I want to make money off my typos.

More of the same:

Oh, come on. I didn't see the President's performance, but I just watched Colbert's on www.youtube.com, and it was hilarious. I doubt the President's team of Bruce Vilanch-esque writers could come close to topping it. Obviously Colbert is a big liberal, but so what? I think it's beautiful that we live in a country where the most powerful man in the world can be mocked to his face.

Bottom line -- you guys are insane if you didn't think that Stephen-as-Press-Secretary video was funny. The implication that Helen Thomas is a fierce, objective reporter is stupid, but again, I don't care.

I frankly don't even know that Colbert is a big liberal. As I've expressed many a time, I really get a kick out of his show. He just wasn't funny last night. And I was bummed, because I had been looking forward to it.

At least there was W.

But the e-mailer really got me with the Helen Thomas stuff!

For the record, I am a huge fan of the Colbert Report. I thought it got off to a shaky start, but it has since hit its stride. And I think Colbert is brilliant.

I also think he stunk up the place last night. Save for a few riffs, he was just off. And he certainly came in a distant second to Bush's act. The idea that lefty bloggers are raving about Colbert's performance says far more about how politics have poisoned their taste, I think. After all, does anyone really believe that the press corps in attendance is ill-disposed to Bush-bashing humor? Seriously?

The audience didn't laugh -- as anyone could tell from watching C-SPAN --because Colbert clunked. Period.

Moreover, it is enduringly fascinating how deeply invested many liberals are in comedians (and to a lesser extent, movie stars). There's of course Al Franken and Jeneane Garofalo (a recovering somewhat funny person), but even Jon Stewart is increasingly becoming a Big Thinker according to some liberals (at least from conversations I've had with them and bits and pieces on the web). I'm a big fan of Stewart's, too -- even though I think he's become a bit too partisan of late. But, it would be interesting to hear a serious liberal explore the reason for why this is so. I think it's an interesting phenomena. What does it say about the "real" spokespeople of the left -- journalists, politicians, activists et al. -- that the most appealing figures are ones who get to hide behind clown make-up whenever the kitchen gets too hot? I have my own theories, but an explanation from the left would be more interesting.

Lefty bloggers are outraged at what they say is the media's cover-up of Stephen Colbert's nationally-televised performance at Saturday night's White House Correspondents' Dinner. At the Huffington Post, Salon writer and former Kerry campaign worker Peter Daou has written an item headlined Ignoring Colbert: A Small Taste of the Media's Power to Choose the News. "Colbert delivered a biting rebuke of George W. Bush and the lily-livered press corps," Daou writes. "He did it to Bush's face, unflinching and unbowed by the audience's muted, humorless response." In subsequent coverage, including pieces from the Associated Press, Reuters, and the Chicago Tribune, Daou says,

Colbert's performance is sidestepped and marginalized while Bush is treated as light-hearted, humble, and funny. Expect nothing less from the cowardly American media. The story could just as well have been Bush and Laura's discomfort and the crowd's semi-hostile reaction to Colbert's razor-sharp barbs. In fact, I would guess that from the perspective of newsworthiness and public interest, Bush-the-playful-president is far less compelling than a comedy sketch gone awry, a pissed-off prez, and a shell-shocked audience. This is the power of the media to choose the news, to decide when and how to shield Bush from negative publicity.

Of course, maybe the audience just thought Bush was funnier.

And by the way, has anyone commented on what was perhaps the weirdest sight of the night, or maybe of any other night: former ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife, the former CIA employee Valerie Plame Wilson, chatting with Lyndon LaRouche? It happened at the receptions prior to the dinner and left more than one onlooker shaking his head at the strangeness of it all. Conspiracy theorists, take it away.

...and mighty scary

"Cargo inspections for weapons of mass destruction have absolutely no place at mainland ports and should not be performed there under any circumstances."

The first time I ever noticed Galbraith -- it would have been around 1962 -- he was on some talking heads program on British TV arguing the case that Western capitalism and Soviet socialism were "converging." A classic cartoon of the time showed JFK and Khrushchev as children, both being tugged away by a nanny from fascinated gazing at a store wiondow. JFK's store said SOCIALISM, Khrushchev's said CAPITALISM.

Was there ever an idea more wrong-headed? Hard to believe now that a first-rate mind like Galbraith's could have entertained it. And, of course, one is left wondering how much of our current conventional wisdom is equally daft. Anyone like to offer a guess?

Incidentally, I thought Bodman (whom I had never seen speak before) was very good on MTP: lucid, well-prepped, on top of his job. Above average for a GWB cabinet officer, I am sorry to say.

On the other hand, I would like to report that I think Coke Zero is fantastic. I've been a diet soda drinker for years. As you can see, it's not because I'm a hige dieter. It's just that normal Coke tends to bother my teeth. Anyway, Coke Zero is a huge improvement over Diet Coke and I give it my full endorsement.

Because I savor the role of guinea pig for The Corner's loyal readers, I have tried a bottle of Coke Blak. All I can say is... blech! I like Coke. I also like coffee. But they do not belong together. As it happens, I bought a 4-pack, so I may yet give Coke Blak one more try. If the next experience is like the last one, though, I think I'll use the other two bottles to oil my lawnmower.

FYI: Before becoming governor of Mass., one Mitt Romney played a financial roll in the Staples success story.

Dick Durbin onb Meet the Press: Durbin: "Am I the only one of your guests here that think that profit
taking is a problem?"

If Galbraith had done nothing else -- and of course he did a great deal else -- he would deserve to be remembered for his apothegm that: "If you have ever worked on a farm, nothing else ever seems like work."

Watching Meet the Press roundtable on the gas price kerfuffle.

Russert, challenging Energy Secretary Sam Bodman: "Oil demand is up. Supply is down. So why are prices rising?"

Er...........

I'm getting a lot of these: "Are you nuts? Colbert was genius (though his taped bit was too long). Watched it live on C-SPAN, and saw that he bombed in the room. But he was busy skewering everybody in the room, hence the tepid response. He could have gone for easy laughs but instead went for the jugular. Brave fellow."

I like him on his show a great deal. I don't think this is love for Bush keeping me from getting the joke. I just think he was bad--and way too long.

John Kenneth Galbraith has died

We had brilliant, good-looking, charming types at our party. We had the powerful, the influential. But most exciting--we had the Arts and Letters Daily guy, Denis Dutton, who came from New Zealand for dinner.

When I ran into the governor of Massachusetts (Mitt Romney--heard of him?) last night, along with his lovely wife, Ann, Romney was being cornered by David Gregory. What better test to determine whether or not he's up for the job...he--they, actually--looked to be naturals.

By the way: Who was that woman with Joe Wilso last night. She (her name is Valerie)
looked and they both acted like movie stars.

Stephen Colbert was sadly painfully bad. The president and his impersonator were charmingly funny. (You should know all about this already -- it's very important news.) And for the second year in a row, James Denton (aka the plumber from Desperate Housewives) skipped our pre-party. Dude...?

Coverage of last night's White House Correspondents Dinner begins on the front page of the Washington Post this morning--even partially above the fold.

...until he's dead, Kathryn.

And if Ramesh has his way (I have just got a copy of his book & started it), even that happiness will be denied us.

The Swedish state has demanded ABBA star Bjoern Ulvaeus pay 87 million kronor ($11.84 million) in back taxes, Ulvaeus attorney Sven Rygaard said, confirming reports in Dagens Nyheter and on the British Broadcasting Corp.

I just wanted one Abba in the news subject line in the history of The Corner.

From an LATimes editorial:

Instability in Nigeria has played a big role in the recent run-up in oil prices. The lesson is that Africa is becoming increasingly important to U.S. economic and strategic interests, particularly as Al Qaeda shows signs of turning African countries into its next recruiting ground and China continues signing deals for African oil reserves.

A stone's throw away from that national landmark, all I have to report is that within 10 minutes of being in DC this beautiful Saturday, George Clooney got in my way (it wasn't his fault, it was his adoring fans, of which there were a few) and I listened to an explanation of how bad a governor Mitt Romney has been for reducing (!) taxes (not from Clooney...though I'm sure if I engaged him on the topic...).

The good news: the tax talk did not come from a Republican in Congress.

Derb...happy?

Corner bloggers occasionally use their privileges to vent against some chain store or other that has sold them stinking fish. I may even have done this myself -- I don't precisely recall.

Anyway, fair's fair: I'd like to record a happy shopping experience. I went to the local Staples (in Huntington, LI, corner of rtes. 25 & 110) to get a $7 display board for my son's science project. I came out of the store $127 lighter. New office chair; printer cartridges; display board. And it didn't hurt a bit. Everyone was friendly, well-informed, and attentive -- this, on a Saturday! They always are -- I always like going to Staples. Whoever thought up their employee relations scheme, definitely got it right.

As a special service to any NRO readers who might be confused about which language "The Star-Spangled Banner" should be sung in, I put the English words through an English-to-Spanish translation via Babelfish; then I put the resulting Spanish words back through a Spanish-to-English translation using the same tool. Here is the result.

The opinion of Or, you can consider, by the early light of the dawn,
What we hailed so proud in flashing last of the twilight?
Of whom ample rays and shining stars, with the dangerous fight,
On the embankments that we watched, so galantemente they flowed?
And the red fulgor of the rockets, the pumps that explode in air,
It gave the test with the night that our flag still was there.
The opinion of Or, does that flag stars-star-spangled wave yet
On the Earth of free and the home of the brave one?

I'll be on Monica Crowley's new Saturday afternoon radio show, at around 130pm.

From a Hollywood friend:

The problem with the "Bonfire" comparison is that in between now and then Tom Hanks has gone on to win two Oscars and make about ten 100 million dolllar hits. He is a much bigger star and Ron Howard is a great director. Bonfire was not a well made movie and it changed from book to screen. Don't expect the same. Also Bonfire was not "politically correct" so I don't think the critics were that fond of it (although I could be mistaken) and with a book that is more "literary" than "beach read" that is important. It's wishful thinking on the part of people hoping for a bomb. Will it reach Narnia or Potter heights? I don't know but it really isn't an indication of anything in the culture. It's not like Michael Moore's movie won the election for Kerry. People who liked the book will go and people who like Tom Hanks will go and dumb people will think that Jesus got married and others will join Opus Dei to become super secret Catholic ninjas and it will all be Bush's fault anyway.

Here via Pieter at Peaktalk is a sad and squalid story from Holland concerning Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the politician who has done so much to highlight the threat from Islamic extremism: “Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s neighbors have sued the Dutch state in order to get her to be removed from the apartment complex in which she is living under police protection. The request was initially rejected, but following an appeal a higher court has now ordered Hirsi Ali to leave her house within four months, I translate: “The court considers in its ruling that the neighbors have been put into a situation that has contributed to them feeling less safe in their own house. That feeling is extended to the communal living spaces of the apartment complex, but also to their own apartments. The court argues that this is a severe violation of one’s private life (as per Article 8 of the European Treaty for Human Rights).

"A few things. Firstly, it should be noted that Hirsi Ali is now booted out of her own house by virtue of the European Treaty for Human Rights which does indeed supersede Dutch law. Many cases are adjudicated by referring to this treaty, but given the subject matter here I would say: Euroskeptics, go knock yourselves out…The State may appeal this ruling, in which case it will go to the Dutch Supreme Court. The potential of a ruling that will favor Hirsi Ali and is able to address the upset neighbors may turn out to become a costly adventure for Dutch authorities as it is not just about one outspoken member of parliament. Beyond a number of politicians there is a growing constituency of writers, artists and cartoonists who may rightfully claim government protection. And in most cases their neighbors are equally likely to take a less than charitable view of their right to exercise free speech. This is once more evidence of how Europeans fail to understand the bigger picture and are more than willing to let some short term comfort prevail over the long term survival of core values that built their societies in the first place. So there are no winners here. The neighborhood is unmasked as a group whose shallow self interest is paramount, the State may have made a few mistakes and will have to spend yet more on security and Ayaan, well, she remains the hunted one. It seems that those responsible for threatening her will have the last laugh.”

Indeed they will.

in Liberia

LAW DAY, U.S.A., 2006

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

America's legal system is central to protecting the constitutional principles on which our Nation was founded. As we observe Law Day, we celebrate our heritage of freedom, justice, and equality under the law.

This year's Law Day theme, "Liberty Under Law: Separate Branches, Balanced Powers," honors the wisdom of the separation of powers that the Framers of our Constitution established for the Federal Government. Delegates to the Constitutional Convention recognized the risks that accompany the concentration of power and devised a system in which the Federal Government's authorities are divided among three independent branches. James Madison highlighted the importance of our Constitution's separation of powers when he wrote, "the accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands . . . may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny."

Throughout our Nation's history, we have been reminded repeatedly of the wisdom of the Framers' design. Our system of separation of powers has safeguarded our liberties and helped ensure that we remain a government of laws. Law Day is an occasion for us to celebrate our Constitution and to honor those in the judiciary and legal profession who work to uphold and serve its principles.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, in accordance with Public Law 87-20, as amended, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2006, as Law Day, U.S.A. I call upon all the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also call upon Government officials to display the flag of the United States in support of this national observance.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty‑eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth.

at Fran O'Brien's?

on immigration. Guess even he had a problem defending amnesty for felons for too long.

A how-to guide

I once, before I ever worked for National Review, mulled the idea of writing a book about William F. Buckley, Jr., to be titled Bonfire of the Velleities .... but I thought better of it.

A buncha things... 1. The DVC movie will be huuuuge. Giant opening weekend, big business all summer long. Think Harry Potter for (sort of) grown-ups. I am not saying it will be great, but Hanks and director Ron Howard are pretty darn reliable as popular entertainers. My guess is they add a character or some dialogue to throw some skepticism on the plotline, so they can at least try to dodge the anti-religious accusation. 2. Patty Heaton would not likely have been a serious contender for "The View" when she just shot a sitcom pilot for ABC. 3. The trailer for Mel Gibson's Apocalypto is up on Apple's website. Don't know what to make of the movie, but if you want to see something funny, watch to about 1:45 or so in the trailer. When you see the shot of the monkey scream, pause and then go backwards frame by frame. Mel, you prankster! (Thanks, Cool Craig.)

On a somewhat more serious note, I hear buzz that the May Day protests are going to be very, very big here. I spoke last night to some affluent suburban public high school kids who all planned to walk out in "solidarity," though that might well be in solidarity with the people who just like to blow off class.

The Washington Post offers a J-school textbook case in how to display media bias by placing stories you like up front, and stories that don't please you in the back. Robust economic growth? D-1. Not even plugged on page one. Taking out al-Qaeda in Samarra? A-10. Page One is saved for bad news, the suggested print feedings for the TV networks.

Keef has fallen out of a tree

It’s no secret that Tony Blair’s wife, Cherie, is a little full of herself, but this seems a bit much, even from her:
“Cherie Blair provoked surprise in the Vatican and the ire of a Roman Catholic MP yesterday by wearing all-white to meet the Pope, a privilege normally reserved for Catholic Queens.”

Of course, in a week when Tony Blair has come to look more and more like Louis XVI on his way to the chop shop, it's sort of brave of his wife to confirm, um, her royal status.

Remember what happened to Marie Antoinette, dear.

Andrew Sullivan: “…conservative government really is dead, isn't it? A conservative government would simply say: we have no control over global oil prices; consumers reap what they sow; companies should be left alone; and if your wallet is empty because of all that gas in your SUV, you've learned a useful lesson in self-government. If only Margaret Thatcher were around to punctuate that lecture with a swipe of her handbag.”

Indeed.

From Arkansas comes this, somewhat confused, story of legislative overreach by one Bob Mathis:“…when Mathis filed a bill Wednesday evening to ban smoking in cars carrying young children who are restrained in car seats, a lot of people laughed. They didn’t take him or his bill very seriously, Mathis says. But he showed up Thursday morning ready to fight. He got his bill through the House Rules Committee at noon, then through the full House just before 5 p. m., representatives approving it 58-13, with 29 House members not voting. The bill went to the Senate on Thursday night, shot through the Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor around lunchtime Friday, and wound up on the Senate floor just before 2 p. m. Sen. Terry Smith, D-Hot Springs, the Senate sponsor of the bill, said the measure means adults would be barred from smoking in vehicles with children in child safety seats. “Let’s do something for kids,” Smith said in a brief introduction of the bill. “

Uh oh. When a politician says that he's going to "do something for the kids" you just know that the story is going to end badly. And so it does: “Senators passed it 33-1, sending it to the governor [Mike Huckabee]. Huckabee at one point Friday told Senate President Pro Tempore Jim Argue, D-Little Rock, that Mathis “was basically doing the bill as a joke and the darn thing passed both ways.” Huckabee said Friday afternoon that the bill sounded like a great idea. “It’s obviously protecting the child against secondhand smoke,” the governor said at a news conference Friday. “I think it’s a great bill. I’m glad that’s cleared both houses. Delighted…"

And Mathis, it turns out, is something of a martyr for his cause.

"Mathis, who is term limited, says the bill would become part of his legacy as a lawmaker. He said he regularly hassles other drivers when he sees them smoking in a car with children. Sometimes they give him dirty looks, Mathis said. Sometimes they give him “the obscene gesture.”

Well, Bob, old chap, I just can’t imagine why someone would give you “dirty looks” or even, let angels avert their eyes, “the obscene gesture”, for hassling them.

Actually, come to think of it, the only really obscene gesture in this story is Bob’s bill.

Hat-tip : Jacob Sullum at Reason and Mike at the Rest of the Story, both of whom have plenty more to say on the topic.

With the collapse of his feeble attempt at employment reform, French prime minister De Villepin (you remember him: smooth, sanctimonious, big hair) has been under pressure recently.

Now (via the Daily Telegraph) there’s this: “President Jacques Chirac yesterday denied any link to a corruption inquiry that wrongly targeted his rival and would-be successor, France's interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy. Mr Chirac has been dragged into the so-called Clearstream scandal, with his prime minister, Dominique de Villepin. Both issued statements indignantly rejecting suggestions they did anything to smear any individual. Mr de Villepin, who frequently clashes with Mr Sarkozy even though they hold the top two positions in government, denied asking for Mr Sarkozy to be investigated. But his claim has been challenged by the intelligence chief he ordered to carry out an inquiry into the scandal….Speculation has been mounting that his office may be raided as investigating judges try to unmask the author of poison pen communications identifying Mr Sarkozy and other prominent figures as holders of secret accounts at Clearstream, a Luxembourg-based bank. Mr de Villepin is alleged by Le Monde newspaper to have cited Mr Chirac's authority when ordering, as foreign minister, the French intelligence service inquiry.”

And the fact Chirac that has “categorically” denied any involvement can mean only one thing.

To quote John Miller, “pass the popcorn.”

O, dear reader, how I love this controversy. Please pass the popcorn:

ABC's prime-time drama "Commander in Chief," starring Geena Davis as the president, ignited an explosion of anger in Prince George's County yesterday as community leaders denounced an episode as offensive and racist for portraying the county as crime-ridden and in need of a federal takeover.

In the episode that aired Thursday night, called "Ties That Bind," Davis's character, Mackenzie Allen, watches a segment on the local news about civil unrest in Prince George's during a protest over the high homicide rate and a lack of police protection. She then goes to the Prince George's city of Hyattsville and gets out of her car in front of a restaurant advertising sweet potato pie, pork chops and chitlins.

After listening to people talk about slain loved ones and a lack of police, Allen sends 40 U.S. marshals into the county to quell the crime.

Peter A. Shapiro, a former County Council member who represented the Hyattsville area, said he was astounded as he watched the show.

"They took the largest, wealthiest black county and reduced it to a stereotype of a poor, dangerous black neighborhood," Shapiro said. "And the irony is the neighborhood isn't even a poor black neighborhood."

Shapiro lives in Hyattsville, a racially and ethnically diverse community of single-family homes, apartments, shopping centers, restaurants and a historic district with a small-town feel.

County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) held a news conference yesterday with Hyattsville Mayor Bill Gardner, Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) and others to denounce the episode.

"When the president of the show gets out of a car and is in front of a restaurant that advertises chitlins and pork chops in today's America, what any right-thinking American knows is we are harking back to an age-old inability of this country to celebrate the leadership and achievement of African Americans and other diverse people in this country," said Johnson spokeswoman Sharon Taylor, quoting from Johnson's speech.

A man who is much better with money than I am sarcastically proposes:

why not improve it--say $102.47 (a much more reasonable number, as any oil economist knows) and why not index the number for inflation--and we could adjust for pressure in tires drag coefficient etc. AND while we are at it why not make it $1,000, or $100,000 or even, since Frist's is such a good idea... Make it a million. Imagine, a nation of millionaires

A lawyer friend sums it up: “Not guilty, no admission of guilt. He was processed voluntarily. The prosecutor did not bring the case to a jury and in 18 months the charge (doctor shopping) is dropped. The prosecutor has made a charge. It will not be tried. In 18 months it will be dropped.”

Scott Rasmussen did a poll this week on generic preferences for the 2008 presidential election. The generic Democrat beat the generic Republican 44 to 32 percent. But what's really interesting is that with a third-party candidate who "promised to build a barrier along the Mexican border and make enforcement of immigration law his top priority," the Democrat gets 31 percent, the third party 30 percent, and the Republican 21 percent. Now, there are no generic candidates, but maybe someone in the White House ought to reassess the idea that open-borders and amnesty are vote-getters for Republicans.

John Cornyn called it a "theatrical response."

AP coverage.

Settlement Agreement Ends State Investigation of Rush Limbaugh

Palm Beach, FL – April 28, 2006 – In response to media and other inquiries, Roy Black, Rush Limbaugh’s attorney, released the following statement today concerning a settlement agreement with the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office to end the investigation of Mr. Limbaugh:

"I am pleased to announce that the State Attorney’s Office and Mr. Limbaugh have reached an agreement whereby a single count charge of doctor shopping filed today by the State Attorney will be dismissed in 18 months. As a primary condition of the dismissal, Mr. Limbaugh must continue to seek treatment from the doctor he has seen for the past two and one half years. This is the same doctor under whose care Mr. Limbaugh has remained free of his addiction without relapse.

“Mr. Limbaugh and I have maintained from the start that there was no doctor shopping, and we continue to hold this position. Accordingly, we filed today with the Court a plea of ‘Not Guilty’ to the charge filed by the State.

“As part of this agreement, Mr. Limbaugh also has agreed to make a $30,000 payment to the State of Florida to defray the public cost of the investigation. The agreement also provides that he must refrain from violating the law during this 18 months, must pay $30 per month for the cost of “supervision” and comply with other similar provisions of the agreement.

“Mr. Limbaugh had intended to remain in treatment. Thus, we believe the outcome for him personally will be much as if he had fought the charge and won.”

The actions taken today are as follows:

· The State Attorney has filed a single charge of doctor shopping with the Court. The charge is being held in abeyance under the terms of an agreement between the State and Mr. Limbaugh.

· Mr. Limbaugh has filed a plea of “Not Guilty” with the Court.

The formal agreement between Mr. Limbaugh and the State Attorney will be filed with the Court on Monday. The terms of the agreement are substantively as follows:

Ø Mr. Limbaugh will continue in treatment with the doctor he has seen for the past two and one half years.

Ø After Mr. Limbaugh completes an additional 18 months of treatment, the State Attorney has agreed to drop the charge.

Ø Mr. Limbaugh has agreed to make a $30,000 payment to the State of Florida to defray the public cost of the investigation.

###

I keep thinking they're kidding.

I know! How about cash every month until the elections? Maybe $200 in October and November--home heating early rebate.

Another update from Wesley Smith. I'm told, incidentally, that the Texas law at issue originated as an attempt to restrict the application of "futile care theory," which may be even more troubling.

Amy Wellborn has been one of the smartest commentators on The Da Vinci Code -- here's a blog she wrote a couple of months ago, which is like a preemptive response to my piece today. This article of hers, which gives pointers on how to argue over DVC with its muddle-headed believers, is also worthwhile.

An emailer, on DVC:

My hope is that it will "Bonfire of the Vanities" into the trash heap of best-sellers with much hype that tanked into oblivion as movies.

Just now at lunch my Hudson Institute colleague coined a new law that should go into the Statute Book of Aphorisms. I quote: "Whatever will never happen always happens."

Thorough, heartbreaking, infuriating--an indictment that is also a cry for action by the people who still believe that life is the ultimate value.

For the 15th year, Rush Limbaugh is doing his annual Cure-athon to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Rush has raised over $14 million over the years -- never hear about that from the Drive by Media do you? You can click here and make a donation.

I bet NR has never used the word "ultraconservative" except facetiously or in quoting some liberal.

MRC’s Rich Noyes alerts me of this odd, obviously fictional exchange on last night’s Commander in Chief, with Geena Davis sending federal marshals to suburban Prince George’s County, Maryland:

President Geena: How can The Wall Street Journal call me a "bleeding heart liberal" on the same day the National Review calls me an "ultraconservative"?

Chief of Staff: That's the dilemma of the independent. The press only sees black and white in the political spectrum.

Attorney General: Well, here's a keeper. The bloggers are calling us "fascists in jackboots."

President Geena: I always wondered how I'd look in a pair of those.

A reader notes that the Lynyrd Skynyrd song I quoted from has, later on, a friendly reference to the late George Wallace. My reader thinks this puts the song out of court for a respectable website. Sorry, I don't agree. The following long quote is from Rogers, Ward, Atkins & Flynt's Alabama, The History of a Deep South State, p.567:

."It became fashionable in the 1960s and 1970s for the national media to depict Wallace as a mean-spirited racist, a demagogue who appealed mainly to ignorant Southerners who shared his prejudices, a fanatic allied to the John Birch Society, the Minutemen, and other well-financed and eccentric right-wing groups. Actually none of these characterizations was correct. He was in fact an opportunist with populist instincts, who could be racially moderate by the standards of his time and culture, who appealed to many voters outside the South, and who derived most of his support from blue-collar working-class whites....

"...He won election to the state legislature as a candidate who advocated improved veterans', old-age, and welfare benefits and more money for mental hospitals and schools. One opponent attacked him as 'the number one do-gooder in the legislature.'....

"....As a judge he earned a reputation for treating blacks fairly. When attorney J.L. Chestnut, Jr., came before Judge Wallace representing a group of poor black farmers who had been fleeced by large processing companies, corporate attorneys from Birmingham insisted on referring to the black plaintiffs as 'these people.' Every time they used the phrase, Wallace's face grew redder until finally he interjected in an ice-cold voice: 'Please refer to Mr. Hall's and Mr. Chestnut's clients as "the plaintiff" or don't refer to them at all.'...."

Malkin's tracking

I really should watch more TV. Apparently there has been a sci-fi series called "Firefly," concerning which a couple of readers have informed me thus:

"Derb---Actually, 'Chinese' is already seeping into our slang in one place - the science fiction universe of Firefly. In the one season of episodes and in the movie, a slang is used that is based partly (and probably very loosely) on Mandarin. A few examples (without all the little marks that would make these look right and be pronouncable):

dong ma - understand?
mei mei - little sister (literally or figuratively)
tsai boo shr - no way!
choo fay woh suh luh - over my dead body
huh choo-shung tza-jiao duh tzang-huo! - filthy fornicators of livestock!
kan woh-mun tzun muh suh bah! - let's watch how we die!

"Evidently some fans of the series/movie have taken to this form of expletive expression with a vengeance...."

A nice tribute to an old hand from the WSJ.

Little Green Footballs has more details. Apparently, they're all hosted by the same firm, which is under a Denial of Service Attack.

Update: Instapundit show Klingon guile and switches to his backup blog. He says the attack originates from Saudi Arabia.

In other important news, I am now leaving to get my hair cut. Stay tuned for updates.

What better gift to send than, of course, National Review Order your gift subscription here.

Emails to which I am utterly unable to think of an intelligent response (Series #19,766):

"Mr. Derbyshire---I was eating tangerines last night, and stumbled upon something I thought interesting. You were the only person I could think of who might answer this:

"A continuous tangerine peel, when laid flat, is the same shape as the f-hole of a violin. It strikes me as more than coincidental that the f-hole would be a "peeled sphere"; since it evolved over centuries, I assume it has certain optimum resonant properties, since nothing about a violin is solely decorative. If I stumbled stupidly onto something, it would follow that someone has already done extensive work on it. Are you aware of anything, or am I chasing a rabbit trail?"

I tried some of the ones this reader mentioned, and he seems to be right:

Has anyone else noticed that the whole rightwing blogosphere seems to be down just now? I've tried Instapundit, Tim Blair, James Lileks, Hugh Hewitt, Bill Whittle, Michael Totten, and several others and can't access any of the sites. By contrast, Kos, Matthew Yglesias, and Marc Cooper seem fine. Perhaps some kind of DOS action is in progress?

Note: Please don't email me with status reports on this. I'll be deluged by well-intentioned readers.

That video clip I posted a day or two ago about how the banana proves Intelligent Design inspired several emails, among them this one:

"Derb---That video convinced me. The banana is obviously God's handiwork. But what about the orange? I can never peel those damn things without all the tough white part remaining. And the apple is OK, but the skin invariably gets wedged between my teeth. Are these lesser fruits God's discarded banana prototypes or perhaps the work of the Devil?"

While whites and Asians are underrepresented among murderers and murder victims in New York City, it does not appear to be the case that Latinos are overrepresented; in fact, their murderer/victim rate is the same as their percentage in the general population (about 27 or 28 percent). The overrepresentation is among African Americans, who are 25 percent of the population, but make up 60 and 61 percent of murder victims and killers, respectively.

From a reader in my favorite state:

"Dear Mr. Derbyshire--- I see that you have some commentary on 'Radio Derb' about Neil Young. I can't listen to it right now as I am currently at work but I though you might like to know what the 70's southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd had to say in regards to Mr. Young in their song 'Sweet Home Alabama'.

"Well I heard mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ole Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don't need him around anyhow

"This refrain was a rebuttal to Neil Young's song 'Southern Man'. Looks like Skynyrd had Neil Young pegged thirty years ago. Certainly we in the south don't need him around, and I can't imagine that the rest of the country does either. Love your columns and 'Radio Derb'. Keep up the good work."

There's alot of hypocrisy about energy coming from both sides of the aisle, but the RNC has put together a list of Democrat obstruction to measures that would have increased energy security back to 1995. You can see it here.

And that doesn't even mention the hypocrisy of those who want to introduce measures to increase the cost of gas to reduce greenhouse gases now calling for gas price relief. Step forward "Kyoto Joe" Lieberman. His partner in the price-increasing Climate Stewardship Act, John McCain, used to be concerned about the price in 1999, when it leapt up to about $1.60 a gallon. What does he think now?

Meanwhile, are Senators cutting back on gas? Silly question.

Just a few quick links: Ross Douthat makes provocative comments about anti-Mormon sentiment in politics (and by the way, has anyone done polling on evangelicals' willingness to vote for Mormons vs. non-evangelicals' willingness to do the same?); Samantha Singson reports on disturbing news about Amnesty International (which ties in to my book); and Stephen Rose on the trouble with class-interest populism (I haven't read it yet, but it looks good).

K Lo: It may well succeed spectacularly. But bear in mind that not only is Tom Hanks in the movie, so is his mullet. See this. Business in front, party in the back! The Leno and Letterman writers are already scribbling their lines.

Numerous emails like this one:

"Derb---You cannot beat me. I will NEVER read it..."

"Sir---While you may still deserve an award, you are not the last person not to have read The Da Vinci Code. Perhaps it's a lapsed Episcopalian thing. Since I don't turn 40 until July, I'm pretty sure I can wait you out on this one. I also have zero interest in seeing the movie. Yes that award will be mine!"

Michelle has audio

that Pam Anderson has a piece in the Wall Street Journal

This just in from one of my musically inclined correspondents:

Long long time ago, When you took hostages for show, You believe Allah told you to, Blame everythin' on those "evil" Jews

You're a fascist and a nut,
Must hang the queer, and stone the slut,
You're insecure and narcissistic,
Trying to make nukes to go ballistic

The U.N. won't do nothing,
But go around huffin and puffin,
China, Russia have your back,
That is until the U.S. attacks

We know your plan and intentions,
To disavow all Conventions,
Threatenin the world with suicide martyrs,
Wrong administration, this aint Carter's

Bush's numbers may be south,
So Mahmoud just runs his mouth,
But when the hour comes to pass,
The U.S. is gonna kick your ass

And you'll be singing
Bye Bye Uranium Pie,
Thought the world would just turn a blind eye,
Ayatollahs send out their suicide guys,
Chanting "Allah Tells Me to Die"

The whole TDVC phenom winds up being a recruitment vehicle for Opus Dei (moreso than they need or want, I'd guess).

I don't buy it, John J. Tom Hanks is in it. Not only is TDVC widely known and popular, it's also got controversy about it, so King Kong it ain't. People are curious. It will be huge. Whaddaya say, J.J.? I'll bet you lunch at Fran O'Brien's (hoping it's still around).

Mexico's Congress lends its support to the May Day protests.

I have a new piece about something fascinating happening on the Amazon.com best-seller list. A new anti-Bush book, How Would a Patriot Act?, by the left-wing blogger Glenn Greenwald, has shot from somewhere in the 50,000 range to number one on the Amazon list -- not any specialized list, but the list of all books -- without the benefit of a traditional publicity campaign, or pretty much any publicity campaign. Although not yet released, the book seems to be little more than the standard anti-Bush boilerplate found in lots of other works, yet it appears to be a (so-far unnoticed) phenomenon on the best-seller list.

John has written a very thoughtful piece today, embracing with a Norman Vincent Peale optimism that DVC is an opportunity for Christian evangelizing. But I think it cries out to be said that this film shows that Hollywood is atheistic and completely hostile to religion. Mel Gibson couldn’t exactly get Sony landed for The Passion, but this is treated like a King Kong blockbuster.

This needs to be greeted like a religious version of Oliver Stone’s JFK. A lot of people are going to come out of the theater thinking that all the smears on the Catholic Church are true, not fictional. Millions will wonder if their Christian upbringing was all an oppressor’s fairy tale. Dan Brown has spent years now insisting that his opus is mildly doctored nonfiction. This is not an opportunity. This is a smear. It is, as John says, easily comparable to a Muhammad cartoon. We should treat it as a serious anti-Christian, anti-Catholic insult. Without burning down a McDonald’s.

Guys, I’m sure that ABC thinks getting Rosie O’Donnell is a huge coup. Much like CBS snapping up Katie Couric, the suits think that a proven female ratings-grabber is smart for their show. But it should also be noted that ABC’s had an almost-religious devotion to Rosie for some time. In 2002, ABC News had a whole two-hour special plugging Rosie’s fight for gay adoption in Florida, with only a few feints toward a balance with social conservatives.

It remains to be seen whether the “new” lesbian lefty Rosie O’Donnell (more like Margaret Cho, less like Oprah) is going to still draw in the ratings. But I think it’s highly possible that she’ll make Meredith Vieira look like E.D. Hill with all the hot Air America rhetoric she’ll be spewing. See a sample of Rosie’s loony moments (including fussing that Bush is a war criminal at Sean Hannity on “”The View”) here.

Two responses by email:

Oh, John, you're waaay too positive for me. (Not that I disagree with your points or your reporting.) On some level, Catholics and Christians ought to respond with anger and condemnation, that godless Hollywood is leading people away from Christ and the Church. In short, they are doing the work of the devil.

I will be happy never to hear of the DaVinci Code again.

It has dawned on the open borders people that just going on TV and saying "National borders? Who needs 'em?" is a colossal vote loser. They are now learning nuance. All those catch-phrases we have come to know and love --"Jobs Americans won't do," "Family values don't end at the Rio Grande," "Nation of immigrants," etc., etc.--are being massaged and sweetened for better acceptability.

Case in point: Open-borders proponent Tamar Jacoby in America's Newspaper of Record this morning: "We need foreign workers to keep the economy growing by doing jobs that more and more Americans are too qualified to do."

So it's no longer "jobs Americans won't do," a phrase that, folk like Jacoby discovered to their stunned astonishment, is mighty offensive to the millions of Americans who do, in fact, do these jobs, and support their families with them. Now it's "jobs Americans are too qualified to do." We are so smart, you see, and our education system so wonderful, we'd all much rather retire into our studies and read Herodotus than go mow the lawn. So from insulting Americans, the open borders crowd have switched to flattering us. Will it work? My guess is not; but look out for much, much more of this sleight of hand.

Kathryn: Am I the last person in the world not to have read The Da Vinci Code? Is there some kind of award I can get?

People tell me I should show an interest because the book uses Fibonacci numbers. Pshaw. Anyone who REALLY wants to get the skinny on Fibonacci should read ***my*** forthcoming book, which is WAY more fun than any dumb thriller.

A friend has just emailed to ask whether I've seen "The Da Vinci Code" film, which comes out in three weeks. I haven't. And as far as I can tell, no screenings of it have been scheduled. (My piece in the WSJ today makes a few modest guesses about some of its content, but focuses mainly on the emerging responses to it.)

Normally, when a film isn't screened for the media, it's a sign that the movie stinks, or at least is disappointing, because the studio doesn't want people like me saying "don't see the movie" to people like you. I can't imagine DVC won't be screened at all, and the filming itself was kept so secret that perhaps this continues to be part of an ingenious marketing strategy. But has anybody thought about the possibility of this movie flopping? It will of course sell a lot of tickets, and there are various kinds of "flops"--from the financially painful "Heaven's Gate" variety (a true flop) to the didn't-meet-the-unrealistic-hype variety of "King Kong (not really a flop at all). DVC may very well wind up in this latter category. I suspect that the most common reaction to the movie will be: "It wasn't as good as the book. " The second most common reaction will be: "Tom Hanks looks awful in a mullet." This is not the kind of buzz that Sony Pictures will want.

I was amused by the chatter about Patty Heaton--who would have been fun on the show. The buzz seemed to be that if they added Heaton they would nix the one Republican on the show...as if two women at a table who are Republican is a foreign concept.

An alert reader of "The Corner" points out that, if you click onto one of the nonracial charts accompanying the online version of the New York Times story re NYC's murder statistics, you find out that, indeed, my math was pretty good: 87 percent of the murder victims, and 89 percent of the murderers, in the city over the past three years were black or Latino (and only 53 percent of the city is black or Latino).

I just got distracted by an imaginary flash--of the president standing in the Rose Garden, listening to the Spanish version of the Star-Spangled Banner.

China wants the world to learn Mandarin.

I doubt much will come of this. Language teaching gives a very low return on investment anyway. Of every 1,000 U.S. high school students who study Spanish, how many, at age 30, could hold a conversation in that language? And then, judgments about which nation or language will be important in the future do not always stand up well. Back around 1960, we were all being nagged to learn Russian -- the London Daily Mirror -- my Dad's daily paper, and a downmarket tabloid at that -- actually had a "Teach Yourself Russian" column.

There is also some evidence that for ears trained on a language from the Indo-European family, Chinese is instrinsically difficult. A surprising number of the words brought into English to name Chinese things are not, in fact, Chinese. "Mandarin," for example, comes from Hindi; the "paddy" of "paddy field" is Malay; the "joss" of "joss stick" is Latin via Portuguese, etc. The word "coolie" has a particularly interesting history. Originally Hindi, it was taken up by English, then picked up by the Chinese, who sinified it to "ku-li" ("bitter labor"). Chinese words just don't "stick" in Indo-European ears the way those of other languages do. Even Chinese poetry is hard to memorize.

And in fact, The U.S.A. already has an excellent cadre of first-class sinologists -- the scholastic "grand-" and "great-grand-children" of the early 20th century missionary kids, who grew up speaking the language like natives, were kicked out of China by Mao, and ended up teaching in American universities. The DeFrancis readers were easily available, even in England, from about 1970; and other Yale Chinese texts set the pace in Chinese studies for English speakers from the 1960s on.

My guess is that the next half-century or so will see some outward seeping of Chinese culture (including language) into the Anglosphere, but that this will be a limited and marginal process. There will be an occasional Chinese hit song. (To join this early-1950s hit.) We shall see more Chinese movie stars like Zhang Ziyi. Chinese religious cults like Falun Gong might get a footing in New Age circles. Bits of Chinese slang might be incorporated into English, like the Russian words in Clockwork Orange. (Annie Wang is doing her best to advance this particular development.) Our cadre of good sinologists will grow, and with a bit of luck Chinese studies might reach the same scope & level of interest as, say, Classics. That'll be it.

At this very moment there is at least one person--likely more--in every transportation hub in the United States--and most of Europe--reading The Da Vinci Code.

Wherever I go, I see TDVC--this is true today, six months ago, a year ago.

Here's a question. Say you are an editor at the Washington Post. You plan to publish a story this morning headlined "Little Is Clear in Laws on Leaks; Statutes Regarding Classified Data Called Hard to Prosecute." Your reporter, Dan Eggen, writes that the Mary McCarthy case has "focused attention on the patchwork of federal laws that govern disclosures of classified information, which are written broadly but are difficult to enforce and have historically been used sparingly in cases involving journalists." Eggen cites experts on national security who warn that, while McCarthy could conceivably be prosecuted under several different laws, "any such prosecution is fraught with obstacles, including the difficulty in showing that disclosures were made with knowledge that they would harm national security or were intended to benefit a foreign power." Eggen discusses the Intelligence Identities Protection Act and the Espionage Act and cites the CIA "secret prisons" story, the NSA warrantless wiretap story, the Lawrence Franklin case, and the Samuel Morison case.

Fine. So here's the question. Do you, as an editor of the Washington Post, suggest that Eggen perhaps include a discussion of the most extensive leak prosecution in memory, one that has gone on for two and a half years so far, has brought top White House officials before a grand jury, has resulted in the perjury indictment of one of them, and has led to the jailing of one reporter and threats to jail others -- all based, at least initially, on the very laws Eggen analyzed? (And, by the way, dramatically illustrating, as perhaps no other case has, the difficulties of prosecuting under those laws.) So do you suggest that maybe a story headlined "Little Is Clear in Laws on Leaks; Statutes Regarding Classified Data Called Hard to Prosecute" include a mention of the Plame/Fitzgerald CIA leak case?

No.

Obviously, because I am a hetersexual male of the species with a job, I don't watch The View. But now that Rosie O'Donnell is the new co-host I think I will defy the laws of physics and actually watch it less than zero percent of the time. I will anti-watch it.

Front-page article in The New York Times today, "New York Killers, and Those Killed, by Numbers," with an in-depth statistical analysis of the 1,662 murders in the New York City area over the past three years.

Well, maybe not so in-depth: I read the article and went to the related part of the Times's website, and the only mentions of race are these two
snippets: "The offender and the victim were of the same race in more
than three-quarters of the killings," and "Whites and Asians, who seldom murdered, were also infrequently killed: Together, they represented 75 or fewer victims each year." (The first snippet was on page 1, but in the eighth paragraph; the second was in the seventeenth paragraph, on the jump-page.) Now, if my math is right, that means that at least 86 percent of the murder victims (and thus, if victim rates follow killer rates, about the same percentage of murderers) are black or Latino.

You know the old joke about the Times: When an atomic bomb is dropped on the city, the headline will read, "Bomb Dropped on New York City/Blacks, Latinos Suffer Most." But apparently this is not the case for murder victims, at least if it would also require reporting that the overwhelming majority of murderers are also black or Latino.

According to Wikipedia, by the way, here are the City's demographics as of 2004: "The racial makeup of the city was 44.66% White, 26.59% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 9.83% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 13.42% from other races, and 4.92% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.98% of the population." So we wouldn't expect the majority of those murdered and murdering to be white or Asian, but we would expect it to be more than 14 percent.

My point is that the Times is hypocritical in when it emphasizes race in its reporting and when it doesn't, and that, in its zeal to hide politically incorrect facts, it also hides the fact that the brunt of brutal crime is borne by, of course, Latinos and African Americans.

I've done my best to say something new about The Da Vinci Code -- the book and the forthcoming movie -- in today's WSJ. Read it here.

The economy grew at 4.8% last quarter.

Update: From the Joint Economic Committee:

GDP Grew at a 4.8% Annualized Rate in the 1st Quarter

The Bureau of Economic Analysis released its “advance estimate” of growth in the inflation-adjusted (“real”) gross domestic product (GDP) for the 1st quarter of 2006.

(Available at http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2006/gdp106a.pdf).

Annualized GDP growth in the 1st quarter was estimated at a rapid 4.8% rate; growth was 1.7% in the 4th quarter of last year.

Highlights:

Ø The major contributors to GDP growth in the 1st quarter were personal consumption expenditures (which grew 5.5%), business equipment and software spending (which grew 16.4%), exports (which grew 12.1%), and federal government spending (which grew 10.8%). Imports, which are a subtraction from GDP, grew 13.0%.

Ø The inflation-adjusted change in private inventories subtracted 0.52 percentage point from the 1st-quarter change in real GDP.

Ø The acceleration in growth (from 1.7% in the 4th quarter to 4.8% in the 1st) reflected faster growth in personal consumption expenditures for durable goods, an upturn in federal government spending, and faster growth in equipment and software and in exports.

Ø Growth in the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index excluding food and energy prices, the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of consumer price inflation, declined to an annualized 2.0% in the 1st quarter from 2.4% in the 4th quarter.

Can I have a map with that post?

Dean lost the Democratic nomination, but Deanism dominates the party. The left is ascendant and the center isn't holding. The central national security problem of the Democrats is that the activists, bloggers and even many leaders of the party view President Bush as more of an enemy than the Jihadists, mullahs and Zaqawis who seek to do us harm. Unfortunately, in the face of this dynamic, Beinart has softened his stance in contrast to the much tougher stand he took in the article upon which this book is based.

Meanwhile, Joe Lieberman's courageous consistency has prompted the left to attempt to drive the most prominent, and one of the few remaining Truman Democrats out of the party. It is fine to urge Democrats to shun Michael Moore. It would be finer to now mount a defense of a Democrat who truly represents the legacy of those Democrats who met at the Willard Hotel so long ago.

More here.

My column today continues a conversation begun at the American Scene, which continued here and over at BloggingHeads TV.

Woops Link fixed.

Intraveinous Coffee delivery system

As many of you noticed, Victor Davis Hanson wasn't here in his usual Friday sanity check position last week. He was recovering from a close call--a perforated appendix in Tripoli.

The resilient man he is, Victor is back this week, here. He includes a note about his health emergency in his new column.

He talked to Hugh Hewitt yesterday about his Red Crescent miracle--without painkillers! What a man....

Our sincerest thanks to the people who made sure he came back in one piece.

If the IRS hadn't just taken all my money, I would so participate in the Great American Shopfest.

Swedish Muslims demand separate but equal:

Sweden's largest Muslim organisation has demanded that Sweden introduce separate laws for Muslims, according to Swedish television. Sweden's equality minister Jens Orback called the proposals "completely unacceptable".

The Swedish Muslim Association, which represents around 70,000 Muslims in Sweden, has sent a letter to all Sweden's main political parties suggesting a number of reforms, SVT's Rapport programme reported.

The proposals include allowing imams into state (public) schools to give Muslim children separate lessons in Islam and their parents' native languages. The letter also said that boys and girls should have separate swimming lessons and that divorces between Muslims should be approved by an imam.

The letter provoked an instant, and damning, response from integration and equality minister Jens Orback.

"We will not have separate laws in Sweden. In Sweden, we are all equal before the law. In Sweden, we have fought for a long time to achieve gender-neutral laws, and to propose that certain groups should not be treated like others is completely unacceptable."

Orback said he had spoken to representatives of the Swedish Muslim Council, and they did not support the association's position.

"We have freedom of speech, we have the right to opinions and we have the right to make proposals - but if a law is going to be changed, it must be the same for everyone."

I suppose that if you're the kind of person who believes in astrology, then you aren't the kind of person who believes in scientific studies that test the validity of astrology. Still, something tells me that this story won't be posted on the front door of Madame K Lo's House of Horoscopes:

One of the largest studies of the possible link between human traits and astrology found little, if any, connection between the traditional sun signs of the zodiac and characteristics of individuals.

Atlas Shrugged may become a movie starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. (via Drudge)

Democrats and Catholic Cardinals to Call for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

4/27/2006 7:05:00 PM

To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor

Contact: Jim Manley or Rebecca Kirszner, 202-224-2939, both of the Office of Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid

News Advisory:

Tomorrow, Friday, April 28, at 9:15 a.m., Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid will join American Roman Catholic Cardinals at a press availability to discuss the need for bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform and to ensure that 12 million immigrants are not turned into criminals.

WHO:

-- Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid

-- Roger Cardinal Mahony

-- Theodore Cardinal McCarrick

-- Sean Cardinal O'Malley

WHAT: Press availability on immigration reform

WHEN: Tomorrow, Friday, April 28, 2006, at 9:15 a.m.

WHERE: Senate Ohio Clock Corridor

http://www.usnewswire.com/

Nativists like John Cornyn actually have a magic wand that would unfairly make honest, hard-working illegal immigrants criminals. I'm glad the good cardinals are standing with Harry Reid to expose nasty people who think laws should mean something.

Pray for us.

Wes Smith has a followup on his piece on Andrea Clark.

Joe Conason is praising President Bush, "America's worst president ever," on immigration.

This is from AP -- and apparently not a parody:

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba – Holding up a scarred, mangled hand, an alleged al-Qaeda explosives instructor told a U.S. military court Wednesday his transfer to a maximum security unit has made his life in the Guantanamo Bay prison more difficult.

Sufyian Barhoumi, who lost four fingers and damaged his thumb in a land mine explosion in Afghanistan, said he struggles to use the sink and toilet in the prison's Camp Five. He also said air conditioning and the loss of outdoor recreation time has worsened the pain in his hand.

“It deteriorated a lot,” Barhoumi, speaking through an interpreter, said of his physical condition after being moved on March 30 from Camp Four, a section of the prison where detainees live communally and are allowed more outdoor recreation and other privileges.

To emphasize his point, the detainee removed a gauze wrap from his damaged left hand, keeping it uncovered for most of the 50 minutes he spent testifying from the witness stand.

“My bones, they hurt every time I use the button (to operate the toilet),” he said. “It causes me a lot of pain.”

Barhoumi, a burly man with a thick beard who was dressed in a striped, short-sleeved shirt, wore headphones to listen to an Arabic translation of the proceedings.

He is the first of the 10 Guantanamo detainees charged with crimes to testify in a pretrial hearing before their military trials begin. He testified at the request of his defense attorney, Army Capt. Wade Faulkner, who asked the court to move him back to Camp Four.

Faulkner said Barhoumi, who is accused of conspiring with other suspected members of al-Qaeda to attack U.S. troops, argued the transfer undermined his ability to defend his client, who viewed the move as punishment. Barhoumi is charged with conspiracy and faces up to life in prison if convicted.

Camp Five prisoners are kept in one-man cells with solid walls and a small slot in the door through which they receive food and can shout to other detainees and guards. They are allowed outside for only two hours a day for recreation.

In Camp Four, small groups of detainees live in dormitory-type rooms surrounding a common area where they can play sports. The section is reserved for the most compliant of the prison's detainees or those who are soon to be released.

Faulkner said Monday that his client threatened to boycott the proceeding to protest his transfer to the maximum security unit.

Barhoumi, 32, told the court he changed his mind just before the hearing began Wednesday, hoping his lawyer could persuade the judge to ease his confinement.

The judge, Navy Capt. Daniel O'Toole, rejected the defense request. He said the military had a “reasonable” objective in preserving order and security at the prison by transferring prisoners facing trial to Camp Five.

A Guantanamo prison official, who must be identified as “Colonel B” under military rules, testified that men facing military tribunals were moved to Camp Five to protect them from attacks by other detainees and to guard against them hurting themselves or trying to escape.

“I have to take care of him and I have to ensure his safety,” the officer told the court. “I take that task seriously.”

The colonel also said they had adjusted the sink in Barhoumi's cell so the water would stay on longer to accommodate his wounded hand.

Barhoumi was arrested with senior al-Qaeda lieutenant Abu Zubayda and other alleged militants on March 28, 2002, in Faisalabad, Pakistan. The Defense Department says that, among other things, he helped prepare explosives for use against U.S. troops in Afghanistan. ...

I suppose it's worth something to have the judge see it your way. But, while I disagreed with Bryon at the time, the claim was not as baseless as I thought it was on first blush -- and, as I privately confessed to Mark Levin at the time, if I had had the benefit of Byron's full explanation of Scooter's motion before I shot from the hip, I would have thought better of shooting from the hip.

But against my better judgment, I'll shoot from the hip again: On "Fitzmas," it's amusing to watch the Bush-haters ramp up for a prayed-for Karl Rove indictment. There are a MILLION good reasons -- having nothing to do with indicting Rove -- for my friend Pat Fitzgerald to be putting Rove in the grand jury (just as he has evidently put others in the grand jury since the Libby indictment was filed). However, there is no good reason for Rove's lawyer to allow his client to testify if he thought there was a shred of a chance that Karl was now a target or that he could be jeopardizing himself in any way by testifying.

As speculation, the Fitzmas vigil is really overwrought; and as a story ... YAWN.

Makes you wonder what would happen if someone in the government ever actually leaked something truly consequential -- like, say, a wartime signals intelligence program or that allies were secretly helping us detain al Qaeda prisoners. What's that? Oh ... er ... nevermind.

The left-wing blogosphere is buzzing with excitement over the possibility that the long-awaited "Fitzmas" might finally arrive. "It may be time to make a trip to the champagne store," writes Atrios. The cause for their new hopefulness is a report by MSNBC's David Shuster which begins:

While his supporters continue to put on a good face, sources close to Karl Rove say the presidential advisor is now more worried, not less, that he is going to get indicted. The sources say Rove was surprised by some of the questions he was asked and by the fact that the session stretched on for three and a half hours.

There is speculation that Fitzgerald's grand jury will indict Rove when it meets again tomorrow. But -- excuse the expression -- sources close to Rove are quite confident that no action will be taken either tomorrow or in the next few weeks. Of course, no one who is not Patrick Fitzgerald can speak with total confidence, but it does not appear that there are any plans to indict Rove in the immediate future. Does that mean never? Those sources remain confident that Rove will ultimately be cleared, but there is no way to say that now. Still, it is possible to say that you can probably put off that trip to the champagne store for a while.

This is the Party of Death Ramesh is talking about.

Let me join those who have praised Ramesh's new book. I read it about a month ago and was blown away by it. It will be a classic. I defy anyone to read it and not come away illuminated. This is polemical writing at its very best--brilliant, fair-minded, and ultimately absolutely devastating.

two more reviews, from Amy Welborn and Naaman the Ex-Leper. The latter criticizes me for not saying more about the regret voiced by many women who have had abortions. In retrospect I think that criticism is correct.

I'll be on The Kudlow Show on CNBC and on Mark Levin's radio show tonight, talking about the book. (Mark wrote a very generous endorsement on the back cover.)

Two numbers to look for in the GOP potentially hitting rock bottom. One is whether Bush hits the 20's in his approval rating. I personally don't think he's going to get there. The other is whether the approval rating of Congress might hit--incredibly--the teens. In the new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, it is at 22%!

Follow this link (hat tip Tim Blair) to read how Robert Fisk digs a deeper and deeper hole for himself over whether or not Zarquawi exists, is a threat, should be covered by the media, and much else. A polite interviewer, asking straightforward (though increasingly astonished) questions, reveals Fisk to be a curious combination of poseur and fanatic. I would guess this would finish him except that nothing ever does. He is kept afloat by the self-deception of his readership.

You can sign up right now for the National Review 2006 Post-Election Mexican Cruise, which will sail November 11-18 from San Diego (on Holland America Line's beautiful ms Oosterdam) with an amazing line-up of conservative all stars, led by Bill Buckley, and featuring Milton Friedman, Victor Davis Hanson, Kenneth Starr, Arthur Laffer, Bernard Lewis, Congressman John Shadegg, Ward Connerly, Pat Toomey, Dinesh D'Souza, Kate O'Beirne, Rich Lowry, Jay Nordlinger, Ramesh Ponnuru, and John O'Sullivan. Prices start at just $1,799 per person. If you've ever thought about coming on an NR cruise, this is the one. Get the complete details at www.nrcruise.com.

Remember when Lewis Libby filed a long, detailed argument challenging the appointment of Patrick Fitzgerald as the CIA leak special prosecutor? I thought the challenge had merit, while Andy McCarthy did not. Today, Judge Reggie Walton sided with Andy -- not by name, of course, but Walton roundly rejected Libby's argument that Fitzgerald's power was overbroad and declined to throw out Libby's indictment on perjury and obstruction of justice charges.

Isn't the politically correct phrase "companion peeve"?

Seriously, the one that bothers me is only spoken, never written. But I hear it all the time -- people who mean to say "that's a whole other thing" say instead "that's a whole nother thing." Some sort of confluence of "another" with "whole other", I guess. And one gets into this usage business at one's own risk. I can see my email in-box now...

My pet peeve is people who say "pet peeve."

This is just delicious.

An e-mail from a female CPA: "I clicked on your link, thinking it was exciting news for accountants! What a disappointment."

This Ryan Lizza piece on George Allen is racing around the liberal blogosphere. I haven't read it yet, but from descriptions it sounds like it will hound Allen for a good long while.

women bean-counters can love.

From a reader:

Jonah, The usage foible that drives me up the wall is when reporters at the scene of some disaster talk about the 'unimaginable' destruction. To quote Han Solo, "I can imagine quite a lot."

For instance, I can imagine the scene of the disaster being eaten and
pooped out by a giant turtle. Is it that bad? No? Then it's not
unimaginable.

Lots of email like this:

Jonah,

While we're tilting at lexical windmills, can anything be done about my following pet peeves?

"alot" - Used to indicate "a lot".
I see this one so often, that I KNOW it isn't just typographical shorthand.

"high rate of speed" - Used to indicate "high speed".
If one insists on using the word "rate" to indicate high speed, then I'm afraid they're stuck with "high rate of displacement" or the even more ridiculous "high rate of displacement per unit time". I know it sounds stupid, but I'm not the moron that decided that "fast" or "high speed" didn't use enough words!

Though seldom heard, I have also heard the adjective-defying "FAST rate of speed". Words fail me...

Yes - I probably have too much spare time.

Keep up the great work!

I went yesterday to my local superchain bookstore to buy Party of Death. I rehearsed rhetorical feint-and-jab combos on the way, expecting to have to harangue some assistant manager into keeping the book on display instead of buried in the storeroom somewhere. I was a bit disappointed, I must admit, to find it right up front on the "New Non-Fiction" table, next to all the Bush-basher books and the stunning array of DaVinci Code spinoffs. I had a last-ditch hope for a sneer from the checkout clerk, but all he did was offer extra savings by signing up for a superchain bookstore frequent buyer super credit card -- a consumer culture trend which needs to stop, by the way. I am not now, nor will I ever be, a Ralph's Club member.

So I got out of there with my book (which is ter