GAY BOMBS:

Speaking of Gay Bombs, its my personal (and correct) opinion that there is no need for the governor of NJ to resign because he is gay, specifically.

However, if he harassed an employee, then good riddance.

UPDATE: I don't know anything about "harassment" per se. I just heard that that might have been an issue. Having said that, I just watched the speech that McGreevey gave, and I have to say that I thought what he said and did was right. I also thought it was courageous. On the other hand, it may turn out to have been necessary, given the "harassment" that may have occured (again, rumors).

Because we live in a time when gay relationships are still looked upon with contempt - especially in public office - I can understand where Governor McGreevey is coming from. By marrying a woman and putting her through the inevitable torture she must obviously be feeling, I'll agree wholeheartedly that what McGreevey did to her was wrong, and I hope his wife and daughters get through this with as minimal of an impact as possible.

There'll be a media spectacle over this, which I suppose will affect his ability to govern. He did what he had to do and I respect him for that.

And I wish the Governor the best.

UPDATE II: Nj.com Newsblog says:

The dirt is about to get very deep, and the governor's apparent moment of courage will probably reveal itself to be tainted by cowardice - maybe a lot worse.

Like I said above. If so, then good riddance.

Comments around the sphere:

• Boi From Troy
• Wizbang
• Wonkette
• Gawker
• Instapundit
• Tim Cavanaugh
• Paul Jané
  
• Jay Caruso
• Stephen Green
• Oliver Willis
• Michele Catalano
• National Review (is frothing)

AL QAEDA'S BIG PLANS:

If you thought 9-11 was huge, then you need to read this. Now!

THINK THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT ISN'T AT THE CONVENTION?:

Think again:

Roberta Combs, president of the Christian Coalition, said she was not concerned about which evangelicals were invited because so many will be among the delegates and party leaders. This year, her organization will have a quieter presence at this convention. The group has dropped plans for a rally because of security concerns, she said.

"We'll have a huge presence there," she said. "We have the president."

Indeed they do.

STUPIDEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD:

There is an organization out there called Alliance for Better Campaigns. What do they want? They want YOU to force television stations to air campaign advertising for FREE!

FREE. Nada. Zilch.

Their logic is that "we" give the television stations use of the airwaves. I'm not sure that's quite a good enough reason, even if it was true, which it isn't. If the airwaves are given to the television stations for free, then, presumably the Alliance for Better Campaigning could get them for free as well. And presumably, they could do that by setting up their own television stations (the ones they apparently don't think TV people have to pay for) whose only function would be to air political ads. You can look at the Alliance for Better Campaigning's list of members right here. Almost all of the member groups are considered to be associated closely with the Democratic Party.

Democrats. Always looking to for people to give their members stuff for free. (I should also note that this group is supported by John McCain. And we know what a great job he's done of reforming campaign finance.)

Television stations cost millions of dollars a year to run. They've got salaries to pay. Equipment alone costs millions of dollars. Did you know, your basic TV camera starts at around $40,000? Then there's rent, sattelite time health insurance for employees, fire insurance, heat, lights, lots of vehicles. Etc. Etc. Etc. Oh, and did I mention licensing fees? Yeah. We give them the use of the airwaves for free. Right. Just a bunch of dolts looking for handouts. Garbage.

(Ever notice that the airwaves only belong to all of us when leftists agree with what is being said on them?)

While we're at it though, we should force airlines to put ads on their planes for free, given that they're using free airspace while flying. Ships who use "U.S. waterways" too. Motorists who use Interstates (except for toll roads, of course.)

Anyone else have ideas about who we can force to give free airtime to the Democra political candidates?

READ THIS:

Eric Scheie makes a bunch of sense here.

ABOUT SUMS IT UP:

National Lampoon gets it right:

via Dean

LOTTERY WINDFALL GOES TO RAPIST:

A man serving tie in jail for rape in London wins about $12,000,000 dollars. People are outraged about this, to be sure. But I'm thinking, in America and Canada, if a prize is not claimed within a certain amount of time, it goes into a special drawing or goes back into the pot.

Is there a law in the U.K. that says convicted rapists are to be let out of jail to go collect their prize? For that matter, are there rules in British jails that bar gambling?

DUELING PUNDITS:

I never knew about this site before. It's been set up as a joint venture of TNR and TNR (The National Review and The New Republic.) Imagine! Civilized debate between the right and left.

MIKE WALLACE PHOTOS:

Gawker's looking for photos of the Mike Wallace arrest. But, I think, mostly to showcase the plastic surgery. They're also predicting a multi-billion dollar settlement for Wallace who, from the pitcures I've seen recently, could use all the plastic surgery he can get. And maybe a kick-ass earring like Ed Bradley!

THE WHOLE VIET NAM THING:

You know? It's come to the point where I'm almost ready to believe that Kerry may never have even been in Viet Nam.

THE MOST PRO-GAY REPUBLICAN TICKET IN HISTORY:

Boi From Troy deludes himself into believing the most incomprehensible thing - that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney represent the most pro-gay Republican ticket in history.

I still think he's a great guy, but trying to find good in an area where none exists is simply, well, kinda funny actually. Like I said in his comments, focus on the things they're doing right (and there is some of that), and don't try to make yourself believe they are doing good for a population they obviously loathe (or something like that.)

THERE'S NO NEED FOR THIS:

It's fine to publish rumors. Hell, I do it. But it seems kind of low to publish a rumor about how Kerry and his wife slept in separate rooms because they got into an argument on the campaign trail. They're husband and wife. They're involved in one of the most contentious campaigns in U.S. history, and even the best people will have a "shouting match" over something completely stupid (or not stupid, but who cares.)

Married couples are allowed to fight. They're even allowed to spend the night apart to cool off - and to put in on a Web page in 100 Point type just proves that Drudge lives in a cesspool. Any right-wing blogger that tries to score political points by using this to criticize something about Kerry's qualifications to be president is living in the same pool.

It's bullshit like this that makes me want to walk into a Kerry Campaign headquarters somewhere with a print out of the Drudge front page and say "You know what? I think Kerry would make a bad president - but it's not as bad as it would be with a country run by people who think it's good campaign strategery to print shit like this." [Just like, by the way, it's not relevant to a campaign to print garbage about what a party boy GWB was in college. (*snort* *snort* *gulp* *gulp*)]

Then, I'd go out and vote for Kerry, and come home and drink myself into oblivion for having done so.

REGULATING SPEECH:

This is what happens when the government steps in and decides what type of speech is appropriate and what is not.

In Canada, when the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) shuts you down for speech they don't like, the decision is final.

More here.

(via Damian)

IRAN THREATENS THE EUROPEAN UNION:

From The Telegraph:

Iran has issued an extraordinary list of demands to Britain and other European countries, telling them to provide advanced nuclear technology, conventional weapons and a security guarantee against nuclear attack by Israel.

Teheran's request, said by British officials to have "gone down very badly", sharply raises the stakes in the crisis over Iran's nuclear programme, which Britain and America believe is aimed at making an atomic bomb.

Iran's move came during crisis talks in Paris this month with senior diplomats from Britain, France and Germany.

Now, if Tehran thinks they're going to threaten to attack Israel, and if they're using that as leverage with France, then they'll probably not get there. That's like threatening to attack Pakistan in hopes of extorting something from India.

In any case, if Iran ever hinted they were ready to attack Israel, Tehran would probably find itself in a very dangerous situation. The Israelis have a reputation for acting quickly and decisively.

COORS WINS IN COLORADO:

Pete Coors, who is at odds with his company over gay issues, has won the Republican primary in Colorado. Now, he's ready to lose to Salazar (hopefuly.) In other news, Denise Majette easily "crushed" a candidate to become the first black candidate for a Senate seat in Georgia. Oddly, I haven't really been following Georgia politics, so I don't know how Majette's chances are unfolding.

I like her, but I hate her for vacating her House seat - allowing one of the biggest nutjobs in history, Cynthia "THE JEWS" McKinney to almost certainly regain that seat.

THE KOBE CASE:

I've not said anything about the Kobe Bryant case - mostly because I thought the whole thing was about money and didn't deserve the attention that even this tiny blog would give it.

The 20-year-old accuser in the Kobe Bryant case filed a civil suit Tuesday seeking an unspecified amount in monetary damages from the basketball star, saying that he has a "history of committing similar violent sexual assault on females."

[...]

The woman's attorney, John Clune, said she demands a trial by jury, special damages and compensatory damages in excess of $75,000, and the cost of her attorney's fees and expenses of the civil action.

BINGO! Can I say "Told ya so!"?? Let's find the NBA star with some of the deepest pockets, go to his room, and figure out a way to get me some dolllaaahhhs!

POWELL TO SKIP G.O.P. CONVENTION:

If I was Colin Powell, as was at odds with much of what this administration has done, I'd probably skip as well. I don't believe for a minute that Powell decided not to attend because "he was obliged as secretary not to take part in 'parochial debate.'"

A decent doplomat, he's just being nice, I think.

A NEW BIN LADEN TAPE:

Will be a signal that an attack is about to be launched, according to this report from the Washington Times:

Regarding the new bin Laden message, the officials said there are intelligence reports, some of them sketchy, that a new tape from the al Qaeda leader will surface soon.
In the past, video and audio messages by bin Laden or his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, were broadcast days or weeks before an attack, the officials said.
"The message likely will be the signal for the attack to be launched," one official said.
A second U.S. official said one intelligence agency was aware of unconfirmed reports of a new bin Laden tape.
"There may be such a tape, but it hasn't surfaced and we haven't seen it," this official said.

Intelligence believes the tape will be released to signal a major assassination. I can almost feel the wishful thinking from Democratic Underground.

UPDATE: Allah is doing a little bookmaking: "Crown Prince Abdullah, even money; Musharraf 3-1; Erdogan, 5-1; Allawi, 8-1; Bush, 10-1; Karzai, 15-1; Sharon, 30-1; Blair 40-1."

UPDATE: Thanks to Kevin for pointing out that the DU, in fact, is frothing at this one!

GOD. THIS IS HORRIBLE!:

Heart of Stone


What is Your Heart REALLY Made of?
brought to you by Quizilla

That Quizilla guy is an asshole!

FINANCING THE INTERNET:

...in Cuba,

Some Florida Republicans are attempting to link Teresa Heinz Kerry to Fidel Castro.

In all fairness, you could probably link any business person to just about anyone. You know, eventually someone will link George W. Bush to the Saudi Royal Family or something.

HOW TO STOP ISLAMIC TERROROSM:

Buy up and burn up the world's oil supply as quickly as possible.

Drive SUVs. And Hummers at that. Fly Gulfstreams, helicopters. Buy a cigarette boat. Change your oil every month instead of every three. Stop carpooling. Heat your home with oil. Let your car idle while you shop. Mow your lawn more often.

Guzzle it up, folks!

No more oil. No more money for corrupt Arab regimes to use to finance terrorism.

Just a thought...

DEAN'S BOYS:

They can swim!

SEEING HER OWN FUNERAL:

A Briton, thought to have died in the Paraguay mall fire, returns home in time for her funeral.

A SCARY KINDA COOL:

A huge chunk of rock, the size of the Isle of Man, is "on the brink" of breaking off one of the Canary Islands:

Travelling at speeds of up to 560mph, the huge walls of water will tear across the ocean and hit islands and continents, leaving a trail of destruction.

Mega-tsunami waves are much longer than the ones we are used to.

"When one of these comes in, it keeps on coming for 10 to 15 minutes," Prof McGuire said.

"It's like a huge wall of water that just keeps coming."

Computer models of the island's collapse show the first regions to be hit, with waves topping 100 metres (330ft), will be the neighbouring Canary Islands. Within a few hours the west coast of Africa will be battered with similar-sized waves.

Between nine and 12 hours after the island collapses, waves between 20 and 50 metres high will have crossed 4,000 miles of ocean to crash into the Caribbean islands and the eastern seaboard of the US and Canada.

The worst-hit will be harbours and estuaries, which will channel the waves inland. The loss of life and destruction to property will probably be immense, according to Prof McGuire.

Britain would not escape entirely, he added. Waves of around 10 metres are likely to strike the south coast four to five hours after the island collapses, causing damage to seaside resorts and ports.

Ouch. Someone call the producers of the The Day After Tomorrow. Seriously though. Can we afford to not worry about someting like this?

The island came to the attention of scientists in 1949 when its volcano, Cumbre Vieja, erupted, causing a huge chunk of its western flank to drop four metres into the ocean. Scientists believe the chunk of land is still slipping slowly into the water, and say another eruption is likely to make the entire western flank collapse. "When it goes, it will likely collapse in around 90 seconds," Prof McGuire said.

OK. Volcano erupts in '49. Chunk of island slips 4 meters. Scientists think it's still slipping. Another eruption will probably make it go all the way.

In 90 seconds.

That's scary.

U.S. FEELING PINCH FROM TERRORIZED TRUCKERS:

Many of those truckers are refusing to deliver goods to coalition forces in Iraq:

The U.S. military is feeling the impact of a boycott by truckers of cargo to coalition units in Iraq.

Iraqi sources said U.S. combat units outside of Baghdad have experienced a slowdown in shipments of food, water and supplies over the past few days.

The sources said the U.S. military was increasing flights by air transports to Baghdad and Basra to ensure supplies for U.S. troops.

It's hard to blame these truckers, what with all the kidnappings that have been happening in Iraq. But my feeling is that the countries who are caving to these terrorists and withdrawing troops and civilian contractors are contributing to this problem more than they're helping.

"YOU'RE BANKRUPT!":

The Donald is taking his company into voluntary bankruptcy after going $1.8 billion into debt. Looks like it's a good thing that Trump has that other career to fall back on. But will he be able to afford to pay the winner of his show?

Maybe this is why he's looking for $18,000,000 an episode. He currently makes $50,000

WORLD'S DEEPEST HOLE:

No, it's not the holes in the truth in Fahrenheit 9/11. Rather, it's a pit inside a mountain range in Croatia.

GAWKER NEWS:

Gawker's Choire Sicha is leaving to become Gawker in Chief. I hear that's a $3.00 an hour pay raise!

Choire has done a fantastic job! All the best!

Your new editor? Jessica Coen,

MORE KERRY/EDWARDS GAY STUFF:

As an update to this post, Boi From Troy notes that there is little, if anything, of substance for Gays and Lesbians in the Kerry platform. Any of you gay leftists want to give us a reason why gay people should vote for Kerry?

Tell me if BFT and I are missing something?!?! I mean, we know Bush is evil and Hitler and everything but a child of Allah, but tell us why we should even vote - let alone for Kerry! Please!

KERRY IN CAMBODIA?:

Nightline is going to cover the story.

JEWISH STUDENTS VERBALLY ASSAULTED:

By French tourists - at Auschwitz:

Evidently incited by the presence of an Israeli flag wrapped around the shoulders of Tamar Schuri, an Israeli student from Ben Gurion University, the first assailant ran at the group while its members were being guided through a model gas chamber and crematoria and began swearing and hurling anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli insults.

"He told us to go back to Israel and said that we were stupid and should be ashamed to walk around with an Israeli flag," testifies Maya Ober, a 21-year-old Polish student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan and member of the Polish Union of Jewish Students (PUSZ), which organized the 16-day summer learning program along with the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS).

Do they teach Jew-hatred in French schools or something? Seriously. Is it a required course?

ANTI-ANTI WAR RALLY:

Citizen Smash and his group of Protest Warriors have a fun day in the park. Citizen Smash (a.k.a., Scott Koenig), by the way, has a pretty good ability to think on his feet. He is simply great at knowing how to make someone fumble for an answer or shut up altogether.

SCOTT: “Hey, they present their message, we present ours, and the public decides – that’s democracy.”

MAN: “Democracy?” He sounds upset. “You’re trying to suppress speech – that’s fascism!”

SCOTT: “Nonsense – we all have freedom of speech in this country. There’s a free marketplace of ideas.”

MAN: “You mean, like competition?” He replies, derisively.

SCOTT: “Exactly. And if the people keep buying our ideas instead of yours, maybe it’s time for you to try out some new ones.”

That shuts him up.

I would love to have been there for some of this.

I understand exactly how Scott feels, too. I go through this type of thing on a regular basis.

KERRY/EDWARDS ON EQUAL MARRIAGE:

They support Missouri's ban on equality in marriage.

Senator John Edwards, campaigning Thursday in Cape Girardeau, said he and running mate John Kerry have "no objection" to this week's vote in Missouri to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage.

"We're both opposed to gay marriage and believe that states should be allowed to decide this question," Edwards said in an interview Thursday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Thanks guys. Why gay people feel obligated to vote for these two is beyond me.

"GAY PANIC" DEFENSE:

Some people are getting real tired of this asinine defense - including people right here in Atlanta.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard issued a statement Thursday saying his prosecutors are "sick" of this type of defense.

"It is demeaning, outrageous, insulting and downright ridiculous for defendants to believe that the death of any human being is justified because he or she is homosexual," Howard said.

KERRY "ABSOLUTELY!" QUALIFIED FOR PRESIDENT:

That, according to General Tommy Franks.

Do you think Senator Kerry is qualified to be commander in chief?" Franks was asked.

"Absolutely!" he said.

But like the criticism of Kerry, the retired general said the Democratic nominee's recent harsh words about the war plan Franks created in Afghanistan was motivated by politics and his failure to capture al-Qaida network leader Osama bin Laden.

"I think a presidential election year is a marvelous thing. I think Senator Kerry is a patriot. And I think what ... what we're doing is, we're seeing an attempt to sort of draw the lines between the two parties in this country. And I wouldn't have it any other way," Franks said.

Now, obviously I have my beefs with John Kerry, but I have trusted Tommy Franks from the get-go. I think he is a brilliant military commander, and if he thinks Kerry is qualified, then that's something to think about. I don't think Franks would have said these things if he thought Kerry would be a terrible Commander in Chief.

SPEAKING OF MY BRO:

My brother, Greg, and his girlfriend just got back (to South Korea) from Bali, and they have some amazing photos. A few of my favorites (which I have not asked permission to use, but what the hell!):

What a beautiful country. I used to be the world traveller in the family. Now it looks like my brother will probably outpace me within the next year or two. Am I jealous? Ahmmmm. :-)

U.S. ON DANGEROUS COURSE:

My brother sent me this link. It's a Globe and Mail story about terrorism and the United States' role in said problem. Let me summarize, so you don't have to take the time to go through it yourself:

1. Terrosists hate us because we're moving too fast for them. Womens' rights, sexual freedoms, etc.

2. By fighting terrorism, we're alienating Muslims.

3. The United States needs to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (For some reason, the onus is on us)

4. We need to stop supporting the Saudis(!)

5. We need to created conditions where religion doesn't have the opportunity to become distorted.

The article offers nothing. It is simply an opportunity to tell America that it is going about the War on Terrorism the wrong way, while offering nothing of substance as an alternative.

Here's how you solve terrorism: Make it very clear, through actions, that if you get involved in terrorism, you'll end up as a bloody pulp on a sidewalk in Riyadh or Baghdad. And if more decide to follow you, they'll end up the same way. And so on, and so on, and so on. Sorry, but these people are irrational fanatics. The only thing they understand is the muzzle of a gun.

There's no sense trying to be sensitive to the needs and wants of a people whose only needs and wants are YOU - dead.

ATLANTA WEATHER:

The weather in Atlanta has been absolutely wonderful this weekend. Cool, by Atlanta standards, with very low humidity. Of course, when you're suffering from the after-effects of sinus surgery, it's impossible to fully enjoy it, especially considering I got a measly 4 hours sleep last night.

Bah.

RUSSIA'S AIDS BUDGET:

On our way home from a restaurant this evening, we were listening to a radio show. Honestly, I can't remember what it was called (Perspectives, maybe?) The show was discussing the AIDS crisis in Russia.

Did you know that Russia's AIDS budget this year is a paltry $4 million dollars? Four Million. By contrast, the United States will spend $3.5 billion.

It occured to me that there is probably a good reason for this. It seems to me that other countries expect that the United States will be the country to spend billions to come up with treatments and, eventually a cure for this horrible disease. Why then should they bother pumping billions into the same thing?

Of course, then, when companies in the United States try to sell these treatments and eventual cure to other countries, we'll be roundly criticized for trying to profit off the world's misery.

U.S. ELECTIONS TO BE MONITORED:

If this is true, then the Administration has played right into the hands of the Democrats:

Assistant Secretary of State Paul V. Kelly, who handles legislative affairs for the department, affirmed the invitation this week in a letter to the 13 House members. They had requested U.N. monitors for this year's elections in an effort to avoid the charges of voting irregularities that plagued the 2000 election, the closest in history.

In every country, in every election, there are always problems. Some people don't get to vote. Some people weren't registered properly. Votes sometimes get thrown out when they shouldn't have been. I've been a poll worker in Canada. I've seen some things there. Ballots always get questioned and one party thinks the other is screwiong around with somehting or another. But, generally speaking, the results of elections are certified, knowing that perhaps some infractions occured. We try to minimize them, but they happen.

So, how does this play into the hands of the Democrats? Because, either way they win.

If John Kerry wins the election, then I'd guess you'd be hard up to find one of these international election monitors to kick up a big stink about any irregularities - you know, given their affinity for John Kerry. There might be some small things, but they won't be made too big a deal of.

If Bush wins, then expect even the tiniest infractions - infractions that happen in every country, every time - to be front page news in WaPo and the NYT for a month or two after Bush's inauguration. Expect to see the major networks bombard you with it like they did in 2000.

If Kerry wins the elections, we'll hear very little, if anyting. If Bush wins, we'll be hearing about it for another 4 years.

(Link to story via Alphecca)

UPDATE: I'm not the only one who isn't pleased.

THE LIES OF N.R.O.:

As you all know, a judge in Washington ruled last week that gay people have the right to marry in that state. It would be helpful if people would actually read the ruling before issuing opinions on it. A couple of days ago, I linked to the ruling, but did not comment on it, as I had not read it. Others, like Kathryn Jean Lopez at National Review Online weren't as dilligent. She simply assumes that "a reader" has read the ruling and quotes that reader as follows:

I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT [KJL]
the WAsh. opinion, but a reader zeroes in on to the second to last graf: judicial activism is laudable part of "dynamic social progress."
Posted at 03:35 PM

Of course, Lopez has had plenty of time to actually read the ruling, and thus, should have corrected the lie in this post.

Nowhere in the ruling does it state that judicial activism is a laudable part of the democratic process. Nowhere. Here's what that second to last paragraph actually states:

As to the conflicting legal principles at issue, it is true this Court’s favoring the equal rights of all citizens (as have courts in Vermont, Hawaii, Oregon, Massachusetts, British Columbia and elsewhere before it and in other jurisdictions to come) may place the judicial branch of government briefly at odds with the legislative. That this may be so is not at all regrettable. Rather, it is fully consistent with sound constitutional principle, with the wise structural design of our government and with the realities of the dynamic of healthy social progress.

It is a judge acknowledging not judicial activism, but rather that his findings conflict with state legislators' interpretation of the law. And I'm sure that is part of the reason the judge stayed his ruling until the WA Supreme Court could review it on appeal.

Judge William Downing's ruling is solid. In it, he does not find any new rights or special rights for gay couples. He simply applies rights that have been denied. His ruling is that there is no compelling state interest in reserving marriage exclusively for heterosexual couples, and that the reasons for denying gay couples the right to marry have no logical grounds. For example:

It is good for children to be raised in stable families with a father and a mother. There is not the slightest question about this. It is a situation to be encouraged by the state. But, can it be said that fewer children will have this stability because couples consisting of two men or two women are allowed to have a relationship that is state-sanctioned? There is no reasonable explanation for why this would be so. There is no reasonable expectation that, should such a legal result come to pass, married fathers and mothers will abdicate their parental responsibilities or young would-be parents will defect from the ranks of heterosexuals.

And his conclusion can be summed up in this passage:

One, then, must try to envision two categories of future children. The first category consists of those whose heterosexual parents will either neglect them or never conceive them because same-sex marriage has been legalized. The second category is those children who will be raised in a home with same-sex adult partners and who would enjoy enhanced family stability and social adjustment if these adults were granted the benefits of civil marriage. The only reasonable conclusion is that the very real second category greatly outnumbers the first theoretical one. Therefore, the goal of nurturing and providing for the emotional well being of children would be rationally served by allowing same-sex couples to marry; that same goal is impaired by prohibiting such marriages. The above conclusion is inescapable when one looks objectively and dispassionately at the properly framed question. It is the same conclusion reached by the Vermont Supreme Court in 1999. “If anything, the exclusion of same-sex couples from the legal protections incident to marriage exposes their children to the precise risks that the State argues the marriage laws are designed to secure against."

My emphasis. We have a judge who is not being an activist. He's being objective and dispassionate about the case at hand. Again, read the ruling. It'll take 20 minutes and you'll see that that is the case. I've linked to it a gazillion times here, so there is no excuse.

The judge in this case will be torn to shreds by people like Lopez who probably still haven't read the ruling.

CALIFORNIA SHUTS DOWN SCHOOL CHAIN:

And no wonder:

Students learned that Congress had two houses - the Senate for Democrats and the House for Republicans; that the US. flag had not been updated to reflect the addition of Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico to the "original" 50 states; that the federal "administrative" branch oversees the Treasury Department; and that World War Two occurred from 1938 to 1942.

It looks like the "school" catered mostly to Latino immigrants. It also looks like their mission was to make fools of those students.

KANSAS SUPPORTERS SNUBBED:

If you know you're going to lose the state anyway, why bother stopping and greeting your supporters? After all, it's not like they will be much of a help anyway.

The supporters had turned out in Lawrence after midnight on Saturday morning, expecting the Kerry-Edwards train to slow or stop so they could get a glimpse of Edwards and Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry.

[...]

But Democratic supporters were left bewildered and confused as the train chugged right on by them and kept going. The inadvertent snub was blamed on a late-night miscommunication.

No Train Stop for Kansas Supporters

FACES BEHIND THE NAMES:

Jeff Soyer snappeed a few pictures at the New England blog bash. Jay and Deb from Accidental Verbosity, Weekend Pundit, MommaBear, Geoffery from Dog Snot. A veritable who's who of New England Bloggers.

It occurs to me that Atlanta bloggers haven't had a party in awhile.