Some good news

Michelle Malkin pointed out this case of discreet kindness.

Marine has farewell dinner with family before shipping off to Iraq. Stranger picks up the tab.

She also has a link to a story of Mike Ilitch (owner of Little Ceasars Pizza, the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings) helping an injured soldier get started in his post-military career with a pizza franchise.

Maybe it doesn't lead off the 11 PM news, but it is good to know there are some great people out there.

Remember to look before you squat

I normally decry excessive litigation. However, this woman might have a case.

A Kansas woman has filed a lawsuit seeking damages for severe burns on her rear end caused by chemicals used to clean a toilet at a Denny's Restaurant.
Williams claims she did not see the chemicals but felt them as soon as she sat down. Pedro Irigonegaray, her lawyer, said that she had to be hospitalized immediately and suffered permanent injuries.

Ouch!

Sunday links and comments

Jimmy Carter continues to prove he should never have been president. Once again, this jerk is overseas criticizing the United States.

braindead prosecutor alert!

a 14-year-old babysitter engaged in sexual conduct with an eight-year-old boy, and the eight-year-old was charged with lewd conduct. Prosecutors have since dropped the charges against the boy, but his mother is still concerned. The sexual conduct occurred during a game of “truth or dare” while the boy was being watched by the babysitter. Prosecutors say that, while the babysitter initiated the contact, the young boy was a willing participant.

Who cares if he was a willing participant, he was only 8 years old?

Don Surber, who has a good handle on West Virginia politics, looks at Shelley Capito's chances of taking Bob Byrd's senate seat. The wild card in this is Byrd's health. If he is healthy I don't see him getting beaten. However, he is in his late 80's and health can deteriorate precipitously at that age.

Today is the trading dealine in baseball and the Indians are 5 games out of the wild card. They are right on the edge of being either buyers or sellers at the deadline. I think the need to maintain fan interest for attendance reasons will prevent them from making any major deal.

The Cincinnati Enquirer has endorsed Jean Schmidt for Tuesday's special election to replace Rob Portman as the Second District congressional representative. I think Paul Hackett is going to surprise people by making this race a lot closer than one would expect in a traditionally safe Republican district. In fact I wouldn't be completely shocked if he were to pull off an upset. The turnout in special elections is usually very low which means he doesn't have to fool too many people to win. As Bizzyblog showed, Hackett is careful to leave the word Democrat out of his commercials and he even included President Bush in some commercials. The use of President Bush in his commercials is especially duplicitous since during the primary he claimed Bush was a bigger threat to America than terrorism. Here is a link to more info on Hackett.

The Impossible Comeback

Since the Tribe is playing the Mariners this weekend and it almost coincides with the 4th anniversary of the greatest comeback in history here is a link to a play by play of the comeback.

In the seventh inning the Indians were trailing 14 to 2.

Litmus test? What Litmus test?

From the people who accused Republican presidents in the past of having a "litmus test" for potential court nominees comes this statement:

A group of female Democratic senators said yesterday that they will vote against Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. unless he vows to uphold abortion rights.

What a bunch of loons. While I do believe that Roe v. Wade was an abhorrent example of legislating from the bench, it is disrespectful of the court to pretend that our Supreme Court solely exists to protect the practice of infanticide.

A reason for Dick Cheney to run in 2008

From NRO's Corner:

The Hill:

If Vice President Cheney is indeed a “serious darkhorse” candidate for president in 2008, as Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward recently suggested, he probably won’t want to enlist legendary White House reporter Helen Thomas to help with his press relations, even though she has proposed a campaign strategy he could run on....But asked this week if she is promoting a Cheney candidacy, Thomas made it clear she isn’t.

“The day I say Dick Cheney is going to run for president, I’ll kill myself,” she told The Hill. “All we need is one more liar.”

Thomas added, “I think he’d like to run, but it would be a sad day for the country if he does.”

The bolded sentence is reason enough for Dick to throw his hat into the ring. Problem is, just like the morons (Alec Baldwin etc.) who promised to leave the country if Bush were elected, she's probably lying.

I suppose this is one way to get in the last word

Suspended Miami Commissioner Art Teele fatally shot himself in the head in the lobby of the Miami Herald building late Wednesday afternoon.

I have to assume that he was unhappy with the newspapers coverage of his corruption.

Could we have a moment of silence, please

A tractor-trailer truck overturned on Interstate 10 this morning near South Wilmot Road, scattering 30,000 cases of Bud Lite beer along the highway.

Indians minor league prospects

No one covers minor league (or amatuer) prospects like John Sickels. Yesterday he posted an updated rundown on the Indians top 20 prospects. Here are the first few, click on the link for the rest.

Cleveland Indians Top 20 Pre-Season Prospects in Review

1) Adam Miller, RHP
Pitching again after missing early part of the year with elbow trouble. Results so far are not impressive: 5.04 ERA in 7 starts, 19/10 K/BB in 31 innings, way off his '04 numbers. I still worry about that elbow.
2) Grady Sizemore, OF
Hitting .278/.326/.442 for the Indians, 22 doubles, 9 homers, 12 steals. Solid player, will get better.
3) Michael Aubrey, 1B
Hit .283/.336/.462 in 28 games for Double-A Akron, before going on the shelf with back trouble.

Bear in mind, John ranked these players prior to the season starting so Sizemore wouldn't even make the list today since he is in the majors.

Not everyone is hurt by the heat

I understand companies selling ice aren't complaining either.

(Stolen from Curmudgeonly & Skeptical caution never politically correct and often NSFW)

Is the crossword puzzle trying to tell us something?

This mornings crossword puzzle had the following clue for sixteen across:

Former Yankee manager Joe

Sixteen across had room for a five letter answer and the current manager (Joe Torre) has five letters in his last name. The only other Yankee manager named Joe was McCarthy and McCarthy just won't fit. I checked and the Yankees won yesterday so I don't know what prompted this firing.

A little good news

Roger Browns column is like a an ugly car crash. You know you shouldn't but you scrunch your face up and look at it just to see how bad it is. Surprisingly, his column today has two positive notes.

Folks are still buzzing over a recruiting visit new Notre Dame football head coach Charlie Weis made recently with a top area high-school lineman, who clearly expected to be wooed, flattered and praised by Weis. Instead, Weis slapped a copy of the recruit's grade transcripts down on the table, chastised him for being an obviously lazy student and told him that unless things changed, Notre Dame wouldn't waste another minute recruiting him. Word is the shocked lineman is now vowing to take his classes much more seriously this school year.

Too often people are afraid to say the truth to top atheletes. I think the fact that Weis attended Notre Dame as just a regular student gives him a different perspective.

WTAM, part 2:

The station has signed evening sports talker Kevin Keane to a new three-year contract.

Congratulations to my cousin Kevin on the contract extension and good luck with the show!

Talk about inflation

40 GOATS TO BUY CHELSEA
Former US president Bill Clinton has been offered 40 goats and 20 cows for his daughter by a love-struck African government official.

Mr Clinton was offered the deal on a recent trip to Kenya.

Only wine and cheese improve with age.

Proving that you don't necessarily get smarter with age, Jane Fonda announced that she has decided to launch an anti-Iraq war protest - infuriating veterans still seething from her Vietnam antics.

This moron knew nothing of the last war she protested and based on her recent statements she knows nothing about the War on Terror. Last time she was aiding and abetting the Communists now she is aligned with the Islamo-facists. Her area of consistency is who she doesn't support - the United States of America.

Like an old lawyer joke

You know the one, "What do you call a busload of lawyers going off a cliff? Now, consider this headline:

Russia’s Biggest Spammer Brutally Murdered

The punchline: It's a start! Obviously, I'm not advocating murdering people. However, hackers, spammers and virus spreaders should all be informed of how Vardan Kushnir met his demise.

What happens when you run from police on high alert?

Some people are decrying the actions of the London police in shooting a Brazilian man suspected of being a terrorist.
WIZBANG takes emotion out of the equation and in a post aptly titled "If it walks, talks, and quacks like a duck during duck season, it's gonna get shot" says:

I would like to see the London police express their regret for Mr. de Menezes' death, but NOT apologize. His death was his responsibility entirely. He did everything that a bomber would do, and deliberately chose not to do the things that would have allowed the police to determine he was not a threat before they were forced to shoot and kill him.

Read the rest.

Is vandalism protected by the First Amendment?

Is flag burning still protected under the First Amendment in this case?

American flags, lining the lawn of the mother- and father-in-law of fallen U.S. Army Pfc. Timothy Hines Jr., were heaped in a pile early Saturday and burned under a car parked in front of the home - less than 24 hours after Hines was buried in Cincinnati's Spring Grove Cemetery.

Jim Wessel, Hines' father-in-law, said he thinks that the fire was a random act of vandalism.

The flames totaled Sara Wessel's car.

What is with some people?

Welcome Michelle Malkin readers

Welcome to Michelle Malkin readers. Feel free to look around while you're here. Mostly my thoughts on current events, politics and the Cleveland sports scene.

This is Outrageous

This is outrageous.

The family of a Marine who was killed in Iraq is furious with Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll for showing up uninvited at his funeral this week, handing out her business card and then saying "our government" is against the war.

The office of the Governor of Pennsylvania is entitled to take any stance it wants regarding whether the War on Terrorism is worth fighting, but a Marine's funeral is not the place to make those views known.

Road trip

Going to Virginia Beach for a week. Blogging may be light to non-existent for the next week depending on internet access in our hotel.

UPDATE: Wireless access good and strong.

How can a child molester be libeled?

Roman Polanski who is currently a fugitive from U.S. justice after being found guilty of raping a 13 year old girl in 1978 was upset that his reputation was tarnished by a magazine article. Polanski has been in hiding in France ever since taking off prior to being sentenced. He had the audacity to sue Vanity Fair magazine for claiming he hit on some woman while on the way to his wife's funeral. Turns out the incident was a couple weeks later.

His lawyer, John Kelsey-Fry, argued that Mr Polanski had been "monstrously libelled for the sake of a lurid anecdote"

This is ludicrious. There is no way to further damage the reputation of someone convicted of raping a 13 year old girl. However, a British jury somehow found in his favor and determined that he was libeled and awarded him 50,000 pounds. Amazing, and we think our justice system is screwy.

Oh yeah, since it is an American company which he sued, they ought to tell him no problem you can have the money BUT you have to come get it.

Karl Rove has gone too far

Karl Rove has gone too far now. A Large Regular has the scoop.

Chinese Aegis Destroyers

AEGIS technology greatly changed our Navy's anti-missile defense over the last few decades. AEGIS greatly increase the range at which an incoming threat to the battle group would be detected. Beyond that it was the precurser to development of a nationwide anti-missile shield to protect against Inter-Continental Ballistic MIssiles (ICBM). While the shield, dubbed Star Wars or SDI, has not reached fruition, recent sabre rattle comments by a Chinese general should remind us of the necessity to continue the development of this technology. Speaking of our friends the Chinese, it turns out their spies managed to steal the technology and they built their own AEGIS destroyers.

This is not good. I can only hope their spies didn't also steal the maintenance schedule since AEGIS is a very maintenance intensive system.

Feminists For Life (FFL)

Feminists for Life is an organization in the news lately. Some on the left are bemoaning the fact that the wife of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts has been an active member of FFL. John Hawkins took the cue and made FFL's homepage his website of the day.

I won't get into how reprehensible it is to use a nominee's family in an attempt to attack the nominee. Anyone who doesn't understand that already wouldn't understand my explanation. I will ask why anyone can be upset that Mrs. Roberts performs charity work (she handles cases pro bono for FFL). Would it be an issue if a leftist judge had a spouse working for planned parenthood? No. However, having a spouse who is strongly opposed to infanticide is somehow a black mark. Amazing.

John Grisham - A Great Author in our Time

I fell in love with John Grisham's writing with his first legal thriller, A Time to Kill. Since then I have enjoyed every book he authored. His style is rich in detail and he describes legal minutiae with the ease of an accomplished lawyer which he is but in a way that doesn't confuse a layman. I hesitated to read his latest books as he was stepping outside his area of expertise and I did not want to be disappointed. I gave in and bought A Painted House and have been very pleasantly surprised. I believe in years to come, when we look back at the latter part of the 20th century and first decade of the 21st, Grisham will be remembered as the foremost storyteller of our time. His greatest talent is his ability to draw the reader into events so they feel they are one with the protagonist. In A Painted House, the main character is a young boy, Luke Chandler, growing up on a cotton farm in Arkansas in the summer of 1952. He brought out the Luke fears, concerns and desires in a way that made me feel a part of the story. I couldn't help but think of the classic To Kill a Mockingbird as I read this book. I strongly recommend you read A Painted House for yourself (or any of his other books).

Catholics need not apply - UPDATE

There is so much talk about the need for more loving families to adopt that it is really surprising to hear that families are being being turned away. Why are anxious adoptive parents being turned down? Is the father a pedophile? Is mom a drunk? Are they satanists? No it is much worse. Turns out people in Mississippi are being turned down for adopting babies because they are (GASP) Catholics.

UPDATE & BUMP TO THE TOP:

Thanks to Rod Stanton (or more appropriately his daughter) for providing a link to a followup to this story.

After being criticized for excluding Roman Catholics as adoptive parents, the board of Bethany Christian Services in Mississippi has voted unanimously to include Catholic families in adoption programs.

As a naturally cynical person my first thought was this decision was prompted by a threat to cut of public funding. In the end it matters not what their motivation was as long as they changed their policy. Considering the need for loving families to raise children it would be senseless to to turn otherwise qualified people away solely on the basis of religious denomination.

Susan Torres

Michelle Malkin reminds us of the sad story of Susan Torres. For those who have not heard of Susan, here is a Cliffnotes update. She was a seemingly healthy young pregnant woman who tragically suffered a sudden stroke and went into a coma in May. Apparently, she is completely brain dead and is being kept alive to hopefully save her child. Well, in today's update Michelle advises of good news.

She has reached the point in her pregnancy where doctors believe the baby could realistically survive outside the womb, giving her family renewed hope about the devastating ordeal. Her fetus recently passed the 24th week of development - the earliest point at which doctors felt the baby would have a reasonable chance to survive, her brother-in-law said.

Sadly, in addition to the emotional toll of this ordeal, her family is also dealing with the financial burden of her treatment. The hospital expenses are expected to exceed $300,000 dollars. If you are able to help please use the PayPal button on this website SusanTorresFund.org. Even if you are unable help financially, please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Uncle Sam wants you – even if you’re 42 years old

The Defense Department quietly asked Congress on Monday to raise the maximum age for military recruits to 42 for all branches of the service.

Obviously, this request was not prompted by the Air Force or the Marine Corps as they stop accepting people for enlistment well under the current statutory limit of 34 now (27 and 28 respectively).

Let me start by saying I'm unequivocally opposed to general enlistment of recruits past the age of 30. Why? Well, there are several reasons but the most important is it will adversely affect readiness. I typed a very long post hacking this idea to pieces but decided in the end that I was taking too many words to state the obvious.

Bottom line. Military service is a young mans game. If the Army is having difficulty attracting new employees they (Congress) needs to handle it like in the civilian sector and make the benefits package more enticing.

This didn't take long

Ken Livingstone, London's leftist mayor, who spoke out against terrorism in the wake of the subway bombings had this to say after a weeks reflection:

"Given that the Palestinians don’t have jet fighters and don’t have tanks, they only have their bodies to use as weapons. “In that unfair balance, that is what people use."”

Understandably, in a city still recovering from a despicable attack, the mayor's attempt to justify the tactics of the enemy isn't going over too well. There have already been calls for his resignation.

Mayor Livingstone has a history terrorist enabling and stupid comments.

The dead don't just vote in Chicago

A demographic group which reliably votes Democrat, the dead previously could be labeled as lazy, unemployed, loungeabouts (like bloggers). Turns out not all dead people are unemployed.

One was a drunk. Some were laughed at as "goofballs." One was declared the best-qualified candidate for a job on the city payroll -- even though he was dead.

All of them were recommended for city jobs or hired because they were politically connected and helped to get out the vote on Election Day, according to U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald.

"That's the world we want to end," Fitzgerald said Monday in announcing charges against two members of Mayor Richard M. Daley's administration accused of illegally doling out patronage jobs.

Maybe I have a poor imagination, but they do funnier stuff than I could make up.

Judge John G. Roberts Jr. Nominated for SCOTUS

At 9PM this evening President Bush named DC Court of Appeals Judge John G. Roberts Jr. to replace Justice O'Connor on the Supreme Court.
There will be many articles on Judge Roberts in the coming weeks. Here are a few:
A Glance at Judge Roberts from the AP
Michelle Malkin is (of course) all over the nomination and has lots of links.
Here is his BIO from FreeRepublic A review of his bio reveals that he clerked for Justice Rehnquist which leads Hugh Hewitt to wonder if he would be the first clerk to later serve on the SCOTUS with the justice for whom he clerked.


The Democrats will make some noise to appease the special interest groups which supply the money to campaign every few years. However, I believe he will be confirmed with around 65 votes. He was born in New York and has lived in Indiana for years, but my guess is he will receive the vote of only one (Lugar) of the four senators from his home states. Evan Bayh of Indiana and Hillary Clinton (somehow) of New York have presidential aspirations and won't upset the fringe of their party since the fringe control primaries. Chuck Shumer of New York will oppose Judge Roberts since word is Roberts has actually read the U.S. Constitution.

I think he is a real good choice. However, none of us should think his appointment will change many of the courts decisions. Justice O'Connor has been relatively conservative over the years. I could take her place and the balance of the court wouldn't change appreciably. In the most recent SCOTUS mistake (Kelo) for example, Justice O'Connor wrote a very strong dissent. Even in the most famous court error (Roe v. Wade), while O'Connor has been on the wrong side in recent years, she was part of a 6 to 3 majority so one vote changes nothing.

Goodbye to Jody Gerut

I awoke this morning to the news that the Cleveland Indians had traded Jody Gerut to the Chicago Cubs for minor leaguer Jason Dubois.

I don't know enough about Dubois to discuss him intelligently but beside that this post is to say so long to a fan favorite. Jody Gerut made his debut for the Indians in 2003 batting .279 with 22 homers while being named the TSN Rookie of the Year. However, it was his defense that made him a real fan favorite. My son wanted to emulate his diving catches and demanded I throw the ball out of his reach so he had to dive. Off the field Jody was an ambassador of the game to the Cleveland community and will quickly become a fixture at charity events in Chicago which coincidentally is his hometown.

Sadly, Gerut regressed offensively in 2004 and just as he was getting in a groove, his season was ended by a knee injury. This year, he missed time coming back from that same injury and I'm not convinced he is fully back yet. I hope and expect that he will thrive with regular playing time in Chicago. Thanks and good luck Jody!

Taking politics too far

I'm an advocate of free speech. I have no problem with strongly stating your views. However, at the end of the day politicians are people who go home to their families. Home should be a sanctuary from the political vitriol seen at work. What brings this up? Some moron lefty blogger (A Liberal Dose) has posted Karl Rove's address and directions to his house and recommends people stop on by and throw feces at his house. These idiots need to grow up and get a clue. Rove is not the devil incarnate. He is a political advisor to the president. That's all he is. Being upset about losing is one thing. Attacking your opponent's home and family is not going to make more people inclined to vote for your party.

(H/T to Conservative Grapevine for the info)

General Westmoreland dies

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.

Rest in peace General. Thanks for your service.

Nuke Mecca?

Hugh Hewitt is decrying comments made by Congressman Tom Tancredo about potentially bombing Mecca if nuclear weapons are used against the United States. I'm not a big fan of nukes and the death and destruction they can cause. However, Hewitt is very wrong in his condemnation of Tancredo. The only possible value of nuclear weapons is if they can serve as a deterent. Sending the message that we would not just chase after a couple terrorists in reponse to a nuke attack is important. People are fond of saying we're not at war with Islam. Maybe not, but Islam is at war with us. As long as Mosques are being used to foment hatred of the West. As long as mosques around the world are funding organizations that support terrorists. As long as "good" Muslims protect and harbor terrorists. As long as those things and others are being done by Muslims they are demonstrating that they are at war with us. Maybe hearing that the birthplace of their religion could be a target if they attack with a nuke will cause them to stop and consider their support of terrorism.

Supreme Court nominee

Polipundit has a poll going. He wants to know your guesses to these questions:

Whom will the President select? When will he announce the nomination? How soon after that will Ted Kennedy start talking about segregated lunch counters?

Go vote.

A future homeless veteran

Even though this crook has only been in the Navy a couple months, I'm confident he will be used by "experts" to demonstrate the difficulties veterans have adjusting to civilian life. Never believe the statistics.

Stupid people

Blogging wouldn't be as much fun if people weren't this stupid.

Sunday links and stuff

On Monday President Bush will introduce his nominee for the Supreme Court. Stop clicking. There is no link. It's just my guess.

Mark Steyn is brilliant, as always.

Betsy's Page is a great blog run by a teacher from North Carolina. She recently was interviewed by a mainstream paper which generated some new traffic. So as a service to the newbies, she did a review of her best columns since she started blogging. Check it out.

Yesterday, Mark Buehrle of the White Sox hit the Indians best hitter, Travis Hafner, with a pitch to the head. Later in the game he hit another Tribe batter. Prior to that game he had not hit a batter all year. In fact he has such good control that he has only walked 26 batters all year. I won't go so far as to say he hit Hafner in the face on purpose. I will say the Tribe batters better take it out on today's Chicago starter and put some runs on the board.

If true, this is big!

Marlins righthander A.J. Burnett will be traded to the Red Sox within a week, an MLB official said yesterday. Boston plans to sign Burnett to an extension.

So the Yankees get 39 year old Al Leiter and the Red Sox counter by getting Burnett who is in the prime of his career. Who does Steinbrenner fire for this?

Johnny Damon has hit in 28 consecutive games which puts him halfway to reaching Joe Dimaggio's 56 game hitting streak. David Pinto of Baseball Musings plays with math and examines how batting lead-off gives Damon more opportunities to extend the streak.

Oh yeah, Skip Bayless is a complete idiot.

More newspapers should do this

At the tail end of Terry Pluto's column today is this invitation:

AN INVITATION

I will be speaking at the Beacon Journal starting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The event is free, and everyone is invited.

I plan to keep it very informal. I'll talk a little sports, a little faith, a little about the newspaper -- then take questions.

We'll give away some books and some other things. They also should have cookies and other treats available.

My books will be on sale. Also, you can bring books that you'd like me to sign. This is just a way to say thanks to the readers. It's also a chance for you to see the newsroom.

My bookshelf has a couple of Terry's books and room for more. He comes across as a genuine decent guy. I've emailed him a few times about his columns and everytime he responded within a day.

Friday, 16 July 2005

You need a license to fish, but any moron can have a kid.

A woman has been arrested on child neglect charges after giving birth while drunk, police said. Melissa Irene Tanner, 37, is accused of having a blood alcohol content close to three times the legal limit when she gave birth to a baby girl on June 30.

I never talked to Washington, Adams or Madison, but I'm certain they never envisioned people paying the government for permission to fish.

It was predictable and it didn't take long. Last week, Hillary Clinton compared the current president to Alfred E. Neumann and his "What, me worry" attitude. Did she think people completely forgot that "What, me worry" was the prevailing attitude during her husband's administration towards both the growing terrorist threats (1993 WTC, Cole attacks and many others) and stock frauds (Enron or World Com, anyone). Well, Dimitri Vassilaros of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review does a good comparison of the Clinton years to an issue of Mad Magazine.

Accuracy in Media has a revealing article titled Taboo Topics in Journalism Today.

BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) was intended to remove as much politics as possible from the base closure process. Freshman Senator John Thune (R-SD) has had his panties in a wad since Ellsworth Air Base was targeted for closure. My guess is he is against pork unless it is his state's pork. Here is an article taking him to task for his childishness since the announcement.

Charles Krauthammer as always is required reading.

Lastly, as I guessed yesterday, Chief Justice Rehnquist has no plans to step down as long as he can physically perform his duties.

Leaks

From the Bleachers points out that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid added an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill that would revoke security clearance of any officials who disclose classified information. Obviously aimed to make more hay about the baseless allegations against Karl Rove. Senator Frist trumped his game by making it applicable to lawmakers as well. What a bunch of clowns! Did Reid completely forget how his teammate "Leaky Leahy" got his nickname?

UPDATE: Here is an article about the Senate food fight. I stick to my comment from last night. They're a bunch of clowns. Who can listen to senators complain about leaks without laughing since they (and their staffs) are the biggest leakers out there?

Non-Rove related links

Thomas Sowell's Random Thoughts. Always brilliant.

Who is funding and pushing the anti-military recruiting efforts?

In this editorial, Ed Koch demonstrates that at least one Democrat understands the the War on Terror is just our response to an Islamic War of Civilizations Before any one writes, yes I realize Zell Miller, Joe Liebermann and a few other Democrats understand we are at war but they are clearly in the minority.

Tiger Woods has a two stroke lead after the first round of the British Open.

Rehnquist hospitalized

It has been reported that Chief Justice Rehnquist was hospitalized with a fever. Rehnquist has been battling thyroid cancer for some time now. This will only fuel speculation that he is retiring. Unless he reaches the point where he feels he can no longer perform his duties, I believe he will remain on the bench until passing John Marshall's record for service on the Supreme Court which should occur next year.

The media angst over Karl Rove

The mainstream media arm of the Democratic party is all in a tizzy over revelations that Karl Rove's had a conversation with a reporter. The media is intentionally ignoring the story and focusing on Rove. What is the story? A reporter called Rove ostensibly to discuss one subject and then quickly changed the subject to ask about Joe Wilson's claims that Vice President Cheney had sent him to Niger to investigate British claims that Iraq had sought Uranium and that he found evidence refuting the British position and that the president ignored his report and included the British claim in his State of the Union speech. Karl Rove warned the reporter not to run with the story as nearly everything Wilson was saying was false. To prove Wilson's dishonesty he mentioned that Cheney didn't pick him for the assignment but that he got it through nepotism as his wife picked him to go to Niger.

So the media which has whined the last four years about this being "the most secretive administration ever" is now supposedly upset about one very minor leak which was intended to help one of their own not get fooled by a serial liar. Yeah, right. No, the media is upset with Karl Rove for helping George Bush beat their candidate the last two elections.

Here are a bunch of articles explaining it in more detail.
David Frum's Diary examines a red herring called the Blumenthal Hypothetical
Investor's Business Daily
In Being Joe Wilson in a Dream…, Nick Schulz wonders why Wilson accepted the assignment in the first place.
Jackson Junction has video of Newt Gingrich clearly and succinctly taking the case apart on the Today show.
For a laugh check out Betsy Newmark's run down of the 12 stages of a scandalette.
Just One Minute is all over this story and is worth a look.
Separately, why is Judith Miller in jail? Chris at A Large Regular has the scoop. Seems she would rather spend time in jail than admit that her source was Heywood Jablome.

Second Half of Season

The Cleveland Indians finished the first half with a record of 47 wins and 41 losses. Last year at this point in the schedule the team was 42 and 46. However, despite the much better record, this year they are 11 games out of first compared to 5.5 last year. Realistically, while never giving up, the Indians can not expect to make up an 11 game deficit. That leaves the Wild Card. Here are the current Wild Card Standings.
Minnesota 48 38 .558 - W1
Baltimore 47 40 .540 1.5 W2
New York 46 40 .535 2.0 W1
Texas 46 40 .535 2.0 W3
Cleveland 47 41 .534 2.0 L1
Oakland 44 43 .506 4.5 W3
Toronto 44 44 .500 5.0 L3

The teams still in Wild Card contention are closely grouped and each team has strengths as well as weaknesses which need to be addressed. For the Indians my major concern continues to be the inconsistent offense. A strong right handed bat behind Hafner in the lineup would make a big difference. A secondary concern is fatigue in the bullpen. The last week prior to the All Star break, Rhodes and Howry were hit hard. If that continues this team is not going anywhere in October.
What the writers are saying:
Jim Ingraham
Terry Pluto
Sheldon Ocker discusses the difference in remaining schedules of Wild Card contenders.
Paul Hoynes
Burt Graeff

Debunking the myths about the Iraq and the War on Terror

It has probably happened to all of us. You get into a discussion (or maybe an argument) and the other party starts claiming certain "facts" that you know to be false. Problem is you don't have info at hand to refute the incorrect statement. No situation has been more misrepresented lately than Iraq and its role in the War on Terror. I've known some reasonably intelligent people who have fallen for the lefts favorite tactic of repeating a lie often enough that it gets accepted as fact. John Hawkins of Right Wings News has a special column today titled "Debunking 8 Anti-War Myths About The Conflict In Iraq" Here are the 8 myths he addressed:

1) George Bush lied about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
2) A study released in March of 2003 by a British medical journal, the Lancet, showed that 100,000 civilians had been killed as a result of the US invasion.
3) The Bush Administration claimed Iraq was responsible for 9/11.
4) The war in Iraq was actually planned by people like Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Paul Wolfowitz back in 1998 at a think tank called the Project for the New American Century.
5) The war on terror has nothing to do with Iraq.
6) Saddam Hussein had no ties to terrorism.
7) Saddam Hussein had no ties to Al-Qaeda.
8) The Downing Street Memo proves Bush lied to the American people about the war.

Read the rest of this well-researched column and you'll be better prepared to combat mendacity and stupidity.

Sunday columns and musings

Hal McCoy's latest Baseball Insider column. Lot's of good info.

Terry Pluto of the Akron Beacon Journal looks at Indians attendance and discusses some options for upgrading the offense.

Can't believe I'm saying this, but for the last two months Scott Elarton may have been the Indians best starting pitcher. It is a sign of a good team that the number five starter is winning. In April, he was the worst pitcher on the team and in danger of being released.

DENNIS! A stark reminder of why we are glad we don't live on the coast anymore.

While we have been watching the goings on in the Middle East and the bombings in London, trouble has been brewing in the Philippines. Arroyo's days may be numbered.

What a way to start your career.

Rookie hit in head by Marlins reliever on 1st pitch he sees

Problems with blogging. Like anything else problems usually arise from a lack of common sense. If you discuss your boss or job online assume your boss will find out.

Captain Leslie J. McCoy, the Commanding Officer of the terrorist detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was fired. Dick Durbin and his fellow moonbats will be disappointed to find out it had nothing to do with how the detainees were treated.

Republicans and Supremes an article in The Washington Times compares how Supreme Court nominees for Democrats have ruled as expected whereas Republican nominees have been a crapshoot at best.

In The Weekly Standard Fred Barnes has an important message for President Bush regarding his Supreme Court nomination.

PRESIDENT BUSH NEEDS TO KEEP two facts in mind as he looks to replace retiring Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor (and, should he step down, Chief Justice William Rehnquist). The first is that he can win confirmation of almost any conceivable nominee for the High Court, screams of protest by Democrats and hostile media coverage notwithstanding. The second is that he has a promise to keep. Since he began running for the White House six years ago, he has declared endlessly his intention to select judges who interpret the law rather than create it--in a word, conservatives

In the Senate Bush has the votes (55) to get any qualified nominee confirmed. He can't let the catterwalling from the left scare him from naming a good conservative judge.

Stuff from Friday morning to read

Here are some links to follow:

A story of a man I wish I had gotten to meet. Father Paul's quiet heroism
From Iwo Jima to Long Branch, priest exuded love, courage

BBC adds the word "terrorism" to their vocabulary. Is Reuters next? FYI, Reuters has likewise previously resisted using the word terrorism to describe terrorism.

Charles Krauthammer examines Justice O'Connor's Judicial Philosophy and penchant for deciding cases on social merit rather than Constitutional basis.

Here is the story of Mayor Jason West of New Paltz and his search for affordable housing. No where in the article do they explain that he is an idiot, but he is. Here is his comment about the high price of housing in New Paltz:

"I think it has more to do with the realty industry than it does with weekenders or builders," he said. "I'm sure weekenders would be happy to pay less for their houses, but Realtors speak to people who are selling and convince them that they can (get higher prices). … It's as much the fault of people who sell their houses as people who buy them. Because if you bought a house for $40,000 years ago, you could sell it for $150,000, make a huge profit and still keep it affordable for someone who lives in the community."
If those same homeowners sell for $350,000, "you're making sure that only (wealthy) people can buy those houses."

So people selling there houses should feel guilty because someone offers them more money. What an idiot. Last year when we were first starting to get ready to move we expected to sell our old house for a certain amount. A few months later when we listed it, housing prices in the area had gone up considerably. Is this idiot saying we should have accepted a lot less than we got?

Lastly, there are lots of rumors going around that there will be another Supreme Court vacancy announced today. Chief Justice Rehnquist is rumored to be stepping down. An even more outlandish rumor has Rehnquist and Stevens both stepping down between 10 and 11 AM. Wow, wouldn't that throw the nutty special interest groups into a tizzy? Personally, I think the attacks in London yesterday preclude any major announcement today.

Kiss of Death

If President Bush was upset about some conservatives decrying his potentially picking Alberto Gonzales for the SCOTUS opening, he must be incensed by this report.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid on Wednesday pronounced Attorney General Alberto Gonzales qualified to sit on the Supreme Court.

I have thought that conservatives went a little overboard criticizing Gonzales and may be overinterpreting some of his ruling when he was a judge in Texas. After seeing some previous SCOTUS appointees by Republican presidents go hard left after reaching the bench some are looking for any signs a potential justice might believe in judicial activism.
(H/T RWN)

UPDATE:
I missed this little bit of irony. Harry Reid voted against Alberto Gonzales for Attorney General. Now that's funny, he didn't think he was qualified for AG but now says he is qualified for the SCOTUS. Either that or he is admitting his no vote for AG was purely political.

UPDATE 2:
Buckland of RedState actually takes the time to examine some of the complaints about the Attorney General. He reaches the same conclusion I did that the things people "KNOW" about Alberto Gonzales may not be facts but rather conclusions drawn from previous judicial rulings which followed precedent or legislative prerogative.

Getting back in the game

I mentioned a month or so ago that it wouldn't be surprising to see Fred Thompson get back into politics with an eye on a 2008 presidential run. Now we see he has been asked by the president to shepherd his SCOTUS nominee through the confirmation process.

Terror attack in London

Four or more explosions rocked the subway system in London this morning. This attack is obviously timed to coincide with the G-8 Summit taking place in nearby Scotland. A previously unknown terror group, "Secret Organization group of al-Qaeda of Jihad in Europe" released a statement claiming responsibility for the bombings. There have been two fatalities reported but that number is expected to rise.

UPDATE:
Immediately after I posted this the AP reported that there are now 40 people killed in this attack. We need to remember that terrorist don't judge an attack to be a success or failure based on initial results. Rather their goal is to terrorize and success to them is seen in the reaction of the people they are trying to scare.

Have to expect this when you marry a younger man

An older woman married to a younger man sues for divorce after catching him having an affair with a co-worker. Not too unusual, until you consider that they met during WWII.

A German woman, aged 83, has divorced her 81-year-old husband after 60 years of marriage because he was caught having sex with his mistress at work.

Sounds like someone needs to go back to law school

Here is a quote from federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald:

"Journalists are not entitled to promise confidentiality -- no one in America is," Fitzgerald, a U.S. Justice Department prosecutor, wrote in one of the court filings.

I'd have agreed with him if he had shut up after saying "Journalists are not entitled to promise confidentiality." However, he continued to say, "no one in America is." No some two bit reporter has no way to guarantee confidentiality. But I'm surprised this lawyer has never heard of lawyer-client confidentiality or the inviolability of the confessional.

She had to die!

This is chilling!

Concetta Russo-Carriero "had to die" because she was white, the man accused of killing her told White Plains detectives in a 45-minute videotaped statement during which he also claims to have killed others and says he is at war with the white race.

"I never seen her before, and I didn't care," Phillip Grant said on the tape, which was played at his felony hearing in City Court yesterday. "As long as she had blond hair and blue eyes, she had to die."

Before you ask, no New York does not currently have the death penalty available. They must think guys like this can be reformed. Oh, wait a minute, they already tried fixing this broken person.

Grant, convicted of three rapes in the Bronx in 1980, was released in 2003 after serving 23 years. The one-time Mount Vernon resident, was living at the Westchester County Airport homeless shelter until April, when he was forced out for refusing to submit to a mental-health exam.

Grant said in his statement that he killed "three or four people" during the 1970s and that, since his release from prison, he had tried to hijack a car in New Rochelle and had cut a woman's throat, killing her, because she wouldn't move out of his way on a sidewalk.

2012 Olympics go to London

Good riddance! I won't say I actually worried that the games would be held in New York, but I'm relieved they won't be there. It is questionable at best whether a city makes money hosting the games. However, a U.S. city hosting (particularly NYC) would spend nearly every tourism dollar on security preparations.

An American hero dies

The Navy announced that Vice Admiral James Stockdale, United States Navy (Retired) has died. Unfortunately, most people if they remember him at all, recall he was Ross Perot's running mate during the 1992 presidential election. Stockdale should be remembered as a hero and a recipient of the Medal of Honor, our nation's highest military award for heroism. He was the highest ranking Prisoner of War (POW) of the Vietnam War. He was a POW for 7 and a half years and endured constant torture.

Supreme Court replacement

It has been three days since Justice O'Connor announced her retirement. Here are some of the articles regarding the replacement process.
USA Today interview of President Bush
In The Confirmation Paralysis Agenda, Jed Babbin argues that the president should take the offensive in the confirmation battles to come.
Opinion Journal from the Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post looks at how money plays a role. Some of the bombastic rhetoric is said to please the special interest groups to ensure the money keeps flowing.
Bench Memo's from National Review Online has a run down on Sen. Arlen Specter's standard line of questioning.

Dennis Prager on Why Democrats will smear any conservative court nominee


Expect many more articles of speculation since the president said he doesn't plan to announce a choice before returning from the G-8 summit. Watch how the media continues to characterize Justice O'Conner. They are labeling her as a "moderate," a "swing-vote," and even the "key vote to maintain Roe v. Wade." Those labels are usually followed with a comment about the need to name a liberal to maintain the the balance on the court. Don't buy it! Those arguments are false on several fronts. First off, on most matters she was a relatively conservative justice. Secondly, on Roe v. Wade, in recent years she has been one of six justices voting consistently to maintain that abomination of a judicial decision so even if you replaced her with me nothing changes. However, beyond all that, there is no requirement to maintain some alleged balance on the court. When Byron White retired did anyone tell Bill Clinton he needed to name a justice against abortion to replace him? No. Because there is no requirement for balance and the court selections should not be based solely on that one decisive issue.

Indian uprising & All Star snub

As much fun as I had this weekend the Indians had even more. They won 3 of 4 games in Baltimore and came home to sweep a double-header from the Tigers yesterday.
I get the feeling that Travis Hafner is not pleased with being left off the All Star roster and is taking it out on the opposition. 3 of his six hits yesterday were homers. Personally, I'm not too upset that the Tribe only had one player selected for the All Star game. The voting is obviously heavily influenced by early season performance and the Indians got off to a horrendous start offensively. Why would a fan filling out a ballot in early May consider players barely hitting over the Mendoza line(.200)? The Indians strong bullpen is the primary reason they survived the awful start and were able to climb back into the Wild Card race. So it is appropriate that the bullpen be represented by Bob Wickman. Additionally, it is a long season so a couple days off aren't such a bad idea either.

Good weekend

I had a really good weekend. Visited Cleveland to not only celebrate our country's 229th birthday but also for a blowout party for my brother's 50th birthday. Too much food, too much drink and just enough laughter and love to go around. It was great seeing a number of relatives and friends who unfortunately we don't see often enough.

Who can relieve O'Connor

Many people are guessing who the president will name to replace Justice O'Connor. Well, I think we need to consider the qualifications before we decide who should be nominated.
Does the nominee have to be an appeals court judge?
Does the nominee have to have judicial experience at any level?
Does the nominee need to have political experience?
Does the nominee even need to be a lawyer?
Actually, the U.S. Constitution does not require any specific qualifications for Supreme Court judges. The Constitution states U.S. Representatives must be 25 years of age, Senators must be 30 years old, President and Vice President must be natural born citizens and 35 years old. However, there are no specific requirements for judges. Other than my desire not to live in D.C. I meet all the requirements to succeed O'Connor. Heck, my nine year old son meets all the actual requirements. I doubt either of us are on the short list (or long one for that matter).

Let the games begin!!!

ALERT!!! It was just announced that Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is retiring from the Supreme Court.
I expect the Bush administration to quickly announce a nominee since this is hardly a surprise. I further expect the nominee to be quickly denounced as an extremist by the various special interest groups and mistreated by the buffoons we call senators.

I'll update this with links when available.

President Bush accepted her resignation and in his statement, the president called for ``a dignified process of confirmation in the United States Senate, characterized by fair treatment, a fair hearing and a fair vote.'' Hopefully, the always bombastic and never dignified Ted Kennedy gets the message.


Justice O'Connor's career will be picked and panned by legal scholars from both ends of the political spectrum. I am not a legal scholar so I won't attempt to analize her legal opinions. She hasn't been a consistently reliable conservative on social issues but she followed the Constitution on most matters and received applause for her dissent on the recent Kelo case. I will applaud her sense of timing and her dedication to our country. She could easily have justified retiring well before today. She stayed for an additional court term at considerable personal sacrifice. She has had health issues in recent years and her husband is suffering the effects of Alzheimers Disease. However, I think she understood the affect a Supreme Court opening and appointment would have had on last years presidential election. Additionally, unlike some previous justices, she decided to retire before the ravages of age made her incapable of performing her duties.

American strength/American weakness

Victor Davis Hanson always writes very perceptive columns. Today's column is no exception. He notes how democracies thrived when the United States stayed the course (after WWII in Japan and Germany and in South Korea). He also notes how when we bailed early from South Vietnam the North Vietnamese (with Soviet assistance) steamrolled the people we abandoned and how it resulted in an image of American weakness. There are parallels to today's situation in Iraq and what can be expected if we stay the course or cut and run as some would prefer.

Admonish a punk get labeled a sex offender

There has to be more to this case. As it stands it looks like the courts are applying a law to a case without any consideration of the facts.

Fitzroy Barnaby said he had to swerve to avoid hitting the 14-year-old Des Plaines girl who walked in front of his car.

She said he yelled, "Come here, little girl," before getting out of his car and grabbing her by the arm.

He said he simply lectured her.

She said she broke free and ran, fearful of what he'd do next.

In a Thursday ruling, the Appellate Court of Illinois said the 28-year-old Evanston man must register as a sex offender.

Misapplying the sex offender label in cases like this will eventually result in people not taking the label seriously.

Read the rest. See if you read it the same way.