Daily Links

January 21, 2009 | Filed Under Links | Comments 

Bid to give Bush the boot

“Therefore, the voters of the town of Newfane ask that our representative to the U.S. House of Representatives file articles of impeachment to remove him from office.”All in favour?: 129. All opposed?: 21. Meeting adjourned.Bid to give Bush the boot

Wow!Thanks to Fountainhead: Bid to give Bush the boot

March 12, 2006 | Filed Under Freedom | Comments 

Harriet Miers

A lot of people have a lot to say about the nomination of Harriet Miers.George Will doesn’t like her because she is a woman. We can dismiss his opinion as what one would expect from someone with his view of women.Many have raised issue with her involvement in her evangelical church, including a few writers at The Washington Post and The New York Times. David Kuo, a former White House staffer, likes her and points out that her involvement with her church is a good thing. Her church membership indicates character and “character matters,” according to Kuo.Reading all of this just makes it more and more clear to me that her qualifications, experience and mastery of the law will make her a good justice (or a bad one). Her involvement in her church may make her a bad justice, but maybe it makes her a good justice. We simply do not know. We do know, however, that qualified lawyers with experience and good mastery of the law usually make good judges. Seems very simple to me.Of course, we all know the question is really about abortion. Many people feel that her involvement with a church that is vocally pro-life will influence her interpretation of the law. The fact that she will not answer questions about how she would rule in a case seems to concern many. The fact that many people feel as though she should ‘tip her hand’ indicates that they do not understand how decisions are supposed to be made in court, which incidentally points out how poorly they would do as judges. Making a decision on a case without the benefits of the facts is bad judgement, plain and simple. I don’t want a justice who knows how she would rule on a case ahead of time. Do You?In the midst of all this confusion many fail to realize that being a Christian, evangelical, or even a pro-lifer does not mean you would overturn Roe. Justice Nathan Hecht, a member of the Texas Supreme Court and a close friend of Miers (‘on-again, off-again boyfriend’ according to the Washington Post) who describes Miers as ‘pro-life’, said this:

You can be just as pro-life as the day is long and can decide the Constitution requires Roe to be upheld

Absolutely.

October 26, 2005 | Filed Under Freedom | Comments 

Miers Focused on Policy

Everything I read convinces me she is a good lawyer, and will probably make a good judge.

“She appeared to have an innate sense of fairness,” recalled lawyer Sam Baxter, who lost the Microsoft case to Miers. “She was not doctrinaire.”from the Washington Post – As a Lawyer, Miers Focused on Policy

I found one paragraph of the Post article particularly interesting:

Her one foray into the controversial social subjects that can animate the high court was her work as a member of the ABA to get the organization to withdraw its official support for abortion rights. Her colleagues said that stemmed from her belief that the national association of lawyers should not take a stance on abortion and other issues that are matters of personal conscience.

I have nothing here to go on except her colleagues opinion of her intentions. If this is her opinion on the matter, I agree. Certainly, lawyers should not take such a stand. Judges, on the other hand, should support abortion rights for the same reason – it is a matter of personal conscience.

October 14, 2005 | Filed Under Freedom | Comments 

Not what the lawyers will allow, but what the public deserves

President Bush promised to give us what we deserve.I guess now we know what he thinks of us, don’t we.Scandals Take Toll On Bush’s 2nd TermGreat quotes from the article:

“It looks like a perfect storm,” said Joseph E. diGenova, a Republican and former independent counsel, who noted that so many investigations can weigh on an administration. “People have no idea what happens when an investigation gets underway. It’s debilitating. It’s not just distracting. It’s debilitating. It’s like getting punched in the stomach.”

“The one that people are most worried about is Abramoff because it seems to have such long tentacles,”

“The Abramoff thing is a lingering nuisance to everybody,” said GOP lobbyist Charles Black. “I don’t know who else might be caught up in it.”

and my favorite:

The current atmosphere is not what Bush envisioned as a candidate in 2000.

Speaking of Abramoff. I think I remember him.

October 14, 2005 | Filed Under Freedom | Comments 

Covert Propaganda!

In a blistering report, the investigators, from the Government Accountability Office, said the administration had disseminated “covert propaganda” in the United States, in violation of a statutory ban.

What next?Buying of News by Bush’s Aides Is Ruled Illegal – New York TimesIn a blistering report, the investigators, from the Government Accountability Office, said the administration had disseminated “covert propaganda” in the United States, in violation of a statutory ban.

October 11, 2005 | Filed Under Freedom | Comments 

Legislating Daylight

I’m not a big fan of legislation of any kind but this one is a doozy.Apparently a new energy bill passed by Congress will also add 4 weeks to Daylight Savings Time.This should not be a big deal

Still, no one in the industry is expecting Y2K-bug-like chaos and expense. Representatives from research firms Gartner and Forrester Research said none of their analysts are studying the impact of a DST schedule change, while several major vendors says the effects would be slight. “We view the proposed change in DST as minor,” says Computer Associates spokesman Bob Gordon. “Most of our products rely on the operating system DST determination. When the operating systems are updated to recognize the new dates, most of our products would automatically use the updated information.”For savvy developers, the looming DST change could even present a business opportunity. A discussion on technology news site Slashdot about DST effects drew hundreds of comments, including one from a consultant who, having missed the Y2K gravy boat, was determined to snag a piece of the DST market. “You might say there is nothing to really worry about here, but all the more reason to sell yourself to clients,” the poster wrote. “If there is no real threat, there is no danger you will fail.”Time change poses no Y2K replay by Stacy Cowley and Idg News Service, Network World, 08/01/05

but may produce some interesting ‘inconveniences’ and/or perks.Mike DeMaria of Network Computing, says that we may have to ’set the clock manually, just like [we] did in the 1970s’, and Anick Jesdanun says “Cell phone companies could give you an extra hour of free weekend calls, and people who depend on online calendars may find themselves late for appointments.”Of course, many people have expressed an opinion on the matter,

Frankly, I wish they’d just cancel Standard Time and switch to Daylight Savings Time year round. I always prefer more light late in the evening to less light. Any economic or other social benefit that would also occur is just gravy.More Daylight Savings Time by James Joyner

That’s right, the companies that already are making billions of dollars in profits on rising energy costs are being given a $10 billion “bonus” by the government. And, the taxpayer, who is paying through the nose for gasoline and energy costs, gets more time to garden.Kukla: National energy bill will make us all feel ’sunnier’ by Myron Kukla

but my favorite idea was posted by Mitch Tulloch

But instead of passing legislation to extend daylight savings time, why not legislate something really useful instead? Like making pi exactly equal to 3.14? link

Finally, here are two interesting points from More Daylight Savings: Energy Boon or Scheduling Snafu? by Brian Handwerk.

“In addition to the benefits of energy saving, less crime, fewer traffic fatalities, more recreation time and increased economic activity, day light saving just brings a smile to everybody’s faces,” Congressman Markey said in a press statement.

Some of the bill’s boosters cite U.S. Department of Transportation studies from the 1970s.

The 1970s ??

October 9, 2005 | Filed Under Freedom | Comments 

Christian Conservative

Late in July, I caught this post at Christian Conservative. My first reaction was anger. I thought it was inappropriate and very much out of context. My plan was to re-read and thoughfully mark it up with comments, but when I returned to it I was upset once again.Now that I return to my blog after a brief vacation, I would like to get this finished. Problem is – I no longer feel like expending the effort. I read through it again, but all I have to say is the obvious. President Truman’s comments were not in reference to our current war and I find it disrespectful to presume what Truman would say about this ‘war.’One of the comments to this post is worth quoting too:

For now, I’ll just point out that Harry Truman was the originator of the phrase “The Buck stops here.”So there’s no way I see him allowing people as genuinely and arrogantly incompetent as Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, et al, bungle something as important as managing a conquered country.– jim b

BTW, does anyone else think that asking if Truman would approve of dropping bombs is begging the question.

October 8, 2005 | Filed Under Faith, Freedom | Comments