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. Luke the Apostle, patron of physicians and surgeons. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading is 2 Timothy 4:10-17.
Today's Gospel reading is Luke 10:1-9.





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.

Gratuitous Angie Harmon Photo of the Day.

The guy with the third worst haircut in all Christendom thinks he can get himself some more of that sweet home cookin'.

LEFT: Vox Day, Fyodor's Shilpit Wee Nyaff * of the Day, needs no tin foil hat.

Noted "Christian libertarian" and half-baked bupkis bumpkin Vox Day (Remember when Homer Simpson changed his name to Max Power? "I got it off a hair dryer".) says "Polygamy don't bother me."

Naw, I'm not going to waste the space. If you must read it, look here. I just wanted to post a photo of that haircut.

*a misshapen little good-for-nothing

He better figure out some way to murder a little girl or two in these flicks, or next year's Oscar campaign will be for naught.

Clint Eastwood plans 2 films on Iwo Jima
'Sometimes you just get a feeling about something' --Associated Press

OMG! CYBER BULLYING IS AFTER YOUR LITTLE POTENTIAL PORN STAR'S SELF-ESTEEM!

Or, US Porn Actress Sues Aussie Schoolgirl for Improving Her Bad Name.

A TEENAGE girl has been shocked and humiliated after students at her private school distributed a porn video they thought she starred in.

The 17-year-old from northern New South Wales was stunned to discover students had copied footage from an X-rated website featuring an actress she looked like.

The 10 seconds of film was then circulated by email to dozens of other students, wrongly claiming she was the star.

The school and police are investigating the incident.

The girl, who asked not to be identified, told The Sunday Mail she first became aware when she received a text message asking if she was a porn star.

Other students confronted her as speculation spread through the school about the woman in the video.

"It happened when I was right in the middle of my end-of-year exams for Year 11, when one of the boys sent a text to me. He said, 'Are you making porn now?'," she said yesterday.

The girl said she was left shocked when she saw the video.

"It made me feel horrible, it was unfair and humiliating that they had done this," she said.

The girl's parents have had to become members of a US porn site to track the original video and clear their daughter's name.

"As her parents we were astounded at the resemblance of the porn star to our daughter and, had we not recognised the difference in body features, we would have thought the same as everyone else – that it was her," her father said.

Golly, Daddy, thanks for the vote of confidence.

"She was crying in her room. I asked her if she had ever been drugged at a party because the video shows the porn star with eyes rolling and acting in a possible drug-induced state. She replied, 'No, never'."

It was discovered the actress had a tattoo on her shoulder, proving their daughter was not involved.

Her father also sounded a warning about cyber bullying.

"Some parents may not have had the time and money to find the original video and their child's name would be under a cloud because they could not have proved them innocent." (Thanks to WND for the heads up.)

Who is Harriet Miers? Part 12

The NYT's token right-of-commie columnist (He does not eat the placentas of aborted babies in a vain attempt to reverse the effects of aging.) savages the Most Qualified Woman Ever.

Miers writings show no aptitude
by DAVID BROOKS

Of all the words written about Harriet Miers, none are more disturbing than the ones she wrote herself. In the early '90s, while she was president of the Texas bar association, Miers wrote a column called "President's Opinion" for The Texas Bar Journal. It is the largest body of public writing we have from her, and sad to say, the quality of thought and writing doesn't even rise to the level of pedestrian.

Nothing excuses sentences like this: "More and more, the intractable problems in our society have one answer: broad-based intolerance of unacceptable conditions and a commitment by many to fix problems."

Or this: "We must end collective acceptance of inappropriate conduct and increase education in professionalism."

Or this: "When consensus of diverse leadership can be achieved on issues of importance, the greatest impact can be achieved."

Or passages like this: "An organization must also implement programs to fulfill strategies established through its goals and mission. Methods for evaluation of these strategies are a necessity. With the framework of mission, goals, strategies, programs, and methods for evaluation in place, a meaningful budgeting process can begin."

Wow. I could write that nonsense. A grant from the NEA for twenty grand, a quick trip to Amsterdam, and I'm sitting next to ol' Souter joking about taking his house through eminent domain.

I don't know if by mere quotation I can fully convey the relentless march of vapid abstractions that mark Miers' prose. Nearly every idea is vague and depersonalized. Nearly every debatable point is elided. It's not that Miers didn't attempt to tackle interesting subjects. She wrote about unequal access to the justice system, about the underrepresentation of minorities in the law and about whether pro bono work should be mandatory. But she presents no arguments or ideas, except the repetition of the bromide that bad things can be eliminated if people of good will come together to eliminate bad things.

Throw aside ideology. Surely the threshold skill required of a Supreme Court justice is the ability to write clearly and argue incisively.

The Miers nomination has reopened the rift between conservatives and establishment Republicans.

The conservative movement was founded upon the supposition that ideas have consequences. Conservatives have founded so many think tanks, magazines and organizations, like the Federalist Society, because they believe that you have to win arguments to win political power. They dream of Supreme Court justices capable of writing brilliant opinions that will reshape the battle of ideas.

Republicans, who these days are as likely to be members of the corporate establishment as the evangelical establishment, are more suspicious of intellectuals and ideas, and more likely to believe that politics is about deal-making, loyalty and power. You know you are in establishment Republican circles when the conversation is bland but unifying. You know you are in conservative circles when it is interesting but divisive. Conservatives err by becoming irresponsible. (Wrong, jackass. We err by not keeping enough ammo handy. - F.G.) Republicans tend to be blown about haplessly by forces they cannot understand.

For the first years of his presidency, George Bush healed the division between Republicans and conservatives by pursuing big conservative goals with ruthless Republican discipline. But Harriet Miers has shown no loyalty to conservative institutions like the Federalist Society. Her loyalty has been to the person of the president, and her mental style seems to be Republicanism on stilts.

So conservatives are caught between loyalty to their ideas and loyalty to the president they admire. Most of them have come out against Miers - quietly or loudly. Establishment Republicans are displaying their natural loyalty to leadership. And Miers is caught in the vise between these two forces, a smart and good woman who has been put in a position where she cannot succeed.

What does appeasement get you? A rocket upside the head.

Terror groups target Sharon
Qassam rockets aimed at ranch,'every Jew' must leave 'Palestine'

Bloodbaathist Update.

From Best of the Web Today comes this story of real real politic, Syrian Style.

You've gotta be major league guilty to murder a guy so he won't talk to the U. freakin' N.

'Pardon, Suicide'

Syria, Iraq's neighbor, is still ruled by Baathists, who are brutal and oppressive but do provide some occasional dark comedy. United Press International reports:

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Sharaa erred twice in his eulogy of Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan calling the suicide an "assassination," said an-Nahar [a Lebanese newspaper].

The public attorney who superintended an autopsy made the same mistake during a televised news conference. . . .

Sharaa held the Lebanese media and leakages by the U.N. commission responsible for Kanaan's "assassination" in a televised statement at his funeral on Thursday. He did not correct the first "slip of the tongue." Later in the statement Sharaa again called Kanaan's death an "assassination" with an instant correction of "pardon, suicide."

Who is Harriet Miers? Part 11

Wow. This makes all the difference.

"You know, she's a very gracious and funny person. I was racking my brain trying to think of something specific. She is a very good bowler. For someone her size, she actually gets a lot of action out of the pins."

-- Joshua Bolten, Director of Office of Management and Budget, on Harriet Miers.

(Thanks to Laura Ingraham for the heads up.)

Want to sign David Frum's petition asking for the withdrawal of Miers' nomination? It won't do any good, but it may make you feel marginally better for a short period of time.

Real science, da! Baby killing, nyet!

Two teams of scientists provided the first definitive evidence yesterday that embryonic stem cells can be grown in laboratory dishes without harming healthy embryos, an advance that some scientists and philosophers believe could make the medically promising field more politically and ethically acceptable.

The work, done with mouse cells, generated several colonies of mouse embryonic stem cells without destroying any embryos that otherwise could have developed into mice.

If the new approaches were to work with human cells, as many scientists suspect, they could help defuse a moral maelstrom that has raged since human embryonic stem cells were discovered seven years ago. But the new techniques raise ethical issues of their own, leaving their ultimate value uncertain for now. (Thanks to Laura Ingraham for the heads up.)

You only THINK you know Pope Pius XII.

NRO's David Frum reads Rabbi David Dalin's new book The Myth of Hitler's Pope and discovers:

1) that both Pius XII and his predecessor Pius XI abhorred and repeatedly condemned Nazi doctrine;

2) that Pius XII used his diplomatic power to protect Jewish communities in Catholic countries like Hungary and Slovakia - with a measurable impact on the survival rate of the Jews in those countries;

3) that Pius XII defied the very real risk of his own abduction and arrest by the Nazis to protect the Jewish communities of Rome and Italy, including sheltering some 3,000 Roman Jews in his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo during the German occupation of Rome in 1943;

4) that the many Roman Catholic clerics who risked their lives to rescue Jews during World War II testified again and again that they were acting on the orders of the pope - and that letters in Pius XII's own handwriting confirm the claim;

5) that even by the most conservative estimate of the effect of his actions, Pius XII's personal interventions saved the lives of more European Jews than any other person outside the governments and armed forces of the allied powers - more than Oskar Schindler, more than Raoul Wallenberg.

Just this very year, the pope's memory was attacked by a new story: a claim that Catholic institutions that housed Jewish orphans refused to deliver the rescued children to their families after war's end, but instead tried to keep and raise them as Catholics. Dalin demonstrates convincingly that the documents on which the story was founded were forged.

The debate over Pius XII is not, Dalin argues, ultimately a debate about history at all. It is an internal debate over the character and future of the Roman Catholic Church - a debate in which attacks on the war record of Pius XII function as coded attacks upon Pius' great successor, John Paul II.

Joe McCarthy was an American hero and we should put up statues of him in every town (regardless what your lamebrained teachers told you).

Uncle Fyodor has a story for you, kiddies.

When the Russian commie slaughterhouse closed, I read about a recently freed Eastern European man who started a campaign to build a statue of Senator Joseph McCarthy (a good Catholic, BTW) in his own little post-commie backwater to celebrate the only westerner he had ever heard of who knew what the commies had been all about.

So, as you can imagine, I've been waiting for reviews of the latest Clooney commie claptrap. As I have mentioned, the same people who tell you DDT would end the universe if ever used again and that Robert Bork would force you to scrape your own child out of your own womb with a rusty, unregistered .45 are the same evil weasels who continue to demonize Senator McCarthy to this day.

One of the best ways to know a man is to know his enemies.

Writing at Human Events Online, Allan H. Ryskind takes apart the movie, that "saint" of the left, center, and squishy soft right Edward R. Murrow, the American commies, their American left-fascist apologists, and begins the much needed rehabilitation of one of America'sgreatest heroes, Joe McCarthy.

If George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck is the best shot the left can unload on Joe McCarthy these days, the famous Red hunter is well on his way to a thorough rehabilitation. Ann Coulter has already begun the process in Treason and Stan Evans’ much anticipated book—due out next year—is likely to boost the late Wisconsin senator’s stock even further.

The movie is really about CBS’s star journalist, Edward R. Murrow (played by David Strathairn), and how he went after McCarthy, who is featured only in film footage from the archives. As Clooney (and most historians) would have it, the senator was a vicious, unscrupulous bully who ruined the lives of scores of innocent people by labeling them Reds. So where are the bloody corpses in Clooney’s movie? They’re totally missing. In fact, Clooney—who directed and helped write the movie—doesn’t show a single person who was done in by the senator’s supposedly reckless charges. Not one!

Murrow’s Whitewash

Nor is it even clear from the movie that McCarthy ever seriously accused anyone unjustly. He might have, but Clooney certainly doesn’t prove it. There are hints that McCarthy may have been wrong in charging Annie Lee Moss, the Pentagon code clerk, with having been a Communist Party member. But the Clooney picture is actually opaque on that point and the truth is McCarthy was absolutely right in charging her with party membership (see more on Moss below).

The Murrow character, who uses the journalist’s real words, does suggest that McCarthy was engaged in smear-mongering when he laid the wood to the American Civil Liberties Union, insisting it had been labeled a “front” for the Communists. Murrow’s retort was that the ACLU was not on any subversive list of the federal government. In Murrow’s view (and clearly in Clooney’s), that rebuttal clinched the case that the Wisconsin lawmaker was an irresponsible demagogue. But, as we shall note shortly, the ACLU was rightly considered a subversive organization during the early 1930s, the period the senator was referring to.

What’s stranger still is that Clooney dwells at some length on the case of Lt. Milo Radulovich, on the verge of being ousted as a security risk from the Air Force Reserve because two of his relatives were radicals, possibly Communists.

The movie shows Murrow, the star of CBS’s “See It Now,” publicizing Radulovich’s plight. Weeks later, we find that he’s been reinstated and the charges dropped. Cheers all around at CBS.

A major anti-McCarthy victory for Murrow? Well, only in the eyes of CBS and Murrow and other anti-McCarthy zealots. For Radulovich was never a McCarthy case.

Indeed, the Clooney film—but just barely—acknowledges this far from insignificant fact, yet it suggests that the “ambience” of McCarthy’s Red hunting was somehow responsible. Clooney, it seems, couldn’t discover a single bona fide McCarthy victim, so the closest he gets to it is a “victim” McCarthy had nothing to do with!

That should strike some people as rather odd in a film accusing the Wisconsin senator of smears and innuendo.

Clooney, as noted, does include a lengthy segment on the Annie Lee Moss case. Murrow made much of this case as well, persuading masses of liberal intellectuals that McCarthy had badly overreached and that he may have accused the wrong Moss. Human Events has discussed the Moss hearing on numerous occasions, most extensively by Evans on May 23, 2003. But it should be reprised in light of Clooney’s latest effort to make it seem as if McCarthy smeared her. The film never quite says she’s innocent, but leads one to believe she probably is and is certainly not being treated fairly by the senator.

The March 11, 1954, McCarthy hearing, in truth, was a devastating indictment of Army security procedures—and Moss herself. McCarthy’s chief purpose was to find out how Moss, with her Red background, had been promoted from a cafeteria worker to a Pentagon code clerk with access to classified information.

During the hearings, Moss denied she was a Red, but admitted receiving the Daily Worker, the official organ of the Communist Party, at various addresses she had inhabited over the years. She conceded, after some prodding, the paper “might have been addressed to me” (instead of her husband). She acknowledged that Robert Hall, one of three top Washington, D.C., Communists, had visited her home and that she had lived, for a short while, with Hattie Griffin, an active party member who hosted Communist meetings at her house. Standing alone, this information should have been enough to raise questions as to why she had access to classified material.

Dues-Paying Communist

More damning evidence was produced. Moss, as the hearings revealed, had been identified as a dues-paying member of the Northeast club of the D.C. Communist Party by FBI undercover informant Mary Markward, and the committee’s majority counsel, Roy Cohn, stressed that Markward’s testimony had been “corroborated” in “a sworn statement” by another witness in executive session.

The clincher on Moss came four years later. The Subversive Activities Control Board (SACB), an agency of the federal government, held a hearing on Markward, partly to determine if she had told the truth about Moss. The SACB’s Sept. 19, 1958, verdict, based on board members’ viewing D.C. Communist Party records, such as dues rosters and members’ living residences, was that the exhibits “corroborate Markward’s testimony in the Moss security hearings.” The SACB, in short, found that McCarthy had bagged the right Annie Lee Moss, Murrow to the contrary.

There are other aspects of the film that don’t stand up to scrutiny. The movie shows Murrow savaging McCarthy for asking the State Department’s Reed Harris in 1954 about Harris’s getting help from the ACLU in the early ’30s after having been expelled from Columbia University. Harris acknowledged he had been supplied an ACLU attorney, and McCarthy then wondered if he knew it had been “listed as a ‘front for, and doing the work of’ the Communist Party.” Harris said he didn’t know it had been so listed.

Murrow tore into the Wisconsin senator for even suggesting that the ACLU was anything but patriotic. “The attorney general’s list,” Murrow intoned, “does not and has never listed the ACLU as subversive, nor does the FBI or any other federal government agency.”

Murrow’s response was accurate as to how the U.S. government viewed the ACLU in 1954, 14 years after the group had barred Communists from executive positions. But various government agencies, with cause, viewed the ACLU as subversive in the early 1930s—the period McCarthy was interested in.

The House of Representative’s “special committee to investigate communist activities in the United States,” a bipartisan panel, issued a report on Jan. 17, 1931. The chairman was Hamilton Fish, Jr., a New York Republican. Here’s what the report said about the ACLU: “The American Civil Liberties Union is closely affiliated with the Communist movement in the United States, and fully 90% of its efforts are on behalf of Communists who have come into conflict with the law.”

In testimony before the Fish panel, reproduced in the report, Roger Baldwin, the ACLU’s guiding light, said he favored the right of any citizen or alien to advocate “murder,” “assassination” and “the overthrow of the U.S. government by force and violence.”

The Fish panel also said: “The American Civil Liberties Union has received large sums from the Garland Fund, of which Roger N. Baldwin is one of its directors. During the trial of the Communists in Gastonia, not for freedom of speech, of the press or assembly, but for a conspiracy to kill the chief of police, of which seven defendants were convicted, the ACLU provided bail for five of the defendants, amounting to $28,500, which it secured from the Garland Fund. All of the defendants convicted jumped their bail and are reported to be in Russia.”

A committee of the New York Legislature, back in 1928, reached the following conclusion: “The American Civil Liberties Union, in the last analysis, is a supporter of all subversive movements; its propaganda is detrimental to the interests of the State.”

Even Liberals Pan Film

The film is littered with “facts” and “arguments” and “opinions” that never really add up when closely scrutinized. What’s especially interesting is that even honest liberals are not enthralled with the film’s message. Washington Post movie reviewer Stephen Hunter appears to dislike McCarthy, but he believes Clooney has left a lot out of his film, including Murrow’s own naïveté about Communists.

“In December 1948,” Hunter began his review, “the renowned broadcaster Edward R. Murrow went on the air to denounce the Red hunters of the U.S. government who had hounded his friend and mentor Laurence Duggan, a former State Department employee, to suicide.

“One can almost imagine the drama: The distinguished newsman, once the voice of blitzed London, hair slicked back, a nub of cigarette in his hand radiating vapors, face as rigid as an Old Testament elder, using that deep voice and crooning rhetoric to lambaste the puny minds of the House Un-American Activities Committee that had so besmirched Larry’s good name that the man had leapt in despair from a 16th-Street floor window.

“But you won’t find it in Good Night, and Good Luck, George Clooney’s mounting of the dramatic confrontation between the estimable Murrow and the abrasive junior senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy.

“One can readily see why. Duggan, as it turned out, was a Soviet spy, code-named...‘Frank’ and finally ‘Prince.’ He was, moreover, one of many Soviet spies embedded in the U.S. government at the time.“That’s not all Clooney leaves out in his account of the Murrow-McCarthy fight: He leaves out the Cold War, the hot war in Korea, the Venona decrypts that proved how sophisticated and exhaustive the Russian intelligence initiative against the American target was.”

That’s not bad coming from a McCarthy foe. Now we need the Evans book to show us just how wrong the country has been about the Wisconsin senator.

Sobran: At least we don't live in North Korea.

(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 is a real conservative. That means he has higher standards than most people who think they are conservatives.

If you don't read his columns regularly, you might think he's a pessimist. He might be, but I prefer to think of Joe's affliction as profound sadness - sadness at the sight of the mess reality makes out of beautiful ideas.

Welcome to the club, Mr. Sobran.

Writing in Freedom Daily, Sheldon Richman reminds us of Murray Rothbard’s insight “that every principle devised to limit the power of government sooner or later becomes a way to expand it.” This can only bring a blush to the cheek of anyone who has ever called for “a return to limited government,” as I’ve spent most of my own writing career doing. My own blushes run to a very deep crimson when I reflect that I myself hoped Bush might achieve this.

It’s not that Bush himself is a particularly bad man; neither was Bill Clinton, despite his corruption. It’s that the whole idea of “limited, constitutional government” seems to be an illusion.

At the same time, some governments are worse than others, and I’m truly grateful to be living in this country rather than in, say, North Korea. But it’s not quite as easy as I used to think to explain why, even to myself. I start with the simple fact that this government isn’t starving us to death.

Bad as it is in many ways, the American state is still inhibited by the moral habits and legal traditions of Christian civilization. There are some things we can usually be sure our rulers won’t even try to do to us, though the old restraints are weakening alarmingly and the law is increasingly the plaything of the strong. It’s another bad sign that the decay of law is called “progress” and “democracy.”

In a sense, of course, government — the power of the strong — should be limited; the individual should be able to defend himself against it. But government will never control its own power, and we only confuse ourselves by talking as if it would or could. We can only try to divide its power, keep it as local as possible, and prevent its consolidation in a single center.

The Articles of Confederation actually achieved this better than the U.S. Constitution, contrary to everything we are taught about how the Constitution improved the old system, creating “a more perfect union.” In time the Constitution made a monopoly of power possible — the very sort of “consolidated” government everyone professed to oppose at the time it was adopted.

The victory of the North over the South was actually the victory of the Union over the “free and independent states” affirmed in the Declaration of Independence and reaffirmed in the Articles; it denied the right of the states to secede under any circumstances whatever. After the Union victory, the Constitution was changed to weaken the states further, especially by the Fourteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Amendments. More recently we’ve seen the evisceration of the Second, Ninth, and Tenth Amendments, and lately, in the Kelo case, the Fifth.

What some call the advance of “progress” and “democracy” is really the long, sad story of the increase of the government’s power over us. It has happened in other ways in other countries, but this, in brief outline, is how it has happened — and how it’s continuing, day by day — in “the land of the free.”

The Conscience of Our Generation vomits forth more genius.

From Drudge:

MADONNA WARNS: ALL WILL GO TO HELL IF DON'T TURN FROM WICKED BEHAVIOR; 'MOST PRIESTS ARE GAY'

**Exclusive Details**

The former Material Girl now believes "the beast is the modern world that we live in!"

"The material world. The physical world. The world of illusion, that we think is real. We live for it, we're enslaved by it. And it will ultimately be our undoing," Madonna explains in her new documentary film, I'M GOING TO TELL YOU A SECRET.

In the movie, which will premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City on Tuesday, Madonna warns how people "are going to go to hell, if they don't turn from their wicked behavior."

The singer, who is also promoting the upcoming release of her new music CD, declares: "Most priests are gay."

"I refer to an entity called 'The Beast'. I feel I am describing the world that we live in right now. To me 'The Beast' is the modern world that we live in."

What Fyodor is to ellipses, Rich Galen is to the asterisk...

...but that's cool, because he nails the truth about the Iraqi referendum squarely on the head.


* There appears to have been good news this weekend when the men and women of Iraq went to the polls to vote in a referendum on approving the new Constitution.

* The good news isn't that the Constitution will be approved. That has been a more-or-less foregone conclusion for a while. The real news is that the Sunnis came out big numbers in their provinces in an attempt to defeat it.

Dear Mr. Galen You think Sunnis voting to defeat the Constitution is good news? What would, by you, be bad news? Signed, The New York Times Committee for the Defense of Judith Miller

* Well, see, in the elections last January the Sunnis boycotted the process hoping that world opinion would conclude that without their participation the elections would be illegitimate.

* In the event, about 60% of the total population went to the polls, which was - to put it mildly - a pleasant surprise. The Sunnis, for the price of it, got 17 seats in the Parliament rather than the 50-or-so which their 20% of the population would have indicated.

* This time they urged their people to go to the polls and vote "No." Just like we do.

* I guarantee you that the last time a bond issue in your town -- whatever town you are in and whatever the bond issue was for -- was on the ballot there was some group urging people to go to the polls to defeat it.

* In California, urging voters to turn out to defeat some ballot issue or another has become a multi-million dollar business.

* So, the Sunnis, who have controlled Iraq for lo these many years, have decided to use the ballot box to make their point. Just like George W. Bush told us would happen.

* In the next round -- mid-December -- when members of the Parliament will be elected, you just watch the vigor with which Sunni political parties get their supporters revved up to vote.

* Part of the agreement which led some Sunni leaders to support the process, was a promise that the new parliament will be able to submit amendments to this constitution.

* Just like, where? The United States! Of America!

* As those of you who have stayed awake in class know, I wrote about the tortured history of the US Constitution in a MULLINGS this past August when I pointed out that the first try - the Articles of Confederation - were so flawed that they were thrown out and replaced with a constitution which was finally ratified in 1788 - twelve years after the Declaration of Independence.

* Even at that, it wasn't a perfect document. It had to be amended. Immediately. Not once, but TEN TIMES which, because we get to write the history, we pronounced, and now proudly point to, as the Bill of Rights.

* If the first TEN Amendments to the Constitution were so vital, why weren't they in the ... Constitution?

* Have I made my point, here?
(Thanks to CNSNews.com for the heads up.)

The Sunnis begin to play ball...

...and the newborn Iraqi democracy begins to crawl...


Iraq charter likely approved
Partial results show some Sunni support

Iraq's voters approved their first constitution since Saddam Hussein's ouster with help from some Sunnis, according to partial results released Sunday.

The vote, if confirmed when final results come in this week, will cement democratic institutions in a country that spent decades under dictatorship. Among the rights enshrined: free speech and equality under the law for all.
That most Iraqis would favor the charter was never in doubt. The majority Shiite Muslims and their Kurdish allies overwhelmingly backed the constitution.

But Sunnis, concentrated in four of Iraq's 18 provinces, worked to defeat it through a minority-protection provision in the rules. Even if a national majority voted “yes,” the referendum would fail if two-thirds majorities in any three provinces said “no.”

By Sunday, it appeared that two of the four provinces with large Sunni populations had voted “yes,” making adoption of the constitution a virtual certainty.

...or, as Washington's other newspaper puts it:

Those Pesky Freedom-Loving Iraqis Just Don't Care Enough About Western Elites' Opinion

For the Bush administration, the apparent approval of Iraq's constitution is less of a victory than yet another chance to possibly fashion a political solution that does not result in the bloody division of Iraq.

Publicly, administration officials hailed the result but privately some officials acknowledged that the road ahead is still very difficult, especially because Sunni Arab voters appeared to have rejected the constitution by wide margins. As one official put it, every time the administration appears on the edge of a precipice, it manages to cobble together a result that allows it to move on to the next precipice.

Results of this weekend's football picks.

For Saturday 10/15, I was a so-so 8 and 8 plus a push on my college picks.


For Sunday 10/16 and Monday 10/17, I was a mediocre 7 and 7.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom our Lord entrusted the task of spreading devotion to His Sacred Heart. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading is Romans 4:20-25.
Today's Gospel reading is Luke 12:13-21.


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.

Attention college hoops fans! Midnight Madness strikes tonight at 7 PM local time! (Yeah, it kinda loses something there at the end.)

Arizona takes part in midnight-ish madness

Gators' madness to begin before midnight

Midnight Madness hits Illinois

College hoops tradition goes prime time
Find some space between the baseball playoffs and those college football rivalries. College basketball is officially back at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, or a little earlier if you want. With new NCAA rules allowing those staging Midnight Madness to start three hours earlier in prime time for the fans' sake, college basketball practice really gets under way Friday night with plenty of fanfare.

Your Humble Servant hears your pleas for more Hot TV News Babes.

In no particular order, here are Sue Kwon,



Samantha Mohr, (killer eyes)



Lisa Chan,



Ann Notarangelo, (sweetness)



and Dana King, the hot TV News Babes of KPIX in San Francisco.

So, you want hot news babes, do you?

Meg Coyle,


Mimi Jung,


and Rebecca Stevenson are the contenders from KING (Seattle) in the Find The Hottest TV News Babe Contest.

Pete Carroll is my kind of coach...

...but I still want his team to lose tomorrow.


DEATH TO REPLAY REVIEW!

USC head football coach Pete Carroll can take solace that the only thing that might gum up the most prolific offense in college football history Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium, other than perhaps an inspired Irish defense, will be the languid and lengthy NBC TV timeouts.

Instant replay will not be in use for the top-ranked Trojans' clash with No. 9 Notre Dame -- at Carroll's insistence.

"I just have never liked it," Carroll said Tuesday, via teleconference, of both the college and pro versions of instant replay review. "I've always liked the traditional way the games go and the rhythm of it. There's good stuff that happens and bad stuff that happens. I've never not trusted the officials. I've always thought the officials were doing the best they could do and busting their tails to make the right calls, and I have been willing to live with the way the game was.

"At Arizona State (on Oct. 1), we had four reviews, and it seemed like it took forever. We were standing on the field with our arms folded, waiting for a decision. That's not the way the game was in the past. I'm a little bit stuck in the past. I liked it better the way it was."

Well, because it's a non-conference game and the visiting team does have a choice in the matter, Carroll opted against replay -- even though it's a Pac-10 rule. According to Dave Parry, the national coordinator for football officiating, Saturday's game is the only one in the nation this season in which replay was available and turned down.

"Nothing went into it," Carroll said. "They gave me a choice, and I didn't want it."

Notre Dame, incidentally, has had 11 plays reviewed in its first five games or 2.2 per game -- roughly three times the rate Big Ten teams averaged last season (0.75 per game) when it was the only conference to experiment with the rule. (Thanks to SouthBendTribune.com for the heads up.)

Whatever happened to...

...the godfather of techno, Gary Numan?

It seems Gary is working on album #18 (I think) and his wife is expecting their second daughter.

Check out Gary's official site here.

He's not the 21 year old who brought us "Cars" and "Down in the Park" anymore. He's in his mid-40's and has produced a lot of music I can't stand over the years, but those two songs are good enough for me.

Totalitarian Pennsylvania Update.

PA Pay-raise protesters target Supreme Court judges in Nov. election

At least two groups protesting pay raises for lawmakers, judges and executive-branch officials are urging people to vote against retaining two state Supreme Court justices in November.

The Nov. 8 retention election will determine whether Justices Russell Nigro and Sandra Schultz Newman remain on the bench for new 10-year terms. No Pennsylvania appellate judge has ever lost a retention vote.

Nigro's a D and Newman's an R. Let's be bipartisan and vote them both out.

Tim Potts, founder of a nonprofit organization called Democracy Rising PA, contends the raises would not have been passed and signed into law if the Supreme Court had not issued rulings that allow the Legislature to ignore parliamentary procedures outlined in the state constitution.

Lawsuits challenging the General Assembly's handling of the pay-raise law, which was passed early July 7 without debate or public notice, are pending in state and federal courts.

"It's the job of the courts to keep the other branches of the government in check," said Potts, who has been visiting newspaper editorial boards and appearing on radio talk shows to make his case. "It's not the job of the courts to say: 'Whatever they want is OK by me.'"

Nigro said the court has struck down many laws in recent years, such as a 2003 measure that weakened Philadelphia's control of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, because they were passed using unconstitutional legislative maneuvers.

"If (Potts) looks at the totality, he can't say we've totally rubber-stamped what the Legislature wanted us to do," Nigro said.

Judge Nigro knows that is not the point at all. 1) The pay raise violated PA's Constitution because it was applied to the current legislative term and not the next, thereby enabling the Keystone State's solons to avoid the wrath of the voters. 2) State judges' salaries were also increased at the same time. 3) Who said the money grab was legal? Yep, state judges. 4) What is the ONLY recourse for PA taxpayers? VOTE ALL THE BASTARDS OUT NOW. (If you think those federal lawsuits against the legislature are going anywhere, I would like to talk to you about some Florida swampland...)

Nigro said he is prepared to spend campaign funds if necessary to counteract any attacks on his record. He had raised $351,000 through Sept. 19, mostly from Philadelphia law firms and lawyers.

That's just one more reason to get rid of him.

Newman did not immediately return a telephone message left at her West Conshohocken office on Thursday.

The Pennsylvania Bar Association has recommended both judges for retention, based on interviews with fellow judges, lawyers who have argued cases before the court, and an evaluation of the judges' written opinions.

Another anti-pay raise group, Operation Clean Sweep: Pennsylvania, is supporting Potts' campaign.

"We're not at all satisfied with any branch of government's performance as compared to the state constitution," said the group's founder, Russ Diamond. (Thanks to phillyburbs.com for the heads up.)

From The Unspeakable Horror Department:

From WTAE in Pittsburgh:

Doctors performed an emergency delivery after a woman allegedly tried to take an expecting mother's baby by cutting her stomach open, state police in Armstrong County said.

The suspect, Peggy Jo Conner, 38, of Ford City, is charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault, police said.

District Attorney Scott Andreassi said the baby appears to be healthy, but the condition of the mother, Valerie Lynn Oskin, is unknown.

Oskin, 30, of Ford City, who was 8 months pregnant, is being treated at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Police said Conner hit Oskin in the head with a baseball bat on Wednesday, then drove her to a dirt road off Route 1037 in a wooded area of Wayne Township and cut Oskin's abdomen with a razor.

Someone riding an all-terrain vehicle found Oskin and Conner on the dirt road at about 5 p.m. Wednesday and called for help, police said.

Conner was arrested and taken to the county jail. She is being held without bond.

Police say that a statement from Conner indicates that her goal was to get the victim's unborn child and take it as her own.

In an interview with WTAE Channel 4's Bob Mayo, Conner's husband said that his wife is pregnant.

Andreassi said Conner claims to be pregnant but is not.

May God have mercy on all souls.

Murderous goat rapists* begin to consume their own.

Iraq Insurgents Attack Sunni Party Office

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

Happy Belated Birthday to the US Navy!

Yesterday, October 13, marked the anniversary of the establishment of the United States Navy in 1775. Thanks for 230 years of brave and faithful service.

But I am afraid I will be rooting for Army in this year's game.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Fortunatus of Todi, a bishop renowned for saving his city from the Ostrogoths. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading is Romans 4:1-8.
Today's Gospel reading is Luke 12:1-7.


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.

Animal Flesh Recipe of the Day

Here's another way to make sure Bambi's mom doesn't go to waste from the Food Network, the aptly named Bobby Flay, and the suspiciously named Joachim B. Splichal.

Roasted Venison with Foie Gras and Celeriac Slaw, Hedgehog Mushrooms and Persimmon


1 (4 to 5-ounce) venison loin
Salt
1-ounce vegetable oil
Foie Gras and Celeriac Slaw, recipe follows
Persimmon Cylinders, recipe follows
Hedgehog Mushrooms, recipe follows
Fleur de Sel, for garnish


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Season the venison with salt. Heat oil in an oven-safe saute pan over high heat. When oil is hot, add venison and gently caramelize the venison on both sides. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook until the venison is rare to medium-rare (125 degrees F). When done, transfer the venison to a rack and let rest for 5 minutes; reserve the pan juices. Cut venison into 8 medallions.


In the center of each plate, place a portion of the Foie Gras and Celeriac Slaw. Place 2 venison medallions on top of the slaw. Next to the slaw, place 1 persimmon cylinder, with some Hedgehog Mushrooms on both sides. Drizzle pan juices from the venison around the plate. Sprinkle the venison with fleur de sel.


Foie Gras and Celeriac Slaw:

8 ounces grade "A" foie gras
2 medium celery roots
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh celery leaves

Dice the foie gras into a medium-size dice and set aside. Peel the celery root and then grate it on a cheese grater.
In a medium sized pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the grated celery root and saute until almost tender. Season, to taste, with salt. When the celery root is almost cooked, add the foie gras and gently fold the foie gras into the celery root. Then add the chopped celery leaves and season to taste.
Chef's Note: The foie gras and celery leaves do not need to cook through once added. The entire cooking time on the Foie Gras and Celeriac Slaw should be 3 to 5 minutes.


Persimmon Cylinders:

2 persimmons
Salt
1 ounce butter

Cut off the top and bottom of the persimmons and then cut each in half so each persimmon makes 2 cylinders. Season the persimmon with salt. In a saute pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the persimmons and lightly caramelize on both sides.


Hedgehog Mushrooms:

8 ounces Hedgehog mushrooms
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 shallot, minced
Salt

Thoroughly clean the mushrooms with a towel, rubbing them to remove all of the dirt. In a medium pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the shallots and cook until translucent. Add the mushrooms and season with salt; cook for 2 minutes or until tender.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

From The Washington Times' Inside the Ring:

Syria missile threat

Syria is building up its missile forces and is seeking advanced surface-to-surface missiles from Russia, said a specialist on the region.

"The Syrian regime's efforts to upgrade its missile capability threaten U.S., Israeli and Turkish interests," said Lee Kass, an analyst with Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC).

"With a stronger Syrian missile capability, the Assad regime could launch either a pre-emptive strike or, more likely, feel itself secure enough in its deterrent capability to encourage terrorism without fear of consequence."

Mr. Kass presented details of the Syrian missile program in the current issue of Middle East Quarterly.

The Damascus government is continuing efforts to buy advanced, 174-mile-range Iskander-E missiles from Russia, although an initial sale was blocked by Russian President Vladimir Putin because of concerns the missile could not be countered by Israel. The missile could hit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, as well as U.S. forces in northern Iraq.

Syria also has Scud missiles and, in May, conducted flight tests of Scuds, including a Scud B with a range of up to 185 miles and two Scud Ds with ranges estimated to be up to 435 miles.

The United States has been pressuring Syria to halt cross-border support for Iraq's insurgency. Syrian missiles could be used in a future conflict between the United States and Syria.


Sightseeing

Robert Maginnis, a retired Army colonel and frequent military analyst on radio and TV, is touring Kuwait and Iraq, compliments of the Pentagon, to see how things are going firsthand.

After a dinner last night with Army soldiers, Mr. Maginnis reports to us:

"The soldiers expressed frustration with the fact that most of the U.S. news coverage about Iraq is bad, which contradicts their firsthand view. Two of those soldiers have children stationed with combat units in Iraq. These proud parents appreciate the importance of their Kuwait support mission. A lieutenant colonel volunteered that the American people support the troops but probably don't understand our mission, which explains why national support for the war is declining. A sergeant offered that support would increase if more people served and suggested that returning to a draft might help universal understanding."


Poll watching

Army Gen. John Abizaid, top U.S commander in the Middle East, talking about polls that show Americans' support for Iraq war is slipping:

"Do we have public support? I can't answer that. I know, I read the polls, and I worry about it. But when I go out and I talk to our troops and our commanders in the field, I don't get the same sense of despair that I get here in Washington."


Hear me now?

This statistic from the State Department: "There are a total of 3,592,723 cell phone subscribers in Iraq. Prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom, there were no cell phone subscribers."


Creeping coup

The Nicaraguan Embassy in Washington has sent out a warning: Marxist politician Daniel Ortega, who was ousted by voters 15 years ago, is on the verge of taking control in Managua.

The message says Mr. Ortega's Sandinistas have joined forces with other political parties to control the legislature and the courts. It predicts a string of phony indictments against President Enrique Bolanos' Cabinet members and then maybe charges against Mr. Bolanos himself.

Mr. Ortega is an ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who in turn has formed close relations with Fidel Castro of Cuba. Mr. Chavez has reached out to the hard-line Islamic regime in Iran and supports the deadly insurgency in Iraq.

The embassy openly criticizes the Bush administration. It says intervention in Nicaragua's affairs often "arrives late" to rectify the anti-democratic trend. The embassy's message has an ominous title: "Nicaragua's Creeping Coup."

The message must have been heard at the State Department. Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick was in Managua this week meeting with factions and warning about the bad effects of a communist takeover in this hemisphere.

Fatheaded German Quote of the Day.

Outgoing German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has aimed a broadside at President Bush, saying Hurricane Katrina showed what happens when a government neglects its duty.

Mr. Schroeder made his comments in a speech to a trade union in Hanover, in which he warned of the dangers of eroding the welfare functions of the state, Agence France-Presse reports.

"I can think of a recent disaster that shows what happens when a country neglects its duties of state towards its people," said Mr. Schroeder, who will soon cede his post to conservative rival Angela Merkel.

"My post as chancellor, which I still hold, does not allow me to name that country, but you all know that I am talking about America," Mr. Schroeder said to laughter and applause.

I can think of at least three examples from the last hundred years of German history that should make Herr Schroeder shut the hell up.

Memo To Hitlery: Don't run until 2032.

Uh-oh (This cheery bit of news is from John McCaslin's Inside the Beltway column in The Washington Times.)

So, you're worried about a bird-flu pandemic?

Wait until you read a more dire warning from a Russian scientific conference dedicated to asteroid and comet security: Life on Earth could be wiped out in 2035.

Russian news agencies say the warning was delivered at a conference that was just held at the Practical Astronomy Institute in St. Petersburg.

"Viktor Shor of the Practical Astronomy Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences said that at present many experts see a real threat of earth's collision with the 2004 MN4 asteroid," MosNews reports. It says the collision was initially predicted for 2028, but new calculations show the asteroid only passing close to Earth that year. (Given the latest calculations of 2035, earthlings have 30 years to get their things in order.)

"The scientists say that a similar disaster took place millions of years ago and resulted in the extinction of 90 percent of all living species," the news agency notes.

From The Wages Of Sin Department:

Syrian official commits suicide
By Mitchell Prothero

Syrian Interior Minister Brig. Gen. Ghazi Kenaan was found dead in his office yesterday, having apparently committed suicide three weeks after being questioned by U.N. officials probing the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. (Thanks to The Washington Times for the heads up.)

Reality on the march...

...or, The good news from Iraq cannot be ignored.

Democracy is on the march by James S. Robbins at NRO.

Just when the conventional wisdom's pessimism about Iraq was peaking, a group of Iraqi oppositionists had a sudden attack of common sense. The Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP), the largest of the predominantly Sunni parties, along with a Sunni coalition group called the Conference of the People of Iraq, agreed to minor changes in the draft constitution that made it palatable enough for them to recommend a "yes" vote in Saturday's referendum. The deal makes the constitution easier to amend, and establishes a panel that will review the document to propose amendments and other alterations. Approval of the document now seems virtually assured, and with enough Sunni participation to give it national and international legitimacy.

Common sense came into play when the IIP and others paused to look at their alternatives. If the Sunnis who opposed the constitution managed to defeat it Saturday, Iraq would continue to be governed under the current administrative law, under which they have very little influence. If the constitution passed, they would be stuck with the new system and still have little power, not to mention insufficient moral authority to seek future changes. After all, one of the reasons they have found themselves in this fix in the first place was their misguided boycott of the January 2005 elections. After having secured a minimally acceptable deal, their best option was to sign onto the pro-constitution team and try to fix it after the election.

The last-minute deal is bad news for the remaining opposition groups. The Sunni-based Association of Muslim Scholars, which had been aligned with the IIP as recently as Saturday, denounced the agreement as politically naïve. The Victorious Army Group (Jeish al-Ta'eifa al-Mansoura) declared war on the IIP and stated that they would kill their members wherever they found them. In fact the IIP has already been targeted for its get-out-the-vote efforts — last August three election workers (then trying to drum up "no" votes) were brutally murdered in Mosul in broad daylight, their bodies dumped in a pile with their election materials.

The election workers were probably killed not by Sunni insurgents but by al Qaeda's foreign fighters, who are ideologically opposed to any voting whatsoever. They now find themselves in a difficult situation. Before this week they had been trying to convince or coerce Sunnis not to vote at all, even though most groups had already mobilized behind the "no" campaign. On October 5, Zarqawi's group issued a statement arguing that the vote count was rigged in advance, and any Sunni participation would simply "legitimize the oppression." (This is a step back from the earlier al Qaeda argument that anyone who voted was an apostate who would be killed. That talking point probably wasn't playing well.) Now the foreign fighters have to contend with a substantial number of "yes" voters in the Sunni areas, and the possibility that the constitution will pass in every Iraqi province. It is further evidence of the widening gap between al Qaeda's interests and those of the Sunnis on whom they depend for support and sanctuary.

Ned Rice cuts through the Miers flapdoodle (if indeed flapdoodle can become corporeal).

At National Review Online, Mr. Rice combines baseball and football metaphors, audacity, and genius bordering on madness to offer us a vision of the kind of Supreme Court we want and need.

The growing sense that Miers will either be forced to withdraw or will fail to win Senate confirmation is generally seen as a looming disaster for a White House that, to be charitable, could use some good news right now. But the argument can be made (and, I hope, is about to be) that a Miers’s rebuff will prove not a setback, but a golden opportunity for the president to shore up his fortunes on several fronts. If he makes the right choice here, President Bush can win back the hearts and minds of his base (and then some), fortify his arsenal in the war on terror, lay the foundation for an outstanding judicial legacy, and put right an historic injustice of epic proportions, all in one fell swoop. Plus, there’s at least a 50-50 chance that Ted Kennedy’s head will, at long last, finally explode.

I'll drink to that!

But in order to grasp this nettle of opportunity President Bush must be willing to cast aside the focus-grouped timidity that gave us Miers (and, let’s be honest, Roberts) in favor of the bold approach more suited to the lame duck president he happens to be. The George W. Bush we elected understands that the essence of statesmanship is doing the right thing knowing that you’ll be vilified for doing so. This historic juncture is no time for small-ball, sacrifice bunt, move-the-runner-over tactics, Mr. President. There is, in fact, virtually no tomorrow in terms of your remaining presidency, your legacy, and oh, yes…the future of the republic. This is no time to take a knee. Rather, it’s time for you to hobble up to the plate and crank one out of the park just like Kirk Gibson did in the 1988 Series. And with all due respect, Mr. President, here’s how you do it: Renominate the Honorable Robert H. Bork to be an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Hooray Bork!

Lest there be any doubt, this suggestion to resubmit Bork’s name for Senate consideration is no satirical flourish. I am absolutely, positively serious about this. Bork was abundantly qualified to sit on the Supreme Court when he was nominated (and rejected) in 1987 and he remains so today because he is widely acknowledged as one of the foremost legal scholars in the United States. As opposed to Harriet Miers, widely acknowledged as one of the foremost legal scholars in her immediate family.

Not to sound like an elitist or anything, but you’d think that sheer judicial and scholarly brilliance would be reason enough to put Bork on the Court. As it turns out, there are several other good reasons. Diversity, for one thing: If confirmed Judge Bork would become the first Supreme Court justice in history to bear an eerie resemblance to New Orleans blues legend Dr. John.

Amen to all that, Brother!

Fyodor's Pro Football Picks of the Week.

1) The guys who set the lines are professionals. Their job is to make each game look as attractive as possible to everyone. That way they even out the amount of money bet on each side.
Instant translation: The house wins no matter who wins. That's why people get into the gambling business.

2) I am just a fan. I won't even keep track of these picks week to week if it gets too embarrassing.

3) There is no such thing as "inside information". Especially in the pros.

4) If those idiot touts on tv and in the paper were that good, they wouldn't go public with their genius. They'd sit at Harrah's sports book from open to close and then go out and buy $2,000 an hour hookers who dress like high school girls.

5) Gambling is stupid. You cannot win.

That being said, here are my NFL picks for this week.


Sunday 10/16




Atlanta (-5.5) at (not really) New Orleans
Saints went bad last week. Take Atlanta.
FINAL: Falcons 34 Saints 31 - Fyodor loses!





Carolina (+1) at Detroit
Here's a hunch: Lions cover at home.
FINAL: Panthers 21 Lions 20 - Fyodor loses! (Hunches suck.)






Cincinnati (-3) at Tennessee
Bengals bounce back big time. Pick Cincy to cover.
FINAL: Bengals 31 Titans 23 - Fyodor wins!





Cleveland (+6) at Baltimore
Ravens free fall continues. Cleveland covers.
FINAL: Ravens 16 Browns 3 - Fyodor loses!





Jacksonville (+3) at Pittsburgh
It appears Big Ben will start, but the wiseguys are being cagey. Steelers only get the home field 3 this week. I'll take them to cover, but I'm worried.
FINAL: Jaguars 23 Steelers 17 - Fyodor loses! (Behold what happens when your starting QB is hurt.)





Miami (+4.5) at Tampa Bay
For little or no reason, I'll go with Miami.
FINAL: Bucs 27 Dolphins 13 - Fyodor wins!




Minnesota (+3) at Chicago
Lawrence Taylor's plot to sabotage the Vikings' season with a little actress/model talent continues apace. Take the Bears.
FINAL: Bears 28 Vikings 3 - Fyodor wins!




NY Giants (+3.5) at Dallas
Who will show up? Last week's Cowboys or Super Eli? I'll take Dallas.
FINAL: Cowboys 16 Giants 13 - Fyodor loses! (Stinking hook!)





Washington (+5.5) at Kansas City
The Insensitive Racist White Alpha Male Game of the Century! I'll pick the Chiefs over the Redskins.
FINAL: Chiefs 28 Redskins 21 - Fyodor wins!




New England (+3) at Denver
Tough, tough call. I'll bet on Brady.
FINAL: Broncos 28 Patriots 20 - Fyodor loses! (End of the dynasty?)




NY Jets (+3) at Buffalo
Fyodor's crystal samovar says the Bills cover.
FINAL: Bills 27 Jets 17 - Fyodor wins!




San Diego (-2) at Oakland
Fyodor's crystal espresso maker says go with the Chargers.
FINAL: Chargers 27 Raiders 14 - Fyodor wins!






Houston (+9.5) at Seattle
Big number for Seattle to cover. Go with Houston.
FINAL: Seahawks 42 Texans 10 - Fyodor loses! (What was I thinking?)


Monday 10/17


St. Louis (+13.5) at Indianapolis
Another big number, but Peyton Manning is on the job. Colts'll cover.
FINAL: Colts 45 Rams 28 - Fyodor wins! (Colts D was a bit scary at first, but when that O gets going...)

Fyodor's College Football Picks of the Week.

1) The guys who set the lines are professionals. Their job is to make each game look as attractive as possible to everyone. That way they even out the amount of money bet on each side.
Instant translation: The house wins no matter who wins. That's why people get into the gambling business.

2) I am just a fan. I won't even keep track of these picks week to week if it gets too embarrassing.

3) There is no such thing as "inside information". Especially in the pros.

4) If those idiot touts on tv and in the paper were that good, they wouldn't go public with their genius. They'd sit at Harrah's sports book from open to close and then go out and buy $2,000 an hour hookers who dress like high school girls.

5) Gambling is stupid. You cannot win.

That being said, here are my college picks for this week.


Saturday 10/15



Alabama (-13) at Mississippi
This one seems a bit big, but I'll take 'Bama to cover.
FINAL: Alabama 13 Ole Miss 10 - Fyodor loses! (It turned out to be way too big. Rebels played a good game.)


Michigan State (+6.5) at Ohio State
Buckeyes are not happy. Take 'em.
FINAL: Ohio State 35 Michigan State 24 - Fyodor wins! (Wild, wild, game. I've never seen a coach explode on camera like Sullivan did at halftime. If I was his special teams coach, I'd keep my head down for awhile.)




Wake Forest (+14) at Boston College
I don't think Wake is that bad. Take the Demon Deacons.
FINAL: BC 35 Wake 30 - Fyodor wins! (Good comeback, Eagles.)




Northwestern (+7.5) at Purdue
I'll take Northwestern here.
FINAL: Northwestern 34 Purdue 29 - Fyodor wins!




New Mexico (+7) at Wyoming
I'm giving the Cowboys another chance. Wyoming covers.
FINAL: New Mexico 27 Wyoming 24 - Fyodor loses! (Fool me once...)





Toledo (-20) at Ball State
I'll give Ball State another chance to stink out loud. Take Toledo.
FINAL: Toledo 34 Ball State 14 - PUSH! (I'm now out of the Ball State business too.)





East Carolina (+2) at Southern Methodist
The Crummy Game of the Week! Take the Pirates on the road.
FINAL: East Carolina 24 SMU 17 - Fyodor wins!





USC (-11.5) at Notre Dame
You know for whom Fyodor will root, but that number looks mighty large either way. Take the Fighting Irish.
FINAL: USC 34 Notre Dame 31 - Fyodor wins! (Another meaningless gambling victory. This game was a perfect example of why college football at its best beats the NFL hands down.)





Florida (+6) at LSU
Take the Tigers to cover.
FINAL: LSU 21 Florida 17 - Fyodor loses!





Penn State (+3) at Michigan
The Nittany Lions are due to go flat, but I'll pick them to cover and win anyway.
FINAL: Michigan 27 PSU 25 - Fyodor wins! (I told you they were due. Lions blew a very winnable game.)





Georgia Tech (-21) at Duke
Big favorites bit me last week, but Duke is really, really bad. Take Tech.
FINAL: Tech 35 Duke 10 - Fyodor wins! (It's almost basketball season, Blue Devils.)





Colorado (+17) at Texas
Longhorn letdown? Laughable. Take Texas.
FINAL: Texas 42 Colorado 17 - Fyodor wins! (I think Texas and Virginia Tech are better than USC right now.)





UCLA (-5) at Washington State
Here's a weak pick: Take UCLA here. (I would not bet my money on it, though.)
FINAL: UCLA 44 Washington State 41 - Fyodor loses! (I didn't think it was that weak.)





Florida State (-7) at Virginia
FSU is an enigma, but enigmas often beat mediocre teams...
FINAL: Virginia 26 FSU 21 - Fyodor loses! (...but not often enough.)





Nebraska (-2.5) at Baylor
The powerhouse Bears return home after their first road conference win since the Garfield administration. I'm tempted to...Yes! Yes! Take Baylor!
FINAL: Nebraska 23 Baylor 14 - Fyodor loses! (What was I thinking?)





Georgia (-16) at Vanderbilt
Georgia wins underwhelmingly. Take Vandy to cover.
FINAL: Georgia 34 Vanderbilt 17 - Fyodor loses! (So close, and yet so far...)




Colorado State (-2) at BYU
I should not pick this game, but I will. Rams cover.
FINAL: BYU 24 CSU 14 - Fyodor loses! (Told ya I shouldn't have picked it.)