Cinco de Bennett. We just had our little family dinner of tacos toasting Mexico's defeat of the French in the Battle of Puebla. [BTW, has France won any battles since before Waterloo? Or are they just the Devil Rays of the World? Oh, okay.]

Which brings me to Bill Bennett (Over/Under = $8 million), who has apparently replaced brother Bob as the black sheep of the Bennett family with disclosure (and admission) of his gambling problem.

I'm not going to throw stones -- I've gambled in the past -- I've bought a lotto ticket and have signed up for a square on a pool. Obviously, never anything big. But the point is that I guess I've never thought of gambling as a "per se," absolute sin, like lying or stealing or adultry. [You can see from my Inferno Test Score, below, that I have my areas of failings.] It falls into that grey zone of activities like drinking and smoking where context and amount (or situation and addiction, if you prefer) are factors as to whether it is "sinful."

Nevertheless, the sheer amount wagered -- an $8,000,000 net loss -- if reported correctly, over a 10 year period, would cross the threshold into sinful behavior, IMO.

William Bennett has acknowledge his addiction to tobacco in the past -- when he was Drug Czar Garry Trudeau took him to task on this (the moralist Trudeau being unable to distinguish between a legal and an illegal addiction, I guess). Therefore, the fact that the guy is a sinner is not surprising.

But it is disappointing. There have been admissions and disclosures over the past 20 years that have shaken people or disclosed persons to be liars, hypocrites, dupes, etc. Sometimes, I have been surprised -- while Jim Bakker didn't surprise me, Jimmy Swaggert did (although I never had any appreciation for either of them). The high profile "Reverends" have all had moral failings exposed: be it Pat Robertson and his ponies and the gambling, to Jesse Jackson and his mistress and payoffs. The list could be very long: Martin Luther King, Tony Campolo, John Howard Yoder, Mike Warnke, Jim and Tammy Faye, Swaggert, and on and on.

Yet, I don't know that Bennett's failings are significant enough to join this list -- I don't think he's been involved in fraud or adultry or the rest.

I'm not sure if this even approaches the Amy Grant line (high-profile Christian entertainer who divorces husband just because he doesn't turn her on for another guy who does). The Amy Grant line? Is that sort of like the Mendoza line?

Well, there has long been a perception of varying degrees of virtue and vice, just as there are levels of heaven and hell (again, see Dante). The Church of Rome distinguishes between mortal sins and venial sins. I disagree with this doctrine, slightly. I believe that all sin separates us from God -- even the most minor (yet, who is to say what's minor -- look at this list of what God hates). Nevertheless, there does seem to be Scriptural authority for degrees of sinfulness.

As an aside, are the critics of Bennett disclosing they believe that gambling is immoral, even though he apparently not ever labeled this activity a vice? I think there is an element of this, although I suspect the glee is merely a transference of claims of vice. By and large, in Protestant American culture, gambling has been viewed as sinful -- although I don't think you could project that sin on the American Catholic with respect to bingo and so on.

So is Bennett a hypocrite? ("One who plays a part; especially, one who, for the purpose of winning approbation of favor, puts on a fair outside seeming; one who feigns to be other and better than he is; a false pretender to virtue or piety; one who simulates virtue or piety.") I don't think so. As I note above, he comes out of a tradition (Roman Catholic) that doesn't treat gambling as sinful on its face. But maybe I'm splitting hairs. I think Hillary Clinton with her public pronouncements on the greedy capitalists, yet secretly made boo-coo bucks with her cattle trading is a hypocrite. Michael Moore = hypocrite. Jimmy Swaggert = hypocrite. Jim Bakker = hypocrite.

I think if we found out that Bennett were smoking pot, yes, you could call him a hypocrite (afterall, he has consistently opposed drug use). Yet, Bennett the tax-paying gambler -- engaging in a legal activity -- doesn't seem to be a hypocrite.

Now, were he doing this activity in violation of the law -- or were he lying about it in his IRS filings, then you would be correct in labelling him thusly.

Nevertheless, Bennett has fallen -- if not from grace, at least from public favor. Is it surprising? That Bennett did this -- yes -- he's sharp enough to have predicted this reaction. The reaction is not surprising -- nor that another person falls. This may be his own Waterloo. Or his Puebla.

The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Moderate
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very Low
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Low
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Take the Dante Inferno Hell Test

Judges There has been some excellent discussions lately concerning the delays in the confirmations of Judges and the recess appointments of Judges.

History or Who's Fault is It Anyway?

Juan Non-Volokh ("JNov") has a good review of the history of delays here in response to the "It was the Republicans fault" essays by JJ Gass and Jack Balkin. I particularly appreciate the fact that JNov traces the roots back to the Fortas-Thornberry nomination by LBJ. He goes on to note that "Democrats retaliated against two of Nixon's High Court picks..." One of those picks, Clement Haynsworth, was nixed in clear retaliation for Fortas (the Washington Post editorial page acknowledged it was wrong to oppose Hayesworth when he passed away), the other, G. Harold Carswell, was manifestly unfit for the office. (Somewhere at home I have a newsclipping from then White House counsel William Hubbs Rehnquist denying he would be considered because "I'm not a Southerner, I'm not a woman, and I'm not mediocre" [or words to that effect].) That defeat led to the nomination of Harry Blackmun.

Another Judge who was unfairly slimed, but not mentioned thusfar, was Judge Kenneth Ryskamp who was nominated by the elder Bush to a seat on the 11th Circuit but rejected by the Senate Judicairy Committee in 1991. At that point in time, this was an escalation in the partisanship because this was a sitting District Court Judge who received the ABA's highest rating. A year ago, I wrote:

Judge Kenneth Ryskamp was nominated by Bush Sr. in 1990 or 91. I remember doing some work in Florida a few years later with some of those notorious "left-wing" attorneys (yeah, politically they might have been), and I noticed they had quite a few cases before Ryskamp, so I asked about him. They all thought he got a bum deal -- they acknowledged he was conservative, but they thought he was fair.

It's been a dozen years, but this one still ticks me off.

So how does this downward spiral end? Someone has to make the first move and I believe that George W. Bush did make a step in the right direction when he sent up his first slate of nominations, containing Roger L. Gregory and Barrington D. Parker, both Democrats. Indeed Gregory had been nominated by President Clinton (and appointed to the 4th Cir. as a recess appointee), but not confirmed before the end of Clinton's term. It would've been nice to see the Senate Democrats take a similar step in recognition of this peace offering, by confirming the rest of that first slate. Alas, Miguel Estrada, part of that first slate, has not been confirmed. Maybe Gass or Balkin can tell me where the Leahy gang has similarly offered de-escalation?

Recess Appointments

The Gregory appointment mentioned in the item above shows that recess appointments of Judges, while rare, does happen.

Back here I noted that William Brennan was a recess appointment to the Supreme Court. According to information on the Cornell website, this happened on October 16, 1956. "Three months later, on January 14, 1957, Brennan was formally nominated to the Court, and the Senate confirmed the appointment on March 19, 1957."

If you haven't done so, please read Lawrence Solum's essay: "Going Nuclear: The Constitutionality of Recess Appointments to Article III Courts" on his blog.

In my note above, I said that Bush should pick a fight with the Senate Democrats and recess appoint any judge whose nomination had been pending for a year and had not received a hearing. I agree with Prof. Solum's assessment, this would be going nuclear (except, doesn't that mean that President Clinton already went nuclear when he recessed appointed Gregory?). Nevertheless, the situation has changed -- the President's party is now in control of the Senate. Perhaps my view on this will change again -- I could see recessing Estrada if there is no hearing. Yet, I think the President's party has made it easy for the the Democrats by allowing a fillibuster lite version of this.

Another Olive Branch
Last thing -- I mentioned earlier one scenario that could take place should the Chief Justice step down would be to nominate Breyer to take his place:

It could be that Bush might go to Joe Biden, former chair of the Judiciary Committee, and Teddy Kennedy, to broker a deal to get a conservative along the line of Rehnquist -- J. Michael Luttig? -- named to the Court, in exchange for the elevation of Stephen Breyer to the CJ spot. [Breyer was Chief Counsel, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, 1979-1980, when Biden was chair -- and with his Harvard connection, is considered to be a Kennedy man] It could be argued that this would slightly tip the Court to the left, because Breyer would have authority to pick the writer of the decision (that is, when he is in the majority). And a Luttig is not any more or less conservative than Rehnquist.

This could still happen -- it's in Bush's nature, I believe, as a firm-handed peace-maker.

Programing Note. I guess I was mistaken when I said I'd be on hiatus during Lent. Actually, it looks like it will be much longer. I've had a busy spring for work -- which impacts everything else -- I'm primarily responsible for doing the homeschooling of my daughter who is in 8th grade.

At least I'll be seeing America.

I'll be back, albeit infrequently.

At The End. According to the Gospel of John:

30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
* * *
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away.
39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.
40 Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.
41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.
42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

At the end there were just two of them: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

Joseph was described as a secret follower and Nicodemus, who visited Jesus under cover of darkness were not two stalwart disciples -- neither one proclaimed him or stood up for him while he was alive. Yet they were there at the end when his number one man had denied him, another had betrayed him and he was hanging lifeless on a criminal's cross.

Joseph and Nicodemus.

In the Gospel of Matthew, we learn that Joseph gave his own tomb for Jesus' body -- so that it wouldn't go the way of the remains of common criminals.

Who were these two? I heard Sam Ericsson once say that they were both lawyers -- or at least teacher of the law -- which seems consistent with their few mentions in the scriptures. It's a small point of professional pride.

Neither one gets more than a handful of mentions in the Scriptures, yet they were there at the end.

Bishopric. According to The Daily Telegraph a minister who left his wife and children and took up with a lover "emerged yesterday as the favourite to become . . . bishop" of the Diocese of New Hampshire. This would normally be outrageous, but I guess in this instance it's okay since the Rev. Gene Robinson, 55, is openly gay and his lover is his male partner.

Reading the materials on the five candidates, it actually appears that Robinson might be the theological moderate of the group -- the group is all very far left of center, without a doubt. Also, I should note that Rev. Ruth Lawson Kirk is exceptionally beautiful -- I'm going to be "lookist" (or anti-lookist, I guess), but I don't think a Bishop should be so beautiful.

Cross Burning. So what happened? Who won? Who lost?

I characterized the decision as striking "down a Virginia law which declared the burning of a cross a crime." Yet, the Washington Times reports "Court upholds Virginia's ban on cross burning." Both are wrong, both are right. The WaPo headline writer has it closer to what happened: "State Bans on Cross Burning Upheld; High Court Affirms Parts of Va. Law but Strikes Down Others"

As I indicated below, I agree with Justice Thomas on this one -- he cast his vote as a dissent, meaning he lost. He would've affirmed the lower courts convictions as would I. Accordingly it's a loss for Virginia law and for a Virginia Law.

The best simple explanation of the Court's decision is by Eugene Volokh here but the best overall explanation is here by Howard Bashman.

A big winner has to be Kyle Still who predicted here the outcome and the rationale.

Art News. According to London Newspapers Cornelia Parker's reworking of Auguste Rodin's The Kiss was "vandalized" last weekend. To refresh your recollection, Ms. Parker wrapped the original sculpture in a mile long length of string and called this her work of art. (Picture at right)

Personally, I think Parker committed the act of vandalism and the man who cut the string is nothing more than a perfomance artist. Call it The Liberation of The Kiss. It's too bad the folks in England missed this performance and are, instead acting in a truly fascist fashion.

I guess it depends on who's ox is gored.

More. It appears that the fascists in England have undone this brilliant performance art -- vandals!

War Jokes. I think one of the better ways to remember the events surrounding this war might be through Jay Leno's monologues. Accordingly, here are some of his lines, in chronological order.

Monday Night March 24
Last night I thought I was watching the war coverage and I see this convoy of 100 Humvees coming down the street and then I realize, it’s just celebrities going to the Oscars.

A very dramatic moment last night when documentary film producer Michael Moore stunned Hollywood and the world when he wore a suit. I didn’t know he had a suit!

Do you know about this? When you get an Oscar, I believe you have to give it back so they can inscribe your name on it. They give it to you, then they take it back and then they return it to you. At least that’s what they told Michael Moore.

You think right about now Saddam Hussein is suffering from Iraqtile dysfunction? His army is not performing. Very serious problem in Iraq.

The good news – not only do we have the Iraqis on the run, but late today, two of the Dixie Chicks surrendered.

Tuesday Night March 25
Iraqi TV has managed to stay on the air despite having virtually no resources left and no programs to put on. Kind of like ABC.

A fierce sandstorm hit Iraq today. Visibility was reduced to less than 50 feet. Or, as we call that in L.A., "Clear skies."

A new category was introduced at the Oscars this year: Best Non-supporting Director. It went to Michael Moore.

As you know, Michael, who won an Oscar for best documentary, then made some anti-war statements during his acceptance speech and got booed. He was really mad when he was giving that speech. I haven't seen him that angry since he was charged for two seats on a Southwest airplane flight.

In London, you know who's launching a music career? Osama bin Laden's niece. I guess the Dixie Chicks have an opening act now.

Wednesday Night March 26
President Bush is asking Congress for $75 billion to fight the war – and that’s just for gas money.

There are now reports that Saddam Hussein was injured in the initial U.S. bombing and he’s now receiving medical care in an underground bunker. In fact, he asked his doctors if he was going to live and they told him, "Oh yeah, absolutely, you’ll live – until the Americans get here ... then you’re screwed!"

The man who built Saddam Hussein’s bunker, I think he’s German, said today that it’s impossible to destroy. Well, of course the builder is going to say that. All contractors say that. "This bunker will withstand anything. And once we get some aluminum siding ... that patio deck will last the rest of your life."

Have you noticed lately there are a lot of retired military officers giving their analysis on all the TV shows? The bigger the network, the bigger the analyst. Like NBC news has General Norman Schwarzkopf, CBS has General Terry Smith. I feel bad for some of the smaller stations like Channel 11 here in L.A. they have Colonel Clink.

The Food Channel has Cap’n Crunch and Colonel Sanders.

In Baghdad, they don’t even need TV. They just look out the window. It’s like CNN 3-D.

Well, let’s see what’s happening with Michael Moore. Or, as he’s also known – the 4th Dixie Chick.

Today Michael Moore made another impassioned anti-war speech – he went on and on. Then finally the woman at the McDonald’s drive-thru took the mic back and said, "You want your Big Mac combo or not? Make up your mind!"

Thursday Night March 27
Today President Bush said we would stay in Iraq for as long as it takes. It’s the same policy he had in high school.

Bush has promised to rebuild Iraq after he’s done destroying the country. Now, if we could just get Governor Gray Davis to promise to rebuild California after he’s done destroying it, that would be terrific!

Friday Night March 28
Let’s see what the latest on the war is. They say the U.S. military has been bombing Iraqi positions in south central Baghdad. Boy, you thought things were rough in south central L.A.! What the hell is south central Baghdad like? That’s a tough neighborhood.

Today stealth bombers dropped two of those huge satellite-guided bunker buster bombs – 4,700 pounds each. They were called Anna and Nicole.

President Bush said today the war is not about timetables. It’s about winning. Hey, it worked in Florida.

You know what’s amazing? People are complaining the war is taking too long. "The war effort is taking too long.” It’s a week! That’s what I love about our country. It’s okay for "American Idol” to take 10 weeks to pick a bad singer, but the war: "Hey, hey, come on!”

Here’s kind of a weird story. Way back in 1980, Saddam Hussein was given a key to the city of Detroit. Did you know that? A dignitary from Detroit traveled to Iraq and as a goodwill gesture he gave Saddam Hussein the key to the city. Of course, Saddam never actually went to Detroit. Way too dangerous. He wouldn’t do that.

Monday Night March 31
Thank you for coming out on such a warm day. Ninety degrees here in Los Angeles. People were sweating like Donald Rumsfeld trying to explain his battle plan.

Our American troops say one of the biggest problems in Iraq is trying to tell whose side some people are on. Yeah, like Peter Arnett and Geraldo Rivera.

Did you hear about this? Today NBC fired pinhead Peter Arnett. He gave an interview on Iraqi television criticizing the U.S. military and saying our battle plan was all wrong. The good news is, after he said that, today he was given an honorary Oscar.

He gave the interview on Iraq TV’s top morning show, which is hosted by Saddam’s son. It’s called "Good Day, Uday"!

I don’t think NBC should have fired Peter Arnett. To teach him a lesson they should’ve made him cover arena football.

It’s amazing, isn’t it? We have smart bombs and dumb reporters.

This week Donald Rumsfeld issued stern warnings to Iranians and Syrian people telling them not to cross the border into Iraq. We’ll be watching, don’t try to cross the border. Good luck, we can’t stop them from crossing the border in Tijuana.

On Friday, the United States bombed Saddam Hussein’s personal luxury yacht. That’s when you know Republicans are out to get you, when they blow up your yacht. There is no meaner crime!

The U.N. has decided to restart the oil for food program with Iraq. You know what you get when you combine heavy crude oil and food? Kentucky fried chicken.

Here’s a little-known fact: Do you know that in 1980 Saddam Hussein was given the key to the city by Detroit? Isn’t that amazing? The more we bomb Baghdad, the more it starts to look like Detroit.

Tuesday Night April 1
Today is April Fool's Day, the day we traditionally honor the French.

Today Dick Cheney walked into George Bush’s office, walked into the Oval Office, and said, "You want to run things for a while?” Bush said "sure” and Cheney went "April Fool's!”

The latest reports from Baghdad are saying that Saddam Hussein has been taking a lot of vitamins. B-1s, B-17s, B-52s ...

On Saturday a British ship arrived with food and medical supplies. Well sure, anytime you’re eating British food you’re gonna need medical supplies.

Wednesday Night April 2
Here’s some good news – things seem to be going a little better in the war effort. It was reported today Americans now control 40 percent of Iraq, which is pretty amazing when you consider Americans don’t even control 40 percent of L.A.

Yesterday Saddam Hussein told his troops that victory is at hand. Americans are on the run and Iraq will win the war. Then he said, "April Fool's!”

And today Saddam Hussein issued his second statement to the Iraqi soldiers. He said, "Run!”

The Pentagon says the Iraqi military is having a tough time trying to figure out where we’re going to attack next - you know, since we pulled Geraldo off the air.

They said today one of the few places left with working phones in Baghdad was the Palestine Hotel. If you’ve never been to Baghdad, the Palestine Hotel is just a stone’s throw from the Israeli Hotel.

On Monday, former President George Bush threw out the first pitch at the Cincinnati Reds game. Now al-Jazeera network is reporting that the ball missed the catcher, killed five Iraqi civilians and destroyed a baby milk factory.

Former NBC correspondent Peter Arnett, with the bad comb-over, was fired by NBC after giving an interview to Iraqi state TV. Even Tom Arnold turned down a pilot for Iraqi television.

Thursday Night April 3
Today U.S. forces attacked Saddam International Airport. How does fighting work at the airport? Do you have to show up two hours early for that?

Do the troops have to check their weapons in the metal detectors?

We had another war-related casualty today. France hit the ground when they tried jumping on our bandwagon.

Saddam Hussein released a statement that says he has no fear of the U.S. Army. Well, of course not – he’s dead!

I saw something sad today. I went by Circuit City and I saw Geraldo standing next to some TVs showing Iraq and he was pretending to be reporting.

Anyone else notice that we really started to win the war after Geraldo left?

And last night our friend Bill O’Reilly defended his Fox co-worker by saying that the information that Geraldo gave out was already known and had been released. Yeah, by Peter Arnett!

Friday Night April 4
Welcome to "The Tonight Show.” I’m Jay Leno’s double. Jay’s in his bunker, 60 feet below the Earth.

I had something strange happen to me yesterday, I’m coming to work, i turn on the radio in the morning, the war is going badly, we weren’t in control, the enemy was escaping and the people of Iraq hated us. Then, I’m driving home, we’re winning every battle, racing toward Baghdad, cheered on by Iraqi people, and then I realized: On the way in I was listening to National Public Radio when I commuted to work. And on the way home, I was listening to Fox News.

The bad news is it looks like Saddam Hussein is still alive. The good news: We still get to kill him.

I thought this was nice – on the video today, Saddam Hussein thanked Peter Arnett for filling in for him. Very nice of him.

I guess our forces seized Saddam international airport. Troops got in in less than three hours. Three hours?! That’s better than LAX.

By the weekend, it looks like Baghdad is about to fall, and we will soon control the entire city. So you know what that means? Sell the electric cars, get an SUV, Lincoln navigators for everybody. Free gas!

The electricity is out in Baghdad. So apparently they must have PG&E there too.

You know where Saddam Hussein’s palace is? It’s located on Saddam Hussein Boulevard right next to the Saddam Hussein soccer field, which is next to the Saddam Hussein airport. This guy names everything after himself; he’s like Donald trump with better hair.

Donald Rumsfeld now admits the war plan has taken a little longer than expected. He said, for one thing, they wanted to throw Geraldo out in the first week.

Monday Night April 7

As you know we all lost an hour over the weekend, which is nothing compared to Saddam Hussein. He lost an airport, a couple of cities, a few tanks…

As you know our forces have taken Saddam Hussein International Airport and renamed it Baghdad International Airport. Is the right name? Shouldn’t we have called it something more appropriate like the no thanks to France or Germany International Airport?

Even though the airport has only been under U.S. control for a couple days you can already see the American influence: all the airlines are broke, the food sucks, the luggage is lost, and all the pilots are drunk already!

Since we now control it, it’s now the only airport in the world where the cab drivers actually speak English.

Not going too good for Saddam Hussein. He was on TV yesterday, and tomorrow I understand he’s going to be on an episode of "Crossing Over”.

Over the weekend U.S. troops found a huge cache of weapons at a high school in Baghdad. You know what that means. Their high school students are just like our high school students.

What do the Iraqi Republican Guard and the Los Angeles Clippers have in common. Neither one will be around for the playoffs.

The Pentagon said today Geraldo Rivera can go back into Iraq. Apparently we must be running out of people to shoot at.

Tuesday Night April 8

Over the weekend I thought I was watching war footage. A bunch of men in uniform were waving white flags and surrendering - it was the Detroit Tigers.

It doesn’t look good for Saddam and his sons. Yesterday we bombed the Baghdad restaurant where they were eating. In fact, today I went on the Internet and they were selling pieces of Uday and Qusay on eBay!

The military said we’ll be able to confirm Saddam is dead through DNA testing. We actually have a sample of his DNA. Isn’t that amazing? So apparently Monica Lewinsky is working for the CIA now.

Coalition forces may have a dozen 55-gallon drums containing chemical weapons. The information minister said: "Those are not chemical weapons. Those are peaches in light syrup."

According to the L.A. Times, the United States post office chartered two cargo jets to deliver mail to our troops in the war zone. Boy, if the Iraqis think our military is heavily armed, wait till they see our postal workers!

I’ve been watching our friend Ted Koppel, he’s covering the war in Iraq. He does a great job. Terrific reporter, Ted Koppel, but here’s my question: With that hair, does he really need the helmet?

Wednesday Night April 9
Did you see the Iraqi people dancing in the streets today? It made me realize, you know what they need more than food and medicine? Dancing lessons. They don’t know how to dance. They haven’t danced in 30 years.

Tonight President Bush warned, don’t be too gleeful, there are still pockets of resistance. Barbra Streisand, the Dixie Chicks, Susan Sarandon …

Of course the other big news: We don’t know if Saddam Hussein is dead, or just not dead yet.

Reports are coming in now that Saddam Hussein has been spotted in central Baghdad. Parts of him were also spotted in northern Baghdad, western Baghdad and eastern Baghdad.

You know that story by now. The U.S. military bombed a restaurant where they thought Saddam Hussein was eating. Well, actually, the military heard it was either Saddam Hussein or Geraldo. So they figured either way they’d make their move.

They dropped four 2,000-pound bombs on the place. Actually, we may have killed two birds with one stone. It turns out it was also karaoke night.

We have now captured all of Saddam Hussein’s palaces and residences; he has no place to live! If he thinks Bush was hard on him before, wait till Saddam sees how Republicans treat the homeless!

Some Iraqis are looting the presidential palaces, taking stationary, ashtrays, pillows, even a grand piano. Reporters say they haven’t seen looting like this since Clinton’s last days in the white house.

Thursday Night April 10
How many have filed their taxes already? You know, President Bush still hasn’t filed his taxes. Not because he’s been too busy. He’s just waiting to see if he can write off Saddam Hussein as a total loss.

In the paper today, they said there’s going to be a big meeting this week to discuss postwar Iraq with the leaders of France, Germany and Russia. Or, as they’re also known, the "axis of envy."

It’s very exciting watching this footage from Baghdad, isn’t it? You know, to see Saddam Hussein kicked out of office, driven from office … it’s the same feeling people had when Kathie lee got knocked off Regis.

Of course, people are looking for clues if Saddam Hussein is alive or not. He hasn’t appeared on TV now in a number of days. Of course, for celebrities here in Hollywood, that’s a fate worse than death. Jesse Jackson is going, "Not on TV for three days … he must be dead!”

Did you see the Iraqi people tear down that statue of Saddam? Hard to believe he won 100 percent of the vote in the last election. Voters are so fickle, aren’t they? One day they love you, the next day, oh boy ...

Kev, you know the last thing that Saddam said to his sons? "I told you we should have used the drive-thru.”

Friday Night April 11
Before we get started, I’d like to welcome all the Iraqi people who are watching the show on brand new TV sets they just stole.

We’ve entered a new phase of the war: We’ve gone from "shock and awe" to "loot and scoot."

As you know, a tremendous amount of looting is going on in Iraq right now. Believe me, that’s nothing – wait till the oil companies get there.

People are stealing everything. After they knocked down the giant statue of Saddam Hussein, they showed that one guy hauling away the giant broken head. What are you going to do with that? That’s so typical of a guy. Guys will take anything that’s free and think, "Hey, this will go great in the house!” You could offer a guy a Rembrandt for 200 bucks, they’re going, "Where would I put it? It doesn’t go with anything in the house.” You give the guy a free giant broken Saddam head for free and they’re thinking, "I can put a beer on it, it looks great.”

Here’s something I thought was really nice – President Bush saw to it today that all the celebrating Iraqis were all given absentee ballots for the next presidential election in Florida.

U.N. Secretary-General Annan said today he thinks the arms inspectors should resume looking for weapons in Iraq. Forget looking for arms in Iraq – how about looking for are backbones in the U.N.?

Monday Night April 14
This is like holy week, isn’t it? We had Palm Sunday, it’s also Passover, this week is also Easter. You know, between the rescue of our POWs and the Tigers winning a game – this is truly the week of miracles.

I had a pretty good day today. I bought four chairs and a table on eBay from some guy in Baghdad – 12 bucks. Beautiful dinette set, fabulous!

Today President Bush announced that all this time he’s been misprouncing the word "Iraq." He said it’s actually pronounced "Syria."

The leaders of Russia, France and Germany – or, as I call them, the "axis of envy” – gathered for a summit on what their part in the rebuilding of Iraq should be. You know something? I think France should participate in rebuilding Iraq. When it comes to having experience about what to do after losing a war, nobody does it better than the French.

The Canadian prime minister has ordered the Canadian navy not to capture any of Saddam’s henchmen if they try to flee Iraq by sea. The Pentagon is stunned by this. They had no idea Canada had a navy.

Today President Bush said that Slovakia has already offered its help in demining Iraq. Listen to this: Exxon and Mobil have offered their help in de-oiling Iraq.

Tuesday Night April 15
Today was tax day, of course, the one day every American wishes they were an illegal alien.

Technically, you’re not paying taxes. According to the Bush administration, your bank account is being liberated.

Let’s see what’s happening in Iraq - or, as the pentagon is now calling it, Gateway to Syria.

Whoever is in charge of rebuilding Iraq, here’s what they should do – put all the furniture into the rooms first. Then make all the doorways smaller than the average couch. This way, next time the looters won’t be able to get the stuff out.

For the first weeks of the war the ratings at cable news stations were way up. But they’ve fallen in the past couple of weeks. You know why? Most of those early viewers were Iraqi soldiers tuning in to Geraldo to find out where the Marines were.

CNN reports that when they broke into Uday Hussein’s palace they found pornography, Cuban cigars and pictures of President Bush’s twin daughters. I’m sorry – that was Bill Clinton’s apartment.

Wednesday Night April 16

Well it’s looks like the war is over. That’s a good sign. According to the latest poll just out today, 71% of the American people approve of president bush. Bush is very, very happy. Of course he’s happy. It only took 49% of the vote to win the election. This gives him a tremendous cushion.

Now that the war in Iraq is over, a lot of people want President Bush to focus on economy. You know who really wants Bush to focus on the economy? Syria.

I tell you something, a lot of people are afraid we are going to go to war with Syria. But you have to understand, Syria is not Iraq. It is less dangerous, it’s less of an enemy, it has less of an army, and it has less oil.

American officials have accused Syria of possessing chemical weapons. And today Hans Blix, U.N. weapons inspector offered to spend the next three months not finding any of their chemicals weapons too.

Today the Iraqis sat down for talks on how to put together a post war government. They would have sat down yesterday, but somebody stole all the couches. They had to stand around and mingle really.

Now there are reports from Baghdad that officials are taking bribes for favors, giving jobs to their relatives, taking money under that table for contractors. You know what that means? This war is less than a month old, already they have an American style democracy.

I guess you know all of Iraq’s oil fields are under U.S. control. Which is kind of ironic since all the gas stations here are run by Middle Easterners.

Today the homeland security code was lowered except here in Los Angeles where it was raised to code red. Nothing to do with the Middle East, just Rodney King out driving again.

Our old friend Rodney King was driving 100 mph the other night in his SUV, hit a telephone pole, bounced off a tree, smashed through a fence, slammed into a house. Nice to see after all these years Rodney’s still got it. Hasn’t lost his touch.

DOD rules, State Drools. Apparently, there's a lot of jockying for who's going to be running things in Iraq, after the fall. U.S, Coalition, or UN? Department of State or Department of Defense? Put me down for the DOD for two simple reasons: (1) they have a proven record (Douglas MacArthur, George Marshall [howls of protest answered below]) (2) their goal will be to get out of the business of running Iraq as soon as possible.

MacArthur gave the Japanese women's sufferage, labor unions, free press, and a pacifist constitution.

George C. Marshall was Secretary of State when he administered the Marshall Plan, but he was put in that position by President Harry S Truman when he was a general in the Army. Those who might claim this was a Department of State project would probably try to argue that Johnny Unitas was a San Diego Charger.

But more important, which agency do you think will try to get the job done the quickest and most effectively? Or put it this way, would you want your country to be run by Vince Brooks or Kofi Annan?

O'Connor the Callous Racist. The Supreme Court today struck down a Virginia law which declared the burning of a cross a crime. Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the majority/plurality opinion*. Of course the reason she voted the way she did and wrote the opinion is because she is a notorious racist appointed by the most racist President (until the current Bush), Ronald KKK Reagan.

No, I don't believe this, but that is what some would have you believe. Writing in the NYTimes yesterday, Adam Cohen states "Justice O'Connor . . . has written a number of decisions that stand out as not merely conservative, but callous." His evidence of this? "In 1988, she rejected the claim of a North Dakota child, who lived 16 miles from her school, that she had a right to ride a school bus without paying a fee that her family could not afford."

I imagine there are a number of things that put me on the road from liberalism, but this type of thinking is one of them. Yes, Justice O'Connor did write the majority opinion in Kadrmas v. Dickinson Public Schools, 487 U.S. 450, 462 (1988) which upheld a state statute allowing a school district to charge parents a transportation fee. While I disagree with O'Connor in Kadrmas (not to mention in the current cross burning case), her opinion is probably correct and consistent with Supreme Court precedents. [BTW, the record in the Kadrmas case shows that while the state was going to charge the family a total of $97 for transportation, the family opted to not use the bus and ended up incurring transportation costs of about $97.]

Just from reading this one brief essay, I can see Cohen is bright enough to understand O'Connor's opinion, yet he deliberately misconstrues it so he can paint her as "not merely conservative, but callous." Applying Cohen's logic, I could say that Tom Daschle is not merely liberal but unpatriotic. Michael Moore is not merely a Marxist but a traitor. Ted Kennedy is not merely a drunk, but a killer (well, that one is actually true).

Just because O'Connor struck down the Virginia law doesn't mean she's a racist -- she's just wrong.

I agree with the Justice Clarence Thomas dissent:

In February 1952, in light of this series of cross burnings and attendant reports that the Klan, “long considered dead in Virginia, is being revitalized in Richmond,” Governor Battle announced that “Virginia ‘might well consider passing legislation’ to restrict the activities of the Ku Klux Klan.” ‘State Might Well Consider’ Restrictions on Ku Klux Klan, Governor Battle Comments, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Feb. 6, 1952, at 7. As newspapers reported at the time, the bill was “to ban the burning of crosses and other similar evidences of terrorism.” Name Rider Approved by House, Richmond News Leader, Feb. 23, 1952, at 1 (emphasis added). The bill was presented to the House of Delegates by a former FBI agent and future two-term Governor, Delegate Mills E. Godwin, Jr. “Godwin said law and order in the State were impossible if organized groups could create fear by intimidation.” Bill to Curb KKK Passed By the House, Action is Taken Without Debate, Richmond Times Dispatch, Mar. 8, 1952, at 5 (emphasis added).

That in the early 1950s the people of Virginia viewed cross burning as creating an intolerable atmosphere of terror is not surprising: Although the cross took on some religious significance in the 1920's when the Klan became connected with certain southern white clergy, by the postwar period it had reverted to its original function “as an instrument of intimidation.” W. Wade, The Fiery Cross: The Ku Klux Klan in America 185, 279 (1987).

Strengthening Delegate Godwin’s explanation, as well as my conclusion, that the legislature sought to criminalize terrorizing conduct is the fact that at the time the statute was enacted, racial segregation was not only the prevailing practice, but also the law in Virginia.2 And, just two years after the enactment of this statute, Virginia’s General Assembly embarked on a campaign of “massive resistance” in response to Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). See generally, Griffin v. County School Board, 377 U.S. 218, 221 (1964); Harrison v. Day, 106 S.E.2d 636 (Va. 1959) (describing “massive resistance” as legislatively mandated attempt to close public schools rather than desegregate).

It strains credulity to suggest that a state legislature that adopted a litany of segregationist laws self-contradictorily intended to squelch the segregationist message. Even for segregationists, violent and terroristic conduct, the Siamese twin of cross burning, was intolerable. The ban on cross burning with intent to intimidate demonstrates that even segregationists understood the difference between intimidating and terroristic conduct and racist expression. It is simply beyond belief that, in passing the statute now under review, the Virginia legislature was concerned with anything but penalizing conduct it must have viewed as particularly vicious.

Accordingly, this statute prohibits only conduct, not expression. And, just as one cannot burn down someone’s house to make a political point and then seek refuge in the First Amendment, those who hate cannot terrorize and intimidate to make their point. In light of my conclusion that the statute here addresses only conduct, there is no need to analyze it under any of our First Amendment tests.

-----
* Yes, this was one of those famous hydra-headed opinions -- parts I, II, and III carried a majority, parts IV and V of the opinion only a plurality.

Thunder Run

The bunker door slams
Saddam's knees quake
Like a ghost he floats on the TV tube
As the palace roof breaks
The Fifth Corps coming for the homely
Hey that's you and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face John Kerry again

Don't 'cha run back inside
you know just what I'm here for
You're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's Bradleys in the town
You ain't a beauty -- you're buried in the ground
and that's alright with me

You can hide `neath your covers
And study your pain
Make shields from the mothers
Throw children down the drain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a savior to rise from these streets

Well now I ain't no hero
That's understood
All the redemption I can offer
Is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now
Except blow down the window
And let this gun blow off your head
Well the night's busting open
These two planes will take ya' to the dead
We got one last chance to make it real
Ya' should'a taken the President's deal
Climb in back
Hell's waiting down the tracks

Oh oh come take my hand
Ridin' out tonight to case the promised land
Oh oh Thunder Run, oh Thunder Run
oh Thunder Run
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run
Oh Thunder Run, sit tight take hold
Thunder Run

Well I got this M60
And I learned how to make her talk
And my car's out back
If you're ready to take that long walk
From your front porch to my front seat
The door's open but the ride it ain't free
heyI know you're lonely
For words that I ain't spoken
But tonight we'll be free
of all the promises that you broke
There were ghosts in the eyes
Of all the boys you sent away
They haunt this dusty desert road
In the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets
They scream your name at night in the street
Your statue lies in dust at their feet
And in the lonely cool before dawn
You hear their engines roaring on
But when you get to the porch they're gone
On the wind,
so Saddam climb in
It's a town full of losers
We're pulling out of here to win.

The above is, of course, cheerfully ripped off from Bruce Springsteen. I imagine I'm not the first with this idea and it's surprising how few changes were necessary....

No. I am dumbstruck -- Michael Kelly is dead. It can't be. I just finished reading his letter from Kuwait City this morning and almost feel like I had been listening to him on the telephone. At the time I was thinking that he can't be in Kuwait -- he has a magazine to edit -- plus his work for the National Journal and his column. Not to mention his kids, Tom and Jack.

His own epitath?:

So, happily, it was for me. In the house where I was lucky enough to grow, the weather was always balmy, rain or shine. And life was always good, good or bad, and the children were always successes, succeed or fail. And the experiences were always marvelous.

Good bye Michael -- gone way too soon.

More -- links and commentary galore by Orin Judd.

Loser. This morning, going to work, I caught an interview on the local radio station with Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH). Bill Press, formerly the liberal voice on Crossfire, led off with what he identified as the "French Question:" In essence he asked now that the war is underway, do you want the US or Iraq to win? Incredibly, Kucinich couldn't answer this question. The hosts were incredulous and even notorious Bush-critic Press was contemptuous of Kucinich's position. The best Kucinich could muster was that if the US wins it loses. At the conclusion of the segment Bill Press asked, isn't "Kucinich a French name?"

Running for President, Kucinich has given in to his lust for power. He sacrificed his beliefs on abortion and now he'd love to see a tyrant win.

Poetry and Sheepdip. April, as good students of English Lit. know, is the cruelest month (annotated). On the other hand, it's National Poetry Month, not a cruel thing. Nevertheless, poets and especially anti-war poets can be cruel.

Sam Hamill was on Fresh Air yesterday and read his "anti-war" poem which was truly a parody of the idiot left:

Sheepherder Coffee
I used to like sheepherder coffee,
a cup of grounds in my old enameled pot,
then three cups of water and a fire,

and when it's hot, boiling into froth,
a half cup of cold water
to bring the grounds to the bottom.

It was strong and bitter and good
as I squatted on the riverbank,
under the great redwoods, all those years ago.

Some days, it was nearly all I got.
I was happy with my dog,
and cases of books in my funky truck.

But when I think of that posture now,
I can't help but think
of Palestinians huddled in their ruins,

the Afghani shepherd with his bleating goats,
the widow weeping, sending off her sons,
the Tibetan monk who can't go home.

There are fewer names for coffee
than for love. Squatting, they drink,
thinking, waiting for whatever comes.

So let me start work on my anti-anti-warriors poem:

You may talk of goats and coffee
And your love of Colonel Gadhafi
And think about your books and funky trucks
But when it comes to human shields
And covering up death yields,
No one’s like the antiwar poet schmuks
In Saddam’s country side
Plenty of crimes they do hide
Atrocities like burning, torture, murder, and rape
But we could count on one man
To inflame the antiwar fans
And ignore the plain truth on videotape

It was Sam! Sam! Sam!
You brave, fearless poet Hamill Sam!
(Weapons of Mass Destruction
Torture chambers under construction)
Give Bush hell, Poet Sam

[more to follow?]

Sarah. Here's a painting of my second daughter Sarah at Corolla Beach in North Carolina:



Courtesey of Karichele Realty. I'm deep linking to them, because if you are looking for a great beach vacation, I'd strongly recommend them.

R.I.P. Former Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

More. Interestingly, the NY Times didn't mention this on the front page today, while the WaPo did. No links to the NYT today. George Will's comments.

Still More. From Mickey Kaus.

First Cut. There was this the other day in Lileks bleat:

In any case, it's obvious tonight this isn't SHOCK AND AWE, which brings me to the Library of Congress. Years ago ago I was standing in the LoC, looking up at the glorious ceiling, and I saw a curious phrase painted above:
The true shekinah is man.
That quote stuck in my mind, because I had no idea what it meant. Later I looked it up.
A visible manifestation of the divine presence as described in Jewish theology.
Shekinah.
Sound it out.

Reading this, I wondered what the quote meant -- was this some kind of Jeffersonian neutering of God -- some kind of secular humanistic exulatation of man? It turns out the quote is from John Chrysostom [I'm still trying to pin down the source, which is why this is a first cut.] Some of Chrysostom's works

Moreover, doing some quick researching on the web, I see Thomas Carlyle commented on this in Heroes And Hero Worship:

But now if all things whatsoever that we look upon are emblems to us of the Highest God, I add that more so than any of them is man such an emblem. You have heard of St. Chrysostom's celebrated saying in reference to the Shekinah, or Ark of Testimony, visible Revelation of God, among the Hebrews: "The true Shekinah is Man!" Yes, it is even so: this is no vain phrase; it is veritably so. The essence of our being, the mystery in us that calls itself "I,"--ah, what words have we for such things?--is a breath of Heaven; the Highest Being reveals himself in man. This body, these faculties, this life of ours, is it not all as a vesture for that Unnamed? "There is but one Temple in the Universe," says the devout Novalis, "and that is the Body of Man. Nothing is holier shall that high form. Bending before men is a reverence done to this Revelation in the Flesh. We touch Heaven when we lay our hand on a human body!" This sounds much like a mere flourish of rhetoric; but it is not so. If well meditated, it will turn out to be a scientific fact; the expression, in such words as can be had, of the actual truth of the thing. We are the miracle of miracles,--the great inscrutable mystery of God. We cannot understand it, we know not how to speak of it; but we may feel and know, if we like, that it is verily so.

More. Still looking. Any ideas?

It has begun. I pray that it goes quick and that there is a minimum loss of life. I get worried -- the Civil War was supposed to be quick -- civilians camped out at Manassas with picnics thinking it would be quick and easy.

Some prayers:

For those in the Armed Forces of our Country

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and
keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home
and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly
grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give
them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant
them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In Times of Conflict

O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us,
in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront
one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work
together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.

For our Enemies

O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love
our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth:
deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in
your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Peace

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn
but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the
strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that
all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of
Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and
glory, now and for ever. Amen.

il Papa aka the Pope. The Pope's position on Iraq and the war is very nuanced. See this discussion by Uwe Siemon-Netto.

Dad. My father will be playing a key role in the upcomming conflict as he did in the Gulf War. Actually, it would be more correct to say that he played a key role. My father is a Marine -- have I ever mentioned that? I have, okay.

Anyway, back in the 1970s, he worked with other members of other services to plan for war in the 1980s and 1990s. Then, in 1979 and 1980, he developed and guide through a program that would allow for the rapid projection of force. He developed one of several plans that went before the Joint Chiefs of Staff for approval and then to the Secretary of Defense and President Carter for approval. The plan developed by my father was the one that got the approval of the JSC, SecDef, and the President and is operational today. It's known as the Prepositioning Program and it will be used in the upcomming war against Iraq as it was in the prior Gulf War to ensure the equipment, fuel and supplies to support our military forces are there when needed.

For his work on this, my father was awarded the Legion of Merit, the second-highest peacetime medal which may be awarded. (If I remember correctly, this was the second time he was awarded the Legion of Merit, the first time I believe it was for combat service and he also was awarded a "V" for valor. See this page for more on these awards.

Navel Gazing. Yeah, I'm still on "hiatus." I do want to use this as an "on-line diary" so I can record entries like yesterday's. I don't want to forget some of these things.

Hitler and Saddam We went to a play given at our church this afternoon by the theater group Shadows of Light on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This play focused on Bonhoeffer's decision to oppose Hitler -- very effective, very timely.

Following the play, there was a panel discussion which included UPI religion editor Uwe Siemon-Netto, who as a war correspondent in Germany in the 1960's came to know many friends of Bonhoeffer. He added these insights as well as his personal insights of growing up in Germany during that time. One young girl asked him to how Saddam compares to Hitler. He said that he thought they were very similar but with one key distinction, I thought very insightful: He said that Hussein is very much a post-modern man, a post-modern dictator. Whereas Hitler believed in the Reich and Aryan purity and so on, Hussein looks only to that which serves Hussein.

In another context, an essay he wrote, Uwe Siemon-Netto had these comments about Saddam and Bonhoeffer:

While granting that Christian pacifism is "principled," the Rev. Gerald R. McDermott, an Episcopal priest and professor of religion and philosophy, made the point that "the use of violence can also be an act of love and justice."

"For example," explained McDermott, "Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a principled pacifist. Yet he said if a Christian saw a truck careening into a group of children, it had to be stopped. Hitler was such a truck, and so is Saddam Hussein, if it's true that he produces weapons of mass destruction wholesale and has al Qaida connections."

Bonhoeffer was martyred by the Nazis because of his role in the German resistance against Hitler. Said McDermott, "Can you imagine how many tens of millions of lives could have been spared had pacifism not prevented Britain from following Winston Churchill's advice to lead an attack against Hitler?"

One Way? I see the an Anglican cleric is in the news for proclaiming a basic tenet of Christianity -- that Jesus is the only way to heaven. (Not all Anglican clergy are heretics -- indeed there is a "Christian wing" of the Anglican communion.)

But do the Scriptures really teach that Jesus was the only way? Okay, there is that verse in John ("I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."), but, I mean, other than that, is there any textual support for this position, or is this just another doctrine invented by the patriarchy over the years? Paul Hawke has a wonderful essay addressing this very question.

Strongly recommended Lenten reading.

Which OS are you?





Which OS are You?

The Rest of the Story. . .
Spurred on by a columnist -- I believe it was E.J. Dionne, I picked up this Presidential address (relevant excerpts):

Exactly one year ago today I said to this Congress: "When the dictators. . . are ready to make war upon us, they will not wait for an act of war on our part. . . . They—not we—will choose the time and the place and the method of their attack." [Their] scheme of conquest goes back half a century. It was not merely a policy of seeking living room: it was a plan which included the subjugation of all the peoples in [their region].

The act . . . was intended to stun us—to terrify us to such an extent that we would divert our industrial and military strength to . . . our own continental defense.

The plan has failed in its purpose. We have not been stunned. We have not been terrified or confused. This very reassembling of the . . . Congress today is proof of that; for the mood of quiet, grim resolution which here prevails bodes ill for those who conspired and collaborated to murder world peace.

That mood is stronger than any mere desire for revenge. It expresses the will of the American people to make very certain that the world will never so suffer again.

Admittedly, we have been faced with hard choices.

But this adds only to our determination to . . . see to it that the brave people . . . will be rid of . . . imperialism; and will live in freedom, security, and independence.

Powerful and offensive actions must and will be taken in proper time. The consolidation of the United Nations' total war effort against our common enemies is being achieved.

Difficult choices may have to be made in the months to come. We do not shrink from such decisions. We and those united with us will make those decisions with courage and determination.

* * *

They know that victory for us means victory for freedom.

They know that victory for us means victory for the institution of democracy— the ideal of the family, the simple principles of common decency and humanity.

They know that victory for us means victory for religion. And they could not tolerate that. The world is too small to provide adequate "living room" for both [the tyrant] and God.

Our own objectives are clear; the objective of smashing the militarism imposed by war lords upon their enslaved peoples the objective of liberating the subjugated Nations—the objective of establishing and securing freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear everywhere in the world.

We shall not stop short of these objectives—nor shall we be satisfied merely to gain them and then call it a day. I know that I speak for the American people- and I have good reason to believe that I speak also for all the other peoples who fight with us—when I say that this time we are determined not only to win the war, but also to maintain the security of the peace that will follow.

But we know that modern methods of warfare make it a task, not only of shooting and fighting, but an even more urgent one of working and producing.

Victory requires the actual weapons of war and the means of transporting them to a dozen points of combat.

It will not be sufficient for us . . . to produce a slightly superior supply of munitions to that of [the enemy].

[Our] superiority of . . . in munitions and ships must be overwhelming—so overwhelming that the [enemy] can never hope to catch up with it. And so, in order to attain this overwhelming superiority the United States must build planes and tanks and guns and ships to the utmost limit of our national capacity. We have the ability and capacity to produce arms not only for our own forces, but also for the armies, navies, and air forces fighting on our side.

And our overwhelming superiority of armament must be adequate to put weapons of war at the proper time into the hands of those men in the conquered Nations who stand ready to seize the first opportunity to revolt against their . . . oppressors, and against the traitors in their own ranks, known by the already infamous name of "Quislings." And I think that it is a fair prophecy to say that, as we get guns to the patriots in those lands, they too will fire shots heard 'round the world.

This production of ours in the United States must be raised far above present levels, even though it will mean the dislocation of the lives and occupations of millions of our own people. We must raise our sights all along the production line. Let no man say it cannot be done. It must be done—and we have undertaken to do it.

* * *

Our task is hard- our task is unprecedented—and the time is short.

* * *

War costs money. So far, we have hardly even begun to pay for it.

* * *

Only this all-out scale of production will hasten the ultimate all-out victory. Speed will count. Lost ground can always be regained- lost time never. Speed will save lives; speed will save this Nation which is in peril; speed will save our freedom and our civilization—and slowness has never been an American characteristic.

As the United States goes into its full stride, we must always be on guard against misconceptions which will arise, some of them naturally, or which will be planted among us by our enemies.

We must guard against complacency. We must not underrate the enemy. He is powerful and cunning—and cruel and ruthless. He will stop at nothing that gives him a chance to kill and to destroy. He has trained his people to believe that their highest perfection is achieved by waging war. For many years he has prepared for this very conflict- planning, and plotting, and training, arming, and fighting. We have already tasted defeat. We may suffer further setbacks. We must face the fact of a hard war, a long war, a bloody war, a costly war.

We must, on the other hand, guard against defeatism. That has been one of the chief weapons of [our enemy's] propaganda machine—used time and again with deadly results. It will not be used successfully on the American people.

We must guard against divisions among ourselves and among all the other United Nations. We must be particularly vigilant against racial discrimination in any of its ugly forms. [The dictator] will try again to breed mistrust and suspicion between one individual and another, one group and another, one race and another, one Government and another. He will try to use the same technique of falsehood and rumor-mongering with which he divided France from Britain. He is trying to do this with us even now. But he will find a unity of will and purpose against him, which will persevere until the destruction of all his black designs upon the freedom and safety of the people of the world.

We cannot wage this war in a defensive spirit. As our power and our resources are fully mobilized, we shall carry the attack against the enemy—we shall hit him and hit him again wherever and whenever we can reach him.

We must keep him far from our shores, for we intend to bring this battle to him on his own home grounds.

American armed forces must be used at any place in all the world where it seems advisable to engage the forces of the enemy. In some cases these operations will be defensive, in order to protect key positions. In other cases, these operations will be offensive, in order to strike at the common enemy, with a view to his complete encirclement and eventual total defeat.

American armed forces will operate at many points . . .

* * *

American armed forces will help to protect this hemisphere—and also help to protect bases outside this hemisphere, which could be used for an attack on the Americas.

If any of our enemies . . . attempt long-range raids by "suicide" squadrons of bombing planes, they will do so only in the hope of terrorizing our people and disrupting our morale. Our people are not afraid of that. We know that we may have to pay a heavy price for freedom. We will pay this price with a will. Whatever the price, it is a thousand times worth it. No matter what our enemies, in their desperation, may attempt to do to us- we will say, as the people of [that great city] have said, "We can take it." And what's more we can give it back and we will give it back—with compound interest.

When our enemies challenged our country to stand up and fight, they challenged each and every one of us. And each and every one of us has accepted the challenge—for himself and for his Nation.

* * *

We can well say that our men on the fighting fronts have already proved that Americans today are just as rugged and just as tough as any of the heroes whose exploits we celebrate on the Fourth of July.

Many people ask, "When will this war end?" There is only one answer to that. It will end just as soon as we make it end, by our combined efforts, our combined strength, our combined determination to fight through and work through until the end —the end of militarism in [that country of our common foe]. Most certainly we shall not settle for less.

* * *

We are fighting today for security, for progress, and for peace, not only for ourselves but for all men, not only for one generation but for all generations. We are fighting to cleanse the world of ancient evils, ancient ills.

Our enemies are guided by brutal cynicism, by unholy contempt for the human race. We are inspired by a faith that goes back through all the years to the first chapter of the Book of Genesis: "God created man in His own image."

We on our side are striving to be true to that divine heritage. We are fighting, as our fathers have fought, to uphold the doctrine that all men are equal in the sight of God. Those on the other side are striving to destroy this deep belief and to create a world in their own image—a world of tyranny and cruelty and serfdom.

That is the conflict that day and night now pervades our lives.

No compromise can end that conflict. There never has been—there never can be—successful compromise between good and evil. Only total victory can reward the champions of tolerance, and decency, and freedom, and faith.

Of course, those of you familiar with your history – the “four freedoms” mentioned above -- already know that this speech was delivered by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It was his ninth state of the union address and was delivered on January 6, 1942. For the entire speech, you can read it on-line here.


I was particularly struck by the last few paragraphs – especially these days when there are an irritating group of thumb-suckers whining about George Bush’s “God Talk.” [Should I point out these are the same people who cooed approvingly of Clinton’s use of ministers to provide cover for adultery and perjury? – no, move on.]

I don't think Bush is "using" God like the televangelists do ("God wants you to send me money.") I see Bush doing what FDR did -- seeking to discern what is right and good and to lead the nation in that direction.

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More on the four freedoms: a link to a .wav file of FDR.

War. I don't know about war. I pray for peace and I pray for justice. A just peace is the preference and sometimes war is necessary to have a just peace. Many of us are praying for justice and peace.

The Difference in Administrations. Example Number 972: Under Clinton, the government destroys religious compounds. Under Bush it destroys brothels.

Kyrie Eleison

Look around you, can you see?
Times are troubled, people grieve.
See the violence, feel the hardness;
All My people, weep with Me.

Kyrie eleison,
Christe eleison,
Kyrie eleison.

Walk among them, I'll go with you.
Reach out to them with My hands.
Suffer with Me, and together,
We will serve them, help them stand.

Forgive us, Father; hear our prayer.
We would walk with You anywhere.
Through Your suff'ring, with forgiveness,
Take Your life into the world.

-Jodi Page Clark

Not quite a full-blown hiatus. Thank you for the nice notes received, both in the comments and in e-mail messages. No I'm not really giving up blogging for Lent. Like both Ben and my mother suggested, I'll stick with something else -- chocolate, although that's really not a big deal for me.

Really, I'm just too far behind on everything and therefore it's more of a discipline. This is something that's fun to do -- sit down and write. Unfortunately, I've got letters written, but not addressed; I've got a package that's addressed but not mailed; the same goes for cards and presents. Looking ahead, I've got a lot to do at work -- some trips -- and a lot to do for Joy's school. I'm home-schooling her for 8th grade.

I'll probably have a stray note here from time-to-time, but it will probably be pretty irregular.

Thanks again for all the nice notes.

Unsafe at any speed. Because my middle daughter, Sarah, age 6, was singing with the children's choir at both services this morning, my wife and I drove separate cars today. On the way home I had my oldest daughter, Joy, and Sarah with me. We stopped at traffic light waiting for the arrow to turn. There was a beautiful motorcycle in the lane next to me, so I picked up a thread that I've mentioned to Joy before: "mmm, Maybe I should get a motorcycle. . ." Both Joy and Sarah objected.
Sarah said: "Grandma says that motorcycles are dangerous."
"Oh, Sarah" I replied, "that's just what Grandma says. How are motorcycles dangerous?"
"If you get one, Mom will kill you."

Mags. Newsweek looks interesting -- Bush and God -- why do I suspect it will just be all this stuff from the Interfaith Alliance wringing of hands about Bush? Time, on the other hand, promises to look at life after Saddam.

More -- speaking of the interfaith alliance, how arrogant is this:

President Bush often reminds me of a first year seminary student who, after one course in theology, thinks his particular view of faith answers all of life's most complex problems. As a Baptist minister for over 40 years. . .

blah, blah, blah, blah--Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy.

Oh, sorry Rev. Gaddy (a Ford Foundation Project) -- I guess God only speaks to you?

Well done, Reverend. I was very saddened to get this note that the mighty Rev. E.V. Hill passed away late Monday. I was very blessed to hear him preach once -- at my law school baccalaureate. He preached on "His eye is on the sparrow." This was one of the greatest sermons I ever heard. This man did a lot for the Kingdom of God -- he will be missed here, but he has earned his rest. He was faithful to the call of God and he was truly blessed.

Victory for Speech. Now that it's decided -- announced just minutes ago -- it doesn't seem surprising that abortion protesters can't have RICO ("Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act") penalties imposed on them. The constitution does protect the right of free speech and assembly, right? Not according to Justice Stevens and the rest of the abortion acolytes -- however, even the pro-abortion rights justices will occasionally defer to the constitution, and did so here. (8-1 decision, although Ginsburg issued a concurring opinion.)

I was actually expecting to see the Victor's secret case today and thought this one might wait for a month or so.

More This editorial in the WSJ today notes that when this case was argued in the Circuit Court, it was Larry Tribe, Sarah Weddington, no, that's not right -- it was Miguel Estrada who argued against those nutty abortion protestors. Miguel Estrada -- isn't he the one who is being fillibustered right now by the left-wingers?

BTW, I'm angelic. Since it's getting overloaded, I'm not linking the graphic. If I was, you'd see I'm "not evil in any way, shape or form. In fact, [I am] the opposition of all evil. It's too bad there aren't more people like [me], or this world would be a much better place to live."

Sure my jibe at Glenn, below, was lame, but I do have a point. First, the point is that his little jibe was pretty lame itself. If you think it was witty or insightful, perhaps you've had one too many hits yourself.

Glenn, being like a law professor, should know better. It's pretty basic stuff you learn in elementary school -- the job of the attorney general is to carryout and enforce the law. The job isn't to disregard law enforcement just because you might disagree with the law. If you disagree with the law, the proper thing to do is to get the law changed. And who passes the laws boys and girls? That's right, it's a legislative function.

Lame, Glenn, lame.

Down. Yeah, it looks like Haloscan (comments) is down again. It's either me, blogspot, blogger, or haloscan -- we can't all seem to be going at once.

More agreeance. We are on the precipice of war. The American public is constantly reminded we are under high to very high terror alerts, and Glenn Reynolds is "busy with meetings and classes"?

Idiot Watch. "agreeance?" What the hell is "agreeance" Fred?

Knock Three Times. The Supremes will be taking up a "knock and announce" case next term. According to the AP:

The Supreme Court said Monday that it would consider a government appeal that asks if a SWAT team went too far by breaking down the door of a suspected drug dealer while he took a shower.

An appeals court ruled that authorities acted unreasonably by using a battering ram to knock down Lashawn Lowell Banks' door just 15 to 20 seconds after demanding entrance. The masked officers found Banks naked and soapy, emerging from the bathroom.

A friend of mine -- a former Assistant U.S. Attorney who's gone on some of these raids has told me the procedure he's observed has been /bam-bam/Police-we-have-a-search-warrant/WHAM[down goes door by battering ram].

This case comes out of the infamous Ninth Circuit --

Magazines. I'd probably skip both this weekend. Time's cover story seems to share the shallow thinking of those who are anti-Bush that the President desires a war. "Do You Want This War?" it asks with GWB made up to look like James Montgomery
Flagg's Uncle Sam. Actually, Bush has given me the impression that he doesn't want this war -- unlike Clinton who would bomb a country at the drop of an intern, GWB's reluctance has been agonizing. And that's a good thing in my opinion.

On the other hand, Newsweek goes for a soft news story -- a sociological pieceon Black Women.

. . . and Generals. My parents came up for the weekend to celebrate the birthday of my niblings -- we nervously monitored the rising creek out back -- my father-in-law's basement flooded. I did taxes and fiddled with the computer -- adding memory and starting to network all the home PCs.

I'd hoped to see the new movie, Gods and Generals, but clocking in at almost 4 hours -- it doesn't seem likely. My parents laughed that they haven't gotten Chicago or The Hours, but GnG is opening this weekend in the Outer Banks. I was disappointed to see it got a 9% rating on the Tomatometer and did read Ebert's review panning the movie.

One criticism that seems to be universal among the Hollywood critics is that the movie explains the reason the South would go to war to withdraw from the union. This from the same group that thinks the 9-11 attacks were understandable if you were a Muslim. Those of you who have read this site know I am no fan of the Confederacy, nevertheless, for the period in question -- Bull Run to Fredericksburg -- and the main subject matter -- the leaders -- the Confederate generals clearly should be the focus of the movie. Consider this from Gary Arnold's article on the movie:

Asked about the emphasis on Southern military leaders in "Gods and Generals," Mr. Lang answers that the years 1861 through 1863 pretty much dictate it. "It is hard to do a film about the Virginia theater of war at that time," he argues, "without having Jackson as the focal point. ... He was one of the most famous men in the world. ... Northern mothers used him as a boogeyman to admonish their children. Lee didn't provoke that sort of reaction. Jackson was instrumental in victory after victory. During the campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, he acquired this mystical quality of appearing and disappearing."
Warming to the subject, Mr. Lang reflects, "This particular time frame was the high-water mark for the Confederacy. Just look at the generals who commanded the Union Army. Would you make a movie about McClellan? Or Hooker or Meade or Burnside? Seriously.
"Don't forget, there's still one more book. If Ron gets the chance to film 'The Last Full Measure,' the Jeff Shaara book that deals with the final years of the war, the focus will shift back to the Union side. That's where Grant and Sherman enter the picture. And there's the sustaining figure of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, Jeff's character. If you take the trilogy as a whole, he'll be the unifying figure."

Carter Doctrine. During the State of the Union Address I recall at one point murmuring to my wife that GWB was invoking the Carter Doctrine with respect to Iraq. Tis a pity that at 79 President Carter appears to have forgotten this doctrine he espoused.

You may recall, that on January 23, 1980, in his State of the Union Address, President Jimmy Carter announced a new American policy that came to be called the Carter Doctrine. Referring to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Mr. Carter stated:

Let our position be absolutely clear: An attempt by an outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.

In the most recent SOTU Address, President Bush explained

Year after year, Saddam Hussein has gone to elaborate lengths, spent enormous sums, taken great risks to build and keep weapons of mass destruction. But why? The only possible explanation, the only possible use he could have for those weapons, is to dominate, intimidate, or attack.

With nuclear arms or a full arsenal of chemical and biological weapons, Saddam Hussein could resume his ambitions of conquest in the Middle East and create deadly havoc in that region.

Has Carter really forgotten what it's like to be President? Has he forgotten his own contribution to foreign affairs?

Of course Carter has a history of conceding -- which brings me to Tip O'Neill's comments (see paragraph titled The 1980 Election) on Carter concerning his 1980 concession speech before the polls closed: "You guys came in like a bunch of pricks, and you're going out the same way"

Blizzard? Just back from shoveling snow -- it appears we got off light -- my wife figures we got 12.5 inches at our house -- although friends in the area are reporting 18 inches (Herdon, Reston). I heard it was 2 feet in Leesburg. Is it a blizzard? Not in this area.

Blizzard is a term of art that includes not just a heavy snowfall but also high winds -- specifically:

Blizzard: The following conditions are expected to prevail for a period of 3 hours or longer.

Sustained winds or frequent gusts to 35 mph or greater; and,
Considerable falling and/or blowing snow (i.e., frequently reducing visibilities to less than 1/4 mile).

What we need is a term for a really big snow.

Update My sister in Ashburn says she got 22 inches. Also I see the Weather Bureau officially decided to call this a Blizzard. So it appears that I was on the Southern end of things -- that it was especially bad from here north to Boston.