Booty Answered the Call

USC 50
Bubbaville 14

The Post-Bush Era Begins Tomorrow in Arkansas

Fight On!

The New MTV Generation: Just Plain Dumb

Video footage here to prove it. (link via Michelle Malkin)

The Party of Death is Also Anti-Semitic

"In the last year, grassroots contributors like us gave more than $300 million to the Kerry campaign and the DNC, and proved that the Party doesn't need corporate cash to be competitive. Now it's our Party: we bought it, we own it, and we're going to take it back." - Statement from MoveOn PAC 12/9/04

In light of the above, the information contained in this article about MoveOn.org certainly leaves no doubt that the 'Rat Party hates Jews. (link via The Anchoress)

You Know You're a Self-Righteous Knee-Jerker When...

You classify stuff like this as "torture." (link va Drudge)

Living Up to the Name "Meathead"

Rob Reiner, who as far as I know has never come clean about the campaign scandal he was recently inolved in, wants Mel Gibson to admit that The Passion of the Christ movie, which the late Pope John Paul II pretty much thought was faithful to the New Testament, is anti-Semitic. (link via Drudge)

Fox Reporters Freed After Forced Conversion

I'm not about to criticize the two Fox News Channel reporters who were kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists and did what they felt was necessary, i.e., "converted" to Islam at gunpoint, to stay alive. In fact, I think they are very brave men. Nevertheless, it does make me think. If it were me in that situation, would I have been willing to die and be a martyr for Christ? I'd like to think I would, but by the same token, if you could be reasonably certain you would be allowed to live and even freed by going along with the demand to "convert," I probably would have done the same thing that these reporters did.

Update: Kathy Shaidle provides a great reminder on the power of defiance and the grace to actually do it.

Quick Observation

Or a rant. From my various verbal battles on different political bulletin boards, I've come to the conclusion that self-described moderates are the most politically pretentious people around. Just because they refuse to categorize themselves as either Left or Right, so-called "moderates" have this annoying tendency to anoint themselves as the objective voice of reason in criticizing the positions of self-admitted conservatives and liberals.

Something About (the Blessed Virgin) Mary

There's a new movie coming out this December called the The Nativity Story which apparently focuses on the impending birth of Christ from the Blessed Mother's perspective.

Curiously enough, this film was written by an Evangelical Protestant, which somwhat contrary to the conclusion of this article about the movie (link via Mirror of Justice) seems to confirm the rising interest (dare we even say devotion?) among Evangelicals in Mary as a perfect role model of Christian faith.

Goldwater: Democrat Hero

That seems to at least be the conclusion some will take away from this upcoming HBO movie on the late U.S. Senator from Arizona. Even though Barry Goldwater is generally viewed as a forefather of political conservatism in this country, his pro-abortion and gays in the military positions frankly made him more libertarian (or, should I say libertine?) in my eyes than anything else. (link via Drudge)

The "Tolerant" Left's Deranged Obsession with Ann Coulter Continues

The latest example from the San Francisco Chronicle. This Peter Hartlaub guy bears an amazing resemblance to a clueless and unhinged liberal I used to skewer on the discussion forums at Catholic Match. As far as I know, though, the other guy's name is Mike and he's from Ohio.

Fres-yes

Long road trip today to and from downtown Fresno for a court appearance that lasted all of about five minutes and resulted in a desired continuance so that I could get a motion for a change of venue (i.e., transfer the case to So. Cal.) on file.

Didn't have much of an opportunity to look around, but Fresno sure did have a small town feel to it. If it wasn't for the hot summer weather, I think I'd consider living there...maybe.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Al Gore's glaring hypocrisy: priceless (link via Southern Appeal)

Public records reveal that as Gore lectures Americans on excessive consumption, he and wife Tipper live in two properties: a 10,000-square-foot, 20-room, eight-bathroom home in Nashville, and a 4,000-square-foot home in Arlington, Va. (He also has a third home in Carthage, Tenn.) For someone rallying the planet to pursue a path of extreme personal sacrifice, Gore requires little from himself.

Then there is the troubling matter of his energy use. In the Washington, D.C., area, utility companies offer wind energy as an alternative to traditional energy. In Nashville, similar programs exist. Utility customers must simply pay a few extra pennies per kilowatt hour, and they can continue living their carbon-neutral lifestyles knowing that they are supporting wind energy. Plenty of businesses and institutions have signed up. Even the Bush administration is using green energy for some federal office buildings, as are thousands of area residents. But according to public records, there is no evidence that Gore has signed up to use green energy in either of his large residences. When contacted recently, Gore's office confirmed as much but said the Gores were looking into making the switch at both homes. Talk about inconvenient truths.

I Need an Exemption from Job Interviews

Because I just totally suck at them; today being example number 234249230493.

Staring Down an Idiotic Nutbag

OK, so I'm at a Labor Board Hearing today representing the owner of a small mom & pop bakery in L.A. whose own brother and sister in-law, both of whom were unrepresented, filed a complaint against him for failing to pay them due wages. The brother and sister in-law claimed they were owed about $25,000, while my client was of the position they were owed nothing because they were never employed with him. Although my client had witnesses and documentation to back up his position, my client, upon my strong recommendation, settled the case for less than 10% of what the brother and sister in-law were claiming.

The reason why I encouraged settlement in this matter was because the State Labor Board is notorious for being employee/claimant friendly. Indeed, the experience at my firm has been that even though an employer may have great evidence to present at a Labor Board "trial," Labor Board hearing officers, who aren't even attorneys for crying out loud, will more often times than not award an employee what he is asking for.

When it looked as though there would be no settlement between the parties (all of whom are Mexican and speak little english) the interpreter that we were using left the room to get the hearing officer. In the interim, my client's brother started talking a bunch of smack to my client in Spanish. When I told the brother, in english, to stop speaking to my client, he started getting mad and told me to quit pointing my finger at him. When I "asked" him what he was going to do about it, he "answered" by repeating my question and told me in a hushed aggressive tone to stop pointing my finger at him. At that point, I asked him if he was threatening me. Possibly knowing better not to do that, he again repeated his command for me to stop pointing my finger at him, even though I wasn't. When I then sarcastically asserted that he didn't understand english, he angrily mumbled some gibberish about my not understanding something or other. After that, we just stared each other down for a minute or so until I looked away with a slight smile.

I tell ya, if it wasn't for the total unpredictability of Labor Board hearing officers and the amount of money my client possibly could have been personally liable for, I would have loved to have tried this case. Clearly, I had gotten under the skin of this nutball brother of my client(during settlement discussions, he and his wife were being argumentative when I brought up the evidence I intended to present to prove that my client never employed them). But, alas, the interests of my client came first, and since these two crooks were willing to take the absoulte amount of money my client was willing to give them to just go away, settling was the most prudent thing for him to do.

Sometimes Republicans Make a Wrong Choice

But I've yet to see in my lifetime one elected Democrat executive appoint a competent, non-politicized judge. Carter appointee Judge Anna Diggs Taylor is just the latest example of why electing a Democrat basically means making the judiciary into a super legislature. Her ruling on the Bush Administration's NSA intercept program is so bad and political, it makes otherwise sympathetic liberals cringe, as noted here and here.

Same State Court, but Different System

My first, and probably last, encounter with the Fresno County Family Court has been interesting. Apparently, Fresno County segregates family law cases where the parties are in pro per (i.e., not being represented by an attorney). Hearings for such cases are heard by a rotating panel of temporary judges and commissioners, and they are held on Fridays in a courtroom that is normally used for small claims actions. In short, in pro per family law cases in Fresno County seem to almost be treated like, well, small claims cases. I'm not saying whether it's bad or good. Just different.

An Illustration of the Paradox that is Evangelical Christianity

An interesting article here about the near unanimous embrace of artificial contraception by Evangelicals who, I think, are normally against the legal right to abortion. (link via Open Book)

Now, of course, a good majority of my fellow Catholics in the United States probably also embrace the "contraceptive culture." While this is certainly distressing, the fact that the institutional Church remains steadfast in holding an opposing position certainly says something about how much value the Church places upon things it regards as enduring and transcendent truth. No amount of "evolving attitudes" in society will sway her to change. This, in my view, is one of the significant distinctions between Evangelical Prostestantism and Catholicism. An Evangelical Protestant (or "mere" Christian) is still an Evangelical Protestant if he dissents from what, say, the Evangelical Free Church of America believes and teaches about contraception. Indeed, it is more than likely that an Evangelical "church" will change or conform its beliefs to those of its members or potential members (i.e., so-called "seekers"). A Catholic, however, has effectively ceased being Catholic if he dissents from what the instituional Church teaches.

Yes, Popes Can Be Wrong

When not speaking ex cathedra and on matters outside of the faith. (link via Open Book) Pat Buchanan and his ilk must be jumping for joy over Benedict's seeming "belief" that war brings no good to anyone, including the victors . And don't think for a moment that they won't try to make Benedict's misguided ruminations into an article of faith that Catholics are bound to abide by.

Go to Mass Tuesday!!

More of a reminder to myself than anything else. But if it helps you out too, great!