Oh Lord...

Bill Bennett, radio commentator and ex-drug czar for the older Bush, had this to say on his program about reducing crime:

"I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky."

I understand that Bennett was making a point that economic considerations should not be the reason why abortion is immoral, but this is one hell of a way to put it. Stupid thing to say and Bennett made a mistake saying it.

Bennett's response to criticism:

"I was pointing out that abortion should not be opposed for economic reasons, any more than racism or for that matter slavery or segregation should be supported or opposed for economic reasons," he said. "Immoral policies are wrong because they are wrong, not because of an economic calculation. One could just as easily have said you could abort all children and prevent all crime, to show the absurdity of the proposition."

No Matter How You Look at it...

We will still be perceived as being an imperialist conqueror, and no amount of Karen Hughes' public diplomacy will change that fact.

Even if she keeps repeating ridiculous lines such as, "I am a mom, and I love kids" to audiences in the Middle East.

Sorry, little lines like that are not going to cut it. As the article nicely puts it:

"many said the core reason for the poor American image remained U.S. policies, not how those policies were marketed or presented."

(this is not say that we should change our foreign policy to appease other nations, but rather, diplomacy such as this will not get the American message across)

Very Strange

From Raw Story.

Dems Act With Sanity

And confirm Roberts as Chief Justice of the SCOTUS. 22 Democrats along with one independent voted with the 55 Republicans.

Surprise that prospective presidential candidates Bayh, Biden, Clinton, and Kerry voted against the nominee? I think not. They are obviously pandering to the hard left of the Democratic party in order to win the primary election. Personal gain before the health of nation, never good.

As I have stated previously let Roberts go through because he is a moderate candidate. The Dems should save their fire for the next nominee, who could be a radical in the mold of Bork or Scalia. Thankfully most of them made the right choice and voted to confirm the next Chief Justice.

Yeeeah No More DeLay!

He has been indicted by a Texas grand jury for criminal conspiracy. House rules require him to step down from his position of Majority Leader.

Superhero Mike Brown

From his testimony before the House Committee.

"I guess you want me to be the superhero that is going to step in there and suddenly take everybody out of New Orleans."

No, all you needed to do was your job and effectively coordinate a response to a national disaster that you full well knew was coming.

What More Do They Want?

Why can't people see that Human Evolution is real? More evidence from Ballon Juice.

Young Repubs

For an inside look at the College Republican Organization check out TNR. Most interesting anecdote from the article is a look at who the targets of fundraising letters are:

"Finally, it helps to send these letters to senior citizens, who are lonely and sometimes suffering from dementia. "I don't have any more money," Cecilia Barbier, a 90-year-old retired church council worker and College Republicans contributor, told the Seattle Times. "I'm stopping giving to everybody. That was all my savings that they got." In a single year, Barbier made 300 donations for the organization, adding up to $100,000.

Damn Leftists Running Our Universities

And brainwashing the children with their liberal ideology! Here's yet another article by James Piereson espousing this unbelievable idea that somehow my professors and educators are indoctrinating me with "leftist beliefs" and it makes me want to scream. I am currently in college so I feel that I can shed some light on this absurd claim.

This is the line that really irks me, "unlike professors in the past, moreover, many contemporary teachers believe it is their duty to incorporate their political views into classroom instruction." Every political science teacher and humanities instructor that I have had stated plainly that their goal is to teach in an apolitical manor. While sometimes the teachers reveal their true feelings about any given issue, students are more than encouraged to debate any contentious point.

I grow sick of even mentioning the supposed liberal bias inherent in all of our universities. If the professors were so effective at re-educating their students to become Democrats then why have the we fared so poorly at election time in the past 30 years? You would think that 30 years would be long enough for the professors to churn out enough liberals to tip elections in our favor.

I Don't Know What to Believe

About these allegations that the United States held an al-Jazeera camera man in order to convince (intimidate?) him into spying on his employer and fellow employees. According to the Guardian the cameraman has stated the US believes that"al-Jazeera has been infiltrated by al-Qaida and that one of its presenters is linked to Islamists."

Now assuming that these claims are true and that the United States has interrogated the cameraman Muhyideen al-Hajj "more than 100 times" not about terrorism but al-Jazeera's hiring practices, I must ask these questions. Why are we wasting valuable resources holding people not even connected with terrorism? Why are we holding him if he still has not been charged with a crime in three and a half years?

Protecting America from terrorists is one thing, but this is ridiculous. Our prison systems need to be reformed. After Abu Ghraib and Gitmo how can we hold people for upwards of three years without being charged? Its one thing if an individual is involved with a terrorist organization, but to hold individuals indefinatly is wrong and unconstitutional.

Who Doesn't Like Political Tests?

Take it here.

Pressure at the Pump

If You Wish Upon a Star

From David Corn:

"Imagine if George Bush appointed someone not in his administration--someone of solid reputation, perhaps even a Democrat--to oversee the reconstruction of New Orleans. Imagine if Bush appointed another person like this to be an ombudsman for this project, someone who would insure that the billions of dollars spent are not wasted and do not end up only in the pockets of big corporations connected to the White House. Imagine if Bush called for an independent investigation of what went wrong. Imagine if Bush dismissed officials who had botched the government's response to Katrina. Imagine if Bush, after vowing to spend perhaps up to $200 billion on the reconstruction, called for suspending the billions of dollars in tax breaks for oil companies and the billions of dollars in highway pork recently passed by Congress--and told Congress not to cut Medicaid, food stamps and student loans. And imagine nonfattening apple pie."

Sigh...

We must open up ANWR now because of high gas prices! proclaims the fine gentleman at Powerline. Those damn Democrats ruled by environmental special interest groups are preventing legislation to effectively lower gas prices!

Here's the gist of why drilling in ANWR is not a good idea. (No matter what the crackpots say)

It will take 10 years before ANWR even begins producing oil, and 25 years before it hits peak production. Definitely not going to change gas prices in the short term.

Thinking in the long term drilling still makes no sense. Not only does it give a false sense of security that consuming massive amounts of oil will be economical and possible, but ANWR will not help reduce gasoline prices or significantly increase our oil reserves. The United States consume 19,650,000 bbl/day. At its very peak ANWR would provide us with 876,000 bbl/day, and anywhere from 4.3 to 11.8 billion total recoverable bbl. That is only 4.5% of our daily consumption. Gas prices would only be affected by about 1 penny.

Of course convenient facts such as these don't interfere with the analysis of the fine folks at Powerline. They would rather just put up quotes from the "obstructionist" Democrats.

Read my other post about the world oil supply.

Interesting note: Then they go off into this nonsense about trillion bbl sitting in the Rocky Mountains and they even suggest a blog to look at! Wow, they are on top of their shit! Only what they are talking about is not crude oil but oil shale, which really isn't even oil since it has not gone through the "oil window".

World Energy describes oil shale and its potential impact:

"Perhaps oil shale will eventually find a place in the world economy, but the energy demands of blasting, transport, crushing, heating and adding hydrogen, together with the safe disposal of huge quantities of waste material, are large. On a small scale, and with good geological and other favorable conditions, such as water supply, oil shale may make a modest contribution but so far shale oil remains the "elusive energy"."

Production of oil shale is still a few decades away and we shouldn't look too much into the eight companies that have leased land in CO to test economical shale development.

What?

To much time to read the whole Bible? Just skim through the "100 Minute Bible".

Damn I wish my Catholic educators would have given us this new and improved Bible Lite to study instead of the Extra-Large version. Would have made my high school theology classes much easier.

Yeah!!!

At least we have one smart Democrat.

Those Nutty Creationists...

Leading their own museum tours that offer creationist explanations for the exhibits. Museums are beginning to counteract the tours by instructing its docents in the art of properly handling commonly asked questions about evolution.

Give those wacko creationists credit, they truly are going into the belly of the beast. Weird stuff.

Hmmm....

Back to college style. Now I can tell the difference between the suave and the fashion stooges.

Hell No, Roberts Won't Go

To SCOTUS if Harry Reid has his way. The Senate Minority Leader's said, "I'm not to sure if his heart is as big as his head" when describing why he will vote against Roberts.

I hope that Roberts will pass the Senate nomination process. Does anyone honestly think that Bush will nominate any man better than Roberts? The Democrats should let Roberts pass through unchallenged, and save their ammunition for the next nominee. Being perceived as partisan obstructionists can only come back to haunt the Democrats.

Who the Hell Doesn't Like Polls?

Survey USA just released a new poll detailing the approval/disapproval ratings of each states' governor. Republican governors hold 4 out of the bottom 5 spots with Bob Taft of Ohio ranking dead last in his constituents' eyes, holding an approval rating of only 17%.

9 Democrats have approval ratings under 50% compared to 8 Republican governors.

Interesting note: 10 out of the 11 Democratic governors with the highest approval ratings were from "red states" who's constituents voted for Bush in the last election.

North Korea Progress?

Offers to dismantle nuclear weapons program in exchange for aid and security guarantees.

Is it significant breakthrough or just a ploy on the North Koreans part?

Progress

In Afghanistan as the first free democratic elections were held to form the legislative branch. The 50% voter turnout was significantly lower than the presidential elections held last month where turnout was estimated at 70%.

The question remains. Can the central government of Afghanistan survive without the United States' military to prop it up? There is plenty of reason to worry. A weak and fractured government has been the norm throughout Afghanistan's history. Rulers from Kabul historically have had only limited authority in the outlying towns and villages. The geography of Afghanistan dominated by mountains makes unified rule difficult. Its a hell of a lot easier to rule in flat Iowa than rocky Badakhshan.

The challenge of asserting rule over this country has vexed many world powers, most of whom did not succeed. The United States shakey first steps in governance have been successful. The country has not plunged into chaos, the Taliban have not returned to power, and Pakistani influence has been minimal. Many problems remain. Osama bin Laden is still at large, and the central government in Kabul is not strong enough to exert influence on the seemingly autonomous townships in the countryside. The United States must solve these problems before it withdraws. Afghanistan will not turn into a vibrant democracy within the next five years, but it must continue to take steps in that direction. Only when a strong and stable Afghan government emerges in Kabul can the United States leave. We cannot cut and run.

Isn't That Nice...

OPEC is prepared to raise supply limits, which will reduce the price of oil per barrel. Gas prices will hopefully dip down.

Lets Talk About Sex Baby...

Exploit the Hurricane for...

repealing the Estate Tax.

Quotes, Quotes, Quotes

In regard to the political appointees at FEMA.
From CNN:

"We told these fellows that there was a killer hurricane heading right toward New Orleans," Leo Bosner, a 26-year FEMA employee and union leader told CNN. "We had done our job, but they didn't do theirs."

UN Reform

The Economist take.

When Will We Learn?

The Bush Admin cannot even effectively coordinate the rebuilding in Iraq how the hell is it supposed to lead the reconstruction in the Gulf?

"But in a series of interviews, American military officers and Iraqi officials involved in the reconstruction described a pattern of failures and frustrations that Army officers who have worked in other parts of Iraq say are routine. Residents complain that the many of the city's critical needs remain unfulfilled and the Army concedes that many projects it has financed are far behind schedule. Officers with the American military say that corruption and poor oversight are largely to blame."

No More Rick Santorum

He's trailing the Democratic challenger Bob Casey 52% to 38% in a soon to be released poll. What wonderful news.

SOSDD

Bush's speech calls for the nation to pull together through the tragedy of Katrina, spiritually unite as a nation, and that we need to throw lots and lots of money to help the victims. Nothing new. I skipped it and just read the transcript.

Does not deserve any more analysis than that.

We Should All Be Democrats

Here's why.

Everyone's Doing It

Especially teens.

21st Century Purge

By the Vatican against its gay priests, nuns, bishops, and cardinals. From NY Times:

"Investigators appointed by the Vatican have been instructed to review each of the 229 Roman Catholic seminaries in the United States for "evidence of homosexuality" and for faculty members who dissent from church teaching, according to a document prepared to guide the process."

This is part of the Vatican's move to bar homosexuals from being admitted into the seminary.

Is there something wrong with being gay? Is that the message the Catholic Church is trying to teach? From my experience in Catholic schools the message reiterated by my Jesuit teachers was that being gay was not a sin, but engaging in homosexual acts was considered sinly (I most emphatically disagree with this second contention).

All priests must abstain from sexual conduct. What is the difference between abstaining from homosexual or heterosexual behavior? Your not having sex either way. I think this is just a misbegotten attempt to blame the sex scandals on homosexual priests that are now supposedly "outside the Church". Pedophilia and homosexuality do not correlate.

I hope that all priests and religious persons stand up and denounce this terrible development. It is immoral and wrong.

Worst Day in Iraq

With almost 150 people killed in the horrific bombings in Baghdad, the calls for immediate troop withdrawal will echo through the mouths of liberals and conservatives alike. We cannot leave now. A failed state in the center of the Middle East with a power hungry Iran waiting in the wings would be a disaster. Our security as a nation depends on a reconstructed Iraq.

(Everyday it makes me angrier and angrier that we invaded Iraq when Osama should have been the #1 priority)

Oh God...

Wonder what this ruling will start? Reminiscent of the California ruling that barred the pledge being said in a school classroom (later struck down by the SCOTUS).

Even though I am a firm advocate for the separation of Church and State this ruling is ridiculous and should be overturned. Reciting the pledge of allegiance has been an American tradition since 1954, and its not comparable to a judge placing a monument of the 10 Commandments in an Alabama courthouse. Just because the recitation of the phrase "one nation under God" offends a select few does not mean that it should be removed. Unless someone's rights are being violated, the will of a minority should not change the law of the majority.

What?

Its a wonder how we can catch any criminals with regulations like these.

Read Some Live Commentary About the Questions Asked

SCOTUS
Washington Post Blog

My Take on the Hearings

Nothing unusual. The Democrats called for open and candid discussion especially about right to privacy, interstate commerce regulation, religious symbols in public places, and any other conceivable topic. Republicans stressed that Roberts did not have to answer any question that deals with an impending or potentially impending case.

Roberts will get confirmed by the Senate. He is not in the model of a Scalia, Thomas, or Bork, and his previous decisions, statements, and writings have offered no red flags. The Democrats would be stupid to offer more than a token opposition to Roberts' nomination. Its best if they save their bullets for the next nominee.

We will see what turns up at the question segment tomorrow.

For a view much similar to my own read Jeffrey Rosen

Interesting Tidbits for Confirmation Hearings

Note: These quotes are not in a particular order.

Senator Grassley:

"Furthermore, Judge Roberts, you are the first nominee of the Internet age, with millions of eyes scrutinizing thousands of downloaded pages of writing, not to mention the hundreds of Web site blogs characterizing the documents that have been produced in an accurate -- or, more likely, inaccurate -- way and opining on every record that you have been involved with, and doing it by the minute.

Senator Biden:

"Judge, that's why this is a critical moment. There are elected officials in this government, such as Mr. DeLay -- a fine, honorable, patriotic man -- and others who have been unsuccessful at implementing their agenda in the elected branches. So they have now poured their energy -- as the left would, if it were different -- and now poured their energies and resources into trying to change the court's view of the Constitution."(My emphasis)

Senator Kohl:

"Third, judicial excellence requires a sense of compassion. The law is more than an intellectual game and more than a mental exercise. As Justice Black said, quote, The courts stand against any winds that blow as havens of refuge for those who might otherwise suffer because they are helpless, weak, outnumbered, or because they are nonconforming victims of prejudice and public excitement, unquote."

Senator Cornyn:

"All we need to do is to look at the Supreme Court's track record to see why abdicating our right of self- government to nine judges isolated behind a monumental marble edifice far removed from the life experiences of the average American is a bad idea."

John Roberts:

"ROBERTS: I have no agenda, but I do have a commitment. If I am confirmed, I will confront every case with an open mind. I will fully and fairly analyze the legal arguments that are presented. I will be open to the considered views of my colleagues on the bench. And I will decide every case based on the record, according to the rule of law, without fear or favor, to the best of my ability. And I will remember that it's my job to call balls and strikes and not to pitch or bat."

Full Transcript

Still Will Rise

Even with the slight dip in price per barrel, oil prices will continue to rise over the upcoming years.

Watch the Video

By the way of Wonkette.

Its worth it to watch the 30 sec commercial to see this.

Death Toll in New Orleans

At 197. Much better than the 10,000 dead that Mayor Nagin predicted. Where did Nagin come up with that number?

Read the 9/11 Report

Learn about what happened from a credible source, and not blabbering idiots on the internet.

State IDs Are No Good

In Georgia.

Lets see. Make people without a driver's license (primarily poor, black, elderly, and Democrat) pay $20 or more for a state ID in order to vote, and don't place a single building in Atlanta that sells the state IDs (are these people supposed to drive to the surrounding counties?) Could perhaps political motivations on the part of the Republican leaders be behind this initiative? Undoubtedly.

I am most certainly in favor of a mandatory national ID for every person. This card would cover everything from voting to driving. The card would be free. As it would be a requirement for all citizens and residents of the US, the card should not cost anything. Security and the equal treatment of all our citizens do not have to be mutually exclusive. Make the ID free and easily accessible.

Oil, Oil How High Will You Go?

According to the traders at the NY Mercantile Exchange:

Price in June
of 2006 Probability
Less than $30 2%
$30-$40 10%
$40-$50 19%
$50-$60 21%
$60-$70 17%
$70-$80 12%
$80-$90 8%
$90-$100 5%
Above $100 6%

My view

The Palestinian dilemma

Was the Israeli pullout because of violent resistance or peaceful negotiations? What the "street" believes will determine the course of the peace process.

From the The Guardian:

"The Palestinian Authority is torn between wanting to claim the victory and persuading the people that the future lies with negotiations. It has tried to revive the nationalism embodied by Yasser Arafat and the PLO by appealing for people to fly only the national flag of red, black, white and green in celebration at the Israeli pullout. The authority even distributed 80,000 free flags.

But on the rooftops of Khan Yunis they are easily outnumbered by the green banners of Hamas, a reflection of the Islamisation of Palestinian society and a widespread belief that Hamas led the fight to drive out the Israelis. The organisation has distributed thousands more flags for its supporters to plant in the rubble of the settlements and claim them as a victory for the bomb."

Alright...

Big Media shows some cojones. Maybe soon they will actually start to report hard facts instead of just useless anecdotes.

He's Gone!

Finally, Brown is out of New Orleans.

More Links Detailing the Mismanaged Aftermath

Jay Bookman
Boston Globe
Bull Moose
Chicago Sun-Times
Denver Post
Lance Dickie
DLC
Charles Krauthammer
Carl Leubsdorf
Sacramento Bee
Yellow Line
Eric Zorn

Describing Incompetent Leadership

Buzzmachine
Paul Campos
David Corn
LA Times
Michelle Malkin
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Timothy Naftali
New Orleans Times-Picayune
Robert Novak
NY Times
Paul Krugman
Andrew Sullivan
TalkingPointsMemo
Washington Times

Many different voices detailing the poor reactions by the feds to the catastrophe. I am not absolving the local/state government from all the blame, but after a disaster of this magnitude the federal government needs to step in with a capable plan and manage the situation. Ultimately the responsibility falls on the federal government to respond to national disasters.

Timelines for Katrina

TalkingPointsMemo
RightWingNutHouse

Say What?

From Colorado Representative Tom Tancredo:

"Given the abysmal failure of state and local officials in Louisiana to plan adequately for or respond to the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the city of New Orleans, and given the long history of public corruption in Louisiana, I hope the House will refrain from directly appropriating any funds . . . to either the state of Louisiana or the city of New Orleans."

New Orleans devastated, people dying, and this man says in effect let them suffer because of incompetent government? Toss him in the drink and see if he can sink or swim. Accountability comes later. Save lives now.

By the way of Ballon Juice.

On a Lighter Note

Old men playing videogames is always funny.

Spin, Spin, and more Spin

First, the public cannot see pictures of our fallen soldiers returning from Iraq, now we cannot see the dead bodies in New Orleans? The Bush spinmasters really must be working overtime.

What the hell is going on here? Incompetent execution of poorly planned misadventures (Iraq and Katrina) in Bush's eyes, calls not for replacing the fools (Rumsfeld and Brown) who work for you, but rather, to disseminate blame on others.

Incompetence Demonstrated Once Again

1,000 fully equipped firefighters from Salt Lake City ready to go and assist FEMA in New Orleans, and where does FEMA send them? To Atlanta where they will become FEMA public relations specialists. Good Lord.

Quotations of the People

Describing the victims of Hurricane Katrina and their current plight.

Barbara Bush:

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this- this is working very well for them."...

More at CNN.

Some people do start to go a little crazy as they age...

FEMA Not Getting it Done

Take a look at this post. Why is the partisan hack, Michael Brown, still allowed to manage the Katrina aftermath?

Update:
FEMA's incompetent handling of the crisis in New Orleans has exacerbated the casualty totals, which the Mayor of NO believes could reach 10,000.

Making Evolution into a Common Sense Argument

NY Times Letters:

It's true that most of us don't fret about quantum physics because its practical uses, such as in transistors and lasers, are clear, even though the theory may sail over our heads.

Perhaps scientists should follow a similar tack with evolution.

Why not spell out the numerous medical breakthroughs produced by the field of modern evolutionary biology? Perhaps a focus on the practical side of evolution, rather than its theoretical underpinnings, would give disbelievers pause the next time a loved one needed a medical drug or procedure that owed its existence to Darwin.

Karen Schiff
Oak Park, Ill., Aug. 28, 2005

Who's to Blame?

For the disastrous coordination of relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina? The state and local governments for being unwilling to call up their state's National Guard units, for not doing enough on their own to fortify the levees? Or is it the Feds fault?

Two opposing viewpoints:

Josh Marshall
John Hinderaker

The ultimate responsibility for the coordination and prevention of disasters lies with our federal government. After all the federal government only institution capable on the strategic level of coordinating a multi-state relief, aid, and safety project. State and local planning obviously is crucial, but oftentimes the local institutions are overwhelmed by the situation and cannot be expected to manage such a crisis of this magnitude.

Horrible Aftermath

While I do not blame Bush for somehow being responsible for the destruction and chaos caused by a once in a hundred years hurricane, I do hold Bush and his Republican cronies liable for the mismanaged aftermath.

The two centers- the Superdome and the convention center- are cesspools of crime and violence due to inadequate National Guard troops and police officers.

Looting is ruining any semblance of an economy. People break into stores and carry off televisions, stereos, beer, and, most troublesome, guns. The police's own damn food truck was broken into. Stealing food, water, and clothes for survival is no crime, but when gun stores have their merchandise cleared out by looters, and snipers fire at hospitals, the line has been crossed.

People are still stranded and without food and water.

This was only a Category 3 hurricane. This was a predictable scenario and there should have been a more adequate response by the government.

I suppose that's what you get when you appoint a partisan hack to the chief of FEMA.

Kanye's Outburst

During "A Concert For Hurricane Relief" Kanye West let it rip with this unscripted comment regarding the current plight of the stranded in New Orleans:

"I hate the way they portray us in the media. If you see a black family, it says they're looting. See a white family, it says they're looking for food."

West also said (paraphrase):

"George Bush doesn't care about black people" and said America is set up "to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off as slow as possible."

Pie in the Sky and the Reality on the Ground

A look at the disconnect of views between the bureaucrats in Washington and the reality of life after Katrina.

By the way of Andrew Sullivan.

Quotes, Quotes, Quotes

From Jack Shafer of Slate Magazine:

"But we aren't one united race, we aren't one united class, and Katrina didn't hit all folks equally. By failing to acknowledge upfront that black New Orleanians—and perhaps black Mississippians—suffered more from Katrina than whites, the TV talkers may escape potential accusations that they're racist. But by ignoring race and class, they boot the journalistic opportunity to bring attention to the disenfranchisement of a whole definable segment of the population. What I wouldn't pay to hear a Fox anchor ask, 'Say, Bob, why are these African-Americans so poor to begin with?'"