Even Thomas Friedman Can Get One Right Now and Then

Even Thomas Friedman Can Get One Right Now and Then
The usually insufferable Thomas Friedman of the New York Times finally figures something out. The suicide bombing attacks that Israel is enduring are part of a larger war between radical Islam ( Is there really any other kind?) and western civilization (Again, is there any other kind of civilization?).
He's been slow to figure things out, and his egotism may actually have contributed to the current state of affairs in Israel by promoting a cynical Saudi Arabian "peace plan."
Ironically, the only Arab leaders whom I've read or heard expressing any real desire to live peacefully with a Jewish state have been King Abdullah of Jordan (no surprise there, he's the most enlightened of all Arab leaders) and Libya's Muammar Quaddafi.

Eric Alterman's Enemies List

Eric Alterman's Enemies List
In a thoroughly disgusting columnfor MSNBC, The Nation's columnist Eric Alterman posts lists of columnists who can generally be counted upon to defend Israel and another list of those who can generally be relied upon to take up the Palestinian terrorists' side. He notes that there are far more on Israel's side and suggests that this means that we are not getting a "balanced" view.
How absurd! I suspect that we did not get a balanced view of the conflict between the civilized world and the Nazis, or the free world versus communism either. The real question here is, why anybody would take up the cause Yasir Arafat? That's what should be bothering Eric Alterman.

Unpampered Terrorists and Suicide Bomber Pilgramages

Unpampered Terrorists and Suicide Bomber Pilgramages
Give credit to Tim Blair of Fox News, he has managed to put the Muslim/civilized world conflict into a humorous light, while remaining tasteful and making strong points. Take a look.

How to Shut Your Opponents Up, by John McCain

How to Shut Your Opponents Up, by John McCain
Jacob Sullum, of Reason Magazine, has the best column yet on the just passed, ironically misnamed, Campaign Finance Reform law. He points out how the "reform" if not thrown out by the courts, would hamper the ability of ordinary citizens to organize against and criticize incumbent politicians.
It's also worth noting that if the strictures against "soft money" collections by the parties stand judicial review, and the restrictions against "special interest" participation are thrown out, the likely outcome will be an increase in the power of those special interests. Way to go John.
Once the courts are finished paring away the obviously unconstitutional aspects of it, the most likely effect of this disgusting law will be to increase the amount of hard money that federal politicians may raise. Good news for the Republicans, but still bad law.

May we sue the networks for the violence they cause?

May We Sue the Networks for the Violence they Cause?
Local governments around the nation have been trying to sue gun manufacturers to recover some of the costs the lawyers associate with handgun violence. It seems quite a stretch to blame the manufacturer of a legal, inanimate object for the crime its owner commits, but hey, whatever makes money.
And why not try? After all, Big Tobacco has been successfully sued by people got cancer from smoking cigarettes, even though the dangers were well known when they took up the habit.
In many cases, the big television networks have been out there leading the cheers on these crusades. So, how would they react if somebody sued them for the violence they incite?
The most definitive study of its type to date links television violence to physical aggression in teenaged boys. Watching more than one hour of violence can yield up to a four fold increase in violent behavior.
I wonder if the networks would be so enthusiastic about these kinds of lawsuits if they were on the receiving end.

Libraries as Adult Book Stores

Libraries as Adult Book Stores?
Somehow, I don’t think that taxpayers really want to subsidize adult book and video stores. And if consumers of pornography would like the rest of us to treat their appetites as their private affair, then it seems a fair exchange that they should keep it entirely to themselves. That should make for a perfect compromise that would keep the government out of the pornographers’ bedrooms and the pornographers out of the public’s face.
If only pornographers were content to keep to themselves. But alas, they are not. And they have a curious ally among our nation’s librarians. Apparently the librarians of today are not the stern, prudish spinsters who menaced noisy children in the libraries of my youth.
The United States Supreme Court unwisely decided that it was a violation of the First Amendment for governments to require libraries to use internet filters that block access to pornographic websites. In response the United States Congress placed restrictions upon the receipt of federal funds. As a condition for acquiring taxpayer money, libraries would have to install such filters. The American Library Association sued to gain access to that money without having to earn it.
What would the American Library Association have against such an arrangement? Why would librarians, of all people, want to facilitate the distribution of filth to children?
Municipalities have begun to use zoning laws to force adult bookstores away from schools, parks, churches and residential neighborhoods where children might congregate. At the same time, the American Library Association is working to provide a sanctuary for pornography within publicly funded libraries.
One would think that libraries would prefer to be viewed as repositories for the philosophical and literary crown jewels of our culture, and a place where children could find edification and shelter from the filth that permeates the outside world. Instead modern libraries would rather be suppositories.
Arguing against internet filters, Judith Krug of the American Library Association said, "Instead of relying on filtering technology, we should be educating children"…"It's not only learning the difference between right and wrong but how to use information wisely.” “There are no quick fixes," she concluded.
Even education is not the fix Ms. Krug thinks it is. That’s because children are not so easily educated. That’s why we place legal restrictions upon minors. We don’t allow children under the age of 18 to purchase cigarettes. An underage child may not legally give consent to sex. One must be 16 to have a driver’s license. So why should we assume that children are any wiser when it comes to pornography?
And the sad fact is that pornographers and their costumers do not want to simply be left alone. It is their clear intent to entice and seduce children. We can deduce this from the snares they used to capture innocent, young internet users. There are literally thousands of internet pornography sites named after popular children’s toys. A child who is enamored with the Tickle Me Elmo doll, might type something as innocent as http://www.ticklemeelmo.com and suddenly have hardcore pornography on his screen. Actually, just to be on the safe side, I checked out this site and it’s an internet gambling site. So, it isn’t just pornographers who are after your children. Typing http://www.whitehouse.gov will get you to the website of the president of the United States, while http://www.whitehouse.com will land you in a porno site. These are clearly tricks meant to draw innocent web surfers into sleaze.
It seems ironic that most adult bookstores are willing to exercise more wisdom and restraint than a public library. If you walk past an adult bookstore, you will find that there is invariably a notice denying access to minors.
Sadly, we’ve come a long way from the old days when, on her way to shopping, my mother would drop my brother and me off at the library where we could entertain ourselves with tasteful, appropriate literature. Now, I’d be afraid to leave a child in such a house of ill-repute as a library.
If the American Library Association has its way, maybe cities will have to revisit zoning laws. After all, we wouldn’t want a library anywhere near a school, a church or a residential neighborhood where children congregate.

Rush Limbaugh Lays in on Hollywood

Rush Limbaugh Lays in on Hollywood
There is little doubt that the Hollywood Left share with other liberals the opinion that Rush Limbaugh is an ignorant clown. But Rush had a fascinating insight this morning that I doubt any liberals could ever have found out for themselves. Much was made of the fact that two African-Americans won the best actor and actress awards at the Academy Awards. Halley Berry proclaimed that her award signified that the last vestige of racism had been conquered.
What's that? The last vestige of racism is in Hollywood? Isn't it Hollywood that lectures the rest of us about how we should live and think? One would think that Hollywood would be right up front, leading the way on a cause as progressive as stomping out racism. But, apparently they're not. They even wept in happiness as Ms. Berry proclaimed them guilty. Hmmm.
But, inspite of what Halley Berry said, apparently Hollywood was not the last outpost of racism. She and Denzel Washington chose to snub the traditional Vanity Fair post-Oscar party because that other bastion of the Left, has never had a black person on its cover.
Hmmm again.

Starving Iraqi Children and Other Crap

Starving Iraqi Children and Other Crap
I'm sure you've heard from deep thinkers, like Ramsay Clark and others, who claim that United Nations sanctions on Iraq are starving hundreds of thousands of Iraqi babies to death. These critics never find fault with Saddam Hussein who continues to spend vast sums of money maintaining a large military and upon the construction of dozens of luxurious presidential palaces.
Now we learn that Saddam is paying the families of Palestinian suicide bombers $25,000 each, provided that they successfully kill Israeli Jews. Since the beginning of the Intifada, Saddam has doled out $10,000,000 to the families of these murderers. I saw one woman who was boasting that five of her sons had been "martyred" so far. That would make her one of the wealthiest women in Palestine by now. Assuming that Iraqi children are starving in poverty (which I doubt), how many could $10,000,000 feed?

Tell 'em to Hit the Bricks

Tell 'em to Hit the Bricks
Let’s see now, perhaps Washington State University could just hand its students a remote control so that they surf could the curriculum channels until they find one that suits them. Or, WSU could simply cave in to every disingenuous student who finds a class distasteful and then excuse that student from having to take the offensive class. Or, WSU could simply stand by its curriculum and tell those who are unwilling to take the courses to hit the bricks if they don’t like it.
I know that’s what would happen to an undergraduate who found political correctness distasteful and asked, for reason of personal ethics, to be excused from taking all those so-called American Diversity classes that the university requires for graduation.
Maybe I should have tried that approach with physical chemistry. “I am morally opposed to this class,” I should have said, “and according to my reading of the First Amendment, I can’t be made to take p-chem.” Somehow, I think that I would have been laughed off campus.
A couple of second year WSU veterinary students object to certain parts of the Veterinary School’s curriculum. In particular, they don’t like lab classes and projects that use live animals in procedures that are sometimes terminal.
One of those students, Brad White, complains that, "The College of Veterinary Medicine is refusing to give alternatives to students who are morally and ethically opposed to certain laboratories in the curriculum."
The other student, Hannah Mueller, who is threatening a lawsuit, reveals that she knows just as much about the United States Constitution as she does about veterinary medicine with her complaint. "It is a violation of my First Amendment rights," she said. "I'm lucky to be in vet school, but I have no choices. If the public knew what was going on, they'd be horrified."
I suspect that the public does know what’s going on. In fact, even Ms. Mueller and Mr. White knew what to expect before they ever set foot within the halls of the veterinary school.
That’s because after being accepted to veterinary medical school, Ms. Mueller and Mr. White were provided with the school’s policies and procedures. Along with policies on “Attendance at Examinations and Required Exercises,” “Academic Standards,” “Essential Requirements,” and “Duty Hours,” each of them received a copy of, “Policy on Animal Use in Laboratory Exercises.” No secrets were kept from them. But I doubt that even if they had not been notified in writing, they knew what was to be expected of them.
Veterinary medicine involves performing surgery on animals. The best way to learn that surgery is by actually doing the surgery.
The animal rights crowd thinks that veterinary medicine should use the example of medical schools, where students learn by simply observing actual surgeries on actual patients and by dissecting cadavers.
Ann Stauble, of the New England Antivivisection Society advises that: "As in human medicine, veterinary students can and should learn from observing practicing veterinarians and slowly work their way to hands-on surgery and treatment. Through models, the use of ethical-source cadavers, spay-neuter programs and many other options, veterinary students become fully competent to heal - without having to kill first."
And I suppose that we could also have veterinarians serve a few years of internship before they can practice on their own.
The fact is that no adorable little puppies die that would not already die if there weren’t a veterinary school. Every dog or cat that finds its way into a terminal laboratory project was already scheduled for euthanasia at a nearby animal shelter. At least these abandoned animals can serve to improve the health of other animals. Otherwise, they are just executed and disposed of.
I’ve got a solution to Mr. White and Ms. Mueller’s dilemma – leave! They knew very well what they were getting into. The veterinary school’s curriculum has already been modified to satisfy the requirements of Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights, which enthusiastically endorsed WSU for minimizing animal use in its newsletter. For these two to demand now that the university should change its curriculum simply because they don’t like it is the sort of naïve arrogance that one would only expect to find in, well, college students.
And, if they don’t want to leave or conform, laugh them off campus.

Religion of Peace Update

Religion of Peace Update
I know that you'll all be relieved to learn that Jews do not consume the blood of Gentiles as part of a religious feast afterall. That clarification comes from the editor of al-Riyadh, a major Saudi Arabian newspaper which, 10 days earlier claimed that they did.
According to the original article, ``This (Purim) feast requires the Jewish people to provide human blood so that their men of religion can prepare the feast pastry, in other words the rituals of their feast can take place properly only if they shed human blood.''
The author went on to claim that this ritual was the primary reason for the historical persecution and eviction of Jews.
The editor blamed a part-time writer for the error and annouced that she will no longer contribute to the paper. The reason that he did not cut the piece in the first place was that he was out of the country at the time.
I guess they'll have to come up with another reason for why they hate the Jews.

Another Non-Tragedy

Another Non-Tragedy
Add a refugee non-crisis to the list of incorrect predictions by liberals. We were assured that, once we attacked the Taliban and Al-Quaida in Afghanistan, refugees would pour across the borders into neighboring states, overloading already overburdened services. Well, the actual news is that Afghan refugees are streaming back into Afghanistan. So far, more than 200,000 have returned to their native land from their refugee camps.
It would seem that the refugees were just waiting for their land to be made habitable again by the expulsion of the Taliban. That's been accomplished and now they are eager for their homeland.
We can add this to the Left's prediction that an American attack would cause widespread famine. That didn't happen either, even though the Taliban did its best to cause a famine.
Sorry to disappoint all of you who hate America. We did the right thing again, as evidenced by the results.

Religion of Peace Update

Religion of Peace Update
Albert Huber is an unapologetic neo-nazi. Born in Switzerland, he now calls himself Ahmad and has allied himself with radical Islam. He was a favorite of the late Iranian dictator Ayatollah Khomeni. He has befriended associates of Usama bin Laden. He referred to the September 11 attacks as “counterterror against American-Israeli terror.”
He is also a fundraiser for Al Qaeda, collecting money for bin Laden through Al Taqwa, a European Islamic group.
His affiliation to Islam is not religious. He simply agrees with Islam's hatred of Jews.
It's odd that we manage the moral courage to condemn Nazis, but still coddle radical Islam.

Is Gray Davis Another Bill Clinton?

Is Gray Davis Another Bill Clinton?
No matter what you might think, the single greatest flaw in Bill Clinton's character was not his sexual appetite. It was his pathological self-absorption. Everything he did was for himself. There was nobody in the world who mattered but Bill. He started wars and conducted them with and eye to how editorial page writers and historians would record them. Absolutely everything that happened was to serve his glory.
California's governor Gray Davis seems to suffer the same malady. Remember the energy crisis? Remember the blackouts? That wasn't about you.That was about Gray Davis and how the whole affair reflects upon him.
He recently referred to last year's energy shortage as a war directly at him personally.
It was "a war," "worse than being in Vietnam."
And he was the winner. "I kept the lights on!" he declared.
Let's review his record. He stalled the construction of power plants, which forced California to buy power elsewhere. When wholesale the price of that power rose above the state regulated retail price, he refused to permit the state's electricity distributors to raise their prices, so they all went into bankruptcy. Because wholesalers could not trust California to pay its electricity bills, California had to buy power on the spot market, which is extremely expensive. This pushed up power costs, not just for Californian's, but for everybody.
Finally, Gray Davis signed a long term contract with wholesalers at the absolute highest price possible, forcing Californians to pay dearly for their power for many years to come.
Yep, he did one hell of a good job and if California reelects this clown, then they deserve more of the same.

Whores Don't Like Competition
Please excuse me. I’m having an irony moment. There, it passed, just like a kidney stone.
Did anybody else notice the bizarre news that came out of Boise last week? The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee of the Idaho House of Representatives voted to spend $60,000 from the state’s lottery profits to investigate the adverse impacts that Indian gambling casinos have on Idaho society. I’m sure you see my problem? Idaho is about to use its own gambling profits to harass a competitor. And, they’re doing it in the name of social good works. How noble!
I find it curious that these deep thinkers would choose to invest $60,000, that might otherwise be squandered on schools or construction projects, to hire a private contractor, who will be tasked with reinforcing a conclusion that the legislators have already formed free of charge. Since they already believe what they believe, what’s the point in paying some charlatan to tell them what they already think they know?
I can save the legislature a little money. Indian casinos are bad. They take money from fools and their families. My bill to the legislature for uncovering that little pearl of wisdom is a bargain at just $30,000. Just send me a check and use the change to buy schoolbooks or something.
No, forget that. I’ll take the whole $60,000 and give them two opinions for the price of one. Indian casinos are every bit as bad as the lottery tickets that the state sells – maybe worse.
Bill Roden, lobbyist for the Coeur d’ Alene tribe, referred to the committee’s vote as a part of “Indian tribal bashing day” in the legislature. “It's time for the state to grow up and recognize the needs the tribes have and what they're doing for their people," he moaned.
That gambling revenues enrich Indians is pretty thin moral justification for gambling. Using that logic, one could argue for Indian drug trafficking. It’s good as long as Indians turn a profit.
But, the real point here is that the state of Idaho lacks the moral credibility to criticize Indian casinos. As of this moment, the state fattens its own treasury by marketing powerball tickets. The odds against winning the powerball jackpot are roughly 80 million to one. To put that into perspective, you are far more likely to be struck by lightning, be eaten by a bear, or die in an airplane crash. For that matter, it is considerably more likely that the Earth will be struck by a catastrophic asteroid during your lifetime than you will win at powerball. Compared with what the state offers, a street corner three card monty dealer is a sure thing.
Nevertheless, Idaho peddles powerball tickets, largely to people who really cannot afford to waste their money gambling. How many Idaho school kids go to school every day with ill fitting, worn out shoes because their dad spends the family’s resources pursuing powerball dreams?
But Idaho doesn’t stop there. Idaho also sells about two dozen different scratch ticket games, some with names like “Frosty the Doughman,” “Motherload,” “Money, Money, Money,” and “Las Vegas Boulevard.” And if that weren’t enough, Idaho sells pull tab games that mimic slot machines.
And a few pompous, sanctimonious asses want to sponsor a study that will expose the dangers of Indian casinos? Physician, heal thyself.
Another issue to consider here is whether it’s even the state’s business how people choose to throw their money away. What’s to prevent a bunch of legislative puritans from deciding that the money people spend on cable television could be put to better use? Movies and comic books are another great waste of money that the state might want to look into.
In reality, Indian casinos probably offer a much better deal than powerball. Some people, I am not among them, obtain some entertainment value from pulling slot machine handles and rolling dice across a craps table. Perhaps the southern Idaho moralists think that if Indian casinos were outlawed, then everybody would learn how to pass a fun, wholesome evening playing charades, as they undoubtedly do. I would rather see a good musical myself, but not everybody shares my tastes and I would not presume to lecture anyone else on how they should spend their entertainment dollars.

We Have Met the Predator, and He is Us

We Have Met the Predator, and He is Us
Do you remember the armor worn by the Predator in the Arnold Shwarzenegger movie of the same name? It allowed him to blend in with his surroundings, making him nearly invisible. His suit was also a coat of armor and seemed to give him super human speed and agility. It even served as a traveling first aid kit.
Well, it seems that just such a suit of armor is on the horizon for our own elite soldiers. Scientists and engineers at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology have just signed a $50 million contract to develop a Predator uniform for our special forces.
Gee, how much better can they get?

Collective Guilt for Evil White, Male Heterosexuals

Collective Guilt for Evil White, Male Heterosexuals
There was something missing from the news last week. A Butte, Montana jury convicted Nathaniel Bar-Jonah of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 14-year old boy. He was also convicted of assaulting another, 8-year old boy with a weapon. Bar-Jonah also stands accused of murder and of cannibalism in his hometown of Great Falls. Curiously, the stain of his guilt seemed not to spread to anyone else.
Nobody has yet pointed a finger at homosexuals and demanded that they all must repent and cleanse their hearts of his crimes. I’m reasonably confident that there will be no public service announcements on television advising homosexuals to examine their souls and straighten up their act. Democratic politicians will not raise the names of Bar-Jonah’s victims at their next national convention.
This stands in stark contrast to the treatment given heterosexuals a few years back after the murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard. Even before his killers were convicted, all heterosexuals were found guilty for Shepard’s murder. His name was invoked constantly to remind heterosexuals that we are all responsible for his death.
Entering the name of Matthew Shepard on the Yahoo search engine yielded over 60,000 hits. Some of these websites go so far as to compare Shepard’s death to Christ’s crucifixion. Nearly all those sampled blamed his death on an intolerant, heterosexist society.
It’s worth noting that shortly after the Matthew Shepard affair, two homosexuals in Arkansas sexually tortured a young boy to death in their apartment. Shortly thereafter, on CSPAN, a caller asked a prominent journalist why the media treated that particular homosexual crime against a heterosexual so differently from Matthew Shepard’s murder. The great and powerful journalist casually dismissed the question by answering that homosexual crimes against heterosexuals are not a national issue and that is all there is to that.
I’d like to know who it is that decides just what is and what is not a national issue.
It’s not just heterosexuals who are held to a different standard. When pitcher John Rocker, who thought he was speaking in chummy confidence to a Sports Illustrated reporter, spoke some ill-chosen words about homosexuals and immigrants, he was pilloried. When basketball player Allen Iverson recorded a racist, sexist, gay bashing rap CD, he suffered essentially no consequences. He was not suspended or fined by the league. He still has his shoe contract. He is still a hot interview on ESPN and NBC Sports.
Can you imagine a play called, “The Penis Monologues,” where men parade onto the stage to discuss their private parts? Would it be tolerated by anyone? Would the same shrill crowd that demanded that a Catholic University permit “The Vagina Monologues” also stand up for the “Penis Monologues?”
Since September 11, 2001, deep thinker after deep thinker has trotted out to remind us that Islam is a religion of peace and that we Christians should not hold them all responsible for the evil deeds of a few. Interestingly, according to polls, this view is not held by a great many Muslims, who take a great deal of collective pride in the evil deeds committed by a few.
Pro-life activists are collectively at fault for the very few among them who commit violent acts. Pro-abortionists don’t even get blamed for the millions of unborn babies that get flushed down toilets every year.
Whenever there is a shooting, all gun owners, the gun manufacturing industry and the National Rifle Association gets blamed. But there is a much more direct line of responsibility between highway fatalities and fuel economy standards. And yet, Democrats and environmentalists are never blamed for that carnage. Every year approximately 1500 highway deaths can be attributed to the flimsy cars the manufacturers are forced to turn out if they are to comply with these standards. Not only do we eschew collective guilt here, even those who pass these laws escape accountability.
So far as I can determine, when it comes to collective guilt the worst people on earth are white, male, heterosexual, pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, liberty loving Christians. And all they have in their favor is that they’ve built the freest, healthiest and most prosperous society in history. Damn them all.

Can't a Whiner Catch a Break Now and Then?

Can't a Whiner Catch a Break Now and Then
Poor Tom Daschle. The poor guy just can't win. He's suffering from the worst case of political blue balls since Hubert Humphrey and his opponent is a president with a well deserved 80% approval rating. It's an election year and he wants to firm up his party's majority in the Senate and to seize control of the House. All this in preparation for his own run against Bush for the presidency in 2004.
All this is contingent upon Daschle denting George W. Bush's sky high approval with the public. So, he starts a whining campaign against the United States' anti-terrorism war, just before the bloodiest day of the war for our side (but maybe not his side).
In what was clearly an orchestrated campaign, Robert Byrd and Earnest Hollings laid the groundwork for Daschle's criticism of the war. It's instructive that he had to rely upon a man who ran for the Senate as a Democrat after his career with the Ku Klux Klan stalled, and a former South Carolina segregationist. It seems that the more respectable in his party want no part of Daschle's ambitions.
Once the ground was prepared, in marches Daschle on Meet the Press, to administer the coup de gras. He all but declared the effort a failure because Mullah Omar and Usama bin Laden's heads are not yet displayed on stakes outside the White House. Then it all blew up in his face. Eight Americans die for what Daschle has just labelled a failure.
Then, just a couple of days later, there's more bad news for Daschle. we learn that there won't be a budget deficit after all. As part of an earlier strategy, Daschle blamed Bush for causing both the recession and the deficit, charges that a sophisticated public both knew were a bunch of baloney. Specifically, he blamed the Bush tax cut, but then quickly backed away from advocating its repeal. That job he farmed out to Ted Kennedy. What shreds remained of this strategy really started falling apart with a crescendo of upbeat economic news, including a report from the Congressional Budge Office that we'll run surpluses both this year and next.
It's really ironic that Daschle would even have the nerve to attack Bush on the economic or the war front. Daschle's ignorance on both is so easy to document. After all, wasn't it Tom Daschle, among many other in the Democratic Party, who insisted that the economy was doing just fine, even as it slipped into recession? And what credibility does the Jimmy Carter wing of the Democratic Party have on war or any other aspect of foreign policy.
If there is ever a statue raised to Tom Daschle, it will be erected by Republicans, thanking him for all he did for them

Should the Justice Department Seize PETA's Assets?

Should the Justice Department Seize PETA's Assets?
The tax filings for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals reveals clearly that PETA has been raising money for terrorist activities. In recent months, the Justice Department has been seizing the assets of organizations that have been funnelling money to Islamic terrorist groups. Shouldn't PETA be held to the same standard?
Doing so would serve two very good purposes. First of all, it would shut down a source of terrorist support in this country and second, it would show the Islamic world that we hold our own to the same standard as we hold their's.

Dan Blather Strikes Again

Dan Blather Strikes Again
It doesn't really matter that, for once, I happen to be in substantial agreement with Dan Rather on this particular issue. What matters is that Dan Rather reveals that he does not use his platform for objective journalism, but rather for political activism. On a recent episode of "48 Hours," Rather tried to make the case that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder was a phoney mental illness. He interviewed a number of "expert witnesses" but either lied about their credentials, failed to inform the audience of their vested interests in their opinions, or both.
No attention was given to the opposing opinion. And in both credentials and numbers, those who believe that there really is a mental illness called ADHD, which can and should, be treated with drugs, overwhelm the experts that Dan Rather called upon.
I, myself, believe that ADHD is overdiagnosed and drugs for the disorder, such as ritalin, are overprescribed. Boys who act like boys are drugged into submission by parents looking for an easy way out and by teachers who would find it easier to teach a classroom full of girls.
But, that said, I strongly recommend that you read Michael Fumento's column on the subject.

Religion of Peace Update

Religion of Peace Update
For all of you still happily humbugged by all that "religion of peace" claptrap, I encourage you to read Steve Emerson's chilling piece on Jewsweek.com. Emerson is a former CNN reporter and the author of "American Jihad, The Terrorists Living Among Us." He will take through his investigation of radical islamic groups operating within the United States.
For example, at a meeting of the Muslim American Youth Association which he attended in Oklahoma City, he listened to speaker after speaker exhort the conventioneers to kill Jews and Christians. His final shock was the appearance of an FBI agent, who took questions from the audience. It's a good read, and it will shake you our of your lethargy.

Should all higher education be a playpen for the cultural left?

Should all higher education be a playpen for the cultural left?
Many children resent their parents’ television censorship. Few 9-year olds are permitted to watch “South Park” or “Sex in the City.” Most parents understand that some things simply are not appropriate for a young mind.
We generally give our children more latitude as they grow older and, hopefully, become more mature and responsible. But, not everybody grows up. There are people who stay childlike forever.
What becomes of such people?
A disproportionate number of them become university professors. Academia is a great sandbox where the perennially immature can play, insulated from the responsibilities that the rest of the world must cope with. And just like any other spoiled child, when they have a toy taken from them, they throw a temper tantrum.
Just these sort of people are pitching just such a fit up at Gonzaga University in Spokane right now because they’ve had a toy taken from them. The only difference is that the toys they want to play with are the students at Gonzaga University and the moral instruction of the Catholic Church. Gonzaga’s Women’s Studies club wanted to bring the play, “The Vagina Monologues” to the Gonzaga campus. Gonzaga University president, Reverend Robert Spitzer wisely said “no.” Predictably, children of all ages are complaining about censorship and the denial of academic freedom.
The Vagina Monologues contain graphic descriptions of sex, masturbation and homosexuality. It is childishly justified as a part of a campaign to prevent violence against women. Just how masturbation would discourage violence is unclear. Al Gore might as well consider masturbation to prevent global warming. Monica Lewinsky may as well say that she was doing Slick Willy for world peace.
Apparently, lesbian statutory rape discourages violence too. "Well, I say if it was rape, it was good rape," proclaims one vagina regarding the seduction of a 14 year old.
This is the second time around in recent years at Gonzaga. Previously, somebody wanted to bring a speaker from the ironically misnamed Planned Parenthood. Again, Gonzaga’s president said “no.” Gonzaga is a Catholic school and the Catholic Church is morally opposed to abortion. Abortion is what Planned Parenthood does. Abortion is what Planned Parenthood advocates. It’s perfectly reasonable for a Catholic school to deny a platform for an abortionist.
Would the champions of free speech and academic freedom demand that a Nazi be permitted to speak at a synagogue?
Gonzaga philosophy professor and permanent spoiled child, Mark Alfino, argued that denying Gonzaga’s facilities to the play’s promoters amounted to censorship and represented a threat to academic freedom.
"It's a weak faith that doesn't welcome challenges," he said.
He’s wrong. It’s a weak faith that does not defend its tenets. A faith that does not uphold its principles is in retreat.
Perhaps the bigger issue is the notion that all universities should conform to the “anything goes” agenda of the amoral cultural left. Shouldn’t parents and their children have some choice regarding the moral climate of the university they choose for their education? Those who otherwise worship at the alter of choice tolerate no choice where education is concerned. A college that does not wallow in the vilest filth is backward.
Washington State University practices unfettered academic freedom. A few years ago, a WSU art professor exercised that freedom by downloading pornography from the internet, printing it out, and posting it in the university’s art gallery. Academic freedom should be the privilege of those who exercise a commensurate measure of responsibility.
Despite the whining, Gonzaga has denied neither the promoters of the “Vagina Monologues” or Planned Parenthood their free speech. They have simply been denied the use of Gonzaga’s megaphone. They can still mouth off. But they’ll have to supply their own amplification.
And as for Mark Alfino and the people he represents, it is the pinnacle of arrogance to imagine that your boss should have no say into what sort of offensive filth you can exhibit. If you believe otherwise, try putting up a girly calendar in your office. I know that if tried something like that, I’d be roasted on a spit to the cheers of monologue feminists.
Were Father Spitzer as cynical as his critics, he might have banned the monologues as sexual harassment.