Myth: Only Smart People Attend UC Berkeley
A picture is worth a thousand words when it comes to the intellectual bankruptcy of the Left.
Friday, September 17, 2004
To An Extent, A Good Decision
A California Court of Appeal has thrown out a case filed by a man who claimed that unmarried/cohabitating couples of the opposite sex should have the same right to file a wrongful death lawsuit as cohabitating same-sex couples.
Jack Holguin said the law's exclusion of unmarried heterosexual couples violates his equal protection rights. Holguin's girlfriend, Tamara Booth, was killed in a car accident. They had lived together for three years, but never married.
The Los Angeles County trial judge dismissed the complaint, and the 1st District affirmed, holding that the state Legislature had "rational bases" for not extending partnership benefits to "cohabiting unmarried couples in general."
Although I understand the illogic of the law that the plaintiff in this matter was trying to expose and eliminate, I think the decision by the Court of Appeal was proper for two reasons: 1) an equal protection violation ruling would have resulted in sexual orientation being given the equivalent status of race, sex and ethnicity (all of which are constitutionally protected classifications); and 2) cohabitation by unmarried couples of the opposite sex would have been legally endorsed (i.e., "blessed").
A California Court of Appeal has thrown out a case filed by a man who claimed that unmarried/cohabitating couples of the opposite sex should have the same right to file a wrongful death lawsuit as cohabitating same-sex couples.
Jack Holguin said the law's exclusion of unmarried heterosexual couples violates his equal protection rights. Holguin's girlfriend, Tamara Booth, was killed in a car accident. They had lived together for three years, but never married.
The Los Angeles County trial judge dismissed the complaint, and the 1st District affirmed, holding that the state Legislature had "rational bases" for not extending partnership benefits to "cohabiting unmarried couples in general."
Although I understand the illogic of the law that the plaintiff in this matter was trying to expose and eliminate, I think the decision by the Court of Appeal was proper for two reasons: 1) an equal protection violation ruling would have resulted in sexual orientation being given the equivalent status of race, sex and ethnicity (all of which are constitutionally protected classifications); and 2) cohabitation by unmarried couples of the opposite sex would have been legally endorsed (i.e., "blessed").
Why "Everybody Loves Raymond" is the Only Reason to Watch CBS
The colonel who allegedly pressed to have Bush's National Guard records "sugarcoated" categorically denies ever having done so.
In his first public statement since "60 Minutes II" aired a program claiming it had unearthed damaging memos, retired Col. Walter Staudt told ABC News that Bush was a highly qualified officer who passed all the necessary tests.
"I never pressured anybody about George Bush because I had no reason to," Staudt said.
Staudt, who served as brigadier general of Bush's unit in Texas, retired in 1972. A purported memo by Bush's squadron commander Col. Jerry Killian dated Aug. 18, 1973 -- 18 months after Staudt left the Guard -- said Staudt was putting on pressure to "sugar coat" the performance evaluation of Lt. Bush.
CBS has tried to explain the discrepancy by suggesting Staudt still was in the sphere of influence.
But Staudt said that after his retirement he had no involvement in Guard affairs.
"I didn't check in with anybody -- I had no reason to," he said. "I was busy with my civilian endeavors, and they were busy with their military options. I had no reason to talk to them, and I didn't."
The colonel who allegedly pressed to have Bush's National Guard records "sugarcoated" categorically denies ever having done so.
In his first public statement since "60 Minutes II" aired a program claiming it had unearthed damaging memos, retired Col. Walter Staudt told ABC News that Bush was a highly qualified officer who passed all the necessary tests.
"I never pressured anybody about George Bush because I had no reason to," Staudt said.
Staudt, who served as brigadier general of Bush's unit in Texas, retired in 1972. A purported memo by Bush's squadron commander Col. Jerry Killian dated Aug. 18, 1973 -- 18 months after Staudt left the Guard -- said Staudt was putting on pressure to "sugar coat" the performance evaluation of Lt. Bush.
CBS has tried to explain the discrepancy by suggesting Staudt still was in the sphere of influence.
But Staudt said that after his retirement he had no involvement in Guard affairs.
"I didn't check in with anybody -- I had no reason to," he said. "I was busy with my civilian endeavors, and they were busy with their military options. I had no reason to talk to them, and I didn't."
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
I Wonder...
Up to now, the White House has been pretty dead silent over Rathergate (sorry, I haven't yet figured out how to superscript the "th" on Blogger). I'm beginning to wonder if the Bush team might have had an inkling that the CBS memos were bogus, but instead of expending their own time and energy in proving it and picking a fight with a big television network, simply left it to the New Media to expose the fraud. Maybe not so out of the question, seeing as how the issue of Bush's military history is largely irrelevant with the American public and the Bush campaign has its own blog.
Up to now, the White House has been pretty dead silent over Rathergate (sorry, I haven't yet figured out how to superscript the "th" on Blogger). I'm beginning to wonder if the Bush team might have had an inkling that the CBS memos were bogus, but instead of expending their own time and energy in proving it and picking a fight with a big television network, simply left it to the New Media to expose the fraud. Maybe not so out of the question, seeing as how the issue of Bush's military history is largely irrelevant with the American public and the Bush campaign has its own blog.
Willful Deception?
Was CBS really duped? The following ABC News report reveals that at least two professional document examiners had expressed some doubt to CBS about the authenticity of the alleged Killian memos. (link via Kerry Spot). Perhaps a congressional investigation into this would be appropriate.
Emily Will, a veteran document examiner from North Carolina, told ABC News she saw problems right away with the one document CBS hired her to check the weekend before the broadcast.
"I found five significant differences in the questioned handwriting, and I found problems with the printing itself as to whether it could have been produced by a typewriter," she said.
Will says she sent the CBS producer an e-mail message about her concerns and strongly urged the network the night before the broadcast not to use the documents.
"I told them that all the questions I was asking them on Tuesday night, they were going to be asked by hundreds of other document examiners on Thursday if they ran that story," Will said.
But the documents became a key part of the 60 Minutes II broadcast questioning President Bush's National Guard service in 1972. CBS made no mention that any expert disputed the authenticity.
"I did not feel that they wanted to investigate it very deeply," Will told ABC News.
A second document examiner hired by CBS News, Linda James of Plano, Texas, also told ABC News she had concerns about the documents and could not authenticate them. She said she expressed her concerns to CBS before the 60 Minutes II broadcast.
"I did not authenticate anything and I don't want it to be misunderstood that I did," James said. "And that's why I have come forth to talk about it because I don't want anybody to think I did authenticate these documents."
Side Note: Nothing like a little network competition to bring out some truth.
Was CBS really duped? The following ABC News report reveals that at least two professional document examiners had expressed some doubt to CBS about the authenticity of the alleged Killian memos. (link via Kerry Spot). Perhaps a congressional investigation into this would be appropriate.
Emily Will, a veteran document examiner from North Carolina, told ABC News she saw problems right away with the one document CBS hired her to check the weekend before the broadcast.
"I found five significant differences in the questioned handwriting, and I found problems with the printing itself as to whether it could have been produced by a typewriter," she said.
Will says she sent the CBS producer an e-mail message about her concerns and strongly urged the network the night before the broadcast not to use the documents.
"I told them that all the questions I was asking them on Tuesday night, they were going to be asked by hundreds of other document examiners on Thursday if they ran that story," Will said.
But the documents became a key part of the 60 Minutes II broadcast questioning President Bush's National Guard service in 1972. CBS made no mention that any expert disputed the authenticity.
"I did not feel that they wanted to investigate it very deeply," Will told ABC News.
A second document examiner hired by CBS News, Linda James of Plano, Texas, also told ABC News she had concerns about the documents and could not authenticate them. She said she expressed her concerns to CBS before the 60 Minutes II broadcast.
"I did not authenticate anything and I don't want it to be misunderstood that I did," James said. "And that's why I have come forth to talk about it because I don't want anybody to think I did authenticate these documents."
Side Note: Nothing like a little network competition to bring out some truth.
No Stranger to Persecution
A priest-journalist recalled the late Bishop Giovanni Gao Kexian of Yantai as "a reserved and timid man" whose name is added to the "ranks of the martyred who gave their lives for Christ in China."
The bishop died "in an unknown prison in northern China," said Father Bernardo Cervellera, director of the AsiaNews agency.
On Saturday the Vatican announced the bishop's death and at the same time confirmed his episcopal consecration.
The 76-year-old prelate died last month, and his body was sent to his relatives. The Vatican noted that there had been no news of him for some time.
Bishop Gao "lived underground for most of his life," Father Cervellera said. " Only now, after his death, has his ordination by the Vatican [as bishop] been made public."
"When he was arrested in 1999, news reports said that he was either a layman or at best a priest ... to avoid him any further legal persecution by China's security apparatus," the director of AsiaNews said.
Only "three years ago was his status as bishop of Shandong [province] finally made public," explained Father Cervellera, of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions.
According to the priest, the prelate had been raised in the Catholic faith among the underground Christians living in China's largest Catholic community, Hebei province.
"Today, there are an estimated 1.5 million Catholics in this province, most of them belonging to the underground Church, guilty in the government's eyes of exercising what in theory is a constitutionally guaranteed right, namely, the right to practice their religion," Father Cervellera said.
A priest-journalist recalled the late Bishop Giovanni Gao Kexian of Yantai as "a reserved and timid man" whose name is added to the "ranks of the martyred who gave their lives for Christ in China."
The bishop died "in an unknown prison in northern China," said Father Bernardo Cervellera, director of the AsiaNews agency.
On Saturday the Vatican announced the bishop's death and at the same time confirmed his episcopal consecration.
The 76-year-old prelate died last month, and his body was sent to his relatives. The Vatican noted that there had been no news of him for some time.
Bishop Gao "lived underground for most of his life," Father Cervellera said. " Only now, after his death, has his ordination by the Vatican [as bishop] been made public."
"When he was arrested in 1999, news reports said that he was either a layman or at best a priest ... to avoid him any further legal persecution by China's security apparatus," the director of AsiaNews said.
Only "three years ago was his status as bishop of Shandong [province] finally made public," explained Father Cervellera, of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions.
According to the priest, the prelate had been raised in the Catholic faith among the underground Christians living in China's largest Catholic community, Hebei province.
"Today, there are an estimated 1.5 million Catholics in this province, most of them belonging to the underground Church, guilty in the government's eyes of exercising what in theory is a constitutionally guaranteed right, namely, the right to practice their religion," Father Cervellera said.
Monday, September 13, 2004
Politically Correct Wimps
L.A. County designs a new "neutral" seal for the purpose of appeasing the "neutral" anti-Christians from the ACLU.
A cross floating in the sky above the Hollywood Bowl was removed from the revamped seal to prevent a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union with regard to the constitutional separation of church and state.
That and the other changes were made with an eye toward retaining the look and feel of the original seal, said county chief administrative officer David Janssen, who oversaw the redesign.
"There was a strong opinion by the county counsel that, if sued, the county would lose," Janssen said. "The county decided to substitute an unconstitutional symbol with another that is presumably constitutional, and yet reflects the same thing: the role of the missionaries in the founding of Los Angeles."
L.A. County designs a new "neutral" seal for the purpose of appeasing the "neutral" anti-Christians from the ACLU.
A cross floating in the sky above the Hollywood Bowl was removed from the revamped seal to prevent a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union with regard to the constitutional separation of church and state.
That and the other changes were made with an eye toward retaining the look and feel of the original seal, said county chief administrative officer David Janssen, who oversaw the redesign.
"There was a strong opinion by the county counsel that, if sued, the county would lose," Janssen said. "The county decided to substitute an unconstitutional symbol with another that is presumably constitutional, and yet reflects the same thing: the role of the missionaries in the founding of Los Angeles."
New Dean is a Starr
Former Whitewater prosecutor, Ken Starr, assumes the dean's position at the Malibu (Malibu!) based and Church of Christ affiliated Pepperdine Law School.
Starr's appointment is generally regarded by Pepperdine and the broader legal community as a boon for the law school. It's widely thought that he has potential to be a star in raising funds and in improving scholarship and teaching, along with attracting high-caliber faculty and students. The law school, founded in 1970, has more than 700 students and 35 professors who are tenured or on track toward earning tenure.
"Profile-wise, he's going to be great, getting our name out there," said Valerie Lopez, a third-year Pepperdine law student from Clifton, N.J. "We don't have the highest reputation in comparison to other schools here, like UCLA or USC."
Pepperdine previously offered Starr the role of dean over both its law and public policy schools in 1997, and he accepted, only to withdraw days later after the disclosure that he would leave the Whitewater probe in midstream created a furor. Starr said his change of plans had nothing to do with the public reaction, but with concerns raised by his Whitewater deputies that it would be "a premature departure" that could hurt the investigation.
Former Whitewater prosecutor, Ken Starr, assumes the dean's position at the Malibu (Malibu!) based and Church of Christ affiliated Pepperdine Law School.
Starr's appointment is generally regarded by Pepperdine and the broader legal community as a boon for the law school. It's widely thought that he has potential to be a star in raising funds and in improving scholarship and teaching, along with attracting high-caliber faculty and students. The law school, founded in 1970, has more than 700 students and 35 professors who are tenured or on track toward earning tenure.
"Profile-wise, he's going to be great, getting our name out there," said Valerie Lopez, a third-year Pepperdine law student from Clifton, N.J. "We don't have the highest reputation in comparison to other schools here, like UCLA or USC."
Pepperdine previously offered Starr the role of dean over both its law and public policy schools in 1997, and he accepted, only to withdraw days later after the disclosure that he would leave the Whitewater probe in midstream created a furor. Starr said his change of plans had nothing to do with the public reaction, but with concerns raised by his Whitewater deputies that it would be "a premature departure" that could hurt the investigation.
Dark Knight For Dads
Well, Robin was his ward, so I guess this makes some sense. (link via Drudge)
A protester dressed as Batman scaled up the front wall of Buckingham Palace on Monday afternoon, reaching a ledge near the balcony where the royal family appears on ceremonial occasions, campaigners and witnesses said.
The protester was identified as Jason Hatch, 33, from Gloucester, a member of the Fathers 4 Justice group, which is campaigning for greater custody rights for divorced or separated fathers.
(...)
"We've got a guy dressed as Batman who's on Buckingham Palace on a balcony." said Matt O'Connor, spokesman for the group.
Well, Robin was his ward, so I guess this makes some sense. (link via Drudge)
A protester dressed as Batman scaled up the front wall of Buckingham Palace on Monday afternoon, reaching a ledge near the balcony where the royal family appears on ceremonial occasions, campaigners and witnesses said.
The protester was identified as Jason Hatch, 33, from Gloucester, a member of the Fathers 4 Justice group, which is campaigning for greater custody rights for divorced or separated fathers.
(...)
"We've got a guy dressed as Batman who's on Buckingham Palace on a balcony." said Matt O'Connor, spokesman for the group.
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