They're going to send one of them back.

Six-year-old Itzel Jimenez was headed home to Mexico on Friday after attorneys for her mother, her father and her grandmother reached a settlement in a Jackson County courtroom.

"There is an ongoing divorce petition in Mexico that will resolve the (custody) issues," said Andrew Talge, attorney for Itzel's grandmother.

"Frankly," Talge said, "this began in Mexican court, the court in Mexico has jurisdiction in this matter, and it is probably the best court to decide it as it involves three Mexican citizens."

• • • • •

 
Those of you who live here in Phoenix will be shocked to hear that the Cardinals won tonight. Yes, I know it's just preseason, but, hey, I thought I should say something.

• • • • •

 
UPDATE: Mayor Bloomberg wants to extend the smoking ban to offices. And that has some people ticked off.

Mayor Bloomberg's proposal to ban smoking in the workplace extends well beyond bars and restaurants - it covers all commercial offices in the city, the Daily News has learned.

That includes the Park Ave. headquarters of tobacco giant Philip Morris, which since 1995 has enjoyed a special exemption that allows workers there to light up almost anywhere.

• • • • •

 
MARTHA STEWART UPDATE:

From the New York Daily News:

A congressman probing the ImClone scandal said yesterday that a series of cryptic E-mails suggests Martha Stewart's broker had inside information when he urged her to dump stock.

In the Dec. 27 exchange, Merrill Lynch hot shot Peter Bacanovic asked his assistant, Douglas Faneuil: "Has news come out yet? Let me know."

Bacanovic tried to reach Stewart between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., when her secretary wrote this message in her log: "Peter Bacanovic thinks ImClone is going to start trading downward."

At 1:17 p.m., Bacanovic asked about the "news." At 1:20 p.m., Faneuil replied: "Nothing yet. I'll let you know. No call from Martha either."

Ten minutes later, Stewart's plane landed in San Antonio, Tex., and she phoned her office and picked up the morning message about ImClone.

Stewart then called Bacanovic's office and authorized the sale. Around 2 p.m., Faneuil sent her an E-mail confirming the trade of 3,928 shares at $58.

• • • • •

 
According a report in the New York Daily News, President Reagan's health is worsening.

"He no longer knows who Nancy is," one well-placed source told the Daily News, referring to his wife of 50 years. "Some days he seems to recognize her as someone who's familiar, but most of the time she's just a blank to him."

UPDATE: Orrin Judd adds a wonderful tribute to the man we remember as The Great Communicator, and earns a spot on my blogroll at the same time.

• • • • •

 
Another article that tries to show the hazards of ILLEGAL immigration while defending those who are trying to cross at the same time.

But some immigrant rights groups say that the crackdown, dubbed Operation Gatekeeper, is increasing demand for smugglers and putting migrants in more peril because it keeps pushing crossings into harsher terrain and climate. Nearly 800 migrants have died attempting illegal crossings in the past three years.

• • • • •

 
I wonder if these women actually amassed boyfriends with this end in mind. It sounds absurd that two women could have enough boyfriends to fill a 175-page cookbook. And they can all cook. I'm not letting my wife, who's the same age as these women, get her hands on this book.

• • • • •

 
Bryan Curtis of Slate says that Charlton Heston will have to give up his guns if he is diagnosed with full-blown Alzheimer's. This according to a California law that was supported by the NRA.

• • • • •

 
The WaPo is reporting that Iran has turned over 16 Al-Qaeda members to Saudi Arabia. Of course, now that they're in Saudi Arabia, that means we'll never see them.

• • • • •

 
UPDATE: Orrin Judd has offered his philosophical musings about Mr. Hamilton's comments, as well.

• • • • •

 
Howard Owens says Elvis is King.

• • • • •

 
The New York Times has compared bloggers to pamphleteers. (via Daily Pundit) Sounds like someone over in New York was getting a big head, and can't stand the heat.

• • • • •

 
I was wondering when someone was going to come up with a watered down version of this decision. This is not the same group that met in Dallas, although there is some overlap. The Inquirer story does say that members of both groups plan to meet to come up with a plan.

• • • • •

 
Further proof that the US-Mexico border should be militarized.

A National Park Service park ranger was shot and killed yesterday while pursuing a Mexican national in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

Last year, authorities intercepted 200,000 migrants and 700,000 pounds of drugs in Organ Pipe. Between five and eight law enforcement rangers typically patrol the 330,000-acre park, which borders Mexico for 31 miles.

• • • • •

 
Lynn has posted a set of telephone rules that I like SO much, I'm posting them in their entirety on my site.

Telephone Rules

These are The Rules for anyone calling my home phone number. Pay attention, there are no exceptions, unless noted.

1. I own the telephone and I pay the bill. When you call me on the phone it is the same as inviting yourself into my home. I don't give a rat's behind if your boss does have rules he requires you to follow when calling people. Your boss doesn't own my phone or pay my phone bill. You call me, you follow MY RULES. And if your boss has a problem with that then I want to talk to him.

2. Identify yourself! Do not ask for anyone until you tell me your name and, if it's a business call, who you're working for. YOU called ME. I WILL NOT identify myself or let you talk to anyone else you happen to be asking for until I know who you are.

3. Do not say "Hello?" after I have said "Hello." This is the time for you to identify yourself. And claiming you didn't hear me is no excuse. YOU called ME. LISTEN!

4. Talk to me; don't read to me. Yes yes yes, I know you are required to go by a script. Not my problem. My phone, my rules - remember?

5. If you get the answering machine tell it your name, company if applicable, phone number and state why you are calling in 10 words or less. DO NOT spend two to three minutes babbling on and on about how your day is going, your schedule for the next three days, your life story, your physical and mental ailments or whatever. JUST your name, phone number and a brief statement of the purpose of your call.

6. DO NOT say that it's "really really important" if you're actually just calling because you're lonely and want to talk to someone. "Important means that a)a family member or close friend is deathly ill or has died, b)that someone could lose their job if I don't call back the same day, c) some major catastrophe (tornado, fire, flood earthquate, terrorist attack, etc) has occurred, or d) you're in jail.

7. Speak clearly - enunciate. I won't call you back if I didn't understand who you are and I can't call you back if I didn't understand your phone number. DO NOT rattle off your phone number as fast as humanly possible, as if you are trying to set a world speed record for fast talking. Furthermore, repeating it at the same superluminal speed will not help. Just say the number slowly and clearly.

8. DO NOT hang up on my answering machine and then call back several times hoping to catch me at home. I'm probably there listening to see who's calling before I pick up the phone. If you don't like to talk to answering machines, fine, but that's your problem not mine. If you want to talk to me badly enough you'll deal with my machine.

• • • • •

 
The Justice Department is appealing the 9th Circuit's decision on the Pledge of Allegiance and want the whole court to hear it.

• • • • •

 
Cynthia McKinney is at it again, and apparently taking money from Republicans is worse than taking money from terrorists. (link courtesy Zachery Barbera)

She [Denise Majette] also said McKinney had taken campaign contributions from Arab terrorists on Sept. 11. McKinney touted herself as the "defender of the weak and the poor." "We don't racially profile our contributors," McKinney shot back. "My opponent has a lot of Republican money flowing into her coffers."

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Everyone needs to check out The War on Drugs Clock. (via Instant Man)

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I saw this on my ISP's main page, but couldn't find it in any of the papers.

(Tucson, AZ) -- Two Tucson residents are looking to hit the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division for $500 million. A class-action lawsuit filed this week on behalf of Irene Lahane and Sandra Sandoval accuses the MVD of leaving Arizona motorists vulnerable to identity theft. At issue is the policy of using social security numbers as driver's license numbers. The suit claims the policy was a breach of the federal Privacy Act of 1974, and has been filed on behalf of all Arizona drivers.

• • • • •

 
It appears that someone else agrees with my assessment of attorney general candidate Andrew Thomas. While they didn't give him the Asshole of the Week Award, like I did, the Arizona Daily Star did come up with a similar assessment of the candidate's campaign rhetoric. Since the Star's links disappear quickly, I'll just cut and paste:

Despite Thomas' strong personal beliefs, the duties of attorney general provide little more than a soapbox on issues that fall under legislative purview. The attorney general is primarily charged with the enforcement and defense of existing state law. Setting a social agenda for the state is typically the role of the governor and the Legislature.

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This seems to be endless. And it's happening right here in town.

• • • • •

 
This wouldn't be such big news except for one thing - I used to live in La Mirada, California. Small world, eh?

• • • • •

 
Just what I need. Combine this with the Berman bill, and I'll have John Ashcroft hacking into my system to see if I have any illegal MP3 files on my hard drive.

• • • • •

 
An arrest warrant has been issued for Vince Neil, the lead singer for the band Motley Crüe.

• • • • •

 
They have located the missing laptops. Apparently, whoever took them got what they needed, and felt it was safe to confess.

• • • • •

 
It is unbelievable what people do to other human beings.

They buried Saartjie Baartman, known as Sarah, today in a solemn ceremony on a small hill overlooking this Gamtoos River town, where she was born 213 years ago. She died in 1816, a pauper and a prostitute, a circus sideshow who was sold to a British Marine surgeon who saw in the protruding derriere that was characteristic of her Khoisan tribe some proof of whites' racial superiority. He took her to London and put her in a cage for all the world to see.

Things got worse. The surgeon sold her to an animal trainer, who took her to France. She was put on display in Paris, where gawkers sized up her nude form and named her the "Hottentot Venus."

Even in death, her humiliation did not end; a surgeon made a cast of her body, dissected her and stored her brain and genitals in bottles of formaldehyde. The painted plaster cast of Baartman's body was displayed in Paris' Musee de l'Homme until 1974.

• • • • •

 
New York City wants to host the Oscars now. Their rationale? It will help them recover from September 11. I'm sure that would be a nice gesture on the part of Los Angeles, but I'm thinking that New York is getting a tad greedy in trying to capitalize on September 11. They are trying to get both the Republican AND Democratic conventions held there, there is an Olympic bid for New York, a Super Bowl bid, and now the Oscars. All this in the name September 11. By the way, I was in Los Angeles in 1992, and don't remember the city asking for anything after the riots, except some federal dollars. However, the City of New York is asking for special treatment, and the rest of the nation is suffering at its expense.

• • • • •

 
Get over it, guys. Shaq can't act.

• • • • •

 
The Israelis and their supporters are always saying the Palestinians refuse to negotiate, but this time it was Sharon's turn. I'm still not convinced that either side really wants to finish this thing. They may just be happy fighting eternally. Hey, it keeps them on television.

• • • • •

 
UPDATE: Alejandro Avila, the man accused of killing Samantha Runnion pleaded innocent today.

• • • • •

 
Adrian Hamilton of The Independent is calling for a regime change. However, he's arguing the point for a European invasion of the United States. Sasha Castel will have none of it.

UPDATE: You can read more abuse of this columnist at, fittingly, Whacking Day.

• • • • •

 
Michael Barone is the latest to speak up and say that the Saudis are our enemies. Why won't the administration go on record and admit the same thing? Thanks to Glenn Reynolds for the link.

• • • • •

 
If you didn't know who else is in the blogosphere, this article may help. (via Instant Man)

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Today's NEWS FROM DENMARK comes from the Berlinske Tidende, who reported on the disgusting international child pornography ring I mentioned earlier today. American papers had mentioned that Danish police had tipped off U.S. officials to the ring. My translator page wasn't working, so either it's down tonight, or gone. Not many Danish to English sites out there, so if that site's disappeared, I may have to discontinue posting Danish news.

• • • • •

 
So Bloomberg want to ban smoking restaurant and bars. Here in Arizona, every suburban community has its own anti-smoking ordinance, and it's met with fierce opposition, especially from the restaurant and bar owners, saying it will drive business to other communities. Hasn't happened. Smokers will adapt and conform in New York, just as they did in Arizona.

• • • • •

 
I wonder how much more red ink these guys are going to dig up before its all over. The Bushies are doing the right thing by cracking down on "creative accounting," but I'm of the belief that it's only a slim minority that's guilty of the abuses.

• • • • •

 
UPDATE: A mistrial has been declared in this case. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, jurors were reach any kind of agreement. The state is going to ask for a new trial, but I thought that the man would be immune prosecution under the "double jeopardy" clause of the Fifth Amendment.

• • • • •

 
This has be one of the most heinous and disgusting stories I have yet to read.

A group of parents sexually molested their own children and sent pornographic pictures of them worldwide over the Internet, U.S. Customs officials said Friday, announcing 20 arrests in the United States and abroad.

Forty-five children, including 37 Americans ranging from 2 to about 14, were victims and have been removed from the care of those indicted, Customs officials said. Eighty percent of the children were molested by one of their own parents, they said.

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By the way, this page looks much better in Netscape Navigator than in IE. If you have both browsers installed like I do, take a look. Everything's just easier to read.

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TED WILLIAMS UPDATE:

The executor of Ted Williams' estate asked a judge Thursday to end a court case over disposition of the famed slugger's remains, saying he is satisfied Williams wanted to be frozen after death.

• • • • •

 
The Danielle Van Dam murder case has been sent to the jury. The prosecution says they have forensic evidence, the defense says it's circumstantial. It's up to the jury to decide.

• • • • •

 
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Arizona's open primary law.

The lawsuit was filed in March by Libertarians who argued that open primaries violate their First Amendment right to freedom of association by allowing independent voters to influence the selection of party leaders and candidates.

• • • • •

 
MARTHA STEWART UPDATE

Home fashion executive Martha Stewart should be subpoenaed to answer questions about her sale of ImClone shares a day before they plummeted, a member of a congressional panel said Thursday.

"Bring her in and if she wants to take the fifth (Fifth Amendment), that's her right. That's her legal right," said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich.

• • • • •

 
Pimentel goes to bat for Arizona's Latino superintendent of public instruction. Wonder if he'd do the same if the man were not Latino? Possibly, but not in his column. Gannett wouldn't allow for it.

• • • • •

 
Here's yet another airport screening lawsuit in the making. (link via Susanna Cornett)

In the latest in a series of airport security nightmares, a woman flying from New York to Florida was forced to drink three bottles of her own breast milk before being allowed to board a flight at JFK International Airport - in an incident that has one prominent New York civil rights attorney ready to sue.

Elizabeth McGanny of Oceanside, NY called WABC Radio's Curtis Sliwa and Ron Kuby Tuesday morning to relate the story. After hearing the tale, Kuby, who doubles as one of New York's most celebrated civil rights attorneys, suggested that McGanny call his office.

"How much money do you smell here?" Sliwa asked his radio partner.

"If I get a jury of nursing mothers - a lot," Kuby replied.

• • • • •

 
Lileks has come across something we can all find pretty disturbing. A chat room for Islamic fundamentalist youth. (via Instant Man)

• • • • •

 
Support for a Bush-Rice ticket in 2004 is gaining momentum, says the Washington Times. (link courtesy The Hoosier Review)

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The Houston Press reports that a journalist has been fired for his blog. (via Ginger)

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I have no idea what this means, but...

• • • • •

 
Ever see something that was SO weird you just had to blog it? Well, Robyn posted one of those items.

In a bizarre attack, a job hunter was "robbed" of sperm in Kraaifontein, after a passerby offered him food, took him home and beat him up before forcing him to ejaculate into a jar.

Police spokesman Ian Rosant confirmed that a 33-year-old man had laid a charge of indecent assault with Kraaifontein police. He said the suspect, described as middle-aged, had offered the man work and food at his home. But instead he took his victim into a room, locked the door and asked him to have sex with his wife.

Rosant said that when the confused and shocked job seeker refused to have sex with his false Samaritan's wife, the man punched him. "The attacker then partially stripped the frightened man and forcibly caused him to ejaculate" while the woman looked on, Rosant said. The man collected his victim's sperm and sealed it in a jar. The attacker let him go and he fled.

• • • • •

 
Sam Coppersmith has a post which states what I've been saying all along - those who are against Clean Elections had better be against any other use of tax funds, lest they be labeled hypocrites. The former congressman uses Arizona's school voucher system as an example.

• • • • •

 
UPDATE: The mother of the child had a miscarriage today.

• • • • •

 
Another reason the war on drugs is a stupid idea.

The fire began on July 29 near the town of Julian, about 60 miles northeast of San Diego, when a National Guard helicopter on an anti-drug patrol clipped a power line.

It has burned across 53,244 acres, destroying 22 homes, 77 outbuildings and 102 vehicles. More than 3,000 firefighters were involved in the effort Wednesday.

• • • • •

 
Robert Robb, in his column today, defends the Clean Elections Act, but then waffles on the issue, saying that government should stay out of campaigns. Good thing he works for Gannett. His column is as poorly written as the Clean Elections Act. What I'd like to know is how Steve May voted on the Cardinals stadium. After all, I'd like to apply his logic towards the stadium every time I rent a car or hotel room in the Valley.

Rep. May says that the voter-approved surcharge on parking tickets is unconstitutional since it supports a political viewpoint that he may not agree with. Therefore, so is the voter-approved surcharge on rental cars and hotel rooms so Bidwill can have his damn stadium. I voted against the thing, and I still have to pay the surcharge like everyone else who rents a car here in the Valley. Like John F. Long, I think the TSA and the stadium are unconstitutional for the same reasons that May gives for Clean Elections.

My advice to Rep. May is that if he doesn't want to pay the voter-approved surcharge, he may want to consider feeding the meter. As for the Cardinals, well, most of the Legislature backs them anyway, so I'm afraid we're stuck with them. Unfortunately, nobody really wants then in their back yard - except Tempe, which has no land to build on.

• • • • •

 
Another example of why the state of Florida's laws are not in the best interest of the child:

Neena's 16-year-old mom must agree to take out newspaper ads identifying herself by name and address, and listing the names of all of the boys she had sex with when she was 13 years old, during the 12 months before Neena was born.

The ads must run once a week for four weeks, and appear in publications in any city or county where Neena might have been conceived.

• • • • •

 
One more reason NOT to sympathize with the suicide bombers. (via Joshua Claybourn)

Israeli doctors have learned that many of the suicide bombers are infected with diseases ranging from hepatitis to HIV. When they blow themselves up, there is danger of blood exchange, or of flesh projectiles penetrating the bodies of their victims, and Israeli hospitals have been stocked with vaccines against many common diseases, as well as with the antibiotics they administer to fight infection.

• • • • •

 
I sense a national bloggers' convention in Miami on September 11. The article I read in my local paper said they also have connections through Vegas and L..A., so those of us on the West Coast could join in on the fun as well.

UPDATE: I finally got through to the airline's website, and they're already 90% full.

• • • • •

 
It appears that other people have figured this out as well.

• • • • •

 
Having been the victim of a drunken driver, I normally don't feel sorry for the person on trial in these type of cases. However, in this case, it appears the state wants a body.

In this New Jersey case, a man is on trial for manslaughter. He allowed his friend to drive while his blood alcohol content was above the legal limit. That friend later killed a man. The friend is dead and cannot be held accountable, so now the state is going after the person who allowed the man to drive intoxicated. Sounds like vigilante justice to me, and it's being done in the name of the State of New Jersey.

I'd be interested to hear what our resident professors have to say on this subject.

• • • • •

 
Here's why I really don't feel sorry for professional athletes. From USATODAY:

Roger Clemens is ready to return from the disabled list this week, but the question is whether the New York Yankees right-hander will return next season. Clemens' agents, the Houston-based Hendricks brothers, have been talking about extending his contract beyond this season, The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger reported Sunday, citing a person familiar with the negotiations. Clemens is in the second year of a unique contract that paid him $10.3 million each of the last two seasons and guarantees him $10.3 million next season. Clemens receives that $10.3 million even if he doesn't play for the Yankees, but he wants a new contract in addition to the payment.

• • • • •

 
Mullah Omar's brother-in-law has been captured.

• • • • •

 
MARTHA STEWART UPDATE: Her broker's assistant has decided to come clean on the deal - and the prospect isn't good. If his story holds water, Martha may be as guilty as the rest of them.

• • • • •

 
Here's a good one. The Born Alive Infants Protection Act ensures certain federal rights to a fetus born alive during an abortion. Does that make SENSE? That would be like, a BABY. Anyway, Bush signed the bill, and you can read the gory details here. (link via Best of the Web)

• • • • •

 
Football season is back, and my team, the New York Giants won last night on Monday Night Football 34-17 over the expansion Houston Texans. Yeah, it's only an exhibition game, but it's FOOTBALL!

• • • • •

 
I'm sure these people thought they'd get lost in the system, like many others did during the period surrounding September 11. Apparently they were mistaken.

• • • • •

 
The Asshole of the Week Award goes to Arizona attorney general candidate Andrew Thomas, who claims to be the only candidate that is against a homosexual agenda. He claims this both in his television commercials and on his website. This may be his personal belief, but it's an obvious ploy to pander to conservative voters.

The reason it's only a ploy is that he can't deliver. Whether he likes the laws or not, as the state's top legal official, he's not allowed to discriminate. It appears that Mr. Thomas is trying to be Arizona's version of John Ashcroft - and we know how that is turning out in real life.

So it's safe to say that Andrew Thomas will NOT be getting my vote this November, and has earned this week's Asshole of the Week Award.

• • • • •

 
The district attorney will seek the death penalty in the Samantha Runnion murder trial. No plea bargain will be considered for Alejandro Avila, the man charged in the murder.

• • • • •

 
The courts are allowing an abortion to take place, although the father of the child is willing to take resposnsibility.

This decision troubles me, and furthers my belief that the subject of abortion should not be legislated or decided in the courtrooms of this country. It's a private decision, and it should have been decided privately between the mother and the father. If an unfortunate situation occurred where it had to be mediated, it should have been done through a church leader or other community leader. However, this should have never reached our court system and made it into the press. The judge is saying that the woman's right to privacy is being violated, but since the story has become national headlines, hasn't her privacy already been violated?

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If this guy's theory, and the logic the reporter uses to back it up stand, we may have something interesting on our hands.

Striking back against a computer that is attacking you may be illegal under U.S. law, but a security researcher says people should be allowed to neutralize one that is unwittingly spreading destructive Internet worms like Nimda.

The defensive strategy of "strike back" is gaining some support among members of the U.S. Congress. They will be voting on a bill backed by movie and music studios that would allow retaliation to help thwart Internet piracy.

The bill, proposed by Democratic Congressman Howard Berman of California, would protect copyright holders from liability if they infuse destructive decoy digital files into peer-to-peer networks to penalize users.

What the reporter FAILS to say is that the Berman bill also would allow the recording industry to hack into systems in search of illegal media - which is against the law as currently written. However, if this "hack back" idea were initiated, would it allow any person being hacked under the Berman bill to go back and hack into the computers of the RIAA and the MPAA? Kind of a puzzling question.

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Microsoft is finally releasing the source code to Windows.

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There is no Amy Fisher column this week. She has the cover story.

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Click here to see my site in German.

Saw this both at Susanna Cornett's page and over at View from the Core.

If you are linked from this page, you will see what your page translates to in German. My four semesters of college German didn't seem to help any. I can't read a word of this garbage.

• • • • •

 
A View from the Core reports what just about all of us whose livelihoods don't rely on Nielsen ratings already know. Childhood abductions are actually in a downward trend.

• • • • •

 
There's a problem now there's a settlement in the case against McDonalds for using beef products in their fries while claiming they used 100% vegetable oil to fry them. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of "U.S. vegetarians" - and that's a bit vague. Who really DOES get the money? (link courtesy Susanna Cornett)

• • • • •

 
Yet another story on blogs.

• • • • •

 
This article puts a whole different spin on the relationship between the United States and Iraq - and where Donald Rumsfeld fits into that puzzle. On a personal note, I don't think the U.S. will attack Iraq anytime soon. Rather, I think we might see another "Cold War" similar to what we saw with the former Soviet Union.

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Here's the list of URLs blocked in Saudi Arabia. (via Nick Denton)

• • • • •

 
It's been a month since the "Rodeo-Chediski" fire, and the money from the charities has not been divided. In fact, the money's going elsewhere.

A month after the "Rodeo-Chediski" fire, three non-profit agencies are still divvying up the nearly $2 million that was donated to aid its victims. Now those agencies are using the money for disasters unrelated to the fire. Charitable giving has been under the microscope since the American Red Cross came under fire for how it managed Sept. 11 relief funds.

• • • • •

 
Al Gore had an op-ed piece in today's NYT. Thanks to Nick Denton for jogging my memory by mentioning it on his blog, as I was going to blog it myself.

It's not really a bad piece. However, he goes out of his way to badmouth both the Bush-Cheney administration, as well as his former running mate, Joe Lieberman. Here are a couple of examples:

For well over a year, the Bush administration has used its power in the wrong way. In 2000, I argued that the Bush-Cheney ticket was being bankrolled by "a new generation of special interests, power brokers who would want nothing better than a pliant president who would bend public policy to suit their purposes and profits." Some considered this warning anti-business. It was nothing of the sort. I believe now, as I said then, that "when powerful interests try to take advantage of the American people, it's often other businesses that are hurt in the process" — most of all, smaller companies that play by the rules.

Standing up for "the people, not the powerful" was the right choice in 2000. And, in fact, it is the Democratic Party's meaning and mission. The suggestion from some in our party that we should no longer speak that truth, especially at a time like this, strikes me as bad politics and, worse, wrong in principle.

Whether tactics such as these will attract voters is beyond me, but on the surface, it sounds like negative campaigning.

• • • • •

 
If the allegations in this story are true, then Jordan may just end up being the world's largest parking lot. Until we get done with Saudi Arabia, that is. (link courtesy Instant Man)

• • • • •

 
The Christian Science Monitor discusses how Britain is becoming the new home of radical Islam. (via Instant Man)

• • • • •

 
This is a bit disturbing to know:

Federal agents and teams of nuclear specialists are searching the Midwest for a mysterious shipment of radioactive material that was trucked across the Canadian border into Michigan in May, government officials said Friday.

Government inspectors did not become aware of the material until early June, about a week after it crossed the border. Newly installed sensors were not fully operational at the time, officials say. It was only after sensor recordings were examined days later that the radioactive material was noted.

• • • • •

 
Both the NAACP and a state legislator are siding with the slave-descended black landowners whose land Ted Turner claims to hold title to. Here's the original Associated Press report. (via Instant Man)

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Bob Dylan was back at the Newport Folk Festival. It was his first appearance there since 1965.

• • • • •

 
Another story of the government attempting to crack down on illegal immigration. Maybe if it starts hurting regular Americans in the pocketbook, the government will take it seriously.

• • • • •

 
Montini today points out that everything is not how it seems when we try to accommodate people who speak different languages.

"Why is it," the businesswoman asked, "that (the salon owner) can come across an ocean and learn a completely different alphabet so that she can prosper in this country and this poor woman who only has to learn a few key phrases stood in the doorway unable to communicate?"

The answer, of course, is because she can. Business leaders and politicians, who are more afraid of offending Spanish speakers than in having them assimilate, make it easy. Which helps no one. An immigrant from Moscow put it this way to me: "When I came here I knew I must learn to speak English. First, because I am in America now. Second, when I call on the telephone, the recording does not tell me, 'Push 1 for English. Push 2 for Russian.'"

• • • • •