Thanks to grandma Sharon Stone for ‘opening the way’ so to speak, Britney Spears ‘accidentally’ got a camera shot seen around the world. In food lingo, it’s sort of, speared. Could be the latest thing now, a race to the ground. Not to be outdone, we might expect to see her new best bud Paris Hilton? Question is, will it be on a bar stool or getting out of a car?
All posts by Ross
Judiciary Run Amok
In the latest bizarro judicial decision, having already raped and pillaged the White House and the position of Commander in Chief, U.S. District Judge James Robertson is telling the Treasury Department to change the money so that the blind can, ostensibly, use it more effectively.  It’s a warm and fuzzy thought, but since when have judges become a replacement for the people?
From a technical standpoint, the answer lies in an electronic scanner instead of changing the whole monetary system. Besides, the fraud issues won’t go away because of the feel of it, or the presence of braille. Without a scanner of some sort, how could you assume that the ‘new’ currency is really currency?Â
And from a ‘where’s the money going to come from to overhaul the money supply’ standpoint, it seems to me that this judge needs to recognize money himself. Even though he can see it, he still doesn’t recognize it.
There’s More Than One, Leaker
Once again, in a matter of only a few weeks since it’s publishing top secret government secrets, they do it again. The problem is the ‘administration official’ who purportedly offered up the document to the New York Times reporter. This is not just another secret document, this is a secret report which is an assessment of Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki’s success in putting down the sectarian violence in Iraq, on the day that Maliki and Bush were to meet. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that the 2-day meeting was cancelled in favor of a 1-day meeting.
An administration official made a copy of the document available to a New York Times reporter seeking information on the administration’s policy review. The Times read and transcribed the memo.
The leakers need to be sought and dealt with. And I don’t mean like Fitzgerald dealt with the Valerie Plame leaker, Richard Armitage. I think this time, we should think of the leaker as someone who commits a high crime.Â
And now that the SCOTUS has affirmed the government’s right to phone records on one of their earlier release of state secrets, they need to get on the stick today. While we’re at it, why doesn’t congress do something to protect state secrets? Good place to start is to make it a crime to publish that which is known to be government secrets. Protect them with the law and tell the ACLU to take a hike.
Judge Flips On Terrorist Surveillance Tactics
A federal judge issues an opinion 180 degrees from her initial opinion of a few months ago. Big win for the ‘terrorist-rights’ crowd. Same ones who would take a chance of losing their own head, and yours, and mine. The left is so fascinated with new ways to usurp Presidential powers, including the position of commander-in-chief. To wit . . .
A federal judge struck down President Bush’s authority to designate groups as terrorists, saying his post-Sept. 11 executive order was unconstitutional and vague, according to a ruling released Tuesday.
Constitutionally speaking, I think a judicial smackdown is in order. They need to stay on their own side of the fence.  And only congress can do that.  Fat chance.Â
al-AP link; Federal Judge Rules Bush’s Post-Sept. 11 Terror Order Unconstitutional
Mayor Street’s Brother Indicted
How’s this for corruption in politics? It takes two to tango. So why wouldn’t a hot-dog-cart vendor pull in $30,000 a month as a consultant for the Philadelphia International Airport?
The fact that the hot-dog vendor, T. Milton Street, is the Mayor Milton Street’s (D) brother is merely a coincidence. Right.
The War On Ethics?
With democrats taking up ‘ethics’ as their election issue, it seems odd that they wouldn’t quickly embrace the idea that if a member of congress is indicted for anything, that they will step aside from any leadership position. If they wish to raise the bar, they can start there.
Having run on a promise to clean up corruption, congressional Democrats are preparing a package of ambitious ethics rules to pass soon after taking control of the House and Senate in January.
The republicans have been operating that way for a few years now. It was a bad idea that opened the road to political attack dogs. (Tom DeLay saga)  Would Nancy Pelosi embrace that standard for ALL members of congress, or does she believe there should be two standards?
Class-Action Lawyers Lose Big
In its order Monday, the nation’s high court upheld without comment last year’s Illinois Supreme Court ruling throwing out the massive $10.1 billion fraud judgment against Philip Morris USA.Â
For class-action attorneys, ‘easy come easy go’ does not apply. The cost of putting businesses out of business just went up as the bottom feeders lose big.
Hartford Courant: Top court lets cigarette ruling stand.
The Aura Of Rep. Alcee Hastings
The Rev. Al Sharpton ‘wants to see some returns.’ What? This over Nancy Pelosi’s choice, Alcee Hastings, to become chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, one of the most vital and sensitive positions, in terms of national security, in government. And Rev. Sharpton says Alcee Hastings is the man. Nothing would make Nancy happier. For her, history began this morning. Nancy Pelosi voted to impeach him.
Mr. Hastings, your resume shows as a federal judge you were impeached by the house and convicted in the senate for taking bribes. Thanks anyway. We’re looking for someone with a history of integrity, not just recent history.
Aside from that, there’s more about Alcee Hastings than his being impeached as a federal judge for his bribery problems. His accomplice in that investigation, William Borders, was criminally convicted and went to prison. Borders also refused to testify against Hastings and Hastings was acquitted. And Borders got out of prison when Bill Clinton pardoned him on his last day in office. Well isn’t that special?
Byron York points out that the pardon documents given to Clinton listed Borders’ crime this way:
“Conspiracy to corruptly solicit and accept money in return for influencing the official acts of a federal district court judge (Alcee L. Hastings), and to defraud the United States in connection with the performance of lawful government functions; corruptly influencing, obstructing, impeding and endeavoring to influence, obstruct and impede the due administration of justice, and aiding and abetting therein; traveling interstate with intent to commit bribery.”
Sharpton is calling Democrats to task, starting with his post on the Huffington Post. His point is that the Dems couldn’t have tilted the balance of power in Washington without 90 percent of the black vote. That’s a fact, but wasn’t his point. Rev. Al Sharpton’s point is there aren’t enough minorities in the Democrat ranks of influence. Its another ‘Bryant Gumbel‘ moment. Al just noticed a ‘paucity of blacks’ in the Democrat ranks, and his reaction is more like a ‘you owe us’ challenge to the Democrat leadership.
Hastings’ record what it is, I’m sure we could do better. And, btw, I don’t care what color his/her skin is, unlike Rev. Sharpton. I do care about the integrity of a person considered for that position, which ranks above skin color for me.
Byron York @ NRO: Hastings says he’s a victim of politics.
No More Free Bombings/Assassinations Allowed
How one can wage and win a war without taking out the main participants is beyond my understanding, and a formula for losing. There can be no repercussions worse than assassinations and coordinated terrorist bombings going on every day. The radical Muslim leaders of today need to go, permanently, from this earth.  They include Muqtada al-Sadr in Iraq and Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon.Â
And I wouldn’t worry one bit about collateral damage.The human shields that these cowards hide behind are not innocent victims. They are participants The madrases that are used to train young terrorists are not schools of higher education, they are schools for terrorists and terrorists-in-training.
Up until now, the notion of taking these guys out had been tempered by the uncertainty of how the rest of the Muslim world would react. Meanwhile, more innocent Lebanese people and more innocent Iraqis and more innocent Israelis are getting blown up or assassinated at the direction of these two terrorists with turbans. I’d rather believe that the rest of the Muslim world, the ones who don’t preach by the sword, would not start rioting in the streets and would, in fact, breath a sigh of relief that the cancer has been removed.
al-Reuters link: Lebanon’s political crisis heading for showdown
Hugo Chavez, The Poor, And The Morally Righteous
Among his first customers is Joseph Kennedy and his company, Citizens Energy. 
Kennedy admires Chavez for selling his company heating oil at discount prices . . .
“It’s not only morally righteous, it’s good business,” Kennedy said in a telephone interview yesterday. “When you’re selling to the world’s largest market a gigantic percentage of your overall sales in crude oil, you take a little percentage and show that you have concerns about how low-income people are going to keep up with the enormous price of keeping warm.”
Is it “morally righteous” to send political opponents to jail for calling for a free election? 
Chavez’s concerns for poor people? Chavez’s concerns for poor people begin and end
with getting and keeping political support. He shows his concern with government grocery stores, where a typical day at the government grocery store would be the “store has run out of chicken, milk and sugar,” but you might be pleased to “find rice, margarine and pasta at exceedingly low prices.” With in-store signage and slogans like this “When the people have needs, its revolutionary government responds!” it is easy to see how socialists exploit the poor for political advantage. A sample of Chavez’s ‘good’ business expertise I guess.
Joseph Kennedy buys it, hook, line, and sinker. When Americans have needs, Kennedy looks for welfare, even if it’s from a socialist dictator with an agenda. Having an energy policy that gets energy, while looking for alternative fuels, is the way out, but the left doesn’t want ‘out.’ Kennedy’s way solidifies ignorance and dependence on the government to be our surrogate parents.
It is not a stretch of the imagination to see similarities in the way the left exploits it’s ‘victims’ and the way Chavez exploits his own.
ref: Oil money aids Venezuela’s poor, for now, Joseph Kennedy, Meet Maria Corina Machado, Mother of three faces 100-year jail term after campaign for free elections, Citgo Brings Discounted Heating Oil to Region, Dial Joe-4-Oil