Strike Three
A third federal district court (this time in Lincoln, Nebraska) rules that the federal ban on infanticide is unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf's decision followed two similar rulings in New York and San Francisco. Those rulings are expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"The decision by the court in Nebraska is disappointing but not surprising," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, which specializes in constitutional law and is supporting the Justice Department in defending the ban in court.
"In the opinion, the court refused to consider the expert testimony of well recognized and highly respected medical experts simply because they had not performed abortions. This conclusion is not only legally flawed but shows the hostility the court exhibits to medical experts who have respect for human life," Sekulow said.
"No one expected the constitutionality of the ban on partial-birth abortion to be decided at the federal district court level. We are hopeful that the appeals process will result in overturning the decisions of the lower courts and conclude that the law designed to end the horrific procedure known as partial-birth abortion survives these constitutional challenges," he added.
Sekulow said the cases are expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court where both sides are in for a "lengthy and critical legal battle."
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Out of Bounds!
Recently, Republican US Senate candidate Alan Keyes stated that Christ would not vote for his Democrat opponent, Barack Obama, because Mr. Obama supports the right of a woman to kill her unborn child. While certainly a controversial and politically incorrect statement, it is entirely logical, unless one is of the strange opinion that Christ did or does not regard unborn children as human beings.
Although it is unsurprising that the secular liberal media would be in an uproar over what Keyes said, the same can't really be said for certain self-identified pro-life Catholic political writers and commentators. One such writer/commentator is Rod Dreher from The Corner, who today wrote:
The news from Illinois just gets more and more depressing, doesn't it Kathryn? I'm beginning to think Alan Keyes (R-Saturn) is a Democratic plant. Depressingly enough, I've been involved in some heated debates with fellow pro-life Catholic conservatives regarding the Keyes candidacy. Some of them consider it treason to criticize Keyes, because he's pro-life. Such tunnel vision! If Nicolae Ceaucescu, the communist dictator who banned abortion in Romania, came back to life and declared for US Senate, you'd have these lemmings cheering him on because HEY, he's pro-life!
A little harsh and uncharitable if you ask me.
Recently, Republican US Senate candidate Alan Keyes stated that Christ would not vote for his Democrat opponent, Barack Obama, because Mr. Obama supports the right of a woman to kill her unborn child. While certainly a controversial and politically incorrect statement, it is entirely logical, unless one is of the strange opinion that Christ did or does not regard unborn children as human beings.
Although it is unsurprising that the secular liberal media would be in an uproar over what Keyes said, the same can't really be said for certain self-identified pro-life Catholic political writers and commentators. One such writer/commentator is Rod Dreher from The Corner, who today wrote:
The news from Illinois just gets more and more depressing, doesn't it Kathryn? I'm beginning to think Alan Keyes (R-Saturn) is a Democratic plant. Depressingly enough, I've been involved in some heated debates with fellow pro-life Catholic conservatives regarding the Keyes candidacy. Some of them consider it treason to criticize Keyes, because he's pro-life. Such tunnel vision! If Nicolae Ceaucescu, the communist dictator who banned abortion in Romania, came back to life and declared for US Senate, you'd have these lemmings cheering him on because HEY, he's pro-life!
A little harsh and uncharitable if you ask me.
Profile: Smut Lawyers, LLC
How do legal beagle defenders of porn live with themselves, you might ask? By consistently deluding themselves into thinking that graphic videos and still pictures of people perversely bonking one another is constitutionally protected speech. Of course, they draw the line at defending child porn. Why? Because they don't want to have a 'bad' reputation.
Southern California's San Fernando Valley is the epicenter of the adult entertainment industry. The majority of XXX videos on the market have their roots in this strip of dingy suburbs northeast of downtown Los Angeles. But when the Valley's porn purveyors need a lawyer -- and they always need a lawyer -- many head over the Sepulveda Pass to the upscale enclave of Westwood, where the law offices of Weston, Garrou & DeWitt rest high in an innocuous white office tower.
There, surrounded by sports memorabilia, generations of family photos, and a panoramic view of the West L.A. hills, attorney Clyde DeWitt has carved out a reputation as one of the pre-eminent specialists in adult entertainment law. The five-partner practice is one of the only firms in the U.S. to focus on this unusual area, which encompasses issues from free speech to contracts to copyrights.
"It's a lot of fun," says DeWitt, a stocky 55-year-old with a rumbling baritone voice. "First Amendment is the centerpiece of what we do, because the overwhelming majority of our clients' problems are the government trying to regulate them in one way or another."
How do legal beagle defenders of porn live with themselves, you might ask? By consistently deluding themselves into thinking that graphic videos and still pictures of people perversely bonking one another is constitutionally protected speech. Of course, they draw the line at defending child porn. Why? Because they don't want to have a 'bad' reputation.
Southern California's San Fernando Valley is the epicenter of the adult entertainment industry. The majority of XXX videos on the market have their roots in this strip of dingy suburbs northeast of downtown Los Angeles. But when the Valley's porn purveyors need a lawyer -- and they always need a lawyer -- many head over the Sepulveda Pass to the upscale enclave of Westwood, where the law offices of Weston, Garrou & DeWitt rest high in an innocuous white office tower.
There, surrounded by sports memorabilia, generations of family photos, and a panoramic view of the West L.A. hills, attorney Clyde DeWitt has carved out a reputation as one of the pre-eminent specialists in adult entertainment law. The five-partner practice is one of the only firms in the U.S. to focus on this unusual area, which encompasses issues from free speech to contracts to copyrights.
"It's a lot of fun," says DeWitt, a stocky 55-year-old with a rumbling baritone voice. "First Amendment is the centerpiece of what we do, because the overwhelming majority of our clients' problems are the government trying to regulate them in one way or another."
Running Amuck
A Washington State judge effectively rules that homosexuality is the equivalent of race and ethnicity, thus finally enabling some Caucasion males the ability to claim minority status. Twisted.
Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks was the second trial judge in four weeks to strike down Washington's Defense of Marriage Act, overwhelmingly approved by the Legislature six years ago.
Hicks, in a 38-page ruling, wrote, "The clear intent of the Legislature to limit government approved contracts of marriage to opposite-sex couples is in direct conflict with the constitutional intent to not allow a privilege to one class of a community that is not allowed to the entire community."
But Hicks went further, finding that under Washington's Constitution, homosexuals are a so-called suspect class, groups with such immutable characteristics as race or sex that entitle them to equal protection of the law.
King County Superior Court Judge William Downing, in his Aug. 4 ruling, had declined to find homosexuals a protected class, based on federal law.
Hicks' finding surprised some legal observers and outraged gay-marriage opponents.
"The court is taking a significant step in deciding the issue this way," said Peter Nicolas, a University of Washington law professor who teaches a course in sexual-orientation law. "A lot of decisions, including some from the U.S. Supreme Court, have said just the opposite."
A Washington State judge effectively rules that homosexuality is the equivalent of race and ethnicity, thus finally enabling some Caucasion males the ability to claim minority status. Twisted.
Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks was the second trial judge in four weeks to strike down Washington's Defense of Marriage Act, overwhelmingly approved by the Legislature six years ago.
Hicks, in a 38-page ruling, wrote, "The clear intent of the Legislature to limit government approved contracts of marriage to opposite-sex couples is in direct conflict with the constitutional intent to not allow a privilege to one class of a community that is not allowed to the entire community."
But Hicks went further, finding that under Washington's Constitution, homosexuals are a so-called suspect class, groups with such immutable characteristics as race or sex that entitle them to equal protection of the law.
King County Superior Court Judge William Downing, in his Aug. 4 ruling, had declined to find homosexuals a protected class, based on federal law.
Hicks' finding surprised some legal observers and outraged gay-marriage opponents.
"The court is taking a significant step in deciding the issue this way," said Peter Nicolas, a University of Washington law professor who teaches a course in sexual-orientation law. "A lot of decisions, including some from the U.S. Supreme Court, have said just the opposite."
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
The Intolerance of the "Tolerant" Left
To be a conservative Republican in San Francisco is almost like being a Ronald Reagan admirer in Cuba. I think the only thing that prevents some of these Brownshirt leftists from harrassing me is the fact that I'm of Asian descent (sometimes, playing the race card can be a good thing). (Link via Mark Shea)
The Bay Area prides itself on its openness and acceptance, but many local Republicans said they have been met with intense hostility for their political beliefs. They said they've endured everything from rude remarks to threats and physical violence.
Some said the McCarthy-era paranoia about Communists aptly describes how they often feel.
"There's a lot of teachers out there that are closet Republicans because they are so afraid if they say anything in their workplace, they will be retaliated against," said Karen King, the chair of the County's Republican Party. "That's the ugliness that I would like to get rid of. At the end of the day, I'd like to think the opposition believes in free speech as well."
Jennifer Kerns, a spokeswoman for Republican Assembly candidate Steve Poizner's campaign, said trying to register voters as Republicans in San Mateo County can be a depressing -- or even dangerous -- activity.
"One person had hot coffee thrown on him. Others have had registration forms torn up or kicked off tables. They've also been called racial slurs," Kerns said of voter-registration workers.
To be a conservative Republican in San Francisco is almost like being a Ronald Reagan admirer in Cuba. I think the only thing that prevents some of these Brownshirt leftists from harrassing me is the fact that I'm of Asian descent (sometimes, playing the race card can be a good thing). (Link via Mark Shea)
The Bay Area prides itself on its openness and acceptance, but many local Republicans said they have been met with intense hostility for their political beliefs. They said they've endured everything from rude remarks to threats and physical violence.
Some said the McCarthy-era paranoia about Communists aptly describes how they often feel.
"There's a lot of teachers out there that are closet Republicans because they are so afraid if they say anything in their workplace, they will be retaliated against," said Karen King, the chair of the County's Republican Party. "That's the ugliness that I would like to get rid of. At the end of the day, I'd like to think the opposition believes in free speech as well."
Jennifer Kerns, a spokeswoman for Republican Assembly candidate Steve Poizner's campaign, said trying to register voters as Republicans in San Mateo County can be a depressing -- or even dangerous -- activity.
"One person had hot coffee thrown on him. Others have had registration forms torn up or kicked off tables. They've also been called racial slurs," Kerns said of voter-registration workers.
Much Like His Native Fresno
Republican US Senate candidate Bill Jones seems to be an afterthought for most folks in California. Darned shame too, 'cause even though I fault Jones for switching his endorsement from Bush to McCain back in 2000, and for midwiving California's short lived and unconstitutional 'open primary' system, I really really can't stand Baghdad Barbara Boxer.
Support from Bush — which seems tepid at best — won't do Jones much good in a state where only two of five likely voters say they back the president. And though a public embrace from Schwarzenegger, whose job-approval rating stands above 60%, might help, the freshman governor so far has kept Jones at arm's length.
This is Jones' quandary. Despite campaign swings by such high-profile Republicans as Vice President Dick Cheney, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Sen. John McCain, the Republican Party has not given Jones the kind of support it has given candidates in other states, a disengagement that has left the former Fresno-area rancher mired in a political bog of low name recognition, low fundraising and low voter interest.
(...)
Only half of likely Republican voters were satisfied with Jones as their candidate, though 77% said they would vote for him, according to an August poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. Nearly three-fourths of Democrats were satisfied Boxer was their candidate, and 87% said they'd vote for her.
Republican US Senate candidate Bill Jones seems to be an afterthought for most folks in California. Darned shame too, 'cause even though I fault Jones for switching his endorsement from Bush to McCain back in 2000, and for midwiving California's short lived and unconstitutional 'open primary' system, I really really can't stand Baghdad Barbara Boxer.
Support from Bush — which seems tepid at best — won't do Jones much good in a state where only two of five likely voters say they back the president. And though a public embrace from Schwarzenegger, whose job-approval rating stands above 60%, might help, the freshman governor so far has kept Jones at arm's length.
This is Jones' quandary. Despite campaign swings by such high-profile Republicans as Vice President Dick Cheney, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Sen. John McCain, the Republican Party has not given Jones the kind of support it has given candidates in other states, a disengagement that has left the former Fresno-area rancher mired in a political bog of low name recognition, low fundraising and low voter interest.
(...)
Only half of likely Republican voters were satisfied with Jones as their candidate, though 77% said they would vote for him, according to an August poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. Nearly three-fourths of Democrats were satisfied Boxer was their candidate, and 87% said they'd vote for her.
Get Thee To The Confessionals!
Mischievous Catholic boarding school students get caught pulling a big prank that the German media fell hook, line and sinker for.
Reports that a Catholic boarding school had objected to new sweet wrappers for portraying "fruits in sexual positions" turned out to be based on a prank by schoolboys, shame-faced officials said.
Germany's tabloid press had trumpeted the allegations of "sugar candies depicted as having sex with lemons" on the wrappers of new Maoam candies by the Bonn-based Haribo confection company.
The source of the complaints was a letter from St Blasien Jesuit College near Bonn, stating that wrappers in bright yellow, red and green colours show lemons, limes, strawberries, cherries and oranges playfully engaging in sex.
"We are shocked at the shameless presentation of sexual practices on the wrapping," wrote the college in a letter complaining about the new packaging of Moaom fruit chews.
But the letter turned out to have been a hoax perpetrated by pupils at the school who admitted writing it and posting it on the Internet "as a joke".
Mischievous Catholic boarding school students get caught pulling a big prank that the German media fell hook, line and sinker for.
Reports that a Catholic boarding school had objected to new sweet wrappers for portraying "fruits in sexual positions" turned out to be based on a prank by schoolboys, shame-faced officials said.
Germany's tabloid press had trumpeted the allegations of "sugar candies depicted as having sex with lemons" on the wrappers of new Maoam candies by the Bonn-based Haribo confection company.
The source of the complaints was a letter from St Blasien Jesuit College near Bonn, stating that wrappers in bright yellow, red and green colours show lemons, limes, strawberries, cherries and oranges playfully engaging in sex.
"We are shocked at the shameless presentation of sexual practices on the wrapping," wrote the college in a letter complaining about the new packaging of Moaom fruit chews.
But the letter turned out to have been a hoax perpetrated by pupils at the school who admitted writing it and posting it on the Internet "as a joke".
Friday, September 03, 2004
Liberal, Shrill and Stupid
An anti-Bush protestor hits the trifecta of obnoxiousness.
A massive protest outside Madison Square Garden featured at least one sign asking where John Hinckley was.
The prominently displayed sign read, "Where is John Hinckley when we really need him?" It featured a bullet hole with dripping red blood.
(...)
When asked how he interpreted the sign, the man who refused to be identified, said, "Gosh, I don't know."
An anti-Bush protestor hits the trifecta of obnoxiousness.
A massive protest outside Madison Square Garden featured at least one sign asking where John Hinckley was.
The prominently displayed sign read, "Where is John Hinckley when we really need him?" It featured a bullet hole with dripping red blood.
(...)
When asked how he interpreted the sign, the man who refused to be identified, said, "Gosh, I don't know."
California's Pedophile Protection Act
From our bulging "Evil Fruits Produced by Worshippers at the High Altar of Abortion" file:
Openly lesbian California Senator Sheila Keuhl (D) authored and is promoting Senate Bill 1313 in the State of California. The bill has gotten past both houses of the Democratically controlled California State Legislature and is on its way to Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk for signature. SB 1313 drastically reduces the requirements for mandatory reporting of the known or suspected sexual, physical and emotional abuse of children. Critics are calling this bill the "Pedophile Protection Act."
Under existing criminal law, all persons who regularly come into contact with children are required to report any instance where there is reason to believe that a child has been molested or abused. Typical mandatory reporters include pastors, priests, church volunteers, teachers, school volunteers, and medical personnel. Incredibly, SB1313 would completely eliminate mandatory reporting for anyone who can be characterized as a "volunteer."
Critics warn that if SB1313 passes, thousands of victims of past and continuing sexual abuse may go unnoticed. SB1313 also eliminates mandatory reporting in cases where children are having sex with each other, and severe emotional abuse many no longer be a reportable event at all.
(...)
The issue was given national coverage following the presentation of evidence that Planned Parenthood had seen over 30,000 children in California, and that not one instance of reporting to law enforcement could be found. State-required demographic data provided by Planned Parenthood to the State of California demonstrated that the volunteers and paid staff of Planned Parenthood had seen children ages 6 and under for sexually transmitted disease treatment. Ackerman and others could not find a single report coming from Planned Parenthood to any law enforcement agency concerning these children.
From our bulging "Evil Fruits Produced by Worshippers at the High Altar of Abortion" file:
Openly lesbian California Senator Sheila Keuhl (D) authored and is promoting Senate Bill 1313 in the State of California. The bill has gotten past both houses of the Democratically controlled California State Legislature and is on its way to Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk for signature. SB 1313 drastically reduces the requirements for mandatory reporting of the known or suspected sexual, physical and emotional abuse of children. Critics are calling this bill the "Pedophile Protection Act."
Under existing criminal law, all persons who regularly come into contact with children are required to report any instance where there is reason to believe that a child has been molested or abused. Typical mandatory reporters include pastors, priests, church volunteers, teachers, school volunteers, and medical personnel. Incredibly, SB1313 would completely eliminate mandatory reporting for anyone who can be characterized as a "volunteer."
Critics warn that if SB1313 passes, thousands of victims of past and continuing sexual abuse may go unnoticed. SB1313 also eliminates mandatory reporting in cases where children are having sex with each other, and severe emotional abuse many no longer be a reportable event at all.
(...)
The issue was given national coverage following the presentation of evidence that Planned Parenthood had seen over 30,000 children in California, and that not one instance of reporting to law enforcement could be found. State-required demographic data provided by Planned Parenthood to the State of California demonstrated that the volunteers and paid staff of Planned Parenthood had seen children ages 6 and under for sexually transmitted disease treatment. Ackerman and others could not find a single report coming from Planned Parenthood to any law enforcement agency concerning these children.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Could the Radical Left Be Any More Shrill?
Sometimes it's just really hard to see these folks as fellow human beings. From outside the GOP Convention in New York:
A featured performer at a National Organization for Women rally accused President Bush of having "savagely raped " women "over and over" by allegedly stealing the 2000 presidential election.
Poet Molly Birnbaum read aloud to a crowd of feminists gathered in New York's Central Park on Wednesday night, as part of a NOW event dubbed "Code Red: Stop the Bush Agenda Rally."
"Imagine a way to erase that night four years ago when you (President Bush) savagely raped every pandemic woman over and over with each vote you got, a thrust with each state you stole," Birnbaum said from the podium. (If something is pandemic, it affects many people or a number of countries.)
"A smack with each bill you passed, a tear with each right you took until you left me disenfranchised with hands shackled and voice restrained. Thanks for that night, Mr. President, I can barely remember my tomorrows," Birnbaum said to applause.
(...)
Another poet, Stacey Ann Chin, declared from the podium that men have no right to tell women not to have an abortion.
Men will not decide "if I am allowed to eject something from my womb. Be it rape or error, it has always been my right, always been my body to do with as I choose," Chin screamed to cheers. Chin said she wants her message to be so powerful that Bush will cower in fear."
I want to be that voice that makes George Bush so scared he hires two butch black bodyguards. I want to write the poem that the New York Times will not print because it might start some kind of black or lesbian or even a white revolution," Chin said.
Sometimes it's just really hard to see these folks as fellow human beings. From outside the GOP Convention in New York:
A featured performer at a National Organization for Women rally accused President Bush of having "savagely raped " women "over and over" by allegedly stealing the 2000 presidential election.
Poet Molly Birnbaum read aloud to a crowd of feminists gathered in New York's Central Park on Wednesday night, as part of a NOW event dubbed "Code Red: Stop the Bush Agenda Rally."
"Imagine a way to erase that night four years ago when you (President Bush) savagely raped every pandemic woman over and over with each vote you got, a thrust with each state you stole," Birnbaum said from the podium. (If something is pandemic, it affects many people or a number of countries.)
"A smack with each bill you passed, a tear with each right you took until you left me disenfranchised with hands shackled and voice restrained. Thanks for that night, Mr. President, I can barely remember my tomorrows," Birnbaum said to applause.
(...)
Another poet, Stacey Ann Chin, declared from the podium that men have no right to tell women not to have an abortion.
Men will not decide "if I am allowed to eject something from my womb. Be it rape or error, it has always been my right, always been my body to do with as I choose," Chin screamed to cheers. Chin said she wants her message to be so powerful that Bush will cower in fear."
I want to be that voice that makes George Bush so scared he hires two butch black bodyguards. I want to write the poem that the New York Times will not print because it might start some kind of black or lesbian or even a white revolution," Chin said.
They Can't Handle the Truth!
Establishment GOPers in Illinois are aghast over Alan Keyes sounding like, I don't know, the Pope?
Illinois Republican Chairman Judy Baar Topinka said Wednesday her party's nominee for U.S. Senate, Alan Keyes, should apologize for his "idiotic" comment vice presidential daughter Mary Cheney and all homosexuals are "selfish hedonists."
But Keyes refused to back down Wednesday, even as Vice President Dick Cheney addressed the Republican National Convention.
"In a homosexual relationship, there is nothing implied except the self-fulfillment, contentment and satisfaction of the parties involved in the relationship," said Keyes, who holds a Ph.D from Harvard University. "That means it is a self-centered, self-fulfilling, selfish relationship that seeks to use the organs intended for procreation for purposes of pleasure. The word pleasure in Greek is hedone and we get the word hedonism from that word."
"You have intervened in order to try to personalize the discussion of an issue that I did not personalize," Keyes told reporters at an Illinois delegation caucus. "The people asking me the question did so and if that's inappropriate, blame the media. Don't blame me."
(...)
Building up to his trademark high-decibel fever pitch, Keyes shouted, "We shall deal with the challenge that is being mounted today to the family structure throughout our country: Gay marriage activists who are demanding that we should take marriage off the foundation of procreation, child rearing, responsibility to the future, that is the true heart of marriage and place it on a basis of selfishness, pleasure-seeking and self-fulfillment."
Some delegates clapped enthusiastically. Other rolled their eyes and clapped silently. Topinka stayed in another room during his speech.
After his eight-minute speech, Keyes was asked if heterosexual couples who don't or can't have children are hedonists.
"The heterosexual relationship is haunted by the possibility of the child, which means you have to commit yourself somewhere to your head to the possibility of a lifelong commitment that involves not only selfish pleasure but sometimes sacrifice."
Establishment GOPers in Illinois are aghast over Alan Keyes sounding like, I don't know, the Pope?
Illinois Republican Chairman Judy Baar Topinka said Wednesday her party's nominee for U.S. Senate, Alan Keyes, should apologize for his "idiotic" comment vice presidential daughter Mary Cheney and all homosexuals are "selfish hedonists."
But Keyes refused to back down Wednesday, even as Vice President Dick Cheney addressed the Republican National Convention.
"In a homosexual relationship, there is nothing implied except the self-fulfillment, contentment and satisfaction of the parties involved in the relationship," said Keyes, who holds a Ph.D from Harvard University. "That means it is a self-centered, self-fulfilling, selfish relationship that seeks to use the organs intended for procreation for purposes of pleasure. The word pleasure in Greek is hedone and we get the word hedonism from that word."
"You have intervened in order to try to personalize the discussion of an issue that I did not personalize," Keyes told reporters at an Illinois delegation caucus. "The people asking me the question did so and if that's inappropriate, blame the media. Don't blame me."
(...)
Building up to his trademark high-decibel fever pitch, Keyes shouted, "We shall deal with the challenge that is being mounted today to the family structure throughout our country: Gay marriage activists who are demanding that we should take marriage off the foundation of procreation, child rearing, responsibility to the future, that is the true heart of marriage and place it on a basis of selfishness, pleasure-seeking and self-fulfillment."
Some delegates clapped enthusiastically. Other rolled their eyes and clapped silently. Topinka stayed in another room during his speech.
After his eight-minute speech, Keyes was asked if heterosexual couples who don't or can't have children are hedonists.
"The heterosexual relationship is haunted by the possibility of the child, which means you have to commit yourself somewhere to your head to the possibility of a lifelong commitment that involves not only selfish pleasure but sometimes sacrifice."
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Borrowing From Kathy Shaidle: A Man, A Mission, and A Fax Machine
Bill Donahue of the Catholic League plans on asking the IRS to investigate a church that appears to have hosted a partisan political rally. This is a no no for tax exempt organizations.
The Catholic League said the bishop of Miami's New Birth Baptist Church, Bishop Victor T. Curry, "welcomed" former Democratic presidential candidate Rev. Al Sharpton and the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe.
"Rev. Sharpton, speaking from the pulpit, added to the politicized atmosphere by shouting, 'We're not people who are going to be beat twice,'" Catholic League President William Donohue said."
But no one was more partisan than McAuliffe: 'Bush has misled us for four years and will not mislead us for the next four years. Get out to vote and we'll send Bush back to Texas.' Consequently, the Catholic League will ask the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of this church," he added.
Bill Donahue of the Catholic League plans on asking the IRS to investigate a church that appears to have hosted a partisan political rally. This is a no no for tax exempt organizations.
The Catholic League said the bishop of Miami's New Birth Baptist Church, Bishop Victor T. Curry, "welcomed" former Democratic presidential candidate Rev. Al Sharpton and the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe.
"Rev. Sharpton, speaking from the pulpit, added to the politicized atmosphere by shouting, 'We're not people who are going to be beat twice,'" Catholic League President William Donohue said."
But no one was more partisan than McAuliffe: 'Bush has misled us for four years and will not mislead us for the next four years. Get out to vote and we'll send Bush back to Texas.' Consequently, the Catholic League will ask the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of this church," he added.
Monday, August 30, 2004
Proving Once Again Why They Are The Lame-Stream Media
Who's more stupid? Liberals in the lame-stream media or liberals who consistently deny that there is a liberal bias in the lame-stream media?
After sending out a routine press release responding to a judge's decision against the partial-birth abortion ban, the National Right to Life Committee received a scathing email from Todd Eastham, a Reuters editor in Washington.
"What's your plan for parenting and educating all the unwanted children you people want to bring into the world," Eastham asks. "Who will pay for policing our streets and maintaining the prisons needed to contain them when you, their parents and the system fail them?"
"Oh, sorry. All that money has been earmarked to pay off the Bush deficit," Eastham continues.
"Give me a frigging break, will you?"
Douglas Johnson, NRLC's legislative director, received the email and said he was shocked to see Eastham's response.
"It is sad, but revealing, to see an editor for a major news service so casually and gratuitously express such blatant hostility to both the Bush Administration and to the right to life of unborn children," Johnson said in response.
"We can only wonder at how such vehement opinions may color Mr. Eastham's reporting or editing on subjects such as abortion and the Bush Administration," Johnson added.
Who's more stupid? Liberals in the lame-stream media or liberals who consistently deny that there is a liberal bias in the lame-stream media?
After sending out a routine press release responding to a judge's decision against the partial-birth abortion ban, the National Right to Life Committee received a scathing email from Todd Eastham, a Reuters editor in Washington.
"What's your plan for parenting and educating all the unwanted children you people want to bring into the world," Eastham asks. "Who will pay for policing our streets and maintaining the prisons needed to contain them when you, their parents and the system fail them?"
"Oh, sorry. All that money has been earmarked to pay off the Bush deficit," Eastham continues.
"Give me a frigging break, will you?"
Douglas Johnson, NRLC's legislative director, received the email and said he was shocked to see Eastham's response.
"It is sad, but revealing, to see an editor for a major news service so casually and gratuitously express such blatant hostility to both the Bush Administration and to the right to life of unborn children," Johnson said in response.
"We can only wonder at how such vehement opinions may color Mr. Eastham's reporting or editing on subjects such as abortion and the Bush Administration," Johnson added.
Defrocked Priests Are All Crazy
But we all pretty much knew that already, didn't we. At least it was an interesting end to, what was for me at least, an otherwise boring Olympics.
Vanderlei de Lima was tiring. That much was clear.
The compact, 35-year-old Brazilian had slipped ahead of the Olympic marathon pack 63 minutes into Sunday's race, but his pursuers had sliced his 40-second lead to 25 as they pounded from Marathon toward Athens on roads still radiating heat. After an hour and 52 minutes, in the 22nd mile, Italy's Stefano Baldini and the United States' Meb Keflezighi were poised to pass the laboring Brazilian, with world-record holder Paul Tergat of Kenya not far behind.
De Lima never got the chance to discover if he could have held off the fresh-looking Baldini and the smooth-striding Keflezighi.
The course of his race — and, perhaps, of the Athens Olympic marathon finish — changed when a defrocked Irish priest with a history of trespassing at sports events and a hand-lettered sign alluding to the Bible affixed to his back darted onto the road and pushed the startled De Lima into spectators watching the final event of the Games.
The intruder, identified by police as 57-year-old Cornelius Horan, had run onto the track of a British Formula One Grand Prix race last year wearing a kilt and beret similar to those he wore Sunday. He also had caused a disturbance on the grounds of Wimbledon last year and tried to disrupt cricket and rugby matches.
Horan, whose sign bore the words, "The Grand Prix Priest. Israel Fulfillment of Prophecy Says The Bible. The Second Coming is Near," was subdued by several bystanders and a Hellenic National police officer who was escorting the runners on a bicycle. Horan was arrested and will appear in court in Athens today, police sources said, though it's unclear what the charges against him will be.
But we all pretty much knew that already, didn't we. At least it was an interesting end to, what was for me at least, an otherwise boring Olympics.
Vanderlei de Lima was tiring. That much was clear.
The compact, 35-year-old Brazilian had slipped ahead of the Olympic marathon pack 63 minutes into Sunday's race, but his pursuers had sliced his 40-second lead to 25 as they pounded from Marathon toward Athens on roads still radiating heat. After an hour and 52 minutes, in the 22nd mile, Italy's Stefano Baldini and the United States' Meb Keflezighi were poised to pass the laboring Brazilian, with world-record holder Paul Tergat of Kenya not far behind.
De Lima never got the chance to discover if he could have held off the fresh-looking Baldini and the smooth-striding Keflezighi.
The course of his race — and, perhaps, of the Athens Olympic marathon finish — changed when a defrocked Irish priest with a history of trespassing at sports events and a hand-lettered sign alluding to the Bible affixed to his back darted onto the road and pushed the startled De Lima into spectators watching the final event of the Games.
The intruder, identified by police as 57-year-old Cornelius Horan, had run onto the track of a British Formula One Grand Prix race last year wearing a kilt and beret similar to those he wore Sunday. He also had caused a disturbance on the grounds of Wimbledon last year and tried to disrupt cricket and rugby matches.
Horan, whose sign bore the words, "The Grand Prix Priest. Israel Fulfillment of Prophecy Says The Bible. The Second Coming is Near," was subdued by several bystanders and a Hellenic National police officer who was escorting the runners on a bicycle. Horan was arrested and will appear in court in Athens today, police sources said, though it's unclear what the charges against him will be.
Saturday, August 28, 2004
What Media Bias?
One out of over 2,000 delegates in the Republican Party decides to drop out of the convention and vote Democrat, and UPI deems it to be newsworthy.
One out of over 2,000 delegates in the Republican Party decides to drop out of the convention and vote Democrat, and UPI deems it to be newsworthy.
It's Only Inappropriate When Conservatives or Republicans are Involved
"Billary" will be making a publicized appearance at the Riverside Church of New York. Not a peep from the Americans(?) United for the Separation of Church and State Brownshirts.
"Billary" will be making a publicized appearance at the Riverside Church of New York. Not a peep from the Americans(?) United for the Separation of Church and State Brownshirts.
It May Be the State Capitol
But it seems to me that the scandal involving California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley is barely on the radar screens of anybody outside of Sacramento. Heck, I wonder if most people in California even know what the Secretary of State even does. Anyway, a summary of the situation by Sacto radio guy Eric Hogue:
Kevin Shelley was on course to become a major player for the Democrat Party in the next gubernatorial campaign. After a 'leak' to the San Fran Chronicle on Sunday, August 8th, Shelley is now facing a deep investigation from the FBI and may not finish his term in Sacramento.
Over the past month, Shelley is the target of illegal campaign contributions and practices, a charge of abuse behavior in his office and with co-workers...and today in the Sacramento Bee a charge that he is down right vulgar, if not perverted.
There are also reports of Shelley leaving his office for hours only to return looking tattered, carrying a toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash.
But it seems to me that the scandal involving California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley is barely on the radar screens of anybody outside of Sacramento. Heck, I wonder if most people in California even know what the Secretary of State even does. Anyway, a summary of the situation by Sacto radio guy Eric Hogue:
Kevin Shelley was on course to become a major player for the Democrat Party in the next gubernatorial campaign. After a 'leak' to the San Fran Chronicle on Sunday, August 8th, Shelley is now facing a deep investigation from the FBI and may not finish his term in Sacramento.
Over the past month, Shelley is the target of illegal campaign contributions and practices, a charge of abuse behavior in his office and with co-workers...and today in the Sacramento Bee a charge that he is down right vulgar, if not perverted.
There are also reports of Shelley leaving his office for hours only to return looking tattered, carrying a toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash.
Friday, August 27, 2004
What's Really Sad is That I'm Not Even Surprised
From Jack Fowler at The Corner:
When I saw the name – Richard Casey – of the federal judge who struck down Congress’ ban on partial-birth abortion this week, I had a queasy feeling that he was a product of Catholic education. Is he ever: Casey (a Clinton appointee) graduated from the College of the Holy Cross (my alma mater too) in 1955 and Georgetown University Law School in 1958. The double-Jebbie grad is a mover amongst the hierarchy: According to the Fall 1999 issue of the Holy Cross Magazine, Casey received the “Blessed Hyacinth Cormier O.P. Medal at the Angelicum in Rome. ... The citation recognized his ‘outstanding leadership in the promotion of Gospel Values in the field of justice and ethics.’” His good buddy, Syracuse Bishop James Moynihan, wrote a gooey hosanna to Casey last year in the diocesan newspaper, referring to his being a daily communicant and having a special devotion to rosary. And Catholic New York reports that Casey and Cardinal Edward Egan “have been friends for years and have visited Lourdes together three times.”
From Jack Fowler at The Corner:
When I saw the name – Richard Casey – of the federal judge who struck down Congress’ ban on partial-birth abortion this week, I had a queasy feeling that he was a product of Catholic education. Is he ever: Casey (a Clinton appointee) graduated from the College of the Holy Cross (my alma mater too) in 1955 and Georgetown University Law School in 1958. The double-Jebbie grad is a mover amongst the hierarchy: According to the Fall 1999 issue of the Holy Cross Magazine, Casey received the “Blessed Hyacinth Cormier O.P. Medal at the Angelicum in Rome. ... The citation recognized his ‘outstanding leadership in the promotion of Gospel Values in the field of justice and ethics.’” His good buddy, Syracuse Bishop James Moynihan, wrote a gooey hosanna to Casey last year in the diocesan newspaper, referring to his being a daily communicant and having a special devotion to rosary. And Catholic New York reports that Casey and Cardinal Edward Egan “have been friends for years and have visited Lourdes together three times.”
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Would You Have Expected Anything Else From the Party of Clinton?
Rather than answering the charges on an issue that Scary Kerry himself raised, the 'Rats are scurrying about like cockroaches looking for dirt on the Swifties.
According to a report in the New York Daily News, one of the targets is veteran James Zumwalt, son of illustrious Adm. Elmo Zumwalt.
The paper says it has received part of the dossier on Zumwalt, which claims he "attempted to kill himself with an overdose of prescription drugs," after the murder of his ex-wife's fiance, John Kowalczyk, and was "convicted of reckless driving after chasing Kowalczyk at a high speed on the highway."
Zumwalt was one of the veterans who signed an initial letter opposing Kerry in May.
Rather than answering the charges on an issue that Scary Kerry himself raised, the 'Rats are scurrying about like cockroaches looking for dirt on the Swifties.
According to a report in the New York Daily News, one of the targets is veteran James Zumwalt, son of illustrious Adm. Elmo Zumwalt.
The paper says it has received part of the dossier on Zumwalt, which claims he "attempted to kill himself with an overdose of prescription drugs," after the murder of his ex-wife's fiance, John Kowalczyk, and was "convicted of reckless driving after chasing Kowalczyk at a high speed on the highway."
Zumwalt was one of the veterans who signed an initial letter opposing Kerry in May.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Throw the Bum Out!
Floridians will be voting for state judges on Aug. 31, and the man who sentenced Terry Schiavo to death is being opposed by a local attorney named Jan Govan, whom I am presuming is against starving people simply because they are unable to move or orally communicate.
Floridians will be voting for state judges on Aug. 31, and the man who sentenced Terry Schiavo to death is being opposed by a local attorney named Jan Govan, whom I am presuming is against starving people simply because they are unable to move or orally communicate.
Res Ipsa Loquitur
Vincent Damon Furnier, aka Alice Cooper, on rock stars and politics:
"If you're listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, you're a bigger moron than they are. Why are we rock stars? Because we're morons. We sleep all day, we play music at night and very rarely do we sit around reading the Washington Journal."
Vincent Damon Furnier, aka Alice Cooper, on rock stars and politics:
"If you're listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, you're a bigger moron than they are. Why are we rock stars? Because we're morons. We sleep all day, we play music at night and very rarely do we sit around reading the Washington Journal."
Monday, August 23, 2004
Kerry's "Web of Connections"
You have to wonder if Kerry's lawyers, or even Kerry himself, took some time to think that someone might actually make this connection before filing their complaint about the Swift Boat ads with the FEC.
You have to wonder if Kerry's lawyers, or even Kerry himself, took some time to think that someone might actually make this connection before filing their complaint about the Swift Boat ads with the FEC.
Public Schools Suck
And so do most of their lawyers. I can't believe the idiot quoted below is effectively categorizing Christian-based messages as "hate speech."
On April 22, sophomore Tyler Chase Harper, 16, wore a shirt with hand-written anti-gay phrases, including "Homosexuality is shameful." He wore it the day after a campus observance of tolerance of gay and lesbian people called "A Day of Silence."
A teacher told Chase, who prefers to go by his middle name, that the slogans violated the school's dress-code ban on "hate behavior." The teacher sent him to the administration office, where he remained for the rest of the day.
With the help of an Arizona-based Christian legal group, Chase filed a federal lawsuit in June, saying school officials violated his civil rights.
His lawyers, the Alliance Defense Fund, cited free-speech cases dating from the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement in asking a federal judge to order the school district not to censor student speech.
School officials encourage students to say homosexuality is acceptable but muzzle those who say it's dangerous, lawyer Robert Tyler wrote in court filings.
Poway Unified School District lawyer Daniel Shinoff said administrators have the authority to ban the T-shirt and cited cases allowing schools to outlaw Confederate flags and clothing depicting controversial musician Marilyn Manson.
He said hateful speech is not guaranteed protection by the First Amendment and is asking U.S. District Judge John A. Houston to throw out the case.
"Homosexuals and bisexuals have the right to go to school without being accosted by offensive words no differently than Jewish students have the right to be free from a symbol offensive to them, such as a swastika," he wrote.
And so do most of their lawyers. I can't believe the idiot quoted below is effectively categorizing Christian-based messages as "hate speech."
On April 22, sophomore Tyler Chase Harper, 16, wore a shirt with hand-written anti-gay phrases, including "Homosexuality is shameful." He wore it the day after a campus observance of tolerance of gay and lesbian people called "A Day of Silence."
A teacher told Chase, who prefers to go by his middle name, that the slogans violated the school's dress-code ban on "hate behavior." The teacher sent him to the administration office, where he remained for the rest of the day.
With the help of an Arizona-based Christian legal group, Chase filed a federal lawsuit in June, saying school officials violated his civil rights.
His lawyers, the Alliance Defense Fund, cited free-speech cases dating from the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement in asking a federal judge to order the school district not to censor student speech.
School officials encourage students to say homosexuality is acceptable but muzzle those who say it's dangerous, lawyer Robert Tyler wrote in court filings.
Poway Unified School District lawyer Daniel Shinoff said administrators have the authority to ban the T-shirt and cited cases allowing schools to outlaw Confederate flags and clothing depicting controversial musician Marilyn Manson.
He said hateful speech is not guaranteed protection by the First Amendment and is asking U.S. District Judge John A. Houston to throw out the case.
"Homosexuals and bisexuals have the right to go to school without being accosted by offensive words no differently than Jewish students have the right to be free from a symbol offensive to them, such as a swastika," he wrote.
University of Atheist Geeks and Dweebs Sued for Religious Discrimination
If the employee's reported accounts of the incidents are true, I hope he takes MIT to the cleaners.
``Employees and/or supervisors at MIT Lincoln Lab have harassed Peterson because of his religious beliefs (Christian), including assaulting him with a chemical, vandalizing and stealing his property, tampering with the machines he was working on and making verbal threats,'' the suit says.
The nine-page lawsuit filed earlier this month also names Peterson's union, the Research Development and Technical Employees' Union, claiming leaders took part in the harassment and did not represent him properly in grievance procedures in 2003.
Peterson claims the trouble began in 1987 when he and another Christian employee began meeting during breaks to read and discuss the Bible. He says he was told not to bring his Bible to work again.
When he complained about workers playing radios in the lab in 1988, one man retaliated by placing a radio in front of him playing the Stones' song (incorrectly listed in the lawsuit as ``Symphony for the Devil'').
His own boss responded by turning up his own radio and later paraded around in a phony ``clergyman's collar,'' according to the lawsuit.
If the employee's reported accounts of the incidents are true, I hope he takes MIT to the cleaners.
``Employees and/or supervisors at MIT Lincoln Lab have harassed Peterson because of his religious beliefs (Christian), including assaulting him with a chemical, vandalizing and stealing his property, tampering with the machines he was working on and making verbal threats,'' the suit says.
The nine-page lawsuit filed earlier this month also names Peterson's union, the Research Development and Technical Employees' Union, claiming leaders took part in the harassment and did not represent him properly in grievance procedures in 2003.
Peterson claims the trouble began in 1987 when he and another Christian employee began meeting during breaks to read and discuss the Bible. He says he was told not to bring his Bible to work again.
When he complained about workers playing radios in the lab in 1988, one man retaliated by placing a radio in front of him playing the Stones' song (incorrectly listed in the lawsuit as ``Symphony for the Devil'').
His own boss responded by turning up his own radio and later paraded around in a phony ``clergyman's collar,'' according to the lawsuit.
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Ahnuld Better Veto This Atrocity
As if it isn't bad enough that people can already be charged and convicted of a "hate crime," the liberal Brownshirts in the California Legislature are trying to further expand its definition.
A section of the proposed law reads as follows:
Speech alone is not sufficient to support an action brought [under this law] except upon a showing that the speech itself threatens violence against a specific person or group of persons; and the person or group of persons against whom the threat is directed reasonably fears that, because of the speech, violence will be committed against them or their property and that the person threatening violence had the apparent ability to carry out the threat.
Penalties for violating SB 1234 include criminal prosecution and fines of $25,000.
Sponsored by lesbian State Senator Sheila Kuehl, SB 1234 has already been passed by the Senate and could be voted on by the Assembly as soon as today (Wednesday). Opponents of the bill are not optimistic about the Assembly vote and expect the measure to move along to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk for his signature before the end of the month.
As if it isn't bad enough that people can already be charged and convicted of a "hate crime," the liberal Brownshirts in the California Legislature are trying to further expand its definition.
A section of the proposed law reads as follows:
Speech alone is not sufficient to support an action brought [under this law] except upon a showing that the speech itself threatens violence against a specific person or group of persons; and the person or group of persons against whom the threat is directed reasonably fears that, because of the speech, violence will be committed against them or their property and that the person threatening violence had the apparent ability to carry out the threat.
Penalties for violating SB 1234 include criminal prosecution and fines of $25,000.
Sponsored by lesbian State Senator Sheila Kuehl, SB 1234 has already been passed by the Senate and could be voted on by the Assembly as soon as today (Wednesday). Opponents of the bill are not optimistic about the Assembly vote and expect the measure to move along to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk for his signature before the end of the month.
BK Court Finds Federal DOMA Constitutional
And of all courts, it's a 9th Circuit BK Court. You can bet this puppy is going to be appealed by the anti-family-ites.
Having concluded that DOMA does not require heightened scrutiny because it neither impairs a fundamental right to marry nor discriminates on the basis of sex (in that it applies equally to both sexes), Judge Snyder then addressed whether the law is supported by a rational basis. In finding that it was, Judge Snyder exercised an old-fashioned form of judicial restraint — trusting the legislature's motives. In enacting DOMA, both Congress and President Clinton sought to protect and encourage the role of a traditional family in procreation and child rearing. As President Clinton remarked at the time, "marriage is an institution between a man and a woman, that among other things, is used to bring children into the world." DOMA, Judge Snyder concluded, is reasonably related to that legitimate goal, whether or not it is a perfect fit. Unlike the decisions of Massachusetts's highest court, his opinion is not marked by the second-guessing of legislative reasoning that has become common in the recent trend of judge-made law.
And of all courts, it's a 9th Circuit BK Court. You can bet this puppy is going to be appealed by the anti-family-ites.
Having concluded that DOMA does not require heightened scrutiny because it neither impairs a fundamental right to marry nor discriminates on the basis of sex (in that it applies equally to both sexes), Judge Snyder then addressed whether the law is supported by a rational basis. In finding that it was, Judge Snyder exercised an old-fashioned form of judicial restraint — trusting the legislature's motives. In enacting DOMA, both Congress and President Clinton sought to protect and encourage the role of a traditional family in procreation and child rearing. As President Clinton remarked at the time, "marriage is an institution between a man and a woman, that among other things, is used to bring children into the world." DOMA, Judge Snyder concluded, is reasonably related to that legitimate goal, whether or not it is a perfect fit. Unlike the decisions of Massachusetts's highest court, his opinion is not marked by the second-guessing of legislative reasoning that has become common in the recent trend of judge-made law.
Monday, August 16, 2004
Ethics? What Ethics, Eh?
Canadian lawyers reject two rules that basically would prohibit them from having nookie with clients.
Lawyers attending the Canadian Bar Association's annual meeting were passionate Sunday in their rejection of proposed new rules and guidelines governing sexual relationships with clients.
An overwhelming majority of delegates, including several of the association's provincial chapters, dismissed two resolutions on the delicate issue as paternalistic, stereotypical and vague.
"Who are we to impose a prohibition on falling in love?" Montreal lawyer Chantale Masse asked during the hour-long debate.
Most of the discussion centred on a resolution to completely ban sexual relationships between lawyers and clients.
Another motion, which was also soundly defeated, intended to serve more as a warning to lawyers to steer clear of any romances that could be influenced by an imbalance of power or exploitation.
Canadian lawyers reject two rules that basically would prohibit them from having nookie with clients.
Lawyers attending the Canadian Bar Association's annual meeting were passionate Sunday in their rejection of proposed new rules and guidelines governing sexual relationships with clients.
An overwhelming majority of delegates, including several of the association's provincial chapters, dismissed two resolutions on the delicate issue as paternalistic, stereotypical and vague.
"Who are we to impose a prohibition on falling in love?" Montreal lawyer Chantale Masse asked during the hour-long debate.
Most of the discussion centred on a resolution to completely ban sexual relationships between lawyers and clients.
Another motion, which was also soundly defeated, intended to serve more as a warning to lawyers to steer clear of any romances that could be influenced by an imbalance of power or exploitation.
Sunday, August 15, 2004
The Ongoing Battle
Between the adherants of manna and people of faith. No mention if this city council is aware of the Federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
CLOVER — Some leaders in this Bible Belt town are saying they’ve had enough of storefront churches popping up downtown and are pushing an ordinance to stop new churches from opening and keep others from expanding.
The town manager here says the churches don’t do much to help breathe life into the town six days a week.
“Storefront churches only generate foot traffic for a few hours on Sunday,” town manager Scott Moulder said.
The intent isn’t geared to restricting churches as much as it is to attracting a variety of businesses, Moulder said
“People are more likely to shop in a particular area where there’s more variety.”
Clover Town Council postponed making a decision on the issue earlier this week and will take the issue up later this year.
Between the adherants of manna and people of faith. No mention if this city council is aware of the Federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
CLOVER — Some leaders in this Bible Belt town are saying they’ve had enough of storefront churches popping up downtown and are pushing an ordinance to stop new churches from opening and keep others from expanding.
The town manager here says the churches don’t do much to help breathe life into the town six days a week.
“Storefront churches only generate foot traffic for a few hours on Sunday,” town manager Scott Moulder said.
The intent isn’t geared to restricting churches as much as it is to attracting a variety of businesses, Moulder said
“People are more likely to shop in a particular area where there’s more variety.”
Clover Town Council postponed making a decision on the issue earlier this week and will take the issue up later this year.
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Void
California Supremes void all the "marriages" authorized by San FranciscoDictator Mayor Gavin Newsome. Next up: whether California's Defense of Marriage Act law is consistent with the state constitution.
California Supremes void all the "marriages" authorized by San Francisco
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
People Who Obviously Have Plenty of Disposable Income and Time on Their Hands
Bay Area liberal leftists prepare to head to New York to protest the GOP convention.
On the night before the convention, some activists will don Mickey Mouse ears and confront Republican delegates as they head into the "Disneyfied" theater district. Throughout the week, others will be shadowing delegates as they party everywhere from the Tavern on the Green restaurant to Tiffany's to a luncheon honoring House Speaker Dennis Hastert's wife at the Central Park Boathouse.
What a bunch of freakin' losers.
Bay Area liberal leftists prepare to head to New York to protest the GOP convention.
On the night before the convention, some activists will don Mickey Mouse ears and confront Republican delegates as they head into the "Disneyfied" theater district. Throughout the week, others will be shadowing delegates as they party everywhere from the Tavern on the Green restaurant to Tiffany's to a luncheon honoring House Speaker Dennis Hastert's wife at the Central Park Boathouse.
What a bunch of freakin' losers.
Monday, August 09, 2004
Chief Justice Thomas?
I like it. I like it a lot. Thomas is "young" (56), a constitutional constructionist (more so than Scalia, who will occasionally traipse into libertarianism), and Catholic. A winning combination if ever there was one.
Clarence Thomas has been interviewed by White House lawyers as a possible choice to be the next chief justice of the United States, says the author of a new biography.
Thomas says he isn't interested but could find it hard to turn down an opportunity to be the first black man to lead the Supreme Court, said biographer Ken Foskett.
"Judging Thomas," out this week from William Morrow, traces Thomas' life from rough beginnings in rural Georgia, through Yale Law School to his life today.
Thomas initially refused Foskett's request for interviews, but later spoke to the author both on and off the record.
Thomas likes NASCAR and football, plays a fierce game of basketball and during the court's summer recess tours the nation in a 40-foot mobile home decorated with orange flames, Foskett wrote.
I like it. I like it a lot. Thomas is "young" (56), a constitutional constructionist (more so than Scalia, who will occasionally traipse into libertarianism), and Catholic. A winning combination if ever there was one.
Clarence Thomas has been interviewed by White House lawyers as a possible choice to be the next chief justice of the United States, says the author of a new biography.
Thomas says he isn't interested but could find it hard to turn down an opportunity to be the first black man to lead the Supreme Court, said biographer Ken Foskett.
"Judging Thomas," out this week from William Morrow, traces Thomas' life from rough beginnings in rural Georgia, through Yale Law School to his life today.
Thomas initially refused Foskett's request for interviews, but later spoke to the author both on and off the record.
Thomas likes NASCAR and football, plays a fierce game of basketball and during the court's summer recess tours the nation in a 40-foot mobile home decorated with orange flames, Foskett wrote.
One of 2 Million Reasons Why I Despise the American Bar Association
And will never become a member of this organization as long as they keep doing garbage like this.
Judges are on the front line of battles over legal rights for same-sex couples and should never belong to an organization that discriminates against gays, supporters of a proposed change to American Bar Association ethics rules argued Friday.
Judges are already prohibited from joining clubs that discriminate based on race or sex. An ABA panel is debating whether to make groups that discriminate against gays off limits as well.
The ABA, the nation's largest lawyers' group with more than 400,000 members, writes conduct rules for judges and lawyers. States and federal courts generally adopt them, with some changes.
It is not known how many judges participate in groups such as the Boy Scouts that have policies against hiring gays or having homosexual leaders, or some veterans groups that restrict membership to heterosexuals.
The ABA held an all-day public hearing Friday on proposed judicial ethics changes during the association's summer meeting, which runs through Tuesday. Rules on gifts judges may accept and judges' involvement in fund-raisers may also be changed. The ABA is not expected to vote on any changes until next year. It would be the first overhaul of the rules in more than a decade, and any changes eventually could affect thousands of judges.
Update: Yet more ABA shenanigans. Now they want to support government sponsored discrimination against religious (i.e., Catholic) hospitals. Jerks.
And will never become a member of this organization as long as they keep doing garbage like this.
Judges are on the front line of battles over legal rights for same-sex couples and should never belong to an organization that discriminates against gays, supporters of a proposed change to American Bar Association ethics rules argued Friday.
Judges are already prohibited from joining clubs that discriminate based on race or sex. An ABA panel is debating whether to make groups that discriminate against gays off limits as well.
The ABA, the nation's largest lawyers' group with more than 400,000 members, writes conduct rules for judges and lawyers. States and federal courts generally adopt them, with some changes.
It is not known how many judges participate in groups such as the Boy Scouts that have policies against hiring gays or having homosexual leaders, or some veterans groups that restrict membership to heterosexuals.
The ABA held an all-day public hearing Friday on proposed judicial ethics changes during the association's summer meeting, which runs through Tuesday. Rules on gifts judges may accept and judges' involvement in fund-raisers may also be changed. The ABA is not expected to vote on any changes until next year. It would be the first overhaul of the rules in more than a decade, and any changes eventually could affect thousands of judges.
Update: Yet more ABA shenanigans. Now they want to support government sponsored discrimination against religious (i.e., Catholic) hospitals. Jerks.
Friday, August 06, 2004
What's in a (Last) Name?
So observes Rich Lowry on the declining number of women who retain their maiden name after getting married. I for one would be interested in seeing what the divorce rate is among couples where the wife chose not to take her husband's last name. To some extent, I would understand if my (hopfully) future wife didn't want to take my last name, especially if her first name was Heidi.
The number of women in the New York Times's wedding announcements keeping their surnames was 2 percent in 1975 and had reached 20 percent by the mid-1980s, according to the Journal study. Then the trend stalled. Among women in the Harvard class of 1980, 44 percent retained their surname, but in the class of 1990, only 32 percent did. According to Massachusetts records, the percentage of surname keepers among college graduates in that state was 23 percent in 1990, 20 percent in 1995 and 17 percent in 2000.
Why? The study's authors write: "Perhaps some women who 'kept' their surnames in the 1980s, during the rapid increase in 'keeping,' did so because of peer pressure, and their counterparts today are freer to make their own choices. Perhaps surname-keeping seems less salient as a way of publicly supporting equality for women than it did in the late 1970s and 1980s. Perhaps a general drift to more conservative social values has made surname-keeping less attractive."
So observes Rich Lowry on the declining number of women who retain their maiden name after getting married. I for one would be interested in seeing what the divorce rate is among couples where the wife chose not to take her husband's last name. To some extent, I would understand if my (hopfully) future wife didn't want to take my last name, especially if her first name was Heidi.
The number of women in the New York Times's wedding announcements keeping their surnames was 2 percent in 1975 and had reached 20 percent by the mid-1980s, according to the Journal study. Then the trend stalled. Among women in the Harvard class of 1980, 44 percent retained their surname, but in the class of 1990, only 32 percent did. According to Massachusetts records, the percentage of surname keepers among college graduates in that state was 23 percent in 1990, 20 percent in 1995 and 17 percent in 2000.
Why? The study's authors write: "Perhaps some women who 'kept' their surnames in the 1980s, during the rapid increase in 'keeping,' did so because of peer pressure, and their counterparts today are freer to make their own choices. Perhaps surname-keeping seems less salient as a way of publicly supporting equality for women than it did in the late 1970s and 1980s. Perhaps a general drift to more conservative social values has made surname-keeping less attractive."
White House Promises Support to Maine Catholic Charities
Seems kind of ironic how a non-Catholic President seems to be much more open to defending the religious liberties of a Catholic institution from Secularist Fundamentalism than a certain alleged Catholic presidential candidate would probably be. (BTW, I don't believe the Catholic Charities CEO is the same John Kerry who is running for President. At least I hope not.)
President Bush's top adviser on faith-based programs assured Catholic Charities Maine Thursday that the White House is ready to battle local government when it comes to funding religious groups. Catholic Charities, the social-service arm of the Roman Catholic Church and one of Maine's largest such organizations, is barred from receiving certain federal funds from the city of Portland unless it provides some benefits to same-sex or unmarried partners of employees.
(...)
"We don't have to be concerned about the fairness with which we treat religious and religiously sponsored organizations. That's because we have one rule that applies to everybody: You can't practice discrimination," said Cloutier, who was mayor when Catholic Charities sued the city in March 2003, charging religious discrimination.
Sigh...we are inching ever closer to having government run churches, a-la-Communist China.
Seems kind of ironic how a non-Catholic President seems to be much more open to defending the religious liberties of a Catholic institution from Secularist Fundamentalism than a certain alleged Catholic presidential candidate would probably be. (BTW, I don't believe the Catholic Charities CEO is the same John Kerry who is running for President. At least I hope not.)
President Bush's top adviser on faith-based programs assured Catholic Charities Maine Thursday that the White House is ready to battle local government when it comes to funding religious groups. Catholic Charities, the social-service arm of the Roman Catholic Church and one of Maine's largest such organizations, is barred from receiving certain federal funds from the city of Portland unless it provides some benefits to same-sex or unmarried partners of employees.
(...)
"We don't have to be concerned about the fairness with which we treat religious and religiously sponsored organizations. That's because we have one rule that applies to everybody: You can't practice discrimination," said Cloutier, who was mayor when Catholic Charities sued the city in March 2003, charging religious discrimination.
Sigh...we are inching ever closer to having government run churches, a-la-Communist China.
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Don't All Property Sellers Carry Them?
Remember: We will not racially profile Middle Eastern Muslim males carrying handguns, knives and syringes, even though they're the only ones who have committed acts of terrorism on airplanes. It just wouldn't be right to do so...
A man pleaded not guilty Monday to knowingly attempting to board a plane with a loaded handgun, folding knife, and 10 syringes in his carry-on bag.
Ali Reza Khatami, 65, was arrested June 24 when the .38-caliber pistol and 3.5-inch knife were found during a security screening, Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Staples said. He had been preparing to board a United Airlines flight to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
Defense attorney Ben Wasserman said at Khatami's bail hearing last month that his client had forgotten he was carrying the weapons. He said his client was on his way to Virginia to sell some property.
Khatami told authorities he had planned to put the gun and knife in his bag to take them to a safe in his garage, but didn't remember. Then he planned to leave them at his son's house, he said, but he was in such a rush that he forgot again.
(...)
Magistrate Judge Marc Goldman agreed to release Khatami on $100,000 bail, saying he was not convinced that Khatami intended to take the weapons on the plane.
Remember: We will not racially profile Middle Eastern Muslim males carrying handguns, knives and syringes, even though they're the only ones who have committed acts of terrorism on airplanes. It just wouldn't be right to do so...
A man pleaded not guilty Monday to knowingly attempting to board a plane with a loaded handgun, folding knife, and 10 syringes in his carry-on bag.
Ali Reza Khatami, 65, was arrested June 24 when the .38-caliber pistol and 3.5-inch knife were found during a security screening, Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Staples said. He had been preparing to board a United Airlines flight to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
Defense attorney Ben Wasserman said at Khatami's bail hearing last month that his client had forgotten he was carrying the weapons. He said his client was on his way to Virginia to sell some property.
Khatami told authorities he had planned to put the gun and knife in his bag to take them to a safe in his garage, but didn't remember. Then he planned to leave them at his son's house, he said, but he was in such a rush that he forgot again.
(...)
Magistrate Judge Marc Goldman agreed to release Khatami on $100,000 bail, saying he was not convinced that Khatami intended to take the weapons on the plane.
Thou Shall Not Eat The Other White Meat
Even though she should win, I've got the strangest feeling that she isn't.
A Central Florida woman was fired from her job after eating "unclean" meat and violating a reported company policy that pork and pork products are not permissible on company premises, according to Local 6 News.
Lina Morales was hired as an administrative assistant at Rising Star -- a Central Florida telecommunications company with strong Muslim ties, Local 6 News reported.
However, 10 months after being hired by Rising Star, religious differences led to her termination.
Morales, who is Catholic, was warned about eating pizza with meat the Muslim faith considered "unclean," Local 6 News reported. She was then fired for eating a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, according to the report.
"Are you telling me they fired you because you had something with ham on it?" Local 6 News reporter Mike Holfeld asked.
"Yes," Morales said.
Holfeld asked, "A pizza and a BLT sandwich?"
"Yes," Morales said.
Local 6 News obtained the termination letter that states she was fired for refusing to comply with company policy that pork and pork products are not permissible on company premises.
However, by the company's own admission to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, that policy is not written, Local 6 News reported.
"Did you ever sign to or agree to anything that said I will not eat pork?" Holfeld asked Morales.
"Never," Morales said. "When I got hired there, they said we don't care what religion you are."
Even though she should win, I've got the strangest feeling that she isn't.
A Central Florida woman was fired from her job after eating "unclean" meat and violating a reported company policy that pork and pork products are not permissible on company premises, according to Local 6 News.
Lina Morales was hired as an administrative assistant at Rising Star -- a Central Florida telecommunications company with strong Muslim ties, Local 6 News reported.
However, 10 months after being hired by Rising Star, religious differences led to her termination.
Morales, who is Catholic, was warned about eating pizza with meat the Muslim faith considered "unclean," Local 6 News reported. She was then fired for eating a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, according to the report.
"Are you telling me they fired you because you had something with ham on it?" Local 6 News reporter Mike Holfeld asked.
"Yes," Morales said.
Holfeld asked, "A pizza and a BLT sandwich?"
"Yes," Morales said.
Local 6 News obtained the termination letter that states she was fired for refusing to comply with company policy that pork and pork products are not permissible on company premises.
However, by the company's own admission to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, that policy is not written, Local 6 News reported.
"Did you ever sign to or agree to anything that said I will not eat pork?" Holfeld asked Morales.
"Never," Morales said. "When I got hired there, they said we don't care what religion you are."
Sunday, August 01, 2004
Boob Gets Bounced Off Plane
Leave it to the ACLU, of course, to argue that people have a "right" to wear obnoxious clothing on commercial flights.
A couple returning home from a Costa Rican vacation was ejected from an American Airlines flight because the man was wearing a T-shirt depicting a bare breast.
Oscar Arela and his girlfriend, Tala Tow, were removed from Flight 952 on Saturday after he refused to change the shirt or turn it inside out at Miami International Airport. The flight left 90 minutes late without them.
The couple, making a connecting flight from Costa Rica, said nobody on the earlier flight objected to the shirt and claimed the airline violated their constitutional right to free speech.
"It's a picture of a man and woman, and the woman's breast is showing," Tow said. "The flight attendant basically walked up to us and yelled, 'You have to take off that shirt right now.'"
American spokesman Tim Wagner said Sunday that crew members acted properly.
"The description I heard was a picture of a graphic of a naked man and woman performing a sexual act," he said. "We as an airline are in the service business, and we have the same latitude as a restaurant that says proper attire is required."
Leave it to the ACLU, of course, to argue that people have a "right" to wear obnoxious clothing on commercial flights.
A couple returning home from a Costa Rican vacation was ejected from an American Airlines flight because the man was wearing a T-shirt depicting a bare breast.
Oscar Arela and his girlfriend, Tala Tow, were removed from Flight 952 on Saturday after he refused to change the shirt or turn it inside out at Miami International Airport. The flight left 90 minutes late without them.
The couple, making a connecting flight from Costa Rica, said nobody on the earlier flight objected to the shirt and claimed the airline violated their constitutional right to free speech.
"It's a picture of a man and woman, and the woman's breast is showing," Tow said. "The flight attendant basically walked up to us and yelled, 'You have to take off that shirt right now.'"
American spokesman Tim Wagner said Sunday that crew members acted properly.
"The description I heard was a picture of a graphic of a naked man and woman performing a sexual act," he said. "We as an airline are in the service business, and we have the same latitude as a restaurant that says proper attire is required."
Tuh-rayza Wants to Be Andrew Sullivan's Mommie
Borrowing from Mark Shea, 'Rats affirm their belief that there is nothing more glorious and holy in this world than homosexuality. Plus, the actor formerly known as Bennifer confirms he has the intellectual capacity of a door knob.
"If nothing else, you will have a mom in the White House," Teresa Heinz Kerry said before the packed hotel room of homosexual delegates and advocates.
"You're pushing the envelope, and we, as a country, have to respond with policies and cultural acceptance," said Mrs. Kerry, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry.
Dignity and respect are paramount qualities, she said. If any of the Kerry children were to say they were homosexual and wanted to marry their partner, she said, "I would ... share my joy and my pride with all my friends," just as if they were marrying someone of the opposite sex.
One of her better-known qualities, Mrs. Kerry added, is "that I like to nurture" people, and family members and friends sometimes call her "Dr. T" or "Momma T." As she departed, the crowd chanted, "Momma T, Momma T!"
Boston-born Mr. Affleck joked about his famous marriage woes, but quickly attacked political efforts to block same-sex "marriage." "As somebody, to be perfectly frank, who has enough trouble figuring out who to get married [to], I don't need the state or federal government telling me who I can or can't marry," said the star of "Good Will Hunting" and "Armageddon."
Borrowing from Mark Shea, 'Rats affirm their belief that there is nothing more glorious and holy in this world than homosexuality. Plus, the actor formerly known as Bennifer confirms he has the intellectual capacity of a door knob.
"If nothing else, you will have a mom in the White House," Teresa Heinz Kerry said before the packed hotel room of homosexual delegates and advocates.
"You're pushing the envelope, and we, as a country, have to respond with policies and cultural acceptance," said Mrs. Kerry, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry.
Dignity and respect are paramount qualities, she said. If any of the Kerry children were to say they were homosexual and wanted to marry their partner, she said, "I would ... share my joy and my pride with all my friends," just as if they were marrying someone of the opposite sex.
One of her better-known qualities, Mrs. Kerry added, is "that I like to nurture" people, and family members and friends sometimes call her "Dr. T" or "Momma T." As she departed, the crowd chanted, "Momma T, Momma T!"
Boston-born Mr. Affleck joked about his famous marriage woes, but quickly attacked political efforts to block same-sex "marriage." "As somebody, to be perfectly frank, who has enough trouble figuring out who to get married [to], I don't need the state or federal government telling me who I can or can't marry," said the star of "Good Will Hunting" and "Armageddon."
No Pets, Food or Christians Allowed in the Library
I'd like to believe that this incident in the Bay Area is an aberration, but quite frankly, it's about par for the course here.
A Christian ministry filed a federal civil rights lawsuit after being barred from meeting at a library due to the facility's policy of forbidding use for "religious purposes."
"The library flagrantly violated the ministry's constitutional rights," said Joshua Carden, counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, which brought the suit against the Contra Costa County, Calif., Board of Supervisors and several library officials on behalf of Faith Center Church Evangelistic Ministries.
"It's unbelievable that, after years of equal access litigation in this country, a library would exclude Christians from a public forum," Carden said.
Hattie Hopkins, leader of Faith Center Church Evangelistic Ministries, a Christian outreach ministry based in Sacramento, asked her coordinator to reserve a free public meeting room at the library branch in Antioch for May 29 and July 31.
I'd like to believe that this incident in the Bay Area is an aberration, but quite frankly, it's about par for the course here.
A Christian ministry filed a federal civil rights lawsuit after being barred from meeting at a library due to the facility's policy of forbidding use for "religious purposes."
"The library flagrantly violated the ministry's constitutional rights," said Joshua Carden, counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, which brought the suit against the Contra Costa County, Calif., Board of Supervisors and several library officials on behalf of Faith Center Church Evangelistic Ministries.
"It's unbelievable that, after years of equal access litigation in this country, a library would exclude Christians from a public forum," Carden said.
Hattie Hopkins, leader of Faith Center Church Evangelistic Ministries, a Christian outreach ministry based in Sacramento, asked her coordinator to reserve a free public meeting room at the library branch in Antioch for May 29 and July 31.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Sunday, July 18, 2004
Saturday, July 10, 2004
Three More Weeks
Until my brief tour with the firm from Hell is finally over. On the bright side, my soon to be ex-boss will be gone on vacation for two of my final three weeks. Seeing as how I'm probably not going to have much to do, this might actually be one of those rare times in life where someone will be paying me to find another job. At the very least, I should be able to start writing more 'blog entries on a consistent daily basis.
Until my brief tour with the firm from Hell is finally over. On the bright side, my soon to be ex-boss will be gone on vacation for two of my final three weeks. Seeing as how I'm probably not going to have much to do, this might actually be one of those rare times in life where someone will be paying me to find another job. At the very least, I should be able to start writing more 'blog entries on a consistent daily basis.
Saturday, June 26, 2004
Counting the Days
Well, I've made a decision. In roughly three, maybe four, weeks I will be giving notice of my resignation at the law firm I have been an associate at for the last couple of months. If this was a job that I sort of liked, I wouldn't mind that I'm struggling learning how to do it or that my boss tends to be incomprehensible and somewhat of a condescending a-hole. The fact of the matter, though, is that I'm not well suited for the advesarial nature of civil litigation and all the petty games that seem to go hand and foot with it. Of course, if the firm I am currently at only did litigation in matters related to religious liberty or defense of the unborn, things would probably be different. But, that's not what it does (not even close) and frankly I'm tired of physically being sick every morning because I don't want to go to the office. Fortunately, I'm not in a position where I absolutely need a paying job, and can actually afford to look for other opportunities. Such is the benefit of having a supportive family.
Well, I've made a decision. In roughly three, maybe four, weeks I will be giving notice of my resignation at the law firm I have been an associate at for the last couple of months. If this was a job that I sort of liked, I wouldn't mind that I'm struggling learning how to do it or that my boss tends to be incomprehensible and somewhat of a condescending a-hole. The fact of the matter, though, is that I'm not well suited for the advesarial nature of civil litigation and all the petty games that seem to go hand and foot with it. Of course, if the firm I am currently at only did litigation in matters related to religious liberty or defense of the unborn, things would probably be different. But, that's not what it does (not even close) and frankly I'm tired of physically being sick every morning because I don't want to go to the office. Fortunately, I'm not in a position where I absolutely need a paying job, and can actually afford to look for other opportunities. Such is the benefit of having a supportive family.
Monday, June 07, 2004
I Hate Civil Litigation
You know what? Maritime law firms are basically personal injury/civil litiation firms. The only substantive difference is that a lot of slip and fall cases that happen out on the water or on boats will often fall under the jurisdiction of federal law (i.e., the Jones Act). Anyway, I'm one month into my new job and I already want to quit. The attorney who hired me is ridiculous. He likes making what I think to be needless motions on cases, and he's making me do all these last minute document drafts with little or no guidance. (It'd be nice to have some details about the situation you want to make an objection or motion to. I'm not a freakin' mind reader). And then to top it off, the guy makes these irritatingly condescending remarks whenever I give him something that might have a slight mistake on it that he had a hand in putting there. (Boss: "Why'd you put the wrong case number on these pleadings? This isn't the case we want to dismiss? Why didn't you know it was the wrong case number?" Me in my head: Because the effin' drafts you wrote and gave me to clean up had it on there already!)
If it weren't for the fact that I'm looking for some practical litigation experience (it seems the bulk of civil litigation deals with discovery and motions) I tell ya I'd quit tomorrow. As it stands, I'm giving myself a two month window to see how much more I can stand, and also to teach myself how to write wills and trusts. I'm still looking to have my own practice, and although I'd like try to take on a some employment discrimination cases, I think estate planning may be better for my overall health and mental well being.
You know what? Maritime law firms are basically personal injury/civil litiation firms. The only substantive difference is that a lot of slip and fall cases that happen out on the water or on boats will often fall under the jurisdiction of federal law (i.e., the Jones Act). Anyway, I'm one month into my new job and I already want to quit. The attorney who hired me is ridiculous. He likes making what I think to be needless motions on cases, and he's making me do all these last minute document drafts with little or no guidance. (It'd be nice to have some details about the situation you want to make an objection or motion to. I'm not a freakin' mind reader). And then to top it off, the guy makes these irritatingly condescending remarks whenever I give him something that might have a slight mistake on it that he had a hand in putting there. (Boss: "Why'd you put the wrong case number on these pleadings? This isn't the case we want to dismiss? Why didn't you know it was the wrong case number?" Me in my head: Because the effin' drafts you wrote and gave me to clean up had it on there already!)
If it weren't for the fact that I'm looking for some practical litigation experience (it seems the bulk of civil litigation deals with discovery and motions) I tell ya I'd quit tomorrow. As it stands, I'm giving myself a two month window to see how much more I can stand, and also to teach myself how to write wills and trusts. I'm still looking to have my own practice, and although I'd like try to take on a some employment discrimination cases, I think estate planning may be better for my overall health and mental well being.
Saturday, June 05, 2004
Saturday, May 15, 2004
Hiatus
Given the demands of my new job, I'm going to be taking a little bit of a break from blogging; maybe two weeks, and I'll probably get going again well before Molly. (Chortle)
Given the demands of my new job, I'm going to be taking a little bit of a break from blogging; maybe two weeks, and I'll probably get going again well before Molly. (Chortle)
Friday, May 07, 2004
Employment Found
Well, after some miscommunications and playing a round of phone tag, I will be starting my new job as an associate attorney for a small downtown San Francisco maritime law firm on Monday. Although I'll only be starting out on a two-week try out basis, I have fairly high hopes that there will be a good match between myself and the firm, and that I will be employed there for a while. But if not, I just scheduled an interview with a firm out in Napa on the 21st of this month.
Well, after some miscommunications and playing a round of phone tag, I will be starting my new job as an associate attorney for a small downtown San Francisco maritime law firm on Monday. Although I'll only be starting out on a two-week try out basis, I have fairly high hopes that there will be a good match between myself and the firm, and that I will be employed there for a while. But if not, I just scheduled an interview with a firm out in Napa on the 21st of this month.
Thursday, May 06, 2004
Lazy Reporting or Intentionally Misleading?
Here's an "interesting" sentence that appears in the middle of a news report about the ACLU threatening to sue a city council over the practice of legislative invocations:
The U.S. Supreme Court banned sectarian invocations prior to legislative meetings in 1989.
You'll notice when you read the report that no Supreme Court case is referenced to support the above assertion. Want to know why? Because there is none. Just one more example of why you should never trust what the lame stream media says.
Here's an "interesting" sentence that appears in the middle of a news report about the ACLU threatening to sue a city council over the practice of legislative invocations:
The U.S. Supreme Court banned sectarian invocations prior to legislative meetings in 1989.
You'll notice when you read the report that no Supreme Court case is referenced to support the above assertion. Want to know why? Because there is none. Just one more example of why you should never trust what the lame stream media says.
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Charitably Speaking, the Man is an Idiot
Lest he actually be given some credit for abstaining from Communion while remaining in support of abortion, New Joisey Gov. McGreevey preserves his public contemptuousness by utterging this asinine remark:
"I believe it's a false choice in America between one's faith and constitutional obligation."
First of all gub'ner, you are only required to enforce the law. There is no constitutional obligation for any publicly elected official to be in favor of abortion rights. Secondly, the Church is not telling you how to do your job. Rather, she is dictating what you must believe and uphold within the context of a self-identified Catholic. If you don't want to believe in or uphold the Church's teachings, then stop calling yourself Catholic, and become a member of a religious community that is more in tune with your own warped beliefs on the sanctity of human life.
Lest he actually be given some credit for abstaining from Communion while remaining in support of abortion, New Joisey Gov. McGreevey preserves his public contemptuousness by utterging this asinine remark:
"I believe it's a false choice in America between one's faith and constitutional obligation."
First of all gub'ner, you are only required to enforce the law. There is no constitutional obligation for any publicly elected official to be in favor of abortion rights. Secondly, the Church is not telling you how to do your job. Rather, she is dictating what you must believe and uphold within the context of a self-identified Catholic. If you don't want to believe in or uphold the Church's teachings, then stop calling yourself Catholic, and become a member of a religious community that is more in tune with your own warped beliefs on the sanctity of human life.
Hedging Their Bets
With the pending implosion of the Democrat Party (see Blog from the Core's collection of "Democrats in Self Destruct Mode" stories) is it really any wonder that the trial lawyers are starting to give more campaign money to Republicans?
Trial lawyers have one of the best records on Capitol Hill when it comes to killing legislation their members find objectionable. The group has thrived by pouring money into Democratic campaigns at every level of government and opposing legislation that would limit the rights of plaintiffs to seek redress through the court system.
But behind the scenes, ATLA has been surprisingly generous toward GOP organizations, provoking a rebuke from a top Senate Democrat.
?Not based on merit ? that?s for sure,? said Minority Whip Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) when asked about the contributions.
ATLA gave $30,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and another $30,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) this cycle ? just as congressional Republicans are pushing the tort-reform measures through Congress. That is the maximum amount ($15,000 per year) that a political action committee can donate to a party organization.
With the pending implosion of the Democrat Party (see Blog from the Core's collection of "Democrats in Self Destruct Mode" stories) is it really any wonder that the trial lawyers are starting to give more campaign money to Republicans?
Trial lawyers have one of the best records on Capitol Hill when it comes to killing legislation their members find objectionable. The group has thrived by pouring money into Democratic campaigns at every level of government and opposing legislation that would limit the rights of plaintiffs to seek redress through the court system.
But behind the scenes, ATLA has been surprisingly generous toward GOP organizations, provoking a rebuke from a top Senate Democrat.
?Not based on merit ? that?s for sure,? said Minority Whip Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) when asked about the contributions.
ATLA gave $30,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and another $30,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) this cycle ? just as congressional Republicans are pushing the tort-reform measures through Congress. That is the maximum amount ($15,000 per year) that a political action committee can donate to a party organization.
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Stop Calling Yourself Catholic!
Mamas, don't let your kids grow up and go to a Jesuit college.
In February of 2004, the University of San Francisco formally ratified an amendment to employee contracts that provides benefits for "legally domiciled adults." An e-mail that was sent to faculty boasted that the University of San Francisco was "the first Jesuit university to do so" and invited staff to a celebration that included, among others, university president Father Stephen Privett, S.J. Father Privett was identified as one of the "administration members most responsible for the successful conclusion of this agreement."
Mamas, don't let your kids grow up and go to a Jesuit college.
In February of 2004, the University of San Francisco formally ratified an amendment to employee contracts that provides benefits for "legally domiciled adults." An e-mail that was sent to faculty boasted that the University of San Francisco was "the first Jesuit university to do so" and invited staff to a celebration that included, among others, university president Father Stephen Privett, S.J. Father Privett was identified as one of the "administration members most responsible for the successful conclusion of this agreement."
Kirk and Conservatism
A new book by W. Wesley McDonald is coming out about Russell Kirk, the man who essentially established the word "conservative" as a political term. Although I don't believe Kirk ever wrote anything about Catholicism (of which he was a convert to) one gets the distinct feeling from reading a few of his works that he would have made a fine apologist for the faith.
What Kirk extracted from Burke's thought -- and found embodied in the work of British and American figures as diverse as John Adams, Benjamin Disraeli, and T.S. Eliot -- was a strong sense that tradition and order were the bedrock of any political system able to provide a real measure of freedom. Reformers and revolutionaries might appeal to disembodied, universal concepts to justify changing the world, or to draw up blueprints for a new society. But for Kirk, what must be cultivated was not reason but "the moral imagination" -- a resonant, if ambiguous notion that Mr. McDonald devotes much of his book to elucidating.
The "reason" that Kirk found so objectionable, writes Mr. McDonald, caused liberals to define themselves "as enemies of authority, prejudice, tradition, custom, and habit." For liberal rationality, the social order was a contract among individuals "bound together ... not by love or duty, but rational, enlightened self-interest."
By contrast, Kirk's "moral imagination" enabled people to see their lives as part of, in Burke's words, "a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born." The obligation to preserve old institutions and ways of life -- and to change them, if at all, only very slowly -- was not a matter of nostalgia. "The individual is foolish," wrote Kirk in The Conservative Mind, "but the species is wise." We have inherited from the past "the instruments which the wisdom of the species employs to safeguard man against his own passions and appetites."
A new book by W. Wesley McDonald is coming out about Russell Kirk, the man who essentially established the word "conservative" as a political term. Although I don't believe Kirk ever wrote anything about Catholicism (of which he was a convert to) one gets the distinct feeling from reading a few of his works that he would have made a fine apologist for the faith.
What Kirk extracted from Burke's thought -- and found embodied in the work of British and American figures as diverse as John Adams, Benjamin Disraeli, and T.S. Eliot -- was a strong sense that tradition and order were the bedrock of any political system able to provide a real measure of freedom. Reformers and revolutionaries might appeal to disembodied, universal concepts to justify changing the world, or to draw up blueprints for a new society. But for Kirk, what must be cultivated was not reason but "the moral imagination" -- a resonant, if ambiguous notion that Mr. McDonald devotes much of his book to elucidating.
The "reason" that Kirk found so objectionable, writes Mr. McDonald, caused liberals to define themselves "as enemies of authority, prejudice, tradition, custom, and habit." For liberal rationality, the social order was a contract among individuals "bound together ... not by love or duty, but rational, enlightened self-interest."
By contrast, Kirk's "moral imagination" enabled people to see their lives as part of, in Burke's words, "a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born." The obligation to preserve old institutions and ways of life -- and to change them, if at all, only very slowly -- was not a matter of nostalgia. "The individual is foolish," wrote Kirk in The Conservative Mind, "but the species is wise." We have inherited from the past "the instruments which the wisdom of the species employs to safeguard man against his own passions and appetites."
Sunday, May 02, 2004
Federal Court Affirms Demjanjuk was a Nazi Camp Guard
Over at the Catholic singles site I've been hanging out at lately, there are some "hard" conservatives who have been trying to convince people to write in Pat Buchanan in the upcoming presidential election. Buchanan, of course, has been a long time and outspoken defender of John Demjanjuk. I can't imagine that this ruling will be helpful for the ad hoc Buchanan 2004 campaign.
The unanimous ruling from the three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit said the government had provided ''clear, unequivocal, and convincing evidence" of Demjanjuk's guard service.
Although it years ago abandoned an assertion that he was the notorious Ivan the Terrible at the Treblinka death camp in Poland, the Justice Department maintained that Demjanjuk had persecuted civilians during World War II at five Nazi concentration camps, including Trawniki, Sobibor, and Flossenburg.
''The court's decision sends a powerful message to every participant in the ghastly Nazi campaign of genocide who is still living in this country: The government will not waver in its determination to find you, prosecute you, and remove you from the United States," said Eli M. Rosenbaum, director of the Justice Department's Office of Special Investigations.
Over at the Catholic singles site I've been hanging out at lately, there are some "hard" conservatives who have been trying to convince people to write in Pat Buchanan in the upcoming presidential election. Buchanan, of course, has been a long time and outspoken defender of John Demjanjuk. I can't imagine that this ruling will be helpful for the ad hoc Buchanan 2004 campaign.
The unanimous ruling from the three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit said the government had provided ''clear, unequivocal, and convincing evidence" of Demjanjuk's guard service.
Although it years ago abandoned an assertion that he was the notorious Ivan the Terrible at the Treblinka death camp in Poland, the Justice Department maintained that Demjanjuk had persecuted civilians during World War II at five Nazi concentration camps, including Trawniki, Sobibor, and Flossenburg.
''The court's decision sends a powerful message to every participant in the ghastly Nazi campaign of genocide who is still living in this country: The government will not waver in its determination to find you, prosecute you, and remove you from the United States," said Eli M. Rosenbaum, director of the Justice Department's Office of Special Investigations.
Friday, April 30, 2004
"Officially" Blown Off
The small firm I had an interview with on Monday has not returned my calls regarding its Wednesday offer to give me a two-week try out. I suppose I should regard the non-response as a blow off. I also wonder if I should have taken the offer immediately rather than ask for a day to think about accepting a job I could have possibly lost after only 10 days. Ah well. Live and learn.
The small firm I had an interview with on Monday has not returned my calls regarding its Wednesday offer to give me a two-week try out. I suppose I should regard the non-response as a blow off. I also wonder if I should have taken the offer immediately rather than ask for a day to think about accepting a job I could have possibly lost after only 10 days. Ah well. Live and learn.
Musings of a Lavender Mafioso
Proof positive that their agenda is to destroy marriage by seeking to "broaden" its meaning.
The head of a national homosexual organization is vowing to politically "punish," "terrify" and "torture" activists who oppose his organization's agenda on "gay" rights – which he says would give him "endless satisfaction."
Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force in Washington, D.C., made the comments in yesterday's edition of Between the Lines, a Detroit area homosexual newsmagazine, the American Family Association of Michigan points out.
(...)
Foreman was asked: "Is getting the right to marriage for same-sex couples something the Task Force is interested in?"
He responded: "We want full equality under the law, which, right now, means the freedom to marry. But we're also hopeful that we create different ways in which people can form relationships and families that don't come with all the baggage and the downsides of marriage. One of the great things about where we're going is that we are creating new ways for people to relate, new ways for people to obtain rights and benefits."
Proof positive that their agenda is to destroy marriage by seeking to "broaden" its meaning.
The head of a national homosexual organization is vowing to politically "punish," "terrify" and "torture" activists who oppose his organization's agenda on "gay" rights – which he says would give him "endless satisfaction."
Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force in Washington, D.C., made the comments in yesterday's edition of Between the Lines, a Detroit area homosexual newsmagazine, the American Family Association of Michigan points out.
(...)
Foreman was asked: "Is getting the right to marriage for same-sex couples something the Task Force is interested in?"
He responded: "We want full equality under the law, which, right now, means the freedom to marry. But we're also hopeful that we create different ways in which people can form relationships and families that don't come with all the baggage and the downsides of marriage. One of the great things about where we're going is that we are creating new ways for people to relate, new ways for people to obtain rights and benefits."
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Time to Write Archbishop Levada
Congresswoman Nanci Pelosi publicly distorts Catholic teachings and expresses her intent to receive Communion despite her pro-abortion record.
Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat who was raised in a devout Italian Catholic home, told reporters, "I believe that my position on choice is one that is consistent with my Catholic upbringing, which said that every person has a free will and has the responsibility to live their lives in a way that they would have to account for in the end."
"I'm certainly concerned when the church comes together and says it's going to sanction people in public office for speaking their conscience and what they believe," she said
Congresswoman Nanci Pelosi publicly distorts Catholic teachings and expresses her intent to receive Communion despite her pro-abortion record.
Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat who was raised in a devout Italian Catholic home, told reporters, "I believe that my position on choice is one that is consistent with my Catholic upbringing, which said that every person has a free will and has the responsibility to live their lives in a way that they would have to account for in the end."
"I'm certainly concerned when the church comes together and says it's going to sanction people in public office for speaking their conscience and what they believe," she said
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Bork: Legal Justification for Same Sex "Marriages" is a Judicial Sin
For the umpteenth time, America really lost out by not having this guy on the Supreme Court. Now that Bork is Catholic, maybe he'll come around to seeing the Ninth Amendment as something more than an ink blot.
For the umpteenth time, America really lost out by not having this guy on the Supreme Court. Now that Bork is Catholic, maybe he'll come around to seeing the Ninth Amendment as something more than an ink blot.
Job Wanted
Since the solo practice isn't going too well, I've decided to "hit the pavement" and look for a job with a small firm in San Francisco. I sent out over 600 (yes, 600+) resumes to various solo practitioners and small firms in the City last Thursday, and so far I've gotten a few "not hiring at this time" letters and one request for an interview yesterday with a firm that I didn't know mostly did maritime law until I arrived for the interview (I thought it was just a general civil litigation firm).
Overall, I don't think my interview went too well. It lasted for only about thirty minutes, which is never a good sign. Furthermore, while it was hard enough trying to put a positive spin on my general lack of litigation experience and exposure to maritime law, I had to deal with these issues while sitting in a hot office with no air conditioning (it hit a record 91 degrees in San Francisco yesterday). Needless to say, I wasn't very impressive, and I think it's probably safe to presume that I won't be tendered an offer to work with this firm. So while I anxiously and hopefully wait by my phone for other attorneys to call me in for a job interview, I would ask you to please keep me in your prayers during this somewhat personally difficult time.
Update: Got a call from the above law firm's owner today (Wednesday), and he said he'd like to hire me on a two-week (10 days) trial basis to "see if there's a good fit." Not wanting to seem desperate or that no other firms have been in contact with me about possible employment, I responded that I'd need the day to think about it, and that I would call him back Thursday morning. After some discussion with friends and colleagues, chances are pretty good that I'm going to accept the offer.
Since the solo practice isn't going too well, I've decided to "hit the pavement" and look for a job with a small firm in San Francisco. I sent out over 600 (yes, 600+) resumes to various solo practitioners and small firms in the City last Thursday, and so far I've gotten a few "not hiring at this time" letters and one request for an interview yesterday with a firm that I didn't know mostly did maritime law until I arrived for the interview (I thought it was just a general civil litigation firm).
Overall, I don't think my interview went too well. It lasted for only about thirty minutes, which is never a good sign. Furthermore, while it was hard enough trying to put a positive spin on my general lack of litigation experience and exposure to maritime law, I had to deal with these issues while sitting in a hot office with no air conditioning (it hit a record 91 degrees in San Francisco yesterday). Needless to say, I wasn't very impressive, and I think it's probably safe to presume that I won't be tendered an offer to work with this firm. So while I anxiously and hopefully wait by my phone for other attorneys to call me in for a job interview, I would ask you to please keep me in your prayers during this somewhat personally difficult time.
Update: Got a call from the above law firm's owner today (Wednesday), and he said he'd like to hire me on a two-week (10 days) trial basis to "see if there's a good fit." Not wanting to seem desperate or that no other firms have been in contact with me about possible employment, I responded that I'd need the day to think about it, and that I would call him back Thursday morning. After some discussion with friends and colleagues, chances are pretty good that I'm going to accept the offer.
Monday, April 26, 2004
Sad
As most of you are probably aware by now, it was reported over the weekend that Pat Tilley, who gave up a lucrative career in the NFL to serve his country in the Army, died in combat in Afghanistan. This weekend also saw Eli Manning, son of legendary NFL quarterback Archie and brother to probable NFL legend Peyton, throw a subdued tantrum about being drafted by the San Diego Chargers. Fortunately, San Diego traded Eli to New York, where hopefully he will take the opportunity to go by the area where the World Trade Center buildings once stood and reflect upon the sacrifices that have been made for him by brave souls like the late Pat Tilley.
Errata: Pat's last name was Tillman. I must have been thinking about Meg Tilley or something.
As most of you are probably aware by now, it was reported over the weekend that Pat Tilley, who gave up a lucrative career in the NFL to serve his country in the Army, died in combat in Afghanistan. This weekend also saw Eli Manning, son of legendary NFL quarterback Archie and brother to probable NFL legend Peyton, throw a subdued tantrum about being drafted by the San Diego Chargers. Fortunately, San Diego traded Eli to New York, where hopefully he will take the opportunity to go by the area where the World Trade Center buildings once stood and reflect upon the sacrifices that have been made for him by brave souls like the late Pat Tilley.
Errata: Pat's last name was Tillman. I must have been thinking about Meg Tilley or something.
Saturday, April 24, 2004
When Did the Vatican Become Communist China?
According to the lame stream media, Rome "cracks down" on liturgical abuse.
One of the main points of the Vatican document commissioned by Pope John Paul II warned against lay people delivering sermons or preaching the Gospel.
The document uses terse language to discourage the misconduct, saying some practices were "not infrequently" plaguing Masses and that in some places "the perpetration of liturgical abuses has become almost habitual, a fact which obviously cannot be allowed and must cease."
It also said anyone conscious of being in grave sin shouldn’t receive Communion without going to confession -- a regulation that prompted questions about whether priests should deny politicians, such as Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, Communion because of their support for abortion rights.
Cardinal Francis Arinze, whose Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued the document, said the majority of priests celebrate Mass correctly and stressed the directive was not intended to be "repressive" but merely to remind Catholics of church teaching.
The directive restated church teaching on all aspects of the liturgy, from the type of vestments a priest should wear, to the timing of his prayers and the types of bread and wine used at Communion.
According to the lame stream media, Rome "cracks down" on liturgical abuse.
One of the main points of the Vatican document commissioned by Pope John Paul II warned against lay people delivering sermons or preaching the Gospel.
The document uses terse language to discourage the misconduct, saying some practices were "not infrequently" plaguing Masses and that in some places "the perpetration of liturgical abuses has become almost habitual, a fact which obviously cannot be allowed and must cease."
It also said anyone conscious of being in grave sin shouldn’t receive Communion without going to confession -- a regulation that prompted questions about whether priests should deny politicians, such as Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, Communion because of their support for abortion rights.
Cardinal Francis Arinze, whose Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued the document, said the majority of priests celebrate Mass correctly and stressed the directive was not intended to be "repressive" but merely to remind Catholics of church teaching.
The directive restated church teaching on all aspects of the liturgy, from the type of vestments a priest should wear, to the timing of his prayers and the types of bread and wine used at Communion.
Teachers' Union Co-Sponsors Pro-Abortion March
If you're a faithful Catholic and a public school teacher, opt-out of the union now and ask to have any mandatory agency fees you are required to pay the union (i.e., Moloch) be diverted to an unobjectionable charity.
Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions on how to do this.
If you're a faithful Catholic and a public school teacher, opt-out of the union now and ask to have any mandatory agency fees you are required to pay the union (i.e., Moloch) be diverted to an unobjectionable charity.
Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions on how to do this.
Friday, April 23, 2004
GOP Vets Rip Kerry in Congress
And the best that the Dems could do to counter was to have uber-liberal Baghdad Jim McDermott question Dubya's honorable service in the National Guard.
And the best that the Dems could do to counter was to have uber-liberal Baghdad Jim McDermott question Dubya's honorable service in the National Guard.
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Big Fat Hypocrite
Self proclaimed champion of the working class and Hollywood limousine liberal Michael Moore outsources his website design and servers to a foreign country.
Self proclaimed champion of the working class and Hollywood limousine liberal Michael Moore outsources his website design and servers to a foreign country.
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Calling All Muslims!
A Michigan city approves a local mosque's request to air prayer calls to Muslims over public loudspeakers -- 5 times a day!
Somehow I get the feeling that the same courtesy would not be extended to a local parish wishing to expressly exhort Catholics to pray the Rosary.
A Michigan city approves a local mosque's request to air prayer calls to Muslims over public loudspeakers -- 5 times a day!
Somehow I get the feeling that the same courtesy would not be extended to a local parish wishing to expressly exhort Catholics to pray the Rosary.
Race Whoring
It's still a thriving area of practice in the legal/political profession.
The usual suspects -- plus one holier-than-thou world power -- are calling on the U.S. military to repent for its treatment of Muslim chaplain James Yee (a.k.a. "Yousef" or "Yousif" Yee).
Refresher: Yee's the Army captain who ministered to al Qaeda and Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Seven months ago, Yee was arrested on suspicion of espionage. He spent 76 days in solitary confinement; the case didn't materialize; he was convicted on lesser charges of adultery and downloading pornography. Last week, the Army Southern Command chief who oversees military operations at Guantanamo dismissed those convictions.
What more do Yee and his sympathy circle want? They want the government to grovel and beg forgiveness for being too aggressive in defending against potential terrorist sympathizers and abettors. In a letter to President Bush, Yee's lawyer complained of guards who "refused to provide him with a liturgical calendar or prayer rug and refused to tell him the time of day or the direction of Mecca." Comparing it to the victimization of gay soldiers, commentator Andrew Sullivan condemned the military's enforcement of the Uniform Code of Military Justice against Yee as "disgraceful, foul and malicious." And now, along with Arab-American and Asian-American activists trying to turn Yee into an international human rights poster boy, comes the Communist government of China.
According to the Zhongguo Xinwen She news agency, the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, Sha Zukang, blasted the U.S. for "racial discrimination" and cited "the recent case against Chinese American Yousef Yee" as an example of America's "domestic human rights situation." The absurdity of turning this into a racial issue is topped only by the sanctimony of Ambassador Sha, representative of the Falun Gong-torturing, political dissent-steamrolling, one-child-policy pioneers in Beijing, who fulminated that "the United States should look at itself in a mirror." Captain Yee's stateside defenders, such as Cecilia Chang of the San Francisco Bay Area-based grievance group Justice for New Americans, likewise pretend he was viciously singled out for being the child of "immigrant minorities." Chang complained, "Many people who don't look very 'American' are being targeted."
It's still a thriving area of practice in the legal/political profession.
The usual suspects -- plus one holier-than-thou world power -- are calling on the U.S. military to repent for its treatment of Muslim chaplain James Yee (a.k.a. "Yousef" or "Yousif" Yee).
Refresher: Yee's the Army captain who ministered to al Qaeda and Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Seven months ago, Yee was arrested on suspicion of espionage. He spent 76 days in solitary confinement; the case didn't materialize; he was convicted on lesser charges of adultery and downloading pornography. Last week, the Army Southern Command chief who oversees military operations at Guantanamo dismissed those convictions.
What more do Yee and his sympathy circle want? They want the government to grovel and beg forgiveness for being too aggressive in defending against potential terrorist sympathizers and abettors. In a letter to President Bush, Yee's lawyer complained of guards who "refused to provide him with a liturgical calendar or prayer rug and refused to tell him the time of day or the direction of Mecca." Comparing it to the victimization of gay soldiers, commentator Andrew Sullivan condemned the military's enforcement of the Uniform Code of Military Justice against Yee as "disgraceful, foul and malicious." And now, along with Arab-American and Asian-American activists trying to turn Yee into an international human rights poster boy, comes the Communist government of China.
According to the Zhongguo Xinwen She news agency, the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, Sha Zukang, blasted the U.S. for "racial discrimination" and cited "the recent case against Chinese American Yousef Yee" as an example of America's "domestic human rights situation." The absurdity of turning this into a racial issue is topped only by the sanctimony of Ambassador Sha, representative of the Falun Gong-torturing, political dissent-steamrolling, one-child-policy pioneers in Beijing, who fulminated that "the United States should look at itself in a mirror." Captain Yee's stateside defenders, such as Cecilia Chang of the San Francisco Bay Area-based grievance group Justice for New Americans, likewise pretend he was viciously singled out for being the child of "immigrant minorities." Chang complained, "Many people who don't look very 'American' are being targeted."
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
The Slippary Slope
Distort the definition of marriage by officially recognizing homogamous unions, then you better be able to come up with a good reason for why polygamous, or even incestuous, unions should continued to be universally outlawed.
Distort the definition of marriage by officially recognizing homogamous unions, then you better be able to come up with a good reason for why polygamous, or even incestuous, unions should continued to be universally outlawed.
Pretext for Homo-Indoctrination
"G@y" rights activists exploit a tran$exual murder victim in order to justify forcing public school children to accept their disordered lifestyle. That's right. If you believe tran$exual or homo$exual conduct is perverse or immoral, you are a potential murderer.
"G@y" rights activists exploit a tran$exual murder victim in order to justify forcing public school children to accept their disordered lifestyle. That's right. If you believe tran$exual or homo$exual conduct is perverse or immoral, you are a potential murderer.
Monday, April 19, 2004
Give Me a Break
Big wig lawyers unite to oppose any splitting of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The "bipartisan" group cites potential injustices as a reason for their opposition.
Yeah, Heaven forbid that we should ever have a Federal Circuit Court of Appeal that doesn't consistently get overturned by the SCOTUS, or has a backlog of unresolved cases that arises from a willingness to entertain and affirm the delusions of left-wing anti-Christians like the ACLU and Michael Newdow.
Big wig lawyers unite to oppose any splitting of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The "bipartisan" group cites potential injustices as a reason for their opposition.
Yeah, Heaven forbid that we should ever have a Federal Circuit Court of Appeal that doesn't consistently get overturned by the SCOTUS, or has a backlog of unresolved cases that arises from a willingness to entertain and affirm the delusions of left-wing anti-Christians like the ACLU and Michael Newdow.
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Religious Liberty Case to Keep and Eye On
The SCOTUS will be reviewing an employment case that focuses on the question of whether state law enforcement agencies are exempt from having to comply with the religious accommodation provisions of Title VII (a.k.a. the Federal Civil Rights Act).
The Indiana State Police in South Bend assigned Benjamin Endres Jr. as a full-time gaming commission agent at the Blue Chips Casino in Michigan City, Ind. His job description listed gambling-related responsibilities, such as verifying gambling profits, investigating public complaints about the gaming system and performing license investigations for the casinos and their employees.
Endres claimed these duties would force him to violate his Baptist beliefs, which bar him from participating in or facilitating gambling. Endres asked his employer to reassign him. His request was denied, and when Endres failed to report to work he was fired.
After Endres filed a suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, the police agency sought to have the case dismissed, arguing that Indiana officials were protected from the Title VII claim by the state's sovereign immunity. But in December 2001, U.S. District Judge Robert Miller Jr. ruled against the state, saying that Endres could go ahead with his Title VII claim.
On appeal, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals saw the case differently. In an opinion last year by Judge Frank Easterbrook, the 7th Circuit reversed Miller, ruling that Endres had not made a valid Title VII claim. Judges Richard Posner and William Bauer joined in the opinion, which did not touch on the state immunity question.
Easterbrook said the law could not be interpreted to allow police or firefighters to pick and choose which laws to enforce or which fires to extinguish. Noting religious preferences such as Catholics' opposition to abortions and Jewish and Muslim bans on eating pork, Easterbrook asked rhetorically whether the law requires the state police "to assign Unitarians to guard the abortion clinic, Catholics to prevent thefts from liquor stores, and Baptists to investigate claims that supermarkets misweigh bacon and shellfish?"
Easterbrook continued: "Juggling assignments to make each compatible with the varying religious beliefs of a heterogeneous police force would be daunting to managers and difficult for other officers who would be called on to fill in for the objectors."
OK, I've never read the full decision by the 7th Circuit, but the quoted comments by Easterbrook are incredibly asinine if only because he ignores that part of Title VII which states that employers do not have to accommodate the religious beliefs of an employee if doing so would impose an "undue hardship" on them (the employers). Certainly, not having enough people to put out a fire would give rise to an undue hardship, but for Easterbrook to effectively compare firefighting to something like verifying the gambling profits of a casino is out there, and seems to be reflective of a personal hostility to people of religious faith.
Update: The SCOTUS has declined to review the case. Speculation is that the Court has "religion fatigue."
The SCOTUS will be reviewing an employment case that focuses on the question of whether state law enforcement agencies are exempt from having to comply with the religious accommodation provisions of Title VII (a.k.a. the Federal Civil Rights Act).
The Indiana State Police in South Bend assigned Benjamin Endres Jr. as a full-time gaming commission agent at the Blue Chips Casino in Michigan City, Ind. His job description listed gambling-related responsibilities, such as verifying gambling profits, investigating public complaints about the gaming system and performing license investigations for the casinos and their employees.
Endres claimed these duties would force him to violate his Baptist beliefs, which bar him from participating in or facilitating gambling. Endres asked his employer to reassign him. His request was denied, and when Endres failed to report to work he was fired.
After Endres filed a suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, the police agency sought to have the case dismissed, arguing that Indiana officials were protected from the Title VII claim by the state's sovereign immunity. But in December 2001, U.S. District Judge Robert Miller Jr. ruled against the state, saying that Endres could go ahead with his Title VII claim.
On appeal, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals saw the case differently. In an opinion last year by Judge Frank Easterbrook, the 7th Circuit reversed Miller, ruling that Endres had not made a valid Title VII claim. Judges Richard Posner and William Bauer joined in the opinion, which did not touch on the state immunity question.
Easterbrook said the law could not be interpreted to allow police or firefighters to pick and choose which laws to enforce or which fires to extinguish. Noting religious preferences such as Catholics' opposition to abortions and Jewish and Muslim bans on eating pork, Easterbrook asked rhetorically whether the law requires the state police "to assign Unitarians to guard the abortion clinic, Catholics to prevent thefts from liquor stores, and Baptists to investigate claims that supermarkets misweigh bacon and shellfish?"
Easterbrook continued: "Juggling assignments to make each compatible with the varying religious beliefs of a heterogeneous police force would be daunting to managers and difficult for other officers who would be called on to fill in for the objectors."
OK, I've never read the full decision by the 7th Circuit, but the quoted comments by Easterbrook are incredibly asinine if only because he ignores that part of Title VII which states that employers do not have to accommodate the religious beliefs of an employee if doing so would impose an "undue hardship" on them (the employers). Certainly, not having enough people to put out a fire would give rise to an undue hardship, but for Easterbrook to effectively compare firefighting to something like verifying the gambling profits of a casino is out there, and seems to be reflective of a personal hostility to people of religious faith.
Update: The SCOTUS has declined to review the case. Speculation is that the Court has "religion fatigue."
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Catholic Politician Scorecard
Brought to you by the Democrat Party, and coming soon to a political campaign near you. Look for the scorecards to show that pro-abortion and pro-homogamy Catholic Democrats are legislatively "more faithful" to the Church than pro-life and pro-family Catholic Republicans. In the meantime, the USCCB continues to collectively show it's lack of backbone in dealing with blatantly disobedient Catholic politicians.
A preliminary copy of the scorecard obtained by The Hill, which a Lampson aide emphasized is still unfinished, shows that the 67 Catholic House Democrats received an average score of 76 percent, while the 49 Catholic Republican members averaged 64 percent.
Republican Catholic members were quick to criticize the scorecard.
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said both the bishops and the Democrats are confusing means with motives. “Many of the issues they’re talking about really have nothing to do with actual Catholic teaching or religion,” he said. “It is interpretation of economic policy.”
(...)
Meanwhile, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, told “Fox News Sunday” that he is reluctant to deprive a Catholic politician who deviates from Catholic teaching of Communion and would only do so as a last resort.
Monahan said a task force in the conference has been assembled to develop a policy for dealing with Catholic politicians whose positions do not reflect Catholic teaching.
But in a report published in March, the conference stated that Catholics should not become single-issue voters: “The Christian faith is an integral unity, and thus it is incoherent to isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine.”
The task force “is looking at everything,” said Monahan, adding, “It’s not formed around Senator Kerry or members of Congress. It’s dealing with Catholic politicians at all levels. Everything is on the table. They haven’t got too far down the line in their work yet. You’re dealing with a lot of bishops and a lot of points of view.”
Brought to you by the Democrat Party, and coming soon to a political campaign near you. Look for the scorecards to show that pro-abortion and pro-homogamy Catholic Democrats are legislatively "more faithful" to the Church than pro-life and pro-family Catholic Republicans. In the meantime, the USCCB continues to collectively show it's lack of backbone in dealing with blatantly disobedient Catholic politicians.
A preliminary copy of the scorecard obtained by The Hill, which a Lampson aide emphasized is still unfinished, shows that the 67 Catholic House Democrats received an average score of 76 percent, while the 49 Catholic Republican members averaged 64 percent.
Republican Catholic members were quick to criticize the scorecard.
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said both the bishops and the Democrats are confusing means with motives. “Many of the issues they’re talking about really have nothing to do with actual Catholic teaching or religion,” he said. “It is interpretation of economic policy.”
(...)
Meanwhile, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, told “Fox News Sunday” that he is reluctant to deprive a Catholic politician who deviates from Catholic teaching of Communion and would only do so as a last resort.
Monahan said a task force in the conference has been assembled to develop a policy for dealing with Catholic politicians whose positions do not reflect Catholic teaching.
But in a report published in March, the conference stated that Catholics should not become single-issue voters: “The Christian faith is an integral unity, and thus it is incoherent to isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine.”
The task force “is looking at everything,” said Monahan, adding, “It’s not formed around Senator Kerry or members of Congress. It’s dealing with Catholic politicians at all levels. Everything is on the table. They haven’t got too far down the line in their work yet. You’re dealing with a lot of bishops and a lot of points of view.”
Liberal and Deadbeats?
The new liberal talk radio network featuring "Stuart Smalley" has been suddenly yanked off the air in L.A. and Chicago. The shutdown is being attributed to a bounced check that the network apparently issued to the radio station owner. (news link via Drudge)
(Snicker...)
The new liberal talk radio network featuring "Stuart Smalley" has been suddenly yanked off the air in L.A. and Chicago. The shutdown is being attributed to a bounced check that the network apparently issued to the radio station owner. (news link via Drudge)
(Snicker...)
Forget Nader
Vader 2004!
Had enough of traditional politicians? Even the best of them can be intimidated by the likes of Tom Daschle. The kind of tough, uncompromising leadership that the Free World requires likely only exists in the land of fictional characters.
Enter Lord Vader. It is impossible to imagine Lord Vader bending over backwards to a pipsqueak like Daschle. Rather if Daschle got out of line at a meeting, Lord Vader would simply use the Force to constrict his windpipe and achieve what had hitherto been considered impossible: he'd shut him up.
Vader 2004!
Had enough of traditional politicians? Even the best of them can be intimidated by the likes of Tom Daschle. The kind of tough, uncompromising leadership that the Free World requires likely only exists in the land of fictional characters.
Enter Lord Vader. It is impossible to imagine Lord Vader bending over backwards to a pipsqueak like Daschle. Rather if Daschle got out of line at a meeting, Lord Vader would simply use the Force to constrict his windpipe and achieve what had hitherto been considered impossible: he'd shut him up.
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
For Once, It's Not A Jesuit School
Not that it makes it any better, of course. From LifeSite:
Catholic Seton Hall University to Award Pro-Abortion Judge
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ, April 12, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Friday, April 16, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a notoriously pro-abortion judge who voted to strike down the partial-birth abortion laws of more than 30 states, is presenting the annual "Sandra Day O'Connor Medal of Honor" to Judge Maryanne Trump Barry (Sister of Donald Trump) of the U.S. Court of Appeals. Trump Barry is the pro-abortion author of the opinion striking down the New Jersey partial-birth abortion statute.
Seton Hall is a Catholic arm of the Archdiocese of Newark. The Seton Hall website states that it is "the oldest diocesan university in the United States" and testifies that "Seton Hall is Catholic not only by its charter and mission, but also by its ongoing spirit and activity."
Despite this lip service to its Catholic tradition, Seton Hall Law School -- which has a faculty riddled with pro-abortion professors and has no record of honoring any pro-life heroes -- is once again creating a major scandal by honoring prominent pro-abortion figures.
Critics are encouraging concerned citizens to contact the Archbishop of Newark, the President of the University and the Dean of the Law School to protest the awards and to demand that the award ceremony be canceled and that the Law School's sponsorship of this annual award be terminated.
Contact information
Archbishop John Myers
973-497-4190
goodneja@rcan.org
Msgr. Robert Sheeran
973-761-9620
sheeraro@shu.edu
Dean Patrick Hobbs
973-642-8750
hobbspat@shu.edu
http://law.shu.edu/
http://law.shu.edu/administration/office.html
http://www.spc.edu/
http://www.spc.edu/about/contact.shtml
Not that it makes it any better, of course. From LifeSite:
Catholic Seton Hall University to Award Pro-Abortion Judge
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ, April 12, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Friday, April 16, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a notoriously pro-abortion judge who voted to strike down the partial-birth abortion laws of more than 30 states, is presenting the annual "Sandra Day O'Connor Medal of Honor" to Judge Maryanne Trump Barry (Sister of Donald Trump) of the U.S. Court of Appeals. Trump Barry is the pro-abortion author of the opinion striking down the New Jersey partial-birth abortion statute.
Seton Hall is a Catholic arm of the Archdiocese of Newark. The Seton Hall website states that it is "the oldest diocesan university in the United States" and testifies that "Seton Hall is Catholic not only by its charter and mission, but also by its ongoing spirit and activity."
Despite this lip service to its Catholic tradition, Seton Hall Law School -- which has a faculty riddled with pro-abortion professors and has no record of honoring any pro-life heroes -- is once again creating a major scandal by honoring prominent pro-abortion figures.
Critics are encouraging concerned citizens to contact the Archbishop of Newark, the President of the University and the Dean of the Law School to protest the awards and to demand that the award ceremony be canceled and that the Law School's sponsorship of this annual award be terminated.
Contact information
Archbishop John Myers
973-497-4190
goodneja@rcan.org
Msgr. Robert Sheeran
973-761-9620
sheeraro@shu.edu
Dean Patrick Hobbs
973-642-8750
hobbspat@shu.edu
http://law.shu.edu/
http://law.shu.edu/administration/office.html
http://www.spc.edu/
http://www.spc.edu/about/contact.shtml
Monday, April 12, 2004
Cynical Old Fart
Did somebody forget to take his pills?
Andy Rooney: U.S. soldiers in Iraq aren't heroes. (link via Drudge)
Treating soldiers fighting their war as brave heroes is an old civilian trick designed to keep the soldiers at it. But you can be sure our soldiers in Iraq are not all brave heroes gladly risking their lives for us sitting comfortably back here at home.
Our soldiers in Iraq are people, young men and women, and they behave like people - sometimes good and sometimes bad, sometimes brave, sometimes fearful. It's disingenuous of the rest of us to encourage them to fight this war by idolizing them.
We pin medals on their chests to keep them going. We speak of them as if they volunteered to risk their lives to save ours, but there isn't much voluntary about what most of them have done. A relatively small number are professional soldiers. During the last few years, when millions of jobs disappeared, many young people, desperate for some income, enlisted in the Army. About 40 percent of our soldiers in Iraq enlisted in the National Guard or the Army Reserve to pick up some extra money and never thought they'd be called on to fight. They want to come home.
One indication that not all soldiers in Iraq are happy warriors is the report recently released by the Army showing that 23 of them committed suicide there last year. This is a dismaying figure. If 22 young men and one woman killed themselves because they couldn't take it, think how many more are desperately unhappy but unwilling to die.
Did somebody forget to take his pills?
Andy Rooney: U.S. soldiers in Iraq aren't heroes. (link via Drudge)
Treating soldiers fighting their war as brave heroes is an old civilian trick designed to keep the soldiers at it. But you can be sure our soldiers in Iraq are not all brave heroes gladly risking their lives for us sitting comfortably back here at home.
Our soldiers in Iraq are people, young men and women, and they behave like people - sometimes good and sometimes bad, sometimes brave, sometimes fearful. It's disingenuous of the rest of us to encourage them to fight this war by idolizing them.
We pin medals on their chests to keep them going. We speak of them as if they volunteered to risk their lives to save ours, but there isn't much voluntary about what most of them have done. A relatively small number are professional soldiers. During the last few years, when millions of jobs disappeared, many young people, desperate for some income, enlisted in the Army. About 40 percent of our soldiers in Iraq enlisted in the National Guard or the Army Reserve to pick up some extra money and never thought they'd be called on to fight. They want to come home.
One indication that not all soldiers in Iraq are happy warriors is the report recently released by the Army showing that 23 of them committed suicide there last year. This is a dismaying figure. If 22 young men and one woman killed themselves because they couldn't take it, think how many more are desperately unhappy but unwilling to die.
Saturday, April 10, 2004
Renewed Debate Over the Shroud of Turin
Recent findings appear to undermine 15 year old proclamations that the Shroud is fake.
Raymond Rogers is a retired physical chemist and former leader of the explosives research and development group at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. He proposes that the samples used to date the shroud in 1988 were flawed and the experiment should be repeated. His conclusion is based on a recent chemical analysis of the shroud and previous observations made during a 1978 examination.
Rogers was one of two dozen American scientists who participated in the 1978 Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP)—an intense five-day scientific investigation of the shroud in Turin, Italy.
(...)
The 1988 carbon dating results satisfied many skeptics that the Shroud of Turin was a clever hoax, and the findings stymied further research.
But some scientists have persisted. In 1999 Avinoam Danin, a botanist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, stated at the 16th International Botanical Congress that he found pollen grains on the shroud from plants that could only be found in and around Jerusalem, placing its origins in the Middle East.
Further comparison of the shroud with another ancient cloth, the Sudarium of Oviedo (thought to be the burial face cloth of Jesus), revealed it was embedded with pollen grains from the same species of plant as found on the Shroud of Turin.
The Sudarium even carries the same AB blood type, with bloodstains in a similar pattern. Since the Sudarium has been stored in a cathedral in Spain since the eighth century, the evidence suggests that the Shroud of Turin is at least as old.
Recent findings appear to undermine 15 year old proclamations that the Shroud is fake.
Raymond Rogers is a retired physical chemist and former leader of the explosives research and development group at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. He proposes that the samples used to date the shroud in 1988 were flawed and the experiment should be repeated. His conclusion is based on a recent chemical analysis of the shroud and previous observations made during a 1978 examination.
Rogers was one of two dozen American scientists who participated in the 1978 Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP)—an intense five-day scientific investigation of the shroud in Turin, Italy.
(...)
The 1988 carbon dating results satisfied many skeptics that the Shroud of Turin was a clever hoax, and the findings stymied further research.
But some scientists have persisted. In 1999 Avinoam Danin, a botanist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, stated at the 16th International Botanical Congress that he found pollen grains on the shroud from plants that could only be found in and around Jerusalem, placing its origins in the Middle East.
Further comparison of the shroud with another ancient cloth, the Sudarium of Oviedo (thought to be the burial face cloth of Jesus), revealed it was embedded with pollen grains from the same species of plant as found on the Shroud of Turin.
The Sudarium even carries the same AB blood type, with bloodstains in a similar pattern. Since the Sudarium has been stored in a cathedral in Spain since the eighth century, the evidence suggests that the Shroud of Turin is at least as old.
Wednesday, April 07, 2004
Breaking Up is Hard to Do
In the case of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, it's almost been impossible. However, efforts to break up the most left-leaning and reversed federal appeals court in the country have started up again, and it looks as though it may end up going somewhere.
In the case of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, it's almost been impossible. However, efforts to break up the most left-leaning and reversed federal appeals court in the country have started up again, and it looks as though it may end up going somewhere.
CNN = Credibility Not Necessary
It's not been a good two weeks for the all "news" network. First, CNN attributed a comment to the White House that it never made about a David Letterman bit, and this past Sunday it wrongly reported that the state of Missouri was considering a bill that would fire any public school teacher who refused to teach alternatives to evolution.
It's not been a good two weeks for the all "news" network. First, CNN attributed a comment to the White House that it never made about a David Letterman bit, and this past Sunday it wrongly reported that the state of Missouri was considering a bill that would fire any public school teacher who refused to teach alternatives to evolution.
Monday, April 05, 2004
And Yet, Voluntary Abortion is Still Legal
The California State Supreme Court declares that murdering a pregnant woman counts as two homicides even if the accused didn't know the victim was pregnant. Just goes to further prove that recognition of the unborn as legally protected persons ultimately comes down to a matter of will.
The California State Supreme Court declares that murdering a pregnant woman counts as two homicides even if the accused didn't know the victim was pregnant. Just goes to further prove that recognition of the unborn as legally protected persons ultimately comes down to a matter of will.
Sunday, April 04, 2004
It's Not Like They Were Encouraged to Watch American Pie
A Catholic middle school teacher up near Sacto is terminated for telling students they can earn extra credit by watching the R-rated TPOTC with their parents.
Officially, the school would not comment on why Hathorn was fired from the North Highlands school, saying his termination was a personnel matter. However, Principal Marilyn Fleming said assigning students to watch R-rated movies at the kindergarten through eighth-grade school was against school policy.
Hathorn, 50, who has taught at the school for five years, said the movie "is 100 percent true to the Gospel" and he has seen it with his son, a seventh-grader.
"For some children it is too much," he said. "But for others, in this age with all the violence we see, the violence is not too much."
A Catholic middle school teacher up near Sacto is terminated for telling students they can earn extra credit by watching the R-rated TPOTC with their parents.
Officially, the school would not comment on why Hathorn was fired from the North Highlands school, saying his termination was a personnel matter. However, Principal Marilyn Fleming said assigning students to watch R-rated movies at the kindergarten through eighth-grade school was against school policy.
Hathorn, 50, who has taught at the school for five years, said the movie "is 100 percent true to the Gospel" and he has seen it with his son, a seventh-grader.
"For some children it is too much," he said. "But for others, in this age with all the violence we see, the violence is not too much."
Saturday, April 03, 2004
Check With Us First Before Doing Your Little Religious Thingy
Enviro-wackos proclaim Palm Sunday services to be environmentally risky. I wonder if anyone has ever told these yayhoos that their own breathing adversely impacts the environment.
Chantal Line Carpentier of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation recommends "environmental certification," or "eco-labeling," which tells buyers the palms were harvested in a way that environmentalists accept.
Both the CEC and Rainforest Alliance described themselves as "pioneers in forest certification," and they said they are now working on a pilot project to "link [approved] chamaedorea suppliers in Mexico and Guatemala with Canadian and US churches."
Enviro-wackos proclaim Palm Sunday services to be environmentally risky. I wonder if anyone has ever told these yayhoos that their own breathing adversely impacts the environment.
Chantal Line Carpentier of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation recommends "environmental certification," or "eco-labeling," which tells buyers the palms were harvested in a way that environmentalists accept.
Both the CEC and Rainforest Alliance described themselves as "pioneers in forest certification," and they said they are now working on a pilot project to "link [approved] chamaedorea suppliers in Mexico and Guatemala with Canadian and US churches."
Thursday, April 01, 2004
High School "Honor" Student Threatens President
Why did he do it? In order to "get back" at a fellow student he had a dispute with. Just goes to show you that good grades do not equate with intelligence. Dan Quayle is yet again vindicated.
Why did he do it? In order to "get back" at a fellow student he had a dispute with. Just goes to show you that good grades do not equate with intelligence. Dan Quayle is yet again vindicated.
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Catholic Rad Trads
Or as some Catholic bloggers refer to them, the Lidless Eye crowd. I've recently had my first, and hopefully last, direct encounter with some on a Catholic singles website I recently joined. (Why the heck not?) Except for the fact that they reject sola scriptura and call themselves Catholic, I'm readily convinced that they are intellectually indistingiushable from most Protestant Fundamentalists. First of all, Rad Trads absolutely reject almost any semblance of logic or reasoning. To give you an example, someone on the aforementioned website had posted a favorable review of Rad Trad leaning Michael Davies' book "Liturgical Timebombs in Vatican II," published by TAN Books and Publishing (whose founder I have since discovered is a member of a schismatic traditionalist group called the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem). I responded to this favorable review by noting that because Davies has been known to consort with and share the views of known Rad Trad groups and publications like The Remnant, anyone who reads this book should exercise extreme caution. Right off the bat, one Rad Trad replies to my post by essentially accusing me of wanting to engage in censorship and book burning. When I asked where did I ever say that no one should read Davies' book, the Rad Trad said I didn't, but that such a conclusion was nevertheless a logical outcome of my insidious warning. After writing a couple of posts where I tried to explain that the conclusion of book burning only makes some inkling of sense if I had actually told people not to read Davies, the Rad Trad comes back and says that, contrary to what he first wrote, he now believes that I did in fact originally try to tell people not to read the book. Cuckooo!
Needless to say, after telling the Rad Trad and some of his sympathizers that I thought they were being illogical, I just let the whole dialogue go as it was evident I wasn't going to change their "minds," and my purpose of simply warning the unsuspecting had been accomplished.
Oh, and another thing that Rad Trads have in common with most Fundies is their heavy reliance on private interpretation. Whereas most Fundies do it with the Bible, Rad Trads will employ private interpretation with Tradition. A weird lot these Lidless Eye folks.
Or as some Catholic bloggers refer to them, the Lidless Eye crowd. I've recently had my first, and hopefully last, direct encounter with some on a Catholic singles website I recently joined. (Why the heck not?) Except for the fact that they reject sola scriptura and call themselves Catholic, I'm readily convinced that they are intellectually indistingiushable from most Protestant Fundamentalists. First of all, Rad Trads absolutely reject almost any semblance of logic or reasoning. To give you an example, someone on the aforementioned website had posted a favorable review of Rad Trad leaning Michael Davies' book "Liturgical Timebombs in Vatican II," published by TAN Books and Publishing (whose founder I have since discovered is a member of a schismatic traditionalist group called the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem). I responded to this favorable review by noting that because Davies has been known to consort with and share the views of known Rad Trad groups and publications like The Remnant, anyone who reads this book should exercise extreme caution. Right off the bat, one Rad Trad replies to my post by essentially accusing me of wanting to engage in censorship and book burning. When I asked where did I ever say that no one should read Davies' book, the Rad Trad said I didn't, but that such a conclusion was nevertheless a logical outcome of my insidious warning. After writing a couple of posts where I tried to explain that the conclusion of book burning only makes some inkling of sense if I had actually told people not to read Davies, the Rad Trad comes back and says that, contrary to what he first wrote, he now believes that I did in fact originally try to tell people not to read the book. Cuckooo!
Needless to say, after telling the Rad Trad and some of his sympathizers that I thought they were being illogical, I just let the whole dialogue go as it was evident I wasn't going to change their "minds," and my purpose of simply warning the unsuspecting had been accomplished.
Oh, and another thing that Rad Trads have in common with most Fundies is their heavy reliance on private interpretation. Whereas most Fundies do it with the Bible, Rad Trads will employ private interpretation with Tradition. A weird lot these Lidless Eye folks.
Proposed Curb to Federal Court Jurisdiction
If signed into law, two bills in Congress would prohibit the Federal courts from making rulings on "acknowledgment of God" cases. (One of the bills also prohibits Federal courts from relying on foreign law and rulings when interpreting the Costitution). So, for example, if Michael Newdow wanted to make another kind of Pledge of Allegiance type challenge, he wouldn't, as the saying goes, be able to take his case to the Supreme Court, and would have to try and seek a remedy in the courts of each individual state. Viva la Tenth Amendment (and Article III Section 2)!
If signed into law, two bills in Congress would prohibit the Federal courts from making rulings on "acknowledgment of God" cases. (One of the bills also prohibits Federal courts from relying on foreign law and rulings when interpreting the Costitution). So, for example, if Michael Newdow wanted to make another kind of Pledge of Allegiance type challenge, he wouldn't, as the saying goes, be able to take his case to the Supreme Court, and would have to try and seek a remedy in the courts of each individual state. Viva la Tenth Amendment (and Article III Section 2)!
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