It's Just Numbers, Man

I'll probably watch I Hate My 30's, but I have a feeling it'll end up on the ash heap of Gen-X nostalgia shows like this and this (both of which I actually liked).

Qualifications for Civil Servant Job

Brains is literally not one of them. This story is just so weird to actually be true that I almost half expect a somewhat respectable Catholic apologist to gleefully claim that presidential candidate Ron Paul is a serious threat to the Republican Party establishment. There's gotta be some pretty wacky stuff in your Seattle-brewed coffee to make that kind of a claim with a straight face.

If Berkeley Were An Entire Country

Being expressively against disordered behavior and Islamofascism is sure expensive in Canada. Just ask a guy named Bill Whatcott.

Does This Make Giuliani Functionally Pro-Life?

As revealed here, some of the members of The Mayor's "Justice Advisory Committee" include former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson, former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson and filibustered judicial nominee Miguel Estrada. The selection of these individuals, I guess, are supposed to allay the concerns of many conservatives within the GOP regarding His Honor's rather well known liberal positions on several social issues, like abortion. Of course, we really don't know how influential this Advisory Committee is supposed to be if Giuliani is elected, much less who the other members are. Stay tuned.

Stranger Than Fiction

The Reverend Tori Spelling, who, like, got ordained online, like, presided over a g@y "wedding", like, as one of her first acts as, like, a woman of the, like, cloth. Fer sure.

Stuff is Happening

First, the long anticipated and welcomed motu proprio "freeing up" the Tridentine Mass, and coming this Tuesday (supposedly) a new document that appears to expound upon Dominus Iesus, and the therein discussion of the ecclesial nature of non-Catholic Christian, i.e., Protestant, "churches". (via)

Correction: Actually, Lumen Gentium is the original source of the topic to be addressed by the impending document.

Why I Don't Subscribe and Only Read the Sports Pages

Looks like the L.A. Times is set to run a hit piece on Fred Thompson by linking him with a pro-abortion organization that he might have done some lobbying for back in 1991. This, of course, was before Thompson was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1994, where he accumulated a 100 percent voting record on life issues and was listed as an "enemy" by Planned Parenthood.

If the L.A. Times hit piece was a complaint in a lawsuit, it would be so demurred.

No Difference Between the Parties?

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeal's split ruling to dismiss the challenge to the NSA surveillance program indirectly proves otherwise. It's indirect, because the substance of the NSA program, which pretty much divides conservatives and liberals, doesn't appear to really have been touched upon. The case was dismissed, because the challengers to the program were found not to have standing to sue.

Gobbledygook

Today marks the 15th anniversary of my constitutionally protected right to publicly hold myself out as a potato.

"At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life." - Joint Opinion of the Supreme Court in Planned Parenthood v. Casey

Evan Not So Mighty

The movie trailors for Evan Almighty didn't impress me much to begin with, and now the, at best, mediocrity of the film appears to be confirmed. Chalk yet another one up for "Hollywood Doesn't Get Religion."

Are We Drifting Left?

K-Lo at The Corner notes a somewhat discouraging new Gallup Poll which shows Rudy Giuliani leading Fred Thompson for the GOP presidential nomination. On the upside, of course, it's still very early and Thompson hasn't even formally declared his candidacy. Plus, it looks like Thompson's numbers are on the upswing.

I Really Hate Cigarettes

I received some documents in the mail from a potential client yesterday, and they just reeked of cigarette smoke. For reasons of stench alone, I'm inclined to be in favor of outlawing cigarettes. I'm not, however, in favor of devoting tax money to support media campaigns against cigarettes and tobacco companies. Such is done here in California through the Department of Health Services. Either make cigarettes illegal or leave the attacks on Big Tobacco™ to privately funded groups.

Could She Be Anymore Condescending?

So for Nancy Pelosi, because "science" is a gift from God, killing embryonic human beings and extracting their stem cells for something that cures nothing is a good thing that all sincere religious people should embrace.

The line to smack Congresswoman Pelosi upside the head starts behind me.

Only in Cafeteria/Seamless Garment Catholic Land

Michael Perry, a professor at Emory Law School and a Mirror of Justice blogger, is aghast (aghast!) that every Catholic on the U.S. Supreme Court voted to reverse a lower court ruling which forbade the exclusion of potential jurors who express a personal opposition to the death penalty. The real kicker in Perry's post is that he equates the Court majority's assumed pro-capital punishment position to Rudy Giuliani's pro-legalized abortion stance.

Now, even if it were true that Justices Kennedy, Scalia, Roberts, Alito and Thomas were all pro-capital punishment, I would defy Perry, hell anyone, to provide documented proof that the Church FORMALLY regards the death penalty as being intrinsically evil, such as She does abortion. I can tell you right now that it can't be done.

Freakin' academians.

Update: Thomas Berg is now perpetuating the lie that the Court's ruling somehow runs counter to Church doctrine and that capital punishment is regarded as an intrinsic evil.

Not That I Really Care

Paris goes back to the Big House. If nothing else, this is a great illustration of how judges are pretty sensitive to public opinion.

Where's the Number for that Truck Driving School

If I was this attorney, and I had these many lawsuits AGAINST me, I would seriously consider finding a new profession.

I'm just sayin'...

Update: Dang. The link showing all the lawsuits against the attorney doesn't come up automatically. Well, if you're interested, just type in "guest", then type in the guy's name.

Congrats to the Shmucks

Southern California finally has a Stanley Cup champion. Who'd have ever thought it would be the team that was basically established to promote a movie franchise by the Mouse Company?

Meanwhile, going on 40 years and still nothing.

June 4, 1989

民主!

I Can Relate

Problem is, I'd have a gun drawn on me and would get thrown in the pokey for this kind of tirade in the court room.

The Crackup

Since everyone else is pointing to the latest Peggy Noonan column on how Bush has pretty much screwed up the conservative movement in America, I may as well too.

I still think Dubya was right about Iraq, though. But as with a lot of other things, his inability to be publicly articulate about it has really hurt him.