Alito Alights on the Bench

Judge Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. today became the 110th Supreme Court Justice after being confirmed by a 58-42 senate vote. Only 1 Republican voted against him, while only 4 Democrats voted for him. It was the least number of votes by a presidents opposing party in history.
Roe vs Wade looks to be his, and Roberts biggest test. Alito and Roberts were appointed by Bush to carve a conservative swath through the country, beginning or perhaps culminating in the abolishment of Roe vs. Wade. But that is a story for another time perhaps while its being argued in the Supreme Court.
Bush today proclaimed Alito to be a "brilliant and fair-minded judge who strictly interprets the Constitution and laws and does not legislate from the bench." Let hope this is one time the Bush-whacker isn't lying to the American public.
Yes , Alito certainly did alight on the bench, but that's the easy part, pigeons do it all the time. Lets just hope he's not like pigeons in other ways too.

In other news Coretta Scott King died earlier today. She was 78. I only hope she is now reunited with her husband and that her death wasn't the result of Alito becomming the newest member of the Supremes.

Hamas wins upset victory in Palestinian election

Hamas has pulled off a coup today winning the FREE DEMOCRATIC election in Palestine.
This is bound to make Both Israel and the United States unhappy. I guess they only like democratic processes when the results agree with them, huh?
Same thing recently happened in Bolivia, when Evo Morales won the presidency by assuring the poor people that things would indeed improve for them. Likewise in Chile with the election of Michelle Bachelet, and in Venezuela with Hugo Chavez. All have denounced the United States' meddling and disregard for South America's poor.

Most things are cyclical in nature and it would seem that the left and Socialism are once again gaining in popularity. While this may, on the one hand seemingly please Hillary and the rest of America's leftist elite, they cannot be pleased by the turn FROM Capitalism. You see in America thats the one thing both the right and left have in common, their love of Capitalism. The only difference in ideology between the sides is what they would do with the corporate profits. The right would allow the rich to continue to get richer at the expense of the poor, while the left would tax the rich at obscenely high rates and redistribute it to the poor. While this concept of caring for the poor does appeal to me, I draw the line at supporting the poor who REFUSE to do anything for themselves

Five women prisoners to be freed in Iraq

Doesn't this qualify as "negotiating" with terrorists?
Don't get me wrong I'm in favor doing everything possible to gain the release of all innocent civilians taken hostage in Iraq, and elsewhere, I'm just asking thats all.

Microsoft Defends Decision to Give Up Search Data

Microsoft claims it didn't divulge any personal "user" information to the Government, nor will it. They further stated that their customers privacy is "not negotiable". They simply produced a random sample of pages from their index and some aggregated query logs that listed queries and how often they occurred,"

So you turn over "search" information of your clients , but would never violate their privacy? Ok so now the government finds something "of interest" and demands the identity of the party, what now Microsoft?

Alito Confirmation Seems All but Assured

With "Team Bush" all but set, its "game on" in The United States. So along with this years Olympics "let the games begin."
If this were a movie we could call it "Clash of the egos" or "Whose opinion is it anyway?" which essentially is what it is, a battle for "supreme" opinion.
Alas, Americas future lies in the balance, so it really isn't a game for the average American, its their life.

Beware: The "Draft"

A recent report by the U.S.Army says they are stretched so thin they won't have enough left to finish the job in Iraq without many more new recruits and re-enlistments.
Such is life during war times, especially unjust, unwarranted wars. There are very few "maniacs," that enlist to " kill, kill, KILL". No, most enlist because its their only chance to succeed in this country, their only chance to have college paid for and to get other training and benefits. There used to be an ad slogan to "join the Army and see the world" which is a fine incentive during peace time, but correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember many vacations or site seeing tours to Afghanistan and Iraq.
Wow! did you feel that draft? Better button up if you don't want to get sick.

Google Agrees to Censor Results in China

Google today launched a version of its search engine in China that censors material about human rights, Tibet and other topics sensitive to Beijing, and defends doing so as a "trade-off granting Chinese greater access to other information".
Google it would seem has little regard for its own motto of "don't be evil". But whatever, this is after all China we're talking about, a notorious human rights violator, so what has this to do with anything? It was or should have been a forgone conclusion.
Yes but beware there are groups in the United States that would love to see this same policy instituted, and in fact is trying.

"Hand" of God Convicted

Earlier today a jury in Massachusetts found inmate Joseph Druce guilty of killing Catholic pedophile / gay priest John Geoghan in 2003. For Druce, already serving a life sentence for a previous murder, I Just don't see him losing much sleep over this latest conviction. I mean really, after serving out his first life sentence he starts the next, OK, big deal, gimme more. Here is where I think we may actually need the death penalty, for someone who kills in prison after being convicted of killing someone in the real world. I mean we must protect the other convicted killers, serving time with him, from "harm" don't we? Geez, that sounds so stupid, just like a lot of things in the "justice system".

But back to Duce. His lawyer tried an insanity defense claiming among other things that "God told him to do it". Duce himself testified to being sexually abused as a child & that he overheard Geoghan advise other inmates on how to molest children and say he planned to move to South America after prison so he could resume working with children."I had seen myself as the designated individual who had to put a stop to the pedophilia in the church," Druce said. In a touch of irony, Druce's first murder was supposedly committed on a man who "propositioned" him after he picked Druce up hitchhiking. An Insanity defense was rejected by the jury in that case also.
Geoghan was in prison for fondling a 10-year-old boy, but he was accused in lawsuits of sexually abusing some 150 children.
Obviously Druce is a "homo-phobe" but that doesn't make him insane, just a "Christian Republican"!

As for Geoghan, its just too bad he had only one life to take.

Team George Does "End Run" Around Brother Jeb

You've heard the expression "blood is thicker than water"? I guess we'll now get to see if "blood" is thicker than "oil" too as the Bush Administration proceeds with trying to drill for oil off the Gulf coast of Florida. Brother Jeb Bush had been an adamant opponent of this, but in and "end run" around him it seems Brother George's team, has instituted new rules whereby Florida doesn't have as much "say" as other states. It seems the Feds quietly changed its rules to give pro-drilling states a greater say than Florida over whether drilling happens.

The Importance of Language Skills

I love good language skills. It allows one to say anything they want and then just disavow it with a "well you just don't understand" excuse.

Take the mayor of New York Shity's recent remark when confronted with an arbitrators ruling that in fact ticket "quotas" were issued to city cops. The mayor said "There are no ticket quotas, There are performance standards."
Huh?.
Just as I love the convenient interpretations of the Bible over the millennia.

Are You Really Free? and Do You Really Want to be?

The U.S. government is fighting over the so called "spy" program the Bush administration has undertaken in its effort to combat terrorism. Bush is under fire over the highly classified eavesdropping program that allows the government to bypass warrant requirements and monitor communications, such as e-mail and telephone calls, into and out of the United States by people believed linked to al Qaeda or related terrorist groups.

Another recent development has the U.S. government's so called Justice Department trying to subpoena information on internet users' search results from all the major search engines. It seems Google is the only one fighting the request, and how long that will last may depend on investors, who yesterday showed their dismay by giving google its largest % drop so far. The others like Yahoo, and Microsoft caved in immediately. But what is right? What is good? In this particular case its good, since its "intent" is to combat child porn on the internet.

But my fear are those broad ranging words, believed, and intent, for they can cover alot of deliberate misuses by Big Brother. Did you know that in America, if you can prove you were in fear for you life, you can kill that person who created the fear, no matter how ridiculous that fear may seem to others? Yes as long as you can prove it was a genuine fear to you, you are justified. Mind you, I never said it WAS a real fear, just that IF you can make others believe it then you can get away with murder. That is what I fear most about giving any government too much power, it can be misused.

Muslim Group to Call for Writer's Release

This my friends is how it should be done, how it must be done. The voice of the masses is still a powerful tool, a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully the latest voices, those of more moderate Muslims, will be heard, and an innocent life saved. This same tactic can be used here in America. In fact it was in the last presidential election when the misguided religious groups used their clout to re-elect the Bush-whacker. NOW they are atoning for their sins, but that's another story.
People MUST speak out. They must speak their minds. Getting the average person to do that is however the real problem. Far too many people, myself included, become too complacent, too willing to wait for someone else to get the same idea and act upon it.
Wake up world; lets do this. Lets not let the extremists, whether in the U.S. or in the middle East or wherever, lets not let them continue to get away with murder.

How America Treats its Allies

Ahh to be friends with the United States sure has its price. The latest is the illegal air raid in the sovereign nation of Pakistan, that managed to kill maybe a couple Al Queda people, but also several times as many innocent civilians, including women and children.
And let us not forget the killing of an Italian secret service agent last March by American military, a crime for which Italian courts have now indicted the unknown soldier(s) for. Italian sources say the U.S. has ignored their requests for help in finding the soldier(s) and doubts they ever will.

Mom sues for answers about loss of limbs

Claudia Mejia, went into the hospital to give birth. She came out with a healthy baby,but minus her own arms and legs. Seems she contracted the dreaded "flesh eating" bacterial infection while in the hospital and amputation was the only chance of "saving" her life. But how did this happen? Who is responsible? She deserves answers, but it seems rather than punish "bad" medical personnel, from doctors and directors to orderlies, the Bush administration, and his brother Jeb, would rather "punish" the patients, the victims. Yes by passing legislation limiting monetary recovery, what the government essentially is doing is giving hospitals and staff a free pass. Like it or not money is a necessary evil in this world. With money, people can "afford" to get to the bottom of this and other tragedies that occur daily in our hospitals. The reasons they occur, run the gamut from completely unpreventable to totally criminal negligence. I have favored a policy whereby doctors, if they can't be sued for everything , which is what some victims lose, then at the very least they should be held criminally liable and subject to losing their freedoms. THIS is the only fair alternative.

How to Beat America

Or at least make her look bad. I generally oppose extremist viewpoints and actions in anything. Well here is a way to bring America to her knees, or at least her senses. There is only one thing America honors, values or respects, that is her money, her wealth. Stop killing innocent poor people and start attacking America's Economy. Just mere threats work pretty well. Yesterday after Bin ladens latest audio for example U.S. stocks dropped the most since the beginning of the Iraq war. But the biggest impact would be in controlling oil flow into America, and thereby controlling its price. This alone will either destroy America or, more likely force her to attack the biggest oil producing countries, much as it is doing now. The diffference in my scenario though will be the more obvious intent of the U.S. taking complete control and possession of those countries. This of course won't be taken lying down by the Muslims. Nor will it be accepted by the other big players, most notably China, who lately is a really big player for oil. The Islamic countries, with China's aid will fight to the death of every last Muslim to prevent a takeover of their countries by the "infidel".
Unfortunately the end result will be nuclear war, and the end of the world as we now know it

Bush / Bin Laden Odd Couple?

Having just finished reading two articles and watching a taping of a TV show, I couldn't help but notice the similarities amongst all of them.

First was the article where Bin Laden offered to negotiate a "truce" of sorts with the United States (Bush). I followed that with an article from Tokyo, where the zoo there had a rat snake that had stopped eating frozen mice, so they offered it a live hamster instead as a treat. What follows instead of a meal for the snake is an unlikely friendship between the two including them sleeping together. Then I watched an episode of "Beauty and the Geek, a TV series about average looking (or less), brainy guys with no social skills who team up with beautiful girls with all the social skills,but little or no brains.

Are you starting to see the correlation yet? Of course you are; Bush is the "beauty" with social skills and no brains, while Bin Laden is the "geek" with the brains and no social skills. In the zoo article about the snake and the hamster (or rat as I prefer) it makes little difference who is who, both are interchangeable. What matters is the possibility of such an unlikely alliance taking place at all. I suppose we'll have to wait to see who the winner is (who eats who) before deciding who the snake is. But Bush in "bed" with Osama isnt so far fetched given Bush' love of Arab men
There is however precedent in the latter because after all the U.S. has made these type alliances before. Just look at the alliance between the U.S. and Saddam Hussein when Saddam was feuding with Iran in the 80's or the U.S. Bin laden alliance also in the 80's when Osama was fighting for Afghanistan against the Russians, something the United States was all for at the time.

The Forgotten Wounded

A must read, written by Ron Kovic a wounded Vietnam Veteran. His autobiography, "Born on the Fourth of July," was adapted into a motion picture you may recall by the same name.
Whatever your political views, whatever your feelings on the current war in Iraq, this transcends all that. THIS IS A MUST READ. Use it as the definitive guide to whats really going on behind the scenes.
Really, REALLY Loooooooooooong, but you DO owe it to those serving in the U.S. armed forces to read it in its entirety, and then read it again.

Here are just two excerpts, but please read it all here.

You will always go back to that day, that moment you got hit, the day you nearly died yet somehow survived. It will be a day you will never forget— when bullets were cracking all around you, when the first Marine tried to save you and was shot dead at your feet and the second, a black Marine—whom you would never see again and who would be killed later that afternoon—would carry you back under heavy fire.

I cannot help but wonder what it will be like for the young men and women wounded in Iraq. What will their homecoming be like? For us in 1968 it was the Bronx veterans hospital paraplegic ward, overcrowded, understaffed, rats on the ward, urine bags overflowing onto the floor. It seemed more like a slum than a hospital. Paralyzed men lying in their own excrement, pushing call buttons for aides who never came, wondering how our government could spend so much money (billions of dollars) on the most lethal, technologically advanced weaponry to kill and maim human beings but not be able to take care of its own wounded when they came home.

New Animal Species Found in Calif. Caves

27 new species were found in caves in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Amazing! With all we know about the world, and as advanced as we are in so many ways to think that so much can still be discovered and so much probably is yet to be discovered. Just amazing. I have nothing else to say for a change. I'm in awe. Just read the story.

New Orleans Mayor Says God Mad at U.S.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin suggested Monday that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and other storms were a sign that "God is mad at America" and at black communities, too, for tearing themselves apart with violence and political infighting.

"Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country," Nagin, who is black, said as he and other city leaders marked Martin Luther King Day. "Surely he doesn't approve of us being in Iraq, under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also. We're not taking care of ourselves."

"It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild New Orleans - the one that will again be a "chocolate" New Orleans," the mayor said. "This city will be a majority African American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans."

My reason for this submission is:
1) Pat Robertson should take note, there is a proper way of expressing oneself
2) I'm glad New Orleans is again going to be a "chocolate" city, considering how much I like my "chocolate" especially "hot chocolate"
3) I agree with his assessment of the reasons God is mad at America.
But I still don't think Nagin is a good mayor, administrator or businessman.

California Executes Oldest Inmate

I know I usually write opposing the death penalty but today I write about the irony of it all. Mind you I ONLY oppose the death penalty because of the possibility of having convicted an innocent man.
California today executed its oldest inmate on death row, a 76 year old legally blind, nearly deaf, wheel chair bound diabetic.
Though the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence, Justice Steven Breyer filed a dissent, saying: "Petitioner is 76 years old, blind, suffers from diabetes and is confined to a wheelchair, and has been on death row for 23 years. I believe that in the circumstances he raises a significant question as to whether his execution would constitute cruel and unusual punishment. I would grant the application for stay."

The obvious irony being that America apparently only wants to execute young healthy men, others, such as the person described above, just kinda takes the fun out of it.

Israel's Democracy in Action

During elections in Palestine its good to see Israel show Democracy by example, by banning Hamas from campaigning in Jerusalem.

Israeli police picked up three Hamas candidates for questioning, & tore down campaign banners. Undeterred after his release, Mohammed Abu Teir, said his brief detention had helped his campaign. "It gave us the opportunity to give the people the picture of what is happening in Jerusalem, without even talking to them."

Golden Globe Awards

As "Brokeback Mountain," a movie about gay cowboys won 4 Golden Globe awards last night I couldn't help but wonder why its theme song wasn't "Homo on the Range". You know how it goes: Homo, Homo on the range; where the deer and the antelope are gay; where seldom ...........
I refuse to even consider how or why they selected a name like "Brokeback....." I can only imagine one guy was considerably heavier than the other!!!!!!
With the movie supposedly doing well ALL across the country, there must be an awful lot of empty closets nationwide.

In keeping with the nights immoral sexual theme, Felicity Huffman (of TV's Desperate Houswives fame), won the best dramatic actress award for her portrayal of a man preparing for sex-change surgery in "Transamerica," and Philip Seymour Hoffman won for his role of gay author Truman Capote.

Hey, don't like my sense of humor? Tough! I pick on everyone. Deal with it
See complete List of winners.

Pastor Wants Boycott of Microsoft and Others Who Support Gay Rights

A pastor on Monday called for a national boycott of Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and other companies that support a gay civil rights bill, saying the corporations have underestimated the power of religious consumers. The Rev. Ken Hutcherson, pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Seattle, said he would formally issue the boycott Thursday on the conservative radio show Focus on the Family.
Its one thing to boycott an organization that supports or provides abortions, or a tv station that depicts a pastor and his family in an unholy light, as in the case of NBC's "the book of Daniel" but THIS, this is quite something else. I can't wait for the religious and other moralists to put away their keyboards and pull out the stone tablets again.
Lets face facts here, the internet has helped express the religious and moralist views just as much as any other less desirable ones. To abandon the internet now would only be "cutting off their nose to spite their face". Even in a win, which they might even get, because its not that big a deal, would still be a loss to their bigger cause. But I'm not even sure they would get much participation in such a boycott, because like it or not the world now revolves around the internet. Nothing happens without it.
In a little side note that just struck me, did you ever realize its the emails with a religious theme that demands that you forward them or else?
Nah, they could never REALLY boycott Microsoft stamps are too expensive.

Gore: Resist Bush's 'excessive power grab'

I don't even care about the story. If you do, go to the link I'm only writing because its two of the men I despise most and suddenly it struck me. Looking at their two names together I couldn't help but want to switch the first letter of each of their last names. It would make much more sense for both of them. We would have Gush & Bore, with president Gush, well gushing all over himself about his perceived accomplishments and Bore, well thats exactly what he was when he ran for president in 2000. Instead of winning the popular vote and losing in court as he did, he would have won easily if only he had even a hint of the charisma Clinton had.

CELL PHONE TAX ILLEGAL

Oh this is just sooo American:
The IRS is illegally collecting taxes from cellphone users to the tune of $9 billion over of the last three years, Of that, New York City residents are owed $275 million, or about $50 per customer. Sen. Charles Schumer said.
The federal government started collecting taxes on long-distance calls way back in 1898 to help pay for the Spanish American War.
But several courts have recently ruled that the tax - which is 3 percent of the total bill - does not apply to cellphones, since they are usually billed by the minute, not the distance.
"The courts have now made it crystal clear that this tax is illegal, and yet the IRS continues to put it on everybody's cellphone bill," Schumer said
Earlier this month, a third federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., declared the tax "null and void."

"They're violating the law," he said. "The IRS asks all of us not to violate the law. Well, now we're asking them the same."

OK, all together now lets sing "God bless A -merica's, dou - ble stan - dard...........

Abraham Lincoln's Latest "Slap"

In the latest attempt to heap more dirt on Abraham Lincoln's grave the History Channel tonight is airing " MELANCHOLY B-ABE-Y". I'm not here to promote or even watch this latest guess at what Lincoln was really like. No, its just that while perusing the article I read the following line:
Joshua Wolf Shenk, a fine young author who has battled depression himself, views Lincoln as an inspiration — a man who fought his demons by convincing himself he was destined to change history.
This so reminded me of Bush, not that he'll even remotely accomplish near as great as Lincoln, just that he no doubt has convinced himself that he is destined to change history.
Unfortunatley its not looking as if its even going to be a positive change, a big one in many ways but a positive one in NONE. Oddly Lincoln helped end slavery and Bush is in the process of just giving it a new look in Iraq, and America with his Patriot Act and other fiascos.

Iran bans CNN journalists after presidential misquote

CNN has ben banned from working in Iran until further notice over its error in translating Iran's president President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech.

When president Ahmadinejad said "Iran has the right to nuclear energy," CNN translated it to - "the use of nuclear weapons is Iran's right."

Wars have been started over little errrors like this, just ask Saddam, Bush or Blair.

Preventing Child Abuse

One of the most important things society must do is protect the most innocent among us. By all means if you suspect child abuse, call the authorities, immediately.
Authorities pay attention, because the burden falls to you. You MUST be properly trained and yet even then mistakes are made. Sometimes these errors have no consequences, other times we read about another little Nixzmary Brown. I'm all in favor of erring on the side of the child's safety, I just want to present a little caution, a caution I don't make up, I know it happens and is harmful to all involved. Occasionally a misguided or angry child, or a disgruntled neighbor, co-worker, ex lover, ex spouse or other person with a grudge may put out false information of abuse.
This can result in a child being wrongly removed from their home. This can result in as much trauma for all involved as if it WERE child abuse.
I know you can get any child removed from any home with a false report, so authorities please beware and be careful as you do an important and dangerous job.

Remembering Martin Luther King

As each year passes and I hopefully get wiser, I realize more and more how much better off this country would be had Martin Luther King lived. Alas bigoted America wasn't ready for him then. But today, he no doubt by now would have been an important name in American history. Heck what am i saying? He's dead almost 38 years now and STILL he IS an important name in American history. He may not have lived to do it himself, but he inspired many others to carry on. Just Imagine what he might have been, what he might have accomplished had he lived.. For one thing we wouldn't have to stoop to the likes of Al Sharpton as a black leader.

Dems Ready Proposal on Code of Conduct

A case of the wolf guarding the hen house?
Whatever, its a nice thought anyway, that politicians think honesty is important, even if they don't really mean it. And the Democrats beat the Republicans to the punch. With all the "criminal" activity the Republicans have been caught at lately, this was a nice one two punch. But I'm all too aware that most politicians, heck most humans, have a price. So, the so called "gifts" politicians receive in return for "considerations" is under review. Big deal, nice thought, but lets see it work. Like years ago when the tax deduction was removed for personal loans, car loans, and credit card interest I thought Ok finally we'll cut down on borrowing, which to me is a downward spiral to hell. Only trouble is its also the American way. So what happened is people started refinancing their homes, because THAT WAS deductible. End result? Highest debt per person EVER. I think last count, NOT counting mortgage debt, was about $8-10,000 the "average" person was in debt for. So you see my skepticism? They'll find a way around this safeguard too. After all its the American way.

Pat Robertson's Mental Illness

Pat Robertson lately is continuously saying very un-Christian like things and then days later apologizing for them. What's the problem for this minister who was a former Republican candidate for president?
Me thinks he suffer from a dual (or more?) personality disorder, which many people including myself suffer from, but in his case its of the worst kind. For Robertsons personalities are controlled on one side by God and on the other by Satan, a conflict I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Speaking of G.W.Bush for a moment he should fear not, for one must first have a mind and or personality in order for it to be taken over.
Back to Robertson, lets recap his most recent hiccups:
Aug. 23rd, 2005: called for the assassination of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez
Nov 19th, 2005: told a Pennsylvania town that disaster may strike there because they "voted God out of their city" by ousting school board members who favored teaching intelligent design
Jan.5th, 2006: suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine punishment for "dividing God's land."
These outbursts are becoming more frequent, suggesting his disease is getting worse. 12 weeks between the first and second "episode" and then just 6 weeks before the third. If this pattern persists we can expect more diarrhea to pour forth from his mouth in approximately 3 weeks or around the 26th of January. Hopefully his "handlers" will up his meds and get him back under control.

True Believers: An Explanation

Too great not to blog!

TRUE BELIEVERS - Whither atheist, agnostic, or theistically minded, a true believer is one who defends his cause rather than the truth. True believers tend to be "dogmatic", closed minded, irrational, or normatively (emotionally) charged rhetoricians. The epistemological concern with True Believers is that they have no coherent or consistent organization to their philosophy. In short, they argue immaturely. Convinced of the correctness of their cause, they operate under an ends-justify-the-means aegis and use inconsistency and ad hoc arguments to support their cause - i.e., favoring empirical research when such research is supportive, and ignoring it otherwise, always with the overriding utilitarian thought that the "truth" of their position justifies a "fluctuating" epistemology.

In psychology the cause behind this childish mindset is referred to as identity foreclosure. Identity foreclosure occurs when one simply accepts the belief systems of authority figures, surrendering the personal responsibility of a critically examination of what one should believe, through earnest study of other perspectives and self discovery.

The lost irony on True believers is the harm they do to their cause - for even if their beliefs are true, their epistemologically unsound arguments are deleterious to open minded debate. It's not enough that your conclusion is correct, you also must have a valid argument leading to your conclusion.

Saint Thomas Aquinas wisely pointed out that if God exists, no arguments against his existence should be feared. In fact, he held that even sensationalistic (empirical) evidence should prove His existence - since 1) God created all natural phenomena, and 2) since truth cannot be contradictory. Following Aquinas' lead, all debaters should embrace all facts involved in an issue, and face them head on.
AMEN!

When Freedom and Democracy Interfere with National Safety

This has always bothered me. I am a big proponent of freedom of information, of knowing as much and as many details of what goes on in this country as possible. I wholeheartedly believe this is necessary to keep the country's "movers and shakers" as honest as possible. And even then, as we see daily, even what we do get, isn't enough to prevent some VERY BIG problems.
But where and when do we draw the line on freedom, and all of its components? Many times I've seen, as I'm sure we all have, news stories by investigative reporters exposing weaknesses in our countries security, its defense, its politicians, its morals, its greed. Its discrimination, its lack of unity, its fears, and on and on. One thing I've learned through years of dealing with enemies and other opponents is never let them see or otherwise learn of your weaknesses. Never give them anything to exploit, for exploit they will. And trust me ALL of the United States enemies are watching and listening to our EVERY move, so they can use it against us.
So what is the answer? How do we keep an eye on the corruption and other failings of this country without also letting our enemies see them? I don't know when, where or even if we need to draw a line on our freedoms, but I do know we're tipping our hand to the enemy way too much and way too frequently.

Man sentenced to life for Bush grenade attack

The man who threw a dud grenade at George W. Bush in the former Soviet state of Georgia has received a life sentence for his efforts. Theres a saying that goes: no good deed shall go unpunished. The punishment is coming now, the good deed part has not yet been acknowledged yet by the world publically, but may very well in the future, when the realization comes that the wrong man is spending his life in jail.

Jolie Pregnant with Pitts Baby

Ok the world can now end. The final revelation has been fulfilled. Brad Pitt is becoming a father and Angelina Jolie the mother of a child from her very own body. And their doing this together! Everything is now aligned perfectly; it has all come together in Jolies belly which I'm sure is as it should be. What started with Adam and Eve can fittingly end with Angelina and Brad. Certainly this must fulfil some final prophesy somewhere right? Yes I am jealous.I've been wanting to be Angelina's baby's daddy for years now.

Attention Catholics! Those Who Have Ears, Hear This

Those who have eyes let them see:

Nothing like the voice of God to wake someone up, even a non believer. Yet Catholics are different. They prefer to remain asleep, listening only to the soothing voices of their religious leaders; fearful that not doing so could / would preclude them from their Heavenly reward or worse condemn them to eternal damnation in HELL!!!

But what if one of their own speaks out in truth, but that truth puts the "Church" in a less than pure light? Will they listen? Will they finally sit up and take notice of the reality around them? Or will they condemn this man of God as a heritic or a disciple of Satan? We shall see, because this is not just "one of their own", but a religious leader in position of authority, AND a victim himself
Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, is lobbying to allow past victims more time to file law suits against the Church, because as he says, knowing first hand, (pardon the pun), "They are intimidated, embarrassed, and they just bury it,". "I understand that. I never told my parents. ... I never told anybody." And this man was molested over 60 years ago. "As often happens in these cases," Gumbleton said, the priest would invite him and another boy to a weekend cabin. "At some point, he would start wrestling with one of us. Then he would be putting his hands into your pants."
"I've been saying for 10 years that these cases should be handled with pastoral sensitivity, not just in an adversarial legal way," he said. "I've also felt strongly that bishops should be talking to these victims, and so often they haven't been."
Still believe "the scandal" just an aberration? Still believe it was ONLY approximately 4,000 clergy and 10,000 victims? I invited you to visit the Orlando Diocese own web sites FAQ's on the subject of child molestation.and see the truth, especially MYTH #5.
MYTH #5
The myth is that most cases of sexual abuse are reported.
The fact is that only 1 in 10 to 1 in 20 incidents are reported, and even fewer are reported if the perpetrator is a relative.
Do the math….. potentially the correct #'s can be 10 to 20 + times greater than reported. Simply disgusting. And is there any doubt that believers (and especially children) view a priest in the same way they woud a relative? So the TRUE figures could be mind boggling.
My respect and thanks goes out to the Orlando Diocese for NOT covering up the facts of child abuse in general. Granted I don't know if they've covered up other facts as many like them have, but I will give credit, where credit is due.
Hello Catholics, Are we awake yet? Are we listening yet? Can we yet see?

M't:13:13 This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. ¹⁴In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: " You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. ¹⁵For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.

In Justice a Higher Standard for Animals

A cat found dead in her owner front yard, & authorities who couldn't or wouldn't do anything led a Virginia woman to do her own investigation. She gathered her own DNA evidence recovered from the body of her dead cat: obtained a sample from the suspected killer - her neighbors dog, (I don't know why they consented?) and sent it off to a lab for testing. The result: both samples came from the same dog, with the odds that it didn't put at 67 million to 1. Armed with this evidence the cat owner approached authorities, who stated they still couldn't take action without a witness! Had that been a human suspect they'd be arrested AND indicted already.

My feelings?
1) That grieving cat owner must be feline cheated
2) American justice has gone to the dogs

Good Shopping Deal Sites

I know its early still, but SO FAR I am so happy with two recent purchases I made for my computer that I just want to "share". And as a bonus I think I got great deals too and want to recommend "shopping deal" sites.

The first one is the "Logitech LX501 cordless desktop keyboard and mouse". IF I get the promised rebates it will only have cost $20. and I am very happy with it. Cant even begin to explain all it can do because I aint figured it all out yet. Also dont know about batttery life yet - that could be a bummer @ 2 batteries for each device
Next up is a Maxtor (personal storage 3100) 200gb, 7200rpm usb external hard drive. I have since realized that there were more "bells and whistles" I could have gotten, like encryption, password locking and a simple on off switch, but hey I'm still pleased with it. It also could have come with backup software, but maybe I can find a free one somewhere. It does however accept "drag n drop", dont know if thats universal or not. And found it thru those shopping sites again for $100. no rebates needed.
Finally my biggest "coup" of the season, I got a new digital camera (canon a610, 5 megapixel, 4x zoom, and LOTS of bells and whistles, including the ability to buy additional lenses and even an underwater case.)
It rated very well and the only difference between it and the canon a620 is the latter comes with a not necessary 7.1 megapixels. Found that thru shop sites also: Staples $299. minus a $15 off coupon, minus a 12% off coupon. didnt know if they would allow me to "stack" the coupons, but they did. Then when she rung it up it scanned even lower than the expected 299 so all told I got it for like 225 tax included. try to find that price online.

This weeks great deals:
Memorex 512mb Travel Drive for Free + Make $10 After Rebate

HSBC - Online Savings Account with 4.25% APY + $25 Bonus NO minimum

KDS 17" LCD flat panel + 3 Piece Tote + 20" Duffel Roller for $150 Shipped After Rebates

$25. shell gas card free just for test driving a suzuki grand vitara, and filling out a short form

here are my shopping deal links:
http://www.spoofee.com/
http://www.gottadeal.com/
http://www.resellerratings.com/deals.pl
http://www.passwird.com/
http://www.ableshoppers.com/
http://www.dealcatcher.com/

Mind you these sites take some effort on your part, but they did most of the work for you. Also an occasional YMMV may occur. YMMV standing for "Your Mileage May Vary" a general disclaimer term used by auto manufactures meaning if you fail to get the stated mileage - tough, better luck next time. But thats Ok for me because I enjoy the "game"
A final site that is quite unique in both its offerings and its flair for writing is Woot.com a perfect place for a unique product or just a good laugh.

Howard Stern is Back!

Howard Stern is back and bolder than ever with his new show on Sirius radio, a satellite broadcast that is free from the FCC's censorship. Is this a good thing or not? Well in order to hear him now you must pay a subscription fee so that should keep the casual young listener from tuning in, even accidently. But you know if today's parents were worth a damn, they'd already be supervising what their children do, yet the majority who oppose Stern's show DON'T know what their kids are doing.
My opinion: Stern's show was / is bad for the morality of this country, but then again so is the behavior of some Presidents, Priests (and self appointed "ministers" (read Pat Robertson)), Sports figures, pop stars, Hollywood, the list goes on and on.
Some of his stuff is (to me) funny, some sophomoric, juvenile and yes even boring. I mean after awhile sex, sex, sex,sex,sex,sex, and showcasing all the worlds idiots and lowlifes gets old even for me. What I do enjoy most though is his interviews. Howard Stern asks ALL the questions others cannot or fear not ask, so you do get to see another side of someone you perhaps have seen interviewed many times before on "family" (censor) radio, TV, and print
So Howard, I know you don't care and neither would I if I were you, but I like and admire you (and your show usually), but that's because I was raised in an increasingly immoral society and am addicted to many of the same things that most of your fans are. I only hope that you also are hooked on and enjoy that which you broadcast and aren't just doing a job. I say this because in a "soundbite" aired on TV today I heard you say that " I don't order anyone to get naked now and show me your genitals, but I will talk to and interview them if they want.
P.S. I don't pay for water to drink, nor air for my tires, nor wait on line to get money that is mine anyway, so the odds are I won't be able to hear your show anymore, because neither will I pay for radio that should be free.
I'm both sad AND relieved; one less vice to entertain. Thank you Howard, thank you Sirius, thank you FCC

American Greed and Selfishness Once again Rears its Ugly Head

Automakers will be flexing some muscle at this year's North American International Auto Show, with a slew of performance cars that harken back to the V-8-charged glory days of the 1960s and early '70s.
Ford Motor Co. planned to introduce the Ford Shelby GT500, a souped-up Mustang, and Chrysler Group planned to unveil the Dodge Challenger concept, a revamp of its 1970 model. Later in the show, General Motors Corp. will take the wraps off its Chevrolet Camaro concept. Lamborghini is joining in, bringing out the Miura concept, an update of the 40-year-old supercar that was last produced in the early 1970s.

Why are these cars being made again? Well nostalgia is certainly one reason, but I believe the main reason is the moronic, selfish, typical American reason for many things - "because we can"

Odd News

Global Warming??

- A woman digs to create a pathway through heavy snow which has piled up to over three metres in the northern Japanese town of Tsunan January 6, 2006. REUTERS/Kyodo

When a $20 Bill Will Buy a Car

The famed 'Del Monte Note', a $20 bill with a Del Monte sticker on it. The $20 note which is estimated to go for $20,000- $25,000, will be auctioned in their upcoming Signature Auction, to be held January 6 and 7, 2006 in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Can tragedy be funny also? How bout fitting retribution? try this one:
A mouse got its revenge against a homeowner who tried to dispose of it in a pile of burning leaves. The blazing creature ran back to the man's house and set it on fire. Link

The Original Elvis?
The preserved remains of two prehistoric men discovered in an Irish bog have revealed a couple of surprises --- one used hair gel and the other stood 6 foot 6 inches high. The shorter man appeared to attempt to give himself greater stature by a rather curious headdress which was a bit like a Mohican-style with the hair gel, which was a resin imported from France.
Another interesting note: Both men had murdered."Oldcroghan Man was stabbed through the chest. He saw that attack coming because there is a defensive injury on his arm. He was then decapitated and his body cut in half while Clonycaven Man had his head split open with an axe before he was disembowelled. Ahh yes, gotta love those drunk Irish "sporting" events. Link

Harry Belafonte's New Song Still Music to My Ears

Yes, Harry Belafonte's new song is so sweet a melody, it goes like this:
"No matter what the greatest tyrant in the world, the greatest terrorist in the world, George W. Bush says, ............

More "Proof" of Evolution

The naysayers will continue on their narrow, fragile path of oblivion, but for the rest, herein is an interesting, in depth look at the evolution of the cat, heretofore a tough species to classify. I accept that this is merely a "scientific theory", but even that is more, much more, than the other "suggestion, (opinion, idea, hope, wish?)" can say. Besides the cat evolution story, note the time frame used, up to 11 million years ago! Considerably longer (almost 20 times) than the "other" idea of "life" beginning around 6,000 years ago, and this is only referring to the cat; the world itself has been estimated at up to 1 billion years old, and man at a couple million, but hey you knew that already didn't you.

About nine million years ago - two million years after the cat family first appeared in Asia - these successful predators invaded North America by crossing the Beringian land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska, a team of geneticists writes in the journal Science today.

This new history of the family, known as Felidae, is based on DNA analyses of the 37 living species performed by Warren E. Johnson and Stephen J. O'Brien of the National Cancer Institute and colleagues elsewhere.

Before DNA, taxonomists had considerable difficulty in classifying the cat family. The fossil record was sparse and many of the skulls lacked distinctiveness

Then, in 1997, Dr. Johnson and Dr. O'Brien said they thought most living cats fell into one of eight lineages, based on the genetic element known as mitochondrial DNA.

Having made further DNA analyses, the researchers have drawn a full family tree that assigns every cat species to one of the lineages. They have also integrated their tree, which is based solely on changes in DNA, with the fossil record. The fossils, which are securely dated, allow dates to be assigned to each fork in the genetic family tree.

Knowing when each species came into existence, the Johnson-O'Brien team has been able to reconstruct a series of at least 10 intercontinental migrations by which cats colonized the world. The cheetah, for instance, now found in Africa, belongs to a lineage that originated in North America and some three million years ago migrated back across the Bering land bridge to Asia and then Africa.

Sea levels were low from 11 million to 6 million years ago, enabling the first modern cats, to spread from Asia west into Africa, creating the caracal lineage, and east into North America, generating the ocelot, lynx and puma lineages.

The leopard lineage appeared around 6.5 million years ago in Asia. The youngest of the eight lineages, which led eventually to the domestic cat, emerged some 6.2 million years ago in Asia and Africa, either from ancestors that had never left Asia or more probably from North American cats that had trekked back across the Bering land bridge.

Sea levels then rose, confining each cat species to its own continent, but sank again some three million years ago, allowing a second round of cat migrations. It was at this time that the ancestors of the cheetah and the Eurasian lynxes colonized the Old World from the New.

Cat fossils are very hard to tell apart, because they differ mostly just in size, and the DNA data emerging over the last decade has helped bring the field from confusion to consensus, Dr. Wozencraft said.