Sunday, July 31, 2005
Off to Michigan....
...for a couple of days. See you Tuesday or so. I've left you with some good posts below.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Police investigate Saudi link to London attacks
Shocking, a possible Saudi connection? Shocking!!!!
From the UK Telegraph (free registration may be required)
Scotland Yard is investigating evidence that the two waves of terrorist attacks on London this month may have been masterminded from Saudi Arabia.
The Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist squad has learnt that Hussain Osman, 27, one of the suspects for the second failed attacks, called a number in Saudi Arabia hours before his arrest in Rome on Friday. He was believed to be making only the most vital calls because he feared his mobile phone was being tracked by investigators.
In an unconfirmed development, the Saudi Arabian authorities are understood to be investigating the possibility that the attacks were planned by extremists there
From the UK Telegraph (free registration may be required)
Scotland Yard is investigating evidence that the two waves of terrorist attacks on London this month may have been masterminded from Saudi Arabia.
The Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist squad has learnt that Hussain Osman, 27, one of the suspects for the second failed attacks, called a number in Saudi Arabia hours before his arrest in Rome on Friday. He was believed to be making only the most vital calls because he feared his mobile phone was being tracked by investigators.
In an unconfirmed development, the Saudi Arabian authorities are understood to be investigating the possibility that the attacks were planned by extremists there
American Muslim anti-terror fatwa...a good start, but...
...that's about it. That's why the following post is on Marathon Pundit. Much more needs to be spoken out about in regards to the CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) led fatwa.
The entire fatwa is on this PDF document.
Here is the highlight of that fatwa:
Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians’ life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram – or forbidden - and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not “martyrs.”
Specifically mentioning suicide bombing as being forbidden by Islam, well, I'm glad it's been put into such terms.
But, as Judy Hsu of ABC 7 Chicago points out:
Some might question whether the statement made Friday will actually make a difference to sway extremists. Islam has no central authority and the panel that issued the fatwa serves an advisory role for American-Muslims. But it is the most significant statement so far coming from people in charge of interpreting religious law for the Muslim community.
Now, here is what, courtesy of Michelle Malkin's blog, what Steve Emerson's Counterterrorism Blog has to say about what he calls a "bogus fatwa."
This morning a group of American Islamic leaders held a press conference to announce a fatwa, or Islamic religious ruling, against “terrorism and extremism.” An organization called the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) issued the fatwa, and the Council on American - Islamic Relations (CAIR) organized the press conference, stating that several major U.S. Muslim groups endorsed the fatwa.
In fact, the fatwa is bogus. Nowhere does it condemn the Islamic extremism ideology that has spawned Islamic terrorism. It does not renounce nor even acknowledge the existence of an Islamic jihadist culture that has permeated mosques and young Muslims around the world. It does not renounce Jihad let alone admit that it has been used to justify Islamic terrorist acts. It does not condemn by name any Islamic group or leader. In short, it is a fake fatwa designed merely to deceive the American public into believing that these groups are moderate. In fact, officials of both organizations have been directly linked to and associated with Islamic terrorist groups and Islamic extremist organizations. One of them is an unindicted co-conspirator in a current terrorist case; another previous member was a financier to Al-Qaeda.
Well, you've read this far. Thanks. There's one more post, below, that should be read as well.
The entire fatwa is on this PDF document.
Here is the highlight of that fatwa:
Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians’ life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram – or forbidden - and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not “martyrs.”
Specifically mentioning suicide bombing as being forbidden by Islam, well, I'm glad it's been put into such terms.
But, as Judy Hsu of ABC 7 Chicago points out:
Some might question whether the statement made Friday will actually make a difference to sway extremists. Islam has no central authority and the panel that issued the fatwa serves an advisory role for American-Muslims. But it is the most significant statement so far coming from people in charge of interpreting religious law for the Muslim community.
Now, here is what, courtesy of Michelle Malkin's blog, what Steve Emerson's Counterterrorism Blog has to say about what he calls a "bogus fatwa."
This morning a group of American Islamic leaders held a press conference to announce a fatwa, or Islamic religious ruling, against “terrorism and extremism.” An organization called the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) issued the fatwa, and the Council on American - Islamic Relations (CAIR) organized the press conference, stating that several major U.S. Muslim groups endorsed the fatwa.
In fact, the fatwa is bogus. Nowhere does it condemn the Islamic extremism ideology that has spawned Islamic terrorism. It does not renounce nor even acknowledge the existence of an Islamic jihadist culture that has permeated mosques and young Muslims around the world. It does not renounce Jihad let alone admit that it has been used to justify Islamic terrorist acts. It does not condemn by name any Islamic group or leader. In short, it is a fake fatwa designed merely to deceive the American public into believing that these groups are moderate. In fact, officials of both organizations have been directly linked to and associated with Islamic terrorist groups and Islamic extremist organizations. One of them is an unindicted co-conspirator in a current terrorist case; another previous member was a financier to Al-Qaeda.
Well, you've read this far. Thanks. There's one more post, below, that should be read as well.
Dainiel Pipes in 2003: "Telling Friend From Foe: Ferreting out Militant Islam"
"It's a mistake to blame Islam, a religion 14 centuries old, for the evil that should be ascribed to militant Islam, a totalitarian ideology less than a century old. Militant Islam is the problem, but moderate Islam is the solution."~Daniel Pipes
That quote comes from Daniel Pipes' website. Pipes, a former history professor but is the director of the Middle East Forum, a think-tank he founded.
I first read this article almost two years ago, but in light of the American Muslim Fatwa against terror, I think others should have a look at Pipes' excellent essay, Telling Friend From Foe: Ferreting out Militant Islam. The entire article is well worth the time, here are some excerpts:
If militant Islam is the problem and moderate Islam is the solution, as I often argue, how does one differentiate between these two forms of Islam? It's a tough question, especially as concerns Muslims who live in Western countries.
More...
Distinguishing between real and phony moderation, obviously, is not a job for amateurs such as American government officials. The best way to discern moderation is by delving into the record -- public and private, Internet and print, domestic and foreign -- of an individual or institution. Such research is most productive with intellectuals, activists, and imams, all of whom have a paper trail. With others who lack a public record, it is necessary to ask questions. These need to be specific, because vague inquiries — such as "Is Islam a religion of peace?" and "Do you condemn terrorism?" — have little value, for they depend on definitions (of peace, of terrorism, etc.).
That quote comes from Daniel Pipes' website. Pipes, a former history professor but is the director of the Middle East Forum, a think-tank he founded.
I first read this article almost two years ago, but in light of the American Muslim Fatwa against terror, I think others should have a look at Pipes' excellent essay, Telling Friend From Foe: Ferreting out Militant Islam. The entire article is well worth the time, here are some excerpts:
If militant Islam is the problem and moderate Islam is the solution, as I often argue, how does one differentiate between these two forms of Islam? It's a tough question, especially as concerns Muslims who live in Western countries.
More...
Distinguishing between real and phony moderation, obviously, is not a job for amateurs such as American government officials. The best way to discern moderation is by delving into the record -- public and private, Internet and print, domestic and foreign -- of an individual or institution. Such research is most productive with intellectuals, activists, and imams, all of whom have a paper trail. With others who lack a public record, it is necessary to ask questions. These need to be specific, because vague inquiries — such as "Is Islam a religion of peace?" and "Do you condemn terrorism?" — have little value, for they depend on definitions (of peace, of terrorism, etc.).
Useful questions might address subjects such as:
Violence: Do you condone or condemn the Palestinians, Chechens, and Kashmiris who give up their lives to kill enemy civilians? Will you condemn by name as terrorist groups such organizations as Abu Sayyaf, Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, Groupe Islamique Arm e, Hamas, Harakat ul-Mujahidin, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, and Al Qaeda?
Modernity: Should Muslim women have equal rights with men (for example, in inheritance shares or court testimony)? Is jihad, meaning a form of warfare, acceptable in today's world? Do you accept the validity of other religions? Do Muslims have anything to learn from the West?
Secularism: Should non-Muslims enjoy completely equal civil rights with Muslims? May Muslims convert to other religions? May Muslim women marry non-Muslim men? Do you accept the laws of a majority non-Muslim government and unreservedly pledge allegiance to that government?
State Imposition of Religious Observance: What do you think of banning food service during Ramadan? When Islamic customs conflict with secular laws (e.g., covering the face for drivers' license photographs), which should give way?
Islamic Pluralism: Are Sufis and Shiites fully legitimate Muslims? Do you think that Muslims who disagree with you have fallen into unbelief? Is takfir (condemning fellow Muslims with whom one has disagreements as unbelievers) an acceptable practice?
Self-criticism: Do you accept the legitimacy of scholarly inquiry into the origins of Islam? Who was responsible for the September 11 suicide hijackings?
Defense Against Militant Islam: Do you accept enhanced security measures to fight militant Islam, even if this means extra scrutiny of yourself (for example, at airline security checkpoints)? Do you agree that institutions accused of funding terrorism should be shut down, or do you see this a symptom of bias?
Goals in the West: Do you accept that Western countries are majority-Christian and secular or do you seek to transform them into majority-Muslim countries ruled by Islamic law?
It would be ideal if these questions were posed publicly — in the press or in front of an audience — thereby reducing the scope for dissimulation.
No single reply establishes a militant Islamic disposition (plenty of non-Muslim Europeans believe the Bush administration itself carried out the September 11 terrorist attacks); and pretence is always a possibility, but these questions offer a good start to the vexing issue of separating enemies from friends.
Blogger Third Wave Dave attacker caught, locked up
The creep who attacked (allegedly, let's keep things legal, even though I don' t know the guy's name) California blogger Third Wave Dave has been apprehended. He's now in "the house with many doors, or as TWD phrased it, the Gray Bar Hotel.
Henry Hyde to Durbin: Drop the anti-Catholic SCOTUS bias
Although Durbin's denying it now, the senator told columnist Jonathan Turley that he asked Supreme Court Justice Roberts nominee John Roberts what he would do if the court required a ruling that the Catholic Church considers immoral. Jonathan Turley stands by his story.
Congressman Henry Hyde of Illinois send Durbin a letter denouncing Durbin's lack of tact.
An excerpt:
No one of our faith – or that of any other denomination or religion – should be excluded from public office for his or her religious values. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution unequivocally prohibits such a litmus test: “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office of public trust under the United States.”
“Practicing Catholics need not apply” cannot become a rallying cry of modern day religious bigots who would seek to drive from the public square all federal office candidates of faith. I hope that your question to Judge Roberts, if accurately reported, does not constitute an opening salvo in a process in which the candidate’s faith will constitute sufficient justification for denying him a speedy confirmation.
Hat tip Obiter Dictum.
Congressman Henry Hyde of Illinois send Durbin a letter denouncing Durbin's lack of tact.
An excerpt:
No one of our faith – or that of any other denomination or religion – should be excluded from public office for his or her religious values. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution unequivocally prohibits such a litmus test: “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office of public trust under the United States.”
“Practicing Catholics need not apply” cannot become a rallying cry of modern day religious bigots who would seek to drive from the public square all federal office candidates of faith. I hope that your question to Judge Roberts, if accurately reported, does not constitute an opening salvo in a process in which the candidate’s faith will constitute sufficient justification for denying him a speedy confirmation.
Hat tip Obiter Dictum.
A great man: Obitiuary for W. Robert James, Jr---CrosSwords' father
Texas blogger Bob James of CrosSwords is a an Oak Park, IL native. Sadly, his father passed away recently. Here is an excerpt from the obituary of W. Robert James Jr. that appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times earlier this week:
Oak Park Realtor W. Robert James Jr. didn't believe owning a home in his neighborhood was a part of the American Dream only whites should be entitled to realize.
In the 1960s, Mr. James became the first white Realtor in Oak Park to sell a home to a black buyer, setting the stage for future integration in the western suburb.
"His feeling was anybody who had a desire to live in a village like Oak Park should have an opportunity," said Mr. James' son, W. Robert James III. "To him, it wasn't a question of race, it was a question of what was right."
Oak Park Realtor W. Robert James Jr. didn't believe owning a home in his neighborhood was a part of the American Dream only whites should be entitled to realize.
In the 1960s, Mr. James became the first white Realtor in Oak Park to sell a home to a black buyer, setting the stage for future integration in the western suburb.
"His feeling was anybody who had a desire to live in a village like Oak Park should have an opportunity," said Mr. James' son, W. Robert James III. "To him, it wasn't a question of race, it was a question of what was right."
Friday, July 29, 2005
East St. Louis vote fraud follow up: Dem county chairman claims no knowledge of vote buying scheme
From East Chicago to East St. Louis, it's Democratic Vote Fraud Day!
From the Belleville News-Democrat, (note that the party affiliation IS mentioned in this article):
St. Clair County Democratic Central Committee Chairman Robert Sprague said the money he distributed before the Nov. 2 election was intended to get out the vote, not buy it.
In a response faxed Wednesday afternoon to the News-Democrat, Sprague wrote: "I was not aware that any of the committeemen that I paid intended to break the law. I paid over 200 committeemen to distribute campaign material, hire drivers and workers for Election Day.
The article goes on to explain that two days before the November general election, $73,000 in checks was passed out by Chairman Sprague to East St. Louis Democratic precinct committeemen. One of those committeeman, now awaiting sentencing, feels Sprage should also face a jury.
I did a little research, and discovered that East St. Louis had just 31,542 residents when the 2000 census was done.
For such a modest-sized community, a traditional--and legal--get out the vote drive wouldn't seem to require such a large amount as $73,000.
How do you respond to that, Chairman Sprague?
UPDATE August 2: Mark in Mexico has uncovered other "hotspots" of Democratic Party vote fraud in 2004
From the Belleville News-Democrat, (note that the party affiliation IS mentioned in this article):
St. Clair County Democratic Central Committee Chairman Robert Sprague said the money he distributed before the Nov. 2 election was intended to get out the vote, not buy it.
In a response faxed Wednesday afternoon to the News-Democrat, Sprague wrote: "I was not aware that any of the committeemen that I paid intended to break the law. I paid over 200 committeemen to distribute campaign material, hire drivers and workers for Election Day.
The article goes on to explain that two days before the November general election, $73,000 in checks was passed out by Chairman Sprague to East St. Louis Democratic precinct committeemen. One of those committeeman, now awaiting sentencing, feels Sprage should also face a jury.
I did a little research, and discovered that East St. Louis had just 31,542 residents when the 2000 census was done.
For such a modest-sized community, a traditional--and legal--get out the vote drive wouldn't seem to require such a large amount as $73,000.
How do you respond to that, Chairman Sprague?
UPDATE August 2: Mark in Mexico has uncovered other "hotspots" of Democratic Party vote fraud in 2004
Vote fraud indictments in East Chicago, Indiana
From AP:
Curiously in this write-up, the party affiliation of the defendants is not mentioned:
Six more people face charges for illegal activity in the May 2003 East Chicago primary election, authorities said, bringing the total number of people charged to 11.
The Indiana State Police, along with the Lake County Prosecutor and Attorney General's joint task force investigating voter fraud and corruption, filed a total of 41 charges.
``The cleansing process continues in East Chicago with these latest charges,'' Attorney General Steve Carter said.
The charges, all felonies, include: receiving ballots from other people, voting outside the precinct where one lives, examining a ballot from another person and inducing others to vote using another person's name.
Hmm...here's another story, from the Gary Post-Tribune, closer to East Chicago, maybe they can help find out which political party was behind this.....
Nope, nothing there...
But luckily, I can tell you that these guys were all Democrats. Surprised?
Quick, get elections expert Jim Lampley on this story.
Curiously in this write-up, the party affiliation of the defendants is not mentioned:
Six more people face charges for illegal activity in the May 2003 East Chicago primary election, authorities said, bringing the total number of people charged to 11.
The Indiana State Police, along with the Lake County Prosecutor and Attorney General's joint task force investigating voter fraud and corruption, filed a total of 41 charges.
``The cleansing process continues in East Chicago with these latest charges,'' Attorney General Steve Carter said.
The charges, all felonies, include: receiving ballots from other people, voting outside the precinct where one lives, examining a ballot from another person and inducing others to vote using another person's name.
Hmm...here's another story, from the Gary Post-Tribune, closer to East Chicago, maybe they can help find out which political party was behind this.....
Nope, nothing there...
But luckily, I can tell you that these guys were all Democrats. Surprised?
Quick, get elections expert Jim Lampley on this story.
Ex-Cook County GOP chairman, canned for his Mayor Daley bounty offer, considering legal action.
Hey Gary...just move on and find another job. As the former Chief Operating Officer of a huge real estate outfit, I think you'll land on your feet.
Oh, Illinois is an employee-at-will state.
From ABC 7 Chicago:
Republican leader Gary Skoien is considering legal action after he was fired from his job. His boss is a friend of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.
Skoien has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the mayor's conviction for corruption. With his family at his side, Skoein told reporters his boss had no choice but to fire him, but he is considering a lawsuit to get his job back.
"You cannot fire somebody in the United States of America -- maybe in Chicago -- but you cannot fire somebody in the United States of America for expressing a political belief. You can't do that," said Gary Skoien, Cook County Republican chairman.
Oh, Illinois is an employee-at-will state.
From ABC 7 Chicago:
Republican leader Gary Skoien is considering legal action after he was fired from his job. His boss is a friend of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.
Skoien has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the mayor's conviction for corruption. With his family at his side, Skoein told reporters his boss had no choice but to fire him, but he is considering a lawsuit to get his job back.
"You cannot fire somebody in the United States of America -- maybe in Chicago -- but you cannot fire somebody in the United States of America for expressing a political belief. You can't do that," said Gary Skoien, Cook County Republican chairman.
Four London terrorists caught
Great work, London metropolitan Police. Hat tip to Brainster.The latest from AP is here.
Yes, and as my previous post mentioned, the "New York" guy has been caught. He should trade that sweatshirt in, if they exist, for a Rikers Island one.
"New York Sweatshirt Bomber" caught?
Well, it seems that way, according to Sky News on Fox News Live. If so, three of the four 7/21 would-be bombers have been caught.
Shots, explosion at siege situation in London
I'm watching Sky News feed into Fox, and it appears that the Scotland Yard and the London Police have cornered this guy in the New York sweatshirt (a 7/21 bomber) in London's Notting Hill neighborhood.
From AP:
Heavily armed police wearing gas masks and apparently using stun grenades raided a west London home Friday seeking suspects in the failed July 21 bombings targeting the capital's transit system, and a British television network reported one arrest.
Police were involved in a standoff with at least one man in an apartment, pointing assault weapons and pistols at the home, a witness said. Police wearing black balaclavas and body armor surrounded the building.
"They're asking him to leave the flat. They've been saying this for 25 minutes to half an hour. By the looks, they're getting a little fed up," a witness identified as Lisa Davis told Sky News.
She added that "it will be very hard for them to get in. Unless he cooperates it will get ugly."
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Cook County GOP chairman fired from day job (after offering $10,000 bounty for Mayor Daley conviction)
Even though I've lived my entire life in this state, Illinois politics still shock me....Two days ago, as blogged here and elsewhere, Cook County GOP Chairman Gary Skoien a offered $10,000 reward (money that the Cook GOP doesn't presently have) for information leading to a conviction on corruption charges of Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago.
This stunt got the beleaguered county Republican organization a great deal of publicity (a rarity), as AP and CNN ran stories about Skoien's offer.
Well, maybe too much publicity. Until late today, Gary was the Chief Operating Officer of The Prime Group,, a big real estate firm. But his boss, Prime Group CEO Mike Reschke, is a supporter of Mayor Daley and has contributed to his campaigns. Reschke fired Skoien today.
From ABC 7 Chicago:
"The mayor has been a friend for 15 years, and I see no reason why I should let someone in my employ personally attack the mayor. Simple as that," said Mike Reschke, The Prime Group, Inc.
Ouch!
Here is the press release: Prime Group Chief Reschke Fires Skoien
This stunt got the beleaguered county Republican organization a great deal of publicity (a rarity), as AP and CNN ran stories about Skoien's offer.
Well, maybe too much publicity. Until late today, Gary was the Chief Operating Officer of The Prime Group,, a big real estate firm. But his boss, Prime Group CEO Mike Reschke, is a supporter of Mayor Daley and has contributed to his campaigns. Reschke fired Skoien today.
From ABC 7 Chicago:
"The mayor has been a friend for 15 years, and I see no reason why I should let someone in my employ personally attack the mayor. Simple as that," said Mike Reschke, The Prime Group, Inc.
Ouch!
Here is the press release: Prime Group Chief Reschke Fires Skoien
Convicted Dem East St. Louis vote buyer speaks out
Sheila Thomas is one of the recently convicted Democratic precinct captains who was part of an election day vote buying scheme last year in East St. Louis, IL. She's still claiming innocence, but according to the Belleville News-Democrat, she thinks Democrats higher up, specifically, St. Clair County Democratic Party Chairman Robert Sprague should go on trial.
Sprague and St. Clair County Chairman Robert Kern (the main beneficiary of the fiduciary vote drive) are claiming they knew nothing of the East St. Louis vote buying, although, in an earlier article from the Belleville News-Democrat, residents interviewed in this hard-luck city acknowledge vote buying has been going on there for many years.
From today's News-Democrat:
"We got into this because they gave us money," Thomas, 31, said about $73,000 passed out in East St. Louis two days before the Nov. 2 election. St. Clair County Democratic Central Committee Chairman Robert Sprague distributed the funds by giving checks to city Democratic precinct committeemen.
County Democrats have said the money, which is passed out in the city for every election, was intended to get people to the polls, not to pay them to vote.
Some more from the Belleville News-Democrat:
"Bob Sprague is the one who gave us our checks. He gave us the money. He, too, should have been tried.... We all should have been sitting at the same (defense) table. All of us. All the (East St. Louis) precinct committeemen. All the guys in Belleville. Not just the five of us because that wasn't fair," she said.
Sprague and St. Clair County Chairman Robert Kern (the main beneficiary of the fiduciary vote drive) are claiming they knew nothing of the East St. Louis vote buying, although, in an earlier article from the Belleville News-Democrat, residents interviewed in this hard-luck city acknowledge vote buying has been going on there for many years.
From today's News-Democrat:
"We got into this because they gave us money," Thomas, 31, said about $73,000 passed out in East St. Louis two days before the Nov. 2 election. St. Clair County Democratic Central Committee Chairman Robert Sprague distributed the funds by giving checks to city Democratic precinct committeemen.
County Democrats have said the money, which is passed out in the city for every election, was intended to get people to the polls, not to pay them to vote.
Some more from the Belleville News-Democrat:
"Bob Sprague is the one who gave us our checks. He gave us the money. He, too, should have been tried.... We all should have been sitting at the same (defense) table. All of us. All the (East St. Louis) precinct committeemen. All the guys in Belleville. Not just the five of us because that wasn't fair," she said.
John Kass: Cook County GOP does not have the $10,000 Daley bounty
So they don't have the $10,000 reward for information leading to conviction of Chicago's mayor Richard Daley! This poster at Capitol Fax blog was right on the money...or the lack of money...
Wait a minute, you mean the Cook County GOP has $10,000?
This appeared in John Kass' Chicago Tribune column today:
So I called Gary Skoien, the new Cook County Republican chairman to find out about all his hatred for Daley's family. But he's got other problems--his organization doesn't even have the $10,000 it is promising for the snitches.
"We'll get it," he said
Wait a minute, you mean the Cook County GOP has $10,000?
This appeared in John Kass' Chicago Tribune column today:
So I called Gary Skoien, the new Cook County Republican chairman to find out about all his hatred for Daley's family. But he's got other problems--his organization doesn't even have the $10,000 it is promising for the snitches.
"We'll get it," he said
IRA to resume disarmament
From the London Guardian:
The IRA today said it will end its armed campaign and resume disarmament. In a long-awaited statement released at lunchtime, the republican group did not say it would disband.
The order said members were to pursue peaceful means and not to "engage in any other activities whatsoever" - a reference to the low-level paramilitary activities which have angered not just unionists, but the London and Dublin governments.
With press conferences due later today in Dublin, Washington and London from Sinn Féin, the reaction from the unionists, and in particular the hardline Democratic Unionist leader, Rev Ian Paisley, will now be crucial to the future of the currently suspended power-sharing Stormont assembly.
The key passages of the lengthy statement read: " The leadership of [the IRA] has formally ordered an end to the armed campaign. This will take effect from 4pm this afternoon. "All IRA units have been ordered to dump arms.
All volunteers have been instructed to assist the development of purely political and democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means.
"Volunteers must not engage in any other activities whatsoever. "
The IRA today said it will end its armed campaign and resume disarmament. In a long-awaited statement released at lunchtime, the republican group did not say it would disband.
The order said members were to pursue peaceful means and not to "engage in any other activities whatsoever" - a reference to the low-level paramilitary activities which have angered not just unionists, but the London and Dublin governments.
With press conferences due later today in Dublin, Washington and London from Sinn Féin, the reaction from the unionists, and in particular the hardline Democratic Unionist leader, Rev Ian Paisley, will now be crucial to the future of the currently suspended power-sharing Stormont assembly.
The key passages of the lengthy statement read: " The leadership of [the IRA] has formally ordered an end to the armed campaign. This will take effect from 4pm this afternoon. "All IRA units have been ordered to dump arms.
All volunteers have been instructed to assist the development of purely political and democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means.
"Volunteers must not engage in any other activities whatsoever. "
The full text of the IRA statement is here.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Indicted ex-Illinois gov George Ryan: No plea bargain
CBS 2 Chicago's Jay Levine (who, with his wife, Mary Ann Childers, once gave my wife 100% tip at the restaurant she works at) managed to track down former Illinois Republican governor George Ryan, a Republican who helped make Illinois a solid-Blue State.
From the CBS 2 website:
Former Illinois Governor George Ryan is speaking out about his federal indictment on corruption charges.
"It's torn at the very fiber of my family, my friends and myself,"Ryan said. The former governor told CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine that his eight-year ordeal will end in September when he finally gets his day in court.
George and Lura Lyn Ryan are back home now in the Kankakee neighborhood where they've lived all their lives. Now they are facing the fight of their lives.
Ryan told CBS 2 News that he will not come to some kind of agreement with prosecutors to avoid putting himself and his family through a trial. "You have to have done something wrong to do that. I have done nothing wrong," Ryan said.
"I'm pretty limited to what I can say about the case, but I know that Dan Webb said at the time of the indictment that the federal government can't name one person who gave me a corrupt dollar. And I think that's an important thing for the public to know," he said.
Ryan's lawyers won't let him answer specific questions about the case or the potential witnesses, who could be close aides and advisers, even his children.
"How are you going to be able to handle a trial in which very own children are going to called to testify against you?" Levine asked.
"I just want to say we have a very close family. They'll all be there in spirit and physically," Ryan said. "Our family is very strong and very strong-willed and we are all looking for opportunity for this trial to proceed and conclude."
This will be the big story in Illinois in six weeks, and should get a lot of national attention, too. Outside of Illinois, Ryan is best known as the governor who emptied out the state's death row. Here in the Prairie State, at least among Republicans, he's an embarrasment.
From the CBS 2 website:
Former Illinois Governor George Ryan is speaking out about his federal indictment on corruption charges.
"It's torn at the very fiber of my family, my friends and myself,"Ryan said. The former governor told CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine that his eight-year ordeal will end in September when he finally gets his day in court.
George and Lura Lyn Ryan are back home now in the Kankakee neighborhood where they've lived all their lives. Now they are facing the fight of their lives.
Ryan told CBS 2 News that he will not come to some kind of agreement with prosecutors to avoid putting himself and his family through a trial. "You have to have done something wrong to do that. I have done nothing wrong," Ryan said.
"I'm pretty limited to what I can say about the case, but I know that Dan Webb said at the time of the indictment that the federal government can't name one person who gave me a corrupt dollar. And I think that's an important thing for the public to know," he said.
Ryan's lawyers won't let him answer specific questions about the case or the potential witnesses, who could be close aides and advisers, even his children.
"How are you going to be able to handle a trial in which very own children are going to called to testify against you?" Levine asked.
"I just want to say we have a very close family. They'll all be there in spirit and physically," Ryan said. "Our family is very strong and very strong-willed and we are all looking for opportunity for this trial to proceed and conclude."
This will be the big story in Illinois in six weeks, and should get a lot of national attention, too. Outside of Illinois, Ryan is best known as the governor who emptied out the state's death row. Here in the Prairie State, at least among Republicans, he's an embarrasment.
Women and Islam: The Tehran Times and the Arab News perspectives
Muslims seem to be getting a bit more defensive about the role of women in Islam.
This first one comes from Thursday's Tehran Times, West betrays women in the name of supporting them: Leader. An excerpt:
During the (anniversary of one of Muhammad's daughters) ceremony in Tehran on Wednesday, which was also the birth anniversary of the late Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khamenei (the current Iranian leader) said that the fact that the day has been named Mother’s Day provides an opportunity to reflect upon the lofty status of women in Islam.
Although there are some misunderstandings in this regard, it is essential to recognize the value and dignity of women in Islam, he added.
The Supreme Leader said that women have played the most sensitive, lasting, delicate, and efficient roles over the course of history.
The greatest mistake of Western civilization is that it betrays women in the name of supporting them and actually ignores and diminishes their true role in history, society, and the family, he observed.
Ayatollah Khamenei also pointed out the unique effects of women’s affectionate motherly methods in transferring culture, civilization, and morality to society.
By giving women vain promises, the West is actually preventing women from playing their unique role in the family, and through neglecting their real rights, weakens the family, which is the foundation of every society, he stated.
Okay, we've heard from Tehran and the Shi'ites. Now over to Riyadh and the Sunnis....
From Thursday's Arab News:
Inter-Faith Marriage: Reasons for Restrictions
Q. 1. It is permissible for a Muslim man to marry a Christian or a Jewish woman. Why cannot the other way round — a Muslim woman marrying a Christian or Jewish man? It might be for the children’s sake, because children take their father’s name and religion. So, what if the husband agrees that the children will follow their mother’s religion? The mother normally has a greater effect on her children than their father
A: A.1. Islam believes in religious freedom. It does not accept that a man or a woman could or should be pressured into accepting a faith in any way other than personal conviction. Hence it allows marriage between a man and a wife belonging to a faith that is recognized by Islam as divine. When a Muslim man marries a Christian or Jewish woman, he believes in the truth of the messages God revealed to the Prophets Moses and Jesus. He respects his wife’s faith and ensures her freedom of belief and worship. If he does not, he is accountable to God for his omission. How could the same freedom be guaranteed in a reverse case where a Muslim woman marries a non-Muslim husband?
(I added the bold for emphasis)
People may profess to accept that men and women are equal, but in practice, a woman is often the weaker party in a family situation. So, why expose a Muslim woman to such a situation by allowing marriage with a man who does not believe in the truth of the message given to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)?
As for your point about a particular couple who make all sorts of agreements concerning their life together and their children, you have to remember that laws are enacted for general application, not for individual cases. Thus, if in the majority of cases, religious freedom cannot be guaranteed, we cannot say that an individual case may be excepted because we have guarantees or agreement between the two parties.
As you see, I have not referred to the status of the children, because this is a different issue. It is the question of religious freedom, and the fact of the husband’s disbelief in the Prophet of Islam that are more relevant here.
Okay, I do agree on the part about the family being the bedrock of our society.
But both Islamic views of women are shameful.
This first one comes from Thursday's Tehran Times, West betrays women in the name of supporting them: Leader. An excerpt:
During the (anniversary of one of Muhammad's daughters) ceremony in Tehran on Wednesday, which was also the birth anniversary of the late Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khamenei (the current Iranian leader) said that the fact that the day has been named Mother’s Day provides an opportunity to reflect upon the lofty status of women in Islam.
Although there are some misunderstandings in this regard, it is essential to recognize the value and dignity of women in Islam, he added.
The Supreme Leader said that women have played the most sensitive, lasting, delicate, and efficient roles over the course of history.
The greatest mistake of Western civilization is that it betrays women in the name of supporting them and actually ignores and diminishes their true role in history, society, and the family, he observed.
Ayatollah Khamenei also pointed out the unique effects of women’s affectionate motherly methods in transferring culture, civilization, and morality to society.
By giving women vain promises, the West is actually preventing women from playing their unique role in the family, and through neglecting their real rights, weakens the family, which is the foundation of every society, he stated.
Okay, we've heard from Tehran and the Shi'ites. Now over to Riyadh and the Sunnis....
From Thursday's Arab News:
Inter-Faith Marriage: Reasons for Restrictions
Q. 1. It is permissible for a Muslim man to marry a Christian or a Jewish woman. Why cannot the other way round — a Muslim woman marrying a Christian or Jewish man? It might be for the children’s sake, because children take their father’s name and religion. So, what if the husband agrees that the children will follow their mother’s religion? The mother normally has a greater effect on her children than their father
A: A.1. Islam believes in religious freedom. It does not accept that a man or a woman could or should be pressured into accepting a faith in any way other than personal conviction. Hence it allows marriage between a man and a wife belonging to a faith that is recognized by Islam as divine. When a Muslim man marries a Christian or Jewish woman, he believes in the truth of the messages God revealed to the Prophets Moses and Jesus. He respects his wife’s faith and ensures her freedom of belief and worship. If he does not, he is accountable to God for his omission. How could the same freedom be guaranteed in a reverse case where a Muslim woman marries a non-Muslim husband?
(I added the bold for emphasis)
People may profess to accept that men and women are equal, but in practice, a woman is often the weaker party in a family situation. So, why expose a Muslim woman to such a situation by allowing marriage with a man who does not believe in the truth of the message given to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)?
As for your point about a particular couple who make all sorts of agreements concerning their life together and their children, you have to remember that laws are enacted for general application, not for individual cases. Thus, if in the majority of cases, religious freedom cannot be guaranteed, we cannot say that an individual case may be excepted because we have guarantees or agreement between the two parties.
As you see, I have not referred to the status of the children, because this is a different issue. It is the question of religious freedom, and the fact of the husband’s disbelief in the Prophet of Islam that are more relevant here.
Okay, I do agree on the part about the family being the bedrock of our society.
But both Islamic views of women are shameful.
Mayor Daley: GOP corruption bounty "below the belt"
A few posts down you'll see that I blogged about this yesterday. Hey, it does let people know there is a Cook County Republican Party!
Personally, I think Mayor Daley should've laughed the whole thing off.
Here's the latest on the $10,000 reward being offered by the Cook County GOP for information leading to the conviction of Chicago mayor Richard Daley. From ABC 7 Chicago:
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley says he is outraged by a $10,000 reward offered by the GOP Tuesday for information leading to the mayor's conviction on corruption charges. The bounty was a hot topic at City Hall Wednesday.
The corruption scandal is definitely taking its toll on the mayor, and Wednesday's city council meeting is a perfect example. Aldermen who supported virtually all of Daley's proposals in the past declared his new hiring plan dead before it is even submitted.
The mayor is grudgingly accepting the new political reality, with the exception of a reward that a local Republican leader offered Tuesday for evidence that daley is personally corrupt.
"That stunt was below the belt and was deeply offensive.
On one of the many threads on Rich Miller's Capitol Fax blog, this poster made a very insightful comment:
Wait a minute, you mean the Cook County GOP has $10,000?
Chicago to bid on 2016 Olympics?
Well, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, it could happen.
In a surprise change of heart, Mayor Daley has decided to make a serious bid for Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, City Hall sources told the Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday.
Years ago, Daley ruled out an Olympics bid, arguing that the millions of dollars in upfront costs required to make a serious pitch was not worth the longshot chance that Chicago would be awarded the Summer Games.
But that was before the $475 million Millennium Park was completed, and before local business leaders -- eager to further showcase Chicago to the world -- agreed to front the city's bidding costs.
With that guarantee, Daley reportedly has given the go-ahead to officials both inside his administration and business leaders on the outside to pursue a serious Olympics bid.
Sources: It's not a diversion
City Hall sources insisted that the bid has been in the works behind the scenes for months and it is not a diversion from the corruption scandals that have beset the mayor.
As to why some people may think this is a diversion, scroll down a few posts.
In a surprise change of heart, Mayor Daley has decided to make a serious bid for Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, City Hall sources told the Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday.
Years ago, Daley ruled out an Olympics bid, arguing that the millions of dollars in upfront costs required to make a serious pitch was not worth the longshot chance that Chicago would be awarded the Summer Games.
But that was before the $475 million Millennium Park was completed, and before local business leaders -- eager to further showcase Chicago to the world -- agreed to front the city's bidding costs.
With that guarantee, Daley reportedly has given the go-ahead to officials both inside his administration and business leaders on the outside to pursue a serious Olympics bid.
Sources: It's not a diversion
City Hall sources insisted that the bid has been in the works behind the scenes for months and it is not a diversion from the corruption scandals that have beset the mayor.
As to why some people may think this is a diversion, scroll down a few posts.
Faith discrimination: Downstate Pundit speaks out on Roberts' Catholicism
Downstate Pundit, recently added to the blogroll, spanks a liberal blogger with this great post here.
More troubles at Southern Illinois University: PC police strikes at Christian student group
Back in April I blogged about Jonathan Bean, a history professor (and the department's sole conservative) who was the victim of a smear campaign. (An optional reading for one of his classes was tagged by his leftist colleagues as racist--and you know what trouble that can lead to!)
This FrontPage Magazine article by Thomas Ryan neatly sums up the Bean controversy.
SIU felt the pressure, as noted in the AP article:
Since then, some professors say they have received nasty e-mails from free-speech advocates and have been the subject of critical newspaper columns. One, written by columnist Cathy Young and published in the Boston Globe Monday, says Bean has been the victim of "a witch hunt that would do the late Joe McCarthy proud."
This FrontPage Magazine article by Thomas Ryan neatly sums up the Bean controversy.
SIU felt the pressure, as noted in the AP article:
Since then, some professors say they have received nasty e-mails from free-speech advocates and have been the subject of critical newspaper columns. One, written by columnist Cathy Young and published in the Boston Globe Monday, says Bean has been the victim of "a witch hunt that would do the late Joe McCarthy proud."
That AP article came from the Belleville News-Democrat, as does this one.
A group called the Christian Legal Society is no longer a registered group at Southern Illinois University because it's charter violates the school's affirmative action rules.
Here's an excerpt:
A Christian student group filed a federal appeal on Tuesday to be reinstated at the Southern Illinois University School of Law, which revoked the group's registered status because members must pledge to adhere to Christian beliefs.
The law school's Christian Legal Society chapter filed the appeal with the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago to challenge a federal judge's July 5 decision to deny the chapter's request to have the university to re-establish the its status while its lawsuit goes forward.
SIU claims the Christian Legal Society chapter's requirement that its voting members and leaders adhere to basic Christian beliefs violates the university's affirmative action policy.
Here's the "best" part:
SIU began looking into the chapter's requirements after a member of another student group, who never attended a Christian Legal Society meeting, read about its policies in a law journal and brought its practices to the attention of administrators, Mattox (the attorney for CLS) said. No student was ever denied a membership or leadership position within the group because of his or her religious beliefs, he said.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Local GOP offers cash reward for Mayor Daley conviction
From Andy Shaw of ABC 7 Chicago, an excerpt:
Cook County republicans are offering a $10,000 reward to a whistleblower with the information that leads to the indictment and conviction of the mayor on corruption charges.
The $10,000 reward is part of a larger effort to fight corruption at city hall. This comes as mayor Daley is being sued for allegedly violating The Shakman Decree that prohibits political favoritism from playing a role in the hiring of government employees.
The mayor says he didn't know that city hiring and promotion exams were being fixed to reward political allies. But a Chicago attorney who's been fighting political hiring at city hall for decades doesn't believe Daley. And he wants the mayor held in contempt of court. The chairman of the Cook County Republican Party is going a step further. By offering a reward for information that helps put the mayor behind bars.
Power Line on Durbin: A planted story gone bad
Dick Durbin keeps getting himself in trouble....From the great Power Line blog:
Yesterday we noted, based on a column by Jonathan Turley, that Senator Durbin appeared to be flirting with the idea of holding John Roberts' deeply held Catholic beliefs against him. Turley reported that, when Roberts met the Senator, Durbin had interrogated Roberts about how he would handle a hypothetical conflict between Catholic principles and the law. The hypothetical is more than a little far-fetched because, to my knowledge, Catholicism doesn't make it a sin to declare bad laws constitutional.
Today, according to the Washington Times, Durbin and his staff are denying that the religious interrorgation took place and that the Senator or anyone on his staff told Turley otherwise. But Turley insists that the information came straight from Durbin, when the two met in the green room at one the Sunday gab shows.
Who is telling the truth, Turley or Durbin? Hugh Hewitt puts his money on the law professor, not the politician, and who can blame him? Says Hugh:
Yesterday we noted, based on a column by Jonathan Turley, that Senator Durbin appeared to be flirting with the idea of holding John Roberts' deeply held Catholic beliefs against him. Turley reported that, when Roberts met the Senator, Durbin had interrogated Roberts about how he would handle a hypothetical conflict between Catholic principles and the law. The hypothetical is more than a little far-fetched because, to my knowledge, Catholicism doesn't make it a sin to declare bad laws constitutional.
Today, according to the Washington Times, Durbin and his staff are denying that the religious interrorgation took place and that the Senator or anyone on his staff told Turley otherwise. But Turley insists that the information came straight from Durbin, when the two met in the green room at one the Sunday gab shows.
Who is telling the truth, Turley or Durbin? Hugh Hewitt puts his money on the law professor, not the politician, and who can blame him? Says Hugh:
I don't think Professor Turley would make up such a potentially important statement. I think Dick "you'd think I was describing Nazis" Durbin is a double-talking hack who wanted to plant a story but didn't think Turley would quote him. It is pretty clear that Durbin lied to Turley, and that is a warning to the nominee to always have a witness with him when he talks to Democrats.
Durbin is a Roman Catholic, I wonder if his faith is a problem for himself serving as a senator?
UPDATE 9:15AM Wednesday. Powerline has another follow up this morning. If this were a fight they'd have stopped it. Yet more bad news for Durbin.
Israel as a stabilizing force in the Middle East
From Richard Baehr of the American Thinker, based on a speech he gave in Chicago last week. Yes, that's right Israel as a stabilzing force.
An excellent read.
An excellent read.
Theo Van Gogh killer gets life in prison
The Netherlands has no death penalty, so this was the toughest sentence they could give the evil creep. Hopefully, the Dutch will find a way to prevent Mohammed Bouyeri from giving media interviews. Forever. The world does not need another Charles Manson appearing on television here and there.
From AP:
A Dutch court sentenced the killer of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh to life in prison Tuesday, the harshest sentence possible for a murder that heightened ethnic tensions and raised concerns about homegrown Islamic terrorism.
Mohammed Bouyeri, 27, had mounted no defense at his two-day trial earlier this month for the Nov. 2 slaying of Van Gogh, whom he accused of insulting Islam, and told the court he would do it again if given the chance.
Presiding judge Udo Willem Bentinck said life in prison was the only fitting punishment for a crime that sought to undermine Dutch democracy and the political system. He said the three-judge panel had concluded there was no possibility for Bouyeri to return to society, citing his lack of remorse.
UPDATE: 10:45 AM CDT: Roger L. Simon has a great post about Hollywood's fascination with the Roman Polanski-Vanity Fair trial, but has largely overlooked the murder of filmmaker Van Gogh.
From AP:
A Dutch court sentenced the killer of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh to life in prison Tuesday, the harshest sentence possible for a murder that heightened ethnic tensions and raised concerns about homegrown Islamic terrorism.
Mohammed Bouyeri, 27, had mounted no defense at his two-day trial earlier this month for the Nov. 2 slaying of Van Gogh, whom he accused of insulting Islam, and told the court he would do it again if given the chance.
Presiding judge Udo Willem Bentinck said life in prison was the only fitting punishment for a crime that sought to undermine Dutch democracy and the political system. He said the three-judge panel had concluded there was no possibility for Bouyeri to return to society, citing his lack of remorse.
UPDATE: 10:45 AM CDT: Roger L. Simon has a great post about Hollywood's fascination with the Roman Polanski-Vanity Fair trial, but has largely overlooked the murder of filmmaker Van Gogh.
Monday, July 25, 2005
'Two-faced French sell out Cuban dissidents'
Want another reason to hate the French??? From the UK Telegraph. (Free registration may be required.)
A leading Cuban dissident yesterday accused a "two-faced" French government of putting trade ahead of the suffering of the Cuban people.
The comments by Marta Beatriz Roque, a 60-year-old economist who was arrested during a protest outside the French embassy in Havana on Bastille Day, came after Paris unilaterally ended a European Union diplomatic embargo against the regime of President Fidel Castro, and normalised relations with his government.
Apparently emboldened by the French overture, Cuban authorities responded by launching the largest wave of dissident arrests since 2003, when almost the entire dissident leadership of the Communist-ruled island was rounded up.
In the latest wave of arrests, about 30 democracy activists, including Mrs Roque, were taken into custody after they attempted to protest outside the French embassy on July 14 to denounce the new policy towards Cuba. As many as 19 were still believed to be in custody last night.
A leading Cuban dissident yesterday accused a "two-faced" French government of putting trade ahead of the suffering of the Cuban people.
The comments by Marta Beatriz Roque, a 60-year-old economist who was arrested during a protest outside the French embassy in Havana on Bastille Day, came after Paris unilaterally ended a European Union diplomatic embargo against the regime of President Fidel Castro, and normalised relations with his government.
Apparently emboldened by the French overture, Cuban authorities responded by launching the largest wave of dissident arrests since 2003, when almost the entire dissident leadership of the Communist-ruled island was rounded up.
In the latest wave of arrests, about 30 democracy activists, including Mrs Roque, were taken into custody after they attempted to protest outside the French embassy on July 14 to denounce the new policy towards Cuba. As many as 19 were still believed to be in custody last night.
Obama says there's zero chance he'll run for president in 2008
Just in case you were wondering....from AP:
Dem County Board Chairman: "Deeply concerned" about East St. Louis vote selling scandal
From yesterday's Belleville News-Democrat:
St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern is "deeply concerned" about East St. Louis voters being given money to vote, and will have a committee research how to convince voters to consolidate elections.
(My note: where was that concern before last year's election?)
In a letter dated Friday -- his first public comment about the problem since five East St. Louis Democratic politicians were convicted of federal vote fraud last month -- Kern stated: "I am informed this practice has been going on for a long time. It is against the law and must stop."
Kern said he asked officials in his county Democratic Party to "... take steps to make sure this practice does not happen again."
During a month-long federal trial in East St. Louis, witnesses testified that before the Nov. 2 election, East St. Louis politicians claimed they needed to pay double, or $10 a vote, to get Kern elected County Board chairman because Kern, who is white, was perceived to be a racist by the largely black community.
No evidence linked Kern to vote buying or to being a racist. He was not charged with any wrongdoing.
More...
Republican County Board member Steve Reeb was not impressed with Kern's plan. Reeb narrowly lost the County Board chairman race to Kern, with the difference being a heavy Democratic vote majority in East St. Louis.
"I cannot express deeply enough what a hypocrite Mark Kern is," he said. "He and the Democrat machine have fought the Republicans for years on the issue of consolidating elections and disbanding the East St. Louis election board. Now Kern finds himself in hot water and does an about-face on the issue."
Reeb said he didn't believe that vote buying was directly connected to the city's election board.
"You don't blame vote buying on the East St. Louis election board. You blame it on the Democrat Party," Reeb said. "Now all of a sudden he's for reform. It's almost too much to expect the public to stomach." Just before the Nov. 2 election, $10,000 was diverted from a Republican state supreme court candidate's coffers and was given to Reeb's political committee. Reeb has said that this money was then used to help get out the vote for him and other Republicans in East St. Louis. County Democrats distributed $73,000 two days before the election.
St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern is "deeply concerned" about East St. Louis voters being given money to vote, and will have a committee research how to convince voters to consolidate elections.
(My note: where was that concern before last year's election?)
In a letter dated Friday -- his first public comment about the problem since five East St. Louis Democratic politicians were convicted of federal vote fraud last month -- Kern stated: "I am informed this practice has been going on for a long time. It is against the law and must stop."
Kern said he asked officials in his county Democratic Party to "... take steps to make sure this practice does not happen again."
During a month-long federal trial in East St. Louis, witnesses testified that before the Nov. 2 election, East St. Louis politicians claimed they needed to pay double, or $10 a vote, to get Kern elected County Board chairman because Kern, who is white, was perceived to be a racist by the largely black community.
No evidence linked Kern to vote buying or to being a racist. He was not charged with any wrongdoing.
More...
Republican County Board member Steve Reeb was not impressed with Kern's plan. Reeb narrowly lost the County Board chairman race to Kern, with the difference being a heavy Democratic vote majority in East St. Louis.
"I cannot express deeply enough what a hypocrite Mark Kern is," he said. "He and the Democrat machine have fought the Republicans for years on the issue of consolidating elections and disbanding the East St. Louis election board. Now Kern finds himself in hot water and does an about-face on the issue."
Reeb said he didn't believe that vote buying was directly connected to the city's election board.
"You don't blame vote buying on the East St. Louis election board. You blame it on the Democrat Party," Reeb said. "Now all of a sudden he's for reform. It's almost too much to expect the public to stomach." Just before the Nov. 2 election, $10,000 was diverted from a Republican state supreme court candidate's coffers and was given to Reeb's political committee. Reeb has said that this money was then used to help get out the vote for him and other Republicans in East St. Louis. County Democrats distributed $73,000 two days before the election.
Illinois judge: "Folks, you all know I have a rule; I don't seat all white jurors"
Evelyn Clay is an African American Cook County circuit court judge. And she has a personal rule when seating juries: They can't be all-white.
From the Chicago Tribune, free registration may be required:
A judge's comments in recent months that she would refuse to seat an all-white jury have raised eyebrows at Cook County Criminal Court and questions about whether the judge acted inappropriately.
"Folks, you all know I have a rule; I don't seat all white jurors," Circuit Judge Evelyn Clay said as a jury was being picked to hear a murder trial last month, according to court transcripts.
Chief Criminal Court Judge Paul Biebel Jr. said last week that he had recently been made aware of the remarks Clay made.
Clay admitted they were "indelicately stated" and said she regretted being blunt. But it is her view that qualified African-Americans were being left off juries without good reason, she said.
"I try to preside over jury trials in a fair and impartial way--that is always my goal," Clay said.
"I carry out all my duties and responsibilities with that goal."Clay, who is African-American, made the remarks in chambers before three separate trials, according to transcripts reviewed by the Tribune.
The first time was the April 20 trial of a man for unlawful use of a weapon. After eight jurors were picked, Clay indicated she was not satisfied with the makeup of the panel.
"I'm telling you folks, I don't know what you all intend to do, but I have no intention of seating an all-white jury," Clay said, according to transcripts.
From the Chicago Tribune, free registration may be required:
A judge's comments in recent months that she would refuse to seat an all-white jury have raised eyebrows at Cook County Criminal Court and questions about whether the judge acted inappropriately.
"Folks, you all know I have a rule; I don't seat all white jurors," Circuit Judge Evelyn Clay said as a jury was being picked to hear a murder trial last month, according to court transcripts.
Chief Criminal Court Judge Paul Biebel Jr. said last week that he had recently been made aware of the remarks Clay made.
Clay admitted they were "indelicately stated" and said she regretted being blunt. But it is her view that qualified African-Americans were being left off juries without good reason, she said.
"I try to preside over jury trials in a fair and impartial way--that is always my goal," Clay said.
"I carry out all my duties and responsibilities with that goal."Clay, who is African-American, made the remarks in chambers before three separate trials, according to transcripts reviewed by the Tribune.
The first time was the April 20 trial of a man for unlawful use of a weapon. After eight jurors were picked, Clay indicated she was not satisfied with the makeup of the panel.
"I'm telling you folks, I don't know what you all intend to do, but I have no intention of seating an all-white jury," Clay said, according to transcripts.
AFL-CIO divorce: Bad news for the Democrats?
The AFL-CIO is about to get a little smaller, four unions are bolting. From AP:
The Service Employees International Union, with 1.8 million members, plans to announce Monday that it is leaving the AFL-CIO, said several labor officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the developments.
The Teamsters union was likely to disaffiliate at the same news conference, they said. Two other boycotting unions signaled similar intentions: United Food and Commercial Workers and UNITE HERE, a group of textile and hotel workers.
How does that effect the Democratic party?
A divided labor movement worries Democratic leaders who rely on the AFL-CIO's money and manpower on Election Day.
"Anything that sidetracks us from our goals ... is not healthy," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., chairman of the House campaign committee.
In the 2004 campaign, unions ran nearly 260 phone banks and mailed out at least 30 million pieces of political literature in 16 states, mostly on behalf of Democrats.
The Service Employees International Union, with 1.8 million members, plans to announce Monday that it is leaving the AFL-CIO, said several labor officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the developments.
The Teamsters union was likely to disaffiliate at the same news conference, they said. Two other boycotting unions signaled similar intentions: United Food and Commercial Workers and UNITE HERE, a group of textile and hotel workers.
How does that effect the Democratic party?
A divided labor movement worries Democratic leaders who rely on the AFL-CIO's money and manpower on Election Day.
"Anything that sidetracks us from our goals ... is not healthy," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., chairman of the House campaign committee.
In the 2004 campaign, unions ran nearly 260 phone banks and mailed out at least 30 million pieces of political literature in 16 states, mostly on behalf of Democrats.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Chicago Tribune hatchet job follow-up
On Thursday, the Chicago Tribune ran a story harshly critical of the decision of DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett to meet with several Chicago area newspaper editorial boards to discuss the Jeanine Nicarico murder case--an indictment of convicted killer Brian Dugan is considered likely.
The case has dragged on since 1983, two other men, Rolando Cruz and Alex Hernandez, were twice convicted--and twice sentenced to death--for the murder of the 10-year old Jeanine. Both of the convicted men have since been exonerated.
Obviously, this is very unusual case, so the rare--if not unprecedented request--by Birkett to meet with these editorial boards should be understandable.
Not everyone agrees. This passage appeared in the Tribune article:
Bob Cummins, a former chairman of the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board who for three decades has lectured on ethics to lawyers and judges, said Birkett's efforts "may be politically savvy, but in my judgment are professionally stupid, if not worse."
"Maybe my ideas are old-fashioned, but aren't we supposed to try cases in the courtroom? Isn't that where you demonstrate the evidence?" said Cummins. "If Joe Birkett were my client, I would tell him to fire the guy who set this up and get a new political advisor."
In addition, Cummins said Birkett, depending on how much he discloses of the evidence he has presented, could be in violation of the law on grand jury secrecy and subject to a contempt of court charge.
Now, this is what the Tribune left out.
Bob Cummins is a partner in a two-person law firm, the other attorney in the firm is Tom Cronin, who was a 1996 primary opponent of Joe Birkett. Their office is at 77 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 4800, in Chicago.
And by some weird coincidence, another Birkett primary opponent, Bob Coleman was able to find space in that tiny office in Suite 4800 to set up his campaign headquarters in 2002.
And finally, one more Tribune omission: Bob Cummins was an attorney who opposed State's Attorney Birkett over the legal battle over whether the public should pay the legal fees of seven DuPage County law enforcement men who were indicted by a special prosecutor over their roles in the Rolando Cruz and Alex Hernandez convictions. Each of the "DuPage 7" were acquitted.
Cummins lost that case against Birkett, and the DuPage 7 did not have to dig into their personal funds to pay for their legal defense.
Shame on the Chicago Tribune. They didn't do much homework, or perhaps they chose to overlooks things. But they thought enough, as I posted above, to include this bit about Cummins:
Bob Cummins, a former chairman of the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board who for three decades has lectured on ethics to lawyers and judges...
Cummins might want to consider talking about ethics to the Tribune. And when he's done with them, he can start lecturing to himself about ethics.
The case has dragged on since 1983, two other men, Rolando Cruz and Alex Hernandez, were twice convicted--and twice sentenced to death--for the murder of the 10-year old Jeanine. Both of the convicted men have since been exonerated.
Obviously, this is very unusual case, so the rare--if not unprecedented request--by Birkett to meet with these editorial boards should be understandable.
Not everyone agrees. This passage appeared in the Tribune article:
Bob Cummins, a former chairman of the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board who for three decades has lectured on ethics to lawyers and judges, said Birkett's efforts "may be politically savvy, but in my judgment are professionally stupid, if not worse."
"Maybe my ideas are old-fashioned, but aren't we supposed to try cases in the courtroom? Isn't that where you demonstrate the evidence?" said Cummins. "If Joe Birkett were my client, I would tell him to fire the guy who set this up and get a new political advisor."
In addition, Cummins said Birkett, depending on how much he discloses of the evidence he has presented, could be in violation of the law on grand jury secrecy and subject to a contempt of court charge.
Now, this is what the Tribune left out.
Bob Cummins is a partner in a two-person law firm, the other attorney in the firm is Tom Cronin, who was a 1996 primary opponent of Joe Birkett. Their office is at 77 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 4800, in Chicago.
And by some weird coincidence, another Birkett primary opponent, Bob Coleman was able to find space in that tiny office in Suite 4800 to set up his campaign headquarters in 2002.
And finally, one more Tribune omission: Bob Cummins was an attorney who opposed State's Attorney Birkett over the legal battle over whether the public should pay the legal fees of seven DuPage County law enforcement men who were indicted by a special prosecutor over their roles in the Rolando Cruz and Alex Hernandez convictions. Each of the "DuPage 7" were acquitted.
Cummins lost that case against Birkett, and the DuPage 7 did not have to dig into their personal funds to pay for their legal defense.
Shame on the Chicago Tribune. They didn't do much homework, or perhaps they chose to overlooks things. But they thought enough, as I posted above, to include this bit about Cummins:
Bob Cummins, a former chairman of the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board who for three decades has lectured on ethics to lawyers and judges...
Cummins might want to consider talking about ethics to the Tribune. And when he's done with them, he can start lecturing to himself about ethics.
Hottest day this year in Chicago...
....and I managed to run 16 miles in this muck. At 7am it was 81 degrees, it was 89 when I finished. I'm now enjoying air-conditioning comfort while outside it's 100 degrees--triple digit temperatures are a rarity in Chicago.
Armstrong ends career with 7th tour win
Truly one of the greatest athletes ever!
One last time, "The Star-Spangled Banner" rang out over the Champs-Elysees in honor of Lance Armstrong. One last time, on the podium against the backdrop of the Arc de Triomphe, the cancer survivor who became the greatest cyclist in Tour de France history slipped into the leader's yellow jersey Sunday. This time, it was the winner's jersey, for an unprecedented seventh consecutive year in the world's most grueling race.
One last time, "The Star-Spangled Banner" rang out over the Champs-Elysees in honor of Lance Armstrong. One last time, on the podium against the backdrop of the Arc de Triomphe, the cancer survivor who became the greatest cyclist in Tour de France history slipped into the leader's yellow jersey Sunday. This time, it was the winner's jersey, for an unprecedented seventh consecutive year in the world's most grueling race.
Long John Baldry, the "Where's Waldo" of British blues, dies at 64
Long John Baldry died in Vancouver last week. Exactly who was Long John Baldry?
This is what Rod Stewart said about him, in comments posted on the late Mr. Baldry's web site:
'For me, just shaking his hand – knowing all the great musicians whose hand he’d shaken before – was mind-blowing. But so was John. Picture this elegant man with a proper English accent, never without a tie, a towering six-foot-seven. I was a huge fan and I was intimidated by his offer. Rod Stewart wasn’t in demand in those days; no one was interested. I immediately said 'yes'. John had a knack for discovering talent. Ginger Baker, Jeff Beck and Brian Jones all worked with him early on. Elton John played piano in one of his bands, other Rolling Stones too – Charlie, Ron Wood, and Keith. In 1962, when the Rolling Stones were just getting started, they opened for him in London. Eric Clapton has said many times that John was one of the musicians that inspired him to play the blues. And for their internationally televised special in 1964, the Beatles invited John to perform his version of 'I Got My Mojo Working'. In those days the only music we fell in love with was the blues, and John was the first white guy singing it, in his wonderful voice. It was the true blues and everyone looked up to him'. - Rod Stewart
In short, Long John Baldry was the "Where's Waldo" of the early British blues scene, back in fact, as he sung in his only American hit, "Don't Try to Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll," when there was no British blues scene at all.
Yes, as Rod Stewart stated, an unkown named Elton John played in one of Baldry's bands. Long John's influence was strong with Elton; born Reginald Dwight, his adopted surname was chosen by Reg as a tribute to the great Long John Baldry.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Joe Biden in Chicago next two days
Had to run to the local supermarket tonight to pick up a few things, and I came across the Saturday early edition of the Sunday Chicago Sun-Times.
Lynn Sweet's column writes about Senator Joe Biden's (D-DE) visit to Chicago tomorrow and Monday; 100 degree heat is expected tomorrow, so it'll be interesting what effect the extreme heat will have on his hair-transplant plugs.
Biden is considering a presidential run in '08, and he'll be meeting with local politicos to discuss a Biden '08 campaign.
Last fall, Joe called President Bush "brain dead." The line, most likely, was not taken from another speech, a stunt he pulled in his 1988 presidential campaign when he plagiarized a speech from British politician Neil Kinnock.
Like Kerry, Biden is a pro-abortion Catholic politician. He'll have to perform the same dance "Yes, I'm Catholic, but I support a woman's right to choose" John Kerry had to perform in Election 2004. Biden, however, opposes partial-birth abortion.
Still, Biden's chances in 2008 are slim. Stay home in Delaware.
UPDATE 3:01PM Sunday: Here is that Lynn Sweet Chicago Sun-Times column.
Report: Justice Department Probing Durbin, Rockefeller CIA Leak
From Carl Limbacher at NewsMax:
The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into whether Democratic Senators Dick Durbin, Jay Rockefeller and Ron Wyden leaked details about a secret "black ops" CIA satellite program last December in a move that may have seriously compromised national security, former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Jed Babbin said on Saturday.
"The CIA made a request to the Justice Department to investigate and possibly bring criminal charges against these three [senators]," Babbin told WABC Radio host Monica Crowley. "My information is that investigation is ongoing."
Mr. Rockefeller is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Mr. Durbin is the number two ranking Democrat in the Senate.
Media reports on the satellite leak last December indicated that the Bush administration was concerned about public comments by Durbin, Rockefeller and Wyden and that the CIA had requested a Justice Department probe.
"The formal request for a leaks investigation would target people who described sensitive details about a new generation of spy satellites to The Washington Post, which published a page-one story about the espionage program Saturday [Dec. 11, 2004]," a Justice Department official told the Associated Press at the time.
But the same official told the AP that Justice "has not decided whether to investigate."
Former Deputy Undersecretary Babbin's comments on Saturday were the first indication that such a probe was actually launched and is ongoing.
The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into whether Democratic Senators Dick Durbin, Jay Rockefeller and Ron Wyden leaked details about a secret "black ops" CIA satellite program last December in a move that may have seriously compromised national security, former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Jed Babbin said on Saturday.
"The CIA made a request to the Justice Department to investigate and possibly bring criminal charges against these three [senators]," Babbin told WABC Radio host Monica Crowley. "My information is that investigation is ongoing."
Mr. Rockefeller is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Mr. Durbin is the number two ranking Democrat in the Senate.
Media reports on the satellite leak last December indicated that the Bush administration was concerned about public comments by Durbin, Rockefeller and Wyden and that the CIA had requested a Justice Department probe.
"The formal request for a leaks investigation would target people who described sensitive details about a new generation of spy satellites to The Washington Post, which published a page-one story about the espionage program Saturday [Dec. 11, 2004]," a Justice Department official told the Associated Press at the time.
But the same official told the AP that Justice "has not decided whether to investigate."
Former Deputy Undersecretary Babbin's comments on Saturday were the first indication that such a probe was actually launched and is ongoing.
The selective silence of CAIR
The Council on American Islamic Relations, better known as CAIR, fashions itself as a mainstream, moderate group. Well, read this article by noted scholar Daniel Pipes, and see if you agree with CAIR's claims. An excerpt:
CAIR is particularly worrisome because it claims to be nothing but a mild public affairs organization promoting "interest and understanding among the general public with regards to Islam and Muslims in North America," and is widely seen as such. In fact, it is radical to the core; to quote its chairman, Omar M. Ahmad (as reported by the San Ramon Valley Herald in July 1998), "Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Koran . . . should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on earth."
CAIR's record includes the following unpleasantries:
CAIR is particularly worrisome because it claims to be nothing but a mild public affairs organization promoting "interest and understanding among the general public with regards to Islam and Muslims in North America," and is widely seen as such. In fact, it is radical to the core; to quote its chairman, Omar M. Ahmad (as reported by the San Ramon Valley Herald in July 1998), "Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Koran . . . should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on earth."
CAIR's record includes the following unpleasantries:
Apologizing for killers such as Hamas (a group associated with the murder of 7 Americans) and Usama bin Ladin (charged with the devastation of September 11, 2001).
Helping promote terrorism: In the words of Steve Pomerantz, a former Chief of Counterterrorism for the FBI, "CAIR, its leaders, and its activities, effectively give aid to international terrorist groups."
Intimidation of patriotic Muslims who disagree with CAIR's militant agenda: In one case (Sheikh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani), the FBI has looked into charges that he received death threats after renouncing the chauvinists. In another (Khalid Dur'¡n), CAIR's attack on a writer led to a death edict against him - which CAIR has never denounced. (For details on this latter case, see http://www.danielpipes.org/article/384.)- Associating with terrorism: Siraj Wahaj, a potential unindicted co-conspirator in the World Trade Center bombing of 1993, sits on its advisory board.
Bias against women: When a prosecutor in Cleveland argued that two Muslim men had engaged in the "honor killing" of their female cousin, CAIR accused him of "ethnic and religious stereotyping" and demanded he be investigated.
Sponsorship of blatant antisemitism: At a May 1998 rally at Brooklyn College co-sponsored by CAIR, one speaker referred to Jews as "descendants of the apes."
In short, CAIR represents not the great civilization of Islam but a radical utopian movement originating in the Middle East that seeks to impose its ways on the United States. Americans should consider themselves warned: a new danger exists in their midst.
CAIR also has a history of vituperation and aggressiveness against anyone who opposes its Islamist vision for the United States. In my case, it has sent out nearly a hundred tirades impugning my reputation since July 1999. These have landed everywhere from the op-ed page of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune to the hands of street picketers in Washington, D.C. and Cornell University.
Washington DC based CAIR has denounced the recent London bombings.
And on it's web site, it has an "Action Alert/Incitement Watch." Some of these articles and statements listed by CAIR are truly repulsive and deserve to be called to task for fostering hatred.
But yesterday, this article appeared in one of CAIR's hometown newspapers, the Washington Post, via Reuters.
Free registration to the Post may be required to access, you can use this Yahoo News link to get to the same story.
Drudge has had the Post version on his site since yesterday afternoon, so I think it's a safe bet that CAIR knows of its existence.
Here's an excerpt from that Reuters article:
Militant Islamists will continue to attack Britain until the government pulls its troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, one of the country's most outspoken Islamic clerics said on Friday.
Speaking 15 days after bombers killed over 50 people in London and a day after a series of failed attacks on the city's transport network, Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed said the British capital should expect more violence.
"What happened yesterday confirmed that as long as the cause and the root problem is still there ... we will see the same effect we saw on July 7," Bakri said.
"If the cause is still there the effect will happen again and again," he said, adding he had no information about future attacks or contacts with people planning to carry out attacks.
Bakri, a Syrian-born cleric who has been vilified in Britain since 2001 when he praised the September 11 hijackers, said he did not believe the bombings and attempted attacks on London were carried out by British Muslims.
He condemned the killing of all innocent civilians but described attacks on British and U.S. troops in Muslim countries as "pro-life" and justified.
In an interview with Reuters, Bakri described Osama bin Laden, leader of the radical Islamist network al Qaeda, as "a sincere man who fights against evil forces."
Bakri said he would like Britain to become an Islamic state but feared he would be deported before his dream was realized.
"I would like to see the Islamic flag fly, not only over number 10 Downing Street, but over the whole world," he said.
Okay, CAIR. Are you going to denounce this article? Looks like "incitement" to me.
Important note: If you'd like to e-mail CAIR expressing displeasure with their hypocrisy, do not , I repeat, DO NOT use your work e-mail address. This comes from nemesisis of CAIR, Anti-CAIR:
WARNING: CAIR Will Contact/Attack Your Employer/Cost You Your Job
ACAIR has warned our readers NOT to communicate with the Council on Islamic Relations (CAIR) using a corporate e-mail account. On many, many occasions, CAIR has contacted corporations to complain about receiving "hate e-mail" from employees using their work e-mail accounts.
Egyptian terror death toll past 80, Al-qaeda group claims responsibility
From Fox News:
A total of 83 people were confirmed dead, said Dr. Saeed Abdel Fattah, manager of the Sharm el-Sheik International Hospital where the victims were taken.
Among the dead were two Britons, two Germans and an Italian, he added, and Czech officials said one Czech tourist was also killed. Rescue workers were still searching for victims at some attack scenes.
Several hours after the attacks, a group claiming ties to Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the explosion on an Islamic web site. The group, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, Al Qaeda, in Syria and Egypt, was one of two extremist groups that also claimed responsibility for October bombings at the Egyptian resorts of Taba and Ras Shitan that killed 34. The group also claimed responsbility for a Cairo bombing in late April.
The authenticity of the statement could not be immediately verified
A total of 83 people were confirmed dead, said Dr. Saeed Abdel Fattah, manager of the Sharm el-Sheik International Hospital where the victims were taken.
Among the dead were two Britons, two Germans and an Italian, he added, and Czech officials said one Czech tourist was also killed. Rescue workers were still searching for victims at some attack scenes.
Several hours after the attacks, a group claiming ties to Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the explosion on an Islamic web site. The group, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, Al Qaeda, in Syria and Egypt, was one of two extremist groups that also claimed responsibility for October bombings at the Egyptian resorts of Taba and Ras Shitan that killed 34. The group also claimed responsbility for a Cairo bombing in late April.
The authenticity of the statement could not be immediately verified
Friday, July 22, 2005
Fat-head LA Times columnist writes fatuous column on our fit president
A tipster sent this my way, but I had trouble with the link and Michelle Malkin and Pam Meister posted this much earlier.
But this post is perfect for Marathon Pundit, as of course, I run almost daily.
Anyway, someone named Jonathan Chait in his Los Angeles Times column (he also writes for the lefty rag, The New Republic), has problems with our physically fit commander-in-chief.
Excerpts:
A week ago, when President Bush met with Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III to interview him for a potential Supreme Court nomination, the conversation turned to exercise. When asked by the president of the United States how often he exercised, Wilkinson impressively responded that he runs 3 1/2 miles a day. Bush urged him to adopt more cross-training. "He warned me of impending doom," Wilkinson told the New York Times.
Am I the only person who finds this disturbing? I don't mean the fact that Bush would vet his selection for the highest court in the land in part on something utterly trivial. That's expected. What I mean is the fact that Bush has an obsession with exercise that borders on the creepy.
Given the importance of his job, it is astonishing how much time Bush has to exercise. His full schedule is not publicly available. The few peeks we get at Bush's daily routine usually come when some sort of disaster prods the White House Press Office to reveal what the president was doing "at the time." Earlier this year, an airplane wandered into restricted Washington air space. Bush, we learned, was bicycling in Maryland. In 2001, a gunman fired shots at the White House. Bush was inside exercising. When planes struck the World Trade Center in 2001, Bush was reading to schoolchildren, but that morning he had gone for a long run with a reporter. Either this is a series of coincidences or Bush spends an enormous amount of time working out.
More....
Bush's insistence that the entire populace follow his example, and that his staff join him on a Long March — er, Long Run — carries about it the faint whiff of a cult of personality. It also shows how out of touch he is. It's nice for Bush that he can take an hour or two out of every day to run, bike or pump iron. Unfortunately, most of us have more demanding jobs than he does.
Chait's an a-hole. Sometimes I work 12 hour days, but I can somehow get up (most days) for a 10 mile run.
But this post is perfect for Marathon Pundit, as of course, I run almost daily.
Anyway, someone named Jonathan Chait in his Los Angeles Times column (he also writes for the lefty rag, The New Republic), has problems with our physically fit commander-in-chief.
Excerpts:
A week ago, when President Bush met with Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III to interview him for a potential Supreme Court nomination, the conversation turned to exercise. When asked by the president of the United States how often he exercised, Wilkinson impressively responded that he runs 3 1/2 miles a day. Bush urged him to adopt more cross-training. "He warned me of impending doom," Wilkinson told the New York Times.
Am I the only person who finds this disturbing? I don't mean the fact that Bush would vet his selection for the highest court in the land in part on something utterly trivial. That's expected. What I mean is the fact that Bush has an obsession with exercise that borders on the creepy.
Given the importance of his job, it is astonishing how much time Bush has to exercise. His full schedule is not publicly available. The few peeks we get at Bush's daily routine usually come when some sort of disaster prods the White House Press Office to reveal what the president was doing "at the time." Earlier this year, an airplane wandered into restricted Washington air space. Bush, we learned, was bicycling in Maryland. In 2001, a gunman fired shots at the White House. Bush was inside exercising. When planes struck the World Trade Center in 2001, Bush was reading to schoolchildren, but that morning he had gone for a long run with a reporter. Either this is a series of coincidences or Bush spends an enormous amount of time working out.
More....
Bush's insistence that the entire populace follow his example, and that his staff join him on a Long March — er, Long Run — carries about it the faint whiff of a cult of personality. It also shows how out of touch he is. It's nice for Bush that he can take an hour or two out of every day to run, bike or pump iron. Unfortunately, most of us have more demanding jobs than he does.
Chait's an a-hole. Sometimes I work 12 hour days, but I can somehow get up (most days) for a 10 mile run.
Moby's mad mumblings from Australia
Quite possibly the worst celebrity blog belongs alleged rocker Moby. An excerpt from his July 19 entry.
how ironic...i'm in australia and john howard(aussie pm) is in the u.s.maybe we should trade responsibilities?john howard(we have a similar hairline)could play some old rave classics('go', 'thousand', 'next is the e', etc)and i could give my honest opinion on the war in iraq(a tragically sad, hubris inspired invasion that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths purely in the interest of acquiring the worlds 2nd largest oil reserves).i wonder if john howard and gw bush will kiss slowly and softly or with the ardent passion of long seperated lovers?i vote for the latter, to be honest with you.
White Sox news: Slugger Frank Thomas placed on DL
From ESPN:
The pain in his surgically repaired left ankle is so severe that Frank Thomas has trouble walking out of the clubhouse after games.
"It's a 10 right now, a real 10," Thomas said Friday, rating his pain level.
Struggling at the plate with a .219 average despite hitting 12 homers in 105 at-bats for the Chicago White Sox, Thomas was put back on the 15-day disabled list Friday.
But Thomas has great career statistics, 448 home runs and a .307 batting average.
As for the good news, the White Sox beat the Red Sox 8-4 tonight, John Garland picked up his 15th victory.
The pain in his surgically repaired left ankle is so severe that Frank Thomas has trouble walking out of the clubhouse after games.
"It's a 10 right now, a real 10," Thomas said Friday, rating his pain level.
Struggling at the plate with a .219 average despite hitting 12 homers in 105 at-bats for the Chicago White Sox, Thomas was put back on the 15-day disabled list Friday.
But Thomas has great career statistics, 448 home runs and a .307 batting average.
As for the good news, the White Sox beat the Red Sox 8-4 tonight, John Garland picked up his 15th victory.
Radio station celebrates Dave Matthews' return to Chicago: With cruise retracing sewage spew
From NBC 5 Chicago.
A boatload of radio contest winners on Friday retraced the voyage of an ill-fated tourist boat that got an unexpected surprise from a rock band's tour bus.
Last August, waste tanks from the tour bus of the Dave Matthews Band were emptied out as it was crossing a bridge over the Chicago River, dumping the contents on the passengers of a passing tour boat. The Dave Matthews Band made a gift to the Friends of the Chicago River to make up for the incident. The bus driver pleaded guilty and was fined.
More:
A Dave Matthews Band tribute band, The Tripping Billies, performed on a Wendella boat Friday. The radio show and performance was all a part to promote the Dave Matthews Band show this weekend.
Durbin says he's still undecided about Supreme Court nominee
The latest on the life and time of Richard Durbin...From AP:
``I urged Judge Roberts, as far as he can legally and within the canon of ethics, to be forthcoming and honest with us at the committee hearings,'' Durbin, the Senate's minority whip and No. 2 ranking Democrat, told reporters after a meeting in which he and Roberts talked about topics ranging from desegregation to heroes.
Two years ago, Durbin was one of three committee Democrats to vote against Roberts' being confirmed as a federal appellate court judge, and Durbin has since repeatedly blamed his lack of support for the former conservative Washington, D.C., attorney on his evasiveness on such matters as abortion rights.
My opinion: He'll vote "no."
``I urged Judge Roberts, as far as he can legally and within the canon of ethics, to be forthcoming and honest with us at the committee hearings,'' Durbin, the Senate's minority whip and No. 2 ranking Democrat, told reporters after a meeting in which he and Roberts talked about topics ranging from desegregation to heroes.
Two years ago, Durbin was one of three committee Democrats to vote against Roberts' being confirmed as a federal appellate court judge, and Durbin has since repeatedly blamed his lack of support for the former conservative Washington, D.C., attorney on his evasiveness on such matters as abortion rights.
My opinion: He'll vote "no."
Police Kill Man At London Subway Station
From CBS:
Police shot and killed a man wearing a thick coat at a London subway station on Friday, a day after the city was hit by a second wave of terror attacks in two weeks.
There are reports the man was a suspected suicide bomber, says CBS News Correspondent Richard Roth.
British Transport Police said the Northern and Victoria Tube lines, which pass through Stockwell, were suspended because of the shooting.
Passengers said they saw police pursuing a man who appeared to be of Pakistani or Indian descent. Some said police shot him when he tripped.
But one witness told the British Broadcasting Corp. that police "pushed him onto the floor and unloaded five shots into him." "He looked like a cornered fox. He looked pertrified," Mark Whitby said.
UPDATE 10PM CDT: News reports everywhere are saying that the man killed was not wearing a bomb.
2nd UPDATE Sat. 7/23 12PM. London police now believe the man shot had nothing to do with the recent London bombings.
Police shot and killed a man wearing a thick coat at a London subway station on Friday, a day after the city was hit by a second wave of terror attacks in two weeks.
There are reports the man was a suspected suicide bomber, says CBS News Correspondent Richard Roth.
British Transport Police said the Northern and Victoria Tube lines, which pass through Stockwell, were suspended because of the shooting.
Passengers said they saw police pursuing a man who appeared to be of Pakistani or Indian descent. Some said police shot him when he tripped.
But one witness told the British Broadcasting Corp. that police "pushed him onto the floor and unloaded five shots into him." "He looked like a cornered fox. He looked pertrified," Mark Whitby said.
UPDATE 10PM CDT: News reports everywhere are saying that the man killed was not wearing a bomb.
2nd UPDATE Sat. 7/23 12PM. London police now believe the man shot had nothing to do with the recent London bombings.
Chicago Tribune hatchet job
Yesterday the Chicago Tribune did a hatchet job on potential Republican candidate for Illinois governor Joe Birkett....busy day today, so I'll blog on this later...look for the post.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Obama undecided on Judge Roberts
Remember a few months ago when Barack Obama was Illinois' best known senator?
Well, despite Dick Durbin's newly found prominence, Obama hasn't gone away. From AP:
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday he hasn't decided whether he will vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee John Roberts.
Roberts clearly has the legal background and intellect to serve, Obama said. But the Chicago Democrat said he wonders whether Roberts has the wisdom and balance to be a Supreme Court justice.
``In every walk of life, you know people who are really smart but have no sense,'' Obama said.
As for the last sentence, is Barack talking about his fellow Democrats?
Well, despite Dick Durbin's newly found prominence, Obama hasn't gone away. From AP:
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday he hasn't decided whether he will vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee John Roberts.
Roberts clearly has the legal background and intellect to serve, Obama said. But the Chicago Democrat said he wonders whether Roberts has the wisdom and balance to be a Supreme Court justice.
``In every walk of life, you know people who are really smart but have no sense,'' Obama said.
As for the last sentence, is Barack talking about his fellow Democrats?
Blogger CrosSwords father passes away
Texas blogger (but Chicago area native) Bob James, who runs the CrosSwords blog, has suffered the sad passing of his father. My prayers are with you.
Allstate sued for religious discrimination by former employee (and conservative Internet writer)
Sent this way by a tipster.
I blogged about this a month ago or so...now there's a lawsuit.
From the Northbrook (IL) Star, excerpted:
A former employee has sued Northbrook-based Allstate Insurance Company for discrimination, maintaining he was fired for writing an Internet-published essay that slams same-sex marriage and homosexual lifestyles.
J. Matt Barber, 35, of Villa Park, said last week his Christian faith led him to write the essay in December 2004, on his own time and at home. His federal lawsuit alleges Allstate officials told him the following month that he was being suspended for writing the piece. He was fired three days later.
Barber's lawsuit claims his dismissal violates his constitutional right to free exercise of religion and seeks an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages.
"If a secular employer can fire you for what you believe, a lot of citizens better worry about what their employers can do to them," Barber's attorney, Matthew Davis, said Monday.
Davis works for the Gibbs Law Firm of Seminole, Fla., which specializes in religious rights cases. The firm represented Bob and Mary Schindler, parents of Terri Schiavo, who unsuccessfully sought a court order to prolong her life this year, after a judge ruled she was in a persistent vegetative state and her spouse could order her feeding tube removed.
More...
According to the lawsuit, his new supervisors knew about his off-work writing activities, and neither had "expressed any misgivings or potential disciplinary problems with Mr. Barber's off-work writing activities."
Nevertheless, the lawsuit alleges he was told Jan. 31 that he was being suspended from his job for writing the essay expressing his views on homosexuals and same-sex marriage.
"They slapped down a copy of the article I had written," he said last week. "I was told that 'here at Allstate we have a very diverse community,' those exact words, 'and you know that Allstate does not hold your position."
He said he was escorted from the building, and fired three days later.
Barber said he remains unemployed.
"Intolerance Will Not be Tolerated: The Gay Agenda vs. Family Values," is one of 10 Barber essays carried on mensnewsdaily.com, a conservative Web site. Barber said he never identified himself in biographies attached to his writings as an Allstate employee.
I blogged about this a month ago or so...now there's a lawsuit.
From the Northbrook (IL) Star, excerpted:
A former employee has sued Northbrook-based Allstate Insurance Company for discrimination, maintaining he was fired for writing an Internet-published essay that slams same-sex marriage and homosexual lifestyles.
J. Matt Barber, 35, of Villa Park, said last week his Christian faith led him to write the essay in December 2004, on his own time and at home. His federal lawsuit alleges Allstate officials told him the following month that he was being suspended for writing the piece. He was fired three days later.
Barber's lawsuit claims his dismissal violates his constitutional right to free exercise of religion and seeks an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages.
"If a secular employer can fire you for what you believe, a lot of citizens better worry about what their employers can do to them," Barber's attorney, Matthew Davis, said Monday.
Davis works for the Gibbs Law Firm of Seminole, Fla., which specializes in religious rights cases. The firm represented Bob and Mary Schindler, parents of Terri Schiavo, who unsuccessfully sought a court order to prolong her life this year, after a judge ruled she was in a persistent vegetative state and her spouse could order her feeding tube removed.
More...
According to the lawsuit, his new supervisors knew about his off-work writing activities, and neither had "expressed any misgivings or potential disciplinary problems with Mr. Barber's off-work writing activities."
Nevertheless, the lawsuit alleges he was told Jan. 31 that he was being suspended from his job for writing the essay expressing his views on homosexuals and same-sex marriage.
"They slapped down a copy of the article I had written," he said last week. "I was told that 'here at Allstate we have a very diverse community,' those exact words, 'and you know that Allstate does not hold your position."
He said he was escorted from the building, and fired three days later.
Barber said he remains unemployed.
"Intolerance Will Not be Tolerated: The Gay Agenda vs. Family Values," is one of 10 Barber essays carried on mensnewsdaily.com, a conservative Web site. Barber said he never identified himself in biographies attached to his writings as an Allstate employee.
Our prayers and thoughts...
....are with those in London today. Scroll down a bit on Marathon Pundit, some recent posts here have become more urgent after today's series of explosions.
UPDATE 6:30PM CDT, apparently no fatalities. Good news!
UDATE 7:20PM CDT: Two Arrested in London Subway, Bus Blasts
UPDATE 6:30PM CDT, apparently no fatalities. Good news!
UDATE 7:20PM CDT: Two Arrested in London Subway, Bus Blasts
Common sense from the UK's Home Minister: Deport the radicals
Thankfully, Ken "The Red" Livingstone is not the British Home Secretary.
From the Telegraph, free registration required, Imams who praise terrorism to face deportation
Extremist Islamic preachers who glorify terrorism at home and abroad will be subject to new restrictions, deportations and banning orders, Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, said yesterday.
A day after the Government and mainstream Muslim leaders agreed the need for tougher action against fundamentalist imams who foment hatred of the West, Mr Clarke told MPs he was drawing up a list of "unacceptable" activities.
They would include preaching holy war messages, writing inflammatory articles or running a jihadist website.
They could lead to the ejection or exclusion of firebrand clerics. The Foreign Office also announced a deal with Jordan to allow the repatriation of British-based fanatics.
From the Telegraph, free registration required, Imams who praise terrorism to face deportation
Extremist Islamic preachers who glorify terrorism at home and abroad will be subject to new restrictions, deportations and banning orders, Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, said yesterday.
A day after the Government and mainstream Muslim leaders agreed the need for tougher action against fundamentalist imams who foment hatred of the West, Mr Clarke told MPs he was drawing up a list of "unacceptable" activities.
They would include preaching holy war messages, writing inflammatory articles or running a jihadist website.
They could lead to the ejection or exclusion of firebrand clerics. The Foreign Office also announced a deal with Jordan to allow the repatriation of British-based fanatics.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Moron London Mayor Ken "The Red" Livingstone and his pro-suicide bomber cleric-friend
This Marathon Pundit post from yesterday, Banned-in-USA Muslim cleric--and supporter of suicide bombings--headed to Britain in August sums up how London Mayor Ken "The Red" Livingstone feels about his pal Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, whom Ken calls a "leading progressive Muslim," according to Islam Online.net.
Sheikh al-Qaradawi, who has denounced the 7/7 attacks, still supports Palestinian suicide bombers.
Here that "leading progressive Muslim," as noted in the earlier post, explains he thoughts on these vile assassins:
Last year he told the BBC's Newsnight: "It is not suicide; it is martyrdom in the name of God.
I consider this type of martyrdom operation as an indication of the justice of Allah almighty. Allah is just."Through his infinite wisdom he has given the weak what the strong do not possess and that is the ability to turn their bodies into bombs as the Palestinians do."
But Red Ken still supports this progressive, here he is courtesy of Islam Online:
Livingstone condemned the vile media campaign against Qaradawi ahead of the August conference, saying that his views were distorted and misunderstood, rejecting that they affected the minds of the London bombers.
"What Sheikh Qaradawi pointed out was, given that the Palestinians do not have jet fighters and do not have tanks, they only have their bodies to use. I do not think he is actually urging people to go out and become suicide bombers," Livingstone said, denouncing media for having "pandered to Islamophobia."
Good news, though. According to Islam Online, the progressive sheikh is not feeling well, and probably will not be traveling to England next month for an Islamic conference in Manchester.
Sheikh al-Qaradawi, who has denounced the 7/7 attacks, still supports Palestinian suicide bombers.
Here that "leading progressive Muslim," as noted in the earlier post, explains he thoughts on these vile assassins:
Last year he told the BBC's Newsnight: "It is not suicide; it is martyrdom in the name of God.
I consider this type of martyrdom operation as an indication of the justice of Allah almighty. Allah is just."Through his infinite wisdom he has given the weak what the strong do not possess and that is the ability to turn their bodies into bombs as the Palestinians do."
But Red Ken still supports this progressive, here he is courtesy of Islam Online:
Livingstone condemned the vile media campaign against Qaradawi ahead of the August conference, saying that his views were distorted and misunderstood, rejecting that they affected the minds of the London bombers.
"What Sheikh Qaradawi pointed out was, given that the Palestinians do not have jet fighters and do not have tanks, they only have their bodies to use. I do not think he is actually urging people to go out and become suicide bombers," Livingstone said, denouncing media for having "pandered to Islamophobia."
Good news, though. According to Islam Online, the progressive sheikh is not feeling well, and probably will not be traveling to England next month for an Islamic conference in Manchester.
James "Scotty" Doohan beamed home
A reall class act passed away earlier this morning.I had the pleasure of meeting Jimmy (he told me he preferred that name) Doohan in 1995 while I was a convention service manager at a downtown Chicago hotel. We were the host of one of those famous Star Trek conventions.
I with worked a few celebrities during my days in the hospitality business, he was by far the friendliest, least egotistical, and get this...he checked into the hotel under his real name and was fine with having the switch board operators transfer calls from fans to his room.
He sat in the bar just like a regular guy. (Clever man, because he knew "Trekkies" would buy him drinks.)
More on Jimmy here from AP.
Live long and prosper!
Judge John Roberts, Long Beach, Indiana native, and a "regular Midwest guy"
Long Beach is on the very edge of the Chicago sprawl, the beachfront community is on the border of Indiana and Michigan. I've been there once, it's a great little town.
From AP:
Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. grew up a stone's throw from Lake Michigan in an exclusive community popular among executives from Bethlehem Steel, attending Catholic schools and enjoying summers along the waterfront about 30 miles outside Chicago.
Yet he also did ``nitty gritty'' work during the summers at a nearby steel mill, part of a summer work force made up largely of mill executives' children.
The two experiences helped shape the Harvard-educated lawyer into an unassuming jurist with commonsense values, friends and colleagues said Wednesday.
``To say he came up by the bootstraps, no he didn't,'' said longtime friend Bob MacLaverty, a boarding school roommate who was in Roberts' wedding. ``But he's clearly not an elitist prep school, Ivy League-educated blue blood. He's just a regular Midwest guy.''
Roberts' family settled in Long Beach in the 1960s when his father was transferred to the Bethlehem Steel mill in nearby Burns Harbor from Buffalo, N.Y.
Long Beach was established in the 1920s as a summer getaway for Chicagoans. Today, it has about 1,500 residents, and houses along its prestigious Lakeshore Drive fetch prices of more than $1 million.
The community of lakefront homes and winding, tree-lined streets remains a stark contrast to the steel mills that dotted Indiana's northernmost border and drove the region's economy for decades.
From AP:
Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. grew up a stone's throw from Lake Michigan in an exclusive community popular among executives from Bethlehem Steel, attending Catholic schools and enjoying summers along the waterfront about 30 miles outside Chicago.
Yet he also did ``nitty gritty'' work during the summers at a nearby steel mill, part of a summer work force made up largely of mill executives' children.
The two experiences helped shape the Harvard-educated lawyer into an unassuming jurist with commonsense values, friends and colleagues said Wednesday.
``To say he came up by the bootstraps, no he didn't,'' said longtime friend Bob MacLaverty, a boarding school roommate who was in Roberts' wedding. ``But he's clearly not an elitist prep school, Ivy League-educated blue blood. He's just a regular Midwest guy.''
Roberts' family settled in Long Beach in the 1960s when his father was transferred to the Bethlehem Steel mill in nearby Burns Harbor from Buffalo, N.Y.
Long Beach was established in the 1920s as a summer getaway for Chicagoans. Today, it has about 1,500 residents, and houses along its prestigious Lakeshore Drive fetch prices of more than $1 million.
The community of lakefront homes and winding, tree-lined streets remains a stark contrast to the steel mills that dotted Indiana's northernmost border and drove the region's economy for decades.
Puke of Earle: Lefty rocker Steve Earle sells out
Despite his far-left leanings, I like most of Steve Earle's work. If you don't know Steve, imagine him as a sort-of Johnny Cash with a heap of 1960s musical influences thrown in.
He's had the prerequisite personal life issues that afflict many country/rocker types (drug addiction, six failed marriages), but I'm going to try to stick to Earle's music and his politics.
His otherwise solid 2002 work, "Jerusalem," was sidetracked by a bad note known as "John Walker's Blues," a song about the "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh.
In the song, Earle offers a very sympathetic view of Lindh, neglecting to mention in the song the vile nature of the Taliban government.
Interestingly, music was banned from the Afghan radio by the Taliban, a detail also left out of "John Walker Blues."
Last summer, Steve Earle released "The Revolution Starts Now;" the artwork of the album is prominently graced by a large red communist star. The album isn't very good, and like John Fogerty's "Deja Vu (All Over Again)," Earle's last one seems to have been a rushed affair, released quickly to sway the 2004 election into Kerry's favor.
We know how that ended up.
Moron Earle:
On "The Revolution Starts Now," there's a song "Warrior," about a family man who joins the army to pay bills (there's no work at home, you see, because "all the jobs have gone to Mexico.") While serving in Afghanistan, "the Warrior's" car is repossessed.
Then there's "Condi Condi," about you know who, this song has has Earle singing some nonsense, with a bastardized reggae beat, about Condi you-know-who..
Then there's the title track.
Courtesy of Mark Caro of the Chicago Tribune. (I know only wants excerpted articles, but hey, I'm a subscriber, and via this blog, I've sent many people to the Chicago Tribune site. If the Trib complains, I'll delete or excerpt the post.)
SPRING 2004:
Singer-songwriter Steve Earle and his band the Dukes record their politically charged anti-war, anti-Bush album "The Revolution Starts Now" in a matter of days. "The most important presidential election of our lifetime was less than seven months away and we desperately wanted to weigh in, both as artists and as citizens of a democracy."
Earle wrote on his Web site.The rallying cry of a title track begins and ends the album, featuring lyrics such as: The revolution starts here. Where you work and where you play, Where you lay your money down, What you do and what you say, The revolution starts now
AUG. 24, 2004:
Artemis Records releases "The Revolution Starts Now" to wide-spread acclaim. Milo Miles of Rolling Stone calls it "easily the most potent roar about Iraq so far." The title track wins Earle far more radio play than usual, with the song being played frequently on WXRT-FM 93.1.
NOV. 2, 2004:
George W. Bush is re-elected president of the United States.
DEC. 2, 2004
Earle writes on his blog: "I am suggesting refusing, resisting, organizing and getting out in the streets, and SINGING at the top of our lungs. Richard Nixon began pulling our guys out of Vietnam only when he and his government began to fear chaos in the streets of America. We can do this. We have to.
FEB. 13, 2005:
"The Revolution Starts Now" wins the Grammy Award for best contemporary folk album.
JULY 12, 2005:
A Chevy truck ad plays during the Major League Baseball's All-Star Game. The soundtrack: Earle's song "The Revolution Starts Now." Earle's manager Dan Gillis explains: "It's just a business decision we decided to make, and we went with it." Earle is not available for comment
He's had the prerequisite personal life issues that afflict many country/rocker types (drug addiction, six failed marriages), but I'm going to try to stick to Earle's music and his politics.
His otherwise solid 2002 work, "Jerusalem," was sidetracked by a bad note known as "John Walker's Blues," a song about the "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh.
In the song, Earle offers a very sympathetic view of Lindh, neglecting to mention in the song the vile nature of the Taliban government.
Interestingly, music was banned from the Afghan radio by the Taliban, a detail also left out of "John Walker Blues."
Last summer, Steve Earle released "The Revolution Starts Now;" the artwork of the album is prominently graced by a large red communist star. The album isn't very good, and like John Fogerty's "Deja Vu (All Over Again)," Earle's last one seems to have been a rushed affair, released quickly to sway the 2004 election into Kerry's favor.
We know how that ended up.
Moron Earle:
On "The Revolution Starts Now," there's a song "Warrior," about a family man who joins the army to pay bills (there's no work at home, you see, because "all the jobs have gone to Mexico.") While serving in Afghanistan, "the Warrior's" car is repossessed.
Then there's "Condi Condi," about you know who, this song has has Earle singing some nonsense, with a bastardized reggae beat, about Condi you-know-who..
Then there's the title track.
Courtesy of Mark Caro of the Chicago Tribune. (I know only wants excerpted articles, but hey, I'm a subscriber, and via this blog, I've sent many people to the Chicago Tribune site. If the Trib complains, I'll delete or excerpt the post.)
SPRING 2004:
Singer-songwriter Steve Earle and his band the Dukes record their politically charged anti-war, anti-Bush album "The Revolution Starts Now" in a matter of days. "The most important presidential election of our lifetime was less than seven months away and we desperately wanted to weigh in, both as artists and as citizens of a democracy."
Earle wrote on his Web site.The rallying cry of a title track begins and ends the album, featuring lyrics such as: The revolution starts here. Where you work and where you play, Where you lay your money down, What you do and what you say, The revolution starts now
AUG. 24, 2004:
Artemis Records releases "The Revolution Starts Now" to wide-spread acclaim. Milo Miles of Rolling Stone calls it "easily the most potent roar about Iraq so far." The title track wins Earle far more radio play than usual, with the song being played frequently on WXRT-FM 93.1.
NOV. 2, 2004:
George W. Bush is re-elected president of the United States.
DEC. 2, 2004
Earle writes on his blog: "I am suggesting refusing, resisting, organizing and getting out in the streets, and SINGING at the top of our lungs. Richard Nixon began pulling our guys out of Vietnam only when he and his government began to fear chaos in the streets of America. We can do this. We have to.
FEB. 13, 2005:
"The Revolution Starts Now" wins the Grammy Award for best contemporary folk album.
JULY 12, 2005:
A Chevy truck ad plays during the Major League Baseball's All-Star Game. The soundtrack: Earle's song "The Revolution Starts Now." Earle's manager Dan Gillis explains: "It's just a business decision we decided to make, and we went with it." Earle is not available for comment
Jill Stanek on John Roberts
Illinois blogger Jill Stanek has an excellent string of posts or SCOTUS nominee John Roberts, and the predictable reaction.
A sample:
PFAW (People for the American Way) on Roberts: "constitutional catastrophe"
A "catastrophe" to PFAW is a blessing for America:
A sample:
PFAW (People for the American Way) on Roberts: "constitutional catastrophe"
A "catastrophe" to PFAW is a blessing for America:
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Durbin Throws Down the Gauntlet on Roberts, terms nominee "controversial"
Well, that didn't last long....from the Illinois Leader.
Illinois' senior Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Assistant Democrat Leader in the U.S. Senate, has wasted little time in launching against Judge John Roberts, President Bush's choice for the Supreme Court slot being vacated by retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Durbin has said that the President's decision to put forward John Roberts, 50, who he termed a "controversial nominee" guarantees a "controversial nomination process."
Durbin previously clashed with Roberts during the confirmation process for the federal judgeship he now holds. Durbin questioned Roberts characterization of the Rehnquist Court as not necessarily conservative, saying that the the record of the court defied easy labels.
Durbin joined Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) in voting against Roberts' ultimately successful appointment to the Appeals Court of the District of Columbia approximately two years ago.
Durbin has previously declared that any nominee that did not respect the Court's 1965 decision in Griswold v. Connecticut that created a person's right to privacy (the precursor to the Roe v. Wade decision) should be filibustered.
Illinois' senior Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Assistant Democrat Leader in the U.S. Senate, has wasted little time in launching against Judge John Roberts, President Bush's choice for the Supreme Court slot being vacated by retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Durbin has said that the President's decision to put forward John Roberts, 50, who he termed a "controversial nominee" guarantees a "controversial nomination process."
Durbin previously clashed with Roberts during the confirmation process for the federal judgeship he now holds. Durbin questioned Roberts characterization of the Rehnquist Court as not necessarily conservative, saying that the the record of the court defied easy labels.
Durbin joined Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) in voting against Roberts' ultimately successful appointment to the Appeals Court of the District of Columbia approximately two years ago.
Durbin has previously declared that any nominee that did not respect the Court's 1965 decision in Griswold v. Connecticut that created a person's right to privacy (the precursor to the Roe v. Wade decision) should be filibustered.
MEMRI: Scapegoating the 9/11 and 7/7 terror attacks
Hat tip to Roger L. Simon....
No, Al-Qaeda was NOT behind those attacks...According to MEMRI (the level-minded Middle East Media Research Institute) it was, well, the usual people who are blamed for this stuff....
No, Al-Qaeda was NOT behind those attacks...According to MEMRI (the level-minded Middle East Media Research Institute) it was, well, the usual people who are blamed for this stuff....
London Mayor Ken Livinsgtone: Clearly a menace
Second post today about London Lord Mayor Ken Livingstone. You think after the 7/7 attacks, he'd figured out the score on terrorism, but no, it's still "the Jews" who are the troublemakers.
Hat tip to Pat Curley at Brainster.
From the Jerusalem Post:
London Mayor Ken Livingstone, whose city was devastated by Islamic suicide bombings earlier in the month, lashed out at Israel Tuesday, comparing the Likud to Hamas and accusing Israel of "crimes against humanity."
At a London press conference, Livingstone, who has a long record of anti-Israeli diatribes, drew a connection between the London blasts and the Middle East. He said Israel had "done horrendous things which border on crimes against humanity in the way they have indiscriminately slaughtered men, women and children in the West Bank and Gaza for decades."
Livingstone expressed understanding for the motivations of Palestinian suicide bombers, saying that since the "Palestinians don't have jet fighters, they only have their bodies to use as weapons. In that unfair balance, that's what people use."
Hey Ken! How 'bout I leave you alone for a few minutes in a room with Rudy Giuliani?
Hat tip to Pat Curley at Brainster.
From the Jerusalem Post:
London Mayor Ken Livingstone, whose city was devastated by Islamic suicide bombings earlier in the month, lashed out at Israel Tuesday, comparing the Likud to Hamas and accusing Israel of "crimes against humanity."
At a London press conference, Livingstone, who has a long record of anti-Israeli diatribes, drew a connection between the London blasts and the Middle East. He said Israel had "done horrendous things which border on crimes against humanity in the way they have indiscriminately slaughtered men, women and children in the West Bank and Gaza for decades."
Livingstone expressed understanding for the motivations of Palestinian suicide bombers, saying that since the "Palestinians don't have jet fighters, they only have their bodies to use as weapons. In that unfair balance, that's what people use."
Hey Ken! How 'bout I leave you alone for a few minutes in a room with Rudy Giuliani?
Federal Judge Roberts Is Bush's Choice
Well, I was listening on Sean Hannity's show this afternoon, and he kept insisting (and I don't believe he was the only one) it was to be one of two women named Edith to replace Sandra Day O'Connor as an Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court.
Anyway, it's John Roberts. Demonization of Mr. Roberts by the Left shall commense.
Anyway, it's John Roberts. Demonization of Mr. Roberts by the Left shall commense.
Hate mail
And Jackson Hole is such a lovely place...
I came across your site accidentally, stopped a while to ponder and left convinced that you, sir, are an idiot.
r. gregory
jackson hole, wyoming
I came across your site accidentally, stopped a while to ponder and left convinced that you, sir, are an idiot.
r. gregory
jackson hole, wyoming
Joe Biden:" No conservative Justice, please."
From David Limbaugh's latest column:
The Senate's most self-satisfied senator, Joseph Biden, has established a website asking citizens to join him in pressuring President Bush to pick a liberal Supreme Court nominee so that a contentious confirmation battle can be averted.
Well, yes, I'll admit he didn't quite put it that way, but if the Left's currently favorite sycophant, Joe Wilson, is entitled to spurts of "literary flair," why shouldn't the rest of us be as well?
Very thoughtful (and humorous) column, the rest of it is here.
Oh, and Biden's Supreme nominee site, well if you must....
The Senate's most self-satisfied senator, Joseph Biden, has established a website asking citizens to join him in pressuring President Bush to pick a liberal Supreme Court nominee so that a contentious confirmation battle can be averted.
Well, yes, I'll admit he didn't quite put it that way, but if the Left's currently favorite sycophant, Joe Wilson, is entitled to spurts of "literary flair," why shouldn't the rest of us be as well?
Very thoughtful (and humorous) column, the rest of it is here.
Oh, and Biden's Supreme nominee site, well if you must....
Banned-in-USA Muslim cleric--and supporter of suicide bombings--headed to Britain in August
Pictured on the left are London Mayor Ken "The Red" Livingstone and Qatari Imam Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Last year, according to Tuesday's UK Telegraph, the Lord Mayor invited Yusuf to England to London, which infuriated many Gay and Jewish Brits.Free registration may be required to view the entire Telegraph article.
Because he has links to the extremist group The Muslim Brotherhood, Qaradawi is banned from the USA.
Ken has been cozy with Palestinian, and more specifically, anti-Israel activists for years. To his credit, since 7/7 he's been sounding a bit more like President Bush of late, the same man the Leftist mayor once called "the greatest threat to life on this planet." It would be interesting to ask Livingstone if he's invite Yusuf back to London.
But many miles north of London, on August 7, Qaradawi is scheduled to speak at an Islamic conference in Manchester. Will the British government, in light of the 7/7 atrocities, let him back into England?
From the Telegraph:
But although Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, has the power to exclude individuals whose presence is judged not to be conducive to the public good, there is no suggestion that the controversial Qatar-based imam is to be banned.
Last Friday the Home Office outlined proposals aimed at restraining militants by making it a crime to glorify or condone terrorism. Ministers said that would cover statements suggesting that suicide bombers were martyrs.
The second paragraph seems quite reasonable. Now, about that first one...
Although Qaradawi's supporters said he had condemned the Tube and bus attacks, he has praised suicide bombings against Israel.
Last year he told the BBC's Newsnight: "It is not suicide; it is martyrdom in the name of God. I consider this type of martyrdom operation as an indication of the justice of Allah almighty. Allah is just.
"Through his infinite wisdom he has given the weak what the strong do not possess and that is the ability to turn their bodies into bombs as the Palestinians do."
The Telegraph finds a Muslim spokesman who belches out the tired apologist line that Qaradawi is a "moderate" and that his comments were, as radicals spewings usually are, "taken out of context."
My advice to Home Secretary Clarke? Have that Qatari plane bypass Manchester and divert it to further north to some God forsaken place such as the Faroe Islands.
And leave him there.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Vietnam war commander Westmoreland dies
Breaking news as I type this post. From AP:
Retired Gen. William Westmoreland, who commanded American troops in Vietnam — the nation's longest conflict and the only war America lost — died Monday night. He was 91.
Westmoreland died of natural causes at Bishop Gadsden retirement home, where he had lived with his wife for several years, said his son, James Ripley Westmoreland.
The silver-haired, jut-jawed officer, who rose through the ranks quickly in Europe during World War II and later became superintendent of West Point, contended the United States did not lose the conflict in Southeast Asia.
"It's more accurate to say our country did not fulfill its commitment to South Vietnam," he said. "By virtue of Vietnam, the U.S. held the line for 10 years and stopped the dominoes from falling."
He would later say he did not know how history would deal with him.
Retired Gen. William Westmoreland, who commanded American troops in Vietnam — the nation's longest conflict and the only war America lost — died Monday night. He was 91.
Westmoreland died of natural causes at Bishop Gadsden retirement home, where he had lived with his wife for several years, said his son, James Ripley Westmoreland.
The silver-haired, jut-jawed officer, who rose through the ranks quickly in Europe during World War II and later became superintendent of West Point, contended the United States did not lose the conflict in Southeast Asia.
"It's more accurate to say our country did not fulfill its commitment to South Vietnam," he said. "By virtue of Vietnam, the U.S. held the line for 10 years and stopped the dominoes from falling."
He would later say he did not know how history would deal with him.
Another update from our Saudi allies....
More bizarre stuff from our "allies" in the War on Terror, Saudi Arabia. Satellite Dish Makes Husband Unfit for Custody of Children, from the Arab News.
I wonder if that satellite dish has the Fox New Channel?
Adnan Al-Hababi has not seen his children in five years. His wife left his house without his permission in mid 2000 along with his three children — all under 10 — before settling a divorce case.
A judge in the Riyadh Shariah court ruled that his wife should have custody of their children — even though she is still legally married — on the basis that he was not fit to bring them up because he has a satellite dish in his house.
More...
The court ruling said: “The accuser has two boys who are under seven and a girl who is older than and that. He has acknowledged that he has a satellite dish that screens Arabic channels. And since he knows the dangers of what these channels screen — the soap operas and films that affect the morals of Muslims — and this could drive children astray, and also, since a girl usually spends most of her time at home, we have ruled that the custody of the children goes to what is best for them and hence goes to the wife because the husband is unfit for their upbringing.”
I wonder if that satellite dish has the Fox New Channel?
Adnan Al-Hababi has not seen his children in five years. His wife left his house without his permission in mid 2000 along with his three children — all under 10 — before settling a divorce case.
A judge in the Riyadh Shariah court ruled that his wife should have custody of their children — even though she is still legally married — on the basis that he was not fit to bring them up because he has a satellite dish in his house.
More...
The court ruling said: “The accuser has two boys who are under seven and a girl who is older than and that. He has acknowledged that he has a satellite dish that screens Arabic channels. And since he knows the dangers of what these channels screen — the soap operas and films that affect the morals of Muslims — and this could drive children astray, and also, since a girl usually spends most of her time at home, we have ruled that the custody of the children goes to what is best for them and hence goes to the wife because the husband is unfit for their upbringing.”
Wash. Times: Durbin Gitmo abuse case not verified
Remember the infamous Dick Durbin e-mail....well, it seems like those details can't be verified...Shocking? Well, not to me. Free registration may be required.
Military investigators did not substantiate major charges of prisoner abuse contained in one FBI agent's e-mail that was read on the Senate floor by Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin as an example of U.S.-sanctioned torture at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The unnamed FBI agent wrote that she saw one al Qaeda suspect lying in his own excrement, that he had pulled out his own hair and that he had no food and water. The female agent also said he was shackled to the floor and subjected to loud rock music and to extreme temperatures.
Mr. Durbin, of Illinois and the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, read the e-mail June 14 in a speech attacking the Bush administration. He then likened Guantanamo interrogation techniques to the Nazis, Josef Stalin's prisoner gulag, Pol Pot and the internment of Japanese during World War II. He later issued an apology on the Senate floor.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John W. Warner, Virginia Republican, rebuked Mr. Durbin in a Senate debate for reading, as fact, a raw FBI report, the charges in which had not yet been investigated. That investigation was completed last week by Air Force Lt. Gen. Randall M. Schmidt, who commands the 12th Air Force, the air component of U.S. Southern Command, which oversees the 520-inmate prison at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo.
Gen. Schmidt wrote in his report, "Another FBI agent stated she witnessed a detainee short shackled and lying in his own excrement. The [investigation] was unable to find any documentation, testimony, or other evidence corroborating the third agent's recollection to this allegation or her e-mail allegation that one of the detainees had pulled his hair out while short shackled."
The Schmidt report also said, "We discovered no evidence to support the allegation that the detainees were denied food and water."
Military investigators did not substantiate major charges of prisoner abuse contained in one FBI agent's e-mail that was read on the Senate floor by Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin as an example of U.S.-sanctioned torture at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The unnamed FBI agent wrote that she saw one al Qaeda suspect lying in his own excrement, that he had pulled out his own hair and that he had no food and water. The female agent also said he was shackled to the floor and subjected to loud rock music and to extreme temperatures.
Mr. Durbin, of Illinois and the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, read the e-mail June 14 in a speech attacking the Bush administration. He then likened Guantanamo interrogation techniques to the Nazis, Josef Stalin's prisoner gulag, Pol Pot and the internment of Japanese during World War II. He later issued an apology on the Senate floor.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John W. Warner, Virginia Republican, rebuked Mr. Durbin in a Senate debate for reading, as fact, a raw FBI report, the charges in which had not yet been investigated. That investigation was completed last week by Air Force Lt. Gen. Randall M. Schmidt, who commands the 12th Air Force, the air component of U.S. Southern Command, which oversees the 520-inmate prison at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo.
Gen. Schmidt wrote in his report, "Another FBI agent stated she witnessed a detainee short shackled and lying in his own excrement. The [investigation] was unable to find any documentation, testimony, or other evidence corroborating the third agent's recollection to this allegation or her e-mail allegation that one of the detainees had pulled his hair out while short shackled."
The Schmidt report also said, "We discovered no evidence to support the allegation that the detainees were denied food and water."
Bernard Goldberg, "100 People Who Are Screwing Up America" author...Durbin would be on new list
Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review Online interviewed author Bernard Goldberg, author of "100 People Who Are Screwing Up America, and Al Franken is #37," in today's NRO.
Great interview, here is what caught my eye:
Lopez: Is there anyone you wish you had had room to include in the 100 but had to squeeze out?
Goldberg: If the book went to press later, Dick Durbin would have made the list and so would have all the Supreme Court justices who voted in the majority in the eminent domain case. I thought liberals were the ones who cared so much about the little guy.
Great interview, here is what caught my eye:
Lopez: Is there anyone you wish you had had room to include in the 100 but had to squeeze out?
Goldberg: If the book went to press later, Dick Durbin would have made the list and so would have all the Supreme Court justices who voted in the majority in the eminent domain case. I thought liberals were the ones who cared so much about the little guy.
The "Close Gitmo" crowd: Hurting us in the War on Terror
Hat tip Brainster, from today's American Spectator.
The common belief among the terrorists, fed by reports apparently conveyed to some by their lawyers, is that political pressure will soon result in our having to close Gitmo and let them go. (Note to Messrs. Durbin, Kennedy, the New York Times, et al.: Please shut up. You are making the interrogators' job much harder than it already is.) Because they believe we'll close Gitmo, many of the detainees resist years of interrogation.
One more time: PLEASE SHUT UP!
The common belief among the terrorists, fed by reports apparently conveyed to some by their lawyers, is that political pressure will soon result in our having to close Gitmo and let them go. (Note to Messrs. Durbin, Kennedy, the New York Times, et al.: Please shut up. You are making the interrogators' job much harder than it already is.) Because they believe we'll close Gitmo, many of the detainees resist years of interrogation.
One more time: PLEASE SHUT UP!
Sunday, July 17, 2005
The latest from our Saudi allies: Imams and academics still say "No women can drive"
In what's becoming a regular feature on Marathon Pundit, I'd like to report on the lates developments from our "allies" in the War on Terror: Saudi "15 of 19" Saudi Arabia.
From the Arab News:
A statement that has warned against the dangers of allowing women to drive in Saudi Arabia was released on the Internet on Friday. More than 100 sheikhs, imams, judges, Islamic scholars, Islamic university teachers, several heads of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (emphasis mine) centers in the Kingdom, as well as some teachers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah signed the statement.
The statement said that the enemies of Islam are seeking to destroy the great role women have been given in Islam by corrupting them and hence corrupting the Islamic world.
It said the enemies of Islam have portrayed the image of Muslim women being without rights and having “a broken wing,” saying that their homes are prisons, their husbands mistreat them, and their hijabs are a sign of backwardness.
(My note: I guess that includes me.)
It said that they have come up with the terminology of “injustice for women” in our country and have used it in the media lately introducing the fact that they are not allowed to drive as a sign of injustice.
They also said in the statement that the ruling in Islam that “closing all doors leads to corruption” was clear and was for the protection of people and society. “Women driving cars is not permissible because the ruling of ‘closing doors that leads to corruption’ applies to it directly.”
From the Arab News:
A statement that has warned against the dangers of allowing women to drive in Saudi Arabia was released on the Internet on Friday. More than 100 sheikhs, imams, judges, Islamic scholars, Islamic university teachers, several heads of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (emphasis mine) centers in the Kingdom, as well as some teachers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah signed the statement.
The statement said that the enemies of Islam are seeking to destroy the great role women have been given in Islam by corrupting them and hence corrupting the Islamic world.
It said the enemies of Islam have portrayed the image of Muslim women being without rights and having “a broken wing,” saying that their homes are prisons, their husbands mistreat them, and their hijabs are a sign of backwardness.
(My note: I guess that includes me.)
It said that they have come up with the terminology of “injustice for women” in our country and have used it in the media lately introducing the fact that they are not allowed to drive as a sign of injustice.
They also said in the statement that the ruling in Islam that “closing all doors leads to corruption” was clear and was for the protection of people and society. “Women driving cars is not permissible because the ruling of ‘closing doors that leads to corruption’ applies to it directly.”
Belleville News-Democrat editorial on East St. Louis vote fraud
Meant to add this to the earlier post about ESL vote fraud, but in addition to that article in today's Belleville News-Democrat, there was a great editorial, titled Voters clamor for clean elections.
Here is the final paragraph:
Meanwhile, (St. Clair) county Democrats continue to try to ignore the issue. That sort of see-no-evil, hear-no-evil response may have worked in the past, but not after nine vote fraud convictions in federal court. Democratic officeholders who don't take responsibility for practices within their party and fix the problems could easily find themselves in trouble next election.
Of course, the New York Times still claims to publish "All the news that's fit to print," but mark my words, this won't fit into Monday's New York Times.
Here is the final paragraph:
Meanwhile, (St. Clair) county Democrats continue to try to ignore the issue. That sort of see-no-evil, hear-no-evil response may have worked in the past, but not after nine vote fraud convictions in federal court. Democratic officeholders who don't take responsibility for practices within their party and fix the problems could easily find themselves in trouble next election.
Of course, the New York Times still claims to publish "All the news that's fit to print," but mark my words, this won't fit into Monday's New York Times.
Vote fraud? What vote fraud?
File this under "Stuff too unbelievable to make up." A follow up to the East St. Louis, IL vote fraud story. An excerpt from an article by George Pawlaczyk of the Belleville News-Democrat.
Top St. Clair County officeholders, who have long relied on heavy Democratic majorities from East St. Louis to get elected, said that until last month's federal trial they had never heard about vote buying locally.
"I have never, ever -- and I tell you this in all honesty -- I have never, ever heard anything about buying votes," Sheriff Mearl Justus said.
And Justus and other elected officials also said they believe county Democratic Central Committee Chairman Robert Sprague had no knowledge of vote buying before the Nov. 2 general election or at any time.
But not everyone agrees with them.
A vast majority of the 2,202 responses to a weeklong reader poll last week in the News-Democrat answered "yes" to this question: "Do you believe that the Democratic Party bought votes in East St. Louis during the November election?"
Readers responded three to one that they believed votes were bought.
Caseyville Township Supervisor Everett Moody, who was the target in April of an unsuccessful campaign by county Democrats to unseat him, said he has heard about vote buying for most of his 38 years in politics.
"If they say they never heard about vote buying, I'd have to say I doubt they're telling the truth," Moody said.
Top St. Clair County officeholders, who have long relied on heavy Democratic majorities from East St. Louis to get elected, said that until last month's federal trial they had never heard about vote buying locally.
"I have never, ever -- and I tell you this in all honesty -- I have never, ever heard anything about buying votes," Sheriff Mearl Justus said.
And Justus and other elected officials also said they believe county Democratic Central Committee Chairman Robert Sprague had no knowledge of vote buying before the Nov. 2 general election or at any time.
But not everyone agrees with them.
A vast majority of the 2,202 responses to a weeklong reader poll last week in the News-Democrat answered "yes" to this question: "Do you believe that the Democratic Party bought votes in East St. Louis during the November election?"
Readers responded three to one that they believed votes were bought.
Caseyville Township Supervisor Everett Moody, who was the target in April of an unsuccessful campaign by county Democrats to unseat him, said he has heard about vote buying for most of his 38 years in politics.
"If they say they never heard about vote buying, I'd have to say I doubt they're telling the truth," Moody said.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Richard III recast as Saddam Hussein
Three versions of Richard III. A painting of the genuine article, Ian "Gandalf" McKellen as a 1930s fascist version of Richard. The latest incarnation of the last of the House of York kings will be Saddam Hussein.
Again from the UK Telegraph (free registration still required.)
Shakespeare's Richard III, which is most commonly dated to 1591 or 1592, charts Richard's bloody rise to power after the civil war between the royal houses of York and Lancaster. The character is portrayed as a deformed monster who is willing to murder members of his own family to get his hands on the throne of England. Much of what happens in the play is either complete fabrication or the subject of historical speculation.
The play is being produced for a new RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) festival next year that will include performances of all 37 of the Bard's plays. The new production, featuring a pan-Arab cast, will be directed by Sulayman al-Bassam, the Anglo-Kuwaiti director.
Mr al-Bassam is convinced that the play is an ideal vehicle for an exploration of Saddam's brutal reign of terror. He is, however, considering a drastic reworking of the plot.
"The RSC have given me a significant amount of freedom about how I might approach the play," he said.
Tough people: North Korean couple hides in Chinese cave for two years
North Korea, the lately-quiet-third of the Axis of Evil, must be more wretched than imaginable.
A harrowing story, with a happy ending. From the UK Telegraph (free registration required).
A North Korean couple who fled to China in search of a better life have told how they spent two years hiding in a burrow dug in snowbound mountains to avoid being captured and sent home.
Sung Kyung-il and his wife, Chu Myung-hee, survived bitterly cold winters and the threat of starvation after digging a cave in the side of Dokgol Mountain, in the rugged terrain of northeast China.
Like many other North Koreans, the couple escaped the dictatorial Stalinist regime and a near constant famine under the mistaken impression that China would offer a better standard of living and more freedom.
They quickly learnt, however, that they faced being deported by the Chinese police back to North Korea, where they would have risked torture, imprisonment and possible execution.
Beijing regards the refugees as illegal economic migrants and regularly repatriates them.
To avoid arrest, the pair fled to a remote spot in the border region, hacking out a shelter from the mountain's frozen slopes and covering it with grass and foliage.
They lived there for more than two years before escaping China to resettle in the South Korean city of Daegu, where their remarkable story of survival has just emerged.
A harrowing story, with a happy ending. From the UK Telegraph (free registration required).
A North Korean couple who fled to China in search of a better life have told how they spent two years hiding in a burrow dug in snowbound mountains to avoid being captured and sent home.
Sung Kyung-il and his wife, Chu Myung-hee, survived bitterly cold winters and the threat of starvation after digging a cave in the side of Dokgol Mountain, in the rugged terrain of northeast China.
Like many other North Koreans, the couple escaped the dictatorial Stalinist regime and a near constant famine under the mistaken impression that China would offer a better standard of living and more freedom.
They quickly learnt, however, that they faced being deported by the Chinese police back to North Korea, where they would have risked torture, imprisonment and possible execution.
Beijing regards the refugees as illegal economic migrants and regularly repatriates them.
To avoid arrest, the pair fled to a remote spot in the border region, hacking out a shelter from the mountain's frozen slopes and covering it with grass and foliage.
They lived there for more than two years before escaping China to resettle in the South Korean city of Daegu, where their remarkable story of survival has just emerged.
Tony Blair warns of "evil ideology"
From CBS 2 Chicago:
In a speech Saturday in central London, Blair said authorities were facing an "evil ideology" in their struggle against Islamic terrorism
."The greatest danger is that we fail to face up to the nature of the threat that we're dealing with," he said. "And what we are confronting here is an evil ideology. ... It is a battle of ideas, of hearts and of minds, both within Islam and outside it."
In a speech Saturday in central London, Blair said authorities were facing an "evil ideology" in their struggle against Islamic terrorism
."The greatest danger is that we fail to face up to the nature of the threat that we're dealing with," he said. "And what we are confronting here is an evil ideology. ... It is a battle of ideas, of hearts and of minds, both within Islam and outside it."
Hugh Hewitt's "Blog"
Well, I finally picked up a copy of radio host Hugh Hewitt's "Blog." So far so good, with one glaring exception. Bloggers roles in exposing John Kerry's "Christmas in Cambodia" lie were listed, except for the key blog, Kerry Haters, which has morphed into Brainster.
Ted Kennedy: Another Massachusetts Flip-flopper
John Kerry hasn't monopolized the "skill" of flip-flopping in the Bay State.
From Jill Zuckman in Friday's Chicago Tribune. Free registration required:
At Thurgood Marshall's 1967 Supreme Court confirmation hearing, a young Sen. Edward Kennedy lectured his colleagues on the Judiciary Committee, saying it was not their responsibility to question a nominee's judicial philosophy, only to ascertain his legal credentials and qualifications.
But now, Kennedy (D-Mass.) and many other senators want to know a nominee's opinion on everything from abortion to environmental and civil rights, as they evaluate whoever President Bush chooses to fill Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's seat."
A resume is no substitute for answering questions about whether the nominee respects the basic rights and freedoms on which the nation was founded," Kennedy said on the Senate floor this week in an about-face from his comments almost four decades ago.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Durbin calls for more bus, rail security (but wants to weaken Patriot Act)
Illinois' senior senator, Richard Durbin, is calling for more security for America's bus and rail lines. In light of last week's of last week's terrorist attacks in London, that seems like a sensible idea.
According to this CBS 2 Chicago report, the mass transit security budget was decreased this week by Congress by $50 million dollars.
Said Durbin:
There is absolutely no good explanation for that decision,” Durbin said.
Durbin lashed out at federal authorities Friday for failing to provide more funding for train and bus security.
Counters Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff:
“The federal government is not going to own all the responsibility, not going to put guards all over the place -- it's not possible for us to do that."
Now, what's not in the CBS 2 Chicago article: Durbin is against America's best domestic weapon in the War on Terror--in my opinion, at least--the Patriot Act. Well, Durbin's never really said that he's against the Act, but he's sponsored (along with some Republicans) a watered down version of the Patriot Act, dubbed the SAFE Act.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has an open mind on limited changes to the Patriot Act, but for the most part wants to keep the Patriot Act the way it is.
Durbin does not.
According to this CBS 2 Chicago report, the mass transit security budget was decreased this week by Congress by $50 million dollars.
Said Durbin:
There is absolutely no good explanation for that decision,” Durbin said.
Durbin lashed out at federal authorities Friday for failing to provide more funding for train and bus security.
Counters Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff:
“The federal government is not going to own all the responsibility, not going to put guards all over the place -- it's not possible for us to do that."
Now, what's not in the CBS 2 Chicago article: Durbin is against America's best domestic weapon in the War on Terror--in my opinion, at least--the Patriot Act. Well, Durbin's never really said that he's against the Act, but he's sponsored (along with some Republicans) a watered down version of the Patriot Act, dubbed the SAFE Act.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has an open mind on limited changes to the Patriot Act, but for the most part wants to keep the Patriot Act the way it is.
Durbin does not.
Noam Chomsky ranked #11 in Bernard Goldberg's "100 People Who Are Screwing Up America"
Moonbat supreme Noam Chomsky (and friend of DePaul University's own Moonbat Norman Finkelstein) was ranked 11th in Bernard Goldberg's latest book, 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America : (and Al Franken Is #37).
I was at a local bookstore tonight, picking up Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," for my eight-year old daughter, and saw the Goldberg's book in the new releases pile.
Bernie Goldberg, a former CBS reporter, is the author of the essential books Bias and Arrogance.
I was at a local bookstore tonight, picking up Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," for my eight-year old daughter, and saw the Goldberg's book in the new releases pile.
Bernie Goldberg, a former CBS reporter, is the author of the essential books Bias and Arrogance.
Jonah Goldberg: Britain's Muslims must turn on terrorists in their midst
National Review writer Jonah Goldberg has an excellent column in today's Jewish World Review. An excerpt:
In their caricatured asininity, Younge and Galloway (British leftists) are extreme examples of a more widespread mindset that assumes that America (along with its British and other allies) is the problem. And if we would just stop bothering the beehive, the bees would just stop stinging us.
This is nonsense. Everything we've learned about the jihadis in recent years points to the fact that they are more like killer bees than conventional ones. They spread. They're aggressive. And they seek to replace the traditional population wherever they appear.
Regardless, the real danger isn't from a tiny rabble of jihadi useful idiots, but from the great mass of the British public. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, The Independent ran a splashy front page story on the "backlash" against Muslims. The worst assaults on London since the Blitz, and the "backlash" amounted to little more than a broken window and a man getting roughed up in a pub. One has to wonder how many more pub beatings took place that same weekend because some idiot said something unkind about Manchester United.
The scandal wasn't that there was a "backlash" against the Muslim community. It is that there wasn't more of a backlash within the Muslim community. We now know that the attackers were British born and raised Muslims. Yet there's precious little evidence that the Muslim community is eager to turn on the enemy within with any admirable enthusiasm. And there are even fewer signs that the British media has any interest in contributing to a "climate" that would encourage such a development.
This is a recipe for unmitigated disaster. Obviously, it makes terrorism more likely. And it also makes precisely the sort of climate the press and moderate Muslims fear most. If normal Muslims can't be counted on to turn on terrorists in their midst, how can a nation avoid taking measures that will seem unfair to normal Muslims?
Already nine out of 10 Brits support sweeping new powers for the police. If jihadis can hide among the larger Muslim population, it's obvious that the larger Muslim population will come under greater scrutiny. The logic of the cancer cell kicks in, and even more young Muslims feel "oppressed" and the number of jihadis will grow.
In their caricatured asininity, Younge and Galloway (British leftists) are extreme examples of a more widespread mindset that assumes that America (along with its British and other allies) is the problem. And if we would just stop bothering the beehive, the bees would just stop stinging us.
This is nonsense. Everything we've learned about the jihadis in recent years points to the fact that they are more like killer bees than conventional ones. They spread. They're aggressive. And they seek to replace the traditional population wherever they appear.
Regardless, the real danger isn't from a tiny rabble of jihadi useful idiots, but from the great mass of the British public. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, The Independent ran a splashy front page story on the "backlash" against Muslims. The worst assaults on London since the Blitz, and the "backlash" amounted to little more than a broken window and a man getting roughed up in a pub. One has to wonder how many more pub beatings took place that same weekend because some idiot said something unkind about Manchester United.
The scandal wasn't that there was a "backlash" against the Muslim community. It is that there wasn't more of a backlash within the Muslim community. We now know that the attackers were British born and raised Muslims. Yet there's precious little evidence that the Muslim community is eager to turn on the enemy within with any admirable enthusiasm. And there are even fewer signs that the British media has any interest in contributing to a "climate" that would encourage such a development.
This is a recipe for unmitigated disaster. Obviously, it makes terrorism more likely. And it also makes precisely the sort of climate the press and moderate Muslims fear most. If normal Muslims can't be counted on to turn on terrorists in their midst, how can a nation avoid taking measures that will seem unfair to normal Muslims?
Already nine out of 10 Brits support sweeping new powers for the police. If jihadis can hide among the larger Muslim population, it's obvious that the larger Muslim population will come under greater scrutiny. The logic of the cancer cell kicks in, and even more young Muslims feel "oppressed" and the number of jihadis will grow.
Victor Davis Hanson on those celebrity political "experts"
Read about "Such nonsense from celebrities," in today's Chicago Tribune. Free registration required.
Opening sentence:
Nearly 24 centuries ago, Plato warned not to confuse innate artistic skill with either education or intelligence.
Opening sentence:
Nearly 24 centuries ago, Plato warned not to confuse innate artistic skill with either education or intelligence.
Egyptian chemist arrested in London terror probe
Still breaking. From AP:
Police in Egypt have arrested an Egyptian biochemist sought in the probe of the London bombings, an official said Friday. Meanwhile, authorities investigated a possible link between al-Qaida and the suicide team that carried out attacks.
Magdy el-Nashar, 33, was taken into custody upon his arrival in Cairo from abroad, an Egyptian official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because an official announcement of the information had not yet been made. El-Nashar, who studied at North Carolina State University and taught at Leeds University in Britain, was being interrogated by Egyptian authorities, the official said.
Police in Egypt have arrested an Egyptian biochemist sought in the probe of the London bombings, an official said Friday. Meanwhile, authorities investigated a possible link between al-Qaida and the suicide team that carried out attacks.
Magdy el-Nashar, 33, was taken into custody upon his arrival in Cairo from abroad, an Egyptian official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because an official announcement of the information had not yet been made. El-Nashar, who studied at North Carolina State University and taught at Leeds University in Britain, was being interrogated by Egyptian authorities, the official said.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Extremist Muslim clerics will be barred from Britain under new anti-terrorism law
This article, Expel Extremism Today, which was posted earlier today on Marathon Pundit, seems prescient, since such action may be on the way in the UK.
From the great London newspaper The Telegraph. Free registration required.
Islamic extremists barred by the United States and other countries will be prevented from entering Britain under new anti-terrorist measures outlined to the Cabinet yesterday.
Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, has instigated an immediate review of his powers to exclude and deport people likely to incite terrorism.
Radicals such as Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who has backed suicide bombers, could be stopped from entering the UK
The new powers are particularly aimed at Islamic clerics who have encouraged disaffected young British Muslims to become radicalised and potential suicide bombers.
From the great London newspaper The Telegraph. Free registration required.
Islamic extremists barred by the United States and other countries will be prevented from entering Britain under new anti-terrorist measures outlined to the Cabinet yesterday.
Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, has instigated an immediate review of his powers to exclude and deport people likely to incite terrorism.
Radicals such as Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who has backed suicide bombers, could be stopped from entering the UK
The new powers are particularly aimed at Islamic clerics who have encouraged disaffected young British Muslims to become radicalised and potential suicide bombers.
John Kerry still not making any sense
Hat tip to Ed Lasky of the American Thinker:
Mass. Democratic politicians have roundly attacked Senator Santorum's recent comments regarding how the liberal culture of Boston may have contributed to the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal. This was to be expected, given that Boston is sacred ground for liberals and Santorum is vulnerable in Pennsylvania's next election. However, Kerry has issued an absurd, pathetic and embarrassing (even for Kerry) non sequitur:
Mass. Democratic politicians have roundly attacked Senator Santorum's recent comments regarding how the liberal culture of Boston may have contributed to the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal. This was to be expected, given that Boston is sacred ground for liberals and Santorum is vulnerable in Pennsylvania's next election. However, Kerry has issued an absurd, pathetic and embarrassing (even for Kerry) non sequitur:
Sen. John F. Kerry said the families of Massachusetts soldiers who have died in
Iraq "know more about the mainstream American values of
Massachusetts than Rick Santorum ever will."
Is Kerry so maladroit that he thinks a ridiculous comment like that will convince Americans that he and the Democratic Party actually support the military and hold soldiers up as paragons of virtue? Santorum did not serve in the military, while (as we are forced to remember) Kerry did. But the soldiers in Iraq have absolutely nothing to do with Santorum's comment or the sex abuse issue.
Pathetic. And this guy is supposed to be a great debater?
Kerry: What a maroon!
Muslim support for Bin Laden falling
Of course, non-Muslim support for Usama bin Laden has always been pretty low. Hat tip Blogmeister USA.
From AP:
People in several heavily Muslim countries have lost some of their enthusiasm for Usama bin Laden and for violent acts like terror bombings, especially in countries where there have been recent terrorist acts, international polling found.
Surveys conducted for the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press looked at attitudes of people living in Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan and Turkey, all countries with Muslim majorities, as part of an international survey of 17 countries done this spring.
In Lebanon, the number of people who think the use of bombings and other forms of violence is justified in defense of Islam has dropped from 73 percent in the summer of 2002 to 39 percent now. A decrease in this number also was seen in Morocco, which fell from 40 percent a year ago to 13 percent now, and in Pakistan and Indonesia. In Jordan, the number of people who feel such violence is justified has grown slightly; the number in Turkey remains very low.
From AP:
People in several heavily Muslim countries have lost some of their enthusiasm for Usama bin Laden and for violent acts like terror bombings, especially in countries where there have been recent terrorist acts, international polling found.
Surveys conducted for the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press looked at attitudes of people living in Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan and Turkey, all countries with Muslim majorities, as part of an international survey of 17 countries done this spring.
In Lebanon, the number of people who think the use of bombings and other forms of violence is justified in defense of Islam has dropped from 73 percent in the summer of 2002 to 39 percent now. A decrease in this number also was seen in Morocco, which fell from 40 percent a year ago to 13 percent now, and in Pakistan and Indonesia. In Jordan, the number of people who feel such violence is justified has grown slightly; the number in Turkey remains very low.
Author: Al-Qaida already has suitcase nukes in US
Tipster Cal Skinner sent this my way. Former FBI consultant Paul L. Williams has written a new book, Osama's Revenge: THE NEXT 9/11: What the Media and the Government Haven't Told You.
Williams appeared as a guest on Michael Savage's "Savage Nation" radio program yesterday, where he discussed the book in detail.
The article from NewsMax sums up what Williams says has happened, and what may soon occur:
Williams claims that al-Qaida has been planning a spectacular nuclear attack using six or seven suitcase nuclear bombs that would be detonated simultantaneously in U.S. cities.
"They want the most bang for the buck, and that is nuclear," Williams told NewsMax.
"I expect such an attack would come between now and the end of 2005," the author said.
More...
Though New York City would seem to be the No. 1 target of another attack by al-Qaida, Williams points out other U.S. cities have been mentioned in intercepted intelligence chatter.
Among those discussed: Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Miami, Washington and Rappahannock County, Va.
Why a small rural county in Virginia? Williams says it houses the underground command center the White House would use in time of war.
Williams appeared as a guest on Michael Savage's "Savage Nation" radio program yesterday, where he discussed the book in detail.
The article from NewsMax sums up what Williams says has happened, and what may soon occur:
Williams claims that al-Qaida has been planning a spectacular nuclear attack using six or seven suitcase nuclear bombs that would be detonated simultantaneously in U.S. cities.
"They want the most bang for the buck, and that is nuclear," Williams told NewsMax.
"I expect such an attack would come between now and the end of 2005," the author said.
More...
Though New York City would seem to be the No. 1 target of another attack by al-Qaida, Williams points out other U.S. cities have been mentioned in intercepted intelligence chatter.
Among those discussed: Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Miami, Washington and Rappahannock County, Va.
Why a small rural county in Virginia? Williams says it houses the underground command center the White House would use in time of war.
Another sensible voice from the Muslim world
This is not the first time we've heard from Abdel Rahman al-Rashed, the general manager of Al-Arabiya news channel, on Marathon Pundit.
This brilliant article, written shortly after the Beslan terrorist attacks, found it's way into a Neil Steinberg Chicago Sun-Times column a few days after it's publication. That column is here. (Blogspot been acting funny lately, you might have to click on the link, then click "go"on your browser button.) The Steinberg column was used as a discussion point by suspended DePaul professor Thomas Klocek, when he attempted to have a rational conversation about Middle Eastern politics with some Muslim students at DePaul.
This Steven Plaut article summarizes Thomas Klocek's free speech troubles at DePaul University.
But back to Mr. al-Rashed. This column, Expel Extremism Today, sent my way by a tipster, appeared late last week on then online version of the Asharq Alawsat, a London-based Arabic newspaper. Like the above al-Rashed article, this too is a brilliant piece of journalism.
Some key excerpts:
For over ten years now, myself and other Arab writers have warned against the dangers of recklessly handling the issue of extremism that is now spreading like the plague within British community.
It was never understood why British authorities gave refuge to suspicious characters previously involved in terrorist activities. Why would Britain grant asylum to Arabs who have been convicted of political crimes, religious extremism or even sentenced to death? Not only are they admitted to the country, they are also provided with accommodation, a monthly salary, and free legal advice for those who want to prosecute the British government.
The answer I believe is what I call "blind generosity", despite its legal or political pretenses. This bizarre logic stuns those such as students in search of establishing their careers abroad, who are rejected citizenship. These people do not have criminal records like the others.
Extremism, like many other diseases, is an infectious one. A small dose of carriers can spread the infection like wild fire, establishing a community full of destructive thoughts and practices such as the horrific event that took place in London recently.
And it concludes...
In the matter of one decade, (the extremists) have established organizations, promoting their beliefs all over the world and denounced others as infidels in mosques, schools, and the media, and have publicly called for battles to begin. They have spread into the city of London, reached the outskirts and communities who have had no previous record of extremism and its practice. The results were illustrated last Thursday.
So why has this happened?
Until recently, there was the delusion in London that extremists will not target Britain, but rather only use it as a base, protecting their freedom as they worked against Arab and Islamic governments. For this reason, Britain was full of convicted opponents known for propagating their extremist ideologies. The time has come for British authorities to sternly deal with extremism before complete chaos is unleashed onto British society.
In the past, we talked about stopping them. It is now time to expel them.
This brilliant article, written shortly after the Beslan terrorist attacks, found it's way into a Neil Steinberg Chicago Sun-Times column a few days after it's publication. That column is here. (Blogspot been acting funny lately, you might have to click on the link, then click "go"on your browser button.) The Steinberg column was used as a discussion point by suspended DePaul professor Thomas Klocek, when he attempted to have a rational conversation about Middle Eastern politics with some Muslim students at DePaul.
This Steven Plaut article summarizes Thomas Klocek's free speech troubles at DePaul University.
But back to Mr. al-Rashed. This column, Expel Extremism Today, sent my way by a tipster, appeared late last week on then online version of the Asharq Alawsat, a London-based Arabic newspaper. Like the above al-Rashed article, this too is a brilliant piece of journalism.
Some key excerpts:
For over ten years now, myself and other Arab writers have warned against the dangers of recklessly handling the issue of extremism that is now spreading like the plague within British community.
It was never understood why British authorities gave refuge to suspicious characters previously involved in terrorist activities. Why would Britain grant asylum to Arabs who have been convicted of political crimes, religious extremism or even sentenced to death? Not only are they admitted to the country, they are also provided with accommodation, a monthly salary, and free legal advice for those who want to prosecute the British government.
The answer I believe is what I call "blind generosity", despite its legal or political pretenses. This bizarre logic stuns those such as students in search of establishing their careers abroad, who are rejected citizenship. These people do not have criminal records like the others.
Extremism, like many other diseases, is an infectious one. A small dose of carriers can spread the infection like wild fire, establishing a community full of destructive thoughts and practices such as the horrific event that took place in London recently.
And it concludes...
In the matter of one decade, (the extremists) have established organizations, promoting their beliefs all over the world and denounced others as infidels in mosques, schools, and the media, and have publicly called for battles to begin. They have spread into the city of London, reached the outskirts and communities who have had no previous record of extremism and its practice. The results were illustrated last Thursday.
So why has this happened?
Until recently, there was the delusion in London that extremists will not target Britain, but rather only use it as a base, protecting their freedom as they worked against Arab and Islamic governments. For this reason, Britain was full of convicted opponents known for propagating their extremist ideologies. The time has come for British authorities to sternly deal with extremism before complete chaos is unleashed onto British society.
In the past, we talked about stopping them. It is now time to expel them.
Chicago Marathon reaches 40,000 runner cap, registration closed
The race does not take place until October, but the 40,000 cap has been reached and the Chicago Marathon is a sell-out.
I am registered, I've entered and finished each Chicago Marathon since 1990.
I'm toying with the idea of doing "mobile photo blogging" during the run. Stay tuned on that!
I am registered, I've entered and finished each Chicago Marathon since 1990.
I'm toying with the idea of doing "mobile photo blogging" during the run. Stay tuned on that!
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Running at the Mouth does not give Evan Bayh a bye
Blogger Robb of Running at the Mouth give Democratic Senator Evan Bayh a full-frontal assault on his Supreme Court filibuster threats. Robb's from Ohio, I'm from Illinois, so hopefully the senator from Indiana is feeling a vise-like squeeze. Probably not, but one can hope.
Here's an excerpt from his post, Evan Bayh Cavalierly Disregards the Constitution.
Nowhere in that clause ( Article II, Sec. 2, Clause 2), or anywhere else in the Constitution for that matter, does the appointment of a Supreme Court Justice require a super majority of the Senate to confirm. The fact that the first part of the Clause requires a 2/3 majority of the Senate to make a treaty indicates that no such super majority is required to appoint a Supreme Court Justice, as no "2/3" language is included in the second part of the Clause. (As an aside, I wish all legislators had even an elementary grasp on statutory construction; if they did, maybe the legislation they draft wouldn't be so incomprehensible.)
Bayh's view is vintage Left: now that a Republican is in power, let's be as obstreperous, shrill, whiny and dishonest as possible. Never mind doing what the law or the Constitution requires, and never mind treating others the way we'd have them treat us (and, indeed, never mind the way they've treated us in the past, for example in the confirmation of Justice Ginsburg). Let's be honest; if the shoe were on the other foot, every Democrat in Washington, not to mention the press everywhere, would be screaming bloody murder.
As I posted earlier this week, Bayh is "testing the waters" for a 2008 presidential run; he was in New Hamphire last weekend.
Lately, he's been making appeals to the far-Left wing of the Democratic Party Assuming Evan's unsuccessful in '08 and chooses to run for his Indiana senate seat in 2010, (he just got re-elected last year), it might make for an interesting race. Unlike the other states bordering the Great Lakes, Indiana is very "red," the only Great Lake state to support the Republican candidates against Clinton in 1992 and 1996.
Here's an excerpt from his post, Evan Bayh Cavalierly Disregards the Constitution.
Nowhere in that clause ( Article II, Sec. 2, Clause 2), or anywhere else in the Constitution for that matter, does the appointment of a Supreme Court Justice require a super majority of the Senate to confirm. The fact that the first part of the Clause requires a 2/3 majority of the Senate to make a treaty indicates that no such super majority is required to appoint a Supreme Court Justice, as no "2/3" language is included in the second part of the Clause. (As an aside, I wish all legislators had even an elementary grasp on statutory construction; if they did, maybe the legislation they draft wouldn't be so incomprehensible.)
Bayh's view is vintage Left: now that a Republican is in power, let's be as obstreperous, shrill, whiny and dishonest as possible. Never mind doing what the law or the Constitution requires, and never mind treating others the way we'd have them treat us (and, indeed, never mind the way they've treated us in the past, for example in the confirmation of Justice Ginsburg). Let's be honest; if the shoe were on the other foot, every Democrat in Washington, not to mention the press everywhere, would be screaming bloody murder.
As I posted earlier this week, Bayh is "testing the waters" for a 2008 presidential run; he was in New Hamphire last weekend.
Lately, he's been making appeals to the far-Left wing of the Democratic Party Assuming Evan's unsuccessful in '08 and chooses to run for his Indiana senate seat in 2010, (he just got re-elected last year), it might make for an interesting race. Unlike the other states bordering the Great Lakes, Indiana is very "red," the only Great Lake state to support the Republican candidates against Clinton in 1992 and 1996.
O'Reilly Factor slavery reparations follow-up
It was a pretty good segment. First the good news, Bill O'Reilly referred to any government payments of slavery reparations to African-Americans as an "extortion of the American public that is immoral."
Bill seemed to have an open-mind on corporate slavery reparation payments "where specific harm can be proved." Sorry Bill, this is not a good idea, slavery was abolished in 1865. Too much time has passed and any actual slaves passed away decades ago.
And let me repeat, slavery was bad, very bad. As were the Jim Crow laws, lynchings, and the denial of voting rights to most southern blacks until 40 years ago.
Two guest were on with O'Reilly during this segment, Debra Dickerson, author of "End of Blackness," who opposed reparations for slavery, and Keith Watters, a civil rights who supported the opposite end of the argument.
Expect future posts here about slavery reparations.
Bill seemed to have an open-mind on corporate slavery reparation payments "where specific harm can be proved." Sorry Bill, this is not a good idea, slavery was abolished in 1865. Too much time has passed and any actual slaves passed away decades ago.
And let me repeat, slavery was bad, very bad. As were the Jim Crow laws, lynchings, and the denial of voting rights to most southern blacks until 40 years ago.
Two guest were on with O'Reilly during this segment, Debra Dickerson, author of "End of Blackness," who opposed reparations for slavery, and Keith Watters, a civil rights who supported the opposite end of the argument.
Expect future posts here about slavery reparations.
Slavery reparations to be discussed on O'Reilly Factor tonight
I'm vehemently opposed to slavery reparations. These Marathon Pundit posts here and here can only begin to outline my beliefs on this subject.
On tonight's Fox News' O'Reilly Factor, slavery reparations will be one of the topics discussed.
8pm Eastern, 7pm central.
UPDATE: 6:15PM CDT, from Bill O'Reilly.com:
Unresolved Problems Segment: Corporate America and reparations
Guests: Keith Watters, civil rights attorney & author Debra Dickerson
Does corporate America owe African-Americans money because of slavery?
On tonight's Fox News' O'Reilly Factor, slavery reparations will be one of the topics discussed.
8pm Eastern, 7pm central.
UPDATE: 6:15PM CDT, from Bill O'Reilly.com:
Unresolved Problems Segment: Corporate America and reparations
Guests: Keith Watters, civil rights attorney & author Debra Dickerson
Does corporate America owe African-Americans money because of slavery?
Rehnquist hospitalized
Turning into a busy news day....From AP again.
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, ailing with cancer, is in the hospital with a fever, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Rehnquist was taken by ambulance to an Arlington, Va., hospital Tuesday night and was admitted for observation and tests, Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said.
There was no immediate word on his condition Wednesday afternoon.
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, ailing with cancer, is in the hospital with a fever, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Rehnquist was taken by ambulance to an Arlington, Va., hospital Tuesday night and was admitted for observation and tests, Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said.
There was no immediate word on his condition Wednesday afternoon.
NASA calls off Discovery launch
From AP:
A faulty fuel gauge on Discovery's external tank forced NASA to call off Wednesday's launch of the first shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster 2 1/2 years ago. The space agency did not immediately set a new launch date.
The decision came with less than 2 1/2 hours to go before launch, as the seven astronauts were almost done boarding the spacecraft. Up until then, rain and thunder over the launch site appeared to be the only obstacle to an on-time liftoff.
A faulty fuel gauge on Discovery's external tank forced NASA to call off Wednesday's launch of the first shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster 2 1/2 years ago. The space agency did not immediately set a new launch date.
The decision came with less than 2 1/2 hours to go before launch, as the seven astronauts were almost done boarding the spacecraft. Up until then, rain and thunder over the launch site appeared to be the only obstacle to an on-time liftoff.
Princeton, IL: Man Taken Into Custody With Van Full Of Explosives
From AP:
PRINCETON, Ill. Authorities in this central Illinois town took a man into custody after he told truckers over a CB radio early Wednesday morning that he intended to drive a van full of explosives to Washington, D.C.
A Cedar Rapids, Iowa, man was driving a van eastbound on Interstate 80 when he used the terms "bomb," "explosive," "Washington, D.C." and "president," over a CB radio, Princeton police Chief Tom Root told the (LaSalle) NewsTribune.
Truck drivers alerted authorities around 3 a.m. after hearing the driver's comments, Root said. "Those statements absolutely lead us to believe that he was a threat," he said. The man was taken into custody at a service station just south of I-80 in Princeton, where he stopped for gasoline, police said.
Local authorities evacuated the station and sealed off the area after officers found "documents, maps and containers" inside the van, police said. They then called in the FBI, Secret Service and state bomb squad to investigate.
Nearby fast food restaurants were evacuated as a precaution, Root said. The 44-year-old man was being held at the Bureau County sheriff's department Wednesday morning, pending an investigation by the Secret Service, according to a police statement.
PRINCETON, Ill. Authorities in this central Illinois town took a man into custody after he told truckers over a CB radio early Wednesday morning that he intended to drive a van full of explosives to Washington, D.C.
A Cedar Rapids, Iowa, man was driving a van eastbound on Interstate 80 when he used the terms "bomb," "explosive," "Washington, D.C." and "president," over a CB radio, Princeton police Chief Tom Root told the (LaSalle) NewsTribune.
Truck drivers alerted authorities around 3 a.m. after hearing the driver's comments, Root said. "Those statements absolutely lead us to believe that he was a threat," he said. The man was taken into custody at a service station just south of I-80 in Princeton, where he stopped for gasoline, police said.
Local authorities evacuated the station and sealed off the area after officers found "documents, maps and containers" inside the van, police said. They then called in the FBI, Secret Service and state bomb squad to investigate.
Nearby fast food restaurants were evacuated as a precaution, Root said. The 44-year-old man was being held at the Bureau County sheriff's department Wednesday morning, pending an investigation by the Secret Service, according to a police statement.
Liberal columnist Molly Ivins eats crow
Hat tip to Michelle Malkin.
Austin, TX columnist Molly Ivins has been a professional Bush hater since the president was Governor Bush.
Molly wrote this in one of her columns on June 28.
I think we have alienated our allies and have killed more Iraqis than Saddam Hussein ever did.
This is the type of stuff regularly posted on far-Left web sites such as Democrats Underground. Molly must spend a lot of time there.
This appeared yesterday from Molly:
CROW EATEN HERE: This is a horror. In a column written June 28, I asserted that more Iraqis (civilians) had now been killed in this war than had been killed by Saddam Hussein over his 24-year rule. WRONG. Really, really wrong.
More...
There have been estimates as high as 1 million civilians killed by Saddam, though most agree on the 300,000 to 400,000 range, making my comparison to 20,000 civilian dead in this war pathetically wrong.
I was certainly under no illusions regarding Saddam Hussein, whom I have opposed through human rights work for decades. My sincere apologies. It is unforgivable of me not have checked. I am so sorry.
Austin, TX columnist Molly Ivins has been a professional Bush hater since the president was Governor Bush.
Molly wrote this in one of her columns on June 28.
I think we have alienated our allies and have killed more Iraqis than Saddam Hussein ever did.
This is the type of stuff regularly posted on far-Left web sites such as Democrats Underground. Molly must spend a lot of time there.
This appeared yesterday from Molly:
CROW EATEN HERE: This is a horror. In a column written June 28, I asserted that more Iraqis (civilians) had now been killed in this war than had been killed by Saddam Hussein over his 24-year rule. WRONG. Really, really wrong.
More...
There have been estimates as high as 1 million civilians killed by Saddam, though most agree on the 300,000 to 400,000 range, making my comparison to 20,000 civilian dead in this war pathetically wrong.
I was certainly under no illusions regarding Saddam Hussein, whom I have opposed through human rights work for decades. My sincere apologies. It is unforgivable of me not have checked. I am so sorry.
NRO: British Muslim student on campus extremism
As with the previous post, let's hope other moderate voices within Islam speak out. The author of a piece in today's National Review Online, Alykhan Velshi, is a student at the London School of Economics. An excerpt:
When so much of Islamic civil society is corroded by the ideology of extremism, moderate Muslim dissenters have few outlets to voice their frustration and stop the tragic hijacking of their faith.
I experienced this firsthand while studying at the London School of Economics. Less than two weeks into my freshman year, after I expressed some interest in becoming involved in the student Islamic Society, I was invited to a screening of an incendiary video on the conflict in Chechnya, and another on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These videos were clearly intended to recruit potential terrorists: Indeed, the London School of Economics has a grim history on this front, having educated the terrorist who murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, and having unwittingly hosted the jihadist group al-Muhajiroun.
What is more, another extremist group recently set up shop on campus, and invited a speaker who expressed his support for a nuclear Iran and a “global Islamic caliphate.” All this occurs because school authorities look the other way, refusing to monitor campus Islamic groups which are increasingly being taken over by extremists. When even Islamic civil society is controlled by fanatics and terror partisans, there is very little, if anything, that moderate Muslims can do. It is a sobering, sad, and thoroughly dispiriting truth.
The war on terror is not simply against terror-sponsoring states, but against the institutions of civil society that give terrorists quiet support, that inflame local Muslim populations, and that prevent the emergence of a moderate, peaceful form of Islam. The war on terror can never be won unless Muslims who have the privilege of living in the West stand up for civilization against the forces of barbarism and nihilism. I wish I could say otherwise, but I won’t be holding my breath.
When so much of Islamic civil society is corroded by the ideology of extremism, moderate Muslim dissenters have few outlets to voice their frustration and stop the tragic hijacking of their faith.
I experienced this firsthand while studying at the London School of Economics. Less than two weeks into my freshman year, after I expressed some interest in becoming involved in the student Islamic Society, I was invited to a screening of an incendiary video on the conflict in Chechnya, and another on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These videos were clearly intended to recruit potential terrorists: Indeed, the London School of Economics has a grim history on this front, having educated the terrorist who murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, and having unwittingly hosted the jihadist group al-Muhajiroun.
What is more, another extremist group recently set up shop on campus, and invited a speaker who expressed his support for a nuclear Iran and a “global Islamic caliphate.” All this occurs because school authorities look the other way, refusing to monitor campus Islamic groups which are increasingly being taken over by extremists. When even Islamic civil society is controlled by fanatics and terror partisans, there is very little, if anything, that moderate Muslims can do. It is a sobering, sad, and thoroughly dispiriting truth.
The war on terror is not simply against terror-sponsoring states, but against the institutions of civil society that give terrorists quiet support, that inflame local Muslim populations, and that prevent the emergence of a moderate, peaceful form of Islam. The war on terror can never be won unless Muslims who have the privilege of living in the West stand up for civilization against the forces of barbarism and nihilism. I wish I could say otherwise, but I won’t be holding my breath.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
London terror follow up: More Muslim writers like Fawaz Turki are needed
Found this in the latest edition of Saudi Arabia based Arab News, the author is Fawaz Turki. I couldn't find a whole lot about him in a Yahoo! search, but I did come across this biography on Amazon.com.
The title of the Arab News article is, What Have These Criminals Wrought. An excerpt:
With its long-entrenched traditions of civil liberties, tolerance for political dissent and respect for human rights, Britain has acted, over the last four decades or so, as a magnet for political refugees, asylum-seekers and militant activists escaping repression in their own countries.
There are roughly two million Muslims living in Britain — around four percent of the population — a diverse community in terms of its ethnic, cultural, linguistic, national, ideological and class origins. Most of its members come from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, with around 30 percent hailing from North Africa and the Middle East. It is estimated that those amongst them who support extremist causes are a minority, around 15,000.
Still, that’s 15,000 extremists too many, extremists who take advantage of Britain’s liberal laws of free speech to sow hatred among young Muslims, feeding on their sense of alienation and discontent.
Leaders of these folks, often self-styled sheikhs, have used mosques to preach what in effect is un-Islamic rhetoric to their followers.
Take one such cleric, Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, who in his sermons has called for a jihad against Britain and last December warned that the country, along with others in Western Europe, should expect a “9-11, day after day after day.” And he did that brazenly, from the pulpit of his mosque in the London neighborhood of Finsbury Park, where Zacariah Mousaoui, the only man charged in the US in the Sept.11 attacks, and Richard Reid, the convicted shoe-bomber, “prayed.”
And how ironic it is when you consider that Omar is a political refugee who pleaded for and was given asylum 19 years by the very country whose demise he is calling for and who currently lives off its welfare system. Abu Hamza Al-Masri, the former leader of the mosque, who is now in custody, had openly preached violence, and that it was allowed for Muslims to attack non-Muslims and “wring their necks.”
The title of the Arab News article is, What Have These Criminals Wrought. An excerpt:
With its long-entrenched traditions of civil liberties, tolerance for political dissent and respect for human rights, Britain has acted, over the last four decades or so, as a magnet for political refugees, asylum-seekers and militant activists escaping repression in their own countries.
There are roughly two million Muslims living in Britain — around four percent of the population — a diverse community in terms of its ethnic, cultural, linguistic, national, ideological and class origins. Most of its members come from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, with around 30 percent hailing from North Africa and the Middle East. It is estimated that those amongst them who support extremist causes are a minority, around 15,000.
Still, that’s 15,000 extremists too many, extremists who take advantage of Britain’s liberal laws of free speech to sow hatred among young Muslims, feeding on their sense of alienation and discontent.
Leaders of these folks, often self-styled sheikhs, have used mosques to preach what in effect is un-Islamic rhetoric to their followers.
Take one such cleric, Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, who in his sermons has called for a jihad against Britain and last December warned that the country, along with others in Western Europe, should expect a “9-11, day after day after day.” And he did that brazenly, from the pulpit of his mosque in the London neighborhood of Finsbury Park, where Zacariah Mousaoui, the only man charged in the US in the Sept.11 attacks, and Richard Reid, the convicted shoe-bomber, “prayed.”
And how ironic it is when you consider that Omar is a political refugee who pleaded for and was given asylum 19 years by the very country whose demise he is calling for and who currently lives off its welfare system. Abu Hamza Al-Masri, the former leader of the mosque, who is now in custody, had openly preached violence, and that it was allowed for Muslims to attack non-Muslims and “wring their necks.”
London terrorist attack update
Seems like the British police are closing the ring on at least some of the perpetrators of last weeks tragic terrorist attacks in London last week. From AP:
Leeds, England: New evidence suggests that last week's terror attacks were carried out by four suicide bombers of Pakistani origin who were videotaped by surveillance cameras arriving in London from this northern city just 20 minutes before the explosions, officials said Tuesday.
Police carried out raids on six homes in Leeds searching for explosives and computer files that would shed more light on what is believed to be the first suicide bombing in Western Europe. They arrested a man, identified by the British news agency Press Association as a relative of one of the suspected bombers.
A town councilor told The Associated Press that at least three of the presumed suicide bombers were British citizens of Pakistani ancestry.
One bomber was thought to be Shahzad Tanweer, a 22-year-old cricket-loving sports science graduate, and another was a teenager, Press Association reported.
Press Association said the men had driven a rental car to Luton, 30 miles north of London, and then boarded a commuter train to London's King's Cross station. Police closed Luton's train station and were searching a car they suspected was linked to the attacks.
Closed-circuit TV video showed all four men arriving at King's Cross by 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, about 20 minutes before the blasts began, Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist branch, told a Scotland Yard news conference.
Leeds, England: New evidence suggests that last week's terror attacks were carried out by four suicide bombers of Pakistani origin who were videotaped by surveillance cameras arriving in London from this northern city just 20 minutes before the explosions, officials said Tuesday.
Police carried out raids on six homes in Leeds searching for explosives and computer files that would shed more light on what is believed to be the first suicide bombing in Western Europe. They arrested a man, identified by the British news agency Press Association as a relative of one of the suspected bombers.
A town councilor told The Associated Press that at least three of the presumed suicide bombers were British citizens of Pakistani ancestry.
One bomber was thought to be Shahzad Tanweer, a 22-year-old cricket-loving sports science graduate, and another was a teenager, Press Association reported.
Press Association said the men had driven a rental car to Luton, 30 miles north of London, and then boarded a commuter train to London's King's Cross station. Police closed Luton's train station and were searching a car they suspected was linked to the attacks.
Closed-circuit TV video showed all four men arriving at King's Cross by 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, about 20 minutes before the blasts began, Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist branch, told a Scotland Yard news conference.
Mike Ditka speaks out against proposed Chicago smoking ban
"Da Coach," Mike Ditka is also a Chicago restaurant owner. And a cigar smoker. He testified in front of Chicago's city council today.
From CBS 2 Chicago:
Mike Ditka was one of many restaurant owners who engaged in a heated debate Tuesday morning about the city’s proposed smoking ban.
The debate raged at City Hall as public hearings on the proposed ban were held. If the measure is approved, Chicago will have the most restrictive anti-smoking ordinance in the nation, tougher even than New York City and Los Angeles.
Various health experts also came to City Hall to testify on behalf of the ordinance as restaurant and bar owners called for its defeat. “All you are trying to do is really hurt the restaurant business and the rest of the businesses’ business, really,” Ditka said. “And that bothers me a lot"
Best not to get Ditka bothered.
More Ditka-talk:
“Now, I drove down Michigan Avenue yesterday, and I bring this up as a point. I got behind a CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) bus, and I thought I would be asphyxiated,” Ditka said. “Are we going to outlaw CTA buses?”
Monday, July 11, 2005
Durbin staffer trying to "muscle" Move America Forward
Hat tip to Richard Poe at Moonbat Central. Here is the original article from the Crystal Lake Northwest Herald.
And here is the article cited by Moonbat, from Cybercast News Service
Move America Forward has produced a television commercial critical of Sen. Richard Durbin and his comments comparing our treatment of War on Terror detainees to what the prisoners of the Nazis, the Soviet Gulags and those of Pol Pot suffered. Move America Forward's site is here, you can view that TV ad on their homepage.
An excerpt:
Someone from Durbin's office was quoted as telling the newspaper - in connection with Move America Forward -- "Have you ever seen that H&R Block commercial where the guy leans in and says, 'I see an audit'?"
"For the office of a United States senator to threaten reprisals from the IRS against an organization that is supporting our troops in harm's way is absolutely reprehensible," said Mark Washburn, executive director of Move America Forward.
"One of the grounds used to threaten impeachment of President Richard Nixon was that he politicized the IRS and tried to use IRS audits of his political enemies to shut them down or silence them. That is precisely what Senator Durbin's office is doing now, Washburn said.
"There is no place for that in American politics, and Senator Durbin must be held accountable."
And here is the article cited by Moonbat, from Cybercast News Service
Move America Forward has produced a television commercial critical of Sen. Richard Durbin and his comments comparing our treatment of War on Terror detainees to what the prisoners of the Nazis, the Soviet Gulags and those of Pol Pot suffered. Move America Forward's site is here, you can view that TV ad on their homepage.
An excerpt:
Someone from Durbin's office was quoted as telling the newspaper - in connection with Move America Forward -- "Have you ever seen that H&R Block commercial where the guy leans in and says, 'I see an audit'?"
"For the office of a United States senator to threaten reprisals from the IRS against an organization that is supporting our troops in harm's way is absolutely reprehensible," said Mark Washburn, executive director of Move America Forward.
"One of the grounds used to threaten impeachment of President Richard Nixon was that he politicized the IRS and tried to use IRS audits of his political enemies to shut them down or silence them. That is precisely what Senator Durbin's office is doing now, Washburn said.
"There is no place for that in American politics, and Senator Durbin must be held accountable."
Pat Curley, the Brainster, guest blogging at Ankle Biting Pundits.
Read Pat's guest-blogging over at Ankle Biting Pundits. Pat's regular blog is Brainster, and I recommend that you add it to your daily reading material.
Brainster has been a great supporter of Marathon Pundit.
Brainster has been a great supporter of Marathon Pundit.
Farm Aid coming back home to Illinois
The first Farm Aid concert was held in Champaign, IL. The 20th anniversary concert will be held 130 miles to the north, in Tinley Park.
Willie Nelson (mentioned for the second time today on Marathon Pundit), Neil Young, the Dave Matthews Band, and John Mellencamp are among the performers.
By the way, doesn't this appear to be a reincarnation a Vote for Change, last year's anti-Bush concert tour?
Anyway, I've listed the important stuff, if you need more Farm Aid stuff, here's the full story.
Or go to the Farm Aid web site.
Willie Nelson (mentioned for the second time today on Marathon Pundit), Neil Young, the Dave Matthews Band, and John Mellencamp are among the performers.
By the way, doesn't this appear to be a reincarnation a Vote for Change, last year's anti-Bush concert tour?
Anyway, I've listed the important stuff, if you need more Farm Aid stuff, here's the full story.
Or go to the Farm Aid web site.
Bayh says "hello" to New Hampshire
US Senator Evan Bayh, D-IN, seemingly has been positioning himself for a 2008 presidential run since November 3, 2004, the day after he won re-election to his Indiana senate seat. Now Bayh has made his first visit to New Hampshire in four years, according to the Manchester Union-Leader. More trips to the Granite State will follow, to be sure.
Add Bayh to the list of senators hinting at a filibuster when the time comes to confirm Sandra Day O'Connor's replacement.
From the Union-Leader:
Later, in an interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader, Bayh said he does not support litmus tests for judicial appointees but would not rule out the possibility of filibustering President Bush’s nominee to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court bench.
“We’re going to play our constitutional role, which is to advise and consent,” he said. “Most of us feel that for something as important as a Supreme Court vacancy, that it should require more than a mere 50-50 vote.”
Bayh is one way is similar to former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle, acting as a moderate in him conservative home state, but working as a liberal in Washington.
He seems to be polishing up his leftist credentials. For starters, he's written for Huffington Post. And last month, Bayh announced he's resigning as chairman Democratic Leadership Council, a group that promotes centrist Democratic views, whatever those may be.
Add Bayh to the list of senators hinting at a filibuster when the time comes to confirm Sandra Day O'Connor's replacement.
From the Union-Leader:
Later, in an interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader, Bayh said he does not support litmus tests for judicial appointees but would not rule out the possibility of filibustering President Bush’s nominee to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court bench.
“We’re going to play our constitutional role, which is to advise and consent,” he said. “Most of us feel that for something as important as a Supreme Court vacancy, that it should require more than a mere 50-50 vote.”
Bayh is one way is similar to former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle, acting as a moderate in him conservative home state, but working as a liberal in Washington.
He seems to be polishing up his leftist credentials. For starters, he's written for Huffington Post. And last month, Bayh announced he's resigning as chairman Democratic Leadership Council, a group that promotes centrist Democratic views, whatever those may be.
Jan Schakowsky at Evanston's July 4 parade
There's No Truth to the Rumor . . . that Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, became upset during Evanston’s 4th of July parade at her placement behind a group of angry Illinois bankers flying kites constructed from checks from Illinois Public Action.
Hat tip to Cirque du Democrat.
Moron Schakowsky here on the May 13 Marathon Pundit post and check kiting.
Idiot alert: U.S. Olympic Committee forces LA and Chicago comedy clubs to change name
Absolutely moronic: No, I'm not an attorney, but one tenet of trademark law is that the holder of the trademark is entitled to protection from others using the name and confusing consumers when the same name, in this case Olympics, is used.
Or that people may assume that the US Olympic Committee sanctions comedy clubs.
But, no one, I repeat, no one, has ever thought that Chicago's ImprovOlympic comedy club, or its Los Angeles counterpart, was any way associated with the US Olympic Committee.
From AP:
The Chicago comedy club that helped launch the career of Mike Myers and others is changing its name after the U-S Olympic Committee threatened to sue over trademark infringement.
ImprovOlympic owner Charna Halpern says the club is in the process of changing its name to I-O. She says that process started about two weeks ago and the focus now is on changing the Web site and the awning in front of the club.
Time magazine is reporting in an article tomorrow that the U-S Olympic Committee threatened to sue the club if it didn't change its name.
Halpern says the dispute began more than 20 years ago after the Chicago club opened. Its five-year-old counterpart in Los Angeles will also change its name.
So ImprovOlympic will soon be known as IO. Maybe not a smart move, because one of Jupiter's moons is Io, and inhabitants there may decide to sue.
Or that people may assume that the US Olympic Committee sanctions comedy clubs.
But, no one, I repeat, no one, has ever thought that Chicago's ImprovOlympic comedy club, or its Los Angeles counterpart, was any way associated with the US Olympic Committee.
From AP:
The Chicago comedy club that helped launch the career of Mike Myers and others is changing its name after the U-S Olympic Committee threatened to sue over trademark infringement.
ImprovOlympic owner Charna Halpern says the club is in the process of changing its name to I-O. She says that process started about two weeks ago and the focus now is on changing the Web site and the awning in front of the club.
Time magazine is reporting in an article tomorrow that the U-S Olympic Committee threatened to sue the club if it didn't change its name.
Halpern says the dispute began more than 20 years ago after the Chicago club opened. Its five-year-old counterpart in Los Angeles will also change its name.
So ImprovOlympic will soon be known as IO. Maybe not a smart move, because one of Jupiter's moons is Io, and inhabitants there may decide to sue.
Willie Nelson to release reggae album tomorrow
Country music legend Willie Nelson, who performed in concert yesterday in nearby Schaumburg (alongside Bob Dylan) will release a reggae album tomorrow.
I could make this stuff up. but that's too much work.
From AP:
While the music on "Countryman" might raise the eyebrows of country purists, so will the cover. With green marijuana leaves on a red and yellow background, the cover art makes the CD look like an oversized pack of rolling papers.
More....When asked why he hasn't played any songs from his upcoming reggae album, this was Nelson's response:
"I keep forgetting," Nelson said a few days later by telephone from the road, which he's called home for most of the last 30 years.
I could make this stuff up. but that's too much work.
From AP:
While the music on "Countryman" might raise the eyebrows of country purists, so will the cover. With green marijuana leaves on a red and yellow background, the cover art makes the CD look like an oversized pack of rolling papers.
More....When asked why he hasn't played any songs from his upcoming reggae album, this was Nelson's response:
"I keep forgetting," Nelson said a few days later by telephone from the road, which he's called home for most of the last 30 years.
Mark Buehrle of the White Sox to start for AL in All-Star Game
It's not supposed to be officially announced until later this morning, but Boston's Terry Francona, the manager of the American League All-Star team, asked Chicago White Sox lefty Mark Buehrle to start for the AL in tomorrow's game in Detroit.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Welcome Frontpage Magazine's Moonbat Central Readers
Dr. Steven Plaut, in this post here about the Alan Dershowitz-Norman Finkelstein feud, linked back here. Thanks!
Brainster unlocks the Haloscan Trackback key
I've been struggling with how to utilize Haloscan Trackbacks for a couple of months. I'm not the only one, as Thirdwave Dave has encountered difficulties as well. Another hat tip for Pat Curley of Brainster, as he's unlocked the code, find it here.
Gidwitz and his Evergreen Terrace slum
Angry Jolietan has a great post about Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Gidwitz' ties to the Evergreen Terrace apartment complex in Joliet. Gidwitz owns a small percentage of the unit, generally regarded as a slum, but refuses to say who the other owners are.
Gidwitz for Governor? Uh-uh.
UPDATE, 4:15 PM: The Daily Southtown has an article in today's edition about Gidwitz and his Evergreen Terrace troubles, Slumlord or Savior?
Gidwitz for Governor? Uh-uh.
UPDATE, 4:15 PM: The Daily Southtown has an article in today's edition about Gidwitz and his Evergreen Terrace troubles, Slumlord or Savior?
Islamic leaders criticized for adding 'but' to condemnations
I remember this same thing after 9/11. Arab and Muslim leaders "condemned" those attacks, often adding "but..." In that case" the but" was usually regarding American support of Israel. Now, with the 7/7 attacks, it's of course the Anglo-American action in central Asia that usually "but-ed."
Forgotten by these apologists is that the people of Iraq and Afghanistan now enjoy freedoms unparelleled anywhere else in the Muslim world.
From AP:
Islamic leaders Friday condemned the London bombings, though many said the United States and Britain, with their wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are ultimately to blame for fueling militant violence. Increasing voices, however, say the Arab world has to stop adding ''but'' to its denunciations of terrorism.
The bombings targeted a city with enormous influence in the Arab world: London is home to some of the most widely read Arab-language newspapers and to many Arab exiles -- including Islamic fundamentalists.
It goes on..
''We are not trying to justify, only to analyze,'' wrote Abdel-Bari Atwan, who lives in London and is editor-in-chief of the Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper. ''We or any of our family members or friends could have been among the victims in London.
''But we must emphasize that the wars being waged now against Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan and Palestine are the best way to recruit more terrorists and to expand the circle of armed attacks in the entire world.''
Forgotten by these apologists is that the people of Iraq and Afghanistan now enjoy freedoms unparelleled anywhere else in the Muslim world.
From AP:
Islamic leaders Friday condemned the London bombings, though many said the United States and Britain, with their wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are ultimately to blame for fueling militant violence. Increasing voices, however, say the Arab world has to stop adding ''but'' to its denunciations of terrorism.
The bombings targeted a city with enormous influence in the Arab world: London is home to some of the most widely read Arab-language newspapers and to many Arab exiles -- including Islamic fundamentalists.
It goes on..
''We are not trying to justify, only to analyze,'' wrote Abdel-Bari Atwan, who lives in London and is editor-in-chief of the Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper. ''We or any of our family members or friends could have been among the victims in London.
''But we must emphasize that the wars being waged now against Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan and Palestine are the best way to recruit more terrorists and to expand the circle of armed attacks in the entire world.''
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Dershowitz defeats Finkelstein, University of California Press
This is quickly becoming an Alan Dershowitz blog. Oh, huge hat tip to Mark in Mexico.
On Tuesday, Front Page Magazine published this article from Professor Dershowitz, Why is the University of California Press Publishing Bigotry?
Well, the UCP will publish the book referred to in the above article, Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History, but with significant changes. The author of that book is Norman G. Finkelstein, a DePaul University political science professor. The Anti-Defamation League has called Finkelstein a holocaust-denier.
From Marcella Bombardieri of the Boston Globe:
In the latest chapter of a fierce academic feud, Alan M. Dershowitz, the celebrity Harvard Law School professor, tried to pressure the University of California Press not to publish a book critical of Israel that also attacked his scholarship.
The press is publishing the book despite Dershowitz's efforts, but with significant changes. The book will no longer include author Norman G. Finkelstein's claim that Dershowitz did not write, ''The Case for Israel," nor will it use the word ''plagiarize" in its argument that the Harvard law professor inappropriately borrowed from another work, according to the director of the press.
An article in the July 11 issue of the left-wing magazine The Nation asked, ''Why would a prominent First Amendment advocate take such an action?"
But Dershowitz argues that he wasn't trying to quash the book altogether, just to fight back against libel and prevent the book from getting the imprimatur of a respected publisher. ''It should be published. Let it be devastated in the marketplace, but I don't think a university press should be publishing this kind of garbage," he said in a phone interview yesterday. ''Harvard University Press would never publish trash like that."
Dershowitz sent letters, which he declined to provide to the Globe, to a variety of University of California Press officials, and even to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is an ex officio member of the University of California's board of regents.
''I told the UC press, 'If you say I didn't write the book or plagiarized it, I will own your company,' " said Dershowitz, who argued that Finkelstein's accusations are a ploy for publicity. ''The First Amendment protects mistakes that are inadvertent, but it doesn't prevent willful lies."
Good for Dersh. As regular readers of Marathon Pundit are aware, DePaul University suspended Professor Thomas Klocek for sticking up for Israel in front of some pro-Palestinian students there. More on that sad story in this Jay Ambrose column, Ghost of McCarthy on campus.
On Tuesday, Front Page Magazine published this article from Professor Dershowitz, Why is the University of California Press Publishing Bigotry?
Well, the UCP will publish the book referred to in the above article, Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History, but with significant changes. The author of that book is Norman G. Finkelstein, a DePaul University political science professor. The Anti-Defamation League has called Finkelstein a holocaust-denier.
From Marcella Bombardieri of the Boston Globe:
In the latest chapter of a fierce academic feud, Alan M. Dershowitz, the celebrity Harvard Law School professor, tried to pressure the University of California Press not to publish a book critical of Israel that also attacked his scholarship.
The press is publishing the book despite Dershowitz's efforts, but with significant changes. The book will no longer include author Norman G. Finkelstein's claim that Dershowitz did not write, ''The Case for Israel," nor will it use the word ''plagiarize" in its argument that the Harvard law professor inappropriately borrowed from another work, according to the director of the press.
An article in the July 11 issue of the left-wing magazine The Nation asked, ''Why would a prominent First Amendment advocate take such an action?"
But Dershowitz argues that he wasn't trying to quash the book altogether, just to fight back against libel and prevent the book from getting the imprimatur of a respected publisher. ''It should be published. Let it be devastated in the marketplace, but I don't think a university press should be publishing this kind of garbage," he said in a phone interview yesterday. ''Harvard University Press would never publish trash like that."
Dershowitz sent letters, which he declined to provide to the Globe, to a variety of University of California Press officials, and even to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is an ex officio member of the University of California's board of regents.
''I told the UC press, 'If you say I didn't write the book or plagiarized it, I will own your company,' " said Dershowitz, who argued that Finkelstein's accusations are a ploy for publicity. ''The First Amendment protects mistakes that are inadvertent, but it doesn't prevent willful lies."
Good for Dersh. As regular readers of Marathon Pundit are aware, DePaul University suspended Professor Thomas Klocek for sticking up for Israel in front of some pro-Palestinian students there. More on that sad story in this Jay Ambrose column, Ghost of McCarthy on campus.
Indicted ex-Governor Ryan's lawyers seek to bring up death penalty commutations in upcoming corruption trial
Conservatives who accused ex-Illinois Governor George H. Ryan of scheming to influence a potential jury (he was not under indictment at that time) don't look so mean and cynical now.
From AP:
Attorneys for former Gov. George Ryan say they should be allowed to present evidence about the actions he took to prevent executions in Illinois during Ryan's upcoming corruption trial.
In a court filing Friday, Ryan's attorneys accused prosecutors of trying to present a "one-sided" and "distorted" view of Ryan's political career.
"George Ryan did not sell his office or abandon the citizens of Illinois, and the jury is entitled to consider evidence relating to his entire term in office," defense attorneys wrote in the filing.
As governor, Ryan declared a moratorium on executions and commuted the sentences of all 167 inmates awaiting execution after several people were released from death row for wrongful convictions.
Prosecutors urged federal Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer on June 17 to bar defense attorneys from telling jurors about the steps Ryan took to prevent executions in the state, saying that "whether a politician 'courageously' reviewed the death penalty or not is not in any way pertinent to the issue of whether he engaged in acts of fraud and racketeering over a 12-year period."
Ryan is accused of accepting free vacations and other perks while doling out favors such as lucrative state contracts and leases to lobbyist friends, starting in 1990 when he was elected secretary of state. He has pleaded innocent to the racketeering charges.
Ryan's trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 15.
From AP:
Attorneys for former Gov. George Ryan say they should be allowed to present evidence about the actions he took to prevent executions in Illinois during Ryan's upcoming corruption trial.
In a court filing Friday, Ryan's attorneys accused prosecutors of trying to present a "one-sided" and "distorted" view of Ryan's political career.
"George Ryan did not sell his office or abandon the citizens of Illinois, and the jury is entitled to consider evidence relating to his entire term in office," defense attorneys wrote in the filing.
As governor, Ryan declared a moratorium on executions and commuted the sentences of all 167 inmates awaiting execution after several people were released from death row for wrongful convictions.
Prosecutors urged federal Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer on June 17 to bar defense attorneys from telling jurors about the steps Ryan took to prevent executions in the state, saying that "whether a politician 'courageously' reviewed the death penalty or not is not in any way pertinent to the issue of whether he engaged in acts of fraud and racketeering over a 12-year period."
Ryan is accused of accepting free vacations and other perks while doling out favors such as lucrative state contracts and leases to lobbyist friends, starting in 1990 when he was elected secretary of state. He has pleaded innocent to the racketeering charges.
Ryan's trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 15.
Man drowns despite 911 call from ex-Commerce Secretary, Mayor's brother, Bill Daley
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
Former U.S. Commerce Secretary and mayoral brother Bill Daley spotted a drowning man along the lakefront and summoned rescuers on his cell phone.
The man, who was swimming at an area called "the ledge'' north of Oak Street Beach on Thursday evening, did not survive.
Daley, 56, the youngest brother of Mayor Daley, declined comment though a spokesman.
"He called 911. He pointed out to where the guy had gone down,'' said Tom Kelly, spokesman for JP Morgan Chase & Co., where Daley is the Midwest chairman.
I'm quite familiar with that spot, "the ledge." It's a man-made cove and the currents can be quite unpredictable.
Former U.S. Commerce Secretary and mayoral brother Bill Daley spotted a drowning man along the lakefront and summoned rescuers on his cell phone.
The man, who was swimming at an area called "the ledge'' north of Oak Street Beach on Thursday evening, did not survive.
Daley, 56, the youngest brother of Mayor Daley, declined comment though a spokesman.
"He called 911. He pointed out to where the guy had gone down,'' said Tom Kelly, spokesman for JP Morgan Chase & Co., where Daley is the Midwest chairman.
I'm quite familiar with that spot, "the ledge." It's a man-made cove and the currents can be quite unpredictable.
Muddy Waters exhibit open this weekend only in Westmont, IL
Of course before there was rock and roll, there was the blues. And one of the greatest blues performers was Muddy Waters. Like many blues performers, Muddy was born in Mississippi, but migrated north to Chicago in search of factory jobs. In Chicago, the fast pace of the city altered the persona of the transplanted delta men, and the more pastoral music of the delta became the Chicago blues.
The Chicago blues influence on rock music was (and is profound). Artists such as the Rolling Stones (they got their name from a Muddy Waters song), Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin and countless others were inspired by Muddy Waters and other Chicago blues artists. But Muddy topped them all, and he remains an inspiring force upon what remains of the blues scene in Chicago.
Waters was part of the Chess Records stable of artists that included Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, and Willie Dixon. An English teen named Mick Jagger purchased many albums via mail order from Chess Records' Chicago office at 2120 S. Michigan Avenue. An early Rolling Stones instrumental, 2120 S. Michigan Avenue, recorded at Chess, appears on their 12 X 5 album.
Muddy moved to suburban Westmont in 1973 and died there ten years later. This weekend, his old house has been turned into a special exhibit in conjunction with the Taste of Westmont festival. Read more about it in Friday's Daily Herald.
I saw Muddy perform just once, sometime around 1981 at Chicagofest. He was about 70 at the time but he certainly didn't play or sound like an old man.
And never forget, as Muddy sang in one of his later songs: "The blues had a baby, and they named it rock and roll." And Muddy definitely was in the delivery room for that birth.
UPDATE, More Muddy: Today's Chicago Tribune has an article covering the same territory, but adding some information on the ten years Muddy lived in Westmont. Free registration may be required.
The Chicago blues influence on rock music was (and is profound). Artists such as the Rolling Stones (they got their name from a Muddy Waters song), Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin and countless others were inspired by Muddy Waters and other Chicago blues artists. But Muddy topped them all, and he remains an inspiring force upon what remains of the blues scene in Chicago.
Waters was part of the Chess Records stable of artists that included Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, and Willie Dixon. An English teen named Mick Jagger purchased many albums via mail order from Chess Records' Chicago office at 2120 S. Michigan Avenue. An early Rolling Stones instrumental, 2120 S. Michigan Avenue, recorded at Chess, appears on their 12 X 5 album.
Muddy moved to suburban Westmont in 1973 and died there ten years later. This weekend, his old house has been turned into a special exhibit in conjunction with the Taste of Westmont festival. Read more about it in Friday's Daily Herald.
I saw Muddy perform just once, sometime around 1981 at Chicagofest. He was about 70 at the time but he certainly didn't play or sound like an old man.
And never forget, as Muddy sang in one of his later songs: "The blues had a baby, and they named it rock and roll." And Muddy definitely was in the delivery room for that birth.
UPDATE, More Muddy: Today's Chicago Tribune has an article covering the same territory, but adding some information on the ten years Muddy lived in Westmont. Free registration may be required.
Friday, July 08, 2005
Dershowitz: Why terrorism works
From Front Page Magazine:
Within a day of the horrific multiple bombings in London, the G8 announced a $3B grant to the Palestinian Authority. The symbolism of this connection may be lost on some Westerners, but it clearly sent a powerful message to terrorists and potential terrorists: namely, that terrorism works.
There were no grants announced to the Tibetans, who have been occupied more brutally and for a longer period of time than the Palestinians. The Tibetans, however, have never resorted to terrorism.
The Palestinian Authority, and its leaders, are the godfathers of international terrorism. They developed airplane hijacking into a high art. They invented the high-profile murder of athletes and other prominent public figures. Were it not for their employment of terrorism, the Palestinian cause would today be regarded as the fifth-rate human rights issue that it rightfully is. But because the Palestinian leadership has always used terrorism (from the 1920's on) as the tactic of first resort, their cause has received worldwide recognition.
The primary cause of terrorism is not occupation, humiliation, or desperation. If it were, the Tibetans would be the greatest terrorists. The primary cause of terrorism is that it works. And it works because the craven international community gives into it and rewards it. It also works because too many Islamic leaders praise it and too few condemn it. Terrorism will continue as long as potential terrorists believe they will benefit from using that tactic.
By Alan M. Dershowitz, FrontPageMagazine.com July 8, 2005
Within a day of the horrific multiple bombings in London, the G8 announced a $3B grant to the Palestinian Authority. The symbolism of this connection may be lost on some Westerners, but it clearly sent a powerful message to terrorists and potential terrorists: namely, that terrorism works.
There were no grants announced to the Tibetans, who have been occupied more brutally and for a longer period of time than the Palestinians. The Tibetans, however, have never resorted to terrorism.
The Palestinian Authority, and its leaders, are the godfathers of international terrorism. They developed airplane hijacking into a high art. They invented the high-profile murder of athletes and other prominent public figures. Were it not for their employment of terrorism, the Palestinian cause would today be regarded as the fifth-rate human rights issue that it rightfully is. But because the Palestinian leadership has always used terrorism (from the 1920's on) as the tactic of first resort, their cause has received worldwide recognition.
The primary cause of terrorism is not occupation, humiliation, or desperation. If it were, the Tibetans would be the greatest terrorists. The primary cause of terrorism is that it works. And it works because the craven international community gives into it and rewards it. It also works because too many Islamic leaders praise it and too few condemn it. Terrorism will continue as long as potential terrorists believe they will benefit from using that tactic.
By Alan M. Dershowitz, FrontPageMagazine.com July 8, 2005
Blogger in need of some help...Peoria Pundit
One great blogger is Peoria Pundit. He's out of work, and he was notified yesterday that his claim for unemployment benefits was denied. He's going through a tough time, but he has a Pay Pal button on his blog.
Great idea: Illinois newspaper turns letters to the editor page into online forum
Hat tips to Rich Miller's Capitol Fax blog and the 11th Hour blog.
From the heart of flyover country, Decatur, IL, the Herald & Review there given online readers the ability to add comments to the letters to the editor published by the paper.
Has it been tried before? Probably. A poster on Capitol Fax says the LA Times tried it, but it was dropped due to inappropriate behavior.
Still, I think this is a great idea. If newspapers police this well (keeping out the trolls, whackos, multi-level marketers and disruptive posters), this can be great way for "old media" to keep relevant in the 21st century.
From the heart of flyover country, Decatur, IL, the Herald & Review there given online readers the ability to add comments to the letters to the editor published by the paper.
Has it been tried before? Probably. A poster on Capitol Fax says the LA Times tried it, but it was dropped due to inappropriate behavior.
Still, I think this is a great idea. If newspapers police this well (keeping out the trolls, whackos, multi-level marketers and disruptive posters), this can be great way for "old media" to keep relevant in the 21st century.
Two more Supreme Court vacancies?
Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard was just on Fox News Live and said that there may be two more Supreme Court resignations, ailing Chief Justice William Rehnquist and octogenarian Justice John Paul Stevens.
According to Kristol, Rehnquist's resignation could come today.
UPDATE 11:30 AM CDT. Drudge says rumors are rife that Rehnquist (but not Stevens) has resigned.
According to Kristol, Rehnquist's resignation could come today.
UPDATE 11:30 AM CDT. Drudge says rumors are rife that Rehnquist (but not Stevens) has resigned.
Show Tony Blair your support
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been our best ally in the War on Terror. Click here to show your support.
Hat tip: Third Wave Dave.
Hat tip: Third Wave Dave.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Mayor Daley vs. Jesse Jackson Junior?
As reported here over the weekend, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is posturing for a possible run for mayor of Chicago.Richard M. Daley has been mayor for 16 years and is having a pretty tough year, as scandal upon scandal chips away at his reputation. He's not up for re-election for another two years, but it's a very safe bet his next re-election campaign won't be the cakewalk his last one was. In 2003, Daley received almost 80% of the vote.
Andy Shaw of ABC 7 Chicago does some very-early Chicago election handicapping in this article. Although he hasn't announced his plans, it's expected Daley will run again. The only candidate to declare for this race is William "Doc" Walls, an advisor to former Mayor Harold Washington. A Yahoo! search on Walls turned up nothing, so he can clearly and fairly be called an unknown.
Then there's Jesse Jackson, Jr. Like Daley, hasn't declared his 2007 intentions either, but I'm sure if he thinks he has a chance to win, Junior will run.
Here's J.J. Junior's strength--and weakness: The Rainbow/Push Coalition army led by his father, the Reverend Jesse Jackson. It will certainly turn out in force in hopes of making Junior the next Chicago mayor.
I believe, thankfully, Chicago has come a long way from the days when race was a dominating factor in voters' electoral decisions. If Junior runs, however, Rainbow/Push and Jesse Sr. will probably be an issue for him. A lot of people, not all of them white, simply just don't like the Reverend Jesse. Also, Rainbow/Push and it's predecessors have had legal troubles over the years; it's most recent transgression led to a $100,000 fine from the Federal Elections Commission fine just two months ago.
Then there is Rainbow/Push itself: A very hard left organization. The Democratic Party for the most part owns Chicago, but there are many social conservatives living in the Windy City.
My opinion? If Jesse Junior does run, he won't just be running against Richard Daley.
Idiot alert: Chicago Sun-Times' columnist on slavery reparations
From Mary Mitchell's Chicago Sun-Times column today:
I don't know what it will take for the folks in control of this country to understand that reparations for slavery is going to happen. I can't say when it is going to happen, but it will. Despite legal setbacks, black conservatives and David Horowitz, reparations is the best way to build a bridge across our great divide. Otherwise, African Americans and Caucasians will just keep sniping away at each other.
Mary, the best way to end the "sniping" is to drop the demand for slavery "reparations."
Repeat after me, Mary. "Never, never, never!"
I don't know what it will take for the folks in control of this country to understand that reparations for slavery is going to happen. I can't say when it is going to happen, but it will. Despite legal setbacks, black conservatives and David Horowitz, reparations is the best way to build a bridge across our great divide. Otherwise, African Americans and Caucasians will just keep sniping away at each other.
Mary, the best way to end the "sniping" is to drop the demand for slavery "reparations."
Repeat after me, Mary. "Never, never, never!"
Freedom was attacked today....
...in London. As of 9am CDT, this is the latest.
Our thoughts and our prayers today are with our British brothers and sisters.
Our thoughts and our prayers today are with our British brothers and sisters.
More on the slavery reparations suit dismissal
The Chicago Tribune has a story that adds some more details to the information in last nights post about Federal Judge Charles Norgle tossing a slavery reparations suit out of court. The Tribune article is here. Free registration may be required.
London bomb blasts
From AP:
Half a dozen explosions rocked the London subway and tore open a packed double-decker bus during the morning rush hour Thursday. The blasts killed at least two people and injured scores in what a shaken Prime Minister Tony Blair called a series of "barbaric" terrorist attacks.
Police reported "a number of fatalities" at one London subway station. "Things are still relatively confused," Superintendent John Morgan said.
Blair said it was clear the attacks were designed to coincide with the opening of the G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. The prime minister said the meeting of world leaders would continue but that he would return to London.
Tony's right: Barbaric.
Half a dozen explosions rocked the London subway and tore open a packed double-decker bus during the morning rush hour Thursday. The blasts killed at least two people and injured scores in what a shaken Prime Minister Tony Blair called a series of "barbaric" terrorist attacks.
Police reported "a number of fatalities" at one London subway station. "Things are still relatively confused," Superintendent John Morgan said.
Blair said it was clear the attacks were designed to coincide with the opening of the G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. The prime minister said the meeting of world leaders would continue but that he would return to London.
Tony's right: Barbaric.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Voting early and often, the Chicago way...with a happy ending
Multiple voting has put Chicago White Sox leftfielder Scott Podsednik on the American League's All-Star team. The midsummer baseball classic takes place in Detroit next week. Scott's not a well-known player, this will be his first trip to the All-Star game. On the National League end, pitcher Roy Oswalt was voted in; he's also a first time All-Star.
The voting was online, and unlike the type of "vote early and often" shenanigans that are alleged to take place in Chicago, this electronic ballot-box stuffing is legal and, yes, ethical.
What's great about this story is how the White Sox players all helped Scott out. I was watching the game on TV, and on a trip to the supermarket, listening on radio. White Sox VP of Communications Scott Reifert explained on the air (on both broadcasts) that the Sox players all got on their laptops to vote for Podsednik. A lot. And the players told their friends and family to do the same. There were millions of votes cast, and it's impossible to say how much of an effect the players effort made in getting Podsednik on the team, but it's great to know that not all professional athletes are prima donnas.
This AP article adds a bit:
The White Sox also made a strong push for Podsednik the past few days. They had a laptop in the dugout before Tuesday's game for players to cast their votes. Employees wore shirts and pins encouraging fans to vote for Podsednik, and the organization ran announcements at the stadium and during broadcasts.
Podsednik's victory was announced during Wednesday night's home game against Tampa Bay, bringing a roar from the crowd.
And not only did the White Sox win that game, they swept the Devil Rays.
The voting was online, and unlike the type of "vote early and often" shenanigans that are alleged to take place in Chicago, this electronic ballot-box stuffing is legal and, yes, ethical.
What's great about this story is how the White Sox players all helped Scott out. I was watching the game on TV, and on a trip to the supermarket, listening on radio. White Sox VP of Communications Scott Reifert explained on the air (on both broadcasts) that the Sox players all got on their laptops to vote for Podsednik. A lot. And the players told their friends and family to do the same. There were millions of votes cast, and it's impossible to say how much of an effect the players effort made in getting Podsednik on the team, but it's great to know that not all professional athletes are prima donnas.
This AP article adds a bit:
The White Sox also made a strong push for Podsednik the past few days. They had a laptop in the dugout before Tuesday's game for players to cast their votes. Employees wore shirts and pins encouraging fans to vote for Podsednik, and the organization ran announcements at the stadium and during broadcasts.
Podsednik's victory was announced during Wednesday night's home game against Tampa Bay, bringing a roar from the crowd.
And not only did the White Sox win that game, they swept the Devil Rays.
Slavery reparations suit tossed from federal court
Well, there's at least one federal judge with common sense in the Republic: Charles Norgle, who tossed a slavery "reparations" suit out of federal court in Chicago today.
From the Chicago Sun-Times, an excerpt:
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by slave descendants seeking reparations from corporations that benefited from slave labor-the end of the line in U.S. District Court.
U.S. District Judge Charles R. Norgle said plaintiffs in the case did not prove they were personally injured by slavery, adding that a genealogical tie to slaves is not enough to show that injury. He also said the plaintiffs failed to show any concrete and particular suffering that wasn't true of African Americans in general. Norgle also said those suing failed to allege any conduct by the 18 defendants that individually affected any of the plaintiffs.
The lawsuit, filed in 2002, sought to hold 18 corporations liable for their business activities in the slave era.
Norgle's decision, the second legal defeat for the plaintiffs in district court, slams the door on the case in district court. Plaintiffs can appeal to the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Conrad Worrill, Chairman of the National Black United Front denounced the ruling as the product of the conservative right-winged judicial, political, decision-making.
He scoffed at Norgle's contention that the plaintiffs in the case had not proven personal injury from slavery.
"Judge Norgle is just a liar, he is exercising his political ideology," Worrill said. "We did prove it. It is a question of whose eyes are interpreting the facts. His eyes are the eyes of a racist."
Conrad Worrill is a first degree Moonbat, he's been calling for reparations for slavery for years. He's a professor at Chicago's Northeastern Illinois University and listed as the advisor for the Inner Cities Studies Department there. Not sure if that makes him the department head, but he's quite qualified for the job: He's a loony leftist.
Here's is the National Black United Front site.
Hat tip to Obiter Dictum.
From the Chicago Sun-Times, an excerpt:
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by slave descendants seeking reparations from corporations that benefited from slave labor-the end of the line in U.S. District Court.
U.S. District Judge Charles R. Norgle said plaintiffs in the case did not prove they were personally injured by slavery, adding that a genealogical tie to slaves is not enough to show that injury. He also said the plaintiffs failed to show any concrete and particular suffering that wasn't true of African Americans in general. Norgle also said those suing failed to allege any conduct by the 18 defendants that individually affected any of the plaintiffs.
The lawsuit, filed in 2002, sought to hold 18 corporations liable for their business activities in the slave era.
Norgle's decision, the second legal defeat for the plaintiffs in district court, slams the door on the case in district court. Plaintiffs can appeal to the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Conrad Worrill, Chairman of the National Black United Front denounced the ruling as the product of the conservative right-winged judicial, political, decision-making.
He scoffed at Norgle's contention that the plaintiffs in the case had not proven personal injury from slavery.
"Judge Norgle is just a liar, he is exercising his political ideology," Worrill said. "We did prove it. It is a question of whose eyes are interpreting the facts. His eyes are the eyes of a racist."
Conrad Worrill is a first degree Moonbat, he's been calling for reparations for slavery for years. He's a professor at Chicago's Northeastern Illinois University and listed as the advisor for the Inner Cities Studies Department there. Not sure if that makes him the department head, but he's quite qualified for the job: He's a loony leftist.
Here's is the National Black United Front site.
Hat tip to Obiter Dictum.
Welcome Michelle Malkin readers
Thanks as always for the link, Michelle! Thanks also to Brainster and Blogmeister USA.
Two posts down from here, Michelle linked to my Durbin/Novak/Daley post. Thanks everyone!
Two posts down from here, Michelle linked to my Durbin/Novak/Daley post. Thanks everyone!
Al-jazeera: Chief of Saddams defense team resigns, Ramsey Clark group to lead defense
The head of Saddam Hussein's defense committee has turned over full control of the legal team to a group led by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark.
Lawyer Ziad Khasawneh, the Jordanian chief of the defense committee, said Wednesday that he contacted Saddam's wife, Sajida Khairallah, and informed her about his decision to quit the legal team.
For the entire Al-jazeera story, click here.
Here's a little bit on Ramsey Clark, courtesy of Front Page Magazine's "Discover the Network."
Lawyer Ziad Khasawneh, the Jordanian chief of the defense committee, said Wednesday that he contacted Saddam's wife, Sajida Khairallah, and informed her about his decision to quit the legal team.
For the entire Al-jazeera story, click here.
Here's a little bit on Ramsey Clark, courtesy of Front Page Magazine's "Discover the Network."
- Former U.S. Attorney General
- Acted as counsel for North Vietnamese Communists and Iran's Islamic dictatorship
- Founder of International Action Center, which is staffed by members of the Workers World Party, a Marxist-Leninist vanguard. Works closely with the WWP
- "The Christian Church[es] overwhelmingly . . . choose to call Mohammad a terrorist. They could call Jesus a terrorist too."
More Durbin: Robert Novak tricks Mayor Daley into joining "orchestrated right-wing attack"
Eric Krol is the political writer for the Daily Herald, a Chicago area paper concentrating in north, northwest and western suburban Chicago. Krol interviewed Senator Dick Durbin, there's some audio, too. The entire article is here.
Q. (Eric Krol) So do you see this as almost an orchestrated attack on you …
A. (Senator Durbin) Oh, it definitely was.
Q. …or do you see it as the media really doesn’t know what they’re doing?
A. It’s an orchestrated right-wing attack that brings the mainstream media in. If they make enough noise. Here’s how they do it: go into a press conference in Washington and the guy stands in the back from Fox and just screams the same question over and over and over again to the point where the other reporters are, my God.
Q. How did they bring (Democratic Chicago) Mayor Daley in?
A. Bob Novak (Syndicated conservative columnist) . He came to Chicago one Monday and had lunch or a meeting with the mayor. Told him his side of the story. And unfortunately, the mayor didn’t know that we had put out a statement the Friday before about this and he made some statements along those lines. He’s also the father of a young soldier training to be a Ranger. I’m sure he felt extremely sensitive about that. We talked about it afterward. I don’t think he knew the whole story.
Q. Do you feel personally hurt by that?
A. I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed by it, but I’m going to continue to work with Mayor Daley. I’ve known him for 30 years. He came to see me after this event to talk about things that the city needed, and I’m going to continue to help.
Q. (Eric Krol) So do you see this as almost an orchestrated attack on you …
A. (Senator Durbin) Oh, it definitely was.
Q. …or do you see it as the media really doesn’t know what they’re doing?
A. It’s an orchestrated right-wing attack that brings the mainstream media in. If they make enough noise. Here’s how they do it: go into a press conference in Washington and the guy stands in the back from Fox and just screams the same question over and over and over again to the point where the other reporters are, my God.
Q. How did they bring (Democratic Chicago) Mayor Daley in?
A. Bob Novak (Syndicated conservative columnist) . He came to Chicago one Monday and had lunch or a meeting with the mayor. Told him his side of the story. And unfortunately, the mayor didn’t know that we had put out a statement the Friday before about this and he made some statements along those lines. He’s also the father of a young soldier training to be a Ranger. I’m sure he felt extremely sensitive about that. We talked about it afterward. I don’t think he knew the whole story.
Q. Do you feel personally hurt by that?
A. I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed by it, but I’m going to continue to work with Mayor Daley. I’ve known him for 30 years. He came to see me after this event to talk about things that the city needed, and I’m going to continue to help.
Suburban Chicago man indicted for sending millions to Iran
I'll be keeping an eye on this story..
From AP:
A 44-year-old Lincolnwood man is accused of transferring almost $4 million to Iran in violation of U.S. trade sanctions, according to federal officials.
Hossein Esfahani was indicted on 193 counts of operating an unlicensed money-transfer business and illegally sending money to Iran. The United States has banned trade with Iran because of its sponsorship of international terrorism.
Authorities say Esfahani operated a money transfer business from his home without a license. He was arrested in March and released with a monitoring bracelet in early June after putting up a $600,000 bond.
Okay, that was from AP. The Chicago Sun-Times has an article in its Metro section that adds a bit more.
The feds have said Esfahani has financial ties to Amir Hosseini, the owner of several West Side auto dealerships, who has been charged with letting gang-bangers buy luxury cars in fraudulent cash transactions. Esfahani and Hosseini own property together in far southwest suburban New Lenox, which is now subject to government forfeiture.
From AP:
A 44-year-old Lincolnwood man is accused of transferring almost $4 million to Iran in violation of U.S. trade sanctions, according to federal officials.
Hossein Esfahani was indicted on 193 counts of operating an unlicensed money-transfer business and illegally sending money to Iran. The United States has banned trade with Iran because of its sponsorship of international terrorism.
Authorities say Esfahani operated a money transfer business from his home without a license. He was arrested in March and released with a monitoring bracelet in early June after putting up a $600,000 bond.
Okay, that was from AP. The Chicago Sun-Times has an article in its Metro section that adds a bit more.
The feds have said Esfahani has financial ties to Amir Hosseini, the owner of several West Side auto dealerships, who has been charged with letting gang-bangers buy luxury cars in fraudulent cash transactions. Esfahani and Hosseini own property together in far southwest suburban New Lenox, which is now subject to government forfeiture.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
And more from our Saudi allies..."I might not see my son again, cries Japanese mother"
It's not just Western women who suffer see their kids kidnpped by a Saudi father.
Again, from the Arab News, an excerpt:
Denied justice, unable to spend time with her son and frustrated by Saudi bureaucracy, Hiroe has returned to Japan, disappointed and heartbroken.
In April, Arab News reported the story of Hiroe, a Japanese woman, whose Saudi husband kidnapped their seven-year-old son two years ago, brought him to the Kingdom and divorced her without her knowledge. Since then she has had to fight for her right to enter the Kingdom and see her son.
Hiroe filed a lawsuit and since the Saudi courts would not grant her custody, her lawyer advised her to ask for the right to see her son and for financial compensation for the years she supported the family while it was living in Japan.
Again, from the Arab News, an excerpt:
Denied justice, unable to spend time with her son and frustrated by Saudi bureaucracy, Hiroe has returned to Japan, disappointed and heartbroken.
In April, Arab News reported the story of Hiroe, a Japanese woman, whose Saudi husband kidnapped their seven-year-old son two years ago, brought him to the Kingdom and divorced her without her knowledge. Since then she has had to fight for her right to enter the Kingdom and see her son.
Hiroe filed a lawsuit and since the Saudi courts would not grant her custody, her lawyer advised her to ask for the right to see her son and for financial compensation for the years she supported the family while it was living in Japan.
Latest news from our Saudi allies
A headline from the July 6 Arab News is: Taking Photos in Public Places to Be Allowed.
As the first sentence warns, there is a caveat:
Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that photographing in public places will be allowed except in prohibited areas.
Sounds clear to me.
As the first sentence warns, there is a caveat:
Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that photographing in public places will be allowed except in prohibited areas.
Sounds clear to me.
Lou Lang to challenge Gov. Blagojevich in Dem primary?
Marathon Pundit (pictured last month in front of Lou Lang's Skokie office), looking to see if Lou is in. Picture taken on my camera phone by my eight year-old daughter.
Illinois stuff: Marathon Pundit is a constituent of Democrat State Representative Lou Lang. In 2002, Lou made an abortive run for Illinois governor in 2002, he never caught fire, and he bailed from the race in time for Plan B to take effect, which was to get re-elected to his state rep seat. This comes our way from downstate Illinois liberal blog Downleft; the hat tip goes to Obiter Dictum.
Lou is the House Gaming committee, and is no stranger to collecting donations from casino and horse racing interests.
Raising cash should be easy for Lou.
Thomas Klocek Defense Fund
I've posted this before, but just as a reminder there a Thomas Klocek Defense Fund has been set up. From the American Thinker:
Defend Professor Klocek
Several weeks back, we described the almost unbelievable situation surrounding De Paul Professor Thomas Klocek, who lost his job at the Catholic university for the "crime" of daring to argue with some Muslim and Palestinian students in a cafeteria about some inflammatory anti-Israel flyers the students were distributing.
So much for free speech rights for Professors at De Paul who dare to defend Israel.
Despite much commentary in the blogosphere about Professor Klocek's case, so far De Paul has offered nothing to Klocek in terms of restoring his position, back pay, health insurance. or even an apology for slandering his good name. A legal defense fund has been created for his lawsuit against De Paul.
You can contribute by sending a check to:
The Thomas Klocek Defense Fund
c/o Cole Taylor Bank
P.O. Box 88481
Chicago, Il. 60680
Defend Professor Klocek
Several weeks back, we described the almost unbelievable situation surrounding De Paul Professor Thomas Klocek, who lost his job at the Catholic university for the "crime" of daring to argue with some Muslim and Palestinian students in a cafeteria about some inflammatory anti-Israel flyers the students were distributing.
So much for free speech rights for Professors at De Paul who dare to defend Israel.
Despite much commentary in the blogosphere about Professor Klocek's case, so far De Paul has offered nothing to Klocek in terms of restoring his position, back pay, health insurance. or even an apology for slandering his good name. A legal defense fund has been created for his lawsuit against De Paul.
You can contribute by sending a check to:
The Thomas Klocek Defense Fund
c/o Cole Taylor Bank
P.O. Box 88481
Chicago, Il. 60680
Buried in the July 4 news: Bad writing costs taxpayers $221 mil. yearly
We'll see if this story gets any play today when the report gets released. This AP article appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times yesterday, and readership of the Sun-Times, like any American daily yesterday, was very light. Sometimes I think editors bury stories like this when they're bound to make typically noisy special interest groups (in this case public service and teachers' unions) look bad.
From that article:
States spend nearly a quarter of a billion dollars a year on remedial writing instruction for their employees, according to a new report that says the indirect costs of sloppy writing probably hurt taxpayers even more.
The National Commission on Writing, in a report to be released Tuesday, says that good writing skills are at least as important in the public sector as in private industry. Poor writing not only befuddles citizens but also slows down the government as bureaucrats struggle with unclear instructions or have to redo poorly written work.
''It's impossible to calculate the ultimate cost of lost productivity because people have to read things two and three times,'' said Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, vice chairman of the National Governors Association, which conducted the survey for the commission.
So it looks like a lot of public employess can't write well. Why didn't they learn to write when they were in school?
UPDATE: Our good friends at Moonbat Central posted on this topic.
From that article:
States spend nearly a quarter of a billion dollars a year on remedial writing instruction for their employees, according to a new report that says the indirect costs of sloppy writing probably hurt taxpayers even more.
The National Commission on Writing, in a report to be released Tuesday, says that good writing skills are at least as important in the public sector as in private industry. Poor writing not only befuddles citizens but also slows down the government as bureaucrats struggle with unclear instructions or have to redo poorly written work.
''It's impossible to calculate the ultimate cost of lost productivity because people have to read things two and three times,'' said Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, vice chairman of the National Governors Association, which conducted the survey for the commission.
So it looks like a lot of public employess can't write well. Why didn't they learn to write when they were in school?
UPDATE: Our good friends at Moonbat Central posted on this topic.
Junk Science site being Googlebombed
Blogger John Ray from Australia tipped me off on this one. From his blog, Dissect Left:
Something nasty is happening to the Google listing of Steve Milloy's "Junk Science" site. See here. It looks at first like an ordinary Googlebomb but Steve's site does not come up among the top listings at all. The googlebombers must have linked heaps of sites as well as their main spoof site. Oddly enough, when I Google directly from Australia, Steve's site comes up first -- as it should. The above link uses an anonymizer so Google cannot tell where the query is coming from. That makes it look a bit as if Google themselves are involved in the prank. Anybody reading this who has a site should immediately link to Steve to help him out. Just reproducing this post would do the trick.
Using what's become known as Junk Science, using faulty or misinterpreted scientific data to push extreme environmental causes, is a popular hobby of the left.
More on "Googlebombing" here.
I've added Milloy's site as a link.
Something nasty is happening to the Google listing of Steve Milloy's "Junk Science" site. See here. It looks at first like an ordinary Googlebomb but Steve's site does not come up among the top listings at all. The googlebombers must have linked heaps of sites as well as their main spoof site. Oddly enough, when I Google directly from Australia, Steve's site comes up first -- as it should. The above link uses an anonymizer so Google cannot tell where the query is coming from. That makes it look a bit as if Google themselves are involved in the prank. Anybody reading this who has a site should immediately link to Steve to help him out. Just reproducing this post would do the trick.
Using what's become known as Junk Science, using faulty or misinterpreted scientific data to push extreme environmental causes, is a popular hobby of the left.
More on "Googlebombing" here.
I've added Milloy's site as a link.
Monday, July 04, 2005
Patriotic music festival at Free Republic
The famous conservative message board, Free Republic, instrumental in the busting of Dan Rather in Memogate, is having a patriotic music festival. Just go here, and click on one of the songs you'd like to hear. There are multiple versions of songs such as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "This Land is Your Land."
If your Independence Day is not complete without hearing Irish folksters "The Clancy Brothers" singing "This Land..." then you must go to the Free Republic Patriotic Music Festival.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Thank you Ankle Biting Pundits for the link
For the second time in a month, the great blog Ankle Biting Pundits has linked back here.
Here is that post, one about Dick Durbin.
Ankle Biting Pundits morphed from Crush Kerry, and ABP is one of the best blogs out there. Thanks again!
Here is that post, one about Dick Durbin.
Ankle Biting Pundits morphed from Crush Kerry, and ABP is one of the best blogs out there. Thanks again!
Kenny Rogers, three White Sox make All-Star Team
Just what Kenny Rogers (not the singer) needs, more media attention. The Texas Ranger pitcher was named to the American League All-Star Team, along with two Chicago White Sox pitchers, Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland, as well as slugging first baseman Paul Konerko.
Also, I found a third political blogger who is White Sox fan too, The Guards Of Magog.
He's on the blogroll, which needs to be reorganized, or alphabetized or something-a-zized.
Also, I found a third political blogger who is White Sox fan too, The Guards Of Magog.
He's on the blogroll, which needs to be reorganized, or alphabetized or something-a-zized.
Biden also hinting at Supreme filibuster
Onetime speech plagiarist Senator Joe Biden, D-DE, a potential 2008 candidate for president, is not ruling out filibustering a Bush nominee to fill the Sandra Day O'Connor vacancy for the US Supreme Court. Dick Durbin, as Marathon Pundit readers know, waited only a few hours after O'Connor's resignation to bring up the "F" option.
And no one has even been nominated yet!
And no one has even been nominated yet!
Jan Schakowsky maneuvering to get possible House leadership post
Hat tip (again) to Obiter Dictum Blog.
Illinois' resident congressional moonbat, Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston, is on the prowl to grab the third ranking Democratic leadership position in the House of Representatives.
This comes to us from The Hill.
Marathon Pundit is a constituent of Jan's, and when I last reported on her, I posted this Schakowsky quote--her response to Durbin's controversial Gitmo comments. From the Illinois Leader:
"The Bush Administration and Republican leaders are engaged in a pathetic attempt to make Senator Dick Durbin's condemnation of the use of torture at Guantanamo Bay an issue. As a result of the revelations of conditions at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and Bagram prison in Afghanistan, the Republicans owe the American people, our soldiers and veterans an apology for undermining American values such as the Rule of Law, putting our troops at greater risk around the world, and cutting veterans health care benefits when they come home."
In short, Jan thinks that "the Republicans," not Durbin, owe America an apology.
I'm pretty sure those comments were published shortly before Durbin finally did apologize. As a constituent and a blogger (I identified myself and supplied her with the URL to the blog), I gave Jan the chance to clarify her comments, post-Durbin's apology. Third Wave Dave predicted I'd get nothing back but a form letter--I've yet to receive even that.
Now earlier this week, Jan posted her response to President Bush's televised speech on Iraq.
This sentence stands out:
"The Bush Administration is delusional about the situation in Iraq just as it has been from the moment the decision was made to invade a country that never was a threat to the United States."
Now, back to Obiter Dictum and that Hill article. There may not even be a vacancy in the # 3 position. If Senator John Corzine, D-NJ wins his gubernatorial race next November, and if then Governor Corzine nominates the current third-in-charge for the House Dems to succeed in the senate, then maybe Jan can get that spot.
Starting to get delusional here.
From the Hill:
In meetings with members, Schakowsky has been stressing her ties with outside groups that support the Democratic Party.
(My note: That's just what the Democrats need, more pandering to special interest groups. Sarcasm off.)
"One of the unique things about me is the very close relationship I have with many of our constituent groups. I'm very close to senior citizens organizations, labor organizations and community-based groups. I can bring that kind of inside-outside strategy to our caucus," Schakowsky said.
Schakowsky has an edge among female members and progressives. She has been working to convince people that she will represent more centrist members of the party as well as liberals. I feel that one of the rolls of the vice chair is to make sure all voices are heard at the leadership level" she said.
All voices? Really! And she'll have trouble with any centrist that still exist among House Democrats.
Speaking of delusion, there's a magazine called In These Times published here in the Chicago area. It was founded by Communist Party member turned Socialist Jimmy Weinstein, who passed away last month. In These Times is a hard left publication--very hard left--so naturally they saw fit to publish this speech of Jan's from 2003. Here's a bit:
This president is seriously undermining the rule of law, the Constitution of the United States, and our precious civil liberties—and he’s doing it all in the name of patriotism. But where are the lawyers and judges? Why am I not hearing your protests? Where are your e-mails and phone calls, your letters to the editor, your calls to talk radio, your high-profile lawsuits? Privacy is a major concern for average Americans, and Big Brother is mining our most private information as we sit here. I realized how serious this was when a woman asked me how she could get another perspective on the Iraq war and I suggested a few Web sites. She asked me if she went there if she would find herself on a list. In all honesty, I found that I couldn't say with confidence, Absolutely no; this is still the United States of America, and you can look at anything you want.
Ms. Schakowsky, do you care to back those accusations up with facts?
Of course, there are some ethical issues. Her husband Robert Creamer is under indictment financial shenanigans while leading the Illinois Public Action Council. Since the indictment, some tax fraud charges have been dropped.
But there's more, according to this AP article, Creamer is one of "Chicago's best known political consultants and has done consulting work for the campaigns of both Mayor Richard M. Daley and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. " So Creamer isn't just a Mr. Mom.
Creamer is of course innocent until proven guilty. Still, I think the House Democrats can do better than have Jan Schakowsky in a key leadership post.
This is what Front Page Magazine's Discover the Network says about Schakowksy:
Congresswoman Schakowsky is a member of the radical Progressive Caucus in the House of Representatives. The leftwing Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) rate her voting record as 100 percent on the left side on legislation. The highly-regarded 2004 Almanac of American Politics describes her as "an outspoken progressive, one of the leftmost members of the Democratic Caucus."
And Jan thinks she can represent more centrist Democrats in Congress. Sounds pretty delusional to me.
Illinois' resident congressional moonbat, Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston, is on the prowl to grab the third ranking Democratic leadership position in the House of Representatives.
This comes to us from The Hill.
Marathon Pundit is a constituent of Jan's, and when I last reported on her, I posted this Schakowsky quote--her response to Durbin's controversial Gitmo comments. From the Illinois Leader:
"The Bush Administration and Republican leaders are engaged in a pathetic attempt to make Senator Dick Durbin's condemnation of the use of torture at Guantanamo Bay an issue. As a result of the revelations of conditions at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and Bagram prison in Afghanistan, the Republicans owe the American people, our soldiers and veterans an apology for undermining American values such as the Rule of Law, putting our troops at greater risk around the world, and cutting veterans health care benefits when they come home."
In short, Jan thinks that "the Republicans," not Durbin, owe America an apology.
I'm pretty sure those comments were published shortly before Durbin finally did apologize. As a constituent and a blogger (I identified myself and supplied her with the URL to the blog), I gave Jan the chance to clarify her comments, post-Durbin's apology. Third Wave Dave predicted I'd get nothing back but a form letter--I've yet to receive even that.
Now earlier this week, Jan posted her response to President Bush's televised speech on Iraq.
This sentence stands out:
"The Bush Administration is delusional about the situation in Iraq just as it has been from the moment the decision was made to invade a country that never was a threat to the United States."
Now, back to Obiter Dictum and that Hill article. There may not even be a vacancy in the # 3 position. If Senator John Corzine, D-NJ wins his gubernatorial race next November, and if then Governor Corzine nominates the current third-in-charge for the House Dems to succeed in the senate, then maybe Jan can get that spot.
Starting to get delusional here.
From the Hill:
In meetings with members, Schakowsky has been stressing her ties with outside groups that support the Democratic Party.
(My note: That's just what the Democrats need, more pandering to special interest groups. Sarcasm off.)
"One of the unique things about me is the very close relationship I have with many of our constituent groups. I'm very close to senior citizens organizations, labor organizations and community-based groups. I can bring that kind of inside-outside strategy to our caucus," Schakowsky said.
Schakowsky has an edge among female members and progressives. She has been working to convince people that she will represent more centrist members of the party as well as liberals. I feel that one of the rolls of the vice chair is to make sure all voices are heard at the leadership level" she said.
All voices? Really! And she'll have trouble with any centrist that still exist among House Democrats.
Speaking of delusion, there's a magazine called In These Times published here in the Chicago area. It was founded by Communist Party member turned Socialist Jimmy Weinstein, who passed away last month. In These Times is a hard left publication--very hard left--so naturally they saw fit to publish this speech of Jan's from 2003. Here's a bit:
This president is seriously undermining the rule of law, the Constitution of the United States, and our precious civil liberties—and he’s doing it all in the name of patriotism. But where are the lawyers and judges? Why am I not hearing your protests? Where are your e-mails and phone calls, your letters to the editor, your calls to talk radio, your high-profile lawsuits? Privacy is a major concern for average Americans, and Big Brother is mining our most private information as we sit here. I realized how serious this was when a woman asked me how she could get another perspective on the Iraq war and I suggested a few Web sites. She asked me if she went there if she would find herself on a list. In all honesty, I found that I couldn't say with confidence, Absolutely no; this is still the United States of America, and you can look at anything you want.
Ms. Schakowsky, do you care to back those accusations up with facts?
Of course, there are some ethical issues. Her husband Robert Creamer is under indictment financial shenanigans while leading the Illinois Public Action Council. Since the indictment, some tax fraud charges have been dropped.
But there's more, according to this AP article, Creamer is one of "Chicago's best known political consultants and has done consulting work for the campaigns of both Mayor Richard M. Daley and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. " So Creamer isn't just a Mr. Mom.
Creamer is of course innocent until proven guilty. Still, I think the House Democrats can do better than have Jan Schakowsky in a key leadership post.
This is what Front Page Magazine's Discover the Network says about Schakowksy:
Congresswoman Schakowsky is a member of the radical Progressive Caucus in the House of Representatives. The leftwing Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) rate her voting record as 100 percent on the left side on legislation. The highly-regarded 2004 Almanac of American Politics describes her as "an outspoken progressive, one of the leftmost members of the Democratic Caucus."
And Jan thinks she can represent more centrist Democrats in Congress. Sounds pretty delusional to me.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Actual headline from the Tehran Times--Iran’s firm policy is to expand peace in world: Ahmadinejad (Iran's president-elect)
Well, if it's in the Tehran Times, it has to be true. This is the first sentence:
President-elect Mahmud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that Iran's definite policy is to expand peace and justice in the world.
President-elect Mahmud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that Iran's definite policy is to expand peace and justice in the world.
The latest from our Saudi allies: Riyadh professor objects to woman pilot
From the Arab News, an excerpt:
An associate professor of Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh has objected to the hiring of a Muslim woman as a pilot.
In a statement issued in response to a full-page advertisement by Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding Co., congratulating Capt. Hanadi Zakariya Hindi for becoming the first Saudi woman to get a commercial pilot’s license, Sheikh Yousuf Al-Ahmad said the appointment was un-Islamic.
Al-Ahmad, who teaches Shariah law at the university, said the job would require her to travel without a male guardian and would therefore lead to her mixing with men.
But they are our allies, right?
An associate professor of Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh has objected to the hiring of a Muslim woman as a pilot.
In a statement issued in response to a full-page advertisement by Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding Co., congratulating Capt. Hanadi Zakariya Hindi for becoming the first Saudi woman to get a commercial pilot’s license, Sheikh Yousuf Al-Ahmad said the appointment was un-Islamic.
Al-Ahmad, who teaches Shariah law at the university, said the job would require her to travel without a male guardian and would therefore lead to her mixing with men.
But they are our allies, right?
Jesse Jackson Jr. asking for a vote for change, but will Rainbow/PUSH change?
Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is taking advantage of the numerous scandals within Chicago government by asking for a vote for change.
From AP:
While he didn’t declare his candidacy, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. did nothing to dispel the notion that he’s taking on Mayor Dale
From AP:
While he didn’t declare his candidacy, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. did nothing to dispel the notion that he’s taking on Mayor Dale