April 2005 Archives
Fortunately for the crowd from The Corner, Atlantans are used to hosting gatherings of racist crackers. Still, Wolcott cracks me up.
Southern Discomfort I hope the NRO crew are prepared for what will greet them once they deboard from the chartered Peter Pan bus with the special pinochle table in the rear. They should be made aware that there are a lot of black people in Atlanta. A lot. To those used to seeing a J. C. Watts or an Armstrong Williams sticking out like a chocolate chip in a vanilla cookie, this may come as a cultural shock. There is no reason for them to feel threatened or besieged, but if anxiety gets the better of them they can clump together in a protective scrum and move like a plump centipede from the Boss Hogg motel to the Carson McCullers Memorial Sad Cafe, where the fest is being held. [via James Wolcott]
Recruitment: How Far Will The Army Go? Last month the U.S. Army failed to meet its goal of 6,800 new troops. Aware of this trend, David McSwane, a local high school student, decided he wanted to find out to what extent some recruiters w
This comment by Atrios is illustrative of just how screwed up cable news is:
... and, what must the families of the "4 soldiers killed in Iraq today" think of this being CNN's "top story of the day" and every day...
When Spain was under Muslim control, the various government entities adopted a "live and let live" attitude towards Christians and Jews. The one thing that would set off Muslims was rejection of the Prophet Muhammed. Public acceptance of the Prophet was not required; you could believe what you wanted, you just couldn't advertise.
In modern Saudi Arabia, it's hard to tell who is at fault here. The governement certainly does not adopt a "live and let live" attitude towards non-Muslims, but they don't close their borders to non-Muslims.
I just hope they don't hold the actions of the adults against the children.
Saudis Arrest 40 Christians In Raid On Secret Church
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Forty foreign Christians, children included, were arrested for proselytizing when police raided a clandestine church in suburban Riyadh. Convictions could result in harsh prison sentences, followed by deportation.
Lt. Col. Saad al-Rashud, who heads a wide-ranging security campaign in the capital, said the believers' meeting place, which displayed crosses, was run by a Pakistani who led prayers, heard confessions, distributed Communion and claimed to heal the sick.
Although the Prophet Muhammad tolerated Christian churches in his realm, modern Saudi Arabia has made it illegal to promote any religion other than Islam and outlaws churches.
Members of other religions generally are allowed to practice their beliefs within private homes but may not seek converts or hold organized religious gatherings.
NPR is running a multi-part interview with Microsoft's fearless leader. One thing that's always impressed me with Gates is his vision. Right or wrong, he's a forward-thinking individual. When asked about the future of the Internet, Gates talked about how we'll look back in a few years on how we search the 'net now and laugh. Instead of links, he says, we'll get the answers to our questions.
As an historian, that took me aback. I asked obvious follow-up question, the one the NPR reporter didn't have on his script, aloud in the car:
Whose answer?
In the Earl K. Long Library at the University of New Orleans, the DD section is German History, as it is in any LoC-system library. When I needed an answer for a paper I was writing, I didn't ask the question to the librarian. I went upstairs to DD and began to look through the stacks. For example, if I wanted to know what Otto von Bismarck's role in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 was, I would find a number of books commenting on that individual's actions at that point in time. There are snippets of information in some books and long chapters in others, all providing "the answer." As with many subjective questions, opinion plays an important role in formulating an answer. That's one of the reasons historians study historiography.
Bill the Gates wants the Internet to "give us the answer." If my question deals with hard, scientific facts, perhaps this can be accomplished. But even areas that are considered "hard science" are under assault from those who would re-write those facts with a pen that's colored to suit their religious or political beliefs.
I don't think the good Mr. Gates has any scary ulterior motive behind his statement, other than wanting his company to make more and more money. His vision of improving searching is a technical one rather than a socio-political one. That's even scarier, because he's in a position to place the technology in the hands of people who will abuse it.
We all know that the "nuclear option" concerns anyone whose beliefs are somewhat less focused than the bible-thumpers. Hats off to Keith Olbermann and his staff for finding a thumper who thinks the filibuster is a legitimate tactic. Of course, Hormel was one of those god-cursed sodomites, if memory serves correct, not a holy warrior like Bushie's judicial nominees.
Olbermann uncovers Family Research Council filibuster flip-flop
MSNBC host Keith Olbermann noted that the Family Research Council (FRC), which is currently campaigning to stop filibusters of President Bush's judicial nominees by Senate Democrats, was quite vocal in the late 1990s in defending the right to filibuster another presidential nominee, James C. Hormel, who was nominated by President Clinton as ambassador to Luxembourg.
Caught this one on Your Right Hand Thief:
Check out this icon from the Family Research Council's website:
That bride's been hitting the tanning booths a bit hard, dotcha think?
Tony Perkins better be careful, looks like the coloreds have invaded his website...
I love when the Wizard Between the Sheets gets his name in the news, even though he reminds everyone that Louisiana look like a racist backwater. Dukkke is the most visible living personification of racism in this country. Whenever he is linked to mainstream politicians, the focus shifts from whatever snake oil Republicans are selling back to their true feelings and motivations.
From The Nation (original catch by Atrios):
Justice Sunday Preachers
...
Four years ago, Perkins addressed the Louisiana chapter of the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), America's premier white supremacist organization, the successor to the White Citizens Councils, which battled integration in the South. In 1996 Perkins paid former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke $82,000 for his mailing list. At the time, Perkins was the campaign manager for a right-wing Republican candidate for the US Senate in Louisiana. The Federal Election Commission fined the campaign Perkins ran $3,000 for attempting to hide the money paid to Duke.
The last politician who caught hell for buying Dukkke's list was the Former First Law Student, Murphy Foster.
This article in Salon doesn't surprise me, but it does get me back to my favorite abortion theme, the disconnect between abortion, birth control, and in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Here's a quote from a spokesman for the American Life League (ALL):
"Many forms of so-called contraception work by preventing the implantation of an already created human being, and that kills a baby in the womb, and we consider that to be an early abortion," says ALL's vice president, Jim Sedlak. He says ALL's main mission is to inform women that all hormonal birth control methods and the IUD "are actually causing abortions themselves" and to force manufacturers to put that description prominently on contraceptive labels.
If the zygote being blocked by a morning-after pill is "an already created human being," that means the zygotes created via IVF are also in the same category. Doctors in fertility clinics routinely fertilize more eggs than are implanted in a woman during IVF. Sometimes those eggs are saved for future use, but by and large, most of them are destroyed.
If the anti-abortion groups are so hot about birth control, why are they not picketing fertility clinics along with abortion clinics? By this definition, these IVF doctors are baby-killers.
The catch, of course, is that IVF is very profitable, and doctors are an important Republican constituency.
For that matter, I wonder what Fr. Ratzinger thinks about IVF. He felt strongly enough about abortion that he intervened in the presidential election last fall. Still, I don't see any proclamations from the Vatican saying that bishops should refuse communion to doctors who destroy IVF-created zygotes.
In the last few years, everytime we Dems go up against the Rethugs, we get rolled. Of course, this time we're not going up against the White House but rather the Senate. These are the guys who tried to impeach Clinton. They don't learn from history that public opinion will work against them.
Reid outmaneouvers Frist again
It was one heck of a gamble, but the Senator from Nevada played his cards right.
Frist painted himself into a corner, having whipped up the forces of wingnuttery into a froth, he could not back down without damaging his White House aspirations for 2008. He's banking on the crazies to get him the nomination.
So Reid got the Democrats to look conciliatory, forcing Frist and his Republicans to look even more inflexible than before.Damn the guy is good. I'm glad he's on our side.
Tech Tuesday - How Podcasts are made.
audacity.sourceforge.net is the page for the Audacity recording/mixing program.
JazzFest Special - Weekend 1, April 22nd and 23rd, 2005
This podcast is long-format (23:49).
http://dropthehammer.org
Go there. Send the letters. Boycotts work.
Focus on the Family is based in Colorado Springs, CO. For one of Colorado's senators to come out this strongly against Mullah Dobson is huge:
"I think what has happened is Focus on the Family has been hijacking Christianity and become an appendage of the Republican Party," Salazar said in an interview. "I think it's using Christianity and religion in a very unprincipled way."
The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is second only to Mardi Gras in terms of attendance. Da Fest is two weekends of great music and great food, all on the infield of the Fair Grounds Racetrack in Gentilly.
The List:
1. Crawfish Sacks, Crawfish Beignets, Oyster Patties from Patton's (food area 1)
2. Meat Pies/Crawfish Pies, Mrs. Wheat's (food area 2)
3. Muffeletta from DiMartino's (food area 1)
4. Oyster Rockefeller Bisque, Food for Thought (food area 2)
5. Cannoli, Strawberry Ice, Lemon Ice, Angelo Brocato's (food area 2)
6. Pheasant, Quail, and Andouille Gumbo, Prejean's (food area 2)
7. Fried Soft Shell Crab Po-Boy, Galley (food area 2)
8. Cochon de Lait Po-Boy, Fried Eggplant w/Crawfish sauce, Love at First Bite (food area 1)
9. Crawfish Sushi, Ninja, (food area 2)
10. Mango Freeze, WWOZ, (various locations)
Recipes:
Crawfish Beignets
1 lb. crawfish tailmeat
1/4 lb. andouille sausage
2 egg whites
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
2 Tbs. chopped scallion
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
salt, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne to taste
cornmeal
In a food processor, grind together the crawfish and andouille. Add the whites, vinegar, scallion, mustard, and season very well to taste. With a disher, form the mixture into balls and roll in cornmeal. Fry in hot oil (350 degrees) until golden and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.
Oyster Patties
1 Dozen Patty Shells
2 Dozen Small Oysters
1 med Chopped Onion
5 Stalks Chopped Green Onions
Chopped Fine Parsley
2 tbs Butter
4 tbs Flour
To Taste Salt
To Taste Pepper
Melt butter and make roux with flour. Add seasoning, add oysters and liquor from oysters. Place in baked patty shells and serve hot.
Yield: 12 Patties
I was asked by a LiveJournal friend to provide the full quote I heard Springer mention this morning, so the full context could be understood. Here goes:
Cardinal Ratzinger Sees a Media Campaign Against Church Sees Agenda Behind the Reporting in U.S.
MURCIA, Spain, DEC. 3, 2002 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger suggests that a campaign is under way against the Catholic Church, judging by the way scandals involving priests have been reported in the United States. The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith shared these views when he met last weekend with a group of journalists, including a ZENIT correspondent. The occasion was the congress "Christ: Way, Truth and Life," over which the cardinal presided, at the Catholic University of St. Anthony. The first part of this interview appeared Sunday. Another part will appear Wednesday.
Q: This past year has been difficult for Catholics, given the space dedicated by the media to scandals attributed to priests. There is talk of a campaign against the Church. What do you think?
Cardinal Ratzinger: In the Church, priests also are sinners. But I am personally convinced that the constant presence in the press of the sins of Catholic priests, especially in the United States, is a planned campaign, as the percentage of these offenses among priests is not higher than in other categories, and perhaps it is even lower. In the United States, there is constant news on this topic, but less than 1% of priests are guilty of acts of this type. The constant presence of these news items does not correspond to the objectivity of the information nor to the statistical objectivity of the facts. Therefore, one comes to the conclusion that it is intentional, manipulated, that there is a desire to discredit the Church. It is a logical and well-founded conclusion."
I'll have to agree with Noah that it's hard to accuse Fr. Ratzinger of not taking the pedo-priest scandal seriously based on this quote. It's possible that he could find the "less than 1% of priests are guilty of acts of this type" to be unacceptable. "Given the recently-concluded JPII love-in that the US media just held, however, it's a stretch to say that there's a "desire to discredit the Church."
...give the HP people fair warning to move the CXO facility, then just bomb the place. First the rape scandals, now this. (via Atrios):
Air Force Cadets See Religious Harassment
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) -- Less than two years after it was plunged into a rape scandal, the Air Force Academy is scrambling to address complaints that evangelical Christians wield so much influence at the school that anti-Semitism and other forms of religious harassment have become pervasive.
Springer just read a quote from the new pope from a couple of years ago, where he dismisses the clergy sex scandals as being overblown by the media, particularly in the US. His argument was that, statistically, there were fewer pedo priests than there are pedophiles in other groups of people. Fr. Ratzinger claims that less than 1% of priests abusing children is no big deal.
Last week, during the official moruning period, Fr. Ratzinger preached a homily on moral relativism, decrying its rise in the world. If we are supposed to have moral absolutes in this world, shouldn't the sexual safety of children be one of them?
I'm not going to comment other than to post the magazine's e-mail address:
letters@time.com
If you are a regular reader, tell them how you enjoyed seeing a photo of someone who wanted Tim McVeigh to do a New York City bombing rather than an OKC target, particularly during the week of the 10th anniversary of the OKC terrorist attack.
Carolina Panther Sam Mills passes away
April 18, 2005
Panthers.com
Carolina Panthers linebackers coach Sam Mills, who had been diagnosed with intestinal cancer in August 2003, passed away today. He was 45.
He may have been their coach, but to New Orleanians, he was part of the "Dome Patrol" -- Rickey Jackson, Pat Swilling, Vaughn Johnson and Mills.
Back when the Saints were a pretty good team.
Sail on, Sam.
(original catch on this by Your Right Hand Thief.)
Atrios made this catch earlier, but I'm posting the entire article for those who don't sign up for WaPo:
Father First, Senator Second
For Rick Santorum, Politics Could Hardly Get More Personal
By Mark Leibovich
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 18, 2005; Page C01
In his Senate office, on a shelf next to an autographed baseball, Sen. Rick Santorum keeps a framed photo of his son Gabriel Michael, the fourth of his seven children. Named for two archangels, Gabriel Michael was born prematurely, at 20 weeks, on Oct. 11, 1996, and lived two hours outside the womb.
Upon their son's death, Rick and Karen Santorum opted not to bring his body to a funeral home. Instead, they bundled him in a blanket and drove him to Karen's parents' home in Pittsburgh. There, they spent several hours kissing and cuddling Gabriel with his three siblings, ages 6, 4 and 1 1/2. They took photos, sang lullabies in his ear and held a private Mass.
"That's my little guy," Santorum says, pointing to the photo of Gabriel, in which his tiny physique is framed by his father's hand. The senator often speaks of his late son in the present tense. It is a rare instance in which he talks softly.
Had they sealed me into the Sistine Chapel with all those old men, the name I would drop into the chalice would be Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.
Yup, the man who led the modern-day version of the Inquisition. The Catholic Church's equivalent of the Ayatollah Khomeini.
Why, you ask, would I vote for a man who is batshit crazy? For exactly that reason. He's all wrong for the Church, therefore he's just what they need.
Over 100 of the 120+ members of the College of Cardinals were appointed by the Holy Pole. Sure, the job is like being on the Supreme Court--once you're there, you can speak your mind and vote your conscience, no matter what your dead boss wanted you to do. It's not likely that a large number of these guys will go off the reservation, though. While there is always hope that the next pope will be a progressive, it's more likely that the next guy will be a lot like the previous guy.
That's where His Eminence the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith comes in. This man is one of the most backward and conservative people to ever wear the red hat. His positions and pronouncements will reverse any advancements madeby the Church since Vatican II.
And that's the point. Instead of a wishy-washy guy who will lend lip service to a more democratic Church, Ratzinger will give progressives an upraised middle finger from the moment he puts on the white cassock. He'll piss off people all over the world. The exodus taking place in the Latin American Church will increase dramatically. And the American Church will be forced to finally decide what it wants to be.
The American Church is rich. The Vatican knows this, which is why you see wishy-washy positions on issues such as birth control come out of the Curia. Ratzinger will put a stop to all that. He is a moral absolutist of the higest order, and won't tolerate wishy-washy positions. That will force the bulk of American Catholics to either accept this hard-line stance or reject it. Given that 80% of American Catholics disagree with the Church's position on birth control, a majority disagree on married priests and women priests, being forced to accept these positions without question will not sit well with them.
Then there's the whole sex abuse scandal. Ratzinger is one of the leaders of the "ignore-it-and-it-will-go-away" camp in the Curia. He's the one who gave Fr. Law of Boston his bolt-hole in Rome. Look at the reaction of the American Church to Fr. Law saying Mass for JPII during the mourning period. With Ratzinger in charge, Americans will be told to forget about the whole issue of clergy sex abuse.
With Ratzinger in charge, American Catholics will leave the Church. And we're not talking individual families here and there--we're talking entire parishes. Local bishops will try to hold things together, but those bishops need money, and when the contributions of entire parishes dry up, the money is going to be hard to come by. Boston's already having close church parishes to pay for legal judgements and settlements. That scene may be repeated in other cities as well. When you need cash, you sell assets. Imagine parishes buying their churches back from the diocese, and cash-strapped bishops approving the transactions. It may even get to a point where the bishops join them. The subsequent schism would tear up the Roman Catholic Church, which might be the be best thing that ever happened to it.
---a caXTENDED BODY:
Summer baseball extension pitched
Non-all-star players would get more time
Kenner baseball and softball players who want to play ball all summer, but don't make an all-star team, would be able to play ball longer under a plan being proposed by the Kenner Recreation Department.
...
The proposed plan would give the other 85 percent of the players a chance to play ball until July. Teams would reassemble, and players would start over with a clean slate.
"Summer baseball is for all the children," Kenner Recreation Director Larry Bettencourt said.
Sorry, Mr. Bettencourt, it's not for the kids. Extending the baseball season is for the dads.
On the show, the boys start tanking their baseball games when faced with the prospect of having to play longer in the summer. If they win the district, they have to play state, then nationals. One of them says "you mean we'll have to play this game all summer?"
That sums it up. I can't imagine the moms will be too happy about washing baseball pants all summer as well. The dads, of course, will be all for it, so they can walk around the playgrounds with clipboards, dispensing advice.
My 10-year old will play at the playground, in between piano lessons and Boy Scouts. That's a good balance of competitive sports with activities that involve individual development.
Oh, and he'll no doubt also obsess with the gamecube and "Sea World Tycoon" this summer. *droll grin*
Top Ten Things to do in New Orleans (6 through 10)
The list:
6. Eat a classic New Orleans po-boy
7. Visit the Audubon Zoo and/or the Aquarium of the Americas
8. Spend an afternoon in City Park
9. Explore New Orleans' Museums
10. Shop!
I'm very jealous of the Big Dog. All his accomplishments, and now he's spanking Katie Couric. That's been one of my fantasies for years. :-)
NBC host Katie Couric interviewed former President Bill Clinton on the April 12 edition of Today about the William J. Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative's April 11 pledge of $10 million "to deliver treatment to 10,000 children in at least 10 countries by the end of the year." In the course of the interview, Couric asked Clinton about how he thought the Democratic Party can "retool itself so they're not simply seen as obstructionist in terms of the president's agenda":
COURIC: Let me ask you one political question, if I could, President Clinton. As you know, Howard Dean is now head of the DNC [Democratic National Committee]. Right now it seems the most effective thing that Democrats are doing on Capitol Hill is blocking various nominations, at least from their perspective. Like, you know, John Bolton, or -- U.S. ambassador to the U.N. -- or head of the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency], or the head of the FDA [Food and Drug Administration]. How can the Democratic Party retool itself so they're not simply seen as obstructionist in terms of the president's agenda?
CLINTON: Well, first of all, I don't think that's fair. I don't think Mr. [John] Negroponte [nominee for national intelligence director] will be blocked. I'm not sure Mr. Bolton will be blocked. There are policy reasons on the environment and food safety for debates on the others. And on judges, that's just a hoax. I mean, the Democrats blocked 10 out of over 200 judges. The Republicans wouldn't even give a vote to 40 of my Court of Appeals judges -- four times as many, just on the Court of Appeals, never mind all the others that they wouldn't have voted. So, this image that, I'm sad to say, you know, you just perpetrated it, it's ridiculous. The Democratic Senate has been nowhere near as obstructionist to President Bush on judges as the Republican Senate was to me. Not even close.
Obit: Feminist Icon Andrea Dworkin The American feminist icon, writer and campaigner Andrea Dworkin, who linked pornography to rape and violence, died at the weekend, her agent said today. She was 59 years old.
Da Paper has a front-page article on native son (and political madman) James Carville's role as a executive producer of the latest film adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's wonderful novel, "All the King's Men." A fictionalized tale of the political career of an extremely successful populist politician from Louisiana, the novel is loosely based on the life of Huey P. Long, hence Carville's passion for the novel and the project. The article is a good read, but what struck me was the casting of Sean Penn as Willie Stark (the politician). Cast opposite Penn in the all-important role of the narrator, Jack Burden, is actor Jude Law.
Now, I know that Sean Penn has done some wonderful work, but to me he'll always be Jeff Spicoli. Still, he was the "Dead Man" in "Dead Man Walking," which was set at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, and now as a popular Louisiana politician (well, a fictionalized portrayal of one, at least). Go figure.
The movie is scheduled to wrap production here in Louisiana this month, and will be released later this year. The movie also stars Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, and New Orleans native Patricia Clarkson (daughter of Councilwoman Jackie Clarkson). The film is directed by Steven Zaillian.
Dan Myer's doing a fantastic show right now on WWOZ of all stuff recorded in New Orleans in the 1920s. Just great stuff.
www.wwoz.org for the stream.
squipped from Wolcott:
"I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.
"All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.
"I do not mean by this declaration to condemn those who believe otherwise. They have the same right to their belief as I have to mine. But it is necessary to the happiness of man, that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving: it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe."
--Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason
Obviously not all home schooling parents are religious crazies, but people like Michael P. Farris, chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association, don't help improve the perception and acceptance of home schooling. Farris was a speaker at a conference this week entitled "Confronting the Judicial War on Faith," along with such intellectual gems as Phyllis Schlafley.
Farris was quoted as saying that Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court Anthony Kennedy "should be the poster boy for impeachment" for citing international norms in his opinions. "If our congressmen and senators do not have the courage to impeach and remove from office Justice Kennedy, they ought to be impeached as well."
And Mr. Farris appears to be the rational one on the list of speakers. He was followed by "lawyer-author" Edwin Viera, who referenced a quote made famous by Josef Stalin. The quote goes like this: "Death solves all problems: no man, no problem."
Dana Milbank of the Washington Post thinks Viera wasn't advocating actually killing judges. If that's the case, why then did he quote Stalin? Stalin was a ruthless murderer who had no respect for the rule of law.
He would have made a great Bush-administration Republican.
this is a really cool project, the first hand-written, illuminated bible created in over 500 years. Go look at the gallery of images from the bible. Awesome.
One of the reasons I can put up with the biased reporting of Barbara Bradley Haggarty and the insipid commentary of Cokie Roberts on NPR is Scott Simon of Weekend Edition. I just love his sense of humor. When he mentioned that they sent Charles and Camilla a George Foreman grill as a wedding present, I almost spit my coffee. :-)
so, anti-abortion bomber and all-around nutball Eric Rudolph has worked out a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in Birmingham. The agreement was announced by Bush flack Alberto Gonzales, which indicates that it's on the national radar.
The feds are making a big deal out of the fact that they recovered 250 pounds of explosives from Rudolph. This is their primary reason for taking the death penalty off the table. Rudolph is willing to accept four consecutive life sentences, so it's clear that his legal team wasn't all that confident they could keep him from getting the needle.
So, why would a Justice Department as venal and vindictive as this one resist the opportunity to execute a cop-killer? I suppose there's always the possibility that they didn't have a case. If that was the situation, however, Rudolph might have rolled the dice at trial. That leaves the 800-pound elephant that's sitting in the room with this case: the abortion issue.
Eric Rudolph killed an off-duty police officer who was providing security at a Birmingham, AL, abortion clinic. He bombed the clinic. Had Rudolph been a black man who shot a cop while robbing the convenience store on the corner, there would be a lynch mob. Rudolph became a bit of a cult hero while on the run, and there are many people who would see him spared execution because he was fighting the good fight against those murdering abortionists and those evil queers.
The consistency of the Bush administrations's position on the death penalty is pathetic.
...as Media Matters points out:
Wolf Blitzer "not so sure" liberal CNN host Begala is "a good Catholic" On the April 8 edition of CNN's Inside Politics, CNN hosts Wolf Blitzer and Judy Woodruff discussed Pope John Paul II's funeral with Crossfire co-hosts Paul Begala and Robert Novak, both Catholics. Blitzer opened the segment by suggesting that while "I'm sure Bob is a good Catholic, I'm not so sure about Paul Begala." In responding to Blitzer, Begala took exception to on-screen text* earlier in the program that characterized many Catholic doctrines as "conservative":
This is the first article I've seen that portrays Il Papa as something less than the nice old man that the media's been canonizing for a couple of weeks now. The piece isn't simply JPII-bashing, however. The conclusion is something important to remember:
John Paul, the traveling man, was helpless to keep American Catholics in line, however hard he tried. Who else did he have in mind in his railings against consumerism and hedonism? Had he stopped fuming about the rebellious Americans, he might have noticed that, with some millions attending Mass regularly in 19,000 parishes and giving more than $7 billion annually to the Catholic Church, the United States has the flock with the strongest faith in the developed world. David Gibson, a Protestant-born journalist who once worked for Vatican Radio, wrote accurately: American Catholics "are the most religiously observant Catholics in modern-day Christendom, attending church and supporting the pope to a degree that has no parallel in the industrialized world."
Someone might want to clue in the new pope.
Blumenthal's latest Salon column is interesting for his choice of words. Pointing out that Bushie and the neocons want to exploit the election of a new pope for political purposes is not overly insightful, but his analysis of the American Church is. His mentioning of Fr. Bernard Law, former cardinal archbishop of Boston and fugitive from American justice, is significant:
The pope firmly asserted his control over the American church in 1984 with his naming of arch-conservatives as archbishops of Boston and New York, Bernard Law and John O'Connor, who became his chief agents.
...
[Chicago Cardinal Joseph] Bernardin died months later and was replaced by a protégé of Law's. In 2002, the Boston Globe began running the first of more than 250 stories on rampant pedophilic molestation by parish priests. Law resisted investigating the sex scandal and faced potential criminal prosecution for his coverups. The pope rescued him with a sinecure in the Vatican. In the aftermath of the scandal, conservatives under siege lashed out more ferociously. As they saw it, their failure to overturn the law on abortion demonstrated that they had not been hard-line enough. Thus the sex scandal set the stage for the right-wing Catholic offensive on behalf of Bush in the 2004 campaign.
Linking the sex scandals of the American Church to the Bush campaign is conclusion I never would have dreamed of. Blumenthal certainly has a lot more first-hand experience with the evil that is this group of Republicans, though.
I've been seeing commercials on Cox over the last couple of weeks saying things like "he's back!" without saying who it is.
Then I saw "him" last night.
Yes, it's Momus Alexander Morgus. Sid Noel is reprising his role as Morgus the Magnificent. I don't know what sort of format the show will have, but Morgus is back.
And that's a cool thing.
I'm listening to, of all people, Jerry Springer. Springer has taken over the 9-12 show on Air America Radio, the segment between Morning Sedition and Franken. This was where "Unfiltered" aired until the one-year anniversery of AAR on 1-April.
I can't help but notice that the network took off a show hosted by two women and a black guy in favor of a show hosted by a white guy. Granted, it's Springer and he's got a good bit more name recognition than Rachel Maddaux or Chuck D, but the switch makes me wonder about motivations of the network.
Top Ten Things to do in New Orleans
1-5 this week, 6-10 next week...
1. Take a walking tour of the French Quarter.
2. Ride the streetcars (Canal and St. Charles), round trip.
3. Eat a classic Creole meal, lunch or dinner.
4. Tour a New Orleans cemetery.
5. Walk Bourbon Street at night.
Eddie Jordan, court judgements against the city, weekend elections...
Atrios is reporting a number of revelations by Repugs about the Bugman. It's way too early for these stories to impact the election cycle next year, which is most likely why they're coming at him from behind his back and on his flanks rather than full-on from Dems.
WASHINGTON, April 5 - The wife and daughter of Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, have been paid more than $500,000 since 2001 by Mr. DeLay's political action and campaign committees, according to a detailed review of disclosure statements filed with the Federal Election Commission and separate fund-raising records in Mr. DeLay's home state of Texas.
Most of the payments to his wife, Christine A. DeLay, and his only child, Dani DeLay Ferro, were described in the disclosure forms as "fund-raising fees," "campaign management" or "payroll," with no additional details about how they earned the money. The payments appear to reflect what Mr. DeLay's aides say is the central role played by the majority leader's wife and daughter in his political career.
Mr. DeLay's national political action committee, Americans for a Republican Majority, or Armpac, said in a statement on Tuesday that the two women had provided valuable services to the committee in exchange for the payments: "Mrs. DeLay provides big picture, long-term strategic guidance and helps with personnel decisions. Ms. Ferro is a skilled and experienced professional event planner who assists Armpac in arranging and organizing individual events."
"Valuable Services?" true enough:
United Parcel Service provided a chartered flight between Washington and Las Vegas for between 50 and 60 people--including lobbyists, top aides and political supporters--at DeLay's request, according to a company spokesman. DeLay flew separately on a Federal Express corporate jet. Lobbyists with the National Association of Manufacturers, the D.C. law firm Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand, and the National Association of Convenience Stores were among those present for the weekend.
The weekend included a late-night party Saturday in DeLay's suite at the Rio Hotel and Casino, which featured a living room, bar and hot tub on the balcony. DeLay was not present, aides said; the event was hosted by his daughter, Dani Ferro, the campaign manager for DeLay's reelection campaign. After the party, Ferro told associates that a lobbyist poured champagne on her while she was in the hot tub.
Laura of 11D asks the question, "Has Blogging Jumped the Shark?" It's an interesting concept to ponder, but you'd need to break it down into different types of blogging. For example, she muses:
Bloggers, at least the political ones, need triumphs to keep up their momentum. There's no money or glory in blogging, so bloggers must be fueled by something else. Like the gotcha moments when they snag major media in errors or bias.
Political bloggers don't need triumphs to keep going. They are motivated by the notion that the rest of the world is against them. In Blogistan, it's that "liberal media." In the left-wing world, it's the "so-called liberal media." It's the old adage that a Catholic bishop knows they're doing the job OK if both the liberals and the conservatives are pissed off at them.
She also ponders the concept of "professional" bloggers. To an extent you have some of this already, but it's never really caught on. Salon made a big deal out of bringing Joe Conason on board, and his "blog" fizzled in no time flat. The nature of blogging is the relationship between the blogger and his/her readers. I'd wager that most professional journalists don't have skin thick enough to endure an open comments environment.
(i caught this entry via a frolic of my own, an interesting blog i discovered this afternoon)
Hot Sauces - Tabasco vs. Cayenne Peppers
note that this is different from the "long format" food podcast today at YatCuisine -- food.yatpundit.com
I really can't bring myself to feel a personal sense of loss for the Pope. While many see a nice old man, I saw a world leader who allowed a lot of evil to take place on his watch. At the very best, John Paul II was criminally negligent in allowing the amount of pedophilia and abuse among those under him to take place. I hesitate to think of the worst-case, that he was aware of the extent of the abuse and nonetheless allowed it to continue as long as it did. We may never know if John Paul II's sins of omission were as serious as those of Pius XII during World War II, but his negligence did severe damage to the Church, both financially and morally.
Lest you think this analysis of John Paul II's papacy is harsh, try going to Boston and ask a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of one of that archdiocese's priests. I'd suggest you ask the former head of that archdiocese, but he's no longer in Boston. He's in Rome, legally insulated from prosecution for his role in the scandal. Who sheltered him in Rome? Il Papa. You could perhaps ask Fr. Law's two assistant bishops, but they're not in Boston, either. Fr. McCormack is now bishop of Manchester, NH, and Fr. Hughes is archbishop of New Orleans. Both of these criminals were promoted by Il Papa, rewarded for their service to the Church in Boston.
Is it possible that all these criminal activities took place under the nose of that nice, old man? It's possible. John Paul II will be most remembered as a Cold Warrior, one of those men who fought the oppression of the Soviet Union. I can see where a man who was so focused with destroying communism and restoring the Church to his country and to Russia could have been screened from the details of scandals on the other side of the ocean. But that at the very least is a very serious sin of omission, just as in the case of Pius XII.
I have a difficult time buying this scenario. It rings hollow, just as the defense of former Worldcom head Bernard Ebbers did when he tried to say his subordinates hid the true financial picture of the company from him. The Boston debacle cost that archdiocese over US$100 million, five or six parishes will have to be shut down, and the cardinal archbishop had to flee the country to avoid prosecution. The archdiocese of Dallas has paid out over US$40 million; New Orleans, over US$20 million. This isn't chump change for any business. Then there's the public relations disaster these crimes created. I can't believe Il Papa's aides managed to keep him from ever seeing CNN and other media sources who did stories on the scandals.
Judge not, lest you be judged. That's why I won't state that John Paul II is in his hell now, but there's a solid case for placing him there. When you hear people talk about the good this man supposedly did during his life, stop for a minute and think about the little boys who were buggered by this man's employees. Think about the families who were mistreated by this man's assistants when they tried to report the abuse. They will give you a very different perspective on this papacy.
This is an article about the MGM vs. Grokster case, where MGM studios is challenging Grokster, saying that the Peer-to-Peer software company is liable for the distribution of copyrighted material via their network. MGM's position on ripped MP3 files is pretty startling, given how lock-step the music/movie industries have been on file-sharing overall:
MGM s answer to this was pretty unsatisfying. They said that at the time the iPod was invented, it was clear that there were many perfectly lawful uses for it, such as ripping one s own CD and storing it in the iPod. This was a very interesting point for them to make, not least because I would wager that there are a substantial number of people on MGM s side of the case who don t think that example is one bit legal. But they ve now conceded the contrary in open court, so if they actually win this case they ll be barred from challenging ripping in the future under the doctrine of judicial estoppel. In any event, though, MGM s iPod example did exactly what their proposed standard expressly doesn t do: it evaluated the legality of the invention based on the knowledge available to the inventor at the time, not from a post hoc perspective that asks how the invention is subsequently marketed or what business models later grow up around it.
An important concession: MGM says ripping MP3s is OK ZDNet Apr 2 2005 12:40PM GMT
Colorado Legislator: Gay Marriage Will Lead to Interspecies Marriage This should be an April Fool's joke, but it's not. Colorado state Representative Jim Welker of Loveland, Colorado (same neck of the woods as U.S. Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave, chief proponent of the Federal Marriage Amendment that would ban gay marriage)...
ACLU is a bigger threat to freedom than Al Qaeda. Bill O'Reilly began a segment of Westwood One's The Radio Factor by saying that "Al Qaeda is not the most intense threat to your freedom -- it's the American Civil Liberties Union." From the March 30 edition of The Radio Factor:
O'REILLY: All right, this hour's devoted to the most intense threat to your freedom in the world. It's not Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is not the most intense threat to your freedom -- it's the American Civil Liberties Union. And I will back up what I say.
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As Media Matters for America has noted, O'Reilly has previously called the ACLU a "terrorist group" and "a fascist organization." He has also said that "Hitler would be a card-carrying ACLU member. So would Stalin."
Gay marriage is part of a trend leading to marriage with goats. From the March 29 edition of The Radio Factor:
O'REILLY: The judges in Massachusetts knew they weren't going to be impeached when they said to the state legislature, "Gay marriage is now legal in Massachusetts because we say it is. We the judges" -- they knew they weren't gonna be impeached. They knew the legislature didn't care. You get the government you deserve. In California, the prevailing wisdom is marijuana is no big deal, let's legalize it. And since we can't get that through the legislature, we'll do it this way. And they did it! You see?
And 10 years, this is gonna be a totally different country than it is right now. Laws that you think are in stone -- they're gonna evaporate, man. You'll be able to marry a goat -- you mark my words!
O'Reilly said he needed "armed bodyguards" because of New York Times columnist Paul Krugman and "the far left." O'Reilly compared himself to Judge George W. Greer, the judge in the Terri Schiavo case, who has armed protection because he has received death threats.
From the March 29 edition of The Radio Factor:
O'REILLY: [Quoting Krugman's March 28 column] "One thing that's going on," he says, "is a climate of fear for those who try to enforce laws that religious extremists oppose ... George Greer, the judge in the Schiavo case, needs armed bodyguards."
Well, that's true. So do I, Mr. Krugman. And the reason I need armed bodyguards is because of you and the far left. I gotta have 'em. Okay? So this isn't a one-way street here.
I was catching up on the comic strip "Boondocks" this morning. I noticed that the transfer was a bit slow, and firefox announced that it was "waiting for picayune.uclick.com."
That made me chuckle, since the Times-Picayune doesn't carry McGruder's strip.
1-APRIL-2005
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New restaurant offers classic New Orleans atmosphere with contemporary cuisine.
I had the pleasure of attending a preview event for the city's latest restaurant last week. Clerk of Court Kimberly Williamson Butler is broadening her horizons by opening The Voting Booth today.
New Orleanians are often conflicted when it comes to restaurant style. While we will go on and on about how we don't want a lot of atmosphere, preferring that an establishment focus more on the food than the appearance, we still have a soft spot in our hearts for romantic settings. The Voting Booth strives to give the diner both.
The main design theme of the The Voting Booth is secrecy. Our nation prides itself in the sanctity of the secret ballot, and the restaurant has carried that theme to the dinner table. A number of standard voting machines have been converted into individual enclosed tables-for-two. The curtain that guarantees your privacy when casting your vote has been converted into one of the most romantic dining experiences in the city. When you arrive for dinner, the maitre d' will politely wait until nobody is looking to escort you to your private table. This attention to discretion is important to patrons who like to keep secrets.
But The Voting Booth is not just about privacy. The restaurant expects to fill up not just the romantic curtained booths but the thirty-five additional tables of the main dining room. There is little doubt that they can accomplish this feat, because the food is excellent. Creole-fusion is the main theme of the menu, a blend of classic New Orleans cooking with modern influences. Start off your mail with Right Thing Remoulade, an interesting variation on the traditional appetizer. Follow that up withBallot Box Bisque, the restaurant's signature soup. It's a subtle corn-and-crab bisque, brought to your table or booth in a locked ballot box. The filet mignon is a great choice, topped with the Seven Seal Sauce, an updated version of Marchand de Vin. The Courthouse Crawfish Pasta, is a great alternative to the steak, prepared tableside by armed sous chefs. Side items include the Patron's Potato, a baked potato that's stuffed according to the needs of Butler's campaign contributors. There's also Revival Rice, a creole pilaf dish served while a quartet from the choir of Butler's church serenades the diners.
Dessert is a real treat at the Voting Booth. In addition to classics such as bread pudding, the restaurant has two signature desserts. Cop Car Cake is parked on your table when you give your dinner order to your waiter. It looks like a car from the Criminal Sheriff's office. While the cakes look big enough for two, it's an illusion, because there's really nothing in the car. The caked looked yummy, but I opted for Connick Crème Brulee, an delicious chocolate twist on the classic dessert, where the hard coating has a subtle citrus taste. It comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. If you're not in the mood for ice cream, you can order Creme Jordan. It's essentially the same dessert, but your waiter will scoop off the vanilla when it's brought to the table.
If all this has you reaching for the phone to make reservations, pay close attention. One of the lovely quirks of The Voting Booth is its location. The restaurant has no fixed abode, moving around to various school cafeterias in the city. Aware of therisks that this arrangement poses to quality, the kitchen is in a self-contained moving van. The booths and tables are contained in a second van. The interior of the restaurant can be easily set up in a new location and broken down at the end of the evening. It's such a simple process that even elected officials who arrive early for dinner can lend a hand.
Reservations are essential for dinner at The Voting Booth, and we recommend that you make them for early in the evening. While we had no problems being seated last week at the cafeteria at Gentilly Terrace School on Mirabeau Avenue, we did hear stories of problems with the delivery of the booths the night before at McDonough #35. Several diners told us they arrived for their 7:30pm reservations and the moving vans had not yet arrived at the school. They were told to come back "in a couple of hours" when the booths would be delivered.
In spite of this rocky start, we strongly believe that The Voting Booth has the potential to be as much of a New Orleans classic as Clinton's Combat Cafe or Bonnie's at the spillway.
Rating: 9 Stars * * * * * * * * *
