Monthly Archives: August 2006

When Will it be a Hate Crime?

Omeed Aziz Popal takes his SUV and runs over many people in San Francisco, near a Jewish neighborhood and a Jewish Center and it’s just “road rage” according to Mayor Gavin Newsom.

The Anchoress is on a roll with this one today and I agree with every word she writes.

Can you imagine, if someone had (God forbid!) driven a car into 14 gay people, how quickly the press would have managed to cover the story? Can you imagine that Mayor Newsom would call it “road rage” and suggest that there really probably wasn’t a “hate crime” attached to the action?

The use of “hate crime” is wrong too. “Hate” can go to motive, but does it really make the crime any more of a crime? Harry Blow may have had more reasons to “hate” Joe Schmoe than Harry knew (or thought) that Joe was gay. Maybe Joe had done something in the past that festered in Harry’s memory…

related: Hate Crimes and Terrorism

They Are Soooo Teeny Updated

These twins are [tag]albino Pygmy Marmosets[/tag], born earlier this week at the Froso Zoo in Ostersund, Sweden. They can grow to about 14 inches tall and nearly 1/4 pound. (35cm, 100 grams).

Pair of Cheeky Little Monkeys

The picture depicts them slightly larger than life sized. Click on the picture for the story.

h/t: My fellow Illinoisan Trader Rob (and the lovely Mrs. Trader Rob) at Opinipundit!

Update: the story has changed since I linked it. One of the babies has died and the zoo is working hard to save the surviving brother. Poor baby boy, poor mommy monkey.

But now one is fighting for its life after his twin brother died just hours after they became the first albinos of their breed to be born in captivity.
[…]
“We were so sorry when the twin died,” said zoo owner Ake Netterstrom. “We put in all available resources to save him but that did not help. It was very sad but it is likely he had a lower immune defence because he was albino.

“We don’t have time to mourn him as we have to focus on saving the other one.”

Sirius-ly Folks, Pluto No Longer A Planet

A conference of astromomers ([tag]The International Astronomical Union[/tag]) in Prague who had floated the idea of adding [tag]Ceres[/tag], [tag]Charon[/tag] and [tag]Xena[/tag] (aka [tag]2003 UB313[/tag]) to the list of planets in this solar system have, instead, demoted [tag]Pluto[/tag].

Textbooks will have to be rewritten.

The 2,996 Project

Musing Minds will be honoring Paul Pansini, age 34. He was killed in the World Trade Center September 11, 2001. He was a New York City Firefighter.

Sign up here.

Steve and Olaf – Updated With Video

Fox News is reporting that [tag]Al Jazeera[/tag] has released a tape of [tag]Steve Centanni[/tag] and [tag]Olaf Wiig[/tag] that was given them by the [tag]Holy Jihad Brigade[/tag], a previously unknown group. They said they are being treated fairly well, fed, allowed to shower and use the facilities. They love their families and don’t want them to worry. They want to go home soon.

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First Day of Kindergarten

Little Guy goes off on the bus by himself in about 45 minutes. We have to walk about 3-1/2 blocks to the bus stop.

We had “practice” last Friday. We went to school, got his bus pass, found his classroom and learned his teacher’s name. He was able to practice getting on and off the bus and even got a ride around the parking lot so he could hear what the bus sounds like and feel what the bus feels like when it’s moving and when it stops.

He knows the rules, no running on the bus, stay seated, put your belt on, hold the hand rails. I think he’ll do just fine.

Little Guy has about an hour today for the first day. Tomorrow is the first “full” day (Kindergarten is a half day around here, he’s in the afternoon session) for 2-1/2 hours.

He’s just so excited about starting school and so am I.

Grapevine

On last night’s Special Report during the Grapevine segment, Jim Angle seems to have had a bit of a Freudian Slip…

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What do you think? Keep in mind what this particular story is about.

Helen Again

Tony Snow has so much patience with this woman…

Helen.

Q I have two questions. Did the President call for the respect of sovereignty by both sides?

MR. SNOW: Respect of sovereignty?

Q You just mentioned Hezbollah.

MR SNOW: I think what happens here is that — yes, the President has called for everybody to respect the sovereignty of the government of Lebanon. And one of the things that he’s pointed out in the past is that when you’ve had a power vacuum in the South, which has been the case in the past, it has invited Hezbollah to go in and serve as a government within a government or state within a state. The Israelis have agreed to pull out as international forces move in, providing credible security for the people in southern Lebanon, and also, at the same time, providing some assurance that Hezbollah will not try to rearm again.

Q My second question: Why does the President want to modify the Geneva accords, conventions, to prevent inhumane, cruel treatment of detainees?

MR. SNOW: The President has never suggested modifying the Geneva conventions.

Q You mean that all these stories are wrong?

MR. SNOW: Well, the Geneva conventions, as has been construed — there are two things you’ve got to keep in mind. Number one, the Geneva conventions always must be construed especially — you’re talking about Common Article Three?

Q Yes.

MR. SNOW: — in manners that are consistent with the U.S. law. The second thing is this is a new situation because the Geneva conventions in the past have not been construed as applying to those who do not fight for duly constituted military forces. We will wait to see when we have a final decision on how to implement the Hamdan case. I think, at this point, what you’re reacting to is things that you’ve seen, and I’ll be happy to entertain more specific questions when we have a proffer.

Q Are these all speculative and not true?

MR. SNOW: No, it’s all trying to figure out the proper way also. One of the difficulties in Common Article Three is that there’s a great deal of vague language and rather than, “trying to change the Geneva accords,” what we’re trying to do is to interpret them.

Q Does the President have any concern about how Prime Minister Olmert’s political standing has been affected by all of this? A lot of criticism within his own country and around the world.

MR. SNOW: No, but I think the President does understand what happens when you’re in a period of war, which is that you’re always going to take some political heat if you’re trying to do what you think is right. And he certainly understands and appreciates the fact that there are going to be responses from people in any nation that is affected by war, and he certainly has a keen understanding and appreciation.

Q Prime Minister Olmert today said that Israel will continue to pursue Hezbollah leaders, “everywhere and any time.” I mean, do you view that as in line with the cease-fire?

MR. SNOW: Well, I think what we ought to do is just to see what people do on the ground and we’ll react to things going on on the ground.

Transcript taken from White House website, where a video is also available.

Heard Over the Weekend on TV

I heard a couple of things on TV this weekend that I feel a need to share. I can’t remember exactly which shows they were on, but they were on Fox. I don’t have a transcript so I will paraphrase.

1. Because Bush went into Iraq, there are more terrorists and more terrorist activity.

2. You don’t need 300 cell phone for an operation. Even Madrid only needed two or three. This proves that those boys were only trying to make money.

In response to #1 I say: The first salvo in this war was in 1979 when Iran violated our sovereign soil and took our embassy in Teheran. Then President Jimmy Carter did nothing. Ted Koppel got his start in late night TV news with Day xxx: The Hostage Crisis which eventuallly became Nightline after the hostages were finally released.

Just two examples from the Clinton tenure: The 1993 World Trade Center bombing which was treated as a criminal endeavor, and the attack on the USS Cole. Nothing was done there either.

A few other examples: The Marines in Beruit, Somalia, Pan Am 103. The Anchoress has more in a post I linked a few days ago, here.

The current boldness of the terrorists is a direct result of Jimmy Carter’s policies, and by extension, Bill Clinton’s policies. Actually, if you look at it, Bill’s policies really were Jimmy’s, after all Bill sent Jimmy to NoKo to negotiate a deal that Kim Jong Il signed with his fingers crossed behind his back.

So it’s really the policies that were in put in place by Carter and Clinton that emboldened the terrorists. This has been going on for almost 30 years, not just for the

In response to #2: Whatever makes you think that terrorists would only purchase “enough for an operation?” – that has to be one of the most illogical explanations I have ever heard.

mm-5