It Can Happen Here

Before we uppity Americans condemn the Afghans for their disproportionate response to a traffic accident, we need to recall Crown Heights, New York in 1991.

Causes of the riot

The events that ignited the Crown Heights riots, and its record in the history books, are mired in political and racially-charged assertions and accusations. On a cemetery visit to his father-in-law's grave, Yosef Lifsh, driving a car owned by Yehuda Zirkland, either ran a red light or passed through the intersection lawfully, striking and killing a seven-year-old Guyanese boy named Gavin Cato and seriously injuring his cousin Angela, also seven years of age. Eyewitnesses have given various reports of the car's speed, from 25 miles per hour to 65. Some witnesses claimed that the vehicle sped through the red light and that the driver smelled of alcohol. Lifsh, who escaped to Israel before charges could be filed, was later found not to have been issued a driver's license. What is not denied is the fact that as the car crossed the intersection, it was hit by another car, causing it to veer out of control and run over Gavin. A private Hasidic ambulance from the Hatzoloh Ambulance Corps came to the scene and removed the Hasidic driver on the orders of a police officer, leaving the injured boy behind. A city ambulance arrived after to treat Gavin, who died of his injuries at a nearby hospital. The incident sparked a riot that was ultimately fueled by long-standing underlying tensions between black and Jewish residents of the neighborhood.


Scope of the riot

African-American residents of the neighborhood then rioted for four consecutive days fueled by a belief that the treatment of the car accident victims was unequal. Fires were set and shops were looted as the riot grew out of control. A visiting rabbinical student from Australia by the name of Yankel Rosenbaum, 29 years old, was killed during the rioting. Before dying, Rosenbaum was able to identify 16-year-old Lemrick Nelson, Jr. as his assailant. Nelson was charged with the killing, but acquitted. Claims that he admitted to having stabbed Rosenbaum were dismissed by the jury. Even though Nelson was acquitted of murder by a state court but after protests by the Lubavitch community and others, Nelson was charged in federal court with violating Rosenbaum's civil rights and received a prison sentence of 19.5 years. In 2002, he was granted a new trial, at which he admitted he stabbed Rosenbaum, but his attorneys argued that the stabbing wasn't a hate crime triggered by Rosenbaum's religion, but merely the consequence of Nelson being drunk. One other man, Charles Price, 44, was charged with inciting a mob, including Nelson, to "get Jews". Price was charged in federal court one day before the expiration of the statute of limitations for that crime. Nelson was released to a halfway house on June 5, 2004.

Culture of Corruption

Poster boy, Harry Reid.

"Anyone from Nevada would say I'm glad he is there taking care of the state's No. 1 businesses," he told The Associated Press.

Ward Churchill As Gollum

So far as I am aware, there is no truth to the rumor that Washington State University will inaugurate an “Albino-American” studies program in response to complaints by the country’s latest aggrieved minority. As it turns out, not everybody who is unhappy with this summer blockbuster movie, “The Da Vinci Code,” is troubled by its heretical religious themes. A small minority is disturbed that the movie’s psychopathic villain is a murderous albino. I never would have guessed this, but the Da Vinci code represents the 68th movie made since 1960 that features an albino villain, including, and I am not making this up, Mel Smith as the sadistic albino executioner in the Princess Bride.
Michael McGowan is an albino who heads the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation and he has been quoted lately complaining that Hollywood almost always portrays people of real pallor in a bad light. Although I don’t think that their image has suffered so much that Jesse Jackson fears hearing their footfalls on the street at night. But, if McGowan manages to make enough noise, who knows? There just might be an albino studies program someday.
If it happens, I’d like to submit my resumé. I have most of the qualifications. I don’t have a PhD. I have no academic record in albino studies. And, I’m not an albino, although I do sunburn easily. The only deficiency in my record is that I am not a foam-at-the-mouth, anti-American leftist.
Of course, that last qualification might be the most important.
You might remember Colorado University’s ethnic studies professor, Ward Churchill. He brought national attention to himself by saying, in essence, that the victims of September 11, 2001 who perished in the World Trade Center had it coming. Once the bright lights were turned upon him, the world learned that he achieved academic prominence without a PhD, little academic record, and that he wasn’t an Indian, although he claimed that he was to get his job. And we learned that he was hired, immediately given tenure, and was quickly promoted to department chair primarily because of his radical political views and falsified ancestry.
Recently, Ward Churchill has reaped a bit of the wind that that he sewed when an investigative committee appointed by Colorado University found that Churchill had committed plagiarism, had intentionally misrepresented the work of others, and had created imaginary researchers, whose work he cited to support his own conclusions. That’s a rather long record of dishonesty. Remarkably, only one of the committee members recommended that Churchill lose his job.
When one considers that the central function of a university is the discovery and dissemination of truth, the committee’s recommendation makes it clear that 4 or the committee’s 5 members have little respect for the sanctity of truth or the mission of higher education.
Of course, just about anywhere else in the world, Churchill would have been held to account for his deceits. But, moonbats prosper in higher education because there they are fertilized and nurtured with tenure. Tenure makes it nearly impossible to fire faculty regardless of how egregious their behavior or how poor the quality of their work.
Ironically, the original purpose of tenure was to protect the academic freedom of faculty by shielding them from capricious firings provoked by politic or philosophical disagreements. Now, professors are awarded tenure as a reward for holding the proper political views. Most faculty have to endure a 5-6 year probationary period to prove themselves worthy of tenure. Ward Churchill was hired with tenure on the basis of his politically correct, but factually flawed rhetoric.
If tenure is something that faculty and administrators cannot wield wisely and responsibly, then it should be taken away.
And so, I was quite happy to learn that Ward Churchill is not going to skulk quietly away in a dignified manner. He is threatening lawsuits, and I’m half tempted to contribute to his legal fund. I think that the longer he drags this out and the uglier he makes the fight, the more the taxpayers and the parents paying tuition will come to appreciate the extent to which the worms have corrupted the academy. The Ward Churchill affair promises to turn a lot of rocks over. Like Gollum in the Lord of the Rings, Ward Churchill might yet have a positive role to play – just not the one he had in mind.

UN Demands Uptown Digs

Dubai allowe the United Nations to occupy office space rent-free. But now, Dubai needs that property to accomodate its rapidly growing economy and wants the United Nations to move about 20 miles.

The United Nations is miffed.

Used to occupying prime real estate in Geneva and New York, some U.N. officials aren't happy about the change.

Used to be that, when somebody gave you something free, you were grateful. But, if you're the United Nations, you bitch if what they give you isn't up to your standards.

Hot Air Al

Al Gore who's new global warming flick, "An Inconventient Truth" is about to open, was at the Cannes Film Festival, where he and his entourage were observed getting into cars to DRIVE 500 meters from his hotel to the festival's headquarters.

The inconvenient truth is that Al Gore is a hypocritical asshole.

Clearstream Distillation

If you have not been keeping up with the delicious French political scandal, here's the Cliff Notes version of history up until now.

Exectutive summary: Chirac and Villepin are going down.

Gratuitous Offensive Mohammed Cartoon of the Day

Getting Kinky In Texas

Kinky Friedman's on the ballot in Texas. He's a shrewd tactition who understands how things work.

Petition drives to get two independent candidates -- state comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn and musician/humorist Kinky Friedman -- on this year's ballot have made it all but certain that both will be factors in the race. Both are running against the incumbent Republican, Rick Perry.
On May 16, Mrs. Strayhorn turned in 223,000 signatures of those who want her on the ballot. Two days later, Mr. Friedman turned in almost 170,000. "Of course she got more signatures than me," he said. "She got all her ex-husbands to sign." That probably describes the tone of what's coming.

No Controlling Legal Authority

Congress only wishes that it was immune from the same laws that they inflict on us.

The FBI raid on Rep. William Jefferson's congressional office was an aggressive tactic that broke a long-standing political custom. But while it might violate the spirit of the Constitution, it might not violate the letter of the document or subsequent rulings by the Supreme Court, legal analysts say.

The issue could turn on whether a court finds that the items seized from Jefferson's office were related to such protected legislative activities as writing, researching and voting on bills. Other things could be fair game for the prosecution, analysts said.

"An official legislative act is immune, but interference with anything beyond that" is not covered by the constitutional provision that shields Congress from executive and judicial branch interference, said Michael J. Glennon, a former legal counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who teaches at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Waitress Sandwich Man Running For President

If Christopher Dodd could convince Ted Kennedy to join him as VP candidate, we'd have both slices of bread.

Cultuer of Corruption

If there is a culture of corruption, it is the attitude that Congress is above the rules that they create for the rest of us.

It's not just a Republican thing. Democrats have a long history of corruption. Including William Jefferson, D-Louisianna who seems to believe that illegality, conducted out of his office, should be exempt from scrutiny.

Gratuitous Offensive Mohammed Cartoon of the Day

A Riddle, Wrapped in a Mystery, Inside an Enigma

Who is Hillar Clinton? The left is getting squeamish about the answer.

The Republicans’ fear of Hillary is a testament to how successful she’s been in softening her sharp edges and moving to the center. As a senator, Clinton has been collegial and conciliatory, working respectfully even with politicians who tried to run her husband out of town. And polls now show that the more exposure people have to her, the more positive their view. She has made joint appearances with Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Bill Frist, and Lindsey Graham. Clinton has been an outspoken supporter of the war in Iraq, has talked about the evils of illegal immigration, and has even lowered the volume on her normally high-decibel pro-choice advocacy, calling abortion a “tragic choice to many, many women.”

And in summary,

But finally, there is the matter of Hillary herself. It’s true that the scandals of the nineties no longer have the power to hurt her. It’s people’s perception of her as a calculating, triangulating political android—supporting the war, speaking against abortion, sidling up to Gingrich and Murdoch, smiling that smile. We’ve known her a long time—but who is she now? That we still don’t know makes everybody nuts.

I'm a member of the vast right wing conspiracy who believe that she's a cynical, power-mad socialist who is impersonating a moderate, just long enough to seizer power. Oddly, that's just what liberals are hoping she is.

Gratuitous Offensive Mohammed Cartoon of the Day

BS Pronounced Upon Democrats

The history of Iraq is a long way from being written in full. But the first draft authored by the Democrats and the New York Times is documentable bullshit.

Iraqis can participate in three historic elections, pass the most liberal constitution in the Arab world, and form a unity government despite terrorist attacks and provocations. Yet for some critics of the president, these are minor matters. Like swallows to Capistrano, they keep returning to the same allegations--the president misled the country in order to justify the Iraq war; his administration pressured intelligence agencies to bias their judgments; Saddam Hussein turned out to be no threat since he didn't possess weapons of mass destruction; and helping democracy take root in the Middle East was a postwar rationalization. The problem with these charges is that they are false and can be shown to be so--and yet people continue to believe, and spread, them.

But, we really can't expect honest reporting from the Times when its publisher declares that an agenda like this.

Journalism, Less Pure Than Cat Shit

Robert Luskin, Karl Rove's lawyer, says he spent most of the day on May 12 taking his cat to the veterinarian and having a technician fix his computer at home.

He was stunned, therefore, when journalists started calling to ask about an online report that he had spent half the day at his law office, negotiating with Patrick Fitzgerald -- and that the special prosecutor had secretly obtained an indictment of Rove

The cat's medical tests, Luskin says, found that "the stools were free of harmful parasites, which is more than I can say for this case."

There's more here.

The claim that President Bush's top political strategist had been indicted in the CIA leak investigation was written by a journalist who has battled drug addiction and mental illness and been convicted of grand larceny. That didn't stop more than 35 reporters -- from all the major newspapers, networks and newsmagazines -- from calling Luskin or Rove's spokesman, Mark Corallo, to check it out.

Warship to be Built From Twin Towers Steel

Why do I have to read this in a British newspaper?

Hat tip, Powerline.

Warship built out of Twin Towers wreckage
By Tom Baldwin

In a shipyard in New Orleans, survivors of one disaster are building a monument to another

IN A city still emerging from the floods of Hurricane Katrina, a ship has begun to rise from the ashes of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Bringing together America’s two great calamities of the 21st century, the USS New York is being built in New Orleans with 24 tonnes of steel taken from the collapsed World Trade Centre.

There is no shortage of scrap metal in New Orleans these days, but the girders taken from Ground Zero have been treated with a reverence usually accorded to religious relics. After a brief ceremony in 2003, about seven tonnes of steel were melted down and poured into a cast to make the bow section of the ship’s hull.

Some shipworkers say the hairs stood up on the backs of their necks the first time they touched it. Others have postponed their retirement so they can be part of the project.

One worker, Tony Quaglino, said: “I was going to go in October 2004 after 40 years here, but I put it off when I found out I could be working on New York. This is sacred and it makes me very proud.” Glen Clement, a paint superintendent, said: “Nobody passes by that bow section without knocking on it. Everybody knows what it is made from and what it’s about.”

The ship is being built by Northrop Grumman on the banks of the Mississippi. It should be ready to join the US Navy in 2007.

Later vessels in its class will include USS Arlington — named after the section of the Pentagon that was also hit by an airliner on September 11 — and USS Somerset, in memory of United Flight 93, which crashed in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, on the same day as passengers struggled with al-Qaeda hijackers.

Mr Clement said it would be fitting if USS New York’s first mission was to capture Osama bin Laden. He said: “They hit us first, but out of a tragedy a good thing has come, in that we’re building a ship which can help take those people out.”

The $1 billion vessel is one of a new generation of amphibious assault ships capable of landing a 700-strong Marines assault force on a coastline almost anywhere without the need for a port.

Woody Oge, Northrop Grumman’s director of operations in New Orleans, was keen to play down suggestions that the ship might be used to spearhead invasions.

He pointed out that LPD vessels had been used as much for humanitarian assistance as for war. One such ship, USS Boxer, was dispatched to help to deal with the aftermath of Katrina.

Although the hurricane smashed its way through the shipyard last summer, the half-completed New York survived intact. The same cannot be said for the homes of some of its builders. About 200 are still living at the shipyard in the hastily set up “Camp Katrina”.

They include Earl Jones. More than eight months after Katrina, he does not know if his home in the Lower Ninth ward will be rebuilt. “The insurance company won’t even talk to us,” he said. “We’re having to hire lawyers to chase ’em. I don’t like this, but I don’t want to be out of work.”

Mr Jones’s wife was evacuated to Baton Rouge and is seriously ill with breast cancer and pneumonia. He said: “She ain’t handling very well me being away all the time.”

Katrina and 9/11 are two disasters that continue to produce very different responses from America. Mr Jones does not want his old home enshrined in a $1 billion fighting machine, but a small cheque from the insurance firm might help.

FORCE OF LIBERTY

USS New York, USS Arlington and USS Somerset will be part of a nine-vessel fleet of new amphibious transport ships

Length: 208.5m (684ft) — more than twice as long as the Statue of Liberty

Beam: 31.9m (105ft); weight: 24,900 tonnes; speed: 22 knots

Equipment: helicopters, landing craft, amphibious vehicles, missile launchers

Crew: more than 1,000, comprising 361 ship’s company plus 699 marines

Jimmy Carter Is Right

Hey, the guy's been around 80 years hasn't he? He's liable to stumble over an acorn now and then.

He thinks that everyone should be required to show a photo ID to vote.

The photo ID issue is being joined with the immigration debate because there is growing anecdotal evidence that voter registration by noncitizens is a problem. All that it takes to register is for someone to fill out a postcard, and I have interviewed people who were still allowed to register without checking the box that indicated they were a citizen. Several California counties report that an increasing number of registered voters called up for jury duty write back saying they are ineligible because they aren't citizens,
The man who in 1994 assassinated Mexican presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio in Tijuana had registered to vote at least twice in the U.S. although he was not a citizen. An investigation by the Immigration and Naturalization Service into alleged fraud in a 1996 Orange County, Calif., congressional race revealed that "4,023 illegal voters possibly cast ballots in the disputed election between Republican Robert Dornan and Democrat Loretta Sanchez."

Gratuitous Offensive Mohammed Cartoon of the Day

Drunken Wad of Grease Criticizes Barry Bonds

Pitcher David Wells, who pitched a perfect game for the New York Yankees while "half-drunk", cticized Barry Bonds for being "juiced."

"He's hit a few home runs off me while he was juiced. Look at him, the man is enormous," Wells said Saturday. "Still, he's a hell of a ballplayer. He's got to deal with it, not me."

Well, David Wells has won all of his games while grossly obese.

Culture of Corruption

Democrat William Jefferson, a Democrat from New Orleans, Louisianna, was filmed accepting $100,000 in bribes.

Democrat William Jefferson was also taped saying, "All these damn notes we’re writing to each other as if we’re talking, as if the FBI is watching.”

Did I mention that William Jefferson is a Democrat.

Why Haven't We Tried This?

Preferably, with naked women. Really good looking naked women.

Who knows? It just might work. Similar ceremonies have caused the sun to emerge from eclipses.

Slamet, a 32-year-old farmer with a wife and child, explained why he will not leave the mountain. (Indonesians often only have one name.)

“Allah will protect us and so will the spirits.”

He is a devout Muslim, as are 90 percent of this nation’s 220 million people. However, Slamet and his mountain neighbors also hold animist beliefs and feel that the mountain provides for them. In return, they give offerings of rice and packages of fruit to the rivers and streams, and at least once a year a priest climbs to the volcano’s crater and gives a live offering of an animal.

These Muslim men have also been known to gather naked in groups late at night and run in circles around their villages to ward off an eruption. Such immodesty is usually frowned upon in Islamic societies.

And, indeed, in the early hours of Friday morning, a group of two dozen farmers set off on a silent march around one of the villages three miles from the lava flows. The march, they said, was an appeal to the volcano spirits in an effort to “calm” the mountain.

I wonder which sura this came from?

We Used to Call This Spanish Fly

It's an inhaler, so guys can't slip it into a girl's drink.

Still, it sorta seems like cheating. I thought the whole point of foreplay was to stimulate a woman's sex drive. Now guys with no patience and no talent can go where no (or at least few) oaf has gone before.

Gratuitous Offensive Mohammed Cartoon of the Day

And, On the Eighth Day, God Created Dogs

I believe that it was author Dean Koontz who argued that, without a soul, humans are nothing more than meat. Dean Koontz does have a way with words. And for those of you who do not believe in God or that we are his divine creations, you face an uphill battle if you wish to argue that you are soulless meat.
Dean Koontz contends that it is not just humans who occupy a special place in the universe, but that we share it with certain other creatures. I've spent enough time in the company of cows to report that they are indeed simply meat. The same thing goes for chickens and turkeys. Salmon and crabs, oysters and lobsters, shrimp and sheep are just mobile meals who will fulfill their destiny only when they land in a hot skillet.
But not dogs. Like humans, every dog possesses a unique personality. And unlike humans, dogs possess a resilient innocence that we could all learn from. Humans bear the burden of instinctive cynicism. Dogs are congenitally trusting and forgiving. Humans are mostly selfish. Dogs give us all they have and ask only food and love in return. And if we forget to feed them or neglect to scratch behind their ears now and then, they will overlook the slight or blame themselves.
My dog died last week. I'm at peace with her passing. She lived to the ripe old age of 16 years and 3 months. I've never even heard of a dog living that long before. Equally remarkably, she was happy until the end. She was blind and she was deaf and she was so stiff that she had to be carried up and down stairs. But she could still briefly bounce around like a puppy and still craved the company of her family.
When God decided that her time was up, he took her quickly. She did not linger between worlds.
I've spent time lately pondering the place that dogs occupy in our world. Flies, mosquitoes and tree squirrels are just accidents of evolution and the world would not be poorer without them. If DNA had not been rearranged by cosmic rays to create barnacles, something else would have evolved to fill that niche and the world would be no poorer. But dogs are special. God put them here for a purpose. What might it be?
Dogs and humans have been pals for millennia. As hunting partners or as assistant herdsmen, dogs have worked their way into our world as productive members of society. But, the most important roles that dogs have played have been as our friends and as our role models.
Yes, I meant that. Dogs serve as our role models. Imagine what sort of world we would have if we adopted our dogs' most noble traits. Dogs are not greedy. A dog living in the most opulent Malibu mansion is no happier than a dog living in a run down Basin City trailer. Dogs are not vain. We might project our own vanity on dogs by putting ribbons in their hair or by trimming them extravagantly, as we often do with poodles. But dogs don't care how they look. And, they don't judge each other by appearance. Walt Disney's Lady and the Tramp was much closer to real life than our silly romantic fantasies that play on a similar theme of love triumphing over social status.
Feed your dog, pat its head, scratch its belly and toss a ball for it to retrieve now and then and it will love and worship you until it draws its last breath.
In other words, dogs treat us as Christ asked us to treat each other. And, dogs worship us as Christ asked us to worship God. Christ brought the lessons to us in the form of His word. Dog's role in the world is to lead us to the same place by their example.
There's an old joke that describes a sign carried by a dyslexic atheist that proclaims his disbelief in Dog. It's a funny joke in a perverse sort of way. You've probably heard it. But truthfully, is there anyone who does not believe in the innocence and nobility of a dog?

For Ward Churchill, It's Not a Matter of if, but When

Ward Churchill is planning to sue. His lawyer should get wealthy and whatever shreds remain of Ward Churchill's reputation and fake ancestry should be torn away.

"We technically could file it right now, but we'll wait," attorney David Lane said. "When they fire him, we'll file."

On Tuesday, an investigative committee released a 125-page report accusing the CU ethnic studies professor of fabricating material, plagiarism and other types of research misconduct.

One member recommended that he be fired. The other four suggested a suspension of either two or five years without pay.

The final decision, expected in mid-June, will be made by Provost Susan Avery and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Todd Gleeson.

I'm actually looking forward to it. I might even send some money to his legal defense fund. I want the University of Colorado to be dragged through this so that UC and other universities will learn the perils of hiring jackasses like this.

Wheeerrrre's Johnny?

John Murtha's disgraceful accusation against the Marines yesterday seems to have escaped the attention of either the New York Times or the Washington Post. This sort of reminds me of last summer's media protection of Cindy Sheehan, whose most outrageous comments were expunged from the news reports so that the American people would not learn what an absolute nutcase she was.
I guess the MSM has too much invested in John Murtha to let it be widely known just how crazy he is too.

A Non-Emotive Lexicon"

I wrote a column back in the early 90's about the coming golden age of Western civilization. The twentieth century had seen us beat back Nazism and communism. The twentieth century dawned with most of Europe ruled by monarchies and ended with democracies in charge. I honestly thought that our children and grandchildren could live in peace.
I'm sure the Romans occasionally thought the same thing. But barbarians are never far from the gate. And now those barbarians are close to having nuclear weapons.

Europe seems to have exhausted its will to defend itself.

When someone repeatedly professes hatred for you and threatens to kill you, prudence suggests taking him seriously in the interest of your future well-being. Yet old Europe, having fits about the rise of jihadism in its midst, has responded by changing the subject, or chatting up diplomatic incentives and "new initiatives" to coax for instance Iran toward right reason, or - please sit down for this one - rewriting the dictionary: The European Union, its member countries having endorsed in December guidelines for politically correct official parlance, is working on a "non-emotive lexicon . . . to avoid linking Islam and terrorism."

Fire the Guys Who Hired Him?

The administrators who greased the skids to bring Ward Churchill to the University of Colorado have largely escaped criticism in yesterday's report.

If Ward Churchill deserves to be fired, or given time off without pay, what should happen to the CU administrators who hired and promoted him?

CU hired Churchill long before he wrote about "little Eichmanns," but he never owed his job to much more than an ability to provoke.

Even the subcommittee calling for his paycheck recognized that.

"We believe that the University of Colorado may have made the extraordinary decision to hire Professor Churchill, a charismatic public intellectual with no doctorate and no history of regular faculty membership at a university, to a tenured position without any probationary period in part because at that moment in the institution's history, it desired the favorable attention his notoriety and following were expected to bring."

Live by polemics, die by them.

Ward Churchill Day at the University of Colorado

On the day that the university's report on the first list of complaints against pseudo-Indian Ward Churchil is to be released, another accusation of plagiarism and academic fraud hits the fan.

The photograph of a child's grave in University of Colorado ethnic studies professor Ward Churchill's 2004 book about Indian boarding schools jumped out at Brenda Child.
That's because Child, a member of the Red Lake Ojibwa tribe, took the picture and published it in 1998 in her own award-winning book on the same subject.

"I was surprised that was there because he's never sought my permission to use it and it appeared without my knowing that it would be in his book," said Child, a University of Minnesota faculty member in American studies.

Worse, from Child's standpoint, is the caption Churchill appended to the photograph. It said that half the children at the nation's Indian boarding schools suffered the same fate as the child whose grave is pictured in the photograph.

That figure is a "tremendous exaggeration," Child said. "That is just beyond belief."

Update: GUILTY!

Summary of Key Points of Report of the Investigative Committee of the
Standing Committee on Research Misconduct at the University of Colorado at
Boulder concerning Allegations of Academic Misconduct against Professor
Ward Churchill
May 16, 2006
The Committee was charged with investigating seven allegations:
Allegation A: Misrepresentation of General Allotment Act of 1887
Allegation B: Misrepresentation of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990
Allegation C: Captain John Smith and smallpox in New England, 1614-1618
Allegation D: Smallpox epidemic at Fort Clark and beyond, 1837-1840
Allegation E: Plagiarism of a pamphlet by the Dam the Dams group
Allegation F: Plagiarism of Professor Rebecca Robbins
Allegation G: Plagiarism of Professor Fay G. Cohen
Based on its investigation of those allegations, the Committee unanimously found, by a
preponderance of the evidence, that Professor Churchill committed several forms of academic
misconduct as defined in the policy statements of the University of Colorado at Boulder and the
University of Colorado system:
1. Falsification, as discussed in Allegations A, B, C, and D.
2. Fabrication, as discussed in Allegations C and D.
3. Plagiarism, as discussed in Allegations E and G.
4. Failure to comply with established standards regarding author names on
publications, as discussed most fully in Allegation F but also in Allegations A, B,
and D.
5. Serious deviation from accepted practices in reporting results from research, as
discussed in Allegation D.
The Committee did not find fabrication in the first sub-question of Allegation D or
plagiarism in Allegation F.
The Committee noted additionally that Professor Churchill was disrespectful of Indian
oral traditions when dealing with the Mandan/Fort Clark smallpox epidemic of 1837, both in his
essays and during the course of this investigation, as discussed in Allegation D.
2
The Committee found that Professor Churchill’s misconduct was deliberate and not a
matter of an occasional careless error. The Committee found that similar patterns recurred
throughout the essays it examined. The Committee therefore concluded that the degree of his
misconduct was serious, but differed on the sanction warranted. The Committee’s report states
as follows:
While we are unanimous in finding that Professor Churchill’s research
misconduct is serious and that we should express the degree of that seriousness
through a recommendation about sanctions, our discussions have not led to
unanimity about what particular sanctions are warranted. What follows, then, is
the only portion of our report that presents multiple views.
• Two members of the Committee conclude and recommend that Professor
Churchill should not be dismissed. They reach this conclusion because they
do not think his conduct so serious as to satisfy the criteria for revocation of
tenure and dismissal set forth in section 5.C.1 of the Law of the Regents,
because they are troubled by the circumstances under which these allegations
have been made, and because they believe that his dismissal would have an
adverse effect on other scholars’ ability to conduct their research with due
freedom. These two members agree and recommend that the most appropriate
sanction, following any required additional procedures as specified by the
University’s rules, is a suspension from University employment without pay
for a term of two years.
• Three members of the Committee believe that Professor Churchill’s research
misconduct is so serious that it satisfies the criteria for revocation of tenure
and dismissal specified in section 5.C.1 of the Laws of the Regents, and hence
that revocation of tenure and dismissal, after completion of all appropriate
procedures, is not an improper sanction. One of these members believes and
recommends that dismissal is the most appropriate sanction; the other two
believe and recommend that the most appropriate sanction is suspension from
University employment without pay for a term of five years.
Finally, the Committee had the following comments about its report:
The Committee notes that the Laws of the Regents of the University of Colorado
define “academic freedom” as “the freedom to inquire, discover, publish and
teach truth as the faculty member sees it, subject to no control or authority save
the control and authority of the rational methods by which truth is established.”
We understand and were careful to distinguish “misconduct in research,” which is
addressed by the University of Colorado’s Administrative Policy Statement on
Misconduct in Research and Authorship, from the issue of “truth” addressed by
the Regents’ Laws’ definition of academic freedom. The Committee observes
also that the allegations we were asked to investigate were initiated in the wake of
3
the public outcry concerning some highly controversial essays by Professor
Churchill dealing with, among other things, the 9/11 tragedy. While not
endorsing either the tone or the contents of those essays, the Committee reaffirms,
as the University has already acknowledged, that Professor Churchill’s right to
publish his views was protected by both the First and Fourteenth Amendment
guarantees of free speech. Although those essays played no part in our
deliberations, the Committee expresses its concern regarding the timing and
perhaps the motives for the University's decision to forward charges made in that
context. We point out finally that when Professor Churchill was hired as an
Associate Professor with tenure in 1991 and promoted to (full) Professor in 1997,
the University knew that he did not have a Ph.D. or law degree, as commonly
expected for faculty at this institution, and was aware that he was a controversial
public intellectual.
Voting Members of the Committee:
Chair: Marianne Wesson, Professor of Law, Wolf-Nichol Fellow, and President’s Teaching
Scholar, University of Colorado at Boulder
Robert N. Clinton, Foundation Professor of Law, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Arizona
State University
José E. Limón, Director, Center for Mexican-American Studies and Mody C. Boatright Regents
Professor of American and English Literature, University of Texas at Austin
Marjorie K. McIntosh, Distinguished Professor of History, University of Colorado at Boulder
Michael L. Radelet, Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology, University of Colorado at
Boulder

Black Helicopters Circling ABC News

Paranoia rules at ABC News.

A senior federal law enforcement official tells ABC News the government is tracking the phone numbers we (Brian Ross and Richard Esposito) call in an effort to root out confidential sources.

"It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick," the source told us in an in-person conversation.

ABC News does not know how the government determined who we are calling, or whether our phone records were provided to the government as part of the recently-disclosed NSA collection of domestic phone calls.

I think somebody is having a good laugh at ABC's expense.

Lost Weekend

Sorry about the paucity of posting over the weekend. I was competing in a bike race and had absolutely no access to the net. I would have been too busy anyway. Every minute I was either racing, warming up for a race, cooling down after a race, doing bicycle maintenance, eating or sleeping.
And, this morning, I just dead tired.

No, It Isn't Too Soon For the Truth

Too soon? When I heard that the mainstream media were citing some unnamed moviegoers as objecting to the release of “United 93” because it was too soon after the actual event, my BS proximity alarm went off. It struck me that we had yet another case of ventriloquist “reporters” placing words into the mouths of “some” to give legitimacy to their own opinions. I’ll show you how it’s done: “Some moviegoers say that it’s too soon for a movie about September 11, 2001”.
After all, real reporters aren’t supposed to allow their opinions to contaminate their reporting. So, reporters have to venriloquize their own opinions by putting them in the mouths of, “some.”
Of course, after all that, I had no choice but to see the flick at my first practical opportunity. If the mainstream media were so determined to dissuade me from seeing this movie, then I absolutely had to take it in, if only to irk them. So I went to see United 93 last weekend and I can report that it is not too early. If anything, it might have been released too late. With the encouragement of the ever-vigilant-and-unbiased mainstream media, we’ve conveniently forgotten a lot since that awful morning of September 11, 2001. It’s a lesson we need to have our noses rubbed in again.
As art, United 93 was less than remarkable. Jerky camera shots, which I suppose were meant to convey the confusion and chaos of that morning, made watching the movie a bit hard on the eyes. It was the story itself, not any clever cinematography or special effects, that carried the picture.
When the movie ended, that theater was the quietest I had ever sat in. Aside from weeping, there was not a human sound to be heard. Nobody stood to leave until the screen went entirely dark. When the lights came back on, the viewers silently rose from their seatd and solemnly filed out. No conversation was audible.
I credit the director for not burdening us with gratuitous sentimentality. There was almost no effort made to introduce us to the passengers and crew of that plane. When the movie ended, the victims were only slightly less anonymous to us than they were on that day 5 and a half years ago. What drove the movie was the gravity of the events and the incomprehensible evil of the terrorists.
What struck me most about the movie was the way that, even though we all knew how it was going to end, we prayed for a different outcome. Maybe this time, the passengers would wrest control of the plane from the hijackers and the surviving passengers and crew would have joyous reunions with their families. I don’t think I’m ruining the movie for anyone when I say that, it doesn’t turn out that way. It was history. And although Hollywood has little allegiance to truth, it’s certainly too soon to rewrite the ending.
Everybody should see this movie. We need to be confronted again with the relentless evil that intends us as much malice today as it did on September 11, 2001. Liberals who refuse to see it voluntarily because they’d prefer to live in a fantasy, where America is the fount of all that is wrong in the world, should be tied to chairs by their therapists and carried into the theaters by psychiatric orderlies.
The squeamish have got to grow up someday anyway.
I tried to remember if any reporter ventriloquized moviegoers to argue that it was too early for Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. I can’t remember a single occasion. I suppose that the timing of that movie’s release was judged to be just about perfect - during the 2004 election season. The timing was so good in fact that the entire Democratic Party’s senior leadership showed up for the movie’s VIP, invitation-only premiere. Moore was rewarded with a seat next to Jimmy Carter at the Democratic National Convention.
Five years later is too soon for the truth but less than 3 years is plenty of time to tell lies. An interesting contrast, don’t you think?
We need more movies. We need to know about the suffering of those trapped in the upper floors of the World Trade Center. We need to learn the firefighters’ stories.
It’s never to soon for the truth.

Gratuitous Offensive Mohammed Cartoon of the Day

L'affair de Ward Churchill Heating Up

The report on charges of plagiarism, academic fraud, etc. has supposedly been completed and submitted at the University of Colorado. It's contents are secret and not to be released until next week.

In the meantime, Ward Churchill is whining that the investigations are harming his reputation and that the university must stop of face a federal lawsuit.

Attorney David Lane sent the seven-page letter, which was obtained by The Denver Post, to the school's attorney on Tuesday. He said the investigation, along with comments made by officials, was damaging Churchill's reputation and preventing him from fulfilling publishing contracts and speaking engagements.

School officials told The Post they had not seen the letter.

"Let the process decide what happens," university spokesman Barrie Hartman said, declining further comment.

Churchill, a tenured professor of ethnic studies, angered many people with an essay comparing some Sept. 11 victims to a Nazi. University officials determined he could not be fired for the comments but launched an investigation into allegations about plagiarism and research misconduct.

The Standing Committee on Research Misconduct submitted its report to a faculty committee this week, but the findings won't be made public until next week.

Lane said the investigation has dragged on too long.


Shortly we will find out if Colorado runs its academics with the same integrity that it uses for its athletics.

Europe Finally Condemns the Axis of Evil

In soccer.

"Corruption, match-fixing, doping, these are the evils of the game," said the 70-year-old Blatter, who is Swiss. "We are working on a task force for the good of the game to try and bring football back within the boundaries. We have realized the universality of our game. But perhaps we were too naive to think that football at all levels would be respectful, disciplined and loyal."

Sepp Blatter is the president for as long as he wants of FIFA, the world's soccer governing body.

"[T]his world is not wonderful. With 250 million participants they cannot all be good. It's impossible. They are cheating, they are violent. It's like the population. We have to keep football within the boundaries of the game, and this is very difficult now."

Letter Leaked

America's most trusted journalist, Scott Ott, has acquired a copy of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's letter to President Bush.

Domestic Spying

In a bold and controversial decision, the president authorized a program for the surveillance of communications within the United States, seeking to prevent acts of domestic sabotage and espionage. In so doing, he ignored a statute that possibly forbade such activity, even though high-profile federal judges had affirmed the statute's validity. The president sought statutory amendments allowing this surveillance but, when no such legislation was forthcoming, he continued the program nonetheless. And when Congress demanded that he disclose details of the surveillance program, the attorney general said, in no uncertain terms, that it would get nothing of the sort.

FDR, 1940.

Gratuitous Offensive Mohammed Cartoon of the Day

Woop woop woop woop!

News You Won't Here on CBS, ABC, NBC or CNN

The New York Times won't mention this either.

We're winning in Iraq, according to Al Qaeda.

A glance at the reality of Baghdad in light of the latest events (sectarian turmoil)

It has been proven that the Shiites have a power and influence in Baghdad that cannot be taken lightly, particularly when the power of the Ministries of Interior and Defense is given to them, compared with the power of the mujahidin in Baghdad. During a military confrontation, they will be in a better position because they represent the power of the state along with the power of the popular militias. Most of the mujahidin power lies in surprise attacks (hit and run) or setting up explosive charges and booby traps. This is a different matter than a battle with organized forces that possess machinery and suitable communications networks. Thus, what is fixed in the minds of the Shiite and Sunni population is that the Shiites are stronger in Baghdad and closer to controlling it while the mujahidin (who represent the backbone of the Sunni people) are not considered more than a daily annoyance to the Shiite government. The only power the mujahidin have is what they have already demonstrated in hunting down drifted patrols and taking sniper shots at those patrol members who stray far from their patrols, or planting booby traps among the citizens and hiding among them in the hope that the explosions will injure an American or members of the government. In other words, these activities could be understood as hitting the scared and the hiding ones, which is an image that requires a concerted effort to change, as well as Allah’s wisdom.
The strength of the brothers in Baghdad is built mainly on booby trapped cars, and most of the mujahidin groups in Baghdad are generally groups of assassin without any organized military capabilities.
There is a clear absence of organization among the groups of the brothers in Baghdad, whether at the leadership level in Baghdad, the brigade leaders, or their groups therein. Coordination among them is very difficult, which appears clearly when the group undertake a join operations
The policy followed by the brothers in Baghdad is a media oriented policy without a clear comprehensive plan to capture an area or an enemy center. Other word, the significance of the strategy of their work is to show in the media that the American and the government do not control the situation and there is resistance against them. This policy dragged us to the type of operations that are attracted to the media, and we go to the streets from time to time for more possible noisy operations which follow the same direction.
This direction has large positive effects; however, being preoccupied with it alone delays more important operations such as taking control of some areas, preserving it and assuming power in Baghdad (for example, taking control of a university, a hospital, or a Sunni religious site).



Page 2 of 4

At the same time, the Americans and the Government were able to absorb our painful blows, sustain them, compensate their losses with new replacements, and follow strategic plans which allowed them in the past few years to take control of Baghdad as well as other areas one after the other. That is why every year is worse than the previous year as far as the Mujahidin’s control and influence over Baghdad.

The role that the Islamic party and the Islamic Scholars Committee play in numbing the Sunni people through the media is a dangerous role. It has been proven from the course of the events that the American investment in the Party and the Committee were not in vain. In spite of the gravity of the events, they were able to calm down the Sunni people, justify the enemy deeds, and give the enemy the opportunity to do more work without any recourse and supervision. This situation stemmed from two matters:
n First, their media power is presented by their special radio and TV stations as the sole Sunni information source, coupled with our weak media which is confined mainly to the Internet, without a flyer or newspaper to present these events.

n Second, in the course of their control of the majority of the speakers at mosques who convert right into wrong and wrong into right, and present Islam in a sinful manner and sins in a Muslim manner. At the same time we did not have any positive impact or benefits from our operations.

The mujahidin do not have any stored weapons and ammunition in their possession in Baghdad, particularly rockets, such as C5K Katyosha or bomber or mortars which we realized their importance and shortage in Baghdad. That was due to lack of check and balance, and proper follow-ups.

The National Guard status is frequently raised and whether they belong to the Sunnis or Shiites. Too much talk is around whether we belong to them or not, or should we strike and kill their men or not?
It is believed that this matter serves the Americans very well. I believe that the Committee and the Party are pushing this issue because they want to have an influence, similar to the Mujahidin’s. When and if a Sunni units from the National Guard are formed, and begin to compete with the mujahidin and squeeze them, we will have a problem; we either let them go beyond the limits or fight them and risk inciting the Sunnis against us through the Party’s and the Committee’s channels.



Page 3 of 4

I believe that we should not allow this situation to exist at all, and we should bury it before it surfaces and reject any suggestion to that effect.

(Salah), the military commander of Baghdad (he used to be the commander of the Rassafah County and still is) is a courageous young man with a good determination but he has little and simple experience in the military field and does not have a clear vision about the current stage and how to deal with it Most of his work at al-Rassafah County is to take cars to the Jubur Arab Tribes, convert them into booby traps and take them back inside Baghdad for explosion. And the more booby trap cars he makes, the more success he has. This alone is not a work plan and we do not benefit from it in the medium range let alone the long range.


(Salah): The current commander of Northern al-Karkh (Abu-Huda) is very concerned because of his deteriorating security situation caused by being pursued by the Americans, since they have his picture and voice print. Therefore, his movement is very restricted and he is unable to do anything here. We should remove him from Baghdad to a location where he can work easier; otherwise he is closer to become totally ineffective. I know nothing about his past military experience or organizational skills.

(Salah): Northern al-Karkh groups are estimated at 40 mujahid, so is the Southern Karkh. They could double that number if necessary. Al-Rassafah groups in general is estimated at 30 mujahidin as I was informed by the commander of al-Rassafah. These are very small numbers compared to the tens of thousands of the enemy troops. How can we increase these numbers?

The United Nations Will Contentedly Let Them All Die

If Darfur is to be saved, it's up to the United States and George Bush. Sorry about that Mr. Clooney.

"The good people of Darfur have been entrusted to the legitimacy of the UN for more than two years and it's killing them. In 2004, after months of expressing deep concern, grave concern, deep concern over the graves and deep grave concern over whether the graves were deep enough, Kofi Annan took decisive action and appointed a UN committee to look into what's going on. Eventually, they reported back that it's not genocide.

Thank goodness for that. Because, as yet another Kofi-appointed UN committee boldly declared, "genocide anywhere is a threat to the security of all and should never be tolerated". So fortunately what's going on in the Sudan isn't genocide. Instead, it's just hundreds of thousands of corpses who happen to be from the same ethnic group, which means the UN can go on tolerating it until everyone's dead, at which point the so-called "decent left" can support a "multinational" force under the auspices of the Arab League going in to ensure the corpses don't pollute the water supply."

That Didn't Take Long

I just read about this guy's plans this morning. Now, it's over.

A New Yorker's attempt to become the first black American to row solo across the Atlantic ended when his homemade boat sprung a leak hours after he left the coast of Africa Sunday.

Victor Mooney radioed for help after his boat started taking on water, according to a press release on his Web site. He was rescued by the Senegalese navy, but the 24-foot craft he built for the journey sank into the ocean.

The boat was made of what Mooney called "marine grade plywood."

Mooney — a 41-year-old college publicist who had been preparing for the trip for three years — could not immediately be reached for comment. The press release said he will return to his home in New York.

Local authorities said Mooney was not hurt but did not sound likely to try the trip again.

If he gives up that easily, it's unlikely that he would have had the stamina to finish it in the first place.

Mooney had said his voyage was to raise awareness of AIDS in Africa and memorialize the route that took African slaves to the Americas.

I'll let you fill in the rest.

Getting a Brain Installed?

Somehow, the idea of brain surgery on Keith Richards recalls the old headline about Yogi Berra, who was thought to have suffered a broken skull after being beaned.

"X-Rays of Berra's Head Reveal Nothing."

I'm much more concerned about this guy's recovery myself.

Update: A real headline - "Doctors Save Keith Richards Brain"

I have to wonder - In a jar?

Gratuitous Offensive Mohammed Cartoon of the Day

Booze, broads and bacon - It's what all Mohammadans crave.

Too Weaselly By Half

Jacques Chirac is caught in his own net of domestic politcal intrigue and the scandal threatens to take the his entire pack of his vermin down with him.

The affair had a discreet beginning — an investigation in November 2003 at the Defense Ministry to verify the list of Clearstream accounts.

It is Villepin's entrance into the case that raises questions today.

Villepin — then foreign minister — summoned Gen. Philippe Rondot, in charge of special Defense Ministry operations, to a January 2004 meeting.

Also present was Jean-Louis Gergorin, vice-president of European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co., which owns 80 percent of Airbus. It was Gergorin who allegedly provided the list to Rondot and informed Villepin of a potential problem.

Villepin said he had been made aware of "national security risks" from money laundering — potentially tied to terrorism or organized crime — that could threaten French economic interests. He said it was his duty to ask Rondot to investigate.

The prime minister at first denied that Sarkozy was mentioned in the meeting, saying he only saw the list of names later.

But Villepin backtracked slightly this week after the daily Le Monde published alleged extracts of Rondot's testimony to investigators in which he says that the prime minister — on Chirac's orders — specifically asked for an investigation into Sarkozy.

Villepin admitted Thursday that Sarkozy's name was mentioned, but only "as interior minister," not in connection with the probe. He denied that Chirac ordered the probe, as did the president's office.

Sarkozy is one of the few remotely honest people in Chirac's cabinet and Villepin's main rival to replace Chirac. Chirac favored the far-left, America-hating Villepin. Sarkozy is much friendlier to the United States.

Patrick Kennedy vs. Rush Limbaugh

Will you look at how the media treats them. A double standard? You bet.

I am angry at the double standard, where liberals are regularly treated one way and conservatives another. I am also glad Patrick Kennedy won't be abused as Rush was. But you can be sure that the next conservative with a problem won't be treated like Kennedy.

Give Me Half

I wouldn't mind being rich. Then Bill Gates wouldn't be so uncomfortable.

Will This Get As Much Play As Duke Cunningham's Case?

I doubt it.

A Kentucky businessman is scheduled to plead guilty today to giving Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to promote his high-tech business ventures in Africa, according to court records and people familiar with the case.

Vernon L. Jackson, owner of Louisville-based iGate Inc., is scheduled to enter the plea before U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, according to a court docket. Jackson would become the second person to plead guilty in the inquiry of the New Orleans congressman. Jefferson, 58, has not been charged and has denied wrongdoing.

In January, Brett M. Pfeffer, 37, a former Jefferson aide, pleaded guilty to bribing his ex-boss. Pfeffer worked for a wealthy Northern Virginia woman who invested in Jackson's company, iGate, which was trying to sell Internet and cable television service to Nigeria and Ghana. Pfeffer told a federal judge that Jefferson demanded a stake in the business in exchange for using his influence in Africa to promote iGate's technology.

Michael S. Nachmanoff, a federal public defender who is representing Jackson, declined to comment last night, as did Jefferson's press secretary, Melanie Roussell.

Jefferson, Louisiana's first black congressman since Reconstruction, is a co-chairman of the congressional Africa Trade and Investment Caucus.

After all, this doesn't advance the story that corruption is the culture only of Republicans.

The Despotism of the Clerks

The Congress wants to make "price gouging" a federal felony. Worse, they want to leave it up to clerks to define price gouging.

This bill would criminalize "price gouging" by gasoline wholesalers and retailers, with fines of $150 Million per offense for wholesalers and $3 million for retailers, and years of jail time for both. But it doesn't even pretend to define the elements of the crime, delegating this to the FTC, which will define what "price gouging" might be. Would that be raising your price because your supplier raised his? Or because you'd lost your shirt on the last shipment? Or because your other running costs have gone up? Or because you anticipate them going up? By how much and for how long would your prices have to be raised to expose you to jail time? What if you raise less than the guy across the street? Two blocks down the street? Across town? What if you just don't lower your price when others do? These are just quick questions from a country lawyer with no experience in energy policy or law, nor in gasoline supply. But I thought Congress wrote the laws and the executive branch enforced them: with at most the power to create regulations to implement the Congressional purpose as disclosed in the law. I also thought that the duty to write a law, and clearly, was particularly strong when the statute might take away liberty as well as merely a stunning sum of money. What am I missing here? This looks to me like pure political grandstanding and a lawless grant of the lawmaking power.

The Washington Post Discovers Market Forces

High prices for crude oil will inspire the private sector to improve fuel efficiency for cars and to develop new energy sources.

The Washington Post says so.

Energy companies now have ample incentive to bring new supplies to market: The three major U.S. oil companies are projected to increase spending on exploration and development by 30 percent this year. Consumers have ample incentive to drive less and buy more-efficient vehicles: Last year they bought a record 200,000 vehicles powered by clean diesel or hybrid motors. Anyone who remembers the furious arguments of the 1990s, when Congress resisted an energy tax that would have raised gas prices by a few cents per gallon, can only marvel at the can-do spirit of the market. While politicians dithered, the invisible hand worked.

Boycott? I Didn't See No Stinking Boycott.

What if they gave an economic boycott, and nobody noticed? I don’t know about you, but Uno de Mayo came and went without anything visibly coming to a stop from my perspective. If you weren’t watching the evening news Monday night, you probably would never have known that there was a boycott at all. Might it just be that illegal immigrants are not the economic fuel that drives our economy after all?
I suppose that somebody, somewhere was inconvenienced by a lawn that went unmowed for a day, or that on some palatial Malibu estate, a movie starlet had to make her own bed for the first time in a couple of decades. But somehow, our roaring economy purred along without a stutter.
I couldn’t help arriving at the conclusion that they don’t just do jobs that Americans won’t do, they do jobs that aren’t all that essential. If those jobs were so important, then employers would pay what the job was worth and Americans would do the work.
So now that the economic necessity argument has been swatted away, and that we no longer have to fear economic blackmail, we can approach the issue of illegal immigrants rationally.
My own ancestors are Mexican immigrants of a sort. They didn’t actually emigrate to the United States so much as the United State border moved south and west, absorbing them. Whether my ancestors were bothered about this, I don’t know. What I do know is that my living relatives are delighted with the way things turned out. They live close enough to the border to know which side they’d rather live on.
I bring this up because I have never encountered anyone less sympathetic to illegal immigrants than my own relatives. They have watched their own neighborhoods deteriorated under waves of illegals and all have had to move. They believe that their own good reputation has suffered as a result. Unlike the image portrayed by the mainstream media, Hispanics are not monolithic and homogeneous. Hispanics who have been in this country for a few generations compete on even terms with any other ethnic group. Descendents of Mexicans who became Americans after the Mexican-American war are every bit as successful as Americans of European ancestry. Their assimilation is complete and I doubt that many would care to reverse it.
Unfortunately, our current illegal immigration tsunami has created a subculture so large that its inhabitants have little or no social pressure to assimilate. They can function socially without learning English. They can cocoon themselves from the measures of success that the rest of America lives by and set their own. In short, they can establish enclaves of Mexican culture within the borders of the United States. As harmless as this sounds, it is not borders but culture that fosters prosperity on this side of the border and condemns the southern side to poverty.
This cultural cocooning has precedent. It’s the likely cause of the persistent income gap between white and black America. Segregation, whether imposed by whites or nurtured by blacks has created a subculture that predisposes its members to less favorable outcomes. Two parent families are not valued. Illegitimacy is not stigmatized. So most children are born to single mothers. Within inner cities, good grades and proper grammar are disparaged as “acting white.” Those convicted of acting white suffer social ostracism.
Even Pullman has its own peculiar ethnic subculture. Pullman has attracted a large Korean community. We have a lot of Korean students and Korean immigrants. We have so many in fact that Koreans have managed to establish their own little society within Pullman. This is not necessarily bad. In fact, I love Korean food and consider it a real treat when one of my Korean friends invites me to share in one of their dinners.
The problem is that Pullman has so many Koreans that they are able to establish large and intricate social networks without having to include English-speaking Americans. As a consequence, Koreans seems to gain English fluency far more slowly than any other ethnic groups. Outside of work (and often inside of work), Pullman’s Koreans speak Korean almost exclusively.
And so, whatever solution we eventually settle on regarding illegal immigration will have to consider assimilation as a condition of citizenship. Culturally and linguistically isolated subcultures serve neither the country nor the immigrants.

Family Tradition

As Hank Williams junior phrased it, "So if I get stoned I'm just carrying on, an old family tradition."

Like Teddy, like Patrick. There's just something about cars, booze and Kennedy's. Of course, that family name will always get you off the hook.

As Ted Kennedy himself once said: "Do we operate under a system of equal justice under law?
Or is there one system for the average citizen and another for the high and mighty?"

And of course it's the latter, otherwise Teddy would just now be eligible for parole.

Update: He was so drinking.

Update: rehab

Banned By Arabs

United 93 is not popular in the Arab world. Well, actually it can't be popular or unpopular because Arabs are not allowed to see it.

Gratuitous Offensive Mohammed Cartoon of the Day

They should have executed Moussaoui. Perhaps then I wouldn't be in such a foul mood this morning.

Is It Racist To Favor Controlled Immigration?

I don't think so, but the cowardice of "mainstream" political parties is forcing responsicble people to vote for racist candidates.

In France, a public opinion poll last month showed that more than a third of respondents believed the anti-immigrant National Front, led by the outspoken Jean-Marie Le Pen, was in line with "the concerns of French people." Numbers like that could make the party a power in presidential elections next year.

The anti-immigration Danish People's Party in Denmark and Progress Party in Norway, meanwhile, both reached record levels of the vote -- 13 and 22 percent, respectively -- in elections last year.

Conquer the the Persian Gulf?

This has actually been on my mind for a couple of years. It's good to read that a respectable thinker has pondered it too.

"Of course, if we seized the Saudi and Iranian oil fields and ran the pumps full speed, oil prices would plummet, dictators would be broke, and poor nations would benefit from cheap energy. But we'd be called imperialist oppressors, then."

Hooray for DDT

Millions of African lives could have been saved with just the modest application of DDT. Now, at last, the US is getting behind its use to protect against malaria, a disease that kills far more people than AIDS every year.

Added Richard Green, director of the Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition in USAID's global health bureau: "We think DDT is an excellent insecticide and that, in some circumstances, it has some advantages over some other insecticides that are available."
The insecticide credited with eliminating malaria in the Western world years ago was outlawed in the United States in 1972 and is banned in most countries because of environmental concerns and unsubstantiated fears it can harm humans.
"We think DDT is safe when used correctly and are not aware of any human health risks," Mr. Green said.

Evironmentalist wackos don't like it, but screw them. They're just a bunch of racist elitists.

Just In Time

New Orleans now has a hurricane evacuation plan.

The new plan includes using publicly owned transportation.

Now, It's Not Just the Left Who's Being Heard

Nixon called us the "silent majority," those who did not raise hell all the time and who stood my the United States and its rule of law.

For years, Republcans and Democrats have kowtowed to the noisy illegal immigration advocates. But now, the silent majority is finding its voice. Maybe enough of the ball-less wonders will finally craft a law that makes sense.

The anger evoked a word that immigrant organizers who opposed Monday's boycott feared: backlash. McDonald and other Americans were particularly disturbed by Monday's boycott and civil action, attended in large part by people who entered the country illegally and are now demanding rights enjoyed by U.S.-born citizens and immigrants who entered the country legally.

"How dare they," said McDonald, a research specialist for the University of Pittsburgh who said she voted for Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) in the 2004 presidential election. "If they are so active, why aren't they in Mexico City, why aren't they forcing their leaders there to deal with the quality of life? If you don't like it here, go home."

Support Illegal Immigration, Look for New Work

Three politicians who supported illegal immigration were told by voters to hit the bricks yesterday.

Herndon voters yesterday unseated the mayor and two Town Council members who supported a bitterly debated day-labor center for immigrant workers in a contest that emerged as a mini-referendum on the turbulent national issue of illegal immigration.

Residents replaced the incumbents with challengers who immediately called for significant changes at the center. Some want to bar public funds from being spent on the facility or restrict it to workers living in the country legally.

What If They Gave a Boycott, and Nobody Noticed?

Monday's boycott seems to have proven something - that we need foreign workers a lot less than we thought.

In certain industries, they made their case. In the West and Midwest, a number of meatpacking companies were forced to close. In California and Arizona, produce fields were absent of migrant pickers. And in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, a number of businesses lacked sufficient staff to operate.

But the protests didn’t bring the economy to a halt, as some organizers had hoped. And that, says one economist, is because Americans overestimate the actual impact undocumented workers have on our economy. “It’s a positive benefit, but it’s not the be-all end-all of the economy,” says James P. Smith, an economist at the Rand Corporation who specializes in immigration labor.

Of course, I'm old enough to remember that, when Cesar Chavez's United Farmworkers Union went on strike in the early 70's, that farms simply turned to the more reliable automation and the farmworkers lost their jobs.

Religion of Peace Update

Islam once again exhibits its 1500 year old commitment to love and harmony.

Islamic militants shot dead at least 35 Hindus in Indian-administered Kashmir ahead of crucial talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Kashmiri separatists, officials and police said on Monday.

In one of the bloodiest massacres in recent months, militants struck two remote Hindu-dominated mountainous villages in Doda district, some 170 km (100 miles) northeast of Jammu, Kashmir's winter capital, early on Monday, and gunned down 22 Hindus.

On the same day, bullet-ridden bodies of nine Hindus were recovered from neighboring Udhampur district. Police said the dead were Hindu cattle herdsmen reportedly kidnapped by suspected militants late on Sunday.

Four of them were found dead on Sunday itself.

Remember, Islam means peace.

McCain Waves Away the Constitution

"I would rather have a clean government than one where, quote, First Amendment rights are being respected, that has become corrupt. If I had my choice, I’d rather have the clean government."

Media darling John McCain said and the MSM apparently has no objections.

Gratuitous Offensive Mohammed Cartoon of the Day

Welcome to the Dark Side young Skywalker.

Down The Rat Hole

Boliva's president follows Hugo Chavez's lead. The problem is that since Evo Morales won the election, foreign investment in Bolivia has plummetted. This should bring it down to zero.
Bolivia needs foreign capital more than the world needs Bolivia.

The New York Times is Not Partisan and Its Motives Are Pure

The exectutive editor says so.

Katie Couric is nonpartisan too.

The Mark of Soros

Worse than the mark of Ham?

Our Best UN Ambassador Ever?

After all the attempts to stall John Bolton's nomination as UN ambassador, the man has grown into one of the more admired figures at that corrupt institution.

America's bantam cock of an ambassador is something of a cult figure at the UN.

When meetings end he is followed by a crowd of cameramen keen to capture that famous walrus moustache and his colourful asides. Rival ambassadors salute his skill as a communicator and his diligence.

He keeps Washington rather than New York hours, starting work before dawn and often going to bed by nine. While he speaks off the cuff, he assiduously takes notes of others' speeches, the opposite of the usual UN style.

He is far less haughty than many of his predecessors.

We're Not As Stupid as They Think

We already have one party that panders to the stupidest of the stupid. We don't need two.

WASHINGTON, April 30 — The Senate Republican plan to mail $100 checks to voters to ease the burden of high gasoline prices is eliciting more scorn than gratitude from the very people it was intended to help.

Aides for several Republican senators reported a surge of calls and e-mail messages from constituents ridiculing the rebate as a paltry and transparent effort to pander to voters before the midterm elections in November.

"The conservatives think it is socialist bunk, and the liberals think it is conservative trickery," said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, pointing out that the criticism was coming from across the ideological spectrum.

Angry constituents have asked, "Do you think we are prostitutes? Do you think you can buy us?" said another Republican senator's aide, who was granted anonymity to openly discuss the feedback because the senator had supported the plan.

Conservative talk radio hosts have been particularly vocal. "What kind of insult is this?" Rush Limbaugh asked on his radio program on Friday. "Instead of buying us off and treating us like we're a bunch of whores, just solve the problem." In commentary on Fox News Sunday, Brit Hume called the idea "silly."

The reaction comes as the rising price of gasoline has put the public in a volatile mood and as polls show that cynicism about Congress is at its highest level since 1994.

Republicans are not going to outcompete the Democrats for the stupid vote. A healthy democracy needs at least one political party run by and for grownups.

Why United 93 Is Such a Crappy Movie

A review worthy of Err America. The problem is that the plot is so implausible.

First of all, a plot of this scope would have required literally years of planning, which means that an attack occurring in September of 2001 would have to have been conceived, planned, and largely carried out (i.e., the financing, the placing of terrorist “moles” within the U.S., the hijackers’ flight training, etc.) while Bill Clinton was still President. This, in a word, is simply preposterous: as any schoolboy could tell you the whole world loved the United States and every American from the day Bill Clinton first brought his unique brand of dignity and respect to the Oval Office until the sad day he stepped down. Moreover, the planning for a coordinated series of terrorist attacks on such a scale would have quickly been detected—and just as quickly stopped—by our nation’s combined law enforcement and intelligence communities.

In a nation where Janet Reno’s Justice Department, the CIA, and the FBI all worked together like a well-oiled machine to effect a seamless exchange of ideas and information, even the best-laid attack plan wouldn’t stand much of a chance. Or to put it in layman’s terms, you couldn’t keep a terrorist plot this big a secret in Bill Clinton’s America if you built a virtual wall between the FBI and the CIA … not that such a thing could ever happen.

And not only that - the movie is racist.

Gratuitous Offensive Mohammed Cartoon of the Day

Okay, it's not actually Mohammed. But I'm sure he would approve.

Bad News For Democrats

There has been significant movement toward peace in Iraq.

President Jalal Talabani met with representatives of seven armed groups and is optimistic they may agree to lay down their weapons, his office said Sunday. It was the first time a senior Iraqi official has acknowledged talks with insurgents.

Let's see now. A booming economy, peace in Iraq, no terrorist attacks since 2001, what are Democrats going to run on?

Oh yeah, higher gas prices, which they are on record as actually supporting.