Bill Frist's choice

Whether or not Senator Bill Frist has the presidential fever or had a revelation, whether or not conservatives find this action acceptable or deplorable, the thing that jumps out in my mind is the speed with which it happened and the consequences down the road.

What happened, above Frist's move, is that the debate has now changed. The media, plotting months ago, had calmly tossed out a new catch-phrase: anti-cure. It was a test, to see if they could make it stick to conservatives and pro-lifers. The ingeniousness of the phrase is it removes the "life" argument completely. The battle gets put in terms of cures for diseases, sick children and elderly, who could potentially benefit from drugs if only the evil anti-cure folks would support the research. It was a slow process. I had only seen it talked about in a couple places. I think the media was really trying to gage the public. But now they don't have to. Dr. Bill Frist has given them their cover. As said in a statement from Human Life International:

The worst aspect of this story is that Senator Frist has definitively gutted the term "pro-life" of any meaning. If he admits that the embryo is human life, and clearly he does, but at the same says that there are circumstances under which we may legally kill her for our purposes, then how is he pro-life? That is how abortion and euthanasia advocates talk! They said the same about unborn babies thirty years ago; they said it about Terri Schiavo last March, and they are now saying it about human embryos. Let's just hope that our lives don't fall under some special interest legislation before spineless senators who want to run for president. Then we might find out that we too are considered human but expendable. More pro-life traitors like Senator Frist we do not need.

Life is precious from the moment of conception, and unless we are willing as a people to defend it from ideology, special interests, federal funding and politics, then we are not pro-life and we should not dare to hide under that moral mantle.

And that's what Bill Frist has done. His convoluted statements on the Senate floor, that he is both pro-life and for stem cell research, implies that medical research is a valid reason to kill another human being. This double-speak is right up the media's alley. Democrats talk like this all the time. But Republicans do not. The media will use Frist's statements to bludgeon the President and pro-life groups, invoking their extremism when it came to Terri Schiavo. And then they will hang Bill Frist out to dry. He's not their favorite, after all, John McCain is. John McCain has been consistent in his words. Bill Frist has not.

I really hope the senator can wake up from this dream he's living. He may be a surgeon, he may want to save lives. But the idea of killing one life to save another goes against the very idea of being pro-life. Bill Frist needs to clarify his position, saying that he is against abortion, but for stem cells, and that he is not pro-life. I don't think there is any turning back for him now. Being a Republican and being for abortion or for stem cells is one thing. The Republican tent is big enough for everybody. But I do not like double-speak, or people claiming to be something they are not. The definition of pro-life means you are for all life from the moment of conception. And Bill Frist needs to understand that. We really don't need to be helping the media or the Democrats on this issue any more than we already are.

Infinite mystery

One of the drawbacks of getting caught up in the world is I miss my time of general contemplation. I think alot, to put it more simply. I write and read and investigate all manner of things not necessarily associated with the everyday. And one of those subjects is the nature of infinity.

Now don't stop reading, please. This topic is at the heart of our existence. Because if you don't think of God when someone mentions infinity, then you haven't quite considered how often and problematic infinity has been for scientists over the years.

Did you know, for example, that when scientists attempt to calculate the energy of a single electron they get infinity? One of the greatest mysteries and an embarrassment of quantum physicists is that scientists end up dividing infinity by infinity to come up with answers to their equations. Anyone who has taken elementary math knows that this is a no-no.

Did you know that our very existence is not even based on any certainty, merely the probability of existence? Because all matter, each tiny particle, exists as both a particle and a wave, literally maintaining some probability of existence across the expanse of the entire universe. (Thus technically every particle is infinitely large).

Did you know that the space around you is literally exploding with particles? Virtually an infinite amount of energy, every moment of existence, right next to you, right inside of you even. Want proof? Type on the keyboard. See how your fingers don't go through the keys? Electromagnetic repulsion right? But what does that really mean? Do you know? It means that the electrons in your hands are creating a veritable frenzy of virtual particle (photons--light) exchanges with the electrons in the keyboard. The electrons are borrowing the energy from the vacuum to do this. But they are borrowing and returning the energy so quickly that the only evidence is the change in momentum (that means your fingers don't go through the keypad).

Did you know that the density of the universe at the moment of the Big Bang was infinite?--and that because of that definition the universe was (at the moment of creation) already infinite in size?

Now...if you're reading this wondering just what the heck all that means, so are the top astrophysicists. And they have been wondering for decades.

So I was reading in the Wall Street Journal the other day and came across this: Definition of Infinity Expands for Scientists and Mathematicians. Sometimes linking into the WSJ is problematic, but the gist of the article is this:

If thinking of infinities makes your head spin, you're in good company. Georg Cantor, the early-20th-century mathematician who did more than anyone to explore infinities, suffered a nervous breakdown and repeated bouts of depression. In the 1930s, some fed-up mathematicians even argued that infinities should be banned from mathematics. Today, however, infinities aren't just a central part of mathematics. More surprising, says cosmologist John Barrow of the University of Cambridge, England, in his charming new tome, "The Infinite Book," scientists who study the real world are having to take infinities seriously, too.

Not long ago, if the solution to an equation included an infinity, alarms went off. In particle physics, for instance, "the appearance of an infinite answer was always taken as a warning that you had made a wrong turn," Prof. Barrow says. So physicists performed a sleight-of-hand, subtracting the infinite part of the answer and leaving the finite part. The finite part produced by this "renormalization" was always in "spectacularly good agreement with experiments," he says, but "there was always a deep uneasiness" over erasing infinities so blithely. Might physicists, blinded by their abhorrence of infinities, have been erasing a deep truth of nature?

Suspecting just that, some scientists now see infinities "as an essential part of the physical description of the universe," says Prof. Barrow. For instance, Einstein's equations say the universe began in, and will end with, an infinity of density and temperature, something long regarded as a sign that his theory breaks down at the beginning and end of time. But in a 2004 paper, Prof. Barrow calculated that Einstein's equations allow a point of infinite pressure to arise throughout the expanding universe at some time in the future.

In addition to coming around to the view that infinities might be real, rather than signs of a problem with Einstein's and other theories, some cosmologists suspect that infinities at the beginning and end of time "have quite different structures," Prof. Barrow writes. Just as at the hotel, not all infinities are equal. And that is making the weird math of different-size infinities suddenly relevant in the physical world, too.

The deep truth being eluded to here is that infinity is a part of the miracle of our world. And, going a step further, I'll say that infinity is essential for existence.

Contemplation of existence is not an easy topic. Beings contemplating their own consciousness, it gets tedious. But the nature of infinity invokes the mystery of perfection. And specifically I mean God. God's perfection is infinite, because his existence is infinite. Infinite existence requires infinite perfection, which requires infinite discipline and intelligence and love and will and power and omniscience... Infinity.

And seeing how our universe harkens back to infinity at its edges is, I think, a direct correlation to God. We on this earth can create nothing. We never have and we never will. We can only co-create. We can take what is here and move it around, mess with it, change it from matter to energy and back again. But we cannot create with will alone, nor can we contain the entirety of infinity. Our minds can grapple with it, contemplate it, marvel at it, and as the article says accept it, but our journey ends there. For only that which is infinite can claim dominion over the infinite. And that truth is but a path to God.

The Pope's lament

Pope Benedict XVI, meeting with priests at his vacation spot in Valla d'Aosta yesterday, talked with them about the state of the church.

The pope began his remarks, which touched on Marx, the upheavals in Europe of 1968 and other topics, by stressing that a pope isn't an "oracle" and "is infallible only in rare situations." Benedict previously has stressed that he intends to listen to others and not do only his will as pope.

He then delved into the issues raised by the Aosta bishop on the concerns of priests, noting that he was recently visited by bishops from Africa and Sri Lanka, where the number of priests is skyrocketing. In Europe and elsewhere, the number of priests has fallen sharply.

Benedict he said the "joy" at the growing numbers of churchmen in the developing world is accompanied by "a certain bitterness" because some would-be priests were only looking for a better life.

"Becoming a priest, they become almost like a head of a tribe, they are naturally privileged and have another type of life," he said. "So the wheat and the chaff go together in this beautiful growth of vocations.

"Bishops have to be very attentive to discern (among the candidates) and not just be happy to have many future priests, but to see which ones really are the true vocations — discern between the wheat and the chaff," he said.

I think he's exactly right. The Church needs to be firm in this. Someone once told me "you, as a Christian, are going to be the only Bible that some people will ever read." And that has stuck with me. Even though I know I'm not a model Catholic, I remember that statement every time I strive to live my faith. And for priests the task grows even more arduous, for they are the image of the Church that the parishioners take away with them every week. They are the example. And just as Catholics need to strive to live their faith, I think the Church needs to make every effort to draw in those priests who are there for the right reasons.

Benedict also touched on another his favorite themes: the state of the church in Europe. He said in contrast to the developing world, where there is a "springtime of faith," the West was "a world that is tired of its own culture, a world that has arrived at a time in which there's no more evidence of the need for God, much less Christ, and in which it seems that man alone can make himself.

"This is certainly a suffering linked, I'd say, to our time, in which generally one sees that the great churches appear to be dying," he said, mentioning Australia, Europe and the United States.

Benedict also responded to a question about giving the Eucharist to divorcees who remarry without getting a church annulment. The church says divorcees who remarry civally cannot receive Communion, arguing they are in a state that "contrasts with God's law."

The pope reaffirmed the teaching, although he acknowledged the suffering it has caused and said further study is needed. He mentioned in particular the case of when someone gets married in a church without being a true believer, is divorced, remarries and discovers his or her faith, but isn't allowed to receive Communion.

In reaffirming the policy, he said the church had to respect "the good of the community and the good of the sacrament" as well as help those who are suffering. He said priests should teach that suffering is necessary "and this is a noble form of suffering."

I have to say, the Pope is spot on in his assessment of the West and why faith is dying. It's because by and large a lot of people feel that God is no longer required. We have our science, we can create our own miracles, we can stop death, and scientists are working round the clock to nix that aging gene and disease and create enhancing medicines that will extend life beyond our natural years. But in doing this, we are sacrificing our unborn children, our morals and our respect for the miracle of life. And it is a miracle. And I'll tell you why.

There is no level in this universe, either with the very large or the very small, at which humanity can create. We create nothing. Because nothing we do originates from will alone. We can only co-create. And we will never be able to create. The mechanism of life is there, true, but it is not something that we can ever claim as our own. Scientists, stumbling around in the dark with human embryos, watching as God's miracle takes place and then inserting their finger to harness that power, are not creating anything. And if we continue to lose sight of God, and attempt to lift ourselves up with our own pride, only catastrophe will follow.

Extending our lives is not the point of life. Controlling this universe is not the point of life. It is all impermanent. It will all end. I don't care how long we can extend our lives, how many planets we travel to, how many eons we can eek out an existance, this universe is temporary. The very space around you is going to stretch, tear and rip itself to shreds, and everything with it. And if you don't believe me, ask any physicist and he'll cry as he tells you the bad news. It will all end.

But...in the near term, as most of our lives will end within the next 50 to 100 years anyway, wherefore the purpose of the Church? What is the course of action that can help to revitalize the faith in the West? I'd say it starts with the doctrine itself, with the way the faith is taught. A Church that does not administer according to its teachings will lose respect in the eyes of its parishioners. Extending communion to the John Kerry's of the world, who vote on the side of abortion, is a way of losing respect. The faith is the faith, and if some people don't want to adhere to it, then I must respectfully ask, what is the Church prepared to do about it?

I'm not calling for mass excommunications, but the Church must realize that aside from confronting evil in the world, confronting watered down forms of Catholicism is a very real issue. To the very contrary that some people would advocate, that watering down the religion will attract a larger audience, it does not. It causes people to say "why bother?" Why should they go to Church or believe anything if no one is serious about it?

And that is the apathy that the Church must fight, must inspire against, must strive to stamp out. It is not about being popular, it is about salvation, and being the example that people will aspire to. And that steadfastness and stringentness is what affects belief, and respect and garners in people a willingness to sacrifice because they truly believe the teachings of the Church and in the hope of salvation.

Talk Radio corporation stealing from poor children and Alzheimer's patients?

Is this true? Can this be happening? Might the liberals be right about conservative talk radio?

heh... No. Not if the corporation being fingered is the liberal talk radio network Air America.

Michelle Malkin has the scoop:

Air America is being investigated in New York for diverting federal/local funds--possibly "hundreds of thousands of dollars"--meant for inner-city kids and senior into the station's coffers.

Um, why isn't the New York Times, which has spilled tons of adulatory ink on the liberal radio network, covering this scandal on its front page?

That's a good question. Where is the ol' gray lady? No worries though, the local papers are on the case. Via The Bronx News:

The Bronx News has learned, through informed sources, that the diversion of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club in Co-op City to the liberal Air America Radio is at the center of the city’s probe of corruption at the local club.

The money, which was reportedly paid to Air America as a loan, was supposed to be paid back with interest, two unidentified informed sources told the News. One source added that Air America officials, led by an official of the Gloria Wise Club, agreed to help the local club by publicizing its activities.

To date, no indictments have been handed down in the New York City Department of Investigation’s ongoing probe of the Gloria Wise Club’s reported transfer of funds to Air America.

Most of the Gloria Wise Club’s programs are for the Co-op City community, but the club also runs after-school programs in the Baychester/Edenwald and Soundview areas.
At the center of the investigation, in addition to Charles Rosen, the charismatic leader of the local club for the last 15 years, is Evan Cohen, who resigned, under fire, as chairman of Air America Radio shortly after its start as an alternative to conservative talk radio.

Cohen, at the time the alleged transfers of funds from the Gloria Wise Club to Air America took place, was also the director of Development for the local boys’ and girls’ club, the News has learned.

One source told the News that $480,000 in funds from the Gloria Wise Club is involved in the city’s investigation of illegal transfer of funds from the local club.

A second unidentified source stressed that Rosen never sought to profit personally from the reported loan that the Gloria Wise Club gave to Air America. The source emphasized that Rosen’s sole motive, even if it was a bit naïve, was to benefit the Gloria Wise Club with the interest that Air America would pay for its loan from the local club.

The city’s DOI is pursuing the probe because the Gloria Wise Club depends heavily on city funding for its operations. These funds are subject to extensive audits, as are funds received through the state and federal governments.

The Co-op City-based club, which Rosen has built into an empire in the Co-op City community, reportedly has 19 contracts and at least one grant with the city, worth a total of $9.7 million.

Over the last year, Rep. Joseph Crowley has secured two major federal grants for the Gloria Wise Club, one for a day-care program for Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers and the other for the community’s NORC program for senior citizens. The grant for the program for Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers was for $250,000, while the grant for the NORC program was for $99,410.

In 2003, Crowley secured a $218,500 grant for a mentoring program that the Gloria Wise Club runs.

Cohen, who is reportedly at the center of the Gloria Wise probe, is a Guam-based investors who was reportedly a key principal in the start-up of Air America, which has been billed as the liberals’ answer to conservative talk-show hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Shaun Hannity, Bob Grant, Michael Savage, and G. Gordon Liddy.

So this is the answer?--stealing from funds earmarked for poor children and the elderly. That's liberalism for you. Can't let a few people stand in the way of their hatred of George Bush. There's always more money out there, right?

Must I even draw the analogy of what a media frenzy this would have been if a company like ClearChannel or News Corp. had been involved? The MSM would have had their knives into them so fast, it would have been day and night coverage. Conservatives would have been branded as evil, the Democrats would have screamed at the top of their lungs about Republicans kicking old people out into the street (I'm sure Social Security would have been squeezed in there somewhere), Karl Rove would have been implicated, it would have been a free-for-all.

And how much of this will we hear about from the MSM because it's Air America?

*crickets*

That's what I thought. Unless someone is arrested and convicted, I doubt we'll hear much of anything about this on CBS.

But I will say this though, I am so glad the media is done fooling around. At least they've shown their true colors about where they stand and what they're willing to do to meet their objectives.

So the day is approaching...

As I blogged about here, the original lightsabers from Star Wars are going onto the auction block, set for this Friday.

Light sabers used by Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker in the "Star Wars" movies are expected to fetch around $60,000 each at a Beverly Hills movie memorabilia auction on Friday.

The two light sabers from the original "Star Wars" and its 1980 sequel "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" are among more than 75 "artifacts in an auction that also includes Harrison Ford's signature leather jacket from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," estimated to fetch some $50,000.

The "Star Wars" treasures come from the collection of producer Gary Kurtz, who worked closely with director George Lucas from 1973-81, and many of them are expected to be snapped up by fans and collectors for well over their estimates.

"We know already that there are going to be bids over the estimated amount," said Lorna Hart, a spokeswoman for auctioneers Profiles in History.

Hart said it was the first known occasion on which items from Kurtz's extensive personal movie archive had come up for public auction. Kurtz is selling off some pieces in order to ensure that the bulk of his collection can be properly preserved.

The thing about those lightsabers is they were the ones used in the fight in Empire. Possibly the best fight of all the movies. And both of those lightsabers have the story history of having belonged to Anakin Skywalker, so Luke was fighting against his father with his father's old weapon. And the lightsaber itself...I have to say, as someone who writes sci-fi as a hobby, creating story ideas and a universe is fun and challenging and also takes a bit of luck or genius to hit on cool aspects of that universe...and Lucas hit it out of the park with the lightsaber and the jedi. The old style bushido way of being coupled with high technology and an elegant fighting style. Truly inspired. And I don't know what is possessing this producer to sell this stuff, but some rich fan is going to be ecstatic.

Anyway, I could maybe swing the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade jacket (don't laugh, I'm tempted). If it was the jacket from Raiders...with the hat and the whip...wow I can't even think about that. Just make another Indiana Jones movie Spielberg! Harrison Ford is not getting any younger.

More launch photos. Awesome...just awesome!

Tony Blair throws down the gauntlet

Whether you are for or against the man's social policies, you have to give Tony Blair props for sticking with the U.S. throughout the entire war on terror. He was here after 9-11, with us in Afghanistan and Iraq. And now that Britain is in the terrorists' bulls-eye, the man is not flinching. Here's what he said today:

"September 11 for me was a wake up call. Do you know what I think the problem is? That a lot of the world woke up for a short time and then turned over and went back to sleep again," he said.

"We are not going to deal with this problem, with the roots as deep as they are, until we confront these people at every single level. And not just their methods but their ideas," Blair said.

While rejecting suggestions he had claimed the London bombings had nothing to do with Iraq, Blair said there was no justification for terrorism.

"Let us expose the obscenity of these people saying it is concern for Iraq that drives them to terrorism," Blair said.

"If it is concern for Iraq then why are they driving a car bomb into the middle of a group of children and killing them?" Blair said.

"They will always have a reason and I am not saying any of these things don't affect their warped reasoning and warped logic.

"But I do say we shouldn't compromise with it. Whatever justification these people use, I do not believe we should give one inch to them."

"There is no justification for suicide bombing whether in Palestine, Iraq, in Egypt, in Turkey, anywhere."

Democrats, are you listening? This man is more liberal than Hillary, and he has his head on straight. Can we bury the hatchet please and buck up and fight these terrorist bastards? Bush won, get over it. Kerry was a moron, accept it. I'm not stupid enough to think that a Democrat will never be in the White House again. It may be a while, but it will happen. And these damn terrorists think they have an ally in Michael Moore and the fringe. You want to fight over policy and the Supreme Court and tax money? Fine, let's go. But don't mess around with national security and undermine our efforts abroad (Ted Kennedy, Dick Durbin, John Kerry, Cynthia McKinney, John Conyers, etc. etc....). These terrorists hate your liberal mindset and lifestyle, don't you know that? They hate freedom, they hate free will. They just plain hate.

And don't even say "we" made them hate. The history of the world is much to complex and lengthy to label the U.S. as the cause of all the world's problems. And all terrorists are opportunists. Don't buy into their "aggrieved" status. They have more money than some countries, and they're not interested in anybody's freedom.

Nice words, Prime Minister Blair. Keep 'em coming. We need to hear more of this.

There she goes!

*Discovery and seven astronauts blasted into orbit Tuesday on America's first manned space shot since the 2003 Columbia disaster, ending a painful, 2 1/2-year shutdown devoted to making the shuttle less risky and NASA more safety-conscious.

At stake were not only the lives of the astronauts, but also America's pride in its technological prowess, the fate of the U.S. space program and the future of space exploration itself.

"Our long wait may be over. So on behalf of the many millions of people who believe so deeply in what we do, good luck, Godspeed — and have a little fun up there," launch director Mike Leinbach told the astronauts right before liftoff.

Good luck and Godspeed--to orbit, the station, the moon and beyond!

The architect got 44 million dollars!

George Costanza had it right. He always wanted to be an architect. And now I do too.

Radioblogger has an audio file and transcript from a recent Senate hearing where Donald Trump guest starred, talking to Congress about all that lovely tax money of ours the U.N. wants so they can renovate their little building in New York. According to the Donald:

Now, I listened to one thing, and I've seen one thing, and one number that sticks out more than all of the rest. Because whether or not somebody doesn't know what New York Steam is, or what boilers are, and whether or not they have boiler rooms, which the people at the United Nations didn't do. But the number of $44 million dollars for an architect, is one of the great numbers in the [sic] histroy...In fact, I think this man is a genius, whoever he may be, wherever he may be in Italy. I think he's a great genius. I would like to meet him. He is, without question, the richest architect in the world. And I listened, as one person said, I think they only got $500,000. Another person said, I think they got a million, and then changed their mind, and it was $7.8 million. And then I listened to Senator Sessions, who actually did his homework, said they got paid $27 million dollars, because you were able to check the books. So they got paid $27 million dollars. They haven't done anything. They don't even have plans. Nobody even knows what they're building, and they got paid $27 million dollars.

Now, I have respect for a lot of people. And I have great respect for architects. But I'm going to give you an example. The tallest residential building in the world, my architect got paid approximately $1.5 million dollars. This architect got $44 million dollars. A building at 40 Wall Street, my architect got paid, believe me, peanuts. I think less than $1.5 million. In Chicago, where I'm building a building of 92 stories at the old Sun Times site, 2.7 million square feet, which is more than the United Nations, if you add up all of the projects that they're talking about, it's larger. Substantially larger. I'm spending $600 million dollars, and they're saying they're going to spend $1.2 billion. So they're spending much more...and this is a 92 story building with brand new structure, brand new foundations. I'm building all the roads...Mayor Daley made me build roads around the building. I had no choice, otherwise, if you know Mayor Daley, you're not going to build the building. He's a great mayor, but he made me do that. So all of this is $600 million dollars, and they're spending $1.2.

Now, there is no way they're spending $1.2 billion dollars, in my opinion, and based on what I've heard. When they'd spent $27 million dollars, and terminated the architect, there's big trouble. Because I don't think they have a new architect. So if they don't have a new architect, who's going to do the plans? And who's going to do the bidding? Because in order to do a job, you have to have a complete set of plans and specs. If you don't have a complete, complete, finished, over, set of plans and specs, you have nothing to bid on. There's no way you can bid. The worst thing you can do, and you said you were in the home building business for a while...the worst thing you can do, as you know, is start a job without complete plans and specs. Because the sub-contractors will eat your lunch, right? So, it's one of those things. So they don't even have an architect. They spent $27 million dollars, and they don't have an architect.

Un-freakin-believable. And these are the people who we need approval from? These are the international "intellectuals" we need to listen to?

For nothing more than the sheer bewildering entertainment value, read it all.

Freedom, security and the ever blurring line

In the wake of the London terror attacks, I've seen a few articles pop up here and there about increased calls for video surveillance of...well just about everywhere. And the strange thing is, I've only seen liberals calling for them.

Pressure is building for greater use of video cameras to keep watch over the nation's cities - particularly in transportation systems and other spots vulnerable to terrorism - after the bombings in London.

The calls have come over the last few weeks as British investigators released surveillance footage of the bombers in the deadly July 7 attacks and then put out frames of suspects in Thursday's failed attacks.

"I do not think that cameras are the big mortal threat to civil liberties that people are painting them to be," Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony A. Williams said Friday.

He's not alone. While privacy advocates question their effectiveness, Sen. Hillary Clinton called for New York City subway officials to install more cameras, even though officials said some 5,000 cameras are already in use across all modes of city travel. In Stamford, Conn., Mayor Dan Malloy said it's time to revisit a 1999 ordinance that limited cameras to watching traffic.

But here's the thing that keeps going through my head. All the cameras in London did nothing to stop the bombings. True, they have helped in the investigation. But as stated, most major public places, such as subways and high traffic areas, have surveillance cameras already. And even the stats the article lists show less than remarkable results.

- Chicago now has at least 2,000 surveillance cameras across its neighborhoods, after leaders last year launched an ambitious project at a cost of roughly $5 million. Law enforcement says they've helped drive crime rates to the lowest they've seen in 40 years. [Might I also suggest that the drop in crime rate may also have something to do with the fact that most cities are finally keeping criminals behind bars, instead of letting them out on early parole...that and a good economy--ZP]

- In Philadelphia, where the city has increasingly relied on video surveillance, cameras caught an early morning murder which ultimately led to the capture of a suspect. Police say the accused is now a suspect in an unsolved murder from 1998.

- Homeland Security officials last week announced they would install hundreds of surveillance cameras and sensors on a rail line near the Capitol at a cost of $9.8 million, months after an effort by local officials to ban hazardous shipments on the line.

In most cases prior to the last few years, street crime - not terrorism - was the driving factor behind the cameras. There has also been a boom in traffic-monitoring cameras, and huge reliance on surveillance cameras in private business, especially in retail establishments like convenience and department stores.

No, cameras, by and large, only help with investigations. However, security experts and the equipment makers have high hopes.

Security experts say that technology hasn't yet caught up with hopes for the equipment, however.

They point out that despite London's huge network of cameras, the bombings weren't prevented. In those two cases, the cameras have only helped in the investigations.

One significant weakness is that the images caught by camera can't automatically link to a list of known terrorist suspects - not that that would have helped in London, as men identified as bombers weren't on any watch lists.

"I haven't heard of anything being successful that allows us to prevent something by flashing up on a screen somewhere a positive identification of someone on a terrorist database," said Jack Lichtenstein with ASIS international, a Washington-based organization of security officials. Still, "that's where we're headed," he said.

Hello 1984. heh...I jest. But not really. Look, seriously, I know that cameras are here to stay, and there will be more and more of them, attached to better and faster computers with more extensive capabilities for identifying people, namely terrorists.

But am I the only one who doesn't just find this unsettling? I mean, I've been to Vegas, lots of times. I love going. And I know I'm being watched by more cameras at more angles by more people than I even want to know, and all with an eye to make sure I'm not stealing money or chips off the dice table. But its invisible, almost pleasant even. Because you know that nobody is going to try anything, that everyone is having fun, and if I don't like it...I can leave. But that's the problem with the government. They don't leave. In fact, the more you let them in, the more they'll come in, both into your life and your wallet. And that's just disturbing.

True, we live in a post 9-11 world. Security is necessary. But so is action. Action and security go hand in hand. We cannot keep the terrorists out, not all of them. We can spend ourselves into bankruptcy putting personal cameras on every living being and it still will not keep the terrorists away. Guys like the shoe-bomber, sure, he was obvious. But go and read the bios of the London bombers. al-Qaeda is not stupid. If all we do is sit here and defend, they'll find a way. We must think offensively as well.

Privacy advocates say the London bombings should persuade policymakers to stay away from surveillance rather than invest in it. It doesn't prevent terrorism, and at best only encourages terrorists to shift their target, they argue.

"Let's say we put cameras on all the subways in New York City, and terrorists bomb movie theaters instead. Then it's a total waste of money," said Bruce Schneier, author of "Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly about Security in an Uncertain World."

It's not much more likely to catch a terrorist than the random searches that New York officials have begun conducting on subways, he said. Better to spend money on intelligence resources to prevent attacks and emergency training to respond to them, he said.

Cameras are needed, yes. But we must be careful with this, and balance them with anti-terror actions, military engagement and intelligence. The terrorists themselves must be eliminated. And cameras are not going to do that. Only we can do that.

Way to go Lance!

Lance Armstrong set off Sunday on the last ride of his amazing career, a victory parade into Paris to collect his seventh Tour de France title.

The 33-year-old Texan who came back from cancer to dominate cycling's most prestigious race was retiring at the end of the 21st and last stage of this year's Tour, an 89.8-mile trek from Corbeil-Essonnes south of Paris.

Lance Armstrong is a true sportsman and all around good guy. Even most people in France like him, and that's saying a lot for a guy from Austin, Texas.

Congrats on the win, Lance. You're a true cycling inspiration. And a pretty good role model to boot.

Ted Kennedy gets an earful

For whatever reason, Democratic Senators Ted Kennedy and Daniel Akaka traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Apparently the soldiers watch U.S. television, or at least they get the news, because they were not too happy, and it showed.

Soldiers from Massachusetts and Hawaii who work at the U.S. military detention facility at U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, gave visiting home-state senators a piece of their mind last week.

Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, and Daniel K. Akaka, Hawaii Democrat, met with several soldiers during a visit led by Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John W. Warner, Virginia Republican.

Pentagon officials said soldiers criticized the harsh comments made recently by Senate Democrats.

Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, last month invoked widespread military outrage when he compared Guantanamo to the prison labor systems used by communist tyrant Josef Stalin, Cambodia's Pol Pot and Adolf Hitler.

"They got stiff reactions from those home-state soldiers," one official told us. "The troops down there expressed their disdain for that kind of commentary, especially comparisons to the gulag."

A spokesman for Mr. Kennedy had no comment. A spokeswoman for Mr. Akaka confirmed that the senator met with soldiers from Hawaii but did not recall receiving any complaints during the meeting.

Both senators made no mention of the incident in press statements after the visit. Mr. Kennedy, in his statement, said that he is "impressed with the courtesies and professionalism of the men and women in our armed forces."

Mr. Kennedy has been a leading advocate for closing the prison facility. Mr. Akaka in April voted for an amendment that would have cut funds for the prison.

Thank God someone finally shut Ted Kennedy up.

Our soldiers are real flesh and blood people. They have feelings, they hurt, and as the media loves to tell us, they bleed. That's why they deserve every benefit of the doubt when it comes to allegations of any nature. Our soldiers are the best, brightest, most well-behaved fighting force in the world. And they go on their missions with the pride of being a soldier in the United States military.

Ted Kennedy, looking for soundbites, trashing these guys...he deserved the tongue lashing he got. Our soldiers, the vast majority of them, are honorable, praiseworthy and doing their job. And that's a lot more than can be said about Ted Kennedy. You too Akaka...

Condoleezza Rice goes to Lebanon

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been on a whirlwind tour recently, culminating in her "fight-club" frakus in Sudan, where she forcefully berated Sudanese security and the government for ruffing up her staff and manhandling NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell, and now today in a surprise finger-in-Syria's-eye stop in Lebanon. From the AP article:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to volatile Lebanon on Friday to encourage a new democratic government outside Syrian control and better relations between the two Mideast countries.

"We would like to see the day when there are good neighborly relations between Syria and Lebanon based on mutual respect and equality," Rice said in a joint press conference with Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Foud Saniora.

"But good neighbors don't close their borders to their neighbors," she said of tightened Syria security measures that have delayed or stranded thousands of Lebanese vehicles at the two countries' border. "It is a very serious situation on the Lebanon border, where Lebanese trade is being strangled. "

The meeting with Saniora was her third stop during an unannounced visit to Lebanon under heavy guard.

Rice met earlier with Saad Hariri, son of assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. And together, they visited the seaside grave of the elder Hariri, an anti-Syrian politician slain in a February car bombing.

Afterwards, she went to the Presidential Palace for a meeting with Lebanon's pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, later also having separate meetings with Saniora and pro-Syrian speaker, Nabih Berri.

En route to Beirut, Rice had said that she viewed the stop in Lebanon as "an opportunity first of all to congratulate the Lebanon people on their incredible desire for democracy."

The visit comes three days after formation of a new Cabinet led by Saniora.

"What I'm here to do is to support the new Lebanon," Rice said. "The new Lebanon is one that is democratic; the new Lebanon is one that should be free of foreign influence. It is a Lebanon in which the Lebanese should make decisions for Lebanon."

Rice is the first senior U.S. official to visit Beirut in more than two years. She arrived from Jerusalem, home base for a long weekend of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

I have been absolutely impressed with Condi's performance thus far as Secretary of State. Her intelligence, capability and loyalty to the administration make her possibly the best person around to carry the President's message to the world. And anyone who studies the President knows that Condi Rice continues to be his choice for moving the cause of America forward in the world.

John Howard smacks the media around

Here is Australian Prime Minister John Howard's response (body-slam is more like it) to the media and their assertion that the U.S. and Britain are to blame for the recent bomb attacks (via The Corner):

PRIME MIN. HOWARD: Could I start by saying the prime minister and I were having a discussion when we heard about it. My first reaction was to get some more information. And I really don't want to add to what the prime minister has said. It's a matter for the police and a matter for the British authorities to talk in detail about what has happened here.

Can I just say very directly, Paul, on the issue of the policies of my government and indeed the policies of the British and American governments on Iraq, that the first point of reference is that once a country allows its foreign policy to be determined by terrorism, it's given the game away, to use the vernacular. And no Australian government that I lead will ever have policies determined by terrorism or terrorist threats, and no self-respecting government of any political stripe in Australia would allow that to happen.

Can I remind you that the murder of 88 Australians in Bali took place before the operation in Iraq.

And I remind you that the 11th of September occurred before the operation in Iraq.

Can I also remind you that the very first occasion that bin Laden specifically referred to Australia was in the context of Australia's involvement in liberating the people of East Timor. Are people by implication suggesting we shouldn't have done that?

When a group claimed responsibility on the website for the attacks on the 7th of July, they talked about British policy not just in Iraq, but in Afghanistan. Are people suggesting we shouldn't be in Afghanistan?

When Sergio de Mello was murdered in Iraq -- a brave man, a distinguished international diplomat, a person immensely respected for his work in the United Nations -- when al Qaeda gloated about that, they referred specifically to the role that de Mello had carried out in East Timor because he was the United Nations administrator in East Timor.

Now I don't know the mind of the terrorists. By definition, you can't put yourself in the mind of a successful suicide bomber. I can only look at objective facts, and the objective facts are as I've cited. The objective evidence is that Australia was a terrorist target long before the operation in Iraq. And indeed, all the evidence, as distinct from the suppositions, suggests to me that this is about hatred of a way of life, this is about the perverted use of principles of the great world religion that, at its root, preaches peace and cooperation. And I think we lose sight of the challenge we have if we allow ourselves to see these attacks in the context of particular circumstances rather than the abuse through a perverted ideology of people and their murder.

PRIME MIN. BLAIR: And I agree 100 percent with that. (Laughter.)

Give'em hell, Prime Minister Howard. I agree 100% as well.

Update: The Anchoress provides the pictures. (via Michelle Malkin)

Tell us some more how terrorists are only responding to regime change in Iraq, and how if only we would obey the “insurgents” there and leave Iraq, all of this would end. Tell us that some more, Mr. Galloway, tell us that some more, ladies and gentlemen of the press. Tell us all about it you tired, phoney, so-called intellectuals and sophisticates. Tell us how terror that has existed for decades is all the fault of George W. Bush and his poodles Tony Blair and John Howard.

Thank God for these men, who understand that giving in to terrorism today will not make us safer tomorrow

The Media have no shame

Via Instapundit:

Some idiot correspondent asked Blair if the attacks were his fault because of the Iraq war. And others are taking an equally negative line -- one asks if the propaganda war against terror is being lost.

No -- but if so, it's because of people in the media like these. John Howard's too polite to tell them to read Norm Geras, but he put them in their place with logic, noting that Bin Laden was unhappy about the liberation of East Timor and declared war on that basis long before the Iraq invasion.

Translation: You're idiots, cowards, and political hacks. Yes! The preening, point-scoring irresponsibility of the press, which is if anything worse in Britain than in America, is one of the most striking things about this war, and it will be decades before it recovers. If it does.

That is if we win the war despite their rooting for the enemy.

Four explosions in London, police confirm

Today in London, more terror attacks. Reports say that only one person was wounded. From the AP:

Only one person was reported wounded, but the lunch-hour explosions caused major shock and disruption in the capital and were hauntingly similar to the July 7 bombings by four attackers.

The London police commissioner confirmed Thursday that four explosions took place in what he described as "a very serious incident."

"We've had four explosions — four attempts at explosions," Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair said outside police headquarters at Scotland Yard.

"At the moment the casualty numbers appear to be very low ... the bombs appear to be smaller" than those detonated July 7.

Also eyewitness reports are coming in that one of the bombs may have gone off prematurely. Looks like a guy saw the terrorist holding a duffel bag.

McCracken said another passenger at Warren Street claimed he had seen a backpack explode. The bombs which killed 56 people on board three underground trains and a bus in London on July 7 were carried in backpacks, police said.

McCracken said he smelled smoke and that people were panicking and coming into his carriage. He said he spoke to an Italian man who was comforting a woman after the evacuation.

"He said that a man was carrying a rucksack and the rucksack suddenly exploded. It was a minor explosion but enough to blow open the rucksack," McCracken said.

"The man then made an exclamation as if something had gone wrong. At that point everyone rushed from the carriage."

Possible Terror Strike in London

The AP is reporting that police have evactuated three subway stations and a bus after reports of an explosion and smoke. Emergency teams are on location.

Two weeks after suicide attacks on subway stations and a bus, police evacuated three subway stations and a bus after reports of smoke and an explosion Thursday. Police said one person was hurt but it was not a "major incident."

The bus operator said the windows of the double-decker bus were blown out.

Police announced they were sending emergency teams to the Warren Street, Shepherds Bush and Oval stations after reports at lunch time of unspecified incidents. One witness told Sky TV that another subway passenger told him a backpack exploded at the Warren Street station and there were reports of smoke.

Prime Minister Tony Blair canceled his afternoon appointments as the developments unfolded.

More than an hour after the reports, Metropolitan Police said they were not treating it as a major incident on a par with the July 7 attacks the killed 56 people, including four suicide bombers.

However, the incidents were hauntingly similar to the blasts two weeks ago, which involved explosions at three Underground stations simultaneously — quickly followed by a blast on a bus. Those bombings, during the morning rush hour, also occurred in the center of London, hitting the Underground railway from various directions.

Thursday's incidents, however, were more geographically spread out.

London Ambulance said it was called to the Oval station at 12:38 p.m. and Warren Street at 12:45 p.m. The July 7 attacks began at 8:51 a.m.

Full report here. This doesn't look good. Keep Londoners in your prayers.

Update: Four explosions confirmed. Thankfully it looks like no major injuries or deaths.

The game show I've been waiting for

Via Drudge:

Reality TV Show to Seek Political Talent
Wed Jul 20 2005 21:31:20 ET

Reality television has generated American idols, top models and business apprentices. Now, some political types are hoping that a Washington D.C.-based reality show can deliver the next great political consultant!

The WASHINGTON POST reports on Thursday: A proposed eight-part series titled ``Red/Blue,'' which its creators aim to get on the air next summer, places 12 or 14 aspiring political consultants _ divided into two teams of liberals and conservatives _ inside a Georgetown townhouse that's wired with cameras and microphones a la ``Real World'' and ``Big Brother.''

The participants engage in a series of challenges, both in and out of Washington, that test their political skills. Two hopefuls, one of each political stripe, will be eliminated each week. The last man or woman standing wins $1million to spend on a cause or candidate in the 2006 election.

I so want to try out for this!

Clouds from Hurricane Emily

I took these this morning with the camara-phone. The rainband arms from Hurricane Emily spun all the way up the Texas coast. Pretty wild.

July 20, 1969

On this day in history:

At 10:56 p.m. EDT, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 240,000 miles from Earth, speaks these words to more than a billion people listening at home: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." A moment later, he stepped off the lunar landing module Eagle and became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon.

A brief history of the mission:

At 9:32 a.m. on July 16, with the world watching, Apollo 11 took off from Kennedy Space Center with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin Jr., and Michael Collins aboard. Armstrong, a 38-year-old civilian research pilot, was the commander of the mission. After traveling 240,000 miles in 76 hours, Apollo 11 entered into a lunar orbit on July 19. The next day, at 1:46 p.m., the lunar module Eagle, manned by Armstrong and Aldrin, separated from the command module, where Collins remained. Two hours later, the Eagle began its descent to the lunar surface, and at 4:18 p.m. the craft touched down on the southwestern edge of the Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong immediately radioed to Mission Control in Houston, Texas, a famous message: "The Eagle has landed."

At 10:39 p.m., five hours ahead of the original schedule, Armstrong opened the hatch of the lunar module. As he made his way down the lunar module's ladder, a television camera attached to the craft recorded his progress and beamed the signal back to Earth, where hundreds of millions watched in great anticipation. At 10:56 p.m., Armstrong spoke his famous quote, which he later contended was slightly garbled by his microphone and meant to be "that's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." He then planted his left foot on the gray, powdery surface, took a cautious step forward, and humanity had walked on the moon.

"Buzz" Aldrin joined him on the moon's surface at 11:11 p.m., and together they took photographs of the terrain, planted a U.S. flag, ran a few simple scientific tests, and spoke with President Richard M. Nixon via Houston. By 1:11 a.m. on July 21, both astronauts were back in the lunar module and the hatch was closed. The two men slept that night on the surface of the moon, and at 1:54 p.m. the Eagle began its ascent back to the command module. Among the items left on the surface of the moon was a plaque that read: "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot on the moon--July 1969 A.D--We came in peace for all mankind."

At 5:35 p.m., Armstrong and Aldrin successfully docked and rejoined Collins, and at 12:56 a.m. on July 22 Apollo 11 began its journey home, safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean at 12:51 p.m. on July 24.

Hard to believe it happened over thirty five years ago. A true testament to the American spirit and the human drive to constantly strive for success against the most formidable odds. A true moment for the ages. Way to go America!

Judge John Roberts

Via Powerline:

Pop the champagne corks, conservatives. Roberts is a fantastic choice, a brilliant and bulletproof conservative. And it was fun to see Pat Leahy and Chuck Schumer on television tonight; they looked just awful. After President Bush's terrific, upbeat presentation of Roberts, and Roberts' graceful, brief talk, Leahy and Schumer sounded like they had just dropped in from another planet. They were dour, hateful, and came across as sad and pathetic minions who have been sent on a hopeless mission by their bosses at "People for the American Way."

It's a great day for conservatives and for America. Thanks to President Bush for nominating the best person for the job--or, certainly, one of the best people, along with McConnell, Luttig and one or two others--rather than taking the easy, politically correct way out.

Really couldn't have said it better. I think this is a great day for conservatives. Here's part of Judge Roberts' bio:

Judge Roberts received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1976, his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1979, and upon graduation became law clerk for the Hon. Henry Friendly, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 1979-1980. He then worked as law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice William Rehnquist, 1980-1981; special assistant to the attorney general, U.S. Department of Justice, 1981-1982; associate counsel to the president, White House Counsel's Office, 1982-1986; private practiced law in Washington, DC, 1986-1989, 1993-2003; and served as principal deputy solicitor general, U.S. Department of Justice, 1989-1993.

And he's young too, a young Supreme Court Justice. Great for conservatives. Can he get confirmed though, you ask? Once again, I defer to Powerline's Paul Mirengoff:

Another great choice would be John Roberts of the District of Columbia Circuit. Roberts is also quite bright and strongly conservative. He lacks the long judicial track record, but that is a plus in one sense -- it may make it more difficult to claim "extraordinary circumstance" in a way that passes the straight-face test for Graham, DeWine, etc. (trust me, though; Roberts is not at all Souter-like). In addition, the Senate recently confirmed Roberts. This (a) makes it difficult credibly to claim extraordinary circumstances and (b) suggests his strength as a nominee, since he got through prior to "the deal" when the sledding was tough. Indeed, given Roberts' middle age movie star looks and considerable charm, he's not a good prospect for a "Borking," though the Democrats nonetheless will give it a shot.

And give it a shot they will. NOW and NARAL are prepping for war. Not sure if the Democratic Senators can hold the line, but I'm sure they'll fight the good fight for their interest groups. It won't matter though. I think Bush has this one in the bag.

Update: As Michelle Malkin points out in her article here, Judge Roberts was also on the three judge panel that recently upheld the legality of military tribunals for Guantanamo detainees.

Supreme Court Justice nominated!

President Bush has nominated John G. Roberts to the Sumpreme Court! Good pick, Mr. President!

New Supreme Court Justice?

The rumor mill is going full bore right now. The Corner and Powerline have their money on Judge Edith Clement of the U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

She has spoken about upholding women's right to abortion. But here's the Washington Post quoting NARAL:

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said that Clement's record raises "seriously troubling" questions about her commitment to protecting personal freedom. "Unless she was able to put those concerns to rest in Senate hearings, pro-choice Americans would oppose her nomination," Keenan said.

Not sure if NARAL is just wanting to rumble because they have their guns loaded and no one to play with, or if they really feel Clement might be a threat. Either way, we'll know soon enough.

Update: Bush will apparently name his pick for the Supreme Court tonight at 9pm ET.

Media obfuscations

I have to agree with John Hinderaker of Powerlineblog when he says:

The quality of the reporting on the Joe Wilson/Valerie Plame story has been appalling. It raises in stark form the question whether "mainstream" reporters get facts wrong because they are ill-informed, or because they are counting on their readers being ill-informed.

I vote for the latter. And its been happening more and more of late.

With regards to Valerie Plame, I think the media just can't stand that the Bush administration did nothing wrong. They're on this quest, consumed by hatred and self-loathing, and all because journalists were the most likely culprit, and not the root-of-all-evil Bush puppet master Karl Rove.

Unfortunately, I don't see the quality of reporting getting any better, which is why blogs and alternative media are still thriving. There is no lack of source material and media mis-information to keep all us bloggers alive and well.

So at issue now, or once again, is the story about nothing. Listening to the CBS news roundup this morning on the radio I had to laugh as they twisted themselves into a pretzel to present choice facts, elude others, and then report it all with some ominous tone of impropriety. Essentially, Matt Cooper said this on Meet the Press on Sunday:

MR. RUSSERT: Did Mr. Libby say at any time that Joe Wilson's wife worked for the CIA?

MR. COOPER: No, he didn't say that.

MR. RUSSERT: But you said it to him?

MR. COOPER: I said, "Was she involved in sending him?," yeah.

MR. RUSSERT: And that she worked for the CIA?

MR. COOPER: I believe so.

CBS went to great pains not to say that Cooper told Mr. Libby that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA. See once again, it is journalists who are spreading the secret information around, not administration officials. And was Ms. Plame even covert at the time? The media couldn't care less. But the special prosecutor does, and this kind of shell game will not work. And this scandal, eventually, thankfully, will die.

Oh, and uh...just a bit of full disclosure: Time Magazine reporter Matt Cooper is married to Mandy Grunwald, a Democratic Party Strategist.

What? You mean you didn't know? Ah well, I guess the media can't be bothered with a little detail like that.

For Nadagate...his and hers

This is the funniest thing I've seen today. And it's now being called Nadagate. I love it.

Updates on the Nadagate happenings to come later. I hear that the AP is grossly misrepresenting what Matt Cooper actually said on Meet The Press this morning. Stay tuned...

(Shirts via Powerline, via Betsy's Page, via Cafepress...oh the tangled web...)

Mischief managed!

And with that...the Harry Potter phenomenon vanished...

Or not...

*checks Amazon* Nope...still selling the books. LOTS of them. Movies too.

So what am I talking about? I'm talking about the recent revelation that in 2003 Pope Benedict, then Cardinal Ratzinger, had a letter correspondence with a parishioner about Harry Potter. Reprinted here from LifeSiteNews.com.

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
Vatican City
March 7, 2003


Esteemed and dear Ms. Kuby!

Many thanks for your kind letter of February 20th and the informative book which you sent me in the same mail. It is good, that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly.

I would like to suggest that you write to Mr. Peter Fleetwood, (Pontifical Council of Culture, Piazza S. Calisto 16, I00153 Rome) directly and to send him your book.

Sincere Greetings and Blessings,

+ Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

So the Pope is concerned about the "subtle seductions." And indeed, I can recall the cries of condemnation back when the first Harry Potter novel came out. To be honest I was always a bit confused by the Church's policy on this matter, regarding Harry Potter especially. It's a children's fantasy story about a boy who didn't fit in, who lived a life of near-servitude, who then by the grace of his deceased parents is set free and has this wonderful experience going to school...just think about that parents...meeting new friends, growing up and in the midst of it all, becoming a hero. It is a truly inspiring children's story. And I cringe every time I hear or see people condemning it as witchcraft or devil-worship.

There are so many truly evil things in the world, being marketed to both parents and children, that the Church could more appropriately and effectively be spending its time on. The Harry Potter phenomenon is not going away. People who have read the books and seen the movies can identify human value stories, growth stories and stories that label good and evil. And Harry Potter is one of those stories. The fantasy element, the school for wizards, is something that the Church should weigh in on, especially for parents seeking guidance. The Church could truly capitalize on this--not give ground, but capitalize on the positive messages being talked about. And in concert with that they should present parents with well-reasoned and thoughtful guidance on how they and their children can enjoy these little fantasy escapisms while at the same time being mindful of reality and Church teachings. And the reason I think they should do this is twofold.

The first reason is...well...it was best said by Jason Apuzzo on the Libertas website. In his brief mention of the controversy he sarcastically said:

Time-Warner stock was unaffected.

And I think that says it all. The Church, as much as it holds the key to salvation, does not form, shape or even influence world events on a tenth the scale that it used to. And Pope Benedict is going to have to deal with that.

In reading Pope Benedict's letters, I do realize that while he did not take the most tactful approach, the media revelations might be slightly overblown. It is just a letter. But the media will grab their soundbites as they will, for their own agenda, not for anything that will serve the Church. So for Catholics I say we forget about the media for now. I think the Church--and vocal parishioners who feel this urge to scream condemnations of Harry Potter--need to take a step back and basically go to school. They need to read the books themselves. They need to see the full scope of the cultural phenomenon and learn how to adapt their presentation of concern accordingly (The Da Vinci Code, the novel by Dan Brown that, while a work of fiction, essentially blurs the line between truth and falsehoods about the Church, has received nary a whisper of protest. And in my opinion it is certainly more deserving of words from the Church than Harry Potter).

The second reason relates to something a little more sinister. And that is the forces working against the Church. Kathy Shaidle, of Relapsed Catholic blog, covers this very issue here, where she publishes her response to a concerned reader. As she says of the well-meaning anti-Harry Potter folks:

...they may have the wrong end of the stick, and have been quite innocently been drafted into working for the wrong side.

And I totally agree.

Satan, whether you believe he is actually at work in the world or not, is also a model for evil that we can most certainly become. And that evil includes righteousness and pride, and it leads to envy, division and hatred. Dividing the Church is the devil's delight. And we cannot let that happen.

So what must the Church do? I feel three things, for starters. The Church needs to, as always, call evil by name, but they must also become a voice of common sense and reason in the world and be the first to point out the positive values that can be gleaned from new and popular cultural interests. These acts will provide parents with the solid backing they need to help raise their children so that books and movies like Harry Potter can be enjoyed. Otherwise, its the Church's stock that I fear will be affected.

(Via The American Princess, who posted excellent commentary on this topic originally and whose comment box I overloaded)

Update: And as far as books go, the latest Harry Potter novel smashed all records, selling 6.9 million copies in the first 24 hours. It even beat the two top movies at the box office, combined.

Even allowing for deep discounts on the $29.99 release, "Half-Blood Prince" still easily generated more than $100 million in revenue. It's not only the richest opening in publishing history, but tops the combined estimated take for the weekend's top two movies, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "The Wedding Crashers."

"When a book beats out movies, we're in great shape," Holton said.

Indeed.

Update II: Providing a more settling tone to this whole affair is Monsignor Peter Fleedwood: (via Jimmy Akin.org)

In any case though, the very people who complain about such things are the ones who would want priests above all, and teachers within the catholic faith, to speak about the devil, and to name the devil, rather then to speak of some abstract, evil force. Harry Potter is the only one, in the Harry Potter books, who names evil: Voldemort. The 'flight of death' if you like, that's what his name literally means. So Harry is the one that doesn't avoid naming evil, or naming the evil one. Harry is doing exactly what those people want, and showing by his lack of fear of evil, that he believes that goodness will triumph.

And in fact, Rowling's books all follow the classical mythological pattern and good always triumphs over evil. She studied classical mythology at the university and uses that structure of myth as the basis of the way she writes her novels. She also was brought up as a Christian and I mentioned that in the famous press conference. People quoted that as saying that I had said that her books were imbued with Christian morals. I said no such thing. I simply suggested that there's no ignoring your own background. I also said that she's not the kind Christian your average zealous priest might want, in the sense of practicing religion every week, but there is no denying that she has a Christian background. I said no more.

And people have obviously worked of a strange translation of what I said in Italian. It is notable that the only complaints I got were from people using a translation. I don't know who made that translation. They never asked me any questions about whether they got it right. They certainly didn't understand what I'd said in the press conference. So I only whish there had been more time to talk then, but the press conference was about something quite different, and it was only one question that was blown out of proportion.

But I remain firmly convinced that the Harry Potter novels are very well written. They are written on the classical plot of good versus evil in the standard way that the old myths were written. The characters are built up around that: the goodies and the baddies so to speak, and I can't see that that's a bad thing for children, when goodness and the people on the side of goodness are portrayed as the ones who will eventually win. Harry's enemies resort to all sorts of evil things, and they are the ones who loose in the end. I don't see what's wrong with that, and I can't see that does any harm to children.

What my advice would still be to parents: if you're in doubt, read the books yourselves, the first one, that's the shortest one, and see what you think. Don't simply rely on somebody else's opinion, not even on my opinion, since it's only an opinion. But it's probably a good thing to enjoy it and to see that there are no evil influences there.

Very astute. And I think that's about all I need to say.

Republicans want to do what?!

Okay, if this is the discorse that is going to take place from now on I am now ready to concede that mainstream Democrats have descended into utter lunacy. According to CNS News, Democratic politcal operative Paul Begala, sitting on a panel at the Campus Progress National Student Conference, went on to--

--accuse Republicans of wanting to kill him and his children to preserve tax cuts for the rich.

Excuse me? Kill him?! Who wants to kill him? Republicans? What the hell else did he say?

Begala's presence on the panel created a stir when he declared that Republicans had "done a p***-poor job of defending" the U.S.

Republicans, he said, "want to kill us.

"I was driving past the Pentagon when that plane hit" on Sept. 11, 2001. "I had friends on that plane; this is deadly serious to me," Begala said.

"They want to kill me and my children if they can. But if they just kill me and not my children, they want my children to be comforted -- that while they didn't protect me because they cut my taxes, my children won't have to pay any money on the money they inherit," Begala said. "That is bulls*** national defense, and we should say that."

Okay--stop, just stop--put the freakin' brake on! NO ONE in the Republican party, electorate or Karl Rove's basement ever--that has been reported--threatened Begala's or anyone else's life. And that is one ludicrous and irresponsible--not to mention scary--accusation.

Begala then went on to call Republicans brain-dead, mimicing Howard Dean. And then he said how Republicans are not all that tough on national security issues. heh...yeah, right. And then he went on to say how FDR was tough and Republicans sided with Hitler... Do I even need to continue?

As CNS reports, Ambassador Joseph Kennedy was one of FDR's greatest critics. And Kennedy helped achieve the Munich "peace in our time" accord. If you don't know that one, it happened right before Hitler invaded Poland. As CNS reports:

...one of the most vocal opponents of U.S. intervention in World War II: Democrat Joseph P. Kennedy, who was one of Roosevelt's top fundraisers, the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain and father of John F. Kennedy, who would later become America's 35th president.

Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., the eldest of the ambassador's sons, wrote his father with his own observations of the global conflict. Hitler's "dislike of the Jews ... was well-founded," the younger Kennedy explained in his letter.

"In every revolution, you have to expect some bloodshed. Hitler is building a spirit in his men that could be envied in this country," wrote Kennedy, Jr., expressing an opinion his father shared.

"I was very pleased and gratified at your observations of the German situation, and I think your conclusions are very sound," the elder Kennedy replied to his son.

So...what was I saying? Oh yeah, modern liberals have gone off the deep end with their rhetoric. And their credibility and importance as a national party hit the sea floor some time ago...and now it looks like they're digging. And that's pretty sad.

Muslims tiring of Osama and the cult of death

Now this is encouraging. (via The Washington Post)

Osama bin Laden's standing has dropped significantly in some key Muslim countries, while support for suicide bombings and other acts of violence has "declined dramatically," according to a new survey released today.

In a striking finding, predominantly Muslim populations in a sampling of six North African, Middle East and Asian countries are also as alarmed as Western nations about Islamic extremism, which is now seen as a threat in their own nations too, the poll found.

"Most Muslim publics are expressing less support for terrorism than in the past. Confidence in Osama bin Laden has declined markedly in some countries, and fewer believe suicide bombings that target civilians are justified in the defense of Islam," concluded the Pew Global Attitudes Project.

Compared with previous surveys, the new poll also found growing majorities or pluralities of Muslims surveyed now say democracy can work in their countries and is not just a political system for the West. Support for democracy was in the 80 percent range in Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco and the highest score at 43 percent in Pakistan and 48 percent in Turkey, where significant numbers were unsure.

"They are not just paying lip service. They are saying they specifically want a fair judiciary, freedom of expression and more than one party to participate in elections. It wasn't just a vague concept," said Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center and director of the project. "U.S. and Western ideas about democracy have been globalized and are in the Muslim world."

So there you have it. When given the chance, everybody wants freedom over tyranny. This is an encouraging sign and we must keep it up. The terrorists will not just roll over. They are going to start getting desperate. And should the media run for cover and start cursing America, just remember that an enemy is often most dangerous when cornered or wounded. al-Qaeda is not just going to pass away in its sleep. We are going to have to fight them to the finish. And fight them we will.

Dr. Moreau and the Island of Human Consciousness

Blinded in our quest to cure all disease and ills and figure out how to live forever, we are now going where, well...where everyone should fear to tread. (via: LiveScience)

Human stem cells are unique cells that can transform into all the parts needed to create a living being. There are different types of stem cells. Brain stem cells in a human fetus, for example, morph into the neurons and all other cells needed to make a mind.

In 2001, researchers first inserted human brain stem cells into fetal monkeys. A controversy ensued over the morality of the procedure, which eventually led to the formation of the 22-member panel.

Other experiments using the technique are underway. The work is largely pointed toward finding cures for Parkinson's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, and other human afflictions.

The panel concluded that implanting human stem cells into monkey brains "could unintentionally shift the moral ground between humans and other primates."

Similar research has been done with other animals. In one project, scientists plan to inject a mouse with human brain cells. But bioethicists are not as concerned that a mouse could get morals.

"The possibility that human cells might create human-like abilities is much larger in nonhuman primates than in mice," said panel member Hank Greely, a law professor at Stanford University and chair of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics steering committee.

Is this really where we want to go? Are we really looking to recreate Planet of the Apes or The Island of Dr. Moreau?

Use of embroynic stem cells is one of the most vile things we as humans could be doing. But using humans to start affecting or "elevating" animal consciousness...its sick.

The London terror bombers, all British Muslims

A whirlwind investigation by the British is turning up all kinds of information about the four bombers who blew themselves up in a terror attack on London last week. The most shocking news is how mild-mannered the terrorists appeared, and the lives they led.

One of the bombers who brought carnage to London taught disabled children, it has emerged.

Mohammed Sadique Khan, 30, of Dewsbury, was a supply teaching assistant who taught disabled children in Beeston, it has been revealed.

A picture of him carried on the front page of The Times shows the bearded bomber caring for young children at the school.

The news came as police told Sky News they were hunting a fifth man involved in the plot to kill 52 people in Britain's first suicide strikes.

Sky News' crime correspondent Martin Brunt said: "Police have to assume that there were others working with these four."

The Times reported that the mastermind of the attacks was a Pakistani in his 30s who arrived through a British port last month but left a day before the bombings.

Detectives are piecing together the lives of the suicide bombers - four home-grown young men.

Three of the four bombers are believed to be Shehzad Tanweer, 22, of Leeds, Mohammed Sadique Khan, 30, of Dewsbury, and Hasib Hussain, 19, of Leeds.

A fourth man from Yorkshire has been identified by police but not yet named.

So we have four, middle-class, educated males who decided that the penultimate reason for their existance was to strap themselves with explosives and go out and kill themselves along with a bunch of innocent civilians. Folks this is highly disturbing. And it gets to the heart of the problem we face. Terrorism is not about hating America. Terrorism is a sickness in the minds of men. It cannot just be tied to a religion, but a way of thinking, a way of thinking that once entered into corrupts the individual to the point of death and destruction. It is the worship of death. And the world must get serious about fighting it.

New York Times attacks citizens for showing solidarity with London

The "We Are Not Afraid" website, launched recently in response to the London terror attacks, has itself come under attack...by the New York Times.

The site was created on July 7, the day of the bombings, when Alfie Dennen, who works at Stream UK in Chalk Farm, England, posted a picture of the London skyline with this caption: "Show the world that we're not afraid of what happened to London today, and that the world is a better place without fear." Since then, the sentiment has shifted somewhat.

Today, if you manage to get on the site at all (it's so popular that the server can't quite keep up), you may see among the thousand or so postings a picture of Yoda from "Star Wars" with the words, "Not afraid I am." Or you may see Eric from the animated series "South Park" saying: "I'm not afraid - I'm big boned!!!!!!!" Or you may find a picture of a pink handbag with the words, "Hey, terrorists, have a bag of bothered." Yes, frivolity has arrived.

The pictures and messages come from all over. There are cute cats and brave hamsters sending their greetings. From Italy, there's a shot of Michelangelo's David, posted with the words "Non ho paura!" From Germany comes a picture of a man with a bong and a bottle of water. The caption says: "Afraid? About what??" And various vacationers have sent in shots of themselves at the beach.

The site displays a range of defiant postures. Some people hold up their middle fingers, presumably for the terrorists to see. Some people posted pictures of American soldiers, presumably for Londoners and Americans to see.

But more and more, there's a brutish flaunting of wealth and leisure. Yesterday there were lots of pictures posted of smiling families at the beach and of people showing off their cars and vans. A picture from Italy shows a white sports car and comes with the caption: "Afraid? Why should we be afraid?"

A few days ago, We're Not Afraid might have been a comfort. Today, there's a hint of "What, me worry?" from Mad magazine days, but without the humor or the sarcasm. We're Not Afraid, set up to show solidarity with London, seems to be turning into a place where the haves of the world can show that they're not afraid of the have-nots.

I normally try to maintain an even keel in light of anything coming out of the New York Times. But I have to say this really is a such a slap in the face of the people of the free world as to truly finish the New York Times as any source of information worth my time.

Let me spell it out for you, Sarah Boxer. The people who are posting on that website are not flaunting anything. They are standing up...to fear, to terror, to intimidation. They are showing the terrorists that they will not be cowed, they will not be silent, they will not lie down and croak in fear. They are living, and they are going to go on living--their way, not as the terrorists would mandate. And if all you can do, Ms. Boxer is look down from on-high and sneer then maybe you just need to shut your trap. You're just upset because these people are not blaming America. You obviously want to instruct these "flaunters" in a lesson of surrender, apparently to secure a peace from the enemy. Or are the terrorists the real enemy in your mind? Are they even terrorists? If the BBC can stricken the word "terrorist", I'm sure everone else needs a little enlightenment--right?

I think I'm going to start my own website. I'll call it "TheNewYorkTimesIsAJoke.com". I bet I could get more people to post their pictures than your entire readership. And that's not saying much.

Dear White House: Get on top of this scandal...now.

I'm no Washington insider, or even someone all that well versed in politics. But I do know that when scandal is afoot you have to get in front of the issue. Assuming honesty, you have to be forthright and truthful and give the circling sharks no reason to find you weak. Once the blood is in the water it's difficult--nay--almost impossible--to get it out.

So this Plame thing? Get. On. Top. Of. It.

I don't care if there's an ongoing investigation, there's enough real information out there to scuttle this mess. But watching Scott McClellan yesterday I just had to shake my head. It was weak, evasive and dissappointing.

The media already knows Rove talked to Cooper, and without real statements from the White House they are just going to make shit up until they have something real to print. If Rove leaked the name--fire his ass. The President made a promise to fire whoever the leaker was and there is no going back. If Rove didn't do it, circle the wagons and defend him, but do it with real talk, real information, real facts, and do it now.

That's it. That's all I'm saying. But I will leave you with just one more thing. If you think that this is nothing and I'm just overreacting, and the truth will out and all will be well in the world, think on this: Bush and Rove lost support from one of the largest conservative talk radio shows in Texas this morning. Texas. My entire drive to work the conservative host was fighting with the conservative callers. And my drive is nearly an hour.

The Times Strikes Back

Call it devious or call it brilliant, but the New York Times is going on the offensive against Karl Rove. According to Drudge, the Gray Lady is driving hard with a front page story attacking the lack of assertions about the denials of the claims of the situation involving the basis for a cover up of a non-official cover agent of a non-covered variety and the evidence that said non-story might provide insight into the real reasons for the subterfuge. Sounds solid. Run with it!

See what we have here folks is a very driven and angry bunch of journalists. And knowing that Karl Rove was in the Plame food chain was their Ace all along. It doesn't matter that Karl didn't leak the name. It doesn't matter that a lot of reporters knew Valerie Plame's name anyway. Rove talked to the reporter, and that's good enough for the Times. That's all they need. The story will write itself. Place the names all in a lump, mix them together, fan them out into the same article with a bunch of "serious questions" and "denials" and "shocked Democratic statesmen" and there you have it, the illusion of wrong-doing. And that's all the media needs in order to kick-start the Democratic talking heads. The calls for resignation, investigation, castration will abound--and its starting already. Never mind the facts, there's scandal afoot! Anything to knock the White House off its game.

Can they take down Rove? If the investigators don't have enough to indict, probably not. But it won't be pretty. Duck and cover people, this is going to get nasty.

Like anyone is surprised...

From Haaretz: Senior Hamas official: We have lost faith in Abbas

A senior Hamas official yesterday threatened both open confrontation with the Palestinian Authority and continued attacks on Israel from Gaza after the disengagement, saying that Hamas had "lost faith" in Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen).

In an interview with a local Gaza news agency, Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas official in the Gaza Strip, said Hamas was not willing "to serve as a fig leaf" for PA control of Gaza following the disengagement, would not give up its weapons and was liable to continue bombarding Israel with mortars and rockets from Gaza after the disengagement "in order to liberate the West Bank and Jerusalem."

.....

He even hinted that Hamas would be willing to use force against the PA to prevent it from running Gaza after Israel's withdrawal: "Just as we did not accept the occupation of the land, we will not allow it to be allocated to anyone who did not play a part in liberating it," he said, referring to the PA. "The PA, which accuses itself day and night of corruption, cannot manage the population. They will encounter a determined street if they try to decide by themselves, and Hamas will never work with them."

Hamas will not join a unity government, as the PA has proposed, Zahar said. It would agree to sit on a committee comprised of representatives of all the Palestinian factions, which would manage Gaza jointly, but only if this committee were not part of the PA. Moreover, "only those who liberated Gaza should participate in such a committee, not other parties, who are now trying to increase the number of people who want to share in the division of the spoils," he said.

"Hamas will keep its weapons after the withdrawal, because they serve to defend every centimeter of the homeland against Zionist aggression," Zahar continued.

"Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem are one geographic unit, and Hamas will not sit quietly in Gaza if it is attacked in the West Bank.

So this is what Abbass gets for trying to appease terrorists. But seriously, is anyone surprised? Did anyone really think Hamas would just roll over? Playing nice is mere strategy, a feign. Everything they do is a forward step towards their endgame. And that is to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.

(Hat tip: LGF)

This story has been beneath the radar, but it's potentially huge.

Times Online: Downed US Seals may have got too close to Bin Laden

The first sign of trouble was a radio message requesting immediate extraction. A four-man team of US Navy Seal commandos had run into heavy enemy fire on a remote, thickly forested trail in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.

Trouble turned to disaster when a US special forces helicopter carrying 16 men was shot down as it landed at the scene, killing all on board. Almost two weeks later, a mission that led to the worst US combat losses in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001 has turned into an extraordinary manhunt. It has also opened an intriguing new front in the coalition’s battle against terrorism.

The story of Operation Red Wing, a US-led search for Taliban and Al-Qaeda guerrillas in the mountain wilderness of Kunar province, contains remarkable human drama and an unresolved military mystery.

For five days amid the hostile peaks and ravines along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, a lone American commando eluded the guerrillas who had killed at least two of his colleagues and destroyed the Chinook helicopter.

When the unnamed Seal finally collapsed from exhaustion he was found by a friendly Afghan villager who summoned US forces. The subsequent search for his colleagues turned up two bodies and the manhunt for the fourth commando continues this weekend despite claims by Taliban guerrillas yesterday that he had been captured and beheaded.

“We killed him at 11 o’clock today; we killed him using a knife and chopped off his head,” declared Abdul Latif Hakimi, a Taliban spokesman who has made several false claims in the past.

Yet whatever the final death toll from the worst incident in the history of the Seals — the Sea Air Land Commandos — there were tantalising hints that the original mission had been far from routine.

According to former special forces officers and other military sources, the four-man Seal strike team may have come too close to one of the US-led coalition’s highest-priority targets — perhaps Mullah Muhammad Omar, the former Taliban leader, or even Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda.

So whoever it was killed not one, but two teams of Navy Seals. One Seal escaped alive and is being cared for and debriefed. And a huge operation is now underway in that area of the country. The few details known about the engagement are harrowing.

Whatever the team’s real objective, it found itself trapped in heavy rain with darkness falling. Seal veterans boast that they never call for help unless absolutely desperate. Exactly what befell Murphy and his team remains unknown, but commanders at Bagram airbase near Kabul wasted no time in dispatching eight more Seals on a helicopter crewed by eight members of an elite army unit.

As it was coming in to land in the Waigal valley, near the provincial capital of Asadabad, the helicopter was struck by what officers believe was a rocket-propelled grenade fired from the cover of nearby trees.

Lieutenant-General James Conway, chief of operations at the Pentagon, described it as a “pretty lucky shot” but when communications with the Chinook were lost, commanders were taking no chances. The next wave of troops landed a safe distance away and took 24 hours to reach the site, where it was confirmed that all 16 men on the helicopter had died.

Lucky shot? Perhaps. But whoever killed all those Seals had at least some skill.

From the details released, it appears that the Seals may have dumped their backpacks to move faster on steep terrain. Former special forces sources said that when facing a superior enemy, the commandos would give each other covering fire as they mounted a phased retreat.

Coalition commanders acknowledge that for all their superior weaponry and communications, US forces are at a disadvantage in fighting in the Afghan mountains.

At some point in the mountain battle, Murphy, 29, was killed. So was Petty Officer Danny Dietz, 25. But at least one of the four Seals survived.

When he was found last weekend he was several miles from the helicopter wreckage. A friendly tribal elder notified authorities that he was caring for a wounded American. The commando was airlifted to Bagram, where his injuries were said not to be life-threatening.

US officials have not yet explained how the surviving Seal might have become separated from his missing colleague. The two dead commandos were said to have been “killed in action”.

Say a prayer for that missing Seal. I hope we can find him quickly.

Update: Unfortunately, the Seal has been found dead.

The body of the fourth U.S. Navy SEAL was found Sunday in Kunar province by a search and rescue team, the military said in a statement. It said all indications are that he died in fighting, despite a claim by Mullah Latif Hakimi, a purported Taliban spokesman, that he was captured alive and beheaded.

"The location and disposition of the service member's remains indicate he died while fighting off enemy terrorists on or about June 28," the statement said.

.....

Kunar province has long been a hotbed of militant activity and a haven for fighters loyal to renegade former premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who is wanted by the United States. U.S. officials said al-Qaida fighters also were in the region. Osama bin Laden was not said to be there — though he is believed to be somewhere along the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier.

The region's wooded mountains are popular with militants because they are easy to infiltrate from neighboring Pakistan and have plenty of places to hide.

Wooded huh? Can we just firebomb these terrorists? Please? The trees will grow back.

The Western Fronts

In light of the recent terror attacks in London, much talk has been circulating the web about the ultimate nature, cause and responsibility for these attacks. And it is this talk that is bringing back memories of every past stage in this long war.

On September 11 the terrorists struck, and everyone said, "It's war." There was no question, no doubt. We all knew bombs would be falling somewhere. It was just a matter of when, and where.

But as time went on and those out of power saw the continued erosion of that power, they began to zero in on the cause. Solidarity. When the country units, there is no dissent, no cause for dissent, and there is no will for it either. But--for want of power, that was a need unto itself.

The left grumbled over Afghanistan, as did the international community, but it was half-hearted and muted. There was no denying America her due, and the public support for the fight was unflagging. Bush had a 90% approval rating. And the Democrats were eating their hearts out.

But Iraq changed everything. Not for the war on terror, or the war effort, or the reason for fighting. But politically. It provided the wedge. It provided the change in course, the new CD in the player, the new movie in the machine. It provided an opportunity for something to fight over. Calls to deal with Iran, North Korea--anything but Iraq, began to surface. The left moved cautiously, carefully, weaving in and around the public support. They attempted to outflank Bush and move to the right--but their calls for action were unsupported. And no one seriously believed Iraq was not a threat worthy of attention.

Then the left tried sympathy. They tried to use the scare tactic of WMD. They tried to paint Bush as someone who only wanted to "go it alone." They brought up troop casualties. They tried to get Bush to take care of the Palestinians and Israel first. Saddam began fomenting discord in Palestine by paying suicide bombers, he postured and said he would be good. And so the U.N. resolutions, and weapons inspectors, and many other dances ensued. And the wedges began to grow deeper.

And slowly but surely the tactic worked. The left, fearing ruination, bit by bit clawed its way back from the brink. They gave their base something to fight for, to fight against. But now instead of terrorists, they gave them George Bush.

These events did not go unnoticed. Watching, always watching, are the enemies of America. And the enemies of America know that it is never external ability that foils America, but internal strife. Discord lost Vietnam, not weaponry or anything else.

And so by making George Bush the enemy, the left opened up another front in our war. And so just as the Iraq war became a front in the war on terror, so too did Bush's election became a front in the war on terror. Abu Gharib became a front in the war on terror. Spain's election became a front in the war on terror. John Howard's election became a front in the war on terror. Tony Blair's election became a front in the war on terror. Guantanamo became a front in the war on terror.

But its not working. George Bush was elected. Win. Spain--terror strike. Loss. Abu Gharib came and went. Draw. Iraqi election success. Win. Australia election. Win. Great Britain election. Win. Guantanamo Korans. Draw. Relentlessly, the left and the media keep spinning off these fronts as they struggle for power.

If you don't believe me, tell me why did that video tape of Osama show up the weekend before the election? And why did Osama basically spout the script of Fahrenheit 9-11? The terrorists know who their enemy is. They know who is causing them harm. And why? Because the left has already stated who their enemy is. As Howard Dean said, "the real enemy is George Bush."

And where are we now, in this game that others insist on playing? London has just suffered its most horrific terror attacks since the blitz. And while the people of the free world come to their aid, to offer solidarity...a contingent is absent, and now readily vocal about who's really to blame.

Using arguments based on fantasy, rage, deliberate misinformation, and the collection of desperate battle cries heard all through the left's fight, they could not even wait for the investigation to get underway. They knew who was to blame, America and Great Britain. And they said so, loudly.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a sickness. The battle we face from these terrorists is going to be long and hard. We do not need enemies from within breaking us down. Politics has its place. But when it comes to survival, to naming our enemy, to focusing on saving the free world, we must meet the threats head on, with full conviction, and label them truthfully and fully. Unless we do, then we lengthen our fight. And the enemies of the free world are terrorists.

President Bush might get two

Drudge has the siren up, buzz all around Washington...its electric. Rumor is that Chief Justice William Rehnquist is going to resign this afternoon at 4:55pm.

This is going to get interesting.

Update: Okay...maybe a false alarm. Drudge has pulled back to Defcon 3. Somewhere out there, Democratic strategists are breathing again. But...Drudge now says it might happen this weekend or Monday. Or not. Whatever. I'm going to the movies. To be continued...

U.S. Economy steaming ahead...media yawns...

The U.S. unemployment rate has hit its lowest point in four years, now standing at 5.0%. Reuters is not impressed.

U.S. employers added 146,000 jobs in June, below Wall Street forecasts, but the unemployment rate fell to its lowest point since September 2001 as few people joined the labor force, a government report showed on Friday.

The Labor Department revised up job growth in April and May to 292,000 and 104,000, respectively - boosting the two-month count by 44,000 payroll jobs.

June's tepid employment growth came in below analyst expectations for 188,500 new jobs in the month. But the decline in the unemployment rate to 5.0 percent was a nice surprise, since Wall Street had expected it to hold at 5.1 percent. The drop was mostly due to a paltry 1,000 increase in the work force, which includes those looking for work as well as those who have jobs.

Factory payrolls shrank for the fourth straight month as auto assembly and parts plants cut back on production. A glut of inventories has prompted many automakers to slow production lines until demand can catch up. Some 96,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost since August 2004.

While 18,000 workers were hired in the construction industry last month, most of June's employment growth came in the service sector. Professional and business services jobs rose 56,000, education and health services were up 38,000 and leisure and hospitality payrolls grew 19,000.

In a sign of underlying weakness, the length of the average workweek was 33.7 hours, unchanged from May's downwardly revised length. The factory workweek was also unchanged at 40.4 hours, while overtime held at 4.4 hours.

Employers typically increase the length of the workweek before taking on new workers, so a lack of growth in that area can mean scant hiring ahead.

Average hourly earnings rose 3 cents to $16.06 and have risen 2.7 percent over the year.

The negativity of the article just reeks of derision towards the Bush economy. Tax cuts work, and liberals can't stand it. Tax cuts also have the benefit of weakening their power and returning it to you, the taxpayer. And they can't have that--it might get in the way of that utopia they're trying to create. And if you would just lay down and give them your money it could all happen immediately...or thereabouts. It's a gray area. But that's not the point. It's making them feel better that counts.

God Bless Great Britain

Terror. It is a chilling word. It is the method by which fear seeps into the hearts and minds of humanity. And it is a weapon of evil.

Terrorists, those who subscribe to this evil, who have seen the power it holds and given in to their passions, have embarked upon a mission of utter domination. It is not an ideology, it is not the last resort of starving peasants, it is not outrage of wronged citizens of oil rich nations, but a pestilence in the minds of men. Men. Not Muslims, or Jews, or Christians or atheists, but men. Men who have chosen a path that forsakes all law and God for the furtherance of their own vain glory and an all consuming pride. And the longer the truth is denied, obfuscated, inveigled, twisted, and not spoken by those who mask their fear as nuance and enlightenment, the farther, faster, and more readily this evil will grow.

And how does one define evil? How does one identify the roots of this temptation that leads to death and destruction, to beheadings and bombings, the hijacking of an entire religion and the call for never-ending war? I believe that this is a start:

Let no man say when he is tempted, that he is tempted by God; for God is no tempter to evil, and he tempts no one. But everyone is tempted by being drawn away and enticed by his own passion. Then when passion has conceived, it brings forth sin; but when sin has matured, it begets death.

James 1:13-15

Evil is the act of willful sinning. It is the denial of God in favor of one's own will, and a furtherance of that power at the expense of all others. And unchecked it yearns and grows and feeds upon the living, for while rooted in power evil yields no joy to its own. And this all consuming act, the quest to dominate all wills, leads to chaos and strife and the embrace of a culture of death.

The terrorist belief in God, or non-belief, or any belief, is not required for our understanding. We are not trying to save the terrorists' lives. We are trying to save our own. Known your enemy. Identify what is evil in the world and stamp it out. We must do this or it will consume us. Terrorists are a cancer that must be eradicated. There can be no peace with them, for their very existence is the danger, it is the threat to me and you and your child and your children's children, to the existence of free society itself.

The people of Great Britain met with evil today. Pray for them, for those who died, for those who are living and are suffering immeasurable the loss of a loved one. And when this day is over and tomorrow comes, and the dead have been remembered and the families taken care of, let us turn our attention to our future. Resolved in our fight, we must soldier on. We must. And what is our goal?

"I can answer with one word: Victory - victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival."

Sir Winston Churchill, to the House of Commons on May 13, 1940 in his first address as the newly appointed Prime Minister

Terror Strike

Great Britain came under attack by terrorists today. Links to al-Qaida are unconfirmed, but suspected.

Three explosions rocked the London subway and one tore open a packed double-decker bus during the morning rush hour Thursday. The blasts killed at least two people. Hospital officials say 190 people are being treated for injuries in what a shaken Prime Minister Tony Blair called a series of "barbaric" terrorist attacks.

Blair said it was clear the attacks were designed to coincide with the opening of the G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. The prime minister said the meeting of world leaders would continue but that he would return to London.

"Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilized nations throughout the world," said Blair.

I have also read reports that say the terror alert level in the U.S. has been heightened. But I haven't seen anything specific yet. Great Britain is America's staunchest ally in the war on terror. And now she needs our help. Please pray for the victims and their families, and let us offer them our unconditional support during this crisis.

Update: Authorities are claiming that the death toll is now 40, with more than 350 injured.

Update II: Al Qaida claim over blasts

Al Qaida terrorists have claimed responsibility for the London blasts on an Islamic website and said that "Britain is burning with fear".

The unverified claim, made on the Al-Qal'ah - Fortress - internet site, was posted by a group calling themselves the Secret Organisation Group of Al-Qa'ida of Jihad Organisation in Europe.

The message said: "The heroic mujahidin have carried out a blessed raid in London."

It continued: "Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters."

The claims, picked up by BBC Monitoring, claimed that the strikes were revenge for British military "massacres" in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Unverified, yes, but its obvious the terrorists are hoping to deter Britain from supporting the war on terror. This cannot stand. America and the free world must stand with Great Britain.

Update III: U.S. Raises Alert to Orange for Transit

The Bush administration raised the terror alert a notch to code orange for the nation's mass transit systems on Thursday, responding to a spate of deadly rush-hour bus and subway bombings in London.

"Obviously we're concerned about the possibility of a copycat attack," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

The heightened alert will apply to "regional and inter-city passenger rail, subways and metropolitan bus systems," Chertoff said at a news conference.

Chertoff said that U.S. authorities have "no specific credible evidence" pointing toward an attack in the United States. At the same time, he said, "we are also asking for increased vigilance" particularly in the U.S. transportation system.

Stay safe everybody. If you are taking a bus, subway or train be a little extra vigilant today.

Update IV: Death toll since corrected. 37 dead. 700 wounded. This now stands as the deadliest attack on London since the blitz in WWII. God bless Great Britain and all those who suffered and died today, and their family members who are suffering still.

No Olympics for New York: Citizens cheer

I love New York. Despite it being 5:1 Democrat, despite the taxes and the bustle and the winters and...*shudder*...Hillary Clinton...I still love it. And its because of articles like this that I do.

Conventional wisdom is often dead wrong. No more so than in the assumption that New Yorkers wanted the Olympics.

Now, it’s true that an elite class of New Yorkers did want the Olympics. Developers loved the idea of squeezing more millions out of New York City’s already jammed and overpriced housing market. Politicians of all stripes loved the idea of using the Olympic games for their own self-aggrandizement. Republican Mayor Bloomberg spent millions trying to schmooze Olympic officials.

Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton spent most of the last week parading around Olympic delegates “like a rock star,” according to The New York Times, dreaming perhaps of opening the 2012 games as President Hillary Clinton.

Only one voice was missing from this chorus of Olympic wannabes. The people of New York, most of who are either dead set against an Olympic invasion or don’t really care. So the decision by the Olympic committee to give Bloomy and Hillary the boot comes as great news to a lot of New Yorkers.

And the fact that Londoners, who really did want the Olympics, edged out the French, who had just insulted the Brits, well, that’s just icing on the cake!

That is the icing on the cake! Go Brits!

An elegant weapon for a more civilized age...

For the Star Wars fan, this is what you've been waiting for:

Two of the most famous props in US film history -- light sabers belonging to Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader of "Star Wars" fame -- will go under the hammer in late July auction, organizers said.

....

The Jedi knight's light saber, owned by "Star Wars" producer Gary Kurtz, is estimated to sell for between 60,000 and 80,000 dollars.

The light saber used by the evil Darth Vader character in "The Empire Strikes Back" is estimated to go for 40,000 to 60,000 dollars.

I'm thinking I could swing a couple bucks if anybody wants to go in with me.

Here's the full list of stuff on auction here. (I like the Indiana Jones jacket too. Between Han Solo and Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford had a near lock on my childhood aspirations.)

Actually, if you do have the cash to drop on all that stuff, I think the lightsabers are the best bet. The fight between Darth Vader and Luke in Empire is one of the best fights of all the films.

And before anyone emails me--yes, I know that Luke's lightsaber from Star Wars and Empire originally belonged to Darth Vader.

Where the Moonbats Are

No offense to Maurice Sendak, I was not intending to equate moonbats to his wonderful children's book, but the snappy title just jumped out in my memory.

But this is where we are. The childish tantrums and fantasies of the Left have suddenly become the basis for news, the impetus for non-existent political scandals and have fed a general rage that has prompted them to suspend all disbelief for the chance to star in their own Shakespearean tragedy.

As a result we have the "vast right wing conspiracy", "selected not elected", "Bush knew about 9-11", "the war for oil", "Bush lied", "Bush lied--but he also should have secured the missing explosives", propaganda films like Fahrenheit 9-11, the faked TANG memos, the Downing Street Memos, etc. And now, once again, a personal favorite, the Valerie Plame affair.

As I've posted previously in "Not Going Down Without a Fight", the media is floating a story that Karl Rove was the leaker, the person who outed Valerie Plame as a CIA agent out of retribution for her husband Joe Wilson's scathing report about the lack of Iraqi uranium purchases in Niger.

This story is beyond juvenile, a transparent attempt to feign righteous indignation at a so called "deranged" administration. And now that the tables have been turned, that the outcome of this investigation has shown the light on media infractions, suddenly the culmination of all the left's paranoia comes to fruition.

See this is where its at, the heart of liberal paranoid delusions--Karl Rove as the evil villain sitting in the oval office cackling away. Bush as his chimp puppet, snorting coke. Cheney lighting cigars with hundred dollar bills he's getting from Halliburton and their no-bid contracts. It's all a movie for them, a nonsensical plot that spawned out of their refusal to accept their own reality, a refusal to accept that they, and their ideas...are being rejected.

Liberals, in the most benevolent sense of the word, are not bad people. I know, and have known, a lot of them. Kind, personable, very funny people who genuinely care about this world. But this fever swamp mentality that sucked in the fringe moonbats and pulled down the media is now starting to infect the mainstream.

I mean look at the psychology of what just went down in this attempt on Rove. The reporter knew Rove said nothing. Time and the New York Times knew he said nothing. But in an attempt to evade jail or even to be proven wrong they trump up a false matching game and hope a disinterested public connects the dots to reach an erroneous conclusion. This behavior is underhanded and wrong.

Try as they might, these plots will fail. Why? Because these stories have nothing to do with reality. The only thing they serve to do is make liberals feel better--or at least commiserate together. There is no joy in this, and there never will be. All it breeds is more of the same sickness that affected the fringe. Because once you start down the path of saying "I was wronged," it is very hard to turn back. No amount of truth and no amount of setbacks will ever be enough. Your ideology will narrow and narrow and your bitterness will grow until only you are the penultimate voice of reason, and the "vast conspiracy" against you is out consuming the world.

As people, we need to be better than this. Liberals, fault Republicans and conservatives for anything you want, but lets deal in truth, the whole truth. And then take your lumps with the rest of us and truly...move on...

How's that for nuance?

So who said this?

Where you win the war on terror is go to the battlefield and you take them off. And that’s what they’ve [the terrorists have] done. They’ve said, ‘Look, let’s go fight. This is the place.’ And that was my point. My point is that there is an ideology of hatred, an ideology that’s got a vision of a world where the extremists dictate the lives, dictate to millions of Muslims. They do want to topple governments in the Middle East. They do want us to withdraw. They’re interested in exporting violence. After all, look at what happened after September 11 (2001). One way for your readers to understand what their vision is is to think about what life was like under the Taliban in Afghanistan.

So we made a decision to protect ourselves and remove Saddam Hussein. The jihadists made a decision to come into Iraq to fight us. For a reason. They know that if we’re successful in Iraq, like we were in Afghanistan, that it’ll be a serious blow to their ideology. General (John) Abizaid (Commander of US forces in the Middle East) told me something very early in this campaign I thought was very interesting. Very capable man. He’s a Arab-American who I find to be a man of great depth and understanding. When we win in Afghanistan and Iraq, it’s a beginning of the end. Talking about the war on terror. If we don’t win here, it’s the beginning of the beginning. And that’s how I view it.

We learnt first-hand the nature of the war on terror on September 11.

And this...

Frankly, I rejected the intellectual elitism of some around the world who say, “Well, maybe certain people can’t be free”. I don’t believe that. Of course I was labelled a, you know, blatant idealist.

But I am. Because I do believe people want to be free, regardless of their religion or where they are from. I do believe women should be empowered in the Middle East. I don’t believe we ought to accept forms of government that ultimately create a hopelessness that then can be translated into jihadist violence. And I believe strongly that the ultimate way you defeat an ideology is with a better ideology. And history has proven that.

Answer: President George W. Bush

Excellent words, from a man who truly grasps the nature of the fight. And it is a war of ideologies as surely as it is a war of weapons. Osama brought Muslims hatred, vain-glory and death. George W. Bush is trying to bring them hope and light.

The End of Innovation

I always laugh when I see articles like this one. A bunch of scientists who want to get their name in the paper are predicting the end of all innovation. Apparently, as the story goes, because you don't have a better toilet seat than the ones they were using in 1950, the world is heading for the dark ages again.

...far from being in technological nirvana, we are fast approaching a new dark age. That, at least, is the conclusion of Jonathan Huebner, a physicist working at the Pentagon's Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, California. He says the rate of technological innovation reached a peak a century ago and has been declining ever since. And like the lookout on the Titanic who spotted the fateful iceberg, Huebner sees the end of innovation looming dead ahead.

The basis for all this nonsense is a study which analyzed the number of innovations and patents from 1800 to the present. True enough, an explosion of technological advancements in the 1800s produced a huge number of innovations. Indeed, by the end of the century, physicists arrogantly proclaimed that they had learned all there was to learn about the world and the universe. They had trains and industry and they knew about electricity and gravity and even that the atom had little bits and pieces inside orbiting around (which is wrong, by the way, but that's a whole other topic). They just had a few minor details to punch out, namely a few things about light. And they were done, that's it, close the book on reality. Oh how they were wrong...

Just a few short years into the 1900s they had already thrown out most of the known tenets of physics. Newton's theories about gravity, gone. The structure of the atom, gone. The properties of light...heh...they STILL cannot figure this one out. Innovations slowed, yes, but that is because humanity was making a paradigm shift. Reality was so vastly different than we thought. Scientists were alarmed, scared even by their discoveries. All thinking had to change. And thinking is still changing.

But getting back to the innovations, or lack thereof. Just because I could ride an airplane in 1950, does not mean that we should have something better than an airplane today. In fact, I would argue that the innovations have been huge, just overlooked. Air travel is safer, first and foremost. HUGE costs involved in that. Costs the consumer will never see--other than ticket price and showing up alive at his/her destination. Why do you think they can't get the Space Shuttle off the ground? Not a lack of ability. It's all safety nowadays. In my own designs. One of my first concerns is safety. If its not safe, we don't build it.

You're still driving a car, and it's probably less roomy than one you could buy in 1950, but your car has seat belts, air bags--everywhere!, safety sensors, road sensors, variable suspension, GPS trackers, all kinds of sophisticated traction and stability control systems. Try to spin out a Lexus. Nearly impossible to do with the safety systems on. The fuel systems on cars is another thing. Your car exhaust is virtually cleaner than the outside air. An amazing, amazing feat the car companies have complied with, all underhyped, underappreciated.

And that's what annoys me when I read articles like this. The people who discount the innovative spirit. We're not less innovative. We're more inquisitive. We're more thorough. We're more conscious of the huge implications a new invention could have on the planet and on nature (nuclear bombs anyone?) We are taking more responsibility for our creations. And that's not a bad thing. In fact its needed. Because as we move forward, the innovations we do have are going to begin to affect our lives, our liberty and our beliefs on a much more personal and far reaching scale than ever before.

Update: Forget to mention that this article good portion of the commentary at The Corner today. Too many permalinks to even attempt to link them all.

The Turning Tide

Now this is an interesting development in Iraq, something that has remained under the radar due to the Supreme Court madness and the holiday. (Hat tip: National Review)

American troops on the Syrian border are enjoying a battle they have long waited to see - a clash between foreign al-Qa'eda fighters and Iraqi insurgents...

...The reason, the US military believes, is frustration at the heavy-handed approach of the foreigners, who have kidnapped and assassinated local leaders and imposed a strict Islamic code.

Fighting, which could be clearly heard at night over the weekend, first broke out in May when as many as 50 mortar rounds were fired across the city. But, to the surprise of the American garrison, this time it was not the target.

If a shell landed near the US base, "they'd adjust their fire and not shoot at us", Lt Col Tim Mundy said. "They shot at each other."

So even the Ba'athist romantics are fed up with the terrorists. This is good news. Once the terrorists lose their collaborators, once they themselves lose faith, the battle is done. The Ba'athists cannot continue on their own. But they know that. And apparently they've decided that living without Saddam might just be better than not living at all.

The article ends with a quote by an Iraqi. What he says it important, because his words contain the seeds of the terrorist defeat, why they will not, why they cannot ever win.

Arkan Salim, 56, who left with his wife and four children, said: "We thought they were patriotic. Now we discovered that they are sick and crazy.

"They interfered in everything, even how we raise our children. They turned the city into hell, and we cannot live in it anymore."

And that is why the terrorists will fail.

Independence Day

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

And so it began, with an act of courage that defied the Crown, and set the course that created the greatest country in the world. God Bless America!

Click here to continue reading the Declaration of Independence.

-- He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

-- He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

-- He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

-- He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

-- He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

-- He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

-- He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

-- He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

-- He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

-- He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

-- He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

-- He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

-- He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

-- For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

-- For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

-- For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

-- For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

-- For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

-- For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

-- For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

-- For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

-- For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

-- He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

-- He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

-- He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

-- He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

-- He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:

Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton

Not going down without a fight

Time Magazine's Matt Cooper and The New York Times' Judith Miller have been in the hotseat for a few months now over their refusal to name names in the investigation into the Valerie Plame case. Yes, the one where the ex-Ambassador, Joe Wilson, got all upset because Robert Novak wrote an article that blew the whistle on the nepotism that got Wilson an Africa gig to find some missing Uranium before the Iraq war in 2003. Seizing on an opportunity to attack the Bush administration, Democrats and the media decried the "Leak" of an undercover CIA agent's name, that would be Plame, to the world, in an apparent act of retribution on the innocent and noble Joe Wilson.

Trouble is, everyone knew Ms. Plame worked for the CIA, and as to the question of whether any law was broken, well...there is no question, the media was out for blood.

But the twist occurred when it turned out that possibly no law had been broken, and then suddenly as the investigation expanded it was reporters who landed in the hot seat. Facing jail time, the reporters relented.

Cooper and New York Times reporter Judith Miller, held in contempt for refusing to name sources, tried Friday to stay out of jail by arguing for home detention instead after Time Inc. surrendered its reporter's notes to a prosecutor.

But, never ones to go down without a fight, analysts are now suggesting that the reporters were risking jail to protect...

...on the syndicated McLaughlin Group political talk show, Lawrence O'Donnell, senior MSNBC political analyst, claimed to know that name--and it is, according to him, top White House mastermind Karl Rove.

Now while the cheering erupts out of places like the Democratic Underground, I must admit I am more than a little skeptical of this. Is it possible? Sure, anything is. Especially since naming Valerie Plame was not breaking the law. But little details like that mean nothing when a scandal is afoot. And this is just the sort of thing Democrats are desperate for when their back is up against the wall...such as when they are scrambling for a way to stop Bush from appointing a conservative Supreme Court Justice. Tarring the Administration is all they have.

Other panelists then joined in discussing whether, if true, this would suggest a perjury rap for Rove, if he told the grand jury he did not leak to Cooper...

...Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., said Friday that several unidentified Senate Republicans had placed a hold on a proposed resolution declaring support for Miller and Cooper.

``Cowards!'' Lautenberg said of the Republicans. ``Under the rules, they have a right to refuse to reveal who they are. Sound familiar?''

Lautenberg's resolution is co-sponsored by Sens. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) It says no purpose is served by imprisoning Miller and Cooper and that the First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press.

Yes, the same Lautenberg who Democrats put on the ballot after the voting rules deadline just because their other candidate was likely to be going to jail. But those are just little rules that mean nothing...wait...what was he saying about rules?

My take on this is...if Karl Rove is named in the documents, the Media will attack, full bore. Democrats will call for impeachment...what is this, the fifth time now? But this also begs the question, what documents?--where did they come from?--who wrote them?--and why... Is it real? We all know the media track record for official documents. Honestly, unless I see a picture of Karl Rove signing the documents the media produces, I'm skeptical. Others may have more faith than I, but witnessing the drive to oust Bush with bogus National Guard memos, I'm sorry, the media is no longer a source of objectivity. They are corporations, they are liberal, they have let their ideology blind them to the whole truth. If the truth hurts Republicans, so be it--I'm conservative, not a Republican. There is a difference. However, I do not want to see the GOP hurt with lies. The TANG memos, the Koran flushing, the Plame game, the selected-not-elected, the mis-represented war for oil and the whole-hearted media enamorment with the Michael Moore philosophy is hurting everyone--both liberals and conservatives.

If Karl Rove leaked the name for clarification purposes--as appears to be the case. I couldn't care less. If he lied to a grand jury, then sorry Karl. But Karl Rove is not stupid. And I'm thinking that Democrats may just hope the whiff of scandal can aid them in their time of need. It has helped them so many times before.

Selective truth for political gain, for power grabbing, is a huge problem in this country. It is rooted in a desire to say "I am right" at any cost. That "my ideology" is right at any cost. And unless we, citizens, start demanding the full truth from our elected officials and our news media then I fear this trend will only accelerate. And then we all lose.

Meanwhile...over in the Middle East...

AP: Abbas Invites Hamas to Join His Cabinet

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has invited the Hamas militant group to join his Cabinet to help oversee the smooth handover of the Gaza Strip after Israel withdraws, a Hamas official said Friday...

...as the withdrawal nears, a fragile truce Abbas reached with Hamas and other militant groups is falling apart. Israeli-Palestinian violence has increased in recent weeks after a lull following a cease-fire accord declared in February.

So let me get this straight. The "fragile" truce is falling apart because of violence from militant groups, of which Hamas is a part. And because of this violence Mahmoud Abbas has decided to invite the terrorists into his Cabinet.

Let me be blunt. This is all a sham. The terror groups want to destroy Israel. Incorporting the terror groups into the government that will soon control Gaza will then give those groups free reign to attack Israel from the new territory. Nothing has changed, nothing will change. The killings will continue.

And as before, it is Israel alone who will bear the burden and do what is necessary to protect its citizens...much to the horror of the U.N. and Europe.

Justice Sandra Day O'Conner retires.

Everyone sit down, buckle up, put your tray tables and seats in the full upright and locked position. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court and a swing vote on abortion as well as other contentious issues, announced her retirement Friday. A bruising Senate confirmation struggle loomed as President Bush selects a successor.

"It has been a great privilege indeed to have served as a member of the court for 24 years," the 75-year-old justice wrote Bush in a one-paragraph resignation letter. "I will leave it with enormous respect for the integrity of the court and its role under our constitutional structure."

And the fight has begun, to label Justice O'Conner's legacy, and then set the tone for the next Justice.

"We'll look back on Justice O'Connor as someone who put reason ahead of ideological fervor, which stands her in stark contrast to many of the judges who might replace her if the radical right gets its way," said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Progress for America, a conservative group, instantly launched a humorous Web-based advertisement meant to anticipate attacks on Bush's as-yet-unknown choice and mock them at the same time.

"The president nominated George Washington for the Supreme Court. Democrats immediately attacked Washington for his environmental record of chopping down cherry trees," it said.

The AP throws out a list of possible replacements, but the Administration isn't saying anything right now. And that is because they are preparing their "A" game before letting the name drop. Until they drop the name, the Democrats--and the media--can only guess and so they have to plan to attack everybody. Pre-emptive attacks will begin...oh probably this afternoon, but the full bore stuff will come once the nominee is named.

An historic day, and some wild times ahead. Thanks for your service Justice O'Conner. Enjoy your retirement.

Update: Planned Parenthood, Moveon.org, on the march...