only that, but Planned parenthood staff is seen pushing the abortion option over other possibilities – so much for being “pro-choice”.

But then again, are we surprised?

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It appears that there is a good sized contingent of religious conservatives ready to anoint Fred Thompson with that title – if and when he does announce his candidacy.

Several leading Christian conservatives say they will rally to former Sen. Fred Thompson, who they expect to announce "in a matter of weeks" that he will seek the Republican nomination for president next year.

"It's not 'if' but 'when,' he will announce," one Protestant evangelical leader says of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering for position in the 2008 race.

A prominent Roman Catholic social conservative says the three Republicans who have raised the most money and have led the polls -- former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- fall short of social conservatives' expectations, but Mr. Thompson doesn't. "He's right on the issues ... He's better than all of the above."

Both the Protestant and Catholic activist, like other Christian conservatives, spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity.

They say their support for Mr. Thompson is shared by like-minded conservatives, though the sentiment is not unanimous in their circles. Many born-again Christians are said to be skeptical of Mr. Giuliani's views on abortion and same-sex "marriage," of Mr. Romney's change of position on abortion and of his Mormon religious faith, and of Mr. McCain's advocacy of campaign-finance reforms that restrict speech and issues-advocacy ads.

Mr. Thompson, whose celebrity is based on his television and movie acting roles as well as his tenure as a senator from Tennessee, has consistently opposed abortion rights, but until recently had backed campaign-finance laws unpopular with advocacy groups on both the right and left.

I’ve been quite clear that I am behind Mitt Romney’s candidacy. I am generally supportive of his positions on the issue, find his explanation of his evolution on the abortion issue credible (it reflects my own, a couple of decades ago) and don’t find his religion to be troubling in the least. That said, I also find Thompson to be a credible candidate whose entry into the race could be sufficient to stop the two candidacies I find most troubling – those of Giuliani and McCain, both of whom I believe would lose if they somehow received the GOP presidential nomination.

Posted by: Greg at 11:35 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It appears that there is a good sized contingent of religious conservatives ready to anoint Fred Thompson with that title – if and when he does announce his candidacy.

Several leading Christian conservatives say they will rally to former Sen. Fred Thompson, who they expect to announce "in a matter of weeks" that he will seek the Republican nomination for president next year.

"It's not 'if' but 'when,' he will announce," one Protestant evangelical leader says of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering for position in the 2008 race.

A prominent Roman Catholic social conservative says the three Republicans who have raised the most money and have led the polls -- former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- fall short of social conservatives' expectations, but Mr. Thompson doesn't. "He's right on the issues ... He's better than all of the above."

Both the Protestant and Catholic activist, like other Christian conservatives, spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity.

They say their support for Mr. Thompson is shared by like-minded conservatives, though the sentiment is not unanimous in their circles. Many born-again Christians are said to be skeptical of Mr. Giuliani's views on abortion and same-sex "marriage," of Mr. Romney's change of position on abortion and of his Mormon religious faith, and of Mr. McCain's advocacy of campaign-finance reforms that restrict speech and issues-advocacy ads.

Mr. Thompson, whose celebrity is based on his television and movie acting roles as well as his tenure as a senator from Tennessee, has consistently opposed abortion rights, but until recently had backed campaign-finance laws unpopular with advocacy groups on both the right and left.

I’ve been quite clear that I am behind Mitt Romney’s candidacy. I am generally supportive of his positions on the issue, find his explanation of his evolution on the abortion issue credible (it reflects my own, a couple of decades ago) and don’t find his religion to be troubling in the least. That said, I also find Thompson to be a credible candidate whose entry into the race could be sufficient to stop the two candidacies I find most troubling – those of Giuliani and McCain, both of whom I believe would lose if they somehow received the GOP presidential nomination.

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That is the position adopted by Ralph Peters regarding the war in Iraq. And more to the point, he argues that what is necessary is that we do what is necessary to achieve victory.

Above all, we have to maintain a strength of will equal to that of our opponents. War demands consistency, and we're the most fickle great power in history. We must focus on defeating our enemies, brushing aside all other considerations.

At present, we let those other considerations rule our behavior: We overreact to media sensationalism (which our enemies exploit brilliantly); we torment ourselves over the least mistakes our troops make; we delude ourselves that mass murderers have rights; we take prisoners knowing they'll be freed to kill more Americans - and the politicians and Green Zone generals alike pretend that "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game."

That's the biggest lie ever told by a human being who wasn't a member of Congress.

Winning is everything. Fighting ruthlessly may not please the safe-at-home moralists, but it's losing that's immoral.

And if that means that we quit fighting by the Queensbury rules against an opponent using street-brawl tactics, that is what has to happen – even if that means taking the gloves off and fighting by means we consider distasteful.

And in particular, that means abandoning the notion, put forward by those who reject the Shermanesque notion that war is (and, indeed, must be) hell, that war can be clean, sanitary, and always fought by the most humane of rules. This has, peters argues, brought us to the point that any misdeed by our troops is seen as proof that our cause is unjust, while the much greater misdeeds of the enemy are brushed aside.

There are countless other ways in which we elevate the little immoralities required in war above the supreme immorality of losing. Leftists loved My Lai - they just adored it - but they were never called to account for the communist atrocities after Saigon fell. Pol Pot's butchery was never laid at the feet of the self-righteous bastards who shrieked, "Give peace a chance."

And no one on the left will discuss what might happen if we fail in Iraq. The truth is that they don't care.

We face merciless, implacable enemies who joyously slaughter the innocent with the zeal of religious fanaticism. Yet we want to make sure we don't hurt anyone's feelings.

We've tried many things in Iraq. They've all failed. It's a shame we never really tried to fight.

Peters has the matter exactly right – and I’d argue that our willingness to abide by his advice will be the telling point on whether or not America can ever successfully fight another war again. Our downfall is not based upon military weakness – rather, it is based upon a sense of moral superiority that leads us to fits of breast-beating scrupulosity while absolving the most ruthless acts of our enemies.

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Yeah, that's right -- Barack Obama is going to decide who needs the cash they earn, and confiscate anything over and above what he feels they deserve to keep.

If elected president, Senator Barack Obama said Sunday, he would seek to repeal President BushÂ’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and use the money to pay for health care, but he did not suggest he would raise other taxes to pay for expanded services.

Mr. Obama, an Illinois Democrat seeking his party’s presidential nomination, said in a television interview broadcast Sunday that he supported “rolling back the Bush tax cuts on the top 1 percent of people who don’t need it.” He did not endorse a broader plan to raise taxes on the affluent that has been proposed by John Edwards, one of Mr. Obama’s rivals for the nomination.

And therein lies an essential difference between Republicans and Democrats -- Democrats don't believe that it is really your money, but instead think that your paycheck is a resource for them to draw from for the programs they favor. After all, the government knows better than you do what you should spnd it n.

Posted by: Greg at 10:47 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Need evidence that the Democrats want to use the revival of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" to censor one side of the political debate? Consider this -- and the frightening implications of this investigation.

According to another Democrat leadership aide, Pelosi and her team are focused on several targets in the fight, including Rush Limbaugh and the Salem Radio Network. In fact, Kucinich's staff has begun investigating Salem, one of the fastest growing radio networks in the country, which features such popular -- and highly rated -- conservative hosts as Bill Bennett and Michael Medved, and Christian hosts such as Dr. Richard Land.

"They are identifying senior employees, their political activities and their political giving," says a Government Reform committee staffer. "Salem is a big target, but the big one is going to be Limbaugh. We know we can't shut him up, but we want to make life a bit more difficult for him."

Limbaugh will always be a target for the Left -- but that you have the congressional staff of a presidential candidate actively investigating the political participation of members of the media is rather frightening.

I can hear the questions from Kucinich now: "Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Republican Party or any Republican front organization?"

Posted by: Greg at 10:34 PM | Comments (16) | Add Comment
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This doesn't look good -- but the university seems to be handling it well.

The senior class president at the Rutgers University campus in Piscataway, N.J., will not be graduating with her classmates next week, university officials said yesterday, after being charged with burglary in the dormitory where she was a resident adviser.

The student, Christa Olandria, 23, a biology major, was arrested along with another Rutgers senior, George Calhoun, 23, on Monday after they were discovered breaking into a room on the seventh floor of Lynton Towers, which houses about 700 undergraduate students, university officials said.

In addition, the university police are investigating whether Ms. Olandria and Mr. Calhoun may have been involved in seven other burglaries in the dormitory that have been reported since September, according to Rhonda Harris, the chief of the Rutgers University Police Department on the schoolÂ’s main campus in New Brunswick, N.J.

Campus crime is covered up in too many instances. I applaud Rutgers for not sweeping this one under the ruig -- and for not trying to keep this case out of the legal system.

Posted by: Greg at 10:25 PM | Comments (17) | Add Comment
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This is impossible. Doesn't al-Qaida know that it doesn't exist in Iraq? The neo-Copperhead surrender monkeys in Congress have told us so!

An al-Qaida front group announced it had captured American soldiers in a deadly attack the day before, as thousands of U.S. troops searched insurgent areas south of Baghdad for their three missing comrades.

The statement Sunday came on one of the deadliest days in the country in recent weeks, with at least 124 people killed or found dead. A suicide truck bomb tore through the offices of a Kurdish political party in northern
Iraq, killing 50 people, and a car bombing in a crowded Baghdad market killed another 17.

And American troops are working hard to find their missing comrades.

About 4,000 American ground troops, supported by surveillance aircraft, attack helicopters and spy satellites, swept towns and farmland south of Baghdad on Sunday, searching for three American soldiers who disappeared Saturday after their patrol was ambushed, military officials said.

“Everybody is fully engaged, the commanders are intimately focused on this,” Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, the top American military spokesman, said at a news conference with reporters from the Iraqi news media, according to The Associated Press. He said the searchers were utilizing “every asset we have, from national assets to tactical assets.”

Troops surrounded the town of Yusufiya, near Mahmudiya along the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, conducted house-to-house searches and checked all cars entering and leaving town, The A.P. reported.

However, we know the track record of finding captured soldiers alive -- the barbarians we fight are well-known for their tactics of torture, beheading and mutilation of bodies.

MORE AT Michelle Malkin, Pirate's Cove, BlackFive

Posted by: Greg at 10:21 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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I grew up in a military family during Vietnam. Dad was a Navy Officer, and was often away -- including multiple trips into the war zone. And I remember my mother doing her damnedest to raise two boys while dad was gone, with daily concerns about the possibility of my father being killed or wounded, and diminishing public support for the war and the warriors. I therefore feel quite qualified to tell Dr. Laura Schlesinger to SHUT THE F&$% UP!

Radio talk show host “Dr. Laura” Schlessinger is tired of all the complaints she hears from military wives who say they’re lonely and overwhelmed.

“You’re not dodging bullets, so I don’t want to hear any whining — that’s my message to them,” said Schlessinger on a visit to Utah.

Schlessinger broadcast her daily radio program on ethics, morals and values from the Fort Douglas theater here Friday. ItÂ’s one of several visits Schlessinger is making across country this year, publicists said.

Schlessinger boasted of once talking a young woman out of marrying a solider, saying “warriors need warrior wives,” and the girl was unprepared.

“It’s very unwise to be married young when you’re going to be alone — everybody has to grow up first to know who they are,” said the talk show host, whose first marriage ended in divorce.

I'm sorry, but this woman is simply wrong. There is nothing wrong with talking about the difficulties -- indeed, the failure to discuss them was part of why I knew so many neurotic, drunk or drugged military wives growing up. In fact, the military has recognized that reality and now offers more support services for families of those deployed.

Frankly, I've never understood why anyone listens to, much less calls, this woman for family advice when she could not even sustain her own relationship with her own mother. And for all her claims of patriotism, i don't think this attack does American soldiers and their families a bit of good.

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Texas law has done this for decades -- and it has been wrong the whole time. Let's hope they fix this before the current legislative session ends.

Donald Coit Smith, his grief fresh and raw, believes that Texas insurance companies profited after his 22-year-old son was electrocuted in an industrial accident in Bryan — all because of state laws that regulate the payment of death benefits through workers' compensation.

For his loss, Smith got $6,000 to bury his son. But Smith was told that the workers' comp death benefit — $100,500 — would not be paid to grieving family members because his oldest child, Donald W. Smith, a student at Sam Houston State University, had no wife or children.

Instead, the money, paid by his employer's insurance company, went to a state workers' comp fund in a case that shows just what happens in Texas when mostly young, unmarried or childless workers die in workplace accidents.

More than $17 million in workers' compensation benefits bypassed the relatives of as many as 140 dead workers from 2003 to 2006. All of that money ended up in a workers' comp fund where $10 million was then funneled back to insurance companies, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data.

Coit Smith, who has 20 years of experience as an industrial safety specialist, calls the payments "blood money."

"I feel it's immoral, what they did with that money," Smith said.

About 450 people are killed in workplace accidents in Texas each year. Yet many families of dead workers collect nothing. That's because historically, workers' compensation benefits have been reserved only for those who depended on those wages to live.

Death benefits are typically paid only to spouses and children younger than 18. Spouses who remarry and children who come of age lose the benefits. Parents and older children also are denied unless they were financially dependent on the worker killed, according to state law.

When no family members qualify, the lump-sum death benefit, often more than $100,000 per worker, goes to the state Division of Workers' Compensation and into the so-called "Subsequent Injury Fund."

The fund was meant to provide a safety net for workers who needed extra help after suffering multiple injuries on the job. But because of changes in the law in 1991, most of that money now goes back to insurance companies who underwrite workers' compensation.

Words fail me. Families of workers killed in workplace injuries deserve to be compensated -- and that they are not is incredibly offensive on a basic moral level.

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ItÂ’s a good thing Jonathan Swift isnÂ’t a student at Tufts University.

A judicial panel at Tufts University on Thursday ruled that a conservative campus journal "harassed" blacks by publishing a Christmas carol parody called "O Come All Ye Black Folk" that many found racist.

The decision by the Committee on Student Life, a board of professors and students that hears complaints against campus groups, ruled that The Primary Source was guilty of harassment and creating a hostile environment in violation of the school's nondiscrimination policy.

The body ruled that an editor now must sign all of the magazine's work. The panel also recommended that Tufts' student government "consider the behavior" of the magazine when allocating money -- a statement that Primary Source editors say could lead to de-recognition.

Hundreds of students, including the president of the student body, have signed a petition against the magazine, said Douglas Kingman, an editor.

At Tufts, criticism of affirmative action is now deemed to be racial harassment and the creation of a hostile environment. Apparently the only diversity that will be tolerated there is diversity of skin-tone and sexual orientation – diversity of thought and opinion will be ruthlessly rooted out and punished.

But I am curious about this statement from one of the deans.

Bruce Reitman, the school's dean of students, said the school is opposed to censoring The Primary Source. Still, he said he was pleased that the committee found a way to reprimand the magazine for writings he said left many students feeling "unwelcome" and "wounded."

"I'm proud of the committee," he said. "I was pleased to see them balance both values of freedom of speech and freedom from harassment, without letting one dominate the other."

Doesn’t this decision leave students who dissent from the politically correct orthodoxy of liberalism feeling “wounded” and “unwelcome”? Or is that irrelevant, given that those are only rights for those who the school views as worthy of inclusion? After all, the panel has essentially recommended the defunding and derecognition of the campus publication in question.

UPDATE: Captain Ed reproduces the text of the ad about Islam. I don't know about you, but I certainly find it frightening that quoting the less flattering verses of the Quran or talking abut documented historical facts about Islam is now considered harassment of Muslims.

Islam Arabic Translation: Submission In the Spirit of Islamic Awareness Week, the SOURCE presents an itinerary to supplement the educational experience.

MONDAY: “I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them.” – The Koran, Sura 8:12 Author Salman Rushdie needed to go into hiding after Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeni declared a fatwa calling for his death for writing The Satanic Verses, which was declared “blasphemous against Islam.”

TUESDAY: Slavery was an integral part of Islamic culture. Since the 7th century, 14 million African slaves were sold to Muslims compared to 10 or 11 million sold to the entire Western Hemisphere. As recently as 1878, 25,000 slaves were sold annually in Mecca and Medina. (National Review 2002) The seven nations in the world that punish homosexuality with death all have fundamentalist Muslim governments.

WEDNESDAY: In Saudi Arabia, women make up 5% of the workforce, the smallest percentage of any nation worldwide. They are not allowed to operate a motor vehicle or go outside without proper covering of their body. (Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2001) Most historians agree that MuhammedÂ’s second wife Aisha was 9 years old when their marriage was consummated.

THURSDAY: “Not equal are those believers who sit and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit. Unto all Hath Allah promised good: But those who strive and fight Hath He distinguished above those who sit by a special reward.” – The Koran, Sura 4:95 The Islamist guerrillas in Iraq are not only killing American soldiers fighting for freedom. They are also responsible for the vast majority of civilian casualties.

FRIDAY: Ibn Al-Ghazzali, the famous Islamic theologian, said, “The most satisfying and final word on the matter is that marriage is form of slavery. The woman is man’s slave and her duty therefore is absolute obedience to the husband in all that he asks of her person.” Mohamed Hadfi, 31, tore out his 23-year-old wife Samira Bari’s eyes in their apartment in the southern French city of Nimes in July 2003 following a heated argument about her refusal to have sex with him. (Herald Sun)

If you are a peaceful Muslim who can explain or justify this astonishingly intolerant and inhuman behavior, weÂ’d really like to hear from you! Please send all letters to tuftsprimarysource@gmail.com.

I've also tracked down the other "offensive" satire, which is held to harass African-Americans.

O Come All Ye Black Folk
Boisterous, yet desirable
O come ye, O come ye to our university
Come and we will admit you,
Born in to oppression;
O come, let us accept them,
O come, let us accept them,
O come, let us accept them,
Fifty-Two black freshmen.

O sing, gospel choirs,
We will accept your children,
No matter what your grades are FÂ’s DÂ’s or GÂ’s
Give them privileged status; We will welcome all.
O come, let us accept them,
O come, let us accept them,
O come, let us accept them,
Fifty-Two black freshmen.

All come! Blacks, we need you,
Born into the ghetto.
O Jesus! We need you now to fill our racial quotas.
Decendents of Africa, with brown skin arriving:
O come, let us accept them,
O come, let us accept them,
O come, let us accept them,
Fifty-two black freshmen.

Frankly, I think it does a lousy job of satirizing affirmative action -- but it neither qualifies as harassment nor merits the sort of response the university has had to it.

UPDATE II: Interesting analysis from Volokh.

Lovely: Harsh criticism of Islam doesn't -- in the Committee's view -- "promot[e] political or social discourse." Rather, it is an "unreasonable attack[]" (and it's up to the Committee to decide which attacks on religions are reasonable and which aren't).

What's more, this "unreasonable" speech violates the "rights of other members of the community." What are those rights? Apparently the right "to exist on campus without being subjected to unreasonable attacks based on their race or religion" (including attacks on the religion generally, even those that don't give any student names in particular). And apparently the right to be free of "attitudes or opinions that are expressed verbally or in writing" that "create[] a hostile environment" for students "on the basis of race, religion, gender identity/expression, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, or genetics."

In this case, the punishment for the speech is a ban on one newspaper's ability to publish anonymous speech -- while other newspapers that express favored views remain free to shield their contributors from social ostracism and other retaliation through anonymity. It requests "that student governance consider the behavior of student groups," which is to say the viewpoints those groups express, "in future decisions concerning recognition and funding."

But more importantly, the ruling finds that the speech violated general campus rules that make such speech "unacceptable at Tufts" and require "prompt and decisive action." Though it looks like no individual students are being disciplined in this instance, if the Tufts Administration accepts the ruling, it will send a clear message that students who express "attitudes or opinions" like this will be seen as violating campus anti-harassment rules, and will be subjected to "prompt and decisive action," which campus rules say may involve "the disciplinary process," against individual students as well as against organizations. After this decision, what should Tufts students feel free to say in criticizing religions, or in criticizing affirmative action?

H/T Wizbang

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Personally, I don't think so. But the presidential candidate sure picked the wrong place to say it.

Note to Sen. Sam Brownback: When in Packerland, donÂ’t diss Brett Favre.

The Kansas Republican drew boos and groans from the audience at the state Republican Party convention Friday evening when he used a football analogy to talk about the need to rebuild the family.

“This is fundamental blocking and tackling,” he said. “This is your line in football. If you don’t have a line, how many passes can Peyton Manning complete? Greatest quarterback, maybe, in NFL history.

Personally, I'm with Brownback. Favre is a great quarterback -- but when their careers are done and assessed, I firmly believe that Manning will come out on top.

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I'm always up for a little good news in the War on Terror.

The Taliban's most prominent military commander, a one-legged fighter who orchestrated an ethnic massacre and a rash of beheadings, was killed in a U.S.-led military operation in southern Afghanistan, officials said Sunday.

Mullah Dadullah, a top lieutenant of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, was killed Saturday in the southern province of Helmand, said Said Ansari, the spokesman for Afghanistan's intelligence service. NATO confirmed his death, calling it "a serious blow" to the insurgency.

Now lets get some more. After all, only the Truthers argue that the Taliban isn't a legimate target in the War on Terror.

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Menopause. It is a biological fact of life for women. They know it is coming, but rarely are they ready to deal with it when it does arrive. And when it does arrive, there are a host of changes that come with it -- physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual.

There is a website and ebook that deals with the issue of menopause relief. It is called Menopause A-to-Z, and operates from the following philosophical point of view.

From perimenopause to post-menopause, the change of life doesn't have to be traumatic. Here you'll find information and community to help you make it into the next exciting phase of your life!

Now that sounds like a neat idea to me -- a self-help and support group for women who are sharing the experience of change. Some of the topics that get dealt with at the site include memory issues and menopause, herbal remedies for some of the troubling physical symptoms of menopause, and hair loss in menopause. In short, Menopause A-to-Z is a wide-ranging site for women struggling with that change of life -- designed to help them live life to the fullest.

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The winning entries in the Watcher's Council vote for this week are Does America Elect Defeatists? by Big Lizards, and “Better a Thousand Israeli Invasions...” by Michael J. Totten.  Here is a link to the full results of the vote.

Here are the full tallies of all votes cast:

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The iPod is the latest entertainment/fashion must-have item in America today. They have even outstripped the cellular phone as the status item for students in school. But let's be honest -- they all look alike, so there has to be some way of making yours stand out as uniquely yours -- and protecting it from scratching and other damage.

Zofunk has cases for all the iPod lines. many of these are made from silicone, and are a mere 1mm thick. You don't even need to take the iPod out of the case to put it in the universal dock -- it is that thin!
Zofunk has cases designed for the video iPds, for 1GB and 2 GB iPod nanos. They protect the screens and the docking ports, so that you will be able to get the maximum use from your well-cared-for iPod.

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After all, now that she has given the name “Shiloh” to her child, she owns it and no one else can make use of it without her permission.

Angelina Jolie is fighting to save daughter Shiloh's name from being misused.

Jewellery-design and fragrance company, Hors Lá Monde Corp, is naming its latest perfume Shiloh but the Hollywood star has contacted the US Patent and Trademark Office to oppose the plans.

New York trademark attorney Thomas M Wilentz said: "The notice of opposition alleges that you will be damaged by the pending trademark.

"Angelina must feel that people applying for 'Shiloh' need to get her consent."
Hors Lá Monde owner, 31-year-old Symine Salimpour, applied to trademark 'Shiloh' last June.

Since then, Jolie's New York lawyer has received two 90-day extensions to prepare a case opposing Hors Lá Monde's use of the name.

Now hold on just a minute. The word is ancient Hebrew. It appears in the Bible as a place name also sometimes refers to Christ. It is also the name of the site of a major Civil War battle. I could go on, but I think you see the point.

But then again, celebrities think they are different from you and I – and that what they want, they own.

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Hey, that’s what it amounts to.

Just days after New Jersey authorities announced the arrest of six men suspected of plotting a terror attack against a military base in the state, two state Democratic lawmakers are pushing a bill to abolish the state's death penalty - even in the most serious cases of terrorism, murder and rape.

A state Senate panel was meeting Thursday to debate replacing the state's death penalty with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

"Terrorists want to be martyrs. Let's not give them another reason to commit heinous acts by singling them out for the death penalty," said state Sen. Ray Lesniak, introducing legislation, which the Union County Democrat said "will ensure that the system of justice administered by our state is effective, consistent and just."

However, the terrorists are looking to die in the course of their act of terror. And I don’t think we could reasonably argue that they are coming to jurisdictions with the death penalty to double their opportunities to die.
And then there is this stupid argument.

"The frequency of murders makes it obvious that the death penalty simply doesn't work as a deterrent," said state Sen. Shirley Turner, whose district includes Trenton, the state capital which has had serious problems with gang violence and murders in recent years.

And the same argument can be made about the failure of imprisonment to have a deterrent effect, so should we do away with imprisonment as well, right? I guess that Turner has never encountered the notion of the death penalty (or imprisonment) as PUNISHMENT.

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Hey, thatÂ’s what it amounts to.

Just days after New Jersey authorities announced the arrest of six men suspected of plotting a terror attack against a military base in the state, two state Democratic lawmakers are pushing a bill to abolish the state's death penalty - even in the most serious cases of terrorism, murder and rape.

A state Senate panel was meeting Thursday to debate replacing the state's death penalty with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

"Terrorists want to be martyrs. Let's not give them another reason to commit heinous acts by singling them out for the death penalty," said state Sen. Ray Lesniak, introducing legislation, which the Union County Democrat said "will ensure that the system of justice administered by our state is effective, consistent and just."

However, the terrorists are looking to die in the course of their act of terror. And I donÂ’t think we could reasonably argue that they are coming to jurisdictions with the death penalty to double their opportunities to die.
And then there is this stupid argument.

"The frequency of murders makes it obvious that the death penalty simply doesn't work as a deterrent," said state Sen. Shirley Turner, whose district includes Trenton, the state capital which has had serious problems with gang violence and murders in recent years.

And the same argument can be made about the failure of imprisonment to have a deterrent effect, so should we do away with imprisonment as well, right? I guess that Turner has never encountered the notion of the death penalty (or imprisonment) as PUNISHMENT.

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Don’t dare question the policies of Hamline University. It can get you tossed out and declared a threat to the university – and required to submit to psychological examination and forced counseling.

ThatÂ’s what happened to Tony Scheffler after he raised the issue of allowing guns on campus following the Virginia Tech massacre and HamlineÂ’s offer of counseling to all students.

Scheffler had a different opinion of how the university should react. Using the email handle "Tough Guy Scheffler," Troy fired off his response: Counseling wouldn't make students feel safer, he argued. They needed protection. And the best way to provide it would be for the university to lift its recently implemented prohibition against concealed weapons.

"Ironically, according to a few VA Tech forums, there are plenty of students complaining that this wouldn't have happened if the school wouldn't have banned their permits a few months ago," Scheffler wrote. "I just don't understand why leftists don't understand that criminals don't care about laws; that is why they're criminals. Maybe this school will reconsider its repression of law-abiding citizens' rights."

After stewing over the issue for two days, Scheffler sent a second email to University President Linda Hanson, reiterating his condemnation of the concealed carry ban and launching into a flood of complaints about campus diversity initiatives, which he considered reverse discrimination.

The result was Scheffler being suspended without a hearing, banned from campus, and ordered to submit to a psychological evaluation and any recommended treatment plan. Furthermore, an armed guard was stationed outside his classes to prevent him from entering – and an administrator made a presentation in one class that made it clear that he was to be considered a threat. Furthermore, university officials refuse to communicate with him, even by telephone.

Captain Ed makes a great observation.

Hamline is a private university and can set its own standards for admission and retention. However, it should be made clear to its students and its potential students that Hamline has no room for intellectual dissent from its attendees. Students have to accept the victimology dogma of the administration in silence, and in return Hamline will help them cope with their powerlessness. If by chance one of the students challenges the university directly on its philosophy, they will treat him or her like a psychotic and hire the guards they should have hired when they decided to keep their students disarmed.

I agree completely – and would like to offer the suggestion that Hamline University change its name to Ham-Handed University.

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I have only two questions.

1) What took so long?

2) Why did you put up with him in the first place?

The leader of a Pennsylvania Muslim center has resigned after telling a newspaper that a death sentence was warranted for best-selling author and critic of Islam, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the former Dutch parliament member.

Fouad ElBayly said Wednesday he had stepped down as imam and president of the Islamic Center of Johnstown. He said the center's board members requested his resignation.

The request came after ElBayly's comments about Ali, who spoke April 17 at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown.

"She has been identified as one who has defamed the faith. If you come into the faith, you must abide by the laws, and when you decide to defame it deliberately, the sentence is death," ElBayly was quoted saying in an April 22 story in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

ElBayly, a native of Egypt who came to the United States in 1976, and Mahmood A. Qazi, the center's founder, had tried to get the university to cancel Hirsi Ali's appearance, saying her criticisms were unjustified and could create dissension in their community.

It has taken three weeks to get rid of this guy? I would have thought the mosque, if it wasn’t a center for radicalism, would have dumped him on day one. And do you mean to tell me that this guy had not previously shown signs of such radicalism – it just popped up now? Or is the reason for his departure the bad publicity, not the position he took?

And, of course, the question I really want answer is the one about his connections to terrorism and whether he will remain in this country.

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Oh.

My.

God.

Opie and Anthony need to be gone fromt he airwaves for good after this one.

Fantasizing about the rape of a real woman on the air -- even a public official -- crosses the line in so many ways that i cannot even begin to express my outrage.

Voice 1 (Charlie): I tell you what -- what that George Bush b***h, Rice? Condoleezza Rice?

Voice 2 (Host): Condoleezza Rice.

V1: I'd love to f**k that b***h, man. (Laughter) She needs to f**k a man. I'd f**k her.

V2: I can just imagine the horror on Condoleezza Rice's face when she realized what was going on. (Laughter)

V3 (Host 2): You were all just holdin' her down and, you know, f**kin' her. (Laughter)

V1: Punch her all in the f**kin' face, saying, "Shut up, b***h." (Laughter)

V3: That's exactly what I meant. (Laughter)

I don't care if this is satellite radio and subscription only -- I'm open to things being much more racy there, but this moves beyond that, beyond gross, and into pure evil. As a society, we need to draw the line somewhere.

But not at government action.

No, XM needs to fire these guys under pressure from subscribers and outraged members of the public. The violent verbal rape of a real human being is so despicable that we all, as individuals, need to address it. Do we view such "entertainment" as morally acceptable, and are we willing to exact a price from those who produce it?

And let's be honest here. This exceeds any stupid thing that Don Imus said. this even goes beyond the bigotry of Al Sharpton. This sinks to a level that I lack the vocabulary to even describe.

And for all you Bush-bashers and race-baiting Rice-haters out there who may feel a little glee at the thought of Condi Rice being victimized like this, let me pose a simple question for you -- if this were directed ad Hillary Clinton or Nancy Pelosi, would you stand by in silence? And if you wouldn't, how can you do so when such unspeakably vile words are directed at another successful woman, regardless of her politics?

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Newspaper thefts on college campuses are usually based upon ideology, and are very serious affairs.

This one is a bit different.

Two female college students who bared their bellies at a lacrosse game couldn't stomach a front-page newspaper photo of their stunt and now are in trouble for swiping copies, campus officials said.

They apparently felt the photo made them look fat, the paper's faculty adviser said.

The photo in the April 27 edition of The Gatepost at Framingham State College shows seven fans at a women's lacrosse game with “I (heart) N-O-O-N-A-N,” the name of a team member, spelled out on their stomachs. They are wearing hip-hugger shorts and abbreviated tank tops.

Campus police won't pursue criminal charges, but two students face possible disciplinary action, college spokesman Peter Chisholm said.

English professor Desmond McCarthy, the faculty adviser, said he was told by other students the women who took the papers thought they looked fat.

I'll agree with the paper's adviser -- this is the most stupid reason for stealing a newspaper ever.

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Frankly, almost all of my alcohol consumption over the years has included caffeine -- in the form of Coke mixed with my rum. Will we now see a ban on such concoctions as well?

Twenty-nine state attorneys general urged Anheuser-Busch yesterday to warn buyers of Spykes and other alcoholic drinks combined with caffeine about the dangers of mixing the two substances.

Anheuser's Spykes, Tilt and Bud Extra should have labels saying the drinks may make people feel less impaired than they are, the officials said in a letter to the company. Among the attorneys general signing the letter were officials from Maryland and the District.

The drinks also attract consumers younger than the legal drinking age of 21 because they look like other caffeinated energy drinks, such as Red Bull and Rockstar, the letter said. The fruity or chocolate flavors, colorful packaging and online marketing campaigns also appeal to teenagers, the letter said.

Oh, dear -- flavored alcohol. We can't have that, despite the availability of flavored alcoholic beverages for about as long as i can remember.

And the company points out some minor details about the beverages.

Anheuser-Busch spokeswoman Francine Katz said the St. Louis company does not endorse underage drinking and does not target minors. She said Spykes shots, which are sold in 2-ounce bottles and have as much alcohol as a third of a glass of wine, are less likely to appeal to minors, who typically "drink for instant impact."

In other words, they are the antithesis of what kids like to drink.

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What is Prosper learning? That was my first question when I heard about prosperlearning. It turns out that it is the method for business success through mentoring being offered to small business people by Prosper, Inc.

A US Business Review article last year offers this insight into the business.

While each student is paired with a mentor who best fits his or her goals and experience level from the course, each mentor only works with a select group of students at a time, and receives compensation based on the success of their students. "The true differentiating factor in our company is that each student receives customized training in their specific course of study, with a mentor who has been chosen based on both personality and expertise," Willis says.

In addition, students are offered enrollment through an invitation-only process to ensure each person is fully committed to the program and motivated to achieve their goals. "As a company, the most important unit of measurement is that we're turning out success stories," Willis asserts. "We know that people will find success if they work hard at each program. One of the most crucial elements is that each student has the right qualifications and is able to work well with our coaches."

Now think about that. Prosper, Inc. does not offer you a DVD and a book in a box and tell you that you are on your own. It assigns you a mentor who has a stake in your success. Indeed, Prosper, Inc. only invites the best into its program, so that the probability of success is increased for the client/student.

Does it work? I guess so -- over 30,000 successful clients cannot be wrong.

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That seems to be the new White House position on funding the Iraq War.

Hours before the House approved a plan on Thursday to finance the Iraq war only through midsummer, President Bush offered his first public concession to try to resolve the impasse on war spending, acknowledging rising pressure from his own party and the public.

After a briefing at the Pentagon, Mr. Bush said he had instructed Joshua B. Bolten, the White House chief of staff, to reach “common ground” with lawmakers of both parties over setting firm goals, or benchmarks, to measure progress in Iraq. Mr. Bush had previously insisted that he wanted about $95 billion for the military with no strings attached.

“It makes sense to have benchmarks as a part of our discussion on how to go forward,” Mr. Bush said, even as he threatened to veto the House plan, approved on a 221-to-205 vote Thursday night, which would require him to seek approval in two months for the balance of the war money.

Of course, the key is how to make those benchmarks something other than a timetable for withdrawal. And, of course, what criteria are actually being set -- whether they can be attained, and what the consequences of not meeting them are. My big concern is that such benchmarks will become a de facto timetable if the goals are not reasonable and incremental.

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