I get mail, but...

...you won't get to see them, gentle reader.

I refuse to highlight or respond to anonymous comments. I should delete them immediately.

Q: How difficult is it to make up a name and set up some kind of fake goofy blog persona?

A: Not very.

This is not surgery, kiddies. The world is not at stake. (Well, maybe a little.)

Anonymous, (any and all of you) you just don't get it. If you're not going to play ball, why should I?

Hiroshima plus sixty years...

...or, One of the two most successful air raids in history (Part 1).

Sixty years ago tomorrow, Hiroshima, a target of less than prime military consequence*, was almost totally destroyed. About 145,000 Japanese, most of them civilians, were killed.

Millions of Allied and Japanese lives were saved because an invasion of the home islands was avoided.

If it had been up to me, I'd have given the same order.

*Did You Know? Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the Japanese cities with the most Catholics.

Nagasaki church to display Virgin Mary statue scorched by A-bomb

NAGASAKI -- The Urakami Church here will put on public display the statue of Virgin Mary, on which traces of heat rays caused by the Aug. 9, 1945, atomic bombing are still visible.

The church, which is located about 500 meters from ground zero, was destroyed in the bombing. The 30-centimeter-long head of the statue of Virgin Mary was found in the debris, but its body was never found.
The church has long been displaying a model of the statue, but many people asked the church to show the real head of the statue following wide press coverage.

Church followers remodeled a hall in the church to accommodate the bombed statue.

"The Mary statue shows the tragedy of the atomic bombing," said a 74-year-old man who lost four of his brothers in the bomb. "We hope that the hall will become a place for visitors to pray for the souls of the bomb victims and for peace." (Thanks to Mainichi for the heads up.)

The NCAA crackup.

Since the pansies at the NCAA don't have the cajones to ban the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Holy Cross Crusaders, the San Diego State Aztecs, (And speaking of all those "San" and "St." cities, I , as a Catholic, am offended these two-bit Gomorrahs are allowed to keep the Catholic part of their names while handing out taxpayer funds to sodomites, adulterers, perverts, and babykillers. NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE!) the Baruch College Wily Jews, the Kabul Women's College Murderin' Muslims, the Baja U. Beaners, the Key West Tech Bottoms, the Key West A&M Tops, and... OMG! I almost forgot all those poor animals forced to represent fascist competition squads throughout the land! So they threw a bone to the Ward Churchills of the world.

The NCAA banned the use of American Indian mascots by sports teams during its postseason tournaments, but will not prohibit them otherwise.

The NCAA's executive committee decided this week the organization did not have the authority to bar Indian mascots by individual schools, committee chairman Walter Harrison said Friday.

Nicknames or mascots deemed "hostile or abusive" would not be allowed on team uniforms or other clothing beginning with any NCAA tournament after Feb. 1, said Harrison, the University of Hartford's president.

"What each institution decides to do is really its own business" outside NCAA championship events, Harrison said.

"What we are trying to say is that we find these mascots to be unacceptable for NCAA championship competition," he added.

At least 18 schools have mascots the NCAA deem "hostile or abusive," including Florida State's Seminole and Illinois' Illini. The full list of schools was not immediately released.

Not all schools with Indian-related nicknames are on that list. NCAA officials said some schools using the Warrior nickname do not use Indian symbols and would not be affected.

North Carolina-Pembroke, which uses the nickname Braves, will not face sanctions. NCAA president Myles Brand explained said the school's student body has historically admitted a high percentage of American Indians and more than 20 percent of the students are American Indians.
Schools on the list could still appeal.

"I suspect that some of those would like to having a ruling on that," Brand said. "But unless there is a change before Feb. 1, they will have to abide by it."

Major college teams also would not be subjected to the new rules because there is no NCAA Divsion I-A tournament or playoff.

Vernon Bellecourt, president of the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media, was pleased with the postseason ban but had hoped for even stronger action.

"We would have hoped the NCAA would have provided the moral leadership on this issue, but obviously they've chosen to only go halfway," said Bellecourt, a member of the Anishinabe-Ojibwe Nation in Minnesota.

The NCAA two years ago recommended that schools determine for themselves whether the Indian depictions were offensive.

Florida State, for example, has received permission from the Seminole tribe in Florida to use the nickname. That, however, will not suffice.

"Other Seminole tribes are not supportive," said Charlotte Westerhaus, the NCAA vice president for diversity and inclusion.

Among the schools to change nicknames in recent years over such concerns were St. John's (from Redmen to Red Storm) and Marquette (from Warriors to Golden Eagles).

The NCAA plans to ban schools using Indian nicknames from hosting postseason events. Harrison said schools with such mascots that have already been selected as tournament sites would be asked to cover any offensive logos.

Such logos also would be prohibited at postseason games on cheerleader and band uniforms starting in 2008.

Other measures approved this week include stronger penalties for schools that repeatedly fall below the NCAA's new academic cutline. Harrison said schools would receive a warning letter the first year; restrictions on scholarships, recruiting and playing time the second year; and a postseason ban the third year. If a school fails to meet the standard four consecutive years, all teams at that school would be ineligible for postseason play.

"I'd fully expect that we never get to the fourth year," Harrison said. "A school should take stronger action before that. But I think this should send a message that there will be real, serious consequences if you don't."
Schools also would receive a bonus point if a player returns to school to complete his or her degree.

The board also approved a two-year contract extension for Brand. His deal was to run through Dec. 31, 2007 and now includes an indefinite two-year rollover.

Another unsolicited, non-compensated endorsement from Fyodor.

Dewey, Cheatem & Howe
Attorneys at Law

Blog of the Day.

BlameBush!
Because Bush is to Blame for Everything.

Highly entertaining, but do NOT tell the you-know-whats. They won't get it.

Her are a few recent samples:

One of the first things every child learns is how to play nicely with others. It's a skill that requires a willingness to compromise - that is, bend over and blindly acquiesce without demanding anything in return. Throughout his career, John Bolton has demonstrated that he cannot play nicely with others. Indeed, he's little more than a playground bully who will put the interests of his country above the needs of the International Community. A congressionally appointed envoy to the United Nations should not be a swaggering cowboy, but rather a nurturing, multi-breasted nursemaid upon whose giant teats developing third-world countries can perpetually suckle. Unless I am mistaken, John Bolton has no teats. All he has is a string of Top 40 hits and some rather intimidating facial hair.
Permalink

Hot Enough for Ya?

For months now, I've watched the thermometer on my patio slowly rise, each day slightly warmer than the one before it, while Bush does nothing. But with temperatures across the country now rivalling those of the Martian surface, it's becoming difficult for even the Chimp to ignore the wholesale destruction his environmental policies have done to our planet.

Take Death Valley, California, for instance. A lush, tropical paradise during the Clinton administration, a treasured national park is now little more than a barren desert wasteland. Acres of marshy wetlands have transformed into lifeless salt flats. Almost overnight, vibrant communities full of working families have become veritible ghost towns as thousands of residents flee in search of cooler climes.

Those unfortunate enough to live in my home town of Las Vegas are paying for their devotion to war hero John Kerry with the deadliest summer in recorded history. Ten have died so far, mostly homeless people, hookers, crack dealers - the working poor who traditionally vote democrat. They were hit hard with Bush's tax cuts for the rich, but now even the sun, it seems, has turned against them.

And if you think I'm lucky to have escaped Sin City, think again. A winter wonderland just six or seven months ago, the Pacific Northwest is now experiencing temperatures in the sweltering 80's. Our once booming ski industry has all but shut down. I can't even sit inside Starbuck's enjoying a refreshing iced mocha for two or three hours without my bratty right-wing neice screaming and crying to be let out of the car. I teach her a valuable lesson about Bush's Greenhouse Effect, and I'm the bad guy. Permalink

Anyway, I decided to make the best of the situation and planned a raucous, two-day marathon of transcendental meditation at my favorite zen garden. I thought it would be a great opportunity for the two of us to connect as uncym and neice, but Cassie scrunched up her face at the proposal and made a snotty remark about not wanting to "sit around watching rocks grow all weekend". Instead, she demanded I take her to the drag races.
As much as I abhor the unegalitarian barbarism of competitive sports, a day spent absorbing the rich culture of the cross-dressing community would be good for the little fascist. So I happily agreed to treat little Kinsey to a day at the races, and even promised to leave the Nappy Time® Child Safety Tazer at home.

Imagine my surprise when, upon arriving at the event, I suddenly realized that they were not racing gender dysphoric homosexuals gussied up like giant sequined ostriches, but frigging CARS! VERY LOUD cars, as a matter of fact. Before I knew what was happening, I had already ruined a perfectly good pair of prototype ultra-absorbent hemp underwear thanks to Bush and his thinly veiled campaign fundraiser. Indeed, the entire spectacle was little more than an elaborate Bush scheme to glorify the automobile while siphoning money from the very same slack-jawed sheeple who helped him steal the office!

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that with babysitting little Miss I-Can-Quote-Ayn-Rand-From-Memory while trying desperately to re-allign my rattled chakras, PLUS performing JURY DUTY (no doubt punishment for signing that petition to make Susan Sontag's birthday a national holiday), blogging will be sporadic this week. I hope to be back on a regular schedule by Monday. Permalink

Remember Screw Abstinence, kiddies? This is my personal fave (so far):

Screw Abstinence!

Hillary was right: abortion is a sad, even tragic choice to many, many womyn. But as any abortionist will tell you, planned pregnancies don't put food on the table. You can't fuel up your Ferarri with living babies, baby! That's why I was proud to spend my Thursday night at Seattle's first annual Screw Abstinence Party and Charity Abort-o-thon. Hosted by NARAL, a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping abortionists out of the poor house, "Screw Abstinence" promised to be fun for the whole family - and it did not disappoint. More than a thinly veiled singles event for people who would otherwise never get laid, Screw Abstinence was a plethora of informative displays, talented performers, and exciting thrill rides - and all for a good cause.

While the Giant Scaling Wall of Dildos and other areas of the event were geared strictly towards adults, I had the privilege of operating the amazing "It's a Lousy World" ride for the kiddies. Both fun and educational, It's a Lousy World was a leisurely gondola ride through a stylized Reproductive Health Clinic, while a menagerie of animatronic fetuses sang a joyful song in 16 different languages about how splendid it was to be aborted, rather than shuffled from foster home to foster home all their miserable lives.
Screw Abstinence also entertained the kids with a wide array of colorful, costume characters. Making a special appearance at this year's event was Back Alley Betty, a gaunt, gnarled old crone and a dead ringer for Ann Coulter. With a Bible in one hand a rusty coat hanger in the other, Betty wandered the crowd, screeching scripture at unsuspecting tots. Along with Partial Birth Abortion Pete, Betty has drawn some criticism for being too graphic for small children. But she paints an accurate picture of the bleak future these kids will face should they fail to exercise their Right to Choose.

For the teens, there was the "Kids are Going to Do it Anyway" booth, where young boys and girls were encouraged to explore their sexuality in a clean, safe environment away from the prying eyes of their fuddy-duddy parents. Unlike what Bush and Co. preach in their abstinence-only sex-ed programs, our young people must learn that human sexuality is a beautiful thing and experimentation is healthy and completely natural. Do we demand that monkeys remain monogamous? Do we ask dogs humping in the front yard to hold off until marriage? Of course not. So why do we ask it of our own kids?

Because Christian Fundamentalists have spent the past two thousand years turning casual sex with complete strangers into something dirty, that's why.

Archealogical evidence suggests that cro-magnon man, although primitive, had a highly progressive concept of human sexuality. A typical cro-magnon male would copulate with 100 to 200 partners in his lifetime, and had no weird psychological hang-ups concerning buggery. It's a shame that Christians have regressed our culture to a state that predates even prehistoric man.

Indeed, with all their right-wing mumbo jumbo about abstinence and monogamy, it's a wonder that conservatives haven't forced more abortionists out of work. Hopefully, with the help of NARAL and other organizations like it, we'll see to it that they never do. Permalink

Pure gold. It makes me wish I knew how to blog.

Did you ever notice how the sodomite loving (so THEY say) left smears people with accusations of buggery?

Roberts gay rights case surprises friends and foes; Supreme Court nominee helped as part of his pro bono work

"Why, he's a conservative," say the whisperers. "Working pro bono for the homos? It's unthinkable."

"Of course, he does have only adopted children and he only got married when he was about forty, you know."

Supporters and opponents of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts were caught off guard Wednesday by news that he worked behind the scenes years ago to assist a gay rights group win a key case before the nation's highest court.

Debate erupted on conservative and liberal Web sites, with partisans on both sides asking whether Roberts' assistance to what is usually considered a liberal cause was an aberration from his otherwise conservative record or a sign his views might be more nuanced than commonly thought.

Social and religious conservatives expressed dismay about his participation in the case but said they are not convinced it amounted to an endorsement of gay rights -- a movement they strongly oppose.

"While this is certainly not welcome news to those of us who advocate for traditional values, it is by no means a given that John Roberts' personal views are reflected in his involvement in this case," the political arm of Focus on the Family, a national organization of conservative Christians, said in a statement. "That's what lawyers do -- represent their firm's clients, whether they agree with what those clients stand for or not."

The White House sought to play down Roberts' participation in the case, known as Romer vs. Evans, in which the Supreme Court voted 6-3 in 1996 to strike down a voter-approved Colorado initiative that would have allowed employers and landlords to exclude gays from jobs and housing.
Roberts, then a lawyer at the Washington firm of Hogan & Hartson, helped gay rights activists prepare their challenge to the initiative as part of his firm's pro bono work.

Roberts did not mention his work on the case in responding to a Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire that asked for examples of his pro bono work. Roberts' involvement in the case was first reported Wednesday.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Roberts spent less than 10 hours on the case while devoting more than 200 hours to two other pro bono cases in which he was lead counsel.

Jean Dubofsky, the lead lawyer for gay activists challenging the Colorado initiative, said Roberts gave her crucial advice in how to argue the case before the Supreme Court. (Thanks to SFgate.com and Yahoo!News for the heads up.)

Maybe, someday, (not in our lifetimes, kiddies) even the perverts will realize the left is a place to be avoided.

From The Death Of The West Department:

I gave up on Springsteen years ago, right after I found out he was was going to do a fundraising concert for the Christic Institute. (Note to Bruce: Next time, to save money and time. Cut out the middle man and simply rape, kill, and eat your neighbors yourself.)

But this promises to be an absolute hoot and a half.

Organizers of "Glory Days: A Bruce Springsteen Symposium" expect more than 270 educators, music historians and Springsteen enthusiasts to attend the three-day event starting Sept. 9 at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J.

The event is the brainchild of Mark Bernhard, a Penn State University conference planner who describes himself as a "Springsteen nut," having attended 32 of the Boss' concerts since 1985.

Some weighty topics are on the agenda, such as the influence of Springsteen's music on Catholicism (?????) and the Vietnam Veterans movement and a panel discussion on the rock star's storytelling techniques.

Individual presentations include one entitled "Shedding Light on the Darkness: Springsteen and the Art of Psychotherapy." Others attempt to compare Springsteen's lyrical prowess to literary heavyweights like William Shakespeare, Walt Whitman and Samuel Beckett.

The depth and breadth of the ignorance on display is truly awe-inspiring.

"I'm combining my passion with my job," said Bernhard, 38, who first saw Springsteen during the "Born in the USA" tour. Springsteen's music "is a daily part of my life."

A phone call and e-mail message seeking comment from Springsteen's representative in New York was not immediately returned on Thursday. Springsteen has not authorized the event, Bernhard said.

But Bernhard hopes he might bump into the Boss at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, N.J., which is a stop on the symposium schedule. Springsteen is known to occasionally drop in on his former stomping ground for spontaneous gigs.

"If he's around, there will always be hope that he will unofficially pop in," Bernhard said.

What if a Jewish mob tore an Moslem terrorist to pieces?

I'm not sure, but the aftermath certainly would not look like this from Israelinsider:


Around 5:30 pm, an IDF deserter known to security forces as an extremist from the Israeli city of Rishon Lezion and a frequent visitor to the settlement of Tapuach, opened fire inside an Egged bus #165 after riding it to the northern Druze town of Shfaram in northern Israel.

A driver and 3 passengers, including two teenage girls, were killed and 6 were wounded. The shooter was arrested by 5 or 6 policemen, who failed to protect the shooter from the mob, which overwhelmed them. The shooter was lynched by blows from enraged local Arabs.

A mob of more than a thousand surrounded the bus after the attack. Arab radicals whipped the mob into a frenzy, singing nationalist songs and throwing objects at the bus and the police, preventing them from removing the body of the shooter for more than four hours.

Eden Eden Natan-Zada, 19, originally from the southern city of Rishon Letzion and believed by the Shin Bet as a right wing radical and rabble-rouser who lived in the Samarian settlement of Tapuach, had apparently deserted the army months ago, but retained his uniform and weapon. He had served a month in prison for refusing to participate in the army's preparations to expel Jews. Channel Two reported that he was a member of the Kach organization.

"We all feared an attack like this," Israeli internal security minister Gideon Ezra said.

Arab Knesset Member Mohammed Barakeh (Hadash-Ta'al) classified the incident as a terror attack. "We are witnessing attempts by extreme right-wing people, terrorists, who want to set the region ablaze and feel they have freedom of action in light of the behavior of the security, political and judicial establishment," he said.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon issued a statement: "This was a reprehensible act by a bloodthirsty Jewish terrorist who sought to attack innocent Israeli citizens. This terrorist event was a deliberate attempt to harm the fabric of relations among all Israeli citizens.

Terrorism by civilians against civilians is the most dangerous thing affecting the future of the State of Israel and its stability as a democracy."

"On my behalf and that of the Government, I send condolences to the families of those who were murdered and my best wishes for a quick recovery to those who were wounded. The entire State of Israel, regardless of race, religion or sex, strongly condemns this act of terrorism. The Government is determined to protect the lives of Israel's citizens, from all ethnic communities and sectors; I have instructed the security services to accord the highest priority to investigating this terrorist attack."

"At this difficult hour for the State of Israel, I call on all public leaders in Israel -- Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Druze -- to work together in an effort to maintain the internal fabric of relations and to act responsibly and with restraint, and to allow the legal authorities to finish their investigation of this awful terrorist attack."

Nazis react angrily to James Dobson calling them nazis because of the nazi-like things they do.

Now, Dobson is not one of my favorites, but he arrived at a Blind Squirrel With A Broken Watch Moment, and called a spade a spade.

James Dobson made the comparison Wednesday on a Focus on the Family radio show.

Stem-cell research advocates reacted angrily Thursday to comments by Focus on the Family founder James Dobson comparing such research to Nazi experiments on concentration- camp inmates during World War II.

"We were shocked," Anti-Defamation League regional director Bruce DeBoskey said. "Rather than adding to legitimate debate over stem-cell research, Dobson's statement trivializes the suffering of those who perished."

Sometimes, there really are nazis.

He and Michael Huttner, executive director of Denver-based ProgressNow.org, called for Dobson to apologize.

And U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, the Denver Democrat who co-authored a House-passed bill that would advance stem-cell research efforts, issued a statement Thursday condemning the comparison.

Dobson, however, will not apologize and stands by his remarks, according to a statement issued Thursday by Focus on the Family.

"If any apologies are due, it's the advocates of destructive research using embryonic humans who should be apologizing to their fellow members of the human family," the message stated.

During a Focus on the Family radio show Wednesday, Dobson compared a "utilitarian approach" that would argue that human experiments during the Holocaust could have benefited mankind to the notion that embryonic stem-cell research has a "potential for good." Both should be condemned, he said.

"You know, if you take a utilitarian approach, that if something results in good, then it is good. But that's obviously not true," he said.

"Science always has to be guided by ethics and by morality," he said.
DeGette took issue with the comparison.

"James Dobson's remarks were extremely ignorant and insulting. While it's sad that they warrant a response, his comments diminish the enormities of the Nazis' atrocities and are an appalling distortion of the debate," she said in a statement.

"In a perfect world, everyone would ignore such inflammatory rhetoric," she continued. "Barring that, it must be condemned by all rational people. I hope my Republican colleagues express the same outrage with Dobson that they have expressed for partisan purposes in the past."

In a perfect world, people would not be used for fun and prophet, you bitch.

Huttner said he was offended by the comparison.

"People may or may not think (stem-cell research) can save thousands or millions of lives, but to compare it to the type of torture or experimentation under Hitler's reign in the Nazi concentration camps is completely inflammatory and offensive," Huttner said.

Not to mention completely true.

DeBoskey said Dobson was "stooping to a new low" on the debate over stem-cell research.

"Even Senate Majority Leader (Bill) Frist recognizes it has a place in contemporary science," DeBoskey added.

Wowee. "Even" Senator Mengele is on your side. Congrats.

Frist, a Republican, offered his support for the Senate version of DeGette's bill late last month in an apparent break from party lines. President Bush has said he would veto any bill that allocates funds for research on new stem-cell lines.

Supporters of the research say it involves tiny clusters of embryonic cells that would likely have been discarded.

Look here, kiddies. You can twist your words all you want. You can ignore the rules of logic until you're blue in the face. You can pretend it's an armadillo until it emerges from the birth canal if that enables you to look at yourself in the mirror. You can find a whole cesspool full of "scientists" who will tell you just what you want to hear...

But there is one inescapable fact here: People are being murdered, and if you're not working to stop it, you're an accessory before the fact.

Carville's lucky Novak didn't beat him to a pulp.

Thanks to CBC.ca and Yahoo!News for this one.


CNN has suspended syndicated columnist and political analyst Robert Novak and issued a public rebuke against him after he swore and walked off the set of a live show on Thursday.

At the time of the incident, Novak had been interrupted by liberal political strategist James Carville during a discussion of the upcoming U.S. Senate race in Florida on CNN's Inside Politics show.

CNN spokesperson Edie Emergy called Novak's behaviour "inexcusable" and announced that he had been suspended indefinitely. She also apologized to viewers.

Novak, 74, has apologized to CNN for his outburst.

Novak, well-known for his right-wing views, is the subject of a federal probe into the revelation of CIA officer Valerie Plame's identity. In a July 2003 newspaper column, Novak identified Plame, the wife of administration critic and former U.S. ambassador Joseph Wilson, as a CIA operative.

He and Carville were discussing the Republican candidacy of Katherine Harris for the Florida Senate on Inside Politics. Both were both attempting to speak at once.

"Let me just finish, James, please," Novak said, during the live show. "I know you hate to hear me, but you have to."

Carville, addressing the camera, said: "He's got to show these right wingers that he's got a backbone, you know. It's why the Wall Street Journal editorial page is watching you. Show 'em that you're tough."

"Well, I think that's bull---- and I hate that," Novak replied. "Just let it go."

CNN correspondent Ed Henry, who was moderating the show, then tried to step in to pose a question to Carville, but Novak walked off the set.

Henry said he had planned to ask Novak about his role in the investigation of the leak of the CIA officer's identity during the show.

Novak has repeatedly refused to comment about his role in the federal investigation, and had been warned that the question was coming.

Headline of the Week.

Democrats celebrate narrow U.S. House loss in Ohio

Democrats on Wednesday celebrated a closer-than-expected loss in a special House of Representatives race in Ohio and called it a warning sign for Republicans entering the 2006 congressional elections.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is the largest church in the world dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.


Today we honor the anniversary of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome. This is also the Feast of St. Nouna, wife of St. Gregory of Nazianzus. All their children also became saints. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading is Apocalypse 21: 1-5 .
Today's Gospel reading is Luke 11:27-28 .

Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful;O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Prayer to Saint Anthony, Martyr of Desire


Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Help support the kids of Our Boys killed in action.

Please give anything you can to The Freedom Alliance

Scholarship Spotlight: Kathleen Bartram

“I am the daughter of William Thomas Bartram,” says Freedom Alliance Scholarship recipient Kathleen Bartram. “He is a man I only know through stories, photographs, and home movies. I rely on these scattered remnants because my father was killed when I was only three years old.” Read more


and The Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation

The recent war in Iraq has certainly illuminated America’s commitment to freedom. We are reminded that freedom is not free. The price is great. No one knows that better than the left-behind sons and daughters of America’s fallen heroes.

Through the continuous support of our donors, we have distributed aid with a value of more than $23,000,000.00 to eligible children. This assistance was primarily rendered to children of Marines or Federal law enforcement personnel who were killed on duty or died under extraordinary circumstances while serving our country at home or abroad. These funds enable us to provide these children with scholarships for their higher education. When a child of a United States Marine is afflicted with a physical or mental disability and requires special medical equipment or tutoring, our Foundation may grant financial assistance to that family if their personal insurance does not cover the complete cost of treatment for this child.

In addition to the regular program, our Foundation decided to support all American Forces and also Coalition Forces in the invasion of Iraq and taking of Baghdad from 3 March 2003 to 16 July 2003. In the past, the Foundation also included in our program the children who lost a parent from all agencies killed in the murderous attack on the Pentagon. We also decided to go back and give our bonds to children who lost a parent on the USS Cole; the children of the Air Force personnell killed at Khobar Towers; and, with great honor, the twelve children who lost their parent on the space shuttle Columbia disaster.

If you worked for a pro-totalitarian media organization and wanted to attack a Supreme Court nominee, what would you do?

Why, go after his 4 and 5 year old kids, of course.

NY TIMES INVESTIGATES ADOPTION RECORDS OF SUPREME COURT NOMINEE'S CHILDREN

**Exclusive**

The NEW YORK TIMES is looking into the adoption records of the children of Supreme Court Nominee John G. Roberts, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

The TIMES has investigative reporter Glen Justice hot on the case to investigate the status of adoption records of Judge Roberts’ two young children, Josie age 5 and Jack age 4, a top source reveals.

Judge Roberts and his wife Jane adopted the children when they each were infants.

Both children were adopted from Latin America.

A TIMES insider claims the look into the adoption papers are part of the paper's "standard background check."

Roberts’ young son Jack delighted millions of Americans during his father’s Supreme Court nomination announcement ceremony when he wouldn’t stop dancing while the President and his father spoke to a national television audience.

Previously the WASHINGTON POST Style section had published a story criticizing the outfits Mrs. Roberts had them wear at the announcement ceremony.

One top Washington official with knowledge of the NEW YORK TIMES action declared: “Trying to pry into the lives of the Roberts’ family like this is despicable. Children’s lives should be off limits. The TIMES is putting politics over fundamental decency.”

One top Republican official when told of the situation was incredulous. “This can’t possibly be true?” (Thanks to Drudge for this heads up and then some.)

Note the idiotic Repansycan naïveté at the end. Typical. What would you expect from the fascist left after they attack the nominee's religion, his wife's religion and the way his family dresses?

Whatever happened to...

...big and small screen vixen (and all-time world class beauty) Joan Collins?

She is (at least occasionally) a columnist for London's Daily Mail, and, judging from the example below, (via Drudge) not an awful one.


A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within, said the American historian Will Durrant about ancient Rome. This self-destruction of values is exactly what is happening in England today.

Yes, I still call the country of my birth England, in spite of the peculiar political correctness that insists that it be called 'the UK' and that we, its denizens, must be 'Britons'.

Even though the Welsh are proud to call themselves Welsh, as are the Irish and certainly the Scots, woe betide the Briton who calls himself 'English' -- a much-frowned-upon no-no.

I believe that when a country loses so much respect for itself that it can no longer even be identified by its historically correct name, insecurity and lack of respect filter down to its inhabitants.

Recently, I have concluded that London is no longer the 'seat of civilised society' that the world once considered it to be, and is certainly not the safe city I grew up in.

A particular incident demonstrated the lack of respect and manners that is but a small example of the horrible, encroaching decay of the country that I love dearly.

My husband Percy and I were at a ball at the Grosvenor House Hotel -- a black-tie event attended by the socalled 'elite' of the city.

As Percy held the door open to let me through, a 6ft tall, middle-aged, horse-faced male pushed past me, trod on the hem of my dress and rushed outside to climb into the taxi that the doorman had waiting for us.

This was a person who should, or at least looked like he should, have known better. The cause of his behaviour? The awful pervasive disregard that we have for civility today.

Bump accidentally into someone in the street these days and you are soundly cursed. Look at a poor derelict collapsed in a doorway for more than a second and they'll spit at you. Surely everyone has experienced the barely suppressed rage lurking behind the faces of a vast number of car drivers.

We've become the 'Whatcha lookin' at?' culture. Why do young people consider it cool to be arrogant, swaggering and rude? Why do so many people in England seem so cynical and self-centred?

I witnessed young, drunken yobs roaming the streets kicking cars, screaming insults, pushing people and even pushchairs out of their way, attacking each other viciously and then turning on the police when they tried to maintain order.

THE WHOLE scene evoked the image of hordes of inebriated Vikings sacking devastated towns. Even during the day, feral mobs roamed the cities with absolute disregard for anyone else's property or well-being. Traditional virtues of male chivalry and female propriety were very far from view.

After all, a lack of manners and politeness in a society can only be a reflection of what the society thinks of itself.

It's frightful how being told that you are no good makes you hate yourself, and hate others.

And it's frightful how quickly a whole country of self-loathers can be bred.

Of course, getting a lecture on manners and morals by a woman who has gone through at least five husbands is ironic, to say the least. (Ok, four. The guy who tried to sell her to an arab sheik probably should not count.)

Can you imagine any of Hollyweird's current crop of...uh...uh..."talent" being able to put together a single coherent sentence, much less a cogent opinion piece like Joan Collins.

Damn. Even yesterday's bimbos were better.

HeadLinks

Courtesy of CNSNews:


Washington Post:
Police Chiefs Group Bolsters Policy on Suicide Bombers

The International Association of Chiefs of Police, which represents the heads of police departments in the United States and across the world, has issued new guidelines saying that officers who confront a suicide bomber should shoot the suspect in the head.


BBC News:
London Bombers 'Used Hair Bleach'

The bombs that killed 56 people in London on 7 July were probably detonated using mobile phones, New York police officials have said.
They were made in Leeds from household chemicals like hair bleach and stored in a powerful refrigerator, they said.

Commissioner Ray Kelly was briefing New York security industry bosses on information given to NYPD officers monitoring the investigation in London. Scotland Yard has refused to comment on the US claims.

The NYPD said UK authorities were happy for them to release details.
Commissioner Kelly said: "Initially it was thought that perhaps the materials were high-end military explosives that were smuggled - but it turns out not to be the case.


Washington Times:
European Nations Oust Imams


Countries across Europe are working to expel radical Islamic clerics who glorify and condone acts of terrorism, in hopes of stemming the tide of extremism among impressionable Muslim youth.

France deported an imam to his native Algeria on Friday for incendiary sermons at mosques in Paris, and at least eight more extremist clerics are expected to be banished in the coming weeks.

Italy expelled eight fundamentalist Palestinian preachers on Tuesday for not holding proper residency permits, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
The British Home Office announced recently that it will introduce an anti-terror bill that criminalizes "indirect incitement of terrorism," and is creating a database to identify those who preach intolerance and run Web sites promoting jihad, or holy war.


Fox News:
Is the Vatican a Target for Terrorists?

The Vatican is seen as the heart of the Christian world, but some also eye the international iconic symbol of Christianity (search) as a terror target.

"I think the Vatican has to be considered a target because Al Qaeda has said that the Vatican is a target," said Kishore Jayabalan, a former Vatican official, now of the Acton Institute. "One of the things the Vatican has tried to do is to downplay the differences between Islam and Christianity."


Washington Post:
In Congress, the GOP Embraces Its Spending Side

GOP leaders this week sent House Republicans home for the summer with some political tips, helpfully laid out in 12 "Ideas for August Recess Events." Drop by a military reserve center to highlight increased benefits, the talking points suggest. Visit a bridge or highway that will receive additional funding, or talk up the new prescription drug benefit for seniors.

Having skirted budget restraints and approved nearly $300 billion in new spending and tax breaks before leaving town, Republican lawmakers are now determined to claim full credit for the congressional spending. Far from shying away from their accomplishments, lawmakers are embracing the pork, including graffiti eradication in the Bronx, $277 million in road projects for Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), and a $200,000 deer-avoidance system in New York.


Washington Times:
Alabama Limits Eminent Domain

Alabama yesterday became the first state to enact new protections against local-government seizure of property allowed under a Supreme Court ruling that has triggered an explosive grass-roots counteroffensive across the country.

Republican Gov. Bob Riley signed a bill that was passed unanimously by a special session of the Alabama Legislature, which would prohibit governments from using their eminent-domain authority to take privately owned properties for the purpose of turning them over to retail, industrial, office or residential developers.

Calling the high court's June 23 ruling "misguided" and a "threat to all property owners," Mr. Riley said, "A property rights revolt is sweeping the nation, and Alabama is leading it."

The backlash against the judicial ruling has not received much attention in the national press, although legislative leaders in more than two dozen states have proposed statutes and/or state constitutional amendments to restrict local governments' eminent-domain powers.

Besides Alabama, legislation to ban or restrict the use of eminent domain for private development has been introduced in 16 states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas.

Legislators have announced plans to introduce eminent-domain bills in seven more states: Alaska, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Dakota, South Carolina and Wisconsin, and lawmakers in Colorado, Georgia and Virginia plan to act on previously introduced bills.


ABC News/AP:
South Korean Stem Cell Pioneer Clones Dog

The "Pride of Korea" has struck again. Pioneer South Korean stem cell researcher Hwang Woo-suk and his research colleagues have succeeded in cloning a dog, a global first that extends the remarkable string of laboratory successes by the Seoul National University professor.

Last year, Hwang's team created the world's first cloned human embryos. They followed that in May by creating the first embryonic stem cells that genetically match injured or sick patients.

Now, they've come up with Snuppy, an Afghan hound, now 14 weeks old, that Hwang's research colleague, Gerald Schatten of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, called "a frisky, healthy, normal, rambunctious puppy."

Requiem.

May God have mercy on the souls of Our Marines.

First, Laura Ingraham's Quote of the Day:

"Everyone who joined this battalion knew what they were getting into. Marines are the tip of the spear. The people we shoot at are going to shoot back."
-- Col. Kevin Rush, 25th Marine Regiment, Brook Park, Ohio.

Amen to that, Colonel.

The first six died while on sniper duty Monday northwest of Baghdad. They were members of the Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, based in Brook Park, a working class community of 21,000 southwest of Cleveland.

The Marine Corps identified Monday’s dead as:

Sgt. Nathaniel S. Rock
Sgt. David J. Coullard
Cpl. Jeffrey A. Boskovitch
Lance Cpl. Brian P. Montgomery
Lance Cpl. Daniel N. Deyarmin
Lance Cpl. Roger D. Castleberry Jr.

Requiescat in pace.
___

Lance Cpl. Timothy Michael Bell Jr.

When Lance Cpl. Timothy Michael Bell Jr.'s parents took him to Columbus, Ohio, in January to deploy for training, he had just one message for them, his stepmother said.

"He just said, 'This is what I was born to do,'" Vivian Bell said.

Bell, 22, of West Chester, Ohio, was killed Wednesday in a roadside bombing in Iraq.

Always protective of his three younger sisters, Bell applied that same ethic to joining the military, his father said.

"It's very important for me that everybody knows that he did this for them," Timothy Michael Bell Sr. said.

The Lakota East High School graduate was a black-belt in judo and was hoping to buy a motorcycle when he returned home in September, his father said.
___

Cpl. Jeff Boskovitch

Cpl. Jeff Boskovitch set a wedding date _ Oct. 14, 2006 _ with his fiancee, Shelly Tevis, when they spoke Saturday on the phone.

Days later, the 25-year-old Marine reservist from North Royalton, Ohio, was killed while on sniper duty in Iraq.

An aspiring police officer, Boskovitch was a driven Marine and a role model for his 42 cousins, family members said.

"He had the biggest heart in the world," said his uncle, Dan Boskovitch. "He was just a great kid."

The members of the sniper unit were close, his uncle said. Boskovitch declined a promotion because he wanted to stay with the unit.

Boskovitch, who graduated from Normandy High School in 1999, had completed the law enforcement program at Cuyahoga Community College and worked with the Geauga County sheriff, his uncle said.
___

Sgt. David Coullard

Sgt. David Coullard had been sent around the world since joining the Marines as a reservist about 10 years ago. Still, he was determined to serve in combat.

On Christmas Day, after waiting years for active duty, he told his family that he had volunteered to go to Iraq.

"I personally think he just wanted to be in battle," said his stepfather, Greg Dziedzic. "I think he wanted to do what he was trained for."

Coullard, 32, of Glastonbury, Conn., was killed Monday, also while on sniper duty north of Baghdad.

Anita Dziedzic raised her only son as a single mother, and said she felt compelled to do things with him that a father would do. So she took him to target practice, and took a hunting course with him. He had talked about joining the Marines since was 9 years old.

When her son's death becomes too much to handle, Anita Dziedzic said she remembers the words her son told her when her mother died years ago.

"He said, 'Mom, you're going to be OK,'" she recalled. "So I guess I've told myself that all through this. That I'm going to be OK. I'm going to be OK."
___

Lance Cpl. Daniel Nathan Deyarmin

Lance Cpl. Daniel Nathan Deyarmin had turned 22 just two days before he was killed Monday.

Deyarmin graduated in 2002 from Tallmadge High School, where he played football, said his sister Erica, 23. He hoped to open a rental property business when he returned from Iraq.

Deyarmin enjoyed racing dirt bikes and four-wheelers through Tallmadge, east of Akron in northeastern Ohio. He also liked to restore cars, his sister said.

"That was his favorite thing to do," she said.

Before leaving for duty, Deyarmin was one of four Marines who spoke to students at a local middle school about serving in Iraq.

"He believed in his country," Erica Deyarmin said. "He loved being a Marine."
___

Lance Cpl. Brian Montgomery

Before leaving in January, Lance Cpl. Brian Montgomery hugged his father.

"Don't worry, Dad, I'll be coming back home," Paul Montgomery recalled his son saying.

But on Monday the 26-year-old died along other members of his sniper unit. His son, Alexander, turned 1 year old on Wednesday.

Montgomery joined the Marine reserves in June 2002 and lived in Mentor, Ohio, with his wife and son.

He served in the battalion with his 21-year-old brother, Eric, who will escort his brother's body home, the family said.

Montgomery graduated from South High School in Willoughby in northeastern Ohio in 1998.
___

Sgt. Nathaniel Rock

As a part-time police officer, Sgt. Nathaniel Rock displayed integrity and curiosity that would have suited him well in the profession.

Rock, 26, joined the police department across the river from Wheeling, W.Va., about a year ago and planned to continue as a full-time officer when he returned from Iraq.

"I always saved a spot for him," said Barry Carpenter, the police chief in Martins Ferry who described Rock as a talented, proud officer with great potential.

The Toronto, Ohio, native graduated in 1997 and served in the Marines for six years and then joined the reserves, said his mother, Adriana Rock.

"It was a goal he'd always had and a goal he was able to achieve," Carpenter said. "It allowed him to serve his country, but ultimately it brought about his demise."
___

Lance Cpl. Edward Schroeder

Rosemary Palmer wouldn't let her son play with guns when he was little, and she certainly didn't want him involved in the military.

"He was persuaded that if he joined the Marines, he would get a new sense of purpose," said Palmer, who found out Wednesday that her 23-year-old son, Lance Cpl. Edward Schroeder, was among those killed in a roadside explosion.

Schroeder spent his preschool years in China and then finished school in Maplewood, N.J. His family moved to Cleveland after he graduated from high school and started classes at Ohio State University.

"It was always, 'What's out there? Let me try,'" Palmer said. "He wanted to experience life."

Palmer said she was speaking Wednesday morning with her husband, Paul, about plans to attend services for the reservists killed Monday when two men came walking down her street toward her house.

A relative who was there saw them coming and gave warning.

"My sister-in-law saw them and screamed, 'Get down here!' So we knew. They didn't even get a chance to knock," Palmer said.
___

Lance Cpl. Brett Wightman

Lance Cpl. Brett Wightman planned to re-enlist in the Marines in October and wanted to rise to the top of the service, family members said.

"He said, 'People are upset because we're over here fighting,'" said his aunt, Missy Luttrell.

"But he said, 'We just rescued some children from this house. And if you could have seen the looks on their faces and how glad they were to see us, it made it all worthwhile.' So he believed in what he was doing."

Wightman, 22, joined the Marines in 2002 after graduating from East Clinton High School in Sabina, about 30 miles southeast of Dayton, his aunt said. He was fulfilling a dream he had had since he was 3.

"He would play with those GI Joes and he'd say, 'I'm going to grow up and be one of these guys,'" Luttrell said. "All of his life, that's all he would talk about."


Before this week’s deaths, the 3rd Battalion’s Web site listed 25 of its Marines killed this year in Iraq.


For those continuing the fight to protect our fat, lazy backsides and to avenge their brothers, a little something from the good ol' USA would go a long way:

As heard on the Edd Hendee show–

As you may have seen, the battalion that replaced us in Iraq (3/25) has been especially hard hit in recent days. I follow them closely in the news and keep up email contacts with a few folks still at the dam in Haditha. By my counts from news reports and DoD press releases, 3/25 has now lost close to 47 Marines if not higher. This might be the highest price any Marine battalion has paid in Iraq. 1/23 lost 10 of our members and I know how difficult each loss was to our guys. It meant a great deal to us to know how much support we had from folks back home during those trying days. Many politicians and tv types talk about how their thoughts and prayers are with our troops there, but I believe that is not enough. Talk is cheap and actions of course always ALWAYS speak louder than words. If you can find it in your day please send them a box or even a letter to just let them know we have not forgotten them and that we hold them in the highest place of honor. 3/25 will probably be in Iraq until October. It takes about two weeks for mail to get to them.

You can send all sorts of stuff like books, magazines, dvds, candy, food, etc in a simple US Postal service flat rate box for less than 8 bucks. That’s about two lattes at Starbucks. Most importantly you can also send a note or card for 37 cents and let a few American patriots know how much they mean to us.

The address for 3/25 is:

Adopt a Marine
c/o Capt Kasparian
3/25 H&S Co
Unit 72110
FPO, AE 09509-2110

Thank you for reading this and please pass it along to anyone that you might think would want to see this.

Semper Fi,
Capt James Crabtree, USMC

Now DO it.
(Thanks to Lone Star Times and Laura Ingraham for the heads up.)

BTW, it is almost time for Laura's last chemo treatment. Please keep her in your prayers.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. John Vianney, patron of priests. He heard confessions from penitents sixteen hours a day. St. John Vianney and all you saints, pray for us.

Today's reading is Ezechiel 3:17-21 .
Today's Gospel reading is Matthew 9:35 ; 10:1 .

Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful;O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Prayer to Saint Anthony, Martyr of Desire

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Moral equivalence, anyone?

Spot the Idiot

Today's San Francisco Chronicle has a hilarious pair of letters (Nos. 4 and 5) in response to a Sunday article on Hamas:

Editor -- Regarding the article, "Hamas camp: Sun, fun . . . indoctrination" (July 31): The Hamas-sponsored youth camps are a double-edged sword.

These kids, like any, deserve the chance to enjoy the the camaraderie of youth while exploring their athletic, social and artistic abilities.

Hamas, by providing what would otherwise be a luxury for these kids, is getting away with feeding them a poison way of thought that will inevitably bring further sickness to the region.

Palestinian children as young as 11 have tried attacking Israelis. It makes me wonder: What would it take to get these kids to sing songs like "Kumbaya" around the campfire and put their bomb-making equipment away?

Dassi Shusterman
South San Francisco


Editor -- Yes, it is disturbing that Palestinian children are being taught to chant "Rifle fire! Raise it up!" in Hamas summer camps.

But, hey, we've got militaristic chants going in this country for our kiddies, too. On Sunday, President Bush met with the Boy Scouts, a gathering of 50,000, at their National Jamboree at an Army base in Virginia. Among other things, he went on about patriotism and military service.

Bush's audience had been warmed up by a man wearing an Army T-shirt who, as balloons with military emblems floated about, led the children in chants of "OO-rah" and "U.S.A.!"

Looks like we've got some of our own sun, fun and indoctrination.
Judith Ross
San Francisco

Patriotism, murdering Jews--hey really, what's the diff?
(Thanks to Best of the Web Today.)

All hail the Grand High Kleagle of the Democratic Cesspool of Korea!

From Yahoo!News (via WorldNetDaily) comes the feel-good story of the humble son of a bloodthirsty tyrant who inherited the family business and still managed to become a genius in oh so many ways.

North Korea's Dear Leader Kim Jong-il never forgets a phone number, a cadre's career or a line of computer code.

According to an article posted Tuesday on a Web site run by North Korea, Kim wakes up early every day for intensive memory training where he sits down and commits to his keen mind items such as the phone numbers of workers in his Stalinist state.

"I remember all computer codes and telephones that workers are using now," Kim was quoted as saying on the Web Site "Uri-Min-jok-kiri" (www.uriminzokkiri.dprkorea.com), or "Among our People."
Kim surprised a group of North Korean officials attending a meeting in 2002 by recalling all their phone numbers "with lightning speed," the site said.

dprkorea.com? Dot COM? Where have all the real Stalinists gone?

On a day Kim visited a cemetery, he looked around at the tombs and he remembered the achievements, characteristics, tastes and bereaved family members for hundreds of the dead by a quick glance at the names on tombstones, it said.

And, like Jeff Dahmer, he remembers how each one tasted.

"All the attendants were surprised at his incredible memory," the site says.
North Korean propaganda is ripe with the amazing achievements of its Dear Leader. The highly controlled state also closely monitors its citizens to make sure they do not speak out against Kim or challenge his rule.
Kim pilots jet fighters, pens operas, produces movies and accomplished a feat unmatched in the annals of professional golf by shooting 11 holes-in-one on the first round he ever played.

Being dictator is great for the memory. Just kill everyone who remembers differently than you. It worked in Russia for 75 years and it still works in Slave China.

The Web Site said Kim told all workers they should develop their ability to memorize. "The memory of a person gets better when a person uses their brain often," he was quoted as saying.

A Moron Grows In Pittsburgh.

Some guy nicknamed Reg Henry thinks he's clever because they give him a couple of column inches in The Burgh's other newspaper.

President Bush's nomination of Judge John Roberts for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court has put liberals in a quandary, which is not a good position to be in. It is much like being in a quarry. Either way, you find yourself between a rock and a hard place.

As conservatives leap about in celebration, liberals like me are left to find a reason to oppose this nomination -- and it's not enough to point to the general euphoria on the right. Liberals need to be able to say plausibly:
"This nomination raises serious questions," which is our standard objection to Republican nominations.

Usually, questions are raised after a search through the nominee's record.
President Bush has been obliging in this regard. Some of his notable nominees have judicial records marked by a telltale trail of knuckle dragging, with one case after another containing touching vignettes featuring widows and orphans being rebuffed and prosperous corporate gentlemen lifting their top hats to salute the bench.

Of course, I exaggerate (a little). But Judge Roberts has left only a small paper trail, some opinion about a toad, I think, and who cares about toads except their mothers?

Those looking to criticize Judge Roberts are reduced to looking at memos he wrote long ago. How much can something written back in the day tell us about a person now?

Another problem in opposing Judge Roberts is that, from all reports, he is a genuinely nice guy, affable, cheerful, sunny and smart.

Did I say he was nice? Whenever he goes for a walk in the park, puppy dogs strain their leashes wanting to rush up and nuzzle him. Of course, he walks in a shaft of sunlight, even on rainy days. Bluebirds seek to land on his head. Why, he's so darn nice that bums in the park stop to give him money, so touched are they by his modesty and cheerful demeanor.

Apparently, he has been a paragon all his life. He was a model student who was always awake in class, was unfailingly conscientious and did his homework without complaint. I don't know about you, but I hated people like that when I was in school. If you ask me, someone should have punched him in the nose for making the rest of the class look bad.

I would humbly submit that we should take a closer look at his preternatural niceness. It seems a little too nice to be nice. His behavior raises serious questions about whether he is a sly conservative.

I say this because I am regularly in touch with true believers on the right. They like to send me e-mails brimming with disgust and bile but delivered with a happy, sanctimonious air. This talent for vileness has led me to form the impression -- perhaps erroneous -- that to be a conservative is to be a bag of resentments held together by a feeble string.

If you look at many prominent right-wingers -- Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh and Pennsylvania's own Sen. Rick Santorum -- you will find folk who have raised snarling to a high art and seem to take pride in resembling the nether quarters of horses.

Yet here we have this happy, nice fellow nominated for the Supreme Court. Go figure!

Another thing that is mysterious is why Judge Roberts doesn't have more of a record. Say what you like about most conservatives, but they never shut up. Yes, I know, he hasn't been on the bench very long, but that doesn't explain it.

Obviously, when he was a boy reading some book of moral instruction (when the rest of us were reading "Superman" comics), he came across the proverb: "Still waters run deep." This ancient wisdom suggests to us the virtue of keeping our big traps shut. If you are a quiet idiot, people will think you are wise. If you are a quiet judge, the president will think you should be on the Supreme Court.

Judge Roberts has kept nice and silent -- and those concerned about the direction of the court should not tolerate behavior that raises such serious questions. If he gets on the court, he may bid all sorts of protections adieu in a very nice and polite way -- not just for toads but for workers and women. As any gal will tell you, it's the nice ones who break your heart.

(Reg Henry can be reached at rhenry@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1668.)

From The Church Under Seige From Within Department:

There appears to be no cure for life's problems quite like sex with children.

The Catholic-school teacher accused of having sex with students is an alcoholic who may have plied teenage boys with liquor on a school trip, according to authorities.

Sandra "Beth" Geisel (search), who was recently hospitalized for alcohol dependency, was also arrested last December for DWI, according to official documents obtained by The New York Post. At the time, her blood-alcohol level was .18 — more than twice the legal limit, the documents show.

The revelations came as Geisel, 42, finished a one-day stint in jail after posting $20,000 bail Tuesday on charges she raped a 16-year-old boy during two alleged sexual trysts in May — one in a school football field's press box, the other at her home in the Albany suburb of Latham.

The boy was a student at Christian Brothers Academy (search) in Colonie, N.Y., where Geisel was a volunteer teacher, and where her own teenage son is a student.

Albany District Attorney David Soares is exploring additional charges of plying minors with alcohol, both in New York and in Florida, where the school's students traveled in February.

"There's a lot to this story including events that transpired outside the jurisdiction of New York state," Soares told FOX News on Wednesday.
Soares said the county would not treat Geisel differently than a man accused of a sexual crime. "There is one standard of justice that is applied here in Albany County," Soares said.

An unsigned June 27 letter to CBA board members from "concerned parents" accused Geisel of becoming "so irrepressibly intoxicated" during that trip that "she was unable to stand, and four juniors had to carry her back to the hotel."

Several faculty members, the letter said, had alerted administrators, but no action was taken against her.

After the February trip, the letter said, students circulated photos showing Geisel in a "scanty bikini," standing with some of the teens in their bathing suits, while she had her hand on one of their buttocks
.
The letter also said administrators had been told of teachers' concerns "about the all-too-frequent closed-door visitations of a handful of boys to Mrs. Geisel's office, which has no windows."

Administrators reportedly responded by installing a window.

Ouch. That'll teach her.

While on bail, Geisel must stay away from "all current or former CBA students with whom [she is] alleged to have had sexual contact," not leave the state, observe a 10 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew, and undergo psychiatric and substance-abuse evaluations, court documents say.

Her lawyer, Donald Kinsella (search), said in a bail petition that Geisel recently completed inpatient alcoholism treatment at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany, and is continuing outpatient treatment. She also is taking the anti-depressant medication Reremon and Campral, an anti-addiction medication.

During her one-night stay in the Albany jail, Geisel was kept away from other prisoners and was under constant observation to make sure she did not harm herself, said Albany County Sheriff James Campbell.

CBA fired Geisel in mid-June after she was allegedly caught with a 17-year-old student in a parked car.

Since then, she has been accused of having sex with at least two other 17-year-old students and other indiscretions.

The mother of four, who has been separated from her prominent banker husband for two months, has not been charged in those cases because 17 is the state age of consent.

Geisel was not disciplined for the earlier Florida trip. School officials also failed to take action in response to her Dec. 18 arrest for DWI.

She pleaded guilty two days later to a reduced charge of driving while impaired by alcohol. She was fined $300, and her license was suspended for 90 days.

John Aretakis, a lawyer representing one 17-year- old who allegedly had sex with Geisel, said the letter from parents and the DWI "shows that the school should have taken action much sooner" against the teacher.

Today ACT. Tomorrow...

...Michael Moore?

Even rich Leninist-Leninists like Soros have their limits.

A year ago, the liberal group America Coming Together was on the cutting edge of national politics, spending tens of millions of dollars on a massive voter-mobilization project in every presidential battleground state.
The dream was that ACT -- heavily funded by billionaire George Soros -- would play a decisive role in getting Democratic nominee John F. Kerry elected president and then remain in business as a permanent force in liberal politics.

Steve Rosenthal, who launched America Coming Together to mobilize voters for Democrat John F. Kerry, said maintaining momentum after the election proved to be harder than expected. Billionaire George Soros's heavy funding of the group ended after the election.

Instead, the group this week began sending e-mails to most of the 28 people who make up the remaining ACT staff warning that their paychecks would stop at the end of August. All the state offices have been, or are soon to be, closed.

The news represented a long fall for ACT and its sister group, the Media Fund. The groups had attracted such Democratic heavyweights as former Clinton aide Harold Ickes, Emily's List founder Ellen Malcolm and Service Employees International Union President Andrew L. Stern.

The architect of ACT was Steve Rosenthal, who had won his spurs as political director of the AFL-CIO and by 2003 was determined to build a liberal voter-mobilization organization that would be independent of the Democratic Party, labor unions or other traditional interest groups.
The idea captured the imagination of liberal donors. Soros and other wealthy contributors saw ACT as a vehicle for taking the fight to President Bush, whose policies in Iraq and at home they vehemently opposed, at a time when many Democrats in Congress were treating a war president gingerly.

Soros and his close associate -- Progressive Corp. Chairman Peter Lewis -- together put $38.5 million into ACT and the Media Fund. With this seed money, the two organizations collected $196.4 million, enough to set up voter mobilization programs in every presidential battleground state and to flood the airwaves with pro-Democratic commercials in the early spring of 2004 when Kerry's campaign was broke.
(Thanks to Washington's other newspaper and CNSNews.)

Cal Thomas on Senator Mengele.

Commentary on another Repansycan traitor from The Washington Times.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist made some fundamental mistakes in announcing his support of federal funding for stem cell research.

One was rhetorical. In a July 29 Senate speech, Mr. Frist said, "We should federally fund research only on embryonic stem cells derived from blastocysts left over from fertility therapy, which will not be implanted or adopted but instead are otherwise destined by the parents with absolute certainty to be discarded and destroyed."

According to dictionary.com, a "parent" is "One who begets, gives birth to, or nurtures and raises a child; a father or mother." One cannot be a parent unless that thing a parent has begotten is a child to which the parent is a father or mother.

Another important factor about Mr. Frist's position is the company he keeps. After his speech, a number of senators praised him. The ones I saw on TV mostly favor abortion, at least in some circumstances, if not on demand. When you see praise from the likes of Sens. Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Republican, and Edward Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat (and the New York Times, which editorially praised Mr. Frist, but said he didn't go far enough), you can properly conclude this is not just about stem cell research. It is about the value of human life, where it comes from and who gets to decide.

Many backing embryonic stem cell research argue a fertilized egg cannot be considered even partially human until it is implanted in a woman's uterus. But these same people oppose any restrictions on partial-birth abortion, so their argument is morally inconsistent. They would not protect the unborn at any stage of development.

The science is even less certain than on global warming. Scientists are always eager for more research money and may have allowed that to obscure their better judgment.

As Ronald D.G. McKay, a stem cell researcher at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke told The Washington Post last year: "People need a fairy tale. Maybe that's unfair, but they need a story line that's relatively simple to understand."

Mr. McKay was explaining why scientists have allowed society to believe wrongly that stem cells are the magic bullet for curing all sorts of diseases, from Alzheimer's to Parkinson's. Are scientists willing to allow the public to believe a lie and to destroy what few remaining protections exist for human life?

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan praised Mr. Frist for his new position, but stem cell research advocates ignore Michael Reagan's opposition, as well as that of his father, Ronald Reagan, who said in 1983, "My administration is dedicated to the preservation of America as a free land and there is no cause more important for preserving that freedom than affirming the transcendent right to life of all human beings, the right without which no other rights have any meaning."

He'll forever be known as Mankind.

A too cool story (for those who get it, at least) from The Washington Times.


Mick Foley is known in professional wrestling as "The Hardcore Legend," one of the wildest, funniest and most violent men in the history of the business.

In the corridors of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, though, Foley is better known for a hard-core commitment to wounded veterans of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Foley has visited troops at the hospitals or made other trips for the United Service Organization (USO) in and around Washington 20 times in a 20-month period. Last night, for example, Foley took 11 injured servicemen to the Washington Nationals' game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at RFK Stadium.

"It helps lift everyone's spirits when someone like Mick comes to visit," said Dale Bouck, a 31-year-old Army sergeant from Michigan who is recovering from a broken right leg. "For a guy like Mick Foley to come do this 20 times is impressive. Most of the time, we only see people once."

Alex Nicholl is a 23-year-old lance corporal from Eureka, Calif. He was shot seven times while trying to clear a house and save other Marines in fighting in Fallujah, Iraq. His left leg was amputated as a result of his injuries.

He loved the excitement of meeting Nationals players such as Jose Guillen, Joey Eischen and Gary Bennett, who signed autographs and posed for pictures for them before the game.

But it was the presence of Foley that made the day special for the veterans -- and the players, too. Bennett was standing in left field during batting practice when he noticed a familiar face in the bleachers.

"Isn't that Mick Foley in the stands?" he asked his teammates.

Like so many young men of their generation, Bennett and Cpl. Nicholl grew up watching Foley on television.

"I was a huge wrestling fan growing up," Cpl. Nicholl said. "I used to watch the pay-per-view shows. Mick was great. ... He always puts a smile on everyone's face."

Foley had another occupation when he wasn't breaking chairs or body-slamming opponents -- best-selling author. He has written six books, including three for children, and has a seventh due to be published soon.

If he is a man of several talents, he also is a man of many personas: He wrestled as Cactus Jack, Dude Love and Mankind, rising to the top of World Wrestling Entertainment by winning three championships and becoming one of the most popular wrestlers in history.


Along the way, Foley was busted up by countless tables and chairs, received 325 stitches, eight concussions and a long list of broken bones and one lost ear.

His heart, though, hasn't been damaged. Elaine Rogers, president of the USO of Metropolitan Washington, can testify to that. Mrs. Rogers recounts the story of Foley's impact on one soldier who was wounded in Iraq and recuperating at Walter Reed.

"He was 21 years old," Mrs. Rogers said. "He had been there for a couple of days, and since he had been there, he wasn't talking to anyone -- the nurses, the doctors or even his parents. As soon as he saw Mick Foley walk into his room, it was the first time his eyes opened the whole way and he started to communicate with us. I will never forget that."

Foley won't forget it, either.

"On the first visit, which I believed was going to be my only visit, I came strictly out of guilt," he said.

That changed.

"I felt uplifted by the spirits of the servicemen," he said. "And I didn't do a lot of talking. They seemed to feel comfortable talking to me, maybe because I was on TV, week in and week out when they were teenagers. Then I would hear feedback from time to time about how one of my visits touched a soldier, and I felt like that was a way I could help out a little bit."

Foley began his visit yesterday at Fort Myer in Arlington, the base for the units that oversee Arlington Cemetery. More than 150 people lined up for his autograph.

Airman Darrell Miller, 20, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was ecstatic to come away with a photo of himself with his boyhood idol.

"He never gave up when he wrestled," he said. "When I was a little kid, I wanted to be like Mick."

Was it good for you too, Ed?

How many of your neighbors will move to Washington before the anti-interspecies love nazis...

Nope. I can't do it.

There's funny. There's sick funny.

And then there is this.


State Sen. Pam Roach wants Washington residents to stop horsing around with their stallions — and other domesticated animals.

Roach?

Roach, outraged by a Seattle man's death after having sex with a horse, said she is proposing a law that would make having sex with an animal punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

"This is a crime against innocent life, and you know that the animal is not seeking this," Roach said. "This is something a human being has decided to commit against another innocent being."

Dr. Doolittle, call your office.

Roach is planning to introduce the bill at the state's next legislative session in December.

The proposed legislation stems from an investigation into an Enumclaw, Wash., farm, where a 45-year-old man died on July 2 from internal bleeding due to a perforated colon resulting from having sex with a horse.
When the story was published, Roach said dozens of residents sent e-mails calling for legislation to ban bestiality.

Uh...

"While the horse won out in this instance, there are cases where smaller animals are used for these particular acts and its extremely painful for them," Roach said. "The whole realm of bestiality is cruel to the animal because it is unnatural."

"Won out"? Is everyone insane? If a rapist died of a heart attack during coitus, would she applaud?

Yes, madame, it is cruel and unnatural. But because it is a mortal sin on the human's soul, not because of the harm to the animal.

Hello? Is anyone home?

Enumclaw police commander Eric Sortland said the man, whose name was not released, was dropped off at a local hospital by an unknown person. The man died before doctors were able to treat him, Sortland said.

Detectives linked the victim to a Kings County farm. They performed a search and questioned a group of workers there. Sortland said police uncovered videotapes of several people, including the man who died, engaging in sexual acts with animals.

"It's quite astonishing that people would participate in this behavior and do so consistently," Sortland said. "That they would subject animals and livestock to this type of cruelty is flat-out disturbing."

Police also discovered Internet chat rooms and Web sites that posted free clips and advertised the Enumclaw farm as a place for people to engage in bestiality.

Despite the tapes, the Web sites, and a man's death, Sortland said no charges have been filed against the farm because bestiality is not a crime in Washington.

If Roach's legislation passes, Washington would become the 31st state banning sexual activity with animals and the seventh to classify bestiality as a felony.

After the videotapes surfaced, Roach said she felt it was important to also make it illegal to videotape, sell or have intent to sell videos of the 'abhorrent' sexual acts.

"Reproducing this stuff seems to be at the same level as partaking in the act, so I think that should be a class C felony too," she said.

Martin Mersereau, manager of the Domestic Animal Abuse Department at People forthe Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), praised Roach's efforts to punish those who engage in bestiality and animal abuse.

"It's cruel. That's my stance and that's PETA's stance," Mersereau said. "I'll change my tune when Mr. Ed tells me he likes being raped in his stall by some pervert on a stepstool."

Although bestiality crimes often go undetected, recent cases have cropped up from coast to coast.

Moreover, these incidents have forced prosecutors in several states to find applicable laws to address allegations of animal sexual abuse.

Last week, prosecutors in Tallahassee, Fla., dropped animal cruelty charges against a blind man who was accused of having sex with his guide dog.

Florida, like Washington, doesn't have a bestiality statute.

Prosecutors were forced to charge the man with disorderly conduct, alleging he was disturbing the peace by engaging in sexual activity with his dog.

In St. Charles, Ill., 37-year-old Noel Huecias was sentenced to 60 days in jail and 12 months of probation for two incidents involving sexual interaction with a dog.

Ledy Van Kavage, a senior director at The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said growing instances of abuse show an immediate need for laws in states lacking them.

She said although most legislators are appalled by news of these acts, getting someone to sponsor a bill can be difficult.

"Legislators didn't want to be laughed at on the Senate floor. But it's not a laughing matter. Animals do die from this deviant behavior," Van Kavage said. "I show them news headlines and ask, 'Is this what you want your state to be known for?'"

Mersereau said he hopes cases like the one in Enumclaw will force Washington and other states to take a closer look at their legal stance on bestiality.

"Animals have no real say in this matter and they most likely are trusting of their human guardians," Mersereau said. "Every day without a law like this means more animals will suffer."

Wake me when NAMBLA is excoriated in the press and the legislatures in this fashion.