Alan Colmes interviewed Howard Dean on Hannity and Colmes last night.

My comments in maroon, all italics mine.

Political teen has the video

Alan Colmes: What’s your reaction to the nomination of Alito?

Howard Dean: Ah, a couple of reactions. First of all I think it shows the President’s weakness. The extreme right of the party seems to be driving the judicial nominations process and I think that’s unfortunate. Secondly, we still wonder when the President’s going to ask Karl Rove to resign since he’s now been identified by the special prosecutor as the person who leaked the name. So, this all comes, uh, as kind of a, at kind of a difficult time. Uh, I don’t. I think the President’s really using this as a distraction right now to get away from his ethical troubles.

{Mr. Dean, what does Karl Rove have to do with reaction to Alito’s nomination? You just cited one reaction to Alito and then went off on a total tangent. Also, when did Patrick Fitzgerald identify Karl Rove as the person who leaked the information? I checked the Special Prosecutor’s website again and there are no new press releases there. Just the links for the indictments and the press release of Friday, October 28, 2005. I did a search of both documents and Karl Rove’s name does not appear in either.}

Alan Colmes: I want to get to Rove and the indictment in a moment, but I want to ask you what, do you know the level of consultation this administration had, with democrats, before the nomination?

Howard Dean: None. Ah, I’ve talked to Senator Reid and apparently there was no consultation whatsoever with any democrat that we know of. So I think it’s, this nomination is going to be in trouble. Um, ah, Judge Alito is apparently a nice person, but he’s got some pretty extreme rulings. For example, he, uh, in a dissent said that he didn’t think congress had the right to regulate the sale of machine guns. Ah, he held that, ah, in a very specific search warrant, where the police went in, could search a house and a guy suspected of something, they also strip searched his ten-year-old daughter and his wife, which was not in the warrant and Judge Alito didn’t see much trouble in that. A lot of sexual harassment cases and disability cases where the judge raised a very, very high standard of proof, including some really gross discrimination, so I won’t read it on your show.

{Julian Sanchez of Reason has rebuttals to most of these talking points which are also being used by Think Progress and the Center for American Progress}

Alan Colmes: Do you expect there could be a filibuster in this case?

Howard Dean: I think it’s much too early to tell that. I think we need to know a lot more. But the preliminary findings are that Judge Alito is well outside the mainstream of what most Americans believe the courts should be doing. And I think we’ll have to see to learn more about that.

{As I said in a post below, the dems and media are defining mainstream to mean anything that agrees with their worldview}

Alan Colmes: What could he say during confirmation hearings to convince you and other democrats that he is worthy of the job?

Howard Dean: Well I think he, we should find out if he believes that, uh, the courts ought to be used for, to stop discrimination against people. I think we ought to find out to what extent he believes that the police have a right to do anything they want. I think we ought to find out to what extent he thinks firearms ought to be regulated by the federal government, if at all. And I think we ought to find out whether he believes that a woman has a right to make up her own mind about her healthcare, or whether the government should do that for her.

{a woman’s healthcare = abortion on demand, any time, for any reason, at any age}

Alan Colmes: Is it your belief that the President chose today to make this choice as a distraction from the indictment news?

Howard Dean: Oh sure. But the indictment is not going to go away. The President promised he would fire anyone who leaked. Karl Rove has now been shown to have leaked, even though he wasn’t charged with a crime. This is a big ethical problem for the President. The President gave us his word that he would fire anyone who leaked. So far he hasn’t done that. We’re waiting to see if the President will keep his word.

{Hey Howie, do you have the press release? It still isn’t on the Special Prosecutor’s website}

Alan Colmes: Well, there have been three different standards. First, McClellan said anybody involved in, then he said if anybody leaked, then if anybody committed a crime. Are you calling for the resignation of Karl Rove?

Howard Dean: Absolutely. Karl Rove has no business having a security clearance having now been established as a leaker by the special prosecutor. As I say, he wasn’t charged with a crime, what he did was, not, certainly unethical. And he ought not to have a security clearance and he ought not to be working and being paid for by the taxpayers’ money.

{Howie, it still isn’t on the Special Prosecutor’s website}

Alan Colmes: What do you think the democrats need to do? I mean, the argu, the criticism of democrats is usually well there’s no vision, no unified message. What do the democrats need to do at this point to convince the American people that their vision is a better vision?

Howard Dean: Oh I think we do have a vision and we do have a unified message. The first vision is we want honesty in government. We have seen a culture of corruption that’s been brought to Washington and by state capitols like California and Minnesota, uh, and, uh, uh others. Ohio being the worst, by republican governments. We need to change that, we will change that. We’ll put in tough ethics legislation that will have to be complied with by people in our party, not just the re, opposite party.

Secondly, we want a balanced budget. We want jobs in this country to stay in this country. We want somebody to balance the books. We haven’t seen a republican do that for forty years.

Third, we want a healthcare system that covers everybody.

Fourth, we want a strong public education system and we want, we want a strong defense. We want a real strong defense that depends on telling the truth to our allies and telling the truth to the parents of soldiers who are being sent abroad to fight for America.

{Firstly, see No Agenda and Gateway Pundit to see the culture of corruption that exists in the democrat party. I would be happy to see tough ethics legislation if I could be absolutely sure that it would also cover democrats. Let’s start with stopping the fight over requiring picture ID to vote.

Secondly, a balanced budget would be great, but you dems would have to give up a lot pork and entitlements.

Thirdly, healthcare for everyone. Well. As noted above women’s healthcare means abortion, so you want abortion for everyone? Does that include the aborted?

Fourthly, we want a strong public education system too. That means actually teaching our children and getting rid of teachers that can not do that.

Fourthly part two, a real strong defense equals telling the truth to allies and the parents of soldiers?

UPDATE: I have to add something here. Why is it that only the parents of soldiers are indicated here? Why not the spouses and children of soldiers? Oh yeah, it’s the Cindy Sheehan wing speaking. All soldiers are just little kids that have been misled into volunteering in the United States Armed Forces. All the soldiers are children first.}

Alan Colmes: Do you think there should be a broader investigation, we’ve had Gerald Nadler on our show for example, referring to criminal statutes that call, that basically state, that you are prohibited from making false and fraudulent claims to congress. Some democrats have said that there should be a larger investigation to the conspiracy to move us toward war. Do you believe that should be the case?

Howard Dean: Well, I’m not so sure about that although if there is such a thing, it’ll be in the Vice President’s office. And I do think there needs to be more investigation in the Vice President’s office. One of the things established by the special prosecutor in the indictment is that Vice President Cheney was the source of Scooter Libbity’s, Libby’s knowledge about who the CIA agent was. The question is, did the Vice President instruct Scooter Libby to reveal that name. If he did, the Vice President probably is criminally negligent and that he ought to be indicted as well. I think we’d better find that out because I suspect that, Fitzgerald has a reputation of being ruthless, relentless and totally non-political and I think that’s just the kind of person you want this position.

Alan Colmes: Are you calling for a broader investigation of the Vice President?

Howard Dean: Oh, I think there should be. I suspect strongly that, frankly that the prosecutor’s already doing that because he, himself identified the Vice President as a source of some of the information that got leaked.

{Mr. Dean, Vice President Cheney had every right to know that information and he had every right to discuss it with his chief of staff/national security advisor Scooter Libby. That is NOT a crime of any kind whatsoever.}

Alan Colmes: Chairman Dean, we thank you very much for being with us tonight. Good to see you.

Howard Dean: Alan. Thanks for having me on.

Alan Colmes: Thanks very much.

Welcome readers of A Lady’s Ruminations and Gateway Pundit (He’s found a old speech of Wilson’s)! Please look around.

Lettori Benvenuti Di Ideazione!

From DhimmiWatch via Lone Star Times comes this story about banks in England banning piggy banks given to customers as a promotional item (AAP):

British banks are banning piggy banks because they may offend some Muslims.

Halifax and NatWest banks have led the move to scrap the time-honoured symbol of saving from being given to children or used in their advertising, the Daily Express/Daily Star group reports here….

Salim Mulla, secretary of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, backed the bank move.

“This is a sensitive issue and I think the banks are simply being courteous to their customers,” he said.

However, the move brought accusations of political correctness gone mad from critics.

“The next thing we will be banning Christmas trees and cribs and the logical result of that process is a bland uniformity,” the Dean of Blackburn, Reverend Christopher Armstrong, said.

“We should learn to celebrate our difference, not be fearful of them.”

Khalid Mahmoud, the Labour MP for a Birmingham seat and one of four Muslim MPs in Britain, also criticised the piggy-bank ban.

“We live in a multicultural society and the traditions and symbols of one community should not be obliterated just to accommodate another,” Mr Mahmoud said.

“I doubt many Muslims would be seriously offended by piggy banks.”

Muslims are not supposed to eat pork and consider pigs unclean, but these banks are porcelain or plastic pigs.

As with the situation in Dudley, West Midlands, UK a live pig in the office, or giving away a side of bacon or pork chops could, maybe, be construed as “insensitive”. Forcing actual, live pigs or pork on people, any people, would be unacceptable, but this just takes the cake.

Repeat after me:

There. Is. No. Right. To. Not. Be. Offended.

Many different groups have food prohibitions. With Hindus it’s beef. We should close all the McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Ruth’s Chris steakhouses. Jews can not eat pork or shellfish. Close all the Red Lobsters and Joe’s Crab Shacks.

Everything on this planet is bound to offend someone, somewhere.

Also covering this: Little Green Footballs, The Jawa Report, OpiniPundit, Say Anything, Gates of Vienna, Gut Rumbles, Momentary Lapses of Insanity, Daimnation, Hyscience, The American Princess, Civitatensis, Lost Budgie Blog,

Welcome Anchoress readers!
Welcome Junk Yard Blog readers!

More: And Now The Three Little Pigs Too

I had two calls today asking me to give money to one of those police organizations. I told them I am not currently working and can’t give anything right now.

The first one said, “Well, thank you anyway.” and politely ended the call.

The second (for a different organization) said, “Well, we’re not asking for a lot. $25 could make a big difference for our cause.”

I told him that $25 makes a big difference in my grocery budget too. Then I thanked him and hung up. Don’t know why I thanked him.

By the way, if you want to give a donation that you can guarantee will be 100% used by your local police or fire department, give it directly to your local police or fire department. Mail it or bring it in.

Yesterday afternoon I took my almost five-year-old son in for preschool screening. It was set up in the gym at a local elementary school. Near the door was the check-in table, then there were several stations set up for testing communication skills, cognitive skills and motor skills. Each child was sent through with an aide. Mom or Dad just waited. My area has a large Hispanic population and bilingual classes, so there were plenty of bilingual aides available.

There were three parents and children ahead of me in line. The first needed a bilingual aide. The second was asked if she needed a bilingual aide. She said that they spoke English, but her child also spoke Spanish at home. She was given a bilingual aide anyway (I don’t think she was really happy with that, but accepted it).

This is where the story gets good:

The lady at the desk, hearing an accent from mother number 3, asked if she needed a bilingual aide.

Mom said, “We speak English. We are from Romania.”

Our area also has a good sized population of Former Soviet Bloc and Indian immigrants too. There aren’t any bilingual aides for those immigrants.

I just think it’s telling.

Oh, by the way, the little guy did extremely well with his testing. The expected scores were 10, 12 and 12. I’m not sure which score went with each test though. His scores were 18, 23 and 22. They told me that he’s “more than ready” for school. He’s gifted and there’s no gifted programs in the district.

The cut-off date for kindergarden is September 1st (you have to be five by that date). His birthday is in November. He can’t go to kindergarden until next school year. Now what do I do?

I posted this late last night and I have some more thoughts about it now.

Right after 9/11, shots of the World Trade Center, shot before the attacks, were deleted from many movies. The one that comes to mind immediately was a scene, shown in the original trailer, from Spiderman. The scene showed a helicopter caught in a giant web strung between the Towers. This scene was deleted from the movie. I thought, perhaps, they’d include it as a deleted scene on the DVD, but they didn’t. Wikipedia has a list of movies and and some TV shows that were affected by 9/11 here.

In some movies the Towers were digitally removed from scenes.

This has always bothered me. Why remove them? The Towers stood until a group of religious zealots, out to take over the world, destroyed them and thousands of people inside. Removing the Towers from the films made it seem as if they had never existed. That just wasn’t right.

That was why I was so glad to see the Towers in the Lost Episode.

How do you feel about this? Please leave comments, I’m really very interested in other’s opinions on this subject.

Cindy Sheehan has signed up with a speaker’s bureau to get speaker’s fees. She sure needs the money. She lost her job because she was spending too much time away from it. She told Cybercast News Service the other day:

‘cause Casey’s insurance money’s going to run out pretty soon.

Not only is this woman denigrating her adult son’s memory and service to this country (which is worth fighting for by the way) she’s using the proceeds from his very sacrifice to do it.

Mrs. Sheehan, I’m sorry for your loss.

I’m so glad you are not my mother.

See Angry in the Great White North and The Anchoress for more.

It was yesterday. One year blogging. I started this out on my own, then February 11th Jeff joined me here. So we have another blogiversary coming up…

One Year, over 50,000 visitors. Large Mammal in the TTLB Ecosystem.

Thanks to Chris at A Large Regular (owner of blogshares in this blog), Lorie at PoliPundit and Byrd Droppings, Betsy Newmark, Michelle Malkin, Rusty Shackleford at The Jawa Report, Ideazione (The Right Nation), The Anchoress, Jeanette and Newton at Oh How I Love Jesus, Matt Margolis at Blogs for Bush, Lady Jane at A Lady’s Ruminations, Laura Lee at The Wide Awake Cafe, Hugh Hewitt, LaShawn Barber, Mover Mike, and all the others who have linked to us.

Notice anything about this picture?

It’s a screen shot from tonight’s episode of Lost. Just a few seconds, but there.

Yes, that’s the World Trade Center you can see out of the window.

This is a flashback scene that takes place prior to 9/11/01.

Thank you Lost.

Welcome Byrd Droppings Readers! Thanks Lorie.

More thoughts here.

Via Ankle Biting Pundits

The International Freedom Center has been ousted from the 9/11 Memorial site.

Governor Pataki said:

“Freedom should unify us. This center has not,” Pataki said. “Today there remains too much opposition, too much controversy over the programming of the IFC and we must move forward with our first priority, the creation of an inspiring memorial to pay tribute to our lost loved ones and tell their stories to the world.”

Pataki said the Freedom Center could not occupy space in a cultural building located near the proposed trade center memorial, but left open the possibility that the center could find a home elsewhere on the 16-acre site.

The governor said he would direct the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. — the agency he created to rebuild the site — to explore alternate locations for the center.

The Freedom Center said:

“We are deeply disappointed that the will could not be found to continue the development of the International Freedom Center at this hallowed site,” the Freedom Center said in a statement. “We do not believe there is a viable alternative place for the IFC at the World Trade Center site.”

“We consider our work, therefore, to have been brought to an end.”

Translation: If we can’t play with the toys we want, we don’t want to play at all.

Congratulations to Debra Burlingame and the Take Back The Memorial Foundation!

Welcome PoliPundit and Anchoress Readers! Please look around if you haven’t already…

has a new look...

I like it, I like it.