The Difference Between a (D) and an (R)

Sean Hannity was interviewing Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) on Hannity and Colmes last night. The following exchange ensued:

HANNITY: I'm listening to what you're saying. So you're saying when the President told the nation that Saddam's nuclear threats are a real grave danger to America and Saddam's WMDs are a threat to America, you're saying that George W. Bush purposely lied to America? Is that what you're saying? HINCHEY: I'm saying whoever wrote that speech gave false information to the Congress. Whether or not the President knew it when he gave the speech, I'm not sure. Whoever wrote that speech certainly did. HANNITY: The only problem is Congressman, the words I just said to you were John Kerry's words. John Kerry said that to America. You voted for John Kerry. Now I'll ask you, did John Kerry give false information to America? HINCHEY: John Kerry, I think, made a mistake and voted for the resolution — HANNITY: Oh, he made a mistake and Bush is a liar.(Via MediaBlog at NRO)

Just before Hannity's last line above I said to my husband. So, if President Bush had said it, it was a lie, but because Kerry (we still haven't seen your military records) said it, it was just a mistake. That's the difference between having a (D) after your name or having an (R) after your name. Remember though, that this is Maurice Hinchey. Back in February he was the one who said that Karl Rove was behind the documents that played such an important role in Ra^thergate. See our posts: Karl Rove - Evil Mastermind and Hinchey Sums it up for the Dems More at Blogs for Bush Welcome PoliPundit readers! Please look around...

And Now the Three Little Pigs too...

From the BBC via GOP Bloggers - The Three Little Pigs will no longer be read to under-seven-year-old students at Park Road Junior Infant and Nursery School in Batley

Somebody warn Glenn and Bear! Porkbusters will be next! Previously: Free Piglet and Now It's Piggy Banks Bryan Preston at Junk Yard Blog predicted a similar threat to Hogbusters (Energy Department Promotion) a week ago... Welcome Betsy's Page readers! Please look around.

Cindy Sheehan on Fox's Dayside

Cindy Sheehan was on the phone with Fox's Dayside today: Juliet Huddy: The official death toll for United States Military folk in Iraq has reached one thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine. Mike Jerrick: War protester Cindy Sheehan says she will tie herself to the White House fence, right there in front when the number reaches 2000, and she joins us on the phone from the front of the White House. Cindy, were you able to listen to the speech today? Cindy Sheehan: No, actually I wasn't. Mike Jerrick: Well let me play just one quick bite from it then. It's about how the President says, now that we've gotten rid of Saddam Hussien, if we leave now we'll probably just turn Iraq over to terrorists, basically is what he said. Here's specifically what he said: {videoclip} President Bush: Some observers also claim that America would be better off by cutting our losses and leaving Iraq now. This is a dangerous illusion refuted by a simple question. Would the United States and other free nations be more safe or less safe with Zarqawi and bin Ladin in control of Iraq, its people, and its resources? {end videoclip} Mike Jerrick: So, what do you think? As you can tell there, the President says that we can not leave now, the terrorists will take over. Cindy, what's your response to that? Cindy Sheehan: Well, um, I believe that, you know of course I believe that that's false. I, there are studies that show that most of the violence in Iraq are home grown insurgencies that are fighting against the occupation. And I believe that if we don't need our military presence there, we never did need our military presence there, Saddam was not responsible for 9/11. Osama is still free. It seems like they've forgotten that he was the one that planned attack on American soil and he's still running free. They, they're, um, devastating a country that was no threat to the United States of America. And I believe that our military presence is not needed there like it was never needed there. Juliet Huddy: Cindy, and it's comments like those that have made you, like it or not, a lightning rod for Americans. Here, we've got somebody in the audience who wants to ask you a question. Go ahead sir. Audience member: My question to you is, I was drafted into the Army and I served, I didn't want to go, but I went and I ended up fighting in combat in Korea. Your son volunteered. All of us thank God he did. I think what you're doing is denigrating your son's service. {Applause} Juliet Huddy: Cindy, I know you've addressed this before, but you know, today you're once again going to be out there and you've said you're going to chain yourself to the White House fence. What do you think your son would have thought about this? I know members of your family have come out in opposition of what you're doing. Cindy Sheehan: Actually, um, my son did volunteer to join, uh, the United States Army. My son was an honorable man. He was a brave man. And he was misused and abused by his commander in chief by attacking a country that was no threat to the United States of America. And he, and all of us, would gladly defend our country, but Iraq was nothing about defending our country. Mike Jerrick: So Cindy, real quickly. Your plans, when you say the death toll, when it gets to 2000 in Iraq, which, you know, sadly will probably be within the next week. You're going to chain yourself... Cindy Sheehan: It will probably be sometime today, sadly, tragically, and unnecessarily. Mike Jerrick: And your plan is to tie yourself to the fence there in front of the White House? Cindy Sheehan: Actually we've changed our plans a little bit. We're going to be, um, every, every night at 6:00 as many Americans who are working for peace and oppose this war as possible we are gonna ask them to lie down in a symbolic death. And we get, we get warnings, we get three warnings before we're arrested. So, um, you know people can get up during the warnings and not be arrested. But, the day after the 2000th death, I'm gonna lie down and not get up. Mike Jerrick: OK, ah, Cindy, if you don't mind hanging on the phone there real quickly we're going to bring in Bill Kristol the editor of the Weekly Standard. Bill, thank you very much. Just respond to Cindy's comments and the President as well. Bill Kristol: Well, I happen to agree with the President that it's a free country and Mrs. Sheehan's obviously entitled to demonstrate. I don't think she's entitled to claim to be speaking on behalf of the 2000 young men and women who have, did volunteer, and have died in Irag though. {applause} Juliet Huddy: In this, in this speech today Bill, did we hear anything new? I was listening with some people in the green room and there were comments both for and against. Saying, "It's the same old rhetoric." There was some encouraging, there were some encouraging words from his supporters. What do you have to say? Anything new, did you hear? Any new territory covered? Bill Kristol: Nothing fundamentally new. I mean, I think with the constitution passed, that was announced in this morning in Iraq and that's important. And the political process is moving ahead. There's been some military progress in the last, uh, couple of months I think. But, look, it's the same war, there's nothing, there's no new insight, just a matter of staying the course and winning, I think. Mike Jerrick: We still have some questions. In the control room, is Cindy still with us? So questions for either Bill or Cindy. Go ahead. Juliet Huddy: Go ahead ma'am. Audience member: I guess I would just like to say that as far as tying yourself to the fence, and laying down and staying there she is perfectly welcome to do that. Juliet Huddy: That's the great thing about America. Go ahead. Audience member: She's getting a chance to do what she's doing because we have freedom in this country. Her son fought and died for that freedom. She wants to deny it to people in Iraq. And she wants to overlook the freedom that we enjoy every day here in America. {applause} Juliet Huddy: Cindy, do you want to react to that? She is gone, I'm sorry. Sorry about that. So, Cindy's changing her plan. She's going to lie down and not get up. Is that a promise? Where will you lie down? Do you have a good supply of Depends Undergarments? Or a good bedpan? Don't you know it's dangerous to eat or drink while lying down? I thought all three audience members' comments were good, especially the first and last ones. Too bad Cindy didn't hear the last two. Welcome Back Country Conservative, Conservative Thinking, The Jawa Report, and Memeorandum Readers!

Rest In Peace Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks died this evening in Detroit. She was 92 years old. Cassandra Spratling from the Detroit Free Press starts her story this way:

When Rosa Parks refused to get up, an entire race of people began to stand up for their rights as human beings.

May The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Now It's Piggy Banks

From DhimmiWatch via Lone Star Times comes this story about banks in England banning piggy banks given to customers as a promotional item (AAP):

British banks are banning piggy banks because they may offend some Muslims. Halifax and NatWest banks have led the move to scrap the time-honoured symbol of saving from being given to children or used in their advertising, the Daily Express/Daily Star group reports here.... Salim Mulla, secretary of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, backed the bank move. "This is a sensitive issue and I think the banks are simply being courteous to their customers," he said. However, the move brought accusations of political correctness gone mad from critics. "The next thing we will be banning Christmas trees and cribs and the logical result of that process is a bland uniformity," the Dean of Blackburn, Reverend Christopher Armstrong, said. "We should learn to celebrate our difference, not be fearful of them." Khalid Mahmoud, the Labour MP for a Birmingham seat and one of four Muslim MPs in Britain, also criticised the piggy-bank ban. "We live in a multicultural society and the traditions and symbols of one community should not be obliterated just to accommodate another," Mr Mahmoud said. "I doubt many Muslims would be seriously offended by piggy banks."

Muslims are not supposed to eat pork and consider pigs unclean, but these banks are porcelain or plastic pigs. As with the situation in Dudley, West Midlands, UK a live pig in the office, or giving away a side of bacon or pork chops could, maybe, be construed as "insensitive". Forcing actual, live pigs or pork on people, any people, would be unacceptable, but this just takes the cake. Repeat after me: There. Is. No. Right. To. Not. Be. Offended. Many different groups have food prohibitions. With Hindus it's beef. We should close all the McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Ruth's Chris steakhouses. Jews can not eat pork or shellfish. Close all the Red Lobsters and Joe's Crab Shacks. Everything on this planet is bound to offend someone, somewhere. Also covering this: Little Green Footballs, The Jawa Report, OpiniPundit, Say Anything, Gates of Vienna, Gut Rumbles, Momentary Lapses of Insanity, Daimnation, Hyscience, The American Princess, Civitatensis, Lost Budgie Blog, Welcome Anchoress readers! Welcome Junk Yard Blog readers! More: And Now The Three Little Pigs Too

Delay's Statement

I have committed no wrong doing. I know that, and more importantly, Ronnie Earle knows that. You may be surprised to hear this from me today, but I find this is a very good day. For the first time in over three years, I was provided the opportunity to go before a court and refute these baseless charges that are the result of a political vendetta being acted out by Ronnie Earle. Now, unfortunately for Ronnie Earle, the facts and the law are on my side. The only reason I had to be in that courtroom today was because Ronnie Earle has abused his prosecutorial power and he's pursued these contrived and baseless charges. Because of actions that I took through the democratic process to rid this very legislature of years of unfair gerrymandering by Texas democrats, I became a target for Ronnie Earle. Because I was successful in exercising my right to be involved in a political process that elected more republicans, I became a target of Ronnie Earle. And because Ronnie Earle and the democrat party could not beat me at the ballot box, and could not beat me on the floor of the House of Representatives, they are now desperately trying to challenge me in a courtroom. In short, I have been charged for defeating democrats. I have been charged for advocating constitutional representation. And I have been charged for advancing the republican agenda. Ronnie Earle and the democrat campaign behind will be unsuccessful. I will fight this prosecutor's abuse of the legal system and I will be absolutely exonerated. I will not, I will not let a prosecutor who pursues his political enemies by abusing the law and manufacturing baseless charges wreck our justice system. Grand Jury shopping and "make the law up as you go" injustice by the district attorney will not rule the day. The facts and the law will rule the day. A fair trial, with an impartial jury, will look at the facts and they will understand that without a doubt, I committed no wrongdoing whatsoever. I look forward to presenting those facts and putting my faith in the law and order to welcome my inevitable exoneration. Thank you once again for this opportunity to talk to y'all. Have a nice day.

What A Mug Shot

Found at The Smoking Gun Via Lorie at PoliPundit: Very nice picture Mr. Delay.

Prayer Request

Jeanette received a phone call that she's been dreading. Please lift her, her cousin and his daughter up in your prayers.

ACLU Sign Meme

I've been tagged by Lady Jane at A Lady's Ruminations who was tagged by William Teach at Pirates Cove who was tagged by THM's Bacon Bits who was tagged by Third World County who started it off: If you could hang a sign on the ACLU building to draw attention to it, what would you put on your sign?

ALL CRIMINAL LIBERTIES UNION We Believe in Rights for Criminals - Not for Victims!

I'm going to tag Christopher K. Leavitt at Leavworld and Real Teen at Right on the Right

The Carnival of True Civil Liberties III

is up at Stop The ACLU.

Getting Your Christmas Cactus To Bloom

It's October 15th and time to ready your Christmas Cactus for Christmas blooms. A Christmas Cactus needs 12-14 hours of darkness each night in order to form blooms. You can put it in a closet every night, or just leave it there for about two weeks until the small buds form.

That's what I will be doing. I'm putting the Christmas Cactus on the top shelf of the linen closet until Halloween.

Watch for small buds on the top edges of the leaves. When you see a few about the size of a beaded pin head on the leaves, it's time to put the plant back where you had it. At Christmas your cactus will be full of beautiful blooms. A Christmas Cactus is a tropical succulent, not a desert one. Water when the top inch or so of soil is dry to the touch.

Free Piglet

You may have noticed the Free Piglet graphic at the top of the sidebar. Others have written about this before, now it's my turn. Pigs of any kind have been banned from the Dudley Council office in the West Midlands in England. This includes ceramic pigs, pigs on calendars and even cartoon pigs such as Porky Pig and Pooh's best friend Piglet. The pigs have been banned because they might offend Muslims, who do not eat pork and consider pigs unclean. Piglet's crime is his presence on a tissue box at one woman's desk.

Councillor Mahbubur Rahman, a practising Muslim, backed the ban. He said: "It's a tolerance of people'’s beliefs."

This isn't tolerance of people's beliefs, this is subjucation. Where did this "right to not be offended" come from? I'm offended by a lot of things. Since I am offended by rap music, let's ban it. I'm offended. I'm offended by the gratuitous use of foul language that I can be subject to when out at the mall. By all means, let's ban the use of any foul language. I'm offended by Cindy Sheehan, let's ban her. I'm offended by the liberal slant of the old media. Ban them! Ban them now! The ACLU most especially offends me. They offend me by insisting that the non-existent "right to not be offended" be enforced for one person, totally trumping everyone else. Zion, IL was incorporated in 1902 as a Christian Utopia.

Named after the mountain upon which Jerusalem was built, Zion City was to be communitarian and theocratic, a place of Christian cooperation, racial harmony, and strict fundamentalist morals.

In 1987, a man decided that he was offended by the city sticker that he was required to place on the windshield of his vehicle. The city sticker had the seal of the city printed on it. The seal contained a cross. The cross was part of the seal for 85 years before [the ACLU and]

the Illinois chapter of American Atheists filed suit against Zion City, citing that its city seal, which contained a cross, a dove, and the phrase "“God Reigns,"” was unconstitutional. In 1992 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision that the city seal violated the principle of separation of church and state and that the Christian symbolism must be removed. Ironically, Zion City officials succeeded in incorporating the words "“In God We Trust"” on the new city seal, because the phrase was deemed acceptable religious language in the public arena.

The Supreme Court was wrong on this. Congress made no law. It offends me that the ACLU defends groups such as NAMBLA (North American Man Boy Love Association). It offends me that the ACLU defends live sex shows in Oregon. It offends me that the word God seems to be unacceptable anywhere in public. I remember a story where someone was offended that a CHURCH had "God Bless You" on their sign. It offends me that I may not see a Navity scene in any public space at Christmas. He is the reason for the season. I can choose not to listen to a radio station that plays rap music. I can walk away from foul mouthed teenagers in a mall. I can choose not to watch or read old media. If something offends me, I can avert my eyes or ears. So can you. If we continue on this track, no one will be able to anything, anywhere, anytime. Welcome Carnival of True Civil Liberties readers! Please look around... Jeff has a story on how The MSM Was/Is Wrong about Iraq I have a story on how to get your Christmas Cactus to Bloom The Anchoress has a post at CBS' Public Eye and Jeff talks about Knowing the Other Side's Offence

The Anchoress at Public Eye

The Anchoress was asked by CBS's Public Eye Outside Voices

to comment on CBS News, or the media in general. Previous contributors include The Weekly Standard’s Jonathan Last, PressThink’s Jay Rosen, Tom Rosenstiel and author Craig Crawford, so when the crew over there extended an invitation to me I was appropriately flattered to included be in such good company, and quickly agreed because - as you know - I can never write enough.

Their intro** is as follows:

Outside Voices – The Anchoress Speaks Each week we invite someone from the outside to weigh in with their thoughts about CBS News and the media at large. This week, we invited The Anchoress, one of the blogosphere's most mysterious and interesting voices who this week turned on her TV once again to check in on the CBS "Evening News." As always, the opinions expressed in “Outside Voices” are those of the author, not ours and we seek a wide variety of voices. Now, The Anchoress:

Go read both. BTW - Who has the time to watch the network evening news anymore? With commutes taking so long, is anyone even home from work by the time the network news comes on? Here in the central time zone, the network news is on at 5:30 pm. With work hours of 8-5 and average commutes of 45 minutes to an hour who's home? **Fixed permalink to Anchoress' post at Public Eye (2:33 pm)

Paul Mirengoff on The O'Reilly Factor

Here's the transcript: O'Reilly: In the Impact segment tonight, as you know Dan Rather left the CBS evening news over a story that questioned President Bush's National Guard Service. The source of that story proved to be bogus and the producer, Mary Mapes, now says a right wing conspiracy caused the entire fracas which Mapes has written a book about. It'll be out in November. Joining us now from Washington is Paul Mirengoff, a member of Powerline.com which was involved in this situation. To be fair to Mary Mapes, we would like get on and interview when the book comes out. I think this is a very small part of her book, but she does believe that an organized conservative cabal zeroed in on her story and tore it to pieces and she resents it. What say you sir? Mirengoff: Well I just think it's unfortunate that she can't admit that the story was a mistake and move on. This matter should have been put to rest months ago when the Thornburg panel issued it's findings. The Thornburg panel was commissioned by CBS, Miss Mapes' employer, to try to figure out what had happened. It was headed by Richard Thornburgh, the former Attorney General of the United States. He's hardly a member of some right wing conspiracy. He found that the story was indefensible. He said that they, uh, quoted, they used selective quotes from interviews, to distort the picture. He said they misrepresented findings of their own document examiner to their viewers and that really should have been the end of it. To blame this on the right wing conspiracy is ludicrous and pretty sad. O'Reilly: OK, but both Rather, Dan Rather and Mapes are still saying the story was correct, even though we got hoodwinked by our primary source which turned out to be bogus. And I don't think you're going to blow them out of that. But as you say, I mean, the internal investigation at CBS said, look this isn't up to our standards, we don't put this on the air. Now, Powerline, do you go after everybody, or do you just look at liberals, or are you trying to promote a conservative agenda? What exactly are you trying to do? Mirengoff: Well, we're conservative, and most, we do a lot of opining - hopefully opining, not bloviating - O'Reilly: Umhmm. Mirengoff: Along conservative lines. And when we report facts, we link to our facts, so the reader can go and check our sources and see whether we've gotten it right. And if we make a mistake, and it does happen, blogs do operate very fast, we make a mistake we get the correction... O'Reilly: But say you got a tip that said Tom Delay was doing something wrong or a conservative politician, anybody. Would you pursue that, or would you just dump it in the wastebasket? Mirengoff: No, if we had solid information we would go with that. We were highly, no one read us, it was years ago and no one was reading us at the time, but we were highly critical of Trent Lott, when that story broke with respect to Senator Thurmond and his comment. So, you know, we are conservative, but we don't shield anybody. O'Reilly: OK. Alright. So you say that you're in business to get the truth out to the folks. That's what your businesses do. Mirengoff: Yes, and to present conservative opinions. O'Reilly: Opinion. Alright. Now some of these other smear websites on the left, I mean all they do is follow people around and tape them and try to, you know, get little things that they say and take them out of context. So if you say a joke they present it as serious. Do you do that as well? Do you try to denigrate the other side? Mirengoff: No. We try to treat the other side with respect. O'Reilly: Nothing more to say on that? You don't use defamatory tactics, you don't go after anybody and try to destroy them because you disagree with them? Mirengoff: No. I mean on the Rather story for instance, if you look at our lengthy posts on that, you won't even find the name Dan Rather. We were focused on the story trying to determine whether it was true or false, not on the individual. O'Reilly: Alright. So you didn't bad mouth Rather, you didn't a history of his "Ratherisms" or try to make him look like some kind of ideological fool? Mirengoff: No, not at, later on, we linked to some, his history became relevant when he continued denying, denying the story, we linked to some people who did that. But the far focus was on the story not on Dan Rather. O'Reilly: OK. Now Powerline has become very successful and it's you and a couple of other lawyers running it. Correct? Mirengoff: Correct. O'Reilly: Now George Soros on the left, has bought his way into a number of these websites and uses them to obviously try to hurt people with whom he disagrees. You have silent funding from right wingers? Mirengoff: No. We don't get a penny from anybody. We, our goal is to say what we think and we don't want to be constrained, we don't want to bought and paid for, or doing anyone's bidding. O'Reilly: So no, no Melanskafe[sp?] or any of these guys kick you money and... Mirengoff: No, no absolutely not. Not a penny. We have a little advertising revenue now, but that's it. O'Reilly: So you're basically above-board? Conservative, but not looking to destroy anybody. Mirengoff: No. We're not out to destroy anybody. We try to be about ideas and we call them as we see them and because we're not funded we have the freedom to that. O'Reilly: Alright Mr. Mirengoff. And Mary Mapes is absolutely welcome anytime to come on this program to say whatever she wants to say. We appreciate your taking your time. Mirengoff: Thank you. Welcome Powerline readers! Please look around.

Very Interesting...

Earlier someone googled aclu "las cruces" weinbaum and this post was at the top of page 2 (of 4 pages). The interesting thing was in positions 2 and 3 on that google result page: a book review by a Lisa M. Weinbaum of Las Cruces, NM (scroll down a few). The Book is Why the Religious Right Is Wrong: About Separation of Church & State (Paperback) by Rob Boston The review reads:

The Battle Handbook for the Defense of the First Amendment, April 10, 2003 Reviewer: Lisa M. Weinbaum (Las Cruces, New Mexico USA) - See all my reviews This contents of this book helps prepare the citizen-soldier for the defense of every citizens' religious rights from the fanatical fundamentalist religious groups in America who want total control. If one can read this book without getting sick themselves, they will see how repulsive the individuals and groups are that proclaim their religious beliefs to be the only true religious beliefs; how the reader should obey their teachings; how the U. S. Government should be based on their religious beliefs. When religious groups want to control the government and the people from inside the womb to after the grave a serious battle must occur, not just light skirmishes. This book helps the citizen-soldier get through the light skirmishes while girding themselves for the inevitable battle for personal religious rights, free from government, of all Americans.

Very interesting. The date of the review is April 10, 2003. Looks like a lot of time went by before the citizen-soldiers of Las Cruces filed their lawsuit... Linked to Stop the ACLU Open Trackback

Coalition of the Chillin'

I have taken my time yesterday and today and have read a whole lot on the Miers nomination. I have decided that I have to join the Coalition of the Chillin'. The voices on all sides are deafening. Differing voices: Thomas Lifson Hugh Hewitt Beldar Michelle Malkin Patterico PoliPundit Blogs For Bush The Anchoress Stop the ACLU OpiniPundit and many, many more - links to some of those others can be found at some of the links above. I think that quite a few people were looking for a fillibuster battle and they are more disappointed that they don't think they'll get one than they are with the actual nomination. Ted Frank at Point Of Law had an interesting post Some wishful Miers thinking:

Here's the sinister conspiracy theory behind the Miers nomination: 1. Bush nominates Miers. 2. Conservatives howl with outrage. 3. Democrats, sensing an opportunity to deal a defeat to Bush, decide to oppose the nomination. 4. The Democrats seize the best reed available to them: Miers is under-experienced, doesn't have an intellectual background, and is a Bush crony. 5. Brownback and a number of Republicans express their opposition. 6. With the nomination looking doomed, Miers withdraws her name. 7. Bush now nominates Michael McConnell—and the Democrats can't possibly filibuster, because they just demanded Bush nominate based on quality rather than on political considerations.

It's time to chill out and see what happens.

Today's Presidential Press Conference

The transcript is here.

Paul Mirengoff of Powerline on O'Reilly Tonight

John at Powerline reports that Paul will be a guest on The O'Reilly Factor tonight. I'll have a transcript as soon as I can post interview. UPDATE: from the Powerline post referenced above:

UPDATE by PAUL: I won't be appearing on the Factor after all. They've decided to take the segment in a different direction.

Cats in Sinks

What is it with kittens and sinks? This is Duncan, he's almost 7 months old.

The Carnival of True Civil Liberties Volume 1

Visit the premiere Carnival of True Civil Liberties at Stop the ACLU. Jay will be hosting this month and then the Carnival of True Civil Liberties will start traveling... Ground rules are here. Our contribution is here.