Year: 2006

As if this trial didn’t already have a ton of problems, the drama thickens with the news that the judge will soon announce his decision to withdraw.

The chief judge in the trial of Saddam Hussein plans to step down, a source close to the judge told Reuters on Friday, in a development that could throw an already turbulent process into further disarray.

“He wants to withdraw,” the source said of Rizgar Amin, who is to preside over the next hearing on January 24. “He will oversee the next sitting and then announce his reasons for withdrawing.”

Asked why the Kurdish judge, based in the northern city of Sulaimaniya, wanted to pull out of a trial that has made his face familiar around the world during long days of television coverage, he would say only: “It is too difficult.”

Actually, I think the judge just wants to spend more time with his family…ALIVE.

Typically, most high school students would be grateful if a homework assignment there were ordered to complete was cancelled. Oh there are the always the ‘fun’ project assignments, like field trips and movie watching.

Movie watching…heh.

A high school research assignment on Internet pornography was canceled after parents in this Cleveland suburb complained.

Superintendent Jeff Lampert said that although the teacher’s apparent goal _ to discuss the harmful effects of pornography _ was well- intentioned, he agreed with parents that the assignment was inappropriate for 14- and 15-year-old freshmen at Brooklyn High.

The assignment asked students to research pornography on the Internet and list eight facts about pornography. Students also were asked to write their personal views of pornography and any experience they had with it.

Lampert said he doubted the teacher would face any punishment.

I suppose that kills the gun bullet ballistics class too. Darn.

So says the Boston Herald.

Make no mistake about it, Judge Samuel Alito is headed for the nation’s highest court, and Senate Democrats, well, if there is a laughingstock hall of shame, it should be reserving some wall space for them.

Maybe there is even some special prize awarded for reducing the nominee’s wife to tears as she had to sit there and endure hearing her husband’s reputation, ethics and character besmirched, even as he is questioned about his level of respect for women and minorities.

The tirade by our own Sen. Edward M. Kennedy over Alito’s involvement in Concerned Alumni of Princeton 20 years ago was at once shameful and pathetic. Shameful because, in the end, committee staffers combing through four boxes of documents on the organization that belonged to its founder could find nothing mentioning Alito’s name. (He joined, he said, because he opposed Princeton’s efforts to throw ROTC off campus.) And pathetic because it was all so irrelevant to the kind of justice Alito will become. Maybe Kennedy thought that was red meat for liberal zealots, but from here it couldn’t even pass for hamburger.

Also a prime candidate for the hall of shame was Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) — he of the 12-minute question, who yesterday said of the confirmation process, “The system’s broken.” Well, as long as airheads like Biden are doing the questioning, we might actually agree.

For 18 hours over four days, Alito was forced to endure lectures and sermonettes from senators (friend and foe alike), a handful of solid questions and a rousing game of “Get the Judge.” Through it all Alito showed unflagging patience and even good humor, good qualities for the next member of the Supreme Court.

I couldn’t agree more.

What are they smokin’ in Maryland?

Maryland’s Senate voted Thursday to enact a first-in-the-nation requirement that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. spend more on employee health care despite the governor’s veto of the legislation. The measure, touted as a money-saver for Medicaid, now goes to the House for a vote.

Veto – schmeeto. We’ll vote whenever and however we want. Sounds like socialism to me.

Meanwhile, the AFL-CIO has similar bills in nearly 30 other states.

Not to fear though, Wal-Mart has plenty of support for its side.

“The Maryland bill is a legislative mugging masquerading as an act of benevolent social engineering.” – WaPo

“Attacking real or imagined health care villains, though sometimes necessary and always fun, will not make health care more affordable today or tomorrow unless we also face hard facts and reform our system. It is broken and our leaders know it, but courage to talk about real solutions is scarce, so most stick to diversionary tactics.” – Baltimore Sun

“It would also make Maryland the first state in the nation to impose government-mandated health benefits, a shakedown masquerading as concern for the poor. If legislators really want to help those at the bottom end of the economic ladder, they won’t destroy the first rung up: a job.” – DC Examiner

“If Wal-Mart chooses to provide health insurance for its employees, great. If not, the government has no right to force it to do so.” – Below the Beltway, here and here.

And there’s this from Wal-Mart:

These bills will do nothing to address the enormous number of uninsured or control the soaring cost of health care in America. 1.3 million Americans work at Wal-Mart. According to one study, 86% of Wal-Mart associates are insured through the company, a spouse’s plan or Medicare. There are 46 million uninsured Americans.

Wal-Mart is deeply committed to finding solutions to the health care challenges facing our associates, our communities, and our company. Every associate, full and part-time, can become eligible for plans that cost less than $25 per month for individuals, $37 per month for a single parent and child, and $65 per month for a family. None of our health plans come with a lifetime maximum – protecting associates and their families from catastrophic costs.

Frankly, it’s too bad Wal-Mart has to bear the cost of fighting this waste of legislation. I hope they come out on top, and that eventually the members of the Maryland Senate are voted out.

UPI has the breaking news story of the day – France is implicated in oil-for-food program. Breaking news of course, if this story was published a year ago. But no, it came out today.

Someone should make a call to the UPI offices and confirm that people are still breathing over there.

Al Sharpton is on the move toward 2008.

On his first trip back to New Hampshire since losing in the 2004 primary, former presidential candidate Al Sharpton packed his schedule Thursday with school speeches, college visits, political meetings and a fundraiser for local Democrats.

I guess this proves that it is never too early to begin the race baiting, huh Al?

While reading an article from MSNBC’s National Affairs writer Tom Curry about the Democrats plan to continue their fight to block the confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito, I ran across this little tidbit from Democratic Strategist Roger Hickey:

“I hope Democrats will mount a filibuster. On the one hand it will be a motivating factor for people to vote in November, but on the other hand, if Democrats wimp out and don’t follow up with a filibuster, there will many disappointed voters.”

Hickey said the Alito hearings showed voters that the result of the 2004 election was “it allowed Bush to appoint extremists to the bench.”

Asked whether Alito did in fact appear at the hearings as extremist, Hickey said, “He came across as a nice guy who has some very extreme views.”

But does Hickey quote Alito in an effort to prove he is an extremist? Nope, of course not. He’d have to use words if he did that, and words mean things. For Democrats, words don’t mean things, they are only a tool used to create certain feelings.

Another strategist working for a leftist group trying to defeat Alito spoke on condition of anonymity and said Thursday that opponents may have erred in scattering their fire against the nominee on several different charges, instead of focusing all their fire on Roe v. Wade and privacy rights. Even if they would have completely focused on abortion, there’s no there, there.

The biggest problem the Democrats have today is the perception that their fearless leader, Ted Kennedy made Samuel Alito’s wife cry. With that move, they lost points with women, a constituency they absolutely need if they have any hopes in winning seats come November.

Here’s just another example of how the Left in this country believes everything is Bush’s fault.

Congratulations Democrats! You’ve accomplished at least one thing in the confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito. Led by that master of sensitivity, Sen. Ted Kennedy, you made Alito’s wife cry.

Thugs.

UPDATE: More thugs.

It’s likely that the US will refer Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions relating to its nuclear programs.

Deja vu.

The United States, which has sought for more than a year to have Iran’s case handled by the world body’s top forum, said the threat of sanctions involved in such a referral could force Tehran to negotiate seriously over limiting its programs.

It’s Iran all over again. Hopefully this time there will be fewer Security Council resolutions and more action, but I doubt that.