In between client obligations, I had to at least put out my two cents in bullet point fashion on Judge Samuel Alito, who is a brilliant pick to succeed O’Connor.

The sex of the nominee does not matter - it takes a certain intellectual cretinism to believe that the SCOTUS ought to have sexual or racial quotas.

Judge Alito is more unifying than O’Connor was (remember 2000, Democrats?).

Chuck Schumer et al will lose big on this one (the SCOTUS is not a bus - Rosa Parks has nothing to do with it, dear Senator).

Paternal notification of a pending abortion is morally right.

I predict the Constitutional option will be employed by Frist.

Other thoughts to come when I can collect them.

The Denver public school system has a radical concept — pay teachers based on how kids are performing and not how long they’ve been in a classroom! If voters approve a property tax hike tomorrow, new teachers coming into the system will now receive raises based on student achievement, not tenure. In a shocking development, this plan was approved by 59% of union members!

The Professional Compensation System, or ProComp, is described as follows:

Under ProComp, teachers would earn a base salary of $33,301, with raises built into four categories: knowledge and skills, the evaluation, market incentives and student growth.

Additional money could be earned for meeting student achievement objectives or for exceeding expectations on statewide tests. Eventually, teachers in the ProComp system could make about $33,000 more annually at the end of their careers than teachers in the current system, organizers say.

Only new teachers would have to follow this plan. Teachers already employed by the Denver school system have the option of sticking with the current plan. So, don’t worry, Mr. Football Coach/History Teacher. You don’t need to put away your VCR and your tapes of “Field of Dreams” and “Stand and Deliver” that you use as educational viewing. Your mediocrity is safe.

One opponent of the proposed changes states that, “Your evaluation is based on your principal, who may or may not like you.” Ummm, I think that’s how things go in most occupations.

I am in favor of this tax increase, as the money is specifically earmarked and apparently will result in a better product. I look forward to watching the ProComp system if it passes to track its effects.

At initial blush, I think I can get behind Samuel Alito to be the next Supreme Court justice. (I’m sure Judge Alito is breathing a sigh of relief to know that he has my support.)

One instance that is already being mentioned as a fighting point for some liberals and women’s group is Alito’s support of a law requiring women to tell their spouses before getting an abortion.

An argument made against this law is that women should not have to disclose their decision to an abusive husband. Agreed. And, I think that such exceptions should be included in the law, as they are in most parental notification laws. However, in general, I think a woman should be required to tell her husband if she plans to have an abortion. That child growing inside of her is as much the husband’s as it is hers. I don’t buy the argument that the woman has complete say because the child happens to be in her womb. The husband has no choice as to the incubation location of his son or daughter, but is still a parent with equal rights and responsibilities.

I would never have an abortion, but I can’t imagine moving forward with any life-altering decision without first discussing it and getting agreement from Nathan. To me, that is a serious betrayal in a marriage.

Well, if you’re a Muslim in Australia, the answer is “you never have to”

OLICE are being advised to treat Muslim domestic violence cases differently out of respect for Islamic traditions and habits.

Officers are also being urged to work with Muslim leaders, who will try to keep the families together.

Women’s groups are concerned the politically correct policing could give comfort to wife bashers and keep their victims in a cycle of violence.

The instructions come in a religious diversity handbook given to Victorian police officers that also recommends special treatment for suspects of Aboriginal, Hindu and Buddhist background.

Some police officers have claimed the directives hinder enforcing the law equally.

Police are told: “In incidents such as domestic violence, police need to have an understanding of the traditions, ways of life and habits of Muslims.”

They are told it would be appreciated in cases of domestic violence if police consult the local Muslim religious leader who will work against “fragmenting the family unit”.

Clearly, Western culture is superior to Middle Eastern culture, except for when Western culture actually allows for Muslim misogyny to flourish.

Don’t click here if you’ve just had lunch.

Commonwealth Conservative has some good posts on the governors race, a seat we Republicans should be embarrassed we lost in the first place.

In addition, it’s a great place to keep an eye on that presidential hopeful George Allen.

Every link we’ve put in the centerbar is a company that either Sarah and I have used or are currently using. I made it a point to be able to vouch for any products that may be bought through MooreThoughts, and I will stand by that policy.

For now, anyway, I’m going to sing the praises of GoToMyPc.com (scroll down a bit). I’m not much of a technical wizard (I tried to figure out PC Anywhere, among other programs, and couldn’t), but GoToMyPc.com makes things easy. I use it almost daily to access my office PC from home, allowing me to spend more time at home and less time at the office. If you like being mobile, check it out.

Valerie Plame Showing Great Concern Over the Loss of Her Covert Status

Just on the heels of their joy and glee of 2,000 fallen American soldiers in Iraq, MoveOn.org has another happy event - the Scooter Libby indictment. Here’s the text from the email the Left wing hate group sent out to its members yesterday on the heels of the Libby indictment

Dear MoveOn member,

Today, the Chief of Staff to the Vice President of the United States was indicted by a federal grand jury.

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, a Republican appointee, announced that Lewis “Scooter” Libby lied to a grand jury, lied to FBI agents and obstructed an investigation into the White House cover-up of the lies that led our nation to war in Iraq. Libby has now resigned. Top White House advisor Karl Rove remains under federal investigation.

This is one of the biggest scandals to rock the White House in America’s 229-year history.

But The New York Times reported that the Bush spin machine will resort to “attacking any criminal charges as a disagreement over legal technicalities.”1 The battle over public opinion begins today. We must remind the country that this scandal isn’t about a “technicality”—it’s about a White House scheme to cover-up the lies that led our nation into one of the most deadly foreign policy blunders in our nation’s history

“This is one of the biggest scandals to rock the White House in America’s 229-year history.”? Bigger than Teapot Dome, Iran-Contra, Monica Lewinksy, or Watergate? Right. A “scheme to cover-up the lies that led our nation into one of the most deadly foreign policy blunders in our nation’s history”? Is that really accurate? Geeze. Plus, I thought according to you guys Bush intentionally misled the American people to get us into Iraq. Bush cannot have acted both intentionally and negligently. It’s one or the other. I must be quasi-masochistic today, attempting to establish logical consistency on the part of MoveOn.org. This is ideological self-flagellation at its worse, and I have no one to blame but myself.

Of course the MoveOn.org assertion is not true, but that doesn’t matter. I’d put LBJ’s Gulf of Tonkin scam and the resulting “blunder” above the Libby cover-up charges, as it truly did lead to an escalated war. But that requires an objective view of current events and a rudimentary knowledge of history. This is in addition to the fact that Fitzgerald did not indict Libby on any charges stemming from the alleged “leak” of Valerie Plame’s covert status. In fact, Plame isn’t even characterized as “covert” in the indictment issued by the grand jury. I’m sorry to inform the vicious left, but the leak has no legs - no law was broken and under no definition was she “covert”. If Libby didn’t get hit with it, no one is going to.

UPDATE David Brooks has a column with the The New York Times where he largely agrees that the investigation is over.

Robert Ray on Fox News Sunday also noted this morning that Libby is likely the only casualty of the “Fitzmas” play.

Alec Baldwin is still having issues with his ex-wife, Kim Basinger, over the custody of their daughter. And, he is trying to deal with this anger. In a recent interview, he stated:

“But I’m keeping things in perspective. Not letting it consume me and eat me up with anger as it used to. I stopped that when one late night I was on the street so unhappy and filled with rage that, in a fit, I smashed my phone against a lamppost. A black lady walking by said to me, ‘Alec Baldwin, you got to get hold of yourself.’ So I have.”

Why does it matter that the woman was black, Alec? Would you have continued to hit the lamppost if the woman dispensing advice had been white?

Though extolling its virtues ceasinglessly, Sarah and I haven’t been practicing capitalism at MooreThoughts - at least until now. There’s now a Paypal tip button on our sidebar (er, middle bar), and a few more commercial exploits to come.

If you like what Sarah writes, and certainly to a lesser extent what I write from time to time, we would appreciate your support. At least covering the maintenance expenses of the blog would be nice. In the meantime, continue to blog we will.

I knew that the new president of Iran was a sweetheart the first time I saw him. Earlier this week, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that Israel must be “wiped off the map”. Funny, I thought that the schools in Iran never put Israel on their maps in the first place. Problem solved!

The remarks coincided nicely with the annual “We hate Israel!” rally held in Tehran on the last Friday of Ramadan. Demonstrators were happy to copy their leader’s comments onto posters and shouted the need for map alteration with glee while burning Israeli flags and also shooting guns at the flags (very effective).

Ahmadinejad is obviously a bit green in the ways of international diplomacy in the Middle East. He needs to learn, like the leaders of Syria and Saudi Arabia (among others) have, that you at least have to pretend that you don’t want to kill every Jew on the planet. Oh, the missteps of a novice.

With the coming out of George Takei, who played Sulu in Star Trek, the burning question has been answered. Gay people do indeed still exist in the future. (Star Trek takes place in the future, right? I’ve never seen an episode or any of the movies. I believe Star Wars is the “long time ago” one.)

I guess that Pat Robertson’s great-great-great-great-grandchildren will need to prepare themselves for the natural disasters and terrorist attacks that will continue to plague our land.

A poor woman commits suicide and people think it’s a prank! A woman in Delaware hung herself on a busy street and her death went unreported for several hours because people assumed she was a Halloween decoration. Isn’t that the ultimate final insult? I admit, I probably would have been fooled myself.

What related story is sure to be told soon that always happens this time of year? Someone will be offended by the six-foot Frankenstein or skeleton that is hanging from a neighbor’s tree because he is reminded of lynching. That’s OK, the PC crowd won’t kick into high-gear until Christmas rolls around!

I have taken the time to aggregate a significant number of liberal blogs on my aggregator. I will now slice through the most worthy and objectionable posts on the Miers nomination.

I suppose I could link to any number of stories. But really, why? It is not like you have not already come across the story in another blog, or received an email from CNN, MSNBC, or Fox. Well, ok. Maybe I am pushing it with the Fox reference.

Besides, if you did not see this coming you need to get yourself to the eye doctor for an exam. Ah, that is, if you have medical benefits.

So, anyway. Acme, Inc. has attempted to distract away from the impending indictments. And no, I will not use any type of holiday reference. Quite frankly, this whole sorid affair is more then a stain on a blue dress, it is a moral embarressment of biblical proportions.

The Plame affair is part of a bigger atrocity, the killing of tens of thousands of people, over 2000 of them American service men. All becaFrom an individual named Guy Andrew Hall. Not so impressive.use of a lie.

I can find no humor in an administration as incompetent as Acme, Inc. Our country has been shamed in front of the whole world. Biblical proportions? 2,000 dead because of the Plame non-scandal? Please - typically typical.

“The GOP just lost all of their Supreme Court talking points. Who in the GOP is going to be able to stand up with a straight face and say ‘every nominee deserves an up or down vote’? Kiss that talking point good bye.

“And who is going to be able to argue that there should be no ‘litmus test’ on abortion and other issues?”

Uhh…the nominee herself resigned. Perception of reality ought to be a prerequisite to establishing a blogospheric presence. Or not - I like noting absurdity. This comes from the brilliant Maru, who likes to say FUBAR a lot.

But here’s one who gets it

I hope Shrub’s next nominee for the SCOTUS won’t be even worse — but I expect he or she will be. Prepare to see one of the usual right-wing judicial suspects named: Alberto Gonzales; Janice Rogers Brown; the Ediths, Clement and Jones; J. Michael Luttig; or J. Harvie Wilkinson III. Good lord, might we even see the notorious Robert Bork again?

Be very afraid, yes, but be ready to fight. I almost expect to see blood on the Senate chamber floor.

Absolutely - lots of blood. If you had any idea how happy the Miers withdrawal makes us conservatives, you’d have a coniption fit. Let us have a hard right strict constructionist - we will rule you. This moment of truth from Natalie Davis.

Surprise, surprise, surprise. If she really withdrew her own name, then she must have known she couldn’t pass muster. If others railroaded her into withdrawing, they are seeking a scarier nominee like Janice Rogers Brown or Priscilla Owen. It was almost certainly not George W. Bush who asked her to withdraw. He thinks too highly of her and her qualifications, right?

No matter. The fight to retain a moderate seat on the court continues. Gird your loins, Hooligans, it’s going to be a battle royale.

So long Harriet, we hardly knew ye.

The scarier the better. This one from Scrutiny Hooligans.

Yes - we shall win, and win big.

This morning, Glenn Beck discussed the recent comments made by Air Force head football coach Fisher DeBerry. DeBerry stated that his team lost to TCU in part because TCU has more “Afro-Americans” and they can run faster.

DeBerry has apologized and insisted he meant no harm or insult. Some players on his team, black and white, have come to his defense.

The comment was not a smart one to make. In my opinion, it wasn’t as offensive as Jimmy the Greek’s infamous remarks about blacks being bred for athletics (nor was it said after ingesting a lot of liquor) . However, DeBerry’s faux pas reminds us of a common question. Are stereotypes always insults? And, who can assert these stereotypes and when? Glenn Beck asked gay men to call in and tell him if they are offended when people assume gays are generally good dressers who are geniuses with interior decorating. What about the stereotype that Asian students are good in math and will play in the orchestra? Is that generalization detrimental to Asian kids who don’t excel in those areas, or does it not matter?

I don’t concern myself with the stereotypes about women and/or blondes. I don’t particularly like shopping, and I’m certain that Saturday afternoon at Opry Mills must resemble a level of hell from The Inferno. My hairdresser is not my closest confidante. I don’t ask my husband why the man in the black and white shirt keeps throwing yellow hankies on the field. I brought my He-Man toys to school in the third grade to play with at recess and I was puzzled by the boys who said I wasn’t allowed to own those toys because I was a girl. Who wants to play with Strawberry Shortcake or My Little Pony? However, I don’t get angry or defensive when people make certain assumptions because I’m a woman. Instead, I choose to be amused.

Glenn Beck believes that the high proportion of blacks in professional sports shows that capitalism is in force and, therefore, proves the idea that blacks are better athletically. The recruiters seem to look for black players to provide greater financial return. I must part ways with Beck here. I think the dominance of black players has more to do with the options that many black children feel that they have for success. I wish I could remember where I read the study (I’ll do a search and update this post if I have success … it might have been during one of my graduate education courses), but inner-city children were asked if they plan to be rich someday. Nearly 70% of the kids indicated they would be rich, and most planned to do so through sports or rap. If becoming a top-rate basketball player is seen as “the way out”, then of course your energies will be focused on making that happen. There are too many minority children who aren’t told often enough that they can be doctors, engineers, accountants, etc. I think that unfortunate reality is the reason for the lopsided representation in sports.

I follow some Maryland politics when I can because that’s where Sarah is from. It’s a whole lot different than Tennessee, and allows one to clean the palette, so to speak. But there are more liberals there, and the Black vote is much larger than in Tennessee. The following link should not be clicked at work - it’s not run-of-the-mill porn. If I had to give it a name, I’d call it racist smut.

When liberals go nuts - check it out here with the above considerations in mind.

The author of the blog of the link above happens to be Black - does that at all excuse his characterization of Michael Steele, the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland? I don’t think it does. The militant collectivism demanded by Steve Gilliard is atrocious. How dare Black people think individually - we can’t have that! (well, only because if 10% of Blacks left the collective, Democrats would never win another election again). It’s race baiting at its finest

Here’s the title from Mr. Gilliard’s post

I’s Simple Sambo and I’s running
for the Big House

The operative parts

Ehrlich’s people are already abandoning Simple Sambo.

And if he thinks he can win Baltimore and the DC suburbs, he’s on crack. Black people will not only not vote for him, but regard him with contempt. When he said it was no big deal that Ehrlich held an event in a restricted country club, he showed himself to be Simple Sambo, untrustworthy and unreliable. Now, his bossman’s people look like they’re gonna let him sink, not swim.

When your boss’s money people are laughing at you in print, well, Simple Sambo has a long way to go.

Yeah, that’ll go over well. This viciousness indicates one thing - Steele is a legitimate general election threat. He doesn’t have to win the Black vote, only part of it.

Just released (Drudge doesn’t even have it up yet) - Harriet Miers withdraws herself from the SCOTUS nomination.

Okay, Mr. President - there’s your mulligan. Now let’s get someone Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi will not like.

The “Harriet Miers Nomination” category on MooreThoughts will, without regret, be closed.

I’m not talking about the content - just the business model. From the Washington Post a few days ago

Air America, the liberal talk network carried on WWRC-AM (1260), went from bad to nonexistent. After WWRC recorded a mere fraction of a rating point in the spring with syndicated shows from the likes of lefty talkers Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo and Stephanie Miller, Arbitron couldn’t detect a measurable listenership for the station this time around.

Geeze. I tried to go to WWRC 1260’s website (subtitled “Progressive Talk”) to see what the wattage for station was, but the site wouldn’t come up. The wattage must be so low that even the servers don’t work.

Anyway, the situation is not terribly encouraging for AAR, since John Kerry carried Washington, DC with 90% of the vote in 2004. If Air America can’t make it in the District, it’s destined to fail everywhere else.

To my friends on the other side - enjoy it while you got it.

We had our first child birth class today at Baptist Hospital. It lasted a couple of hours, seemed to be full of decent folks, and the nurse who runs it seems to know what she’s talking about. It was a mixture of good information and utter boredom - thankfully I had my Treo and was able to constantly keep track of the Preds game. I will go on record and admit Sarah did drag me along (metaphorically, of course), but in all, it was interesting, and will be a Wednesday night ritual from now until the classes end in December.

The class started at 6:30 p.m., the same time as the local MoveOn.org vigil was to start in front of the federal courthouse downtown. On the way to the hospital, I took an unannounced detour onto Broadway to see what kind of action we were getting - at 6:20 p.m. there were about 7 of Nashville’s finest citizens smattered along the sidewalk, holding various well thought-out signs and one green peace flag. I was noticeably disappointed, and Sarah commented “What? You thought they’d be on time?”.

Fair point. Onto the class.

We were done with the birth class right on time at 8:30 p.m. I was still interested in seeing how deep the level of dedication ran so, subject to Sarah’s gentle mocking of my curious obsession, we swung back by the site of the earlier smattering, to find that everyone had already gone home. Moved on, if you will.

Oh well - I’m sure they’ll be looking forward to 3,000.

UPDATE Democratic Underground, the virtual Cradle of the Uncivilized, weighs in with a special article

Two thousand have died and the mission still hasn’t been accomplished. Two thousand have died and freedom still hasn’t marched. Two thousand have died and the course we’re staying still hasn’t been defined. Two thousand have died and the president still hasn’t crafted the excuse that explains away a single flag-draped coffin.

As we reach this tragically important milestone, questions remain: what does “victory” look like in Iraq? Does it look like 2,000 dead Americans, countless thousands of dead Iraqis, a prolonged insurgency, no end in sight and civil war on the horizon? Was this the desired outcome when we so brazenly shifted our focus from Afghanistan to Iraq? How many more Americans must die before our president honestly answers these and many more questions?

Tragically important milestone? Add that soundbite to a myriad of factually dubious platitudes (done), willful ignorance (done) and a “comrade” here and a “brothers and sisters” there (eh, still lacking) and you have the necessary ingredients for a nice little garden variety rant.