Let me begin by saying that I condemn this murder as both immoral and counterproductive. It cannot be justified -- even if the victim is probably responsible for the killing of more Americans than Osama bin Laden.

Authorities said they had a suspect in custody Sunday afternoon in the shooting death of George Tiller, a Wichita doctor who was one of the few doctors in the nation to perform late-term abortions.

Dr. Tiller, who had long been a lightning rod for controversy over the issue of abortion and had survived a shooting more than a decade ago, was shot inside his church here on Sunday morning, the authorities said. Dr. Tiller, 67, was shot with a handgun inside the lobby of his longtime church, Reformation Lutheran Church on the cityÂ’s East Side, just after 10 a.m. (Central Time). The service had started minutes earlier.

At the same time, I cannot feel any sadness over this murder, given that the victim is probably responsible for the killing of more Americans than Osama bin Laden.

And let me condemn the desecration of the church where the murder took place -- even though I find it scandalous that Reformation Lutheran Church has strayed so far its allegedly Christian character as to allow such a notorious killer to serve in a position of public leadership and ministry. Furthermore, I condemn the endangering of the other members of the congregation.

No, there is nothing positive about the murder of anyone -- not even a depraved killer like George Tiller. For really complete coverage, look to The Other McCain -- good commentary from Hot Air, Don Surber, Ed Driscoll, Gateway Pundit.

But this does raise an issue in my mind -- one that I believe every Christian ought to consider.

We believe that there is a just God in Heaven. We also believe that God is merciful. What, then, is the eternal fate of an individual like George Tiller, who professes faith in the Risen Christ even while living a scandalously sinful life? Will the God of Justice and Mercy show more of the latter or the former as such a one approaches the Judgment Seat? And if the answer is the latter, what does that tell us of the extent of God's mercy for each of us?

As for me, while I would gladly see him dealt with as justice demands, I yet hope that the balance swings towards mercy. After all -- if there is eternal hope for a blood-stained wretch like George Tiller, operator of a slaughterhouse for the most vulnerable of our fellow humans, then there is eternal hope for me as well.

Comments are open -- play nice, please.

Posted by: Greg at 11:38 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Ain't it something when reality mirrors advertising?

We've all seen this commercial (one of my all-time favorites).

Well, they may not be the size of schnauzers, but we do have some mini-cattle out there.

Walking through their lowing herd of several hundred cattle, Ali and Kenny Petersen were like two Gullivers on a Lilliputian roundup.

The half-sized cows barely reached Kenny's waist. The ranch's border collie stared eye-to-eye with wandering calves.

"Aren't they sweet?" asked Ali, 52, shooing Half-Pint, Buttercup and a dozen other cattle across a holding pen. "They're my babies, every little one of them."

The Petersens once raised normal-sized bovines on this stretch of Nebraska's rolling eastern grasslands, but with skyrocketing feed costs, the couple decided to downsize.

They bought minicows -- compact cattle with stocky bodies, smaller frames and relatively tiny appetites.

Their miniature Herefords consume about half that of a full-sized cow yet produce 50% to 75% of the rib-eyes and fillets, according to researchers and budget-conscious farmers.

"We get more sirloin and less soup bone," Ali said. "People used to look at them and laugh. Now, they want to own them."

Yipiyaiyay Mini Sirloin Burgers, Yipiyaiyo Mini Sirloin Burgers, Yipiyaiyay Mini Sirloin Burgerrrrrs, Yeah!

Posted by: Greg at 07:30 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I cannot help but be struck by the case of Daniel Hauser. It is, dare I say, a heart-wrenching case.

But I'm struck by the arguments used by the courts to justify the move to force treatment.

He's not old enough to decide. This is a life and death decision beyond the years of a 13-year-old. Either his parents or the government must decide what is in his best interests, because he lacks the maturity to know.

However, if this were a pregnant 13-year-old girl (or even younger) named Danielle Hauser, and the medical decision on a matter of life and death were about abortion, we'd here about matters of "right to choose", "bodily integrity" and "not imposing anyone's morality" on her.

Why the difference?

At least in this case, the kid is deciding merely to risk his own life, not take the life of another human being.

Posted by: Greg at 12:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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My darling wife, as some of you know, makes use of a wheelchair whenever she is out in public due to a medical condition that limits her physical stamina and stability. That said, she is a very clear minded and lucid thinker whose brain is not limited even as her body is. That is why I have spend the day absolutely livid over the disgusting insult directed at talented conservative columnist and pundit Charles Krauthammer by TimeÂ’s infinitely less talented Joe Klein.

“There’s something tragic about him too,” Klein said, referring to Krauthammer’s confinement to a wheelchair, the result of a diving accident during his first year of medical school. “His work would have a lot more nuance if he were able to see the situations he’s writing about.”

Whoa!

While Krauthammer may not be able to walk, he can see perfectly well, thank you very much. His disability in no way limits his ability to see what he is writing about.

On the other hand, Joe Klein clearly suffers from some sort of mental or social defect that limits his ability to think clearly or give respect to the disabled. Bravo to the many conservatives, like John Podhoretz, who have rushed to KrauthammerÂ’s defense.

Closing question – what does Joe Klein think about the music of Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, and Ronnie Milsap?

UPDATE: Klein apologizes -- by slamming his critics and his victim instead of expressing honest contrition. What a scumbag! I heartily endorse the sentiment expressed by Tom Maguire at JustOneMinute -- Stand Up, Joe Klein, So We Can Kick Your A**.

H/T Hot Air, Commentary Blog, Weekly Standard, Marbury, PoliGazette, TheBlogProf, Fausta, Jules Crittenden, OTB, The Corner, Betsy

Posted by: Greg at 11:07 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Potentially, according to this analysis.

Eric Fedewa, vice president of global powertrain forecasting for the auto consulting firm CSM Worldwide in Northville, Mich., said the changes will make pickups so much more expensive that they will be used almost exclusively for work.

In other words, Barack Obama may be incredibly pro-choice when it comes to abortion, but not when it comes to the vehicles you are able to drive. The increased CAFÉ standard will constitute a hidden federal tax on every vehicle, and price you right out of the market for what you really want.

Posted by: Greg at 11:05 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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After all, some lyrics really are offensive enough to merit a ban at prom – and all too often it is because of the level of misogyny inherent in today’s popular music.

wenty songs that refer to women as "hos" and other derogatory names won't be played at the Arcadia High prom Saturday night.

That's because senior Madeline Conrique and fellow members of the Women's Health and Issues Club brokered a deal with school administrators limiting songs with misogynistic themes and lyrics.

"Some of the songs call women `bitches' and `hos,' or refer to them as objects and treat them like animals," Conrique said. "We find that offensive."

A petition circulated on campus since last week asked students to support banning misogynistic songs from the prom; it garnered 130 signatures. About 1,000 students are expected to attend this weekend's event.

Of course, the group had wanted to ban 300 songs – something that the administration noted would have been virtually impossible to monitor. But they did get a compromise with the administration that would eliminate the 20 worst offenders.

Sadly, many students (including a lot of girls) objected to the ban despite the degrading lyrics. I’d call that a coarsening of the culture. And I’d argue that students claiming they like dancing to such music is not sufficient to keep the songs on the playlist – after all, I cannot imagine anyone arguing that a song which was chock-full of racist or anti-Semitic lyrics would ever be deemed acceptable, no matter how great the beat. It is a matter of standards and what message the school deems acceptable and is willing to sponsor.

Posted by: Greg at 01:04 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Looks like my preferred candidate is going to get the job. He has a history of exemplary service in the field of space exploration, and he is superbly qualified for the job. Best of all, he isnÂ’t the hack politician who was formerly my congressman.

Former astronaut Charles F. Bolden Jr. will meet with President Obama in the Oval Office on Monday morning and likely will be appointed the new NASA administrator, a senior administration official told NBC News on Thursday.

If he is chosen as expected, Bolden, a veteran of four spaceflights with more than 680 hours in Earth orbit, would be the first African-American appointed to NASA's top post. Bolden retired from the Marine Corps in 2003 as a major general.

My major criticism of the article is the focus on Bolden’s race. While that aspect of Bolden’s biography is interesting, it is merely a footnote to those of us who find the accomplishments of this man during his career with NASA to be the more compelling argument for making him head of NASA. Call it a “content of his character” thing. I certainly wish Bolden and the space agency well.

An interesting take on this move can be found at Bay Area Houston.

Posted by: Greg at 12:53 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Speculation is that Helen Thomas served as the model for this Stone Age figure during her late teenage years. The figure is nude, explicitly revealing the womanÂ’s breasts and genitals.

Dr. Conard reported that the discovery was made beneath three feet of red-brown sediment in the floor of the Hohle Fels Cave. Six fragments of the carved ivory, including all but the left arm and shoulder, were recovered. When he brushed dirt off the torso, he said, “the importance of the discovery became apparent.”
The short, squat torso is dominated by oversize breasts and broad buttocks. The split between the two halves of the buttocks is deep and continuous without interruption to the front of the figurine. A greatly enlarged vulva emphasizes the “deliberate exaggeration” of the figurine’s sexual characteristics, Dr. Conard said.

No word yet if Keith Olbermann and other liberal commentators will call for Thomas to be removed from her role as a senior journalist with the White House press corps – or whether her politically correct liberalism renders her immune from the sort of criticism that accompanied the leaking of much less explicit photos of a topless Carrie Prejean.

Posted by: Greg at 08:20 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This sounds like it could be from the Onion, but it isn't.

Naked S.E. Houston man held in fatal shooting

Perhaps it would be a tragedy for the Houston Chronicle to fold -- if only because of the loss of headlines like that one.

Posted by: Greg at 12:52 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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My students laughed at me last fall when, after Hurricane Ike and the extended power outages that followed, I predicted an increased birth rate in the area come June and July. Today they laughed with me when I read them the following article.

Doctors who work in HoustonÂ’s busiest maternity ward say theyÂ’re expecting an especially bustling June, leading some to conclude that Hurricane Ike was the perfect storm for making babies.
ItÂ’s been eight months since Ike knocked out the regionÂ’s electricity, leaving many with no television, Internet access or other distractions for days, if not weeks. Now thereÂ’s a curious bump in the number of women who are rounding out their third trimesters of pregnancy.
Several obstetrical practices associated with The WomanÂ’s Hospital of Texas are extra-busy these days with prenatal care.
“I looked, somewhat in shock, at my little book of deliveries for June, and it’s 26,” said Dr. John Irwin, president of Obstetrical and Gynecological Associates.
He routinely delivers 15 to 20 babies a month and called the Ike boomlet “a real phenomenon.” His colleagues in the 35-physician practice have seen a similar increase in patients who probably conceived during the powerless days after Ike.
“There’s about a 25 percent increase in the number of deliveries coming up in mid-June to mid-July,” said Irwin, also chief of surgery service at Woman’s Hospital.

I donÂ’t know why anyone would be surprised. Weather-related disasters like this one often produce such statistical anomalies, and I would not have expected Hurricane Ike to be any different. Indeed, one local OB/GYN is certain that is precisely the reason for the strange increase in babies due this summer.

Dr. Rakhi Dimino, an obstetrician/gynecologist with Houston WomenÂ’s Care Associates, is sure thereÂ’s something to this Ike baby boom.
SheÂ’s due June 10.
She was on call at WomanÂ’s as the hurricane passed over, and and left around noon that Saturday. She was with her husband at home until her office reopened the following Tuesday.
So what was happening at the Dimino home those two and a half days?
“What everybody else in Houston was doing,” said Dimino, 33, whose baby will be her first. “You can only do so much when there’s no television, nothing open and there’s nowhere to go.”

Posted by: Greg at 12:41 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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There really is only one appropriate response from normal males to the kerfluffle over the Carrie Prejean photos:

Personally, I think the more topless photos, the better. But as a straight male, what do I know about beauty pageants?

Exactly right!

Posted by: Greg at 12:39 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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IÂ’m just curious, since we are supposed to take the decisions of courts around the world as supplying precedents for interpreting our laws and Constitution.

Husbands are allowed to slap their wives if they spend lavishly, a Saudi judge said recently during a seminar on domestic violence, Saudi media reported Sunday.
Arab News, a Saudi English-language daily newspaper based in Riyadh, reported that Judge Hamad Al-Razine said that "if a person gives SR 1,200 [$320] to his wife and she spends 900 riyals [$240] to purchase an abaya [the black cover that women in Saudi Arabia must wear] from a brand shop and if her husband slaps her on the face as a reaction to her action, she deserves that punishment."

Remember – Muslims make up a huge percentage of the world’s population. And there are, of course, many Muslim countries that include sharia law as a part of their legal framework. Shouldn’t we give due consideration to the wisdom that law supplies? Or should we instead recognize that the laws and court rulings of foreign countries should have no bearing upon how our courts interpret our statutes and fundamental law.

Posted by: Greg at 12:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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FoxNews says it all in this story.

While racy photos of Miss California Carrie Prejean could cost the outspoken first runner up in the Miss USA pageant her crown, pageant officials don't seem to care about even steamier photos of Miss Rhode Island that appeared in a menÂ’s magazine.

So is Prejean being targeted simply for her beliefs?

Alysha Castonguay posed for photos much more explicit and erotic than those that were leaked of Carrie Prejean. And while there is the disclosure issue, the bigger factor appears to be the desire of the pageant organizers to get rid of a young woman who had the audacity to take a conservative stance on a controversial social issue, a position that offended a loud and vocal segment of the liberal coalition (but which was in keeping with the beliefs of a majority of Californians). Even Alysha Castonguay sees the matter that way.

Castonguay even told gossip site TMZ that she felt Prejean was being targeted simply because she answered her pageant question by saying she favored limiting marriage to a man and a woman.
“I personally believe this situation is stemming from the controversy over her opinion and not a photo,” Castonguay said.

Seems to me that Donald Trump, the owner of the Miss USA organization, needs to intervene in order to save his brand.

H/T Don Surber

Posted by: Greg at 12:19 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I hate to say it, but I am not feeling a whole lot of sympathy for folks in this situation.

Though more than 4,000 Louisiana homeowners have received rebuilding money only in the last six months, or are struggling with inadequate grants or no money at all, FEMA is intent on taking away their trailers by the end of May. The deadline, which ends temporary housing before permanent housing has replaced it, has become a stark example of recovery programs that seem almost to be working against one another.
Thousands of rental units have yet to be restored, and not a single one of 500 planned “Katrina cottages” has been completed and occupied. The Road Home program for single-family homeowners, which has cost federal taxpayers $7.9 billion, has a new contractor who is struggling to review a host of appeals, and workers who assist the homeless are finding more elderly people squatting in abandoned buildings.
Nonetheless, FEMA wants its trailers back, even though it plans to scrap or sell them for a fraction of what it paid for them.
“All I can say is that this is a temporary program, it was always intended as a temporary program, and at a certain point all temporary programs must end,” said Brent Colburn, the agency’s director of external affairs. He said there would be no extensions.

It has been 3 ½ years since Hurricane Katrina. Huge amounts of government assistance has been poured into the region impacted. Survivors of other disasters, like those of us who went through Hurricane Ike last fall, have received nothing near the level of assistance that was given to folks in New Orleans. Indeed, except for a few elderly and seriouslydisabled folks in my town, there is not a FEMA trailer to be seen despite a 12 foot storm surge. I was told flat-out that my wife and I didn’t qualify for a trailer or rental assistance because we had insurance to repair our house, even though it did not cover temporary housing for the seven months we were out of our home. We were expected to make due with our own resources, even in the immediate aftermath of the storm. I therefore cannot feel outraged that “temporary assistance” is ending for people who were impacted by a storm well over three years ago – and wonder why the New York Times doesn’t wander down here to Texas and investigate the relative lack of assistance that those of us in the Houston/Galveston area have received.

Posted by: Greg at 11:56 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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We have many laws regulating the ownership and use of firearms. Why not enforce them rather than make new ones?

Amid a wave of publicity about drug-related gun violence along the Mexican border and police killings in U.S. cities, more Americans than ever oppose new government efforts to regulate guns.
Recent polls show shrinking support for new gun control measures and strong public sentiment for enforcing existing laws instead. So strong is the shift in public opinion that a proposed assault-weapons ban — once backed by three in four Americans — now rates barely one in two.
Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll, told reporters Tuesday that “every bit of data is showing us that Americans are getting more conservative about gun control.”

But is it really a question of being more conservative? Or is it simply a question of recognizing that more laws are not the solution to the illegal sale and use of guns when we already have many that go unenforced?

Posted by: Greg at 09:55 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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Now let's be honest -- the recently dumped video game Faith Fighter, featuring religious figures (including Muhammad and Jesus) in death matches is tasteless and offensive. Still, I can't help but find this comment from Canadian Blogger Kathy Shaidle to be rather amusing, given its basis in the tradition of the two religions in question.

Well, I know one thing: When Jesus brought a little girl on her deathbed back to life, He said, "Wake up," not "Move over..."

Remember Muhammad's policy on little girls -- married at six, mated at nine. And you wonder why some of us lack respect for the false prophet of Islam. In today's world he'd be in prison for a good long stretch, and live out his life as a registered sex offender.

Posted by: Greg at 03:46 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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After all, as the largest single owner of the company, that would appear to present a serious conflict of interest – and would probably require the breach of the union’s fiduciary duty to its employees and retirees AND/OR the management teams breach of its fiduciary duty to all stockholders.

The United Automobile Workers union has agreed to accept company stock for 50 percent of what Chrysler owes its retiree health care fund.

Now the union has an obligation to look out for the best interests of the employees. But management has an obligation to look out for the profitability of the company and maximizing shareholder return. Since the UAW will be in the driver’s seat with regard to management, it there fore has two mutually exclusive obligations. If it chooses higher wages for workers, it harms the pension fund and the interest of the owners of the other shareholders. If it honors those obligations, then it must adopt a less aggressive stance in negotiating wages and benefits for the workers. Indeed, this sets up the situation that would have existed if Henry Ford had insisted that he would be the exclusive bargaining representative of workers at Ford Motor Company in their negotiations with management – AKA Henry Ford.

And while union leadership tries to downplay the conflict of interest, it is impossible to ignore the very real problem that exists in having an arm of the union control over half of the company.

Posted by: Greg at 01:54 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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One would think that people were dying in the streets of swine flu. Now it turns out that the numbers are somewhat less dire.

The number of confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus stands at 331 people, the World Health Organization said Friday.

Confirmed cases of swine flu worldwide were 257 Thursday.

The virus, commonly known as swine flu, has spread to 11 countries, but the hardest hit areas were in the western hemisphere, the organization said.

"We have not seen sustained human-to-human transmission anywhere outside the Americas region," said WHO spokesman Thomas Abraham.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had confirmed 109 cases of the flu with one death.

The largest outbreak was in Mexico, which had 156 confirmed cases, according to the WHO. It added that Mexico had nine deaths attributed to the virus.

However, Mexican officials said the death toll had risen to 12 and they suspect more than 150 deaths in the country are linked to the virus.

And friends, let’s remember that over 36,000 people die in the United States of regular influenza – which breaks down to about 700 a week. There are not even that many confirmed cases worldwide. So would someone explain the hysteria to me?

Posted by: Greg at 01:53 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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