Yet More Moore

Falsifying headlines.

Cigars and Golf Clubs

Light blogging today as cigars and golf clubs will be the order of the day...all work related, of course.

A couple of stories to keep you occupied:

Sharp increase in sex and gun crimes in "gun free" Ireland. Watch as the justice minister tries to explain it away. Crime in general has been steadily increasing since firearms were banned from law abiding citizens there.

Speaking of which, see how the UK's Home Secretary attempts to explain their rising crime rate. Low minimum wages? What? See above...it's the same situation. Criminals have free reign, and no one wants to confront the obvious.

Big hog

Now that's a big hog.

Update: Per Jakester's comment. Quick, someone get PETA on the line! Such a travesty!

More Moore Lies

More Moore lies exposed.

Roadmaps

Speaking of roadmaps...LaShawn Barber points to a Washington Post article where a Democratic campaign strategerist admits that they don't have a message, and they won't be getting one anytime soon.

Briefing reporters, Rep. Robert T. Matsui (D-Calif.) said he and other Democratic campaign strategists feel they have an almost 50-50 chance of gaining the 11 seats they need to claim the House majority on Nov. 2. Matsui, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, cited a recent poll showing 56 percent of Americans saying the country is on the wrong track (while 41 percent answered “right track").

Pressed on whether Democrats need a sharper, clearer campaign message, Matsui said: “It would not be in anyone’s interest in our party to present a message or a theme in June, July or even August. We want to wait a while.”

Heh...yeah, he's right. It really wouldn't be in anyone's interest in their party to present a message or theme...that would insure their defeat.

Bredesen's Roadmap for Democrats

The Tennessean has an article today pointing to Bredesen as a roadmap for Democrats to regain control in national races.

Tennessee delegates attending the Democratic National Convention here credit Bredesen with strengthening the state party and helping Democrats retain control of both houses in the state legislature. He embodies the hopes of Democrats across the nation seeking to regain political power.

''Phil Bredesen put a face on our Democratic Party in Tennessee,'' said Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Pall Mall, speaking to the state delegation yesterday. ''And more than that, he's shown what leadership can do.''

Everybody misses the real real point though. Bredesen has been successful and popular because he acts like a conservative. On the other hand, former governor Sundquist (a Republican) was unpopular because he acted like a liberal.

Sure, Bredesen has some liberal social ideals, but here in Tennessee, we're pretty entrenched in our beliefs, so he knows he won't win by pushing those. Plus, social ideals just aren't that big of an issue here on the state level. Cutting the budget, attempting to rein in overspending and not raising taxes are big issues.

So, note to Democrats...being a conservative is popular. Maybe that's why they've toned down their liberal rhetoric (like on gun control)...it just doesn't fly.

Update: I also feel that I should add a second note to Democrats...simply talking like or pretending to be a conservative isn't the same as being one.

RFID

RFID is coming...

The US Federal Drug Administration issued a ruling overnight that essentially begins a final review process that will determine whether hospitals can use VeriChip's RFID systems to identify patients and/or permit relevant hospital staff to access medical records, said Angela Fulcher, vice president of marketing and sales at the Florida-based company.

Read the entire story here.

Morals?

Read Moxie's take on this fashion "statement."

Trends and Trends

James Taranto over at Opinion Journal offers an interesting lesson in Presidential streaks and how they related (or don't relate) to today.

...past elections are of limited value in predicting future ones. As in sports, streaks and slumps in politics go on only until they end. We keep hearing that Ohio is a crucial state for President Bush because no Republican has ever won the presidency without it. Yet while it's probably a good bet that Mr. Bush will either carry Ohio or lose the election, the recent past has seen plenty of similar streaks broken.

Read the entire article.

(Found via MooreThoughts)

New York Times...Liberal?

Think the New York Times is a liberal, left-leaning publication? Well, of course it is. They admit it.

Religious Monitors

A while back I pointed to an article on the religion gap we have in America's politics today. It's because of this gap that we start seeing things like this:

At least two organizations are monitoring the content of Sunday sermons by U.S. pastors and threatening to report churches to the Internal Revenue Service if they hear political messages they deem inappropriate under federal guidelines on tax-exempt status.

Earlier this week, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, headed by Barry Lynn, filed a complaint with the IRS against Ronnie Floyd, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Springdale, Ark., accusing him of preaching a sermon promoting President Bush's re-election July 4.

Basically this group (and others) is going around to churches to ensure that preachers aren't promoting ideals that reflect the platform of the Republican party. That's what it boils down to...plain and simple.

I've got news for them...the ideals that traditional churches promote are pretty much going to be in line with the platform of the Republican party. Is that surprising?

Another group, located in Kansas, calling itself the MAINStream Coalition is doing the same thing.

An interesting thing about groups like this is that they always claim to be "non-partisan" (kind of like Tennesseans for Fair Taxation). The introduction on their website states:

The MAINstream Coalition is a non-partisan, non-sectarian organization which strives to preserve separation of church and state, freedom of religion and speech, pluralism, individual rights, the importance of the family, public education, and tolerance and compassion for all.

Non-partisan, eh?

While the group maintains it is non-partisan and objects across the board to all kinds of politicking in the pews, the organization's website shows the Mainstream Coalition has a strong political agenda of its own. Policy statements posted include the following:

-strong support of Roe v. Wade
-strong support of late-term abortions
-strong support of sex education
-strong support of human cloning
-strong support of hate-crime laws
-strong support of gun control
-strong support for teaching of evolution
-strong opposition to prayer in schools
-strong opposition even to the wearing of religious symbols on government property

Like I said...about as non-partisan as TFFT.

NashvilleFiles

Speaking of site designs and layouts, the main NashvilleFiles site is going to be revamped before the end of the week. It's being moved over to MovableType (the layout should remain the same though).

I have to say that MT has spoiled me, and I don't like having to update HTML all the time.

So, look for the main site to start being updated on a regular basis again soon.

Nashville City Paper

Admittedly, it's been a few days since I've visited the Nashville City Paper's web site. Today I made a quick visit to their site, and I must say that I'm not very pleased with the new layout.

Apparently they've decided to offer only pdf scans of the newspaper itself (while also pushing reprints of their photographs). This essentially gets rid of any electronic news stories that can be linked to, put through an automated news feed (such as Google News) or commented on (the previous layout allowed for reader's comments).

In my opinion, the City Paper has taken several steps back in time going from a wonderful, interactive web layout to one that is essentially just some scans of their newspaper. All I can say is that I hope it's temporary.

Even when you're 100% in the right...

My friend Mary passed this link along to me this morning.

It's the story of a former cop who fired his weapon in self-defense while visiting relatives in California. He didn't hurt anyone, didn't cause any property damage, but he did thwart a possible carjacking. For this, he was sent to jail.

Read the account here.

The moral: "...even when you're 100% in the right, things can go 100% wrong."

And you wonder why the crime rate is so high in areas such as that.

Star Wars Episode III

For the geeks out there (such as myself), the title of Star Wars Episode III will be Revenge of the Sith.

La Shawn's New Home

Looks like La Shawn Barber has moved to a new home (effectively "divorcing" Blogspot). She's got a great new site design as well.

Head over and check her out. She's always got something good to say.

The New Fisk University President

I'm sure that Nashville's Fisk University is proud of their new president (via the Tennessean).

Nine days after being named president of Fisk University, Hazel O'Leary found herself being questioned by the FBI last night after being escorted off a commercial airplane.
...
The crew of the Nashville-to-Washington flight told airport police that O'Leary, 67, was ''getting loud and abusive'' and had to be physically restrained at one point, Donkle said.

Is that what you get when you name a former Bill Clinton Cabinet member as your university's president?

Ok, just a joke, but Clinton's cabinet members were never guilty of not being in political hot water. O'Leary's no exception as she did get some spotlight for her excessive and expensive travels.

Fisk has been trying to find a president who would bring some stabilization to the university, so you think they would get someone who hasn't been involved in controversy (as well as having a track record of staying out of the news). Apparently they didn't think about that.

Eddie George

Looks like Titan's all-time leading rusher, Eddie George is headed to the Cowboys....Story

Ronstadt Again

Linda Ronstadt is at it again.

What had been a mellow evening at Wente Vineyards, with the crowd even serenading her with "Happy Birthday" at one point, turned into a rush for the exits by some fans angry by her encore tribute to filmmaker Michael Moore.

For those of you who think that any of this is censorship at work (by Alladin firing her), I think this fan says it all:

"I love her music, but I hate her politics, and I hope she just sings," said Tina Uzelac of Livermore, who arrived wearing a flag sweater. "These tickets are pretty high-priced, and we're not paying to go to a political rally."

Tax and Spend

Bill Hobbs offers praise to the Nashville City Paper for finally getting the numbers right on Tennessee's tax surplus.

He also offers the following regarding the Tax Structure Study Commission whose report will be coming out after the election:

Unfortunately, the commission was set up from day one to examine only the revenue side of the equation. It has not spent one day looking at how spending has grown faster than the economy, outstripping the ability of taxpayers to pay for it. It is not spent one day examining the frequency with which the legislature and every governor since Lamar Alexander in 1985 has exceeded the state constitution's limit on the annual growth of spending, by a cumulative first-year total of more than $3 billion - including this year by $105.1 million. Nor has the commission spent one day investigating how various governors - including current Gov. Phil Bredesen - routinely spend surplus revenue in a process that appears to circumvent the state constitution.

And because it has not, the Tennessee Tax Structure Study Commission's report is worthless even before it is finished.

You're exactly right, but can we trust the media to ask the same tough questions of the Tax Commission's biased study? Of course not.

Car Bomb in Nashville

I haven't commented on the car bomb that exploded Tuesday near the Opryland Hotel which has left authorities scratching their heads.

However, Donald Sensing has (it turns out the guy in the vehicle lived close to him). Head over and read his analysis.

Also read today's story in the Tennessean along with an interview of the victim's neighbors.

Chilling

Chilling video...

Some of the hijackers who crashed a jetliner into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, twice set off alarms as they passed through metal detectors that morning at Washington Dulles International Airport, but security screeners did not appear to question them about utility knives investigators believe they were carrying as part of the takeover plot, according to newly disclosed surveillance video.

Gotta love those Europeans

Not surprising.

Tour de France director Jean-Marie Leblanc has admitted he had seen fans spit at five-times champion Lance Armstrong during the 15.5-km time trial to L'Alpe d'Huez.

Speaking of the Tour de France...I've actually, for the first time, been semi-keeping up with (and understanding) the Tour de France this year. All thanks to Bill Hobbs.

Mark Lancaster

I haven't written about Mark Lancaster for the past few weeks, but I wanted to give you a quick update along with an opportunity.

First, Mark was taken into Federal custody about three weeks ago. He is currently serving a one year term at a minimum security prison in Manchester, KY. Of course, the government is appealing to increase that amount of time because the judge downward departed from a 30-37 month term (hopefully the recent 6th Circuit ruling on the sentencing guidelines will work in his favor).

Simply put, Mark is a political prisoner. He was not a danger to society, and what he did didn't deserve jail time. In fact, I personally feel the National Firearms Act to be un-Constitutional. I know that many of my regular readers and friends feel the same way.

(For those of you not familiar with Mark's case, you can go here to read an op/ed written by Brooks Franklin in the Lebanon Democrat which will give a good perspective of Mark's plight.)

As for the opportunity that I mentioned...Several people have written to me asking what can be done for him and his family. Some people have even asked if they could donate money to his family while he was in prison. I would like to give people an opportunity to do that.

This isn't a plea for money or even a charity case. It's just an opportunity for those that have requested it (or for those who would like) to make a donation to Mark's family.

Mark was the primary bread-winner for his family before this mess started (his profession was as a music minister for a Baptist church...read more on that here). He and his wife have two wonderful children aged 11 and 9. His wife works for a local Christian radio station, but there's only so much she can do while he is away. What the government has done here (and is continuing to do) is wrong. It's that simple. This can be a way for many people to show your support.

To make a donation, simply click on the "Make a Donation" button on the left side of this site. This is done through PayPal. To make sure the money is earmarked for his family, in the "Payment For" box, write Mark Lancaster. Every bit of money that is donated will go directly to his family...that I promise.

If you don't want to or can't help out monetarily, there's another way to show your support. You can simply write a letter (which can be just as supportive as a donation). To do this, email me (blake@nashvillefiles.com) with the subject "For Mark Lancaster and Family," and I will print it out and give it to his wife. A simple letter can provide more support than you can possibly imagine.

Again, this isn't a plea...it's just an opportunity to show your support. On behalf of him and his family, I thank you.

Update: If you would like to send a donation or letter directly to Mark's family, email me and I will give you an address to mail it to.

Dominos

The domino effect created by Spain and most recently the Phillipines continues:

A militant group said Wednesday it had taken six more hostages — three Indians, two Kenyans and an Egyptian — and would behead them if their countries did not immediately announce the withdrawal of their citizens from Iraq.

Of course, the three countries mentioned don't actually have military troops in Iraq, but they do have civilians helping out with rebuilding the country.

Reference: For a list of non-US military forces in Iraq, go here.

Nuclear Arms in Iraq?

News from UPI...I'm just passing it along. At this point it's unconfirmed, and I am skeptical myself:

Iraqi security reportedly discovered three missiles carrying nuclear heads concealed in a concrete trench northwest of Baghdad, official sources said Wednesday.

The official daily al-Sabah quoted the sources as saying the missiles were discovered in trenches near the city of Tikrit, the hometown of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Read the entire article.

Again...this is unconfirmed.

Update...Iraqi interior minister calling the report "stupid." Like I said...I'm skeptical of the report as well. We'll see.

It's a gift, not a right

Sarah Moore (half of the duo of MooreThoughts) makes an excellent point with her editorial in today's Tennessean. She was writing in response to a mother of a college student who believed that students who didn't meet the already low mininum requirements to keep their lottery scholarships should be able to get a second chance in keeping them (even though, in this case, they already knew the consequences).

...students should consider this granted money as a precious gift, not a right.

Teenagers get enough hand-holding and second chances in high school. Once they are in college, students need to respect the fact that the state of Tennessee is paying for their education and accept responsibility for their decisions.

This means working hard and accepting the consequences if they fall short. I have no doubt that freshmen who truly deserve this scholarship will rise to the challenge and enjoy a great education.

(Emphasis mine)

Personally, I'm not a fan of the lottery scholarship program in the first place. Essentially, it's for this reason: Once you start handing out scholarship money (or any money from the government for that matter), people will start thinking it's their right to have that money. People pressure the requirements to be lowered (in order to make it "fair"), and the program eventually becomes overburdened.

That's probably where Tennessee's lottery scholarships are headed. If enough people start whining, the legislature will feel sorry for them, and then the program starts handing out more money than it can take in. Where will that promised money come from then? Guess.

Linda Ronstadt Visitors

Lot of people hitting the site via search engines over the Linda Ronstadt / Michael Moore story. As a courtesy to first time guests (because we move fast here in the blogosphere), you can click here to go directly to the original posting.

Or you can always scroll down and view some other interesting/informative posts along the way.

China's Mock Invasion

As reported here last month, the U.S. is going to be deploying seven carrier groups to take part in Operation Summer Pulse (the original linked story from UPI said that all seven carrier groups would be heading toward Taiwan, but in fact, the seven carrier groups will actually be operating around the globe with the USS Kitty Hawk being the only carrier actually near Taiwan). This exercise is designed to "demonstrate the ability of the Navy to provide credible combat power across the globe by operating in five theaters with other U.S., allied and coalition military forces."

Looks like China will also be doing its own exercises at the same time...a mock invasion of Taiwan. From the LA Times:

In a highly unusual move, the Chinese have publicized amphibious military operations being held on mainland-controlled islands in the Taiwan Strait. The war games, which simulate an invasion of Taiwan, involve 18,000 Chinese troops in weeklong land, sea and air maneuvers, according to the state-run media.

Here's the kicker:

Beijing's deployment was launched late last week as military chief Jiang Zemin vowed to recover Taiwan by 2020, marking the first time China has set a deadline for reunification.

So, it looks like war with China by 2020.

More from Boston.com:

Taiwan's military will close part of a popular freeway Wednesday so jet fighters can practice using it as an emergency runway a rare drill to prepare pilots for the possible bombing of air bases by China, officials said.

The island hasn't held such an exercise in 26 years, and it comes as China conducts war games that Beijing's state-controlled media have said are practice for a long-threatened attack on Taiwan.

While these military exercises have been planned for a long time, it just underscores the fact that we may eventually go to war with China if they invade Taiwan (which China now apparently has set a 2020 deadline for). It's only a matter of time.

Welcome to the 21st Century

After attempting to ignore the story most of the morning, CNN finally has something on their main site about former President Clinton's national security adviser (and current Kerry adviser) Sandy Berger's penchant for stuffing important security memos down his pants (and in his socks as well).

For those of you in the "guess when CNN will actually cover the story" pool, it looks like they put the story on their main web site at 12:13pm central time.

For those of you who aren't in the know in the first place, where have you been?

Hugh Hewitt yesterday (via Instapundit yesterday):

Ask yourself what would be going on in Washington, D.C. tonght, and on the network news, within the blogosphere, and in the morning papers, if it had been revealed that Condi Rice was the target of a criminal investigation for removing classified handwritten notes from the government records relating to terrorism.

Drudge is keeping a running tally of the big media:

BERGER THE BURGLAR STORY BURIED AT NY TIMES...

LOW PRIORITY AT WASH POST...

HIDDEN AT LA TIMES...

PLAYED UP AT USA TODAY...

If it weren't for internet coverage (reads bloggers) and Fox News being on it, then we probably wouldn't have heard much about it at all.

Same goes with the Joseph Wilson episode which has already been covered exhaustively in the blogosphere. Jay Bryant (via Bill Hobbs):

There is absolutely no way the media are going to get the message of Wilson's lies across to the American public. Messrs Steyn, Barone, Safire, Benedetto and Bryant can write all they want, but when the Washington Post can do its front page report on the release of the Senate document without ever referencing the section on Wilson, it's clear the fix is in – as if anyone doubted it.

Welcome to the 21st Century, big media. You look like idiots.

60 Years Ago Today

On July 20, 1944 Count von Stauffenberg's plot to kill Hilter failed.

Kerry Flip-Flops Part 2

Well, for those of you wanting those Kerry flip-flops (first pictured last week), here's your chance: http://www.conventioninventions.com/

I originally found out about these from my friend Mary who lives up in Pittsburgh. The guy that invented them came into the place where she works (to get some printing done, I believe), and he let her get some pictures of them for me to post. So, thanks to Mary for turning me on to these.

Blakely to SCOTUS

Found via MooreThoughts: According to SCOTUS blog, it looks like the Solicitor General is preparing a request for cert to the Supreme Court (as early as next Wednesday) to see how Blakely applies to the federal sentencing guidelines in light of the recent circuit court split (as discussed here earlier).

According to these reports, the government will move to expedite both the cert. and merits stages of the cases, seeking: that any response to the petitions be filed within a week; that cert. be granted by August 2d; and that merits briefing be completed by mid-September or early-October (under alternative schedules that are being discussed). Argument would be held immediately thereafter, probably the first week in October.

More from Moore:

The Guidelines do need to be ruled upon - this sort of limbo is unsustainable. If the Court was hoping to muddy the waters a bit with Blakely, just to see what solutions and applications the federal district courts and the circuit courts would come up with, they've gotten their wish, and can now proceed to select the best option.

Good times in the judiciary...good times.

35 Years Ago Today

Idiots

East Pikeland, PA has an idiot and a liar for a police chief. Read below (Emphasis mine):

Last week, the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association passed a resolution to encourage Congress to renew the 10-year assault weapons ban that President Clinton signed into law.

East Pikeland Police Chief James Franciscus, who serves as Chester County Police Chiefs Association financial secretary, supports extending the ban.

"If the ban is lifted, people will be able to purchase fully automatic weapons, and they will be able to use those automatic weapons," he said. "It could jeopardize the lives of the public or police officers or others.

Read the entire story here.

The scare tactics and lies are really heating up now.

No, the expiration of the assault weapons ban (AWB) will not allow people to purchase fully automatic weapons (fully automatic weapons are covered in the National Firearms Act of 1934). The AWB mainly deals with cosmetic features on semi-automatic guns that make them more "scary" looking. It's really a joke, and it hasn't reduced crime one bit.

Expect this type of rhetoric to get worse by the time Congress readjourns in September (one week before the ban sunsets).

By the way...here's a nice bit of publically available information for you (via KABA):

Police Chief James Franciscus: (610) 935-0606 or policechief@eastpikeland.org

Fired for being a law abiding gun owner

Should have linked to this sooner...Kim du Toit posted an email early this morning that a reader sent in. Apparently this guy was fired for having a gun outside of work (legally carrying).

You need to head over and read it...and also read Kim's comments. It's a must read. Click here.

Ronstadt gets the boot in Vegas

Linda Ronstadt got the boot Vegas-style for praising Michael Moore during a concert at the Alladin:

Singer Linda Ronstadt not only got booed, she got the boot after lauding filmmaker Michael Moore and his new movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" during a performance at the Aladdin hotel-casino.

Before singing "Desperado" for an encore Saturday night, the 58-year-old rocker called Moore a "great American patriot" and "someone who is spreading the truth." She also encouraged everybody to see the documentary about President Bush.
...
Ronstadt's antics "spoiled a wonderful evening for our guests and we had to do something about it," Timmins said.

For all of those who will get up in arms and call it censorship, the fact is, if someone causes the crowd to go sour, then they've got to go. Especially in Vegas (the idea is to get more people in your casino...not drive them off).

Plus, it's all pretty darn hilarious.

Two men enter...one man leaves

One less thug on the streets of Nashville:

...the woman, 18, and her cousin, 21, had responded to a knock on the door about 1:30 a.m. and saw two masked men.

''The two women retreated to an upstairs bedroom as the suspects kicked in the back door,'' Aaron said. ''As one of them came to the doorway of the bedroom where the two women were hiding, the older cousin, who had retrieved a pistol from a nightstand, fired one time. The intruder was hit and died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head.''
...
The second intruder fired twice before fleeing, but neither woman was injured, Aaron said.

Read the entire story in the Tennessean here.

This guy had been charged with 38 offenses over the past 3 years. Since the police couldn't stop him, these brave women stopped him permanently and protected themselves at the same time.

If this were the UK or Australia (or New York, Maryland, or any other state that thinks it's best to keep law abiding civilians unarmed), these two women would have just been statistics.

All I can say to these women is, "job well done."

Sharon Not Welcome in France

Well, the riff between France and Israel widens:

President Jacques Chirac said Monday that the Israeli leader would not be welcome here until he gave a satisfactory explanation for saying Jews should go to Israel to escape anti-Semitism in France.

Go read the entire article. It provides some good background on France's past relations with Israel. Once considered allies, that's no longer the case.

Boston's Big Brother

Looks like Big Brother will stay in Boston even after the Democratic Convention is over. Police surveillance cameras are going up all over Boston for the Convention, but it looks like they won't be coming down.

''What this demonstrates is that '1984' is now technologically possible," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Technology and Liberty Program, referring to George Orwell's vision of an all-seeing totalitarian state. ''This is really a situation where we are really being asked to blindly trust the government. There is no oversight of this. There are no safeguards."

While video surveillance has become a common tool for police and private security personnel, Boston police and federal officials concede that the additional cameras and new technology represent another chapter in Boston. And it's here to stay: Boston police say the 30 or so cameras installed for the convention will be used throughout the city once the event is over.

''We own them now," said police Superintendent Robert Dunford. ''We're certainly not going to put them in a closet."

Moore Thoughts

Just added Moore Thoughts to the blogroll. It's run by Nathan Moore who is the Chairman of the Davidson County Young Republicans here in Nashville (and an all around good guy).

You should head over, check out his blog, and keep on scrolling.

Hmmm

Isn't there supposed to be a call to all Jews to move to Israel in the end times?

Just an observation...

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has urged all French Jews to move to Israel immediately to escape anti-Semitism.

He told a meeting of the American Jewish Association in Jerusalem that Jews around the world should relocate to Israel as early as possible.

Botox Time

It's botox time for Kerry again...

AWB and Bush

Head over to Publicola and read A Meme about Bush & the AWB

What would you do?

Bobby Fischer

Interesting. It looks as though they've found Bobby Fischer.

Wrong Date

From the Smoking Gun:

In an embarrassing governmental gaffe, an official tribute sign erected on the fence surrounding Ground Zero actually misstated the date of the terror attacks, a glaring mistake addressed only after a visitor recently complained about the error. The sign, which memorialized victims killed in the Pentagon attack, noted that "September 11, 2002" was a pivotal day for the country and the world.

Cuban Embargo

A little piece of news today gives me an opportunity to discuss the Cuban embargo:

In a rare exception to long-standing American foreign policy, U.S. officials have approved a small California biotech company's deal with the Cuban government to develop three experimental cancer drugs created in Havana.

This actually (and surprisingly) comes at a time when the administration has been making the embargo tougher (despite Congressional attempts to ease it). The apparent theory is that the less U.S. money that flows to Cuba the quicker the Communist regime will fall.

However, when the embargo was first enacted in 1963, there were three main objectives: 1) Make it more costly for the Soviets to maintain an alliance with Cuba, 2) Reduce the amount of money and resources that Cuban could put into revolutionary movements in Latin America (attempting to spark revolts in the entire Southern Hemisphere), and 3) Punish the Cuban government for nationalizing privately owned properties and businesses without compensation.

It was the stance of the U.S. that if these conditions were met, then we would move toward normalized relations with Cuba.

Let's take a look at the score card:

First, the Soviets aren't a problem anymore (no need to expound on this). Secondly, Cuba hasn't been in the business of attempting to overthrow Latin American governments since the late 1960's (and it no longer has troops in Africa). Castro decided that it was in his best interest to be friendly to his neighbors and open trade relations with them. Most responded in kind (aside from the U.S., of course). Thirdly, compensation agreements were eventually made with countries that had claims against privatized properties (again, the exception being the U.S.).

All of these original requirements were met by the early 90's, but the embargo has only been toughened. Why do we toughen the embargo with Cuba yet at the same time we continue to open up more trade with an even worse Communist regime in China?

In a recent Cigar Aficionado article, the following was stated:

The policy has failed. If anything, the U.S. intransigence has given Cuban President Fidel Castro the pretext to blame his internal problems on the United States, and has actually slowed down any significant change in Cuba.

Exactly.

I believe that it's time for an end to the Cuban embargo (or at the very least an easing). After 40 years, the only way to get rid of Castro is to let him die of old age, and the only thing the embargo is doing now is making it worse on the people of Cuba. If the U.S. opens up its economic doors to the island, freedom will follow.

If you say it won't work, then all I can say is that the 40-year-old embargo isn't working either.

Hillary to Speak

Looks like Speech-gate is over now:

John Kerry has asked Hillary Rodham Clinton to introduce her husband, former President Clinton, on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, giving her a speaking role that Democrats had sought for the New York senator.

Well, thank God.

Sentencing Guidelines

Huge news out of the 6th Circuit Court. The 6th has ruled that Federal sentencing guidelines are un-Constitutional. Very interesting ruling that I agree with (emphasis mine):

A four-state appeals court ruled Wednesday that federal sentencing guidelines are only recommendations, adding to the judicial confusion created by a Supreme Court ruling last month.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a Tennessee case that federal judges do not need to adhere to guidelines that were designed to equalize sentences for similar crimes.

All of this stems from last month's Supreme Court ruling in Blakely v. Washington. While this was simply a state sentencing issue in Washington, it has put the court system in disarray all around the country (see how the 2nd, 5th, and 7th Circuit Courts have been dealing with this here).

Last month over at FindLaw.com, Mark Allenbaugh wrote an excellent article right after the Blakely ruling that describes how Blakely would usher in much needed sentencing reform in the Federal court system, and we seem to be on the verge of that happening.

Something that I found interesting about this entire case was the fact that this puts the Federal Sentencing Commission in peril. Why? Allenbaugh explains:

Traditionally, defining crimes and deciding on sentencing ranges has been within Congress's sole purview. But the Sentencing Guidelines changed all that. They were created not by Congress, but by the U.S. Sentencing Commission (although Congress reserves the right to veto any actions of the Commission).

In constitutional law, the non-delegation doctrine holds that Congress cannot give too much of its power away. Some thought that with the Sentencing Commission, it had done just that. But in Mistretta v. United States, the Supreme Court, by a vote of 8-1, held otherwise, and allowed the U.S. Sentencing Commission to stand.

The lone dissenter in Mistretta was Justice Scalia - who accused the Commission of being "a sort of junior-varsity Congress." Now, ironically, by writing the Blakely opinion, Scalia may have dealt the Commission its final blow, wiping out this j.v. team.

Because every sentencing factor now identified by the Commission has become an element of an aggravated offense, the Guidelines spell out actual elements of crimes, something only Congress has the authority to do.

To me, that's huge. Score one for Constitutionality (finally).

On another note, the 6th's ruling should help out Mark Lancaster as the government is attempting to appeal the judge's decision to downward depart from the sentencing guidelines giving him less time.

We'll see how all this pans out.

Recommended reading: Misguided Guidelines: A Critique of Federal Sentencing

Kerry Flip Flops

Hah haaah! Yes!

TennCare Scare Tactics

Aka...TennScare (Hopefully this is a word that I'm the first to make up).

Via Chris over at My Quiet Life, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has released a review on how TennCare reductions are actually going to hurt the state:

Gov. Bredesen’s office has stated that the new TennCare policies will substantially reduce state expenditures in the coming years. The cutbacks are estimated to lower state expenditures by $300 million in FY 2005, an amount which rises to $1.0 billion by FY 2008.[2] While these policies would lower state budget expenditures, they also would adversely affect Tennessee’s economy and job creation because they would lead to a substantial reduction in federal revenue flowing into the state. Every TennCare dollar saved by the state also would lead to the loss of almost $2 in federal matching funds.

And...that's bad?

Well, actually there's more "bad" news. Cuts to Tenncare would apparently cause the following as well:

-A loss of federal matching funds that rises from $550 million in FY 2005 to $1.8 billion in FY 2008.

-A total reduction in TennCare expenditures of $850 million in FY 2005 and $2.8 billion in FY 2008.

-A substantial reduction in total economic activity in Tennessee. The economic activity lost caused by the reduction in federal matching funds alone is almost $800 million in FY 2005 and rises to $2.4 billion by FY 2008.

-Thousands of jobs lost in Tennessee. The number of jobs lost due to the reduction in federal matching funds would be almost 7,000 in 2005 and about 20,000 by 2008.

These guys sound worse than the Tennesseans for Fair Taxation group (who, by the way, are celebrating the near-term "defeat" of TaBOR). Well, no wonder they sound alike...the "Fair" Tax guys enjoy citing CBPP (as noted here).

First off, we've got to get over this idea that losing Federal funds is a bad thing. Where do you think that money comes from? I'll give you one guess...taxpayers! States need to learn to live without Federal funds and be self-sufficient.

Secondly, TennCare is more of a drain on the state than any other budget item. In fact, I'm for getting rid of TennCare all together. You want to see Tennessee's economy sprout? Get rid of TennCare, lower taxes, state revenues go up, and then watch businesses flock to Tennessee. Then, you end up having more jobs and less unemployment.

I'll also bring up my old response to TennCare...it shouldn't be the job of the government to provide for the benevolence of the people. Read my previous writing on that here. You take that and compare it to anything and everything CBPP has to offer, and you'll see what they stand for. Huge government programs along with excessive spending.

Hugs and Kisses

Hahah! I needed this this morning.

Hugs, kisses to the cheek, affectionate touching of the face, caressing of the back, grabbing of the arm, fingers to the neck, rubbing of the knees...

John Kerry and John Edwards can't keep their hands off each other!

Pictures are included.

More here.

Bredesen for Kerry

Looks like Bredesen is getting involved in the Presidential race finally:

Bredesen stayed out of the election fray until now, saying that he wanted to wait until the Democratic nominee was decided.

"When it comes to elections I'm certainly partisan," Bredesen said in late May. "I support Democrats and always have."

Despite the fact that he's a Democrat, I actually like Bredesen, and I know a lot of other Conservatives/Libertarians that do as well (Hmm...maybe I should call myself a Conservatarian). As Governor he's been fiscally responsible, has stayed away from sticky social issues, and he doesn't have any major ethics issues haunting him. He acts exactly how Conservatives should be acting (at least during his first term).

I wish I could say the same for our last governor - a Republican.

Update: Looks like somebody already came up with the word Conservatarian. I knew it was too good to be an original idea.

Heresy

Heh...yes, it's purely political, but it's still interestingly funny:

A Catholic lawyer has filed heresy charges against Sen. John Kerry with the Archdiocese of Boston, accusing the Democratic presidential candidate of bringing "most serious scandal to the American public" by receiving Holy Communion as a pro-choice Catholic.

Read the entire article here.

RTB Update

Welcome new members of the Rocky Top Brigade. Head over to South Knox Bubba to get the low down.

By the way...we're still waiting on The Token Librul to get a blog.

More Science

It must be a science blogging week. Today we go to the formation of the universe. It seems that scientists were startled to find fully formed galaxys where they thought there would be none (link here):

A rare glimpse back in time into the universe's early evolution has revealed something startling: mature, fully formed galaxies where scientists expected to discover little more than infants.

"Up until now, we assumed that galaxies were just beginning to form between 8 and 11 billion years ago, but what we found suggests that that is not the case," said Karl Glazebrook, associate professor of physics and astronomy in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and co-principal author of a paper in the July 8 issue of Nature. "It seems that an unexpectedly large fraction of stars in big galaxies were already in place early in the universe's formation, and that challenges what we've believed. We thought massive galaxies came much later."

I always find it humorous when a group of scientists discover something new that shakes the very foundation of their belief system. Then they scramble to come up with new theories that must become gospel to all.

Well, maybe the universe isn't as random as they thought it was.

"The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing." - Socrates

AWB Update

Looks like Senator Frist is earning his keep today. Geek With A .45 has the details on how Frist is keeping the Assault Weapons Ban renewal from coming up. Click on the link and keep scrolling.

Be sure to contact Senator Frist and thank him for keeping the Dems at bay!

By Phone: (202) 224-3344
Or send an email here.

Phil's Back

Well, looks like Phil Valentine is going to be back on the air in Nashville. He's going to be on 99.7 WWTN weekdays from 9am - 1pm. Right up against Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh over on 1510 WLAC.

I guess I'll be splitting my time.

Welcome back Phil!

Global Warming

Speaking of global warming (see yesterday's post right below this on sunspots), here's a good link showing the climate history of the world.

Scroll down to the bottom of the opening page and you'll see a diagram with estimated, average climate data for the past two billion years.

During the last 2 billion years the Earth's climate has alternated between a frigid "Ice House", like today's world, and a steaming "Hot House", like the world of the dinosaurs.

Draw your own conclusions.

Sunspots

Being a regular watcher of Space Weather, this story posted on Drudge caught my eye today:

A new analysis shows that the Sun is more active now than it has been at anytime in the previous 1,000 years.

Scientists based at the Institute for Astronomy in Zurich used ice cores from Greenland to construct a picture of our star's activity in the past.

They say that over the last century the number of sunspots rose at the same time that the Earth's climate became steadily warmer.

The scientists were quick to add that fossil fuels being burned only applifies this so as not to rock the boat too much.

But there's more:

In particular, it has been noted that between about 1645 and 1715, few sunspots were seen on the Sun's surface.

This period is called the Maunder Minimum after the English astronomer who studied it.

Ice cores record climate trends back beyond human measurements
It coincided with a spell of prolonged cold weather often referred to as the "Little Ice Age". Solar scientists strongly suspect there is a link between the two events - but the exact mechanism remains elusive.

Let's see...lots of sunspots, it gets warmer. Less sunspots, it gets colder. Hmmm...I think we may have found that elusive mechanism.

So, the sun can cause global warming, cancer, and it emits radiation on a regular basis. There's only one thing to do. Somebody get ELF on the phone! We've got to destroy the sun!

Sharapova

I never watch tennis that much (although I have been playing some lately...I'm not that good...it's just good exercise), but this weekend I was pulled in by the sight of Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon.

Ahh...such beauty, but only 17. heh

But wait...before I lose focus...there's a real point here. Brian Micklethwait (from London) over at Samizdata has the rest of the story:

I can imagine some Americans regretting that their champion, Serena Williams, got beaten by a Russian. Yet, for all that she is Russian, Maria Sharapova is also as American as Apple Pie. She and her entire family came to America. On the back of betting the farm on young Maria's talent as a tennis player, her family chose America, and what could be more American than that?

Her and her father left Russian 10 years ago with only $1200, and now she's a multi-millionaire tennis star. Sharapova is one of the finest examples of the American dream in action. That's what America is about.

Head over and read the entire thing.

Oh...and I'll probably be watching more tennis. heh

They get it

Haven't seen much coverage on this:

In a videotape sent to the al-Arabiya television station, a group calling itself the "Salvation Movement," questioned how al-Zarqawi could use Islam to justify the killing of innocent civilians, the targeting of government officials and the kidnapping and beheading of foreigners.

"He must leave Iraq immediately, he and his followers and everyone who gives shelter to him and his criminal actions," said a man on the video.

The video marked the first time that an Iraqi group made such a public threat against al-Zarqawi.

Quick! Somebody get Michael Moore on the phone! This has to be a conspiracy by Halliburton and Dick Cheney to make it look like a group of Iraqis want al-Zarqawi dead. They are really saying that they want to be able to sell more oil to the U.S.

Read the rest of the AP story here

Since this story is about seemingly good news, the AP writer had to include at least a jab or two at the coalition forces:

The threats revealed the deep anger many Iraqis, including insurgent groups, feel toward foreign fighters, whom many consider as illegitimate a presence here as the 160,000 U.S. and other coalition troops.

I don't think that the group even mentioned the U.S. forces in that tape, so why did they have to make that comparison? Oh...that's right...the story might not have even been printed if there wasn't some attempt to make the U.S. look bad.

'Limited Government' is Dead

Kyle Williams ('America's youngest national columnist') explains why the concept of "limited government" is dead:

It's popular to talk about limited government these days. Paying lip service to the idea of a smaller federal government is not revolutionary anymore. Everyone talks about it now, but no one follows his or her rhetoric with action.

It's true. Everyone talks about it, but who is really doing anything about it? "Limited government" starts with fiscal conservatism which is supposed to be a Conservative issue, but the "Conservative" party (the Republican party) seems to have lost its way.

Williams has some pointed advice for Conservatives:

Conservatives, if they want a shot at real limited government, need to quit talking.

Thus, conservatives need to stay united on at least on issue: limited government. But the biggest question is this: How do we return to a constitutional government? There are countless things wrong with our federal government, and they can't all be tackled at the same time – which, I believe, is one of the reasons our task of reform in America seems to be impossible.

We need to concentrate on taxes. The flow of money into the beast of the federal government allows for the funding of all the socialistic and immoral departments we gripe about.

Will this ever happen? Probably not...at least not in the forseeable future.

Born on the 4th of July

Who was the best President of the 20th Century? Many would say Ronald Reagan. While he was the greatest President of my lifetime, we should also go back a little further to a President that has fallen victim to a "lack of coverage" in our history classes.

Historians have trivialized Calvin Coolidge as a do-nothing President naïve enough to believe that "the business of America is business," and many have rated him as one of the worst of all time. However, he produced remarkable results without sacrificing our freedoms. And given that he was born on the 4th of July, there is no better time than our Independence Day to remember him.

Read the entire thing here.

Will we ever have a President like Silent Cal again? I seriously doubt it.

The Real Inquisition

Thomas F. Madden at National Review Online investigates the popular myths surrounding the Inqusition.

SpaceShipOne

Here are some great photos from the SpaceShipOne flight on June 21st.

(via Samizdata)

Fahrenheit Fact

Here's a good "fact blog" dedicated to providing facts about Fahrenheit 9/11...

Here we attempt to bring to light those "other" facts about Michael Moore's new film "Fahrenheit 9/11". We try not to make this an opinion blog- it is a fact one. We make sure to source every post, and will either cite or link to the source of the provided fact. It is our desire to see a well-armed populous that is ready to evaluate the film from an informed perspective.

Head over, check it out and keep scrolling down. They've done a fine job.

I hope so

"Goodbye Tenncare?" says the headline in the Nashville City Paper today.

Several state legislators said Wednesday they’re ready to pull the plug on TennCare and go back to the federal Medicaid program if court action against the state continues.

“I know this bill [to revert to Medicaid] would pass the Senate Commerce Committee today — unanimously," Cooper said. “You get tired when the advocates run to the courthouse and don’t even give us the opportunity to at least try."

Yes...ladies and gentlemen...sit back and watch TennCare recipients sue themselves out of being covered. They don't realize that they would be doing the entire state an enormous favor.

Of course, the state would only revert back to Medicaid (which is still our tax money...just on a Federal level), but I still haven't seen any legislators out there saying that it's not the job of the government to provide healthcare in the first place.

Just in time for the 4th

We lost a little more freedom here in Tennessee today.

But...it's apparently for your own good.