Year: 2006

This is just plain silly.

University of Florida employees have to pledge that they’re having sex with their domestic partners before qualifying for benefits under a new health care plan at the university.

The partners of homosexual and heterosexual employees are eligible for coverage under UF’s plan, which will take effect in February. The enrollment process began this month, and some employees have expressed concern about an affidavit that requires a pledge of sexual activity.

Fielding questions about the pledge at a Faculty Senate meeting Thursday, UF’s vice president of human resources said he’s heard concerns about the affidavit, though overall feedback about the plan has been positive.

“I would say 95 percent of the affidavit is fine,” Kyle Cavanaugh said in an interview after the meeting.

In addition to declaring joint financial obligations, prospective enrollees must “have been in a non-platonic relationship for the preceding 12 months,” according to the affidavit.

Marylou Behnke, a UF senator, told Cavanaugh she found the requirement “offensive.”

As a member of the Senate, representing faculty in UF’s College of Medicine, Behnke said she was compelled to learn more about UF’s plan. She said she was taken aback to find that employees would be required to swear to prior sexual activity, a standard not applied to married couples covered by UF’s primary health care plan.

“Are you going to police it?” Behnke asked Cavanaugh.

Cavanaugh said he had no plans to personally enforce the sex pledge. The “non-platonic” clause is “increasingly standard” in domestic partnership plans, Cavanaugh said. The clause is one of several methods used to legally ensure that an employer is only obligated to cover employees in a committed relationship, not longtime roommates.

See what I mean? Silly bureaucratic crap.

The MSM is making hay out of pictures that have been discovered showing President Bush standing next to Jack Abramoff. Of course, the Democrats will attempt to make this into some kind of smoking gun. You can just about guarantee the photos showing up in a campaign ad.

I say, So What.

Although President Bush says he doesn’t recall meeting convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the two have reportedly turned up in photos together.

Both Washingtonian and Time magazines have reported the existence of about a half-dozen photos showing the two together.

Time reported on its Web site Sunday that its staff members have seen at least six photos featuring Bush and Abramoff, who has pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from his lobbying practices and has pledged to cooperate with investigators. They appeared to have been taken at White House functions, according to the reports.

The White House has acknowledged that Abramoff attended some events at the Executive Mansion, and spokeswoman Dana Perino said Sunday it’s not surprising that the two would have met.

“The president has taken tens upon thousands of pictures at such events,” Perino said.

Exactly, which is why there is no ‘there’, there with this story.

The Republicans can play a game of quid pro quo here. I’m sure there are quite a few pairing Hillary with some character of ill repute. Not that it would matter though. The MSM would ignore any story like that (at least they have so far).

The Abramoff matter is no doubt a serious one, and it deserves investigation. But the Democrats should stop trying to attach everything to this president. It’s a waste of time, especially when they would be better off formulating ideas and plans for running the country. That’ll win elections. There surely must be some Democrats who remember what it’s like to run an issue driven campaign.

<crickets>

Or, maybe not.

So far (2nd Quarter, 9:56) we look really good. Lots of ball game left to go though, so anything can happen.

For those of you who are not from the Pacific Northwest, and I’d imagine that’s most of you out there, you can’t possibly understand how important this game is. You see, the Seahawks have never gone to the Super Bowl. Like, never. In fact, they’ve always blown it in the playoffs, so the fact that they’re one win away from the Big Show is an act of God, pure and simple.

I’m not counting my chickens (uh, hawks) until their hatched, so I’ll update this post at the conclusion of the game.

UPDATE: Yea! We win, and we’re going to the Super Bowl! First time in franchise history. How sweet it is!

A majority of Australians would like to sever constitutional ties with Great Britain if Prince Charles becomes King.

Now there’s a real confidence booster!

The poll published in The Weekend Australian found 46 percent of Australians believed Australia should become a republic, while 34 percent wanted the British monarch to remain Australia’s head of state.

But if Charles, the first in line for the throne, replaced his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who turns 80 in April, support for a republic would rise to 52 percent and opposition would slide to 29 percent, the poll said.

A referendum to make Australia a republic with a president replacing the British monarch as head of state was defeated in 1999.

Charles’ popularity has suffered since he divorced Princess Diana, who blamed his current wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, for ruining their marriage. Diana died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

All together now – Looooooosssserrrr!

I knew there was a reason to like Australia.

This is very nearly getting out of hand.

Israel said today that they are getting ready to take military action against Iran to stop their nuclear program.

“Israel will not be able to accept an Iranian nuclear capability and it must have the capability to defend itself, with all that that implies, and this we are preparing,” Shaul Mofaz said.

His comments at an academic conference stopped short of overtly threatening a military strike but were likely to add to growing tensions with Iran.

They have good reason to be worried, given the anti-Israeli rhetoric being thrown about by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who’s proving to be a serious lunatic.

Sure, everyone hopes and believes that this standoff will be solved by diplomacy, but one shouldn’t underestimate the intentions of Ahmadinejad. If he is indeed capable of building nuclear weapons and threatens to use them, the USA will on him like white on rice. And a war like that would make Iraq look like romper room.

Another coal mine tragedy claims two more miners.

Rescuers on Saturday found the bodies of two miners who disappeared after a conveyor belt caught fire deep inside a coal mine, bringing to 14 the number of West Virginia miners killed on the job in less than a month.

The bodies were found in an area of the mine where rescue teams had been battling the intense blaze for more than 40 hours. Rescuers could not enter that portion of the mine until the flames had been mostly extinguished and the tunnels cooled down.

“We have found the two miners we were looking for,” said Doug Conaway, director of the state Office of Miners’ Health Training and Safety. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a positive outcome.”

The miners became separated Thursday evening as their 12-member crew tried to escape a conveyor belt fire at Aracoma Coal’s Alma No. 1 mine in Melville, about 60 miles southwest of Charleston. The rest of the crew and nine other miners working in a different section of the mine escaped unharmed.

“We have two brave miners that have perished,” Gov. Joe Manchin told reporters.

Conaway said it appeared the two miners made a “valiant effort” to escape, but were blocked by high temperatures and thick smoke.

As far as I’m concerned, coal miners go beyond bravery. Not many of us go to work each day and live with the idea that we might not come home. Yet that’s what these guys do. Just like cops. Just like fire fighters. Each one of them should be honored, not just during a tragic moment like this, but every day.

Harry Belafonte, who recently called Bush “the greatest terrorist in the world”, has now compared the Department of Homeland Security to the Nazi Gestapo.

“We’ve come to this dark time in which the new Gestapo of Homeland Security lurks here, where citizens are having their rights suspended,” Belafonte said in a speech to the annual meeting of the Arts Presenters Members Conference.

“You can be arrested and not charged. You can be arrested and have no right to counsel,” said Belafonte.

And if you can believe it, he got a roaring standing ovation. But then again, when you consider the fact that audience members included Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary, you’d quickly understand that there was an overabundance of moonbats present.

Oh, and he also called Bush a liar, and claimed that he rose to power “somewhat dubiously…”

And still, no prominent Democrats have come out to condemn Belafonte, but then again, why should they? Deep down, they believe the same thing he does.

Moonbat comments force the WaPo blog to close it’s comment section.

MORE: Editor defends pulling comments.

MSNBC’s Chris Matthews of Hardball compares Osama bin Laden to Michael Moore, confirming once and for all that moonbats of a feather flock together.

Today’s award goes to Star Jones (who?) and her VIEW of the war on terror.