Since it nearly October, I suppose I need to look for Halloween costumes now. After all, failure to do so will leave me with few options in Halloween costumes, and that simply won't do.

One year I waited until the last minute, and found myself forced to recycle the clerical collar from my seminary days and add some cheap black makeup so that I looked like a colleague at the Catholic school where I taught. It wasn't convincing.

This year, though, I want to wear something to scare the be-jeebers out of the neighborhood kids as they come around the house.

Option number one would certainly stand out -- the Emperor of Darkness. It is bright, it looks sharp, and could certainly convey a frightening face for the evening. After all, that long red robe and the black accessories do sort of stand out-- and if I use a light makeup that appears more deathly than satanic, I believe I would do well. After all, down here in Houston the warm night and high humidity would cause me to sweat like a pig in all that greasepaint. Something more powdery and pale would be more comfortable.

On the other hand, there is also this Gravedigger costume. It would let me blend into the darker surroundings of my front yard, and certainly has a creepier air to it. The makeup seems to be less intensive that fits well with the character, so it allows me to use my natural abilities.

Where can you go to get these costumes and more? Costume Cauldron has a great online present with over 14,000 costumes in stock for you to choose from. Their site is well, organized and easy to use, and includes great pictures and easy to find prices. They even have a good discount for you if you click on the comma in the line that reads “Our Store now has over 14,000 masquerade items for you to choose from!”

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The day before coming to America to speak to the UN and (based upon his request) desecrate Ground Zero.

A day before flying to New York to speak directly to the American people, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad struck a confrontational tone Saturday with a parade of fighter jets and missiles and tough warnings for the United States to stay out of the Mideast.

Three new domestically manufactured warplanes streaked over the capital during the parade marking the 27th anniversary of the Iraqi invasion of Iran, which sparked a 1980-88 war that killed hundreds of thousands of people. The parade also featured the Ghadr missile, which has a range of 1,120 miles, capable of reaching Israel.

Some of the missile trucks were painted with the slogans "Down with the U.S." and "Down with Israel." The parade also featured unmanned aerial surveillance drones, torpedoes, and tanks.

Tensions are high between Washington and Tehran over U.S. accusations that Iran is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons and helping Shiite militias in Iraq that target U.S. troops. Iran denies the claims.

Washington has said it is addressing the Iran situation diplomatically, rather than militarily, but U.S. officials also say that all options are open.

Our government needs to revoke Mahmoud the Mad's permission to enter America -- screw the UN and the Host Country Agreement. After all, what enforcement power do the terrorist supporters at the UN actually have?

On the other hand, assuming that this Iranian pig is allowed to enter the US, American citizens ought and should fully exercises their rights under the US Constitution to make him unwelcome at every turn. And if Mahmoud the Mad does attempt the desecration of Ground Zero, he must be physically prevented by doing so by American citizens. What's more, those citizens must resist any attempt by law enforcement officials to open a path for him to approach the site of the worst terror attack upon American soil, where his fellow hate-filled Muslim extremists murdered over 2700 Americans.

This week marks the Bush Administration's Elian Gonzalez moment -- will President Bush fail the test in the same way Bill Clinton failed his, accommodating evil anti-Americanism in the face of American freedom.

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I want to write a novel. Science fiction, in particular. Yes, I'm one of those geeky guys. And no, I'm not talking about being Heinlein or L. Neil Smith, writing serious books weighted down with political meaning and philosophy, but also backed up with good story-telling. No, I just want to write something fun and pleasurable to read --"escapist literature."

The problem is that I don't know where to begin. Writing a novel is a lot different than writing a blog, with its relatively short posts. I'd need to plot out a story, develop some good characters, and then actually write the darn thing!. That sounds like a lot of work, since my strong suit is not creative writing.

Not long ago, I came across a website that says it can teach me how to write a book in just 28 days. It claims that if I follow its plan I can complete the book while writing only one single hour a day -- and in bursts of no more than five minutes. That is astounding. And they do offer a money-back guarantee if you don't have a publishing contract within three months.

Why don't you drop by WriteQuickly.com and take a look -- and then tell me what you think.

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They don't want illegals either.

Fleeing stepped-up sweeps by the American authorities, illegal immigrants to the United States, mostly Mexican, are arriving in growing numbers at the foot of the bridge in this Canadian border town seeking refugee status.

Still more immigrants, mostly Mexicans living illegally in Florida, have begun trying to make their way past AmericaÂ’s northern border at other locations, the majority of them flying into the airport in Toronto, Canadian officials said Thursday.

So, will the fuzzy-minded liberals/socialists in Canada eventually decide they must take in all of the illegals? Or will they instead insist on deporting them home?

And if they decide to keep them, are they prepared to absorb all 12-20 million who are already violating America's immigration laws and who American citizens want out?

Posted by: Greg at 03:13 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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If you want to avoid those junk calls.

he cherished dinner hour void of telemarketers could vanish next year for millions of people when phone numbers begin dropping off the national Do Not Call list.

The Federal Trade Commission, which oversees the list, says there is a simple fix. But some lawmakers think it is a hassle to expect people to re-register their phone numbers every five years.

Numbers placed on the registry, begun in June 2003, are valid for five years. For the millions of people who signed onto the list in its early days, their numbers will automatically drop off beginning next June if they do not enroll again.

"It is incredibly quick and easy to do," Lydia Parnes, director of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection, said in an interview with The Associated Press this week. "It was so easy for people to sign up in the first instance. It will be just as easy for them to re-up."

I'd rather not drop off the list, but I understand teh time-limit rule.

And it isn't like it is difficult to deal with -- it takes under 5 minutes every 5 years.

In fact, I just re-registered today, through 2012.

Here is where to go to get on the Do Not Call list -- or to renew your registration.

Posted by: Greg at 03:05 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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As a seminary-trained Christian who is also an educator, I find this story quite troubling.

A community college instructor in Red Oak claims he was fired after he told his students that the biblical story of Adam and Eve should not be literally interpreted.

Steve Bitterman, 60, said officials at Southwestern Community College sided with a handful of students who threatened legal action over his remarks in a western civilization class Tuesday. He said he was fired Thursday.

“I’m just a little bit shocked myself that a college in good standing would back up students who insist that people who have been through college and have a master’s degree, a couple actually, have to teach that there were such things as talking snakes or lose their job,” Bitterman said.

What, exactly, did Bitterman say?

Bitterman, who taught part time at Southwestern and OmahaÂ’s Metropolitan Community College, said he uses the Old Testament in his western civilization course and always teaches it from an academic standpoint.

Bitterman’s Tuesday course was telecast to students in Osceola over the Iowa Communications Network. A few students in the Osceola classroom, he said, thought the lesson was “denigrating their religion.”

“I put the Hebrew religion on the same plane as any other religion. Their god wasn’t given any more credibility than any other god,” Bitterman said. “I told them it was an extremely meaningful story, but you had to see it in a poetic, metaphoric or symbolic sense, that if you took it literally, that you were going to miss a whole lot of meaning there.”

Bitterman said called the story of Adam and Eve a “fairy tale” in a conversation with a student after the class and was told the students had threatened to see an attorney. He declined to identify any of the students in the class.

“I just thought there was such a thing as academic freedom here,” he said. “From my point of view, what they’re doing is essentially teaching their students very well to function in the 8th century.”

Now his words are harsh, impolitic, and maybe even mildly offensive -- but that does not mean they are wrong or that they should lead to discipline against him -- especially because they are, in my opinion, more or less correct.

The Genesis account of the creation cannot and should not be taken literally in light of the fossil record. It is best understood as an allegorical tale that communicates the essential truth that everything was created by God, and that our free will leads us to disobey God and to sever/strain our relationship with him. The story of Adam and Eve and the snake is therefore a myth -- but it is also true at its core.

And for those of you who object that the Bible is the revealed word of God (a contention which i whole-heartedly affirm), I offer this for your consideration -- if I can write an allegory, don't you suppose that the omnipotent God we both worship is able to do the same?

But regardless of whether we agree or disagree, and regardless of whether either of us agrees with Bitterman, there remains the question of academic freedom. There is a great body of academic literature which agrees with his position, and to fire him for citing it and teaching about it is not only wrong, but positively anti-intellectual.

It strikes me that Southwest Community College needs to offer a more public explanation of this personnel decision -- and that Bitterman should explicitly authorize them to do so. And if the comments on genesis have anything to do with the firing, Bitterman should be immediately reinstated.

And on a personnel note, I have more than a passing interest in such controversies. I've actually had a parent call my school and demand their child be removed from my class over a similar issue -- the inclusion of evolution in my World History class. Silencing truth in the name of religious sensitivity is simply wrong, whether the perpetrators of Christian, Muslim, or atheist.

A different viewpoint at Stop the ACLU

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Let's hope that the rest of the league has the integrity to not offer Barry Bonds a contract.

Barry Bonds was told by the San Francisco Giants that he won't play for them in 2008, he said on his Web site Friday. But baseball's all-time home run leader said he planned on playing somewhere next season.

In a statement, Bonds said: "This journal will be one of my last entries as a San Francisco Giant. Yesterday, I was told by the Giants that they will not be bringing me back for the 2008 season."

Giants owner Peter Magowan told Bonds of the decision in person Thursday night, said Bonds' agent, Jeff Borris.

Frankly, the MLB should have banned Barry Bonds before he passed Hank Aaron with his steroid-enhanced home run number 756*.

And for all you Barry Bonds fans out there, you can kiss my asterisk.

* home run count includes those hit while using illegal performance-enhancing drugs in violation of major league rules -- and which shrunk his package to smaller than that of a six-year-old.

Posted by: Greg at 02:06 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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New York is upset that Medicaid is no longer allowing chemo for illegals.

The federal government has told New York State health officials that chemotherapy, which had been covered for illegal immigrants under a government-financed program for emergency medical care, does not qualify for coverage. The decision sets the stage for a battle between the state and federal governments over how medical emergencies are defined.

The change comes amid a fierce national debate on providing medical care to immigrants, with New York State officials and critics saying this latest move is one more indication of the Bush administrationÂ’s efforts to exclude the uninsured from public health services.

State officials in New York and other states have found themselves caught in the middle. The New York dispute, focusing on illegal immigrants with cancer — a marginal group of unknown size among the more than 500,000 people living in New York illegally — has become a flash point for health officials and advocates for immigrants in recent weeks.

Under a limited provision of Medicaid, the national health program for the poor, the federal government permits emergency coverage for illegal immigrants and other noncitizens. But the Bush administration has been more closely scrutinizing and increasingly denying state claims for federal payment for some emergency services, Medicaid experts said.

Last month, federal officials, concluding an audit that began in 2004 and was not challenged by the state until now, told New York State that they would no longer provide matching funds for chemotherapy under the emergency program. Yesterday, state officials sent a letter to the federal Medicaid agency protesting the change, saying that doctors, not the federal government, should determine when chemotherapy is needed.

The problem with that argument is not, of course, that th federal government is defining what is needed. Rather, it is defining what is "emergency" care, and determining whether or not medical care is entitled to reimbursement from federal funds. And since long-term chemotherapy is chronic, rather than emergency, care, it clearly is not covered under the limited exception to the law that is intended to provide critical care in the case of an immediate medical crisis.

If an illegal immigrant needs chemo, let him or her return to the country of origin and receive the health care there under whatever medical program their home country has. And if the home country has no such program, explain to me again why I, as an American taxpayer, should provide it for a persona who is in this country in violation of our nation's laws.

However, if the state of New York disagrees, it may opt to spend its own tax dollars for the non-emergency treatment of border-jumpers. Similarly, private charities can step in and cover the cost. But the demand for illegal reimbursements for medical care for illegal aliens is unacceptable.

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Castro looks healthy.

Fidel Castro looked alert and healthier in a video taped Friday, the first images released of the ailing 81-year-old leader in more than three months. In the images aired unexpectedly on state television Friday evening, Castro wore a red, blue and white jumpsuit with "F. Castro" in small block letters. The Cuban leader spoke slowly and softly and didn't always look the interviewer in the eye, but appeared to be thinking clearly.

Officials broke into regularly scheduled programming only minutes earlier to announce that an hour-long "conversation" with Castro would be shown.

Castro mentioned the price of oil and the value of the Euro against the dollar, evidence that the video was recorded Friday, as Cuban officials said. At times, it was hard to follow his train of thought as he spoke about a wandering essay he published in state media Wednesday.

Which means, of course, continued oppression for the people of Cuba.

Couldn't the CIA arrange for him to receive a Semtex suppository?

Posted by: Greg at 01:43 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I have to tell you, my life has not been the same since we got a Dell notebook computer over the summer. We have really been impressed with the quality of the machine, and how convenient it is to take it along with us to doctor's appointments, events away from home, and even to a couple of local spots that are wi-fi sites.

As i think about the possibilities for our next computer purchase (the notebook was a gift), I wonder if I want to get a Cordless Desktop, to do away with all the wires. Or maybe another notebook, so we don't have to share. But regardless, I think my next purchase will be a Dell.

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Can be summed up in one line in a commentary in today's Houston Chronicle.

White people's refusal to acknowledge their own racism is a major stumbling block to addressing issues of race in this country.

But the reality is that this is NOT the major stumbling block, or even a major stumbling block, in the discussion. Instead, it is the demand that the writer makes that biased, bigoted, racist assumption that underlies that statement that is the major obstacles to addressing issues of race in this country. What is sought, therefore, is not discussion or engagement on controversial issues, but surrender and capitulation in an echo chamber of political correctness.

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I had not realized that yesterday was World Alzheimer's Day, a day intended to raise awareness of that terrible degenerative disease that afflicts so many people worldwide. It was a day marked with educational programs, government events, walkathons, and parties.

Yes, you read that correctly -- parties.

Why celebrate Alzheimer's disease? Well, that isn't the purpose of the "Purple Parties", friends. Rather, they are intended to raise money for research into Alzheimer's disease, in the hopes of curing and preventing it.

And you can still help. You can throw a Purple Party to help find a cure for Alzheimer's disease.

Here's what you need to do.

Visit the website at http://www.actionalz.org/fundraising/, or at one of the above links.

Register your party on the website. If you commit to raising at least $150, you will even receive a party kit to help you plan your party and supply your guests with important information about Alzheimer's disease.

If you can hold it by September 30, all funds raised will be matched by the Harrah's Foundation, so all gifts are doubled.

But the best thing is that you will be working towards a cure for a disease that has taken loved ones and heroes from us all, so that in the future no one will have to fade away into the misty twilight of mental decline that is Alzheimer's disease.

Posted by: Greg at 08:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The winning entries in the Watcher's Council vote for this week are Is War With Iran Now Just a Matter of Time? by Right Wing Nut House, and Dead Eyes by Acute Politics.  Here are the full results of the vote:

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Sponsored Post

When we bought our Texas home six years ago, we were very fortunate. We worked with a mortgage broker who was based in our real estate agent's office. Since I really didn't know anything about Mortgage Loans when I started, it may have been a good. She found a 30-year mortgage at a fixed rate comparable to other mortgages out there -- but with no money down because I'm a teacher. The loan was underwritten by a major national bank, so I knew it was reputable. The broker even managed to lower my rate by an additional 1/8 of a point just before closing due to a market fluctuation.

It wasn’t, however, perfect. Nobody noticed that my school district taxes through the neighboring county, not the county where the house is located. The result -- they missed $1200 in property taxes annually, which resulted in a $200 increase in my payment the second year as I struggled to fund my escrow to cover the shortfall as well as paying the full tax bill! So while the broker got me a great loan, the mistake put a squeeze on the budget for the first couple of years in the house.

Now would I look at refinancing my house? No -- the rate is still good and my equity and income would not shorten my loan term. And while I liked my broker, I wouldn't be using her again because of that tax oversight.

Posted by: Greg at 06:53 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I might have to consider it.

"No, I may slit my throat," former president Bill Clinton joked last night on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart after being asked how well he might cope with going from leader of the world's remaining superpower to husband of the first woman president.

So, what do you folks think – would the suicide of Billzebubba be sufficient reason to vote Hildebeast in 2008?

Or does Christian charity require working for her defeat in the name of preventing a needless death?

Or is this, like all the liberal threats to leave America if Bush won in 2004, simply another false promise designed to get our hopes up?

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I cannot imagine such callous indifference to others.

Shouting, "This is YouTube material!" a 27-year-old British man urinated on a dying woman who had collapsed on the street, the BBC and local Hartepool Mail and Northern Echo tell us. He also doused her with a bucket of water and covered her with shaving cream.

The woman, 50-year-old Christine Lakinski, died at the scene of pancreatic failure.

In a sad sign of the times, it was all recorded on a mobile phone.

In court, Anthony Anderson said he had smoked a joint and been drinking with two friends when they spotted Lakinski. He faces jail after pleading guilty to "outraging public decency." Sentencing is set for Oct. 22.

"We will await the outcome and just hope he gets what he deserves," Lakinski's brother said after today's court hearing.

But he won’t – there is no death penalty in the UK.

Posted by: Greg at 11:37 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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If my buddy over at Gone Mild is going to condemn a senator for condemning an ad calling an active duty military office commanding troops in the field a traitor, I want to know if he believes it to be true.

I've written about Claire McCaskill's abandonment of the people who elected her when the important issues arise. I suppose that, in the context of her blind support of Bush's war, her vote today to support a Senate Resolution condemning MoveOn's "General Betray Us" advertisement is hardly worth mentioning.

But, dammit, what in the hell is she thinking?

I understand the the Republicans like to attack the patriotism and human worth of anyone who dares to question their precious war. I understand that Republicans are offended when someone points out that Bush has hand-picked the lords of this war based upon partisan loyalty and sycophantry (sycophantocity? sycophanthood?) instead of merit.

But why would Claire McCaskill join them in telling America to shut up? Why would she join the Republicans in stifling dissent?

Personally, I think the MoveOn ad was poor judgment and poor taste. Not as bad as a Democratic Senator joining the Republicans to criticize Americans speaking their minds, though.

Well, Dan, what is it – is Petraeus a traitor or not? And if he is not, why do you object to a condemnation of an ad calling him one?

After all, you took great offense at a satirical post here on my site. Will you offer the same level of outrage over an actual accusation of treason against a serving military officer based upon a policy dispute?

Oh, and will you explain why this condemnation constitutes “stifling dissent” and criticizing “Americans speaking their minds” when you condemned my post (and that of Michelle Malkin) and insisted that we had no right to offer that criticism of Harry Reid? Why do you feel free to tell America to shut up while taking offense when others do the same? Doesn’t that constitute HYPOCRISY (a mortal sin when Democrats find it in Republicans) on your part?

Posted by: Greg at 11:36 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I’ve had local Democrats come here and take quotes out of context so as to “prove” some point about my blog and me personally – usually to claim that I am a racist and a religious bigot – by cherry-picking a sentence (or merely a part of a sentence) that confirms their pre-determined position.

IÂ’m therefore sympathetic to the President in light of a similar action by John Stewart.

This is the problem we're gonna have with the growing number of Americans getting their news from this guy:

Thanks to Jon Stewart and a quick edit on last night's Daily Show, the sufferers of Bush Derangement Syndrome will surely jump on a comment President Bush made yesterday that "Mandela is dead."

Only, Bush didn't say that. He was actually making a point that he and Ambassador Crocker have made several times since the Petraeus/Crocker testimony:

There could be no "instant democracy in Iraq" because "people are still recovering from Saddam Hussein's brutal rule," Bush told reporters.

Referring to former South African president Nelson Mandela, who led the fight against apartheid to become a symbol of reconciliation and hope, Bush said of Iraq: "I heard somebody say, 'Now where's Mandela?'"

"Well, Mandela is dead. Because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas."

Of course, Stewart and the writers at the Daily Show knew this. There's no way they saw the "Mandela is dead" clip without seeing the context. But the facts got in the way of an easy political joke. And, Stewart has the nerve to get all self-righteous on "Crossfire?" Ha.

Clearly he said something entirely different than that cherry-picked quote implied – something that does make a difference to the message. But then again, we’ve long expected such intellectual dishonesty from too many Democrats.

Posted by: Greg at 11:27 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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So it would appear, according to Congressman Henry Waxman.

The Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles is devoted to Jewish culture. It is well funded, backed by a $100 million endowment thanks in large part to its founders, Jack Skirball and Audrey Skirball-Kenis. Revenues were $885 million in 2005, CBS News reported. Many of its executives receive 6-figure salaries.

So why did taxpayers have to pony up $550,000 to build a playground for Skirball?

The center is rolling in money and pays no taxes. Why should Joe Sixpack give a dime to some well-endowed cultural center?

Congressman Henry Waxman, D-Beverly Hills, thatÂ’s why. He is proud of his Jewish heritage. He used his position to get $550,000 for Skirball.

“The amount of money that the Skirball got for this project was very, very small. It was $550,000,” Waxman told CBS.

It’s nice to know that Congressman Waxman believes that a sum of money equivalent to the pay of all the teachers on my end of the hall constitutes a “very, very small” sum of money.

Kudos to Don Surber for pointing it out – and for linking to the article.

Posted by: Greg at 11:26 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Is implying that a teenager is a virgin defamatory? Has our society really sunk to such a level of depravity?

A Dallas family has sued Australia's Virgin Mobile phone company, claiming it caused their teenage daughter grief and humiliation by plastering her photo on billboards and Web site advertisements without consent.

The family of Alison Chang says Virgin Mobile grabbed the picture from Flickr, Yahoo Inc.'s popular photo-sharing Web site, and failed to credit by name the photographer who took the photo.

Chang's photo was part of a Virgin Mobile Australia campaign called "Are You With Us Or What?" It features pictures downloaded from Flickr superimposed with the company's ad slogans.

The picture of 16-year-old Chang flashing a peace sign was taken at an April church car wash by Alison's youth counselor, who posted it that day on his Flickr page, according to Alison's brother, Damon. In the ad, Virgin Mobile printed one of its campaign slogans, "Dump your pen friend," over Alison's picture.

The ad also says "Free text virgin to virgin" at the bottom.

The experience damaged Alison's reputation and exposed her to ridicule from her peers and scrutiny from people who can now Google her, the family charged in the lawsuit.

"It's the tag line; it's derogatory," said Damon Chang, 27. "A lot of her church friends saw it."

Now i'll agree that the use of the picture without credit or permission is probably actionable -- but I'm stunned by that last line. Calling a 16-year-old a virgin is derogatory? Her reputation has been harmed because people at her church have seen it? Are you kidding? What do they teach at that church?

I can certainly understand if they implied that she was sexually immoral -- but to argue that Virgin Mobile defamed Alison Chang for saying that she was not engaged in sexual activity seems to be a stretch. To argue that her reputation is damaged by calling her a virgin seems to indicate that she prefers to be known as sexually active, or even promiscuous. What does this say about her values and those of her family, church, and larger community?

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Posted by: Greg at 11:10 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Under no circumstances should this evil man be permitted to defile Ground Zero.

Iran's president has defied the United Nations Security Council and snubbed the Bush administration, but there is one authority he can't ignore: the New York Police Department.

The NYPD announced Thursday that it had turned down a request by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to lay a wreath at the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. The Iranian leader is to arrive in New York on Sunday for the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

The problem is that under the Host nation agreement signed by the US with the UN, world leaders must be permitted to travel more or less freely within 25 miles of the UN Headquarters -- and the host nation (that means us) must provide security.

Which means, of course, that the US Secret Service may be in the position of squaring off with NYPD to enforce the international obligation to permit the Iranian terrorist-sponsor to go to the site of the single worst terrorist attack in American history.

I personally agree with John McCain.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should be physically prevented from visiting Ground Zero should he attempt to go to the "sacred" site where the World Trade Center once stood, Arizona Sen. John McCain joked Thursday.

"I think the president of Iran should be physically restrained if necessary," a laughing McCain told radio host Shawn Wasson. "I hope it doesn't come to that but we're not going to have that kind of desecration of what is sacred ground. Obviously, it is a propaganda ploy on his part, and if we allowed him to do it it would just embolden his followers and give him the publicity he seeks."

If this evil man attempts to approach Ground Zero, American citizens ought to defend the sacred site from desecration by fully exercising the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights -- rights that Mahmoud the Mad denies his own people.

This is one more reason for demanding that our government repudiate the Host Nation Agreement, expel the UN from American soil, and and renounce membership in that corrupt organization (perhaps forming a new one, open only to free nations, in its place).

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More on Dem funny money.

Norman Hsu, the Democratic fund-raiser with a habit of fleeing the law, confessed to FBI agents last week that he had pressured investors in what he now admits were phony business deals to contribute to political campaigns, prosecutors said in an indictment that was unsealed today.

The complaint, filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, accused Mr. Hsu of bilking at least $60 million from hundreds of investors in a nationwide Ponzi scheme, and using some of that money to illegally reimburse at least two people who made a total of $60,000 in campaign donations at his request.

While the complaint did not specify which candidates received the illegal or coerced contributions, federal authorities confirmed that one of them was Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Her presidential campaign has said it intends to return $850,000 to more than 200 people whose donations were bundled by Mr. Hsu.

If convicted of the three charges he faces — mail fraud, wire fraud and violating the Federal Election Campaign Act —Mr. Hsu could face a maximum of 45 years in prison.

Will every candidate divest him or herself of ALL Hsu-related donations --and refuse to take any money from the donors associated with those funds? Or will they simply keep the revolving door of campaign corruption going.

Oh, yeah -- and will the media begin to treat this case with the same seriousness they do accusations of corruption against Republicans like Tom DeLay?

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Though I still suggest that appropriate charges be brought against the sponsors of the amendment and those who voted for it.

A proposal to cut off money for military operations in Iraq fell far short in the Senate this afternoon, a day after Democrats lost their best chance of changing the course of the war.

Legislation sponsored by Senators Russell D. Feingold, the Wisconsin Democrat who has been one of the fiercest critics of the Bush administration’s war policy, and Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic majority leader, received only 28 “yes” votes, 32 fewer than needed to cut off a Republican filibuster.

“A majority of the House and a majority of the Senate want to change the direction of the war in Iraq,” Mr. Reid said in a meeting with reporters beforehand. “We have voted accordingly on more than one occasion, in fact on many occasions. But the House having done their job, they come to the Senate and the Senate Republicans, the vast majority of them will not allow us to change the direction of the war in Iraq.”

The vote on the Feingold-Reid measure was entirely expected; in May, the Senate rejected a similar proposal by the two lawmakers by a similar margin.

However Reid's attempt to abandon American troops in the field of battle can only be deemed to b giving aid and comfort to the enemy in time of war, not "chang[ing] the direction of the war in Iraq."

I reiterate yesterday's observation.

I think that sponsoring of such legislation could legitimately be considered a violation of Article III, Section 3 of the US Constitution, and the provisions of Article I, Section 6, Clause 1 would seem to allow charges to be brought against Reid and Feingold for that violation, as that particular offense is specifically exempted from the immunity of legislators under the "Speech or Debate" clause.

Reid, Feingold, and those who voted in favor of the amendment ought to be charged and tried immediately.

Posted by: Greg at 10:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Columbia welcomes Mahmoud the Mad, but bans the founder of the Minutemen.

Because after all, it wouldnÂ’t do for a university to welcome a hostage-taking, Holocaust-denying, international law-violating, genocide-advocating anti-Semite.

Oh – they ARE welcoming that one.

President Ahmadinejad of Iran has accepted an invitation to speak at Columbia University on Monday afternoon at a forum sponsored by the university's School of International and Public Affairs, a spokesman for the university said last night.

The Iranian Mission to the United Nations requested the invitation through a professor in the Middle East department, Richard Bulliet, who is a specialist on Iran.

"Opportunities to hear, challenge, and learn from controversial speakers of different views are central to the education and training of students for citizenship in a shrinking and dangerous world," the dean of SIPA, John Coatsworth, said in a statement. Mr. Coastworth invited Mr. Ahmadinejad to kick off a series of lectures and events about Iran, he said in a statement. The president of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, is scheduled to introduce Mr. Ahmadinejad on Monday to an audience that will be made up exclusively of Columbia students, faculty, and a few invited guests.

Mr. Ahmadinejad was invited by SIPA to speak at Columbia last fall, but Mr. Bollinger revoked the invitation on the grounds that he could not ensure that the program would reflect the academic values of the university. In his talk on Monday, Mr. Ahmadinejad will field questions from the audience and from Mr. Bollinger on his government, as well as his views on Israel and the Holocaust. Mr. Ahmadinejad has stated in the past that Israel should be "wiped off the map" and that the Holocaust did not happen.

But on the other hand, it is not in keeping with the values of Columbia to allow an American who loves America to speak after he was driven from the stage by criminals for advocating the defense of American borders and the enforcement of American law.

Jim Gilchrist, founder of the anti-illegal immigration Minuteman Project who was forced off a Columbia University stage last year, will not be coming back for a return engagement at the school.

The Columbia Political Union, a nonpartisan student group that had been planning the forum, said in a statement on its Web site Tuesday that "it has become clear that this event cannot take the form we had originally hoped it would and could not effectively accomplish the goals we had hoped it might."

Last Oct. 4, Gilchrist had to cut short his talk at the school after students from the Chicano Caucus and other groups climbed on stage with banners denouncing the Minutemen Project, which is based in Laguna Hills, Calif., and advocates action to prevent illegal immigration from Mexico.

If Columbia were truly committed to freedom and the free presentation of ideas, Bollinger would be introducing Gilchrist at an officially hosted university forum, and Mahmoud the Mad would be driven from campus by outraged students.

But then again, this is a school which (contrary to the claim of a commenter on an earlier thread), does not permit ROTC to operate on its campus.

As Columbia welcomes Ahmadinejad to campus, Columbia students who want to serve their country cannot enroll in the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) at Columbia. Columbia students who want to enroll in ROTC must travel to other universities to fulfill their obligations. ROTC has been banned from the Columbia campus since 1969. In 2003, a majority of polled Columbia students supported reinstating ROTC on campus. But in 2005, when the Columbia faculty senate debated the issue, President Bollinger joined the opponents in defeating the effort to invite ROTC back on campus.

So got that -- there is no place at Columbia for patriots -- but terrorists and other enemies of America are more than welcome.

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After all, she is married to Jabba the Hutt.

"Vice President Cheney came up to see the Republicans yesterday. You can always tell when the Republicans are getting restless, because the Vice PresidentÂ’s motorcade pulls into the Capitol, and Darth Vader emerges," Hillary Clinton said just now at a $100-a-head fundraiser at Town Hall near New York's Times Square, referring to Cheney's efforts shore up Republican congressional support for the Iraq war.

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Proof that anyone can sue over anything.

Dan Rather, whose career at CBS News ground to an inglorious end 15 months ago over his role in an unsubstantiated report questioning President BushÂ’s Vietnam-era National Guard service, filed a lawsuit this afternoon against the network, its corporate parent and three of his former superiors.

Mr. Rather, 75, asserts that the network violated his contract by giving him insufficient airtime on “60 Minutes” after forcing him to step down as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” in March 2005. He also contends that the network committed fraud by commissioning a “biased” and incomplete investigation of the flawed Guard broadcast and, in the process, “seriously damaged his reputation.”

That is sure a hoot -- a charge of biased and incomplete reporting from a journalistic hack like Dan Rather, who ran a hit piece on the President and continued to defend it after the documents involved were conclusively proven to be fraudulent! Dan Rather damaged his own reputation -- CBS simply engaged in damage control -- unsuccessfully, I might add.

Posted by: Greg at 10:31 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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That old Kluxer Robert Byrd tols us some time back that the filibuster was a sacred thing -- positively a sacrament when Democrats used it to obstruct qualified conservative judges and civil rights legislation protecting uppity black folks from the likes of him. His Democrat colleagues and their fellow-travelers all agreed. That's why I find Kevin Drum's whining to be so amusingly hypocritical.

.I see that Republicans have successfully filibustered two more bills today: one to give a House seat to the District of Columbia (57-42) and one to restore habeas corpus rights to terrorism suspects (56-43).

That seems like a good excuse to rerun this chart that McClatchy put together a couple of months ago. As you can see, Republicans aren't just obstructing legislation at normal rates. They're obstructing legislation at three times the usual rate. They're absolutely desperate to keep this stuff off the president's desk, where the only choice is to either sign it or else take the blame for a high-profile veto.

The GOP blocked two bad bills -- one of them clearly unconstitutional. But even if these bills were pure as the driven snow, Drum and his ilk insisted in the last couple of years that the filibuster was an important tool in the American political system when used against the GOP. How can they complain now when Republicans use it to frustrate the least popular Congress ever?

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And is the accusation an example of racism from a so-called "civil rights leader".

Jesse Jackson reportedly ripped presidential candidate Barack Obama for "acting like he's white," according to The State newspaper in South Carolina, but the civil rights leader says he doesn't recall making any such comment.

Jackson, who endorsed Obama for president in March, reportedly blasted the Illinois senator for failing to bring attention to the case of six black kids arrested on attempted murder charges in Jena, La.

He later told the newspaper that he did not remember making the remark, but State reporter Roddie Burris told FOX News that Jackson's "acting like he's white" comment came during a 45-minute, one-on-one interview Tuesday after an hour-long speech at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C. Burris said he stands by his report.

The original article can be found here.

I suppose I would give Jesse a pass, except for teh fact that he has a long history of racist comments and has engaged in a pattern of self-dealing "economic justice campaigns" that have lined his own pockets and those of his family and close associates while doing nothing to help the black community as a whole. Not to mention stealing from his tax-exempt to cover up his fathering of a bastard by a close aide. Somehow, the Democrats don't find this nearly as troubling as shoe-tapping by Larry Craig.

But let's be clear -- the old corrupt race-hustler still supports Obama.

"I reaffirm my commitment to vote for Sen. Barack Obama," Jackson says in the statement. "He has remarkably transcended race, however the impact of Katrina and Jena makes America's unresolved moral dilemma of race unavoidable. I think Jena is another defining moment of the issue of race and the criminal justice system. This issue requires direct and bold leadership. I commend Sen. Obama for speaking out and demanding fairness on this defining issue. Any attempt to dilute my support for Sen. Obama will not succeed."

Personally, I think Obama needs to repudiate Jackson and his politics of racial division -- but we all know that ain't gonna happen.

Posted by: Greg at 10:14 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Are you looking for a great deal on a cellular phone in the UK? Are you trying to find the best mobile phone contracts? Did you know that there are 12 months free line rental offers out there, often including a free phone, that will allow you to get your cellular phone service for nothing or mighty close to it!

Where can you find 12 months free line rental contracts? Well, you have to look closely at online mobile phone shops like FreeLineRentalMobiles.co.uk, which has all variety of deals that include free phones, free service, or heavy discounts. I’ll be honest – I wish that we Americans had the deals that you Brits have! You certainly have the cheapest mobile phone deals I have seen. I wish they were available internationally.

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If they cannot force a pell-mell retreat from Iraq because there is actually a victory in sight, the Democrats seem intent upon simply abandoning the troops in the field by cutting off their funding.

The Senate also planned to vote on legislation by Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Reid, D-Nev., that would cut off funding for combat next year.

Got that -- the Senate Majority Leader is sponsoring a bill to eliminate funding for soldiers on the field of battle during time of war.

I think that sponsoring of such legislation could legitimately be considered a violation of Article III, Section 3 of the US Constitution, and the provisions of Article I, Section 6, Clause 1 would seem to allow charges to be brought against Reid and Feingold for that violation, as that particular offense is specifically exempted from the immunity of legislators under the "Speech or Debate" clause.

Anyone want to tell me again how the Democrats "support the troops"?

NOTE TO ANDREW SULLIVAN: Now you see why the President cannot gather opponents into his cabinet, any more than Lincoln could invite Copperheads into his his inner circle during the Civil War.

H/T Don Surber

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There are a lot of blogs out there about making money online. As with most blogs, some are good, while others leave a lot to be desired. One I've noticed that seems to have some potential is AndrewTalk.com, which seems to focus on affiliate programs, increasing page rank, and SecondLife. AndrewTalk.com is clearly written and offers a review of a number of reviews on these topics that clearly and succinctly evaluate what is going on with various affiliate programs. Still, my favorite is about a simple method of ensuring that your blog pings all the major services when you update. – a sure way to generate more traffic and increase your page rank. So while AndrewTalk.com is new, I’d have to say that I have already found it a worthwhile read. Drop by and look for yourself!

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Because i cannot imagine any other circumstances under which someone would do something this incredibly stupid.

Snake collector Matt Wilkinson of Portland grabbed a 20-inch rattler from the highway near Maupin, and three weeks later, to impress his ex-girlfriend, he stuck the serpent in his mouth.

He was soon near death with a swollen tongue that blocked his throat. Trauma doctors at the Oregon Health and Science University saved his life.

"You can assume alcohol was involved," he said. Actually, not just beer. It was something he called a "mixture of stupid stuff."

Calls from cable network television stations poured in Tuesday, when he still had sore muscles and nerves from the venom.

It happened at a barbecue with friends.

Wilkinson, 23, had downed a six-pack and his ex-girlfriend asked him for a beer. He handed her one, not realizing the snake was also in his hand.

"She said, 'Get that thing out of my face,'" Wilkinson said. "I told her it was a nice snake. 'Nothing can happen. Watch.'"

So he stuck the snake in his mouth.

"It got a hold of my tongue," he said.

This should have been a case of Darwin in action.

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As much as I personally despise Joe Trippi (dating back to the Howard Dean campaign and the shabby way he and other campaign officials treated my wife), I have to agree with his statements on behalf of the Edwards Campaign about this Hillary Clinton fundraiser.

The campaigns of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards traded pointed criticisms yesterday over Mrs. ClintonÂ’s use of a Washington luncheon for fund-raising.

The confrontation started with Mr. Edwards’s campaign attacking Mrs. Clinton’s $1,000-a-person luncheon and continued as her camp dismissed the broadside as signs of a “flagging campaign.”

At the luncheon, Mrs. Clinton and congressmen met donors to discuss domestic security.

Joe Trippi, a senior adviser to Mr. Edwards, made his criticism in a fund-raising e-mail message that said the luncheon highlighted how Mrs. Clinton was a “corporate Democratic insider” and that the event was a “poster child” for “what is wrong in Washington.”

“There isn’t an American outside of Washington who would not be sickened” by the event, Mr. Trippi said. It was held at the Washington office of Jones Day, the large international law firm.

Simply put, if this were a Republican holding this luncheon for lobbyists at a law firm known for its lobbying activities, would any of the Democrats, Hillary Clinton included, view it as acceptable? We know the answer.

And given Hillary's other ethical lapses in raising money, this simply raises another red flag.

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Here's one that is -- literally -- out of this world.

NASA posted a hiring notice for new astronauts Tuesday, seeking for the first time in almost 30 years men and women to fly aboard spacecraft other than the shuttle.

The pilots, scientists, engineers and educators that NASA recruits will train primarily for three- to six-month missions aboard the international space station. However, some could be among those who stroll on the surface of the moon as part of NASA's plan to return human explorers to the lunar surface by 2020 aboard the shuttle fleet's successor spacecraft.

"Yes, I think it's quite likely," said Ellen Ochoa, who supervises NASA's astronaut corps as the director of flight crew operations at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

There are 10 to 15 openings.

here are the requirements.

ASTRONAUT JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Must be a U.S. citizen between 5-foot-2 and 6-foot-3 in height (to squeeze into Russia's three-passenger Soyuz capsule).

• At least a bachelor's degree in engineering, a biological or physical science, or mathematics; and three years of relevant professional experience.

• Vision correctable to

20/20. For the first time, the space agency will consider applicants who have undergone successful refractive eye surgery.

Being too old, too fat, and too far outside the educational requirements, I don't think I'll make the effort to apply. However, I wish those who apply good luck -- and hope that a few of the younger folks from church who work at NASA put their applications in.

And I can't wait to see those selected lead teh next generation of space exploration.

Posted by: Greg at 10:09 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Here is a story that leaves me troubled, while at the same time also strikes me to be a natural part of the progression of things.

When every known speaker of the language Amurdag gets together, there's still no one to talk to. Native Australian Charlie Mungulda is the only person alive known to speak that language, one of thousands around the world on the brink of extinction. From rural Australia to Siberia to Oklahoma, languages that embody the history and traditions of people are dying, researchers said Tuesday.

While there are an estimated 7,000 languages spoken around the world today, one of them dies out about every two weeks, according to linguistic experts struggling to save at least some of them.

Five hotspots where languages are most endangered were listed Tuesday in a briefing by the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages and the National Geographic Society.

In addition to northern Australia, eastern Siberia and Oklahoma and the U.S. Southwest, many native languages are endangered in South America — Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Bolivia — as well as the area including British Columbia, and the states of Washington and Oregon.

Losing languages means losing knowledge, says K. David Harrison, an assistant professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College.

"When we lose a language, we lose centuries of human thinking about time, seasons, sea creatures, reindeer, edible flowers, mathematics, landscapes, myths, music, the unknown and the everyday."

All that is true, but is it necessarily an unnatural occurrence? Throughout history, languages have become extinct as others, used by larger and more powerful neighbors, have overwhelmed them. Yes, it is a sort of cultural imperialism, but it is also the price of peoples being able to communicate with each other. This is especially true of languages like Amurdag. Other than from a scholarly interest, do we really benefit from making an effort to save them, when in contemporary society there are only a handful of speakers left?

Why the loss of such languages?

Some endangered languages vanish in an instant, at the death of the sole surviving speaker. Others are lost gradually in bilingual cultures, as indigenous tongues are overwhelmed by the dominant language at school, in the marketplace and on television.

Modern communication and education. We live in an age of instantaneous electronic communication. A handful of languages have become the standards. Will we find, two centuries from now, that most folks communicate in English, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic? Won't the internet and other forms of mass media necessarily bring that about -- especially as educational systems prepare children for a future in which a global community needs knowledge of global languages?

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