Right After You Schumer

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) feels that A.G. Gonzalez should resign for illegal snooping Senator Schumer in his usual nose-in-the-air profile.into people’s private lives. This is the same guy who, as head of the Senate Democrat Campaign Committee, brushed aside the issue of people in his office that were caught illegally obtaining the credit background of republican senate challenger, Maryland’s Lt. Gov. Michael Steele. And the MSM gave him a total pass.

“And so this department has been so political that I think for the sake of the nation, Attorney General Gonzales should step down,” Schumer said.

What’s good for the goose . . .

related link: Residual Forces

Democrats Run From Debate

And the Edwards Campaign wants Fox Cash.First came Coulter Cash, now it’s Fox Cash. By denying the fact that democrats have chosen not to participate in a Fox-sponsored debate in Nevada, where the candidates can stand on their own two feet to make their case as to why people should be interested in voting for them, the Breck Girl is characterizing news of that fact as an attack. It’s not an attack. It’s called news.

it’s an insult to the voters, and the height of cynicism, for candidates to refuse to take the public stage and subject themselves to public scrutiny.

WaaaaaaaaaaaThe above is a Dennis Kucinich quote on the subject. Nevertheless, the Edwards Campaign is appealing to their minions to pony up donations to ‘strike back.’ In other words, they’ve chosen not to play. They are taking their ball and going home. Most ridiculous item of the day? You bet. Can you see it coming? Next it’ll be Blog Cash.

“Speak English” Sign Deemed Discriminatory?

In America? In Philadelphia? Yes. Revisiting the Geno’s Steaks saga that started in May 2006, last month the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations has notified Joey Vento that his novelty sign that reads “This is America, when ordering speak English” is discriminatory. Now Mr. Vento has to defend his constitutional right to free speech against the City of Brotherly Love. Joey Vento, proprietor of Geno's Steaks in South Philly. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Vento “has enlisted the support of the Southeastern Legal Foundation, a conservative public-interest law firm in Atlanta.”

The complaint is patently ridiculous for two reasons other than we are talking about ink on paper, constitutionally protected free speech. First, no person has ever been refused service for not speaking English so, there are no “victims” of discrimination. Vento says if they can’t speak it, they just point to the picture of the sandwich he has at the counter, and they do business. Second, if someone can’t speak the language, how the hell could they read the sign in the first place to, ostensibly, be offended or discriminated against? There is no case.

It is a great case of harassment by city officials with way too much time and money on their hands.

UPDATE: March 21, 2008, Geno’s Steaks Prevails

Misc Drivel

My first reaction to the largest lottery ever winners is that the winner who bought the ticket at a liquor store in Woodbine, NJ is not in this country legally. The Woodbine area is host to migrant workers who work the farm fields and service-related jobs in the hospitality industry. Eh, we’ll see.

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How long before the makers of HEAD-On (for headaches) and ACTIVE-On (for muscle aches) delve into the lucrative ED market? The name would be a natural, HARD-On. It’s taylor made for a Saturday Night Live skit.

Illegal aliens are.

U.N. Wants New Resolution On Iran

It’s deja vu all over again.  I’m not sure where the count is on the number of U.N. resolutions that have been ignored by Iran and not enforced by the UN, but true to form, the UN is calling for yet another as Iran ignores the previous resolutions to halt the enrichment of uranium.

During a conference call on Saturday, the diplomats decided that Security Council ambassadors should take over the discussion of elements for a new resolution . . .

Wang said there was no draft resolution yet, only “ideas and elements,” but he thought it would involve another 60-day deadline.

There is a consensus to adopt ‘incremental’ sanctions.  Iran can expect years of incremental-ism and negotiations.  More and more negotiations, to come up with more and more resolutions, plays into the hands of Ahmadinejad by giving him the time he needs to develop a nuclear weapon.  Enriched uranium is not required to make electricity.  It is required to make a nuclear bomb however.

NAACP President Resigns

Demonstrating that the NAACP wants nothing to do with ‘advancing colored people’ (isn’t it time they drop ‘colored’ from their name?), their President of 19 months Bruce S. Gordon resigns.   Some people thought his leadership would not be a good match and ultimately, they were right.

Bruce S. Gordon, President of the NAACP resigns due to different priorities between himself and the Board of Directors.The rub is between Gordon and the NAACP’s Board of Directors.  The difference was in Gordon’s idea of what the organization’s mission should be.  Gordon was interested in fixing problems in order to raise people that need it, and the Board of Directors’ idea of their mission is to be sort of a black ACLU.  Which begs the question, why can’t they do both?

“I don’t view this as I’m right and they’re wrong. I view this as I see things one way and they see things a different way. That misalignment between the CEO and the board is unhealthy.”

The mis-match in missions reminds me of the classic differences between conservatives and liberals in how social and economic problems are handled.   One side wants solutions to problems that will elevate a people out of whatever ails them.  This represents Bruce Gordon’s vision.  The other side prefers to leave the downtrodden down, offer up nothing but excuses, use the justice system, and blame everyone else for their problems.  This would be the NAACP’s mission, last century’s ideology.

related link: Clarence Page

The Internet, Man’s Newest Human Right

Pursuant to a 1976 amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act, the State Department issued its annual report for 2006.  The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices serves as “encyclopedia on human rights abuses” by 196 countries and entities around the world.  The use of the Internet is added to the list for 2006.

For the first time, the 2006 reports will include a section in each country’s report regarding respect for freedom of speech on the Internet. Although the growth of the Internet is a great trend for democratization, Bibbins Sedaca said, it has been paired with a trend of governments wanting to control the use of the Internet. The Internet threatens repressive governments because it threatens their control, she said. The more information people are getting from the Internet, the less governments can control the minds and information flow of their citizens, Bibbins Sedaca said. Now people can go online and read the human rights reports and see what activists are saying.

Belly up to the counter. Politics are on the menu and Ross is on the grill.