News, Notes, and Editorial Thoughts

Satan-worshipping Democrats charged with rape, kidnapping, and assault

Johnson, who was third vice-chair of the Durham County Democratic Party and vice-chair for the Young Democrats, was charged with two counts of aiding and abetting. Prosecutors said she knew her husband planned the crime and watched as they were committed.

Y'know, I don't think we Republicans needed an excuse to start referring to the opposition party as "Satan-worshipping Democrats", but in case we did, warm and special thanks to the Durham County (NC) Democrat Party for handing us this little gem in July of an election year.

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RELATED? Obama rejects proposed CA Gay Marriage ban
Strange tactic for Obama to tack left in a general election cycle...

Oh, and the post-gay-marriage-lightning-strike-caused-wildfire count is now over 1400 in NorCal alone. Does make one wonder...

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THEN AGAIN - NYTimes: Obama cannot win the South
So, if McCain can capitalize on the gun issue and the gay marriage issue with an overarching theme of conservative judges (with the announcement last week of Fred Thompson's involvement in his judicial selection process), he can put even California into play, and Obama's tacking left to stop it? I don't know, still doesn't sound right to me...

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My (R) VP Frontrunner short list:
Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska
Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota
Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts
Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana
Mark Sanford, Governor of South Carolina.


If I had to put money on this one, I'm taking the slightly longer odds and betting on Palin. Just a hunch. She's a rock star for the pro-life community, a proven reformer, and fabulous on energy policy...

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The Shot has closed it's doors? Wasn't the same after Tim Cameron left anyways, just became a collection of YouTubes shilling for a single consulting firm. Vaya con Dios, Tim, and stay in touch...

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Also departing last month (though apparently only temporarily): notverybright. I guess shilling for Obama the flip-flopping, America-hating liberal became too difficult a task, even for nvb...

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Around the rest of the SC 'sphere:

tammy at Seeding Spartanburg starts a post with:

Ok. Let me start this post by saying I’m no economist.

...and then proceeds to prove that, most certainly, she's no economist. Might be time to rename that blog "Socialist Spartanburg"...

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sic willie got married?
Hope springs eternal... (Congratulations!)

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Anthony Palmer continues to crank out well-written, well thought out commentary on the political scene over at the 7-10. I have to give him credit for probably being the most most insightful objective commentator in SC at the moment. (I'm not objective - I'm a conservative commentator...)

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New to the SC 'sphere: Carolina Truth Coalition, Palmetto Politico, and Bill McAfee's Stewardship Journal. All interesting reads...

Thoughts on a long month

OK, so... it's been a very long month. A few too many long days, and the blog has suffered for it - apologies.

Let's catch up, shall we?
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California judges institute gay marriage; thousands of lightning strikes follow, causing hundreds of brush fires; Bay Area choked in smoke
Surely somebody should have seen this one coming...

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McCain comes out for CA Marriage Amendment
A play for California? This issue plus the gun issue could put Obama in trouble in a lot of places. If only he'd flip on ANWR drilling (and at $4/gallon, how can you not?) and get tough on immigration, he'd be a shoo-in. As it is, we're headed for another tight red-blue election season.

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DC Gun ban overturned as Supreme Court reaffirms constitutionality of Second Amendment in 5-4 ruling
...you mean we have four Supreme Court justices who don't think that rights enumerated in the constitution are "individual" rights? Yikes.

Still, this is a great victory for those of us who believe the Constitution means what it says and what the Founders meant it to say.

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McCain says Fred Thompson will help pick judges in his administration
See previous headline - or do you think Barack "bitter gun clinger" Obama will pick constitutionalist judges? Whatever else you think of McCain (more to follow...), this is surely the reason conservatives will wind up rallying to his side. Scalia is going to need reinforcements - and Ginsburg and Stevens are getting neither younger nor healthier...

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Supreme Court strikes down "millionaires amendment" portion of McCain-Feingold
The more times that awful law is challenged on constitutional grounds, the more it loses... Chalk up another one for Freedom of Speech.

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Supreme Court strikes down death penalty for raping children
A defeat for Jessica's Law, to be sure. Louisiana responds by mandating chemical castration for pedophiles - Any Senators here want to take up that challenge?

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Released Guantanamo detainee joins Iraqi suicide attack
Those of you pushing to close Gitmo - seven dead Iraqis for you to explain...

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Goose Creek Two update: Mohamed pleads guilty to terrorism charge, faces 15 years in prison
Fireworks... uh huh...

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South Carolina teachers experiment with "new math"
Y'know, because we needed for our educational system to look even more stupid than it already does. Is it any wonder we can't graduate literate high school graduates if "a-tooty-ta" is how we're teaching math to kindergartners?

Then again, I was doing algebra as I skipped kindergarten, so what do I know...

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House and Senate overturn abstinence education funding veto
(and thank you all for the kind notes...) I do still wish more of those other budget vetoes would've been upheld - we're still one bad breakfast away from a deadly prison riot, and the Dept of Corrections Boys also need reinforcements, and body armor equipment, and increased detainee space, and maybe another Supermax...

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Knotts beats Shealy in Senate 23 runoff
Come to think of it, I may need body armor, too...

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Bright beats Talley in Senate 10 runoff
Way to go, Somer!!

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I'd also be remiss if I didn't note with sadness the passing of some legendary broadcasters who shaped so many of us in the television age. Tim Russert, Jim McKay, and Charlie Jones - Gentlemen, all. Russert was the greatest political interviewer and TV personality of his generation - and taken far too soon. McKay was the voice of the Olympics - who can forget his coverage of the Munich tragedy, or the joy of the Miracle on Ice. Al Michaels may have had the memorable call, but when he was done, it was McKay who was with the celebrating fans in the Olympic Village summing it all up. Jones was the voice of the NFL and many Olympic sports for decades. The Beijing Games simply won't be the same this year.

Rest in Peace, you will not soon be forgotten.

Going to MN!

It's official - I've been elected as a statewide alternate to the Republican National Convention!!

I'd like to thank each and every one of my readers and fellow delegates who chose me for this position - you know who you are, and I am grateful to you for your support. We will need to stand strong for our across-the-board conservative principles if we are to reclaim the leadership of our country, in the Congress and the Executive branches.

Again - thank you.

On Budget Vetoes

Those of you who have known me for a while know that I consider myself an "across-the-board" conservative - Fiscal, Social, and Security (both border and defense). This is one of the reasons I'm running for National Delegate on Saturday - we need across-the-board conservatives to represent our Party in Minneapolis.

As evidence of my fiscal conservatism, last year, during Governor Sanford's budget veto process, I put together a "Lard List" for the South Carolina Club for Growth (where I was Executive Director at the time) of a dozen or so items (or types of items) that we thought should be excised from the budget. I'm grateful that the Governor agreed with a number of them, and fifty of his vetoes become the "Lard List" that we fought to keep out of the state budget.

Of course, showing my true prowess as a short-lived lobbyist, the Legislature responded by making a focused effort to overturn those particular fifty votes, called me out on the House floor, and literally turned to wave goodbye after the fiftieth vote went down. And now, I'm gainfully employed elsewhere...

All of which to say, I think I have a pretty solid history as a fiscal conservative.

This year's budget vetoes came out yesterday, and again, I agree with most of them. Governor Sanford has done great work trying to cut the fat from state government without cutting muscle - and his stated intention of funneling the money to the Prisons Department is absolutely correct - as I've written before, that budget has been cut too hard, too often, and now places our law enforcement folks at risk as a result. Jon Ozmint has been right about that for years now, and whatever paltry help we can get him as a result of the budget veto process will be worth it.

But, there are two vetoes that I disagree with this year, and would urge my friends in the House, even my fellow fiscal conservatives, to override these two particular vetoes.

The first involves funding for I-73. There is a move underfoot to increase the gas tax (which B.R. Skelton proposed unsuccessfully last year) to pay for infrastructure. The best alternative to this approach is to cut wasteful spending (hence the other budget vetoes) and spend general fund money on roads and bridges (like I-73). Is $1M going to build the freeway? No, but it's a start, and with our broken budgeting system, that's how we have to fund roads like this one - in fits and starts. Funding the road from the general fund is a great example of why we do NOT need the tax hike.

Make no mistake - I-73 is necessary, as anyone who has ever tried to drive to Myrtle Beach can attest. This will be a boon to the tourism industry in our state (an industry which we unfortunately over-rely on) and an economic advantage in the long run. And, road construction is certainly a legitimate function of state government (unlike the piggie festivals in the "Competitive Grants" monstrosities). Hopefully the House and Senate will restore those funds when they vote on the vetoes.

The other issue is one of abstinence education, where $1.2 million in funding for abstinence education and teen pregnancy prevention was cut. These programs, especially abstinence education, have effectively cut the teen pregnancy rate in South Carolina by 35% over the last ten years.

Last month, our friends over at the Palmetto Family Council noted a nationwide study that broke down the financial impact of teen pregnancy and divorce in South Carolina. This state spends $469 million a year in social programs, incarcerations, and lost tax revenue because of fragmented families. Of that, $227 million was for the Justice System alone. Next to that, a preventive investment of $1.2 million seems like a very wise choice.

The parents of our school children agree - 80% of parents surveyed by a USC research team stated that schools should emphasize abstinence in their sex education classes.

That seems like one of the “priorities of South Carolinians” to me. It’s also one of the only conservative social education programs out there, a drop in the bucket next to the billions lost to the bureaucratic abyss of the Department of Education.

I do hope that the House and Senate will make the wise choice by restoring this funding.

Out of State Groups in District 23 backing... Knotts?

Very interesting post card hitting in Senate 23 today - the NRA's ILA (also known as the Incumbent Legislator Award) is endorsing Senator Jake Knotts from the safety of their offices in Fairfax, Virginia. The card (seen here) was mailed out from "Suburban, MD".

Four items of note for irony or newsworthiness with this piece.

First, this comes on the heels of his last campaign mailer, which included dead people (Louis Shealy), convicted felons (Charlie Sharpe), and a whole array of people who have since told the Knotts campaign they never gave their permission. That probably warrants it's own story, but I know the local newsies are working on it, so I'll leave it at that for now.

Second, Senator Knotts cannot open his mouth or send a mail piece without screaming about "out-of-state special interests", "Wall Street Billionaires", "Walmart-style Schools" and the like. One wonders if he'll denounce the out-of-state intrusion on his behalf. (/sarc)

Third, the out of state group in question kinda got his name wrong on the headline. If you look close at the image's second line (I zoomed in on the back half) you'll notice they asked the voters of District 23 to "Vote for Judy Boyle". Now, as everyone in Lexington County surely knows, Judy Boyle is running for District 9 in the Idaho House. That happens to be only 2472 miles away from downtown Lexington, according to Yahoo Maps. Here's to hoping Jakie's voters write her in on June 10...

Finally, the mailer specifically references Knotts' support for concealed weapons reciprocity. This is interesting, since Knotts spent all of his debate time on Monday night (a debate Shealy won handily, according to the audience who cast straw poll ballots) bashing reciprocity for CWP holders, and likened reciprocity supporters to the "ACLU". No, I don't know what he was blathering about, but it's still entertaining to figure out how he was against it Monday, but for it Thursday afternoon. (this is the inverse of last week, when he claimed to be for mandatory "e-Verify" on Monday night before voting against it on Thursday afternoon).

It will be interesting to see if Jakie keeps trying to play the "out of state" card now that these are running around the district, and it will be interesting to see what else Knotts flip-flops about over the next 3 weeks.

Congradulations, Earl Capps

So in the midst of a hectic work schedule (hey, with 4 weeks to the election, did you expect any less?) I did find some time this weekend to head down the highway to Moncks Corner yesterday to attend the Masters party for fellow right-side blogger Earl Capps.

The food was great, the company terrific, and future 6th District Congressman Mike Reino did an excellent job of roasting Earl (as did a number of other friends). Remind me to block off cell phone time if Earl calls... :-)

Seriously, Earl, congrats! I know that you worked hard to obtain that degree, and how hard it must've been to do that while working and providing for two children as a single dad. You have much to be proud of, and much to be grateful for.

I'm sure we'll talk again soon...

Senate Republican Caucus on Immigration Reform: Thank you Jim Ritchie

Just noted a press release/blog post from the folks at the Senate Republican Caucus: Thank you Jim Ritchie. The thrust of the Thank You Note is for his leadership on tax issues and immigration reform. The Caucus also notes that they've put up a new website: ThankYouJim.com.

Now, I have to admit I like Senator Ritchie, who I regard as one of the brightest policy minds in the Senate. We don't always agree on issues, but Jim's intellect on policy matters is unquestionable. I happen to give him tons of credit for trying to advance the illegal immigration bill for the past two years - I know others have faulted him for some of the steps taken along that process, but on balance, Ritchie's work has been invaluable to the debate. Without fear of contradiction, I can say that without Senator Ritchie's efforts and leadership, we would not have a state immigration bill to discuss right now. Hence the new website.

That being said - since when is the Caucus putting up websites? And, does this mean there's a "ThankYouJakie".com in the works? If so, what would they thank him for - obstruction of every major Republican reform and tax cut in the past four years?

Let's see, he's the major Senate force undermining concealed carry, he's the major force trying to stop e-Verify in the Senate, he single-handedly delayed DUI reform by a year and a half with his DUI trial lawyer buddy Brad Hutto, he was a thorn in the side of anyone trying for meaningful workers comp reform, he voted against income tax cuts, the hits just keep on coming...

At the end of the day in Ritchie's case, he's getting criticized for trying to push the agenda forward (and defended by the Caucus for trying to do the right things). That's far from true in Knotts case. I hope we don't see the Caucus try that one on for size.

Random Thoughts

Just a few notes on this and that...

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For those of you who listen to the weekly Andy Thomas Show hits, you'll know we talked this morning about Obama's poll numbers. Here's the latest from Rasmussen: Hillary is up ten points on Obama nationwide in the three days since the Rev. Wright press conference.

Maybe, just maybe, Wright's linking the United States Marine Corps to Christ's crucifixion was a bit of a stretch.

Sooner or later, the twenty-year relationship with Jeremiah Wright finishes Barry O. The only question now is who gains, Clinton (in time for the convention) or McCain in the General. Even "throwing Wright under the bus" won't help now - that time was two months ago.

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I don't know who this Indiana "Republican" Congressional candidate jokeris kidding, but the sooner he disappears from the political scene, the better. We've never been the "Hitler Party", and we aren't about to start now. His anti-Semitic hatred is not welcome in our party.

Illinois Nazis? Well, we can't stand Indiana Nazis either.

The Indiana Nazis have no more place in the modern political dialogue than Jeremiah Wright/Louis Farrakhan should. Both forms of bigotry are equally obnoxious.

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Global Warming on Hold for another Decade, due to "natural variations in ocean currents". Ummm... don't you think maybe it was those same variations that might've contributed to some temporary warming ten years ago? (since we already know that the Earth cooled more than a Fahrenheit degree last year alone.)

Memo to John McCain: Jump off the Global Warming Bandwagon while you still have the chance. The sooner you do it, the bigger the long-term gain will be when we have climate alarmists in fur coats explaining that man-made warming will be coming around any old day now...

Oh, and don't forget the solar pattern/cosmic ray/cloud seeding theories from our Danish friend, Henrik Svensmark. When in climate doubt, never underestimate the power of the Big Ball of Fire in the Sky...

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Dueling Headlines:
Senate passes Immigration bill that includes fines for businesses who hire illegals vs. SC has fastest growing Hispanic population

Just a guess, but I'd say those two are related, and the first headline will significantly alter the longterm impacts of the second one. One of the key reasons for the growth in SC is the GA law that passed last year to crack down on illegal immigration there. I strongly suspect that will change once our Legislature finally comes to agreement and passes a strong bill.

I will also note that the second story studiously avoids mentioning the number of illegal immigrants included in that statistic.

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Thomas Ravenel goes to prison in GA in May.

I haven't blogged my thoughts about the Ravenel case yet. I still think it's one of the saddest stories I know - a friend who we didn't know was going through a struggle with drugs, a friend with a brilliant mind and a bright future, all thrown away because of the power of cocaine. I hope he uses this time to reflect on his own mortality, on his need for repentance and forgiveness, and come out a changed man. He may not have a future in public political life, but he can still have a future, and I pray he realizes that and reacts accordingly.

Dennis Prager: Time Fights Carbon Emissions; Military Fights Evil

This nails it for today - the original is posted on RealClearPolitics. (Emphasis mine)
By Dennis Prager

The state of the liberal mind is on display on this week's cover of Time magazine.

The already notorious cover takes the iconic photograph of U.S. Marines planting the American flag on Iwo Jima and substitutes a tree for the flag. Why Time's editors did this explains much about contemporary liberalism.

The first thing it explains is that liberals, not to mention the left as a whole, stopped fighting evil during the Vietnam War. As I wrote in my last column, whereas liberals had led the fight against Nazism before and during World War II, and against Communism after the War, the liberal will to fight Communism, the greatest organized evil of the post-War world, collapsed during the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War did to American liberals what World War I did to most Europeans -- it rendered them anti-war rather than anti-evil.

That is why liberals have gone AWOL in the fight against Islamic totalitarianism. As during the post-Vietnam Cold War, when liberals fought anti-Communists much more than they fought Communists, they fight anti-Islamists much more than they fight Islamists. Thus, Democrats routinely dismiss the Bush administration's talk about the threat of Islamic terror as "scare tactics."

But -- and this is a primary reason for Time's cover -- liberals know that they have largely opted out of the fight against Islamists; their only passion on this matter is abandoning the war against Islamists in Iraq. But like nearly all people who believe in a cause, they know that they have to fight some evil -- after all, the world really seems threatened by something. So they have channeled their desire to fight threats to the world to fighting an enemy that will not hurt them or their loved ones -- man-made carbon dioxide emissions.

It is much easier to fight global warming than to fight human evil. You will be celebrated at Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, the BBC and throughout the media world, no one will threaten your life, there are huge grants available to scientists and others who fight real or exaggerated environmental problems, and you may even receive an Academy Award and the Nobel Peace Prize. Individuals who fight Islamists get fatwas.

The Time cover is cheap heroism. It is a liberal attempt to depict as equally heroic those who fight carbon emissions and those who fought Japanese fascists and Nazis.

Second, for much of the left, the cover reflects the primacy of environmental concerns over moral concerns. For example, the left seemed never to care about the millions of Africans who continued to die from malaria largely because of the environmentalists' worldwide ban on the use of DDT as pesticide. The same holds true for another leftwing environmentalist fantasy. Changing corn into biofuels is causing a surge in food prices throughout the world. The European Union continues this policy despite warnings even from some environmentalists that food shortages, starvation and food riots are imminent. But human suffering is not as significant as environmental degradation.

Third, the left is far more internationalist -- global, if you will -- in its orientation than national. As the Time article states, "Going green: What could be redder, whiter and bluer than that?" Whereas, for most Americans patriotism remains red, white and blue, for much of the left it is green.

Fourth, the further left you go, the more inclined you are to hysteria. From the threat of DDT to the threat of heterosexual AIDS in America to that mass killer secondhand smoke, the left believes and spreads threats that, unlike the threat of Islamic terror, really are "scare tactics."

Years from now, Time's cover will be regarded as another silly media-induced fear. But, as with Time's 1974 article warning its readers about "another ice age" and its many articles on the threat of heterosexual AIDS in America, Time will just let public amnesia deal with credibility problems. Until then, however, one fact remains: Today, conservatives fight evil and liberals fight carbon emissions. That's what this week's cover of Time is about.

Goose Creek Update: Life In Prison, and a New York Connection?

For those of you who read this when it was the old Body Politic, you'll remember the coverage of the two "youths" who were arrested in Goose Creek outside the Naval Weapons Center there. Pictures to left.

Yesterday, a federal grand jury handed down indictments against both men which add up to possible sentences of 65 years to life. These new indictments supersede prior charges.

Today, a third man (also a USF student) was charged by the FBI, allegedly in relation to weapons charges and support for terrorism. This new defendant, Karim Moussaoui, apparently has New York connections. This is just starting to play out.

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Odd note of the story: Jonathan Turley, the law professor that most of us would remember as defending President Clinton on the cable news shows during the impeachment proceedings, is apparently defending Sami al-Arian, the USF professor who may have started Mohamed and Megahed on this particular terror journey. Now he's trying to claim that these new charges for al-Arian's cohorts are spurious (these charges don't make his client look very good, if proven true). Interesting and strange connection there...


Also reporting/blogging: Michele Malkin, Debbie Schlussel, Tampa Bay Observer

Random Monday Thoughts on Presidential politics

Barack Obama thinks small town voters are "bitter", and that their bitterness drives them to guns and religion?

Hasn't that pretty much been the Democrat Party Platform since the late 1960s?

I'm just glad he had the honesty to tell us what he really thinks. What thinking evangelical leaders can possibly take his candidacy seriously now?

Matt Lewis (of TownHall and the Leadership Institute) sums it up nicely:

The most disturbing aspect of this entire scandal is that Obama's comments demonstrate how liberals truly view religion: As unwelcome competition to government -- their real savior.

Newt piles on:

If you go to the most expensive private school in Hawaii and then move on to Columbia University and Harvard Law School, you may not understand normal Americans. Their beliefs are so alien to your leftwing viewpoint that you have to seek some psychological explanation for what seem to be weird ideas.

They can’t really believe in the right to bear arms.

They can’t really believe in traditional marriage.

They can’t really believe in their faith in God.

They can’t really want to enforce the law on immigration.

Therefore, they must be “bitter” and “frustrated.”

This is the closest Senator Obama has come to openly sharing his wife’s view that “America is a mean country”. Not since Governor Dukakis have we seen anyone so out of touch with normal Americans. It makes perfect sense that it was in a fundraiser in San Francisco that he would have shared the views he has so carefully kept hidden for the entire campaign.

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Not that Hillary can fully take advantage, since her Hubby won't shut up about the Tuzla canard... Clinton Fatigue II, the Return...

Honestly, I don't know who to root for on the D side, the Marxist or the Serial Liar.

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Is it any wonder, then, that McCain has taken small leads in Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania... and New York??!? This is going to be a fifty state race, but with Hillary and Obama shooting their own feet, you've got to think McCain wins out if the Dems can't hold on to big blue states.

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Meanwhile, Jimmy Carter sums up what's been wrong with Democrat Presidential foreign policy for three decades: "I've been meeting with Hamas leaders for years."

The politics of intimidation?

This is my mirror, as I found my car this morning. Pardon the fuzzy picture - I took this with my phone. Note the eggshell stuck in the space between the mirror and the window, and the pieces of yolk and egg white smeared along the bottom of the window.

Fair warning - I don't intimidate easily. Hitting my car (with over 114K miles on the odometer) with the embryonic remains of a chicken isn't going to do it. Just gives me more motivation.

Oh, and you also tore off the mirror of my next door neighbor's kid's car. Real great work there, Sherlock...

Reason #1 to cut (or eliminate) the income tax

The State newspaper this morning reports that South Carolina's per capita income continues to lag behind the rest of the country. This year our growth was 4.2%, a full point behind the national growth of 5.2%. South Carolina now boasts the 4th lowest per capita income in the nation, slipping from 6th worst a year ago. (Yep, another statistic to be proud of.)

I find it interesting (in a strange, crazy sort of way) that The State can report this statistic without bringing up the obvious reason behind the statistic - an income tax rate that ranks among the ten highest in the country. When you tax productivity and success, you lose business - it's really that simple. Yet we get caught up in the property tax debates and sales tax debates, and our legislature never gets around to cutting the one tax that has a direct impact on our ability to create wealth and jobs - the income tax.

Why do we think it is that we have none of the Top 100 companies in America headquartered in South Carolina? If we, for instance, want to become the haven for the energy companies, taking advantage of the Savannah River site's unique potential to generate hydrogen fuel, we have to have a tax structure that companies want to take advantage of. Or do you think Microsoft landing in Washington state was simply by chance? Washington state has no state income tax, preferring instead to rely on other, lower taxes and a robust economy. That's the formula for success.

What's worse, since no income tax cut is coming this year to stimulate our state's economy, we can already look forward to having this report be just as bad (or worse) next year. Hopefully those who are elected this fall will pay more attention next spring when this report resurfaces.

In the meantime, way to go guys, thanks for keeping us down - again.

Random thoughts with three dots

OK, so I'm not sure how related all of this really is, but it's running around in my brain, so here goes...

Rod Shealy caught with dirty tricks before the race even gets started? Shocked, I say, just shocked... I'm sure he'd never do that in any other race... or arrange for threats... or have people followed... or get unemployed fishermen into the race... nah, not good ole' Rod... (...just sayin')

Just as shocking: Tompkins & Sullivan's mouthpiece racing to Shealy's defense, in an attempt to take whatever the potshot of the day is at the Governor (as well as lay down the marker for future dirty tricks, no doubt). Definitely dog bites man stuff, but still...

(Side note, why do all of the consultant bloggers hate the Governor so much? I haven't figured it out, other than that he doesn't pay them, or they're tired of the second term already a la Bush/Cheney circa 2006... I've never been on his payroll, but that doesn't mean I feel the need to continually bash a sitting Republican Governor with an approval rating in the 70s...)

My take on the Ceips/Shealy/Bates Illegal alien affair: Shealy, Bates and the alien should all get fired. The alien should then work on a green card and list "actor" as his occupation...

Then you've got this "story" out of the Spartanburg Herald Journal, apparently alleging that nefarious groups are trying to influence state politics. You know those nefarious types - the State Chamber of Commerce, the REALTORs, BIPEC, Palmetto Family Council... OH wait, that's not who you thought I was going to say? Well, read to the bottom of the story (Ok, about 2/3 of the way down) to the paragraph entitled "Group Auditions". Bam - there's the list. Ricky B (and his planted mouthpiece Jason Spencer) thinks these are "outside groups"? Umm, we conservatives usually refer to small businesses, family values folks, and limited government types as "the Republican base". But hey, don't let that stop you from writing the story...

"Wilson Charles" at the Other Brooks Brothers has the right of this:

I always thought that in a representative government like ours, it was our duty to practice advanced citizenship. I’m not talking about that garbage they force you to swallow in elementary school about being nice to everyone. I’m talking about really getting involved.

It’s more than taking a few minutes out of your day to vote every now and then (which not enough people do anyway).

It means that as an American and as a South Carolinian, you should know what your leaders think and feel. You should know if they represent you. You should know if what they do in office is what they said they would do in the slickly designed campaign pamphlet somebody shoved in your door when you weren’t home.

The disturbing thing is that Spartanburg’s NEWSpaper actually condoned the line of thought coming from the party and consultants. Its editors sanctioned and published an article that seemed to include few facts except that someone ran polls.

One consultant accidentally made sense among those quoted in the piece. He said that there are “as many people recruiting candidates, and as many agendas, as you can count.”

What’s wrong with that? Isn’t that what we want? Don’t we want South Carolina’s best in public office? Don’t we want to elect people who believe like we do so that our thoughts and feelings are represented at City Hall, County Council, the Statehouse, or Congress?

I have to agree with that...

Then there's the little gem of a quote from the aforementioned Mr. Sullivan.

These third-party groups are spreading like a rash.

Somehow, that sounds familiar... Didn't Cindi Scoppe call them a "cancer"? And the forementioned Mr. Tompkins called them a "scourge"?

Y'all stay classy, now...

Speaking of classy, the Tompkins & Sullivan mouthpiece has now also attempted to "out" Brooks Brothers columnist Wilson Charles as belonging to another new consultancy group. Y'know, just for once, I'd love to see these consultant blogs focus on actual issues instead of constant attacks on each other...

But, I suppose that's way too much to ask for...

Obama Reax - It's not the Racism, it's the intellectual dishonesty

I haven't had a whole lot of time to think about the Obama speech (still haven't, really), but I was struck by the unbelievability of the speech more than anything.

Apparently, I wasn't alone.

Victor Davis Hanson pointed out the relativistic nature of the speech, with a hidden rejection of absolutes that guts it of any moral authority.

The tragedy of Obama's speech and the mindless endorsement of it was the rejection of any constant moral standard—an absolute sense of wrong and right that transcends situational ethics, context, and individual particulars. And once one jettisons such absolutes, they won't be there when one wishes to seek refuge in them in a future hour of need.

When he failed to "disown" Rev. Wright, and then brought in parallels of things purportedly as bad, or offered excuses that Wright had done good things to balance the bad, or that there were certain mitigating circumstances that explain his hatred, then the universal wrong of Wright's racism and lying disappears and with it any ethical standard by which we have moral authority to condemn such vitriol.

Newt Gingrich went on Cavuto's FoxNews show to declare the speech "intellectually dishonest." Video at the link.

All things considered, though, it's these two YouTube efforts that best describe what went wrong with this speech. The first shows Obama flip flopping on what he knew and when he knew it. The second compares Obama's own words to those of his wife and his pastor. I think I see the beginnings of a 527 negative ad in that second clip.

First the flipflop:



Then the comparison:



No matter what, this will serve as ammunition for Hillary's campaign, who will surely continue to run the "Red Phone" ad as a contrast to Obama's inconsistency and unreadiness. If she fail to capitalize on this inconsistency, Senator McCain surely will.

Random Thoughts from Around the Blogosphere

First, I'd like to welcome those of you who have been invited by the Huckster to vote for his VP consideration in our poll (upper right).

Congratulations - you're the new Paul-bots.

Next time you run into your "Christian Leader", try asking him why he left the ministry to go into politics? Isn't that leaving the higher calling for a lower calling?

Was it that he needed the money, so he could go on trips to the Caymans in the middle of a campaign to make paid speeches? Was it that he knew his son would become the foreshadowing of Michael Vick? Or was it that his wife wasn't getting enough Hooters time? And that's not even getting to the whole "wrong side of the Southern Baptist split" thing.

Any way you cut it, Huckster's done politically. Not quite Eliot Spitzer done, but finished nonetheless.

*****

Speaking of Spitzer, Brad Warthen is complaining that too many people are laughing ("sniggering") at the soon to be demise of the New York Democrat Governor. Me, I'm laughing hard, and so are the late-night comics apparently. ("Just goes to show you how ridiculously high the standard of living is in New York City" - Heh.)

I mean, the guy allegedly felt the need to put a hooker (oops, sorry, "High Priced Call Girl") on a train in New York and bring her to Washington (hence the rumored interstate trafficking and money laundering charges). If he really needed to find a whore in Washington, all he needed to do was show up on Capitol Hill and look for the lobbyists... (*rim shot*)

*****

I see FITS has exposed the secret of the week (the true identity of "Harden Gervais" over at Sunny/Shady.) I had seriously suspected Wes and Corey, but hadn't had the proof until this morning. (Corey was the chief writer of seemingly every crazy conspiracy story in print about my employment over the last two years. While I'm flattered at the attention, if you're covering me, you're probably missing the point. This goes for Ross Shealy as well, though Ross has better photoshop skills than Shady Gervais does.)

Now, Corey tried denying this in comments in FITS (OK, well, sort of denying, while admitting he had done some of the "guest writing"), but within hours, Shady was posting an apology that included the nugget that they were done blogging. That's not just a coincidence, kids...

*****

Speaking of FITS, Hades may be in freezing danger. FITS, notverybright and I agreeing on the same issue? (that the Kentucky proposal to ban anonymous internet speech would be blatantly unconstitutional) Break out the ski gear...

Seriously, why is it always Republicans that come up with the Soviet style speech stuff? Aren't we supposed to be the Party that protects the Constitution? Oh, I guess that whole "Party Platform" thing doesn't actually apply to elected officials, my bad...

*****

Speaking of Shady People and Hugh Leatherman, what's this we read about a "Reform Caucus" made up of a bunch of old-line legislators who wouldn't know reform if it bit them and left a mark? If Sandifer and Leatherman think they can get fool people with this stunt, they're in for a pretty large surprise.

Though I certainly like and respect Senators Cromer, Cleary, and Thomas, I do hope their rumored involvement in a sham reform group like this turns out to be false. This won't help them with Republican voters or folks who actually care about achieving real reform in our state.

UPDATE: FITS claims to have documentation that points to Rod Shealy's organization of the "Reform Caucus". That would be an interesting development.

NEW POLL ----->

With my thoughts below on strengths, weaknesses, and odds, who do YOU think John McCain should pick as his running mate? Cast your Vote in the upper right corner of the blog.

Handicapping McCain's Veep Field

So, now that Johnny Mac is the Republican nominee (and with the Dems locked in a battle that will take them all the way to Labor Day and their slugfest convention), let’s take a quick look at the odds and bios for the likely (and some unlikely) possibilities for Republican VP nominee.

THE FAVORITE

MN Governor Tim Pawlenty
ODDS: 4:1
POSITIVES: Executive experience, acceptable to all facets of the conservative base (fiscal, social, security, immigration), battleground state, youth, attractive, long time McCain supporter
NEGATIVE: Relatively low national profile, and his last name is worth 16 Scrabble points all by itself.

COMMENTARY:Pawlenty has it all, and the profile is rising rapidly as more conservatives get to know him. If he doesn’t get the nod, he’s a top tier Presidential option in 2012. Known for strong stands on social issues, and for balancing his state’s budget out of a deficit without raising taxes. Recently praised McCain while criticizing the amnesty bill from last year. Has reportedly been groomed for the job.

THE (EX-) GOVERNORS ON THE SHORT LIST

ODDS: 7:1

Former PA Governor and Original Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge
POSITIVES: Executive experience at state and national levels, honored military service, battleground state, known as tough on crime, strong on school choice and gay marriage.
NEGATIVES: can be too easily associated with George Bush presidency, pro-choice, mixed record prosecuting illegal immigration


SC Governor Mark Sanford
POSITIVES: Executive experience, rock star with the fiscal conservatives, prolific fundraiser with national ties, Wall Street loves him, acceptable to social conservatives, young, attractive family, 2000 McCain supporter, Eagle Scout. Recently praised McCain while criticizing amnesty (see Pawlenty above). If the rumored “hit list” turns out to be true, and Sanford actually engages in a meaningful way, then the primary wins he might accrue would hit in June, maximizing his political capital just as McCain would be cutting down the list.
NEGATIVES: Failed to back McCain in 2008, preferring to be seen as the fair-minded host of the SC primary. Made Time Magazine’s “three worst Governors” article in 2005. SC is already a red state. Needs to overhaul his speaking/communication style before he’s ready for primetime. Has strayed from conservative orthodoxy on global warming at exactly the wrong time. Might have a few skeletons kicking around Will Folks’ blog-closets, as well as a potential ports “scandal” brewing at just the wrong time. If Sanford fails to fully engage the rumored primary “hit list”, then the primary losses his political allies might accrue would hit in June, minimizing his remaining political capital just as McCain would be cutting down the list. McCain might worry that Brad Warthen would pull The State’s primary endorsement retroactively.

LA Governor Bobby Jindal
POSITIVES: Brilliant young mind, tremendous communicator, rock star with every section of the conservative movement, handsome, confirmed reformer, minority conservative, Rhodes Scholar, described by Rush Limbaugh as “the next Ronald Reagan”, assisted in the delivery of his third child. The perfect substantive antidote to Barack Obamessiah’s slick rhetorical emptiness (and Bobby could school Barry O. on the Sermon on the Mount).
NEGATIVE: He’s only 36, and he just started his first term as LA Governor (after a short but solid US House career). Might be too early. (seriously – that’s his one and only negative)

COMMENTARY: Sanford’s reputation with the national conservative movement is enough to overcome most of the negatives, but might not be enough to compete with Pawlenty’s grooming to be VP or Jindal’s star power. Still, if he doesn't get the nod, Sanford may well be considered a top tier 2012 candidate if he chooses to run.

Would be Ridge’s last ride, but his pro-choice Catholic position won’t soothe any social conservatives, though bringing battleground PA’s electoral votes would be a terrific inoculation against losing Ohio.

Oh, and mark it down, barring something truly unfortunate, Bobby Jindal will be President within the next 20 years, whether he’s the VP choice this time around or not. You heard it here. (and, I'd vote for him in a heartbeat.)

SECOND TIER GOVERNORS

MA Governor Mitt Romney
ODDS: 10:1
POSITIVES: Presidential contender, potential frontrunner for the 2012 nomination, high name ID, business credentials, great family, handsome looks, well connected, inimitable fundraiser, took solid conservative positions in the ’08 race and stuck by them. Holds 250 convention delegates. Strong in northeastern and Midwestern battleground states.
NEGATIVES: McCain and Romney get along like cats and dogs, the recent endorsement love fest notwithstanding. McCain can’t be sure if Romney will stick to the newfound conservatism (since it was the incessant flip-floppery that cost him the nomination). National conservatives bringing Mitt’s name up now would actually prefer Sanford. Has Mitt mentioned he’s a Mormon?

MS Governor Haley Barbour
ODDS: 12:1
POSITIVES: Was the only executive (Republican or Democrat, state level or national) to exhibit any level of competence during the Katrina disaster. Solid national fundraiser with solid social conservative credentials. History as a reformer in Mississippi.
NEGATIVES: Too close with the Bushes after his stint as RNC chair. Broke promise not to raise taxes as governor, while vetoing tax cuts. Has reportedly been linked to the CCC.

AR Governor Mike Huckabee
ODDS: 50:1
POSITIVES: Just created a run for the Presidency on nothing but terrific communications skills and a reputation as a former Baptist minister. Rose to the Top Tier while only raising $9M. Social Conservative credentials mostly excellent. Made a graceful exit from the race with magnanimous words towards McCain. Holds 250 convention delegates after winning Iowa, Georgia and a few other states.
NEGATIVES: Just burned all of his political capital by staying in the race a month too long. Serious questions about ethics dating back to his governorship, most recently when he took a weekend in the Caymans to make a paid speech while campaigning for President. Total non-starter with the fiscal conservatives, severely suspect on immigration issue. Arkansas is only a battleground state because of Huckabee’s performance as Governor – he’d get clocked if Hillary’s the nominee. Does not have “the look” of a national officeholder. Some social conservative remember him as being on the wrong side of the Southern Baptist Convention split fight a few years back. Only raised $9M for his Presidential race.

Former FL Governor Jeb Bush
ODDS: 100:1
POSITIVES: The Best Bush. Better communicator than his father or brother. More competent than George. More conservative than George. More well liked than George. Almost single handedly governed Florida from being a battleground to being a red state.
NEGATIVE: His last name is Bush, and that isn’t going to get you elected for another century or so. Truly a pity, as on talent and skills, he deserves the White House more than his brother or father ever could have.

Current FL Governor Charlie Crist
ODDS: 100:1
POSITIVES: His endorsement helped swing the critical primary state of Florida for McCain at the time he needed it most. NRA rating of A+, solid on school choice issue, expanded adoption tax credits, illegal immigration, managed tort and eminent domain reforms.
NEGATIVES: Right to Die stance won’t play with pro-lifers. He’s been divorced since 1980 and has developed (fairly or unfairly) a reputation as a “player”. Some left wing blogs have even claimed he’s a closet homosexual, a charge he denied vociferously during his election campaign. Only a first term governor.

Former WI Governor Tommy Thompson
ODDS: 1,000,000:1
POSITIVES: Solid reputation as a conservative Governor and Cabinet Secretary.
NEGATIVES: Has all of the charisma of a potted plant. With no flowers. Ever. Is inexplicably younger than McCain.

Former VA Governor and RNC Chairman Jim Gilmore
ODDS: 1,000,000:1
POSITIVES: Solid reputation as a tax cutter (ran for governor on three words: No Car Tax). Also has excellent history as education reformer in VA.
NEGATIVES: Probably not VP timber. Almost made Tommy Thompson look interesting in the debates. Probably running for Senate from VA instead.

THE FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Former TN Senator Fred Thompson
ODDS: 15:1
POSITIVES: Solid communicator who built a decent national organization despite starting his run too late. Conservative credentials led to an extremely loyal following, despite lack of fundraising prowess. Friends with McCain, going back to their Senate days and his support of McCain in 2000. “Law and Order” reruns keep him on constant cable.
NEGATIVES: Best finish was his 2nd place in the WY caucus. Not a prodigious fundraiser. The “lazy” tag (unfairly, IMHO). His apparent age makes him unlikely pairing for McCain. May run for TN Governor in 2010 instead.

CA Congressman Duncan Hunter
ODDS: 50:1
POSITIVES: Solid, 26-year legislative history, including as Armed Service Chair. Supported McCain in 2000. Would bolster McCain’s immigration creds immeasurably. Vietnam Vet. Excellent Social Conservative credentials. Terrific debate presence, quick on his feet. NRA loves him. Youthful appearance. And you can’t deny the manly sound of that last name.
NEGATIVES: Was unable to build a national network. Fundraising was dismal, though not unexpected for 3rd Tier candidate. Wall Street types have complaints on China trade issue. May be better suited as Secretary of Defense or Homeland Security.

KS Senator Sam Brownback
ODDS: 1000:1
POSITIVES: Solid conservative on life and social conservative issues. Friends with McCain from the Senate.
NEGATIVES: Voted for amnesty before he voted against it. Barely defeats Tommy Thompson in the charisma category. Has actually flip-flopped on his own denominational affiliation twice in the last 5 years.

CO Congressman Tom Tancredo
ODDS: 1,000,000:1
POSITIVES: Unimpeachable immigration credentials. Solid conservative fiscal record across the spectrum.
NEGATIVES: Once called Miami a “Third World City”. Once suggested nuking Mecca. Immigration stance also against legal immigration, which would seem to eliminate him from any contention with McCain. Which is probably unfortunate. Would also make excellent Homeland Security or Education Secretary.

TX Congressman Ron Paul
ODDS: 100,000,000:1
POSITIVES: Makes McCain look younger. Brings out McCain’s sense of humor and his sharp wit. Undeniable fiscal credentials.
NEGATIVES: Too numerous to mention. If you’ve seen this, you know. And don’t get me started on his followers…

WILD CARDS

COMBINED FIELD ODDS: 50:1

Former OK Congressman JC Watts
POSITIVES: Solid Conservative credentials. Terrific communicator. Unafraid – including when he coined the term “race-hustling poverty pimps” to describe Dem politicians. Would be an interesting choice to reach out to African-Americans if Hillary manages to steal the Dem nomination from Obama.
NEGATIVES: Has mostly disappeared from the national political scene since his retirement in 2002. House service might not be enough experience.

Former MD LT Gov Michael Steele
POSITIVES: Solid conservative credentials, great communicator. Was the national conservative “Flavor of the month” for October 2006, until he narrowly lost his challenge for the Senate seat from MD. Current GOPAC Chairman. Excellent Obama antidote or African-American outreach if Hillary.
NEGATIVES: Lack of Experience – is Lite Gov of a small state enough to rise to VP? Hard to say. Has a very bright future, and is said to also be contemplating a 2010 Senate run if the regrettable Barbara Mikulski finally retires.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice
POSITIVES: Extremely knowledgeable on foreign affairs, gifted communicator.
NEGATIVES: WAAAAAAY too close to George Bush for McCain to consider seriously. After 8 years in Cabinet level roles, might be time for a long vacation before she tries to re-enter public life. Played down any electoral ambition speculation on Russert’s Meet the Press. Pro-choice.

Former OK Congressman Steve Largent
POSITIVES: Solid conservative credentials (hear a theme playing in many of these?), solid communicator, well-loved football star in battleground state of WA.
NEGATIVES: Narrowly (and surprisingly) lost OK Gov race in 2002, and has been mostly out of sight since.

Former GA Congressman and Speaker Newt Gingrich
POSITIVES: Brilliant strategist, excellent problem solver, impeccable conservative credentials. Terrific Television presence.
NEGATIVES: Polarizing figure. Might have trouble playing the #2 slot… to anyone, much less McCain. Publicly critical of McCain during campaign. Strayed from conservative orthodoxy on global warming. Personal life is a disaster area.

SC Senator Lindsey Graham
POSITIVES: Loves himself some John McCain. Was out early and often supporting McCain and lining up others to support in SC. May be singularly most responsible for nomination outside of McCain himself. Compelling personal story, including military service.
NEGATIVES: Is the ideological successor to McCain, which is to say he helps McCain in precisely no ways. Grahmnesty, the Gang of 14, Gitmo - every weakness McCain has, picking Lindsey makes worse. If he's going to pick a South Carolinian, it's far likelier to be Sanford. Is single, and has had to fight off whispered rumors about his dating life, not unlike Charlie Crist. Has drawn multiple primary challengers, and is up for election this cycle. May still be frontrunner for Attorney General nod if McCain prevails in November.

Alan Dershowitz: "Worshippers of Death"

From this morning's Wall Street Journal (and I highly recommend)

Worshippers of Death
By ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ
March 3, 2008; Page A17

Zahra Maladan is an educated woman who edits a women's magazine in Lebanon. She is also a mother, who undoubtedly loves her son. She has ambitions for him, but they are different from those of most mothers in the West. She wants her son to become a suicide bomber.

At the recent funeral for the assassinated Hezbollah terrorist Imad Moughnaya -- the mass murderer responsible for killing 241 marines in 1983 and more than 100 women, children and men in Buenos Aires in 1992 and 1994 -- Ms. Maladan was quoted in the New York Times giving the following warning to her son: "if you're not going to follow the steps of the Islamic resistance martyrs, then I don't want you."


Zahra Maladan represents a dramatic shift in the way we must fight to protect our citizens against enemies who are sworn to kill them by killing themselves. The traditional paradigm was that mothers who love their children want them to live in peace, marry and produce grandchildren. Women in general, and mothers in particular, were seen as a counterweight to male belligerence. The picture of the mother weeping as her son is led off to battle -- even a just battle -- has been a constant and powerful image.

Now there is a new image of mothers urging their children to die, and then celebrating the martyrdom of their suicidal sons and daughters by distributing sweets and singing wedding songs. More and more young women -- some married with infant children -- are strapping bombs to their (sometimes pregnant) bellies, because they have been taught to love death rather than life. Look at what is being preached by some influential Islamic leaders:

"We are going to win, because they love life and we love death," said Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah. He has also said: "[E]ach of us lives his days and nights hoping more than anything to be killed for the sake of Allah." Shortly after 9/11, Osama bin Laden told a reporter: "We love death. The U.S. loves life. That is the big difference between us."

"The Americans love Pepsi-Cola, we love death," explained Afghani al Qaeda operative Maulana Inyadullah. Sheik Feiz Mohammed, leader of the Global Islamic Youth Center in Sydney, Australia, preached: "We want to have children and offer them as soldiers defending Islam. Teach them this: There is nothing more beloved to me than wanting to die as a mujahid." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech: "It is the zenith of honor for a man, a young person, boy or girl, to be prepared to sacrifice his life in order to serve the interests of his nation and his religion."

How should Western democracies fight against an enemy whose leaders preach a preference for death?

The two basic premises of conventional warfare have long been that soldiers and civilians prefer living to dying and can thus be deterred from killing by the fear of being killed; and that combatants (soldiers) can easily be distinguished from noncombatants (women, children, the elderly, the infirm and other ordinary citizens). These premises are being challenged by women like Zahra Maladan. Neither she nor her son -- if he listens to his mother -- can be deterred from killing by the fear of being killed. They must be prevented from succeeding in their ghoulish quest for martyrdom. Prevention, however, carries a high risk of error. The woman walking toward the group of soldiers or civilians might well be an innocent civilian. A moment's hesitation may cost innocent lives. But a failure to hesitate may also have a price.

Late last month, a young female bomber was shot as she approached some shops in central Baghdad. The Iraqi soldier who drew his gun hesitated as the bomber, hands raised, insisted that she wasn't armed. The soldier and a shop owner finally opened fire as she dashed for the stores; she was knocked to the ground but still managed to detonate the bomb, killing three and wounding eight. Had the soldier and other bystanders not called out a warning to others -- and had they not shot her before she could enter the shops -- the death toll certainly would have been higher. Had he not hesitated, it might have been lower.

As more women and children are recruited by their mothers and their religious leaders to become suicide bombers, more women and children will be shot at -- some mistakenly. That too is part of the grand plan of our enemies. They want us to kill their civilians, who they also consider martyrs, because when we accidentally kill a civilian, they win in the court of public opinion. One Western diplomat called this the "harsh arithmetic of pain," whereby civilian casualties on both sides "play in their favor." Democracies lose, both politically and emotionally, when they kill civilians, even inadvertently. As Golda Meir once put it: "We can perhaps someday forgive you for killing our children, but we cannot forgive you for making us kill your children."

Civilian casualties also increase when terrorists operate from within civilian enclaves and hide behind human shields. This relatively new phenomenon undercuts the second basic premise of conventional warfare: Combatants can easily be distinguished from noncombatants. Has Zahra Maladan become a combatant by urging her son to blow himself up? Have the religious leaders who preach a culture of death lost their status as noncombatants? What about "civilians" who willingly allow themselves to be used as human shields? Or their homes as launching pads for terrorist rockets?

The traditional sharp distinction between soldiers in uniform and civilians in nonmilitary garb has given way to a continuum. At the more civilian end are babies and true noncombatants; at the more military end are the religious leaders who incite mass murder; in the middle are ordinary citizens who facilitate, finance or encourage terrorism. There are no hard and fast lines of demarcation, and mistakes are inevitable -- as the terrorists well understand.

We need new rules, strategies and tactics to deal effectively and fairly with these dangerous new realities. We cannot simply wait until the son of Zahra Maladan -- and the sons and daughters of hundreds of others like her -- decide to follow his mother's demand. We must stop them before they export their sick and dangerous culture of death to our shores.

Mr. Dershowitz teaches law at Harvard University and is the author of "Finding Jefferson" (Wiley, 2007).

Global Warming Strikes Out Again

Yep, it's official: I'm a Global Warming Denier.

And, as usual, the science remains on my side.

Two stories to get us riled up this time. The first is last year's temperature data, which shows a global cooling in 2007 mean temps of between 0.65 and 0.75 Celsius degrees. (Graph above).

No more than anecdotal evidence, to be sure. But now, that evidence has been supplanted by hard scientific fact. All four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA's GISS, UAH, RSS) have released updated data. All show that over the past year, global temperatures have dropped precipitously.

A compiled list of all the sources can be seen here. The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C -- a value large enough to wipe out most of the warming recorded over the past 100 years. All in one year's time. For all four sources, it's the single fastest temperature change ever recorded, either up or down.

Then there's the Canadian National Post story which basically refutes everything Al Gore has ever said - the Arctic Ice is growing, and is now between 10cm and 20cm thicker on average than it was one year ago. Money quote:

Last month, Oleg Sorokhtin, a fellow of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, shrugged off manmade climate change as "a drop in the bucket." Showing that solar activity has entered an inactive phase, Prof. Sorokhtin advised people to "stock up on fur coats."

He is not alone. Kenneth Tapping of our own National Research Council, who oversees a giant radio telescope focused on the sun, is convinced we are in for a long period of severely cold weather if sunspot activity does not pick up soon.

Can someone please get this information into the hands of John McCain, quick? This thoroughly discredits the need for a "cap-and-trade" system, which just begs for socialist control of energy resources and a prolonging and worsening of global poverty. If Johnny Mac can use this data to reverse course on the issue, it can be used very effectively against the liberals in the Fall campaign.

Not that he'd ever listen to me, but maybe he'd listen to the data. We all should start paying attention to good scientific data, and not the hyperventilating alarmism of the environmental left.