Mr. Right has an Al Gore photo caption contest up...

Al Gore is the gift that keeps on giving for the Democrats. Giving us laughs. Mr. Right proves that point with his latest photo caption contest.

Enter here.

Technorati tags: Al Gore Global WarmingGlobal Warming Humor Funny Politics

A little Adlai Stevenson blogging....

It's been a while since I did some Adlai E. Stevenson blogging....

Whoah....actually, I've never blogged about the former Illinois governor, two time-Democratic nominee for president, (lost to Eisenhower both times), and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Little Marathon Pundit had her dress rehearsal for her first play, and it took place at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, IL. Adlai owned a farm in nearby Libertyville--an excellent town to say you're from if you're a politician.

With my reliable Motorola V3 RAZR, I took a picture of the Stevenson display just inside the main entrance of the school.

Oh, some guy named Sufjan Stevens recently released a song titled Adlai Stevenson, apparently it's a leftover track from his Illinois CD.

Technorati tags: Adlai Stevenson Sufjan Stevens Illinois History Politics Motorola

Counterterrorism blog's Bill Roggio podcast from Kabul

Richard Fernandez of The Belmont Club has a podcast up on the Pajamas site of his interview with the Counterterrorism blog's Bill Roggio.

Bill's been in Kabul for a few days. A couple of days before he arrived, a US military vehicle with bad brakes killed five Afghans and damaged about a dozen vehicles. Riots broke out afterward, in which about a dozen more Afghan civilians were killed.

Roggio interviewed residents of the neighborhood where the accident took place. He said he was told that the post-crash riots "were organized and staged by a group known as the Hazzari (not sure of the spelling)."

The Hazzari were, according to Roggio, "basically marginalized by the Karzai administration."

So the riots, believes Bill, were more of anti-Karzai as opposed to anti-American.

Technorati tags: News Blogging podcasts Podcast Podcasting iPod Karzai Afghanistan Kabul Military افغانستان

Daisies in June

There's a little clearing in the Linne Woods Forest Preserve where I took this photo about an hour ago of a field full of daisies. I was at the tail end of a ten-mile run.

Once again, I used my Motorola V3 RAZR phone.

Technorati tags: Illinois photos Motorola Mobile Phones wildflowers

Live from Bentonville, Wal-Mart's annual shareholder meeting

I'm watching live coverage of Wal-Mart's annual shareholder meeting here.

American Idol's Taylor Hicks as well as Beyonce are slated to perform at the meeting. However, as you can see in my prior post, I was up late last night--I just woke up. So I might've missed them.

But their performances will be available here around 1pm EDT.

Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott is speaking now. He mentioned Chicago's soon-to-be-opened West Side store, something I blogged about here, as well as what I found out was one of Wal-Mart's "experimental stores," in the Chicago suburb of Evergreen Park.

I blogged about that as well, and Scott mentioned the 24,000 people who applied for the 300 jobs at that location.

Technorati tags: Wal-Mart Business American Idol Beyonce Taylor Hicks Webcast Music
Chicago Illinois

Another Marathon Pundit exclusive: Eyewitness backs Klocek's charges against DePaul

After a long silence, there is a lot of activity again regarding the Thomas Klocek free speech case against DePaul University. Yesterday, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Stuart Nudelman agreed with the merits of Klocek's case; the former DePaul University professor will have a jury trial hear his case against the Chicago Catholic university.

Thomas Lifson and Richard Baehr have an excellent summary on the American Thinker.

Meanwhile, news of Wesley Thompson's deposition has come my way. Wes is the former DePaul Student Government Association president who was a eyewitness to the September 15, 2004 heated discussion between former Professor Thomas Klocek and some Muslim students. The students didn't like what Klocek said, their complaints led to the professor's dismissal from DePaul after 15 years as an adjunct faculty member there.

On a personal note, I met Wes at the Ward Churchill dust-up at DePaul's Lincoln Park campus last October. Even though he knew I was a regular critic of DePaul, he couldn't have been nicer to me.

(And no, we did not talk about the Klocek case.)

Press release comes to the blog via TC Public Relations.

(June 1, 2006, Chicago ) Yesterday, the deposition of Wesley Thompson, DePaul University student and former student body president, was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Law Division. Statements made by Thompson, an eyewitness to the events, support Professor Thomas Klocek's position, that his debate with students over conflicts in the Middle East did not justify DePaul's suspension of him based on bad conduct. ThompsonÂ’s deposition contradicts public statements made by DePaul University officials.

According to DePaul's president the Rev. DennisHoltschneiderider in his letter published in the Rocky Mountain News (April 9, 2005):

"The incident involving Klocek is about inappropriate behavior directed at our students--we cannot maintain an academically free environment when students feel threatened...

"He (Klocek) raised his voice, threw pamphlets at students...

"As an adjunct professor who is hired on an as-needed basis each term, Klocek does not receive the same privileges as full-time tenured professors."

In contrast, Thompson's deposition that records his eyewitness account of what happened between Klocek and the Students for Justice in Palestine states:

Excerpts from Deposition:

Question to Thompson: It was not what you would call a threat to hit anyone?

Thompson's Response: "I didn't feel that there was a threat of physical violence..."

Question to Thompson: Did you hear a conversation at a noise level that would be above what we would call normal conversational level?

Thompson's Response: "...I can remember Salma (member of Students for Justice in Palestine) responding to something in sort of... not a loud voice, but when you get mad and you respond snappy, well, you know, something like that."

Question to Thompson: So she raised her voice somewhat?

Thompson's Response: But it wasn't yelling or anything, but then I believe I remember Professor Klocek responded in kind."

Question to Thompson: And he raised his voice to the same level?

Thompson's Response: "Yes, He wasn't yelling or anything."

Question to Thompson: Did you observe anybody throw anything?

Thompson's Response: "I did not."

"It's encouraging to see that what transpired between Professor Klocek and the students at the student activities fair outside the classroom was simply a heated debate. A common, non-threatening activity expected on most university campuses," said Andy Norman, Klocek's attorney with Mauck & Baker.

Background of Case:

A defamation suit was filed in Illinois' Cook County Court in June 2005 charging that DePaul University and its leadership defamed Professor Thomas Klocek when DePaul publicly characterized arguments he presented to members of Palestinian and Muslim student groups as racist and bigoted. DePaul also accused Klocek of abusing his position as a professor to demean students. The suit seeks damages against DePaul for maligning Klocek's integrity and professional competence. The defendants named include: DePaul University; Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, President of DePaul; and Susanne Dumbleton, Dean of DePaul's School for New Learning.

Technorati tags: DePaul Chicago Illinois Free Speech Academic freedom Thomas Klocek Law AcademiaIsrael politics Ward Churchill Slander Muslimsمسلم

Dad in father-son terror case pleads guilty to minor charge

Out in lettuce country, Lodi, California, there is news again about the father-son terror duo.

From AP:

A Lodi ice cream vendor pleaded guilty Wednesday to a lesser charge of trying to smuggle cash to Pakistan rather than be retried on allegations that he lied to the FBI about his son’s attendance at a terrorist training camp.

Umer Hayat, 48, was convicted of lying to customs agents about more than $28,000 he and family members were trying to carry on a flight out of the country three years ago. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop charges that he lied to the FBI and to recommend he serve no more jail time after spending nearly a year in custody.

There was speculation that the cash was going to terror groups in Pakistan.

Hayat’s son, Hamid Hayat, 23, faces at least 30 years in prison for supporting terrorism by attending an al-Qaida training camp in Pakistan in 2003 and lying to the FBI. His sentencing was postponed indefinitely.

Umer Hayat’s first trial ended in April in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked in his case. He had been scheduled to be retried Monday and would likely have faced only a few additional months behind bars if convicted of the two lying charges, Scott said. He remains under house arrest until his Aug. 18 sentencing.

So it appears that the old man won't be going to prison. And a golden opportunity is missed: a Hollywood update of that great father-son prison movie, In The Name Of The Father. Daniel Day-Lewis could've appeared in this one too.

Third Wave Dave had a post on this story many hours ago, and he's not very happy with the plea deal.

Technorati tags: Daniel Day-Lewis Lodi Hayat California Pakistan Terrorism اسلامی

Only in Detroit...

From AP:

A historical marker bolted to Tiger Stadium has been stolen.

Someone took the plaque off an exterior stadium wall, but police have no suspects or clues, Sgt. Omar Feliciano said Wednesday.

The cast-aluminum marker, which was erected in 1976 next to a Ty Cobb plaque, identifies the stadium as a state historical site and details the history of the place where the Detroit Tigers played from 1912 to 1999

.
This type of stuff just doesn't seem to happen anywhere else.

Technorati tags: Detroit Detroit Tigers MLB Baseball Michigan crime

Marathon Pundit exclusive: Prof. Klocek’s defamation suit against DePaul moving toward trial

Late Wednesday, Marathon Pundit has obtained a copy of the below press release about the Thomas Klocek free speech case from TC Public Relations.

Covering the crimes against free speech by DePaul University has almost become a full time job for me.

(May 31, 2006, Chicago ) Today the most significant hurdle was cleared in the defamation law suit of Professor Thomas Klocek against DePaul University. Judge Stuart Nudelman of the Illinois Circuit County Law Division Court agreed that Klocek’s claims have merit, which will allow his suit against DePaul to move forward toward a trial by jury.

Judge Nudelman believes that DePaul’s actions to discipline Professor Thomas Klocek went to such extreme that their conduct rose to the level of defamation. He noted that DePaul exhibited destructive political correctness when it gave way to its fear of students’ reactions to Prof. Klocek’s challenges to the student groups’ literature and perspective on the Middle East conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Judge Nudelman also commented that if such limited debate took place when he was a student, it would have resulted in having an inferior educational experience.

Judge Nudelman also stated that DePaul’s public disclosures about Prof. Klocek defamed him in that they denigrated his ability to perform as a professor.

"We have cleared the biggest hurdle before trial. The judge has agreed with us that we have properly stated valid claims for defamation charges against DePaul and individual defendants, including DePaul’s president," said Andy Norman, Klocek’s attorney with the law firm of Mauck & Baker.

Background of Case:

A defamation suit was filed in Illinois ’ Cook County Chancery last June charging that DePaul University and its leadership defamed Professor Thomas Klocek when DePaul publicly characterized arguments he presented to members of Palestinian and Muslim student groups as racist and bigoted. The suit seeks damages against DePaul for maligning Klocek’s integrity and professional competence. The defendants named include: DePaul University ; Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, President of DePaul; and Susanne Dumbleton, Dean of DePaul’s School for New Learning.

For much more on the Klocek case, visit FIRE and read Professor Suspended for Expression Without Due Process

Previous Marathon Pundit post: One year anniversary of the Thomas Klocek press conference at DePaul

Technorati tags: DePaul Chicago Illinois Free Speech Academic freedom Thomas Klocek Law AcademiaIsrael politics defamation

The long gray line

During my morning run with my trusty Motorola RAZR phone, I came across these garbage bags in the Linne Woods Forest Preserve near my home in Morton Grove, IL.

What is going on?

Well, those bags are filled with garlic mustard, an invasive weed that crowds out native tree species species.

Volunteers throughout Cook County pull weeds by hand so young trees have the space to grow.

From the Harvard Gazette via the Sisu blog:

The tree-stifling alien, garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), first introduced into the United States in the 1860s, has since spread to Canada and 30 states in the East and Midwest, with recent sightings as far west as Oregon.

It's a tough fight. Near those trash bags, I took a picture of an overlooked--or recently sprouted--garlic mustard plant.

Technorati tags: nature Photos garlic mustard illinois environment weeds