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July 31, 2005

'Where are the white women at?'

Here's a headline that makes one go huh??

White women may regret voting for Bush

There is just something about that headline coupled with an article that skews ... well, look here:

The chickens could come home to roost for a lot of white women if it turns out that Supreme Court nominee John Roberts Jr. actually believes what was said in a 1990 legal brief that challenged the right of women to terminate a pregnancy.

"We continue to believe that Roe (the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortions) was wrongly decided and should be overturned," the Justice Department argued in a 46-page brief. Roberts, then an attorney in the solicitor general's office, was the principal architect of that legal document.

The writer then goes on throughout the article, sprinkling stats with no source and making more snarks about "white women's" support of President Bush.

Many of the white women who voted for Bush may have been moved to do so out of patriotism. But in doing so, they put at risk a constitutionally guaranteed right that Bush's right-wing backers hate more than Saddam Hussein.

Oooo! Ahhh! Outside of Wickham's gleeful little admonishments to duped "white" women, the man's grasp of stare decisis leaves a lot to be desired. First he posts Roberts quote on Roe v Wade during his appellate court confirmation hearings

"Roe v. Wade is the settled law of the land," Roberts responded to a question about the 1990 brief. "There is nothing in my personal views that would prevent me from fully and faithfully applying that precedent."

Then, in an apparent "gotcha", Wickham offers

When asked if the Supreme Court's decision to end school segregation — a decision that overturned what up to then was "settled law" — was judicial activism, Roberts answered this way: "I don't think that constitutes judicial activism, because obviously if the decision is wrong, it should be overruled. That's not activism. That's applying the law correctly."

What Wickham either doesn't understand or in an attempt to obfuscate what Roberts was saying that while judges are bound to follow precedence where possible, it does not preclude them from either revisiting the issue or even overturning

The doctrine of stare decisis is not always to be relied upon, for the courts find it necessary to overrule cases which have been hastily decided, or contrary to principle. Many hundreds of such overruled cases may be found in the American and English books of reports.

In other words, the prudent and responsible judge will take care NOT to introduce instability by changing laws based on the personal whim of the judge of "what the law OUGHT to say" but only when the precedence raises questions of the "extent of public and private reliance on it, and its consistency or inconsistency with other related rules of law." It is true that Roe v Wade is supported by the majority of Americans however, it has been the subsequent SCOTUS decisions on abortion that have moved the way the law is applied beyond what most Americans support. NARAL, NOW and other ostensible "pro-choice" groups vehemently oppose any restrictions on abortion, even as Roe v Wade specifically allows for restrictions once beyond the first trimester. At the polling link, 80% of Americans support telling at least one parent about the impending abortion on a girl under 18. And depending on how the question is phrased, 47-68% of Americans favor banning partial-birth abortion.

It is obvious that Roberts is much more "mainstream" on abortion than the "pro-choice" advocates who want no restriction on abortion under any circumstance.

Finally, Wickham makes (intentionally or not) this final mistake:

If Roberts really believes what was said in the legal brief he signed back in 1990 — that Roe was "wrongly decided" — he will give the Supreme Court the conservative majority it needs to deny women the right to terminate a pregnancy.

Nope. Nada. Back the truck up. Even IF Roe v Wade were overturned, that doesn't make abortion "illegal" before the ink dries. It merely puts abortion back at the state level.

Wickham could have discussed the issue in a clear, fact-driven manner, but I guess the opportunity to tee hee over stupid "white" women was just too tempting to pass up.

Posted by Darleen at 09:12 AM | Comments (0)

July 30, 2005

Death default -- couldn't happen, right?

I had two major points in the Terri Shaivo case ...

1)In the absense of any definitive, written wishes (ie living will) and where all parties are in agreement of further medical treatment, the court should rule for life. In the Shaivo case, care of Terri should have been given to the party willing to care for her until such time she died a natural death.

2)Food and water do not constitute "extraordinary" care.

Well, it appears that in England, if one is terminally ill, you don't have any say in your care at the end of your life. Indeed, the The Right to Life has be abrogated.

The General Medical Council has won its appeal against a ruling allowing a terminally ill man to stop doctors withdrawing his feeding tube.Lesley Burke did not want doctors to stop giving him food and water in the final stages of his illness ...

Mr Burke, of Newton Estate in Lancaster, had feared reaching the point where, unable to communicate, he would be denied food and water and would take two to three weeks to die of starvation or thirst.

Of course, why should Mr. Burke worry? At that point he will be, according to certain people, not human anymore and his alleged "pain" while dying of thirst will ::::poof:::: not exist. No real human should suffer him to live.

Ah, the easy conscience and answers of nihilism!

Posted by Darleen at 01:54 PM | Comments (0)

Quote for the day ...

As apt today as it was when written in 2003

In the Muslim world today, we see the dangers of religious fanaticism. In the Western world we see the dangers of secular nihilism. America, with its unique blend of secular government and Judeo-Christian values, is in the middle. We better guard this unique blend. Or we will all be barbecued.

Posted by Darleen at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)

With 'moderates' like this ...

Time and again, we hear about the vast majority of peaceful, moderate moslems. In the USA, for the most part its true, even if they haven't turned out in large numbers for rallies. The fatwa against suicide-bombers was encouraging, but today's rant by a moslem leader held up in the UK as a "moderate" does not bode well

The most senior Islamic cleric in Birmingham claimed yesterday that Muslims were being unjustly blamed in the war on terrorism and that the eight suspects in the two bombing attacks on London "could have been innocent passengers".

What? It was those pesky Presbyterians again?

Mohammad Naseem, the chairman of the city's central mosque, called Tony Blair a "liar" and "unreliable witness" and questioned whether CCTV footage issued of the suspected bombers was of the perpetrators.

He said that Muslims "all over the world have never heard of an organisation called al-Qa'eda".

God works miracles! That river in Egypt runs right smack through Birmingham, England!

To the obvious embarrassment of council officials and police standing next to him, Mr Naseem said the Government and security services "were not to be relied upon".

He said: "Tony Blair has told lies on going to Iraq and in a court of law if a witness has proved to be a liar he ceases to be a reliable witness. So we cannot give our blind trust to the Government.

"Muslim bashing seems to be more earnest than the need for national unity and harmony. Terrorists can be anybody - we will have to see [whether the bombers are Muslims]. The process is not open; the process is not transparent; the process is not independent. I do not have faith in the system as it stands."

That nailbomb pictured above? Well, inspite of Naseem's little snitfit about "hey it coulda been anyone ...

In total, 16 bombs were found in the red Nissan car parked at Luton railway station. It is is believed the car was rented in Leeds by Shehzad Tanweer, one of the four bombers who killed themselves and 52 others in a co-ordinated attack on three London Underground trains and a bus earlier this month.

Way to go, Naseem, in getting the kaffir to understand that "moderate" moslems are, indeed, truly of the Religion of Peace™. Ahem.

hattip Little Green Footballs

Posted by Darleen at 08:47 AM | Comments (1)

Battlestar Galactica -- Fragged

A solid episode, but one that acted more like a bridge in the story, moving us towards the hinted to mysteries and revelations beyond. It was, for me, the weakest episode so far as a stand-alone chapter.

Contrary to what Tigh thought about Roslin, it is he that is becoming unglued. Without the powerful presence of Adama, Tigh is easily demonstrating the truth of The Peter Principle. Contrast Tigh's grasp of command with Adama's during the first season. As much as Adama holds a profound distaste of all things political, he's more than capable of playing the game of politics and using politics to advance what he believes is in the best interests of his command and the people thrust by circumstance into his responsibility. Tigh spoke to the Quorum of Twelve of Adama's opposition to martial law. Then, after Tigh's attempt to show Roslin as a hallucinating fool blows up in his face, he not only declares martial law but for the first time we hear him speak of Galactica as "his ship."

This is not going to go well over the next few episodes.

The writers are playing to both the strengths and weaknesses of the human condition. Under extraordinary circumstances we are capable of putting everything else aside and pulling together. Take the pressure off and we start squabbling amongst ourselves, looking for opportunity and advantage.

I know some of the fans of the old series miss the more "toaster" Cylons, fully non-human. But there is an elegance and subtlety to the clone-style Cylons ... "children" as a race and descendants of humans, with all the pettiness writ large with huge power. As the opening credits say this season And they have a plan that much we do know. But will their legacy of being copied too much human finally betray them? There were hints of "rogue" Cylons during the first season, and we still left guessing about the true motivations of Baltar's Six and to what extent the original Boomer, now in the brig, has a clue to what has/is happening to her.

Next week's Resistance ought to turn up the fire a few notches.

Posted by Darleen at 06:31 AM | Comments (0)

July 28, 2005

Quick stuff --

LA Times

When it comes to inheritance, emotion-laden personal items are five times more likely to create family conflict than money, a new study says.

Obviously the people conducting the study never met my ex-husband.

When a "counter-culture" art show reaches Twenty Years Old ...

Among a panel of artists assembled to discuss the artworks they will introduce at the annual Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert next month was engineer Corbett Griffith, sporting a Mohawk and Versace leopard print pants. He used slides to explain the physics behind the Colossus, a 7-story maypole of dangling 8-ton boulders that will spin with manpower.

... has it stopped being avante garde and now has all the originality of Hollywood's Summer 05 offerings?

In the "Well, that's nice but where have you guys been for the last four or more years?" category we have this

American Muslim scholars who interpret religious law for their community issued an edict Thursday condemning terrorism against civilians in response to the wave of deadly attacks in Britain and other countries.
In the statement, called a fatwa, the 18-member Fiqh Council of North America wrote that people who commit terrorism in the name of Islam were "criminals, not 'martyrs.'"

Let's say I'm a little less than impressed when I continue to read

Many Muslim leaders overseas have issued similar condemnations in recent weeks, but some have left an opening for violence to be used.

The U.S. fatwa did not specifically address suicide bombings in a war.

Sheesh.

Particularly as I'm a mom, stuff like this tears my heart out. Go look at that smiling face and see if you can help, even if it is just remembering the family in prayer. If you can, spread the link.

Posted by Darleen at 12:31 PM | Comments (0)

From Givhan to Cohen -- chick chick chick chick-a-lot chick-a-little more

Oh.Good.Lord.

The WaPo editorial thrust of playing politics against Republicans/conservatives in every section of the paper, seen on the Fashion pages a week ago, oozes over to a Theater Review by Richard Cohen.

I need to be very careful here, to say precisely what I mean and leave nothing to chance. I have just seen the play "Primo," which is performed by a single actor, Antony Sher, with material taken from Primo Levi's incomparable "If This Is a Man," the book that made the obscure Italian chemist an international literary sensation. It is an account of his time spent in Auschwitz. I could not help but think of Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo.

I know, I know. One must never compare anything to the Holocaust. One must never invoke Nazism except in reference to the Nazis. One must isolate that era as a way of honoring the victims, keeping it pristine and removed from all other human experience because it was so uniquely awful.

Wow. I haven't seen such an effort at patently faux disclaimer since the our notorious neighborhood gossip attempted one of those "You know I would never say anything bad about the new people across the street, but I've found out ..."

And Cohen goes right on with the "review" doing exactly what he was trying to declaim so righteously at the beginning.

Cohen, Givhan ... I'm now visualizing them as the biddy ladies in The Music Man all bending towards each other and whispering behind their hands, scandalized.

Stick-up-their-netherlands, self-righteous, humorless harridans.

Yep. Cohen and Givhan have ME convinced.

hattip Captain's Quarters

Posted by Darleen at 06:43 AM | Comments (2)

The Judeo-Christian hostile Left

reveals their contempt for democracy again.

SAN DIEGO – City voters decided Tuesday that the Mount Soledad cross should be the federal government's to bear.

But voters won't have the final word. The controversy heads back to court next month.

Attorney James McElroy, whose client filed a lawsuit challenging the presence of the cross on city land in 1989, called the vote meaningless.

"It still doesn't mean a damn thing," he said. "Voters should have never voted on it. It's a waste of taxpayers' money."

Defy a Leftist and they'll bare their totalitarian fangs in short order. This is why they are so determined to completely dominate the judiciary ... so they can piss on the electorate and enshrine their ideology via judicial fiat. Remember, when Nancy Pelosi was attempting to defend Kelo she said a judge's ruling was "like God Himself has spoken"

hattip Citizen Smash

More at Balloon Juice

Posted by Darleen at 12:12 AM | Comments (2)

Disgusting beyond words

Let's see, take one Islamist terrorist trying to sneak into the US with a trunk full of explosives to murder as many as possible CIVILIANS at LAX and what happens?

He gets 22 years. With credit for time served and possible good time behavior and he'll be out in about 14 years.

That's bad enough but then we have a JUDGE lecturing about American WAR POLICY to boot.

"We did not need to use a secret military tribunal, detain the defendant indefinitely as an enemy combatant or deny the defendant the right to counsel," U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said.

How dare he. HOW DARE HE? American citizens would have been slaughtered if not for the sharp eyes of a border guard and this FUCKING TERRORIST APOLOGIST is sitting in a POSITION OF TRUST and he is more interested in scoring POLITICAL points than in protecting the CITIZENS of the United States.

If ever a person needs to be impeached, this ASSHOLE, does.

When the TERRORIST gets out in about a dozen years and attempts to MURDER again, it'll be too bad that Coughenour won't be hauled before the bar as an accomplice.

And if Coughenour was laboring under some impression that the ISLAMIST TERRORISTS will swoon and be impressed with the leniency shown to their brethren, then he should think again

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's most feared terror group said Wednesday it killed two kidnapped Algerian diplomats because of Algeria's ties to the United States and its crackdown on Islamic extremists.

spit

UPDATE excellent reading on the indecent judge at:

Hugh Hewitt who says "Judge Coughenour: Your arrogance is exceeded only by your contempt for the lives of your fellow citizens."
Captain's Quarters: "I rest my case for military tribunals: at least if they were secret, we wouldn't have to listen to boneheaded lectures by buffoons in black!"
Michelle Malkin who entitles it "Terrorist's Little Helper"

Posted by Darleen at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)

July 27, 2005

Some thoughts from your cryptoXtianHoZionistFascistChimpyluvrPoseur host

Oops. Forgot to work in the HaliburtonLimbaughHannity thingies.

I'm always fascinated when I get flamed by someone. Now I differentiate between those I may be in disagreement with, and those that feel it is their [insert diety/non-diety of choice] duty to engage in invectives and ad hominems with nary a substantial argument in sight. The latest being a commenter posting from NY state who thinks Christianity (or "poseur" Christianity) is the biggest scourge of the planet. You know the slams against Je...er..Zionists will soon make its appearance.

Oh. And white sluts, too, seem to be an object of obsession with him/her.

So let me briefly run down a few of my actual points that seems to have caused this painful emotional diarrhea for the commenter.

The London shooting incident was one of tragedy, especially sorrowful because I don't see how it could have turned out any differently. As Neil points out in comments here, since the bobbies were plain clothed it was, indeed, possible that the electrician didn't know or ignored their calls to stop. However, it no more follows that these London cops were on a mission to "execute a brown person" any more than the NYPD cops were riding around the streets itching to find a "brown person" to pop a cap in when the Amadou Diallo incident went down. My inner rant is to those that promote the idea that anytime a cop unholsters his/her gun it's only to execute some poor, innocent, misunderstood [popular minority d'jour]. Cops, of course, never shoot bad guys let alone make honest mistakes.

When I engage in discussions, here and in other forums, with others on the Law and morality, they quickly understand the thrust of my thesis - Law is a subset of morality. Each day we make value judgments - is doing this good/bad/better/worse - and our values are part of our personal morality. The Law is society's reflection of basic morality; those items it wishes to codify as a floor for the operation of the society and to accurately reflect its consensus values. The oft seen rant (almost always used in connection when discussing "conservatives") "I don't want anyone to legislate morality!" is particularly silly because that is what about every law does. Laws against murder, rape, and theft are all reflections of the values and morality of the society that institutes them.

The matter then becomes not one of legislating based on morality vs. non-morality, but one of whose morality and how much of it to legislate. Certainly Islamists believe themselves (and only themselves) as moral. I reject their morality as fitting for human beings based on my embraced morality arising from a Western, Judeo-Christian heritage in which sovereignty resides within the individual and a society where voluntary interaction between individuals is to be protected as much as possible.

For example, Jane Fonda is revisiting her Vietnam era politics with a new bus tour to oppose the US military in Iraq. I find her actions reprehensible, indecent and definitely immoral. However, I don't believe it illegal. She has just as much right to make a public fool of herself and garner the enmity of patriotic Americans as the next Leftist cult member.

The open discussion of morality and its impact upon society and individuals is not only worthy but also vital. When the Law fails as a tool of moral good, it ceases to be good law. This is easily observed when law is enacted with worthy goals and motives but fails through unintended consequences. See Prohibition.

Let me add that it is equally silly to argue that 'morality' only exists with a belief in God, as it is to insist one can legislate without morality.

I believe I've been thoughtful, logical and clear when I engage in these kinds of discussions. It leaves me to wonder about the reading comprehension skills of flamers.

Or their real motives.

Be that as it may, most flaming causes me a great deal of amusement. As my grandmother Mildred advised when I was upset that a particular kid in class was saying nasty things

"Consider the source."

Sometimes being "hated" can be a badge of honor.

Posted by Darleen at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)

July 26, 2005

Cotillion Ball IX -- and all that jazz

The summer sizzles and so do the women of The Cotillion. Tuesday is the time to join us in a dance through the pieces of writers that will make you laugh, touch you, or concern you, but will always make you think. This week's hosts:

Fistful of Fortnights
Who Tends the Fires
e-Claire
My VRWC

Posted by Darleen at 06:42 AM | Comments (1)

Battlestar Galactica - music update

Ya gotta love the 'net and very special kudos to my readers. In my post here I wondered about the music, especially the piano solo in Starbuck's apartment. It was hauntingly familiar but ...

In my comments, m11355h, points to Sci-Fi Channel's own forum, where a poster, "The Digital Analyst" has found it! It's actually a piece by Philip Glass, Metamorphosis 1. Go here, look for the hyperlink, right click and "save target as" and you'll get the mp3 recording.

I've already downloaded and played it. A very evocative piece.

Now, if I can just figure out whether the music for Kobol's Last Gleaming...the swelling classical orchestration that accompanied Baltar and Six in the temple, is either an old piece or an original piece by McCreary or Gibbs.

UPDATE to the update: Well, doah. Paul points me to Amazon where the season one soundtrack is featured with samples. Tracks #24 & #27, by McCreary. Thanks Paul!

Posted by Darleen at 12:01 AM | Comments (7)

July 25, 2005

What he said ...

You all know I work with cops. Have for more than seven years. And cops from more than one agency, too, on a regular basis.

I have refrained from commenting on the London shooting of the electrician because there is just no way to look at the exact same scenario and see any other outcome. It was awful, horrible, tragic in every sense. But you know what? I don't want to even HEAR of the idiocy of "the guy was executed because he was brown." Because you know what my answer will be??

READ -- Jeff Harrell succinctly channels my inner rant.

Posted by Darleen at 01:06 PM | Comments (12)

July 24, 2005

Tancredo opens mouth, inserts another foot

Hugh Hewitt has the full story here.

Sheesh, and Tancredo sooooo "got it" on illegal immigration.

Posted by Darleen at 11:56 AM | Comments (2)

Church of the One Wing -- tin-ear acolytes

Who could forget John Kerry's cluelessness on the campaign trail when he tried slumming at Wendy's, and cornered a couple of Marines and didn't get a clue that he was intruding? Or the "stiff reaction" from the troops Uncle Teddy got when he tried to grab a little publicity by touring Gitmo?

Now comes this story from Pennsylvania

The family of a Marine who was killed in Iraq is furious with Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll for showing up uninvited at his funeral this week, handing out her business card and then saying "our government" is against the war.

Knoll takes chutzpah to a new level with her trolling at a funeral.

Rhonda Goodrich of Indiana, Pa., said yesterday that a funeral was held Tuesday at a church in Carnegie for her brother-in-law, Staff Sgt. Joseph Goodrich, 32. She said he "died bravely and courageously in Iraq on July 10, serving his country."

In a phone interview, Goodrich said the funeral service was packed with people "who wanted to tell his family how Joe had impacted their lives." Then, suddenly, "one uninvited guest made an appearance, Catherine Baker Knoll."

She sat down next to a Goodrich family member and, during the distribution of communion, said, "Who are you?" Then she handed the family member one of her business cards, which Goodrich said she still has.

"Knoll felt this was an appropriate time to campaign and impose her will on us," Goodrich said. "I am amazed and disgusted Knoll finds a Marine funeral a prime place to campaign."

The jokes about ambulance-chasing lawyers are legion, but one is hardpressed to laugh off Knoll's "anti-war" funeral crashing.

"Our family deserves an apology," Rhonda Goodrich said. "Here you have a soldier who was killed -- dying for his country -- in a church full of grieving family members and she shows up uninvited. It made a mockery of Joey's death."

What really upset the family, Goodrich said, is that Knoll said, 'I want you to know our government is against this war,' " Goodrich said.

It would appear that Knoll figured that one dead Marine could translate into new converts to the Bu$Hitler faith and use of Joseph Goodrich's body in its liturgy.

Just like Kerry and Kennedy and so many other acolytes of the Leftist church, she hasn't figured out that most troops and their families are proud of their service and have a commitment to honor and duty. Twin concepts that fail to penetrate the tenets of the Church of the One Wing.

hattip Mustang 23

Also discussed at:

Blackfive
Michelle Malkin
Mark in Mexico - great roundup
Pennywit
Citizen Smash

Posted by Darleen at 07:56 AM | Comments (4)

July 23, 2005

Another poster boy for the death penality

The Good News

Erin Runnion addressed her daughter's killer in court Friday before a judge sentenced him to death. Alejandro Avila was convicted of murder, kidnapping and sexual assault in the 2002 slaying. A jury recommended the death penalty in May.

"For the temporary gratification of his lust, the defendant destroyed an entire family's future," Superior Court Judge William R. Froeberg said Friday. "He has forfeited his right to live."

Avila, a 30-year-old former factory worker, snatched the kicking and screaming girl as she played outside her Stanton home. Her nude body was found the next day about 50 miles away, left on the ground as if it had been posed. Authorities said she had been sexually assaulted and suffocated.

The bad news: The creature will be alive for at least the next 14-16 years as automatic appeals take place.

And Samantha will still be dead.

Posted by Darleen at 11:12 AM | Comments (12)

Yeah, like THAT is going to happen ...

Re: Islamist terrorist bombs in Egypt at have killed 83 at a Red Sea resort

With an al-Qaida-linked group claiming responsbility, Egypt tightened security at other busy tourist sites like the Pyramids and Luxor, and the government and British tourist agencies sent large aircraft to the Sinai to fly home now-nervous tourists.

Pope Benedict XVI was among world political and religious leaders deploring the attacks, calling them "senseless acts." He appealed to terrorists to renounce violence.

Hello?!? These disgusting attacks are not "senseless." They make PERFECT sense to the Islamist terrorists who deliberately target civilians.

The Pope should get a clue, as far as Islamists are concerned, HE is a big fat juicy target, seeing how much he's a leader of an evil, kufr religion.

And I would suggest that Euros vacationing in Egypt think twice about where to spend their time and money when Egypt's own Prime Minister is either a fool or a tool:

"Terrorism has no nationality," Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazief told The Associated Press. "This is a terrorist act and .... can't be explained or justified."

Yeah, right. Complete mystery there.

Posted by Darleen at 08:06 AM | Comments (1)

July 22, 2005

Battlestar Galactica -- Valley of Darkness

Wow. Just. Wow.

What wasn't to like about this episode? We had one contained story arc (the Cylon boarding party) and visited the two other story lines which deepened the character studies in both without significantly advancing the lines. Tyrol is definitely turning into a more serious character and we find new dimensions to Kara. And the mystery deepens about Baltar and the baby he "sees". Each story, too, is directed and shot very differently, heightening the impression of the vast separation from each other of these storylines.

And I'd love to find out about the musical scoring for this season. The opening music is different and the piano solo we hear in Starbuck's eclectic Caprica apartment, which she tells Helo is a recording of her father, is used not only to frame the Caprica scenes but the ending scene of the episode that finds Tigh and Lee trading shots across the still unconscious Adama.

Tigh is given the last line of the episode and one that had me laughing out loud.

As Lee, who has forcefully reminded Tigh that ship is his father's not Tigh's, marches out of sickbay, Tigh looks to sit down next to Adama and mutters, "Thank the gods I never had children."

Posted by Darleen at 11:06 PM | Comments (7)

Ye shall know the extremist by the Necco wafer clothing ...

As is usual, when the high priests of the Church of the One Wing Media issue an edict about how to treat an offender (and if you can't get him, get his wife, his kids and his little dog, too) to their beliefs, they don't leave it just on the editorial pages. Such a mantra is to be taken up in all sections...worked into movie reviews, features and even Fashion pages.

It has been a long time since so much syrupy nostalgia has been in evidence at the White House. But Tuesday night, when President Bush announced his choice for the next associate justice of the Supreme Court, it was hard not to marvel at the 1950s-style tableau vivant that was John Roberts and his family.

There they were -- John, Jane, Josie and Jack -- standing with the president and before the entire country. The nominee was in a sober suit with the expected white shirt and red tie. His wife and children stood before the cameras, groomed and glossy in pastel hues -- like a trio of Easter eggs, a handful of Jelly Bellies, three little Necco wafers. There was tow-headed Jack -- having freed himself from the controlling grip of his mother -- enjoying a moment in the spotlight dressed in a seersucker suit with short pants and saddle shoes. His sister, Josie, was half-hidden behind her mother's skirt. Her blond pageboy glistened. And she was wearing a yellow dress with a crisp white collar, lace-trimmed anklets and black patent-leather Mary Janes.

Hot damn! Wifey and kidlets appeared in pubic, in pastel colors! And the kids are BLONDE too!

Earl, get out the tar and feathers.

The wife wore a strawberry-pink tweed suit with taupe pumps and pearls, which alone would not have been particularly remarkable, but alongside the nostalgic costuming of the children, the overall effect was of self-consciously crafted perfection.

Nope. Cannot have people dressing in what was, at one time, called "Sunday best." Surely, we'll just add this to Roberts list of disqualifying qualities..you know, he and his family :::gasp::: attend church on a regular basis. The clothing proves it! Shocking.

They are not classic; they are old-fashioned. These clothes are Old World, old money and a cut above the light-up/shoe-buying hoi polloi.

...the Roberts family went too far.

There it is. I'd say Fashion Editor Robin Givhan certainly has taken up the cue from those editorial board meetings. Can't attack the nominee on his education, or work or even experience as a appellate judge ... so let's go after his religion, his church, his wife and his kids.

the Roberts family went too far Get it? Extremists. Who knows what a man who takes his kids to church and allows saddle shoes and mary janes on his little kids will do??

Oh, btw ... Over the jump is a picture of Ms. Givhan and what she finds appropriate to wear to an awards ceremony.

Poor woman, so bravely smiling after some one stole her dress and left her standing in her slip and underwear.

hattip Captain's Quarters via Jeff Goldstein

Posted by Darleen at 03:58 PM | Comments (6)

July 21, 2005

Grumble II

Oh! and another reason that my threshold for things that twist my tah-tahs has been exceeded, I want to know if it's the warmer weather or full moon or just a general season of Stupids that has me processing more domestic violence and child abuse cases than I have during last winter.

The only thing that gave me a laugh this afternoon was reading over the stats on the suspect I was entering (numbnutz with both a temper and fist problem) arrested for roughing up his tiny pre-schooler. In the report, under occupation the cop had filled in

"Loser"

'bout right.

Posted by Darleen at 09:46 PM | Comments (0)

Grumble

It's been a schvitz today. Hot, muggy and the air in the LA basin has been -- like a style of peanutbutter -- chunky.

Just checked the patio themometer -- 84 degrees.

And I haven't been able to get even a few moments to get to my computer ...

And would someone tell me WHAT THE HELL is going on with people attacking John C. Roberts' wife? And making faux stage whispers about the church he belongs to?

I guess Robert Byrd's old ways have seeped into the rest of the Left, what with the barely concealed Catholic-bashing.

Unfuckingbelievable.

Posted by Darleen at 09:35 PM | Comments (1)

July 20, 2005

The last beam up

James Doohan has passed away.

Doohan was born on March 3, 1920, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and spent his early years in there and in Sarnia, Ontario. Surviving the anguish of living with an alcoholic father, he left home at age 19 to join the Canadian Forces, fighting with the Allies in World War II. After outscoring his fellow soldiers on an officer's exam, he became Captain in the Royal Canadian Artillery. While leading his men into battle on D-Day, Doohan was wounded in the leg and hand, and eventually lost a finger. For the remainder of the war, he became a pilot observer, and received the dubious distinction of being called the "craziest pilot in the Canadian Air Forces."

Here I was just talking about Star Trek and the moonlanding in my previous post and I find out yet another bit of my childhood has slipped away.

Peace be with you, James. I hope you and DeForest are kicking up your heels and sharing a cold one.

hattip Dennis at Classical Values

Posted by Darleen at 07:29 PM | Comments (1)

36 years ago today

"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth".

John F. Kennedy set that goal in 1961 and a mere 8 years later, the US achieved it.

I was 15 years old and I can recall the fevered excitement that dominated the nation and the news. From the launch on July 16th to the landing on the 19th, we held our breath and were glued to the tv.

My maternal grandparents were at our home to watch the landing. After Neil Armstrong had done his One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind step on the moon, my grandfather walked out of the house into the evening and stood on the frontwalk, staring up at the moon. I joined him and he said,

"You know, when I was a kid, if I had ever said I would live to see a man walking on the moon, everyone would have thought me crazy. I'm amazed to live in such a time."

My grandfather was born in 1901, a time when mere electricity was basically only available to some who lived in cities (and most people lived in rural areas). Women did the laundry by hand and entertainment was homegrown (getting hold of a popular song was defined by buying the sheet music and learning it yourself). The world he found himself in, in 1969, was the stuff of wild dreams.

I can remember that night and the awe I felt as I stood by his side and thought, not only of the bravery of the astronauts, but of the people who invented their little lifeboat. I was already a big Star Trek fan, but I put as much faith in seeing that come about in my lifetime as my grandfather imagined living long enough to see men on the moon.

I had thought, though, I would live to witness a landing on Mars.

And as I sit here, typing on a laptop with much more power than the 'puters that ran Apollo 11, I still hold hope for it ...

That 15 y/o is still here and a girl can dream.

Posted by Darleen at 06:30 AM | Comments (0)

July 19, 2005

It begins

Monday, in one of those "Mom, I know it's your day off, but could you ..." moments from #2, I watched the boys for a few hours mid-day. Too hot to play outside, they dug into one of their favorite inside places -- the closet under the stairs. It's prime little boy real estate, dark and cavelike with lots of folded blankets to sit on.

I walked by and Sean was staring at the small shelf at the top of the closet where he could see a flashlight I had tucked up there until I could get it a new bulb.

"Flashlight?" he asked.

"Yes, but it's broken."

Sean looks at me, blue eyes wide in complete innocence, points to his brother, Nikolas, busily playing next to him.

"Nick did it."

Posted by Darleen at 06:54 AM | Comments (1)

Cotillion Ball VIII -- Sizzle and steak

One of the things I enjoy about being a member of, and linking to, the weekly Cotillion Ball is seeing what themes the talented hostesses come up with. They review and present the best of the writing from the members and serve it up with flair. This week is no exception and I turn your attention to:

Pat of Dr. Sanity
Beth of My Vast Rightwing Conspiracy
Annika's Journal
Girl on the Right

Posted by Darleen at 06:20 AM | Comments (0)

July 18, 2005

Bear Flag League Summer Conference

I came away from the BFL conference satisfied and enthused. Great speakers, good company and a room that sparked with ideas. And it was fun to put faces and voices to the writers I've run across in the blogsphere. Reminded me of a high school reunion where you do a great deal of peering at the nametag while introducing yourself to someone you "know".

I've been reading over my mountain of notes this morning with an attempt to summarize all the points covered. You'll find my review over the jump. Here I will also link to the sites that have their own summaries and some pictures of the conference and attendees.

Flap -- pics and notes and will be posting more pictures over the next day.
Patterico - notes
Right on the Leftbeach -- pics
baldilocks -- notes and pics and a growing list of attendees

It might be noted that this conference fielded a pretty diverse group, contrary to The Dean of Scream's contentions about Republicans and right-of-center individuals. There were even :::gasp::: liberals at the event! Heck, I didn't see anyone flinging food or silverware at Kevin Drum or Marc "Armed Liberal" Danziger (who Kevin gibed as not a 'real' liberal).

Scott Schmidt, BlogCabin, welcomed us, conducted introductions and moderated the event.

The keynote speaker was Dan Weintraub who writes and blogs at the Sacramento Bee. A California Insider, Dan began his talk with us on relating how he segued into blogging from his usual political columnist postion. He attributed it to being a "messy-desk person." He found after doing columns he had two piles left on his desk: one, of leftover "stuff" -- quotes, resources, et al -- that never made it into his column and, two, a pile of emails (which he always prints) from readers who comment or give him ideas. This was "stuff" he wanted to use and he first developed a newsletter and then (as a confessed techophile) a blog.

Dan believes that newspapers, as we know them today, are going to cease to exist. Not within the next few years, but within 20 or 50 years the archetypical newsprint publishing house of huge building, presses, centralized staff and early morning delivery to customers will no longer exist. The rise of the Internet and its increasing ubiquity is/will undercut traditional newspapers in two ways.

• Classified ads account from 30 - 45% of a paper's revenues, and the Internet is a much better vehicle for matching seller and buyer.
• Technology is allowing people to satisfy their desire for more sources and allowing individuals, ie politicians, more direct communication with people.

Dan believes these two points will transform traditional journalism, with journalists and newspapers as "gatekeepers" of information through their control/exclusivity of original sources, into "open-source journalism."

However, Dan does point out at this time, if bloggers are serious about being more than opinion writers and really wish to move into a "citizen journalist" role, they need to pay heed to the following four points:

• Original Sources -- start developing a personal network of people to go to, akin to the reporter's Rolodex
• Gain access to official documents -- Dan suggests bloggers start getting themselves on the same mailing lists as reporters, thereby getting the press releases and annoucements directly from organizations before general public release. Examples would included The Little Hoover Commission, think tanks, state auditor's office, etc.
• Public documents -- also track down and post to actual government documents. People are wanting to see what a blogger is reporting about.
• Time -- and this is what an individual blogger, who has a day job, may find the most difficult.

Dan intrigued us with tossing out a possible model to deal these points, especially the last. He posited that a group of interested people, bloggers or not, could form an association where, say 50 people put in $1000 a year, and have one blogger who would, full time, pursue those four points and report on a blog on behalf of the association. Dan feels something like an independent, full-time reporter may be what takes the place of traditional newspapers.

The next speaker was Bob Hertzberg, former Speaker of the California Assembly and former LA mayoral candidate. He is particularly bullish about how the Internet and blogging will effect political campaigns in the future. He feels that politicians are going to have to embrace the technology or be left behind. Bob also spoke of the way the immediacy of the environment provided the checks and balances that have been dropped by the traditional press corps. He talked about bloggers being a "great repository" of ideas and, when they coordinate, they have the power to exert pressure to move forward agendas in the public realm.

Joseph C. Phillips, Actor, writer, teacher ... lover of cooking and western films and member of The Conservative Brotherhood first spoke on how he believes many traditional journalists dismiss blogging as a 'fad' because they fail to grasp that bloggers are a community. He pointed out that grass-roots politics is about community and bloggers are networking and uniting in their analysis and attention to what is happening around them. He related how on his own website when he put forth the question to his readers on whether or not he should make a run for California State Assembly, he got immediate feedback and ideas. Joseph also received a great deal of encouragement from audience members on turning that idea into reality.

Ted Costa, Fair Districts, regaled us with the latest in the gerrymander wars and lawsuits directed against Prop 77. Ted looks at the Internet and blogging as the modern equivalent of the politicians at the founding of this country actually going from door to door and knocking on doors for votes. Ted spoke of the ability of the 'net to rally support around single issues regardless how people may differ on other issues.

Our final speaker for the afternoon was Allan Hoffenblum, California Targetbook. A political-consultant for over thirty years, Allan believes that the Internet will actually do more to "reform" politics than the abomination of McCain-Feingold ever even thought of.

As Allan frames it, there are the "86ers", that percentage of people for whom politics is just not a priority. They only think about it during "high turnout" elections (state/national) and rely on television and direct mailers for their information. Then there are the "14percenters", those people who get up each morning and want to know what's going on in politics, locally, statewide, nationally, internationally. Those are the people who also vote during low turnout elections (local, off-year). These people are also the ones that do not rely on traditional sources for information but are looking, specifically at the internet, for more sources and cognizant analysis delivered in a timely manner. Allan believes that bloggers have a great deal more impact with the 14percenters than with the 86ers.

So far.

Allan forsees a change, especially as the populace gets disgusted with the obscene amounts of money spent by "independent" entities that are actually figleafs for partisan groups. In California, Independent Expenditure Committees pop up like toadstools on the lawn after a rain -- recent example of nurses' and teachers' groups spending millions of $$$ to smear the Governor in tv/radio ads. People will increasingly turn to the 'net for information on these issues.

Allan also pointed out that the 'net provides a great opportunity for people looking to run locally without deep pockets. As 14percenters are already going to be more 'net friendly, use of the 'net, especially blogs, is eminently more affordable for a local candidate in terms of recruiting and organizing volunteers, receiving and publicizing endorsements and getting the message into the hands of 14percenters. He believes as a few local elections are won in such a manner, campaign managers will embrace the change (though, he also pointed out, campaigns will change only when campaign managers want such change, and not before.)

All speakers were happy to take questions from the audience and even after the conference officially ended, we all stood around on the patio and chatted for another hour, reluctant to leave.

I was very impressed with this first summer conference, from the list of speakers to the participants to the venue (excellent food...no rubber chicken circuit here!). I look forward to more such events.

Kudos to Hosts Calblog, Irish Lass, Local Liberty Blog, Little Miss Attila, Boi from Troy, and The Pirate's Blog.

Posted by Darleen at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)

July 17, 2005

This and that

Saturday afternoon, via USPS, my copy of Harry Potter arrived. Of course I didn't actually get to read any of it right then. My 10 y/o stepson Edward arrived from Oregon that afternoon and the twins were also in the house for the afternoon/evening. Suddenly a quiet afternoon was filled with little boys! About midnight I got about 85 pages into the book and then fell asleep.

The opening is a very amusing scene (different from the other books) but other than that, I'm not going to comment until I read more (and hide any potential spoilers across the jump.)

Today I may not get a chance to read until later because I'm going to be attending The Bear Flag League Conference at Cal Tech in Pasadena this afternoon. The theme of this conference is Blogging and Politics with an eye towards 2006. Nice summary of the event here. And the event is sold out! I'll take notes and review the conference here later tonight.

Posted by Darleen at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)

July 16, 2005

I confess ...

That the politics in Yemen have not been on my radar. However, I think you'll find this post from Jane's Armies of Liberation site jaw-dropping. Read and comment at her blog since Yemeni government trolls seem to be monitoring her site.

Posted by Darleen at 02:32 PM | Comments (0)

Think of the children!!

From It Takes a Village Clinton:

WASHINGTON (Hollywood Reporter) - Two high-profile U.S. senators, Joseph Lieberman and Hillary Rodham Clinton, are incensed over pornographic content "hidden" in the popular video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," and are demanding action from either the government or the game's maker.

Why the scare quotes?

Clinton (D-N.Y.), meanwhile, said she will introduce legislation to help keep inappropriate video games out of the hands of children, and has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the "Grand Theft Auto" game.

Uh oh. Is this like Durbin's cronies trying to get the IRS to "investigate" an organization that publically criticizes Durbin? Or just plain old-fashioned grandstanding for fawning media coverage?

Her legislative proposal would institute a financial penalty for retailers who fail to enforce the video manufacturers voluntary ratings system rules. It would prohibit the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors and put in place a $5,000 penalty for those who violate the law.

Let's see, the industry provides a rating system to inform parents of game content and Hillary wants it now codified into Law.

"The disturbing material in 'Grand Theft Auto' and other games like it is stealing the innocence of our children, and it's making the difficult job of being a parent even harder," Clinton said.

In calling for the FTC to launch an investigation, Clinton urged the commission to determine whether an AO rating (adults only) is more appropriate than the current M rating (mature) for the video game given this new sexually explicit content. She also requested that the FTC examine the adequacy of retailers' rating-enforcement policies.

Looks like stumping for the '08 nomination is in full bloviation and Hillary is taking a page from Tipper.

Gag me.

Posted by Darleen at 12:37 PM | Comments (1)

July 15, 2005

Battlestar Galactica - Scattered

BSG's first season ended with Starbuck on Caprica, Baltar and others crashed on Kobol, President Roslin under arrest, Lee Adama in handcuffs and, then in pure "oh SHIT!" moment, Sharon shoots Cmdr. Adama point blank in the chest.

Just when you thought things couldn't get worse for the humans, the second season starts and you find out ...

... it does.

The writers have done a masterful job of making this episode not only fulfilling for those of us that have faithfully followed the first season, but complete enough that newbies starting with season two can settle in without needing a roadmap to all the back stories. And the writers have done it without any boring exposition ... they don't talk to the audience, they show us.

This episode belongs to the ensemble. No one character is prominent and therefore all the storylines are exposed. Indeed, the usual dominating presence of Cmdr. Adama is more of a background experience as he spends the episode in the infirmary. The crashed Raptor crew is painfully unprepared as soldiers in enemy terrority (and they pay for it). Tyrol is evolving from the rather mookish jerk of the first season, who can actually step up to the plate and be capable of sincere emotion (rather than just lust). Col. Tigh struggles internally with having to assume a command he desparately doesn't want. Tigh's flashbacks are intriguing as they don't immediately reveal themselves, but build on each other through the episode. Nice deft touch with that one. We also get but brief glimpses of the story line of Baltar and Six on Kobol, and Starbuck, Helo & Sharon on Caprica.

And, for those who missed the shoot-em-up of ship-to-ship combat (yes, you know who you are ... grumbling that there was too much talking and not enough Things That Blow Up), we have the Battlestar having to jump back to Kobol and fight off Cylon ships and Cylon computer hacking.

Out of the gate, BSG again engenders a relentless pressure and mystery. Whatever you assume about a storyline can and probably will turn out to be wrong.

Looks like we are in for a bumpy ride this season.

I LOVE it!

Posted by Darleen at 11:05 PM | Comments (2)

Desperation time at the LA Times (what's new?)

When a paper has the history of dropping the veil in its hatred of particular individuals, and such behavior (and articles) cause a drop in circulation, one would expect they might think once or twice about repeating that error.

Of course, if you're the LATimes, you'll go to that same poisoned well over and over again.

Patterico deems the LAT the "LA Dog Trainer". And today marks another dedicated effort to manufacturing a "scandal" where none exists in regards to Gov. Schwarzenegger.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger dismissed criticism of his $8-million consulting deal with a magazine publisher Thursday, saying through a spokesman that the work takes up little time, poses no ethical conflicts and may even be saving taxpayers money.

The headline of the piece is Governor defends Magazine Deal. Also on the online page is a pic of the Governor with the tag Deflecting criticism. Also in the piece is:

Asked if the governor had any other outside deals, Stutzman said no. "He spends very little time on this," the spokesman said. "It's something he would essentially do in his spare time. These are magazines he's had a relationship with throughout his entire career in bodybuilding and fitness."

Stutzman's unwavering defense of the deal — revealed Wednesday afternoon through a corporate filing with federal regulators — came on a day when some ethics experts, watchdog groups and state legislators sharply criticized Schwarzenegger's moonlighting and demanded that it stop.

Why? Why are "they" demanding that the Gov. stop writing columns for health magazines? There is no LAW against it. Why are the nancies suddenly hysterical?

California law does not explicitly bar governors from holding outside employment. But that may be because legislators never anticipated that anything like that would happen, said Robert Stern of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles.

"Everybody assumes being governor is a 24/7 job and that a person devotes all their time to being governor," said Stern, a former general counsel for the California Fair Political Practices Commission and author of the state's Political Reform Act of 1974.

24/7? Huh? Really? Well that explains a LOT. So, are city council people also 24/7 careerists? Should they be barred from writing and editing? How about Jerry Brown, Mayor of Oakland who blogs? Of course, LAT trolls for the usual outraged comments

Assemblyman Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate) said the governor's arrangement was "outrageous not only in and of itself but in the context of his apologists, his staff, the arguments they present."

You may all recall that Hector, the pro-illegal alien assemblyman, was also livid with the Governor for his comments on the Minuteman Project. No wonder he never answered me. Spending that much time each day being properly OUTRAGED has got to take a lot out of a body.

I just don't see where the Governor spending some free time each month dictating some editorials, doing interviews and editing a fitness magazine is some sort of vapor-inducing scandal.

LAT spends a lot of column inches on a fluffy bun, a pile of lettuce, special spicy sauce, but, what the hell --

Where's the beef?

Posted by Darleen at 12:45 PM | Comments (3)

Summer - not finding it at the movies

Not much in the movie theaters this summer stands up and says "SEE ME!" Oh, I've seen Star Wars III (or six, whatever) because I had to for closure reasons. Summer of 1977 was just plain magical and I couldn't get enough of Star Wars (IV or first, sheesh). While this summer's SW is visually stunning and has a few moments where it did emotionally strike some sincere notes, the false notes just grated so in comparison.

Then I tucked away my personal distaste for Tom Cruise the male and saw War of the Worlds. Best movie of this summer! And Cruise acquitted himself in the acting department as well. Spielberg does more than just blow stuff up (and rather spectacularly) but peppers his movie with lots of small scenes that elevate the movie to more than just a cartoon.

But it does say something about what the "movie experience" has become this summer that two events I'm looking forward to have nothing to do with the movies.

Battlestar Galactica returns tonight, and I'll be getting my Harry Potter book tomorrow!

I was stunned by the first season's ending and have eagerly looked forward to the second season's opening. It is actually worthy of big screen exposure but I'm glad I get to watch it twist, turn, tease, and develop over a full television season.

I plan on having a review of BSG online not long after it has aired here in California.

I pre-ordered my Harry Potter book and am supposed to have it in hand sometime Saturday. I plan on doing a few postings while I read it (with appropriate spoiler warnings).

It's going to be an awesome weekend!

Posted by Darleen at 06:34 AM | Comments (1)

July 14, 2005

Contest!

Little Miss Attila is asking here readers to help her come up with a new name for her copyediting business. Miss Attila is promising Mark Steyn's America Alone: Our Country's Future as a Lone Warrior to the lucky winner.

If you've got a bit of a creativity to lend to the endeavor, do go and have some fun!

Posted by Darleen at 06:25 AM | Comments (1)

From the patio

Themometer yesterday: 102 degrees -- Rest of the week is to be about the same.

But, of course, it's a dry heat...

Posted by Darleen at 06:17 AM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2005

Marble in a jar

apt description of my focus this morning ... one of those restless nights and we've been blessed [ahem] with a very loud mockingbird who decides to crank up the volume at the buttcrack of dawn each morning in the tree not too far outside our window.

Looks like the London bombings may have been the work of suicide bombers. This bodes very ill indeed. I hope the Brits haven't waited too long to clean out the more egregious mosques and madrassas.

Michael Moore's Freedom Fighters have proven their bravery again in murdering 13 children for the crime of accepting candy from kaffir US soldiers.

And while we are on the subject of Children As Targets, looks like predator and murderer Joseph Duncan stalked for days the family before he kidnapped Shasta and Dylan. If we cannot put to death child molesters, can we please make sure they stay in prison for life?

And in the realm of things that make you go "huh??", in a time when California is reeling with turf fights over schools and an insane real estate market comes THIS

SAN FRANCISCO - California will remodel 270 parks to settle a class action lawsuit charging the nation's largest state park system has inadequate services for disabled visitors.

The changes, to be implemented during the next 11 years, could cost the state more than $100 million, officials said Tuesday in announcing the settlement. The improvements will ensure disabled access to a state park system that serves roughly 80 million visitors a year.

Virtually every state park in California could be changed by the decision. Parks providing tours will have to offer them for the blind and hearing impaired, and even small state park beaches on the North Coast will have to ensure disabled access.

Paramedics and police officers cannot even afford apartments, let alone homes, in many of the cities they serve and $100 million dollars is going to be spent for rubber walkways on beaches.

Insane.

Posted by Darleen at 06:55 AM | Comments (0)

July 12, 2005

We don't need no stinkin' consultations!!!

Ever since Justice O'Connor announced her pending resignation, the usual suspects of the Left have been acting like rampaging hordes from a Capital One television ad.

Click for larger image

One of my fellow Cotillion members shared with us a letter from John Seared, seared into my memory Kerry

We will never support a Supreme Court nominee intent on reversing Roe v. Wade and undoing critical civil rights protections. And we will never accept a double standard that says, on a decision vital to America's future, President Bush's most extreme supporters can campaign all-out while you and I are urged to be silent.

Someone hand Kerry his blankey and binky, please?

Never mind that GW's admonitions to tone down the rhetoric were directed at his own base. Never mind that GW has already held phone and in person meetings with ranking Senators, including the whining Harry Reid:

"He didn't give us any names"

Waaa ... waaa ... waaa!

However, this annoying bawling and faux-outraged posturing is exceeded by the clearly vicious intent of Dems that ANY nominee put forth by GW will be met with Demo Wrath

"We are contemplating how we are going to go to war over this," Chuck Schumer was overheard saying into his cellphone on a Washington-New York Amtrak trip.

May I suggest Democrats quit talking about a "living Constitution" as if it were just a new brand of toilet paper and actually read the thing?

Posted by Darleen at 06:25 AM | Comments (1)

Cotillion Ball VII -- Let's face the music and DANCE!

If it's Tuesday, it must be Dance Time with the ladies of The Cotillion I hope you have the stamina of Fred and Ginger, because the hostesses this week are sizzling up the bandwidth.

So put on your top hat, tie up your white tie, dust off your tails and fly down to Rio to dance cheek to cheek with the hottest gals in the blogsphere. It's great work if you can get it!

• Sissy at sisu


• Cassandra at Villainous Company


• Christina at Feisty Repartee

Posted by Darleen at 06:00 AM | Comments (0)

July 11, 2005

And your favorite flavor is ... ?

Happy Anniversary!
Long before smoothies and Frappuccinos there was the Slurpee. The slushy, colorful 7-Eleven brand - and American icon - turns 40 today and is still popular for the same reasons it caught on back then: fun, variety, "brain freeze" and colored tongues.

"We've kept it fun with the interesting flavors we've had over the years," says Jim Keyes, 7-Eleven CEO. "At the heart of it, it's just a fun product that people enjoy."

Today, consumers can enjoy a free sample at 7-Eleven's 5,800 stores in the USA and Canada. The samples kick off a month-long Slurpee promotion that includes radio play of original 1960s Slurpee ads, retro 1973 cups, Coca-Cola-developed flavors Blue Blunder Berry and Gully Washer, free music downloads and a giveaway of four Mini Coopers in a Slurpee color.

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

For a youngster with a not a lot of pocket change, a Slurpee was a great summer-day treat. I was always partial to the blue ones that kind of tasted like 7-up.

Never did get around to trying a Chutney Squishy.

Posted by Darleen at 06:35 AM | Comments (1)

July 10, 2005

Food for thought

Nick Cohen

In these bleak days, it's worth remembering what was said after September 2001. A backward glance shows that before the war against the Taliban and long before the war against Saddam Hussein, there were many who had determined that 'we had it coming'. They had to convince themselves that Islamism was a Western creation: a comprehensible reaction to the International Monetary Fund or hanging chads in Florida or whatever else was agitating them, rather than an autonomous psychopathic force with reasons of its own. In the years since, this manic masochism has spread like bindweed and strangled leftish and much conservative thought. ...

Whether you are brown or white, Muslim, Christian, Jew or atheist, it is uncomfortable to face the fact that there is a messianic cult of death which, like European fascism and communism before it, will send you to your grave whatever you do. But I'm afraid that's what the record shows.

Victor Davis Hanson

Failed states in the Middle East — autocratic, statist, unfree, intolerant of women and other religions — blame the West for their self-inflicted miseries. ...

That is the Petri dish of Islamic fascism, an evil that will only disappear when the dictatorships that allow it or nourish it do as well. Whether the jihadists are in Iraq, the United States, or Europe, they all share a sick notion that someone else (the decadent Western oppressor and unbeliever) is responsible for their own poverty and backwardness rather than the fundamentalism, corruption, bias, and intolerance endemic to the Middle East.

In WWII we didn’t care much whether in fighting Bushido some thought we were in a war against Buddhists. We weren’t, and that was enough.

We knew the enemy were Nazis, not simply Germans, and didn’t froth and whine to prove that distinction.

But not now.

To criticize Islamic fascism is supposedly to be unfair to Islam, so we allow on our own shores mullahs and madrassas to spread hatred and intolerance, as part of our illiberal acceptance of “not offending Islam.”

Govindini Murty

Hollywood's box office has hit the skids, and the entertainment media are in overdrive trying to explain why. The most obvious explanation for box office malaise is consistently overlooked: Hollywood's ruling liberal elites keep going out of their way to offend half their audience.

Constant gibes about Republicans, Christians, conservatives and the military litter today's movies and award show presentations like so many pieces of trash on theater floors. ...

Hollywood could turn things around, but that might mean tolerating films with pro-conservative themes. Hollywood liberals are so consumed with hatred for George W. Bush and the right, they would rather go down with the ship than allow a conservative message. The result is a creative paralysis in which liberals are out of ideas and have to resort to endless sequels and remakes — while conservatives who have new ideas aren't allowed into the mix.

Posted by Darleen at 10:42 PM | Comments (1)

Hey, 'individual rights' are a big thing ...

... but for some not the biggest thing:

Rep. Harold Ford, one of the brightest young Democratic lights in the House and a Senate candidate in Tennessee next year, stunned colleagues by endorsing the Supreme Court's unpopular Kelo decision. That ruling permitted a Connecticut city to seize homeowners' property and transfer it to private developers.

"We have a lot of properties in my city [Memphis] . . . that are crying out for development," Ford said on a Nashville radio talk show. The congressman asserted, "I've always been one to believe that individual rights is a big thing," but added, "there is some real value to this decision."

A footnote: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also went against the popular tide by defending Kelo. Opposing congressional efforts to nullify the court's decision, she said it was "almost as if God has spoken."

Republicans, please take note, that ostensible "liberals" have shown their knee-jerk authoritarianism under the rubric of "collective good." Kelo has caught the horrified imagination of American citizens. Now's the time for Congressional Republicans to step up to the plate first to act to blunt Kelo.

I wonder what the good citizens of Memphis have to say about this?

Posted by Darleen at 10:05 AM | Comments (1)

July 09, 2005

Exclusive: SCOTUS nominee questions

What with Harry Reid urging a nominee with a big heart and groups like NARAL, NOW and People for the American Way selflessly pounding the pavement for money to keep the jackbooted thugs from SCOTUS, we are proud to bring you a list of some of the questions, culled from the aforementioned groups, that Democrat Senators may ask the next nominee. These groups, long known for their commitment to sexual equality, a woman's right to choose, racial equality and general fairplay, tolerance, golden retrievers and fluffy pink clouds are dedicated to exposing the Dark Heart of Narrowmindedness, Meanspiritedness, Inappropriate Humor, and General Ickiness of Self-Responsibility.

An affirmative answer to any of the following questions should give pause that one is, indeed, dealing with an out-of-the-mainstream rightwinger extremist not suited for SCOTUS or dining with polite company.

• Do you believe the story Sleeping Beauty is "just a fairytale"?
• At anytime, when you attended grade school, did you ever willingly participate in a game called "smear the queer"?
• Do you eat or have you ever enjoyed eating fried chicken or watermelon?
• Have you ever laughed at a "dumb blonde" joke?
• Have you ever, in public or private, refered to a fetus as an "unborn child"?
• Have you ever said to a teenaged member of your immediate or extended family "clean your room" or "get a job"?
• Do you believe federal civil service hiring should be racially neutral?
• Do you hold any "deeply held" religious beliefs?
• Do you hold any religious beliefs?
• Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of, or affiliated with, the Boy Scouts of America?
• Do you fly the American Flag on your private residence at any other time besides National holidays?
• Do you fly the American Flag on your private residence at any time?
• Do you own, or have you ever worn, an American Flag lapel pin?
• Do you believe the responsiblity for 9/11/01 rests primarily with the hijackers?

Of course, this is only a partial list, and maybe updated as more questions from these organizations come to light. Let us pause and give thanks to such selfless people who are willing to protect us from such extremists that this list will undoubtedly reveal.

Posted by Darleen at 03:19 PM | Comments (9)

Say it ain't so, Joe!

Joe Gandelman posts on this hair-raising announcement:

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Three-time Oscar winner Oliver Stone will direct superstar Nicholas Cage in the first major Hollywood movie about the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, producers announced.

The as-yet untitled film, which will be made for Paramount Pictures, will tell the true stories of the last two men to be rescued alive from the ruins of the collapsed World Trade Center in New York.

"It's an exploration of heroism in our country -- but is international at the same time in its humanity," said Stone ...

"It's a work of collective passion, a serious meditation on what happened, and carries within a compassion that heals," Stone said in a statement issued by producers.

Oscar-winning star Cage will take the lead role of New York Port Authority policeman Sergeant John McLoughlin, who was trapped along with one of his fellow officers in the mangled wreckage of one of the twin towers that crumbled after being hit by hijacked passenger jets.

First of all, FOUR YEARS before Hollywood deigns to make a movie dealing with 9/11 and we get Ollie Stoned who spun JFK as wild conspiracy flic that implicated just about anyone over the age of 21 as being "in on it", including LBJ.

I believe the scariest phrase (and the biggest give away) is

international in it's humanity

uh oh ... cue the "if only America had addressed the root causes of terrorism..." theme.

Too much of Hollywood finds "America" beneath it. Not worthy of honoring or defending. They're so international in their tastes and sensibilities. So multi-cultural that shrugged shoulders and mouthed phrases like "who are we to judge?" come easily to the goat cheese ravioli and chocolate fountain set. IMO, that is why one hasn't seen movies dealing with 9/11 as the movies Hollywood turned out in the early forties. Casablanca was before American audiences less than ONE YEAR after Pearl Harbor. Others:

• Thirty Seconds over Tokyo 1944


• Wake Island 1942


• Watch on the Rhine 1943


• Mrs. Miniver 1942 -- this was made prior to Pearl Harbor but explores the British experience of Nazi bombings of England.

There are many more, ranging from top notch to shlock. The point is, Hollywood didn't seem to shy away from joining the fight against fascism.

So when I see Ollie use phrases like "international humanity" and "collective passion" I'm tempted to slap a big TOXIC TO REALITY sticker on it.

Posted by Darleen at 09:51 AM | Comments (1)

July 08, 2005

Pay Attention Now

First off, it looks like I'm coming down with a classic summer headcold. It's already gone through my girls and, as usual, I'm the last one to get it, and even though I have a ton of sick time I cannot take today off.

So I'm already grouchy.

I expected it, but it is still startling to run through the Leftist Cult sites -- kos, pandagon, asstrios, DU -- and see the blame for the London bombings being attributed solely to GW and Tony Blair.

Yeah, right, sure. Prior to 9/11/01 all was pink bunnies and fluffy clouds and Islamists lived in Peace, Harmony and Justice with their kaffir neighbors. Munich '72 was just the start of GW's and Tony's plan, eh? Does anyone know the whereabouts of GW and Tony when Leon Klinghoffer was murdered?

Just which of a long list of Islamo-fascist terror acts are we going to continue to pin on everyone but the terrorists themselves?

And if I have to hear one more time the mealy-mouthed, faux-apologies from the "moderate moslem" community -- always accompanied by a chip-on-shoulder-challenge "and you infidels had better not say anything MEAN about us!" -- !!!!! And then I have to read/hear from dhimmis-in-training "but what else can they do but apologize?"

I DO NOT ACCEPT THE "APOLOGIES" Attention "moderate moslems" and your advocates. You want to put your money where your mouth is? When I see you looking into your community and turning over the radicals within it to the authorities THEN I'll think you're sincerely eschewing jihad.

Until then, organizations like the Hamas-frontgroup CAIR and their "pronouncements" of "sympathy" will only engender contempt and suspicion.

Posted by Darleen at 06:49 AM | Comments (1)

July 07, 2005

God Bless the Internet

And the values of Western Civilization that made it possible.

As if the 8th Century (if that advanced) mindset of Islamists could ever conceive of any aspect of modernity and allow it to happen.

As you may have noticed, I've moved the Union Jack to the top right of my blog. There she will stay until such time I retire her. Most Americans have some sort of tie with Briton, be it ancestoral ties or just love of the country across the pond.

Even as I have raged and dispared over some of the English populace who have been more than willing to turn a blind eye to the fascist ideology that simmers in many of the mosques and ghettos of their country in order to not be bothered, when attacked, I will stand with my cousins and condemn the perpetrators of such atrocities. And be witness to the truth that it is not Western Civilization at fault for these attacks, but they are the sole responsibility of the Islamist ideology that sees humanity as a beast of burden, not as human beings.

via Jeff Goldstein comes this

REPORT: One UK Homicide Bomber Was Recent GITMO Release:

7 July 2005; 12:54 ET: Preliminary reports from a source inside the Pentagon indicate that one of the operatives involved in this morning’s bombings in London was recently released from the prison at Guantanamo. DEVELOPING…

If this pans out, I want to see Uncle Teddy and Dickie-boy Durbin dressed in oversized diapers on their knees on the Senate Floor begging the forgiveness of every US military person and American citizen.

George Galloway? Let's just put him in the same cell as Saddam.

Posted by Darleen at 07:15 PM | Comments (0)

More on the London attacks

I have deliberately tried and stayed away from the usual Leftist Cult weblogs and I'm glad I have. I've dipped a toe or two in their seething pool of cognitive dissonance about who are the real perpetrators are (hint - it's never the people who actually BLOW UP civilians) and I know if I met these immoral and indecent people on the street, I'd break a nose or two.

Happily.

And would the Brits puh-leeze do something about the seditious George Galloway?

In the mean time, let me recommend:

Josh Trevino (who has been covering events in Scotland) with The Bloody Seventh. [hattip Jeff Harrell]

Also, don't miss Robert Spencer's invaluable Jihad Watch. His newest post is a collection of moslem reaction to the London bombings.

Posted by Darleen at 01:10 PM | Comments (3)

ARGH -- stop the insanity!

I'm watching live on FoxNews the British Press conference and just heard DAC Brian Paddick that he doesn't want to hear the phrase "Islamist terrorism" because even if the terrorists claim to be moslem they aren't really because it goes against "what I understand the religion is all about."

If 9/11 and this mornings bombings doen't give people like this a CLUE STICK about radical ISLAM aka Islamism aka Islamo-fascism, then how the hell are we going to fight this form a FACISM?

During the Bombing of Britian were there British officials apologizing that not all Germans who were nationalists were responsible and we shouldn't condemn out of hand German fascism??

Now I'm late for work. Back at lunch.

Posted by Darleen at 07:47 AM | Comments (3)

London attacked

The clock radio went off at 6 am, top of the hour for news, and as we laid in bed wondering if to hit the snooze for 9 more minutes, the news came that terrorists had carried out a coordinated attack in London. Being in California, I'm late to this story and I couldn't help remembering that I awoke to the same clock radio announcing the first jet hitting the WTC on 9/11/01.

My heart goes out to my English cousins.

Coverage:

The Command Post -- aggregated links
The Jawa Report -- aggregated links from British coverage

----------

FoxNews reports on claims of responsibility from an Islamist group.

Like anyone was thinking this was the work of Baptists?

Posted by Darleen at 06:09 AM | Comments (3)

July 06, 2005

Overheard at the Pearcy Cocktail Party

Guest: Dude! Long time! Hey, am I early? Hardly anyone here ...

Steve: It's all about Bu$Hitler you know and his Gestapo soldiers in Iraq. And the first amendment.

Guest: Uh. Yeah. Hey, have you caught War of the Worlds yet? Killer flick ...

Virginia: And we're gonna take down those bloggers who DARED defame us!

Steve: The first amendment, yeah. And tenants. Nasty, awful, Bu$Hitler tenants.

Guest: Yeah. Sure. Seriously, Steve, you gotta come out with me this Sunday for golf. Fill out our foursome, ok?

Virginia: I'm gonna get 'em! NO ONE BREATHES a word of DEFAMATION without FEELING MY WRATH.

Steve: Most awful tenants anyone could ever have. Who did they think they were? I saw it myself -- they never even made their beds in the morning! Conservative hypocrites - preaching family values and can't even make their own bed. Creepy lyin' Bu$Hitler youth.

Virginia: BUCK FUSH BUCK FUSH and anyone that DEFAMES us! Gonna get 'em, gonna get 'em ALL and their little dogs, too.

Guest [feigning a look at watch]: Sure sure. Geez, look at the time. It's been real but I gotta run...just remembered an appointment for a root canal I gotta make....

Yes, Virginia, this is satire. Here's an explanation of "who are the Pearcy's". Now why, you ask, would I even post about something I have yet to cover (save for one "go read this" link) on my own blog?

Well, one of my regular reads is Digger's Realm, and Digger has been all over the dispute between the Pearcy's and their erstwhile tenants from the beginning. On July 1, Digger ran an email from Steven Pearcy explaining his side of the dispute. In Digger's comments I offered my opinion on why I found the email less than satisfying.

Then at 1:36 pm July 5, an "Irene" drops a screed directed at me in the comment section declaring that I am DEFAMING Steve.

Oooo! Let me offer another opinion! I think "Irene" just might be Virginia! Why? Because I get a direct email from Steve at 2:00pm, offering up yet MORE explanations in a tone that is quite a bit less than solicitous.

Indeed, why in the world would the Pearcys even bother with a single commenter who has never even covered the controversy on her own blog??

Well, as has been clear to anyone connected with this case, the Pearcys have been threatening "lawsuits" at anyone covering it ... very much a SLAPP tactic to shut up and shut down people who find their behavior as landlords questionable (even leaving aside their despicable politics). I guess now is that even an unfawning commenter cannot be allowed to walk the world unscathed by the Wrath of the Pearcys.

Wow. The word obsession certainly crosses my mind.

Stevie and Ginnie ought to know that their little snit-fit in my direction doesn't exactly inspire faith in their credibility.

My advice to them? Seek psychiatric help. Now.

Posted by Darleen at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)

The Cotillion Ball VI -- Party on!

After our lovefest with the soldiers on Monday we took Tuesday to rest up, but the ladies of the Cotillion are back today, rested and as feisty as ever.

Todays hostesses:

The Anchoress
Little Miss Attila
Reasoned Audacity
Steal the Bandwagon

Posted by Darleen at 12:44 PM | Comments (1)

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

Posted by Darleen at 07:15 AM | Comments (0)

July 05, 2005

Is there NO problem

that doesn't call for Congressional Funding??

States spend nearly a quarter of a billion dollars a year on remedial writing instruction for their employees, according to a new report that says the indirect costs of sloppy writing probably hurt taxpayers even more.

The National Commission on Writing, in a report to be released Tuesday, says that good writing skills are at least as important in the public sector as in private industry. Poor writing not only befuddles citizens but also slows down the government as bureaucrats struggle with unclear instructions or have to redo poorly written work.
...
The commission is calling for more Congressional funding for the National Writing Project, a professional development program for teachers, and what Kerrey says are proven methods for improving writing instruction in classrooms.

You know how you teach writing? By TEACHING WRITING. Start in GRADE SCHOOL. Stop wasting time in teaching about AIDS to kindergarteners and "self-esteem" to jr. high schoolers and get back to teaching basic skills, like reading, writing and math.

What a radical concept, eh?

Posted by Darleen at 12:01 AM | Comments (1)

July 04, 2005

To those Who Serve, We Salute You

A while back, the gals of The Cotillion decided that we would honor the Milbloggers for the 4th of July. We've randomly chosen milbloggers to read/link/correspond with and today, on each of our blogs and the links aggregated at The Cotillion, we are showcasing them.

Please DO check out the Cotillion link and thank Jody and Tammy (with special thanks to William Teach) for a spectacular post.

Mustang 23 is the proud writer of Assumption of Command. He is currently in Iraq. Mustang 23 told me he blogs for fun, to communicate with his family, and to counter the negativity that is the 24/7 mission of the MSM. I found it difficult to pick just one entry to showcase because so many of his entries are entertaining as well as informative. He helped(!) me out by sending me a list of several to choose from. Heh.

This post is really an index to the question/answer session he had with a 7th grade Social Studies class. Many of the questions are predictable but Mustang deals with them in both a straight forward and humorous manner. Good show, Mustang. I predict you're gonna be a great dad someday!

Mustang 23 also impressed me with his range of writing, from lighthearted to poignant.

Watch Your Six is another milblogger (who will be deploying to Iraq soon) that impresses me with his commitments - to himself, his family and his country. His post on The CinC's speech demonstrates an admirable economy of words in telling you clearly what he thinks. Six also is clear on what he thinks about the Army's requirement that warzone milbloggers register. I am in agreement with Six.

Shipshape and bristol fashion is the milblog of The Yankee Sailor. Crisp commentary with daily offerings of newslinks of interest makes for a great daily read. In this post Yankee Sailor makes efficient short work of the fawning media and asks an intelligent (although, for now, rhetorical) question.

Gentlemen, I have enjoyed discovering your milblogs and I know I'm going to be visiting often. Please know, too, that my admiration and gratitude for your choice to serve this country knows no bounds.

Posted by Darleen at 12:01 AM | Comments (5)

July 03, 2005

Are you an American?

I do not ask this facetiously or lightly or even as some sort of rhetorical trap. Even if you don’t answer me here I want you to think, think hard and with some seriousness --

Why are you an American?

I believe too many people never ask themselves that question. We tend to think being born here, or of American parents, lets us “be” American in the same manner as those of us who may call ourselves “Christian” or “Jewish”; not because we have examined or consciously embraced the tenets of those faiths, but because we were born into a Christian or Jewish home and it just seems as much of our family background as meatloaf on Fridays and Labor Day at Uncle Bob’s place on the lake.

However, being American is not like being Japanese or Filipino. There is no person of a worldwide ethnic background you can point at and be sure they are NOT American.

Because American is not an ethnicity, even as it is a culture.

Let me restate this, emphatically:

There is an American culture even though there is no American ethnicity.

We are a society of shared traditions, shared history, shared values and shared aspirations. We don’t walk in monolithic lockstep, and we quibble and snark about the roadmap. We even argue to which roads to take, but we have always shared the basic direction.

I believe that being an American is contingent on two basic points.

First – belief that the individual is the source of sovereignty. We hold these truths to be self-evident … There is a school of thought that such thinking is delusional, that we cannot be sure of what individual rights really are. But just as Kant proposed one cannot discuss and debate morality without starting from the assumption of free will, so can we not discuss the proper role of government and the responsibilities of citizens towards each other without starting from the assumption of individual sovereignty.

Second – belief that the United States is a sovereign nation. Now many of you might be wrinkling your forehead and wondering, but of course the United States is sovereign! However, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read, or engaged in debate, or heard, others speak of the need of the US to give up its sovereignty. Sometimes its couched in the language of nihilistic multi-culturalism – Who are we to judge others? Sometimes couched in the language of peace-at-all-costs – The USA can only exercise power legitimately through the expressed approval of the UN.

Whatever the language used, it is distilled down to its essence – that the US has no real sovereign rights and by extension, neither does her citizens.

Throughout most recorded history, revolutions have always devoured themselves.

We did not.

In 1783 the American Revolution teetered on the brink of a military revolt against a Congress they thought ignored and dismissed them.

George Washington averted it by the strength of his dignity and the basic honorableness of his men by standing before them and while struggling to read a letter from Congress to them said:

"Gentlemen, you will permit me to don my spectacles, for I have grown not only gray but nearly blind in the service of my country"

Of such small things the course of history is changed.

As Americans, we all have an effect on our country and even the seemingly smallest of things may have profound significance.

The 4th of July is as good a time as any to ask yourself -- are you really an American -- based not on accident of birth, but from an internalized examination of the ideals first espoused by America's Founders and defended through the decades by citizen and soldier alike.

We are all familiar with the start of the Declaration of Independence; let us cite here the conclusion, signed by many men who knew (and were later confirmed in their premonitions) that they risked their security, their fortune and indeed their lives in signing on.

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

They dedicated themselves based on an assumption of Individual Sovereignty and National Sovereignty.

How can anyone not so dedicated be truly called “American”?

Posted by Darleen at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)

When words are woefully inadequate

One of the things I've enjoyed since joining The Cotillion is making new friends and discovering the great blogs they run. We exchange posts, emails, laughs ...

and now sorrow. Carol at An American Housewife lost her husband Thursday night.

Please take a moment to visit her blog, keep her and her family in your prayers and thoughts, and if possible, hit the donation button. Money, of course, cannot even begin to assuage any of the hurt and grief, but it can help out with all the mind-numbing details they will face in the next few weeks and months.

Posted by Darleen at 09:06 AM | Comments (0)

July 02, 2005

Saturday morning reads

Pamela of Atlas Shrugs is back from Paris! Welcome back, Pamela! She highlights the city as a belljar, where the residents live in cozy denial, even of the seething ghettos that surround the city. Weird.

Jeff Harrell easily disassembles a Des Moines Register's editorial this morning. The privileged, 19 y/o writer basically gets her facts wrong then rants from there. Said "Emily Litella" believes America has slaughtered foreign languages in its midst. Sheesh.

Don't miss Dean Esmay's post on reforming the UN. I only disagree about reform. I'm of the opinion the UN needs to be thoroughly scrapped. Yesterday. Replace it with a United Democratic Nations. Dean's money quote:

The old thinking on the UN boils down to this: "War is bad, the worst thing imaginable. So, you can butcher as many children as you want, torture as many people as you like, crush as many minorities as you please, treat your women like chattel, lobotomize and execute your homosexuals, grind every religious minority into the dirt, break as many bones and chop off as many limbs as you see fit, and obliterate every human freedom that annoys you: just don't bother your neigbors.

Smash has a very important message for you.

Charles Johnson has the latest hilarity from the Rovian Conspiracy mongers.

As I've pointed out before, those people -- in Washington, in the so-called MSM, in the blogsphere -- that are dragging out the Iraq is another Vietnam quagmire! meme, are not doing it as a warning, or with actual constructive suggestions on how to win in Iraq, but are giddy and hopeful about an American defeat. Brendan Miniter of Opinion Journal writes:

It's not that Massachusetts's Sens. Ted Kennedy and John Kerry learned nothing from the defeat in Vietnam. It seems that they learned all the wrong lessons and still have no problem with watching the U.S. lose an eminently winnable and moral war. ...

Yet we are winning the global war on terror by the only measure of success that matters: Terrorists have not successfully pulled off another attack on American soil since Sept. 11, 2001. We are also succeeding in Iraq and at pressuring much of the Middle East to move toward accepting the antidote to the hate-filled ideology that spawns terrorists: democracy and freedom.

Posted by Darleen at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)

Little Girl Found

This is great news, but still very creepy:

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho - An 8-year-old girl who disappeared with her brother six weeks ago from a home where family members were bludgeoned to death was found Saturday at a Denny's restaurant in the same town.

The girl's 9-year-old brother, Dylan, had not been found, Kootenai County Sheriff's Capt. Ben Wolfinger said. He said Joseph Edward Duncan III, a registered sex offender from Fargo, N.D., had been arrested and charged with kidnapping.

Duncan was arrested without incident and was being held without bond, Wolfinger said. He said the suspect had an outstanding warrant for failing to register as a sex offender and had a history of rape.

Posted by Darleen at 09:20 AM | Comments (1)

July 01, 2005

They need to put this up on billboards

figure out someway to get the story and pics in
front of kids who believe there is some bad-boy glamour in being a gangbanger.

Teen running with a particularly vicious gang ... and the amount of paranoia amongst gangbangers is correlated to the amount of said viciousness ... Teen somehow gets in their paranoid sights as being less than loyal to the gang.

So, they kidnap him and torture him.

And I mean TORTURE. As in they remove his gang tatoos from his forehead and back with a power sander. They pull out all his teeth with a pair of pliers. They cut the word "rat" into both his knees ...

And he lives. Broken, disfigured and scared to death.

Ok. Enough blogging stories from my work. But sometimes I gotta get it out before I scream. This can be a very depressing job.

Posted by Darleen at 09:40 PM | Comments (1)

I'll admit my bias

Yesterday, Rob at Wizbang posted about traffic checkpoints. Regardless that such checkpoints have been ruled constitutional, Rob believes are they a violation of the 4th Amendment. Later, in the comments, he states

I still don't see where a few drunk driver arrests legitimizes traffic stops without probable cause

Today I got back from lunch, and has been too usual the last couple of weeks, there were a couple of police officers waiting for me. And one of them, Stacey, I recognized with a sinking feeling. She's a member of MAIT (Major Accident Investigation Team) and I had already seen her earlier in the week.

Yep. She handed me a Vehicular Manslaughter case to input. Teen with a .15 BAC driving between 80-100 mph in daddy's SUV goes through a block wall, kills his friend who is a passenger.

Earlier this week I processed a case where the guy had been smoking meth for a couple of days, blows a red light and t-bones another car and kills one of a family of four.

Today was my FIFTH vehicular manslaughter case in TWO weeks! And Stacey's partner told me that he's typing up another one to give us next week.

F**k this sh*t. Let me make this perfectly clear. Driving is a privilege and when you petition to drive upon public roads, you give up a certain amount of expectation of privacy. It's part of the contract you have with the government and with other members of the public using those roads.

Don't like it? Sell your car and don't drive. Otherwise, I wish we had MORE checkpoints.

Posted by Darleen at 08:53 PM | Comments (0)

TGIF but still ranting

It's been a long week at work, so I apologize for the light blogging. Add to that the 'chickenhawk' meme, the whiney screeching from the Left and the vapors from the NYTimes that heaven's, One just DOES NOT mention 9/11 in polite company and I found myself whipsawed between deep anger and sluggish malaise.

Is there a good portion of the American people willing and active to retreat to 9/10/01? Those that would treat the death of 3000 on American soil, and the subsequent lifting of the veil on Islamism and its historical and contemporary predations as the show Dallas treated the whole 1985-86 season of Dead Bobby as just a dream?

Jaysus on a Pony, why should an organization such as Take Back The Memorial even have to exist if the move to dismiss the event of 9/11 were not so strong?

NOW we have Justice O'Connor retiring there is no doubt, none at all, that even if GW were to give Uncle Teddy a BJ in the Oval Office live on CBS with Dan Rather calling it play by play, no nominee from GW is going to be "good enough" for the Deanhumpers*. The leftist (and hilariously named) People for the American Way [snort, guffaw] have already signaled this as a bloodbath.

odds are Bush will appoint someone who threatens our rights and liberties

Translated -- someone who just might think the role of the SCOTUS is to interpret LAW not make POLICY as some elitist super-legislature.

You just know this summer is going to sizzle.

* coined by Jeff Goldstein who also has an exclusive quote on the O'Connor thing

Posted by Darleen at 01:00 PM | Comments (0)

Friday morning conversation

Him: why are you putting that on?

Me: because I'm wearing my white slacks today

Him: and?

Me: oh, come on! I hate panty lines.

Him: I like panty lines! Don't women know men like panty lines?

Me:

Him: It's fun.

Me:

Him: Well, we get to know what a woman is wearing and imagine what it would be like trace those lines.

Posted by Darleen at 07:41 AM | Comments (4)