Monthly Archives: September 2005

Here comes the judicial election

Minnesota achieved statehood in 1858, at a time when its citizens felt a deep antipathy to the Supreme Court as a result of the Dred Scott decision the previous year. Ever since statehood, the Minnesota Constitution has enshrined the right of the people to elect judges to office, but it is a constitutional provision that has largely been circumvented by a kind of gentlemen’s agreement between the governor and judicial »

The empire strikes back

We followed the maverick campaigns of Dartmouth alums Peter Robinson and Todd Zywicki for election to the Dartmouth board of trustees with great interest. I wrote about their nascent campaigns in “Bucking the deans at Dartmouth” for the Standard and celebrated their election here this past May in “Green dreams come true.” Robinson and Zywicki followed the long-established procedures for election to the alumni seats on the college’s board. The »

An adaptable attitude

Jewish World Review editor Binyamin Jokolvsky writes: I filed this story — “‘Palestinians’ embracing hip-hop to push ‘perspective of the victims'” — under our bizarre Middle East stories section. But the truth is “Palestinian hip-hop,” as the story details, is no joke. It »

“You gave us back our city”

Star Tribune columnist Katherine Kersten introduces readers to Marine Col. Jeff Vold and Lt. Col. James MacVarish to comment on Cindy Sheehan and her friends: “Reservist says protesters are breaking faith.” Kathy writes: Across Iraq, Americans and Iraqis are working together to reclaim the country from Baathists and terrorists. They are building or refurbishing schools, hospitals, roads and sewer systems. “The battle with the terrorists left Fallujah in rubble,” says »

Power Line Night at the Movies: A Report

Tonight we enjoyed the first-ever Power Line Night at the Movies, with a free private showing of Serenity, which is opening on Friday. It was a lot of fun; we had 120 or so Power Line readers in attendance; as it turned out, we could have had more, since they moved us to a big theater to make sure we had enough room. It was great to meet a bunch »

The politics of scandal

The only truly informative observations that I have read on the indictment of Tom DeLay are here in Michelle Malkin’s characteristically exhaustive post. Only a fool would view a criminal indictment as anything less than a serious matter, but Ronnie Earle’s track record and the observations collected in Michelle’s post provide ground to believe that the indictment is a beanball of the Texas hardball variety that Earle previously aimed at »

Pataki Kills International Freedom Center

Governor Pataki has killed the controversial International Freedom Center, which had been proposed for the World Trade Center site. We’ve written about the Center and its potential to bring anti-Americanism to the site a number of times, including here. Congratulations to Debra Burlingame and the many others who have fought to keep the September 11 memorial from being hijacked. »

DeLay Indicted

Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle has indicted House Majority Leader Tom DeLay in connection with the same campaign finance investigation that Earle has been conducting for a long time. Earle is a notorious Democratic Party hack whom we’ve written about before. DeLay has issued the following statement: These charges have no basis in the facts or the law. This is just another example of Ronnie Earle misusing his office »

There’s something about Mary…

Mapes in Dan Rather’s clueless effusions with Marvin Kalb. The minds of Mapes and Rather move remarkably in tandem, or the two of them have taken the opportunity to buck each other up with the same paranoid fantasies and cloistered ignorance. Radioblogger has posted the transcript of Marvin Kalb’s Dan Rather interview together with audio links, interspersed with Duane Patterson’s comments on Rather’s observations. The interview is largely focused on »

A Year Late, and Way Short on Logic

Mary Mapes, that is. Scott posted on her new book last night. We’ll be deconstructing Ms. Mapes’s revisionist history, bit by bit, over the weeks to come. For now, let’s just pick out a point or two from her book’s first chapter to ridicule. Ms. Mapes writes: Within a few minutes, I was online visiting Web sites I had never heard of before: Free Republic, Little Green Footballs, Power Line. »

Brownie Kicks Butt

I’ve just watched the entire appearance of Michael Brown before the House committee investigating Hurricane Katrina–OK, not the whole thing, but they’re taking a break now and it’s all I can stand. On the whole, Brown did an excellent job. I don’t suppose many people saw his appearance, but of those who did, most no doubt learned something about the division of responsibility in emergency management. Of those who participated »

Frist in, Frist out

The press coverage of Senator Frist’s seems calculated to create the appearance of wrongdoing where none exists. Tom Maguire of Just One Minute sees through the smoke and suggests why this nonscandal should blow over in due course, despite the best efforts of the Associated Press: “Frist — Timing is everything (but not to the AP).” »

Would-Be Subway Bombers Arrested in France

French police have arrested nine alleged Islamic terrorists, who, according to authorities, were planning to bomb the Paris Metro as well as other targets: Terror suspects detained in France had been eyeing up the Parisian metro network, an airport and the headquarters of the domestic intelligence service as possible targets, sources close to the investigation said. Among those being held is Safe Bourada, 35, who was released from prison in »

Shame and pride of the law schools

The Solomon Amendment conditions the receipt by universities of federal funds on their allowing military recruiters access to university students on campus. Elite law schools, deans and professors have strenuously resisted the Solomon Amendment. In 2003 they commenced litigation challenging the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment under the auspices of the Forum for Academic and Instituional Rights (FAIR). The litigation is now before the Supreme Court and will be one »

Our man in Washington

Our source at the Republican Senate Conference writes: Standing up to totalitarian sociopaths: it takes courage, whether you’re in Washington, D.C. or Beijing. The man in the pictures is a U.S. Marine who recently returned from Iraq. On Saturday, he held up a sign that said “Freedom is Not Free” and marched 50 yards ahead of the 150,000 protesters at the ANSWER rally. At one point, the antiwar protesters got »

Brought to you by Total Jihad

The invaluable MEMRI has posted a partial transcript and video of the apparent al Qaeda weekly Internet newscast — “Voice of the Caliphate” — that debuted recently. MEMRI observes that the newscast “celebrates U.S hurricanes and Gaza pullout, reports on Al-Zarqawi’s anti-Shiite campaign and chemical mortar shells in Iraq.” The Washington Post covers the newscast in a story by Daniel Williams: “Purported al Qaeda newscast debuts on Internet.” The penultimate »

Survivor

Ariel Sharon has narrowly won a vote within his Likud Party that was viewed as a referendum on his leadership after Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. At issue was a proposal by his opponents (led by Benjamin Netanyahu) to move forward the party’s primary election to November. As a result of the vote, the primary will occur next spring, as scheduled. Via Power Line News. »