Ramblings' Journal

AlGore-vision replaces NWI tonight at midnight

Al Gore's CurrentTV replaces Newsworld International tonight at midnight, ET.

Programming is expected to be akin to CBC's artsy program ZeD, with amateur videos produced by viewers and art students.

With it's demise, we lose yet another news resource in this nation.

I expressed my disappointment to DirecTV's VP of Programming, Bob Marsocci this past week.

Mr. Marsocci --

My name is Michael King. I'm a freelance writer and columnist based in Atlanta. I've also been a subscriber to DirecTV for the past couple of years.

Overall, I've been very pleased with DirecTV, and find the service and quality far superior to the service I received previously from Comcast Cable (and in it's earlier guises, AT&T Broadband and MediaOne). The quality of the signal and the variety of networks (both new and old) have been very enjoyable for both me and my family.

The one area that I have a concern in is in the arena of international news. Previously, I was able to watch CNN International's programming (at least on weekends), along with news from Newsworld International. Over the past eight months both services have met their demise on DirecTV. With the end of NWI next week, a view of the news from overseas that many viewers have looked forward to watching will have been silenced.

I understand that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has approached DirecTV about continuing to offer some form of news from their auspices following the demise of NWI, but was turned down.

On behalf of many viewers who depend on international news from outside American borders, I ask that you please reconsider your decision. In addition, I'd like to suggest three additional international news services: CNN International, BBC World and SkyNews.

CNN International's return would provide a level and type of international news service that viewers have come to expect from CNN.

BBC World's round-the-clock news coverage would provide news quality that is considered to be second-to-none by many; and as evidenced by BBC World News viewership on PBS stations around the US and on BBC America, domestic viewers would be very interested in receiving programming from BBC World. International travelers already are familiar with BBC World's programming, as they are available to travelers worldwide.

SkyNews is already available in many English-speaking nations around the world, and as a sister company to both DirecTV and Fox News Channel, would provide additional product and content from NewsCorp. SkyNews has won multiple awards for their programming, and it's value as an international counterpart to Fox News is immeasurable. Programmers at FNC already recognize the value of Sky, given the amount of simulcasting Fox News has done of SkyNews programming during the recent London terror attacks.

Please reconsider your decision not to offer additional international news to American viewers. Not only would you provide service to an underserved viewer base, you would offer content that is not presently available on Dish Network or on many cable television systems in the United States.

Thanking you for your consideration, I remain,

Sincerely,

Michael H. King
Mableton, GA

I've yet to hear from Mr. Marsocci, but all I'm honestly expecting in return is a form letter.

They don't give a flying fart as to what we, as viewers, want.

Peanut Farmer says Guantanamo gives terrorist "excuse" to attack US

Former President Jimmy Carter, speaking at the Baptist World Alliance conference in Birmingham, England yesterday, said that the detention of terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was an "embarrasment," and gives terrorists an "excuse" to attack the United States and US-allied nations.

"I think what's going on in Guantanamo Bay and other places is a disgrace to the U.S.A.," he told a news conference at the Baptist World Alliance's centenary conference in Birmingham, England. "I wouldn't say it's the cause of terrorism, but it has given impetus and excuses to potential terrorists to lash out at our country and justify their despicable acts."

Carter said, however, that terrorist acts could not be justified, and that while Guantanamo "may be an aggravating factor ... it's not the basis of terrorism."

"What has happened at Guantanamo Bay ... does not represent the will of the American people," Carter said Saturday. "I'm embarrassed about it, I think its wrong. I think it does give terrorists an unwarranted excuse to use the despicable means to hurt innocent people."

"I thought then, and I think now, that the invasion of Iraq was unnecessary and unjust. And I think the premises on which it was launched were false," he said Saturday.

Jimmy, don't pretend to speak about the "will of the American people." A significant number of Americans do support the war on terror, your bitch-and-moan fest notwithstanding.

You want to speak for those who don't, that's your business. But don't presume to speak for me.

Plug pulled on controversial play about KKK

A controversial play about Ku Klux Klan rallies held in Stone Mountain, GA has had it's plug pulled before it's scheduled performance August 29, because the play's director felt the opening monologue was in "bad taste."

The play, written by black playwright Calvin Ramsey, was an accurate portrayal of the annual KKK rallies held for many years, first on top of Stone Mountain, then, in later years at a field near the base of the granite monolith.

On the nights the Ku Klux Klan held rallies near the poor black neighborhood of Shermantown in Stone Mountain, the residents could hear the racial epithets and hate-filled language lash the air, loosed through big loudspeakers in a nearby pasture.

Now, a play about one of those rallies, in 1940, has sparked controversy and the cancellation of the performance at a small theater in the Atlanta suburb.

The owners of Art Station had agreed to stage a reading of "Shermantown — Baseball, Apple Pie and the Klan" on Aug. 27, but pulled the plug after the director decided the opening monologue was in bad taste.

Director David Thomas said this week his board was in agreement that the play, by Calvin Ramsey, was the wrong play at the wrong time in the wrong place.

"The language in the monologue is not only racy, it's inciting, and slanderous about Jews and Catholics," said Thomas.

"We have been in this community for 20 years and work hard to build a relationship with the people who live here. We didn't feel this is appropriate material for our stage."

Ramsey's play is about a salesman from out of town who finds himself in the historically black Shermantown neighborhood of Stone Mountain the night of one of these annual KKK rallies.

Sue Ellen Owens, director of the DeKalb History Center, who is funding the play, says the history is important, and is working to find another venue for the play.

"Although some parts of the play may make the audience uncomfortable, the events and strong language are indicative of the times," said Owens. "You have to look at history, warts and all."

Reverend William Morris, who was born and has lived in Shermantown 77 years said Friday he didn't understand the controversy. "There's nothing offensive about it," he said. "It's the way it was."

It's sad that so many people are so mired in political correctness that they will do whatever is necessary to whitewash accurate portrayals of history in order to assuage their self-worth, and in some cases, self-guilt.

The past is not always pretty. But learning from the truth of our past will help us all grow in the future.

Sharpton slams blacks for supporting Democrats blindly

In what for him is an unusual stance to take, Al Sharpton blasted blacks Thursday, for what he called blind support of the Democratic Party in general, and former President Bill Clinton in particular.

Sharpton's diatribe came in a speech at the Urban League's annual conference in Washington.

"The whole network of incarceration (of African-American men) happened under this president and the last president. So it wasn't just George Bush. Bill Clinton -- I wish Hillary had hung around -- Bill Clinton built a lot of jails and passed the omnibus crime bill," Sharpton said shortly after Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) had addressed the same panel discussion, entitled "The Black Male: Endangered Species or Hope for the Future?"

"And just because Bill can sing "Amazing Grace" well doesn't mean the omnibus crime bill was not a bill that hurt our people," Sharpton told the several hundred people gathered at the Washington Convention Center.

"We must stop allowing people to gain politically from us if they're not reciprocating when dealing and being held accountable," said Sharpton, referring to the allegiance that African-American voters maintain to the Democratic Party.

"As long as we allow people to get elected off of us and deliver nothing to us, then part of our problem is that we have such low political self esteem," he said. "Every time we give them support for no support, we add to the marginalization of black men."

Sharpton said the situation has "gotten so bad that we hold black leaders accountable and give white leaders a pass."

Sharpton challenged the negative images of blacks created by the media and motion pictures, pointing in particular to the newly-released movie "Hustle & Flow," which features Terence Howard as a Memphis pimp-turned-rapper.

In my opinion, Sharpton is certainly moving in a positive direction -- especially when compared with Jesse Jackson, but Sharpton is still out for himself, everyone else be damned.

No matter how he dresses himself, he's still suspect in my book.

CAIR bullies people into submission

Islam's presentation as a "religion of peace" is coming across as incredibly bogus in light of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) bullying of management at Disney-owned radio station WMAL in Washington.

WMAL has "suspended indefinitely" conservative radio talk show host Michael Graham pending an "investigation" of an opinion Graham presented on the air July 25.

Curiously, this comes behind the beginning of CAIR's concerted and well-defined campaign of contacting WMAL advertisers, asking that they exert pressure on the Disney-owned station regarding some sort of punishment of Graham.

Graham's on-air comments that have excited CAIR include: "Because of the mix of Islamic theology that -- rightly or wrongly -- is interpreted to promote violence, added to an organizational structure that allows violent radicals to operate openly in Islam's name with impunity, Islam has, sadly, become a terrorist organization. It pains me to say it. But the good news is it doesn't have to stay this way, if the vast majority of Muslims who don't support terror will step forward and re-claim their religion."

I'm sorry, but I have to agree with Graham. Believers in Islam around the world have been exceedingly silent regarding the constant and increasing levels of terrorism perpetrated in the name of Islam. The voices of dissent from within have been miniscule at best since 9/11.

Ironically, on July 28, CAIR announced a "fatwa" or religious edict against Islamic terrorism, a scant four years after the 9/11 terror attacks.

It sounds to me like CAIR is trying to clean up their own muddling mess in order to make them look better in light of their bullying of Disney. As much as CAIR tries to dress it up, until and unless they can take a stronger and more legitimate stand against Islmaic terror both in America and across the globe, CAIR looks more like a complicit organizations trying to justify terror than a moderate voice of reason trying to help rehabilitate their religion and religious zealots.

WMAL Washington suspends Michael Graham for anti-Islamic comments

WMAL radio talk-show host Michael Graham has been "suspended indefinitely" by the Disney-owned radio station pending an "investigation" of comments critical of Islamic terrorists. The suspension apparently comes at the behest of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), who vehemently protested Graham's on-air statements.

Graham's comments -- which were his opinion -- caught the ire of CAIR officials.

"Because of the mix of Islamic theology that -- rightly or wrongly -- is interpreted to promote violence, added to an organizational structure that allows violent radicals to operate openly in Islam's name with impunity, Islam has, sadly, become a terrorist organization. It pains me to say it. But the good news is it doesn't have to stay this way, if the vast majority of Muslims who don't support terror will step forward and re-claim their religion."

CAIR has issued multiple releases condemning Graham's opinions, and indicating that someone with those opinions shouldn't be employed by Disney. CAIR is orchestrating a concerted campaign of contacting WMAL's advertisers, in order to have them pressure WMAL to get Graham fired.

And apparently they have succeeded.

I guess Disney only believes in a talk show host having an opinion of his own when it doesn't piss off CAIR or some other group of hand-wringers.

Helen Thomas promises seppuku if Cheney runs for President

White House columnist (and resident Stone Troll) Helen Thomas is promising to commit suicide if Vice President Dick Cheney runs for President in 2008.

"The day Dick Cheney is going to run for president, I'll kill myself," she told the HILL. "All we need is one more liar."

Thomas added, "I think he'd like to run, but it would be a sad day for the country if he does."

"Run, Dick, Run!"

All Helen needs is some industrial strength prune juice. Her constipation is showing.

Shuttle fleet grounded; foam still a problem

NASA released a tersely-worded statement early this evening that indicated that the Space Shuttle fleet was being grounded until further notice. This after foam was observed falling from the shuttle's external tank during yesterday's launch.

While the US space agency said the foam did not damage the shuttle on Tuesday's launch, a spokesman said that future flights are on hold until the problem is corrected.

"Until we're ready we won't fly again," said Bill Parsons, space shuttle program manager.

While thus far, no major damage has been detected to Discovery, a decision regarding potential repairs to the orbiter will be made later this week.

If Discovery cannot be reliably repaired, rescue options would include sending up Atlantis with plenty of spare parts, or sending the Discovery crew back two or three at a time in Soyuz capsules.

This news, of course, scratches the September scheduled relaunch of Atlantis.

NY woman sues over GTA sex scenes

A New York woman has filed suit in federal court against Rockstar Games and their parent company Take-Two Interactive.

85 year-old Florence Cohen is upset that the previously M rated game (17 and over) Grand Theft Auto San Andreas has been revealed to have graphic sexual content that can be unlocked with codes available on the internet. Cohen is seeking unspecified damages both for herself and on behalf of "consumers nationwide."

Florence Cohen of New York, said in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan that the game's manufacturer, Rockstar Games, and its parent company, New York-based Take Two Interactive Software Inc., engaged in false, misleading and deceptive practices.

She sought unspecified damages on behalf of herself and all consumers nationwide, saying the company should give up its profits from the game for what amounted to false advertising, consumer deception and unfair business practices.

Cohen said in the suit that she bought the game in late 2004 for her grandson when it was rated "M" for mature, for players 17 and older. According to the suit, she directed that it be taken away from her grandson, which was done.

The game was released in October with an "M" rating. After a storm of negative publicity about the hidden scenes, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, an industry group responsible for rating games, changed the rating to "AO" for adults only.

While I fault Rockstar for including the graphic sexual content, which can be unlocked with the "Hot Coffee" mod code available on the internet, I get the distinct impression that this woman -- and her ambulance chasing lawyer -- are more interested in a quick payday than they are interested in justice.

This sounds like a case where "loser pays" legislation would be well used.

New Chicago skyscraper to be nation's tallest

A new 115-story skyscraper in Chicago would take the title of America's tallest building away from Chicago's Sears Tower if it's built.

The Fordham Spire is planned for Chicago's lakefront adjacent to Navy Pier. The 115-story building would rise 1,458 feet without it's spire -- 8 feet taller than the Sears Tower. With the spire, the building would top out at 2,000 feet, eclipsing the under-construction Freedom Tower in New York. The Freedom Tower's height (with antenna mast) will ultimately be 1,776 feet.

The proposed Chicago skyscraper, designed in a twisting shape like an enormous drill bit, is designed by the Spanish-born architect and engineer who designed the Milwaukee Art Museum addition and the Athens Olympic sports complex.

No financing for what would be a hotel and condo tower has yet been arranged, said (developer Christopher) Carley, the chairman of Fordham Co. The new building would be called the Fordham Spire.

Construction would not begin until there are sales agreements for about 40 percent of its units, Carley said. He said he'd like to break ground in March and complete the building in four years.

The world's tallest building presently is Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan. The height of the Burj Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a closely guarded secret, but it is believed that it will be more than 2,300 feet when completed in 2008.

Police car barrels through brick wall in LA chase

 

 

This morning, a Los Angeles police chase resulted in a California Highway Patrol car careening out of control and through a brick wall into a furniture store when the officer driving couldn't negotiate a tight, high-speed turn.

The chase was broadcast on Los Angeles television stations (what else is new?), and had been picked up by Fox News Channel for viewing by the remainder of the nation.

A man who led police and California Highway Patrol officers on a wild chase from Downey to Watts early Tuesday is in custody and being held on a $1 million kidnapping warrant, authorities said.

Enrique Reyes, 27, was wanted on the warrant, which was issued out of Los Angeles, and faces other probable charges in connection with the chase, said Downey police Sgt. Jeff Calhoun.

The driver got out and ran after a tire blew on the getaway vehicle, but he was arrested a short time later, according to CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos. The Associated Press reports that a woman in the vehicle also is being held as authorities try to determine if she was a kidnapping victim.

A CHP officer whose cruiser barrelled through a building wall and into a Walnut Park furniture store after he failed to negotiate a hard right turn was not injured, Villalobos said. Officials later said the crash may have been caused by a mechanical error.

The officer only suffered minor injuries. Reyes was captured a short time later when his car broke down.

Rocketing back to orbit...

Discovery's made it to orbit.

Now comes the next step.

Under a blue, nearly cloudless sky, the spacecraft lifted off at 10:39 a.m. ET, as scheduled.

"Liftoff of space shuttle Discovery, beginning America's new journey to the moon, Mars and beyond," said George Diller, the voice of shuttle launch control.

I don't think anyone will quit holding their collective breaths until Discovery makes it home in a couple of weeks.

Spaceflight Now is carrying constant real-time mission updates.

Russia's biggest spammer spammed to death

Russia's biggest spammer, Vardan Kushnir, was found dead Sunday, according to Russia's Interfax agency.

He died from repeated blows to the head.

Sounds like one of his victims finally got to him.

I don't wish ill on folks, but for this one? Good.

Chicago criminal court judge: "No all white juries"

Cook county Circuit Judge Evelyn Clay has indicated that she has a rule: No all white juries in her courtroom.

So what is she going to do on those occasions that an all-white jury pool is made available, go grab the first two blacks she sees on the street to fill out the jury pool?

"Folks, you all know I have a rule; I don't seat all white jurors," Circuit Judge Evelyn Clay said as a jury was being picked to hear a murder trial last month, according to court transcripts.

Chief Criminal Court Judge Paul Biebel Jr. said last week that he had recently been made aware of the remarks Clay made.

Clay admitted they were "indelicately stated" and said she regretted being blunt. But it is her view that qualified African-Americans were being left off juries without good reason, she said.

"I try to preside over jury trials in a fair and impartial way--that is always my goal," Clay said. "I carry out all my duties and responsibilities with that goal."

Clay, who is African-American, made the remarks in chambers before three separate trials, according to transcripts reviewed by the Tribune.

I guess she really wants to make sure that there are exactly one or two blacks on each and every jury that comes in. Does this mean that she's going to send an all black jury out, or an all Hispanic jury out? I doubt it.

So much for a judge being professional and unbiased. Then again, this is Chicago we are talking about. Apparently (and to swipe a classic quote), "that's the Chicago way."

Ricky Martin: poster child for Israel's erradication?

In her new column, syndicated columnist Debbie Schlussel points out that UNICEF goodwill ambassador Ricky Martin's swing through the Middle East is doing wonders for placating those who would destroy the nation of Israel.

Previously, I've written about the Arab Children's Congress, an anti-Semitic, anti-American hate-fest held each year in Jordan--featuring Muslims and Arab kiddies from around the world. Ostensibly, the conference is about promoting tolerance and understanding, but it's really about training them young on hatred for Jews, Americans, and Westerners. The conference is funded in large part by Dubai. Several of the 9/11 hijackers carried Dubaian documents and used Dubai bank accounts to fund their "activities."

Last year, Angelina Jolie attended as a guest of honor, hung out with the haters, and made out with Queen Noor (see photos here). This year, the offender is the ambiguously gay Ricky Martin, as a UN Childrens Fund Goodwill Ambassador.

Looks like Martin has now cut his already-dwindled-to-almost-nothing audience to an even smaller slice: gay Palestinian terrorists.

Ricky Martin says his Ricky Martin Foundation "is working to combat child pornography and prostitution worldwide." No word on whether it also works to combat celebrity political prostitution.

If you translate the Arabic words on the scarf that Martin is wearing in the image here, it says "Jerusalem is ours," and shows Israel as a part of Palestine; in otherwords, let's get rid of everyone in Israel that isn't Palistinean.

My guess is that Ricky is too clueless to know that, though.

Just a smile and thumbs up.

"Funeral Crashers" - the update; Knoll "apologizes"

Pennsylvania Lt. Governor Catherine Baker Knoll is sending a formal apology to the family of a dead Marine in Indiana, PA.

Last week, Knoll, without an invite, attended the funeral of Staff Sgt. Joseph Goodrich, passed out her business card and claimed that the state government was against the war on terror.

Sunday, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell said that a written apology would be sent to Goodrich's wife. No word though, on whether the raving moonbat Lt. Governor's hand was soundly slapped or not.

Curiously, Knoll's letter of apology starts out with the words "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE." That sounds to me like something written more for the press and general public than any kind of legitimate apology letter to the family she insulted.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

....

LT. GOVERNOR CATHERINE BAKER KNOLL LETTER OF APOLOGY HARRISBURG:

....

If my regard for his family’s grief was seen another way, it is thoroughly regrettable. The fact that you have been offended deserves and receives my most profound apology.

Translation: "Oops. I thought you were stark raving moonbats like me. My bad..."

I don't believe her half-assed apology for a minute. She's only sorry that she got caught.

"All aboard!" The Roberts smear train is loading on track 22

As liberals across the nation scrabbled for an attacking handhold against Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, they challenged him on his possible membership in the Federalist Society, a Washington-based group of conservative lawyers formed in the early 80s to combat percieved liberal legislation from the bench. According to the AP, Roberts' name was on a 1997 list of members.

Supreme Court nominee John Roberts declined Monday to say why he was listed in a leadership directory of the Federalist Society and the White House said he has no recollection of belonging to the conservative group.

The question of Roberts' membership in the society — an influential organization of conservative lawyers and judges formed in the early 1980s to combat what its members said was growing liberalism on the bench — emerged as a vexing issue at the start of another week of meetings for President Bush's nominee on Capitol Hill.

Democratic Senators are already making noises about demanding that the White House release all of Roberts' writings. The White House, so far, has indicated that no such release is forthcoming.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has yet to ask for such material for its hearings. But some Democrats, including Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, have urged the White House to release "in their entirety" any documents written by Roberts.

Citing privacy and precedent, Fred D. Thompson, the former Tennessee senator guiding Roberts through the process on behalf of the White House, said Sunday the Bush administration does not intend to release everything.

Material that would come under attorney-client privilege would be withheld, Thompson said, calling it a principle followed by previous presidents of both political parties.

"We hope we don't get into a situation where documents are asked for that folks know will not be forthcoming and we get all hung up on that," Thompson told NBC's "Meet the Press."

Though no one on the Democratic side of the Senate has formally indicated an intent to filibuster Roberts' nomination, the continued carping from the usual suspects hints at a possible power-play by some liberals as the hearings begin in earnest.

Buy an Al Gore inaction figure at your favorite toy store!

"What rolls down stairs,
Alone or in pairs,
Rolls over your neighbor's dog..."

Look! It's an Al Gore inaction figure! New from Blammo!

Is nothing sacred? Moonbat politician crashes Marine's funeral

Marine Staff Sergent Joseph Goodrich was laid to rest in his hometown of Indiana, PA this week. Goodrich was killed in Iraq, and was being mourned by his family and friends proud of his sacrifice. Also present were his fellow police officers from McKeesport and Indiana County.

Oh. And one Democratic Lieutenant Governor who took the opportunity to campaign against the war.

Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll flashed her business card and claimed that "our government" is against the war. Goodrich's family members, like his sister Rhonda Goodrich, were incensed by Knoll's callousness and political grandstanding.

She (Knoll) sat down next to a Goodrich family member and, during the distribution of communion, said, "Who are you?" Then she handed the family member one of her business cards, which Goodrich said she still has.

"Knoll felt this was an appropriate time to campaign and impose her will on us," Goodrich said. "I am amazed and disgusted Knoll finds a Marine funeral a prime place to campaign."

She sat down next to a Goodrich family member and, during the distribution of communion, said, "Who are you?" Then she handed the family member one of her business cards, which Goodrich said she still has.

"Knoll felt this was an appropriate time to campaign and impose her will on us," Goodrich said. "I am amazed and disgusted Knoll finds a Marine funeral a prime place to campaign."

Asked to comment on Goodrich's complaints about Knoll's conduct at the funeral, the aide said that "would be inappropriate."

"Inappropriate." Y'think!?

TS Franklin forms off Florida coast

Tropical Storm Franklin has just formed off of the Florida coast.

The storm is in the Northwest Bahamas. Sustained winds are near 45 MPH, and the storm is expected to strengthen quickly.

Tropical storm warnings are up for Eluthera, New Providence (including Nassau), The Berry Islands, The Abacos, and Grand Bahama Island. There are no watches for Florida yet, but don't be surprised if something doesn't go up within the next 12-24 hours.

NASA is watching this system closely with hopes that it does not interfere with the planned Tuesday launch of Discovery.

As of 8P ET, Franklin is moving to the northwest at 14 MPH. The projected storm track has the storm literally turning in circles off the Florida coast through at least Tuesday.

Stay tuned.

Terror in London...again!

Here we go again...

Fox News Channel is carrying coverage from their sister network Sky News this morning, who is presently reporting three explosions in three subway stations around London, and a fourth explosion on a bus. One of these was a nail bomb which went off in the Warren Street Station. The Oval and Sheperd's Bush Stations have also been evacuated.

Of course initial reports are sketchy at best; more details are in the works.

These reports are coming two weeks on from the initial London terror strikes.

GTA: San Andreas rating changed from M to AO; retailers yank game from shelves

Take-Two Interactive, parent company of video game developer Rockstar Games announced today that they are changing the video game rating on the popular video and computer game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas from M (Mature 17+) to AO (Adults Only 18+). This was due to the "Hot Coffee" modification (which can be downloaded from the internet, and no, I'm not linking to the mod) that permits users to enact pornographic acts in the game.

The video game industry on Wednesday changed to adults-only the rating of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," a best-selling game in which explicit sexual content can be unlocked with an Internet download.

The decision followed intense pressure from politicians and media watch groups, and retailers reacted swiftly — Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp. and Best Buy Co. said they would immediately pull all copies from their store shelves nationwide.

The game's producer, Rockstar Games, said it stopped making the current version and would provide new labels to any retailer willing to keep selling the games, which had been rated "M" for mature. The company also will offer a downloadable patch to fix the sex problem in PC versions, and is working on a new, more secure version, to be rated "M."

Rockstar's parent company, Take Two Interactive, also admitted for the first time that the sex scenes had been built into the retail version of that game — not just the PC version but also those written for Xbox and PlayStation2 consoles.

Company officials had previously suggested that a modification created by outsiders added the scenes.

Most retailers refrain from selling AO-rated games, and in addition to the larger retailers, many smaller retailers will likely stop carrying the best selling title.

Personally, I doubt that the bulk of those retailers will go back to carrying the revised version of the game if and when it is ever released by Rockstar.

James Doohan, 1920 - 2005

When the series ("Star Trek") ended in 1969, Doohan found himself typecast as Montgomery Scott, the canny engineer with a burr in his voice. In 1973, he complained to his dentist, who advised him: "Jimmy, you're going to be Scotty long after you're dead. If I were you, I'd go with the flow."

"I took his advice," said Doohan, "and since then everything's been just lovely."

Fare thee well, Jimmy. Thank you for the memories.

A regular kick...I mean smack to the face

Sophie Okonedo as Sithandra in the upcoming movie adaptation of MTV's Aeon Flux.

Am I being paranoid, or is this role going to generate a protest or three from "more sensitive groups" out there?

Who is John G. Roberts?

Since his name is a real surprise to many, John G. Roberts is a true unknown to a lot of people.

Born in Buffalo, Roberts earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard before launching a career marked by high-ranking government service and a lucrative run in private practice. After clerking for then Associate Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist from 1981 to 1982, Roberts served as an aide to U.S. Attorney General William French Smith and White House Counsel Fred Fielding during the Reagan administration. In 1986, he joined the prestigious Washington law firm Hogan & Hartson, where he was a Supreme Court litigator. One colleague described him as "the best appellate lawyer of his generation." But Roberts continued to jump back into government, first temporarily as the U.S. principal deputy solicitor general from 1989 to 1993 and then, 10 years later, to take the D.C. Circuit Court seat. Roberts took a hefty pay cut to become a judge: from more than $1 million a year to $171,800. "It demonstrates a commitment to public service that's admirable," says attorney Carter G. Phillips, who's known Roberts since the 1980s. "He's the perfect kind of judge from a lawyer's perspective, someone with an open mind who takes their arguments seriously."

While some conservatives worry he's the next David Souter, whose brief time on the First Circuit masked moderate-to-liberal leanings that emerged after his confirmation, liberals have long argued that Roberts is too extreme. Roberts was first nominated for the D.C. Circuit Court in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush, but Democrats, who controlled the Senate, blocked his nomination because of concerns over his record as a deputy solicitor general. In 1990, Roberts raised eyebrows when he attached a footnote to a brief in a case about abortion financing stating that Roe v. Wade should be overturned. Roberts also cowrote a brief arguing that an antiabortion group's attempts to blockade abortion clinics did not amount to a violation of equal protection. He is affiliated with the conservative Federalist Society and supports restrictions on environmental protections.

Roberts is definitely not a concensus candidate. He is a legacy candidate that will have lasting impact on the Supreme Court for at least the next 30 years.

For that reason alone, the liberals will fight his appointment, tooth and nail.

It's Roberts!

50 year-old Judge John G. Roberts, an appelate jurist on the DC Circuit is President Bush's choice to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court.

The networks all rushed the info to air in order to beat President Bush's 9P ET announcement.

Roberts is considered to be very conservative on most issues, including the major litmus test, abortion.

Network anchors across the dial have been bemoaning the appointment, emphasizing that Roberts would replace O'Connor as the swing vote on the court in many 5-4 decisions, and that with his young age, that he would likely sit on the Supreme Court for 30 years or more.

Though the moonbats on Capitol Hill have yet to weigh in, you know they will as the night progresses. And I'm certain that they're upset beyond belief. Needless to say, the confirmation battle promises to be epic.

B5 fans will understand when I say "And so...it begins..."

CNN's Hemmer joining FNC

Bill Hemmer, former co-host of CNN's American Morning, is joining Fox News Channel as a midday anchor and reporter.

Hemmer spent 10 years at CNN as an anchor and reporter. He started his TV career as a sports anchor for WCPO Cincinnati.

Fox is solidly out in front of CNN in ratings, but executives and anchors from the networks often swipe at the competition.

Hemmer lost his American Morning post last month when CNN opted to bring in Miles O’Brien.

The network offered Hemmer a spot as White House correspondent, which he rejected.

No word yet on how soon Hemmer will go on the air at FNC.

A closer look at Edith Clement

Erick at ConfirmThem notes that Edith Clement is the only person on the "short list" of potential SCOTUS nominees to have a private meeting at the White House (at least as far as anyone can determine). Her's was sometime last week.

Clement is known to be pro-defendant in civil rights cases and is like O’Connor on business issues, which means that conservatives will be pleased with her on those issues. There is no indication that Clement takes an expansive reading of the Commerce Clause and every indication that she does, in fact, take the opposite view.

Sources close to the White House tell me that the pick has been made, but are not giving me the name. Third party sources who would be among the first to know are saying that there is every indication that Clement is the pick. In fact, we are beginning to see conservatives get on board and shift from Edith B. Clement having too thin a papertrail to her being “with us.”

No one knows how Clement would vote on the ultimate issue — is abortion a medical procedure subject to state regulation or a constitutional right. I am told that, with the pressing issues currently headed to the court, i.e. partial birth abortion, parental notification, 24 hour waiting periods, the Solomon Amendment, etc. — conservatives do not need to worry about Clement, they need to worry about Justice Kennedy and whether he will continue heading left.

I have been told by multiple parties that, though we know little about Judge Clement’s leanings on social issues, we should make no mistake that her family background is conservative and that her husband is a “loyal” conservative.

According to ConfirmThem, we do know that "United flight 1898 and US Airways flight 590, from New Orleans to Reagan National, both landed at 8:59am this morning. We do not know, however, if Edith Brown Clement was on board en route to the United States Supreme Court."

Sounds like if Clement is the choice, we'll see moonbat Senator Ted "Jabba The Drunk" Kennedy (Beefeater's-MA) turning purple in the face on CNN shortly after the President's speech.

That would be something to see.

We're still on for Bush's announcement at 9 tonight. Be there. Aloha.

SCOTUS nominee to be announced tonight at 9P ET

Fifth Circuit Judge Edith Clement

The White House is asking for television time tonight at 9P ET to announce and introduce to the nation his choice for the Supreme Court seat being vacated by retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Current scuttlebutt is that the choice will be Fifth Circut Judge Edith Clement from New Orleans.

Clement is viewed as more moderate than many conservatives would like, perhaps to avoid an almost inevitable partisan fight in the US Senate over her confirmation. But we'll have to see.

Let the games begin.

Wizbang dealing with ebonics satire fallout

Paul from Wizbang, after posting a piece of biting satire on the Ebonics fluff yesterday, is having to defend himself from charges of racism this morning.

What David fails to understand is this:
When a I say (in jest) that black kids are too stupid to learn english it is "hate speech." When a liberal says it for real they are an educator.

Make no doubt about it. The California liberals are telling black kids they are too stupid to learn english. -- They just do it in a politically correct way.

The source of the charges? David at In Search of Utopia.

You are a disgusting coward who would not dare utter those words, satire or no, in the presence of black people, or for that matter, decent people of any race or creed.

So picking your cotton is out of the question, but god help you if you ever make the mistake of spouting your childish and racist ideology in public.

I guess satire is out of the question, huh?

Just damn.

San Bernardino County (CA) schools to teach Ebonics

Here we go again.

A batch of lazy educators who aren't willing to teach students proper English are dumbing down the curriculum by teaching urban street slang as if it were some kind of "language" as opposed to the vernacular it truly is.

Mary Texeira, a sociology professor at Cal State San Bernardino, suggested that including Ebonics in the program would be beneficial for students.

"Ebonics is a different language, it's not slang as many believe,' Texeira said. "For many of these students Ebonics is their language, and it should be considered a foreign language. These students should be taught like other students who speak a foreign language.'

"There are African Americans who do not agree with me. They say that (black students) are lazy and that they need to learn to talk,' Texeira said.

"Ebonics" is not a language. It's a form of slang. I don't see professors trying to justify hacker geek-speak or online shorthand as their own separate language!

When I grew up, teachers would demand that we, as students, speak in proper English. We certainly used slang with our friends on the playground and outside the classroom, but not in class. And we never would dare to use it in front of our parents or grandparents.

The politically correct-feel good mindset that has permeated our society allows a "dumbing down" of all aspects of life in order to placate those who refuse to take responsibility and work for what needs to be done.

Teaching "ebonics" -- urban slang -- will not provide a means for an individual to acquire a job, it will not help him maintain a living, it will not provide an individual with the skills necessary to compete in an academic setting, let alone a professional setting. It does absolutely nothing positive for the individuals that it is taught to. On the contrary, it will hinder individuals who are trying to learn to use contemporary standard English properly. It will provide a crutch for individuals who too lazy to do what is necessary to teach standard English in the nation's schools.

We already have ESL (English as a Second Language) classes for native Spanish speakers. What are these people going to ask for next, ESL classes for people who are born here and cannot learn English to begin with?

This measure is foolish, and a complete waste of resources, talent, effort, energy and time. It should be soundly denounced and eliminated from the San Bernadino schools.

An honest look in a cold mirror

Marc Xavier takes a cold look at the history and state of black culture at Very Small Doses. A lot of people may not like some of what he has to say though.

In the turbid sojourn that we’ve made in the past 400 or so, African Americans have endured a historical experience unlike any other ethnicity in this country. When my ancestors were brought over here from Africa, they were spread across the New World with little regard to family ties or tribal affiliation. It was in this process that we originally lost our culture.

Our customs, our ideas and our worldviews were gradually smothered in a manner not dissimilar to what the Babylonians tried to do to the Jews during the Captivity. By breaking up our family units and moving us around to the highest bidder, our ability to pass on the building blocks of our culture to the next generation was lost. It’s like what the good Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. once said: "The Negro is an American, we know nothing of Africa."

Time passed, we lost even our languages and we learned to speak English. The succeeding generations of slaves born in captivity increasingly had no recollection of the Old World we came from. It’s a horrible thing to be robbed of one’s identity like that, but even more so because we had no way of even knowing what we had lost of ourselves. But it’s a testament to my ancestors that they nonetheless persevered, even building a new culture.

most young black men see themselves in an intractable socio-economic quagmire and needlessly carry the weight of generations of past wrongs on their shoulders. It appears to me that many African Americans feel emasculated about these wrongs of the past, and in order to prove ourselves our culture demands that we act in a manner to show that we are a force to be reckoned with. Though lacking the calm self-assuredness of one who truly knows our history, we overcompensate by behaving hyper-masculine, or “hard” as the term is used. Violence is the inevitable result.

To coin a phrase, the mirror is a harsh mistress.

I have to agree with him; though many folks will find other reasons to work with. Many people refuse to deal with taking personal responsibility for their actions, instead pointing to some sort of "generational post-traumatic" disorder or some other such gobbly-de-gook.

Is there an easy answer? No; but with time, effort, energy and introspection, progress can be made. There's no reason not to.

Joe Wilson's a liar

Josh Marshall has boiled the entire sordid Plame/CIA affair down to a basic truism: Joe Wilson's a liar.

The Democrats have latched onto Wilson's lies, because they figure to knock off the percieved power behind the throne. And they're looking more and more stupid by the day as a result.

Joe Wilson's a liar. Plame's covert status wasn't protected well by the CIA. It was just a short phone call. Rove really wanted to speak about welfare reform. Wilson said Cheney sent him to Africa. Plame sent Wilson to Africa. Rove leaked Plame's identity in the interests of good journalism. Wilson went on too many TV shows.

Unable to keep all his lies straight, Wilson shoved his Bass Weejuns even deeper down his throat yesterday on CNN with Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: But the other argument that's been made against you is that you've sought to capitalize on this extravaganza, having that photo shoot with your wife, who was a clandestine officer of the CIA, and that you've tried to enrich yourself writing this book and all of that.

What do you make of those accusations, which are serious accusations, as you know, that have been leveled against you.

WILSON: My wife was not a clandestine officer the day that Bob Novak blew her identity.

BLITZER: But she hadn't been a clandestine officer for some time before that?

WILSON: That's not anything that I can talk about. And, indeed, I'll go back to what I said earlier, the CIA believed that a possible crime had been committed, and that's why they referred it to the Justice Department.

While Blitzer was giving Wilson enough rope to hang himself, the Democrats in the Senate were simultaneously making complete fools of themselves by trying to ramrod an amendment to the Homeland Security legislation that would force the White House to withdraw Karl Rove's security clearance, under the guise of "protecting our covert agents" around the world.

I understand the visceral hatred that liberals feel for Karl Rove and George W. Bush. I really do. But this game of charades they are playing really makes them look bad.

Mariah "The Human Dog Whistle" Carey blames 9/11 for Glitter flop

Mariah Carey, still under the mistaken impression that she knows how to act, blames the 9/11 attacks for the poor showing that her movie Glitter had at the box office in 2001.

“I released it around September 11, 2001,” the singer told Swiss newspaper Sonntags Zeitung as translated on fan site MariahDaily. “The talk shows needed something to distract from 9/11. I became a punching bag. I was so successful that they tore me down because my album was at number 2 instead of number 1. The media was laughing at me and attacked me.” Additionally, Mariah also said that the movie was just too cutting-edge for it’s own good. “‘Glitter’ was ahead of its time,” she explained. “Today it’s ‘in’ to make 80’s music.”

Of course, she hasn't come up with an explanation for her piss poor acting skills in the movie, and the poor DVD sales that went along with it.

Arabic rapper from Houston fired as baggage screener

Bassam Khalaf, who is known as the Arabic Assassin on his unreleased rap CD, "Terror Alert," has lyrics that glorify the 9/11 hijackers, and describes himself as a "crazy, suicidal Arabic ... equipped with bombs."

And until last week, he screened luggage passing through Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

"I've been screening your bags for the past six months, and you don't even know it," said Khalaf, who also said Thursday that he is not really a terrorist and that his rhymes are exaggerations meant to gain publicity.

An Internet search of Khalaf's name brings up Web sites that feature his obscene, violent and misogynistic raps that threaten to fly a plane into a building on Sept. 11, 2005.

Khalaf, 21, was hired on Jan. 16 and fired July 7, according to a TSA termination letter that cited his "authorship of songs which applaud the efforts of the terrorists on September 11th, encourage and warn of future acts of terrorism by you, discuss at length and in grave and alarming detail various criminal acts you intend to commit, state your belief that the U.S. government should be overthrown, and finally warn that others will die on September 11, 2005."

Common sense seems to escape some people.

Then again, behind this, the Arabic Assassin's CD (whenever it gets released) will probably sell out.

White House reporters smell blood in the water

White House reporters Terry Moran, David Gregory and John Roberts (ABC, NBC & CBS, respectively), along with the rest of the White House press corps smell blood in the water regarding Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and his role in the Plame/CIA affair. They have become very aggressive with their questioning behind a White House statement supporting Rove.

During yesterday's White House press conference yesterday, the trio pelted White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan with questions about Rove. McClellan, for his part, tried to parry and defend, but it wasn't pretty.

Want an example? Let's go to the audio tape...

Q: Let me -- let me just do what you did a few moments ago and step back from the context of the investigation to the President's agenda. Does Karl Rove, with all the attention being paid to him now, become a liability to the President, an impediment to his pushing his agenda?

MR. McCLELLAN: See, you're asking all these context in -- all these questions in the context of the news reports relating to an investigation --

Q: I'm talking about it now in the larger sense of Rove being the Deputy Chief of Staff.

MR. McCLELLAN: We're continuing to move forward on our agenda, and the -- we're on the verge of accomplishing some very big things when it comes to the agenda. And --

Q: But is Karl Rove an impediment now, with all this attention distracting from that push on your agenda?

MR. McCLELLAN: Everybody who is working here is helping us to advance the agenda, and that includes Karl in a very big way.

Q: Has he apologized to you for telling you he is not involved?

MR. McCLELLAN: Helen, I'm not going to get into any private discussions.

Q: He put you on the spot. He put your credibility on the line.

MR. McCLELLAN: And, Helen, I appreciate you all wanting to move forward and find the facts relating to this investigation. I want to know all the facts relating to the investigation.

Q: You people are on the record, one quote after another.

MR. McCLELLAN: The President wants to get to the bottom of it. And it's just not appropriate. If you'll remember back two years ago, or almost two years ago, I did draw a line and I said, we're just not going to get into commenting on --

Q: You also made comments in defending Mr. Rove.

MR. McCLELLAN: We're just not going to get into commenting on an investigation that continues. And I think you've heard me explain why I'm not going to do that. I do want to talk about this --

Q: Do you regret putting yourself out on a limb, Scott?

MR. McCLELLAN: I do want to talk about this, and we will talk about it once the investigation is complete.

Q: Do you regret what you said in 2003?

The presser went on in this vein. Like I said. It wasn't pretty.

Bottom line, there's nothing new. Rove came clean months ago, while testifying to a grand jury. Time confirmed that Rove was one of Matthew Cooper's sources from when he disclosed Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA employee.

Plame was a CIA employee, period. According to noted Bush-basher, Joe Wilson, Plame was a CIA agent, and the press has siezed upon this notion, but there is no evidence supporting it, save Wilson's rants. And if she wasn't covert, there was no crime.

But don't confuse the press -- or the Democrats -- with the facts. They think they've got something here.

And they're going to act like petulant children throwing a tantrum until they get the White House to give them what they want: Karl Rove's head on a platter. After all, they think that Rove is the solitary eeeevil mastermind behind the Bush presidency. They figure they get Rove, then Bush is easy pickings.

But the picture is never as clear as it seems, is it?

Parks: Julian Bond is the real puppet

Men's News Daily columnist Bob Parks fires back at Julian Bond's annual anti-conservative whine-fest in his new column.

Parks points out that despite Bond's incessant ranting, the NAACP hasn't done much of note lately.

And while continuing the fight is admirable, it would seem the present-day NAACP is fighting more for relevance since the message of “blame Republican whitey” is starting to fall on deaf ears, and it would appear the only people who will lose out are the very people who draw on an NAACP paycheck.

And as far as widespread discrimination goes, what has the NAACP fixed lately...?

Bond assumes that all black people are stupid and if he just recites the approved script from the DNC, he'll continue to receive the prominence he craves, and the paycheck he's grown accustomed to.

As long as black people attend the lousy public schools in the hood managed by Democrats and teacher's unions, listen to rap music created by Hollywood and New York liberals that steals the souls of their young listeners, have an overwhelming out-of-wedlock birthrate that makes a government social worker drool, there will be no solutions offered from people like Julian Bond.

And those are only a couple of the highlights. Parks takes apart Bond's rantings, and puts them in perspective.

It's definitely worth a look this morning.

Trump contemplating making The Apprentice black vs. white

Donald Trump, supposedly disappointed with the outcomes of the past couple of seasons of the NBC hit The Apprentice, is contemplating some potentially controversial changes to the format of the teams on the show.

Among the proposals: pitting a team of African-American contestants against a team of all-white players.

“Whether people like that idea or not, it is somewhat reflective of our very vicious world,” according to Trump. “But needless to say, not everybody thinks it’s a good idea.”

I don't think that's the best move for the show. I can very easily see complaints of tokenism from whites if a black person wins; likewise blacks claiming the show was rigged if a white person wins.

I don't know that NBC will go along with The Donald's proposal -- they just watched ABC nix airing their controversial reality series Welcome To The Neighborhood before airing a single episode. The ABC show would have given three conservative white families the power to decide which diversely liberal family would be able to move into a house in their cul-de-sac.

A message to those who want to terrorize civilization

"You Will Fail" is from London mayor Ken Livingstone's quote after the London terror attacks late last week.

They choose to come to London, as so many have come before because they come to be free, they come to live the life they choose, they come to be able to be themselves. They flee you because you tell them how they should live. They don’t want that and nothing you do, however many of us you kill, will stop that flight to our city where freedom is strong and where people can live in harmony with one another. Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail.

The war against terror everywhere continues unabated.

Julianne Malveaux calls Bush, USA "terrorists"

USA Today columnist Julianne Malveaux, speaking on Sean Hannity's nationally syndicated radio program yesterday, called the United States a "terrorist nation" and President George W. Bush a "terrorist."

During the interview, moonbat Malveaux began ranting about past problems in this nation, including the 1921 mass murder and arson that killed more than 300 blacks in Tulsa, OK.

"Terrorism in the United States is as old as we are. You want me to give you a litany of terrorism? You want me to start with what's happened to the Indian population? You want to go on to what happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921?"

"C'mon now, Sean," Malveaux told Hannity. "We are terrorists."

Asked point-blank if the U.S. was a "terrorist nation," Malveaux shot back: "Oh, Absolutely."

Asked if America was "a good country," Malveaux responded tersely, "We're a country." Pressed on why she omitted the adjective "good," she replied: "I can't answer that. I think we have some good and I think we have some evil."

As the interview was winding up, Malveaux went on a tear about the Iraq war and "the weapons of mass distraction."

"You know they weren't there. I know they weren't there," she told Hannity. "George W. Bush is evil. He is a terrorist. He is evil. He is arrogant. And he is out of control."

I'll freely admit that there are some problems in the US. Certainly our past is a checkered one, but one that has corrected -- and is continuing to correct -- those problems. We are working to fix things. But Ms. Malveaux, go live in a land where you can be killed simply for being a Christian. Go live somewhere where you can be killed for voicing any opposition to the "party line." Go live in a country where your movements are curtailed. Go live in somewhere that is not as free as the United States is. Then come back and tell me who is the "terrorist nation."

Moreover, if this is such a terrible place, why, oh why are you livng here?

NYT to open full-court press against Rove on CIA leak

After word emerged over the weekend that Bush White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove is the confidential source of the information that resulted in the release of Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA employee, many critics complained that little attention was being paid to the story.

Now word has come down that the New York Times is planning a full-court press against Rove, with a front page spread in Tuesday's editions that ultimtely demands Rove's ouster.

Hillary compares Bush to Alfred E. Neuman

In an insult that isn't completely original (I've been hearing folks -- including my dad -- use the term for several years), Senator Hillary Clinton (Cthulhu-NY) took time out of a speech in Colorado yesterday to compare President George W. Bush to Mad Magazine mascot Alfred E. Neuman.

"I sometimes feel that Alfred E. Neuman is in charge in Washington," Clinton said during the inaugural Aspen Ideas Festival, organized by the Aspen Institute, a non-partisan think tank.

The former first lady drew a laugh from the crowd when she described Bush's attitude toward tough issues with Neuman's catch phrase: "What, me worry?"

Back in New York, Clinton was asked during a stop in Rochester if she felt some people might be offended by her comparing the president to Alfred E. Neuman.

"That is for people to decide, but I think if you look at the facts, the real concerns of the American public are not being addressed."

Asked if Bush had a "what-me-worry" attitude, she said, "I think Washington does."

A number of Republicans blasted Clinton's comments, saying her "priorities are out of whack."

Julian Bond continues his persona vendetta against conservatives

NAACP Chairman Julian Bond opened the NAACP's national convention in Milwaukee as he has other such gatherings in the past -- by attacking George W. Bush and other conservatives.

The NAACP's national confab got underway yesterday in Milwaukee. Bond took the opportunity to take swipes at Bush and others, of course, reserving special venom for black conservatives.

Bond opened with an attack, saying, "Milwaukee is the home of beer, of brats and the Bradley Foundation," and blasting Bush for failing to appear at the NAACP's annual convention for the fifth straight year.

Bond explained his reference to the Milwaukee-based Bradley Foundation later in the speech, saying it is among entities that fund what he called "fraudulent" civil rights organizations.

He charged that the organizations appear to back civil rights but push school vouchers, use legal means to assault affirmative action and try to redraw political boundaries in hopes of preventing people of color from being elected to office.

Such organizations have had black "hucksters" on their payrolls for 20 years, said Bond to thunderous applause.

"Like ventriloquist dummies, they speak in their puppet master's voice, but we can see his lips moving," he said.

Similarly, Bond fired at organizations that have tried to "seduce black clergy" to conservative causes and criticized what he said is an attempt by the Bush administration to replace vital public welfare programs with faith-based organizations.

He gave special importance to the continuing battle over Bush's judicial nominees, especially a replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, saying the high court needs another independent-minded justice like her. Too many Bush nominees to federal judgeships have made rulings that hurt the civil rights movement, he said, calling newly named federal appeals court judge Janice Rogers Brown "the female Clarence Thomas."

The former Democratic Georgia state senator blasted the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate for failing to hold a roll call vote on a resolution apologizing for failing to enact an anti-lynching law first proposed 105 years ago. He named eight Republican senators who did not co-sponsor the resolution, saying, "If a United States senator in 2005 cannot apologize for that, what outrage is deserving of an apology?"

Targeting the Bush administration, Bond said it was "outsourcing torture" by sending terrorism suspects to foreign lands and backing economic policies that have created "an ownership society, where you're really on your own."

"They profess to being true believers, but they're really true deceivers," he said.

Bond insisted that the NAACP should avoid becoming a "social service agency," insisting that mission is "not as important" as the fight against discrimination.

It's nice to know that his priorities are "in order" -- helping communities overcome social ills is not important in his mind. After all, he's more concerned about partisan politics.

Bond's statements continued to skirt the partisan line that has threatened to invite additional scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service over the past several years. The NAACP has been placed under a magnifying glass by the IRS regarding it's tax exempt status. Ongoing investigations have examined whether or not the NAACP is a partisan organization, contrary to their stated non-partisan goals.

Jeb Bush asks for a verbal beating

Florida Governor Jeb Bush, while talking about the feeling of woe had by residents of the Florida Panhandle with multiple hurricanes targeting that portion of the state:

``I think there is a legitimate feeling, 'Why me? What did I do wrong?''' Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said.

Jeb may as well have taped a "Kick Me" sign to his back.

ABC News suggests global warming responsible for Dennis

Underneath their lead headline about the approach of Hurricane Dennis, ABC News, in their infinte wisdom, has bannered a headline that reads, "Global Warming To Intensify Hurricane Fury," which, of course, would lead one to believe -- at least according to the "learned opinion" of ABC News -- that global warming is responsible for the ferocity of Hurricane Dennis, and it hitting the same area devestated by Hurricane Ivan last summer.

Once you pull the story up, you see that it's an add-on piece that helps to bolster their position that global warming will wreak havoc over the world's weather -- a position that not all scientists find valid, contrary to what many in the media would have us believe.

I'm supposed to be on O'Reilly tonight

Just got word that I'm going to be on The O'Reilly Factor tonight at 8 on Fox News Channel.

We'll be talking about a story from the first part of this week.

Overnight Monday night, a group of youngsters tossed rocks at a tanker truck, and one enterprising kid lobbed a bottle rocket into the cab of the truck. The tanker truck, carrying 7500 pounds of diesel fuel, went off the road and overturned. The driver was seriously injured.

Atlanta Police evacuated the Bankhead Courts housing project as a precaution, as there were fears of an explosion from the diesel fuel.

Police have arrested and charged an 18 year-old man with tossing the bottle-rocket, and they are close (at least in their words) to apprehending a second individual in the case.

The question - as O'Reilly's producer put it to me - is whether crime is out of control in Atlanta.

I told him that it wasn't, and that crime in Atlanta is no better nor worse than any other urban area of the country. This was the act of kids who had no business out at 2 in the morning, regardless of the notion of it being the night of the fourth of July. They were wrong, and should be punished.

The other point brought out by the producer - and presumably one that O'Reilly wants to pursue - is whether or not an increase in crime (there's that notion again) can be tied to the poor performance of the Fulton County DA, Paul Howard.

Howard, as far as I'm concerned, is an embarrassment. He has no business in the DA's office. The office, itself, needs an overhaul. That being said, the only thing that truly presents itself is the issue of a district attorney who botches high profile cases. Case after case, story after story, the one at fault becomes the DA. The APD does it's job -- I certainly can't fault the rank and file of the APD. (Management is another issue entirely, and one for another rant and another day)

On the other hand, the District Attorney's office has made a number of questionable decisions and had a questionable record in representing the people of Fulton County.

Others may point to the fact that Paul Howard ran unopposed in the last election, both in the primary as well as the general election. It's awful hard to get someone else to do the job when the guy who's there in the first place has no one to challenge him at the ballot box.

Anyway, that's what's on tap for tonight -- provided Hurricane Dennis' path of destruction and the impending retirement of Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist don't intrude.

Be there. Aloha.

Rehnquist to retire tonight?

Rumors are flying fast and furious across the nation's capitol that Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist may be tendering his resignation this evening. Word is also coming in that once Air Force One lands later this afternoon at Andrews AFB near Washington, carrying President Bush back from Europe, that he'll announce the Rehnquist retirement then.

Stay tuned.

Hurricane Dennis bearing down on Havana, Key West; Pensacola/Mobile next?

Hurricane Dennis is a strong Category 4 storm with 150 MPH sustained winds. It's expected to reach Category 5 before it strikes Cuba later today.

The storm has been running parallel to the coast of the island nation, and raking it with hurricane-force winds. The US military base at Guantanamo Bay has received minimaal damange, however, a guard tower at the terrorist detention facility there was knocked down by the force of the storm.

Hurricane Warnings are up for much of Cuba, as well as the western Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. The lower Keys are under a manditory evacuation order, and traffic up US 1 has been very heavy. North of there, along the Florida West Coast, a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning is in effect. This has residents in the Ft. Myers/Naples area very skittish, as they remember the disaster of Hurricane Charley last summer.

Once Dennis crosses Cuba and enters the Gulf of Mexico, it could land anywhere along the Gulf Coast, though forecasters are projecting a landfall in the vicinity of Mobile or Pensacola, where residents are stlll trying to recover from last summer's Hurricane Ivan and last week's Tropical Storm Cindy.

Hurricane City is streaming live coverage of this storm nightly from 8-11P ET. Their coverage includes calls from people in the affected areas, meterological professionals and others interested in the storm, along with live television and radio audio from the affected areas.

Multiple explosions in London

At least nine explosions have been reported from central London within the past couple of hours, with sketchy reports of "major casualties" from wire services and other media sources.

Three explosions have been reported on buses, with at least two of those buses being destroyed; other explosions have been reported on subway trains, shutting down the entire London Underground tube network. Bus service in central London has been suspended as well. Wire service reports indicate at least 90 casualties, with reports still coming in.

Live audio via BBC Five Live (WMP).

UPDATE (8:30A): Total number of explosions are seven, as confirmed by Scotland Yard.

An Al Qaeda affiliated group in Europe has claimed responsibility for the blasts on an Islamic web site, according to the BBC and Sky News.

The number of casualties has been sketchy thus far, with as many as 90 dead at one Underground station being reported.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has left Gleneagles, Scotland, where the G8 Summit is taking place, and is headed to London to check on efforts first-hand. The meetings will continue, and Blair is expected to return later today.

Lil Kim gets a year and a day in prison for perjury

Rapper Lil Kim has been sentenced to one year plus one day in prison on a perjury charge stemming from a shooting outside New York radio station WQHT in 2001. She was also fined $50,000 along with the sentence.

The rapper told the grand jury she did not notice two of her close friends at the scene of the shootout -- her manager, Damion Butler, and Suif Jackson, known as "Gutta." Both have pleaded guilty to gun charges.

Jurors at Lil' Kim's trial saw radio station security photos that depicted Butler opening a door for the rap star, and two witnesses who once made records with Lil' Kim said they saw her at the station with Butler and Jackson.

The gun battle happened outside WQHT-FM, known as Hot 97, when Lil' Kim's entourage crossed paths with a rival rap group, Capone-N-Noreaga.

Lil' Kim's group confronted the others about the Capone-N-Noreaga song "Bang, Bang" that contained an insult to Lil' Kim from rival Foxy Brown. One man was hurt in the shootout that followed.

Lil' Kim faced up to 20 years in prison on the charges, so in the minds of some, she got off easy.

WQHT radio was also the scene of a gun battle between entourages belonging to 50 Cent and The Game this past January.

Reverse-hate crime in White Plains

A 43 year-old ex-convict has confessed to attacking and fatally stabbing a woman to death in a shopping mall parking garage, simply because she was white.

In a videotaped statement, convicted rapist Phillip Grant said that he had never met his victim, Concetta Russo Carriero, a 56 year-old mother of two.

"She was not innocent. She was white," (Grant said).

"All I knew was she had blond hair and blue eyes, and she had to die . . . I didn't care, as long as she was white," he said.

"I wanted to kill someone who represented the white lifestyle."

Grant said he became a racist after his July 2003 release from Sing Sing, where he spent 24 years for three Bronx rapes and for attacking another inmate with a pitchfork.

He said he was fighting a race war — and his only regret was that he didn't know anything about biological weapons.

Grant said he was prepared to die for killing Russo Carriero, a legal secretary who worked at a law firm across the street.

"There's a lot of white people that really need to die. I don't give a f - - - what public opinion is about that. They can go f - - - themselves. These people are sick, and they are getting away with it.

"I can't be around white people. I'm scared of white people," he added. "They forced me into a position where I'm racist.

"It was not a criminal motive. I'm really, really fighting a war on being attacked," he said.

Asked if he would kill again, Grant answered yes.

"My only regret is that I didn't have the means to do more," he said.

Grant is being held on second-degree murder charges. The local DA is contemplating charging Grant with a hate crime, which would raise his potential sentence to 20 years to life.

I don't see the reason for the "contemplation." He admitted to murdering the woman, in cold blood, simply for being white.

I'm sure there will be those who will wring their collective hands and insist that because he's black, Grant can't have committed a hate crime -- after all, in their petty little minds, it's not possible for a black person to be racist, present evidence notwithstanding.

And there's no way that anyone can excuse Grant's crime under some misbegotten notion of some black pseudo-trauma. But there will be those who try to do just that.

I don't feel sorry for him. Not one bit.

It's London!

The International Olympic Committee has awarded London the Games of the XXX Olympiad in 2012.

London edged out Paris in the final voting today in Singapore.

The other three finalist cities, Madrid, Moscow and New York City were eliminated in earlier voting.

Paris had been considered the front runner, and had received excellent recommendations from every corner of the Olympic community. However, London presented a strong case over the past few weeks, and won over the members of the IOC.

Senate Democrats try to drive President's choice for SCOTUS

Democrats in the US Senate are under the mistaken notion that President Bush has an obligation to nominate someone who lives up to their impression of what a judge should be. They insist that any nominee must not be conservative, and to go even further, they insist that any nominee who is a strict Constiutionalist and does not believe in "judicial activism" is somehow "out of the mainstream," and should be the target of a filibuster, despite last month's agreement by the bi-partisan "gang of 14" to avoid filibusters and use of the so-called nuclear option to maintain the majority's control of that august body.

Ted Kennedy (D-MA) went as far as to insist that he and his fellow liberals had an "obligation" to the American people to oppose any conservative nominee.

Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy Friday praised retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, but also threatened to oppose the choice of a replacement "if the president abuses his power and nominates someone who threatens to roll back the rights and freedoms of the American people."

If that situation develops, Kenndy warned, "then the American people will insist that we oppose that nominee, and we intend to do so."

Chuck Schumer (D-NY) insisted on ABC's This Week With George Stephanopoulos that the President should allow a "bi-partisan" committee of Senators pick his nominee.

"I proposed a summit where the president calls a wide range of senators and we roll up our sleeves, let down our tie and discuss things all day long."

Joe Biden (D-DE), when questioned specifically about recently confirmed federal Judge Janice Rogers Brown on CBS' Face The Nation Sunday, threw all pretense of rational thought out the window and went for the jugular.

if Bush were to nominate Brown -- the outspoken California judge recently named to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit -- "I could assure you that would be a very, very, very difficult fight, and she probably would be filibustered," Sen. Joseph R. Biden (news, bio, voting record) Jr. (D-Del.), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

They all seem to have forgotten that they aren't in the driver's seat. They don't control the White House, they don't control the Senate, they don't control the House. I guess they are trying to keep half a hand on the judiciary as the third branch of government.

It's gonna be a hot summer in Washington this year.

Jabba The Drunk Kennedy slams unnamed SCOTUS nominee-to-be

Scrappleface has the details (albeit tongue-in-cheek details) of Senator Ted Kennedy (Boozer-MA) and his verbal attacks on the as-yet-unnamed person to be named by President Bush to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-MA, today criticized President George Bush's as-yet-unnamed replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor as a "brutal, Bible-thumping, right-wing ideologue who hates minorities, women and cocker spaniels."

"He or she is clearly outside the mainstream of American values," said Sen. Kennedy. "President Bush has again ignored the Senate's 'advice and consent' role, forcing Democrats to filibuster this outrageous nominee."

The Massachusetts Senator said his aides have already discovered "reams of memos" showing that the man or woman Mr. Bush will appoint has "a history of abusing subordinates, dodging military service, hiring undocumented workers, spanking his or her children and rolling back the clock on human rights to the days when the Pharaohs ruled Egypt with an iron fist."

Y'know, if we didn't already know that Scrappleface was a humor site with a reputation for wild news stories, I'm sure many folks would think this to be true.

Steam erupts from ocean off Japan; Godzilla coming?

A huge column of steam is rising from the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan.

The coast guard sent helicopters to monitor the 1,000m (3,280ft) cloud, 1,120km (700 miles) south-east of Tokyo, and warned ships to stay away.

The team said the area around the site appeared to be red.

Japanese troops stationed on the island of Iwo Jima first noticed the cloud of steam on Saturday.

Television footage showed white smoke billowing into the sky from the brick-red water.

Tokyo is calm, but a Godzilla Watch has been issued for the coastal areas for today and tonight.

In all actuality, an undersea volcano is believed to be erupting in that spot. An undersea volcano erupted in 1986 in that same area.

Thank you, Luther; God bless you

Legendary crooner Luther Vandross died this afternoon. He never fully recovered from a debilitating stroke that hit two years ago.

Vandross' songs and emotionally charged ballads carry a signature sound. During his four-decade career, Vandross sold more than 25 million copies, each one of his 14 albums achieving either platinum or multi-platinum status.

By the end of the 1980s Vandross had nearly two dozen smash singles, including "Give Me the Reason," "Stop to Love" and "There's Nothing Better Than Love," made with Gregory Hines. Arguably his most memorable hit was the 1989 classic, "Here and Now," which has become a wedding staple.

Vandross struggled with health and image problems, claiming that he lost 100 pounds -- 13 times. He suffered from hypertension and diabetes, which killed two siblings and his father, but refused to slow down until his stroke two years ago.

Of his 2003 hit, "Dance With My Father," he once said that title song "was very emotional for me and, yes, it is based on my own experience.

"It's not just about losing one's father, but about missing someone who is gone -- for whatever reason -- and the longing you feel for that moment in the past when you were together," he said.

I met Luther shortly after he released his first album in 1981. He was a class act then and throughout his career.

Music fans everywhere are mourning his loss tonight.

Luther Vandross was 54.

...and keep it movin'

Quote of the week has to be from Jada Pinckett Smith during the opening monologue to the BET Awards this week.

"Do not thank God if you can't show or perform your work in church. Some of you just need to thank your manager and keep it movin'."

Preach on, Sistah-girl. Just preach on.

O'Connor retires; time for Mortal Kombat!

Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement this morning, setting off more speculation than you can shake a stick at. President Bush did nothing to quench that speculation when he spoke at the White House, saying that he would nominate a justice who would "faithfully interpret" the laws of the land.

The laundry list of names includes recent Circuit court nominee Janice Rogers Brown, Edith Brown Clement, Edith Hollan Jones and current Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Washington sources are telling me not to be surprised if President Bush doesn't wait until after the August recess to name a potential successor. But then again, if I had a dollar for every time a "source" gave me information that wasn't quite correct, I'd be a very rich man indeed.

That being said, I don't think that anyone wants to toss the August recess -- August in DC can be very sultry indeed.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Spector (R-PA) said that he thought there wouldn't be a filibuster against whatever nominee the President selects, counting on the "Gang of 14" compromise that he was a part of during last month's judiciary fight. I'm not as confident.

With O'Connor having been one of the major swing votes on the Court, I'm fully expecting a partisan bloodbath -- especially if the President selects a strong conservative, as is expected.

Stay tuned. This ought to make for interesting television if nothing else. After all, the news networks have nothing else to talk about now that Michael Jackson's trial is over.

A two-party black America is becoming a reality

Contrary to the nay-sayers on the left, black Republicans are not the lapdogs they would pretend we are. Black Republicans are gaining power and running for more visible state-wide offices across the nation.

In Maryland, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, black Republicans - all of whom have been groomed by the national party - are expected to run for governor or the United States Senate next year. Several other up-and-coming black Republicans are expected to run for lower statewide offices in Missouri, Ohio, Texas and Vermont in 2006.

"You've got a Democratic Party which I think has repeatedly demonstrated that it assumes it will win the African-American vote, but doesn't work for that vote," Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said. "It takes African-Americans for granted. And I think folks in the African-American community see that. There is a real opportunity here for the Republican Party."

I'd be foolish to suggest that the road ahead for black outreach and candidacy on the GOP side of the fence is "easy." There is mistrust, skepticism and outright antagonism from many in the black electorate. But the message must be delivered: we are here, we can help, we have a well-thought-out alternative, and we'd like you to honestly consider what we have to say.

The difference between many of today's black Republicans is that their message is being embraced by white Republicans. And the ranks of black Republicans are increasing.

There is room for a true two-party system in black America. And that will become a reality. Soon.