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Saturday, October 04, 2003

Marlins 7 Giants 6; Giants Eliminated from Playoffs

As a long suffering Dodgers fan, thank you Florida!
Abortion is Not a Central Issue for McClintock

Yes, he is pro-life, although I've never seen or heard whether he would allow the "choice" for an abortion under certain circumstances (e.g., victim of rape, incest, etc.) Perhaps the lack of information on this is indicative of the fact that abortion, as a political issue, has never been a big thing for McClintock. Indeed, as anyone who is familiar with his political career will tell you, McClintock has built up a reputation of being a "money man," i.e., someone who focuses on and has an intimate knowledge of the intricacies of the state's budget and economy.

As far as the recall election is concerned, McClintock has all but conceded that should he win (which he won't), social issues like abortion will be taking a back seat to righting California's fiscal crisis. Thus, although McClintock's pro-life stance is much appreciated, it is mostly lip service. Given this, and the fact that Schwartzenegger's economic policies aren't that much different that McClintock's, it would seem logical for Republicans to collectively unite behind the one candidate in this recall election who can and will win. Wait until the next gubanatorial primary to support a true pro-life conservative.

Friday, October 03, 2003

McClintock Isn't Going to Win

Reality stinks sometimes, but it's the truth die-hard Tom supporters. Face it. So rather than throwing your vote away on him, why not direct it to one of two candidates who are not only pro-life, but apparenly devout Catholics. The first is Alex-St. James, a Republican political consultant who at one point aspired to be a priest. Hopefully, Alex is still a member of the Church, and his decision not to become a priest wasn't triggered by some lingering uninformed doubt over the truth of Catholicism.

The second candidate worth considering over McClintock is Democrat Danny Ramirez. I've mentioned Ramirez in a previous blog, and as I wrote then, I can't for the life of me figure out why this guy is in the party of all that is bad and wrong in the world. Maybe he thinks he can affect change, for which I say "God speed."

Update: The above applies only to those Catholic conservative voters who intransigently see this recall election as a primary or anything but a referendum on the fiscal mismanagement of "Gay" Davis. Yes, I will be throwing my vote away as well if I see Arnold with a big enough lead in the polls to win. Of course, we'll all be throwing our votes away if the recall fails or "MEChA"mante wins.
Would Arnold be Like Jesse?

I've written in my own blog, and suggested in other blog comment boxes, that there appears to be every indication that should Arnold win the recall election, he'll only serve one term like his buddy and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura. However, I'm not sure where I read or heard this, and would genuinely be interested to know if this observation has any merit to it. I personally hope it does, since I have no intention of voting for Arnold in the next state gubanatorial primary or general election. (Heck, I may end up not voting for him in the recall election if polls continue to show him with a fairly comfortable lead).
Media Bias Example Three Billion and Four

A big deal is made by the media about an alleged favorable comment that Scharzenegger made about Hitler 30 years ago, but nary an utternace is made about Bustamante's verified, and as yet disavowed, association with MEChA. Un-freakin'-believable!

Thursday, October 02, 2003

SCOTUS Agrees to Hear Arizona "Voucher" Case

The issue is whether a law that allows people to take a state tax credit for donations to private school scholarship funds is constitutional.
More Anti-Catholic Charges in Judicial Confirmations

This time against "moderate" Republicans.

Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) is angry with members of his own caucus who object to writings by [J. Leon] Holmes, a devout Catholic, about women and marriage.

One of those with doubts is Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). “I have concerns about his writings and some of the statements attributed to him. They raise questions in my mind about whether he has the proper temperament to be a judge,” she said.
Those That Want to be Prez

Ann Coulter rocks.

Before Clark becomes the answer to a Trivial Pursuit question, consider that Clark's main claim to fame is that he played a pivotal role in what most of his supporters passionately believe was an illegal, immoral war of American imperialism in Vietnam. How does that earn you points with Democrats?

Clark's other credential to lead the free world was that he supervised the "liberation" of Kosovo by ordering our pilots to drop bombs from 15,000 feet at a tremendous cost in innocent civilian life in a 100% humanitarian war against a country that posed absolutely no threat to the United States —imminent or otherwise—and without the approval of the almighty United Nations.

So you can see why Clark supported, then opposed, then supported, then opposed the current war in Iraq. Say, is there a Web site where I can get up-to-the-minute updates on Wesley Clark's current position on the war in Iraq, kind of like a NASDAQ ticker? (...)

Howard Dean is not a general, but he is a doctor. Democrats are enthusiastic about Dean since they figure that if this Democrat were ever caught with a naked intern, he could just say it was her annual physical.
Rush Re: McNabb

Many of you have undoubtedly read or heard all the furor regarding Rush Limbaugh's comments about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. Why there is a furor is obvious: the media is beholden to left-wing political correctness. Look, Rush didn't say McNabb was a mediocre quarterback -- which he statistically is -- because he is black. All he said is that McNabb was being hyped up by the media as a better player than he really is because the media wants to see black quarterbacks do well, and is willing to overlook any flaws that actually exist. I think this is an empiracally provable charge. Donovan McNabb has won no championships, his team won several games last year with two backup quarterbacks, and he has one of the lowest quarterback ratings in the NFL this season. Despite these things, Donovan McNabb is often the subject of special puff pieces done by NFL pre-game shows, and can regularly be seen in national television commercials for Chunky Soup and Lincoln Financial. Former Baltimore Ravens QB Trent Dilfer, who actually won a Super Bowl and whose statistical numbers might be comparable to McNabb, was never close to getting this much media focus. Could have been because he is white? Something to ponder.

Wednesday, October 01, 2003

The Fighting Irish Can Relax for Now

A US District Court judge determines that the Washington Redskins did not violate a federal trademark law that prohibits the registration of "disparaging" names.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued the ruling in connection with a 1999 decision by a panel of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. But she also made clear that her ruling does not address the issue of whether the name "Redskins" actually is offensive to Indians.

Without having read it, this ruling seems to make a reasonable distinction between that which is disparaging and that which is offensive. It seems fairly obvious that teams like the Redskins didn't choose their names in order to denigrate Native Americans. I mean, why would anyone want to give themself a nickname with a negative connotation? It would be like someone asking people to call him or her "idiot" or "moron."

Tuesday, September 30, 2003

Glad They've Decided to "Step Up"

In response to this, the St. Petersburg City Council has just enacted this.

Monday, September 29, 2003

Is Abortion Even an Issue in the Recall?

Morally, of course it is. From a practical standpoint, however, Section 123462 of the Health and Safety Code and Roe v. Wade pretty much makes the issue irrelevant.

Look, all indications seem to suggest that if Ahnuld wins, he won't run for a second term. Maybe what we pro-life conservatives in this state can do then is condition our support for him on a promise that he won't do anything in the next three years to promote abortion on demand, and that he will do what he can to enact a state parental notification law and help get a partial-birth abortion ban passed in Congress. From a big picture standpoint, having someone like Ahnuld in the Governor's office could go a long way to getting GW reelected President, which I'm sure all pro-lifers want.
Drugs and Pre-born Children

The SCOTUS is scheduled to decide today whether it will review the case of a woman who was convicted of murder after it was discovered that her stillborn baby tested positive for cocaine.

The case, McKnight v. South Carolina, No. 02-1741, could bring the Supreme Court into the national debate over fetal rights.

McKnight, a 26-year-old native of Horry County, S.C., lived with her mother until her mother was killed in an auto accident in 1998. McKnight then became homeless and developed a cocaine addiction. She got pregnant. After delivering a stillborn baby girl in 1999, an autopsy revealed the presence of cocaine in the child's blood. McKnight was arrested, charged with homicide by child abuse, and sentenced to 12 years in prison in May 2001.
Luther the Movie

According to the USCCB: While bringing the period and its key personalities vividly to life, director Eric Till's well-crafted biopic veers steadily from balanced historical accuracy toward hagiography. Throughout the narrative Till deflects blame away from Luther, glossing over his shortcomings with a gilded revisionist glaze.

According to Chuck Colson, quoting Andrew Coffin of the Evangelical based World Magazine: the film “hits most of its historical marks,” especially when you consider the constraints imposed by telling such a story in two hours.

Think I'll go with the USCCB on this one. Any word from the ADL on whether this film foments anti-Catholicism?
Catholic Legal Studies at Villanova

Job announcement for Catholic lawyers/academics: The Villanova University School of Law is looking for someone to fill its new John F. Scarpa Chair in Catholic Legal Studies. Go for it if you think you qualify.

While the Chair may specialize in any area of the law, and candidates from all specialities definitely will be considered, we are particularly interested in candidates working at the critical intersections of Catholicism and the law, such as law and bioethics, health care law, poverty law, canon law, professional ethics, immigration law, legal philosophy or constitutional law.
Info You'll Probably Never Need

I forget what I was searching for on Google, but I accidentally discovered that there is a place in Arkansas called Catholic Point. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any information on why it was named this and whether the ACLU has ever tried to sue for its removal.
More Reasons to Hate the Sacto "Queens" and Recall Davis

Owners of the Kings, the Big Goof brothers, contribute $100k to the anti-recall campaign as a bill to fund a downtown Sacramento arena coincidentally lands on Davis' desk.