The NYT rides again...

Trackposted to Pirate's Cove, Rosemary's Thoughts, and Right Truth, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Shut them down...

and put the managers in jail:

SoCal Slaughterhouse at Center of Recall

Two former employees were charged Friday. Five felony counts of animal cruelty and three misdemeanors were filed against a pen manager. Three misdemeanor counts — illegal movement of a non-ambulatory animal — were filed against an employee who worked under that manager. Both were fired.

Authorities said the video showed workers kicking, shocking and otherwise abusing "downer" animals that were apparently too sick or injured to walk into the slaughterhouse. Some animals had water forced down their throats, San Bernardino County prosecutor Michael Ramos said.

This is absolutely beyond the pale. The cruelty towards helpless beasts is mind boggling. These people barely rise above the status of brute themselves.

Tag: Animal Cruelty Trackposted to Pirate's Cove, Big Dog's Weblog, Dumb Ox Daily News, DragonLady's World, and Right Truth, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

100 Meter Backpedal: Rowan Williams

Well this didn't take long:

Amid growing calls for his resignation, including from members of the General Synod of the Church of England, Dr. Rowan Williams hastily backtracked, claiming he had never called for a parallel jurisdiction of Sharia for Muslims.

No, no. Certainly not. It was far more nuancey than that. Dr. Peter Akinola, the Primate of Nigeria, who knows a thing or two about Muslim persecution of Christians called Dr. Williams's remarks "most disturbing and most unfortunate." Dr. Akinola is also at odds with the Church of England over homosexuals in the priesthood--a subject which will be on the agenda Monday at a meeting of the Synod in London. Timing, it appears, is not among Dr. Williams's strong points.

Sean Hannity: Repent!

When Laura Ingraham introduced Mitt Romney yesterday at CPAC, she took a swipe at John McCain and his 'I signed up as a Reagan foot soldier' plea, characterizing it as inadequate: "What have you done for conservatives lately"?

Now, I am going to take a swipe at conservative talking head Sean Hannity and his plea, "I have well thought-out principles I have held for twenty years. Am I supposed to just push them aside"? To which I ask, "After seeing the Republican candidates for President, are your "principles" more important than winning the Presidency? What have you done for conservatives this year"?

It astounds me that conservatives like Hannity could not fall in behind Romney early on. Now, they have McCain as the nominee. And, now is the time for he and other "principled" talking heads to repent and adopt a more pragmatic approach going forward to the general election.

Tag: Sean Hannity Trackposted to Blue Star Chronicles, Rosemary's Thoughts, Big Dog's Weblog, Right Truth, and Adeline and Hazel, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe and OTA Weekend.

Romney suspends campaign

Mitt Romney has just given the best speech I have heard. Filled with passionate oratory, he annnounced his decision to suspend his campaign for our party and our country:

If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.

It was a great speech. Apparently, atypical of his stump speeches. Too bad, but I suppose it was part of learning how to communicate to voters. Better luck during the next election cycle.

Tag: Romney Trackposted to Pirate's Cove, Outside the Beltway, Rosemary's Thoughts, Right Truth, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

S.2248

This afternoon, the Senate will be debating Senate Bill S.2248, FISA Amendments Act of 2007.

Title II of the bill (section 202 of which follows) is designed to give some protection to telecommunication service providers that cooperated with the Government's terrorist surveillance program.

SEC. 202. LIMITATIONS ON CIVIL ACTIONS FOR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION SERVICE PROVIDERS. More...

(a) Limitations- (1) IN GENERAL- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a covered civil action shall not lie or be maintained in a Federal or State court, and shall be promptly dismissed, if the Attorney General certifies to the court that-- (A) the assistance alleged to have been provided by the electronic communication service provider was-- (i) in connection with an intelligence activity involving communications that was-- (I) authorized by the President during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, and ending on January 17, 2007; and (II) designed to detect or prevent a terrorist attack, or activities in preparation for a terrorist attack, against the United States; and (ii) described in a written request or directive from the Attorney General or the head of an element of the intelligence community (or the deputy of such person) to the electronic communication service provider indicating that the activity was-- (I) authorized by the President; and (II) determined to be lawful; or (B) the electronic communication service provider did not provide the alleged assistance. (2) REVIEW- A certification made pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be subject to review by a court for abuse of discretion. (b) Review of Certifications- If the Attorney General files a declaration under section 1746 of title 28, United States Code, that disclosure of a certification made pursuant to subsection (a) would harm the national security of the United States, the court shall-- (1) review such certification in camera and ex parte; and (2) limit any public disclosure concerning such certification, including any public order following such an ex parte review, to a statement that the conditions of subsection (a) have been met, without disclosing the subparagraph of subsection (a)(1) that is the basis for the certification. (c) Nondelegation- The authority and duties of the Attorney General under this section shall be performed by the Attorney General (or Acting Attorney General) or a designee in a position not lower than the Deputy Attorney General. (d) Civil Actions in State Court- A covered civil action that is brought in a State court shall be deemed to arise under the Constitution and laws of the United States and shall be removable under section 1441 of title 28, United States Code. (e) Rule of Construction- Nothing in this section may be construed to limit any otherwise available immunity, privilege, or defense under any other provision of law. (f) Effective Date and Application- This section shall apply to any covered civil action that is pending on or filed after the date of enactment of this Act.

Considering the litigious nature of some groups (e.g., the ACLU), Title II must remain. Failure to do so would put an onerous burden on those that cooperated in good faith with Government requests for access to their facilities.

But, Sen. Dodd and a liberal cabal in the Senate introduced an amendment,SA 3907, the text of which follows:

Strike title II.

That's it! Three words that would open a floodgate of litigation having more to do with advancing a political agenda than preserving individual rights.

The liberal cabal? Besides Dodd, they are the usual suspects: Feingold, Leahy, Kennedy, Harkin, Wyden, Sanders, Obama, Clinton, Biden, and Kerry. Note the cabal includes two who would be President. Right...

Tag: terrorist surveillance Trackposted to Pirate's Cove, A Newt One, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe and OTA Weekend.