Air America Scandal

There's so much to report at Air America: Misappropriation of charitiable funds, lawsuits from broadcasters, lies, spins...just go to Michelle Malkin's site and start scrolling.

Phelps' Westboro Kansas Kult to protest St. Louis-area funeral today!

Well, the gay-haters are back, this time coming to Florissant, MO in northern St. Louis County, protesting at the funeral of Army Specialist Christopher M. Katzenberger, who was killed in Iraq earlier this month. The protest is Friday, August 19.

Here is the latest vile flyer.

In an interesting writing style twist, the Catholic Church where the funeral will be held is not referred to by the Westboro cult as a "fag church." This time they call it a leper colony.

Phelps' Westboro cult celebrates each soldiers death "Pastor" Fred Phelps is a rabid homo-phobe who believes God is punishing America for it's acceptance of the gay lifestyle.

Expect a scene like this in Florissant this morning. That photo is from a similar protest held Monday in Oklahoma

The friends of the New York Times' Paul Krugman

From the American Thinker's Ed Lasky:

Enron adviser and NYT columnist Paul Krugman has also been employed by ex-Malaysian strongman Mahathir Mohammed. Krugman absurdly defended him against charges of anti-Semitism and ignored his role in framing deputy Prime Minister Anwar as corrupt and homosexual, in order to deny Anwar the possibility of replacing Mahathir as leader.

A Malaysian court has just found that the charges were scurrilous, and has awarded a record sum to Anwar as damages. Nothing can compensate him for his ruined political career, six years in jail, and physical torture (the real kind, not Abu Ghraib panty-headgear)

Uber-liberal Krugman saw no problem in Mahathir's attacks against Anwar. While in jail for six years on trumped up charges, Anwar was beaten. No apology has been forthcoming from Mahathir OR KRUGMAN.

Of course, Krugman never had a mea culpa over his being on the payroll of Enron, either.

Back in 2003, CNN was kind enought to put together a Mahathir Mohammed quotebook. Here is what MM said about Jews:

"The Jews for example are not merely hook-nosed, but understand money instinctively." - Mahathir's book 'The Malay Dilemma' 1970

"We (Muslims) are actually very strong. 1.3 billion people cannot be simply wiped out. The Europeans killed 6 million Jews out of 12 million. But today the Jews rule the world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them." - October 2003.

One more, not from MM or Krugman:

By their fruits ye shall know them. Matthew vii. 20.

More Aussie troops to Afghanistan

News you won't find in the New York Times Friday morning. Never forget, the Australians have been with us in every war (sometimes they were there first) since World War I.

According to AFP:

(Afghan foreign minister) Abdullah said he was delighted that Australia had agreed to send troops to his country. "That's very good news for the people of Afghanistan," he told reporters.

MSM finally covers the Matt Barber story: Conservative writer fired by Allstate

This story has been bouncing around the blogosphere for a few months, a few online publications have written about it, as has at least one community paper (the Northbrook Star), but as is usually is the case, the mainstream media is behind the curve.

Matt Barber writes occasionally for various conservative journals such as The American Thinker. Last December, he wrote an essay critical of gay marriage. It was written at home on his own computer on his own time. But since Allstate supports "diversity," this, apparently, was too much for the insurance giant to handle. They fired him.

Allstate's side of the story, is of course different. But Matt's explanation passes the Occam's Razor test, or at least I think so.

This morning's Chicago Tribune has an article about the Matt Barber case. Here is an excerpt, free registration is required:

J. Matt Barber, a born-again Christian from Villa Park, hoped to get some reaction in December when he wrote a fiery online essay denouncing same-sex marriage and the "destructive nature ... of the homosexual lifestyle."

But the strongest response, Barber said, came from his employers at Allstate Corp. He said two supervisors slapped the article down in front of him, told him he was suspended without pay and had him escorted from the company grounds in Northbrook.

"I'm thinking, `What business is this of yours?'" said Barber, 36, who had worked for Allstate for five years, mostly in corporate security. "This is something I did on my own time. This was my own viewpoint. ... [One supervisor] said, `Well, you know, here at Allstate we have a very diverse community.'"

Allstate fired Barber three days later, setting off a dispute that shows signs of becoming the next legal cause celebre among religious conservatives. As the issue becomes a growing rallying point among conservatives, Christian groups have protested Barber's fate on Web sites and in newsletters, generating what they said are more than 240,000 e-mails and an unknown number of phone calls to Allstate.

Found: Another White Sox fan poliblogger

Respublica is a great conservative blog based in the Metro East (near St. Louis) part of Illinois. It's been added to the blogroll. Now the bad news, the White Sox have lost five straight, as Respublica reports. They're still up by eleven games, though.

Sailor gets her running in: On the deck of an aircraft carrier

Maggie DeLany claims to be a non-runner, but she must be hooked, since she tries to get in thirty minute run on the deck of the aircraft she's serving on.

Interesting excerpt from Maggie's Runner's World article:

Surrounded by the stunning blue water of the Pacific, I have unlimited scenery. I've been able to run overlooking Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima and Mt. Fuji near Tokyo. I've run overlooking the small, unnamed islands to the northeast of Australia and the hills around Dili, in East Timor.

To the untrained eye, the flight deck can appear easy, like a flat track. This is completely untrue. The winds and seas provide all the actual and perceived hills one could want, and the aircraft chained on the flight deck offers the hazards of a cross-country course. The Sailors and Marines who flock to be outside make the flight deck as crowded as Central Park.

But Maggie's favorite running scenery is the blue ocean itself.

On a personal note, the Chicago Marathon is less than two months away, so I'll be sneaking in a few running posts here and there.

Look for a post in the next few days on the Jeff Galloway method of training. What will I write? Let's just say that Jeff won't be linking back to Marathon Pundit.

Robb Kestner of Running at the Mouth has his insight on Galloway here.

Common sense ruling from a judge! Death Penalty Evidence Not Allowed In Gov. Ryan Trial

Now here is someone that President Bush should consider for the next Supreme Court vacancy: Rebecca R. Pallmeyer.

From AP:

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that former Gov. George Ryan (R-IL) cannot present evidence during his upcoming corruption trial about his efforts to change a flawed system that sent 13 wrongfully convicted men to death row.

"The court sees no meaningful relationship between Ryan's decisions regarding the death penalty and the offense conduct with which he is charged here," U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer wrote in her ruling. "Ryan's legitimate official acts, such as commuting death sentences, are not alleged to be part of the scheme or conspiracy to commit fraud."

The latest from our Saudi allies...

...this is an ongoing feature here on Marathon Pundit, reporting on our "allies" in the War on Terror, Saudi Arabia:

From the Tehran Times:

Five Saudi nationals have been killed while fighting against U.S. forces in Iraq over the past week, the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan reported Wednesday.

Al-Watan said among them was Ahmed al-Wazzan, 30, who had been a teacher in a village in Al-Qassim province, north of Riyadh, before heading to Iraq from a neighboring country.

Saudis who have infiltrated Iraq have been using satellite telephones to call on their relatives and friends to join the insurgency against U.S.-led forces in Iraq, it said.

Al-Watan said most Saudi combatants in Iraq were based in Al-Qaim, western Iraq, near the border with Syria.

(My note: Syria. Shocking! Syria!)

In May, Al-Watan reported the death in action of two Saudis who had entered Iraq from Syria. It also said 137 Saudis have been detained in Syria for attempting to infiltrate Iraqi territory.

Saudi Foreign Minister Saudi al-Faisal said in June that his country was exerting all efforts to prevent Saudis from heading to Iraq to join the insurgency, without giving figures or details.

Many Saudi veterans of the war in Afghanistan against the Soviet occupation during the 1980s have since joined the Al-Qaeda terror network of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden.

Oohie-poohie PC smell at IUPUI

In addition to consistent blogging on the Thomas Klocek scandal, I've been keeping an eye at other PC atrocities within American academia. There is no shortage of material, by the way.

Here's another one. Apparently the unhappy story of Professor William Bradford seems to be finally gaining some momentum. Bradford is a non-tenured law school professor Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. IUPUI for short, but students and faculty commonly refer to it as (no I'm not making this up) as "Oohie-Poohie." And there is a flow of ca-ca coming from there.

Non-tenured professor. Just like Klocek at DePaul.

In late June I came across this Volokh Conspiracy post, which brought me to this Indianapolis Star column by Ruth Holladay.

Here is an excerpt:

In March 2004, he said, he was told during a review that someone described him as "uncollegial."

That's the new kiss-of-death buzzword. "Faculty seeking to get rid of others claim they are not collegial," Bradford said.

Bradford wrote a defense of the flag after 9/11 -- one that hung in the school lobby until some faculty objected.

He refused to sign a letter sent by (Fellow IUPUI Professor of Law Florence) Roisman defending Ward Churchill. He's the Colorado professor who called victims of 9/11 "little Eichmanns."

Roisman would not comment specifically on Bradford's collegiality or lack thereof. She denied his politics was the issue.

Professor Henry Karlson, a respected senior faculty member, finds Bradford collegial and more. "He's perhaps the finest young man we have recruited."

But, yes, there is a problem. "Some members of the faculty, for reasons I cannot ascertain, are trying, for lack of a better term, to drive him away."

Students have voted Bradford their favorite teacher.

(Another IUPUI law professor Mary Harter) Mitchell long has been an anti-war activist. She did not return three calls on Friday.

Roisman said she is a proud member of the left. "I am a person of very progressive politics," she said. "Everybody there would tell you I am the most to-the-left person (on the faculty.)"

In winter 2003, Roisman made news for objecting to a tree with ornaments in the school lobby. After it was removed, she successfully lobbied against a new display -- an Indiana winter scene.

Then-Dean Tony Tarr weathered that storm, then resigned in 2004.

The new, interim dean is Susanah Mead, a longtime faculty member.

On Friday, Mitchell and Roisman threw a party for Mead. Only women faculty and staff were invited. Mead acknowledged she heard some rumblings about sexism.

Bradford laughed. "If a male dean came in, and only male faculty held such an event, can you imagine the outrage?"

There he goes again -- being uncollegial.

There's more: Bradford, who as noted before, refused to sign the Roisman "Oohie-Poohie" letter supporting Ward Churchill. Bradford, unlike Churchill, actually is a Native American. Professor Bradford is also an Army veteran who fought in Desert Storm and Bosnia.

"Professor X" has written two articles in the last week for FrontPage Magazine about the Bradford case. They are here and here. Yes, the PC pressure within academia is such that Professor X has to use a pseudonym.

One of the more chilling items in the articles is this: Professor Roisman has filed an ethics violations charge at "Oohie Poohie" with the school's vice chancellor, William Plater. Why? Because Bradford talked to Ruth Holladay of the Indianapolis Star.

This is why we need an Academic Bill of Rights.

Three words describe what I think about "Oohie Poohie" Stink. Stank. Stunk.

Professor Florence Roisman can be e-mailed at froisman@iupui.edu
Professor Mary Harter Mitchell can be e-mailed at macmitch@iupui.edu
Vice Chancellor William Plater can be e-mailed at wplater@iupui.edu

As always, please use such information with respect and responsibility.