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Browse by Category
Sandy Berger: Crook
"I'm Not Leaving. I Want a Western Burger"
Terri Schiavo is Dead
Judicial Grandstanding
New Bob Mould in July
Teachers Union Opens the Spigot
TAM's Top 15
Slightly Bored
The Reason Behind Operation: Full Court Press
Some Balance
Washburn is a Winner
Minor Emergency
More Details on Naked Man
Better Late than Never
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March 31, 2005
The Other Red vs. Blue
This hymn must be from an ELCA hymnal. When it comes to hymns we Missouri Synod Lutherans argue (quietly) over which is better: the red hymnal (The Lutheran Hymnal) vs. the blue hymnal (Lutheran Worship). When my family moved to a new town we picked a new church because they used the red hymnal. Unlike those blue hymnal users we actually like hymns we can sing along to. I found one church that uses both.
[via Power Line]
Sandy Berger: Crook
Sandy Berger could get a maximum of one year in jail and slapped with a $100,000 fine for pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unauthorized removal of classified documents from the National Archives. The guy stuffed them into his pants and socks. One wonders who he was trying to protect. His ex-boss, Bill Clinton? Or his possible future boss, John Kerry?
For such a blatant abuse of power and the public trust and who knows what damage to national security Berger will be punished about as harshly as Martha Stewart. Nice if you can get away with it, and Berger pretty much did.
"Berger Cops To Misdemeanor"
"Ex-Clinton Adviser to Admit Taking Documents"
"I'm Not Leaving. I Want a Western Burger"
The police were needed to make sure a cheeseburger was made right. I nominate this woman "Moron of the Year." She's got a good chance of winning, and the year is still young.
Terri Schiavo is Dead
She's gone on to a place far better than the one she left. The rest of us still on earth have to deal with the effects of how and why she died. Lord, grant us wisdom and compassion.
The Confederate Yankee writes that "Terri Shiavo's torturous starvation is over." With this rancorous debate McGehee [via OTB] found that Terri's plight brought up important, meaningful issues of human life and death. "Not bad for a 'vegetable.'" Terri didn't die in vain.
"Schiavo Dies 13 Days After Tube Removed"
"Terri Schiavo Dead at 41" [via Blogs for Terri]
UPDATE: Kevin put together a small picture retrospective.
Judicial Grandstanding
The Supreme Court again refusing to take up Terri's case isn't surprising. Nothing has really changed to get them to get involved. I'm ticked at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who gave Terri Schiavo's parents false hope. The court agreed to consider taking up the case only to issue a ruling against it 15 hours later. James Joyner calls the court's actions "incredibly cruel."
The court gave the Schindlers a glimmer of hope because Judge Stanley F. Birch Jr. wanted to scold politicians. He wrote,
In resolving the Schiavo controversy, it is my judgment that, despite sincere and altruistic motivation, the legislative and executive branches of our government have acted in a manner demonstrably at odds with our Founding Fathers' blueprint for the governance of a free people our Constitution.
Oh please! Maybe Congress and the President overstepped their constitutional bounds, and maybe they didn't. Since Judge Birch didn't feel the need to declare the late night, emergency legislation unconstitutional that question is up for grabs. As Captain Ed puts it, "Talk about judicial arrogance!" And at a grieving family's expense.
"High Court Rejects New Schiavo Request"
New Bob Mould in July
Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!
Any new Bob Mould music will make me happy. But what kicks it up a notch (damn Emeril!) is Body of Song will "employ a guitar-heavy full-band approach." Bob will be rockin'. Sweet!
"Yep Roc Announces Release of New Bob Mould Album!"
Teachers Union Opens the Spigot
The teachers union will spend more to support incumbent state superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster than what both she and opponent Gregg Underheim have raised combined in campaign contributions.
WEAC can't be afraid Burmaster will lose. She won't. Burmaster has raised almost four times the money Underheim has. I can only imagine it's the union's way of sending a message. They're telling potential future conservative opponents that if they're willing to spend this much on a sure-thing race imagine what they would spend in a highly competitive one?
"Schools Race to Get Cash Infusion"
March 30, 2005
TAM's Top 15
Inspired by John Hawkins here's my list of my fave weblogs:
- Captain's Quarters
- Boots & Sabers
- Sykes Writes
- My View of the World
- Red State
- Engadget
- InstaPundit
- Lakeshore Laments
- Michelle Malkin
- Hugh Hewitt
- Outside the Beltway
- PoliBlogger
- Professor Bainbridge
- Wizbang
- Althouse
There were the ones I could rattle off in just a few minutes. They're the ones I go to look for hot news or to get views on hot news. This list tells me two things: 1. I need to broaden my weblog reading (tough with reading all the stories they link to as well as write my own posts); 2. I need to read more Lefty weblogs to better understand my opponents.
Slightly Bored
Here's a strange keyword search that someone found TAM with:
Diana Taurasi (virgin)
The Reason Behind Operation: Full Court Press
MSNBC's Brock Meeks missed the boat on the border patrol's new effort to stop illegals from coming into Arizona from Mexico. There's plenty of material on what the border patrol will do and whether it will be successful, but Meeks misses the reason why "Operation: Full Court Press" [NOTE: Homeland Security needs to borrow those military people who make cool operation names like "Operation: Iraqi Freedom."] started this week. The Minuteman Project starts Friday. Washington heard the "airhorn." Bryan Preston also thinks the MS-13 threat against Minuteman participants may also have something to do with the personel boost.
Will Operation: Full Court Press stop citizens from patroling the border? No, because one operation won't immediately win back trust.
"U.S. Agency Poised for Big Border Security Operation" [via InTheBullpen]
UPDATE: How dumb does this Homeland Security spokesman think we are?
More than 500 additional Border Patrol agents are being assigned to beef up patrols along the Arizona-Mexico border, with as many as 150 to 200 officers already headed there, federal officials and others said Tuesday.That news comes just days before civilian volunteers, calling themselves the Minuteman Project, are to begin their own monthlong patrols for immigrants crossing the border.
Organizers have said they expect at least 1,000 people to participate.
"This has absolutely nothing to do with the so-called Minuteman people," Christiana Halsey, spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection Bureau, said Tuesday.
Instead, Halsey said, the additional agents, equipment and other resources for Arizona, to be detailed at a news conference today in Tucson by Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner and other officials, have been planned as Phase II of the Arizona Border Control Initiative, a program initially launched last March.
"U.S. Adds 500 to Patrol Ariz. Border" [via Right Voices]
Some Balance
Next month, the National Press Club will be having a discussion asking "Who is a Journalist?" One of the invitees is Jeff Gannon. Originally scheduled to appear with the lame, conservative reporter were Ana Marie Cox, and John Stanton of Congress Daily. Due to the outcry of some MSM reporters more people were added for "diversity" and "balance." Now, Jim Drinkard of USA Today (who has never been seriously questioned about his role in the Rather memo flap), Garrett Graff of Fishbowl D.C., and Matthew Yglesias have been added. Yglesias says the NPC is asking a stupid question. He's "uncomfortable" but attending. Balance and diversity in the minds of the National Press Club means having a third-rate conservative versus five Lefties or to be generous, non-conservatives. What, Mark Tapscott or Bob Cox weren't available or couldn't find any conservative for the panel?
"Press Club Keeps Gannon--But Adds Others to Panel"
Washburn is a Winner
Washburn's World is a great new Wisconsin weblog find. (Thanks, Kevin.) Through his wizbang mathematical analysis of Milwaukee voter fraud John concludes John Kerry loses about 3000 votes. That's more than 25% of his total ballot victory in Wisconsin. He asks, "What are the ballot box stuffing numbers are in Madison, Kenosha, Racine and Green Bay, West Allis, Wausau, Eau Claire, etc.?"
John also organizes 27 Wisconsin election problems.
Minor Emergency
One of my sister's greyhounds got out of the house--first time this ever happened. To say she was upset is an understatement. The dog's been found and everything's alright.
UPDATE: The pooch is safe and sound.
More Details on Naked Man
We have more details on the Kenosha naked man shot to death yesterday morning. He was 300 pounds. His size may explain why Officer David Monson shot him nine times. What still isn't understood is why Sgt. Ron Bartholomew didn't use the taser--not a stun gun as previously reported--on the man.
"Kenosha Police Kill Naked Man who was Threatening His Kids"
Better Late than Never
The Atlanta federal appeals court is thinking about allowing an emergency hearing. The one-sentence order states, "The Appellant's emergency motion for leave to file out of time is granted." Since the court shot down the Shindlers last week I think the chances of a hearing or them ordering the reinsertion of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube are slim.
"Appeals Court to Consider Schiavo Request"
March 29, 2005
Incompetent, Not Corrupt
The Volker Committee investigating the Iraq Oil-for-Food scandal issued an interim report (PDF) saying U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan didn't improperly award a contract to a Swiss company that employed his son. But he's not off the hook. Mark Pieth, one of the committee members said, "We said he was not dishonest but at the same time he mismanaged the inquiry." The report also chastises Annan's former chief of staff who destroyed documents beginning the day after the Volker Committee was announced. Can you say, "Enron on the East River?"
So Annan isn't corrupt he's just incompetent. That's a great boost of confidence for the world body. When asked if he'll resign from his position, Annan did his best Stone Cold Steve Austin impersonation and said, "Hell no."
"Annan Refuses to Quit U.N. Over Report"
"Panel Says Annan Didn't Intervene in Iraq Contract"
More Access
Thomas Barnett, author of the very important The Pentagon's New Map, is now a contributing editor for Esquire. His new position has opened more doors than when he was a professor at the U.S. Naval War College.
Life is so much more interesting now with Esquire, because I pitch my F2F's directly on my own, and when I get them, they happen. So today, with a very nice assist from the Office of Secretary of Defense's public-affairs people, I get to interview two four-stars by lunch, with somebody just as good for later this afternoon.I won't kid you, I never got into any of these offices when I was working for OSD, because those were places my mentor and boss Art Cebrowski went. And I had no problem with that.
Still, it's kind of amazing that I'm about 3 months working as a Contributing Editor with Esquire and here I am getting into three offices I never could have touched in my old day jobs.
"8 Stars by Noon (It's Good to Write for Esquire)"
Naked Man Shot by Police
Last night, a naked man walking along a Kenosha street with his three naked kids was shot and killed by police. One of the children told police the man "had an argument with his girlfriend, smoked marijuana, drank shampoo and poured water over his children before taking all three naked into the street." What the heck was in that weed and shampoo? The story says one of the officers had a stun gun. Why wasn't that used instead of shooting the man nine times? Realize this was after the man tossed away the scissors he had pressed to a baby's neck. Being naked he certainly wasn't hiding anything? I'm not saying Officer David Monson was wrong for shooting the man, questions need to be answered.
This would be the weird story of the day but someone got killed. Instead it's just very sad.
"Naked Man Shot and Killed by Police in Kenosha"
Liberal Voices for Terri
Jesse Jackson has gotten involved in Terri Schiavo's case.
"She is being starved to death, she is being dehydrated to death. That's immoral and unnecessary," Jackson told reporters after meeting Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, near the hospice in Pinellas Park where she is being cared for....
"This is one of the profound moral issues of our time," said Jackson, long a leading Democratic voice on civil rights. "We ask today for some hard hearts to be softened up," he said, adding that he was in touch with members of the Florida legislature to try to get them to intervene.
The cynical side of me thinks Jackson jumped in because where there's a bunch of cameras there's certain to be the egomaniac himself. Where was Jackson two weeks, three weeks, two months ago? Where was he to take the heat off Christian conservatives? He must have been too busy turning Michael Jackson into the next black celebrity victim. Would Andrew Sullivan have begun his purge if Jackson would have stood side-by-side with Rep. Tom DeLay? I'll take (almost) any allies even if it's someone as vain as Jesse Jackson.
Jackson isn't the only Lefty speaking out that Terri should live. Nat Hentoff has a blistering column in the Village Voice. The atheist, pro-life liberal, an extremely rare species, excoriates the ACLU for siding with Michael Schiavo and lays blame on a court system more concerned with saving people on death row than with the severely disabled. He quotes a Ralph Nader-Wesley Smith joint statement:
If this were a death penalty case, this evidence would demand reconsideration. Yet, an innocent, disabled woman is receiving less justice. . . . This case is rife with doubt. Justice demands that Terri be permitted to live.
The statement goes also says:
The courts . . . have [also] ordered that no attempts be made to provide her water or food by mouth. Terri swallows her own saliva. Spoon feeding is not medical treatment. "This outrageous order proves that the courts are not merely permitting medical treatment to be withheld, they have ordered her to be made dead."
Professor McAdams wonders why so many liberals' knee-jerk response to Terri's plight was to let her die. Stephen Miller reminds me that Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) is very supportive of Terri's right to live.
"Jesse Jackson Jumps Into Florida Right-To-Die Case"
"Terri Schiavo: Judicial Murder"
[Added to OTB's Beltway Traffic Jam.]
A TAM First
There's a person who comments daily at TAM. I don't think I've ever mentioned Chet by name in a post but have took him on in the comments. I don't mind him around. He can be obnoxious, but he occasionally keeps me on my toes and adds entertainment to the comments. Tee Bee has written the first post I know of solely about a TAM commenter. Looks like Chet has found a new place to comment.
"Bending the Blog Rules: Talking Terri Schiavo with Trolls"
Getting Someone in Trouble
Owen took the pic and demanded an explanation. He told you to listed to WTMJ this morning for more. No stories on the web yet so I'll let you know that the van is part of a Milwaukee County public transit program. The van was designated for the 440th Airlift Wing to bring in people from Racine. Being near Beloit, WI violated the rules for the van's use. Someone's in trouble.
Patrick did post audio of the WTMJ story.
March 28, 2005
Down to the Minors
Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks won't be in the majors come Opening Day. From watching them for almost a week I was satisfied with Fielder (good bat, no harm with the glove) and had to give an incomplete to Weeks (didn't play enough to have a good opinion). The problem is neither of the two played so well as to beat out Lyle Overbay and Junior Spivey.
As for Corey Hart the Brewers need to trade him off to a team that doesn't know any better. His overall Spring Training numbers showed otherwise, but when I saw him he swung wildly and was awful fielding in the outfield.
"Brewers Send Down Prospects Fielder, Weeks"
Sign Up for BlogNashville
BlogNashville is almost a third of the way filled. If you want to attend a weblogging conference that actually has conservatives in attendence sign up now.
The Birth of a Political Philosophy
Ramesh Ponnuru notices Andrew Sullivan is attempting a one-man conservative purge. Since conservatism, as all political philosophies, is built by many minds, it would be better and more honest of him to call his philosophy "Sullivanism."
Cooking
It's been too long since I had sausages. Then I read this recipe. Guess what I'm making right now?
UPDATE: My sausages turned out pretty good. The red peppers and onions were especially sweet. I recommend cooking the sausages in the oven longer than the recommended 6-10 minutes. Unless you're really concerned about presentation cut into one of the links to make sure they're done.
I needed some wine to go with my meal. No Chianti or Italian wines were in my case so I opened a 2002 R.H. Phillips Shiraz. Its claim to fame is it's one of the first screw top wines around. It's not expensive but is satisfying. It's jammy with some spice. Nothing fancy. Solid for its under-$10 price.
What's in a Name?
It's bad enough the EU decided to centrally plan what can and can't be in an operating system. The loons also have a veto on what the altered OS can be named.
"Microsoft to Rename Media Player-Less Windows"
Pearl Volunteers to Leave
UW-Milwaukee loses a good one in Bruce Pearl. The most successful coach in school history took the Tennessee Volunteers job. Who can blame him? His pay goes up to around $1 million from the $275,000 he was making at UWM. How high UWM was willing to go is a question I hope local reporters find out. Tennessee being in the SEC now gives Pearl a chance to recruit top-notch talent. Pearl knows this is his big chance and has given himself the goal of of making the men's basketball program a consistently Top 10 program. That's a high goal in a conference loaded with great teams like Kentucky and Florida. I wish Pearl the best and hope he does better than the other college coach who left a Milwaukee school for Knoxville, Kevin O'Neal. Volunteers fans are already ripping on him.
"Pearl Named New Coach at Tennessee"
My Jeopardy! Journey
Kevin's getting a Jeopardy! tryout. Congrats to him. Once upon a time I tried out for the college tournament. The tryout was in Milwaukee, and I was going to school in Duluth, MN. A six hour trip across the Badger State was in order. It was the first and only time I ever used that carpool board every college has. Remember, a normal person can make the trip in six hours. A long-haired hippy-looking moron packed himself, his girlfriend, another carpooler, and me into a tiny compact hatchback. Instead of taking the four-lane highway that lead to the interstate the moron took a "shortcut." I fell asleep with an uncomfortable feeling this was going to be a long trip. Next thing I know our car is pulled over on the side of the road with a policeman's flashing lights behind us. What the hippy moron did to deserve the attention I don't know. All I know is the officer had trouble comprehending the concept of carpooling. He had all of us get out of the car and show him our IDs. The officer even pulled me aside to explain to him how we all got in the same car. Finally we were sent on our way.
Traveling on two lane roads in northern Wisconsin made the trip last forever. It was two or three in the morning by the time we got to Madison where I then had to call my parents to pick me up. So for my big chance to impress the Jeopady! people I had about two hours of sleep.
Lack of sleep didn't hurt my chances. I did well enough on the paper and pencil test to get to the next round. Five others and I had our picture taken then we practiced using the buzzer. When I got my picture taken I knew my chance to get on the show dropped. Back then I was in my human hairball stage. I was a lazy bum who sported a fuzzy, out-of-control goatee and long hair, not the type who looked great on tv. That was the last I heard from anyone at Jeopardy! The game show's producers did tell us that not getting contacted for the college tournament shouldn't stop us from getting on the show. Since the number of spots for the college tournament are so limited it's easier to get on regular Jeopardy!. So, if I ever get to L.A. I'll have to remember to schedule a tryout.
"I Can Lose on Jeopardy!"
The Immigrant Song
When spending a little time in Arizona like I did a few weeks ago you quickly feel how important immigration issues are there. You step out of your hotel room, go to a gas station, turn on the radio, and read billboards. You come into contact with Spanish. You talk with locals about the news of the day and soon illegal immigration will enter the conversation. Illegals are putting tremendous burdens on social services and police forces. On the positive side they provide cheaper labor to companies--imagine a $150/night Motel 6 room in Phoenix. Arizonans are fed up with illegals crossing the border. Voters passed Proposition 200 which requires people to prove they are citizens before voting or receiving government benefits.
I sympathize with those who have witnessed decades of law-breaking. I understand those who are mad at the federal government for failing to secure the border, but then I read people like Project Arkansas Now's Joe McCutchen declaring the U.S. "a Third World dumping ground." The not-so-subtle racism is also demonstrated with The Minuteman Project where volunteer Arizonans will go to the U.S.-Mexico border 04.01.05 to help the border patrol watch for illegal aliens crossing into the U.S. Organizers' fears are posted on their website:
At the current rate of invasion the United States will be completely over run with ILLEGAL aliens by the year 2025...only 21 years away. ILLEGAL aliens and their offspring will be the dominant population in the U.S. and will have made such inroads into the political and social systems that "they" will have more influence than our Constitution over how the U.S. is governed. The ugly consequence of an ignored U.S. Constitution is already taking place.Future generations will inherit this mutated form of the United States of America, consisting of 100 different sub-nations, speaking 100 different languages, and promoting 100 different cultural agendas. That will certainly guarantee the death of this nation as a "melting pot". Instead, it will be tantamount to a sack of marbles...with each marble colliding with the other marbles, as each culture scrambles for dominance of its culture over all others.
I wonder if this isn't so much fear of illegal immigrants as much as immigrants in general. I suspect if the current numbers entering illegally were actually legal these people would still be decrying the "Third World trash" coming to the U.S.
For the most part, I'm a free borders guy. Just like the freeflow of capital, goods, and services, I support the freeflow of labor. A better allocation of economic resources displaces some but benefits society as a whole.
This doesn't mean I support closing down the boarder patrol, turning a blind eye to illegals crossing the border, or supporting President Bush's new immigration ideas. A pre-requisite of a nation-state is to deliniate the geographical area of itself. A nation-state can't exist if no one knows where it begins and where it ends. For self-defense purposes a nation-state has to be able and willing to defend its borders. It has to be protected from invading armies and terrorist cells. In addition having a class of lawbreakers living comfortably within the nation-state insults the rule of law. Those who broke the law to come to the U.S. have proven they don't respect its immigration laws. What other laws will they flout because they're inconvienent?
The Minuteman Project is an airhorn to Washington, D.C. Something has gone seriously wrong along the border if citizens are willing to guard the border themselves. (I bet most will scurry away after some wacko gets into a shootout with someone on the Mexican side of the border.) The borders have to be strengthened, illegals have to be denied benefits, and employers have to be punished for knowingly hiring illegals. U.S. laws have to be enforced or they become meaningless along with the nation-state.
In support of immigration I back ditching the restrictions on things like H-1B visas. If an employer wants to bring someone from outside the U.S. to work let them. Let that worker pass unheeded and legally past a customs agent so we have a record of who's come in. There should be no limit to the number of legal immigrants into the U.S. Nor should an employer or employee have to prove their techical skills are needed. The federal government shouldn't be in the business of centrally planning high tech labor. More people means more possibilities for new, innovative ideas. That means a great chance of a better life for all Americans. As long as they are willing to obey our laws we should welcome anyone from anywhere.
[Added to OTB's Beltway Traffic Jam.]
March 27, 2005
Times Targets DeLay
Andrew Sullivan isn't the only one taking advantage of Terri Schiavo's impending death to advance an agenda. The LA Times has a hit piece supposedly demonstrating the hypocrisy of Rep. Tom DeLay. Michelle Malkin links to a few Lefty webloggers who go ape over it. There's also a certain self-proclaimed "moderate" who is using it to bash DeLay too.
"DeLay's Own Tragic Crossroads"
March 26, 2005
Sullivan Taking Advantage
Andrew Sullivan thinks he's Bill Buckley at National Review in the 1960s. Then Buckley kicked the John Birch Society out of the conservative movement. Sullivan is using the Terri Schiavo case to do the same to some Christians. Bashing instead of seriously engaging a significant part of the conservative movement won't revive conservatism--whatever that means.
[via Professor Bainbridge]
March 25, 2005
Our Yapper in Spain
Charlie's on vacation:
I'm leaving for Spain this afternoon, so (I'm sorry), no blogging for the next week.Hopefully the rest of the WI Blogosphere will pick up the slack, until I'm back.
I didn't know we were slacking off.
I hope someone doesn't annonymously call customs and tell them not to let him back into the country because he might be a threat. That would be a real bummer. ;-)
March 24, 2005
Way to Go Panthers
There's no surprise UWM lost to the #1 team in the nation. I didn't get to see the game, but from what I saw in the highlights and Coach Bruce Perl's comments Illinois just had more quality players. The Panthers played their hearts out but ran out of gas. Even though they lost they made their school, city, and state proud. The Badgers will have to go to the Final Four to top what UWM did this year.
"Ill-Fated"
Black
I don black today partly to mourn for Terri Schiavo and the Culture of Life. I also am doing it to support UW-Milwaukee. Go Panthers! Beat Illinois!
March 23, 2005
Schiavo Quick Hits
Time ticks away, and Terri moves closer to her Creator. I don't have the emotional stamina to say a lot right now. So I'll offer you these nuggets.
An 11-member federal panel refused to hold a full hearing for Terri Schiavo.
---
Florida Department of Children and Families might take Terri out of the hospice she's been in and reinsert her feeding tube with or without a judge's order.
---
Bryan Preston castigates come big-time webloggers for selectively entering the Schiavo debate.
---
Dale Franks talks about "unprincipled" Republicans. It's fairer to state that the Congressional Republicans who passed the special Terri Schiavo law had a conflict between two principles: federalism and the protection of human life. (Stephen Bainbridge dealt with four principles.) It wasn't that the Republicans (and conservatives like me) are unprincipled it's that they had to decide what principle was paramount.
---
Even though CodeBlueBlog has won some awards I'm not familar with the writer. Here's a doctor's opinion of Terri's condition. Based on CT scans he's seen on the internet "THIS IS IN NO WAY PRIMA FACIE EVIDENCE THAT TERRI SCHIAVO'S MENTAL ABILITIES OR/OR CAPABILITIES ARE COMPLETELY ERADICATED." Take it for what it's worth. [Thanks MMM for the link.]
Increased Interest in Living Wills
A benefit to the publicity of Terri Schiavo's plight is many people are asking about living wills. If Terri had one we wouldn't be having a national debate. Something about Am 1130 WISN's report doesn't seem right. According to the radio station Aurora Health Care received a 1000 visitors yesterday. That's due to the interest in living wills. That just can't be right. It just can't be true that the website of the number one healthcare provider in Eastern Wisconsin had fewer visitors than TAM. Maybe I'm selling myself short.
"Living Will--Get One"
Denied Again
An Atlanta appeals court decided that Terri Schiavo should die. The sense I get from the two federal court rulings is that these judges were a little ticked that Congress moved this case to federal court. The speed by which they made their decisions implies they don't want Congress to do something like this ever again. I say it implies because the constitutionality of Congress passing a bill solely for Terri Schiavo will never come to court. She'll soon be dead and the point moot.
Pray for Terri, her family--yes, even Michael Schiavo, and all of us. We've moved into a new, dangerous realm.
"Reinsertion of Schiavo Feeding Tube Denied"
UPDATE: Michelle Malkin has excerpts from a dissenting judge as well as other pundits' views.
The Felon Loophole
Wisconsin is trying to put together a state-wide voter list. The Journal Sentinel's Greg Borowski reports a glaring loophole that will allow felons to illegally vote:
The statewide voter list, due to be completed late this year, would collect information on felons who are still on probation or parole and, as it stands now, officials would strike them from voting rolls.That follows the historic practice of Milwaukee and most other municipalities. On the surface, it may seem like the right approach. But with Wisconsin as one of the few states in the country with same-day registration, it would mean the felon could simply register on site and cast a ballot anyway.
Indeed, the Journal Sentinel has determined 29 of the 82 felons, or 35%, registered on election day.
One solution is to keep felons' names on voter lists but have a notation added. State Elections Board chief Kevin Kennedy isn't sure he wants to "clutter up the list." If you don't keep highlighted felons on the list you have two options: end same-day registration; or prosecute felons who vote illegally. If Milwaukee's E. Michael McCann is an example strong prosecutions won't happen. With all the shady registration operations going on last year I'm strongly in favor of ending same-day registration to give elections officials enough time to prepare for a fair, fraud-free election.
"Voter List Lacks Key Element"
UPDATE: Wow, the Journal Sentinel editorial board actually notices a voting fraud problem. The "What Me Worry?" gang is getting better. Yet they still can't see the need for voters to show an ID before getting a ballot. The newspaper's reporters know why photo ID at the polls is needed. So close, but still so far.
March 22, 2005
Hewitt: Too Bad the Killer's Dead
Let me toss out another aspect of the encroaching Culture of Death: the rise in popularity of the death penalty. The Minnesota reservation shootings have brought out bloodlust in Hugh Hewitt:
I am certain I am not the first to post on this, but had yesterday's shooter in Minnesota not turned the gun on himself, he would never have been eligible for the death penalty because of the recent Supreme Court decision. He killed young people, teachers, a security guard and his grandfather, but the Supreme Court has ruled that no civilized society could even consider executing him for his massacre.That is an absurd result, and the Supreme Court's foolishness is underscored by yesterday's carnage.
Hugh wishes the killer would have lived so he could be put on trial then killed. Hugh also must wish Minnesota had the death penalty. Thankfully, like Wisconsin, it doesn't. I think it's absurd all states haven't ended vengeful state-sanctioned killing.
Months ago, I worked on a post explaining my philosophy of life. Guess I better get around to finishing it. To be really brief regarding my opposition to the death penalty: since an adequate prison system is enough protection to society capital punishment is merely vengence.
Sowell on Schiavo
Few public intellectuals can put the complexities of Man's existence into so clear a form as Thomas Sowell. He's the best conservative thinker who simple conveys the flawed world we're stuck in.
There are no good solutions to this wrenching situation. It is the tragedy of the human condition in its most stark form.The extraordinary session of Congress, calling members back from around the country, with the President flying back from his home in Texas in order to be ready to sign legislation dealing with Terri Schiavo, are things that do us credit as a nation.
Even if critics who claim that this is being done for political or ideological reasons are partially or even wholly correct, they still miss the point. It is the public's sense of concern -- in some cases, outrage -- that is reflected by their elected representatives.
What can Congress do -- and what effect will it have? We do not know and Congress does not know. Those who are pushing for legislation to save Terri Schiavo are obviously trying to avoid setting a precedent or upsetting the Constitutional balance.
It is an old truism that hard cases make bad law. No one wants all such cases to end up in either Congress or the federal courts. But neither do decent people want an innocent woman killed because she was inconvenient and a court refused to recognize the conflict of interests in her legal guardian.
Sowell is as uncomfortable as me about Congress having to act on Terri Schiavo's behalf. If anyone understands unintended consequences it's Sowell yet still his conscience dictates that an extraordinary case deserves extraordinary actions.
"'Cruel and Unusual'" [via Michelle Malkin]
Killing Patients in Texas
KTK at Lean Left put together a good post explaining why some Texas medical cases involving a law signed by then-governor George Bush are more complicated than Bush-bashers want to make them.
"Bad Meme a-Risin’: 'Killing Patients to Save Money'"
Pinkerton Blasts Christian Conservatives
Stephen Bainbridge chastises James Pinkerton:
The American people need to be told that federalism is a tool - a means to an end. So is limited government. So, for that matter, is the rule of law. Sometimes they are the right tool. And sometimes they aren't. As I discussed yesterday, neither federalism nor limited government was the right analytical tool for evaluating Congress' intervention in the Terry Schiavo case. Explaining why is hard to do in a quick sound-bite, but I think I managed to do a pretty good job of doing so in less than 400 words -- or about half the length of a Pinkerton op-ed.It's a pity Pinkerton didn't try doing so. If he had, maybe his readers would be prepared to think clearly when "the Democrats retake power and resume their own ambitious national agenda, [and] happily trample on 'states' rights,' citing the Schiavo legislation as their precedent ...."
I'm not shocked at Pinkerton laying this all on the doorstep of the Religious Right. While being a very tall man my experience of reading and listening to him is that he has it in for Christian conservatives.
He's also wrong if this was all because of the Religious Right. I'm a conservative and strongly pro-life who doesn't consider myself in the same group as James Dobson. I'm more libertarian than Christian conservatives I've encountered. Much of it is because of growing up as a Lutheran in a German-American community. We don't feel the need to overtly display our faith. Our actions should suffice. I'm fighting for Terri's right to life because I worry about the advancement of a Culture of Death. What horrors will my fellow men allow because of the further cheapening of human life?
Add to this almost half the Democrats present in the House of Representatives Sunday night voted for the bill. There are Democrats, Independents, as well as Republicans who are appalled that Terri Schiavo is being starved to death. This was more bipartisan than Pinkerton wants to let on.
"Limited Government, Schiavo, and Pinkerton" [via Althouse]
Vanity: Man's Vulnerability
Meghan Cox Gurdon summons the spirit of C.S. Lewis. Let's all grab a copy of The Screwtape Letters.
"Screwtape Revisited"
Judge Rules Against Terri
A federal judge in Tampa ruled that Terri Schiavo's feeding tube should not be reinserted. He determined that Terri's parents had little chance of winning their case. An appeal to a higher court in Atlanta will soon be filed. All the while the clock ticks because Terri is being denied food and water. Federal legislation to move Terri's case to federal court in no way was a guarantee she would be saved from a cruel death.
"Judge Rejects Schiavo Appeal"
March 21, 2005
"A VERY Bad Sign"
Terri Schiavo's federal court hearing worries Andy McCarthy. The judge didn't immediately order the feeding tube to be reinserted. McCarthy writes,
De novo review regardless of what went on in the state courts should mean it is a brand new ballgame – the federal court owes no deference to any of the matters raised or ruled on in the state courts. Given the voluminous nature of the record generated in Florida, there is no way this case can be decided quickly if it is to be reviewed responsibly. Terri Schiavo would be dead in the time that would take. So, manifestly, the only proper thing for the judge to do was to order the feeding tube replaced forthwith the minute the case was filed. If Terri’s parents lose their case, the tube can always be removed again. But if Terri dies while the judge is spinning his wheels, she and her parents can never be made whole.
Minnesota Shootings
King is covering the shootings on a Minnesota Indian reservation. My prayers are with all the families affected.
"Depressingly Too Often"
Welcome to the Blogosphere
State Rep. Frank Lasee has jumped into the blogosphere. His weblog will be a great source for pro-TABOR info.
Public Opinion Trumps No Clear Wish
It's interesting how Judge Greer used the testimony of Beverly Tyler. She told the court that when Terri made her casual remarks about using extraodinary medical procedures other Americans her age, her "reference class," felt that living on machines was cruel. As Lydia McGrew puts it, "[W]hat the deuce is Ms. Tyler's evidence doing in here at all?" Judge Greer as well as the 2nd District Court of Appeal decided that in the face of no living will and nothing more than casual remarks about extraordinary medical procedures the general opinions of other's Terri's age should determine if her feeding tube should be removed.
"The Right to Live and the Right Reference Class: Part II"
A Difficult Dilemma
Kevin McCullough links to the Terri Schiavo legislation passed earlier this morning. Let me highlight the last section:
SEC. 9. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.It is the Sense of Congress that the 109th Congress should consider policies regarding the status and legal rights of incapacitated individuals who are incapable of making decisions concerning the provision, withholding, or withdrawal of foods, fluid, or medical care.
Such consideration would be a better use of Congress' time than possibly regulating steroids in baseball. But discussion should include the law, signed by Governor George Bush, that allowed a hospital to turn off the respirator for an almost six-month-old.
There are serious federalism issues that are involved. That's why I give only two cheers for Congress acting on behalf of Terri. Despite what the legislation states a precedent has been set. Expect other families in similar dilemmas petitioning Congress and crying hypocrisy when they don't act. Hard cases make bad law. That maxim is probably true. But as Professor Bainbridge writes, "In sum, the culture of life and the rule of law appear to be in unavoidable conflict. Both are central values of a free and just society. All of which makes it extremely difficult to decide where one stands on this issue." Just pray that we're doing the best we can.
"Terry Schiavo, Congress, and First Principles"
Biased Poll Questions
Orin Kerr examines the wording of an opinion poll on Terri Schiavo's case. Can you say leading questions?
"Biased Questions in the ABC Schiavo Poll"
Fighting Ashcroft but Not Castro
A library in Vermillion, South Dakota along with library associations in Latvia, Poland, and the Czech Republic are doing something the American Library Association refuses to do: support independent libraries in Cuba. Nat Hentoff writes,
What has made this signal of solidarity against repression most notable is that this small town in South Dakota has not only defied Castro but has also shown the hypocrisy of the national American Library Association—the largest organization of librarians in the world—whose governing council last year overwhelmingly defeated an amendment from one of its members to demand that Castro immediately release the 10 independent librarians, along with the other 65 "prisoners of conscience," as Amnesty International has described them.Although American librarians stood up to John Ashcroft's Patriot Act provision empowering the FBI to seize library records, including the readers of suspect books, the policy makers of the ALA didn't want to overly offend the Cuban dictator. (Some members of the ALA governing council are Fidelistas who serenade Castro's health care system but are silent about his secret police—and the gulag in which he keeps Cubans who will not be silenced. The Fidelistas prevailed in that ALA vote.)
"A U.S. Library vs. Fidel"
Dehydrating to Death
Fraters Libertas points us to an article from The Weekly Standard describing the agony one goes through as they are deprived of food and water. Not something to read first thing in the morning, but people need to realize what Terri is already going through.
A conscious [cognitively disabled] person would feel it just as you or I would. They will go into seizures. Their skin cracks, their tongue cracks, their lips crack. They may have nosebleeds because of the drying of the mucus membranes, and heaving and vomiting might ensue because of the drying out of the stomach lining. They feel the pangs of hunger and thirst. Imagine going one day without a glass of water! Death by dehydration takes ten to fourteen days. It is an extremely agonizing death.After seven to nine days [from commencing dehydration] they begin to lose all fluids in the body, a lot of fluids in the body. And their blood pressure starts to go down. When their blood pressure goes down, their heart rate goes up. . . Their respiration may increase and then . . . the blood is shunted to the central part of the body from the periphery of the body. So, that usually two to three days prior to death, sometimes four days, the hands and the feet become extremely cold. They become mottled. That is you look at the hands and they have a bluish appearance. And the mouth dries a great deal, and the eyes dry a great deal and other parts of the body become mottled. And that is because the blood is now so low in the system it's shunted to the heart and other visceral organs and away from the periphery of the body . . .
This isn't just letting someone "slip away." This is going to take
Not Enough Copies
Which circle of hell do people who accost lowly retail workers go to when they die? I had to endure a customer interrogating a co-worker as to when copies of Mark Levin's Men in Black would arrive at my bookstore. She didn't like the answer that it would take about a week if she wanted to order it. The customer said that's what she was told a week before. She admitted she never placed an order for the book. The sad excuse for a customer then went off wondering why we didn't have Levin's book in stock but had plenty of Michael Moore's sad excuse for books. The woman couldn't accept the fact that publishers have to get books to bookstores. I had enough of this search for a conspiracy that didn't exist and asked her if she wanted to speak to a manager. Being a coward who only wanted to make a pathetic political statement she said she didn't have time. Yet she had time to aggravate a bookseller.
For some reason Regnery Publishing, who puts out Levin's book, has trouble with hot titles. Last summer, they couldn't keep up with the anti-Kerry Unfit for Command. You wouldn't believe the number of people who thought my company was part of a vast Left wing conspiracy to help the Democrats by not selling that book. Regnery's CEO even had to say the shortage wasn't bookstores' fault. The trouble with Men in Black is similar. Even with the large initial printing demand has outpaced it.
Let me be blunt: there is no damn book conspircacy. Barnes & Noble likes to sell books, lots of books. It doesn't matter if their liberal, conservative, communist, Nazi, straight, gay, lesbian, pro-NY Yankees, or pro-Boston Red Sox. More books sold means more profit. Being good capitalists--even if liberal--those that run the company like profit.
If you're one of those who suspect ulterior motives if they can't find a book their looking for you're probably wrong and don't take it out on the labor. If you do complain realize that behind the smile that employee wishes you'd fall into one of Saddam's shredders--whether they existed or not.
[via PrestoPundit]
Bill is Now Law
At 1:11 AM ET, President Bush signed the bill sending Terri Schiavo's case to federal court.
March 20, 2005
Happy Family
Terri's parents and hot sister (must find pics) just told reporters their happiness with the passage of the Terri Schiavo bill.
House Voting Begins
The speeches are over. The House is voting.
UPDATE: Still waiting for the voting to end. Read Paul's no-holds-barred blasting of the Democrats.
UPDATE II: The bill has passed 200-55. Obviously, not everybody showed up to vote.
UPDATE III: The country is safe. Congress is in recess until April.
Terri Schiavo and Her Father
Drudge played audio of Terri Schiavo and her father last Friday after her feeding tube was removed. Take it for what it's worth.
"Audio of Terri Schiavo after the Tube was Removed!"
UPDATE: Blue State Conservatives reports that Terri's brother told Glenn Beck the audio was from 2004. [via Michelle Malkin]
House is Now in Session
The House is again in session to pass a bill to move Terri Schiavo's case to federal court.
UPDATE: C-SPAN reports that after three hours of debate a vote will take place shortly after midnight Monday morning.
UPDATE II: Rep. Wexler declares 19 judges have ruled Terri should die, many medical experts have declared Terri
There are many questions left unanswered:
- Why hasn't an MRI been performed on Terri?
- Should we regard a casual comment to be legally binding when Terri Schiavo never signed a living will?
- When such a dilemna is at hand why call for Terri's death and not fall on the side of life?
In 2003, Wesley Smith asked plenty of other questions.
It appears Rep. Wasserman Schultz reads weblogs. She just pointed out President Bush's conflict between what he has said about Terri Schiavo and what law he signed while governor of Texas [via OTB].
UPDATE III: To get a little lighthearted (and this issue needs it) but Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) seems to have lost weight. Good for him. He's now less likely to have a stroke. Still, I hope Nadler has a living will.
I also get a kick out of Democrats talking about the limits of the federal government. I sympathize with the federalism argument. I wish Congress didn't have to act. I don't know about what the unindented consequences of this law would be.
To get more serious, I learned from Nadler that having a functioning cerebral cortex is the definition of human life. Maybe, maybe not. I admit ignorance. I just wonder if the many people unfortunately born with only a brainstem deserve no love, care, or treatment.
UPDATE IV: Someone should tell Rep. Rick Renzy (R-AZ) that he's wearing an ugly suit. He looks like he just came out of a Vegas casino.
UPDATE V: If I hear one more Congressmen praising a party leader I'll puke. Let's get this vote over with.
Senate Acts for Terri
While House Democrats obstruct Terri Schiavo's federal court hearing, the Senate succeeded in passing the legislation. The House is gathering up enough members for an early Monday morning vote.
"Senate Passes Legislation on Schiavo Case"
Coming to a Store Near You
Terri Schiavo isn't the only Culture of Death story out there. Federal regulators are ready to make a morning after pill, Plan B, available without a prescription. What a country we live in. Vioxx and other pain-relieving medicines are pulled off the market because they slightly increased one's chances of heart attacks, but women will soon be able to pop into a drug store, buy some pills, and kill their unborn child--all without consulting a doctor.
"US Close To Approving Plan B Emergency Contraceptive"
"FDA Expects to Ease Plan B Availability"
Still No Congressional Action
Congressional Republicans were all set to pass a bill to get Terri Schiavo a hearing in federal court. Because legislators are away on Easter Break the House of Representatives were going to pass the bill with a voice vote. President Bush cut short his Texas ranch weekend. House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) gaveled a session today only to recess it immediately.
But then we learn Democrats prefer to have Terri die. Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) wraps it in quasi-federalism:
The Republicans in Congress do not like the results that the Florida courts have reached and they are going to this extraordinary remedy of now stripping the Florida court of its jurisdiction so that maybe there can be another outcome.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) decided that those who want to prolong human life are "intolerant."
Politically it's a dumb move. The move ticks off the right-to-life crowd which is bigger and more organized than euthanasia backers. More importantly having a hearing in federal court doesn't mean Michael Schiavo won't still get his wish to have his wife die. All the bill would do is allow a federal court hearing. There's no guarantee Terri's parents would win.
"Democrats Won't Expedite Schiavo Bill; Vote Delayed"
"Democrats Block Voice Vote In House"
UPDATE: The Kentucky Packrat doesn't see Terri's plight as part of the Culture of Death so much as the "Culture of Me." [via The Anchoress]
Congress Soon to Act on Terri's Behalf
Congressional leaders expect to pass some kind of legislation in the next day or so to allow Terri Schiavo's case to be heard in federal court. It would buy her some time, but unless new facts (i.e. more tests including an MRI) are allowed into her case this would just delay the inevitable.
"Congress Reaches Deal in Schiavo Case"
March 19, 2005
Justified Opposition
The Florida sex offender admitting he killed his neighbor's little girl will only embolden Milwaukee-area citizens to oppose a sex offender house in their neighborhood.
"More Flak for Group Home"
"Fla. Police Discover Missing Girl's Body"
On a Roll
Over at The Corner Mark Levin is making some interesting points [and here and here and here] about judges vs. Congress.
Pessimism
There's someone more depressed than me about the removal of Terri Shiavo's feeding tube.
We no longer inhabit "civilization" -- we are barbarians.
...
This is the way the world -- our world, the Western world, the world of civilization, of humane men and generous hearts, the world of magnificent art and great literature, the world brought about by Christianity -- ends. Can you hear it? Can you hear civilization end? The whimpers of Terri Schiavo on her deathbed signify what we have lost.
If Matthew Sitman would have been around when Roe v. Wade became law of the land he probably would have pulled a Heaven's Gate or Jonestown.
I'm not as dramatic or pessimistic as Sitman. Sure, we've witnessed a moment of great saddness. We've seen how the law can be an ass and allow someone to suffer a crueler death than that of a pet. Let's not go over the deep end. Annual abortions are going down. Teen pregnancy and sexual activity are also going down. These are some of the social trends that make me hopeful about the future.
It's painful knowing someone is dying unjustly. That's a useful feeling to let us know we still live in an imperfect world filled with much injustice. "The fight for life is always real." We must never waver from defending the innocent and defenseless.
"This is the Way the World Ends"
March 18, 2005
Congress' Role is Saving Terri
Peggy Noonan is one of the best writers of our time. She's passionate, moving, and full of heart. In calling for Congressional Republicans to do everything in their power to save Terri, she may be letting her heart rule over her head. True, Congress may have the power to subpoena Terri, giving her time for other legal measures to be tried, but is this the proper role of the federal government? Peggy doesn't even try to answer this question. Terri Schiavo doesn't involve interstate commerce, national defense, or some other federal interest. It's a case of a husband wanting his wife to die and a judge too pigheaded to entertain new medical facts. The Florida legislature thought they ended this dispute with Terri's Law, but that was struck down by a court. They can't even come together to pass new legislation. Why should Congress get involved when Florida is conflicted?
I also disagree with Peggy's political calculation. Congressmen won't be harmed if Terri dies a horrible, cruel death. An effort has been made. Terri's defenders are mostly conservatives. A conservative temperment involves understanding that not everything is possible. All men and institutions have constraints.
Sometimes all we can do is pray.
"'Don't Kick It'"
Felons Voted
No longer can people claim there's no evidence of voter fraud in last year's elections. The Journal Sentinel's uber reporter Greg Borowski has found at least 82 felons who cast ballots. Borowski writes,
It also provides clear evidence of fraudulent voters in the November election, in which Democrat John Kerry topped President Bush by about 11,000 votes in Wisconsin.
Now, is Mayor Tom Barrett going to get serious about voter fraud?
"82 Felons Voted in Nov. 2 Election"
Dr. Cranford Responds
Michael Schiavo's main medical expert Dr. Donald Cranford responds to the NRO article I linked to previously. In Dr. Cranford's opinion further tests would have been redundant:
An MRI was never recommended because, in this case and other patients in a permanent vegetative state, the CT scans were more than adequate to demonstrate the extremely severe atrophy of the cerebral hemispheres, and an MRI would add nothing of significance to what we see on the CT scans. Plus the MRI is contraindicated because of the intrathalamic stimulators implanted in Terri's brain. A PET scan was never done in this case because it was never needed. The classic clinical signs on examination, the CT scans, and the flat EEG's were more than adequate to diagnose PVS to the highest degree of medical certainty, along with the credible testimony of the three neurologists at the longest evidentiary hearing in American law, whose opinions were strongly affirmed by the trial court judge and three appeal court judges. Please see Judge Greer's opinions on the credibility of the experts testifying on behalf of the Schindler family.In addition, the only PET scan center in the country I would trust right now for doing the PET scan for the determination of PVS is New York-Cornell Medical Center with Niko Schiff. There are other PET scan centers in the US (such as in Miami and Atlanta which I contacted in 2002 as to the feasibility of doing a PET scan at these centers), but the only one doing top quality work with the precision necessary for PVS is the one in New York.
But the question Rev. Johansen wonders if if Terri is even in a permanent vegetative state. Did Dr. Cranford simply use the CT scan to reaffirm his initial diagnosis? This may be the first time in recent memory where a doctor didn't order test after test to further satisfy his judgement.
As pigheaded as Dr. Cranford is Judge Greer. For him, no new information will be allowed to come forth. Once his decision was made it is final. Such infalibility should be saved for Popes not for those who have the power of life and death in their hands.
"Schiavo - Dr. Cranford Offers a Reply" [via Captain Ed]
New Finds
Here are two new weblogs to sink your intellectual teeth into.
- Right Reason proclaims itself to to be a "weblog for philosophical conservatism." And for the most part it lives up to its proclaimation. But why did Francis Beckwith have to link to an Ann Coulter column? What a let down.
- Next up is the Globalization Institute's weblog. GI sees globalization as the key to relieving poverty. The organization's mission is to educate "the public as to the consequences of globalization. But our role goes further and includes devising how to work around the political pressures for restrictions on globalization. We work towards practical policies that governments and international institutions can adopt in order that whole world can benefit from the benefits of globalization."
George Kennan, R.I.P.
Foreign affairs meant little to me until Sep. 11, 2001. Because of this I know little of George Kennan. I know of his "X" memo that spelled out U.S. containment of the U.S.S.R. A collection of his writings sits on my to read pile. When I'll get to it, I don't know. Two things I didn't know: 1.) he was from Milwaukee; 2.) he was still alive until he died yesterday.
Godspeed, George.
Daniel Drezner has thoughts from someone who really knows about foreign affairs.
"Kennan Helped Shape World of Cold War"