As a matter of fact, this IS enough to make me oppose Harriet Miers' elevation to the Supreme Court.

Thanks to Matt Drudge (Who else?) for more real New Journalism.

The DRUDGE REPORT has obtained a copy of sworn testimony given by Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers in 1990 in which she said that she “wouldn’t belong to the Federalist Society” – a conservative and libertarian lawyers’ organization – because it was “politically charged.”

But Bush's Supreme Court nominee did not include in that catagory the NAACP and other liberal groups, the transcript reveals!

Word of the testimony circulated late last week, roiling conservatives and setting off a scramble among lawyers to obtain the actual testimony. Sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT that conservatives demanded that the White House and its allies release copies of the testimony, but their demands were ignored.

A source close to the Bush administration says, "the process requires the White House to prepare documents to turn over to the Senate Judiciary Committee and only after the committee has had the courtesy of receiving them are such docs made public."

Miers testified in a voting rights lawsuit claiming the Dallas City Council had too few black and Hispanic members.

The DRUDGE REPORT can now reveal that not only did Harriet Miers testify that she would not join the “politically charged” Federalist Society, she testified that she had joined a liberal organization – the Democratic Progressive Voters League.

(According to the Handbook of Texas Online [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/DD/wed1.html], the Democratic Progressive Voters League is a Dallas political organization closely associated with the Democratic Party.)

Miers was also asked whether she considered “the NAACP [to be] in the category of organizations” that she considered to be “politically charged.”

Her answer: “No, I don’t.”

[The Internal Revenue Service has threatened to revoke the NAACP's tax-exempt status after the civil rights group's chairman, Julian Bond, condemned Bush administration policies on education, the economy and the war in Iraq, during a speech last summer.]

Now presented here for the first time, the testimony.

REDIRECT EXAMINATION

BY MS. JULIAN: . . . . .

Q. Ms. Miers, are you a member of any predominantly minority organizations, such as the NAACP, Black Chamber of Commerce, Urban League or any other predominantly minority organizations?

A. Women minorities?

Q. Well, maybe predominantly racial and ethnic minorities?

A. No.

Q. . . . . In your capacity as an at-large member do you think being involved in such organizations might assist you in having a perspective that – bring a perspective to your job that you don’t have?

A. I attend meetings designed to give me that input. However, I have tried to avoid memberships in organization s that were politically charged with one viewpoint or the other. For example, I wouldn’t belong to the Federalist Society any more than – I just feel like it’s better to not be involved in organizations that seem to color your view one way or the other for people who are examining you. I did join the Progressive Voters League here in Dallas during the campaign as part of the campaign.

Q. Are you active in the PVL now, do you intend to be?

A. No, I am not.

Q. Do you think the NAACP and Black Chamber of Commerce are in the category of organizations you were talking about?
A. No, I don’t. . . . .


Transcript of Trial, Roy Williams et al. v. City of Dallas, No. CA-3-88-152-R, pages V-46 to V-47 (U.S. Dist. Ct., N.D. Tex. Sept. 11, 1989).

Memo To The Goat Rapists*:

There is another of those pesky free and democratic election thingees on Saturday. And another in December. What's with this voting fetish?

There was wild celebration on the floor of the Iraqi National Assembly last night as political leaders celebrated the adoption of compromises aimed at winning Sunni Arab support for a new constitution.

With Iraqis due to vote Saturday on whether to adopt the proposed constitution, Shiite Muslim and Kurdish leaders said they had yielded to all the changes demanded by Sunni Arabs opposed to the draft. The Shiites and Kurds depicted the compromises as a victory for the forces of national reconciliation after months of sectarian bloodshed.

The Sunnis' leading political organization, the Iraqi Islamic Party, endorsed the compromises, which conceded some sticking points and put off others until a new legislature is elected in December. Other major Sunni parties withheld support, however, splitting what had been solid Sunni opposition to the proposed charter.

The chief compromise in the deal creates a new committee that would look at amending disputed provisions of the constitution after a new legislature is elected Dec. 15. Amending the constitution then would take a two-thirds vote of parliament and another national referendum.

Sunni leaders, whose constituency largely boycotted the January elections, say they expect a heavy Sunni turnout in December and a resulting increase in representation in the next assembly.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, identified by many as the single greatest influence for Sunni inclusion in the constitution-making process, encouraged Iraqis to disregard misleading accounts of the draft charter.
The new draft is an eclectic mix of Islamic Sharia law, Iraqi nationalism, socialism and western environmental chic.

"In the name of God, the most merciful, the most compassionate," begins the preamble. "We have honored the sons of Adam. We are the people of the land between two rivers, the homeland of the apostles and prophets, abode of the virtuous imams, pioneers of civilization, crafters of writing and cradle of numeration. Upon our land the first law made by man was passed, the most ancient just pact for homelands policy was inscribed, and upon our soil, companions of the Prophet and saints prayed, philosophers and scientists theorized and writers and poets excelled."

Section 1, Article 2 states: "Islam is the official religion of the State and it is a fundamental source of legislation."

Seeing no contradiction between the principles of democracy and the principles of Islam, that statement is followed up by the following two provisions:

"No law that contradicts the established provisions of Islam may be established."

"No law that contradicts the principles of democracy may be established."

Even we have trouble with that.

The constitution also "Guarantees the Islamic identity of the majority of the Iraqi people and guarantees the full religious rights of the all individuals to freedom of religious belief and practice such as Christians, Yazedis, and Mandi Sabeans." There is no mention of Jews.

There's a surprize.

The Baath Party of Saddam Hussein is permanently banned – even under another name.

The constitution also mandates universal government health care and protection of "biodiversity."

* For legal disclaimer concerning the phrase "goat rapist" go here.

Right-wing kook firebrand bombthrower Ann Coulter takes on the Bush Administration over the Most Qualified XX Chromosome Lawyer Ever yet again.

WorldNetDaily brings us Ann's latest reasons why Miss Miers should gracefully step aside and allow Bush to nominate another Scalia or Thomas. Yes, kiddies, they are out there and we know how to find them: Read the words they have written. (BTW, this will not-so-coincidentally prevent future Miers from happening.)

A Supreme Court nomination may not have been the ideal time for Laura Bush to start acting like "Buy One, Get One Free" Hillary Clinton. At least President Clinton only allowed his wife to choose the attorney general. (Remember the good old days when first ladies only got to pick the poet laureate and the White House china pattern?)

Between cooking segments on the "Today" show this week, Laura rolled out the straw man – sorry, "straw person" – argument that the criticism of Miers was rooted in "sexism" (which is such a chick thing to say).

I'm a gyno-American, and I strenuously object.

The only sexism involved in the Miers nomination is the administration's claim that once they decided they wanted a woman, Miers was the best they could do. Let me just say, if the top male lawyer in the country is John Roberts and the top female lawyer is Harriet Miers, we may as well stop allowing girls to go to law school.

Ah, but perhaps you were unaware of Miers' many other accomplishments. Apparently she was THE FIRST WOMAN in Dallas to have a swimming pool in her back yard! And she was THE FIRST WOMAN with a safety deposit box at the Dallas National Bank! And she was THE FIRST WOMAN to wear pants at her law firm! It's simply amazing! And did you know she did all this while being a woman?

I don't know when Republicans became the party that condescends to women, but I am not at all happy about this development. This isn't the year 1880. And by the way, even in 1880, Miers would not have been the "most qualified" of all women lawyers in the U.S., of which there were 75.

By 1950, there were more than 6,000 women lawyers, three female partners at major law firms and three female federal judges. She may be a nut who belonged to a subversive organization, but Ruth Bader Ginsburg graduated first in her class from Columbia Law School – and that was before Harriet Miers was applying to law school.

Women have been graduating at the top of their classes at the best law schools for 50 years. Today, women make up about 45 percent of the students at the nation's top law schools (and more than 50 percent at all law schools).

Which brings us to the other enraging argument being made by the Bush administration and its few remaining defenders – the claim of "elitism." I also don't know when the Republican Party stopped being the party of merit and excellence and became the party of quotas and lying about test scores, but I don't like that development, either.

The average LSAT score at SMU Law School is 155. The average LSAT at Harvard is 170. That's a difference of approximately 1 1/2 standard deviations, a differential IQ experts routinely refer to as "big-ass" or "humongous." Whatever else you think of them, the average Harvard Law School student is very smart. I gather I have just committed a hate crime by saying so.

Contrary to the Bush administration's disingenuous arguments, it's not simply that Miers did not attend a top law school that makes her unqualified for the Supreme Court. (But that's a good start!) It's that she did not go on to rack up any major accomplishments since then, either.
Despite the astonishing fact that Miers was THE FIRST WOMAN to head the Texas Bar Association – a dumping ground for losers, by the way – Miers has not had the sort of legal career that shouts out "Supreme Court material"! That is, unless you think any female who manages to pass the bar exam has achieved a feat of unparalleled brilliance for her gender.

There are more important things in life than being Supreme Court material, but – oddly enough – not when we're talking about an appointment to the Supreme Court. According to the Associated Press, Sen. Arlen Specter defended Miers on the grounds that "Miers' professional qualifications are excellent, but she lacks experience in constitutional law" – and Specter ought to know. This is like recommending a plumber by saying, "He's a very professional guy, but he lacks experience in plumbing."

The other straw-man argument constantly being hawked by the Bush administration is that Miers' critics object that she's never been a judge. To quote another Bush – Read my lips: No one has said that. So please stop comparing Miers to Justice Byron White (first in his class at Yale Law School) or Justice William Rehnquist (first in his class at Stanford Law School).

It's also not what the New York Times claims, which is that conservatives oppose Miers because they don't know how she will vote. We didn't know how Roberts would vote! As I recall, I was the only conservative complaining about that.

The problem with Miers is something entirely different – and entirely within the meaning of "advice and consent": Miers is no more qualified to sit on the Supreme Court than I am to be a sumo wrestler. The hearings aren't going to change that; they will just make it more obvious.

I genuinely feel sorry for Miers. I'm sure she's a lovely woman, brighter than average, and well-qualified for many important jobs. Just not the job Bush has nominated her for. The terrible thing Bush has done to Miers is to force people who care about the court to say that.

Millionaire Sodomite Sues Catholic Church because priest turned him into a homo????

A wealthy Manhattan socialite is planning a $5 million lawsuit against the Catholic Church, claiming his being molested by a priest at age 7 turned him into a homosexual.

J. David Enright IV, now 51, alleges he was molested as a boy at Camp Tekawitha on Lake Luzerne in upstate New York by by Father Joseph Romano, a seminarian counselor at the camp run by the Diocese of Albany.

"I believe that my life would be very different now," Enright told the New York Post. "I'd probably be married, living in Greenwich, with four children in boarding school. Romano bent my life."

Let me get this straight. Now the homos are agreeing with us that sodomy is an evil thing that will screw up your life? Does this mean they are really closet heteros wishing they could give up the bedhopping for a wife and four kids, but just don't know how? Do they all secretly want to unbend their lives?

Or is this just about the money? Or is this just another attack on The Church by some of its fanatical enemies?

Who is Harriet Miers? Part 11

More on La Miers from Laura Ingraham.

CONSERVATIVES PLAN MIERS ATTACK:
From The Boston Globe: "Some of the advocacy groups that are concerned about Supreme Court nominee Harriet E. Miers's lack of a record on social issues are favoring a new approach to thwarting her nomination: Asking the nominee, who has no judicial experience, complex questions about constitutional law and hoping she trips up." Click here.


GOP SENATE STAFF RALLYING AGAINST MIERS:
The White House continues to lose ground on the nomination of Harriet Miers. The Administration sent AG Alberto Gonzales out to defend the nomination on four television networks Wednesday morning. The base of the party does not seem to be buying the "trust me" defense. Click here.



"What you sense now, as conservative and moderate Republicans alike take potshots at their president, is that the GOP is entering the post-Bush era."
-- David Ignatius, writing in The Washington Post.

Don't forget Jeb, the Catholic Bush. (That's a joke. He has no chance of ever becoming president.)

If Miers does get to the Supreme Court...

...I'll bet you $20 she'll vote with Souter just to spite us sexist, elitist, real conservatives.

Mr. Bushachev, tear down this nomination!

From confirmthem.com:


Here’s Peggy Noonan this morning, summing up the situation of the White House vs. its detractors, and how the Miers nomination could be gracefully withdrawn:

One senses that the critics will gain, as they’ve been gaining, and that the White House is on the losing side. If the administration had a compelling rationale for Harriet Miers’s nomination, they would have made it. Simply going at their critics was not only destructive, it signaled an emptiness in their arsenal. If they had a case they’d have made it. “You’re a sexist snob” isn’t a case; it’s an insult, one that manages in this case to be both startling and boring. . . .

You don’t say, “Vote for this gal because she’s an Evangelical!” That shows a carelessness, an inability to think it through, to strategize, to respectfully approach serious facts–failings that, if they weren’t typical of the White House the past few months, might be called downright sexist.
(Thanks to Laura Ingraham for the heads up.)

From The Roll Over And Go Back To Sleep You Ignorant Old Fool Department:

"We're an ignorant nation right now. We're not really capable of making the decisions that have to be made at election time and particularly in the selection of their legislatures and their Congress and the presidency of course. I think we're in serious danger. "
-- Walter Cronkite, on Larry King Live.
(Thanks to Laura Ingraham for the heads up.)

How She Slipped Through: John Fund on the Miers pick.

From Opinional Journal:

"There's a standard vetting process that we go through with all nominees."
-White House spokesman Scott McClellan

"The president is very, very confident in his judgments about people, and he likes to reward loyalty." -Brad Berenson, an associate White House counsel in the first Bush term

President Bush has told friends that he learned how to manage from three places: Harvard Business School, his experiences working in the Texas oilfields and with baseball teams, and from watching his father. In all three places he learned valuable skills: flexibility, the importance of team effort, discretion, how to delegate. The one thing he apparently didn't learn was that you never short-circuit the standard vetting process when filling an important job, even when doing so has worked out in the past.

The vetting of Harriet Miers leaves questions that demand answers, not more spin or allegations that critics are "sexist" or "elitist." It was so botched and riddled with conflicts of interest that it demands at a minimum an internal White House investigation to ensure it won't happen again.

Not only did the vetting fail to anticipate skepticism about her lack of experience in constitutional law or the firestorm of criticism from conservatives, but it left the White House scrambling to provide reporters with even the most basic information about the closed-mouthed nominee. Almost every news story seemed to catch the White House off guard and unprepared.

The skepticism is not abating. Back home, the Liberty Legal Institute, the only conservative legal foundation in Texas, has declined to endorse her. Several large GOP donors in Texas have met to discuss spending large sums to run ads calling on Ms. Miers to withdraw. "They include both male and female friends of hers who don't think the confirmation process will be good for her or the country," one told me. "They're not sexists, they're realists." This even though the White House has ominously put out the word in Texas: "If you oppose this nomination, you oppose the president." Everyone knows what the political ramifications of that can mean in the world of George W. Bush and Karl Rove.

How could this have happened?

Religion of Peace Update...

...or, Happy Ramadan, kiddies!

The rather unfortunately named Steven Stalinsky, (of course, that wasn't his real name) writing for JewishWorldReview.com, reminds us we are smack in the middle of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.


Every year since September 11, 2001, there have been threats of potential Al Qaeda attacks during the month of Ramadan. This year is no exception, as there have been reports of an all encompassing "Great Ramadan Offensive," warnings of potential attacks on the subway system of New York, and an attack in Bali aimed at Western tourists. Each year has also seen Al Qaeda releasing communiqués associated with jihad during this holiday.

In Ramadan 2004, the 27th issue of Sawt Al-Jihad, an internet journal affiliated with Al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia, included articles devoted to jihad during Ramadan. The opening editorial stated: "Muslims! Go out to [fight] Jihad for the sake of Allah! Paradise has already flung open its gates and the virgins of paradise are already decked out in anticipation of their grooms…You should at the very least pray for your brothers the Jihad fighters, who gave their lives… in revenge for the pride of the Muslim nation that was wounded by the cross bearers and… Jews."

In reference to bombings in Taba, Egypt, that killed 32 Israelis, he explained: "We pray for the Jihad fighters [who]… attacked a hotel in which Jews were gathered and killed dozens of them as an offering to Allah before Ramadan. We ask of Allah that he not deny them [their] reward…" He concluded by stating: "This month of Jihad has come with all its blessings… Come closer to Allah through the blood of infidels, do not relent in spilling [their blood], and through [this blood] wipe out humiliation and disgrace from among your Muslim nation! Make this month like the month of the Battle of Badr, the conquest of Mecca, [the conquest] of Shaqhab, and other Islamic victories. We ask Allah to turn this Ramadan into a month of glory, victory, and might, to hoist high in [this month] the banner of religion, to strengthen Islam and the Muslims, to humiliate polytheism and polytheists, to wave the banner of monotheism, to firmly plant the banner of Jihad, and to smite the perverts…"

Sheik Aamer Bin Abdallah Al-Aamer wrote another editorial in the Al Qaeda journal stating: "Men of Jihad, this is your festive season since Jihad, in a state of fasting, has a particularly delectable taste for the believers… wonderful it is to delight in the breaking of the fast and to taste the killing of infidels, to delight in the sound of the wailing of tyrants and lowly degenerates… [This is a] month of fighting, of self-sacrifice, of military victories, of the victory of religion and the humiliation of the infidels. The most courageous and finest forays took place in Ramadan…"

In November 2003 during Ramadan, a previously unknown Al Qaeda group, "Islamic Bayan Movement," issued a communiqué which opened with a passage from the Koran, then declared: "The American rulers, who think [of] themselves as good-doers. Allah is the witness that they write the end of America by their own hands…" The communiqué further warned: "Our Muslim brothers in America, we ask you to immediately leave the following cities: Washington, D.C., New York, and Los Angeles."

Another communiqué by Abu Shihab Al-Qandahari threatened Americans with a terror attack on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, December 2002. Koran verses cited in the communiqué which were addressed to Americans: "You did not understand the reasons for the raids of Washington and New York… This structure of theirs, which they have built, will ever continue to be a source of disquiet in their hearts, unless their hearts are cut to pieces and they perish… Allah's words were rightly said about those who slew you on that white day: 'Allah has purchased from the believers their souls and their property in return for the promise that they shall have Paradise, for they fight in the cause of Allah and they slay and are themselves slain. This is a promise that He has made incumbent upon Himself as set out in the Torah, and the Gospel, and the Koran…"

The communiqué added, "Allah promises [the Muslims] Paradise, and to you he has promised defeat… Oh community of Americans, we repeat for the thousandth time: leave our lands and stop supporting the Jews, otherwise men faithful to their vow to Allah will come upon you [to martyr themselves]…'"

It should be expected that during the rest of Ramadan this year, the main Islamist sermons and jihadi Web sites will continue to incite to attacks, particularly against Americans.

Who is Harriet Miers? Part 10

The fix is in, kiddies. Of course it is. La Miers will be on the high court soon.

The good news? Real conservatives seem to be getting the message about the Repansycan Party.


Bush administration aims to `clarify the record' of Miers
TimesLeader.com - Oct 12 7:11 PM

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - Facing growing criticism from Republicans on Capitol Hill and threats of revolt from conservative legal supporters, the White House has mounted a furious effort to salvage the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, but some tactics are only deepening hostility and division among the base.



Miers’ bid opposite of Roberts’
Columbia Daily Tribune - Oct 11 12:09 PM

Gay activists lend support to campaign. WASHINGTON - Harriet Miers is finding friends, or at least sympathy, in strange places.



Bush's pick for court sparks GOP 'civil war'
The Arizona Republic - Oct 13 1:50 AM

The president picked somebody who was reputedly conservative; grass-roots conservatives took it on trust that the person was OK; Senate Democrats asked questions about the nominee's personal ideology, whereupon conservatives charged that such queries were out of bounds; the stealth nominee was confirmed.


Bush nominee unacceptable
The Daily Texan - Oct 13 12:13 AM

This miscalculation is becoming a serious political problem for a president who has made the unconscionable decision to take his supporters for granted.



For Miers, Proximity Means Power
Washington Post - Oct 12 7:51 PM

In the days last November after he was elected to a second term, President Bush had chosen Alberto R. Gonzales as his next attorney general, and word was spreading that the president might replace him as White House counsel with longtime confidante Harriet Miers. A small number of advisers inside...

Wow. It looks like Randy Moss got out just in time to preserve his good name.

What's the hubbub, bub? It seems to me Vikings have made serious progress in the last 1,000 years. After all, it's not rape or pillage if you pay for it. (They should have used boats registered in Nevada.)

LEFT: The boats on which the parties occurred are owned by Al and Alma's on Lake Minnetonka.


We have new information on allegations that a wild Minnesota Vikings boat party involved prostitution, drugs and sex acts. The yacht's crew say at times they feared for their safety, yet players not involved were embarrassed and apologized for their teammate's actions.

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is investigating the case. The boat company's attorney says The Vikings' Fred Smoot and another player rented the two boats Thursday from Al and Alma's on Lake Minnetonka, and at least 15 other players were on board. Crew on the boats say once they left shore, things got out of hand.

Vikings players aren't talking about what happened on the boats on Lake Minnetonka last week.

"Sex? What are you talking about, is that what? Man, what are you talking about? That's crazy. Sex?" asked Mewelde Moore, a running back for the Vikings who was onboard one of the boats. He was being questioned about the incident in the locker room.

Ahhh, I smell the classic Clinton Defense.

Vikings Coach Mike Tice did provide some insight into the situation. "I fashion these men as an extension of my family so as a family man you can sense how I would feel," Tice said.

Stephen Doyle, the boat company's attorney, says crew on board complained to the captains, saying people were drinking, taking off their clothes and performing sexual acts for money.

"I have no comment and I will not comment on the whole situation. I'm talking about the Chicago Bears. I don't care we talking about the Chicago Bears," said Vikings Quarterback Daunte Culpepper.

The boat owner's attorney says not every player on the boat was involved. That's where investigators come in.

"We want to find out what exactly went on, who did what so that we can look and see; do we have behavior that's obviously inappropriate behavior but rises to the level of criminal conduct," said Hennepin County Sheriff Pat McGowan.

Crew have already identified at least 17 players onboard the two boats. The incident comes just days before a two day retreat was scheduled for management to discuss conduct issues with players.

Now that's ironic.

"The focus for us, our staff and players needs to be the job at hand which is to prepare to go to Chicago and play well," Tice said.

As of now, no charges have been filed. But as we told you Tuesday night, McGowan says strippers require a permit and his office didn't issue any. Because of the way the NFL's personal conduct policy is written, the players involved could face fines or other punishments even if they didn't break the law. (Thanks to Keloland.com for the heads up.)

Nomar Garciaparra and his uncle are heroes.

Another big time figure from the world of sports gets a pass from me for the next time he complains about his contract, et cetera.

Nomar Garciaparra rescued two women who had fallen into Boston Harbor, his uncle and a witness told the Boston Herald.

Garciaparra, the former Red Sox shortstop who played for the Chicago Cubs last season, was in his Charlestown condominium with his uncle Friday night when they heard a scream and a splash, said the uncle, Victor Garciaparra.

As soon as the two-time American League batting champ ran out the door to help the woman, her friend also fell in, hitting her head on the pier, said Victor Garciaparra, who oversees his nephew's business and charitable ventures.

Victor Garciaparra jumped from the balcony to the water 20 feet below.

"I swam towards them and by the time I reached them, Nomar was already there holding the girls up," he told the newspaper. "But he couldn't get them up without help."

One woman had a large lump on her head and appeared to be unconscious, he said. When she came to, the first thing she said was: "Are you Nomar?" Victor Garciaparra said.

The two men pulled the women from the water. Their husbands arrived and whisked them off to the hospital before the Garciaparras even got their names, he said.

Johnny O'Hara of Natick witnessed what happened from his boat."A bunch of us came running over and sure enough, pulling the two girls from the water was Nomar," he told the newspaper. "It was crazy. Nomar was like jumping over walls to get to the girls and the other guy leaped off the balcony. It was unbelievable." (Thanks to ESPN.com for the heads up.)

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Edward the Confessor. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading is Romans 3:21-30.
Today's Gospel reading is Luke 11: 47-54.


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


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


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.

From The Perpetuating The Dumb Jock Stereotype Department:

I love the ones that need no comment whatsoever. (Except for that one, of course.

With NBA commissioner David Stern set to implement of a dress code, some players are finding fault with the possible change.

Denver Nuggets center Marcus Camby, who is in the midst of a $45 million contract, thinks the players should have additional compensation.
"I don't see it happening unless every NBA player is given a stipend to buy clothes," Camby told WOAI.


Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson has been a vocal critic of the proposed change.

"It sends a bad message to kids," Iverson told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "If you don't have a suit when you go to school, is your teacher going to think you're a bad kid because you don't have a suit on?"
(Thanks to ESPN.com for the heads up.)

Who is Harriet Miers? Part 9

Links from National Review Online with even more on the greatest XX chromosomed American since Cindy Shebeast.

Bench Memos: Unhappy GOPers. All the latest.

The Corner: Could she be withdrawn?

David Frum: When the president said, "Trust me," conservatives said "No."

Kathryn Jean Lopez: We’ve come a long way, baby? 10/12 8:20 a.m.

Jonah Goldberg: Cronies—well, of course. 10/12 8:23 a.m.

A blast from the past: 200 reasons why Goober II's got to go.

Ahhhhhh.....the bad old days.

The Clinton 200
Why Clinton should go.
By NR Editors

EDITOR'S NOTE: "The Clinton 200" appeared in the October 26, 1998, issue of National Review in "The Week" section.


Ken Starr had 11 reasons why President Clinton should go, the Judiciary Committee added another 4, and now-so as to hold up our end-we suggest another 185, for a clean 200 total.

"I don't recall" * Reappearing billing records * Federal toilet mandates * "Safe, legal, and rare" * Lip-biting * Joycelyn Elders * Jim Carville * "Mend it, don't end it" * Dishonest defiance of Supreme Court on preferences * HRC: "There is no such thing as other people's children" * Taking credit for repealing preferences * Paying nuclear blackmail to North Korea * HRC on health care and small business: "I can't save every undercapitalized business in America" * Siccing the FBI on Billy Dale * Siccing the IRS on conservatives * Defending partial-birth abortion * Keeping D.C. kids trapped in rotten schools * Suing California for repealing preferences * The DNA speech * Screwing around with the Census * Screwing around with the interns * More rather than less, sooner rather than later * The Fleetwood Mac revival * Filegate * Tax hikes * "It might surprise you to know that I think I raised them [taxes] too much too" * Jaw-jutting * Phony privilege claims * Underhanded privilege claims * Soldiers and Sailors Act * Making lying to one's diary safe, legal, and common * "The most ethical Administration in history" * Firing all the U.S. attorneys * Draft-dodging * Eliminating Beck enforcement upon taking office * ABM treaty * HRC's explanation of $ 100,000 profit from Wall Street Journal reading (would that she read the editorial page as closely) * Hoarding children's vaccines * Clinton's explanation for the Lincoln bedroom: "Both of us had lost a parent and we just hadn't kept in touch with people like we should have" * Making us long for Jimmy Carter * Making us long for George Bush * Making us long for Warren Harding * Scripting aides' reaction to his confession speech * Exploiting church burnings * Attacking conservatives for Oklahoma City * Sidney Blumenthal * Joe Conason (sorry, same thing) * Boxers or briefs * Apologizing to whole continents * The tobacco jihad * The tobacco abuse * Ira Magaziner * Peanut-free zones on airplanes * Trying to take over health care * Violence Against Women Act * "Unspeakably vulgar pleasure" he takes in the office (Mark Helprin) * A Cabinet that looks like America * A Cabinet that looks like the bar scene in Star Wars (Don Imus) * Letting China dictate his travel schedule * Letting China fund his campaign * The small-breast defense * Telling Monica his phones are tapped by foreign governments and then proceeding * Jogging shorts * Pasty white thighs in jogging shorts * Scorched-earth policy * Cheating at golf * Mediscare * Screwing up traffic every time he visits NYC * John Travolta as foreign-policy advisor * John Travolta as President * Trailer-park trash * Making state troopers pimps * Making Betty Currie a pimp * Half-hearted salutes * The 60 Minutes interview * Kyoto treaty * Refusing to lift arms embargo on Bosnia * Sending troops instead * While receiving oral sex * Threatening Secret Service agents during Eleanor Mondale incident * Calling George Bush dishonest * The Hamptons * George Stephanopoulos * Haircut on the LAX runway * Renaissance Weekends * "For the children" * Hush money for Hubbell * Loathing the military * Giving Geraldo Rivera an exclusive interview in China * Using anti-mob laws against peaceful abortion protestors * "If everybody in the country had the character that my wife has, we'd be a better place to live" * Registering illegal immigrants as voters * Tax deductions for depreciated underwear * How they got depreciated * Sara Lister * Gutting the military * Timber "summits" * Strobe Talbott * Footnote 210 * Barbra Streisand * "Kiss it" * "Not appropriate" * "Misleading" * "It depends on how you define alone" * "That depends what the meaning of the word 'is' is" * Town meetings * Mike McCurry explaining Catholic theology to Cardinal O'Connor * McCurry * All-nighters * Toe-sucking advisors * Waco * Dancing on the beach with Hillary * Jane Doe #5 * Seances with Eleanor Roosevelt * Wanting to talk to Eleanor Roosevelt * Years of "I feel your pain" jokes * It Takes a Village * 24 hours a day of Greta Van Susteren * Walt Whitman revival * Suggesting a vote against David Dinkins would be racist * Coddling Saddam Hussein * Smearing Scott Ritter * Being a Rhodes scholar * The dress * "Legally accurate" * Smearing Paul McHale * Taking credit for balanced budget * Taking credit for economy * Wishing he had a challenge like WWII * Complaining about own leaks * Gore telling soldiers' families their sons died "in the service of the United Nations" * Making every other sentence a double entendre * Monica loves him * Did we mention Fleetwood Mac? * "I haven't been to a McDonald's since I've been President." * Al Gore * Susan Carpenter-McMillan * Friends of Bill * Paying people to volunteer * Multiple Ron Brown funerals * Easter Sunday 1996 * The politics of meaning * Astroturf * Telling MTV that this time he'd inhale * Having own VH1 special * Lani Guinier * Supposedly breaking the news to HRC re Monica: "You're not going to believe this but . . ." * "Every day can't be sunshine" * "Four years and $ 40 million" * Lanny Davis * Not drinking beer * Ostentatiously carrying Bible * Bringing Chelsea cross-country for photo ops * Asking Kathleen Willey to bring him chicken soup * Standing ovations at the UN * "Vast right-wing conspiracy" * Picking spiritual advisor with CNN contract * Mexican bailout * Government shutdowns * Banning ugly guns * Roger Clinton * Wanting to be President when he was 10 * "In the present tense, that is an accurate statement" * Naming dog "Buddy" * Claiming ignorance about Rwanda genocide * Salon * That picture of him shaking hands with JFK * Hugging everyone * Hillary * Having a First Cat * Psychobabble * Pizza delivery * The oh-so-morally-serious Paul Begala * He believes Anita Hill * He's even made ministering a double entendre * "Don't ask, don't tell" * Smoked pot, lied about it, and supports the drug laws * Making French intellectuals relevant * Permanent "interim appointments" * "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Monica Lewinsky." * There are no tanks in Mogadishu * Getting back to the business of the people * He thinks he's black * "It's the right thing to do"

Good news for Steelers fans.

Big Ben might play vs. Jaguars
Roethlisberger's MRI revealed a bone bruise and a hyperextended left knee.

Hysterical Leftist Fear-Mongering In New Orleans Update.

Thanks to WebMD for making it official: Dirty water does NOT turn you into a raping, looting, flesh-eating zombie who always votes Democrass. (Better luck next time, Katie.)

The New Orleans floodwaters were found to contain:

Bacteria (most likely from fecal contamination in sewage).

Gasoline components (benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene -- most likely from submerged vehicles).

Common compounds from household chemicals including aerosol paints and insecticides.

Metals such as lead, arsenic, and chromium.

The mix was not fit for drinking. But the levels of bacteria and most metals were not very different from typical New Orleans storm water runoff, write the researchers. However, the levels of lead and gasoline components were slightly more elevated.

In the days after Katrina struck, researchers braved the city in a flat-bottomed boat, gathering 38 samples of floodwater from the West End, Lakeview, and Tulane-Gravier areas of the city. Many storm survivors and first responders were exposed to floodwaters in those areas, the researchers note.

Floodwaters being pumped back into Lake Pontchartrain at the 17th Street drainage canal were also checked.

"What we had in New Orleans was basically a year's worth of storm water flowing through the city in only a few days," says Pardue in a news release.
"We still don't think the floodwaters were safe, but it could have been a lot worse. It was not the chemical catastrophe some had expected," he continues.

"What distinguishes Katrina floodwaters are their large volume and the human exposure to these pollutants that accompanied the flood rather than extremely elevated concentrations of toxic pollutants," write the researchers.

Pearls Before Swine

Who is Harriet Miers? Part 8

More on The Greatest Woman Nominee Ever from the sexist and elitist (Can nazi be far behind?) right-wing point of view. (Funny how it sounds like Kerry won the White House, doesn't it?)


Conservative Group Urges Bush to Withdraw Miers Nomination(CNSNews.com) - A conservative legal group Tuesday announced it is withholding its support of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers and called on the president to withdraw the nomination. Full Story


Washington Times:Miers to face hostile queries from both sides of aisle

Boston Globe:Groups Focus on Miers' Qualifications -- or Lack Thereof
Groups aim to make her seem unqualified

Washington Times:Bush stands by nominee's credentials

USA Today:Some find emphasis on Miers' faith suspicious, inappropriate

(Thanks to CNSNews.com for these links.)

Dr. Masturbation's latest ejaculation explaining his Miers kerfuffle.

Arch-"conservative" Jimmy Dobson explains what happened when the Evil Puppeteer discussed Bush's token (though best qualified in all the land) XX chromosome nominee with him.


And here's what Dobson wants everyone to know:

He insists he did not receive assurances that Miers would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. "It did not happen, period," Dobson said, regardless of what Democrats think.

Dobson says Karl Rove shared Miers "judicial philosophy" with him -- and it was "consistent with the promises that President Bush had made when he was campaigning.

"Dobson said his comment about knowing something that he probably shouldn't know "really wasn't all that tantalizing."

He said he was referring to the fact that Rove had told him on Saturday that Miers was at the top of the short list of names under consideration.

"And as you know, that information hadn't been released yet, and everyone in Washington and many people around the country wanted to know about it and the fact that he had shared with me is not something I wanted to reveal."

Dobson says he and Rove "also talked about something else, and I think this is the first time this has been disclosed. Some of the other candidates who had been on that short list...were highly qualified individuals that had been passed over.

"Well, what Karl told me is that some of those individuals took themselves off that list and they would not allow their names to be considered, because the process has become so vicious and so vitriolic and so bitter, that they didn't want to subject themselves or the members of their families to it."

That is plausible, as good spin must be. I find it hard to believe Bush could not find a couple hundred brilliant conservative jurists in this country with enough ambition in their bellies to take on the leftist establishment. (Which, BTW, is exactly what we need.)

Of course, if you are wedded to the un-American and immoral belief that O'Connor's seat is a distaff seat in perpetuity as Bush is, your list of potential nominees is severely limited.

Dobson said conservatives who are bemoaning the president's failure to "appoint so-and-so" to the U.S. Supreme Court may not realize that "those individuals didn't want to be appointed." He said Rove didn't name any names. (Thanks to CNSNews.com for the heads up.)

Happy Columbus Day!

Today we celebrate the man who discovered America. Yes, kiddies, Columbus discovered America. That means he found it and did something with it.

Sorry, all you Viking fans. Sorry, all you St. Brendan partisans. (Hey, you still have St. Patrick's Day.)

Those folks on the Gulf Coast are our neighbors. You know what to do.

First, last, and always, PRAY. Pray for the survivors. Pray for the repose of the souls of those who were killed. Pray for the families and friends. Pray for the relief workers, the cops, the firemen, the troops, and the technicians. Pray for the volunteers.

It is time to step up once again, kiddies. "Do unto others", "I was naked and you clothed me", et cetera.

As time passes, the memory of these disasters will fade for those of us fortunate enough to live outside the devastated areas, but recovery and restoration will take years.

Please, whatever you do, don't become a cynic. (I know, I know. But I just play one on the computer.) Of course there will be more horror stories like the abuse of the debit cards and that $250-odd billion federal package will produce insane amounts of corruption, but our fellow Americans will be suffering from Katrina for a long time.

True charity, (News Flash! Taxes ARE NOT charity.) like the money you donate to Catholic Charities will help the truly needy and will not foster dependency.

Catholic Charities USA is collecting financial donations to Catholic Charities agencies’ emergency and long-term recovery efforts in the wake of both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Catholic Charities USA is consistently ranked among the highest and most efficient organizations across the country. Approximately 96 percent of contributions made to the 2005 Hurricane Relief Fund will be used for emergency response and recovery efforts.

Mail Checks To:
Catholic Charities USA
2005 Hurricane Relief Fund
PO Box 25168
Alexandria, VA 22313-9788

Call:(800) 919-9338

Contribute Now Online


News
10/11/2005 — Catholic Charities USA Provides More than $9.4 Million to Assist with Local Catholic Charities Hurricane Recovery
10/07/2005 — Head of Catholic Charities New Orleans Calls for Much More Federal Assistance for Hurricane Recovery
10/06/2005 — New Housing Counseling Program in Arcadia, FL, Advocates for Poor, Homeless
10/05/2005 — Catholic Charities Domestic Violence Services Up and Running in Greater New Orleans
More news...


FAQs
FAQ - Donations
FAQ - Hurricane Relief


Agencies Impacted:
Catholic Charities of Miami
Catholic Charities of New Orleans
Catholic Community Services of Baton Rouge
Catholic Social Services of Houma-Thibodaux
Catholic Social and Community Services of Biloxi, MS
Catholic Charities of Jackson, MS
Catholic Social Services of Mobile, AL

How you can help:
Unfortunately, Catholic Charities USA is unable to accept contributions of food, clothing, blankets and other relief supplies. Monetary donations will be used to provide for the emergency relief and long-term recovery of Katrina's and Rita's victims. Catholic Charities USA is consistently ranked among the highest and most efficient organizations across the country. Approximately 96 percent of contributions made to the 2005 Hurricane Relief Fund will be used for emergency response and recovery efforts.

About the Disaster Response Office
Catholic Charities USA, which has been commissioned by the U.S. Catholic Bishops to represent the Catholic community in times of domestic disaster, responds with emergency and long-term assistance as needed. Its Disaster Response Office connects the Church's social service agencies and disaster planning offices across the nation.

And, as always, give generously to the special collections for hurricance disaster relief in your local parish.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Maximilian of Lorch, bishop and martyr. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading is Romans 2:1-11.
Today's Gospel reading is Luke 11:42-46.


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


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


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.

Taranto: What anti-war movement?

We're All Neocons Now

Blogger Frank LoPinto calls our attention to a news item from Friday that got lost amid the Miers mania. From the Associated Press:

The Senate voted Friday to give President Bush $50 billion more for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and U.S. military efforts against terrorism, money that would push total spending for the operations beyond $350 billion.

In a 97-0 vote, the GOP-controlled Senate signed off on the money as part of a $445 billion military spending bill for the budget year that began Oct. 1.

Two years ago the Senate voted 87-12 in favor of an $87 billion supplemental appropriation for security and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of the 12 senators who voted "no" then, nine are still in the Senate, and eight of them voted "yes" on Friday. (Vermont's Pat Leahy was AWOL.) Argues LoPinto:

[This] tells us that members of the Senate have done the political calculus and have determined that the majority of their constituencies support finishing the job in Iraq even if some portion of them did not support the invasion. . . .

A consensus has been reached by the people of America, the Congress, the President and even al Qaeda that the War in Iraq is key. And only victory matters.

Fascist fishwife Cindy Sheehan fast approaching Minute 17 and sounding loonier by the day: "George and friends have come up with a new enemy whose atrocities also can't be contained to borders and that doesn't wear a national uniform: The Bird Flu." (If she had any wit, she'd call him a chicken hawk.) Thus it seems clear that there is no "antiwar" movement in America, except in the imaginations of activists and journalists who are fixated on the Vietnam* era.

* Where by the way John Kerry** served.
** Whose wife*** now calls herself "Teresa Heinz."
*** The outspoken ketchup heiress and philanthropist.

Smurfs Forced to Appear in Left-Fascist Propaganda Film In Exchange For Food.

This is what happens when you are typecast by the Hollyweird establishment, kiddies.

Shell Those Smurfs!

London's Daily Telegraph reports that Unicef has produced an "adult-only episode of 'The Smurfs.' " But this isn't a blue movie; rather, it depicts a mass smurficide:

It opens with the Smurfs dancing, hand in hand, around a campfire and singing the Smurf song. Bluebirds flutter past and rabbits gambol around their familiar village of mushroom-shaped houses until, without warning, bombs begin to rain from the sky.

The Smurfs scatter and run in vain from the whistling bombs, before being felled by blast waves and fiery explosions. The final scene shows a scorched and tattered Baby Smurf sobbing inconsolably, surrounded by prone Smurfs.

The final frame bears the message: "Don't let war affect the lives of children."

Perversely, this film was shown on TV in Belgium, apparently with the idea of stirring up sympathy for the infuriatingly cloying figments--notwithstanding the Smurfs' history of aggression against Belgium.

Indeed, it's no exaggeration to say that but for American blood and treasure, the Belgians would be speaking Smurfish today instead of Belch.

This is no laughing matter, as Smurf.com notes:

The Smurfs speak a very strange language. Some words are replaced by "Smurf," as well as some of the verbs. Instead of saying, "I caught a cold in the nose," they would say, "I smurfed a smurf in the nose."

No wonder the Belgians are known as smurf-smurfing surrender smurfs.
(Thanks to Best of the Web Today for the heads up.)

Crazy nonsense about 2008.

Thanks to Drudge for the heads up on these headlines:


New book sez only Rice could keep Clinton from White House...

Bull. Any real conservative who is willing to point out Hitlery's totalitarian tendencies can beat her. And her nomination is not assured.





“It’s Gore Time”: Gore Friends And Allies Predict ’08 Run...

For years it has been apparent that in Al's little fantasy world, it is always "Gore time".

From The Violation O The Natural Law Department:

My guess is it's all about the sodomy.

'Mr. Gay' 2006: It's 'About the Whole Person'

One of the producers of the just concluded "Mr. Gay USA" said the weekend competition in Palm Springs, Calif., was much more than a contest about physical looks. In addition to the swimsuit and underwear modeling, there were interviews of the contestants and an athletic challenge, according to event producer Don Spradlin, because he said, "It is more about the whole person."

However, a spokesman for the American Family Association (AFA) said he was skeptical about the "Mr. Gay USA" contest. "When there is a competition designed strictly for the homosexual community, that tells me it's designed to get homosexuals together for sexual activities," Randy Sharp, director of special projects for the AFA, told Cybercast News Service.

"It is a case of birds of a feather flock together, similar to the Gay Olympic Games being held next July," Sharp said. "The homosexual community is looking for a way to get their kind together for different kinds of events. In other words, you want to get all of these studly homosexuals to have fun and games and try and make it legitimate by adding the air of a competition."

Similar contests had been held in many European countries, but this was the first "Mr. Gay" competition in the United States. It coincided with an international event and the same man, Jesse Bashem of San Diego, won both competitions. Full Story

Bashem? Bash 'em? No way.

If that's the guy's real name, it's almost a lock for Irony of the Year!

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Peter Tuy, Vietnamese priest and martyr. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading is Romans 1:16-25.
Today's Gospel reading is Luke 11:37-41.


Everyday links:

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


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


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.

And you wonder what's wrong with the Repansycans? Here are two things.

Sorry, John Boy. War hero is not enough. (Bob Dole, call your office.)

'President McCain'gets serious buzz
Arizona senator wants to wait after 2006,says not interested in being running mate


And the man who thinks he knows more than Jesus Himself:

Robertson: Disasters point to 2nd Coming
Evangelist observes quakes, hurricanes 'starting to hit with amazing regularity'

Book of the Day

Believe nothing the Indoctrinaires shove into your brains, kiddies. For example: Death Is Love.

"Terri's Story: The Court-Ordered Death of an American Woman,"
by Diana Lynne

Americans have a short attention span, and it's even shorter for the news media. Although we've stopped talking about Terri Schiavo, the debate over her fate that gripped the nation for weeks in March didn't end with the death of the 41-year-old brain-injured Florida woman.

The discussion over the right to die versus the right to life, and feeding tubes representing extraordinary medical intervention versus basic, humane care is not over. Every day, families across the country continue to grapple with this complex issue quietly under the radar screen of inquiring journalists.

Proceeding outside of the media spotlight may not be all bad for these cases, given the track record of news organizations covering the Terri Schiavo story, and the numerous unreported, under-reported and misreported facts. Columnist Nat Hentoff called the shoddy and inaccurate reporting the worst case of "journalistic malpractice" he'd seen in 25 years of covering right-to-die cases. (Thanks to WorldNetDaily for the heads up.)

Bob Novak on the futile min-revolt by a few good guys against their Repansycan slavemasters.

Monday, October 10, 2005
Conservative rift in GOP hard to heal

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert is an old wrestler, and last Thursday night he used a classic move of his sport by quickly reversing positions. On behalf of the Republican leadership, Hastert went before his colleagues to embrace essentially the same package of spending that two weeks earlier he had scourged conservative House members for proposing. The change was a matter of necessity rather than choice.


Sunday, October 9, 2005
Nomination whips up storm of discontent for Bush

Telephone lines to Republican senators sizzled last week with calls protesting the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. That followed reluctance of the senators to heed the call by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and the White House to go to the Senate floor to boost Miers.

Wow. David Frost is still alive...I think.

From the New Hampshire (used to be Manchester?) Union Leader comes the story of one of our most moronic British cousins at it again. (Castro and Howard Dean must have gotten tired of talking to him.)

Veteran British broadcaster David Frost will go on-air next spring with Al-Jazeera International, the English-language channel of the popular Arab satellite broadcaster, the network announced.

Frost, who broadcast his final "Breakfast with Frost" program for British Broadcasting Corp. in May, would be among the "key on-air talent" on the 24-hour news and current affairs channel, Al-Jazeera said in a statement Friday.

The statement quoted Frost as saying he was excited about his new job.
"Most of the television I have done over the years has been aimed at British and American audiences," he said. "This time, while our target is still Britain and America, the excitement is that it is also the 6 billion other inhabitants of the globe."

Hollyweird hates God and you. And your kids.

L. Brent Bozell III writes about our moral and intellectual superiors' obsession with teaching all how it's really a good thing to violate the Natural Law.

When you think about the most successful movies of all time, do you ever think: Those might have been even better with a demonstration of "safe sex" practices? Not likely. But the safe-sex lobbyists worry that moviegoers aren't getting enough medical (if not moral) messages at the movie theater.

Moralists about entertainment come in many categories. Today, it's more common for people in Hollywood to fuss that too many characters smoke in films. Or that characters shouldn't wear fur coats. Or that too many anorexic actresses are ruining young girls' feelings about their body image.
One of the most common, in the era of AIDS, is the Latex Brigade, which worries that movies don't preach enough sermons about the miraculous saving powers of the Almighty Condom.

But many people who roll their eyes at Hollywood aren't most concerned about what actors wear or smoke or refuse to eat. They're not just concerned about the medical mechanics of sex. What about the emotional harm of bad sexual relationships? What about the spiritual harm? Hollywood rarely thinks of illicit sex as a mortal sin, the interstate highway of temptation. But Hollywood doesn't really believe in Hell.

Constitution? What constitution? We don't need your stinkin' constitution!

(Note: The link above will take you to Joe's current on-line column. The archive is here. Not all of his past columns are available in the archive.)


Joe Sobran says the American Experiment was stillborn. It makes sense to me.

American courts have always exempted the draft from the Thirteenth Amendment prohibition against slavery. The courts do the same for taxes. If the government owns you and your labor, including your property, the thinking seems to run, it isn’t really slavery.

But the essence of slavery doesn’t lie in who owns you; it lies in the mere fact of your being owned at all. The key term is involuntary. Private chattel slavery has been replaced by state slavery, disguised by the genial rhetoric of democracy. Slavery becomes giving something back, everyone doing his part, and so on. One writer speaks loftily of “an ethic of common provision.”

All such talk obscures the essential element of force — organized state coercion under the forms of law.

One caller to the talk show got it right: “national service,” he pointed out, is unconstitutional; and so are welfare programs, which the government has no authority to create.

The U.S. Constitution was an ingenious but unsuccessful attempt to specify and thereby limit the powers of the Federal Government. By listing those powers in Article I, it implicitly (and, in the Tenth Amendment, explicitly) forbade the exercise of other, unlisted powers. This was supposed to guarantee lawful government.

There it is kiddies, America's dirty little secret. "Ingenious but unsuccessful", indeed. One can read Plutarch's Lives all day long, but that doesn't mean you can understand human nature, much less change it.

But the Federal Government has been trying to circumvent its own Constitution ever since. One essential method has been to make its own courts the final judge of how broadly its powers are to be construed. This allows the courts, in effect, to rewrite the contract without the consent of anyone else, making the Constitution, as Jefferson put it, “a blank paper by construction.”

And of course if the Constitution means whatever the Federal Government wants it to mean, it’s not going to inhibit the Federal Government. Its whole purpose is defeated. That government will be free to claim all the powers it wants — which is exactly what has happened.

The Thirteenth Amendment forbids slavery and “involuntary servitude.” But if Federal courts rule that the draft and confiscatory taxes don’t fall under that prohibition, then the amendment will be almost useless in protecting our freedom from the Federal Government itself.

In this way the government has been able to get away with claiming thousands of powers never constitutionally granted to it, and with ignoring most limits expressly placed on it. The Constitution has virtually ceased to exist, and the government can pass laws that are themselves lawless.

Q: What can we do about this abomination?

If the Federal Government violates the Constitution, there is an obvious remedy: The people should be free to defend themselves by declaring that it has forfeited its lawful authority and refusing to obey it. This simple solution is called “secession.”

But of course this is forbidden. The government claims an unconditional right to our obedience, no matter what it does or demands. In principle, we are its slaves. Yet it tells us not only that we’re free, but also that it’s defending our freedom when it wages wars and drafts us to fight those wars.

These are the simple, bare bones of the situation. Most Americans are content to be government slaves and parrot the slogans we’re taught. (Don't laugh. He may be talking about you. - F. G.) But a growing number, fortunately, want to think the whole business through again.

The Constitution isn’t the solution to the whole problem; it may be part of the problem itself. But it does lay down the principles the government purports to be observing, and we can begin to address the real problem by studying it closely.

A: Nothing, right?

Well, how about something modeled after Switzerland? Instead of ethnic, religious, and language based cantons we could set up ideological ones: Real Conservatives (The people of the Reality Party.) would have one, Socialists another, Anarchists another, Moderates still another, et cetera. There would have to be conditions:

(1) The people of each canton (or region) has absolute authority to decide who is a citizen of that canton. The fact you are born there doesn't mean you get to stay there. When each citizen of this new nation reaches voting age, he must decide if he accepts the premises on which his canton was founded. If not, he must go elsewhere.

(2) The only obligation the cantons have to each other is mutual defense.
(Problematic, I know. The Socialist and NeoCon cantons are going to get themselves invaded with regularity. We'll work on it.)

(3) The national government is only responsible for foreign relations, the free and unfettered egress of people from (i.e. "brain drain" - Guess which direction the brain power will flow.) the various cantons, and organizing the national defense in time of war.

How's that for a new constitution?

Who is Harriet Miers? Part 7

Michelle Malkin provides more ammo for those of us who prefer our conservatives brash, bold, ballsy, vetted and visible.


MIERS: BEWARE
By Michelle Malkin · October 10, 2005 08:14 AM

Check out John Hawkins' poll of conservative bloggers on the Miers nomination. Negative sentiment and uncertainty predominate.

Compare with the Washington Times' survey of Republican senators--nearly half of whom say they, too, remain unconvinced that Harriet Miers is worthy of being confirmed to the Supreme Court.

And read John Fund (go ahead, White House, call him an "elite") who writes in "Miers Remorse:"

I have changed my mind about Harriet Miers. Last Thursday, I wrote in OpinionJournal's Political Diary that "while skepticism of Ms. Miers is justified, the time is fast approaching when such expressions should be muted until the Senate hearings begin. At that point, Ms. Miers will finally be able to speak for herself."
But that was before I interviewed more than a dozen of her friends and colleagues along with political players in Texas. I came away convinced that questions about Ms. Miers should be raised now--and loudly--because she has spent her entire life avoiding giving a clear picture of herself...

Another former Miers supporter has changed his mind. This just in from PoliPundit:

Since her nomination was announced, I’ve said that Harriet Miers should be confirmed to the Supreme Court, despite her unexciting qualifications, because she’s a conservative. Information that has come out over the last week has caused me to believe she is not a conservative. So I’m changing my position: Harriet Miers should not be confirmed by the Senate...
...Miers is a documented supporter of “diversity,” a codeword for racial discrimination. She seems to have helped create the White House’s split-the-baby position on this issue in the University of Michigan cases in 2003, that helped keep affirmative action legal.
Harriet Miers is Alberto Gonzales in a dress. I would not support the confirmation of Gonzales; so why should I support the confirmation of Miers?
Some of my fellow contributors at polipundit.com will disagree with me, as is their right. Our disagreements reflect the free-spiritedness of the modern conservative movement.
But those conservatives who disagree with me need to prove that Harriet Miers has demonstrated the sort of prickly independence that keeps, say, a Justice Clarence Thomas, squarely in the conservative camp despite years of liberal pressure. Everything I’ve read and heard about Miers tells me that she does not possess anything like the ability to resist the inevitable pressure to move towards O’Connorism once she’s installed on the Court.
Some will argue that defeating Miers in the Senate would be politically damaging to the GOP. But it would be worse for Miers to be confirmed and become another O’Connor. Miers’ confirmation would be terribly demoralizing to conservatives like me, who donate thousands of hard-earned dollars to Republican candidates every year. We did not help elect a Republican president, and 55 Republican senators, so that we could get another O’Connor on the Court.

I get mail...

In response to my post on Robert Kaplan's new book,



littlevoice22 said...

Robert Kaplan's comments on Evangelical Christianity are interesting considering that he wrote an entire book (warrior politics: why leadership demands a pagan ethos) which attacked Christian morality in public life and proposed its replacement with Paganism. He follows in the footsteps of Edward Gibbon in blaming Christianity for the fall of the Roman Empire. Christian Morality, according to Kaplan, is incompatable with leadership in any form.He is no friend to Christianity in any form.

The only reason he would ever praise evangelical christianity is that he thinks its followers can be useful in fighting wars for his vision of a new American empire based on Paganism.


Not to be flippant, but what on earth makes you think America hasn't always been a pagan empire?

Of course, I've always thought protestantism to be a thin "Christian" veneer on the same old nonsense the world has been peddling since Adam and Eve messed up big time.

Keep The Faith, baby. Everything else is just foolishness.

Results from the past weekend's football picks.

For Saturday 10/8, I was an atrocious 5 and 13 on college picks. For Sunday 10/9 and Monday 10/10, I was an above average 7 and 6 plus a push.

Joe Morgan is the Jimmy Two Times of broadcasting.

Joe was driving me nuts this weekend on the ESPN baseball playoff broadcast, saying everything twice or more. It's time for him to retire.

You don't remember Jimmy Two Times from Goodfellas?

This is NOT Columbus Day.

Sure, you won't get any mail delivered today.

And your friendly neighborhood IRS man is at home in his basement torturing small animals.

But Columbus Day is October 12th.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Francis Borgia, who renounced his noble title upon the death of his wife to become a Jesuit priest. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading is Romans 1:1-7.
Today's Gospel reading is Luke 11:29-32.


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


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


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.