The Impudent One: September 2005

Not a Hiatus

Solaman is on a short vacation. Posting will resume in a couple days.

A Meeting of the Minds

Can Christians and Atheists have a useful dialog? We shall see.

The Media In a Nutshell

Yesterday, General Honore gave a gaggle of journalists in New Orleans a little taste of basic training. He also provided everything you need to know about the Left-Stream Media in five little words, "You are stuck on stupid."

The Political Teen has the video. Radio Blogger has the MP3 and a transcript for those with "audio-visually challenged" PCs.

[HT: LGF]

I Don't LIKE You 'Cuz You're Gonna Get Me KILLED!

The UK's Liberal Democrats are opposing new anti-terrorism laws.

Home Affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said plans to detain suspects for three months without charge would compromise civil liberties. He and party leader Charles Kennedy both rejected suggestions the stance could put public safety at risk.

Right. Try telling that to the 52 British citizens who had their LIVES compromised on July 7, 2005. How soon they forget.

Terrorism, Pornography, SCOTUS and Captain Ed

Given the recent laurel he received from a major "men's" publication, I would have expected Captain Ed to have recused himself from addressing THIS story. To paraphrase "Old Salamander":

Damn the conflict of interest, full speed ahead!

Okay, I'm having a little fun at the good Capn's expense. He has a point relative to the GWOT. However, I don't think we should ignore domestic problems like pornography either. The Captain's theory that it is a move by Attorney General Gonzales to increase his chances of being nominated for a SCOTUS opening is problematic. It is almost certain to generate at least one lawsuit which will end up in the SCOTUS. Since Gonzales will have an obvious conflict, he will need to recuse himself. This would also be true for other cases involving the Attorney General's office that make it to the SCOTUS. That is why I have never really been concerned about the President nominating A.G. Gonzales. I don't think he would want to throw away one-of-nine votes on several key national issues.

Where's the Rubble?

Iraq The Model has four pictures from Iraq that you won't see on the evening news. I wonder why?

National POW/MIA Day

Argghhh! has a tribute to those who should not be forgotten. Here's an excerpt:

To each family of a POW or a MIA, regardless of how many have been captured or are missing in a conflict, the fate of their loved one brings with it worry, anxiety and pain. Each family prays that their loved one is being treated well if captured and will be released soon to return to a grateful nation and a joyous family. For those missing, the family hopes the loved one makes his or her way back to friendly forces or has the status changed to one of more certainty, as an acknowledged POW or as an identified killed in action.

On POW/MIA Recognition Day, we remember the courage of our fellow Soldiers and servicemen and women as they endured captivity. We also remember the equal courage of their family members as they also endured their loved one’s captivity or the agonies of not knowing their fate. We remember and we hope for a conclusion to those trials.

Amen.

Bogus Eschatology

Doug of Bogus Gold interprets the signs of the times.

At Least She's Still In the Picture

Jihad Watch demonstrates CAIR's (Council on American-Islamic Relations) need for a Photoshop tutorial. Look at the "women" in the foreground. The one on the left appears to be a guy. They must have been trying to meet their EEO quota.

It's OK Folks - She's Done This Before

Between Two Worlds has a post on Secretary of State Rice's interview with The Factor. While I recommend reading the entire interview, I found the following exchange interesting:

O'REILLY: One more question on this. Does it hurt your feelings that most black Americans don't like the president?
RICE: No.
O'REILLY: Do you take it personally?
RICE: I don't take anything personally, no. No. But I do like to have an opportunity to talk to people about what this president has meant for the empowerment of black Americans.
O'REILLY: Does it hurt your feelings when some anti-Bush people say that you're a shill for him and sold out your race?
RICE: Oh, come on. Why would I worry about something like that? Bill, the fact of the matter is, I've been black all my life. Nobody needs to help me how to be black.

You go, girl.

It's Not Easy Being Green

Kermit and his amphibious amigos aren't cutting the evolutionary mustard:

Scientists will meet this weekend to launch an action plan aimed at stemming the global decline in amphibians. About a third of frog, toad and salamander species are facing extinction; threats include fungal disease, pollution and habitat loss. The Washington DC meeting is expected to call for the establishment of a large-scale captive breeding programme.

If you don't have two hands on your wallet yet, it may be too late. Claude Gascon, chair of IUCN's (World Conservation Union) amphibian group, explains how he is going to stay employed for the next ten years:

"The price-tag for all this is going to be enormous - tens of millions of dollars per year for at least a decade . . . But when you break this down and look at what different stakeholder groups can do - one thing we need for example is more capacity in zoos around the world to run these captive breeding programmes, and that's something that governments might be quite willing to address."

Did I mention that Claude is also senior VP for regional programmes with the charity Conservation International? I think Claude probably likes programmes.

Evidently, Darwinian evolution is just fine in theory, but in practice...

Because I Have So Much Free Time...

I participated in a couple of photo caption contests. If you're interested you can find them here:

Q and O

Argghhh!!!

I may be biased, but I think I had the best caption for both.
** Sound of arm breaking as he pats himself on back **

Heads Up: Argghhh!!! is a Milblogger so expect a little salty language if you wander around his blog. The above link and subsequent entries are, however, pretty tame.

Give Them Enough Rope . . .

Glenn Reynolds uncovers another Karl Rove "stroke of genius".

Straight From the Horse's . . .

Ripclawe has the quotes from Senator Mary Landrieu & Mayor Nagin which prove that, if you let a politician talk enough, the truth will eventually sneak out.

The Political Teen has the video of Chris Wallace's interview with Mary Landrieu. (Requires Windows Media Player)

Deuce Four Leaving Mosul

Michael Yon has an update/epilogue to his gripping Gates of Fire post that I previously linked to over on Solablog. It provides a progress report on Mosul, the Deuce Four and LTC Kurilla.

A Rat is a Pig is a Dog is a Corpse

Ingrid Newkirk's famous nihilistic quote "a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy" helps us understand where this thinking comes from. And this. And this.

[HT: Normblog]

Putting the Squeeze on Darwin, Literally

Where can I get one?

UPDATE: Coming soon.

The National Disgrace That Wasn't . . . National, That Is

Jack Kelly of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explains how the Left-Stream-Media are ** GASP! ** wrong when they continue to regurgitate the Democrat Party line that the federal government response to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath was too slow. Here is a sample:

"For instance, it took five days for National Guard troops to arrive in strength on the scene in Homestead, Fla. after Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992. But after Katrina, there was a significant National Guard presence in the afflicted region in three . . . So they libel as a "national disgrace" the most monumental and successful disaster relief operation in world history."

Read the whole article to see what other information you haven't heard from the LSM.

[HT: Drudge]

UPDATE: Froggy has more on this subject here.

The $50,000 Cover Up

Well, Sandy Berger has received his punishment:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A judge on Thursday ordered Sandy Berger, President Clinton's national security adviser, to pay a $50,000 fine for illegally taking classified documents from the National Archives. The punishment handed down by U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson exceeded the $10,000 fine recommended by government lawyers. Under the deal, Berger avoids prison time but he must surrender access to classified government materials for three years.

"The court finds the fine is inadequate because it doesn't reflect the seriousness of the offense," Robinson said, as a grim-faced Berger stood silently.

Okay, he gets fined five times the amount recommended by the government lawyers. At least there's an attempt to emphasize the seriousness of STEALING and DESTROYING classified government documents. What I don't get is why he should ever be allowed to access classified documents again. Three years? Sheesh.

The sentencing capped a bizarre sequence of events in which Berger admitted to sneaking classified documents out of the Archives in his suit, later destroying some of them in his office and then lying about it. After initially saying it was an "honest mistake," Berger pleaded guilty in April to a misdemeanor of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, which contained information relating to terror threats in the United States during the 2000 millennium celebration.

Kinda makes you wonder what was worth $50,000 to cover up.

Flight 93 Remembered

Chrenkoff gives a "thumbs up" to a Discovery Channel special The Flight That Fought Back.

The Least of These...

** This post has been bumped to the top. See new posts below. **

Give early, give often. Even if you can only give a few dollars, every little bit will help. Check with your employer to find out if they match charitible donations. Avoid "Calamity Scams" by giving to established relief organizations. Here are a few you can trust:

Soldiers' Angels Operation Katrina - DONATE HERE!

Salvation Army - DONATE HERE!

Samaritans Purse - DONATE HERE!

Feed the Children - DONATE HERE!

Natl. Assn. of Evangelicals World Relief - DONATE HERE!

Matthew 25:34-40

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

Technorati Tags: flood aid & hurricane katrina

[Republished from Solablogola with permission.]

What We Know, What We Don't Know

In her September 3, 2005 OpEd column, science textbook publisher Rebecca Keller challenges the scientific elite to teach the controversy surrounding Intelligent Design.

...being willing to consider a design inference, if the data point in that direction, is good science regardless of the philosophical or religious implications. No scientist should ever be so committed to an ideology, whether that ideology is religious or philosophical in nature, that it blinds him to possible interpretations of scientific data. That happened in Galileo's time and it is happening today whenever people close their eyes and plug their ears to design inferences in biology.

(Doh! That one's going to leave a mark.)

It is a common misconception that atheism is not a religious belief. A few lines down Ms. Keller addresses this fallacy:

...the underlying reason this controversy never ends, is that evolution is a creation story; it has huge metaphysical implications no matter how it is taught. How is it less religious or less controversial to teach evolution as it is now, pretending that we somehow know that there is no design? The only way to be religiously neutral on a subject such as evolution is to acknowledge what we know and what we don't know.

What she said.

[HT: Uncommon Descent]

September 5, 1972

Atlas Shrugs remembers an anniversary that should never be forgotten.

EU to Ban Tanning Via Employers

The "nanny state" is alive and well on the European continent.

Gilligan Goes Home

Bob Denver, best known for playing Gilligan in the popular television show Gilligan's Island, has died of complications from cancer treatment he was receiving. He was 70 years old.

Good night, Gilligan.

William H. Rehnquist, 1924 - 2005

Michelle Malkin has all the links you'll need.

Does the Word 'Hypocrisy' Come to Mind?

QandO has a post that you will not believe.

Family Courts Undermining the War Effort

Phyllis Schlafly brings to light a growing problem for those serving in Iraq.

The CIA, Turf and Anger Management

I'm not interested in playing the blame game when it comes to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. However, I find it disturbing that New Orleans and Louisiana have as their leaders:

* - A mayor who either is paranoid or has a poor sense of humor

* - A governor who either can't make a decision or is overly concerned about protecting her political turf

* - A senator who needs anger management therapy

Perhaps, in the end, we'll be able to chalk it up to stress. For now, GIVE some more.

4 Killed in Gaza Garment District

The blast in the Gaza City neighborhood of Shajaiyeh destroyed a house where known Hamas members lived. Hamas charged that an Israeli missile hit the house, with a group spokesman, Munir al-Masri, accusing Israel of continuing its "dirty assassination policy, which gives us the right to respond and to defend ourselves."

Some residents said it was apparently a case of explosives in the house detonating prematurely as Hamas militants worked on a bomb. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas called the explosion "regrettable" and said "security is investigating the cause."

Abbas added that he thought it was a terrible waste of explosives.

Okay, I made up that last part. But you weren't sure, were you? I didn't think so.

You can read the entire article here.

[HT: LGF]