#1 West Virginia 42.8%
#2 Kentucky 38.1%
#3 Tennessee 32.2%
#4 Alabama 31.9%
#5 Louisiana 31.3%
At least we're not #1.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Tom Delay Speaks the Truth
The point is, we disagree. On first principles, Mr. Speaker, we disagree. And so we debate, often loudly, and often in vain, to convince our opponents and the American people of our point of view.
We debate here on the House floor, we debate in committees, we debate on television and on radio and on the Internet and in the newspapers and then every two years, we have a huge debate. And then in November, we see who won. That is not rancor, that is democracy.
You show me a nation without partisanship, and I'll show you a tyranny. For all its faults, it is partisanship, based on core principles, that clarifies our debates, that prevents one party from straying too far from the mainstream, and that constantly refreshes our politics with new ideas and new leaders.
Indeed, whatever role partisanship may have played in my own retirement today or in the unfriendliness heaped upon other leaders in other times, Republican or Democrat, however unjust, all we can say is that partisanship is the worst means of settling fundamental political differences -- except for all the others.
Now, politics demands compromise. And Mr. Speaker, and even the most partisan among us have to understand that, but we must never forget that compromise and bipartisanship are means, not ends, and are properly employed only in the service of higher principles.
...It is not the principled partisan, however obnoxious he may seem to his opponents, who degrades our public debate, but the preening, self-styled statesman who elevates compromise to a first principle .
For the true statesman, Mr. Speaker, we are not defined by what they compromise, but by what they don't.
We debate here on the House floor, we debate in committees, we debate on television and on radio and on the Internet and in the newspapers and then every two years, we have a huge debate. And then in November, we see who won. That is not rancor, that is democracy.
You show me a nation without partisanship, and I'll show you a tyranny. For all its faults, it is partisanship, based on core principles, that clarifies our debates, that prevents one party from straying too far from the mainstream, and that constantly refreshes our politics with new ideas and new leaders.
Indeed, whatever role partisanship may have played in my own retirement today or in the unfriendliness heaped upon other leaders in other times, Republican or Democrat, however unjust, all we can say is that partisanship is the worst means of settling fundamental political differences -- except for all the others.
Now, politics demands compromise. And Mr. Speaker, and even the most partisan among us have to understand that, but we must never forget that compromise and bipartisanship are means, not ends, and are properly employed only in the service of higher principles.
...It is not the principled partisan, however obnoxious he may seem to his opponents, who degrades our public debate, but the preening, self-styled statesman who elevates compromise to a first principle .
For the true statesman, Mr. Speaker, we are not defined by what they compromise, but by what they don't.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Great Story from the Rocket's Trip to Lexington
The very sight of Clemens on a Class A mound for the national anthem, flanked by the hokey-charming trappings of minor-league ball -- big-headed mascots and a tiny Little Leaguer -- was the stuff of scrapbooks. But it might not have been the nicest sight of the week for the Legends.
They piled off a bus after a weekend road trip to Hagerstown, Md., at 3 Monday morning and walked into Christmas in June. While they were gone Rocket had remodeled their clubhouse, spending $7,000 on plasma televisions, new couches and other touches. He went shopping Sunday and had a crew get everything installed that night, before the Legends came dragging home.
"Everyone was cranky, yelling at each other after trying to sleep in the coffins on the bus," shortstop Tommy Manzella said. "To have someone so nice to do something like that is amazing.
"We're far from the big leagues, but in his mind we're the same guys as he is: dedicating our lives to baseball. He respects that."
The Legend Clemens likes most, of course, is his 19-year-old son, Koby, who played third base in a priceless family moment. Clemens' two other sons served as bat boys, but it was Koby who supplied a comical pep talk to pops before his final inning of work.
Roger figured Koby was going to give him a scouting report on the next Lake County hitter. Wrong. His oldest boy pointed out that dad had four strikeouts to that point and needed to bear down and deliver a classic minor-league freebie.
"He told me, 'One more punchout and everyone in the stadium gets wiper fluid,' " Roger said. " … He's a funny guy, isn't he?"
The funny guy apparently knows which buttons to push. Clemens punched out not one but two Captains to close his night's work.
"Shoulda told you that in the first inning," Koby chirped to his dad coming off the field.
They piled off a bus after a weekend road trip to Hagerstown, Md., at 3 Monday morning and walked into Christmas in June. While they were gone Rocket had remodeled their clubhouse, spending $7,000 on plasma televisions, new couches and other touches. He went shopping Sunday and had a crew get everything installed that night, before the Legends came dragging home.
"Everyone was cranky, yelling at each other after trying to sleep in the coffins on the bus," shortstop Tommy Manzella said. "To have someone so nice to do something like that is amazing.
"We're far from the big leagues, but in his mind we're the same guys as he is: dedicating our lives to baseball. He respects that."
The Legend Clemens likes most, of course, is his 19-year-old son, Koby, who played third base in a priceless family moment. Clemens' two other sons served as bat boys, but it was Koby who supplied a comical pep talk to pops before his final inning of work.
Roger figured Koby was going to give him a scouting report on the next Lake County hitter. Wrong. His oldest boy pointed out that dad had four strikeouts to that point and needed to bear down and deliver a classic minor-league freebie.
"He told me, 'One more punchout and everyone in the stadium gets wiper fluid,' " Roger said. " … He's a funny guy, isn't he?"
The funny guy apparently knows which buttons to push. Clemens punched out not one but two Captains to close his night's work.
"Shoulda told you that in the first inning," Koby chirped to his dad coming off the field.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Quote of the Day
"I think that it is perfectly fitting for us to use the United States Constitution, a document that is dedicated to the preservation of our inalienable rights, to tell a certain specific group of people what they cannot do, rather than tell the government what it cannot do. We don't need tax reform. We don't need an end to earmark pork spending in Congress. We don't need smaller government and school choice. We don't need real reform that would put medical care back into the competitive marketplace. We need none of those things. All is fine! What we need is a Constitutional Amendment that will keep two people who love each other, but who we don't consider to be normal - not by our standards anyway - to marry. I know I'll sleep better tonight." -- Neal Boortz
I'm sort of with Neal on this one. Concentrate on other matters. The traditional family unit is dead and a Constitutional amendment won't save it.
I'm sort of with Neal on this one. Concentrate on other matters. The traditional family unit is dead and a Constitutional amendment won't save it.
The Greatest Name In Sports?
Tennessee reserve quarterback Jim Bob Cooter, a fan favorite and one of the brightest players on the team, has been suspended indefinitely after his arrest early Saturday morning on a drunken driving charge near campus. Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said Cooter, a fifth-year senior, would miss the Sept. 2 opener against California. -- The Tennessean
Where Does The Line Form?
This is atrocious behavior, but would you let yourself be verbally humiliated for $61 million? I would. You could call me everything but a child of God.
Two Lebanese-American FedEx Ground drivers were awarded $61 million in punitive and compensatory damages after an Alameda County Superior Court jury found the company and a manager liable for ethnic discrimination and harassment, according to the Dolan Law Firm, which represented the plaintiffs.
On May 24, the drivers, Edgar Rizkallah and Kamil Issa, were awarded $11 million in emotional distress compensatory damages after their lawyer demonstrated during trial that the two men had been victims of ongoing harassment.
Their manager, Stacey Shoun, had allegedly taunted them with racial epithets, calling the two men "camel jockeys,'' "terrorists,'' "sand niggers'' and other ethnic slurs.
The $50 million award came Friday in the second phase of the trial and was based on a finding that FedEx Ground and Shoun acted with oppression and malice in the treatment of the two plaintiffs, according to attorney Christopher Dolan of the Dolan Law Firm.
The jury held Shoun personally liable for $1 million in emotional distress damages and $5,600 in punitive damages.
According to Dolan, evidence presented in the trial showed that the plaintiffs had reported the harassment to the company and that FedEx Ground failed to prevent or correct the problem. The company had also failed to provide managers with anti-discrimination training before and after complaints were filed.
Two Lebanese-American FedEx Ground drivers were awarded $61 million in punitive and compensatory damages after an Alameda County Superior Court jury found the company and a manager liable for ethnic discrimination and harassment, according to the Dolan Law Firm, which represented the plaintiffs.
On May 24, the drivers, Edgar Rizkallah and Kamil Issa, were awarded $11 million in emotional distress compensatory damages after their lawyer demonstrated during trial that the two men had been victims of ongoing harassment.
Their manager, Stacey Shoun, had allegedly taunted them with racial epithets, calling the two men "camel jockeys,'' "terrorists,'' "sand niggers'' and other ethnic slurs.
The $50 million award came Friday in the second phase of the trial and was based on a finding that FedEx Ground and Shoun acted with oppression and malice in the treatment of the two plaintiffs, according to attorney Christopher Dolan of the Dolan Law Firm.
The jury held Shoun personally liable for $1 million in emotional distress damages and $5,600 in punitive damages.
According to Dolan, evidence presented in the trial showed that the plaintiffs had reported the harassment to the company and that FedEx Ground failed to prevent or correct the problem. The company had also failed to provide managers with anti-discrimination training before and after complaints were filed.
Very Bad News
NAIROBI, Kenya, June 5 — Islamic militias declared victory today over Somalia's traditional warlords in the battle for control of Mogadishu, quelling months of fierce fighting in the lawless capital but raising new questions about whether this regime, which American officials have accused of sheltering terrorists, will steer the country down an extremist path.
Holy Rondo!
Scouts say his weaknesses are shooting and strength.
But in workouts thus far for Phoenix, Houston, Boston, Washington, Toronto, Minnesota and Sacramento, his shooting was crisp. He weighed 167 pounds at Kentucky. He weighs 175 pounds now.
"When I started this training," Rondo said, "I could lift 185 pounds about twice. Now I can do it seven or eight times."
He has used his predraft time to concentrate on his weaknesses. Some draft boards have him rated as high as No. 4.
But in workouts thus far for Phoenix, Houston, Boston, Washington, Toronto, Minnesota and Sacramento, his shooting was crisp. He weighed 167 pounds at Kentucky. He weighs 175 pounds now.
"When I started this training," Rondo said, "I could lift 185 pounds about twice. Now I can do it seven or eight times."
He has used his predraft time to concentrate on his weaknesses. Some draft boards have him rated as high as No. 4.
Only Nike
When Camille Walters plays soccer, her normally brown eyes have a spooky red tint. That's because the 15-year-old wears tinted contact lenses that block certain wavelengths of light and help athletes see better.
Oh, and they look cool, too.
...The lens -- large enough to extend a ring around the iris -- comes in two colors: amber and grey-green.
The amber lens is for fast-moving ball sports, such as tennis, baseball, football or soccer. Grey-green is better for blocking glare for runners or helping a golfer read the contour of the ground.
Do they really help athletes see better? Probably as much as Phil Knight's shoes help you jump higher.
Oh, and they look cool, too.
...The lens -- large enough to extend a ring around the iris -- comes in two colors: amber and grey-green.
The amber lens is for fast-moving ball sports, such as tennis, baseball, football or soccer. Grey-green is better for blocking glare for runners or helping a golfer read the contour of the ground.
Do they really help athletes see better? Probably as much as Phil Knight's shoes help you jump higher.
Evil, God and the Pope
Richard Cohen in the WaPo on Pope Benedict's visit to Auschwitz:
Now, though, Benedict has actually said something. He said more or less what I did after visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau -- and before that, Treblinka, and afterward, Buchenwald and Terezin. He said what I said after reading a shelf of books on the Holocaust and listening to the stories of survivors: "Why, Lord, did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this?" Only I put it differently. Where were you, God? I don't think You were silent. I don't even think You were there.
Religious people can wrestle with the pope's remarks. What does it mean that God was silent? That He approved? That He liked what He saw? That He didn't give a damn? You tell me. And what does it mean that He could "tolerate all this"? That the Nazis were okay by Him? That even the murder of Catholic clergy was no cause for intercession? I am at a loss to explain this. I cannot believe in such a God.
This is a God who was away from his desk or something and did not notice the plumes of human ash reaching to the heavens themselves. Is that what the pope wants us to believe? No, I think it is something even worse: If God was silent, who could blame the church for being silent, too? Is that what Benedict is saying? If so, he is continuing the tradition of saying nothing.
I know Holocaust survivors who are religious. I don't understand it. I know others who feel that Auschwitz is proof that there is no God. I understand that. I am sure there are people who feel that way about Biafra or Rwanda or even Hurricane Katrina. I can understand all of that, too.
I give Benedict some credit. Not from him do we get the inane God of American optimism, the deity of American politics who is always compassionate and on our side and will make everything just wonderful if only we put our faith in him. This is the Chamber of Commerce God of George W. Bush and sometimes, when Bush talks that way, I want to scream "Auschwitz!" at him. Auschwitz! Mr. President, have you ever heard of Auschwitz?
Rome is beautiful, as always, and the monuments and buildings raised in the name of religion are stunning, as always, and I want to go directly to the Vatican, bang on the pope's door and demand that he answer my questions. But I imagine he would look at me with pity because I hear nothing but silence and he, buoyed by faith, just listens harder.
Now, though, Benedict has actually said something. He said more or less what I did after visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau -- and before that, Treblinka, and afterward, Buchenwald and Terezin. He said what I said after reading a shelf of books on the Holocaust and listening to the stories of survivors: "Why, Lord, did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this?" Only I put it differently. Where were you, God? I don't think You were silent. I don't even think You were there.
Religious people can wrestle with the pope's remarks. What does it mean that God was silent? That He approved? That He liked what He saw? That He didn't give a damn? You tell me. And what does it mean that He could "tolerate all this"? That the Nazis were okay by Him? That even the murder of Catholic clergy was no cause for intercession? I am at a loss to explain this. I cannot believe in such a God.
This is a God who was away from his desk or something and did not notice the plumes of human ash reaching to the heavens themselves. Is that what the pope wants us to believe? No, I think it is something even worse: If God was silent, who could blame the church for being silent, too? Is that what Benedict is saying? If so, he is continuing the tradition of saying nothing.
I know Holocaust survivors who are religious. I don't understand it. I know others who feel that Auschwitz is proof that there is no God. I understand that. I am sure there are people who feel that way about Biafra or Rwanda or even Hurricane Katrina. I can understand all of that, too.
I give Benedict some credit. Not from him do we get the inane God of American optimism, the deity of American politics who is always compassionate and on our side and will make everything just wonderful if only we put our faith in him. This is the Chamber of Commerce God of George W. Bush and sometimes, when Bush talks that way, I want to scream "Auschwitz!" at him. Auschwitz! Mr. President, have you ever heard of Auschwitz?
Rome is beautiful, as always, and the monuments and buildings raised in the name of religion are stunning, as always, and I want to go directly to the Vatican, bang on the pope's door and demand that he answer my questions. But I imagine he would look at me with pity because I hear nothing but silence and he, buoyed by faith, just listens harder.
Monday, June 05, 2006
"They're Just Young and Stupid"
TORONTO - Canadians are struggling to understand the threat of "home-grown" terrorism after the arrest of 17 Toronto-area young men in connection with what investigators said were plans to commit massive terrorist attacks in Canada.
The suspects all lived in Canada at the time of arrest; many are longtime residents and citizens. Like the perpetrators of last summer's London bombings, these young Muslims apparently became radicalized not in Al Qaeda training camps abroad but in suburban neighborhoods where they led relatively unremarkable lives.
Such home-grown terrorism is a growing concern, says security analyst John Thompson.
"The cops have a nickname for it - the jihad generation," says Mr. Thompson, president of the Mackenzie Institute, a Toronto think tank.
"These are kids at a transition, between Islamic society and Western society," he adds. "A lot of people will get militarized if they're unsure of their own identity."
Plus, Thompson says, "They're just young and stupid. If you're 17, bored, restless, you want to meet girls - hey, be a radical."
I love that line. I was, you were, we all were during our teenage years - "just young and stupid". Except in my case, young and stupid meant trying to buy beer from Poopy's Carryout. In the case of these teenagers, it means blowing up buildings with lots of people in them.
The suspects all lived in Canada at the time of arrest; many are longtime residents and citizens. Like the perpetrators of last summer's London bombings, these young Muslims apparently became radicalized not in Al Qaeda training camps abroad but in suburban neighborhoods where they led relatively unremarkable lives.
Such home-grown terrorism is a growing concern, says security analyst John Thompson.
"The cops have a nickname for it - the jihad generation," says Mr. Thompson, president of the Mackenzie Institute, a Toronto think tank.
"These are kids at a transition, between Islamic society and Western society," he adds. "A lot of people will get militarized if they're unsure of their own identity."
Plus, Thompson says, "They're just young and stupid. If you're 17, bored, restless, you want to meet girls - hey, be a radical."
I love that line. I was, you were, we all were during our teenage years - "just young and stupid". Except in my case, young and stupid meant trying to buy beer from Poopy's Carryout. In the case of these teenagers, it means blowing up buildings with lots of people in them.
The Great War on Islamist Terror
First this:
The 12 men charged in Friday’s massive police operation range in age from 19 to 43 and are residents of Toronto, Mississauga and Markham, Ont., while the five youths cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act...
Police allege the 17 were involved in a plot to stage a massive terrorist attack by fashioning explosives out of three tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer — three times the quantity used in the Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people in 1995.
The arrests were made after suspects tried to purchase the fertilizer from undercover investigators who were mounting a sting operation, the Toronto Star reported.
Then this:
British anti-terrorist police are hunting for a "dirty" chemical bomb that could be used in an attack in Britain after a major raid failed to uncover a device they believe exists, newspapers reported on Saturday.
More than 250 officers, some wearing chemical, biological and radiological protection suits, shot one man and arrested another during a dawn raid on an east London house on Friday...
Some newspapers, citing unnamed security sources, said police believed suspected militants had made a "dirty" chemical device — a conventional bomb surrounded by toxic material that could be set off by a bomber wearing a suicide jacket.
"We are absolutely certain this device exists and could be used either by a suicide bomber or in a remote-controlled explosion," one source told the Sun newspaper.
Newspapers quoted security chiefs who they said believed an attack was imminent, with possible targets including the underground train network or pubs crowded with fans watching the soccer World Cup tournament which starts next week.
And this:
In a meeting last month with some families of victims of the July 7 attacks, John Reid, the Home Secretary, stunned his audience by telling them that 20 "major conspiracies" had been uncovered.
This was far more than anyone in Whitehall had previously divulged. Understandably, Mr Reid did not go into details but his claim came shortly after MI5 suggested that there were as many as 1,200 terrorist suspects living in Britain.
A report by the Joint Intelligence Committee leaked to a Sunday newspaper last month said that the war in Iraq had made Britain a target for al-Qaeda sympathisers "for many years to come".
This report showed the remarkable rise in suspects that MI5 was attempting to shadow. At the time of the 9/11 attacks, MI5 knew of about 250 "primary investigative targets" inside Britain. By July 7 last year that had risen to 800. Today it is more than 1,000. Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, had revealed how three attacks had been foiled since July 7 that were likely to have caused many more deaths than the 52 killed in last summer's suicide bombings...
Today's terrorists are suburban men who neighbours invariably describe as "hard-working, respectable and British to the core".
Some people choose to ignore the war. I say we fight it.
The 12 men charged in Friday’s massive police operation range in age from 19 to 43 and are residents of Toronto, Mississauga and Markham, Ont., while the five youths cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act...
Police allege the 17 were involved in a plot to stage a massive terrorist attack by fashioning explosives out of three tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer — three times the quantity used in the Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people in 1995.
The arrests were made after suspects tried to purchase the fertilizer from undercover investigators who were mounting a sting operation, the Toronto Star reported.
Then this:
British anti-terrorist police are hunting for a "dirty" chemical bomb that could be used in an attack in Britain after a major raid failed to uncover a device they believe exists, newspapers reported on Saturday.
More than 250 officers, some wearing chemical, biological and radiological protection suits, shot one man and arrested another during a dawn raid on an east London house on Friday...
Some newspapers, citing unnamed security sources, said police believed suspected militants had made a "dirty" chemical device — a conventional bomb surrounded by toxic material that could be set off by a bomber wearing a suicide jacket.
"We are absolutely certain this device exists and could be used either by a suicide bomber or in a remote-controlled explosion," one source told the Sun newspaper.
Newspapers quoted security chiefs who they said believed an attack was imminent, with possible targets including the underground train network or pubs crowded with fans watching the soccer World Cup tournament which starts next week.
And this:
In a meeting last month with some families of victims of the July 7 attacks, John Reid, the Home Secretary, stunned his audience by telling them that 20 "major conspiracies" had been uncovered.
This was far more than anyone in Whitehall had previously divulged. Understandably, Mr Reid did not go into details but his claim came shortly after MI5 suggested that there were as many as 1,200 terrorist suspects living in Britain.
A report by the Joint Intelligence Committee leaked to a Sunday newspaper last month said that the war in Iraq had made Britain a target for al-Qaeda sympathisers "for many years to come".
This report showed the remarkable rise in suspects that MI5 was attempting to shadow. At the time of the 9/11 attacks, MI5 knew of about 250 "primary investigative targets" inside Britain. By July 7 last year that had risen to 800. Today it is more than 1,000. Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, had revealed how three attacks had been foiled since July 7 that were likely to have caused many more deaths than the 52 killed in last summer's suicide bombings...
Today's terrorists are suburban men who neighbours invariably describe as "hard-working, respectable and British to the core".
Some people choose to ignore the war. I say we fight it.
The #1 Problem With Kids...Their Parents
From the NY Times article Where They Don't All Scream for Ice Cream, about a neighborhood group that had the city move an ice cream truck from its usual space near a park entrance to a space a block away, because their children wanted ice cream.
"It may seem like a curmudgeonly pursuit," said Christine Sciulli, a member of the park's board and the mother of two young sons. "But it was really difficult for parents and caregivers every time they entered the park. There's only one entrance into the park for small kids. It seemed like the deck was stacked in the favor of the ice cream and the toddlers."
With the truck a block away, she said, "it lessened the agony for every caregiver."
This is typical: If you can't train your kids, change others lives instead? Just say no, people. Just say no.
"It may seem like a curmudgeonly pursuit," said Christine Sciulli, a member of the park's board and the mother of two young sons. "But it was really difficult for parents and caregivers every time they entered the park. There's only one entrance into the park for small kids. It seemed like the deck was stacked in the favor of the ice cream and the toddlers."
With the truck a block away, she said, "it lessened the agony for every caregiver."
This is typical: If you can't train your kids, change others lives instead? Just say no, people. Just say no.
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