Saturday, July 23, 2005
Huh?
It pays to have friends in high places:
A jury has cleared Assistant U.C. Basketball Coach Keith Legree of a drunken driving charge. The jury found Legree not guilty after deliberating just seven minutes. Cincinnati Police pulled Legree over back in March on Central Parkway.
The breath test was ruled inadmissible at trial, because it did not yield a sufficient sample. Jurors also viewed police video recording the traffic stop, but apparently could not conclude he was intoxicated based on what they saw on the video.
The video showed Legree slumped over in his car...and the police officers had to violently shake his car to awaken him from his "slumber". You be the judge.
A jury has cleared Assistant U.C. Basketball Coach Keith Legree of a drunken driving charge. The jury found Legree not guilty after deliberating just seven minutes. Cincinnati Police pulled Legree over back in March on Central Parkway.
The breath test was ruled inadmissible at trial, because it did not yield a sufficient sample. Jurors also viewed police video recording the traffic stop, but apparently could not conclude he was intoxicated based on what they saw on the video.
The video showed Legree slumped over in his car...and the police officers had to violently shake his car to awaken him from his "slumber". You be the judge.
This is Terrifying
First, some good news:
The group portrait of British Muslims painted by YouGov's survey for The Daily Telegraph is at once reassuring and disturbing, in some ways even alarming.
The vast majority of British Muslims condemn the London bombings but a substantial minority are clearly alienated from modern British society and some are prepared to justify terrorist acts.
The divisions within the Muslim community go deep. Muslims are divided over the morality of the London bombings, over the extent of their loyalty to this country and over how Muslims should respond to recent events.
Most Muslims are evidently moderate and law-abiding but by no means all are.
YouGov sought to gauge the character of the Muslim community's response to the events of July 7. As the figures in the chart show, 88 per cent of British Muslims clearly have no intention of trying to justify the bus and Tube murders.
Now, the bad news:
However, six per cent insist that the bombings were, on the contrary, fully justified.
Now, the very bad news:
Six per cent may seem a small proportion but in absolute numbers it amounts to about 100,000 individuals who, if not prepared to carry out terrorist acts, are ready to support those who do.
Do these attitudes reflect those of American Muslims?
The group portrait of British Muslims painted by YouGov's survey for The Daily Telegraph is at once reassuring and disturbing, in some ways even alarming.
The vast majority of British Muslims condemn the London bombings but a substantial minority are clearly alienated from modern British society and some are prepared to justify terrorist acts.
The divisions within the Muslim community go deep. Muslims are divided over the morality of the London bombings, over the extent of their loyalty to this country and over how Muslims should respond to recent events.
Most Muslims are evidently moderate and law-abiding but by no means all are.
YouGov sought to gauge the character of the Muslim community's response to the events of July 7. As the figures in the chart show, 88 per cent of British Muslims clearly have no intention of trying to justify the bus and Tube murders.
Now, the bad news:
However, six per cent insist that the bombings were, on the contrary, fully justified.
Now, the very bad news:
Six per cent may seem a small proportion but in absolute numbers it amounts to about 100,000 individuals who, if not prepared to carry out terrorist acts, are ready to support those who do.
Do these attitudes reflect those of American Muslims?
The City of Peace?
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (Reuters) - At least 83 people were killed and 200 injured when car bombs ripped through shopping and hotel areas in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday in the worst attack in Egypt since 1981.
Shaken European tourists spoke of mass panic and hysteria as people fled the carnage in the early hours, with bodies strewn across the roads, people screaming and sirens wailing.
The regional governor said two car bombs and possibly a suitcase bomb had rocked the resort, popular with divers and European holidaymakers, as well as diplomats who have convened world summits. Egypt has called it "the city of peace."
Shaken European tourists spoke of mass panic and hysteria as people fled the carnage in the early hours, with bodies strewn across the roads, people screaming and sirens wailing.
The regional governor said two car bombs and possibly a suitcase bomb had rocked the resort, popular with divers and European holidaymakers, as well as diplomats who have convened world summits. Egypt has called it "the city of peace."
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Yikes!
This is shocking...and scary.
New, riskier forms of mortgage finance also allow buyers to borrow more. According to the NAR, 42% of all first-time buyers and 25% of all buyers made no down-payment on their home purchase last year. Indeed, homebuyers can get 105% loans to cover buying costs. And, increasingly, little or no documentation of a borrower's assets, employment and income is required for a loan.
Interest-only mortgages are all the rage, along with so-called “negative amortisation loans” (the buyer pays less than the interest due and the unpaid principal and interest is added on to the loan). After an initial period, payments surge as principal repayment kicks in. In California, over 60% of all new mortgages this year are interest-only or negative-amortisation, up from 8% in 2002. The national figure is one-third. The new loans are essentially a gamble that prices will continue to rise rapidly, allowing the borrower to sell the home at a profit or refinance before any principal has to be repaid. Such loans are usually adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs), which leave the borrower additionally exposed to higher interest rates. This year, ARMs have risen to 50% of all mortgages in those states with the biggest price rises.
New, riskier forms of mortgage finance also allow buyers to borrow more. According to the NAR, 42% of all first-time buyers and 25% of all buyers made no down-payment on their home purchase last year. Indeed, homebuyers can get 105% loans to cover buying costs. And, increasingly, little or no documentation of a borrower's assets, employment and income is required for a loan.
Interest-only mortgages are all the rage, along with so-called “negative amortisation loans” (the buyer pays less than the interest due and the unpaid principal and interest is added on to the loan). After an initial period, payments surge as principal repayment kicks in. In California, over 60% of all new mortgages this year are interest-only or negative-amortisation, up from 8% in 2002. The national figure is one-third. The new loans are essentially a gamble that prices will continue to rise rapidly, allowing the borrower to sell the home at a profit or refinance before any principal has to be repaid. Such loans are usually adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs), which leave the borrower additionally exposed to higher interest rates. This year, ARMs have risen to 50% of all mortgages in those states with the biggest price rises.
Jihad!!
The President of Pakistan has called on his people to undertake a jihad, or holy war, against religious extremism in a speech about the wave of arrests that he has ordered in the aftermath of the London bombings on July 7.
"I urge you, my nation, to stand up and wage jihad against extremism and to stand up against those who spread hatred and chaos in the society," said President Pervez Musharraf in an hour-long televised address.
"I urge you, my nation, to stand up and wage jihad against extremism and to stand up against those who spread hatred and chaos in the society," said President Pervez Musharraf in an hour-long televised address.
What Would Pops Think?
The word "fail" should be banned from use in British classrooms and replaced with the phrase "deferred success" to avoid demoralizing pupils, a group of teachers has proposed.
Members of the Professional Association of Teachers (PAT) argue that telling pupils they have failed can put them off learning for life.
A spokesman for the group said it wanted to avoid labeling children. "We recognize that children do not necessarily achieve success first time," he said.
"But I recognize that we can't just strike a word from the dictionary," he said.
The PAT said it would debate the proposal at a conference next week.
Members of the Professional Association of Teachers (PAT) argue that telling pupils they have failed can put them off learning for life.
A spokesman for the group said it wanted to avoid labeling children. "We recognize that children do not necessarily achieve success first time," he said.
"But I recognize that we can't just strike a word from the dictionary," he said.
The PAT said it would debate the proposal at a conference next week.
This Sounds Like Fun
Overlooking Jerusalem at Tzurim Valley National Park, archaeologists and volunteers work on one of Jerusalem's most unusual excavations. They are sifting tons of dirt removed in 1999 by Islamic work crews who were remodeling an underground area of the Temple Mount—known as Solomon's Stables—to create the Marwani Mosque (CT, March 6, 2000, p. 27).
Some of the dirt went to Jerusalem's municipal dump, where it was mixed with the city's garbage. Some of it was discarded in the Kidron Valley. The remodeling was done without archaeological supervision. Bar Ilan University archaeology professor Gabriel Barkay called these events "an archaeological tragedy." The Temple Mount is the third holiest site in Islam and is known as Al Haram al Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary. It is also the holiest site in Judaism.
Last November, Barkay trucked 70 loads of dirt up to the park on the slopes of Mount Scopus, where volunteers began sifting the rubble.
Bar Ilan is sponsoring the project, but funding has come from private donations, which have been barely enough to keep it going.
The sifting is done in the shadow of the Hebrew University. But aside from a few archaeology students employed as supervisors, the university is not involved. And aside from the provision of land by the National Parks Authority, the Israeli government has ignored the project.
"The [Israeli] Antiquities Authority would prefer the Temple Mount [to] evaporate entirely," Barkay told ct, "because they cannot fulfill their legal obligations to safeguard the archaeological remains there."
Excavating dirt totally removed from its context is anathema to archaeologists. Barkay compares it to an autopsy.
"Although we cannot resuscitate this material to tell us more about the Temple Mount, still it testifies about the living conditions of that material before it got 'killed,'" he says.
Every period, from pre-history to the modern era, is represented in the dirt, from flint implements to beautiful figurines. Some discoveries, like thousands of pottery shards and several hundred coins, are easily dateable. Other items, like jewelry, are nearly impossible to date out of context.
Arrowheads found include one dating to the siege of Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. "It was probably shot at the armies of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, who guarded the temple just before it was burned by the Babylonians," Barkay said.
A seal impression in hardened clay, mentioning the name of Jerusalem, dates to the Hellenistic period.
"Nothing is really sensational or unique," Barkay said. "But it has a cumulative value. It adds up to new information about the Temple Mount."
The biggest surprise has been large amounts of remains from the early Christian or Byzantine period.
Barkay said part of Jerusalem's history will have to be rewritten. Most historians thought the Temple Mount was largely deserted then.
Although they are only about halfway through the 70 truckloads of dirt, Barkay planned to stop the process at the end of June in order to analyze the finds. He said he doesn't know when they'll start up again. Funding remains a critical issue.
Some of the dirt went to Jerusalem's municipal dump, where it was mixed with the city's garbage. Some of it was discarded in the Kidron Valley. The remodeling was done without archaeological supervision. Bar Ilan University archaeology professor Gabriel Barkay called these events "an archaeological tragedy." The Temple Mount is the third holiest site in Islam and is known as Al Haram al Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary. It is also the holiest site in Judaism.
Last November, Barkay trucked 70 loads of dirt up to the park on the slopes of Mount Scopus, where volunteers began sifting the rubble.
Bar Ilan is sponsoring the project, but funding has come from private donations, which have been barely enough to keep it going.
The sifting is done in the shadow of the Hebrew University. But aside from a few archaeology students employed as supervisors, the university is not involved. And aside from the provision of land by the National Parks Authority, the Israeli government has ignored the project.
"The [Israeli] Antiquities Authority would prefer the Temple Mount [to] evaporate entirely," Barkay told ct, "because they cannot fulfill their legal obligations to safeguard the archaeological remains there."
Excavating dirt totally removed from its context is anathema to archaeologists. Barkay compares it to an autopsy.
"Although we cannot resuscitate this material to tell us more about the Temple Mount, still it testifies about the living conditions of that material before it got 'killed,'" he says.
Every period, from pre-history to the modern era, is represented in the dirt, from flint implements to beautiful figurines. Some discoveries, like thousands of pottery shards and several hundred coins, are easily dateable. Other items, like jewelry, are nearly impossible to date out of context.
Arrowheads found include one dating to the siege of Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. "It was probably shot at the armies of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, who guarded the temple just before it was burned by the Babylonians," Barkay said.
A seal impression in hardened clay, mentioning the name of Jerusalem, dates to the Hellenistic period.
"Nothing is really sensational or unique," Barkay said. "But it has a cumulative value. It adds up to new information about the Temple Mount."
The biggest surprise has been large amounts of remains from the early Christian or Byzantine period.
Barkay said part of Jerusalem's history will have to be rewritten. Most historians thought the Temple Mount was largely deserted then.
Although they are only about halfway through the 70 truckloads of dirt, Barkay planned to stop the process at the end of June in order to analyze the finds. He said he doesn't know when they'll start up again. Funding remains a critical issue.
Quote of the Day
John Howard smacks down a stupid question from a stupid reporter:
PRIME MIN. HOWARD: Could I start by saying the prime minister and I were having a discussion when we heard about it. My first reaction was to get some more information. And I really don't want to add to what the prime minister has said. It's a matter for the police and a matter for the British authorities to talk in detail about what has happened here.
Can I just say very directly, Paul, on the issue of the policies of my government and indeed the policies of the British and American governments on Iraq, that the first point of reference is that once a country allows its foreign policy to be determined by terrorism, it's given the game away, to use the vernacular. And no Australian government that I lead will ever have policies determined by terrorism or terrorist threats, and no self-respecting government of any political stripe in Australia would allow that to happen.
Can I remind you that the murder of 88 Australians in Bali took place before the operation in Iraq.
And I remind you that the 11th of September occurred before the operation in Iraq.
Can I also remind you that the very first occasion that bin Laden specifically referred to Australia was in the context of Australia's involvement in liberating the people of East Timor. Are people by implication suggesting we shouldn't have done that?
When a group claimed responsibility on the website for the attacks on the 7th of July, they talked about British policy not just in Iraq, but in Afghanistan. Are people suggesting we shouldn't be in Afghanistan?
When Sergio de Mello was murdered in Iraq -- a brave man, a distinguished international diplomat, a person immensely respected for his work in the United Nations -- when al Qaeda gloated about that, they referred specifically to the role that de Mello had carried out in East Timor because he was the United Nations administrator in East Timor.
Now I don't know the mind of the terrorists. By definition, you can't put yourself in the mind of a successful suicide bomber. I can only look at objective facts, and the objective facts are as I've cited. The objective evidence is that Australia was a terrorist target long before the operation in Iraq. And indeed, all the evidence, as distinct from the suppositions, suggests to me that this is about hatred of a way of life, this is about the perverted use of principles of the great world religion that, at its root, preaches peace and cooperation. And I think we lose sight of the challenge we have if we allow ourselves to see these attacks in the context of particular circumstances rather than the abuse through a perverted ideology of people and their murder.
PRIME MIN. BLAIR: And I agree 100 percent with that. (Laughter.)
PRIME MIN. HOWARD: Could I start by saying the prime minister and I were having a discussion when we heard about it. My first reaction was to get some more information. And I really don't want to add to what the prime minister has said. It's a matter for the police and a matter for the British authorities to talk in detail about what has happened here.
Can I just say very directly, Paul, on the issue of the policies of my government and indeed the policies of the British and American governments on Iraq, that the first point of reference is that once a country allows its foreign policy to be determined by terrorism, it's given the game away, to use the vernacular. And no Australian government that I lead will ever have policies determined by terrorism or terrorist threats, and no self-respecting government of any political stripe in Australia would allow that to happen.
Can I remind you that the murder of 88 Australians in Bali took place before the operation in Iraq.
And I remind you that the 11th of September occurred before the operation in Iraq.
Can I also remind you that the very first occasion that bin Laden specifically referred to Australia was in the context of Australia's involvement in liberating the people of East Timor. Are people by implication suggesting we shouldn't have done that?
When a group claimed responsibility on the website for the attacks on the 7th of July, they talked about British policy not just in Iraq, but in Afghanistan. Are people suggesting we shouldn't be in Afghanistan?
When Sergio de Mello was murdered in Iraq -- a brave man, a distinguished international diplomat, a person immensely respected for his work in the United Nations -- when al Qaeda gloated about that, they referred specifically to the role that de Mello had carried out in East Timor because he was the United Nations administrator in East Timor.
Now I don't know the mind of the terrorists. By definition, you can't put yourself in the mind of a successful suicide bomber. I can only look at objective facts, and the objective facts are as I've cited. The objective evidence is that Australia was a terrorist target long before the operation in Iraq. And indeed, all the evidence, as distinct from the suppositions, suggests to me that this is about hatred of a way of life, this is about the perverted use of principles of the great world religion that, at its root, preaches peace and cooperation. And I think we lose sight of the challenge we have if we allow ourselves to see these attacks in the context of particular circumstances rather than the abuse through a perverted ideology of people and their murder.
PRIME MIN. BLAIR: And I agree 100 percent with that. (Laughter.)
The "Leaders" of Black America
Are there a bigger bunch of fools than the Congressional Black Caucus?
Football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson lapped up loads of attention at the Congressional Black Caucus Spouses’ gala and golf tournament earlier this week. Simpson was the biggest celebrity at the event — a benefit to raise money for the group’s successful scholarship program to send needy children to college.
...Simpson was mobbed by young staffers at the Sunday night gala at Dream nightclub, where gawkers were secretly debating whether he should be there at all. “I’m kind of embarrassed that I shook his hand,” said one aide to a black Member. Questioning herself, she added, “But he was acquitted.”
Football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson lapped up loads of attention at the Congressional Black Caucus Spouses’ gala and golf tournament earlier this week. Simpson was the biggest celebrity at the event — a benefit to raise money for the group’s successful scholarship program to send needy children to college.
...Simpson was mobbed by young staffers at the Sunday night gala at Dream nightclub, where gawkers were secretly debating whether he should be there at all. “I’m kind of embarrassed that I shook his hand,” said one aide to a black Member. Questioning herself, she added, “But he was acquitted.”
The Rove-A-Dope Continues
W is about to change the shape of the Supreme Court for the next 15 to 20 years, and the Dems continue to fiddle.
Less than 15 hours after President Bush announced that John Roberts would be his nominee for the Supreme Court, leading Democrats stood before a bank of television cameras Wednesday and criticized the president. But their ire had nothing to do with Roberts.
Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Jane Harman assailed the president for failing to punish Karl Rove for his alleged involvement in disclosing the name of a CIA operative.
ROLL CALL reports: "In a set of talking points issued Wednesday morning, the Senate Democratic leadership urged rank-and-file Senators to continue spotlighting Rove's involvement in the leaking of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. 'A Supreme Court nominee will not distract the country from the growing credibility problem at the White House,' Democrats were told to echo."
Less than 15 hours after President Bush announced that John Roberts would be his nominee for the Supreme Court, leading Democrats stood before a bank of television cameras Wednesday and criticized the president. But their ire had nothing to do with Roberts.
Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Jane Harman assailed the president for failing to punish Karl Rove for his alleged involvement in disclosing the name of a CIA operative.
ROLL CALL reports: "In a set of talking points issued Wednesday morning, the Senate Democratic leadership urged rank-and-file Senators to continue spotlighting Rove's involvement in the leaking of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. 'A Supreme Court nominee will not distract the country from the growing credibility problem at the White House,' Democrats were told to echo."
"Dumbass Questions"
Hopefully we'll see and hear more of this during the Roberts' confirmation hearings. This is from his hearings after being nominated for the Court of Appeals:
In the beginning of Wednesday's Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Bush nominee John G. Roberts Jr. Chairman Orrin Hatch praised Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer of New York for asking "intelligent" questions, but then Hatch switched gears.
"Some [of his questions] I totally disagree with," Hatch of Utah said. "Some I think are dumbass questions, between you and me. I am not kidding you. I mean, as much as I love and respect you, I just think that's true."
A stunned Schumer asked if he heard the chairman correctly, to which Hatch said yes. Again, Schumer asked Hatch if he would like to "revise and extend his remark," congressional speak for change his mind.
A former trial attorney, Hatch replied: "No, I am going to keep it exactly the way it is. I mean, I hate to say it. I mean, I feel badly saying it between you and me. But I do know dumbass questions when I see dumbass questions."
In the beginning of Wednesday's Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Bush nominee John G. Roberts Jr. Chairman Orrin Hatch praised Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer of New York for asking "intelligent" questions, but then Hatch switched gears.
"Some [of his questions] I totally disagree with," Hatch of Utah said. "Some I think are dumbass questions, between you and me. I am not kidding you. I mean, as much as I love and respect you, I just think that's true."
A stunned Schumer asked if he heard the chairman correctly, to which Hatch said yes. Again, Schumer asked Hatch if he would like to "revise and extend his remark," congressional speak for change his mind.
A former trial attorney, Hatch replied: "No, I am going to keep it exactly the way it is. I mean, I hate to say it. I mean, I feel badly saying it between you and me. But I do know dumbass questions when I see dumbass questions."
What Was His Motivation?
The invasion of Iraq? Please. This scumbag was training in Afghanistan during the 1990's with all of the other scumbags, years before the invasion of Iraq. When will people learn that these wingnuts hate the West because of Jews and Christians. That's their motivation.
Terror investigators hunting the London bombing mastermind are to question a suspected Al Qaeda planner held in Pakistan.British-born Haroon Rashid Aswad was seized at a religious school with a suicide bomb belt, explosives and GBP 13,000 in cash.
Security sources in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, claim he had up to 20 telephone conversations with London bombers Mohammad Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer. One of these is believed to have been just hours before the blasts.
The UK's DAILY MAIL reports on Thursday: Security sources say he trained at an Afghan camp which was visited by Osama Bin Laden and that he is linked to two of Bin Laden's planners and an Al Qaeda suspect held in America.
U.S. investigators have been told that Aswad attended the Khalden camp in Afghanistan, favoured by foreign terror trainees. British shoe bomber Richard Reid is among those who attended the camp and it has been reported that London bomber Khan also went there.
Terror investigators hunting the London bombing mastermind are to question a suspected Al Qaeda planner held in Pakistan.British-born Haroon Rashid Aswad was seized at a religious school with a suicide bomb belt, explosives and GBP 13,000 in cash.
Security sources in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, claim he had up to 20 telephone conversations with London bombers Mohammad Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer. One of these is believed to have been just hours before the blasts.
The UK's DAILY MAIL reports on Thursday: Security sources say he trained at an Afghan camp which was visited by Osama Bin Laden and that he is linked to two of Bin Laden's planners and an Al Qaeda suspect held in America.
U.S. investigators have been told that Aswad attended the Khalden camp in Afghanistan, favoured by foreign terror trainees. British shoe bomber Richard Reid is among those who attended the camp and it has been reported that London bomber Khan also went there.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Beamed Up
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- James Doohan, the burly chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise in the original "Star Trek" TV series and motion pictures who responded to the apocryphal command "Beam me up, Scotty," died early Wednesday. He was 85.
Super "Show Me The Money" Drew
Rosenhaus is such a sleazeball, it wouldn't surprise me if he pushed the kid in the water first and then save him just to garner the good publicity.
In the new logo that emblazons the front of the T-shirts often worn by the few employees of Rosenhaus Sports Representation, the "S" is large and exaggerated, reminiscent of the famous crest worn by Superman.
On Tuesday afternoon, for one imperiled toddler, NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus, who collects superhero figurines as a hobby, became a real-life Superman.
Orange County (Fla.) Police confirmed that Rosenhaus, acting quickly in a moment of crisis, saved the life of 4-year-old Maurice Hill, who had essentially drowned in the pool at the Grand Floridian Hotel in Orlando. Rosenhaus administered CPR to Hill, who had no pulse when he was yanked from the pool, until paramedics arrived and took over the treatment of the youngster.
"He basically brought [Hill] back," said Cpl. Carlos Torres, public information officer for the Orange County Police Department. "The kid was gone and [Rosenhaus] saved a life. It's legitimate. Who knows how it would have turned out had he not been around? The guy was a hero today."
Said Cpl. Bob Leben, the deputy who commenced the investigation of the incident: "[Rosenhaus] certainly stepped up."
In the new logo that emblazons the front of the T-shirts often worn by the few employees of Rosenhaus Sports Representation, the "S" is large and exaggerated, reminiscent of the famous crest worn by Superman.
On Tuesday afternoon, for one imperiled toddler, NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus, who collects superhero figurines as a hobby, became a real-life Superman.
Orange County (Fla.) Police confirmed that Rosenhaus, acting quickly in a moment of crisis, saved the life of 4-year-old Maurice Hill, who had essentially drowned in the pool at the Grand Floridian Hotel in Orlando. Rosenhaus administered CPR to Hill, who had no pulse when he was yanked from the pool, until paramedics arrived and took over the treatment of the youngster.
"He basically brought [Hill] back," said Cpl. Carlos Torres, public information officer for the Orange County Police Department. "The kid was gone and [Rosenhaus] saved a life. It's legitimate. Who knows how it would have turned out had he not been around? The guy was a hero today."
Said Cpl. Bob Leben, the deputy who commenced the investigation of the incident: "[Rosenhaus] certainly stepped up."
The Rudolph Misperception
Eric Rudolph is usually described as some sort of Christian terrorist. But check out this letter to his mother:
"Many good people continue to send me money and books. Most of them have, of course, an agenda; mostly born-again Christians looking to save my soul. I suppose the assumption is made that because I'm in here I must be a 'sinner' in need of salvation, and they would be glad to sell me a ticket to heaven, hawking this salvation like peanuts at a ballgame. I do appreciate their charity, but I could really do without the condescension. They have been so nice I would hate to break it to them that I really prefer Nietzsche to the Bible."
Uh, I think the whole Christian terrorist thing just flew out the window. I'd call him a Nietzsche terrorist.
"Many good people continue to send me money and books. Most of them have, of course, an agenda; mostly born-again Christians looking to save my soul. I suppose the assumption is made that because I'm in here I must be a 'sinner' in need of salvation, and they would be glad to sell me a ticket to heaven, hawking this salvation like peanuts at a ballgame. I do appreciate their charity, but I could really do without the condescension. They have been so nice I would hate to break it to them that I really prefer Nietzsche to the Bible."
Uh, I think the whole Christian terrorist thing just flew out the window. I'd call him a Nietzsche terrorist.
Nino on Roberts
For what it's worth: A few years ago, Justice Scalia said to a friend of mine that he and other Justices thought of John Roberts as far and away the best Supreme Court litigator in the country. I asked the friend why Justice Scalia said that, and (paraphrasing from my memory) the answer was something like this: "No matter how intense the questioning, Roberts is never flustered, and is always able to calmly answer any question whatsoever, while skillfully weaving in the substantive points that he wanted to make in the first place."
W Should Have Nominated The Wife
Since the Washington Post wrote about Bush's women and abortion today, how about Judge Roberts's? John Roberts's wife, Jane, has served as executive vice president of Feminists for Life (FFL is one of my favorite groups).
Definitely Not Guiliana
Less than two weeks since the London terror attacks, the city's Mayor Ken Livingstone has sparked controversy by defending the use of suicide bombers in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and charging that Israel had indiscriminately slaughtered Palestinians in acts that "border on crimes against humanity."
"Given that the Palestinians don't have jet planes, don't have tanks, they only have their bodies to use as weapons," Livingstone told Sky News in an interview.
"In an unfair balance, that's what people use," said Livingstone, who has often been strongly critical of Israel in the past.
"Given that the Palestinians don't have jet planes, don't have tanks, they only have their bodies to use as weapons," Livingstone told Sky News in an interview.
"In an unfair balance, that's what people use," said Livingstone, who has often been strongly critical of Israel in the past.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Resign Now
Granted, this guy is still probably smarter than Nancy Pelosi and Patrick Leahy, but not much.
DENVER — A Colorado congressman told a radio show host that the U.S. could "take out" Islamic holy sites if Muslim fundamentalist terrorists attacked the country with nuclear weapons.
Rep. Tom Tancredo (search) made his remarks Friday on WFLA-AM in Orlando, Fla. His spokesman stressed he was only speaking hypothetically.
Talk show host Pat Campbell (search) asked the Littleton Republican how the country should respond if terrorists struck several U.S. cities with nuclear weapons.
"Well, what if you said something like — if this happens in the United States, and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, you know, you could take out their holy sites," Tancredo answered.
"You're talking about bombing Mecca," Campbell said.
"Yeah," Tancredo responded.
The congressman later said he was "just throwing out some ideas" and that an "ultimate threat" might have to be met with an "ultimate response."
DENVER — A Colorado congressman told a radio show host that the U.S. could "take out" Islamic holy sites if Muslim fundamentalist terrorists attacked the country with nuclear weapons.
Rep. Tom Tancredo (search) made his remarks Friday on WFLA-AM in Orlando, Fla. His spokesman stressed he was only speaking hypothetically.
Talk show host Pat Campbell (search) asked the Littleton Republican how the country should respond if terrorists struck several U.S. cities with nuclear weapons.
"Well, what if you said something like — if this happens in the United States, and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, you know, you could take out their holy sites," Tancredo answered.
"You're talking about bombing Mecca," Campbell said.
"Yeah," Tancredo responded.
The congressman later said he was "just throwing out some ideas" and that an "ultimate threat" might have to be met with an "ultimate response."
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