Texas Supreme Court Rules Against Illegal Seizure of Polygamy Kids: Case is in the Toilet

The collapse of the prosecution of the Texas polygamists accelerated today with a ruling by the Texas Supreme Court in favor of returning the kids to their parents.

This is what happens when the law is treated like optional guidelines; and I can't believe that Texas officials got stuck on STUPID! They've been reduced to sending the kids back to a less-than-ideal situation at best, and a molestation situation at worst.

This is ENTIRELY the fault of these people who decided to blanket the entire colony with this idiotic warrant that never should have been issued. They should have done their homework, infiltrated the group or turned a few of the members and targeted ONLY those individuals who they suspected of abusing kids. Instead, they took the children of the innocent as well as the guilty, and denied due process to all.

Now the Texas CPS and legal system has egg in it's collective faces, and it's their own damned fault! They could have put a stop to this type of behavior, but because they didn't follow their own procedures, this case has been turned into a total farce. And the polygamy BS will continue.

Someone needs to face the music over this unbelievable situation.

USS Kitty Hawk Retires: Aircraft Carrier Leaves Japan on It's Final Voyage

The USS Kitty Hawk is due to be retired early next year and is on it's final voyage home. She departed Yokosuka, Japan, this morning and is en route to Pearl Harbor, then on to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, where she will be decommissioned on January 31st, 2009.

The Kitty Hawk replaced the USS Independence after that aircraft carrier was retired; now the USS George Washington, one of America's newest nuclear-powered carriers, will arrive in Yokosuka in August.

As they left the harbor, the sailors on deck formed the word SAYONARA, which, of course, means "goodbye."

A historical group in Wilmington, North Carolina, is lobbying the Navy to donate the ship as a museum, where it would be docked next to the battleship USS North Carolina (BB-55). It's also been reported that the government of India wants to purchase the Kitty Hawk.

I'd rather see the ship end up in North Carolina as Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, is where the Wright brothers staged their first powered aircraft flight. I hope the Navy doesn't decide to sink it as they did the USS America three years ago after blowing the hell out of it. I still wish they hadn't done that, but hopefully the tests that they did will be beneficial to designing the next generation of carrier.

Polygamy Case Begins to Collapse: Texas Officials Took Legal Shortcuts and Short-Circuited the Process

As was widely feared, the case against a polygamist colony in Texas began to buckle as the courts took an intense look at how this entire mess came to be and found severe problems with how the case has been handled. The seizure of 465 children from the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS) compound was found to be without merit; the accusations were not supported by the evidence, and legal procedures were violated.

And now there's an even larger mess than there was before.

A dozen children have been ordered returned to their families immediately; more will probably follow.

There's some ugly undertones in this case, both within the FLDS, and within the legal system, and both are in the forefront of the case. It's already an established fact that the FLDS practices polygamy, which is illegal, and may be forcing underage girls to marry much older men. That's a very good reason for the Texas legal system to be concerned.

But Texas has very specific laws on child welfare, which are designed to keep families together and help them work through problems. In this case, those laws are not being observed; the parents have been effectively shut out of the case while the future of their children is decided.

And the authorities are not even taking the time to determine which families are practicing polygamy, and which ones have legal marriages under Texas law (meaning ONE husband and ONE wife with a marriage license).

Shouldn't the authorities take the time to separate the innocent from the guilty, rather than painting them all with a VERY broad brush? This is part of the reason why the court ruled the way it did. Other problems with the case cited by the judge:

• The phone call that started this entire affair was a hoax. A woman claiming to be 16 and a victim of the sect was actually a pathological liar living in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and has a history of making false police reports.
  
  
• Texas officials wanted to arrest one man and ignored good information that they received that he was living in Arizona. They staged the raid on the Texas facility anyways.
  
  
• Of the 31 "children" who were suspected of being underaged mothers, half were adults, including one 27 year old. Another 18-year-old has accused the police of ignoring her birth certificate and driver's license. Hardly the kind of "evidence" that can stand on it's own merits in court and prove what the state is saying.

Polygamy is an abomination. But so is raping the Constitution. FLDS members are no different from other faiths when it comes to the cafeteria-style beliefs of members of those faiths. "Oh, I'll practice this belief, but not that one over there." Yaadaa yaadaa.

But in the Texas case, the authorities have accused ALL their members of polygamy and taken their children (by force) without a chance to prove the accusations wrong, and with NO charges being filed against the parents.

I don't like the FLDS, but to deny them their Constitutional rights sets up a precedence that is EXTREMELY bad. The authorities in this case need to get with the program and follow established legal procedures.

Like I said, this is ugly. And it's going to get a lot uglier.

Taser Duel in Colorado over Parking Spot: At Least They're Both Still Alive

Two men got into an argument over an illegally parked vehicle and whipped out their Tasers, shocking one another stupid. The instigator was arrested.

Well, it's a better outcome than having these guys pull out handguns and start blasting away at one another, with the bullets hitting whoever or whatever is in the way. Both men are alive and none the worse for their experience.

Too bad it's not on video. It would help the authorities sort out the stories that both men are telling.

Florida Floats Plan That Takes Advantage of DNC Rules: Asks to Have Half Their Delegates Seated in Accordance with Rule Rule 20.C.1.a.

Someone in Florida is finally using their heads and demanding that half their delegates be seated at the Democratic National Convention as called for in Rule 20.C.1.a. of the Delegate Selection Rules.

Smart move.

I think that Florida will manage to get half their delegates seated.

Detroit City Council Moves Against Mayor Kilpatrick: Votes to Take Steps to Remove the Mayor from Office

The Detroit City Council's feud against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick entered a new phase after the council voted to take steps to remove the mayor from office. He stands accused of eight felony charges related to his text-messaging sex scandal that cost the taxpayers of Detroit millions of dollars.

This was a necessary step in restoring public confidence to the Mayor's office. They've scheduled a forfeiture hearing for June the 13th. But it may be unnecessary as the trial should be decided by then. If he's found guilty of any of the felony charges, he automatically loses his office. If he's found innocent, what will the city council do then? Will they have a leg to stand on?

This is getting more interesting by the day. Who needs TV shows with legal dramas? Detroit's got it all.

GOP Loses Three Seats in Republican Districts: Voters are Rejecting MODERATE Republicans for CONSERVATIVE Democrats

The GOP is crying about losing three longtime Republican seats in recent special elections. I found it fascinating that they had fielded three moderate Republicans against three conservative Democrats, and lost all three elections. And two of the Republicans had serious issues that conservative voters were not happy with.

Is the National Republican Committee paying attention to what's happening?

Sort of. They do not appear willing to admit that their efforts to marginalize the conservative base have only made it stronger. And the conservative voters turned out for the conservative candidates, even if they were from the other party. That's a sign of things to come.

The GOP has to come to grips with this situation and field more conservative Republicans; otherwise the electoral bloodbath that many are predicting on Election Day will happen.

No Republican can survive without conservative support. The last three special elections in Louisiana, Illinois and Mississippi are the proof of that statement. If things stay as they are, the moderate Republicans are going to have a very bad day in November if they're facing conservative Democrats.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that there may be more conservative Republicans left in Congress than moderate ones the day after Election Day if the GOP doesn't shift gears and get with the program.

Democratic National Committee Needs to Re-Read Their Rules: They Can Only Take Half of Michigan's and Florida's Delegates Away

Rule 20.C.1.a. of the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2008 Democratic National Convention:

Violation of timing:

In the event the Delegate Selection Plan of a state party provides or permits a meeting, caucus, convention or primary which constitutes the first determining stage in the presidential nominating process to be held prior to or after the dates for the state as provided in Rule 11 of these rules, or in the event a state holds such a meeting, caucus, convention or primary prior to or after such dates, the number of pledged delegates elected in each category allocated to the state pursuant to the Call for the National Convention shall be reduced by fifty (50%) percent, and the number of alternates shall also be reduced by fifty (50%) percent. In addition, none of the members of the Democratic National Committee and no other unpledged delegate allocated pursuant to Rule 8.A. from that state shall be permitted to vote as members of the state’s delegation. In determining the actual number of delegates or alternates by which the state’s delegation is to be reduced, any fraction below .5 shall be rounded down to the nearest whole number, and any fraction of .5 or greater shall be rounded up to the next nearest whole number.

And yet more DNC violations of their own rules:

Rule 11A:

No meetings, caucuses, conventions or primaries which constitute the first determining stage in the presidential nomination process (the date of the primary in primary states, and the date of the first tier caucus in caucus states) may be held prior to the first Tuesday in February or after the second Tuesday in June in the calendar year of the national convention. Provided, however, that the Iowa precinct caucuses may be held no earlier than 22 days before the first Tuesday in February; that the Nevada first-tier caucuses may be held no earlier than 17 days before the first Tuesday in February; that the New Hampshire primary may be held no earlier than 14 days before the first Tuesday in February; and that the South Carolina primary may be held no earlier than 7 days before the first Tuesday in February. In no instance may a state which scheduled delegate selection procedures on or between the first Tuesday in February and the second Tuesday in June 1984 move out of compliance with the provisions of this rule.

So, let's see:

Iowa held their primary/caucus on January 3rd, which was 33 days before the first Tuesday in February. The rule above states that they can hold their primary no earlier than 22 days before the first Tuesday in Febuary. Iowa violated the rules.

New Hampshire held it's primary on January 8th, which was 28 days before the first Tuesday in February. The rule above states that they can hold their primary no earlier than 14 days before the first Tuesday in February. New Hampshire also violated the rules.

Michigan and Florida held their respective primaries on January 15th, which is three weeks earlier than the first Tuesday in February. Michigan and Florida both violated the rules. Both states acknowledge that point.

South Carolina held it's primary on January 26th, which was 10 days before the first Tuesday in February. The above rule states that they can hold their primary 7 days before first Tuesday. South Carolina violated the rules as well.

So, five states violated party rules on timing of their primaries. All five states got stripped of 50% of their delegates and lost all of their superdelegates. Right? WRONG!

Three states escaped punishment entirely. Two states lost ALL of their delegates and superdelegates, which isn't covered in the rules.

The DNC seems to have a problem in applying the rules equally and fairly. It's another sign of how corrupt the DNC leadership is. If they continue on their current course and deny Florida and Michigan their guaranteed votes that are provided for in their own rules, they run the risk of losing major support in both states. Both states have gone Republican in the past before; do they really want a repeat performance?

Start following your own rules, DNC.

Michigan Democratic Plan to Split Delegates Between Clinton and Obama is Junk: Why Are They Awarding Obama Freebies?

News broke yesterday of a plan put forth by Michigan Democrats to split the state's delegates between Clinton and Obama 69-59 in favor of Clinton. I think this plan is a very bad one. Obama wasn't even a candidate--he pulled his own name off the ballot--so why is he getting freebie delegates?

Clinton should be getting 55% of the delegates and the other 45% should go to the convention as un-pledged delegates, who can support whomever they want once they get to the convention. If they want to support Obama once they get there, that's fine, but to give Obama a single pledged delegate is not reflective of the election that was held.

He could have kept his name on the ballot, but he chose to pull his name from consideration. So he shouldn't be getting 59 freebie delegates at all.

Or 1/2 that number under Rule 20.C.1.A. of the "Delegate Selection Rules for the 2008 Democratic National Convention" which the DNC is in the process of violating. More on that later.

Forget the current plan.

Global Warming Hubris: Carbon Credit Market is a "Feel-Good About Polluting" SCAM, Nothing More

The carbon offset market is FINALLY being shown to be a huge fraud that takes provides those with a guilty conscience (about contributing to the world's carbon emission problem) a "feel-good" solution that ultimately does nothing. This is really dumb. And now some in the media seem to be treating the carbon market with a bit of well-earned skepticism.

Here's another report.

The Hollywood crowd that has joined the global warming alarmism campaign and use their celebrity star power to spread the word about the "threat" of global warming and toot their own horns about purchasing carbon credits should ground their private gas-guzzling jets instead. That would stop the carbons from getting into the atmosphere more than purchasing carbon credits from questionable sources who may not be doing what they're saying they're doing to reduce carbon. Or selling credits that they've already sold to someone else.

Global warming is inevitable, with or without us adding to or taking away from it. It's going to happen regardless of what we do, which makes this claim of man-made global warming highly dubious at best. If the governments of the world want to improve the environment for everyone, I am in complete agreement with that.

But trying to stop something that's as inevitable as global warming is the height of folly. Those with guilty consciences should learn to LIVE WITH IT and plant the damn trees themselves.

Someone, PLEASE, save these people from themselves!

But if no one wants to, then here's how to jump in on this fiasco.

Burma/Myanmar Suffers Cyclone Strike: 13,000 Feared Dead and the U.S. Pledges $250,000: Is This a Very Bad Joke?

A huge cyclone hit Burma/Myanmar/(whatever they're calling themselves) and nearly 13,000 are feared dead.

Our government has pledged $250,000 to aid in disaster relief efforts.

WHAT!

Is this a joke??!

Conspiracy Theorists Believe Bush Will Cancel 2008 Presidential Elections: NONSENSE!

Ahhh, more conspiracy notions to dispel!

The topic is NSPD-51, an Executive Order which ensures the continuation of the federal government in the event of a catastrophic attack or natural disaster. It calls for the President to take charge of government operations in the event that something really bad happens.

Some with very active imaginations have taken this to mean that President Bush will declare martial law and cancel the elections on a whim to begin his "reign" as dictator.

That's nonsense.

Let's imagine one scenario that this Executive Order is truly designed to deal with:

Washington is destroyed by a terrorist nuclear bomb while the government is in session, and most members of the House and Senate are killed. Also, the President, Vice President, most of the Joint Chiefs and many of the Cabinet members are dead.

In this hypothetical situation, the Presidency passes to...oh, the Secretary of Energy, who is twelfth in line of succession and overseas on business. He/she flies home and is sworn in somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.

The new President is going to be pretty busy, trying to figure things out and wondering where to start.

Where the conspiracy theorists are going crazy is the discussion over whether to reconstitute the Congress immediately or not. The Constitution stipulates that in the event of the death or incapacitation of a member of Congress that an election is held for the seat.

But what would happen if all 535 members of Congress were dead?

Consider this: it would take some time to organize elections in every state, and then designate a new national capitol for the reconstituted Congress to meet at. The directive gives the President emergency powers to manage the situation, and begin to get things in place for setting the government back up.

The reason that it does this is that if our government is decapitated, it assumes that the Executive Branch will recover first. It's easier to swear in a duly appointed Cabinet member as President than it is to organize an election, have candidates campaign, stage the election, get them to the capitol and swear them in. That's how the law is written.

Of course, the governors might appoint the new slate of Representatives and Senators. But even then, where would they meet? Someone would have to coordinate that.

One troubling thing that is giving the theorists ammunition are the secret annexes to this Presidential Order. Only the Administration knows what's in the various annexes, and this is driving the conspiracy discussion along. There are rumors of martial law being declared (possibly) for the purpose of making the President a dictator (highly unlikely).

That's the spirit of this Presidential order as I read it. If President Bush has one obsession (and a flaw), it's national security and protecting the country.

Bush isn't going to stop the elections due to terrorism. Other nations have held elections in the wake of deadly terrorist attacks, such as Spain in 2004.

Here's what will likely happen in October/November/December of this year:

• There will be no terrorism before the election. If there is, it'll be small-scale.
  
• Washington, DC, will not fall into the Atlantic Ocean.
• An asteroid will not strike Capitol Hill and level all of Washington.
  
• The election will be held, a winner will be decided.
• The transition will begin.
• President Bush and VP Cheney will leave office on January 20th, 2009, on time and without strings attached.
  
• The 44th President will take office on the same day.
• The conspiracy theorists will look silly again.

That's my two cents.

Here's the complete list of Executive Orders from the National Archives dating back to 1937.

Lots of Videos of Chinese Flame Protection Unit in Action

And in the following video, which is entirely in French, it was not French officials who doused the flame and leaving the runners speechless--it was the Chinese. The broadcast is in French.



So much for unity. Sure looked like the Chinese vs. everyone else, including the London police and the French runners.