JimEd Speaks Out

Democracy Takes a Hit

It is unfortunate," Justice Anthony Kennedy lamented yesterday, "that our legislators have reached the point of declaring that, when it comes to apportionment, `We are in the business of rigging elections.' " Despite that trenchant analysis of the state of our democracy, Justice Kennedy joined four of his colleagues in rejecting a challenge to Pennsylvania's thoroughly biased Congressional redistricting plan. Yesterday's 5-to-4 ruling was an enormous missed opportunity, one we can only hope the court revisits another day. Until it does, the public must challenge the growing trend of treating reapportionment as an opportunity to rig elections.

Everything they are saying is true. But I bet NYT wouldn't be as upset if the Dems were doing it this time.

The President's Testimony

It would have been a pleasure to be able to congratulate President Bush on his openness in agreeing to sit down today with the independent commission on the 9/11 attacks and answer questions. Unfortunately, Mr. Bush conditioned his cooperation on stipulations that range from the questionable to the ridiculous.

Questionable and ridiculous better describes this "commission," which in fact is a partisan witch hunt.

Deal to End Falluja Standoff Is Announced

American military officials said today that a new Iraqi security force made up of former Iraqi soldiers and commanders will replace the American troops now in Falluja and assume responsibility for the city's security.

The new force, known as the Falluja Protection Army, will include as many as 1,000 Iraqi soldiers led by a former general from the army of Saddam Hussein, American military officials said. A Marine commander, Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne, said the force will be a subordinate command of the American military, according to news services.

I hope this works out. We're on the brink of big trouble.

Britain, America begin to diverge in Iraq

After more than a year of seemingly seamless coordination between the United States and Britain in Iraq, cracks are beginning to appear in both the strategic political goals of the Anglo-American alliance and over tactical military questions.

With battles between American forces and Iraqi insurgents raging around the Sunni city of Fallujah and the Shiite city of Najaf, senior British officers, politicians and former diplomats have grown bolder in their criticism of American tactics, criticized as heavy-handed and prone to alienating potential allies among the Iraqis.

As if things weren't bad enough.

U.S. charges 4 under new 'can spam' law

U.S. authorities charged four people in Detroit on Wednesday with e-mailing fraudulent sales pitches for weight-loss products, the first criminal prosecutions under the government’s new “can spam” legislation.

I hope they get the max. Jerks.

World War II memorial opens

The National World War II Memorial will assume its central place among Washington's defining landmarks today, opening to the public after nearly two decades of debate and anticipation.

A great thing. It should not have taken this long.

Big Google is watching


That's right, anyone taking advantage of the tempting new Gmail service must allow Google's computers to scan their incoming email. If the messages contain certain words and phrases, the company automatically targets the user's in-box with electronic ads related to the content.

So that's the trick. They forgot to mention this is the original press releases. I get enough spam. I think I'll skip this deal.


So if a friend invites you to run off to Hawaii in a message to your Gmail account, ads touting airfare deals and hotel packages would arrive with the invitation.

`20/20' bills adoption show as `reality' TV

Friday's television program has been billed as "the ultimate reality show," featuring "a nerve-racking elimination round."

It's not the next season of "The Bachelor." It's this week's edition of the ABC News program "20/20," a show titled "Be My Baby," which chronicles what anchor Barbara Walters has called an "extraordinary competition" among five couples hoping a teen mother in Ohio will choose them to adopt her baby.

I have never watched a "reality" show and don't plan to start now. This is the stupidest idea I've heard of in a long time.

Olympics insured against terrorism

The International Olympic Committee announced Tuesday it has taken the unprecedented step of purchasing insurance to protect itself against the cancellation of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens because of war, terrorism or natural disasters.

Unfortunately, it is probably needed. If the olympics are not attacked by terrorists, I'll be shocked.

Bud battling over name

This Bud's for you.

Anheuser-Busch Cos., the world's largest brewer, argued at the European Union's highest court that a Czech rival should be banned from using the Budweiser name on beer sold in Finland. The St. Louis-based company has the exclusive trademark to the Budweiser name in Finland. Czech competitor Budejovicky Budvar NP said it has the right to use its company name, Budweiser Budvar National Enterprise, on beer labels. The case is the latest in a long battle over the Budweiser and Bud names. Budvar claims brewers have used the name for hundreds of years. Anheuser-Busch argues it has used the trademark since 1876, 19 years before Budvar was established.

Russian weather forecasters face fines over wrong information

Russian weathermen who get their predictions wrong could face stiff fines if one government minister has his way.

Repeat offenders could even be sent to jail if Emergency Minister Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu gets his way.

The minister was speaking in Irkutsk, which is on flood alert. He said he wanted weathermen to pay the price if they got forecasts wrong, because that led to emergency services being needlessly called out.

"If there is a disaster we send rescuers and equipment and spend money. But weathermen hold no responsibility - and do not think about having to defend the population."

Weathermen in Irkutsk have said the risk of flooding should subside soon.

But according to Interfax, Shoigu "promised to squeeze compensation out of the weather forecasters if their forecasts proved wrong"

Now here's an idea whose time has come.

via presurfer

Mr. Cheney's Day in Court

I have to agree with NYT on this one.

The Supreme Court hears arguments today on Vice President Dick Cheney's attempt to keep the public from knowing who met with him behind closed doors three years ago to draft the administration's energy policy. The case is best known for the controversy over Justice Antonin Scalia's decision to go duck hunting with Mr. Cheney while it was pending. But it raises important issues in its own right. The court should affirm the decisions of the lower courts and order Mr. Cheney to disclose the names of the participants. It should also be mindful of the role Justice Scalia plays. There is a real danger that his participation will damage the court's reputation.

I didn't like Hilary's secret meetings on health care and I don't like this. This is scurilous behavior and the political party doesn't matter. Crooked shit is crooked shit.

In a first, Britons may have to carry IDs

Britain’s home secretary unveiled a bill Monday calling for the introduction of the world’s most technologically advanced national identity cards. Amid fears of international terrorism and controversy over illegal immigration, recent polls have shown that 80 percent of Britons are in favor of the legislation.

It's only a matter of a short period of time and we'll have them, too.

Kerry on defensive over Vietnam medals

“Back then ribbons, medals were absolutely interchangeable,” Kerry told “Good Morning America” on ABC. “The U.S. Navy pamphlet calls them medals. We all referred to them as the symbols they were representing. Medals, ribbons ... countless veterans threw the ribbons back.”

Well, not exactly John-baby. They did represent the same award. However a medal was only provided one time. If you "gave it back" you would not be getting a replacement. You could go to the PX and pick up a truckload of ribbons is you wanted. (SHEESH!)

Make Peace With Pot

Under federal law it is illegal to possess any amount of marijuana anywhere in the United States. Penalties for a first marijuana offense range from probation to life without parole. Although 11 states have decriminalized marijuana, most still have tough laws against the drug. In Louisiana, selling one ounce can lead to a 20-year prison sentence. In Washington State, supplying any amount of marijuana brings a recommended prison sentence of five years.

This is so stupid. Just legalize it and tax it.

Enemy Combatants' in Court

The Supreme Court hears arguments this week in two cases involving Americans who are being held indefinitely, without the right to see a lawyer, simply because they have been designated "enemy combatants." The Bush administration, ignoring basic constitutional principles, argues that because the detentions are military decisions made in wartime the courts have no authority to second-guess them. These are historic cases that could shape the post-9/11 legal landscape for years to come. The Supreme Court should send a strong message that even during a war on terrorism, the government cannot strip citizens of their most basic rights.

These are extremely important cases. It will take the wisdom of Solomon to reder a proper verdict. I hope the Supremes are up to it.

Militants in Europe Openly Call for Jihad and the Rule of Islam

The call to jihad is rising in the streets of Europe, and is being answered, counterterrorism officials say.

In this former industrial town north of London, a small group of young Britons whose parents emigrated from Pakistan after World War II have turned against their families' new home. They say they would like to see Prime Minister Tony Blair dead or deposed and an Islamic flag hanging outside No. 10 Downing Street.

Maybe it is time to reset our level of tolerance. There comes a point when you give up your right to be free of retaliation. They've got to that point.

Are we any safer now?

The controversy over who knew of which terrorist threat and when has obscured one specific and telling finding. The commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks revealed earlier this year that existing security measures tagged nine of the 19 hijackers as safety risks when they checked in for their flights. The nine men's luggage was inspected, but the killers boarded their flights with no trouble because none was questioned or searched.

If security workers couldn't use information identifying suspect passengers to keep even one of those killers from their mission, how can the Bush administration justify the proposed Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-screening System II, an enormous surveillance program that would create dossiers on every U.S. airline passenger? It's a critical time to ask, because CAPPS II soon could compromise both the privacy and safety of most Americans.

This is absolute madness. George Orwell only missed the year.

Saudis Support a Jihad in Iraq, Not Back Home

In Saudi Arabia, a strategic ally of the United States, violence against the occupation in Iraq is seen by many as jihad, or a holy struggle, but virtually no one accepts violence as jihad when it unrolls here at home, in the heart of what is supposed to be the most Muslim of countries.

Aren't these guys a piece of work?

White House Says Iraq Sovereignty Could Be Limited

The Bush administration's plans for a new caretaker government in Iraq would place severe limits on its sovereignty, including only partial command over its armed forces and no authority to enact new laws, administration officials said Thursday.

I understand their frustration.

Yep, but here is what worries me.

Democratic and Republican senators appeared frustrated on Thursday that so few details were known at this late stage in the transition process, and several senators focused on the question of who would be in charge of Iraq's security.

BASIC LIBERAL PHILOSOPHY PROBLEM

The basic philosophical problem with liberalism is immaturity. The favorite word in the liberal lexicon is "fairness". The problem, as my grandmother explained to me, "is life isn't fair." As children, we'd call out, "No fair ? do over." That's fine when you're nine. It doesn't work when you are an adult. Unless you are a liberal.
Then there is no problem.
"Mr. Jones, you earned a college degree, got a good job and earn a good living. Mr. Smith is a high school drop out and a major drug user. He has never held a job for more than a few weeks and has no money. We'll just take half of your money. Mr. Jones, and give it to him.
"IT'S ONLY FAIR!"
That's not fairness, it is communism.
I don't have any problem giving to the those in need. I have a real problem with the government stealing our money to do 'their good deed.' It probably makes millionaire (by inheritance) Ted Kennedy feel good to redistribute $30,000/year Joe Schmoe's to the poor. It doesn't do it for me. Even in the name of fairness. Making it even worse, I trust reputable charities to distribute my contributions more than I ever will the government.

Why the Race is Looking so Good for Bush

Howard Fineman makes some interesting observations:

Sen. John Kerry's spin doctors claim that they haven't lost ground to George Bush in recent weeks, and they are staging what they insist is the "launch" of his general election campaign this week with new TV ads airing and a trip next week to the Midwest. But the fact is that Kerry has lost ground—ground he has to make up if he hopes to win in November. The more interesting question is why? My reasons:

(And he talks about each.)

Richard Ben-Veniste & Co.

Fallujah and Najaf.

“Resolve.”

Bob Woodward’s blessing.

Tony & Trump.

Fifty million bucks worth of ads.

The Economy.

Nader.

Kerry, of course.

Records on medals spark questions

The military records that Sen. John Kerry posted on his Web site yesterday raise new questions about the actions he took to earn several prestigious war medals and whether he deserved them.
The Navy awarded Mr. Kerry three Purple Hearts, a Silver Star and a Bronze Star in just four months of commanding a gunboat along rivers in Vietnam. It's an extraordinary record, say many veterans, and one that raises questions on its face.

Yep, these things don't just happen. I smell fraud.

KERRY TRIES TO DEFINE HIMSELF AS CENTRIST

As he prepares for the most ambitious and defining phase of his presidential candidacy, Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) is relying on image-makers schooled in traditional Kennedy liberalism to sell himself anew to voters as a 21st-century centrist Democrat, a muscular hawk on national defense and deficits.

But where will he go when Ralphie-boy starts his ultra liberal campaign??

Did sex play a role in dinosaur doom?

An asteroid may have wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago not simply by changing the world’s climate and causing years of dark skies, but also by causing too many of them to be born male, U.S. and British researchers say.

If dinosaurs were like modern-day reptiles such as crocodiles, they change sex based on temperature, David Miller of the University of Leeds in Britain and colleagues note in a study published Tuesday in the journal Fertility and Sterility. Even a small skewing of populations toward males would have led to eventual extinction, they contend.

Or they may have started getting married. That usually shuts down most sex.

Bush says U.S. hard to defend against terror

President Bush said Wednesday that those Americans who expect another terror attack in this country have reason for such fears. “This is a hard country to defend,” he conceded.

He doesn't miss a thing. I have been predicting, and continue to predict, that are seaports are the most at risk. That cache of assault rifles located in Italy on a ship heading for New York ought to be a clue.

TRIBUNAL ESTABLISHED FOR HUSSEIN TRIAL

Iraqi leaders have set up a tribunal of judges and prosecutors to try ousted dictator Saddam Hussein and other members of his Baathist regime, a spokesman announced Tuesday.

Good! Now let's set a date and get going.

HAVEN'T BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE

I've been on a blogiday for several weeks. I'm going to start posting again tomorrow. At least I want to keep this account active.

Until tomorrow (or later today.)