July 03, 2008
I'll never forget the anguished words of one of the dead teen's classmates --"I don't know why that man had to shoot him -- he was only trying to rob the gas station!"
Yeah, that's right. Folks were upset because the clerk at the gas station used a legal gun to shoot down an armed robber.
Which brings me to this case.
The family of one of the men who was shot by a retired United States Marine while they attempted to rob a Subway sandwich shop said the customer shouldn't have pulled the trigger.According to Plantation police, two armed men barged into the Subway at 1949 Pine Island Road shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday, demanding money from the employee behind the counter. When they tried to force John Lovell into the bathroom, he pulled out a gun and shot both men, police said.
Donicio Arrindell, 22, was shot in the head and later died at the hospital. Fredrick Gadson, 21, was shot in the chest and ran from the Subway, but police found him in hiding in some bushes on the property of a nearby BankAtlantic.
* * * Gadson's grandparents told Local 10 on Thursday that Lovell was wrong for pulling the trigger.
"He should not have taken the law in his hands," said Rosa Jones, Gadson's grandmother.
Her husband, Ivory Jones, also condemned the media for its portrayal of Lovell's actions.
"I don't condone what they did, (but) I definitely don't condone the news people making him out to seem like they're making a hero out of this man because he shot somebody down," he said
Un-freakin'-believable! These folks are blaming the victim for defending himself from their criminal grandson and his thug-buddy.
Ivory and Rosa Jones are nothing but trash -- low-class, no-account trash, utterly lacking in morals and sense.
But I will agree with their one comment -- John Lovell shouldn't be a hero. What he should be is an example to every single American of how they should respond to crimes committed by punks like Donicio Arrindell and Fredrick Gadson. What he did should be the ordinary response to crime, not an extraordinary one. The fate of Donicio Arrindell and Fredrick Gadson should be the common result of criminal activity, not something that is newsworthy because it is unusual.
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Police charged a third person Wednesday in connection with beatings and rape that authorities say were carried out by a satanic cult.Diana Palmer, 44, of Cottage Woods Court, surrendered to police Wednesday afternoon. She was charged with being an accessory after the fact of assault with a deadly weapon and was being held in the Durham County Jail under a $95,000 bond.
Joseph Craig, 25, has been charged with kidnapping, rape, forcible sexual offense and assault in the case. His wife, Joy Johnson, 30, has been charged with aiding and abetting. Both were being held Wednesday in the Durham County Jail.
Satanism and sexual assault -- you may be wondering what this has to do with politics.
Well, here it is.
Palmer is first vice chair of the Durham County Democratic Party. Johnson resigned her positions as third vice-chair of the Durham County Democratic Party and vice-chair of the Young Democrats following her arrest.
Which leads to this priceless quote.
State Sen. Floyd McKissick, D-Durham, called the case "an isolated incident" and said he doesn't expect any other Democratic Party activists to be implicated.
Two top leaders arrested in a Satanic sex case constitutes "an isolated incident"? I think that is probably a pretty god percentage of the party's top leadership.
And as an aside -- I know Johnson was a vocal supporter of Mike Nifong and the lying rape victim. I suspect Palmer was as well. Will they insist, as they did in the earlier case, that the woman making the accusation must be believed at all costs?
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After all, that is the only way that they could have reached this conclusion in their editorial.
In placing these rulings in the larger context of the court after two appointments by President Bush — Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, both dedicated members of the conservative movement — it is important to note that the Guantánamo decision was 5 to 4. Anthony Kennedy, the court’s swing justice, cast the deciding vote. In other cases, like the gun-control decision, the rulings might have been more sweeping and more damaging if the conservative bloc had not needed the moderate-conservative Justice Kennedy’s vote to form a majority. One more conservative appointment would shift the balance to the far-right bloc.If that happens, the court can be expected to push even further in a dangerous direction. It would most likely begin stripping away civil liberties, like the habeas rights vindicated in the Guantánamo case. The constitutional protection of women’s reproductive rights could be eliminated. The court might well strike down laws that protect the environment, workers’ rights and the rights of racial and religious minorities.
The court was teetering on the brink in this term. Voters should keep that firmly in mind when they go to the polls in November.
What are the horrific decisions that the editorial cites? Oh, the ones you would expect -- the Heller decision (upholding the right to keep and bear arms), the recent death penalty case (which does not require that executions be pain free), lat term's Ledbetter decision (described as "baseless" -- which is true if one does not consider the actual language of the statute when interpreting it) and the upholding of the Indiana voter ID statute.
On the other hand, it cites the tenuous victories for endangered liberty found in granting unprecedented access to civilian courts to armed combatants captured in the field and the striking down of the death penalty for child rape as positive signs.
That the American public overwhelmingly supports the "conservative" decisions and was outraged by the "moderate" ones doesn't make a difference to the Times -- it is clear that they see the Four Horsemen of the Judicial Apocalypse (Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, and Alito) as dangerously out of step with the views of rightleft-thinking Americans and therefore fundamentally threatening to the liberties of Americans -- no matter how consistent with the text of the Constitution and the history of the entire Western legal tradition those conservative decisions really are.
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Which is, of course, why there is such pressure to solve the problem of the Iranian nuclear program through diplomacy.
President Bush, in an appearance before reporters at the White House earlier Wednesday, was asked about increasing speculation that Israel will attack, saying all options remain on the table but that military action would not be his first choice."I have made it very clear to all parties that the first option ought to be solve this problem diplomatically," Bush said. "And the best way to solve it diplomatically is for the United States to work with other nations to send a focused message — and that is, you will be isolated, and you will have economic hardship, if you continue to enrich" uranium for a bomb.
Sorry -- with oil at $146 a barrel, it is unlikely that Iran is going to be facing economic hardship any time soon. And given the fungibility of a commodity like oil, it is very possible for Iran to sell its oil to other countries despite an embargo -- indeed, the US has not bought oil from Iran for three decades, yet the Iranians have never had any difficulty selling oil on the world market.
What's more, the Israelis have an indisputable right to defend themselves from Iran -- and given the repeated threats with nuclear overtones made by Mahmoud the mad against Israel, it seems to me that there is a clear basis for Israel to believe that the program is intended to develop nuclear weapons with but a single target -- Israel.
So it is all well and good to call for a diplomatic solution to the current situation. It isn't our survival as a nation at stake. On the other hand, for Israel this is a matter of life and death.
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July 02, 2008
There is, of course, an outside chance that someone involved in committing this heinous at is still alive -- though at the very least, said individual would have to be in his/her late 70s. More than likely, none of the perpetrators are alive -- making continued investigation by law enforcement a futile gesture.
On the other hand, it is important from a historical standpoint to learn, if we can, who perpetrated this grievous act of hatred and violence at Moore's Ford Bridge.
State and federal investigators said Tuesday that they spent the past two days gathering evidence in the last documented mass lynching in the United States: a grisly slaying of four people that has remained unsolved for more than six decades.In a written statement, the FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said they collected several items on a property in rural Walton County, Georgia, that were taken in for further investigation.
On July 25, 1946, two black sharecropper couples were shot hundreds of times and the unborn baby of one of the women cut out with a knife at the Moore's Ford Bridge. One of the men had been accused of stabbing a white man 11 days earlier and was bailed out of jail by a former Ku Klux Klan member and known bootlegger who drove him, his wife, her brother and his wife to the bridge.
The FBI statement said investigators were following up on information recently received in the case, one of several the agency has revived in an effort to close decades-old cases from the civil rights era and before.
"The FBI and GBI had gotten some information that we couldn't ignore with respect to this case," GBI spokesman John Bankhead said.
Let me say it rather bluntly -- unless there is credible evidence that one or more of the evil bastards that committed this crime is still walking the earth, this is a matter for historians and not the FBI. Yet reading between the lines, I can only assume that there must be some living individual who the authorities view as culpable for this heinous act -- or at least I hope there is, for otherwise we are witnessing a waste of law enforcement resources.
Also of note in the article is Rep. John Lewis' effort to create an FBI "Cold Case" division. That might not be a bad idea -- provided it is intended to look at cases in which there is a realistic chance of prosecution, not merely to investigate historical incidents in which the criminals have long since been dealt with by the judge of a higher court than any constituted under the US Constitution.
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I mean from his mortgage company.
Shortly after joining the U.S. Senate and while enjoying a surge in income, Barack Obama bought a $1.65 million restored Georgian mansion in an upscale Chicago neighborhood. To finance the purchase, he secured a $1.32 million loan from Northern Trust in Illinois.The freshman Democratic senator received a discount. He locked in an interest rate of 5.625 percent on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, below the average for such loans at the time in Chicago. The loan was unusually large, known in banker lingo as a "super super jumbo." Obama paid no origination fee or discount points, as some consumers do to reduce their interest rates.
Compared with the average terms offered at the time in Chicago, Obama's rate could have saved him more than $300 per month.
A $300 a month mortgage discount for a new Senator? Sounds rather suspicious to me -- especially in light of the recent disclosure of special favors to other Democrat senators by Countrywide. Since Obama's spokesperson says that the rate he received from Norther Trust was in response to an offer from a competing financial institution, one has to ask if that other lender was Countrywide -- meaning that Obama also benefited from the special program for powerful politicians.
And I'd like to argue that we should be questioning this -- after all, it certainly helped Michelle Obama's children!
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The terrorist was a Palestinian with a residence card and work permit to be in the capital of Israel. It may be time for Israel to rethink that policy.
The Palestinian driver of a huge, yellow construction vehicle went on a rampage in central Jerusalem Wednesday, ramming several cars and two buses before a police officer clambered onto the careening vehicle and shot him dead, police and witnesses said.Officials said at least three people were killed and more than 30 were injured.
The episode spread panic as the driver used the Caterpillar construction vehicleÂ’s massive serrated scoop to overturn the bus from the Egged public transport company and leave a swath of tangled wreckage 300 yards long, plowing over at least five cars and colliding with a second bus.
Police believed the driver may have planned to crash the construction vehicle into a crowded market nearby.
“It could have been a lot worse,” said Micky Rosenfeld, a police spokesman.
I have since come across a report that four people were killed in the attack, though I have been unable to confirm that. The jihadi swine operating the backhoe was also killed by police in an attempt to prevent his from slaughtering any more defenseless civilians.
May God bring the souls of the innocents murdered this day into his eternal presence -- and may their murderer be cast into the deepest pits of Hell, there to suffer for all eternity.
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What would I like to see? Quite honestly, I’d really like to see some publishing companies to step up to the plate and begin advertising on Social Spark. As a science fiction lover since about the age of twelve, I’d be in heaven if Tor or Baen or one of the other science fiction Publishing houses began to offer some opportunities – maybe providing reviewers access to a chapter or two of some of the releases that folks are expecting. Imagine the possibilities if one of these publishers decided to start promoting their younger talent with a campaign of internet buzz – say for Naomi Novik’s latest Temeraire novel being published soon by Ballentine Books, or John Scalzi’s latest twist on the universe he created for Old Mans War that Tor will soon be bringing out. Think what such a campaign could do for a new author – or for the latest novel by one of the well-loved elder statesmen (or stateswomen) of the genre. Give bloggers who love the genre access to a preview and let the viral excitement begin!
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At the time, one of my commenters asked if dogs were next, given Muslim objections to dogs for similar reasons.
Guess what -- that scenario is now playing out in the UK.
![policedog[1].jpg](http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/images/policedog%5B1%5D.jpg)
A postcard featuring a cute puppy sitting in a policeman's hat advertising a Scottish police force's new telephone number has sparked outrage from Muslims.Tayside Police's new non-emergency phone number has prompted complaints from members of the Islamic community.
The choice of image on the Tayside Police cards - a black dog sitting in a police officer's hat - has now been raised with Chief Constable John Vine.
And the local constabulary has apologized, expressing regret that they failed to consult with the department's "diversity adviser" over the matter before the card was put out to the public with the picture of Rebel, the force's new police dog.
Now come on. Like we un the US, most folks in the UK have been raised with the mentality that "Happiness is a warm puppy." Like the US, the UK is a country in which dogs are "man's best friend" and a part of the family. Why, then, apologize to the hyper-sensitive for even depicting a dog on the poster? Isn't there an obligation on the part of Muslims to recognize that the British majority does not take offense at the mere mention of the word "dog", and that they will have to deal with the reality that the majority view will be the one catered to?
Oh, yeah. This is the same country that made this decision last week, limiting the use of sniffer dogs near Muslims in London subway stations. Interestingly enough, the use of the dogs began after the 2005 bombings on that subway system -- by a group of Muslims, don't you know.
More at Lionheart, LGF, Gateway Pundit, Hot Air
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July 01, 2008
When she arrived in Congress last fall, Rep. Laura Richardson sought out a vehicle that would match her newfound status.She settled on a 2007 Lincoln Town Car - the choice of many representatives who lease their vehicles at taxpayers' expense. But hers was distinct: at $1,300 a month, it was the most expensive car in the House of Representatives.
Richardson, a Democrat who represents Carson, has since become known for defaulting on two home loans and losing a third house - in an upscale neighborhood in Sacramento - at a foreclosure auction.
Interestingly enough, another California congresswoman is leasing the same sort of vehicle -- for roughly half of what Richardson is paying.
Not that Richardson's office wants to come clean on her car expenses.
Richardson's spokesman, William Marshall, initially stated that Richardson is paying only $940 per month for her Town Car, but gave no documentation of that. After he was presented with the expense report showing the $1,300 lease amount, he declined to answer further questions."No comment," he said.
Indeed.
But there's a whole lot more -- unauthorized drives, unreported repairs, tickets -- check out the whole sordid tale here.
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The Supreme Court's landmark ruling on gun ownership last week focused on citizens' ability to defend themselves from intruders in their homes. But research shows that surprisingly often, gun owners use the weapons on themselves.Suicides accounted for about 55 percent of the nation's nearly 31,000 firearm deaths in 2005, the most recent year for which statistics are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There was nothing unique about that year. Gun-related suicides have outnumbered firearm homicides and accidents for 20 of the past 25 years. In 2005, homicides accounted for 40 percent of gun deaths. Accidents accounted for 2.6 percent. The remaining 2 percent included legal killings, such as when police do the shooting, and cases that involve undetermined intent.
Public-health researchers have concluded that in homes where guns are present, the likelihood that someone in the home will die from suicide or homicide is much greater.
Now here's the problem with that statistic -- is there some control for the type of neighborhood in which the public is more likely to feel a need to arm themselves? Do the statistics take into consideration whether the guns in question are ones legally owned, as opposed to those possessed by criminals? Lots of questions -- relatively few answers.
But here's my question for liberals on that suicide number -- so what? Isn't one of the mantras of liberals that people have a right to do what they choose with their own bodies? It certainly is when you discuss the sacrament of abortion -- so why should it be any different when someone decides to blow their own brains out with a handgun (or pop a handful of pills or slit their wrists)? After all -- in such cases the lives they are taking are their own, rather than that of an innocent baby. Seems to me that suicide would simply be one more act with which society has no right to interfere because, in the words of Justice Anthony Kennedy, "at the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existing, of meaning, of the universe and of the mystery of life" -- which would seem to me to include a liberty to choose to lay down the burden of existence. Besides -- isn't suicide really nothing more than the ultimate reduction of one's carbon footprint?
And in any event, since when does the irresponsible exercise of a constitutional right by some justify the restriction of that right of others? We do not censor newspapers because of the irresponsible editorial decisions of the New York Times which regularly damage national security -- and so we should not ban guns on some theory that the exercise of the right to keep and bear arms is at time abused.
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I remember, when living for four years in Indonesia as a child, listening to my mother reading me the first lines of the Declaration of Independence - "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Barack -- those are not the first words of the Declaration of Independence. Indeed, they are not even in the first paragraph of that document.
Let me help you out, Senator.
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of AmericaWhen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
Now I somehow doubt that you actually wrote the early drafts of this speech, Senator. But I am sure that an anecdote like that must have come from you -- presuming the story is true, of course, and not the invention of a speechwriter. But regardless, I'd like to hope that you and/or your speechwriters would have caught this historical inaccuracy -- one which I believe most of my tenth graders would have caught.
Am I questioning your patriotism by bringing up this point? No, merely your command of history and the founding documents of this country at a time when you question the quality of civic education in this country later on in the same speech -- in the process insulting the professional competence of me and my thousands of colleagues around the country, I might add.
Now I could go on and point out the many ways in which your proposed platform is at odds with the views of the founders and the philosophy contained in the Declaration of Independence. Your proposed health care program, for example, will result in the erection of "a multitude of New Offices", and will send hither and yon "swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance" in the pursuit of your new policies and the taxes you will impose to fund them. But I'll refrain from doing so, because I don't wish to be accused of questioning your patriotism. So instead I'll simply confine myself to pointing out your ignorance, which is displayed for all the world to see in the midst of your pretty words.
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)June 30, 2008
Now if you are looking for a place to learn to scuba dive, you really ought to find a school that offers lessons taught by certified professionals. What's more, you should consider the reputation of the program. And you can find good programs just about anywhere -- including scuba diving lessons Arizona!
Where would you scuba dive in the middle of the desert? How about some of the many scenic lakes that exist in Arizona? Or for that matter, why not travel with Ultimate Dive and Travel to some of the great dive spots like Fiji, Truk, Honduras, or even California's Channel Islands or the Bahamas if you are not looking for a trip halfway around the world. Ultimate Dive and Travel is also a great source for equipment sales and repair, as well as scuba diving lessons Scottsdale. Like any reputable dive school, their instructors are PADI and SSI qualified. And with a decade of experience and a reputation for professionalism, you can feel confident in trusting them with your equipment and your safety.
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Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Monday he will never question others' patriotism during the race and blames his own "carelessness" for some criticism of him so far. Obama sought to reassure voters about his commitment to the country, choosing the aptly named town of Independence as his backdrop.
Oh, really?
Then what was this comment?
"You know, the truth is that right after 9/11, I had a [flag] pin," Obama said. "Shortly after 9/11, particularly because as we're talking about the Iraq War, that became a substitute for I think true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security, I decided I won't wear that pin on my chest.
It doesn't take much reading between the lines to see the attack on the patriotism of a whole lot of people -- after all, you are indicating that you are a true patriot, and that those who wear a flag pin are phony patriots.
I guess this means you've made another flip-flop, Senator. Do you think you could make up your mind?
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On this day in 1865, a military tribunal convicted seven men and a woman involved in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Four of the eight were later hanged by the U.S. Army at the Washington Navy Yard.
On the other hand, today they are not considered to be good enough for jihadis captured in the field while violating the Geneva Convention's rules for combatants.
And remember -- these folks were all US citizens apprehended, held, tried and executed withing the continental United States.
Thanks for the reminder, Michael -- and I loved your book.
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A Harris County grand jury decided today that Joe Horn should not be charged with a crime for shooting two suspected burglars he confronted outside his neighbor's home in Pasadena last fall.The decision to clear Horn of wrongdoing came two weeks after the grand jury began considering evidence in the case, including Horn's testimony last week.
Horn, a 62-year-old retiree, became the focus of an intense public debate after the Nov. 14 shootings. Many supporters praised him as a hero for using deadly force to protect property, while others dismissed him as a killer who should have heeded a 911 operator's instructions to stay in his house and wait for police.
One of the key details in the case?
Pasadena police Capt. A.H. "Bud" Corbett said a few weeks after the shooting that a plainclothes detective had parked in front of Horn's house in response to the 911 call. He said the detective saw the men between Horn's house and his neighbor's before they crossed into Horn's front yard.It appeared that neither Horn nor the men knew a police officer was present, Corbett said.
"It was over within seconds. The detective never had time to say anything before the shots were fired," Corbett said. "At first, the officer was assessing the situation. Then he was worried Horn might mistake him for the 'wheel man' (getaway driver). He ducked at one point."
When Horn confronted the suspects in his yard, he raised his shotgun to his shoulder, Corbett said. However the men ignored his order to freeze.
Corbett said one man ran toward Horn, but had angled away from him toward the street when he was shot in the back just before reaching the curb.
"The detective confirmed that this suspect was actually closer to Horn after he initiated his run than at the time when first confronted," said Corbett. "Horn said he felt in jeopardy."
What really needs to be looked into here is why the cop sat in front of the house watching rather than confronting the robbers. The city council in Pasadena may need to investigate that -- and do a thorough housecleaning.
My hope is that the next move is a lawsuit against the families of Diego Ortiz and Hernando Riascos Torres, seeking recovery of all legal fees that have been incurred by Mr. Horn -- and restitution for the good ammunition that Joe Horn had to use on these thieving illegal aliens who died as a result of their own felonious conduct.
Great commentary on this decision here.
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Gov. Bobby Jindal announced today that he has vetoed the legislative pay raise.After days of saying he would not reject the unpopular measure, Jindal said this morning that he had changed his mind.
"I thank the people for their voice and their attention," Jindal said of the public outcry against the raise. "I am going to need your help to move this state forward. ... The voters have demanded change. . . . I made a mistake by staying out if it" originally.
Jindal said that legislators "are going to be angry I broke my word to them" by promising to stay out of the pay raise issue. "Let them direct their anger to me and not the people of this state," Jindal said.
It isn't always the right thing to follow the majority voice of the people -- but this time it certainly is. The more I found out about this bill, the more I personally recognized it was not just a bad idea to break that campaign promise, but that the increase was bad public policy. After all, this is a part-time legislature with benefits and a per diem that made their total compensation package quite generous to begin with -- a $21,000 increase in their base pay (something like 123%) was clearly inappropriate.
H/T Hot Air
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"Once again the federal government has it backwards," said Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, a former state judge and prosecutor. "It is a waste of time if we don't go after the business owners who are knowingly hiring illegals."If we eliminate the illegal job opportunities, we can start to eliminate the problem."
Unfortunately, only 75 owners and mangers were arrested in conjunction with these raids -- and prosecutions are much more difficult to undertake than they are for the illegal workers.
Seems to me that this is one more reason to require electronic verification of employability -- so that we can begin prosecuting the major players who take jobs from Americans to give them to illegal aliens.
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McCain sources tell Politico that they believe Romney could raise $50 million in 60 days.Surprising many Republican insiders, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is at the top of the vice presidential prospect list for John McCain. But lack of personal chemistry could derail the pick.
“Romney as favorite” is the hot buzz in Republican circles, and top party advisers said the case is compelling.
Campaign insiders say McCain plans to name his running mate very shortly after Barack Obama does, as part of what one campaign planner called a “bounce-mitigation strategy.”
A major factor in this is the ability of Romney to raise money. He's got a base that hasn't been tapped yet by McCain, and it is very possible that Romeny is the only guy who can get at it.
Unfortunately, there is still bad blood between McCain and Romney dating back to the primary season. That could yet derail this pick.
In the end, I agree with Hugh Hewitt, who was also a Romney supporter during the primary.
No matter who the selection turns out to be, I'd prefer a nominee announcement sooner rather than as part of a "mitigation bounce" strategy as outlined by Mike. Every day as the veep allows the nominee to make four or five appearances on the trail, generating enthusiasm and contributions, especially if the nominee is throwing hard punches at Obama. 30 or 60 days of extra effort is too much of an advantage to keep on the shelf pending an Obama selection.
We need a pick sooner rather than later -- and not simply a reactive choice following Obama's selection.
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In most states, inmates win back their voting rights as soon as they are released from prison or when they complete parole or probation. One big reason that does not happen in Florida is that state law requires felons to first make restitution to their victims. And until their voting rights are restored, former prisoners are barred from scores of state-regulated occupations for which the restoration of voting rights is listed as a condition of employment.Quite apart from the fact that it is undemocratic to bar people from the voting booth because they owe money, the system is transparently counterproductive since it prevents people from landing the jobs they will need to make restitution. Denying ex-offenders a chance to make an honest living is a sure way to drive them back to jail.
The system also requires extensive and unnecessary background checks before voting rights can be restored for some applicants, making it hard to reduce the backlog. Florida could clear up that backlog in a hurry, treat all ex-offenders fairly and enhance democracy by automatically restoring voting rights to inmates who have completed their sentences.
That last line is the real kicker -- that is precisely what the law requires -- that the full sentence, including restitution to the victims, be completed before voting rights are restored. But therein lies the problem -- the editors of the New York Times don't recognize the restorative justice portion of the sentence to be a part of the sentence.
But I'll tell you what. I'm willing to go along with the New York Times on this one -- provided they are also willing to support the restoration of Second Amendment rights at the same time. After all, it seems highly improper to deny these folks the right and the means to defend themselves with a gun if we entrust them with the ballot -- which I fully believe to be much more powerful force than any pistol.
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While Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has vowed to make pay equity for women a top priority if elected president, an analysis of his Senate staff shows that women are outnumbered and out-paid by men.That is in contrast to Republican presidential candidate John McCain's Senate office, where women, for the most part, out-rank and are paid more than men.
What do the numbers show?
On average, women working in Obama's Senate office were paid at least $6,000 below the average man working for the Illinois senator. That's according to data calculated from the Report of the Secretary of the Senate, which covered the six-month period ending Sept. 30, 2007. Of the five people in Obama's Senate office who were paid $100,000 or more on an annual basis, only one -- Obama's administrative manager -- was a woman.The average pay for the 33 men on Obama's staff (who earned more than $23,000, the lowest annual salary paid for non-intern employees) was $59,207. The average pay for the 31 women on Obama's staff who earned more than $23,000 per year was $48,729.91. (The average pay for all 36 male employees on Obama's staff was $55,962; and the average pay for all 31 female employees was $48,729. The report indicated that Obama had only one paid intern during the period, who was a male.)
McCain, an Arizona senator, employed a total of 69 people during the reporting period ending in the fall of 2007, but 23 of them were interns. Of his non-intern employees, 30 were women and 16 were men. After excluding interns, the average pay for the 30 women on McCain's staff was $59,104.51. The 16 non-intern males in McCain's office, by comparison, were paid an average of $56,628.83.
Now am I accusing Senator Obama of invidious sex discrimination against women in his office? No, I'm not. But I cannot help but notice that when it comes right down to it, Senator John McCain offers more opportunities for women, promotes them to higher level positions, and pays them better. Seems to me that he puts into practice hat liberal Democrats often preach but fail to implement.
Over at Hot Air it is pointed out that Obama has 18 more staffers than McCain, with nearly $1 million dollars in extra payroll expenses -- despite the fact that he chairs no committees and has no significant legislative accomplishments during his half a term in the Senate, while a senior senator like McCain gets by on a smaller staff and a smaller budget. I wonder why?
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This is especially true because hearing loss is rarely a temporary phenomenon. Not only is it a major inconvenience and disruption of a variety of everyday activities, it can also be a serious financial burden to treat that hearing loss. Just consider the cost of hearing aids, testing and doctor visits – those add up really quickly. And they are not one-time costs – they will be repeated by the individual for the rest of their lives. Not only that, but a hearing loss can change person’s ability to be employed in their chosen field of work. Quite bluntly, there are many jobs that cannot be safely performed by a person who has difficulty hearing.
If you suspect a work-related hearing loss, consulting an experienced hearing loss lawyer is the best way to proceed. That lawyer will help you evaluate whether the workplace was the cause for the hearing loss and if it is reasonable to pursue that hearing loss claim in court or through the workmanÂ’s compensation process.
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PP, 
D, 
((, 
)), | Votes | Council link |
|---|---|
| 2 2/3 | South Africa's Neville Chamberlain The Razor |
| 2 | The Whole Shebaa-ng Soccer Dad |
| 1 2/3 | More Quincy Done With Mirrors |
| 1 1/3 | Dick Morris Gets One Right Hillbilly White Trash |
| 1 1/3 | Warped Joshuapundit |
| 2/3 | My ANWR Photo Gallery Cheat Seeking Missiles |
| 1/3 | Left Continues Denigration of McCain's Military Service, POW Heroism Rhymes With Right |
| 1/3 | Gay Pride Week Bookworm Room |
| 1/3 | And on the Seventh Day, He Rested Wolf Howling |
| Votes | Non-council link |
|---|---|
| 2 | Why You Should Apologize -- Ineffectively and Dishonestly -- For What You Didn't Do Classical Values |
| 1 2/3 | The Unconscious Roots of Media Bias ShrinkWrapped |
| 1 1/3 | Big Gains in Iraq? Abu Muqawama |
| 1 1/3 | Obama's Lack of Ordinary Modesty American Thinker |
| 1 | An Almost Unfathomable Ignorance of History Brits At Their Best |
| 1 | The Card Stop the ACLU |
| 1 | Alcoholism Progression Dean's World |
| 1 | Is There A Pattern Here? If So, Is There A Name For It? Discriminations |
| 1/3 | "Declaring Independence from a 'Broken System' By Breaking a Promise..." [UPDATED] AmbivaBlog |
| 1/3 | Building Walls Shira bat Sarah |
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Well, the gameÂ’s creators have a contest to celebrate the release of Dungeon Runner. This 'Pimp Your Gnome' contest allows you to create your own gnome, pimped out to the max. Do it well and you can win a copy of the game and a $350 Best Buy card!
How do you win? First, visit your local craft of garden supply store and buy yourself a gnome – you know, one of those little guys like the one you see in commercials for that online travel company. Next, dress him up in a way that makes hi the “King of Bling”! Make him a pimp, a thug, or just a fat-cat gnome – have some fun with it. Jewels, clothes, accessories – do it all!
But then comes the fun part. You next have to some pictures of your pimped-out gnome from at least 2 angles and post them at the site. Even better, you can get extra points if you post pictures with people admiring your gnome or by being dressed as a gnome in a public place like a mall or something. In other words, there is great fun to be had!
By the way, I did download the game, and was impressed. Good graphics, reasonable adventure opportunities for you to roleplay, and even some good interaction with others. If you are a big-time online gamer, you will enjoy – and probably get a laugh as your Bling Gnome produces his new cash for you. And you get to see some of the pimped-out gnomes entered by others – varying from hip-hop to pimp-daddy to some that are really out of this world.
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This bit from Wesley Clark's Face the Nation interview today is absolutely astounding -- and indicative of the fact that Clark has ceased to be a patriot, and instead become a partisan whore.
SCHIEFFER: Well, you went so far as to say that you thought John McCain was, quote, and these are your words, "untested and untried." And I must say, I had to read that twice, because you're talking about somebody who was a prisoner of war, he was a squadron commander of the largest squadron in the Navy, he's been on the Senate Armed Services Committee for lo these many years. How can you say that John McCain is untested and untried, General?Gen. CLARK: Because in the matters of national security policy making, it's a matter of understanding risk, it's a matter of gauging your opponents and it's a matter of being held accountable. John McCain's never done any of that in his official positions. I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands of millions of others in the armed forces as a prisoner of war. He has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee and he has traveled all over the world. But he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded wasn't a wartime squadron. He hasn't been there and ordered the bombs to fall. He hasn't seen what it's like when diplomats come in and say, `I don't know whether we're going to be able to get this point through or not. Do you want to take the risk? What about your reputation? How do we handle it publicly?'
So never mind three decades of military service, nor a quarter century of experience in Congress. because John McCain has never ordered anyone into combat, he is really unqualified to be president.
Oh, and Clark's candidate, Hopey McChangerson, who not only has two decades less congressional experience than John McCain, no military experience, and no executive experience at all?
Gen. CLARK: But Barack is not--he is not running on the fact that he has made these national security pronouncements, he's running on his other strengths. He's running on the strengths of character, on the strengths of his communication skills, on the strengths of his judgment, and those are qualities that we seek in our national leadership.
Oh, I see, he lacks the credentials to be president, but he has "other strengths". He's a pretty boy who gives a good speech and shows such good judgment that he hangs out with domestic terrorists, anti-American polemicists, and corrupt businessmen. That might qualify him for office in the Illinois legislature -- maybe even to be mayor of Chicago -- but certainly not President of the United States!
Oh, and exactly how respectful is Wesley Clark of John McCain's military service? I think this line sums it up nicely, when taken in conjunction with Clark's denigration of McCain's time as a squadron commander.
Gen. CLARK: Well, I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.
Yep -- highly respectful words there, Wesley. That shows quite well how much you honor that time as a POW.
Seems to me that what you really deserve is something like this.
I personally like the response by the McCain campaign.
Brian Rogers, of the McCain campaign, was quick to hit back in a release: "If Barack Obama's campaign wants to question John McCain's military service, that's their right. But let's please drop the pretense that Barack Obama stands for a new type of politics. The reality is, he's proving to be a typical politician who is willing to say anything to get elected, including allowing his campaign surrogates to demean and attack John McCain's military service record."
Interesting, isn't it, that Barack Obama is neither man enough to make such an attack himself, nor decent enough to denounce this sort of attack himself. I guess this lets him have both sides of the issue -- sort of like on guns, religion, campaign finance, FISA, and most every other issue.
Blogs for Victory sums this one up quite well.
![clark[1].jpg](http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/images/clark[1].jpg)
CLOSING QUESTION: Will Barack Obama add Wesley Clark to the list of those thrown under the bus, or will this attack move him to the head of the VP list?
UPDATE: Over at Q and O, McQ asks the following question about the relative qualifications of the two remaining presidential candidates.
But here's a question: if the willingness to fight for your country, put your life on the line and suffer the brutality McCain suffered as a POW doesn't make the cut as far as qualifications go, how far below that does a "community organizer" show up on the list of non-qualifications?
UPDATE 2: Looks like that weasel John Aravosis has decided to renew his campaign of attacking John McCain's military service with a post entitled "Honestly, besides being tortured, what did McCain do to excel in the military?"
I wonder if he would consider it fair game to ask the question "Honestly, besides picking up a live hand grenade while waiting for a beer, what did Max Cleland do to excel in the military?" After all, he was one of the folks who argued that it was illegitimate to even question Cleland's record on defense issues in 2002 -- how dare he actually denigrate McCain's service.
And I wish to associate myself with this post written by Robbie at Urban Grounds about Aravosis and his disgusting post.
The Next Right/Blog, P.I. documents the depths of the depravity of Aravosis' commenters, too.
UPDATE 3: Newsbusters points out that this isn't the first time Clark has made this sort of comment while acting as an Obama surrogate.
Greetings to visitors from Right Wing News.
UPDATE 4: Blackfive reminds us that Wesley Clark's judgment was so bad that he was fired from his job as Supreme Commander of NATO because he personally almost provoked a war with Russia -- something that every other American commander managed to avoid for 40 years. Speaks to the judgment issue for me -- both Clark's and Obama's.
But at least Wesley Clark got to exchange hats with war criminal Ratko Mladic!
UPDATE 5: LGF points out that the KOSsacks are at it now. I guess we see what Obama's new style of politics is -- and reminds me of why I love Kathryn Jean Lopez so very much.
And GayPatriotWest points out that even Andrew Sullivan is condemning Clark -- though he doesn't see the very real difference between this and the questions raised by some of John Kerry's fellow Swift boat vets in 2004.
UPDATE 6: Confederate Yankee actually finds an honest Obama supporter (and campaign cash bundler) who comes right out and says what Barack and his surrogates really mean when they talk about McCain's military service -- Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin.
"I wouldn't characterize anybody who fought in Vietnam as a war hero."
Or at least not anyone who fought on the American side -- and we know her position on today's soldiers as well, given her providing material assistance to the enemy during time of war.
He also links to this piece by NRO's Jim Geraghty, noting that Wesley Clark is the SEVENTH prominent Democrat supporting Barack Obama to engage in this sort of attack on John McCain.
Newsbusters notices the media's refusal to give the attacks on McCain's service the coverage they deserve.
UPDATE 7: Obama rejects Clark's comment -- in a very tepid manner.
MORE AT Neptunus Lex, STACLU, Gateway Pundit, Ace of Spades, Sister Toldjah, In From the Cold, Joshuapundit, America's Election HQ, Michelle Malkin, Hot Air
OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson's Website, Rosemary's Thoughts, Right Truth, Shadowscope, Stuck On Stupid, , The Amboy Times, Beagle Scout - Support the No More Excuses Energy Act, Democrat=Socialist, third world county, DragonLady's World, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, , Right Voices, Stageleft, The Random Yak, Adam's Blog, Cao's Blog, Phastidio.net, Conservative Cat, Allie is Wired, Nuke Gingrich, Faultline USA, McCain Blogs, Walls of the City, The World According to Carl, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, Nuke's News, CORSARI D'ITALIA, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
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June 29, 2008
Why no banner headline, and no stop-the-hate marches led by folks like Al Sharpton?
Oh, I see -- the victims were Jews, and the perpetrators were black. The story doesn't fit the template -- but it would have been national news if the kids had been black, Muslim, or Hispanic and the perpetrators had been white.
But since it wasn't, no harm, no foul in the eyes of the civil rights establishment and the liberal media.
Fortunately, hate-crime charges are pending against the perps. How long until Sharpton and company are out protesting against that decision?
H/T Atlas Shrugs
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A Win by McCain Could Push a Split Court to Right
But then again, the article isn't any more balanced.
A victory by the presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, would probably mean preserving the uneasy but roughly balanced status quo, since the justices who are considered most likely to retire are liberal. A win for his Republican counterpart, John McCain, could mean a fundamental shift to a consistently conservative majority ready to take on past court rulings on abortion rights, affirmative action and other issues important to the right.
Notice -- a victory for McCain pushes the Court to the right -- but a victory for Obama "would probably mean preserving the. . . balanced status quo."
Yeah. Right. Sure.
While I'll concede the two most likely retirements are liberals Stevens and Ginsburg, does anyone really believe that Obama would appoint a successor in the mold of Scalia or Thomas if one of those two were to unexpectedly die? No, we'd get another doctrinaire liberal on the court, pushing it firmly to the Left -- even as the majority of the American people find the Court to be in balance too liberal.
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That’s why I appreciated it a couple of years back when a friend signed me up for the Beer of the month club. Yeah, you read that right – each month for a year I got the Beer of the month (actually four different beers) shipped to me, allowing me to indulge my taste for something a little out of the ordinary. Talk about your gift that keeps on giving! A whole year of beer, including brands that I generally would not be able to get easily in my area. What a gift for the beer lover you know.
And if you don’t know anyone who would be interested in Beer clubs, there are also clubs for connoisseurs of fine cigars (not my thing) and wines. And for the Chicago boy a long way from home, there is even pizza club – three specialty pizzas from Chicago each month! Surely you know someone who would enjoy a membership – whether for a full year, or for a shorter term. To learn more visit http://www.greatclubs.com/ for more information.
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June 28, 2008
When you're poor, it can be hard to pay the bills. When you're rich, it's hard to keep track of all the bills that need paying. It's a lesson Cindy McCain learned the hard way when NEWSWEEK raised questions about an overdue property-tax bill on a La Jolla, Calif., property owned by a trust that she oversees. Mrs. McCain is a beer heiress with an estimated $100 million fortune and, along with her husband, she owns at least seven properties, including condos in California and Arizona.
The only problem is that the actual story, as revealed in the second paragraph of the story, is a little different. It seems that there is a reason that the tax bills have not been paid by the bank that manages the trust on Cindy McCain's behalf.
San Diego County officials, it turns out, have been sending out tax notices on the La Jolla property, an oceanfront condo, for four years without receiving a response. County records show the bills, which were mailed to a Phoenix address associated with Mrs. McCain's trust, were returned by the post office. According to a McCain campaign aide, who requested anonymity when discussing a private matter, an elderly aunt of Mrs. McCain's lives in the condo, and the bank that manages the trust has not been receiving tax bills on the property. Shortly after NEWSWEEK inquired about the matter, the McCain aide e-mailed a receipt dated Friday, June 27, confirming payment by the trust to San Diego County in the amount of $6,744.42. County officials say the trust still owes an additional $1,742 for this year, an amount that is overdue and will go into default July 1. Told of the outstanding $1,742, the aide said: "The trust has paid all bills shown owing as of today and will pay all other bills due."
Gee -- that does rather make a great deal of difference, doesn't it? The US Postal Service has been returning the bills to San Diego County, which has not made any particular effort to get in contact with the bank or Mrs. McCain about the matter. And unlike a little blurb at HuffPo implies (even cutting that detail out of their Newsweek excerpt along with the bit about the bills being returned by the post office), this isn't some sybaritic retreat for the super-wealthy -- it is the residence of an elderly family member of Mrs. McCain's. Yeah, that's right -- Cindy McCain is making sure that her aunt has a roof over her head and is well cared for.
What happened when the matter was brought to Cindy McCain's attention? The bills she was given were paid -- though there still seems to be an outstanding balance that will no doubt be taken care of on Monday, probably relating to this year's bill and some penalties on the back taxes, I would suspect.
So while this is a nice attempt to create a scandal, it really isn't one. But I'm sure that the feral pigs at Kos and DU, as well as the rest of the fever swamp that is the Leftosphere, will try to gin up a controversy over it anyway.
More At Hot Air, The Moderate Voice, OTB, The Other McCain
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Emily Nordling has never met a Muslim, at least not to her knowledge. But this spring, Ms. Nordling, a 19-year-old student from Fort Thomas, Ky., gave herself a new middle name on Facebook.com, mimicking her boyfriend and shocking her father.“Emily Hussein Nordling,” her entry now reads.
With her decision, she joined a growing band of supporters of Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who are expressing solidarity with him by informally adopting his middle name.
The result is a group of unlikely-sounding Husseins: Jewish and Catholic, Hispanic and Asian and Italian-American, from Jaime Hussein Alvarez of Washington, D.C., to Kelly Hussein Crowley of Norman, Okla., to Sarah Beth Hussein Frumkin of Chicago.
Jeff Strabone of Brooklyn now signs credit card receipts with his newly assumed middle name, while Dan O’Maley of Washington, D.C., jiggered his e-mail account so his name would appear as “D. Hussein O’Maley.” Alex Enderle made the switch online along with several other Obama volunteers from Columbus, Ohio, and now friends greet him that way in person, too.
I'm sorry, people -- this is cult-like behavior. What next? Tattooing the name across your forehead? You sound like a bunch of followers of the Manson family or some fringe religious group that begs for money on the street corner and survives by dumpster diving.
However, Sweetness and Light reports that this might not be much of a phenomenon at all -- and that based upon a quick search of Google, the buzz is more about the New York Times writing about the phenomenon rather than any grassroots movement to do this.
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This is Thursday.
Dear Readers,I have just been informed that three anti-obama blogs have been locked up by Blogger.
I myself have had posting locked up since June 3. I am lucky though, I can post but I have to use word verification until blogger "reviews" my blog. It seems that blogger has to check to see if I am not a spam blog or "bot".
I suspect that the vicious Barack Obama campaign is behind all of this. They want to turn America into a Marxist state. These people are nothing short of evil bastards. It is my guess they have reported our blogs en masse as "bots" or "spam blogs". My God, may this evil bastard and his vicious campaign sycophants never ever be in charge of this country!
Followed by more nefarious action on Friday.
My own blogger "unblock request" was completed for the third time again this morning. It was completed the first time on June 3 and the "verification" that it was listed mysteriously disappeared on June 17. I filled it out again on June 17. The "verification" for that request was gone this morning. So I have submitted the "request" again. I would say it's pretty safe to assume that Blogger isn't going to do this "review" and, if I dont' check to see if the "verification" is there every single day, it can disappear arbitrarily. I think it's pretty safe to say that Blogger is never going to "review" my blog and that in a few weeks this "verification" will also "disappear" and I will have to resubmit the request again. Since I can honestly say that the word verification I have to go through to write a post is horrendous and the worst I have ever seen. Sometimes I have to try a half dozen times. I no longer have "autosave," so everytime I want to save my work, I have to verify and then "save as draft". Then I have to reopen the post and go through the same process to save or publish. Blogger just isn't worth it. I am lucky next to the people below though, who have been COMPLETELY blocked from posting. Frankly I am tired of being toyed with by Obama people and Blogger. Therefore I will stay with blogger till the "four days" is up for the other bloggers who have been completely blocked and then I am permamently moving.
Now one PUMA blog shut down would be nothing. Even two or three would not draw attention. But six in one night? Seems mighty suspicious -- especially since there seems to be some buzz among Obama bloggers that there has been an organized effort to get this done. And given that the liberal wing of the Democrats has always been pro-censorship -- consider their efforts to reimpose the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" in an effort to make sure that conservative talk radio is severely curtailed.
Why raise this issue now? Because I can imagine a similar effort against pro-McCain blogs come September and October. These people have no scruples against silencing members of their own party -- why would they respect the free speech rights of members of the GOP?
Just a little FYI on who has been hit.
A list of Anti-Obama blogs locked up as spam in the past 36 hoursLocked Out:
Old location: http://bluelyon.blogspot.com/
New Location: http://bluelyon.wordpress.com/
Locked Out:
Old Location: http://nobamablog.blogspot.com/
New location: http://nobamablog.wordpress.com/
Locked Out:
http://politicallizard.blogspot.com/ (no alternate blog listed as yet)
Locked Out:
Old Location: http://hillaryorbust.blogspot.com/
This blogger has moved to her own domain at Hillary Or Bust.com
The Hillary or Bust site also lists the following additional blogs have been unfairly locked:
Locked Out:
Old Site: http://reflections-in-tyme.blogspot.com/
New Site: http://nativeamericansagainstobama.wordpress.com/
Locked Out:
Old Site: http://mccaindemocrats.blogspot.com/
New Site:http://mccaindemocrats.wordpress.com/
Locked out:
Old Site: http://politicallizard.blogspot.com/
New Site: http://thelizardannex.blogspot.com/
Locked Out:
Old Site: http://comealongway.blogspot.com/
New Site: http://comealongway.wordpress.com/
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On his final full day at Microsoft Corp., Bill Gates went on stage to reminisce with his longtime friend Steve Ballmer, and neither man could hold back tears as Ballmer handed Gates a large scrapbook as a farewell present.Gates, who is stepping back to focus on his philanthropy, sat with CEO Ballmer in a Microsoft conference room and meandered through moments in Microsoft's history. They stopped to get in a few good digs at IBM Corp., whose first personal computers were loaded with Microsoft's DOS operating system before IBM adopted its own operating software and their relations strained.
Frankly, I see this as a good thing. After all, as long as Bill gates remains the driving force at Microsoft, there is really only a single ultimate source of the vision for the company. On the other hand, this change could spur more and better ideas from the company that now dominates the software world.
And let us have no doubt about the importance of Bill gates.
I'm sitting at a computer using a Microsoft operating system, a Microsoft office suite, and at least one peripheral that is a Microsoft product. There is literally nothing I do on this computer that does not intimately involve Microsoft products -- and that is true of most computers in the country. Not bad for a college drop-out.
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"He's saying he's not going to reach out, that Obama has to come to him. One person told me that Bill said Obama would have to quote kiss my ass close quote, if he wants his support.
Let me say for the record -- if he wants my support, Barack Obama can kiss my ass, too. And even then, he won't get it.
But I love the reaction of come of the anonymous sources in this article.
"You can't talk like that about Obama - he's the nominee of your party, not some house boy you can order around.
Why the hell can't he talk like that about Obama? You friggin' Democrats have spoken far worse about the President of the United States for 7 1/2 years -- if you can do that, why can't Bill Clinton speak in such a manner about the unqualified flip-flopper your party is about to nominate, especially if he does not actually support the man's candidacy?
Other Perspectives At Cannonfire, Buck Naked Politics, Gateway Pundit, Political Byline, Baldilocks, The Other McCain, Hot Air
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That is why debt consolidation programs are an option worth considering. Yes, you can get a loan, but there are also professionals who can provide you with various strategies for paying off that debt through debt consolidation loans or other strategies. Such Credit Card Debt Consolidation programs can help you preserve your credit rating and get out of debt more quickly.
What are some of these options? There is always the standard debt consolidation loan. You get one large loan that will cover those debts and start making payments over 36 to 48 months (though some might run larger if you are really in debt). Then you simply pay on that one loan while avoiding the bad spending habits that got you into debt in the first place. It might not be a bad idea to seek credit counseling as a part of the plan.
You can also negotiate new repayment terms with your creditors. They want their money and they are usually willing to work with you to make that happen. You can often do this yourself, or you might seek professional help with this.
Then there are debt settlement options for you. These are something that you rarely can do yourself, so you almost certainly need professional help on this one. The companies that negotiate settlements for you can often reduce what you owe to “pennies on the dollar” – cutting your amount owed by half or more. You might take a credit rating hit, but it isn’t as ugly as the blot of a bankruptcy on your record.
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June 27, 2008
Barack Obama has won over more than half of Hillary Rodham Clinton's former supporters, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll that finds party loyalty trumping hard feelings less than three weeks after their bruising Democratic presidential contest ended.
Like that is a surprise? No one doubted that Barack Obama would eventually get over half the supporters of Hillary Clinton. After all, a lot of them are like my favorite Democrat -- they think that Obama is under-qualified and something of a phony, but they could no more vote for the Republican nominee than they could disown their own grandmothers. That has never been at issue.
The problem for Obama was always that some 20-25% of Clinton supporters indicated that they could not support him. That loss -- about 10-15% of the Democrat base -- would be critical in November. Being at 50%, then, really doesn't matter. He needs to be at 90-95%.
And he isn't. According to the survey, 23% of Clinton supporters favor John McCain, and 16% are undecided. Good God Almighty! He has lost (at least for now) 4 out of 10 Clinton supporters -- which if the election were held today would quite possibly mean that 15% of Democrats would be voting for John McCain.
And those Clinton supporters are not enthusiastic about him, nor do they find him qualified for the office. Indeed, only 25% of Clinton supporters view Obama as experienced enough to be president, which drops to 5% among that 40% of Clinton voters not supporting him.
What does this mean? Obama isn't the lock some people think he is -- and he might be forced to pick Hillary Clinton as his running mate to secure the Democrat base.
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McCain, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, edged out Obama on national security issues. When asked who “would best protect the U.S. against terrorism,” 53% of respondents chose McCain to just 33% for Obama. And nearly half, 48% to Obama’s 38%, trusted McCain to handle the war in Iraq, though 57% said they believed the U.S. was wrong to invade Iraq and 56% said they would like to see the troops brought home within the next two years.
Only 1/3 of Americans believe Barack Obama is the best candidate to protect America against the threat of the jihadi horde, while over half believe the best choice is John McCain. Americans even think that McCain is the better choice to handle the war. And since national security is Job 1 for a president, that bodes well for John McCain.
Maybe that explains why most national polls show McCain within 5 points of Barack Obama -- and why the electoral college totals are stacking up so very close as well for McCain when one looks at the state-by-state numbers.
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Rick Noriega -- Daily Kos Diarist
Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Rick Noriega said Tuesday that America should not try "to drill our way out of this problem" of soaring gasoline prices but instead rely on Iraqi oil and alternative energy sources.
* * * In a speech before taking questions, Noriega asked, "Why should we tap into what finite resources we have left versus using the enormous reserves we're sitting on in Iraq?"
Needless to say, Noriega has taken shots from Senator John Cornyn and others for his asinine proposal to make America more dependent on foreign oil -- and in particular foreign oil from an area that Noriega believes is completely out of control.
To which Noriega's press spokesperson offered this priceless response.
"This is a five second soundbite, not a serious proposal."
Translation -- Rick Noriega doesn't have proposal for energy independence. And this is the guy who thinks he ought to be a US Senator? You've got to be kidding me!
OPEN TRACKBACKING AT
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After all, they had evidence of much closer linkages between Rezko and Barack Obama -- and approval from the judge to use it.
And then they didn't.
Newly unsealed documents show that prosecutors sought to call witnesses to testify about Rezko's ties to Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.The Illinois senator was the recipient of "straw" campaign contributions made by others on behalf of Rezko -- money that Obama has since given to charities.
The documents indicate that prosecutors considered offering witnesses to explore why Rezko used others to contribute to Obama and also to Blagojevich, and U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve ruled that they could. But they did not end up offering any such testimony during the trial.
"Witnesses will testify that Rezko was a long-standing supporter and fund-raiser of Barack Obama," prosecutors wrote.
Later, St. Eve ruled that Obama references would be allowed into the trial, but prosecutors apparently opted not to invoke Obama's name.
Seems to me that the feds had evidence of serious wrong-doing on the part of a major Obama supporter and Obama's campaign -- and yet it was not invoked at the trial. Could it be because of Democrat attempts to argue that any charges against Democrat politicians are evidence of the politicization of the Justice Department? Or were there threats of retribution against the lawyers involved in the case should the Democrats win this fall.
There ought to be an investigation of this stuff -- but since Obama is a Democrat and the Democrats control congress, there won't be. Expect massive file shredding to be ordered at the Justice Department and the office of the US Attorney in Chicago on January 20, 2009 if Barack Obama wins the presidency. After all, it wouldn't do to leave around evidence that could trigger another investigation like that against Bill Clinton, would it.
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June 26, 2008
In a ruling handed down only moments ago, the justices affirmed the decision of a lower court holding that the Second Amendment does confer an individual right to keep and bar arms, striking down a Washington, DC law that virtually forbade the legal ownership of firearms -- and which required that those which were permitted be stored disassembled.
The decision, which was 5-4, was written by Justice Scalia. The usual liberal foursome (Stevens, Souter, Ginsberg, Breyer) dissented against the clear language of the Constitution -- and actually argue that there is no Constitutional right to possess (much less use) a weapon to defend oneself.
Some interesting notes:
1. How Appealing notes that Scalia cites no fewer than THREE law review articles written by noted legal blogger Professor Eugene Volokh. Congratulations, sir! Lot's of great analysis from Volokh and his co-bloggers at his blawg, too.
2. AP notes that the decision goes even further in protecting Second Amendment rights than proposed by the Bush Administration.
3. This quote from the majority is troubling:
On the question of the Second Amendment’s application to the States: “23 With respect to Cruikshank’s continuing validity on incorporation, a question not presented by this case, we note that Cruikshank also said that the First Amendment did not apply against the States and did not engage in the sort of Fourteenth Amendment inquiry required by our later cases. Our later decisions in Presser v. Illinois, 116 U. S. 252, 265 (1886) and Miller v. Texas, 153 U. S. 535, 538 (1894), reaffirmed that the Second Amendment applies only to the Federal Government.”
Hmmm... a selective incorporation question. Could it be that the decision would have gone the other way if the law had been enacted by a state rather than the District of Columbia government, which is merely a creation of Congress? Eugene Volokh suggests that is not the case, noting that Cruikshank was later partially overturned as taking too restrictive a view on selective incorporation (with regard to the First Amendment) and that the other nineteenth century cases may therefore be similarly flawed as precedent because of their reliance on Cruikshank, which is seen by many as a monumentally bad decision.
4. Hube notes that at least one news source declared this to be "a narrow, 5-4 ruling". Oddly enough, "narrow" was not used by the same paper to describe yesterday's 5-4 ruling in favor of child rapists.
5. Confederate Yankee notes that there is already a call to assassinate Justice Scalia in a comment by lefty gay blogger David Eherenstein over at Crooks and Liars.
![2612797213_5bf830192d[1].jpg](http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/images/2612797213_5bf830192d[1].jpg)
As of 10:46 am Central time, no other commenter has objected. I've emailed the FBI and Secret Service about the matter -- hope David has fun in federal prison.
6. John McCain notes that Barack Obama refused to sign on to a bipartisan amicus brief supporting the Second Amendment. That makes Obama's efforts to distance himself from last year's campaign statement on the issue a bit hard to believe -- unless you are an Obama true believer to begin with.
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And now I have to respect the hell out of the guy for taking action on violence against women -- in the middle of a show, no less.
Country singer Tim McGraw hauled a rowdy fan out of the audience and up onto the stage during his Washington concert on Tuesday.Video shot by a fan at the concert shows McGraw shouting "Get rid of this guy," summoning security and helping arriving crew members to haul him onstage. When the heavyset fan moves toward McGraw, the singer threatens him with a cocked fist as he's hauled away.
McGraw's rep said, "While Tim was performing at the White River Amphitheater in Auburn, Wash., last night, he watched a man rush to the front of the stage. This overly aggressive fan attacked a female fan and Tim witnessed this incident.
"Tim called for security, but when they could not respond quick enough Tim and several crew members removed the fan from the audience where he was then turned over to the local authorities."
I may disagree on some political things with McGraw, but I certainly do admire him taking action in this case. My question -- why didn't the fans around this creep act to defend the woman from her assailant?
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