Just one more example of the incompetence of the Louisiana government and the lies of those who prefer to blame Bush.

A ranking Louisiana health official turned down federal offers to help move or evacuate patients as Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, a newly released document shows.

But the state's top medical officer said Louisiana coordinated with the federal Health and Human Services Department in evacuating hospitals and nursing homes after Katrina hit.

A ranking Louisiana health official turned down federal offers to help move or evacuate patients as Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, a newly released document shows.

But the state's top medical officer said Louisiana coordinated with the federal Health and Human Services Department in evacuating hospitals and nursing homes after Katrina hit.

And what's more, state officials admitted their overall lack of disaster preparedness as the storm pointed itself towards New Orleans.

The committee also released a Senate interview of Louisiana Transportation Secretary Johnny Bradberry, during which he told investigators "we have done nothing to fulfill this responsibility" of ensuring evacuation plans are in place for at-risk populations.

"We put no plans in place to do any of this," Bradberry said in the Dec. 21 interview, 12 pages of which were released by the Senate committee.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the panel, called the documents "disturbing findings that our investigation will examine very closely." The committee is scheduled to examine evacuation procedures in a hearing Tuesday.

The Senate panel is expected to issue its findings in mid-March. A separate House committee is concluding its own investigation, with a report due Feb. 15.

So what we are finding out is that the government that is supposed to be the primary responder in time of disaster -- the state government -- was not prepared to respond and rejected assistance when it was offered. Could you explain to me again how that adds up to a failure of the Bush administration?

Posted by: Greg at 11:32 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Coretta Scott King, widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., has gone on to join her husband in the presence of the Lord.

Coretta Scott King, who turned a life shattered by her husband's assassination into one devoted to enshrining his legacy of human rights and equality, has died at the age of 78.

Flags at the King Center were lowered to half-staff Tuesday morning.
"We appreciate the prayers and condolences from people across the country," the King family said in a statement. The family said she died during the night. The widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. suffered a serious stroke and heart attack in 2005.

Though I did not always agree with the path she advocated to reach a just and equal society, I honor her commitment to a goal which we both agree upon – her husband’s dream of a society which judges people not upon the color of their skin but upon the content of their character.

May God richly reward her in his heavenly kingdom.

Posted by: Greg at 10:19 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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What led to this attack? Was it a robbery? A random attack? Gang-related? A hate crime?

A UPS driver was savagely beaten by middle school students while delivering packages in the western suburbs.

The attack happened in Bellwood along the 3200 block of St. Charles.

In a CBS 2 excusive, Joanie Lum talked to the man who was savagely beaten just trying to do his job.

UPS driver Thomas Murphy says he was beaten by a group of school kids on busy St. Charles Road in Bellwood, the route he has driven for 12 years.

He says a teenager walked out in front of his delivery truck Friday at about 3 p.m. When he stopped the truck, 15 to 20 youths surrounded him.

"Somebody clocked me with a pipe. I took kicks from my right. My eyes caked over. I tried to get up and defend myself as best I could," Murphy said.

He was beaten from his head to his ankles.

"I remember being down on one knee, falling to the ground with kids on top of me," Murphy said.

He thinks a passing motorist called for help.

The Bellwood police believe the attackers came from Roosevelt Middle School, located a couple of blocks away. They have stepped up patrols in the area.

“If other delivery drivers are going to face this, we want our patrols in the area," said Bellwood Police Chief Robert Collins.

“Somebody should be held accountable for these kids. They run wild like a pack of wolves, where's the parents?" Murphy said.

In spite of his trauma, Murphy says he wants to get back to work.

"I have every intention of getting back on my route. I'd like to do it with some sense of security," he said.

Police say an anonymous witness has come forward with the names of several people involved in the attack. Murphy identified a couple of people in a photo lineup Monday afternoon, but no one's been arrested yet.

Photos indicate the victim was white. The story gives no indication as to the race/ethnicity of the attackers. A quick check of the information on the school mentioned in the article shows that its test scores are abysmal and that it is 98% minority. I’ve not been able to locate crime statistics for the area. The article makes me wonder, though, what we are not being told about the attack.

Posted by: Greg at 10:16 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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What led to this attack? Was it a robbery? A random attack? Gang-related? A hate crime?

A UPS driver was savagely beaten by middle school students while delivering packages in the western suburbs.

The attack happened in Bellwood along the 3200 block of St. Charles.

In a CBS 2 excusive, Joanie Lum talked to the man who was savagely beaten just trying to do his job.

UPS driver Thomas Murphy says he was beaten by a group of school kids on busy St. Charles Road in Bellwood, the route he has driven for 12 years.

He says a teenager walked out in front of his delivery truck Friday at about 3 p.m. When he stopped the truck, 15 to 20 youths surrounded him.

"Somebody clocked me with a pipe. I took kicks from my right. My eyes caked over. I tried to get up and defend myself as best I could," Murphy said.

He was beaten from his head to his ankles.

"I remember being down on one knee, falling to the ground with kids on top of me," Murphy said.

He thinks a passing motorist called for help.

The Bellwood police believe the attackers came from Roosevelt Middle School, located a couple of blocks away. They have stepped up patrols in the area.

“If other delivery drivers are going to face this, we want our patrols in the area," said Bellwood Police Chief Robert Collins.

“Somebody should be held accountable for these kids. They run wild like a pack of wolves, where's the parents?" Murphy said.

In spite of his trauma, Murphy says he wants to get back to work.

"I have every intention of getting back on my route. I'd like to do it with some sense of security," he said.

Police say an anonymous witness has come forward with the names of several people involved in the attack. Murphy identified a couple of people in a photo lineup Monday afternoon, but no one's been arrested yet.

Photos indicate the victim was white. The story gives no indication as to the race/ethnicity of the attackers. A quick check of the information on the school mentioned in the article shows that its test scores are abysmal and that it is 98% minority. IÂ’ve not been able to locate crime statistics for the area. The article makes me wonder, though, what we are not being told about the attack.

Posted by: Greg at 10:16 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I've written on this topic before, having experienced the racist attitude that often prevents the adoption of non-white children by white families. In today's Houston Chronicle, there is discussion of the sound reasons for rejecting the racist attitude (promulgated primarily by the National Association of Black Social Workers and other liberal groups) that transracial adoption should be discouraged and prevented -- those who are more interested in racial identity than in human need.

In 2002, the last year for which there are national statistics, 300,000 women aged 18 to 44 were seeking to adopt a child and had taken specific measures to do so.

It's not surprising that about half of the women preferred a single nondisabled child under the age of two. What is significant are the racial preferences of these black and white women toward the race of any future adopted child.

Eighty-four percent of white women seeking to adopt would "prefer or accept" an African-American child as compared with 75 percent of African-American women who would "prefer or accept" a white child, a difference of only 9 percentage points.

Supporting these changing racial preferences, 93 percent of black women seeking to adopt would "prefer or accept" an adoptee other than black or white as compared to 95 percent of white women seeking to adopt who would "prefer or accept" an adoptee other than black or white.

These strikingly similar figures, a difference of only two percentage points, speaks to a fundamental shift in family creation and, indeed, reflects a shift in defining what it means to be a family member.

In other wods, most of those seeking to adopt are more inteested in the need of the child than the race of the child. Most of those seeking to adopt have the place in their hearts and homes for a child, regardles of race. And as we move towards a society that is more and more color-blind and multi-racial society (despite attempts by the racists of NABSW and other such groups to frustrate that goal), it is simply unacceptable to live by an ideology that is horrificly wrong and immoral, and which harms children.

For 30 years, scientific data has rejected the idea that children raised in cross-race adoptive families are any less African-American, Asian, etc., than their counterparts raised in racially similar environments. Sure, in a perfect world there would be no need for trans-racial adoption or adoption in general. But the world is very far from perfect and children need families, and families want children.

Morgan Freeman was castigated by some for saying in a 60 Minutes interview that one way to eliminate racism was to not talk about it. Why not try that when it comes to adoption? There is little to no risk.

What is the alternative for thousands of children available for adoption — to remain in foster care when we know the long-term detrimental effects of such long-term placement? How about not talking about race in relation to adoption?

If there's a goodness of fit between an available child in foster care of a race different from an eligible adoptive family, don't talk about race, as Freeman suggests. Just place the child.

Why reject what we know: Children of one race raised in families of another race develop into productive, emotionally healthy, assured, racially comfortable adults.

And let's be very clear -- we know that loving relationships can and do transcend racial boundaries. Over the years, I have had students in foster care and eligible for adoption who my wife and I would have considered bringing into our home, but for the barriers placed in the way of interracial adoption by allegedly well-meaning but thouroughly racist social workers. It didn't matter that their actions violated federal law -- the ideology prevented our moving forward. As a result, kids stayed in the system until they "aged-out" at 18.

In other words, the system is broken and will remain so until there is an actual change in attitude and behavior regarding interracial adoption.

Posted by: Greg at 07:43 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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From the Detroit News:

It's time to throw out the tired union rhetoric about equal pay and solidarity. Why? Because some union bosses in cities such as Baltimore and Atlanta are hiring homeless people to walk picket lines, but they're not paying them living wages or offering the golden benefits they so proudly promote. Apparently getting the cheapest labor possible isn't such a bad idea after all.

Well said.

Posted by: Greg at 02:36 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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If this bank operated here in Texas, I would be moving my business to them.

BB&T Corp., the second-biggest bank in the Washington area, said yesterday that it will not lend money to developers who plan to build commercial projects on land taken from private citizens through the power of eminent domain.

"The idea that a citizen's property can be taken by the government solely for private use is extremely misguided; in fact, it's just plain wrong," said John Allison, the bank's chairman and chief executive officer.

BB&T Chief Credit Officer Ken Chalk said the North Carolina bank expects to lose only a tiny amount of business, but thinks it is obligated to take a stand on the issue.

"It's not even a fraction of a percent," he said. "The dollar amount is insignificant." But, he added, "We do business with a large number of consumers and small businesses in our footprint. We are hearing from clients that this is an important philosophical issue."

Mr. Chalk said he knows of no other large U.S. bank with a similar policy.

Still, if more banks adopt a similar principled policy, they will more than make up for it with the increased business they receive.

Posted by: Greg at 01:41 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Environmentalism trumps health.

Asthma sufferers may not be able to buy nonprescription inhalers much longer because the devices contain propellants that some think harm the ozone layer.

An advisory panel voted 11-7 Tuesday to recommend that the Food and Drug Administration remove the "essential use" status that Primatene Mist and other similar nonprescription inhalers require to be sold, spokeswoman Laura Alvey said. Final revocation of that status would mean a de facto ban on their sale.
The FDA usually follows the advice of its outside panels of experts, though a decision can take months. If the agency opts to follow the recommendation, it would begin a rule-making process that would include public comment, Alvey said.

Wyeth Consumer Healthcare estimates that 3 million Americans use Primatene Mist for mild or intermittent cases of asthma. About two-thirds also use a prescription inhaler but rely on Primatene as a backup. About 700,000 use the inhalers because they don't have a prescription or lack health insurance.

The incredible arrogance of government is enough to take one’s breath away – literally.

Posted by: Greg at 03:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Environmentalism trumps health.

Asthma sufferers may not be able to buy nonprescription inhalers much longer because the devices contain propellants that some think harm the ozone layer.

An advisory panel voted 11-7 Tuesday to recommend that the Food and Drug Administration remove the "essential use" status that Primatene Mist and other similar nonprescription inhalers require to be sold, spokeswoman Laura Alvey said. Final revocation of that status would mean a de facto ban on their sale.
The FDA usually follows the advice of its outside panels of experts, though a decision can take months. If the agency opts to follow the recommendation, it would begin a rule-making process that would include public comment, Alvey said.

Wyeth Consumer Healthcare estimates that 3 million Americans use Primatene Mist for mild or intermittent cases of asthma. About two-thirds also use a prescription inhaler but rely on Primatene as a backup. About 700,000 use the inhalers because they don't have a prescription or lack health insurance.

The incredible arrogance of government is enough to take one’s breath away – literally.

Posted by: Greg at 03:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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They must have thought this guy was a union employee on the job.

It took more than six hours for anyone to realize that a 64-year-old Brooklyn man had died on a New York City subway train.

Eugene Reilly, who died of a heart attack, likely got onto a Brooklyn-bound Q train just before 1 a.m. Thursday. He wasn't found until 7:15 a.m. when a curious commuter touched his shoulder, trying to wake him, the New York Daily News reported.

Reilly, a mail handler, worked the 4 p.m.-to-12:30 a.m. shift and was headed home, his wife said. He was sitting up in his seat, which transit officials said was likely the reason their workers left him alone for so long, the newspaper said.

"The policy is that if someone is sitting up, employees are not allowed to touch them," said Deirdre Parker, a city transit spokeswoman.

A different transit official said employees probably saw Reilly, who was in the last car of the train, but thought he was sleeping.

"People sleep on the train all the time," an official said. "No one thought anything of it."

I know this happened in NYC, but I canÂ’t help but think of an old song.

Did he ever return,
No he never returned
And his fate is still unlearn'd
He may ride forever
'neath the streets of Boston
He's the man who never returned.

Posted by: Greg at 03:38 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Just days after the NYC transit workersÂ’ union rejected the contract they were offered following their illegal strike, this picture appeared in the New York media.

Note the date and time – 1/22/06, 1:13 PM.

Needless to say, your average New Yorker, who was not supportive of the pre-Christmas strike, is outraged.

"I can't believe this. If they want more money, they should have to work for it," steamed commuter Carolyn Brand, 23, of New Jersey, told The Post after being shown the picture.

* * *

Jordan Saxe, 26, who spotted the sleeping clerk and snapped his photo, said he thought the man "might be sick or hurt or dead."

"I tapped on the glass to see if he was OK," Saxe said. "Then I realized he was snoring. He was out cold and didn't budge. To me, this is a moral issue. I work in corporate America. You just can't do that in broad daylight."

* * *

Jani Coupour, 29, said he doesn't understand why transit workers are entitled to special treatment.

"If I was caught sleeping on the job I would be fired," he said. "These people don't have to worry about that, because of their union."

Passengers said the clerk also wasn't helping make the union's case that the MTA is wrong to try to remove agents from the booths.

"That's typical of them," said William Bookin, 40, a doorman who lives on the Lower East Side. "They don't want to be bothered. If you ask them for help, and if they are awake, they're rude to you."

* * *

"I'm worried about a possible strike," said Bill Thompson, 38, who works for the Medical Examiner's Office.

"The transit workers are extremely well paid. I'm a union worker and I have to pay $30 a paycheck for health."

Most riders said transit workers must be dreaming if they thought they would fare better after rejecting the contract.

"They're screwing themselves," said Chris Kannick, 28, of Murray Hill. "They won't get a better offer. In fact, they're lucky they have what they have."

The union, of course, is fully prepared to defend Sleeping Beauty here, and to refuse arbitration.

I think it may be time for Mayor Bloomberg to go PATCO on the transit workersÂ’ union. Sounds like the public would support him.

Posted by: Greg at 03:37 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Free speech has become no speech in Polk County, Florida.

Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus won't be making any more legal appearances on the lawn of Polk County's administration building.

The County Commission on Jan. 11 voted unanimously to close the "free-speech zone'' that it created less than one year ago.

The free-speech zone was implemented last year after a church group in December 2004 built a Nativity scene on the lawn of the Neil Combee Administration Building without county permission. In the zone, individuals and groups were allowed to express themselves with displays or other forms of expression.

Care to guess why they decided to end a policy that facilitated the exercise of a fundamental civil liberty? Because of the objections of a so-called civli liberties group.

In late 2005, the American Civil Liberties Union and two co-defendants filed suit against the county over policies in the zone they think are unconstitutional.

After the suit was filed, county officials suspended some of the free-speech-zone regulations as part of a temporary agreement with the ACLU.

I guess the ACLU only supports freedom of for the speech they like.

Commies, Nazis, and Klansmen -- shout it out loud.

Christians -- Shut the f*&% up!

Earlier posts at Stop The ACLU

Posted by: Greg at 01:04 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You have to love the hypocrisy of the Islamofascist theocrats in Teheran that exists in this complaint directed at Jacques Chirac.

'The French president has increased ambiguities and fears by the world public opinion towards all world states possessing nuclear weapons,' foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Assefi was quoted as saying by news agency ISNA.

The remarks made by Chirac on Thursday, in an outline of France's expanded nuclear strategy, were widely regarded as an indirect warning against Iran and its ambitions to expand its nuclear programmes.

'The bitter experience of use of nuclear weapons in the second World War has been so catastrophic that it could neither be acceptable nor justifiable to repeat even the probability of its use,' the spokesman said in a first reaction to Chirac's comments.

Assefi added that human beings' logic, religious beliefs and humanitarian values could in no way accept production and use of weapons of mass destruction.

So, Mr. Assefi, does that mean that your nation is prepared to dismantle it's nuclear weapon's program?

I didn't think so.

Posted by: Greg at 07:31 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Personally, I think he and his fellow spies should be shot -- and I don't care that Israel is a putative ally of the United States.

A former Pentagon analyst was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison on Friday for passing U.S. defense information to two pro-Israel lobbyists and for sharing classified information with an Israeli diplomat.

Lawrence Franklin, 59, who previously worked as an analyst in the office of the secretary of defense, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis. Franklin had pleaded guilty in October to sharing the information and also to illegally possessing classified documents.

Franklin had faced up to 25 years in prison. His sentence could still be reduced further because of his cooperation with the government which is still prosecuting a case against the two remaining defendants in the case -- former officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group.

Ellis said Franklin would not have to go to jail to start serving his sentence until he is finished cooperating.

Franklin is expected to testify against the two former AIPAC officials, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman. They have both pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to communicate national defense information provided by Franklin. Their trail is scheduled to begin on April 25.

Franklin did not make any statement at the sentencing but he said previously that he had never intended to harm the United States.

Federal prosecutor Kevin DiGregory urged Ellis to give a tough sentence since Franklin had knowingly disclosed classified information to unauthorized people.

"The danger of such unauthorized disclosure, when you disclose national defense information ... is that the United States government loses control of such information," he said.

When he pleaded guilty in October, Franklin said he disclosed the national defense information to the two AIPAC officials from early in 2002 through June 2004.

Franklin said he met with the political officer from the Israeli embassy at least nine times from August 2002 through June of last year and admitted he gave the officer classified information that he was unauthorized to receive.

And here I thought the Israelis had said that spying operations in the US were banned after Pollard was caught.

MORE AT Michelle Malkin, John in Carolina, Six24, Unpartisan, It Shines For All, Jurist
, News Blog.

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It seems that deviation from the party line will get you heaped with personal abuse and hate speech by the Left, even if you are a relaible liberal working for a thoroughly liberal part of the MSM like the Washington Post.

As a result, the Post has had to shut down comments on one of its blogs in the face of a seemingly coordinated assault upon its ombudsman based upon a technically erroneous statement in her Sunday column -- and a demonstably true and accurate correction today on the blog.

Jim Brady, the executive editor at washingtonpost.com, notified users of the post.blog that the public comment feature had been suspended "indefinitely" after "a significant number of folks" posted personal attacks, profanity, and hate speech.

Attempts by E&P to reach Brady have been unsuccessful so far. It seems likely the move is related to controversy in recent days over SundayÂ’s Post column by ombudsman Deobrah Howell. She has been heavily criticized by some political Web sites and bloggers for writing that indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff gave money to both political parties, when most research shows he only gave directly to Republicans.

In response to the Post shutoff, bloggers critical of Howell quickly directed users to another blog that allows comments at the Post site, and dozens of comments ripping the paper for its latest move soon appeared there. Another blog published the Howell-related comments that had been deleted by the Post. A typical one concerning Howell reads: "She doesn't get the benefit of the doubt regarding her honesty. The Post ought to be ashamed of the way she is doing her job."

Just two days ago, Hal Straus, opinions editor at the Post's site, revealed that it was experiencing technical problems because of the more than 700 comments received concerning Howell's column. He said the Post had tried to remove about a dozen comment "that failed to make a substantive pointand were simply personal attacks on Howell and others."

Then, this morning, Howell responded at the Post’s blog, explaining that she had heard from “lots of angry readers” and wished that she had written that Abramoff "directed" contributions to both parties, adding: “While Abramoff, a Republican, gave personal contributions only to Republicans, he directed his Indian tribal clients to make millions of dollars in campaign contributions to members of Congress from both parties.

“Records from the Federal Elections Commission and the Center for Public Integrity show that Abramoff’s Indian clients contributed between 1999 and 2004 to 195 Republicans and 88 Democrats. The Post has copies of lists sent to tribes by Abramoff with specific directions on what members of Congress were to receive specific amounts.”

This explanation, in turn, drew an immense and sometimes nasty response to the comments section today, with some critics pointing out flaws in her reasoning and comparisons. A few hours later, Brady announced the blog comment turnoff, without explaining exactly why.

Funny, isn't it, that the Left calls conservatives fascists and terrorists while acting the part themselves?

Posted by: Greg at 01:49 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Looks like Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Chappaquidick) may have concealed a child for the last couple of decades.

The National Enquirer splashes this week with a shocking story about Sen. Ted KennedyÂ’s secret love child with a Cape Cod woman whom the mag says he dated during his days as a swinging single.

According to the tabloid’s source, the boy, named Christopher, just celebrated his 21st birthday and is “mature enough to make his own choices about his background and biological father.”

A Kennedy family confidante told the Enquirer, “This is one of the biggest secrets in the Kennedy family and known to only a few people including Ted’s ex-wife, Joan.”

As for the senator, his spokesgal Melissa Wagoner last night called the tabloid tale “irresponsible fiction.”

Here’s the story according to the Enquirer: Back in 1983, Kennedy, then 51, took up with Caroline Bilodeau, an attractive brunette, several months before divorcing Joan, the mother of his three kids — Kara, Ted Jr. and Patrick.

The relationship seems to have ended with the announcement of the pregnancy and Ms. Bilodeau decided to have the baby.

“Caroline announced to the family that she was two months pregnant around May 1984,” blabbed a Bilodeau confidante. “Ted was not happy about the news. He already had three kids with Joan and knew a baby out of wedlock could hurt him politically.”

According to the Enquirer, the scandal-scarred senator begged Bilodeau to have an abortion, but she refused.

“He told her he couldn’t undergo another scandal — not after Chappaquiddick, not so close to his divorce from Joan” said the source. “He was very angry when she defied him and had the child.”

Imagine that -- St. Teddy of the Sacred Precedent of Roe v. Wade dumped his pregnant girlfriend because she exercised her right to choose! heck, he tried to coerce an abortion for his own political advantage!

I guess the possibility of taking responsibility for his child, stepping up and being an active father never entered into the picture for the old horn-dog

But then again, maybe the young man is better off for not having been exposed to the corrupting influence that is Teddy Kennedy.

MORE FROM Lifelike Pundits, Pardon My English, Hub Politics, Matt Margolis, Mitchieville, Ace of Spades, Wizbang.

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The New York Times created “TimeSelect" a few months back, cutting off access to its major columnists to all but those who will pay for the privilege of reading the shrill shriekings of Krugman and Dowd and the rest.

But now they’ve gone further – they have even cut off email access to all but those willing to pay for the privilege of communicating with their columnists.

The Times is refusing to allow email from non-subscribers to its star columnists. That’s right, you have to pay in order to be able to respond directly to the bloviators. Editor & Publisher reports:

If you haven’t signed up for TimesSelect, The New York Times’ online subscription product, don’t bother e-mailing the paper’s star columnists.

Since the Times put the words of its eight Op-Ed columnists behind a paid wall last September, it has also decided that only TimesSelect subscribers should be allowed to e-mail Paul Krugman, Maureen Dowd, David Brooks, et al.

Back in September the Times asked the hundreds of papers who publish the Op-Ed contributors through The New York Times News Service (NYTNS) to stop printing the writers’ e-mail addresses with the columns (and to take the columns off their Web sites, too). Apparently not everyone got the message, because last week the Times’ syndication service sent out an advisory reminding its client papers to remove the e-mail addresses.

“If you are not a TimesSelect subscriber you won’t have access to that e-mail functionality,” Times spokesman Toby Usnik confirmed Tuesday. “It centralizes [the columnists’ e-mails] around the TimesSelect site.”

But instead of being able to put an address in a mail program and firing it off at your leisure, TimesSelect subscribers now have to fill out an online form similar to the generic feedback forms found on many Web sites.

The free exchange of ideas seems oddly frightening to the Old Grey Lady these days. Considering the ideas they are peddling, that’s actually quite understandable.

Why would anyone really want to write to Maureen Dowd, anyway?

Posted by: Greg at 01:59 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The New York Times created “TimeSelect" a few months back, cutting off access to its major columnists to all but those who will pay for the privilege of reading the shrill shriekings of Krugman and Dowd and the rest.

But now they’ve gone further – they have even cut off email access to all but those willing to pay for the privilege of communicating with their columnists.

The Times is refusing to allow email from non-subscribers to its star columnists. ThatÂ’s right, you have to pay in order to be able to respond directly to the bloviators. Editor & Publisher reports:

If you havenÂ’t signed up for TimesSelect, The New York TimesÂ’ online subscription product, donÂ’t bother e-mailing the paperÂ’s star columnists.

Since the Times put the words of its eight Op-Ed columnists behind a paid wall last September, it has also decided that only TimesSelect subscribers should be allowed to e-mail Paul Krugman, Maureen Dowd, David Brooks, et al.

Back in September the Times asked the hundreds of papers who publish the Op-Ed contributors through The New York Times News Service (NYTNS) to stop printing the writersÂ’ e-mail addresses with the columns (and to take the columns off their Web sites, too). Apparently not everyone got the message, because last week the TimesÂ’ syndication service sent out an advisory reminding its client papers to remove the e-mail addresses.

“If you are not a TimesSelect subscriber you won’t have access to that e-mail functionality,” Times spokesman Toby Usnik confirmed Tuesday. “It centralizes [the columnists’ e-mails] around the TimesSelect site.”

But instead of being able to put an address in a mail program and firing it off at your leisure, TimesSelect subscribers now have to fill out an online form similar to the generic feedback forms found on many Web sites.

The free exchange of ideas seems oddly frightening to the Old Grey Lady these days. Considering the ideas they are peddling, thatÂ’s actually quite understandable.

Why would anyone really want to write to Maureen Dowd, anyway?

Posted by: Greg at 01:59 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I’ve got to agree with Linda Chavez -- Ray Nagin’s apology/explanation doesn’t pass the laugh test.

The best thing Ray Nagin could do for New Orleans would be to announce he's withdrawing from the mayor's race. Instead, he makes racist appeals and then pretends he didn't mean what he said. When asked about his comments by a local reporter Nagin said, "Do you know anything about chocolate? How do you make chocolate? You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk, and it becomes a delicious drink. That's the chocolate I'm talking about." Yes, and vanilla comes from a brown bean, but no one would believe that a mayor who talked about making sure his city stayed "vanilla" was promoting racial integration.

Sit down, Ray, shut up, and let someone competent be mayor.

Posted by: Greg at 01:53 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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IÂ’ve got to agree with Linda Chavez -- Ray NaginÂ’s apology/explanation doesnÂ’t pass the laugh test.

The best thing Ray Nagin could do for New Orleans would be to announce he's withdrawing from the mayor's race. Instead, he makes racist appeals and then pretends he didn't mean what he said. When asked about his comments by a local reporter Nagin said, "Do you know anything about chocolate? How do you make chocolate? You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk, and it becomes a delicious drink. That's the chocolate I'm talking about." Yes, and vanilla comes from a brown bean, but no one would believe that a mayor who talked about making sure his city stayed "vanilla" was promoting racial integration.

Sit down, Ray, shut up, and let someone competent be mayor.

Posted by: Greg at 01:53 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This sort of situation is why guns are necessary. They are a tool, designed to allow individuals to defend themselves from those who would do them harm. They make practical the exercise of the natural right to protect oneÂ’s life.

Gene and his wife were inside a flea market on North Lewis Saturday when two people walked inside and began asking about prices. Gene turned away for a moment, and then was body-slammed to the ground. "I was on my side and rolled over to my back and this young man was in my face saying give me all the money, I'm going to kill you and on and on and all I could think was IÂ’m about to die and so is my wife."

In that instant, instinct and military training took over and Gene pulled his gun from his waistband and started shooting. Several of his shots missed the robber and landed in the wall, but then, he noticed some blood drops. He thought he'd nicked the robber, it wasn't until later, he learned, the robber died. “It's a horrible thing that this young man lost his life. And, we say young man, but he was 6-feet-2 and was 200 pounds of young man muscle. He made a decision that ultimately cost him dearly. I'm sorry I had to hurt him, but I don't regret it."

I’m sorry, I find nothing horrible here – a rabid animal was put down to protect human life. As far as I’m concerned, Gene has nothing to regret – and should probably bill the robber’s estate for damages to the store and lost revenue for the time the store was closed.

And lest you think that Gene overreacted, consider this.

Gene says he didn't want to end up like the woman who was recently beaten to death after being robbed of her laundry money or the man who was shot and killed because he didn't have as much money as the robber wanted.

The flea market has been robbed before. The owner of the store had been robbed and beaten just a few months earlier. The previous owner had been robbed and pistol-whipped. Not even adding security cameras was a deterrent.

Gene doesn't believe this incident will deter other teenage robbers very long, and he's thankful for a law that allowed him to protect his own life and that of his wife.

If a few more citizens stand up and act like free individuals rather than sheep, I think teenage robbers will be deterred. Word will get around that there is a serious price to be paid for committing armed acts of violence against armed citizens.

Posted by: Greg at 01:50 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Expect serious protest as the State of California prepares to implement justice upon convicted killer Kevin Cooper later this year.

Kevin Cooper is an inmate on California's death row who escaped execution on Feb. 9, 2004, when the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a last-minute stay to retest evidence. This evidence withstood that retesting, and other defense arguments have been since shot down in federal district court. The appeals process on those findings is now working its way through the courts, and the earliest he may face execution again--if appeals go in favor of the state--may be late this year.

His case has slipped into the background lately as death-penalty foes stole the airways in hopes of clemency for Stanley "Tookie" Williams. Yet the two murderers share many of the same supporters. As the "Save Tookie" campaign gathered thousands of signatures petitioning for the quadruple killer's clemency, the "Save Kevin Cooper" Web site has been championing his cause and featuring his writings.

Cooper's case is one in which it's hard to imagine anyone jumping on his bandwagon. He was an inmate at the California Institution for Men in Chino, serving time for burglary, when he escaped on June 2, 1983. Two days later he broke into the Chino Hills home of the Ryen family as they were sleeping and killed the parents, Douglas and Peggy, along with 10-year-old Jessica Ryen and 11-year-old Christopher Hughes, a friend of Joshua Ryen, who was the only family member to survive. "The first time I met Kevin Cooper I was 8 years old and he slit my throat," Joshua Ryen testified at an April 22 hearing in U.S. District Court in San Diego. "He hit me with a hatchet and put a hole in my skull. . . . I laid there 11 hours looking at my mother who was right beside me."

But Cooper does not lack supporters: the likes of Jesse Jackson, Mike Farrell, Richard Dreyfuss, Sean Penn and Denzel Washington have come to his defense. One would think that appropriate monikers for Cooper would have career-sensitive celebrities running for the hills: Ax murderer. Child killer. Mass murderer.

I’ve highlighted the testimony of Joshua Ryen, who is now in his 30s, to show you the evil of this stone-cold killer. But that doesn’t keep the usual suspects from coming to the aid of Kevin Cooper.

But they skipped the execution that California held the other night. They had the Golden Globes and MLK celebrations to attend.

And besides – the state of California was only executing a white man, not a fine, upstanding example of black manhood like Tookie Williams or Kevin Cooper.

Posted by: Greg at 01:49 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Expect serious protest as the State of California prepares to implement justice upon convicted killer Kevin Cooper later this year.

Kevin Cooper is an inmate on California's death row who escaped execution on Feb. 9, 2004, when the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a last-minute stay to retest evidence. This evidence withstood that retesting, and other defense arguments have been since shot down in federal district court. The appeals process on those findings is now working its way through the courts, and the earliest he may face execution again--if appeals go in favor of the state--may be late this year.

His case has slipped into the background lately as death-penalty foes stole the airways in hopes of clemency for Stanley "Tookie" Williams. Yet the two murderers share many of the same supporters. As the "Save Tookie" campaign gathered thousands of signatures petitioning for the quadruple killer's clemency, the "Save Kevin Cooper" Web site has been championing his cause and featuring his writings.

Cooper's case is one in which it's hard to imagine anyone jumping on his bandwagon. He was an inmate at the California Institution for Men in Chino, serving time for burglary, when he escaped on June 2, 1983. Two days later he broke into the Chino Hills home of the Ryen family as they were sleeping and killed the parents, Douglas and Peggy, along with 10-year-old Jessica Ryen and 11-year-old Christopher Hughes, a friend of Joshua Ryen, who was the only family member to survive. "The first time I met Kevin Cooper I was 8 years old and he slit my throat," Joshua Ryen testified at an April 22 hearing in U.S. District Court in San Diego. "He hit me with a hatchet and put a hole in my skull. . . . I laid there 11 hours looking at my mother who was right beside me."

But Cooper does not lack supporters: the likes of Jesse Jackson, Mike Farrell, Richard Dreyfuss, Sean Penn and Denzel Washington have come to his defense. One would think that appropriate monikers for Cooper would have career-sensitive celebrities running for the hills: Ax murderer. Child killer. Mass murderer.

IÂ’ve highlighted the testimony of Joshua Ryen, who is now in his 30s, to show you the evil of this stone-cold killer. But that doesnÂ’t keep the usual suspects from coming to the aid of Kevin Cooper.

But they skipped the execution that California held the other night. They had the Golden Globes and MLK celebrations to attend.

And besides – the state of California was only executing a white man, not a fine, upstanding example of black manhood like Tookie Williams or Kevin Cooper.

Posted by: Greg at 01:49 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Could you imagine the outrage if a white politician made this statement?

"Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country," Nagin said as he and other city leaders commemorated Martin Luther King Day. "Surely he doesn't approve of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also. We're not taking care of ourselves."

Or what about this comment?

"We ask black people ... It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild New Orleans — the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans," Nagin said Monday. "This city will be a majority African American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans."

God wants a "chocolate New Orleans"?

But those comments don't come from the right, religious or otherwise. They come from the incompetent Ray Nagin, Mayor of New Orleans.

Where is the liberal outrage?

Naw -- I didn't really think we would hear any.

After all, Nagin is a black Democrat. That will earn him a pass.

UPDATE: Looks like Ray is channeling Dr. King as well.

Nagin described an imaginary conversation with King, the late civil rights leader.

"I said, 'What is it going to take for us to move on and live your dream and make it a reality?' He said, 'I don't think that we need to pay attention any more as much about other folks and racists on the other side.' He said, 'The thing we need to focus on as a community -- black folks I'm talking about -- is ourselves.' "

Nagin said he also asked: "Why is black-on-black crime such an issue? Why do our young men hate each other so much that they look their brother in the face and they will take a gun and kill him in cold blood?"

The reply, Nagin said, was "We as a people need to fix ourselves first."

Nagin also said King would have been dismayed with black leaders who are "most of the time tearing each other down publicly for the delight of many."

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Posted by: Greg at 01:39 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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Looks like the Brits are learning a leson that we Americans know well -- gun bans are nothing but victim disamament laws. Criminals are safer, but the law-abiding are left less secure.

At least that is the lesson drawn by Rod Eastman, whose daughter's fiancee, Tom Ap Rhys Pryce, was murdered by violent thugs who stole all his valuables and then murdered him.

In a bitter denunciation of the lack of police officers on the beat and the lenience of the courts, Rod Eastman said it was better to risk arrest for carrying an offensive weapon than risk being murdered by muggers.

Mr Eastman launched his attack on 'this lawless society' as he comforted his daughter Adele, who was still struggling to come to terms with her fiance's brutal killing just yards from their North London home. "If you value your life and you want to protect yourself on the streets then the only way is to carry a weapon," said 58-year-old Mr Eastman, an electrical engineer who lives in Bishop's Nympton, Devon.

In an impassioned outburst sure to cause concern to police, Mr Eastman said: "The truth is that street crime is rampant. More and more people are becoming personally affected by violent assaults.

"If police catch you carrying a weapon you could be arrested and prosecuted. But isn't that better than being unable to protect yourself and losing your life? The police can't be everywhere and the sentences handed down by the courts are often far too lenient."

How many more lives must be lost before politicians recognize that laws banning weapons do nothing more than disarm victims, making the streets safer for malevolent thugs out to harm the innocent?

Posted by: Greg at 03:18 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The Houston Chronicle today waxes eloquent about the decision to strike down a subpoena issued for materials from KPRC television here in Houston.

LAST year set dangerous precedents for investigative journalism in the United States. Reporters for print and electronic media were hauled into court in matters both civil and criminal. One of those cases involved an investigation into who outed covert CIA operative Valerie Plame, which led to grand jury appearances by a Who's Who of national journalists.

While some of the media's legal difficulties in Plamegate sprang from questionable decisions by reporters and their editors in handling confidential sources, prosecutors clearly have gone after news reporters in hopes of building their cases against suspects. That's why state District Judge Mark Kent Ellis' decision, which went against the trend, should be welcomed by those who believe a free press is essential to American democracy.

Harris County consumer fraud division chief Russell Turbeville had subpoenaed KPRC TV (Channel 2) to produce unaired video compiled during reporting on home loan fraud and a dog consignment business. Houston television stations have routinely provided police and prosecutors with crime-related video that aired in news reports but have declined to provide either outtakes or video compiled for stories that were never broadcast.

KPRC's lawyer argued that if a prosecutor was given sweeping access to unaired material, it would disrupt news-gathering and allow a district attorney to intrude any time he thought a reporter might have information he wanted. KPRC officials offered to allow prosecutors to view the unedited tape and take notes, but Turbeville insisted that tapes he hadn't seen were essential to building a fraud case.

A similar scenario also could haunt print and radio reporters. Law enforcement officials could seek to acquire notes or tapes reporters created while working on stories never aired or published. If reporters become reluctant to interview law enforcement officials for fear of disclosing stories in progress, the public will know less about police and prosecutors' actions and policies.

In a partial victory for the television station, Judge Ellis ruled last week that KPRC did not have to release video compiled for a story that was not aired. He did allow the prosecutor to get some unaired footage edited from two other reports that were broadcast.

Ellis indicated he is concerned about the erosion of media independence: "Ever since the Constitution was issued, it's been chipped away at. I'm sympathetic with the needs of a press to be free."

In order to cultivate and protect sources with information the public needs to know, reporters cannot be made to act as surrogate police investigators who can be hauled into court any time a district attorney gets the urge. Rather than trying to piggyback on KPRC's work, prosecutors should cut down on their TV watching and go back to building their cases the old fashioned way.

The only problem is that the entire editorial rests upon a flawed understanding of the First Amendment and the rights of a free press -- not to mention the rights and the obligations of citizens in general.

You see, the editorialist starts with the assumption that the media is some sort of sacred institution, with journalists being priests devoted to some higher calling than other mere citizens. But the MSM are nto endowed with special rights, and professional journalists are entitled to no more privileges under the First Amendment than any other citizen.

For example, I write this wonderful blog you read. I consider myself to be a citizen jurnalist/commentator. Suppose I uncover information about criminal conduct but do not use it -- will I be shielded under the "Free Press" provisions of the First Amendment? We all know the answer there -- refuse to testify or turn over evidence under subpoena and I will go to jail. But were I a "professional journalist", a member of the "working press", and there is suddenly a claim of immunity. Why the difference? Don't reporters have the same obligations to follow the law as otehr citizens?

What I am trying to point out is that the First Amendment belongs to the people, not the media. It confers no special privileges upon the press that are not conferred upon all Americans generally -- and certainly not the privilege to obstruct justice and withhold evidence. For the media to seek such a privilege and the courts to recognize it is not just wrong-- it is unAmerican.

Posted by: Greg at 04:44 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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That's really the more important question here.

A western Colombian city councilman wants to require everyone in town 14 or older to carry a condom to prevent pregnancy and disease, outraging local priests.

William Pena, a councilman in Tulua, said Wednesday he will present a formal proposal to force all men and women — even those just visiting — to always carry at least one condom. Those caught empty-pocketed could pay a fine of $180 or take a safe sex course, he said.

"Sexual relations are going on constantly," Pena told The Associated Press by telephone. "If you carry a condom, chances are you'll use it during the day. It's not going to be there forever."

Tulua has one of the highest rates of AIDS in Colombia, he said. The proposal will be debated by other town leaders and could go into effect by March, he said.

There are a couple of problems, of course.

First, this is an incredibly unreasonable way to deal with the issue of AIDS and pregnancy. Talk about your expansions of government power.

Secondly, though, heat and friction degrade teh latex, so carrying the thing around in the pocket will result in pinholes and breakage over time. That means that folks who think they are "safe" won't be -- but might be more inclined to engage in sex because of their misperception.

Posted by: Greg at 03:01 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I'm about to highlight something positive about Bill Clinton.

It seems that he found himself stuck at the airport in Bangor, Maine, as a pair of planes bringing soldiers home from Iraq arrived at the airport for refuelling.

Guess what happened next.

Former President Bill Clinton surprised U.S. troops arriving from Iraq when a refueling stop for his private plane at the Bangor International Airport coincided with the arrival of two flights carrying soldiers.

Clinton was returning Monday night from Paris where he had met with French President Jacques Chirac to discuss plans for his charitable organization, the Clinton Foundation.

Clinton's departure was delayed by a problem with his aircraft, allowing him to join a line of local troop greeters who meet each plane carrying soldiers returning from overseas or leaving for duty.

"Thank you for your service," Clinton said as he shook hands and hugged many of the soldiers. He autographed hats, cards and other items.

And the response of the returning heroes.

The soldiers, about 600 of them, were returning to bases in Oklahoma, Texas and Georgia. Their two chartered aircraft had landed for fuel.

"This is great," Staff Sgt. Anthony Thompson of New York City told the Bangor Daily News.

I agree. Clinton could have simply ignored what was going on, hidden out in a VIP lounge, and no one would have been the wiser. But he didn't do that.

Instead, he did stuff like this.

Clinton had some fun when Army Spc. Joshua Ruschenberg used a cell phone provided by troop greeters to call his sister-in-law, Shancy Garrison, in North Carolina. He handed over the phone to the former commander in chief.

"Hi, Shancy, it's Bill Clinton," the former president said into the phone.

Its something little, but it is sthe type of thing that has always left me with an ambiguous feeling for Bill Clinton, no doubt akin to what many liberals felt about Ronald Reagan.

I think Bill Clinton was a mediocre president, in large part due to his character flaws. But for all the things he did which I found repulsive -- including a certain relationship which needs no discussion here -- I believe there is a core of good in the man. And it is when he does things like this -- or gets involved in charity work, that I find myself developing a grudging respect for him.

Thank you, President Clinton, for having the kindness and decency to greet these soldiers on our behalf. I salute you for it.

Posted by: Greg at 02:18 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Looks like a college couple of faculty members from Florida International University are spies for Cuba.

A college professor and his wife, a college administrator, have been charged with being longtime illegal agents of Cuban President Fidel Castro, according to documents filed Monday.

Carlos Alvarez, a psychology professor at Florida International University, and his wife, Elsa Alvarez, were charged with acting as agents of Cuba without registering with the U.S. government as required, said the documents filed in U.S. District Court.

The two were scheduled to make an initial court appearance Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea Simonton, according to the documents. An indictment further describing the charges was expected to be unsealed after that appearance, court officials said.

U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta and representatives of the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service scheduled a news conference about the case later Monday.

Alvarez is identified on the Florida International Web site as an associate professor in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Department. His wife is described as a coordinator in the social work training program.

Carlos Alvarez didn't return two phone messages left at his office. A university spokesman didn't return several calls seeking comment.

The indictment marks the latest turn in the underworld of espionage between the United States and Cuba, much of which takes place in South Florida where thousands of Cuban exiles live.

Why am I not surprised that these two Red rats were quite at home in higher education? After all, its not like they were Republicans or something else outside the mainstream of contemporary academic thought.

Posted by: Greg at 10:50 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This little gem from George Soros.

Billionaire investor George Soros said on Monday he thinks the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary tightening could tip the economy into recession in 2007 and he expects a sharp dollar decline.

Soros said he expects the federal funds rate, now at 4.25 percent, to peak at 4.75 percent and that the Fed would try to achieve a soft landing for the economy.

Nevertheless, the Fed could overshoot, he told a seminar in Singapore.

"If housing continues to cool while rates are slowing then it could turn into a hard landing," Soros said.

"That's why I expect a recession to happen in 2007, not 2006."

Given his history of market manipulation for personal gain, I would not be surprised to see George Soros try the same thing on a larger scale here.
After all, timing such a recession in the manner Soros suggests would likely aid the Democrats in 2008. And who is a major source of pro-Democrat funds?

Why George Soros, of course.

Posted by: Greg at 10:44 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This little gem from George Soros.

Billionaire investor George Soros said on Monday he thinks the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary tightening could tip the economy into recession in 2007 and he expects a sharp dollar decline.

Soros said he expects the federal funds rate, now at 4.25 percent, to peak at 4.75 percent and that the Fed would try to achieve a soft landing for the economy.

Nevertheless, the Fed could overshoot, he told a seminar in Singapore.

"If housing continues to cool while rates are slowing then it could turn into a hard landing," Soros said.

"That's why I expect a recession to happen in 2007, not 2006."

Given his history of market manipulation for personal gain, I would not be surprised to see George Soros try the same thing on a larger scale here.
After all, timing such a recession in the manner Soros suggests would likely aid the Democrats in 2008. And who is a major source of pro-Democrat funds?

Why George Soros, of course.

Posted by: Greg at 10:44 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I'm curious what the the feminists have to say about this one. I mean after all, it is a logical outcome of "a woman's right to choose".

About 10 million female foetuses may have been aborted in India over the past two decades because of ultrasound sex screening and a traditional preference for boys, according to a study published online in The Lancet on Monday.

Researchers based in Canada and India looked through data from a national survey, conducted among 1.1 million households in 1998, and at information about 133 738 births that took place in 1997.

They found that in cases where the preceding child was a girl, the gender ratio for a second birth was just 759 girls to 1 000 boys.

And when the two previous children were girls, this ratio fell even further, to 719 girls to 1 000 boys.

On the other hand, when the preceding child or children were male, the gender ratio among successive births was about the same.

Selective abortion

Based on the natural sex ratio in other countries, about 13.6 - 13.8 million girls should have been born in India in 1997 - but the actual number was 13.1 million.

"We conservatively estimate that prenatal sex determination and selective abortion accounts for 0.5 million missing girls yearly," said one of the authors, Prabhat Jha of St Michael's Hospital at the University of Toronto, Canada.

"If this practice has been common for most of the past two decades since access to ultrasound became widespread, then a figure of 10 million missing female births would not be unreasonable."

The "girl deficit" is far more prominent in educated women, the investigators found.

Social consequences

The number of boys born as second children was twice as high among this group than among illiterate mothers.

However, the deficit did not vary by religion.

The study published by the London-based medical journal comes on the heels of a report last October by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which warned that infanticide or abortion was driving India towards a gender imbalance with alarming social consequences.

Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Pakistan and South Korea face similar problems, the UNFPA said.

But hey -- what goes on between a woman and her doctor is nobody else's business, right ladies? And if that means that 25-30 of all girls are aborted, then that is just one more victory for women's rights -- at least for the rights of the one who manage to escape the uterine killing zone that the high priestesses of the sacrament of abortion have created around the world.

Posted by: Greg at 11:39 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Am I alone in finding this disturbing?

A court has approved the release from prison the man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981, saying he completed his sentence for crimes he committed in Turkey, the semiofficial Anatolia news agency reported today.

Mehmet Ali Agca was extradited to Turkey in 2000 after serving almost 20 years in Italy for shooting and wounding the pope in St. Peter's Square in Rome. His motive for the attack remains unclear.

Agca, 46, was expected to be released as early as Monday. Anatolia said he was expected to be immediately enlisted by the military for obligatory service, Anatolia said.

Upon his return to Turkey, Agca immediately was sent to prison to serve a 10-year sentence for murdering Turkish journalist Abdi Ipekci in 1979. He was separately sentenced to seven years and four months for two robberies in Turkey the same year.

An Istanbul court ruled in 2004 that Agca should only serve the longest sentence — his conviction for killing Ipekci. That 10-year sentence was changed twice because of new Turkish laws.

Agca served less than six months in Turkish prison in 1979 for killing Ipekci before he escaped, resurfacing in 1981 in Rome.

Given that earlier time served, the prison asked a court for permission to release Agca. The court ruled that Agca could now be freed this week, Anatolia said.

Agca reportedly identified with the Gray Wolves, a far right-wing militant group that fought street battles against leftists in the 1970s. He first confessed to killing Ipekci, one of the country's most prominent left-wing newspaper columnists, but later retracted his statements.

So what we have here is a murderous terrorist with a string of violent crimes being released from prison and immediately being inducted into the military and given a gun. Seems somewhat outrageous to me.

Posted by: Greg at 06:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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That was my response to this post title over at Michelle Malkin's most excellent blog.

THE KOS-MALKIN-NATIONAL REVIEW CONVERGENCE

Unfortunately, the post deals with a real bonehead move on the part of the Bush Administration that does nothing to enhance (and probably harms) our domestic security.

The recess appointment of Julie Myers to head DHS's Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement sucks. It's a bad move--especially now, when the White House is touting its commitment to fighting the War on Terror and securing the homeland. To quote VP Dick Cheney: "Either we are serious about fighting this war or we are not."

Myers' recess appointment, sorry to say, is a joke.

Gotta agree.

Posted by: Greg at 11:33 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Multiple brain surgeries in a matter of hours are never a good thing.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive, life-threatening stroke Wednesday and underwent lengthy surgery to drain blood from his brain after falling ill at his ranch. Powers were transferred to his deputy, Ehud Olmert.

Doctors stopped the bleeding after more than six hours of surgery ended Thursday morning, but he was sent back to the operating room when a CT scan revealed that he required more treatment, said Hadassah Hospital Director Shlomo Mor-Yosef.

Calling Sharon's condition "serious," he said the operation was expected to last several more hours. Mor-Yosef said the prime minister was still on a respirator.

Pray for Ariel Sharon. Pray for his family and his nation. And pray for a true peace in that troubled region of the world.

Posted by: Greg at 11:24 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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They found one miner dead earlier this evening near Tallmansville. Twelve remained missing.

The body of a missing coal miner was found Tuesday night as rescuers pushed deep underground in a desperate search for 12 other miners trapped by an explosion 2 miles inside the Sago Mine.

And then came the miracle that so many had begun to give up hope for.

THEY ARE ALIVE!

Twelve men walked out of that mine alive tonight.

Twelve miners caught in an explosion in a coal mine were found alive today, more than 41 hours after the blast, family members said.

Bells at a church where relatives had been gathering rang out as family members ran out screaming in jubilation.

To God be the glory -- and to the many who worked to rescue these men, our most heart-felt "Well done!"

And yet we also mourn with those who have lost a loved one or friend -- for we cannot forget that there is the one miner who met his end in this explosion.

UPDATE: And from the great joy of hearing that these men all survived, we now sink to great sadness as we learn that the reports were wrong. Only one survivor has been found, and he is hospitalized in critical condition.

SAGO, W.Va., Jan. 4 -- Great joy turned suddenly to deep sorrow Wednesday morning when stunned family members were told that 12 of the 13 miners trapped 13,000 feet into a mountainside since early Monday were dead rather than alive, as they, and the world, had been told hours earlier.

The first announcement, of a "miracle," was the result of a "miscommunication," a company official said.

I don't understand how this could have happened. How do you "miscommunicate" such news?

And yet I think my closing thoughts from the original post are still valid.

To God be the glory -- and to the many who worked to rescue these men, our most heart-felt "Well done!"

And yet we also mourn with those who have lost a loved one or friend...

And we pray as well for the sole survivor as he fights to live, and for those who still cling to hope that he will survive.

And we just have to ask the question that all such tragedies bring -- "Why?"

Posted by: Greg at 10:46 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Certainly there was someone who could have used this surplus material -- homeless shelters or other programs.

One million cans of drinking water donated for hurricane relief have been emptied and recycled because the water was never used at Texas and Louisiana hurricane shelters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.

FEMA hauled the 400,000 liters of water, or 18 truckloads, to a scrap-metal business in the Dallas area last month. The water was dumped into a sewer and the cans sent for recycling.

FEMA spokesman Don Jacks said the cans were given by Coca-Cola and other donors in response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. After the evacuees left, the shelters gave the unused water to FEMA, which stored them at its Fort Worth regional distribution center.

"We didn't need it anymore," Jacks said.

In addition, expiration dates stamped on some of the 12-ounce, unpainted cans had expired, said Joe Perkins Jr., foreman of Lake June Scrap Metals.

Water doesn't spoil, but it can take on the taste of its container, said Ray Crockett, a spokesman for Coca-Cola. The company donated about 40 million drinks, mostly water, during the relief effort, he said.

I'd love to say that this is beyond belief -- but it isn't/ The surest way to foul up charity is to put government in charge.

Posted by: Greg at 02:07 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I wish that this ban was enforced under penalty of law.

No up-or-down vote necessary: Everyone from persons of interest to first-time callers will agree that 2005 offered more than its share of irritating words and phrases.

Lake Superior State University on Saturday released its 2006 "List of Words and Phrases Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness." But please, don't call it "breaking news."

That and 16 other linguistic nuisances were selected by a university committee from among almost 2,000 nominations. The small academic outpost in the Upper Peninsula community of Sault Ste. Marie has been compiling the banned-words list since 1976 to attract publicity -- and certainly not to offer anyone "talking points."

The committee also targeted such gems as "hunker down," which it noted is used by media "in reports about everything from politics to hurricanes."

Also frequently heard on the news is "person of interest," a favorite of law enforcement agencies. Such a person is "seldom encountered at cocktail parties," the list's authors lamented.

From the field of education comes "community of learners."

"Not to be confused with 'school,'" one critic wrote.

Politics offered plenty of fodder. The committee cited "up-or-down vote," a phrase uttered often in 2005 by Republicans eager to see President Bush's judicial nominees move through the Senate without the threat of a Democratic filibuster.

The committee also banished "FEMA," the acronym for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, whose operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina were widely criticized as ineffective.

"If they don't do anything, we don't need their acronym," wrote Josh Hamilton, of Tucson, Ariz.

Many of the phrases banned this year are not new, but simply got under enough people's skin to finally deserve the dubious honor.

Miguel McCormick, of Orlando, Fla., was fed up with "first-time caller," a designation heard on talk radio.

"I am serious in asking: Who in any universe gives a care?" he asked.

The school has banned nearly 800 words over the years, including "metrosexual" (2004), "chad" (2001), "baby boomers" (1989) and "detente" (1976).

For the complete list, click here.

Personally, I'd support the banning of a particularly annoying line from a commercial for a particularly annoying show about a particularlydisturbing guy named Earl -- "Wakey-wakey, hands off snakey!"

Posted by: Greg at 10:38 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Rather than take a patriotic stand on behalf of Australia, a council in Australia has voted not to fly the Australian flag over a beach pavillion for fear of provoking more violence by Middle Eastern immigrants.

In a decision met with outrage from locals, returned servicemen and ethnic groups, Waverley Council voted 6-5 against the proposal, declaring the popular beach should remain clear of flags to "remove provocation".

Mayor Mora Main and fellow Green George Copeland led a block of Labor councillors including deputy mayor George Newhouse, Peter Moscatt and Ingrid Strewe in rejecting the proposal by Liberal councillor Joy Clayton on December 13.

The irony is that even the Muslim community opposes the flag band.

Islamic Friendship Association of Australia founder Keysar Trad said decisions made on behalf of Muslims with no consultation only caused further division.

"To suggest that Muslims would be offended at the sight of the Australian flag is naive. A great deal of Muslims call Australia home and they are just as happy to see the flag flying high," he said.

Sounds to me like hanging a flaf from the pavillion is the second thing they need to do. The first would be to hang six members of the Waverly Council from it.

Posted by: Greg at 09:07 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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