Yesterday I noted a possible bargain between Musharraf and Bhutto to get the general out of the Army and the political leader out of exile. Will it happen now?

Pakistan's Election Commission yesterday changed the country's voting rules to open the way for President Pervez Musharraf to seek a new five-year term without giving up his powerful position of army chief.

Opposition parties decried the move as a violation of the constitution and accused the U.S.-allied leader of trying to bulldoze legal obstacles to his hold on power amid increasing demands for an end to military rule. They predicted a surge in democracy protests, which have already shaken the president's hold on power.

The ruling was likely to end up before the Supreme Court, which has proved an impediment to Gen. Musharraf this year.

Captain Ed sounds optimistic at this point, based upon the arguments made before Pakistan's Supreme Court.

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf will give up his post of army chief if he is re-elected president and will be sworn in for a new term as a civilian, his lawyer told the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

I'm less hopeful, given his flouting of the decision of the Pakistani Supreme Court just last week by sending Nawaz Sharif into exile after that body had ruled he could return to Pakistan.

Time will tell -- and Washington needs to apply pressure.

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What they can't get legitimately, they are seeking to acquire by holding Judge Michael Mukasey hostage before the Judiciary Committee.

Two Senate Democrats warned Monday that the Judiciary Committee would delay confirmation of President BushÂ’s choice for attorney general unless the White House turned over documents that the panel was seeking for several investigations.

* * *

But two Democrats who will have a powerful say over whether Mr. Mukasey gets confirmed — Senators Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont and Charles E. Schumer of New York — vowed on Monday to use the nomination to extract information from a reluctant White House.

“All I want is the material we need to ask some questions about the former attorney general’s conduct, on torture and warrantless wiretapping, so we can legitimately ask, ‘Here’s what was done in the past, what will you do?”’ Mr. Leahy, the Judiciary Committee chairman, said.

Already, the New York Times is making noise about the appointment. This despite the fact that until last week Mukasey was the darling of the Democrats. Now that he has been appointed, the NYT finds aspects of his record that are "troubling".

In particular, they are complaining about the shift of leadership at the Justice Department from Solicitor General Paul Clement to Peter Keisler

Mr. Bush also announced yesterday that he was replacing Acting Attorney General Paul Clement, who was to serve until the Senate confirmed Mr. GonzalesÂ’s successor, with Peter Keisler, a hard-line movement conservative. Mr. BushÂ’s sleight of hand in installing Mr. Keisler is an unfortunate indication that he intends to keep the department politicized for as long as he can.

However, as Hugh Hewitt noted on his show yesterday, there is a reason for the change -- as Solicitor General, Clement is in charge of arguing cases before the US Supreme Court when the federal government is a party. The new term opens October 1, and the Solicitor General has several cases to present early in the term. Dividing his attention between those cases and the running of the Justice Department would be a bad move, hence the shift in responsibility. It signals nothing about a newly confrontational move by the President.

However, if the Democrats are out to play hardball, the President needs to do the same. If there is an unreasonable delay in confirming Mukasey, a recess appointment is in order -- making Ted Olson the Attorney General, as he so richly deserves.

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They've got the incident on tape.

A profanity-filled audio recording, apparently of O. J. Simpson and others during the incident last week that led to his arrest, surfaced online today.

In the 38-second recording, the voice of a man identified as Mr. Simpson by TMZ.com, the Web site where it is posted, is heard repeatedly telling others not to let anyone out of the room and accusing those present of stealing his property and trying to sell it.

Mr. Simpson is being held without bail on six felony charges stemming from the incident; a bail hearing is now scheduled for early Wednesday morning in Clark County Justice Court before Judge Ann Zimmerman. The judge may conduct the hearing in person or by videoconference.

Two sports memorabilia collectors and dealers have told the police that Mr. Simpson and five other men stormed into their hotel room at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino, about a mile from the Las Vegas Strip, on Thursday evening and robbed them at gunpoint.

I don't know about you, but I've always understood that holding someone against their will -- especially if at gunpoint -- a felony?

Here's where you can find the recording -- in both censored and uncensored versions.

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After two years of marginalizing its top writers, the New York Times is ending TimeSelect, its pay for access service. Many of us projected that it would ultimately fail due to the amount of free content available on the Web.

But what is amusing to me is that the NYT claims it was a success!

The New York Times will stop charging for access to parts of its Web site, effective at midnight Tuesday night.

The move comes two years to the day after The Times began the subscription program, TimesSelect, which has charged $49.95 a year, or $7.95 a month, for online access to the work of its columnists and to the newspaperÂ’s archives. TimesSelect has been free to print subscribers to The Times and to some students and educators.

In addition to opening the entire site to all readers, The Times will also make available its archives from 1987 to the present without charge, as well as those from 1851 to 1922, which are in the public domain. There will be charges for some material from the period 1923 to 1986, and some will be free.

The Times said the project had met expectations, drawing 227,000 paying subscribers — out of 787,000 over all — and generating about $10 million a year in revenue.

“But our projections for growth on that paid subscriber base were low, compared to the growth of online advertising,” said Vivian L. Schiller, senior vice president and general manager of the site, NYTimes.com.

Yeah -- we simply weren't ging to pay for acces. It is why I haven't bothered commenting on Rich, Brooks, Krugman or Dowd for the last couple of years -- I don't consider them worth paying for, and I can't imagine finding them worth paying for.

The paper recognized that folks like me dominate the internet, because it found it necessary to end TimeSelect so that it could move to a more future-oriented business model in which it maximizes advertising revenue -- an important goal, given the fall in its print-subscriber base.

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There is just something about cedar. It is beautiful, and has that wonderful smell that is so intoxicating. And it is durable, too. That is why so many folks have cedar outdoor furniture.

CedarStore.com produces and sells a full line of outdoor furniture to suit any taste.

Personally, I like this Red Cedar Southern English Garden Glider. Made of durable red cedar, it blends both the class of an English garden with the comfort of a down-home southern porch. We have a swing out in the yard, but when the sun starts to beat down, it would be nice to have a glider in the shade to sit and rock in comfort. And not only is the price of this item quite reasonable, there is free shipping on it (and all furniture) as well!

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Can an individual commit a hate crime against a member of a group of people of which he himself is a part? That interesting question has now arisen in a New York case in which the state is already arguing that one need not be motivated by hatred to commit a hate crime.

One of the defendants accused of killing a gay man in Brooklyn last year because of his sexual orientation offered a startling courtroom revelation yesterday: He, too, is gay.

So said the lawyer for Anthony Fortunato, 21, one of four men accused of chasing a gay man to his death on the Belt Parkway during a robbery on Oct. 8, 2006.

All along, homosexuality has defined the case. Prosecutors have used it as a sword, seeking heavier sentences for a hate crime.

As the trial began in Brooklyn Supreme Court yesterday, Mr. FortunatoÂ’s lawyer, Gerald J. Di Chiara, sought to use sexual orientation as a shield. Without much explanation of how he planned to introduce this fact or turn it to his advantage, Mr. Di Chiara offered it to the jury in his opening argument. Not only was Mr. Fortunato gay, Mr. Di Chiara said, but so was the main prosecution witness, Gary Timmins, 17, who has pleaded guilty to attempted robbery in exchange for his testimony.

In fact, Mr. Di Chiara continued, Mr. Fortunato had planned to tell his friends of his sexual orientation on the night in question. Luring a gay man out to a secluded lot in Sheepshead Bay was part of that plan, Mr. Di Chiara said.

Again, we find ourselves facing the question of whether the status of the criminal or the victim should be used to enhance a penalty for a crime. As I've argued all along, the answer should almost always be no -- and in this case, the muddling of group identity makes the lines even more interesting. Why don't we simply stick with the principle of equal justice for all individuals under the law -- and stick a needle in the arm of all these mooks for the death of Michael J. Sandy during the commission of a felony?

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Oh, yes, there is one other reason I love it -- it reminds me of the one my wife wore at our wedding.

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And I won't put the blame on John Kerry, though I believe he should have been much more forceful than his statement that he would answer the question. Indeed, I believe he should have insisted that the young man not be arrested.

U.S. Sen. John Kerry's speech at the University of Florida came to a dramatic close Monday, shortly after a vocal audience member was hauled off by police and shot with a Taser gun.

The audience member was preliminarily identified by UF officials as Andrew Meyer, a UF student in the College of Journalism and Communications.

Toward the conclusion of Kerry's UF forum, Meyer approached an open microphone at the University Auditorium and demanded Kerry answer his questions. The student claimed that University Police Department officers had already threatened to arrest him, and then proceeded to question Kerry about why he didn't contest the 2004 presidential election and why there had been no moves to impeach President Bush.

A minute or so into what became a combative diatribe, Meyer's microphone was turned off and officers began trying to physically remove him from the auditorium. Meyer flailed his arms, yelling as police tried to restrain him.

He was then pushed to the ground by six officers, at which point Meyer yelled, "What have I done? What I have I done? Get away from me. Get off of me! What did I do? ... Help me! Help."

Police threatened to user a Taser on Meyer if he did not "comply," but he continued to resist being handcuffed. He was then Tased, which prompted him to scream and writhe in pain on the floor of the auditorium.

Here's the video, so you can make your own judgement.

The incident is rather disturbing to me, because I don't see why the cops moved in (or why the organizers might have sought to have Meyer removed. Granted, he is nutty enough to be a part of the Truther Brigade or the Ron Paul Campaign, but did anything he did rise to the level of an offense meriting this level of action. Indeed, as I watch the video I can't find an answer to his pleading question -- "What did I do?"

Posted by: Greg at 03:20 PM | Comments (18) | Add Comment
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I asked a question yesterday, following the arrest of OJailed Simpson.

An interesting question arises, though. To what degree can the 1994 murders be taken into account at sentencing -- OJ was found not guilty in the criminal trial, but legally culpable in the civil trial. Can the latter be used as evidence of a history of criminal activity (especially when paired with is abuse of Nicole) to move his sentence to the higher end of the range?

Well, I got an answer today over at the Volokh Conspiracy, courtesy of Eugene Volokh himself.

The gist of the answer? Yes -- and so can the criminal case itself, despite the acquittal.

Simpson has been found guilty by a civil jury of killing his ex-wife and Ron Goldman. (If I'm not mistaken, the jury's award of punitive damages involved a finding of guilt by clear and convincing evidence, though I don't think this is necessary to my analysis.) It's possible -- I'm not sure -- that a judge could simply rely on this past finding; but a judge could certainly enter such a finding himself based on his own review of the evidence.

And given this finding about Simpson's past conduct and therefore his moral character, the judge would be legally allowed to impose a higher sentence than he would on a typical robber, burglar, or what have you. I'm not sure whether a judge would indeed act this way; but the federal Constitution would let him act this way if he so chose.

In other words, we may be seeing OJailed getting the entire 30 years if he is convicted on all counts. And since he is 60 now, that would pretty well constitute a life sentence. Ron and Nicole may get some justice after all.

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Upholding the rule of law is not high on the liberal agenda if it gets in the way of passing laws to benefit their special interest groups.

If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger goes through with his expected veto of San Francisco Assemblyman Mark Leno's measure to allow same-sex marriage in California, it's almost guaranteed the governor will say he's following "the will of the people."

That's the argument the Republican governor made two years ago when he rejected a similar measure. Although Schwarzenegger hasn't taken an official position on the new bill, he made clear in February that he did not intend to sign it.

"I don't want, as the governor, to go against the will of the people," Schwarzenegger said at an event put on by the YMCA, but added: "If it goes back on the ballot, the people can make the decision."

The Legislature approved the bill Sept. 7, and the governor has until Oct. 14 to sign or veto the measure.

Foes of same-sex marriage argue, along with Schwarzenegger, that California voters made their decision in March 2000, when Proposition 22, the protection of marriage initiative, was approved by a landslide 61 to 39 percent. The 14-word measure, which conservative and religious groups placed on the ballot, said simply, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

But times have changed in seven years, say supporters of Leno's bill, and voters now have elected a solid majority of legislators who want to make same-sex marriage legal in California.

"The people are speaking through their elected representatives," said Seth Kilbourn, political director for Equality California, a group backing the measure. "We want the governor to keep up with the will of the people and show the type of bipartisan leadership that he has shown on so many other issues."

Now the supporters of gay marriage insist that the will of the people has changed, at least according to the polls and the will of the legislators they have elected. But in making that claim, the insist upon the right to directly overturn a vote of the people -- and violate the California Constitution.

CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 2 VOTING, INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM, AND RECALL SEC. 10.

(c) The Legislature may amend or repeal referendum statutes. It may amend or repeal an initiative statute by another statute that becomes effective only when approved by the electors unless the initiative statute permits amendment or repeal without their approval.

In other words, a vote of the people in favor of permitting gay marriage is necessary before the bill passed by the legislature can go into effect. If it were not, any vote of the people could be overturned after the next legislative election cycle was completed. In effect, the initiative and referendum process would be a farce because every proposition would require re-passage every election cycle to remain valid.

And as I pointed out two years ago, there is also an inherent problem with the argument that "time has passed and the electorate has changed" argument. Taken to its logical extreme, even Constitutional provisions themselves could be disregarded with impunity, making no pretense of upholding the constitutional processes for instituting such changes.

Supporters of the legislation, of course, don't want a little thing like constitutional law to get in the way of getting what they want. Take this argument.

The legislature didn't "derail" any vote. Proposition 22 was not voted on by the current California populace. Many of those who voted on Prop 22 are now dead, massive amounts of new voters have entered the pool and in the 5 years since that legislation passed many voters have changed their mind (according to polling data). It is the new California voting population who decided (AFTER Prop 22) that these current politicians (the ones who passed the equality bill) were fit to represent them. Now these politicians have done what they were elected to do and if anybody is "derailing" the will of the CURRENT voting population of California it is Schwarzenegger.

Unfortunately for the owner of that blog, it makes as much sense to argue that as it does to argue that Congress could reinstitute slavery without repealing the Thirteenth Amendment, since they represent the will of the people today and the Thirteenth Amendment represents the will of the people 140 years ago. Any rational person recognizes the flaw in both the posters original argument and the hypothetical I put forth -- both situations would ignore the process mandated by the respective constitutions to take the course of action in question.

I think the danger of such a scheme is obvious. Any pol with a poll could render any law or constitutional provision null and void without a real showing of popular support for the change.

The sad part is that Mark Leno and his colleagues did (and still do) have a mechanism available to repeal Proposition 22. All thy have to do is pass their legislation with a section authorizing the required popular vote on the repeal of Proposition 22. If, as they claim, the will of the people has changed in the last seven years, the repeal of Proposition 22 would be a snap. On the other hand, their refusal to include such a repeal vote in their bill is evidence that their dedication to the will of the people NOW is seriously lacking.

Indeed, Leno acknowledges that he does not particularly care what the people of the state of California want in regards to gay marriage.

"Civil rights for any group should never be put to a vote of the people. This is how we prevent the tyranny of the majority over the minority."

Ah, but is gay marriage a civil right. Most folks would argue that it is not, and the idea that it is one is a new and novel formulation. And under Leno's rubric, any group can claim any practice to be a civil right outside the purview of legislation or popular vote. Polygamy? Incest? Pre-pubescent marriage? Incestuous pre-pubescent polygamous gay marriage (yes, I'm being intentionally absurd there)? On what legitimate basis could one make a distinction between a valid civil rights claim and a spurious one upon which the people or the legislature could make law? Leno's argument fails because there is no clear or principled basis upon which to make legitimate distinctions as to teh power of the people or the legislature to act.

Which brings us back to the initial point of the article. Arnold Schwarzenegger is likely to veto the legislation in question. The California legislature can, and I would argue should, act to fix the bill by adding a repeal referendum to it and sending the revised legislation for the the governor's signature. At that point, the will of the people of California today could truly be known.

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Posted by: Greg at 12:59 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Whose service do you find more credible?

Frankly, it takes a willing suspension of disbelief to put any faith in the junior Senator from New York.

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Posted by: Greg at 10:29 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The Iranian president has clearly and repeatedly violated the Genocide Convention with his statements about Israel and Jews. This grows out of a call issued last year that he should be indicted and tried for inciting genocide. Romney's letter is as follows.

To His Excellency Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,

With the disturbing news that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmandinejad is planning to address the United Nations General Assembly next week, I call on the United Nations to revoke any invitation to President Ahmadinejad to address the General Assembly. The only way he should be greeted in the United States is with an indictment under the Genocide Convention.

The Iranian regime under President Ahmadinejad has spoken openly about wiping Israel off the map, has fueled Hezbollah’s terror campaign in the region and around the world, and defied the world community in its pursuit of nuclear weapons – capabilities that make these threats even more ominous. As General Petraeus testified last week, Iran is also supporting Shia militia extremists and violence that is taking the lives of American soldiers and undermining the Iraqi government.

A failure by the United Nations to take a strong stand against IranÂ’s President Ahmadinejad would be especially disturbing given the United NationsÂ’ record of failure to prevent genocide in other circumstances and the failure of the United Nations Human Rights Council to confront the Iranian regime and others among the worldÂ’s worst human rights abusers. Failure to act would mean that the United States must reconsider its level of support and funding for the United Nations as we look to rebuild and revitalize effective international partnerships to meet 21st century threats.

If President Ahmadinejad sets foot in the United States, he should be handed an indictment under the Genocide Convention. This approach has been called for by experts as diverse as Nobel Prize Winner Elie Wiesel, human rights advocate and former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton and law professor Alan Dershowitz.

The United States and the world must take a strong stand against the terrorist Iranian regime and the time for action is now.

Sincerely,

Mitt Romney

Will other candidates, both Republican and Democrat, join Mitt Romney in taking a stand? And will all of them, including Romney, commit to the principle that the Host Country Agreement between the UN and the US does not require that the US recognize the sovereign immunity of heads of states who have committed crimes against humanity?

Posted by: Greg at 10:21 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I'm sure Judge Mukasey is well-qualified, and he is an adviser to Rudy Giuliani's campaign, but I still believe the President should have fought for Ted Olson.

President Bush plans to choose Michael B. Mukasey, a former federal judge who was nominated to the bench by Ronald Reagan, to replace Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Republicans close to the process told The Politico.

"It came down to confirmability," said a former Justice Department official involved in the conversations.

Conservatives had been rooting for former Solicitor General Theodore B. (Ted) Olson, but Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) vowed Wednesday to block his confirmation.

"The White House seems like they don't want a confirmation fight," said a Republican close to the selection process. "They think this guy is bulletproof from the left."

Frankly, I'm troubled on two levels. First, Bush should not have given in to the Democrats. Second, he should not have picked someone suggested by Democrat leaders. The Chuck Schumer seal of approval does not inspire confidence on my part.

Still, I won't rebel against the nomination -- but just don't expect me to show much enthusiasm for it.

MORE AT Blogs for Bush, Captain's Quarters, Don Surber

UPDATE: Captain Ed is reporting that Schumer is backing away from his support of Mukasey. In light of that, why not push for Olson?

Posted by: Greg at 10:00 PM | Comments (77) | Add Comment
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Looks like Musharraf is out as head of the army.

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf plans to stand down as army chief by 15 November, an official from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) says.

Gen Musharraf will resign from the powerful post after the presidential elections, said Mushahid Hussain Sayed, the PML's secretary general.

He is seeking re-election by parliament before its term expires in mid-October.

Pakistan's Supreme Court meanwhile is debating his right to remain army chief if he stands for president again.

There has been no confirmation from Gen Musharraf himself about his intentions.

It is unclear if this is part of a power-sharing deal with Benazir Bhutto. And unfortunately, this situation does nothing about the arrest and exile of former PM Nawaz Sharif in defiance of the Pakistani Supreme Court.

Posted by: Greg at 09:47 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Some scattered bits of information since yesterday's post.

First, the charges.

Police charged Simpson with two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count each of conspiracy to commit burglary and burglary with a firearm. He was booked last night in the Clark County Detention Center; a judge ordered him held without bail.

At a news conference last night, police said there were no indications that Simpson was carrying a weapon during the alleged robbery, nor was there evidence of physical harm to anyone in the episode.

It is those conspiracy charges that will get Simpson, because they make him responsible for any of the actions that went on among any of his co-conspirators. That means that he is responsible for the drawn gun, whether he was armed or not.

Second, there is some question about the ownership of the items taken.

Police said they were not sure who owned the memorabilia. But they say the manner in which the goods were taken was under investigation.

"Whether or not the property belonged to Mr. Simpson or not is still in debate," Lt. Clint Nichols said Sunday. "Having said that, the manner in which this property was taken, we have a responsibility to look into that, irregardless of who the property belonged to."

I'm willing to bet that those dealers all have some sort of records indicating that they purchased these items, making it relatively more difficult for Simpson to prove that the items are his -- and given how they were taken by Simpson and his crew, the ownership issue is irrelevant. You can't go in with guns drawn to recover your property.

And the specific items taken are not just OJ items.

“It included a lot of sports memorabilia and most of it and had been signed by Mr. Simpson himself along with some other property,” Lieutenant Nichols said. “I believe there were some Joe Montana cleats, some signed baseballs and some other stuff.”

Makes it somewhat harder to argue that he was just taking back his own items. Joe Montana cleats? Baseballs? Do tell how these were acquired -- especially with that judgment still hanging over Simpson's head.

This case should be fun to watch, as the Las Vegas cops have gone out of their way to dot every i and cross every t.

Posted by: Greg at 09:28 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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And I do condemn it.

Police and the FBI are investigating after someone shot through the door of a mosque during Ramadan, a monthlong religious celebration involving dawn-to-dusk fasting, prayer and charity.

The bullet pierced the top aluminum frame of a glass entry door at The Islamic Center of South Texas on Friday afternoon.

Witnesses said they heard two gunshots, but investigators have found evidence of only one shot hitting the mosque, Corpus Christi police Cmdr. Jesse Garcia said.

"We're sure it's a high-caliber weapon, based on the damage," Garcia said.

Pieces of the bullet have been recovered for testing, but police have yet to name any suspects and haven't determined whether the incident is a hate crime.

Osama Bahloul, the spiritual leader of the mosque, is among about 600 members of the center who are celebrating Ramadan.

"We hope this is the end of it," he said. "But we are genuinely concerned about our people. We have a large number of children here this month, and if he or she did this again someone could be killed."

Bahloul said the center will install video cameras and members have been reminded to be aware of their surroundings.

Police have searched flower beds at an apartment complex across the street from the mosque and FBI agents went door to door to interview possible witnesses.

The FBI is adding $5,000 to the Crime Stoppers reward to bring it to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case, FBI spokeswoman Patricia Villafranca said.

Most Muslims are decent people, and are entitled to freely exercise their human right to worship. Such acts of violence are not merely immoral, but are also an assault on our Constitutional values. I urge others to speak out against this incident as well.

Does this contradict my condemnation of those who wage jihad against the United States and other non-Muslim peoples? Hardly, but I am certain that emulating their crimes against the innocent is precisely the wrong way to stop them.

Posted by: Greg at 12:22 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Couldn't happen to a "nicer" guy.

O.J. Simpson was arrested Sunday on charges related to the armed robbery of Simpson sports memorabilia from a Las Vegas hotel room, Las Vegas police said Sunday.

Lead investigator Lt. Clint Nichols said Sunday that Simpson, 60, had played a "substantial role" in the incident and that in earlier interviews with the police, Simpson had provided information that "changed the course of the investigation."

Nichols said Simpson was taken into custody at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas hotel where he was staying without incident. Several police officers were seen entering the hotel; a security guard said police took Simpson out a side door shortly after.

Bail is expected to be set during an arraignment by video Monday morning.

Earlier Sunday, Las Vegas police seized two firearms and arrested another man allegedly involved in the robbery, authorities said Sunday.

An interesting question arises, though. To what degree can the 1994 murders be taken into account at sentencing -- OJ was found not guilty in the criminal trial, but legally culpable in the civil trial. Can the latter be used as evidence of a history of criminal activity (especially when paired with is abuse of Nicole) to move his sentence to the higher end of the range?

H/T Stop the ACLU, Pirate's Cove, Don Surber, Speed of Thought, Patterico, SoCalPundit

Posted by: Greg at 10:32 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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And no, not based upon your personal faith or lack thereof. Based upon the nature of Western Culture, and America in particular, built upon the foundation of the ministry and mission of Jesus Christ.

I don't know what went through her mind and why she would think that was cutting edge or even funny. But first, I want to actually show you that, in fact, Kathy Griffin is wrong. Jesus had everything to do with her winning that award. And here's the reasoning.

Jesus died on a cross 2,000 years ago. His dying words were, "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do." He died and they buried him in a rock cut tomb. Three days later, as the Bible says, he rose from the dead. That day is what Christians celebrate as Easter.

After the resurrection, Christianity began to take off like wildfire, spreading from the Middle East northward to Europe and westward into Ethiopia. In 300 A.D. Emperor Constantine accepted Christianity and it beccame the religion of Europe. Rome soon became the seat of the faith. After several years of human failings, the church went through conflicts and quite a few unbiblical years — the crusades and the inquisition to name just two. Out of that came the Reformation — the reforming of the Church, sort of a back-to-basics Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Out of the Reformation emerged a vision of law by Samuel Rutherford, called Lex is Rex, Law is King. From that, others devised a secular version that is used to help lay the foundation of government for a new land called America. Ninety-four percent of America's founding era documents mention the Bible; 34 percent quote the Bible directly. The idea of bringing unity to the universal is a particularly Biblical concept.

The freedoms we enjoy in this country to speak freely and to live freely are directly related to that man who died on a cross 2,000 years ago.

So, you see, Kathy Griffin, Jesus has everything to do with you winning that award. You live in a free country where your abilities can be recognized if you're willing to work hard enough. That's at least the dream of America. If you'd been born in many other parts of the world, your daily activity might involve seeking out a way to survive, or even trying to avoid persecution and death. Luxuries like pursuing a career in the entertainment industry would never have been realized; luxuries like being able to insult the founder of a religion of forgiveness and acceptance would not have been possible.

Kathy Griffin, just because you "can" say something, doesn't mean you "should." When you say "suck it, Jesus," you didn't just insult Christianity Â… you insulted the very reason you've prospered

Bravo to FoxNews religion reporter Lauren Green for that analysis.

Posted by: Greg at 09:51 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The CBS preview of this week's game.

While they may be picking the Panthers, i believe the Texans may just squeak out a win -- especially if they get to face David Carr under center for the Panthers for any length of time.

My pick -- Houston 24, Carolina 21

Posted by: Greg at 06:00 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Seems that the flow of supporters from Syria has slowed to a trickle. maybe it has to do with the fact that we are winning, no matter what the Demcorats say.

The number of foreign fighters entering Iraq from Syria has decreased noticeably in recent months, corresponding to a similar decrease in suicide bombings and other attacks by the group al-Qaeda in Iraq, according to U.S. military and intelligence officials.

"There is an early indication of a trend," said Gen. David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, in an interview. Border crossings from Syria that averaged 80 to 90 a month have fallen to "half or two-thirds of that over the last two or three months," Petraeus said.

Not only that, but the Syrians are blocking them from coming back into the country.

Makes you wonder what they know that the Democrats don't.

Posted by: Greg at 03:13 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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And as the son of a convert from Islam, he ought to know what ex-Muslims face at the hands of the members of their former religion.

One of the Church of England's most senior bishops is warning that people will die unless Muslim leaders in Britain speak out in defence of the right to change faith.

Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester, whose father converted from Islam to Christianity in Pakistan, says he is looking to Muslim leaders in Britain to 'uphold basic civil liberties, including the right for people to believe what they wish to believe and to even change their beliefs if they wish to do so'.

Some Islamic texts brand Muslims who convert to other faiths as 'apostates' and call for them to be punished. Seven of the world's 57 Islamic states - including Iran - impose the death penalty for conversion.

Now Ali, who some see as a potential Archbishop of Canterbury, has told Channel 4's Dispatches programme of his fears about the safety of the estimated 3,000 Muslims who have converted to other faiths in Britain.

'It is very common in the world today, including in this country, for people who have changed their faith, particularly from being Muslim to being Christian, to be ostracised, to lose their job, for their marriages to be dissolved, for children to be taken away,' Ali said. 'And this is why some leadership is necessary from Muslim leaders themselves to say that this is not what Islam teaches.'

The problem is that this is what Islam teaches -- and while only 7 islamic countries impose that penalty under their laws, in many others they prohibit conversion and impose OTHER penalties upon those who leave Islam. Indeed, they tend not to punish the murders of such converts, either.

And when you consider this statistic from a recent poll, it strikes me that there is a much bigger problem at hand. A sizable group of British Muslims want to see the death penalty imposed upon those who convert away from Islam.

A poll of more than 1,000 British Muslims, conducted by the Policy Exchange think-tank this year, found that 36 per cent of Muslims aged between 16 and 24 believe those who convert to another faith should be punished by death.

Wouldn't you love to know the numbers here in the United States? Like any polling company would have the 'nads to ask that question.

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I mean, that's what the Democrats are saying. How could these Iraqi Shiite leaders possibly want to work with the US?

American commanders in southern Iraq say Shiite sheiks are showing interest in joining forces with the U.S. military against extremists, in much the same way that Sunni clansmen in the western part of the country have worked with American forces against al-Qaida.

Sheik Majid Tahir al-Magsousi, the leader of the Migasees tribe here in Wasit province, acknowledged tribal leaders have discussed creating a brigade of young men trained by the Americans to bolster local security as well as help patrol the border with Iran.

He also said last week's assassination of Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, who spearheaded the Sunni uprising against al-Qaida in Anbar province, only made the Shiite tribal leaders more resolute.

"The death of Sheik Abu Risha will not thwart us," he said. "What matters to us is Iraq and its safety."

The movement by Shiite clan leaders offers the potential to give U.S. and Iraqi forces another tactical advantage in curbing lawlessness in Shiite areas. It also would give the Americans another resource as they beef up their presence on the border with Iran, which the military accuses of arming and training Shiite extremists.

Could it possibly be that these Iraqi leaders know better than the Democrats and the MoveOn.org puppet-masters what is going on in Iraq -- and that they like the odds of a US/Iraqi victory over the jihadi terrorists?

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In light of the handling of the Chemerinsky hiring, there is only one conclusion.

The University of California at Irvine clearly has misdirected its search efforts. It has been looking for a law school dean. But what it really needs is a new chancellor.

Now for all I take issue with Scott Horton's "right wing kooks" assertion in the paragraph before his conclusion, it is beyond doubt that he is correct in his conclusion. But I wonder -- would Horton be so ready to leap to the defense of a conservative scholar whose politics were opposed by "left wing kooks"? Or more to the point, as so often happens on campus, by left-wing faculty members (many of whom might reasonably be described as kooks)? Is it only the right wing which Horton believes should not have a veto? Or is it his belief that no political interest group should be permitted a veto in academic matters?

And would Horton care to engage in a little bit of intellectual honesty and note that many of us "right wing kooks", including some of the most respected voices on the right side of the blogosphere, who spoke out in defense of Chemerinsky?

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Hey -- in a world where we are seeing women enter non-traditional fields more and more often, we knew there would be a day with a real possibility of a male "First Lady".

I like Mitt Romney's response to it.

Commenting Saturday on a new Time Magazine cover story titled "The Real Running Mates" — which focuses on the current crop of presidential candidates' spouses — Republican candidate Mitt Romney said his wife would make a "prettier first lady" than former president Bill Clinton.

"It has a picture of five of the possible first ladies," the former Massachusetts governor said. "In the upper left hand corner it has my wife, and then next to it, it has Bill Clinton. And she is a much prettier first lady than Bill Clinton, I can tell you that!"

I don't know about the rest of you, but I find the comment to be amusing -- not the least of which because I have found myself in such a supporting role.

Not long after we married, my wife became pastor of a small church. When asked by one member of the board about how I would view my role in the congregation, I smiled and began with "Well, I hope that you all will understand my hesitation to be as involved in the Women's Fellowship as previous pastor's wives." It sort of helped to break the ice.

Given the fact that this is the first time we have a man in a position to be "First Lady" (will that term become an anachronism?), expect more such jokes. Especially since the "candidate" for that office happens to be a former president.

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While it isn't my favorite car ever (I still love that Escort), I have been quite happy with the Forenza. It rides great, runs well, and has given me precisely NO mechanical difficulties during the two years I've been driving it. Indeed, it would never have been in the shop at all were it not for the hit-and-run accident during the Hurricane Rita evacuation and the full-body keying that it took from an angry student last spring. I get great gas mileage, have plenty of room in the car, and have space to spare in the trunk with the wheelchair.

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Yeah, you could say that I'm quite happy with my car. Why wouldn't I be?

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The winning entries in the Watcher's Council vote for this week are 2001 -- Our Own Odyssey Began On 9/11 by ‘OkieÂ’ on the Lam, and When the Left Cares, and When It Doesn't by American Thinker.  Here are the full results of the vote:

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They work with them every day to coordinate strategy!

And that isn't coming from a GOP source -- it is reported by that reliable Bush-hating MSM outlet that gave the seditious group a huge discount accusing the commander of US forces in Iraq of treason during time of war.

MoveOn representatives also take part, as co-founders of a coalition of antiwar groups together under the umbrella Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, in a daily conference call with the Democratic leadership staff on Capitol Hill to coordinate efforts.

I'm curious -- in light of this coordinated effort, will any political advertising by MoveOn.org be considered an illegal donation to the Democrats in 2008?

H/T Say Anything

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After all, you remember the raft of anti-Semitic comments directed against Joe Lieberman by the KOSsacks and DUmmies and other left-wing commentators of the blogosphere last year. Why should we be surprised when a Democrat Congressman offends AGAIN by claiming that the Iraq war is all the fault of the evil rich JOOOOOOOOOS!

Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) has again come under fire from local Jewish organizations for remarking in a magazine interview that the "extraordinarily powerful" pro-Israel lobby played a strong role promoting the war in Iraq.

In an interview with Tikkun, a California-based Jewish magazine, Moran said the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is "the most powerful lobby and has pushed this war from the beginning. I don't think they represent the mainstream of American Jewish thinking at all, but because they are so well organized, and their members are extraordinarily powerful -- most of them are quite wealthy -- they have been able to exert power."

And if you think I'm being unfair, consider this quote from the interview that the WaPo article does not quote.

AIPAC “members are willing to be very generous with their personal wealth. But it’s a two-edged sword. If you cross AIPAC, AIPAC is unforgiving and will destroy you politically. Their means of communications, their ties to certain newspapers and magazines, and to individuals in the media are substantial and intimidating.”

Yep -- evil rich JOOOOOOOOOS! They'll get you if you don't watch out. Not only is Moran a socialist in his outlook, his outlook appears to trend towards National Socialist in terms of his belief in a Jewish conspiracy to control the media and direct teh course of the goverment.

But since he is a reliable vote for the Democrats, don't expect any criticism or denunciations from the Democrats -- after all, they rejoice at the presence of an old Kluxer like Robert Byrd in their midst, so why would they mind a brownshirt like Moran?

H/T American Thinker, Say Anything

Posted by: Greg at 09:15 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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There's this story from Foxnews.

A 26-year-old man accused of carrying an assault rifle in a Michigan park remained in custody Friday on a $1 million cash bond.

Houssein Zorkot, of Dearborn, Mich., was arrested on Sept. 8 after witnesses called police to complain about a man with an AK-47, dark clothes and blackened face walking around a park.

"We don't know exactly what his intent was or what he was intending on doing," Dearborn Police Chief Michael Celeski told FOXNews.com.

Police responded to the scene and approached the vehicle Zorkot was driving. Zorkot attempted to flee and was not cooperative with police, Celeski said.

"At one point, he was reaching to a lower area of the vehicle and the other officer at the scene was able to determine there was a weapon on the floorboard," Celeski said.

Officers then took Zorkot into custody and charged him with one count of carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent, one count of possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle and one count of felony firearm. If convicted on all three counts, Zorkot faces 9 years in jail.

Zorkot was arraigned on Tuesday. A preliminary examination is scheduled for Sept. 21.

But what is left out is this "minor" detail about the suspect.

The day he was arrested, he uploaded this little number on his website.

And hours later was arrested in a park carrying an assault rifle.

Not to mention all the pro-terrorist material on his blog.

Or this claim on the website.

Police say he has a website where he claims to be a member of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Here's hoping that this terrorist goes down hard. And that our media begins reporting ALL the information about this story.

Posted by: Greg at 06:31 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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If they really want to rebrand themselves as the Religion of Peace, they ought to come up with something other than "Submit or Die!" as their slogan.

The purported head of al-Qaeda in Iraq has offered a reward for the murder of a Swedish cartoonist over his drawing depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

The $100,000 (£49,310) reward would be raised by 50% if Lars Vilks was "slaughtered like a lamb" said the audio message aired on the internet.

The speaker, said to be Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, threatened a new offensive during the holy month of Ramadan.

Last month's cartoon showed Prophet Muhammad's head on a dog's body.

Several Muslim countries protested.

Imagine, that someone might think that Islam is anything other than a peaceful religion!

But you know what -- maybe these folks have the right idea. Rather than turning the other cheek, perhaps slaying those who mock one's religion is the way to go.

I'll start by offering a reward of one hundred BILLION DOLLARS for the head of Christopher Hitchens on a silver platter -- and up it by 50% if it has an apple clenched between its teeth.

Oh, and $5.00 for every dead Muslim, since they say that Jesus isn't the Son of God but is instead a prophet inferior to Mo-doggie himself.

NOTE TO LOCAL DEMOCRATS: I'm being facetious.

And in the mean time, let's do our best piss off the jihadis (and their supporters) who insist upon the dhimmitude of the West.

In the mean time, might I urge you to sign this petition supporting the artist, Lars Vilks.

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Courtesy of North Korea?

A State Department official said Friday that the United States had concerns about SyriaÂ’s involvement in illicit nuclear activities and suggested that North Korea might be aiding the Syrians in their efforts.

Andrew Semmel, a top official on countering the spread of nuclear weapons, said that Syria may have a number of “secret suppliers” for a covert nuclear program, and that North Korean technicians were currently operating inside Syria.

His comments, in an interview with The Associated Press in Rome, came in response to questions about an Israeli airstrike inside Syria last week. Neither Israel nor the United States has confirmed what targets the Israeli jets hit, and the government in Jerusalem has imposed a blanket restriction on the Israeli news media from reporting details about the raid.

If this report is accurate, what does this mean for the recent agreement between the US and North Korea regarding the latter's nuclear program? And what does that mean for US policy in the Middle East? Will we be drawn into conflict with the Syrians as well as the Iranians? And what of Israel -- will it be responding with similar force to Iranian nuclear schemes?

Posted by: Greg at 05:32 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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But then again, we already knew that.

Still, I wonder, has anyone found any gloves in the room?

O.J. Simpson says he only went into a casino hotel room to retrieve memorabilia that he felt was stolen from him. But police are investigating it as an armed robbery and named the fallen football star as a suspect Friday in yet another surprising chapter to his legal saga.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Simpson insisted there were no guns involved and he only went to the room at the Palace Station casino to retrieve stolen mementos that included his Hall of Fame certificate and a picture of the running back with J. Edgar Hoover.

"It's stolen stuff that's mine. Nobody was roughed up," Simpson told the AP.

Las Vegas Metro Police Capt. James Dillon said the confrontation was reported as an armed robbery involving guns. But he said no weapons had been recovered and stressed that the investigation was in its "infancy."

One has to wonder whether this was a set-up to obscure the release of his book by the Goldman family. After all, the timing is highly coincidental.

And I wonder who he will get to defend him in the resulting criminal and civil trials, now that Johnny Cockroach is dead.

Posted by: Greg at 02:53 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Military conditions might allow for even greater reductions in the number of troops in Iraq.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday raised the possibility of cutting U.S. troop levels in Iraq to 100,000 by the end of next year, well beyond the cuts President Bush has approved.

Stressing that he was expressing his hope, not an administration plan, Gates said it was possible conditions in Iraq could improve enough to merit much deeper troop cuts than are currently scheduled for 2008.

Asked at a news conference whether he was referring to going from today's level of about 169,000 to about 100,000 U.S. troops by the end of next year, Gates replied, "That would be the math."

It was the first time a member of Bush's war cabinet had publicly suggested such deep reductions, although many in Congress have pushed hard for big cuts to begin bringing the war to a conclusion.

You see, the determining factor will be the situation on the ground and military necessity, not politics and pandering like this proposal from the Democrats.

Now that President Bush and Gen. David H. Petraeus have charted their course for the Iraq war, Democrats in the Senate say one of their proposals aimed at shifting the presidentÂ’s strategy is finally close to winning enough Republican support for a real chance at being approved. It would require that troops spend as much time at home as on their most recent tours overseas before being redeployed.

The proposal, by Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia, has strong support from top Democrats, who say that the practical effect would be to add time between deployments and force General Petraeus to withdraw troops on a substantially swifter timeline than the one he laid out before Congress this week, and that it would protect troops from serving protracted and debilitating deployments.

In other words, the Democrats are offering yet another plan to undermine the ability of the military to conduct operations during time of war. They seem to have forgotten, for example, that troops during WWII were not rotated home -- indeed, many remained deployed for the duration of the war, and didn't see loved ones from the time they shipped out until late 1945 or early 1946. But then again, these weak-kneed, limp-wristed liberals would have swooned as they read casualty reports from Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Normandy -- each of which cost the United states more troops in a matter of weeks (or, in the case of D-Day, hours) than Iraq has in four years.

In 1943 or 1944, proposals like the one offered by James Webb and promoted by Joe Biden and the Democrat leadership would have been promptly labeled what they are -- seditious capitulation to the enemy. It is disheartening to see that the party of Roosevelt has become the party of Benedict Arnold.

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I had dinner with a congressional candidate the other evening. I know he is setting up his campaign offices around the district. He's got the locations all scoped out, but hasn't yet set them up. I wonder what he is doing about phone services for those offices, and if he has ever considered a VoIP system as his communication solution.

After all, a campaign is really noting more than a small business. And that means that it will need a small business phone operation like any other organization with a small number of employees.

Packet8 offers such services. I suppose that a campaign would do well to go with their Unlimited Extension Plus package, which would eliminate the need to purchase the equipment. Leasing just makes sense for a campaign, which will, in any event, be shutting down by November or December of the election year, even if it is a successful campaign. I'd probably also include the Fax Metered Extension Plus for the same reason.

Why go VoIP? Because it is ultimately cheaper and more reliable than traditional phone services, eliminating much of the cost of long distance calling. Besides, in this day and age you need to be wired to the internet, and this uses the same high speed connections. And since it is digital, you get clearer signals to boot. So check out what Packet8 has to offer.

i

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Kevin Drum quotes Andrew Sullivan on President Bush's appearance during Thursday's speech.

HI-DEF BUSH....Last night Andrew Sullivan wrote that George Bush seemed "almost broken to me...his affect exhausted, his facial expression almost bewildered." Today he offers a second opinion:

I should say that I watched Bush in high-definition, and on regular TV, he didn't look so exhausted.

Clearly we're seeing a technology paradigm shift at work. Just as Richard Nixon "lost" the 1960 debate because, although he sounded fine on radio, he looked bad on TV, so modern politicians are going to have to learn to look good even when they're looming over their audience on 80-inch HD plasma screens. Looking good on a scratchy 32-inch tube doesn't cut it anymore. I predict booming business for a whole new generation of media advisors and skin care consultants.

I think this does raise a good point. We couldn't elect the homely Abe Lincoln today. Today's television would have doomed the reelection bid of FDR in 1944 (and probably 1940). With the coming of HDTV, will we find ourselves looking for even prettier candidates (such as John Edwards -- long on grooming and short on intellect)? Or will we finally consider that every candidate has warts and flaws -- in other words, that they are real human beings -- and go back to seriously considering ideas instead of photo ops and sound bites?

But I will also point out something else. The mouth-frothing Left has constantly told us that they believe the president to be unaffected by his decisions and untroubled by the difficulties and setbacks we have seen over time in Iraq. Sullivan's observations makes it clear that this is not the case, and that the strain is taking its toll on this President. Far from being untouched, George W. Bush is feeling the full weight of the crushing burden that goes with being President of the United States -- just as have many of our presidents who have left office as mere shells of themselves, sucked dry by the responsibilities they had shouldered.

I once read that American presidents, on average, lived four or five years shorter than the life expectancy of men of their generation. And while recent ex-Presidents seem to have gone on forever (one of the perks of the office is access to incredible health care), I think there remains some truth to that observation.

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Posted by: Greg at 02:19 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You folks know by now that our pampered pooch is our pride and joy. Indeed, she is curled up by my feet right now, happily dozing as she dreams of chasing down the squirrels in the yard (I keep hearing little woofs and her feet are twitching). Yes, Carmie is our baby.

And I'll be honest with you -- if our baby ever got lost, we would be grief-stricken. With no kids, the dog is our family. And so I have been thinking about micro-chipping her. But there may even be a better solution for keeping track of her and finding her if she ever got out and got lost. Would you believe there is now a canine GPS unit?

Now I'll be honest -- it is a bit pricey for me, and more bulky than I would probably want to inflict upon Carmie (who is definitely an indoor dog living the life of luxury). But it seems like it would be a great resource for folks who use dogs as hunting companions, or for farmers/ranchers with dogs working the herds. At $599, it would probably be a good investment to keep track of a valuable, highly trained animal. The cost of dog tracking collars and their accessories would certainly be less than what one would spend finding a good animal and getting it trained for hunting of herding.

Posted by: Greg at 06:44 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 231 words, total size 1 kb.