The slippery slope defined at American Thinker:
As Lady Macbeth said, "what's done cannot be undone" -- except by constitutional amendment. In order to appease an intransigent minority group, the California Supreme Court has, in the manner of Roe v. Wade, resorted to inventing a new legal principle to justify their predetermined goal.
But one does wish that they had thought the matter out a little more carefully. In creating a mechanism for justifying gay marriage, the justices have set in motion an infernal machine with consequences far beyond their limited imaginations. Cliff Thier has already pointed out that these unintended consequences may include the invalidation of no-fault divorce and the legitimization of polygamy. Let us extend his line of argument further and assess the range of logical consequences of this decision... (on the road to polygamy-more here)
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Gay Rights vs. Democracy
Well put by the folks at Townhall:
It is the essence of democracy that people should be able to decide the moral rules that govern the nature of a community. If people don't have that power, then they are living under an autocracy. ...
...In issuing its ruling the California court appealed to the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The basic logic is that gays have a right to be treated like everyone else. But just like everyone else, gays do have the right to marry. They have the right to marry adult members of the opposite sex! What gay activists want is something else: the right to marry members of the same sex. This is not a right currently enjoyed by anyone. What these gay activists seek is not equal treatment but rather to change the definition of marriage.
But states have a legitimate right to define marriage. State legislatures, drawing on tradition and appealing to the values of their constituents, have defined marriage in a very particular way. Marriage requires a) two people who are b) of legal age and c) not closely related to each other who are d) one male and one female. Note that this definition excludes people who want to marry children, or guys who want to marry their sisters, or Muslims who want to take four wives, or that strange guy who wants to marry his dog. ...(more)
It is the essence of democracy that people should be able to decide the moral rules that govern the nature of a community. If people don't have that power, then they are living under an autocracy. ...
...In issuing its ruling the California court appealed to the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The basic logic is that gays have a right to be treated like everyone else. But just like everyone else, gays do have the right to marry. They have the right to marry adult members of the opposite sex! What gay activists want is something else: the right to marry members of the same sex. This is not a right currently enjoyed by anyone. What these gay activists seek is not equal treatment but rather to change the definition of marriage.
But states have a legitimate right to define marriage. State legislatures, drawing on tradition and appealing to the values of their constituents, have defined marriage in a very particular way. Marriage requires a) two people who are b) of legal age and c) not closely related to each other who are d) one male and one female. Note that this definition excludes people who want to marry children, or guys who want to marry their sisters, or Muslims who want to take four wives, or that strange guy who wants to marry his dog. ...(more)
Audacity of Death
I agree. Straight talk as usual from the folks at merecommments:
How can I not read about this position (American Spectator via WSJ) on what is clearly infanticide taken by my senator and not be disgusted? No way to wash one's hand of this bloody business, I'm afraid. (more)
How can I not read about this position (American Spectator via WSJ) on what is clearly infanticide taken by my senator and not be disgusted? No way to wash one's hand of this bloody business, I'm afraid. (more)
Friday, June 13, 2008
Jesus and the Resurrection of Hope
From RZIM:
There are times when I read this story and I long to say in response, "But it did end in death." Before the story of Lazarus was a story fully marked by the power of resurrection, it was first a story marred by the force of death. Lazarus still walked through the pain of his illness; he still faced the uncertainty of dying. Mary and Martha still grieved at the grave of their brother for four days. And Jesus himself wept. Even for those who look to the resurrection as their certain hope, death is still a jarring occurrence. The journey toward death was harsh and shocking to Lazarus, his family, and his friends. But it was not the final word. There is a voice that can be heard even through the last shriek of death....
...We don't know how Lazarus reacted to his own death and subsequent resurrection. The gospels do not offer us a single word from the mouth of the one who was raised. In fact, the man at whose grave Jesus wept is known only in the gospels as one who listened. Amidst a crowd drawn by sorrow to a graveside in Bethany, Jesus called out in a loud voice: "Lazarus, come forth!" And the dead man indeed came out, his hands and his feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. There is something about suffering and despair that brings us to strain our ears for the voice of God. Where we have written God off as silent, where we have lived with the suspicion of a distant or demanding ruler, there is a compulsion within our pain that forces us to listen. There is an image of Christ who carried the same burden. And it is met with the promise of one who speaks: This sickness will not end in death. (more)
There are times when I read this story and I long to say in response, "But it did end in death." Before the story of Lazarus was a story fully marked by the power of resurrection, it was first a story marred by the force of death. Lazarus still walked through the pain of his illness; he still faced the uncertainty of dying. Mary and Martha still grieved at the grave of their brother for four days. And Jesus himself wept. Even for those who look to the resurrection as their certain hope, death is still a jarring occurrence. The journey toward death was harsh and shocking to Lazarus, his family, and his friends. But it was not the final word. There is a voice that can be heard even through the last shriek of death....
...We don't know how Lazarus reacted to his own death and subsequent resurrection. The gospels do not offer us a single word from the mouth of the one who was raised. In fact, the man at whose grave Jesus wept is known only in the gospels as one who listened. Amidst a crowd drawn by sorrow to a graveside in Bethany, Jesus called out in a loud voice: "Lazarus, come forth!" And the dead man indeed came out, his hands and his feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. There is something about suffering and despair that brings us to strain our ears for the voice of God. Where we have written God off as silent, where we have lived with the suspicion of a distant or demanding ruler, there is a compulsion within our pain that forces us to listen. There is an image of Christ who carried the same burden. And it is met with the promise of one who speaks: This sickness will not end in death. (more)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
'Unicorn' deer found in Italy
From Sify news:
Rome: A deer with a single horn in the centre of its head — much like the fabled, mythical unicorn — has been spotted in a nature preserve in Italy, park officials have said.
"This is fantasy becoming reality," Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Centre of Natural Sciences in Prato, told The Associated Press. "The unicorn has always been a mythological animal."
"This is fantasy becoming reality," Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Centre of Natural Sciences in Prato, told The Associated Press. "The unicorn has always been a mythological animal."
(more)
Afghan hashish haul may be world's biggest
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan police have seized 237 tonnes of hashish in what NATO-led forces and the British government called the biggest narcotics haul in history.
The cannabis product had an estimated wholesale value of $400 million (200 million pounds), a statement by the NATO-led ISAF force said on Wednesday.
It was found in a series of trenches in southern Kandahar province, near the Pakistan border, which were then set on fire. One tonne is about the weight of a small family car.
"With this single find, they (the police) have seriously crippled the Taliban's ability to purchase weapons that threaten the safety and security of the Afghan people and the region," said General David McKiernan, commander of ISAF, the International Security Assistance Force.
(more)
The cannabis product had an estimated wholesale value of $400 million (200 million pounds), a statement by the NATO-led ISAF force said on Wednesday.
It was found in a series of trenches in southern Kandahar province, near the Pakistan border, which were then set on fire. One tonne is about the weight of a small family car.
"With this single find, they (the police) have seriously crippled the Taliban's ability to purchase weapons that threaten the safety and security of the Afghan people and the region," said General David McKiernan, commander of ISAF, the International Security Assistance Force.
(more)
New York City Gone Wild: One in Four Have Herpes Virus
What Sex and the City really looks like.
NEW YORK, June 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - More than a quarter of the residents of New York, the city that never sleeps, now live with genital herpes, contracted through freewheeling sexual promiscuity. A new report from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene shows that the restless inhabitants of the city have higher rates of infection from sexually transmitted diseases than the rest of the United States.
Health officials announced Monday that 26% of adult New Yorkers have been infected with Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (the virus responsible for genital herpes), while the national average has declined to 19% (more)
NEW YORK, June 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - More than a quarter of the residents of New York, the city that never sleeps, now live with genital herpes, contracted through freewheeling sexual promiscuity. A new report from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene shows that the restless inhabitants of the city have higher rates of infection from sexually transmitted diseases than the rest of the United States.
Health officials announced Monday that 26% of adult New Yorkers have been infected with Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (the virus responsible for genital herpes), while the national average has declined to 19% (more)
Treachery
The Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on prewar statements is a disgrace.
By Andrew C. McCarthy- at the NRO:
Democrats and two useful Republican idiots on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) have colluded in a disgraceful sham, published late last week as a report on “whether public statements regarding Iraq by U.S. government officials were substantiated by intelligence information” prior to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.All one really needs to know about this exercise in legerdemain is revealed by SSCI Chairman Jay Rockefeller’s diktat — over Republican protest and adopted without a vote — that the Committee would focus myopically on prewar statements made by administration officials. That is, the SSCI opted to overlook the overflowing stream of bellicose commentary, often less restrained, by Democrats. The reality is that SSCI Democrats, among other Democrats, had access to the exact same intelligence about Iraq that Bush officials had. Indeed, many of them had it for years before there was a Bush administration. Like back in October 1998, when those selfsame Democrats were passing the Iraq Liberation Act, signed by none other than President Bill Clinton, which made regime change — the removal of Saddam Hussein from power — the official policy of the United States. (more)
Spot on commentary
By Andrew C. McCarthy- at the NRO:
Democrats and two useful Republican idiots on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) have colluded in a disgraceful sham, published late last week as a report on “whether public statements regarding Iraq by U.S. government officials were substantiated by intelligence information” prior to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.All one really needs to know about this exercise in legerdemain is revealed by SSCI Chairman Jay Rockefeller’s diktat — over Republican protest and adopted without a vote — that the Committee would focus myopically on prewar statements made by administration officials. That is, the SSCI opted to overlook the overflowing stream of bellicose commentary, often less restrained, by Democrats. The reality is that SSCI Democrats, among other Democrats, had access to the exact same intelligence about Iraq that Bush officials had. Indeed, many of them had it for years before there was a Bush administration. Like back in October 1998, when those selfsame Democrats were passing the Iraq Liberation Act, signed by none other than President Bill Clinton, which made regime change — the removal of Saddam Hussein from power — the official policy of the United States. (more)
Spot on commentary
Boy Scouts praised as heroes after twister kills 4
BLENCOE, Iowa (AP) — When the howling winds finally died down, the Boy Scouts — true to their motto, "Be Prepared" — sprang into action.
Putting their first-aid training to use, they applied tourniquets and gauze to the injured. Some began digging victims from the rubble of a collapsed chimney. And others broke into an equipment shed, seized chainsaws and other tools, and started clearing fallen trees from a road.
Dozens of the Scouts, ages 13 to 18, were hailed for their bravery and resourcefulness Thursday, the morning after a twister flattened their camp in Iowa and killed four boys.
"There were some real heroes at this Scout camp," Gov. Chet Culver said, adding that he believes the Scouts saved lives while they waited for paramedics to cut through the trees and reach the camp a mile into the woods. (more)
These boys are part of what is right with America. They are a bright future.
Putting their first-aid training to use, they applied tourniquets and gauze to the injured. Some began digging victims from the rubble of a collapsed chimney. And others broke into an equipment shed, seized chainsaws and other tools, and started clearing fallen trees from a road.
Dozens of the Scouts, ages 13 to 18, were hailed for their bravery and resourcefulness Thursday, the morning after a twister flattened their camp in Iowa and killed four boys.
"There were some real heroes at this Scout camp," Gov. Chet Culver said, adding that he believes the Scouts saved lives while they waited for paramedics to cut through the trees and reach the camp a mile into the woods. (more)
These boys are part of what is right with America. They are a bright future.
Scout Heros
From the tragedy of the Scout Camp tornado comes vivid examples of exemplary young men and volunteer leaders who took the motto to heart, and truly were "prepared" to deal with this horrible situation.
When you have a moment, please CLICK HERE to watch a 6 minute interview done this morning by NBC's Ann Curry (it may take a moment to load). Take note in particular to the answers given by the two Scouts between 2 and 4 minutes into the interview. Their bravery, their reactions and their answers are why scout leaders do what they do and why I am proud and more proud today than ever to be one.
When you have a moment, please CLICK HERE to watch a 6 minute interview done this morning by NBC's Ann Curry (it may take a moment to load). Take note in particular to the answers given by the two Scouts between 2 and 4 minutes into the interview. Their bravery, their reactions and their answers are why scout leaders do what they do and why I am proud and more proud today than ever to be one.
Curriculum Mortae
Sometimes Indoctrination Is a Matter of Life and Death
The end of academia as documented over at SalvoMag:
Having undergone a rather abrupt and atypical shift to the pro-life view the summer after completing college, I entered my PhD program with all the enthusiasm of the newly converted. Noticing the posters, stickers, and flyers promoting various causes that adorned the other office doors in my department, I engaged in some interior decorating of my own. Soon, half of the door to the office I shared with another graduate student was gilded with my cleverest pro-life propaganda. I had to admit that it looked a bit odd next to the gay-themed flyers on the other half of the door, but hey, I thought, this is grad school, land of tolerance and diversity.
Unfortunately, my officemate didn’t agree. The pro-life signs were “embarrassing,” she said. She didn’t want her students—or worse, her professors—to think that she was “anti-choice.” (“So should I be worried about everyone thinking I was a lesbian?” I wondered.) My colleague resolved the problem the way all good liberals solve the problem of differing points of view: by silencing them. We “agreed” to denude the door and use only the space above our own desks for personal expression. Such was my welcome as an out-of-the-closet pro-lifer at a bastion of liberal learning. But this was merely a foreboding of even worse things to come. (more)
The end of academia as documented over at SalvoMag:
Having undergone a rather abrupt and atypical shift to the pro-life view the summer after completing college, I entered my PhD program with all the enthusiasm of the newly converted. Noticing the posters, stickers, and flyers promoting various causes that adorned the other office doors in my department, I engaged in some interior decorating of my own. Soon, half of the door to the office I shared with another graduate student was gilded with my cleverest pro-life propaganda. I had to admit that it looked a bit odd next to the gay-themed flyers on the other half of the door, but hey, I thought, this is grad school, land of tolerance and diversity.
Unfortunately, my officemate didn’t agree. The pro-life signs were “embarrassing,” she said. She didn’t want her students—or worse, her professors—to think that she was “anti-choice.” (“So should I be worried about everyone thinking I was a lesbian?” I wondered.) My colleague resolved the problem the way all good liberals solve the problem of differing points of view: by silencing them. We “agreed” to denude the door and use only the space above our own desks for personal expression. Such was my welcome as an out-of-the-closet pro-lifer at a bastion of liberal learning. But this was merely a foreboding of even worse things to come. (more)
Palin May Be McCain's Best Bet For VP
From AmericanSpec Blog:
As a pro-lifer, NRA member, and fiscal conservative, she'd be acceptable to the right, and her record on ethics reform and maverick image makes her a nice fit for McCain. She's charming, likeable, and telegenic, commands stratospheric approval ratings, and could help McCain among independents. Palin, 44, could also provide a welcome contrast to McCain's sometimes grumpy demeanor. One of the biggest problems that McCain is going to face in the election is an excitement gap, and I don't see how picking a boring white male to join the ticket is going to help him on that front, but an attractive woman from Alaska who eats moose burgers and rides snowmobiles, just might. There are clearly a lot of female voters who believe it's time to see a woman in the White House, and if McCain is really serious about targeting disaffected Hillary voters, Palin would be a strong asset. (more)
As a pro-lifer, NRA member, and fiscal conservative, she'd be acceptable to the right, and her record on ethics reform and maverick image makes her a nice fit for McCain. She's charming, likeable, and telegenic, commands stratospheric approval ratings, and could help McCain among independents. Palin, 44, could also provide a welcome contrast to McCain's sometimes grumpy demeanor. One of the biggest problems that McCain is going to face in the election is an excitement gap, and I don't see how picking a boring white male to join the ticket is going to help him on that front, but an attractive woman from Alaska who eats moose burgers and rides snowmobiles, just might. There are clearly a lot of female voters who believe it's time to see a woman in the White House, and if McCain is really serious about targeting disaffected Hillary voters, Palin would be a strong asset. (more)
Tired of Pro-Life
From Mere Comments a particularly strong closing. Be sure and read the whole post here:
Paul Engor writes on "Roman Catholics for Obama '08" in the current issue of Catholic World Report. A similar phenomenon occurs among other religious groups, Evangelical included. I call in pro-life fatigue. We've been informed that the "Religious Right" has lost the culture war, get over it, we didn't change the culture, when we thought our political involvement would win the day. Now is the time to give up "single issue voting" and become more sophisticated and nuanced in our approach. What they don't understand, however, is that many pro-life Christians don't put much stock in politics to begin with....(more)
Paul Engor writes on "Roman Catholics for Obama '08" in the current issue of Catholic World Report. A similar phenomenon occurs among other religious groups, Evangelical included. I call in pro-life fatigue. We've been informed that the "Religious Right" has lost the culture war, get over it, we didn't change the culture, when we thought our political involvement would win the day. Now is the time to give up "single issue voting" and become more sophisticated and nuanced in our approach. What they don't understand, however, is that many pro-life Christians don't put much stock in politics to begin with....(more)
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Study Shows Over Half of All Marriages in Yemen are with Girls 14 and Younger
From doctorbulldog:
Yemen: Over half of married women under 15, says report
Sanaa, 9 June (AKI) - Over half of women who marry in Yemen are under 15 years of age, said a field study conducted by Yemen’s Women and Development Study Centre, which is affiliated with the University of Sanaa.
According to the study which was cited in the Yemen Times newspaper, the rate of child marriage among females in Yemen reached 52 percent, compared to less than seven percent among males.
On top of that, in rural parts of Yemen, girls usually get married at an average age of 12 to 13 years old...more
Yemen: Over half of married women under 15, says report
Sanaa, 9 June (AKI) - Over half of women who marry in Yemen are under 15 years of age, said a field study conducted by Yemen’s Women and Development Study Centre, which is affiliated with the University of Sanaa.
According to the study which was cited in the Yemen Times newspaper, the rate of child marriage among females in Yemen reached 52 percent, compared to less than seven percent among males.
On top of that, in rural parts of Yemen, girls usually get married at an average age of 12 to 13 years old...more
Losing the anti-drug fight?
From the Economist:
An upsurge in killings in Mexico threatens confidence in the president
A recent surge in drug-related killings threatens to undermine public confidence in the leadership of Mexico’s president, Felipe Calderón, and in his offensive against organised crime. At the same time, the US Congress is approaching final approval of new anti-drug financing for Mexico under the so-called Mérida Initiative, but conditions attached to the aid package could lead to rejection by Mexican authorities.
During one week in early May, there were a total of 113 murders, including 17 on a single day, in Mexico. According to official sources, there have been 1,378 drug-related murders in the first five months of this year, an increase of 47% year on year. Unofficial estimates indicate that there could have been as many as 3,000 killings during this period; the discrepancies reveal the difficulties in distinguishing drug murders from violent street crime. (more)
An upsurge in killings in Mexico threatens confidence in the president
A recent surge in drug-related killings threatens to undermine public confidence in the leadership of Mexico’s president, Felipe Calderón, and in his offensive against organised crime. At the same time, the US Congress is approaching final approval of new anti-drug financing for Mexico under the so-called Mérida Initiative, but conditions attached to the aid package could lead to rejection by Mexican authorities.
During one week in early May, there were a total of 113 murders, including 17 on a single day, in Mexico. According to official sources, there have been 1,378 drug-related murders in the first five months of this year, an increase of 47% year on year. Unofficial estimates indicate that there could have been as many as 3,000 killings during this period; the discrepancies reveal the difficulties in distinguishing drug murders from violent street crime. (more)
Threat, severed head left at newspaper office
From KTRK out of Houston the news:
VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico -- A note threatening a Mexican journalist was found outside the office of a newspaper in southern Mexico on Monday, two days after someone left a severed head there.
Tabasco state Attorney General Gustavo Rosario said the letter was directed at Juan Padilla, editor of El Correo de Tabasco, which recently carried reports about migrant smuggling and kidnapping in the area.
"You are next," the note read. (more)
Also of interest this report from StratFor back in May about the "failed state" prospects for Mexico...
VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico -- A note threatening a Mexican journalist was found outside the office of a newspaper in southern Mexico on Monday, two days after someone left a severed head there.
Tabasco state Attorney General Gustavo Rosario said the letter was directed at Juan Padilla, editor of El Correo de Tabasco, which recently carried reports about migrant smuggling and kidnapping in the area.
"You are next," the note read. (more)
Also of interest this report from StratFor back in May about the "failed state" prospects for Mexico...
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
US Court Stands by Military's Decision to Curb Homosexuality within Ranks
BOSTON, June 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit ruled Monday that the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on homosexual behavior does not violate the U.S. Constitution. The policy prevents people with homosexual inclinations from serving in the U.S. military, and was deemed constitutional because it is based upon important considerations of military life. (more)
Anatomy of a Newsweek Hit
From the NR:
..The confrontation on the Senate floor came just after Obama’s speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, during which he completely reversed course and said that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard ought to be a designated a terrorist organization. (Obama also used the AIPAC occasion to backtrack on other key issues regarding Israel.) Lieberman immediately called Obama on the “disconnect” between the speech and the vote. Perhaps taking criticism from one the most respected Jewish voices in America — who also happens to be a loyal McCain surrogate — had something to do with Obama’s angry confrontation with Lieberman? Newsweek doesn’t bother to explore that obvious angle...(more)
..The confrontation on the Senate floor came just after Obama’s speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, during which he completely reversed course and said that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard ought to be a designated a terrorist organization. (Obama also used the AIPAC occasion to backtrack on other key issues regarding Israel.) Lieberman immediately called Obama on the “disconnect” between the speech and the vote. Perhaps taking criticism from one the most respected Jewish voices in America — who also happens to be a loyal McCain surrogate — had something to do with Obama’s angry confrontation with Lieberman? Newsweek doesn’t bother to explore that obvious angle...(more)
Florida tomato industry in 'complete collapse'
The tomato industry in Florida is in complete collapse and $40 million worth of tomatoes will rot unless the source of a salmonella outbreak can be quickly traced, an industry official said today.
More
More
Judges Battle:Now and in November '09
A Nice summation and well worth the read over at the Committee for Justice blog:
Judges Battle: Now, November and in ‘09
No sooner did the Senate return from its Memorial Day recess last week, than the battle over judges re-erupted. It made for an interesting week, so let’s recap then take a look ahead.Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal decried Senate Democrats’ obstruction of judicial nominees as “unprecedented in its stinginess,” and noted that “[w]e'll soon see if Republicans will take this lying down.” The answer came the next day, when GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell forced Senate clerks to read aloud the entire 491-page substitute amendment to the climate change bill. Kudos to Sen. McConnell, who explained that the tactic was intended “to give [Democrats] time to contemplate and consider the importance of keeping your word in this body.”McConnell was referring to Majority Leader Harry Reid’s broken promise to confirm three appeals court nominees before the Memorial Day recess, as well as Reid’s sure-to-be-broken earlier promises to meet the historical average (17) for appeals court confirmations by an opposition Senate in a president’s final two years. In fact, McConnell noted, judicial confirmations are proceeding at a historically slow pace:..More
Judges Battle: Now, November and in ‘09
No sooner did the Senate return from its Memorial Day recess last week, than the battle over judges re-erupted. It made for an interesting week, so let’s recap then take a look ahead.Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal decried Senate Democrats’ obstruction of judicial nominees as “unprecedented in its stinginess,” and noted that “[w]e'll soon see if Republicans will take this lying down.” The answer came the next day, when GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell forced Senate clerks to read aloud the entire 491-page substitute amendment to the climate change bill. Kudos to Sen. McConnell, who explained that the tactic was intended “to give [Democrats] time to contemplate and consider the importance of keeping your word in this body.”McConnell was referring to Majority Leader Harry Reid’s broken promise to confirm three appeals court nominees before the Memorial Day recess, as well as Reid’s sure-to-be-broken earlier promises to meet the historical average (17) for appeals court confirmations by an opposition Senate in a president’s final two years. In fact, McConnell noted, judicial confirmations are proceeding at a historically slow pace:..More
AP IMPACT: Pet projects still abound in Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — So much for trimming the pork. The practice of decorating legislation with billions of dollars in pet projects and federal contracts is still thriving on Capitol Hill — despite public outrage that helped flip control of Congress two years ago.
More than 11,000 of those "earmarks," worth nearly $15 billion in all, were slipped into legislation telling the government where to spend taxpayers' money this year, keeping the issue at the center of Washington's culture of money, influence and politics. Now comes an election-year encore.
It's a pay-to-play sandbox where waste and abuse often obscure the good that earmarks can do...more here
Nice commentary on the above over here at Hotair:
Remember when Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid claimed that they would reduce pork and make what was left utterly transparent, after winning control of both chambers of Congress in 2006? Well, they certainly don’t, as an AP analysis published today shows. Transparency has improved somewhat, but earmark requests have escalated
More than 11,000 of those "earmarks," worth nearly $15 billion in all, were slipped into legislation telling the government where to spend taxpayers' money this year, keeping the issue at the center of Washington's culture of money, influence and politics. Now comes an election-year encore.
It's a pay-to-play sandbox where waste and abuse often obscure the good that earmarks can do...more here
Nice commentary on the above over here at Hotair:
Remember when Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid claimed that they would reduce pork and make what was left utterly transparent, after winning control of both chambers of Congress in 2006? Well, they certainly don’t, as an AP analysis published today shows. Transparency has improved somewhat, but earmark requests have escalated
EAT CROW, IRAQ WAR SKEPTICS
From the NY Post:
June 9, 2008 -- AMERICA has won, or is about to win, the Iraq war.
The latest proof came last month, as the Iraqi army - just a few months ago the target of scorn and abuse from Democratic politicians and journalists - forcefully reoccupied three cities that had served as key insurgency bases (Basra, Sadr City and Mosul).
Sunnis and Shias alike applauded as their nation's army compelled insurgent militias to lay down their arms. The country's leading opposition newspaper, Azzaman, led the applause for the move into Mosul - a sign that national reconciliation in Iraq is under way and probably irreversible.
US combat deaths in May also were down to 20, the lowest monthly total since February 2004. The toll for May 2007 was 121.
In a Washington Post interview, CIA Director Michael Hayden said we're witnessing the "near strategic defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq." ... (more)
June 9, 2008 -- AMERICA has won, or is about to win, the Iraq war.
The latest proof came last month, as the Iraqi army - just a few months ago the target of scorn and abuse from Democratic politicians and journalists - forcefully reoccupied three cities that had served as key insurgency bases (Basra, Sadr City and Mosul).
Sunnis and Shias alike applauded as their nation's army compelled insurgent militias to lay down their arms. The country's leading opposition newspaper, Azzaman, led the applause for the move into Mosul - a sign that national reconciliation in Iraq is under way and probably irreversible.
US combat deaths in May also were down to 20, the lowest monthly total since February 2004. The toll for May 2007 was 121.
In a Washington Post interview, CIA Director Michael Hayden said we're witnessing the "near strategic defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq." ... (more)
Lab drives car to 100 mpg
From the RockyMountainNews:
If a car that gets 100 miles per gallon of gasoline sounds like a driver's futile fantasy, think again.
Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden are testing a spruced-up Toyota Prius, a plug-in hybrid sedan complete with a solar panel attached to its oval roof and a bigger battery in the trunk to supply power in lieu of the gasoline-fueled engine.
The result: A spunky Prius that runs the initial 60 miles mostly on battery, adding up to a fuel mileage of 100 miles per gallon. More
If a car that gets 100 miles per gallon of gasoline sounds like a driver's futile fantasy, think again.
Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden are testing a spruced-up Toyota Prius, a plug-in hybrid sedan complete with a solar panel attached to its oval roof and a bigger battery in the trunk to supply power in lieu of the gasoline-fueled engine.
The result: A spunky Prius that runs the initial 60 miles mostly on battery, adding up to a fuel mileage of 100 miles per gallon. More
Voters Give Media Failing Grades in Objectivity for Election 2008
Rasmussen reports:
Just 17% of voters nationwide believe that most reporters try to offer unbiased coverage of election campaigns. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that four times as many—68%--believe most reporters try to help the candidate that they want to win. (more)
Just 17% of voters nationwide believe that most reporters try to offer unbiased coverage of election campaigns. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that four times as many—68%--believe most reporters try to help the candidate that they want to win. (more)
HOW 'LIBERAL' CARE WOULD KILL TED
From the NY Post:
June 5, 2008 -- IRONICALLY enough, the dangers of the lib eral health-care agenda are being made clear by the care that a liberal icon, Sen. Ted Kennedy, has received since his brain seizure last month.
One day after an MRI detected a tumor, Kennedy was quickly diagnosed with a malignant glioma - a rare and often-fatal form of brain cancer. Less than two weeks later, his tumor was being removed by one of the world's experts in brain cancer at Duke Univeristy Medical Center. He'll follow up with chemo and radiation therapy tailored to the genetic makeup of his cancer to keep the cancer from spreading.
He'll likely take Avastin, a drug that in experiments with brain cancer has extended survival by months. A new cancer vaccine being developed in partnership with Pfizer could extend his life by six years.
Of course, with his wealth and power, Kennedy would get good treatment anywhere. But the same care is available to every American.
Not so - if we make the health "reforms" called for by Kennedy and other liberals. ...(more)
June 5, 2008 -- IRONICALLY enough, the dangers of the lib eral health-care agenda are being made clear by the care that a liberal icon, Sen. Ted Kennedy, has received since his brain seizure last month.
One day after an MRI detected a tumor, Kennedy was quickly diagnosed with a malignant glioma - a rare and often-fatal form of brain cancer. Less than two weeks later, his tumor was being removed by one of the world's experts in brain cancer at Duke Univeristy Medical Center. He'll follow up with chemo and radiation therapy tailored to the genetic makeup of his cancer to keep the cancer from spreading.
He'll likely take Avastin, a drug that in experiments with brain cancer has extended survival by months. A new cancer vaccine being developed in partnership with Pfizer could extend his life by six years.
Of course, with his wealth and power, Kennedy would get good treatment anywhere. But the same care is available to every American.
Not so - if we make the health "reforms" called for by Kennedy and other liberals. ...(more)
Monday, June 9, 2008
Woman's Waking After Brain Death Raises Many Questions About Organ Donation
I think it raises issues for Advanced directives and the like as well...
Had no detectable brain waves for more than 17 hours
CHARLESTON, West Virginia, May 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Virginia family was shocked but relieved when their mother, Val Thomas, woke up after doctors said she was dead. 59 year-old Mrs. Thomas, while being kept breathing artificially, had no detectable brain waves for more than 17 hours. The family were discussing organ donation options for their mother when she suddenly woke up and started speaking to nurses. Ethicists have strongly criticised developments in organ donation criteria that would have made Mrs. Thomas a candidate for having her organs removed before she woke up. ...more
Had no detectable brain waves for more than 17 hours
CHARLESTON, West Virginia, May 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Virginia family was shocked but relieved when their mother, Val Thomas, woke up after doctors said she was dead. 59 year-old Mrs. Thomas, while being kept breathing artificially, had no detectable brain waves for more than 17 hours. The family were discussing organ donation options for their mother when she suddenly woke up and started speaking to nurses. Ethicists have strongly criticised developments in organ donation criteria that would have made Mrs. Thomas a candidate for having her organs removed before she woke up. ...more
Alberta Pastor Fined $7000 and Ordered to Publicly Apologize and Remain Silent on Homosexuality
The Fascists are coming...There is contact info here to give this guy your support..
OTTAWA, June 9, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Friday, the Alberta Human Rights Commission ordered Alberta pastor Stephen Boissoin to desist from expressing his views on homosexuality in any sort of public forum. He was also commanded to pay damages equivalent to $7,000 as a result of the tribunal's November decision to side with complainant and homosexual activist Dr. Darren Lund. The tribunal has also called for Boissoin to personally apologize to Lund via a public statement in the local newspaper.
The remedy order demands the pastor to pay $5,000 to Lund personally for the "time and energy" he has expended and for the "ridicule and harassment" he has faced. Combined with that financial burden, Boissoin must also pay up to $2,000 in expenses to one of Lund's witness, provided she produces records of such costs....(more)
OTTAWA, June 9, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Friday, the Alberta Human Rights Commission ordered Alberta pastor Stephen Boissoin to desist from expressing his views on homosexuality in any sort of public forum. He was also commanded to pay damages equivalent to $7,000 as a result of the tribunal's November decision to side with complainant and homosexual activist Dr. Darren Lund. The tribunal has also called for Boissoin to personally apologize to Lund via a public statement in the local newspaper.
The remedy order demands the pastor to pay $5,000 to Lund personally for the "time and energy" he has expended and for the "ridicule and harassment" he has faced. Combined with that financial burden, Boissoin must also pay up to $2,000 in expenses to one of Lund's witness, provided she produces records of such costs....(more)
Fascism has come to Canada
Scary stuff from Catholic Insight:
The January 2008 article, “Civil rights war in Canada” (pp. 11-16), quoted from REAL Women’s magazine Reality (Mar/April 2007) in saying that “adoptions, social services such as nursing homes, religious-based schools, marriages, employment conduct, etc., carried out by religious organizations will be held to secular standards, not religious ones.” One reason for this development, it was pointed out, is the demand of homosexual activists that everyone conform to their vision of equality rights. So much for the argument that legalizing same-sex “marriage” (SSM) would be of no concern except to homosexual activists.
In September 2008, the Department of Education in British Columbia intends to introduce the mandatory teaching of SSM from Kindergarten to Grade 12 in provincial schools. It is a first for a province in Canada to claim the right to determine moral teaching in schools when the vast majority of its citizens reject it as unscientific and contrary to the common good. So we move from Trudeau’s 1967 slogan “there is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation” – falsely used to destroy traditional morality – to the new slogan that the state will determine people’s moral thinking. (more here)
The January 2008 article, “Civil rights war in Canada” (pp. 11-16), quoted from REAL Women’s magazine Reality (Mar/April 2007) in saying that “adoptions, social services such as nursing homes, religious-based schools, marriages, employment conduct, etc., carried out by religious organizations will be held to secular standards, not religious ones.” One reason for this development, it was pointed out, is the demand of homosexual activists that everyone conform to their vision of equality rights. So much for the argument that legalizing same-sex “marriage” (SSM) would be of no concern except to homosexual activists.
In September 2008, the Department of Education in British Columbia intends to introduce the mandatory teaching of SSM from Kindergarten to Grade 12 in provincial schools. It is a first for a province in Canada to claim the right to determine moral teaching in schools when the vast majority of its citizens reject it as unscientific and contrary to the common good. So we move from Trudeau’s 1967 slogan “there is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation” – falsely used to destroy traditional morality – to the new slogan that the state will determine people’s moral thinking. (more here)
There Is a Military Solution to Terror
Good stuff from the WSJ:
Sadr City in Baghdad, the northeastern districts of Sri Lanka and the Guaviare province of Colombia have little in common culturally, historically or politically. But they are crucial reference points on a global map in which long-running insurgencies suddenly find themselves on the verge of defeat.
For the week of May 16-23, there were 300 "violent incidents" in Iraq. That's down from 1,600 last June and the lowest recorded since March 2004. Al Qaeda has been crushed by a combination of U.S. arms and Sunni tribal resistance. On the Shiite side, Moqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army was routed by Iraqi troops in Basra and later crumbled in its Sadr City stronghold.
In Colombia, the 44-year-old FARC guerrilla movement is now at its lowest ebb. Three of its top commanders died in March, and the number of FARC attacks is down by more than two-thirds since 2002. In the face of a stepped-up campaign by the Colombian military (funded, equipped and trained by the U.S.), the group is now experiencing mass desertions. Former FARC leaders describe a movement that is losing any semblance of ideological coherence and operational effectiveness.
In Sri Lanka, a military offensive by the government of President Mahinda ..(more here)
Sadr City in Baghdad, the northeastern districts of Sri Lanka and the Guaviare province of Colombia have little in common culturally, historically or politically. But they are crucial reference points on a global map in which long-running insurgencies suddenly find themselves on the verge of defeat.
For the week of May 16-23, there were 300 "violent incidents" in Iraq. That's down from 1,600 last June and the lowest recorded since March 2004. Al Qaeda has been crushed by a combination of U.S. arms and Sunni tribal resistance. On the Shiite side, Moqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army was routed by Iraqi troops in Basra and later crumbled in its Sadr City stronghold.
In Colombia, the 44-year-old FARC guerrilla movement is now at its lowest ebb. Three of its top commanders died in March, and the number of FARC attacks is down by more than two-thirds since 2002. In the face of a stepped-up campaign by the Colombian military (funded, equipped and trained by the U.S.), the group is now experiencing mass desertions. Former FARC leaders describe a movement that is losing any semblance of ideological coherence and operational effectiveness.
In Sri Lanka, a military offensive by the government of President Mahinda ..(more here)
Canada is no longer a free country
from Samizdata.net
The ruling can be found here.
Via Ezra Levant. Mr Levant's name, his own persecution, and that of Mark Steyn are both almost certainly familiar to Samizdata readers and probably familiar to an increasing number in the English speaking world. For that reason they may fare better in their own struggles with the witchfinders than those less widely liked....more here
The ruling can be found here.
Via Ezra Levant. Mr Levant's name, his own persecution, and that of Mark Steyn are both almost certainly familiar to Samizdata readers and probably familiar to an increasing number in the English speaking world. For that reason they may fare better in their own struggles with the witchfinders than those less widely liked....more here
Yes, Dear. Tonight Again.
From the NY Times:
LET’S say you and your spouse haven’t had sex in so long that you can’t remember the last time you did. Not the day. Not the month. Maybe not even the season. Would you look for gratification elsewhere? Would you file for divorce? Or would you turn to your mate and say, “Honey, you know, I’ve been thinking. Why don’t we do it for the next 365 days in a row?”
That’s more or less what happened to Charla and Brad Muller. And in another example of an erotic adventure supplanting married ennui, a second couple, Annie and Douglas Brown, embarked on a similar, if abbreviated journey: 101 straight days of post-nuptial sex.
The Mullers are Bible-studying steak-eating Republicans from Charlotte, N.C. The Browns are backpacking multigrain northerners who moved to Boulder, Colo. (more, more, more, here)
republicans 365, Dems 101
LET’S say you and your spouse haven’t had sex in so long that you can’t remember the last time you did. Not the day. Not the month. Maybe not even the season. Would you look for gratification elsewhere? Would you file for divorce? Or would you turn to your mate and say, “Honey, you know, I’ve been thinking. Why don’t we do it for the next 365 days in a row?”
That’s more or less what happened to Charla and Brad Muller. And in another example of an erotic adventure supplanting married ennui, a second couple, Annie and Douglas Brown, embarked on a similar, if abbreviated journey: 101 straight days of post-nuptial sex.
The Mullers are Bible-studying steak-eating Republicans from Charlotte, N.C. The Browns are backpacking multigrain northerners who moved to Boulder, Colo. (more, more, more, here)
republicans 365, Dems 101
S.C. 'Dry Drowning' Death Draws Attention
June 5, 2008 -- Recent media reports concerning a 10-year-old boy from Goose Creek, S.C., who died several hours after being in a swimming pool have left many parents concerned about the risks of dry drowning and wondering how they can best protect their children from this health threat.
To find out more about dry drowning, WebMD spoke to Neil Schachter, MD, medical director of respiratory care at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.
What is dry drowning?
Dry drowning is basically drowning without water. With dry drowning, you are not drowning from an immediate immersion in water; it is more of a delayed effect of a small amount of water in the lungs. ,,,(more)
To find out more about dry drowning, WebMD spoke to Neil Schachter, MD, medical director of respiratory care at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.
What is dry drowning?
Dry drowning is basically drowning without water. With dry drowning, you are not drowning from an immediate immersion in water; it is more of a delayed effect of a small amount of water in the lungs. ,,,(more)
Sunday, June 8, 2008
epidemic of gay-bashing by Muslims in "the most tolerant city in Europe" goes unreported...
Tolerance [Mark Steyn] at the National Review
An epidemic of gay-bashing by Muslims in "the most tolerant city in Europe" goes unreported...
...while in Canada Lori Andreachuk, Alberta "human rights" commissar, sentences an evangelical pastor to a lifetime speech ban.. (more)
Interesting to note the quote here from the GayPatriot:
the greatest enemies of gay people are not social conservatives in the West who may question (what they call) our lifestyle and oppose legislation benefiting us, but Islamic theocrats who execute gay people in jurisdictions where they predominate and seek to destroy the nations with political systems which allow us to live freely.
An epidemic of gay-bashing by Muslims in "the most tolerant city in Europe" goes unreported...
...while in Canada Lori Andreachuk, Alberta "human rights" commissar, sentences an evangelical pastor to a lifetime speech ban.. (more)
Interesting to note the quote here from the GayPatriot:
the greatest enemies of gay people are not social conservatives in the West who may question (what they call) our lifestyle and oppose legislation benefiting us, but Islamic theocrats who execute gay people in jurisdictions where they predominate and seek to destroy the nations with political systems which allow us to live freely.
Obama’s Domestic Childhood as Foreign Policy Experience
From Commentary Magazine:
Throughout his presidential campaign, Barack Obama has argued that playing kickball in Indonesia as an eight-year-old gave him “insight into how these folks think.” This past week, however, Obama’s bid to sell his childhood experiences as foreign policy experience took a new turn. On two occasions, Obama suggested that his domestically-spent childhood years also contributed to his understanding of certain key foreign policy challenges that he would confront as president.
The first–and better publicized–instance of this inane childhood-as-presidential-experience argument occurred during his speech at Wednesday’s AIPAC policy conference. Obama credited his Jewish summer camp counselor with educating him on Israel:..(more)
Throughout his presidential campaign, Barack Obama has argued that playing kickball in Indonesia as an eight-year-old gave him “insight into how these folks think.” This past week, however, Obama’s bid to sell his childhood experiences as foreign policy experience took a new turn. On two occasions, Obama suggested that his domestically-spent childhood years also contributed to his understanding of certain key foreign policy challenges that he would confront as president.
The first–and better publicized–instance of this inane childhood-as-presidential-experience argument occurred during his speech at Wednesday’s AIPAC policy conference. Obama credited his Jewish summer camp counselor with educating him on Israel:..(more)
Priest warns fascism has arrived in schools
It will cross the border. It's just a matter of time...From WND:
It apparently takes more than a government investigation and the threat of fines to keep a priest in Canada from speaking his mind about biblical issues. Father Alphonse de Valk, who WND reported just days ago is the target of a Human Rights Commission case over his biblical references regarding homosexuality, now is warning of an educational agenda to be implemented in support of "gay" pairs.
In a column at Catholic Insight, de Valk writes under the headline "Fascism has come to Canada" that the Department of Education in British Columbia plans in September to "introduce the mandatory teaching of SSM [same-sex marriage] from kindergarten to grade 12 in provincial schools. (more)
It apparently takes more than a government investigation and the threat of fines to keep a priest in Canada from speaking his mind about biblical issues. Father Alphonse de Valk, who WND reported just days ago is the target of a Human Rights Commission case over his biblical references regarding homosexuality, now is warning of an educational agenda to be implemented in support of "gay" pairs.
In a column at Catholic Insight, de Valk writes under the headline "Fascism has come to Canada" that the Department of Education in British Columbia plans in September to "introduce the mandatory teaching of SSM [same-sex marriage] from kindergarten to grade 12 in provincial schools. (more)
D Day remembered
A belated post. Lest we forget...From American Thinker
Today is the 64th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of France, and is the day following the anniversary of Ronald Reagan's death. What better way to commemorate both events than to read Reagan's great speech on the 40th Anniversary about the "Boys of Point du-Hoc", or watch it via a YouTube link. ...
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. Ronald Reagan... more here
Today is the 64th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of France, and is the day following the anniversary of Ronald Reagan's death. What better way to commemorate both events than to read Reagan's great speech on the 40th Anniversary about the "Boys of Point du-Hoc", or watch it via a YouTube link. ...
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. Ronald Reagan... more here
Governor's Mansion burns; arson possible
Sad time for Texans. Thank goodness the furniture and artwork were removed for renovation. Structurally it may be a loss unfortunately...
AUSTIN, TEXAS (KXAN)--The smell of heavy smoke blankets downtown Austin, TX as firefighters manage hot-spots from a fire that has completely gutted the Governor's Mansion.
The Texas Fire Marshal's Office says it has evidence that arson may be the cause of an overnight fire which has gutted the state's Governor's Office.
Paul Maldanado from the state Fire Marshal's Office says agency is reviewing eyewitness reports and surveillance video. Maldanado says there is "evidence that somebody was here" and possibly started the fire, but declined to offer any further details...(more)
AUSTIN, TEXAS (KXAN)--The smell of heavy smoke blankets downtown Austin, TX as firefighters manage hot-spots from a fire that has completely gutted the Governor's Mansion.
The Texas Fire Marshal's Office says it has evidence that arson may be the cause of an overnight fire which has gutted the state's Governor's Office.
Paul Maldanado from the state Fire Marshal's Office says agency is reviewing eyewitness reports and surveillance video. Maldanado says there is "evidence that somebody was here" and possibly started the fire, but declined to offer any further details...(more)
Haditha: No Massacre, No Cover-Up
Of course it was front page news when the "story" first broke. But you're not likely to see the results anywhere. Shameless. The results of Haditha from FrontPage Magazine..
On Wednesday, a jury found Lieutenant Andrew Grayson "not guilty" of covering up the (un)massacre at Haditha. The 27-year-old had been accused of multiple counts of making false official statements and one count of attempting to deceive by making false statements. A charge of "obstruction of justice" had been thrown out the day before.More than simply another exoneration of those accused of wrongdoing in Haditha – the sixth of eight accused – this verdict will go a long way to redefining Haditha and refuting those who insist on slurring "baby-killer" Marines and the United States herself. In the atrocity story churned out by left-wingers and "mainstream media" newscasters (but then, I repeat myself), four U.S. Marines murdered 24 blameless Iraqi civilians on November 19, 2005, as their victims cowered, some "as if in prayer." The then-ascendant face of American surrender, John Murtha, made this story his own in a dramatic press conference in May 2006, insisting his fellow Marines acted "in cold blood" even as an internal investigation was taking place. (more)
On Wednesday, a jury found Lieutenant Andrew Grayson "not guilty" of covering up the (un)massacre at Haditha. The 27-year-old had been accused of multiple counts of making false official statements and one count of attempting to deceive by making false statements. A charge of "obstruction of justice" had been thrown out the day before.More than simply another exoneration of those accused of wrongdoing in Haditha – the sixth of eight accused – this verdict will go a long way to redefining Haditha and refuting those who insist on slurring "baby-killer" Marines and the United States herself. In the atrocity story churned out by left-wingers and "mainstream media" newscasters (but then, I repeat myself), four U.S. Marines murdered 24 blameless Iraqi civilians on November 19, 2005, as their victims cowered, some "as if in prayer." The then-ascendant face of American surrender, John Murtha, made this story his own in a dramatic press conference in May 2006, insisting his fellow Marines acted "in cold blood" even as an internal investigation was taking place. (more)
From the blog Doctor Bulldog and Ronin a piece from the Sunday Times:
8 June, 2008, The Sunday TimesSCHOOLCHILDREN as young as 13 are being “groomed” for terrorism by Islamic extremists in the heartland of the 7/7 suicide bombers, according to Britain’s most senior police officer charged with countering radicalisation.-If the “counter” doesn’t include the identifications, arrest and deportation of the facilitators, recruiters and religious scholars involved the program is worthless.
Sir Norman Bettison, chief constable of West Yorkshire, said some bright children entering secondary school were picking up extremist messages from internet chat rooms and people who wanted to turn them into terrorists. (more)
8 June, 2008, The Sunday TimesSCHOOLCHILDREN as young as 13 are being “groomed” for terrorism by Islamic extremists in the heartland of the 7/7 suicide bombers, according to Britain’s most senior police officer charged with countering radicalisation.-If the “counter” doesn’t include the identifications, arrest and deportation of the facilitators, recruiters and religious scholars involved the program is worthless.
Sir Norman Bettison, chief constable of West Yorkshire, said some bright children entering secondary school were picking up extremist messages from internet chat rooms and people who wanted to turn them into terrorists. (more)
'Neurobics' and Other Brain Boosters
From the WSJ Health Journal:Every day, it seems, a new study reports that caffeine -- or fish oil or friendships -- lowers the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Many of these are "associations" that may or may not have a cause-and-effect relationship. There is still much that isn't known about the telltale plaques and tangles that slowly strangle the brains of Alzheimer's victims.
But what scientists do know now that they didn't just a decade ago is that people generate new brain cells, and new connections between them, throughout life. And the more mental reserves people build up, experts believe, the better they can stave off age-related cognitive decline.
Many of these are "associations" that may or may not have a cause-and-effect relationship. There is still much that isn't known about the telltale plaques and tangles that slowly strangle the brains of Alzheimer's victims.
But what scientists do know now that they didn't just a decade ago is that people generate new brain cells, and new connections between them, throughout life. And the more mental reserves people build up, experts believe, the better they can stave off age-related cognitive decline.
Rats- I failed the tests....
The Obama We Don't Know
From the WSJ:
With Barack Obama clinching the Democratic Party nomination, it is worth noting what an extraordinary moment this is. Democrats are nominating a freshman Senator barely three years out of the Illinois legislature whom most of America still hardly knows. The polls say he is the odds-on favorite to become our next President.
Think about this in historical context. Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were relatively unknown, but both had at least been prominent Governors. John Kerry, Walter Mondale, Al Gore and even George McGovern were all long-time Washington figures. Republican nominees tend to be even more familiar, for better or worse. In Mr. Obama, Democrats are taking a leap of faith that is daring even by their risky standards. (more)
With Barack Obama clinching the Democratic Party nomination, it is worth noting what an extraordinary moment this is. Democrats are nominating a freshman Senator barely three years out of the Illinois legislature whom most of America still hardly knows. The polls say he is the odds-on favorite to become our next President.
Think about this in historical context. Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were relatively unknown, but both had at least been prominent Governors. John Kerry, Walter Mondale, Al Gore and even George McGovern were all long-time Washington figures. Republican nominees tend to be even more familiar, for better or worse. In Mr. Obama, Democrats are taking a leap of faith that is daring even by their risky standards. (more)
Israel attack on Iran 'unavoidable'-Olmert deputy
JERUSALEM, June 6 (Reuters) - An Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites looks "unavoidable" given the apparent failure of sanctions to deny Tehran technology with bomb-making potential, one of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's deputies said on Friday."If Iran continues with its programme for developing nuclear weapons, we will attack it. The sanctions are ineffective," Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz told the mass-circulation Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper."Attacking Iran, in order to stop its nuclear plans, will be unavoidable," said the former army chief who has also been defence minister. (more)
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